Sega's Genesis/MegaDrive titles for Nintendo Revolution - "everything ready to go"'

a source close to Nintendo has stated that Sega will soon announce a massive back catalogue line-up for Nintendo Revolution, with the MegaDrive leading the way on the pay-to-play service.

Our long-term, trusted source told us, under terms of strick anonymity, that Sega is "on the brink of being in a position to announce exactly what it has agreed [with Nintendo]" with the 16-bit console's first-party catalogue to lead the way. Our source was unable to shed light on the possibility of Master System, GameGear, Mega CD, 32X and, dare we say it, Saturn games featuring on Revolution, though an announcement regarding the Genesis range will be made at E3 at the latest.

Our source continued, "Sega essentially has everything ready to go, as the Dreamcast was due to host a selection of downloadable back-catalogue, a program that it can pretty much hand over on a plate. There is some legal involvement with NEC, though I think this is in the process of being ironed out"

Of course, rumour of Sega supporting the Revolution has existed for sometime, though common sense dictates that adding back catalogue content to the Revolution's download system is something of a no-brainer. Sega is also freed from certain platform-holder constraints, as our source explained; "Sega is sick of having its IP undervalued, especially by Sony. The amount of back catalogue games required per new release for the US market is huge, with Sony rejecting offerings at will. In Japan things are a little more relaxed though the US has been a massive problem. The Revolution will ease this to a degree, offering immediate returns for a much smaller risk and offering potential customers more choice."

This just leaves the thorny issue of third-party licensing support for older software on the Revolution, as Nintendo's gestating console is currently known. At this point in time, SPOnG speculates that certain companies are in the process of signing with Nintendo, with Konami and Capcom rumoured to have agreements in place at this time. However, at time of press, no one was able to shed light on this key element of of what is shaping up to be pure retro joy courtesy of the magic box in development in Kyoto.

Stay tuned for dedicated Revolution coverage as it breaks.