Yes, the Toys R Us trade-in program differs from many of their competition in that there is no cut-off point when a game is too old to be traded in. As long as the customer supplies the original game in the original packaging, they can exchange their games for store credit good at Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores, along with the corresponding online outlets.

“The video game trade-in program is another way we’re providing customers with additional value when they visit our stores,” said Bill Lee, Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager, Toys R Us, US. “This program is designed to make the exchange process completely hassle-free for customers by accepting games from even the oldest systems, including the original Atari 2600 and 32-bit Sega Genesis.”

Outside of the odd vintage video game shop and online outlets like eBay, there really aren’t many places you can take your old Intellivision, NES, or Sega Genesis games for store credit. Depending on the reaction to the program, this could make the Toys R Us used video game section a very interesting place to shop, with games we’ve not seen in ages popping up on store shelves.

As if I needed more of an excuse to visit Toys R Us.

Earthworm Jim was winning the voting for the next Sega Genesis classic by a wide margin yesterday, when Interplay and Gameloft made their big announcement: Earthworm Jim was coming to all consoles in downloadable form. The bad news? Sega had to remove Jim from the poll. The good? We’re getting Earthworm Jim anyway.

Unfortunately, due to a licensing issue, we are no longer able to offer Earthworm Jim as an option in our poll. It was announced earlier today that Gameloft will be bringing Earthworm Jim to Xbox Live Arcade along with several other platforms. We are excited that our fans will soon be able to play this game.

There’s even more good news, as my second choice – Toejam & Earl – is currently leading the newly reset poll, so we’re basically getting our two top picks instead of one. Everybody wins!

UPDATE: Genesis Poll [Sega America]

You may select from:

• Five minutes of Shaq Fu gameplay: Needs no introduction. One of the worst game concepts of all time.

• A Nine-Minute Minesweeper Tutorial: Really, bro, I think we got this one covered after, say, 30 seconds.

• Allen Carr’s Stop Smoking for the DS, in Dutch: The English version had no sound, and I wanted you to enjoy the ear-grating sound effects.

• The first ten minutes of Super Mario Bros. The Movie. So embarrassingly godawful, you’ll cringe remembering how you demanded mum and Dad take your sleepover party to see it.

Alright, break off your switch. Let me hit you with it. Punishment time. Which one did you choose and how long could you stand it?

It’s time for your weekly dose of old news from Kotaku (no jokes, please!). We visited 1987 last week, when a chest-thumping Nintendo dared to predict that Zelda could be as significant as Mario.

Now let’s zip really close to the present, to 1989. Sega was not bowing out of the console war yet. No way. It had the Genesis device with which to crush Nintendo. An April 27, 1989 press release boasted about this machine and its amazing features:

Sega of America announces ”Genesis,” world’s first state-of-the-art 16-bit home video game system Sega of America Thursday announced it will sell and market the world’s first arcade-quality, 16-bit home video game system under the Genesis name in the United States.

The unit and software will be unveiled at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show, June 3-June 6 in Chicago, with initial distribution set for the fall of this year.

”The 16-bit home video system we are ready to launch will have an immeasureably important impact on the industry, based on the enthusiastic consumer and trade response in the six months the product has been available in Japan,” said Sega of America chairman David Rosen.

”American retailers and consumers with whom we have demonstrated the product have embraced the high standards and accurate replication of the video arcade environment.”

Sega is building its own sales and marketing organisation specifically for Genesis. This will not impact the company’s existing relationship with Tonka, which sells and markets Sega’s Master System.

”Our partnership with Tonka has been beneficial to both parties on the 8-bit business. Our development of a separate organisation for Genesis is a natural result of Sega’s product expansion plans. The number of new and advanced products being created by our R&D group is exciting, as is the opportunity to expand our corporate structure to meet new demands,” Rosen said.

While not divulging specific software titles, Rosen said that there will be a broad array including concepts which heretofore have not existed in home video games. In addition, existing Sega Master System titles can be played on Genesis via a converter, which will also be introduced at CES.

Benefits of Genesis include high definition graphics; increased colour and motion; stereo and high-fidelity music; simultaneously and independently scrolling gamefields and a stereo headphone jack.

Readers, I must admit that I didn’t own a Genesis. I had a Super Nintendo. So please tell me, which was more awesome: the “independently scrolling gamefields” or the “stereo headphone jack”?

And now back to our regular 2009 Kotaku posts… until next week.

1989 Press release announcing executive hiring at Sega of America…

Based in South San Francisco, Sega of America Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sega Enterprises Ltd./Japan, recognised as a global leader in the high-technology entertainment game industry. Sega’s worldwide activities involve the conception, creation and sale of consumer electronics and entertainment products, including coin-operated arcade games and home video hardware, software and electronic toys, and the operation of arcade centres.

1990 Press release announcing Thomas Kalinski becoming president of Sega of America
(Note: Some of these descriptions are for the Japanese home company; others for the American subsidiary)…

Sega Enterprises Ltd./Japan is a 39-year-old worldwide leader in high-tech electronic entertainment systems and toys. Sega, a public company listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is one of the fastest-growing companies in Japan.

1995 Press release announcing Sega’s intent to not just support the Genesis and the Saturn, but to start a company called Sega Soft that would “focus on developing content for multimedia PCs and the Internet”…

Sega Enterprises Ltd., is a nearly $US4 billion company recognised as the industry leader in interactive digital entertainment media and is the only company that offers interactive entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home. Sega of America’s World Wide Web site is located at http://www.segaoa.com.

2000 Press release announcing the debut of the Dreamcast game Sonic Shuffle
(Note: Sega’s getting more verbose, but it’s awkward to see that that company dollar value they cited five years prior has shrunk so much. But check out their better URL. The company would be a third-party developer within a year.)…

Sega of America is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Sega Corporation responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of Sega videogame systems and videogames in the Americas. Sega Corporation is a nearly $US2.5 billion company recognised as the industry leader in interactive digital entertainment media, offering interactive entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home. Sega of America’s World Wide Web site is located at www.sega.com.

2005 Press release announcing the development of Full Auto and Condemned: Criminal Origins for the Xbox 360…

SEGA of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com/usa.

2009 Press release announcing the release of Let’s Tap
(Note: I’m sure people are busy at Sega, but did nothing change in four years? There’s nothing new to say about the company?)…

SEGA of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com/us.

I could now ask you readers how you would describe Sega, but that might be asking for trouble.

Part of Sega’s Vintage Collection, Gunstar Heroes is a port of Treasure’s classic 1993 shooter, which is still revered as one of the finest games to ever grace the Genesis/Mega Drive.

So, as far as ports go, how does it hold up in 2009?

LOVED
If It Ain’t Broke: As far as side-scrolling shooters go, Gunstar Heroes is almost perfect. So Sega were smart to leave the game well enough alone, the only changes being some new display options (the adjustment ones welcome, the graphics filter less so) and, in a welcome move, the addition of online co-op.

Analogue-Friendly: Some retro games – like Bionic Commando: Rearmed – were woeful on 360 thanks to its terrible d-pad. Gunstar Heroes, you’ll be happy to know, doesn’t suffer from this, as control via the analogue stick is smooth and responsive.

HATED
Premature Evacuation: It’s a little unfair to knock a fault with the original game when reviewing a port, but I’m going to vent anyways: Gunstar Heroes’ biggest problem is that it’s too damn short. The customisable weaponry and co-op adds a bit of replay value to the game, but with only four missions, you’ll be done just as you were getting into the swing of things.

Gunstar Heroes was my favourite game on the Mega Drive. And, thanks to this slick and (mostly) faithful port, it’s now one of my favourite downloadable games this generation. The best part: it’s cheap, cheaper even than the recent Virtual Console port that didn’t include as many features. Treasure fans – or anyone looking to kill a few hours with some mindless, vintage carnage – should definitely look into it.

Gunstar Heroes was developed by Treasure, and originally released in 1993. Reviewed version published by Sega, and released on June 10 (XBLA) and June 11 (PSN). Retails for 400 MS Points on Xbox 360, $US5 on PlayStation Store. Played Xbox 360 version to completion, tested online co-op.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

Bratwurst, from the Sega-16 forums, has made his own copy. With a box, box art, a manual (in authentic, faded black & white) and, most amazing of all, he’s made his own working Genesis cartridge.

These aren’t the first custom productions he’s knocked up – there are also copies of Monster World IV and Pulseman out there somewhere – but it’s definitely the most impressive. Because it’s Alien Soldier.

Alien Soldier Finally Sees US Cart Release [GameSetWatch]

Well, his language was a little more colourful. In a podcast with GameTrailers’ Invisible Walls, developer Peter Wanat talks about Nintendo and the Nintendo Wii.

Wanat, whose credits include Scarface, Chronicles of Riddick and the forthcoming Wanted: Weapons of Fate, points out how most third party developers aren’t finding success on the Wii — save for Ubisoft causal line-up. Since developers have difficulty making Wii-specific games and then porting them successfully to other platforms, Nintendo’s console is not as attractive.

The developer is quick to praise Nintendo’s first party titles and business savvy, but adds that third party developers shouldn’t “have to get down on their knees to blow Nintendo” — or something to the effect. However, Nintendo’s games, Wanat continues, feature “crappy graphics and basic control play” and are for “little kids and old people” as well as “hardcore Nintendo fanboys.”

And about that “effing” SEGA Genesis comparison? I had a SEGA Genesis, and it was effing awesome…

…in 1989.

Invisible Walls [GT via PS3 Center]

Last year, Blaze produced a third-party, handheld Genesis (or Mega Drive, for our PAL readers). It was gimped. Now, though, they’re releasing a proper Genesis, and it looks much better.

How much better? As you can see, it’s a proper console. It comes with a knock-off of the superior, later-model Genesis control pads, perfect for Street Fighter. There are 15 games included inside the system, including Sonic & Knuckles, Altered Beast, Alex Kidd and Golden Axe. Best of all, it even has a cartridge slot which will play original Gen/MD games from all regions.

The “Blaze” take on the system is currently going for £38 at British retailer Play, which runs to around USD$53.

Sega Mega Drive Console With 15 Games (Megadrive) [Play, via CVG]

Sega’s got a slew of rehashes lined up for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, if recent ESRB ratings are right. And they usually are. Comix Zone, Streets of Rage 2, Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star II, Gunstar Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Golden Axe, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 have all been giving the go-ahead by the ratings board.

Yep, some of those already exist as Xbox Live Arcade games, but some are new. Why would Sega ready more individual releases when they’ve got the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection coming down the pike? The answer is simply “Sega.”

ESRB Game Ratings [ESRB via NeoGAF]