As predicted by many, Nintendo has announced that they will be releasing a “Super Nintendo (SNES) Classic” on September 29th, 2017. For those who are unfamiliar, the SNES was the first 16-bit gaming console from Nintendo and one of it’s most successful consoles released. The SNES Classic is a smaller form of the SNES utilizing ROMS rather than cartridges. The original Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) had legendary, great games including but not limited to:
- Super Mario World
- Super Mario Kart
- James Bond 007 Goldeneye
- Aero the Acrobat
- F-Zero
- Mortal Kombat
- Final Fantasy III (VI?)
- Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The system should, no doubt, bring in some extra funds and turn quite a bit of profit for Nintendo. (Isn’t that their main goal?) What about the customer though? The Mini NES, Nintendo Classic, released late last year (November 11th to be exact) and discontinued earlier this year, leaving some fans the inability to purchase one. The NES Classic had a such short lifespan for a successful, easy, low-cost retro video game system. Why would Nintendo limit the release to only a few months?
That short lifespan gives potential buyers of the Super Nintendo Classic the feeling that if they aren’t on the boat at launch, they’ll never get this system. They will have pay out the ass on eBay or some other auction/shady third-party venue if they can’t get their hands on one.
Speaking of launch, the NES Classic sold out in minutes at all retail and online stores. The same is most definitely going to happen with the SNES Classic and it’s not likely Nintendo will change their supply and demand methods or produce extra units of the console. So anyone who wants this system will need to research, be ready as soon as it goes on preorder, and purchase this system from their favorite retail or online store as fast as humanly possible in order to get one.
While the SNES Classic is being released with 21 titles, its predecessor was released with 30 games. I’m sure the reason for lesser amount of games on the SNES is due to the disk size of the games, but are 21 titles worth the $80 price tag? Nintendo fanboys and fangirls are sure to say yes, but some may disagree. By some I mean anyone with a computer can easily find a way to make a cheaper SNES classic and host the entire game library for less than $80. The caveat is that the console won’t look as pretty unless you’re willing to dedicate the time/manpower to make it so.
So why even buy a SNES classic? The short answer: I don’t know. The tech answer is that it’s a licensed Nintendo product and features the following:
- Support from Nintendo (who knows for how long)
- Ports of games were done by Nintendo/publishers and not fans
- Tested to play on HDMI devices (issues have been found with emulators replicating retro systems on HDMI)
- Controller is supported and created by Nintendo (not 3rd party
- The game list (keep reading)
- It just looks frickin’ cool
What’s surprising is the release date of this system and the games that were announced so far. Speculation was that it would be released closer to the holidays like the NES classic. The September release date is a huge perk for die-hard fans, allowing them to beat the holiday season rush.
The game list that Nintendo has announced is impressive and were some of the most popular and most well-loved games of their time. The ports that will be on the SNES classic are (in no particular order):
- Final Fantasy III (VI?)
- Donkey Kong Country
- Earthbound (Fans are stoked about this one)
- Super Mario Kart
- Super Mario World
- Yoshi’s Island
- Contra III: The Alien Wars
- Mega Man X
- F-ZERO
- Kirby Super Star
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- Super Metroid
- Super PunchOut!!
- Star Fox
- Star Fox 2 (Unreleased)
- Kirby’s Dream Course
- Secret of Mana
- Super Ghouls and Ghosts
- Super Castlevania IV
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- Street Fight II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
The only thing left to say is what’s next for these classic console releases? Will we see a Sega CD console? Maybe a Nintendo 64? What about a Jaguar or Neo Geo? What system would you like to see next? Comment below.
UPDATE 6/28/17 – Nintendo may not be selling these units to long along according to the latest news. Read about it here.
