The NES Classic was a smash success that propelled the Nintendo name through the holiday season while they killed off the Wii U and plotted the official reveal of the then code-named NX. But let’s face it, the retro console was marred and left the fan base charred. So, even though fans can be elated at the reveal of the SNES Classic, there’s some hesitation and resentment based on how the NES Classic was handled.
Nintendo is starting out by clearly letting eager fans know that this will be a product only produced for 2017. If I had known that when the NES Classic launched, I wouldn’t have waited to search for one until the holiday season was over and the scalpers disappeared. So knowing in advance that this will be a limited item helps, but that’s only going to fuel the scalpers even more. Nintendo is also realizing there’s a demand for this and promises to manufacture more than they did for the NES Classic, though knowing Nintendo’s track record with limited edition items I still don’t expect this to be a readily available piece of hardware.
Another way in which Nintendo is improving upon how they handled the NES Classic is by launching the SNES Classic with two controllers included. No need for extra controllers on the shelf for retailers and no secondary products for the consumer to worry about securing.
There’s been some debate about the games included– or rather the notable games missing. In my opinion though, the Super Nintendo is probably my favorite gaming console of all time. The library of memorable and legendary games on that piece of Nintendo hardware is hard to beat. Games like Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, Donkey Kong Country, and Super Metroid are hallmarks for those series and arguably to some, the best installments of those franchises. Sure, I would’ve loved to see games like Chrono Trigger or Mario Paint, but the 21 games included in this iconic replica are nothing to be upset about.
The games included are:
- Super Mario World
- Super Mario Kart
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past
- Super Metroid
- F-Zero
- Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
- Super Punch-Out!!
- Super Castlevania IV
- Donkey Kong Country
- Mega man X
- Kirby Super Star
- Final Fantasy III
- Kirby’s Dream Course
- Starfox
- Contra III: The Alien Wars
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
- Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars
- Secret of Mana
- Earthbound
- Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
And the previously unreleased:
- Starfox 2
With the increase in production and Nintendo being up front about not producing any in 2018, I am hopeful to actually obtain one but I’m still going to be mashing Ctrl + F5 — or in my case, command + R– on the pre-order pages at every major retailer as well as camping out on the eve of September 29th. I understand that Nintendo may want to preserve the nostalgia of these games and not have a product that is going to die on shelves or end up on clearance somewhere, but they really are just throwing away the chance to be rolling around in cash. I hope they really do make this easier to get for the holiday season, fingers crossed.
You can look for the SNES Classic to hit store shelves for $80 on September 29th, bundled with 20 classic games, 1 never before released game, and two controllers. Though, it might be wise to try and lock in a preorder as soon as they go live, this isn’t something I’d sleep on.
Pass The Controller 