SNES Classic

With the announcement of the NES Classic coming back on June 29th, 2018, it sounded like a good time to make a quick post about the SNES Classic.  A system that I got much easier compared to the NES classic.  I’m also glad the NES Classic is coming back.  A lot of people should be able to buy the system without overpaying scalpers to acquire one.

The SNES classic was released on September 29, 2017 and I got mine on December 24, 2017.  It was a Christmas gift for myself.  When I first got and played it, I felt my inner child scream at me in a way.  I was a Sega Genesis fanboy growing up, so this would have been a taboo for my younger self to see.  I can hear my younger self now;  “I buy a Nintendo consoles in the future?  But Genesis does what Nintendon’t.”  Well, thanks to that mentality, I missed out on a bunch of these games.  I did get a Super Nintendo system a few years ago, but don’t have any of these games.  Expect for a few games I got from virtual console releases for Wii and Wii U.

I thought the NES classic was fine for what it was.  A 30 in 1 video game plug and play NES for $60.  The SNES classic has many improvements over the NES Classic but fewer games.  The controller cable is 2 feet longer than the NES Classic controller.  While I still keep the console close to me to switch games, I don’t have to worry about yanking the console in the air when I go to sit down and play.  Speaking of the controllers, you get two controllers with the system.  Even better they are backward compatible with the NES Classic.  The NES Classic controller can also be used with the SNES Classic, but I don’t see a point since it’s missing 4 buttons you need to play with all the SNES games.  I did find it odd to include two controllers when there are only 3 games that have simultaneous gameplay.  But it made up for the 1 controller I got with the NES Classic.

The system still has save slots like the NES Classic.  You can save up to four suspend points per game or you can use the save files most of the games have already.  The SNES Classic has a rewind system that the NES Classic didn’t have.  You can rewind one minute or more based on your last suspend point.  For instance, if you had a point you wanted to go back too in one of the games that you are playing, just reset and highlight your suspended file.  You will get options shown at the bottom of the screen to use this feature.  You can select the time where you want to go back to in your game.  Handy for games like Contra 3, where you can go back to before your numerous deaths without consequence.  Now, I can finally beat the game on hard more when I get to it.

The SNES Classic has the same filters as the NES Classic, CRT, 4:3 ratio and Pixel Perfect.  Also included is frames that you can put around the border of the frame.  It’s  an alright if you are bothered by the black boxes to the left and right of the game.  There is a new feature if you leave the system idle mode for a minute, it will replay your last-minute or so showing your gameplay from select games.  I don’t feel it was needed, but a cool feature.

There are only 21 games on the system.  Fewer than the NES Classic but I understand.  If you do the math, they both come out to the same value, give or take.  According to the virtual console, Nintendo’s service where you could download old Nintendo released games, an NES game is $5 not including tax.  With 30 games, that is $150 not including tax.  SNES games on the virtual console costs $8 not including tax and 21 games on the system would be about $168 before taxes.  It’s a fair deal given what the amount of games on both systems cost.  It also makes me think that the inevitable Nintendo 64 classic, if it comes out, will cost $100 for 15, maybe 16 games.

Included in this collection is a never released game Star Fox 2.  I didn’t get was why is this the only game that is locked.  To unlock the game, you just have to complete the first level of Star Fox.  I don’t understand why this was done, as they are both two games that are different from each other.  Star Fox is more an on rails shooter than Star Fox 2.  Star Fox 2 looks to have more strategy from what I have played.  If they wanted to do this, then they should have incorporated it into other games.  For Example, complete the first world of Super Mario World to unlock Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island.  Or complete two games in Kirby Super Star to unlock Kirby’s Dream Course.  It makes no sense to me to just lock one game and leave the other 20 open.

If I could offer a suggestion that should have been done, why not have done something like a Super Mario All Stars and Super Mario World game to pad out the game count.  It could also helped people who didn’t get an NES Classic those three Mario games. Plus it’s 5 games in 1.  We did get Kirby Superstar Ultra which is 8 games in 1. So, a compilation cart or ROM should be possible. Also 5 role playing games? They are excellent games don’t get me wrong.  Final Fantasy 3 US (6 in Japan), Secret of Mana, Earthbound, Super Mario RPG, maybe A Link to the Past (I sort of consider this an RPG).  Almost a quarter of the games dedicated to RPG’s.  I would have been good with leaving out, 2 of those games and Kirby Dream Course for something else I’d like to try.  Like Zombies Ate my Neighbors or Actrasier.

I do plan to look into these games more down the road.  But for now, anything I missed or have a comments, let me know and thank you for reading.

If you want to read my thoughts of the NES classic click or tap on THIS LINK HERE.