Last November, Nintendo teased the shit out of North American fans announcing the (limited) release of the NES Classic, a hand-sized replica of the original 1985 North American release of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Pre-packaged with 30 games, it was the hottest holiday toy neither you nor most people could find south of $200 thanks to second-hand markets. Nintendo is saying forget all that, as this year we were psyched to hear their giving the face lift treatment to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, arguably packed even tighter with some of the greatest games released forget of the era, maybe even to date. Slated for a September 29 release, it’s guaranteed to go fast, if not faster, than the NES did. It’s also listed retailing at $79.99 USD.
While the roster of games isn’t as beefy as the 30 offered on the NES, the 21 games you’re getting here are more than solid:
North America / Europe
- Super Mario World
- Super Mario Kart
- Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- F-Zero
- Super Metroid
- Street Fighter II
- Super Punch-Out!!
- Castlevania IV
- Donkey Kong Country
- Mega Man X
- Kirby Super Star
- Final Fantasy III (FF6 JPN)
- Kirby’s Dream Course
- StarFox
- StarFox 2 (previously unreleased)
- Yoshi’s Island
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- Contra III: The Alien Wars
- Secret of Mana
- EarthBound
- Super Ghouls-n-Ghosts
Japan
- Contra III: Alien Wars
- Donkey Kong Country
- F-Zero
- Final Fantasy VI
- Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem
- Legend of the Mystical Ninja
- Kirby Super Star
- Mega Man X
- Panel de Pon
- Secret of Mana
- Star Fox
- Star Fox 2
- Super Soccer
- Super Ghouls-n-Ghosts
- Super Mario Kart
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- Super Mario World
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
- Super Metroid
- Super Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Star Fox 2 is the treasure of the group, having never seen North American shores before. Reportedly you must first play Star Fox first to unlock Star Fox 2, but I don’t think Nintendo is pulling anyone’s leg here asking you to play a classic.
While the mini-console has an HDMI output, none of the games are being changes in any core way. They are essentially to play just as they would’ve on their original decks in the 90s. Pre-orders are right now being scoured for throughout the Internet, though at the time of writing, there are no takers quite yet. Supposedly pre-orders are beginning to happen in Germany, but North American fans just need to hang on just a little longer. Plus the European edition of the Super Nintendo is fashioned after the original European release, just as the Japanese is a remake of the Famicon design.
There’s absolutely no doubt scalpers are chomping at the bit to get these, though Nintendo wants to rest fans assured they’re going to produce more units than they did of the NES Classic, which disappeared as quickly as they touched shelves. Still, due diligence is probably necessary if you’re going to want to get your hands on one.
High Kick Magazine 