SNES Classic review: A time capsule worth waiting for

Nintendo has created a marvelous microconsole in the SNES Classic, offering up a window to the past to the select few that can manage to buy the damn thing.

Product: SNES Classic Edition
Manufacturer: Nintendo
MSRP: $79.99 ($99.99 CAD)
Release Date: September 29, 2017

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is easily a top 3 video game console of all time. Its catalog is unmatched, its RPGs are unparalleled across the board, its impact on the video game market and its first-party titles are as excellent and numerous as its best third-party titles; a rare feat for a Nintendo console.

The SNES Classic, following in the footsteps of the NES Classic, represents an idealized miniature version of the throwback video game system in a package that offers 20 of the best games the system has to offer. In addition, a brand new video game, the previously-unreleased Star Fox 2, will make its debut, bringing that total to 21 excellent games that players can experience.

Each bundle comes with those games packed inside the hand-sized console, as two controllers, an HDMI cable and an AC adaptor are provided to get the system up and running. Here are the games players old and young will be able to enjoy on the SNES Classic:

Contra III: The Alien Wars
Donkey Kong Country
Earthbound
Final Fantasy III
F-Zero
Kirby’s Dream Course
Kirby Super Star
Mega Man X
Secret of Mana
Star Fox
Star Fox 2
Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
Super Castlevania IV
Super Ghouls’n Ghosts
Super Mario Kart
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario World
Super Metroid
Super Punch-Out!
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Yoshi’s Island

Nintendo /

With the exception of the controller, the eject button and the cartridge slot, the SNES Classic operates like it’s a regular console. You power it on by pushing up until it clicks, opening up a menu that lists all 20 of the regular games. For some reason, Nintendo wants you to play the Corneria stage of Star Fox before you are allowed to even play Star Fox 2, but every other title is as open and free as possible.

There are a ton of accessibility options for players, some of which are aesthetically pleasing as opposed to functionally appealing. You can set it the display to put on a CRT filter to replicate classic curved TVs, you can set the ratio to 4:3 or you can set the resolution to be a pixel-perfect representation, allowing users to pick what suits them best. There are also one of 12 frames to select to fill in a standard HDTV resolution to border the game’s video output.

…The SNES Classic offers up the best-replicated experiences of SNES games on a modern console.

Additionally, there are a ton of fun things does with the SNES Classic to modernize gameplay options. Each game has four suspend slots, with each spot filled up as soon as you push the reset button. Even within that suspend point, you can rewind up to 42 seconds to start over, effectively letting you correct mistakes. You can’t fast forward, though, so get used to grinding in Final Fantasy III!

Nintendo /

At $80, with no virtual console in sight for the Nintendo Switch, the SNES Classic offers up the best-replicated experiences of SNES games on a modern console. For experienced gaming fans, it’s fairly simple the console provides a concise representation of what makes the system special, firing blockbuster title after blockbuster title with new functions that help modernize the system.

The SNES Classic is also a perfect gift for youngsters, as it serves as an educational tool for parents or young uncles and aunts to give to their kids and nephews to open their eyes to a generation of momentous, impactful and important titles. This console helps bridge a historic gap between the cynical, iterative, money-grabbing gameplay mechanics of the modern day with the creative gameplay and narrative design of the past.

More from Nintendo

An SNES Classic is perfect in every way except for its physical manifestation. Despite being easily portable and offering two controllers instead of one for maximum multiplayer opportunities, the controller cord length has doubled beyond those for the NES Classic. Instead of getting a pathetic two and a half feet of cord, players now have the wide-arching freedom to play with… wait, the SNES controller cord is just five feet long?

That’s right, this system is best used as a desktop console for people with two monitors and HDMI outlets, as there are few instances where two players can sit down on a couch to play games at a safe distance away from a television screen. The lack of forethought into this facet of development a second time with this kind of microconsole is a baffling oversight that shows Nintendo still have a lot to learn.

Nintendo /

A murderer’s row of games, improved functionality, an insatiable demand and a window into one of the greatest consoles in video game history; the SNES Classic is a console to behold. One glaring issue with controllers aside, Nintendo checked off all the boxes in creating a wonderfully-crafted love letter of a console.

Next: 25 Best SNES Games Of All Time

Now if Nintendo was only serious about supplying the outrageous demand they should have foreseen after the last time they pulled this off!

A SNES Classic Edition system was provided to App Trigger for the purpose of this review. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.

Home/Nintendo