In Third Person

 

The NES Classic is a novelty time capsule of gaming during the 1980s. Yes, there are some all-time classics on there, but most of those games haven’t aged well. The same cannot be said about the Super NES Classic. This cute mini console packs a punch with a 20-game lineup that is not only some of the best the SNES could offer, but many of these titles are still glorious gaming experiences today.

On paper, this should be a home run. Does the package as a whole live up to its incredibly high expectations?

As with the NES Classic, the SNES Classic is a tiny box. Lightweight and easily held in one hand, it almost has a toy-like feel to it. It faithfully recreates the look of the iconic console down to the controller ports on the front. That said, in order to plug in the controllers, you’ll have to fold down the front flap that those controller ports are on in order to reveal the real controller ports underneath. I understand that Nintendo wanted to maintain the look of the original console, but it does hurt the aesthetic a bit when it’s in use and the flap is open for the controllers to plug in.

This time around, you’ll get two controllers in the package instead of one. As someone who has never seen an officially-licensed NES Classic controller in the wild, this is a godsend. Another huge plus is that the controller cords are about five feet long now, which is much better than the NES Classic cables that were a measly three feet. It’s still not ideal, but a notable improvement.

Having said that, it still highlights a returning flaw from its predecessor. In order to return to the home screen, you have to physically hit the reset switch on the console itself, as there isn’t a home button on the controller. Once again, while I appreciate Nintendo wanting to be true to the original look, it is annoying to have to physically move to the console to hit reset. If you happen to have a Wii Classic Controller handy, you can use the home button on that for the desired effect.

Once you turn on the console, you’ll be greeted to a menu similar to the one found on the NES Classic. You can easily choose between one of the 21 games available. You also get access to four handy save states per game, allowing you to save at any time. It’s a bit clunky to do it, as you have to reset the console and then save that last game, but it’s better than nothing.

One new feature added to the console is rewind. If you screw up in a game, you can rewind a little bit in order to try again. While it is handy, its implementation is rather clunky. In order to you it, you have to reset the game, save your game, then hit rewind to scan your gameplay from the last few minutes before trying again.

Where the console truly shines is in its game lineup. Many of these games are all-time classics, from the sublime Super Mario World, to the expansive Link to the Past, to the haunting Super Metroid. Even players who don’t have the nostalgia for these titles will find dozens, if not hundreds of hours of quality gameplay to be had.

Everyone is going to have their personal preferences, but I think there are a few glaring omissions and odd additions in the package. On one hand, a monumental title like Chrono Trigger got left off, but Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, which wasn’t even great at the time, made the cut? Personally, I’m heartbroken that Tetris Attack didn’t make the North American version, but did so on the Japan console. This is not a perfect lineup, but it got most of the essentials in there, while emulating them really well. The only real notable difference to me was in the Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy level of Yoshi’s Island, where touching a fuzzy would cause the background to disappear for a split-second. Not a deal-breaker by any means.

The most tantalizing inclusion in the lineup is Star Fox 2. Previously unreleased, players will get a chance to play the final version of the game for the first time. It’s better served to go into detail about this game in a separate review, but its inclusion in this package is an excellent touch, even if the game may be showing its age.

While the NES Classic is a nice time capsule of what gaming was, the Super NES Classic towers above it with a mostly-timeless collection of some of gaming’s finest titles. There are a few hardware quirks that carry over from the last mini console, and everyone will have their issues with a handful of omissions, but this slice of retro gaming history is well worth it.

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