retro – Page 8 – In Third Person

Super Nintendo Essays: Second-Hand

September 22, 2017August 24, 2017JettLeave a comment

The Super Nintendo Essays is a series of posts detailing my history with and passion for the SNES. It had a profound effect on my life as a gamer, and I wanted to share some of my most memorable stories about it with you!

Despite my disdain for the current $80 price point for new games in Canada, it’s a bargain compared to what I was contending with in the 90s. The additional cost of cartridges, combined with the wonky Canadian dollar, made new titles cost upwards of $100 in the early-to-mid 90s. Above is a screenshot of a Toys R Us flyer that I’m presuming is from the holiday season of 1995, where Mortal Kombat 3 is priced as a new title. Assuming that, the likes of Batman Forever would actually cost $140.92 CAD today.

I would struggle to pay those kinds of prices today. In 1995, when I was an elementary school student who wasn’t even getting an allowance at that point, new games were almost entirely out of the question. Because of this, I got most of my games used and was active in trading games away.

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The Super NES Essays: The Donkey Kong Country Tape

September 19, 2017August 24, 2017JettLeave a comment

In the summer of 1994, I received an unusual package from Nintendo. Just a few months before, they had sent me a copy of Super Mario All-Stars as part of a promo for buying an SNES. This wasn’t a game, though. Inside, was a VHS tape about the upcoming Donkey Kong Country. Though I didn’t know about it before watching the video, I knew that game like the back of my hand long before it was inevitably released later that year.

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The Super Nintendo Essays: Brothers

September 16, 2017August 24, 2017JettLeave a comment

My brother and I are about seven years apart in age. That gap has led to us being in very different stages of our lives up until we both hit adulthood. While this at times made it difficult to connect, video games were always our common ground. That truly began with the Super Nintendo.

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The Super Nintendo Essays: The Original Console War

September 13, 2017August 24, 2017Jett2 Comments

In a world with no internet message boards or YouTube comments to defend your side, the battle between the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis was – and may forever be – the fiercest console war of them all. Unlike modern times where the differences between consoles are minimal at best, these were two wildly different platforms in virtually every way, from console architecture, to controller design, to marketing. Heck, even third party games sharing the same name were oftentimes completely different builds between the two.

I was there for pretty much all of it. And in hindsight, console wars were always dumb.

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The Super Nintendo Essays: Happy Birthday

September 10, 2017August 24, 2017JettLeave a comment

I remember the day when my Super NES hype hit a crescendo. For months, I pestered my parents about my desire to receive an SNES for my birthday. In response, they would usually troll me by saying they were going to get me a TurboGrafx-16 instead. As time went on, the jokes got a bit more intense, and one day, they broke me.

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The Super Nintendo Essays: Playing With Super Power

September 7, 2017September 7, 2017JettLeave a comment

When it comes to my history with video games, you can draw a very specific line on my birthday in 1994. The time before it was the era before I got a Super Nintendo. After that, is the era I still live in now, where owning a Super Nintendo changed my life. That era of gaming, and specifically my time with that console, transformed me into a kid who likes video games into a full-blown gaming enthusiast.

I vividly remember the moment I received that SNES from my parents and many of my gaming experiences after that. However, by that point, the console was almost two years old. What was I doing back then? And why am I struggling so hard to pull those memories of a time before the SNES out of my brain? Follow me as I ramble on in hopes of piecing together my life before owning an SNES.

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Nintendo 64 Classic Mini on the Way?

July 23, 2017July 20, 2017JettLeave a comment

Nintendo has recently filed trademark applications in Europe for a number of different things, including the Nintendo 64 controller. Odd choice, as the system has been long dead. Unless…it’s set for a resurrection. Business Insider, among others, are speculating that this move coincides with Nintendo’s plans for a Nintendo 64 Classic. While I’ll be first in line if such a device were to exist, but there seems to be a number of logistical issues that Nintendo would need to work through to make this happen.

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5 Great Games Left Off the Super Nintendo Classic

June 28, 2017June 27, 2017JettLeave a comment

The Super Nintendo Classic is launching with a bevy of timeless classics. It will be well worth the suggested retail price upon it’s release in September. However, I couldn’t help but notice a few large omissions from this list. Wish the following games could have made it on the console!

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The Super Nintendo Classic Edition is Happening!

June 27, 2017June 26, 2017JettLeave a comment

Following the success (or at least rampant demand for) the NES Classic, Nintendo returns with the Super Nintendo Classic. Featuring two controllers (with longer cables) and 21 stellar titles (including the unreleased Star Fox 2), this is going to be a must-have item this holiday season.