A super library saddled with a few inconveniences.
Booting up Donkey Kong Country on the Super NES Classic instantly threw me back to playing the platformer for the first time, and I found myself, though I knew where every hidden “KONG” letter was, having just as much fun as I did years ago. That was true of not just Donkey Kong Country in my time with the Super NES Classic, but of the vast majority of the system’s 21 games from the ‘90s. There are easier and cheaper ways to play some of the greatest games of the 16-bit era, but none that feels so authentically right as Nintendo’s new adorable, nostalgic console.
Nintendo has opted for quality over quantity with the SNES Classic’s library, which bundles just 21 games compared to the NES Classic’s 30. Most are amazing to play even today: a dozen genre- or franchise-defining headliners, including a handful of lengthy and still engaging RPGs represent hundreds of hours worth of some of the finest games of the 16-bit era.
Here’s the full list:
- Contra III: The Alien Wars
- Donkey Kong Country
- EarthBound
- Final Fantasy III
- F-ZERO
- Kirby Super Star
- Kirby's Dream Course
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- 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!!
- Yoshi's Island
There are some heavy hitters on that list, and without a Switch Virtual Console announced for the immediate future, there are few better ways to experience these fantastic games. Just like the NES Classic, these games are gorgeously emulated for HD screens in both a bright 4:3 and Pixel-Perfect modes; the latter offers a slimmer, more modern look but often caused me to second-guess my jumps in Super Mario World due to the adjusted aspect ratio. A fuzzy CRT filter can also be added for a nostalgic throwback, if you’re into that. Even the system menus are fun to browse thanks to a nostalgic soundtrack, the original box art for every game, and more Easter eggs like the occasional appearance of 16-bit Mario sprites.
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Not every game has stood the test of time."
Of course, not every game on the list has stood the test of time. The original Super Mario Kart’s flat courses and frequent texture pop-in can be absolutely headache-inducing to stare at on a large TV, while learning the physics of Kirby’s Dream Course is more frustrating than rewarding for a newcomer. And even as a platformer completionist, I don’t know if I’ll ever muster the sheer will to take on the notoriously brutal challenge of Super Ghouls N Ghosts.
As for Star Fox 2, it’s a marvel of video game history to play a previously unreleased game, decades after its initially intended debut. The problem is, it’s not all that fun to play. Aiming — which is something you do quite a bit — is a chore thanks to a horrifically choppy frame rate. I picked up Star Fox 2, admired what it represents for gaming history for a while, and put it down quickly, unlikely to ever return to it again. Read our full Star Fox 2 review.
But more than half of the SNES Classic’s catalog is fantastic and still a blast to play, and includes some of my personal favorites. Tracking down secret exits in Super Mario World remains platforming perfection, Earthbound’s quirky charm is absolutely endearing as a newcomer to the series, and Yoshi’s Island’s storybook art style is a gorgeous delight to hop through.
While this is an excellent collection, it’s by no means definitive. Considering over 700 games were released on the Super Nintendo platform, paring it down to 21 left a lot of great material on the cutting room floor. It’s disappointing that, even with the heavy RPG presence, there’s no Chrono Trigger, and a solid sports game aside from Super Punch-Out!!! – such as NBA Jam – would have been appreciated. (Rights issues may be to blame, of course, but it’s nonetheless a noticeable omission.) The tragedy is that, just like the NES Classic, there’s no official way to load more games onto the SNES Classic, so those holes in the library will remain there forever.
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Playing on the SNES Classic includes some great modern conveniences.
Playing these gamers on the SNES Classic is arguably even better than on the original hardware thanks to the same modern conveniences introduced in last year’s NES Classic, including suspend points that allow you to save at any point in any game. That’s a huge help when real life intrudes on gaming time in long RPGs like EarthBound and Final Fantasy III where saving opportunities were originally few and far between. Likewise, the Rewind Feature allows you to skip back a minute or so — the exact time depends on the game — to replay particularly difficult sections. This wonderful feature comes in handy for platformers like Mega Man X and Super Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts, as there’s now no need to play through an entire level to reach the trouble spot like you did back in the day. RPGs tend to have a longer rewind time, which allows you to sway a battle back in your favor if things go wrong in a game like Legend of the Seven Stars. But this new feature comes with an annoying limitation of the hardware.
Like the NES Classic, Nintendo has faithfully recreated the look of the SNES system in miniature, to a fault in places. Clocking in at 4.5 inches wide, 1.5 inches tall, and just a bit over 5 inches long, the appreciably light system is mostly sturdy and well made. The gray plastic — not tinged by decades of age — feels much like the original SNES to the touch. The only major issue is that, seeking to mimic the look of the original without reproducing tiny versions of the original connectors, Nintendo put two non-functional SNES controller ports on the front of the system. They’re on a panel that can be popped out to reveal the real controller ports, and this panel is not only flimsy but also difficult to pop out or firmly snap back into place. Tethered by a thin piece of plastic at the bottom, it feels disappointingly cheap on an otherwise sterling recreation of the SNES.
The controllers themselves are virtually indistinguishable from the original SNES,’ and though I’m used to more modern options, the flat, rounded SNES controllers are still surprisingly comfortable to use. But because there are no new buttons added to them, you have to get up and push the console’s physical reset button to back out to the main menu and use the Rewind and Suspend features. That’s a ridiculous nuisance, even for a retro device aiming for authenticity – especially when the NES Classic also had this problem last year. Yes, SNES controllers didn’t have extra buttons, but the SNES also wasn’t as small as the Classic, and it’s a tweak that would have gone a long way toward improving the experience when bouncing through the library.
Of course, you’ll need to be fairly close to the system anyway, as the SNES Classic’s controllers are still wired. You may have to adjust your gaming setup to sit within reach with the controller’s 4-foot, 7-inch cords, as I did, in order to sit comfortably and play. On the bright side, that means there’s virtually no input lag on these tough old platformers, and it’s nice to see Nintendo listened to NES Classic owners’ complaints about that system’s egregiously short cords. The SNES Classic’s cords still aren’t as long as the almost six-to-eight-foot length of the original SNES controller cord some territories had in the ‘90s, but it’s comfortable so long as you can sit within range of your TV.
Plus, Nintendo smartly bundles two controllers in the box this time, making multiplayer an option right out of the box. Super Mario Kart and Street Fighter II: Turbo instantly become more appealing when a second player is available. On the other hand, the limitation of only two controller ports on the SNES Classic means Secret of Mana’s three-player multiplayer option is sadly unavailable.
The Verdict
It remains an absolute joy to play the vast majority of this selection of the SNES Classic’s excellent library, whether for the first or fiftieth time. I’ve had a blast with it and intend to continue revisiting beloved hallmarks like Super Mario World while also diving into classics I missed, like Earthbound. I wish Nintendo had taken more lessons from the faults of last year’s NES Classic and added more modern conveniences to the hardware. Aside from the slightly increased but still limiting controller cord length, few of the NES Classic’s issues were addressed. But the tiny, delightfully detailed console makes it quick and easy to have an authentic ‘90s Nintendo experience with some of the greatest games of that era.
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