Super Nintendo Classic Mini Review

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year and half or so you've probably noticed Nintendo has been releasing miniature versions of their past famous gaming systems. So far they have only released two: the Nintendo Entertainment System Mini (NES Mini) and the Super Nintendo Mini (SNES mini). Both consoles contain multiple golden games which were released for the system during its original release and are installed onto the console instead of having to hunt down the cartridges (which are getting more expensive by the day), Nintendo has installed a vast amount of classics onto a miniaturised model of the console. Unfortunately both systems have been in very high demand and as such the price for these things have skyrocketed. Especially the NES mini which usually goes for around £90 these days! However, I only own the SNES mini at this point in time. So I thought I'd do a review about the SNES mini and whether or not its worth getting one. Hopefully at some point I can snag an NES mini too at when I do I'll be sure to do a review for that system too.

So the second console in Ninty's Mini Classic lineup then: The SNES! Back in the early and mid 90's Nintendo's second console was a runaway success. Sega did give the console a great run for its money, but in the end the SNES really did prevail over it. The software defines the hardware however and the SNES had some genre-defining games for the system; games which still appear in gamers' and critics top 10 best games of all time lists to this day. Before talking about the games on the system though lets have a quick talk about the system itself.


As you'd expect the system looks exactly like a SNES in miniature form (quality reviewing from Stephensonite today). The controller on the other hand is practically a one to one replica of an original SNES controller: Same size, buttons, shape and overall feel of the original SNES controller. This is a good thing as the SNES controller is often one of the preferred controllers on many gamers' lists, including my own. The cable length of the controllers could do with being a bit longer however. For some reason Nintendo have opted to make the cables shorter than the original controllers, which I don't really understand. Apparently the cables were even shorter for the NES mini! As I said, I don't understand that decision, all it does is require the player to sit closer to the TV and thus make the playing experience that bit uncomfortable. They could of easily made the cable length as long as the original controller, or better yet, make the controller wireless! I know they probably went against the wireless option to give the player a more authentic experience, but still, they should of made the length of the cables longer. It isn't a huge issue but it would of been nice to sit further away from my rather large HD TV (not trying to brag.)


 The system does come bundled with two controllers though which was a great decision by Nintendo as you can play with a friend right from day one of opening the box. The ports also differ from the original controller ports, so you can't use an old SNES controller you may have lying around. But it does share the same port as the controllers from the old classic controller for the Wii, you know the controllers which you could plug into the bottom of the Wii remote? So you can use an old Wii classic controller if you have a spare one!The system itself also outputs in HD and makes the games look very crisp and clear. You can, however, select from various filters such as an old CRT television filter if you really crave the original experience.

Anyway, enough of the boring stuff! Time to talk about the games for the system and if its worth picking this mini beast up! So here is the full game list available for the European & America SNES Mini:

1. Super Mario World
2. Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past
3. Super Metroid
4. Donkey Kong Country
5. Super Mario Kart
6. Super Ghouls & Ghosts
7. Street Fighter 2 Turbo: Hyper Fighting
8. Earthbound
9. Super Castlevania 4
10. Star Fox
11. F Zero
12. Super Punch-Out!!
13. Mega Man X
14. Kirby's Dream Course
15. Final Fantasy III
16. Contra III: The Alien Wars
17. Secret of Mana
18. Super Mario RPG
19. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
20. Kirby Super Star
21. Star Fox 2 (Previously unreleased!)

So there you have it! The full 21 games available for the system. And for those of you retro gaming readers you'll see quite a few knock-out hits; some real all-time classics. There's even a brand new game which has never officially been released before: Starfox 2. If you've never played anyone of these games before though, first of all, how?! Second of all you can rest assured that there are a great bundle of games included with this system. From probably the best Super Mario game ever made to some of the best RPGs, to the ultimate 1 on 1 fighter; the system seems to have multiple tastes catered for here. There are of course classics which aren't included on the system, but this is really down to licencing issues. This is why you won't find the likes of Turtles In Time or some of the Capcom Disney SNES titles as licences have expired and Nintendo are unable to purchase or rather borrow them for the SNES mini. Aside from a few games which couldn't be licensed though, there really isn't no filler here. Practically every game on the list is either a master of a single player experience or an amazing multiplayer one, or both in some cases. The catalogue will be sure to keep gamers occupied for hours and for those of you who have never played these titles, its a perfect way of popping that particular cherry. Its also a cheaper way of playing these games. Seriously, the popular RPG Earthbound goes for prices around £100 plus for an authentic copy. In fact the game wasn't even released here in the UK! So doing the maths you can see purchasing one of these mini systems would work out cheaper overall.


So overall then is the system worth purchasing, especially seeing as though there are emulators and roms available for so many different devices these days. In fact some people are selling the SNES modified with even more games. I'm talking 200 more! But still, the legality of such a modified device is questionable. However, I would recommend picking up the authentic SNES mini. It is a great piece of gaming history and is great device to either reminisce about the games you used to play as a kid or introduce to some of the best games ever developed. The games are in HD and have save state slots which the player can choose when to save the game, they're all installed and ready to be played instead of waiting hours upon hours of updates. It really is a great novelty system and if it is classed as a 'plug-in and play system'then its the best damn plug-in play there has ever been. Just watch out for the prices some people are asking for on Ebay and Amazon. But if you manage to find one in the region of £69-85 I recommend picking one up; you won't be disappointed.