SNES Classic Impressions

I finally got a SNES Classic. Better late than never, right? I wasn’t originally planning on getting one, mainly due to the fact that I already own most of the games on it. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted one. Many of my favorite games are on there, and I thought it would be nice to easily take those 21 games with me without having to lug around a ton of cartridges. And yes, I figured it would be nice to try out the previously unreleased Star Fox 2.

Hardware

The system is tiny, but it looks great. The front of the system, which is made to look like the controller ports of the original SNES, pops away to reveal the actual controller ports. The flap feels a bit cheap and unnecessary.

Two controllers are included, while the NES Classic came with just one. And the controller cords are 4.5 feet long, which is nearly double the length of the 2.5 foot cords of the NES Classics. Those are obviously improvements, but both systems lack a “home” button on the controllers. You still have to reach for the system any time you want to change games or load/create a new save point.

Games

Of course, the highlight here is the built-in game library. Twenty-one games are included, although I do own most of them on cartridge already. If you’d like, you can read my brief reviews for most of those here: SNES Reviews.

But now that I’ve at least tried them all out on SNES Classic, I’m going to post my initial thoughts of each game here.

Contra III: The Alien Wars

I’ve always loved this run-and-gun game. Even though it’s not quite as good as the first two Contra games on NES, it is a lot of fun…especially with two players. Blast those aliens!

Donkey Kong Country

This enjoyable platformer from Rare makes a great addition to the SNES Classic lineup. Even though the 2nd game was a bit better, you can’t go wrong with the original. Lots of fun…and it has the best (and most relaxing) water level music ever. It’s as fun as a barrel of monkeys. 😛

Earthbound

This fantastic RPG takes place in the 1990s, as opposed to medieval times or far in the future. It’s a quirky but endearing game that just feels quite different from almost any other role-playing game out there. I last replayed it in 2013, but that’s actually more recent than I’ve replayed most of the other games on this system.

Final Fantasy III

This is one of my favorite role-playing games of all-time, and it’s also one of the best SNES games ever made. I’ve played it on SNES and on PlayStation (as Final Fantasy VI in FF Anthology). Now I will gladly play this classic again.

F-Zero

This futuristic racing game is a classic. While a lot of people seem to prefer the later F-Zero games (on later consoles), I still think the original is my favorite. Subsequent games placed more focus on attacking your opponents, while the original is just about racing. The tracks still have hazards that can kill you, but they’re not as extreme as some found later in the series. F-Zero has a good balance, and it’s a welcome addition to this lineup.

Kirby Super Star

This is one of the few games in the lineup I have not played before. Kirby games are generally pretty good, but they’ve never really been among my favorites. I’ve only played this one for a few minutes now, and it’s about what I expected. I may delve into it more in the future, but it’s not high on my list of priorities right now. So many games, so little time! That’s a tough fact to swallow. 😛

Kirby’s Dream Course

I have not played this game before either, and it seems to be an odd addition the lineup. It’s basically a mini-golf game featuring Kirby as the ball. I gave it a quick try, and it doesn’t seem to be my cup of tee tea so far. My first impression is a bit subpar, but I need to play it more to give it a fairway chance.

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

One of the best SNES games ever, and arguably the best 2D Zelda ever. Every Zelda fan should play this at least once. It’s a true classic.

Mega Man X

I’ve only played a few Mega Man games before, so I’m not a diehard fan of the series or anything. And I’ve heard nothing but good things about Mega Man X. I’ve only played the first level or so, and it’s not bad. I’ll need to put some more time into it, though.

Secret of Mana

This is a great action/RPG from Squaresoft. It has some of the best game music ever IMO, and I actually bought the soundtrack on CD years ago. 😛 This is another game that will be fun to play through all over again.

Star Fox

The first Star Fox is a quality game with great music. Of course the “Super FX” powered polygonal graphics, that were once cutting edge, look very dated today. But the game is still fun to play, and it provides a good challenge. In fact, I’m a bit ashamed to say that I never beat this game. At least, not yet.

Star Fox 2

This sequel is actually exclusive to the SNES Classic. The original version got canceled and was never released. Here, you have to unlock it by completing the first level of the original Star Fox, but that’s not too much trouble. But from what I’ve played of it so far, it seems like a series of one-on-one space dogfights instead of regular planet-based levels you play through. Hopefully that will change later on.

 

Street Fighter II Turbo

I actually have this game ranked as my #1 overall SNES game. For me, it was the peak of the one-on-one fighting game craze, as my interest in the genre has dwindled to near zero today. But I still enjoy a good Street Fighter II match, and Turbo was my favorite variety. It’s a great game if you’re not Street Fighter-ed out already. 😛

Super Castlevania IV

I’m a big fan of Castlevania games (well, at least the 2D games), and Castlevania IV is one of my favorites. I’d probably rank it third behind Symphony of the Night and Dracula’s Curse. It’s a great game with some truly memorable stages, some of which use Mode-7 rotation to make the entire stage spin. And the cave level is everything. This would be a great game to play around Halloween.

Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts

This side-scrolling action game is notorious for being one of the hardest games of all-time. While it is a fun game to play, it is certainly tough. I once fought like crazy to get through the first seven worlds, only to find out that you have to play them all again before you can fight the final boss! And the game originally had no save/password feature either, so you had to do it all in one sitting! Yikes! The save states of the SNES Classic should help that, but I’m not in a rush to try to beat this game.

Super Mario Kart

Nintendo’s original go-kart racing game is back. This game is a classic, and it’s a great game for one or two players. I am the Koopa!

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

I know a lot of people like this game a lot, but I’m not one of them. The battles are boring, and everything about the game is just mediocre IMO. I have no plans of replaying this game anytime soon.

Super Mario World

This great platformer introduced Yoshi to the world. But more importantly, it’s one of the best 2D Mario games ever (I’d rank it #2, just below Super Mario Bros. 3). As the original SNES pack-in game, it was surely a no-brainer to include this in the SNES Classic’s lineup. This will probably be one of the first games that I fully play through (again).

Super Metroid

What might appear to be a run-and-gun shooting game is actually an action/adventure game that requires lots of exploration (and backtracking). It’s not the best game to pick up and play for a few minutes, but it’s a game that can draw you in and keep you hooked once you delve into it.

Super Punch-Out!!

Boxing games aren’t really my thing, not even one as iconic as the Punch-Out series. Still, it is a very popular game, so I can certainly understand why Nintendo included it. I probably won’t be playing much of it, though.

Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario World 2

This follow-up to Super Mario World really changed things up. You play as Yoshi, and Baby Mario rides on your back. If you take a hit, Baby Mario flies away in a bubble, crying all the way until you get him back. Aside from that rather annoying game mechanic, Yoshi’s Island is a quality game.

Wrapping Up

Even though the SNES Classic has fewer games than the NES Classic (21 for SNES vs. 30 for NES), the SNES Classic lineup is much stronger. Not perfect, of course, but still great.

One of my biggest complaints is the lack of a puzzle game, particularly a head-to-head game. Tetris & Dr. Mario, Tetris Attack, or even Kirby’s Avalanche would have been great fits.

The sports genre is also overlooked. Sure, there’s a mini golf game and a boxing game, but those aren’t exactly mainstream sports games. And I know the sports genre wasn’t the SNES’ specialty, but there are still good possibilities. Griffey, Tecmo Super Bowl, Super Bases Loaded, or even Super Tennis would have rounded out the lineup.

So, what other games would I have loved to see? ActRaiser is probably my #1 choice. It’s a unique, underappreciated game with a great soundtrack. It mixes sword-swinging action with some simple Sim City-style simulation parts. Another great choice would have been Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time.

I also would  have loved to see Final Fantasy II, and I know lots of people love Chrono Trigger also, but the lineup is quite RPG-heavy already. Regardless, the SNES Classic is a great little system and I think I’ll be playing it a lot in the coming months.