SNES Classic Announced

[Chris L]

We skew a bit, um, old on this forum (though if slightly younger people are reading this, I hope it gets you to post!), so not everyone may be as excited about this as I am, but Nintendo has announced an SNES Classic for September, retailing for $80. If it's like their NES Classic, it may be hard to find. The SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) was the follow-up to the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), with better graphics. The Classic will sell for $80, with two wired controllers, and will come with 21 games built in:

    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

I don't know about anyone else here, but Amy and I want one!

[Leighton]

I was always more of a Mega Drive guy, but I could be tempted (my treat to myself last January was a Dreamcast!)

[Chris L]

I was always more of a Mega Drive guy, but I could be tempted (my treat to myself last January was a Dreamcast!)

The Mega Drive was the Sega Genesis in the U.S. I had one and, in its time, it was the best console around, with graphics roughly comparable to the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST. (Well, close to comparable.) Its graphics were better than most PCs of the period, until VGA PCs caught on big in 1990. The Dreamcast, alas, was Sega's last attempt at a console and never quite caught on here.

[Leighton]

Nor here, but it's a great console!

[valmont]

Funny, I had an SNES for a while, many years ago, and when I tired of it and wanted to sell, I couldn't get $5.  D'Oh!

Chris, have you ever played Final Fantasy III?  It was my gateway drug to RPG's, even though as a "Japanese style" Rpg it bears little resemblance to games like Fallout and Morrowind.

[Chris L]

Funny, I had an SNES for a while, many years ago, and when I tired of it and wanted to sell, I couldn't get $5.  D'Oh!

Chris, have you ever played Final Fantasy III?  It was my gateway drug to RPG's, even though as a "Japanese style" Rpg it bears little resemblance to games like Fallout and Morrowind.

I've got Final Fantasy III on Steam and it says I've played two hours, so yes. (I've probably played it on other devices too, including SNES emulators.)

The problem is that all of the early Final Fantasy games run together in my mind and I have trouble recalling which is which, but I remember something about characters on a flying ship. I must try it again some time. The only Final Fantasy games I've ever attempted to play all the way through have been the first one and FF7. I'm pretty sure I came within a single battle of completing 7 on my Playstation, but I'm also pretty sure I've never gotten anywhere near that far in 3.

I find Japanese RPGs relaxing and frustrating at the same time, because there's a lot of wandering around and poking about in a style that reminds me of (and I suspect was inspired by) the early Ultima games, which I was addicted to in the 80s. But they interrupt the player much too frequently with their tactical battle screens, which have become more complicated as the decades have gone by. Just when the exploration part gets interesting, another damned party of monsters insists that I fight it before I can get any farther.

By the way, have you played Stardew Valley? I've only played a little of it, but I keep meaning to get back to it because it looks like a lot of fun. It's basically a JRPG without the fighting, where the main quest is to get your farm to grow and get to know your neighbors better.

[Chris L]

The Super Nintendo Classic comes out on Sept. 29, but good luck finding one. Nintendo has also promised to reissue the NES Classic, which sold out absurdly fast a year or two ago, but I'm not sure when this will happen.