I take a look back at Nintendo's second "mini"/"classic" system, the SNES Classic Edition. Edited by Sam Essig and Scott Wozniak Main Channel: @ScottTheWoz Twitter: / scottthewoz Facebook: / scottthewoz Instagram: / scottthewoz
I had a hard time getting my grandmother to understand smart phones lol. I played the NES for the first time at her house though, my cousin who had one lived with her. She died at 80 in 2012🥺.
I remember going to Walmart at like 5 PM and by some miracle they had ONE SNES Classic left, which I immediately bought after missing out on the initial run of the NES Classic. Star Fox 2 was also definitely a huge selling point for me back then. The employee working there said I was extremely lucky and that they had no idea why it didn't sell earlier in the day.
You still would have gotten one if you didn't that day. Nintendo purposefully flooded the market with them to fight scalpers. This is also why they are still relatively cheap if you want (or need) to buy a second one. Addendum- I was able to buy two on launch day from two different stores. I needed a second one as my fiancee is a gamer.
My younger brother somehow managed to buy one of these with his own 9 year old money. I had played Super Mario World before on the Wii U, but this was my first time playing games like Yoshi's Island, Kirby Super Star, Super Mario RPG, Star Fox, and loads of others. I was 14 at the time, so these aren't just made to nostalgia bait a bunch of 40 year olds. These can be gateways for younger people like me and my brother who don't have hundreds of dollars to blow on the original console to experience these games for the first time.
Agreed, before SNES games came to Switch and before I became proficient at emulating, these mini consoles were basically brand new consoles for me, and my main way to play all these classics at the time. I will always attribute that value to them, even though others see them more as collectors items.
@@VicerimusMortem The thing is, as far as I know it wasn't something he was saving up for at all. He just saw it at a Walmart, wanted it, and just so happened to have enough money in his pocket. I'm not even sure he knew about it before that.
@@r.a.l_junk I just checked what the original asking price is (for the us anyways) for the SNES Classic Edition. 80 bucks. So I assume he had like 50 bucks, a twenty and a ten stuffed in his pocket, or hopefully, an actual wallet on him. But that just raises the question... Does your little brother just carry all his own money everywhere he goes if my hypothesis is correct, then??
@VicerimusMortem He did back then, not as much now. Also, I don't remember exactly what bills he had on him or even if he had a wallet. It was around late November- early December 2018, I believe, which is right after his birthday. He might have had a 100 dollar bill from our grandma (she was a bit loose with giving us money). Either way, it happened, and here we are now.
It's the other way around. The reset button on the original console just reset a system that could only play the physical game cartridge inserted in it, and the mini needed a Wii style home menu. The home button takes you home, same as on the Wii. It's the _reset_ button that now acts like the _home_ button.
@@MegaZeta The _reset button on the SNES Classic_ takes you to its home menu. So the original commenter is saying that the _home button on the Wii Classic Controller_ acts like the _SNES Classic's reset button._
My brother hacked some games onto my snes classic years ago and a few months ago I finally got around to actually playing something on it. I played Chrono Trigger, it was my first time playing the game. Amazing experience, I wish it was on the snes classic out of the box
When I hacked mine I was pleasantly surprised by how much was possible. Modders have ported the PC versions of Cave Story and VVVVVV to it and they both play perfectly (fantastic games btw), also plenty of RetroArch cores can run on the thing too.
Last year my cousin who knows zero about videogames asked me what he should get for his little kids to introduce them to games. He thought about getting them an "Atari" but I said stop right there and I immediately ordered an SNES classic. So I went to my cousins house with the SNES classic and went through how to turn it on, taught them about the d-pad, how the buttons are labeled, and how to hold the controller. Showed them how to scroll through the library of games. The first game any kid starting out should play is Super Mario World. Then we played some Mario Kart, Super Punch Out, and Zelda. As far as these kids were concerned the SNES classic was now their main gaming system and they loved it. It really shows that people complaining about it at the time of release asking what's the point of this is really narrow minded and can't think about how something may appeal to others.
The first game I played was Mario 3 on my parents' second-hand NES, which would have been in the mid 2000s. Good older games like the ones on this mini console are perfect introductions to gaming. I would have liked a save feature though on Mario 3 LMAO.
That sounds quite awesome. And if you want, you can "hack" it quite easily and add a few more games that are missing, like Chrono Trigger, DKC 2+3, all the Mega Man games and more.
The first game I let my nephew play when he was little was the first Donkey Kong Country on Wii U VC, he could never get past the second level with the rain, them armadillos were kicking his ass. He's 17 now and don't really play much other than Minecraft now.
This is one of the rare systems I’m actually proud to have in my shelf, even though it isn’t even plugged in. It looks so nice on a shelf, and unlike a WiiU I don’t have an overwhelming sense of survivors guilt for looking at it
I’m super grateful for the SNES classic solely because it was an accessible way to play EarthBound. Such a great franchise that never got the chance it deserved
Irk!! Like holy crap, I can't wait to add this to my gaming collection. Sure, I might be buying it to avoid getting a switch online subscription that I don't care about and find pointless and unfortunatly can't play the mother 1 aka EarthBound Beginnings AND to play this one specific game (Mother 2 aka EarthBound)...However, I have the option to play and own pre installed games, take it on the go easier, play other games since I don't have to find and blow a crap ton of money for a few games, play with another person, I don't have to buy the original one that cost a butt ton to play on just to spend another butt ton to buy one game...AND it's so fucking cute. Like LOOK ME IN THE FACE AND TELL ME IN MY EYES THAT THIS CONSOLE IS NOT CUTE!!! Like come on. It's sooo worth the money!!! I hope I can get one since I've only know about the minis for a few weeks now. It sucks how rare this game is and we only have two out of the three games released in the US, but it made Earthbound easier to access, play, and affordable!! I've never play it before, but I've heard great things and stories from others and I can't wait to play it when I get the SNES mini!! I'm fortunate that Nintendo re-released their consoles and games on their newer consoles so that old and new players can enjoy them. Even though, it can get annoying for the old player. I also try to play the newer/updated releases of games to get the most out of my buck yk
Star Fox 2 roms that were on the internet before SNES Classic release are technically "content complete" but it's clear they were rough patches around the edges that need more cleanups that the final rom has. Here are some of the biggest differences between the two. 1) the result screen. While the leaked rom is more flashy, the final rom actually tells you the score calculation of each category. Which is important for the game as getting enough high scores is required for unlocking stuff. 2) The homing charged shot no longer enabled by default, you have to collect all the golden medals (otherwise known as Pepper Coin) in each difficulty to even have access to the function in that difficulty (alongside a pool of special items to help you on your mission) While some people thought this was a dumb decision to make the game harder, I actually think this turn into yet another part of the strategy gameplay to juggle, which is pretty fun! Also homing shot just broke the difficulty in half for a lot of things anyway. So I think making the players earn that feature is a good thing. 3) In turn, the game rebalanced its difficulty quite a bit for the players. Health pickups heal two full shield points instead of one in the leaked roms. And indoor walls no longer hurt the players, for example. (At least I thought this wasn't the case for the leaked rom, it's been years) 4) Miyu and Fay no longer equipped with Twin Blaster by default, but in turn, you can unlock permanent Twin Blaster upgrade for all characters if you're reaching enough score on your run. (This required beating the game on Expert so it's not an easy task!)
Oh, I had no idea there even was a homing charge shot in Star Fox 2, and I beat all the difficulties. I always prefered that there wasn't a charge shot in the original Star Fox. I liked the emphasis on leading your shots to hit the targets better.
@slapbass9125 No homing run is certainly an interesting self-imposted challenge! There are also moments when getting to access it wasn't liable, so having good practices shooting without homing is certainly needed at times.
This was my first ever exposure to the SNES library. I knew the library and always wanted to play it, but I never had a way to do so. Then my 8th grade social studies teacher showed me this in 2019 and I got one used later that year. (For context, my Switch was broken at the time and needed repairs, so online library was a no go.) It felt so magical to me to finally play all of these games I've always heard about but never got to play. And quite a few of them did live up to my expectations. I had few letdowns with the overall package. I even bought a classic controller PC adapter to play it on PC games and emulators. Using it for SNES, GBA, Sega Genesis, and DS games feels so natural. Overall, I'd argue this is my favorite miniconsole ever.
I love this little thing. It’s how I first played earthbound which became my favorite game ever! And how I first beat super Mario world and super Metroid. There are a couple stinkers in there and few big omissions, but this is one of the most solid packages you could ask for.
Oooh yeah now we’re talking. SNES was my childhood console through my cousin lending his to me, and so I pounced on this one when it came out. Aside from childhood games like SF2 turbo, Mario World, DKC and StarFox, I was very eager to try some of the hidden gems like Earthbound, Mario RPG and FF6. Star Fox 2 finally being officially released was also a huge win and now that is my favorite Star Fox game. Woulda been neat if it had the same amount of games as the NES Classic but I didn’t mind because these were all beefy games that lasted a while.
Same here. I was actually born in 1994, so my nostalgia with the SNES was watching my brother play it. The Donkey Kong Country Trilogy was always my favorite to see him play.
Since Scott did a video on the NES Classic days ago, it's inevitable that he did a video on the SNES Classic Edition. Scott, thank you for making videos on classic editions on retro consoles like Game Gear Micro. 😊
Scott’s upload schedule is becoming more consistent than the three decades of American Stanley cup winning teams almost all of which don’t have a single superstar on their team
Surprised they didn't keep going with these. The N64 and Gamecube would do gangbusters with something like this, but I feel like they value those games more highly despite the fact that they are all now really old and not known to a whole generation of gamers.
@@KeybladeMasterAndy for sure, I pay for it and I think the N64 lineup on Switch is pretty incredible. I really didn't think they'd get GoldenEye, as well as some fun hidden gems like Extreme G and Harvest Moon
Nintendo made these mini consoles as a way to bridge the gap between Wii U and Switch when they wouldn’t be selling as many of the real consoles. Once the Switch took off, they didn’t have a need for more.
i got one of these for the last christmas before my dad passed. it will always hold a special place in my heart because of that. Would've been better if it had DKC2 and 3 though.
I love my SNES Classic, I’ve gotten a lot of gameplay out of it. The games are so nostalgic and fun, and it’s such a simple setup and everything. A great product imo 👍
I actually DID fall in love with the ghosts n’ goblins games from the SNES classic edition ironically, I really enjoyed it and decided to play the original on NES and enjoyed that too
I played it for the first time on the mini console too. It's not my favourite (probably because I havent passed the difficulty curve yet LMAO), but it's a good quality game. Even I was surprised that Scott called it out.
@@nujuat Yeah I’d argue it’s a real classic and deserved to be on there as much as anything else, the difficulty curve is intense. For whatever reason, the arcade version is easier, so maybe try that to hone your skills
@@dsc-nr5zy It really harnesses the same energy dark souls did years later, where you feel like you have a chance and once you finally do it the satisfaction is immense
I remember begging my mom for this for my birthday and specifying for the snes and not the nes and I was super happy to get it she also surprisingly got me the playing with super power book (not the hard cover) but I definetly got some use out of it and I kept everything in it together which was surprising for my age it was also a great impact for my love of collecting retro games (alongside your channel of course)
Good timing for this video. I just got one of these. It was sold as used, but you could swear it was new. Even the controller wires were still wrapped in the blue plastic they came with. Anyway, thanks for ditching the blue border for your videos. My OLED TV thanks you.
I remember I had my grandparents take me to 2 or 3 Wal-Marts just to find the SNES classic, but neither Wal-Marts had it. Thankfully, I managed to get mine in one GameStop visit. I still have the box and everything.
I was really lucky on release day. I drove all over town and stopped at best buy. There was a huge line but I just hoped maybe they would have enough. Then I got a number to get one! There was like 150 units at the store release day and I was 117. Thank you Master Chief
Remember getting one of these in 2018, really liked it. First time I ever played Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, and Kirby Superstar
I remember passing by the line at the Nintendo store in NYC for this daily. It would go down the block Once I got on, I immediately hacked it to put Gundam Endless Duel, Rockman and Forte, Ninja Turtles, and Power Rangers on it
The strangest thing about including Secret of Mana, is that it’s widely regarded as a 3-player game, but can only be played 2-player on this device. Also, Pilot Wings is a glorified tech demo, which is likely why it wasn’t included.
Now Scott has to do a video on the Shonen Jump Famicom Classic since it’s a cool little collectors item and has a different game selection than the regular Famicom/NES Classics
I vividly remember getting this. I had told my parents about it a few days prior and how excited I was. The day it released, my dad was running some errands when he saw on Facebook that a friend waiting in line at 6 AM to get one for her kids. My dad then went to Best Buy and saw they had a bunch of them, so he surprised me with one when I got home from school. That was one of the coolest things he ever did for me. I had just gotten really into retro games so being able to finally play Super Mario World, Earthbound, Donkey Kong Country, and so many others was awesome.
If Nintendo had any cajones they'd release a Virtual Boy Classic with full color visuals or even a real VR experience. Or just make it small enough to actually strap it to your head. Finally, you could have the entire Virtual Boy library in one place!
Thanks for the video. I luckily got one on Amazon in 2019 right before the pandemic started and the thing shot up in value. Really great little machine and reminds me of when I got my SNES for Christmas back in 1993.
Hakchi on this thing makes for the best possible way to play SNES games. Granted, the Super NT edges it out in the visual department, but it's hard to top having the entire SNES library available to you through... means lol
I was 7 years old when the SNES launched and by that point I had been pretty much obsessed with the NES (and gaming in general) since I was about four. I've got some very treasured memories of the 16 bit generation and all the best involved the SNES, from launch til even the early 2000s where I kept mind hooked up for the occasional Chrono Trigger/FFVI run. Obviously being so young there was no way I got the system at launch but my neighbor, who was only a year older, was spoiled to hell and back so got this day one (and a Genesis like a month before to "tide him over") and we spent so many afternoons and weekends with a lot of these titles. Contra 3 was a constant rental of course, he mostly only got first party titles to own, and I still remember helping him roll change for hours to get enough to get A Link to the Past around launch. This classic edition was firing on all cylinders, the only titles missing I had strong memories around had basically no chance as they were either licensed or just plain forgotten. Things like Super Adventure Island (a great rental but only average game), Turtles in Time (which thankfully got that amazing TMNT collection not long ago), and Goof Troop. I got this right before it was discontinued as a birthday gift from my girlfriend (who is amazing in every aspect, especially gift giving) and while we don't play it a ton we had some fun sessions of DKC and once in awhile I'll thrown on some Star Fox or Contra 3 to relive my childhood.
I think I wanted the SNES Mini more than the NES Mini back in 2017. I was born during the same month and year that Donkey Kong Country was released, and I would watch my brother play all 3 games, along with Kirby Super Star, Super Mario World and SF Turbo 2. Unfortunately for me, just like the NES Mini, they were hard to come by, as they would usually be sold out at whatever store I would go to... I did get lucky in early 2018, when I was with my young sister at Hillcrest Mall, and I managed to see 2 SNES Minis in an EB Games. I ended up buying one... and only one, because they are a bit more costly here in Canada. I then decided to give it as a gift for my older brother for his birthday. When I told him this, he asked why I didn't buy one for myself... and I responded that I wasn't paying over 200 CAD for 2 SNESes. I would eventually get the Japanese equivalent, the Super Famicom Mini, in early 2019. This had 3 different games replacing 3 of the ones on the SNES Mini, that being Fire Emblem, Super Formation Soccer and the best SFC game, Panel De Pon! I love playing on that thing, especially for Panel De Pon! And yeah, I still use it to this day, despite having much better options available. I even took it on a family trip to Costa Rica last year, to simulate some hotel gaming! It's been a huge part of my collection of stuff. As for this video... This was pretty good! Loved the bit with the SNES Book, that featured fan art and development stuff on various games! I love how Scott highlighted some pros and cons with the system, noted some omissions like DKC2 not being on there, and the funny joke with the little flap to plug in the controllers. This was a far better video than that horrible Ashens video on the PAL version of the SNES Mini, where, because he's Ashens, he demonized the North American SNES like it was one of the worst things ever created or something, even putting a scare chord on an image of it, like it was something to be feared... And I did not like it. Yeah, the American design was a bit bland compared to the SFC's design, which would be the basis of the PAL version, but... it's not some abomination as he makes it out to be. I like you Ashens, but man... way too harsh on the American SNES... Sorry, I try not to think about that video...
Fun fact: the NES and SNES classic edition almost never released in Quebec because of an excess of zeal from the french language protection committee that wanted to stop the sale of the console because the game weren't in french. Thankfully the government realized how stupid it looked and it allowed me to get the snes classic at my local walmart
Super Ghouls and Ghosts makes sense to me. It was one of those infamous games everybody back then knew. There was always some kid who owned it and basically everyone rented it at some point. It was this insanely hard but also charming game. I feel like half the kids I knew lied about beating it
When I was like 10 I hacked my SNES classic, but then learnt that piracy illegal. Nowadays I could care less about piracy’s legality, but back then, I was so anxious about being sent to jail I threw the system away. Easily one of my biggest regrets
I adore mine. It's modder friendly too. I'm running both the SNES, and NES CE roms, expanded the library on both, then added GB, GBA, Master System, and Genesis onto it.
I love my SNES Classic. It’s how I first played Mega Man X, Super Castlevania IV, and Super Metroid, the later of which is now in my top 5 favorite games of all time. I still use my SNES classic relatively frequently. I prefer using it to NSO since I don’t have to pay extra for a semi-authentic controller.
Now this was the one that actually hit for me. Born in 96. Even though it was around the time of the sixth gen, I grew up with legacy consoles (including the NES) and the SNES was by far my most played and loved gaming machine for the majority of my childhood. Have always loved the game library, for the most part ages like wine imo. But there were so many I was never able to play and I didn’t have a virtual console machine or knowledge of emulation around 2017, so this cute lil thing is actually how I played through a number of classics like Mega Man X, Castlevania IV, FFVI, Earthbound. So I may be in the minority but I got hella bang for my buck outta the thing for a good few months… but now it is a nice display piece and talking point. 😂
I still have my SNES Classic Edition, and I still play it to this day. I got mine near the end in 2017. 3 day after christmas. I was extremely ecstatic that night. They should have included Killer Instinct, Mega Man X2, Mega Man X3, Mega Man 7, Kirby's Dreamland 3, Castlevania Dracula X, Super Mario All-Stars, Donkey Kong Country 2, and Donkey Kong Country 3 along with all those 21 games. This would make a total 30 games just like the NES Classic Edition.
I remember highlighting the SUPER NINTENDO in a SEARS catalogue after dreaming about it in K-Mart. Dreams come true in 1992. I even got A Link to the Past. We weren't rich but I was blessed as a kid.
I remember I got mine at Target in the winter of 2017 as a leftover before they discontinued them. Did what everyone else did and played it for a couple of hours and put it back in the box. Honestly hoping for an opportunity for a long trip or something to bring it along to play when I get back to home base at night or what have you.
I remember when I bought my mini SNES. I managed to snag one of the last 3 Walmart had and I managed to do so shortly before Nintendo discontinued them. When I got home, I almost didn't want to open it because I loved the packaging so much. I still consider it one of my favorite purchases ever and I'm always bringing it out to play through a lot of these games that got me into video games.
The SNES is possibly one of the best things to own if you're a gamer. Hard-core or casual. While it has a few weird omissions like DKC2, Kirby's Dreamland 3, Pilot Wings, and a few puzzle games like Tetris Attack and maybe something like Super Bomber Man to add a little more variety. It is still a great system to own. I should because I got it when it was cheaper. But still, a little weird how they didn't include some other prominent games.
I just bought one on eBay based on this video. Not a super nostalgia guy and know I could get these with a Pi but this thing is so cool. I want to play with my kids. Thank you! ❤
For those asking for an N64 classic, I'm wondering what Nintendo would actually put on one, especially in order to fulfill the 30-35 game quota these systems seem to have. For the level of praise this system gets, the actual list of memorable titles seems pretty short. You have the obvious inclusions: SM64, Paper Mario, Kirby 64, Mario Kart, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Smash Bros, Mario Parties 1-3, Star Fox, Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Snap. After this, you get into issues with licensing which could possibly be overcome (see: Golden Eye, DK 64, Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo, or Mischief Makers if they really wanted a niche title with a cult following). Some of those have appeared on NSO, others not. Otherwise, this list is actually pretty short, and makes developing an entire system seem difficult to justify. I'm genuinely struggling to think of games that would really help build a standout list that would make an entire classic system priced somewhere around about $100, that people would really buy, vs just padding it out and selling nostalgia. Not to mention the problems we seem to have with emulating N64 titles, and that awkward system controller, even to this day.
I highly doubt they would put more than 25 games on an N64 Classic if they only put 21 on the SNES. Also, DK64 shouldn't be a problem, they got DKC on SNES Classic. Wave Race, Cruis'n USA, Fzero X, Excite Bike 64, 1080 Snowboarding, Mario Golf and Tennis, Sin and Punishment, Pilot Wings 64, Yoshi's Story are likely guaranteed as well. So added to the obvious inclusions, that's 24 total. Plus whatever third party titles they manage to get (Ogre Battle 64, Bomberman, maybe Castlevania 64 if they're desperate). But yeah, you're right, that's about it in terms of classic titles (that don't have licensing issues). Regardless, I don't see them making an N64 Classic in the near future, because it would detract from NSO's Expansion Pack.
Kirby's Dream Course is an amazing inclusion man, I've put so many hours into that multiplayer. It is the best golf game Nintendo has ever made, it is nothing like golf
Have a super weird memory associated with this console. I had a former friend who I was staying with for spring break. He came from a rich family, huge house. I helped him, help his mom move furniture around. She paid both of us, even though I protested, so we went to a local games store. He saw one of these, and didn't want to dig into his savings, but REALLY wanted it, so he asked me for the money his mom paid me for helping, saying "You didn't even want the money". Most entitled thing I've ever seen. I didn't give it to him, he still bought it, I spent it on something I wanted.
Megaman X on the SNES classic was the first time I ever played ANY megaman game, and it resulted in me eventually trying out the zero series years later and becoming an inticreates fan.
I bought this when it was relatively new, but I’ve admittedly only played an hour or 2 so far (mainly trying FF6 as my first game in the series). And then I put it away, tried to look for it about a year later, but I couldn’t find it, so I assumed it was lost or my parents sold it. Then late last year, I was looking for something, and I found it in one of my storage drawers buried under some old textbooks! Although this does mean I now have 2 versions of Super Mario RPG since I bought a copy of it on the Wii U before the shop closed (I probably would’ve got Paper Mario instead).
