The news that the NES Classic Edition is being discontinued didn’t seem to make sense at first glance due to tremendous demand for the console, but now it appears that the NES Mini is going away to make room for a sequel. Yes, it looks like we might be getting a Super Nintendo remake this holiday season, says Eurogamer. Citing “a source close to the company,” the site reports that development of the device has already begun, and it’s expected to be ready before Christmas, just in time for parents to rush out to stores and realize that they’re not in stock anywhere.
Nintendo has already done real-world testing for how well this type of product performs in the marketplace with the NES Mini, so hopefully this time around, they realize that, hey, we really want these things, so they make a whole bunch of them and everybody gets what they want.
So what was it that made the world clamor over the pint-sized throwback console? There were two main factors at play: Nostalgia and gameplay. The NES was a critical part of many a childhood, and even all these years later, the games still hold up very well. The NES Classic Edition was packed with a bunch of great games, too, and the SNES has an equally rich library.
We’ve all hoped and assumed the SNES Classic was forthcoming for some time now, so we’ve already come up with a list of games we’d like to see on the console remake. Even if you don’t agree with the roster of titles we came up with, though, we believe the methodology we used for coming up with it holds true. It’s our belief that there are three main types of games that should be on the SNES, none any less important than any other.
Obvious Picks
For every console, there is a handful of games that give the platform its identity. So of course, it wouldn’t make sense for a SNES Classic to exclude titles like Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and other games that rose to the top due to their memorable gameplay and sense of wonder. If these games weren’t included, would you want to buy a SNES Classic? No, you wouldn’t, so they’ll be on there, we guarantee it.
Other Must-Haves
It’s important for your team to have a star player, yes, but a fully-functioning unit can’t get by on just the strength of the most popular picks. Titles like NBA Jam, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, and Mega Man X aren’t as console-defining as Mario games, but they add much-needed variety to your game library. You might not blow the dust out of a basketball game or a flight simulator like Pilotwings every day, but sometimes those titles scratch a certain itch, when you need a break from Super Mario World after your 187th time beating it.
Secret Weapons
Are you familiar with the Pareto principle? It’s also known as the 80/20 rule, and basically, it observes that about 80 percent of the effects come from about 20 percent of the causes. We’d apply that to the SNES by saying that 20 percent of the console’s games got 80 percent of the play time, although the ratio is probably more lopsided in this case.
What this means is that you probably haven’t played or even heard of the vast majority of the 700+ SNES games. It’s these underplayed games that can teach us more about the console and what it’s really capable of, so they’re just as important to the SNES’ history as, say, Yoshi’s Island. There are a ton of great under-the-radar titles that are worth your time, even if they probably won’t find their way onto the SNES Classic.
For example, The Firemen, which was only released in Europe, tasks you with extinguishing a burning building, navigating the crumbling and dangerous structure to restore order before it’s too late. Super Bases Loaded is perhaps the most fun baseball game–nay, sports game I’ve ever played. (I say that knowing that my own nostalgia is clouding my judgment.) Kirby’s Dream Course is probably the most underrated Kirby game, and is perhaps the most strategic golf or mini golf game available.
The SNES has a lot going for it, so hopefully the SNES Classic honors that legacy properly by including a variety of games that show off everything that the console was. And hopefully Nintendo makes enough of them so we can actually get one.
Images: Adam Dachis/Flickr, Nintendo
