SUPER NES CLASSIC announced (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Cooper]

I don’t think we’ll see the N64 Classic until 2019.

I wonder if we'll ever see a N64 classic. Unlike the NES and SNES 2D graphics, the 3D polygons and extremely low framerate of the N64 do NOT age well, and re-playing those games today is not in any way as fun as re-playing NES and SNES classic games.

 

[LeoA]

I don’t think we’ll see the N64 Classic until 2019.

How come?

I knew we'd see the SNES Classic eventually, but I really doubted it would be so soon. I was sure that they'd want the focus this Christmas to be placed 100% behind the Switch, minus a tiny bit of attention paid to the 3DS. So I was thinking 2019-2020.

I imagine they're confident enough in the Switch that they don't mind the distraction and didn't see the need to shelve this product. So now, I'm thinking we'll see some classic gaming product around this time next year. Especially with the very early announcement of the return of the NES Classic and the summer due date for the rerelease of it.

My thinking also is that if they were going to take a year off, they'd of let the NES Classic rerelease help bridge that gap since so much demand went unmet last year. But instead of a summer 2018 announcement with a Fall release in mind, we already know about it all and it's scheduled for earlier in the year than the original NES Classic and the SNES Classic appeared.

So I think they have something cooking that's brand new for next Fall, that we'll hear about next July or thereabouts. And between the natural progression and that Classic Edition styled N64 gamepad trademark that Nintendo recently filed for, I bet it's N64 related.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Nintendo is still looking at the NES/SNES Classic as part of it's advertising for the brand in order to push the Switch. Reminding you of the fond memories you had as a kid playing Super Mario World could lead to you buying a Switch, or at least talking up how much fun the SNES Classic is that other people buy one. It's all about pushing the name NINTENDO further into the world again. So I'm not surprised they made the SNES Classic for this year. There's still going to be a big Switch push soon when Mario comes out (less than a month from today).

I don't think they'll make an N64 Classic for two reasons: the NES/SNES Classic use the exact same chip, which is probably too weak to emulate the N64, and the best N64 games probably have a TON of licensing issues. I'm thinking GoldenEye, most of the stuff made by Rare, anything with licensed music/movies, etc. I think we're more likely to see them finally talk about/release a Virtual Console plan on the Switch (whether its a subscription or just re-releasing old games or what) or new editions of the NES/SNES Classics with new games.

And as much as you could say N64 games didn't age well, that's kind of the common consensus I've been reading about at least 4 or 5 games on the SNES Classic, primarily Ghouls n Ghosts, StarFox, and StarFox 2.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I don’t think we’ll see the N64 Classic until 2019 because Nintendo is extending the SNES Classic into 2018 and re-releasing the NES Classic in mid-2018. I think they’ll let that momentum carry over to 2019 and announce the N64 Classic in late spring with a fall release. Then again, I could be wrong.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I honestly don't even know if there are enough great N64 games to fill out an N64 Classic, especially if Rare's non-Nintendo IP stuff is off the table. Looking at the top rated N64 games on Gamerankings.com you've got Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, Zelda: Major's Mask, Wave Race 64, Pilotwings 64, Paper Mario, Diddy Kong Racing (maybe), Mario Kart 64, StarFox 64, F-Zero X, Donkey Kong 64, Super Smash Bros., and...what else? Pokemon Snap? Kirby 64?

http://www.gamerankings.com/browse.html?site=n64&cat=0&year=0&numrev=0&sort=0&letter=&search=

I'm assuming that anything non-Nintendo IP from Rare (Perfect Dark, Conker, Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini) is off the table, anything with licensing issues (GoldenEye, any racing/extreme sports game with real people or music) won't happen, and many of the other games aren't that appealing. (Turok? Resident Evil 2, even though they're doing a full-on modern remake on consoles? Excitebike 64?)

And again, I think there are technical issues with making a throwback retro console that is small enough and powerful enough to run a good N64 emulator. There may be something in the next year or two but it's cost will probably go up and people won't be as excited to pay $100 for the N64 controllers (which are quite uncomfortable to try to use nowadays) and maybe 10ish good games.

 

[TravisR]

I'm assuming that anything non-Nintendo IP from Rare (Perfect Dark, Conker, Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini) is off the table, anything with licensing issues (GoldenEye...

I have a very fond place in my heart for the early N64 games so nostalgia will probably get me to buy an N64 Classic but yeah, GoldenEye is the crown jewel of the N64 so if they can't get that, it seems like an N64 Classic would be tough sell for alot of folks.

It won't happen but more than any other N64 games, I'd want Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire and SW: Rogue Squadron to be included.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Star Wars and GoldenEye are both tied up in their respective movie IPs. Licensing would be tough. Also, as much as GoldenEye is stuck from Rare being owned by MS, that's a similar issue for Factor 5 no longer really around.

You have a better shot of Lucasfilm re-releasing those games for modern consoles (like the Super Star Wars series) than seeing them on an N64 Classic. Also, I believe those games actually are out now for PC.

 

[Bryan^H]

Count me in for the N64 Classic will never happen club.

Im sure as soon as sales have died down of the SNES Classic Nintendo will issue a statement regarding the fact that the N64 classic will not be made.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I connected mine this morning but haven’t had a chance to even turn it on. Hopefully, I will get a chance to play this evening or tomorrow morning.

 

[CraigF]

Curious: anybody in Canada manage to get one?

Regardless of where you are, I'd like to hear more about playing with it, what it looks/feels like, game feel, etc.

Still no more info at any of the national vendors here. I guess they didn't get that many, I've heard of one person who got one here so far. (There's also a popular Canadian site where resellers hang out, but I decided to forgo the vitriol etc. of that place and not check there, it wouldn't help...)

 

[Clinton McClure]

So far I had a couple minutes to try Contra III, StarFox, and Street Fighter II. All three were just like I remember, only much better looking. In actuality, I think StarFox is a terrible game with awful controls (I thought the same thing way back when it originally came out on the SNES) but I suffered through the first stage so I could unlock StarFox 2. The system is a little larger than the NES Classic and the controllers are near identical to the originals with only minor differences. The controller cables could stand to be longer, but I have a Hyperkin extension cable I bought to use with my NES Classic and it works fine with the SNES Classic and I didn’t notice any lag. I also have a Japanese Wii Pro controller which I have been using with the NES Classic because it has a home button on it and I don’t have to get up to reset to the console menu to select a different game. I want to test it out with the SNES Classic and see if it works on it, but I didn’t have time. Today I just used one of the controllers that came with the system. So far I would give this retro throwback an A+ and call it a “must buy” for gamers who grew up in the NES and SNES era and want to revisit their youth with some awesome 16-bit games.

 

[Clinton McClure]

So this morning, I got up extra early and tried my Japanese Wii Classic Pro controller. I’m happy to report it works great with the SNES Classic, just as it works great with the NES Classic.

Why a Japanese Wii Classic Pro controller, you may ask?

Because when I bought my NES Classic, I wanted a wired controller with a home button that was confirmed to work with the NES Classic. The US version of the Wii Pro controller was running close to $100 new and the Japanese version in black was about $45. The controllers are both made by Nintendo, the only difference being the language on the packaging.

Anyway, back to the SNES Classic. So far this morning, I have played Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls and Ghosts, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and Super Punch-Out. All look stunning and play flawlessly. When I get more time on my hands, I’m going to sink my teeth into Final Fantasy III, Earthbound, and Secret of Mana. I am absolutely in love with this little gem of a system.

If anyone is familiar with Mike Matei and Ryan Schott from Cinemassacre and Screenwave Media, they do a video game show on YouTube called “Talk About Games”. I linked to their review of the SNES Classic which pretty much sums up my thoughts on the system and games and why it’s worth the money for only 21 games.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

All of the accessories and controllers that work with the NES Classic will work with the SNES Classic...and vice versa. So those SNES Classic controllers will work with your NES Classic.

 

[Clinton McClure]

All of the accessories and controllers that work with the NES Classic will work with the SNES Classic...and vice versa. So those SNES Classic controllers will work with your NES Classic.

I haven’t tried them but I read they would. I’m debating whether I should preorder the 8Bitdo SF30 wireless controller on Amazon for $25.

8Bitdo is also making a version based on the US SNES controller but I always liked the look of the European/Famicom version with the colored buttons. I’ve heard the past controllers from 8Bitdo are really good so I would expect this one to be as well.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

8bitdo has a bluetooth adapter that allows you to use JoyCons and other stuff on the NES/SNES Classic. It's under $20.

8bitdo also is making a controller that has 4 face buttons, start/select, d-pad, two joysticks, shoulder buttons, triggers, home button, rumble, and a couple other little bells and whistles. It's more expensive but I look at it as basically a future-proofed bluetooth controller.

Honestly, the gamepad you showed the picture of is probably not worth it because there's no home button (unless its hidden on the back). You would still need to get up and hit Reset to go to the home menu.

 

[Clinton McClure]

Honestly, the gamepad you showed the picture of is probably not worth it because there's no home button (unless its hidden on the back). You would still need to get up and hit Reset to go to the home menu.

I believe holding down + select simultaneously acts like a home button function.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I'm always wary of shortcuts like that because of the possibility that you press is accidentally or that it does something in the game (like move the character, select something, whatever) right as you jump to the home menu. I'd rather just have a separate single-function button.

 

[LeoA]

Down and select isn't a home button shortcut. The upcoming 8BitDo SNES style controller does that, but it's not official functionality that's built into the SNES Classic Edition. It's part of that 3rd party controller's firmware.

And it's an ideal shortcut combination to go with in my opinion. Few Super Nintendo games used select during gameplay and the button is positioned in such a way that it's unlikely to ever be depressed when the gamer didn't intend to hit it. And even for the one person out there that ever input this by mistake, it's easy enough to hop back into a game on this without losing your progress, since your game isn't erased the moment you hit the reset button.

Not sure why Nintendo didn't just go with start/select/l/r though. Not even Morgan could worry about hitting that combo by mistake. And while far from universal, it was a common shortcut familiar to many fans from the SNES days into the PS2 era that was used to reset games back to the title screen. It actually even works that way on the SNES Classic, but it's far less useful than it could've been had it served as a home shortcut instead.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I haven't opened mine yet, but is there a code to play Star Fox 2 right away without having to beat the original?

 

[LeoA]

You don't have to beat the original, just the first level. It's extremely easy and only takes about 3 minutes from when you take control after the brief introduction to when the end level boss should be exploding.

But you should beat the game anyways, since it's an underrated gem these days (And much better than Star Fox 2).