If you've been doing a little less media this summer... you may have missed Nintendo NES Mini announcement.
They're giving gamers a blast to the past based on interest... and at $59.99... let's just say we see it doing well for those that don't do ROM via PC, those seeking nostalgia via a classic NES look... will tap in as well as collectors and new schoolers who want a taste of what they may have missed out on either because they couldn't find the games for the NES they got their hands on via purchase or something their parents handed down to them and... even those who were just not allowed to game as a kid (poor soul).
Nintendo is taking the smart approach releasing this during the holiday season... and even if we don't think this would've surfaced if the Wii U sold more units... it's not the worse decision. They are just going back... which we feel is due to the current challenges... and they want to be financially prepared for the pending Nintendo NX.
Again, I wouldn't thumb this down, but what I will say is that there could've been more done with this to make it WAY better.
A Super Nintendo RES... should've been the route taken (in my opinion). Why? Because... a Super Nintendo Retro Entertainment System... could've opened the doors to an even bigger audience.
We're not on Nintendo's payroll, but... if we were... (and we were some of the decision makers) a Super Nintendo RES would've been born... with:
The ability to play pre-installed SNES games (in addition to the listed NES games... seen below) because there are fantastic SNES titles that should've (like... seriously) been a part of this line up.
In addition to the retro games built into the device, there would've been cartridges with other game collections via SD cards or something even if they (the SD cards) were housed in a retro'ish cartridge.
The system can connect to your TV through HDMI which is cool, but... there should also be internet capability so that players could compete via scoreboards, as well a connection to the Virtual Console.
The SNRES would've also had something else... (wait for it)... hmmm... we would've made the system also capable of playing certain new school games also that were made for the sake of giving gamers a Retro'ish adventure. Then that would've also created an opportunity for more developers and opened that lane even further for the developers that love to develop these types of games.
What do you think about our concept? (Sound off in the comments below.)
The NES Classic Edition launches on Nov. 11th, and of course is a mini version of the NES (except with the inability to use cartridges and the old controllers and the NES Zapper), that's HDTV ready (sounds funny saying that... NOW but its giving you the option to play them on your HDTV or whatever you have that connects an HDMI cable to display things).
The console comes with an NES Classic Controller... which definitely gets a thumbs up for looking the part and... if you take a good look at the controller ports, they look like those of the current system (and the Wii)... which was smart because they allow you to use your Classic Controller (Pro) as well. If you don't have one... but want to have 2 player capability (on the games that allow such), the additional controllers are only $9.99 each. So basically its just another $10 because... it doesn't have some of the awesome 4 player co-op games like World Cup Soccer. #WTF
If you want to use the NES Classic Controller on your Virtual Console Games... its not rocket science, you just connect it to the Wiimote and there ya go!
The Regginator (Nintendo of America's COO) said "We wanted to give fans of all ages the opportunity to revisit Nintendo's original system and rediscover why they fell in love with Nintendo in the first place..."
I can totally respect that and i'm not coming down on Reggie for saying it, BUT... (and there are multiple gamers who agree with me on this) no one needs to be reminded of why they feel in love with Nintendo... in the past... because some people are looking for a reason (when it comes to Nintendo's pending hardware... the "Nintendo NX") to fall in love again (in the future).
Why did people fall in love with NES & SNES? It wasn't JUST because of the 1st party games, which have held up well... it was also because of the 3rd party support (which some of the games are available on this system), it was some kick a** 3rd party action going on there... so the reminder is cool (2 cheers for nostalgia) but there are gamers who want to feel that moving forward. Not in the retro sense.
Balloon FightBubble Bobble
Castlevania
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Jr.
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Dr. Mario
Excitebike
Final Fantasy
Galaga
Ghosts'n Goblins
Gradius
Ice Climber
Kid Icarus
Kirby's Adventure
Mario Bros.
Mega Man 2
Metroid
Ninja Gaiden
Pac-Man
Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
StarTropics
Super C
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Tecmo Bowl
The Legend of Zelda
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
