Booting up Donkey Kong Country on the Super NES Classic

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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

“ Not every game has stood the test of time."

SNES Classic Images 19 IMAGES

“ Playing on the SNES Classic includes some great modern conveniences.

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Nintendo has opted for quality over quantity with the SNES Classic’s library, which bundles just 21 games compared to the NES Classic’s 30. Most are amazing to play even today: a dozen genre- or franchise-defining headliners, including a handful of lengthy and still engaging RPGs represent hundreds of hours worth of some of the finest games of the 16-bit era.Here’s the full list:There are some heavy hitters on that list, and without a Switch Virtual Console announced for the immediate future, there are few better ways to experience these fantastic games. Just like the NES Classic , these games are gorgeously emulated for HD screens in both a bright 4:3 and Pixel-Perfect modes; the latter offers a slimmer, more modern look but often caused me to second-guess my jumps in Super Mario World due to the adjusted aspect ratio. A fuzzy CRT filter can also be added for a nostalgic throwback, if you’re into that. Even the system menus are fun to browse thanks to a nostalgic soundtrack, the original box art for every game, and more Easter eggs like the occasional appearance of 16-bit Mario sprites.As for Star Fox 2, it’s a marvel of video game history to play a previously unreleased game, decades after its initially intended debut. The problem is, it’s not all that fun to play. Aiming — which is something you do quite a bit — is a chore thanks to a horrifically choppy frame rate. I picked up Star Fox 2, admired what it represents for gaming history for a while, and put it down quickly, unlikely to ever return to it again. Read our full Star Fox 2 review. But more than half of the SNES Classic’s catalog is fantastic and still a blast to play, and includes some of my personal favorites. Tracking down secret exits in Super Mario World remains platforming perfection, Earthbound’s quirky charm is absolutely endearing as a newcomer to the series, and Yoshi’s Island’s storybook art style is a gorgeous delight to hop through.While this is an excellent collection, it’s by no means definitive. Considering over 700 games were released on the Super Nintendo platform, paring it down to 21 left a lot of great material on the cutting room floor. It’s disappointing that, even with the heavy RPG presence, there’s no Chrono Trigger, and a solid sports game aside from Super Punch-Out!!! – such as NBA Jam – would have been appreciated. (Rights issues may be to blame, of course, but it’s nonetheless a noticeable omission.) The tragedy is that, just like the NES Classic, there’s no official way to load more games onto the SNES Classic, so those holes in the library will remain there forever.Like the NES Classic, Nintendo has faithfully recreated the look of the SNES system in miniature, to a fault in places. Clocking in at 4.5 inches wide, 1.5 inches tall, and just a bit over 5 inches long, the appreciably light system is mostly sturdy and well made. The gray plastic — not tinged by decades of age — feels much like the original SNES to the touch. The only major issue is that, seeking to mimic the look of the original without reproducing tiny versions of the original connectors, Nintendo put two non-functional SNES controller ports on the front of the system. They’re on a panel that can be popped out to reveal the real controller ports, and this panel is not only flimsy but also difficult to pop out or firmly snap back into place. Tethered by a thin piece of plastic at the bottom, it feels disappointingly cheap on an otherwise sterling recreation of the SNES.The controllers themselves are virtually indistinguishable from the original SNES,’ and though I’m used to more modern options, the flat, rounded SNES controllers are still surprisingly comfortable to use. But because there are no new buttons added to them, you have to get up and push the console’s physical reset button to back out to the main menu and use the Rewind and Suspend features. That’s a ridiculous nuisance, even for a retro device aiming for authenticity – especially when the NES Classic also had this problem last year. Yes, SNES controllers didn’t have extra buttons, but the SNES also wasn’t as small as the Classic, and it’s a tweak that would have gone a long way toward improving the experience when bouncing through the library.Of course, you’ll need to be fairly close to the system anyway, as the SNES Classic’s controllers are still wired. You may have to adjust your gaming setup to sit within reach with the controller’s 4-foot, 7-inch cords, as I did, in order to sit comfortably and play. On the bright side, that means there’s virtually no input lag on these tough old platformers, and it’s nice to see Nintendo listened to NES Classic owners’ complaints about that system’s egregiously short cords. The SNES Classic’s cords still aren’t as long as the almost six-to-eight-foot length of the original SNES controller cord some territories had in the ‘90s, but it’s comfortable so long as you can sit within range of your TV.Plus, Nintendo smartly bundles two controllers in the box this time, making multiplayer an option right out of the box. Super Mario Kart and Street Fighter II: Turbo instantly become more appealing when a second player is available. On the other hand, the limitation of only two controller ports on the SNES Classic means Secret of Mana’s three-player multiplayer option is sadly unavailable.