UNITED STATES—Something great has transpired in the world of video games in the past 2 years. First, Nintendo released the NES Classic, which flew off the store shelves quicker than you can count to three. The success of that system led to Nintendo unleashing the SNES Classic in September 2017 to major success. If you’re a kid of the 80s or early 90s, the NES and SNES defined your childhood. I was able to lock my hands on a SNES Classic last year, and I was absolutely stunned to realize how many people were desperate to get their hands on the item.
At first I thought it was simply to provide an item for their kids? Nope. This item was for them and I felt a sigh of relief. I used to be a gamer, I would argue I’m still a gamer and having not only the SNES Classic, but now the NES Classic in my obsession I can tap back into those memories. I want to chat about the NES Classic because it was an item that was impossible to find for nearly 2 years after it was first released.
If you didn’t get your hands on it, you were simply out of luck. However, this past week, Nintendo released the popular device yet again in stores and I was able to nab one of the items. I was debating rather I really wanted to purchase the item or not, but after watching YouTube for about 2 hours of individuals playing classic NES video games I was sold. I recall playing those same games and getting that feeling of triumph after finishing a game that seemed nearly impossible in the beginning. I mean the NES was the first video game system I ever received and I just remember when I received it at the age of 5 or 6 (I can’t recall specifically) that it was the talk of the town. Everyone wanted to play it and everyone wanted to come to my house to play it. I had a natural knack for games.
I could finish a game without utilizing a strategy guide or map; that is something not many people can accomplish. Do not ask me how or why I was capable of doing such a feat because I can’t give you an answer. It was like I had this natural guide or intuition telling me to do this or that and the rest is history. The NES Classic is bare bones. It comes with 30 games already pre-programmed into the device and it comes with 1 joystick. This joystick might throw plenty of people for a loop. Why? It just has two buttons: A and B. Well, you have START and SELECT, but those are pretty straightforward. Beyond that you have the arrows.
I guarantee if you hand over this joystick to any kid or millennial today, most would have NO IDEA what to do with it, yet alone how to use it. Trust me the more you play the more you will pick up on the logistics. Now, let’s talk about some of those classic games. Of course you have Super Mario Bros., the game that started it all and for those who suspect it’s SO EASY to complete, think again. It’s a bit harder than you think. They have classics like The Legend of Zelda, The Adventures of Link, Metroid, Mega Man 2, Super Contra, Double Dragon, Ninja Gaiden, Donkey Kong, Ghouls N’ Ghosts, and one of my all-time favorites: Castlevania.
Yes, there are plenty of games at your fingertips that include those for the tots, those for the entire family, those who like fighting games and those who are looking for a bit of roleplay and strategy. You can absolutely play this game for hours on end without taking a break at all. Now when it comes to price, I do believe the system is a bit pricey in my personal opinion. It clocks in at $59.99 for the NES Classic, while the SNES Classic runs for $79.99.
It is slightly weird when you think about it because the SNES Classic only has 20 games, while the NES Classic has 30 games. You’d think the one with more games would cost a bit more, but go figure. I would argue if another $20 bucks were knocked off each system it would be a bit more affordable for those who might not have the funds to buy both. If you asked which is best, I would argue the SNES Classic, just because the games are a bit elevated in terms of gameplay, however, the NES Classic delivers nostalgia and shows some of these games are harder than many of the things out nowadays.
The way I see it, I have my hands on 2 classic video game systems that disappeared years ago, and have now resurfaced. Having both systems allows me to delve back a bit into my childhood, and allows me to showcase to others how the videogame world has evolved over time.
Written By Kelsey Thomas
