Given that Nintendo seemed to sell out their entire NES Mini stock in approximately 3.47 seconds when the modernised remake of the iconic console launched at the end of last year, it should come as no surprise that they’re (apparently) going to give the arguably even more popular SNES the same shrinking treatment.
There’s nothing close to official confirmation on this yet, but always reliable site Eurogamer report that sources close to Nintendo have told them that it’s happening, which would explain why the NES Mini has been abruptly discontinued.
There was confusion when the Japanese company announced that they were ceasing production on the stupidly popular machine. After all, they’re still going for crazy prices on eBay and it’s fair to assume that another batch at the original RRP of £49.99 would fly off the shelves just as quickly as they did in the run-up to Christmas.
But if Eurogamer’s information is correct and the SNES is coming next, which always seemed inevitable, it’s easier to understand.
Let’s get one thing straight: the NES is an important console, and its re-release served as a great education to younger gamers about just how far the world’s most popular entertainment medium has come. But...well, a lot of the games on that system have not aged well. For our money, the SNES Mini is a much more enticing prospect.
You’d have A Link to the Past, still regarded by many as the best Zelda game in history; Super Metroid, one of the greatest 2D adventure games ever; legendary RPG Chrono Trigger; and Super Mario World, which, well yeah, that’s a pretty good game by all accounts. That’s all without mentioning Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Kart,Super Mario RPG, Yoshi’s Island, EarthBound, Street Fighter II and...you get the picture. Imagine all of this lot pre-loaded onto a machine no larger than your alarm clock. 16-bit us Nintendo. We are ready.
