☆ Pang Man Part 30 - "The SNES Mini and Other Random Thoughts" ☆ #Retrogaming

When the NES mini came out last Christmas I admit I didn’t anticipate the demand. I didn’t pre-order and missed out. Before I knew it, they were all sold out and I was gutted.

Part of me is tempted to get one off eBay, but I just can’t justify to myself paying £150+ for something that was sold for £70 odd pounds a short time before!

When the SNES mini was announced, I was determined to learn from my mistakes. The Super Famicom (i.e. SNES) is my favourite console so there was no chance I was going to miss out again.

I checked all the main online sellers’ websites regularly to see when pre-orders were available and luckily was able to get in there before they were sold out.

The SNES had one of the best controllers and some of the best games ever, so to get to relive those memories is a dream come true.

The game line up is solid. You can’t go wrong with Super Mario World (still my favourite Mario game of all time), Super Mario Kart, Castlevania IV, Contra, Streetfighter 2 Turbo, F Zero , Ghouls and Ghosts and Yoshi’s Island.

The later 3 games are the ones I want to play the most. I have fond memories but not quite to the extent of remembering these games level for level, so the element of surprise will be refreshing.

Starfox 2 is another one I am exciting to play. I wonder how it differs to the original and whether it will seem dated? Hopefully the gameplay transcends the games age.

The fantastic included RPGs, unfortunately require a significant time, so I might have to stick Earthbound , Final Fantasy and Secret of Mana on the backburner until I have a few days off.

There are a few games I wish would have been included to make the launch even stronger, such as Super Tennis, International Superstar Soccer, UN Squadron, Chrono Trigger, ActRaiser, Turtles in Time, NBA Jam, Final Fight, Super Bomberman, Pilotwings and Killer Instinct.

However, I still think the games included will be enough to keep me occupied for a while.

There are 3 versions of the SNES mini. The USA version, the Jap Version and the UK one.

I won’t buy the USA version as I find the purple blocky console design to be quite an eyesore.

The Japanese version (i.e. the Super Famicom mini) is tempting though. Given I had the Japanese version of the SNES back in the day, this appeals more to me than the UK one.

The game line with the Japanese SNES Mini differs slightly to the UK one. The Legend of Mystical Ninja and Panel de Pon (i.e. Tetris Attack) are two titles that I would love to play.

The SNES mini apparently has a rewind feature which will allow you to replay 20 seconds back or so if you are stuck on a tricky part of a game. I’m not sure how I feel about this, in some ways this is good if you are in a particularly frustrating section of a game. However, part of me feels that the games should be played as originally intended, and that the sense of achievement will always be greater when you don’t have help. (or an Action Replay. Who remembers those!)

With regards to mini versions of classic consoles, I am disappointed that SEGA haven’t followed suit. The Sega Megadrive Classic/Flashback is available but this is a poor replica miniature version of the original console. It isn’t built by SEGA, instead a 3rd party has produced a cheap plastic replica, with shoddy controllers and terrible sound. The number of games included is impressive but a lot of garbage is included, which dilutes the experience.

I hope SEGA can rectify this situation as I would love a competent mini Sega Master System, Megadrive, Saturn and Dreamcast.

I wonder if Sony will follow suit as well with a Mini PS and PS2?

Until then I will have to rely on Nintendo to relive those classic gaming moments. Only a month to go!

PANG MAN