Earlier this month, Nintendo disappointed classic gaming fans with the news that the NES Mini is being discontinued. Ever since its launch last fall, the NES Mini has been perpetually out-of-stock and in high demand. That’s not likely to change after Nintendo’s latest move, but there could be something even better waiting for gamers this fall.
Eurogamer is reporting that Nintendo is already planning a SNES Mini for this fall, which would bring many of the classic 16-bit Super Nintendo games together. The report even notes that the plans for the SNES Mini may have played a role in the demise of the NES Mini because Nintendo can’t focus on both at the same time. Considering that the Nintendo Switch launched earlier this year, an argument could be made that Nintendo should focus on the future of gaming rather than rely on nostalgia for sales. But the Super Nintendo era is fondly remembered precisely because it had so many great games. And they deserve to be rediscovered by a new generation of gamers.
Assuming the report is accurate, the SNES Mini would probably include the iconic Nintendo titles Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country, Star Fox, and Super Metroid. We’d also be very happy to see Super Mario RPG, Axelay, Chrono Trigger, Super Star Wars Trilogy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, Super Punch Out, F-Zero, Super Castlevania IV, and Contra III make the cut. There is even a complete version of Star Fox 2 that was never released for the SNES, and we’d love to see it finally escape from development hell.
One of the key downsides of the NES Mini is that it only came with 30 games and it didn’t have a legal or easily accessible option to add more titles to its library. That may be one of the reasons that Nintendo ultimately abandoned the NES Mini. Without that online component and the ability to continually make money from it, there may not have been as great an incentive to keep the NES Mini around. Hopefully the SNES Mini will give players an option to buy additional games from the Virtual Console store. It’s a very exciting thought if the SNES Mini really does come become a reality.
Which games would you want to see in a SNES Mini? Let us know in the comment section below!
Image Credit: Nintendo