Heaven 'n Hell, Plug 'n Play (Super NES Classic, etc.)

LBD_Nytetrayn

Since latest news threatened to swallow up the Switch thread, I thought maybe we might be due for it to have a page all of its own. With that said:



The Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Super NES Classic Edition

This is the new hotness -- or will be, when it launches for $79.99 USD/$99.99 CAD on September 29th with two controllers and 21 games:

· 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

This lineup is especially noteworthy as to date, the only appearances of Yoshi's Island as a digital download have been the Game Boy Advance version -- once as a Nintendo 3DS Ambassador title, and the other on the Wii U Virtual Console. Suffice to say that there are some differences that some people don't appreciate, such as the inclusion of Yoshi's voice and the GBA's tendency to make some masterfully rendered compositions sound like gassy bowel movements.

Arguably bigger still is the first-time ever availability of the original Star Fox for the first time since the original Super NES release. For this and Yoshi's Island, Nintendo somehow got around the need for the Super FX Chip, and we can finally enjoy these games again! And I don't know about you, but despite its remake in Star Fox 64, that game's sequels, and its remake on the Wii U, the Super NES Star Fox remains possibly my favorite game in the franchise. The music alone is to die for, and is so seldom remixed, but when it is, it's oh-so good.

The goodness doesn't end there, however! For the first time ever, we're getting Star Fox 2 -- presumably the finished version, unlike those patched-up incomplete versions that have been floating around the web for years. The game has been mined for its innovations and content, some of it winding up in Star Fox 64 and some of its aforementioned sequels and remake. I haven't played Star Fox Zero yet, but Star Fox Command's controls are no-go for me, and not for a lack of trying, so getting to experience some of this stuff in a game with regular working controls will be a nice and refreshing change. Plus, not everything got stripped from it for other games.

Oh, and Europe is getting it, too. Theirs sports a different shell, one resembling the Super Famicom, but the games are exactly the same -- like, exactly the same, as Super Probotector: Alien Rebels will be Contra III: The Alien Wars (Bill and Lance included), and Starwing is Star Fox, among other changes.

Don't think Japan is getting left out, but they're getting some different games: Earthbound, Kirby's Dream Course, Street Fighter 2 Turbo: Hyper Fighting, Super Castlevania IV, and Super Punch-Out!! will be replaced by Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem, The Legend of Mystical Ninja, Panel de Pon (Tetris Attack), Super Soccer, and Super Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers. Your guess is as good as mine as to why Capcom would give us the version with four fewer fighters.



The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition





The AtGames 2017 SEGA Genesis Flashback

AtGames is known for making a lot of these plug 'n play consoles, among them the SEGA Genesis, the results not always being... great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtDjmFqEwwY

These tend to boast some 80 or so games, a lot of which are basically crap filler included to bloat the number on the box. This time around, the games included are:

Adventure in the Park
Air Hockey
Alex Kidd in High Tech World
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars
Alien Storm
Altered Beast
Arrow Flash
Baku Baku Animal
Bomber
Bonanza Bros.
Bottle Taps Race
Break the Fireline
Bubbles Master
Cannon
Chakan: The Forever Man
Checker
Chess
Columns
Columns III
Comix Zone
Crack Down
Cross the road
Curling 2010
Decap Attack
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
ESWAT: City Under Seige
Eternal Champions
Fantasy Zone
Fantasy Zone The Maze
Fatal Labyrinth
Fight or Lose
Fish Story
Fish Tank Live
Flicky
Gain Ground
Golden Axe
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Hangman
Hexagonos
Jack's Pea
Jewel Magic
Jewel Master
Kid Chameleon
Mahjong Solitaire
Maze 2010
Memory
Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat II
Mr. Balls
Naval Power
Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star 3:
Generations Of Doom
Phantasy Star II
Plumbing Contest
Ristar
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal
Shining in the Darkness
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Snake
Snowboarding
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic Chaos
Sonic Drift 2
Sonic Spinball
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic Triple Trouble
Spider
Super Thunder Blade
Sword Of Vermilion
Tails Adventure
The Ooze
Vectorman
Vectorman 2
Wall-Breaking
Warehouse Keeper

It can also play cartridge games!

The 2017 model, which will also be available in September, is the first time the AtGames system has been HD ready. They've also included a Rewind button, and the promise of better sound and inputs, among other features:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nYDbMk_Ooc

If it's as good as they're promising, then maybe Nintendo (and bad reviews) forced them to raise the bar for their product.

AtGames isn't the only one doing what Nintendon't, as TecToy -- SEGA's partner in Brazil who released their previous platforms and games for the last 30 years -- is actually making brand-new SEGA Mega Drives, and even new cartridges and new games for it to celebrate the occasion. It's an actual Genesis/Mega Drive (which could actually be personalized), but like the others mentioned above, includes several games preloaded as well:

ALEX KIDD
ALIEN STORM
ALTERED BEAST
ARROW FLASH
BONANZA BROTHERS
COLUMNS
COLLUMMS III: REVENGE OF COLUMNS
COMIX ZONE
CRYSTAL´S PONY TALE
E-SWAT
FATAL LABYRINTH
FLICKY
GAIN GROUND
GOLDEN AXE
GOLDEN AXE 3
JEWEL MASTER
KID CHAMELEON
LAST BATTLE
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SOCCER
SHADOW DANCER
SHINOBI 3
SONIC 3

If you decide you want one of these, it'll run you about $124USD before any sort of taxes, import fees, etc.

And just to round this off, if anyone wants to talk about them, AtGames has made a host of other plug 'n play consoles, including Atari, Intellivision, and ColecoVision, plus some handheld versions which kind of skirt the line, I guess.

forty

I don't know why this thread didn't get any attention. This is a good OP.

LBD_Nytetrayn wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtDjmFqEwwY

Holy hell, that sound. It's like a nightmare version of the original.

MrVyngaard

Given how things turned out last time with the rampant scalping and limited quantities, it's extremely hard for me to have enthusiasm over the SuperNES Classic, and I say this as someone who utterly adored that library.

LBD_Nytetrayn

If it weren't for the Super FX games, I might have very well said "screw it."

That we can't even count on Nintendo to bring those to the Switch, timely fashion or no, means I'm at least going to try.

Oh, and Star Fox 2 in itself, of course. That alone turned me around.

forty wrote: »

I don't know why this thread didn't get any attention. This is a good OP.

LBD_Nytetrayn wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtDjmFqEwwY

Holy hell, that sound. It's like a nightmare version of the original.

Thanks! I was afraid I'd wasted my time on this. ^^;

Donnicton

forty wrote: »

I don't know why this thread didn't get any attention. This is a good OP.

LBD_Nytetrayn wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtDjmFqEwwY

Holy hell, that sound. It's like a nightmare version of the original.

The original Genesis used a pretty cheaporama sound chip to begin with. To then still reproduce it this inaccurately is next level lazy.

forty

Donnicton wrote: »

forty wrote: »

I don't know why this thread didn't get any attention. This is a good OP.

LBD_Nytetrayn wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtDjmFqEwwY

Holy hell, that sound. It's like a nightmare version of the original.

The original Genesis used a pretty cheaporama sound chip to begin with. To then still reproduce it this inaccurately is next level lazy.

Even as a kid with less discerning tastes, I always thought most Genesis games sounded crappier than SNES games. It's really something to emulate the Genesis with even worse sound.

Steev

Apparently the Sega Genesis sound differed between different models of the console too. The earliest models had the best sound, and it all went downhill from there.

I also tended to dislike most Sega Genesis sound as a kid, especially compared to some of the stuff on the SNES. On the other hand, I think when music composers actually knew what to do with the Genesis, the results were often superior to what the SNES could do. See: Streets of Rage 1 & 2, Gunstar Heroes, Thunderforce IV.

As far as these plug 'n play consoles go, I never bought one. I was tempted with the NES Classic, but...eh. The SNES Classic has a good lineup, and perhaps I should preorder it when it becomes available, but I'll probably end up canceling it anyway.

My wife bought some Atari 7800 plug 'n play console many years ago. That was weird to me, because I don't think anyone in her family actually had a 7800. In fact, I don't know anyone who owned one of those things, with the exception being me. So when I played this 7800 plug 'n play system, I wasn't too impressed. The sound was definitely a bit off.

Also, thanks to this thread I now know there was a Genesis game called Mr. Balls. I don't know why I didn't know that.

forty

I don't believe Mr. Balls was actually a Genesis game. I think that's one of those pitiful "arcade" games that makes up 50% of the roster on those Genesis plug-and-plays.

Steev

forty wrote: »

I don't believe Mr. Balls was actually a Genesis game. I think that's one of those pitiful "arcade" games that makes up 50% of the roster on those Genesis plug-and-plays.

That makes a lot more sense!

TelMarine

SteevL wrote: »

Apparently the Sega Genesis sound differed between different models of the console too. The earliest models had the best sound, and it all went downhill from there.

I also tended to dislike most Sega Genesis sound as a kid, especially compared to some of the stuff on the SNES. On the other hand, I think when music composers actually knew what to do with the Genesis, the results were often superior to what the SNES could do. See: Streets of Rage 1 & 2, Gunstar Heroes, Thunderforce IV.

As far as these plug 'n play consoles go, I never bought one. I was tempted with the NES Classic, but...eh. The SNES Classic has a good lineup, and perhaps I should preorder it when it becomes available, but I'll probably end up canceling it anyway.

My wife bought some Atari 7800 plug 'n play console many years ago. That was weird to me, because I don't think anyone in her family actually had a 7800. In fact, I don't know anyone who owned one of those things, with the exception being me. So when I played this 7800 plug 'n play system, I wasn't too impressed. The sound was definitely a bit off.

Also, thanks to this thread I now know there was a Genesis game called Mr. Balls. I don't know why I didn't know that.

Not only did the sound apparently go downhill, but the genesis I had growing up is one of the dreaded later models before the Model 2 version and the sound has become completely fucked. The chip is defective.

The Genesis plug and play systems from AtGames are absolute shit. As mentioned, the sound is absolutely awful and way off. There's also some slowdown in some games in addition to the extra "games" added which are like bad pirate cart games.

forty

The controllers are also IR based so they only work when pointed in a general line of sight of the console. Bad shit all around and only worth buying if you are absolutely desperate to experience some cheap Sega gaming.

Donnicton

Hmm.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-07-06-ebay-takes-on-snes-mini-scalpers-pulls-listings

eBay is battling SNES mini scalpers by pulling listings for the sought-after retro console.

Shortly after SNES mini pre-orders went live in the UK, scalpers popped the console on eBay often with a huge markup in price. Listings for the microconsole stretched to £300, although most went up around the £200 mark. Officially, the console costs around £80.

But Eurogamer has seen evidence that suggests eBay is taking action, with listings pulled on what appears to be a regular basis.

At the time of publication, there were no SNES mini pre-orders listed on eBay in the UK. Earlier on Thursday morning, only a couple of defunct listings showed up (one of which was pulled on Wednesday evening). The image, below, shows the result of a SNES mini search on Tuesday afternoon, which contains multiple listings for the console.

An eBay representative told Eurogamer pre-order items can only be listed on eBay if they're available for postage within 30 days from the purchase date - 29th September in the case of the SNES mini.

"We will remove listings for pre-release items and accessories if the release date of the item is more than 30 days away," the spokesperson said.

Of course, eBay faces an uphill struggle in keeping SNES mini scalpers off of eBay given the popularity of the website, and there will no doubt be new listings placed by sellers on a daily basis. But it looks like eBay is indeed enforcing its own policy on pre-order sales, albeit slowly.

Critics will, however claim eBay's 30-day threshold is nothing more than a short-term measure that does little to prevent long-term video game scalping. The 29th August will no doubt see a flood of SNES mini pre-orders on eBay - and this time sellers won't breach any policy.

eBay isn't the only company to take on SNES mini scalpers. We recently reported Amazon had contacted customers to say it had retroactively limited stock of the SNES mini to just one console per customer, meaning anyone who ordered multiple consoles would now just receive one.

SNES mini has been almost impossible to pin down at any UK retailer since pre-orders opened last week. Stock has briefly popped up online - only to be snatched up in a matter of minutes. Pre-orders were also available in bricks and mortar shops, including GAME, which raised the price of its deposit when demand became clear.

BloodySloth

I really want to pick up one of these SNES Classics, but the idea of fighting off an internet-load of scalpers to just get a neat game machine to play with my fiancee is draining. It's a real bummer to have such a dark cloud looming over the release of such a happy little gizmo.

Dark Raven X

Is there anywhere I can preorder a SNES mini? Had the Amazon notification thing set up since it was announced, yet to see a thing. :I

urahonky

Dark Raven X wrote: »

Is there anywhere I can preorder a SNES mini? Had the Amazon notification thing set up since it was announced, yet to see a thing. :I

I'm assuming US? https://www.nowinstock.net/videogaming/consoles/nintendosnesclassicedition/ Nothing has opened preorders yet.

Sadgasm

I really want one of these, but no way in hell am I going to try and compete over it like people did over the NES Classic. They could just try to produce enough to fill the demand, but I guess thats just crazy talk

Shadowfire

Dark Raven X wrote: »

Is there anywhere I can preorder a SNES mini? Had the Amazon notification thing set up since it was announced, yet to see a thing. :I

Amazon notifications are next to worthless.

LBD_Nytetrayn

New info on the new AtGames Genesis, including pre-orders opening at Best Buy, Target, GameStop, etc. on July 28th.

Also:

You can view the full release of games here, but we’ve been told that there will be 10 more Genesis games added to the list of previously announced games, with 10 of the “shovelware” games removed, bringing the library of pre-installed games to 55 Genesis, Master System and Game Gear games and 30 shovelware games.

forty

Pre-orders for those? The previous ones have never been hard to find, as far as I know. Do they think this latest iteration of crap is actually going to sell well or have these always had pre-orders despite the lack of scarcity?

Steev

It hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet: Atari's got its own thing coming out and it seems to be called the Ataribox.



Not much word on what will actually be on it.

The design is clearly an homage to the Atari of yore, but it’s also not a straight up miniaturization like the NES Classic. Instead, it inherits some of the materials (there’s a woodgrain option and a black glass front, depending on your preference. There are also ports for an SD card, HDMI, and four USB, and the company will be offering classic games on the console, similar to the NES Classic’s library.

Shadowfire

The Ataribox looks kinda cool. I dig the LED logo through the wood grain.

I'm sure it's going to be a hot mess though.

TeeMan

Hmm looked around a bit and there aren't any active pre-order pages for any of the major Australian electronic retailers - that's not a good sign for picking one up before Christmas.

KoopahTroopah

Now in stock posted preorders for the new SNES Classic Collector's Book, and I nearly had a heart attack.

Still no US preorders for the SNESC yet.

BloodySloth

KoopahTroopah wrote: »

Now in stock posted preorders for the new SNES Classic Collector's Book, and I nearly had a heart attack.

Still no US preorders for the SNESC yet.

Reading that first sentence sure was a rollercoaster of emotion.

forty

Better build that hype before you even know what your console will be!

PMAvers

Oh hey, Walmart.com seems to have the SNES Classic pre-orders open.

EDIT: Well, they did. Gone now.

Knight_

literally saw this post at 12:07, tried to preorder, and couldn't get through walmart's system fast enough to get one.

SIGH.

KetBra

Nintendo's business model around the classics is so fucking dumb

forty

KetBra wrote: »

Nintendo's business model around the classics is so fucking dumb

Shut up and don't take my money!

Steev

I'm hearing that a lot of people who managed to get their preorders in at Walmart later got a message saying the order was canceled. Whoops!

wirehead26

So far my confirmation is still good.

Hope it stays that way.

LBD_Nytetrayn

Welp, I think they're all dead now:

https://twitter.com/Kotaku/status/890357381154123776

cloudeagle

Oh right, guess there's a place to put this.

AtGames, the makers of all those Atari 2600 Flashback things, have unveiled new models. Yawn, right? Only this time, they've finally gotten Activision to play along. Back in the day Activision made some of the best 2600 games.

Pre-orders start tomorrow at the usual places. Here's a handy list of the differences between the four (!) versions.

Dirty

Was it the Atari flashbacks or the Sega ones that were notorious for being shitty?

forty

Dirty wrote: »

Was it the Atari flashbacks or the Sega ones that were notorious for being shitty?

Yes.

LBD_Nytetrayn

SEGA ones had terrible sound, but the new Genesis sounds like it may be pretty good. I work with someone who has a review sample for Mega Visions, and he's not saying too much yet due to embargo, but I'm under the impression that it's a step up, to be sure.

They even did some comparison testing with the older ones at E3.

forty

The NES/SNES Classic meme images in this thread are great, btw.

Big Dookie

Ladies and gentlemen, I feel a coming change in the air. Surely today will be the day when I will fail to pre-order an SNES Classic.

Or maybe not?

furlion

I want that snes bad. That library is my childhood all over again. But like others have said, fuck scalpers.

MNC Dover

From Nintendo's Facebook page:

We appreciate the incredible anticipation that exists for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Super NES Classic Edition system, and can confirm that it will be made available for pre-order by various retailers late this month.
A significant amount of additional systems will be shipped to stores for launch day, and throughout the balance of the calendar year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkU23m6yX04

urahonky

I-don't-believe-you.gif

Look I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I'll definitely believe it if I see it.