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The Super Nintendo Entertainment System Is Officially 30 Years Old Today (in the US)

Bullet Club

Member

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System Is Officially 30 Years Old Today​


Three decades ago, the SNES console officially launched in the US.

On this day in 1991, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System officially launched in North America. While it had arrived in Japan as the Super Famicom in November 1990, the US launch resulted in a console with a radically different outer appearance thanks to Nintendo of America industrial designer Lance Barr. A combination of strong angles, a few rounded areas, and a distinctive color scheme resulted in the console becoming an iconic piece of hardware for its generation.

Nintendo had its work cut out for it though, as unlike the previous 8-bit generation of gaming, Sega had evolved into its biggest challenger thanks to the Sega Genesis console's combination of critically-acclaimed games and a marketing campaign designed to convince consumers that it was the coolest kid on the block. With that strong competition in the US market, Nintendo had to develop heavy-hitting games to convince people that the $200 console was worth investing in.

Nintendo didn't disappoint with this strategy, as the SNES era was home to some of the company's most iconic brands. Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Kart, F-Zero, and Star Fox all debuted on the SNES, while established franchises such as Super Mario Bros., Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda set new benchmarks within their respective franchises.

The fun didn't stop there, as the SNES was home to a number of terrific third-party games from the likes of Capcom, Squaresoft, and Konami. Street Fighter Alpha 2, Final Fantasy VI, Sunset Riders, and Contra III: The Alien Wars were just some of the highlights amongst many other games that could be picked up during the lifespan of the SNES.




By the time that the SNES was succeeded by the N64 console in 1996, Nintendo's 16-bit machine had sold millions of units. Lifetime sales of the SNES clock in at 49.1 million units, which makes this console Nintendo's eighth best-selling console of all time. It outsold the N64, GameCube, and Wii U by a wide margin, as well as the Sega Genesis by almost 20 million units once the dust from the 16-bit console war had cleared.




These days, the SNES lives on thanks to the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service slowly adding games from its library to the Nintendo Switch. There's also the Super NES Classic Edition that was released in 2017 that came with 21 SNES titles pre-installed and has so far done good business, but for a more authentic experience that works on modern-day TVs, you can always try the $190 Super NT console sold by Analog.

In other anniversary news designed to make you feel ancient, this week also sees Deus Ex: Human Revolution turns ten years old, while the first entry in Capcom's Devil May Cry series is officially 20 years old.

Source: Gamespot
















 

German Hops

GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief
Undoubtedly the most overrated console in gaming history, yet it still holds some special memories for me.
Here's to you, SNES,

jim-carrey-cigarette.gif
 
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Undoubtedly the most overrated console in gaming history, yet it still holds some special memories for me.
Yeah, I don't think there is a single genre that the PSX doesn't have a better selection of games, but the SNES is definitely amazing and has so many memorable games. Honestly the PSX feels like a more natural follow up to the SNES in terms of library than the N64, but that's a whole 'nother thread.

I've been watching a lot of Gamecenter CX lately and I really really really need to hook my SNES up and play some Donkey Kong Country.
 

bit_blaster

Neo Member
Amazing console, Nintendo was at its height with both first and third party games during this era.

Super Metroid, A Link To The Past, Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Final Fantasy III(6), Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Castlevania 4, and so much more
 

Thaedolus

Member
Christmas 91 was magical. There’s a VHS home video somewhere of my sister and me being the N64 kid before that shit went viral.
 
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Undoubtedly the most overrated console in gaming history, yet it still holds some special memories for me.
Here's to you, SNES,

jim-carrey-cigarette.gif
Like hell it is. Some of the best games ever made, mostly coming from Squaresoft and Nintendo themselves.
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
A Legendary console...

30 years... That is too fast.

With Snes, ps2 and ps4 are the Best consoles of the history.

Nintendo switch for me is a spiritual sucesor of SNES.
 
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Shifty1897

Member
I'm pretty sure my testicles descended while playing Earthbound as a child and that's why I have such fanboyism (fanmanism?) for that game and the SNES.
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
Yeah, I don't think there is a single genre that the PSX doesn't have a better selection of games, but the SNES is definitely amazing and has so many memorable games. Honestly the PSX feels like a more natural follow up to the SNES in terms of library than the N64, but that's a whole 'nother thread.
What platformers on the PSX are better than the SNES‘s best?
Please don’t say Rayman.

I’ll always love the SNES, even if some of its most touted games aren’t that great when you play them for the first time today.
 
What platformers on the PSX are better than the SNES‘s best?
Please don’t say Rayman.

I’ll always love the SNES, even if some of its most touted games aren’t that great when you play them for the first time today.
Well 2D not as many are up there in quality, really just Rayman, Tomba 1/2, Klonoa, and maybe Pandemonium (which is probably horrible to play these days), but if you factor in 3D then the list gets pretty large.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Great system... except for sports (NHL Stanley Cup worst hockey game I ever played). But fighters, shooters and it's shoulder buttons were awesome.

My Genesis was great too, but lets just say SMW + Contra 3 was 10x better than Altered Beast and Thunder Force 2.
 
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Celcius

°Temp. member
The snes was my first console and I still have mine. I wish I hadn’t sold my snes mini. Great system!
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I never really liked the US Snes design. The European and Japanese one was way more slick lookin. Anyways great console.
Agreed. In fact, when the classic consoles were released, I bought the Super Famicom version and hacked it completely into English. It’s just had an overall better aesthetic to it.
I don't know why, but some reason system makers back then liked making different looking consoles in different regions. Must be some kind of market research/survey shit they did to make it worth doing around the world. PC Engine/T-16 was like that too.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
This was my favorite console of all time.

It's now been overthrown by the Switch (mostly because the Switch can play SNES games as well as having it's own outstanding library of titles).
 

Ozzie666

Member
Filled with memories of Mario, Ghost and Goblins, Castlevania IV during the launch period.
Not sure it's overrated, but that generation of games resonates with me more than others. First Year was pretty dam good and carried on the successful NES franchises well.
 

Naked Lunch

Member
SNES is still Nintendo's best console - by quite a wide margin. My original console's outer shell yellowed a bit, still works like a champ.

Now this thread on the other hand...
Overrated? Saying PS1 is better? Just absolute nonsensical crazy talk.
 

NecrosaroIII

Ask me about my terrible takes on Star Trek characters
90s gaming was the best. Started off with the SNES and ended with PS1. What a hell of a one two punch. Gaming started its descent into mediocrity after that
 

Sgt.Asher

Member
I brute forced my way through a link to the past before i could read, on my brothers file. I could never get far in donkey kong though. Later, he sold most of the games for pot and/or the neighbor kid stole them.
 
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