Nintendo NES Classic Edition review
Other than the limited supply of consoles and the extremely small controller cord, the Nintendo NES Classic Edition is spectacular.
Nintendo decided to hit us with a hint of nostalgia with their newest retro console throwback, the Nintendo NES Classic Edition. The new console is a miniature version of the original NES that comes built in with 30 games, and it’s HD compatible. It’s a dream come true.
Before we actually talk about the awesomeness that is the new Nintendo NES Classic Edition, we would like to vent some frustrations. These gripes are really the only negative things about the console.
First of all, the limited supply. The console “supposedly” released last Friday, Nov. 11, but we refuse to believe that. It’s been quite a few interesting days trying to get this new (not really) console in our hands.
To explain this the best we could, we’ll talk about our ventures. On Friday morning, we went to GameStop, excited to purchase the new console. As we arrived, we saw a line of people ahead of us and thought that it wasn’t a big deal. We’d just wait it out and buy one soon enough.
But as we were approaching the counter, we started seeing the employees taking numbers and promising to call us. Turns out that they only received eight NES Mini’s. Yes, you read that right. Once again, Nintendo under-delivered with their distribution and gave each store a limited amount of consoles.
So our next course of action was to check other stores, like Best Buy and Target. We called Target and they had 12 in stock, which were gone in the first 10 minutes. Then we checked up with Best Buy and they had six in stock. You guessed it. Those flew off the shelves as well.
It’s safe to say that we were truly devastated with the result. But we were determined to get one of these consoles. We heard about Amazon selling the consoles at a specific time later on in the day, but that fell through as well. It was practically impossible to purchase one of these consoles with the traffic on the website.
To sum it all up, it was very tedious. Luckily, we were able to get one from the GameStop website before they went out of stock there as well. But fear not. Nintendo has promised to stock up on the NES Classic Edition for the holidays and early in 2017.
The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition system is a hot item, and we are working hard to keep up with consumer demand. 1/3
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) November 11, 2016
There will be a steady flow of additional systems through the holiday shopping season and into the new year. 2/3
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) November 11, 2016
Please contact your local retailers to check availability. A selection of participating retailers can be found @ https://t.co/rMbd6Wacpi 3/3
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) November 11, 2016
The last negative about the console is the NES controller. Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with how the new controller plays or feels. It’s just like the original, and once you pick it up, it’ll all come back to you. But the length of the cord is absolutely terrible. It’s about 2.5 feet long, which is atrocious.
We understand that maybe Nintendo wants their consumers to feel like they’re in the 80s again, but come on now. It’s 2016. There’s no need to be sitting right in front of the TV any more, and with the new NES controller, you’re forced to do this. Nintendo needs to get with the times in this aspect.
That being said, these two negatives can definitely be overlooked because of simple solutions and everything else the console excels in. We know that more of these consoles will increase in quantity soon enough. Also, you can buy an extender cable for your controller from select retailers, which is definitely recommended.
The NES controller is also a positive. It’s the exact same controller that we played with on the original NES. It’s simple, smooth and it gets the job done. It truly reminds us why we love playing video games.
As mentioned before, the console also comes built in with 30 classic games. Critically acclaimed games like Super Mario Bros. 1-3, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid are all included, and they’re just as good as you remember.
It’s great for some old school gamers to revisit these games. It’s also a great opportunity for a new generation to see where it all started. The best part is they look better than ever.
With the console being HD compatible, the games run much smoother. You’re also able to customize the settings to your liking with the display options. There are three options, those being CRT mode, 4:3 mode, or pixel perfect mode. It’s a cool feature.
Finally, the save points. This isn’t anything new since we’re able to do this with the Wii U and the virtual console games, but many people may not know this. Back in the day, you either left your console on so that you wouldn’t start over or you put in a code. Games like Punch-Out!! utilized this feature.
Once you beat a certain fighter, you got a code. With that code, it didn’t matter if you shut off the console. Once you started the game up again, you entered the code and continued right where you left off. Now, with the new save points, there’s no need for that. You simply create a save point and you can load that save whenever you please.
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As you can see, the Nintendo NES Classic Edition is incredible. Despite the lack of consoles in stores and the extremely short cord on the controller, there’s too much to love. Nintendo has done it again, reminding us just how great and iconic the NES really is. Hopefully, everyone will be able to purchase one and get to playing these classics.