The NES Classic is the new mini retro-system from Nintendo and it includes 30 classic games in full HDMI glory.
It’s shaped exactly like an original Nintendo Entertainment system but is a miniaturized version of it. The selection of games is great, featuring a lot of games you’ll want to play over and over and others you’ll want to revisit only occasionally. The standouts for me as I’ve been playing have been Final Fantasy, Punch Out, all of the Super Mario games, and even Donkey Kong.
The system is a fun way to get back into playing the old games you might not have cartridges for anymore, but I’m not sure why Nintendo wouldn’t just release a revamp of the system that could play the old cartridges as well. Another complaint about the system is that there doesn’t seem to be a way to upgrade it in any way, there’s no way to get new games, there’s no way to add content to it. These 30 games are what you’ll be stuck with.
When those games include The Legend of Zelda and Megaman 2, you’re probably not going to need too much expansion, but the option would have been nice.
That’s not my biggest complaint about the system, though. My biggest complaint is the length of the controller cord. I have this system hooked up to my giant HDTV via HDMI, but Nintendo doesn’t want me to sit any further away than four feet. It’s too much on the eyes. I want to be able to sit on my couch and play instead of having to pull a chair from the kitchen into the living room. There are extension cables, though, and I’ll probably end up investing in one so that I can lazily fight the forces of evil from the comfort of my couch.
Aside from that, the NES Classic is a winner. It has a great mix of games, the video quality is incredible and clean, and it’s everything you want in a system. If you love the games and want them to look great, this is what you need to get. Just make sure you get an extension cable for the controller, otherwise your eyes are going to go bad. Fast.
NES Classic’s are currently out of stock, but Nintendo has promised that they will be back in stock soon. When that happens, you’ll be able to get them where every video game consoles are sold.