The Limited Lifespan of SNES Classics...
Written: Jan 11 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great games and excellent hardware, but...
Cons: That necessary save-feature doesn't last.
The Bottom Line: If you don't mind the lack of reliability and the cost of cartridge repairs, than it's not bad. But SNES games present one reason why cartridges have been phased out.
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| dopple's Full Review: Nintendo Super NES |
When it was first released, the Super Nintendo could hardly hold a candle to the popularity of the Sega Genesis, the system that pretty much won the 16-bit console wars. It was even a tad slow getting out the big games. Over time though, the Super Nintendo's game library ended up being far more diverse and acclaimed than the Genesis', which only really satisfied in terms of sports & platforming games based on hit movies. Yoshi's Island, Zelda 3: A Link to the Past, Super Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Country, The Final Fantasy Series, Chrono Trigger, Tetris/Dr. Mario, F-Zero, Star Fox, Ken Griffy Jr.'s Winning Run, Secret of Mana, Pilotwings, Super Metroid and Contra 3: The Alien Wars made the Super Nintendo the most satisfying console of the 16-bit era, even if Sega posessed a little more 'cool' during the most crucial years of the battle. Not only did it have some of the strongest exclusive titles and a large list of 2nd and 3rd party developers like RARE and Squaresoft, it also produced nearly 32-bit graphics and gameplay thanks to innovations such as the Super FX chips, which made 3D games like DOOM possible.
And the quality and value shows even now, as the Super Nintendo and games are still going for top-dollar on ebay and Genesis system and games are dirt cheap.
But I digress. I'm more concerned with the present and future of this console than the past. And I have to say despite it's top-notch line-up and excellent hardware, the Super NES & it's most excellent titles have a bleak future.
Here is the biggest problem: batteries.
Almost every Super Nintendo game worth owning is rather large, and probably not finishable in a single sitting. That is why most games posess a save feature, with which the cartridge remembers your progress and you are able to pick up where you left off next time you pop it into the system and have a go at it. This is not only vital to long platformers like Super Mario World or Metroid, but downright essential to role-playing games that take days to finish such as A Link to the Past, Chrono Trigger or any Final Fantasy game.
How do these games save data?
RAM (random access memory), which is kept active by a battery. It takes a small, constant flow of battery power to keep the memory in tact, and the batteries last about 8-10 years, sometimes a little longer if your lucky. Unfortunately, we are in the 11th year since the Super Nintendo was released and for most games, time is running out for many game cartridges.
The batteries, for a fee, can be replaced by Nintendo or a specialty shop. It takes a special kind of battery, and a pricey, special screwdriver to open the cartridges up, and a little know-how to perform the operation without damaging the cart. So in the long run, if you want most of your games to remain worth playing, you have to shell out some cash to keep them in working order over the years, which makes keeping up a large library a bit of a hassle.
That's one reason why I prefer the NES as far as classic systems go, because most games were either easy to finsih in a single-sitting, or used a password-save feature (like Willow, Megaman, River City Ransom, etc.) - only a few, like Zelda and Dragon Warrior, used the battery back-up.
This is also why the cartridge format may do N64 games in over time, because while they no longer rely on batteries, they rely on an internal memory card that becomes leaky or non-functioning over time.
Just some thought on the long-term value - most of the games are on their way out. It's just not as fun to have to begin Super Mario World at the beginning every time, given how long it is; Donkey Kong Country provides less replay value if you can't just pop it in and play your favorite level or mini-game without blasting through 20-40 levels first; and you can't unlock the Secret of Mana in one session without potentially overheating the system and game.
My Zelda 3 cartridge has already failed me. Most of the few NES games that use battery back-up I own have gone dry. Thankfully, as I mentioned earlier, most NES games don't rely on a time-limited save-function, so theres more reply there - but most SNES games are screwed.
Recommended:
No
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dopple
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