XYZ Computing has an interesting editorial touting that the SNES was the best console ever made, and that we’ll probably never achieve that kind of gaming perfection again:
As a long time console gamer I have made certain observations about the progress of consoles over the past few years. I, like everyone else, have enjoyed the technological advancement which has come as time has marched on. As systems get more powerful, games can get more complex, graphics can improve, sound quality can increase, and so on. As much as I enjoy Xbox and I will enjoy PlayStation 3, I constantly find myself comparing these systems to previous iterations and all too often I find them wanting.
It is my opinion that console gaming peaked with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Though it has just 16-bit graphics and a CPU which can’t even power one of today’s cell phones, this is arguably the best console gaming system of all time. After being introduced to the US market in September of 1991 the SNES went on to sell over 48.4 million units by 1999 (though the Nintendo 64 was introduced in 1997). The SNES replaced the aging Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) which had been available in the US since 1986. At the time Sega was controlling the 16-bit gaming scene with their Genesis, but it soon proved to be no match for the SNES. Ultimately the SNES ended up selling more than twice as many total units as the Genesis.
What is so great about the SNES? First of all there is the system itself. The SNES came packaged with two controllers and Super Mario World. Many systems, including Genesis, included just one controller and consumers had to buy another one if they wanted to play against one another. As for Super Mario World, the included game, it is one of the finest video games of all time. Though some would say it was impossible to successfully follow up Super Mario Brothers 3, this game did just that, even surpassing in it some ways. The system also features a simple, yet sound, design. I hesitate to call the SNES “rugged” but it could take the rigors of everyday use, unlike the first generation CD-based systems which replaced it. The system cost $200 dollars when introduced- adjusting for inflation that is about $270 today. Though not cheap this is still far below the expected prices of either the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360.
The other major strength of the SNES, the one that gives it the lasting power that is has, are the games. No system before or since has had a set of games on par with the titles (http://www.nintendo.com/doc/snes_games.pdf) offered on this console. Part of being the successor of the NES meant that consumers would be expecting new versions of their favorite titles. They were not disappointed with games like Super Contra, Final Fantasy 3, Mega Man X, or the new Zelda, A Link to the Past. These games had updated graphics and a few new moves, but did not completely forsake the game play or the spirit of the originals to which people had become attached. The SNES was also home to a crop of new games, many of which would not have been possible on earlier systems. These include such legendary titles as Street Fighter 2 and Super Mario Kart.
Read on to see how the author defends his opinion and makes some valuable points. I must say that this article bought a nostalgic tear to my eye, as it made me remember the hours I spent playing such classics as Super Mario Kart and The Secret Of Mana.
It may just be sentiments of youth, but games like these just don’t get made anymore. With a few exceptions, I have never been totally immersed in modern games like I was in those. So many quality games with excellent gameplay. This brings a tear to my eye indeed.
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