Return of the Retro Consoles
By Leonardo Vargas
Late 2016 marked the return of two iconic retro game consoles, the return of Nintendo’s NES and AtGames’ Sega Genesis. With the holiday season approaching and these two timeless consoles back on the shelves, which miniature remake deserves a spot in your stockings?
Originally debuted in 1985, The Nintendo NES quickly became a timeless console that housed the origins of many video games we’ve learned to enjoy and love today. Nintendo’s remake of the coveted console, the NES Classic Edition, hit the shelves on November 2016 and is a miniaturized version of the 1985 console. Retailed at $59.99, inside the box of the Nintendo Classic Edition you’ll find one wired NES controller (retail: $9.99), an AC power adapter, an HDMI cable, and of course the console pre-installed with 30 classic video games. The console operates through an HDMI port that allows you to enjoy your system on any High-Definition TV. You can enjoy classic games such as:
– Balloon Fight
– Bubble Bobble
– Castlevania
– Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
– Donkey Kong
– Donkey Kong Jr.
– Double Dragon II: The Revenge
– Dr. Mario
– Excitebike
– Final Fantasy
– Galaga
– Ghosts’n Goblins
– Gradius
– Ice Climber
– Kid Icarus
– Kirby’s Adventure
– Mario Bros.
– Mega Man 2
– Metroid
– Ninja Gaiden
– Pac-Man
– Punch-Out! Featuring Mr. Dream
– StarTropics
– Super C
– Super Mario Bros.
– Super Mario Bros. 2
– Super Mario Bros. 3
– Tecmo Bowl
– The Legend of Zelda
– Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Perhaps one of the coolest features of the Nintendo NES Classic Edition is in its display options. With display modes like “CRT filter” you can fill your TV with scan lines to fully emulate the old TV look. Other display modes such as “Pixel Perfect” let you enjoy every pixel in its perfect square form.
AtGames’ release of its Sega Genesis remake challenged Nintendo’s release of their NES Classic Edition. AtGames’ version of the Sega Genesis is retailed at $49.99, comes bundled with two wireless controllers, AC adapter, AV cables, and 80 built-in games. Although not an official Sega product, the remake is licensed under Sega and provides a friendly experience with its two-person ready console and larger game selection with options such as Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic and Knuckles, Golden Axe, Phantasy Star, and Mortal Kombat I,II, and III (for the full list of built-in games visit atgames.net.) Where the Sega Genesis remake falls short is in its lack of HDMI compatibility. This shortcoming forces your TV (unless you are using a Standard Definition Television) to upscale the graphics to fit your TV’s resolution. This means stretched and pixelated gameplay.
Both systems without a doubt offer a greatest-hits collection that allow the user to rediscover the joy in old school gaming. Where do you side?