UK Edition
Review
NES Classic Mini review: A retro gaming treat – if you can find one
With Nintendo Switch not released until March, few expected Nintendo to be stirring up the competition this Christmas. But with its cute facsimile of the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), complete with 30 games from Mario to Metroid, the Japanese gaming giant has found itself with one of this year’s most in-demand gifts.
Whether by accident or design, the demand for the NES Classic Mini has far outstripped supply the world over. The console is listed as sold out across every major online retailer, while large chain-stores received just a small handful of units, leaving queues of fans disappointed. Ebay scalpers have stepped into the void, pawning any stock they have for many times over the £49.99 asking price.
It is a shame that Nintendo has misjudged demand (or, more cynically, manufactured a shortage for a sense of exclusivity) as the NES Mini is, for the most part, a retro gaming treat. The console itself is a delight, a miniaturised replica of the NES that has the accurate look and plastic feel to stir that delicious Eighties nostalgia, while being small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. It is incredibly light, largely because there isn’t too much going on inside, with the console running on a simple emulator chipset.
It is (almost) the definition of plug-and-play, with no internet connection or much setup required. The NES connects to your TV via the included HDMI cable, outputting at a crisp 720p, while it is powered by standard micro-USB. A power cable is included in the box but, importantly, doesn’t come with a AC adaptor.
Instead you will have to pinch the USB plug from your phone or tablet. Presumably the lack of an AC adaptor is an attempt to keep the price down, with Nintendo assuming you will have a compatible plug lying around the house. For most players this will likely be the case, but will obviously be a nuisance for those who don’t.
The controller, meanwhile, is an exact replica of the original two button NES gamepad. You get one in the box and you buy another separately for £7.99. While there are many ways to play classic NES games via the Wii Virtual Console or other emulators, that there is a proper Nintendo controller to play your games with is a real treat.
Its hard-edged rectangular form might lack the smooth ergonomics of today’s controllers, but the satisfying click of the A and B buttons along with the classic d-pad means you are playing the games as they were originally intended. That is the kind of fuzzy nostalgia that you can’t easily recreate with other emulators. And for players coming to the games for the first time, lends a degree of simplicity and clarity that avoids fussing with a more complicated controller.
The only issue with the gamepad is the most fundamental problem with the NES Mini: the cables are comically short at 77cm. I’m not expecting wireless here, but I really cannot understate how ridiculous they are, to the point where I can’t imagine any modern day living room accommodating them.
I had to drag my footstool directly in front of the TV whenever I wanted to play. This set up was fine for my young son, who cheerily sat cross-legged to play games that informed my youth. But at 32, I just don’t bend that way, and I felt right on top of the screen. You could drag the HDMI wire out, dangling the little console in the middle of the room to make up the difference in distance between the TV and your sofa, or you could buy a third-party extension. Neither seem like very reasonable compromises.
Still, once you have figured it out, playing the thing is a pleasure. Within seconds of powering on you are presented with a side-scrolling menu of your 30 games, each represented by its original box art. You get four save-slots for each game, a feature that wasn’t available back in the day and aids with the crushing difficulty of the older games (honestly, they don’t make ‘em like they used to when it comes to difficulty).
And, delightfully, you can access digital versions of the game’s original manuals. The loss of proper manuals is a small tragedy of modern gaming, so this is a lovely touch that lacks only that new game smell you get from a freshly printed instruction book.
You also have a choice of display options. The default is a crisp 4:3 output, cleaning up the image for modern displays while retaining the original aspect ratio. “Pixel perfect” smoothes the image further with more modern block pixels, but gives a narrower play space. And there is a lovely CRT filter, which mimics the scan lines of older TVs for the full nostalgia experience.
The games, meanwhile, are an impressively eclectic bunch. While the selection is static (the chance of downloading more games denied by a lack of internet connection) you will find most of the classics here -Super Mario Bros. 1-3, The Legend of Zelda 1-2, Metroid, PunchOut. There will always be gaps in any library like this, of course, and whether it is oversight or licensing issues you might find yourself hankering after your old favourites. But the choice here is smart and solid, mixing genuine timeless classics with curios and history lessons.
Mario simply doesn’t age, with Super Mario Bros. 3, in particular, still one of the finest video games you will ever play. Metroid and Zelda, among others, offer fascinating insights into fundamentals laid down thirty years ago that still inform game design today. There is plenty of note: the simplicity of Balloon Fight, programmed by the late, great Satoru Iwata or the raucous, rock-hard co-op shooter Super C. Many are quick-fire arcade games, as was the inclination at the time, but there are plenty of substantial games to get your teeth into, including the original Final Fantasy.
Some games age better than others, of course, and a fair few of these won’t stand up to scrutiny past an initial play-test. But you will find your favourites; my son took a shine to motocross racer ExciteBike, while my wife has a soft spot for the divisive Dr. Mario (possibly because she consistently thrashes me at it). Of course the NES selection doesn’t have the complexity and visual brilliance of modern games, but simplicity has its own allure, appealing to younger players while old hands thrill to the nostalgia.
There are issues, not least those daft cables, and I certainly wouldn't recommend paying over the odds. But, for the asking price of £49.99, this is retro gaming done right – if you can find one, of course.