Skip to main content

Japanese Super Famicom Mini trades 'Castlevania' for 'Fire Emblem' and others

super famicom mini line up snes classic e0310 template
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Nintendo seized control of the otherwise slow summer news period following E3 by announcing the SNES Classic Edition, following up on the explosive success of its predecessor, the NES Classic Edition. This plug-and-play retro mini console will come loaded with 21 classic titles, covering a lot of the platform’s essentials. What counts as essential will vary depending on who you ask, however, and Nintendo has taken that into account regionally, since the Japanese version (the Super Famicom Mini) comes with a slightly different lineup of games, including Panel de Pon (known here as Tetris Attack) and Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem.

In addition to those two, the Super Famicom Mini also adds The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, and Super Formation Soccer. Apart from Fire Emblem, the other three titles were all released in the United States as well. In order to maintain the cap of 21 games, however, sacrifices had to be made. From the western version, but not included in the Super Famicom Mini, are Super Castlevania IV, Super Punch-Out, Kirby’s Dream Course, and EarthBound.

Recommended Videos

These differences will no doubt send some dedicated non-Japanese fans down an online rabbit hole searching for the Japanese version. Tetris Attack and the prospect of a new (to us) Fire Emblem game are certainly tempting — Tetris Attack is actually included on our list of titles we wish were added to the list. By our estimation, however, the four titles missing from the Japanese version would be more sorely missed. Regardless of which region you buy your retro console in, one of the main draws for all versions is the never-released Star Fox 2, which unlocks after users beat the first level of the original Star Fox.

The SNES Classic Edition will launch on September 29 in the United States for $80 (or whatever exorbitant price you manage to find it for on eBay subsequently). It will be produced in a limited run, though Nintendo promises to do so at higher volumes than the NES Classic, which has been notoriously difficult to find. It also comes with two wired controllers instead of one, which will sport five-foot cables instead of the stumpy three-foot ones on the NES Classic’s controller.

Will Fulton
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…
Your PlayStation Portal is about to get a much-requested feature
PlayStation Portal bundle home screen while turned on.

Sony is about to introduce more ways to use your PlayStation Portal. The company announced that it's releasing a cloud streaming feature in beta that will let users stream certain games to the device without needing a console.

This is part of a larger PS Portal update that will also bring along audio fixes and be available starting Wednesday. PlayStation hasn't noted how long cloud streaming will be in testing for, but it's looking for user feedback and is expected to change features over time.

Read more
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 struggles to get off the ground after launch
A single propeller plane with Man O'War written on it. It's on a runway in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 launched this week on Xbox, PC, and Xbox Game Pass, but players are reporting a lot of performance issues, including long queue times or not being able to play at all, with some players stuck at 97% when loading in. In a video posted Wednesday, Asobo Studios apologized for the launch, explaining that it "underestimated" the demand on its servers.

"We knew the excitement was high for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, but frankly, we completely underestimated how high, and it has really overwhelmed our infrastructure," series head Jorg Neumann said. "We're really sorry, we want to apologize."

Read more
How long is Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl?
Survivors around a camp fire in Stalker 2.

Welcome back to The Zone, Stalker. It's been a while. Xbox has been hyping up the third entry in the cult PC series that made a name for itself for being a hardcore simulation with dynamic AI and events that people loved so much they could overlook the many bugs. After many delays, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is pulling you back into the radiated and deadly Zone with new graphics, better AI, and even more deadly mutants to contend with. Despite the troubled development, Stalker 2 is a massive game with almost too much to do and see. But just how long can even the most hardcore Stalker expect to spend in The Zone this time around? Here's how long Stalker 2 is.
How long is Stalker 2?

Stalker 2 is an open-world game with a lot of immersive sim elements, side quests, and secrets. There's also the fact that it is very, very punishing and meant to be played at a slow and methodical pace. For that reason, even trying to mainline the story missions will still take around 40 hours, but could even be more depending on how skilled you are.

Read more