On this day 30 years ago, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System launched in North America!
The Super Nintendo home console was released in North America 30 years ago today! Undoubtedly, this will make many millennials feel ancient. Known as the Super Famicom (a portmanteau of ‘Family’ and ‘computer’) in Japan, Nintendo’s second home console became the best-selling game system in the 16-bit era of gaming. At the time, its main competitor was the Sega Genesis. This resulted in one of the most contentious console wars in gaming history.
The best-selling game for the Super Nintendo was the iconic platformer Super Mario World.
Super Mario World which was a launch title, received universal critical acclaim and still remains one of the most revered games of all time to this day. In addition, other games starring Nintendo’s lovable Italian plumber topped the best-seller list, like Super Mario Kart, Super Mario All-Stars, and Yoshi’s Island.
For years, the Super Nintendo struggled to obtain a clear lead ahead of the Genesis. Still, the release of Donkey Kong Country placed the victory firmly in SNES’s hands. This gorgeous platformer developed by Rare saw two sequels that received similar praise and success. Other classic games include The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Street Fighter 2, and Star Fox. Overall, the SNES sold 49.1 million units worldwide, with almost half those sales in North America alone. Now, thanks to Nintendo Switch Online, fans can play many Super Nintendo Classics from their Switch Console.
The Super Nintendo was followed by the Nintendo 64 in 1996. Unfortunately, the N64 did not sell quite as much and would end the cartridge era of Nintendo home consoles. However, the SNES remains one of the most beloved game consoles in history thanks to its audio and graphics and impressive library of AAA titles.
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