Restock those suckers

[Update: The NES Classic will return to stores in Europe on June 29 as well.]

The launch of the NES Classic in North America was nothing short of a clusterfuck. Throughout the holiday season they were -- and I use this term loosely -- "available," it was practically impossible to find one sitting on store shelves. Then, just as quickly as the device was brought into this world, it was taken out when Nintendo announce??d it was ceasing production on the hot item.

But you can't keep a good thing down. After declaring it dead, Nintendo backtracked an?d confirmed it would bring back the NES Classic sometime after the SNES Classic went on sale. It's been all quiet from the company since that announcement, but now, just weeks before E3, we finally know when our next chance to try and buy an NES Classic will be.

#NESClassic Edition will return to stores on June 29! This system and the #SNESClassic Edition system are expected to be available through the end of the year. //t.co/LclbG5m4ta pic.twitter.com/1PcXBI5qJC

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 14, 2018

The NES Classic will still retail for $59.99 and feature the same 30 games it contained the last time it was in production. You might remember a few days ago we told you the Famicom Mini would be seeing a re-release in Japan with a new color scheme and a different set of games to mark the 50th anniversary of Shonen Jump.

While we can argue till high noon about why this went out of production in the first place, with a traditional Virtual Console ruled out on the Switch and the blockbuster sales of the SNES Classic, it's the? right time for Nintendo to bring this back. Hopefully, I'll actually be able to go int?o a store and buy one this time around because, and this is true, I still haven't seen an SNES Classic in the wild.

NES Classic [Nintendo]

The post (Update) If you missed?? the NES Classic the first time around, your second?? chance to grab one starts June 29 appeared first on Destructoid.

I blame Super Punch-Out!!

Nintendo, in their latest financial report, have proudly announced that the sought-after SNES Classic console has sold a staggering 5.28 million units. We reported back in January that the retro device had just passed the four million mar??k, so that's a over million more units shipped in around three months (Yeah, I did some college.)

The SNES Classic released in September 2017 and was an immediate success. Clearly learning from the previous frustrating launch of the NES Classic, which drove people nuts with its scarcity, The replicated 16-bit machine has been somewhat? more prevalent in its availability which, surprisingly, has resulted in these amazing sales figures.

The SNES Classic Edition, which includes two controllers and over 20 classic games, is available now. Addendum: It has been previously announced that the NES Classic will be restocked Summer 2018, but there have been no further development on this as of yet.

SNES Cl??assic Edition passes the five million sa?les mark [Official Financial Statement]

The post SNES Class?ic sales pass the five million units mark appeared first on Destructoid.

Wednesday through Friday

Anyone who missed out on the SNES Classic in September has a few ?opportunities to make good this week. Walmart is getting a big restock??, and it's something of a drawn out event.

As Walmart notes on the top of its site, it's selling the SNES Classic edition in stores November 15-17. Thankfully, it'??s more organized than merely showing up and hoping to nab one. They'll be available at 2pm Eastern/11am Pacific at your local store. Presumably, employees will know what's going on (always a wildcard at Walmart though, honestly).

It's not a Black Friday deal, as it's selling for the regular $80 price tag. But, getting another chance at one of the year's hottest items feels like its own kind of deal. Looks like Nintendo wasn't kidding when it sai??d this guy should be easier to get than the NES Classic.

Walmart [Walmart]

The post Wa?lmart? is getting a big SNES Classic restock tomorrow appeared first on Destructoid.

That's a lot of people playing Super Punch-Out!!

New figures from Nintendo show that the much sought-after SNES ??Classic sold two million units worldwide thus far. Nintendo plans to continue shipping the system "moving forward."

??In a statement made by Nintendo President, Tatsumi Kimishima said that Nintendo were hoping the SNES Classic would get gamers of yesterday back into the hobby, leading to them looking at purchasing Nintendo's other products, such as the Switch.

In the same fiscal report, Ki??mishima also reiterated Nintendo's plan to re-manufacture the NES Classic in 2018. The console, which sold 2.3 million global units and was notoriously di?fficult to get hold of, is expected to return to store shelves in the Summer.

Six Months Financial Briefing [Nintendo]

The post SNES Classic hits 2 million sales, production will c??ontinue appeared first on Destructoid.

Mine is EarthBound and I can't believe it

There are 21 games included on the SNES Classic -- wh??ich one are you most? into right now?

My playing habits have been all over the place since the mini console launched. I beat Mega Man X's iconic intro after booting up the system. (Ahh, it's so good!) I meticulously cleared the expectation-setting opening level in Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts with much-needed assistance from the rewind feature. I finished all of Donkey Kong Country because, dang, that game is way shorter than I remember?.

But the SNES Classic title I've spent the most time with, by far, and enjoyed more than anything else? Why that's gotta be EarthBound. This is actually a huge deal for me.

I never played the cherished RPG as a k?id or even knew anyone with a copy, and my attempts to get into it since then -- as recently as the Wii U Virtual Console release -- have fizzled out. Now, in 2017, I've just defeated Master Belch for the first time. The adventure is in its early days, but I know I'm going to see it through to the end; I'm too engrossed to lose interest. I gen??uinely want to chat with the NPCs!

While I still regret not growing up with EarthBound, I'm happy beyond words to finally have the game click for me, thanks in no small part to the Classic's save states and rewind ability. It just feels right playing this on official hardware with a proper SNES controller while sitting way too close to my TV. If any of you are thinking of making your way across Eagleland, don't forget the incredible player's guide.

The post What’s your most-played SNES Classic game so far? appeared first on Destructoid.

Check out this concept for T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas

One of my favorite parts of the SNES Classic (aside from the system's all-too-important rewind feature) is that it has Nintendo bringing up old behind-the-scenes tidbits. The mini console gives us a focused opportunity to collectively reminisce and also learn new or little-known details from some of our favorite video games ever. With that in mind, there's?? something you've got to? see.

Nintendo has posted a translated interview covering the production of Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island. If nothing else, make a beeline for the section titled "I Wan??t Mario to Rid?e a Horse!"

"When we were making Super Mario Bros. 3, [Shigeru Miyamoto] had drawn a picture of Mario on a horse, and hung it on a wall near where he used to sit. I would look at that and think, 'I think he wants Mario to ride something.' When we started making Super Mario World, we were working with the concept of a dinosaur land, so I had [character designer Shigefumi Hino] do art for a kind of reptile," recalls director Takashi Tezuka. "It was like a crocodile??," which ended up feeling "out of place."

"Tezuka had done a rough sketch and it was cute and pretty good, so I polished up Yoshi into his current form based on that," Hino explained, before dr??opping this bombshell of an image:

I don't? know where to look, folks. There's so much going on!

But?? Yoshi. Dear, sweet Yoshi... I've seen too much.

Twitter user @Programancer ran with this concept and did what needed to be done: 

Oh yeah I updated that pic of Yoshi pic.twitter.com/eAausueWTE

— Programancer (@Programancer) October 2, 2017

The interview also notes that Yoshi has a "shell," not a saddle, and yeah, Mario's punching him.

Super M??ario World & Yosh?i's Island Developer Interview [Nintendo]

The post I’ll never look at Yoshi the same way again appeared first on Destructoid.

They won't be ready until December, though

I hope SNES Classic day is treating you well, especially those of you who had to wake up early to even stand a chance of finding a spot in line at a brick-and-mortar store. These systems come with two controllers, thank goodness, but similar to the NES Classic, you may ??want to look into wireless pads.

8Bitdo made a wireless gamepad for the NES Classic and it's doing the same?? for the SNES Classic.

The SN30 2.4G wireless controller and adapter set is $25 on Amazon, with pre-orders open today ahead of a Dec?ember 10, 2017 ship date. There's also a Super Famicom counterpart, as you'd expect.

Personally, the standard SNES Classic wired controllers have just enough of a reach to tolerate (they're an improvement over the NES Classic's ridiculously short cords), so I'm still leaning toward buying one of 8Bitdo's Nintendo Switch-compatible Pro controllers instead. They're just lovely.

The post 8Bitdo is making wi?reless controllers for the SNES?? Classic appeared first on Destructoid.