The Launch of the Super Nintendo (1991) | Classic Gaming Quarterly
2,557,351
Published 2016-07-21
Crowdfunding: www.patreon.com/cgquarterly
Shop: www.cgquarterly.com/shopcgq
Episode 38 - The North American launch of the Super Nintendo. Although the 16-bit generation started in the late summer of 1989 with the near-simultaneous launch of the Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16, the release of the Super Nintendo in August of 1991 signaled the real start of the 16-bit console war. The system came bundled with Super Mario World as the pack-in game, and on launch day two additional games were available; F-Zero and Pilotwings. Many believe that Gradius III and SimCity were also launch titles, but these games were actually released the following week, just missing being part of the launch line-up.
Special thanks for the following people for their support making this episode:
Chris Covell (www.chrismcovell.com/)
Matt Henzel (www.videogameobsession.com/)
DigitalNeohuman (youtube.com/user/digitalneohuman)
Show Notes:
- At around 7:07 in the video, I accidentally refer to Actraiser as "Axelay" Unfortunately, there is no way to fix this without deleting this video and re-uploading. I put an annotation in the video, but people watching on non-desktop platforms aren't going to see it.
- Production of this video began the same day that the Sega Saturn launch episode was released; December 25, 2015. This episode therefore took 7 months to complete, although I took breaks to make the History of NHL '94 and DieHard Gamefan videos.
- The footage of Uemura, the guys working at Nintendo EAD, Miyamoto in his cubicle, and Miyamoto drawing mario (during the end credits) all game from an early 90's French documentary called "Otaku". You can check it out here but it isn't in english, unfortunately: • Otaku おたく
- All of the gameplay footage for this episode was recoded using an RGB-modded SNES mini, as it produces a sharper image than an older "original" SNES.
- Graduis III and SimCity WERE NOT LAUNCH TITLES. I can't stress this enough times. The three games featured in this episode were the only three that were available on launch day. Period.
- This was the fifth episode covering the launch of a console.
- I had to re-record the F-Zero footage 4 times because the beta version of the Elgato software that I was using kept dropping the audio.
- I mentioned in the outro to the show that I get my box art from Matt Henzel of VideoGameObsession.com. I should have said "much of this comes from..." because he is not my only source. He has however given me permission to use any material on his site, and asked only for credit in my videos. As has always been the case, the bulk of the box art seen on this show comes from The Cover Project.
- I did not play through the complete game when recording Super Mario World footage. I have beaten the games multiple times in the past, but have received negative comments from viewers for showing too much of some games. If you haven't beaten SMW, you should do it for yourself instead of watching someone else do it.
Box art featured in CGQ videos comes from The Cover Project, fount at thecoverproject.net. Check them out for all of your video game insert needs. A second source for box art as well as some magazine cover scans has been Matt Henzel at VideoGameObsession.com. Finally, many magazine scans come from RetroMags at www.retromags.com
Music courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (www.smartsound.com/royalty-free-music/incompetech)
#CGQuarterly #LaunchVids #SuperNintendo
All Comments (20)
-
I got a story: Remember when SF2 was coming for the SNES? remember those EGM magazine editions with all the coverage? I would go over them over and over. When the day finally came I would call the store like once every hour to confirm if the shipment had arrived (they weren't sure if they were getting it that day or the next). The store clerk got so fed up with me that he said he'd call me if I gave him my number, so I did. Hours went by and nothing. I was getting desperate. Finally he called "SF2 just arrived", I asked him if he could hold one for me since I lived far and he said he couldn't do it, that the manager said first come first serve. So I took the trolley and 3 buses until I got there. From leaving home to getting to the store 3 hours had gone by. I got there running, sweating, gasping for air and guess what? they were sold-out! So the guy there saw my dissapointment and said "is your number by any chance ###-####? "yes that's me, sorry for bugging you so much"... "np, here, I did save you one, just act cool" (the manager was there) I wanted to hug the guy and he could sense it!!! he just smirked but I kept my cool like he said lol! So people were coming into the store in droves asking if they had SF2. They were turning them back. I got the last one. So I paid and all the way back I couldn't stop admiring the box of my new SF2 game for the SNES. Of course I had to be careful, I got paranoid someone on the bus or trolley would snatch it from me. I got home, mom wanted me to have dinner, I said I had a new game and went stright to my room and it was magical... of course, I played SF2 all night long without sleeping. Next day all my friends were playing with me, with pizza, chips and softdrinks. Beautiful times.
-
I happened to be at the mall randomly the night before the official release. Was in the videogame store the moment they were taking one out of a box. Once they plugged it into the TV the store manager handed me the controller & I was the first to play a SNES in a 50mile radius. I felt so special.
-
Hell I'm 33 and I still have way more memories of having fun playing the SNES than I have of any system since then.
-
Stayed outside a Toys R Us to get it for myself and my pregnant wife...we played the shi** out of Super Mario World
-
I was a poor kid, so I had to goto Kmart to play the display. By the time I got my own SNES, I had already beaten super Mario world in the store 😂 I did have one friend who had an SNES real early on, but he was a dick and wouldn't let anyone play it. He would play final fantasy 2 and I all I could do was watch, but it only made it that much sweeter when I got my own
-
Am I the only one who starts watching a Classic Gaming Quarterly episode Youtube recommends only to find out I’ve already seen it, yet I keep watching because it’s so good?
-
The greatest era in video game history. Sega Genesis Vs SNES
-
Man that intro about Nintendo everything. Takes me back. I remember when we didn't call them video games. "You want to play some Nintendo?"
-
Super Mario World is a masterpiece!
-
This is still my favorite gaming system. The sound and graphics are iconic. The games felt more special than what's released today.
-
Really enjoyed watching this. Took me back to my childhood. No console gave me as much joy as my first ever ( SNES ) did. I still own my original SNES to this day and recently starting playing it again.
-
SMW is the best of the Super Mario games. 28 years later I play it two player with my daughter.
-
The Snes has and always will be my favorite system, i will never forget the happiness it brought me as a kid! I only scratched the surface of gaming library but i understand money wasnt easy back then for me to try the other games until i became an adult! The games and system is a complete masterpiece and will most definitely be my children's (if any) first console
-
I'll never forget dad coming home with the SNES after a business trip to the Netherlands. Game changer, literally.
-
I remember getting the SNES for my 10th birthday. I had so much fun.
-
This is one of the BEST Super Nintendo documentaries I've seen.Loved every minute of it and now I want to go play Nintendo. Thanks!
-
Pilot wings was amazing. It was highly addictive and way ahead of its time.
-
The Super Nintendo was my first game system I ever had. I got it on Christmas Day in 1994 and it was a bundle with Donkey Kong Country bundled with the system.
-
Super mario world is hands-down the greatest video game ever made.....its perfectly rounded for all audiences and its sheer innovative gameplay was ahead of it's time during its release
