Happy Birthday SFC - 20 this weekend!

[J0e Musashi]

How far in was final fight J0e? That was what made me buy one.

Final Fight came out just before Christmas in 1990, so about a month after launch. I had asked for it as a present and remember going to collect it on the 27th. I think it was the second third-party release after Bombuzal.

[dvdx2]

SFC's were £600 in ACE on launch IIRC.

i aint religious, but thank god the rip of days of importing are over (unless you look on the VGI website). £90 for jap ps2 Tekken 2, £399 for a UK saturn, £299 for a jap MD, have paid them all.....

[Mayhem]

I came to the SNES via the wonders of the breeze block US version in 1991, complete with RGB cable and a modified Megadrive 1 power supply to use with it. Can't remember the name of the place, it was a shop within a shop somewhere in Wimbledon. Once I got it home, it was out with the pliers and soldering iron to melt the tabs inside the slot so I could also play Japanese titles on it.

As the OP said, greatest console ever imo...

Mate of mine and I were huge into Street Fighter II, so when he managed to borrow a copy of the conversion a few days after it came out in Japan, then I dragged my SNES round his house (he had the contacts but not the hardware) and we must have played for ten hours straight. Happy memories...

Final Fight came out just before Christmas in 1990, so about a month after launch. I had asked for it as a present and remember going to collect it on the 27th. I think it was the second third-party release after Bombuzal.

Was Bombuzal 1990 in Japan? I was under the impression that it was Pilotwings and Final Fight just before Xmas in Japan...

[Baseley09]

I wasn't suckered in by SFC SFII, but did pay ?90 for the PCE version.

I did, well ?65 for the game and ?35 for the avenue 6. Defining time in my game sphere.

[J0e Musashi]

Was Bombuzal 1990 in Japan? I was under the impression that it was Pilotwings and Final Fight just before Xmas in Japan...

Bombuzal came out about two weeks after launch, which makes it about two weeks before Pilotwings and Final Fight. As said my Mom bought it as we used to play it on C64, it was only ?40 or something cheap too. We played that over the Christmas holidays until I went to pick up Final Fight on the 27th.

[Wil]

Is Shekana still around? I can remember many firsts on visits to that shop including the first Playstation with RR and the N64 with Mario 64.

Got my SFC from ACE but my Game Boy came from Shekana a year before along with plenty of ?30 a pop GB carts. Still it came as a shock to my wallet when ?65+ Jp SFC releases regularly came around in ACE just up the road.

Despite the crippling costs I still class those early '90s SFC days as my favourite even though I loved the Speccy/C64/Amiga times, too. Thank god for finally working for mags where I could get stuff considerably cheaper and easier.

[Skull Commander]

I only discovered the wonders on the Super Famicom through Mean Machines and C+VG. I used to stare at the pictures of Super Mario World F- Zero, and UN Squadron and I always wanted one.

There was only one person in my year at school who had one, but he was a spoiled little tosser, so I never did play his one. I had to wait till European release for a slice of the action.

[Leon Retro]

The Super Famicom/SNES is by far.. my favourite console of all time. I also remember seeing the previews in Mean Machines and being instantly blown away by how great the games looked. It really did feel like a gaming milestone - something to get really excited about.

When I finally got an RGB SFC for Xmas, I spent nearly every hour of the next couple of weeks stuck in front of the screen with a huge grin on my face as I basked in gaming heaven. Without doubt the best time of my gaming life.

There were plenty of great games released for the machine in all genres. If you go through the catalogue of releases, there's a huge assortment of gems that still offer compelling, fun gaming. I think the machine still impresses today because its best games still look really nice, sound great, and feel good to play.

Over the years, the SFC is the machine I always go back to if I need to reinvigorate my lust for gaming. When I play games like F-Zero, ContraIII, CastlevaniaIV, Yoshi's Island etc... I feel a rush of joy & adrenaline that no other machine comes close to matching. The SFC/SNES is without doubt the greatest console ever made, and it still shines bright with a special magic all of its own. I know I'll still be playing it 20 years from now.

[Max P.]

You and me both Leon - wondered when you'd be along. I genuinely raised a glass to the SFC Saturday night with a glowing grin on my face - had something to do with a certain footy match in North London too...

[Skull Commander]

Where you been hiding Leon? I don't recall seeing you for a while around here.

[parkinho]

Decided to fire up Mario World earlier - wow! It really hasn't aged a day

[pentarou]

I remember seeing my first SFC in Telegames in Peterborough. Had a quick go on Super Ghouls and Ghosts and knew I had to have one! Fortunately I only had to wait a brief 12 years before getting one of my own, still my favourite console next to my Neo Geo. It doesn't get much better than an SFC plugged into a Sony TV over RGB.

[Team Andromeda]

It was Mean Machines review of F-Zero that made me want a SNES, those screens shoots just looked incredible and unlike any game I had ever seen before in my life, though it wasn't until SF II hit that I finally had the money to import the game and the Snes.

Brilliant system (liked more than the Mega Drive) and I think in the 16 bit days NCL and Konami were almost untouchable there were so good and their games so far out in front . Castlevania IV, Mario IV, Super Metroid, Pioltwings, F-Zero, Prince of Persia, Axleay, Contra III (mind blowing at the time ) Mystical Ninja, Super R-Type, SF II were my fav Snes games

Speaking of MeanMachine why is it 20 years on , their screen shots are still the best/. Even in the this day and age the current range of screen shots of games look pretty crap

[Wil]

Speaking of MeanMachine why is it 20 years on , their screen shots are still the best/. Even in the this day and age the current range of screen shots of games look pretty crap

Do mags even take their own screenshots anymore?

I'm not certain but I'd imagine that Mean Machines were still using a dark room and a camera pointed at a screen then. I must admit, I do like arcade shots where you can see the detail of the actual TV screen.

[Wil]

Also, while I'm here I've got a quick SFC question. I could do with a longer lead for my Super Famicom pad. If I get a US pad could I just replace the buttons and the case and have it work? I seem to remember that UK pads wouldn't work on a US or Jp machine for some reason.