Super Nintendo Classic console launches Sept. 29

Nintendo has announced the Super NES Classic console, a miniaturized version of its 16-bit console from the 1990s and a followup to last year's wildly popular NES Classic.

The box will launch in stores Sept. 29 for $99.99 Cdn ($79 US) and will include 21 games, including Super Mario World, Final Fantasy III and, notably, the previously unreleased Star Fox 2, the company said Monday.

The console will come packaged with two controllers, an HDMI cable, a USB charging cable and an AC adapter.

"While many people from around the world consider the Super NES to be one of the greatest video game systems ever made, many of our younger fans never had a chance to play it," Nintendo of Canada chief executive Pierre-Paul Trepanier said in a statement.

"With the Super NES Classic Edition, new fans will be introduced to some of the best Nintendo games of all time, while longtime fans can relive some of their favourite retro classics with family and friends."

First released in North America in 1991, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System — known as the Super Famicom in Europe and Asia — boasted better graphics and more memory than its predecessor, the Nintendo Entertainment System. Many of the games released on the Super NES are still regarded among the best video games in the medium.

NES Classic plagued with shortages

Last fall, Nintendo released the NES Classic, a miniature version of the NES from the '80s loaded with 30 games. It became one of the most sought-after holiday gifts, but supply shortages made it nearly impossible to find in stores.

It regularly sold for two to three times the $80 Cdn ($60 US) retail price on online auction sites like eBay. Nintendo cancelled production of the NES Classic in April, to the frustration of gamers and collectors worldwide.

The NES Classic only included one controller, unlike the Super NES's two. Extra NES Classic controllers were sold separately, but they became just as difficult to find in stock as the console.

Shortly before it was discontinued, Nintendo told IGN that it never intended the NES Classic to be a long-term retail product and was caught off guard by its popularity among hardcore gamers as well as casual and lapsed players.

In a statement to Kotaku, Nintendo said it plans to produce "significantly more" units of the Super NES Classic than its predecessor, but currently is only committing to ship units through the end of the 2017 calendar year.

The company said it is focusing its "long-term efforts" to supporting its latest console, the Switch, and the 3DS line of handheld devices in the upcoming years.

Here's the full list of games preloaded onto the Super NES Classic:

• Contra III: The Alien Wars.
• Donkey Kong Country.
• EarthBound.
• Final Fantasy III.
• F-Zero.
• Kirby Super Star.
• Kirby's Dream Course.
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
• Mega Man X.
• Secret of Mana.
• Star Fox.
• Star Fox 2.
• Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting.
• Super Castlevania IV.
• Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts.
• Super Mario Kart.
• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
• Super Mario World.
• Super Metroid.
• Super Punch-Out!!
• Yoshi's Island.