This past Friday, the highly anticipated SNES Classic Edition hit stores. One of the big draws for this micro console is the fact that it is currently the only legitimate way to play the never before released Star Fox 2. The story behind the game is that Star Fox 2 was a game that was made for the SNES, but its release date ended up being too close to the release of the Nintendo 64, so instead Nintendo decided to scrap the completed game and begin development on Star Fox 64.
And as if scalping (buying and then re-selling online for a much greater price) the SNES Classic itself wasn’t enough, it appears as though hackers have begun taking the Star Fox 2 game and putting it on SNES cartridges and selling them. The cartridges are going for about $60 each and look to emulate a professional, licensed SNES game pretty well. Those who may not know the story of the game’s cancellation could be fooled. And, unfortunately, I have no doubt that there will be many people desperate to play this “new” game but who can’t get their hands on the elusive SNES Classic itself, so they resort to buying one of these bootleg versions of the game. For fans with a little more patience (and perhaps more legal morality), Reggie Fils-Aime, the president of Nintendo of America, has stated that production for the SNES Classic will be “dramatically increased” and he encourages fans to not resort to scalpers selling the micro console online, but to rather wait until retailers get new shipments, as he assures fans that there will eventually be enough to go around.
