UNITED STATES—I can’t believe it, the game that totally shaped me as a kid keeping me entertained for hours and days is resurfacing. Yup, if you were born in the 1980s or 1990s, you are well aware of the Super Nintendo, or as many of us call it: SNES. It was the evolution of the NES, which was relaunched in 2016 in limited supply. I desperately wanted to get my hands on one of those limited edition items, but no go. That video game system flew off the shelves faster than an all you can eat seafood buffet.

Well mark this date on your calendar if you have not already done so: Friday, September 29. Yes, that is the date that the SNES Classic will hit stores. For those of you who attempted to pre-order the device and were lucky enough to nab one I congratulate you. Many of the bigtime retailers launched the opportunity to pre-order late in August during the wee-hours of the morning and sold out within minutes.

What is frustrating is that I asked for a specific notification from Best Buy, who failed to even alert me that the advice was available for pre-order. Yeah, I’m still bummed about that. You tell people to sign up for pre-orders, but you don’t notify them when the item is available go figure. Apologies for the digression, but this is still one of the hottest items this Christmas if you ask me.

For starters, it comes pre-loaded with 21, yes, 21 classic SNES games. Those games include: Contra III: The Alien Wars, Donkey Kong Country, Final Fantasy III, F-Zero, Kirby Super Star, Kirby’s Dream Course, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Super Punch Out, Super Castlevania IV, Street Fighter II: Turbo, EarthBound, Mega Man X, Secret of Mana, Star Fox, Star Fox 2, Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, Super Mario Cart, Super Mario RPG: Legend of Seven Stars, Super Mario World and Yoshi’s Island. Now, I know what many of you are thinking some great classics are missing off the system like Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, Secret of Evermore, Chrono Trigger, Madden NFL, NBA Jam, Ninja Gaiden Trilogy and Super Bomberman to name a few.

I know, it would be nice if plenty more classics were released to the console, but considering it only cost $79.99, can we really complain. I mean I recall when the SNES first came out, the unit alone cost over $100, and it came with only 1 joystick. For $79.99 you get 2 joysticks, 21 preloaded games and everything else you need to sit in front of the TV for countless hours.

I have to admit, I am eagerly awaiting the release of this classic game. I mean, I haven’t played a video game since I started working at the age of 15. Video games were my free time growing up, ever since I turned 6, when I got the NES. I was called something of a game prodigy. I was known for playing RPG’s (Role Playing Games) that would take hours, days and weeks to complete. I could beat a game and obtain secret items just on instinct alone; I didn’t need a strategy guide or road map to be successful.

I’m eager for this unique gadget because I can in an odd way relive those golden years of my childhood, while also introducing my children and nephews to what actual video games of our time actually looked like: a 2D world. The graphics may not complete with what’s out there now, but I’m certain, the level of strategy and wisdom needed to defeat such games are more difficult than the video games out in the present.

For those of you, who grew up with the SNES as a form of entertainment, be sure to get your hands on one of these one-of-a-kind devices on launch day, many retailers are selling, but how many they have is up for discussion. I’m certain with this success, Nintendo will go ahead and release more classic games of the software system that gamers like myself are dying to get to play one more time. Happy video game hunting and playing America; trust me it will definitely be worth the $80 plus dollars you spend!