Collecting Super Nintendo: what to look for and Spanish PAL variants

The Super Nintendo arrived in Europe in 1992. European games use cartridges the same shape as Japanese ones and different from North American ones, and the console has a lockout chip that stops games from other regions booting without an adaptor. We explain this in PAL vs NTSC.

The boxes are cardboard and hardly anyone kept them, so finding a complete game, with box, manual and the inner cardboard tray, is much harder than finding the loose cartridge.

• The box and cartridge code starts with SNSP and ends in a country suffix: ESP indicates a Spanish edition. You will also see EUR, NOE, FAH, UKV, SCN or HOL, among others.
• A Spanish manual is the clearest clue. Some games have a multilingual manual that includes Spanish.
• Keep everything that came inside: the cardboard cartridge tray, the dust sleeve, posters or cards. Without them the copy is not complete.

RPGs translated into Spanish

These are the console's most sought-after games in Spain. Terranigma and Illusion of Time were released in Europe with a Spanish version, and complete Spanish editions are highly prized. Secret of Mana is another classic of the genre worth having; before buying it, check the languages of the edition you are being offered.

Nintendo's big hitters

Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past or Super Metroid are plentiful loose, but complete and in good condition they fetch good money.

What never came out in Europe

EarthBound, Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG and Final Fantasy VI never had a PAL release on Super Nintendo. If you want the originals, they are North American or Japanese imports, and any “PAL” cartridge of these games is a repro.

The expensive RPGs are the most reproduced. Before you pay, look closely at the label, the screws (originals use security screws) and, if possible, the board inside. We go through it step by step in how to tell if a game is genuine.

And a practical point: many RPGs save using an internal battery which, by now, may well be dead. Ask whether it still saves.

The cardboard boxes are the console's most delicate part: rigid protectors, always upright and away from the sun, which fades the spines. The how to store your collection guide covers the rest, and the full catalogue is on the Super Nintendo page.