Chris Tomkinson -- known online as ShinyZeni -- streaming a speedrun of Super Metroid. To an uninformed viewer, it might seem silly. Why is his character glitching out like that? Is she just smashing Mario into a wall? How did he just fly through the ceiling?

Like a long-time partner or a favorite pair of socks, there's comfort to be found in revisiting a familiar game from your youth. There's a sense of ease knowing what lies inside each treasure chest, which bush an enemy will spring from, or the secret tactic that vanquishes a foe with ease. That calming intimacy makes games like these an easy nostalgic choice when you just want to take a load off. But what if you want to add some spice back to that familiar experience? After playing a classic game to the point of memorization, how do you recapture the sense of adventure and discovery you experienced the first time you played it?

Even after all these years, Super Metroid has lost none of its charm. The fact you can play the original cartridge on a modern TV courtesy of the Retro Freak is also genuinely fantastic. A few weeks back I bought and reviewed an interesting little console called the Retro Freak. After putting it through its paces some more, I am convinced that this is a far wiser purchase than a micro console like the NES Classic Edition. Considering that most classic video game consoles look thoroughly terrible on modern TVs, the attraction of a micro console like the NES Classic Edition is obvious but it is misguided.