As my personal favorite console of all time (save for maybe my PS2 or the Nintendo DS-GameBoy Pen and all) the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SuperNES (or SNES, but Nintendo doesn’t use that abbreviation) has enjoyed significant playtime years since games stopped coming out for it. The SuperNES represents, for me, the very pinnacle of video gaming: constant innovation, the peak of the Nintendo/Sega rivalry, and an unstoppable barrage of classic games. But nostalgia can get in the way and many of the games we loved in our youth seem dated and simplistic now (Uniracers). Nevertheless, these 10 games have proven to be timeless classics, as fun today as they were when they came out.
My only rules are that each franchise only gets one entry (sorry Yoshi’s Island).
Honorable Mentions: Uniracers (seriously, that game is ballin’), Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team, Super Mario RPG, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Gradius III, Mortal Kombat II, Earthbound and Super Metroid (I never got to buy them).
10. Killer Instinct
This game is all about being awesome. You play as awesome monsters, you fight really fast, and you can do ridiculously long combos. KI epitomizes the ideal SuperNES fighting game, and is just as enjoyable today as it was in 1995.
9. Aladdin/Super Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi
The best movie adaptation games. Aladdin is an incredibly solid platformer that lets you relive a bunch of scenes from the movie. Gameplay-wise, this is a pretty good game, but what puts it over the top is how much of the film made the transition over. Return of the Jedi is the third in the Super Star Wars series, and arguably the best, with more playable characters and a lessened difficulty. Both these games were great because they let you relieve movies with better visuals and music than previously possible. On top of that they are just quality games.
8. F-Zero
One of the SuperNES’ selling points was its (for the time) awe-inspiring 3D graphics. F-Zero was one of the titles to show just how incredibly important 3D could be to gaming. This game is responsible for many aspects of the modern console racer, and its damn fun too.
7. Star Fox
Another showcase for the SuperNES’s 3D capabilities, Star Fox brought us into a world where humanoid animals piloted space ships and waged galactic warfare. Sure it doesn’t look as good by today’s standards, but back then it was sweet. It is still a blast to play, and your comrades are the least annoying they’ve been in the series thus far.
6. Super Mario Kart
The very first in the Mario Kart series, Super Mario Kart was an instant hit do to its incredible multiplayer fun. Not only could you race, but you could battle your friends using items from the Mario universe. Most fans agree that the subsequent titles in the series have yet to improve upon this release.
5. Mega Man X
The Mega Man X spin-off series was born with this title. X is a prototype robot given the extraordinary ability to think. After years in stasis, X finally awakens to a war-torn world and goes after the evil Reploids responsible for global chaos, with only the help of his friend Zero. Much more story heavy than the original Mega Man games, and somewhat easier, Mega Man X’s gave the player plenty of upgrades to search for and locales to battle in. The remake on the PSP is worth buying if you’ve never experienced this sci-fi epic, or even if you have.
4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Some still argue to this day whether A Link to the Past is the best Zelda game ever made. While I believe that honor belongs to Ocarina of Time, playing second fiddle to that game is nothing to be ashamed of. A Link to the Past had our silent hero tread through not one, but two separate worlds, one Light and the other Dark. Responsible for many series staples and numerous rip-offs, A Link to the Past is one of the true icons in gaming history.
3. Super Mario World
One of the SuperNES launch titles, Super Mario World beats out Mario All Stars (which was a collection of all the NES Mario games with better graphics) and Yoshi’s Island as the best Mario game on the console. Refining the Mario 3 formula, Mario World is most notable for introducing the world to Yoshi. And for kicking ass.
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
My favorite game during the Nineties, Turtles in Time is, without a doubt, the best beat-’em-up game ever made. This game is awesome, especially with buddy. The multiplayer fun is hard to match, and we can only hope that some day it gets released on Xbox Live Arcade or something. Oh man, to play it four player…
1. Donkey Kong Country
With graphics that will blow your head up, a soundtrack that can make you rock out one moment and weep another, and gameplay that remains completely addictive, Donkey Kong Country is probably the best game ever made. Well no, it’s not. But it is really fantastic and the game to play when you go back to the SuperNES. Which is why it gets the number one spot. The sequels are great too.
Next Week: Top 10 SuperNES games that sucked? Hell yes, unless someone else wants to T3.