It all started when my NES disappeared one day. My parents told me it was in the shop for repair. I was young and dumb enough to believe them. They actually gave it to my cousins because me and my brother were getting a SNES for Christmas a few weeks later. I didn't have all that many games but I gradually increased the amount I had over the years while they were still making new games. I purchased a few games used after the console had stopped making new games, but these are not included on my list. The following list is the straight up I played the shit out of them when I was a kid and have many fond memories of them. I hope I can share some of my positive memories with you and encourage you to bring out some of your own happy memories.
12 Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts
I feel like people know this franchise but I'm not sure how many fans it really has. It's a really cool side scroller platformer deal. When your guy (Arthur) gets hit by an enemy he loses his armor and is left in his undies. How cool is that? Very. It has a variety of weapons that are each quite unique. Some of the weapons are good in certain stages and circumstances which adds more depth to the game. Also, each weapon is upgradable when you get armor upgrades. I always used the fast throwing knife or the upwards firing bow and arrow.
The setting of the game is pretty cool as it's just what you would expect from the title and cover of the box - a bunch of monsters out to get you. I have a fond memory of staying up very late when I was younger and a friend and my brother and we played the shit out of this game. We threw Game Genie on it so we could get unlimited continues because I could never get past one of the later stages without it. Anyway, I think my friend and my brother gave up and just watched me play for most of the time. I got to the last boss and beat him down. I thought I had just beaten the game then it says I need to find a key. What the hell? I thought okay maybe it's at the end of the first level or something. Nope. I played a few more stages and figured the key was probably at the last stage I had already beaten. I don't want to beat the game twice in order to beat it once. I can't believe how vividly I remember playing this game that one frustrating night. Oh well, I never beat it but it gave me many hours of fun.
11 Killer Instinct
I got this game for Christmas one year and I was pumped. I think there were commercials for it on TV or maybe I read about it in Nintendo Power Magazine. Either way, I bought into the hype and was not disappointed. The image of the game held up to how it was advertised - as a badass, dark, combo-driven fighting game experience.
Maybe just as important to the game itself was what it came with. A CD! The Killer Cuts CD. It was the soundtrack to the game (which is awesome) and my very first CD I ever owned. So the music ruled, the atmosphere of the game was unique, the combos were extensive, and the characters were well done. Combo lengths (number of hits) had different names with each name getting more impressive as the length of them increased. There were super, awesome, mega, monster, and ultra combos that I remember off the top of my head. The ultra combos I think could only be done if your opponent was close to dead and you pretty much just had to perform a decent combo then button mash. When you pulled one off the announcer yelled, “ULTRA, ULTRA, ULTRA!”
There were stage dependant finishing moves although they were not as impressive as any Mortal Kombat game. The game got fairly hard as you progressed near the end. Spinal, a skeleton with a sword and shield always gave me trouble, as did the final boss, a two headed ogre looking dude with a club. But since I picked Orchid, a chick who fought with yellow, size changing glow sticks, I always eventually won in the end. Some other characters included a werewolf guy, a boxer, a cyborg, and an ice monster. All of which were well designed and suited the game nicely.
10 NBA Jam
I wonder if anyone else liked this game just to play against AI as much as I did. I was not even a sports fan when I played this game all those years ago. Hell, I didn't even know of any of the players in the game (Jordan was not in the game because it would have been unfair). The Bulls were still the beat team without him though. I remember thinking that the Atlanta Hawks logo looked not like a hawk, but instead like pacman eating a dot of something.
This two on two basketball game was really designed for the multiplayer aspect of arcades but I think I was too short to go to the arcade and see the screen back in the day. There was a turbo feature that you could pretty much hold down 90% of the time and it also allowed you to push down your opponents. No fouls or foul shots to slow the game down either. But you did have the ability to get "on fire." If you made three consecutive shots in a row, you would get unlimited turbo and would have around a 93% chance of making any shot you take within half court. The ball would actually be on fire too. Seems dangerous yet extremely manly, right? Let's go outside and convince some kids to try that one.
During halftime you would see a clip of a guy throwing down a dunk, which I thought was so cool for SNES to have those type of graphics. But after halftime, no matter how large of a lead you had, the AI always seemed to come back and get the game within one shot of winning or tying the game by the last minute or two. To this day that always happens to me when I play the game. Suspenseful endings are cool and all, but it just seems like the first 3 quarters of the game don't even matter because the score is almost always tied or very close to it by the end.
Also, did I mention there were spectacular dunks where you can jump 78449 feet in the air and dunk so hard the backboard shatters? I wish I watched basketball when backboards were still made of glass.
9 Mortal Kombat II
This game in my opinion was the height of the Mortal Kombat franchise. It took and improved upon everything in MKI yet did not change things enough to make the game less fun. The best part of MKIII was in the beginning when a text appeared that read, "There is no knowledge that is not power." I still quote MKIII on that to this day.
My fighter of choice was Kitana, the razor fan wielding outworld princess. It was actually unusual for me to pick females in video games during this time in my life (probably because of the fear of video game transmitted cooties), but in Killer Instinct I had one as well as with MKII. The game had awesome fatalities, including stages ones (The Pit II or the acid stage anyone?). It also included a few secret opponents you could fight, but were tough to do, especially Noob Saibot (check out the origins of his name if you don't know it already). I had to play a shitload of 2 player games with me just beating a non-existent second player in order to fight Noob. Once I got to him he demolished me. I was so mad. Actually all three of the secret characters were really tough.
The Goro replacement in MKII was named Kintaro. He was difficult and intimidating. He had a bunch of ways to attack you and it was fairly tough to predict what he was going to do next. Once he did hit you it took off like 30% of your life just for one hit. If you managed to get through this many-limbed beast, you got to the boss man. Shao Kahn. He wasn't as tough as Kintaro but still put up a good fight. The best part about him was how he just taunted you before and after every round to really instill doubt in your mind as whether or not you were worthy to stand in mortal combat against him. You see what I did there? Yeah, you're right it was really funny.
8 Super Mario World
This game really began the tradition of expecting Nintendo to have a really good Mario games with the release of its consoles. Whether or not they did it is debatable. And yeah, Luigi's Mansion for GameCube I'm counting here. Anyhow, Mario World looked pretty and backed up the prettiness with really solid game play and creativity. It was the future of platformers.
The best new aspects to this game were the cape and Yoshi. You can fly with the cape and eat berries and shit with Yoshi. I think it was this game that started the whole everybody loves Yoshi thing. He was in so many games since Mario World. It had all the classic enemies and items with some new additions. I personally liked the rhino guys and the hammer brothers that sat on the flying platform. And what was with those football guys? They were in so many stages and I don't know why.
The stages were also really neat. Ghost houses! A sunken and haunted ghost ship (redundant)! Secret stages accessed by finding more difficult way out of stages! A super secret world with radical names for each (I think radical something or other was the name of one of them). Yeah, Mario World rocked my socks.
7 Donkey Kong Country
I also really liked the second game, but this I think I played this one more and I give it more credit because it was the first. It had awesome 3Dish claymation graphics. It really was an amazing step forward in how beautiful developers could make games look.
You controlled both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, each having their own strengths and weaknesses. Donkey was stronger and could kill some enemies easier but was slower. Diddy was faster and more nimble but had a harder time killing some enemies. There were animal friends that helped you kill your enemies like Rambi the rhino and a swordfish guy for underwater stages. You collected bananas instead of coins like in Mario, and balloons were the one-ups rather than green mushrooms.
The story, stages, and enemy designs were cartoonish but it worked well because the game play was right on. You had to find and fight King K. Rool. It took me a really, really long time to realize that his name was supposed to sound like "cruel." My favorite enemy was the invincible dudes that tried to kill you or just chilled out depending on whether the barrels had a red light or a green light. And the best stages were the ones where you were in a mine cart and had to navigate a rickety track and jump around to save yourself and take out the baddies.
6 Super Mario All-Stars
Yes I am actually including this game as a separate game. This is mostly because none of the games it had included in it were on the SNES. It was four games in one - Mario I, Mario I: The Lost Levels, Mario II, and Mario III. The only game I had owned for the NES out of the four was Mario I, the rest I was introduced to through this compilation of early Mario games.
It was a relief to have Mario I back after my NES was taken from me. It really was quite the epic game. The levels got pretty tough once you get deeper into the game. I always got nervous heading into Bowser's castle with lava and narrow jumping locations, fireballs shooting at you when you get near Bowser. Trying to decide whether to run under Bowser or jump over him to hit the ax to send him into the lava. These are great memories. The Lost Levels I heard was made to please the Japanese players were who supposedly way better on average than their North American counterparts. Nintendo wanted to give the Japanese people a challenge that they did not want to waste on North Americans until Mario All-Stars. I personally have never beaten the Lost Levels.
Mario II I think I had rented for NES before and thought it was a really odd looking game. I think Nintendo just threw the Mario characters on this game and it was originally something else with different characters and had something to do with a dream. It was different but good. It was one of those games where I would try to beat it in one sitting if I had a couple free hours. And did anyone else have nightmares about those flying metal face guys who chased you when you picked up a key?
Mario III = awesome. I still get together with friends and play this game out. The suits are good in this game. The frog suit is great; I always challenged people to try to get as far as they can with only the frog suit. The raccoon thing where you grew a tail and pointy ears when you got a leaf was great. You could fly temporarily and float around which was a precursor to the cape in Super Mario World. The special raccoon suit (tanooki) where you could turn to stone to avoid being damaged by enemies was nice. And the hammer suit...what can I saw, it was so badass. Possibly the best suit, if it even counts, was the boot you could jump into on that one stage. It was adorable and fun to have Mario jumping around in a big green boot.
If it were not for Mario All-Stars, I never would have experienced the feeling of relief of having Mario I back, the frustration of The Lost Levels, the strangeness of (the American) Mario II, or arguably one of the greatest console games of all time - Mario III.
5 Super Mario Kart
I remember renting this game when the SNES was very new. I was so excited to be able to control the cast of characters the game included. YOU CAN BE BOWSER AND KOOPA?! Holy shit. I remember picking Bowser the first time I ever played but later switching and remaining loyal to this day to Koopa. I think this was the first SNES game which I thoroughly enjoyed the multiplayer aspect. Driving around those courses with the orbs floating around your cart as you try to hit your opponents with turtle shells was so much fun.
The racing portion of the game was really good too. It seemed to be the perfect degree of difficulty. It was really easy on 50cc but once you manned up and played 150cc special cup you were in for a challenge. How many times did I fall off the edgeless sides of Rainbow Road you ask? More than I care to remember because that was the single most frustrating part of the game. You get to the last course on 150cc and you have a chance at taking the overall gold. Then you fall off the side ONCE and you're completely done for. When I first played the Rainbow Road on Mario Kart 64 I knew that it was a total pansy-ass version compared to the original.
4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
This is one of my favorite if not my number one favorite arcade port of all time. It was a classic beat em up simple game that was a blast when you had buddies to play with. I was a huge TNMT fan during the time of the game anyway, so I ate up all the bad guys you had to fight like Slash, Rat King, and Bebop and Rock Steady. Some of the mechanics in the game are pretty cool as well. I like how you can throw your enemies at the screen and could run, slide, and do acrobatic moves. Although the historical accuracy of the time traveling in the game are a little off, I still like kicking ass near dinosaurs, on a boat, on a train, and eventually into space. And I always laugh when I play Neon Night Riders. I think our present is supposed to look like that with all the flying platforms and futuristic cityscape. Hell, the game was made in 1992, how did they think 20 or so years would change THAT much?
In my opinion the game has endless replay value and goes down as one of the games I have played more than any other. You can beat the game so fast too that it retains my interest like the vast majority of games cannot. I usually beat the game in like 22 minutes I think. Even if you take your sweet ass time you probably won't be playing for more than 30 minutes. And because you can pick between the four different turtles, somehow the game just never gets old. This is one of those games I play with my brother when he comes back home to visit and it fits the occasion perfectly.
3 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
This game is a perfect blend of great graphics, creative game play, and all-around cuteness. It was a relatively late release for the SNES, which is evident in its graphics. Somehow the SNES kept pushing the boundaries of how far they could take their 16 bit console in terms of graphics. I also liked the amount of replay value the game has. It was easy enough to beat the game regularly, but tough to get a 100% score on every stage, beat the bonus stages, then get 100% on the bonus stages. And how cool was it to have six eggs following you around?
There were some great stages. Like the one "Eat Fuzzy, Get Dizzy." If you touched the enemy "fuzzy", you took a short acid trip where the stage became technicolored and the ground moved around on you. And the boss stages were all good. There was one where you were eaten by a giant frog and had to throw enemies or eggs at the giant hanging thing in the back of his throat. And the final battle against Baby Bowser was one of the best final battles in the history of gaming. It blew my mind when I saw the little guy turn Godzilla-sized and start shooting fireballs at me. The simple, feel-good story and the cool controls helped this game be more than just another good Mario title.
2 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
My top two games are such a toss-up. And I could write a novel about this game in particular. It still amazes me to this day how truly great this game is. It really is a masterpiece. There is a tremendous amount of depth in A Link to the Past. How big the world of Hyrule was and how many small details and secrets are scattered throughout it are impressive. It's hard to believe that this game is so old. I remember the title screen saying 1991, 1992.
I was so young when I first got this game that I remember it being too text heavy for me. I had a very basic reading level at this point in my life and my older brother read the text to me so I had a better idea where I had to go and what I had to do. Whenever I got a new item, better armor, or my sword tempered, it always gave me such a rush of excitement. I felt that I could go take down Ganon without the help of the seven trapped princesses once I got that red sword. And the red boomerang was always my go to weapon.
I played this game so much. Sometimes I didn't even do what I was supposed to do and just ran around the world and swimming in Lake Hylia. I thank that one monster guy that sold me those flippers for 500 rupees every day of my life. The bosses were awesome like that guy whose face you had to smash with the hammer before you could hit him with your sword, or that two-headed fire and ice dragon. The last battle did not disappoint either as you had to battle Ahganim, the human form, then the true form that is Ganon. There were so many characters you met throughout the game that it is easy to get wrapped up in the rich story, feeling like you are the silent Link. A convincing argument could be made that this is indeed a role-playing game. I guess that term is pretty vague, but regardless, the story ruled.
1 Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Yes, that's right; this is my favorite SNES game I own. Part of the reason I like this game so much could have to do with the point of my life I got it. This is probably true of many of the other games on the list, but when I got Mario RPG I was old enough to read and understand all the comically humorous text and dialogue it offered. Much like when I first played Mario Kart, I was excited to play as characters you normally could not play as; in this case Bowser and Princess. The entire cast of characters in the game was really good. Geno was a wooden-toy badass, and I even liked Mallow, the cloud-person crybaby. Frogfucious, Booster, Smithy, Jinx, Culex, and The Axem Rangers, were all great characters.
I think this may have been the first game I purchased and used the strategy guide for. And somehow I really believe it only added to the enjoyment of the game. There were tons of secrets, minigames, and odd little things to discover. It was the first typical RPG I ever played, which is a good thing because it is fairly basic; a perfect introductory game to the genre. It definitely was the one RPG to get me to play other RPGs later on. I may be incorrect on this one, but I am pretty sure that this game was $80 new when it came out. Even if this is true, it was worth every penny and so much more.
There is a great deal of replay value in this game from my point of view. I play through it every once in a while, often trying new things. The first time I beat the game without using Princess I was proud (she has amazing healing and reviving spells). Then I beat the game without either of the over-powered lazy shell weapon or armor. Then I even tried beating Culex the Final Fantasy cross-over before I hit a certain level. The Culex (Final Fantasy) music was so good that I didn't mind that battle taking a ridiculously long time.
Some things I still have not done in the game. One of them is getting all 100 of the secret invisible coin boxes. Is that even what they're called? I don't know. Also, I never was able to do the super or mega jump thirty times in a row or whatever the amount was to get that certain item. I never figured out how to do that. I love it when a game presents so many challenges and is impossible to ever get sick of.
There's just something special about Super Mario RPG. I don't know what it is. It and Chrono Trigger are the only two RPGs that I've been able to complete all the way through.
I think a lot of it has to do with the localization. The humor in Mario RPG really made it a special experience, and a lot of that has to do with the English translation. The whole "series" of Mario RPG games (here i'm counting Paper Mario 1 + 2, as well as the Mario and Luigi series) has really fantastic localization, and I think that's something that can mean the difference between a good game and a classic.
The lack of "Chrono Trigger" is really interesting. I'm not saying you should remove something from your list. I just think it's crazy that you have a top 12 list of SNES games that doesn't include "Chrono Trigger".
Other than that, I think the list is great. I especially love that you have "NBA Jam" in there. I used to play that game all the time in my English class. Fun times.
Just to be clear, this list is out of the games that I owned during the time Nintendo was still making games for the SNES. I never played an SNES Final Fantasy game until a few years ago and I still to this day have never played Chrono Trigger, but it is on my list of games to play in the future. It's so damn expensive though to get an old cartridge.
I'm surprised how many people liked Mario RPG so much, I didn't think people loved it as much as me.
Super Mario RPG was the first RPG I ever played, so it will always be my top SNES game for me. NBA Jam was amazing too but I mostly played it in the arcade.
Im suprised not to see Street Fighter II in there though. That, along with Mortal Kombat 1&2 would be hogging the SNES wherever we went to play games at someones house.
On April 29 2011 16:17 motbob wrote: There's just something special about Super Mario RPG. I don't know what it is. It and Chrono Trigger are the only two RPGs that I've been able to complete all the way through.
I think a lot of it has to do with the localization. The humor in Mario RPG really made it a special experience, and a lot of that has to do with the English translation. The whole "series" of Mario RPG games (here i'm counting Paper Mario 1 + 2, as well as the Mario and Luigi series) has really fantastic localization, and I think that's something that can mean the difference between a good game and a classic.
That's very true to how I feel about SMRPG as well, I've played through that game at least twice a year since I first played it when I was like 12. I love it so much and it's hard to put into words why, no other game can even compare to it
Back in the days, Donkey Kong came free if you bought a SNES system and that was when my dad said the most funniest line ever... "We spent $100 to buy you a SNES and you're playing a game with monkeys"? LOL gotta love my parents, even when they were poor back, then they still managed to save and buy me a SNES. TOO MUCH NOSTALGIA!!!!!!!!! why you doing this to me AirbladeOrange?=D
I forgot to mention in my post that I am also a huge fan of Super Mario RPG. I rented that game at Blockbuster's and tried so hard to find an actual copy of that game to keep for myself. That game is so great. Probably one of the best RPGs I've ever played. Along with Pokemon (original red and blue, never played the other versions).
On April 29 2011 16:34 Enki wrote: Super Mario RPG was the first RPG I ever played, so it will always be my top SNES game for me. NBA Jam was amazing too but I mostly played it in the arcade.
Im suprised not to see Street Fighter II in there though. That, along with Mortal Kombat 1&2 would be hogging the SNES wherever we went to play games at someones house.
I played a ton of SFII in the arcade when I was really little. I played on the special huge screen ones and needed a stool to comfortably reach the controls. I also got it with an old Sega Genesis a few years after I got my SNES. It was the only game I played a good amount on Sega.
I do have SFII now for SNES. I picked it up used and I am currently playing a lot of SFII The New Challengers one where you can speed up game. I'm beginning to think I'm getting good at it and have been reading up on it. Unfortunately I have nobody to play against.
No Super Metroid, Earthbound, or UniRacers!? Haha, but Donkey Kong Country was so legit, so is Killer Instinct and Yoshi's Island. Man this brings back memories.
No Super Metroid or Chrono Trigger? Fail list. I'll give you props on Yoshi's Island, though. In my opinion that may be one of the most underrated games of all time and I have always felt it was superior to Mario World.
Maybe I should run through a ton of snes games over the summer. I've never played mario rpg or chrono trigger or metroid...Turtles in time however was an amazing game.
Not everyone is into RPGs.. though snes may be considered the peak of the jrpg genre or the platform most associated to it, that does not imply that ones valuation is related to that genre
yeah my friend and i play nba showtime on n64 sometimes, which is basically the n64 version of nba jam. basically the AI is definitely rigged to be better if you have a lead into each quarter (i believe)
It sucks cause I wasn't really 'alive' for the SNES. I was too young/not born (I am unsure of the actual date of the SNES) *Hold up while I check google* Ah I see. Yes, that was 2 years before I was born. I grew up on the SEGA since thats what my brother had. Then came into the PS1. While simultaneously playing computer games.
On April 29 2011 19:45 WarChimp wrote: It sucks cause I wasn't really 'alive' for the SNES. I was too young/not born (I am unsure of the actual date of the SNES) *Hold up while I check google* Ah I see. Yes, that was 2 years before I was born. I grew up on the SEGA since thats what my brother had. Then came into the PS1. While simultaneously playing computer games.
You should get an emulator and download some old roms. The games are all still really fun to play. Especially games like Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island. Timeless classics.
dahaha, i enjoyed this read, loved it thanks, imo mkII was my fav. outa all....wait nvm yoshi's island...then MKII ^_^; ohhhh how i enjoyed doing fatalities, and i even spelt combat with a K back then because of it..
I remember my mother telling me off for hitting her and saying FATALITY...was super young...and now that i think of it, its pretty disgusting LOL xD great read
Tetris Attack definitely needs more love in this thread! I have spent so many hours mastering both it and its N64 port Pokemon Puzzle League. Still every now and then fire up zsnes to play it. Although I must agree- Super Mario RPG was undoubtedly the best SNES game ^^
Good List, I have to say Super Mario World will remain as one of my favorite video games for as long as I live. There is just something special about that game but I can play it over and over again. Super Mario RPG is another great one that I wholeheartedly agree with. If I had to add a game in there it would have to be either Ken Griffy Jr. Allstar baseball (I'm not sure if that's the actualy name but it's something like that.) or F zero.
Some people are more interested in certain genres and also i'm sure most did not own every game available on the system. My "biased" opinion for older games would pretty much entitle a bunch of sonic games, killer instinct, eternal champions and maximum carnage.
With so few games there it may seem like I wasn't really a gamer but it's more the case that I was more into getting really good at a few games rather than playing a lot of games. In retrospect, I missed out on a lot of fantastic games out there but I had a blast playing the ones mentioned above.
On April 29 2011 23:41 KingDime wrote: Some people are more interested in certain genres and also i'm sure most did not own every game available on the system. My "biased" opinion for older games would pretty much entitle a bunch of sonic games, killer instinct, eternal champions and maximum carnage.
With so few games there it may seem like I wasn't really a gamer but it's more the case that I was more into getting really good at a few games rather than playing a lot of games. In retrospect, I missed out on a lot of fantastic games out there but I had a blast playing the ones mentioned above.
Final Fantasy 6 Chrono Trigger Super Mario RPG Lufia 2 - Rise of the Sinistrals Zelda - LTTP Final Fantasy 4 Contra 3 Mario Kart Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo Romance of the 3 Kingdoms 2 (I played it so much... very slow paced game though)
Honorable mentions to Secret of Mana, Breath of Fire, Battletoads, Super Ghouls & Ghosts, Super Mario World, Super Punch Out, Super Bomberman, Sim City & F-Zero. Wow. I played too many awesome games on that system.
On April 29 2011 23:41 KingDime wrote: Some people are more interested in certain genres and also i'm sure most did not own every game available on the system. My "biased" opinion for older games would pretty much entitle a bunch of sonic games, killer instinct, eternal champions and maximum carnage.
With so few games there it may seem like I wasn't really a gamer but it's more the case that I was more into getting really good at a few games rather than playing a lot of games. In retrospect, I missed out on a lot of fantastic games out there but I had a blast playing the ones mentioned above.
Sonic For snes?
When did you get that mod. Please tell me more!
With the virtual wii console finally out i've gotten my first opportunity to actually play a few SNES games such as super mario world and contra 3 and i've definitely missed out on some great games. I meant that as an example of my list in what games I've played in the past and how biased my list looks/is. I did not own a SNES so while the wii doesn't have all the games available so far there are still some solid titles on there I can play.
On April 29 2011 23:41 KingDime wrote: Some people are more interested in certain genres and also i'm sure most did not own every game available on the system. My "biased" opinion for older games would pretty much entitle a bunch of sonic games, killer instinct, eternal champions and maximum carnage.
With so few games there it may seem like I wasn't really a gamer but it's more the case that I was more into getting really good at a few games rather than playing a lot of games. In retrospect, I missed out on a lot of fantastic games out there but I had a blast playing the ones mentioned above.
Have you never played it, or do you just have unusually poor taste? :D I think it's one of the best games of all time. Also, I'd put Mario World a lot higher.
One of the first video games I ever played was Mortal Kombat II, but on the computer rather than the SNES. I could never beat single-player, but there was a cheat you could use to skip to Kintaro or Shao Kahn.
The only way to beat Kintaro was using the wall-pin bug, but Shao Kahn could easily be beaten with Baraka, Kitana, or someone with a decent high kick.
I like your list, because it focuses not on "objectively these are the best games", but "this is what I felt when I played it".
I never played Chrono Triger as a kid, so when I went back to play it in university, it just never gave me the same feel that FFIV, FFVI, SMRPG and Lufia 2 give me.
wow, I had no idea so many people loved super mario legend of the seven stars. I've played through it like 10x in the past 10 years b/c I <3 it so much :D
On April 29 2011 23:41 KingDime wrote: Some people are more interested in certain genres and also i'm sure most did not own every game available on the system. My "biased" opinion for older games would pretty much entitle a bunch of sonic games, killer instinct, eternal champions and maximum carnage.
With so few games there it may seem like I wasn't really a gamer but it's more the case that I was more into getting really good at a few games rather than playing a lot of games. In retrospect, I missed out on a lot of fantastic games out there but I had a blast playing the ones mentioned above.
you never rented games?
Renting games was so dope, holy shit. This is something our kids are definitely going to miss.
When you went to rent a game, there was a such a mix of feelings. You get to play an entirely new game. When you go to the movie store, there's literally hundreds of games, many of which you've never heard of and just choose based on the picture and the back of the box. Sometimes you want a specific game, but you get to the store and it's not there. Then, when you get the game, the countdown begins. You have 1 (or 2, or 3 or 7, depending on the store) days to maximize your experience with the game. It wasn't uncommon for me to get up at 5 AM and get downstairs to play a SNES rental, and then stay in front of the TV all day until 8 PM. Any time spent away for the TV was lost potential and reduced value from the rental.
Don't even get me started on the techniques like marking the cartridge so that when you re-rented it you could get the same save game.
I'm getting insanely nostalgic about this. Renting video games is such an amazing memory for me.
On April 30 2011 00:20 a176 wrote: Was SNES possibly the best console ever?
Can you name any other systems that had that many memorable and amazing games?
SNES was, without a doubt, the greatest console experience for me. Nothing else is even close.
Fuck man, video games were so amazing back in the day. I don't even think it's nostalgia - kids these days just don't play video games the same way we did back in the day.
On April 29 2011 23:41 KingDime wrote: Some people are more interested in certain genres and also i'm sure most did not own every game available on the system. My "biased" opinion for older games would pretty much entitle a bunch of sonic games, killer instinct, eternal champions and maximum carnage.
With so few games there it may seem like I wasn't really a gamer but it's more the case that I was more into getting really good at a few games rather than playing a lot of games. In retrospect, I missed out on a lot of fantastic games out there but I had a blast playing the ones mentioned above.
you never rented games?
Renting games was so dope, holy shit. This is something our kids are definitely going to miss.
When you went to rent a game, there was a such a mix of feelings. You get to play an entirely new game. When you go to the movie store, there's literally hundreds of games, many of which you've never heard of and just choose based on the picture and the back of the box. Sometimes you want a specific game, but you get to the store and it's not there. Then, when you get the game, the countdown begins. You have 1 (or 2, or 3 or 7, depending on the store) days to maximize your experience with the game. It wasn't uncommon for me to get up at 5 AM and get downstairs to play a SNES rental, and then stay in front of the TV all day until 8 PM. Any time spent away for the TV was lost potential and reduced value from the rental.
Don't even get me started on the techniques like marking the cartridge so that when you re-rented it you could get the same save game.
I'm getting insanely nostalgic about this. Renting video games is such an amazing memory for me.
hahaha qft.
I miss renting games so much! It got worse when playstation came around and people would ruin the cds.
But Renting games for Snes was the best thing ever. I used to get 5$ every friday to rent a game for the weeknd when I was a kid... Oh how I miss those days.
On April 30 2011 01:39 Chill wrote: Don't even get me started on the techniques like marking the cartridge so that when you re-rented it you could get the same save game.
Oh man, I thought I was the only one who did that. Lol.
Unfortunately, most of the time the saves were erased by the time I went to rent it again -_-
Renting games is what made me the speed running machine I am today. When I play a game with friends and it's my turn, they usually criticise me that I'm not being thorough enough/I'm skipping too much stuff. BABY WE GOTTA BEAT THIS GAME BEFORE ITS DUE!
On April 30 2011 00:20 a176 wrote: Was SNES possibly the best console ever?
Can you name any other systems that had that many memorable and amazing games?
SNES was, without a doubt, the greatest console experience for me. Nothing else is even close.
Fuck man, video games were so amazing back in the day. I don't even think it's nostalgia - kids these days just don't play video games the same way we did back in the day.
On April 29 2011 23:41 KingDime wrote: Some people are more interested in certain genres and also i'm sure most did not own every game available on the system. My "biased" opinion for older games would pretty much entitle a bunch of sonic games, killer instinct, eternal champions and maximum carnage.
With so few games there it may seem like I wasn't really a gamer but it's more the case that I was more into getting really good at a few games rather than playing a lot of games. In retrospect, I missed out on a lot of fantastic games out there but I had a blast playing the ones mentioned above.
you never rented games?
Renting games was so dope, holy shit. This is something our kids are definitely going to miss.
When you went to rent a game, there was a such a mix of feelings. You get to play an entirely new game. When you go to the movie store, there's literally hundreds of games, many of which you've never heard of and just choose based on the picture and the back of the box. Sometimes you want a specific game, but you get to the store and it's not there. Then, when you get the game, the countdown begins. You have 1 (or 2, or 3 or 7, depending on the store) days to maximize your experience with the game. It wasn't uncommon for me to get up at 5 AM and get downstairs to play a SNES rental, and then stay in front of the TV all day until 8 PM. Any time spent away for the TV was lost potential and reduced value from the rental.
Don't even get me started on the techniques like marking the cartridge so that when you re-rented it you could get the same save game.
I'm getting insanely nostalgic about this. Renting video games is such an amazing memory for me.
That's actually a really good point. I was more of a Genesis guy but I can't even tell you how many times I rented Bomberman or Rocket Knight Adventures or Chuck Rock. Renting games was boss as hell.
Guy who mentioned E.V.O. has my support, I love that game.
On April 30 2011 00:20 a176 wrote: Was SNES possibly the best console ever?
Can you name any other systems that had that many memorable and amazing games?
SNES was, without a doubt, the greatest console experience for me. Nothing else is even close.
Fuck man, video games were so amazing back in the day. I don't even think it's nostalgia - kids these days just don't play video games the same way we did back in the day.
The big difference, IMO, is that we used to play games. Kids these days play interactive movies.
I am not saying this trying to be an elitist prick; thats just my personal feeling. I cannot stop seeing Final Fantasy VII as the beginning of the end of the old era.
As of the list, login name says it all: Secret of Mana =)
On April 29 2011 23:41 KingDime wrote: Some people are more interested in certain genres and also i'm sure most did not own every game available on the system. My "biased" opinion for older games would pretty much entitle a bunch of sonic games, killer instinct, eternal champions and maximum carnage.
With so few games there it may seem like I wasn't really a gamer but it's more the case that I was more into getting really good at a few games rather than playing a lot of games. In retrospect, I missed out on a lot of fantastic games out there but I had a blast playing the ones mentioned above.
you never rented games?
Renting games was so dope, holy shit. This is something our kids are definitely going to miss.
When you went to rent a game, there was a such a mix of feelings. You get to play an entirely new game. When you go to the movie store, there's literally hundreds of games, many of which you've never heard of and just choose based on the picture and the back of the box. Sometimes you want a specific game, but you get to the store and it's not there. Then, when you get the game, the countdown begins. You have 1 (or 2, or 3 or 7, depending on the store) days to maximize your experience with the game. It wasn't uncommon for me to get up at 5 AM and get downstairs to play a SNES rental, and then stay in front of the TV all day until 8 PM. Any time spent away for the TV was lost potential and reduced value from the rental.
Don't even get me started on the techniques like marking the cartridge so that when you re-rented it you could get the same save game.
I'm getting insanely nostalgic about this. Renting video games is such an amazing memory for me.
I hated renting games. I hated getting something that would only be mine temporarily and feel this obligation to play it to the very core to get my money's worth. Getting a new game was exciting, sitting in the backseat, hands shaking, rejoicing silently with a smile as we whizzed past street lamps, giving me glimpses of the back cover images of the game. My father, anxious to equally get home so he can watch me play while he finishes some paperwork, happy that there is something to silence his boys so he can work as well as spend time with them doing something we all enjoy and yearned to sit in front of.
It was a bittersweet experience. When the game goes, your left with those old toys you no longer like and wish you could have that rented game back, but you know that buying it will only result in an enjoyment that was limited and worth only when you rented it and no longer since you already have achieved so much during your limited time.
Ah, yes, I miss the days of renting games at blockbuster. Back when the prices were reasonable, too. Man, they charge an arm and a leg to rent a game now.
Back in the day when there were no save points, I'd have to take a mental break for a few hours to make sure I was fully prepared for that next level. Whether it was sonic the hedgehog, vectorman, or x-men... No fuck ups allowed. The game must be completed.
On April 30 2011 00:20 a176 wrote: Was SNES possibly the best console ever?
Can you name any other systems that had that many memorable and amazing games?
SNES was, without a doubt, the greatest console experience for me. Nothing else is even close.
Fuck man, video games were so amazing back in the day. I don't even think it's nostalgia - kids these days just don't play video games the same way we did back in the day.
The big difference, IMO, is that we used to play games. Kids these days play interactive movies.
I am not saying this trying to be an elitist prick; thats just my personal feeling. I cannot stop seeing Final Fantasy VII as the beginning of the end of the old era.
As of the list, login name says it all: Secret of Mana =)
I think there's something to be said about how the old medium of crappy graphics seemed to produce higher quality. Perhaps indeed developers were more interested in the game than they were in making a movie.
On April 30 2011 01:49 iNcontroL wrote: going to have to agree.. SNES was the shit.
Secret of Mana , FF , UFO HUNTERSSSSSSSSSSSSS
That's what I like to hear.
And yea, Chill speaks the truth. I couldn't afford to just up and buy games -- I got one or two a year -- so once, maybe twice a month I got to rent a game. He totally forgot the part where when the game you want ISN'T there, and you're jonesin', it's like a surprise jelly bean that could be either amazing, or puke-flavoured. You pick a game, and that's your fucking game you play for two days, good or bad, 'cause you paid for that shit.
VmanOfMana, I salute you. Requesting re-naming my account to Doom Wall or Dark Lich, BRB.
More seriously there's too many amazing SNES games to ever make a list. Best console ever.
Oh yeah, Act Raiser was freaking awesome. Who'd have thought mixing Sim City with side scrolling action would make a good game. It's a shame the sequel wasn't anywhere near as good
On April 30 2011 01:39 Chill wrote: Renting games was so dope, holy shit. This is something our kids are definitely going to miss.
When you went to rent a game, there was a such a mix of feelings. You get to play an entirely new game. When you go to the movie store, there's literally hundreds of games, many of which you've never heard of and just choose based on the picture and the back of the box. Sometimes you want a specific game, but you get to the store and it's not there. Then, when you get the game, the countdown begins. You have 1 (or 2, or 3 or 7, depending on the store) days to maximize your experience with the game. It wasn't uncommon for me to get up at 5 AM and get downstairs to play a SNES rental, and then stay in front of the TV all day until 8 PM. Any time spent away for the TV was lost potential and reduced value from the rental.
I also miss renting games. It was such a good way of discovering games that were unknown to you (remember, no internet). One of my favourite SNES rentals was Super Swiv.
Renting was still alive and well for the N64. I remember renting Starfox so many times I think I could have bought the game 3 times over by the end. Renting Yoshi's Story also prevented me from wasting money on buying it because it was too easy.
It's a real shame renting is pretty much dead now, none of the rental stores have any decent games and the selection is always really poor. Maybe that's just a reflection of what's available though.
Also I just now thought of another great game:
I remember spending so long with a bunch of friends trying to collectively finish the game. We'd each take turns when someone died or lost a race, so much fun.
Well there are sites like http://www.gamefly.com/ so its not entirely dead. I too have fond memories of renting and remember a few games I rented again and again (FF6) and a couple games where I had them well past when they were due so I could beat them lol.
Anyways this thread is lacking more games! It's doing the SNES a dishonor...
These might actually end up on my personal favorites list... + Show Spoiler +
These ones probably not, but they're still amazing games + Show Spoiler +
and some awesome incredibly Japanese style games: + Show Spoiler +
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Mega Man X.... so good. The Donkey Kong countries as well. All those have amazing memories for me.
More recently I've gotten to enjoy FFVI, Secret of Mana, and Chronotrigger on emulator but I never played em' as a kid. I think people need to keep in mind people make these lists based on what they played as a kid, and there are a lot of great games out there.
Gotta agree with Chill on renting games. I was such a dumb kid, I rented Super Smash Bros. for the N64 like, a million times before I decided I'd ask my parents to buy it.
On April 29 2011 23:41 KingDime wrote: Some people are more interested in certain genres and also i'm sure most did not own every game available on the system. My "biased" opinion for older games would pretty much entitle a bunch of sonic games, killer instinct, eternal champions and maximum carnage.
With so few games there it may seem like I wasn't really a gamer but it's more the case that I was more into getting really good at a few games rather than playing a lot of games. In retrospect, I missed out on a lot of fantastic games out there but I had a blast playing the ones mentioned above.
you never rented games?
Renting games was so dope, holy shit. This is something our kids are definitely going to miss.
When you went to rent a game, there was a such a mix of feelings. You get to play an entirely new game. When you go to the movie store, there's literally hundreds of games, many of which you've never heard of and just choose based on the picture and the back of the box. Sometimes you want a specific game, but you get to the store and it's not there. Then, when you get the game, the countdown begins. You have 1 (or 2, or 3 or 7, depending on the store) days to maximize your experience with the game. It wasn't uncommon for me to get up at 5 AM and get downstairs to play a SNES rental, and then stay in front of the TV all day until 8 PM. Any time spent away for the TV was lost potential and reduced value from the rental.
Don't even get me started on the techniques like marking the cartridge so that when you re-rented it you could get the same save game.
I'm getting insanely nostalgic about this. Renting video games is such an amazing memory for me.
guy having sleep overs with friends/cousins and then you all goto blockbuster and had to collectively pick out games ... so good
solid enough list but lol no super metroid and having smrpg #1 is odd even if you're a huge rpg fan given that chrono trigger and earthbound were also on the console
I know many people seem to be upset or puzzled that I didn't include certain games they love. I didn't own Super Metroid, Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, and any Final Fantasy game, among others. I only played what I had and this is my experience with playing those games.
Feel free to recommend me some games because I still play my SNES.
I also want to note that renting games was indeed awesome...for the most part. But one day I rented Mario is Missing and I never quite looked forward to renting games as much after that incident.
Grew up a Sega guy, but I can't argue about SNES being a great system back then, so much great games on it. Good list. TMNT and all the Mario games, Micromachines, oh yes. And WrestleMania, The Arcade Game
:D I love these lists though... Obviously not everyone's are going to be the same and I like how insightful you were with how and why you loved the games. You obviously have a deep love for my favorite system and for that, you have my respect, sir!
On April 29 2011 23:41 KingDime wrote: Some people are more interested in certain genres and also i'm sure most did not own every game available on the system. My "biased" opinion for older games would pretty much entitle a bunch of sonic games, killer instinct, eternal champions and maximum carnage.
With so few games there it may seem like I wasn't really a gamer but it's more the case that I was more into getting really good at a few games rather than playing a lot of games. In retrospect, I missed out on a lot of fantastic games out there but I had a blast playing the ones mentioned above.
you never rented games?
Renting games was so dope, holy shit. This is something our kids are definitely going to miss.
When you went to rent a game, there was a such a mix of feelings. You get to play an entirely new game. When you go to the movie store, there's literally hundreds of games, many of which you've never heard of and just choose based on the picture and the back of the box. Sometimes you want a specific game, but you get to the store and it's not there. Then, when you get the game, the countdown begins. You have 1 (or 2, or 3 or 7, depending on the store) days to maximize your experience with the game. It wasn't uncommon for me to get up at 5 AM and get downstairs to play a SNES rental, and then stay in front of the TV all day until 8 PM. Any time spent away for the TV was lost potential and reduced value from the rental.
Don't even get me started on the techniques like marking the cartridge so that when you re-rented it you could get the same save game.
I'm getting insanely nostalgic about this. Renting video games is such an amazing memory for me.
I know this was Necro'd, but reading this gave me so much nostalgia. Renting video games was the best thing ever. It was always such a rush looking through tons of games and making your decision purely based on the pictures on the box + the text on the back. In many ways i'm sad that our kids will grow up with all of the information that the internet offers.
I remember playing games so many times with my brothers that we would make up our own challenges to make them harder once we beat them. We would do things like try to beat Megaman X without using any boss abilities and no charging up, or going through Final Fantasy III without using Espers. We'd squeeze the maximum amount of value out of every game we got, because we knew that it would be a long time before we were able to get something new to consume all of our free time.
I saved a lot of old games and systems that I grew up with because dammit, my kids are going to play the same games that I did growing up. I just hope that they are able to have the same experience despite games nowadays having better graphics.
There were a lot of benefits of not knowing everything about every big game release before it came out. It's really too bad that the next generation simply won't be able to have those experiences.
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