Now a few games I played brought me back to when I officially owned this thing as a kid; only to remember I owned two games and rented or borrowed everything else.
And then there's games I wouldn't play much later after earning more money from my job and rediscovering the classics I missed out on. Some of these classics would have had a major impact on me....had it not been for me first being more invested in the PlayStation. You'll see what I mean in a minute.
This is based off my previous lists:
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So you think I'll be bale to cover other consoles I gamed on? Like NES? Genesis? N64? PS2?
Maybe....We shall see in time. ;D
Till then; enjoy my Top Ten favorite games from the Super Nintendo....from my perspective.
#10. JOE & MAC - I believe this is the only cross-platformer game on the list. Genesis also had a version that looked and played more similar to the arcade version. And yet in terms of graphics and sound as well as playability; I always consider the SNES version superior. Even to this day, the graphics of this game (dating back to 1991) are still impressive and pretty to look at. But more importantly was how it played. I could visit this game anytime I wanted and still have a good time playing it without being flustered by the controls. There's just something fun about being a caveman (a caveman ninja no less) and beating the Hell out of a T-Rex, an Ankylosaurus, a mammoth, a living dinosaur skeleton and the Devil....wait....THE DEVIL!!? Yeah apparently these cavemen are so hardcore they fight the Devil! The power of Cave Christ compels you!!
#9. SUPER METROID - Oh man I can hear the purists now!! For many MANY Top Super Nintendo games lists; this game usually takes the number one spot!! Well, there IS a good reason why it's such. It created an atmosphere and a sense of exploration that paved the way for my all-time favorite game of all time: Castlevania Symphony of the Night. In fact from that game the term "Metroidvania" was coined. Without Super Metroid; Symphony of the Night never would have been made. So why then isn't this game higher on the list? Well first of all in terms of graphics, soundtrack and controls....Symphony of the Night did it better!! Sure for the SNES the graphics are very good.....though not that impressive. The soundtrack boasts some pretty solid scores (like Brinstar and Ridley's Lair); but some of the themes are a little too dull. And finally; the controls. For the most part they're responsive. But when it came to things like controlling the 'Grappling Hook'; things were dodgy and navigating Samus up those infuriating walls wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it would be. But nevertheless; it's still an impressive game and an inspirational one. I still enjoyed it; but I guess I'm more of a Castlevania fan than a Metroid one.
#8. SUPER MARIO KART– This is probably my favorite multi-player game from the SNES. And for a good deal of people; it was for them too. I did play Super Street Fighter II Turbo with friends; but on the SNES we got tired of fighters fairly quickly. But we NEVER got tired of Mario Kart. Now granted it’s low on this list because I didn’t play my SNES with my friends a whole lot and other Mario Kart games have come to far surpass it. But even going solo I remember a lot of things about it I hold dearly to. Among them is the very upbeat and nostalgic soundtrack. Another are the graphics. Outdated Mode 7 yes; but still holding a certain charm to this day. The tracks were designed well as where the racers. Heck I even remember the ‘Time Trial’ selection screen where the “endless” stretch of background above the track showcasing the best times. For some reason that always makes me smile. Little touches count people. And I do enjoy this Kart racer still to this day.
#7. DONKEY KONG COUNTRY 2: DIDDY’S KONG QUEST - Almost every SNES Top List I come across credits the first Donkey Kong Country for being the best in the trilogy on the SNES. Oh yeah it was a blast playing it the first time. In fact it was one of two SNES games I officially owned when first getting a SNES as a kid. But I call it as I play it: the sequel was a huge improvement and my favorite in the entire trilogy. Now graphics-wise it’s not a huge leap from its predecessor. But in terms of challenge and soundtrack; it blows the first one out of the water. There’s more to collect to keep the replay much higher than the first one. And then the soundtrack. Holy crap: this is among the best game soundtracks I ever heard. Ever level has a memorable track; and it was one of the main reasons I rented it continuously back-in-the-day. Jib Jig, Snakey Shanty, Hot-Head Hop, and of course the best of them all: Stickerbrush Symphony. Easily one of the best soundtracks ever made. Now it has gone down in my list a bit since I’ve played it to death and know every single Bonus and secret coins like the back of my hand. So the challenge is no longer there. 
But nevertheless; it is fun to play now and then and was my most rented SNES game in my early childhood days.
#6. MEGA MAN X - Now in this instance we have yet ANOTHER Trilogy to review here. But unlike the DKC trilogy I reviewed earlier; I do consider the first one of the Mega Man X Trilogy on the SNES the best. Awesome controls, awesome graphics, and of course…excellent soundtrack!! I mean REALLY excellent soundtrack: Storm Eagle’s Theme and Sigma’s fortress Stage 2’s Theme being among the best. This was the first Mega Man game to depart from the traditional Mega Man games from the NES as well as the seventh one on the SNES. It was more serious and more X-Treme so to say. Sigma was certainly a more imposing foe than the previously comical Dr. Wily. His plans were definitely more sinister. Dr. Wily wanted to rule the world; while Sigma wanted to wipe humans off the face of the Earth for good. Also the Robot Monsters were replaced by the animal-like Mavericks with pretty solid designs. So yeah; it was definitely a more serious version of Mega Man. And yet the original Mega Man with it’s more light-hearted tone is really good too. Proves we can have the best of both worlds. But of course we also were introduced to X’s bad ass companion Zero!! Only in the 3rd X game could we play as him. But for some reason I still think the first X is better. Like I mentioned: best soundtrack, graphics and Maverick selection. Perfect challenge balance too.
#5. SUPER CASTLEVANIA IV - I think ever since James Rolfe (The Angry Video Game Nerd) said this was his favorite Castlevania game of all time; many people followed in suit and agreed with him. I am not one of them: I still consider Symphony of the Night the best in the series. But in terms of traditional side-scroller level progression Castlevanias; Hell yeah it’s one of the best. It’s still better than the later released Dracula X for the same system which was an edited port of the PC Engine CD rom game from Japan. (Though in all honesty; it was still good.) This Castlevania on the other hand remains the same (for the most part) when ported over to the US. It was definitely a proper way for the series to continue from its NES roots. Among the biggest improvements were the controls: from the improved jumping controls to the multi-tasking whip. Having control of that whip helped a lot when dealing with the many ghosts, ghouls and other goons on the road to beat Dracula. Helping to progress along was yet another great soundtrack; a more mood-enhancing soundtrack to help the game’s gothic atmosphere resonate more with Simon’s creepy quest. Graphics weren’t the greatest; but they still hold their charm. Like Joe and Mac it’s a game I can pick up and play and beat it relatively quickly. I still enjoy revisiting the castle now and then. It’s not my number one fave like James was: but it’s definitely in my Top Ten Castlevania games list. (Huh…Will I ever make THAT list one day? XD)
#4. CHRONO TRIGGER - So now we come to the genre I feel the SNES exceled at: RPGs. And the two I remember the most are in the next two slots in this list. First; let’s start with the time-travelling RPG classic Chrono Trigger. I can honestly say that it wasn’t the multiple endings that got me so intrigued with this adventure. The main campaign story itself was still enjoyable and could be played through again many times as you follow the adventures of the mute Chrono to meet the cast of memorable characters like the heroic Frog, the strong Ayla and the dual-nature Magus. And yes…like all games I listed on here; it had a superb soundtrack. That’s one thing most RPGs on the SNES had; excellent soundtracks. Another thing I liked about this was the combat system that while-turned based still offered the combos that helped out greatly during battle. I also appreciate knowing when enemies will arrive so getting stuck in random battles wasn’t so frequent. The character and enemy designs were nothing short of inspirational; especially some of the boss battles. Admittedly the final boss form was kind of an “Eh…” and a lot of these designs do look like recycled ones from Akira Toriyama’s Dragonball and Dragonball Z sketchbooks. (He DID design the games’ characters and enemies after all.) But still, they offered a variety of friend and foe to encounter on this massive quest. A quest that showed how travelling through time to stop an evil force seemed to happen almost entirely by accident. The game has a serious tone but also has great quips of humor sprinkled here and there. I understand Earthbound is the same thing; but I’m sorry: “Fuzzy Pickles” has NOTHING on this time-travelling gem!
#3. FINAL FANTASY III - (AKA Final Fantasy VI). So just like my PSOne list; we introduce the most famous and beloved RPG on the system. Except unlike Final Fantasy VII; most everyone agrees it’s the best in the series and the best RPG on its respective system. And in most areas it’s true; it seems to be superior to VII. Perhaps if I hadn’t played VII first I might’ve ranked VI higher. I mean the story was just as epic, and it’s villain definitely had more of a personality. And yet in terms of variety; VII still had more. A lot of people criticize VII’s mini-games as “just filler.” Well truth is they were quite entertaining. Thing about VI’s were merely side quests which meant more battles. (Oh…and the Auction House.) That’s all in good too; except I do like variety in my RPGS that isn’t just battling. Another thing about VII was that each character you recruited had a history with the main antagonizing force of Shin-Ra.; not every character in VI was directly involved with the threat: some were just meant to fill in the roster of bonus characters without contributing to the story like the main heroes did. And yet nevertheless it’s still the best RPG on the SNES. Because it’s just that what makes it memorable: the story. An emotional story with both drama, comedy and hints of romance to keep you invested without getting bored or quitting. You wanted to see how things turned out. And the story took a turn for the sinister as the heroes were not initially able to save the world when Kefka plunged it into ruin. To be separated from your troupe and collecting them one by one (as well as make new recruits along the way) added more tension to the story as you prepared for the final showdown with Kefka. And unlike Chrono Trigger; Kefka’s 4-Part Final Boss Battle was nothing short of epic: with ‘Dancing Mad’ being a really epic 4-movement boss theme signifying a true climax and conclusion to restore peace. And yes: like all games on this list: the soundtrack is phenomenal! I’m pretty even when it comes to loving both this title and FF VII. I honestly haven’t decided yet which is better: but because I played it first VII offered the most inspiration. But that doesn’t prevent me from keeping VI in such high regard as the best SNES RPG ever made. And yet I do have one gripe with it…TOO MANY random battles when I didn’t want them!!
#2. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST - So I’m not the world’s biggest ‘Zelda’ fan; and for years I regarded ‘Ocarina of Time’ as the best in the series. Revisiting ‘A Link to the Past’ on the SNES however made me realize how epic an adventure could be with just limited graphics. The complexity of each dungeon in such a small space is mind-boggling. Every step you took through this massive adventure was hiding a new surprise. Even to this day it feels like a new experience to revisit the dungeons and take Link between the Light World and the Dark World. The top-down perspective still seems to work the best for our intrepid hero; and this game is the epitome of that experience. And hidden within each vile dungeon was an equally vile boss battle. Among my favorite was Helmasaur; where you smacked a large fire-breathing lizard’s iron head with a hammer while avoiding his stinger tail and multi-directional fire. You know it’s still amazing how much action they can cram into such limited space. And that’s the game’s shining feature: simplicity. For such simplicity it offered a lot of variety in terms of item collecting, monster slaying and overall adventuring. Like ‘Symphony of the Night’; this is the type of style I’d love to utilize for a home-made game should I ever tackle the task one day. Your world may be small; but underneath your feet and all around you is a massive adventure filled with unseen perils waiting to ambush you. This was a game that made me feel like I was on a large quest without having it being an RPG and fighting random drawn out battles. And I still think this Zelda title did it the best of any because of it’s simplicity.And now for number one.
#1. SUPER MARIO WORLD - This is a rare case. Usually, the game packaged with the system is still beloved, but never usually considered the system’s best game. And for many people Super Mario World is indeed a great game; but not the greatest tile on the system. Indeed some of the games I mentioned are superior to it. So why do I rank it number one? Well one word: Accessibility. This is a game I can easily pick up and play again and enjoy it in a casual manner. No massive quests, no levelling up, no restricted level progression. This is a game where I can decide where to go once I reach the branching paths. You soon discover this when the flashing red dots marking the map indicate you are not restricted to just one path. There are secrets within certain levels that help branch you off in another direction and either help you fully complete the game, finish it faster, or even change the scenery. That’s what’s so great about Super Mario World; there are secrets within secrets. And it’s not a super hard challenge to find them or be able to reach them. Thanks in part to one of gaming’s all-time best sidekicks: Yoshi. This dinosaurian eating machine not only offered a means to clear enemies more easily; but also have different abilities to help progress too. The best ability was flight: where eating a blue-shell/blue-shelled Koopa gave Yoshi a limited flying ability to help clear a level faster or find a secret key/keyhole. And flight was also available to Mario himself in the form of one of the series’ all-time best power-ups: The Feather! Now you really ARE Super Mario: SuperMAN Mario. It took some learning; but being able to make Mario glide higher and further than he ever did before literally took him to new heights. Now prior to this title; the original Nintendo had Super Mario Bros. 3 regarded as both the system’s best game and best Mario game overall. Yeah it was indeed great! However; it lacked one thing that ‘World’ had to make it more playable…a save feature. A save feature in ‘World’ helped savoring each playthrough and finding each secret more casual than having to try and finish the game up in one sitting. And I still savor the simple but colorful graphics and tight gameplay. And yes; I also savor it’s sweet soundtrack. Nothing brings back nostalgia like the mellow and upbeat sounds heard in Super Mario World. I could go into more depth on why this game is my favorite SNES game AND Mario game: but we’ll save that for later when I make the 25th Anniversary pic to commemorate this game in November. It’s a game worthy of such a pic because it is my favorite Mario game, and my favorite SNES game of all time.
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