Games Of Reference

If I ever make that video, I'll post it here! For the meantime, I have another video in the works.

It is quite a nice idea: to ask what we consider revolutionary. I can bring in recent examples, talk about these games, and whether it is the first people to make the idea, or the first ones to do it well. Like your thinking!

Certainly a classic. It's great when your actions in a game have a tangible effect, even if it is just minor. And time-travel can be really interesting, if done right.

Thanks for the recommendations Anthony. I've always wanted to play Super Mario RPG, as I'm quite the fan of the Mario and Luigi series, and want to see that sort of RPG on the SNES. I do like harder games, but it seems odd that the game was harder in the US release. Many developers outside of the US assume that many players are stupid, so the games are tweaked to be much easier, or not released at all. Glad I have Super Mario All Stars, so I can play The Lost Levels!

I LOVE games that tell you the story through the mechanics alone, which is what Super Metroid does. And with the amount of RPG's on the SNES, there's so many with deep, engaging stories to count.

The thing about cutscenes made me think about a question: What is your favourite SNES game, in terms of story? I'd give my opinion, but I haven't played enough story-heavy SNES games to give a full opinion on them.

They are pretty cool, as they are normally done with in-game graphics. Many cutscenes nowadays are pre-rendered, so feel very disjointed from the game as a whole.

I, personally, don't like excessive cut scenes in games either, as I think that a really good game tells it's story through it's mechanics and the environment. This is probably why we like SNES games so much, as cut scenes are only really used to give context, if at all. Although cut scenes do have their place, many SNES games would be worse with them.

That's all opinion, though. A modern FPS focus isn't where DOOM's are. While a game may be more linear, that doesn't make for a necessarily worse experience. Plus, not all modern FPS's fall under that category. An old FPS was about exploration and the fast-paced gameplay, and giving you the feeling of power: that you are a lone warrior fighting off hordes of enemies. Modern FPS'S focus less on that, and more on delivering a narrative, and making you feel part of a grand war effort, which fits more to a linear map design. Which one is better is all a matter of preference, but many people do enjoy the modern style of FPS, and like it's more gritty tone. As always, with both styles, there will be bad games, and games that you personally don't like. But the newer style of games focus on a different type of experience, which isn't always a bad thing. Plus, if you want a more modern FPS that isn't linear, there are many multiplayer shooters nowadays that focus exactly on that.

They probably didn't learn specifically from Pac-land, but from previous attempts in general, including Mario Bros. And, while some people didn't like the DOOM clones, they were enjoyed by many people, and helped slowly evolve the FPS into what we know today.

Totally agree. The earlier games in a genre tend to be experimental, and, due to that, they often lack refinement and polish. It normally takes a few attempts before a genre really can stand out, and we can see what makes the games engaging, and to set a benchmark. One example of this would be with the FPS. Wolfenstein 3D was a good game, but was clearly a first draft. In Doom, however, id took what they learnt from their previous effort, and refined the game with more variety and more colourful visuals. This showed what the FPS could be, and helped sculpt the early years of the FPS. The same can be said for Pac-land and Super Mario Bros. Nintendo learnt from past efforts, and added their own flair to make a truly great game.

It does seem extremely odd. The game that we think revolutionised the platforming genre was beaten to release by a Pac-man spin-off game. But, gaming history is weird like that, and many games we consider 'firsts' aren't.

Oh, yeah, now that you've reminded me of it, I recall that game's existence. Thanks for reminding me of it. Both that, and Pac in Time, look like really weird and different takes on how you would make Pac-man into a platformer,

I would of never thought that a Pacman platformer would exist. But it was the 90's so everything got turned into a platformer. Out of that trend, this was one of the better examples.

I remember you showing me this game a little while ago. I played it, and it certainly is an interesting take on how to turn Pacman into a platformer. It is a bit weird, but a pleasant, obscure platformer.

There are so many good games for the console, it is almost impossible to make a 'best games' list for it, it's that good. Plus, Contra is always a good choice.

Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of posting, I was busy with life stuff. Anyway, as a way to get this thread rolling again, I want to ask: Is there an obscure or rarely praised SNES game you feel needs more attention? For me, this game is Taz Mania. It's an odd one, this game. It's an infinite runner game, similar to many released today. The goal is to go around an infinitely looping track to eat a specified number of birds within the time limit and without hitting into obstacles. As you can see, it looks great, emulating a 3D track on the SNES very well: The environments are varied, and the game is surprisingly hard. If I had one criticism, the camera can obscure the view sometimes, especially when going up a hill or backwards. But, overall, you should really play this game if you haven't already!

Thanks, that's working much better for me. I will have a listen now!

Thanks for the link. When I'm looking for a SNES racer, I will check that thread out. Great choices, a lot of the classics for the console. Also, the link to the podcast isn't working for me. Is anyone else experiencing problems with it, or is it just me? Cool that all your games are CIB, mine are the complete opposite. Plus, there's no rush to post your collection. Do it whenever you want!

I will look around on eBay and sites like that to see if I can find some of these games for cheap. If I find them, I will post up my first impressions of the game.

I will admit myself, that is a pretty high price. I'm guessing they had some valuable games? Or just a lot of games. Either way, half a grand is certainly a lot.

I never realised there were so many obscure racing games on the SNES! Again, thanks for sharing all of this, Anthony.

Thanks for posting the video. I will admit, I've never been and RPG person myself, but the Ys series certainly looks interesting. Thanks for sharing! I am a sucker for racing games, they're one of my favourite genres, and I'm quite curious to see how a more simulation style racer would be done on the SNES. Thanks!

I agree with the 16-bit era bridging the gap between simplistic games and complex games, because, afterwards, games took a lot more effort to complete. Not that that's a bad thing; I love a good long campaign in a game, but the SNES was the perfect pick-up-and-play console. I've never heard of that game before. After looking at some of the gameplay, it certainly looks unlike a lot of other racing games! And that soundtrack did sound fantastic. Thanks for sharing, Anthony! That's a lovely collection you have there Mayhem, I'm surprised you managed to keep all the boxes! None of my games have them now, unfortunately. I used to get many of my games from the market, where this guy was selling 2nd-hand cartridges for about 10 to 15 pounds. I remember a weird platformer called B.O.B It was a linear platformer, and involved tricky jumps and difficult enemies. I like the game, but I could never get far with it. Weirdly enough, this game was published by Electronic Arts. This was before EA became the gaming juggernaut we know it to be, so had a few more experimental games in it's library. If you like odd, hard platformers, you could do a lot worse.

Try being in a small British town. As the SNES didn't sell as well here as it did in the U.S, the cartridges are very pricey and small in quantity.