Your favorite SNES games and why

[gorfcadet]

Super Punch Out was a great game though I felt the final bosses were cheap and didn't keep with the established rules of the game. Punch Out is a game based on learning patterns and "tells"; the later bosses didn't give their tells until it was almost too late and just seemed to take the difficulty way past reason. I had the NES Mike Tyson's PO to a science, but this was wayyyy too hard. Still it is great for the first 75% of the game.

 

I second Chrono Trigger. I prefer the SNES to the DS rerelease because I get really turned off by the Dragon Ball Z style animation. Te SNES doesn't have it so I like that version better.

[doomwaves]

I am rather partial to Super Mario World & Allstars... But I have yet to delve into the RPGs of the system, which I am sure will overtake them.

 

I love owning Doom, on the delicious Blood Red Cart, but I cannot choose it as my favorite game for the system, because it sucks.

[mbd30]

Super Punch Out was a great game though I felt the final bosses were cheap and didn't keep with the established rules of the game. Punch Out is a game based on learning patterns and "tells"; the later bosses didn't give their tells until it was almost too late and just seemed to take the difficulty way past reason. I had the NES Mike Tyson's PO to a science, but this was wayyyy too hard. Still it is great for the first 75% of the game.

 

The last three fighters in "Super Punch Out" seem insurmountable at first, but they're cake once you've memorized the patterns and how to react to each attack. For example, Hoy Quarlow's attacks usually come in pairs. You might have to dodge the first attack and then duck the next one. Sometimes you have to block. If you simply try to dodge and then strike after everything he does, he'll quickly wipe the mat with you. The last two fighters are more of the same. It's just knowing what to expect and how to react.

[cimerians]

Chrono Trigger - Overall best RPG

Secret of Mana - Co-Op!

Final Fantasy III - The characters...

Earthbound - Poo

 

F-Zero - The music and cool controls....

Super Mario World - Best ever Mario game I played at the time

Zelda Link to the Past - EPIC QUEST

 

Super Castlevania 4 - Best ever castlevania I played at the time

Super Ghouls n Ghosts - Awesome better than Sega and NES in my opinion

Contra III - Guns, CO-OP, Aliens, Monsters and more guns!

Prince of Persia - Best console Prince game IMO.

Out of this World - Awesome version on the SNES.

 

 

I probably missed more. But those are my favs and why

[Gabriel]

Mortal Kombat II = Excellent port of the definitive 90s arcade title. (Personally, I like the Genesis and 32X versions better for gameplay and control reasons, but this version is still very good.)

 

Starfox = Great rail shooting.

 

Super Castlevania IV = Classic Castlevania with nearly all the kinks ironed out.

 

Final Fantasy III = console RPGing at its finest. Great characters, great story, great gameplay.

 

Darius Twin = Straightforward hold down the fire button robotic fish blasting.

 

King of Dragons = The best scrolling brawler on the SNES. Lots of characters. Lots of enemies. Cool bosses. Lots of stages. It's D&D Arcade with the serial numbers filed off.

 

Ogre Battle = real time strategy on the SNES done right mixed with RPG levelling, classes, and promotions. Lots of customization in how you build your troops into units for your army.

[+Cobra Kai]

Everybody says the same basic list. Castlevania IV is my personal favorite SNES game, but other than that common fave, how about exploring some beat'em'ups, a rather good strength of the system. I like:

-Combatribes

-Knights of the Round

-King of Dragons

-Saturday Night Slam Masters

-Final Fight

 

or maybe you'd be interested in some action games:

-Indiana Jones Greatest Adventures

-Sunset Riders

-Zombies Ate My Neighbors

-Magic Sword

-Super Smash T.V.

-Alien vs. Predator

[raskar42]

super smash tv - great controls

 

Mr. Do - pvp mode

 

spectre- pvp

 

williams collection - infinite joust

Edited November 28, 2012 by raskar42

[nukeshed]

Earthbound: cause it's expensive and I bought it CIB from EB for 10$

 

Seriously, though.

 

Mario Paint - Originality on a console

[+thegoldenband]

Tons of great recommendations already, many of which I can heartily endorse (ActRaiser, Firepower 2000, Pilotwings, Sunset Riders) and a few I can't (I don't like SNES Final Fight at all). Let me add a few offbeat suggestions of my own:

 

B.O.B. - This action-platformer-puzzler has a quirky aesthetic and offers just the right amount of challenge. The SNES version is quite a bit better than the Genesis version.

 

Drakkhen - Despised by some, this mixed-mode RPG ported from the Amiga combines first-person exploration with third-person, real-time combat. Not for all tastes, and it can be overly cryptic, but personally I found it worthwhile and very memorable -- and its strange atmosphere is dramatically elevated by the moody ambient soundtrack. Plus, it's cheap.

 

Lord of the Rings Vol. 1 - Unlike Drakkhen, I won't claim this is a good game, but this action RPG is one of the very few LOTR console games that predate the Peter Jackson movies, and it's got an amazing soundtrack that captures the spirit of the books (including the ice-cold bleakness of places like the Barrow Downs). It also has a multiplayer option, supporting up to 5 (!) players, which is unusual in an action RPG. Be sure to get it with the manual, which includes detailed maps of the game's complex cave systems.

 

The Lost Vikings - Terrific puzzle-platformer with a great sense of humor. Also good on the Genesis, from what I understand.

 

Lufia and the Fortress of Doom - It's been a loooong time since I've played this, but I remember it as a quality RPG that was very satisfying to complete. I also remember being quite engaged by the plot, which is a rarity for me.

 

Sküljagger - Maybe it's nostalgia talking, but there's something about this goofy, pirate- and bubblegum-themed action-platformer that appeals despite the weird controls and graphic design. Getting a copy of the manual is an absolute must, as it's full of secret codes to reach areas that are eventually crucial to gameplay.

 

Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge - Tough action-platformer that made the terrible mistake of having no passwords or continues (though you can get around that with a well-known in-game exploit). Not actually as hard as people claim, but it's unforgiving, and one stage (Juggernaut) is completely ridiculous. So why recommend it? Well, it has patches of terrific gameplay (especially the Gambit stages), it's cheap, and it has a mindblowing soundtrack by the Follin brothers.

 

Super Tennis - Very good tennis game, probably the best I've played from the 16-bit era, and better than almost all the 8-bit examples too.

 

There are also quite a few nice imports: Do-Re-Mi Fantasy, Super Bomberman 3, and The Firemen come to mind.

[high voltage]

Oh how can I forget The Lost Vikings, easy a Mario beater. Best platformer on SNES ever

Edited November 28, 2012 by high voltage

[DesertJets]

I really have nothing useful to add (as usual), but I have long wanted to pick up a few additional games for the SNES and this really helps -- and confirms that a few of the games I really wanted (Super MarioKart, PilotWings and Starfox).

 

 

I was watching the GF play Donkey Kong Country over the holiday weekend and I just kept saying to myself that this looks and sounds really good and it has held up well even some 20 years later.

[raskar42]

tetris attack is my favorite puzzle game on the snes - setting up a combo is very satisfying.

[Zenimus]

Ninja Gaiden would be on my list to purchase, but it is so damn expensive. U N Squadron looks interesting, not something I would normally look at. Mr. Do would be cool to play on an SNES. Tactics Ogre, I'll have to check that out.

 

For the price it's going for, I wouldn't do it. The tiny upgrade in visuals isn't worth the tradeoff for significantly worse music and sound. You'll be disappointed.

 

 

I second Chrono Trigger. I prefer the SNES to the DS rerelease because I get really turned off by the Dragon Ball Z style animation. Te SNES doesn't have it so I like that version better.

 

But... the SNES did have it. The original character designs were created by Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball. That's why they look so similar. Same artist = same art style.

 

 

 

Also, grab a copy of Wild Guns if you can. It's an obscure cross between Sunset Riders and NAM 1975. Incredibly fun!

[Austin]

For the price it's going for, I wouldn't do it. The tiny upgrade in visuals isn't worth the tradeoff for significantly worse music and sound. You'll be disappointed.

 

Yeah, and the farther you get in the trilogy, the worse the conversions become. On the final airship stage in the SNES Ninja Gaiden 3, there's no parallax scrolling like there is in the NES version.

Edited November 29, 2012 by Austin

[the.golden.ax]

If I had to pick just one, it would be SMW. My old friend and I have spent thousands of hours together in the past two decades. There are at least 100 other titles that I REQUIRE for SNES worthy of countless hours of attention, but that list is way to long for a simple post. I'll mull it over and pick my second favorite (or more if they tie) on the next post.

[CGQuarterly]

No one has mentioned Batman Returns yet. My second favorite beat 'em up next to SOR 2. I also really like Blackthorne, although I grew up playing it on the PC. NBA Live 95 is probably the best basketball game ever made. Super Turrican is awesome. Top Gear is a cool racing game with awesome music. Super Adventure Island is a great platformer. I also really like Arkanoid: Doh it Again.

 

As far as games others have already mentioned, Super Metroid is in my opinion the best game on the SNES. UN Squadron is fun. I don't like Axelay. Pilotwings feels like a tech demo but I like it anyway. Everyone knows that SMW, Castlevania, Zelda, etc. are great.

 

Chris

 

Edit: Why did you buy a supaboy or whatever instead of just buying a SNES?

[GKC]

For me it's the usual suspects on anyone's "best of" list when it comes to the SNES. Super Mario World, Mario Kart, Contra III, Donkey Kong, F-Zero and Punch Out.

 

One game that I really liked but doesn't get as much attention was UN Squadran. Not sure why but outside of Super Mario World it was the game that I had the most memories of playing when I was young and it was one of the first games I tracked down when I got back into the SNES.

[DestinedCruz]

Secret of Mana - My favourite game in the history of the world ever. A wonderful action RPG developed by Square with up to three player coop. IT's not nearly as rare as people would have you believe, and you can get a copy for about $30 these days.

 

Super Castlevania IV - for the reasons laid out

.

 

Darius Force - If you like horizontal shooters, I highly recommend this. Not too difficult like Gradius III, and not too easy like Phalanx. It's a really solid shooter.

 

Super Metroid - A sprawling action platforming adventure. Really set the bar for large scale platformers and short of the later Castlevania titles there is really nothing that even comes close.

 

Final Fantasy III - Easily my favourite of the Final Fantasy series. An ensemble story with a strong focus on personal relations and politics, with enough magic and mystery to make it an all around awesome RPG. It also has pretty much the greatest plot twist ever halfway through the game.

 

Flashback - A game that still blows me away to this day with how fluid the animations and controls are. An extremely acrobatic platformer with a passable storyline.

 

Super Gameboy - If you have any Gameboy games this is a must buy. If you don't, it's worth getting them for all the inexpensive gems that exist for the handheld. Makes them all look at least half decent and some games are outstanding. Specifically Link's Awakening and Donkey Kong '94.

[lushgirl_80]

Rock N Roll Racing

 

 

Has the best soundtrack and just a great racing game overall.

 

 

Mario Paint

 

Soo many great memories with this one lol.

[thegamezmaster]

Gee there are so many to choose from. My favs are Ocarina of Time,best Zelda game IMHO. Super Mario Allstars with Super Mario World, all great games on one cart that got for free! Castlevania IV and Dracula X, Super Metroid, Contra, Mario Paint, tried it at CES and got a free Mario Paint hat. Star Wars games, 3 best done IMHO, and Indiana Jones .

[sega_SHARK]

Edit: Why did you buy a supaboy or whatever instead of just buying a SNES?

 

Because I'm fresh out of HDMI, RCA, and S-video ports on the back of my television. The Dreamcast, PS3, Colecovision, and HD cable have already taken up all the ports. A portable seemed like a good option. Despite some minor design flaws, I'm pleased with it. The d-pad needs to be pushed more towards the edges, and it's large.

 

Gee there are so many to choose from. My favs are Ocarina of Time,best Zelda game IMHO. Super Mario Allstars with Super Mario World, all great games on one cart that got for free! Castlevania IV and Dracula X, Super Metroid, Contra, Mario Paint, tried it at CES and got a free Mario Paint hat. Star Wars games, 3 best done IMHO, and Indiana Jones .

Orcarina is a 64 game I think, and yes the Star Wars games are really good, I would have bought Indiana Jones, but I've already played through it six times. Probably one of my most played games back in the '90s.

[mbd30]

Because I'm fresh out of HDMI, RCA, and S-video ports on the back of my television. The Dreamcast, PS3, Colecovision, and HD cable have already taken up all the ports. A portable seemed like a good option. Despite some minor design flaws, I'm pleased with it. The d-pad needs to be pushed more towards the edges, and it's large.

 

If your TV has RF output then you can always pick up a cheap RF to RCA modulator (and additional coaxial cable if you need one) to get another RCA port.

[DestinedCruz]

If your TV has RF output then you can always pick up a cheap RF to RCA modulator (and additional coaxial cable if you need one) to get another RCA port.

 

Check your local thrift stores too. I picked up a five input A/V switch that even had component and S-video at Goodwill for $6.

[sega_SHARK]

I could pick up a multi input A/V switch, but I'm also running out of shelf space underneath the television. The Colecovision is modded by Yurkie, so it runs video through A/V instead of coax. That's hooked up to the "quick" A/V port on the side of the television. I suppose if I wanted to run the SupaBoy through the TV, I could just switch out the A/V with the Coleco. I'll still need to buy an original SNES controller to play games through it. It's kinda cool, you can run the SupaBoy through the TV and play with an SNES controller, or use it as a CHUNKY portable.

[AtariLeaf]

I think a couple of people have mentioned Mr. Do and I'll add to it - best port IMO and a must have, its actually my number 1 favorite SNES game. I'm also a big fan of Arkanoid Doh it Again, Williams Arcade Hits, Bust a Move and, if you love Blazing Lazers on the TG-16, I highly recommend Space Megaforce, another great Compile shmup that is a kind of spiritual successor to Blazing Lazers.

 

Oh yea, a Super Gameboy too. Great way to play gameboy and black gameboy color carts.

Edited November 30, 2012 by AtariLeaf