Top Fifty Super Nintendo Games (That Still Hold Up Two Decades Later)

After years of market dominance (in no small part due to unfair business practices on Nintendo's part), the NES finally got some legitimate competition from Sega with the release of the Genesis - a platform with six years of technological improvement behind it that sported faster games, better graphics and even a pretty sleek, spaceship-esque design which contrasted sharply with the "gray toaster" design of the NES.  Not one to be outdone, though, Nintendo released the SNES in 1991, kicking off a fierce rivalry between the companies and their fans; Sega aggressively pushed their faster games (using marketing buzzwords like "Blast Processing"), their heavier focus on competitive sports games and being the 'big kids' console with darker and edgier titles like an uncensored version of Mortal Kombat, while Nintendo mostly stuck with what made their NES games such a big hit - impeccable design quality and fun factor above all else.  It certainly paid off for them too, as many fans (myself included) still value the SNES as the greatest console of all time with games that have never been surpassed in quality even decades later.  So, with all that said, let's look at my favorite games on this legendary platform that still hold up magnificently well today. 

50. Arkanoid: Doh It Again (Taito, 1997)

Breakout was a heavily influential game in its time despite its simple concept; you just bounce a ball off a paddle and try to break all the bricks on the screen.  Arkanoid took things a step further with powerups to collect and enemies to smash, and it too ended up being a very popular game that got many ports and sequels over the years.  Doh It Again is the third game in the franchise and offers more of what you'd expect - more stages, more modes (including two-player co-op and competitive play), a level editor, and even a password system so you don't have to complete the entire game in one attempt.  Sadly it does not have the paddle controller that the NES versions had, but the SNES mouse is a pretty good approximation.  Not too many people played this one owing to its late release, but it's worth picking up if you spot a copy in the wild; it's just good, simple fun.

49. Mario & Wario (Game Freak, 1993 in Japan)

A game I remember seeing in Nintendo Power and being excited to play; sadly it ultimately ended up being passed on for a western release, so I never got that chance until many years later.  A fun little mouse-driven puzzle game that plays a bit like Lemmings.  Mario (as well as Peach and Yoshi) have been rendered sightless by Wario dropping a bucket or similar object on their heads, so you take control of the fairy Wanda and must create a safe path for them to reach Luigi by clicking on empty spaces to create platforms.  You can also click coin blocks to collect those for bonus points, enemies to clear them from the character's path, and the character themselves to make them reverse direction, and must reach the goal within a set time limit.  A simple but fun little game, and one of the first games I decided to pick up once I finally imported a Super Famicom.

48. Mr. Do! (Universal, 1995)

Classic arcade games of the '80s had something of a revival in the mid '90s, with a lot of "enhanced" ports appearing on platforms of the time; and yes, there's a reason most of them are forgotten nowadays.  Some others (like the Namco Museum game) strove instead to create ports that were as close to the original arcade title as possible and ended up being much better experiences.  Mr. Do! is modeled on the latter, providing a nearly arcade-perfect conversion of the 1983 title to the SNES.  Gameplay-wise it feels like a combination of Pac-Man and Dig-Dug - you try to collect all the cherries on the board (getting bonus points if you get an entire group of eight without stopping), and can toss your bouncy-ball to destroy enemies or drop apples on top of them for bonus points.  Every time you hit a 5000-point milestone some new enemies invade the board, one of which bears one of the letters spelling "EXTRA" - if you defeat these enemies and collect all five letters it immediately ends the stage and grants you an extra life.  Mr. Do a bit of an odd choice for a late-era SNES port, but I'm not complaining - it's a fun game that still holds up today.

47. Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Capcom, 1996)

By 1996 the CD era of gaming was in full swing and most of the prominent companies had moved on to greener pastures, using the stronger hardware of the Playstation, Saturn and PC to deliver better looking and sounding arcade ports than ever before.  Capcom surprisingly gave the SNES one last hurrah with a port of Street Fighter Alpha II, though, and it was of shockingly good quality.  Yes the audio has been massively compressed and there's substantial loading times (awkwardly placed after the round-starting "Fight!", no less), but it's impressive just how good this port looks and how smoothly it plays in spite of itself.  It was a perfectly acceptable alternative for those who couldn't afford a Saturn or a Playstation just yet, and it's still worth a look today as an example of games that push platforms to their limits.  It does make me wonder why they didn't just do a Nintendo 64 port of Alpha 2 instead, but hey, I'll take it anyway.

46. Secret of Evermore (Square USA, 1995)

Secret of Evermore is definitely one of Square's more divisive titles; mostly over claims that it was released in lieu of Trials of Mana, Bahamut Lagoon, or any of several other late-era SFC titles that Square never localized.  That was later disproven by the development team, who explained they were hired on specifically to create this game, then disbanded after it proved to be a sales disappointment.  However, the game has a lot to like if you can put that aside and judge it on its own merits - it has a heavy atmosphere, an excellent moody soundtrack and a surprisingly fun and quirky sense of humor complimented by some expressive animation.  It also utilized a relatively unique Alchemy system (where you spend ingredients instead of MP to cast magic) and had considerably more streamlined gameplay than Secret of Mana, with only three levels per weapon and four weapon types in total, as well as a much shorter running time (about 10-12 hours).  Really, the only downside is that, unlike the Mana games, it lacks a multiplayer mode.  A quite fun and enjoyable game that certainly deserves another look.

45. Bust a Move (Taito, 1995)

Also known as "Puzzle Bobble", Bust a Move is a fun match-three puzzle game where you can either work to clear stages on your own, or face off against your friends in competitive two-player mode.  The SNES version of the first game is a standout too, as it features 100 levels to complete (compared to 26 for the arcade version), which lends it quite a bit more longevity than most ports.  Later entries in the franchise (and there are quite a few) would add even more features and special bubbles to give the gameplay more variety, but the original remains a simple yet charming experience too.

44. Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge (Intelligent Systems, 1993)

A light gun shooter on the SNES, and that can only mean one thing - this game utilized the Super Scope, probably the most gloriously excessive peripheral of its kind ever created.  A shoulder mounted bazooka powered by 6 AA batteries and complete with an eyepiece for aiming, who could possibly say no to that?  ...Well, Japan, apparently, since the Super Scope sold so poorly over there that Metal Combat never got a Japanese release.  They were missing out, though, because this game is brilliant and fun.  Essentially a one-on-one mecha fighter where you blast away at your opponent, whittling down their health bar while shooting down their retaliatory attacks.  It even sported some pretty realistic damage on the opponents - their armor will break away as they take damage, and even their limbs can break and fall off if they take too many hits.  There's even some replayability in the form of a two-player mode (with player 2 controlling the enemy mecha) and a second playable ST called the Tornado with much different play mechanics.

43. Mega Man 7 (Capcom, 1995)

I don't think anyone expected the original Mega Man series to make a comeback after the launch (and runaway critical success) of Mega Man X.  But it did, spawning three more games on consoles before going on a hiatus for many years and re-emerging in the era of the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360.  Mega Man 7 combines several elements of the previous titles, though it takes most strongly after the Game Boy games with its shop system, complex passwords and overall setup (two rotations of four bosses each, rather than being able to pick from all eight at the start).  The sound design as a whole isn't so great this time around, but the gameplay is as solid as ever, and this is definitely among the more challenging Mega Man titles out there.

42. Wild Guns (Natsume, 1994)

Believe it or not, there was a time when Natsume made high-quality action games and not just Harvest Moon sequels and spinoffs.  Wild Guns is a perfect example, pitting you as Clint or Annie against hordes of cowboys, tanks and giant robots. The control scheme takes a bit of practice - the D-pad moves both your cursor and your character, though when you start firing you get locked in place, although you do have a dodge to get you out of trouble if an enemy starts firing your way.  You also get a few screen-clearing bombs to help you out, and a number of powerups including a shotgun, machine gun and a grenade launcher give you more (temporary) firepower.  A pretty awesome concept that's extremely fun once you get used to it.  The game has picked up a substantial following over the years so the the original release is extremely expensive now, but thankfully it has a high-quality remaster on modern platforms made by the original team that even includes two new playable characters and a four-player mode!

41. Gokujou Parodius (Konami, 1994 in Japan)

Parodius, as the name implies, is a series that serves as a parody of Konami's own Gradius.  The Vic Viper returns as a playable character, but you also have a cast of other oddballs to play as, including Michael the flying pig, Koitsu the stick-man who flies on a paper airplane, a bunny girl riding a rocket, and even a cameo appearance from Kid Dracula.  Each character has their own set of weapons and upgrades to acquire, and the stages and bosses in the game are very colorful and bizarre.  From a cat-headed pirate ship to a dancing panda in a tutu to a giant mermaid, there's no shortage of odd sights to see.  Of course per Gradius standards it's still a very challenging game; you'll have to be very on-point with evading enemy bullets and managing your powerups carefully to keep yourself optimized for each challenge.

40. DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure (Hudson Soft, 1996 in Japan)

The sequel to Milon's Secret Castle on the NES (yes, really), the first time I'd heard of it was someone comparing it to Super Mario World in quality, which is certainly high praise indeed.  I don't think it's quite that good, but it is a high-quality game with some colorful graphics, expressive animation and creative mechanics.  One is that you can either jump on enemies to flatten them and use them as platforms, or encase them in a bubble and push them offscreen to defeat them permanently.  Others include powerups that save you from falling down a pit, shoes that slow your fall, and you can hold down the attack button to launch a screen-clearing burst of bubbles in a fan above Milon's head.  Each time you defeat a boss you'll also earn a new instrument that grants you special abilities, like being able to push certain blocks, swim under the water or create platforms at certain places.

39. Dragon View (Kotobuki System, 1994)

Dragon View is the sequel to the very early and very bizarre SNES RPG Drakkhen, though you probably wouldn't guess that if the bootup screen didn't explicitly identify it as "Drakkhen II".  Rather than a party based RPG with largely-automated combat it's now something more akin to Zelda II on the NES, having you control a single protagonist with a more diverse moveset - you attack with a sword or a throwing weapon called a Hauza and can perform special moves and use items to give yourself an edge.  It's a bit more involved storywise as well, with quite a lot of dialog and an interesting world to explore, and some complex dungeons and intense boss battles make it a very solid action RPG experience.  This one's also gotten pretty scarce over the years, though it has seen a digital rerelease on Steam in recent years at least.

38. Donkey Kong Country (Rare, 1994)

3D graphics were rapidly starting to become the hot new trend in the early '90s, but the biggest consoles of the time weren't quite up to the task just yet.  Donkey Kong Country was perhaps an attempt at a middle ground; the backgrounds and characters were rendered as 3D models, digitized into 2D sprites and put into the game to give it a fresh look.  Then once you added a fantastic soundtrack by David Wise that still ranks among the greats today, you had a downright mind-blowing game in 1994; even Sega themselves admitted Nintendo was the clear winner when it came to releases that year.  Of course it also helped that it was a very fun game to play, with smooth-controlling platforming, a lot of stage variety and tons of hidden secrets to keep you invested for a good while as you sought out 101% completion.

37. Shadowrun (Beam Software, 1993)

Beam Software were primarily known for making mediocre licensed games on consoles and handhelds, but they made a few surprisingly decent titles in their time too.  One of the most fondly-remembered games they ever did was the SNES version of Shadowrun, which indeed was a standout title in many ways.  Based on the fantasy-cyberpunk tabletop game, it also looked and felt more like a computer RPG than probably anything else on the platform with its isometric graphics, cursor-driven interaction (though ironically it does not support the SNES mouse) and a heavy focus on puzzle solving and investigation.  It carries the grim tone of Shadowrun quite well with its dark graphics and moody soundtrack, and as in that series, you'll do your fair share of spellcasting, gunslinging and tapping into the Matrix to uncover information and thwart the machinations of an evil conspiracy.

36. Tetris Attack (Intelligent Systems, 1996)

Nintendo still had the Tetris license in the mid-90s and stuck the name on any puzzle game they had under their umbrella, even if it bore almost no resemblance to Tetris.  Tetris Attack (originally known as "Panel de Pon" and later as "Puzzle League") is another example of that, being a fast-paced match-three puzzler.  In addition to endless and versus modes, there was also a story mode where the player faces off against increasingly difficult computer opponents, a timed mode where one tries to clear levels as quickly as possible, and a puzzle mode where one must clear all the panels off the screen in a limited number of moves.  It's also a case of the western version getting a major reskin, as Panel de Pon had a colorful fairy tale theme whereas Tetris Attack replaced all the graphics and music with characters from Yoshi's Island.

35. Super Puyo Puyo Tsu Remix (Compile, 1996)

Puyo Puyo is a fun competitive puzzle game, allowing players to set up some spectacular chain-combos and bury their opponent in clear blobs.  it also has a pretty complex history in the west; it was originally localized by Sega and reskinned as "Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine", then later the same thing happened with Nintendo , who sold it as "Kirby's Avalanche".  Super Puyo Puyo Tsu was the last entry to be released on 16-bit consoles, and it's easily the best of the bunch, with four-player simultaneous competitive play via multitap and some extra game modes not present in any prior release.  A slightly updated version came later, adding the "Remix" suffix and allowing computers to sub in for the four-player mode as well as remixed music to make it sound more faithful to the arcade version.

34. Super Smash TV (Beam Software/Williams, 1992)

Smash TV was a big hit in the arcades, taking the fast paced, multi-directional shooting action of Robotron 2084 and wrapping in a Running Man-esque dystopian game show, having the player gun down endless hordes of killer mutants and monsters for cash, money and prizes.  It had numerous home ports of varying quality (including a surprisingly decent NES version), but my favorite of all is the SNES port.  The controller's layout is perfect for it, having you move with the D-pad and shoot with the four face buttons, and it doesn't lose a single beat from the arcade version, though they did of course tone down the gore in compliance with Nintendo's content standards.  An extremely fun title even today.

33. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (Konami, 1992)

 

Konami made quite a few TMNT tie-in games, but the first one to appear on the SNES was easily their best effort.  A port of the second arcade game, though as with TMNT 2 on the NES it actually improves on it in several ways, adding in two new stages and changing up several boss fights.  The action was much faster and more dynamic than its predecessors too, giving you a dash that can be canceled into an evasive slide or a shoulder tackle as well as the ability to swing enemies around to clobber other foes (a very useful tactic, as it takes them out instantly and earns double points for each one you kill), or even throw them into the screen (which also gets used to clever effect in one of the boss battles).  An immensely fun beat-em-up and a great co-op experience.

32. The Lost Vikings 1/2 (Silicon and Synapse, 1993/1997)

A well-received pair of titles from the company that would later be known as "Blizzard" and take the world by storm with Warcraft and Starcraft, Lost Vikings showed off their talents even at this early day with a creative action-puzzler.  You take command of three Vikings - Baelog the Fierce (who wields a sword and bow), Erik the Swift (who runs fast, can jump and smashes down walls by charging into them) and Olaf the Stout (who carries a large shield that can block projectiles, as well as be used as a makeshift hang-glider and a platform).  Using their unique abilities, plus a variety of items found in stages like bombs and healing food, your goal is to find a way past each stage's obstacles, escape from each level and eventually make your way back home.  Good graphics and genuinely funny dialog throughout keep them fresh as well.  The sequel that added more to the formula, including two new playable characters and a handful of new abilities for all three existing characters, adding a new layer of depth.

31. Mario Paint (Nintendo/Intelligent Systems, 1992)

Not so much a "game" as a piece of software, but it's easy to forget that once you sit down and start fiddling with it.  Mario Paint came bundled with the SNES Mouse, which saw a surprising amount of support across the platform's lifespan (though disappointingly, relatively few of the games that utilized it were released outside of Japan) and was a brilliant introduction to the peripheral.  Not only did you have a full-fledged drawing program, but a music composer, a primitive animation studio (limited to 4-9 frames) and a fun little minigame where you could take some time out and swat various insects for a while.  Hell, even to this day we're seeing remixes of various theme songs and albums done in the music editor, so that just proves how much staying power this little app really has.  Now if only we could get an expanded remake on the Switch...

Fun Fact: There are some handy right mouse button features that are, for some reason, not enabled by default.

30. Hamelin no Violin Hiki (Daft Co., 1995 in Japan)

A game based on the manga and anime series of the same name, but don't be put off by it being a licensed tie-in because it's actually a really fun time.  Basically a blend of Lost Vikings and A Boy and His Blob, you play as Hamel the violinist and are constantly accompanied by his sidekick Flute, and you must work in tandem to clear various obstacles and get both characters safely to the end of each stage.  Hamel's primary ability is to defeat enemies and activate objects by playing his violin, while Flute can be used as a platform, picked up and thrown to knock down walls, or she can don various costumes to traverse obstacles - an ostrich costume allows her to cross safely over spikes, a frog costume allows her to leap to great heights, and the penguin lets her swim across the surface of water, to name just a few.  One can also collect stars to go to bonus levels, fruit to recover health and coins for extra points, and you get bonus points at the end of each level depending on how much damage Flute took (throwing her into walls does no damage, but getting hit by enemies or projectiles does).  The game features some very expressive animation to go with its slapstick tone, and in general looks and sounds fantastic for the platform.

29. Demon's Crest (Capcom, 1994)

Ghosts n' Goblins was one of Capcom's earliest IPs to see success, getting numerous home ports and sequels and later even a spinoff series localized as Gargoyle's Quest on the Game Boy and NES.  Demon's Crest is the third entry in that series and once again stars Firebrand, this time battling his way through the Demon Realm in search of six magical crests.  The gameplay is given a significant upgrade this time around, with a Metroid-esque bent to its exploration and Firebrand able to unlock new forms that grant him new abilities as he collects the six crests, including swimming underwater, breaking larger statues, creating temporary platforms and even full-on flight.  Per franchise standards the game is absolutely a feast for the eyes with its dark, gothic atmosphere and grotesque monster designs, as well as some excellent, moody music.  A high-quality experience in every respect; it's a bit hard to believe this game was a commercial failure when it launched, even reportedly generating negative sales one week according to Nintendo Power!

28. Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting (Capcom, 1993)

Street Fighter II is of course the title that brought one-on-one fighting games to new heights; with its memorable characters and unique movesets, beautiful animation and surprisingly deep gameplay, it remains the genre's gold standard to this day.  The SNES version was also a stunningly good port in its time, feeling very accurate to the arcade original and loosing surprisingly little graphical and sound fidelity.  Turbo was the third iteration of the game in arcades but the second to make it to home consoles, and the SNES port once again was excellent, adapting the balance tweaks, playable bosses and faster-paced gameplay of the arcade game in fine fashion and completely eclipsing the triumph of the original port, which was certainly no small feat.  The next iteration (Super) also had an impressive home port, but it didn't feel quite as solidly crafted or balanced as Turbo was, so to most this remains the definitive 16-bit Street Fighter experience.

27. Super Bomberman 2 (Hudson Soft, 1994)

I wasn't really a fan of the original Bomberman on the NES and I never played the sequel until years later owing to its late release and resulting rarity, but that didn't matter much because the 16-bit era is where the franchise really hit its stride.  The original Super Bomberman came packed in with the Multitap, a neat little peripheral that allowed four extra controllers to be plugged in to the system, enabling four player matches and chaotic, fast-paced mayhem on a scale unseen on a home platform to that point.  The sequel didn't get the multitap pack-in, but it did improve the gameplay, offering new stage obstacles, more powerups and a more polished presentation.  One minor nitpick comes from the unexplained removal of two-player simultaneous play in the campaign mode, but honestly, who plays the campaign mode in a Bomberman game?  There were no less than three other Bomberman games on the Super Famicom as well, but sadly this was the last one we got in the US.

26. Shin Kido Senki Gundam Wing: Endless Duel (Natsume, 1996 in Japan)

The biggest fighting game rivalry in the '90s was definitely between Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat; both were arcade titans that amassed substantial followings for their memorable characters, smooth gameplay and having tons of secrets and hidden depth.  But while Capcom and Midway strove to take their brands to new heights (and just about every gaming platform under the sun), the Super Famicom had an incredible sleeper of a fighting game in Endless Duel.  A tie-in to the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing anime, it had a fantastic presentation, with, high quality music and large, smoothly animated sprites and visual effects that are almost too good to be real.  It played wonderfully too, with fluid, fast-paced and combo-oriented gameplay reminiscent of Capcom's Marvel VS games and a surprising amount of depth in its mechanics.  Easily one of the best imports available for the platform, and a surprisingly solid-playing fighting game to this day.

25. Marvelous: Mōhitotsu no Takarajima (Nintendo R&D2, 1996 in Japan)

A game I remember being excited to try out as a kid, but sadly it came just a little too late in the Super Famicom's lifespan to be considered for localization (and it wouldn't be fan-translated until twenty years later).  A bit of a shame as it's a wonderful blend of puzzle-solving, action and adventure that draws heavy inspiration from A Link to the Past; in fact its director, Eiji Aonuma, would go on to direct and produce several games in the Zelda franchise.  You play as a trio of boys and have to work in tandem to overcome various obstacles and solve puzzles, with each having different abilities - Dion is short but fast, can squeeze into small gaps and toss baseballs to hit distant objects, Max is slow but strong and the best fighter, and Jack is the tallest of the three and can jump over hazards the other two cannot.  Each also gets a number of items only they can use, and as the game progresses there are several minigames you must complete to advance, lending the game quite a lot of variety and a great sense of humor.

24. Super Castlevania IV (Konami, 1991)

Castlevania was a pretty big success on the NES, and as one of the first major franchises to make the leap to 16-bit, people's expectations were naturally high.  Well, Super Castlevania IV went above and beyond right from the word "Go", showing off what the shiny new Super Nintendo was really capable of in flawless fashion.  The huge sprites, the fluid animation, the awesome Mode-7 graphics and layered backgrounds, and an incredible soundtrack by Masanori Adachi and Taro Kudo that was equal parts creepy and awesome.  The biggest improvement of all was the gameplay, though, as Simon was now a powerhouse character that could whip in eight directions, twirl his whip to block projectiles, swing from hooks and fire subweapons in an instant with the shoulder buttons.  A brilliant remake of Castlevania 1 that showed the world the SNES was here to stay.

23. SimCity (Nintendo/Maxis, 1991)

A very popular game on various computer platforms, Nintendo themselves took the helm developing the SNES iteration, and it ended up being probably the best version of all of them.  With some high-resolution visuals, adding some personal touches with characters like Mr. Wright to give you helpful hints and Bowser serving as the monster that randomly appears to wreck buildings and start fires definitely added a lot of personality to the game.  But they also added many new features, like reward buildings that become available once you hit certain population levels (something that would become a staple of the series from here onwards).  Rewards like zoos and amusement parks give you more revenue, the bank allows you to take out loans, there are more efficient upgrades for buildings like police and fire stations, and the casino brings in more money at the cost of higher crime.  All good stuff that makes a classic even better.

22. Final Fantasy VI (Squaresoft, 1994)

Final Fantasy VI is the franchise's best to a lot of people.  I don't hold in quite that high of regard, but I can still say that I enjoy it for its energy and enthusiasm, even if the writing and execution of its ideas isn't always the strongest.  You get a whopping fourteen playable characters (plus a handful of miscellaneous dudes in story scenes), all of whom are loosely modeled on the classic Final Fantasy classes and have their own subplots throughout.  Visually the game looks and sounds very impressive, with stunning orchestrated tracks and very detailed monster sprites, as well as some surprisingly creative mechanics and special moves.  The story is for the most part a good one, with some strong character moments and surprisingly dark beats, though there is also quite a lot of mood whiplash as the game throws humor in at the most inappropriate of times.  The sheer amount of side-content and party customization it offers is immense, and seeing its oddities (like Wind God Gau and the plethora of weird bugs with the Sketch command) make it a lot of fun for people who enjoy strange exploits in games.  Final Fantasy VI is the definition of throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, but sometimes that really does work in a game's favor.

21. Final Fight 3 (Capcom, 1995)

Another classic beat-em-up franchise that had a bit of a rough outing on the Super Nintendo.  The SNES port of the original game got scaled down significantly from its arcade counterpart, omitting a later stage, one of the playable characters and (most crushingly) its two player mode.  It later got a rerelease called "Final Fight Guy" that reintroduced Guy but confusingly left everything else the same.  Then came Final Fight 2, which was just okay - a by-the-numbers followup to the first Final Fight and not much else.  But Capcom finally got back on their game with Final Fight 3, a game that restored it to its two player glory and implemented a few creative new features - stages with branching routes to introduce some replay value and even some Street Fighter-esque special moves to really lay the hurt on your foes in style.  Hell, there was even option to play cooperatively with a computer-controlled partner.  The only downside was the awful music...

20. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (Rare, 1996)

Definitely the most overlooked of the Donkey Kong Country titles on SNES; after all, it came out in late 1996 when the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation were already making waves with their own high-quality platformers.  It shouldn't be, though, as it's a fantastic title in its own right.  Taking control of Dixie and Kiddy Kong, you once again make your way through stages laden with numerous secrets and bonus levels.  Unlike the previous game, though, the overworld is also built for open-world exploration, finding or buying key items and unlocking new vehicles so that you can unlock new areas, which adds quite a bit more to see and do overall in the game.  The 3D rendering technology used in the previous games is also taken to new heights here, with some gorgeous environments and expressive characters; it's easily one of the most beautiful looking SNES games there is.

19. Breath of Fire (Capcom, 1994)

A game that was widely overlooked, though I think a lot of that came down to timing - after all, it came out the same year as mega-hit Final Fantasy III (VI in Japan) and was also released under Square's label, so not too many people paid attention to Capcom's addition to the RPG genre.  Which is a pity, because Breath of Fire is a journey definitely worth undertaking.  Featuring a solid soundtrack, some very clever game mechanics like being able to fuse multiple party members together into one uber-character, plenty of hidden treasures and items throughout (with a slight Metroid bent as you'll often have to come back later to find some of them). and a very welcome feature for the time - being able to skip random encounters via readily available items - Breath of Fire is a stellar experience.  Everyone swears by 2, but to me, the original Breath of Fire is the superior game.

18. Zombies Ate My Neighbors (Lucasarts, 1993)

It's a Lucasarts game.  Anyone who grew up in the 90s probably knows what that means - a great sense of humor paired with some of the most intense challenge in video gaming history.  Zombies Ate My Neighbors certainly delivers on both fronts, bringing forth a quirky action game with a huge variety of weapons (ranging from soda cans to water pistols to tomatoes to silverware to an extremely deadly weed-whacker) and an equally large variety of enemies (giant worms, giant babies, Jason Voorhees lookalikes, ants, aliens, slime monsters and purple tentacles.  Oh, and zombies, of course) ranging across over forty stages of gameplay.  It's an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to game design to be certain, but it all works out thanks to some uncomplicated yet extremely engrossing gameplay and Lucasarts' tongue-in-cheek humor.  Just steer clear of the disappointing sequel "Ghoul Patrol"...

17. Actraiser (Quintet, 1991)

Actraiser was among the earliest games released for the Super Nintendo, and it certainly got everyone's attention.  Not only did it show off the power of the system with its colorful visuals and an amazing orchestral soundtrack (by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro, natch), but it had a unique blend of gameplay styles to offer as well.  In addition to Castlevania-esque platforming sections that pitted you against monsters and gigantic bosses, you were literally playing the role of a god, helping repopulate a planet decimated by demons by eliminating monsters, clearing land and helping the people to build farms and cities.  As humanity regains their place in the world, their faith in you increases, making your character more powerful and better preparing him for upcoming stages.  A very clever setup for a game, and a well executed one at that.

16. Kirby Super Star (HAL Laboratory, 1996)

Up until Kirby Super Star, the Kirby series was largely viewed as a kiddified and overly simple series.  I guess even his creator, Masahiro Sakurai, got tired of that image and decided to rework the franchise in a way nobody would soon forget; the end result is this gem.  Kirby Super Star is a complete re-imagining of Kirby, turning it from a leisurely platformer into a blistering-fast action title with a huge variety of powers to utilize and an expansive moveset for each.  Not to mention plenty of huge bosses to topple, stylish visuals and a grand total of nine complete games to play through, each with their own unique twists.  It even adds in two player co-op for the first time in the series, enabling a second person to take control of a Kirby-created "helper" that assumes the form of one of his enemies.  It's Kirby with a dose of the same manic energy and surprising depth that would later spawn the Smash Brothers series.

15. Super Mario RPG (Squaresoft, 1996)

The kings of console RPGs crossed over with the kings of platforming to create a game, and as you'd probably expect, the result was an ingenious hybrid of both. Utilizing all the best aspects of Mario's platforming, Donkey Kong Country's 3D-rendered graphics and Square's affinity for inventive RPG mechanics (introducing numerous minigames and "timed hit" mechanics to the mix), Super Mario RPG is a game that's equal parts innovative and fun.  Even the plot is surprisingly good, featuring some clever twists, unique boss monsters and surprisingly high stakes for a franchise that wasn't exactly renowned for its rich universe or deep storytelling in the first place.  In short, SMRPG provides intuitive pick-up-and-play gameplay for newcomers, but also manages to provide enough depth and challenge for die-hard RPG fans as well.  Simply brilliant.

14. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (Chunsoft, 1992)

Dragon Quest was never exactly a huge name in the west, but it still had a substantial following; not enough to get Enix to localize its two entries on the Super Famicom, however, which is a shame as its fifth entry is considered one of the best in the series by many fans (and even the series' creator, Yuji Horii, has said it's his favorite).  It certainly upends quite a few popular tropes - you're not the chosen hero of the story, but rather spend a good chunk of it searching for them, and it incorporates passage of time and multiple generations into its narrative, which is something still relatively few games attempt.  It even incorporates a bit of Bard's Tale or Shin Megami Tensei into its design by letting you recruit monsters to your party, who can level up over time and become quite formidable allies themselves.  A surprisingly ambitious and unusually dark entry in a series that normally prides itself so heavily on adhering to tradition.

13. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (Rare, 1995)

Another example of a groundbreaking game getting an equally groundbreaking sequel, Donkey Kong Country 2 had more of everything to offer.  Stage variety, hidden secrets, animal companions, sharper visuals, better music... it really was a step above the first DKC in every respect.  Hell, it even took a page from Super Mario World's book and had entire hidden worlds to discover if you found enough special coins to unlock them, and these stages were among the toughest the game, so your skills had to be honed to a T just to stand a chance at making it through them.  There were even some clever cameos from other Nintendo characters if you managed to collect enough hidden DK coins before the ending.  A standout platforming classic that remains one of my all-time favorites.

12. Final Fantasy V (Squaresoft, 1992 in Japan)

There has been (and always will be) a lot of debate about which 16-bit Final Fantasy is the best, and to me, that answer will always be "Mystic Quest".  I kid, I kid; put down the torches and pitchforks.  The answer to me is V (keep them down), and that comes in large part due to the sheer genius of its gameplay.  Returning to the choice-based system of Final Fantasy III, letting you pick any of thirty or so classes and change them at almost any time, it also allowed you for the first time in the series to mix-and-match abilities from those classes, letting you customize your party to an insane degree.  Want a monk that can equip armor like a Knight?  You can do it.  A summoner that can use white magic?  You can do that too.  A thief who can wield axes?  Yep, it's possible.  It was even the debut of my favorite Final Fantasy class, the Blue Mage, who copies powerful monster spells for later use.  But most fun of all, your base Freelancer class keeps bonuses you've earned from classes you've mastered, becoming an uber-powerful juggernaut class at the end of the game.  Sure, it's a bit uneven difficulty-wise and certainly not the best SNES RPG in terms of storytelling, but I was having too much fun with it to care.  Final Fantasy V was great, is great and always will be great.

11. Mega Man X (Capcom, 1994)

Mega Man was one of the most successful franchises on the NES, spawning a grand total of six games (and one odd Japan-exclusive spinoff) before the platform was finally discontinued.  Never one to let a cash cow die, though, Capcom updated the series for a new console generation.  Featuring a darker style and story, a more rock-driven soundtrack, screen-filling enemies and even some creative new powerups for Mega Man like a four-level charge, a dash and armor to reduce damage taken, it introduced a lot of new ideas while keeping the familiar run-and-gun gameplay the franchise became famous for.  Of course, X was always overshadowed in popularity by his "sidekick" Zero, leading to him eventually being a playable character in later entries and even getting his own spinoff franchise...

10. Super Metroid (Nintendo, 1994)

Another game for the SNES that represents a massive leap over its predecessors, Super Metroid  has a larger environment to offer than its NES counterpart, but a significant leap forward in mechanics and design.  Samus now has several new powerups including screen-clearing super bombs, a grapple beam that enables swinging over long gaps, a Space Jump that enables infinite jumping in midair (so long as you have ample room), and even a clever innovation called the "Shine Spark" that enables rocketing through long horizontal or vertical areas at incredible speeds (so long as you have enough room to build up some substantial momentum first).  Then top that off with some eerie atmosphere, a moody soundtrack, huge boss monsters and a brilliant sense of isolation in a hostile alien world and you have this masterpiece of the action-adventure genre.  Hell, even the story is pretty damn good despite having virtually no spoken dialog in it...

9. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo, 1992)

A game that truly earns the moniker of "legendary", A Link to the Past is not just my choice for one of the best games on the SNES, but the single best Zelda game ever created, period.  It simply does everything perfectly - a rock-solid presentation with distinctive, charming visuals and unforgettable music, ingenious dungeons and boss battles, a strong narrative with high stakes and moody atmosphere, a huge variety of gameplay features and usable items, and even two entire parallel worlds to explore, the subtle differences between then enabling a ton of secret hunting.  Its concept is solid and amazingly executed in every facet, and I've never once gotten tired of it despite owning and playing it for well over twenty years now.  As a friend of mine once stated, "every Nintendo platform has at least two Zelda games; the SNES is the exception because you can't top perfection."  Very true, sir.  Very true.

8. Terranigma (Quintet, 1995 in Japan, 1996 in Europe)

The final entry in Quintet's "resurrection trilogy", and unfortunately the only one to never receive a North American release. Which is a pity, as it has the most refined presentation and gameplay of the entire series by a wide margin. The visuals, sound design and character animations are top-notch for the SNES (rivaling even the great Chrono Trigger) and the combat has been significantly expanded, giving the player a larger variety of attacks to utilize based on whether he's running, jumping or attacking (or any combination thereof) when the attack button is pressed. It also has probably the most well developed plot and world of the three, with some great twists that I shall not spoil here; like all of Quintet's games, this is a title that must be experienced firsthand.

7. Mega Man X2 (Capcom, 1995)

The original Mega Man X brought Mega Man into a new era in style with its reimagined story and refined gameplay.  But like Mega Man 2 before it, the sequel was what really drove the franchise into the realm of top-tier platformers.  In my eyes, at least.  Following the same formula as the original but adding in much more varied stages, new gameplay innovations (including multiple routes for the story to take)  and even some impressive pseudo-3D effects thanks to an onboard chip in the cart, Mega Man X2 was as much of a leap over X as X was over the NES games.  If only they could have kept that momentum going for later games in the series as well...

6. Illusion of Gaia (Quintet, 1994)

As you've probably guessed from this list, I am a huge Quintet fan.  They definitely brought us some of the strongest music and most brilliant storytelling of the 16-bit era, not to mention some really solid gameplay.  By far my favorite example of this has to be Illusion of Gaia, an unforgettable adventure where all of Quintet's trademark elements come together perfectly.  A tale of love, adventure and redemption across a fully realized world and some brilliantly designed dungeons, featuring some of the best developed characters in any game I've played to date and - no bullshit - my single favorite soundtrack of the 16-bit era.  Illusion of Gaia is easily among my all-time favorite games; I cannot recommend it enough for any fan of action-adventure titles.  Or just strong, heartfelt stories in general.

5. Super Mario All-Stars (Nintendo, 1993)

A no-brainer compilation, taking Nintendo's most beloved classics of the NES era (and, well, ever) and putting them all in one big collection with improved 16-bit visuals and music. That's all well and good, but the real selling factor to most was the fact that this was the first western release of the real Super Mario Bros. 2, released under the title of "The Lost Levels".  Which of course provided a brilliant new challenge for those who had already conquered the trilogy and were looking for some new ground to tread.  All four games also now came equipped with a save feature, so you didn't have to play through the whole thing in one sitting anymore. Later editions even included Super Mario World, adding yet another golden game to an already excellent collection.  Everyone who dared to call themselves a Nintendo fan had to have this one.

4. Super Mario World (Nintendo, 1991)

The fact that this was the first game made for the system and yet still considered one of the strongest it has to offer, as well as one of the greatest games of all time, is a true testament to the staying power of Mario.  Case in point, while this game may keep the formula of its predecessors relatively intact, it also introduces several new concepts to the mix.  A touch of nonlinear exploration thanks to the numerous routes through the game world (and many stages), an innovative new powerup in the form of a cape (which enables full-fledged flight), numerous new stage elements, and of course Yoshi, Mario's ever popular new companion who adds an entirely new dynamic to the gameplay by enabling him to swallow enemies to gain new powers including fire breath and flight.  All things that helped to ensure that Mario was here to stay despite some stiff competition from Sega and their new golden boy Sonic...

 

3. Chrono Trigger (Squaresoft, 1995)

A legendary Square RPG that represents every facet of the company at its absolute best - brilliantly detailed visuals and animation (character designs from Akira Toriyama and art direction by Tetsuya Takahashi), an amazingly well-crafted plot (masterminded by, among others, Masato Kato), a top-notch soundtrack from Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu and Noriko Matsueda, and innovative gameplay that enabled characters to combine their various spells and abilities together for more powerful attacks that could quickly clear minor enemies from the field and inflict heavy damage to bigger bosses.  It was every element of the company at its peak, and the end result is nothing short of brilliant.  Final Fantasy may be their golden cash cow, but Chrono Trigger will always be their number one original game in my book.

2. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Nintendo, 1995)

Another top-tier platformer from the book of Nintendo, Yoshi's Island is one of the most impressive SNES games on a technical level as well as one of the greatest games ever created in the genre. Utilizing the Super FX2 chip for its unique "hand drawn" visual style, the game features large, deformable sprites and mode 7 effects, as well as some clever sprite scaling and polygonal elements.  Even the gameplay is a big step up for the franchise, having you play as Yoshi and able to fire and ricochet eggs around the screen in order to defeat enemies and collect otherwise unreachable items.   Fresh, bizarre and undeniably charming, not to mention extremely impressive on a technical front, Yoshi's Island is a true masterpiece.  Now if only they could manage to churn out a decent sequel...

1. Earthbound (APE/HAL Laboratory, 1995)

My favorite game of all time to this day, and that's simply because it's a work of bizarre genius with a great sense of humor.  The brain-child of Shigeato Itoi, who came up with the concept of a quirky Dragon Quest styled RPG set in modern times, Earthbound executes the concept brilliantly.  Flying machines, hostile fire hydrants, pencil erasers (as in, a device that erases pencils), a family of moles all claiming to be the "third strongest" and hippies that attack you with toothbrushes are all just a small example of the surreal humor this game has to offer.  Hell, it's probably also the only RPG where you can have pizza delivered mid-quest and which features its very own musical act throughout.  All of this is perfectly with a brilliant, distinctive and memorable soundtrack and a charming visual style seemingly inspired by western comic strips like Peanuts. I could go on for hours, but I'd be doing you a disservice by doing so.  So cast aside all of your preconceptions about what an RPG should be, then sit down and enjoy Earthbound, easily among the most unforgettable experiences the genre has ever produced with a distinctive charm that will never be matched.