For the time being, I haven’t put the project into practice yet, but suddenly I found myself with my crazy interest in old games lit up with full force, especially those of SNES. I’m a reader and enthusiast of encyclopedic information, so I started wandering through all the blogs and portals, researching which were the best games of the time and which ones were worth being resurrected. As I know that the world does not have exactly the same tastes, I decided to mix the references I saw around with the experiences I had as a rental car mouse in my childhood.
The list below is not exactly a ranking. Therefore, all games here are valuable games of their time. I’m not exactly making a judgment call by putting them in different positions.
I also avoided adding unnecessary sequences, just to make volume. With the exception of Mario and Mortal Kombat, you will not see different games from the same series. I chose 53 games altogether, but there are several others mentioned in the course of the descriptions, which may be worth playing if you like something related.
You will probably disagree with me in the choices, but that’s a good thing because that’s exactly what the lists are for- for us to disagree and bring out even more cool games.
So, here’s my list of 53 badass SNES games. Didn’t you like it? Do your part in the comments below.
Super Mario World 2- Yoshi’s Island
I have an effective relationship with Yoshi’s Island Whenever I have a Super Nintendo (or emulator) close by, I look for him first. The soundtrack, the graphics made as if drawn by a child, the different dynamics presented in the game (like when Yoshi turns into a vehicle), everything seems perfectly placed in its place in such a way that when I see the remakes I always thinks that messed with something totally unnecessary.
In addition, it is worth saying that if you are only interested in playing something casual, without any major problems, this game is for you. And, if you are looking for something more challenging, full of secrets and puzzles, this game is also for you. Depending on which posture you adopt, it becomes easier or much more difficult. Full plate.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4- Turtles In Time
Here I have only one thing to say- throw enemies on the screen. It was just too much to do and totally surreal for the time. In addition, the game had awesome gameplay in many ways. Simple and electrifying, the game is certainly worth it.
Chrono Trigger
This is one that I only went to play later, but that was the Holy Grail of the SNES at the time. I confess that until today I will not do it completely. I also don’t think it can. The game had very crazy characters, designed by Akira Toriyama, the author of Dragon Ball Z. It takes you to 13 different endings and is full of variations and mistakes that you can make and when you least expect it, you entered some path of no return that goes lead you to an ending that you had no idea.
Top Gear
The opening song of the first Top Gear is a cultural artifact. Who doesn’t remember? The game itself was never great abroad, but here, it is a regional classic. There are those who prefer the second, there are those who prefer the third, called Top Gear 3000. I really like the three that came out on SNES and I recommend the series as a whole.
Megaman X
Another one that is worth mentioning the entire series. All the games made for SNES, from Megaman X to X3, are incredible, but I think the first is the highest point. Megaman X brought the blue hero to a different level for the time when the franchise was already a little worn out. More adult than the original series, with a heavier and more intense soundtrack (which generated countless remixes) and a redesign of the game’s mechanics, it will certainly consume some good hours of your life. And it is not worth ending without taking Hadouken.
Earthworm Jim
I swear I tried hard to understand this game and I couldn’t. Cows, refrigerators, old ladies, tires, an earthworm wearing a space suit … it was all very bizarre, but absurdly beautiful and engaging. This game, in my humble opinion, has aged very well (despite the pixels evident by today’s standards), with its aesthetics and gameplay beyond absurd. Extra point for the soundtrack.
Super Metroid
Super Metroid is a solitary, dark, silent, tedious, difficult, claustrophobic game, often frustrating and full of desperate moments. I don’t know why people play this, really. But the truth is, once you start to get into the game’s settings and caves, you just don’t stop.
Donkey Kong Country
Okay, obvious. Donkey Kong took SNES to another level of graphics, with renders that were alien in a 16-bit video game. Nobody even believed when they saw it. But other than that, the game itself is fantastic and too much fun. It is not worth saying that he played without having zeroed with 101%. And yes, the other two are also worth every minute of the game.
Super Mario Kart
This game divided families, separated brothers, broke friendships. Super Mario Kart probably has a lot of karma from the fights that resulted from multiplayer. I’ve never seen a game like this, in which dishonesty is rewarded in such a way that it doesn’t matter if you run well or not, anything can happen. And yes, that is the great grace of the thing. You will laugh and despair while playing, you can be sure. I still hold a grudge against my brother to this day because of Mario Kart.
Super Street Fighter
At that time, Street Fighter was unbeatable. The best fighting game by far (sorry, Mortal Kombat fans). The Super version introduced four new characters, new scenarios, more music, in short, more everything. In the SNES it was cut a little to fit the cartridge, but nothing that disfigured the game. It was sure to be a happy afternoon (or not so much, if you were a bad loser).
Mortal Kombat 2
I’m avoiding putting too many games from the same franchise on the same list, but it’s been difficult. In the case of Mortal Kombat, there is no way to not make a specific note about the second game. Everything you had in the first one was perfected and taken to a new scale. You had that whole series of fatalities and suddenly you are faced with other possible types of humiliation, like babalities. Not to mention that, at the time, it was not enough to press start to have access to all codes. Knowing a fatality was a reason to raise your status with friends. Today, I bet you can’t decorate everything you did when you were a kid.
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
When Mortal Kombat 3 came out, the world was divided. There were those who found the change the series went through amazing and the others who were a little disappointed by things like the Sub-Zero change and the absence of Scorpion. When they released the Ultimate version, for SNES, a lot of people gave their arm to cheer and started playing the same way. Many more characters, faster gameplay, more scenarios, and the kids’ bloodlust just grew. It was a good time to live.
Killer Instinct
It’s true that it’s practically another game when it comes to graphics compared to Arcade, but no one can say that it didn’t rock the SNES. It is as if it was thought to be a good game based on the original rather than merely a port with fewer resources to fit 16bit. I think fuck. And I repeat- that soundtrack added to the voice of the narrator gave unfortunate fear.
Final Fight
The SNES cartridge had an unforgivable error- it didn’t have Guy. I have no idea what went through Capcom’s mind to remove the character, but the truth is, if you had liked the arcade and brought the tape from the video store to play at home, you would have come across this failure. But in fact, it was still a really bad game, even so. Unmatched in style. Anyway, the other Final Fight was also great. I especially like the third one.
Harvest Moon
The synopsis of the game has everything to make you think that this is the most boring thing you’ve ever seen in life- taking care of a farm. But the reality is that, before Pokémon, Harvest Moon already brought your father’s instinct to the fore and made you the happy owner of a farm stuffed with cows, chickens, crops, chores and the whole administrative world in the cutest possible way. Don’t condemn me, it’s a good game.
Metal Warriors
The introduction of Metal Warriors already comes to show what the game is made of- heavy artillery and action with giant robots, in the best Gundam style. The multiplayer mode is awesome.
Super Mario RPG
I remember walking around all the rental stores in the neighborhood, looking for this game. It was a rare item, but it was well worth it. It had wonderful graphics for SNES and brought Mario in an RPG dynamic (which I was discovering at the time). As we lived in an era still without this ease of searching for information, every time I read about it in a game magazine, I was crazy about wanting to play. Magazines were torn with so much praise. When I took a cartridge in my hands, I didn’t even know what to do.
Uniracers
I freaked out when I got in touch with that game. He was fast, colorful, and had a really cool multiplayer system. I spent long afternoons playing with my brother.
I found it at a video store, lost, and ended up with the cartridge, I don’t remember exactly how (I’m sure I didn’t steal it, I swear). Today, looking over it, I discovered that it was the subject of a Pixar lawsuit for the design of the unicycles and was restricted to the initial 300,000 copies. So, you will hardly see one of these around and, if you do, keep the cartridge for yourself. I should have done the same.
Aladdin
Everyone has played this one. Based on Disney animation, it is a very simple but beautiful sidescroller adventure game, not too difficult and quick to finish. Good for one of those afternoons that you decided to procrastinate and want to have the feeling that you have completed something.
Rock ‘n Roll Racing
I think playing this game was the first time that I heard most of the classics that made up the soundtrack. But other than that, which was the detail that drew the most attention, the game itself was very cool. The races were fast and you had to be smart not to take a missile and lose without having any idea what hit you.
Zelda- A link to the past
You can’t help tearing up too much silk for this game. He defined practically everything that became the standard of the series from then on and was, without a doubt, a very important point in the adventure RPG concept itself. For those who have no interest in this historical aspect, by itself, it guarantees a great immersion and is sure to be a headache to discover how to solve all those puzzles. Again, point to the soundtrack and the chickens.
Final Fantasy VI
In the USA, this game came as Final Fantasy III, you may see it with that title around. I think Final Fantasy IV (II in the US) might well be on the list, but Final Fantasy VI has a special place in my heart. This was probably the first game that made me empathize with the characters and I don’t think I’ve ever been as involved with a sequel as the famous opera scene. It was the last Final Fantasy in the main series to be in 2D and represented one of Square’s best moments on Nintendo so far.
International Super Star Soccer Deluxe
For many people, this was the best football game for a long time. I include myself in that list. I’m not exactly a football fan, but that game took me a long time. It had no incredible graphics, no great sound, or any other more visual aspect that stood out, but the gameplay was very simple, and the dynamics paid off, especially when you played against a friend. He was responsible for raising Alejo to the status of a national hero.
Against III
About this game, I remember one afternoon in particular, when my brother (who was in love with Contra) joined another friend and they stayed, literally, all day, non-stop, trying to reset the thing. It was a day that demanded a great deal of preparation for the feat. Coca Cola, snacks, shouting and despair defined that moment. And they didn’t finish the damn game.
Sunset Riders
I have very strong memories of the popularity of Sunset Riders at a certain time. And if I had a cool feeling about the game, it was doing something epic. He brought a certain superhero atmosphere to the western scene, and in that, you felt great when you explode things with your pistol, running over a burst of herd or riding a horse.
Super Mario All-Stars
This is just a collection, but it is worth mentioning. At the time Nintendo decided to relaunch Mario games for the NES in a remake for the SNES. And here they did historic and respectable work, bringing in some necessary new features, like the option to save progress, improving graphics and sound, but without disfiguring the games. I myself prefer the versions of this cartridge over the original ones.
Kirby Super Star
I’m suspicious to say since I’m a fan of Kirby. I remember that he was not popular with my friends. Either people didn’t know or just didn’t like it, due to the cute aspect of the game. But when I first played Kirby Adventure on the NES, it blew my mind. He interacted with virtually every villain. Almost everything he swallowed gave some superpower, not to mention the animal scenarios, the very well-designed stages, the captivating track, and the mini-games, which gave a special touch to the whole work.
In SNES, the one that best inherited all this was the Kirby Super Star, much more focused on mini-games and the experience between two players, whether competitive or cooperative. If you like it, it’s also worth investing in getting to know others for the console, especially Kirby Dreamland 3.
Goof Troop
This game was very popular in rental companies at one time. It was super fun to play in pairs and there was a challenge just right for you to have a lot of fun, except when those puzzles left you stuck in some part of the game. Very fun and good to avoid fighting in the enclosure, since it will reactivate the need for cooperation between people.
Super Bomberman
At the time when the SNES had its peak, one aspect of life became more important than ever- friendship. If you had no friends, there was no way to play in multiplayer, a format that saved most games. Hitting a friend’s house (since you didn’t have a cell phone) and inviting him to play something at home is a totally different experience than playing online.
Bomberman is proof that multiplayer can be the basis of a game. Inviting a friend to play with you was something that improved the game, which was already good, by 457%. Extremely simple, but healthily challenging, he was suddenly outrageously amused. I prefer the third one, but I can say that you can take any cartridge, call some friends, buy some beers and spend the most fun hours of your life with anyone else in the series.
Star Fox
Star Fox blew heads up when it was released. In SNES, literally, it doesn’t even have anything like it. It’s another tough game, but one that holds you more than adolescent passion. If you’ve never played, do yourself a favor now and try not to cry in that damn asteroid stage.
R-Type III- The third lightning
This game gave me breathlessness and raised my anxiety to unhealthy levels. The soundtrack was electrifying and the feeling that you were at breakneck speed and could get shot or hit a wall was terrible. Hard game from hell, but very good.
Super Mario World
He is the Acoustic Titans of the Super Nintendo. Sure you should have a copy of it thrown around your house and you just don’t know it. But, in addition to the fact that it came in the SNES box, it is, indeed, an excellent and memorable game.
Tetris Attack
It doesn’t resemble the classic Tetris of pieces that fall as you despair to close lines. Instead, there is a scheme in which you move two pieces of place and you have to make combinations of three or more identical objects. Everything filled with drawings and characters from the Yoshi universe. Pretty cool in itself. If you test it, you will see how interesting and fun it is. But the real fun lies in the competitive mode. Call a friend and watch the animal catch fire when you make combinations larger than three pieces and start sending blocks and obstacles to the other’s panel. It’s war, man.
Demon’s Crest
There are reports of people who had to return the game if the mother saw the cover after it arrived from the video store. It’s related to Ghosts’ n Goblins, but in my opinion, it’s a much more mature game. It has RPG elements in an action game platform. It is also reputed to be very difficult.
Gradius III
Navy games made me crazy. Gradius III is no exception to this rule. The trail is quite massive and you have to destroy enemies along the way while collecting items that improve your weapons. The fuck is that, if you die, your gun goes back to zero and, depending on where you are, there’s no way, you can’t recover. So, I think you can already understand, this game is very difficult and will make you grind your teeth when you see those giant bosses in front of you shooting and other ships all over the place.
Secret Of Evermore
From the first moment, something captured me in The Secret Of Evermore. The story, the main character’s relationship with his dog, all the twists, the constant strangeness of the scenarios, and the puzzle challenge. When you see it, the hours go by and your curiosity persists, until the end. It is not a very popular game there, but I highly recommend it.
Side Pocket
I loved this game and a classy soundtrack. But looking at it today, I don’t understand how so many people played it. All the action took place on a pool table, that’s all. But it was pretty cool, especially to play in pairs. In addition, if you wanted, there were some surreal challenges with the ball, just for the experts.
Mickey to Donald- Magical Adventure 3
I think everyone played Magical Adventure 3. He was just very successful in cooperative mode. In fact, this was a time when Disney games were very smart. And don’t think it’s easy just because it’s cute. You will have a lot of work with this one.
Super Castlevania IV
The series is old known, since the days of NES. This version brought everything that was already famous at the time and founded new bases that became essential requirements. It is worth being a game-changer that perfected several concepts, but also because it is a very good game in itself.
F-Zero
I was too stupid to play F-Zero, but I liked it a lot. I hit all the walls and always arrived in bad positions (or not at all). In fact, the game is on the list more because I see how many people loved it than because I spent many hours in it. Anyway, it’s worth it.
The Legend Of The Mystical Ninja
This was a very crazy time in some ways. I remember finding this game in my walks around the neighborhood behind people who had SNES tapes and were interested in doing business with them (think- I was about 10 years old). I remember it was a Famicon cartridge, with a badly damaged label. I didn’t even want this game and I had no idea that it would be so absurdly fun. Unfortunately, it was just borrowed and I never got it back. Thanks to the internet, I was able to play again only as an adult.
Mighty Morphing Power Rangers
There was no way that this game was not a success. It came at the height of the TV series craze and, in fact, was not terrible. You could have fun and spend a few hours listening to the Power Rangers theme and fighting Zed and Rita Repulsa. Today, I think he was more popular than effectively good but definitely worth the play.
The Adventures of Batman & Robin
There’s a golden rule about Batman on the SNES- stay away. But this game, based on the animated series (which was fantastic, by the way), is very good. I still hate that damn labyrinth phase.
NBA Jam
This one I played very little, I almost didn’t understand the rules of basketball (until today, inclusive), but I can’t help noticing that he was very successful. Here, the fun was to make giant leaps, frolic in the special moves before the baskets and unlock some cool characters, like the then President of the USA, Bill Clinton.
X-Men Mutant Apocalypse
Another game that was very popular because of the hit TV series at the time. Everyone liked Wolverine’s missions the most. There was also another similar game that was worth it but that was less popular, Marvel Super Heroes- War of the Gems.
Secret Of Mana
SNES has a myriad of excellent RPGs. Many are so incredible that it is an injustice not to mention, like Star Ocean, Tales of Phantasia or Breath Of Fire. Here is an honorable mention to all of these. Anyway, even alongside these other great games, Secret Of Mana does it differently. It is a very beautiful game, with an aspect of charisma that, in my humble opinion, highlights it in relation to the already great list of games of the genre on the Super Nintendo. It is also worth noting that you can play in a very interesting cooperative system.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Zombies can be a big cultural trend today, but back in the 90s, it was just an article from B. Zombies Ate My Neighbors plays these monsters in a comedy context and makes the whole thing quite fun.
Biker Mice From Mars
Biker Mice From Mars is derived from an animated series. Basically, it’s another thing that I never really understood, but that I liked a lot before I was 10 years old. The game was a race with weapons on small circuits and with some obstacles. It resembles a little Rock ‘n Roll Racing. It was also good to play in pairs and was the biggest hit at the rental companies.
Tiny Toon- Wacky Sports Challenge
I asked on my Facebook about which games to play and some people mentioned him. I didn’t even remember, but in fact, what a cool game. It was an Olympic sports game in mini-games in which you could use the cartoon characters. Simple as that, but really fun to play in multiplayer.
Wild Guns
Along with Sunset Riders at the rental store, there were always Wild Guns. The dynamics are different, as Sunset Riders have more action in sidescrolling, but Wild Guns does not do ugly in what it proposes.
Sonic Wings
Of the Super Nintendo ship games, I think Sonic Wings (also known as Aero Fighters) was the most popular. Everyone played. Unlike Gradius III and R-Type III, this one had a superior view, in which you were advancing and shooting the enemies that were sprouting in front of you. And, believe me, the shooting was taken seriously here. He blinked, lost.
Desert Strike- Return to The Golf
Before 3D, the isometric perspective played the role of putting you in a world with more freedom of movement. Desert Strike is based on the Gulf War and you have to fly a helicopter on different missions. The strategy is one of the essential prerequisites for you to succeed. And ammunition, because it will be missing.
Joe & Mac 2
Another game that was almost unanimous. Super hype at the time. I think the second one is a little better than the first one, so I chose it, but both are worth the play. It has a 16-bit aesthetic and is a great adventure, with touches of humor. It’s perfect for turning off the brain and relaxing uncompromisingly.
