Of all the game systems I've played, the Super Nintendo probably had
the greatest impact on me. I loved the NES, but was a bit young to
appreciate it for its full lifespan and entire catalog. However, the
SNES came out when I was 10, with new games released till I was 15 -
perfect for my formative game-playing years. It was the SNES that
spurred my life-long love of role-playing games, as my list will
attest. So, without further ado, here are my top 10 favorite Super
Nintendo games of all time. Of course, I make no claim that these are
"the best" games, and welcome other opinions and discussion.
1. Final Fantasy 3 (yes, I know it's really 6)
The
magnum opus of Japanese-style RPGs. A great overarching story with
the world destroyed halfway through married with a cast of interesting
characters, each with their own individual tales to tell. Nobuo
Uematsu's masterpiece soundtrack. Engaging battles and great character
development. No successive Final Fantasy has lived up to the epicness
that is this game.
2. Chrono Trigger
CT
has perhaps the coolest use of time travel ever in a video game. It
also changed things up by not having a separate battle screen (something
rarely duplicated since in a turn-based RPG) and including awesome
double and triple tech combo attacks for your characters. Great
soundtrack, intriguing characters (Magus!), memorable locations
(Zeal!). I think it's also accessible enough to appeal to gamers that
typically shy away from RPGs. It was tough picking between this and FF3
for #1, but in the end the grand scope of FF3 barely won out. However,
Chrono Trigger will not disappoint anyone that picks it up. It is
timeless.
3. Final Fantasy 2 (yes, I know it's really 4)
When
this game came out I went absolutely bananas over it, and probably
drove my parents crazy looking for it (this was before eBay and
Amazon). It cemented my love of RPGs forever. Looking back, yes the
story is pretty simple and cliched, but 12-year-old me loved it. I
could not get enough of the tale of Cecil and his crew. It may have
been a proving ground for what was to follow in FF3, but everything
about it stands up on its own merits.
4.. Super Mario Kart
This
is the reason I bugged my parents to get me a SNES for Christmas. The
pure racing and item-chucking action was just so much fun. My dad and I
played this for hours, and it didn't get better than Battle Mode.
Personally, this is my favorite Mario Kart, despite the predictable
enemy paths and few dumb items (woohoo the coin!). It's also the
hardest and, I think, fastest. What an accomplishment when you finally
take first on the 150cc Special Cup. Its Rainbow Road was the first,
and still best.
5. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
My
favorite Zelda. I like it better than any 3D Zelda that followed.
It's the perfect blend of action, puzzle-solving, and light
role-playing. In later Zeldas I could get frustrated by some puzzles,
and they were just too talky. Obviously I don't mind dialogue in games,
but in Zelda I mainly want to hit things with the Master Sword. Link
to the Past had the perfect balance.
6. Secret of Mana
The
only time I ever got my dad to play an RPG-ish game. I had to keep
things pretty straightforward for him - he was the guy, and he beat
things with the sword. Still, it was a lot of fun. SoM features a huge
world to explore, tons of weapons and spells to power up, great boss
fights, and a memorable soundtrack. The opening theme with the Mana
Tree illustration and smooth animation of the birds is unforgettable.
7. Earthbound
The
first RPG I played with a non-medieval fantasy setting. It's a great
Japanese take on small-town Americana. A quirky sense of humor with
challenging Dragon Quest-style battles An adventure worth undertaking,
and when you come home, that digitized voice of your mom saying "I
missed you" gets me every time.
8. Super Mario World 2: Yoso hi's Island
At
a time when the game industry was beginning to go ape-shit over blocky
3D polygons, Yoshi's Island came along to show us 1) it's all about the
gameplay and 2) 2D games can still look awesome. The seemingly
hand-drawn art is perhaps my favorite graphic design on the system. The
gamplay, of course, is also great, with varied levels and lots of stuff
to do. Yes, baby Mario is annoying, but keep him on your back and you
won't have to hear that wail, a problem that was mainly amplified by
Nintendo's stupid decision to put the babies in subsequent sports games
for some treason. Bonus points for the fortress music sounding like it
belongs in an RPG. (As for the original Super Mario World, it's a great
game, but I think I was so oversaturated with it when the SNES came out
from playing through rentals, at Wal-Mart, and at friends' houses, that
when I got a SNES I didn't really have the desire to own it, and never
did.)
9. Ogre Battle
Ogre
Battle features a great mix of strategy and RPG elements that has never
been exactly duplicated, even in following Ogre Battle / Tactics Ogre
games. It also has a morality system that meant that if you want to get
the "best ending," you can't run roughshod over your enemies, but
rather have to beat them in a respectable manner. Nobody likes an
asshole, I guess. All the different character classes you can get
through either good or evil paths give the game great replayability.
One flaw - needs an in-mision save option - some of those levels are
hours long.
10. Terranigma
This
one is a bit of a cheat, since it never came out in the US so I played
it on an emulator. It's a great action RPG that followed SoulBlazer and
Illusion of Gaia, but surpasses them. A huge world with real-world
inspired locations and exciting combat. For American gamers, it's a
lost gem.
If I'm to be fair, however, and only include games that I actually played on the SNES as a kid, then....
Alternate 10. Tetris Attack
The match-3 puzzle game Bejeweled wishes it was. Nuff said.
Honorable Mentions: Super Mario RPG, Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals
Japanese-only Honorable Mentions (I played fan translations): Final Fantasy 5, Dragon Quest 5
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