Contrary to popular belief, a flashy sequel doesn't equal a bad sequel all the time. In a bold move, Contra III fast-forwarded the action to the distant future and improved not only the aesthetics, but the scope and storyline of the game, all while maintaining the "run and gun" appeal of the original. Though there have been plenty of knockoffs since, none have had a weapon as universally appealing as the Spread Gun. None.
A solid follow-up, marred by terrible ports in years to come, the original version of Earthworm Jim 2provided plenty of new features while adhering to its predecessor's insane pace and humor. While the first installment could comfortably be classified as a platformer, the sequel launched traditional level design out the window like a cow off a catapult. One level had you bouncing puppies off a giant marshmallow, Game & Watch style, and another had you inexplicably playing as a cave salamander named "Blind Sally." All this, and the protagonist is still an earthworm in a super suit. Groovy.
21.
As games have moved away from arcade-style life bars and towards autosaves and regenerating health, it's easy to forget how hard video games used to be. Nowadays, with enough time and patience, most any game can be waded through. F-Zero didn't give half a damn about some namby-pamby, new-agey, all-inclusive philosophy, preferring instead to grind its players' egos down to nubs with impossibly fast racing, unpredictable obstacles, and uncannily skilled AI opponents. If you think you've gotten frustrated playing Demon's Souls, you haven't played F-Zero.
20.
Final Fantasy was for shut-ins. Secret of Mana was for kicking ass with buddies. The game offered wider opportunities for tactics and wit during battles, as well as beautiful visuals and a sophisticated player growth system. Setting itself apart from its RPGcontemporaries, Secret of Mana featured a real-time combat system, teamwork-oriented co-op play for up to three players, and it streamlined clunky menu pages into intuitive in-game rings. It single-handedly justified the existence of the Super Multi-tap. What else were you using it for? OK, besides Bomberman?
19.
Besides having arguably the best name of any video game ever, Super Castlevania IV was a triumph in other respects, too. The new navigation and combat features helped not to make the game easier, but to enhance the entire experience. Graphical improvements over previous installments made exploring Dracula's castle that much more creepy, and the 16-bit score is one of the best on the console. While the Castlevania series is known for its non-linear level design, SCIV stuck to straight platforming. It had a heavy focus on weapons, especially Simon's signature whip, which he could now manipulate like a damn virtuoso. Whip it good, buddy.
18.
It's your classic tale of earthworm finds ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit, earthworm puts on ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit, earthworm uses ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit to defeat evil crow. At the time of its release, Earthworm Jim was regaled for its impressive animation, refined gameplay, heavy-handed comedic themes, and other things you don't have to be a Professor Monkey-For-A-Head to appreciate. It holds up shockingly well, its art and level design are still distinct and original. Despite occasionally clunky controls, Earthworm Jim is part of the grand tradition of off-the-wall games like Psychonauts and Monkey Island: You either love them or you haven't played them.
17.
The original Mortal Kombat is one of the most controversial games of all time. The only thing it had in higher volume than gore and violence was people that wanted to play it. Mortal Kombat focused on Liu Kang's journey to save the earth from the evil sorcerer, Shang Tsung, but everyone else focused on the spine-rippingly good fatalities. Not to mention Sonya Blade--who put the "babe" in "I'm getting the shit kicked out of me by a babe." Though lacking the refinement of a Street Fighter or the manic pace of a Marvel vs. Capcom, Mortal Kombat was undeniably bad-ass, especially juxtaposed against the backdrop of the Super Nintendo. Their portly Italian plumber spokesman barely decapitated anybody.
16.
(Official Title: Final Fantasy IV) While the game has been re-released under its original title, Final Fantasy IV was originally known as Final Fantasy II outside of Japan. Believe it or not, there was a time when executives were afraid that the Final Fantasy series wouldn't appeal to western gamers and picked and chose what to send over. Considering Final Fantasy X-2, this is clearly no longer a concern. In any case, Final Fantasy IV was a major step forward in RPG story-telling. It paved the way for the rest of the series and other RPGs in general. Also, suck it, Final Fantasy VII: Final Fantasy IV was killing off main characters before it became cool.
15.
Considered by some to be the greatest fighting game ever (or at the very least, the best Mortal Kombat game), it's no surprise that gamers rank it as one of the greatest SNES games of all time. MK II introduced a slew of brutal new fatalities and added Babalities and Friendships to the roster. Sprinkle in a few secret characters, the ability to play as original Mortal Kombat boss Shang Tsung, more playable ninjas (because Mortal Kombat always needs more ninjas) and you've got a hit on your hands. TOASTY!
14.
The prequel of the Mario Bros. series, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island gives you the apparently much-demanded backstory of how the bros. and their sweet dino companion came to be, sparing many parents the awkward experience of explaining where Baby Marios come from. Yoshi's Island maintained its predecessor's excellent platforming and added a unique focus on puzzle-solving. It had a beautiful hand-drawn aesthetic to accompany its delightfully idiosyncratic game mechanics. What it lacks in princesses and fully-grown characters, it makes up for in being able to control dinosaurs--which is all anyone could ever ask for.
13.
Credited with starting The Great Fighting Game Craze of the 1990s, Street Fighter II: Turbo was the reason everybody was kung fu street fighting. Those kids were fast as lightning in begging their parents to let them get their flying spinning kicks and fireballs on, which was a little bit frightening for CPU-controlled opponents and vocal anti-violence-against-cars activists alike. While the arcade version is responsible for draining hundreds of thousands of dollars of allowance money, the Super Nintendo version allowed gamers to beat the shit out of each other in front of pixelated onlookers over and over and over again for no extra fee.
12.
A side-scrolling sequel to the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle arcade game, Turtles in Time brought the radical pizza-eating reptiles back where they belong--your personal television screen. Based on the animated series, you controlled your favorite turtle as they slid, dashed, and jumped around the sewers and streets of New York City, trying to cowabungle the plans of the evil Shredder. Also, there was time travel. If that doesn't sound totally awesome to you, you must have had toxic waste dropped on your head as a baby.
11.
(Official Title: Final Fantasy VI) Commercially successful and critically acclaimed, Final Fantasy VI was easily the best Final Fantasygame when it was released and perhaps ever. The game opened the floodgates for the franchise: Every Final Fantasy game since has been given a western release, no longer forcing publishers to change the names of games. VI also featured 14 playable characters and a level of storytelling head and shoulders above any seen in an RPG up to that point. While it lacks the same widespread appeal as Final Fantasy VII, FF VI will always be gamers' favorite Final Fantasy.
10.
Expanding upon the runaway success of the first installment, Donkey Kong Country 2 introduced more collectibles and more animal companions. With a new pirate theme and featuring Diddy Kong and his girlfriend Dixie, Donkey Kong Country 2 proved that Donkey Kong Country games didn't need the titular ape to move units. It was an improvement over its predecessor in almost every way with an orchestral soundtrack, higher difficulty level, and better graphics, though it can't quite unseat its classic status.
9.
In this title, Fox McCloud and his team of zoo animals embark on their first battle against the forces of Andross. Star Fox featured graphics revolutionary for its time, utilizing the much-hyped Super FX microchip. It was a game of firsts: the first true 3D Nintendo game, the first installment in a core Nintendo franchise, and the first time animals were put in space ships without upsetting animal rights organizations. Memorable not only for its face-melting polygons and big polygon faces, Star Fox also introduced us to Slippy, a weird, horrible sexless troll creature that would haunt our dreams for years to come. As Falco would say, "Dabba do dada?"
8.
The original Mega Man games were bright, breezy, colorful, (hair-pullingly difficult), romps populated by cute robots and memorable bosses. Mega Man X switched up the setting and added in new gameplay elements without sacrificing the formula that made the original games classics. It dialed back the punishing difficulty and added dashing, wall-jumping, and the ability to charge special weapons. Mega Man X was designed to make you feel like the penultimate dystopian bad-ass. The ultimate, of course, is Zero.
7.
Bowser and Mario, working together? Mass hysteria! Before Super Mario RPG, that was merely a pipe dream. Developed by the RPGwhizzes at Square (under the guidance of videogame maestro Shigeru Miyamoto) and published by Nintendo, Super Mario RPG cast the characters of Mushroom Kingdom in a new light. Rather than a standard top-down world crawl, Super Mario RPG played like an isometric platformer, complete with the block hopping and brick smashing of traditional Mario games, while adding a new dimension to exploration. The battle system, too, added layers to the formula by including timed button presses, making combat fast-paced and engaging. The ultimate "shouldn't work but totally does" game, Super Mario RPG broke all the rules of plumber roleplaying.
6.
Made by the "Dream Team" of Square developers, Chrono Trigger revolutionized the RPG genre. Praised by critics and loved by fans, this game had it all: multiple endings, time travel and an anthropomorphic frog knight. Starring the greatest mute protagonist this side of Hyrule, Chrono Trigger combined traditional turn-based combat with a sophisticated combo system. When someone starts playing Chrono Trigger, it's not a question of whether he or she will play through the entire game: It's a question of how many times.
5.
People don't love Super Metroid because of its unbelievably slick control scheme, its kick-ass weapons and power ups, and its cornucopia of secret moves to impress your friends and separate the men from the boys (those hours spent practicing wall jumping were necessary). People love Super Metroid because it's got atmosphere like you wouldn't believe. Between the enormous, sinister sandbox world of Zebes and the goosebump-inducing 16-bit soundtrack, Super Metroid combined the claustrophobia and loneliness of Alien with the badassness of Boba Fett, and packaged it all up in a perfectly polished platformer. Facing off against Kraid, Ridley, and Mother Brain, the holy trinity of terrifying boss battles, is just icing on the cake.
4.
As if a game featuring a giant ape who beats up alligators and rides a rhinoceros would be anywhere other than the top five. Easily the most classic Super Nintendo game about a monkey with a tie, Donkey Kong Country deserves praise simply for putting its developer, Rare, on the map, kicking off a spree of little-known games like GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark, and Conker's Bad Fur Day. Their first mega-hit was no slouch, either, with pseudo-3D graphics that pushed the SNES to its limits, co-op gameplay, and tons of level variety.
3.
Like the giant squid and the sperm whale, Super Mario Kart is doomed to wrestle forever with its sibling, Mario Kart 64, for ultimate classic kart status. Luckily, our readers didn't have to make that Sophie's Choice. In terms of sheer total hours of playtime accumulated, Super Mario Kart easily blows away any competitors, largely because it's the most easily picked up and played game on the Super Nintendo or any other console. It's so good, you can almost forgive it for establishing the "spelling things with a K" precedent.
2.
It is the highest selling SNES game that brought Mario into the next generation. From the expansive world to bonus levels and Easter eggs, there were hours of interesting and expansive game play. SMW kept all the awesome platforming that made the originals classics and topped it off with everyone's favorite jolly green dinosaur. The addition of Yoshi is undoubtedly SMW's biggest contribution to the Mario franchise. While riding Yoshi, gamers could finally play a Mario game as a character not restricted to using jumps as his main attack. Now they could devour opponents and literally spit fire. Sure, Mario Bros. 2 had a bigger roster, but Yoshi was more fun to control than any of those other characters combined. Plus, as Biggie would say: "It was all a dream."
1.
Simply describing A Link To The Past barely does it justice. The scope and scale is literally awesome. Your epic quest spans hundreds of game miles across two worlds. The game introduced tons of what would become the staples of the series, chief among them the master sword, the hook shot, the spin attack, and Zelda's distinctive pink-and-white dress. It significantly expanded the mythology of Hyrule and the Triforce. Even ignoring its legacy, A Link To The Past is a spectacular game; after all, how many 20-30 hour games make you want to start right over from the beginning the minute you beat them? The puzzles are mindbending, the bosses challenging, the dungeons masterfully designed, the combat simple and perfect, the side quests engaging, the easter eggs delightful, the items endlessly creative, the stakes high, and the world of Hyrule as gorgeous, mysterious, and vast as it's ever been. A Link To The Past is a testament to the power of imagination and ambition in video games, and we're proud to rank it as the greatest Super Nintendo game ever.
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