The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time
In no other console’s history have the quality of games been better & more diverse. Here are 100 best SNES games that defined the system.
Image via Getty/Rouzes
We’re not going to name names, but some of us here at Complex consider the SNES the greatest system of all time. And yes, we’ve played the Sega Dreamcast. It’s the SNES library of games that sells it for us. In no other console’s history have the quality of games been better and more diverse than they were for the SNES. Not even the PS2’s. The first party, Nintendo games were great, of course. But perhaps in the last time in Nintendo’s history, the third-party games were just as good. It was a system that rivaled and beat the Sega Genesis at the finish line and still holds up today. So, enough gushing from us, here’s the damn list already.
100. The Death and Return of Superman
Year: 1994
Publisher: Sunsoft
Quite possibly the only good Superman game ever made, this beat-up allows you to play as the Man of Steel himself, as well as the other characters he split into after that lame ass, Doomsday, punched his face into oblivion.
99. Mortal Kombat
Year: 1993
Publisher: Midway
Sure, it was a sad day for Nintendo when Sega had the better version of the arcade classic on their console. But if you could get past the fact that sweat flew out instead of blood, and the fatalities were kid friendly, then this was a pretty decent port. Hardly a flawless victory, but a good game all the same.
98. Populous
Year: 1991
Publisher: Acclaim
Populous is one of those games we just didn’t get as a kid but picked up later as an adult and adored. It’s one of those god games where you tend to the land and try to keep the people happy so they bow down and worship you. We’re sure you understand why a plumber riding a green dinosaur that devoured things with its tongue was more appealing to us back in the day.
97. Batman Returns
Year: 1993
Publisher: Konami
Before Rocksteady made Batman amazing again, there was this beat-em-up gem. Cracking clown skulls and slamming fools into the ground was so satisfying. It’s also a good translation of the Tim Burton film. We approve.
96. Blackthorne
Year: 1994
Publisher: Interplay Entertainment
Blackthonre is like Prince of Persia or Flashback (More on that game in a few), but with a shotgun. Honestly, what else is there to say?
95. Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs
Year: 1992
Publisher: Electronic Arts (EA)
Yeah, it’s pretty slow-paced today, but it gets credit for kickstarting the NBA Live series. And gotta dig those custom teams.
94. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Year: 1995
Publisher: Acclaim
It may not be the greatest fighting game of all time, but how many other titles let you kick ass as Bruce Lee? And we mean the REAL Bruce Lee, not Lei Wulong from Tekken.
93. The Lost Vikings
Year: 1997
Publisher: Interplay Entertainment
Now here’s a great puzzler/platformer from the company that would later become Blizzard. The switch and play gameplay kind of reminds us of A Boy and his Blob’s jellybean system, but it wasn’t nearly as annoying. Not even close.
92. Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose
Year: 1993
Publisher: Konami
Sheer platforming bliss with everybody’s favorite tiny toons (Buster, Plucky, Taz, they’re all there). This takes us back.
91. Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball
Year: 1994
Publisher: Nintendo
The SNES was definitely not the system you owned if you loved sports games back in the day. That title went to the Genesis. But Ken Griffey Jr’s game for the SNES provided a nice, little arcadey substitute. And hey, gotta love that music.
90. Stunt Race FX
Year: 1994
Publisher: Nintendo
While it may not look too hot today, this game (And Star Fox, too) made us believe in the power of the Super FX chip.
89. Knights of the Round
Year: 1994
Publisher: Capcom
A Capcom beat-em-up featuring some of the knights of the round table that was in the same vein as Golden Axe? You know we were on this one back in the day.
88. Cool Spot
Year: 1993
Publisher: Virgin Interactive
Boo, blatant product placement you say? Well, that may be so, but 7-Up's Cool Spot was actually a pretty enjoyable platformer and definitely the best of the munchies mascots to get their own game. We’re looking at you, Yo! Noid.
87. Final Fight
Year: 1989
Publisher: Capcom
Here’s our problem with the classic Final Fight on the SNES. There’s no Guy! Sure, you could play as him in the Blockbuster exclusive, Final Fight Guy, but the fact that he wasn’t in the original cart is just inexcusable. This game would have gotten a lot higher on this list if he was in the original cart. Oh, my car.
86. Illusion of Gaia
Year: 1994
Publisher: Nintendo
Ask anybody. The SNES wasn’t the best system for sports games. But it WAS a great system for RPGs, and Illusion of Gaia was just one of the many great ones for the console. Utilizing an interesting battle mechanic, Gaia stood out from a lot of other similar games on the market at the time. Good stuff.
85. Captain America and the Avengers
Year: 1991
Publisher: Data East
This was a great port of an excellent arcade beat-em-up. But don’t expect the Hulk on this team, baby. You get Vision, fool!
84. Rock N' Roll Racing
Year: 1993
Publisher: Interplay Entertainment
Another Blizzard masterpiece, Rock N’ Roll Racing plays like a more advanced version of R.C. Pro Am. Hell yeah, baby! Now that’s what we’re talking about.
83. Art of Fighting
Year: 1992
Publisher: SNK
A lot of people might not remember this, but the SNES was actually a pretty good system for fighting games, too. This SNK classic is evidence of that.
82. Castlevania: Dracula X
Year: 1995
Publisher: Konami
Its only major fault is that it wasn’t as good as the PC Engine version. Still, this second outing for Castlevania on the SNES was fun, fun, fun, if not challenging, challenging, challenging.
81. ActRaiser 2
Year: 1993
Publisher: Enix
A great game to be sure, but nowhere near as great as the original. Quintet took away the god elements of the first game and made this one strictly a platformer, but oh well. It’s still a swell title all the same.
80. Super Adventure Island
Year: 1992
Publisher: Hudson Soft
This NES classic series make a splash on the SNES. Running, jumping, skateboarding, throwing hammers, this game has it all. It definitely lives up to its new “super” moniker.
79. Captain Commando
Year: 1995
Publisher: Capcom
We always thought Captain Commando was a much better beat-em-up than a lot of people gave it credit for. Thankfully, Capcom did, too, which is why Mr. Commando appears in some of the Marvel vs. Capcom games. Gotta love that baby in the mech suit. Classic.
78. The Lion King
Year: 1994
Publisher: Virgin Interactive
One of the few Disney related games that WASN’T made by Capcom, The Lion King still stands out for being a stellar platformer with excellent music and all the major scenes from the movie. Hakuna Matata.
77. Pilotwings
Year: 1991
Publisher: Nintendo
Pilotwings is a highly polarizing game. You either love its skydiving, rocketpack flyin’ gameplay, or you hate it. We happen to love it, especially this first iteration. Keep ‘em comin’.
76. Final Fight 2
Year: 1993
Publisher: Capcom
Streets of Rage<Streets of Rage 2<Final Fight<Final Fight 2, and by that we mean, better than its predecessor in every single way. Sure, it doesn’t have Cody and Guy, but it more than made up for it with Maki and Carlos. Oh, and of course Mike Haggar returned. He loves kick’n butt, you know.
75. Breath of Fire II
Year: 1994
Publisher: Capcom
Breath of Fire II isn’t too different from the original, but different enough to not be a direct clone. It’s a fun, turn-based RPG. But it’s not as good as the first one.
74. Fatal Fury: King of Fighters
Year: 1992
Publisher: SNK
Another SNK gem, this one had you playing as the Bogard brothers and Joe Higashi. The combat was awesome, and we especially loved jumping in and out of the background. One of the best fighters on the SNES, by far.
73. Mega Man X3
Year: 1995
Publisher: Capcom
You can look up and down this list and you won’t find Mega Man 7 anywhere. That’s because Mega Man 7 didn’t really change anything up from the NES games, and if X3 has any faults, it’s that it didn’t really change anything from the previous two X installments. That’s not saying it was a bad game. It just didn’t live up to the previous two. Those games were so much better.
72. Harvest Moon
Year: 1996
Publisher: Natsume
Before Harvest Moon, we wouldn’t have thought it was possible to be interested in a game based on farm life. But marriage side-quests, tending to crops, and natural disasters changed all that. It was basically our gateway game to other niche titles like Animal Crossing, Seaman, and Viva Pinata. Bless you, Harvest Moon, for making us so much more cultured.
71. Street Fighter Alpha 2
Year: 1996
Publisher: Capcom
Probably the least remembered Street Fighter on the SNES (And, by the way, what the hell happened to the first Street Fighter Alpha?), this version, which was odd for a cartridge, had loading times before fights. It also had graphics that weren’t as good as they were on other consoles. Nonetheless, the gameplay was still on point, and the bells and whistles were pretty amazing for an SNES game. We loved it.
70. Lemmings
Year: 1991
Publisher: Psygnosis Sunsoft
Lemmings is another one of those games we didn’t get as kids, but totally dig now. Guiding your Lemmings to the end of levels and trying to prevent too many of them from dying is the name of the game. Stupid Lemmings. You go squish now!
69. Joe and Mac
Year: 1991
Publisher: Data East
It’s all about the co-op, ya’ll. That’s all we’re gonna say. If you played it, you know what we mean. If you didn’t, then we pity you.
68. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Year: 1995
Publisher: Midway
Although not as jaw-dropping as MK2 was when it first came out on the SNES, this was still a great port of the arcade classic.
67. Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Year: 1994
Publisher: JVC
Ending the magnificent SNES trilogy of the Star Wars series is Return of the Jedi, which is almost as great—but not as difficult—as its predecessor. Oh, and you could play as an Ewok. The force is strong with this one.
66. Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
Year: 1992
Publisher: Square
Call us Final Fantasy fanboys all you want, but we actually dug this simpler, more laid back approach to the Final Fantasy namesake. It wasn’t hardcore like the games in the canonical series, but it was an honest-to-goodness great game. Plus, we like the music, so there.
65. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Year: 1996
Publisher: Nintendo
By this point in the series, we weren’t as impressed with the stellar graphics and tried and true gameplay that this entry had to offer. But looking back, it was a really fun game, and Kiddy Kong made a nice addition to the DK family. Good job, Rare.
64. Tetris Attack
Year: 1996
Publisher: Nintendo
People expecting the standard, drop dem blocks, gameplay of regular Tetris got a rude awakening when they popped this title in their SNES. That said, we still love the ascending, clear out the board chaos that this version had to offer. Plus, it had Mario characters in it, which is always a plus.
63. Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage
Year: 1994
Publisher: LJN
If you weren’t a comic book fan in the 90s, then you have no idea how huge the Maximum Carnage storyline was. But trust us, it was gargantuan, and this beat-em-up, which played out like scenes from the comic, was amazing. We "shotgun" Venom!
62. World Heroes
Year: 1992
Publisher: SNK
Was it a Street Fighter clone? Yes, yes it was. But this (sort-of) answer to Eternal Champions on the Genesis had some great fighting nonetheless. And it had Deathmatch modes where you could fight in a ring of fire. We can’t say that for any other game on this list, now can we?
61. Mega Man Soccer
Year: 1994
Publisher: Capcom
Before Mario was playing the footie ball, there was Mega Man, using some of his talents from his own series to devastate robot masters. The game could get pretty chaotic with Cut Man slicing you up on his way to your goal, but that’s what made it so amazing. Total win on this one, Capcom, total win.
60. Out of This World
Year: 1992
Publisher: Delphine Software
From the very beginning, Out of This World sweeps you away on its sci-fi adventure. It’s almost as good as its spiritual successor, Flashback. Almost, we said.
59. Demon's Crest
Year: 1994
Publisher: Capcom
Everybody’s favorite hellion from Ghost’n Goblins, Firebrand, (Play as him now in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3!) makes an appearance in this third and final installment of the Gargoyle’s Quest series. It was kind of like Castlevania, but you could fly and shoot fireballs. So yeah, it was awesome.
58. Final Fight 3
Year: 1996
Publisher: Capcom
The third and final game in the Final Fight trilogy is the best out of the litter. And oh, yeah, Guy returned. So you know it was going down.
57. Mega Man X2
Year: 1994
Publisher: Capcom
Mega Man X2 was a great follow-up to the amazing original that blazed its way on the SNES like a searing hadouken. But here’s the thing. It didn’t really change much from the original, which is good in that the gameplay was still great, but bad, in that you pined to play the original again. So a great game, but not as great as the first one. Noticing a trend here with these sequels?
56. Darius Twin
Year: 1991
Publisher: Taito
Oh, you didn’t know? The SNES was not only a great fighting game/RPG/action game/platformer console, but it was also amazing when it came to 2D scrolling shooters, with Darius Twin being one of the best. The gameplay was difficult but it was also manageable; unlike SOME of the other scrolling shooters on this list. Those are soon to come.
55. Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
Year: 1994
Publisher: JVC/Lucas Arts
Unlike the Star Wars games on the SNES, all three of the Indiana Jones’ movies were compacted into this single cartridge, and that was nothing but a good thing. All of the fluff was gone (Even though, it’s hard to find fluff in an Indiana Jones movie), and it was nothing but the greatest scenes from the flicks. Three games in one? What a steal!
54. Earthworm Jim
Year: 1994
Publisher: Playmates
Earthworm Jim was unlike any other game out there at the time, and it’s still quite original today. Its weird, surreal storyline was only made all the better by the solid platforming and shooting that went on here. We still love Earthworm Jim. Ga-roo-vy!
53. Killer Instinct
Year: 1995
Publisher: Nintendo
Though it never came out for the fabled Ultra 64 back in 1995 like we were promised, Killer Instinct was still a decent port of an excellent game for a system that couldn’t handle the sheer awesomeness of its arcade brethren. C-C-C-C combo breaker!
52. Uniracers
Year: 1994
Publisher: Nintendo
Loops, flips, tricks, Uniracers had it all. It was a bona fide SNES game, with the colors, fun, and music that made the system great. We love this game.
51. Kirby Super Star
Year: 1996
Publisher: Nintendo
Everybody’s favorite pink puffball made this stellar appearance on the SNES. What more could you possibly want?
50. SimCity
Year: 1991
Publisher: Nintendo
You wanna build and manage a city like a boss? Yeah? Even if there are floods and tornadoes knocking your shit down every so often? No? You pussy. For all others, SimCity was your game.
49. Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse
Year: 1994
Publisher: Sony Imagesoft
A great game and a history lesson in all things Mickey Mouse: Mickey Mania was a fantastic title that fully utilized the broad color palate of the SNES. Walt Disney would be proud.
48. Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Year: 1993
Publisher: Konami
A game that totally relished in the old, 1950s horror tropes, Zombies Ate My Neighbors was an amazing game for one or two players. The only problem was that the levels got a little repetitive the farther you got. We mean, seriously, how many shopping mall levels could you possibly have?
47. Doom
Year: 1995
Publisher: Williams Entertainment
While not a perfect port of the PC classic, Doom on the SNES was about as good as you could possibly get with a 16-bit console. Gotta love that pixelated violence.
46. Gradius III
Year: 1990
Publisher: Konami
Okay, we’re not f**king around anymore. While Darius Twin was a fun little side-scrolling shooter with just the right difficulty level, Gradius III was like, f**k all that, man. This was hard, f**king core. Sorry, we don’t normally swear so much, but Gradius III was that much of a challenge. We loved it, but it could go to hell.
45. The Adventures of Batman and Robin
Year: 1994
Publisher: Konami
If you asked us what the best cartoon of the 90s was…we’d have to say The Simpsons. But if you asked us the second best cartoon of the 90s, we’d definitely say Batman: The Animated Series. And this game did it justice. It was superb.
44. NBA Jam Tournament Edition
Year: 1994
Publisher: Acclaim/Midway
The big heads, the Clintons, the dunks from the other side of the court—NBA Jam TE had it all and then some. Kaboom! Take that! And of course, he’s on fire! Supersonics. Win the game!
43. Flashback: The Quest for Identity
Year: 1992
Publisher: Tiertex LTD
This spiritual successor to Out of This World had you running, shooting, and trying to stay alive so you could recover your memory. How good was this game? So good, that the Guinness Book of World Records has listed it as the best-selling French game of all time. Righteous.
42. Disney's Aladdin
Year: 1993
Publisher: Virgin Interactive
Capcom was so beastly back in the day. Not only did they make the best fighting and action games around, but they also made great Disney titles, too, with Aladdin being their crowning achievement. It was a great game for a great movie. Good job, Capcom.
41. Secret of Evermore
Year: 1995
Publisher: Square Soft
The story of a boy and his shapeshifting dog, Secret of Evermore was a great, great game. But it couldn’t match the brilliance of the other “Secret” RPG on the SNES. Though, it gave it a run for its money.
40. Samurai Shodown
Year: 1993
Publisher: SNK
Our favorite SNK fighter on the SNES by far, this is the real deal, people. The graphics were tight, the weapon slinging was tight, and the controls were tight. Everything was on point with this game. A samurai fears nothing.
39. Battletoads in Battlemaniacs
Year: 1993
Publisher: Tradewest
The follow-up to the legendary NES game, Battletoads in Battlemanaics, doesn’t quite live up to the original, but it’s an awesome ride all the same. And it’s not as hard, either. We can get past the second level in this game.
38. Super Star Wars
Year: 1992
Publisher: JVC/Nintendo
The first game in the SNES trilogy really got it right. Luke, Han Solo, and Chewie battle their way through famous scenes in the movie. Bring it on, storm troopers.
37. Super Bomberman
Year: 1993
Publisher: Hudson Soft
The first and probably best four-player game for the SNES, Super Bomberman provided hours of mayhem to our lives back in the day, all on a single couch. Whoever kicks over their soda on the carpet has to clean it up.
36. Sunset Riders
Year: 1993
Publisher: Konami
A sublime port of the arcade classic, Sunset Riders was nothing but running, gunning, and horseback riding. Oh, and darting into brothels and coming out with a kiss. We get Cormano, you get Bob.
35. Mario Paint
Year: 1992
Publisher: Nintendo
Bringing a mouse to the SNES was Mario Paint, an ambitious idea for a game if there ever was one. Draw, make music, swat flies, it was your world in Mario Paint. We were just living in it, baby.
34. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen
Year: 1993
Publisher: Enix
Now here was a real-time strategy game done right on the SNES. The only problem back in the day was that it was extremely rare and hard to find. Thank your lucky stars (and the Wii Virtual Console) that we can finally play for relatively cheap.
33. ActRaiser
Year: 1991
Publisher: Enix
Quintet got it right the first time with the original ActRaiser. It had side-scrolling excellence AND god game sections as well. Why did Quintet take the latter out in the second game? For whatever reason they did, it hurt the sequel tremendously, making the original game a better title by a landslide. No question.
32. R-Type III: The Third Lightning
Year: 1993
Publisher: Jaleco
Everything in R-Type III: The Third Lightning was just badass. And unlike other shooters, it actually felt pretty fast, too, at certain parts. It was electric guitar wailing excellence. If not for one last 2D shooter on this list, we’d say it was the best 2D shooter on the SNES.
31. F-Zero
Year: 1990
Publisher: Nintendo
Blasting away on the SNES was F-Zero, which was Wipeout before there was Wipeout. The game is probably most known for introducing the world to Captain Falcon. But it was an amazing game in its own right, too. It really felt fast and futuristic back in the day. Falcoooon punch!
30. Saturday Night Slam Masters
Year: 1993
Publisher: Capcom
Now here’s a series we don’t know why Capcom gave up on. It was awesome! How awesome was it? So awesome, that Mayor Mike Haggar made an appearance to bash in skulls and pile drive fools into oblivion. Now that’s awesome.
29. Ninja Gaiden Trilogy
Year: 1995
Publisher: Tecmo
The good news with Ninja Gaiden Trilogy: You got three great games for the price of one. The bad news: Everything else. While the graphics were slightly improved from their NES counterparts, and the third game wasn’t nearly as punishing, it definitely didn’t get the Super Mario Bros. All-Stars treatment, which is a shame. These games could certainly have used it.
28. Battletoads and Double Dragon: The Ultimate team
Year: 1993
Publisher: Tradewest
What’s better than Battletoads? Nothing in this world, hombre. But you know what could add just a little bit of spice to the ‘toads? Billy and Jimmy Lee of Double Dragon fame, of course, and they kicked serious ass in this crossover masterpiece. The Ultimate team, indeed.
27. Breath of Fire
Year: 1993
Publisher: Capcom
Capcom just got it right with their first RPG. It wasn’t anything unique or out there. It was just a standard, old-school RPG, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. So Capcom has two Ryu’s with this game’s and Street Fighter’s. We have a hard time deciding which one we prefer.
26. Super Street Fighter II
Year: 2008
Publisher: Capcom
Super Street Fighter II is just about perfect. With four new characters who would eventually become staples in the roster, there’s pretty much nothing wrong with this game…Except for the fact that it was the SECOND update to an already solid game. If we had any problem with it at all, it was Street Fighter fatigue, if that’s even possible. Back in the day, we had this game, The World Warrior, AND Street Fighter II Turbo. Enough was enough, Capcom.
25. Donkey Kong Country
Year: 1994
Publisher: Nintendo
It may not look all that great today, but back in the 90s, Donkey Kong Country was a technical miracle. And while the graphics may not hold up, the gameplay still does. The action was great and it was the first time the world was ever introduced to Diddy Kong, and we’re all the better for it.
24. Star Fox
Year: 1993
Publisher: Nintendo
Here’s another great game where the graphics don’t hold up today. But it doesn’t matter because Star Fox still has compelling story as you go on your quest to destroy the evil Andross. Oh, and it also has Falco’s old voice, which never gets old, no matter what year we’re in. Blublublumgaddam.
23. U.N. Squadron
Year: 1989
Publisher: Capcom
The best side-scrolling shooter on the SNES is actually based on a Japanese anime few have even heard of before called Area 88. That’s right, a game so great that even the anime fanboys just learned something new.
22. Super Ghouls'n Ghosts
Year: 1991
Publisher: Capcom
Probably the most difficult game in the SNES library, Super Ghouls’n Ghosts is a fitting follow-up to its demoralizing NES daddy, Ghosts’n Goblins. You even have to finish this game twice to get the real ending. As if one playthrough wasn’t difficult enough.
21. Contra 3: The Alien Wars
Year: 1992
Publisher: Konami
If not for the Genesis’ Contra game, Hard C.O.R.P.S, this would be the best Contra in the entire series, by far. It’s super intense. Big up for the ability to blast away enemies in a tank, too, at times. Nice touch, Konami.
20. Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Year: 1993
Publisher: THQ
The greatest Star Wars game on the SNES got everything right with this second entry. But it’s also the most difficult of the three games. We guess you can’t have everything.
19. Final Fantasy II
Year: 1988
Publisher: Square
Japan’s fourth Final Fantasy was our second FF in the US, and our mind’s were totally blown away because of the number switch. This wasn’t like the NES version we played as kids. This one had a more advanced storyline and a better battle system. Active-time battles? This game was the first we’d ever seen of those. This game was a masterpiece, through and through. It also has our favorite battle music in the entire series. But it wasn’t the greatest Final Fantasy that would grace the SNES.
18. Super Punch-Out!!
Year: 1994
Publisher: Nintendo
While not as memorable as the first one (C’mon, we’re just being honest), Super Punch-Out!! had some of our old favorite fighters like Mr. Sandman and Bald Bull, as well as some new ones, like Dragon Chan, who would do jump kicks off the ropes. Now come on, that’s not fair. You can’t kick in boxing.
17. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Year: 1995
Publisher: Nintendo
While the subheader for this game seemed wrong at first (Shouldn’t it be Diddy KONG’S Quest rather than DIDDY’S Kong Quest?) this follow-up to the stellar original proved that everything was right about this game. Even the title (You’re out searching FOR Donkey Kong, making it indeed Diddy’S KONG Quest, since you’re searching for the big “Kong” in question. Or, it could be a play on the word “Conquest,” as in, this is Diddy’s time taking over. Or maybe we’re just looking too much into a typographical error. Oh, well, the more you know!).
16. Secret of Mana
Year: 1993
Publisher: Square
A co-op RPG? Yeah, sure, with MMORPG’S today, that’s nothing great, but back in the day, this beautiful and unique RPG exploded in a big way with this feature. It’s still one of our favorite RPG’s to this day. Square was such a boss back in the day. They had so many great RPG’s to choose from.
15. Mega Man X
Year: 1993
Publisher: Capcom
The game that turned Mega Man into a futuristic badass, this was a huge transition for the blue bomber and one of his best games to date, probably coming right after two or three in terms of best in the series.
14. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Year: 1995
Publisher: Nintendo
Probably the most colorful game on the SNES library, if we could have made any business decision in the 90s for Nintendo, it would have been to drop Super Mario World 2 from the title of this game. Yoshi’s Island is a sublime experience, but putting SMW2 on it paints the wrong picture for it. It plays nothing like its predecessor. Instead you’re Yoshi and protecting a baby Mario from impending peril. It was a swell concept, but it should have been its own standalone title. But we still love it. It’s one of the best.
13. Super Castlevania IV
Year: 1991
Publisher: Konami
Next to Symphony of the Night, this is the best Castlevania game of all time. The control is perfect, the progression is perfect, and even the ramping up of the difficulty is flawless, as it gets difficult in all the right spots. Also, it has the best soundtrack ever. Yep, we’re calling it.
12. Mortal Kombat II
Year: 1994
Publisher: Midway
This is the moment shit got real at camp Nintendo. Not only was there now glorious blood in MK on a Nintendo console, but it even looked and played much better than it did on the Genesis. If you were a Sega fanboy back in the day, this was a moment when you hung your head in shame. You had to. MK2 was better on the SNES in every way.
11. Earthbound
Year: 1995
Publisher: Nintendo
Quirky, funny, unpredictable. No, we’re not talking about the last episode of The New Girl (Yeah, we watch that show. So, what?), we’re talking about Earthbound, which is definitely the craziest and one of the most fun RPG’s the SNES hasd to offer. Fear Giygas.
10. Super Mario All-Stars
Year: 1993
Publisher: Nintendo
Like whoa. Four classic games in one cartridge? With one of them being the REAL Super Mario Bros. 2 (If you don’t know what we’re talking about, look up Real Super Mario Bros. 2)? Be still, our hearts. The graphics and sound were boosted to SNES levels, which made these last gen games seem brand new. What. A. Steal!
9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
Year: 1992
Publisher: Konami
Surprised to see a beat-em-up crack the top ten? If you played this game, you wouldn’t be, because Turtles in Time is amazing. It’s almost exactly arcade perfect. Cow-a-bunga!
8. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Year: 1996
Publisher: Nintendo
God, how many Square RPGS are on this list? The answer: A lot. But none of them feel like Super Mario RPG, which plays as much like a classic Square RPG as it does a typical day in the life of Super Mario. Oh, and you can play as Bowser in this game. How awesome is that?
7. Super Mario Kart
Year: 1992
Publisher: Nintendo
The Kart Racer that started it all, Super Mario Kart had great tracks, great power-ups, and great fun. And it still holds up today. Now that’s what we call a great game.
6. Street Fighter II Turbo
Year: 1992
Publisher: Capcom
The best fighting game on the SNES also seemed the most relevant at the time. This was an era when arcades were still booming, and Street Fighter II Turbo was the perfect substitute if you couldn’t leave the house to play your favorite game at the mall. It even felt like a suitable upgrade to its predecessor, The World Warrior, which made that game feel obsolete when you popped this baby in. It’s kind of like what Capcom does today with some of its recent releases (We’re looking at you, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3).
5. Super Mario World
Year: 1990
Publisher: Nintendo
When the world ends and aliens eventually come to our destroyed planet, they will seek out what we did for leisure in our spare time. Sure, they’ll find porn, iPad’s, and bicycles, but they’ll also stumble upon Super Mario World, and they will be pleased. They will then seek out the greatest Mario game of them all and they will find this gem. It will be a good day for all alien-kind. We envy them.
4. Final Fantasy III
Year: 1994
Publisher: Square
Japan’s Final Fantasy VI (Dammit, we missed another game in the series again) is also probably their crowning achievement in the series before they got all polygonal and industrial with Final Fantasy VII. A masterpiece. There’s no other word to call it. It’s our favorite Final Fantasy. Seven takes a close second.
3. Super Metroid
Year: 1994
Publisher: Nintendo
Super Metroid is a tour de force from Nintendo. The gameplay is perfect—The farther you get, the more you discover. The storyline is dark and dreary, and it all boils down to one of the greatest conclusions in Nintendo’s entire history of games. We could play this title until the end of time and not get tired of it. It’s spectacular.
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Year: 1986
Publisher: Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, is considered by many critics to not only be the best game on the N64, but also the best game of all time. And that’s where we disagree. If we were going to pick any Legend of Zelda to hold that title, we’d definitely go with this SNES classic. It’s simpler than OoT, sure, but that’s it’s greatest strength. Traveling from light and dark worlds worked exceptionally well here and it’s definitely Nintendo’s best first-party title for the SNES. But it’s not the best game on the system as a whole. That title goes to (see next slide).
1. Chrono Trigger
Year: 1995
Publisher: Square
Fact, Chrono Trigger gets put on a lot of “Best RPGs for the SNES” lists. But we’re going to go one step further and say that not only is it the best RPG for the SNES, but it’s also the best game for the system, period. Why, you ask? (And you obviously haven’t played the game if you have to ask that question). Well, let’s count the many ways, shall we? 1. The storyline is epic, winding, and beautiful and it’s one of the best in gaming history. 2. There are multiple endings, so the replay value for this game is ridonkulously high. 3. The battle system is one of the best we’ve ever encountered (Co-op attacks are amazing). 4. The soundtrack is the best ever (We know we said Super Castlevania IV before, but we lied). 5. The characters are so damn memorable. The truth is, there are many, many, MANY reasons why this is the greatest SNES game ever (We’re on the verge of calling it the greatest GAME ever, but we’ll hold our tongues), and it just can’t be matched, not even by A Link to the Past. Chrono Trigger, we heart you SO much. Please come back to us. Please.