SNESdrunk's' Essential Super Nintendo Games
50 Games
"The perfect continuation of the Mario series, introducing new power-ups and crazy levels"
"An outstanding recreation of the original titles"
"What makes this game great is how it builds with more items like the Hookshot or the Magic Rod, and the bosses get tougher, and the puzzles get more complex while keeping everything reasonably intuitive"
"A well-balanced racing game that offers a serious challenge"
"An obvious pick because of the 1-on-1 battle mode"
"The level design is the best you'll find on the console. It's right there with Mario World as the best SNES action platformer. There's tons of secrets, and you almost always feel rewarded for taking just an extra minute to explore around each level"
"Has some of the most inventive level design you'll see in any 2D platformer"
"If I had to pick THE best game on the Super Nintendo, I'm inclined to lean toward Super Metroid" ... "It's the total package of visuals, sound, action, exploration, tension, enemy design, boss design — you name it, this game has it"
"The controls are perfect, and it always feels so satisfying to blast your way through each level, and the game does a nice job escalating the difficulty as you go"
"Not as brutally difficult as the NES Castlevanias, but that's not a bad thing. Super Castlevania IV still captures the atmosphere and the essence of a classic horror themed game, with great visuals, unique level and boss design, and some spectacular music"
"A non-stop adrenaline rush" ... "One of the most rewarding games to complete"
"What really puts this game over the top is the multiplayer. You can create your own helper buddy, and a second player can take control, so this is a perfect game to play alongside younger kids, or just with people that aren't as familiar with gaming"
"There's just something so simple and satisfying about this game that, despite its flaws, I still think it's a lot of fun to play today"
"It's an easy game to get the hang of, but it's a tough game to master" ... "Best puzzle game on the Super Nintendo"
"A great top-down action puzzle game that's my pick for the best Super Nintendo game to play with a second player"
"16 levels may seem like a lot for a beat 'em up, but it goes by so quickly that you'll wish there were more"
"Loaded with all the hilarious cliché stuff you love about beat 'em ups" ... "This game is just so 90s"
"My pick for the best beat 'em up on the Super Nintendo" ... "The time travel gimmick makes this one so much fun, because you have no idea what could be coming next"
"The game that launched a million clones" ... "You can play as the boss characters, and the additional speed makes things challenging even for seasoned pros"
"12 playable characters, interactive backgrounds, and of course tons of finishers and tons of gore"
"Can be tough to get the hang of, but when you land a huge combo it's always really satisfying"
"The game flips between vertical and horizontal shooting, and it presents just enough challenge without going over the top"
"This game is brutal, and it was clearly made for shoot 'em up veterans. Some of the level layouts here are crazy, with the screen absolutely crammed with stuff trying to kill you"
"Does a great job balancing difficulty while providing you with tons of options for weapons, while keeping the level design interesting. And perhaps most importantly, this game managed to be fast-paced with minimal slowdown"
"All the different tracks, cars, difficulty settings, combined with a genuine sense of speed — that all makes for an easy choice for an essential SNES racing game"
"For boxing, nothing really comes close to Super Punch-Out!! It maintains the same simple gameplay of the original Punch-Out, with 16 fighters you got to defeat including some familiar faces from the original game"
"If you want a hockey game, you go with NHL 94"
"You don't even need to like basketball to have fun"
"If you want football, go with Tecmo Super Bowl, it keeps things simple"
"A well-made game by Konami. I don't even like soccer and I still play this one once in a while"
"It has an arcade-style feel to it, it cuts a quick pace, and it's easy to pick up and play. It's my pick for the best sports game, period, on the Super Nintendo"
"Another really well-made Konami arcade port that does a great job capturing the arcade style of gameplay, switching between a side-scrolling mode and a gallery shooter mode"
"You're a mech using all sorts of different weapons to destroy everything in your path, and since this is made by LucasArts you also get a freakin' lightsaber"
"You start out as a blue blob, but if you mesh with other... blobs, I guess? you turn into different forms, like a mouse, a duck, a fish, a cat, and they all have unique abilities. And I can't help but enjoy this game"
"Your opponent's landscape is a blank slate, so it's up to you to find out where their base is and bomb the hell out of it" ... "A fun one that I think more people would enjoy if they knew about it"
"My number 1 pick for the best hidden gem on the Super Nintendo" ... "I love the combination between exploration and combat here"
"Takes customizable 2D mech combat and puts it in a JRPG setting, and gives it some of the most badass-looking 16-bit graphics ever. This is one of the best examples of gameplay and story coming together seamlessly that you'll find on the Super Nintendo"
"It's my pick for the best strategy import out there, so if you want a story-heavy strategy game, this one's for you"
"A solid exploration platformer structured in a similar way as Metroid"
"Has some serious Mega Man X vibes, and it's a lot of fun being able to switch between 3 characters with different weapons"
"Takes on a western motif, but it's more high quality action platforming with some gallery shooter stages thrown in as well"
"Surprisingly in-depth 1-on-1 mech fighting game"
"Features top-notch performance" ... "Offers a ton of replay value and a ton of challenge"
"I appreciate its straightforward nature while telling an oddly dark story that keeps you hooked. Plus this game probably has the best example of that classic SNES slap bass"
"The music is fantastic, the boss fights are a lot of fun, and the fact that you get like 10 different weapons to use and level up is pretty nice"
"I dig how the story is told in this game. It almost feels like playing through episodes of an anime series or something, and there's a great sense of humor here too"
"A really entertaining playthrough that features some laugh-out-loud moments, and the timing-based combat keeps you engaged throughout"
"One of the most surreal games you'll ever play. But the heart of the game is just you and your friends on a big adventure in an attempt to save the world, and it features one of the most satisfying endings to any game I've ever played"
"You want tons of characters and customizable options, with things like espers and relics in addition to tons of weapons and equipment, all set within a ginormous sweeping story? Well then, here you go"
"My pick for the best role-playing game on the Super Nintendo is Chrono Trigger, thanks to its unique story and the way it's told, featuring time travel in a way that you can actually follow" ... "The story is engaging, the characters are likeable and interesting, the combat is outstanding, featuring dual and triple techs. And the game is balanced almost perfectly — there's hardly any grinding in this game at all" ... "Some amazing visuals and a great soundtrack"
