Ah, the Super Nintendo. What can be said about this system that hasn't been said already? Nintendo's followup to their widely successful NES was a smashing success and plays host to some of the most iconic and memorable games of all time.
Choosing a list of games for this system that is so near & dear to many gamers hearts is no easy task, and bound to be rife with disagreement all around. However, we feel the games here offer a good snapshot of the various genres that were popular in the 16 bit era.
Though it's not quite the arcade version of the game, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was by far the best fighting game ever released on the SNES. The graphics were, for the time, spectacular and the roster of fighters was unmatched. This games represented the pinnacle of Mortal Kombat during its original run, feeding off a fantastic amount of hype and introducing the last wave of characters that would become truly iconic in the game's universe.
9. Shadowrun
This cyberpunk RPG is one of the best visions of the future you could get from the 1990s, full of high-tech hackers and low-life fantasy creatures. The game was considered to be one of the best adaptations of a tabletop roleplaying system on a console, one that kept players begging for a proper sequel for decades. With a very inventive universe, a ton of great role-playing elements and a story that was absolutely ahead of its time, Shadowrun manages to be one of the best RPGs on a system known for its RPGs.
8. Star Fox
It's really difficult to explain how revolutionary Star Fox was to those who didn't play the game upon release. The graphics were insane for the time, rendering 3D polygon models in a way that had really never been done before. Though the game is a rail-shooter, there's still a sense of freedom in the game-play, with memorable vehicles and characters that have far outlasted the system itself. Though the official sequel to the game would never release on the SNES, Star Fox remains a high point against which many future games would be measured.
7. Mega Man X
The Mega Man series has gone in a lot of directions over the years. While there might be some purists who prefer the original series, nothing was ever quite as cool as X. X took what worked in the older series and updated it, creating a protagonist who was much more mobile and much more fun to play. X is slightly more forgiving than the old series, due less to a lessening of the difficulty curve and more to better controls. Mega Man X represented a rebirth of a classic series, one that could leverage new technology to give players a much better experience.
6. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
At this point, it's possible to argue about which Legend of Zelda game is the best. It's not possible, though, to argue that A Link to the Past is the game that first brought a sense of depth to the series. While the original game was fantastic and the second game was a fun diversion, A Link to the Past created the Legend of Zelda that players have grown to know and love. It brought in iconic new weapons, fun new enemies, and a few story elements that would be rehashed time and again in the series. If you're looking for the modern series' roots, you'll find it here.
5. Super Mario Kart
If you're going to point at one Mario game as the definitive SNES release, it's this one. Mario Kart has spawned seven main-console sequels, a host of ports, and a few remakes but it's the original that set the tone. With a smaller roster of characters and tracks than modern players are used to, it relied much more on player skill and a knowledge of the tracks to win. It was the game that spawned the huge "Mario Sports" genre, one that scratched an itch that players didn't yet know they had.
4. Kirby's Superstar
Yes, even Kirby made his first appearance on the SNES. The Super Smash Bros. stalwart started life as a platforming hero, one that was actually pretty revolutionary for the time. His ability to fly took away some of the difficulty in precision jumping, while his ability to eat enemies and copy their powers made him unique. The original game was oddly structured as six short games and two mini-games, but it helped to introduce all the elements that would make the series stand out in the future. Not bad for a little pink blob who barely made it onto the system's library.
3. Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong might have started life as an arcade bad guy, but the SNES version of the character is the one most familiar to younger gamers today. Donkey Kong made the titular ape a protagonist, introducing his young side-kick Diddy and pitting him against King K. Rool for the first time. The game looked gorgeous, to the extent that the graphics largely hold up today. The game also breathed new life into the platformer, adding a sense of fluidity and freedom that were new for the genre ta the time. This is by far Donkey Kong's best outing.
2. Earthworm Jim
If you like weird games, you've got Earthworm Jim to thank for making some of your favorites possible. The bizarre hero really was an intelligent Earthworm in a super suit, and his enemies were just as weird. The game's quirky charm was impressive, but it was the cartoon-like quality of the graphics that really stood out. This game was as close as players in the 1990s could get to playing a Saturday Morning Cartoon, with a style that would be aped for years by other platformers. Earthworm Jim might have fallen on hard times after the first entry, but he was still one of the SNES's greatest heroes.
1. EarthBound
EarthBound is the best RPG to release on the SNES, and that's serious praise. Remember, this is the series that had Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, and Mario RPG - and even with those titans on the roster, EarthBound was far and away the best. A surprisingly weird and deep RPG, this game's better known for its protagonist being in Smash Bros. than anything else today, but it was really ahead of its time. Far more mature than one might expect from the childish protagonists, it's still one of the best RPGs ever made.