David's Top 20 SNES Games - Page 2
#5.
SUPER MARIO RPG: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN STARS
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#5.
SUPER MARIO RPG: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN STARS
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Yeah, this one has to be in the top 5 of my favorite, since I never shut up about how great a game it is. And yet, despite being created by THE two giants of gaming of that era, by mashing together their two flagship franchises and creating magic, it still remains relatively unknown by both Nintendo fans and Square fans. It’s a shame. It really is a phenomenal game; a literal mash-up of a Mario style exploration overworld, with the JRPG battle style and levels of Final Fantasy. It combined the best elements of both; all the characters have their strengths and weaknesses in turn based battle, you get to have Bowser as an ally, and it introduces Nintendo cult icons Mallow and Geno. There are massive worlds to explore, each with so much to do and just SEE.
I’d be in the wrong if I didn’t mention off the references to other then-Nintendo and Square games in LotSS; you get see Link and Samus (if you follow a guideline that is), the hidden boss in LotSS is a FF2/4 boss, complete with FF2/4 boss music. LotSS also even has JRPG style fan service by having a voluptuous boss that has jiggly bits when you attack her. It’s hilarious and compelling, it’s frustrating and addicting, it’s a perfect combination of Mario and Final Fantasy. If you haven’t played it yet, find it, and do so.
#4.
FINAL FANTASY VI
(a.k.a. FINAL FANTASY III)
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#4.
FINAL FANTASY VI
(a.k.a. FINAL FANTASY III)
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Yeah, this should come as no surprise. Despite the garbage creating dumpster fire mess Square turned into after the PS1 era, what was then Squaresoft hit their stride during their run with SNES, as can be seen with so many Square games in my top 20 and top 10, and Final Fantasy 3/6 is their old school 2D best. It’s the only time they made a GREAT game that has no clear main protagonist, the villain behind the villain twist (so great since Kefka technically WON by destroying the world), and since that happens, you can’t technically win.
It’s a melancholy game, the darkest of the 2D games, and it’s full of great playable characters that all have clear voices, strengths in battle, opinions, unique stories that make sense, and clear desires all their own, and considering how many there are? Damned impressive. It has many moments and scenes (like the Opera scene Eric mentioned) and so much kick ass music, that you don’t mind grinding out levels. There is so much to DO and collect in FF3/6, and it is such a masterpiece.
#3.
SUPER MARIO WORLD
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#3.
SUPER MARIO WORLD
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You’ll notice that the top 3 of this best of list are all long standing Nintendo series. That’s because they are the best of their respective series', and Super Mario World is no exception. It’s massive, it’s fun, it introduced Yoshi, it has great worlds, it has two massive worlds to explore and die in. I still call it the best Mario game (only Super Mario 64 can argue with it) to this day, and still play it often to this day. Super Mario World doesn’t need a lot of explanation of why it’s so damned awesome, cause 90% of my friends know why it’s so awesome.
#2.
SUPER METROID
(a.k.a. METROID 3)
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#2.
SUPER METROID
(a.k.a. METROID 3)
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The last truly great entry in the long floundering Metroid series, featuring the greatest gaming heroine there ever can be: Samus Aran. It took everything that made the first two games so damn memorable; the exploration and backtracking constantly, the moodiness, the sense of being truly alone on a planet that wants you dead. The feel of almost being a Survival Horror game before that notion even existed, more kick ass music (and finally, a map) and an expansion on the first two without making it too different.
It picks up right after Metroid 2, and never lets up for one second. What makes me want to put it at the first spot is the extremely startling ending battle with Mother Brain; it’s still so damned awesome. Super Metroid tells such a compelling, dark, heartbreaking story through action only, with only the sparsest of dialouge at the very beginning of the game. That’s friggin amazing.
#1.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST
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#1.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST
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Sorry for being completely predictable. A Link to the Past is the best Zelda game to me, arguably my most favorite game, and the (arguable only with my number two entry) best SNES game. Yes, it may have gone away from the RPG style of Zelda 2 back to the non-linearity of the original, but it added so much more from the first. Magic, towns, a feeling of sense of wonder in exploring both worlds, EVERY Zelda after A Link to the Past takes it cues from it. Everything is perfect in ALttP, from the gameplay to the music to the balanced difficulty to the puzzle solving and exploration. There isn’t one misstep in this game. And that’s why it gets top spot.
I also want to add that deciding on which game is better--A Link to the Past or Super Metroid--had me pulling out what’s left of my hair. Both are so damn perfect. I came upon the realization that either one can have top spot for me.
-David Caron, 4/20/2017
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