Ah the days of youth.
Before we had video games that seem more lifelike than ever, we had to
sit in front of 16 bit graphics and try to pull off moves so complex, youd be
surprised you could pull them off without a joystick. Well, this Friday, those days are coming
back. Following the success of the
Nintendo Classic, the most powerful gaming company on the planet is
resurrecting the next generation Nintendo console, the Super Nintendo
Classic. The miniature console is set to
contain 20 classic titles from the 16bit era system, including the never before
released Star Fox 2. I loved the
SNES. It is arguably more responsible
than the OG NES or the Sega Genesis for getting me into serious gaming. So to celebrate the upcoming release this
week, ill be looking at my personal Top 5 Favorite Super Nintendo Games. Def some titles everyone will recognize but
there are one or two hidden gems that might surprise you.
#5-Star Fox
At the time this game came out, there was nothing quite
like Star Fox, at least in my eyes. The
game felt more epic than it presented itself.
The flight controls seemed catered to both beginners and avid flight
simulator enthusiasts. The “Tron” like
soundtrack added to the digital environments perfectly. Naturally, you also had your diverse team of
wingmates before they became fully vocal internet memes (DO A BARREL
ROLL!!!). Granted I like Star Fox 64 a
lot more for it’s epic, movie quality presentation and better controls. But without this gem on the SNES, we couldn’t
have Star Fox 64. I cannot wait to
finally play the finished but never released Star Fox 2, which apparently had
many of its elements for gameplay and story shuffled into Star Fox 64 following
its abrupt cancellation.
#4-X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse
In the early 90’s, it was all about the X-Men. Thanks to their hit TV series on Fox Kids,
Marvels merry band of mutants were more popular than ever. This game felt about as close as you could
get to actually being an X-Man. The game
is spilt into two halves featurning Wolverine, Cyclops, Beast, Gambit and
Psylocke tangling with first Apocalypse and then Magneto. Wolverine’s combat was brutal for an SNES
game and Gambit’s combos were always fun to pull off. Also, this is the game that first introduced
me to the sexy psychic mutant bad ass that is Psylocke, who I wish had more of
a presence in the series. If it found a
way to include the iconic 90s TV theme, it would have been perfect. As it stands though, this is still the best
16 bit X-Men game of all time for me and I wish it would’ve gotten included on
the SNES Classic.
#3-Super Mario World
Yup. You cant
really make a Nintendo list and not have Mario on it (though the same could be
argued for Legend of Zelda…and ive never played A Link to the Past hence why it
isn’t on this list). After Super Mario 3
closed the NES chapter with one of the best games on that system, Super Mario
World came along and set the bar high for any SNES game to follow this system
launching title. The colors, the music,
the design, it was Mario taken to the next level. Add in an array of new powers (FEATHER FLIGHT
CAPE!!!), crazy new enemies, well imagined stages and the ability to ride Yoshi
and his multi colored, multi powered brethren and you’ve got a game that still
stands the test of time and still remains one of the Mario series most popular
titles.
#2-Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest
Much like Mario World above, DKC2 came along and did
something few expected: it topped it’s predecessor in almost every way. From the very first notes of the games intro,
you know that this game is somehow going to go bigger than its predecessor,
even if the titular Donkey Kong isn’t playable.
Diddy and Dixie are an amazing team, especially Dixie and her helicopter
hair. From braving whirlwinds in briar
patches to clinging to walls of honey (and watching the monkeys lick it if you
wait long enough) to the majesty of the Lost World, all mixed to the best damn
soundtrack of the , Donkey Kong Country 2 was a lot of fun to play and is one
of the best video game sequels out there.
I honestly think it hurt my enjoyment of the follow up: Donkey Kong
Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble…but then again Kiddie Kong was annoying
and that game felt more child friendly with the bears and the…yeah Donkey Kong
Country 2-best Donkey Kong Game on the SNES (Why is the first one on there but
not Part 2? Kirby and Mario have 2 games).
#1-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
The definitive Ninja Turtles game for the ages. A simple premise: While trying to take the
Statue of Liberty back from the Shredder, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and
Michaelangelo are throw through a time portal and must fight their way from the
past to the future and back to the present.
Simple gameplay: a classic arcade sidescroller beat em up. The power of a kick ass ninja mutant in your
hands and the ability to play with a friend.
My sister and I used to eat up a lot of time on this title. We spent so much time on it, we were even
able to tackle the hardest difficulty and unlock the true ending (which isn’t
much though we do get the best 16 bit end song ever). Simply put, I had fun playing every game on
this list for countless hours. But
TMNTIV was, and still continues to be, the shiniest gem in the Ninja Turtles
video game legacy and not even a poor 3D update for the Xbox could match
it. Classics are classic for a reason.
No comments:
Post a Comment