Recommend a SNES Game

[Ayen]

As I'm sure I mentioned once or twice before, I didn't grow up with a Super Nintendo like a lot of people here did. Before I owned my own consoles, I played whatever my brother had. He jumped from the NES to SEGA Genesis and I didn't get to play on the SNES until I visited my cousin's house years later. I'm guessing my brother got a Genesis because it was the cheapest of the two at the time, and it was the same year Model 2 came out.

So, now that I have a SNES all to myself, recommend some games for me to play. Go on. You know you want to. You read the words "I didn't grow up with a Super Nintendo" and you went "This poor child, I must recommend some treasures to play pronto!"

Favorite Genres
Action
Adventure
Action-Adventure!
2D Side-Scroller (is that a genre?)
Beat 'em up
Fighter
Metroidvania
Platformer
Racing
RPG
Shooters
Sports

I think I'll help narrow this down by listing off the SNES games I have played:

Final Fantasy VI
Magic Knight Rayearth
Sailor Moon Another Story
Secret of Evermore
Super Mario RPG
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

There are others, but it's been so long since I played them that they may as well be on the list of games I haven't.

[Rez09]

Is there a particular genre that appeals to you or that you'd like avoided in recommendations?

[Ayen]

Is there a particular genre that appeals to you or that you'd like avoided in recommendations?

Several genres appeal to me. Can't really think of any I'd avoid altogether. Hold on, I'm just going to add them in the OP.

[Fynn]

Live A Live - the post-modern RPG. It begins with a handful of episodes that are very much straight examples of their respective movie genres, but then... Dang...

[Rez09]

Point taken.

That said, there are tons of awesome games on the console so you are probably going to get some long lists of recommendations and I was hoping to make a more focused one for you.

Anyway, I'd say to check out (ignoring Nintendo's titles which were all pretty solid on the console):

Actraiser, which is a fantastic combination of 2D action segments and city building

Illusion of Gaia, a great top-down action game

Biker Mice from Mars, an isometric racer with a vehicle upgrade system as you race through the circuits.

Demon's Crest, a 2D platformer and the third game in the 'Gargoyle's Quest' line of games, with a lot to explore and unlockable abilities.

Firestriker, probably the most interesting version of Break-Out ever, you play as a knight with a wizard companion and use the ball to fight monsters and clear stages.

Wild Guns, an over-the-shoulder shooter with robots in the Wild West.

Turtles in Time, a fantastic beat 'em up and often mentioned as one of the best the genre has ever produced.

R-Type 3, a side-scrolling shooter where you have a special ball that you can maneuver around to kill things

Uniracers, a colorful side view racer with a heavy emphasis on tricks

Zombies Ate My Neighbors, a very amusing horror themed top-down action game where you play as kids saving your neighbors from classic movie monsters.

I have no idea how you feel about reproduction carts, but if you don't mind them you can probably also get English versions of Romancing SaGa 3 and Front Mission, both of which are excellent Square titles, the former being a turn-based RPG and the latter an isometric tactical one.

[NeoCracker]

Illusions of Gaia is definately one of the more unique titles on the SNES I feel, defiantly a great choice.

I'll throw in Ogre Battle: March of The Black Queen. I don't know if there is a SRPG out there that does a better job at making you feel like an army general, and god damn is it fun. It also holds the absolute best morality system of any game I've ever played. (Not to say it's perfect, there are a few frustrating aspects to it.)

Rather then direct control over combat, you set up your units, alter their tactics, and direct them. So there really isn't another SRPG out there like the Ogre Battle games.

[sharkythesharkdogg]

Well you mentioned Metroidvania, but apparently haven't played either Super Castlevania or Super Metroid.

So unless I missed something, go play them. Like now. They're fantastic.

[Colonel Angus]

Goof Troop

[Vyk]

Skyblazer :]

Hidden gem that the Game Grumps discovered. Prompted me into emulating it and enjoying it myself. Not sure how rare the actual cart is though

Also, I don't think Live-A-Live is in English, is it? Might need to emulate that one

[Fynn]

There's a good fan translation of it.

[Ffamran mied Bunansa]

No mention of Earthbound? It is one of my favorite game ever, and its sequel is my favorite game of all time.

[Sephex]

No mention of Earthbound? It is one of my favorite game ever, and its sequel is my favorite game of all time.

Absolutely this.

A lot of ones I would recommend were already said in other posts, so I might chime in later if I can think of something else.

[sharkythesharkdogg]

When you say shooter, do you mean FPS or arcade style?

The SNES has lots of great arcade shooters; Gradius, R-type, etc.

Run-N-Gun style; Earthworm Jim 1&2, Contra 3, maybe some others. Smash TV is a top down shooter, but it's really great. Especially if you like the old Running Man movie.

Has no one said Chrono Trigger yet? Obviously that.

F-Zero! I just picked it up again a few weeks ago. It's impressive how much fun it still is.

Yoshi's Island is a great platformer. All the Donkey Kong Country's are solid, but 2 is typically viewed as the best. Disney had it's own little solid section with Duck Tales, Rescue Rangers, and Aladdin. They're all fairly solid.


If you like challenging side-scrolling beat 'em ups like Turtles in Time there's a lot. Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Maximum Carnage, etc. I actually like Battletoads in Battlemania, but it's hard and not exactly the best quality wise.
There's so many fun little games.

[BlasterDarkRen]

I loved Earthworm Jim as a kid, it was magnifcently quirky

Also the original Jurassic PArk was a game I enjoyed. Outdoors was free-roaming top down but whenever you went indoors it turned into almost an FPS but it was always more about solving puzzles and finding stuff than specifically targeting dinos to kill.

[Jowy]

Grab a friend and play Pocky and Rocky together. That game gets obscenely difficult around level 3 though. :P