Top 10 SNES Games

Kicking off our list is the role-playing game by Square, which was confusingly renumbered for North America. In the glory days, Square was a steadfast supporter of Nintendo consoles. Raising the bar for Japanese RPG’s, it was way ahead with incredible customization, greater battle mechanics, and perfect gameplay balance. Best of all, it’s characters were given their due, building a strong sense of attachment.

With so many fantastic tournament fighters, from Killer Instinct to the bloodless version of Mortal Kombat, we just had to go out on a limb and single out the Capcom juggernaut that started it all! More specifically, we’ve chosen this upgrade, seeing as the other hundred versions tinkered a little too much. This one merely sped things up and added more playable characters to an already perfect 2-player brawler.

Known as Starwing in Europe, this is the first entry of the on-rails shooter series. Using the Super FX chip, it showcased unthinkable polygon 3D graphics on the system. With the hype pretty much dead now, what remains is a fun and action packed title unlike any other. One can argue that it didn’t need much more then talking animals flying starships to be a raging success, but it definitely surpassed the expectations of that awesome promise.

This is the game in which Nintendo’s flagship property was handled by Square to give us an unlikely star to a surprisingly stellar RPG. Arriving at the tail end of the system’s life, it pushed the graphics to before unseen levels. Not only making Bowser your ally, it introduced deep gameplay, spectacular level design and beloved characters. Subsequent Mario RPGs just haven’t been able to scratch that itch.

The third title in the series, it follows bounty hunter Samus Aran as she journey’s to retrieve a Metroid creature in the possession of the Space Pirates. Earning a hundreds of near perfect review scores, its depth and complexity earned Super Metroid its place as an instant classic. Non-linear design, scripted events, crisp art style; it was way ahead of its time.

Another spectacular Japanese role-playing game by the masters over at Square, it continues to be considered one of the greatest games ever made. Transporting gamers to a world similar to Earth, you travel through time to recruit warriors from different eras! Innovative and revolutionary, this time travel tale made use of plot-related side quests, tons of character development and alternate endings. This cartridge is a collector’s item, so if you’ve got one buried in your attic it’s time to start digging.

Well as groundbreaking and amazing as the original game is, we decided to instead give the nod to the follow-up that edged it out in almost every respect. Ironically, Donkey Kong wasn’t even a playable character in this! Regardless, Diddy and girlfriend Dixie’s trek to save the titular ape upped the platforming fun with longer, more diverse levels, new bonus stages, new character abilities, catchy tunes and arguably the best graphics to be seen on the system.

This popular mascot racing franchise, and all its clones started here. A 2-player racer, this game was the party favorite for years! The third best selling SNES game of all time, with 8 million copies sold, it featured the now classic Nintendo cast of characters and groundbreaking mode 7 graphics. Loaded with challenges, it allowed players to race and even battle in large arenas. Without Mario Kart, there simply no go-karting sub genre!

Now this is a launch title! The fourth Mario game from the core series, it was a pack in title for the system. A wildly fun, gorgeous and well-crafted 16-bit platformer, it took the fun out of the mushroom kingdom and into Dinosaur land. Not just introducing Yoshi and a ton of new gameplay elements, it went on to sell 20 million copies, mamma mia!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Taking the top spot on our list is the third instalment in the action adventure series. Bringing back the beloved top down perspective of the original, this quest save Hyrule from Ganon involved rescuing the seven descendants of the sages. Straddling depth and accessibility, packaged in a tight and loveable art style, A Link to the Past became the best SNES title of all time, selling four million units as a result.

Agree with our list? What’s your favorite Super Nintendo Game? For more entertaining top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.