Super Mario All-Stars
This came packaged with the Super Nintendo. This was a remaster, before remasters became a popular thing. The three Super Mario Bros. games graphics were redone to match the quality and aesthetic of the Super Nintendo. Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels, a Japan only game at that the time was also included and given the same graphic overhaul as the others. I spent quite some time with this collection with most of my time on playing the classic Super Mario Bros. 3 and the Mario Bros. port that was included with it. I'm not sure if I actually ever beat Super Mario Bros. 3, but I had a hell of a time playing it. My memory is a bit hazy about the majority of the levels in the game, but I recall them being vastly unique.
The Mario Bros. remaster I played a lot with my brother and the Super Mario Bros. 2 port was my introduction to one of the weirder entries in the franchise. That game was bought from Nintendo from a game called Doki-Doki Panic that was developed from a smaller company and Nintendo turned it into a game of their own. The game had a bit of an Arabian theme to it that was brought over from Doki Doki Panic and it was the first game that Mario could pick up objects and throw them. Mario in fact was in fact joined by someone other than his twin brother this time around. Toad and Peach also came along for the ride and they provided their own unique abilities to the game. Toad was faster than everyone else, Luigi had a slightly higher flutter jump, and Peach known as Princess Toadstool back then, cover float in the air for a couple of seconds.
This game was mechanically different than most Super Mario games with only 3D World from my experience, feeling similar, but although not quite the same, which is understandable given the game's origin. Elements of that game would be included in later titles, like the ability to pick up and throw objects, Shy Guys, and Peach having a turnip throw in Smash Bros. I managed to beat this game years later and found it satisfying. I also beat the original Super Mario Bros. years later and I'm still not sure if I ever actually beat 3, but I will eventually make sure of that in the coming years with a replay.
Super Metroid
I played this game for the first time this year, so there's no nostalgia to reminisce over. This was also my first foray into the Metroid series and I found it to be a great experience. The game had to take some time getting used to. I found movement to feel a bit loose and float heavy, but I got used to it. The music was also something I wasn't used to. I've been playing a lot of games with more orchestral and upbeat melodies and this game's music is more foreboding and atmospheric. This game turned out to have some stellar level design and boss fights, though some boss fights still fall under the same tropes that the majority of games have. This game has become a great influence to the Indie market and it along with Castlevania stemmed the sub-genre Metroidvania. I had an enjoyable time with the game and if you'd like to read more of my opinion on the game, you can check out my review here.
Super Mario World
I feel like I can't write this list without including Super Mario World. This along with Super Mario Bros. 3 are often regarded as the best entry in the mainline Mario games and while I enjoy it I can't place it on that high of a level. I was among the same mindset for a while however, but when I replayed the game a few years ago I found the game to be too easy. I think the secret levels were a bit more challenging, but the main levels required to beat the game were way too easy for me. As a child it provided some challenge, but as an adult it was a cakewalk. It's still a well designed game, but the enjoyment has diminished when I can stroll through it.
Kirby Super Star
This was and still is my only experience with a Kirby game. I played a good bit of this back in the day with my older brother. This game was advertised as 8 games in one and while that is true, I actually see it as one long campaign, with a few mini games attached. I was often the second player back then along with a lot of games I played back then with my brother. These days however I play it alone and it's quite not as enjoyable. The level and game design is stellar, but playing with a friend or family member is a lot more enjoyable. I still wonder til this day why the Gourmet Race mini game was the only game mode that didn't support multiplayer. If it did it would be the best of the mini games. There was a remake of this game made for the Nintendo DS back in 2008 which updates the graphics and offers even more game modes. I haven't played it myself yet, but it will certainly be on my list.
Street Fighter II (series) & Street Fighter Alpha 2
Street Fighter IV was the game that got me into the competitive gaming scene, but my roots with the series goes back to these two games. My first exposure to Street Fighter II was the arcade, but most of my time with it was spent on the SNES. I had Championship Edition for the SNES and rented Turbo one time. I found the game to be cool and enjoyable, but it didn't really stick with me like other games. I don't deny how influential this game was however. I was just playing Shaq-Fu about a week or two ago and spot the similarities in inputs and character portraits. I later played Alpha 2 and the first thing about that game I remember was my brother telling me a lie, saying that Sakura was Ryu's little sister. I overall found Alpha 2 to be a better game though I don't remember much about it other than the characters and the game looking better than II.
Mortal Kombat II and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
The Mortal Kombat games were the rival to Street Fighter in a sense back in the day. While Street Fighter was colorful and wacky, Mortal Kombat was dark and gory. Mortal Kombat shared the spotlight in influencing the genre just like Street Fighter with Killer Instinct and Thrill Kill being two examples. I played the first Mortal Kombat, but II and Ultimate 3 were the ones I spent the most time with. II I have a bit more affection for primarily because I spent more time playing it due to actually owning it. The stages and certain fatalities are vivid in my mind even after all these years and I still memorize Reptile's by heart. Back, Back, Down, B. Mortal Kombat's combat has always felt rigid, even til this day, but I had a lot of fun playing with Mortal Kombat II and the improved Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
I believe this was my introduction to the rpg genre. My father had randomly this as a rental for my brother and I when I was a child. I'm not sure why he did. We weren't with him and my brother didn't mention asking him for it. It was probably a random choice, but after playing it, we ended up renting it multiple times. This game starts Mario in his typical adventure, Princess Toadstool was kidnapped by Bowser and Mario heads off to save her. This time around the game pits you at a confrontation with Bowser from the start and after rescuing the princess, a sword falls from the sky taking over Bowser's castle and kicking the king koopa out of his home. The appearance of this sword causes trouble across the Mushroom Kingdom and Mario sets off to correct everything. The game was very friendly to newcomers of the genre, because as I recall in my last playthrough, this game was very easy; too easy for me now. The game does have an excellent soundtrack and cast of characters to make it enjoyable and although the game is easy, the mechanics makes it fun. I remember in all the times my brother and I rented it, the one time we found a cartridge where the last player had a save file that contained 99 red essences and Princess Toadstool had a frying pan weapon. Red essences are rare items that makes a character invincible for a period of time and the frying pan I believe was Toadstool's best weapon. These little things were neat to find and an experience that you won't find today in games.
There was also a secret in the game that referenced the game Final Fantasy IV, that would end up becoming an important game to me later.
Final Fantasy IV (II)
This game was released as Final Fantasy II in North America because Square didn't want to confuse consumers who played the first game on the NES. I didn't play this game until much later on the PS1 when it was ported with Chrono Trigger in the Final Fantasy Chronicles package. I actually have not played this game on the SNES, but since the only difference between the two from what I read, is an opening FMV at the title screen, and some translations, I pretty much played the same game. This game is often switched with Final Fantasy VIII as my second favorite Final Fantasy game so there's a lot of love here. The scope of adventure here in this game is great and there were a lot of tense moments in this game for me. Not to spoil the game for those out there who haven't played it, but I thought it was an interesting and fun tale that enriches the experience. This game could have done without some of the insanely rare items like Pink Tail, but it's only a flaw if you actually know any of those exist.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
This sequel to Super Mario World was actually a prequel as it had you play out the events of Mario in his infancy. You actually had control of Yoshi in this game, in fact a whole race of Yoshi. This game was like Super Mario Bros.2 in the fact that it was very different from the rest of the games. That, along with the Super Mario part of the title being small compared to the Yoshi's Island part, makes me consider it a spin-off and not an entry in the main franchise. This is game has vividly great aesthetic to it and one of the most beautiful games I've seen to this day. The backgrounds in this game have a crayon look to them that give off the vibe that a bunch of kindergartners were involved in its creation and has a child-like innocence to it. It makes it standout among the thousands of games out there. On the point of gameplay, this game stands among the best crafted platformers out there. The egg throwing mechanic requires finesse and thought to overcome puzzles and obtain out of reach items. The level design offers a lot of variety in the actions that the player performs and not to mention the boss fights steer away from game tropes for the most part and offer for some spectacular set pieces. This music is phenomenal as well. As a child I think Underground was the first video game song, I sat and listened to.
Earthbound
I played this game for the first time as well, but it's been a game well within my knowledge for a while. I recall seeing this game often at the Blockbuster that my family used to rent games along with other stores that sold games. It stood out so vividly to me, because it was the largest in the store. It's large box with the gold character on the front draws attention, but despite this I never ended up playing it until just now. I suspect the game was highly expensive because it came with a guide on top of games generally being more expensive back then. When I played Smash Bros. for the first time and asked my brother who Ness was, he told me and said he had played the game. I'm pretty sure if I asked him about this now, he'd say that he doesn't remember this, but I vividly do. Anyway, I have played it now and I can finally talk about its content. I expected this game to be good, but it ended up becoming one of my favorites period. The game is so strange and different from most I've played, that it really resonated with me despite its shortcomings. It was a real treat for me and it has me eager to play Mother 3. If you want my full opinion on the game read my review here.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest
To end this off, I'd like to talk about one of my most recent playthroughs. Donkey Kong Country 2 I had rented back in the day and never beat due to difficulty and for years I thought it was my age, but more than a decade later I found myself still struggling with the game. This game doesn't get enough mention when discussions of best platformers come up. Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World are almost always regarded as the best 2D platformers, but Donkey Kong Country 2 beats all of them. The game provides superb challenge from beginning to end and its level design does a great job at testing your reflexes and analyzing the environment. The game also has secret levels that even more challenging than the ones in the campaign. The game might have a bit too many objects to collect, but other than that, it's a phenomenally crafted game that a developer should look when looking to reference games that accomplished their goals well.
Those are a few SNES games that stand out to me. There are a lot more as I consider this console the second best one out there and I still have a lot more games to play from this era. Happy 25th birthday Super Nintendo.
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