RFGen's Top 20 Super NES games

[EZ Racer]

For those that didn't participate in the NES list, we did decide to keep it to North American released games for now, as it helps to keep things simpler. In the future we'll do some lists involving Japan and PAL exclusives. Thanks for everyone's involvement.

[shaggy]

List submitted.

[CKsGallery]

List submitted, contemplated on that for almost a full week... that was a tough one. I think the SNES is my favorite system with some of the best games of all time. Lot of nostalgia and memories associated with that console, so my top 20 may be a bit... unconventional?  Some of the "best" games on my list are associate with simpler times, playing fighting games over a friends house all night, discovering my first rpg... etc.

[MaterialHandlerMike]

Submitted my list.

[EZ Racer]

Only a week to go to get lists in for the best Super NES games. Crazy close near the top, so every vote will matter. Looking forward to seeing how everything eventually stacks up.

[singlebanana]

Only a week to go to get lists in for the best Super NES games. Crazy close near the top, so every vote will matter. Looking forward to seeing how everything eventually stacks up.

I'm not going to change my list, but I may submit some thoughts on the games I picked if I have time. Thanks again for doing this!

[Disposed Hero]

I'm cutting it close, but I'll definitely get my list in before the end of the month. Really interested in seeing the results of this one!

[Mr_Stubbes]

I've submitted my list as well. I'm a big fan of RPGs and my list definitely shows that.

[EZ Racer]

Final Results will be out in less than a week, and boy was this interesting list to put together. Unlike the NES, where personal tastes varied greatly, there were definitely games that were pretty much consensus favorites for the Super NES. That also showed in the total number of games that received a vote (93 different titles between 11 voters, compared to 98 w/9 voters for the NES).

That doesn't mean there weren't a few significant surprises, as there were a few games I was shocked didn't make the top 20, and a few well-known titles that didn't make the honorable mentions.

There were plenty of great also-rans that got some love, so let's look at some of the games that got a single vote between 16th and 20th.

One 20th place vote

Super Godzilla
Saturday Night Slam Masters
Plok
Goof Troop
Harvest Moon- "Walks that fine line of simulation yet still having a clear and fun objective. Lots of the derivative games that have come since have leaned far too hard into the simulation aspect for my tastes so I still appreciate the original quite a lot."
Super Turrican- "I love this platforming shooter and though Metal Warriors commands a much higher price, I think this game is much better. Fierce action, great weapons, and an appropriately sized sprite give you lots of room to maneuver. However, don't go away thinking that this game is a cakewalk. Still pretty well-priced unless you want its fairly comparable sequel."

One 19th place vote

Actraiser 2
Joe and Mac
Jurassic Park
King of the Monsters 2
King of Dragons- "It was between this title and Knights of the Round for making this list. To be honest, the games are somewhat similar, but I give the edge to KoD due to its more diverse characters. Such a fun beat 'em up and can be had for about the price of a new modern game."
X-Men Mutant Apocalypse- "There are lots of great Beat-Em Ups on the SNES, but Mutant Apocalypse stands out to me. Having multiple playable characters each with unique abilities and levels designed around them is a great deal of fun and a different kind of challenge than mastering one type of character to fight your way through this style of game. Great looking sprites and cool music as well."

One 18th place vote

Bonkers
Jungle Strike
Killer Instinct- "After Street Fighter II this is my go to fighter from this era. It's got a cool style, very unique characters, a great atmosphere and the best combos and finishers around!"
F1 ROC II- "It's impossible to play this game without thinking it's a poor man's F-Zero, but it also has a surprising amount of depth compared to other racing games of this era. While it might not have quite the polish of some games I put behind it, it's a game that I find myself constantly returning to due to how fun and immersive it is."

One 17th place vote

Spider-Man Maximum Carnage
Sim Ant
Skyblazer- "A great action-platformer that flies under the radar of many people."
Run Saber- "An action platformer in the same vein as the arcade version of Strider that has lush graphics and fun gameplay. My only knock on it might be its length, which runs a bit over 30 minutes. What other game can you battle an enemy on a plane doing loop de loops?"
Sunset Riders- "Co-op run and gun, cowboy platformer. Great soundtrack that sounds amazing on my Sunset Riders arcade cabinet"
Robotrek- "Its like Pokemon but with Robots. Combine that with RPG elements and you have an awesome game!"

One 16th place vote

Lost Vikings 2

Much more to come...

[singlebanana]

This is awesome! Love these follow-ups. Seeing quite a few games that I don't own and need to check out for sure.

[shaggy]

my game was on 3 out of 4.  No love for my games.

[Crabmaster2000]

my game was on 3 out of 4.  No love for my games.

Ha, 3 of those are mine as well. Thanks for the update love these!

[singlebanana]

Same, 3 are mine

[Mr_Stubbes]

4 of these are mine haha. I’m very interested to see what’s hitting at the top of this list!

[EZ Racer]

More of the also-rans, cranking out nearly all of the single vote getters.

One 15th place vote

Breath of Fire
Out of this World
Earthworm Jim 2- "Its got most of the charm and action of the original, but stacked up head to head just has a few stages that aren't quite as much fun as EJ1."
Pocky and Rocky "A fun little 2 player cute 'em up whose action changes between vertical and horizontal. Choose between the card throwing, maiden Pocky or the leaf blasting tanuki Rocky in this epic, very Japanese adventure. The game commands a heafty price tag and the sequel and even larger one. The latter may be better, but I can't comment on that, since I don't own it."

One 14th place vote

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys
Super Star Wars- "I love Star Wars. Up til the point that this game was released, there was no SW game as good."
Donkey Kong Country 2- "New animal buddies, more hidden secrets and collectibles, Diddy gets team leader role and a cool new sidekick. If you love one of the DK Country games you'll probably love them all. That original tag team of DK and Diddy is just to sweet though so I prefer it by a slight margin."
Twisted Tales of Spike McFang- "I first played this title and added it to my collection a few years ago. Probably one of the lesser known action RPGs on the system, but those who are familiar with it know how good it is. And besides, who doesn't want to be a top hat weilding vampire?"
Soul Blazer- "A fairly simple and straightforward action-RPG, but it has a satisfying and addicting formula that kept me hooked until the end."

One 13th place vote

Mega Man X2- "If you wanted more of the same as MMX you wont be disappointed. The music doesn't get me as pumped as MMX so down the list it goes"
E.V.O.: Search for Eden- "I remember the curiosity I felt about this title, the first time i read about it. I wouldn't say it lived up to the hype, but E.V.O. is still a fun, side scrolling, action-RPG, that lets the gamer "Evolve" their creature, through prehistory."

One 11th place vote

Tetris Attack
The Addams Family- "Might be a guilty pleasure. I love the Addams Family IP, and loved the movie that came out that this game, was roughly based on. At its heart, its flawed, but its a decent action platformer."
Darius Twin- "I can hear the moans and chants of "Super R-Type, Super R-Type" in my head even as I type this. However, I've always preferred the quirky, oceanic space environment and enemies to R-Type's more sci-fi look. Plus, this game plays well and spherical shields are for weenies....ha ha!"
Civilization- "I'm more of a console gamer than a PC gamer, so I can't compare this port to its PC counterpart. That said, I love the micro-managing aspect of this strategy game, and it's a go-to game when I'm in the mood to just sit and 'tinker'. There's so much to do. It truly is a game where you can sit down, start playing and what feels like 20 minutes passing is actually 3 hours. Just make sure you have access to the instruction manual, you'll hit an inevitable wall without it."
Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen- "As a big fan of strategy rpgs, this one was a huge surprise.  The amount of content packed into this game was impressive. So many choices affect the game and its difficult to keep track of everything.  The only downside is the maps can take a long time to complete, so it can be a bit of a chore to play sometimes.  But it was so rewarding so see how things would end up based on how you played the game."

One 10th place vote

Aladdin- "The first SNES game I ever beat. I really enjoy this game, the stages are beautiful and well thought out, the music/sounds are top notch, and the controls are fluid."
U.N. Squadron- "This is the generation where shmups really hit their stride for me. Having branching paths, a dynamic map, great music and rpg elements makes this UN Squadron a personal favorite of mine for the SNES."

One 9th place vote

Breath of Fire II

One 8th place vote

Lost Vikings- "I consider this one a bit of a hidden gem for the system. I enjoyed playing this one co-op with friends when it was released. Very fun action-puzzler, that again, has an amazing soundtrack (If you like 90's hip-hop/techno)"

One 7th place vote

Super Double Dragon- "A criminally underrated game and possibly my favorite beat 'em up of all time. From what I hear, people are usually put off by the slower pace compared to other games in the genre, but it just takes a little time to adjust to it. The moveset is impressively deep for a 16-bit beat 'em up, and weapons are more fun to use in this game than any other in the genre. This is always a go-to favorite for my friends and me when we're looking for something quick to play, and it's a game I keep coming back to and play through at least once a year."

One 4th place vote

Zombies Ate My Neighbors- "Probably the most time I spent on a 16-bit game.  This was another game with a unique premise while being a parody of all the popular horror movies.  The music is catchy, the gameplay is fun for 1 or 2 players, a good variety of items leads to different strategies, and the challenge kept me coming back to try to get a little further each time."

That takes care of nearly all the single vote games, but I did hold back a few for a special update coming soon...