My SNES/Genesis Top 100

[wyldephang]

At another forum, I was inspired to make a Top 10 list of Super Nintendo and Genesis games. But I found it difficult to consolidate the list to such a small number, so it expanded to fifty entries pretty quickly. I'm not sure how many of you will find this interesting, but here's my personal Top 50 ranking. Feel free to tear it to shreds if you disagree.

Update: I decided to challenge myself and add another fifty games to the list. I think 51-100 is where I really started to strain because I admittedly missed out on a lot of games in the '90s. But thanks to the extra space, I was able to fit in a lot of essentials that I felt were missing from the Top 50. The list is still missing some of my favorites (e.g., Gauntlet IV), so I'm sure I'll be revising the list in the future. A quick note about sequels and cross-platform games: I generally only picked one version of a cross-platform game. If I felt like a sequel was too similar to the original, I usually gave the higher slot to the earlier game and pushed the later one further down the list to give other games a chance to shine. This is why Super Street Fighter II is ranked considerably below Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition. Another thing I did to free up space was combine Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles into one slot, then move it up a little bit.

Red: Super Nintendo
Blue: Sega Genesis

1 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
2 Super Metroid
3 Final Fantasy VI
4 Chrono Trigger
5 Sonic the Hedgehog 2
6 Super Mario World
7 Mega Man X
8 Secret of Mana
9 Gunstar Heroes
10 Sonic 3 & Knuckles
11 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
12 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
13 Super Castlevania IV
14 Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition
15 Super Mario Kart
16 Phantasy Star IV
17 Final Fantasy IV
18 Streets of Rage II
19 Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
20 EarthBound
21 Shining Force II
22 Donkey Kong Country
23 Star Fox
24 Sonic the Hedgehog
25 TMNT IV: Turtles in Time
26 F-Zero
27 Contra: Hard Corps
28 Super Punch-Out!!
29 Contra III: Alien Wars
30 Castlevania: Bloodlines
31 ActRaiser
32 Shining Force
33 Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar
34 Super Mario All-Stars
35 Zombies Ate My Neighbors
36 Breath of Fire II
37 ToeJam & Earl
38 Mortal Kombat II
39 Earthworm Jim
40 Illusion of Gaia
41 Mega Man X2
42 Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
43 SimCity
44 Phantasy Star II
45 Killer Instinct
46 Ristar
47 Aladdin
48 Earthworm Jim 2
49 Golden Axe II
50 The Revenge of Shinobi
51 Rocket Knight Adventures
52 Comix Zone
53 Tetris Attack
54 General Chaos
55 NBA Jam
56 Kirby Super Star
57 Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen
58 Beyond Oasis
59 Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
60 Donkey Kong County 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
61 Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
62 Pilotwings
63 M.U.S.H.A.
64 Super Bomberman 2
65 The Lost Vikings
66 Demon's Crest
67 Flashback: The Quest for Identity
68 Vectorman
69 The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
70 Super Street Fighter II
71 Road Rash II
72 Secret of Evermore
73 Dynamite Headdy
74 Mario Paint
75 U.N. Squadron
76 Soul Blazer
77 Harvest Moon
78 Axelay
79 NHL '94
80 OutRun
81 Mega Man 7
82 Breath of Fire
83 Herzog Zwei
84 World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
85 Thunder Force III
86 Mega Man X3
87 E.V.O.: The Search for Eden
88 Knights of the Round
89 Super Smash TV
90 Shadowrun
91 Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
92 Adventures of Batman and Robin
93 Batman Returns
94 Ghouls n' Ghosts
95 TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist
96 Ecco the Dolphin
97 Mortal Kombat
98 Super R-Type
99 Streets of Rage
100 Final Fight

[VectorX]

Ambitious project!

Any idea how the Genesis version of Zombies Ate My Neighbors stacks up to the SNES version?

[wyldephang]

Pretty well, I think. It has red blood on the title screen, which is preferable to the purple slime that appears on the SNES version due to Nintendo's censorship policies. One difference you'll notice is that the Genesis screen size is a bit smaller because the HUD has been moved to a black bar on the side of the screen. Two websites seem to agree that the SNES version is a little more polished, so I included that version to be safe.

www.retro-sanctuary.com/comparisons-zombies.html

videogamecritic.com/snesuz.htm#Zombies_Ate_My_Neighbors

Still, that's no reason to avoid the Genesis version. I'm sure it's every bit as fun if you're interested in picking it up one day.

[VectorX]

Oh, I always meant to rent it back in the day (the title alone totally rules!), I just never did. I'm sure I'll have a copy of it at some point.

[wyldephang]

I just upgraded the list to a Top 100. Why not?

[VectorX]

Crazy!

I'm surprised Earthworm Jim didn't rank higher, as there were journalists back then (but then what can they know?) termed it as to being the "game of the decade".

Nice to see Landstalker highly ranked, as I guess even that one spot where you have to make the blind jumps didn't deter you that much, eh?

[wyldephang]

Mar 2, 2014 23:47:52 GMT -5 VectorX said:

Crazy!

I'm surprised Earthworm Jim didn't rank higher, as there were journalists back then (but then what can they know?) termed it as to being the "game of the decade".

Nice to see Landstalker highly ranked, as I guess even that one spot where you have to make the blind jumps didn't deter you that much, eh?

A lot of people were put off by the isometric camera angle, but I like another game like that--Equinox (SNES)--which features a lot of blind jumps. I can generally get used to the controls and the camera angles unless they're broken beyond repair. I might revise the list in the future and bump Earthworm Jim up a few spaces. But the farther I go up, the denser the list becomes--I mean, it's really heavy toward the top, and I debated myself for a couple hours about which Super Nintendo and Genesis were worthy of breaking into the Top 10.

Some other considerations regarding tough ranking choices: Even though I think the Super Nintendo's Street Fighter II: Turbo is the better game, the Genesis version of Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition gets the nod because it came out first and it was the game that set the standard for fighting games in the early '90s. The Genesis version of Aladdin gets my emphatic seal of approval, but I gave SNES Lost Vikings the right of way over its Genesis counterpart for the same reasons that SFII: Special Champion Edition is on the list rather than SFII: Turbo. Mickey's World of Illusion places on the list rather than Castle of Illusion because I believe the visuals and co-operative gameplay beat out the deeper and more challenging story mode of the latter game. I have a slight preference for Contra: Hard Corps because it was a more diverse game than Contra III: Alien Wars, but I feel the SNES had the better versions of Castlevania and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Super Castlevania IV is more responsive and has larger, more detailed visuals than the Genesis counterpart; Turtles in Time (SNES) is truer to the arcades and is the only console port to include all the neat scaling tricks that we see in the first Shredder battle.

Edit: Apparently, I've forgotten some of the Genesis staples like Flashback and Road Rash. I went back and tweaked the list again. Like I said, it's a work in progress.

[VectorX]

Flashback was freakin' killer. I rented that three times, then later bought it for the Sega CD. I still go through it occasionally over the years.

[wyldephang]

Mar 3, 2014 9:05:00 GMT -5 VectorX said:

Flashback was freakin' killer. I rented that three times, then later bought it for the Sega CD. I still go through it occasionally over the years.

I'm pretty sure you were the first person to recommend Flashback to me, and it was an excellent choice! I think it's an underrated game; the animation is smooth and the controls are surprisingly responsive for a game that borrows so heavily from Prince of Persia's mechanics. Also, I think I mentioned last year that I purchased Blackthorne for the Super Nintendo; that game is similar to Flashback, but it has a darker, more foreboding aesthetic. I gave Flashback precedence on my Top 100 because I think the gameplay is superior. The fact that you said you still play it lends credence to the idea that Flashback has a lot of replay value. I just bumped it up a few more spaces because of that.

[VectorX]

Mar 3, 2014 20:56:56 GMT -5 wyldephang said:

I'm pretty sure you were the first person to recommend Flashback to me, and it was an excellent choice!

Oh wow!

Mar 3, 2014 20:56:56 GMT -5 wyldephang said:

I think it's an underrated game;

Not really, as it won raves from critics, won video game awards, and six months (or so) after it was released it had a major ad campaign in gaming mags announcing its price had been reduced by $20. Who the hell else does that?

Mar 3, 2014 20:56:56 GMT -5 wyldephang said:

Also, I think I mentioned last year that I purchased Blackthorne for the Super Nintendo; that game is similar to Flashback,

Yeah I know, I meant to get it for my 32X! But once the unit was discontinued and titles were being slashed in price, a local Toys 'r Us had sold out of it before I could get it! Nuts...

Mar 3, 2014 20:56:56 GMT -5 wyldephang said:

The fact that you said you still play it lends credence to the idea that Flashback has a lot of replay value.

Depends on the player; some beat a game and never play it again. It's definitely a different game on the harder levels. Plus there are things you forget to it anyway, as there's so much detail/several big levels that you still end up getting your butt kicked over the years when you get rusty with it!

Mar 3, 2014 20:56:56 GMT -5 wyldephang said:

I just bumped it up a few more spaces because of that.

Very cool!

By the way, on one of the cutscenes of the Sega CD version, at one point a Sega CD truck passes Conrad in the background.  That's good for a laugh nowadays

[gamezone]

Great list. If you or anyone else ever has the chance, try Starflight by Electronic Arts for the Genesis. VectorX and I have mentioned it a few times in the past. Also might try Buck Rodgers: Countdown to Doomsday also by EA for the Genesis. It is like Dungeons and Dragons in space.

[VectorX]

Dec 25, 2014 14:40:42 GMT -5 gamezone said:

If you or anyone else ever has the chance, try Starflight by Electronic Arts for the Genesis. VectorX and I have mentioned it a few times in the past.

Yep! You can spend many months on that game!

Dec 25, 2014 14:40:42 GMT -5 gamezone said:

Also might try Buck Rodgers: Countdown to Doomsday also by EA for the Genesis. It is like Dungeons and Dragons in space.

I hope to play that again some day. I'd like to have more time to get into it, rather than just a few day rental.

[50tbrd]

You must not have played Ultimate MK3 for the SNES. That was the culmination of the 16bit MK.

[50tbrd]

Made me come up with Top 50 games but only for SNES (never cared for the Genesis, always thought the SNES was superior). Alphabetical order since I hate to rank when most of these games are so good and this is from my experience.

Aerofighters
Aladdin
Alien3
Battle Clash/Bazooka Blitzkrieg
Bugs Bunny's Rabbit Rampage
Captain America/ Avengers
Donkey Kong Country
Earthbound
Earthworm Jim 2
F-Zero
Final Fantasy III
Firestriker
Hagane
Judge Dredd
Jungle Strike/ Desert Strike/ Urban Strike
King Arthur's World
King of the Dragons
Kirby Super Star
Knights of the Round
Lamborghini American Challenge
Legend of Zelda Link to the Past
Lethal Enforcer
Maximum Carnage
Mega Man X/ X2/ X3
Metal Warrior
Mickey Mania
Peace Keepers
Rock N Roll Racin
Saturday Night Slam Masters
Star Fox
Street Fight II Turbo
Stunt Race FX
Super Ghouls and Ghosts
Super Mario All-Stars
Super Mario Kart
Super Mario RPG
Super Mario World
Super Metroid
Super Punch-Out
Super Return of the Jedi
Tiny Toons Buster Busts Loose
TMNT Tournament Fighters
TMNT Turtles in Time
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Uni Racer
Wild Guns
Wings 2 Aces High
WWF Raw
X-Men Mutant Apocalypse
X-Men/ Spider-man