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**Cepp** · 03-02-2020, 15:55

Theres no excuse for not putting that list in alphabetical order Leon! I'll compile my top 6 later but Chrono Trigger will be included as it is the GOAT.

**Jamie** · 03-02-2020, 16:00

Super Mario World
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy 6
Street Fighter 2 Turbo
Secret of Mana
Super Castlevania

**vanpeebles** · 03-02-2020, 16:20

Sim City

**Cepp** · 03-02-2020, 16:29

Chrono Trigger
Donkey Kong Country 2
F-Zero
Pocky & Rocky
Super Mario Kart
Plok

Chrono Trigger is at the top with Donkey Kong Country 2 close behind. I love Plok, I'm glad you put it on there but I probably would have replaced it with Sim City or Top Gear 2 if they were included. Pocky & Rocky is essential and Super Mario Kart was only recently usurped as my favourite game in the series with the release of Mario Kart 8 on Switch.

Final Fantasy 6 could end up on that list someday. I got bored halfway through when I last played it in the early 2000s though.

**Leon Retro** · 03-02-2020, 20:16

Originally posted by Cepp View Post

Theres no excuse for not putting that list in alphabetical order Leon! I'll compile my top 6 later but Chrono Trigger will be included as it is the GOAT.

I always put the games in chronological(not exact) order. I like how it shows how a library grew over the years with lots of special games to fondly remember.

Chrono Trigger is certainly regarded as one of the best RPG's of all-time, so some would say it's the GOAT. I'm not a fan of RPG/Adventure games, but I did really enjoy Link to the Past.

Originally posted by vanpeebles View Post

Sim City

You do know that you don't win a prize for pointing out games that I didn't include?

I know the SNES version of Sim City is pretty good, but it didn't make my final list. I had to be very strict, as I'm a big fan of the SNES and could go on and on about games I'm fond of. I always say that the games list has a personal touch as well as consideration for all sorts of popular games that I might not personally be overly interested in. So I can't please everyone 100%.

Originally posted by Cepp View Post

I love Plok,

Plok is one of my 'wild card' choices because I think it's a brilliant game. I remember taking a chance on it back in the day, and I ended up loving everything about it. It deserves more recognition as a classic 16-bit platformer.

Originally posted by Cepp View Post

Top Gear 2

I've noticed that lots of people mention how much they like Top Racer/Gear, but Top Gear 2 doesn't get as much praise. I personally prefer the first game because there's something a bit more charming about it.

**Cepp** · 03-02-2020, 20:31

Originally posted by Leon Retro View Post

I always put the games in chronological(not exact) order. I like how it shows how a library grew over the years with lots of special games to fondly remember.

Chrono Trigger is certainly regarded as one of the best RPG's of all-time, so some would say it's the GOAT. I'm not a fan of RPG/Adventure games, but I did really enjoy Link to the Past.

You do know that you don't win a prize for pointing out games that I didn't include?

I know the SNES version of Sim City is pretty good, but it didn't make my final list. I had to be very strict, as I'm a big fan of the SNES and could go on and on about games I'm fond of. I always say that the games list has a personal touch as well as consideration for all sorts of popular games that I might not personally be overly interested in. So I can't please everyone 100%.

Plok is one of my 'wild card' choices because I think it's a brilliant game. I remember taking a chance on it back in the day, and I ended up loving everything about it. It deserves more recognition as a classic 16-bit platformer.

I've noticed that lots of people mention how much they like Top Racer/Gear, but Top Gear 2 doesn't get as much praise. I personally prefer the first game because there's something a bit more charming about it.

The way Top Gear always plays in split screen even in single player does my head in. It is quite fun but yeah, my heart is always with the sequel.

Plok is just so charming and fun and balls hard at points. I adore the music.

I don't think there's anything that beats Chrono Trigger, on the SNES or any other system but that's purely my personal preference of course

I'll never forget the first time I played through it, via the aweful PSX release no less! The artstyle, the writing, the combat... the music, Frog, Magus, Robo... the multiple endings, the way you can take on Lavos right at the start of the game! When I think about video games as art, Chrono Trigger is the game that comes to mind.

Now I just want to plunk down the cash for a CIB copy

**Leon Retro** · 03-02-2020, 20:49

Originally posted by Cepp View Post

The way Top Gear always plays in split screen even in single player does my head in. It is quite fun but yeah, my heart is always with the sequel.

You've convinced me to include Top Gear 2. I agree that the full-screen image is a nice feature over the original. I'll always have a soft spot for the first game though.

Originally posted by Cepp View Post

Plok is just so charming and fun and balls hard at points. I adore the music.

Yeah, it oozes charm and creativity. The music is nothing less than brilliant.

Originally posted by Cepp View Post

Now I just want to plunk down the cash for a CIB copy

You should have done that 15 years ago. I wonder what the going rate is?

**ascensionaquila** · 03-02-2020, 21:59

Street Fighter 2 Turbo etc and Area 88 are a good litmus test to see if you're getting slow at games in your old age lol. Particularly after a 20 year break from SF it seems really difficult to complete on 1 credit even on less than maximum difficulty. Even if back in the day it seemed too easy. Now it seems hard as hell. I guess modern games with their 2nd chances policy has had some effect on the old ways of 'just don't make mistakes like stupid person' are the old days lol. Not sure what the final outcome of kids growing up expecting 2nd chances asif mistakes are acceptable like in games will turn out.

( that old games trained you to choose not to ever make a mistake seemed to be in some way the point of the game and the life skill it taught - but first in the practice venue of a game.)

Any of the SNES Final Fantasy games are always worth playing, ideally with authentic original unused equipment in and authentic 90's style dedicated games room - spacious and dark with a over the top over isolated tantulum/oscon/blackgate based hifi quasi- surround system ( long before simulated surround sound became dominant - you'd have actual surround sound instead with a range of floor standing speakers - mini satelite speakers yet to be invented .... - practicality pending - hope to re-achieve one day lol ... ) . Compared to the latest super over the top complicated rpg's - primarily focusing on complexity than any emotional storyline involvement. It seems quite simple. But the complexity of them wasn't really the point of the day. More the point was taking part in an epic storyline. The rest using your own imagination and feelings. Looking back surprised me how a small handful of pixels for the characters during the day seemed to be fully detailed including emotionally in all ways. My memory of them was much more detailed than the actual reality looking back. But I guess that's the benefit of imagination and feelings.

To really enjoy FF6 surely requires starting back further to the beginning ( a neat trick that works with any game to enjoy it more - just play the older ones first - works every time! ) . Always loved this game much more than the later 3D games. To me 2D never really become like the dreams it could have one day been with full colour and computing capability, although FF6 came very close. The takeover with badly drawn badly under detailed 3D never was something I particularly dreamed of during those days. And the era of bad quality 3D, upto around when DirectX8.1 type libraries eventually came out for 3D games was a dark era of avoiding games for me. DirectX9 dumb fake effects features ruined gaming again until DirectX11 came out.

Remastering them all not in 3D but fully realised HD 2D wouldnt' go astray - and with understanding of games history - unlike the trendy half baked efforts of rpg's clones made with good intentions but not really a deep understanding of what and why things were the way they were in the day. I bet the art world appreciates every day that art never became 3D to be appreciated. Some things are better in 2D. And the best ever 2D game has yet to be realised or created still, even after all these decades since they became possible - full colour and cpu power. Remastering the sound probably would be good idea too, with the advent of HD speakers and headphones as somehow the quality doesn't seem as good as I remember it. Maybe expectations have become more demanding today soundwise, or my ears are starting to erode. Not sure.

Glad to see Cybernator. To me this was a later development in the SNES greats. Well polished and what a utilization of the SNES.

Originally posted by Cepp View Post

Plok is just so charming and fun and balls hard at points. I adore the music.

Any mentioning Plok immediately gets my attention and warms my heart. When I got it on release, before any reviews or previews existed. I was really surprised how well made it was and sat playing it until completed. During the era of platform game wars, so many got crucial points wrong - like bad animation - flawed jump controls - dodgy graphics bugs - repetitive eventually annoying sound or routines. But Plok was different, it was original in it's own right - which any game should aim for ideally even if real originality is an ever closing narrowing window - and it was well polished - to a level unusual for the time - without any obvious flaws that I've ever been able to find.
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Many amazing games on the list.

**DeathAdder** · 04-02-2020, 08:55

Street fighter 2 Turbo
Final Fight
Parodius
Super Star Wars
Smash TV
Super Mario World

Those are the ones I enjoyed most at the time. I didn't play Zelda until much later, so I left it off.

I've never liked Super Mario Kart, but I would probably still enjoy every other game on the list.

**hudson** · 04-02-2020, 10:41

Super Mario World
Super Metroid
Street Fighter 2 Turbo
Castlevania IV
Zelda: A Link to The Past
Secret of Mana

Ah man, it was hard to leave these out: Final Fantasy VI, F-Zero, Contra III, Final Fight, and Sim City.

**samanosuke** · 04-02-2020, 20:13

This one’s easy. Easy, easy, easy:

1. Super Mario World - the finest piece of code ever created
2. Street Fighter II Turbo - might’ve been eclipsed by the likes of 3S and MotW, but this was the other finest piece of code ever created
3. Super Mario Kart - the finest multiplayer experience ever created
4. Final Fantasy III - the finest FF ever created. And yes I do prefer it to Chrono Trigger and Earthbound although those two games are amazing in their own right
5. Super Metroid - it’s Super f***cking Metroid
6. Zelda: LttP - the finest Zelda blah blah blah

I pity those who put Final Fight in the list... The poor sods who had to make do with a missing character, a missing level, and, worst of all, single player only. The Mega CD as a system might get derided for its FMV titles and piss-poor MegaDrive ports, but back in the day I was lucky enough (depending on your opinion of the console) to own one and got to experience its vastly superior port of FF.

**samanosuke** · 04-02-2020, 20:20

Originally posted by Cepp View Post

Now I just want to plunk down the cash for a CIB copy

I was gonna say just get a cart only copy as I only paid £35ish for mine, and then based on Leon’s comments I thought I’d check eBay only to find even that is going for around a ton now. Christ on a bike.

**Cepp** · 04-02-2020, 22:55

Originally posted by samanosuke View Post

I was gonna say just get a cart only copy as I only paid £35ish for mine, and then based on Leon’s comments I thought I’d check eBay only to find even that is going for around a ton now. Christ on a bike.

Aye, I missed the boat on it. It's one of those games I always intended to buy and never got round to. I do have it on DS but still covet the SNES release.

**Team Andromeda** · 05-02-2020, 05:19

1) Super Castlevania IV

2) Mario IV

3) Super Metroid

4) F- Zero

5) Super R Type

6) Pilotwings

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Retro Arena: SNES Best of the Best

Retro Arena: SNES Best of the Best

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