Super Nintendo Games Buying Guide

The Super Nintendo is home to some of the best video games ever made. No matter what kind of games you like, you'll be able to find something you love on the SNES. Due to it's age and extensive library of games, you may find it difficult to decide which games to buy; maybe you used to own a Super Nintendo when you were younger and now you want to re-live the past, what games should you get? If you never owned a Super Nintendo before, there's no need to worry; this guide will help you decide what games you should get for your Super Nintendo.

If you are buying a system, the most important thing you have to consider is the SNES's age. Due to it's age, systems often have trouble playing games; you may have heard of the NES's "blinking screen" problem. Well, the SNES is much better then the NES, but it still has it's own sort of "blinking screen" problem. Dirty systems will have trouble playing games due to corrosion on the pin-connector and will be essentially useless unless they are cleaned. With that said, it is recommended that you purchase a Super Nintendo that has been cleaned or refurbished, or one that appears to be relatively clean. I would also suggest staying away from the FC-Twin systems as they are built cheaply and do not work very well after some time. The bottom line is carefully evaluate the system you are looking to buy and keep in mind the system's age.

So what games should you buy?

Whether you're looking for action, sports, or adventure, the Super Nintendo has it all. For a good adventure game, you can't go wrong with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, the classic Nintendo game. A Link to the Past offers a challenging adventure set in the land of Hyrule in which you explore dungeons and caves in hopes of stopping evil from taking over the land. This game is a classic SNES game and is a must have for anyone who owns the system. If your a fan of RPG's, you have to have Squaresoft's (before they became Square-Enix) epic Final Fantasy III. This is my personal favorite RPG and features a dramatic and convoluted story with tons of intriguing characters. I would also suggest Final Fantasy II, Secret of Mana, Super Mario RPG, and Chrono Trigger. Most of these games are pretty expensive though, so if you are on a budget I would suggest The 7th Saga which is an average RPG.

If your more into action games, my first recommendation would be Super Castlevania IV. This is one of the best Castlevania titles ever made and is one of the SNES's best action games. You use your whip to annihilate zombies, skeletons, and other undead monsters while traveling to slay Dracula. Another game I would recommend is Contra III, especially if you prefer huge guns, grenades, and explosions; this is a great game. Another thing that's great about Contra III is that most of the game is played from the side but you also play from a top-down view as well. This adds some variety to the game and keeps it very interesting. Another great but expensive game is Demon's Crest; if you can get your hands on this I would highly recommend it. One of the best action games for the SNES is MegaMan X; you should definitely buy this game; it is fast paced, non stop action. There are also tons of secrets to find which will greatly help; I still play this game all the time. Super Metroid is another great game; a mix between an RPG and a side scrolling action game; one of the best SNES games. Earthworm Jim is another excellent action game in which you play as an (you guessed it) earthworm in a space-suit. Earthworm Jim is a crazy game but it is a lot of fun, it is also very difficult at times though. One of the best action games on the SNES and ever made is Super Turrican. Super Turrican plays a lot like a combination of Super Metroid and Contra III. There are tons of great weapons and you can freely explore each level.

The Super Nintendo also has some of its own brawler  games. Super Double Dragon is a very fun action packed game that plays just like Sega's Streets of Rage, but better. You basically walk around beating people up...how could that not be fun? You should also check out Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, even if you are not a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

If you are interested in fighting games, the Super Nintendo had tons of great fighters. My personal favorite; Street Fighter II: Turbo improves on the original Street Fighter II with new characters and smoother animation. Street Fighter II: Turbo looks and plays great, and any game that lets you smash up a car or a brick wall (during a bonus round) is a good game in my book. If you prefer gory fighting games I would suggest Mortal Kombat; while I have never been a fan of the series I would suggest it if you want a more violent game. Clayfigther is a good kid-friendly fighter, and is actually pretty fun for older people as well.

Obviously, the classic Mario games are all must-haves for any Super Nintendo owner. Super Mario World is still my favorite Mario game, I don't think that there is a person in the world who doesn't like this game. You should also look into buying Super Mario All Stars which features Super Mario Brothers 1, 2, and 3 from the NES as well as the never before released "Lost Levels." You should also consider Super Mario Kart; a racing game featuring Nintendo characters like Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi. In addition to Super Mario World, you should also own the classic Donkey Kong Country. This is one of my favorite SNES games and I highly recommend it, more so then the Mario games. I would also recommend the two sequels as well. I would stay away from Mario Paint, and the other Mario spin offs unless you want them just to collect them, because they are pretty useless.

For a good racing game, you can't find anything better than Top Gear 3000. Not only does the game play great and have tons of different tracks and a two player mode, but you also have the ability to fully customize your car. After each race you win money based on how well you did; this money can be used to purchase new parts for your car like engines, tires, boosters, and parts that give you special abilities (such as the ability to jump over cars). F-Zero is also a great futuristic racing game. The graphics are great for a Super Nintendo game and the game plays very well; the only downside is the lack of a two player mode which would have made it much better. Another fun racing game is Uniracers, a game in which you race unicycles. This game is not like traditional racing games for a number of reasons. The game is played from a side perspective (like Mario and other platforming games). You also can do stunts that earn you points and even make you move faster.

This is essentially a list of my favorite games for the SNES, keep in mind that there are MANY other great games for the Super Nintendo. I would recommend looking on Amazon.com and reading reviews for the games, or you could read my reviews for Super Nintendo games. You can also find tons of screenshots and videos of almost any Super Nintendo game online; you may want to try this if you have a hard time visualizing the way the games are described.

Other Suggested Super Nintendo Games

• Starfox (flying sim)
• Ogre Battle (strategy RPG)
• Kirby's Avalanche (puzzle)
  
• Kirby's Dream Course (golf with Kirby)

This will be updated to feature more games and more details...