The 10 Best Games for the Super Nintendo

Released originally back in 1992, the Super Nintendo was easily the most popular console of the decade and outsold its competitor, the Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis, if you're in the US), many times over.

A total of 49.10 MILLION consoles were sold worldwide with over 700 titles released for the console during its original run, making it one of the most long-lasting and successful games consoles ever made.

But out all 721 games, which were the best? We've all got our own favourites, but here's a pretty solid list of the ten best games for the SNES.

10. KILLER INSTINCT

The last of the beat-'em-ups released on the Super Nintendo, it was wild, violent and came with a CD of the game's soundtrack. Plus, there was a supposed secret finisher you could do that involved getting the loser to dance. Nobody we knew ever figured it out.

9. INTERNATIONAL SUPER STAR SOCCER

Sure, looking back on it now, ISS looks quaint and homely and nowhere near as fluid and free as you thought it was. Still, there were skills, formations and strategies developed all the way back here that people still use today.

8. DONKEY KONG COUNTRY

If you have a second controller, you could your mate to play as Diddy Kong. Of course, the real fun was trying to mimic Donkey Kong's monkey noises.

7. F-ZERO

F-Zero, maybe with the exception of Mario Kart 64, is probably the fastest game we've ever played. What we mean is that it felt fast and drove fast. You needed lightning-fast reflexes to make your way around Fire Field on King League, let alone trying to survive Death Wind.

6. STARFOX

Again, like ISS, Starfox now looks quaint. Put yourself back in 1993, when Starfox was originally released. 3D graphics of that kind had never been seen before on a console. In fact, they hadn't really been seen anywhere before.

5. SUPER MARIO KART

If any game on this list caused arguments, it was Super Mario Kart. The Red Shell, for example, is most likely the root cause why you don't get on with your first cousin.

4. NBA JAM

It had absolutely nothing in common with actual basketball, beyond the fact that it had the words 'NBA' and basketball players attached. NBA Jam was closer to Pong with interchangeable Dennis Rodman hair colours. FROM DOWNTOWN!

3. STREET FIGHTER II TURBO

The blueprint for all fighting games, Street Fighter II isn't just the best beat-'em-up ever made - it's one of the best games of any genre made. Never before has a game engrained itself so fully into the popular consciousness. Ask anyone aged 18-35 and they'll be able to name at least two or three characters from the game.

2. SUPER MARIO WORLD

Super Mario World came bundled with most Super Nintendo consoles, however that didn't mean that Super Mario World was any lesser because of that fact. It was the perfect game. Easy to pick up, difficult to master and constantly kept you on the hook. The solution always seemed to be just within your grasp. You just had to time the jump more accurately, use Yoshi for the jump, something. We spent HOURS on this thing.

1. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST

There have been few games as beautiful or as poetic as A Link To The Past. Whether it's the impressive colour schemes, the haunting music, the touching story of a world split in two - A Link To The Past stayed with us for many, many years. The game was the first of its kind to attempt an open-world, non-linear experience. You didn't always have to follow a set of instructions to clear a room or pass a level, you could figure your own way out and would be rewarded for doing so. When we think nowadays how many games are set up with a straightforward, follow-the-map structure, it's a shame to think that games like A Link To The Past, that rewarded lateral thinking and problem-solving, are now pretty much a thing of the past.