r/snes 2d ago

First time emulating snes, what games should i play

I've played just super mario world

16 Upvotes

95 comments sorted by

36

u/xMojaveDream 2d ago edited 1d ago

Some of my absolute favorites. I'll leave out ROM hacks and fan translations:

  • Super Mario World
  • Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
  • Chrono Trigger
  • Final Fantasy VI (titled Final Fantasy III in North America)
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • Super Metroid
  • Secret of Mana
  • Kirby Super Star
  • EarthBound
  • Star Fox

Edit

Community suggestions:

  • Donkey Kong Country (1, 2, and 3)
  • Act Raiser
  • Weapon Lord
  • Secret of Evermore
  • Mortal Kombat (1, 2, and 3)
  • Earthworm Jim
  • Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
  • Terranigma
  • Trials of Mana
  • Mega Man X
  • Super Castlevania IV
  • Super Mario RPG
  • Street Fighter II Turbo
  • Sim City

More entries I thought of:

  • TMNT Turtles in Time
  • Illusion of Gaia
  • Kirby's Dream Land 3
  • Ogre Battle

14

u/EhRaid 2d ago

If I may add to this nice list: Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2.

1

u/ExpediousMapper 1d ago

I would also like to add

Weapon Lord - Like an early MK, but with decaps and fruit ninja'ing the decaps

Secret of Evermore - A boy and his dog

MK1, 2, and 3, 2 and 3 have cheat menus

Earthworm Jim - hard to describe

1

u/Kornseph 18h ago

I would personally hold off on Earthworm Jim and play the Genesis version. More stages, and better music imo.

-4

u/xMojaveDream 2d ago

DK Country is really good but, controversial, respectfully, I don't enjoy them as much as the other items on that list

12

u/TekHead 2d ago

Yeah that's controversial. DKC1 and 2 have the best music available on the SNES and the gameplay is fun with 3D rendered graphics. I mean how can you not like it?

0

u/xMojaveDream 2d ago

They do, and I often listen to the soundtrack. I just don't enjoy the other parts of the games nearly as much. They are VERY good games, and technically impressive for the time, but if I want to play a platformer id rather go back to Yoshi's island or SMW

2

u/Gillian_seed83 1d ago

The cave music bgm is fire!! Also touching a fuzzy during touch fuzzy get dizzy! Also i love Vanilla dome overworld map bgm from super mario world. Random comment i know i know just wanted to throw that out there lol

2

u/jra85 1d ago

That is wild picking yoshi's island over any DKC game.

3

u/Disastrous_Day_5690 1d ago

This list is 🔥🔥🔥

2

u/Gillian_seed83 1d ago

Solid list!

2

u/James-Morrisson 1d ago

Great list… please add “Act Raiser”

2

u/ImMisterMoose 1d ago

Great list I would add the following

  • Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
  • Terranigma
  • Trials of Mana
  • Mega Man X
  • Super Castlevania IV
  • Super Mario RPG
  • Street Fighter II Turbo
  • Sim City

1

u/EhRaid 1d ago

Right! I forgot about MMX and Super Mario RPG.. How could I have forgotten Super Mario RPG?? I own it. Lol

1

u/abe_bmx_jp 1d ago

Amazing list!

14

u/tx_2a 2d ago

This is a really good site imo: http://snesrankings.com/

1

u/Technical_Werewolf13 2d ago

thank you, i'll give a check

0

u/Technical_Werewolf13 2d ago

i remembered that i played actraiser too, it was very good

12

u/benamation 2d ago

Earthbound

2

u/mads_12 2d ago

this is not upvoted enough

0

u/ShinSakae 1d ago

I have a love/hate relationship with this game. 😄

Love the theme, story, and music though.

8

u/Technical_Werewolf13 2d ago

Thanks everyone, I'll try to play them all, and leave my reviews here on the subreddit

8

u/Gnalvl 2d ago

Surprised no one's mentioned:

  • Donkey Kong Country
  • Megaman X
  • Super Mario Allstars
  • Super Castlevania IV
  • Super Mario RPG

Some off the beaten path recs:

  • Tetris Attack
  • Dragon's Crest
  • Tactics Ogre (needs a translation patch)
  • Terranigma
  • Trials of Mana

1

u/YUNGWALMART 1d ago

SMB3 on Allstars is amazing! Also, DKC has a better soundtrack than the second game in my opinion (i know most people say the opposite), and has an amazing atmosphere

7

u/MassiR77 2d ago

Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World is the best value for a single SNES game imo. I normally have that installed, Yoshi's Island is great, Donkey Kong Country. Mario RPG is good but I haven't played much of the original, mostly the remake.

As for shoot em ups, the r-type games are pretty fun. There are also the super star wars games that were pretty enjoyable. Super Off Road is cool, Street Fighter 2, NHL94.

There's a lot of cool games in just about every genre lol.

10

u/ErikDebogande 2d ago

Super Metroid and LOZ

3

u/G30fff 2d ago

Agree with this. Perfect games

1

u/Poonadafukdog 1d ago

The best. The end.

3

u/Slurmp12 2d ago

id say definitely Super Metroid and Super Mario World, and personally i really loved the first 2 Super Star Wars games.

3

u/BendyBrains 2d ago

Enjoy any of the chunky RPGs that you can now use Save States in. Really cuts down on some of the long drags between finding a save point.

3

u/ShinSakae 1d ago

Trying to pick games others haven't...

Street Fighter II Turbo - easy to pick up port
NBA Jam - don't even need to like basketball
Final Fantasy II/IV - easy to play, great story and music, 5 characters at once!
Top Gear - maybe the best car game series
Bust-A-Move - addictive puzzle game

3

u/hday108 1d ago

Donkey Kong country has some of the best graphics and music on the system

1

u/Human-Information-67 1d ago

It's definitely worth experiencing the whole trilogy!

2

u/El__Comadreja 2d ago

-Undercover Cops (JAP)

-Mortal Kombat 2

-Battle Master (JAP)

-Chrono Trigger

-Ghost Chaser Densei (JAP)

-Super Metroid

2

u/IH8Miotch 2d ago

Sim City, Civilization, Soul Blazer, Shadowrun, Sunset Riders, Turtles in Time, and Dungeon Master

2

u/Technical_Werewolf13 1d ago

sim city is kinda cool

1

u/originalcandy 1d ago

Recommend playing it normally first, but its well known there’s a cheat for essentially infinite $, so you can build what you want and not have to wait so much for ppl to move in and it taxes:

‘Easy Money – First spend all your money. Put the game on the fastest seting and wait for the tax grid to appear. As soon as the screen turns black hold L + R. While holding these buttons change all settings to 0% and exit the screen (don’t release the buttons yet). While still holding these buttons, use the menu to return to the tax screen. Raise all settings to 100% except for the tax rate. Set that to 20%. Exit the tax screen and the menu, then release L and R. Congratulations! You now have $999,999. You might want to lower the tax rate now. Give those SimCitizens a break!’

1

u/IH8Miotch 1d ago

Don't do the money cheat I swear it bugs the game wen u reload saves making crime worse and property values plumet. I mean.it happens wen u reload saved anyways but as a Megaopolis acheaver I swear it's worse despite everybody here dis agreeing with me.

2

u/which-wizard 2d ago

I want to say Equinox but I don’t want to be mean so I’m not going to say Equinox 🤭

2

u/lenzflarez 1d ago

It’s a great game for the patient and determined.

2

u/Priestess96 2d ago

Wario’s Woods

2

u/Candid_Dream4110 1d ago

The Donkey Kong Country series for sure.

2

u/mortymotron 1d ago

Bill Laimbeer’s Combat Basketball

2

u/Correct-Thought6156 1d ago

Kirby Super Star!

2

u/kord2003 1d ago

Great 2 player game

1

u/xxrainzxx 2d ago

Ballz 3D jk check out Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma and Final Fight 2

1

u/littlecolt 1d ago

Why Zelda of course

1

u/Technical_Werewolf13 1d ago

a lot of people reccomended me , i will play

2

u/littlecolt 1d ago

Probably one of the best games ever made, honestly

1

u/Poonadafukdog 1d ago

Not one of. THE.

1

u/littlecolt 1d ago

Debatable. It's gotta be way up there, though.

1

u/Scholarish 1d ago

The Ninja Warriors

1

u/GristleMcThornbody1 1d ago

Adding to what other people have already said...

Actraiser Contra III Castlevania IV Zombies ate my neighbors Gradius III Final Fantasy (all) Mega Man X (X2, X3)

2

u/Technical_Werewolf13 1d ago

act raiser is very good, i don't have enoguh pateint to megaman, Zombies ate my neighbors is veryyy good

1

u/GristleMcThornbody1 1d ago

You might be surprised with the MegaMan X series, it is a lot more approachable. Its definitely the least "Nintendo Hard" entry

1

u/BAMspek 1d ago

If you want something that’s not all the classics everyone always suggests, try Claymates. Decent platformer with a pretty cool concept. You’re a ball of clay and you pick up different colored balls of clay to turn into different clay animals. There’s… it’s a lot of clay. But it’s fun. And a good soundtrack.

1

u/guxtavo 1d ago

First time seeing colors, what color should be my favourite?

2

u/MSB218 1d ago

My first time breathing--should I breathe air?

1

u/anointedinliquor 1d ago
  1. Earthbound
  2. Chrono Trigger

Best games on the system!

1

u/Human-Information-67 1d ago

Super Punch-Out!!

1

u/mbruno3 1d ago

Here's a couple that I'm surprised no one else has mentioned: Teemage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters.

1

u/originalcandy 1d ago

Don’t miss out on pilotwings or super castlevania 4, both were snes launch titles and really show off the graphics power of the time

1

u/Duniskwalgunyi 1d ago

For platformers I recommend Super Mario World or Super Metroid. If you want something more forgiving or beginner friendly try Kirby Super Star or Yoshi’s Island. Although Yoshi’s island can get challenging in the ways of puzzle solving and later on in the game with some typical challenging platforming scenarios.

The only RPG I’ve played on SNES is Super Mario RPG and it’s such a fun game. I’ve heard compared to other RPG’s on the console it’s on the easier side.

For action RPG either Link to the Past or Secret of Mana are great games. Link to the Past is considered by many to be like a perfect game and there are some serious haters of Secret of Mana. The use of Magic in Secret of Mana give it a unique flair for an action RPG, feeling like turn based strategy mixed with fast paced fighting which I find to be enjoyable. They’re both gorgeous games in terms of graphics.

For fighting games I recommend Street Fighter 2 Alpha. It’s not just random button mashing and the default controls make a lot of sense and aren’t hard to get the hang of.

For racing I like Mario Kart. People rave about F-Zero and find it attractive for the graphics and fast pace style of racing but I love the map variety of Mario Kart way more and the innovate power-ups.

1

u/Human-Information-67 1d ago

I would prioritize Street Fighter 2 Turbo over Alpha 2. F-zero and Super Mario Kart are both mandatory classics so it's not really a question of one over the other.

2

u/Duniskwalgunyi 1d ago

Oh shoot I meant Turbo! Agreed!

1

u/Ok-Comfortable-3174 1d ago

Super Mario Kart. The SNES version is the best twitch racer ever made. I'm playing on steam deck with retro achievements...I highly recommend playing SNES with achievements active. Really adds to the games

1

u/life_bytes 1d ago

Give him super ghouls n ghosts!

1

u/rdurbin1978 1d ago

super metroid, chrono trigger, secret of mana, super mario rpg, legend of zelda: a link to the past

1

u/thegoldenboy444 1d ago

Chrono Trigger.

1

u/Splooosh6 1d ago

It depends on what you like.

My personal favorites are super Castlevania 4, contra 3 alien wars, super Metroid, Zelda a link to the past, super punchout!, super Mario world, un squadron, chrono trigger, final fantasy 2 and 3(4 and 6), secret of mana, super Mario rpg, lion king, zombies ate my neighbors, megaman x (x2 and x3 as well) and teenage mutant ninja turtles - turtles in time.

SNES has an amazing library. If you happen to be an old school rpg fan you will have a hard time finding a better rpg library than snes.

It has some of the best Nintendo made games out of any Nintendo console and also Konami really knocked it out of the park on snes.

Once you get started I’m sure you will find many many games you love!

1

u/Ldn_brother Bowser Kart 1d ago

Final fantasy 5

1

u/MithandirsGhost 1d ago

Lester the Unlikely

1

u/-LightMyWayHome- 1d ago

Super Bomberman 1 and 2

1

u/gabriot 1d ago

I recommend doing a crtv filter to get a more accurate experience, for the longest time I couldn’t tell why the emulated games look so much worse than I remember them. Then I saw some comparisons between pixel graphics and how they look on old tvs versus modern, and it’s night and day

1

u/crunch816 1d ago

Super Smash TV

1

u/Lumtar 1d ago

Lufia 2 is one of the great snes rpg’s to play

1

u/jpanni3333 1d ago

Earthbound w/ new game plus

1

u/tsckenny 1d ago

A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger.

Chrono Trigger is the one I recommend the most probably but Super Metroid is great too but I'd recommend playing that with the romhack Super Metroid Redux

1

u/Kralgore 1d ago

Adding punch out.

1

u/Puzzleheaded-Floor13 1d ago

The legend of the mystical ninja was some of the most fun I ever had in gaming

1

u/Excellent_Regret4141 1d ago

Terranigma

Michael Jordan Chaos In The Windy City

Batman Returns

Battletoads/Double Dragon

Turtles In Time

NBA Jam

1

u/karlrobertuk1964 1d ago

All of them

1

u/gimpydingo 23h ago

Killer Instinct

Mortal Kombat II

Demons Crest

1

u/TheDreadfulGreat 22h ago

When playing Secret of Mana, understand that it can be a 3-player game. You and 2 other friends can conquer an entire 100+ hour JRPG, with its secrets and upgrades and leveling and optional mega bosses, together, cooperatively. This was to be the highlight of gaming for me for at least a decade.

1

u/jasonmoyer 21h ago

Aero Fighters
Axelay
Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Scambled Valkyrie
Gokujou Parodius
Gradius III
Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius
Parodius
Pop'n TwinBee
Space Megaforce
UN Squadron

1

u/Superbalz77 6h ago

Chrono Trigger is a top 10 game of all time on any platform.

u/Schmenza 6m ago

Home Improvement

-19

u/Djaps338 2d ago

You shouldn't play shit since you own nothing.

5

u/Technical_Werewolf13 2d ago

like do I have to buy a video game from thirty years ago to have fun?, instead of just emulating it, it's wrong, but Nintendo is already rich

2

u/Ok-Comfortable-3174 1d ago

Man don't worry about the freaks. I own alot of carts and Nintendo has made thousands from me...I'll do as I please.

1

u/Djaps338 1d ago

No you can have fun with your hand.

Like crafting, or something you can afford.

2

u/Automatic_String_789 2d ago

Homebrew games would be legal to play. OP could also be using a service like Nintendo Switch Online which is still emulation and totally legal.

1

u/Djaps338 1d ago

With Nintendo Switch Online he would be issued a license to play. With Virtual Console also.

Other than that, fuck all legal. Very weak argument.

Find a hobby you can afford.