GamesDaily's Top Ten Obscure SNES Games

[PantherModern]

Gamesdaily (http://www.gamedaily.com/) has recently posted an article (http://www.gamedaily.com/specials/SNES_Top10/?page=1) outlining their ten most obscure, most desirable SNES games that "must" be available for download when the Revolution hits later this year.

Here's a snippet from their (somewhat biased) intro:

Clearly one of the greatest consoles ever made…oh who are we kidding? It (the SNES) is the greatest console ever. The Sony sound chip, Mode 7 graphics, and the library of triple A content (Lester the Unlikely excluded) make it one of the most sought after videogame treasures, but if Nintendo comes through with this Revolution online network, we might be able to access most of these games with a simple button press.
They had a similar write up last week for the NES (http://www.gamedaily.com/specials/magnificent_seven/).

So...after reading their lists, what classic games are you hoping appear the system? Battletoads vs. Double Dragon perhaps? Or maybe a little Low G Man? Or are we doomed (sic) to only get Nintendo's classic hits?

Thanks to Digg (http://www.digg.com) for the link.

[CrysDark]

I won't subscribe to thier virtural console service unless 90% of squaresofts games are on there (that includes rad racer!)

[Taco]

Out of this World was an awesome game.

[Nite_Moogle]

I'd pretty much agree with every game they came up with on that list. I also desperately want to see Metal Warriors make a return.

[HeisinDC]

I'm glad they put EVO on that list. I was thinking of that before I even clicked to the 3rd page that it is featured on. Mechwarrior would be another for me.

I wonder if the crossplatform games like desert strike, robocop, etc will make it to the revolution....hmmmmmmm...anyone know the legalities of that? Does nintendo own those rights?

More people I know have older systems that they play than brand new Xbox 360s. I played Mario Cart on the SNES for YEARS.

[Deadend]

Those were obscure?

Pah, I have heard of all of them. I never even had a SNES.

[Dr Quincy]

Flashback! My favorite game!

/swoons

[VoodooKarma]

I was glad to see Actraiser on that list. Actraiser is one of my all time favorite games on the SNES and a game I am dying to see a remake of. I also loved UN Squadron back in the day.

[T-Dub]

flashback and jungle strike where awesome games! I would sometime rent the special "arcade" controller to play jungle strike and i loved that shit.

Bionic commando & stryder belongs on that list though ... i don't know if they are obscure enough but i assume that simply meant they left off the heavy hitters like mario and link

[TheKeck]

Jungle Strike was pretty awesome, as well as Robocob Vs. Terminator. Played both on the Genesis, though. :D

[Murtaug]

Bionic commando & stryder belongs on that list though ... i don't know if they are obscure enough but i assume that simply meant they left off the heavy hitters like mario and link

Did Bionic Commando have an SNES title? Bionic Commando is still one of my favorite games of all time.

[pacman]

Did Bionic Commando have an SNES title? Bionic Commando is still one of my favorite games of all time.

I don't think so, unless I missed something somewhere...and Strider was only on the Genesis if I remember correctly.

Anywho, it seems more and more I'm seeing things about how obscure a game Earthbound was, which is odd to me because it seemed like a fairly big release at the time it came out...weird :confused:

[Kamalot]

Who would want to play old games?

http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9435

"When I look at Nintendo Revolution's retro story, with all due respect to Nintendo, I think it's a small subset of the opportunity here. To be honest with you, a lot of those games are fun in your head when you think, 'Oh, yeah when I was 12, this was really fun,' and you have these great nostalgic reasons to play them. Then you do play them, and they're just not very fun anymore. But, there are some games like Joust or Gauntlet or Pac-Man that are as fun today as they were back then.
-Xbox Live Arcade Group Manager Greg Canessa-

Sounds like he's awfuly lonely standing over there spouting off how NES, SNES and N64 games will stink but hyping Gauntlet.

[Abednigo]

I was one of the few people in school that finished the original Double Dragon. One of the hardest games I've ever played. Never played the sequel though.

[PantherModern]

Who would want to play old games?

http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9435



Sounds like he's awfuly lonely standing over there spouting off how NES, SNES and N64 games will stink but hyping Gauntlet.


Oh yeah, that is a bit of hypocrisy there. The XB Live arcade is built on the same nostalgia trips in a lot of ways. If not the games themselves, then the simplified arcade-style twitch gameplay at least. I mean, I definitely love my SNES, but I love it because there were so many great games. N is sitting on a goldmine of great gaming content, and if they use that to the fullest (and don't charge out the ass for it), it could bring a lot of people back. I live in a college town, and when I used to work at gamestop and we still sold SNES stuff, that junk would literally fly off the shelves. And most of it was to college kids who dug up their old systems to bring with them. I knew dudes who would have 15 or 20 people over for an evening of SNES Mario Kart. That's just solid game making.

[Nite_Moogle]

Who would want to play old games?
Me. When you play great old games like Zelda, Mario Bros 3, Super Metroid, or Final Fantasy 1-4-6, you realize that these games were great because they had great gameplay. They didn't sell on the promise of photo-realistic graphics, online multiplayer, "emergent gameplay" or any of that other shit they try and sell us these days. They were just damn good games and they stand the test of time regardless of the antiquity of their graphics.

[Mortis]

I don't think so, unless I missed something somewhere...and Strider was only on the Genesis if I remember correctly.


There was a Strider on the NES but not SNES. The Genesis version was very much like the arcade version if not a straight port and kicked ass. The NES version sucked pretty bad I think.

Actraiser, UN Squadron and the strike games were awesome.

[T-Dub]

I don't think so, unless I missed something somewhere...and Strider was only on the Genesis if I remember correctly.

Oh ... right ... i guess i don't distinguish too much between NES, SNES & Genesis

[Groo]

Hmmm...I don't see any reason to believe that any of these third party games is going to be included on Nintendo's Virutal Console. Something tells me that it's mostly going to be Nintendo games available for download on the Revolution.

[Wraithzula]

I'm glad they put EVO on that list.

Holy crap yes. I rented that game for weeks on end back in the day. I could never remember the name until now.

[Zanzibar]

Oh ... right ... i guess i don't distinguish too much between NES, SNES & Genesis

KILL THE HERETIC!!

Honestly, I had all those systems, so I was warm and fuzzy all the time too. That literally was the Golden Era of gaming.

Colecovision FTW!!!

[[Jez]]

Reading that was like a trip down memory lane, I got some insane scores on Uniracers and I think to this day I'm the only one who knows how to start with a level 3 spell in Actraiser. I never heard of Earthbound but I dont think it made it to the UK... Shadowrun should be on there as well :D

[TheKeck]

I was one of the few people in school that finished the original Double Dragon. One of the hardest games I've ever played. Never played the sequel though.

Dude, my hat's off to you.

I believe I got to the end boss, (or first of end bosses, or whatever it had), but I couldn't beat that sucker. It took me forever just to be able to get to Mission 4.

[Kamalot]

Hmmm...I don't see any reason to believe that any of these third party games is going to be included on Nintendo's Virutal Console.

It is also unknown what specific titles will be available or whether third-party developers will release their older games for the Revolution, although it has been said that Nintendo is in talks with these developers for this purpose. Yuji Naka, the designer of Sonic the Hedgehog at Sega, said in an interview with Famitsu, "It's also great that we'll be able to play Famicom and other games via download. I hope Sega games will be playable as well." He also said similar in a recent interview with Nintendo Power. Currently, Nintendo could release more than 200 potential titles...
-From the Revolution Wiki Entry-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Revolution#Virtual_console

[TheKeck]

I live in a college town, and when I used to work at gamestop and we still sold SNES stuff, that junk would literally fly off the shelves.
That literally was the Golden Era of gaming.


Why, people, why?

Did the SNES cartridges sprout little wings and take off? Were game cartridges made of pure gold in the 80's?

Why do people insist on using the word literally when it's the OPPOSITE of what they mean? :(

[Taco]

The SNES was so exciting that I literally crapped my pants.



/Cross

[askheaves]

I'll give the article points for EVO, but where is Wario's Woods? That is truly the best party game ever created.

I am a God at that game.

[Dr.Acula]

Those games aren't that obscure. I'd really like to see Robotrek and Metal Warriors.

[DriveALW]

I'd pretty much agree with every game they came up with on that list. I also desperately want to see Metal Warriors make a return.

Metal Warriors was awesome.

Don't know how "obscure" this list really is though. I played every game on it except for Terminator v. Robocop and Uniracers.

[Nite_Moogle]

Metal Warriors was awesome.
Literally awesome.

[Paendragon]

Seems like they are missing River City Ransom (I rented that game long enough to have bought it 5 times over)... <3

[PantherModern]

Why, people, why?

Did the SNES cartridges sprout little wings and take off? Were game cartridges made of pure gold in the 80's?

Why do people insist on using the word literally when it's the OPPOSITE of what they mean? :(



I am well aware of how the word "literally" is used in the classical sense, and using it as a precursor to a figurative statement it really quite silly, given the original word's intent, yes. However, using it as a general intensive is regularly accepted these days--at least in the vernacular (doesn't make it right, but common)--and it makes a nice counterpoint to a figurative statement due to the dichotomy of the meaning. Jeez. Calm thyself, me grammar Lord.

But hey, let's thank the Keck for expanding our minds today, kids!

[Crabby]

I don't think so, unless I missed something somewhere...and Strider was only on the Genesis if I remember correctly.

Anywho, it seems more and more I'm seeing things about how obscure a game Earthbound was, which is odd to me because it seemed like a fairly big release at the time it came out...weird :confused:


It is only obscure because of the rarity of the game. I only ever saw it being sold once in a store. A small Wal-Mart along the East Coast. It was very painful to have to walk away from the display case.

Anyway, all of those games are definitely good games, but obscure? Not even close! Where is mention of Live-A-Live or other insanely obscure products?

[automaton]

I hate to nit pick, but Mario Paint? Really? I owned that game and it fucking sucked. So yeah, it came with a mouse, but it was fun for about 20 minutes. No need to wait for Revolution, you can all play a version of Mario Paint right now. Minimize your web browser, click on the Start button, then go to PROGRAMS, ASSESSORIES, and click on Paint. Have fun!!!!!

[TheKeck]

I am well aware of how the word "literally" is used in the classical sense, and using it as a precursor to a figurative statement it really quite silly, given the original word's intent, yes. However, using it as a general intensive is regularly accepted these days--at least in the vernacular (doesn't make it right, but common)--and it makes a nice counterpoint to a figurative statement due to the dichotomy of the meaning. Jeez. Calm thyself, me grammar Lord.

But hey, let's thank the Keck for expanding our minds today, kids!

Yeah, I understand that the use as an intensive is quite common these days. Some dictionaries even list it as one of its meanings. It's just troublesome to me. I mean, the word "literally" has a useful meaning. When the opposite meaning becomes acceptable, the usefulness of the word is compromised.

[Crabby]

I hate to nit pick, but Mario Paint? Really? I owned that game and it fucking sucked. So yeah, it came with a mouse, but it was fun for about 20 minutes. No need to wait for Revolution, you can all play a version of Mario Paint right now. Minimize your web browser, click on the Start button, then go to PROGRAMS, ASSESSORIES, and click on Paint. Have fun!!!!!


You've obviously never spent days creating animated shorts on that thing as a kid.

[Nite_Moogle]

I hate to nit pick, but Mario Paint? Really? I owned that game and it fucking sucked. So yeah, it came with a mouse, but it was fun for about 20 minutes. No need to wait for Revolution, you can all play a version of Mario Paint right now. Minimize your web browser, click on the Start button, then go to PROGRAMS, ASSESSORIES, and click on Paint. Have fun!!!!!
Where's the music synthesizer in MS paint again? You know, the one with the mario bros sound effects and the Game Boy ding?

[PantherModern]

It is only obscure because of the rarity of the game. I only ever saw it being sold once in a store. A small Wal-Mart along the East Coast. It was very painful to have to walk away from the display case.

Anyway, all of those games are definitely good games, but obscure? Not even close! Where is mention of Live-A-Live or other insanely obscure products?


I think the "obscurity" of these titles is very much suspect. I don't think that they were top sellers, or ones that people had tons of access to, but they were hardly obscure. It is, however, a good list of gems from that system that a lot of people may never have gotten to play.

[dr_wily]

two words

solar jetman.

[johnperkins21]

Seems like they are missing River City Ransom (I rented that game long enough to have bought it 5 times over)... <3

RCR was NES and definitely not an obscure title, as virtually anyone you talk to who had an NES played (and loved) that game.

I am curious to note why Battletoads wasn't on there. I guess it wasn't that obscure, but neither was Actraiser. The one really obscure game I'd be looking for is Aerobiz. Man, that was wicked awesome!

[Paendragon]

RCR was NES and definitely not an obscure title, as virtually anyone you talk to who had an NES played (and loved) that game.

I am curious to note why Battletoads wasn't on there. I guess it wasn't that obscure, but neither was Actraiser. The one really obscure game I'd be looking for is Aerobiz. Man, that was wicked awesome!
Bleh, I keep getting snes and nes games mixed up in my old age :(

[PantherModern]

Seems like they are missing River City Ransom (I rented that game long enough to have bought it 5 times over)... <3


RCR is one of the absolute best games of the NES era. Hands down. Thank the maker I still have an NES 2 and a working copy of the game.

[Sazime]

I was one of the few people in school that finished the original Double Dragon. One of the hardest games I've ever played. Never played the sequel though.
I finished 1 and 2, and 2 was pretty easy. But it was a lot of fun!
Colecovision FTW!!!
Colecovision indeed. Loved that system. It would be great if they put out one of these (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00093DHIK/sr=1-1/qid=1139263327/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-4773942-9955338?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance) for the Coleco.
Seems like they are missing River City Ransom (I rented that game long enough to have bought it 5 times over)... <3
Yeah, they really seemed to concentrate on the SNES games. And I would call this pretty obscure, but not as obscure as the NES version of this (http://www.bardstaleonline.com/Console/) beauty!

[Cerebus]

Rock & Roll Racing, baby!

[dr_wily]

Rock & Roll Racing, baby!

that got a remake already for the gba

how about battle of olympus? that game rocked

[Syl]

I own the vast majority of those games..
I only own Jungle Strike, and i don't own EVO, Robocop or Out of this World.
I would like to own EVO, but its rarity has gotten to me.

They definately choose good games, but i wouldn't call them obscure.

I do hope they find a way to port Metal Warriors over, now that was originally an obscure game that was a COMPLETE AND TOTAL BITCH to track down.

[aversion2k]

I like most of the games listed, but Robocop Vs Terminator was complete shit

[Crabby]

RCR was NES and definitely not an obscure title, as virtually anyone you talk to who had an NES played (and loved) that game.

I am curious to note why Battletoads wasn't on there. I guess it wasn't that obscure, but neither was Actraiser. The one really obscure game I'd be looking for is Aerobiz. Man, that was wicked awesome!


I think we may agree that Actraiser 2 would count as obscure.

Heck, back when parents monitored what their kids did I doubt many children even got close to Actraiser 2. It had a lot of questionable material for anyone sensitive to religion.

[Wasson_]

lol this is pretty cool..I have so played like all of these. (but Earthbound was NOT obscure by any measure...I remember old Nintendo Power mags mentioning it like on every page...)

I had Mario Paint. Cool game in it where you would swat flies...

I also had UN Squadron, one of my faves! (which is actually based on an old {like late 70's old} Air-combat manga and anime called "Area-88", all the characters are represented in the game. It has recently been remade with new animation, you can probably find it at a Best Buy.)
BTW- There is also an arcade vesion of this game that the SNES version is based on. It has only 3 ships to choose from, while in the SNES verion you have to accumulate money to buy from 6 diffrent ships, as well as a very wide selection of special weapons.

Also, I have EVO for emulation and it's an awsome idea with somewhat average exection, but is still fun. This game needs to be remade.

Now-my obscure picks

Although not for SNES - Look for a game called "Ranger-X" for Genesis. Very very sweet action platformer. Easily my favorite Genesis game.

...Any game for the 32X lol...espescially "Shadow Squadron"

And a very obscure shoot-em-up called "Space Megaforce" for SNES. <- has a strange feel to it, but it's a very unique and cool game.

[Kelegacy]

Out of this World was an awesome game.
Did you play the sequel on Sega CD, Heart of the Alien? Great game, but the human scientist protagonist DIES in the end! You play as the Alien that befriended you in Out of this World.

Man, why cant there be more games like these? Hardly any speech, but lots of heart.

[Kelegacy]

Zombies Ate My Neighbors will HAVE to be on there. And these are the types of games that are screaming for online multiplayer. Of course that means the developers would actually have to work instead of just throw their ROMS on the Rev, so that will never happen.

[Kelegacy]

Me. When you play great old games like Zelda, Mario Bros 3, Super Metroid, or Final Fantasy 1-4-6, you realize that these games were great because they had great gameplay. They didn't sell on the promise of photo-realistic graphics, online multiplayer, "emergent gameplay" or any of that other shit they try and sell us these days. They were just damn good games and they stand the test of time regardless of the antiquity of their graphics.
And in many ways, the games of yesteryear far surpass the uninspired shit we see now. I cracked open some DOS games over the weekend and was floored at how great some of them still are. Today is all about capitalizing on licenses, sequels, and celebrities. Yes, it's always been that way, but it's more predominant now that gaming is such a huge mainstream industry.

The SNES was the best console ever made, probably the best Nintendo console ever made. This was due in part to the 3rd parties, who started leaving during the N64 era. Hopefully the Rev capitalizes on great games and gameplay, the stuff that made them the behemoth they are today, while Sony and MS continue to push the graphical envelope but not much else.

[Taco]

Did you play the sequel on Sega CD, Heart of the Alien? Great game, but the human scientist protagonist DIES in the end! You play as the Alien that befriended you in Out of this World.

Man, why cant there be more games like these? Hardly any speech, but lots of heart.

Don't think so. I just remembered loving that game, couldn't even remember what platform I played it on until this article. Actually had thought it was PC.

[TheKeck]

The SNES was the best console ever made, probably the best Nintendo console ever made.

Don't you have those two statements mixed up? ;)

[TrackZero]

Phew, they included U.N. squadron, so I'm happy.

[gawaintheblind]

SOLAR JETMAN FOR THE WIN!!!ONEONEONELEVEN

Heh. all leet aside, that was such a fantastic game that I can't believe I didn't remember it until you said it. I played that thing endlessly.

Edit: I just downloaded the rom for it, and ITS STILL MORE FUN THAN KOTOR2!

[Kelegacy]

Don't think so. I just remembered loving that game, couldn't even remember what platform I played it on until this article. Actually had thought it was PC.
Out of this World was for PC, too. You could have played it on the PC.

[nein89]

I realise this has already been mentioned half a dozen times, but Metal Warriors with online multiplayer would sell the system to me.

[Neverborne]

You've obviously never spent days creating animated shorts on that thing as a kid.

Yes, animated shorts of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Ahhh...to be young again.

[Lint of Death]

EVO and Uniracers!! I had completely forgotten Uniracers but I liked it so much!

And if we're going for obscure great games for SNES, how about Jurassic Park? I rented that once or twice, played the heck out of it and never saw it again (except for maybe this one time...sigh...). Walking around, hurling explosive bolas at dinosaurs. Awesome.

[mister_slim]

The one really obscure game I'd be looking for is Aerobiz. Man, that was wicked awesome!
That would be nice. With online play.

[EGO]

With there being some 15 million copies of the Strike Series being sold, I'm not sure if it qualifies for "obscure" (or "poor sellers" as someone previously implied), but it's good to see some great games getting recognition.

The Strike Series were great and I still see their open-ended/mission-based/thinking man's shooter influence in games, even today.

[Mav]

This list was mostly sad. While Flashback and Out of this World (and maybe Mario Paint) were stellar games, the rest of the list was crap. I remember countless times going to a local Blockbuster and seeing all the good games were always rented out, MK's, SF's, any of the great SNES rpg's, and yet shit like Uniracers or Mystical Ninja (which looks like it so wants to copy Rocky & Pocky) were the only games "left" avaible to be rented. I never rented them, even after reading the back of the box.

Which kinda reminds me, of something I always wanted rental places to have (for all eras of games including SNES) a pre-rental trial. Like say you're interested in renting a game but it's only so-so from the look and description. You don't really want to waste $6 renting it, even if you get to keep it for five days or more (on average with a variety of rental places). So what are you to do? Granted it may seem a tad bit tightwad-ish to be stengy with six bucks but hey, what if you get home, play it for several hours to give it an honest try and hate it? You're can return it back at any time in the time you have, but if you hate it then I doubt you'll like it the next day or the next. So you're down six bucks. Wash rense repeat for all the subpar titles for the various systems and that six bucks starts to stack up quite often.

Gamefly or whomever, that does the snail-mail game rental thing, is a nice thing but they don't always offer their service to all areas.

anyways didnt mean to get offtopic, sorry.

[Salamande]

I know it's NES, but...three words:

Super. Dodge. Ball.

It's all about the lightning shot, baby.

This is a game that's absolutely crying out for an updated, online multiplayer version.

[mister_slim]

Which kinda reminds me, of something I always wanted rental places to have (for all eras of games including SNES) a pre-rental trial. Like say you're interested in renting a game but it's only so-so from the look and description. You don't really want to waste $6 renting it, even if you get to keep it for five days or more (on average with a variety of rental places). So what are you to do? Granted it may seem a tad bit tightwad-ish to be stengy with six bucks but hey, what if you get home, play it for several hours to give it an honest try and hate it? You're can return it back at any time in the time you have, but if you hate it then I doubt you'll like it the next day or the next. So you're down six bucks. Wash rense repeat for all the subpar titles for the various systems and that six bucks starts to stack up quite often.
Blockbuster has a rental plan like that. I think you get one game out at a time, for $20 a month. I imagine you can exchange the game whenever you want.