The SNES came out when I was 14. I got my first NES because a friend got a SNES and was no longer interested in his NES. I thought the effects in SMW were fantastic, but I only got to play it in small doses, so the SNES I remember more for finally getting me an NES, which I had previously had to play only when visiting friends.
I have mixed impressions of the SNES, really. I loved some of the early music and even recorded it to tape at a friend's house, mostly Actraiser and Joe & Mac. The special effects were great, too. But I was only interested in some of the games. There seemed to be a lot of titles that would be more impressive if they weren't dragged down by slowdown, for example.
Years later, I have found that I still have fond memories of a few SNES games, but when I sample others, especially those I didn't play when I was younger, I feel like they don't hold up well. And that's what I struggle with. The SNES was a great marketing and sales achievement, and a lot of developers used that platform to put forth some of their greatest efforts to date, and yet, I find myself able to be only so enthusiastic about the console. It housed some of the greatest 16-bit titles, but also dozens of games that prove no amount of improvement in graphics and sound can save bad design, bad art, and bad composition. So in a way, the SNES is the most ambivalent console of its generation.
The TG-16 held a special place in my heart and was my first CD player (and the first console I bought with my own money). A lot of titles for it still look good through my nostalgia-tinted lenses. The Genesis was a system I never played at all when I was young, and only came to later in life, as in post-college. And somehow, I find more games I enjoy playing on that mystery console, nostalgia-free. The SNES is stuck in some weird limbo. Some titles I love with great video game passion, and were achievements only possible on that unique hardware platform, while most of the rest of the library for the system is a resounding "meh". No other system before or since has left me so grasping at my own feelings to figure out how I really feel.
The SNES and you, 25 years of SUPER POWER!
Re: The SNES and you, 25 years of SUPER POWER!
Ex: Wow, history there, not just sticking to launch. Your thread is a rush of memories here too. DKC was mind blowing, when I thought the SNES couldn't pull it beyond what it had done, they go and release that (but also Super Mario RPG too.) I never got wooed away by Sony, quite honestly I loathed PC(etc) CD games that emphasized early shitty 3D graphics and mainly FMV over game play. I did then, still do now. I stuck with the thing into the N64 and I stopped buying around the DKC2 pickup and SMRPG, but went back with the N64 (again f Sony) lying about the kiddie box causing a release problem - That's why I discoved SOM, Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gais, Kirby's Dream Land 3, and more including Earthbound which I skipped initially as NIntendo tried it's hardest to make it look stupid.
I too was into emulation, started in it in 1996. Anyone remember the VSMC test for Mode7 that turned into an emulator that worked, even with sketchy audio and then the greedy developer lied about it being free forever then charged a lot for it and made the free one piss yellow -- the whole community lit his ass up and it died then SNES96/97-9X with music hit, followed by ZSNES. I was tight in that period with developers, ended up assisting on both, along with some NES junk too. I miss those days, all the development aspects and growth. I used to test my entire library against the emulators, even would buy more games to throw at them too. It kept the fires burning long in my cares for the stuff that only the greed and avarice of the last 5 years ruined sadly almost completely.
That said this thread owns, I fired up F-Zero for the first time in I can't remember how long...decade? It was hard being basically new at it again, but I did clear Mute City 1->Silence taking first (almost lost it on sand ocean.)
SNES really is the apex of the 16bit era on the home side, sure I could throw a nod to NeoGeo but it was really a re-tooled pinout of the MVS hardware so kind of unfair.
The fact the games today for those that put a solid effort into them still look and sound both fresh, new and in place in modern mobile gaming corners (and some are with the square re-releases) is just stunning and a testament how good it really was.
I too was into emulation, started in it in 1996. Anyone remember the VSMC test for Mode7 that turned into an emulator that worked, even with sketchy audio and then the greedy developer lied about it being free forever then charged a lot for it and made the free one piss yellow -- the whole community lit his ass up and it died then SNES96/97-9X with music hit, followed by ZSNES. I was tight in that period with developers, ended up assisting on both, along with some NES junk too. I miss those days, all the development aspects and growth. I used to test my entire library against the emulators, even would buy more games to throw at them too. It kept the fires burning long in my cares for the stuff that only the greed and avarice of the last 5 years ruined sadly almost completely.
That said this thread owns, I fired up F-Zero for the first time in I can't remember how long...decade? It was hard being basically new at it again, but I did clear Mute City 1->Silence taking first (almost lost it on sand ocean.)
SNES really is the apex of the 16bit era on the home side, sure I could throw a nod to NeoGeo but it was really a re-tooled pinout of the MVS hardware so kind of unfair.
The fact the games today for those that put a solid effort into them still look and sound both fresh, new and in place in modern mobile gaming corners (and some are with the square re-releases) is just stunning and a testament how good it really was.-
Exhuminator
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Re: The SNES and you, 25 years of SUPER POWER!
The thing with the SNES is it never stopped impressing me. Every time I thought I'd seen all there was to be done with it, another game would come out and cause me to reevaluate what the SNES was capable of. From little things like the sprite rotation of Super Mario World, to the Mode 7 maps of F-Zero and Mario Kart, to the polygonal power of the FX chip, the believable orchestration of FFIII's OST, and the awesome sprite manipulation power of Yoshi's Island's Super FX2 chip. But the SNES's best games didn't just rely on smoke and mirrors, its best games focused on the core experience being expertly crafted and timeless, with the pizzazz serving only as candy sprinkles on top.
Recently I setup new laptops for my daughter and her boyfriend. I asked them what games they wanted on their new computers. I said I could put whatever they wanted. Now my daughter is 18 and her boyfriend is 17, so I expected certain titles to be requested. But guess what they said? That's right. Super Nintendo. They both wanted Super Nintendo games on their laptops, complete with a Buffalo controller. My daughter has the most recent iPhone, and she'd rather play SNES. The 17 year old boy has an Xbox One and he'd rather play SNES too. If that doesn't say everything about the timeless design of the SNES and its library, I don't know what else does.
Recently I setup new laptops for my daughter and her boyfriend. I asked them what games they wanted on their new computers. I said I could put whatever they wanted. Now my daughter is 18 and her boyfriend is 17, so I expected certain titles to be requested. But guess what they said? That's right. Super Nintendo. They both wanted Super Nintendo games on their laptops, complete with a Buffalo controller. My daughter has the most recent iPhone, and she'd rather play SNES. The 17 year old boy has an Xbox One and he'd rather play SNES too. If that doesn't say everything about the timeless design of the SNES and its library, I don't know what else does.
PLAY KING'S FIELD.
Re: The SNES and you, 25 years of SUPER POWER!
The NES did it too to be fair, just not as obvious in many cases. It was more subtle, like that 8bit music thread goes like how Castlevania II, Mega man something, or a Sunsoft game would make you go...NES does what now? It came down to expansion chips usually there, but the SNES didn't quite need them to get some of its best wow factor titles, just some of them. The NES went from Super Mario Bros to Kirby's Adventure in quality, and the SNES went from stuff like Super Mario World and Street Fighter II up to Donkey Kong Country 3 and SF Alpha 2 which were crazy jumps in quality.
I still find games on SNES that surprise me when I put them into use emulated or in the real system, Japan did that for me too in the later 90s and the 00s. Stuff like Spriggan Powered with its high res graphics (which SOM menus gave us a taste of) among others was crazy. It still gets me how high quality the sampling on that 33khz output sound chip that thing has, when done right from early greats like ActRaiser to your DKC trilogy and others on the back end, it was just beyond what you'd ever expect. It blows me away when people anti-fanboy the SNES audio as muffled crap, probably need a hearing test or a box of q-tips.
You're right about those teens, they have no experience (in the day) with it, just up against what's out there now and they'd rather have stuff with a 20-25 year old copyright on it with hardware designed in the late 80s. Yes it's timeless, but it also kind of is a nod how sad console gaming is these days, and how not-sad the android arena is when the games are comparatively solid in their realm too. Because how the SNES games seem (and GBA too) to parallel the quality of the mobile 2D market which is far larger and more sought than the 3D stuff really, it makes you wonder how long the refresh in interest will last.
I still find games on SNES that surprise me when I put them into use emulated or in the real system, Japan did that for me too in the later 90s and the 00s. Stuff like Spriggan Powered with its high res graphics (which SOM menus gave us a taste of) among others was crazy. It still gets me how high quality the sampling on that 33khz output sound chip that thing has, when done right from early greats like ActRaiser to your DKC trilogy and others on the back end, it was just beyond what you'd ever expect. It blows me away when people anti-fanboy the SNES audio as muffled crap, probably need a hearing test or a box of q-tips.
You're right about those teens, they have no experience (in the day) with it, just up against what's out there now and they'd rather have stuff with a 20-25 year old copyright on it with hardware designed in the late 80s. Yes it's timeless, but it also kind of is a nod how sad console gaming is these days, and how not-sad the android arena is when the games are comparatively solid in their realm too. Because how the SNES games seem (and GBA too) to parallel the quality of the mobile 2D market which is far larger and more sought than the 3D stuff really, it makes you wonder how long the refresh in interest will last.
Re: The SNES and you, 25 years of SUPER POWER!
First off, you guys should definitely check this out. Fantastic video and production, felt like I was watching the History Channel or something haha:
Classic Gaming Quarterly - The Launch of the Super Nintendo (1991)
So my story...
Born in 1987 and was somehow playing games when I was 2 and beating them by 3, so I was born on the NES and played a lot of stuff. I briefly knew about the SNES and its existence before getting one, because December 1991 or 1992 is when my parents took me up to Santa Claus and I wouldn't sit on his lap. I stood about 20 feet away and yelled at him that I wanted a Super Nintendo for Christmas. The old man scared me or something, but I wanted Santa to get my wish. So that's been a family story ever since. I think I was even crying.
The funny thing is how wondrous the Zelda series was to me at an early age. Growing up in an ultra religious time and home, for whatever reason I didn't have a lot of access to the Zelda games. But my dad's side of the family had an NES with Metroid and Zelda II, along with my first exposure to a Genesis. And then I played the original Zelda a few times at a friends place of my parents when I was young, and these same people ended up having Link to the Past the last time we saw them. I think this was perhaps my very first exposure to the SNES. It's still funny I have these weird pictures and ideas of what I remember Link to the Past being like, even though the memories aren't fully accurate and it's now my favorite game ever that I can map out in my head. I don't know if that makes any sense though. I've retained weird memories of what I saw and remember of it as a kid, but also know what it really is.
It's a bit hard to piece it all together between 1991-1995 for me. But I know I got an SNES one Christmas and had Super Mario World. Frankly, I'm having a hard time thinking of anything else though. I never owned F-Zero or Mario Kart as a kid.
But the SNES was a cool era where I have cool memories of my dad being into a few games and playing some stuff with him on the SNES, when he has never really cared for gaming beyond the SNES, and I guess SSX on the PS2. It was through my dad, his best friend, and some others that I first played and experienced more unique games like Lemmings, The Lost Vikings, Clayfighter, Out of This World, Earthworm Jim, and Super Ghouls n' Ghosts. I don't know if these all predate Donkey Kong Country, too lazy to check. But these are some games I remember playing before Christmas 1994, when I got Donkey Kong Country. To this day in 2016, playing Donkey Kong Country for the very first time is probably one of the highest points ever in my gaming life. It was utterly jaw dropping at the time. Never had I ever seen anything so amazing, or heard music of that caliber. I was also the only kid around that owned an SNES, while everyone else had the Genesis. So that was kind of cool.
Star Fox was the next big game at the time that blew my face off when it came out.
Also the story I've mentioned a few times because it's hilarious with the Christian religious household theme, is that my dad and I beat Actraiser together. I was just a bit too young to read something as complicated as it was at the time, so he read while I played. I vividly remember the final boss and beating it, and this was back when rentals were just a day or two. So we beat that in a weekend. For those familiar with Actraiser and Quintet games, pretty much all their themes are highly Biblical and weird in the coolest ways. So it's shocking to think that my dad played this with me at the time.
Super Turrican also gets a mad shoutout as being this one obscure game that I think I rented ONCE, and completely forgot about for at least 10 some years until my later teens, when finally through the power of the internet I rediscovered the game. I never once forgot about the cover art, the music, the graphics, and all of that, but the name of the game had slipped me by. So it was fantastic to finally rediscover this gem. Now I'm a huge fan of the composer and everything.
A few years later, Super Metroid was given to me for free through my aunt who was a Blockbuster manager at the time. She would sometimes give me free games that renters claimed were busted or broken, but... everything she gave me worked haha. I think my dad blocked her from giving me everything she offered though. But Super Metroid was one. I have funny memories of Super Metroid as well. The first time I played it was loading up a save at the final save point, as some know, is a locked out area that doesn't let you backtrack for whatever reason. But I spent SO much time there that I thought you had to find a way out. I got lost and stuck, somehow in that tiny area. So finally I somehow realized what was wrong and started a new game and was blown away.
For good measure, Super Mario RPG was my first real RPG. I had no idea what I was doing and only leveled up HP my entire first run, because it was the biggest number. I thought, WTF, why bother with the other stats? Somehow I still beat it, which I bet may have been handicapped compared to better stat distribution. lol
I have unfinished business with the first Jurassic Park SNES game. I still have never beaten it.
I sold a lot of SNES games over the years. Mad regrets. I sold a lot of consoles over the years too. More regrets. But I never once sold my original SNES. However, years back I did swap out my SNES with one my grandparents had sitting around. Mine was yellowing and beat up, but the one they had was practically mint. So I have that one now and it still looks fantastic. I was also getting weird errors with Mode 7 sections of games on my original SNES. I guess others have had that experience. Like the world maps in Link to the Past, Secret of Mana, etc.
Nowadays I guess SNES games are really pricey and hard to scoop up, but I'm pretty happy with the collection I built up. It's nothing crazy to some collectors, but I got most of the stuff I really love:
http://www.rfgeneration.com/cgi-bin/col ... 4%7C&type=
If you're up for being blown away again and haven't seen this game, check out Rendering Ranger. A spiritual successor to the Turrican series I believe.
Classic Gaming Quarterly - The Launch of the Super Nintendo (1991)
So my story...
Born in 1987 and was somehow playing games when I was 2 and beating them by 3, so I was born on the NES and played a lot of stuff. I briefly knew about the SNES and its existence before getting one, because December 1991 or 1992 is when my parents took me up to Santa Claus and I wouldn't sit on his lap. I stood about 20 feet away and yelled at him that I wanted a Super Nintendo for Christmas. The old man scared me or something, but I wanted Santa to get my wish. So that's been a family story ever since. I think I was even crying.
The funny thing is how wondrous the Zelda series was to me at an early age. Growing up in an ultra religious time and home, for whatever reason I didn't have a lot of access to the Zelda games. But my dad's side of the family had an NES with Metroid and Zelda II, along with my first exposure to a Genesis. And then I played the original Zelda a few times at a friends place of my parents when I was young, and these same people ended up having Link to the Past the last time we saw them. I think this was perhaps my very first exposure to the SNES. It's still funny I have these weird pictures and ideas of what I remember Link to the Past being like, even though the memories aren't fully accurate and it's now my favorite game ever that I can map out in my head. I don't know if that makes any sense though. I've retained weird memories of what I saw and remember of it as a kid, but also know what it really is.
It's a bit hard to piece it all together between 1991-1995 for me. But I know I got an SNES one Christmas and had Super Mario World. Frankly, I'm having a hard time thinking of anything else though. I never owned F-Zero or Mario Kart as a kid.
But the SNES was a cool era where I have cool memories of my dad being into a few games and playing some stuff with him on the SNES, when he has never really cared for gaming beyond the SNES, and I guess SSX on the PS2. It was through my dad, his best friend, and some others that I first played and experienced more unique games like Lemmings, The Lost Vikings, Clayfighter, Out of This World, Earthworm Jim, and Super Ghouls n' Ghosts. I don't know if these all predate Donkey Kong Country, too lazy to check. But these are some games I remember playing before Christmas 1994, when I got Donkey Kong Country. To this day in 2016, playing Donkey Kong Country for the very first time is probably one of the highest points ever in my gaming life. It was utterly jaw dropping at the time. Never had I ever seen anything so amazing, or heard music of that caliber. I was also the only kid around that owned an SNES, while everyone else had the Genesis. So that was kind of cool.
Star Fox was the next big game at the time that blew my face off when it came out.
Also the story I've mentioned a few times because it's hilarious with the Christian religious household theme, is that my dad and I beat Actraiser together. I was just a bit too young to read something as complicated as it was at the time, so he read while I played. I vividly remember the final boss and beating it, and this was back when rentals were just a day or two. So we beat that in a weekend. For those familiar with Actraiser and Quintet games, pretty much all their themes are highly Biblical and weird in the coolest ways. So it's shocking to think that my dad played this with me at the time.
Super Turrican also gets a mad shoutout as being this one obscure game that I think I rented ONCE, and completely forgot about for at least 10 some years until my later teens, when finally through the power of the internet I rediscovered the game. I never once forgot about the cover art, the music, the graphics, and all of that, but the name of the game had slipped me by. So it was fantastic to finally rediscover this gem. Now I'm a huge fan of the composer and everything.
A few years later, Super Metroid was given to me for free through my aunt who was a Blockbuster manager at the time. She would sometimes give me free games that renters claimed were busted or broken, but... everything she gave me worked haha. I think my dad blocked her from giving me everything she offered though. But Super Metroid was one. I have funny memories of Super Metroid as well. The first time I played it was loading up a save at the final save point, as some know, is a locked out area that doesn't let you backtrack for whatever reason. But I spent SO much time there that I thought you had to find a way out. I got lost and stuck, somehow in that tiny area. So finally I somehow realized what was wrong and started a new game and was blown away.
For good measure, Super Mario RPG was my first real RPG. I had no idea what I was doing and only leveled up HP my entire first run, because it was the biggest number. I thought, WTF, why bother with the other stats? Somehow I still beat it, which I bet may have been handicapped compared to better stat distribution. lol
I have unfinished business with the first Jurassic Park SNES game. I still have never beaten it.
I sold a lot of SNES games over the years. Mad regrets. I sold a lot of consoles over the years too. More regrets. But I never once sold my original SNES. However, years back I did swap out my SNES with one my grandparents had sitting around. Mine was yellowing and beat up, but the one they had was practically mint. So I have that one now and it still looks fantastic. I was also getting weird errors with Mode 7 sections of games on my original SNES. I guess others have had that experience. Like the world maps in Link to the Past, Secret of Mana, etc.
Nowadays I guess SNES games are really pricey and hard to scoop up, but I'm pretty happy with the collection I built up. It's nothing crazy to some collectors, but I got most of the stuff I really love:
http://www.rfgeneration.com/cgi-bin/col ... 4%7C&type=
My sister is the same. Not really a gamer, but she loves the SNES and has my old one now. And she plays more than Mario Kart. It is far, far too easy to argue that the SNES has aged 10x better than the N64, and even Gamecube stuff. There is nothing but absolute charm and love for beautiful sprite work and the simplicity of old games goes a long way. I can maybe see some kids or people having a hard time with the 8-bit era, but to dismiss the 16-bit era to me is just ignorance or something.Exhuminator wrote: Recently I setup new laptops for my daughter and her boyfriend. I asked them what games they wanted on their new computers. I said I could put whatever they wanted. Now my daughter is 18 and her boyfriend is 17, so I expected certain titles to be requested. But guess what they said? That's right. Super Nintendo. They both wanted Super Nintendo games on their laptops, complete with a Buffalo controller. My daughter has the most recent iPhone, and she'd rather play SNES. The 17 year old boy has an Xbox One and he'd rather play SNES too. If that doesn't say everything about the timeless design of the SNES and its library, I don't know what else does.
If you're up for being blown away again and haven't seen this game, check out Rendering Ranger. A spiritual successor to the Turrican series I believe.
-
BoneSnapDeez
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- Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 1:08 pm
- Location: Maine
Re: The SNES and you, 25 years of SUPER POWER!
Alright, story time I suppose (made my first post with a babby on my lap).
I was a Nintendo kid. It began with Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. arcade cabs in local pizza parlors. Then I procured a NES, Nintendo Power subscription, and Game Boy.
I was insanely pumped for the SNES. Wanted one badly. Parents were not thrilled by this ("You have enough video games already" mwahahahahaha if they could see me now).
A snotty little richy rich friend of mine got one in late 1991. I was so envious; he wasn't even a "real gamer" - didn't have an NES! - just wanted the latest and greatest toys to show off. I played Super Mario World a few times at his place and was blown away the the size and scope of the game. It's like I could scarcely even comprehend what was happening.
Ended up saving money for the system. Many lawns were mowed. Got the console sometime in '92 I reckon. Played Super Mario World for what felt like two days straight. Moved on to A Link to the Past. I had always enjoyed the original game, but found it a tad clunky and cryptic. LttP ironed out all these issues and was just a massive and atmospheric experience. Amazing game.
I continued with the "typical" stuff - some platformers, adventure games, sports titles - until the winter of 1994.
Final Fantasy III. Holy shit is this even real. I didn't have much experience with the JRPG. Missed out on most of the 8-bit entries, with Zelda II perhaps being the closest thing I had to one. FFII came out pretty close to the SNES launch, so that passed me by as well. Part III (VI) looked rad based on Nintendo Power footage. Kinda Zelda-ish sci-fi-ish fantasy-ish? I'll give it a whirl, I guess.
The game made me shit my pants. Still my favorite video game of all time. The minute Terra stepped onto the overworld and that theme started playing I knew that my relationship with video games had somehow been fundamentally changed - after bouncing around and just casually playing the "popular" stuff I had now found my niche, my gene, my obsession. This took me deep down the JRPG rabbit hole and I tried to scoop up every other one I came across. I spent countless hours with Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore, Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger, EarthBound, and many others.
Generations were short back then, and the 5th gen dropped just a few years after I had acquired by SNES. I didn't care for the CD-ROM medium or those newfangled 3D graphics so I clung to my 16-bit machine, picking up whatever hit the clearance rack. I was becoming a "retro gamer."
Around 2000 I discovered the magic of fan translations and migrated over to SNES9X. This is where I discovered games like Final Fantasy V and Tales of Phantasia. It was quite a trip, after thoroughly exploring the SNES JRPG library I now had the Super Famicom to contend with!
Today I mostly play SNES games via my Retron 5, where I can save states and apply patches to Japanese games. I find myself revisiting SNES games moreso than any others, and at this very moment I have two Super Famicom games en route from Japan. I can't imagine that I'll ever tire of this system, and it's likely to remain my all-time favorite.
Oh, and dat controller. So exquisite and perfect. It's like it just morphs into my hands when I hold it.
I was a Nintendo kid. It began with Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. arcade cabs in local pizza parlors. Then I procured a NES, Nintendo Power subscription, and Game Boy.
I was insanely pumped for the SNES. Wanted one badly. Parents were not thrilled by this ("You have enough video games already" mwahahahahaha if they could see me now).
A snotty little richy rich friend of mine got one in late 1991. I was so envious; he wasn't even a "real gamer" - didn't have an NES! - just wanted the latest and greatest toys to show off. I played Super Mario World a few times at his place and was blown away the the size and scope of the game. It's like I could scarcely even comprehend what was happening.
Ended up saving money for the system. Many lawns were mowed. Got the console sometime in '92 I reckon. Played Super Mario World for what felt like two days straight. Moved on to A Link to the Past. I had always enjoyed the original game, but found it a tad clunky and cryptic. LttP ironed out all these issues and was just a massive and atmospheric experience. Amazing game.
I continued with the "typical" stuff - some platformers, adventure games, sports titles - until the winter of 1994.
Final Fantasy III. Holy shit is this even real. I didn't have much experience with the JRPG. Missed out on most of the 8-bit entries, with Zelda II perhaps being the closest thing I had to one. FFII came out pretty close to the SNES launch, so that passed me by as well. Part III (VI) looked rad based on Nintendo Power footage. Kinda Zelda-ish sci-fi-ish fantasy-ish? I'll give it a whirl, I guess.
The game made me shit my pants. Still my favorite video game of all time. The minute Terra stepped onto the overworld and that theme started playing I knew that my relationship with video games had somehow been fundamentally changed - after bouncing around and just casually playing the "popular" stuff I had now found my niche, my gene, my obsession. This took me deep down the JRPG rabbit hole and I tried to scoop up every other one I came across. I spent countless hours with Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore, Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger, EarthBound, and many others.
Generations were short back then, and the 5th gen dropped just a few years after I had acquired by SNES. I didn't care for the CD-ROM medium or those newfangled 3D graphics so I clung to my 16-bit machine, picking up whatever hit the clearance rack. I was becoming a "retro gamer."
Around 2000 I discovered the magic of fan translations and migrated over to SNES9X. This is where I discovered games like Final Fantasy V and Tales of Phantasia. It was quite a trip, after thoroughly exploring the SNES JRPG library I now had the Super Famicom to contend with!
Today I mostly play SNES games via my Retron 5, where I can save states and apply patches to Japanese games. I find myself revisiting SNES games moreso than any others, and at this very moment I have two Super Famicom games en route from Japan. I can't imagine that I'll ever tire of this system, and it's likely to remain my all-time favorite.
Oh, and dat controller. So exquisite and perfect. It's like it just morphs into my hands when I hold it.
Re: The SNES and you, 25 years of SUPER POWER!
I played a Super Famicom before the SNES was released. There was a game store near where I lived where you could pay to play an imported Super Famicom. It was marvelous. F-Zero and its Mode 7 graphics blew my mind. I still remember that first time I saw the overhead shot of the first level, when the sound goes "beeyoooooh!" as it zooms down and rotates forward and the racers come into view. The NES never did anything like that and it's hard to convey how exciting this was at the time. I was seriously pumped. F-Zero was everything.
I also was able to play some Super Mario World and Pilot Wings. I was stunned by how much more colorful the new Super Mario game was, and the music was almost haunting because the SNES had such a fuller sound. I was really moved by the sound and I wanted nothing more than to own one of these things. It felt revolutionary. Pilotwings had a light magical quality to it. I thought the music was weird, like something you would hear in an elevator, but I really got this sense of floating when playing the game and it was so relaxing and engrossing to play, but also exciting in that it gave the impression of a third dimension in a video game, which was really new at the time for a console.
I was hooked. I would go pay to play at the store with the Super Famicom whenever I had the money and a ride over there. I wanted the SNES to come out so bad. I remember the Genesis came out first in the US. There was a department store called Shopko that I would walk to from my house so I could play Altered Beasts on their demo, but this was just to hold me over because I had sworn my allegiance to the SNES.
I gobbled up whatever news I could about the new system, which largely meant reading my Nintendo Power subscription, or thumbing through magazine sections in grocery stores to find other gaming or toy magazines. I probably drove my parents crazy talking about it.
I had this poster I got from an issue of Nintendo Power hanging on my wall. I stared at this thing all the time, just waiting and yearning for the SNES to finally be released. I was obsessed. I tried to imagine what the new Zelda or Final Fantasy games would be like. I got excited to have a Final Fight game at home that looked as good as the arcade. I was in awe at the size of the boss in Super R-Type. I actually managed to find a jpg of this poster online:
The SNES came under the Christmas tree that year (1991). I don't remember much about Christmas that year other than staring at the box because I wasn't allowed to hook it up until the presents were all unwrapped and we had visited family. I just stared at the box most of the morning, fawning over the pictures of games on the outer packaging. I begrudgingly went to visit relatives with the family, and was probably a jerk that year because all I wanted was to go home and play my SNES. Of course, I eventually did and it was sheer joy to finally hear the coin clink as I finally saw this appear on my television screen. The rest is history.
I also was able to play some Super Mario World and Pilot Wings. I was stunned by how much more colorful the new Super Mario game was, and the music was almost haunting because the SNES had such a fuller sound. I was really moved by the sound and I wanted nothing more than to own one of these things. It felt revolutionary. Pilotwings had a light magical quality to it. I thought the music was weird, like something you would hear in an elevator, but I really got this sense of floating when playing the game and it was so relaxing and engrossing to play, but also exciting in that it gave the impression of a third dimension in a video game, which was really new at the time for a console.
I was hooked. I would go pay to play at the store with the Super Famicom whenever I had the money and a ride over there. I wanted the SNES to come out so bad. I remember the Genesis came out first in the US. There was a department store called Shopko that I would walk to from my house so I could play Altered Beasts on their demo, but this was just to hold me over because I had sworn my allegiance to the SNES.
I gobbled up whatever news I could about the new system, which largely meant reading my Nintendo Power subscription, or thumbing through magazine sections in grocery stores to find other gaming or toy magazines. I probably drove my parents crazy talking about it.
I had this poster I got from an issue of Nintendo Power hanging on my wall. I stared at this thing all the time, just waiting and yearning for the SNES to finally be released. I was obsessed. I tried to imagine what the new Zelda or Final Fantasy games would be like. I got excited to have a Final Fight game at home that looked as good as the arcade. I was in awe at the size of the boss in Super R-Type. I actually managed to find a jpg of this poster online:
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Re: The SNES and you, 25 years of SUPER POWER!
Everyone's stories on this system is fantastic.
Mine is not so much though.
I remember having a snes in 92 or something like that the time when super Mario all stars was a mail in to get the game.
I used a knife to cut the upc at a SAMs club in order to get the game. Lol. I was a bad kid. I should make a thread on that I bet I'll win
Anyways the most exciting thing I got from the snes was I went to a flea market in 2006 or so and this guy had the snes in a huge box. All I saw was the controller hanging out. I asked him what was that and he pulled it out and said 50.00. I couldn't really see a lot but I seen turtles in time and Zelda. Sold
I got home and 50 plus games were there
Every Mario,Zelda, donkey kong or first party game
Both castlevanias
Evo
Both final fantasy games
And some of the best snes games has to offer
I was pumped and thought I will never sell this stuff. Then the 3ds or ds lite came out and my kids wanted them for Christmas. Well need I say any more?
Mine is not so much though.
I remember having a snes in 92 or something like that the time when super Mario all stars was a mail in to get the game.
I used a knife to cut the upc at a SAMs club in order to get the game. Lol. I was a bad kid. I should make a thread on that I bet I'll win
Anyways the most exciting thing I got from the snes was I went to a flea market in 2006 or so and this guy had the snes in a huge box. All I saw was the controller hanging out. I asked him what was that and he pulled it out and said 50.00. I couldn't really see a lot but I seen turtles in time and Zelda. Sold
I got home and 50 plus games were there
Every Mario,Zelda, donkey kong or first party game
Both castlevanias
Evo
Both final fantasy games
And some of the best snes games has to offer
I was pumped and thought I will never sell this stuff. Then the 3ds or ds lite came out and my kids wanted them for Christmas. Well need I say any more?
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Exhuminator
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Re: The SNES and you, 25 years of SUPER POWER!
Thanks for mentioning this. Pilotwings has one my all time favorite OSTs ever. I still listen to just its OST alone from time to time. I remember circa 1992 one day in autumn, playing a hang gliding section, listening to this music, while seeing orange and yellow leaves falling outside through the window. I remember a feeling of pure serenity and calm peaceful joy, a meditative emotion that I wish I could conjure on demand today.J T wrote:Pilotwings had a light magical quality to it. I thought the music was weird, like something you would hear in an elevator, but I really got this sense of floating when playing the game
How much did I love the SNES? In 1994, my dad asked me what I wanted for Christmas. He wanted to buy me a new mountain bike. I told him I wanted Mega Man X instead. He was like, "You'll get a lot more fun out of a mountain bike." I was like, nah, Mega Man X. So I got the game and it blew my mind. It took me a while to beat it, but when I did I felt like a king. And not once did I ever regret not getting that mountain bike.
The next Christmas I asked for this:
I could not believe what I was seeing when I played DKC. I had just seen Toy Story, and I was utterly flabbergasted that my old SNES could pull off the same kind of aesthetic. How could these sprites have such a 3D look? How could they have so many frames of animation? And the brilliant sheen that reflected on the sprites as they moved about utterly amazed me. I wish, oh how I wish, that today's games could instill the same kind of wonder and amazement in me, that the SNES' library's continuous evolution did. It was a magical time to be a gamer, I'm glad I was there to experience each and every step. No amount of high polygon counts, complex shaders, or mega textures will ever amaze me as much as some of the stuff on the SNES did:
It was a hell of a time to be alive.
PLAY KING'S FIELD.
Re: The SNES and you, 25 years of SUPER POWER!
Haha, it always fascinates me to look at these old promotional campaigns and spot the stuff that never came over and the stuff that generally isn't considered any good today. Ah, memories.J T wrote:I actually managed to find a jpg of this poster online:
