Re-defining the Defining Games of the SNES

[SpaceBooger]

Turtles IV: Turtles in Time - I think this has aged well and has a big following. Probably the best beat'em up on the SNES

I think this should be on the list. The arcade game and TMNT 2 for the NES were hot and this was the best and last "true" beat-em up TMNT game (the ones based off the 2002 cartoon were close). While I personally like the Hyperstone Heist better, everyone wanted to play Turtles in Time, it is costly now and many argue that it is the best TMNT game ever.

[alienjesus]

I think Final Fight was probably the more defining SNES beat-em-up, and should be on the list. I'm shocked it wasn't even an honourable mention in the original.

Sure, most people prefer Streets of Rage in retrospect, but I think people are overlooking just how big a deal it was to get a home port of the arcades premier beat-em-up for your system.

Street Fighter 2 should also be right near the top of the list for similar reasons, but even moreso.

[Ack]

As far as Street Fighter 2 and Turbo are concerned, whoever does the actual write up can include both in the blurb. Shoot, you can make mention of all three SF2 variants if you want.

[racketboy]

I'm all for reviewing posts to be updated, but for the "Defining" series, one of the primary goals is featuring games that made the biggest impact at the time -- even around the time of the console's launch. That maybe mean that some not-so-timeless games are on the list. It's possible for some late bloomers could be added to the list.

[isiolia]

Street Fighter II is debatable to me. It'd depend on the logic behind inclusions I think. If you're looking at what was big at the time, then sure, many SNES owners probably had some version of Street Fighter II in their library. It was hugely popular. Of course, so was stuff like NBA Jam (since multi-tap on SNES).

However, today, those would hardly be the must-have versions.

To me, that line of thinking easily keeps Killer Instict in there, as it was a big deal at the time - only home port, had the CD soundtrack bundled, there was a version of the console that bundled it, one of the few early examples of less all-audience Nintendo publishing, and so on.

Uniracers I think still warrants mention. It did see a bit of advertising, since most anything with Rare was by that point. However, the bigger factor to me is that it's a game that got its life cut short by a lawsuit from Pixar. That's why you didn't see a sequel or Virtual Console appearance or any of that. From a collector's standpoint, it's a cart well worth having since an SNES original (or unofficial emulation) are the only ways to play it, and it still holds up.

One that doesn't, but is probably a worthwhile mention, is Stunt Race FX, which Nintendo hyped a lot but sort of fell flat even at the time.

[retrosportsgamer]

I'm all for reviewing posts to be updated, but for the "Defining" series, one of the primary goals is featuring games that made the biggest impact at the time -- even around the time of the console's launch. That maybe mean that some not-so-timeless games are on the list. It's possible for some late bloomers could be added to the list.

I took the mission statement of the series in a similar vein. Technical and storytelling achievement, first time something had been seen on a console, etc. *And* without much benefit of hindsight (which runs counter to impact).

I'm not sure Earthbound belongs on this list.

I think Street Fighter II and Super Castlevania IV do.

[Sarge]

I will echo what RB said, I think of it more as impact at time of release. So there are games we love in retrospect, but didn't really define the system then. The ones that we do love now fit more into the Hidden Gems category, which is probably where Earthbound belongs. (And it's a fantastic hidden gem.)

[marurun]

And most of the defining games will probably, simply for logistical reasons, be early games, or exclusives (or timed exclusives) that had huge marketing campaigns. I would argue a lot of the SNES launch lineup was defining. This huge selection of console exclusives that highlighted both the strengths and limitations of the console. I think a good half the defining list could easily end up being launch or launch window titles.

Something that comes out late in a console's life-cycle is less defining by, well, definition, because rather than defining the console's future it simply describes the console's present and past.

[Gunstar Green]

I think Street Fighter II would count. It was the first home port. It was a huge system seller. Its worth today is irrelevant to the historical impact it had on the system. It defined part of the SNES "experience" for a lot of people, if you want to put it that way.

[retrosportsgamer]

And most of the defining games will probably, simply for logistical reasons, be early games, or exclusives (or timed exclusives) that had huge marketing campaigns. I would argue a lot of the SNES launch lineup was defining. This huge selection of console exclusives that highlighted both the strengths and limitations of the console. I think a good half the defining list could easily end up being launch or launch window titles.

Something that comes out late in a console's life-cycle is less defining by, well, definition, because rather than defining the console's future it simply describes the console's present and past.

Yeah I like pilot wings on the list. I like Killer Instinct on the list. I like your work a good bit. Writeups are great.

Super Punch Out is another id possibly swap out - maybe Contra III?

Sports multi-plats by default just don't feel defining. Maybe NBA jam to the honorable mentions? Just spit ballin.