Top 10!

Hello friends! I've decided to do something a little different, but fun! A TOP TEN LIST! Hellz ya, mai h0mies. This one shall consist of my favourite games from my childhood, on the SNES. So let's blow the dust out of the cartridges, and take a walk down memory lane, as we go over games I fondly remember; most of which I'm sure you do as well!

10: Maximum Carnage

I must confess, I am a Spider-man fan, as well as a fan of beat-em up games, so naturally this game is a great one to me! I remember walking down the streets as Spider-man, beating up random thugs, and getting pissed at those women who whip their hair.... fun times! At least you had a somewhat "arsenal" of moves, and could web-sling, so it created variety! A huge downfall in my opinion is the lack of 2-player co-op. I used to play games with my dad, so this was unfortunate, especially in a beat-em up game! Especially since Spider-man and Venom are on the same team in this game too). Lack of save points for this game was a downfall too, seeing as the game (at least to the child version of me) was difficult. The cut-scenes were cool to my childhood self as well, seeing as they were done in comic-style format.  Otherwise, this game was a blast for me!

9: Mario All-Stars


Super Mario All-Stars;  a fun game indeed!  It was pretty cool that this game had all kinds of games on it, such as the original NES Mario game and Mario 3 (AWESOME game); but I remember thinking how weird it was to be able to use Toad and Peach in the one game.  I mean, if Toad and Peach were able to defend themselves that way, how did the Princess ever get captured before?  But all that aside, the gameplay is awesome!  It was pretty fun that you could fly over the level as Peach!  But also, the variety of games to play was excellent, since practically all the Mario games were a classic.  Definately in my top 10!


8: Secret of Mana

Secret of Mana!  This game is a fun game; even has a fun little noise at the beginning of the game!  But all thing aside, this RPG game is quite fun, as you advance through the game and find companions to help you through the game.  The items are bountiful, and create a good variety of fighting styles; not only that, but the music isn't bad either!  The game is long, too, so that it's not over in the blink of an eye.  The story isn't bad, either, which is important for an RPG.  The graphics aren't too bad for it's time; not too much detail, but vivid colours help make up for it.  I suggest people to try it out if possible! Try downloading a ROM if you're able to.


7: StarFox

StarFox! A great game franchise, and here is where it all began!  I remember when I first got this game as a child, one look at the box and I thought "that Fox guy looks weird, I don't like this game already!"  My dad urged me to try it anyways, so when I finally opened the box, loaded the cartridge, and turned the system on, I loved it! The gameplay is a bit slow, it seems, but I was thrilled with it regardless.  I wouldn't ever forget the noises of the characters, either; I still make said noises to this day!  The graphics aren't as great either, but it was a new type of game for it's time. I know, I know, I sound more like I'm putting it down, but I honestly say this game is great.  If not, I'm sure sequels wouldn't have been made, right?  The amount of buttons on the SNES controller allows for different kinds of moves and attacks.  You can, as I'm sure many of you know, "DO A BARREL ROLL!" to defect attacks, shoot bombs and lasers, and speed up and slow down.  Also, you can choose different paths to get to the final stage, and each path has a different difficulty.  I'm not sure if people would like this game as much as StarFox 64, due to lower graphics and the smoothness of gameplay, but I wouldn't dismiss it.  I suggest people at least try it!  The noises of the characters alone may be enough to entertain you!

6: Super Mario World

Super Mario World, who hasn't heard of it? This game is such a classic! This game introduces Yoshi, a lot of people's favourite Mario character (myself included).  Fun fact while on the topic: as a child, I never noticed that to get Yoshi's tongue out, Mario punched Yoshi on top of his head!  I always had thought Mario was just pointing!  For those who hadn't noticed that either, check it out!  Ah, but I digress. Who can forget Super Mario World's fun gameplay? This was a game I often played with my sister or my dad, or would even sometimes sit and watch if they were playing!  The game was very long too; many, many levels to go through! but that's not a bad thing.  I remember how exciting it was to get to the secret levels, and how cool it was to discover the different colour Yoshi throughout the game (fun fact again: Yellow was my favourite.  Probably the worst power of the group, but my favourite colour!) This game also introduced a new jump; that little spiral jump, for taking out heavier things when powered up!  The game's graphics were pretty good for their time, too. A lot of secrets in the game, where you'd have to go back to certain levels to get to new areas after you hit the switches!  Definitely one of my favourite Mario games! P.S. Cape power up rules!  Although the Raccoon power up from Mario 3 is the best of all time.


5: Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong Country!  Such a great game, they even tried to mimic it's style recently with the Wii title "Donkey Kong Country Returns"!  I remember how awed I was upon first playing this game, with how great the graphics were.  Once again, I played this game frequently with my sister and my dad (usually co-op, but occasionally the competitive mode as well). The graphics, gameplay and music all are excellent, and this title is a classic as well.  I loved variety of levels, especially the factory ones!  I have many memories of this game.  I loved it so much, that when I played pretend outside with my friends, we'd sometimes play "Donkey Kong".  A little embarrassing, but it is what it is!  I was a nerd, a fan of Donkey Kong, even in my wee days (and now in my Wii days - see what I did there?) I still remember how thrilled I was when I finally beat King K. Rool, a clever name by the way, and got all my bananas back.  It also left me with a sense of loss, after striving for so long to achieve something... but what did I do? I just played it again!  Definitely suggest to any chump who hasn't played Donkey Kong Country yet to do so, even if it is old; you need to make up for lost time!  And make sure you jump on those Klap Traps, they make an awesome noise (which I still mimic).


4: Mortal Kombat II



Mortal Kombat II; so many memories with this game, most of which include anger.  But we can't let a thing like that stop me from putting it in my top 10?  Besides, most of my anger came from my dad.  He was a troll player.  I remember my favourite character was Sub Zero.  His used to be Scorpion (everyone's used to be Scorpion, for that matter).  He would constantly back back punch and make me "COME HERE!!!" and then upper cut me.  Once I got wise to his scheme, he would switch to Raiden. Then he would use that move where he flies across the screen, yelling some sort of jibberish that I can best translate off the top of my head as "say kuh wazza!" (Disclaimer: I don't actually translate for Raiden, so if I mistranslate I am not to be held responsible).  By the time my character would stand back up, he would be doing it again.  I would try to freeze him in midair, but my childhood self didn't have to reflexes to do so every time.  When I'd complain to him, he would simply say, "if it was cheating, the game wouldn't allow it!"  *sigh* I also remember never being able to beat Shao Kahn, and it would infuriate me to no end!

All the characters are classic characters, from Scorpion's spear toss, to Liu Kang's bicycle kick. All the sound effects are classic too; not many gamers wouldn't recognize the classic "COME HERE!!!!", or the random guy that pops up in the corner: "WHOOPSIES!".   And, hey, let's not forget... "FINISH HIM!"
How many times can you remember playing with your friends, and trying to find out all the fatalaties with your friends? Look them up, and then let your friend kill you just so you guys could try it out?  Ah, good times.  You have to admit, the graphics were pretty decent too, including the moving background for when you fight.  Mortal Kombat 2 is my favourite MK game to this day!  If you disagree, hopefully Reptile doesn't spit acid in your face.

3: Super Mario Kart


OMG MARIO KART! This game continues to kick ass, with every version of it released.  But this is the one that started it all, and for good reason: this game is awesome!  Even when I play my Wii copy, I find that most of my favourite levels on it are the ones from the SNES version.  The graphics, the music; it all just geeks me out!  I used to love playing this game with my family and friends; my sister and I would often fight over who got to be Yoshi.  My dad was content with Koopa.  I still think back fondly to when the races finished, and the character who placed first for the race had their own little music playing.  Alas, the only ones I remember were Koopa's (sad face) and Yoshi's (happy face!).  But I think you all would agree that some of the most gaming rage comes from Mario Kart; how many times have you come so close to winning a race, just for the person behind you to hit you with a shell and finish one second in front of you?  Ah, but in the SNES version, you had to be careful with your red shells or they'd just curve into the wall!
Who also can forget the Ghost levels and Rainbow Road?  How much rage occurred there?  Especially when you're a kid and don't have the reaction speed to handle the tight turns with no rails?   By the way, how frustrating was it when you ran out of coins, and the slightest touch from even Koopa would make you wipe out?  Or those DAMN GOPHERS that would pop up on your face and you're better off driving into water just to get that little bastard off?  But even still, this game will always have a place in my heart, and will look fondly back upon my memories of it.



2: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

This game is an epic game; it almost made my number one spot.  The only reason it didn't is because I have less memories with this game than the other one.  But don't get me wrong, this game is pure awesome.  As a matter of fact, The Legend of Zelda series is my favourite series of all time!  And this one is one of my top Zelda games.  The gameplay is quite good, and the music is good too (the Palace theme? Unreal!).  But let's face it, Zelda never fails to disappoint with the music.  The land is rather big too, which is good because it leaves a lot to explore.  And you need to explore, because there are a lot of secrets in this game to find.  Remember back in the day when there were dungeons that only had one small key in it?  Oh, the first few dungeons in this game.... but seriously, no-one can deny the greatness of this game.  Funny enough, when I first tried playing this game, I didn't like it because I didn't know what to do right off the bat.  But once I learned the controls, and how to actually play this game, it became one of my favourite games up to date.  Remember that feeling when you got the Master Sword, and realized it could shoot from your sword when you had full health? I was thrilled!
I remember always trying to find all the secrets, all the pieces of heart, every item that you could find.  That was half of what the fun was!  Link, you badass, don't you ever change!


1: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time

TMNT!!!!! This game I still play regularly with my girlfriend!  I remember always wanting to play this, renting it over and over, playing with my dad!  I picked Mike all the time because he's the best Ninja Turtle (and he has the best name, by the way).  My dad would always pick Don or Leo, because they had the longest range.  My buddies I played with would always choose Raph, because everyone's favourite is Raphael!  This beat em up game continues to rock my world.  From the graphics, sound effects,  the horribly muffled voices (MY TOE, MY TOE!) and the taunts from Shredder that were more gruesome than we realized at the time (tonight I dine on turtle soup? He's going to eat the ninja turtles?)
 This game is always the most fun when playing with a friend, for double turtle action!  How much did you hate those Mousers, always biting your hand? Or those Foot Ninjas that always blocked? Or those robots, Roadkill Rodneys, that shot that electric rope at you and those lasers? At the time, I didn't realize the differences between the turtles, but now I do; Leonardo takes the most damage, but is the slowest, whereas Raphael (at the other end of the selection screen and spectrum) is the quickest, but takes the most damage.  If I had know that, I may have picked characters accordingly, but when I was a child, I just picked who I liked. Which turned out alright in the end, seeing as Mike is my favourite in both aspects.  Hey, remember fighting Bebop and Rocksteady on the pirate ship, where they would always hit you in between attacks? Wasn't that fun?  Or Slash, on the dinosaur level, who just constantly blocked you, and you needed to use a cheap tactic with your friend, and get him between the two of you?  Remember, huh? HUH?!  If you haven't ever played this game, this game is a must. Get a friend and have some fun! Just don't get too shell shocked!

Well, that's my list.  Hope you enjoyed travelling back in time with me (pun to TMNT intended. I know, it was a stretch).  If you haven't played some of those games, once again, I suggest you try them.  They're all fun, even if they aren't as fancy as some of those new games out there!  Have fun!