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Thread: Super Play Magazine's Top 100 SNES Games (April 1996)

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    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    Default Super Play Magazine's Top 100 SNES Games (April 1996)

    Super Play was a Super Nintendo-dedicated UK publication that churned out 48 glorious issues from 1992-1996. It's easily the best SNES-dedicated magazine ever crafted, hands down. In April 1996 (issue #42), they published a Top 100 list. I've converted that list over to my WordPress for your viewing leisure.

    Glaring omissions? Games you think the Super Play boys (that came out wrong...) ranked (way) too high or low? Feel free to post your opinions on this list!

    http://rvgfanatic.com/wordpress/inde...00-snes-games/

    RVGFANATIC: SNES, Saturn, mad ramblings and more
    RELIVE | REMEMBER | REPLAY

    Brand new URL!

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    celerystalker is a poindexter celerystalker's Avatar
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    I kind of hate that list. Toward the top, it's the usual, and that's fine... everyone could quibble on the order, but the first party Nintendo stuff is pretty great either way. The bottom two thirds of it, though, are just a mess. Samurai Shodown is godawful on SNES. Lots of the games toward the bottom are pretty weak. The Chaos Engine... I mean, Soldiers of Fortune is okay, but not even close to top 100. Out to Lunch? THREE Parodius games? Three Street Fighter 2 variants? Apparently Capcom DIDN'T make Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Demon's Crest, Magic Sword, King of Dragons, Knights of the Round, Captain Commando, Street Fighter Alpha 2... Three Parodius games, but no Gradius III, Firepower 2000, Darius Twin, Super Nova... but hey, the got freaking Side Pocket in there and Stunt Race FX. Cool Spot... I could waste all night bitching about how bad this list is.

    I like your old story about how you got your Super Play catalog, though! Rubbish magazine to me, but I can very much relate to how you felt about getting them! I do enjoy flipping through old '80s and '90s mgazines. Keep up your great writing!

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    Chaos Knight
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    It will be part based on what they had in to review during those years (although they did review import a lot, especially RPGs, it's the UK magazine that introduced a LOT of SNES users to Final Fantasy 2 and 3 [aka 4 and 6] and Chrono Trigger etc), and what they liked. At least the original review score is given by the game name too. Bit surprised by the lack of Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts mind you. They reviewed Magic Sword and Knights of the Round pretty lowly (scores in the 50s each iirc) which will explain why neither are in the list. Gradius III didn't review superbly either, maybe a score in the 70s, and neither did Turtles in Time, which probably explains those two. I think SFA2 came out too late for them to review properly, wasn't that out towards the end of 1996? Anyhow, hindsight is wonderful, and some games are looked upon far more favourably today than 20 years ago.

    And remember, it's a UK magazine, so UK based games (such as Theme Park, Syndicate, Cannon Fodder, Chaos Engine) are likely to appeal a little more

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    celerystalker is a poindexter celerystalker's Avatar
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    I figured I'd give them a pass on ISS and Sensible Soccer, and even Cannon Fodder, for exactly that reason of regional popularity, even if Cannon Fodder and Sensi have better versions on other systems (so does Chaos Engine). The other games I mentioned, though, and stuff like Desert and Jungle Strike, The Lost Vikings, the Golf title, and many more are real head scratchers, and the inclusion of imports only raises more questions... because there are so many other games that are so well-realized. Stuff like DoReMi Fantasy, Violinist of Hameln, the Shodai and Tachi no Banka Nekketsu games, Psycho Dream, King of Demons, etc.

    The omission that really confused me, given that it rightfully has a European bias, is that neither Super Turrican made the list over some of the others, like they couldn't even get their own perspective correctly. They aren't personal favorites, but objectively I can admit that Manfred Trenz' games are well executed, even the ones other people worked on, and easily outshine dozens of games on the list.

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    Bell (Level 8)
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    I'd have to say putting EarthBound on the list (before the EB hype was real) was more of a fluke. More like they picked their favorite games and then a bunch of random games to pad out the list. (seriously, not only even version of SFII but also every Mortal Kombat?)

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    Chaos Knight
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    Hey, I like Desert Strike on the SNES, although it's not quite as good as the Megadrive version.

    As for Earthbound, the magazine had a number of reviewers who were big into RPGs, so I don't think it's a fluke. They were the Western/UK pioneers in a way for the J-RPG way before everyone "suddenly" discovered FF7 on the PS1 years later. I bought FF2, FF3, Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger before FF7 came out. RPG and manga/anime coverage was notable in the magazine.

    Quote Originally Posted by celerystalker View Post
    Stuff like DoReMi Fantasy, Violinist of Hameln, the Shodai and Tachi no Banka Nekketsu games, Psycho Dream, King of Demons, etc.
    I don't remember them reviewing any of those. Yes they reviewed imports but only a fraction of those available.

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    celerystalker is a poindexter celerystalker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mayhem View Post
    Hey, I like Desert Strike on the SNES, although it's not quite as good as the Megadrive version.

    As for Earthbound, the magazine had a number of reviewers who were big into RPGs, so I don't think it's a fluke. They were the Western/UK pioneers in a way for the J-RPG way before everyone "suddenly" discovered FF7 on the PS1 years later. I bought FF2, FF3, Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger before FF7 came out. RPG and manga/anime coverage was notable in the magazine.


    I don't remember them reviewing any of those. Yes they reviewed imports but only a fraction of those available.
    I'm not criticizing it as much as related to Super Play's own limitations historically so much as, in the spirit of Steven's original post, calling out omissions and odd rankings. Likewise, I'm not saying games like the Strike games are terrible, just that this list is so far from comprehensive in scope that it's more of a personal favorites list than a recognition of the games' places in their library. I'm less of one to complain about order so much as the lack of scope.

    Edit: For a Euro-centric top 100 that's far better considered, retro-sanctuary.com has one that, while I might disagree with here or there based on personal favorites, is a pretty solid list by comparison that isn't overburdened with tons of entries from single franchises.
    Last edited by celerystalker; 05-24-2016 at 01:53 PM.

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    I agree with a lot of the expressed criticism about the list. But you forgot the most important aspect. The list is from 1996! Time separated the wheat from the chaff. Today such a list would be much more reliable and agreed upon.

    I always loved Demon's Crest and regarded it as great game. But I remember also that it took YEARS after the life span of the SNES that the majority of gamers acknowledged the great gameplay value of the game. Still today it appears in hidden gem lists.

    To ignore Gradius III in the listing however is a terrible sin! (among many others, even for 1996)

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    Bell (Level 8)
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    I like Gradius III but I'll admit it shows it was one of the first SNES games made.
    Never have I seen flicker in an SNES game as bad as the plant boss. (honestly I don't recall much flicker in SNES games at all)

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    Cherry (Level 1) DreadIsReal's Avatar
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    Turtles in Time. Even in 96 it was a classic.
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