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[sgjackson]

Was chilling and thinking about the games included on the SNES Classic, and whether or not Nintendo did a good job pleasing their audience. Intuitively, I thought they did pretty well, as I'd think 80-90 percent of games on the box were auto-includes, and only a few decisions stuck out as really strange (No Chrono Trigger?). I didn't have a great sense of how well they did, though, so I set out to find out.

I made a spreadsheet (Google Docs link) of all the top SNES game lists on Google with 25 or more entries, and averaged their positions to figure out a broad sense of how people perceive what SNES games are best. I included 15 lists before I started getting results like GameFAQs forum threads, Oregon news websites, and top download lists from ROM websites, so I figured the well was basically dry and stopped.

Here's the top 25, with games included in the SNES Classic bolded:
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
2. Chrono Trigger
3. Super Metroid
4. Super Mario World
5. Final Fantasy VI
6. Super Mario Kart
7. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
8. Street Fighter II (all versions)
9. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
10. Earthbound
11. Donkey Kong Country
12. Mega Man X
13. Secret of Mana
14. Final Fantasy IV
15. Super Castlevania IV
16. Star Fox
17. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
18. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
19. F-Zero
20. Contra III: The Alien Wars
21. Super Punch-Out!!
22. Super Mario All-Stars
23. Mortal Kombat II
24. ActRaiser
25. Kirby Super Star

Super Ghouls n' Ghosts is 34th, Kirby's Dream Course is 82nd, and Star Fox 2 was (obviously) unlisted.

First thing first: a bunch of lists only listed their favorite version of Street Fighter II or NBA Jam rather than both games, so I decided to combine them for ranking purposes. The Internet is pretty much directly split on whether or not they prefer Super or Turbo, and if taken individually they come in at 24th and 26th, respectively. Doing the same thing with NBA Jam and NBA Jam TE brings them up to 26th, just missing the list.

18 out of the 21 games on the SNES Classic are in the top 25 SNES games using this methodology, and a lot of the exclusions didn't make a ton of sense anyway. FFIV and DKC2 are direct sequels or predecessors to games already included, Turtles in Time is licensed, MKII has content/perception issues, and while Mario All-Stars would have been rad Nintendo has made it pretty clear they're not about handing out a bunch of Mario games like that cheaply (that said, All-Stars+SMW over SMW increases the game number to a nice, round 25).

The two that stick out are Chrono Trigger and ActRaiser, and I think a hypothetical SNES Classic that includes these over Super Ghouls n' Ghosts and Kirby's Dream Course probably pleases more people. That said, I'm a stupid internet forum poster and can't really guess if there's licensing issues here or what conversations led to which games were included (Dream Course was a major thing with GameGrumps, for example).

Even so, they got over 90 percent of the box solidly correct using this methodology + the rationale that Star Fox 2 being included is cool as shit, and I think that's pretty impressive.

 

[Version 3.0]

Looks like they did a pretty good job. And so did you. Cool.

 

[The Elite]

Thanks for doing the leg work. Good list. No surprises.

 

[nbraun80]

Only thing I would probably add is Zombies ate my Neighbor, it probably wasn't liked as much as I liked it.

 

[jwhit28]

I had no idea Super Punch Out was so popular.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

No tactics ogre.....

 

[RS4-]

No tactics ogre.....

or NHL 94!

 

[sgjackson]

Only thing I would probably add is Zombies ate my Neighbor, it probably wasn't liked as much as I liked it.

It was 33rd! If the SNES Classic had 30 games I'd probably include it.

No tactics ogre.....

Games that only came out in Japan didn't do very well. Tactics Ogre was only ranked by GameFaqs, and as such was 158th. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen was very well-liked, though, coming in at 29th.

or NHL 94!

69th.

 

[JusDoIt]

SF II Turbo is better than Super SF II.

NBA Jam TE is better than vanilla.

Super Ghouls n Ghosts is better than ActRaiser.

 

[lobdale]

And the ones that were left out are pretty understandable.

CT and FFIV hit the chopping block (omissions reasonable since there are already three big menu-driven JRPGs with FFVI, SMRPG, and EarthBound--and Secret of Mana even though it's a little more action).

TMNT could easily be a licensing issue--there's already a good 2P coop action game, but the system is definitely missing a beat em up.

DKC2 cause it's the sequel to DKC and arguably not altogether indistinguishable from a gameplay perspective.

Mario All Stars because Mario World is plenty and the unpatched All-Stars has jacked physics anyway (and those games were also on the NES classic).

MK2 obviously cause it's rated M and they wanna sell this for kids over the holidays.

And Actraiser well... cause you've already got plenty of action games with Contra, Super GnG, and Super Castlevania IV? (Or maybe they were just already into Square with licensing on a few games already).

KDC is almost certainly there because it's a unique genre and fills the puzzle game slot without messing with Tetris licensing.

Couldn't really have asked for a much better game lineup.

 

[Burglekutt]

Only thing I would probably add is Zombies ate my Neighbor, it probably wasn't liked as much as I liked it.

Great game. especially co-op. Top 25 on the snes is hard to narrow down.

No tactics ogre.....

My top 25 would have definitely included Ogre Battle and Kirbys Dream Coarse absolutely deserves to be there.

NHL 94 and NBA Jam too but am not counting them because i am sure there are licencing issues.

 

[jholmes]

List seems about right!

I love Kirby Dream Course so I think it's a little underrated but it's worth noting that it's the closest thing to a sports game in the pack. As much as I love Actraiser (and I do), the SNES Classic is already lousy with early-generation platformers.

 

[arts&crafts]

Super Ghouls n Ghosts is better than ActRaiser.

None of the games on that list are better than ActRaiser. Maybe Earthbound.

 

[JusDoIt]

None of the games on that list are better than ActRaiser. Maybe Earthbound.

At least 20 of the games listed are better than ActRaiser.

 

[CrunchyFrog]

It was 33rd! If the SNES Classic had 30 games I'd probably include it.



Games that only came out in Japan didn't do very well. Tactics Ogre was only ranked by GameFaqs, and as such was 158th. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen was very well-liked, though, coming in at 29th.


69th.

Mind uploading this spreadsheet for us? Also interested in seeing what lists were polled

 

[The Last One]

I would never put DKC 2 bellow DKC 1.

 

[KojiKnight]

None of the games on that list are better than ActRaiser. Maybe Earthbound.

I'd argue every single one of those games on the list are better, but that ActRaiser is still amazing and that's not to its detriment as much as just how great the competition is.

 

[Gartooth]

It's funny because I was just thinking how Kirby's Dream Course and Super Ghouls n' Ghosts feel like filler compared to the other games in the lineup and could have been swapped out for more popular games. (Chrono Trigger, Act Raiser, DKC2, etc.)

 

[bluelightningduo]

Needs Mystical Ninja.

 

[Nintenleo]

Dream Course is one of the best local multiplayer games ever. Super fun with friends even now, had a blast last night.

So yeah, it deserves better. And Chrono Trigger and DKC2 do indeed to SNES Mini what Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane do to Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

 

[JusDoIt]

It's funny because I was just thinking how Kirby's Dream Course and Super Ghouls n' Ghosts feel like filler compared to the other games in the lineup and could have been swapped out for more popular games. (Chrono Trigger, Act Raiser, DKC2, etc.)

Super GnG is the most hardcore platformer on the system. It’s not filler.

 

[sgjackson]

Mind uploading this spreadsheet for us? Also interested in seeing what lists were polled

Here's a Google Docs link. Websites are at the top - if a game wasn't on a given list, it was given a value equal to the size of the list+1. There's probably a better way to handle that but I figured this would get the gist across. Most of the top 25 made every list or close to it.

 

[Hoho for breakfast]

As someone that never owned a SNES I felt like the missing must have titles were:
Chrono Trigger
Turtles In Time
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Harvest Moon

And id switch DKC for DKC2

Also apparently everyone wants a game called Terranigma I had never heard of.

 

[BigBeauford]

Needs Harvest Moon.

 

[Biske]

It was 33rd! If the SNES Classic had 30 games I'd probably include it.



Games that only came out in Japan didn't do very well. Tactics Ogre was only ranked by GameFaqs, and as such was 158th. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen was very well-liked, though, coming in at 29th.


.

Ogre Battle not coming in the top 25 is criminal. Criminal I say.

It's insane to think SNES got Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre. What time. Folks we really firing on all cylinders back then.

Donkey Kong Country shouldn't even be on that list, while mind blowing at the time. Once 2 comes around, 1 is boring.

 

[dragonzdogma]

Terringama in that list?

Illusion of Gaia?

 

[derwentsi]

Very interesting list, thank you for posting it because I was curious about this issue too.

I have to say I'm enjoying the SNES Mini games anyway, having completely missed out on all of them first time round (I had an Atari ST at the time...)

 

[Megatron]

Needs Mystical Ninja.

I don't even think that would make an snes classic 2.

 

[antitrop]

Nice to see ActRaiser make the list.

Where is Lufia 2 on that list?

It had such a limited release that few have played it. It's also a prequel, titled like a sequel, to a game few people played and had a release date just a few weeks before the N64 (in the US). It's absolutely one of the best games on the SNES and one of the best RPGs ever made, it just had a lot going against it for popular recognition.

 

[Orin GA]

Where is Lufia 2 on that list?

Edit: 49th?

Madness

 

[Gartooth]

DKC vs. DKC2 is a really weird case with the SNES Classic, and feels like a reverse scenario of how Mega Man 2 made it in over the original in the NES Classic.

I can see why DKC1 got picked since it sold more and was the start of the series, but DKC2 is much more beloved and widely considered the better game. Maybe its just because DK himself was only playable in DKC1 so they picked that? lol

 

[jwhit28]

I don't even think that would make an snes classic 2.

It replaced Super Castlevania IV in Japan. Going by the results it would be in the top 42 once you remove licensing nightmares and games that need peripherals like Mario Paint.

 

[sgjackson]

DKC vs. DKC2 is a really weird case with the SNES Classic, and feels like a reverse scenario of how Mega Man 2 made it in over the original in the NES Classic.

I can see why DKC1 got picked since it sold more and was the start of the series, but DKC2 is much more beloved and widely considered the better game. Maybe its just because DK himself was only playable in DKC1 so they picked that? lol

I think the craziest thing about this entire process was seeing people prefer DKC1 to 2 en masse, as I'd have assumed what you said.

 

[Lindsay]

DKC vs. DKC2 is a really weird case with the SNES Classic, and feels like a reverse scenario of how Mega Man 2 made it in over the original in the NES Classic.

I can see why DKC1 got picked since it sold more and was the start of the series, but DKC2 is much more beloved and widely considered the better game. Maybe its just because DK himself was only playable in DKC1 so they picked that? lol

I'm not so sure DKC2 was better anymore. It had a crap save system, what feels like way more gimmick levels than pure platforming ones, levels that drag on forever, and is waaaay harder.

 

[Nottle]

I really do wonder why Chrono Trigger is not included since a few other Square games are.

Final Fantasy 4 would have been a nice inclusion as well as 5 (even though we never got it)

The Quintet games also would have ruled along with Seiken densetsu 3.

The Super Nintendo had so many good games we never got.

 

[Megatron]

I really do wonder why Chrono Trigger is not included since a few other Square games are.

Final Fantasy 4 would have been a nice inclusion as well as 5 (even though we never got it)

The Quintet games also would have ruled along with Seiken densetsu 3.

The Super Nintendo had so many good games we never got.

They didn't want to overload the thing with turn based rpgs. Earthbound and Mario rpg were in because they are first party (and of course great games) So the last turn based Rpg slot likely came down to final fantasy 2, 3 and Chrono Trigger. 3 is better than 2, and FF is a much bigger name than Chrono Trigger is. Couldn't go wrong either way, all 3 are outstanding games.

Secret of mana is in because it's an action game and has co-op, helping justify the packed in 2nd controller.

Honestly, I think they made the right call.

 

[SkyMasterson]

Great write up OP!

Nintendo killed it with the game selection on the SNES mini.

Licensing issues once again always fucks up a good thing. Having Turtles in Time and NBA Jam would have been killer.

As for the lack of Chrono Trigger, it was probably seen as too much value in the box with that game. Same with adding DKC 2 and/or 3.

ActRaiser would have been a nice throw in and as awesome as Tactics Ogre is, it's just obscure to put it in the list. Same with the Lufia games.

 

[sgjackson]

They didn't want to overload the thing with turn based rpgs. Earthbound and Mario rpg were in because they are first party (and of course great games) So the last turn based Rpg slot likely came down to final fantasy 2, 3 and Chrono Trigger. 3 is better than 2, and FF is a much bigger name than Chrono Trigger is. Couldn't go wrong either way, all 3 are outstanding games.

Secret of mana is in because it's an action game and has co-op, helping justify the packed in 2nd controller.

Honestly, I think they made the right call.

The rationale for wanting a diverse box makes a ton of sense, but Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI are so near-universally loved I think they both needed to be there.

Cuts like "Chrono Trigger versus FFVI for the Square JRPG slot" are why this thing needed 25-30 games.

 

[apieceofstrange]

I really do wonder why Chrono Trigger is not included since a few other Square games are.

Final Fantasy 4 would have been a nice inclusion as well as 5 (even though we never got it)

The Quintet games also would have ruled along with Seiken densetsu 3.

The Super Nintendo had so many good games we never got.

They already included 3 square RPGs and 1/4 of the total games are RPGs.

Secret of Mana probably got the nod over Chrono Trigger since it’s 2 players. Also the chance it gets people interested in the recently announced remake probably played a part too.

The lack of a single beat em up or shmup is a bigger oversight. There were so many great ones on the SNES.

 

[Lindsay]

It has enough rpgs. Even if Nintendo had gone up to 30 games I dun think anymore of those extra slots shoulda been alloted to rpgs. They needed a beat 'em up, a sports game (MM Soccer?), a puzzle game or two, and others beyond more rpgs.

edit: and Super Bomberman 2! That being missing is a pretty big wtf.

 

[antitrop]

I always wonder how Earthbound would rank on lists like these if not for Ness' inclusion in the original Super Smash Bros.

I first played Earthbound in 1998 and it was a lonely fandom. None of my real friends had ever heard of the game, but I talked about it on Earthbound.net (which became Starmen.net). Then Smash comes out and Ness is this super powerful unlockable character and everyone at school was suddenly talking about him, which of course led to natural curiosity about which Nintendo game it was that he actually came from.

 

[Lord of Ostia]

I don't even think that would make an snes classic 2.

It made it onto the Super Famicom Mini.

 

[Gartooth]

I wish Nintendo did an "import" game for this like how unreleased games from Japan made it onto western VCs. That game being Panel de Pon since we will never see Tetris Attack and I really want to try that game after all the love I hear about it.

Super GnG is the most hardcore platformer on the system. It’s not filler.

I do see your point, since it and Kirby's Dream Course each fill a niche on the system. So in regards to complimenting the rest of the library they aren't bad, but they don't feel like must haves on their own.

 

[sgjackson]

If you added 9 games to the box to get to 30, continued avoiding sequels/licensed games/content issues/etc, and didn't want to go too JRPG-heavy past Chrono Trigger, a potential list might look like this:

Chrono Trigger
ActRaiser
Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen
SimCity
Earthworm Jim
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Super Bomberman
R-Type III: The Third Lightning
Final Fight (dropping down the list a bit to grab an unlicensed beat 'em up)

Which, IMO, is fuckin' rad.

 

[jholmes]

Needs Mystical Ninja.

It's ridiculous that it comes with two controllers in the box but doesn't have Legend of the Mystical Ninja.

 

[Shig]

They already included 3 square RPGs and 1/4 of the total games are RPGs.

Secret of Mana probably got the nod over Chrono Trigger since it's 2 players. Also the chance it gets people interested in the recently announced remake probably played a part too.

Secret of Mana probably got the nod because SoM is one of the system's defining darlings in the EU market. Chrono Trigger doesn't tug the same heartstrings; It was never released there on SNES.

The lack of a single beat em up or shmup is a bigger oversight. There were so many great ones on the SNES.

I don't really think there's many that stand among the system's top 20 or anything, but from a genre variety standpoint and as a 'snapshot of the era', it definitely feels like a huge oversight not to have them represented. Shmups and beat 'em ups were ubiquitous at the time.

 

[emag]

Chrono Trigger, Top Gear, and a 2P beat 'em up (Super Double Dragon? Final Fight 2 or 3?) are sorely lacking.

Top Gear is one of the most underrated games on the system.

 

[PhilipDoesMatter]

It needs Rockn Roll Racing and Biker Mice From Mars.

 

[superdeluxe]

Good job, outside of Kirby I didn't feel there were any serious wrong additions

 

[Bakercat]

I would of rather had kirby's avalanche then dream course if they wanted to have a puzzle game on the system imo. Also, DKC2 is the best in the trilogy and should of been on the system.