• Classic Console Review: Super Nintendo

  

  Written by Zeromage 9 Comments
  Last Updated:: June 16, 2008

  Previously on our top 10 video game systems of all time, we rated the Super Nintendo as the greatest video game system of all time. We wanted to expand on this claim. Certainly, any system listed as the greatest of all time is afforded more than just a small blurb. In this review of the SNES, we will go back over some of the qualities expressed in that blurb and expand on what made the SNES so great. Nintendo’s movement from 8-bit to 16-bit was massive. Graphics improved, sound improved, character development improved, and the games improved most importantly. This was no small feat for the SNES as the NES was dominant in classic video games that are still played today. We will then recapture the glory of the SNES with the rest of this review and hope to reestablish the SNES rightful place as the greatest video game console of all time.

  

  When the SNES was first released, we were first welcomed to Super Mario World for the system. This game was a fine example of what made the SNES great. There was an expansion of characters including Yoshi. There was also a bigger map than its precursor and visual graphics that were as iridescent as they were detailed. The game itself was full of tricks and traps at every angle. The sheer amount of secrets that could be uncovered in this game was exorbitant showing the creativity that went into the design of the game. Mario himself was full of more powerful moves and the castles had a wistful welcoming quality not seen by the other castles in the Mario series. The quality of this game would go over to the rest of the games in the SNES catalogue, especially the illustrious RPG’s that would go down as the best set of games every released for any game system.

  Squaresoft came of age during the SNES boom. The symbiosis between the SNES and Squaresoft was significant for the SNES’s success. Every game in this collection read like a story and played seamlessly. Every game in this collection was also as long as a book by Proust. When one played Secret of Mana (a top 10 in our Top 100 Video Games of All Time, they were flown into pure majesty experiencing love, loss and one of the most focused soundtracks of all time. This same quality was epitomized in Chrono Trigger, Illusion of Gaia, and lets not forget, Final Fantasy 3. These games would embody a sophistication not seen since in video game creation. As the video game world is currently more focused on obvious danger and opening taboo’s, it has lost its sense of grandiosity and scope. When one wants to recover these sempiternal qualities, one need only dust off their SNES and plug in any of these games. They will be in a different world.

  

  Beyond the great games made by Squaresoft for the SNES, was Zelda: Link to the Past which we labeled as the greatest game of all time in our top 100 video games of all time. Describing this game in any written form always does no justice to the experience of the game. The same goes for Super Metroid which was full of more mood than a Hitchcock film. The tragic ending to Super Metroid is yet another missed aspect of modern gaming. The Dionysian spirit enveloped in these classic SNES games has been forgotten with modernity’s inconsistence on relative danger. Beyond the adventure games, the SNES also saw the first release of Mario Kart which has become the most enjoyable multi player action for the video game world. Mega Man like Mario became better than its original precursors. Mega Man X was superiorly sophisticated for its time. The storyline moved like a detective novel and Mega Mans new powers were always nuanced. The bosses also became much more creative. The SNES had the ability to make great games even greater like Zelda, Mario, Metroid and Mega Man. No system after has ever accomplished this.

  The heart of the success owed to the SNES was due to these quality games that never skimped on quality for holiday sales or release deadlines. All the games were always modestly marketed and were huge pay offs for the gamer who would enjoy hours of fun with these sometimes larger than life games. It was hard to imagine a better catalogue of games than those for the NES. The SNES accomplished this seemingly impossible goal though. When thinking of games like Zelda Link to the Past and Final Fantasy 3, one has a suspicion that these were not just games released for entertainment value, but signatures of creativity that will be remembered for some time to come.

  Coming Wednesday: A brand new edition of Ask DestructoMaximo.

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9 Comments

1. #1 George says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 6:59 am

   The SNES is the highest level of video game quality in the 20th century, and may never be topped by anyone ever. May its greatness shine forever.