Which games should be included on a prospective SNES Classic Edition?

Since I finally watched the SNES clasic segment on the podcast lastnight. I felt like explaining some of my odder choices in the article asking for the community to give ideas.

Robotrek – It’s a Enix RPG. Original JP name: Slapstick. That there should really get people interested but there is more! You play as the child of an famous inventor. You just moved to a new town, your father’s lab is quite a ways out of town and there are some odd things happening.

Now this is where things get interesting… You build your party, for your party are robots. You can customize them from their movement type, to their weapons, to even their color. Also it has a crafting system, infact I think it’s one of the first RPGs with a crafting system in it. There is also a combo system of sorts when it comes to battling.

Also the first boss is a giant crab.

Story wise it appears to be light hearted, and the general mood throughout the game is lighthearted. But that is decieving if you talk to everyone.

If there is any underrated/hidden gem RPG on the SNES, Robotrek is the one I would highly recommend people to check out.

Darius Twin (Accidentally added a “s” when I posted my list). It’s sidescroller shooter, along the lines of Life Force and R-Type. I have more experience with Darius Twin than I do the other two.

Also, the enemy… are all fish. Well more accurately Mecha Marine Life. Stage 1’s music is one of my favorite SNES tracks out there. One of the Swat Kat opening themes reminds me of that track. This game I would recommend to any fan of the SIde Scrolling Shooter genre. Yes there are better ones, yes there are more competent ones. But what this one does it does perfectly fine in it’s own right. Oh and it’s powerup system is unlike other Sidescrolling Shooters.

The Mickey Mouse games. Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse and The Great Circus Mystery.

Two separate games with very similar mechanics. They are platformers, with a job system. That’s right, a Platformer, with a job system. Magical Quest is maybe the harder of the two (more on that later). The goal of the games is to defeat Pete. The Great Circus Mystery also has Simultaneous Co-Op, which unfortunately Magical Quest does not. (It has alternating Co-op like Super Mario World)

Gameplay wise, by default you run, you jump, you can pick up objects (like blocks and enemies). You can also tug on chains. Where the game gets interesting is when you receive Outfits. This is the Job System I mentioned. With a press of a button you can freely summon a dressing room curtian and change into a new outfit. Each outfit comes with it’s own abilities. The Magician can shoot magic missiles. The Firefigher and shoot water out of their hose. The Sweeper outfit comes with a vacuum cleaner that lets you suck up blocks and enemies and then launch them back out. The list goes on from there.

As for difficulty. They aren’t terribly difficult. However back when I was a wee kid, I had played both. The Great Circus Mystery I could beat for the most part. However for what ever reason in Magical Quest, whenever I played I would get up to a certain point and hit a wall. A literal wall in the game and couldn’t figure out how to get around the wall. I have played it in more recent years and I can’t find that wall, so who knows what was going on with me when I was younger.

Oh… And I just found out that the third entry in the series actually got a western release on the GBA. Originally it was Japan only. Guess I’ll HAVE to play that now…. After Obduction (Loving it for the curious)

Star Fox 2 – It’s the original Star Fox, but refined. The only way to play it currently is through two different roms from two different gameplay setups. So yeah, if Nintendo wanted me to have a reason to buy the SNES Classic for one, specific game. It would have to include the unreleased Star Fox 2. But it’s just hopeful thinking really..

Super Widget – Ok to be fair, I threw this on there just so that there would be a not-great game on the list, to help tone things down. It does have something about it that is interesting, but it’s not really enough to put it up there with other good titles. (I would be perfectly fine switching it out with one of the honorable mentions to be honest).

It’s a platformer where you play as this little purple big headed alien. The interesting part of it however is thepower up system. Scattered around are coins with various letters on them. The letters define the powerup you are getting. However, collecting two of the same powerup transforms you into a higher tier form. So say you collect the powerup that turns you into a muscle bound surfer dude. Collecting that powerup again will turn you into Robocop. If you are already in a tier 2 form, collecting a different powerup will automatically put you into the tier 2 form of that powerup.

It’s music is alright. Some of the beats are memorable for me. Though that might because of how much I played it, and how often I rented it.

Onto the honorable mentions of my list!

Harvest Moon – If you’ve never heard of this game, I’d be a bit surprised. It’s the original farming simulator. You inherit a farm, which is in a bad state. You farm. You make money. You woo the girl of your choice. You go to various festivals. You meet the Harvest Goddess. You have a Kid. The end. The game has a set number of in-game years you can play for.

It’s not the best in the series, definitely not the worse. But it is the first. Also any game that uses the Harvest Moon name that has come out in the last few years, and from now on, are not actual Harvest Moon games. The western translator and publisher of the game no longer has the rights to publish the game. However they own the Harvest Moon brand name, since the name was their creation.

As a result of the rights to the name being no longer available, the series is now called Story of Seasons. And a new title is set to be released next year supposedly.

On another side note for Harvest Moon fans: If you have not done so yet, play Stardew Valley. It’s good. Highly recommended.

Aero the Acrobat – Another title I rented a lot. It’s a platformer, where you play as a bat, who is also an acrobat. It’s fun. Not really much else to say really. If you’re bored one day, maybe consider giving it a check.

Super Adventure Island – It’s another platformer guys! Story wise it’s like Tarzan. Where the Jane of the game gets turned into a statue by a wizard or something along those lines. Gameplay wise, it can be punishing. It’s style is part of the older generation of difficulty, from the age of Arcades. You went around throwing hammers, sometimes boomerangs, at the enemies. You could also find a skateboard and become TOTALLY TUBULAR, till five seconds later you hit a rock and no longer have the skateboard.

And finally, two sub-honorable mentions

Inspector Gadget – A kinda puzzle, but definitely a platformer game. You play as Inspector Gadget. You use your various tools to help get yourself around. Whether it is suction cups you can use as platforming ladders. A RC Helicopter blade that could attack enemies above you. Or throwing bombs to blow up something in your way. The goal of the game is to rescue Penny, who has been kidnapped by Dr Claw. (The smartest move he ever made to be honest.)

Brain shows up now and again to help you out. It is just a lot of platforming, some enemies here and there. And there is a clock stage. Maybe one day I’ll give it another play, for nostalgia sake.

Pink Panther: PInk goes to Hollywood – What do you get when you take the Pink Panther, throw him into a platformer game, and that platformer is set in Hollywood? This game. The hubworld is a parody of Honey I shrunk the Kids. From which you can access various other stages. Such as: Jungle Pink, Pinkin Hood, Pink Lemonade, PInkenstein, Pinkbeard, and a Refrigerator. One of these things are not like the other~ Though to be fair, that one has you crawling around inside a turkey/chicken.

Gameplay wise besides general platformer stuff, around the worlds are coins with different emblems. You insert these coins into coin boxes to activate abilities. The only other thing really to mention is it that there are a lot of different remixes of the Pink Panther song. I think every level had it’s own remix of the song. So if you ever wondered what the Pink Panther song sounded like if it was a medieval bard playing lute tune, this game has you covered.

So yeah, that’s my notes on some of those picks. Also I’m surprised at the lack of Kirby games suggested by everyone.