Super Nintendo @ 20: My Top 20 SNES Games Part 4

Mr. Saturn's Top 20 Super Nintendo Games Part 4

5. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - 1995 - Nintendo

The Game: It is up to the Yoshis to carry Baby Mario through Yoshi's Island in an attempt to rescue Baby Luigi from Kamek and Baby Bowser.

My Take: In my very humble opinion Yoshi's Island is the most beautiful game to grace the SNES. With it's fantastic combination of hand-drawn looking sprites and a great use of the SFX2 chip to run effects to alter the sprites in various ways as well as to bring some polygonal objects into the world. It makes Miyamoto's rumored refusal to bow to pressure to make Yoshi's Island a SGI-based (like DKC) game a very good thing. Not only that the game is a pleasure to play even if Baby Mario's cries can get annoying, just another good reason to get him back and keep him. Yoshi's Island I think came at an interesting time for me. I was 12 (going on 13) when this game came out and while a lot of other kids my age probably crapped on this game because it was as we came to call it "teh kiddie". While I don't have anything but the smallest bit of proof of this, I can say it probably wasn't too be far off. And what I mean is that I remember letter to the editor in a Nintendo Power sometime after Yoshi's Island was released complained about Nintendo making such a "kiddy" game. I kind of wanted to throttle this person and still want to.

4. Super Mario World - 1991 - Nintendo

The Game: Princess Toadstool as been captured! Again! I know I'm shocked to. And guess what? It is up to Mario and Luigi to brave Dinosaur Land with their new friend Yoshi and rescue the Princess from Bowser and his nefarious children.

My Take: Back when Mario was Nintendo's console seller and showcase game (still is to an extent) Super Mario World really showed us what the Super Nintendo could accomplish. The world was bigger, brighter and while not really surpassing SMB3, in my opinion, it really made for a great showcase game. The game did bring some great things to the franchise, like Yoshi and the Cape Feather, the latter of which is my favorite item in any Mario game I've played and of course as we all know Yoshi has become a character into his own right. Moments like the first Banzai Bill you run across or the mode 7 heavy battle with Bowser there is still so much to love and like its console showcase brethren, Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario 64 it is still a joy to play and is a game I keep coming back to on a regular basis.

3. Super Metroid - 1994 - Nintendo

The Game: The Metroid hatchling Samus let survive at the end of Metroid II has been recaptured by Ridley and the Space Pirates. It is up to Samus to head back to Zebes and put end to the Space Pirate and Metroid menace once and for all.


My Take: For a game I really didn't play until I started my second SNES collection back in 2006 it is quite surprising to me to see it all the way up to number 3 on this list. Back in 1994 for whatever reason I just wasn't sure how to go about playing a Metroid title but by 2006 that wasn't a problem anymore having become a fan of Metroid with Prime in 2002. What I saw, even without the lens of nostalgia, was the reasons why this often many other people's favorite SNES game if not their favorite game of all. With a fantastic atmosphere and great gameplay I really can't say enough for the game that far more gushing descriptions would provide. Since 2006 Super Metroid has become one of my regular games to play through and will continue to do so for as long as I have my copies.

2. EarthBound - 1995 - Nintendo

The Game: The Apple of Enlightenment has foretold that a boy and his friendswill defeat Giygas and prevent a horrible future. That boy is Ness and with his friends; Paula, Jeff and Poo will travel the world fighting those corrupted by Giygas' influence and collect the songs necessary to gain the power to defeat Giygas.


My Take: Back in '95 I read an EGM review for a very curious little game. It had a simple graphical style, a quirky sense of humor and was an RPG. And while RPGs weren't a huge genre for me at the time, I knew I had to play this game. Of course if you haven't figured it out yet, that game was EarthBound. The game really charmed with its quirky sense of humor and, while simple, storyline that was different from your average RPG storyline. Not only that it came with the most amazing player's guide ever which read like a travelers guide to Eagleland and the surrounding areas. It was a great overall package and it saddens me so much that Nintendo of America just won't work with us and let get our hands on more. I dunno if any game franchise has such a single-minded obsession with and NoA just choosing to ignore it is frustrating. But you've heard all this anyways, no use in me going on about it. Still to this day EarthBound is a game that I play on a greatly regular basis and am occasionally finding new things that make me go "Hey will you look at that?"

1. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - 1992 - Nintendo

The Game: The wizard Aghanim has taken over Hyrule and imprisoned the Princess Zelda. It is up to Link to attempt to foil his evil plans.


My Take: Not only is this my favorite SNES game it is tied with Ocarina of Time has my favorite game ever. I really can't decide on which one. Believe it or not though, I wasn't always an obsessive Zelda fan, I didn't really get into Zelda games until Link's Awakening opened the series up to me but A Link to the Past really made me a fan. And since then pretty much everything about ALttP keeps me coming back to play it at least once a year (and I'm pretty sure I've beaten it 30 odd times) and it is never boring to me even if I've played so much I've got it down to formula. Scenarios like Link's first steps into rainy Hyrule are just full of atmosphere and even a certain dread or when Link gets the Master Sword and how it clears the fog in the lost woods are times are those situations where the wave of love for the game really shines. While most of the other games in this list move me in similar waves few games do it like A Link to the Past, well except for Ocarina of Time.

Featured Artist: Raul Henrique

I found a great video game cover artist from Brazil on youtube recently, and he's critically undersubbed! I'll show you a few of the songs that he's covered to give you an idea of what he's capable of.

Donkey Kong Country - Fear Factory

(This is the one I found when searching to listen to this DKC song, excellent isn't it?)

Earthbound - Pokey Mean Business

(Hooray! An Earthbound cover!)

Chrono Trigger - Tyrano's Lair

Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow - Champion Battle

Super Mario World - Castle Theme

Well, what do you guys think? He has some growing musical talent, that's for sure. Like I said, he's critically undersubbed, so if you have a youtube account, go subscribe to him!

UPDATE!!!

He thanked me for making the article about him and asked if I wanted him to cover any video game music, so I suggested the title theme to Ecco: The Tides of Time, check it out!

He told me not to expect much, but I think he did pretty well, don't you think?

Games I want on the Virtual Console, Vol. 1

So... I've been pretty obsessed with digital distribution lately, especially considering Nintendo's Virtual Console*, so I thought I would cook up a new article series about games that have yet to show their face on the service.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is a game published by Nintendo that still hasn't shown it's face on the Virtual Console. I honestly thought it would've shown up by now, at least before Yoshi's Story did, but nope. I have owned this game both back when I had an SNES as a kid and the port to the GBA as a teenager, but I'm craving to play it again, and this time I won't be able to fall back to my bad habit of selling games if I get it on the Virtual Console. Yoshi's Island is a cutesy game, but its looks doesn't detract from its excellent gameplay and the 'just right' challenge of difficulty.

Terranigma actually never came out here in the states or Canada, but it would be an excellent game to release on the virtual console so those of us in North America can enjoy it. I watched a review of it on 16-bit gems and it piqued my interest. I feel like I should play more Action RPGs, and this one would probably satisfy my curiosity for the genre.

Another action RPG, but a little more well-known, though not by much. Secret of Evermore is Secret of Mana's less popular little brother. This was also reviewed by 16-bit gems, but that's not why I became curious about it. I first saw this game in a retro game shop and the cover art on the cartridge really interested me. As I read up about the story, my curiosity only grew more. I hope that square enix will decide to release this gem on the VC eventually.

Treasure is no stranger to putting up their games on the virtual console, even import games like Alien Soldier and Sin & Punishment (though that was partly Nintendo's doing). This, however, was one of the few N64 games they worked on, and it's a bit of a cult classic. I've watched gameplay on youtube of this game and I would love to play it. It would also add to the lacking variety of N64 games on the Virtual Console right now...

You know this was coming. I've played Earthbound, most everyone here at PK Gaming has. I do not own a cartridge or anything, so I had to play it on *gasp*, an emulator. I wouldn't mind actually owning it on the Virtual Console though. Again, Roo explains why Nintendo might not have put it up on the VC just yet in his review. Though... I'm not buying the explanation really, I think Nintendo is just holding out on us. Why else would they keep Yoshi's Island back for this long? I'm suspecting that they're afraid they'll run out of games to release in the future so they're spacing them out very sparingly... but the Wii has already had a great run and its successor is just over the horizon... so what are they waiting for? Do they just want to keep those other unreleased VC games for the launch of the successor? *shrugs* Who knows.

Anyway, those are my first five games that I wish will make it to the Virtual Console sometime soon. I'll do another article about this again sometime soon once I think of more games. While waiting for that, why don't you readers tell me a game that you have been wanting on the virtual console?


*Comments about 'just play it on an emulator' will be ignored and eaten. I have been discussing this with people for quite a while and I feel that it may make a good debate topic in one of the upcoming podcasts, either here or on one of Negative World's podcasts.

Wallpaper Wednesday: A Familiar Beach

Welcome to Wallpaper Wednesday! The place where I showcase various gaming wallpapers.

Real quick, I thought I'd post this wallpaper reminiscent of our blog's namesake.

Beach

Beach Download

Why is the blog called PK Gaming?

Well, I was going to wait a little later to make this article, but I feel the timing is right. PK Gaming is actually an option for a special attack you can have in EarthBound. In the beginning of the game, you are asked what your favorite thing is, and if you choose 'Don't Care', one of the options that pops up is 'Gaming.' That will become your most powerful PSI (or PK) ability.

Though the blog is named after an attack that you can have in the game, I haven't played it... until now. It was my friend and co-editor Ink who thought of the name, because he is a fan of the series. I wanted to have the name of a power-up or attack like 'ScrewAttack', so I asked Ink about it, and figured that the underrated Mother series would probably have something we could use.

I felt really obligated to play the game all the way through since the blog is named after something from it. I started playing it sometime last week and just finished it yesterday. I have to say... I'm really satisfied with it, and I think I've been converted into a fan. I'm a bit ashamed that I never got to experience EarthBound as a kid. I feel like it would have really impacted my childhood.

Before I started playing though, I watched this video, which reinforced my decision to play it:



The video is pretty lengthy, but I encourage you to watch the video before commenting if you don't know anything about the series. It goes really in depth with the history of the series and the issues with bringing the series over to the U.S.

I'm going to start playing Mother 3 sometime this weekend. I'm really excited to see what kind of story I'm diving into... especially with a #3 spot on Destructoid's Top 50 Games of the last decade and what they say about it:

"Despite its completely retro (but gorgeous!) presentation, Mother 3 may have the most complex, mature, and heart-wrenching story of any videogame of the last decade. The tragically beautiful tale of Lucas, his family, and the complicated characters that surround them is both powerful and unbelievably emotional. If you haven’t played the game, you are missing out on an experience that you will never forget for the rest of your life."


"Mother 3 is a game that looks like it could have come out in the early ’90s, yet it sits high at the top of a list of the best games that came out in the new millennium. Despite all the advanced technology, it just goes to show you that, as long as a videogame has a strong story and great gameplay, it doesn’t matter how many polygons can be displayed on the screen at one time.


Mother 3 may be the last game of its kind to ever be released. It truly is something special."


Anyway... what do you readers think about the Mother series? It has one of the most dedicated fanbases of any Nintendo franchise... yet... they're usually snubbed aside. For Christ's sake, they're even working on a fan-game dubbed Mother 4. How many other fanbases have that much dedication? (Well, maybe Metroid because there is a project to make a fan-game which is basically Metroid Prime, but in the classic 2-D style... but I haven't heard anything from it in a long time.)