Super Mario RPG This can definitely be considered a beginner's RPG, but at the same time it's deep and involved enough for veterans of the genre to get into. Although I admittedly had not played many RPGs up to this point, SMRPG sucked me in enough to rent it many times when it came out, and eventually buy it when i had the money saved up. The blend of traditional Mario elements in an RPG world really shakes things up, and it's a great example of how such an unlikely team-up can keep things extremely fresh and interesting. Everything about it gushes greatness; from the relentless action, the ever-expanding story, and the bizarre but witty sense of humor, the experience never lets up. Fan service and self-reference are also abundant, and I definitely have a soft spot for that sort of thing. It's obvious that tons of care and detail went into the making of SMRPG, and it adds up to one great experience that you shouldn't pass up. 10 SMW2: Yoshi's Island I still regard Yoshi's Island as the greatest 2D Mario game Nintendo has ever made, even if Yoshi is the main character. To me, the gameplay is the most refined, and stands out above the rest. It's obvious that the bar was raised here for most every facet of game design, and you can see the heart and soul that was poured into making this. The levels are huge, especially later into the game. Every single character and environment oozes personality, and the landscape seems to be alive and breathing. The boss fights especially were a treat; I was always excited to see what the next boss would be, and figuring out what i had to do to defeat it was a triumph of discovery, not a chore. The art direction in particular was most definitely unmatched for its time, and can still blow me away to this day when i stop and take in all the details. This was back when Nintendo could still walk that fine line of making something super cute, but not so saccharine-filled and kiddy that you're embarrassed to be caught playing it (later titles like Yoshi's Story and Super Mario Sunshine suffered from this at times). No, this was something that you could be proud of and show off to your friends and family. Another all-star from Nintendo 10 Secret of Mana I have to admit that this is the only game in the top 10 I haven't played until recently (not counting the one time I rented it), so I don't have fond memories of it like everyone else. But I can still attest to its greatness. The action-oriented battles were confusing to me at first, but it became second nature before long. The same can be said for the ring menu, actually. I initially had trouble finding the right setting/equipment/whatever I wanted to go to, until I found a button configuration that I was satisfied with. In my experience this was a game that I had to stick with for a while, until it finally hit me how good it was. The music is one of the strongest points of the game, and can evoke some serious emotions in the right context. The boss fights could be very tough at times, and it was fun to experiment with different spells and battle strategies until I found a winning tactic, even though it meant getting my butt handed to me plenty of times. My only serious gripe with this game is that sometimes it's difficult to figure out where you're supposed to go sometimes. Someone would give me a vague direction to go, and I would wander around for a long time until I finally happened to find the right place by chance. Also, your helper characters seem to have fits of stupidity when they're being CPU-controlled. They'll go gung-ho into a dangerous enemy even if you have them set to be cautious, or they'll get stuck on some landscape and you have to go back and lead them around a rock or a cliff or something. Hopefully one day i can play this with 2 other friends, the way it was meant to be played. I know it seems like I'm being overly critical, but I really do love this game after finally playing through it, and I wish I could have given it a full chance back in the day. 9.4 Mega Man X All right, now THIS is the way to bring Mega Man to the Super NES. Capcom should have looked at this game when they were working on MM7. Everything that was needed to bring a new MM to the next generation has been addressed here. Story is a bigger focus, and there is definitely a darker, more serious mood here (But thankfully, it doesn't take itself TOO seriously like later installments did). The level design is as solid as always, with plenty of new and interesting elements introduced, like wall-jumping and environments that are more interactive and destructible. All new robot design is very well-done, and the enemies and bosses retain the personality and charm that was characteristic of earlier MM games on the NES. Also, most of the weapons seemed to be more practical than certain throwaway weapons found in earlier MM games, and a new ability to charge them up was a welcome addition. All in all, Capcom did a wonderful job of injecting a much-needed boost to keep Mega Man fresh and new to loyal fans, and attract newcomers at the same time. 9.7 Final Fantasy II There isn't much to say here that hasn't already been said before, but there is good reason for the amount of praise FF2 receives, and why Square can count on people to buy it every time they decide to port/remake it on every game console ever. It has one of the best stories ever told, be it in a video game or any other medium. It really is that powerful. The music is some of the best to ever come out of Uematsu. The fighting is tense, the bosses are epic, and the characters are people you really connect with throughout the story. All of these elements combine to form a true masterpiece of gaming. There are no overcomplicated battle systems and abilities to take away from your enjoyment. The emphasis is more on challenge, story, and exploring the huge world instead. Nothing in the game drags on for too long, so you won't get an inflated play time out of pure tedium. No, everything here is just right. There's a magical quality here that makes everything pure and wonderful. It's this simplistic but powerful quality that I wish I would see in more games nowadays. This is indeed one of a kind. 10 Super Mario World Was anyone's world NOT flip-turned upside down when they first saw this? I know mine was. Everything I knew about Mario and video games had changed in an instant. I knew that I had to have a Super Nintendo one day. It sounds cheesy, but Nintendo really did take everything that made the NES great, and then made it SUPER. Totally super-charged into a new generation of greatness, and Super Mario World was the very embodiment of this. Seriously, even walking around the world map was fun. Every level was a treat, and there was never a dull moment to be had. You could be totally satisfied just going through the game the normal way, but if you took the time to explore, you could find not only new levels, but entire new worlds. Secrets were at every corner, and it was always exciting to find something new. There was a seemingly endless supply of things to do in this game, but sniffing them out never got old or stale. You could always discover a new technique to get to a hard-to-reach place, and the switch palaces made going back to some old levels turn into a brand new experience. There are so many ways to go through this game, and there's no wrong way to do it. I really think there's something for everyone here, and Nintendo could not have made a better game to kick off the Super NES and the evolution in gaming that it ushered in. 9.8 Zelda: LttP There's a bit of controversy over which Zelda game is the best, but I can say without a doubt that this one if my favorite. When my cousin got this for Christmas and he brought over his SNES to show it to me, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. In typical Nintendo fashion, they had taken everything to the next level. I was hooked from the moment I saw the intro with the Triforce scaling and rotating into place for the title screen. And then when Link steps outside into the rain!! Holy crap! Anyway, I think this is the best designed Zelda world of all time. It's massive, but still not too big for it's own good. Every area has a very unique look and feel to it, and you're never really wandering around aimlessly with no idea where to go or what to do. The dungeons are carefully crafted and keep you on your toes, but they don't get too needlessly complicated. Fetch quests are kept to a minimum, thankfully, so you don't have to waste tons of time going back and forth over trivial crap. Here we have a perfect balance of action, exploration, and puzzle-solving. I'm not sure what it is, but there's just something here that's lacking from more modern Zelda games. 9.9 Super Metroid I still can't believe the amount of tension and atmosphere that they were able to squeeze in here. I'm going to admit right now that the original Metroid didn't do much for me when I first tried to go through it. It took the second and third games to give me a greater appreciation for the series overall, and I'm glad I did. Still, SM went above and beyond anything the first 2 games did. It really hits you that you're all alone in this world throughout the game. From the beginning where it seems that you're going down into a creepy, seemingly dead planet, there's a sense of dread at every turn. But not in a bad way. The tension is just so thick that you don't know what to expect at first. And then when you pick up the morph ball and get spotted, then you know you've done it. You've alerted the whole planet that you're back. Time to start the hunt. The gradual progression throughout this game seems so natural. You always get exactly what you need, when you need it, and somehow it never seems forced on you or out of place. I've always admired the way the designers pulled that off. And every item has a practical use, instead of being something you use once to get past an obstacle. Instead, you're constantly using whatever you have at your disposal to progress in the game and solve puzzles. It's a great mix of action/exploration as well as using your mind to think everything through. The way the game tells a story and gently nudges you along without being at all intrusive is a great feat that is tough to pull off, but it was executed perfectly here. Simply put, Super Metroid is a must have for everybody who considers themself a serious gamer. 10 Final Fantasy III Square definitely put everything they had into this one. It is literally busting at the seams with content, characters, monsters, story, everything. But while that's well and good, it's also the one thing I have against it. The abundance of playable characters made them feel less personal to me, and it was harder to feel a connection with them. I also felt that it dragged out too long during the middle, and I started to lost interest. I guess that says something about my attention span, but I prefer FF2 to 3. Don't get me wrong, it picked back up later, but a chunk of the game just felt tedious to me. There were a lot of touching moments in the game, such as the opera scene, Daryll's tomb, Locke and Rachel, etc., and the graphics were a step up from FF2, but it was still missing something to me. The story was epic, and had lots of interesting twists, and I definitely can't fault it any. The music was mostly good, but the soundtrack had its fair of filler material. I know I sound cynical, but I do admit that it's still a great game. It's just hard to live up to FF2, and the fanboy in me has a hard time looking past that. I can see why a lot of people consider it their favorite, though. 9.3 Chrono Trigger This is, without a doubt, the only game that I can say took over nearly 2 years of my life. I couldn't get enough of it. And it's all thanks to the innovative New Game +. Having the option to start your game over with your levels, stats, equipment, and items carried over from a cleared game opened up a whole new world of possibilities. You could go and do things you weren't supposed to do yet, like go kill Lavos as soon as you start the game. Endless replayability aside, Squaresoft writers really went the extra mile in crafting a story about time travel, saving the world, and love. As unoriginal as it sounds, the story is among the best ones out there, alongside Final Fantasy 2. It's easy to relate to the fully-developed characters, and feel their triumphs along with their pain. The time travel aspect is unparelleled in any game that I know of, and it adds a whole new dimension of exploration to the game. The characters and their relationships are developed greatly throughout the game, as is the story behind Lavos and his planet-threatening power. The fact that you visit the future and see the impact that Lavos made really shows you how much difference you can make in the world. Lots of actions you take in the game can affect what happens in later time periods, and they are all relevant to the story. Nothing seems tacked on or out of place. The sheer amount of influence you have on the world is truly mind-blowing, and sometimes you might find yourself wondering if you're making the right choice. Also, the fact that you can pick and choose your battles is a nice change of pace. You can avoid lots of fights if you want, although it's a good idea not to be too underpowered. Last, but not least, is the incredible musical score by Yasunori Mitsuda, with a little help from Uematsu. I don't feel there is a single piece of filler in the soundtrack, and every situation in the game is enhanced by the accompanying music. Knowing the context of each track can go a long way in appreciating the music of this game. CT is one of the games that showed that, even towards the end of its life cycle, the SNES was still getting the best software out there. 10