SNES Game Reviews
Review Biker Mice From Mars (Super Nintendo)
Time to rock 'n ride!
If you want to know what Biker Mice from Mars is like, think of it this way. Take RC Pro-Am for the NES, change the cars into Harleys, and then throw a bunch of thug-like mice onto those bikes and there you have it. It's pretty much a carbon copy of the ideas and gameplay found in RC Pro-Am, with the over-the-top weirdness of...
Review Star Fox (Super Nintendo)
Pretty Foxy stuff...
In 1993 the Mega Drive / Genesis was selling well and 2D was the bread and butter of console gaming. "Emergency, emergency… emergency, emergency! Incoming fighters prepare for launch", hailed the 16-bit Nintendo counter attack. For Sega and NEC it was too late: the swooping Nintendo Arwing squadron hammered the early...
Review Soul Blazer (Super Nintendo)
Still one of the greatest action RPGs ever created.
At a time when action RPGs were truly beginning to catch on with gamers, Soul Blazer came along and offered up an adventure that was as charming and engaging as any role-playing game fans had experienced. Taking many of the unique gameplay elements found in the Actraiser title that came before it,...
Review Kid Klown in Crazy Chase (Super Nintendo)
You don't have to be crazy to play this game, but it helps!
Super Mario World, Yoshi’s Island, Super Metroid, ActRaiser, Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, Mario All-Stars, the Donkey Kong Country trilogy…these games all have three things in common: they’re all platform games, they’re all on Super Nintendo, and they’re all genuine classics that stand out...
Review Super Return of the Jedi (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
The Emperor has been expecting you
The third and final game in the Super Star Wars series promises more of the same great experience offered as its two forerunners, but did LucasArts give us a conclusion worthy of the series or just a clichéd third act with some kid-friendly Ewoks thrown in? Like the previous two outings, Super Return of the Jedi...
Review Super Empire Strikes Back (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Do or do not: there is no try.
Following up on the success of Super Star Wars, LucasArts released Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back (a.k.a. Super Empire Strikes Back) to an audience already hyped and waiting. As we discussed in our previous review, the story barely paid lip service to the movies, and this release is little better. Even so,...
Review Pilotwings (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Soar like an eagle
Sometimes games deserve second chances. Let us tell you a story... A long time ago in a television studio far, far away, a member of our team took part in an episode of Games World, Hewland's Gamesmaster clone shown on Sky 1 in the UK. Everything was going great until the semi-final, when the skydiving stage from Pilotwings came...
Review Shadowrun (Super Nintendo)
Computers and magic meet in this overlooked gem of an RPG
Waking up in a morgue with amnesia it’s clear that your character, Jake Armitage, is having a bad day. Set in Seattle in the year 2050, Shadowrun is a cyberpunk RPG based on the pen and paper game of the same name. Having been gunned down in the streets you must uncover exactly what’s...
Review Super Star Wars (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Is the force strong with this one?
When Super Star Wars was released in 1992, it was an instant success. Offering old-school platforming but set in the Star Wars universe and culminating in the destruction of the Death Star, the video game format fit the movies like Harrison Ford fits the role of a roguish scoundrel. At the time, video game critics...
Review Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Super Nintendo)
Perhaps the greatest platformer of all-time.
When remembering the great games of the past, our thoughts tend to drift towards the revolutionary titles; the literal game-changers. And any gamer worth a darn knows that the indisputable king of these wonderful permutations is Shigeru Miyamoto. The man's M.O. is completely altering the landscape of...
Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube764k Watch on YouTube Review Princess Maker - Legend of Another World (Super Nintendo)
Overall, a pretty regal experience.
The Princess Maker series by Akai/Gainax isn't all that well known in the West – which is hardly surprising. Besides one failed translation project by SoftEgg in 1993, the franchise has never reached Western shores, and while the game may be considered by some as catering to a niche market, it is in fact a...
Review Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf (SNES)
Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!
Koei's 'Universal Ruler' simulator lets you live the life of the Mongol legend himself. You'll go where he goes, defile what he defiles and eat who he eats. But before you misjudge this game as an indecipherable Japanese take on medieval Mongolian life, understand that Genghis Khan II is actually a conquer the world style game...
Review Nobunaga's Ambition (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
An ambitious strategy game from a nobler time.
It is hard to imagine now, but there was once a time when strategy games were the primary style of play on home computers. Japanese game developer Koei made it their mission to bring this style of game to consoles. And by appearances, they were successful given the sheer volume of games they were able...
Review Sutte Hakkun (Super Nintendo)
Sutte Hakkun might just be one of the most unique video game experiences ever crafted.
Every so often a game comes along that makes you take your thumb off the fire button and don your thinking cap. But who wants to have to spend a lot of time thinking just to get through a game, you say? Well one thing that stands abundantly clear from playing...
Review Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (Super Nintendo)
Lufia II might not be as recognizable as some of the bigger name Super Nintendo RPGs, but that doesn't mean it packs any less of a punch.
If it's one thing the Super Nintendo System had a lot of, it was RPGs. Some were good, some were bad, and some were outstanding. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals would fall into the latter category. Not only does...
Review Terranigma (Super Nintendo)
Does the final release in Enix's Gaia Trilogy hold up?
It was during the 16-bit era that the action-style role-playing game began to take off. Instead of using the turn-based battle system found in most traditional RPGs, many developers were putting the player more in control of the actual battles in an attempt to broaden the appeal of the genre...
The Super Famicom version of Star Ocean might feature a lot of flashy technology, but it's the game's epic storyline and unique combat system that's made it such a beloved classic among 16-bit RPG fans over the years.
The Super Nintendo is well known for sporting a rather large and outstanding library of RPGs, but there were several of these...
Review Uncharted Waters: New Horizons (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Look forward to new horizons
Koei released quite an arsenal of strategy titles during the 16-bit era, many of them on the Super Nintendo console. While the original Uncharted Waters laid the foundation, its sequel New Horizons picked up right where it left off and managed to add quite a few new game play ideas to the mix to form one of the most...
Review Super Punch-Out!! (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Return of the Mac
Punch-Out!! on the NES has plenty of fans. For some reason, though, a lot of them seem to be completely unaware that there’s a second game in the series available on home consoles – this is rather strange, because Super Punch-Out!! is easily as good, if not better than the NES original. The main objective of the game is still...
Review Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen (SNES)
You must succeed in ousting the evil usurpers - your fate, and that of the entire population, depends on it.
The Ogre Battle series has long been a favorite among hardcore strategy fans and it won't take you long to see why that is once you begin playing any of them. This Super Nintendo release of Ogre Battle has become quite a coveted game...
Review Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Kirby for beginners
Kirby's Dream Land 3 obviously had a lot to live up to - It was released not long after the amazing Kirby Super Star (Kirby's Fun Pak in Europe), which is still regarded as the greatest Kirby game ever. The game returns to the gameplay from the second Dream Land game for Game Boy - It's got rather standard Kirby platforming, but...
Review Space Invaders: The Original Game (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Experience one of gaming's iconic franchises
In 1978 Space Invaders was the talk of the town, people were lining up in their droves to part with pocket change for a turn on this new groundbreaking videogame from Taito. Of course as videogame technology moved on this humble game was surpassed by many cocky new contenders to the shoot-em-up throne,...
Review Secret of Mana (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Good and evil battle for a young warrior’s heart. There is one force in the universe that keeps good and evil in perfect balance.
As action rpgs started to gain in popularity during the 16-bit era, many game companies began cashing in on this new trend. Some were good, and some not so good. Enix had already created a hit with their action rpg Soul...
Review Super Turrican 2 (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
As the last survivor of the United Freedom Forces, it is your duty to destroy the Machine’s forces that have devastated the galaxy.
The Turrican series began life on the Commodore 64 computer and would soon see quite a few releases on the various personal computers of the time period. The series made its first appearance on a console with the Sega...
Review Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Mario + RPG = WIN!
What do you get when one of the best RPG creators in the world decides to build an RPG around one of the most recognizable video game characters in history? What you get is a video game that is considered one of the greatest ever made and an RPG that's not only unique, but extremely playable as well. Many were skeptical when the...
Review Super R-Type (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
The BYDO Empire is back!
That naughty Bydo Empire! You would have thought they would have learnt their lesson last time when a solitary R-9 craft kicked their butt so badly. Alas, they are back and wreaking havoc wherever they go. Time for you to save the universe, again! Super R-Type was one of the earlier games released on the Super Nintendo. It...
Review DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Doremi Fasol Latido
If you ever read a list of the top 10 platform games on the SNES you will more likely than not see favourites such as Super Mario World and Yoshi’s Island hogging the top spots with DK Country following closely behind. Sadly, DoReMi Fantasy would rarely feature in such a list despite a modest loyal following in the gaming...
Review Super Turrican (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
You are Bren McGuire, on a United Planets Freedom Forces mission to save the peaceful planet Katakis from the Machine.
Ever wondered what happens when a Western developer takes inspiration from the Japanese and decides to create a ‘run and gun’ game with flashy graphics, amazing special effects and killer gameplay? Well wonder no more, because...
Review Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Street Fighter made super
Gazing back into the mists of time, you can’t help but be amazed that Capcom managed to get everyone so excited about each new Street Fighter II update. On the Virtual Console alone we’ve already had two versions of the game, and now here’s the third! Thankfully, the improvements between the first SNES release and the...
Review Pac-Attack (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Watch your back or Pac will attack, you don't want that!
Not even Pac-Man escaped the 8 and 16-bit eras without a spinoff puzzle game to his name. Pac-Attack was an obvious cash-in by Namco on games like Tetris, Dr. Mario, and Puyo-Puyo, but it's actually quite good! The game is an edited version of the arcade game Cosmo Gang the Puzzle (based on...
