30. Illusion of Gaia (SNES)

Although not as close to perfection as its two brothers (Soul Blazer and the later Terranigma), it's not hard to see why Nintendo themselves published Illusion of Gaia (or 'Time' in Europe) outside Japan. It still manages to be one of the most entertaining action RPGs available on the SNES, and a fitting second game in the trilogy.

29. Tetris Attack (SNES)

The Tetris branding was a misnomer here; a pure marketing strategy to give this wonderful puzzler a leg up in the West. Panel de Pon is a cracking puzzle game that doesn't resemble Tetris in the slightest and if you've never played it before, you're in for a real treat. It's so incredibly addictive that Capcom's Shinji Mikami had to ban the game while his team was developing the original Resident Evil. As recommendations go, that's not a bad one.

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube764k
Watch on YouTube

If you've somehow misplaced your original cart (how very careless), you can check it out most easily on Switch, although you won't find Tetris Attack anywhere on the menu screen of your Nintendo Switch online Super NES app. It's listed under its Japanese title, almost certainly due to Nintendo not wanting to pay The Tetris Company in order to use the name again.

28. Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES)

Zombies Ate My Neighbors feels like what you get if you somehow turned Contra into a second rate horror movie. Suffice it to say, if shooting everything in sight and blowing stuff up is your thing, you're going to love this unusual Super Nintendo action title. It might be a little on the strange side, but any time you're given the opportunity to shoot a zombie in the face with a bazooka, you know you're in for a real treat.

27. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (SNES)

Capcom essentially created a genre with this game; while one-on-one fighters existed prior to its release (the original Street Fighter being one example), the game pioneered many concepts which are now commonplace. The first Street Fighter II on the SNES remains a solid game, but pure nostalgia might not be enough for some players. When you consider the two direct SNES sequels added so much, it can be hard to go back. If you're one of the few people who preferred the pure nature of the game before Capcom started tweaking and adding new fighters, this still packs a punch, though.

26. The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (SNES)

Konami's The Legend of the Mystical Ninja is a fun, colourful, challenging adventure of a kind that the games industry just doesn't see much of any more. If you're looking for an adventure that's light-hearted but addictive, difficult but rewarding, it's hard to go wrong with this one.

25. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (SNES)

Lufia II is easily one of the top tier RPGs for the Super Nintendo and a game that is challenging, humorous, and a joy to play. Combine the game's unique visual stylings, the efficient turn-based combat system and the beautifully orchestrated soundtrack, and you get one absolutely unforgettable RPG experience on a system with its fair share of those. Before we all got spoiled with the full-motion video and millions of polygons per second of today's epic RPGs, we had games like this that had much more to them than flashy visual effects and voice-overs.

24. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (SNES)

Rounding off the Super NES DKC trilogy nicely, Dixie and Kiddie's adventure is still a pleasure today. It arguably can't quite reach the highs of the second chapter in Rare's trio of DK delights, but Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! looks better than ever and gives you some choice with a non-linear map to explore and options should you hit a roadblock on your adventure.

23. Sunset Riders (SNES)

Sunset Riders can hold its head up high and stand tall amongst the plethora of amazing side-scrolling run and gun games on consoles of the era. It is bright, colourful, fantastically well animated, with superb music and sound. It understands its place as a Western game and within the run-and-gun genre, by combining imaginative characterisation and humour, with well-paced action set-pieces, plus variety in its gameplay. It is 'pulp' gaming and possibly the most fun and entertaining 16-bit Wild West game that money can buy.

22. Final Fantasy II (SNES)

Final Fantasy IV (originally known as II) might be showing its age, but the SNES version is still a brilliant way to experience this seminal entry in the franchise. There's still something quite charming and engaging about the classic, a testament to its staying power, and any RPG fan who might have missed out on this legendary title need only give the game a try to see what all the fuss is about. Of course, you might want to check it out in Pixel Remaster form now, but whatever way you play it, just know you're picking up an all-timer.

21. Mega Man X2 (SNES)

Like so many games in Capcom's blue-hued back catalogue, Mega Man X2 doesn't really do much in the way of innovation, but there's not really any need to. Mega Man X was a great game, and while it's obviously a bit less original, X2 is a very solid experience that does more of the same really, really well.