Best Super Nintendo Game
Nintendo reignited the home video-game market with the Nintendo Entertainment System in the 1980s, but by the early 90s the Japanese game company found itself in an unexpected position: Player 2. The 1989 arrival of both Sega Genesis and Turbo Graphx 16 – more powerful machines, with aggressive marketing campaigns positioning themselves as the “radical” upstarts – officially kicked off the first wave of the console wars. Nintendo would answer with 1991’s Super Nintendo, a sleek machine that would eventually be home to a slate of eye-popping games. Jumping from 8 bits to 16 encouraged developers to push the bounds of creativity. While the system would be unseated by the N64 after a mere five years, the SNES library features what are considered to be among the best entries in the company’s line-up of original IP. So get ready to play with SUPER power as the Great Pop Culture Debate looks back at the Best Super Nintendo Game.
Games discussed: Super Mario World, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy III (Final Fantasy VI), Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Kart, Mega Man X, Super Mario RPG, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, Street Fighter II Turbo, Donkey Kong Country 2, Final Fantasy II (Final Fantasy IV), Secret of Mana, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, Super Castlevania IV
Join host Eric Rezsnyak, GPCD panelists Curtis Creekmore and David Silbert (of the Punished Backlog), and guest panelist Erik Slader from the Super Switch Club podcast as they discuss and debate 16 of the most awesome Super Nintendo games.
Play along at home by finding the listener bracket here. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Round 1 Match-Ups:
Not a Patreon subscriber? Here’s a primer on how we came up with the bracket.
Match-Up 1: Super Mario World (1) vs. Super Castlevania IV (4)
Match-Up 2: Super Mario RPG (3) vs. Mega Man X (2)
Match-Up 3: Super Metroid (1) vs. Final Fantasy II/Final Fantasy IV (4)
Match-Up 4: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (3) vs. Final Fantasy III/Final Fantasy VI (2)
Match-Up 5: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1) vs. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (4)
Match-Up 6: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles In Time (3) vs. Super Mario Kart (2)
Match-Up 7: Chrono Trigger (1) vs. Secret of Mana (4)
Match-Up 8: Street Fighter II Turbo (3) vs. Donkey Kong Country (2)
Want to play along at home?
Download the Listener Bracket and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Episode Credits
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panelists: Curtis Creekmore, David Silbert
Special Guest: Erik Slader, Super Switch Club Podcast
Producer: Bob Erlenback
Editor: Bob Erlenback
Theme Music: “Dance to My Tune” by Marc Torch
