It's the 1990s and Radiohead is a creep, they're a weirdo, what the hell are they doing here? They don't belong here. This was also the time when Austin Powers shagged Alotta Fagina, the world was introduced to Alan Partridge and Nintendo did a complete 180 on the whole blood thing when it came to Mortal Kombat II.
Hello, my name is Cyril, and that's just one of the Super NES games we're going to be talking about as we continue our journey through Super Play's Top 600. This is the show where we're reading the verdicts and counting down every review published in the pages of Super Play magazine. After six weeks and eleven episodes, we are finally at the series finale. That means that we'll be crowning Super Play's top-rated game in this episode. And then I'm going to jump on a boat and get the hell off this island. There are only fifty games standing between me and freedom, so let's dive into the finale episode Super Play's Top 600. Prepare yourself, this is a big one!
#50: Super Probotector
90%
An explosive shoot 'em up that wouldn't be possible on any other system. Fab.
#49: ActRaiser
90%
An extraordinary blend of play styles that proves, against the odds, to be extremely addictive and hugely impressive. It's a pity the bosses aren't tougher, however, as in the Japanese version. Otherwise outstanding.
#48: NHL '96
90%
Every year it keeps getting better. Whether there are enough improvements to warrant previous purchasers shelling out again is debatable, but for the rest of us this is a top sports sim.
#47: Solstice II: Equinox
90%
If you can cope with its faults -- and they are cope-able with -- Solstice II is an extremely enjoyable arcade adventure with lovely graphics, brilliant sound and some progressively involving and addictive gameplay. Highly recommended.
#46: Vortex
90%
More chippage would have led to an even bigger (and thus better) game, but it's difficult to fault what's here. Vortex boasts marvelous 3D (with only the tiniest time-lag as you play) and incredible surround-sound. It's great fun once you master it.
#45: Legend of the Mystical Ninja
90%
An all-time classic Super Nintendo game that we've been desperately hoping would come out in the UK. And now it has!
#44: Panel De Pon
90%
Brimming with options, heady with playability and steeped in challenge, this'll turn minutes into hours, hours into days. Addictive stuff.
#43: Spectre
90%
A simple and stunning tank combat game. With five modes to play (four of which are two-player), it'll last as long as your SNES. Tank battles haven't been this much fun since Kursk.
#42: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters
90%
Told you I'd give it a 90%. Tournament Fighters is great fun, and a worthy bed-fellow to Street Fighter II. It doesn't have the polished look or feel of SFII. Get down to the shops and give it a try.
#41: Donkey Kong Country
90%
A fine game in its own right, and everyone who buys it will be pleased with it. But not as pleased as they might well have expected.
#40: Legend of the Mystical Ninja 2
90%
An utterly compelling and fantastically entertaining game that's a worthy sequel to its classic ancestor.
#39: NBA Jam TE
90%
NBA Jam was good. This is better. But only due to the odd tweak. Fans of odd tweaks would do well to give it serious hoop-jammin' consideration. Whatever that means.
#38: Plok
90%
This is (shudder) a feel-good game. And it's great. Even if your shelves are brimming with cute platform games, there's sure to be room for one more.
#37: Super Punch-Out!!
90%
The boxing game equivalent of Street Fighter II. True, it doesn't have a two-player mode, but I guarantee that there is elsewhere will be more than enough to keep you happy. Video game boxing was never this good.
#36: Mortal Kombat II
90%
A real improvement on Mortal Kombat 1, and a potential classic. It's more than just blood that makes this well worth a look. Horrah!
#35: Kick Off 3
91%
This answers the question in the top left of the page with a resounding 'Yes'. We were skeptical at first, but this is brillo stuff.
#34: Sensible Soccer
91%
The best football game on the SNES, and likely to remain so for some time to come.
#33: Assault Suits Valken
91%
An engrossing, clever and extremely enjoyable shoot 'em up. Fans of Japanese mecha will go absolutely ape over it, while everyone else will simply revel in its playability. Whichever character you fall into, you can't miss.
#32: World Cup Striker
91%
A beautifully well-rounded title which, thanks to the improvements, is guaranteed a place in the finals this Summer.
#31: Street Racer
91%
Don't bother waiting for Super Mario Kart 2 -- go out and buy this. It looks beeyootifull and plays just like a good game should. Hey, we like lots.
#30: Kirby's Avalanche
91%
Last time we looked at it, we said that consoles were made for games like this. The sentiment still applies. We may now be looking toward the super consoles for next-generation thrills, but it only takes something like this to make you realize that good games are all about gameplay.
#29: Super Puyo Puyo
91%
It's just so incredibly playable, is Super Puyo Puyo. (In fact, it's the most played game in the Super Play office this month, apart from Tetris Battle Gaiden, of course.) The have-another-go factor is off the scale, and the more you play, the deeper the game will become. Consoles were made for games like this.
#28: Theme Park
91%
A seminal game, making its SNES debut, and not before time too. One of the most sophisticated, frustrating and downright enjoyable ways to kill time ever devised.
#27: Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare
91%
Genuinely cartoon-like graphics, a weird sense of humour and bags of playability make this off-the-wall multi-game extravaganza surprisingly successful. It works well because it doesn't just rely on novelty, there's actually a fair amount to do here. The surprise hit of the month.
#26: Earthworm Jim
91%
Beautiful, polished and big as only a 24 meg game can be. Earthworm Jim is an example of how to write great platformers. Buy it and enjoy it. You can't really fail to.
#25: Super Bomberman 2
91%
Still the favourite it always was, but with new features and an improved one-player game. A fine addition to your SNES game library.
#24: Super Castlevania IV
91%
Might look pretty run-of-the-mill, but those who take the trouble to really delve into it will discover some of the best graphics, sound and gameplay the SNES has to offer.
#23: UN Squadron
91%
Hardly an easy ride for shoot 'em up novices, but for experts it's a fabulous and addictive challenge.
#22: Flashback: The Quest for Identity
91%
This time the stupendous graphics are backed up by a thumping good game. Hooray!
#21: Super Tennis
92%
Quite simply the best tennis game ever, and an essential addition to any self-respecting collection.
#20: World Cup USA '94
92%
This replaces Sensible Soccer as the overhead-viewed SNES footy game with cartloads of options and super-slick play.
#19: Doom
92%
Making Wolfenstein look like an afternoon tea appointment with an elderly relative, Doom is a heart-attack-packed bundle of rapid shoot 'em up ruthlessness, realized in a style that'll change the way you look at games. And it's on the SNES. And everything.
#18: Superstar Soccer
92%
Konami has proved that it can turn its hand to anything and excel. If you've been waiting for the definitive football game to arrive, stop waiting -- here iti s. Absolute class.
#17: Pilotwings
92%
This is a truly original game and a thoroughly good buy. It's got all the qualities to keep you playing -- and looks good enough to convert just about anybody to SNES-dom.
#16: Super Bomberman
92%
You need a Super Multitap to take full advantage of Super Bomberman. Get one, though, and it's devastatingly good fun.
#15: Super Metroid
92%
We all love this game. Super Metroid is absolutely marvelous and you should own it.
#14: Puyo Puyo Remix 2
93%
It's surely only a matter of time before importers dealing in such highly addictive goods feel the wrath of decent people everywhere. In the meantime this is the most potent fix of Puyo you can get. Take advantage while you can.
#13: Wild Trax
93%
This is the most playable and varied racing game ever. A SNES without Wild Trax is a SNES not worth switching on. Almost.
#12: Star Fox
93%
A fast, smooth, stunningly playable and addictive shoot 'em up that demonstrates the abilities of the new Super FX chip brilliantly. Fabulous graphics and sound, and well-paced playability, all add up to a real winner. Game of the year.
#11: Super Mario Kart
93%
Everything we could have hoped for, and more. It's completely impossible to fault. In fact, this is the sort of thing that Super Nintendo is all about -- sheer perfection (ahem). (Make sure you find yourself a decent opponent, though.)
#10: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
93%
A Nintendo-programmed game never tries to be anything more than fun, and Zelda III has bags of it. Beautifully designed and 'perfected' the way only Nintendo seems to know how, this is a must-buy -- especially at the reasonable price of £40. Nice packaging too.
#9: International Superstar Soccer Deluxe
94%
Deluxe is just that. Every feature of the game's been improved radically and the combination of fluent but technical play and tactical depth makes it unbeatable.
#8: Secret of Mana
94%
What can I say? This is (sob) a beautiful game. I can't think of a better way to spend Christmas, so make sure Santa slips a cart in your stocking.
#7: Street Fighter II
94%
Shop around for Street Fighter II -- it may become one of the world's biggest elling games, but the UK price of £65 is madness when importers are selling the U.S. and Japanese versions for around £45. Basically, this game is fab.
#6: Super Mario World
94%
An amazingly deep and playable platform game, and a credit to Nintendo. Unmissable.
#5: Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World II
94%
As the best game since Super Metroid, Yoshi's Island is a testament to Nintendo's untouchable design skills. It won't last as long as the ideal, but that's because you'll be so addicted scrabbling through the thing. How it's going to be topped I really don't know, but I'm looking forward to seeing it happen.
#4: Final Fantasy III
95%
A game to rekindle any SNES owner's romance with their machine. Too slow paced for some, perhaps, but those willing to put in the effort will be rewarded with a gaming experience of quality all too rarely seen.
#3: Street Fighter II Turbo
96%
Believe the hype. Street Fighter II Turbo is the Rolls Royce of beat 'em ups, an essential purchase for fans of the genre, and a strong contender for the greatest video game ever. A must-buy if ever there was one.
#2: Super Mario All-Stars
96%
Come on -- you know what this bit's going to say, don't you? Buy this cart! NOW!
#1: Super Street Fighter II
96%
A king amongst mere pretenders. Throw away those Capcom gripes and buy the best beat 'em up the SNES has ever seen.
So, what did we learn from this Super Play series? Well, many have pointed it out in the comments already, but I learned that the British were a lot looser when it came to what they called "beat 'em ups." Maybe it's because I grew up with GamePro, EGM and every other American magazine telling me one thing, but I am of the mind that one-on-one fighting games and beat 'em ups are two different genres. I mean, there are fighting games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II, and then there are beat 'em ups, like Final Fight and Super Double Dragon. Super Play used beat 'em up a lot more liberally, which threw me every time.
Speaking of games they called beat 'em ups, it's interesting to see the difference between the British critics and their American counterparts when it came to Super Street Fighter II. After three different Super NES releases, a lot of the American critics were tired of Capcom milking their fans, which meant you saw much lower scores. In comparison, EGM's four critics gave it an average of 7 out of 10. Super Play didn't seem to have any of these complaints, which is why you see it topping this list. You may not have seen that particular version running away with it, but admit it, who didn't see a version of Street Fighter II winning? It's arguably the most important game on the system.
And you know what else was important? You. That's right, you're important. Without you watching this series, I wouldn't have been able to make it. I loved reading the comments from episode to episode, especially when everybody was flipping out about some of Super Play's more dubious decisions. This is one of those projects I've wanted to do for a while, so you have no idea how excited I am to have finally completed it. And I have a hunch that it's going to be one of those series that people will keep discovering year after year, so I'm eager to see all of those future comments. I appreciate you sticking with me on this journey and I hope you have an incredible New Year. For me, I need to get out off of this island. Every day I wake up with a craving for fish and chips and I'm starting to notice myself yearning to stand in long queues. I think that's a sign that I've been here too long. So, I'm just going to board this boat over here and paddle back to the good old U.S. of A. See you next year, everybody.
