Gaming
Games
The SNES games we need on New Nintendo 3DS now
The handheld is now a SNES in your pocket, but it still needs these absolute console classics.
Early last month, Nintendo announced that they would be bringing classic SNES games to the New 3DS Virtual Console, letting you play through many console classics that we first enjoyed back in the 90s. Now that the first SNES titles are on the way, we’re taking a look at the next batch of games we’d love to see hit the handheld, and we’ve got a fair few in mind.
While we’re gutted the original Nintendo 3DS isn’t getting the chance to play any of these console classics due to hardware constraints, New Nintendo 3DS owners will potentially have a huge library to tap into with plenty of incredible adventures to take on the road, something gamers two decades ago could only dream of. The hardware itself is perfect for tackling SNES classics, with the handheld sporting the same controls as the console controller, and as we’ve seen with the original DS, SNES ports are a dream to take on the go.
Some of the best titles are already available, including Super Mario World, F-Zero, Donkey Kong Country, Super Metroid and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but with a catalogue of over 750 games, there are plenty of other gems to tap into too. Here are our top picks of the best SNES titles that need to be on the New 3DS SNES Virtual Console.
Super Mario All-Stars
AKA the greatest compilation in any medium ever. With Super Mario World already out on the New Nintendo 3DS SNES Virtual Console, one of the best Mario games Nintendo has made, All-Stars surely needs to be up next, simply to see where all the Mario magic began. Super Mario All-Stars took Super Mario Bros. 1-3, along with the Japan-only release of Super Mario Bros. 2 known as The Lost Levels, and gave each of them a 16-bit makeover, updated soundtracks and a save system to let you keep track of your progress. The game’s worth grabbing simply to play Super Mario Bros. 3 in all of its glory, and it’s surely on the cards for a New Nintendo 3DS re-release on the Virtual Console – let’s see it happen soon.
Mega Man X
Classic side-scroller Mega Man graduated from the NES to the Super Nintendo back in 1993, leaping from 8-bit graphics to superb 16-bit visuals with a brand new setting, characters, villains and a memorable, intense rodeo of challenging levels. When Mega Man X launched, it put a whole new breath of fresh air into Capcom’s long-lasting series. Enter an even more futuristic setting, a darker tone and legendary characters like X and Zero that are still fondly remembered even today, and you have a storied classic that needs to be on the SNES VC, ASAP.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Squaresoft – or Square Enix, as they're now known – made many legendary RPGs during the SNES era, but their collaboration with Nintendo is often overlooked. Unfairly too, if you ask us. Launched in 1996, near the same time Sony fought back with the PlayStation console, Shigeru Miyamoto worked closely with Square to helm an RPG that retained its spirit as a Mario game, yet also had many similarities to the Final Fantasy series, all rendered in isometric 3D graphics that were groundbreaking at the time. With a light-hearted plot still deep enough to match Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger, the game is still a joy to play even today. The series would later spawn spiritual successors in the form of Paper Mario and the Mario & Luigi series, culminating in a crossover between the two that launched on the 3DS late last year, but none have been finer than the original SNES classic that started Mario’s role-playing antics. It’s out on the Wii Virtual Console, but taking it on the go would be even better.
Final Fantasy VI
The third and final Final Fantasy title to launch on the SNES before heading over to Sony’s PlayStation, Final Fantasy VI is a triumph for the 16-bit console, and remains one of the best RPGs to ever grace any video game system, ever. Square had by this point mastered the console, and were able to deliver some of the best graphics available on the SNES; the battle system is one of the finest in the genre, taking many of the best elements from previous games, while there’s a deep and enthralling storyline for you to explore that’s all wrapped up with famed composer Nobuo Uematsu’s astounding score. The Game Boy Advance port is one way to take it on the go, but New Nintendo 3DS fans are in dire need of this incredible RPG – the dreadful mobile version for smartphones released a few years ago strips the game of all of its wonderful pixel art.
Star Fox
Star Fox, the series that birthed the barrel roll meme, made its debut on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, giving you one of the first glimpses of true 3D gaming on the console in the process. Bolstered by the Super FX co-processing chip which gave the game its polygonal powers, we were introduced to the world of Fox McCloud and the rest of the Star Fox team as they took on the oncoming forces of the evil Andross. The 3D graphics, were at the time, groundbreaking, and while they look rather basic today, the game still holds up in a charming way and it’s a great on-rails shooter to kick back with. While the game was rebooted with Star Fox 64, and remastered on the 3DS with Star Fox 64 3D, the original is still incredibly playable and it’s well worth a look to see how far the series has come – we’re sure the New 3DS has the hardware power to manage it.
Super Castlevania IV
The side-scrolling vampire slaying adventures of Simon Belmont in Super Castlevania IV, a remake of sorts itself of the original NES Castlevania, is one of the best entries in the franchise, and remains a supreme SNES classic worth anyone’s time. With stellar controls, a superb soundtrack that helped set the moody ambience and plenty of action, Super Castlevania IV raised the bar for the rest of the franchise and is still considered one of the best entries to date.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time
With everybody’s favourite pizza-munching turtles back on the big screen, what better time than now to push out one of the best video game adaptations of our half-shelled heroes? Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time is easily one of the best side-scrolling beat ‘em ups to ever grace any console, having been ported from the arcade to your living room with additional stages and bonuses, and it retains much of the goofy spirit of the original cartoon – staying true to the source material. Even if you’re not a Ninja Turtles fan, it’s well worth giving this a go for its beat ‘em up gameplay, which has been hard to top – let’s see this on the New Nintendo 3DS, please.
Super Punch-Out!!
Super Punch-Out!!, the sequel to the NES’s Punch-Out!! title retained much of what made the first game great, including its easy-to-pick-up gameplay, but refined the formula to deliver one of the best sports titles on the Super NES. It’s difficult at times, and it’s unrealistic, sure, but Super Punch-Out!!’s bright and colourful graphics, easy-to-learn controls and addictive gameplay will keep you coming back for more, and it’s an easy fit to take on the go to land a few rounds while you’re on your commute. Little Mac has hardly had any screen time since 2009 on the Wii, and it’s about time a new generation of gamers got to don his green gloves and rise up the ranks outside of Smash Bros.
Street Fighter Alpha 2
Capcom’s Street Fighter series has long had a home on the Super Nintendo away from the arcades, but with several re-releases and minor updates of Street Fighter II, it wasn’t until the Alpha series that the entire franchise was made fresh again. Despite not receiving the first Alpha title, Capcom delivered a port of Alpha 2 to the SNES that made full use of the console and looked just as good as its peers on the arcade, Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation. With a fresh look that’s easy on the eyes, especially after countless Street Fighter II releases, new characters to play with, and the inclusion of the custom combo system, Alpha 2 is one of the finest fighters to pop-up on the SNES – and it’s well worth a revisit if Capcom and Nintendo re-release it on the New Nintendo 3DS.
Kirby Super Star
More or less a series of different games starring Nintendo’s enemy-gobbling pink ball, Kirby Super Star is one of the finest in the franchise, giving you a compilation of eight unique and smaller Kirby adventures to battle and platform your way through – plus co-op at times too. Each mini game is different enough to warrant its own section, and many have inspired plenty of later games, including Nintendo’s own Super Smash Bros. series. Sure, while an enhanced remake titled Kirby Super Star Ultra hit the original Nintendo DS in 2008, having the original available on the Virtual Console for you to grab at any time instead of having to track down an original cartridge would still be great – and give you the chance to experience this Kirby classic all over again.
For more gaming coverage, be sure to follow @RedBullGames on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
