How Super Nintendo CRUSHED 1994

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The Super Nintendo has enjoyed one hell of a legendary run. From its bubbling infancy in the early ’90s… to its absolute DOMINANCE in the mid 90s… and even to its dying days in the late ’90s, gamers around the globe have enjoyed many wonderful memories with this amazing console, and in the years beyond as well. In all those memorable years during the system’s lifespan, which one was the very best? Opinions may vary, but I think most folks would agree without a shadow of a doubt that the best single year of the SNES was 1994. It’s been 30 years since that amazing run. Let’s take a look back at the games that made 1994 Super Nintendo’s best year.

JANUARY 1994

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Capcom made us wait but boy was it worth it. 1994 could not have opened with a better entry than Mega Man X. It was the Blue Bomber’s 16-bit homecoming at long last, and it was freaking fantastic.

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As an aside, this is an article I’ve been wanting to write ever since RVGFanatic launched back in January 2007. I’ve always had a fondness for all things 1994. It was just an amazing year and a great time to be a 10, 11 year old boy growing up in suburban America. It blows my mind that it’s been 30 years since that unforgettable year. How time flies by…

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While iconic classics such as the previously mentioned Mega Man X are the foundation of the Super Nintendo, one would be sorely remissed if the lesser known “sleeper” hits aren’t highlighted as well. Skyblazer was a solid game that kind of got lost in the large library of the SNES back in the day, but has always had a strong cult following. It’s one of those games that quite a few folks sort of discovered later and wasn’t appreciated as much until then. Fun fact: Kazunori Yamauchi, the man behind Skyblazer, went on to produce the classic PlayStation 1997 racing game Gran Turismo (which also became a movie last year in 2023). Shout out to you, Kaz!

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Just check out how uber cool and nifty it all is. You can’t talk about “underrated” Super Nintendo “hidden gems” without mentioning Skyblazer!

FEBRUARY 1994

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As a kid who grew up in the late ’80s and early ’90s, I can’t tell you how many times I roamed these grungy and glorious arcade halls. And all the amazing beat ‘em up games that flooded the market during that epic era of arcade gaming. It was almost sort of a rite of passage, if you will. And it’s something many gamers hold near and dear when they think back to those halcyon days of yore. So although February 1994 didn’t produce too many memorable titles (hey it’s all good since we were still busy with Mega Man X), we did get some bliss in the form of NINJA WARRIORS.

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It’s a solid beat ‘em up, for sure, but sadly there’s no two-player co-op mode. I liked it but not as much as the critics who absolutely raved about it.

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In my review I gave Ninja Warriors a solid 7.5 rating. A two-player mode would have bumped it into the 8.5 range. The scores above are from EGM, a publication which will be highlighted later in this article…

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5 years ago, in the summer of 2019, Ninja Warriors was revitalized for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. A proper two-player co-op mode was included to right a previous wrong. Thes results? Pure ninja badassery!

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I fondly can recall how excited 10 year old me felt when I first laid eyes on Ardy Lightfoot. EGM ran a short preview on it, and I remember being fascinated by Ardy’s look, his little blue sidekick and that gorgeous yellow column of light energy. It seemed to have all the makings of a classic platformer. The small single screenshot exuded so much ADVENTURE. And that was part of the magic back in the day. Hunkering down with the latest video game magazine, excitedly flipping through to gawk at all the cool games coming out, and using one or two grainy ass screenshots to wonder away at all the possibilites. Your imagination did the rest. I swear, technology’s awesome and all, but gaming kids these days don’t know what they’re missing out on…

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After Sonic the Hedgehog hit the scene in 1991, mascot platformers became a big thing. Some were amazing, most were forgettable. 1994 was to mascot platformers as 1990 was to horror movies. There was a significant downtick in the number of “me too” wannabe cash-ins as the well began to dry. Part of me naturally couldn’t help but root for and admire Ardy Lightfoot. He was a dying breed indeed.

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Good ol’ EGM at it again. Their five reviewers had slightly differing opinions of Ardy. It’s one of those lesser known SNES games that some really vouch for, in the vain of Ed and Mike above. I rated it 6.5 myself, so I’m closer in line with Dano, Al and good ol’ Sushi-X (big shout out to the EGM legend and myth).

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Ardy Lightfoot has its charms. It definitely has an adventurous aura that’s nearly second to none. But it’s hampered by some flaws here and there to bring down the overall experience. Still, it has its moments, and is noteworthy enough to throw on this list, especially during a relatively quiet month in what was a staggering year. And who knows, maybe you’re more in the camp with Ed and Mike who both advocated for Ardy. If so, then this game definitely belongs.

MARCH 1994

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Street Fighter 2 Turbo and Mortal Kombat dominated arcades in 1993. In general, fighting games were all the rage back then. As you can see from EGM issue number 50, these titanic titles were duking it out for gaming supremacy.

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But at least one game was able to legitimately challenge both Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat for the arcade game throne… NBA JAM! Its much anticipated SNES translation in March of 1994 was a monumental event. All the kids in the neighborhood came flocking over, and we spent countless Saturday nights dunking on one another. It was pure 16-bit bliss.

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My friends and I played NBA Jam well into the summer and even through the fall and winter. It was THAT damn good. When I think back to those epic sleepovers from the early-mid ’90s, I can’t help but fondly recollect all the laughter, trash talking and buzzer beating hail mary half court prayers that this game produced. Thanks for the memories, JAM.

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Speaking of top tier sports games, Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball is the best baseball game on the SNES, bar none. Griffey is a heavenly blend of detail-oriented simulation and satisfying fast paced arcade-like play. Games are as short as 15 minutes, which wasn’t always the case for baseball games of that era. Griffey got you in and out, and often times you stayed happily for hours on end thanks to “just one more game.”

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I’ve logged thousands of hours into Griffey, and that is no hyperbole. I’ve played over ten 162-game full seasons over the past 30 years. Even though the players have all long retired and the gameplay mechanics are 30 years old, the game remains timeless. I’ll go months or even years without playing it, but then I’ll randomly fire it up and enjoy it just as much as I did when I was a kid. A legit 10+ out of 10 level game! One of those rare games I can play for a lifetime.

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Speaking of playing for a lifetime, Equinox took home “Best Ad of the Year” for 1994 with this absolute banger of an advertisement. I remember my best friend Nelson and I just laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, and how much it made us want to play it.

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But rather than simply playing for laughs, the ad was also packed with intriguing tidbits. F’rinstance, scope the intimidating size of this boss! In addition, you know what special item you’ll win for your troubles of defeating Sung Sung. You’re just not sure what the harp will do. See? Instant intrigue!

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There aren’t many isometric action adventure games on the SNES. Equinox represents the best of its kind, and makes one long for more games of this ilk on Nintendo’s 16-bit wonder.

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ProTip: Try playing it during November or December. The game’s atmosphere lends itself quite well to the seasons of fall and winter. Equinox is easily one of the Super Nintendo’s most underrated games that doesn’t get nearly the love and recognition it so richly deserves.

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The first time I witnessed Wolfenstein 3D (circa mid 1992), my 8 year old mind nearly melted. Never before had I seen anything like it. Then DOOM launched in December of ’93, making Wolfenstein look more like a Ms. Rachel singalong. So when the Wolfie port hit the SNES some three months later, I didn’t expect too much. I was a Doom guy through and through. But a funny thing happened that March weekend of 1994. It became “one more labyrinth,” “one more key” and “one more Nazi.” It was a joyous weekend that sparked a new sense of appreciation for Wolfie.

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The SNES port has many detractors, and I can see why. Blocky visuals, no blood, and various other censors that stripped the game of its full faithfulness. And while the gameplay isn’t the smoothest, it was still more than manageable. To me it still captured enough of the essence that makes Wolfenstein, er, Wolfenstein.

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Few games on the SNES can provide the sheer rush of mowing down 20 bad guys in the span of 30 seconds quite like Wolfenstein 3D. And it helped made the first quarter of 1994 a special one for the SNES.

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As a kid I was mega hyped for Clay Fighter (which busted), but it was Interplay’s other title, Claymates, that I should have paid more attention to.

Good luck to those athletes in the 2024 Olympics!
Good luck to the athletes competing in the 2024 Olympics!

The box was covered with a lenticular lens — the original faux 3D technology. Claymates proved to contain way more substance and staying power than that silly Clay Fighter could only dream of.

Blaze Processing!
Blaze Processing!

Play as Clayton or one of five different animal friends. The levels were humongous and well designed. It’s just a fun quirky little game that flew under the radar.

APRIL 1994

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They say they broke the mold when Super Metroid dropped in April of 1994. THEY WERE DAMN RIGHT.

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With an enticing sci-fi alien world atmosphere second to none and some of the best damn gameplay ever crafted, it’s almost impossible not to swoon at the mere thought of Super Metroid. Many often cite this as not only their favorite SNES game ever, but their favorite game of all time, PERIOD.

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It’s mind boggling that it’s now been over 30 years since this first came out. Honestly feels like a lifetime ago!

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Read any top SNES game list and chances are you’ll find Super Metroid somewhere in the top 10 5 3. That says it all, really.

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Super NES fans kicked off 1994 with Mega Man X, and then were treated to Super Metroid only 3 months later. What a time to be alive, eh?

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In late ’91 my brother and I discovered Fatal Fury at our neighborhood arcade. We were instantly hooked. We spent many a night enjoying the 2 vs. 1 mode where old man Tung Fu Rue would transform like the Hulk and kick our butts. Great times. Unfortunately, the SNES port was terrible.

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Thankfully, Takara got it right second time around. My brother and I played Fatal Fury 2 nonstop that weekend we rented it. It was a damn good fighting game. Not counting Super Baseball 2020, this was like the first really strong Neo Geo to SNES translation, paving the way for other solid Neo Geo ports to come.

Blew us away like a hurricane...
Blew us away like a hurricane…

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Joe & Mac was one of the earliest platformers released on the SNES, way back in good ol’ January of 1992. It was a fun two-player cavemen against dinosaurs romp, so it was a pleasant surprise when Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics quietly dropped more than two years later. By no means a blockbuster or even anything to write home about in particular, but every gaming library needs its share of fun little games to help solidify and round it out.

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Capcom converted two of its medieval 1991 arcade beat ‘em ups to the SNES in April of ’94. While it was awesome getting to play both in the same month, you wonder why Capcom didn’t spread it out so each title could receive the spotlight solely? At any rate, as a kid you were just grateful. Knights of the Round is a solid beat ‘em up with clanging swords and the works!

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The other one was King of Dragons. Thanks to its cooler enemy roster and the ability to play from one of FIVE characters (pretty unheard of by SNES standards back then), I much prefer KoD over Knights of the Round. But both arcade conversions are fine examples of the genre and among the best of its kind on the SNES.

MAY 1994

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Look, I’ll come right out and say it: May was the shits. You know the old saying: ya can’t win ‘em all. But hey, 11 out of 12 ain’t bad, eh? Probably May’s most noteworthy (notice I never said good) release was Clay Fighter: Tournament Edition because it was an exclusive rental. At the time no store sold it, so the only way to play it (if you were so inclined) was to go to your local rental store. I remember seeing it on the shelf every weekend I went. Never rented it because I was so disappointed by the first one which came out about half a year prior. Fool me once…

JUNE 1994

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Summer of ’94 got off to a scorching start when the 32 MEG monster Super Street Fighter II hit rental and game stores nationwide. As impressive as the previous two Street Fighter ports were on the SNES, this one took the cake. 16 fighters and multiple modes made it one of the best fighting games the SNES has to offer. Perhaps even THE very best.

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10 years ago, on the OG RVGFanatic website, I wrote an article called THE SUMMER OF IMPORTS. At the time it had been 20 years since that fateful summer. Now it’s 30 years! In a nutshell, it was the best summer of my life. My best friend Nelson and I played SNES games and watched horror movies galore that summer, living it up as 10, 11 year old boys could. But what really made that summer unforgettable were the Super Famicom imports Nelson and I rented.

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One of those imports was King of the Monsters 2. The first port was incredibly disappointing due to missing features from the arcade cult classic. But just like with Fatal Fury 2, Takara got it right second time around.

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The Vanessa Carlton-inspired pictures I made for the KotM2 review is still one of my personal favorites.

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The ending of the game lines up perfectly to those lyrics!

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See what I mean?!

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But I digress. Ain’t nobody got time for that!  Let’s move on :P

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The other import we rented was Capcom’s 24 MEG beast, Muscle Bomber: The Body Explosion, better known here in the states as Saturday Night Slam Masters. It was arcade wrestling 4-player mayhem at its finest. A little shallow, sure, but a whole hell lotta fun!

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The Jetsons: Invasion of the Planet Pirates was quietly a fun little underrated game.

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One of the most underrated titles of 1994 was The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang. You can’t talk about SNES hidden gems without citing this quirky, delightful caper.

"Can we crank up that ride over there to 88 MPH?"
“Can we crank up that ride over there to 88 MPH?”

I remember making those pics for my Spike review. Time consuming, but it was fun to do in my younger more carefree days :P

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Definitely fun for me looking back on all those captions I added. Takes me back! They were a staple of my older SNES reviews, but I digress…

JULY 1994

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July was sparse, but June’s offerings kept us plenty busy. July did have one big release though in the form of Stunt Race FX. While it didn’t quite live up to the hype, it was a memorable enough rental that gave us some quality entertainment for a weekend.

AUGUST 1994

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There were three imports Nelson and I rented during the summer of 1994 that made that summer one for the ages. King of the Monsters 2, Saturday Night Slam Masters and Fighter’s History. I’ve been a Fighter’s History fan since day one when I first played the arcade original in 1993. Sure it was an overtly blatant Street Fighter 2 clone, but it had its share of unique charms. So when Nelly and I got to play the Japanese version MONTHS before the American release dropped in August of that year, we were over the moon!

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Though far from being the greatest fighting game of its time, it was an amazing translation. It felt just like we were playing the arcade game in our living room! I love the simple yet detailed sprites and backgrounds. Look at those bulging muscles on ol’ Marstorius! Love the Thailand stage with the crowd overlooking the action from the bridge. Even down to the design of the energy bars… I absolutely adore the aesthetics of this game. It just screams 1993. It was a simpler time in our lives when it felt like a new fighting game was coming out on a monthly weekly basis.

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Plus it’s the only way to play as Karnov on the SNES!

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Super Double Dragon is one of my favorite beat ‘em ups on the SNES. So it was quite the shocker when Double Dragon V was revealed to be a fighting game. But given how popular fighters were back then, I guess in hindsight it’s not too shocking. DDV got a lot of flak but I honestly didn’t think it was that bad. Definitely a guilty pleasure for me. At the very least it was a major curiosity that I have fond memories of renting and enjoying for a random weekend during the final weeks of summer before the 6th grade.

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Brain Lord was a worthy action RPG that flew under the radar. I enjoyed its more methodical gameplay with enough hack and slash action to keep things lively as you solve puzzles and dispatch of foul creatures such as this malignant mutated cockroach.

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But if you were in the mood for a more traditional style RPG, with turn based battles and multiple members joining your party along the way, Capcom’s Breath of Fire was right up your alley. Nothing extraordinary about it, but damn solid.

SEPTEMBER 1994

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September 9, 1994. MORTAL FRIDAY. The infamous launch date of Mortal Kombat II across 22 platforms (or so it felt). The first port left something to be desired, including a lack of blood, but the sequel got it oh so right. Blood and justice were both restored. It helped too that part 2 in general is a far superior game to the first one. This was Mortal Kombat at its peak, and SNES MK fans were in heaven.

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As much as I was looking forward to Mortal Kombat II though, there was another fighting game I was anticipating even more…

1994 was indeed a banner year thanks to hits like this
1994 was indeed a banner year thanks to hits like this

World Heroes 2 was my tentpole event of 1994. I spent countless quarters and hours on the World Heroes franchise back in the early-mid ’90s. It was my absolute favorite fighting game series.

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It was a fantastic port, all things considered, and in some ways more accessible than the arcade in terms of options. Of course many sacrifices had to be made to scale the game down to work on the SNES, but it captured the spirit and essence of the arcade original quite well.

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I swear this is not a flex :P [Liar -Ed.]
I swear this is not a flex :P  [Lying ass bitch ass ho ass -Ed.]
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In a universe full of cute mascots, fluffy platformers and such, it was a HUGE breath of fresh air to experience something different like Blackthorne. The SNES didn’t have many games like it, putting Blackthorne sort of in a class all its own.

Still just as fun 30 years later!
Still just as fun 30 years later!

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Illusion of Gaia (spiritual sequel to Soul Blazer) really scratched the action RPG itch. Gorgeous graphics, huge bosses and memorable characters made this title simply irresistible.

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Super Bomberman 2 kept the good times rolling as friendships were put to the test and egos were bruised. Always a blast (sorry).

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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was to 1994 as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was to 1989… pure dominance. It was only a matter of time before a licensed video game adaptation would pop up on the SNES. And while it was simplistic and short, it was very enjoyable nevertheless.

Pretty badass!
Pretty badass!
Almost every boy's childhood crush
Almost every boy’s childhood crush…

OCTOBER 1994

From beauty to beast!
From beauty to beast!

Every year I always look forward to seeing the calendar hit October. It starts the best 3-4 month run of the year as I absolutely love the fall and winter seasons for various reasons.

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But there was nothing like October 1994. As longtime readers of RVGFanatic may recall from my nostalgic article Memories of Halloween, this was the year that I had the best Halloween a kid could ever have. Meanwhile, in the background we also got to play some amazing SNES games. What a great time to be a kid!

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Final Fantasy III is in the running for not only best SNES RPG but best SNES game, period. Even to this day, people are still playing and talking about it.

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Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! on the 8-bit Nintendo gave us so many wonderful memories. It took a hot minute but Super Punch-Out!! finally arrived in October of ’94, and it was well worth the long wait.

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Nintendo brought back some classic familiar faces while introducing some tough new hombres to crack. The added power of the 16-bit SNES gave the game a big boost in visuals while the gameplay mechanics remained as smooth as ever. Well done, Big N. Well done indeed.

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Earthworm Jim was a quirky action platformer that quickly developed a cult following.

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Sparkster was another pretty cool platformer. Konami almost could do no wrong back in those days…

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One of many unheralded gems on the SNES was Super Adventure Island II. I enjoyed the first one, clunky though it might be. It had a classic early ’90s simplicity to it. But the sequel is legitmately a very good game. I love the RPG undertones!

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Final Fantasy III (rightfully so) got all the RPG love this month, but there was another RPG worth your while that quietly came out the same month. Robotrek had some really cool features, such as building and customizing up to 3 robots to do the dirty work for ya!

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Super R-Type was among the earliest wave of SNES games released back in September of 1991. R-Type III over 3 years later turned out to be everything you wanted the first one to be.

NOVEMBER 1994

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Who could ever forget the first time you witnessed Donkey Kong Country live in the flesh? The flurry of snow falling, Kong beating his chest and the snow covered trees was an unforgettable sight.

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I’ll always remember the jubilant chatter on the school playground… DKC was on everyone’s lips. We all adored it and couldn’t stop yapping about it. The whole 6th grade was bananas for Donkey and friends.

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For something a little lot darker, Demon’s Crest was pretty damn spectacular in its own right! The structure is very much Metroidvania. It is, for my money, one of the best damn action games on the SNES.

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For 2-player action thrills, Pocky & Rocky 2 was a worthwhile sequel to the SNES cult classic.

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I feel almost obligated to include Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel. Although I feel it didn’t live up to its potential and is only decent at best, there is a robust contingent of SNES fans who love it. I just never was able to get down the flying/diving mechanics which are paramount to success. Thus playing Zero for me was always a mix of fun and frustration, but I acknowledge that it contributed to a lot of people’s enjoyment of the SNES in late ’94. Maybe one day it’ll click more for me, too.

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Speaking of obligations, Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi concluded the SNES trilogy of Star Wars games. I haven’t gotten around to playing Return of the Jedi yet, but I loved Super Star Wars. These are some of the hardest platformers around, but they’re quite fun if you can work around it.

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X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse was hyped to the moon. It graced the cover of the December issue of EGM, and my gaming crew and I could not wait to play it. The end results were a little mixed, but I still contend it’s a solid enough game with phenenomenal visuals and some badass special moves. I mean, as a kid pulling off a Ryu-esque Dragon Punch on a Sentinel? You felt like a superhero yourself.

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Weighing in at a monstrous 32 MEGS, Samurai Shodown was the last big Neo Geo conversion. Coming at the tail end of 1994, it was a sign of the times. ’94 was a massive year for the Super Nintendo, and a lot of things would change by 1995. It was almost as if Takara (the publisher) and Monolith (the developer) knew this was the end of the line, so the boys took one last big swing. A lot of sacrifice had to be made, including a substantial downsize in sprites and the absence of the infamous screen scaling. It was a bummer to be sure, but it was still a competent translation. And most importantly, it was still quite fun. I have fond memories of defeating the fighting game guru in my gaming crew. He largely went undefeated in most fighting games we played. But the night I dethroned him in Samurai Shodown was pretty damn epic. Everyone in the group was whooping and hollering. An outsider looking in might think we just won the Little League championship. Good times.

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Even to this day I can close my eyes and STILL hear that haunting sound effect of Haohmaru’s hurricane projectile…

DECEMBER 1994

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Batman Returns gets a lot of love, but many consider The Adventures of Batman & Robin to be the definitive Batman SNES experience. Definitely an added bonus if you loved Batman: The Animated Series as much as I did, as the aesthetics of this title tie in quite well with B:TAS.

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Speaking of licensed games, Biker Mice From Mars (what a name!) has something of a small cult following in SNES circles. It’s often cited as one of the system’s plethora of underrated hidden gems, and was clearly inspired by the beloved SNES classic Rock n’ Roll Racing.

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Speaking of racing titles, Uniracers also has somewhat of a cult following. It was super speedy and you could pull off some crazy stunts. Not my personal favorite, but I see why so many loved it.

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We got another solid arcade to SNES translation in the form of Power Instinct. It had some unique features such as being able to jump up two screens and stages had breakable barriers that would expand the stage even farther if a fighter goes crashing through. Plus, who didn’t want to play as the evil grandma?

EGM’S CONTRIBUTIONS

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My brother subscribed to EGM for a full year, starting in January of 1994. I’ll never forget opening our mailbox and seeing a thick ass issue #54 sitting pretty in our mailbox! EGM and GameFan were some of the awesome gaming publications that ruled 1994. They truly enhanced my SNES experience that year, and I’ll always be thankful everything aligned so perfectly to make that year one for the ages.

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The day my brother and I received EGM issue number 65 was bittersweet. The bitter: it the final issue of our subscription. The sweet: it was the largest EGM issue ever, as proudly advertised on the front cover. As much fun as we had with EGM, my brother decided not to renew. I like to think that there was a quiet unspoken understanding that EGM (and SNES) peaked at the tail end of 1994. Sure, we’ll still get some great stuff here and there going forward, but we’d never see the same level of consistency. It’s like a running back in the NFL at age 27 vs. age 28. 27 could be an optimal year but at 28 you see a vast decline. And kid you not, once EGM issue 66 dropped in January of 1995, there was an immediate dropoff in quality. I often joke to myself that EGM sold their souls to crank out issue 65. It was so massive and so beautiful cover to cover… that they never could quite recover from such a draining effort. Thanks for the memories, EGM. You helped play a significant role to make 1994 Super Nintendo’s peak year!

1994 FUN FACTS

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My belief of 1994 being Super Nintendo’s most prolific year is subjective. But what is objective is that 1994 saw the biggest number of SNES games released. That is a fact that cannot be disputed. In fact, here’s what each year produced:

1992: 113
1993: 178
1994: 226
1995: 118

I didn’t cite 1991 because the SNES came out late that year. Nor did I cite 1996 as the system was rapidly fading. So 1994 *doubled* the amount of games from 1992 (113 to 226), but as we all know, it’s not about quantity it’s about quality. But as you can see from the countless games highlighted previously, 1994 has quantity and quality in spades. And for the record, here are the number of SNES game releases during every month in ’94:

January: 10
February: 15
March: 11
April: 20
May: 11
June: 19
July: 4
August: 17
September: 16
October: 30
November: 50
December: 20

I was shocked to discover that July, smack dab in the middle of the time when kids are home for the summer, only saw 4 new releases. I was also surprised to see November as the highest month (with 50 releases). My money would have been on December to have the highest number. But yeah, pretty insane that there were 100 new SNES games in the last 3 months alone vying for your holiday cash!

CLOSING THOUGHTS

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It’s hard to fathom that 1994 is now well over 30 years ago. Sometimes certain events from ’94 feel like they were only yesterday. Most times though, man they feel like a lifetime ago. ’94 was just a very special year for me. I was 10 and 11 that year, the 5th grade was awesome, I had my best friend Nelson, arcades were still very much a thing and the SNES had reached its optimal stage of evolution. Everything just combined to make 1994 the best year of my childhood. That’s why I look back so fondly on that time period. The Super Nintendo saw so many iconic titles during its lifespan. But 1994 had the highest concentrated number of hits from where I sit. Throw in the fact that gaming magazines at the time also hit their prime so to speak, and you had all the ingredients in place for an epic year. And that it was. I mean, just think of all the Hall of Fame caliber SNES games we got that year… Mega Man X, Super Street Fighter 2, Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Final Fantasy III, NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat II, Demon’s Crest, Super Punch-Out!! and so much more. An embarassment of riches. A veritable who’s who of SNES lore!

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Crazy how all those classic games are now 30 years old or about to be later this year in 2024. I recently played a bunch of them in order to get extra inspired to write this article. And wow do they still hold up like the champions they are. They’re simply timeless… games as playable and enjoyable today as they were THREE DECADES ago. It blows my mind how much these games have stood the test of time, and how likely they will even 30 more years from now. And that, my friends, is how Super Nintendo CRUSHED 1994.

Thanks for the memories, 1994. I salute thee!
1994… here’s to ya!