Top Gear

Top Gear

Introduction Top Gear was developed by Gremlin Graphics and published by Kemco, released for the SNES in 1992 as one of the console’s early racing showcases. Players race customizable cars across a series of circuits spanning multiple continents, tuning tire grip, acceleration, and top speed before each event and taking on rival racers with a…

Contra III: The Alien Wars

Contra III: The Alien Wars

Introduction Contra III: The Alien Wars was developed and published by Konami, released for the SNES in 1992 as the series’ debut on Nintendo’s 16-bit console. The game continued the run-and-gun formula of its NES predecessors while taking full advantage of the SNES’s Mode 7 scaling and rotation effects, alternating traditional side-scrolling stages with top-down…

Kirby Super Star

Kirby Super Star

Introduction Kirby Super Star was developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo, released for the SNES in 1996 as a compilation of eight distinct sub-games built around Kirby’s signature Copy Ability. Rather than one continuous adventure, the game let players choose from varied experiences ranging from the sprawling platforming of Spring Breeze and Dyna…

Street Fighter II Turbo

Street Fighter II Turbo

Introduction Street Fighter II Turbo was developed and published by Capcom, released for the SNES in 1993 as an enhanced port of the arcade update Street Fighter II’: Hyper Fighting. Building on the original Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, Turbo introduced faster gameplay speeds, new special moves for the existing eight World Warriors, and…

Kirby’s Avalanche

Kirby’s Avalanche

Introduction Kirby’s Avalanche was published by Nintendo, released for the SNES in Europe in February 1995 and North America that April, as a Western localization built directly on top of 1993’s Super Puyo Puyo, with the original Puyo Puyo cast and most of its music replaced by characters and songs from the Kirby series. The…

Yoshi’s Cookie

Yoshi’s Cookie

Introduction Yoshi’s Cookie was developed by Bullet-Proof Software and published by Nintendo, released for the SNES in 1993 as an enhanced follow-up to the original 1992 NES and Game Boy versions of the same tile-matching puzzle game. The game’s concept began development as an unrelated arcade title called Hermetica by Home Data, which performed poorly…

Ms. Pac-Man

Ms. Pac-Man

Introduction Ms. Pac-Man was published by Williams under license from Nintendo, released for the SNES in 1996 as a home conversion of the classic 1982 arcade sequel to the original Pac-Man. Players once again guide Ms. Pac-Man through a maze, eating dots and fruit while avoiding four uniquely behaving ghosts, Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Sue,…

Tetris Attack

Tetris Attack

Introduction Tetris Attack, released in Japan as Panel de Pon, was developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo, produced by Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi, released for the SNES in Japan in October 1995 and internationally the following year. The Japanese version featured an original cast of fairy characters in a mythical fantasy setting,…

Tetris & Dr. Mario

Tetris & Dr. Mario

Introduction Tetris & Dr. Mario was published by Nintendo, released for the SNES in 1994 as a two-in-one compilation cartridge bundling enhanced remakes of both Tetris and Dr. Mario onto a single cart. Each game received a genuine visual and mechanical refresh over their earlier NES and Game Boy incarnations, with the Tetris side offering…

Front Mission

Front Mission

Introduction Front Mission was developed by G-Craft and published by Square, released for the Super Famicom in Japan on February 24, 1995, as a tactical role-playing game built around squad-based battles fought using large piloted mechs called wanzers. Players command a customizable squad of wanzers across grid-based battle maps, with each unit’s individual body parts,…

Star Ocean

Star Ocean

Introduction Star Ocean was developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix, released for the Super Famicom in Japan in July 1996 as an ambitious science-fantasy role-playing game that blended traditional medieval RPG trappings with a broader space-opera setting revealed as the story progressed. Players control Ratix Farrence and a growing party of companions investigating a…

Mega Man X3

Mega Man X3

Introduction Mega Man X3 was developed by Minakuchi Engineering and published by Capcom, released for the SNES in Japan in December 1995 as the third entry in the Mega Man X sub-series. The game expanded on its predecessors’ formula by introducing a second playable character, Zero, who could be controlled for a limited portion of…