Popular SNES Games I Won't Play Again | hungrygoriya

SPOILER WARNING: Please see the video chapters in the description for the games included to avoid spoilers.
Many people consider the SNES to be one of the greatest consoles of all time, but as I've played through a few beloved games, I haven't always understood the hype for certain titles. Here, I detail some reasons why some very popular games didn't win me over as much as people expected them to. 🍖
0:00 Intro
1:31 Notes and Spoiler Warning
2:00 Breath of Fire
4:00 Actraiser
6:34 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
8:15 Final Fantasy III
10:35 Secret of Mana
12:32 Outro
The introductory animation and outro text were created and designed by Saad Azim.
Twitter: @hungrygoriya
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#retrogaming #snes #supernintendo

[@willmistretta]

ActRaiser is a case of a game being greater than the sum of its parts for me. Both the side-scrolling and sim stuff would be too basic to work as a standalone release, but alternating between the two has a hypnotic yin-yang groove to it that keeps me glued to my seat. The music helps, too.

[@hungrygoriya]

I agree with you for sure. I only wish that the platforming experience had felt a little more polished, but otherwise, it was a fun game. There was only one song I didn't like, and it was the one that sounds like you're at a frantic carnival.

[@anthonymock9717]

I think that if actraiser came out two or three years later, It likely would have been much more polished and a more cohesive game. The toughest part is figuring out how to build the towns to get maximum power, as there's no real guide for that, IMO

[@hungrygoriya]

@@anthonymock9717 Yeah that's very true about the maximum power for the cities. All you really get is a menu telling you how close you are to max population. I can say that I wouldn't have thought to destroy people's houses to get them to make better ones.

[@caseyhayes4590]

It was a visual and audio feast of a game that was practically a launch title. The hard core gamer who wanted to justify SNES purchase beyond main stream games had that game to point to and maybe Final Fantasy II in early months or first year. Years later the audio and visuals are good but not stunning, to be honest I think Genesis 'metal' sounding music has aged better than SNES fuzzy orchestra music...at the time it felt quite the opposite.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@caseyhayes4590 I think it really depends on the game and whether or not developers took advantage of the depth of the possibilities for sound. There are garbage soundtracks on both consoles as well as some masterpieces.

[@Boris82]

"When a video game starts to feel like work, I'd rather be doing something else" Yep. That feeling happens pretty quick for me in fact.

[@44punisherable]

We play for fun that's it

[@thediyorphans]

Same

[@DecimusEX]

This quote sums up Destiny

[@willnox1]

Harvest Moon: Am I a joke to you?

[@starofjustice1]

@@willnox1 That's the genius of games like that, though. They usually manage to make you feel like you're working toward something, as opposed to, idk, rpgs where even if it's a good one you know the whole time you're just grinding out levels until you're strong enough to fight the next boss. Then you have to do it all over again for the next boss.

[@gameandwinetime]

As a lifelong Nintendo fan who grew up with the NES and later SNES, I hate to admit it but I've always struggled to play or enjoy Yoshi's Island despite its charming visuals and music, and you perfectly articulated why. I feel that Secret of Mana, despite its many flaws, is held in such high regard partially because it was one of the first MULTIPLAYER action RPGs to hit the mainstream. And if you're looking for a challenge with FFIII, consider giving the GBA port a go- the postgame dungeon and bosses will give you quite a run for your money! 😅

[@hungrygoriya]

I really, really wanted to like Yoshi's Island, but yeah... even if I try to think of it is as "not a Mario game", it still doesn't feel too fun to play. You know, I didn't get to experience any of Secret of Mana with another person, and that is obviously a huge deal! Rolan's Curse on the Game boy did the multiplayer RPG thing as well though it's far less robust than Secret of Mana. I usually fly solo for these things, but there might be some appeal to taking someone else along for the ride. I'll keep an eye out for the GBA port... maybe some day if I so feel inclined, I'll see if there's a save file on there for the end game, haha

[@Thirteen13551355]

@@hungrygoriya I played the GBA version, and though the postgame dungeon is pretty challenging, it's also mostly just reused assets from earlier parts in the game. Besides, the rest of the game is the same, but the quality of the SNES version is a bit higher in my opinion. Only a month or so ago, a Japanese hack of FF6 was translated into English. It's called FF6 T - Edition, and it makes the game harder but also adds soo much extra content to the game! Really worth checking out that one.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@Thirteen13551355 Interesting! I think next time I play this, if I do sometime way down the line, I'll be looking into rom hacks. thank you for this!

[@hungrygoriya]

@@osurpless I'll add this one to the ever-growing list here! Thank you!

[@wyldelf2685]

@@hungrygoriya I finally purchased my first SNES in 1994 ,a used one in the box from blockbuster video ,,I always prefer arcade-adventure games , Turtles in time come to mind ,, LightGun games ,Leather Enforcers and Terminator 2 ,,love fighting games Mortal Kombat-2 ,, StreetFighterAlpha-2 ,,even enjoy great puzzle game romps such as Arkanoid , Tengen-Tetris , Kirby's-Avalanche ,,great memories ,,, now could never develop an interest for RPGs ,, sprites are way too tiny and low detail or downright "deformed" looking ,, Wich would be great graphics on a BnW GameBoy ,,but unacceptable on the power house SNES ,,well one RPG has better sized and more detailed sprites and doesn't waste the power of the SNES ,can you guess ? Of course I am talking about SuperMario RPG ,, I give it props for amazing graphics and screen orientation ,,, but still not attracted to it ,,,but in your video I find I dislike the same games that you dislike ,and I agree those games are over hyped ,,,have to say though ,the crying baby Mario TOTALLY annoyed me , felt like some kind of torment ,, I was pissed that I bought that cartridge and gave it to a friend of mine , I even told him "I hope we're still friends after you play this crap", a few days later he says ,"Now I know what you meant when you gave me the game ", ,I enjoy and like your video ,,tell me do you have robot dictation for the vocal parts of your video ??? Anyhoo 😎😋👍

[@overkill1340]

I was able to play Secret of Mana with two of my friends when it first released. That has always been a formative experience for me with the SNES and the game itself. Playing it later with my wife, I saw many of the issues with the gameplay and story, but just being able to MP an action RPG like this still makes it a favorite. FF3 and Breath of Fire were always just beautiful stories for me. The character bluring of the gameplay never had a significant deterring effect on my enjoyment. This might be the first time I've ever heard that take on these two games and I find it very interesting to think about.

[@hungrygoriya]

I think multiplayer Secret of Mana must be the way to go because I haven't heard from a single person here who didn't enjoy that experience. I'm glad you have such good memories with this one! I've really learned a bit about what I enjoy in an RPG: strong characters that are useful, a good story, good writing, and strategic combat. The rest is all just icing on the cake. I think when characters feel so homogenized, it takes away from them on many levels I mentioned here. Have you played Suikoden? Having that many people to choose from and concentrate on was not an experience I particularly enjoyed outside of recruiting them.

[@overkill1340]

@@hungrygoriya Yeah, same/split screen MP was just innovative at the time. Rushed story and iffy boss melee combat be damned I guess. I've finished SoM multiple times, but I can never bring myself to play past the Mushroom Kingdom/seasons forest when I play alone. I haven't played Suikoden, the nearest comparison for me is Chrono Cross. I didn't enjoy it's combat system, and I'm able to separate my comparisons to Trigger, but I really didn't like the massive cast of characters with minimal character stories. I don't think all the characters playing the same really hurts my enjoyment, as long as they each have a backstory or a specific part in the narrative. What, I think, get's me is the grind, even in games with stories I love. I loved FF3 as a kid, but I tried again recently and got bored of the grinding/leveling shortly after starting the World of Ruin. I used to play FFT with a roster of one male and one female in every class and level them right up but, last I tried I got bored of the grind leveling that many characters. I've replayed Chrono Trigger as an adult and finished it, even the extra endings. While it has a smaller roster, I think it comes down to the fact that you don't need to grind that much to get your techs and beat the bosses to move the story forward.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@overkill1340 I hear ya on the grinding. I think a big part of what makes long grinds tolerable for me is the fact that I stream a lot of these games. I often have plenty of company while crushing my enemies. I found RPGs to be a very lonely genre prior to streaming.

[@overkill1340]

@@hungrygoriya That's an interesting take. I tend to enjoy being alone so, I don't think I ever got that impression when I played RPGs. I think grind for me represents lost time and as an adult I don't have nearly as much time as I used to.

[@finnylettuce8566]

You summed up my feelings about yoshi's island completely without me even realizing thats why I never get very far in any play through

[@hungrygoriya]

I've been trying to articulate that feeling for a long time. I hear ya!

[@ArkThePieKing]

The stages are just so long in Yoshi's Island. By the time I'm done with one towards the middle of the game I don't want to play anymore at all.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@ArkThePieKing This is my sentiment exactly.

[@johnsimon8457]

I loved YI but I can see how the requirement to do precision egg throwing with that moving target can get super annoying. Nintendo never made a game quite like this again.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@johnsimon8457 I just find it stops the game dead, you know? All the momentum you have stops, and stops again. Throw an egg at a cloud. Throw an egg at a big enemy. Throw an egg through some breakable walls... I just want to go!

[@dusthastricks]

Love how you composed your thoughts on these beloved titles. I really enjoy how different your YT content is from your streams. Keep up the great work.

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks very much! I try to keep both platforms feeling a bit different so people aren't always getting the same thing all the time! Thank you for taking the time to check out the streams as well!

[@amaiorano]

So happy to see (and hear) that The 7th Saga is one of your off-the-beaten-path games. I really enjoyed it, but it felt like no one else knew about it. Great video!

[@hungrygoriya]

I thought it was a really great challenge with an even better soundtrack! I have a full review on it if you wanted to hear more thoughts on it from me.

[@CurlyFromTheSwirly]

I think a lot of people liked it but were afraid to tell friends about it for fear of it being so hard their friends might be mad at them.

[@alchemi8085]

I remember getting 7th saga back when I was in 8th grade. It was definitely hard...never did beat it. Perhaps I should go back :)

[@hungrygoriya]

@@alchemi8085 It's challenging but rewarding when you push through the rough spots. If you get back to it, enjoy!

[@CurlyFromTheSwirly]

@@alchemi8085, I agree with HG. It's a fun game, despite its flaws. I recommend you play as Kamil the knight and take Esuna the elf as a companion.

[@slashermaster28]

Biggest problem with Secret of Mana's story for me is how rushed most of it is. Until the final dungeon, every single cutscene is over with as quickly as it starts, so even the emotional moments don't hit as hard as they should. I heard this was because apparently, the people behind it were rushed to release it in time for the holidays, so they were forced to condense all dialog to only contain plot-relevant lines, so anything relating to characters' personalities was minimal at best. Probably the most egregious is the meeting with Krissy where she first accuses the group of being imperial spies, then Randi shouts 'HARDLY', and somehow this makes her instantly realize he's the Mana Knight. Seriously, that is some of the most awkward writing I have ever read in anything.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, it's not really well-paced, though I do find the rushing gets really bad towards the end especially. I'm curious about fan translations or even the official remakes, since I heard they fixed up a lot of these problems.

[@cardula7]

I also heard somewhere that development on SoM started for the ill-fated Nintendo PlayStation, so they had to retrofit the game from a large capacity CD down to a regular cartridge. Trials of Mana is just so much better in every way, and now we have access to both a remake and the original on modern platforms.

[@tychozzyx9439]

SimplySteve has it right. It was supposed to be a launch title for the CD add on with Sony. Basically something the size of FF VII got crushed down to cartridge size. I've heard Library of Alexandria style laments about what could have been if it didn't have to fit in a genie lamp worth of compression

[@hungrygoriya]

@@tychozzyx9439 Yeah, that's really a shame :(

[@doublemonkey4833]

@@hungrygoriya There is a silver lining though. As was mentioned, it was originally meant to be much bigger and be a CD title but got a lot of ideas and content removed when the CD add on was cancelled. One of those planned ideas was time travel, which they recycled into Chrono Trigger instead.

[@InfernoFox10]

3 of these 5 games are some of my favorites I’ve played, and you make excellent, salient points about them. Very well done and logically put!

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks very much! There's good in every game on this list, except maybe Breath of Fire... it's the one I can't stand!

[@PSPodcastTroy]

@@hungrygoriya The translation is so rough.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@PSPodcastTroy I snickered like a 12 year old every time I picked up a BStn. But yeah, the dialogue is pretty broken in places.

[@PSPodcastTroy]

@@hungrygoriya This review reminded me of the fact there's also not, like, any handholding in regard to where you need to go often in the game. Not that I support overly handholding during a game, but at least lift my pinky up with a hint every once in a while

[@hungrygoriya]

@@PSPodcastTroy For sure! There's a part near the end with a couple of things you have to do for a fetch quest, and I had absolutely no idea where to even begin. It was pretty frustrating.

[@keycadearcadecontrollers467]

It’s very interesting to hear opinions of someone who actually didn’t grow up with these games and not experiencing the nostalgia that many others have had. It strips the game down to it’s raw content, and makes me see them without the rose coloured glasses I’m used to seeing them in. Also, I love the way you commentate in the videos (even the live videos). It’s particularly articulate, very insightful and the tone of your voice is warm and soothing. Keep it up.

[@hungrygoriya]

Happy to oblige! I think I've got a fairly unique perspective coming to most of these games at this point in life though I've been gaming since I was a kid. And thanks so much about the delivery. My husband's done a great job helping with mic-ing and the tech side of things, and I'm very grateful for that. I appreciate the kind words!

[@raskolnikov6443]

It’s also a matter of taste. Many people who didn’t play some of these games when they came out still like them. Of course nostalgia is a factor as well for people who played them when they were children

[@colbyboucher6391]

For another perspective, maybe I'm just more forgiving but I love a lot of SNES stuff and I wasn't even born when the thing came out. Sure I could nitpick them but more often, I'm fascinated by the enthusiasm that oozes from these games. Like you can feel how excited the devs were to have very few limits on their storytelling.

[@malik87breaker]

@@raskolnikov6443 to me. It happen to me with Final Fantasy VI. And Earthbound. But grew up with Legend Of Zelda: A link to the past. And i don't want to play it again. Except perhaps listen to the OST.

[@sejannus877]

I think the voice is a VOIP.

[@bildo1977]

Secret Of Mana was originally being developed for the planned SNES CD add on. There was a lot more content planned and programmed. Then Square and Nasir got the news the plans for the SNES CD add on was scrapped, so a hatchet job was done to fit it into a cartridge. I don’t expect to change your mind with this revelation, but I thought you should know about it just in case you didn’t. 🙂

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks for the info! I didn't know this at the time I was playing the game and was really taken aback by how disjointed things felt, especially towards end-game now. It makes sense in hindsight, though it still doesn't make me like it any more :)

[@Atlessa]

I'd like to add: A LOT (if not all) of the cut content for secret of mana was then recycled into a completely separate game: Chrono Trigger. So in a way, we should be thankful for the SNES CD being scrapped, or CT may have never seen the light of day. In fact, you can even see traces of a cut time travel plot in Mana. As an example some of the later game takes place in what is obviously meant to be a train or subway station.

[@Galanthos]

@@Atlessa I have never heard this. I don't quite see the remnants myself, but I find cut and reused content like this fascinating. Do you have any resources, articles, interviews, etc where I can read more about this?

[@kenhammscousin4716]

I would always start SoM and quit pretty quickly. BUT I beat it a couple days ago! And yea I probably won’t play it again. Did a lot of spell grinding that ended up being pointless. Seiken densetsu 3 is much better.

[@migovas1483]

also the translation is very simplified... a lot of WTF moments..

[@ihaveallthecoins2785]

Great video. Love the bits with your collection. Yoshi's Island was always asking way more of me than I had to give.

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks so much! I enjoy showing bits and pieces of my collection in this format. And I totally agree on Yoshi's Island. I want to love that one so much, but I just don't.

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

Yoshi had tedious levels and the baby crying didnt help either. I wish they made Yoshi with a 4-hit death like SMB2.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@worsethanhitlerpt.2539 They were very longwinded, definitely. The completionist in me dies a little every time I get hit right at the finish line and lose some stars :(

[@enomisnekal4122]

Great video! I got nervous while watching the intro because I saw Chrono Trigger and Super Mario World because those I grew up with and loved. I am happy they weren't part of your list, and it was really interesting to hear your opinions on FF3/6.

[@hungrygoriya]

Sorry to have scared you! I did enjoy my time with Chrono Trigger and Super Mario World! And yeah, FF3/6 was great aside from the bits I mentioned here... I did it to myself, but it did detract from my experience with the game.

[@ArmadisRock]

Honestly, that is my big gripe with ff3/6 as well. If games give me an opportunity to be op I just cant help myself and it really hurt my run. That said, modding the game, in particular the vanish/death mechanic helped me enjoy it

[@iamthem.a.n.middleagednerd1053]

I just turned 40 and I 100% agree with you about Final Fantasy 3 (6). The game is really cool and challenging until you start getting espers and then you can buff all of your characters to have out of this world stats and spells. It really makes the fact that Shadow is an Assassin class, Cyan is a Samurai class, or that Celes is a Paladin of sorts a moot point. Plus the game gets WAY too easy in the World of Ruin because there are so many OP characters, weapons, relics, ect. Also, Gau is in theory a badass, but I've never had 300 hours to get all of his Rages so he stays on the Airship with Gogo when it's time for Kefka.

[@hungrygoriya]

Exactly! I know it's easy enough to avoid using the espers, but this was my first playthrough, so I did what the manual suggested and ended up homogenizing everyone. Gau lives in my airship as soon as I can dump him in there. I have endless patience for games and what they throw out there normally, but the way they want you to get his abilities is so horrible. Chance-based stuff like that is not my cup of tea. I'll put time into something if it's guaranteed, but not something like this.

[@iamthem.a.n.middleagednerd1053]

@@hungrygoriya Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment. It sounds like we are a like mind in repsect to this game. Another bitch I have about the game is that it's fairly short. First timers should be able to get through it under 40 hours and I've beaten it in under 30 hours. Once you get the airship in the W.O.R. it's just a matter of picking up your companions. The only one that really takes a decent amount of time and is kind of fun getting is Locke. Also, you should play Final Fantasy 2 (4) for SNES. Play on an emulator or updated version where they've fixed the bugs. The story is really cool and it's a much more challenging game than 3 IMO.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@iamthem.a.n.middleagednerd1053 I think we are definitely on the same page! I've played Final Fantasy IV in the past and really enjoyed it. I actually tried it out on the PS1 first on the Final Fantasy Chronicles disc where the translation was a little bit better and so was the challenge. I played the SNES version a few years ago and I was shocked at how bad the translation is!

[@iamthem.a.n.middleagednerd1053]

@@hungrygoriya I'm not sure how old you are but Nintendo back in the 80's and 90's had a habit of censoring and sanitizing their NES, Gameboy, and Super NES games from the Japanese market to the US market. I read an interview years ago with the then CEO of Nintendo and the prevailing opinion of the Japanese is that Americans were basically just a bunch of damn Quakers who would get offended and start protests and letter wriring campaigns if there was anything that could be perceived to be offensive in their games; a perfect example of this being no blood and PG-rated fatalities in the first Mortal Kombat released back in '93. So you can just imagine how salacious it was to me at 10 or 11 years old the first time I played Final Fantasy 2 and Cecil, the black knight, had GIRLFRIEND Rosa, the White Wizard. They even share an on screen kiss in the game. In 1993 I might as well have watchinf 2 girls, 1 cup. That was HARDCORE, lol. I also liked the metaphor of having the Black Knignt with a troubled soul having a girlfriend whose class is designed to heal. I'm a sucker for a good love story anyway. Also, in Final Fantasy 2 (4) you almost HAVE to get all the special weapons, armor, and Rydia's Summons because the end of the game KICKS your ass up into your throat.

[@FabianoCruzAnimations]

Excelent video, Hungry! It's nice to see your opinions on this, altough I had SNES during my childhood, I haven't played any of these games 😅 But I could relate to what you said for them specially Yoshi's Island, probably a game I wouldn't enjoy much to play as well..

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww thanks for stopping by! I really wanted to like these games more, but I just didn't. I'm glad nobody has come after me with their pitchforks yet!

[@Satiator123]

Yoshis Island just wasn't Mario enough to be a Mario game back then.

[@mark.matthews73]

Let me sum it up for you - Back in the day - you played the game you just paid a very high price for, you played it to death - flaws and all and you took a positive outlook simply because you may only get to play a small number of games per year due to the high pricing and no other way of playing the game (no emulation, no internet etc) - in other words you took the absolute best from it and it is that which original back in the day gamers remember - good games were very treasured

[@hungrygoriya]

I've had similar experiences as someone who also only got a few games per year growing up for NES or Sega Genesis. I hear ya! You made do with what you had at the time.

[@CurlyFromTheSwirly]

lol, I had friends with lots of money. They had lots of games. I had a select few. And while I am stubborn and want to push through, I can't tolerate certain games. (Not then or now.) As she said, games shouldn't be a job.

[@VanillaCuckoo]

What an excellent video! I really enjoyed it. At the end of the chapter on Yoshi's Island, I chortled audibly when the cursor selected 'no'. I love those little touches! Seeing a few views of the consoles, cartridges and the gaming area really added something, too.

[@hungrygoriya]

Haha I think I heard that chortle all the way from here! Thanks so much! I actually had to pop Yoshi's Island back into the old console to record a bit of gameplay, and that was how I ended my session. I think I lasted about 10 minutes of playing before I had to turn it off! And I'm glad the console and game photos/video was a good addition. That's partially why this video took so long to put together. I wanted it to be extra fun visually and I hope it paid off!

[@lordfinbar]

Always glad to see new Hungry Goriya videos!

[@brichan1851]

Okay. I just found you and am subscribing because I love your style. While I don’t agree with some of your choices in games to never play again, I can see some of your points. A good (no, GREAT) alternative to Secret of Mana might be Secret of Evermore. Secret of Evermore was built on the same engine as Secret of Mana, but was entirely unique in the plot and exclusivity to the west. I adore this game and feel it is a long lost gem in Squaresoft’s library of games. I’d love to hear your thoughts after a play through. 😊

[@hungrygoriya]

Hey thanks so much for the kind words! I appreciate you taking the time to explore the channel. You may be surprised to learn that Secret of Evermore was something I reviewed very recently, and unfortunately I didn't have the best time with it. I'll leave the review to speak for itself if you care to check it out, but it was not a good time for me :(

[@brichan1851]

@@hungrygoriya I checked it out right after I posted the above message. I responded. It was a true “LOL” moment for me. 😂

[@BloominOnion1]

I only played Yoshi's Island once. It was in the 90's, and I was at a friends house. I remember it being difficult. Just had a flashback to that day....

[@hungrygoriya]

A good flashback, I hope!

[@TheStudioManila]

I played Yoshis Island and got Everything Perfect on both versions : SNES & Famicom, no big deal when you enjoy the aesthetics, its not difficult at all for me its alright and may sometimes easy 😎🍹 I so enjoyed it to the maxx. Mario as a cry baby was hilarious 😂

[@Wolfburns]

Loved hearing a modern perspective on these games that isn't rose tinted in some way. I am a Breath of Fire series fan and have to say you nailed everything about it haha!

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks so much! I think I was reasonable with my feelings for these games... I'm certainly not out to make anyone feel bad for liking what they like, but I also don't have to like it as much as they do either. I'm looking forward to later games in the series... I've heard they're better!

[@Wolfburns]

@@hungrygoriya 2 is a little rough again, but I do think 3 is when the series starts to shine. Enjoy your time with the games you missed and I can't wait to hear about them!

[@TheCommentNinja81]

I am a BOF fan too ! In fact, the first Breath of Fire game was my entry into the RPG genre and the Second one is in my Top 20 RPG experience ever. I try to go back playing the first BOF and the walking speed was so aggravating to me 😱 that I stopped after an hour or two.

[@Zopharr]

Just wanted to say I've recently discovered your channel and have been binging your review videos all day. I love the way you present your experiences! You've made me want to revisit a BUNCH of games that I'd maybe misjudged, like Legacy of the Wizard and Shining in the Darkness. Keep up the awesome work! 😁

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww thanks so much! I'm glad you're feeling inspired to give some games another chance. All the best on your gaming adventures, and looking forward to hearing from you around these parts :)

[@shindoko]

The shining force games are wonderful all 3 of them Also if your a new gen player you can get all of the shining force games on the ps3/4 saga Genesis classic collection It also has several other high end games like in the ps3 it has all 4 phantasy star games along with some other gems Like beyond ouasis All 4 of the original sonic games and a few extra as well and several others around 45 to 50 in total

[@zeusapollo6504]

@@shindoko Shining Force 1 was so good, story wise it had great quality, Shining Force II was good, too and much bigger, but a bit convoluted with its many tactical battles, but i think it aged well. Don't understand why they made Shining Wisdom, tho.

[@shindoko]

@@zeusapollo6504 shining wisdom? What is that I've never heard of it

[@TopSpot123]

You nailed my feelings about Yoshi's Island. It's a great game, well worth completing...once. The stage intricacies really does end up making it feel like work and the game design is the antithesis of something like a Genesis Sonic game, which I could still play at any time.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yoshi's Island is one of the ones on this list that makes me the saddest. I wanted to like it so much but just couldn't get around how frustrating I felt the pacing was. I don't need speed, but I certainly don't like barriers and blockades as often as this game makes me stop and destroy them!

[@AwakenedPhoenix309]

@@hungrygoriya For me, I'm a completionist in the games I replay. I've beaten Yoshi's Island once - and I had to commit to it because I always lost interest around the later levels when I was young - and going back to it now... I enjoy the first world and that's about it. Playing it for 100% is tedious and boring. The charm of the sound and graphics doesn't make up for dull gameplay. DKC2 is a blast to replay because it has a kinetic flow to it even when you're going for all the bonus rooms and DK coins. When you get really familiar with it, it feels as fast as a Sonic game at points. Lots of other games are like this - it's easy to get into a flow state with Mario World, Mega Man, etc. Yoshi's Island keeps me in my head. I'm always looking for red coins and flowers - it's hard to just enjoy the game. When I try, it's too easy. It's boredom vs. tedium with no in-between. Hat's off to the people who love it - I'm glad they do. It's just not a game I want to go back to for more than 10 minutes at a time.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@AwakenedPhoenix309 Well said! And about DKC2: it crushed my gentle soul with its difficulty, but I'm proud to say I managed to finish it!

[@AwakenedPhoenix309]

@@hungrygoriya XD Yeah, it was rough the first time I played it, and it was hard enough I didn't go back to it for a long time. As a kid I honestly wondered what the hype was about. Once I hit my teen years I gave it another go and that's when I fell in love with it. It's a lot like the classic Mega Man series for me - it's a game I've mastered to a large extent so it's great for when I just want to chill and blow through something while listening to a podcast or audiobook.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@AwakenedPhoenix309 Maybe I'll get there too someday. I hope so! I still have DKC3 to try.

[@HaLP-halp]

Always a pleasure. Looking forward to the next video!

[@AmyraCarter]

10:28 Final Fantasy VI: *_Brave New World_* (a ROM hack) may be the risk and challenge you seek, then. ... I won't lie; there are some really difficult parts of Yoshi's Island that I dread playing through, but for the most part, in my experience it's very enjoyable. Then again, I don't try to rush through games like that, not even in Sonic games. As for Final Fantasy VI, yeah; I completely understand your viewpoint, and you're not alone, not even a minority, as the fanbase is about fifty-fifty on the game in general. That thing you noted about the Espers, is definitely addressed in Brave New World.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm curious about the ROM hacks out there for this one, especially those that temper the frustrations I mentioned. I wish I could enjoy Yoshi's Island more. I find it too tedious for my tastes, but I can appreciate people that love the exploration style it brings. It's a very interesting game but not for me!

[@aceasunder]

Awesome video! I grew up on Yoshi's Island and freaking loved it. I replayed it again very recently for the first time in about 20 years. I found it fun but a bit tedious and that bothered me, haha. I guess the first games we play in childhood introduce us to the magic of video games, and it's next to impossible to recapture that sense of wonder. Nostalgia is indeed a powerful thing. Keep up the awesome content! 😎

[@hungrygoriya]

Nostalgia is indeed powerful! I've had a few experiences like that as well coming back to beloved games from childhood, but interestingly a lot of my frustration came from trying to play old systems on modern screens. I was dealing with some input lag and it frustrated me. Playing stuff like Mario 2 and not even being able to make jumps because of the delay was baffling and I couldn't understand why I suddenly sucked so badly!

[@FFSixtyFour]

FF6 is one of my very favorites and I still teach everyone ultima on most playthroughs. I love everything about it, and if I ever want to challenge myself I can change up the espers and just not level as much. To me it's a very versatile game and is somehow even greater than the sum of it's parts. I'm sad to see you didn't like this or Yoshi's Island.

[@hungrygoriya]

I still liked the games overall, but I just wanted a bit more challenge in Final Fantasy 6. The end game was too easy. Yoshi's Island's also fine in small bursts but I have no desire to sit down and beat more than a level at a time.

[@Njuregen]

I found FF6 the game that triggered my hoarding and perfection, had a guide and felt missing 1 item I'd start again. I like Secret of Mana! I still own it!

[@FFSixtyFour]

@@Njuregen I know what you mean. I once missed the first genji glove and I did a second playthrough immediately after beating the game to get it.

[@kekeke8988]

@@hungrygoriya So play romhacks on a flash cart.

[@xenotypos]

That being said, even if I love FF6 and FF7 I always felt the endgame was far too easy, it's a shame because most people (and myself) just destroy most of the last bosses of those two games. It kind of kills the hype.

[@Blazbaros]

I love Actraiser in concept, its a very fun blend of two genres that you wouldn't expect to go together, but you're absolutely right that the platforming sections are frustrating to deal with. If you enjoy the music, I highly recommend looking up the orchestrated OST, its masterfully put together.

[@hungrygoriya]

I think it's a really neat game but just wish the platforming was a little tighter. I love the concept but I hate jumping into stuff above me that I can't see. I'll definitely check out that orchestrated OST... Actraiser's soundtrack is phenomenal!

[@smievil]

there's a pc remake of the game, i haven't really looked it up though

[@hungrygoriya]

@@smievil I think it came out on Switch as well. A lot of folks said they made everything a little deeper, especially the sim parts.

[@Matt-yp6ez]

I remember playing act raiser as a kid, I loved this game all the monsters were cool, the sequence where you fall from the sky into the levels. Building the towns I might have a nestaligic bias, but this would probably be my favorite SNES game next to a link to the past.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@Matt-yp6ez I liked the game a lot but I only wish the platforming was a bit more polished!

[@IndieGamerRetro]

Hello! Super late to the party here. I get what you're saying with all of these (well the one's I've played at least). When you have to make yourself 'like' a game, it makes you want to play it less. But the thing about Secret of Mana that you mentioned about it feeling 'not complete' is actually accurate. During the making of Secret of Mana, Nintendo had a contract with Sony to make something called the "Super Nintendo CD ROM". It was basically a CD player peripheral that was attached to the SNES where most of the game data was stored on the CD, but it still required a cartridge to 'load' the game (to stop burning/pirating CD's I think). But something happened and the contract ended up getting dissolved. So they had all this game data that they couldn't use because it couldn't fit on an SNES cartridge which was only a few megabytes, compared to the CD holding several hundred megabytes. They ended up removing between 40 - 60'ish % of the game, as well as some voice work and cinematics. So yes, it is basically an incomplete game, and they just cobbled together an ending. I still have a lot of fun playing it regardless.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, I think you're right about the expectations being set too high in some cases. These games were definitely highly praised before I played them. It's really too bad about what happened to Secret of Mana. It still doesn't really excuse the condition they released the game in (feeling incomplete/unbalanced at the end) but it's nice that there's a good reason for it. I enjoyed the game apart from the pacing getting all out of whack.

[@TVs_Brent]

I adore all of these games but i agree that you probably had to be there and at the right age. I can sit down and run any of these games now and love it, but thats carried very heavily by nostalgia and thinking that in these games basically anything was possible. If i had to approach them fresh as an adult, yeah i dont know what id get out of the experience.

[@hungrygoriya]

That's a good point. I've played lots of games for the first time as an adult and liked them just fine, but with the SNES, it seems like more misses than hits for me.

[@dimensiongamer534]

Everyone has there preferences :) Honestly surprised with your thoughts on Yoshi's Island & Final Fantasy 3 as I really adore both of those games. Interesting video.

[@hungrygoriya]

Totally! I really, really wanted to like Yoshi's Island especially... that's been in my collection forever and every once in a while I play a few levels and put it down again for a few years. I enjoy what I play but I eventually just need a break, you know? And I think I'll appreciate other Final Fantasy games a bit more. I did like FFVI's story/characters/setting etc. but the battle system was just not for me. I'm glad you're fond of both of these though. They definitely do shine in some ways as well and I can understand those sentiments.

[@malik87breaker]

@@hungrygoriya interesting. I was replaying ff iii after 15 years. I really loved it. And i was 23 hours into the game. Didn't realized i could use espers so the others could learn that. You should try that. lol

[@hungrygoriya]

@@malik87breaker If I ever replayed it, I wouldn't bother making everyone learn everything.

[@malik87breaker]

@@hungrygoriya do it because you enjoy it. Replaying games too many times. It removes the joy of playing it :)

[@rookwall8697]

If you only knew the nightmare backstory behind Secret of Mana's development. It explains so much

[@hungrygoriya]

A few people in the comments here have filled me in on some of it. It's too bad :(

[@Shirodragoon]

If you play the modern remakes it is explained much better. I lost all my ps4 saves so I gave up on trails of mana twards the end of the second playthrough so I don't know anyone but Hawkeye's ending. I bought the collection just to play the gameboy game so I might be too nostalgic.

[@MetalHeadbanger7]

What did happen exactly? I know they couldn't make it as good as they wanted it to be due to hardware limitations, but that's about it.

[@mangaboy989]

This is interesting because these are all very valid complaints. It's also interesting because as someone who was in the scene when these games came out and then was playing them through any means necessary back in the late nineties, breath of fire 1 and actraiser were often talked about as "good if you can deal with the parts that suck." And I think the ff6 opinion is more common than you might think. There have been mods made to change how levelling and espers work in ff6 for the exact reasons you mention.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's good to know that I'm not alone in feeling this way. I didn't think that my feelings about these games were too outlandish, but I know they're certainly not the norm either. Thanks for letting me know about those mods as well. I think someone mentioned one called Brave New World which apparently deals with some of those details around esper use.

[@Rhyusfox]

A few of these do sting a little to hear of in such a way, but I get where you are coming from. The fact that you calmly bring attention to and discuss your issues with even the games you dislike is something I consider quite respectable. That and I've watched a few of your reviews as it is. Good stuff overall.

[@hungrygoriya]

Well, if it's any consolation, I still do like all of these games to an extent with Breath of Fire maybe being the one I like the least of the bunch here. They just don't captivate me the way they do others. Thanks for checking out some of my other videos as well. I'm definitely enjoying playing some new-to-me games and talking about my impressions of them or diving into some of the details with folks here. Having some discussions in the comments is one of my favourite parts of this video-making hobby.

[@vain_x]

My favorite Final Fantasy of all time has always been 4, and one of the main examples I've always used is the one you pointed out how 6's characters abilities matter very little in end game, Edgar and Locke are super shocked that Terra can cast magic, but by the end everyone can, so she loses out in that uniqueness.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, it's like there's a homogenization of every single character if you play it that way, and I didn't really enjoy that personally. If I ever did change my mind and chose to replay this down the line, I'd probably play some kind of hack that makes it so that certain magic's restricted to certain people or not use the espers much at all and just concentrate on the original classes. The classes that are based on luck or chance or needing to grind and find new moves aren't really interesting to me though.

[@chrislaustin]

Every mention for Yoshi's Island is very true, and why it is one of my favorite Nintendo games of all time, as the slower pace is by design, and the complete opposite of standard 2D Mario games. Yi was something really new for the company, as it included tried and true platforming, with shooting mechanics, and a focus on exploration. All 2D Mario games have timers, so under even the best of situations, the game forces you to move quickly(So secrets to find, but an urgency in the process). Yi has an urgency, but only when you lose Mario, and so long as you get him back, the emergency is over. And to get 100% in each level, with Baby Mario, is the good and bad of it I suppose, and the slow exploration is why I like it over standard 2D Mario games. As it isn't meant to be played like any other Mario game, because it isn't, Mario isn't the hero, Yoshi is(different feel, mechanics, and gameplay). I can no longer play "NEW" 2D Mario games, as the DS game, is pretty much the same as the one from the Wii U, Switch, etc. So while I personally don't play Yi much anymore, that's only because I got 100%, and once I do that, I've seen all the game has to offer, so I move on. I rarely if ever 100% games, and when I do, it means the game made me want to meet the challenge and over come it(without pulling my hair out), and this game most certainly did. This game was a 10 for me at the time, and one of Nintendo's finest efforts that was new, unique, and well made. Something I haven't been able to say about this company for probably 20+ years, but that's a story for another day. LOL

[@hungrygoriya]

If you're into this kind of gameplay, then you've found the game of a lifetime! Absolutely! I can see the appeal for it. I think it took me by surprise since I was expecting something different when I bought it, and it didn't meet my expectations in that regard. I think it's still a great game that I can play in very small bursts, but I find it a bit tedious and I need to put it away for a bit before I play some more. When I first attempted it, I was going for 100% and it crushed my spirit... trying to get through without getting hit was the hard part. I could find all the secrets, but getting touched by the last enemy before the ring happened a few too many times and it stopped feeling fun. I eventually did play it through from start to finish casually and enjoyed it for the most part, but it took me a while to do it. I'm glad you love this game. It deserves to be appreciated!

[@wertigon]

@@hungrygoriya I remember being a frustrated 14-year old trying to 100% World Extra-3 (Monkey Madness) and Extra-5 (Skiing with Kamek). Holy smokes those two require perfection! I think it took atleast 200 attempts or so before I finally and proudly could see those six stars. :) Still loved the game thou, graphics, comedy and sound design was absolutely phenomenal! Even the screaming baby sounds.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@wertigon You're jogging my memory about one level in World 1 or 2 I think? It's an autoscroller with a bunch of floating shy guys that hold red coins and that's where my 100% efforts came grinding to a halt. It was so much work! I'm so glad you enjoy that kind of challenge though... I'm convinced it's just not for me!

[@wertigon]

@@hungrygoriya Part of it was needing to save for months buying a single game (I got like $10 a month and games cost easily $70- $80 where I lived), thus you really had to enjoy these SNES challenges to death. Part of it was simply me being a bored kid with nothing better to do - and when Yoshis Island came out it was like the pinnacle of 2D graphics. Everything that came after the SNES era, well, just lacked the polish in 2D games. Atleast until the Indie revolution in the mid noughties..

[@funnycatvideos5490]

Yes by far the best Nintendo game ever close runner-up is Mario 64 and of course Mario kart 64

[@post-apocalypticcomingsoon1625]

Great video. Final Fantasy 3 is my second all time favorite FF game after FFIV, but i agree with your criticism about all characters kind of being the same in the end. It wasn't so much about their individual skills anymore when all of them could just cast ultima and win the game. Don't get me wrong, that's very fun to do but you know.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, it's okay to be able to bulldoze your way through a game, but I guess I just enjoy the nail-biter fights with final bosses versus them going down the first try. If I ever played it again, I'd try to ignore Ultima, if I could manage to. Now that I know what to expect, it might be easier.

[@jasonbell791]

@@hungrygoriya I've heard game designers talk about how sometimes there's a way to optimize the fun out of a game. I remember how effective ultima was, but one of my last teams was Gau, Mog, Umaro, and Cyan because I loved using his skills even if my main mage could ultima, quick, ultima, ultima, ultima, ultima for like 6 mana with an economiser and gem box.

[@simplus1980]

That said, people talk a whole lot about how you what abusive builds you can make by the end of the game, don`t we forget the time it takes to get there? I see that a lot in guides that are all focused on building the most powerful party for the last 2 hours, with little consideration for the tens of hours you play to get there. Before you have a full party casting ultima, you'll be using their own individual abilities a lot. Agreed, that when you get closer to the end, the characters, of whom there are a few too many, lose their uniqueness quite a bit. It's definitely not a game I would replay for its gameplay, give me FFV any time.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@simplus1980 Yeah, that's why I said that I loved a lot about the rest of the game, but hated how the ending felt really flat compared to the rest. I left a lot of people in my airship for a lot of the game, and only brought them out when I had to. I'd say about 60% of my party never saw the light of day until I was forced to use them. I didn't like a lot of the abilities that took a lot of work or were chance-based. I still need to play FFV, but I'm really looking forward to that one!

[@LikeButton7]

Chrono trigger is my favorite game ever

[@jackrussell3084]

I have to commend you on your courage to give some hot takes on beloved Snes titles. I actually agree with you. Yoshi's island looks great today on an old CRT and I feel a lot of CRT enthusiasts prop it up, but I always found the gameplay just not fun at all. About the other RPGs, I think its one of those genres where an RPG either grabs you or it doesn't. However I do think some titles are so talked up, everyone feels like they have to like those games or be labeled a philistine.

[@hungrygoriya]

All I can be is honest! Thanks for the support!

[@puekawNEpuyrruh]

FF 3 is one of my Favorite games on any System. This would definitely be a desert island game for me....

[@hungrygoriya]

There's a ton to do in that game. It'd be perfect for a long stay somewhere!

[@Larry]

Wasn't Secret of Mana originally meant to be released for the SNES CD add-on, but when it was cancelled was chopped up and rushed to fit on a cartridge?

[@hungrygoriya]

I believe so, yes! I didn't realize that coming into the game and was very confused by the end, but now that I know that, it does make a lot more sense. It's still a shame though... I'd love to know what the real SoM story was because what was here was very good. Just very disconnected...

[@Larry]

@@hungrygoriya I think the game being the second part of a trilogy no one in the West knew existed didn't exactly help the plot situation. But Square retranslated all three games for the Nintendo Switch port last year if you're ever interested?

[@hungrygoriya]

@@Larry I did pick up the package for the third game, especially! I have Final Fantasy Adventure hanging around here already! Seiken Densetsu 3 is another game people keep telling me I'll love. I hope I do or else I might have to start another list for another video just like this...

[@Larry]

@@hungrygoriya I hope so, three decade old rose tinted glasses can be blinding!!! :D

[@L2Nuku]

Hi Hun, nice video, i think you made some valid and fair points in general, a lot of things get overlooked because of nostalgia. Personally i agree about your points with SMW2, it seemed too tedious of a game to get through, where the older games i had no problem replaying them. As for FF, it always was very hard for me to get into any of them, the battle system and stories never clicked for me (unlike say Phantasy Star's battle system), also i prefer synth music over the (usually too compressed) sample based music.

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks very much! I'm glad we're on the same page with a few things here. It's been refreshing speaking with people here in the comments that can relate in some way to my feelings because I've felt crazy for many years since I first played some of these games and just didn't get the hype. Phantasy Star had a really good battle system setup. I really appreciated how smoothly battles felt in PSIV!

[@RedAuxPDX]

“Sees final fantasy III on the list” so this is going to be my favorite video ever. In all seriousness, you make some excellent points, and I find myself agreeing with you on nearly all of them! I love all the cool shots of your setup and hardware too. Thank you for sharing.

[@hungrygoriya]

Haha awww, thank you! We did a lot of little extras for this one, so I'm glad you enjoyed some of that stuff along with the meat of the video. Thanks so much for watching, and for not getting your tomatoes out for me!

[@aaronlyttle775]

I have a feeling Link to the Past is going to be on here though! Edit: oh, maybe not 😀

[@hungrygoriya]

@@aaronlyttle775 I couldn't bring myself to play it again for the footage. Maybe for a part 2 down the line...

[@Walczyk]

wow your ff6 review is wild, the reworking of the esper system in the brave new world hack is amazing

[@hungrygoriya]

I think if I ever do replay FF6, I'll have to play a rom hack instead.

[@Walczyk]

@@hungrygoriya I agree with you about how unbalanced it all is, you would really enjoy Brave New World 2.0 I think

[@erikgranaas3540]

Always looking out for your next post. Your channel is great

[@hungrygoriya]

That's very kind! I'm a little slow on production here but hopefully the wait is worth it!

[@migueldias8546]

12:29 My biggest problem with Secret of Mana (and I agree with your comments too) is the grinding. It's really required and really boring... I am glad I played and finished the game but this is a game I never wanted to play again and I will never play again. Even if I am happy I played it. I have no regrets. But...

[@hungrygoriya]

The grinding is really, really lengthy, especially in a first playthrough when you don't know what you'll need in terms of magic or even weapons. I played it save and levelled up everything for each character, but I also had the benefit of livestreaming the game with people to talk to while I mashed my buttons. I hear ya though. No regrets!

[@lostfan5054]

Secret of Mana is so much fun, and I can play it over and over.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad it's a game you enjoy as much as you do! The music and visual presentation are both worth experiencing again.

[@markellzey1531]

I'm one of those that does not understand the love for Secret of Mana. It's the most clunky games I've played as combat is incredibly tedious to navigate with how you have to literally pause the game and pick your magic spells in combat. It's annoying and it broke it for me. I got about halfway and just couldn't deal with it anymore.

[@ZeroKitsune]

@@markellzey1531 If you think that's clunky, you haven't played video games before. Seriously. Also that's such a minor nitpick to get so hung up on.

[@cvrator]

@@ZeroKitsune Secret Of Mana is one of my favorite games of all time, but calling the combat clunky or tedious is an extremely valid criticism.

[@hungrygoriya]

@Gambit Odsey Oh neat! I have a translated cartridge hanging around here somewhere or I could always pop in the Switch release. What an interesting mechanic!

[@seranonable]

My issue with Secret of Mana is how you spend 50% of every boss battle in the spell menu and the other 50% waiting for spells to finish casting so you can go back to into the spell menu. Even with that said, still one of my all time favorites.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, after you learn some good spells, that's pretty much the entire game. It's great apart from the story unravelling at the end. I enjoyed it overall.

[@xenotypos]

I was expecting her to criticize that too, it's the main weakness of the game for me (even if the story is very simple tbh so I wasn't crazy about it either). The battles feel very monotonous after your learn magic.

[@ChibiFighter]

As a die-hard Super Nintendo fan I actually really loved this video, I really love and appreciate how you critique things and your videos also dragon view is such an awesome game

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad to hear this! You can still like something without liking the entire thing from start to finish, you know? And my personal preferences around games made these hiccups a big problem in enjoying these as much as I could've. Dragon View was really great, I agree! I just finished Drakkhen recently and that game kept me laughing from start to finish. It's so mean!

[@ChibiFighter]

@@hungrygoriya the game play difference between the fight sequences and the exploration in Dragon view felt so in contrast with each other and I really loved the difference it kept me interested in the game the whole way through

[@knuthansen8524]

But Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy on taht list? Doimg me an amgory? Taht is not fair indeed! Tehy are like blockbuster classics, n1 sounds, graphik, story, music. U doimg taht games a wrong and taht is like chef Ramsey spitting into my instant ramen! Amgory!

[@scottythegreat1]

The issue with Secret of Mana was the fact that it was originally supposed to be part of a SNES CD add on. CDs have larger data space, and when Hiroshi Yamauchi tore up the contract, that was the end of it. In the end, Secret of Mana was still a large game for 1993, and yes, they had to remove several story line elements in order to fit the cartridge space. Ive often suspected there was to be a lot more at the Moon Palace as there was no boss there (we will never know). Many of these story elements were put into Trials of Mana/Seiken Densetsu 3 (or so Ive heard). I still love both SNES mana games, but if Secret of Mana seemed rushed, play a translated version (or the remake) of Trials of Mana.

[@hungrygoriya]

If I ever come back to Secret of Mana again, it'll have to be a) multiplayer and b) a retranslation or the Trials version. I'm sure there's a great story in there... I just don't know what it's supposed to be towards the end of the game!

[@samp1862]

Consider giving Ultima: Runes of Virtue 2 for SNES (it's also on Game Boy) a try. I consider it the most hidden of hidden gems and I now impart this mystic knowledge to you.

[@hungrygoriya]

I've had that one kicking around for a while but haven't played it yet. I'd love to!

[@Spark010]

Totally agree with your rationale and you're not missing something. There's a lot of rose tinted glasses / miss conceptions about what was popular back then. I both played and sold (retail shop) SNES games back in the 90's and sales vs hype didn't line up.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad to know it's not just me!

[@joshthefunkdoc]

Very good comment - i think a lot of people aren't aware of just how unpopular JRPGs were in the US at the time. Nintendo Power would give massive features to games like Dragon Warrior and Secret of Mana, but relatively few people went for them. It took FF7 to really bust that dam open!

[@DiamondLongplays]

Thee good news is, the snes library is so vast that this is just the top of the pile as you mentioned, and even still I also wouldn't put any of these as my top replayers. Plenty of good stuff from super famicom as well such as magical pop'n also round out an interesting library. And then the true glory will be when you finally get a chance to play equinox :D. I'd say secret of mana was the most disappointed I was with any game on the snes, I got to the tiger and was getting smashed everytime since a lot of his things are undodgeable. Learning that you HAVE to grind to beat him made me not even bother continuing with it. The sequel seiken densetsu 3 (trials of mana in english) I did finish though and found it to be a blast.

[@AB-jt6ic]

Just found the channel - I love it. This is a great concept for a video. Thanks!

[@hungrygoriya]

Hey thanks so much! I appreciate you taking a chance on my little corner of the internet.

[@luminayre6227]

I can definitely see the many good points you make. I'd have to say that maybe you just missed the nostalgia factor that was had when the SNES first came out. It's not always easy to engulf what was amazing and groundbreaking back then and make it feel just as amazing now, after many decades. Most of what we experience as children or young teens are pure nostalgia growing up. I loved so many games on the SNES but I can't imagine myself going back now and replaying a lot of them with the same feeling I had the first time through. Other than that, I feel like you enjoyed the games as much as you possibly could in this era.

[@hungrygoriya]

I agree with you there... I'm definitely missing that nostalgia glow, but at the same time, some of these games have aspects to them that wouldn't cut it for most people at my current age, especially in the storytelling realm. I think as a kid, you'd miss a few story points here and there and not think twice about it, but as an adult I find it really takes away from the game even if everything else is good. When I can't make sense of what's going on, it's frustrating! Localizations were very hit and miss back then. I've played games with much worse translations, but they weren't trying to be "big story games" if you know what I mean. I can totally appreciate that playing these games when they came out and seeing the progress of a series you loved or a new game with a brand new graphical style blow you away having a long-lasting effect on you. I guess for me, I don't have that advantage and I think you nailed it: I enjoyed them the best I could in this era!

[@luminayre6227]

@@hungrygoriya I completely agree with you regarding the translations. When I first played these games when I was younger I didn't understand what a bad translation was, only that I had a general idea of the story. Ignorance was bliss lol.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@luminayre6227 If only I could go back to those days! I'd probably enjoy games a lot more!

[@khululyp]

"heard about games being praised to the moon and back but didn't quite live up to the expectation." Show Chrono Trigger... my heart breaks.

[@hungrygoriya]

Chrono Trigger is not included in this list, but I did mostly enjoy it. I'd like to replay it again sometime. It's been about a decade!

[@nmpltleopardi]

You were incredible fair with your criticisms even when it stung a little haha. I went from nodding in agreement (Actraiser) to having my eyeballs popping out in horror 10 seconds later (Yoshi's Island). But yeah I agree - I like that game mostly for the artstyle + music + 'childlike feel'. The SNES game I get into heated debates is Super Castlevania IV. Not a good classic vania imo. Please consider playing "Another World" AKA "Out of this World" and maybe even gracing us with one of your great reviews. I remembered it because of your use of the expression "front loaded". However the first two thirds of that title are great.

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww I'm sorry for the stinging! I knew I might step on a few people's toes but I certainly did my best to be honest. I can appreciate diverging opinions for sure. Yoshi's Island is a game I initially started playing to 100%, and that was like hell on earth. If you scroll back alllll the way to my very first videos on this channel, that's what I was uploading back then with no commentary! I eventually dropped that, played it for fun rather than for completion, but yeah... it lacks the excitement of other Mario games for me. A long while ago, someone mentioned sending me a copy of Another World for SNES, and I've been waiting for her to send it, which is part of the reason I haven't bought my own copy yet. I've seen a bit of the gameplay and it looks interesting. Is it the same game that's on the Sega CD? I think I have that version kicking around somewhere... it might be a while before a review might come to life, but I'll look into it!

[@alexh2790]

I get that people married to the nes formula have their issues with it, but I'll be damned if it isn't a more inspired game than the more traditional Dracula X on the snes. I can't say that any other game in the series captures the bizarre concept of "Conan out to kill Dracula" better either. Other than the whip almost totally diminishing the usefulness of the sub weapons (and that it should have been on a larger cart), it doesn't deviate from the series norm any more than the evolution from Nestroid to SM and that game gets nothing but praise for it. I will day that the Sharp version is nice but it's more of a straight remake than an evolution of the formula.

[@ZBR_ProXP]

@@hungrygoriya Out of this World for SNES suffers from some pretty bad control lag, but it’s the only version with the amazing cinematic soundtrack

[@hungrygoriya]

@@ZBR_ProXP Hmmmm... I'll have to think this over then!

[@hungrygoriya]

@@alexh2790 For what it's worth, I found Castlevania IV to be very fun. It's a bit weird sometimes and that level music with the jazz flute makes me smile from ear to ear, but I loved how it controlled. I had a really tough time with CV3 on NES because it's way too mean for my tastes, but CV4 was way more lighthearted and approachable. Not easy by a long stretch, but it didn't crush my spirit like CV3 did.

[@Pergasus]

As someone who loves Secret of Mana, you summed up how I feel about the latter half of Secret of Mana perfectly, Mrs. Goriya. The reason the first four Mana Seeds take a while to find, wile the last four don't is because originally, Secret of Mana was being developed for the Super Nintendo Play Station add-on, but since it never saw the light of day and Square still had to finish the game, they had to remove a lot of the game's content and storytelling, up to about 33-40% of it, to be specific. To this day, people still wonder about what that extra 33-40% of cut content would've been like, myself included. This was a great video! Keep up the good work!

[@hungrygoriya]

I really want to know what the actual story was supposed to be there. It just fizzles out after some point and everyone starts saying stuff that seems completely detached from the things that were happening earlier on. There are lots of big holes between plot points that I have no context for. And yeah, I realize the development issues but the story's still nonsense. I'm surprised they still released it in that form :( Thank you, by the way!

[@Pergasus]

@@hungrygoriya Yeah, a lot of the story had to be rewritten or removed entirely during the development of the game becuse of that whole SNES Play Station thing. The English version is even worse, because not only did Nintendo's censorship guidelines hurt the story of the game, but the font they used took up so much space on the cartridge that the text, according to Ted Woolsey, had to be trimmed down to the barebones basics. Even Ted Woolsey was unhappy with how the translation turned out. Unsurprising, considering he had to translate it in a month's time. By the way, I hope you won't mind me asking, but would you consider checking out Trials of Mana, at some point?

[@hungrygoriya]

@@Pergasus I definitely have plans to play SD3. I have a reproduction cartridge from many years ago that I'll probably play instead of the modern remake, so hopefully that'll be a good choice.

[@Pergasus]

@@hungrygoriya I personally feel that the official translation makes the story feel more fleshed out. The fan translation is good enough to get you through the game, though.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@Pergasus I'll think on this. I do have both! Thanks for the help and the info.

[@tardisrider25]

It's a great video. I have a lot of favorites from the snes and you have a couple of them on your list. I think the issue that adds to this is you don't get to experience how new and different some games on the snes felt back then. As gaming advances and, well, just gets better overall, it's hard to go back and see how some games might have felt before the standards were raised. Loved breath of fire and final fantasy back then while i ate up anything jrpg at the time. Going back they aren't the first go to things because games have gotten so much better since then. I expect more so for the reasons you describe you see the cracks in what was once a favorite.

[@hungrygoriya]

That could definitely be a part of it, for sure. I will say this: I don't really play anything modern, so all of my points of reference for how these games resonate with me are almost exclusively from that period in time. I missed the SNES entirely as a kid though, and just had my NES and Genesis back then, as well as a Game Boy until I got a PS2 as a teenager. I actually got my SNES after I got my PS2, haha

[@tardisrider25]

@@hungrygoriya That's funny. I sort of did the reverse. I had SNES but didn't actually have a Genesis until I ran into one at a thrift sale. I had the N64 and PlayStation already.

[@cyka_delik9537]

ActRaiser?! Really? Man I love that game. And I didn't grow up with it, either. The side scrolling levels were very Super Castlevania 4 esque. And the overworld part was great as well, obviously.

[@hungrygoriya]

I think I didn't like jumping into stuff above me. Your sprite is huge in that game! Also being committed to jumps also made precision platforming hard. That part with the little elevators with the spikes at the bottom was especially tricky for me. Either way, it's not horrible, but I've played platformers that feel a lot tighter.

[@pyr8878]

The key to the Snes era was being there when it was new. Coming from the previous tech iterations, it was soo much better in every category that it was almost unbelievable, comparatively speaking. Super Metroid was decent for the time/tech. Super Castlevania IV, and you covered FF3(FF6), and LOZ:L2P these were critical to the time/tech of the Snes! Honorable mention F-ZeroX. Those titles were really beautiful creations for the new eyes of the days gone by...dam Im old, and now Im sad on top of that..du_ub Time, you pitiless equal opportunity destroyer...(shaking fist in the sky) dò_ób

[@bullfrogjay4383]

I remember switching from NES to SNES and having my mind absolutely blown. Like you mentioned, the difference between the two was so drastically different in awesomeness. I will always love the NES due to that being my first gen gaming but the SNES era was so much better.

[@pyr8878]

@@bullfrogjay4383 It was Mode-7 madness mania!! (Rotating hall in Castlevania 4 for example, funny in retrospect) Glad someone remembered that nostalgic moment with me. Perhaps the market has become so saturated with games, maybe its my older eyes or jaded expectations, but games of these days just doesn't seem to invoke the same wonder and awe of those days. It happens occasionally though, don't judge me to harshly, but the rouge synergistic weapons of the Binding of Isaac makes me smile at times..thank you for the reply. Peace be ever still, friend! d>_0b

[@NYCJoeBlack]

Playing Contra III: The Alien Wars for the first time with my TV connected to my stereo was just awesome. Playing Mega Man X, Super Mario World, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy III, Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Earthworm Jim, Super Punchout!, Mega Man 7, Actraiser, Mario Kart, Disney’s Mickey Mouse and the Magical Quest, and many others provided me with great entertainment, experiences, and memories! The SNES was/is my all-time my favorite home console besides the GameCube Nintendo, XBOX 360, SONY PS3, and Nintendo Switch.

[@axelvoss9653]

In what world are Super Metroid and Link to the Past not still masterpieces?

[@pyr8878]

@@axelvoss9653 Ah, got a 'many worlds theory' question! How x'citin! The answer: The world before they were made! Yep, after they were made it was straight on to masterpiece central! d>_0b

[@echobase6372]

I think a big part is simply that games back then were vastly different than games are now. Same with movies, TV, and pretty much all other media. Games considered amazing and legendary for players at the time can seem archaic and awkward today. Maybe we just didn't know how much better things would be in 20 years lol.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah but the thing is, I don't play new games at all. I haven't played anything far outside of the 16-bit generation (save for a small handful of games when I was a teenager, and Skies of Arcadia recently), so when I'm feeling what I do about these older games, they're still all I've really experienced to date save for a handful of "newer" stuff. I have had a blast with lots of adventures from this generation and I think what I've pointed out here has to do with the games themselves rather than when they were released.

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

@@hungrygoriya True, but you're able to pick and choose from entire console libraries. Back in the day, even playing an RPG might be your only experience for months, or even years - or your entire lifetime, if it was your first. For example, Ultima Exodus on SNES was my first. And the entire vast world that seemed filled with mystery hypnotized me. I probably won't ever play it again, but I love it still. Meanwhile, Phantasy Star III is an empty wasteland of too much ambition and not enough cartridge space or development time, but I would spend as much time as possible playing the store demo, trying to get further and further before the system would reset. Just the opening song alone, made me look up at the stars, and wonder if anyone was out there, looking up at the same sky and imagining worlds beyond their own. I guess it's similar to your experience with Drakkhen? It was all exciting and new, and still seen as very niche' (especially before RPGs were known for their high production values), and often condemned....yet not even knowing the genre's tropes and limitations did wonders to improve the work of developers who were also struggling to codify them.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@juststatedtheobvious9633 Yeah, I had that experience with my NES games. I played Faxanadu and The Legend of Zelda well into my teen years after getting my NES when I was 4 or 5, so I know what you mean.

[@shindoko]

Also your forgetting something very important well some games haven't aged well there are other who to this day are the gold standard or created a feature that now days everyone takes for granted And I give you Chrono Trigger fist game to have more then one normal ending it has 3 and it also has 2 different game over ending and 9other hidden endings as well as the game that created new game plus as we know it today If that is not enough then look at it's other features on screen monster's duel tec and triple tec aka combination spells/skills from two or all 3 party members Side quests that actually move the main plot forward Each character has there own accents and unique duologue at each part of the story even party interaction is different depending on who is in your team You don't even need the main hero to beat the game And this is just one of the several true definitely masterpieces that exists today and RPG's of that golden wild west era of gaming has a large part to do with it

[@hungrygoriya]

@@shindoko I can definitely see where games revolutionized the genre and became something that stood the test of time, and were obviously exceptional in their day. Chrono Trigger is a great game that I need to replay again sooner than later. I still don't know that age is entirely the point that makes me dislike a game. Whether it's "antiquated" or not doesn't bother me. I don't mind endless grinding, I don't mind high encounter rates, I don't mind long and complex dungeons as long as the game has enough there to be fun. And if it's not fun, then I don't want to play it!

[@FateReaper5]

While I may not agree with most of your viewpoints, I loved the video and hearing your thoughts. Subbed! Great video.

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks very much for subscribing. I hope you enjoy the rest of the channel :)

[@JoLiKMC]

I forget if I said this in a different video or not, but the thing that killed _Secret of Mana_ was the split in Square's staff. They were trying to do another _Final Fantasy_ and _Chrono Trigger_ around the time _Secret of Mana_ was being developed, and once more staff was needed for those games, _Secref of Mana_ kind of got shafted. It's a real shame, too. It was supposed to be "bigger and grander" than _Final Fantasy Legend_ - its predecessor - but honestly? It's just an okay sequel with prettier graphics and more gameplay options. And yer, somehow, I wound up deeply bonding with the game and was incredibly sad it was over, by the end. I genuinely can't explain it. I even tear up whenever I heard "Angel's Fear", the opening theme. So confusing…

[@ItalNico]

I bought Actraiser when it was released and finished it that same weekend. I was less than impressed and I've replayed it a few times over the years and I still find it disappointing so you're not alone there. I know that some people really love it but I've always felt the game was put on a pedestal it doesn't deserve. I've never played Yoshi's Island but the other titles you mentioned I played briefly but never completed because I got bored. But I did play the hell out of 7th Saga despite its many flaws.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad we're on the same page here! On 7th Saga: it was exciting! Yeah it was hard and mean at times, but every time you set foot out of town on your next adventure, there was so much risk involved, and that made it fun for me. I don't mind games that take you by the hand once in a while, but I also like to feel on edge when I enter a cave or get my butt kicked at a boss and learn their patterns for the second time through. That's a quality I haven't really experienced in too many games yet. I want more like that in my life!

[@garygarside9782]

i made it a mission to finally beat that game, i finally did, and i thought the twist near the end was brutal, that game is cursed! lol

[@wesleyoldham4222]

Couple tips for Yoshi's Island: 7:15 That blue block to the left can be headbutted or shot with an egg to become a moving platform. It makes that jump a lot easier. 8:04 When Yoshi bounces off an enemy, he can flutter MUCH higher than if he does a regular jump. I don't really have any tips for getting around the slow, calculated way you have to get through the game though, since the bonus levels require finding all of the flowers and red coins. Magnifying Glasses are good for hidden clouds and red coins, but you'd have to spend time getting them in the minigames.

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm sure some folks here will find them useful!

[@bryancarter7649]

Really good takes, not everyone is going to experience all of the classics the same way- and definitely going back without the nostalgia effect forgiving some broken mechanics is a big difference.

[@hungrygoriya]

For sure! Thank you... I definitely appreciate a lot of games for what they are but I really can't imagine myself bothering to play these ones again. There's more out there to uncover!

[@critterwyatt]

Ff3/6 is gold. I mean, perfection was achieved. Yoshis story was also great. Playing a playformer again isn't something i normally do though, except for mega man games. Secret of mana, fully agree.

[@hungrygoriya]

I really liked FF3/6 except for the extra characters I didn't really care for and how easy the end game was. I like Yoshi's Island in extremely small doses, but I'd be happy to not play it again for a long, long time if ever. Not to completion anyway.

[@TheUncleshady]

Assuming that's your console setup at 1:07 OMG with the double arcade sticks. You must have 3 lifetimes worth of games to play lol. Fun video as always.

[@hungrygoriya]

Oh yes... that's the closet with a chunk of the collection. There's at least that much more throughout the rest of the room, but that's the arcade machine my husband built to hook the Neo Geo MVS up to. He designed the shelving in there to accommodate his little cabinet and he wired it all up himself.

[@interghost]

I'm a huge SNES fan boy and I was kind of shocked by a couple of those xhooces but I think your reasoning was fair. Its definitely nostalgia driven for sure. Coming from 8bit to 16bit most of these games were epic! I think playing now from a fresh perspective they do all have their flaws. But to us that played them for hours as kids they've burnt a hole in our minds!! 😆

[@hungrygoriya]

Haha well, thank you. And don't get me wrong. I don't hate any of these (except maybe Breath of Fire... I really struggled to finish that one) but there's enough other stuff out there that I'm just not willing to spend more time with these ones.

[@CurlyFromTheSwirly]

@@hungrygoriya, I wouldn't even hate BOF1. It's just not strong enough to develope that type of feelings for. I tend to forget about it... for a long time...then see it in my drawer, decide to maybe play it...but don't.

[@Logan-ee5rx]

When I go back and play the games of my childhood like Secret of Mana and FF6 they just aren’t the same. For their time they were great games but there’s no way you can experience them the same way it would have been in the 90s in this day and age. To understand what they were truly about, that time has passed.

[@hungrygoriya]

I don't think there's anything keeping someone like me, who doesn't play modern stuff and missed out on the SNES library completely as a kid, from coming back to these games and experiencing them now. The date on the calendar has nothing to do with enjoying a game.

[@mutoneon]

@@hungrygoriya You're deluding yourself if you think that time isn't a factor.

[@hungrygoriya]

I don't really believe this is true. I've enjoyed plenty of games from that time period without "needing to be there".

[@mascot1063]

You know, I was getting nervous about what you would say about FF3, but holy crap, you were spot on with the whole individuality of characters being tossed out when all you gotta do is just learn all the magic you could want. It made it too easy and erased your need for characters

[@hungrygoriya]

That's how I felt about it anyway... I really enjoy RPGs that have a bit more focus. Between the magic and the relics and all of the customization points, it was way too tedious for me and flattened the character variety. It's still a great game in terms of story and music though, but I wish the battle aspect was a little more balanced.

[@mascot1063]

@@hungrygoriya that is a huge issue I have with ff7. It leaves characters with almost no variety. Everyone can do the same thing aside from limit breaks

[@james-michaelrobson287]

Then there's me, who gets frustrated at 12 zodiac that take away the "everyone is on the same board but starts in different areas but can still get everything" and replaces it with "each character can be one of two things". Yes, they can all start to feel the same-ish, but part of the power fantasy is getting your whole squad to become uber gods. I would rather have the option and not use it if I wanted (don't equip the espers in a min-max fashion and also get ultima) than I would not have it and just have "lulu is a black mage, can only do black magic, which is a thing that no one else is able to do". One of those, you can play how you like, the other is forced lack of choice

[@badassoverlordzetta]

​@@hungrygoriya Your channel doesn't seem to touch the Playstation titles too much but it's probably worth playing FF9, it has the narrative excellence and world building that exceeds 6 and has a much more charming cast of characters. The game has a Steam port with an outstanding visual mod (Moguri) that uses an AI upscaling program to add a ton more visual clarity to the characters and enviornments way beyond what the PSX was capable of. On the Sega side would be interesting to see your take on RPGs Grandia and Lunar. These franchises got little brother syndrome due to being released too near to the dominant Final Fantasy 7 and 8 but are excellent in their own right. Little surprised your channel hasnt covered Super Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) but it's another absolute banger. Probably the best introductory JRPG of all time with the possible exception of Paper Mario (N64), thought that's unfair since Paper Mario is effectively the successor series to 7 stars.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@badassoverlordzetta It's funny because the only RPGs I owned for many years were the FInal Fantasy games on Playstation! I've played a lot of FFIX and it's one of my favourites of the series without question. And in terms of the Sega suggestions, you may just find my next review to be of interest then... :) Funny enough, I haven't finished SMRPG! I started it many years ago but on a friend's borrowed cartridge. I had to give it back. I'm long overdue to sit down with that one.

[@sonicmario64]

I'm actually pretty much the same way how you feel about these games you were able to cover in this video, since I'm not exactly a fan of most RPGs due to how long and difficult they always tend to be while also requiring a ton of grinding in order to become stronger, and one such game that I won't play again is "Super Mario RPG" for that same reason.

[@hungrygoriya]

I can definitely understand why RPGs would not be everyone's cup of tea. I love them, especially to stream since there's lots of downtime to talk to the people in chat, but they're all very much the same thing with a different coat of paint.

[@sonicmario64]

@@hungrygoriya Speaking of which, are you familiar with the Nintendo DS game "Solatorobo: Red The Hunter"? It is a JRPG that absolutely no one talks about that I'm able to enjoy myself, and what makes it so unique is the fact that the characters in that game happen to be anthropomorphic dogs and cats, which is definitely not common considering the fact that every other RPG has only humans as its cast, and I definitely recommend checking it out however you can. :)

[@hungrygoriya]

@@sonicmario64 I haven't heard of it at all actually! I'll have a look for it though. That does sound really unique and interesting!

[@jeffreyrodgers5394]

Late to the party but I loved this video. I know the thought in the back of my head is that presentation really carried these some of these games for their time, and I'm glad you were able to dive more into of the mechanical or story aspects of these games and their drawbacks.

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks very much! You raise a very good point. You never really know what you're getting into past the packaging until you're down in the weeds! As I'm playing more and more games, I'm really starting to learn what I'll tolerate in games and what really keeps me hooked, so I was happy to share some thoughts here.

[@Mr.Not.Perfect]

I've also played games I didn't appreciate as much as the general consensus would have led me to believe. Interestingly, this also works the other way around. I've really enjoyed some games which are generally perceived to have been a disappointment. Not having nostalgia or expectations around some games really influences your experience.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yes! Forming your own opinions about games is something I think people don't always take the time to do. I love a bunch of games people don't like very much as well.

[@adamantoutcast0]

I feel very much like an outcast in the following here, no pun intended on my name or anything. But I can't help but feel like it because of how much Yoshi's Island is still to this day one of my all time favorites to replay, one of the best platformers period. I respect others personal opinion of course, you like what you like you do you. Though it saddens me to see that others feel this way about it, not because it lessens my enjoyment of the title, but more so that they are unable to enjoy it the way I always have. Like you say in the video, really makes me feel like there is something you are not seeing or maybe missing the point of from it. My most likely guess would be personality differences, which of course is fine, just sad for anyone unable to enjoy most of these games mentioned on this list, especially Yoshi's Island. Anyway, I enjoy your videos, especially when they cover games I haven't played or heard of before. So, looking forward to whatever video game topic you decide to cover next!

[@hungrygoriya]

A lot of people have piled on Yoshi's Island, so I'm sorry if it made you feel like you're on the outside looking in. I think it comes down to preference honestly, and I guess I just like my platformers to be a little more fast-paced. Yoshi's Island's very much like a puzzle game built in with a platformer, which does have an appeal for sure. I've got another review bubbling away over here, so stay tuned! Thanks for checking out something a little different from me here.

[@adamantoutcast0]

@@hungrygoriya I think when it comes to Yoshi's Island, it really is more slow paced, more puzzle like, which is something I like about it because without a time limit it feels more like an exploration kinda game, I can relax and explore at my own pace when I wanna chill out. That is not to say that I don't like fast paced platformers as well. I love blazing thru Mario, Sonic, Megaman, Rayman, Donkey kong Country games for example. When it comes to platformers I like both styles, really it just depends on what kinda mood for what kind of platformer I am wanting to play. I think when I go into Yoshi's Island I go into it playing with a Metroidvania type of mindset, and I love those kinds of games as well! :D

[@hungrygoriya]

@@adamantoutcast0 This is a great point! I think that's maybe why a few levels is all I can deal with since there's just so much to do that one level feels like 5 in a normal game! I do see the value and appeal in Yoshi's Island but I just can't get excited about playing it, haha

[@Sakanakao]

Your Secret of Mana comments make me very interested to know what you'd think of Xenogears. By the way, the recent remake of Secret of Mana did more or less get to retranslate the game without any of the space/technical limitations that made it harder in the SNES original. One of the things I really liked in the remake was that they added extra conversations between the characters whenever you sleep at an in, before bedtime. It added a lot to their personalities, and helped keep the player informed about what was going on in the world, and what they needed to be doing. (A lot of people seemed to dislike the remake, but I thought it was well done.)

[@hungrygoriya]

If those extra conversations and tidbits made the story feel more cohesive or explained a few things, I'd be all for that. There's so much missing from the story flow here and it really hurts the game. Maybe I'll have to try the remake someday.

[@Ragesauce]

Secret of Mana was a game I just couldn't get into, no matter how hard I tried. It should be on my top 20 list because it seems like a great game, but there's just something about it I do not like.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's a little clunky. I like it overall, but there are way better experiences in my opinion.

[@TheMultiGunMan]

I had a Sega Genesis as a teenager. It was my first console. So, I don't have much nostalgic or sentimental attachment to the SNES. But, I can appreciate it.

[@hungrygoriya]

You're in the same boat as me then!

[@theycallmejojo6090]

Contra 3 will always fit in this category for me. It’s often hailed as the best in the series and while it is a solid game in it’s own right, I still think Contra: Hard Corps on the genesis is the far superior game.

[@hungrygoriya]

I've seen some gameplay from Contra 3 and played a bit of Contra Hard Corps, and I think I'd agree with you based on what I know at this point. I'd have to play both to know for sure, but Hard Corps is a great challenge. I can't get anywhere near the end of it though!

[@nmpltleopardi]

Same for me. Contra 3 is still pretty cool.

[@SaadAzim]

Same here. I feel like Hard Corps is a better game than Contra III. :)

[@jmarx3943]

I love both games, but I'm not a fan of the 2 overhead levels, so hard corps gets the nod from me.

[@krad2520]

Hard Corps is fantastic, but I think Contra III serves as a really good 'entry' point for people who might not be used to run 'n gun games. For a beginner, Hard Corps can be *daunting*, I feel like growing up from Contra III to Hard Corps is a pretty natural progression

[@jaredjones1846]

I replay ff6 and ff4 every couple years. Very fond memories of my snes days as a kid.

[@hungrygoriya]

They both have very good settings, stories and characters. I can see why you'd enjoy revisiting them so often!

[@armorvil]

@@hungrygoriya Honestly replaying FF6 by forcing you to allocate an esper to only one character (and banning the use of overpowered ones like Tritoch, Ragnarok, Raiden, Starlet and Phoenix) is when you really appreciate the game since it fixes all problems .

[@hungrygoriya]

@@armorvil I think if I ever did a second playthrough of this someday, I'd do just that.

[@shindoko]

Honestly I prefer the GBA versions of each of those games FF2/4 the GBA version fixed the waterd down difficulty of the SNES 2 and FF3/6 because of the new espers they added into the game that were always supposed to be there but didn't have room for and some of the duologue fixes I'm so glad they kept you spoony bard tho because that's so much better then the original line in my opinion

[@jaredjones1846]

@@shindoko yeah I just don't like the gba sound output. Plus the text is weird

[@Merknilash]

FF3 is one of my favorite RPGs of all time and was the first game that just blew my mind in 1994. Easily the best FF game of all time. It had such a huge impact that it's impossible to ever look at it as someone would who never played it when it was released - but I'm still confident it would be my favorite because the story was just so great, the characters were fantastic, and the music was a nonstop list of bangers - from all the character themes, to the overworld, to the phantom forest...just incredible. It was a golden age for Square and I remember wondering what amazing new games they would make in the future. HOWEVER I agree 100% on the characters losing their uniqueness once you started teaching everyone magic - FF7/8 went balls deep into this awful system too and I hated it. 9 brought that back, but they haven't really gone back to the style of 9 in 22 years Breath of Fire was a great rental but wasn't really that great of an RPG especially compared to square.

[@hungrygoriya]

I am a big fan of FFIX. I wish more of the games stuck to that kind of battle system and character individuality.

[@realperson69]

@@hungrygoriya There was some point in RPG history where having characters with unique, defined gameplay roles gave way to customization systems of ever-increasing complexity. I'm not sure what prompted this shift or what the landmark titles are in this process, but I'm pretty sure that it solidified in the 2000s with the rise of sandbox games and perhaps MMOs. Players seem to love to customize characters and approach gameplay however they choose, but part of what actually makes ensemble RPGs work as a genre is having to rely on particular cast members for particular gameplay purposes. Something something ludonarrative, something something emotional attachment to the characters.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@realperson69 I don't mind a little customization, but mostly, I enjoy when a game's designed for me to experience it a certain way. I'm probably in the minority on that, but I enjoy seeing the vision of the game versus it being something totally open-ended instead. Different strokes!

[@Sakanakao]

Woah, I never noticed that eclipsed moon in the Actraiser boss rush. That's neat.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, they make it extra spooky!

[@nunyanunya4147]

i think the reason i hate Actraiser now is... i played the second one and they took out the part from the first one I actually enjoyed.

[@hungrygoriya]

The sim stuff in Actraiser 1 was my favourite part too.

[@nunyanunya4147]

@@hungrygoriya i liked the little baby butt talking to me and seeing the world get better while I sent the winged child to deal with daemons. it was simple but so was the action stages. in the second one they should have made both aspects better instead ov giving the guy wings and glide dive...

[@joshmcgootermier2301]

Oh... You're one of those people who pronounces Mario that way. Great as always!

[@hungrygoriya]

It's the Canadian in me. And thank you!

[@willeysingleton3057]

The angry Hungorian nerd the agry rpg hating goria. The hungrygorian ..........

[@hungrygoriya]

Ha! I enjoy RPGs generally. These ones just had a bit of extra nonsense I didn't enjoy.

[@bryangarcia5599]

_She'd rather have a Chocobo_ _Steal her Carob Nuts and Curiel Greens_ _She'd rather eat a rotten Cactuar_ _And have a Tonberry knife her whole team...._

[@OldManDoom]

Dragon View is definitely a very underappreciated soundtrack, good musical choice

[@hungrygoriya]

I liked the game a lot, and the soundtrack even more.

[@BrunoSXS]

Very eloquently put at the very end, it is a feeling I have in regards to not only gaming: We may indeed have lost the time to be hooked on games. I myself consider my time playing games now as mostly an historical thing... to see how it was at the time or to the consoles i did not had as a child (I was a sega genesis kid) and it is getting harder and harder for me to feel invested in new games. Got hooked. Very well-written and elaborated.

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks very much! I'm rarely swept off my feet by new-to-me games, but when I find a really good one, it feels very special. It doesn't seem to ever happen on the SNES though.

[@mapcrow]

I was ready to be miffed at your comments for FF3, but these are all fair notes. Another wonderful video! Cheers!

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks very much! Glad you stuck it out!

[@sirrealkiller8357]

Nostalgia glasses definitely play a big part in games we loved as kids. I grew up with this list, but finding snes games I never played in my prime, are very difficult to get into. Likewise, I own three versions of FF3(6), and fully plan on spending money on the pixel remaster AND 2DHD Remake that comes next. Such a slave :(

[@hungrygoriya]

Old loves dies hard! I don't blame you though. There's a lot to love in FF3/6!

[@ZapatosVibes]

To be fair, her only criticism of it seems to be that it's too easy if you use espers. I'd say that's pretty good for what is definitely an entry thats at the top of the list for the franchise.

[@mumm-ratheeverliving3138]

Definitely agree with the points in this video, and I had some similar critique of FF3 back in the day. I was used to the locked character classes of FF2, so it was a bit strange to basically build the characters into anything, with little regard to their base stats. For me, that was more of a minor concern though. The story and the pacing really carry this one. You have to try defeating Kefka with all of your characters transformed into ‘imp’ status with the respective imp armor and imp halberds equipped. It’s a sight to behold. Regarding Secret of Mana, I still play through this one at least once every other year. For me, it’s all about the music and the general vibe - less about the story. Each area is so memorable. Finding those secret weapon orbs, leveling up the magic to Level 8 for the change in effect. The game truly comes alive on the 3 player mode. Give it a shot with a couple of friends. It won’t change the story, but it completely changes the dynamic. Makes it much more of a challenge and teamwork becomes crucial.

[@hungrygoriya]

I will have to give that Kefka battle a whirl sometime! And I agree about FF3's story... there's a lot of great narrative there. I just happen to like my great narrative with more challenging combat I suppose! There are apparently a lot of great ways to play the game without getting everyone so well-rounded. I'd love to try Secret of Mana in multiplayer mode some day. It sounds like it really elevates the experience.

[@dimelo8826]

I actually like Yoshis Island. The gameplay was intentionally tidious or “calculated” so the gameplay is fresh and interesting and not repetitive as previous Mario’s. Also because he’s caring a baby (Mario) so patience and strategy is needed to care for a baby. It makes the game more of a challenge. And was designed that way. Because if you rush through the game without obstacles and taking the time to analyze the situations to get to the end safely, then it’s just a typical running platformer and you arent appreciating the gameplay and situations let alone helping a baby to keep safe

[@hungrygoriya]

Interesting assessment! I hadn't thought of it that way, but I think that kind of game and whether or not you enjoy it comes down to preference. I find it too involved to play more than a couple of levels at a time.

[@felman87]

I saw FF6 and I went to "It's probably the Esper system" almost immediately. Yeah, when you get to the endgame there's little reason not to equip your main party with a gem box + equalizer to just double cast Ultima twice for 1mp a pop. Even if a monster is weak to an element, Ultima will do more damage. So you essentially have your main party all be ultima castors along with heal+revive when needed. With economizers, you'll never need to use another ether again because you have hundreds of spells to cast between trips to a save point to use a tent. Granted, it's still fun to play. FF4,5,6 really had some magic to them. I find myself loading up FF4 quite often because between the PSP port and the DS, there's plenty different between the two that it gives a very different experience when playing them. I recommend the PSP for first-timers since it's easier and the ability to customize your party at the endgame is fantastic. DS version definitely gives some gravitas to the story along with giving the gameplay a few tweaks to give veterans a challenge. Unfortunately, you're stuck with the original party compositions, since the cutscenes are written with the original story in mind.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, more how the espers just flattened any end-game difficulty or strategy was frustrating for me. I really enjoy trying to figure out tricks or techniques to beat bosses, and I finished the final fight on my first try without any need to think. I replayed FF4 recently and I enjoyed the combat in it a lot. The story was a lot more meh this time around though. I really remember it grabbing me the first time through, but I really do like the challenge. My first playthrough was the PS1 version, and the final fight was tough as nails. It took me at least 10 tries and a bit of luck to get through it. So much fun! That final boss music is worth dying over and over just to hear again!

[@galloe8933]

Everyone watching this video likely already knows, but on the off chance it went under your radar, as it did mine; a game called "G.O.D: Grow Or Devolve" was recently translated. I would not put this up on a comment section, but that game is an actual "Mother" or "Earthbound" clone for the SNES. I've never played one before, but this game itches all of my Mother scratches I had, and didn't know I had, so I'm sharing it here in case another Earthbound fan missed it coming out. Very fun game.

[@hungrygoriya]

I actually hadn't heard about the translation patch coming out! Thanks for letting us all know here!

[@NearLife4life]

Great video, just never understood why some call Mario "Mare-e-o"

[@hungrygoriya]

Many fellow Canadians say it that way. I can't help what I am!

[@thepolacek]

One game I fell in love with was Zelda ii. I never played it as a kid. All I heard was how bad the game sucks. Yes, it has a high difficulty curve, but once you figure it out, it’s great. If you have played a lot of nes games, the difficulty isn’t anything too crazy.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yes, Zelda II's a great game. I got it when I was a teenager and got stuck in death mountain, but I finally beat it two summers ago. Very tough, but there are few other games that have a combat feel that's super engaging. I love how smart the enemies are in it!

[@thepolacek]

@@hungrygoriya yes, I loved the combat, music, rpg level progression. Everything about the game was satisfying. After Death Valley, I didn’t really struggle until the final palace.

[@TeianDown]

A silver lining in the overpowered magic of FF6 is that it gives you freedom to choose party members whose narrative you're most invested in or who you think are most appropriate for that particular story beat without worrying about compromising your party's effectiveness. There's even additional dialog during some scenes depending on party composition. The best example of this is probably what happens if you bring both Sabin and Edgar to the opera. Sabin only then realizes that the special coin Celes used in her wager with Setzer was also used in another important event earlier in his life. That said, I heartily agree that the gameplay had its flaws. A few ROMhacks address your "characters don't play uniquely enough" criticism. I played one years ago called "Brave New World" which, among other balance changes, limited each character to just a couple of Espers, so you'd have some party members with no access to healing magic, some whose only offensive spells were fire-based, and so on. I feel like the devs went a bit overboard on cranking up the difficulty (especially since Mog's Charm doesn't turn off random encounters in this mod), but they may have toned it down a bit in more recent releases. If you could tolerate 7th Saga's challenge, you should have no problem with FF6:BNW's.

[@hungrygoriya]

I like your thinking on the openness giving people more choice and autonomy over their game. I suppose I might've enjoyed that idea even more if I'd liked more of the characters outside of the core few you meet at the beginning of the game. Brave New World sounds like a great approach for this game, even if it's difficult. I like a challenge in my gameplay and needing to use my head to get going on the plot. Maybe I'll give it a try that way down the line someday.

[@LuxisAlukard]

Have you tried mods/patches/roms for any of these games? I don't know if they would help (because I never tried any), but from I learned on SNESDrunk channel - maybe you could find something to make these games more enjoyable? I used to play SNES, but I missed a lot of classics, so I'm planning to give them a try in my middle 30s - and I'm curious how will I react to them... Will I share your opinion on FF6 and Yoshis island? Hope not, but that's a possibility :-) Cheers!

[@hungrygoriya]

I can't say that I've tried any patches for these. I've been trying to play through my game collection so I'm playing the original carts on hardware. If I ever did decide to replay some of these someday, I'd consider trying out a patch. I have lots of other stuff I'd like to play though, so I doubt I'll come back to them any time soon.

[@LuxisAlukard]

@hungrygoriya Thanks for taking your time to reply! Cheers!

[@three-quartersbadger2929]

Actraiser was one of the games that my aunt brought back from France and a personal favourite. However, your concerns are very valid. There is a remake for the Switch that I have not yet played.

[@hungrygoriya]

I wonder if the remake fixed some of the platforming issues. I'm really curious about it, and I heard that they added a lot to the sim sections as well.

[@three-quartersbadger2929]

@@hungrygoriya I am curious about it as well. I bought a copy on sale, but my backlog is currently somewhere between 'enormous' and 'frankly embarassing'