The Best (and Worst) SNES Games of 1996

SNES was still making great games in 1996. Here's a look at the games you were playing on Super Nintendo if you were playing them new in '96.
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Edited by: Robert Zortman robertzortman.wordpress.com/
Some video footage courtesy of World of Longplays longplays.org/
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[@alanfike]

Thank you for keeping the name and box art on the screen when you discuss a game. Remember when sports used to flash the score every 15 minutes? The way other game video hosts talk about games with hardly a mention of the title, maybe one mention at the beginning, reminds me of how we used to have to wait for TV sports producers to flash the score again.

[@JohnRiggs]

Nice, I'll tell Rob that. He edited this video for me. You can certainly see a difference from when he edits (his passion) vs. me (just gameplay)

[@shenloken2]

DKC3 is considered the lesser of the DKC trilogy on SNES. But the side quests with the Banana Birds and Brothers Bear to get the full experience actually made it the one with more replay value of the three. And who can’t help but feel nostalgic while watching Wrinkly play a Nintendo 64 while that Mario 64 tune plays?

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

It's gotten more love over the years once people actually played it and realize it's just as good as the previous two games. It was the last great game on the system IMO.

[@jamesmoss3424]

Final Fight 3, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Mega Man X3, Super Mario RPG, and more are brilliant in 1996 on the snes. 😀👍🎮

[@claymccoy]

2:42: Sounds like a Tom's scream from Tom and Jerry.

[@cubansupreme]

It most certainly is. I recognize that Tom scream easily.

[@catholicactionbibleonlyist1813]

96, I was 8 Did not know there was a Casper video game until last year

[@_boof]

I like this series. It allows me to checkout games I never played. Don’t stop doing this.

[@user-nf6wp3qr5p]

Hey John. This is Marcus from Kerrville Texas. You were talking about RPGs I'm probably as old as you are. My first RPG. Was dragonstomper for the Atari 2600. Then I got dragon warrior free for my second RPG. When I renew my Nintendo subscription. And then it was super Mario RPG. Love all three of them:-)

[@balloonedraccoon2503]

That was a good year

[@JLAvey]

Star Ocean came out in 1996. Tales of Phantasia came out December of 1995, so close enough. Yes, I realize they were not translated that year and that doesn't make them less the best two RPGs on the console.

[@sierrakobold6896]

Yeah Star Ocean is great, but Snes releases of course not Super Famicom

[@ddelora1]

2:42 that roar is Tom from Tom n Jerry screaming from getting hurt

[@retrobear9367]

I loathed the macarana. My sister said to me at my wedding we used to do that dance when we were kids. I said "F no. I hated then and hate it now" lol

[@miamimagicians]

It’s actually a good Spanish song

[@kuruptein]

Perfect timing.. mowing one of my favorite properties and I get to listen about games..I can't see I'll rewatch later. Thanks John

[@jamiepike6909]

I thought your T Shirt said Panty Goblyn😂

[@909Films]

I used to own the PC version of the Toy Story video game when it first came out. That came with a demo for Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow. It was fun. Showed off the game a bit. It took me about 25 years before I actually bought it for SNES, but I had fun with it. It was a trip down memory lane.

[@xyzmaster86]

Prehistorik Man does the Tom scream from Tom and Jerry

[@Matt-Rat]

I have an opinion on some of those games. (If you see ...., that means I never played it.) Final Fight 3: Fun beat em up. One of my 30 favorite SNES games Mega Man X3: Good but not my favorite. I believe the chip you said about is for wireframe. I played X2 which had that chip and the wire frame was so cool. Prehistorik Man: ..... (That roar is Tom Cats scream from Tom and Jerry.) S.O.S. - Sink or Swim: ..... Cutthroat Island: I didn't care for it Frantic Flea: .... The Branies: I take the Adventures of Lolo trilogy on NES Power Piggs of the Dark Ages: ..... Super Mario RPG: My 2nd favorite game of all time. It puts a smile on my face! Ken Griffey JR Winning Run: ..... Lufia 2: Haven't beat it but I really like it. Battle music is awesome! Mohawk and Headphone Jack: ..... Tetris Attack: Love this game. Especially that song during Yoshi stage. Kirby Super Star: One of my 30 SNES titles ever!! No joke! It's a wonderful game everyone needs to play at least once!! Ms. Pacman: Not a bad port of the arcade classic. Power Rangers Zeo: Battle Racers: .... (I own the other 3 Power Ranger games. Not this one.) Ultimate Mortal kombat 3: Man, this game is tough but I like it Donkey Kong Country 3: Finally completed the whole game a few days ago. I take the first 2 Donkey Kong Country games but it isn't a bad game. I recommend it. Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems: ..... Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow: Haven't got to far yet it's fun to play Casper: ..... Incantation: ..... Mr. Do: .....

[@RetroRobyn69]

Genuinely thought your T-shirt said “panty goblin” 😂

[@JohnRiggs]

That's even better. Party Goblyn is an indie wrestler from the Seattle area.

[@RetroRobyn69]

@@JohnRiggs 😂 incredible! I thought maybe it was a band but Google turned up nothing. Thanks for enlightening me ☺️

[@Raphael_De_La_Ghetto]

Lufia 2 is my favorite SNES game! So many memories 😊

[@whispersignal1]

The yell/roar in Prehistoric Man sounds like the original yell from the 1940's/1950's Tom & Jerry. Fun game! I only knew if from the Switch Online thingie.

[@WavesNGames]

I didn't even know DKC3 existed until like 2004 because we were so amped for the 64 that I missed a lot from this year. Also I was 9, so I wasn't really following all the releases yet.

[@mtnslice]

The chip Capcom used in Mega Man X3, the C4, was actually also used in Mega Man X2. It was used for the weird wireframe 3D-ish visuals like the sword mini boss and final boss in X2 and similarly in X3

[@Dagasm]

Love these videos. I never played half of those games nor heard of a few of them before, was too focused on the N64 release by then. I'm surprised no one made a comment about Wolverine being an Avenger, although I believe it was far after the War of the Gems game was released.

[@HollywoodHawk86]

If final fight ever had a movie in the 90's I'd be completely fine if Dan Severn played the role of Haggar

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Not ripped enough.

[@HollywoodHawk86]

@@NinjaRunningWild body suit could fix that

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

Actually he appeared in the fanmade Short.

[@joesshows6793]

He is a real life Haggar isn’t he

[@opaljk4835]

I think Robert Z’dar would’ve been perfect

[@TheJamesShow00]

love tetris attack, was one of our number one vs games we played when we got it. The 2 player is so much fun!

[@christopherreed3836]

Here when it said uploaded 2 minutes ago😃

[@GamingtheOtter]

If it was 96 we couldn't StreetPass though.

[@goranisacson2502]

1996 feels like a special year in retrospect because I only played two of these back then, but have gone back to play far more in emulation. Feels like it was a year for polished games for a "matured" format, you can tell the devs had learned a lot of tricks and poured them all in. The ones I actually played back then on hardware were Maui Mallard, and Donkey Kong Country 3. I loved Maui Mallard for being a Donald game that gave Donald a bunch of cool stuff (for a ten year old, mind) like ninja-powers and dark, foreboding environments. I'm not sure I'd love the gameplay these days, I recall slightly floaty controls, but the atmosphere is tremendous. DKC3 is great to me because it's the same good old DKC style and gameplay plus lots to explore in a setting that reminded me of the Swedish wilderness I'd go on summer vacation trips- I think the intention is to emulate the Canadian wilderness, but those two biomes are kind of similar so it matches up. I played Super Mario RPG, Lufia 2, Mega Man X3 and Final Fight 3 on emulation. SMRPG never released here in Europe, but it's charm was clear back then and still works for the remake. Lufia 2 is indeed a prequel, and having played 2 before 1... man, 2 clears 1 and sets you up for grief. So fun, and even hade a rogue-like dungeon crawling sidequest. Man I wish they could make a Lufia collection. Mega and Final... I like them, but I wouldn't say they're really SPECIAL all things considered. FF3 is at least the most polished FF game. Cutthroat Island I remember because funnily enough, it got absolutely lambasted on its release date. Abysmal review scores in Swedish magazines, kinda curious to play it just to see if I agree. And Power Rangers Battle Racers was something I had NO idea even existed. Kind of ashamed of myself now, because I know of the fighting game but missed this...

[@BradPrichard]

Yooo. New JohnRiggs video. Love it.

[@markglyons1]

I would love to see this type of video from every console

[@finkwood]

I bought a Tickle Me Elmo for my prom date that year. That sucker was HARD to find in a store. She was worth the effort, though. 😊

[@plaztik767]

Great year.. just graduated high school at the time. They were getting the most out of SNES then.. Everyone waiting on the N64.. (Ultra 64) The scream from prehistoric man, is a sample from old Tom and Jerry cartoons..

[@RoxyDarknight]

Yes Mr. Riggs! Loving the new background with the name and box art on the border! Love love love that! I do hope you continue to do that. Yes it's a small thing but so helpful since I get distracted and forget what game I'm looking at. Lol

[@MotherKojiro]

Kirby Super Star was so great; it was an excellent game on its own (Great Cave Offensive was my favorite), and a blast to play with a friend. Mega Man X3 is a favorite, too; very nearly my favorite of the X series, just under X8. Also, you are correct: Lufia 2 is the prequel to the original; my favorite part of the original was the introduction, and when I found out that 2 was all about the events leading up to that, I knew I had to have it. The three that came after it, (two sequels and a remake) not so much.

[@bestudesu4833]

Still shocked John doesn't have over a million subscribers. There are few youtubers out there as passionate about gaming as him.

[@niveketihw1897]

I've been playing Tetris Attack on ZSNES for 22 years. I'm sure I have 2,000 to 3,000 hours on it.

[@DanPantzig]

That's Power Rangers ZEO, not Zero. But yes, Lufia 2 is a prequel.

[@MCastleberry1980]

Just wanted to reassure you that you were correct about Lufia lol The intro flashback in Lufia I is basically the ending of Lufia II

[@jessragan6714]

I think Prehistorik Man's scream is actually a sample from Tom and Jerry! It sounds really, really familiar. And I like that game, especially on the Game Boy Advance where they made the soundtrack infectiously funky. It's definitely the black sheep of the Titus family, in that it doesn't suck.

[@thetrophysystem3697]

I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still, Mr.Do run run run, Mr.Do run run

[@ryanstonebraker9484]

I haven't heard of frantic flea. I like the art style on that. Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball also had a neat art style. The SNES was a new opportunity for developers to show their stuff in a way I thought in this time. Also, in pop culture, the music was good :)

[@JohnRiggs]

SNES Games of 1995 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qILahHtumcxgj80

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

1996 was the Super Nintendo's last hurrah. The fact that it was still pumping out hits that quickly became classics says something. I think many have no problem considering Super Mario RPG as the system's swan song but to me that goes to DKC 3. Street Fighter Alpha 2 was also '96 and a very impressive SNES port as well. Maui Mallard is about a dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude.

[@jasonriffe6536]

hey again great job. this video was better because you showed the box art!!!! amazing. are you going to do your favorite snes games top 20-25, or the best rated snes games?? n64??

[@WinterPunisher]

Sorry man. Did not notice I was not subscribed. All fixed now. Keep up the great work!!!

[@PhillipJackson-rl5ty]

Enjoyed the video...✌️

[@ithydoodles]

5:40 I love Bowser's Mario throwing weapon 😂😂😂 and 6:42 this was the only game that survived our house fire in 1997 😥. After we moved, my brother played that for quite some time after we got another snes. The plastic was horrib!y warped. 8:00 Also thought that the optional dungeon wasn't optional and didn't finish it until many years later 😂

[@erneststackhouse1133]

In 96 i was into PC Gaming where you would carry your heavy PC & your lightest Monitor which was heavy too! Along with all your wires & do a LAN connection with your buddies to game. Got tired of it in 98 & went back to Console Games! i discovered N64 in 98 a whole two years after it came out! Never went back to that extent of PC gaming. Wish i would of stuck with SNES looks like a whole bunch of cool games that i have to get now!

[@joshuag7207]

Great year. Great video.

[@CarboneCat]

I love Mario RPG. It’s a fun game, although on the easy side, the whole story was great and the music was fun.

[@feelsbad6312]

I love this content thanks John!

[@Linuxpunk81]

By 96 the snes was already in the rear view, I had moved on pc and Playstation then got my 64 later. I'm interested to see what's on the list

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

Nope, it was still a thing

[@mjdf122]

Final Fight 3 was released 1995 for NTSC JP 1996 was PAL

[@marbles8641]

Lufia 2 is not only a prequel to Lufia, but the end of Lufia 2 is the beginning/tutorial to Lufia.

[@mattm7798]

Lufia 2 does look like a Genesis game. I think it's the reduced color palate and the darker colors used. I'm sure the music was better than Genesis tho :)

[@FreihEitner]

Mr. Do on the Super Nintendo? Ooh! I remember it being on the Coleco Vision in the mid-80s and it was enjoyable but not entirely arcade-authentic. That SNES port looks like the arcade.

[@darktetsuya]

I think I beat final fight 3 as a rom? would love to own the cart someday. also as I recall it even had a computer-controlled second player, not something you see often in beat-em-ups! mario RPG I probably rented back in the day, but never finished it at least until the Switch remaster dropped last year!

[@holddamayo7474]

Hey John. I know ur a radio jockey and wanna recommend a game called “Killer Frequency” it’s about a radio host is ‘87 who has to solve murders in a small town

[@selbyjohnson5986]

I loved Super Mario rpg even though it is a little too easy. I didn’t play many more of the 96 games.

[@CasperEgas]

I think challenges are fun. If games are too easy, they often become boring.

[@zacharyagler3007]

Ignored Mario RPG in 96. Was turned off why would they do that to Mario. Plus I wanted a N64. Played Mario rpg later in life and loved it.

[@standingbearwhisky]

Do the ROAR!

[@solonaravanroth8759]

war of the gem and kirby were both great rentals. Rented them from thrifty foods in sedro - woolley at least half a dozen times.

[@mjdf122]

I’ve seen all from 1980-Now 1996 was a good year

[@madspunky]

Mega Man X3 had really bland level design, imo. And I loved Final Fight 3 because you had so many moves to try out! And what's really great about Ken Griffey Winning Run is that you can trade players to improve your team.

[@mattm7798]

I could never get into games like SM-RPG or Kingdom hearts because at least to me, the character's feel so out of place. But I know a ton of people love them so good on them.

[@kumohara_319]

Ken Griffey Jr was a top notch baseball game

[@juangsantos]

@johnriggs have you tried Final Fight One on the GBA? It has added features and unlockables

[@JohnRiggs]

now that I think of it, I don't think I have. I'll check it out tonight.

[@epicpotatofiend]

I took me WAY too long to realize that shirt doesn’t say “panty goblin”

[@Mike__P]

Ah 1996. When I got my Playstation and left Nintendo behind forever.

[@steelcurtain187]

Great year for gaming in general

[@cadenmonier218]

we had some genesis games in 96 when can we look at those

[@RedTabletTalk]

In 1996 I was in seventh grade going to the eighth grade and during the summer of that year, I took my first flight with my aunt out of East Texas to Washington DC out of Shreveport, Louisiana airport and came back a week or two later. During that time on the plane , I played Wario Land Super Mario Land 3 on the game boy and while I was in DC, I rented that Ken Griffey Jr. baseball game and Yoshi’s Island Super Mario World 2 on the SNES from the local Blockbuster video store. It was a magical if not awkward time since I had reached puberty and thinking about girls and women all the time…

[@Iron-Van]

I actually just saw the marvel war of the gems in my ROM collection the other night. I fired it up and squealed like a little fangirl when I found out I can play as Iron Man

[@darkdemigod]

too bad he's mid tier in the game despite having utility and high range of movement. if you actually want to play the game, spider-man with time gem low diffs it.

[@Real_The_Goof]

I think there's actually maybe onky 3 Lufia games, 2 on snes and one on the GBA, and then they did remakes.. i might be wrong though.

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

Just as note: the Macarena song came out in 91/92 if my memory still goes well

[@JohnRiggs]

Yeah, the song was out for a while. The dance, itself, wasn't trendy until a few years later. I just remember the Al Gore version during the 1996 candidacy and was, like, 'welp, that'll put an end to that once and for all'

[@jasonhubbard6775]

Is it true that a Mario RPG was Squaresoft's idea? Because their games weren't picking up steam in NA, so they wanted a character who was popular over here?

[@forrestredd2706]

I was 8 years old. Crazy soup.

[@RichRetr0]

I had no idea there was a Power Rangers kart racer on SNES

[@joemerkel20]

Wolverine is an avenger too.

[@imwalkworse6298]

Hey Riggs u still doing the Konami challenge?

[@JMDogg]

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was for the people whose parents couldn't afford/didn't wanna buy a new gen (at the time) console to buy Mortal Kombat Trilogy.

[@Hoodooter]

One more day and I get my upgraded badge... almost 3 years now.

[@JohnRiggs]

So close! haha. Thanks for being awesome.

[@Hoodooter]

@@JohnRiggs and thanks for the great content. I got a small gift for you, next time I catch ya at a convention.

[@caseywilliams4145]

People got trampled to death in the Toys R Us in Albuquerque New Mexico for a Tickle Me Elmo people were insane for that toy

[@MathieuLeblanc1991]

Spider Man was not an Avenger at the time of the game , he was one of the few characters that never got in until the 2000s

[@JM-pm1yb]

Nope! It was as early as 1991. He was a reserve member. But technically, still a member.

[@slappymcphee]

Never could get into the Kirby games

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Too easy, cute, & kidsy.

[@one7decimal2eight]

That caveman game ripped off the Tom scream from Tom and Jerry.

[@danielsantana540]

I own marvel super heroes war of the gems. I think its a cool game

[@markglyons1]

Are you going to do best and worst year sega

[@JohnRiggs]

I plan on it. I've already done a few but not all.

[@10thmountainsoldier90]

I was 14

[@priest-maholmes2839]

I feel like ive seen this before

[@emfs9522]

Zeo not zero lol

[@Marc_Araujo]

Donkey Kong Country 3 was a masterpiece...UMK3 was diggity dogshit.

[@miketurner643]

ff3,1995

[@miketurner643]

no,sfa2?

[@p1xai]

i'm one of the few who found DKC 3 better than DKC 2 (the soundtrack is much better in DKC 2)

[@michaeladams9807]

👍👍™️

[@clintonlewis1261]

😀

[@Aenima308]

Power Rangers: Zeo (not zero)

[@The1ReviewBoard]

YAY, Best and Worst SNES!

[@sladkov_denis]

Ура, я первый 🎉🎉🎉