Note: 1993 saw the Super NES continue to receive support from both Nintendo and third parties. That said, the NES was still not quite finished, receiving even more games, including one that would become a classic. Meanwhile, 1993 was an oddly quiet year for Sega when it came to blockbuster titles. The titles that did come to the Genesis were generally high quality entries, they just were not in the same category as some of the titles the Super NES got in 1993. Also, I’m bringing back a few ties for this list. I just can’t help myself.
Honorable Mentions:
– NES: Ducktales 2, Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny
– Super NES: Actraiser 2, Goof Troop, Pocky & Rocky, Star Fox, The 7th Saga, Lufia & the Fortress of Doom
– Sega Genesis (CD): Ecco the Dolphin, Gunstar Heroes, Jurassic Park, Shining Force, Splatterhouse 3, Streets of Rage 2, Thunder Force IV
– Super NES / Sega Genesis: Alien 3, Aladdin, Zombies Ate My Neighbors
– TurboGrafx-16: Bomberman 93, Bonk 3
– GameBoy: Adventure Island 3, Final Fantasy Legend III
– Arcade: Mortal Kombat II
– PC: Myst
8. Battle Cars (Super NES)(Tie)
I’m going to say
something that is counter-intuitive given that this game is on this
list: this is not a great game. I’m 100% aware of this. It has flaws,
it’s unfair in many instances, and it doesn’t have much variety. All of
that said, this game still holds a special place in my heart and I
cannot leave it off this list. In Battle Cars, you pick one of a few
cars and race on a track in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic world.
You can either play solo and race against a boss car or in two player
mode. Oh, and I’m using “track” loosely here because I don’t think there
is a track, just a road. You have a few weapons that you can switch
between to destroy other cars and slow the boss car down. As mentioned
above, this game is tough. Later boss cars seem almost unbeatable (and,
as a matter of fact, I’ve never beaten this game). So, the reason I
still love this game is it’s one my brother and I use to rent and play
all the time. I still have a ton of nostalgia for this title, and so it
simply has to be here.
8. Super Godzilla (Super NES)(Tie)
Not to create a
questionable theme here, but this is another game that I understand
isn’t great, but is a game that I think is very interesting to play.
Taking its cues from Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters on the NES, Super
Godzilla is a strategy game that has you control the titular monster
through various scenarios in what is essentially a strategy game.
However, from time to time, you will encounter enemies (UFO’s or other
monsters from Godzilla’s canon) that switch you to a battle scene. In
this scene, you need to raise Godzilla’s fighting spirit by attacking
the opposing monster, then backing up to open attack windows. Once you
have an attack, you trigger it, and a cut scene will play showing the
attack take place. It’s not a title that’s easy to learn, but if you
give it some time, I think it’s a game that will entertain you with its
intriguing choices in regards to gameplay.
7. Bubble Bobble 2 (NES)(Tie)
The sequel to
Bubble Bobble (obviously), Bubble Bobble 2 is essentially more of the
same with just a few tweaks. Boss fights are introduced, as are a few
new bubble types. Most noticeably though, is the ability to float upward
by inflating Bub/Bob. This replaces the bubble hopping mechanic from
the original. Also changed is the ability to play two-player
simultaneously. In Bubble Bobble 2, you alternate levels, which is a bit
disappointing. At the end of the day though, Bubble Bobble is a
fantastic game, so getting more of a fantastic game is never a bad
thing. Unfortunately, getting this game is nearly impossible as it is
ridiculously rare.
7. Clayfighter (Super NES)(Tie)
Just in case I
haven’t mentioned it before, I’m terrible at fighting games. Something
about them simply does not click in my head. I lost the tutorial fight
on Injustice guys. I’m bad. Clayfighter, though, is a fighter I could
get behind. A completely silly take on the fighting genre, Clayfighter
sees you fighting as one of a handful of clay figures (Bad Mr. Froster,
Ickybod Clay, etc…) complete with special moves and what would be brutal
attacks if these weren’t clay figures. The game is completely
ridiculous, but that was kind of the point, and it works beautifully. If
you’ve never given this title a chance, I strongly recommend it. It has
to be played to be fully appreciated.
6. Sonic CD (Sega Genesis / CD)(Tie)
Initially a
port of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic CD became its own title
and does the series great justice. Featuring classic Sonic gameplay and
level design, Sonic CD also includes a time travel future that sees
Sonic travel between the future and the past in an effort to get the
“happy” version of the third level in each zone. This requires you to
travel to the past in the first two levels of a zone and destroy a robot
transporter. I don’t have much more to say about Sonic CD, but that’s
only because Sonic is quite straight forward. And that’s not a bad
thing.
6. SimCity 2000 (PC)(Tie)
For my money, this is
the definitive entry in the SimCity franchise. The gameplay is right
there in the title. You take a plot of land and build a city. It’s sort
of insane that this game can be simultaneously intensely deep and
detailed, but very user friendly. I don’t know how it works, but it just
does. I spent many, many hours with this game and learned,
conclusively, that I should never run a city. Even when you’re failing
as mayor though, this game is just a ton of fun to play.
5. Claymates (Super NES)
I consider this game to
be a sibling to Clayfighters. They were developed at the same time and
share an art style (I intend to cover this in a future Retrospection
post). But while Clayfighters was a fighting game, Claymates is a
platformer, and a brilliant platformer at that. Claymates sees you take
control of Clayton, the young son of a scientist. Turned into a ball of
clay by a witch doctor, Clayton must traverse the world to rescue his
father and turn himself back into a human. The key to this game is that
Clayton can change into one of five different animals by touching
colored balls of clay in level. Each animal has distinct abilities that
allow you to tackle each level in the way that best suits you (and what
animal transformations are available in each level). The levels are
generally quite large and allow for plenty of exploration. The only
downside to this title is the lack of a password or save feature, but
there are warps in each world that let you jump forwards quickly. Often
overlooked, this game is hidden gem in the Super NES library.
4. Kirby’s Adventure (NES)
Growing up, I didn’t
realize that this was the first title that gave Kirby is copy ability.
Having missed out on Kirby’s Dream Land, I had always assumed that Kirby
could always copy enemy abilities. Anyway, Kirby’s Adventure on the NES
took Kirby from fun little platformer to Nintendo stalwart. The level
design is simply stellar, the length of the game is perfect, and the
copy ability was a complete gamechanger for the fledgling franchise.
More recent entries may be prettier, but this game, released very late
in the NES’s life, still holds up today as one of Kirby’s best entries.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (GameBoy)
Link’s
first handheld adventure was a perfect translation of the series from
home console to handheld. Link’s Awakening sees Link washed up on the
beach of Koholint Island, which is apparently only in existence as part
of the Windfish’s dream, the Windfish being a creature that sits atop a
mountain on Koholint. For Link to return to Hyrule, he must wake the
Windfish, but doing so could cause Koholint to disappear. The
surprisingly deep story is accompanied with same stellar gameplay that
graced previous entries in the Zelda franchise along with some new items
for Link to use on his adventure. While this was remade for the Switch,
the original is still a fantastic title that plays just as well today
as it did when it launched.
2. Secret of Mana (Super NES)
The sequel to the
Final Fantasy Adventure on GameBoy, Secret of Mana is considered by many
to be one of, if not the, best games on the Super NES. An Action RPG,
Mana sees you accidentally bring about the return of monsters by pulling
the Mana Sword from its resting place. Exiled from your village, you
must travel the world and befriend a couple of companions to determine
your fate and, ultimately, battle against both the Empire and the Mana
Beast. Secret of Mana is a sprawling game that features hours of
gameplay and dozens of locales to visit and revisit. The game includes
real time weapon attacks along with magical attacks that are gained as
you explore the world and restore the Mana Seeds. While I’m not as fond
of Secret of Mana as many people (hence it being at #2 on this list), it
is still a masterpiece of the game and deserves the accolades it still
receives.
1. E.V.O.: Search for Eden (Super NES)
A game
published by Enix that far too few people are aware of, EVO is a game
about evolution and time. EVO tasks you with guiding a creature through
various ages, defeating other creatures for evolution points that can be
used to strengthen your creature in a variety of ways. You do this
first in the sea, then on land, and then (possibly) in the air. The joy
of EVO is that you can play the game a dozen times and have a dozen
differing experiences. The possibilities of what you can create feel
nearly limitless. Hidden among the evolutions are quasi-secret
evolutions, such as a bird, a mermaid, and a human. To this day, I’ve
never played another game like EVO: Search for Eden, and I still enjoy
it just as much now as I did the first time I tried it. For those
reasons, EVO: Search for Eden is my #1 game of 1993. (Retrospection: E.V.O.: Search for Eden)
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