One of my personal favorite systems to this day is the Super Nintendo. While it may not have the technical capabilities of modern systems, it was really a milestone in two dimensional gaming. One of the main reasons for the system's success was the amazing sounds and cutting edge graphics for its time, the excellent story-lines, and the overall playability of so many well-crafted games.
The Super Nintendo still remains a console that draws many old and new fans, especially those who enjoy a break from overly expansive and similar feeling three dimensional games. Since there are so many great titles to choose from and everyone has their own opinion, I've chosen to list the top 10 games based solely on their sales records.
1) Super Mario World (20 million). Mario and Luigi return to save the princess from Bowser and the Koopa Kids in this game. It featured the ever-hungry dinosaur Yoshi, a huge map with lots of secrets, expanded flight with the new cape item, and the same coin-grabbing, block-smashing, fast-paced action found in Super Mario Bros. 1 and 3.
2) Donkey Kong Country (8 million). In this revamp of the original monkey throwing barrels classic, the player takes the role of Donkey Kong as he fights the evil Kroc Empire to get back his stolen banana hoard. Similar to Super Mario World, the game featured a huge map with a load of secrets and excellent gameplay. Donkey Kong also had pals like Diddy Kong, an ostrich, a rhino, a frog, and swordfish to help him along the way, with various cameos by other members of the Kong family.
3) Super Mario Kart (8 million). The original granddaddy of the Mario Kart series, where various characters from the Super Mario Bros. series race go-karts and destroy each other with power items. Much like the later games, players could control racers like Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and even a Koopa Troopa. Although the infamous blue shell and the power sliding technique hadn't been invented yet, players could use items like homing red shells, green shells, lightning bolts, and many others to gain a competitive edge.
4) Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (6.3 million). While the first Street Fighter game was almost unknown outside Japan, the second game blew-up the arcades and many consoles during its heyday. Featuring one on one combat, the game was notable for its fast pace, use of special moves, and diverse cast, such as the sumo E. Honda, the limber Dhalsim, the hard kicking Chun Li, and many others.
5) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (4.61 million). Fans of the Zelda series eagerly anticipated this epic adventure game. It featured the same overhead view as the original and game boy versions, and involved Link's quest to save the kidnapped crystal maidens and Zelda from the evil clutches of the wizard/thief Ganondorf. The quests were divided into the Light and Dark Worlds, and provided many hours of entertainment with an epic story.
6) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (4.37 million). The second game in the Donkey Kong Country series involved the sidekick Diddy Kong from the first game. This time he teams up with Dixie Kong in order to stop the nefarious plans of the Krocs.
7) Street Fighter II: Turbo (4.1 million). The speed could be manipulated to ensure super-fast action in this game, hence the turbo in the title, and players could now select the former bosses Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M. Bison as playable characters.
8) Star Fox (4 million). With an innovative twist on the classic space shoot 'em up, Star Fox helped to display the graphics capability of the SNES with its polygonal graphics. The first game in the series introduced characters like Fox McCloud, Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare, and Falco Lombardi as they raced to save the universe from the evil ape lord Andross.
9) Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (4 million). This game was a great departure from the normal run and jump style found earlier in the series. While the game was still a platformer, Mario appeared only as a rather pesky baby sidekick, while Yoshi was the main protagonist. The game also featured a lot of puzzle elements, as the player had a set of goals to accomplish in each stage, such as capturing and hurling enemies in eggs.
10) Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie (3.2 million). Perhaps a strange entry on the list, as this game was only released for the Super Famicom in Japan, which was the Japanese equivalent to the SNES. The Dragon Quest series has mostly reached America, but as of this writing DQ VI has yet to see a true US release, although there are translated versions available online. It featured a huge storyline and world much like Final Fantasy VI (III in the US), and involved the main character's travels through the normal and dream worlds as he battles an evil demon force.
As I said in the introduction, I based this chart on sales only. As of 2008, over 379 million games have been sold for the system, with the top ten best-selling games representing approximately one sixth of total sales. My personal all time favorite game for the SNES is Chrono Trigger, and I'd also highly recommend Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI (II and III US), Secret of Mana, Earthbound, Contra III, Gradius 3, Super Mario RPG, NBA Jam TE, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs, Tecmo Super Bowl, Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, Super Punch Out, Illusion of Gaia, Pocky and Rocky 1 and 2, Legend of the Mystical Ninja, The Seventh Saga, Actraiser, Castlevania IV, Breath of Fire I and II, Lufia I and II, Mega Man X, X2, and X3, Rock 'N' Roll Racing, R Type III, Sim City, Super Metroid, Super Off Road, U.N. Squadron, and Ys III to name some of the best.