With the Nintendo Switch having had an amazing year in 2017 in terms of game releases, I was wondering if the system will ever be able to top that. As I was thinking these thoughts, I had the idea to look back at past Nintendo systems and see when they had their "best year" in terms of software releases.
I studied the release lists, made notes and came up with my personal picks.
Please keep in mind, that this is my opinion and that yours might differ.
Also note that I wont include the NES, the original Gameboy or Gameboy Color in this series, as I haven't had enough experience with them to make a proper decision. And to keep things consistent I have decided to focus on the North American release dates of the titles.
With that out of the way, lets get going with part 1 of this series.:
Super Nintendo
Best year: 1994
We are starting out with a tough one. The library of the SNES was so good and varied, that any year could have come out on top. In the end I settled on 1994, because when you kick off the year with the 16-bit debut of the Blue Bomber, you know that you are in for a treat. Of course, I am referring to Mega Man X. The title that hit store shelves in January showed improved visuals, smoother animations, offered a toned down difficulty and introduced the wall-jumping mechanic to the series. A game that was praised by critics and fans alike, it went on to sell more than a million copies. Even though Mega Mans debut was quite impressive, it paled in comparison to one female bounty hunter. In April Samus Aran truly returned in Super Metroid. The massive action-adventure oozed atmosphere and is considered by many to be the greatest game of all time. A title so large in scope it had to be distributed on a 24-megabit-cartridge, making it the biggest SNES game at the time.
Mega Man X - Kicking some animal robot ass!
Super Metroid - Opening scene
RPG lovers had a lot to play this year. Final Fantasy III aka VI, Breath of Fire and Illusion of Gaia, provided endless hours of interesting plotlines and characters. I am especially fond of Final Fantasy III (or VI), which just drew me in with its rich story and unforgettable moments like the opera scene.
Final Fantasy III (VI) - Wind physics 16-bit style!
Breath of Fire - Now, that is some box-art!
Illusion of Gaia - Quintets masterpiece
One hairy ape saw a drastic makeover that year. Donkey Kong Country put the former nemesis of Mario in the hero role, as he and his nephew, Diddy Kong, had to retrieve their stolen banana hoard from King K. Rool. The title boasted jaw-dropping visuals and put the developer, Rareware, on the map. The revolutionary game wasn't the only good platformer that year. The zany Earthworm Jim made his debut in 1994. A game full of humor and genius level design. And while licensed games weren't exactly known for their quality, The Adventures of Batman & Robin and The Lion King were there to prove everybody wrong.
Donkey Kong Country - Out of my way beavers!
Earthworm Jim - Monkeys ride barrels, Earthworms ride hamsters
The Lion King - Licensed platformers done right
If you love a good fight then 1994 provided a lot of them. Street Fighter II saw another release in the form of Super Street Fighter II. Albeit not as good as Turbo, the game was a solid title. Its biggest rival, Mortal Kombat, received a sequel that year. Mortal Kombat II was the bloody game that SNES owners wanted the first game to be. The revival of franchises from the 8-bit era continued in the fighting game genre with Super Punch-Out!!. The boxing title from Nintendo put players back into the shoes of Little Mac as he had to fight his way to the top. With charismatic opponents and neat visuals the game was a hit with critics and gamers alike.
Super Street Fighter II - A game so hardcore it breaks bricks.
Mortal Kombat II - Not just Scorpion won, gamers did as well with this sequel.
Super Punch-Out!! - Quite the character...
Before we move on to the next system, I want to give a shout out to a quality title that many have missed back in the day: Demons Crest. Developed and published by Capcom the title follows Firebrand, an enemy character from the Ghosts-n-Ghoblins series, as he goes on a quest to retrieve 5 demon crests to be the ruler of the realm. The game is a mixture of Mega Man and Metroid. After obtaining a crest your character is granted a new power and has to backtrack to levels to reach new areas, items or bosses. If you love atmospheric 2D-action-adventures, this is a must play.
Demons Crest - Don´t worry this is just the intro boss.
Nintendo 64
Best year: 1997
My gut instinct told me to go either with 1998 or 2000, but after analyzing the list of games for every year, the nod goes to 1997. Yes, 1998 had Ocarina of Time and Banjo-Kazooie (two of my favorite games of all time) and 2000 had the holy trifecta of Perfect Dark, Majoras Mask and Banjo-Tooie, but 1997 stands out for one thing: variety. There were a lot of high-class offerings in all kinds of genres.
The Nintendo 64 kicked the year into high gear with the release of Mario Kart 64 in February. One of my favorite installments of the franchise, the game was the first title that put the 4 controller ports to good use. Some might see this entry as outdated nowadays, but me and my friends still love to put many hours into this racing masterpiece. Speaking of kart racers, Rareware delivered a top-notch entry in the form of Diddy Kong Racing at the end of the year. To be honest, I love this game even more than Mario Kart 64. The title was revolutionary in that it offered a story mode in a racing game; it even had an overworld where you could drive to the different levels/bosses. Adding even more depth to the title was that you could choose to either drive in a kart, hovercraft or plane.
Mario Kart 64 - Perfect split-screen fun
Diddy Kong Racing - Taj going for a meditative walk.
Diddy Kong Racing wasn't the only title that Rare put out that year. At the beginning of 1997 the highly acclaimed developer released Blast Corps. An innovative title that had you, the player, stop a runaway nuclear truck from exploding by demolishing structures and houses and building bridges. You do this by utilizing different vehicles like a bulldozer or mechs. The title offers 57 levels of intense gameplay that will surely keep your heart pounding. In the summer the British software powerhouse completed Goldeneye 007. Critics were skeptical at pre-release. A licensed game releasing two years after the movie? Little did they know that Rare had created an FPS-masterpiece. The title revolutionized first-person-shooters on consoles with its sublime controls and split-screen multiplayer. For many this turned out to be the game of the year.
Blast Corps - Bulldozing yourself to victory
Goldeneye 007 - You cannot even find peace on a toilet.
1997 was the year of the first-person-shooter on Nintendos 64-bit console. Turok made his debut in Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and both Doom and Duke Nukem showed up on the console as well.
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter - With my mouth wide open..
It was a trend back then to slap the number 64 on a game title released for the N64. Something that both Fox McCloud and Bomberman were treated to as well in 1997. Star Fox 64, remembered for its tight controls and cheesy one-liners ("Do a barrel-roll!"), was released in June. The title starring Fox McCloud and his animal buddies is considered to this day to be the best entry in the series. Bomberman 64 might not have that legendary of a status, but its addictive mulitplayer make it a cult classic on the system.
Star Fox 64 - Ahhhh Slippy!!!
Bomberman 64 - Multiplayer mayhem!
As you can see, 1997 was an amazing year for the system, with this just being the tip of the iceberg. Further titles worth mentioning include Mischief Makers, San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing and Tetrisphere.
This concludes the first part of this series. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts, disagreements, memories and more in the comments below.
I hope you have enjoyed this post and will be back next time, when we will take a look at the best year for Gameboy Advance and Gamecube.
Until then have a good one!
Yours
I Am K
Image sources:
SNES - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System
Mega Man X boxart - https://www.lukiegames.com/Mega-Man-X-Super-Nintendo-SNES.html
Super Metroid pic - https://kotaku.com/the-opening-sequence-to-super-metroid-is-a-masterpiece-1672800828
Final Fantasy VI pic - https://gotgame.com/2013/05/07/top-x-list-casting-call/
Breath of Fire boxart - http://yokoshimomura.com/breath-of-fire-soundtrack/
Illusion of Gaia pic - http://www.gameclassification.com/EN/games/9642-Illusion-of-Gaia/index.html
Donkey Kong Country pic - https://lets-plays.de/retroreview-donkey-kong-country-snes-155517/
Earthworm Jim pic - http://earthwormjim.wikia.com/wiki/Hamster
The Lion King pic - https://www.emuparadise.me/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System_(SNES)ROMs/Lion_King,The(USA)/34410
Super Street Fighter II boxart - http://gcult.de/snes-super-street-fighter-ii-the-new-challengers/
Mortal Kombat II pic - https://www.emuparadise.me/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System(SNES)ROMs/Mortal_Kombat_II(USA)/34639
Super Punch-Out!! pic - https://wizarddojo.com/2017/12/01/super-punch-out-review/
Demons Crest pic - https://www.neogaf.com/threads/axelay-and-demon%C2%92s-crest-coming-to-the-eu-wii-u-virtual-console-this-week.969692/
Nintendo 64 pic - https://futurezone.at/games/nintendo-64-wird-20-jahre-alt/206.064.507
Mario Kart 64 pic - http://www.pcmasters.de/news/133710074-re-view-die-mario-kart-reihe.html
Diddy Kong Racing pic - https://gonintendo.com/stories/298514-boundary-break-diddy-kong-racing
Blast Corps pic - https://gamefabrique.com/games/blast-corps/
Goldeneye 007 pic - https://inceptionalnews.wordpress.com/2016/09/26/the-american-n64-is-20-years-old-today/
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter pic - https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/12/23/turok-remastered/
Star Fox 64 pic - ign.com
Bomberman 64 pic - https://gamefabrique.com/games/bomberman-64/