Happy 35th Birthday, SNES! Ranking the 5 Super Nintendo Launch Titles from Greatest to Least Great
When the SNES launched in North America thirty-five years ago, five new games launched with it. The launch titles covered a variety of genres, including a platformer, a flight simulation, a racing game, a sim game, and a shoot-em-up, meaning that almost any gamer could find something that they liked. Now, to celebrate the console’s 35th birthday, let’s take a look at those launch titles and rank them from best to worst.
The SNES Launch Titles Ranked from Greatest to Least Great
1. Super Mario World
It should come as no surprise that the famous plumber is in first place. Super Mario World was many people’s introduction to the console. In this side-scrolling adventure, Mario meets his dinosaur buddy Yoshi and, of course, must save Princess Peach from Bowser. Being able to ride Yoshi added new abilities, such as how Yoshi can eat enemies. The game is massive, with over ninety levels, including hidden levels. While not as revolutionary as Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario 64, Super Mario World is still a classic that’s not to be missed.
2. F-Zero
The first racing game on the SNES was also possibly the best one. F-Zero is a high-speed adrenaline rush that still feels fast even by today’s racing game standards. Running into the sides of the track damages your vehicle, so you want to be careful while rushing through the course, which creates a sense of tension while racing, especially when a course has a lot of turns. The soundtrack is an absolute banger. If you love F-Zero 99 on the Nintendo Switch, you owe it to yourself to check out the original game.
3. Gradius III
This shoot-em-up took the Gradius franchise into the 16-bit world. You can customize how your ship will gradually power up, then go flying into space to mow down enemies such as lethal bubbles and Easter Island heads. It’s weird and wonderful, though there are one-hit deaths, which are sure to be frustrating to some people. However, when you get properly powered up, you feel like you can take on the whole galaxy. The awesome music also gets you pumped up.
4. Pilotwings
Nintendo decided to show off the SNES’s graphical capabilities with a flight sim, but this is actually a fun flight sim. With colorful graphics, relaxing music, and simple controls, almost anyone can jump into this game and go piloting, skydiving, or hang gliding. However, it can also be difficult to get those landings right, meaning you might end up frustrated as you crash over and over and over. Still, it’s frustrating in a “one more try” kind of way.
5. SimCity
The classic computer sim game made its SNES debut with a little Nintendo flair added. For example, you could activate a hazard where Bowser attacks your city. Sim games designed for a mouse can be a bit awkward to play with a controller, but fortunately, the cursor moves fluidly here. The music is nice and calming, which can help to keep your blood pressure down as the challenges rise. As you progress, you’ll have to worry about taxes, disasters, and more, but you’ll keep wanting to play and build the city of your dreams, at least before Bowser destroys it.
The SNES Was Off to a Great Start
All five launch titles were great games, and they can all be easily enjoyed today. Whether you enjoy shoot-em-ups, sim games, or good old Mario, there was something for you. As the console celebrates its thirty-fifth birthday, you might want to go try out some of these launch games. Super Mario World, F-Zero, and Pilotwings are all part of the Nintendo Switch Online SNES retro collection, so why don’t you go check them out?
