The Super Nintendo was an amazing system with a library spanning many genres. One of the genres the system excelled at was fighting games, and today I want to look at five amazing fighters on the system. I will not be including any SNK ports, as I feel those were best on the Neo Geo.
TMNT Tournament fighters
A surprisingly in depth fighting game, TMNT Tournament fighters saw you choose one of ten characters, or go for the story mode that had you play as the turtles, in a four button fighting game that was better than it had any right to be. Like another game on this list, Tournament fighters gave you the ability to speed up gameplay for a faster experience, but also brought with it the risk of not being able to maintain control. Using the IP license perfectly, and having a very easy to learn control method made this fighting game stand out among other licensed fighters. The attacks had real weight to them, and there was a joy not had often. It was not the best licensed fighter on SNES though, as that was our next entry.
Gundam Wing Endless Duel
Technically this one was not on the SNES, it was on the Super Famicom, but I am counting it anyways. Using the same engine as the also awesome Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition, Gundam Wing Endless Duel was a sight to behold. It was the best use of a licensed property for a fighting game at the time, and improved on Mighty Morphin Power Ramgers The Fighing Edition in many ways. The game was fast and intense, and you really got the feel of a fight between two Gundam. The game has aged very well by today’s standards, and it would be amazing if this could be re-release and localized for the first time.
Mortal Kombat II
The first Mortal Kombat was a disaster on the SNES due to both heavy censorship as well as many issues with the inputs and controls. Mortal Kombat II fixed both problems by not being censored ( at least in the west) and having vastly improved controls. This game was a turning point for Nintendo in terms of what they would allow on their consoles and paved the way for games like Bayonetta 2 years later. The port was arcade accurate in almost every way, and while the look and sound was not totally there, it stands as one of the best console ports of the game made during that era.
Street Fighter II Turbo Hyperfighting
Street Fighter was always going to be on the list, but which game? World Warrior was good, but the latter incarnations surpassed it. I went with Street Fighter II Turbo, due to that game being the most balanced of the SNES games. The New Challengers was a good port as well, but lacked some of the refinement and balance of the earlier game. Turbo Hyperfighting was fighting perfected, you could adjust the speed of the game however you wanted, and it never felt like it was dragging the fighting down. Every rough edge was smoothed out, and every blemish removed. This was Capcom nailing the concept of balance in a fighting game, but sadly later versions of Street Fighter II would not do as well.
Killer Instinct
The best fighting game on the SNES, Killer Instinct felt like a hybrid of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. It had all the special moves and combos, but also finishing moves and was a lot more violent. It was also a lot faster paced than even Street Fighter II Turbo, and the balanced gameplay meant no one could blame bad game design for how they did in terms of playing. With excellent music ( not as good as the arcade version, but the SNES release included that on a CD), amazing visuals for a SNES game, great characters and intense but fun gameplay, Killer Instinct had it all.
What were your favourite fighting games on the Super Nintendo? Let us know!
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In addition, I would like to add that there is an active Nintendo retrogaming Facebook community group you can join at https://www.facebook.com/groups/nintendoretrogamers/
For more, visit Retro Gamers Hub (www.retrogamershub.com) for their extensive collection of retrogaming interest groups to choose from.