Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Game console

Of all the systems available - Super Nintendo (Super NES) is hands down my favorite... and eBay has tons of them available and fantastic prices - and all of the great games available.

Its hard to imagine how revolutionary this system was just a few years ago - as XBOX 360 and others come along, the graphics are so advanced and the games have progressed and completely morphed into full environments. But Super Nintendo combined decent graphics (cutting edge at the time - satisfactory now) with fantastic gameplay. Whereas I become bored playing most current games for more than a few repetitions - games like Mario Kart and Super Mario Brothers IV are staples of great gaming, can be played time and time again, and were the foundation for most of the classics that are still played by serious gamers.

Best of all, Super Nintendo enables great social gameplay. Games like Mario Tennis and Mario Kart are ideal for party setting or a beer & games night.

There is also something very satisfying about the nostalgia of playing Super Nintendo and the classic games... that nostalgia has also made for excellent supply on eBay and the ability to buy games in the $2.50 - $10.00 range. Games that are must includes in any collection:

Super Metroid
Super Mario World
Super Mario World II: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario Kart
Super Mario All-Stars
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Street Fighter II
Final Fantasy III
Contra III
Donkey Kong Country
Star Fox
F-Zero
Super Castlevania IV
Doom
Mortal Kombat II
Super Punch-Out
Pilot Wings
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
Harvest Moon
Mega Man VII
Mega Max X
Mega Man X3

The SNES is the best! I loved it when it first came out (I was in college at the time) and it is still just as fun to me now. I bought the SNES on eBay for my 3 year old. The new systems have too many bells and whistles for him to deal with. He has learned to play Super Mario World, and a lot of days I enjoy playing with him. The controllers on the SNES are simple, and you don't have to buy a lot of games to have fun. My favorites are Super Mario World (this game is timeless) and an unexpected one, Tetris Attack. (I believe made by the same guys who did the Mario's) You won't regret buying this system. I personally think that Nintendo should put them back into production. The new systems and games are too busy on the eyes. (the 3-D graphics) For some of us, less is still more.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, it did!

NES was just.. awesome compared to anything ever seen before... and now the SNES comes around and it's just mind blowing...

There's a commercial for NES Zelda with a guy saying "WOW THESE GRAPHICS ARE RAD!"

Well if he could have seen SNES' graphic's he'd be blown away..

It's 16 bit unlike NES, which was 8 bit.

It's sound was improved drastically. I have many soundtracks from SNES games as well.

The graphics are more 3Dish with shading and that sort of thing.. Look at Super Mario RPG! It's like.. wow!

Here's a list of games I've had a particularly good experience with:

Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon, R, S, SuperS
Great Circus Mystery starring Mickey & Minnie
Kirby Super Stars
Kirby's Dream Land 3
Mario Paint
Breath of Fire II
Chrono Trigger
Dragon Quest V, VI
Final Fantasy IV, V, VI, Mystic Quest
Zelda: A link to the past
Live a Live
Super Mario RPG
Super Mario World
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Populous
Earthbound / Mother 2 (Which needs a sequel btw >_>)
Sailor Moon Another Story (An RPG)


-Cait-

I grew up just about the time that the early home gaming systems were really hot.

We actually had PONG (!) and then an NES (original Nintendo) ... and I just loved the arcade games at the midway (Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Dragon's Lair, Rampage, Altered Beast) ... ah the late 80's were a great time to be a kid!

Now 1991 was a very exciting year for us kids at the time...the long awaited SNES, or Super Nintendo, was released in the North American market. This was Nintendo's second gaming console and much improved at 16-bit (yes, simple by today's standards, but incredible 15 years ago). The SNES had a run for it's money, as Sega released it's game console the same year and the 2 were in tough competition. Despite the competition though, the SNES sold 49 MILLION units worldwide (20 million in the USA) and became the best selling console of the 16 bit era. Not bad!
<img src="http://www.derok.net/emulation0/images/games/snes.jpg">

The unit was both simple and sleek in it's design. The first ones were just light grey and purple, and pretty hard to damage. Yes, they were prone to discolor when exposed to sunlight (the plastic yellowed) but ours was used and USED for the past 17 years and is only now starting to give us trouble...if I need to replace it, then that is ok. It has served us well and I will get the exact same system again.

There were about 750 games produced for the SNES system (!) but the top seller was SUPER MARIO WORLD. Granted, the North American package of SNES included the game with the console, but you know even if they had not, I still would have bought it. Even today, though I know the 'secret short cut' into Bowser's castle, I still love playing this game from time to time. I find it to be a fun stress reliever and it brings back good memories.

The SNES controller is excellent ... ergonomic (fits your hands comfortably), just the right size (not too big or too small) and all the buttons are right where you need them to be. And they're tough...hard to break (compared to some of the fancier and more delicate controllers on other units that I have seen). If you believe that little kids should be allowed to play video games, then this is the game system for them. Easy controls and many game titles were made just for little guys and gals...some even educational (ex. Mario's Early Years, Mario's Time Machine, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego)

Some of the games that I really enjoyed were:
Sim City (build your own virtual city and maintain it)
Super Mario World (fun action game with cute characters)
Super Mario Kart (fun racing game ... very addictive)
Mario Paint (an interesting early form of a 'paint shop' program)
The Legend of Zelda. a Link to the Past (action adventure game, epic style)
and Super Gameboy (which allowed Gameboy Games to be played on the SNES)