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NBA Jam — Retro Gaming Essentials (No. 27)

“He’s on fire!”

For anyone who has experienced the true greatness that is NBA Jam, that phrase should be all it takes to transport you away to a world of frenetic, over-the-top, arcade basketball.

It’s a world of dunks, steals, and hot streaks.

It’s a world in which putting yourself in the shoes of superstars like Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajowan, and Shaquille O’Neal (to name just a few) was a mere dollar away.*

* My memory might be hazy on this point, but I do recall the game costing more than the typical quarter or even 50 cents a play – I’m PRETTY sure it usually cost at least a buck to play – and that it was of great annoyance to me that this was the case. “Games used to cost 25 cents. Why are we now charging more? It’s outlandish and unfair!” Clearly, inflation as a concept had yet to penetrate my teenage boy brain.

It’s a world of impossible physics and ridiculous commentary.

It’s a world of insane levels of rubber-banding that could reduce the hardest of men to quivering tears.

It’s a world of fantastical cameos and easter eggs, not the least of which was a playable version of Bill Clinton himself.

In other words, this world, the world of NBA Jam, is the very best kind of world.

Buckle up, kids.

We’re about to go deep on NBA Jam, the most outrageous mainstream sports game our society has ever seen.

NBA Jam at a glance
Genre: Sports
Release: 1993
Platform: Arcade
No. 19 on Flux’s Top 100 Video Games

Chrono Trigger — Retro Gaming Essentials (No. 26)

What’s your definition of a “10”?

More than a few people would call a “10” “perfect” and basically leave it at that.

And for most people, that’s fine and dandy.

But I subscribe to a belief that it’s a little more nuanced than that.

For me, a score of 10/10 isn’t an indication that a thing is actually flawless per se. It’s more of an acknowledgment of supreme excellence.

Think of it this way: A person can get 8 or 9 out of 10 questions on a quiz correct, but then nail the extra credit and still end up with a “perfect” score, even without a flawless performance.

Did the thing we’re talking about do what it set out to do in a special and exceptional way? And probably more importantly, at least to me, is how did it make me feel in the process? Thusly, a “10” is essentially the highest possible recognition or superlative, NOT a designation of perfection or flawlessness.

And can we acknowledge, at least a little bit, that perhaps nothing is perfect, and that when evaluating anything, it’s basically impossible to separate from that evaluation how a thing makes us feel?

How we react to a thing informs how we speak of it after the fact. And yes, that’s more of an undefinable thing, and yes, that complicates things greatly, but it’s not a thing we can ultimately avoid.

It’s how a game like Air Zonk can rank higher on this list than Ms. Pac-Man. One game is objectively more important historically and more universally well regarded and … well, tough cookies. Air Zonk makes me happier.

Chrono Trigger, our No. 26 game on the countdown (and another game that makes me happy), is a game that often gets lauded with the “perfect” moniker, and you can easily see why.

Its mix of story, characterization, game design, and enjoyment it engenders while playing are almost universally considered among the best in the genre. And moreover, it’s REALLY difficult to find anything to complain or quibble about here.

There just aren’t a lot of flaws in this game.

Does that make it perfect?

Not in the slightest.

It’s a wonderful game, and it should be experienced by everyone. That’s why it’s here.

But it ain’t perfect.

Let’s establish that now, so that inflated expectations don’t ruin the game for you.

Chrono Trigger at a glance:
Genre: RPG
Released: 1995
Platform: SNES
GamesRadar’s “2nd best Super NES game of all time”

Super Mario Kart — Retro Gaming Essentials (No. 20)

So, here we are.

I’ve written 19 of these things so far. I’m on my last review for a perfect Top 20, and I’m faced with probably a dozen or so worthy contenders (at minimum) for the final slot.

The biggest question I asked myself as a tie-breaker was this: Is a particular genre under-represented?

As it happens, the answer to that question made it an easy choice.

Say hello to Super Mario Kart, one of best racing games of all time, an inspired use of an existing, popular license, the genesis of an entire sub-genre of gaming (“kart racing”), and just a damn fine piece of popular entertainment.

Super Mario Kart
Genre: Racing
Released: 1992
Platform: SNES
Next Generation’s No. 7 game of all time (1999)

Super Metroid — Retro Gaming Essentials (No. 8)

There are times, as one works one’s way through a video game, that the entire experience begins to feel like an obligation. Some aspect of the game becomes tiresome or boring or frustrating, and boom, you’re out of the game completely. The very best games find a way (through superb design and programming) to keep that kind of reaction from ever happening.

Super Metroid is one of the better examples in gaming of an experience that never turns into a chore. It’s a joyful play, the kind of game that stays thrilling and fascinating throughout, even as the player runs into the occasional challenge or riddle they can’t solve.

Why?

The game is compelling enough to keep the gamer invested. Instead of quitting from boredom — or worse, anger — one wants to see where this all goes. And perhaps more importantly, one wants to continue the experience itself, challenging as it might be. An obstacle that becomes a conundrum and confuses the gamer … that kind of thing can actually work to a game’s advantage if the overall experience is appealing. Do the controls hold up? Does the level design inspire? These are game play elements that make completing the game less pressing a concern.

The point, as it were, becomes the journey itself.

It’s a fine line to be sure, trying to create something that challenges and thrills rather than something that frustrates. Something that isn’t so much meant to be conquered as enjoyed. Something that rises above the genre or even the medium itself. Something like art.

Super Metroid is art.

Super Metroid
Genre: Exploring platformer
Released: 1994
Platform: SNES
EGM’s Best Game of All Time (’03)

The best Super NES games of all time

Ranking Super Nintendo games is basically an impossible task. Go through any “best-of” list around the interwebs and you’ll see an absolutely loaded selection of games, featuring some of the true all-time greats.

Looking through the selection of games for other video game systems, I have little doubt this was the greatest console of all time. There’s just so much depth.

So how do you sift through all of that?

After making my own list, I still don’t know.

I do know my inspiration came about in part because of the release of the Super NES Classic, a retro system release (featuring 20 games from the original lineup … and one new one) which I recently read has been outselling “new” consoles like the Switch and Playstation 4.

That it’s resonating in a major way is no surprise to me. I bought one myself!

Read on for a list of 30 reasons why Super Nintendo nostalgia is at an all-time high.

Continue reading The best Super NES games of all time