Let's have a thread for the Super NES! Topics are: games you've been playing, general discussion, and whatever else we want.
How about to seed some starter discussion we talk about our favorite SNES games?
Q: If you had to narrow it down to just *two* favorites on the system, which two would you pick? You can mention additional favorites all you want, but being forced to pick those two headliners will reveal more about personal preferences. Let's try to communicate to each other what makes them special to us, or whether you just think they are superlative in certain areas.
I'm going with: Final Fantasy 6 and Soul Blazer.
Super Metroid and Link to the Past would be close behind, as would many of Squaresoft's RPGs. But these two picks carry much more of a mark of distinction to me, while still being of nearly equal quality.
Final Fantasy 6 has always stuck with me for its characters. Part of it is how it has a large cast, and part of it is how it draws you into their stories. I think it is fair to say it tries to be more "adult" about its character stories than most RPGs, but it is also expressing that emotion through these chibi sprites and animations. I dig that combination, it's incredibly endearing at times.
The game itself is also real fun to play. It's totally broken in both good and bad ways, but I've just gotten so used to it that the battle system is a net positive.
Soul Blazer has grown into an emphatically dear favorite over the years. When I replay it I can't help but think about how there is this core mechanical fun to the game that overwhelms any lesser flaws it has. It's got top down combat broadly reminiscent of Zelda, but what makes it neat is the strafing mechanic, the way your sword swipes have an asymmetric sweet spot, and the responsive magic (press a button and it fires in real time without pausing the action). While I don't regard it with any kind of perfection, it is one of a handful of action RPGs that come to mind as a base reference when I try to visualize the "ideal form" of 2d action RPGs.
The story/setting also has some special-ness to it worth mentioning. I'd describe Soul Blazer's story as being unique for delivering small explorations of humanity through brief scenes and dialogues. It's still a fast paced game that doesn't slow down to create an elaborate story, but these small asides add up to more than they should. I also really like the concept of a video game where you get to play as a divine protector for the NPCs (a concept Quintet revisited often).