The From A to Z series lets our editors go back and take a look at games from past generations that are classics, overlooked gems, or just titles they remember fondly. The idea behind this is to pick five games from each letter of the alphabet, once a week to showcase. This delivers 26 weeks and tons of games to talk about. Hopefully it sparks some conversation, and of course plenty of memories.
The system everyone has been waiting for, the Super Nintendo.
Let’s continue with the letter “S” Part 2.
Sparkster
Starring my favorite little guy wearing a rocket pack, Sparkster was a fast-paced side scrolling platformer with a ton of style. Even though there was another game just like this on the Genesis called, Rocket Knight Adventures, they were not the same game. Figuring out the best ways to use the rocket boosts to cut through a difficult section was always fun and I hope they will reboot the series at one point.
StarFox
Do a barrel roll! A series that’s become iconic for Nintendo started off with a bang with an entry that pushed the SNES to its limits with the use of the Mode 7. Starring the most recognizable fox in all of fiction, Starfox had multiple paths to the destination and replaying the game was encouraged to see all the different stages.
Street Fighter II
There’s little hyperbole in saying that without Street Fighter II, the fighting game genre as we know it today may not exist. The jump between Street Fighter I to II was light years featuring detailed sprites, tighter controls and an expanded roster of iconic characters. Despite its seemingly innumerable iterations, Street Fighter II continued to improve the genre as a whole by setting the standard for entire mechanics and even the way certain moves are performed.
Super Bomberman
The cutest bomber of them all returned in this entry chocked filled with both single and multiplayer content with even more power-ups. I spent most of my time playing multiplayer with my friends where we weren’t done playing until one of us was on the verge of physically killing another. Good times.
Super Castlevania IV
Now this is how you do a sequel! Featuring large, detailed sprites, higher quality music and bigger, more elaborate stages, Super Castlevania IV was critically acclaimed for good reason. It also features what I consider to be the most satisfying whip in video games that still hasn’t been topped to this day. Being able to attack in multiple direction and also use the whip as a means of traversing the game’s various deathtraps was an absolute joy.
Tune in next week for the next collection of titles.
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