Super Mario Games on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Below are the Mario games on the Nintendo SNES that we cover at the site. Visit a games page clicking its box image below.
We feature games with three different types of Mario appearance as follows:-
-
Cameo - a non-Mario game with reference to, or an appearance of Mario or one of the characters
-
Spin off - a game which features Mario throughout, but is not a mainstream adventure game.
-
Main role - The classic platform style Mario games such as Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Land would be good examples of what we define as main role Mario games.
-
Edutainment title - There were a couple of edutainment games for the SNES including remakes of earlier edutainment titles Mario is Missing and Mario's Time Machine among others.
Japan only SNES releases
About the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, called the SNES by many, is a 16-bit successor to the wildly popular Nintendo Entertainment System. Originally released in 1990, the system was released around the world much quicker than the original because of the ground that had been paved by the prior console. Although it was released under several different names around the world, the simple fact is that this system was revolutionary for its time, and allowed Nintendo to completely dominate the market for years.
The main competition that was faced by the SNES was from the Sega Corporation. They engaged in an all-out video game war to determine who could produce the best graphics and games for their customers. The first true battle of its type, the debate over the quality of the graphics offered by these systems is still brought up today. However, when it comes to games, the SNES was able to produce incredible results. The Mario games on the Super Nintendo could have cornered the market on their own as they released title after title that offered unique gameplay and story elements. “Super Mario World” hit the market so hard that it Sega had to invent a sidescrolling platform game, “Sonic the Hedgehog”, just to stand a chance.
Some of the other most memorable Mario games on the Super Nintendo are “Super Mario Kart”, “Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars” , and “Super Mario Allstars”. These games reached out to every genre and became a success. With the addition of titles from the Legend of Zelda series as well as the Metroid series, there was no way for Sega to stop the Super Nintendo. However, people will often note that the Sega Genesis offered cheaper games and had a larger library, but what they had in quantity did not translate to the quality that was found in the games on the Super Nintendo.
The Mario games on the Super Nintendo helped to define the system and ensure that it would remain one of top consoles to have ever been made. It was able to command a respectable presence in the gaming community far into the next generation of consoles as many people remembered its simplicity and all of the wonderful games that they had enjoyed over the years. Although the systems were discontinued years ago, there are still many retro game enthusiasts and gamers that play the SNES on the physical system as well as through ROM files, reliving some of the earliest and best years of gaming.