Video games have made unbelievable progress since their humble beginnings, but theSuper Nintendois a system that’s still fondly remembered.Emulatorscan be a controversial tool in the gaming world, but they help make a number of games accessible in a way that is often otherwise impossible.
Related:10 Rarest SNES Games (And The Story Behind Them)
The SNES has dozens of iconic video games that have made undeniable marks, but there are all plenty of titles that have fallen through the cracks or just straight-up never got released in certain regions of the world. Accordingly, here are 10 rare Super Nintendo games that you can only find on emulators.
10Batman: Revenge Of The Joker
Batman: Revenge of the Jokeris aBatmantitle that lets the Joker loose in Gotham City and puts Batman on his trail. Oddly, the game relies heavily on shooting mechanics, going against traditional Batman lore. The game is in fact a remake of theNintendo Entertainment Systemtitle,Batman: Return of the Joker, but it attempts to spruce up the game.
Related:10 Best SNES Games That Never Released Outside Japan (But Have Translations)
Batman: Return of the Jokerwas released on theGenesis, but despite the SNES version being finished, it was never actually released. A finished ROM of the title has since surfaced, which makes it an interesting title that needs an emulator to be experienced.
9Clock Tower
When it comes to thesurvival horrorgenre of video games, it’s oftenResident Evil,Silent Hill,or sometimesFatal Framethat come up in conversation, but theClock Towerseries has been around for even longer and made an important contribution to the genre. TheClock Towerseries blossoms on the Sony PlayStation, but the first game is on the SNES and never saw an American release.
Related:Super Nintendo: The 10 Best RPGs On The SNES, Ranked
Clock Towertruly pushes the limits for a Super Nintendo game and is actually scary. A patched translated ROM has been put together, which finally allowsClock Towerto be accessible.
8Ganbare Goemon 3
It’s unfortunate that theGanbare Goemonseries appears to have died off and that Konami has no plans to revive the quirky series. Most American games likely got their first experience with Goemon, the Mystical Ninja, on theNintendo 64’spair of games.
However, the SNES entries that precede it are incredibly ambitious titles.Ganbare Goemon 3is the final and most advanced of the Super NintendoGoemongames. A language barrier forever locked this game away, but a stunning translation has allowed it to be experienced via emulation and it’s such a strong entry in the series.
7The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes
The Super Nintendo wasn’t lacking when it came to video games that revolved aroundSpider-Man. There are four SNES titles that do a lot with Spider-Man, but many gamers don’t realize that there’s also a fifth title that was exclusively released in Japan.
The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foesisn’t that different from the other Spider-Man games, but it gains points for its impressive roster of characters. The villains include the Lizard, Mysterio, Venom, Carnage, and Doc Octopus, but it also throws in the Human Torch, Iron Fist, and Speedball as allies for Spider-Man.
6Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R
It took a long time for anime to come through to the mainstream in North America, but even before this boom took place,Sailor MoonandDragon Ball Zwere still able to break through in the ‘90s. Despite the popularity of these anime on television, their video game equivalents weren’t given the same privilege.Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Ris an entertaining beat-‘em-up game that stars theSailor Mooncharacters. Emulation has made a translated version of the game possible and it’s a great treat for fans of the series.
5Shadowhawk
Superhero-basedbeat-‘em-upswere incredibly popular on the Super Nintendo, but in addition to all of the mainstream properties that got video games, there were also more niche heroes that tried to find greater fame through video games.Shadowhawkis very dark anti-hero who’s basically Spawn, but with a terminal illness.
Shadowhawkwas fully finished towards the end of the SNES’ life, but they couldn’t find a publisher due to its violent nature. It’s a decent brawler, but the boss fights transition into more of aMortal Kombatdesign. Eventually, the finished title found its way online.
4Prime
Much likeShadowhawk, Primeis another low-tier superhero that tried to see if video games couldimprove their stock. The character of Prime is a 13 year-old who is suddenly turned into a powerful superhero, which basically makes this a 16-bitShazamrip-off.Primeuses aFinal Fightstyle of gameplay and features turning comic book visuals between levels.Primewas canceled before it was released, but it appears that a finished version of the game made it online that features five playable levels. Emulators make this niche title possible to finally play.
3Super Shadow Of The Beast
Shadow of the Beastwas one of the more popular titles to come from the Amiga and it found itself being ported over to basically any system possible. To carry on in this tradition, there was a Super Nintendo version that went into production, but it was too violent to be approved by Nintendo. The game had to go through many revisions to meet Nintendo’s standards, but it still didn’t come out. A ROM ofSuper Shadow of the Beastis available, which lets people enjoy this strange SNES port.
2Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension
Modern gamers may take for granted just how long it took for there to be adequateDragon Ball Zgames. More recent titles likeDragon Ball FighterZandDragon Ball Z: Kakarothave helped redefine what’s possible in the genre. These titles indulge in every corner of theDragon Balluniverse, but things were very different on the Super Nintendo.Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimensionis far from perfect, but it’s a 2DDragon Ball Zfighter that’s great for its time. An English version was never made available, but such a thing has been pursued on the emulation scene.
1Dragon Quest V: Hand Of The Heavenly Bride
For a lot of people, theDragon QuestRPG series is just as important to the genre as theFinal Fantasygames. It’s taken some time, but North America now gives theDragon Questseries the respect that it deserves and localization of games is practically a given. However, back on the Super Nintendo,JRPGswere still a bit of a gamble. Important chapters from theDragon Questseries were never localized andDragon Quest Vdidn’t receive an English version until the 2009 Nintendo DS remake. Emulation has allowed the original game, in English, to be appreciated.
Next:10 Reasons Why The SNES Was Better Than The Sega Genesis
