The SNES, known in Japan as Super Famicom, is considered as one of the best video game consoles of all time by many people for its extensive catalog of games and the quality of them.
The SNES gave us authentic classic gaming jewels such as Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past and Chrono Trigger. Those are some of the best SNES games ever created. However, as in any family, there is always a black sheep and, in this case, 15 black sheep.
Today, we are going to take a look at those games that did not reach the quality expected by the players, and why people remember them as the worst SNES games of all time.
Sorry if there are some of your favorite games on this list, although we doubt it. If you play these games once, you will never want to play them again.
15. Vortex
Developed by Argonaut Software, Vortex was released for the system in 1994 as one of the games with better graphics console.
Despite its visual section, this title is considered one of the worst games of the SNES era because of its confusing mechanics.
The objective of the game is to destroy the enemy fleet with your self-transforming robot, but you never fully understand just how to do this.
However, Vortex is one of the more controversial games on this list. Many gamers have very fond memories of this title, while others still curse its name to this day.
14. Frogger
Even with being an adaptation of one of the most popular games in history and being the last title to come out for the Super Nintendo in America, Frogger is one of the worst.
When Frogger for Super Nintendo was released, there was already a 3D version for the first Play Station. It was better than this SNES version, though, and is a faithful adaptation of the game from the arcade.
Frogger on the SNES has a graphic section that looks better on the ATARI. There are better graphics in online flash games. I am sure that the game made more sense on a portable console like the original Game Boy than on the mighty Super Nintendo.
Too bad it was the last game for the system because it was a horrible and tedious way to say goodbye to one of the best consoles ever.
13. Mega Man Soccer
What is the Megaman relationship with soccer?
Something called Mega Man Soccer was developed by CAPCOM and released in 1994. In this game, a team of Mega Man clones play against different Dr. Willy Robots, which also have their squad of clones. The game controls are too slow, and the gameplay is terrible. Also, the artificial intelligence of the rivals is quite repetitive.
Mega Man Soccer is not only one of the worst SNES games, but one of the worst soccer video games ever created along with Freestyle Street Soccer and Chris Kamara’s Street Soccer. Also, it is the worst of the Mega Man series.
12. Rise of the Robots
Developed by Mirage, Rise of the Robots came to Super Nintendo in 1994 with the promise of offering one of the best graphic sections of the console to date.
We were all crazy excited to play this game, and when the time came in January 1995, the disappointment was quite significant. There were only seven robots; the story mode was reserved only for Cyborg, the protagonist.
In spite of having a great soundtrack and an impressive graphic section, this SNES game offered poor artificial intelligence on the enemies that the players could defeat by repeating specific movements over and over again. Furthermore, it has a quite confusing control which makes the game a little hard to play.
11. Batman Forever
Batman Forever is one of the worst SNES games based on the superhero ever created. This video game, launched in the middle of 1995 and has several versions for other platforms such as Game Gear and Game Boy. The SNES Batman Forever was heavily criticized for its poor graphics and for a confusing control system that was sometimes frustrating.
Acclaim, which is also responsible for Batman and Robin, took advantage of Mortal Kombat animations and digitized graphics and pulled an uncontrollable horizontal development game out of his sleeve.
10. Wayne’s World
Wayne’s World is a classic American comedy. It is, perhaps, the best Mike Myers movie — though we enjoy Austin Powers — and it is a film that has aged quite well.
The adaptation for the Super Nintendo, on the other hand, is one of the worst platforming games for the system. Despite being quite playable, it is very irritating thanks to its repetitive clips of voices such as EXCELLENT and NOT.
Wayne’s World has some original but generally horrible graphics and an unfair level design. This game loves to insert obstacles in places where nobody would expect them or enemies where it is almost impossible to avoid them.
Other versions of this game, which are more pleasant to play than this version, were launched the same year on NES and Game Boy. I would only recommend it to the most masochistic fans of the movie.
9. 3D Ballz
3D Ballz is a fighting game that was developed by PF Magic and published by Accolade in 1994. Each of the characters on the roster was composed entirely of spheres — what a creativity, right? — in an uncomfortable pseudo 3D, which was very strange.
The game has empty and flat scenarios; the music is terrible and repetitive, and the sound effects are disastrous. Besides, the controls are awful.
8. Pit Fighter
Any good fighting game must have fast gameplay and commands that can react without lag to whatever the player wants to do. Therefore, the gamers reflexes have to be as fast as the game.
Pit Fighter’s case is extraordinary since it is one of the slowest head-to-head combat titles in history. It is also a title that is very difficult to win thanks to the fact that its controls rarely respond, or at least not at the speed that it is needed.
The fact that there is only one life and one energy bar is unfair. Likewise, the graphics are annoying, and this makes us understand why Pit Fighter is not only one of the worst SNES games, but one of the worst fighting games ever made.
7. Bebe’s Kids
Bebe’s Kids is a game based on the terrible movie of the same name, and it is probably the worst beat ‘em up for this console. It is a game in which every aspect it has, does not work.
The music seems more 8-bit than 16-bit; the graphics are horrible and slow down every time the game introduces more than one enemy. The animations are very poor, and considering the theme of the game, it is a bit racist, and the gameplay is horrible.
It does not matter which character you choose; the controls of each of them are terrible, and it takes a long time to kill a single enemy. Not even the few fans that the film could have would be able to enjoy the video game for SNES.
6. Super 3D Noah’s Ark
Who would think of transforming a title like Doom, that is a bloody and controversial game because of the inclusion of Nazi and satanic symbols, into a BIBLICAL game? Precisely, that was what Wisdom Tree did with Super 3D Noah’s Ark for Super Nintendo.
Noah knocked all animals out with a slingshot to put them in his ark. LOOK AT IT! Graphically, it is awful as one would expect, but the worst thing about the game is that it crashes from time to time, erasing any progress one might have made.
5. Rap Jam
Rappers playing basketball one on one, what could go wrong?
Well, Motown Software didn’t think it was a bad idea, and they made it come true. Motown Software decided to launch this video game for the Super Nintendo and, to be fair, the concept is not so bad. The problem is that the game is very dull, its graphics are horrible, and its gameplay is tedious, although its controls are decent.
If you play a game with rappers, the least you expect is for it to have a good soundtrack, but the game only has music on the menu. Indeed, it is a misused concept in this basketball game.
4. Captain Novolin
This horrible game not only has one of the worst game covers of all time but also it is considered one of the worst Super Nintendo titles.
Developed by Raya Systems, Captain Novolin went on sale in 1992 under the label of an educational video game. It was sponsored by an insulin manufacturer to offer us an adventure starring by a diabetic superhero who had to face humanoid foods with an exaggerated smile.
Captain Novolin’s only ability is to jump ridiculously and eat healthy food appearing on stage. Probably, the worst superhero ever created.
3. Hong Kong 97
This game is one of the strangest video games in history.
It was developed in Japan by HappySoft Inc for Super Famicom in 1995. The unauthorized use of images by actors such as Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, and exhausting music loop that lasts five seconds, is kind of funny. Besides, the historical anticommunist axis entourage that the game shows, terrible mechanics, among other aspects, make this a very particular SNES game.
Upon being hit in the game, we lose a life immediately. The game ends showing us a disgusting game over screen, more disgusting than its gameplay, such as a photo from a VHS video showing a corpse with bullet holes. Despite that gamers only could play it in Japan, the arrival of emulators and ROMs facilitated the spread of Hong Kong 97. Because of being a very experimental title, there is very little information from its developers.
2. Race Drivin’
Making a bad racing game is almost impossible. YES, there are many mediocre titles of this genre, but terrible games … those are rare; this is why Race Drivin’ is particularly surprising.
In the era of games like Super Mario Kart, F-Zero, and Top Gear, how could Argonaut Software Ltd make such a simple and potentially fun concept so bad?
It does not matter how much or how long you press the accelerator for, your car will always go at the same speed and each object which you rub with make yourself explode. Also, there are only four tracks to run, and one of them does not even have an end.
The graphics are horrible — they look more like Atari than a console from the early 90s — and the music is awful. Racing Drivin’ is one of the worst SNES games and the worst racing game ever made.
1. Shaq-Fu
Shaq-Fu is one of those games that are so bad that it has been gaining a cult following and remarkable fame throughout the years.
Many people know it and know the stories that surround this title, but they have never played it. And how lucky they are as Shaq-Fu is genuinely the worst game ever released for the Super Nintendo. Also, it is an abomination based on an equally terrible movie starring by the famous NBA basketball player Shaquille O’Neal.
The character hitting detection is abysmal; the opponent artificial intelligence is inconsistent, and each fighter moves so slow that it’s almost impossible to fight. The graphics are the best it has. Nevertheless, that is not enough because if you combine all the above with a ridiculous plot and a nonexistent fun factor, you will know why this is the worst SNES game ever made!
The Super Nintendo is undoubtedly one of the best consoles of all time, and up to this day, the console is still giving us a lot of fun. As you could see, there are very few bad games, but the ones that there are, are awful. You can play them at your own risk, although we recommend you to spend your time playing the best SNES classic games or any other game — the important thing is to keep on playing.
