My Top 8 Games of 1993

Note: 1993 saw the Super NES continue to receive support from both Nintendo and third parties. That said, the NES was still not quite finished, receiving even more games, including one that would become a classic. Meanwhile, 1993 was an oddly quiet year for Sega when it came to blockbuster titles. The titles that did come to the Genesis were generally high quality entries, they just were not in the same category as some of the titles the Super NES got in 1993. Also, I’m bringing back a few ties for this list. I just can’t help myself.

Honorable Mentions:
– NES: Ducktales 2, Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny
– Super NES: Actraiser 2, Goof Troop, Pocky & Rocky, Star Fox, The 7th Saga, Lufia & the Fortress of Doom
– Sega Genesis (CD): Ecco the Dolphin, Gunstar Heroes, Jurassic Park, Shining Force, Splatterhouse 3, Streets of Rage 2, Thunder Force IV
– Super NES / Sega Genesis: Alien 3, Aladdin, Zombies Ate My Neighbors
– TurboGrafx-16: Bomberman 93, Bonk 3
– GameBoy: Adventure Island 3, Final Fantasy Legend III
– Arcade: Mortal Kombat II
– PC: Myst

8. Battle Cars (Super NES)(Tie)
I’m going to say something that is counter-intuitive given that this game is on this list: this is not a great game. I’m 100% aware of this. It has flaws, it’s unfair in many instances, and it doesn’t have much variety. All of that said, this game still holds a special place in my heart and I cannot leave it off this list. In Battle Cars, you pick one of a few cars and race on a track in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic world. You can either play solo and race against a boss car or in two player mode. Oh, and I’m using “track” loosely here because I don’t think there is a track, just a road. You have a few weapons that you can switch between to destroy other cars and slow the boss car down. As mentioned above, this game is tough. Later boss cars seem almost unbeatable (and, as a matter of fact, I’ve never beaten this game). So, the reason I still love this game is it’s one my brother and I use to rent and play all the time. I still have a ton of nostalgia for this title, and so it simply has to be here.

8. Super Godzilla (Super NES)(Tie)
Not to create a questionable theme here, but this is another game that I understand isn’t great, but is a game that I think is very interesting to play. Taking its cues from Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters on the NES, Super Godzilla is a strategy game that has you control the titular monster through various scenarios in what is essentially a strategy game. However, from time to time, you will encounter enemies (UFO’s or other monsters from Godzilla’s canon) that switch you to a battle scene. In this scene, you need to raise Godzilla’s fighting spirit by attacking the opposing monster, then backing up to open attack windows. Once you have an attack, you trigger it, and a cut scene will play showing the attack take place. It’s not a title that’s easy to learn, but if you give it some time, I think it’s a game that will entertain you with its intriguing choices in regards to gameplay.

7. Bubble Bobble 2 (NES)(Tie)
The sequel to Bubble Bobble (obviously), Bubble Bobble 2 is essentially more of the same with just a few tweaks. Boss fights are introduced, as are a few new bubble types. Most noticeably though, is the ability to float upward by inflating Bub/Bob. This replaces the bubble hopping mechanic from the original. Also changed is the ability to play two-player simultaneously. In Bubble Bobble 2, you alternate levels, which is a bit disappointing. At the end of the day though, Bubble Bobble is a fantastic game, so getting more of a fantastic game is never a bad thing. Unfortunately, getting this game is nearly impossible as it is ridiculously rare.

7. Clayfighter (Super NES)(Tie)
Just in case I haven’t mentioned it before, I’m terrible at fighting games. Something about them simply does not click in my head. I lost the tutorial fight on Injustice guys. I’m bad. Clayfighter, though, is a fighter I could get behind. A completely silly take on the fighting genre, Clayfighter sees you fighting as one of a handful of clay figures (Bad Mr. Froster, Ickybod Clay, etc…) complete with special moves and what would be brutal attacks if these weren’t clay figures. The game is completely ridiculous, but that was kind of the point, and it works beautifully. If you’ve never given this title a chance, I strongly recommend it. It has to be played to be fully appreciated.

6. Sonic CD (Sega Genesis / CD)(Tie)
Initially a port of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic CD became its own title and does the series great justice. Featuring classic Sonic gameplay and level design, Sonic CD also includes a time travel future that sees Sonic travel between the future and the past in an effort to get the “happy” version of the third level in each zone. This requires you to travel to the past in the first two levels of a zone and destroy a robot transporter. I don’t have much more to say about Sonic CD, but that’s only because Sonic is quite straight forward. And that’s not a bad thing.

6. SimCity 2000 (PC)(Tie)
For my money, this is the definitive entry in the SimCity franchise. The gameplay is right there in the title. You take a plot of land and build a city. It’s sort of insane that this game can be simultaneously intensely deep and detailed, but very user friendly. I don’t know how it works, but it just does. I spent many, many hours with this game and learned, conclusively, that I should never run a city. Even when you’re failing as mayor though, this game is just a ton of fun to play.

5. Claymates (Super NES)
I consider this game to be a sibling to Clayfighters. They were developed at the same time and share an art style (I intend to cover this in a future Retrospection post). But while Clayfighters was a fighting game, Claymates is a platformer, and a brilliant platformer at that. Claymates sees you take control of Clayton, the young son of a scientist. Turned into a ball of clay by a witch doctor, Clayton must traverse the world to rescue his father and turn himself back into a human. The key to this game is that Clayton can change into one of five different animals by touching colored balls of clay in level. Each animal has distinct abilities that allow you to tackle each level in the way that best suits you (and what animal transformations are available in each level). The levels are generally quite large and allow for plenty of exploration. The only downside to this title is the lack of a password or save feature, but there are warps in each world that let you jump forwards quickly. Often overlooked, this game is hidden gem in the Super NES library.

4. Kirby’s Adventure (NES)
Growing up, I didn’t realize that this was the first title that gave Kirby is copy ability. Having missed out on Kirby’s Dream Land, I had always assumed that Kirby could always copy enemy abilities. Anyway, Kirby’s Adventure on the NES took Kirby from fun little platformer to Nintendo stalwart. The level design is simply stellar, the length of the game is perfect, and the copy ability was a complete gamechanger for the fledgling franchise. More recent entries may be prettier, but this game, released very late in the NES’s life, still holds up today as one of Kirby’s best entries.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (GameBoy)
Link’s first handheld adventure was a perfect translation of the series from home console to handheld. Link’s Awakening sees Link washed up on the beach of Koholint Island, which is apparently only in existence as part of the Windfish’s dream, the Windfish being a creature that sits atop a mountain on Koholint. For Link to return to Hyrule, he must wake the Windfish, but doing so could cause Koholint to disappear. The surprisingly deep story is accompanied with same stellar gameplay that graced previous entries in the Zelda franchise along with some new items for Link to use on his adventure. While this was remade for the Switch, the original is still a fantastic title that plays just as well today as it did when it launched.

2. Secret of Mana (Super NES)
The sequel to the Final Fantasy Adventure on GameBoy, Secret of Mana is considered by many to be one of, if not the, best games on the Super NES. An Action RPG, Mana sees you accidentally bring about the return of monsters by pulling the Mana Sword from its resting place. Exiled from your village, you must travel the world and befriend a couple of companions to determine your fate and, ultimately, battle against both the Empire and the Mana Beast. Secret of Mana is a sprawling game that features hours of gameplay and dozens of locales to visit and revisit. The game includes real time weapon attacks along with magical attacks that are gained as you explore the world and restore the Mana Seeds. While I’m not as fond of Secret of Mana as many people (hence it being at #2 on this list), it is still a masterpiece of the game and deserves the accolades it still receives.

1. E.V.O.: Search for Eden (Super NES)
A game published by Enix that far too few people are aware of, EVO is a game about evolution and time. EVO tasks you with guiding a creature through various ages, defeating other creatures for evolution points that can be used to strengthen your creature in a variety of ways. You do this first in the sea, then on land, and then (possibly) in the air. The joy of EVO is that you can play the game a dozen times and have a dozen differing experiences. The possibilities of what you can create feel nearly limitless. Hidden among the evolutions are quasi-secret evolutions, such as a bird, a mermaid, and a human. To this day, I’ve never played another game like EVO: Search for Eden, and I still enjoy it just as much now as I did the first time I tried it. For those reasons, EVO: Search for Eden is my #1 game of 1993. (Retrospection: E.V.O.: Search for Eden)

Other Yearly Top 8 Posts:
1987 / 1988 / 1989 / 1990 / 1991 / 1992