After months of speculation and rumors, Nintendo finally announced the Super Nintendo Classic Mini. This is the follow-up to the NES Classic Mini, which became a surprise hit for Nintendo. The SNES Classic will be released on September 29th and it will come with 21 amazing games, one of which is Star Fox 2, which has never been released before.

Not everyone is going to be happy with the game selection on any Classic Mini that Nintendo releases, especially since they're not shipping the systems with the entire library of titles that were ever released. The SNES Classic Mini has fewer games than its predecessor, however, and there are a few notable absentees from the system that have disappointed the fans.

We are here today to make our case for why these unfairly maligned games should be included on the SNES Classic Mini. From the best Donkey Kong Country games ever made, to one of the greatest RPGs of all time, here are the 15 Games That SHOULD Have Been On The SNES Classic Min

15. Donkey Kong Country 2 & 3

Donkey Kong Country 2 & 3

The SNES Classic Mini will have the original Donkey Kong Country as one of its games, which caused fans to immediately ask why the other two games in the series aren't included.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest is brutally difficult compared to its predecessor. This is what makes it so popular among platform game fans, as it doesn't pull any punches. The Mario games, along with the first Donkey Kong Country, stock you up with so many extra lives that you never feel like you're in danger. Donkey Kong Country 2 was not so generous, which gave its gameplay a tense and exciting edge that you don't normally find in Nintendo platform games.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is the Super Mario World of the series. It opened up the world map and filled it with hidden secrets for the player to find. For example, you could acquire new vehicles, which allowed you to explore more of the game. Donkey Kong Country 3 is more divisive among the fans of the series, but it is still an excellent game and is worthy of inclusion on the SNES Classic Mini.

14. Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Girl screaming on the cover of the Zombies Ate My Neighbors box art

George Lucas created a video game development house, for the specific purpose of making high-quality adaptations of his Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. This company became LucasArts, and they were responsible for some of the best games in the 16-bit era.

One of LucasArts most bizarre games of the '90s was Zombies Ate My Neighbors. This was a top-down shooter, where you had to rescue people from your neighborhood while fighting off hordes of zombies with a limited selection of weapons. It also contained an awesome two-player mode.

The reason this game is absent from the SNES Classic Mini might be to do with licensing issues. LucasArts now mainly creates high-quality remakes of their older titles, so they might be holding off for an update of Zombies Ate My Neighbors, rather than okaying a rerelease.

13. Final Fantasy IV

The Red Wings aboard an airship in Final Fantasy IV

Final Fantasy III is one of the games that is coming to the SNES Classic Mini. It is one of a trilogy of Final Fantasy titles that made it to the system (not counting the reviled Mystic Quest), and it is odd that we are only seeing the last of the three. Final Fantasy V was only released in Japan, so it makes sense that it is missing from the SNES Classic Mini, but way about Final Fantasy II?

The Western world only received the first Final Fantasy game on the NES. We received Final Fantasy IV next, though it was renamed Final Fantasy II in order to account for the two games we didn't get. This game is an excellent RPG in its own right, and it is actually the 2nd most popular title in the series in Japan (after VII).

While it was heavily censored for its international release, it was still an amazing game and is as worthy of a spot on the SNES Classic Mini as Final Fantasy III.

12. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time

Turtles in Time arcade game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Konami held the license for making games based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise throughout the 16-bit era. They did an incredible job and made some of the best arcade fighting games of the period.

The pinnacle of Konami's achievements with the franchise has to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. This was a scrolling beat 'em up that starred the four turtles as they battled Shredder and his allies throughout history. It is often regarded as the best scrolling beat 'em up of all time.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time received a high-quality port on the Super Nintendo, which is the version of the game that most fans remember. The reason it is not included is likely due to complex licensing issues, as Konami no longer hold the rights to make TMNT games anymore. We know that it isn't issues with Konami themselves, as Super Castlevania IV is appearing on the SNES Classic Mini.

11. ActRaiser

ActRaiser

ActRaiser was one of the first games released on the Super Nintendo. It was a game where you played a god who must reclaim his world from the forces of darkness. You get to play as a extremely powerful mythological diety, who can smite his enemies and stab monsters in the face.

What made ActRaiser so unique at the time was its mixture of genres. You got to play as god in a combination building/strategy game, where you could move your floating palace between locations and cast miracles in order to help villages grow.

Sooner or later, you would come across a fortress of evil that needed crushing, so you would send your avatar down to do the deed. This was when the game turned into an action platformer, where you fought the forces of evil head-on.

ActRaiser was a game made by Quintet, who are now defunct. It was published by Enix, who are now known as Square Enix and have already committed several games to the SNES Classic Mini, so we are not sure exactly why ActRaiser was not included on the system.

10. Shadowrun

Shadowrun Poster

One of the most unusual RPGs on the Super Nintendo was set in a high-tech world where the mystical creatures of a fantasy setting live among the machines. Shadowrun is a game based on a tabletop RPG of the same name.

You play as a runner named Jake Armitage who wakes up on a slab in the morgue. Jake quickly discovers that he has a bomb planted in his head that needs defusing. It is then up to the player to work out the mystery of Jake's past and find out why so many people want to kill him.

Shadowrun is an isometric RPG, where the player can choose to fight with guns or magic. It also has a massive setting, where you fight everything from vampires to robots. The reason why it isn't on the SNES Classic Mini might be due to its brutal difficulty.

It is one of the hardest games on the Super Nintendo, and you basically needed to use a guide to help you survive. Shadowrun is also one of the most unique games on the system and all fans of the Super Nintendo owe it to themselves to finish it at least once.

9. Demon's Crest

Firebrand on the Demon's Crest box art

At the beginning of each of the Ghouls 'n Ghosts games, the princess of the kingdom is kidnapped by a gargoyle demon. This forces Arthur to don his armor and go on a rescue mission. The demon actually starred in his own spinoff series called Gargoyle's Quest, and it was here that we discover that he is named Firebrand and that it is often up to him to battle other demons in the underworld.

The best Gargoyle's Quest game was called Demon's Crest. This was an action platformer on the Super Nintendo where you played as Firebrand as he battled other gargoyle demons and stole their abilities.

Demon's Crest was an early Metroidvania-styled game, where you needed to acquire powerups in order to proceed. It is odd that Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts is appearing on the SNES Classic Mini and Demon's Crest is not, considering it is the superior game.

8. Pilotwings

Pilotwings

The most unusual omission from the SNES Classic Mini is Pilotwings. This is because it is a solely Nintendo-developed game, which means that they own all of its rights. Nintendo wouldn't have needed to ask for permission or to cut a deal with anyone to include Pilotwings on the SNES Classic, so why isn't it on the system?

Pilotwings is like F-Zero, in that it was a game designed to show off the Mode-7 graphics format, which was exclusive to the Super Nintendo. In Pilotwings, you had to earn a pilot license, which allowed you to fly numerous vehicles around a huge play area. A lot of the levels in Pilotwings involved you landing your vehicle or parachuting down to a specific location, which is a lot easier said than done.

The lack of Pilotwings on the SNES Classic Mini is a major omission, and may actually be a hint that Nintendo is planning to release a sequel to the system, assuming that the original sells a lot of copies.

7. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 SNES

The Mortal Kombat series had a rocky start on the Super Nintendo. This is because Nintendo insisted on the game's violent content being censored before they would allow it to appear on the system.

The SNES version of Mortal Kombat replaced all of the blood with sweat and toned down the Fatality finishers. This censorship only extended to the first game in the series, as later Mortal Kombat titles on the Super Nintendo kept the blood and violent attacks.

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was one of the best fighting games on the Super Nintendo. It had the most characters and finishing moves of any entry in the series, and also featured some of the most brutal boss battles on the Super Nintendo.

The reason why none of the Mortal Kombat titles are appearing on the SNES Classic Mini is likely to keep the age rating down, in order to make the product as family-friendly as possible.

6. Terranigma

The art for Terranigma on SNES shows the protagonist looking at the moon.

Europe was ignored by Nintendo for a long time. It took two extra years for the Super Nintendo to be released in the PAL countries, where it had fewer launch titles than the other regions. This was partly due to the fact that there was more competition in Europe, from systems like the ZX Spectrum and the Amiga, which opposed Sega and Nintendo in the 16-bit era.

There was one awesome exclusive game that was released in Europe that America never got. It was called Terranigma and it mixed the action gameplay of Secret of Mana with a dark setting that involves the creation of our world.

In it, you play as a boy named Ark who accidentally inflicts a curse upon his village that turns everyone to stone. Ark has to go on a journey to break the curse. This involves reviving the ancient world, which has been sealed away by the forces of evil.

Terranigma is often unfairly overlooked when it comes to lists of the greatest SNES games of all time. Including it on the SNES Classic Mini would have been an excellent way for the game to finally earn the recognition it deserves.

5. Super Tennis

Super Tennis SNES

Europe may have had a smaller launch line-up for the Super Nintendo than America, but at least they had Super Tennis available to buy from day one.

Though sports titles tend to not age as well as games from other genres, Super Tennis has somehow remained evergreen due to its tight and addictive gameplay. This was another game that made the most of the Super Nintendo's unique graphical capabilities, such as Mode-7 and the ability to seamlessly scale the size of sprites.

This gave Super Tennis a false 3D effect, where it seemed as if the ball was really moving towards you. Super Tennis was at its most fun with two players, and was one of the earliest reasons to buy a second controller (at least until Street Fighter II came to the system).

The company that developed Super Tennis no longer exists, so we are unsure who actually owns the rights to the game. This might be the reason why it is not included on the SNES Classic Mini.

4. Breath Of Fire II

Breath of Fire II SNES

It wasn't just Squaresoft and Enix who were making killer RPGs for the Super Nintendo. Capcom started their awesome Breath of Fire series on the system. These are a (now defunct) series of games where you play as a character named Ryu who possesses the blood of dragons.

Ryu has the ability to transform into a dragon, and it is up to him and his friends to save the world from evil, which often means that Ryu will have to transform in order to battle and save others.

Breath of Fire II was the better of the two games released on the Super Nintendo. It had a more in-depth story and more facets to its gameplay, such as the town building mechanic, and the ability to fuse your characters with shamans in order to become stronger.

Capcom has pretty much abandoned the Breath of Fire series (outside of some horrible mobile phone games), but it is odd that at least one of them didn't make its way onto the SNES Classic Mini.

3. Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon SNES

A lot of fans have been enjoying Harvest Moon over the past year. This may be because someone crossed out the name of the game and wrote Stardew Valley over it, before selling it on Steam.

The original Harvest Moon must have seemed like a hard sell initially, as it is a game where you play as a farmer. It is your job to build a successful farm, which involves growing crops and rearing animals.

The game was a pioneer in relationship mechanics, as you could impress one of the local girls into marrying you. This might seem like a boring premise for a game, but there is actually something really engaging and relaxing about becoming a successful farmer. The series has also done well financially, considering how many Harvest Moon games were made after this one.

We have seen the rise of farming games over the years, with the likes of Stardew Valley and Farmville, so it is odd that Harvest Moon wasn't chosen to appear on the SNES Classic Mini.

2. Killer Instinct

Killer Instinct

Killer Instinct is one of the best fighting games on the Super Nintendo. The other big fighting game franchises of the time-- like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat-- started out in the arcades before receiving tons of console ports. Killer Instinct started in the arcades, but the port was exclusive to the Super Nintendo.

While the Super Nintendo port of Killer Instinct lacked the awesome graphics of the arcade original, it still managed to retain the unique cast of characters, the awesome gameplay that rewarded skill, and the combo system that made it such a big hit in the first place.

The biggest hurdle to including Killer Instinct on the SNES Classic Mini is that Microsoft now owns Rare, which means that they own the rights to the franchise. If Nintendo wanted to include Killer Instinct on the SNES Classic, then they would have to cut a deal with Microsoft. It might have been a good idea to test the waters with Killer Instinct, as Nintendo will need to work with Rare/Microsoft if they ever want to produce a Nintendo 64 Classic Mini.

1. Chrono Trigger

On the Chrono Trigger box, a swordsman lunges at a blue monster while a mage empowers his blade.

Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest video games of all time. It is an RPG with a story that is based around time travel, which means that you can travel between a fantasy realm that is filled with magic and a futuristic wasteland that is ruled by machines.

The story follows a group of characters as they journey through time in order to find a way to stop the end of the world which is destined to happen in the year 1999. Anyone who loves RPGs owes it to themselves to play Chrono Trigger.

Square Enix has already allowed some of their best games to appear on the SNES Classic-- including the Super Mario RPG-- which has previously been a point of contention between them and Nintendo. Chrono Trigger might be the most notable absentee on the SNES Classic, as it is one of the best games on the system. Surely Nintendo would have preferred to include it over Secret of Mana or even Final Fantasy III?

We can only hope that Nintendo plans to make a follow-up the SNES Classic Mini at some point, which will include all of these great games.

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Are there any other games that you think should have been on the SNES Classic Mini? Let us know in the comment section!