16 Games Missing From The Super Nintendo Classic Edition

I know there are a ton of games that were absolutely awesome during the 16-bit run of the SNES. There are also more games that people have fond memories of than just the 21 included with Nintendo's upcoming SNES Classic Edition. Well, we decided to put together a list of some of the titles we felt were missing from the line-up.

Now typically lists aren't going to cover every single game that everyone loved during that time, but there were some noteworthy games from that era that were surprisingly absent from the list over on the official site that Nintendo has planned to roll out for the Super Nintendo Classic Edition, which is set to launch on September 29th for $79.99. Here is our list of 16 games missing from the line-up.

16. Super Mario All-Stars

I don't see how Nintendo managed to put together a list of games for the SNES and not include Super Mario All-Stars? Next to Super Mario World, I don't think there was a game (or compilation of games) that was played or as beloved as Super Mario All-Stars. It's a really strange decision that Nintendo decided to leave this one off given that you get a handful of games coupled together in one package, making it quickly raise the overall value of the SNES Classic Edition.

15 - X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse

This was a game that was a bit more in the weeds than the rest. The X-Men video games were quite popular back in the 1990s as the comic book and cartoon were taking over the media landscape. The only problem was that X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse on the SNES always took second fiddle to the X-Men game on the Sega Genesis, even though it was infinitely more polished, more fun and was a lot more true to the characters from the series. Players could take on the role of a handful of different X-Men, battling in side-scrolling platform missions. It was hard but it was also very fun.

14 - Super Bomberman 5

I'm truly baffled how this game didn't make the cut. Maybe it has to do with licensing issues and the whole Hudon Soft thing? However, Super Bomberman was a game that really helped define the SNES back in the day. The titles were lighthearted fun but oh boy could they get heated during the multiplayer bouts. While Super Bomberman 5 was obviously the pinnacle of quality for the series on the SNES, any game from the series making the list would have been welcomed. It's a real shame that new-school gamers will miss out on this series on the SNES Classic Edition.

13 - Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure

Perhaps there were issues with securing the rights to redistribute Pitfall for the SNES? That's the only reason I can come up with why this game isn't included in the list of 21 games on the machine. Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure was the Tomb Raider and Uncharted during that era, well before Lara Croft and Nathan Drake were dominating the sales charts. It was an original IP that was basically a rip-off of Indiana Jones but boy oh boy was it fun. Pitfall was also one of the games that was part of the heated rivalry between SNES and Genesis when it came to the 16-bit graphics wars.

12 - WWF Royal Rumble

More sports games! Because why not? The current crop of games that Nintendo selected for the SNES Classic Edition are somewhat thin on nodding toward the sports genre, there's only Super Punch-Out and maybe Street Fighter II if you want to count that. WWF Royal Rumble is one of many wrestling games that came out back in the day and it was super, super fun. Simple mechanics made it easy to pick up and play, and the way the wrestling worked allowed for some back and forth matches with some decent ring psychology for its time. Definitely would have been worth it save for the unfortunate use of the "WWF" logo.

11 - NBA Jam

Acclaim may have gone kaput, but its assets still live on. Back when Midway was a dominate force in the marketplace, NBA Jam was one of the games that helped get them there. The game was jam packed with secrets and hidden content you could unlock, and the simplistic mechanics made it a shoo-in for loads of replayability. And the dunks! Oh my... the dunks! This game is what started the trend of including over-the-top dunks in basketball titles, and it would have been awesome to see it make a return via the Classic Edition.

10 - Jurassic Park 2

Another underrated gem on the SNES. Now here's the thing, the SNES and Sega Genesis both had completely different Jurassic Park games. Jurassic Park 2 on the Genesis was closer to Jurassic Park 1 on the SNES, and Jurassic Park 2 on the SNES was a lot closer to Jurassic Park 1 on the Genesis. Confusing? Yeah. Fun? Absolutely. Jurassic Park 2 afforded players some awesome, intense, run-and-gun co-op action with limited ammo and health, forcing players to think before they shoot. It's a shame this game doesn't get half as much love as it deserves because it would have been perfectly suited for the SNES Classic Edition.

9 - Earthworm Jim

Another baffling entry missing from the list. Earthworm Jim was so popular that he even managed to get a cartoon spinoff. The oddball style and high-quality art helped Earthworm Jim stand out as one of the more remarkable side-scrolling platformers back in the day. Fluid animations, a matching soundtrack and inventive level design helped this game carve out a spot in video game history. So why isn't this game on the list?! Perhaps it's more licensing issues looming over its absence rather than negligence on the part of Nintendo... yeah, let's go with that.

8 - Battletoads & Double Dragon

Someone needs to be slapped for not having this game on the list. Almost everyone who owned an SNES knew about Battletoads & Double Dragon. It was the epitome of hard-boiled crossover meets balls-to-the-wall fun. The game was hard as heck but that was all part of its charm. This two-player beat-'em-up romp featured all the violence from Battletoads but with the more grounded fighting from Double Dragon. Plus there were hover bikes, and platforming segments and space battles. This game had it all.

7 - Blackthorne

One of Blizzard's finest. Blackthorne is one of those games you bring out of the box and show your kid, reminding them of a relic from the olden days when you could tell stories through gameplay, and mix gory side-scrolling action with puzzle-platforming. Blackthorne was an extremely hard game, but it was also a real thinker, too. It's one of those games that seemed impossible to beat but had great replay value nonetheless. It's a shame it didn't make the cut because it was one of those titles that helped define the 16-bit era.

6 - Uniracers

How could Nintendo leave Uniracers off the list? It feels like this is one of those times where the only thing you can do is scratch your head. Uniracers was even published by Nintendo, so there's no excuse about licensing. So how the heck did this game not make the cut? I suppose it's a mystery that will be lost to time. This racing platformer was a crazy game that combined fast-paced time trials with platforming puzzles in what must be one of the most bizarre and entertaining games ever made.

5 - Super Tennis

Yet another Nintendo-made title that isn't being included with the Super Nintendo Classic Edition. It's baffling how this game isn't making the cut either. This was the epitome of feel-good sports entertainment from Nintendo. The music was fresh and inviting, the graphics popped, the gameplay was solid, the replay values were intact. This is the sort of game that really should have been on the SNES Classic Edition. Heck, it may have even reignited a thirst for more tennis games.

4 - Super Double Dragon

Oh this was my jam right here. There are few beat-'em-up games that have come out since Super Double Dragon that even remotely touch the complexity and layered gameplay mechanics present in this title. Super Double Dragon was Tradewest at its best. Counters, reversals, super moves, nunchucks, staffs, bosses, platforming... this game had it all. The fighting was top notch, smooth and hard-hitting, and the ability to block and counter moves made it one of the rare beat-'em-up titles that actually gave players a lot of different ways to fight through various scenarios.

3 - Secret of Evermore

Yet another missing game from the list that should have been included. Licensing couldn't be an issue since Nintendo has two other Squaresoft games on the list, including Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy III. I don't know what happened as to why this game didn't make the cut, but it was easily one of the games that a lot of people were asking about when the official list rolled out and it wasn't on it. While it plays out very similar to Secret of Mana, it was also a very distinct game all its own.

2 - Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Zombies Ate My Neighbors was one of the most popular games back out during the 1990s. This cooperative, isometric shooter romp was a darkly humored, colorful, action-packed shoot-and-loot game that has become a staple title referred to whenever someone brings up zombies, nostalgia and the 16-bit era. Nintendo would have scored huge points including this game in its line-up, but for some reason it was not meant to be.

1 - Chrono Trigger

Obviously, you didn't expect a list like this without including another one of Square's most beloved, cherished, highly rated, critically praised, and easily replayable JRPG? Well, it was bound to happen that this was going to make the list because without a shadow of a doubt this was one of the defining games of the generation. Multiple endings, an endearing (and enduring soundtrack) from Yasunori Mitsuda, and a combat system that's still as entertaining, fresh and fun to use today as it was more than 20 years ago. For shame, the SNES Classic Edition will never be complete without Chrono Trigger.