Opinion: Top 5 SNES games that should be included in the Super Nintendo Classic Edition

We all knew somehow Nintendo would make a Super Nintendo Classic Edition after the success (and head-scratching discontinuation) of the original NES version. The House of Mario has placed 21 games in the port for $80 (almost $4 per game). While those 21 are awesome additions to the SNES library, I think the list is incomplete and believe that at least 5 additional should be added, including a special feature.
These are my top 5, in no particular order:

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

This version is the near-perfect port of the original arcade game. While it didn’t have the “Pizza Power” theme and was only limited to two-players (four from the original), this Super NES game became an instant classic because it was an incredibly fun beat’em up: easy to control, some good variety of enemies, ability to smash Foot Soldiers with other Foot Soldiers, etc. This game played best when you’re playing with others. Nintendo should’ve considered this game

2. Super Mario All-Stars

If you missed out on the NES Classic Edition, you’re out of luck here. Nintendo should’ve at least released the upgraded version of the 4 original NES classics including The Lost Levels, known as Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan. Other than the astounding upgrade to the graphics and sound, it also had the ability to save your progress, in case you don’t have the time to finish the entire game at once. That alone should make this the preferred version.

3. Mortal Kombat II

When Nintendo finally realized blood sells, it gave the now-defunct Midway the freedom to make it as gory as the original arcade game. Did it ever. Not just the blood, but the Fatalities were at full swing here including Kung Lao’s “splitter”, Reptile’s eating of your head, and Liu Kang’s dragon transformation to eat you alive, to name a few. Combat (literally) was much more fluid than the original, although still stiff by today’s standards. This game actually set the tone for Nintendo to adapt to more mature content.

4. Killer Instinct

Even though the franchise is now owned by Microsoft, there was a time when Nintendo tried to appeal to fighting fans with a franchise of its own. Rare was Nintendo’s version of Pixar (see Donkey Kong Country and Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run for comparisons), and it continued to show with Killer Instinct. It made household names of T.J. Combo, Orchid, Fulgore, Jago, and Cinder to name a few. Executing combos was the featured attraction with the announcer saying “King Combo”, “Blaster Combo” and “Ultra Combo!” It’s a shame Nintendo no longer owns this property. Imagine if they were in Super Smash Bros?

5. Super Double Dragon

I guess it’s official now that Super Double Dragon is no longer known as Double Dragon IV, because that game came out a few months ago. It may not play like the first three Double Dragon games (actually, I wouldn’t count Double Dragon III because it sucked), but this one is surprisingly fluid as you can execute more moves like grabbing an attack to counter with multiple punches or kicks.

6. Special feature: Online gaming

Nintendo really seems to be behind-the-times when it comes to online gaming. Why are they so reluctant to make classic gaming even better by not having this feature? Imagine playing any of those two-player games against opponents or co-op with other players online? Nintendo would’ve killed it.
In my opinion, had Nintendo placed online features in the SNES Classic Edition, it would have sold even more than anticipated. Personally, since I can buy the actual games for the Virtual Console or have owned some of them already, I really don’t see the need to buy one other than to boast about it. But including the five games I’ve mentioned would’ve been a great library edition for the hotly anticipated release.