Super Mario World

The Good
Super Mario World was made in a day when games were still fun. When they weren't such a serious, joyless business. The reign of Splinter Cell and Resident Evil has taken hold, but in 1990 Nintendo was cranking out gems on a yearly basis, and Super Mario World stands as perhaps the finest of the bunch.

I am not going to tell you specifically what I liked about this game -- we all know this game well enough. It's about kinematic action, about precision, about daring, about adventure.

The Bad
The only issue with this game is that it set such a high standard for platformers than no developer has been able to match it since.

The Bottom Line
Super Mario World is the absolute epitome of what makes a great game. Colorful, thrilling, spellbinding. Arguably the greatest console game ever released, though Final Fantasy IV, Street Fighter II, and Super Mario Kart were equally satisfying follow-ups for the SNES, over the 1991-1992 period.