What Were the Best 2-Player SNES Games?

[Beowulf]

When I installed the upgrade kit in my Retroid Pocket, I had the old PCB and the necessary pieces to turn it into a standalone emulation device. I suspect that 99% of my use for that device is going to be hooking a pair of controllers into it and playing 2-player SNES games with a buddy. So I figured I'd poll the audience for which games are most important to have on there. Below is my initial list, but I'm sure I'm missing all sorts of goodness and I'm hoping you'll help.

For two-player simultaneous co-op:
Contra III: The Alien Wars
Kirby Super Star
Kirby's Dream Land 3
Legend of the Mystical Ninja
Pocky & Rocky
Secret of Mana
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

For two-player versus:
Kirby's Avalanche
Street Fighter 2
Super Mario Kart
Wario's Woods

(With honorable mention of Super Bomberman 2 as the best 4-player chaos on the system.)

 

[Lokii]

Goof Troop, Kirby Dream Course, Secret of Evermore (with a patch)

You can also set characters to be controlled by a second player in FFVI if that sounds like a time.

 

[Phantoon]

Saturday Night Slam Masters is great. Better still in 4 player.

 

[BubsyFan_86]

Sanrio World Smash Ball is a blast for pick up and play competitive.

Firestriker is a dope co-op fantasy Arkanoid-RPG.

Final Fight 3 is probably my fave co-op beat ‘em up on SNES.

 

[Olli]

Kind of slim pickings tbh

 

[fanboymaster]

Run Saber

 

[Beowulf]

Sanrio World Smash Ball is a blast for pick up and play competitive.

Firestriker is a dope co-op fantasy Arkanoid-RPG.

Final Fight 3 is probably my fave co-op beat ‘em up on SNES.

I don't know the other two (and will need to go looking), but this entire post was worth it for the reminder about Final Fight.

 

[Dracula]

Tetris Attack. Tetris Attack. Tetris Attack.

Or if you're so inclined, the Japanese version, Panel de Pon. Heck. Put both. Put them both on there multiple times. It's the only game you need.

But if you must play other games, here are some I haven't seen recommended yet:

Sonic Blast Man 2
Rival Turf
Pop'n TwinBee

 

[Violentvixen]

All the Donkey Kong Countries. So much fun to trade off and it was so fast to do so.

Also supporting Secret of Mana vote and I had the multitap for 3 player which is great.

Finally, my cousins always loved to play Goof Troop as 2-player, personally I didn't like it at all but whatever.

 

[Vaeran]

It's already on your list, but my friends and I must have spent dozens of hours in Super Mario Kart's battle mode. What an absolute genius idea.

 

[4-So]

My brother and I played a lot of Super Double Dragon. A lot.

Mortal Kombat 2 also comes to mind but you can find better versions of that elsewhere. Oh, insta-edit, those Capcom beat-em-ups. Final Fight 2 and 3, Knights of the Round, King of Dragons, etc.

 

[Ghost from Spelunker]

Zombies ate my Neighbors

 

[chud_666]

Goof Troop, Kirby Dream Course, Secret of Evermore (with a patch)

You can also set characters to be controlled by a second player in FFVI if that sounds like a time.

Dream Course is how friendships end, Wild game, WILD

 

[chud_666]

My brother and I played a lot of Super Double Dragon. A lot.

Such a great game. My Fave DD

 

[Violentvixen]

Goof Troop, Kirby Dream Course, Secret of Evermore (with a patch)

You can also set characters to be controlled by a second player in FFVI if that sounds like a time.

I've still never played Secret of Evermore, it's one of those random games I hope will show up in the eShop someday.

 

[madhair60]

Sanrio World Smash Ball, Tetris Attack, Tetris Battle Gaiden. Seiken Densetsu 3 can be great fun with a pal. Kirby's Dream Course.

 

[madhair60]

Kind of slim pickings tbh

Hope this is sarcasm

 

[Phantoon]

Hope this is sarcasm

Yeah, the SNES has loads of great 2 player stuff

 

[ShakeWell]

Kirby Dream Course

Seconded.

Saturday Night Slam Masters is great. Better still in 4 player.

Absolutely seconded. If you're a wrestling fan, also Fire Pro Wrestling: All-Star Joshi Dream Slam and, of course, Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium.

Run Saber

Secooooooooonded!

Tetris Battle Gaiden

Seconded EXTREMELY HARD.

Not mentioned yet: The Peace Keepers/Rushing Beat 3 which includes a 4-player vs. mode, Super Smash TV, Nekketsu Kouha Kunio Tachi no Banka (now known as River City Girls Zero), Sunset Riders, Wild Guns, Super Double Dragon (though Return of Double Dragon, the Japanese version, is preferable).

In your particular case, Lethal Enforcers doesn't seem like a thing that's feasible, but if anyone else is using this thread for recs and has a CRT or two Sinden lightguns or whatever, those are fun enough.

 

[Beowulf]

Oh, insta-edit, those Capcom beat-em-ups. Final Fight 2 and 3, Knights of the Round, King of Dragons, etc.

So, today my buddy Ben came over for retro good times, and King of Dragons was our first hour. On Easy mode we made it to stage 13 without ever quite figuring out how the level system worked. It's a pretty solid beat-em-up and the variety of classes gives it some replayability, because the distance fighters (like the wizard) handle very differently than your usual melee fare; and the melee characters actually have an ability to block that we sometimes got to work. (This does need an ability to add credits/continues; I may Game Genie Guy the rom.)

The second hour was from my original list, Pocky & Rocky, which is extremely Japanese in its aesthetics and was localized in the most incredibly lazy way. (The main characters are a shrine maiden and a tanooki, not that you'd know that from all the talk of "goblins".) It looks like a 2D Zelda-like, but it's functionally a shoot-em-up with a block button/close range attack. And despite having only 4 stages there's plenty of game there. We made it partway through the 4th stage on Easy mode before I accidentally crashed RetroArch. It's a fun time that's different from most shmups and I'd recommend giving it a try.

I made a list of all the recommendations here, and I'll likely be back to comment as we play them. Expect it'll take a while, though.

 

[ArugulaZ]

I was worried for a second that Smash TV wouldn't get its due. It's there, though! Whew!

 

[chud_666]

Super Double Dragon (though Return of Double Dragon, the Japanese version, is preferable).

How come?

 

[Kirin]

This thread is making me wonder if it's possible to acquire carts of some of the more obscure things here for play on the SuperNT for a sane amount of money...

 

[ShakeWell]

How come?

The short answer is the Japanese one came out later, so Technos had more time to fine-tune it. Small quality-of-life things like Billy and Jimmy automatically catching the boomerang instead of having to punch it out of the air and pick it up again, down to big things like additional music tracks and the better part of the final level being done for the SFC version. There are also damage adjustments to certain moves and a few new animations.

I did a video here, if you want the longer explanation: