The Super Nintendo is one of my favorite video game consoles of all time and I’m not alone in that opinion. Throughout its history there were dozens of incredible titles that changed the gaming landscape forever, but even then, a lot of fantastic video games never made it to the United States.
So, how about we take a look at five great video games that never made the flight from Japan to the United States and see on what we missed out on. There just might be a few hidden gems that Japan decided to keep for themselves.
- . Gunman’s Proof
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This one might be the strangest game on this list to not get sent over to the West. Imagine The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past set in the American old-west and instead of running around with a Master Sword you run around with a six-shooter. Oh, and you play as an alien cop who just happened to land on this little old Earth to save the people from some bad aliens that landed before him. If that wasn’t crazy enough you don’t play as the alien cop, rather, a local farm hand lets you take over their body to save his people.
What really worked against Gunman’s Proof was its release and poor reception. Coming out at the tail end of the Super Famicom the new consoles were already all the rage with Final Fantasy 7 already on the PlayStation over there. There wasn’t much incentive for Nintendo to send this one over, especially for a new IP that had no connection to a movie, show, or cartoon. And the N64 wasn’t interested in the 2D space so a port was a no-go. Still, we really wish this one came out here.
- . Rockman & Forte
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Another strange video game that never saw a trip West, Rockman & Forte should have made it here considering the Mega Man series was pretty darn popular over here since the days of the NES. Again, this is a case to a little late to the party as it released in Japan in 1998 for the Super Famicom. The N64 was already out around the world and while the Super Famicom was still popular in Japan, Nintendo was going all out with the N64 in the States.
And, since this is a 2D title it was never going to get a N64 release, although Nintendo did want to see it released in the States. It was also designed to get younger kids into the now aging series that had already seen releases on the PS1 and Saturn by the time it hit the Super Famicom. Thankfully the Game Boy Advance was right around the corner and a Mega Man game would be the perfect fit for the new portable in 2002.
- . Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Duel
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Fighting games were incredibly popular on the Super Nintendo. I can still remember getting my SNES alongside Street Fighter 2. So Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Duel seems like a no-brainer, but this one is another timing issue, although not the same as the others on this list. Fighting games were popular and a mecha fighting one would be nice, but Gundam had yet to break though in the United States.
This was just before the rise of Toonami on Cartoon Network and Gundam Wing, however cringe it is looking back on, had yet to capture the hearts and minds of 90s kids in America with its unique cast of characters and their Gundam’s. What’s funny about this is that Wing did pretty average in Japan, but America went wild for it just a couple of years later. I suppose it’s better to be early than to never show up at all.
- . Shin Megami Tensei
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Originally released in 1992 in Japan, Shin Megami Tenshi has become a major RPG franchise that’s known around the world. The series has seen spin-offs and sequels, but the original Super Famicom title never made it to the United States and wouldn’t see one for over twenty years. But there’s a big reason it never got a translation and release for the Super Nintendo.
The game featured a lot of religious symbols and imagery that Conservative parts would get their knickers all tied up about. It was so rooted into the game that it would require a full reworking to make past all those church groups complaining about everything in the early 90s. Shame as the game help make Atlus and would have been something more grown-up at the time.
- . Mickey To Donald: Magical Adventure 3
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It’s always a shame when a trilogy can’t be finished and for a long time, I didn’t even know that there was a third entry in this Disney series. It’s even worse when that third entry did a lot to elevate an already solid series of games with an outfit system and co-operative gameplay. And, as a licensed game it makes less sense that it didn’t see a Western release as Disney was far more popular here than in Japan at the time.
At least we would get that game several years later thanks to that magical Game Boy Advance. I’m starting to think the GBA was the real savior of games that initially never left Japan. I suppose it’s time to bust out my GBA and hunt down a couple of these gems.
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