[noctuary]

As I get older, I find myself being drawn more and more back to the old 16-bit games of SNES and Genesis. These were the days when the companies actually cared about GAMEPLAY. The focus is entirely on graphics now, and gameplay/story is often sadly lacking. So this is a thread for all of you old gamers to reminisce about the glory days of 16-bit. So many classic games in those days, like:

Final Fantasy VI: Still the best RPG ever. An entire cast of loveable, unique characters, and an extremely fun battle system. Not to mention the most sinister, evil villain in any video game. What makes this game so much better than any other RPG is this: You're fighting to save the world, and you fail. Kefka destroys everything, and it's up to you to pick up the pieces and try to save what's left. They'd never do that in a current-gen game.

Super Mario World: the pinnacle of 2D platforming. Every Mario game since then has been a pale shadow of this one.

Secret of Mana: The first action-RPG, a truly revolutionary game. Easy enough for the most rank novice, but challenging enough to provide many hours of entertainment to the most experienced gamer.

Okay, your turn. Share your favorite old games with us, and tell us what you think makes them so great.