Released in April of 1993, the SNES-CD was a system that almost didn't happen. In June 1991, Nintendo was seriously considering signing a deal with Philips before a last-minute phone call between Hiroshi Yamauchi and Norio Ohga changed the course of the console wars and the universe at large.
Noteworthy games for the SNES-CD:
- Actraiser 2
- Ballistic Limit
- Dawn Warriors' Mystery Dungeon
- Dragon Quest V
- Earthbound 1994
- I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
- Illusion of Gaia
- Jewels of the Realm
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Dreams
- Mega Man 7
- Mega Man X2
- Mortal Kombat (1992)
- Myth War: Battle for the Galaxy
- Resident Evil
- Romancing SaGa 3
- Secret of Mana
- Star Fox
- Street Fighter II Turbo
- Super Mario World 2
- Super Mario RPG
- Tale Phantasia
- The Three Caballeros
Tropes often found in SNES-CD games:
- Darker and Edgier: The system marked the move away from the family-friendly policy that defined the NES and cartridge SNES.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Many of the system's RPGs involve slaying a godlike being or an cosmic horror as its final boss. Giygas is a noteworthy example of this.
- Interactive Movie: Many of the worst FMV games of all time are found on this system.
- Loads and Loads of Loading: Many games have long loading times, such as the SNES-CD version of Mega Man X2.
- Tech-Demo Game: Early on in the system's life, some titles showed off the newfound capabilities of the CD add-on, such as Race Drivin, a 3D racing game that was moved from the SNES to the SNES-CD.
