9. Secret of Evermore (SNES) - The One-Player Multiplayer Game
Secret of Mana is an awesome game. That is not up for debate. It has an engaging story line, awesome graphics and the defining and unique feature that made it a must-have for the SNES - constant multiplayer action. Being able to quest with two of your friends for forty hours of world saving, Flammy riding beauty was an absolute treat. Lifetime bonds were formed. It seemed a no brainer that games of a similar vein would be in the pipeline. Secret of Mana 2 was announced, again multiplayer, and again awesome (though no frickin' Western release). Also announced was Secret of Evermore. More Mana from the Gods? It looked the same, the title was almost identical and it played the same! Almost... Two characters. On screen all the time together. You can switch between them. Single player. Are you kidding?! The reason for the change was that it was intended to be released on a 12-megabit cartridge, and making the game single player would save a significant amount of memory. And hey, who would even notice...the defining feature of the game it was inspired by being mutilated and tossed aside? Turns out everyone. To add to the stupidity, the game was changed to a 24-megabit cartridge near its completion, thus rendering the change not only awful but completely unnecessary.