Did Mode 7 give Super Nintendo the edge over Sega Genesis?

When it came down to the Super Nintendo as a gaming console one of the most impressive features that it had was the ability to make 16 bit games appear more realistic than they were.  One of the best features that was included is various Super Nintendo games such as F-Zero, Super Mario World, Super Castlevania, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana and TMNT: Turtles in Time was Mode 7.     The application of Mode 7 in video games during the early to mid 90’s was one of the things that made the 16 bit era awesome because it allowed video game designers to become far more creative than usual.  When it came down the the Nintendo Entertainment System which was popular throughout the 80’s it always seemed like video game designers were heavily confined when it came down to developing games during the 8 bit era.   Since the start of the 90’s the Super Nintendo has been able to produce many fantastic games that looked somewhat similar to titles you would play in arcade centers such Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time.   The Mode 7 feature for the Super Nintendo had felt like the closest thing to 3D gaming that we had seen during the early 90’s prior to the release of the Nintendo 64 in 1996.

At times games that included Mode 7 made the Super Nintendo seem more appealing than the Sega Genesis which was also another huge 16 bit console back in the early 90’s.  As far as backgrounds and sprites are concerned some might argue that the Super Nintendo was more impressive than the Sega Genesis.  When we look back at classic games from the 16 bit era we see more diversity in terms of which games were popular during the early 90’s on the Super Nintendo.  Also, some of the games that were considered memorable classics for the SNES such as the Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy IV-VI and Super Mario Kart had all included Mode 7 during gameplay.   In fact, the best selling game on the Super Nintendo was Super Mario World which had managed to sell over 20 million units worldwide since its release back in 1990.   Not only did the Mode 7 feature give Super Nintendo games somewhat of an edge over the Sega Genesis but it was one of the many things that sustained the SNES during the console war against Sega Genesis during the first half of the 90’s.