Skip to Content
Tier
Tier Your gaming journal
Get
Best games

The best M2 games

The 11 best games from M2, ranked from 971 critic and player ratings.

The best M2 game is Trials of Mana, with a critic score of 87/100. Updated October 2026.

  • Ranked releases span 1988 to 2017.
  • Average critic score across the 11 ranked games: 71/100.
  • 971 critic and player ratings behind this ranking.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
  • 11 games are listed on this page, carrying 971 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 11 October 2026.

Top 11

01 Trials of Mana Trials of Mana 1995 · 53 ratings Trials of Mana is the third installment of the Mana series, developed by Square under the direction of series creator Koichi Ishii. The game takes place in a new world where, once again, the Mana Tree is under threat from an ancient evil thought sealed away. Players choose three from among six heroes as the chosen wielder of the Mana Sword and their two companions on the journey to claim the holy blade and preserve what remains of the Mana power. 87 /100
02 Secret of Mana (1993) Secret of Mana (1993) 1993 · 216 ratings Initially released in Japan in 1993, Secret of Mana took the world by storm with its innovative real-time battle system and gorgeously rendered world. It continues to stand out among other action RPGs for its seamless gameplay that anyone from beginner to veteran can enjoy. One of the most memorable elements of the Mana series is the Ring Command menu system. With the single press of a button, a ring-shaped menu appears on the screen, where players can use items, change weapons, and do a variety of other actions without needing to switch screens. This Ring Command menu system for which the Mana series is so well known was first introduced in Secret of Mana and has since appeared in most games in the series. Play as Randi and his two companions, Primm and Popoi, as they adventure all around the world. At the center of our epic story is the mystical power of Mana. Battle the empire in its quest for control of Mana. Befriend the eight elementals who wield the forces of nature itself. Numerous encounters await at every turn. 83 /100
03 Skullgirls: 2nd Encore Skullgirls: 2nd Encore 2015 · 31 ratings Skullgirls 2nd Encore is a beautifully hand-animated, fast-paced 2D fighting game that puts players in control of fierce warriors in an extraordinary Dark Deco world. Each of the 14 wildly original characters features unique gameplay mechanics and plenty of personality. 86 /100
04 METAL SLUG 2 METAL SLUG 2 1998 · 179 ratings “METAL SLUG 2”, the 2nd entry in SNK’s emblematic 2D run & gun action shooting game returns to the battlefield on the Steam gaming platform! 82 /100
05 Final Fantasy Adventure Final Fantasy Adventure 1991 · 50 ratings In the Empire of Glaive, a gladiator-slave is forced to fight evil monsters controlled by the Dark Lord. But when his best friend is mortally wounded, he learns of a secret pendant which will give him great power. As the hero, you must battle your way out of the Dark Knight's castle and search through a dangerous world for the girl who has the pendant. But you discover she has been captured by the Dark Knight's men. To free her, you must find the legendary sword and fight off the Dark Knight's beasts and overlords through deserts, snowfields, lakes, forests, and caves. Are you ready for the adventure of your life? 80 /100
06 The King of Fighters '96 The King of Fighters '96 1996 · 50 ratings The King of Fighters '96 is a 1996 fighting game. It is the third game in The King of Fighters series, following The King of Fighters '95. SNK's flagship series returns for another year. Many of the changes in this year's KOF release come in the form of improved graphics, sound effects, music and totally redone character sprites. The gameplay of the system has been altered with the addition of "Rush" multi-hit combos and new moves for practically every character. The storyline of the series receives heavy focus in this release with the Orochi Saga swinging into high-gear. The King of Fighters '96 has 27 regular characters plus 2 boss characters (who can be unlocked with the use of a code). Newcomers to the tournament include Mr. Big from the Art of Fighting series, the bosses from Fatal Fury (Wolfgang Krauser and Geese Howard), and completely original characters like Leona Heidern, Mature and Vice. Other features carried over from the previous year include the ability to choose between the default "Team Fighting" mode or the traditional "Single Fighter" style of gameplay, plus the "Versus" and "Survival" gameplay modes. 72 /100
07 THE KING OF FIGHTERS '94 THE KING OF FIGHTERS '94 1994 · 44 ratings Rugal Bernstein is an incredibly rich and notorious arms and drug trafficker, as well as an incredibly skilled and ruthless fighter. Having become bored with the lack of competition, Rugal decides to host a new King of Fighters tournament. Rugal has his secretary travel to eight destinations around the world and invite fighters to his new tournament. Unlike the previous KOF tournaments depicted in the Fatal Fury series, the new King of Fighters is a team tournament, with eight teams of three, each representing a different nationality, participating this time. Most characters come from other SNK games, such as Team Italy, which is composed of three heroes from the original Fatal Fury: Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard and Joe Higashi. The two heroes from Art of Fighting (Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia) are featured along with their mentor and Ryo's father (Takuma Sakazaki) make up Team Mexico. Team Korea features Kim Kaphwan from Fatal Fury 2 as the leader of two convicts he's trying to reform Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge, while Team England is a mix of female fighters from Fatal Fury 2 (Mai Shiranui) and the Art of Fighting series (Yuri Sakazaki, King). The two heroes from Psycho Soldier (Athena Asamiya and Sie Kensou) form Team China along with their mentor, Chin Gentsai. Similarly, Team Brazil features the heroes from Ikari Warriors (Ralf and Clark) along with their commanding officer Heidern. Additionally, the game features two teams composed entirely of original characters: Team Japan featuring Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido and Goro Daimon, and Team USA composed of Heavy D!, Lucky Glauber and Brian Battler. 68 /100
08 Golden Axe Golden Axe 1989 · 225 ratings Progress is made through the game by fighting through Death Adder's henchmen, including men armed with clubs and maces, skeleton warriors, and knights. Players are able to attack using their weapon, jump and cast spells that hurt all enemies on the screen. The force of this magic depends on the number of "bars" of magic power currently available. The bars are filled by collecting blue 'magic potions' attained by kicking little sprites who then drop the potions. These sprites appear during regular levels and during bonus stages in between levels. The male warrior Ax is able to cast earth spells. The dwarf Gilius, casts lightning spells and the female warrior Tyris casts fire magic. Each character has a different number of maximum magic bars and varying ranges of attack. Various steeds known as bizarrians are found in the game. These can be ridden when the enemy rider is knocked off, or if one is found dormant. The least powerful steed is known as the Cockatrice, which can be used to knock down enemies with a swipe of its tail. The more powerful dragon, which can either shoot fireballs or breathe fire, is found later in the game. 65 /100
09 Super Bomberman R Super Bomberman R 2017 · 30 ratings "Since its release in 1985, Bomberman has been a familiar party-battle game for many years. Now, Bomberman is coming back as "SUPER BOMBERMAN R" to Nintendo Switch. In SUPER BOMBERMAN R, the simple rule remains the same: operate the main character (Bomberman), place bombs, and battle with enemies and rivals, but it's coming back in a modern style with 3D stages and photo-real graphics. You can enjoy battles with rivals from all over the world. There is "Battle" mode for maximum of 8 players, and single play "Story" mode (cooperative play for 2 players is possible as well) where players clear each stage one by one, with a big volume of 50 stages. Also, there is a new rule where the condition to clear the stage is not just by wiping out all the enemies. This simple but strategic game with new rules and 3D stages is fun for everyone, from children to adults." 64 /100
10 Altered Beast Altered Beast 1988 · 36 ratings The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive has different enemy layouts and input mechanics from the original arcade version. 50 /100
11 Samurai Shodown Samurai Shodown 1993 · 57 ratings 43 /100
Browse every Tier ranking

By genre

Best Action gamesBest RPG gamesBest Adventure gamesBest Arcade gamesBest Fighting gamesBest Platformer gamesBest Puzzle gamesBest Shooter gamesBest Strategy games

Other studios

The best Capcom gamesThe best Feral Interactive gamesThe best Ubisoft Montréal gamesThe best Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development gamesThe best Game Freak gamesThe best Konami gamesThe best Nintendo gamesThe best Aspyr Media gamesThe best Beenox gamesThe best Team NINJA gamesThe best Naughty Dog gamesThe best Nixxes Software games

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best M2 game?

Trials of Mana currently tops the ranking with a score of 87/100 across 53 ratings. Ranking updated October 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.