Mega Drive vs All: Game-by-Game Comparisons

This thread was inspired by this one.

But here we'll be expanding the platforms analyzed by allowing the inclusion of any console/computer/arcade board of the same generation or of the previous/next one.
So 3rd, 4th and 5th gen machines are welcome.

The rules of writing:
1) First, define what is the case. Cases are:
A - The game is identical or very similar on all platforms analyzed. There are no major differences in gameplay.
B - The versions are similar, but there are some differences in graphics, gameplay or level structure.
C - The games have nothing in common save for the name

2) There must be some technical info of each version along with the name of each version of the game:
- Titles: All regional variants of its name must be listed.
- Regions: List the regions where the game was released.
- First release date: the earliest release date for that game regardless of country/location. When there are significantly regional differences, pick the earliest release date which correspond to the version you analyzed.
- Format: Onboard ROM (Arcade), Cartridge, HuCard, Diskette, CD-ROM, etc.
- Capacity: Megabytes (MB) for CDs and Megabits (Mb) for anything else.
- Required CPU: Mostly to not make the comparisons with stuff like the FM Towns look unfair.
- Required VRAM: 64 KB for the PC Engine, 64 KB for the Mega Drive, 64 KB for the Super Nintendo, 1056 KB for the X68000, etc.
- Required main/work RAM: 8 KB for the PC Engine, 64 KB for the Mega Drive, 128 KB for the Super Nintendo, 200 KB for the PC Engine Duo (SuperCD), etc.
- Music channels: can vary from 6 to 10 on the Mega Drive (some games simply don't use the PSG), for an example.
- Digital Audio channels: How many pre-recorded samples/voices the game can pull off simultaneously?
- Compatible controllers: Analog support? Mouse support? Three or six button? etc.
- Compatible peripherals: MIDI expansions, etc.
- Screenshots: Three per game version, must be raw/unfiltered and using the native resolution and original aspect ratio.

3) The comparison should go like this:
- Analysis of all versions using as many details as possible.
- Categories:

• Presentation (Menus, HUD, Cutscenes, Art Style, Details, etc.)
• Sprite Size (Too big/small? How the different versions compare? Are they reduced compared to the arcade?, etc.)
• Backgrounds (Simplified compared to the other version? Well designed? Dull? etc.)
• Animation (How fluid is it? How fast it animates the characters?, etc.)
• Graphical effects (Wavy effects, transparencies, shadow/highlight, sprite scaling/rotation, pixelation/mosaic, etc.)
• Scrolling (The screen scrolls smoothly or not? How many parallax layer for each version?, etc.)
• Colors & Shading (Which version pushes more colors on screen? Which one has better shading? Wierd color choices???)
• Censorship (When applicable.)
• Sound Effects
• Voices, Announcers & Narration (When applicable.)
• Music
• Level Design
• Difficulty & AI
• Bosses (When applicable.)
• Controls
• Multiplayer (Discuss the multiplayer options of each here; if they exist.

- If the gameplay of each version is significantly different (Case C), mini-review/intro description of each version are required.

4) Fanboyism is NOT welcome here.
The details listed during the comparison must not have personal preferences or opinions mixed with them.
But you can use one final section, which is optional and not obligatory, called "My opinion" where you can state which version of the game you prefer or think is the best one, state your personal preferences, etc.

Fatal Fury 2 / Garo Densetsu 2
B Case
Titles
"????2·??????" -- Japanese spelling
"Netto Garo Densetsu 2" -- Japanese Game Boy title
"Garo Densetsu 2: Arata-naru Tatakai" -- Japanese arcade title
"Fatal Fury 2" -- Ocidental title

Super Nes / Super Famicom
- Published: TAKARA U.S.A.CORP
- Developed: TAKARA U.S.A.CORP
- Released: April 1994
- Regions: EU, US, JP
- Format: Cartridge
- Capacity: 20 Megabytes


- Presentation: The first cut in this regard is the opening sequence that has been completely removed from this version. The game starts at the Title Screen where you find the default options in this type of game.
Another big difference is the selection of characters that has been converted to a standard Street Fighter style where you pick the fighters in small portaits instead of that beautiful art of all the characters reunited.
And lastly, the face of the characters were removed from the energy bar during fights.

- Sprite Size: As expected the characters had to be reduced compared to the arcade. The greatest damage here is the characters that are larger than others as big. Bear, A. Hawk, L. Blood and W. Krauzer.
They became a little larger than normal characters and are not great as they should respect the proportions used in the game.

- Backgrounds: The scenarios were very beautiful and the color palette is very close to those that were used in the original. But also suffered some cuts, various elements of the scenarios were removed: some bikes, animals and people that are in the central area of the Big Bear stage disappeared, some destructible objects such as boxes and barrels were removed from the stages, some stages that are always moving as the Andy and Terry have fewer cycles and variety of backgrounds and animated characters, the great boat that travels to the bottom of Cheng stage was removed here and all stage is scaled down compared to the others versions, the audience onto the stage of L.Blood is static and has no animation as the other versions, a large tree that sits on the right side of the Joe stage was removed, the pool of water that is on the left on Kim Kapahwan stage was removed, Jubei stage became a single plane and the parallax background removed, the train station from Terry stage was removed, only the wheels of the foreground in Billy Kane stage are animated, the posts are there but flags in May stage were also removed and finally the big torches that are on the sides of the Krauzer stage were removed.

- Animation:
And as was expected, many animation frames were cut and some things become strange to see after you play the original but did not have much place to run this department and the result was balanced within the limitations.
But as the speed tends to be fickle in this game and the collision system is strange, it is invariably a sense that things do not flow as they should.

- Scrolling: Scrolls smoothly, usually has one plan for parallax setting that highlights the background of the scene and accompanying fighters during jumps on changes of plans. There are exceptions like the Jubei stage has already been mentioned.

- Colors & Shading: The game puts the average of 85 colors on the screen and the shading is very well done and beautiful.

- Sound Effects: There are several sounds that do not exist in this version compared to the arcade and those that exist have been redone and are far worse than the original. Some are so low and muffled that you can barely hear, others are loud and shrill and annoying. In general are terrible!

- Voices, Announcers & Narration:
Overall quality is good, but a little muffled. Some samples are missing compared to the arcade, as the voices of the characters being knocked down during the fight and the narrator announcing the fighters before the confront.
The biggest cut was to withdraw the great phrase "i will choose your gravestone, sleep well" when you will face W.Krauzer in the last stage.

- Music:
Horrible in general, they remixed the track for much worse. It sounds strange and out of place, the instruments used are strangers and seems most of the time that someone decided to make a mod to improve the sound of Nes and everything went wrong. This is by far the worst tracks of the games analyzed here!

- Difficulty & AI:
The difficulty and the AI is well balanced your biggest enemy here is the terrible gameplay of this game.

- Controls:
The speed at which the game runs is strange, it tends to get slow during the action harming the gameplay. The special moves work with a certain ease most of the time, however, some fail and can ruin quite a few strategies used in the arcade. The biggest problem here is that the blows do not connect as they should and the collision system is very bad. Most combos do not work in this version leaving the gameplay away from the original.

- Samples:
http://i.imgur.com/hIzDbLL.png


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Mega Drive / Sega Genesis
- Published: TAKARA U.S.A.CORP
- Developed: TAKARA U.S.A.CORP
- Released: June 1994
- Regions: EU, US, JP, AU, KO
- Format: Cartridge
- Capacity: 24 Megabytes
- Compatible controllers: Three and six button.


- Presentation: First thing This version received a new opening sequence based on the arcade flyer of the first version of the game and I must admit that I liked. Second thing to note is that the game uses low resolution mode (256x224/240) and as in the SNES version the selection of characters that has been converted to a standard Street Fighter style. In this version there is a simple portrait of characters below the energy bar however, didn't display the fighters names and the entire status bar comes with a wide black stripe that cuts a good portion of the stages and screen. The biggest cut is here that the bonus stages were completely removed from this version.

- Sprite Size: As expected the characters had to be reduced compared to the arcade ,however, are larger than the SNES version and characters who are tall and wide as the Big Bear had maintained their proportion in relation to the others here. Which leaves closest to the arcade in the overall experience.

- Backgrounds: The scenarios are a mix here, some are very close to the original making excellent use of color, while others were very strange. It is also easy to see that the structures are larger and more detailed while keeping much of the original content. Yet there are still some cuts: Some destructible objects such as boxes and barrels were removed from the stages, in Big Bear stage the black biker that is beside the biker with sunglasses in the central area of the scenery as gone, the boat that travels to the bottom of Cheng stage was removed, and the poles flags on stage May were also removed, some stages are always moving the que the Andy and Terry have fewer cycles and variety of backgrounds and animated characters, the train station from Terry stage was removed and finally a supporter of candles that in the center of Krauzer stage was removed.

- Animation: And as was expected, many animation frames were cut but the game runs so fast and fluid so that you do not feel this loss so clearly as in the snes version.

- Scrolling: Scrolls smoothly, usually has one plan for parallax setting that highlights the background of the scene and accompanying fighters during jumps on changes of plans.

- Colors & Shading: The game uses an average of 46 colors on the screen and to the limitations of the mega drive the result was cool. However, some scenarios used strange colors and the color palette in most of the characters was horrible. When you look at the Big Bear soon you notice the lack of color in his skin. But overall it was nice but could have been better.

- Sound Effects: The effects try to get closer to the arcade and many are quite faithful but the quality is that you know, it all sounds a little "hiss".

- Voices, Announcers & Narration:
The narrator announces that the fighters before the fight started was removed but fortunately almost all the rest was kept and the voices sound like they should be very fies the original.
Again the only disappointment here is the quality of the voices that remind SF2.

- Music: The songs were well done and remember the same feeling of the original, making a beautiful use of the audio chip Mega Drive in general. It uses PCM drums and everything is cool and energetic.

- Difficulty & AI: Follows the standards of the original and everything is as it should be.

- Controls: Using the 3 button control is a bad one to play and ruins the game for me. Now with 6 buttons control things change completely, the gameplay is excellent and everything is easy to perform, special moves become child's play and combos connect smoothly. In this version they improved the gameplay based on the Fatal Fury Special that was already out in arcades, then combos that were only possible on this latest version have been incorporated here leaving the game even cooler.

- Samples:
http://i.imgur.com/6XD3T7N.png


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PC-Engine + ARCADE CARD CD-ROM
- Published: Hudson Soft Company, Ltd.
- Developed: Hudson Soft Company, Ltd.
- Released: March 1994
- Regions: JP
- Format: CD-Rom
- Capacity: 582 Megabytes
- Required Add-on: Super CD ROM² + Arcade Card / Standard CD-ROM system + Arcade Card Pro
- Required RAM: 2304 KiB (18 Mib) using Arcade Card or Arcade Card Pro
- Compatible controllers: Standard and six button.


- Presentation: It is the only port that keeps the original opening sequence of the arcade. The game has no survival or versus mode like the other versions and options only serves to map the controls. The status bar is virtually identical to the arcade with large portaits of the characters and etc. .. the only difference here is that it is populated by a black bar. The selection of characters and the presentational before fights was the same as the arcade version more faithfully doing this here in this regard.

- Sprite Size: The size of the characters is quite close to the original but loses because the game runs on lower resolution and sprites are slim to accommodate this pattern well. Yet he follows the correct proportions and spends practically the same arcade feel.

- Backgrounds: The scenarios were generally pretty cool and the developers know how to deal with the limitations of the platform, still several cuts occur here too: All stages are smaller than they should, now imagine the whole stage like a picture, now take a small piece the left and cut, then go to the right end and put 2 Big Bear side by side and cut the two, this is the size of the cut that underwent stages in general. The Cheng stage is a good example, is the only version that has the big boat in the background but it is static in all variations of place in compensating the pier, the restaurant and the dragon statue were completely removed. Billy Kane on stage only the gears positioned vertically has animation. Some small details are remarkable, as the solid bars on the boat where you fight against Andy and fossil that disappeared from the floor of the Big Bear stage and many other litle details. The highlight here is for the May stage that this version has the flags and poles in the right places while the other does not.


- Scrolling: Scrolls smoothly, but all scenarios are plans without parallax in the background.

- Colors & Shading: The game uses an average of 90 colors on the screen and the result is pretty cool, everything is very beautiful and well mimics the palette of the original. Still, the characters have washed colors and shading the ground in general is not as soft as the SNES version that uses almost the same number of colors on the screen.

- Sound Effects: The sound effects are generated by sound chip of pc-eng and the result was something quite different from the original but it was cool in the end and settled well in the style of the game.

- Voices, Announcers & Narration: The narrator before the fights and everything has been preserved here, the quality is excellent and the voices are almost identical to the original. The only problem here is that the voices fail or are cut by other sound effects often. But this is by far the best version in this regard.


- Music: The game uses two types of tracks, menus and everything that happens in between fights songs are generated by pc-engine and the sound is bad in my opinion. Now while fighting the game uses cd tracks that were made by hudson itself based on original and are extremely well made​​.

- Difficulty & AI: Follows the standards of the original and everything is as it should be.

- Controls: As always, use the default control-eng pc for fighting games does not work and is a disaster. However, with 6 buttons control all flows beautifully, the gameplay is good and very faithful to the arcade.


- Samples:
http://i.imgur.com/Vw001gh.png

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My opinion

It is easy to see who did better in this comparison, Pc-Engine Super CD + Arcade is very over compared to a common system and was so expensive that you could buy the Mega Drive, SNES and a common Pc-engine.
So I hoped he would offer a better port than other common platforms, and even then there are several cuts that people often do not talk when we see these comparisons between different platforms.
Furthermore, the excellent CD tracks and quality voices definitely put him above others.

My second favorite is the version of Mega Drive. The gameplay is magnificent, everything works very easy and the controls respond better than all the other versions and even exceeds the arcade in this regard in my opinion.
Overall it's a balanced port, the graphics are cool, the scenarios are what keeps many details from the original, the songs are great and the voices were kept almost in totality that was rare in the ports of fighting games for the mega drive at the time.

Finally the snes version that follows the tradition of the first game of the franchise for the system. It's just cool to see in pictures because when you play you will realize how bad it is, the only cool thing here is that the graphics are very colorful and better simulate the color palette of the arcade better than others. And only that. Everything else sucks!

Awesome work, Pyron!
I'll try to "process" your input ASAP, maybe it will take a day or two.

But it's freakin' awesome that you've kicked off this thing!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyron

Garo Densetsu 2
"Netto Garo Densetsu 2" -- Japanese Game Boy title
"Garo Densetsu 2: Arata-naru Tatakai" -- Japanese arcade title

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I'ts Garou btw, not Garo.

And for some reason I also notice that sometimes they just stick it all together, like "Garoudensetsu".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NeoVamp

I'ts Garou btw, not Garo.

And for some reason I also notice that sometimes they just stick it all together, like "Garoudensetsu".

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Can be garõ Densetsu 2 too, its just a mimic to ocidental people try speak right, i really dont care for this :p

It's crazy that the first game reviewed was Fatal Fury 2. I've been on a huge FF kick recently. The Genesis version is great. Any idea how Special was on SNES? I love FFS. I have it on my MVS, it's one of my favorite fighting games.

-Jorge!

Wait... you have an MVS and you care what the 16-bit versions are like?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyron

Can be garõ Densetsu 2 too, its just a mimic to ocidental people try speak right, i really dont care for this :p

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English doesn't have accent characters though (assuming that's the same sound in portugués).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by midnightrider

Wait... you have an MVS and you care what the 16-bit versions are like?

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Same reason all of us with computers bother with old games and consoles at all. We have a genuine interest in them.

Yeah, but this is the same old game on a console that's version is clearly going to blow the rest out of the water.

I mean, if we had an affordable console that could make perfect arcade conversions of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, Genesis vs. SNES in these cases would look like a joke in the long run.

Neo Geo was and is consolized Arcade hardware, and it is 16-bit same as the Genesis. I have the Arcade board in a closet because the super gun it came with is a mess, along with Samurai Shodown. I still play the Sega CD and 3DO versions of Samurai Shodown way more often than I get that thing down. That reminds me though, I wanted to wire that thing into my entertainment cabinet. I might make that my next project I start and never finish.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by midnightrider

Wait... you have an MVS and you care what the 16-bit versions are like?

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There's a certain joy in messing around with lesser ports.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SEGA-Jorge

It's crazy that the first game reviewed was Fatal Fury 2. I've been on a huge FF kick recently. The Genesis version is great. Any idea how Special was on SNES? I love FFS. I have it on my MVS, it's one of my favorite fighting games.

-Jorge!

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FF special on snes is the best port of a snk game to the system. They improved a lot over FF2

@Pyron : Nice detailled analysis, GJ.

I always liked the Garō Densetsu / Fatal Fury serie but strangely, i never bought neither the 1st nor the 2nd opus when i had a Neo Geo back then & only played them a few @the Arcades.
As for The Garō Densetsu 2 home ports, until now i played both the Mega Drive & the SNES ones & i agree with most of what you said.


The SNES port is quite... poor. Though not as bad as Sengoku Denshō on it but still is severely lacking / flawed. The lack of any introduction or digit' voice @title screen is already an indication of this but bad things don't stop here since & as you explained :
- There are some gameplay issues;
- A LOT of animation frames are missing;
- Music kinda sucks;
- Some scenery elements are gone...

& i will also add that :
- There's less content in the options menu than the Mega Drive version;
- The "FIGHT!" at beginning of each rounds doesn't scale;
- Characters have the same size in each fighting planes;
- You mentioned the lack of parallax in Jubei's stage but the same also occurs at Joe Higashi's stage;
- There's no SFX for the moped @Kim stage + only Tung Fu Rue as rider + he only passes from right to left;
& others things too...

But on other hand :
- The SNES version runs fullscreen while there's a bar for the HUD on Mega Drive & PC Engine CD;
- Andy Bogard's stage has the 3 planes of parallax while there are 2 planes on MD & PCE CD.

Overall, this port is not good but yet it's not 100% crap & can be enjoyed a bit if you haven't any others options but it's still & by far the worst of the 3 here.
Oh & BTW :

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyron

Released: April 1994

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If Wiki is right, it seems that it was 1st released in Japan, November 26, 1993 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_Fury_2




Then the Mega Drive port. It's a very good conversion with some exclusive content but it also has some flaws. Let's 1st talk about the latters :
- It runs in low-res (Which is quite disappointing on Mega Drive. Art of Fighting; Samurai Spirits or Garō Densetsu Special (M-CD) all run in high-res - 320x224 - mode on it. The fact that a game runs in low-res is not a bad thing when the original version already runs in low-res or it's not a total bad thing when it's for exclusive games & where the low-res display doesn't affect the gameplay but still, it's always better when a game runs in higher-res since, if not for the gameplay, in any case a wider viewable field is nicer to look at);
- As i previously said a bar has been added for the HUD;
- Characters have the same size in each fighting planes;
- There's no score indication;
- Bonus stages have been removed;
Also, maybe more personal, how Mai's boobs move at her winning stance is a bit odd (& a bit less exciting IMO :p).

But this version also has a lot of qualities :
- A new & nice, exclusive intro;
- Most of the original digit' voices are here incl. the :

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyron

"i will choose your gravestone, sleep well" when you will face W.Krauzer

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- Its options menu has a LOT of content incl. an option to increase the speed of the game + the always welcome sound test with, separately, music + SFX + digit' voices;
- A fun SURVIVAL MATCH mode has been added;
- The "FIGHT!" at beginning of each rounds scale (In pre-rendered - 3 frames. It looks a bit rough but it's still cooler than not having it like it's the case on SNES; PC Engine CD & X68000);
- Most of the parallax of the Arcade version have been kept;
- The controls are perfect;
- The gameplay is expanded with the new combo possibilities;
- & the music rendition is dynamic & sounds great. It's one of the instances where the FM sound shines the most.

As for the graphics, they're detailled but a bit rude colors-wise. It's one of those game that benefits of some certain TV settings / emulator filters even more since its characters's shadow is dithering based so, this way, it can look like real & more constant transparency than the one in the others versions. Overall the graphics are nice.

& as for the animation :

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyron

many animation frames were cut but the game runs so fast and fluid so that you do not feel this loss so clearly as in the snes version.

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It's also because there are more frames in the Mega Drive version ;) mostly noticeable when the characters are in the 2nd plane, SNES's characters look really cheap at this moment! Overall there's a good amount of frames in the Mega Drive port.

Last thing : this MD port has my favorite boxart of all existing versions. It's the only one that has this cover. & the cool thing is that, same as with the 2 others Garō Densetsu entries on the system, the international releases (Here = a Korean; an US & a (rare) Australian versions) have the same cover as the Japanese one.
The Neo Geo (Jap') & SNES (Jap') have a similar cover & the PC Engine CD version has another one but all three aren't as wow as the MD one.

So, since i love my Arcade ports to be not only well made, of course, but also that they have their personality / exclusive touches like a lot of them on the Mega Drive (Chelnov; Slap Fight MD; Tatsujin; Rolling Thunder II; etc...), i really enjoy this Garō Densetsu 2 version & it's a nice alternative to the Arcade original even more with its added SURVIVAL MATCH mode.




& now, even if i haven't played it yet, here are all what i know / have checked about the PC Engine Arcade card CD port :
On the good side :
- The intro + the bonus stages are present;
- All the digit' voices are here too & in high-quality;
- The music that come from the CD are high-quality too;
- Graphics are very good;
- Characters have one different size for each of the two fighting planes;
- Terry's stage has the train station at beginning unlike MD & SNES versions.

On the bad side :
- It runs in low-res;
- The option menu = only the control config', nothing else;
- The music that come from the PC Engine soundchip sound horrible & the contrast make things even worse. It's like playing a game in which alternate CD & Nintendo NES music;
- A bar has been added for the HUD;
- The "FIGHT!" at beginning of each rounds doesn't scale;
- Except in the "moving stages" (Mai or Terry), all the parallax are lacking and that makes visuals (When in action of course) especially bland;
- The ground at Mai's stage doesn't have the perspective look & the one at Big Bear's stage lacks the dinosaur fossilized skeleton;
- Most of the SFX, which seem to come from the PCE's soundchip, aren't good (Like when a character falls to the ground or the one of the moped @Kim's stage, these two for example sound better on MD);
- & i noticed that the game flickers a little bit at times.

As for the loadings, they're quite short but the problem is that it's during them that you hear those horrible NES like music so it tends to be painful...
Also i wonder : can we play the 4 boss characters? It's possible on MD & SNES (& it seems on X68000 too) but dunno about the PCE version.

I feel that this port is overall as good as the Mega Drive one but they offer a different experience : the PCE one is more accurate while the MD one offers some interesting new things either content or gameplay-wise.



In the end i would say that :
MVS / AES original > Mega Drive & PC Engine Arcade CD ports >>> SNES port.



Edit :
@Barone : This requires a thread per comparison... Otherwise this will be messy.
Best way would be [your 1 post here + an index in a independent topic] & all comparisons in different topics.

very cool @SpaceHarrier and thanks for complementing my post.
I saw that you have repeated a few things that I had already spoken but it's cool to see it from another point of view
has several small things that I did not score not to get a text so extensive, and my english does not help me summarize and expose well certain points
but it is important to make these tests more people and contribute their experiences to the end make a great organized compiled information
Now as the barone will organize it here I do not know = D

Thanx. & no problem with your english, it's fine enough :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyron

but it is important to make these tests more people and contribute their experiences to the end make a great organized compiled information

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In fact these detailled comparisons are like another way to do reviews + they go further since they situate in a very detailed manner each game among others versions available so it's handy then to choose which one fit the best our expectations.

BTW you know if it's possible to play as the 4 boss characters in the PCE version?

I totally love Genesis ports of all 4th gen arcade hardware. As far as I'm concerned, all arcade ports on the Genesis were generally inferior, but we were, and are, constantly comparing. Golden Axe, Altered Beast, SFII, MK, and all SNK games are just arcade ports on 16-bit 4th gen hardware to me. I am totally interested in seeing how they fared with limited hardware and smaller footprints. FF2 is a 106 meg Neo cart stuffed into a 24 mb Genesis cart. You can bet your ass I want to see how that turned out.

Also, the Genesis version of FF2 having dips witches and alternate modes (FF2 and FF2/FFS style game play) really makes it almost its own version. That, coupled with the weird way they implemented the guard cancel attack and the crazy ways the dip switches can change game play makes this the version that is the most interesting to go back to. I personally think it's one of the best fighters on the system, even with all the broken nonsense.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NeoVamp

There's a certain joy in messing around with lesser ports.

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and some times the lesser ports are more fun
i can play tmnt the arcade game on my ps2

but i'd rather play the nes version

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SpaceHarrier

BTW you know if it's possible to play as the 4 boss characters in the PCE version?

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Not that I know, I looked about and the answer was the same.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SEGA-Jorge

FF2 is a 106 meg Neo cart stuffed into a 24 mb Genesis cart.

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Yeah that's kind of crazy & makes this port even cooler considering the difference in each cartridges size +, proportionally to this, how nice it turned out to be with a good amount of content.

Quote:

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Also, the Genesis version of FF2 having dips witches and alternate modes (FF2 and FF2/FFS style game play) really makes it almost its own version. That, coupled with the weird way they implemented the guard cancel attack and the crazy ways the dip switches can change game play makes this the version that is the most interesting to go back to.

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Already seen this version being called FF2:Ex & even some Neo Geo fans prefer it over the original!

But one of the best Vs. fighting on the system? No, but not far. There are others ones which rank higher IMO like Yū Yū Hakusho; Street Fighter II' Plus CE; Super Street Fighter II; Eternal Champions : Challenge from the Dark Side or Virtua Fighter!

& behind these ones would be Garō Densetsu 2 along with others ones like Weaponlord or Samurai Spirits.

The Mega Drive + its two add-ons library of Vs. fighting games is awesome with both great exclusives & great Arcade ports.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyron

Not that I know, I looked about and the answer was the same.

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OK. So it's another advantage of the Mega Drive port (& also the SNES &, from what i've read, the X68000 ones) over the PC Engine port & a big one!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SpaceHarrier

Yeah that's kind of crazy & makes this port even cooler considering the difference in each cartridges size +, proportionally to this, how nice it turned out to be with a good amount of content.



Already seen this version being called FF2:Ex & even some Neo Geo fans prefer it over the original!

But one of the best Vs. fighting on the system? No, but not far. There are others ones which rank higher IMO like Yū Yū Hakusho; Street Fighter II' Plus CE; Super Street Fighter II; Eternal Champions : Challenge from the Dark Side or Virtua Fighter!

& behind these ones would be Garō Densetsu 2 along with others ones like Weaponlord or Samurai Spirits.

The Mega Drive + its two add-ons library of Vs. fighting games is awesome with both great exclusives & great Arcade ports.





OK. So it's another advantage of the Mega Drive port (& also the SNES &, from what i've read, the X68000 ones) over the PC Engine port & a big one!

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It's personal taste for me, but yeah, I'm not saying it's the best, but it's up there for me in the top 5, but I also love the he'll out of Fatal Fury Special, so this is a game I like. Also, I'm only talking Genesis games. For me, top 5Genesis fighting games was SFIISCE, Weapon Lord, UMK3, Eternal Champions, and FF2.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SEGA-Jorge

I'm only talking Genesis games. For me, top 5Genesis fighting games was SFIISCE, Weapon Lord, UMK3, Eternal Champions, and FF2.

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Oh OK. & therefore, great list!


As for only talking about MD / Genesis games, it depends. We can whether talking about the MD; the Mega-CD or the 32X separately or also as it is = a whole 3-in-1 system since both the Mega-CD & the 32X are add-ons & no independent consoles like, for example, the SuperGrafx is compared to the PC Engine (& that's why i find the Supergrafx to be a joke since it was sold as a new, independent system but 1° it's a rushed console which not improves a lot over the PC Engine; 2° it keeps a lot of flaws of the previous, 2 years only older PC Engine & 3° it means bye bye your PC Engine since the latter suddenly becomes totally useless. Edit : Oh & of course 4° It has a library of only 5 games).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SpaceHarrier

Oh OK. & therefore, great list!


As for only talking about MD / Genesis games, it depends. We can whether talking about the MD; the Mega-CD or the 32X separately or also as it is = a whole 3-in-1 system since both the Mega-CD & the 32X are add-ons & no independent consoles like, for example, the SuperGrafx is compared to the PC Engine (& that's why i find the Supergrafx to be a joke since it was sold as a new, independent system but 1° it's a rushed consoles which not improves a lot over the PC Engine; 2° it keeps a lot of flaws of the previous, 2 years only older PC Engine & 3° it means bye bye your PC Engine since the latter suddenly becomes totally useless).

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I generally agree with this, but a large chunk of people stick to just Genesis stuff, one you are getting stuff across all the add ons I consider than general Sega collecting. Oddly enough, I have 2 full Sega beasts, but I play most my genesis games on a stand alone hdg model 1.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SpaceHarrier

behind these ones would be Garō Densetsu 2 along with others ones like Weaponlord or Samurai Spirits.

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Samurai Spirits is awesome on Genesis. Right up there with SF2'CE. I cannot stand Eternal Fighters though.

I'd love to see a Super Baseball 2020 comparison. Love the Neogeo and genesis versions, but the SNES version looks nice as well.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5586/...18f0469f_o.png

Title: Fatal Fury 2 (US/EU), Garou Densetsu 2: Aratanaru Tatakai (JP)

Platforms Analyzed: MD, SFC, PCE ACD | Case: B

Contributors: Pyron, SpaceHarrier, Barone

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3952/...6e18dc79_o.jpg

Specifications & Requirements
Platform	Mega Drive/Genesis	Super Famicom/ Super Nintendo	PC Engine Arcade CD-ROM²
Regions	JP/US/EU	JP/US/EU	JP
First Release Date	06/24/94	11/26/93	03/12/94
Format	Cartridge	Cartridge	CD
Capacity	24 Mbit	20 Mbit	582 MB
Controller Compatibility	Sega 3-Button Sega 6-Button ASCII 6-Button	Nintendo 4-Button + L,R	NEC 2-Button NEC 6-Button
Recommend Controllers	Sega Fighting Pad 6B Sega Club 6 Button Controller Sega 6 Button Arcade Pad ASCII asciiPad MD-6 Asciiware asciiPad SG-6 Hori Mega Commander Competition Pro SG-18 STD SG ProPad 2 STD SG ProPad 6 Gamester MD-6 High Frequency 6-Button Arcade Pad High Frequency Advanced Control Pad Mad Catz 6 Button Controller LePad 6 Button Controller Competition Pro SG-6		NEC Avenue Pad 6 Hori Fighting Commander PC NEC Arcade Pad 6
Main CPU	68000 @ 7.67 MHz	Ricoh 5A22 @ 3.58 MHz	HuC6280A @ 7.16 MHz
VRAM	64 KB	64 KB	64 KB
Work RAM	64 KB	128 KB	8 KB + 64 KB [CD] + 192 KB [Super CD] or 8 KB + 256 KB [Duo]
Additional RAM	NA	NA	2 MB for Graphics/Sound Data [Arcade Card]
Sound Chip	YM2612 (FM Synthesis + DAC) SN76489 (PSG)	S-SMP (SPC700 core) (Sample-based)	HuC6280A (Wavetable Synthesis + DDA) Oki MSM5205 (DAC) [CD]
Audio RAM	8 KB	64 KB	120 bytes + 64 KB [CD] + Additional RAM [Arcade Card]
In-Game Music*	3 PSG Channels 5 FM Channels 1 DAC Channel (shared) Min: 6 Channels Max: 9 Channels	8 ADPCM Channels Min: 4 Channels Max: 8 Channels	CDDA
Other Music*	3 PSG Channels 5 FM Channels 1 DAC Channel	8 ADPCM Channels	6 WS Channels
SFX*	1 PSG Channel (shared) 1 FM Channel (shared) Simultaneously: 2 Sound Effects	2 ADPCM Channels (shared) Simultaneously: 2 Sound Effects	3 Wavetable Synthesis Channels Simultaneously: 3 Sound Effects
Voices*	1 DAC Channel (shared) Simultaneously: 1 Voice Sample	2 ADPCM Channels (shared) Simultaneously: 2 Voice Samples	1 ADPCM Channel (dedicated) [CD] Simultaneously: 1 Voice Sample

*All information provided here is based on careful analysis using emulators equipped with sound debugging features and/or per channel enable/disable options.
**It's NOT the Majesto one but its construction quality is not on par with the Made in Japan one.
***The only one out of all those variations to indicate where the Mode button is located.
[] Add-ons/hardware expansions.

Mega Drive/Genesis Game Pad Reference Table

Official Name

Size

D-Pad Layout

D-Pad Ergonomics

D-Pad Course

D-Pad Sensitivity

D-Pad Precision

D-Pad Movement

Action Buttons Layout

Action Buttons Size

Buttons Sensitivity

Action Buttons Displacement

Shoulder Buttons

Start Button

Mode Button

Slow Function

Turbo Fire Function

Auto Fire Function

Hold Button Function

Program Function

Cord Length

Construction Quality

Reliability

Made In

Issues

Sega Fighting Pad 6B Sega Club 6 Button Controller

Small

8-way

Round on the edges Very comfortable

Short

High

Very Smooth

3+3 Action Buttons

Higher line: Very Small Lower Line: Small

High

Regular

N/A

Centered

Sega Fighting Pad 6B
Sega Club 6 Button Controller
Small Size | 8-Way D-Pad (very smooth) | 6 Action Buttons (tightly placed) | Shoulder Mode Button (switch) | High Sensitivity Contacts | Made in Japan

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Sega 6 Button Arcade Pad
Medium Size | 8-Way D-Pad (very smooth) | 6 Action Buttons (tightly placed) | Shoulder Mode Button (switch) | High Sensitivity Contacts | Made in Japan

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ASCII asciiPad MD-6
Asciiware asciiPad SG-6
Medium Size | 8-Way D-Pad (tight) | 4 Action Buttons (normally placed) | 2 Shoulder Buttons | Centered Mode Button (rubber membrane) | High Sensitivity Contacts | Made in Japan

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Sega 6 Button Arcade Pad**
Medium Size | 8-Way D-Pad (smooth) | 6 Action Buttons (tightly placed) | Shoulder Mode Button (switch) | Regular Sensitivity Button Contacts | Made in Taiwan

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Hori Mega Commander
Small Size | 4-Way D-Pad (smooth) | 6 Action Buttons (sparsely placed) | Centered Mode Button (rubber membrane) | High Sensitivity Button Contacts | Made in Japan

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Competition Pro SG-18
Medium Size | 8-Way D-Pad (loose) | 6 Action Buttons (normally placed) | Shoulder Mode Button (rubber membrane) | Regular Sensitivity Button Contacts | Made in China

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STD SG ProPad 2
STD SG Propad 6
Medium Size | 8-Way D-Pad (regular) | 6 Action Buttons (normally placed) | Programmable Shoulder Buttons | Centered Mode Button (rubber membrane) | Regular Sensitivity Button Contacts | Made in China

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Gamester MD-6***
High Frequency 6-Button Arcade Pad
High Frequency Advanced Control Pad
Mad Catz 6 Button Controller
LePad 6 Button Controller
Medium Size | 8-Way D-Pad (smooth) | 6 Action Buttons (normally placed) | Shoulder Mode Button (switch) | Regular Sensitivity Button Contacts | Made in China

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Competition Pro SG-6
Medium Size | 8-Way D-Pad (loose) | 6 Action Buttons (normally placed) | Centered Mode Button (rubber membrane) | Regular Sensitivity Button Contacts | Made in China

Without a doubt this + Pyron's comparison + mine = it will be the most complete / detailled comparison ever made!

GJ man.

Don't forget to talk about game content (like if the 4 bosses are playable or not) + options menu content & maybe even add boxart of all versions somewhere, it would be cool.

Great job guys, that's great.

Now honestly, it would be a shame to see all that work being limited to the Forum. Why not ask Melf to add these comparisons as a site feature? It's all done very professionally and i'm sure that would draw a lot of views.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SpaceHarrier

Without a doubt this + Pyron's comparison + mine = it will be the most complete / detailled comparison ever made!

GJ man.

Don't forget to talk about game content (like if the 4 bosses are playable or not) + options menu content & maybe even add boxart of all versions somewhere, it would be cool.

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Thanks for the heads up! I'll put that in somehow.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bottino

Great job guys, that's great.

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Thanks for the support.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bottino

Now honestly, it would be a shame to see all that work being limited to the Forum. Why not ask Melf to add these comparisons as a site feature? It's all done very professionally and i'm sure that would draw a lot of views.

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Sega-16 has a very conservative policy regarding the main site's content.
In general lines, you have to adapt your stuff to fit in the series/articles types/categories it already has.

The Side-by-Side series of the main site is way too superficial IMO; our comparisons are way too complex/long/assine for the main site.
End.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SEGA-Jorge

I'd love to see a Super Baseball 2020 comparison. Love the Neogeo and genesis versions, but the SNES version looks nice as well.

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Some differences that i remember:

SNES version has cut animations (the characters move choppy), while the genesis version looks like it has identical animations to the Arcade.
Voices from genesis version are faithful to the arcade (maintains the "robot" voices), while the voices in the SNES were changed to pretty standard baseball game voices (human voices)
I'm not sure, but i think the framerate in the genesis version is slightly lower than SNES
The music is a bit bland on SNES, the genesis music isn't amazing but much more lively imo.
The public look pretty weird on both games, on genesis they look like a static-chaotic mess, on SNES they all look the same like clones and they are pretty quiet.
Field colors slightly better on SNES

Both play good, but the genesis version feels more like the Neo-geo version.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Barone

The Side-by-Side series of the main site is way too superficial IMO.

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Some Side-by-Side comparisons are still interesting but some others are really wrong & even biased like the Aero Blasters one. PC Engine version better than the Mega Drive one? Sure! In short PCE version =
- worse presentation;
- worse graphics;
- less parallax;
- worse SFX;
- worse music (even if subjective);
- less accurate gameplay...

The only advantage of the PCE version = the ending which is a little bit enhanced. Maybe best version for this reason alone? No.

=> Aero Blasters MD > PCE.

A couple other fun comparisons would be devil's Crush vs. Dragons Fury, and side Pocket Snes vs Genesis. I love the Genesis version something fierce. Amazing soundtrack.

Hehe what about Ghouls and Ghosts? :)

Ah ok, was already done!

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...s-DaiMakaiMura

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SEGA-Jorge

A couple other fun comparisons would be devil's Crush vs. Dragons Fury.

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Both have their pros & cons but MD version has more pros overall (I feel that i'll post something about this soon...). Anyway both versions are awesome games.

Quote:

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and side Pocket Snes vs Genesis. I love the Genesis version something fierce. Amazing soundtrack

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Yeah MD / Genesis version's music are great.
But hey, feel free to do your own comparison :p it will be welcome!




About Super Baseball 2020 i still have to dig it but some info / feelings that i can say at the moment :
- rom Neo Geo = 2,8 Mo (46Mb cartridge) / rom MD = 1.04 Mo (16Mb cartridge) / rom SNES = 634 octets (12Mb cartridge);
- Neo Geo version apparently runs in lower hori resolution but same vertical res than the MD version which runs in 320x224;
- SNES version seems to lack all the closeups screens & seems less fast & responsive as the others versions.

Amazing work Barone. We must preserve this job, congratulations.

Sagaia / ダライアスII / Darius II / Super Darius II
B Case


Due to several discussions about this game in the forum lately decides to give a close look at the most popular versions of this game.

Mega Drive / Sega Genesis
- Published: Taito Corporation
- Developed: Taito Corporation
- Released: 1990 Japan / 1991 EUA
- Regions: EU, JP
- Format: Cartridge
- Capacity: 8 Megabits
- Compatible controllers: Three and six button.

- Presentation: This port is incredibly faithful to the original... the opening, the transition between stages and all endings are intact here.
The only difference I noticed here is that you arrive on the planets happens faster putting you right in the action, the arcade has a slower entry by passing a feeling that you are entering the atmosphere of the place.
And the order of a few stages and bosses were rearranged differently than the arcade.

- Backgrounds / Sprites: The game runs in 320x224/240 with two horizontal bars at each end of the screen leaving the wider field of view simulating the same arcade action field with 2 screens.
Because of this the size of the sprites were reduced to have the same proportion of the original and it worked very well here.

Thebackgrounds for the most part are almost identical within the new proportions, some of them were better than the original gaining greater detail and better shading work.
But not everything is good, there are other stages that were ugly and below of the original. It seems that the developers took good care of the most memorable and left others aside.

- Animation: To my surprise, most of the animation frames were kept. And some even improved, as your ship reversing direction that is softer and cooler than the arcade.

- Scrolling: The scroll is smooth as in the arcade with all levels of parallax scrolling and with line/wave effects. All existing coolers effects in the arcade are here turning some stages jaw-dropping.

- Colors & Shading: Overall the colors are great and faithfully replicate the arcade in most situations.
The problem is for the scenarios I mentioned earlier that in addition to being made nastily are poorly colored. (I believe that with a color hack everything is beautiful :D )

- Sound / Music: In this part the first thing you miss is the narration at the beginning of the game.
Other than that I found it all excellent, the music was better than the arcade, the effects of explosions and alerts when you get the bosses were great.
Only the sound of the shots are boring because they are high, if a lower tone would be best for me.

- Difficulty & AI: Well balanced and better than the arcade that is unfair sometimes so hard.

- Controls: The same as the original, the controls respond well and the autofire seems to be faster than in the arcade. In some specific moments the game has some slowdowns, but nothing that interferes with the gameplay.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


PC-Engine +Super CD-ROM System 2
- Published: NEC Avenue, Ltd.
- Developed: Taito Corporation
- Released: 1993 JP
- Regions: JP
- Format: CD-Rom
- Capacity: 525 Megabytes
- Required Add-on: Super CD ROM²
- Compatible controllers: Standard


- Presentation: It has all the qualities of the Mega Drive version, but in this version you enter in planets in the same speed of arcade.

- Backgrounds / Sprites: The game runs on low resolution is 256x224 and a large black stripe on the top with the HUD.
The sprites are large and detailed and will soon get his attention, especially the bosses that are giants and always occupy almost the entire screen.
The backgrounds are also very beautiful and almost identical to the original, only a few things that were resized and some elements removed.
Most difference here is the size of things that seem to be too big to fit in a resolution so small.

- Animation: I would say that is the same level that the of Mega Drive version, some enemies or objects you notice some additional frames and other less, which ends up balancing both games.

- Scrolling: The scroll is smooth, the biggest difference here is that the game also moves vertically because the resolution does not accommodate the entire screen action.
What is below the other versions is the lack of parallax scrolling and most special effects of line/wave scrolling were lost (only the first stage we have a one effect and is not complete).

- Colors & Shading: The colors and shading are beautiful and is very close to the arcade. For sure is one of the most beautiful games of pc-engine.

- Sound / Music: In this part the first thing you miss is the narration at the beginning of the game.
And the soundtrack was all redone in instrumental in CD quality, and is excellent.
Most of the songs were sensational in style rock in roll that pleases me immensely, as other composers lose a little rhythm and became more boring in my opinion.

The effects are good and with low volume, which is great after all I want to hear the music.
The problem is when you will face the BOSS and the music fades and alert sound generated by the PC-eng the sound chip makes your ears bleed.

- Difficulty & AI: The difficulty is bland as the game provides you with a lot of lives and continues.
What makes it difficult at various times is the lack of sight, it is easy to be hit by things that you are not looking at the screen.
Some bosses seem to be his girlfriend as stick together face to face with you without giving you plenty of room to breathe and play correctly.

- Controls: The same as the original and responds very well.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


My Opinion

The port of the Mega Drive was released a year after the original arcade in a cartridge 8mib only at the beginning of the console life cycle.
If you think about the magnitude of this game, the variety of stages and enemies, various finals were held without cuts ... the work done here simply phenomenal.
Now you join the graphics, music and gameplay and you had an arcade in your home .. and that was that everyone wanted in 1990 to buy a mega drive.

The PC-engine CD version leaves me divided, it was released years after the original and the port of MD. He captivates me with its amazing soundtrack making further increase the volume of my powerful sound.
The game is also very beautiful and some new bosses were really better than the arcade. On the other hand most of them turned a solid piece of something, they do not have animation or movement,
has no joints or multi-joiend-sprites and how Darius idea is that the bosses are animals most of them do not express this idea (appear as a normal boss of any other game of this type).
I also did not like the fact that you have the limited field of view and the game has vertical scroll at all stages,
it sucks in any game of this style and its field of action is ridiculously small giving the impression that the game is running zoom in.
It seems they were concerned more with the graphics and look good in the photo that spend a good experience of gameplay.

Both games have their differences from the arcade, one tries to be faithful to the original idea and the other trying to go the other way.
I prefer the path taken by the version of mega drive, I find this much more balanced version and my vote is with him.


Comparison Samples

http://i.imgur.com/VRC0e2C.png

Excellent job, Pyron! A Black Falcon will be very happy too!

And especially love your idea for doing some work on this too. :D This game is so great! (Don't forget Raiden also, as it's upsetting to hear so many here say the colours are dull in that one too, lol)

PS. You can get rid of that black line in the middle of the screen in MAME, so you know for next time. ;)

*You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Pyron again.*

great review Pyron! I enjoyed reading your assessment of the game. It would be interesting to get the opinion of some Turbo Grafx-16 aficionados among us (here's looking at you Black_Tiger)! Whether we get further contributions from some of our SEGA-16 members, great job providing your opinion on the issue!

"It seems they were concerned more with the graphics and look good in the photo that spend a good experience of gameplay."
This resumes everything, nice job Pyron!, it was just pointless to keep the big sprites from the arcade on the PCE version with such resolution, even the Master System version has much more space to move.