Sunset Riders: Genesis version Vs. SNES version

[Draven]

I've never played the home versions, so I can't comment on which is better...I passed up the SNES version today for 5 bucks at the flea market (probably should go back next weekend to pick it up if it's faithful to the arcade version).

[joshnickerson]

I've played both, but I have to give the edge to the SNES version due to more stages and playable characters.
Though a plus on the Genesis side, my friend came up with a dirty song to go along with the bonus stage tune.

[genesisguy]

I got both too. The SNES is more colorful but the Genesis runs smoother and things seem to be going faster in the Genesis version. I got the Genesis version with box and instructions for cheaper than what just the SNES cart is going for these days on ebay. Both are good, and both are different enough that I think its justifiable to own both.

I'll give the edge to the Genesis because it has less stages, can be played through quicker, and the hookers are dressed better.

[ShinobiMan]

In my opinion, the Genesis version was a huge downgrade over the SNES version. Both games are still fun, but the SNES features more levels, better music, and voice samples work throughout. It is in fact one of the greatest Arcade ports of that era. What seals the deal is the two extra characters that are sorely missing from the Genesis version.

[kupomogli]

The missing stages from the Genesis version makes the SNES version better to me. The two missing characters really don't matter as the two characters are pretty much copies of the two that are playable.

[A Black Falcon]

I have both of them, and have played the arcade version a good bit too. There's absolutely no contest.

The SNES version is a nearly perfect port of the arcade game, only altered in censorship, that it's two player only instead of four like the arcade game, and changes to some level design elements of a few of the later stages. It's a fantastic game, a nearly perfect port of one of the great run & gun games. It's got the full arcade intro, all four characters, all the levels, a fantastic version of the soundtrack, all of the arcade version's voice acting, and more... just awesome stuff! And it can be had for just a couple of dollars used! Amazing...

The Genesis version, however, is a completely different game. I don't just mean that as "lesser"; it most certainly is lesser, but it also is different. The two games have completely different levels -- the Genesis version has four areas of two stages each with only a boss at the end of each area's second stage, while the SNES has seven individual levels, each with a boss. The Genesis levels are entirely original, not ports of any of the arcade game's stages. This may sound like a good thing, but the new stages are much longer, extremely bland, and dull and repetitive in both graphical and level design in comparison to the originals. You see the same buildings over and over as you trudge through the two stages set in each location... The Genesis version has many more problems, though. There are a few good points, including the great music and reduced censorship (though compared to the arcade game it still has some), but there are many more negatives. In addition to the above, these include that almost all of the voice acting was cut out of the game (the bosses don't speak in this version! Essentially the only line of voice acting in the game is the "Thank you, nice boys" line that the women you save at the end of each of the four stages without bosses say.), only four of the seven bosses remain, four of the eight levels (the first part of the two in each environment) have no boss at the end, while good the music is perhaps not quite as good as it is on SNES, as I said the graphics and level designs are are INCREDIBLY repetitive and boring in comparison to the original levels, the intro has been cut to just a couple of screens, there's no running animation when your guys are on top of the stampeding herd of bulls, just the standard walk... it's really a very disappointing game, particularly gameplay-wise but also graphically. I did play it, and finish it, but compared to the SNES or arcade titles, it's pretty bad.

As for the graphics, the graphics are noticeably worse on Genesis. Part of this is colors, as the Genesis can only do 64 colors versus 256, but the graphics just look worse. I don't think the characters are much different in size -- they're about the same size, I think. See the videos below for a comparison. In colors, detail, sprites, etc, the SNES is just better. The arcade version has the clear edge, though, of course... but of the console ports, SNES is the winner for sure.

The Genesis version's music is pretty good. Compared to graphics, design, and gameplay, the Genesis does much better here. The arcade version has the best music, but between Genesis and SNES it probably just mostly depends on whether you prefer Genesis style or SNES style music... I think the SNES music is slightly better, but not by a lot. The SNES also has more music, having for instance the full intro, more unique stages, and such, which the Genesis of course doesn't. The music is great on all platforms, though... Sunset Riders has an awesome soundtrack. (The lack of most voice acting in the Genesis version, noted above, should be mentioned here too, though, on the issue of audio.)

Oh, the Genesis does win on one thing -- cartridge art. While the two carts have the same art on them, because the area on a Genesis cart for the sticker is larger, you get a bigger version of the cover art picture than you do on the SNES. That's cool, the cover art is silly, awesome stuff...

Levels, arcade/SNES: Simon Greedwell (town stage), Hawkeye Hank Hatfield (horseback stage), Dark Horse (town stage), The Smith Bros. (inside a bar), El Greco (on a train), Chief Scalpem/Wigwam (Indian area), Paco Loco (horseback #2), Sir Richard Rose (manor). There are bonus stages twice in the game, and they are target-shooting minigames where you have to hit all the guys as they pop up on screen.

Most stages are the same in both versions, but there are a few changes, beyond the censorship elements listed below. I'd need to play the two games again to remember exactly, but some parts of the last level are defiinitely different -- the parts where you shoot gatling guns at walls in the arcade are gone from the SNES, for instance. Chief Scalpem/Wigwam's stage also might have had a bit of a level design change... I should play it again and remind myself.

Levels, Genesis: Town part 1, Simon Greedwell (town part 2), train part 1, Paco Loco (town part 2), Indian area part 1, Chief Scalpem (Indian area part 2), manor part 1, Sir Richard Rose (manor part 2). There are a couple of bonus stages here too, but they are completely different -- they are isometric horseback areas where you collect powerups that come towards you, thrown off a wagon or on the path.

As I said, these levels are entirely original, none being the same as the arcade/SNES levels, excepting boss areas. Bossfights are similar, but you now fight Paco Loco where you fought El Greco in the original version (that is, on the train engine).

Censorship in the SNES version:
-The female enemies (the ones that throw grenades at you) were removed. They were replaced with a male enemy who throws grenades at you.
-No alchohol. Instead, in doors where the guys would drink, they just come out and strike a pose.
-No women in underwear. Instead, they're all fully dressed.
-No Indian enemies in the level where they are present in the arcade. The boss is an Indian, but all standard enemies in the stage are normal baddies.
-The Indian boss, Chief Scalpem, has been renamed to Chief Wigmam.
-His voiced intro line is the same ("Ready for Pow-Wow"), but the subtitles were changed to "Get ready for a pow-wow", to correct his grammar.

Genesis version censorship
-No alchohol. Instead, the character comes out with a woman at every door.
-The female enemies (the ones that throw grenades at you) were removed. They were replaced with a male enemy who throws grenades at you.

But back to the gameplay... look at this video for instance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdJ1Z...eature=related

Note how the stages in the Genesis version are longer and repetitive, both in graphics and gameplay, while the SNES/arcade version has much tighter and more interestingly designed levels. That's actually two levels of the Genesis game you see there, broken up by the point where you rescue the girl at 5:22, finally with the boss at the end of the second. Yet all it is is just an endless row of houses, nothing like the interesting level designs of the arcade game. This kind of stuff continues through the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrcnGP6-fA0

With the first boss, you can see more of the same. The Genesis version has a less accurate boss area design, worse graphics, and no voice acting. Tolerable, I guess, but subpar in comparison. The SNES version's, in contrast, fantastic, is about as close to the arcade as the SNES could do.

[Wraith Storm]

The SNES version is a nearly perfect port of the arcade game, only altered in censorship, that it's two player only instead of four like the arcade game, and changes to some level design elements of a few of the later stages.

The Genesis version, however, is a completely different game. I don't just mean that as "lesser"; it most certainly is lesser, but it also is different. The two games have completely different levels

Well said A Black Falcon! I'm glad you took the time to type all that so I didn't have too! But you took the words right out of my mouth and then some! That was an incredibly well written comparison between the versions.

It was always interesting to see how the companies would bring the arcade ports home.

When Capcom brought Bionic Commando to the NES I was all excited. I liked the Arcade version and though it was fun so I couldn't wait to be able to play it at home! But then when it came out it was a completely different beast from the arcade version. It was more like Metal Gear mixed with the basic elements from the Bionic Commando arcade game. Fortunately it ended up being MUCH better than the arcade and nothing else could really compare to it.

When Sunset Riders came out I thought it was interesting that Konami decided to give 2 versions for the home consoles; An "Arcade" port to the SNES and an original Sunset Riders game to the Genesis. (I heard they also did a similar thing to TMNT: Tutles in Time/ TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist but I have never played them so I can't comment.)

While the Genesis version of Sunset Riders is a blast to play, the arcade game left little room for improvement. Thus anything other than an arcade port certainly wouldn't be as good. There was just no way the original Genny version could ever hope to out do the perfection of the arcade.

The Snes Arcade port wins hands down, but the Genny version is still awesome and great to play through.

[guitargary75]

I have both of them, and have played the arcade version a good bit too. There's absolutely no contest.

The SNES version is a nearly perfect port of the arcade game, only altered in censorship, that it's two player only instead of four like the arcade game, and changes to some level design elements of a few of the later stages. It's a fantastic game, a nearly perfect port of one of the great run & gun games. It's got the full arcade intro, all four characters, all the levels, a fantastic version of the soundtrack, all of the arcade version's voice acting, and more... just awesome stuff! And it can be had for just a couple of dollars used! Amazing...

The Genesis version, however, is a completely different game. I don't just mean that as "lesser"; it most certainly is lesser, but it also is different. The two games have completely different levels -- the Genesis version has four areas of two stages each with only a boss at the end of each area's second stage, while the SNES has seven individual levels, each with a boss. The Genesis levels are entirely original, not ports of any of the arcade game's stages. This may sound like a good thing, but the new stages are much longer, extremely bland, and dull and repetitive in both graphical and level design in comparison to the originals. You see the same buildings over and over as you trudge through the two stages set in each location... The Genesis version has many more problems, though. There are a few good points, including the great music and reduced censorship (though compared to the arcade game it still has some), but there are many more negatives. In addition to the above, these include that almost all of the voice acting was cut out of the game (the bosses don't speak in this version! Essentially the only line of voice acting in the game is the "Thank you, nice boys" line that the women you save at the end of each of the four stages without bosses say.), only four of the seven bosses remain, four of the eight levels (the first part of the two in each environment) have no boss at the end, while good the music is perhaps not quite as good as it is on SNES, as I said the graphics and level designs are are INCREDIBLY repetitive and boring in comparison to the original levels, the intro has been cut to just a couple of screens, there's no running animation when your guys are on top of the stampeding herd of bulls, just the standard walk... it's really a very disappointing game, particularly gameplay-wise but also graphically. I did play it, and finish it, but compared to the SNES or arcade titles, it's pretty bad.

As for the graphics, the graphics are noticeably worse on Genesis. Part of this is colors, as the Genesis can only do 64 colors versus 256, but the graphics just look worse. I don't think the characters are much different in size -- they're about the same size, I think. See the videos below for a comparison. In colors, detail, sprites, etc, the SNES is just better. The arcade version has the clear edge, though, of course... but of the console ports, SNES is the winner for sure.

The Genesis version's music is pretty good. Compared to graphics, design, and gameplay, the Genesis does much better here. The arcade version has the best music, but between Genesis and SNES it probably just mostly depends on whether you prefer Genesis style or SNES style music... I think the SNES music is slightly better, but not by a lot. The SNES also has more music, having for instance the full intro, more unique stages, and such, which the Genesis of course doesn't. The music is great on all platforms, though... Sunset Riders has an awesome soundtrack. (The lack of most voice acting in the Genesis version, noted above, should be mentioned here too, though, on the issue of audio.)

Oh, the Genesis does win on one thing -- cartridge art. While the two carts have the same art on them, because the area on a Genesis cart for the sticker is larger, you get a bigger version of the cover art picture than you do on the SNES. That's cool, the cover art is silly, awesome stuff...

Levels, arcade/SNES: Simon Greedwell (town stage), Hawkeye Hank Hatfield (horseback stage), Dark Horse (town stage), The Smith Bros. (inside a bar), El Greco (on a train), Chief Scalpem/Wigwam (Indian area), Paco Loco (horseback #2), Sir Richard Rose (manor). There are bonus stages twice in the game, and they are target-shooting minigames where you have to hit all the guys as they pop up on screen.

Most stages are the same in both versions, but there are a few changes, beyond the censorship elements listed below. I'd need to play the two games again to remember exactly, but some parts of the last level are defiinitely different -- the parts where you shoot gatling guns at walls in the arcade are gone from the SNES, for instance. Chief Scalpem/Wigwam's stage also might have had a bit of a level design change... I should play it again and remind myself.

Levels, Genesis: Town part 1, Simon Greedwell (town part 2), train part 1, Paco Loco (town part 2), Indian area part 1, Chief Scalpem (Indian area part 2), manor part 1, Sir Richard Rose (manor part 2). There are a couple of bonus stages here too, but they are completely different -- they are isometric horseback areas where you collect powerups that come towards you, thrown off a wagon or on the path.

As I said, these levels are entirely original, none being the same as the arcade/SNES levels, excepting boss areas. Bossfights are similar, but you now fight Paco Loco where you fought El Greco in the original version (that is, on the train engine).

Censorship in the SNES version:
-The female enemies (the ones that throw grenades at you) were removed. They were replaced with a male enemy who throws grenades at you.
-No alchohol. Instead, in doors where the guys would drink, they just come out and strike a pose.
-No women in underwear. Instead, they're all fully dressed.
-No Indian enemies in the level where they are present in the arcade. The boss is an Indian, but all standard enemies in the stage are normal baddies.
-The Indian boss, Chief Scalpem, has been renamed to Chief Wigmam.
-His voiced intro line is the same ("Ready for Pow-Wow"), but the subtitles were changed to "Get ready for a pow-wow", to correct his grammar.

Genesis version censorship
-No alchohol. Instead, the character comes out with a woman at every door.
-The female enemies (the ones that throw grenades at you) were removed. They were replaced with a male enemy who throws grenades at you.

But back to the gameplay... look at this video for instance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdJ1Z...eature=related

Note how the stages in the Genesis version are longer and repetitive, both in graphics and gameplay, while the SNES/arcade version has much tighter and more interestingly designed levels. That's actually two levels of the Genesis game you see there, broken up by the point where you rescue the girl at 5:22, finally with the boss at the end of the second. Yet all it is is just an endless row of houses, nothing like the interesting level designs of the arcade game. This kind of stuff continues through the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrcnGP6-fA0

With the first boss, you can see more of the same. The Genesis version has a less accurate boss area design, worse graphics, and no voice acting. Tolerable, I guess, but subpar in comparison. The SNES version's, in contrast, fantastic, is about as close to the arcade as the SNES could do.

I just had to see this HUGE reply in a quote box

[kjmontana]

The SNES is more colorful but the Genesis runs smoother and things seem to be going faster in the Genesis version.

Probably due to the Genesis' famous "BLAST PROCESSING"(GIGGLEGIGGLESNORT)