Do This Over!

[Aswald]

It doesn't matter which generation of game consoles you had, this always happens: an arcade game you loved and were overjoyed to hear was coming to YOUR CONSOLE...only to let you down.

If you could go back and make "them" do it over again, which would they be?


Atari VCS:
Pac-Man. Enough said.


Atari 5200:

Space Invaders. The idea behind buying a home version of an arcade game is this: you want to play it at home. Granted, one must consider the limitations of home systems, but what was this? This was almost a completely different game, beyond the very basics.
Pac-Man. Good game, but give the ghosts eyes.
Congo Bongo. What was this?
Mario Bros. Fix that bizarre color problem.


Atari 7800:

Xenophobe. Too much missing.
Double Dragon. Too much missing. Characters are blocky.
Galaga. Doesn't say much when you realize the CV version would've been better than a next-generation system's.
Dark Chambers. Boring. All 5 monsters are the same except for damage. No incentive to play after a while, and having nothing but Reaper spawners is a cheap way out.


ColecoVision:

Donkey Kong. Too much missing.
Subroc. If the CV cannot handle it, do not attempt it.
Frenzy. Extra life at 5,000 and 10,000 only.
Mr. Do!. Fine-tune it. Fix up the graphics. Look at Ladybug.
Victory. Defective programming.
Star Wars. Too much missing. Not enough challenge.
Q*Bert, Popeye, Gyruss, and Frogger. Graphics.
Montezuma's Revenge. Randomness, more challenge.
Space Fury. See review for it here at the DP!
Congo Bongo. 4 screens, please.
Time Pilot. 5th screen, better collision detection, graphics.
Centipede. Better graphics. Your gun and the mushrooms could have been multi-colored, for starters.

Please note that I know that in most of the above cases exact versions were, at the very least, impractical, due to technical, time, or budget limitations. Even so...

[Steven]

hmmm, I'm trying to think of one!

But great topic :)

Well, I remember awaiting MANY SNES arcade translations, and most of them did not disappoint. However, Fatal Fury 1 sucked and King of the Monsters 1 was badly butchered (no tag team mode and they stripped 2 monsters from the roster from six to four -- inexcusable).

[rbudrick]

I could think of a bunch, but one in particular comes to mind.

Before I owned an NES, The Legend of Kage was an arcade cab down at the local pizza shop. It was most certainly the coolest game I'd ever seen. I thought the game was stunning and beautiful. It seemed so real, and it was incredibly fun.

I always wished they would make an NES version from the time I got an NES on, and they finally did, much to my surprise when I saw it in the store. When I saw the game years later at Toys R Us, I HAD to have it. I felt so lucky that the game was $35 and not $50 like all the others. I saved up like a mofo and when the time came to get the game, I popped it in my NES and was extremely disappointed. Shit, the back of the box even showed pics from the arcade version!! What a fucking scam! I felt so ripped off. They didn't even indicate that the pics were from the arcade version.

I did eventually grow to like the game, but it sure didn't have the magic of the arcade version. That game really blew me away as a kid.

-Rob

[udisi]

For the NES when I first saw TMNT, I was like "hell yeah!!!" I loved the arcade version, but the first one on the NES was that crappy overhead view game and I was pissed. Atleast they kinda fixed it by releasing an arcade version as TMNT2 but I would have never bought that first piece of crap had I known what it was.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[PentiumMMX]

I'd go with the NES version of Donkey Kong (Missing Stage 2) and Off-Road Challenge for the N64 (The arcade version was a blast, the N64 version was badly butchered)

[Steve W]

Zaxxon for the Atari 2600 and Intellivision. Did the programmers even see the original game?

[agbulls]

TMNT: The arcade game on NES. All I wanted was two player co-op...and it was a single player!!! Oh, the anger and frustation I felt as a 10 year old.

[bangtango]

TMNT: The arcade game on NES. All I wanted was two player co-op...and it was a single player!!! Oh, the anger and frustation I felt as a 10 year old.

Huh? I thought that was a two player game.

I guess my own answers would include:

SUPER NINTENDO:
-Final Fight (missing Guy and an entire level, but I don't care about the altered character names or outfits)

NES:
-Double Dragon 1 & 2 (I'd prefer their level design matched the arcade versions)

VARIOUS SYSTEMS:
-Samurai Shodown (pretty much every home version from the early 90's was a bust, one had tiny characters and another was missing a character, this one had to be played on the arcade or a Neo Geo)

[diskoboy]

Pretty much every version of Donkey Kong was incomplete. Even the NES version.

Either they left out the elevator level, the conveyor belt level, or both.

[Garry Silljo]

TMNT: The arcade game on NES. All I wanted was two player co-op...and it was a single player!!! Oh, the anger and frustation I felt as a 10 year old.

It was 2 player. You must be thinking of a different game. I've played this 2 player co-op hundreds of times with many different people. Maybe you are thinking of Turtles 1? The Arcade Game, The Manhattan Project, and Tournament Fighters were all 2 player.

[Ed Oscuro]

It was 2 player. You must be thinking of a different game. I've played this 2 player co-op hundreds of times with many different people. Maybe you are thinking of Turtles 1? The Arcade Game, The Manhattan Project, and Tournament Fighters were all 2 player.
He said NES...I'm pretty sure that TMNT 1 (I know I have a loose cart of one of the TMNT games on NES) was a generic ninja action game with the Turtles stuffed in for licensing. It's pretty bad.

Part of the problem was that the titles were not so descriptive, so it's not like AGBulls wasn't paying attention; you had to look at the subtitle to see which game it was. TMNT II arcade became IV on SNES, didn't it? Unnecessary confusion. License stuffing = bad. Suddenly you wonder if something from your beloved license is going to be good or trash.

[bangtango]

Pretty much every version of Donkey Kong was incomplete. Even the NES version.

Either they left out the elevator level, the conveyor belt level, or both.

Given all the systems that it came out for, since the 2600 version, this is a disgrace.

Someone at Nintendo was pretty lazy (or cheap) because they can't use the excuse that there was no room. Especially when the first Donkey Kong was combined with Jr. on Classics.

Wasn't there one version that actually had all the levels, I think on an Atari platform, but it ended up having lousy graphics and sound anyway? Meaning an earlier version that predates the Game Boy or 16-bit systems.

[OatBob]

Pac-Man 2600 was pretty sad, and where were the other levels in DOOM 32X?! Nearly half the game was missing.

[ApolloBoy]

Wasn't there one version that actually had all the levels, I think on an Atari platform, but it ended up having lousy graphics and sound anyway?

Yes, the Atari 8-bit computer version has all 4 levels.

[Ed Oscuro]

Given all the systems that it came out for, since the 2600 version, this is a disgrace.

Someone at Nintendo was pretty lazy (or cheap) because they can't use the excuse that there was no room. Especially when the first Donkey Kong was combined with Jr. on Classics.
Weren't the ports done by the console manufacturers at the time? Most DK ports were pre-NES, I believe...

[goemon]

I wouldn't change anything too drastically -- maybe I'd have the Playstation port of Mortal Kombat II programmed better (load times during fights... wtpf?) or put some unlockable bonuses in Konami's Gradius/Salamander/Parodius/Twinbee deluxe packs. I'm happy with most of the games I like, though. I doubt that I could do better.

[Tron 2.0]

Pretty much every version of Donkey Kong was incomplete. Even the NES version.

Either they left out the elevator level, the conveyor belt level, or both.
That's one thing that all ways annoyed me.

Most conversion or ports of donkey kong fall short.

To this day i still don't understand why, Nintendo can't emulate the damn thing and put it in a collection.

Instead there lazy about it and just release the nes version every time......

[rbudrick]

He said NES...I'm pretty sure that TMNT 1 (I know I have a loose cart of one of the TMNT games on NES) was a generic ninja action game with the Turtles stuffed in for licensing. It's pretty bad.


Hmmm? Generic ninja game? No way man, TMNT1 was a TMNT game all the way. The game may not be the arcade version, but it was a very good game on its own, like Strider, Rygar, Mighty Bomb Jack, Bionic Commando, Double Dragon 1 and 2, and many other NES remake/originals. It had an incredible challenge level, good level design, and tough bosses. Yes, it was a little graphically rough, but for what Konami was trying to do, I think they pulled it off very well. People that don't like this game never actually tried to beat it, or made it past level 2 or 3. The issue of Nintendo Power with the maps and stuff was a big help, no doubt. The game even had some great tunes, like almost every Konami NES game.

It took me 3 friggin years to beat that game, mainly because it took me 3 years to figure out how to get through the last level (max out everyone's scrolls in level 3 by constantly exiting and reentering a certain building). I could make it to level 6 from day 2 or something, but it would be 3 more years before I found out how to pass it.

-Rob

[Aswald]

Given all the systems that it came out for, since the 2600 version, this is a disgrace.

Someone at Nintendo was pretty lazy (or cheap) because they can't use the excuse that there was no room. Especially when the first Donkey Kong was combined with Jr. on Classics.

Wasn't there one version that actually had all the levels, I think on an Atari platform, but it ended up having lousy graphics and sound anyway? Meaning an earlier version that predates the Game Boy or 16-bit systems.


Actually, there was a complete version for the NES. It had all 4 screens, the intermissions, the beginning, and the screens were presented in their proper order. It also had a similar version of Donkey Kong Jr.

I played it back in 1997 or 1998.

[DarthKur]

Actually, there was a complete version for the NES. It had all 4 screens, the intermissions, the beginning, and the screens were presented in their proper order. It also had a similar version of Donkey Kong Jr.

I played it back in 1997 or 1998.


I would really like that to be true. It's definitely nothing I've ever heard of. The only "full" versions I have are all for various 8 - bit computers.

[exit]

Part of the problem was that the titles were not so descriptive, so it's not like AGBulls wasn't paying attention; you had to look at the subtitle to see which game it was. TMNT II arcade became IV on SNES, didn't it? Unnecessary confusion. License stuffing = bad. Suddenly you wonder if something from your beloved license is going to be good or trash.

Uh....no?

TMNT was TMNT
TMNT2 The Arcade Game was TMNT2 The Arcade Game
TMNT3 The Manhattan Project was TMNT3 The Manhattan Project
TMNT Turtles in Time (SNES) was TMNT Turtles in Time

There was no confusion over the game names, he was probably just confusing it with the first one, since the only one that wasn't co-op was the first.

[Mark III]

A lot of the early Genesis games were really watered down ports of good arcade games. Golden Axe and Altered Beast immediately spring to mind. The basic gameplay is mostly there, they just suffer a lot in the graphics and sound department. Too bad really as the genesis was powerful enough to do much better ports than what was released, but I suppose that's always the curse of early release games, they seldom utilize the power of the system. The only decent early arcade port on the Genesis was Strider, but even it suffered from a lot of slowdown and flicker.

[bangtango]

Uh....no?

TMNT was TMNT
TMNT2 The Arcade Game was TMNT2 The Arcade Game
TMNT3 The Manhattan Project was TMNT3 The Manhattan Project
TMNT Turtles in Time (SNES) was TMNT Turtles in Time

There was no confusion over the game names, he was probably just confusing it with the first one, since the only one that wasn't co-op was the first.

I guess to further explain it......

-The first Turtles game on the NES was an original game for home consoles, it was actually on other platforms besides the NES.

-The second NES Turtles game (TMNT 2: The Arcade Game) was a port of the first Turtles arcade game but since the first game was already released, they had to slap a 2 in front of it when releasing it on the NES.

-TMNT 3: The Manhattan Project was an original game for the NES that capitalized on the success of TMNT 2 (or the original Turtles arcade game) by using the exact same engine and style of play. Basically a rehash but oddly enough, a lot of people call this their favorite Turtles NES game.

-TMNT IV: Turtles In Time was based on a second Turtles arcade game (the sequel to the first arcade game, also known as TMNT 2 on NES). To make things more confusing, this game appeared on the Sega Genesis as TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist but the levels and enemies were changed around a little and the game had weaker graphics. So technically, both the SNES and Genesis got a port of the other Turtles side-scrolling arcade game.

Wow, I hope I had this all right.

[rbudrick]

I guess to further explain it......

-The first Turtles game on the NES was an original game for home consoles, it was actually on other platforms besides the NES.



What other systems was this on?

-Rob

[exit]

According to gamefaqs it was on PC, MSX, and C64, not sure if they're the same exact game tho.

Edit: From the much more accurate Moby Games: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, NES, Wii, ZX Spectrum

So the TMNT on Genesis was Turtles in Time remix? From what I remember there weren't any similarities, but that's based on the 3 times I've ever play it.

[Jorpho]

The Coleco ADAM version of Donkey Kong was also complete. There's a ROM image of a DK proto for the regular Coleco Vision out there too which has extra stuff, but collision detection is missing on the pie factory level, if memory serves. (I think it probably would have been too costly to produce due to the larger ROM size.)

[Frica89]

Pretty much every version of Donkey Kong was incomplete. Even the NES version.

Either they left out the elevator level, the conveyor belt level, or both.

I think the only complete version is the one in Donkey Kong 64. In the factory level, you find a DK arcade machine and have to get a high score or something on it. then you can play it whenever you want.

[Leo_A]

"I'd go with the NES version of Donkey Kong (Missing Stage 2) and Off-Road Challenge for the N64 (The arcade version was a blast, the N64 version was badly butchered)"

Are you sure you're not thinking of Offroad Thunder in the arcades? Off-Road Challenge didn't seem to get much positive press even for the arcade version, though I've only played the N64 port.

[bangtango]

What other systems was this on?

-Rob

Exit has it covered. I only knew about the Amiga, DOS and Commodore versions so he went above and beyond the call of duty. A long time ago, I remember the Amiga version of the game getting a really good review in some magazine like Game Players who also reviewed computer games and they considered it better than the NES version.

[exit]

Exit has it covered. I only knew about the Amiga, DOS and Commodore versions so he went above and beyond the call of duty.

Well I find different versions/ports of games fascinating, so it comes naturally for me to seek out this kind of information. Depending on the game, I'll seek out every port just to see what they're like. I did this when I found out about the Japanese Maniac Mansion, during that time there weren't as many resources for roms, so it took a bit to track down. Needles to say, it could've been better time spent.

[Aswald]

I would really like that to be true. It's definitely nothing I've ever heard of. The only "full" versions I have are all for various 8 - bit computers.


This is one time someone can guarantee you that this sort of thing is true. It absolutely was an NES. The cartridge itself was identical in appearance to the "regular" ones, but it has everything.

When I finally picked up an NES at a town-wide garage sale in 2000, a few weeks later, at a second-hand store, I bought a copy of Donkey Kong/DKjr. I was surprised to see that it wasn't complete; as that other version was the only NES version I'd ever played, I naturally assumed that they were ALL complete.

The other person there that night was the one who swore that he'd played a "better looking" version of Centipede for the ColecoVision. That I can easily believe. Since your ship in Galaxian was 2-colored, the same could have been done for Centipede.

As for the mushrooms:

012345678
1BBBPPBBB
2BBPPPPBB
3BRRRRRRB
4PRRRRRRP
5PPPPPPPP
6BBBPPBBB
7BBBPPBBB
8BBBPPBBB

In this case: B=Black; P=Purple; R=Red.

How would a screen full of these, with a 2-colored "gun," look? Much better, I'd guess.

[RJ]

How 'bout Mario Bros. (Atari VCS)? They stripped that sucker down so much it was similar almost in name & playfield only. I've heard praise for it, but personally it doesnt cut it for me. I realize most of the following are due to programming limitations/cut corners:

-single floor "pattern" & no graphical floor "bumping" from below
-no splash below when the creature is kicked
-multicolored square "wafers" instead of coins. Couldnt they have rounded the corners?
-2 less coins in the coin phases
-1 CREATURE PER FLOOR AT A TIME(!?) This SEVERELY changes gameplay, not for the better. No more bonus pts for kicking off 1< pests in a row.
-pests/coins- er, WAFERS dont switch direction when they collide.
-2 player physics are limited, no bouncing off the other guy, etc.
-no standing on POW switch
-no punching fireballs, no moving fireball on top lvl
-crummy looking Slipice, I have yet to see an arcade-quality Slipice in any vers.

I prob. missed more stuff. The 7800 is much better but still pales in comparison to the NES vers, which is as close to the arcade as I've seen. But I've heard the Atari 8-bit vers. even have the short level intros.

When you've played/loved Mario Bros. as much as me, these things bother you.

[ubikuberalles]

As for the mushrooms:

012345678
1BBBPPBBB
2BBPPPPBB
3BRRRRRRB
4PRRRRRRP
5PPPPPPPP
6BBBPPBBB
7BBBPPBBB
8BBBPPBBB

In this case: B=Black; P=Purple; R=Red.

How would a screen full of these, with a 2-colored "gun," look? Much better, I'd guess.

That's a little hard to see at a glance and so I made a modified version:



012345678
1...PP...
2..PPPP..
3.rrrrrr.
4PrrrrrrP
5PPPPPPPP
6...PP...
7...PP...
8...PP...


.=Black r=red P=purple

There! Much easier to see the mushroom shape.

EDIT: Heck. I might as well draw it in Photoshop:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/ubikuberalles/photos%20for%20dp%20site/2007/mushroom.gif