Ever like the Inferior Console Version Better?

[8bitgamer]

I remember playing the heck out of Lady Bug when I first got my ColecoVision, even sending in my high score to Electronic Games Magazine (the score never got published, unfortunately). Then, my local arcade got the original cabinet in, and of course, it had better graphics (no blinking, for example). However, I found myself playing it very little. I had already gotten used to the ColecoVision version, so the coin-op classic left me sorta cold (even though it is a great game).

Anyone else have a particular home version of a game they enjoy better than its superior coin-op counterpart?

[Superman]

The game that had that effect on me is Pac-Man for the Atari 2600. I played that game at home a lot since I was around 1 or 2 years old when we got the system. Of course I didn't go to a lot of arcades at that age so that was the only version I played for awhile.

When I did see it at the arcade for the first time or even now, it looks like the same game to me, but it has better graphics and it doesn't make the funny sounds that the 2600 does. Even though Pac-man on the 2600 may not be better in reality it means more to me.

[ssjlance]

Street Fighter II on the Genesis. It was the first version I ever played, and I still dig out the old copy every now and again. Its visuals lack compared to the SNES version but the gameplay is the closer to the original.

[Steven]

World Heroes 2 SNES. Four button option = glorious. Plus the home port had tons of options added in, making it a more satisfying experience for moi.

I played the Neo Geo home port in 2006, and just kept wanting to go back to the SNES one, lol, go figure.

[skaar]

Donkey Kong was like that for me. I played the Coleco version to death. I used to have marathon 6+ hour games where I basically couldn't die. But in the arcade... something was wrong. Just felt wrong.

Rygar is another one that comes to mind - though the NES and Arcade are completely different games.

What else...

Strider had the same thing as Rygar.... different game really.

Tetris? ;)

[Gentlegamer]

Contra!

[Pantechnicon]

GB Tetris > NES Tetris

..and I'll take just about any 2600 arcade port over any of its then-contemporary consoles, with the notable exceptions of Donkey Kong and Burgertime.

[diskoboy]

NES Rygar > Arcade Rygar.
NES Ninja Gaiden > Arcade Ninja Gaiden.
NES Bionic Commando > Arcade Bionic Commando

[Nebagram]

obvious one would have to be Jaguar Tempest 2K> Saturn T2K> PS1 TX3.

[c0ldb33r]

Contra!
Quoted for truth.

[kedawa]

Shadow Dancer, E-SWAT, Pit Fighter, and Fatal Fury were all more fun on Genesis.

[BydoEmpire]

Oh, absolutely. There are lots of cases of this for me, usually because I can survive longer than 2 minutes in the console version. ;) 7800 Galaga is one notable example. Is it a "better game?" No, probably not, but I enjoy playing it more than the arcade version - it has a much smoother difficulty curve.

I always liked playing 2d fighters with the NES dpad better than the arcade version w/ joysticks. I could pull of moves much more consistently. I also liked that the console versions of SF2 were a little more forgiving.

Of all the versions of Pac Man, I like the 5200's best. It looks great, controls great, and seems to feel better to me than the arcade. Not sure what it is, maybe it starts a little bit slower.

[Kitsune Sniper]

NES: Contra, Super C
SNES: Art of Fighting.

... What? At least it has a bleedin' ENDING.

[Graham Mitchell]

We've had topics like this before...unfortunately the freakin' search engine never works for me so I can't dig up the thread.

Contra is universally used as an example of the home version being better than the arcade version. I think Double Dragon is this way as well (particularly Double Dragon II--the NES version is great. I'm not so into the arcade version.)

I think that the NES/Famicom Disk System (really the definitive version) version of Gyruss is superior to the arcade version as well.

Ms. Pac-Man on the Genesis and SNES is better than the arcade version, hands down, no contest.

[Tron 2.0]

Legend of Kage (NES) I find it easier then the arcade version.
Contra (Famicom) With it's effects and cut scenes with longer stages sure put's the arcade version to shame.
Missle Command (Atari 2600) Such a damn good conversion i have a hard time playing it in the arcade for it's time.

[type_r_97]

Heavy Barrel was the one that really annoyed me because I played that game in a little store close to my house when I was growing up day after day after day and then I got a Nintendo and rented the version for it, I couldn't understand why it was so much different hehe. Then the funny one was when I was like 8 or 9 and I had an atari but played the Super Mario Bros Play 10 game, I loved it and then I saw Mario Bros for the Atari and of course begged my parents to buy it then realized it was nothing like Super Mario... Such fond memories XD

[kentuckyfried]

Paperboy on the NES is one for me, hated the handlebars in the arcade.
The intellivision burgertime version is my favourite. No other console (ie NES) has better peppering sounds.

[Famidrive-16]

NES Bionic Commando > Arcade Bionic Commando

Yeah, this. I couldn't play the arcade version of BC for more than five minutes but I can always go back to the NES version like nothing.

[Iron Draggon]

Defender on the 5200 beat the shit out of trying to master the purposefully overcomplicated controls of the arcade version... I could play the fuck out of it on the 5200, with its much more sensible controls, but I might as well have just skipped my quarters across the floor and into someone else's pocket for all the good it did me to try and play it in an arcade... I don't think I ever managed to get more than 5 minutes of play time out of it in an arcade, but at home I could roll it over multiple times, just like all the freaks I heard about who reportedly had enough extra fingers to push all its buttons in arcades!

[Sosage]

Bionic Commando and Trojan for the NES comes to mind. Trojan arcade was very similar, but...I dunno. It just wasn't as enjoyable after playing the NES version.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Hmm ... I'm sure there are instances of this phenomenon in my gaming lifetime ... but as long as they're being discussed, I prefer the arcade versions of the following games to the console versions:

Bionic Commando
Contra
Double Dragon
Donkey Kong
Pac-Man

Now, don't get me wrong, I think the console versions, (specifically the NES versions) of the above games are great ... and of course it's not that anybody's opinion is "wrong" ... but simply as an "answer" to the question that this thread asks, in the case of those games, I have to say, no, I prefer the arcade versions.

However, in the case of Super Mario Brothers, the first time I ever played that game was on a Nintendo Vs. cabinet (after seeing an matinee showing of "Howard the Duck" with my parents) ... and it didn't leave a HUGE impression on me ... until I played it on a friends NES ... the speed/accuracy required for precision platforming on that game really lent itself to an NES control pad much more than a Nintendo cabinet joystick/buttons.

[outofkeyslightly]

It's funny that somebody mentioned Pit Fighter, as I just bought it recently for Genesis. I used to own it for Super Nintendo back in the day, and was more amused by how bad it sucked vs. the actual fun of the gameplay. Imagine my surprise when the Genesis version was... playable? The snes version is slower than the arcade, and noticably choppy. There also seems to be a little bit of button lag that would seriously cripple any fighting game. The arcade is a bit faster obviously, and has a zoom effect similar to Art of Fighting. The Genesis version lacks scaling, obviously, but it makes up for it by being 100% more playable than the snes version. The genesis version is also faster paced than even the Arcade version. With that, I'd rate them genesis>arcade>snes. This is why I'm a Genesis fan to this day, as a lot of games ran smoother than on the snes, and in a slightly higher resolution, but I digress...

Ms. Pac-Man and World Heroes 2 were mentioned above and I'd enthusiastically agree with both. The addition of two player co-op to Ms. Pac-Man was probably the smartest move ever, and elevates this pretty lazy port into something all together greater. World Heroes 2 plays faster on the snes than the neogeo version, and various control and gameplay options make it shine.

Animal Crossing Wild World is a lot more fun than GC Animal Crossing, despite the lack of nes games...

[NoahsMyBro]

Space Invaders on the 2600, and Missile Command on the 2600.

I could never play SI in the arcade, using the left/right buttons to control my cannon, but using the joystick on the VCS I rocked.

Similarly, I was awful on Missile Command in the arcade, using the Trackball and having to select among the three missile bases, but having just the single missile base on the 2600, and aiming with the joystick, I was much, much better, and this made the game a lot more fun for me.

[8bitgamer]

The intellivision burgertime version is my favourite. No other console (ie NES) has better peppering sounds.

Plus, the Intellivision game has seven different playfields and an animated title screen.

[8bitgamer]

Contra!


Agreed!

(BTW, nice job on the Tutankham review for the ColecoVision, Video Game Critic/Gentle Gamer--you really nailed it!)

[Rob2600]

It's funny that somebody mentioned Pit Fighter, as I just bought it recently for Genesis. ... 100% more playable than the snes version.

So that would make the Genesis version 2% playable. :)


Space Invaders on the 2600, and Missile Command on the 2600.

I agree. I prefer most Atari 2600 versions to the original arcade games, probably because those were the versions I played first and the most. Vanguard, Defender, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Frogger, Missile Command, Warlords, etc. are better on the 2600, to me.

On the other hand, some arcade versions were better, like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Centipede, Pole Position, and Kangaroo. The 2600 versions were good though.


EDIT: I also prefer Contra on the NES to the arcade version, but again, it's probably because it's the version I played first and am the most familiar with. However, I've always preferred the arcade version of Ninja Gaiden. The NES version is good, but it's a completely different game. Then again, I played the arcade version first. That seems to have a lot to do with which version I prefer.

[Steve W]

Astroblast on the 2600 in comparison to the Intellivision's Astrosmash. It was twice as fast and being able to use paddle controllers made it play like a dream.

Speaking of M-Network games, I like Dark Caverns on the 2600 much better than Night Stalker on the Intellivision. Dark Caverns gets pretty hectic after a while. And Lock 'N Chase is a better Pac-Man clone than Atari's Pac-Man licensed game. It's also better than the Intellivision version, I think. I prefer the symmetric maze of the 2600 version a little more, along with the speed.

[FrakAttack]

5200 Space Dungeon and Sega CD Road Avenger/Blaster (solely for the much cooler opening theme \\^_^/)

[BydoEmpire]

Speaking of 2600 games, I always liked 2600 Tutankham better than the arcade version (which I still liked a lot).

[Gentlegamer]

(BTW, nice job on the Tutankham review for the ColecoVision, Video Game Critic/Gentle Gamer--you really nailed it!)I'm not the Video Game Critic, just a fan. :) The VGC site has a forum, why don't you post there and let him know how great his review is.

[theghostlyguitarplayer]

I've always preferred the 2600 version of Galaxian for some reason. Orange border and black background be damned, it was a lot of fun to play. It's probably got something to do with the fact that I played the 2600 version first, but even today I love the Atari version, but am "meh" to the arcade version. Go figure.

-Adam-

[outofkeyslightly]

I like the original music from the first three SMB games better than their Super Mario All-Star's counterpart. Steel drum be damned!

[IronBuddha]

World Heroes 2 SNES. Four button option = glorious.


Contra!

I'm on the same boat with these 2 games.

Also I liked the SNES version of Samurai Showdown better then the arcade, probably because I played it for a very long time on the SNES until I played it in an arcade.

[Aussie2B]

I find that with arcade shooters I almost universally prefer their home console equivalents if they have such. Even though their graphics and music may get worse, console versions tend to retool the difficulty in a much more balanced, enjoyable way. It's not just a matter of them being easier either because in the arcades the design may not be as intelligent because it didn't matter if a game had cheap, poor level design as long as it could squeeze out a lot of quarters. But if you were a developer and you expected people to pay 50 or 60 dollars for your game, then you better put some more thought into your design.

Probably the most striking example for me is Dragon Spirit. I absolutely LOVE the game on NES, but what little I played of the arcade original just didn't thrill me much. The original just feels much slower, so you're stuck trying to drag this dragon along to dodge a freakin' insurmountable barrage of enemies and bullets. The TwinBee series is another case. I can't really get into the arcade version of Detana because the PC Engine version is so nicely balanced.

[Ze_ro]

My vote goes for Donkey Kong Jr on ColecoVision. In fact, I *still* think it's the best version of the game out there (except the ADAM port I suppose)... Every other version, including the arcade, screws up the jumping so that trying to catch a vine is so much harder. It's just too bad they cut one of the levels.

Funny how so many of the games mentioned are Coleco games...

--Zero

[alexkidd2000]

Bump 'n' Jump on Coleco
Hang On sms

[RadiantSvgun]

P.O.W. nes > P.O.W. arcade

[Ed Oscuro]

I like playing Truxton/Tatsujin on the TG-16 more than the arcade version (unless you've got an autofire button rigged up, I suppose), due to autofire.

Fire Shark on the Genesis holds up pretty well to the arcade version, mainly it's much easier for folks like Bloodreign and I :P

[Drixxel]

2600 Gravitar springs instantly to mind. I prefer the feel of the gravity in the 2600 port over the arcade.. it's a little floatier. As well, turning speed is far faster in 2600 Gravitar. The graphics lose their vector sharpness, of course, but the game just plays better on 2600, in my opinion.

[The Clonus Horror]

I don't know why, but I enjoyed the NES version of Joust over the arcade.

[MrSparkle]

Call me crazy but i enjoy donkey kong on the intellivision more than the arcade version, i also usually get alot farther (ie past the first screen) even with the horrible action button jumping!

[guitargary75]

Nes contra is better than the arcade version. Bionic commando as well.

[jb143]

I like TMNT the Arcade game better on the NES. There's more levels and you don't die every 30 seconds.

[Rob2600]

I like TMNT the Arcade game better on the NES.

I like TMNT II on the NES, but I wish the designers had toned down the amount of Foot soldiers. Having to fight a group of them every few steps gets boring.

[jb143]

I like TMNT II on the NES, but I wish the designers had toned down the amount of Foot soldiers. Having to fight a group of them every few steps gets boring.

It's nowhere as bad as the actual arcade game though. But I generally don't like "...the arcade game" style of games because of this fact. TMNT II and Battletoads are about the only I really like but that's probally just becasue of nostalgia.

[Jorpho]

Victory, at least on MAME, is nearly unplayable. The Colecovision version (the complete CBS version, not the crappy version without quarks) is quite pleasant, however.

[retro junkie]

For me, I also prefer the Atari Jaguar version of Tempest 2000 to the arcade tempest.
I also like the Centipede Remix in "Retro Atari Classics" on the Nintendo DS better than its arcade counterpart.

[Tron 2.0]

I just thought of another console version that prefer more to the arcade.

Rush'n'Attack/Green Beret.

Given,it suports 2p and it has music as well for wich the arcade one lacks.

[IronBuddha]

Seeing a few people mention Ninja Turtle games, it reminded me of Turtles in Time for the SNES which is a version I prefer over the arcade.

[8bitgamer]

Call me crazy but i enjoy donkey kong on the intellivision more than the arcade version, i also usually get alot farther (ie past the first screen) even with the horrible action button jumping!

That is a little crazy, but this is exactly the kind of answer I was looking for. Great stuff, everyone!