What Games Were Better on Genesis Than on SNES?

[Ed Oscuro]

Black is a much cooler color than gray, especially because it doesn't go brown, don't you think? I'm playing a GAMES CONSOLE, not a freaking PCjr! I want stuff to be stylish like my VCR.

LOL

[ghostangelofcky]

Genny, They just have more of a retro feel and look to them

[SMB]

I liked Earthworm Jim 1 & 2 better on Genesis, it just feels...right

[NintendoMan]

Aladdin was better on the Genesis, but it was a completely different game from the snes version.

Yes, they definately were completely different games. I got the snes version back in the year it was released, and didn't get the genesis version until this year! Got it brand new for 15 of ebay.
I would have to say I still like the snes version better.

[Jasoco]

The boss battle on the Genesis version sucked in comparison though.

[Anthony1]

Any and All Sports games.






When it comes to NBA Live, the SNES versions blow the Genny versions out the water. Graphics much better, much better color and resolution and great sound, perfect playability. NBA Live '95 on the SNES was a freaking dream of a bball game. All the versions that came after were great as well.

Although I never played NBA Live '98 when it actually came out, I have played it since, and I think that was the absolute pinaccle of 16-Bit Basketball games.

[Anthony1]

Any EA sports game is better on the Genesis. Don't really remember the others. I was always a Genesis person.

I would disagree. I think EA sports games from 96-98 are better on the SNES...because of the more detail and colors. 95 and before I would agree, as SNES NHL 95 (although more colorful) runs really slow as compared to the GENESIS NHL 95. But comparing both system's NHL 98....SNES all the way.



The only EA Sports series that was better on the SNES was NBA Live. All the versions of NBA Live were better on SNES, but other than that, I have to disagree with you.


NHL '94 on Genny might be the best Hockey game of all time. Madden '93 on Genny is the best Football game of all time.


I tried playing some of the last EA SNES games to see if they improved but honestly I still don't think they hold a candle to those two absolute classics for the Genny.

[FurinkanianFrood]

NHL '94 on Genny might be the best Hockey game of all time. Madden '93 on Genny is the best Football game of all time.


True. I haven't really enjoyed any football games since (though I haven't played many either, or ever for that matter). Back in those days the sports games seemed more like games and less like a yearly event for sports fans who happen to have game consoles. These days everyone seems to have at least a PS2 or XBOX or something, and the more mass market things become, the more sports games seem to suffer. After the mid 90's or so all the EA sports games seemed to lose something. Not sure what it was. By the time everything was on PSX sports games seemed like a sad excuse for EA to print money.

It saddens me that a company that was a boon the the Genny (not to mention the 3DO :) became the scourge the sports game genre.

The lack of competition, combined with what I perceive as low standards (The VConcepts/Sega 2K games were much, much better and not nearly enough consumers noticed), will only push down quality as EA's reign of terror continues.

How the mighty have fallen.... Sad....

Of course if ya like todays EA stuff feel free to play it, but lord knows I ain't touching it.

[Anthony1]

This is a great discussion. I should have participated in it a long time ago when the topic was read hot. Oh well.



Here is my take on the battle between the Genesis and the SNES. I had both systems for their entire runs, and I often would rent the same game for both systems, so for alot of these games I actually have a pretty good idea of which one is better. Certainly, the Super Nintendo's technology was definitely much futher along than the Genesis, but suprisingly, often times the Genesis would have a superior version of a game. Usually, it came down to the "flow" of the game, and the playability factor. Although sometimes a game looked and sounded better on the SNES, sometimes it would control much better and flow much better than the SNES counterpart. The Genesis certainly had a uphill battle considering it could only put 64 colors on the screen simultaneously. Also, the sound chip in the SNES was absolutely fantastic. But the Genesis did have the fast processor, and the simplistic design, making it easier to tap the power of the Genny, and to have the game run effeciently. Of course, sometimes the SNES version of a game would absolutely destroy the Genesis game, usually in a scenario in which the SNES version actually had better control and playability in addition to having better graphics and sounds.

Here is how I break them down:





Addams Family, The = SNES all the way
Adventures of Batman & Robin, The = Genny all the way
Aero the Acro-Bat = A dream on the SNES
Aladdin (Disney's) = Different games but Genny version better
Alien 3 = SNES Alien 3 is absolute classic.
Bill Walsh College Football = Genesis version by a mile
Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure = Genesis
Brutal: Paws of Fury = Genesis version by a huge margin
Bubsy: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind = SNES version much better
Chuck Rock = Genny version had much better control
Cool Spot = Much better on the Genesis, tighter gameplay.
Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf = much better on Genny
Earthworm Jim = Genny all the way
Earthworm Jim 2 = Genny version controls a little better
FIFA International Soccer = Genny version controls better
Flashback: The Quest for Identity = More accurate on Genny version
Joe & Mac = Much better on SNES
John Madden Football - please! Genny version in a massacre!
John Madden Football '93 - silly question! Genny in a landslide!
Jungle Book, The (Disney's) = Genny version is tighter
Jurassic Park = Totally different games, both absolute classics for their systems.
Lion King, The (Disney's) = Genny has less color, not as good sound, much better control.
Madden NFL '94 = Genny
Madden NFL '95 = Genny
Madden NFL '96 = Genny
Madden NFL '97 = Genny
Madden NFL '98 = All SNES Maddens sucked. I tried them all!
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie = SNES is better
Mortal Kombat = Genny much better feel
Mortal Kombat II = SNES classic
NBA Jam = SNES was amazing.
NBA Live '95 = absolute SNES classic
NBA Live '96 = SNES
NBA Live '97 = SNES
NBA Live '98 = SNES version is best 16-bit NBA sim
NCAA Final Four Basketball = SNES version Mode 7 classic - much different game from genny.
NHL '94 - not even a question, Genny by a landslide. Best 16-bit Hockey.
PGA Tour Golf - Genny by a mile, way better control. more accurate gameplay.
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure = Genny had better playability
Prince of Persia = Genny was tighter
Rock 'n Roll Racing = SNES by a landslide
Sparkster = SNES was pretty good, but Genny a little better control.
Super Smash TV = SNES by a huge margin!
Taz-Mania = The Genny game was pretty underrated
Tecmo Super Baseball = Mode 7 on SNES makes it much better
Tecmo Super NBA Basketball = Much better on SNES
Terminator, The = Much better on Genny
Top Gear 2 = SNES version is superior
Toy Story (Disney's) = SNES version controls like crap, Genny version better
Zero: The Kamikazee Squirrel = SNES version get's the nod
Zombies Ate My Neighbors = This is a SNES classic.



Those are my takes on all of those games.

[FurinkanianFrood]

I have to say that it's hard for me to remember some of these. I didn't have a Genny back in the day cause I was broke, and I was a big Nintendo fan (not sure why, but eh).

The thing that really distinguishes the systems in my opinion is the exclusives, and those really depend on what genre(s) a given gamer prefers. Sports were certainly better on the Genny, and Shmups were no contest, hence my later prference for the Genesis. I also like Hard Corps better than Alien Wars but those were completely separate games (though it seems like a few people are confused about that...). I could say the same thing about Castlevania actually, though that doesn't seem to be a very popular opinion.

I had forgotten that many of the games on Anthony's list were released for both systems, the lesser versions sort of just faded into nothingness (I forgot them whether they were better on the sytem I had or not), so I think the list is pretty accurate. [/quote]

[Twinbee]

I'll have to agree with everyone who said the Aladdin comparision isn't fair... the only thing those games have in common is the franchise, but they're totally different games made by totally different developers.

[Zadoc]

We had "mode".



Off the top of my head the only use for that button which I can think of is for codes for DOOM 32X.

[DiabloNeonX]

It's also well known that EA had to cut frames of animation out of the sports titles (especially the NHL games) just to make them playable on the SNES.

Graphics and sound may have been significantly better on the SNES, but the SNES processor speed was slower than a retarded baboon.

[hiro1112]

My votes would go to Mortal Kombat (better gameplay and uncencored), Robocop vs terminator (I guess it was more graphic, but just looked better to me), Terminator was infinitely better on Genesis (Terminator SNES has bad controls and difficult for the wrong reasons),

[RockyRaccoon]

I have to say the Port of Doom....

SNES Doom...used the FX2 Chip. While it had the complete *game* so to speak, (all the Episodes), the Framerate was LESS than spectacular, and it was missing a lot of the graphical effects and what not. The music was okay reproductions, if not as *bold* as the orignal PCs.

DOOM of the Genesis 32X however, had an awesome frame-rate, the sound effects and graphical effects where there, but the music was slightly tinny. It also only had 15 levels I belive, rather than all the Episodes, unless those WERE all the episodes rolled into one big hoooo-hah. I have yet to beat Sega 32X Doom. I really should soon!

So I perfer the Doom 32x Port on the Genesis.

[felix]

Fifa 98.
MUCH better on the genisis :)

[Eldergod]

Man the Genesis was flat out horrible compared to the SNES... Ok gotta think of something nice to say about the Genesis..

Um... Wrestlemania the Arcade game had Yokozuna and Bam Bam and the SNES version didn't...

[Eldergod]

Here is my opinion:

Legend:
DNP = Did Not Play
SNES = Self explanitory but... Super Nintendo Entertainment System
GEN = Again self explanitory... Sega Genesis

DNP - 3 Ninjas Kick Back
SNES - Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
SNES - Addams Family, The
SNES - Adventures of Batman & Robin, The
SNES - Adventures of Mighty Max, The
SNES - Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle and Friends, The
SNES - Aero the Acro-Bat
SNES - Aero the Acro-Bat 2
DNP - Aerobiz
DNP - Aerobiz: Supersonic
GEN - Aladdin (Disney's)
GEN - Alien 3
SNES - American Gladiators
SNES - Andre Agassi Tennis
GEN - Animaniacs
SNES - Art of Fighting
DNP - B.O.B.
DNP - Ballz 3-D
DNP - Barkley: Shut Up and Jam!
SNES - Bass Masters Classic
SNES - Bass Masters Classic: Pro Edition
SNES - Batman Forever
GEN - Batman Returns
GEN - Beavis & Butthead, MTV's
SNES - Best of the Best Championship Karate
SNES - Bill Walsh College Football
SNES - Bonkers
GEN - Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure
SNES - Boxing: Legends of the Ring
SNES - Bram Stoker's Dracula
SNES - Brett Hull Hockey '95
GEN - Brutal: Paws of Fury
SNES - Bubsy II
SNES - Bubsy: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind
GEN - Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs
GEN - Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball
DNP - Captain America and the Avengers
DNP - Champions World Class Soccer
DNP - Championship Pool
DNP - Chavez II
DNP - Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool
DNP - Chester Cheetah: Wild Wild Quest
SNES - Chuck Rock
DNP - Clay Fighter
SNES - Cliffhanger
DNP - Clue
GEN - College Football USA '97: The Road to New Orleans
GEN - College Slam
DNP - Cool Spot
SNES - Cutthroat Island
GEN - David Crane's Amazing Tennis
DNP - Death and Return of Superman, The
DNP - Demolition Man
DNP - Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf
GEN - Doom Troopers: The Mutant Chronicles
SNES - Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls
SNES - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
GEN - Earthworm Jim
GEN - Earthworm Jim 2
GEN - ESPN Baseball Tonight
GEN - ESPN National Hockey Night
DNP - ESPN Speedworld
GEN - ESPN Sunday Night NFL
SNES - Family Feud
DNP - Fatal Fury
DNP - Fatal Fury 2
GEN - FIFA International Soccer
GEN - FIFA Soccer '96
DNP - Flashback: The Quest for Identity
DNP - Flintstones, The
SNES - Foreman For Real Boxing
DNP - Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball
DNP - Frogger
DNP - Fun 'n Games
SNES - Gemfire
DNP - Genghis Khan 2: Clan of the Gray Wolf
GEN - George Foreman's KO Boxing
DNP - Gods
DNP - Great Circus Mystery starring Mickey & Minnie, The
DNP - Great Waldo Search, The
SNES - Hardball III
DNP - Head-On Soccer
DNP - Hit The Ice
DNP - Home Alone
DNP - Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
SNES - Hook
SNES - Incredible Crash Dummies, The
SNES - Incredible Hulk, The
SNES - Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings
GEN - Jammit
SNES - Jeopardy!
SNES - Jeopardy! Deluxe Edition
SNES - Jeopardy! Sports Edition
SNES - Joe & Mac
GEN - John Madden Football
GEN - John Madden Football '93
SNES - Judge Dredd
SNES - Jungle Book, The (Disney's)
SNES - Jungle Strike: The Sequel to Desert Strike
DNP - Jurassic Park
DNP - Justice League Task Force
DNP - Kawasaki Superbike Challenge
SNES - King of the Monsters
SNES - King of the Monsters 2
DNP - Last Action Hero
DNP - Lawnmower Man, The
DNP - Lemmings
DNP - Lemmings 2: The Tribes
SNES - Lethal Enforcers
DNP - Liberty or Death
DNP - Lion King, The (Disney's)
SNES - Lost Vikings, The
GEN - Madden NFL '94
GEN - Madden NFL '95
GEN - Madden NFL '96
GEN - Madden NFL '97
GEN - Madden NFL '98
SNES - Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
DNP - Math Blaster Episode 1
DNP - Mickey Mania: Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse
DNP - Mickey's Ultimate Challenge
DNP - Micro Machines
SNES - Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
SNES - Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie
DNP - Miracle Piano Teaching System, The
GEN - MLBPA Baseball
SNES - Monopoly
GEN - Mortal Kombat
SNES - Mortal Kombat 3
SNES - Mortal Kombat II
DNP - Ms. Pac-Man
GEN - NBA All-Star Challenge
GEN - NBA Hang Time
GEN - NBA Jam
GEN - NBA Jam Tournament Edition
GEN - NBA Live '95
GEN - NBA Live '96
GEN - NBA Live '97
GEN - NBA Live '98
GEN - NCAA Final Four Basketball
GEN - NCAA Football
DNP - Newman Haas IndyCar featuring Nigel Mansell
GEN - NFL Quarterback Club
GEN - NFL Quarterback Club '96
GEN - NHL '94
GEN - NHL '95
GEN - NHL '96
GEN - NHL '97
GEN - NHL '98
GEN - NHLPA Hockey '93
DNP - Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing
DNP - No Escape
DNP - Nobunaga's Ambition
DNP - Operation Europe: Path to Victory 1939-45
DNP - Out of this World
DNP - Outlander
DNP - Pac-Attack
DNP - Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
DNP - Pagemaster, The
DNP - Paperboy 2
DNP - PGA Tour '96
DNP - PGA Tour Golf
SNES - Phantom 2040
DNP - Pink Goes to Hollywood
DNP - Pinocchio
DNP - Pirates of Darkwater
SNES - Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure
GEN - Pit-Fighter
DNP - Populous
SNES - Primal Rage
SNES - Prince of Persia
DNP - Pro Quarterback
DNP - PTO: Pacific Theater of Operations
DNP - Race Drivin'
DNP - Radical Rex
DNP - Raiden Trad
DNP - Rampart
SNES - Revolution X featuring Aerosmith
DNP - RoboCop 3
SNES - Robocop vs. Terminator
SNES - Rock 'n Roll Racing
DNP - Roger Clemens' MVP Baseball
DNP - Romance of the Three Kingdoms II
GEN - Samurai Shodown
GEN - Saturday Night Slam Masters
DNP - Scooby-Doo Mystery
DNP - SeaQuest DSV
DNP - Shadowrun
DNP - Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye
SNES - Shaq-Fu
Side Pocket
SNES - Simpsons, The: Bart's Nightmare
SNES - Simpsons, The: Krusty's Super Funhouse
DNP - Simpsons, The: Virtual Bart
SNES - Soldiers of Fortune
DNP - Sparkster
GEN - Spider-Man
GEN - Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage
DNP - Spider-Man/Venom: Separation Anxiety
SNES - Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge
DNP - Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Crossroads of Time
DNP - Stargate
DNP - Steel Talons
DNP - Sunset Riders
DNP - Super Baseball 2020
DNP - Super Battleship
DNP - Super Battletank: War in the Gulf
DNP - Super High Impact
DNP - Super Off-Road
DNP - Super Smash TV
DNP - Syndicate
SNES - T2: The Arcade Game
SNES - Taz-Mania
GEN - Tecmo Super Baseball
GEN - Tecmo Super Bowl
GEN - Tecmo Super Bowl II: Special Edition
GEN - Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition
GEN - Tecmo Super NBA Basketball
SNES - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters
DNP - Terminator, The
DNP - Test Drive II: The Duel
DNP - Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
DNP - Tick, The
DNP - TNN Bass Tournament of Champions
SNES - Top Gear 2
SNES - Toy Story (Disney's)
DNP - Toys
SNES - Troy Aikman NFL Football
DNP - True Lies
SNES - Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
DNP - Uncharted Waters
DNP - Uncharted Waters: New Horizons
SNES - Urban Strike: The Sequel to Jungle Strike
DNP - Warlock
DNP - WarpSpeed
DNP - Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars
DNP - Wayne's World
DNP - WeaponLord
DNP - We're Back! A Dinosaur's Tale
DNP - Wheel of Fortune
DNP - Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
DNP - Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?
SNES - Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits
DNP - Wolfchild
DNP - Wolverine: Adamantium Rage
DNP - World Cup USA '94
DNP - World Heroes
SNES - WWF Raw
SNES - WWF Royal Rumble
SNES - WWF Super Wrestlemania
GEN - WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game
DNP - Y's III: Wanderers From Y's
SNES - Zero: The Kamikazee Squirrel
SNES - Zombies Ate My Neighbors
DNP - Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension
SNES - Zoop

[bangtango]

I'd say Mortal Kombat but I enjoy MK on both the Super NES and Genesis, since I never played it for the blood or fatalities. The Genesis version seems to have a slightly better feel and I do enjoy the superior graphics and sound on the SNES copy.

[outofkeyslightly]

Super Tecmo Bowl is better on the Genesis if for no other reason than in the SNES version San Francisco's passing game is nigh unstoppable, almost to the point of a glitch. In the Genesis version this was toned down a bit...

[SnowKitty]

The Genesis version of Soldiers of Fortune is leagues better than the SNES version. The dithered graphics suit the game's art style better. It is much smoother too. Same goes for Thunderforce 3. I know the SNES version was a port of Thunderforce AC, but it is lacking in every way. Genesis got the better Darius game (Sagaia) as well, though I did still enjoy Darius Twin quite a bit. Super Nova is weak.

As mentioned before, The SNES SFII games ran rings around the Genesis versions. Better sound, larger characters and more colors. On the flip side, I wholeheartedly agree that most of the SNK Neo Geo ports were better on Genesis. Also, even though it was badly censored, the SNES version of Sunset Riders was truer to the arcade game. The SNES port of Turtles in Time also slays The Hyperstone Heist. Super Ghouls & Ghosts, despite its slowdown, looks much better than the Ghouls 'N Ghosts on Genesis.

When it comes to the early polygon stuff (choosing to forget the Tengen ports of the early Atari 3D games like Steel Talons (which is better on SNES), Stunt Race FX is not even in the same ballpark as Virtua Racing, but that is more due to the Hitachi SH1 than anything else. Stunt Race is higher res, but has a terrible frame rate that makes it nigh unplayable today. VR was tight and remains so.

Anything that required moving many sprites simultaneously benefitted from the Genesis's faster CPU, but anything focused on detailed sprites was much better on the SNES due mostly to the superior color palette. Genesis could excel in the area of detail when the color palette limitations were worked out correctly (Gaiares, Castle of Illusion, Sonic), but the dithering is tough on the eyes after experiencing the newer consoles. Sound was also generally better on SNES, with the major exceptions being those games that maximized the effect of the Genesis's grungy PCM (All Tecnosoft games, Sonic).

It is a wash. that is why so many of use have chosen to collect both!
virtua racing's SVP chip was not a hitachi SH-1. i can't remember what it was, but it was some custom chip. the only sega system that had an SH1 in it was the saturn and that was to control the CD drive iirc

[mercarian]

To be honest I believe MK and Aladin were better on Genesis. Then again I'm really Nintendo biased and didn't own a Genesis until like 4 years ago. O_o

[outofkeyslightly]

When it was originally released, Shaq-Fu for Genesis came with a single of Shaq's woeful rapping, but the Snes version did not... Edge, snes?

[mercarian]

When it was originally released, Shaq-Fu for Genesis came with a single of Shaq's woeful rapping, but the Snes version did not... Edge, snes?

Well then I would have to give the advantage to Sega. Because Shaq rapping was probably the only good thing in that craptastic game O_o

[Ruudos]

I'm more of a SNES player but Toy Story is a lot better on the Mega Drive. Better controls, the 3-D level is different and way better, there are a lot more cinema sceens in the MD-version and if I remember correctly the ending was longer too.

[jb143]

I'm still not sure which version of Aladdin I like better. And I'm still not quite sure why on the Genesis version they let you keep your sword when they throw you in the dungeon. The SNES gameplay reminded me a lot of Prince of Persia(which in turn reminded me a lot of Aladdin) They were both pretty good, I just could never decide which was the better.

It's also funny that other ports(gameboy, etc...) follow the genesis style gameplay.

[Famidrive-16]

Not really posting this as to what version's better, but I remember the Genesis version of that Mickey mouse circus game being much harder than the SNES version. I rented the Genesis version when I was younger and there was this enclosing ceiling room that I couldn't finish for the life of me. A couple months later a family member bought the SNES version for me as a gift and I was like "Dang, I wonder if I can finish that room now." The room wasn't anywhere in that version of the game and I finished it quickly.

[Buns34]

I loved Aladin on the SNES! But then again, i never played the Genesis version. But the platforming on the SNES version was great!

[Kid Dracula]

Thunder Force III - I much preferred this to the SNES counterpart Thunder Spirits.
Aladdin - Although a different game, I enjoyed the Genesis version more.
Primal Rage and Mortal Kombat - As a fifth grader when these came out in the arcade they were the coolest games I could ever imagine. Nintendo's versions were more sensored thus not as cool.
Samurai Shodown - Neither version compared to the arcade
Robocop vs Terminator

[Baloo]

Mickey Mania was way better on Genesis. Bonus Level and no loading times.

Loading times...on a cartridge game. What the hell?

[PC-ENGINE HELL]

I think Fatal Fury on Snes had load times too lol!

[j1e]

Without going through the 5 pages of this thread (and I'm sure it's been mentioned), Scooby on Genny is better than it's SNES counterpart. I recently played through a little of Scooby-Doo Mystery on SNES and didn't care for it.

edit: Fish is right. They are 2 different games. I prefer the point and click Genesis version. Get it if you like Maniac Mansion.

[rlemmon]

Robocop vs terminator isone of my favorite games ever. I love the graphics,music,blood and the overall gritty feel to it.

[Only16bits]

I rather preffer Aladdin on MD than SNES

[buzz_n64]

Mortal Kombat
Aladdin
Shaq-Fu (still sucks)

[inkor]

I liked Toy Story more on the genesis, personally.

i agree with you

[Alexander]

The only ones that stand out for me were the sports titles. Especially the hockey titles and NBA Jam. The sound effects were better and the game controls were better.