Are there any versions of Genesis games that are better then the SNES verision?

[allyourblood]

Add me to the list of folks that prefer Mortal Kombat (and in fact, almost all multiplatform releases) on the Genesis. One thing that I haven't seen mentioned though, is the control. The Genesis version arguably looks pretty darn rough compared to the SNES, with its screwy, unfinished-looking health bars, and what appear to be smaller sprites (though I have heard some argue that the SNES version's are "too big"; I don't know).

Anyway, being a huge fan of the original arcade game during its heyday, I always felt the controls in MK on the Genesis were waaaayy tighter than the SNES. The Nintendo version seemed to me to suffer from some sort of lag or slop in its movement. I also think the controls failed to capture the "feel" of the arcade.


Allow me to go off on a tangent here...

I find it interesting that so many people seem to prefer the music of the SNES vs. the Genesis. To me, the SNES sounds like a generic General MIDI wavetable synth, while the Genesis is almost always just straight-up FM synth goodness. The downfall for a lot of Genesis games' music was that developers were most often using the synthesizer to generate realistic sounds, which, beyond some drums, strings, bass and electric piano, were never the Genesis' strong suit. Don't get me wrong, I love a little Road Rash wanky guitar now and then, but to be honest, it's a horrible emulation.

Folks who knew how to play to the Genesis' strengths (like Yuzo Koshiro) and produced full-on synth music were able to squeeze some shockingly amazing stuff from such a simple machine. YK in particular was tweaking the operators to sound like filtered 303s, DX7 basslines, and, unless it was samples (and hooray if it was), 909 drums that are almost picture perfect!

Okay, I veered a bit off-topic there, but when am I going to remember to post that again?

[jdheins]

Earthworm Jim is better on Genny

So are most sports games, especially the early ones.

[j_factor]

Allow me to go off on a tangent here...

I find it interesting that so many people seem to prefer the music of the SNES vs. the Genesis. To me, the SNES sounds like a generic General MIDI wavetable synth, while the Genesis is almost always just straight-up FM synth goodness. The downfall for a lot of Genesis games' music was that developers were most often using the synthesizer to generate realistic sounds, which, beyond some drums, strings, bass and electric piano, were never the Genesis' strong suit. Don't get me wrong, I love a little Road Rash wanky guitar now and then, but to be honest, it's a horrible emulation.

Folks who knew how to play to the Genesis' strengths (like Yuzo Koshiro) and produced full-on synth music were able to squeeze some shockingly amazing stuff from such a simple machine. YK in particular was tweaking the operators to sound like filtered 303s, DX7 basslines, and, unless it was samples (and hooray if it was), 909 drums that are almost picture perfect!

Okay, I veered a bit off-topic there, but when am I going to remember to post that again?

Although it depends on the game, in general I prefer Genesis music. A lot of SNES music sounds muffled and/or suffers from bad reverb. Percussion suffers in particular.

[Hari Seldon]

Any game with FIFA on the title is better on the Genesis.

[dreamcaster]

What was censored for the SNES Zombies Ate my Neighbors?

I always kinda preferred the SNES because of the controls, but I haven't really tried it with the 6 button. I should. Soon.

Some of the little blood effects were either discoloured or removed from the SNES version. Honestly, I find them so minor and the game of such a cartoony, tongue-in-cheek nature that I never really noticed until I looked hard for it.

I recently got rid of my Mega Drive version in favour of the SNES version because I just prefer the larger screen area and toggled map. The MD version squishes the display into a two-thirds of the screen area, not to mention the lower quality sound effects and decreased colour depth.

I also happen to prefer the SNES controller, but that's a subjective thing.

[dreamcaster]

Add me to the list of folks that prefer Mortal Kombat (and in fact, almost all multiplatform releases) on the Genesis. One thing that I haven't seen mentioned though, is the control. The Genesis version arguably looks pretty darn rough compared to the SNES, with its screwy, unfinished-looking health bars, and what appear to be smaller sprites (though I have heard some argue that the SNES version's are "too big"; I don't know).

Anyway, being a huge fan of the original arcade game during its heyday, I always felt the controls in MK on the Genesis were waaaayy tighter than the SNES. The Nintendo version seemed to me to suffer from some sort of lag or slop in its movement. I also think the controls failed to capture the "feel" of the arcade.


Allow me to go off on a tangent here...

I find it interesting that so many people seem to prefer the music of the SNES vs. the Genesis. To me, the SNES sounds like a generic General MIDI wavetable synth, while the Genesis is almost always just straight-up FM synth goodness. The downfall for a lot of Genesis games' music was that developers were most often using the synthesizer to generate realistic sounds, which, beyond some drums, strings, bass and electric piano, were never the Genesis' strong suit. Don't get me wrong, I love a little Road Rash wanky guitar now and then, but to be honest, it's a horrible emulation.

Folks who knew how to play to the Genesis' strengths (like Yuzo Koshiro) and produced full-on synth music were able to squeeze some shockingly amazing stuff from such a simple machine. YK in particular was tweaking the operators to sound like filtered 303s, DX7 basslines, and, unless it was samples (and hooray if it was), 909 drums that are almost picture perfect!

Okay, I veered a bit off-topic there, but when am I going to remember to post that again?

I basically feel the same way, but opposite preference of console. Most Mega Drive games to me all sound like they're produced with the exact same set of MIDI instruments, and there is this irritating noticeable "twang" sound effect in almost every game I have heard on that system. The SNES pushed forward the boundaries of what synth music could present in those days and it's the earliest console where I can listen to the soundtracks and hear music, and not just arranged midi notes.

Super Metroid would be the first console video game that I played that was able to establish realistic mood and atmosphere, and it was largely thanks to the music.

StarFox and Stunt Race FX both have awesome soundtracks, and if you can get your hands on the unreleased StarFox 2 soundtrack, that's even better. Also, it always impressed me that Nintendo gave us 3D graphics without the need for an expensive add-on (32X) or by slapping a $50 premium on the cart (GEN/MD Virtua Racing).

Pilotwings, F-Zero, Donald Duck in Maui Mallard, Killer Instinct, Terranigma and Donkey Kong Country 1/2/3 are all other games that show off how great the SNES sounds. Everytime someone has presented me with a Genesis/MD game that has awesome music, I've been underwhelmed. Pretty much any J-RPG shows off what the SNES can do in regards to music.

EDIT: For what it's worth, the Streets of Rage games are the only MD/GEN games that I think actually sound awesome to this day. Yuzo Koshiro should've done the music for a lot more Gen/MD games.

[8bitgamer]

Frogger for the Genesis is an excellent port--near arcade-perfect. The SNES version has "enhanced" graphics that make it look ugly, the gameplay is oddly lacking (despite the simple premise), and there is NO MUSIC.

[Shellshock!]

Rock N Roll Racing Genesis has more tracks??

To whoever said SNK ports can't be handled by the SNES because of the processor or something, let me introduce you to Fatal Fury Special. The best non-NeoGeo port of the game on any system at the time.

[todesengel]

Rock N Roll Racing Genesis has more tracks??

Yup, each planet in the Genesis port has like 6 tracks instead of the 3 in the SNES version.

[Nintega Grafx-16]

Ys III for Genesis IMHO is better than the SNES version. Especially the music.

[Astrocade]

Some of the little blood effects were either discoloured or removed from the SNES version. Honestly, I find them so minor and the game of such a cartoony, tongue-in-cheek nature that I never really noticed until I looked hard for it.

I recently got rid of my Mega Drive version in favour of the SNES version because I just prefer the larger screen area and toggled map. The MD version squishes the display into a two-thirds of the screen area, not to mention the lower quality sound effects and decreased colour depth.

I also happen to prefer the SNES controller, but that's a subjective thing.

Also, the Genesis version had the extra level where you can meet the programmers at the Lucasart studios. That alone made it the better game to me.

I've also got the UK SNES edition and it's edited even more than the US edition. All the Jason Vorhees guys have their chainsaws replaced with axes, and the killer dolls are missing. I don't remember there being any infant neighbors to save either.

[allyourblood]

Although it depends on the game, in general I prefer Genesis music. A lot of SNES music sounds muffled and/or suffers from bad reverb. Percussion suffers in particular.

Oh yeah, the reverb and delay effects were brutal and often overused.

Don't get me wrong though, I like the music in a lot of SNES games. Mainly the ones that didn't seem to use the same tired guitar and string samples, or those awful orchestra hits! Zelda: LttP and Super Metroid had some wonderfully memorable music that completely matched the on-screen experience (though I could've done without those hideous crash cymbals in LttP). And while I still prefer the Genesis version in its entirety, the music in Thunder Spirits (SNES) is well represented. And Final Fantasy III? Breathtaking. For me, one of the best on the console.

Sorry to veer from the topic at hand. Sort of back on-topic, I'm going to have to track down Ys III for the Genesis. I've only ever owned and played the SNES version. Nintega, what, other than the music, stands out to you in the Genesis version?

[Nintega Grafx-16]

I'm going to have to track down Ys III for the Genesis. I've only ever owned and played the SNES version. Nintega, what, other than the music, stands out to you in the Genesis version?

It is harder than the SNES version. Personally I love challenging games so I'd say it is a matter of taste. Also the intro cutscene is different.

[kedawa]

To whoever said SNK ports can't be handled by the SNES because of the processor or something, let me introduce you to Fatal Fury Special. The best non-NeoGeo port of the game on any system at the time.

I would agree that the CPU isn't really the cause of the problems with SNK ports for SNES.
I'm not too sure about FFS. It's a really complete port of the original, but there's something off with the controls. The Sega CD version actually plays closer to the NeoGeo version, but it's missing so much animation and background detail that it's hard to recommend it.
I've never played any of the other ports.

[j_factor]

Oh yeah, the reverb and delay effects were brutal and often overused.

Don't get me wrong though, I like the music in a lot of SNES games. Mainly the ones that didn't seem to use the same tired guitar and string samples, or those awful orchestra hits! Zelda: LttP and Super Metroid had some wonderfully memorable music that completely matched the on-screen experience (though I could've done without those hideous crash cymbals in LttP). And while I still prefer the Genesis version in its entirety, the music in Thunder Spirits (SNES) is well represented. And Final Fantasy III? Breathtaking. For me, one of the best on the console.

I have to say I don't really like the music in many SNES games. My favorite SNES soundtracks are the Donkey Kong Country series, Super Adventure Island, and Act Raiser. Not coincidentally, the latter two were both done by Yuzo Koshiro. The man is a god. Zelda, Super Metroid, and Final Fantasy III were effective in-game, but not something that could hold my interest listening to it separately.

On the subject of comparing music, here's a comparison that was brought up on another board I post at. It's a tune that was used in both Mega Turrican and Super Turrican (which isn't strictly relevant to this thread, as they're different games, but...)

Genesis version
SNES version

The SNES version isn't offensive to the ears or anything, but compare the two. The percussion has much less force on the SNES; it sounds like little taps instead of drums. And that section that begins at 0:40 sounds great on Genesis, but on SNES you can barely hear it. Genesis has a fuller, richer, "louder" sound.

[dreamcaster]

I much prefer the Super NES version, Mega sounds extremely artificial where as Super sounds smoother.

[MachineGex]

Great topic!
I have to disagree with "Out of this World" being better on the Genny. I love the SNES version, but the Genny version seemed difficult to control. I could never get the jumps right on the genesis. Maybe the timing was different, but I just couldn't get the jumps right.

Also, I am shocked that "Rock'n Roll Racing" has more tracks. I LOVE that game on the SNES. I never knew about the difference on the Genesis so I am going to test it out tomorrow. Great tip, thanks for the heads up! RocknRoll and Micro Machines are my top two racing games on the old systems. I even got all the Micro Machine games on the Mega Drive that never got released over here.(Like Micro Machines 96, Micro Machines 2, Military Machines, Skid Marks)

[j_factor]

Great topic!
I have to disagree with "Out of this World" being better on the Genny. I love the SNES version, but the Genny version seemed difficult to control. I could never get the jumps right on the genesis. Maybe the timing was different, but I just couldn't get the jumps right.

I never had a problem with the jumps. I say it's better on Genesis because the cutscenes in the SNES version look choppy, plus it has loading delays. The Sega CD version actually loads faster than the SNES version.

[tomaitheous]

...let me introduce you to Fatal Fury Special. The best non-NeoGeo port of the game on any system at the time.

Except for the PC-Engine ACD version, which is the best home port at the time.

The Sega CD version actually loads faster than the SNES version.

Now that's just sad.

[Shellshock!]

I would agree that the CPU isn't really the cause of the problems with SNK ports for SNES.
I'm not too sure about FFS. It's a really complete port of the original, but there's something off with the controls. The Sega CD version actually plays closer to the NeoGeo version, but it's missing so much animation and background detail that it's hard to recommend it.
I've never played any of the other ports.

Yes, if I remember right, the Japanese version's controls were great but the game was fucking glitchy. You could pull off Jubei's super grab from the opposite side of the screen instead of close to the opponent. The English version didn't have the glitches but pulling off special moves was a pain.