Best Version of A Multi-Platform Game

[ZackyH]

I hope there's not another thread like this but here it goes. So I've been checking out some of the lists for the top Xbox, Gamecube, and PS2 games in the Classic Discussion section. On those lists there are several games that are multi-platform. Since I own several systems anyway I was wondering which versions are the best so I'll know which one to pick up. Maybe this thread can become a companion to those lists or something. Anyway, I was wondering about Resident Evil 4, Metal Gear Solid 2, Silent Hill 2, etc. You see all of these games that were released on another platform. Later on a special edition comes out on another system. Sometimes it has more features and sometimes there are drawbacks as well like the game not working as well as the original version because of lack of experience programming for the system or the system may not be as powerful. I've heard a lot of complaints like that about MGS2 on Xbox.

BTW, we can go all the way back to old systems too. Doesn't have to be about modern games.

[fishsandwich]

The N64 version of Resident Evil 2 has features not found in any other port. Its main shortcoming is the quality of the video... it's grainy.

[theshizzle3000]

Resident Evil 4 = PS2 there is more to do in the game
Silent Hill 2= Either the game is not very good no matter what system it is on
Metal Gear Solid 2 = PS2 its just my opinion but I think it was meant for this system only, but I am sure the Xbox version is not bad either.

[agbulls]

I would disagree about Resident Evil 4. I usually try to find what system the game was originally developed for. As Resident Evil 4 was designed for the cube, the textures are of a higher quality--and Leon is slighter larger. The PS2 has some extra features (most notably true widescreen support) but does not support progressive scan. Dosen't make much sense. Also, I am a strong believer that the GCN controller is better for it. Rez Evil is a great great game...you honestly can't go wrong with owning both copies.

Metal Gear is a title you always buy on the Playstation. MGS2 has some terrible slowdown on the tanker scene on the XB. You're better off hunting down a copy of MGS2: Substance for PS2. No slowdown and extra features.

I own Silent Hill 2 on the XB after owning it for the PS2 previously. The games are almost identical. Its really a toss up here depending on your controller preference.

I'm not a huge fan of IGN, but their head-to-head features are usually great for making this type of decision. Hope that helps.

[TisLord]

My vote for re4 also goes to the cube....

[lordnikon]

GC - Sonic Heroes - 3D Sonic games look much more vibrant and colorful on GameCube hardware
GC - Beyond Good & Evil - Once again, the benefits from the cubes vibrant color output. PS2 version has jaggies, and xbox version is a tad washed out when compared to the cube version.
PC - Sega Rally 2 - runs at full framerate
DC - Shenmue 2 - No crappy english voice acting like the xbox version, PAL DC version has english subtitles

PS2 - Project Snowblind - yea I know, weird, but the PC and Xbox versions of this game have graphical inconsistancies. The PS2 version has better graphical effects. Here is a quote from GameSpot as well:

"Surprisingly, the Xbox version carries no visual advantage over the PlayStation 2 version. In fact, we noticed a less-stable frame rate on the Xbox..."

[Nebagram]

The N64 version of RE2 has more features than the DC version? I always thought that was the complete one... hmm. Never mind.

IMO all the crap Sonic games (Heroes- Riders) are best off on the Cube, though the two adventure games really do belong on the Dreamcast.

[theshizzle3000]

I would disagree about Resident Evil 4. I usually try to find what system the game was originally developed for. As Resident Evil 4 was designed for the cube, the textures are of a higher quality--and Leon is slighter larger. The PS2 has some extra features (most notably true widescreen support) but does not support progressive scan. Dosen't make much sense. Also, I am a strong believer that the GCN controller is better for it. Rez Evil is a great great game...you honestly can't go wrong with owning both copies.

Metal Gear is a title you always buy on the Playstation. MGS2 has some terrible slowdown on the tanker scene on the XB. You're better off hunting down a copy of MGS2: Substance for PS2. No slowdown and extra features.

I own Silent Hill 2 on the XB after owning it for the PS2 previously. The games are almost identical. Its really a toss up here depending on your controller preference.

I'm not a huge fan of IGN, but their head-to-head features are usually great for making this type of decision. Hope that helps.

I guess you got a point with Resident Evil and I agree you can't go wrong with owning both, because the game is just that good.

[Xizer]

Resident Evil 4 is better on the GameCube, the graphics are better and the controller suits it better as well. There is far less detail in the PS2 version, environments look bland, and blurry.

Metal Gear Solid 2 is better on the Xbox. It's a lot easier controlling Snake with the Xbox controller than fighting with the PS2's horribly placed, inaccurate control sticks. Any time you play a game on the PS2, the enemies are only half the battle - the other half is fighting with the controller. The loading times are also a little faster I believe, and there's a slight increase in visual quality.

Any Sonic game is better on the GameCube. Even the Dreamcast ports, the Sonic Adventures. They have added features, there's a slight visual increase, and the GameCube controller is just a lot more comfortable than the Dreamcast controller. It's just nostalgia talking when anyone says the Dreamcast versions are better; there's simply nothing the Dreamcast versions have that the GameCube versions don't, in fact, they lack things.

Resident Evil 2 is better on the GameCube.

Psychonauts is probably the best on the PC with an Xbox 360 controller, but if you don't have one that can run it, the Xbox version is the best.

The Prince of Persia series and Beyond Good & Evil are best on the GameCube.

The Grand Theft Auto series is the best on the PC - better graphics, and modifications! But if you don't have a good gaming PC, then the best console version are the Xbox versions - faster loading times, GTA3 and Vice City have upped graphics, and all of them have custom soundtracks. Then there's the fact that the controller just suits them better than the DualShock.

If you don't want online, the Tony Hawk series is easily the best on the GameCube. The controller suits it very well. If you cannot live without online, you can fight with the DualShock I suppose.

ALL Tom Clancy games are better on the Xbox or PC than any of the other systems. Period.

Shenmue 2 is better on the Xbox. You'd seriously have to be on something to think some import Dreamcast version is better. The Xbox version also comes with a second disc. Xbox version also comes with Shenmue The Movie.

Any first person shooter is going to be the best on the Xbox because the controller better suits it.

So the formula to follow is, when it comes to multiplatform games, they're almost always better on the Xbox, with a few exceptions in which they're better on the GameCube. I don't think I know of any multiplatform games that are better on the PS2.

[TheRedEye]

Resident Evil 4 = PS2 there is more to do in the game
Silent Hill 2= Either the game is not very good no matter what system it is on

Remind me to never trust your opinion on anything, ever.

[Richter Belmount]

soul calibur 2 for xbox honestly this game still looks awesome compared to some newer namco fighters especially in hd on 360.

[ubersaurus]

Chaos Field-Gamecube is better than the dreamcast one-remix mode, and saves high scores.

Soukyugerentai-I'm gonna give this one to Playstation. Saturn one was very good and all, but the extra stuff added to the Playstation version puts it over the top for me.

Street Fighter Alpha 3-Saturn one. Even after all these years, Capcom has never put out a really good port of the game...but the saturn is as close as they got.

Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike-Xbox. Arcade perfect AND online play. PS2 has no online play, and Dreamcast had neither.

Capcom vs SNK 2-Dreamcast has the arcade perfect going for it, but Xbox has online play. I guess it's a toss up depending on the number of players you have in the area?

Marvel vs Capcom 2-Dreamcast. Hands DOWN.

Earthworm Jim-Sega CD beats genesis and SNES.

Earthworm Jim 2-Saturn, in turn, beats SNES and Genesis.

Beamrider-My experience with this game says that Colecovision was the best version. It had all the enemies, and good controls. Although 5200 had better visuals, the issues with the controller are well documented.

Robotron 2084-Atari 7800 had dual sticks and all the speed of the arcade. However, I think the Xbox 360 version oneups it with the online play.

Splinter Cell: Double Agent-I've heard the 360 one has a radically different, gameplaywise, single player mode, since there's a lot less shadow-running in that one. However my love of co-op play makes me say that the XBox version was better, since it has a much more robust one and is better than the other versions.

Tempest 2000-Most people say that the Jaguar one was better than the Saturn one in terms of gameplay, and had cooler visuals. Didn't have the fancy CD soundtrack, but it's hard to argue with that.

[agbulls]

Metal Gear Solid 2 is better on the Xbox. It's a lot easier controlling Snake with the Xbox controller than fighting with the PS2's horribly placed, inaccurate control sticks. Any time you play a game on the PS2, the enemies are only half the battle - the other half is fighting with the controller. The loading times are also a little faster I believe, and there's a slight increase in visual quality.

I don't want to start an argument--but lets PLEASE let control preference stay totally out of these types of discussions. I mentioned a similar comment earlier, and will reiterate it here. I think this post needs to stick to FACTS when possible "horribly place, inaccurate sticks" is fine--but your opinion. And, in regards to visuals---I will again mention the slowdown.

Directly from IGN's MGS2 XB review: "Still looking as great as it ever has. The slowdown hurts the score a little, but other than that, there is little to complain about."

[BocoDragon]

There's a copy of RE2 for N64 at a video store around the corner, selling for 5 bucks. I already have the Cube version..... for what reasons would I want the N64 version, if any?

[Xizer]

There's a copy of RE2 for N64 at a video store around the corner, selling for 5 bucks. I already have the Cube version..... for what reasons would I want the N64 version, if any?

Because it's only 5 bucks?

[ZackyH]

There's a copy of RE2 for N64 at a video store around the corner, selling for 5 bucks. I already have the Cube version..... for what reasons would I want the N64 version, if any?

The cart version loads faster I guess.

[sabre2922]

Silent Hill 2- is GREAT on both systems but the PS2 version seems to run a bit smoother although the Xbox ver has some lighter and "shiny" graphical stuff but yea the PS2 version overall.

Metal Gear Solid 2 - was made FOR the Playstation 2s architecture in mind therefore the Xbox port is clunky at times especially in the tankers episode outside environment=rain.

Black - PS2 runs smoother than the Xbox ver although the Xbox ver looks SLIGHTLY better.

Splinter Cell games- all look far better on the Xbox 1 but Chaos Theory on PS2 looks far better than the first two games that were on the PS2.
I played both the original and Pandora Tomorrow on Gamecube and the original was OK but Pandora on GC had soooo many glitches and framerate stutters.

Resident Evil 4 is great on BOTH systems but of course looks better on the Gamecube although I prefer all the extras of the PS2 version.

unfortunately the Gamecube got the shaft with most third party cross-platform games this last gen.
the fact is that most 3rd party multiplatform games SHOULD have looked better on the Gamecube than what they did but most seem rushed unpolished (splinter cell series/Maddens) and overall underdeveloped when compared to the efforts put into both the PS2 and Xbox 1 versions of the same games.

[crazyjackcsa]

The classic one of course being Alladin on the Genny. Way better than the SNES version and one of the best of the 16 bit era.

[sabre2922]

The classic one of course being Alladin on the Genny. Way better than the SNES version and one of the best of the 16 bit era.

So true

Wasnt the SNES version censored and they changed the sword to something else? forgot what it was.

Also the Genesis version of Terminator vs. Robocop was GREAT and the SNES version was censored and toned down so much that it actually impacted the gameplay and overall enjoyment of the game.

[k8track]

I'll list some random classic games that were available for several systems and the version that I feel was the best.

Frogger: Colecovision
Wizard of Wor: Bally Astrocade (as The Incredible Wizard)
Burgertime: Intellivision
River Raid: Atari 5200/8-bit
Montezuma's Revenge: Atari 5200/8-bit
Gorf: Commodore 64
Gyruss: Commodore 64
Joust: Atari 7800
Klax: Atari Lynx

I might add more if I think of them.