2 Platforms, 2 Versions?

ViolentLee

ViolentLee

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Nowadays, we get carbon copies of games released on multiple platforms. But back in the 16-bit days, it seemed developers/publishers differentiated between consoles. How about we list some examples, what was different, and which was better?

Beavis & Butthead
Genesis: This was more of an adventure game, with non-linear paths.
SNES: This was more traditional platforming.
Advantage? Genesis, by far.

NBA Live 96
Genesis: Smoother play and more creation options/stats.
SNES: Better graphics, but played slower and choppier.
Advantage? Genesis. It was the sports-game console, and this was the best early hoops sim.

Shadowrun

Home Alone
 
Mortal Kombat I think was the main one to list. You either go with the better graphics on SNES but only get the gray sweat. Or go with the Genesis with slightly lesser graphics but RED blood. Its funny how a color change can cause one to outsell the other.
 
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 had differences across all three platforms (PS2, Xbox, GC). The best version by far was the PS2 edition, with the Xbox version coming second, and the GC version (with the worst frame rate and slow sense of speed) in dead last. I believe different developers handled the seperate versions.
 
I know that Jurassic park on the SNES and Genesis were different. I have both, but haven't played either more that five minutes.
I think in the genesis version it was an overhead view where you just went around the park killing all of the dinosaurs.
In the SNES version I rember it being is a side scroller where you have to avoid obstacles and jump gaps, things like that.
 
Good call, Musha. I never played the SNES version of Mortal Kombat 1, as I bought the Genesis one. It wasn't just the red blood (with the ABACABB code, that is), though: many of the fatalities were neutered on SNES, while the Genesis version was more arcade accurate. I also preferred the 6-button controller.

Of course, I ONLY played the SNES version of MK2.
 
Yeah JP on the Genesis and SNES were completely different. The Genesis one was the sidescroller (the best) and SNES one was the top down. The damn Sega CD version was a point and click adventure game.
 
I tried doing this last year, and got enough responses to compile a short list, which I broke down roughly by generation that the systems belonged to. Here's the thread, if it's useful:

http://cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112973

And the list, snipped from that thread:

[quote name='bookishboy']8-Bit Era (and earlier)
-Double Dragon (NES was 1player game, Sega Master System was a port of this game but added 2player co-op)

16-Bit Era (SNES/Genesis)
-Aladdin (SNES and Genesis were different games)
-Beavis and Butthead (SNES was side-scrolling, Genesis was adventure game)
-Dragon's Lair (SNES game was a side-scroller, arcade title was animated clips streaming from a laserdisc. SNES version seems to have had some [?] animated cut-scenes thrown in though)
-MoonWalker (Genesis was sidescroller, arcade version was overhead view)
-Mortal Kombat (SNES version lacks blood, less violent finishing moves than Genesis)
-Pagemaster (SNES and Genesis versions were both platformers but with different gameplay mechanics; SNES had a jump attack, Genesis had a weapon attack)
-Samurai Showdown (SNES has character Earthquake, Genesis has characters who change size to reflect scale/distance,...3DO and Sega3D also different?)
-Scooby-Doo Mystery (SNES and Genesis versions differed, SNES was platform[?] and Genesis was adventure[?])
-Shadow Dancer (Genesis was different from Arcade title)
-Shadow of the Beast (SNES version was ported from Amiga, made easier)
-ShadowRun (SNES was point-and-click RPG-ish, isometric view. Genesis version was top-down and action-oriented)
-Sparkster (SNES and Genesis were different games)
-Spider-Man (Genesis had 2 games with the same name but which were different games. One is referred to as "The Animated Series" and the other one was re-released as "The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin" on SegaCD)
-Strider (Genesis was different from Arcade title)

32/64-Bit Era(PS1/Saturn/N64)
-Marvel Super Heroes vs SF (Saturn had tag-team, PS1 did not)
-Marvel vs Capcom (DC had tag-team, PS1 did not)
-X-men vs Street Fighter (Saturn had tag-team, PS1 did not)

PS2/GC/XBox and newer
-Call of Duty 2 (XB360 and PC were one game, GC/PS2/XB each were ports of the other, and subtitled "Big Red One")
-FarCry (XB version subtitled "Instincts" was different story from PC version. XB360 version, "FarCry Instincts Predator" included entire XB version plus an additional chapter/story)
-Ghost Recon 2 (XB and PS2 were different games)
-Madden 06 (XB360 different from the PS2/XB/GC versions)
-MotoGP (PS2 and XB were different games)
-Spiderman 2 (PC version different[and sucky?] from XB/PS2/GC)
-Splinter Cell: Double Agent (XB360 version different story? from PS2/XB/GC)[/quote]

Cheers :)
 
[quote name='Rozz']Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 had differences across all three platforms (PS2, Xbox, GC). The best version by far was the PS2 edition, with the Xbox version coming second, and the GC version (with the worst frame rate and slow sense of speed) in dead last. I believe different developers handled the seperate versions.[/quote]

Same goes for Need for Speed Underground 2 & Carbon. The PS2 version got the best last-gen version, while the other systems have the same problem that the Hot Pursuit 2 port had(slow sense of speed & frame rate issues).
 
I imagine the content was all the same though, right? It's not unusual for a company to outsource platform ports to other companies. Hell, that's the majority of what Tose does!
 
One that hasn't been mentioned yet is:

Sunset Riders (SNES/GEN)

I only had a Genesis back in the day, and I loved this game from the arcade, so I got it for my birthday one year. What a letdown. Rather than the four players you can play as in the arcade you can only play as two, and there were at least two levels missing in the Genesis version. As far as I know the SNES version is a complete port.
 
I remember Quake II for PS2 and N64 being different from the PC one, level wise. PS2 version was closer, but still had decent size parts cut out, some background objects removed, and more loading. Looked like Quake II without Open GL. N64 version had different level design and trademark N64 graphics.
 
I remember now that Ghostbuster was different for the NES and Master System.
The Master system version offered a few more weapons, the driving part of the game was much easier, I think. I can't really remember. Never really played the game.
Just though of this after thinking about the AVGN.
 
I remember when they finally put out a Street Fighter II for Genesis (Special Championship Ed.). The graphics and sound were noticeably worse. Not sure if the speed/control was better. Again, I imagine the 6-button helped.
 
Just thought of another one.
Aladdin on the Snes and Genesis. How could I forget?
The Snes version was made by Capcom, the Genesis version was made by Virgin games.
In the Snes version you mainly killed enemies by bouncing off of their heads, and your only real weapon were those apples. In the Genesis version you had a sword that you'd kill enemies with, but still could get those apples. In the snes version you did have everyone against you like it seems in the Genesis version, with people throwing pots at you out of the window, and there where hot coals or whatever everywhere.
The Snes version was MUCH better.
 
Aladdin's on bookish's big list. I hear Lion King was a bit different, too. Maybe the Disney license was split between publishers back then or something...?
 
[quote name='skid']
The Snes version was MUCH better.[/QUOTE]

I believe you're in the minority there. I played both (one friend had the SNES version, the other the Genesis) and the SNES one felt like a typical platformer, the Genesis one had better animation and captured the spirit on the movie more accurately.

Shadowrun had 3 very different incarnations in the early 90s. The Genesis version had you building a team of (I think) 3 different characters and was more open ended. In the SNES version you controlled one guy and the game was very story driven. Finally, there was a Sega CD version released only in Japan that was apparently partially a point and click adventure game similar to Snatcher. Of the two versions I played, the Genesis one was worlds better than the SNES, it was just too fun to go breaking into corporate headquarters to hack money out of their computer systems.

EDIT - Aw, Shadowrun's already been mentioned. Oh well. There it is again.
 
[quote name='Halo05']EDIT - Aw, Shadowrun's already been mentioned. Oh well. There it is again.[/QUOTE]
I merely mentioned it; you expounded upon it. Thanks. I've only played the SNES version, though I bought them both recently.
 
[quote name='ViolentLee']Aladdin's on bookish's big list. I hear Lion King was a bit different, too. Maybe the Disney license was split between publishers back then or something...?[/quote]

On Aladdin, yes, but Virgin published both versions for the Lion King.

As for Shadowrun, I didn't even know there was a Sega CD version.
 
[quote name='bookishboy']I tried doing this last year, and got enough responses to compile a short list, which I broke down roughly by generation that the systems belonged to. Here's the thread, if it's useful:

http://cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112973

And the list, snipped from that thread:



Cheers :)[/quote]


The Double Dragon comparison is incorrect and incomplete. The NES version was significantly changed from the Arcade in terms or levels and moves. The moves were unlocked as you gained experience from killing enemies.

The Sega Master System version was a (lacking) port of the Arcade version, NOT the wierdo NES version. The SMS version had 2 player co-op, and if I recall correctly, quite a problem with flickering sprites.

Bookish left out the best home version of Double Dragon(at the time), the Atari 7800 version published by Activision! It followed the arcade closer than either the NES or SMS, had 2 player co-op, and lacked the flicker of the SMS version.

The problem with the Atari 7800 version was it was the Atari 7800 version. The game came out more than a year later than either the NES or SMS version. And the 7800's installed base at the time of release was my family, and poor Third World children in Central America.:cry:

The 7800 was an the only example of backward compatibility hurting my gaming.

I won't bring up the Atari 2600 version of Double Dragon, as the 2600 was last gen compared to NES/SMS.
 
Imo, the Genesis Jurassic Park was better than the SNES one. It was a platformer that allowed you to play as Dr. Grant, or a raptor.

The SNES JP (the overhead one), was good, but it was hindered by a lack of a battery or password save, which meant that you had to complete the game in one sitting.

A few more I can think of:

-Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Genesis version was a fighter, while the SNES version was a platformer.
-Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures - The game itself is identical on both versions, but the SNES version had Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man as hidden games. The Genesis replaced Ms. Pac-Man with Pac-Man Jr.
-Taz-Mania: The Genesis version (published by Sega) was a side scrolling platformer. The SNES version was overhead. Imo, the Genesis one was the better of the two. The Genesis version also got a sequel of sorts (Taz In Escape from Mars)
-TMNT: Tournament Fighters - The differences are explained in this Wikipedia article. The SNES version is considered the better one.
-James Pond II: Operation Robocod: Not sure if this counts, but I'll list it anyways. Published by EA on the Genesis, this was published by Ocean on the SNES and was renamed Super James Pond. IIRC, the SNES version has an extra level.

I've also heard that the SNES and Genesis versions of Sparkster, Soldiers of Fortune, and Joe & Mac are different, but I've only played the SNES versions of all three, so I don't know of the differences between them.

Also, The Lion King was pretty much the same on the Genesis and SNES. I thought the Genesis version had better sound, which is kind of odd.
 
The Power Rangers & Taz-Mania games were published by different publishers for the systems(which explains the differences). Sega published both of the games on the Genesis, Bandai published Power Rangers & Sunsoft published Taz-Mania on the SNES.

Yeah, Taz-Mania on the Genesis was a better game. The SNES game was basically a racing game where you had to get Kiwi in a certain time while running.
 
I heard the same about Sparkster, but just picked it up for SNES recently so I don't know about the SNES/SG differences.

I wonder what the relation between Super Bonk on SNES and the TG-16 Bonk games is...
 
[quote name='Halo05']I believe you're in the minority there. I played both (one friend had the SNES version, the other the Genesis) and the SNES one felt like a typical platformer, the Genesis one had better animation and captured the spirit on the movie more accurately.[/QUOTE]

Really? From my memory the SNES version was one of my favorite games and the Genesis version never really got played. Granted I got the Genesis and the Genesis Aladdin much later but still. Most of my friends had agreed too.

How can anybody have missed the Soul Calibur 2's having a different exclusive character on all platforms? I believe it was Link for the GC, Spawn for the Xbox, and Hitachi for the PS2.
 
Yoohoo, I was hoping to keep this to 16-bit era if possible (or I'll have to get into every iteration of Splinter Cell, and you wouldn't want that ;) )
 
Yah, when I was trying to compile my list, I was after games which had enough substantial differences that they could be considered a different game. As far as I know, SC:DA is the only one so far which qualifies. Although the PS2 and GameCube versions of other SC games have less content or interaction than their XBox counterparts, they're still essentially the same games ported (less than perfectly) to other platforms.
 
[quote name='Halo05']I believe you're in the minority there. I played both (one friend had the SNES version, the other the Genesis) and the SNES one felt like a typical platformer, the Genesis one had better animation and captured the spirit on the movie more accurately.[/QUOTE]

I too enjoyed the graphical quality of the SNES version more. It felt a bit more 'cartoon-y'. It was a tad easier than the Genesis version, except for one-jump (in a cloud level) that if failed too many times, the CPU would skip you through!
 
DigitalSpace already mentioned it but the first game to come to mind is TMNT Tournament Fighters. The SNES version is awsome. I had a friend who had the Gen version and remember it was pretty shity. It made me grateful that I owned a SNES. I never played the NES version, that was like one of the last games to come out for the NES, along with Mighty Final Fight.
 
[quote name='fieldkillah']The genesis version of Earthworm Jim had an extra level not in the SNES version.[/QUOTE]

I thought that was the Sega CD version.

The Sega Genesis version of Weaponlord ran faster than it's SNES counterpart and if you used the official Sega 6-button pads, played (in my opinion) better.
 
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