So really, how good is Dodonpachi on the Saturn?

[Shatterhand]

I have both Donpachi and Dodonpachi for the Saturn

Both games are as much as playable as the emulated version I played in Raine.

Neither are perfect ports, but both are as good as I need. They are better ports than Gekiridan, and Gekiridan is also as good as I need.

I guess some people should have lived in the 8 bits days , when we had to play the Atari 2600 port of Xevious, the NES port of Gradius, or the C64 port of Salamander... geez.

Also, I'd rather play the with the Saturn joypad over the PSX joypad anytime

[Herr Schatten]

I guess some people should have lived in the 8 bits days , when we had to play the Atari 2600 port of Xevious, the NES port of Gradius, or the C64 port of Salamander... geez.

Heh heh, I always think that when someone complains about load times inbetween levels:

"OMG, the game loads for FIVE SECONDS!! That's unbearable!"

Then I just think back to the time when I waited 5-10 minutes for my C64 to load the next level. Not that that was a good thing or something I want back, but it didn't bother me at all, and still doesn't today. And living through such an experience really helps putting things into perspective.

[Naiera]

Also, I'd rather play the with the Saturn joypad over the PSX joypad anytime.

That's like the worst argument ever.

There are several different controllers avaliable for each console, as well as adapters in all shapes and sizes at Play-Asia, Lik-sang and many other places. The quality of the port should be the most important thing, not which controller you use, because it's not etched in stone which one you have to use.

And the argument with "it was shit in the old days who cares if it's shit today?" is also lame. Yes, 8-bit shooters looked like crap and most probably played like crap as well, but that has nothing to do with today's shooters, so of course you're entitled to prefer the better option today, when it's avaliable. Just because it was crap back then doesn't mean it should be crap today.

And who plays shooters with pads anyway? Wouldn't one be better off with a good arcade stick?

[Turrican]

Haha guys, now you all call me a cynical bastard, but I just have to write this:

If a bunch of hardcore shmups fans, after long debates, reluctantly agree on a DDP "tie" between the two versions...

...Then I am allowed to think the Psx one must be better by a long shot

You sound like the unforgettable Kevin Kline

[sffan]

Just because it was crap back then doesn't mean it should be crap today.

Why, because consoles have now completely caught up with arcade machines?

[/quote]
And who plays shooters with pads anyway? [/quote]

I do. The saturn pad for the PS2 is great for some shmups, although for a few I still prefer the analog stick, surprisingly. I like having both options, since the d-pad on the dualshock is so lame.

[Shatterhand]

Yay know, here in Brazil you are lucky if you can find an original joypad for your system, let alone an arcade stick or anything else.

Anyway, what I mean is that some people like to say "That's a CRAP PORT" when the port is beyond "Acceptable"

[durias]

The pachis are great. Avoid Donpachi on the Saturn though (that said, I've heard it is still a fun port). Apparently the Saturn and PSX versions of Dodonpachi are more comparable however.

What is tate? That's when you put your TV on its side! I'll be posting a picture shortly in the 'organize your collection' thread with a tate and yoko (horizontal) tv side by side. How does it help? Well many shmups are vertical in their original arcade orientation, so if you don't tate your tv, the game must either compensate by cropping, squashing or shrinking (or even the most dreaded 'wobble mode'.)

Cropping of course would simply be cutting off parts of the screen--layer section on the saturn does this in yoko.

Squashing would be to simply change the proportions of the screen, meaning your ship (and bullets) would move faster along the x axis than the y axis (this is clearly a bad solution).

Shrinking means that you end up with black bars on one or both sides of the screen, making the game very small (sort of an inverted letterbox). This is probably the best way to play in yoko, and acceptable if you have a BIG TV.

Wobble Mode is when not all of the screen is displayed at once, but scrolls back and forth as you move your ship up and down the screen. The funny thing is that the old Raidens actually used a horizontal wobble intentionally to pretty awesome affect, giving the sense of a bigger playing field, but when this is implemented as a vertical wobble, it is VERY bad, and known to induce all sorts of headaches.

The only real solution to these games is either 'shrinking' or tate. I'm not going to argue some elitist stance for those who can't tate, but cropping, squashing or wobble are essentially the shooter equivalent of pan & scan for movies. You aren't playing the whole game.

Or, in Batsugun's case, cropped AND wobbled. Ah heh heh heh.

[JoshF]

What's this about Saturn DP's sound? IIRC the arcade version had muffled sound.

[Koa Zo]

I just did a side by side play of DonPachi on Saturn and PSX last night and was blown away at the difference.
This thread already covered all the points, but just to reiterate:
Saturn has muffled sound.
Saturn has more slowdown.
Saturn has pixelly explosions (and more slowdown).
Saturn rev enabled me to double my score! (must be that slowdown ..and the best stock d-pad)

What's this about Saturn DP's sound? IIRC the arcade version had muffled sound.

either way, the PSX rev has crystal clear sound.

[evil_ash_xero]

DDP is a great game

DDP on the Saturn was not to my liking. I disliked the choppy explosions so much, that I sold it and got the PSX version that was basically MAME perfect. lol

My advice is: don't get the Saturn version. Get the PSX version if you have to have a console version.

DonPachi is Okay on the Saturn, but definitely has muffled sound. Go with the PSX version if you have the option.

s/m

[Matsunaga]

I have both versions, in Tate they are pretty close, the psx has better looking explosions and sound, but it has a short load time between levels, the saturn dosen't if I remember right. In normal mode the saturn version might look a little better. the bonus level on saturn isn't worth playing in my opinion. Overall I give an edge to the psx, but for twice the price, its a tough call.

[Arvandor]

I've only played the Saturn and MAME versions, and I can't touch the Saturn version anymore. I actually die or chainbreak at times due to gameplay descrpencies.

-There's less slowdown at crucial points on the Saturn version. IE: The last half of stage 5 runs at full speed no matter what, which makes it a hell of a lot harder. Probably nigh impossible on the second loop.
-Fully powered A-L doesn't full-auto when you tap the fire button. You have to use the C-button, and it has a "cooldown" when you stop firing, which is terrible for chaining.
-The bullet cancelling yellow gunboats in Stage 3 don't cancel bullets for nearly as long (the differences can probably be measured in seconds, if only barely). Which makes it a lot harder to clear the green teleporters and reposition without getting yourself killed. Especially if you're used to the arcade version.
-Some bullet patterns from normal enemies fire differently. Namely the dual-turret tanks in stage 1 (and thereafter). They aim AND fire forward, instead of only aiming. This has gotten me killed a couple times on Saturn version.
-Bosses move differently (most notably the 4th and 5th). I can't explain it, but I've died a couple times doing the same thing I always do in MAME, yet it only kills me in the Saturn version. Not bullets, getting body-slammed by the boss.

Then of course there are the obvious less important differences, like graphics and sound. I could forgive those if the gameplay differences weren't so infuriating.