Here are some examples:Specineff wrote:toaplan_shmupfan wrote:Emulation will never capture the experience of the original game, ever. The graphics may be close, but may have scaling or color flaws. The quality of the sound effects may suffer a bit in quality, or even get changed. The control accuracy may also be significantly altered from that of the original system.
At the risk of deraling the thread, I have to call Placebo Effect on that. It's probably the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia what makes people "feel" the game to be "different". Granted, a VGA monitor will look super sharp VS the RF modulator on the Genesis, but that has no bearing over the gameplay if the speed, timing, and frame rate are exactly the same as the original hardware. And if we are talking about control, I'd rather play emulated SNES with an USB Saturn pad than the ultra-stiff original SNES pad.
Also, Protip: The PCE D-pad sucks. Big time.
1. 1942 Arcade version vs. 1942 from Capcom Classics Collection (volume 1):
* In the Capcom Classics Collection version--the Loop sound is sharper, the drum and whistle sounds are also sharper and start that much later after the plane has looped to start the stage (or after the music finishes playing for the next plane following the loss of a turn), and the 1up music is a whole key higher (it's notes are in the key of D-major instead of C-major). Also seems like a slight delay from when pressing the Loop button until the loop actually occurs (that much later than the arcade).
2. Xevious arcade version vs. Xevious from Namco Museum 50th anniversary for the PS2:
* In the Namco Museum 50th anniversary version, everything is sharper in pitch--the game start/next solvalou music, the repetitive in-game musical notes, the shot sounds, the glass-like explosion sounds.
3a. Space Invaders arcade version vs. Space Invaders from Taito Legends (I) for the PS2:
* Occasionally a shot sound will not sound and sometimes after a double invader explosion sound will be heard during gameplay.
3b. Phoenix arcade vs. Phoenix Taito Legends (I) for the PS2:
* Already mentioned this once but it deserves a second mention--not only are the sounds much louder than the arcade machine, but they are entirely wrong sounds for all of the enemy bird flying and explosion sounds, and I also don't remember the flying saucer stage having that much of a piercing sound effect when that state first started. *The* *definitive* *proof* of how emulation can get gameplay nearly right but completely ruin significant game sounds.
4. Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis version vs. Sonic the Hedgehog from Sega Genesis Collection PS2:
* The Sega Genesis Collection PS2 version has several obvious sound differences. The opening "Sega" is sharper (but interestingly enough, the in game music does not sound sharper and sounds like it's in the correct key). It's immediately noticeable that the get ring, lose rings, and land breaking up/falling sounds are granier and also brighter in the than the Genesis cart version... the Genesis cart sounds are lower in volume and actually have more low end than the PS2 version sounds.
5. Midway Arcade Treasures volume 1 PS2:
* Almost every game in the collection except for Smash TV has way too soft sounds compared to the arcade machines. Plus, the shot speed of Smash TV is faster and choppier when compared to the arcade version (also the version of Smash TV in Arcade Party Pack for the PS1, it has the correct shot speed).
Now, I realize the examples have two things in common:
1. They are all PS2 classics collections and
2. They are almost all based on Digital Eclipse emulations, Taito Legends is the one exception.
You be the judge as to the overall severity of these emulation timing or sound issues (personally, I think they are relatively low severity) but that's enough to show it is not a placebo effect comparing the original arcade or original console version vs. the emulation. (Ports are an entirely different issue altogether.)
