Best overlooked ports that aren't ARCADE PERFECT?

[MrOldSchoolCool]

When you're not playing for high scores, 1CCs, 1-ALLs and whatnot, what are some ports you enjoy that aren't arcade perfect? I find some ports get overlooked because we have a tendency to dismiss them if a different more arcade perfect port exists. However, some of these ports have their own flavor to them that makes them special. For example, the soundtrack in Super Raiden for the PC Engine CD is outstanding (at least I like it).

Anyhow, I would be curious to know what some of your favorites are...

[Steven]

Slap Fight MD

[jehu]

Slap Fight MD

Also, Tatsujin PCE. RIP - Yer Wallet.

Konami Gradius / Parodius ports to various systems, esp. X68K and PCE. Though perhaps not 'overlooked.'

Does Strikers on NeoGeo count?

Oh and who can forget Bioshit Palindrome M.D.

[bigbadboaz]

Even HuCard Raiden was nice, pretty clearly the best port the game got on the standard 16-bit consoles.

Twin Cobra Genesis is definitely "tweaked", but the sound is not only heavier than the arcade but unique on that platform in both quality and character. It gives the game some serious extra punch.

[pegboy]

NES Contra.

Oh you mean shmups? The saturn mode dodonpachi was okay simply because you get to fight a tweaked (faster patterns but lower bullet density) hibachi that is honestly more fun to fight than the real one. It's too bad the rest of the game is so weird though, I'd prefer a version with the arcade loop 1 with the saturn mode hibachi fight at the end.

[SuperDeadite]

Cotton for X68000.

[copy-paster]

Darius Extra Version Mega Drive is simply masterpiece.

You get all three modes (Old, New, Extra) with all the enemy behaviors are very close to arcade yet not arcade perfect because it's single screen only but it's a good thing really, you get adjustable autofire rate, debug modes that is convenient to practice in real hardware and other extras like sound test/input lag test. Music is well-done here they sound much accurate to original (I still prefer Super Darius one, redbook+reverb ost rules) and you get to choose Arcade mode or 26 boss mode, the latter are carry over from Super Darius bosses (it was supposed to be 26 boss in arcade but for some reason they cutdown most of them).

If you plan to emulate them make sure you use Kega Fusion because all other emus I tried have wrong sound pitch for some tracks, especially "CHAOS" in other emus it will make you deaf cause the high pitch.

[OmegaFlareX]

I really like the PCE (HuCard) port of Daisenpu.

Super EDF on SFC was cool, too.

[Creamy Goodness]

I prefer the MD version of Zero Wing. The music is way better. Outside of downgraded graphics I think a lot of the Toaplan ports are in many ways better than the arcade versions. Usually the music is better and the difficulty is balanced.

[jehu]

I prefer the MD version of Zero Wing. The music is way better. Outside of downgraded graphics I think a lot of the Toaplan ports are in many ways better than the arcade versions. Usually the music is better and the difficulty is balanced.

Oh yeah, Hellfire MD is a great example. I love the 'bomb' lasers and the lobotomized, but lovable puppy-helper a la Xexex. Gives the game a little extra mechanical something to compensate for MD's lack of parallax.

Even having both available at a button-press with Mister, I still often side with MD over Arcade.