Arcade games where you prefer the console port

[Creamy Goodness]

This is more for the 8 and 16 bit ports since ports after are usually equivalent to the arcade or worse. I feel like in many instances the Toaplan ports can be preferred over the arcade. The Mega Drive version of Zero Wing comes to mind for me mainly because I much prefer that soundtrack to the arcade's.

[mycophobia]

I much prefer the tamer, and in the latter two cases more fleshed out, ports of Same! Same! Same!, Gradius III and Turtles in Time over their arcade counterparts, for sure

[Steven]

I think MD Zero Wing is the only one. Edit: nope, it isn't. I forgot 360 Saidaioujou. The PCB sounds like complete trash.

Mars Matrix also exists, but I haven't played the Dreamcast version.

[cfx]

I might misremember since I haven't seen Dreamcast Mars Matrix since back at the time it was new. I know the game supports VGA, and as I remember it's one that otherwise runs at 480i instead of 240p so it looks like garbage.

[Sumez]

Gradius III is an easy pick!

I'd throw in a vote for some of the Konami games on PC Engine too. I don't have the same insight that Perikles demonstrates in this thread, but if Salamander is a good example, I'll believe that the others follow through.

[Steven]

Oh yeah, I forgot that PC Engine Salamander isn't super weird like the arcade version is.

[To Far Away Times]

Darius II for Genesis and Gradius III for SNES. Both games are like director's cuts recreated for the home experience, and both games are superior for it, imo.

Salamander is an exact tie, imo. The arcade version is more of a treat for the eyes and ears, while the NES version has some extra levels, cleans up some of the spotty hit detection, and runs about 10 minutes longer, if I recall correctly. The extra content is some of the best parts of the game too.

And although the console version was released first, Thunderforce III is quite as bit better than Thunderforce AC. The two best levels and the best song in the soundtrack are omited from the AC version, and the instrumentation, while technically cleaner in the AC version, sounds more like bells and chimes rather than metal music.

[BrianC]

I'd throw in a vote for some of the Konami games on PC Engine too. I don't have the same insight that Perikles demonstrates in this thread, but if Salamander is a good example, I'll believe that the others follow through.

Detana Twinbee also cleans up the hitboxes and some of the difficulty from the AC version.

Thunderforce AC has an oddly unfinished feel to it. An improved verison of the junk stage theme is a bonus omake song in Thunderforce IV.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The Dreamcast port of Mars Matrix has an extra zero added on to prevent it from being counter-stopped (it's well-known that the CPS2 version of MM can be "counter-stopped" by a high-level player).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[pablumatic]

Wish I would have seen more shooters in arcades back in the day so that I wouldn't be in my current position of mostly playing the arcade games and ignoring home ports. Agree with all of the above.

With that said I flip-flop between liking the SNES version of U.N. Squadron/Area 88 over the arcade. The RPG-ish elements of gathering money to get better jets and weapons is interesting, but at the same time the action is slowed down as a result and the final boss is inferior to the arcade. I'm so used to the SNES's version of the music I might prefer it more now. Both are great.

Truxton Genesis is fun for me since I have an easier time with it than the arcade game.

[Herr Schatten]

MD Hellfire and Zero Wing, PCE Salamander, Gradius and Parodius Da!, SNES Gradius III.

[Jonpachi]

Kind of cheating with this one, but Thunderforce III over AC.

[spmbx]

Technically not a port (and not a shmup but you didnt specify that) but i always liked moonwalker on genesis better than the arcade one

[TransatlanticFoe]

Darius II for Genesis and Gradius III for SNES. Both games are like director's cuts recreated for the home experience, and both games are superior for it, imo.

I dunno, I find MD Darius 2 has some oddities. The main issue I have is it doesn't include the two-stage Alloy Lantern boss fight - it's one of the coolest things the game does (along with Yamato). Even the Master System version manages it! Keeping the sprites full size while reducing the playing area also makes things a bit easier to hit - probably by system limitation more than anything else, the smaller sprites on the SMS require a bit more precision. Not that the SMS version is better than anything, given it's missing half the levels and is plagued with slowdown/flicker!

[mycophobia]

M2's sega tetris port on MD is better than the arcade cuz it has CW rotation

[Martinov]

- Thunderforce 3/AC. AC is disappointing compared to the MD original. I'm biased though - TF3 was the first shmup I owned.
- Gradius III on the SNES is actually manageable by a mere mortal.
- In the Hunt PS1 removed most of the slowdown and feels like the definitive version to me.

[Rastan78]

In the Hunt PS has some things missing here and there. Definitely a great version to pick up although I wouldn't quite call it definitive.

And to end on a couple of non gameplay-related points, the Saturn (and arcade) version has the destructible iceberg sprites floating in the water around the middle of stage one, but they are totally absent in the PS1 version, which is odd and makes me wonder if the PS1 version is missing any other assets I haven't noticed.

There are large red butt plug shaped devices throughout the final stage that spew out red mines. They can be quite the pain in the ass. The PS version has this enemy removed completely allowing the player to glide past the final stage more smoothly.

Arcade section showing the mine throwers:
https://youtu.be/KT3wU2vMJQQ?t=1808

PS same level showing Stage 6 without:
https://youtu.be/DBXY0YGtIjY?t=1236

[Martinov]

True, some strategies can differ due to minor changes here and there, but when I was playing the Hamster port alongside the PS1 port for the 1CC, I felt that these differences were either negligible or actually improved the game's difficulty curve. For example, the wave of bombers that fire diagonal shots on stage can be really annoying in the arcade, but they fire at a far shallower angle on PS1, which makes the section much less frustrating. And while the PS1 loses the mine enemy at that one section of stage 6 you mention, the overall difficulty of the stage in general is higher due to the lack of slowdown. It certainly makes the mid-boss that follows it and the final bosses two mine patterns a lot more tense.

Ulitmately, I found practicing using the Hamster port with the chugging slowdown quickly became tedious, most notably on the penultimate and final stages. Weighing up the pros and cons, I stand by what I said; the PS1 is the definite version thanks to the superior pace. If the're a port in a future Irem Collection with reduced slowdown, though, that will be worth looking into.

[blazinglazers69]

Most of them because I'm bad at shmups.

[Kiken]

- In the Hunt PS1 removed most of the slowdown and feels like the definitive version to me.

The PS1 port also features uncapped autofire which is very apparent when using the green exploding torpedo weapon. On the PCB you can only fire one torpedo at a time but on PS1 you can have up to 3 on screen simultaneously creating a solid wall of destruction in front of your sub.

[Klatrymadon]

The Gradius-adjacent games are perfect examples of the continued 'relevance' or desirability of some console ports, because they often feature modes and stages that weren't in the arcade versions (e.g. PCE Parodius' omake mode, the extra stages in both PCE Gradius games, the secret platform-exclusive stages in the Saturn and PS1 Gokujou Parodius Deluxe Packs, and so on), which are often beautifully designed and very worthwhile in their own right. I'm usually critical of anything that extends the length of a well-judged arcade game, but these additions are either optional or so much fun that you'd hardly begrudge the extra two minutes added to your run.

There are also cases in which the home port improves upon the arcade original in a number of ways. Arcade Salamander is held together with spit and prayers and is generally a pretty ropey-feeling game, but the PCE version tightens up the controls, makes some crucial adjustments to the bosses (particularly stage 4's, which is now very doable without finding a safespot), adds an easier mode (in addition to being very fairly balanced on 'expert'), and has much improved sound, in my opinion at least. It's by no means rendered obsolete by the ease of access to good arcade ports today, and is arguably the best version of the game.

Edit: IIRC In the Hunt is also missing some animations on PS1. Enemy subs, for example, won't crumple and fall apart upon being destroyed, as they do in the arcade versions. There's just the explosion animation.

[Gamer707b]

Definitely Turtles In time. Also Thunder Force 3 over AC. Ghouls N Ghosts on the Gensis. Amazed that they were able to get that close to the arcade and it had two difficulty options.

[XoPachi]

Gradius 3 SA-1.

And I prefer the NES port of Gradius 2 but really only for its music.

[pieslice]

MD Zero Wing and Truxton - less bullet spongy enemies and better difficulty curve

In non-shmups NES Double Dragon 2

[AGermanArtist]

Nemesis '90 Kai. My first home system was an MSX and while the arcade game is superior in terms of visual and audio fidelity, I preferred the MSX version of Nemesis/Gradius 2, so having that upgraded with arcade quality graphics/sound is a treat which has sadly never seen a re-release on consoles.
It'd be nice for Konami to honour their franchise with a proper collection including Nemesis '90 Kai.

[Sumez]

I didn't realise there was any relation between Nemesis 90 Kai and Gradius 2? Outside of being a Gradius game, I mean. They seem as different to me as any other two Gradius games.

EDIT: Oh yeah, Nemesis 2 on MSX was even made before Gradius 2.

[hamfighterx]

Obviously later than the 8/16-bit focus, but Deathsmiles II on 360 (and now Switch/PS4) is worth a mention. The graphical overhaul, extra characters, and extra stages make the arcade original feel like an incomplete game, IMO.

Also, non-shooter division champ for me: Bionic Commando NES over arcade, easily.

[Bassa-Bassa]

Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou (AC) was not a port of Gradius 2 (MSX), the franchise got two separate branches after Gradius 1.

And Nemesis '90 Kai, while a reimagining indeed of G2 MSX, was not a Konami product, so having it in (yet another) Gradius collection by them is more than highly unlikely.


Bionic Commando (NES) was not a port of the AC either, but some sort of sequel.

[AGermanArtist]

Everyday's a school day! And while I return from the rabbit hole to confirm you both are correct, in the spirit of accuracy I must also add that Nemesis '90 Kai was published by Konami. Is this a case similar to Westone/Sega and Wonderboy, where SPS own the rights to N90K and this is why it's locked to the X68000?
I would love a Gradius/Nemesis/Salamander/Parodious adjacent M2 collection with N90K and Gradius Rebirth.

[Bassa-Bassa]

'90 Kai was not published by Konami. They just were the licensor. So the game's IPs are shared by both, SPS and Konami.