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"Bad" ports of games that you prefer over other recommended releases of said games?

Hey GAF, I was thinking about certain ports of games that tend to be dismissed as "bad" for certain reasons. I'd like to make this thread as a counterpoint to that narrative that these ports can be "bad", since they might have helped you discover a favorite game you otherwise wouldn't have discovered if it weren't for said port for example. I'll share some of my favorite "bad" ports. One of them is Sonic and Knuckles collection, a collection of Sonic 3, Sonic and Knuckles, and Sonic 3 and Knuckles for the PC. It's easily a top 3 games of all time for me, and I'm very grateful I discovered it through this CD released in the late 90s/early 2000s for PC. Of course I'd discover the Genesis original with the proper music years later, but I still love and cherish the PC version with the two different soundtracks, FM synthesizer and General midi. It's nostalgic and even wondrous to realize that to get around the soundtrack issue, Sega used the beta sountrack instead of the final soundtrack, so it still sounds authentic to the game's feel while getting around the soundtrack issue. I still prefer the Sonic and Knuckles' collection ost to the Genesis' release, but that's just me. Another one is Sonic Adventure DX/Sonic Adventure 2 battle. It was nice getting them in a double pack for Gamecube, they were technically my first Gamecube games even though my platinum Gamecube came bundled with Metroid Prime and Prime 2 demo disc. The Sonic Adventures weren't 1:1 ports of the Dreamcast originals but in certain cases altered things and added things, for better or worse. Yet in spite of that, they still remain my preferred way to play these games, they just feel good to play with the Cube controller. So GAF, any other "bad" ports that you prefer over other recommended releases of said games?
 

Paltheos

Member
Not technically applicable here - they're not ports - but first thing that came to mind is the original Gamecube/Wii iteration of the Metroid Prime games. The Trilogy package (and later reissues of Prime on the GCN) fix bugs and lore inconsistencies to varying degrees, but they also remove the majority of the sequence breaking/speed running shenanigans and general mechanical exploits. The Wii versions are much cleaner to control with direct control over aiming and added in Morph Ball hopping, and most people recommend Trilogy too, but I much prefer the exploitable original releases of the games.
 

nkarafo

Member
Since you put "bad" in quotes, i will assume you don't really mean bad ports but ports that aren't generally seen as better than the originals.

There are a few arcade games that had superior console ports IMO. But because Arcade games had the reputation of being untouchable (and had far better graphics/sound), many people would not know.

The best example is TMNT 4: Turtles in Time for the SNES. The game is one of my favorites for the system. But i knew about the arcade original and for many years i was wondering, if it's so good on the SNES, how amazing is the arcade? All i knew from magazines and word of mouth was that it has better graphics and sound and that it supports 4 players. Nothing else.

Until i played it for the first time in MAME. It was so bad, i thought maybe the emulation is buggy. I thought there was no way the gameplay, hit detection, etc are so bad. I couldn't even complete the combo animation cycles with the turtles sliding all over the place and the enemies dying with a couple of hits. But that's how it is. It's a pretty bad game, focusing on button mashing against a ton of weaker enemies VS the SNES version which has fewer, but stronger enemies, better controls, better physics, etc. But because it's a port with inferior graphics/sound and the arcade supports 4 players, most people will still rate the arcade version higher (or at least the ones who only played those games casually).
 
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SumJester

Member
I like the PSP/PS4 port of SoTN over the PS1 original.

I do like the new voices and extras, and it's not like the famous Dracula's line is gone just because of that (thanks to the internet).

I also know some people who like the SMS version of Sonic 1 more than the Mega Drive original.
 
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Belmonte

Member
I usually prefer the console version than the arcade for beat em ups. Even when the graphics are way worse, which is almost all of them.

The reason is that I prefer when the game gives me the amount of lives/continues the devs consider fair and balanced to beat the game.

When I play an arcade port I don't want to use infinite continues since it completely destroys the gameplay (btw, I blame the infinite continues for the modern perception that beat em ups are brainless games) but, at same time, I don't know what is the amount of lives it is fair for me to use.

Sometimes I even prefer to play Snes Final Fight 1 than the original arcade version. Yeah, I know.
 

Belmonte

Member
Rule of thumb is 3 to 5 credits, i would say.

It is the number I usually use since I think "I wouldn't put more than this if I was playing a real arcade machine", but IMO, you are a master of the game if you finish a typical beat em up with 3 coins.

These games are great but the difficulty is made to suck a lot of quarters. 3-5 credits is not equivalent of playing the console version on normal.
 
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Pretty much any 360/PS3 era game ported to the Switch. Sure, they run way better on PS4/Xbox, but I'll take portability over the best graphical output (I have shitty eyes so looking over at a TV across the room sucks).

Some of these may include Persona 5: Strikers, Bioshock Infinite, Metro 2033, etc.
 
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Kuranghi

Member
Since you put "bad" in quotes, i will assume you don't really mean bad ports but ports that aren't generally seen as better than the originals.

There are a few arcade games that had superior console ports IMO. But because Arcade games had the reputation of being untouchable (and had far better graphics/sound), many people would not know.

The best example is TMNT 4: Turtles in Time for the SNES. The game is one of my favorites for the system. But i knew about the arcade original and for many years i was wondering, if it's so good on the SNES, how amazing is the arcade? All i knew from magazines and word of mouth was that it has better graphics and sound and that it supports 4 players. Nothing else.

Until i played it for the first time in MAME. It was so bad, i thought maybe the emulation is buggy. I thought there was no way the gameplay, hit detection, etc are so bad. I couldn't even complete the combo animation cycles with the turtles sliding all over the place and the enemies dying with a couple of hits. But that's how it is. It's a pretty bad game, focusing on button mashing against a ton of weaker enemies VS the SNES version which has fewer, but stronger enemies, better controls, better physics, etc. But because it's a port with inferior graphics/sound and the arcade supports 4 players, most people will still rate the arcade version higher (or at least the ones who only played those games casually).

I believe the MP Trilogy versions also have missing screen space effects from the OG releases, like some of the beam effects, and wrong aspect ratio elevator cutscenes in 1 or 2, but maybe they patched it I'm not 100%.
 

nkarafo

Member
I believe the MP Trilogy versions also have missing screen space effects from the OG releases, like some of the beam effects, and wrong aspect ratio elevator cutscenes in 1 or 2, but maybe they patched it I'm not 100%.
I remember the cool magnifying effect of the scan visor missing.
 

Kuranghi

Member
I remember the cool magnifying effect of the scan visor missing.

Yeah it seems like such a small thing but those screen effects are responsible for a lot of the cool moments in the game like steam/condensation on visor when first entering Norfair and seeing Samus face reflected in the visor when fighting the "ghosts". Aspect ratio stuff just bothers me forever, I don't want no banana-heads.
 

SkylineRKR

Member
There are lots of inferior console ports that were actually more fun than the arcade. Take Mortal Kombat for example. Fuck the arcade AI. Its not fun, they are nearly impossible to beat unless you lose 3 times. They look better sure, and they're absolutely better if you want Versus play but for single player you're better off playing it on console. The same goes for SF2. The console AI is just much more fun.

I like the PSP/PS4 port of SoTN over the PS1 original.

I do like the new voices and extras, and it's not like the famous Dracula's line is gone just because of that (thanks to the internet).

I also know some people who like the SMS version of Sonic 1 more than the Mega Drive original.

The SMS version of Sonic 1 is legit good and not a port, its being made by Ancient.

SoTN is interesting because I liked the Saturn version more despite the game being inferior. I liked the controlpad more, and the extras though kinda useless were at least something new. Maria was great in that game though.
 
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Bankai

Member
Sunset Riders on Megadrive!

The SNES port was always considered to be the better, more accurate arcade conversion. Though, I loved the megadrive music so much and the levels were quite different on Sega's platform. I prefered it, even over the arcade version (which is also amazin mind you).

pics3.png
 

Kamina

Golden Boy
I like the PSP/PS4 port of SoTN over the PS1 original.

I do like the new voices and extras, and it's not like the famous Dracula's line is gone just because of that (thanks to the internet).
Same here. Yes the english Dub is iconic, but the Dracula X Version of SotN is just superior to the PSOne version in many ways, so i don’t really see how this would even qualify as “bad port”
> Colors are less washed out
> Graphics Options are added
> Voice Acting (especially Japanese)
> Additional content
 
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NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
The SNES version of Street Fighter 2 could be set to a difficulty level where the CPU doesn’t cheat like shit.
Screw that, even at max difficulty the SNES version is more doable than the hell on earth that is the arcade.
(not a bad version of course, but not really arcade perfect too)
 

Dr.Morris79

Member
Deadly Premonition on the PS3

It manages to run worse than the 360 version while also looking worse

Was my first time experiencing the game, loved it to bits anyway
That was the version I completed, it was the weirdest thing. I utterly loved it but it was like watching a car crash in slow motion. I was hooked.

Next replay will be on the Series X me thinks.
 

makaveli60

Member
I'm not sure this counts, but I think the best version of GTA San Andreas is the PS2 one because of the rendering, despite it being the weakest platform technically the game is available on.
 
I don't really care that much - most of those "bad" ports are just tiny details not worth trouble of obtaing them or hardware to play them.
 

Ovek

7Member7
Yes but why? I would be interested to know.

For a time it was the only home version of MK I owned and I've never really been any good at playing MK so simplified controls and a significantly lower framerate made it easier to play.

MK on the Game Gear was the only version I could pull off fatalities with any great success.


Probably because it was the version he was able to play as a kid. It's called nostalgia :)

Pretty much. 👍
 

johntown

Banned
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition PC - I like this better than the remake because they didn't nerf it and it can be just as good with mods.

Chrono Trigger PC - I know not the best version of the game but I just prefer to play on PC if I can
 

tkscz

Member
Hey GAF, I was thinking about certain ports of games that tend to be dismissed as "bad" for certain reasons. I'd like to make this thread as a counterpoint to that narrative that these ports can be "bad", since they might have helped you discover a favorite game you otherwise wouldn't have discovered if it weren't for said port for example. I'll share some of my favorite "bad" ports. One of them is Sonic and Knuckles collection, a collection of Sonic 3, Sonic and Knuckles, and Sonic 3 and Knuckles for the PC. It's easily a top 3 games of all time for me, and I'm very grateful I discovered it through this CD released in the late 90s/early 2000s for PC. Of course I'd discover the Genesis original with the proper music years later, but I still love and cherish the PC version with the two different soundtracks, FM synthesizer and General midi. It's nostalgic and even wondrous to realize that to get around the soundtrack issue, Sega used the beta sountrack instead of the final soundtrack, so it still sounds authentic to the game's feel while getting around the soundtrack issue. I still prefer the Sonic and Knuckles' collection ost to the Genesis' release, but that's just me. Another one is Sonic Adventure DX/Sonic Adventure 2 battle. It was nice getting them in a double pack for Gamecube, they were technically my first Gamecube games even though my platinum Gamecube came bundled with Metroid Prime and Prime 2 demo disc. The Sonic Adventures weren't 1:1 ports of the Dreamcast originals but in certain cases altered things and added things, for better or worse. Yet in spite of that, they still remain my preferred way to play these games, they just feel good to play with the Cube controller. So GAF, any other "bad" ports that you prefer over other recommended releases of said games?

I agree with Sonic Adventure 2 battle and this is from someone who played the DC original before the GC was released.
 
Sunset Riders on Mega Drive/Genesis. I can see that the arcade is better, but I like the Mega one.

Sunset Riders on Megadrive!

The SNES port was always considered to be the better, more accurate arcade conversion. Though, I loved the megadrive music so much and the levels were quite different on Sega's platform. I prefered it, even over the arcade version (which is also amazin mind you).

pics3.png

Always warms my heart to see love given to Sunset Riders. Amazing game. (I own the SNES version)
 

Drac84

Member
I played and loved a number or strategy and sim games on PS1 that would have objectively controlled better on PC with a mouse and keyboard (Theme Hospital, Populous the Beginning, Constructor etc).
 

brenobnfm

Member
Dragon Age Origins on PS3: shitty graphics, loading times and performance but fuck me, playing on the big screen with a controller is too good.
 
Not bad per see, but original versions. I tend to like the original visions now considered inferior, of the games, as opposed to remasters that manage to miss the point even if by a bit.


I prefer SNES Tales of Phantasia to the Psone remake edition, Star Ocean 1/2 on their respective SNES and PSone consoles, rather than PSP. I'm sure I could come up with even more examples.

I don't like OoT and Majora Mask menu's and control scheme on the 3DS (specially the ocarina portions), it makes me feel disconnected from the game. I don't enjoy Banjo Kazooie/Tooie on Xbox 360 as much as I do with the original controller as well, Perfect Dark too.
 
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