Superior NES Arcade Ports
As a kid, I used to think that all arcade ports on the NES were less interesting than their source material, but over time I have learned that this is not always true. Below are a few favorites of mine. Which other arcade games do you prefer on NES?
1943 - Power up system is far superior, has more levels, plus the charged laser shot.
Bubble Bobble - Music is less powerful than arcade, but they fixed the bubble riding mechanic so it can be done in tight spaces, which vastly improved the gameplay.
Contra/Super C - Few people even think of these as first being arcade games. Not an accident.
Double Dragon 2 - Arcade version was mostly just a reskin of the first game. NES has NINE missions. That blew me away as a kid when I first heard about it.!
GunSmoke - This one's more of a "push" for me, but I'll mention it anyway. Has fewer levels than arcade, but has way better music and added weapons and hidden wanted posters.
Ninja Gaiden - The arcade version was just a mediocre beat em up. No story, no cinemas, nothing else really.
1943 - Power up system is far superior, has more levels, plus the charged laser shot.
Bubble Bobble - Music is less powerful than arcade, but they fixed the bubble riding mechanic so it can be done in tight spaces, which vastly improved the gameplay.
Contra/Super C - Few people even think of these as first being arcade games. Not an accident.
Double Dragon 2 - Arcade version was mostly just a reskin of the first game. NES has NINE missions. That blew me away as a kid when I first heard about it.!
GunSmoke - This one's more of a "push" for me, but I'll mention it anyway. Has fewer levels than arcade, but has way better music and added weapons and hidden wanted posters.
Ninja Gaiden - The arcade version was just a mediocre beat em up. No story, no cinemas, nothing else really.
Comments
Contra/Super C - Few people even think of these as first being arcade games. Not an accident.
Indeed. Until about 10 years ago, I had no idea that Contra was an arcade game first as I had never seen one either in an arcade or featured in gaming periodicals. When I made the discovery, I sought them out to give them a try. While they're decent run-and-gun shooters for their time, this was definitely a case where the NES ports turned out to be better games overall. They're just more fun to play, I feel due largely to their more fluent controls.
As a kid, I used to think that all arcade ports on the NES were less interesting than their source material, but over time I have learned that this is not always true. Below are a few favorites of mine. Which other arcade games do you prefer on NES? 1943 - Power up system is far superior, has more levels, plus the charged laser shot. Bubble Bobble - Music is less powerful than arcade, but they fixed the bubble riding mechanic so it can be done in tight spaces, which vastly improved the gameplay. Contra/Super C - Few people even think of these as first being arcade games. Not an accident. Double Dragon 2 - Arcade version was mostly just a reskin of the first game. NES has NINE missions. That blew me away as a kid when I first heard about it.! GunSmoke - This one's more of a "push" for me, but I'll mention it anyway. Has fewer levels than arcade, but has way better music and added weapons and hidden wanted posters. Ninja Gaiden - The arcade version was just a mediocre beat em up. No story, no cinemas, nothing else really.
I haven't played the Contra/Super C... but the jump always seemed so awkward.
I'm happy to have grown up playing the NES games first.
Contra, Super C, Double Dragon 2, Gun.Smoke, and Ninja Gaiden are some of my favourite games on NES.... I couldn't have them any other way, haha.
Double Dragon III. The NES game is controversial, but it has some defenders, including me (I enjoyed it, anyway); the arcade game, however, is a terrible disaster.
Arcade is bad, eh?
I like DD3 on NES. I think of it differently from 2 and really enjoy it. The flipping headlock throw is amazing and there are some really fun elements to it. Things like multiple characters, neat/powerful weapons, cool story, etc.
Guerrilla War
Gyruss
OK, I would say Donkey Kong Jr.
The d-pad makes it a lot more fun to play in my opinion than the joystick.
Let me put my hard hat first, and a bulletproof vest.
OK, I would say Donkey Kong Jr.
The d-pad makes it a lot more fun to play in my opinion than the joystick.
The nerfed difficulty in the first few loops makes for a more reasonable learning curve. The arcade game is a true quarter muncher.
How about NES versus arcade Punch-Out? Or is this another case of the NES version being too different to be considered a port?
Seems too different in terms of gameplay and even opponents (NES incorporates opponents from both arcade games).
Anyone remember the Arm Wrestling arcade game with Kabuki, Texas Mac, Mask X, etc.? Man I played the shit out of that game at the local Putt-Putt as a kid, but it's evidently extremely rare. It was an optional mod of the Punch-Out cabinet.
The nes Ninja Gaiden is definitely better than the arcade,but they are not the same game.
I like both versions of Gyruss,but the bosses in Gyruss is definitely a plus.
I love both versions of Gunsmoke as well,but prefer the arcade version.
Rygar is a push for me. Both versions are great.
The only game I can think of where the nes version improves on the arcade version is Bionic Commando. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few.
Bionic Commando
Probably THE defining example of this concept.
I've never been more disappointed in a game I've sought out on MAME than the arcade version of Bionic Commando in the long shadow of the NES counterpart.
The graphics are better, but I miss the perfect bonuses. It's all combos. And there are no neat between stage animations like in the NES version. It just keeps going as stage number increases and difficulty gets higher. I don't even know if it has an ending. It's also a fair bit more challenging to get a high score. My highest score was around 55k by stage 5. In the tournament mode you get game over if you lose even once. I think I prefer the NES port, but the arcade original is worth trying for fans of the NES version, especially for those who think that the NES version is too easy.
The Genesis' main claim to fame early one was "bring the arcades home"...which of their early games really did "bring the arcade [version] home" and which ones, eh not so much?
The Tengen Ms. Pacman for Genesis is pretty much the same version for NES, and has tons of options for co-op, different mazes, etc., in addition to being a perfect arcade port.
Burgertime- Another great port, although i'd argue the Collecovision port is better. Tough game, better than wasting quarters.
Galaga/Pacman/Donkey Kong Collection- I loop all three of these together for the same reasons I listed for burgertime.
Edit: I also wanted to add Super Monkey Ball, this is much easier with a gc controller compared to moving that darn banana on the arcade! (Yes I realize this is not a nes port, just thought I'd throw that in )
Was nice to read some new ideas about arcade vs NES. Some new thoughts:
It's true that Ninja Gaiden is not a true "port" because it's so different, but I think I included it because I was so surprised that it was. Highly disappointing game.
Punch-Out is a borderline example. It's actually more similar to Super Punch-Out SNES in gameplay (single round time limit, KO meter, scoreboard that actually carries over between fights). That said, I'm surprised that Nintendo never released the arcade ROM as a digital release. The dual monitor setup would look great on a DS/3DS.
Marble Madness had its difficulty nerfed for the NES version, but I'll admit that the music is way better on NES.
Suddenly after reading about Palamedes arcade, I'm interested in trying a combo-only challenge on NES. Might make for a fun shakeup for the weekly contest?
Ugh, TMNT 2. About the only reason I keep it around is because I can't find a good console port of the actual arcade game. I think it was a bonus unlockable on some PS2 TMNT game, but they changed the music!
Hey, my thread's back!
Was nice to read some new ideas about arcade vs NES. Some new thoughts:
It's true that Ninja Gaiden is not a true "port" because it's so different, but I think I included it because I was so surprised that it was. Highly disappointing game.
Punch-Out is a borderline example. It's actually more similar to Super Punch-Out SNES in gameplay (single round time limit, KO meter, scoreboard that actually carries over between fights). That said, I'm surprised that Nintendo never released the arcade ROM as a digital release. The dual monitor setup would look great on a DS/3DS.
Marble Madness had its difficulty nerfed for the NES version, but I'll admit that the music is way better on NES.
Suddenly after reading about Palamedes arcade, I'm interested in trying a combo-only challenge on NES. Might make for a fun shakeup for the weekly contest?
Ugh, TMNT 2. About the only reason I keep it around is because I can't find a good console port of the actual arcade game. I think it was a bonus unlockable on some PS2 TMNT game, but they changed the music!
I beat level 1 difficulty combo-only with 447,100 points. But there's a lot of luck involved with what dice you get.
EDIT: 257,810 on level 5 difficulty. That was meh. Choked on stage 12.
EDIT: New level 5 combo-only score of 322,400. I'm happy with this score.