SEGA Genesis vs SNES – IGN

Decades of video game tribalism, juvenile insults and school-going myths about distant uncles working for some console manufacturers have come to one source: Super Nintendo vs. Sega Genesis. Yes, there were some old console wars in the 80s and today there is a slight thrill between Sony members and Microsoft users, but the battle has never been so much fierce that in the mid-90s, when Sega sent his hedgehog against the plumber of Nintendo. and threatened to fight to death.

Disney has decided to launch gasoline on this dormant fire since Wednesday, when the company announced that it would remaster a pair of classic platforms: The Lion King and Aladdin, for an outing at the same time. autumn 2019.

If you are a child of the 90s, you probably remember endless heated debates about the best version of Aladdin (the SNES version is not included in the new collection). It was a symptom of the time – at the time, Nintendo and Sega did not want to transfer the same game on each system. Instead, they often chose to create a totally different game of the same name on each platform. Two radically different Aladdins, who compete to become the One True Aladdin. It was like Red and Blue Pokemon – they spoke different languages ​​and refused to talk to each other.

So, to celebrate this brief return of vintage console wars, we decided to revisit some of the games released on both Genesis and Super Nintendo, with minor or major differences.

SEGA Genesis vs. SNES

Aladdin

For my money, Aladdin remains the strangest case of the war of SNES vs Genesis software. Unlike games in this slide show that diverge in forensic analysis of sprite size and fidelity control, Disney has instead created two distinct and radically different products. Aladdin for Genesis was released in 1992 and was developed by Virgin. Aladdin for the Super Nintendo arrived a year later and was ridden by Capcom. Philosophically, the Genesis version was more action-oriented (Aladdin brandished a scimitar), while Capcom essentially turned Prince Ali into a glorified Mario, with a pivoting platform mechanism. The most important problem is perhaps the level of escape from each game: the interpretation of the SNES was difficult, but it was absolutely brutal in the Genesis. Like, almost as bad as the legendary Battletoads Turbo Tunnel. If you are wondering why I am traumatized today, it is perhaps because I saw Aladdin being engulfed too often by a wave of lava.

The Lion King

Unlike Aladdin, The Lion King is essentially the same game on Genesis and Super Nintendo. Meaning: you will die at the level "I can not wait to be king". Your preference will go to the tribalism of your own console, but there are many people who swear by the music of the Genesis version. Take it as you want.

The mystery of Scooby-Doo

Scooby-Doo solves crimes no? Sunsoft took this to heart by developing the Genesis version, creating a true point-and-click console adventure. Argonaut, who made the adaptation to the SNES, did not receive this memo. Like everything else, they turned Scooby-Doo into a platform system with an inventory system.

Jim earthworm

Maybe it's sardonic humor, or the weird fleshy textures, or the out-of-the-box nature of the mascot, but something about Earthworm Jim has always looked more like a Genesis game than it is. to a Nintendo game. It does not matter, however, because both versions are almost identical. Honestly, the big winner is the Sega CD version, which contains more levels and better animation.

The zombies ate my neighbors

You must love LucasArts in the early 90s. Instead of exploiting Star Wars to death, George Lucas has let his developers go wild with one of the most diverse game portfolios. Zombies Ate My Neothers is the leader of this strangeness. It is a classic treasure hunt where two friends take the cul-de-sac of a parade of villains from horror movies. SNES came first, with better sound quality, a brighter color palette and more detailed textures.

Animanes

This is a strange phenomenon: the Animaniacs games have both been developed by Konami, and yet the results have completely diverged. The Nintendo version was a brawler in the vein of Double Dragon, with different sprites, different music and different modes of play. But the Genesis version was more or less a platform game. What happened, Konami? Would not a direct port be easier?

Street Fighter II Turbo

One of the greatest fighting games of all time is a heat wave on Super Nintendo and Genesis. On the graphical side, the game is a little better on SNES, but the intrepid ones have often turned to Sega 's interpretation, only because of Genesis' s huge six – sided buttons.

NHL 94

Some people do not even consider NHL & 94 as a Super Nintendo product. The biggest hockey game ever created has many followers and most swear that the Genesis version offers better sound and better game than the Nintendo version. I weighed myself, but I learned never to doubt mega-hockey fans.

Mickey Mania

Mickey Mania reigns. When I played as a kid, the fidelity stunned me – especially in the ersatz Steamboat Willy level. Let Disney produce the best animations of the 16-bit era. The Genesis version still has some frills (cutscenes, and a pair of extra levels), but seriously, you've never played Mickey Mania, go for it, no matter the flavor.

Deadly fight

On a purely technical level, the SNES version of Mortal Kombat has released more animated images than its contemporary Genesis. But if we are in 1992 and you want to play the most controversial game in the world, none of that mattered. The Genesis porting is unique because it allows you to grab the infamous blood code – which has restored the effects of "sweat" to their original red color, ensuring your Thunder's right to draw blood when you hit Raiden in the face. .

Ys III: The wanderers of Ys

If you want to see what a degradation of the 16-bit version looks like, take a look at the SNES version of Ys III. On the Genesis, you will discover a vibrant and seductive fantasy world, worthy of one of the biggest role play and action franchises of all time. But on the Super Nintendo, the color is exhausted, the sprites are stained and it lacks complete cinematics.

Taz-Mania

On the Genesis, Taz-Mania was a common platform game, similar to all the other licensed adaptations hitting the store shelves. On Super Nintendo, however, you might find a much stranger game and probably worse, the Mode 7 racing game, where Taz devours an endless layer of asphalt while trying not to hit passers-by or puddles. water. It's an interesting proof of concept, but trust us, you do not miss much.

Jurassic Park

Like Aladdin, Jurassic Park is two different games depending on whether you've played it on SNES or on Genesis. I have spent a lot of time with the SNES version to grow and today, it is remembered as a strange experimental classic: you walk in a gigantic world, similar to that of Zelda , which goes into first-person mode when you dig into the catacombs of the search base make good old-fashioned Dino-dungeons, inspired by Doom. The Genesis has served something completely different – a 2D platformer game that looks like an extremely prototypical Uncharted. The Genesis version is however the best because it allows you to play as velociraptor. It is a fundamental law of physics; 9-year-olds want to become dinosaurs, not scientists.

Sunset Riders

Sunset Riders, the greatest arcade game ever created, is done justice on Super Nintendo. It basically works like a full port of what you would find at your local Chuck E. Cheese, with the usual fidelity gradients to fit the SNES framework. But something went wrong on Genesis. Only half of the levels of the arcade have been returned to the Sega machine, the bonus stages have been removed and only two of the four main characters are featured. That said, the Genesis offers a completely original level, which appears neither on SNES installations nor on Arcade installations. In addition, the Genesis leaves your character burn to death, Nintendo having been pruned thanks to its strict policy for the family in the early 90s.

The adventures of Batman and Robin

A tale of two Batmen. The Caped Crusader was popular in the mid-90s thanks to the huge animated series. Konami therefore attempted an adaptation to the SNES, while a studio named Clockwork Tortoise aligned his attempt to bring Gotham City to Genesis. The results are miraculously synchronic; Although they have different colors, different levels, different animations and scenarios, they are almost identical to each other as far as gameplay is concerned. Nintendo offered a mix of meat and potatoes and Sega, a medium-sized shoot-em-up. But people seem to remember the Genesis version with more tenderness, especially for its impressive goth-electro soundtrack.

RoboCop against the terminator

Like The Adventures of Batman and Robin, RoboCop vs. The Terminator is comprised of two different games, under the same name, published on both Genesis and Super Nintendo. This one is so much stranger though, because it was not even a movie connection. For example, RoboCop facing a Terminator does not exist outside of the unsuccessful nerd debates late at night, and yet he was immortalized in his own video game. Two times! Functionally, they are both mediocre, critics hardly favoring the incarnation of Genesis at the time. After all, Sega won the Electronic Gaming Monthly's "Most Bloody Game of the Year" award in 1993. You can not make fun of these people in good faith!

Thunder Force III

This is one of the few cases where the same game has been published on the SNES and the Genesis under different names. It's Thunder Force III according to Sega, and Thunder Spirits according to Nintendo, and according to fans, Sega wins. The SNES has experienced a considerable amount of slowing down, which can be absolutely infuriating when you play a shooter. The famous Mega Drive's biggest processor is a must!

Shadowrun

Who would have thought that the 90s would be a golden age for RPG adaptations on the table? The SNES version of Shadowrun is probably the best known. it was an isometric action-RPG hybrid with a slider (!) that reproduced decently the same systems as those made with a pen and paper. But do not sleep on the incarnation of Genesis. Yes, it was another action-RPG game (this time from a top-down perspective), but it also allowed you to venture into the literal cyberspace, which lets you switch to a perspective at the third person in the player's avatar. Video games inside video games. Start of 16 bits.

What games do you think are superior in terms of SEGA Genesis vs. SNES? Let us know in the comments below and let the war ensue!