Console ports better than the Arcade

As much as I love Arcade games, I cannot help but to feel like their console versions never truly gave me that feeling that would not only be comparable from its original version, but also surpass it in some way.  Well here are some of my picks on which I feel such had been established and was happy to experience in my lifetime, while also acknowledging that they pretty much are better than the Arcade originals as well.

STRIDER- SEGA GENESIS:

Strider, the futuristic ninja who slashes anything on his way made his appearance way back in the 80s on his own Arcade game.  Most of you reading this would know him as Strider Hiryu thanks to Marvel VS Capcom and beyond.  Strider is one of the few Capcom characters who has been revitalized and revamped to continue their gaming quest to kick ass, but it was on the SEGA Genesis where he would be remembered mostly for the fact that this game is just fantastic.

The Genesis port wasn't just an adaptation from the Arcade, it actually improved upon it by adding more BGM tracks that the Arcade original lacked.  The fact that it mostly replicated the Arcade original was more than enough for fans to enjoy the game through and through.  This version also added its own ending making the game feel more complete, even if it lacked voice over dialogue between stages.  But that would have been nitpicking otherwise.

KARNOV- NES:

The Arcade game is quirky, and has a greedy Karnov going through the trouble of wanting to become rich while battling monsters.  The NES port improves over the Arcade original by a tenfold, including a revamped story involving the Russian fire breathing strongman and also a more forgiving gameplay, including a two hit system over a one hit, one kill of the Arcade.  In the Japanese port Karnov even gets several different endings depending on how you beat the game.  All in all, the NES version is the most fun to play period.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV- SNES:

The SNES port of Konami's famous 4-player Turtles in Time includes changes in gameplay such as finishers to dispose of impeding Foot Soldiers and new stages added for maximum enjoyment.  Although only two players can enjoy the adventure in contrast, it is pretty faithful to its Arcade counterpart and the extras on it surpasses it.  The SNES port also features bosses like The Rat King, Slash, and Bebop & Rocksteady who were as much fun to beat along with the rest.

TEKKEN 3- PlayStation:

Not only it feels like a perfect copy of Namco's Arcade hit, it also features other nifty play modes such as the fabled Tekken Force, a Final Fight like beat'em up where you can dispose of a bunch of goons with bird names and face a character from the fighting roster as the boss at the end of each stage.  It also features hidden characters like Gon who were not featured in the Arcade and other cute game modes like beach ball challenges.  The fact that every character features their own ending was already a staple on the home conversions in the PSX, but on Tekken 3 you would also be able to replay endings from its first two prequels by having save files from said games on the same card.  Pretty neat.

SOUL CALIBUR- SEGA Dreamcast:

Soul Calibur on the SEGA Dreamcast blows the Arcade game out of the water in several ways.  Not only the gameplay is smooth and precise, it is revamped quite nicely on the Dreamcast port, making it quite a feast for the eyes.  The port also featured Cervantes, who was the last boss before facing Soul Edge on its prequel, and also several modes such as an art gallery featuring fanart from gamers around the globe and full profiles and backstory on each character within the game.  SC for Dreamcast is simply a marvel which every avid fan of the series should own.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure- PlayStation-

While the SEGA Dreamcast features Arcade perfect visuals and gameplay, the PSX port exceeds it in terms of gameplay and play modes.  The port would feature "Super Story Mode" where you could experience the game featuring fighting matches, mini-games, and RPG elements to level up your character.  You would not appreciate the awful loading times, but it is quite enjoyable with this original mode.

Street Fighter Alpha 3- SEGA Dreamcast:

Not only its Arcade perfection, this port also features other modes to keep your fighting skills fresh such as the World Tour mode where you can level up your character with skills earned along your journey and adding said character into the huge roster of fighters, some which are included from previous SF games like Dee Jay and Fei Long.  The gang's all here in this home port, including the souped up M. Bison you face at the end via cheat code and get to use his devastating ultra psycho crusher.

X-Men vs. Street Fighter- PlayStation:
Ha, ha, I kid.

And this is my list.  I am sure there are other games out there that surpass their Arcade versions but these here are the ones that had left me with the most impressionable experiences of the lot.

Karnov: The story you never knew.

You may had heard of Karnov from his NES game back in the day and the first time you ever seen him anywhere else.  He would also appear on another NES title called Bad Dudes as an enemy boss this time, leaving you scratching your head as to how he just decided to turn sides from one game to the next or quite possibly being an impostor.  Then he would be heard of once more in Karnov's Revenge, a fighting game on which he was not only the last character you would face off but also a bad guy as well.  After his heroic adventure on NES you would ponder just why he would turn out to be a bad guy anywhere else.  Surely something must have happen between one game and the other, having him change his mind on being on the righteous side of things.  Well...

He never was a good guy to begin with.

In the NES game Karnov is portrayed as the hero of the fallen kingdom of Babylon in search of the evil wizard who was responsible for the city's demise and fighting off a nasty dragon at the end to avenge it.  This was more notoriously stated on the Japanese version where Karnov was granted deity status after he did the deed.  However the NES game was an adaptation from the Data East Arcade, on which Karnov was not worried in fighting for a fallen kingdom's glory as much as him wanting to usurp its riches.  That's right, the fire spewing strongman was more interested on his selfish goals than wanting to be a force of good, hence as why he would seem a villain anywhere else afterwards.

After Karnov had his fill of riches he then was assigned to become one of Dragoninja's boss henchmen, on which Bad Dudes would encounter him at the very first stage fighting him off in order to continue their journey.  Karnov would also make cameo appearances on games like Sly Spy in the background as well as in weird titles like Trio the Punch where he once again would be a boss character.

Karnov would not have a proper game of his own after his Arcade debut until Fighter's History appeared in the mid-90s as a last boss character and once again a bad guy.  Its sequel named Fighter's History Dynamite would establish him as a playable character but nonetheless as the last boss fighter you would face once more.  In the states this game would be re-branded as Karnov's Revenge and it would bring out the ire on Capcom for being a bit too similar to their Street Fighter II game and it even landed into a lawsuit against Data East.  This game would be the last anyone ever heard about the Russian strongman and he would go down in history on being remembered as a hero and a villain to gamers, depending on which game you would recall him from the most.

Detective Pikachu (Movie Review)

I remember watching that very first Pokemon movie in theaters.  It left me with a sour taste in my mouth.  What a turd.  I never wanted to even watch the Anime itself much less one of the MILLIONS of movies that appeared thereof.  I hated it.  I really didn't cared for it.  Years later we had this Detective Pikachu and when watching scenes and trailers of the new movie my expectations went even south a lot more than they were about the entire thing.  Just look at some of these characters designed while blending it in with live action.  My God, why nowadays everything has to be in the "real world" when it comes to old cartoons and videogame films?  This sort of thought was along with that Sonic Movie which I shared my utmost bitterness when seeing its trailer months ago, while laughing at how Paramount got worried real quick to the point of postponing its release just to make Sonic look right.  Ha.

Well, I gave Detective Pikachu a shot when renting it out a Red Box.  What the hell.  2 dollars compared to having to feed the greedy theaters that would cost me a lot more just to be disspointed.  I admit I began watching it with low expectations already swimming in my skeptic mind.

Holy crap, this movie shut me up about said expectations and then some.  I was pleasantly surprised at how ENTERTAINING this movie came out all in all, the story rolling out in such a fluid manner than even when you already knew how it would end, it made it work on how it would get there without ever feeling cheap, cliche'd, or heaven forbid, annoying.  Ryan Reynolds voicing the central Pokemon of the story gives this spicy sass to an otherwise adorable designed little bastard of a character rendered for your eyes and the rest of the cast simply manages to meet such expectations of actors who give a damn in playing out characters in a children's gaming franchise movie.

I have to state that while some of the designed Pokemon rendered for live action scenes may look indeed unsettling, once you delve into the film you simply ignore any kind of uneasy feeling you may of had when watching trailers and sneak peeks before watching said film.  Simply put, all of the fictional critters blend VERY well with the live action environment and the human actors who act along.  Its like no one really stops and think too much that both Pokemon and people share the same world and it gets away with it without much explanation on how this just simply works.

I am by all means not a Pokemon fan.  I simply prefer its immediate rival Digimon in all instances, but this movie did what the show, several dozens of movies, and even the game had not been able to.  It reached deep into my inner kid and he just jumped for joy on how wonderful this film truly is.  Well done.  Well done.

Now if that Sonic Movie tries as hard I may even forgive Paramount for trying too much to be edgy.  We will just wait and see.

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