Game Boy versions that were more fun than NES/SNES/Arcade?

[cartman | 195]

Do you have any examples of this where despite color and other technical superiority, you had more fun with the GB game? 

Blues Brothers: The Jukebox Adventure does this for me. On GB the screen is cramped so you have way less reaction time with approaching enemies or those that are off-screen at a spot you're going to. The hazards/traps are not immediately visible either so you tread carefully. The pace is fast. On SNES (just called The Blues Brothers) the screen is big, visibility, and everything is way slower. I get way more action out of the GB version than than i do on the SNES one. 

 

 

[RH | 4,928]

I always enjoyed DuckTales for the NES when I got to play it at a friends house, but I enjoyed my GB version better.  I don't know, maybe it's because I owned that version.

It's mostly the same but the level designs are simpler, no doubt due to cartridge size constraints.  Neither game is truly short but it does make the GB version is some what shorter.  Still, if I have an itch to play that game now, I tend to reach for the GB version over the NES one, both of which I now own.

Edited April 6 by RH

[Gaia Gensouki | 1,076]

I'm going to say something outrageous: Mega Man and Castlevania games were better on the Game Boy than on the NES.

I also prefer GB Kid Icarus over the NES version.

Maybe you could also count Donkey Kong since it expands the arcade game to a completely new and original game.

And while not a straight up port, but if I wanted to play a Zelda game, then I would rather play Link's Awakening than the original The Legend of Zelda. The same with the Zelda-inspired Final Fantasy Adventure.

[NostalgicMachine | 243]

54 minutes ago, Gaia Gensouki said:

I'm going to say something outrageous: Mega Man and Castlevania games were better on the Game Boy than on the NES.

I also prefer GB Kid Icarus over the NES version.

Maybe you could also count Donkey Kong since it expands the arcade game to a completely new and original game.

And while not a straight up port, but if I wanted to play a Zelda game, then I would rather play Link's Awakening than the original The Legend of Zelda. The same with the Zelda-inspired Final Fantasy Adventure.

GB MM is underrated for sure.

LoZ on the NES is my favorite NES game, but even I'll agree that Link's Awakening is a tighter, more complete adventure.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,014]

2 hours ago, Gaia Gensouki said:

I'm going to say something outrageous: Mega Man and Castlevania games were better on the Game Boy than on the NES.

I also prefer GB Kid Icarus over the NES version.

Maybe you could also count Donkey Kong since it expands the arcade game to a completely new and original game.

And while not a straight up port, but if I wanted to play a Zelda game, then I would rather play Link's Awakening than the original The Legend of Zelda. The same with the Zelda-inspired Final Fantasy Adventure.

Donkey Kong for sure.

[Sumez | 2,969]

7 hours ago, Gaia Gensouki said:

I'm going to say something outrageous: Mega Man and Castlevania games were better on the Game Boy than on the NES.

I agree with one thing, that *is* outrageous.

7 hours ago, Gaia Gensouki said:

Maybe you could also count Donkey Kong since it expands the arcade game to a completely new and original game.

Completely different game, too, barely resembling the original. If it weren't for all the tedious puzzle elements it could have been a lot of fun. I wouldn't count it. But then I wouldn't count Zelda either, but that one definitely is a lot better.

[T-Pac | 7,572]

Bubble Bobble for the Game Boy is my favorite version of the game, although you might argue that it's not a direct port considering all the level differences, introduction of sub-bosses, etc.

I also prefer the Game Boy port of R-Type to the TurboGrafx-16 release. It has fewer levels, but is way more accessible for players like me who enjoy easier games.

[T-Pac]

[Tulpa | 3,525]

Burgertime Deluxe on Game Boy. I know it's kind of a Donkey Kong 94 situation, but it's closer to the original Burgertime than DK 94 is to DK. The music is better, the levels have more variety, and the controls are much smoother. 

[Splain | 2,572]

The GB versions of Klax, Chase HQ, Wildsnake, and some others move slightly slower so they're more approachable for people like me who are kinda bad at video games lol.

[Sumez | 2,969]

1 hour ago, Tulpa said:

Burgertime Deluxe on Game Boy. I know it's kind of a Donkey Kong 94 situation, but it's closer to the original Burgertime than DK 94 is to DK. The music is better, the levels have more variety, and the controls are much smoother. 

Have you ever tried Super Burger Time? Sounds like a similar deal.

[Tulpa | 3,525]

42 minutes ago, Sumez said:

Have you ever tried Super Burger Time? Sounds like a similar deal.

I haven't, but it does look like a lot of the improvements over the original are in both games. 

[rdrunner | 422]

Elevator Action.  Tons of improvements over the arcade game (forget NES, which is garbage).  There are attack dogs and sentry robots to go along with the standard enemies, new weapons doors that give you machine guns, shotguns, or grenades, plus every 6 stages, you get a rescue mission where you climb up through a maze.

[Floating Platforms | 728]

On 3/15/2024 at 12:07 PM, Splain said:

The GB versions of Klax, Chase HQ, Wildsnake, and some others move slightly slower so they're more approachable for people like me who are kinda bad at video games lol.

And the GB version of Chase HQ only has the one loop, which also makes it a lot more manageable.

I'll second the vote for Bubble Bobble and throw Star Trek: 25th Anniversary out for contention. I know that it's a slightly different game on NES but the GB one has a nice variety in the shooter stages (that don't exist in NES) and enjoyable action puzzle planet levels with your crew in between.

[CMR | 521]

I feel like it's comparing apples to oranges in a lot of cases.  A lot of them are too different to make comparisons.  I don't think Operation C is better than Contra or Super C, but it's definitely great.  I have similar feelings about other series offshoots made for the Gameboy.  The Gameboy library is like a smorgasbord of tasty finger foods.

[RH | 4,928]

On 3/18/2024 at 11:24 PM, CMR said:

I feel like it's comparing apples to oranges in a lot of cases.  A lot of them are too different to make comparisons.  I don't think Operation C is better than Contra or Super C, but it's definitely great.  I have similar feelings about other series offshoots made for the Gameboy.  The Gameboy library is like a smorgasbord of tasty finger foods.

I agree but I think that also makes this an extremely subjective question.  Take, for instance, Jurassic Park.  I've not played all games but why, oh why, did Ocean make the decision to make what seems like every version of that game a completely different game. 

I assume they distributed the task to 4-5 different teams, each to make a "Jurassic Park" themed game.  Regardless, playing the SNES version isn't the same as the Game Boy version, which isn't the same as the Game Gear version.  Hardware limitations aside, each iteration is vastly different.

And then there was Stargate, which is my personal best example of how a same-branded game can be different.  I remember both loving Stargate (I still do) and seeing the commercials for the Genesis title.  Since I only had a Game Gear, I asked for the Game Gear version, expecting a paired-down version of what I saw for the Genesis... nope!  The Genesis game is a pretty solid looking platformer (though I've never played it and I've heard it's bad) but the Game Gear game is... a tile based puzzle game?!

I ended up enjoying the GG version for what it was, but a game of falling tiles does not compare to a platform game like the one the Genesis got.

Could we compare which of the two is better?  I mean, that's definitely not apples to apples.  It's more like apples to automobiles.  Regardless, they were definitely, 100% branded to look like the same game on all of the labels and packaging.

Edited April 6 by RH

[Tanooki | 4,942]

I can think of the 8bit GB/GBC stuff that would be subjectively (or objectively) better on there over the console side.  Advance would be a bit easy though.

Donkey Kong vs DK94 - the GB game had all of the stages, then 90% more game that played largely the same with the enhancements.

Parodius and Pop'n Twinbee - The NES parodius is a less nice a/v side comparatively, and the GB version of the SFC shooter is just stunning, carries its weight so well you're good off on either.

Metroid and Kid Icarus -- GB games took lessons from both and made them far more approachable and just fun.  Metroid didn't have a map, but more detail and gear to get around better.  KI just had more balance, less stiff difficulty, and the eggplants wore off not an infuriating dungeon spiral to get to the nurse.

Bubble Bobble NES 1/2 vs GB Part1&2 - I can't really after so long detail it well, but the handheld games trumped the quality, game play and mechanics of the console side.

Prince of Persia NES vs GB/GBC - I just acquired this one again days ago (GBC) and it's just the GB game with colorization (lazy but effective)

Kirby's Dream Land 2 vs Adventure -- Similar enough than not, adore the NES game but the GB one I still think did it a bit better.

Race Drivin' GB game laughably better (not much) frame rate than the console release so it's actually oddly playable.

Ninja Gaiden Shadow may be a bit easier, but it's as fun if not more (since it's not frustrating due to rental shenanigans) than the NES ones.

Tetris Gameboy -- enough said

The Getaway High Speed 2 vs HIGH SPEED (1 on NES) -- THe NES game and GB both have no customization, but the NES one has lame monsters added in and doesn't behave as well.  The GB game while the sequel the tables were largely the same and the ball works better, the mechanics are ALL intact, and no dumb monsters -- even the DMD games are there.

Genjin Collection (bonk) Adventure 1 & 2 are on GB, 1 on NES...the GB one feels more right, looks colorlessly more right, it's just a better version

1942 on NES beep beep bleh-- GBC one is more an arcade port and awesome.  Ghosts n Goblins though is a NES port but plays a little better yet and had an arrange mode with also an overly picky(to the life) password

Dragon Warriors 1-3 -- GBC wins, they're refined because they're the SFC games and spank the originals

Mario Golf vs NES Open Tournament -- GBC had more modes, better a/v, and the RPG mechanic which is amazing

Shadowgate on NES is solid but the GBC one is a little nicer, interface and visuals are a little better detailed, not a stand out but lightly nicer.

 

More a subjective nod but Castlevania, Contra, Gradius, Quarth on the GB (or gbc konami collection 1-4) largely were superior to their by date counterparts on NES.  Castlevania II GB beats the NES ones on quality, either Gradius to G1 NES does as well, contra/operation C about the same they're not lessers at least.

[guitarzombie | 925]

Avenging Spirit, Home Alone (although thats not that hard to do), Hammerin Harry,

[G-type | 2,486]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

[koifish | 556]

On 3/14/2024 at 4:14 PM, Gaia Gensouki said:

I'm going to say something outrageous: Mega Man and Castlevania games were better on the Game Boy than on the NES.

I also prefer GB Kid Icarus over the NES version.

Maybe you could also count Donkey Kong since it expands the arcade game to a completely new and original game.

And while not a straight up port, but if I wanted to play a Zelda game, then I would rather play Link's Awakening than the original The Legend of Zelda. The same with the Zelda-inspired Final Fantasy Adventure.

I love both 8 bit Nintendo machines, but CV and MegaMan? You crazy. And I'm one of those atypical CV fans who likes the gb games. Only real benefit I can think of is they are shorter than the console ones, so they aren't as much of a commitment to replay. Preferring them outright overall though? Guess now I understand how people feel when I say Link's Awakening is better than Zelda 3.

Dunno if I would count DK and kid icarus, aren't they all but completely different games? Like I would say the same about Golf except the first famicom game and the GB namesake are almost a decade apart (and it shows!) not to mention different courses and IIRC slightly different tuned physics. Thought the goal of this thread was for the same game released on both, like Dr Mario or Battle of Olympus. Maybe I am overthinking it however.

[Tanooki | 4,942]

Different?  Kid Icarus II on the GB is basically like the original, just not as cruel and sadistic in the worst bits people dread like the Eggplant curse as it can wear off vs having to do some hellish damage soaking backtracking to the nurse.  DK is the original game, for the first four stages, so I'd think for that it counts and is an improvement too.

Golf vs GB golf is step up on the handheld, the sports games in general are in parity or with subtle fixes in the 89 lineup that make them just a bit better with a half decade of time to reflect on that since they were largely 1983-84 titles.  On that note they did a small(very) improvement on Family Golf FC vs GB from Namco, plus it has a new set of courses too so I didn't really include it as it's like a new game except in name.

 

But no, MegaMan wasn't better outside of 5, that I would give anyone.  The Castlevania games not at all, at least definitely not the first on GB as it's stiff with some heavy gravity on those jumps.

[koifish | 556]

I just don't see the point in comparison. Donkey Kong GB is entirely different. The only similarity is the characters and the first four stages. I could understand if it was like Dr Mario where the NES and GB games were released simultaneously and were the same game on different systems, not when it's almost 15 years later and really only includes the first four as a footnote. For Metroid/Icarus, they're completely different games, aside from the same characters.

Maybe it's my bad, so I'll ask for clarity; Is the point of the thread to simply examine two games that happen to have the same name and same characters as another console game from the same series? If that's the goal then I'll drop my point, because I thought it was to talk about GB games released that were more or less multi-plat releases with other platforms, like Dr. Mario, Battle of Olympus, Jurassic Park, etc. Just feels strange to me to compare things like Metroid 1 and 2 because they're entirely different besides surface level similarities.

[cartman | 195]

3 hours ago, koifish said:

I just don't see the point in comparison. Donkey Kong GB is entirely different. The only similarity is the characters and the first four stages. I could understand if it was like Dr Mario where the NES and GB games were released simultaneously and were the same game on different systems, not when it's almost 15 years later and really only includes the first four as a footnote. For Metroid/Icarus, they're completely different games, aside from the same characters.

Maybe it's my bad, so I'll ask for clarity; Is the point of the thread to simply examine two games that happen to have the same name and same characters as another console game from the same series? If that's the goal then I'll drop my point, because I thought it was to talk about GB games released that were more or less multi-plat releases with other platforms, like Dr. Mario, Battle of Olympus, Jurassic Park, etc. Just feels strange to me to compare things like Metroid 1 and 2 because they're entirely different besides surface level similarities.

It's not really about "only have the same name" but rather that they tried replicating something and because of limitations had to leave a lot out. Also what they did instead.

[Sumez | 2,969]

On 3/30/2024 at 5:06 PM, Tanooki said:

DK is the original game, for the first four stages, so I'd think for that it counts and is an improvement too.

This is something you'd only say if you have never played the original game.

It looks like them, sure, it's a really nice homage. But it has nothing of what drives the original arcade game, it's barely the same genre.

[fcgamer | 4,736]

On 3/15/2024 at 3:17 AM, RH said:

I always enjoyed DuckTales for the NES when I got to play it at a friends how, but I enjoyed my GB version better.  I don't know, maybe it's because I owned that version.

It's mostly the same but the level designs are simpler, no doubt due to cartridge size constraints.  Neither game is truly shorter, but it does make the GB version some what shorter.  Still, if I have an itch to play that game now, I tend to reach for the GB version over the NES one, both of which I now own.

I always preferred the GB one too, thought the controls handled better.

[Tanooki | 4,942]

On 4/4/2024 at 3:31 AM, Sumez said:

This is something you'd only say if you have never played the original game.

It looks like them, sure, it's a really nice homage. But it has nothing of what drives the original arcade game, it's barely the same genre.

It's too easy to mock you, so I won't.  I have DK Classics and have for decades, have had DK 94 since 1994.  Up until recent last couple of years, I had an iCade 60in1 cocktail with DK and DKjr on there as well.  So, yeah...I'm familiar.  And I made it clear I compared the opening stages of DK94, not the entire project which seems to be conveniently ignored here.  In respect to how it opens up, the GB game is more arcade right than the NES.  How High Can You Go? screen is there, sounds and the rest are nice, visually it's there, and it has all FOUR stages which the NES until 2011(Wii) lacked.