I totally missed that response.

I'm well up for Mr. Gimmick if Moot can sort his end out.

I put some time in last weekend, will do more tomorrow then post thoughts.

Sort your Gimmick out you shit.

retroking1981 wrote:

So gave the SNES version a bash last night.

I got to world 16, which is Germany on the world map. If the whole game is that map then it's quite a short game as I must have got 1/3 to 1/2 way through in roughly half hour. Quite tough though, so getting good will take the time.

Gonna try the PlayStation version over the weekend and decide what one to stick with.

Played a bit of the PS version last week which is basically arcade perfect ports or maybe even straight emulation.

Turns out the SNES version isn't an arcade port and actually has some exclusive level layouts along with arranged arcade and arcade perfect ones.

Makes it a bit of a unique entry in the series instead of the inferior port I was lead to believe.

SNES version too. Played on easy to get a feel for it bit by the later stages I realised switching normal would probably be too much without save states. It's pretty tough.

Super Buster Bros - SNES

Always enjoyed two player Pang on my mate's Amiga in the early 90s, but assumed a ball bounce puzzler where you control the character would've aged pretty horribly.  Turns out I was wrong, it's stood the test of time pretty well.  It's fairly simplistic in the Bubble Bobble one screen mould. with various puzzle patterns that require planning by the back half of the game.  Plans go awry and it plays well when you're readjusting in a flap.  For what it is, which isn't quite my cup of tea, it's very good.  I played on Easy and was glad to have save states by the end, so I'd imagine Normal mode would be well beyond my patience threshold.  Loses a few points for a bizarre lack of two player mode on SNES, which is near Final Fight levels of crying shame.  84%

Super Buster Bros. (Arcade) VS. Super Buster Bros. (SNES)

There's really not much to say about this. It's perfect for what it is and a great co-op game to boot.

The only problem with the collection on PlayStation is it's just the arcade game, which is to say it's tough as nails and has no home console sensibilities such as saves or passwords.

Obviously I had the luxury of save states and without them this would have been high on impossible. It's one thing to complete a level after 20 consecutive tries, but quite another to restart and get back to said level and complete it with however many lives you may have left.

Enter the SNES version. After finding out about the PS collection I pretty much dismissed this. How wrong I was to do so.

Instead of a straight port the game has some arcade perfect levels, some arranged arcade levels that are made slightly easier, and exclusive levels. This alone makes it more of a companion title than a poor port.

But what the game gets right like many home ports of arcade games did, is adjusting the difficulty.

Arcade games by nature as we all know were designed to be quarter munchers. The SNES game is still tough, but it's just easier enough to make it more manageable and fun.

If I'd owned both of these when they were contemporary, I could have seen myself completing the SNES game but giving up on the arcade version on the PS collection.

With that being said before I make a FINAL decision in this FIGHT, there's one unfortunate omission from the SNES game... co-op.

It really is a shame. We all know about the systems slow processor and as an early title it might have proved to difficult to get it running without to much slow down. If only it had come out a year or so later, I'm sure the developers would have had the experience to get around it.

Arcade - 4/5
SNES - 4/5

Arcade unsurprisingly wins, but not by the massacre I expected.


My Reviews

I could give them another go. The MD version gradually reveals itself to be quite boring/irritating unfortunately, but it looks/sounds the part (and has a very satisfying pulse rifle). Never played the SNES one.

I won’t bother reposting my brief pang thoughts from the 52 games thread. Solid game though.

I’m happy to do the Alien 3s. I had the MD one. I think it gets a bit samey and don’t know if I ever completed it. The weapons are nice and meaty iirc. Firing that grenade launcher into xenomorph skull is pretty good. I had the SNES one on pirate a few years later but I don’t think I got very far into it.

Megadrive version of this has aged terribly, moreso than most previously good things that spring to mind. It was never great, but it was better than a lot of alternatives at the time. It's kinda hideous to play now though, the controls aren't sharp enough to react in time to the constant AHA! Alien placements (weapon delay may be caused by emulation but I doubt it), and even with save states it's irritating. Music is still good, it looks nice and the sound effects are top tier, but it's piss really. Hostage saving isn't usually my cup of tea for a format, especially with strict time restrictions. No-one enjoys collecting all but one of something amd watching the timer tick down these days surely.

MS version seems to be a half arsed port in some ways but it's not bad looking. The layout for the first stage is roughly the same and the bleeps/bloops are doing the same tunes, so it's a reasonable attempt at little brother edition. It's equally crap these days but at least it gets a pass for being 8-bit. Will try the SNES game shortly but I don't think I can push through either of the Sega games to completion.

I either rented or borrowed the MD one. Can't remember if I finished it but I definitely played a chunk of it. Was one of the flashier looking games on a Mean Machines Sega (or possibly Official Sega Mag) covermount VHS vids iirc. The music to the opening stage is etched into my brain and I doubt that's from playing it for a week, I probably watched those videos over fifty times each.

SNES game seems to be a bit Super Metroidy in comparison, certainly not as linear as the MD effort anyway. Not at all keen on the jump but weapons assigned to buttons is welcome.

GG/MS Alien3 was okayish.
I remember it even featuring a bit of parallax scrolling (it's like battletoads!) which was a rarity for 8bit. It was developed by probe software which meant competent but not flashy. Looks okayish but hasn't aged as well as other 8-bit classics. It's no gg shinobi that's for sure.

I was playing something recently that suffered from the near the edge of the screen thing. Can't remember what it was off-hand but it was a modern 2D game.

The Phantom game reg mentioned has caught my eye a few times but I can't remember playing it. Did we try that one on a pile of carts day retro? Pirates of Dark Water was another one I liked the look of in mags but I'm not sure if I've played it.

Moot_Geeza wrote:

Pirates of Dark Water was another one I liked the look of in mags but I'm not sure if I've played it.

Very different game on MD and SNES.

MD one is more of an action platformer, not sure how linear it is.

SNES game was a decent scrolling beat em up by all accounts.

You might be thinking of X-Kaliber 2097, I had that.