Metal Slug 3 on PS2 a bad port?

[andrewfee]

I'm just wondering if anyone knows how the port of MS3 on PS2 compares to the arcade version?

I picked this up on Xbox last week, as I expected it to support 480p, but it only seems to run in 480i. (soft-modded PAL xbox)

Because of this, I decided to pick up the PS2 version, as it has a much better interlaced output, and I've got the Neo-Geo Stick 2 on its way. Just got around to playing it today.

First off; it seems slower than it did on Xbox - this may be due to the soft-mod though, I hear it sometimes screws up some games. (this is running in 60Hz on the PS2)

It may just be my awful memory, but the music seems to be different on the first level, and some of the enemy positions seem to be different too. For example, if you take the top-route in level one on Xbox, there's a point where you get two lobsters; one on each side. On PS2, they both appear from the same one.

There also seems to be graphical corruption at times; I died on the second boss, and on the continue screen, the character select pane has garbled pixels above the selected character. There was also a fair bit of slowdown on this boss too.

So is this how it was in arcades, or is it just a bad port? I'm also interested to see which is the more accurate version; PS2 or Xbox.

[Kubrick]

Sounds like a bad machine tbh! Apart from the obvious pixelation, I can't notice any difference between the (Japanese) PS2 version and the NeoGeo cartridge.

For example, if you take the top-route in level one on Xbox, there's a point where you get two lobsters; one on each side. On PS2, they both appear from the same one.

I think it depends where YOU are at that bit. If you race through quickly, one will appear behind you. If you just edge along quite slowly, then they appear from the front only.

[moonwhistle]

Supposedly the Xbox version did not reproduce the slowdown which was in the Neo Geo original whereas the PS2 version has the slowdown. This is just what I heard, I could be wrong on this.

[andrewfee]

Sounds like a bad machine tbh! Apart from the obvious pixelation, I can't notice any difference between the (Japanese) PS2 version and the NeoGeo cartridge.

I think it depends where YOU are at that bit. If you race through quickly, one will appear behind you. If you just edge along quite slowly, then they appear from the front only.

Well, as I said, I've not played the arcade version, so for all I know it is arcade-perfect on the PS2.

Perhaps it does matter where I am, just that every single time on Xbox it was the same, on ps2 I was getting two behind me every time.

I did think that maybe it'd be trying to reproduce the arcade perfectly, wheras the xbox was used to eliminate slowdown.

[Kubrick]

The PS2 version does have *some* slowdown, so that might be true, but it's nowhere near as bad as the NG version.

I've only played the XB version briefly at a mate's and can't remember noticing any slowdown being eliminated. It seemed to be the same as the PS2.

[HHarm]

I have played the Neo-Geo version quite a lot and briefly tried the Xbox and PS2 version. I haven't noticed any differences in the content although I only tested the Xbox version very briefly.

I can't recall if there was any but there is much less slowdown in the PS2 version compared to the Neo-Geo original. The slowdown on the Neo doesn't bother me in single player but for two player I would rather play the conversions.

If I had to choose between the PS2 and Xbox version I would choose the PS2. The Xbox version does have the Live scoreboard but the fact that you have to restart the level after a continue is terrible considering the length and difficulty of the final level. Also the bad quality of Xbox's RGB output makes the game look pretty dreadful on my TV.

[Super Monkey Balls]

The PS2 version is probably the best Neo Geo conversion ever so rest assured.

[E. Randy Dupre]

There's no slowdown on the PAL Xbox version at all. Also, this:

If I had to choose between the PS2 and Xbox version I would choose the PS2. The Xbox version does have the Live scoreboard but the fact that you have to restart the level after a continue is terrible considering the length and difficulty of the final level.

doesn't apply to the PAL Xbox version, where using continues brings you back to life in the exact same spot that you died.

[andrewfee]

Thanks.

My Neo Geo Stick 2 arrived today, so I'm just going to stick with the PS2 version. I did get a Magic Box adapter, but the game looks much better from the PS2's output anyway. (and I'll be hooking it up to an XRGB2+ soon, the Xbox won't be)

[Hitcher]

The Xbox version can be patched to run in 480p by the way.