I don't consider the constant DVD releases as ports. They're just the Laserdisc footage running on a DVD player. Seen one DVD version and you've seen them all. At least the Mega CD has some sort of programming done to it.
That's on you.
The fact still remains that the majority of ports of Dragon's Lair now out there are clearly the coin-op.
Time for a Remastered Battle of the Ports. This new video runs at twice the originals frame rate, higher resolution, features more games and has a voiceover.
Time for a Remastered Battle of the Ports. This new video runs at twice the originals frame rate, higher resolution, features more games and has a voiceover.
The 3DS version wins and it's not even close IMO. I'd actually go as far as to call 3D After Burner II the definitive version of the game. A stunning piece of work that is much, much more than just a port. For me, it's indicative of the quality that M2 put into the Sega 3D Classics Collection on 3DS as a whole.
Would thoroughly recommend that people read this 2015 Engadget feature on M2 to gain a fascinating insight into how they do their brilliant work with classic coin-op ports.
"Arcade-perfect" is a term that was bandied about in the '80s and '90s as developers struggled to port state-of-the-art arcade games to significantly less powerful console hardware. Compromises were made, features were removed, and many ports that were billed as "arcade-perfect" still needed to be scaled back quite a bit compared to their cabinet counterparts.
These days, consoles boast enough horsepower to emulate classic games at a software level - virtually recreating arcade hardware in order to run original programming code, rather than porting graphics, sound, and gameplay components from scratch. Purists argue, however, that straightforward emulation lacks a certain appeal specific to original hardware. Playing the classic racer Daytona USA using an Xbox 360 controller, for instance, is a vastly different experience compared to sitting in the cockpit of the original arcade cabinet and gripping a force feedback-equipped steering wheel that fights you at every turn.
Arcade-perfect ports still elude many publishers. Japanese porting studio M2, however, sets its sights higher than mere perfection.
M2's 3D After Burner 2, released in the Nintendo 3DS eShop in North America this week, is more than an arcade-perfect port. Not only does it make great strides toward simulating the look and feel of a classic arcade game, but it also improves on the game's original design in ways that its creators planned but never fully achieved. The result is perhaps the first "complete" look at After Burner 2 as it was originally envisioned, and it's a rare treat for classic gaming enthusiasts.
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