Before home consoles really took off, gamers gathered in arcades. With machines as far as the eye could see, players could spend an entire day wasting their change on borderline unbeatable games just so they could put their initials on the top of the leaderboards. Yet, as the console market matured, those experiences were few and far between and developers started bringing their arcade titles home.
At first, this was very hit and miss. Some games were fantastic ports while others felt like cheap imitations. Yet, the further time went on, the better they got. Now, modern consoles are generally better than arcades and the options are limitless, yet we can’t shake the memories of the best games that weren’t originally designed to be played on a couch. We want to highlight those great moments — here are 10 Arcade To Console Ports That Were Absolutely Perfect.
10 Marvel Vs Capcom II: New Age of Heroes
Capcom knows how to make a good fighter and they proved that with Marvel Vs Capcom II. With a larger roster, smoother gameplay, and better visuals than its predecessor, this game was the definitive fighting game of its generation, regardless of where you played it. That’s because that same year the game was faithfully ported to the Sega Dreamcast that same year. In terms of gameplay, the game didn’t miss a beat on Sega’s home console, and both the visuals and the sound design didn’t suffer from the port either. It was so good, in fact, that just two years later, it was ported to the PlayStation 2, and a few years after that, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. To this day, Marvel Vs Capcom II is probably the smoothest playing fighting game players can get their hands on.
9 Golden Axe
While many now look at Sega as a titan of a publisher who transitioned away from making home consoles, in 1989 they were the premiere arcade developer who was just about to change the video game landscape with the Genesis. So, when they released the successful and beloved Golden Axe to arcades that year, it was only a matter of time before they brought it to their home console as well.
The may have game taken a hit visually and in the sound department, but in terms of gameplay, it was actually better. Allowing players to play side by side — just like at the arcade — Golden Axe shines when played with a controller. In many ways, this game was a statement for Sega and the Genesis, proving they would provide fantastic arcade experiences in the home.
8 Crazy Taxi
While a fantastic and frantic game, few titles are a snapshot of a specific time period like Crazy Taxi. With places like Levi Jeans, KFC, and Tower Records, there was a hint of familiarity while the tunes of Bad Religion and The Offspring blast through the machine’s speakers. In arcades, the machine is pretty easy to spot with its loud music and bright yellow cab, capped off with steering wheel, pedals, and gear stick. Rewarding players for near misses with other cars, stunts, tricks, and speed, the game is high-octane and perfect for an arcade setting.
When it was ported to the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, the game didn’t miss a beat. While missing the pedals and steering wheel, Sega managed to secure the soundtrack and locations for the home console version while maintaining the frantic gameplay fans loved. To add to this, Sega also included extra game modes. It was so good, in fact, that Sega later ported the game to the PlayStation 2 and GameCube when the Dreamcast was discontinued in 2001.
7 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time
There are few beat ’em ups as legendary as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time. Following our favorite heroes in a half shell as they travel through time-fighting Kraang and Shredder’s footsoldiers, the game was difficult, but fun, with each turtle having unique advantages and disadvantages. Somehow, however, Konami managed to port the game’s scale to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), while sacrificing some visual fidelity for one of the best games on the console. Not only this, but the game got an extra level not seen in the arcade version, making up for the minor downgrades required to run on the SNES.
6 After Burner II
After Burner II launched as a coin-op machine in 1987. Building on what the original title set up, the game was faster, better looking, and, somehow, more fun than its dog-fighting predecessor. It was ported to the Sega Genesis, and unlike the first game of the series, it was praised for its arcade-like fidelity. The hardware of the Genesis lent itself nicely for the arcade titles Sega was offering at the time, and it shows.
5 Tekken Tag Tournament
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was rare to see a console port achieve parity with its arcade predecessor, yet, thanks to a quick advance in technology, Tekken Tag Tournament was actually better on the PlayStation 2 than the original version. That’s because the game ran on 32-bit hardware in arcades. While there were trade-offs on either end, the PlayStation 2 version of the game looks better, plays better, and the background has more pop when compared to the arcade.
Borrowing the franchise’s formula, Tag Tournament allows players to make teams of two. Ideas from the Marvel Vs Capcom franchise were also used such players can tagging their characters in and out, making for some fast-paced action.
4 Contra
While Konami’s reputation lately has mostly been built on pachinko machines, in the 1980s, they were a premier publisher. Their crown jewel was Contra. Originally released in the arcades 1987, the coin-op machine was an absolute quarter eater. With that classic video game difficulty and addicting gameplay loop, players around the world couldn’t get enough of shooting up everything on their screen.
It was so popular that it was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) a year later. While visually inferior, the game actually played better with a D-Pad on the NES’s controller compared to the typical joystick that was featured in arcades. While it’s a bit of a tradeoff, it’s hard to imagine the NES without this title.
3 SoulCalibur
When SoulCalibur hit arcades in 1999, it was different. Sure, it was another coin-op fighter in a sea of that exact game, but with a fully 3D battleground and weapons-based combat, the colorful cast really shines. It was quickly ported to the Sega Dreamcast as a launch title, and it was really the first example of a game being better on a home console compared to its arcade counterpart.
Specs aside, the game lent itself better to the Dreamcast, anyway. The roster of fighters and lore surrounding the game allowed players to sink their teeth into the title in a more meaningful way, allowing for longer playthroughs.
2 Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong was the biggest arcade game alongside Pac Man. With interesting platforming gameplay that saw Jumpman leap over barrels thrown by the titular ape, the game was fun and addicting. So, when it came to bringing the experience to the home, Nintendo was approached by both Atari and Coleco. The latter won the sweepstakes, and the popular platformer made its home console debut on the Colecovision in 1982. In many ways, the game didn’t miss a step being ported to inferior hardware. The game plays just as well, is just as fun, and really is almost indistinguishable from its coin-op counterpart.
1 Street Fighter II
When talking about the perfect arcade game, it’s hard to ignore Street Fighter II. Arguably still the best game in the series, the game is fast, with a high skill ceiling. Visually, it’s stunning, with a comic-book-like aesthetic while the sound design is straight-up adrenaline-inducing. It was a true “must play,” and even in 2020, players can hop in without it feeling dated.
Somehow, when the game was ported to the SNES, it didn’t miss a beat. While there was a slight dip in visual and audio quality — which would be expected when being run on inferior hardware — the game’s visual design is easily replicable enough that the downgrade is hardly noticed.
Next: 10 Reasons Why The Sega Genesis Was Better Than The SNES
