Which version of 2nd/3rd gen games is best?

[o.pwuaioc]

Lately instead of expanding I've been wanting to consolidate and tighten my collection. However, going through game by game trying to find the "best" version is quite a daunting task. So I come to you experts in hopes that maybe I can compile some definitive list of the best of ports. Maybe we can even order the ports from best to worst in case someone doesn't have the console for the best game, but does for the second or third best port. Also, please indicate if the game can be found outside of the 2nd/3rd gen, for example Frogger on the Genesis or Pac-Man on the many Namco collections.

I'll start with what I know best:

Galaga (1981)

NES > 7800 > MSX > SG-1000

Best compilation containing it: Namco 50th Anniversary (PS2, Xbox, GCN equally good)

Commentary: The NES version is the cleanest looking, although it differs from the arcade in that it doesn't have a "throbbing" swarm. The 7800 has worse graphics, although the enemy movement is closer to the original; the sound is, as usual with a 7800, not up to par, and yet somehow it's not utterly terrible. The MSX and SG-1000 are the simplest in terms of graphics and sound.

[ExedExes]

I love NES Galaga. It's nearly identical to the arcade. This is also a good thread to discuss if an Atari port is better than a NES port, for example.

I got a couple we can look at.

Joust -

2600 - Not bad! I really enjoyed playing this one. The ledges don't have that stone-like feel, but all the action and enemies as well as the stages are there.

5200/8-bit - I haven't played it, but it looks better than the 2600. The ledges are now rendered in the arcade style, but everything is still just one color. The 8-bit computer version should be similar, and I'm not sure how the controls would be with that awful 5200 stick.

7800 - Getting better. Everything here is near arcade perfect. Multi colored player character and enemies, but that 2600 sound chip really hurts it.

NES - This one looks great. Everything looks less crushed/compressed than the Atari ports, and the sound isn't perfect, but it's got more than those games do.

My order

NES > 7800 > 2600 > 5200 (if only because the NES has probably better controls)

Also appears on:

Williams Greatest Arcade Hits (PC/SNES/GEN/PS1/SAT/DC)
Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 (N64/GBA/DC)
Midway Arcade Treasures 1 (PC/Xbox/PS2/GC)
Midway Arcade Origins (PS3/360)
Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play (PSP)
Download (PSN/XBLA)

Millipede

2600 - Just like Joust, the 2600 got a pretty fine treatment of this game. The ability to choose a starting point level is here, and all of the elements of the arcade game are present.

5200/8-bit - 5200 port exists only as an unreleased prototype. The Atari 8-bit family version is identical. Starting score option is here. Graphics and sound are better, but action is slower than the 2600.

NES - Starting score option appears to be missing. The sound effects can be rather grating and the tiny square screen doesn't do it any favors.

My order

2600 > 5200 > NES

Also appears on:

Arcade Classics 2 Centipede & Millipede (GB)
Atari Arcade Hits 2 (PC)
Atari Anniversary Edition (PC/DC)
Atari 80 Games In One (PC)
Download (XBLA)

[Flake]

Are we assuming that the nearer to arcade perfect the game gets the "better" it is for the purpose of this discussion?

For example, one of my favorite 3rd gen games is Mario Bros. Obviously, the 2600 and 5200 ports were terrible but the NES port was really, really close. I believe the version included in Super Mario Bros 3 was identical. And then...Nintendo continued to enhance the game with a pretty good release on the Virtual Boy and updated graphics on the Super Mario Advance games.

So would that make the NES port the best or would the most recent enhanced re-release be best?

[ExedExes]

Are we assuming that the nearer to arcade perfect the game gets the "better" it is for the purpose of this discussion?

For example, one of my favorite 3rd gen games is Mario Bros. Obviously, the 2600 and 5200 ports were terrible but the NES port was really, really close. I believe the version included in Super Mario Bros 3 was identical. And then...Nintendo continued to enhance the game with a pretty good release on the Virtual Boy and updated graphics on the Super Mario Advance games.

So would that make the NES port the best or would the most recent enhanced re-release be best?

I have fond memories of the 2600 port, but stacked up against the NES, it was pretty bad. The 7800 port made quite an effort to be better. For Mario Bros. I'd go

NES > 7800 > 5200 > 2600

[Flake]

I didn't even know there was a 7800 port. I guess I assumed that by that point, Nintendo already had a game plan for entering the home console market and had stopped licensing their IP.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Contra
NES > Tandy Color > ZX Spectrum > MSX2 > Amstrad CPC > Commodore 64 > DOS

NES version is brilliant. Even exceeds to arcade original in my opinion.
Tandy Color version is actually a very solid port of the NES game, with some unfortunate bugs (every power-up gives you the machine gun).
Every other computer port gets worse and worse. The DOS version is practically unplayable.

There's also a PC version released in 2002. I don't know if this is a new Windows version or a port of the crappy DOS game. Contra is also on an Xbox 360 Konami collection disc - I'm assuming it's an arcade port?

[o.pwuaioc]

Are we assuming that the nearer to arcade perfect the game gets the "better" it is for the purpose of this discussion?

For example, one of my favorite 3rd gen games is Mario Bros. Obviously, the 2600 and 5200 ports were terrible but the NES port was really, really close. I believe the version included in Super Mario Bros 3 was identical. And then...Nintendo continued to enhance the game with a pretty good release on the Virtual Boy and updated graphics on the Super Mario Advance games.

So would that make the NES port the best or would the most recent enhanced re-release be best?

Include them all. The commentary should make it clear what's being compared and how.

[Flake]

Okay, then if every version is fair game I'd probably rate Mario Bros like this:

GBA > NES > Arcade >Virtual Boy > 7800(??) > 2600 > 5200

5200 gets the pride of last place due to the terrible controls.

[o.pwuaioc]

Would you and Bone mind expanding a bit on why?

Edit: Nevermind, you pretty much already did in your earlier post.

[Flake]

For Mario Bros, I'd say that the graphical updates and tighter controls on the GBA re-releases put it above and beyond the others versions.

The NES port is almost arcade perfect and its inclusion in Super Mario Bros 3 gave it near universal ubiquity for multi-player (which is Mario Bros at its best).

Obviously, the Arcade is the baseline here and the only thing it lacks on the NES port is the control scheme. I have always found the ball joystick to be unwieldy for a game requiring platforming precision.

The virtualboy title Mario Clash is an updated game that offers a little more content but the platform hurts it badly. No one in their right mind could play for more than a few minutes and the virtual boy was so poorly supported that I don't think this game featured multiplayer. Even if it did, whoever played multiplayer on the virtual boy?

The atari games suffer from the lack of quality control that hampered nearly all atari ports back in the day. The system did not have the hardware to push the arcade experience. I've never played the 7800 version but I am assuming it would be better than the 2600 and 5200 ports. The 5200 port is notorious for having controls that borderline break the game.