Feature: The Ultimate Multiplatform Guide Subscribe to this RSS feed
From Mortal Kombat on the SNES and Genesis to Grand Theft Auto IV on the PS3 and 360, gamers have been forced to pick and choose the best version of similar games for almost two decades. Games.Net examines the rich history of multiplatform games and how they've shaped the industry.
For every console war, the most important battle has been fought by the companies that choose not to take sides. While first-party titles and third-party exclusives sell consoles, the lion's share of games sold on each system are multiplatform releases. The more skilled--and ethical--developers will streamline their creative efforts and leverage each system's strengths to deliver an equally enjoyable experience across consoles. Oftentimes, however, one version of a seemingly similar multiplatform title will rise above the others. Sometimes it's a simple matter of the difference between consoles being too great. On other occasions, mitigating factors or secret deals with the console manufacturer will allow exclusivity on a smaller scale, giving one console content that another will lack. While the face of gaming has dramatically changed over the last five console generations, the nature of multiplatform gaming has remained the same in many regards. Take a trip through time, as we discuss the multiplatform titles that have shaped gaming, and determined console champions.
Generation 1: Super Nintendo vs. Sega Genesis
With all of the boasts about Mode 7 and Blast Processing, Nintendo and Sega each attempted to identify its consoles as more powerful than that of its competitor. When it came down to it, however, the Super Nintendo had more horsepower where it counted, boasting slightly better graphic fidelity, and a much better sound processor. Common logic would state that the SNES had the better game every time, but there were a few exceptions. Nintendo's stubborn stance on violence caused the SNES to have a bloodless, inferior version of Mortal Kombat--one of the most important games of the generation. Sega's more developer-friendly stance also made EA's early sports titles favorable on the Genesis, though the quality divide eventually disappeared. There were also a few exclusivity deals that helped Sega out, as the company scored exclusive content in the Street Fighter II and NBA Jam series--while they may have been sold under different titles, the additions made from the SNES' Street Fighter II and the Genesis' Street Fighter II: Special Championship Edition were significant, but certainly not in the realm of a sequel.
Eventually, Nintendo's superior hardware won out, and the SNES became the recipient of the better versions. Nowhere was this more evident than in Konami's arcade ports. Sunset Riders on the SNES (above, left) allowed players to choose from four characters to play through all of the arcade version's stages, while the Genesis (above, right) only had two characters and fewer levels. The company created vastly different versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles Tournament Fighters to play to each console's strengths, with the SNES version garnering much higher critical acclaim after all was said and done. While the hardware was clearly the reason for the SNES getting a leg up, something must be said about Sega's numerous accessory blunders. Whether it be the company changing it's controller in midstream from three to six buttons, or diluting the quality of it's Genesis add-ons with lightly updated ports, Sega paid the price by losing this console war, and starting its slow demise as a system manufacturer.
