SNES vs. Genesis: A Battle for the Ages! [Part 1 is over, platformers coming up next]

[A Black Falcon]

I'm counting number of times I died and how easy it is to die.

I die more times in ten minutes in any Contra game ever than I would in like 45 minutes of Super Turrican or R2, I think. You seriously die more in R2? Either you're really, REALLY bad at platform jumping or really good at Contra, because that's pretty impressive if true, considering how much harder Contra is!

Plus, as I said, password save vs. 5 continues and then you start over is a huge, huge point, and ignoring it is a big mistake. This is also something that makes R2 better than the Super or Mega Turrican games, those also have no saving and limited continues... I've beaten Super Turrican 1 and Mega Turrican, but not Super Turrican 2. It's just too hard for the limited number of continues you're given, it'd take a lot of practice I think. It's got some crazy-awesome stuff in it though, the greatest set-piece battles in the whole Turrican series... the problem is that that's about all it is, while the earlier Turrican games all have an exploration, vaguely Metroidish quality to them as well. (You have a ball form too, another Metroid inspiration I'm sure... :))

R2, try one: Almost got to level one boss. Lost all but one life falling in pits, because jumping over pits is an important part of this game and it's tricky.

Try two: Beat level one, game over mid level two.

Try three: Beat levels two and three, game over mid level 4. Got password to continue from that point.


Contra III, try one: Got game over a few screens into the first level.

Try two: Got game over at the boss of the first level.

Try three: Beat level one. Game over in level two.

Try four, game over in level two again.

Try five, beat level 2 and got to level 3, game over there at the first miniboss. Game over, try again from the beginning.


Really though, comparing them directly isn't fair. They are very different kinds of games, despite superficial similarities. R2 has much more platform jumping, while in Contra jumping is very much de-emphasized. Contra is more of a shooting game than R2, which has more of a platform-action feel I think. Also Contra levels are quite short, but brutally hard due to the very unforgiving one hit you die system and limited continues. I find R2 and Turrican's longer, often more open levels and health points of health bar systems more fun, personally.

I mean, I know the Contra games are good. If you want a thrilling, exciting ride, those are the games to play, not R2 or Super Turrican or something; the latter titles are a bit slower paced in comparison, though when you're playing one it often may not exactly feel that way, Contra is just full intensity shooting all the time. I'd rather play something with more variety than that... I have much more fun playing Turrican or R2 than Contra anything, and I think the quite different gameplay styles is why.

Not really an issue when you're emulating.

Emulating fixes SNES slowdown? Only if you choose it to, most emulators try to emulate the system at the original speed I think.

So do both of the Contra games.

Sometimes, but not as consistently as R2.

So do both of the Contra games.

Not quite as much, no. The R2 spread shot is better than the Contra III spread shot, the laser is way better, then there's the multi-way, etc... or the bounce shot in the Super Turrican games, that's a pretty cool one. :)

I mean, yes, Contra games have lots of firepower. You fire really quickly and spend most of the game shooting. But it seems to me that the challenge of just hitting the enemies is higher in Contra... perhaps partially because the consequences of missing are so much higher, in Turrican or R2 you just lose a hit point, but in Contra you die.

So do both the Contra games.

True.

Eh.

Better controls matter, and those buttons are really useful. In Contra or something like that you have to be moving to shoot diagonally, but not in R2...

But most of it isn't animated, which makes the game feel even more stark. Aside from some explosions and stuff flying around in the background, it feels kind of static. I just don't care how detailed it all looks if it doesn't animate well and I just don't think R2 animates very well. I'd take both of the Contra games over in that department.

I don't even notice that the enemies don't animate much when I'm playing, the sprite work is great, the main character has great animation (very detailed), and the game looks so good...