Reformulated Game: Difference between revisions

 

* '''Reformulated port:''' the game was supposed to be a port, and may have been so at the beginning of development, but became very different. Often hardware constraints make a straight port simply impossible; it's also not uncommon for a porting team to have [[No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup|no access to the original code and assets]], so they have to develop from scratch. Other times, a port from a less powerful platform is seen as a chance to add features that couldn't just be implemented originally.

 

Mind you, a game under this trope may not necessarily be better than the original version, or just be good firsthand - this page doesn't take overall quality into account.

 

* ''Powerslave'', [[Market-Based Title|also known as]] ''Exhumed'' in Europe and ''Year 1999: Return of the Pharaoh'' in Japan. Although the three versions (PC, Playstation and Saturn) were released together, development started on the PC using the Build engine, best known for powering [[Duke Nukem]] 3D. Lobotomy Software then decided to try their luck on consoles but, upon realizing a straight port was impossible, they developed the Slavedriver engine and ended up making practically another game. While PC ''Powerslave'' is forgettable and has overly long, boring levels, console ''Powerslave'' is one of the best early console [[First-Person Shooter|FPSes]], and loses some nicer textures in favor of faster action, full 3D movement and smaller, open-ended levels with new weapons and abilities to discover in order to advance, predating ''[[Metroid Prime]]'' by over five years. Also, in a fun twist of irony, Slavedriver would later be used to port ''[[Duke Nukem]] 3D'' on the [[Sega Saturn]].

* The first iteration of ''Golvellius'' (basically a ''Zelda'' clone with some neat elements added, like side-scrolling dungeons), developed by Compile on the [[MSX]], has extremely bland graphics and sound and suffers for the system's notorious problems with scrolling. Sega remade the game on the [[Sega Master System|Master System]] with polished play mechanics, improved graphics, a completely new layout for dungeons and overworld, and some additions like new sub-bosses. Compile took note and made a remake for the MSX2 (known among MSX fans as ''Golvellius 2''): different storyline, awesome intro and ending screens, graphics similar to the Master System version but less cartoonish, and yet another complete renewal of overworld and dungeons.

* The PC version of ''Killing Time'' has different graphics and level design. The plot is the same, but has two endings very different from the 3DO original's [[Downer Ending]].

* This has happened with some [[Visual Novel|visual novels]]. They may be for 18+ audiences in the computer versions, but altered to be PG-13 in the console versions. Often this just involves [[Bleached Underpants|removing/rewriting sex scenes]]; however, new character(s), scene(s) and entire route(s) are sometimes added, as in ''[[Togainu no Chi]]: True Blood''.

* While the first four levels of [[Donkey Kong]]'s Game Boy remake are [[Nostalgia Level|rather familiar]], the rest of the game shifts into [[Puzzle Platformer]] mode with keys, switches and movable ladders and platforms. The physics from the original arcade version are (mostly) intact though.

** The [[MSX|MSX2]] ''Contra'' is even more different, with a whole set of new stages after the initial nine stages are completed, and is notably one of the few Contra games released without the [[Spread Shot|Spread Gun]].

* ''[[Zanac]]'' was originally released on the [[MSX]] in several versions with blotchy graphics reminiscent of ''[[Xevious]]'', but was greatly reworked for the NES. The NES ''Zanac'' was ported back to the [[MSX|MSX2]] as ''Zanac EX''.

* Many of the games in the [[Sega Genesis]] version of ''[[Action 52]]'' are completely different from their NES namesakes. For example, ''Cheetahmen'' now involves climbing trees and rescuing cheetah cubs and other animals.

* The [[Sega Genesis]] version of ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' is nominally a "reprogrammed" version of the [[Activision]] [[Licensed Game]]. Unlike the similarly credited [[Sega Master System]] version, which ''was'' a port of that game, this version plays completely differently.

* ''The [[Terminator]]'' for the [[Sega CD]] might have been just the [[Sega Genesis]] version by the same developer plus a CD-quality soundtrack and grainy cinematic sequences. While it does have both of those typical features, it also has entirely new levels and weapons. The manual even specifies that the [[Sega CD]] version is "not just an upgrade."

* All three of the ''[[Double Dragon]]'' games for the NES were completely different from their original arcade counterparts (in case of the third game, the NES version was developed simultaneously with the arcade game).

** The first ''Double Dragon'' for the NES featured different stage designs (including a couple of new areas) and the addition of an experience point system in which the player must gain all of his moves gradually as the game progresses rather than having all of them usable from the outset. The developers were unable to add the 2-player co-op mode from the arcade version and since the title wouldn't had made much sense without both Lee brothers, the plot was changed so that Jimmy Lee (the Player 2 character in the arcade version) was the main villain. The enemy roster from the arcade version was kept with the exception of the two [[Head Swap|head swapped]] bosses: the bald version of Abobo was promoted from sub-boss to boss status, replacing his [[Mr. T]]-esque head swap in all instances, while a new enemy named Chin Taimei (a Chinese martial artist) replaced the Lee brother head-swap as the second boss.

** The arcade version of ''Double Dragon II: The Revenge'' was essentially an improved version of the first game with new backgrounds and traps, new music, new looks for most of the returning enemies, a new boss for each stage and a two-way attack system instead of the punch and kick buttons used in the original game. The NES version shared many of the elements from the arcade version, this time restoring the 2-player co-op mode that was missing from the first NES game, while featuring completely different stages, comic book-style cut-scenes, new moves, a few new enemies, and a new final boss battle complete with a happier ending than the one featured in the arcade version.

*** There were two other versions of ''Double Dragon II: The Revenge'' released exclusively in Japan. While the Mega Drive version is a straight port of the arcade game ([[Porting Disaster|and not a very good one at that]]), the PC Engine version is a remake of the Famicom game with new graphics, new music and anime-style cut-scenes, as well as enemy patterns and weapons that are much closer to the arcade version.

* While the [[Master System]] version of ''[[Shinobi]]'' featured the same stages and enemies from the arcade version, it also added a life gauge system (instead of the [[One-Hit-Point Wonder|one-hit deaths]] from the arcade game), as well as new weapons obtained from rescuing hostages in addition to the gun and sword that were already available in the arcade version. The SMS version also required players to earn their ninjutsu techniques by winning the bonus rounds between stages instead of just having them by default and the input method is different (due to the SMS controller's lack of a third action button), but the player can now hold four stocks at a time rather than just one per stage.

** The [[Sega Genesis]] version of ''Shadow Dancer'' was also vastly different from the arcade game. Whereas the play mechanics and system remained almost identical to the arcade versions, the stages were completely different along with all of the bosses (although some of them were similar to their arcade counterparts). There was also a Master System version released around the same time in Europe that was much closer to the arcade version, but featured only 8 of the arcade version's 15 stages (counting the boss battles, so in reality there are only four stages) and reduced the role of the player's canine companion to a special attack only.

* The Genesis version of ''E-SWAT'', much like ''Shadow Dancer'', was also vastly different from its arcade counterpart. The stages are completely different and while the game plays almost identically at first, when the player eventually obtains the E-SWAT armor, the play mechanics change as well. Whereas the player's abilities didn't change that much in the arcade version when the player obtain the E-SWAT armor (aside for the addition of a machine gun as the new main weapon and a few sub-weapons), the E-SWAT armor in the Genesis versions is equipped with an afterburner that allows the player to fly around for a limited time, as well as switchable main weapons in addition to the default shot. Much like ''Shadow Dancer'', ''E-SWAT'' also received a Master System version that played more like a scaled-down port of the arcade game.

* The Famicom Disk System version of ''Monty on the Run'' changes a whole bunch of things around from the [[ZX Spectrum]] version. Most bizarrely, Monty is not a mole in this version.

* ''Section Z'' was originally a shooting game released for the arcades in 1985 consisting of five stages (three side-scrolling levels and two vertically-scrolling ones, although all played from a side-view perspective). The so-called "sections" in the game were simply short corridors that the player proceeded throughout the entire game until reaching the titular Section Z, where the final boss awaits. The NES version, released almost two years later in 1987, turned the sections into fully-fledged areas with branching paths and hidden rooms. There are three stages consisting of 20 sections each, but the since the Sections are now numbered (starting from Section 00) instead of being alphabetized like in the arcade game, the final area is now Section 59 instead of Section Z, [[Artifact Title|rendering the game's title meaningless]].

* The NES version of ''[[Legendary Wings]]'' made several changes from the arcade version, including adding a health gauge system where getting hit by an enemy simply reduces the player's shooting power by one level instead of dying in one hit.

* The NES version of ''[[Super Dodge Ball]]'' (aka ''Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu'') is also a vastly different game from the original arcade game. In the original arcade game, the player's team consisted of one adult character as the team's captain and the rest of the team as children. Only the adult characters have power shots and the health gauges only shows the number of remaining players each team has. In the NES version, everyone is now the same size, but each player (not just captains, but all the members of a team) now have two power shots and individual stats, while the status display now gives each team member his own health gauge. The NES version also adds two new foreign teams not in the arcade version: India and Russia.

* ''[[Fighters History]]: Mochizuki Kiki Ippatsu'', the [[Super Famicom]]-exclusive final game in the series, began development as a port of ''Fighter's History Dynamite''.

* While the SNES version of ''[[Sunset Riders]]'' is accurate to the arcade version for the most part (save for the lack of 4-Player co-op and added modesty to some of the female NPCs), the Genesis version was released on a smaller cartridge size than the SNES version and only contained two of the main characters (Billy and Cormano) and half of the bosses. Rather than making a straight port, the stages were completely redesigned and a new versus mode was added.

* Banpresto's arcade beat-'em-up ''[[Denjin Makai]]'' was ported to the [[Super Famicom]] under the title ''Ghost Chaser Densei''. The Super Famicom version only has half of the character roster (Makai, Iyo and Belva) and is missing a few stages and bosses as well, but the story was expanded a bit and the characters were given new moves.

* ''Haja no Fūin'' ("Seal of the Dark Lord") is a Japanese RPG by Kogado Studio originally released in 1986 for the PC88 and ported to various other formats (such as the MSX2 and Famicom). The [[Master System]] version, which was the only version released overseas (under the title of ''Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord''), featured numerous changes such as a new overworld with explorable towns.

** The SNES version is a straight conversion of the arcade game, lacking the 4-player co-op mode but adding one new stage and a few additional bosses: namely the Rat King, Slash (who replaces Cement Man as the boss of the prehistoric level), pirate versions of Bebop and Rocksteady, and Super Shredder (who replaces the regular Shredder as the final boss).

* ''Cosmo Police Galivan'' was originally a [[Metal Heroes]]-esque platform shoot-'em-up released by Nichibutsu for the arcades in 1985. The 1988 Famicom version was a [[Metroidvania|Metroid-type]] action game, while its 1993 Super Famicom sequel, ''Cosmo Police Galivan II: Arrow of Justice'', was a belt-scrolling beat-'em-up.

* The [[Master System]] shooter ''Bomber Raid'' originally began development as an 8-bit conversion of the Sega arcade game ''Sonic Boom''.

* ''[[Fatal Fury|Garou Densetsu: Dominated Mind]]'' is a PS1 port of ''Real Bout Fatal Fury Special'' that removes the lane-jumping system and added new super moves and combos.

* ''U.N. Squadron'', a game based on the manga series ''Area88'', was a horizontal shooter for the arcades where players could choose between three pilots (each with his own jet) and buy sub-weapons and other power-ups before each stage. The SNES version, while lacking the 2-players co-op mode from the arcade, expanded upon everything else by adding other purchasable jets (with the tradeoff being that each pilot now starts with the same default jet), multiple paths between stages and the ability to switch sub-weapons on the fly.

 

== Concurrently developed ==

 

* ''[[Prince of Persia]]: The Forgotten Sands''. While the 360/PS3/PC versions are the same game, the Wii version has a different storyline and different powers for the Prince. The PSP version is a 2.5D platformer with yet another storyline.

** The [[Game Boy Advance]] version of ''Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'' is a 2D platformer, whereas the console/PC versions are 3D.

* ''World Destruction League'': ''Thunder'' Tanks and ''War Jetz'' were both released simultaneously for the original Playstation and Playstation2. The two versions have different levels and controls, especially in the case of ''War Jetz''.

* The handheld versions of the games in ''[[The Legend of Spyro]]'' series tended to be quite different from their console counterparts, and for reasons beyond their technically inferior hardware. The DS version of one game in the series included a whole subgame of [[Light and Mirrors Puzzle|Light And Mirrors Puzzles]] not found anywhere in the console versions. The [[Game Boy Advance]] version of the second game also featured a more platforming and exploration-oriented game than the console versions, and, in fact, got higher reviews than every other version of the game despite being on the least-advanced system.

* ''[[Donald Duck]]: Goin' Qu@ckers'' has several versions.

** Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, PC: practically the same, just some graphical improvements for the latter two, and cutscenes in CGI instead of the game's engine.

** Playstation 2 and Gamecube: released a few years later, built on a new engine, complete renewal of the levels, an improved version of the Playstation version's soundtrack and new abilities for Donald.

** The handheld versions (Game Boy Color and Advance) are 2D Platformers and are also very different from each other, with the latter giving more abilities to Donald. Also the storyline plays a bit differently.

* ''Dai-Ma-Shikyō Galious'', the Famicom version of ''Knightmare II: [[Maze of Galious]]'' released a few months after the MSX version, has a similar game system as the MSX version, but the stage designs are substantially different, with a much smaller environment to explore.

** Mindscape later released a set of versions for the SNES, [[Game Boy]] and [[Game Gear]]. While the SNES version was another port of the arcade game, the portable versions were not belt-scrollers but completely 2D.

** While Ocean Software obtained the ''Rambo III'' license from [[Taito]], the game they ended up releasing for various computer platforms was an overhead shooter that played nothing like the arcade game Taito eventually released, which was a ''[[Cabal]]''-style shooter where Player 2 controlled Colonel Trautman.

** Sega also produced its own set of ''Rambo III'' games for its consoles. While the [[Sega Genesis]] version of ''Rambo III'' was an overhead action shooter similar to Capcom's ''Mercs'', the [[Master System]] version was an ''[[Operation Wolf]]''-style gun shooting game that required the Light Phaser gun.

** SNES / Genesis: a traditional side-scrolling action game with some side-view driving levels.

** NES: platform game with tiny sprites and some arcade levels.

* [[Sega]] released both, a console game and an arcade game based on ''Michael Jackson's [[Moonwalker]]''. They had some common elements, but the former was a ''[[Shinobi]]''-like [[Platform Game]], whereas the latter was an isometric [[Beat'Em Up]] that could be played by up to three people (each controlling a palette swapped MJ).

* ''Kool-Aid Man'' for the [[Atari 2600]] and for the [[Intellivision]] were two entirely different games, largely because Mattel had to produce both of them on a very tight schedule. The 2600 version is set around a swimming pool; the Intellivision version takes place inside a haunted house where two children have to summon the Kool-Aid Man.

** Konami later used the title ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters]]'' for a set of fighting games released for the NES, SNES and Genesis at the end of 1993. Each version was a unique game featuring its own character roster and fighting mechanics.

** When Ubisoft got a hold of the ''Turtles'' license, they made a series of tie-in games based on CGI ''TMNT'' movie for various platforms. The PC and home console versions were ports of the same game, but the portable versions for the GBA, DS and PSP were all unique. The GBA version in particular, rather than being a 3D action game like the others, was a 2D belt-scrolling beat-'em-up inspired by the older Konami games.

* The Super NES and Genesis versions of ''[[Rocket Knight Adventures|Sparkster]]'' were completely different games, despite being released at the same time and having the same cover artwork and almost the same title (only the Genesis version was subtitled ''Rocket Knight Adventures 2'').

* ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'' received a series of tie-in games around the time the first season ended. While versions released for the Nintendo platforms were published by [[Bandai]], the Sega versions were actually first-party games. Although the [[Super NES]] and [[Game Boy]] versions were both side-scrolling action games, and the [[Sega Genesis]] and [[Game Gear]] versions were both competitive fighting games, they were all completely different from each other. A [[Sega CD]] version was also released which was an [[Interactive Movie]] game which used FMV clips from key episodes of the series.

** ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers the Movie]]'' also received its own sets of tie-in games. While the SNES, Game Boy and Game Gear versions were all sequels to their preceding ''Power Rangers'' games for their respective platforms, the Genesis version of the Movie game was completely different from the first Genesis game, as it was a belt-scrolling beat-'em-up instead of a competitive fighter.

* The [[Master System]] version of ''[[Fantasy Zone]]'' was released a few months after the arcade game, but both versions were actually developed in tandem. The Master System version was tailor-made to take into account the lower specifications of the hardware and features a few different bosses, weapon properties and less bases to destroy. The Famicom version later released by Sunsoft (and to a lesser extend, the NES version by Tengen), played like a mix between both versions.

* Capcom released two video games based on the [[Little Nemo]] animated film that were released in 1990: an arcade version simply titled ''Nemo'' (which featured Flip as Player 2 and an ending sequence which spoofs ''[[Ghosts and Goblins|Ghouls 'n Ghosts]]'' and ''[[Final Fight]]'') and an NES game titled ''Little Nemo: The Dream Master''.

* ''[[Astyanax]]'' (aka ''The Lord of King'') was released for the Arcade and NES and both versions were completely different right down to their very premises. Whereas the hero in the arcade version was a barbarian-like warrior, the protagonist in the NES is an ordinary high school student who is transported to a faraway world.

* Capcom released two games based on Hiroshi Motomiya's historical manga ''Tenchi o Kurau'' (The Devouring of Heaven and Earth) in 1989: The arcade version was a belt-scrolling action game where players fought enemies while riding a horse, while the Famicom version was an RPG. Both games had overseas releases under the titles of ''Dynasty Wars'' and ''Destiny of an Emperor'' respectively.

** ''Batman: Return of the Joker'' was released in two completely different versions for the NES and the Game Boy. There was also a similarly-named Genesis game titled ''Batman: '''Revenge''' of the Joker'', which was developed by an American team and was also scheduled for the SNES, but was canceled (a beta build of the game is available online).

** The two ''[[Batman Returns]]'' games developed Konami, one for the NES and the other for the SNES, were both belt-scrolling beat-'em-ups. Sega also released its own line of ''[[Batman Returns]]'' for the [[Game Gear]]/[[Master System]], Genesis and [[Sega CD]]. The Sega CD version was a port of the Genesis version with added racing stages.

* Konami released two games based on the short-lived 1989 rollerskating game show ''RollerGames''. The arcade version attempted to adapt the sports itself into a video game format, whereas the NES version was a side-scrolling action game that barely had anything to do with the show save for the names of the teams (the enemies included molotov-throwing punks, a flying gunship and a Shaolin monk as the final boss).

** Similarly ''Super Turrican'' was released for consoles in two versions. While the NES version handled by Rainbow Arts, the SNES version was done by Factor 5.

** While ''Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems'' may seem like an example of this, it actually came out almost a year after the ''[[Marvel Super Heroes]]'' arcade game.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Videogame Culture]]