Valis III TurboGrafx aka PC Engine vs Genesis aka Mega Drive

For best results view at 1080p60fps. Here's a full gameplay comparison of Valis III (Valis 3) on the Turbografx-16 CD aka PC Engine CD and the Sega Genesis aka Mega Drive. There are quite a few differences between the two versions in this one so it's interesting to take a look at. Whie I show you the complete game in this video, I only show SOME of the cutscenes and I do that at the end when I do the wrap up / summary. I also let you know my opinion on which version of Valis III is the best one... or do I? Hmmm.
Some bonus stuff I didn't point out during the comparison: I ran a bunch of screenshots from both through color counting software. Typically, the Turbo CD version of the game shows about 5 to 10 more colors onscreen at any given moment than the Genesis version with a few exceptions. So even though the Turbo is capable in theory of showing much more onscreen color... it usually doesn't.
This is a long play or let's play style video that includes a complete playthrough of both versions of the game at the same time with commentary throughout. What a miracle technology is.
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#valisiii #turboduo #segagenesis #valis3 #renovation #telenet #NEC #turbografx16 #turbografxCD #megadrive #sega #retrogaming #anime #genesis #complete #completegame #longplay #letsplay #comparison #narration #retrogaming #8bit #16bit #commentary

[@roberto1519]

I remember the city backdrop when a colleague, possibly from school played it on his Mega Drive, we were very young kids and the scenery got printed in my mind, I didn't see this game, nor could possibly remember its name until KZbin, it's a bit funny that something a kid watches for a few minutes can become somehow nostalgic.

[@InglebardGaming]

Always great to be able to rediscover stuff you kind of knew from a long time ago!

[@Pai3000]

What a great video. Very nice idea, specially the commentary. EDIT: The second exclusive level in the PC Engine CD version is WAY easier if you use Valna because of how her magic works. Also, there's no need to kill the mermen. Better freezing them and using them as platforms too.

[@AnthonyRiddle]

I love seeing one of your new videos pop up on my timeline. I know going into them that all my questions about a game will be answered and you explain every single part of the game in good detail

[@InglebardGaming]

Thanks, appreciate it!

[@joshfacio9379]

pcengine stage 1 has godzilla in the background. love your comparisons btw

[@InglebardGaming]

Thanks! I actually meant to mention the Godzilla thing, just slipped my mind when I was doing the commentary, oh well. If I ever bother with 1 or 4, I'll be sure to bring up Gamera and Ultraman 😁

[@inceptional]

I skipped some bits of the video, so I might have missed if you specifically pointed this out, but was the goal mainly just to highlight anywhere the Genesis version was done better than the PC Engine version? Because, I did notice at least one bit that was definitely nicer looking in the PC Engine version, which is the water effect on this level at 26:38, but I didn't notice you highlighting that as at least one positive moment for the PC Engine's visuals. Even the level immediately following it with the mountains in the far background on PC Engine and the red parallax clouds on Genesis actually just looks nicer artistically on PC Engine, where the far background mountains and trees and stuff definitely aesthetically and thematically fit/match the foreground layer much better for the brief time they are visible, even if they technically lack any parallax effects. So, just making sure I got the point of the video here, which I presume was to specifically detail all the things the Genesis version improved over the original.

[@InglebardGaming]

The point, as always, is just to compare both complete games and point out what they each do better and when.

[@inceptional]

@@InglebardGaming Coolio. Thanks.

[@landom9080]

I owned the Genesis version first back in the day as this series always intrigued me with the anime style and awesome cutscenes. I did own Valis 2 on the TG16 CD later and that is what got me interested in the series. I totally agree the Genesis version had better gameplay.. I do own Valis 3 now (pc engine version) as I prefer the original japanese dialogue as the localized US version has terrible dubbing translation. As always appreciate your work as games like these remind me of my youth.

[@InglebardGaming]

Thanks, sorry for the late reply, lots going on the last fee weeks! I didn't end up getting Valis II on TGCD until after I played 3 on Genesis myself. There was a big jump in quality from 2 to 3. It's too bad the series didn't really continue on past 4.

[@piccolo1976]

Really enjoyed watching Valis being completed, thoroughly solid comparisons from you as usual, you're really perfecting these types of video. Quite impressed with the MD version, you'd expect the PCE-CD version to have all those cut scenes but to see most of them replicated on the MD cartridge is quite impressive. I'd always choose the better game play over CD sound/cut scenes, I don't cope well with frustration in games these days!

[@InglebardGaming]

Thanks, appreciate it! This one took a LOT of work to put together, way more than average for a video in my comparison series. I thought this one would be relatively easy but it ended up being one of the toughest edits I've ever done. And yeah, it was impressive what they managed to squeeze into the Genesis port cut-scene wise. It' missing maybe 3 or 4 of those scenes overall, but they sure managed a lot for an 8 megabit cart!

[@thetechn1que518]

I’d only ever played this in Genesis, I liked it and rented it several times when I was young. Many sources told me that the Genesis version was cut down and inferior but that seems mostly untrue. For a typical example, look at hardcoregaming101’s review where they make it sound like half of the game is missing.

[@InglebardGaming]

There's a fair amount of stuff that was cut, but when you look at it as a whole with the new level and a few minor level extensions, its really only missing about two stages when it comes to overall game length, even though content-wise its about three and a half. While it's clearly missing stuff, like I said in the video, its only the second level that was really all that good out of the missing levels anyway. Plus a lot of the criticism of the Genesis version disregards the fact that it also added a new level that's not in the other version. Again though, in the end, I can see anyone preferring either version for a few reasons. It really just depends what you want out of the game experience.

[@TheT3rr0rMask]

I'm with you on the audio. Some of the PCE version's tracks feel rushed (like the final stage, which sounds miles more polished on Genesis). Others sound better on PCE. Graphically I like the Genesis version a ton more, giving some great parallax (the forest, boat and Nirvan Road segments being highlights). Stylistically I do love the graveyard and desert stages, which I wish were on the Genesis too. Gameplay wise they share the same design but feel so different in execution. The PCE's movement speed, sense of momentum and greater jump control feel really satisfying to navigate the action with. On Genesis it feels a little stiff, but the tighter control has its own benefits. Genesis versions better to pick up n play, trimming the "fat" and giving a better difficulty curve. All in all, it's a case of both versions being worth a playthrough. A good example of how multiplats were done back then, hardware differences leading to familiar yet fresh experiences.

[@InglebardGaming]

Yeah, visually the Genesis version is much better in game. I wouldn't have minded if they did versions of the missing levels in the Genesis game, but they would have needed serious redesigns to make them more interesting from a gameplay standpoint, I don't like the levels themselves in the PCE original. But yup, both versions offer something interesting and are worth checking out. But like I i said in the video, the Genesis version is the one I usually play when I feel like playing the game again these days since it just feels better, IMO.

[@thiagoalves7904]

Fantastic comparison (as always). I was really impressed with the amount of cut-scenes on the Mega Drive version (mainly the ending), and how good they look compared to the PC Engine version (almost identical). Although the PC Engine can reproduce more simultaneous colors, the Mega Drive version looks almost identical (and even better on some occasions). And it's yet another PC Engine game that can't get much advantage from the amount of storage data on a CD (gameplay wise).

[@InglebardGaming]

Thanks, appreciate it! They did a pretty amazing job getting as much stuff as they did onto an 8 megabit cartridge. It's also too bad this series never hit the Saturn and PlayStation, it would have been great to see it with improved graphics and FMV cutscenes.

[@valhalen0435]

Next to castlevania this is my 2nd favorite series. To bad valis x turned out to what it was.

[@alfredocanas6802]

I think I prefer the mega drive over the PCE version, the movement is less slippery and there's more flair over all and it manages to have cutscenes so I am very impressed.

[@InglebardGaming]

Yeah, the control definitely feels a lot better im the Genesis version, especially jumping and sliding.

[@fazares]

wow the pce cd voice acting is ridicolous ahah..i played it on a switch collection..i also own the md version...retro-bit reissue..i unboxed it on my channel eheh

[@InglebardGaming]

Yeah, it's hilariously bad, but to be fair, sonis most voice acting from that era on all platforms 😁

[@AWMonopolyMan]

If your gonna play a computer version of Valis 2, I’d advise against the Sharp X68000 version, since out of the 4 versions, it’s the worst playing version of the 4 by a mile.

[@InglebardGaming]

Yeah, I know it's no good. But the other versions look godawful, so it's a tradeoff. I may never get around to it anyway, especially since Basement Brothers just did a big video on the computer versions.

[@AWMonopolyMan]

@@InglebardGaming I saw the video, I’d say the computer versions of Valis 2 (for their time), look fine for what they were.

[@enriquepinero707]

While technically the PC Engine is better in some ways; I much more prefer the Genesis/MD version. The music is better and the gameplay is more balanced.

[@InglebardGaming]

Yeah, overall I agree. It's too bad they didn't wait to put the Genesis version on the Sega CD with maybe another few levels and the rest of the cutscenes that were removed.

[@enriquepinero707]

@InglebardGaming Wow. Thinking about that, it would have been very possible and perhaps THE PERFECT version of Valis 3. Maybe it was a thought at some point; but perhaps there just wasn't enough interest to make it happen (understandable, seeing as how Sega didn't get the entire trilogy really; unless count SD of Valis). Maybe someday with renewed interest; they will remake or remaster the Valis games in the way they did with the Ninja Warriors, Wild GUNS and the upcoming Shadow of the Ninja.