Which Super Nintendo Games Are Better Than Their Sega Genesis Counterparts? - SNESdrunk

[@bonesjackson81]

True on every count. Genesis is my favorite but I have all of these for SNES because they are the superior versions. Especially Batman Returns.

[@stevester9148]

MK1 on SNES: ''Sorry we can't show any blood :( '' MK2 on SNES: ''Alright, this time, hold our beer...''

[@jjboi6008]

And just overall, the mk2 on snes is better

[@bobmorane5021]

JJ Boi remember the price of this tho lol i think it was 90$ cad here most expensive snes game. Nintendo never changed

[@48hourrecordsteam45]

And this is what changed everything in the console wars stack donkey Kong country on top of that

[@nayflowem6652]

MK3 brings back memories for me, or the one with the turtle ninjas and Shredder lifting Manhattan in the air. I remember it foundly but forgot the name.

[@hackerx7329]

Late to the party here but these days I would value of all the ports of the first Mortal Kombat the SNES is the only one worth playing because they made changes to the fatalities so it is the only version with something different to offer. Otherwise you just play the arcade version which is a simple matter these days.

[@ultimateman55]

MK2 on SNES was amazing for its time and it completely blew away the Genesis version. Sculptured Software did an oustanding job on the SNES port while Probe lazily screwed up the Genesis port. That's why both the Genesis and SNES ports of MK3 were both done by Sculptured who did a great job again.

[@bigballzmcdrawz2921]

Seemed like Nintendo learned their lesson from MK1

[@metalninjajesus1580]

Yeah. A lot of people like to argue the tech between Genesis and SNES. Genesis having more raw power or SNES having better sound and sprite manipulation, etc. But it really comes down to the developer and their talent. SNES was often more graphically superior but because Genesis was using a more common CPU, those familiar with it from arcades or the home computers were able to make great looking games on Genesis Streets Of Rage was an example of making good use of the Genesis soundchip rather than being limited by it. SNES fanboy but I respect the Genesis and what it did.

[@diobrando-qv3uv]

The Genesis 32x version destroys both versions

[@ultimateman55]

@@diobrando-qv3uv Nope. Many colors and sounds are still wrong or missing and, worst of all, many basic combos don't even work. Jax cannot do his jump kick backbteaker combo. Scorpion can't even do his jump kick, teleport punch, spear, uppercut. There are plenty more missing combos, but this gives you an idea.

[@diobrando-qv3uv]

@@ultimateman55 well I played it as a kid and actually thought it was very good I had no problems and actually got to kintaro 2 times it was very fun and I don't know what your talking about many colers missing the game looks super good but the snes version is not bad at all and looks really good as well id get both versions or the arcade version also the combo stuff is a dumb thing to complain about in my opinion

[@spitt0110]

sunset riders SNES is VERY faithful to the Arcade. so thats why I like the Snes Version. gg!

[@Rodzilla97]

my favorite snes game

[@supersexysega]

Really wish they kept the natives, and the burned corpse animation but... Good old Nintendo censorship.

[@mjorge0alves]

Well, it's sorta faithful. The arcade version is the definitive one, though. Even if sorta easy, if you are smart and take one or two intentional deaths before the indian boss.

[@Chud_Bud_Supreme]

I've never heard of Street Racer. Amazes me how there's always more SNES games that look cool that I've never heard of.

[@fidelsolis6070]

There s a bunch. Snes was ahead of its time. Good games good library and google it.

[@AliLovesADrink]

it was a great game, and had 4 payer split screen racing. on the SNES

[@kekeke8988]

Looks like a Chinese knock off of Mario Kart.

[@Will831100]

@@kekeke8988 Yeah a knock off but a decent one.

[@dreday5880]

Street Racer was a gem

[@stickboy79]

As someone who is going into old video game console restoration as a hobby, this is very helpful in my ebay shopping when adding games to my collection.

[@TheCheat420]

"Don't give me that 'git gud' crap" Hilarious

[@chaddentrone531]

"if you're gonna turn into a dragon and eat someone's torso, you want it to look nice." my new mantra

[@dearronsmith775]

,

[@neogeo330mega]

Best videogame content on KZbin! Let's share his videos and get him 100k subscriptions!

[@killroy23]

Well wouldn't THAT be awfully nice.

[@igotkings]

Batman Returns (snes) is one of the best video game values I ever bought. I got it for $1.00 and wow did I get my moneys worth on that purchase and then some.

[@jamesphilipson1289]

I'm not a great gamer, nor have I ever been someone who frequents arcades but one of the biggest achievements in my life is that I beat Sunset Riders on an arcade machine while on holiday in Torremolinos when I was 10. Beat the game!! That feeling of the serious stress shakes when it's all over - I had all that haha

[@absoluteclownworld]

Love Sunset Riders on Snes! Very fun. Got the original cart for that one.

[@bildo1977]

This needs a part two. And a part three.

[@Sly88Frye]

That's really cool to hear some really rockin' 16-bit covers of "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath and "Bad to the Bone" on Rock and Roll Racing

[@rpgaholic8202]

It's a game that would benefit from that CD quality hack. Shoot, just imagine having more than the 5 music tracks to race with.

[@KRS2000]

Don't forget Highway Star by Deep Purple.

[@_Mike.85]

It was clear from the start the SNES was just a massively superior machine to the Genesis. I knew that as a kid, and I still know that now as an adult. That's not to say the Genesis didn't have some good games. But the overall graphics, sound, controls, and playability of most games on the SNES was just far better.

[@azhorsley]

That's because the Genesis was using 1988 hardware, whereas the SNES was from 1990 - it's not a like for like comparison, so naturally the SNES was and should have been superior.

[@48hourrecordsteam45]

Michael Danley and genesis style was and is a cooler system..with blazing bad ass games by the 100’s 🤣

[@davidaitken8503]

@@48hourrecordsteam45 You know what makes a cooler system? Cooler games, and the SNES beat the crap out of the Genesis in that regard. It wasn't even close. There are some good Genesis games out there, but the best in every genre were on SNES. Nintendo's dominance in Japan all but guaranteed that most developers were going to put there best efforts on Nintendo's system. The better hardware didn't hurt either.

[@danieldavis2055]

@@davidaitken8503 - As an RPG player who grew up with the likes of Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy as a child and didn't have a Genesis, I was looking forward very much to the classics I missed out on when I purchased a Genesis Classic. I was very sorely disappointed. It turns out that, unlike the Super NES and it's large stable of deep, well crafted titles, many of the games on the little black box were just not designed for that sort of longevity. The system's heavy reliance on arcade titles and sports games means that there are few and far between of the kind of long playing titles the Super NES had. I never had an overt fondness for sports games, and the rpg selection on the system is a small group of titles that feel quite primitive next to titles like Chrono Trigger and FF6. I am still finding new experiences on my SNES but my poor little Genesis mini is collecting dust.

[@davidaitken8503]

@@danieldavis2055 The limited controller hurt the Genesis in more action heavy games too. Arcade games like Smash TV play so much better on SNES thanks to the superior controller. I can't imagine the Genesis ever pulling off an action game with as much control and depth as Hagane either.

[@generalsci3831]

Man, between the Mini Genesis and the Switch SNES collection I'm in total nostalgia mode. I loved these consoles so much. I still remember hauling my SNES over to my friend's house where he had a Genesis and we'd do our "Sonic/Metroid/MK 1/MK II" nights. Sweet times. :)

[@caprilaser3]

Excellent games listed here! Can't wait to get my snes out again and start playing them again.

[@thebasketballhistorian3291]

What I also noticed about many Genesis racing games is that you could only have music or engine noises but not both. Some games had an option in the menu to choose music or engine sounds.

[@Tom_Van_Zandt]

Street Racer looks like it lifted that beach level straight from SMK, but changed the background to avoid a lawsuit.

[@kekeke8988]

It looks like a Bootleg Chinese copy that would appear on a knock off console.

[@Diepzeevis]

Yea, but it doesn't really matter. It a great game. Looks great, plays great, has its own, unique personality.

[@sylvesterwallace6965]

The music on batman returns has one if the most underappreciated soundtracks in the 16 bit era

[@ColonelNegative]

Agreed. It really makes an already excellent game perfect.

[@Eighties_Child]

Great game! There are SO many SNES games whose soundtracks still sound amazing. Check out the Follin brothers' peak work on Spider-Man & X-Men in Arcade's Revenge, as well as pretty much anything by Konami (especially Turtles in Time, Super Castlevania IV, and Dracula X) and Capcom (especially Final Fight and Street Fighter II). Other underappreciated Super Nintendo soundtracks include David Wise's work on the two Battletoads games and the Donkey Kong Country series, as well as the scores for Super Double Dragon and an obscure game called Sparkster.

[@gerardow92]

I totally agree on that, I've listened to that soundtrack so much

[@dreday5880]

@@Eighties_Child DKC is not underappreciated

[@dennismolina9033]

@GodZpeed X7 Same here! 80s baby, 90s teen lol

[@skunch]

I always thought that johnny cage in MK2 looked like James Woods

[@fidelsolis6070]

Lol thats funny

[@ThePrufessa]

Well stop thinking that.

[@Lebowski333]

Ironically Nicolas Cage looks like James woods after a Vicodin

[@davidaitken8503]

It must be his arrogant, douche bag, attitude.

[@chrisford7909]

Right!!!?????!!!!!!

[@Saroumanos]

Excellent comparison choices buddy. Thnx 4 uploading.

[@jamesacichon]

SUNSET RIDERS!!!

[@SolidPython2099]

James Cichon CORMANO!

[@ThunderFist1978]

The uploader missed the point completely with this game. What makes it so much better on the SNES is how close it is to the arcade, whereas the Genesis version doesn't come close at all.

[@emersongalli]

Great list, there's another game that's better on the Snes than on Genesis, International Superstar Soccer Deluxe. On Snes is just perfect balanced with better sounds, music, the game flows so much better. On Genesis the game is kinda clunky, a little bit ugly, more difficult, and the physics aren't as good as the Snes port, cheers from Brazil.

[@Diepzeevis]

ISS Deluxe is so good, very true!

[@LordSephleon]

You haven't truly lived until you fight Sir Richard Rose on the hardest difficulty in the Sega Genesis port of Sunset Riders, especially if you make it even more difficult and play as Billy Cool. One of the most intense final boss fights I ever had in the 16-bit era, and one of the best feelings of accomplishment I ever had from an relatively short side-scrolling action game. Also, there's a particularly good music track that exists in the Sega Genesis version - Mountain 2 - that doesn't exist in the SNES. Granted, the same can be said of a couple of songs in the SNES version, so I wouldn't put that in there as a deal maker or breaker, but just thought I'd note it. :) With all of that said, I totally agree with pretty much all the other games here, especially Super Smash TV and Saturday Night Slam Masters. For Batman Returns, I'd recommend the Sega CD version over the Sega Genesis version; aside from overall better graphics and additional gameplay, the dark rock-ish soundtrack is pretty good and fits well with the brooding nature of the game. It's ridiculously difficult, however, I'd say unfairly difficult in some situations. But I have beaten it once. Long ago. with many many hours of failed attempts and memorization involved.

[@ColonelNegative]

Great video. I appreciate your concise style and look forward to the next.

[@worsel555]

Ohh! This is going to be good! *Waits for inevitable fanboys from either side to show up and scream about the video and that one weirdo who always yells "Amiga!"*

[@dionysus122]

AMIGA!!!!!!

[@worsel555]

Dr. Prower indeed, I had the SNES and didn't manage to buy a Genesis until the next generation consoles came out. I would switch consoles and games with friends so I could play the exclusive games and see how the ports were different. I just can't stand fanboys though, they are the worst.

[@shadowyashatoura]

I am the other way around but I agree.Snes is my favorite console but Genesis has also fantastic games!!!!

[@LUCKO2022]

AMIGA IS LIFE

[@scissorman44]

This comment is gold

[@Diepzeevis]

Great thing you included Street Racer - that game is so good. Everyone should play it. Perhaps even better than Mario Kart on the SNES.

[@doggycharly]

Another notable game is *World Heroes* - the snes port converted by Sunsoft is a very nice port with excellent controls and gameplay. It even features an option to "fix" the controls so you have two different buttons for weak and strong punch/kick (in the neo geo version, you had to hold the punch/kick button(s) for stronger attacks), the graphics are a little strange here: not full screen and cut animations but still looks good. The sega genesis port...oh my! what a complete disaster of a port! I just can't explain how terrible is, it barely resembles a fighting game. it makes those 8-bit bootleg fighting games look like masterpieces, and is even more embarrasing since sega themselves (sega midwest) ported it, oops! The only highlight here is that there are more frames of animations, runs in wider resolution, full screen and an exclusive line scrolling on the floor, but what are good graphics if the gameplay sucks? 😁

[@supersexysega]

Sega Midwest was pretty much one guy doing the majority of the work in his basement. It wasn't a legit video game production team. There is actually a story about it on the net which made for a good read.

[@PaulRizzo]

Yep, Mortal Kombat 2 AAALLLLLLLL the way!!!

[@Will831100]

Screw some of the fights in that game, lol. Near smashed my pad trying to beat the secret characters.

[@PetterNe]

Funny, since the first one is better on MD.

[@karlnuttall2227]

Nintendo won with the sound effects alone 👍

[@alanlee67]

Paul I guess I'll be the contrarian but in 2021, they both suck equally. The snes resolution didn't vibe with mk2 and they had to compress the character sprites and redo background layers. It looks awful. Genesis has arcade faithful sprites although missing many frames of animation and color depth. The music is bad in both versions but slightly better on snes with stages having incorrect music on the genesis. The fatality text does not animate on the snes which brings the presentation down a bit although genesis is missing the blood dripping. Again, genesis has superior framerate compared to snes much like mk1 and that's a big difference.

[@QuintessentialQs]

I've never played Smash TV on SNES, but I had the NES cartridge and a few years ago, I accidently found out that if you play it in single player mode, you can grab both controllers, turn them sideways and use the two D-Pads to control it exactly like the arcade. How did I never know that? Did anyone else know that? Was it in the instruction manual? I have no idea.

[@thebasketballhistorian3291]

I never had that game for the NES but I remember they pointed out that two controller function in Nintendo Power.

[@tykuecks9349]

and if you use and NES four score you can play co-op with both players using two controllers to control like the arcade, cool stuff

[@QuintessentialQs]

@@tykuecks9349 Oh wow, that rules!

[@josephbekin]

Love the videos! Found your channel a couple weeks ago and binged. Keep it up!

[@SNESdrunk]

Thanks for watching Joseph

[@oxygeninterface]

i have to say that one of the things i greatly appreciate about the snes over the genesis is how rich and colorful and vibrant the graphics and character sprites are presented and delineated. it almost seems like the genesis suffers from a spirit of manic depression in how dark and somber the tone of all their games are visually portrayed; to the point that even some of their more luminously depicted games such as sonic and shinobi 3 seem to be contaminated by an overhanging shadow of subliminal darkness.

[@SNESdrunk]

"Contaminated By an Overhanging Shadow of Subliminal Darkness" was the name of my band in junior high

[@chuckobscure]

Do you also appreciate the unacceptably slow processor and cropped screen resolution?

[@oxygeninterface]

+chuckobscure sure do! ;)

[@shadowyashatoura]

relax even your precious genesis has slowdown check for example megaman willy wars!!

[@Picnicl]

The darkness was deliberate it feels. World of Illusion was amazingly atmospheric.

[@MKF30]

Great list, though I'd add TMNT Turtles in Time over Hyperstone Heist for several reasons as well as the SF II games, which are good for both SF but slightly better on the SNES. Yeah MK 2 was easily the best home port on SNES I agree as well as TMNT TF. Nice vid, Happy New Year!

[@TwoSonsStrong]

One thing that sets the SNES games above Sega, across the board, is controls. Having more buttons, and their layout, makes playing SNES games more natural. You couldn't have pulled off Super Metroid on the Sega system.

[@Pegasus2227]

I am fortunate to have grown up with the SNES version of MK2. Still have it to this day.

[@NightRanma]

This is a pretty fair video, but I just wanted to mention that smash TV on mega drive has a 2 controller option, where you use the dpad on 2 controllers, one to move and the other to shoot in all 8 directions. The added messing around still makes the snes version better, but just wanted to mention that the developers did give a better option for Sega players

[@retropolis1]

While this is true, it doesn't work with 2 players on Sega's console, while the SNES version is even more fun with a buddy on your side.

[@leootp22]

Sunset Riders AND Rock 'n' Roll Racing??? Dude, those were some of the best! Subscribed!

[@watson3047z]

I loved Rock n roll racing on the snes. So fun

[@71dembonesTV]

Street Racer is indeed very underappreciated. Mario Kart meets Road Rash. The Super Famicom version is entirely in English for those interested in grabbing in on the cheaps

[@CaptPostmod]

The driving levels on the SegaCD Batman Returns are awesome, though! (I realize this is specifically comparing cart to cart, just saying.)

[@CaptPostmod]

Along the same theme-The 32X version of MKII is the best.

[@arturosandoval8862]

@@CaptPostmod that depends on whether you like the SNES soundtrack or the Genesis one, i prefer the SNES one because it's closer to the arcade.

[@aelechko]

Love that you just left the mk2 jam on for a bit at the end

[@bblovely7788]

When you asked my gf if she wanted to play Saturday Night Slam Masters with you last Saturday, I assumed you meant something completely different :( I shouldn't have gotten so upset.

[@Kos4Evr]

Hahaha

[@adammason4314]

BOOM Ya Done Fucked up. They're called tetrominoes.

[@mikestein1024]

As long as it's not gaystation

[@daithiocinnsealach1982]

@@mikestein1024 As long as it's not Nintendo 69.

[@JimmyButlersdreads]

@@daithiocinnsealach1982 At least it's not Sexbox

[@inceptional]

Smash TV on SNES is just one clear case for why the SNES controller was/is vastly superior to the Genesis one (and that includes the 6-button Genesis pad too, which you even had to buy separately), and it had way more advantages than this too, for example: Doing a barrel roll in Star Fox; strafing in Wolfenstein; strafing in Doom; aim lock in Super Metroid; dual weapon wielding in Contra III; easy weapon/item selection in Zombies Ate My Neighbors; easy weapon switching and punching in B.O.B; being able to play fighting games like Street Fighter II/Turbo/Super and Mortal Kombat 1/2/3 properly out the box; the Select Button can be used by developers for an additional action if all the other buttons are already used (like the map in Doom); more ergonomic shape; etc.

[@segaaction7611]

Ha ha you should watch his Sega drunk videos and comment with your delusions.

[@inceptional]

@@segaaction7611 I have, and my "delusions" are still cold hard facts. PS. I added a few more examples of games where the SNES' controller patently adds extra capability and versatility that you simply don't get with the Genesis controller (and that's still true even when taking the Genesis 6-button controller into account in most cases). Maybe I'll add even more if/when they spring to mind....

[@SinisterSally]

The first thing I'm looking for in an arcade port is how close it is to the arcade and the Genesis port of Sunset Riders missed the mark completely. I believe the Genesis port came out first and I rented right away and was really dissapointed at the changes they made. It was bad enough that they left out my favorite character, Steve, but it didn't feel like Sunset Riders. It felt more like Robocop the arcade game, cheap death and all.

[@emmanuelibus]

You know how biker mice fixed that issue with close isometric racing? Arrows when a turn is coming.

[@briansmith8361]

The sound capabilities of the SNES are WAY ahead of the Genesis!

[@IdealIdeas100]

Well a lot of genesis games used some garbage made sound tool for their music and thats why a lot of genesis games sounded like garbage. I guess it was harder to program music in so the bad audio tool became a staple because not a lot of places wanted to learn how to do better.

[@supersexysega]

@@IdealIdeas100 The flase narrative has caught on huge... damnit. Gems the "sound driver" you're referencing is a perfectly fine tool. Lots of western developers usually making shovelware didn't have the skill to make use of it. Tons of western developed games on the other hand made great use of it.

[@vargas4maggot]

Have a great rest of your day too! Always so nice to say that :)

[@davidnphan]

I appreciate you thanking me and telling me to have a good day. I hope you have a good day as well!!!!!

[@jessragan6714]

I was a Genesis guy growing up, but you're right about every single one of these games being better on the Super NES. (Except Slam Masters. Ahem.) Even if you ignore the control issues, Smash TV was just appalling on the Genesis, with the lack of polish that quickly became a Probe trademark.

[@The90sGamingGuy]

The best 90's console port of MK 2 is on the SNES. I have fond memories of playing that game when it first came out on the system. Now i play the game on PS3 as a part of the downloadable game MK Collection. Great video!

[@Hektols]

Disagree, the best console port for MK2 in the 90's was the 32X version.

[@infinitecanadian]

Thunder Force IV also pauses the music whenever a vocal track is used; this is because the channel that can use PCM is either PCM _or_ FM, and it is being used in the music.

[@torstentorson1738]

The single only advantage the Mega Drive had was its faster processor. SNES was better at everything else, from colours to special effects, sound and controller.

[@chiarosuburekeni9325]

The faster processor thing is pretty damn important though. So many games run like ass on the SNES

[@DontKnowDontCare6.9]

The processor speed didnt save the Genesis though. Its always the games that sells the hardware. In any generation, up to now. Just ask Sega. LOL

[@AndrejusDovidaitis]

This is satisfying, since I get bugged about there being lots of games better on genesis then SNES, like Toy Story, Mortal Kombat 1, Aladdin and ETC

[@drc6777]

Despite the slower processor in the SNES it did handle these games quite nicely. Didn’t notice any slow down whatsoever.

[@thebasketballhistorian3291]

It only had a slower clockspeed and clockspeed isn't the only factor deciding overall processor speed. The SNES had a more advancd processor in almost every other way.

[@willbennett08]

Jurassic Park! I remember wanting to play the Genesis version, but looking back, the SNES version was so much deeper.

[@Cellmate412162]

Except the one fatal flaw in the SNES version was that the game was way too long, & had no save system.

[@willbennett08]

@@Cellmate412162 it was very long. I finished it once, but it took a ton of time for sure.

[@tparody8709]

MK2 I hated that all the commentary wasn’t on Genesis, Kahn saying who won, “fatality” and “round 1” etc

[@Warvvolf]

Watching your channel makes me want to buy one of those retro multi platform consoles so I can play these old games.

[@iceburgslim2000]

We need Mortal Kombat 1-3 ported to the switch.

[@M613M]

I agree about Saturday Night Slammasters. In fact I have a video of myself and some friends playing on my channel (sorry for the shameless promotion). They had never played the game before but immediately got into it! Also worth mention, the Genesis version does have a deathmatch mode which I've personally never played myself but is at least something given the lack of 4 player mode!

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Batman Returns and Sunset Riders are among the best of the SNES.

[@cristianplaza1466]

Demon crest ,mk2,battle toads in battlemsniacs

[@matthewshean1991]

Love these videos! It’s great to see what people say in the comments too.

[@TheADCsofWrestling]

I played both systems a LOT and Genesis' sound card (emulator?) was clearly inferior to SNES. Plus, it was often low on colours and grainy graphically. They definitely had some amazing exclusives but you can't argue SNES had better hardware.

[@avideogamemaster]

It also came 2 years later

[@Reaverbot]

The SNES soundchip was definitely newer, but yeah, you're right. A lot of people's exposure to the Genesis having poor music are shitty western games or playing things on emulator. Sega first party games like the sonics and Streets of rage and Ristar have great music. The Genesis did Electronic and funky stuff better @Lucas de Abreu

[@Peter_1986]

+Reaverbot Modern emulators are _at least_ as good as the console versions. I often play SNES games on the Snes9x emulator and I don't notice any differences whatsoever - even the glitches are the same.

[@Prizrak-hv6qk]

For some types of games and certain type of music, Genesis hardware could actually do better. Some of this is showcased in his previous video that talks about games that are better on the Genesis. It's mostly the crappy early to mid period Western games that had poor sound, because Western devs had limited experience with FM synthesis and used a driver called GENS that did the hard work for them (typically poorly), as opposed to accessing the sound hardware directly like the Japanese did. Such Western games also typically took poor advantage of the Genesis color palette, ignored the shading capabilities that added depths to colors and used too much dithering to simulate transparencies, fog and other effects. Dithering looked fine on CRT TVs but grainy and nasty on modern displays. It's best to judge Genesis' hardware capabilities based on Japanese developed games like Panaroma Cotton, Sonic 2, Streets of Rage 2, Shinobi 3, Ristar, Pulseman, Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier, Monster World IV, Thunder Force IV, Contra Hard Corps, Rocket Knight Adventures, World of Illusion, Trouble Shooter 2, Gleylancer and Phantasy Star IV and late period Western games like Earthworm Jim, Vectorman, Flink and Sonic 3D Blast, Batman & Robin, Mega Turrican and Toy Story. All of those are as colorful as anything, have excellent audio and generally showcase what the Genesis was capable of in the right hands. SNES' graphics hardware included more colors and special effects, and theoretically better sprite specs but it was all held back by the slow CPU. With its faster CPU and memory access, Genesis typically did fast action and sports games better. It also had enough CPU horse power to do some crazy special effects in software. Toy Story is a good example. The Genesis version has some 32-bit like bonus levels that are missing from the SNES one. Red Zone has many special effects that no one even attempted on the SNES. SNES sound hardware was easier for Western developers to take advantage of and was arguably better for jazzy and orchestral types of music. However when the Genesis sound chip was in the right hands, it could output some amazing punchy techno and synth music without the poor sampling frequency, compression artifacts and overuse of reverb that a lot of similar SNES soundtracks suffered from. I recently discovered an amazing Genesis soundtrack that I wasn't aware of before - Gauntlet IV. Absolutely epic synth-based adventure game music. I think the track "Adventures of Iron" is my favorite. A lot of those songs wouldn't be out of place in a modern TV show.

[@TheSchmuck2]

Yay! I literally asked for this in a comment on your channel! :D

[@xdestron]

I was such a Genesis fanboy as a kid. But I always knew SNES games were better.

[@dennismolina9033]

U had to have both game consoles 🎮, they both had their exclusives, their strengths and weaknesses, similar today with PlayStation and Xbox

[@IronicSonic83]

What Snes games?

[@VampireA1056]

Not all of them though.

[@o2Monster_X]

Great video! I agree with all these choices, especially MK2. the genesis version's colours look off, too.

[@naterushlow7937]

I'm convinced that the difficulty setting on MK2 for Genesis is broken. I can get farther on very Hard than I can on very easy. On very hard I can beat about 4 people but on very easy I'm hard pressed to beat 2. It's very odd.

[@Llukario]

I like these comparisons because you get to see small differences on each system!

[@Bamazrollin]

The hardware in the sega genesis was a couple years older than the snes so most of this is understandable.

[@volkte37]

The hardware isn't relevant to these games bar Street Racer. Mega Drive could have done all of the other games just as well. It's down to the choices made by the respective teams making the games.

[@alexandruc.5647]

The Genesis can handle rotation effects very well actually and could put up "mode 7" like graphics, if the developers knew what they were doing. Check Panorama Cotton for example, or the Adventures of Batman and Robin (this one makes some things with the Genesis hardware that are impressive as hell). Bottom line, the Street Racer game, could have looked and played just like the SNES version, if the devs wanted too or knew how to program it.

[@justintahair9119]

as a person that like games on both systems i hear that yep the genesis cpu was about 3 times faster than snes but both had good games

[@Moleplay]

@@justintahair9119 I like both systems too but the genesis/ Mega Drive CPU was double so fast and the resolution was higher. So the mega drive was better for action games. The strenght from the SNES were the colours, the special effects (rotation etc.) and the sound chip.

[@alexandruc.5647]

@D core you do make a good point, but Panorama Cotton does have rotation effects as well, and like I said, Adventures of Batman and Robin does some extraordinary things with the Genesis hardware. Yes, the so called mode 7 on the Genesis, was not as impresive as on the Snes at the end of the day, but it could still pull some neat tricks.

[@miamimagicians]

Mortal Kombat two is the best super Nintendo fighting game it's gorgeous

[@Gggrrrrrrrr23]

You can do multi directional shooting on Genesis Smash TV by plugging in a second controler and having one in each hand.

[@elbitxo5945]

kinda clunky, I know because I played it that way back in the day on the NES. Smash TV still looks and sounds better on the SNES.

[@cristianplaza1466]

Great video so good memories !!

[@RickyIcecubes]

With the exception of MK1, Aladdin and Shadowrun, every game ever released on both consoles was better on SNES.

[@PolitoKBJuegos]

nope, you missed nba jam, robocop vs terminator, jungle and desert strike, jurassic park, mickey mania, doom tropers there are tons of games better on genesis

[@thethiefhistorian3873]

Fun fact: I picked up a CIB MK2 for Super Nintendo for the loose price a little while back. So that was a pretty cool steal

[@idkmybffjv]

I remember the first time I played Mortal Kombat II on Sega at my cousin's house. I thought it was a sick fucking joke.

[@sonicmario64]

Other games released on the Sega Genesis that are better to play on SNES include "Street Fighter II Turbo", "Clay Fighter", "Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers", and "Earthworm Jim 2".

[@aj_gen_ace]

"Sega Does What Nintendon't" Yes but no.

[@Cton9573]

You know what they say. Nintendoes what Sega doesn’t

[@themcfaceman]

Cool video. Love me some TMNT Fighters, Batman, and Slam Masters. I heard someone argue that Aladdin is better on Genesis for some reason? I remember trying both versions back in the day but not whether one was better than the other

[@davidaitken8503]

Neither game is anything special. Both are extremely average side scrollers that nobody would care about were it not for the Aladdin license.

[@themcfaceman]

@@davidaitken8503 I disagree but to each his own

[@steveothehulk]

The snes was always better than megadrive/genesis apart from Aladdin that was best on megadrive

[@_Only_Zuul]

SNES mortal kombats, batman returns and TMNT graphics still look great! 😮😮😮

[@ZBR_ProXP]

Great video, but Sunset Riders on Genesis gets a really bad rap. Yes, the SNES version is better, but to say the Gen version is borderline unplayable due to speed and difficulty is not accurate. If we don't want to mention Zombies Ate My Neighbors, might as well not mention Sunset. How about Street Fighter II, Out of this World (the sound!!!), Prince of Persia?

[@Matrxmonky]

OUCH! WOAH! SNESDRUNK IS IN ANOTHER TIME ZONE!!!

[@retropolis1]

@GodZpeed X7 LOL, you didn't get the reference. He was mimicking the announcer in Rock n Roll Racing.

[@notimportant3686]

i played both back in the day... i never wondered about them as VS each other, but i did notice a preference for the SNES.... hell to be honest i liked the 8bit nintendo more than the sega genesis... mario over sonic

[@davidaitken8503]

Not to say that the Genesis didn't have some good games, but both the SNES and NES were better systems with much better games overall.

[@bestofmaxxgamingpokefam5352]

Yes! At least someone agree with me that TMNT fighters is so much better on SNES, and I have both games and the one on Sega Genesis was to hard to play and control sucks but it was cool that April O Neal was a ninja in the game lol

[@benaravensfan]

The GBA port of Rock 'n Roll racing was better than the Genesis port.

[@turricanrocks1552]

benaravensfan2002 is it also better than the SNES port?

[@davidaitken8503]

@@turricanrocks1552 Nope. It really needs more buttons and although the audio is easily superior to the Genesis, it still sucks compared to the SNES as is par for the course on GBA games.

[@turricanrocks1552]

@@davidaitken8503 Geez, it's about time someone replied to me. Anyways, thanks.

[@davidaitken8503]

@@turricanrocks1552 No problem. Love the name by the way, Turrican does indeed rock!

[@turricanrocks1552]

@@davidaitken8503 Thank you!

[@TheDuffman1812]

I loved Earthworm Jim. I had it on both consoles and played it so much with my Aunt. I miss my childhood and wish I could go back just to relive it all. I wouldn’t change anything even tho things are fucked up in certain areas. I want to go back just to experience it all again. I took it all for granted.

[@Vanskynyrd]

Hello snes!

[@yourstillwithme]

For real, anyone who says SNES is not better than Sega Genesis overall as a console, doesnt know anything about the lack of sound quality and overall presentation the Genesis lacked. outside of MK1 and Aladdin, sega was worse on almost every port.

[@chrislowee8475]

Genesis always had sound problems on a lot of the games Genesis had. All MORTAL KOMBAT gams had better graphics and sound on SNES.

[@louiskeiflin5858]

Chris Lowee Sorry but except 2

[@turricanrocks1552]

Chris Lowee except mk1

[@turricanrocks1552]

The Jolly DJ I don't know. SNES mk2 looks and sounds better.

[@louiskeiflin5858]

The N/X/A fan fan I mean mk1 sorry.

[@turricanrocks1552]

The Jolly DJ it's ok! :)

[@Retrobution]

in the UK well in my school anyway only a handful of people had a snes. most had a mega drive (or even a master system lol) this was good for me since having a mega drive it was easy to swap games with friends who had the same system. one day this girl brought in starwing and set it up on the school tv. everyone was in awe at that game. looking back.. i felt as if the snes was trying to be better rather than ACTUALLY be better as all of the media at the time was mostly about sega being the best lol so how could the snes be truly better even with fancy 3d graphics? its all about being there at the time of course. looking back i see that the snes is a clear winner on certain games. overall i prefer the style of the mega drive and the sound chip but of course that is what i grew up with. i always preferred street fighter 2 on the snes and turtles in time. but i have to say playing the arcade original turtles in time and also sunset riders this is the definitive way to play these games. so if you must play sunset riders or turtles in time. play the arcade versions. then go to the snes version and that is the next best one. and you can see the mega drive try its best at it but just doesnt cut it BUT at the time not even this video (if this could be there in the 90s!) would tell me that the snes is better haha! but today i just love that memory of people being in awe at the snes especially today with how social media and online gaming is. i appreciate all of that healthy competition that was had back in the day

[@jampaOK]

The snes mk2 is the closest to arcade one, on a 16 bit console. Not even sega 32x beat the snes version.

[@Kos4Evr]

Lets be honest. Who has even played the 32x version? By the time it even came out people were playing MK3. Besides its not a game that needed better graphics than what the Genesis had to be fun and playable. I can see why people would prefer the look of the SNES version, but its not a deal breaker by any means.

[@merlingt1]

yeah.... NO, but I agree that SNES MK2 was great.

[@NewGabeOrder]

João Paulo However, the game censors the blood and fatalities. Everyone’s blood is green, and fatalities turn the screen black and white.

[@Bloodreign1]

How many people in the US played the Japanese version back in the day and knew this though? Probably little to no one. It shocked me that they censored this, especially with some of the games that came from there.

[@dennistaylor9495]

Ed Boon himself stated that the SNES Version is one of the best arcade-to-home conversions he's ever seen.

[@lavagolem4832]

I like that the music stops and the commentator speaks in rock and roll racing

[@leronnieclopton1906]

Super Nintendo is better

[@SetFire2TheNightSky]

One of the coolest features that SNES MK II had over the Genesis version was the '4-man Tournament Mode'. Not to mention, it had better graphix, SFX & a ton of cool cheats like 'Extra Fatality Time', 'Auto Fatalities' and more.

[@madspunky]

I made a full list of which games were better on which system (the ones that counted). Feel free to use this and discuss! The idea: have comparable games cancel each other out until games are left over. Exclamation points indicate a clear winner (!!!). Let me know if I missed some games and/or made incorrect calls! (A game being released years earlier grants extra value) Platforming: Sonic 1 - Super Mario World Sonic 2 - Yoshi's Island Sonic 3 - Super Mario All Stars Sonic & Knuckles - Donkey Kong Country !!! Ristar - Donkey Kong Country 2 !!! Vectorman - Donkey Kong Country 3 Vectorman 2 - Rendering Ranger Aladdin !!! - Aladdin Mickey World of Illusion - Mickey Mystical Quest Gunstar Heroes - MegaMan X Dynamite Heady - MegaMan X2 Alien Soldier !!! - MegaMan & Bass Pulseman - Skyblazer Kid Chameleon - Kirby Superstar Decap Attack - Plok Ranger X - Metal Warriors Strider - Run Saber Moonwalker - Super Star Wars Rocket Knight Adventures - Super Empire Strikes Back Revenge of Shinobi - Super Return of the Jedi Shinobi 3 - Hagane X-men 2 - X-men Mutant Apocalypse Contra Hard Corps - Contra 3 Castlevania Bloodlines - Castlevania 4 Turrican - Super Turrican 2 Ghouls & Ghosts - Super Ghouls & Ghosts (winner: Tie) Shooters: Thunder Force 3 !!! - Thunder Spirits Thunder Force 4 !!! - R-Type 3 Musha - Space Megaforce Forgotten Worlds - Pocky & Rocky Trouble Shooter - Pocky & Rocky 2 Truxton - U. N. Squadron Grey Lancer - Scrambled Valkyrie Gaieres - Parodius Eliminate Down - Wild Guns After Burner 2 - Axelay Space Harrier 2 - Star Fox Zero Tolerence - Wolfenstein 3D Sub-Terrania - Doom (Winner: slightly Genesis, not a landslide thanks to the the variety the Snes had to offer) Beat 'em ups: Streets of Rage !!! - Final Fight Streets of Rage 2 - TMNT 4 Streets of Rage 3 - Final Fight 3 Golden Axe - Knights of the Round Golden Axe 2 - The King of Dragons Comix Zone - Batman Returns Crude Buster - Double Dragon IV (Winner: Genesis slightly) Fighting games: Eternal Champions - Street Fighter 2 !!! Samurai Shodown - TMNT Tournament Fighters Virtua Fighter 2 - Street Fighter Alpha 2 Mortal Kombat 1 - Mortal Kombat 2 Yu Yu Hakusho - Killer Instinct (Winner: Snes) Sports: NHLPA '93 !!! - NCAA World League Basketball Madden series !!! - NBA Live series FIFA - International Superstar Soccer Triple Play - Ken Griffey Greatest Heavyweights - Super Punch-Out !!! (Winner: Genesis slightly wins.Note: by 1994 the Snes was even, instead of eclipsed) Racing Super Hang-On - F Zero !!! Road Rash 2 - Super Mario Kart !!! Virtua Racing - Stunt Race FX Super Monaco GP - Unirally Out-Run - Top Gear (Winner: Snes) Adventure Landstalker - Zelda 3 !!! Wonder Boy in Monsterland - Super Metroid !!! Beyond Oasis - Secret of Mana !!! Crusader of Sentry - Seiken Densetsu 3 ToeJam & Earl - Mystical Ninja Goeman ToeJam & Earl 2 - Secret of Evermore Light Crusader - Illusion of Gaia Sword of Vermillion - Soul Blazer Starflight - Demon's Crest Ecco 2 - Terranigma Bimini Run - Act Raiser (Winner: Snes) Tactics Shining Force - Ogre Battle Shining Force 2 - Tactics Ogre Warsong - Famicom Wars Herzog Zwei - Sim City Dune 2 - Civilization Mega-lo-mania - Fire Emblem General Chaos - Bahamut Lagoon (Winner: Tie) Role Playing Phantasy Star 2 - Final Fantasy 4 Phantasy Star 3 - Final Fantasy 5 Phantasy Star 4 - Final Fantasy 6 !!! Shining in the Darkness - Crono Trigger !!! Shadowrun - Shadowrun !!! Starflight - Harvest Moon ?????? - Super Mario RPG ?????? - Earthbound ?????? - Breath of Fire 2 ?????? - Dragon Quest 5 ?????? - Star Ocean (Winner: Snes by a landslide) Other: Columns - Tetris Attack !!! Wacky Worlds - Mario Paint !!! Sonic Spinball - Pilotwings (Winner: Snes) Must-Play-Classics Sonic 1 - Super Mario World Sonic 2 - Yoshi's Island Aladdin - Donkey Kong Country Gunstar Heroes - Mega Man X Streets of Rage 2 - Street Fighter 2 !!! NHLPA '93 - Super Mario Kart !!! Thunder Force 4 - Super Metroid !!! Phantasy Star 4 - Final Fantasy 6 !!! ?????? - Zelda 3 ?????? - Secret of Mana ?????? - Crono Trigger (Winner: If you're only interested in a console with games that are still awesome to play to this day, the Snes has twice the classic power)

[@retrosoul8770]

Honestly this list isn't too shabby some titles I'd include like Twinkle Tale, Monster World IV, and Ninja Warriors but solid representation overall, and was an interesting read until the typical fanboy came out of nowhere in the last section announcing the winner. And the "must play classics" also being bias towards Snes, not surprised... I also agree with stka having questionable elements (Sf2 compared to SOR2? What?) Anyway this console war is more subjective than any other in gaming history imo because we're seeing a clash between different game designs. Sega's arcade orientation and Nintendo's adventure non-arcade approach. Neither approach is objectively superior, it's your personal taste that's going to determine what console you personally enjoy more because they're both timelessly enjoyable, but radically different systems in virtually every respect. At the end of the day, any lover of gaming media has gotta love them both.

[@retrosoul8770]

st1 the Gen definitely is one of the best shooter systems ever. He actually left many good ones out like Bio Hazard B, Fire Shark, Wings of Wor etc... But I still wouldn't call the Snes "terrible" here. Most of the ones he mentioned, are legit shmups from the era. (Megaforce, UN, R-Type 3 etc...) heck it's gotta better shmup library than virtually every console to come out after it since the genres been left behind in favor of bigger and bigger worlds...

[@madspunky]

Indeed, subjective. but I'm trying to be as objective as possible. I'd love to hear what you find questionable.

[@madspunky]

Indeed, Streets of Rage 2 vs. Street Fighter 2 was an odd comparison, but I recall them being compared in 1992. Back then, if you had to choose a console, I honestly believe that many (but still fewer) people would have preferred the (best) beat-em-up to the arcade smash hit. As for the 'classics', this is based on what I hear(d) others talk about. Now my perspective is subjective, but I do read a crazy lot of media on (retro) video games. Thanks for chiming in! I don't think Twinkle Tale, Monster World IV, and Ninja Warriors are good enough to be added, but if more people mention them, who knows!

[@madspunky]

There's no doubt that the Genesis has way more great shooters, but how many 'generic' ones do you have to play? For almost everybody, four is already enough, right?

[@Robert-hc4vu]

Great list. Absolutely spot on!

[@Dara321AAA]

All of them

[@Digitaaliklosetti]

Pretty much.

[@SuperHns]

Fanboy spotted

[@FloppyDisk893]

*FANBOY DETECTED*

[@turricanrocks1552]

hartfoundation99 yeah. Especially Judge Dredd and Prince of Persia. The Genesis version of PoP is awful. While Judge Dredd is okay on Genesis.

[@ExtremeWreck]

@@FloppyDisk893 *FANBOY TERMINATED*

[@pflynn12]

Opening to MK2 (for the mega drive/genese) is brilliant & some of the soundtracks, I felt that these elements were missing from snes version

[@FoxUnitNell]

Yeah, but in the SNES version, if you tapped down on the shoulder buttons and rotate your thumbs on the d pad and face buttons, you can cause Kintaro to appear and stomp down the acclaim logo.

[@MegaAshWilliams]

Sega fanboys are upset. Oh no.... :]

[@UniteForgetLeftRight]

I can't think of a Genesis game I would actually want to play these days. SNES always had higher quality, sharper looking/sounding games with the better control schemes.

[@thunderchild1083]

AttentionJunkie I can think of plenty, Kid Chameleon, Toejam and Earl 1&2, Aladdin, Land of Illusion, Gunstar Hero’s, Shining Force to name a few

[@allgood5140]

Genesis does, you can't do this on nintendon't :P

[@mojebi3804]

SNES and Genesis are both my favorite.

[@HypnoSwag]

There's a reason SNES minis are in higher demand than Sega Genesis minis.

[@inceptional]

I REALLY wish someone would hack Street Racer on SNES to remove all the item graphics on the track and just keep a few of the most important ones. It's nearly impossible to see what stuff is on the track clearly anyway. Also, I think it would have worked so much better if they'd use floating/rotating sprites for the pickups and such, so you could clearly see them as separate from the track.