Hyperstone Heist and Turtles in Time are both good games, even in comparison.
User Rating: 8.3 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return of the Shredder GEN
View the page here: http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/TMNTcomp.htm http://www.gamepilgrimage.com -> Comparisons -> Genesis-vs-Snes -> TMNT 'Comparison Page' Below is the observations that I have in the link above, below all of the screenshots, movie files and mp3s. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Introduction The differences between the two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games for the 16-bit systems are a microcosm of the differences between most games on the systems. That which is postulated in the Genesis-vs-Snes page is especially proven true by these two examples. Each game was developed in the same year, by the same company, for both systems, and both games are a decent example of what each system could do. Graphics The Snes game has a little over twice the colors on screen, and the Genesis game has more characters, less flicker, more background layers and more animation. The actual max color palette of the pictures shown are displayed in the Genesis-vs-Snes page. The difference in color counts on screen is not the most noticeable difference in the graphics for both games. TMNT IV is brighter, and uses a healthy portion of pastel pinks and purples, which the Genesis doesn't have in its color palette. This gives each game a distinct look, with the Genesis game being more bold and dark, and the Snes game being brighter, or just plain different looking in some levels. The Genesis game displays more background layers, or parallax, in certain levels, as can be seen in the movie files with the word parallax in the link. This is even demonstrated by the opening sequence, which has a separate far background behind the "Konami Presents" in Hyperstone Heist, but TMNT IV is just one plane. Aside from that both systems are capable of hardware warping effects, and both games have varying demonstrations of that effect. TMNT IV for the Snes shows off the Snes' exclusive hardware scaling and Mode 7 special effects. These scaling and Mode 7 movie files are also examples of the limitation of the Snes' hardware effects. In order for the Snes to scale a sprite from the far background to the foreground, or back, the rest of the screen must be relatively empty, and is usually just left black. Alternately, when the Snes is displaying graphics in Mode 7, it usually doesn't scale sprites also. This is true for F-Zero and Mario Kart as well, even though the later has a chip in the cart to help with the processing. Lastly, Hyperstone Heist has more animation in all characters' standing and fighting animations. This can especially be seen in the Alley movie files. The relative lack of animation while running is especially noticeable in TMNT IV. The difference is significant enough that it does effect gameplay, which will be discussed below. As a wierd side note though, two of Hyperstone Heists levels feature turtles walking on water, even water that Pizza Monsters splash out of. Sound Both games have nearly the same soundtrack. The Snes instruments are all digital, and the Genesis uses a blend of digital and analog instruments, as is typical for both system's sound capabilities. Both game's voice samples are somewhat flat and grainy, with the Snes samples being somewhat less grainy, but also more quiet and having more reverb. Also, the Snes version's sound effects are almost all more muffled and quiet than their Genesis counterparts. Most notably, when an enemy explodes in the TMNT IV it can barely be heard, and sounds more like a splash than an explosion, while Hyperstone's explosions have quite a bit of bass in them and make a very distinct sound that can't be missed. Overall, both game's music and sound effects are good for the system, and comparable overall, with the Snes music and the Genesis sound effects being respectively louder. Gameplay Contrary to popular belief, TMNT IV and Hyperstone Heist are not actually the same game. TMNT IV could actually be considered a sequel, and as such has a few more moves and differences in animation. Characters run differently, attack differently, and jump and fall differently and at different speeds. Hyperstone is actually the faster of the two in gameplay, but the Snes game appears to be almost as fast due to the lack of several frames in every animation. The only obvious difference in controls is that Hyperstone Heist has a run button, while the Snes game either runs automatically after holding forward for a second, or runs at a double tap, depending on what was selected in the option menu. In TMNT IV the Turtles are capable of a flipping slash attack, that will also carry you further, just after reaching the peak of a jump, and are also capable of throwing footsoldiers into the screen. Also contrary to popular belief, the screen throw animation is not using any kind of scaling technique, but is animated in three simple sprite changes. This same approach could have been used in the Genesis version, and both systems could have animated the throw with more frames. The reason why the Snes game does not scale the sprite for the screen throw is most likely due to the speed of the game, and the necessary 3-6 characters on screen at once. The Snes never did exceptionally well with action games, and throwing scaling sprites into the mix would very likely have caused slowdown, and possibly couldn't have been done well in such a quick animation. Lastly, Hyperstone Heist is noticeably more difficult than TMNT IV, even while playing the later on 'Hard' mode and the former on Normal. The Genesis game's enemies just fight more, and gang up on you more more often, especially on that version's hard mode. In Hyperstone, the Turtles are also knocked down much more easily, which usually eliminates an opportunity to hit a boss, or knock down multiple enemies more quickly. The boss fights are also much easier on TMNT IV and sometimes frustratingly hard in Hyperstone Heist. For example, Leatherhead will get on all fours after one combo is completed on him, in Hyperstone the transition to all fours will knock you away and take away energy, while on the Snes it does neither. In addition to that, Leatherhead moves across the screen much more quickly in the Genesis game, and is much more likely to hit you while switching sides. The Snes game compensates for this deficiency in enemy AI and boss difficulty by nearly doubling the damage taken from one hit. Meaning that the same hit in both games would count significantly more against your energy bar in the Snes game, thus making the game more difficult. Finally, the level screenshot pages above might make it look like the Genesis game shorter, while it is actually larger. Each level in TMNT IV is only one phase, what scenery you see in the beginning of that stage is what you will finish that stage in. In Hyperstone each level, with the exception of the Gauntlet, has two to three transitions in the same level, as can be seen in the screenshots for each. This means that Hyperstone Heist actually has 12 levels, while TMNT IV actually has 10, including boss fights and bonus rounds. Conclusion Both games are relatively short and easy to complete, compared to other beat-em ups on both systems. If the games were combined into one game, with the Genesis version's animations, and the Snes version's moves and color palette choices, the final product might be different. As it stands, both games are individually an excellent example of each system's graphical and audio capabilities, but both versions fall somewhat short in gameplay complexity, and AI. The Genesis version being the better with the later two deficiencies overall, and the Snes is better with the former if you don't consider the lacking animations. However, level and character design, the overall art quality, and the music selection for both games are so unique and well done that they go a long way towards making the games seem like 9/10 titles when they are actually 7-8s at best.
--