Intro
Right off the bat, how many of us really cared which version of an arcade game we played unless we were involved in a console war? Exactly, not too many. If you encountered people who played regularly at arcades or were one of them, you probably knew about the differences. Whether we noticed or not, console ports of many arcade games have come a long way.
The fighting game genre is possibly the definitive benchmark for the quality of a game itself or how well the port was translated to console from the original arcade version. While SHMUPs and beat 'em ups are also great genres, the intricacy of a fighting game revolves around player versus player gameplay, which exposes much of the underlying mechanics and polish of the game. Early on, when consoles were much less advanced, porting a game from arcade to console often required many compromises, such as reducing frames of animation, adjusting audio to fit within the soundchip's specs, and often having to completely demake the game while attempting to preserve as much of the original game logic as possible. As console hardware became more advanced, porting a game became slightly more straightforward, primarily focusing on adapting the original game code for the hardware, with little to no optimization required. Nowadays, re-releasing almost any classic game has become as trivial as shipping it with an emulator.
In this article, I will highlight some of my favorite ports of fighting games to console. Some of these will seem like obvious choices, while others may surprise you. The prerequisites are that the game originated on arcade, was not developed specifically for consoles, and that it's not an emulated version of a game.
Sony PlayStation
Now, before we get started, let's address a few things to avoid redundancies. The obvious compromises made for most PlayStation arcade ports were in the graphics, particularly for 3D games. It was very rare for a port to receive any actual graphical enhancements or to fully preserve the original graphics. Loading screens also plagued most ports, although games developed specifically for the PlayStation were optimized to minimize the number of loading screens the player encountered. Another common quirk is that the PAL version of a game often ran slower than the NTSC version. Other than that, you'd be able to transfer the majority of your skills from PlayStation back to the arcade.
Developer: Arika
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: July 17, 1997
As the first 3D Street Fighter game, Street Fighter EX presented many opportunities for experimentation with the Street Fighter formula. It featured Guard Breaks, which are unblockable attacks that leave your opponent in a stunned state. Super Cancel allowed you to easily cancel from a super into a special, and vice versa. The cast of characters is a mix of Arika's original characters and Capcom's iconic ones. Despite the Arika cast standing out with unorthodox movesets, at least compared to what most Street Fighter players were used to, they were designed around the core mechanics of Street Fighter EX and are great for learning the game. Street Fighter characters were properly adapted to the new experimental gameplay, offering a familiar way for veterans to give the game a try. What distinguishes Street Fighter EX from the second game is that it is the more technical of the two, as many moves require recca-style inputs. Street Fighter EX Plus α is the definitive version of this entry, featuring exclusive content such as additional characters, an arranged soundtrack, and more.
Developer/Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: July 30, 1998
Often regarded as one of the greatest fighting games released by Capcom, Rival Schools is a fantastic casual, fast-paced fighter. The core mechanics feature modest ground and aerial combos, offering an exciting spectacle for both players and spectators. This is one of the few console ports that included a significant amount of extra content spread across two discs. The Arcade disc offers the standard arcade experience, along with several modes you'd expect from a console port. The Evolution disc, however, is where the additional content shines. It features new characters, mini-games, and in the Japanese release, a dating sim with a customizable character. An update for the Japanese version was released, expanding the dating sim content and adding more characters.
Developer: Arika
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: December 24, 1999
A sequel to Street Fighter EX, EX2 steps away from the technical movesets and moves forward by reintroducing the classic Street Fighter-style gameplay which feels significantly different. A new feature in EX2 is Excel Combos, which remove the recovery frame after hitting an opponent, allowing you to link moves into potentially ridiculous combos. While many characters from EX Plus α return, along with new classic and original characters, EX2 omits Allen, Blair, and Sakura. The PlayStation port features one new secret character, as well as console-exclusive game modes.
Developer/Publisher: Namco
Release Date: March 26, 1998
Probably the most popular fighting game on the PlayStation, Tekken 3 is where the series truly hit its stride with the mainstream market. Despite Tekken and Tekken 2 being arcade-perfect ports, the graphics and movesets still lacked the signature excitement we now associate with Tekken, but they served as essential stepping stones for establishing the leading 3D fighting game franchise. With Tekken 3, the animations and movelists felt perfected, and the hit effects enhanced the impact of each strike. The music was also one of the standout features and has since become a signature element of the series. In the PlayStation console port, we are introduced to Gon, a guest character popular in Japan, and Dr. Bosconovitch as a playable character. Tekken Force is a beat 'em up mini-game where you play as one of the characters from the roster and fight through waves of enemies, similar to games like Streets of Rage or Final Fight. Tekken Ball mode has two players trade a ball back and forth until someone hits their opponent with it.
Developer: Eighting
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Release Date: January 28, 1999
If you enjoyed Altered Beast, a totally unrelated beat 'em up for the Sega System 16 and loved transforming into a beast, Eighting (Formerly Raizing) had developed a fighting game all about that in the mid 90s. While the first Bloody Roar game; also known as Beastorizer, is a good entry and still enjoyable, Bloody Roar 2 introduces new characters and Beast Drives. Beast Drives are essentially super combos with a spectacle that causes a ton of damage. This entry also established the core mechanics that future games in the series would be based on. As expected, the PlayStation port features additional features such as a console specific soundtrack, but you can also enjoy the original arcade soundtrack. The intro now features a beautifully animated FMV. For some players, the amount of configurable options might seem overwhelming. One setting I found intriguing was the ability to play the game with a widescreen stretch.
Honorable Mentions aka Games you should still have on hand:
- Capcom vs SNK Pro: While the Dreamcast port is superior, the PlayStation port is still acceptable, as the main issue is the loading screens between rounds.
- Street Fighter Alpha 3: Another game that might be better enjoyed on another console, the PlayStation port is available in English, making World Tour mode more accessible and enjoyable. The Saturn port may be a better game from a technical standpoint, but is only available in Japanese narrowing down the amount of content English speakers can enjoy. Ultimately, the Dreamcast port has everything in English, with the quirk that the gameplay looks a bit zoomed out.
- Marvel vs Capcom: The PlayStation port is unique in that it changes the way tag assists work, a feature we would later see in Marvel vs. Capcom 2.
Outro
These are my personal picks for the best arcade ports on the PlayStation. Of course, I may have missed someone's favorite, but we all know the PlayStation is home to dozens of arcade ports across all genres.Coming up next, is my Dreamcast list which you can read HERE!
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