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Do You Miss Unique Ports?

Turo602

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So this has been something that's been on my mind for a while and it just came back again after a discussion with my brother about wrestling games and how the difference in hardware used to push developers to make completely unique console ports with various IPs and in some cases, separate console exclusive franchises for each platform.

The last time this practice was common was during the 7th generation of gaming where various titles would be developed specifically for the PS3 and 360, but then get completely unique ports catered to the weaker hardware of the Wii and PS2, as well as various handheld versions for the DS, PSP, and even the Gameboy Advance. While this was mostly done to cash in on popular franchises with shovelware by exploiting all available platforms with large install bases, it gave us tons of options that each varied in style and quality.

But today, there are far less options in hardware due to Nintendo synergizing their console and handheld efforts into one machine and Playstation and Xbox virtually closing the gap in hardware for several generations making it much easier to develop the same game across multiple platforms. But even with Nintendo having significantly weaker hardware, they tend to be excluded altogether despite the massive success of the Switch with game companies relying mostly on porting older titles as opposed to developing unique games catered to the hardware. Playstation has even ditched the handheld market entirely to focus more on VR, which is honestly the closest thing we have to a unique platform that specializes in unique ports. But VR is still pretty niche and not really an ideal way for people to experience games.

Personally, I get why developers would rather focus all their resources on one great product as opposed to 2-6 different games with varying degrees of quality. But I also remember being a kid with older siblings who took priority when it came to console gaming and having nothing but a cheap handheld to play and having access to a game like Tomb Raider: Legend which was way better than it had any right to be on the DS and pretty much offered me the same basic experience the console version would years later. But as an adult who got to own and play the console version on 360, I see no reason to ever go back to the DS port and I personally wouldn't hunt it down and try to get it back for my collection. Though, if it were in my hands now, I'd definitely be overwhelmed by nostalgia for it.

But then I think about a game like the 2007 TMNT movie based game and how it offered completely different experiences across different platforms, with the console version usually considered an inoffensive yet forgettable Prince of Persia styled platforming beat 'em up, and the traditionally inferior GBA version being the much more fondly remembered of the two for returning to its arcade beat 'em up roots with a game that could be seen as a precursor to Scott Pilgrim and has now come full circle with the release of Shredder's Revenge. Yet, I have fond memories with both versions of the game and they're still in my collection awaiting for the day I revisit them, which I definitely will one day.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss those days, and it could be nostalgia talking, but honestly, the only reason this topic has been in my head was because I finally played the Ghostbusters Video Game earlier this year, which was remastered a while ago and I was under the impression that it was co-op... Turns out, only the Wii version is co-op, which was developed by an entirely different studio specifically for the Wii and actually let's you choose the gender of your rookie Ghostbuster, has motion controls, and a quirky art style suitable for the Wii hardware, and is still virtually the same game... Why was this version not remastered for the Switch? I get that the Switch is powerful enough to handle the more realistic visuals of the 360 and PS3 now, but it's also such a waste of one of the coolest unique ports that didn't just lay down and die at the challenge of being ported to inferior hardware, but took full advantage of it and now it'll forever be forgotten and buried on the Wii.

Surprisingly though, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was ported to the Switch recently too and while it seems most people were expecting the 360 and PS3 version, they actually ported the Wii version which I keep hearing is the preferred port anyway as it features more levels, motion controls, and a vs mode which have all been preserved on Switch. Even though I'm much more familiar with the 360 version myself, I'm glad the Switch's unique hardware was taken into consideration before just slapping another port together that you can get anywhere else. When the right effort is put into making a port stand on its own, even though it isn't the main or ideal version of it, that work should be preserved, especially when there's hardware that's suitable enough for it.

At the same time however, I can see how developing different versions of the same game oversaturates the market, but that isn't necessarily the only option a developer has. Which brings me to Sonic, which saw brand new titles developed specifically for each and every platform with the GBA, DS, Wii, and PSP getting their own set of games, while the 360 and PS3 got completely separate releases too. But then Sonic Unleashed happened and it was the first game in that era to have a unique port developed specifically for the PS2 and Wii instead of a brand new title. And since then, the lazy ports would just continue with games like Sonic Colors on DS, and Sonic Generations and Lost World on the 3DS that while unique games in their own right, were just shallow attempts at capitalizing on the much bigger console release.

As a life long wrestling fan, I remember playing through all the different console specific wrestling games across the Playstation, Nintendo, and Xbox consoles and being able to compare and contrast the differences in each one, with No Mercy on the N64 being a long time favorite for its grapple heavy gameplay, as well as the Day of Reckoning games on Gamecube for its more chaotic tactile combat. Meanwhile, Xbox just never seemed to get it right with their games despite being the most technically impressive at the time. But the Smackdown games on Playstation just kept consistently growing bigger and better while Xbox and Nintendo just couldn't keep up, which eventually led to the Smackdown games becoming the standard with the Smackdown vs RAW series going multiplatform and eventually being rebranded as WWE 2K.

On paper, it may seem like they merely dropped the dead weight and focused their attention to the superior series, but what we have now is creatively bankrupt sim style wrestling games that like sports games, release with little to no differences year after year. With the Playstation and Xbox being so similar, I understand why they'd just go multiplatform, but Nintendo has been excluded from these releases after a few failed attempts on the Wii, DS, and a lazy port on Switch. You'd think with the Switch's special circumstances, a unique game could be created specifically for it to capitalize on an untapped market. Something smaller in scale that would rely more on creative and fun gameplay than being a graphical showcase. Even a game reminiscent of No Mercy would be perfect as it has not only been requested for years but can also be considered a nostalgic Nintendo property that would surely draw eyes towards the Switch.

Unique hardware used to breed creativity, but everything feels so streamlined and samey now. So I ask, is gaming better off without these cash-grabby practices or has the lack of options and console diversity made gaming much more dull and stale? And have you ever felt ripped off by a lesser port or been pleasantly surprised by a unique one?
 

mαrkαsscoρ

Mr. SidleInYourDMs
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not really, even if there are some cases where a version on weaker hardware does something unique compared to it's counterpart, I think we're better off leaving behind the days where you had to settle for playing tony hawk's pro skater 2 or lego star wars on gba wishing that you had the console versions instead
I will hand you that it in turn makes gaming homogenized and sorta less interesting than it used to be
 
I absolutely miss unique gaming ports.


I have some fond memories with the likes of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command on Game Boy Color, which I found to be a much tighter platforming and shooting experience than its console counterpart.



I'll also give a shout-out here to Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate. Arkham Origins is widely considered to be the worst Batman Arkham game because it's the only one not developed by Rocksteady; instead, it was developed by Warner Bros. Montreal. On 3DS and Vita, it was a much more unique experience being more akin to a traditional platformer with some action elements. This version was later ported to consoles.



As for the other point you make about the Switch not receiving as much third party support, it absolutely boggles my mind how so many companies leave money on the table. Why isn't Call of Duty on Switch? It was on Wii U, which sold only about an eighth of what the Switch's hardware has achieved. Activision's decision making is questionable. Same with Rockstar. Bizarrely, we got L.A. Noire on Switch in its first year but crickets since then. GTA V was originally a 360 and PS3 game. It can absolutely run on the Switch.
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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Definitely not.

There might be some nostalgia for the more unique ports brought to weaker hardware, but none of it comes from me. I just don't see the appeal of seeing a cool game running on a different system before buying it for the console I own and find out it's an entirely different game.

Heck, even as much as I love seeing games built for more powerful consoles being sanded down and compressed until some portion of them technically runs on the Switch looking at you, Outer Worlds, it always seems kind of disappointing to me. I find myself looking at such compromised versions of these games and thinking, 'Man, I wouldn't want to even play the game if it looks like that.'

(Also, Arkham Origins Blackgate is actually a separate sequel to Arkham Origins, not a port of the base game. :eyes: )
 

Turo602

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(Also, Arkham Origins Blackgate is actually a separate sequel to Arkham Origins, not a port of the base game. :eyes: )

Kinda goes hand in hand with what I was saying though. Didn't want to get too wordy with the title, but the general idea is that lesser ports sometimes ended up being completely different games and in some cases, better games than their main counterparts.

So it's not strictly just about ports, but innovation with weaker/unique hardware. Like how wrestling games were completely different across every platform. Same deal with Blackgate which was created specifically to take advantage of hardware that couldn't run Arkham Origins.

Like you said, a game like Outerworlds being stripped down and ported to the Switch is kinda boring and unnecessary. But then there are ports like Resident Evil: Revelations 1 and 2 on Switch that add motion controls, gyro-aiming, and touch screen support, taking full advantage of the Switch hardware.
 

mαrkαsscoρ

Mr. SidleInYourDMs
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Kinda goes hand in hand with what I was saying though. Didn't want to get too wordy with the title, but the general idea is that lesser ports sometimes ended up being completely different games and in some cases, better games than their main counterparts.

So it's not strictly just about ports, but innovation with weaker/unique hardware. Like how wrestling games were completely different across every platform. Same deal with Blackgate which was created specifically to take advantage of hardware that couldn't run Arkham Origins.

Like you said, a game like Outerworlds being stripped down and ported to the Switch is kinda boring and unnecessary. But then there are ports like Resident Evil: Revelations 1 and 2 on Switch that add motion controls, gyro-aiming, and touch screen support, taking full advantage of the Switch hardware.
it gets tricky b/c at that point, is it even part of the discussion if it's a different game altogether? like all the console ports of Rayman 3 are basically the same, but the gba version is its own thing altogether, so is it even a port? the only thing making it a "port" is having the same name, otherwise it wouldn't even be part of the conversation of Rayman 3 (well less so than it already is)

though the topic goes a bit deeper at that point, like I also wouldn't count Origins and Origins Blackgate in this topic, but I would Rayman 3 console and gba purely b/c of the name, even though conceptually they're both sorta doing the same thing (Batman and Rayman)
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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Kinda goes hand in hand with what I was saying though. Didn't want to get too wordy with the title, but the general idea is that lesser ports sometimes ended up being completely different games and in some cases, better games than their main counterparts.

So it's not strictly just about ports, but innovation with weaker/unique hardware. Like how wrestling games were completely different across every platform. Same deal with Blackgate which was created specifically to take advantage of hardware that couldn't run Arkham Origins.

Like you said, a game like Outerworlds being stripped down and ported to the Switch is kinda boring and unnecessary. But then there are ports like Resident Evil: Revelations 1 and 2 on Switch that add motion controls, gyro-aiming, and touch screen support, taking full advantage of the Switch hardware.

I guess I'm just not a fan of seeing what I perceive to be a weaker game when a better option is available. The one I think of is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed... for the Wii. It's an ugly game with some waggly motion controls created because the Wii was technically much weaker than its competitors, but was selling oodles more.

I get why a desire for sales would lead to these ports being developed, but it'd be disappointing for me if I saw gameplay of Force Unleashed, bought it for the Wii expecting that game, and then had to play something else.
 

Turo602

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it gets tricky b/c at that point, is it even part of the discussion if it's a different game altogether? like all the console ports of Rayman 3 are basically the same, but the gba version is its own thing altogether, so is it even a port? the only thing making it a "port" is having the same name, otherwise it wouldn't even be part of the conversation of Rayman 3 (well less so than it already is)

though the topic goes a bit deeper at that point, like I also wouldn't count Origins and Origins Blackgate in this topic, but I would Rayman 3 console and gba purely b/c of the name, even though conceptually they're both sorta doing the same thing (Batman and Rayman)

For the sake of conversation, I say it counts. Like I said, it was too wordy to put in a title, but that's why I covered many different scenarios with various games and franchises in my original post because I'm not speaking strictly to just ports, but the overall diversity in gaming brought about by unique hardware which typically came in the form of "ports."

There are many examples of stripped down low res ports, which I agree are lazy and unneeded and is what we typically see today on the Switch, but then there are "ports" that are entirely different games developed specifically with certain hardware in mind like all the GBA/DS iterations of various game titles.

Adding to that though, there have been many franchises that gave us completely unique titles specifically for handhelds to expand their reach like how the PSP got 2 unique GTA games and even the DS with Chinatown Wars, yet with the Switch being such a hit, that same effort isn't really being put in by developers to create something for that specific hardware and are instead just content with ports of older titles or stripped down low res ports.

I guess I'm just not a fan of seeing what I perceive to be a weaker game when a better option is available. The one I think of is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed... for the Wii. It's an ugly game with some waggly motion controls created because the Wii was technically much weaker than its competitors, but was selling oodles more.

I get why a desire for sales would lead to these ports being developed, but it'd be disappointing for me if I saw gameplay of Force Unleashed, bought it for the Wii expecting that game, and then had to play something else.

Like I said in my original post though, The Force Unleashed on Wii is typically favored over its 360/PS3 counterpart. It may be an uglier game, but it's got more content that people obviously prefer over the "superior" version. Same with Ghostbusters on Wii, which had co-op despite the 360/PS3 version not offering it, as well as letting the player pick their own gender.
 

mαrkαsscoρ

Mr. SidleInYourDMs
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ok then my answer somewhat changes, I'm guessing something like Metroid Prime Hunters counts? b/c it's trying to take the the console Metroid Prime experience and fit it into a DS game, though granted it plays different from Prime but it's trying to showcase the DS could do something close to Prime while still doing it's own thing

but hell, we can be here all day listing examples, I also think about what it would've been like if the PS Vita got it's own unique GTA game, maybe taking advantage of the Vita hardware, but anyways yeah it is a shame that games like these don't really happen anymore, but the whole lesser version of a multiplat game I'm still fine w/ leaving in the past
 

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