Playing With History - Genesis vs. SNES: Street Fighter II SCE/Turbo

RSS Bot · June 24, 2008

Please note that the following is strictly a subjective and non-technical exercise carried out for my own amusement. The verdicts I reach are largely subjective and I fully expect others to disagree with my conclusions. I'm also aware of the PC-Engine version of this game. Its absence from the discussion is deliberate.

Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition (Genesis)

-vs-

Street Fighter II Turbo (SNES)

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Despite their differing titles, these two games are really one and the same. Actually, two and the same, because each cartridge includes both the Champion and Hyper Fighting editions of Street Fighter II.

I try to stay away from arguments over which console was the best of its generation. 2600 vs. INTV; 5200 vs. Colecovision; NES vs. SMS--those broad fanboy debates have always struck me as being rather pointless. None more so than the debate surrounding the SNES/Genesis rivalry.

Nevertheless, in those instances where the same game was produced for two rival consoles, I find it interesting to compare the two versions and determine which version, if either, is superior. It's especially interesting in the case of Street Fighter II: SCE/Turbo because proponents from both sides of the Genesis-SNES rivalry point to this game as an example of their preferred console's superiority.

I decided to choose for myself which of the two versions is superior. To that end, I made side-by-side comparisons of the games' graphic, audio, and gameplay elements. For each of these elements, I choose what I judged to be the superior version. In those instances where neither version was clearly better, I declared a tie.

Here are the results.

Graphics

Both the Genesis and SNES versions of the game appear to be running at the same resolution--256 x 224(?). Consequently, the graphical elements in both versions are equivalent in size and detail. The Genesis version displays slightly more vertical pixels, while the SNES version appears to be slightly letterboxed. The SNES has the advantage of a noticeably greater color depth, but that advantage is greatly minimized by the comparable level of detail and, generally, excellent palette choices found within the Genesis version.

Stage Backgrounds

There are a surprisingly large number of differences between the two versions within the graphics of the stage backgrounds. The higher color depth of the SNES is apparent on every stage, but, as I said earlier, that advantage is mostly neutralized by the excellent palette selections and equivalent level of detail found in the Genesis version.

When deciding which background versions were superior, I favored animation and detail over color depth. Arcade fidelity wasn't a specific consideration in my appraisals. However, arcade fidelity usually parallels animation and detail.

Balrog's Stage:

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Genesis

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SNES

Significant differences:

Genesis

1. The “Capcom” marquee changes colors.

2. The man at center-left wears an all-orange outfit.

3. The man at center-right wears a blue coat.

4. The girls in top hats wear the same color outfit.

5. The neon signs at the top left and right edges are blue and red and they do not flash on and off.

6. The “Golden goose” marquee does not pulsate.

SNES

1. The “Capcom” marquee is animated but does not change colors.

2. The man at center-left wears a blue shirt and pants with a light orange jacket.

3. The man at center-right dons a white fur coat.

4. The girls in top hats wear outfits that are different colors.

5. The neon signs at the top left and right edges are green and pink and they flash on and off (see animated gif below.)

6. The “Golden goose” marquee pulsates (see animated gif below.)

The birds that fly out from the girls’ top hats at the end of a round have better animation on the Genesis, while the confetti that the man at center-left tosses at the end of a round has better animation on the SNES.

Winner: With more animation and color, the SNES wins the round.

<--Genesis

SNES-->

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Bison's Stage:

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Genesis

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SNES

Significant differences: The SNES displays better color gradients and a bit more detail, but the two versions look practically identical.

Winner: None. A tie.

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Blanka's Stage:

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Genesis

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SNES

Significant differences:

Genesis

1. The clouds do not scroll across the background.

2. The flowers at the base of the tree are green.

3. There is less color in the background characters.

4. The hanging fish is smaller, but it is clearly hanging from a rope.

SNES

1. The clouds scroll across the background.

2. The flowers at the base of the tree are purple.

3. There is more color in the background characters.

4. The hanging fish is larger, but appears to be magically suspended.

The windows in the hut are in opposite positions.

Winner: With more animation and a bit more color, the SNES carries the stage.

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Chun Li's Stage:

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Genesis

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SNES

Significant differences: There is significantly more color in the SNES version.

Genesis

1. Animated water runs from the faucet where the woman is washing her laundry.

2. The man in the background leaning on a bicycle is animated.

3. There is a utensil in the bucket under the table in the left stall.

4. The bicyclists appear in only a single outfit color.

SNES

1. Animated water does not run out of the faucet where the woman is washing her laundry.

2. The man in the background leaning on a bicycle is not animated.

3. There is not a utensil in the bucket under the table in the left stall.

4. The bicyclists appear in two outfit colors.

The little girl’s head is slightly different in the two versions. The letters in the sign on the table in left stall look like “Joe” on the Genesis. On the SNES, they look like “roz”.

Winner: The greater color depth of the SNES version makes it a close contest, but more animation tips the scale in favor of the Genesis.

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Dhalsim's Stage:

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Genesis

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SNES

Significant differences: None.

The vases beneath the elephants are in opposite positions.

Winner: Neither. There are minor color differences, but for all practical purposes, the two versions are identical.

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E. Honda's Stage

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Genesis

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SNES

Significant differences: There is significantly more color in the background elements of the SNES version.

Genesis

1. There is not a paper lantern hanging from the ceiling on the left side.

2. Shikiri-sen are gray.

3. Tile joints are not visible in the rising sun mural.

SNES

1. There are paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling on both the left and right sides.

2. Shikiri-sen are yellow.

3. Tile joints are visible in the rising sun mural.

Like the Genesis version, the arcade version lacks the paper lantern on the left side.

Winner: With its greater detail and better use of color, the SNES gets the win.

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Guile's Stage:

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Genesis

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SNES

Significiant differences: The greater color depth of the SNES version is a noticeable advantage on this stage. Evidence of the Genesis version’s lower color depth is visible in the breakable crates and the heavy gradient patterns in the sky and on the tarmac.

Genesis

1. Two additional characters are included in the background. They appear directly under the canopy in the Genesis screenshot above.

2. The background characters have more animation than those found in the SNES version.

3. A small can and box appear on the ground near the right edge.

4. There is not a boombox behind the crate on the right side.

SNES

1. Two characters are not included in the background (those directly under the canopy in the Genesis screenshot.)

2. The animation of the characters that are present is reduced (the woman on far left only pumps her fist, instead of blowing kisses, and only the right side of the man sitting on the crate is animated.)

3. There is not a small can or box on the ground near the right edge.

4. A red boombox appears on the ground behind the crate on the right side.

Winner: Despite having an obviously lower color count, more background characters and animations deliver the stage to the Genesis.

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Ken's Stage:

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Genesis

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SNES

Significant differences: The greater color depth of SNES is apparent, but not significant.

Winner: None. There are not enough differences to break a tie.

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Ryu's Stage:

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Genesis

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SNES

Significant differences: Evidence of the SNES’s greater color depth can be observed in the floor and roof lines. However, the low contrast in those areas obscures detail. On the Genesis, the lower color count in the floor and roof lines creates higher contrast and greater detail in those areas (compare the carvings on the curving buttress in the upper left corner).

Genesis

1. The moon is in the sky.

2. The light-to-dark gradient is less pronounced, but nearly seamless.

3. The clouds are smooth and wispy.

4. The building in the background is properly shadowed.

SNES

1. The moon is not in the sky.

2. There are sharp transition lines in the light-to-dark gradient.

3. The clouds are pixelated and blocky.

4. The building in the background, just above the roof line, is too bright for an object in its position.

Winner: With a more detailed and aesthetically pleasing background, the Genesis triumphs.

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Sagat's Stage:

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Genesis

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SNES

Significant differences: The greater color depth of the SNES results in a marginally smoother appearance.

Winner: None. No significant differences exist between the two versions.

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Vega's Stage:

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Genesis

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SNES

Significant differences:

Genesis

1. The woman at the left table opens her mouth and does not tap her foot.

2. The woman at the left table wears an orange dress.

3. The Flamenco dancers wear orange dresses and have staggered animations that include an additional sprite.

4. The floor is blue and yellow.

5. There is a thin strip of bricks on both sides of the cage (visible to on the left side of the Genesis screenshot, just behind Vega).

6. The letters above the center mural do not change colors.

7. The sconces on the wall do not pulsate.

SNES

1. The woman at the left table taps her foot and does not open her mouth.

2. The woman at the left table wears a yellow dress.

3. The Flamenco dancers wear pink dresses and have a synchronized animation that consists of the left and right dancers simply swapping positions.

4. The floor is green and yellow.

5. There is not a thin strip of bricks at either end of the cage (visible to on the left side of the Genesis screenshot, just behind Vega).

6. The letters above the center mural change colors.

7. The sconces on the wall pulsate.

Winner: Very close, but the SNES prevails on account of its animated lighting.

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Zangief's Stage:

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Genesis

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SNES

Significant differences:

Genesis

1. The chain attached to the pulley reaches up to the ceiling.

2. The sign on the gate in the background fence is a distinct color.

3. The chain hanging from the ceiling is gray.

3. There are signs on the foreground fencing on the left side.

4. Less detail can be seen behind the background fence.

SNES

1. The chain attached to the pulley does not reach up to the ceiling.

2. The sign on the gate in the background fence is the same color as the fence.

3. The chain hanging from the celling is green.

4. There are not any signs attached to the foreground fencing on the left side.

5. More detail can be seen behind the background fence.

Like the Genesis version, the chain connected to the pulley reaches up to the ceiling in the arcade version.

Winner: More detail secures the victory for the Genesis.

Stage Background Results:

Genesis: 4 stages. Chun-Li's/Guile's/Ryu's/Zangief's

SNES: 4 stages. Balrog's/Blanka's/E. Honda's/Vega's

Tie: 4 stages. Bison's/Dhalsim's/Ken's/Sagat's

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Characters

Only minor differences in color and shading exist within the character graphics and none are significant. Arcade animations have been dropped/changed in both versions, but when compared to each other, the two versions appear to contain an identical number of animation frames for each character. I could find no differences in the animation of any character. It would be a waste of time to present each character comparison individually. When it comes to character graphics and animation, the Genesis and SNES versions are equivalent.

Portraits

Again, only minor differences exist between the two versions. Most notably, the portraits for Ken, Ryu, and Dhalsim are different in the two versions. For example, Ken's eyebrows are thicker in the SNES version. Noticeable differences can also be observed in Dhalsim's portraits. However, none of the differences in any character portraits are significant. Although I do prefer the Genesis rendering of Ken.

Genesis

SNES

Genesis

SNES

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Audio

Music

The SNES produces sample-based digital music at 32kHz, with stereo panning. On the Genesis, music is analog, generated via FM synthesis, and strictly monaural. Because the music on the Genesis is analog, playback rate isn't really applicable. In order to get an indication of the relative playback quality of the music from both consoles, I took 44kHz digital recordings of select musical tracks directly from each console. I then progressively downsampled each recording until I could detect a significant loss in audio quality as compared to the original 44kHz recordings. As expected, the SNES audio quality began to degrade just below 32kHz. In addition, re-mixing the SNES music from stereo to mono substantially reduces it's dynamic quality. On the Genesis, I couldn't detect a qualitative loss until ~16kHz.

Both versions of the game reproduce the same fundamental musical compositions. Due to a similarity between the Genesis' audio hardware, based on FM synthesis, and the arcade game's audio hardware, which is also based on FM synthesis, the music of the Genesis version sounds closer to the music of the arcade game. However, the original arcade music was poorly rendered. Both the Genesis and SNES renditions are far superior. Interestingly, while percussion instruments are a prominent (often, overbearing) component of the Genesis tracks, the Genesis version does not include a voice to mimic the prevalent cymbal heard in the arcade music.

Overall, the music produced by the SNES version sounds more dynamic than the music produced by the Genesis version. This is due, in large part, to digital voices on the SNES that sound like real instruments and to the SNES's ability to create stereo panning effects. In contrast, the analog voices on the Genesis are defined by FM parameters and retain a more synthetic quality.

Unfortunately, there is no practical way, within the scope of this blog, to provide comparison audio samples. Unbiased, 44kHz audio samples would be far to large to upload, and uploading or linking to already existing audio samples on sites like Youtube would be inherently biased against the SNES because Youtube's codecs resample audio content to 22 kHz monaural.

I have a rather limited musical vocabulary, so please bear with me here. I will be brief.

Balrog's Stage: The SNES instruments aren't all that great. The trumpet fills and cymbal crashes are nice, though. The Genesis version is all there, but it's poorly mixed. Most of the supporting voices are muffled. No clear winner. A tie.

Bison's Stage: The Genesis version is clean, but the lead synth is too loud. The SNES has the opposite problem. It sounds muffled and the lead voice is too soft. Close, but I prefer the mood of the Genesis track.

Blanka's Stage: The two versions emphasize different elements of this track. The Genesis focuses more on the rhythm. The SNES more on the melody. Two different moods. Impossible to say which I prefer. A tie.

Chun Li's Stage: The lead voice on the Genesis has a shrill and ringing tone and the support voices have a buzzing quality. The SNES flute lead sounds much better. SNES

Dhalsim's Stage: The lead synth on the Genesis has a ringing tone that grates on the nerves. However, it is anchored by a better bass line. The SNES track is more subdued, but has a slightly "squeeky" tone. Nevertheless, it's easier on the ears. SNES

E. Honda's Stage: The SNES instrumentation is better. The Genesis version suffers from a poor mix--the lead and percussion levels are the same volume. SNES

Guile's Stage: The dynamism of the SNES version really comes through. The trumpet lead sounds fantastic and when it hits the sustained high notes with a bit of tremolo(?), it's a real tour de force moment of SNES audio prowess. The panning cymbal crashes sound great too. Genesis version starts out great, but then it drops into a lifeless lead synth and the track quickly bottoms out and never recovers. SNES by a mile.

Ken's Stage: The SNES instrumentation used in this track is simply awful. The distorted electric guitar sounds like a dying goose, which might have been bearable on it's own, but when mixed with a lead synthesizer that sounds like it was ripped straight off a Casio VL-1, the track turns into an embarrassing mess. It's probably the worst rendition of any musical piece in any version of Street Fighter II. The Genesis version sounds much better, with a nice bass line and prominent percussion that actually works well on this track. Genesis in a runaway.

Ryu's Stage: The Genesis version sounds flat and the percussion is too overbearing. SNES version is also flat and sounds too frantic. I don't care for either version. A tie.

Sagat's Stage: The Genesis track is awful. The percussion is too overbearing and the track has an overly-synthetic, almost industrial quality. The SNES version retains a more organic quality that creates a better mood. Although the lead trumpet sounds a bit "tinny". The SNES version includes a section with syncopated snyths and a small musical phrase at the end of the track. Neither are in the Genesis or arcade versions. Super Street Fighter II includes them both. The SNES track also begins with a cool snare hit. SNES in a landslide.

Vega's Stage: Both tracks are excellent, but the voices on the SNES, particularly the violins, sound better. The panning cymbal crashes on the SNES are also nice. Very close, but I have to give it to the SNES.

Zangief's Stage:The SNES lead is poor, but the supporting voices are good. Cymbal crashes on the SNES are nice, but the "clipped" snare sounds odd. Genesis version is solid and has a nice mood. Genesis.

Background Music Results:

Genesis: 3 stages. Bison's/Ken's/Zangief's

SNES: 6 stages. Chun Li's/Dhalsim's/E. Honda's/Guile's/Sagat's/Vega's

Tie: 3 stages. Balrog's/Blanka's/Ryu's

Sound Effects

This is the only aspect of the game where one version is unequivocally superior to the other. Frankly, the quality of the digital sound effects on the Genesis is very poor. Every sound effect on the Genesis has a grainy quality indicative of low sampling rates. The scratchy voices of the round announcer and those that accompany special moves sound as if they are in desperate need of a lozenge. The knockout moans are especially dreadful.

In contrast, the sounds effects samples on the SNES are of a much higher quality. Every sound effect on the SNES sounds clean and clear.

Gameplay

Not much to say here, but that both versions contain rock-solid gameplay and are, essentially, identical in that respect.

Likewise, control in both versions is excellent. The Genesis version requires a non-standard six button controller for proper gameplay. The SNES version can be played with a standard controller. However, the six button controller for the Genesis is more-or-less ubiquitous, so there is no real advantage for the SNES in that regard. Individuals may prefer one controller to another (I prefer the SNES controller), but neither controller is better than the other.

Final Verdict

When it comes to graphics and animation, it's a toss up. Likewise, neither version possess and advantage when it comes to gameplay or control. However, when it comes to audio quality, the SNES version is clearly superior. The background music is closely contested, but the quality of the sound effects on the Genesis is inferior, which is lamentable because in a game like Street Fighter II where sound effects play such a prominent role, the low-quality sound effects of the Genesis have a disproportionately negative effect on the perception of the Genesis version's quality as a whole.

All things considered, the SNES is the better version.

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