I have to say, the Turbo, SNES, and Genesis versions of this game are all
extremely toned down by way of difficulty, but if I had to give one the
nod for being closest to the arcade game's intensity, the Genesis version
would be it. They all pick up towards the end but still the sprite size
and number pare it down by the most marginal of points and it's not the
same killer experience. The Playstation versions are of course identical
but I am also fond of the PC Engine CD-ROM for its music. I've heard
people mention that the CD-ROM has a faster ship-speed which helps out a
lot. If it is I hadn't noticed it, and I didn't find the game extremely
difficult on HuCard without that extra push.
On a slightly OT note I have to put in a word edgewise for the Jaguar
version, which is actually really easy once you've sat down at it for an
afternoon. It's got a few bugs in it, one of which lets you just skip a
boss by firing the right way without even killing it, that was a riot the
first time I saw that one. I enjoy the way the graphics are redrawn and
the 3D-rotating asteroids are really nice--and I still think its has the
best music of all versions, the 7th stage is killer, I had a hard time
believing that I was hearing the same game music at all.
~Alek
--
So be my Jupiter's moon, won't you come around soon?
And I'll love you from the cradle to the grave
�2001 Hog(Space) Music, Limited