I am playing Wonder Boy 5 - Monster World 3 for the first time on the Genesis and i am comparing it to the Hudson Soft port of Dynastic Hero. I hate to say it but Hudson Soft dropped the ball on this one. Character designs are less appealing and music is not good as the original version which is surprising to me. Dragon's Curse and Monster Lair versions on TG-16/PCE were so much better than the SMS/Mega Drive versions so it is really a big surprise to me.
After i finish both of those i will move on Monster World IV which is only to be found on the Mega Drive. For some reason Hudson never ported this game and it came out only in Japan. Crazy!
Now i must buy i repro copy for this game ...
I think a lot of folks would agree that some of the character designs are *weird* because they do not fit the typical Wonderboy style. The bosses are different.
I wish I had more than the handful of shots below:
http://tg-16.com/screenshot_comparisons_rpg.htm#Dynastic_Hero(to help aid our discussion, and folks who aren't as familiar with both versions)
As you may know, the characters were redesigned so Hudson could cash-in on some trendy IP of the time (Bikkuriman anime...)
MY TAKE: I don't think one style is aesthetically superior to the other, necessarily. In fact, I could make the argument that the new sprite designs are *more charming* than the bland originals. However, to prevent any battle between us, let's agree that the aesthetics are a matter of personal preference, and I would not try to convince you that the protagonists of Dynastic Hero have more personality and a far more intriguing look than no-frills Classic WB.
Both games are great. Both soundtracks are excellent. I am glad that MD and PCE are not identical, because it is fun to have variations on a theme. The loss of a little parallax in PCE is lame, but not major, since the game is clearly fun as hell, regardless.
AWACK'S TAKE: He's the fellow who captured all those screenshots as he compared all the games and he said that PCE eliminates parallax, PCE adds a few more colors and slightly improved animation for a boss, ...but MD vs. PCE games were essentially the same.
BONUS: You might find this somewhat interesting:
http://archives.tg-16.com/Dengeki_PC_Engine_1994_06.htmYOU CAN MAKE THAT YOUR DESKTOP IMAGE