What is the best version of smash tv?
The arcade original, according to conventional wisdom, is preferred, though the SNES port is also very good. I’m obviously more drawn to the Midway Arcade Origins (on the 360) or Midway Arcade Treasures 1 (on the PS2) options, though, given the price it commands. Total Carnage is included in Origins as well, but you can only control the games with the right stick, whereas the PS2 version is significantly less expensive, allows for more precise control with the face buttons in addition to the right stick, and has fewer games overall (though in all honesty, I’ll only use the compilations for Robotron, Smash TV, and Gauntlet)… shame that Total Carnage is available separately for the PlayStation 2.
Continue reading to find out more about the best Smash TV version.
Table of Contents
Most Authentic: Arcade Versions (plus Emulations For Ps1, Ps2, Xbox, Xbox 360)
Now is the time for a brief disclosure. I’ve never actually played the full arcade version of Smash TV.
To be completely honest, I never even saw one back in the day, though I have played many of the successfully emulated versions of it through compilations like the excellent Arcade Party Pak for the PS1 or the Midway collections for the Xbox and PS2.
I won’t lie; even though it seems like an almost impossible task, I’d still love to stumble upon a real Smash TV arcade system someday.
Of course, since the arcade game is the true original, it should be considered the “best” version if one wants to be “correct” about it. The source of all other ports, if you will, is like the daddy. It’s certainly chaotic, and it’s an excellent illustration of a well-balanced arcade shooter designed to be played in quick bursts that burn through 20 cent pieces. But it, and the many versions created for systems that are easily capable of running an emulation of the code are most definitely not the best versions. Oh no.
8-bit Sega System Versions Are The Worst. Master System/Game Gear
Oh no! It’s no mistake that the Sega 8-bit systems received the short end of the Smash TV stick. It’s not just a matter of using a single stick in a dual stick shooter, though that is undoubtedly a problem.
Because they’re so deadly, difficult to avoid, and difficult to hit, there aren’t many enemies, but that’s just a matter of game balance. Yes, Sega’s 8-bit machines might not have been able to complete an arcade-accurate full conversion, but there are many excellent Master System/Game Gear games that get around the restrictions to offer excellent experiences.
Smash TV is another option. Choose a different platform unless you only ever play games on the Master System (which is a worrisomely limited life). Even if you only want to play it on an 8-bit console, the NES version is better, which is unusual for 8-bit console conversions!
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Interesting Versions For 8-bit Home Computers: Spectrum/amstrad/c64
Smash TV’s 8-bit home computer ports surprised me because I would have anticipated the worst, but they’re not quite that.
Given the limited technology, they all deliver the arcade game better than their peers. The Amstrad version offers up the predictable round cartoony graphics that are the hallmark of that particular machine, but the Commodore 64 version has to win the 8-bit computer crown simply by virtue of using two joysticks for shooting and firing. The Spectrum version may as well be magical given the limitations of that machine, while the Amstrad version offers up the predictable round cartoony graphics that are the hallmark of that particular machine. Smash TV loses a lot of its fun because it can only be moved and shot in one direction with a single stick. They made promises of arcade accuracy and fun, but they couldn’t really deliver on those promises (like so many other 8-bit games of the time).
Final Words
Instead, the SNES version offers you a limited number of fair but challenging continues and encourages you to take risks. The outcome is unquestionably the best Smash TV game ever made, as well as one of the greatest SNES shooters ever.
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