Weird & Impressive Video Game Ports

Video game ports have always been fascinating. Being able to retroactively make a current game work on older systems is just yet another reminder that video game development is like a magic spell sometimes. But there are also some ports that seem to forget the words.

 

Resident Evil 2 (Nintendo 64 & Tiger)

Bringing a game from the PlayStation to N64 was challenging on multiple levels. Storage space on the cart was the most obvious issue, given that some third party studios spurned the system entirely for that very reason.

Yet Angel Studios (later known as Rockstar San Diego) pulled it off, fitting Resident Evil 2, spanning 2x 700 MB CD into a single 64 MB Game Pak. This required an incredibly talented and well-coordinated team, as well as loads of aggressive compression. The end result is a miracle port that maintained the integrity of the original game, while even adding new features like alternate costumes and an item randomizer mode. Even the FMVs are present, and their compression only becomes apparent when compared to the PlayStation originals. The port took almost as long to develop as the original itself, but what Angel did here was pure alchemy. And then Tiger decided to do pure black magic.

For reasons known only to publisher Tiger Electronics and quite possibly God, a port for the Game.com system was also released. This version of Resident Evil 2 is a bare, monochrome, 8-bit distillation that leaves players with only Leon’s scenario — cutscenes and story aren’t even included, and that “gameplay” has giant quotation marks. Predictably, it’s not very good, and remains in the all-star pile of obscure and forgotten oddities of gaming. You can find out more about this absolute plopper in our Game.com video — I still love that thumbnail.

Now, today’s games might use waaaaay too much memory, but have you ever heard of a game using too little?

 

Super Mario All-Stars (Wii)

Though first-party Nintendo games are known for their rigorous standards of quality, re-releases have a somewhat spotty track record. On the one hand, you’ve got games like Super Mario 64 DS — a full graphical remake with new playable characters and extra content — and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, which added an entirely new open-world subgame.

And then you have cases like this.

Super Mario All-Stars was a great compilation when it first released on the SNES, giving Super Mario Bros., The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3 a big glow-up. All four games saw a complete graphical remake and new features like save files. Bugs were also quashed and minor balancing adjustments were made (you start with five lives instead of three), making these the definitive versions for all but the most dedicated purists. A later release even added Super Mario World to the bundle.

For Mario’s 25th anniversary, however, Nintendo simply re-released this game as is on the Wii. It’s a barebones emulation of the original compilation, with no effort even made to update controller icons to match the Wii’s. To add insult to injury, this version of the compilation doesn’t even include World. That’s a baffling choice, even if World was still available separately via the Wii Shop Channel.

The end result of Nintendo’s uncharacteristically barebones effort is a small collection of nice physical goodies and a Wii disc that is mostly empty space in terms of file size — seeing as it simply contains an SNES ROM. Curiously, the fact that the game is merely a small ROM means that when played, it’s all loaded into the system’s RAM — meaning the game remains playable even if the disc is removed mid-game. Check out our Wii facts video!

Let’s turn our attention to a series that has sadly been removed from the “getting a new game list”. We’ll work on that, and so should you, Microsoft!

 

Killer Instinct (SNES)

In their heyday, Rare was known for releasing a constant stream of beloved games and IPs. Whether it was platformers, racers, or shooters, they did it all. The early 90s saw them dabble in the arcade scene with games like Battletoads Arcade and the beloved Killer Instinct.

This arcade classic, published by Midway, was one of the most popular arcade titles of 1995, boasting impressive visuals that used pre-rendered sprites. At the time, the plan was for Rare and Nintendo to eventually bring the game to the Nintendo 64 — then known as Ultra 64.

The Nintendo 64, however, was delayed, and the two companies would instead make do with the SNES. Of course, this necessitated sacrifices: sprites were smaller, the visual quality was pared back, and the 3D stages were converted into 2D with parallax scrolling to give the illusion of 3D.

Despite the cuts, Rare’s efforts paid off, and the SNES conversion of Killer Instinct remains beloved — with some even preferring it due to improved game balancing. Additional modes, like training mode and tournament mode, were also added, making the SNES port feel like a content-complete version for Fulgore stans the world over.

Here’s another game that came to the SNES, and also about a million other platforms.

 

The Doom Variety Hour

Doom is perhaps one of the few games with as many ports as there are sequels and spinoffs. Available on nearly two dozen official platforms, there’s no shortage of ways to play a game that takes up about 12% of my total personality. 

And if you factor in the unofficial ports as well, we’d be here forever if we covered all of them. Instead, let’s take a look at some of the more notable official ports in the series over the years.

Doom first made its way to consoles with the 1994 Sega 32X port, but the results weren’t pretty. Visual compromises dragged down the experience, and the music was as obnoxious as a fart in an elevator. It literally sounds like farts.

Worse, a good chunk of levels were stripped out to meet deadlines, as the game was a launch title for the ill-fated add-on.

Doom on the 3DO, meanwhile, was a mess, but an ambitious one. With only ten weeks to ship, Doom on 3DO ended up with frame rate issues and a smaller screen size. There simply was no time to optimize the game, let alone incorporate wildly unrealistic ideas (given the time frame) like FMV cutscenes — which publisher Art Data Interactive used as a selling point to entice investors.

Released in late 2001, Doom for the GBA is based off of the Atari Jaguar port, with a reduced number of levels and simplified level design. Incredibly, it does feature full multiplayer, assuming you have the link cables for it. That being said, given Nintendo’s family-friendly image at the time, this version was censored — red blood was made green and gorier sprites were removed.

Among the more technically impressive ports for the series, however, are the Switch ports for Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal. Released in late 2017, the Doom 2016 Switch port stands as one of the earliest “impossible ports” for the system. Though the visual quality and frame rate target were understandably massively cut down, the game itself is feature complete — aside from a missing map editor. Bring it back for The Dark Ages, you cowards.

Porting studio Panic Button returned to port Doom Eternal to the Switch — and amazingly enough, the sequel had an even more stable frame rate than its predecessor. Next up is another Switch port that’s almost as hard to believe as Sean Murray himself when he says literally anything, bless him.

 

No Man’s Sky (Switch)

Equally a cautionary tale of deceptive marketing practices and also an epic redemption story, No Man’s Sky has become a live service game unlike any other. Especially in the sense that it isn’t asking you to buy Ice Spice skins for your ship.

Having first launched in a barebones state that lacked key advertised features, the game would become nearly unrecognizable years later. With over a dozen major free updates, No Man’s Sky has grown far bigger than anyone ever thought it would back in 2016.

This gradual comeback and rise in popularity naturally meant that new console versions would launch over the years to keep drawing in new players. An Xbox One version released in 2018, and next-gen versions after that were a given as the game continued to push for more and more content and features. Though the game flourished with stronger hardware, Hello Games still wasn’t done with bringing their universe to more audiences.

Enter the Nintendo Switch port. Released in 2022, this iteration of No Man’s Sky is the full-fat experience — almost. Aside from the massive visual sacrifices, multiplayer had to be cut from the equation to get the game running on the Switch’s modest hardware. And while both performance and visuals were quite shaky when the port first debuted, post-launch updates remedied this and made the Switch version a solid port and great way to play the game on the go. And if you want to live another life on the go, this next weird port might be for you.

 

The Sims 2 (PSP)

The 00s were a different time for gaming. Hardware limitations were far more prevalent then, meaning that to spread your games to more platforms and audiences, sometimes you had to get creative. Rather than attempt to hammer out direct ports, publishers would often outsource the game to different studios, who each created an entirely different experience from the ground up, while still sticking to the general outline of what the game was supposed to be about.

One such example was The Sims 2. While Maxis was the studio in charge of the main versions, EA had Amaze Entertainment create entirely different experiences for handheld systems.

The result? While the primary version of The Sims 2 was the bigger, better life simulation game you’d expect, the handheld versions — including the PSP — took a different approach, opting to put the player through a dedicated story mode instead.

It’s a more goal-oriented experience, where relationships are used to fulfill objectives — and a sanity meter is present to ensure that the player keeps their Sim’s needs and wants in mind at all times. The story goes to some pretty weird places, too — with fourth-wall breaking existential themes that you’d expect from an indie or a Yoko Taro game, and also a final boss? In a Sims game? Next up we’re gonna have raids in FIFA, or an online Resi game people want to actually play. Hey, speaking of:

 

Resident Evil 4 (PS2)

Initially developed as a GameCube exclusive, Resident Evil 4 became an instant classic that redefined third-person shooters and survival horror games. But what it didn’t do was remain exclusive to Nintendo’s playful purple box. Before it had even released, Capcom had already backtracked on their exclusivity claims, stating that user demand and shareholder influences (big surprise there) led to the decision to port the game to the PlayStation 2.

The PS2 port of Resident Evil 4 features a variety of technical compromises due to weaker hardware, from longer loading times, to lower polygon counts and frame rate issues. Cutscenes were also changed from real-time to being pre-rendered.

On the flipside, the PS2 port also marked the debut of extra content that would feature in all later ports of Resident Evil 4. The new inclusions ranged from extra costumes and weapons to mini-games, as well as Separate Ways, an iconic extra campaign starring Ada that showed her side of the story during the events of Resident Evil 4.

Though the GameCube version is technically superior, the PS2 version’s extra content laid the groundwork for all versions of Resident Evil 4 that came afterwards, including the excellent 2023 remake. It’s probably the worst, non-Brazillian way to play RE4, but that doesn’t mean it still isn’t one of the best games ever.

These next ports are weird, and also of one of the best games ever.

 

Devil May Cry 3 (Java/Mobile)

Yes, you’re seeing this right. Mobile games were certainly a thing even before smartphones took off, but unlike the money-printing gachas or crazy full-blown console ports (by Capcom, no less) that might come to mind today, this was a far more primitive experience.

There are actually two versions of Devil May Cry 3 for cell phones: one with 2D sprite work, and one with primitive 3D models. The 2D version is a simple hack-n-slash side scroller, while the 3D version plays a bit more like the console release. Regardless, both versions have players use their phone’s keypad to fight their way through a variety of missions, with objectives ranging from killing enemies, to collecting Red Orbs, or simply surviving for a set period of time.

Of course, with cell phone gaming being what it was at the time, these releases are more akin to bite-size promos, rather than full-budget games to take seriously.

Beyond these two games, though, there was a third interpretation of Devil May Cry 3 for mobile phones. Developed by Korean studio Zio Interactive (now Neowiz Mobile), this version also used 2D sprites, but seemingly added in RPG elements and an overhead perspective. Sadly, this version of the game is now unplayable lost media.

Alright, time to switch it up. Switcher.

 

The Witcher 3 (Switch)

When discussing “impossible ports”, The Witcher 3 will almost certainly be the first modern example people think of. The PS4 and Xbox One versions already struggled with frame rate issues at launch, and though patches polished up the game significantly, it was still clear that the hardware was being pushed to its limits.

As such, no one could’ve expected Nintendo’s 2019 E3 Direct to reveal that the game would be coming to the Nintendo Switch that year. I remember seeing this and it kind of solidified that the Switch was going to be an absolutely gigantic deal, you know?

Despite the many visual sacrifices that had to be made, the game still holds up. The wizards at Saber Interactive were even able to fit the entire game — including its DLC expansions — onto one Switch cart, eliminating the need to download a chunk of the game files digitally — a boon for preservation.

Post-launch patches would, unusually enough, add a handful of graphics settings akin to what you’d find on a PC game, with toggles for things like motion blur, anti aliasing, bloom, and depth of field. Tinkering with these can even yield slightly improved performance in some of the game’s more taxing areas and scenes.

The Witcher 3 on Switch is a showcase of what truly talented developers can do, and a testament to the console’s worldwide popularity. This next game, though, is a testament to having too much hubris.

 

Daikatana (Game Boy Color)

Despite his ambition and his best efforts, John Romero did not, in fact, make you his bitch. A troubled development cycle fraught with delays, employee turnover, and an engine switch meant that the wildly ambitious time traveling first-person shooter Daikatana launched to unanimously negative reviews, and its N64 version was infamously pretty pretty wank.

But at least the Game Boy Color version of Daikatana is pretty good.

Like The Sims 2, Daikatana received a handheld version with completely different gameplay and visuals. Developed by Japanese studio Will, Daikatana on Game Boy Color is instead an action-adventure game that draws influence from the 2D Legend of Zelda titles. Daikatana’s take on the genre is considerably more linear, and features a dedicated jump button with platforming sections to match.

Released months after the main game but never in the US due to that game’s failure, Daikatana on Game Boy Color is a relatively short romp, and surprisingly a bit cutscene heavy for a game on this system. But owing to the fact that its developers actually had realistic plans and expectations, this iteration of Daika10tana turned out to be competently made and a pretty decent game overall. It’s certainly better than the PC and Nintendo 64 original that damaged Romero’s reputation.

Don’t mean to pile on Romero, but this final game is an incredible port of a sequel he wasn’t around to make.

 

Quake II (PS1)

After Quake won acclaim in 1996, Quake II pushed the series forward, introducing a dedicated story complete with full-motion video cutscenes. Level design was more open, and with the story came objective-oriented gameplay to give Quake II more focus.

One of Quake II’s headlining features was its new engine, which paved the way for more advanced graphics and rendering effects. It did, however, make the game more demanding on hardware, necessitating high-end PC builds for a smooth experience.

In turn, this gave the public the perception that a console port was impossible to pull off.

Developer HammerHead rose to the challenge by bringing Quake II to the PS1.

Of course, changes and sacrifices had to be made; Quake II on PS1 ran at 30 FPS, under a completely new engine that HammerHead created themselves. Some levels were altered, and others outright removed. But the final product is a polished visual stunner that still looks good today. Split-screen multiplayer is even included.

Though the controls are clunky, Quake II on PS1 did add some new enemies, and actually supports the PlayStation Mouse, a peripheral that allows the player to look, aim, and shoot with the mouse, while using the controller’s D-Pad to move. Quake II on PS1 is proof that some ports aren’t as impossible as they might seem — at least they’re certainly more possible than a new mainline Quake entry by id.

READ NEXT: SNES Games That Hold Up Brilliantly