But sometimes I have the most fun trying out that ports that are so incomprehensible I can scarcely believe they exist. What are the strangest you've seen? Here are six of mine that come to mind.
Zaxxon (TRS-80)
The TRS-80 was a monochrome computer released by Radio Shack in 1977. The game library is quite small, mostly consisting of text adventures and turn-based RPGs. But since Sega just had to release their arcade titles on every platform, Zaxxon made its way to the system. Surprisingly, the game runs quite well. Best of all is probably the back of the packaging which proclaims Average Completion Time: 5 Minutes. I actually own this, but don't possess a system to play it.
Video
Double Dragon (Atari 2600)
You have to give the Atari 2600 credit for its incredibly long lifespan, but a game like this most certainly didn't belong on such a primitive system. It's choppy and slow and barely playable. Cool music though.
Video
Ghosts 'n Goblins (Commodore 16)
Despite the lower number, the Commodore 16 was actually released after the Commodore 64 and was sold as a less-powerful budget computer. While a competent version of GnG exists on the 64, the 16 just gets it all wrong. With no music and horrendous graphics, this one should be avoided.
Video
Street Fighter II (Commodore 64)
The Commodore 64 had a long lifespan and nearly every classic 80s and early-90s arcade game found its way onto the system. Some conversions were great, while other were quite lacking. Street Fighter II falls into the latter category, mainly because the Commodore 64 controller was a one-button joystick. Good luck firing off those hadoukens.
Video
The Contras (Tandy Color Computer)
Call this an unofficial port if you like - I doubt Konami had any involvement with this. The Tandy Color version of Contra (renamed "The Contras") is shockingly great - and ranks only below the arcade original and NES ports. In fact, it was based directly off the NES game - not the arcade. The game utilizes a two-button joystick so you're not stuck with the awkward up-to-jump controls of most 8-bit computers. Unfortunately, playing this on a real CoCo is a virtual impossibility - it only functions on Model 3 computers with RAM upgrades, and the game itself had an extremely low (mail-order only) print run. Even the disk images are hard to find online - I have them if anyone is curious.
Video
Xanadu Next (N-Gage)
Falcom is known for their fantastic RPGs and ranks as my favorite developer of all time (this should be obvious by now). In 2005 the company released the great action-RPG title, Xanadu Next in both PC and handheld formats. While the PC version stayed in Japan, the handheld port was released stateside. Is it on Game Boy Advance or the DS? No... Okay, how about something more obscure like the Neo Geo Pocket Color? No, again... Give up? Why it's on the Nokia N-Gage! Why Falcom released Xanadu Next on the doomed cell phone/gaming system will forever be a mystery - the game would have fit right in on the RPG powerhouses that were the GBA and DS. Thankfully, the PC version is English-patched. Check that out instead.
(can't find a decent video of thus one)
So... what are your picks for most bizarre ports?
