What handheld games do you think are better or you like more then console versions?

[Ducks in a row]

vs.



I like the Nintendo DS version of the game more so that's one example of a handheld version I like more then a console version.

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[Rodgerwilco]

Playing Runescape on mobile is a lot better for some certain tasks.

 

[Hatfield]

Tetris for Game Boy

 

[Ducks in a row]

I like the PSP version of Star Wars The Force Unleashed over the PS2 and Wii version of the game because of bonus content like the historic missions that the consoles didn't have.

 

[Shareefruck]

Handhelds usually improve old RPGs, IMO.

The PSP versions of Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Tactics Ogre are far superior to the console originals-- they're totally definitive versions, in fact. The DS version of Chrono Trigger is the best version as well. If not for the inferior sound/visuals (which is kind of a big deal), pretty much all of the GBA versions of old Final Fantasies are tighter and more polished than the SNES versions as well.

Also agree that Tetris has never really gotten better than Gameboy Tetris. The advancements that all modern versions have make the mechanics less elegant, IMO (having holds kind of defeats the purpose of trying to make do with whatever you get).

 

[Osprey]

Nintendo released this today:

It's better than the console version because it adds a button that you can press to see what time it is .

 

[RandV]

Also agree that Tetris has never really gotten better than Gameboy Tetris. The advancements that all modern versions have make the mechanics less elegant, IMO (having holds kind of defeats the purpose of trying to make do with whatever you get).

Now this is a topic I'm pretty passionate about, but it eliminates Tetris from the conversation because the later mobile versions all do that.

The old Gameboy Tetris is what I call Soviet Russia Tetris. Like the country that invented the game it's cold and unyielding. It will show you your next block but nothing more, what comes out is truly random leaving you at the mercy of the Tetris god as it can keep throwing out the same piece you can't use or withhold the line piece your saving up for, and nothing stops the pieces downward momentum.

The Japanese on the other hand took Tetris and over designed it making it look fast and flashy, but it's largely a gimmick. Multiple pieces can be shown in advance, you can hold a piece in reserve to be used later, and there's no longer true randomness to it as they make sure you never go more than 10-12 blocks without a given piece. More critically, they created a 'floating' and 'juggling' effect. Blocks can drop instantly, but when they touch down there's an extra period of time before it sets. If you move or rotate the piece, this time resets.

Put it in practice, some years ago on my Tetris DS playing to this style fully 'clicked' to me as I was settling in on the ferry from Vancouver island and starting a game at max speed. 2 hours later as the ferry pulled into Vancouver I was still playing the same game. There was no challenge to it, I wasn't at all fatigued, and could have kept the game going until I fell asleep.

On the other side, back during the brief period HFboards had an arcade and the Tetris game was more in the old soviet style, playing for 2 hours was what I needed to pull off to put up my best score and was utterly nerve wracking. It doesn't look nearly as fast, but because there's no floating/juggling if your stack gets 2/3rds up the screen you're done. To really hit the high score you need to pull off 4 lines as scoring a tetris gave you exponentially more points, but because the blocks are truly random and there's no hold piece you can easily build a perfect stack right to the top of the screen and never get that line piece. The trick to build up a high score therefore was to constantly build for a tetris but always be ready to throw it away before you get too close to the game over threshold and plug your perfect stack with a non-line piece.

 

[Shareefruck]

Now this is a topic I'm pretty passionate about, but it eliminates Tetris from the conversation because the later mobile versions all do that.

The old Gameboy Tetris is what I call Soviet Russia Tetris. Like the country that invented the game it's cold and unyielding. It will show you your next block but nothing more, what comes out is truly random leaving you at the mercy of the Tetris god as it can keep throwing out the same piece you can't use or withhold the line piece your saving up for, and nothing stops the pieces downward momentum.

The Japanese on the other hand took Tetris and over designed it making it look fast and flashy, but it's largely a gimmick. Multiple pieces can be shown in advance, you can hold a piece in reserve to be used later, and there's no longer true randomness to it as they make sure you never go more than 10-12 blocks without a given piece. More critically, they created a 'floating' and 'juggling' effect. Blocks can drop instantly, but when they touch down there's an extra period of time before it sets. If you move or rotate the piece, this time resets.

Put it in practice, some years ago on my Tetris DS playing to this style fully 'clicked' to me as I was settling in on the ferry from Vancouver island and starting a game at max speed. 2 hours later as the ferry pulled into Vancouver I was still playing the same game. There was no challenge to it, I wasn't at all fatigued, and could have kept the game going until I fell asleep.

On the other side, back during the brief period HFboards had an arcade and the Tetris game was more in the old soviet style, playing for 2 hours was what I needed to pull off to put up my best score and was utterly nerve wracking. It doesn't look nearly as fast, but because there's no floating/juggling if your stack gets 2/3rds up the screen you're done. To really hit the high score you need to pull off 4 lines as scoring a tetris gave you exponentially more points, but because the blocks are truly random and there's no hold piece you can easily build a perfect stack right to the top of the screen and never get that line piece. The trick to build up a high score therefore was to constantly build for a tetris but always be ready to throw it away before you get too close to the game over threshold and plug your perfect stack with a non-line piece.

Yeah, I forgot to mention how unsatisfying it is (and how silly it looks) to be able to constantly rotate your piece for what feels like an eternity even after it touches the surface. I do feel that the ability to immediately drop your piece and see several pieces in advance is a sensible change, but the other changes only cheapen it, IMO.

 

[Salvage21]

FTL on the iPad has perfect controls

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Handhelds usually improve old RPGs, IMO.

The PSP versions of Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Tactics Ogre are far superior to the console originals-- they're totally definitive versions, in fact. The DS version of Chrono Trigger is the best version as well. If not for the inferior sound/visuals (which is kind of a big deal), pretty much all of the GBA versions of old Final Fantasies are tighter and more polished than the SNES versions as well.

Also agree that Tetris has never really gotten better than Gameboy Tetris. The advancements that all modern versions have make the mechanics less elegant, IMO (having holds kind of defeats the purpose of trying to make do with whatever you get).

This is the biggest reason handheld gaming has stuck with me through the years, especially as JRPGs disappeared from consoles for a generation and a half and thrived on the handhelds. Chrono Trigger was the example that jumped out at me right away, probably in large part because my first time ever actually being able to even see CT in person was with the PlayStation version that was lousy with ridiculous loading times for everything. Either way Chrono Trigger is a top 3 all-time game for me and the DS version is the one I recommend; I even have a second copy that I'm hoto give to my nephew to be his first non-Pokemon JRPG.

Tetris is also the golden example of the perfect game for the perfect platform. Tetris still feels weird on the TV to me, to say nothing of iterations that try to change things up just for the sake of having something 'new' to sell. I'll admit I never played Tetris DS, though. I played enough Tetris as a child that I'm perfectly good with my nostalgia being scratched by Korobeiniki itself.


Now I feel like my answer to this is almost any Switch game that runs relatively similarly to other console versions...but then again the Switch has effectively taken the mantle as my handheld console, almost never to be connected to the TV...not quite a handheld system, though I pretty much exclusively use it as such. Then again I was seemingly the only kid who desperately wanted a Sega Nomad despite already having a Genesis.

I don't know how much remakes or definitive editions of games really count for this discussion, but Personas 1-4 on PSP/Vita >>> Personas 1-4 on PSX/PS2.

 

[Shareefruck]

That's the thing I found weird about this topic, though. How often do the same games get released on both console and handheld at the same time without being a remaster or remake?

 

[aleshemsky83]

That's the thing I found weird about this topic, though. How often do the same games get released on both console and handheld at the same time without being a remaster or remake?

it was actually somewhat common during the vita era for JRPGs and indie games.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

That's the thing I found weird about this topic, though. How often do the same games get released on both console and handheld at the same time without being a remaster or remake?

It was pretty common for big third party licenced games in the early 2000s. I remember the Lego games (Star Wars) got handheld versions at launch. I also remember playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 on GBA.

 

[Shareefruck]

Didn't know that, but I feel like that's a pretty limited group to choose from, isn't it?

 

[Ducks in a row]

vs.



GBA game TMNT based on the 2007 movie I like more then console versions because with the GBA version it reminds me a bit of the older Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games.