My copy of Destruction Derby 2 (the UK Argentum budget re-release) contains both the DOS version (in a "dos" sub-folder on the CD-ROM) and a very old DirectX (2 or 3) version of the game. The DOS version works in DOSBox, but doesn't seem throttled, so can run far too fast. It means it can appear smoother, but the music seems to break up a lot (probably tweaking DOSBox settings would help). So, onto the Windows version... the installer won't work as it's 16 bit, and copying the game files to the computer and replacing it with a newer setup32.exe doesn't work either. So you'll need a virtual machine first (I used Win98 in VMware Player, but you could try XP in that or another virtual machine). Install the game into the virtual machine, then simply copy the install folder (I put it in c:\DD2) over to your Win8.1 machine (in my case I put it in d:\games\DD2). Then simply run dd2h.exe to play. No compatibility settings needed! Note: dd2.exe (low res version) seems to crash, but who wants 320x240 res when you can have 640x480, eh?! Note 2: the Windows version is throttled, so seems to run at (I'd guess) 25fps maximum (if not less), so it does seem more jerky. The sound effects are also more fuzzy and quiet, but the music doesn't skip or stutter the gameplay (as the DOS version does in a default version of DOSBox). Anyway there you go, try it if you have the game (and a Virtual machine handy!). p.s. The PlayStation version through an emulator will ALWAYS look better ;-)
A matter of opinion, maybe... but there was a 3DFX Glide patch available for DD2 when it came out. IMO anything running in Glide mode can't be beat by their stock or console counterparts.
I don't recall there ever being a 3Dfx patch for DD2... There was some specific versions of DD1 though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFVcYvOvCrs
It could be I mixed up with the another game (Carmageddon maybe?), or I remember using hires.exe and I only had 3dfx cards at that time. I see there is a Matrox edition of DD2, although reviews seem to indicate it doesn't add much.
Vogons (which is the place to go for DOS/early Windows gaming imho) says there's no 3Dfx version, only Matrox. And I know Carmageddon got a 3Dfx patch (C2 had it out of the box) so it's likely you just mixed them up. Regarding the PSX version always looking better: No it won't necessarily, at least not if you run things at their native resolutions. And even if you crank up the resolution in your emulator, depending on the game you might still get significantly lower res textures than on a PC.
Yeah I agree, it was more for people who might say "just run the PSX version in an emulator in HD with filtered textures" - that would look better as there's not much perspective correct in the PC version (the usual difference between PSX and PC ports back in the day). Actually I have the PSX version, and the sound is better (engine noise), plus I believe I read there's more hit areas/symbols on the car than the PC version, but I never fully checked that one out.
One thing I've noticed about revisiting older games is that I am just playing them on the wrong display. Most of these games do not look as good running on a modern video card and a larger CRT monitor or even a widescreen LCD. When I was playing these games when they were new, I had either a 12" or 15" CRT monitor. That is very small by today's standards! I wonder how much better replaying old PC games would be if I were to use a smaller display.
They'd be sharper, for sure. I was using a CRT screen in the past, and everything looked pixel crisp, no filtering! That said, if you run a DOS game in DOSBox you can remove the upscaling filtering for a pixel sharp (boxy looking on a big screen!) experience!
