MSX2 vs Nes "Another fun debate"

Hey guys, as like with my last MS-Dos vs SNES thread and one guy mentioned if i could do a MSX2 or Commondore 64 vs Nes type post & so now it's finally here! My similarities to both systems would be the fact, they're 8-bit & has great snyth fm sounds, both uses cartridges, & both have Great exclusive games + third party ones as well as a few accessories to their systems. As for the games, which titles do you perfer for which system over the other? Mines is Xak > Zelda 1 in the Action Rpg department, Action Shooters Contra (MSX2 version) > Contra (Nes version) Any other comparisons feel free to comment below!

 

Castlevania on NES was inferior to the MSX2s Vampire Killer IMHO, the nes version was very linear and graphically not as good.

 

Pretty obvious who wins Metal Gear(s) MSX vs NES ;*)

 

I was under the impression that the MSX had difficulty with scrolling backgrounds, which is a pretty big deal. The NES at least had pretty decent scrolling.

 

MSX sound is amazing, but the scrolling is a complete killer. I owned an MSX2+, the best hardware revision besides the Turbo-R (which only improves a handful of games which I never played), and the scrolling was still awfully choppy. Seriously, the absolute worst scrolling I have ever seen. I like MSX games and I even own the Gradius shooters as physical copies and played them on the real hardware, but it is nothing that could compete anywhere with the fluid playability of the NES/Famicom. In the end, it showed that the MSX was not intended to display visual applications.

 

Doesn't really mean much in my opinion cuz most or few Korean & some Japanese MSX2 games had good scrolling effects next to the Nes if i'm not mistaken. like Dooley the Dinosaur, Gun.Smoke, Strike Force Harrier, & Tti Tti! Ppang Ppang!

 

Gun Smoke scrolls unexpectedly fluid, but the scrolling is not perfect. It sort of "wobbles" if memory serves me right, also the graphics look absolutely awful and sounds like a Game & Watch.

Strike Force Harrier and Titi Pang Pang both don't scroll very well. Better than some others, but still choppy and annoying, especially SFH. It's certainly okay by MSX-standards, but we're comparing to NES here, so... clearly not the winner. Never saw Dooley the Dinosaur.

The best scrolling I've ever seen on the MSX was in Aleste 1 & 2. It looks pretty much perfect, and the sound/graphics are magnificent. However, these are an exception, just like blocky scrolling would be an exception on the NES.

 

see so the MSX CAN have great or good scrolling if developers tried hard enough btw between Strike Force Harrier & Top Gun which game you think is better?

 

Yes, but it was really hard because the hardware was not developed with a focus on visuals. I guess it must have been really hard to make stuff scroll smoothly, given that even Konami did not manage it (and they made almost-launch title Gradius on damn GameBoy scroll smoothly with great sound&graphics!).

Somehow they managed it for Aleste. Space Manbow isn't bad either... but you still notice that it's not 100% flawless. Gradius 2, while a great game and my personal MSX favourite, has scrolling from hell. Now play Salamander and you want to kill yourself because of all the blocky scrolling and insane sprite flicker!

BTW: There's Top Gun for MSX???

 

Care to elaborate? MSX2+ > MSX2, and games still look better overall than on the Famicom (except some BGMs, maybe).

 

Lol nah there isn't but i might've have to research a bit to see but i highly doubt! I'm saying was between Strike Force Harrier on MSX2 & Top Gun on Nes, which game you think is better? kinda like a console war sorta battle type

 

^ THIS! Hell yeah it is! :-D lol wayyy better than Nes

 

Nobody is going to do a X68000 vs everything right?

Because that's no contest what wins there.

 

But what you got for all that money was WOW! Plus I think it was Capcom's Dev kit for a time.

While different thread though.

 

This is a pretty retarded "debate".


Technical points:

-Both systems have similar computational power, there's a slight lead to the MSX's Z80 @ 3.58 MHz for general work. The NES' hardware however is significantly cheaper and it has 1/32 the working memory of standard MSX2 computers...

-The NES has superior/more versatile audio to the AY-3-8910.

-The NES' video is vastly superior to the MSX's TMS9918 modes in color depth, palettes, sprites, scrolling, video bandwidth. This would be a better comparison since both systems were released the same year, despite the TMS being pretty old by '83.

-The NES's video is still superior to the MSX2's 9938 for action games because the 9938 still doesn't have smooth horizontal scrolling or more on screen colors.

-The MSX2+'s 9958 video modes are finally (arguably) superior to the NES' PPU due to vastly increased color capabilities and smooth scrolling. The NES still has more sprites and better video bandwidth. Plus one could argue that there are very few MSX2+ games, the MSX2+ was released 5 years after the FC, and has less vaule/far worse efficiency with 96 times more video memory.


The only necessary social point: the NES' game library was far more beloved.

 

@Calpis How is this thread retarded?! First of all this post wasn't made to be taken seriously! Clearly it said "Fun debate" or whatever you like to call it & plus i hadn't mention MSX2+ cuz that doesn't count, mostly i'm comparing it too only MSX1 & MSX2 (though i hadn't added MSX original to the bunch) and besides your post makes it look like your being completely biased towards to Nintendo Only! plus if you so call it "NES is Superior" why is the Metal Gear 1 & 2 original soooo inferior?! so in the end your clearly just being a Nes Fanboy like everyone else on the internet! Also you maybe right about Nes games being more cherished and crap but look at this, ONLY the USA & Japanese consumers that loved them more than anything else in the world! While in OTHER Countries it sold like crap somewhat (besides russia).

 

It's not fanboyism, the MSX(2) *is* objectively inferior technology-wise to the NES, despite the NES having serious memory constraints (by design)--there's next to nothing the MSX2 can pull off that the NES can't, while the MSX2 lacks simple horizontal scrolling... And without a doubt it has a worse game library by general consensus. The majority rules in this case. The MSX could have had better games without its inane technical limitations, and this reinforces that the MSX is firstly a computer, not a game machine. So yes this debate is retarded.

Your only argument is that you find a handful of particular games more enjoyable than the NES versions. That's a valid and popular opinion, especially when it comes to Metal Gear, but in no way does that make the MSX an objectively better system, just because you're biased towards the games or quirks of the MSX. Grow up.

 

Exactly.

I can't believe you prefer this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRCK5qYNoYI over the NES version.