What's better: Darius Plus or Super Darius?

Edmond Dantes · 08/25/2011, 12:18 PM

Was thinking about getting into this series and wondered which I should spend the money on (let's leave out the options for "both" and "neither" for now).

Keep in mind I don't have a SuperGrafx.

VestCunt · 08/25/2011, 01:24 PM

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know they're the same game. The flicker reduction when playing Plus on a SGX is nice. The CD music on Super is nice. On a standard PCE, Darius Plus flickers as much as the Super Darius CD and they're about the same price, so you might as well base your choice on how much you like chiptunes.

Since you just got back into the system, I'd recommend spending your money on games rather than buying another system, let alone one that only plays five games.

BTW, please post on the correct boards.

farankoshan · 08/25/2011, 01:36 PM

Personally, I think Darius Plus is not only easier to find, but pretty much the same game as Super Darius (sans the extra 2 bosses). But the game itself is hard on both, so once you have one, you'll probably end up ignoring the other one anyway. I have both, but only coz I found Super Darius at a flea market, tucked away with some music CDs and was too amused by the fact that a PCE CD-ROM game would find it's way there.

Visuals: Virtually the same (kind of a credit to Darius Plus being a very impressive Hucard port of the arcade; like how R-Type was), with very minuscule differences with Super Darius. 1 or 2 extra bosses in Super Darius (CD).

Audio: The music on Super Darius (CD) will obviously be in much better Stereo, provided your AV out works fine. The tracks themselves are taken from the arcade version, which uses different instruments than the 16-bit chiptunes from Darius Plus. But honestly, I actually prefer the Darius Plus (Hucard) music, since it's louder, crisper & less muffled & muted like the arcade tracks. Question preference, I guess.

Other criteria: CDs don't last as long or keep as well as Hucards, so you're more likely to have your heart broken by Super Darius when it conks out, than by Darius Plus which will last virtually forever since the contacts on the cards can always be cleaned and wiped; CDs are much more delicate.

Hope this helped!

CrackTiger · 08/25/2011, 03:18 PM

Super Darius actually has something like 10 extra bosses, surround sound remastered music, extra intros and endings, difficulty select trick, better-than-Alpha boss rush mode and likely more.

Darius Plus is still cool and I love the chip tunes, but it's a pale imitation of the CD game.

VestCunt · 08/25/2011, 03:33 PM

Quote from: farankoshan on 08/25/2011, 01:36 PMOther criteria: CDs don't last as long or keep as well as Hucards, so you're more likely to have your heart broken by Super Darius when it conks out, than by Darius Plus which will last virtually forever since the contacts on the cards can always be cleaned and wiped; CDs are much more delicate.

Have you seen CD games deteriorate or are you referring to scratches?

Edmond Dantes · 08/25/2011, 07:42 PM

Quote from: guest on 08/25/2011, 01:24 PMBTW, please post on the correct boards.

... Is this topic in the wrong section...?

CrackTiger · 08/25/2011, 07:46 PM

Quote from: Edmond Dantes on 08/25/2011, 07:42 PM
Quote from: VestCunt on 08/25/2011, 01:24 PMBTW, please post on the correct boards.
... Is this topic in the wrong section...?

Technically, there are separate sections for general Turbo and PCE discussion. But most people think that they and the trade sections shouldn't be separate.

nat · 08/25/2011, 08:22 PM

I actually prefer Plus myself. The extra bosses in Super are exclusive to that version if I understand correctly, they weren't in the arcade. I think the chip soundtrack is really impressive and of course the lack of flicker is a bonus.

CrackTiger · 08/25/2011, 08:29 PM

Quote from: nat on 08/25/2011, 08:22 PMI actually prefer Plus myself. The extra bosses in Super are exclusive to that version if I understand correctly, they weren't in the arcade. I think the chip soundtrack is really impressive and of course the lack of flicker is a bonus.

Plus, (no pun intended

) you can play it on a GT.

The extra bosses in Super are from the arcade of Darius II.

farankoshan · 08/26/2011, 01:05 AM

Quote from: guest on 08/25/2011, 03:33 PM
Quote from: farankoshan on 08/25/2011, 01:36 PMOther criteria: CDs don't last as long or keep as well as Hucards, so you're more likely to have your heart broken by Super Darius when it conks out, than by Darius Plus which will last virtually forever since the contacts on the cards can always be cleaned and wiped; CDs are much more delicate.
Have you seen CD games deteriorate or are you referring to scratches?

CDs get scratched up pretty easily. Can't be helped. Sometimes even accidentally dropping the CD into the spindle by a fraction of an inch can lead to a mild scratch in just the right (read: wrong) part, or the inner hole might develop a crack somehow and over time, rotation will cause it to grow into the disc and may eventually lead to the actual disc shattering inside your drive, effectively putting your lens at risk.

Hucards on the other hand can be dropped from a 2-storey building, be brushed off and work just fine. They can be dipped in mud, chocolate, or dropped on a sandy beach and only require some alcohol/contact cleaner to wipe them clean before booting up with no fail. You can even stuff a card or two in your wallet and have no problems. CDs could never withstand any of the things I just mentioned.

But if you're careful and have angelic hands, your CDs will last you a lifetime. (At least until the CD glue, pressed between the data discs, begins to oxidate & wear off inside the CD. At that point your disc is BEYOND help. It's a fact with data discs; look at every Laserdisc in existence. By now all LDs have their glue-polymers wearing out and bleeding so bad, that even the most careful LD collector couldn't prevent it from happening. Maybe air-tight rooms with proper moisture-prevention kept in check... But what PC engine gamer really keeps a room like that handy? And are you really gonna go that far for Super Darius?)

Hope my short answer helped in a long way...

Edmond Dantes · 08/26/2011, 07:42 AM

Quote from: guest on 08/25/2011, 07:46 PMTechnically, there are separate sections for general Turbo and PCE discussion. But most people think that they and the trade sections shouldn't be separate.

No offense to whoever set it up that way but... I can see how that can be confusing.

CrackTiger · 08/26/2011, 03:17 PM

Quote from: Edmond Dantes on 08/26/2011, 07:42 AM
Quote from: CrackTiger on 08/25/2011, 07:46 PMTechnically, there are separate sections for general Turbo and PCE discussion. But most people think that they and the trade sections shouldn't be separate.
No offense to whoever set it up that way but... I can see how that can be confusing.

It is confusing, especially with all the new sections that have been added since people first found the separate sections unnecessary.

I've been man handling my Super Darius disc for twenty years now and it still works flawlessly. HuCards have become harder and harder to play on my Duo RX and I'm not sure what to do at this point to get it working properly again. The laser was easy to replace though.

Edmond Dantes · 08/27/2011, 11:48 AM

My Duo was just repaired by BlueBMW and it so far works flawlessly. So it seems like the answer comes down to "whatever I can get cheaper."

farankoshan · 08/27/2011, 05:08 PM

How much does BlueBMW charge for a laser replacement by the way?

Jesse813 · 08/27/2011, 06:36 PM

I prefer Super Darius for the music

Edmond Dantes · 08/28/2011, 12:38 PM

Quote from: farankoshan on 08/27/2011, 05:08 PMHow much does BlueBMW charge for a laser replacement by the way?

about $20 IIRC.

ApolloBoy · 08/29/2011, 03:30 AM

Both versions are great but I'll take Super Darius any day for the kickass music.