Dynastic Hero vs. Wonderboy in Monster World

[crazy_tejano]

I don't know how old this review is, but I had to comment as I think the author has been smoking a bit too much genesis flavored weed.

In particular, he actually thinks that the genesis version has better sound, and even worse, better music! Dynastic Hero's orchestral and dynamic CD soundtrack may not be as endearingly nostalgic as a scratchy genesis midi (which truthfully is a fair bit less musical than a good 8-bit castlevania tune), but musically it is on a whole other level. I feel that the author simply let his nostalgic bias make a horrible misjudgment in not giving the TG CD soundtrack its credit. The genesis made a cutesy game with typical videogame music. The author wasn't ready for the massive step up that Dynastic Hero brings - it is a more mature theme, and presentation. Furthermore, it isn't just a "good cd soundtrack." It is far and away the greatest one ever in any Wonderboy Game -- it is up there with Y's, which are well-recognized as having incredible music on the TG CD.

The genesis' single superiority lies in its parallax scrolling. Other elements of the graphics are brighter, but they lack the depth of color. And no, I NEVER owned a TG 16, Duo, or genesis. I was an SNES guy. Frankly, genesis music almost universally sucks when compared to other systems; it quite possibly had the most horrible synthetic sound chip ever. I can say this because when one spends so much time with an SNES, and then sits down at a Genesis, one immediately recognizes the diminishment in sound and graphic quality. (grainy sound, grainy graphics, with a few exceptions on a few games)

[Drixxel]

There have been long, hard discussions as to the audio/video differences between the Genesis and SNES on these boards. It gets into one such discussion here: http://www.sega-16.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=271&start=0.

As for the ol' Dynastic Hero/Wonderboy III cage match, the author of the article really doesn't play favourites with the comparative sound effects - "The sound effects are identicle in both games." In terms of music, the author says that both soundtracks have something to offer, but he prefers the compositions of Wonderboy III over those of Dynastic Hero. It's more or less backed up with this sentence: "Yes, the CD soundtrack is great; in fact it's some of the best work outside of Falcom's games for the system. However, the CD soundtrack lacks the charm and melody of the Genesis version." That reason may not be enough for you, but at least the author has explained why he prefers one over the other.

Wonderboy III and Dynastic Hero are the same game with certain cosmetic differences. A clear winner was not named between the two games, anyway - the author merely lists key factors in distinguishing between them and offers his personal opinions almost as an aside. Is it wrong to like them both?

[Melf]

Moved this to the article forum.

And no, I NEVER owned a TG 16, Duo, or genesis.

That seriously hurts your argument.

Lots of SNES players consider the Genesis a "step down" when it comes to audio, but you can't just dismiss every single game's soundtrack as scratchy, grainy midi tunes. There are plenty of games for the console that belie expectations, like Streets of Rage or Sword of Vermilion, and I can name several games that would make you rethink that Castlevania comment (go listen to MUSHA's soundtrack, for example, and you'll see).

I personally agree with the article that WBiMW is superior to Dynastic Hero. The main character is more likable (seriously, WTF is up with Dyna's helmet?), the graphics are better and more detailed, several of the neat little touches the Genny one had are gone, the PC-Engine's final boss has been changed, and the soundtrack is better.

Yes, I said better.

Just because DH's music is redbook CD, doesn't necessarily make it better. I played the Genesis version first, and was horrified to see that they had changed it for the PC-Engine release. The Genesis music better fits the stages, and it's just a more sound composition. There's more charm and personality to the tunes, whereas the CD game just tried to make it sound like something coming from a CD.

And it is in no way on the same level as the music to Ys I-III. Those are simply godly tunes that are above and beyond most of the music I've heard up until this very day.

The whole point of the article is that the CD-ROM release should trounce the 5meg cart version, and it simply doesn't.

[Dartagnan1083]

I personally prefered the TG-CD track from the article in question.

But music typically depends on the composition. Not the quality of the hardware

I'm sure if you gave yourself a full orchestra and gave Mozart, Bach, and Wagner; a kuzoo, Slide whistle, and Mouth Harp. . .they'd still pretty much kick your ass.

[Melf]

Yeah, that's my point.

If you have Beethoven on cassette and Green Jelly on CD, only a fool would say that GJ is better because of the format. The Genny tunes aren't of the same aural quality as the CD ones, but they're better composed.

I went back and popped in DH again just to make sure (listening to it now, in fact), and while it's definitely solid in its own right, it just doesn't compare. And Ys is so far above it, it's not funny.

[Dartagnan1083]

crap....
now I find myself wondering how a composition from 3 of the most ridiculous instruments would sound comming from 3 masters of German symphony.
(while briefly excusing Wagner's Facsism)

[Drixxel]

Mozart, Bach and Wagner jamming together in a room with a kazoo, slide whistle and mouth harp.

I think Bach would have dibs on the slide whistle.

[j_factor]

I would rather have the Green Jelly CD myself. :P

I don't see why SNES fanboys always said/say that the Genny's graphics sucked in comparison. Have they actually played a Genesis game, or only compared screens? SNES's hoary old processor (even though it came out two years after, it uses an older processor than Genesis) constantly struggles with gameplay instructions... even simple games like Earth Defense Force chug along as soon as there are more than a couple of enemies on screen. That old 65836 would never be able to handle something like Ranger X or Lightening Force, not in a million years; a game like Red Zone or Vectorman would require a coprocessor.

[Drixxel]

j_factor, I think it's mainly the fact that the supposed weaknesses of the Genesis hardware are more visible to the casual onlooker than those of the SNES. There is a hell of a lot more to graphics than colour, and substantially more to music than its audio quality, but it requires a more inquisitive and accepting eye and ear to become wise to that. Now, had the SNES been home to a faster processor than the Genesis in addition to its default 128 on-screen colours and fancy sound chip, hot damn.. I personally would look at those as perfect specs, regardless of what company put the console out. If only Nintendo had the same lust for speed that Sega did this could have been a reality.

[Dartagnan1083]

Doesn't really figure.

The SNES was designed to run the ULTIMATE Dragon Quest game instead.

[ary incorparated]

Crazy tejano,ever known what youre talking about,never heard Thunder force,never heard contra hard corps,never heard musha never heard Skitching,should i keep going,since youre on a very very pro genesis site what the hell are you talking about.Ive had al those discussions in the past and now,people convinced me that snes had the better sound okay i was going with that and buyed the snes for that reason only since mario was fun but grphically grainly compared to sonic.Dk was clay stuf since it looked like that.Damn have you ever played gunstar heroes Yu Yu hakusho Shinobi 3 and many more above 9 titles,genesis isnt like snes have 100 of the same kind of rpg,s,genesis has speed and shows roughness and attitude,please listen to Thunderforce 4 youlle get what i mean.I am more a metal boy so i always listend to snes music which is very orchestrial i found it sounding very clear but didnt fit my taste,i always was waiting for those metalized tracks,which i never heard on snes.i sold my snes to my Brother becuase it wasnt my taste of wild kinda games,some poeple still comparing mickel jacson with dk country,its a shame,BTW first genesis was older second genesis was faster third genesis has a fm loop plus psg,z80+thunderforce 4 contra hard corps etc,since snes used big foto kind of sprites and running kind of slow,Killer instinct beeing the worst example of slow and digitized Craphics,damn that game is sooooh slow.then genesis had more infamiliar titles then snes,which showed the genesis graphics,Gunstar contra hard corps etc,I dont want to be a drag but contra hard corps pressents roughness right,Here contra 3 has crappy synth music and scrolling very slow compared to contra hc plus not much as animations as contra HC(the explosions all over the level)ohh yeah what is worth a discusion while they already been done,about those competitions.But please please Dont use the word Grianly for the genesis and esspecialy not here then people have to explain it all over,read the z80 toppic etc there you see what genesis sound delivers for discussions,obvious not grainly.Btw compare gunstar or contra HC or batman and robin,ooh yeah they say DK country,the clay looking sprite game, that game uses uge sprites and fm,v s with not much animations,which genesis has as a expertice in (vectorman etc).dont say the genesis is plain and simple,please dont then go visit other fanboy site for that,the snes fanboy sites at least.While snes has Star fox,zelda and DK country scoring 9,5 genesis has Contra,Gunstar,Thunderforce4,Sonic 2,etc scoring above just plain and grainy in every point they score above 9.BTW who counts the turbo graphics anyway since that console didnt was in the battle of those consoles,Turbo graphics 16 didnt join at all.If you start about 16 bit in comeent then i also can joy the neo geo aes in it,which hasnt got vectorman or gunstar,sonic dk country etc,neither does turbo graphix and anyways i never saw i game that did what vectorman,dk did on turbo grphics 16.thats the same as i look at some other forums they just say snes,because their spoon feddet,they dnie the succes of genesis and the good hardware inside genny,therefore the genesis Underground that discusses all the greatness of the power that genesis has,therefore www.sega-16.com is the bomb. :D

[ary incorparated]

genesis is just the simple speedy console that reqeures no problems at al,you could conect it after 10 years and its still god working,plus genesis wasnt made to be the greatest,since it was made to convert arcade games and since it makes you a busy gamer,playing it you have many genres of games on the console and every single game shows their own quality(offcourse there are still lesser games)the music was up to date,the sound cart wasnt badd at all and the graphics wherent bad since it showed more graphics then colors,it had no sprite only games like dk(lol)it had the ultimate veccie and guinstar veccie had over 125 colors in screen plus animations,genesis could do 1000 in a game,all colors in game,snes had 32000 colors okay but like that much colors only where used for fotos etc,or DK country which has fofos in the background logical why it had more colors,But did it looked better,no since anly DK and the enemys here anymated,sometimes you saw clouds passing by,transparatic okay that wher fmv,s ful motioned animations,so you wouldnt notifice while playing the same animation over an over aggian(fmvNall Fantasy 7,8) :D genesis was older but technical superior for the 16 bit era in 1980,s. :D

[Drixxel]

ary incorparated, I realize you've been getting a lot of flack about your spelling and grammar by various people here, but you've explained that English isn't your first language, so it can't really be held against you.

But please, break your long posts into seperate paragraphs. It would make them far easier to read. No one likes being crushed by a wall of text.

BTW who counts the turbo graphics anyway since that console didnt was in the battle of those consoles,Turbo graphics 16 didnt join at all.If you start about 16 bit in comeent then i also can joy the neo geo aes in it,which hasnt got vectorman or gunstar,sonic dk country etc,neither does turbo graphix and anyways i never saw i game that did what vectorman,dk did on turbo grphics 16

The TurboGrafx-16/PC-Engine was designed to compete with the Famicom, not other 16-bit consoles.. it was after all launched in 1987. In spite of that, the PC-Engine still managed to hold its own in Japan against the Mega Drive and Super Famicom, so I think it's unfair to simply write it out of the 16-bit console wars.

[ary incorparated]

Yup its not unfair,BTW neo geo held its own i japans,neo geo was better.BTW wat effect did it bring for sega or nintendo,Nothing. Sega had Sonic nintendo had Mario,I like the console a bit but i like neo geo way more,why unfair,its the cold hard truth aint it,Snes and genesis had the most encounters aggianst eachaother in every place,Japan Europe Amerika,BTW wath good did turbo graphix bring in europe it wasnt even known or familiar.BTW which game for pc engine matches Sonic or Dk country in sales.Saturn also couldnt match psx but i think saturn had way better games then pc engine,I personally even like the sega cd even more,BTW pc engine is and was very expensive here in europe and the system didnt bring sonic or other masive titles like that,Japan isnt as big as europe and amrica.



Maybe the console is good but i played it very short at least it wasnt my taste.In my uppinion i prefer neo geo ways more then Turbo graphics 16,neo geo had metal slug the neo geo cd wasnt that expensive tough.But hey since this is a genesis toppic why name things about genesis that isnt true at all ,on a genesis pro site.if you say its youre uppinion no problem but if you write it as a fact you can exspect this as a answer.BTW drixxel its abaut the overall masive fanbase in europe an amrica etc,didnt know that nec Turb graphics existed until my later years,i played it and didnt found the graphics impress more then Gunstar heroes or Vectorman not at al.But oke i you find the console good no probe,saturn was unknown exept in japan,But i liked saturn because it had good games and graphics for its time. ;) its understandable that it was there to compete nes,then its a fun thing,at least to collect,i buy it if its way cheaper the graphics are sub par compared to nes and mastersystem,if you look it that way its an oke console But not a better console then MD or Snes,i bet many people agree.

[Drixxel]

I do not deny the TurboGrafx-16's practical nonexistance in North America or Europe, but when the PC-Engine was introduced in Japan it outsold the Famicom and even blew away the Mega Drive in terms of console sales.

Japan isnt as big as europe and amrica.

Japan's gaming market is huge.

..and there's a lot more to a console's worth than "Donkey Kong Country" calibre graphics and recognizable mascot franchises. For the record, some of the most classic and well-drawn 2D graphics of all time appeared on the TurboGrafx/PC-Engine. Look at a game like Devil's Crush and tell me it doesn't look simply awesome.

[ary incorparated]

i saw that game,i looked okay but not my game.BTW the turbo garphix wasnt familiar at all here in europe,It coldnt join the masive competition goin on aggiants,BTW why arent much people talking about the masiveness then.The console is way older okay then its obvious it dont pul stints but joy the 16bit war i dont think so,did nec sell more in total,And not just in japan,Japan is uge but like i sead not bigger then eurpoe,america ohh yeah and certainly dont forget how cheap megadive was in brazil to made it effortable,Tec toy megadrive seld good there too.The same as comparring psp to ds,Ds is way ahead ijn sales.japan is uge in gaming,thats why there where made games for the nec til 2002 and even later,But then the local gameshop in the store got that console,Finally and it was way overpriced,still the console is some neat peace of hardware in its time,if its cheap then ill buy it it has good graphics,only i prefer genesis and snes above it because i known them for all my life,BTW ask like 20 europeen people if they knewn turbo garphix<i dont think so.Neo geo is a great system to,didnt held is own even a bit in the 16 bit wars because it was way to expensive but i like neo geo more then TG 16.Obvious not much games of TG 16 can be compared to the others,because it was earlier,ill buy the system sometime i think ill actually going to play it with fun.

[ary incorparated]

Ahhh devil crash now i remeber it that flipper game,i remeber it from the MD,yes the TG 16 version is good,one reason to buy one for but only if the console is way cheaper.The nec version looks great,but come on that cant match DK or Veccie in graphs but still impressive for a conmsole that old,Way fun.The TG 16 has some fun anime game tough :) :) :)

[Joe Redifer]

Furthermore, it isn't just a "good cd soundtrack." It is far and away the greatest one ever in any Wonderboy Game -- it is up there with Y's, which are well-recognized as having incredible music on the TG CD.

Not even close! I borrowed Dynastic Hero from a friend and I recorded the tracks I liked to MiniDisc so I could listen to them whenever I wanted. How many tracks from the CD game did I record? Two. 2 whole tracks. And they really even aren't all that spectacular themselves.

Also, why is this game being referred to as Wonderboy III? It should be called Wonderboy in Monster World. Wonder Boy III is a Master System game OR the Monster Lair game in Japan. Wonder Boy III has nothing to do with the game Dynastic Hero is based on. Nothing. At all. In any region of the world.

[Melf]

THey're actually the same game. The name and main character had to be changed because although Westone owns the rights to the game itself, Sega owns the Wonderboy name. Our history article (http://www.sega-16.com/Feature-%20Wonder%20Boy.htm) on the series also clarifies the name confusion. The MW games are like a sub category within the WB series. So actually, Monster World/Dynastic Hero is the fifth WB game and the 3rd MW game.

I agree 100% about the music. It's decent, but nowhere's near as good as MW's is. The compositions are so much better on the Genesis.

[ary incorparated]

i go with wonderboy 3 i found it a bit more fun.

[ary incorparated]

Mindisk is Fine.only when recording instruments its a chore it has a ohms impedance.

[j_factor]

THey're actually the same game. The name and main character had to be changed because although Westone owns the rights to the game itself, Sega owns the Wonderboy name.

Yes, but what Joe is saying is that this game isn't Wonderboy III. It's Wonderboy in Monster World, or Dynastic Hero, or Wonderboy V, or Monster World III, but there is no way you can call it Wonderboy III. "Wonderboy III" can either refer to Monster Lair, or Dragon's Trap/Curse (Monster World II), but not this game.

[Melf]

I hadn't realized that the thread title was misleading. I was referring to it being the third MW game, but it isn't the 3rd WB game.

I'll edit the title.

[Joe Redifer]

The game is simply called "Monster World III" in Japan, I believe.

[ary incorparated]

the last wonderboy rules,the one with the girl.dynastic heros isnt anything compared to that one.

[ary incorparated]

wonderboy 6(monster world 3) reminds me a bit of popfull mail,great game higly addictive and great graphics very colourfull.

[j_factor]

Here's one big difference (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8281206367&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEDW%3AIT&rd=1).

Even if you prefer the Turbografx version, it's simply not worth it. That's literally 50 times the amount I paid for the game on US Genesis (complete).

[Melf]

Holy crap! Screw that, I'll stick with WBiMW.

For what it's worth, the import version is practically free, given how cheap it is. But then, why would you suffer through it in Japanese (hello sphynx!) when you can play it cheaply on the Genesis.

[ary incorparated]

but seriously wonder boy 6 was great in my uppinion the best,and best graphs,who agrees.

[Joe Redifer]

I don't remember any graphs in Wonder Boy 6 or any Wonder Boy game. There is a graph is Brain Age for the DS which shows my Brain Age going from 40 to 24.

[ary incorparated]

hehe sorry my way of shorting englisch words,Graphics.

[j_factor]

I don't remember any graphs in Wonder Boy 6 or any Wonder Boy game. There is a graph is Brain Age for the DS which shows my Brain Age going from 40 to 24.

:lol:

[Wesker]

There's no way I could prefer "The Dynastic Hero" over "Wonder Boy V Monster World III" (AKA "Wonder Boy in Monster World"). Nor even with the CD music quality. I don't like the changes and that moving broad as starring. I go with Mega Drive version undoubtely.

Other thing is the comparison between "Monster World II" (AKA "Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap") and "Adventure Island" (AKA "Dragon's Curse").

[Benjamin]

Here's one big difference (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8281206367&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEDW%3AIT&rd=1).

Even if you prefer the Turbografx version, it's simply not worth it. That's literally 50 times the amount I paid for the game on US Genesis (complete).

That's the US version, which is rare (but $400... yeesh). The import, which I have, should still be available at a cheap price.

Put me on the quality of the arrangements beats bland composed redbook audio, too. Good arragements can overcome "poor" audio capabilities of systems easily -- Mega Man 2 still remains a musical favorite of many despite being on the NES.

[Adol]

This is because the Dynastic Hero is the VERY LAST Turbo Grafx 16/Turbo Duo game EVER produced in USA..that's why it is going on Ebay for so much...
The Japanese version goes for $15

[j_factor]

This is because the Dynastic Hero is the VERY LAST Turbo Grafx 16/Turbo Duo game EVER produced in USA..that's why it is going on Ebay for so much...

No, the very last USA release was Bonk III CD, which came out in late '94 and was exclusive to North America.

The Japanese version goes for $15

Yeah, but... this isn't the kind of game I'd want to buy the Japanese version of. It has text in it.

[Melf]

I have the Japanese version and yeah, I'd much rather play it on the Genesis due to the language barrier.

[Genesis Knight]

The cheapness of the Japanese versions of certain RPGs almost makes learning Japanese seem worth the effort. =P

[Dartagnan1083]

^eh. . .not quite
http://www.theforeigner-japan.com/archives/200404/sojapanese.htm

[ary incorparated]

the guy who buyed the game for over 400 dollars is a bidiot,seriously not almost no game is worth that.

[David J.]

Where's the Master System conversion? A good port considering the time and quality of the port.

[ary incorparated]

I like to see a strict comparisments revieuw ones,like of the greater titles on the sega like snatcher is the sega cd version the best and why,Lunar eternal blue are the ports better or whats the diffrence of byuing a sega cd version or a psx,saturn version,more like a multi port trivia comparisment,mickey mania is the psx version the best or best to purchase the megadrive/sega cd version.Maybe ill do it when im in the mood for that.