260. Chuuka Taisen (Taito, Arcade (PS2), 1988)

After playing the Famicom version of Chuuka Taisen, I figured I might as well try out the arcade version and compare the two. The differences that you would expect due to hardware are apparent. this arcade version has far superior sound, with a great pre-level bass sting. The music during the levels is typical Chinese sounding music, but it's much richer than on the Famicom. 

Graphically, the arcade version Chuuka Taisen also improves on the impressive-for-8-bit Famicom version. Even though it used the same muted artsy backdrops, they look even better with the bigger color palette available on arcade hardware, and the enemy and item designs pop with vibrant color in a wat they didn't on the Famicom. Even little things like the shop doorway having a closing animation make the game feel more alive. 

That said, with regard to the gameplay, not much is different. The monkey king character you are controlling still moves quickly but has a huge hitbox, making dodging a challenge. The arcade version has basically the same enemies, patterns, and powerupsn as the Famicom version, though it has maybe 20% extra enemies, so it feels like a step up in terms of difficulty. I must have pumped about $2.50 of virtual quarters into Chuuka Taisen, and I still couldn't beat the first boss.

3/5, the better looking, better sounding, harder version of an ok shooter