Reviewed by Mark Patraw

Graphics:

The Snes wins here, but the Genesis is none too bad either.  The main problem is neither version has the zooming, so the Snes is permanently zoomed out and the Genesis is permanently zoomed in!  Both versions try to be pretty true to the arcade.

Sound:

The Genesis's old sound capabilities just can't compete with the Snes! Both the music and voices in the Genesis version are notably garbled, but livable.  The Snes does an excellent job for the most part with music and voices (though some of the samples could be better.)

Playability:

Both have their share of problems, but the Genesis is the worst.  The genesis version suffers from slowdown and that they changed basic strikes for many of the characters.  Oddly enough, the Genesis still captures the "feel" of the arcade game better than the Snes.  The genesis pad is not the best for special moves either, you'll probably want a 6 button, but it's not bad with a 3 button.  The Snes version comes pretty close, but feels weird because it's permanently zoomed out.  The difficulty seems easier than it should be as well.

Characters:

The Snes has all 12 characters and the boss (who's playable!), but they're pretty tiny.  The Genesis loses Earthquake (probably due to his size), but has everybody else and Amakusa is playable here too. The Snes clocks in at 32 megs, and the Genesis at 24.  Both versions also have the bonus game, Kuroko and Courier Man!  Incidentally, the Snes has a timed Survival Mode and the Genesis a Team Battle Mode.

Who wins?:

This is a toughy.  I like and dislike both versions for different reasons.  Ultimately, I'd have to take the Snes one, because it has Earthquake and is an all around better package.  Neither one can hold a candle to it's arcade brethren naturally.