History PortingDisaster / Consoles

* ''VideoGame/{{Phantasmagoria}}'' was ported to the Saturn in Japan under the shortened title ''Phantasm'' with Japanese voice acting. While the translation and dubbing remain faithful to the original PC version, the graphics and FMV sequences were downgraded to the console's lack of video decompression, making it harder to see what you're doing. The game was also heavily censored, limiting Carno's wives' death scenes to a few shots of Carno and Adrienne's reactions. There's also the fact that the game was released on eight discs, which is one more than the original PC release.

* ''Arcade Classics'' was a sort of precursor to ''VideoGame/NamcoMuseum'' and featured ''VideoGame/MsPacMan'', ''VideoGame/{{Galaxian}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Galaga}}'', all based on their NES counterparts. ''Ms. Pac-Man'' in particular, while being the only game in the collection to receive a graphical overhaul, is painfully slugish except on the highest difficulty, but even then the difficulty cranked up to the max, [[ArtificialStupidity the ghosts' AI seems to have been dumbed down]], instead running around the maze at random instead of actively chasing the player. Even if you are right in front of them, they will likely turn a corridor away from you. That doesn't mean you won't die anyway thanks to the game's chewy controls.

* ''Oscar'' was an average platformer for UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}} and MS-DOS. The Amiga version at least has a catchy soundtrack and excellent animation to make up for the fact that the gameplay was average, while the DOS version had a slightly tarnished reputation due to its butchered soundtrack (especially when you're coming from the Amiga version) and unoptimized graphics[[note]]the title screen background animation on was jerky and clearly dropping frames while the logo was made static compared to the Amiga, which still managed a silky smooth background animation while having a smoothly animated logo and a soundtrack leagues beyond the MS-DOS version[[/note]], had random bouts of slowdowns on older PCS, and is visibly inferior if run side by side with the Amiga version. You would think that it would be improved by porting it to a more powerful system like the SNES, but instead not only is the graphics just as unoptimized as the DOS version, the play mechanics were ruined. And if you think what they did to the DOS soundtrack was bad, what they did to the SNES soundtrack is even worse[[note]]sounding like the musician doesn't even remotely have a sense of rhythm[[/note]]. [[https://youtu.be/LfNshD6S4t4 This is the DOS version running on an [=AdLib=] chip.]] And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRTxRlhYCC0 this is the SNES version]]. For comparison, [[https://youtu.be/wdkhNi3RwUY here's the Amiga original]]. Both the DOS and SNES ports were published by Creator/TitusSoftware.

* ''[[VideoGame/OutRun Turbo [=OutRun=]]]'': With Sims doing a respectable job at porting the original ''VideoGame/OutRun'' to the Genesis, it would seem natural for Sega to contract them again for the sequel. Unfortunately, Sega handed the porting duties for ''Turbo OutRun'' to Tiertex instead, a company with a spotty track record of butchering home conversions of popular arcade games, which resulted in the Genesis version having worse graphics and sound quality, with many of the more elaborate background effects missing, as well as jerkier controls.

* ''VideoGame/ManiacMansion'', in UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}, received a horrible port by Creator/{{Jaleco}}. Not only the graphics were hugely simplified, saving your progress requires writing passwords ''over a hundred characters long.'' A completely new port, far more faithful to the PC original, was developed by [[Creator/LucasArts Lucasfilm Games]] and Creator/RealtimeAssociates for the American release.

* According to VCS version of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'''s programmer, Coleco [[ExecutiveMeddling forced them to use the 4 kilobyte cart instead of the 8 kilobyte cart]], resulting in simplified graphics, lack of music and the removal of the 50m and 75m stages.

* ''VideoGame/SplinterCellDoubleAgent'' suffers from framerate and slowdown issues starting at the opening cutscene.
* ''VideoGame/SplinterCell Trilogy'' is a compilation of the [[VideoGame/SplinterCell1 first]] [[VideoGame/SplinterCellPandoraTomorrow three]] [[VideoGame/SplinterCellChaosTheory games]] that omits fundamental features like the option to invert look controls - which had been in every prior release of the same games. After initially claiming that [[NeverMyFault inverted controls were not an industry standard]] - and following a lengthy outcry from frustrated customers -- Ubisoft patched it. Several months later. The compilation also lacks the DLC for the original game, a pack of three missions that, regardless of their importance to the series' storyline, have remained needlessly difficult to acquire on any platform ever since the shutdown of the original Xbox Live (the only completely legit manners of acquiring it - only on PC, mind - before a rerelease on Website/GogDotCom being special editions of the later ''Chaos Theory'' and a separate purchasable "Mission Pack" that [[NoExportForYou never left Europe]]).

* The [=PS3=] port of Zen Studios' ''[[VideoGame/PinballFX Pinball FX 2]]'' seems to suffer from the same random input lag and slowdown issues that plague Capcom's [=PS3=] ports. It shares the problem of only running at up to 720p -- The original Xbox 360 version supports 1080p. The title screen is also a boring static image compared to the original. Sure, they added 3D TV support and the ability to purchase extra tables that aren't available in the Xbox 360 original (but also available for the Windows 8 port), but any lag in games that requires hair-trigger response like pinball sims is inexcusable.
* ''VideoGame/FatalFrame 2'' suffered missing graphics in the PSN port. It got so bad that they had to temporarily take it off the PSN store. Fortunately, it has been fixed and plays like normal now.
* In Spring of 2014, Atlus ported several [=PS2=] games from the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series, including ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne'', the ''[[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVSTheSoullessArmy Raidou Kuzunoha]]'' series, and the ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' series, to the [=PS3=] via PSN. Unfortunately, they all ran slowly and had their audio out of sync in all the cutscenes.

* The initial release of ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'' was borderline unplayable due to graphics and sound issues: Glitches will sometimes leave enemies floating in midair, and the sound sometimes cuts out during boss fights or larger hordes of enemies. The beautiful world from the [=PS4=] and Xbox One releases didn't survive either: The game runs in native 960x540 resolution with a short draw distance, texture maps popping in and out of the frame, and a framerate that routinely drops into the twenties or ''teens''. The Nemesis system also took a beating: The number of unique characteristics & appearances an Uruk can have has been severely reduced, making the entire game feel much more repetitive and simplistic than the [=PS4=] or Xbox One versions. [[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-shadow-of-mordor-last-gen-revisited Here's Eurogamer's take on it.]] Thankfully, two patches fixed most of the problems, but that still doesn't give the developers an excuse to release it in the condition it was initially in, and even with the game fixed, it still occasionally slows down and has the sound clip.

* The [=PS3=] port of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' is infamous due to the console not being able to keep up with the game's engine and scope, long load times and frequent console freezes on large areas like the Hinderlands and Skyhold. Not helping is the fact that later DLC and patches caused more instability and bugs to the game with the Black Emporium DLC causing an infinite load screen that leads to a console restart if the game is exited from the console menu.
* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' is VERY broken on the [=PS3=]. Aside from suffering from a highly limited world size, the [=PS3=] completely fails to keep up with the mobs and physics of the game, leading to a sharp difficulty decrease compared to other versions. TNT would take several seconds to explode and redstone machines will simply not work as intended. Chunk loading can be painfully slow, especially when using flight-enabling items like the elytra. Before June 2017, the game would often show up a "Failed to Load" error, caused by the very limited split-memory of the system - prompting 4J Studios to completely rewrite the UI code. Framerate issues are also very common, and game-breaking in split-screen modes.
* The Playstation 3 port of ''VideoGame/SeriousSam3BFE'' came out in 2014 due to Croteam's difficulty adapting the game for the [=PS3=] hardware (for comparison, the original PC version was released at the end of 2011 and the Xbox 360 port only took 11 months). While compressing the game down from its original 5 GB size to a tiny 869 MB is a moderately impressive feat, this version suffers from awful framerates even when no enemies are on screen, a ridiculously low resolution, textures that are muddy and barely recognizable even when they've loaded correctly (and look like the game is trying to run on a computer from ''2006'' that barely meets the minimum requirements when they haven't), and a veritable army of glitches which even a later update wasn't able to fully quash, as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjD485vB_LI shown in this video]].
* While ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' was a poorly-received game in general, at least on the Xbox 360 it ran with a relatively consistent [=60fps=] frame rate, a rarity for a game so early in its console generation. The [=PS3=] version, on the other hand, suffered from constant slowdown and significantly worse input lag, noticeably degraded textures, scenery pop-in that could be so late that it left you little time to dodge things, and the LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading the 360 version was already notorious for was made even ''worse''.

* ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater 1-3'' were ports that had, unfortunately, fallen victim to the N64's shortcomings. The draw distance was lower. The trick controls had to be mapped to the C buttons because of the controller's design. Every single FMV had to be cut out, which means that the intro was replaced with in-game footage, and you got no reward for beating the game (whereas in the PS and Dreamcast versions, you get skater-specific video clips and bail compilations) due to the game having to be cut down to fit in a 16MB cartridge, which was 40 times smaller than the PS game. And also due to that filesize, there were only 6 songs in ''Pro Skater 1'' and ''2'' (as opposed to 11 in the PS version of ''Pro Skater 1'', 13 in the European release of ''Pro Skater 1'', and 15 in ''Pro Skater 2'') and they all had to be cut down to less than a minute[[note]]Some of the songs in the PS version were also clipped short, but not to this extent[[/note]]. Some of the songs in ''Pro Skater 1'' were cut down to an instrumental. Most of them cut out after the first chorus, or sometimes even halfway through the second verse. The songs looped frequently, which means that you had to turn the soundtrack off to actually enjoy the game. This is Tony Hawk we're talking about. The N64 port for the third game was the last game to ever come out for the N64. Talk about a bad way to end your console's lifespan.

* ''VideoGame/LondonRacer'' is a brutally bad port of a competent PC game. The soundtrack was completely removed, leaving you to race in silence. The translation was butchered, with various Dutch words left untouched. And that’s before reaching the gameplay itself, which has many egregious issues. The original game had three leagues, each with progressively better cars, while this port has only one, with cars equivalent to the first league of the original. The courses themselves are stripped down, with many invisible walls blocking what were originally legitimate routes. Whereas the original game had seven car races, this version has only four competitors on the track. The police system was also changed to make it much harder than necessary, where instead of them needing to force you to a stop to issue a warning like the original, here they can just barely scrape you and that’ll count as a warning, along with them choosing to GangUpOnTheHuman whereas they would chase the AI opponents in the original game. All this adds up to make a decent budget game on the PC into one of the worst games on the PS1.

* ''VideoGame/SkyShark'', ported by Software Creations, features [[HitboxDissonance an unusually large and inconsistent hitbox for the player's ship]], causing them to die to bullets that should've missed them. Sometimes the bullets flicker too causing the player to be gibbed by bullets they ''couldn't even see''. Its only saving graces are that it does not have horizontal scrolling unlike the arcade version (thus preventing the player from being sniped by a tank they happened to scroll into view), firing a bomb erases all on-screen enemy bullets also unlike in the arcade , and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic excellent alternative soundtrack]] by Tim Follin, but general consensus is that those touches aren't enough to salvage this port when you can end up losing lives to bullets that are obviously a dozen meters away from your plane.

* ''VideoGame/SkyShark'', ported by Software Creations, features [[HitboxDissonance an unusually large and inconsistent hitbox for the player's ship]], causing them to die to bullets that should've missed them. Sometimes the bullets flicker too causing the player to be gibbed by bullets they ''couldn't even see''. Its only saving graces are that it does not have horizontal scrolling unlike the arcade version (thus preventing the player from being sniped by a tank they happened to scroll into view), firing a bomb erases all on-screen enemy bullets also unlike in the arcade version, and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic excellent alternative soundtrack]] by Tim Follin, but general consensus is that those touches aren't enough to salvage this port when you can end up losing lives to bullets that are obviously several meters away from your plane.

* ''VideoGame/SkyShark'', ported by Software Creations, features [[HitboxDissonance an unusually large and inconsistent hitbox for the player's ship]], causing them to die to bullets that should've missed them. Sometimes the bullets flicker too causing the player to be gibbed by bullets they ''couldn't even see''. Its only saving graces are that it does not have horizontal scrolling unlike the arcade version (thus preventing the player from being sniped by a tank they happened to scroll into view), firing a bomb erases all on-screen enemy bullets also unlike in the arcade version, and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic excellent alternative soundtrack]] by Tim Follin, but general consensus is that those touches aren't enough to salvage this port.

* ''VideoGame/SkyShark'', ported by Software Creations, features [[HitboxDissonance an unusually large and inconsistent hitbox for the player's ship]], causing them to die to bullets that should've missed them. Sometimes the bullets flicker too causing the player to be gibbed by bullets they ''couldn't even see''. Its only saving graces are that it does not have horizontal scrolling unlike the arcade version (thus preventing the player from being sniped by a tank they happened to scroll into view) and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic excellent alternative soundtrack]] by Tim Follin.

* ''VideoGame/SkyShark'', ported by Software Creations, features [[HitboxDissonance an unusually large and inconsistent hitbox for the player's ship]], causing them to die to bullets that should've missed them. Sometimes the bullets flicker too causing the player to be gibbed by bullets they ''couldn't even see''. Its only saving graces are that it does not have horizontal scrolling (thus preventing the player from being sniped by a tank they happened to scroll into view) and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic excellent alternative soundtrack]] by Tim Follin.

* ''VideoGame/SkyShark'', ported by Software Creations, features [[HitboxDissonance unusually large and inconsistent hitboxes for the player's ship]], causing them to die to bullets that should've missed them. Sometimes the bullets flicker too causing the player to be gibbed by bullets they ''couldn't even see''. Its only saving graces are that it does not have horizontal scrolling (thus preventing the player from being sniped by a tank they happened to scroll into view) and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic excellent alternative soundtrack]] by Tim Follin.

* ''VideoGame/SkyShark'', ported by Software Creations, features unusually large and inconsistent hitboxes for the player's ship, causing them to die to bullets that should've missed them. Sometimes the bullets flicker too causing the player to be gibbed by bullets they ''couldn't even see''. Its only saving graces are that it does not have horizontal scrolling (thus preventing the player from being sniped by a tank they happened to scroll into view) and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic excellent alternative soundtrack]] by Tim Follin.

* While ''VideoGame/ArkSurvivalEvolved'' was never that great of a performer on the other consoles, the original Switch version is awful beyond belief, with UsefulNotes/Nintendo64-level graphics that are consistently rendered at a sub-''standard'' definition resolution -- Digital Foundry discovered that in the absolute worst case the resolution can drop to around 304x170 pixels; for perspective, this is a lower vertical resolution than ''the UsefulNotes/Atari2600'' operated at -- objects that either fail to load at all or pop in only a few feet away from your character and waiting times of around ''three minutes'' whenever you start or load a game. More than one reviewer deemed the Switch port of the game to be the single worst-looking major title from the entire eighth generation.

** Note that we said ''original'' Switch version, however. In 2022, it was replaced by a brand new second port called ''Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition'' (which offered as a free update to those who owned the first porting attempt), and this version would go on to be seen as [[PolishedPort one of the most technically impressive]] Switch ports available. Talk about a turnaround. Ironically, the redone Switch version was developed by Grove Street Games, who were the developers of the [[PortingDisaster/{{Multiplatform}} infamously bad]] "Definitive Edition" remasters of the [=PS2=]-era ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games.

* ''The Last Ninja'', an [[SequelFirst unnumbered]] port of the [=C64=] game by System 3 titled ''[[http://www.mobygames.com/game/last-ninja-2-back-with-a-vengeance Last Ninja 2,]]''. While it was admirable that they were able to get anything even remotely resembling one of the [=C64's=] most technically impressive titles working at all on the NES, the end result simply isn't worth it thanks to the abysmal controls, horribly broken collision detection, unimpressive graphics, bland music,[[note]](Porting the [=C64=] version's soundtrack wasn't viable considering that System 3 had since discovered that composer Matt Gray had done SuspiciouslySimilarSong versions of pop music tracks that were just a little ''too'' similar to the originals, but System 3 had at least gone with a remix of the music for the first ''The Last Ninja'' when they gave ''2'' an UpdatedRerelease, instead of the forgettable original music the NES version goes with)[[/note]] and the timing of the puzzles in the opening level being completely messed up to the point of making the level nearly impassable. Add all that to the port doing nothing to correct the gameplay flaws that the [=C64=] version did suffer from, and the end result is what WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd deemed to be the single worst NES game that he had ever played.[[note]](forcing him to clarify that for once, he wasn't being the least bit hyperbolic when he said it was worse than ''VideoGame/DrJekyllAndMrHyde'')[[/note]]

* Already considered [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames a bad game no matter what you play it on]], the Wii version of ''VideoGame/XMenDestiny'' still manages to stand out; in addition to the downgraded graphics, the game cuts out a lot of content that was present in the other versions, including pretty much '''the entirety of the second act''', leaving gaping holes in the plot.

* ''Cruis'n'' was not so much a new console installment to the 90s arcade racing series, as it was console port of the ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' arcade game only with [[SerialNumbersFiledOff all references to the film edited out]] as [[Creator/MidwayGames Midway]] didn't have the home console license to the film series (Namco did). That wouldn't be so bad, as the arcade game was originally released in the arcades by Raw Thrills, a company founded by ex-Midway staffers after Midway shut down their arcade operations, including Creator/EugeneJarvis, the creator of the original ''Cruis'n'' series who oversaw the arcade game, making it already the SpiritualSuccessor to the original series. However, the port suffers from long loading times (with wait times between races being as long as a minute), a terrible frame rate (with the game noticeably chugging when cars encountered ''any'' sort of collision, or outright ''freezing'' when the player changed a music track), overly-sensitive controls, barely existent sound effects, and a pocketful of glitches. Most damningly, ''Cruis'n'' was overall a pretty {{JustForFun/egregious}} case of being a quick-and-dirty port job tossed out to cash in on the then-new console: despite being a 2007 port of an arcade game made in ''2004'', the game looks ''exactly'' like the original arcade release, which graphically makes Cruis'n a game that has arrived one or even two generations too late (indeed, most reviewers cited ''Cruis'n'' as looking no better than a game released on the '''''UsefulNotes/Nintendo64'''''). It stands as [[MedalofDishonor one of the worst-reviewed games released on the console]]; and if Midway had any plans to make more ''Cruis'n'' console games in the future, the game's poor sales certainly [[FranchiseKiller put the brakes on them]].

* The SNES port of the original ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1992'' was most infamous for the heavily sanitized fatalities and gray blood, but its ugliness is more than skin-deep. Its controls were very unresponsive, and it was plagued with poor hit detection that made most combos impossible to perform and a bug where if both players threw projectiles, the first hit would make both projectiles disappear instead of having the players trade hits as in the arcade. Series creator Ed Boon actually apologized for the poor quality of the SNES port. The [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis]] version, which was uglier in the graphics and sound department but more responsive and playable and much less censored (in fact, it had the now-famous ABACABB code that removed all censorship altogether), outsold the SNES version on a three-to-one basis. It proved to be bad publicity for Creator/{{Nintendo}} and they allowed Creator/{{Acclaim}} to release the port of [[VideoGame/MortalKombatII the sequel]] uncensored.

* While the Series S console can handle up to 1440p 120fps (otherwise 1440p at 60fps for most multiplatform developers), '''backwards compatibility is limited to the base Xbox One (or S) version and not the enhanced One X,''' despite the system being powerful as the One X. There are consequences for poor optimization when developed on both Series [=X|Ses=] (mainly the flaw in the latter):

* ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' had a port that was widely considered a disappointment at the time of its release. Due to a combination of Creator/{{Capcom}} rushing the game out the door to make it a launch title for the Super Famicom, a lack of larger cartridge sizes at the time and the limitations of the SNES hardware, the port wound up being a pale imitation of the arcade original. The amount of enemies onscreen at once was reduced to three and yet despite this the game was very laggy. Additionally, both Guy and the Industrial Area were cut from the game. The worse part however was the removal of the two player mode--a staple of the genre. The port sold well at the time but would quickly be outclassed by Creator/{{Konami}}'s port of ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime'', which proved that an arcade BeatEmUp could successfully be translated to the console.[[note]]Those wishing to play ''Final Fight'' on a home console would be wise to pick up the Sega CD version, considered by far and away to be the most faithful port.[[/note]]

* The initial release of ''[[VideoGame/{{Kingdom}} Kingdom: New Lands]]'' on Switch was plagued with [[GameBreakingBug Game-Breaking Bugs]] ranging from poor framerates, graphical glitches, map patches failing to load, [=NPCs=] spontaneously disappearing, buildings staying half-built, certain structures like Ballistas not behaving as intended, game crashes and more, which led to complaints from fans. The devs have assured fans that they are aware of these issues and are working on fixing them.

* ''Cruis'n'' was not so much a new console installment to the 90s arcade racing series, as it was console port of the ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' arcade game only with [[SerialNumbersFiledOff all references to the film edited out]] as [[Creator/MidwayGames Midway]] didn't have the home console license to the film series (Namco did). That wouldn't be so bad, as the arcade game was originally released in the arcades by Raw Thrills, a company founded by ex-Midway staffers after Midway shut down their arcade operations, including [[Creator/EugeneJarvis]], the creator of the original ''Cruis'n'' series who oversaw the arcade game, making it already the SpiritualSuccessor to the original series. However, the port suffers from long loading times (with wait times between races being as long as a minute), a terrible frame rate (with the game noticeably chugging when cars encountered ''any'' sort of collision, or outright ''freezing'' when the player changed a music track), overly-sensitive controls, barely existent sound effects, and a pocketful of glitches. Most damningly, ''Cruis'n'' was overall a pretty {{JustForFun/egregious}} case of being a quick-and-dirty port job tossed out to cash in on the then-new console: despite being a 2007 port of an arcade game made in ''2004'', the game looks ''exactly'' like the original arcade release, which graphically makes Cruis'n a game that has arrived one or even two generations too late (indeed, most reviewers cited ''Cruis'n'' as looking no better than a game released on the '''''UsefulNotes/Nintendo64'''''). It stands as [[MedalofDishonor one of the worst-reviewed games released on the console]]; and if Midway had any plans to make more ''Cruis'n'' console games in the future, the game's poor sales certainly [[FranchiseKiller put the brakes on them]].