As a Lemmings-loving-Lemmings fan, I've often contemplated getting the game on various formats. I currently own the game on the Mega Drive, PC and I used to own the Acorn Archemedies one. I'm thinking of getting the Game Boy, Sega Game Gear, NES and PSone versions, but my attention's on the SNES one at the moment.

However, I'm a little concerned that it may feel too similar to the Mega Drive version. Both being on 16bit consoles and both being released in the same year, I can't help but wonder if one was a port of another. Also, the Mega Drive version has 75 or so more levels, so is the SNES version essentially the same sans the extra MD levels?

So what I'm trying to get across is: Is the SNES version worth getting when I have the Mega Drive one? If it feels differently, that'll be enough for me, as I enjoy switching between the Mega Drive version and the Windows version.

Well, it's more correct to say both are ports of the original Amiga version.  I think the MD and SNES versions were done in parallel.

It's definitely the case that the SNES version is "essentially the same sans the extra MD levels".  Actually, the SNES version does have 5 extra levels but they were selected from MD's Sunsoft-rated levels.

The only differences I can think of, off top of my head:

1) different versions of the music.  SNES does have generally more versatile sound and music capabilities than MD

2) the SNES version has interesting transition screens featuring cover-art-style lemmings doing various semi-funny stuff, when you finish the last level of a rating and before it brings you to the first level of the next rating

3) the SNES version has a different intro animation.  (Intro animation refers to the stuff before the main menu screen.)

4) the SNES version has a sound/music test screen (though the MD might have it too, I never really played it)

5) The ending credits stuff is different.

In short, not really that different.  The way the levels themselves play in particular is mostly (if not completely) identical I think.

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Perhaps the best way to decide is to try the game out on emulator.  You can download suitable SNES emulators easily off the web, and I can e-mail you the ROM for it if you want.

The SNES version also has one unique level that doesn't appear anywhere else -- its version of 21 Tricky. Not, however, worth getting the game for on that count alone.

I know I did this thread a while ago, but curiosity is striking me-Does it have the "Oh no" and "Yippee" sounds that the MD version lacked?

I'm not sure what you mean about the MD version.  I just checked it on the emulator and both the "Oh no" (the transitional moment before explosion) and "Yippee" (actually it should be "boink", the sound effect upon exiting) are present.  Although one thing I noticed is that on the MD/Genesis version, if you nuke, it just plays the "oh no" just once at the moment you triggered the nuke, rather than separately for each lemming as they are about to explode.

What is true though is that, due to the superior audio capabilities of the SNES, the "oh no" sounds like a spoken "oh no" on the SNES, as opposed to the synthesized imitations offered by the Genesis/MD version and the DOS version.  However, the exiting sound effect is still resolutely a "boink".  In fact, I'm not sure whether any official versions of Lemmings 1 actually use "Yippee" as the exiting sound effect, I think you confused it with Cheapo and/or Lemmings 2.

I played the SNES version a while ago, and it's a good bit different than the MD version.  The SNES version actually has the original levels from the game, while the MD version has new levels.  And if I remember right, there's only 5 levels in the Sunsoft rating on the SNES.

Or Winlemm!

Strange about the MD version, since my one definately has a blip for an exploding lemming. However, it does have "Oh no!" when you type an incorrect code on the password screen. It may be something to do with me owning a PAL one, since emulators always play NTSC, although that would be very strange if it was the case.

I always assumed there was one or two versions with the "Yippee" sound, but hey, learn something new every day. I can remember the Acorn Archemedies version having the boink aswell.

Ah yes, always forgotten WinLemm...... X_X

That's a good point about the explosion, I forgot that there is in fact a realistic "Oh no" on the Genesis/MD password screen, even though the exploders used something that sound far less realistic.

My one guess would be that it is still ultimately the same hardware limitations I referred to.  Notice that the password screen doesn't have music playing in the background.  perhaps it's the background music that forces the game programmers to simplify the sound for the exploders?

It's interesting to point out that in fact, the "Oh no" upon incorrect passwords seem fairly unique to the Genesis/MD version.  I know for example that no such sound effects exist with the PC, Amiga and SNES versions.  (I don't know about the Mac since I don't think I ever tried an incorrect password there.)  In fact I think it's just plain silence with the PC and Amiga versions, whether or not the password is a correct one.

It is the same for the Mac (just silence).

Yeah, it is, I just discovered that turning only the sfx on when playing the MD version will cause the "oh no" sound to occur with an exploding lemming.