When comparing Donkey Kong vs Tokio / Scramble Formation, the Slant community recommends Tokio / Scramble Formation for most people. In the question“What are the best and the most revolutionary games of all time?” Tokio / Scramble Formation is ranked 49th while Donkey Kong is ranked 56th. The most important reason people chose Tokio / Scramble Formation is:
As the player captures enemy planes, they would follow the player's plane in a formation. This was likely the first time players could change formations of friendly ships, which was quite innovative for the time. The basic formation could hit both air and ground units, although it only covered a small area while the two other formations could only target either air or ground but covered a much larger area. The best players had to dynamically switch formations depending on their surroundings.
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Pros
Pro Still competitive more than 30 years later
Players still compete for high scores in tournaments and casual competition. The game is streamed daily on Twitch by people striving to beat their own PB or reach a high score goal.
Pro Formation modes required the play to react to circumstances
As the player captures enemy planes, they would follow the player's plane in a formation. This was likely the first time players could change formations of friendly ships, which was quite innovative for the time. The basic formation could hit both air and ground units, although it only covered a small area while the two other formations could only target either air or ground but covered a much larger area. The best players had to dynamically switch formations depending on their surroundings.
Pro One of the first to use ym2203 tunes and sound effects
Tokio / Scramble Formation was among the first arcade games using yamaha ym2203, and the audio was designed to make the most of the chip using as few resources as possible.
Cons
Con Very optimized world record
There is very little room to improve the world record, and the MAME record is close to the theoretical maximum. Getting a new world record would require not just skill but also a great deal of luck.