Definitely SNES imo. Basically they were "equal" imo, but the SNES had two great advantages, 256 colors onscreen vs only 64 for the Genesis. This allowed 2D art to really shine on the SNES and still look great today.

I can instantly tell the difference between a Genesis and SNES game just by the muted, somber, color pallet on the Genesis version. An example, Streetfighter on both platforms:

Here is what it would look like on Genny, a dark tone on everything



Here is the arcade version which is similar to the SNES, bright and colorful



Second thing was the SNES's superior sound chip. This really shined too.

Funny because I lived through that era, and prior to release the magazines (wasn't really internet then) talked up SNES "amazing" "Mode 7" scaling and rotation as it's big advantages over the Genesis. In practice though, it ended up not mattering much compared to the colors and sounds issues.

In that vein though I see SNES as a typical poor hardware effort from Nintendo that's seen as good. While I think the SNES is better hardware than the Genesis, I think given how much later it released, it should have been better, closer to an affordable Neo-Geo in power, instead of almost on par with Genesis.

Also the SNES shined towards the end of it's life, notably with a technical showpieces like Donky Kong Country, which was sometimes compared graphically to early Playstation 1 releases! Granted, Nintendo had a habit of including add on helper chips directly in cartridges, and may have done so for DKC I dont recall. Still.

Please don't tell me someone actually thinks "blast processing" actually existed?.....

I also remember street fight on the genesis was 40 "megs" and the snes one was only 32 "Megs" ( the last one, not sure what it was), and the snes version was still far superior, even tho the genies version had the extra memory... I can't believe this is even a debate, the snes was clearly superior, in every single conceivable way. This is as obvious as ps1 vs n64, the n64 was in a league of its own in terms of hardware.

I won't get into the nitty gritty about it all...

But the Blast Processing term is basically what happens if you let marketers who drink far to much redbull get hold of a boring technical term.

The Genesis however was limited to 64 colours a few of those colours were translucent.
However by doing some smart DMA palette swaps and other trickery effects, you could bolster that number.

Plus, it was common for allot of artists to use other colours in a "flat" colour to give sprites some depth and shade to make them seem more complex than they really are.
For example a tree in the background may use some yellow pixels for a little extra definition, CRT's natively bleed colours into each so it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb, the human eye and brain fixes the rest, you can see that profoundly in emulation as everything is far clearer on modern screens.

SNES.
More modern video effects like Mode 7 scaling, more colours on screen and total.

Yes, but any "trickery" done on the genesis, could also be applied to the snes, right? But, as you said, blast processing was just a marketing gimmick. It's just funny some people, 20 years later, still fall for it.

All I remember was that the same games on both consoles looked better on SNES. (something was just off on the Genesis)

You are so right! Which is why I stay away from any media from the games I really want to play, like Last of Us, Beyond and now South Park and Evil Whiting, I want to be surprised and see stuff for the first time when I am playing!

Except there are 6 button genesis controllers and arcade sticks.  some games are unplayab,e without them, and other games detect the type of controller you're using, so they weren't uncommon at all.  

its great because ABC XYZ buttons are all on the face.  hate havng to consistently press left shoulder buttons.  makes fighting games on dreamcast and SNES difficut.  or any controller with 4 face buttons and a lone pair of shoulder buttons. 

wish a console would do 6 face buttons and 4 shoulder. SEga saturn almost did it.

fallen said: Definitely SNES imo. Basically they were "equal" imo, but the SNES had two great advantages, 256 colors onscreen vs only 64 for the Genesis. This allowed 2D art to really shine on the SNES and still look great today. I can instantly tell the difference between a Genesis and SNES game just by the muted, somber, color pallet on the Genesis version. An example, Streetfighter on both platforms: Here is what it would look like on Genny, a dark tone on everything Here is the arcade version which is similar to the SNES, bright and colorful Second thing was the SNES's superior sound chip. This really shined too. Funny because I lived through that era, and prior to release the magazines (wasn't really internet then) talked up SNES "amazing" "Mode 7" scaling and rotation as it's big advantages over the Genesis. In practice though, it ended up not mattering much compared to the colors and sounds issues. In that vein though I see SNES as a typical poor hardware effort from Nintendo that's seen as good. While I think the SNES is better hardware than the Genesis, I think given how much later it released, it should have been better, closer to an affordable Neo-Geo in power, instead of almost on par with Genesis. Also the SNES shined towards the end of it's life, notably with a technical showpieces like Donky Kong Country, which was sometimes compared graphically to early Playstation 1 releases! Granted, Nintendo had a habit of including add on helper chips directly in cartridges, and may have done so for DKC I dont recall. Still.

I own both Street Fighter II: champion Edition and Super Street Fighter II on genesis.  champion Edition looks like crap.  it wasn't even fair to use that as an example because SSFII has those same stages and chracters, with far better looking sprites and sound.  we already know SNES is better, but geneis wasn't THAT terrible.  I don't even touch SFII after getting SSFII on genesis.  But, the arcade version blows both out of the water.

battletoads and double dragon the ultimate team is a more fair example in my opinion, but then again, the gap may be worse with that one.  Why not pick a game that pushed both consoles?  if there's a multiplat that did that?  I guess SUPER street fighter II did,  but surely NOT the one you listed.