Handheld Wars Week 18 - BlazBlue Continuum Shift II

Almost identical versions, the developers Arc System Works did a good job with both but I can only give it to the PSP version, it has the slight edge in multiple areas and most importantly it's superior where it actually makes a difference.

PSP has a higher screen resolution than 3DS so it has less drop in sprite quality, which is a big plus for a 2D fighting game like this, the PSP version also allows the game to be installed to the memory stick to speed up loading times and PSP arguably has much better form factor and button design, less square and basic, much more natural and ergonomic, which is important for fighting games in particular.
According to official sources it also offers online play via PS3 party mode.

3DS on the other hand only has the stereoscopic "3D" depth effect to offer, which isn't a major plus in a 2D centric game like this as everything is still 2D, you just get a little more definition in the parallax scrolling, and it only offers it during gameplay, cutscenes are all 2D only regardless.
According to official sources it has no online mode.

There's a much improved full console quality port with new bonus content on Vita as well, but I chose not to add it as it felt far too unfair for both the other versions to go up against something like that.

Calamity Trigger was on PSP and Continuum Shift II was also on PS3 and Xbox 360.
The updated version that was on Vita, Continuum Shift Extend, was also on PSP (with new added content not found in any other version), PS3 and Xbox 360.
Vita and PS3 got Chrono Phantasma, and Chrono Phantasma Extend was on Vita, PS3, PS4 and Xbox One.

Vita and PS3 also got a couple of exclusive prequel visual novels, XBlaze Code Embryo and XBlaze Lost Memories.

Arc System Works sure love making updated versions of their games. Both their Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series are packed full of them.

Yeah, I was just going to say they're almost like Capcom in that way, though not anywhere near as bad of course. At least when Arc System Works makes a new version of one of their games they always add enough new content and make enough tweaks and changes that it's worth getting, the same can absolutely not be said for new versions of games from Capcom, they just add a new speed setting or some other super minor thing and release it as a "new" version.

The big difference between the two is that a new version of a Capcom game is pretty much an identical experience to playing an older version, the new stuff added can be mostly if not entirely ignored and avoided, whereas a new version of an Arc System Works game has changes you'll definitely notice even if you don't pay attention to the added new stuff in particular, making it a new experience as a whole, even if just a minor one in some cases it's still far more of a new game feeling than what I've ever felt in any new Street Fighter version.

Another wording of what I mean is that new versions of games can either render old[er] versions obsolete or not, and with Capcom it feels they prefer going down the path of replacing their older versions, in effect making any older version obsolete to the newest version available, while other developers like Arc System Works seem to prefer complimenting their old games with newer versions rather than replacing them, meaning the older versions still have value.

That's why I said they seem to prefer doing it rather than they always do it, there are bound to be exceptions.
Arc System Works probably have some versions too where you can get a newer one as a superior that completely replaces an older one, with no loss in the trade.

It's funny, with Capcom they've been doing the minor upgrade version releases for ages, not just for newer games in recent years or limited to their fighting games.
I remember on PlayStation, it was either Resident Evil or Resident Evil 2 (maybe both?) getting a "Dual Shock" edition, where it was the same game as before but with Dual Shock controller compatibility added.
Meanwhile, also on PlayStation, V-Rally got a regular Platinum re-release, but unlike other games that went Platinum, the developers chose to add a brand new car and implement Dual Shock compatibility, as a result it became the best version of the game, at a cheaper price than the original no less.
It was one of those moments where I was like "THAT is how it is done! Capcom and others, TAKE NOTES!!"