Which MAME ROM to list/play?

[WillyByte]

I'm sure the issue has been covered/discussed many times before but it's quite new and nebulous to me.  For MAME roms with similar names are there any universal truths that might guide my ability to choose?  I.e. are the higher set numbers more current than the lower set numbers? Has anyone worked/played through a bunch of roms and created a list of preferred versions?

examples:
Mr. Do!
Mr. Do (bugfixed)
Mr. Do (prototype)
Mr. Do (Taito)

Burger Time (Data East set 1)
Burger Time (Data East set 2)
Burger Time (Midway)

Donkey Kong (US set 1)
Donkey Kong (US set 2)

Zoo Keeper (set 1)
Zoo Keeper (set 2)
Zoo Keeper (set 3)

[BadMouth]

A lot of front ends give you the option to hide clones.
I'm pretty sure that the main rom (non-clone) is usually the last US or world release.

This is how I do it, but there are a few exceptions.
Pacman is a clone of Puckman, so I go into the mame.xml and change it to trick the front end.

Sometimes on four player games like the simpsons or teenage mutant ninja turtles, you don't have the ability to select your character.
It is assigned to you based on which player you are.  Using the 2 player version of these games works out better on a 1 or 2 player cab and allows you to choose which character you want to play as.

I've read that fairly often the US release of a game will be more difficult or even impossible for the sake of taking your quarters and the Japanese version will be more balanced and enjoyable.  Can't say I've ever given them a try though.  I grew up on the quarter stealers and that's what I want.

EDIT:
To research a rom, I use:
http://www.progettoemma.net/
(click the combo British/US flag above the search fields for English)

[DeLuSioNal29]

Here's a good source for information on MAME games:  http://www.mamedb.com/

For example, Mr. Do! has many versions.  It was originally a game by Universal, but Taito licensed it from them.  However, the Taito version has a known bug where you can get 255 lives.  The Bugfix version fixes that issue on the Taito version.

http://www.mamedb.com/game/mrdo


Personally, I prefer the Taito version since I think it's a neat trick.  (I own both Universal and Taito boardsets of the game).

Burgertime:  (There is a cassette version that is super rare - same game though).
http://www.mamedb.com/list.php?fuzzy_name=burger+time

Donkey Kong (There were two boardsets made.  One with 2 boards and one with 3 boards.
http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=439.0

Zookeeper:  Not sure what the differences are in the versions.  But generally speaking I tend to choose the latest version in my game lists.
http://www.mamedb.com/list.php?fuzzy_name=zoo+keeper

D

[lamprey]

This probably doesn't help with your specific question. But, I've found it somewhat interesting to look into the differences between versions, so I'd highly recommend doing some research. It'd be nice if this information was compiled into one place too!

If you look at certain games, like Night Slashers, the Japanese version has "uncensored" blood and gore, meaning the blood is red. Not a big deal per se, but might be of interest. As fleskebacon pointed out recently for SSF2, the USA version is supposedly easier than the other versions.

As DeLuSioNal29 points out the latest (highest numbered) rom set is the preferred set, but not always.

[BadMouth]

....and then there is the Japanese version of Vendetta.
I'll leave it to you to look it up.

[lamprey]

....and then there is the Japanese version of Vendetta.
I'll leave it to you to look it up.

At least post a video link!!

Not quite the same, but Strider also has an Amazon de-censor version. I don't think that is in the official MAME rom set though.

Fun stuff these different rom sets!

[WillyByte]

Thanks all,

I'm using MALA and MAMEUIFX for my first full and nearly completed build and wanted to know which ROMS to block so my list was clean for guests.  I haven't had time to play each version in depth so I found all of your input very helpful.  I ended up going with a mix of Japanese and us versions mostly sticking with ones with highest numbers when they showed.  It's good to know I can make adjustments to the list as I go along.