I am not an expert of arcade games or RPG's, or anything other than Mario or Tomb Raider games, but this game is so fun.  I never played the arcade version(I didn't know one even existed at all, I haven't been inside an arcade in ages), so I am clueless there.  But what I do know is that this game is a standout on N64.  Connect four controllers and have a blast.  The graphics are great(in my opinion of course), and the game is challenging and requires teamwork.  There are 4 players to pick at first(four variations of those), then four more characters can be discovered.  The new characters are pretty neat and add more replay value.  Anyway I think that you should buy this game if you know what is good for...or if you are cheap then rent it.