I preferred the first version.
Two reasons why I disliked Version 2:
- Too roundish
- When the explosion first appears, its already round, I prefer to see it burst from a small explosion to a big explosion like in version 1, and then fade into smoke in the manner like in version 1 (become smaller)
However, I think there are some good improvements from version 1 there:
- The colour is about just right, it doesn't look to red.
- It is now one explosion, and not multiple internal explosions.
- I can see the white particles on the explosions very clearly now, so it looks more powerful.
Good effort. =)