Another action RPG arcade release from Capcom based on the studio's CPS1 hardware, and it's really quite advanced for the time. The graphics are really impressive and the gameplay, while not as refined as the later D&D titles, is certainly more engaging than your average brawler.
Developed by Domark and published by Sega in 1992.
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Certain games that, when released, were instant classics and were ported to every system available. With it's revolutionary rotoscoped animation, sword combat and platforming action, it's easy to understand why publishers were so keen to push the game on to as many systems as possible.
The Sega Game Gear and Master System received a Prince of Persia port courtesy of Domark in 1992. I still own the original Game Gear cartridge and, I have to say, it's remarkably accomplished for an 8-bit version.
The core game mechanics are exactly same as the Apple II/Amiga/PC versions of the game, but it soon becomes apparent that the level designs have been reworked and extended. I can't say that the changes are for the better as some of the levels feature dead ends, or areas that the player can get trapped in, the only way out being through suicide.
The sword combat is present, but the way the characters move means that it's all too easy to initiate a strike and have your opponent walk into the blow. It can end up feeling like button spam wins the day rather than fighting tactically.
The final issue I have with the game is the slightly sluggish and unresponsive control scheme. There is a significant delay between pressing the button to perform a running jump and the animation actually playing out, which makes timing jumps tricky.
The jump animation also has an annoying habit of transitioning from jump to falling at a sharp ninety-degree angle. The character travels horizontally for a certain number of pixels before falling straight downwards, which means that catching the edge of a distant ledge by your fingertips is next to impossible.
Reading this, you might think that the game isn't particularly good. True enough, it has it's issues, but you learn to live with them. If you're looking for some Prince of Persia on the move then the Game Gear version certainly scratches the itch despite it's imperfections.
The animation of the character sprites is genuinely excellent and very smooth; vital considering that the animation is a large part of what made the game so special in the first place.
To the developer's credit, they even added a password system that would allow the player to resume play at a particular stage. It is also possible to reduce the length of time available to complete the game, as well as altering the level of starting health. Those who want a truly iron-man challenge can set the time limit to fifteen minutes and a single point of health.
Sure, it has it's flaws, but Prince of Persia on the Game Gear/Master System does, in my opinion, uphold the name of the brand and is certainly worth playing.
#r
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK-5jK1-LrQ
Developed and published by Data East in 1992
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Technically impressive on-rails shooter from Data East full of action, explosions and fantasy monsters to nuke.
Underneath the slick visuals is a game which is unbelievably hard. Not only do you need extremely swift reflexes to deal with all the enemies showing up on screen, you'll need to make judicious use of your bombs to take out packs of enemies, as well as provide temporary immunity when overwhelmed.
I don't think it's actually possible to 1cc clear the game because of the mechanics on the final boss, at least as a solo player. Although your bombs grant temporary immunity, the recharge rate isn't sufficiently fast enough to prevent your mirror image from shooting you, and the health pool means that, even on full health, you'll end up having to spend at least one extra credit to beat the game.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
01:56 Stage 1
08:30 Stage 2
13:58 Stage 3
22:54 Stage 4
30:18 Stage 5
36:27 Stage 6
41:16 Ending
#retrogaming
#arcadegames
#lightgun
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AluaSUw_D-s
Game Info
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Developer: Jaleco
Publisher: Jaleco
Year of Release: 1992
Game Review & Impressions
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Also known subtitled Rival Turf! 2, this is a sequel to Rival Turf. As a result of boring gameplay, a limited move-set and endless waves of opponents, I really wasn't a fan of the predecessor, and while Brawl Brothers IS an improvement, it's still nowhere near being close to Streets of Rage 2 or Final Fight in terms of quality.
As to the plot, I really couldn't care less. The game infuriated me to such a degree I couldn't be bothered to look it up. It doesn't even need a plot: a bunch of good guys travel right and beat up a bunch of bad guys for reasons.
You select primary fighter and a backup from a roster of five characters consisting of your typical genre achetypes: Master Slowshuffle; Mountain Dew Ninja; middle-of-the-road Joe; Token Female and Beefcake McPoundface.
Normally, figuring out where to go isn't a concern in these types of games, but for some reason, Jaleco introduced two levels that involve branching paths, and unless you choose the paths in the correct order, you'll go around in a continual loop. I must have spent a good 40 minutes in the sewer section alone, battling wave after wave of goons until I realised it was possible to walk through the "doors" in the back of the stage! The player is given no instruction to do this, nor are there any suggestions you need to figure the correct route out, which is just bad game design.
Another pet hate of mine, which this particular game uses to a significant extent, is putting enemies into a state where they either can't be injured, or there's no way to prevent their next attack. The collision detection in Brawl Brothers is suspect at the best of times, but throughout my entire playthrough my characters punches and kicks pass through the enemy sprite with no impact. Similarly, the grapple mechanic frequently prioritises the enemy character above your own, meaning they'll get to toss you around with impunity. I loathe this mechanic with a passion because it's a cheap way to boost the difficulty; the player should always have some countermeasure with which to avoid this scenario, but Jaleco clearly thought otherwise. This makes Brawl Brothers an incessantly dull and often joyless affair, leaving the player frustrated at every turn.
As you might have gathered, I didn't like this game; in fact, I think I liked it less than the original, despite the additional features. The kernel of a decent game is buried under a series of bad design choices and general laziness, and everything about it just ground my gears. Others might enjoy it, but I'm not one of them.
Chapters
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TBC
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbsBGQuy8Mo
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Developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis in 1993
Ambitious shooter from the team at DMA that is ultimately let down by a severe difficulty curve.
Players pilot a bipedal mech, engaged in battles against the Endalion Time Force, spanning multiple timezones. Each zone features enemy units based on suitably futuristic or historic weaponry, and it's up to the player to formulate strategies as to how best to deal with the oncoming onslaught.
The Walker unit is equipped with a pair of 30mm cannons with unlimited ammunition, although excessive heat is generated through constant firing, so you should only use controlled bursts to ensure things don't overheat.
The Walker is protected by a shield which is depleted by impacts from enemy projectiles and explosives. Once the shield is down, the Walker itself will begin to take damage; sustain too much, and the mech will be destroyed.
On a technical and artistic level, Walker is a genuinely impressive title. The level of detail in the animations - both Walker and enemy units - is superb, and the use of sound, radio chatter and explosions really add to the atmosphere.
The main criticism, however, is the difficulty. There are many attack waves in later levels almost impossible to deal with, without sustaining crippling levels of damage. Some weapon upgrades or power-ups might have helped even the odds, but the constant overheating cannons and vast swathes of enemy reinforcements make the game a rather frustrating experience.
Time Codes
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:51 - Level 01 (Berlin 1944)
00:16:18 - Level 02 (Los Angeles 2019)
00:34:03 - Level 03 (Middle East - Present Day)
00:54:20 - (The Great War 2420)
01:08:49 - Ending
Bonus Content
01:19:09 - Menu Music (full loop)
Credits
Design: Ian Dunlop, Neill Glancy
Coding: Ian Dunlop, Scott Johnston, Teijo Kinnunen, Jon Dye
Graphics: Mark Ireland, Stacey Jamieson, David Hally, Neill Glancy, Scott Johnston
Music: Raymond Usher
#walker
#amiga
#retrogaming
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe3loCBMCn4
Game Info
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Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Year of Release: 1992
Game Review & Impressions
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The original Wonder Boy coin-op was a regular sight at arcades when I was growing up, but I'd always wondered how and why the series seemed so similar to Hudson's Adventure Island games.
As it turns out, Adventure Island is effectively a fork of the original Wonder Boy IP. Hudson Soft had signed away the rights to the Wonder Boy name and characters to Sega, so created a new protagonist -- Master Higgins -- and assets for their own series of games. Unlike Sega, who transformed Wonder Boy into a series of monster-slaying action RPG titles, Adventure Island and it's brethren stuck to the original Wonder Boy arcade formula.
Super Adventure Island is, in many respects, a souped up Wonder Boy for the 90s, using graphical tricks made possible by the SNES. It looks really cool, and the gameplay, if you've played Wonder Boy, is instantly familiar. Each level is a giant obstacle course of platforms, hazards and enemies, with the ever-present threat of your dwindling energy bar, which must be topped up by grabbing fruit, cakes and other sweet treats suspended in mid-air.
If I'm honest, Super Adventure Island isn't particularly innovative, but it's a decent-enough arcade platformer. I love the visuals, but I can't say this is a game I'd come back to very often.
Chapters
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TBC
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKR6hEjH3SQ
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This version features pretty decent graphics, but the core gameplay experience is very dull compared to all the 16-bit versions.
Please note: the frame rate denotes the screen refresh of the host machine; obviously, the game itself is running at a much lower frame rate.
#retrogaming
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRw7XwDGGRc
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Developed and published by Nostalgia in 2015
Note: Re-uploaded to fix audio issues.
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Intro Screen: 0:00
Title Screen: 4:20
Main Game: 8:11
Even in this day and age it's amazing to find that there's still an active scene for the venerable Commodore 64. I stumbled across the fact that the guys over at Nostalgia had released a new revamp of Capcom's arcade classic, Ghosts'n Goblins, for the C64.
Anyone who played the original 1986 conversion by Elite will know that, although the game was pretty good, an awful lot had been cut out to get it to fit as a single-load tape game.
I was curious to find out what kind of job the guys had done in writing this new version and I am pleased to say that it's excellent! Just about everything from the arcade game is present in this new rework.
The new C64 version of G'nG features all of the original levels from the arcade and makes them full-length. Each level is divided into two sections, which I'm guessing was necessary to overcome technical limitations. Even so, there's absolutely no delay when changing scenes so there's nothing to interrupt the gameplay.
The game's artwork is a considerable improvement over the 1986 version and somehow manages to be closer to the arcade yet pays suitable homage to the 1986 Elite version. The main Arthur sprite is better defined and now sports eyes, beard and even retains the wobbling visor on his armour from the arcade version. And if you thought Arthur looked good in his armour, just wait till you see him in his underpants!
Of course, simply looking like the arcade version isn't worth much if the actual game doesn't play well. Fortunately, you have absolutely nothing to fear since the game plays like a dream and is easily one of the best conversions of the game for a home computer out there.
All of the weapons from the arcade are present, although only the torch seemed to drop whilst I was recording and that is simply a weapon you never want to have. I did get the dagger during a previous game, but I wasn't recording at that point and never saw it drop again.
Whilst the game is still incredibly tough, some things have been altered to make the whole experience less daunting. The soul-crushing punishment of being forced to play through the game for a second time has been removed, instead guaranteeing you the shield required to face the final boss during the first play-through.
On the audio front, Mark Cooksey's original music is retained, but a whole range of new compositions have been written and included. Not
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNfS5NUohtM
Developed by Special FX and published by Ocean in 1990.
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Midnight Resistance was one of the first videos that I did when I started doing longplays on my channel. The quality of the encoding wasn't great and it didn't get many views; considering that this is one of the best arcade conversions on the C64, it was worth the effort to replay and get a better quality video uploaded.
Set in a dystopian future, the player assumes the role of a fighter in a resistance movement who's family has been kidnapped by a mad scientist. The objective of the game is to fight through multiple levels of hostiles in order to free you family members from captivity.
Originally developed by Data East and released in the arcades, Midnight Resistance was ported to a wide range of home computers and consoles. Developed by Special FX, the C64 version of the game is an undeniably excellent game and one of the best conversions seen on the machine. I remember loading up the demo of this on a Commodore Format Power Pack tape and wanting the full game then and there.
Just about everything from the arcade version is crammed into the C64 version. The C64 version managed to cram in nine levels from the arcade version, each of which faithfully copies the arcade version, including enemies and bosses.
All of the weapons and power-ups from the arcade (with the exception of the rotating shields) are present. The player has access to a range of guns, as well as secondary attacks (nitro and impressively coded homing missiles) with which to destroy enemies. These can only be accessed by collecting keys from the red ninja-like enemies in each stage.
Perhaps most impressively of all is the way the coder (Robbie Tinman) implemented the eight-way control scheme. Rotating the joystick will cause the player to aim in the corresponding direction, whilst pulling down on the stick will cause the player to go prone. Even then, it's possible to aim in all possible directions whilst prone and the control is as slick as it could possibly have been for joystick with a single fire button.
Ivan Davies produced some fantastic chunky sprites that managed to not only capture the essence of the arcade version, but also managed to give the C64 version a sense of identity in it's own right.
Keith Tinman reproduced the arcade music for the SID chip and did an outstanding job. The music in this game still counts as some of the most memorable on the C64 and is best played as loud as possible.
The only criticism that I have is that some of the bosses can be killed too quickly. Using three-way or the flamer whilst spamming nitro can down the bosses before they've even had chance to start attacking.
The game absolutely
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLFU_kiJbXU
Game Info
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Developer: Video System
Publisher: Video System
Year of Release:1993
Game Review & Impressions
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Another game to pop up on my socials which I thought weird enough to warrant a long play is this versus fighting game from Video System.
The developers opted to use a combat system with just two buttons. Executing special moves is as simple as holding down both buttons, waiting for your character to power up, then pushing the joystick in one of the eight different directions and let go of the buttons. The direction of the stick on release dictates which type of move is executed, but this is all rather moot when they're all equally crap. In fact, the combat in this game is just terrible, period.
Ta*o Taido is a long way from Street Fighter or Fatal Fury in its production values. Some of the character art is reasonable, but is then let down by poor animation, most of which seems to involve stilted pirouettes and cartwheel-esque flailing. There's not much to recommend this, and there are plenty of better games to play.
Chapters
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TBC
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDra5pbkGB0