Any diff. btw JPN GBA Kotetsu Teikoku & UK Steel Empire?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Are there any differences between the original Japanese GBA version of Kotetsu Teikoku and the later released UK GBA version of Steel Empire?

Kotetsu seems to be placed in the latter 19th century timeframe but the exact year isn't really made known to the shmupper but only vaguely -- (an exact year would've been better story-wise)...

I'm surprised that no American GBA game publisher hasn't picked up this Kotetsu import and release it for the USA GBA market...surely, it would do well with the GBA shmup-genre fans, right? ^_~

It's interesting to learn that Kotetsu runs at a silky-smooth 60 frames-per-second framerate...a rarity on the GBA hardware these days, indeed. Sure, there's Treasure's Super Gunstar Heroes/Future Gunstar Heroes GBA game releases + the Sega Arcade Hits that both run at the holy grail of 60 fps benchmark... ^_~

There is a downside to running such 60 fps GBA titles though at the expense of shorter GBA battery life when overclocking the CPU (unless Treasure managed to conserve GBA battery duration for their GBA Super Gunstar Heroes title)...

The original MD/Genesis versions of Kotetsu Teikoku/Steel Empire (from Sega Genesis game publisher, Flying Edge) seemed to run at a slower framerate but still playable nevertheless on the 16-bit console platforms...the overall visual presentation strongly reminds me of the "steampunk" technology featured in the "Laputa: Castle of the Air" & Otomo's "Steamboy" anime movies. ^_~

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Did Kotetsu Teikoku/Steel Empire have a heavy influence on Cave when they were creating their "Progear No Arashi" CP2-based arcade shmup PCB title? (Both shmup titles use liberally amounts of steampunk technologies for the small fry, mid-bosses and end-stage bosses...)
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Here's a UK eBay auction for such a UK version GBA Steel Empire with original box and instruction manual:

http://cgi.ebay.com/STEEL-EMPIRE-A-VERY ... dZViewItem

And here's NCSX's take on the Japanese GBA Kotetsu Teikoku game itself: http://www.ncsxshop.com/cgi-bin/shop/AGB-P-BKTJ.html

Thanks for your informative answers as always, fellow shmuppers... ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Turrican]

Not sure if you'll find that kind of info but try these:

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=13530

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=1207

btw, I own the european release, and it seems mighty fine. Recommended game, truly the hidden gem of GBA shooting.

Kotetsu seems to be placed in the latter 19th century timeframe but the exact year isn't really made known to the shmupper but only vaguely -- (an exact year would've been better story-wise)...

It's victorian-ish like all the self-respectable steampunk stories, but it's set on its own fictional universe, with fake countries and all that.

Did Kotetsu Teikoku/Steel Empire have a heavy influence on Cave when they were creating their "Progear No Arashi" CP2-based arcade shmup PCB title?

Want my two cents? Not necessarily. All the steampunk looks quite cohesive in aesthetics, so they could've been influenced by it or by hundreds of others steampunk products.

Anyway, Starfish is one to keep one eye at. They're involved in KikiKaikai and Chuuka Taisen remakes, now.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

For Turrican,

Thanks for the other two shmup links -- valuable info on the GBA Steel Empire game...

I like the fact that Kotetsu does save high scores directly to the GBA cart itself and upon being shut down for the night -- it'll still be there upon powering up for the next day -- the original version of Steel Empire on the MD/Genesis never had such a high score saving feature endowed from the 'get-go'..... ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~