A Shmup that requires 3D glasses?!...

[dave4shmups]

Blade Eagle 3D for the Sega Master System! And you can't turn off the 3D, unlike in Zaxxon 3D.

So what's this shmup like? I would emulate it to find out, but it looks VERY blurry, naturally, without the SMS 3D glasses.

[jp]

It wasn't a shmup per se, but Jim Power in 3D World (or something like that) on SNES was a damn solid (albeit difficult) run'n'gun that utilized 3D glasses (came with them fuckers).

One of the best random grandparent Christmas presents I ever got. Despite the fact that I almost destroyed my SNES because of that damn game.

[sethsez]

Doesn't really count, but Vertical Force for the Virtual Boy is pretty spiffy.

[chtimi-CLA]

blade eagle was pretty poor, there were much better shmups and much better 3D games on sms.
also i think there was a no-glasses mode (at least in the euro version).

[dave4shmups]

I wonder if any SMS emulators can emulate the effect of the 3D glasses. That would really help me get a better feel for this game.

Honestly, I like the SMS's shmup library even better then the Genesis or Megadrive's. Astro Warrior is surprisingly addictive, you've got the 2 Power Strike games, Sagaia, Scramble Spirits, Aerial Assault, Super Space Invaders '91, and Bomber Raid-which for me at least beats the living crap out of 1942 or 1943.

AND you can play SG-1000 games on it, like the original Zaxxon, and card games like Gulkave.

[iatneH]

I doubt anything will be able to emulate the 3D peripheral, unless you can alternately wink your eyes 30 times per second since that's how the glasses work. The only way I can think of to make the game look normal is to drop every second frame, giving you just a 2D image, but it would just look identical to playing the games in non-3D mode if it's already available.

And you've listed close to all of the shooters on the Master System. I personally think the Megadrive has more and better shooters :\

[captain ahar]

i want to try that Jim Power game.

[SPACE HARRIER]

Since i own the SEGASCOPE glasses with all 7 released games, very good 3D effects on all games..I think it's better than the VIRTUAL BOY..It's in color..YEAAAHHH!!

Space harrier 3D..best game on the system.
Blade eagle 3D..to slow and not that good.
Out Run 3D..so much fun when you drive on the hills.
Maze hunter 3D..adventure game that sucks.
Zaxxon 3D..very hard to judge the distance.
Missle defence 3D..use your lightgun to shoot the rockets.
Poseidon adventure 3D..crap.

HEY what about TRANSBOT for the SMS??????

[TWITCHDOCTOR]

It wasn't a shmup per se, but Jim Power in 3D World (or something like that) on SNES was a damn solid (albeit difficult) run'n'gun that utilized 3D glasses (came with them fuckers).

One of the best random grandparent Christmas presents I ever got. Despite the fact that I almost destroyed my SNES because of that damn game.

Hey, don't forget, Jim Power does feature a "Shmup" level where you pilot a ship horzie style.

[dave4shmups]

Since i own the SEGASCOPE glasses with all 7 released games, very good 3D effects on all games..I think it's better than the VIRTUAL BOY..It's in color..YEAAAHHH!!

Space harrier 3D..best game on the system.
Blade eagle 3D..to slow and not that good.
Out Run 3D..so much fun when you drive on the hills.
Maze hunter 3D..adventure game that sucks.
Zaxxon 3D..very hard to judge the distance.
Missle defence 3D..use your lightgun to shoot the rockets.
Poseidon adventure 3D..crap.

HEY what about TRANSBOT for the SMS??????

Yes, I forgot about Transbot! I LOVE that shmup! Zaxxon 3D plays FANTASTIC in 2D mode, IMO!

In any case, I'd probably better hold off to see if the Taito SMS shmups show up on their Arcade Classics collection.

[jp]

It wasn't a shmup per se, but Jim Power in 3D World (or something like that) on SNES was a damn solid (albeit difficult) run'n'gun that utilized 3D glasses (came with them fuckers).

One of the best random grandparent Christmas presents I ever got. Despite the fact that I almost destroyed my SNES because of that damn game.

Hey, don't forget, Jim Power does feature a "Shmup" level where you pilot a ship horzie style.

Actually, now that I think about it, I believe there were two of those.
1st level - run'n'gun
2nd level - top down
3rd level - run'n'gun
4th level - hori
5th level - run'n'gun
6th level - top down
7th level - run'n'gun
8th level - hori
9th level - run'n'gun(?)


I think level 7 was the furthest I got though... that game was so fucking unfair.

[it290]

It should be possible to emulate the SMS glasses using regular PC 3d shutter glasses, as they work in exactly the same way. Not sure if any emulators support it directly, but even if they don't, using an emulator that has a Direct3D mode, and running it w/vsync at the right refresh rate should work.

[Shatterhand]

reaching level 7 in Jim Power is VERY respectful. I think I got about level 4 in the Amiga version.

I finished the game using the trainer, and indeed it's absurdly hard

I think there's a few emulators that DO emulate the 3D glasses, but you NEED the SMS 3D glasses, and you need an adaptor to plug it in your PC, or something like that.

I am nearly sure BRSMS does that.

[Frogacuda]

Blade Eagle 3D for the Sega Master System! And you can't turn off the 3D, unlike in Zaxxon 3D.

So what's this shmup like? I would emulate it to find out, but it looks VERY blurry, naturally, without the SMS 3D glasses.

It's fun. It's a little difficult to play without the glasses, which is why there's no option to turn it off (you can turn it off anyway with Meka, but it's sorta pointless). The game has two layers that you switch between. Without the 3D effect it's tough to tell what's on what layer.

BRSMS

Now THAT is old school. Unless you're running a pre-Pentium rig, I can't imagine why you'd be using BrSMS.

[dave4shmups]

Blade Eagle 3D for the Sega Master System! And you can't turn off the 3D, unlike in Zaxxon 3D.

So what's this shmup like? I would emulate it to find out, but it looks VERY blurry, naturally, without the SMS 3D glasses.

It's fun. It's a little difficult to play without the glasses, which is why there's no option to turn it off (you can turn it off anyway with Meka, but it's sorta pointless). The game has two layers that you switch between. Without the 3D effect it's tough to tell what's on what layer.

BRSMS

Now THAT is old school. Unless you're running a pre-Pentium rig, I can't imagine why you'd be using BrSMS.

Cool, thanks for the info!

So, does Jim Power require 3D glasses? Just curious.

[Shatterhand]

Yes, BrSMS is OLD! . But it's a great program, and I know it supports its feature. I know the guy who coded this emulator (And also BrMSX for PC and GBA).

[BrianC]

Since i own the SEGASCOPE glasses with all 7 released games, very good 3D effects on all games..I think it's better than the VIRTUAL BOY..It's in color..YEAAAHHH!!

Space harrier 3D..best game on the system.
Blade eagle 3D..to slow and not that good.
Out Run 3D..so much fun when you drive on the hills.
Maze hunter 3D..adventure game that sucks.
Zaxxon 3D..very hard to judge the distance.
Missle defence 3D..use your lightgun to shoot the rockets.
Poseidon adventure 3D..crap.

There's one more 3D game for SMS and it's a shmup. Line of Fire. It's hidden, but it's a very simple code. I think it's just holding the 1 and 2 buttons while turning the console on.

[dave4shmups]

Since i own the SEGASCOPE glasses with all 7 released games, very good 3D effects on all games..I think it's better than the VIRTUAL BOY..It's in color..YEAAAHHH!!

Space harrier 3D..best game on the system.
Blade eagle 3D..to slow and not that good.
Out Run 3D..so much fun when you drive on the hills.
Maze hunter 3D..adventure game that sucks.
Zaxxon 3D..very hard to judge the distance.
Missle defence 3D..use your lightgun to shoot the rockets.
Poseidon adventure 3D..crap.

There's one more 3D game for SMS and it's a shmup. Line of Fire. It's hidden, but it's a very simple code. I think it's just holding the 1 and 2 buttons while turning the console on.

Thanks BrianC! lol, I wonder if the SegaScope glasses would fit over my regular glasses.

[Rozyrg]

Jim Power is pretty brutal alright. To be honest, though... outside of the ridiculously awesome soundtrack by Chris Huelsbeck, I can barely stand it.

The most enjoyment I get is watching someone else try to play and subsequently die the most embarrassing and sad death ever by a videogame character (much less one with POWER in his name)... death by a single drop of water. You should probably call it quits as a hero/tough guy when a leaky pipe is a threat to you.

So, does Jim Power require 3D glasses? Just curious.

Nope; but without them you might get a little motion sick from the weird way the backgrounds scroll.

[Alec]

Not what you'd call a shmup, but I absolutely love Square's 3D-WorldRunner on NES.

[Cthulhu]

Oh, the Master System 3D glasses. I remember them working quite well. Haven't seen or used a pair in ... uh, decades, but I'm curious if they actually are useful or if I was just innocent and easy to impress then.

[headcaseGames]

i picked up the 3D glasses for SMS several years after they'd been released when I came across a set with a couple games at a yard sale, and plugged into the power base covnerter for my sega genesis (they certainly thought of everything, didn't they?) I was not expecting much, but SUPER impressed with the effect at the time. I still would love to see (or make!) some bona fide 3D games these days, with such tech! Can you imagine?

I was very impressed by Zaxxon (it really felt like you could swat your hand at the ship in between your head and the TV screen!), space harrier, and even maze hunter 3D, though slow and plodding, was impressive and enjoyable at the time.

I know someone released 3D glasses for Famicom as well (in Japan only) but never heard of any of it's games...

a shame they never did any compile (or whoever) shmups with the glasses.. can you imagine MUSHA in 3D like that?

[gameoverDude]

Jim Power is pretty brutal alright. To be honest, though... outside of the ridiculously awesome soundtrack by Chris Huelsbeck, I can barely stand it.

The most enjoyment I get is watching someone else try to play and subsequently die the most embarrassing and sad death ever by a videogame character (much less one with POWER in his name)... death by a single drop of water. You should probably call it quits as a hero/tough guy when a leaky pipe is a threat to you.

So, does Jim Power require 3D glasses? Just curious.

Nope; but without them you might get a little motion sick from the weird way the backgrounds scroll.

I guess Jim Power gets short-circuited or something when wet. Thank goodness for the lack of respawning enemies, or JP would likely get too tough. I've almost cleared the Amiga version, but the shmup stages in the SNES one are hard enough to put Pulstar to shame. The PC-Engine CD unfortunately doesn't have the cool background in stage 1, but it does have broken control- its saving grace would be a killer redbook version of Huelsbeck's BGM.

Maze Hunter 3D isn't too bad IMO- this is how the SMS Alien Syndrome should have been done instead of using the lame flip-page scrolling.

[Rozyrg]

I guess Jim Power gets short-circuited or something when wet.

Lol...maybe. I know there's *some* justification for it (maybe it's supposed to be acid? blue acid...alrighty); but it's still hilarious.. especially with that horrific death scream he makes.

OH GOD, DEADLY WATER DROPLETS! NYYYAAAAAAAAAAUUUGHH!!

[Zeether]

Falsion on Famicom has a 3D glasses mode.

[spadgy]

So all these SMS games were ones that required the black plastic official glasses, as opposed to the red/green ones? I have a fetich for retro 3D tech, like View-Masters and such, so I need o track some SMS glasses down...

[headcaseGames]

yeah spadgy, the SMS games used wired glasses which plugged into the console, each eye had a black LCD which would effectively block each eye's vision alternately for a quick quarter of a second (or so)

sounds kinda janky but the effect worked nearly perfectly!

[Cthulhu]

sounds kinda janky but the effect worked nearly perfectly!

It really did work incredibly well. I'd really like to try it again... not sure how easy the glasses are to find though. I actually do have a working Master System with a card slot. Hmm... might have to scour Ebay a bit.

[spadgy]

sounds kinda janky but the effect worked nearly perfectly!

It really did work incredibly well. I'd really like to try it again... not sure how easy the glasses are to find though. I actually do have a working Master System with a card slot. Hmm... might have to scour Ebay a bit.

I just missed a pair selling on here a long while back for something like $20, but they usually go a fair bit higher on eBay I think (boxed and mint, that is)...

For those interested, and for me to promote the games development Magazine and website I work for, here's a link to our big feature on the technology behind games that use 3D glasses and/or screens.

Excuse the shitty formatting - we've just re-launched the website and some of the older features like this have rather odd looking images.

In fact - you can see a PDF of the original print copy here. Go to Issue 92, starting on page 49. It's got diagrams and everything!

EDIT: Formatting!