The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Thread (NEW)!!!

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, you can get the prettier Mega Drive (Japanese) box version instead now

Twin Cobra's port was handled by Toaplan themselves, right? I have always liked that version of the game, even if it looks a little fatter than normal (pixel mapping differences I suppose).

[BIL]

^I'd like to know more about the personnel of Toaplan MD ports myself. I know Same! Same! Same! and Zero Wing were handled in-house. I'd guess Kyukyoku Tiger wasn't, comparing its lack of formatting to SSS's very nice conversion from TATE, but it's just a guess.

I like the MD Tiger port too, partially for the incredibly punchy explosion sfx and hammering guitar sound (kills the arcade version on both counts), but it always felt a little too close for comfort™. Similar effect from Tatsujin.

[Ed Oscuro]

I thought Truxton/Tatsujin was done in-house, and it's kinda similar in how it takes a "new" approach to vertical, like Twin Cobra. I think both have a roughly more square playing area than the originals. Of course Tatsujin (and I think also Twin Cobra) looks more authentic on PC Engine but I rather preferred to play either arcade originals or the MD port for differences.

[BIL]

Yuge: I can tell you what I think Uemura's most representative work is.

Uemura: Which? TSUGARU? (laughs)

Yuge: Yeah, that's the one. Its the best. (laughs)

Hell yeah.

[TransatlanticFoe]

MD Twin Cobra is tough, not only is it full screen 4:3 but your vertical movement is further restricted by not allowing the tail rotor to clip off the bottom of the screen. It's especially noticeable with the bosses which get right in your face - they get much closer than in the arcade version and don't give you much reaction time at all when they shoot. Particularly on harder difficulties with really fast bullets.

The other Toaplan verts have a status bar on the right which cuts the play area to roughly a 3:3 square, so I too guess Twin Cobra was handled by a different team. Another weird thing was lack of a PAL release, considering everything else ported (except Slap Fight) got one and Twin Cobra was an arcade staple.

[Skykid]

I thought Truxton/Tatsujin was done in-house, and it's kinda similar in how it takes a "new" approach to vertical, like Twin Cobra. I think both have a roughly more square playing area than the originals. Of course Tatsujin (and I think also Twin Cobra) looks more authentic on PC Engine but I rather preferred to play either arcade originals or the MD port for differences.

I think the PCE version of Twin Cobra is one of the best despite its new aspect ratio. It seems to have been tailored and balanced around the dimensions very well.

[R79]

http://www.videogameimports.com/addbask ... oduct=3002

Guys, I've always wondered about the supposition made in this mini-review of MD Tiger Heli. This, and many other similar comments have been on there for like over a decade. Great site in general though I should add, have ordered from there before no problem. I couldn't quite link to the exact game page, so you may have to type the game into the search there, and see the Mega Drive version.

EDIT:

If you didn't actually PLAY it, you'd probably think the PCE one was the better game but the MD version has that dark AI secret lurking inside the cartridge. I still, to this day, cannot believe that Treco managed to pull off that AI, and to think that it sort of passed the gaming world unnoticed, and has not been copied or whatever since then. Toaplan games used to have some mean AI, Tatsujin Ou especially is a right b**** , but with Tiger Heli, it's like the enemies fire bullets not at where you are but where you are GOING to! Like Team Andromeda said, it's hard to explain, and if you played it for the first time without being told this, you'd probably think it was just happening by chance for the first couple of player deaths, and then for the next couple of hours you might think that you were going crazy - like how can the computer know where you're going??

Thoughts?

[RGC]

I think it's more along these lines:

Tank turret turns until you are in its sights whereupon it stops turning. You then have a fixed amount of time to cause the turret to turn again, otherwise it fires a shot.

Pretty simple, but effective formula. I think Lee gives the AI a bit too much credit, although you can't overstate the awesomeness of the game.

[BIL]

As an avid sniper tank enthusiast, on the MD shooter front I would also recommend Daisenpu. Ratio conversion feels good (very much like Same Same) and it's got nothing but lovely tanks of all shapes and sizes with the odd gunboat and battleship for naval areas. The manual even lovingly gives each model a name!

This assumes, of course, you've already got both Raiden Project and Raiden DX for the PS1. No discerning sniper tank aficionado will be without.

[ST Dragon]

http://www.videogameimports.com/addbask ... oduct=3002

Guys, I've always wondered about the supposition made in this mini-review of MD Tiger Heli. This, and many other similar comments have been on there for like over a decade. Great site in general though I should add, have ordered from there before no problem. I couldn't quite link to the exact game page, so you may have to type the game into the search there, and see the Mega Drive version.

EDIT:

If you didn't actually PLAY it, you'd probably think the PCE one was the better game but the MD version has that dark AI secret lurking inside the cartridge. I still, to this day, cannot believe that Treco managed to pull off that AI, and to think that it sort of passed the gaming world unnoticed, and has not been copied or whatever since then. Toaplan games used to have some mean AI, Tatsujin Ou especially is a right b**** , but with Tiger Heli, it's like the enemies fire bullets not at where you are but where you are GOING to! Like Team Andromeda said, it's hard to explain, and if you played it for the first time without being told this, you'd probably think it was just happening by chance for the first couple of player deaths, and then for the next couple of hours you might think that you were going crazy - like how can the computer know where you're going??

Thoughts?

Nonsense!
There is no such thing as a dark AI. Most of the 80s vertical shooters are programed with this formula, Twin Cobra is no exception. Basically all enemy units lock onto your last stationary position until they fire after some time (time depends on the difficulty setting the game is played). Of course chances are you'll be flying around erratically to evade possible random shoots, only to run back to the last position you had been locked-on and meet a horrible death!
I own the MD version and I can verify this.

By the way, the MD version is brutally more difficult than the Arcade version.

[Skykid]

Thoughts?

Sounds like baloney to me. I found the MD one quite irritating after the arcade/PCE versions - I suppose that's what he's interpreting a suupah AI.

[BrianC]

Dark AI is the new blast processing!

[BIL]

He who fights with sniper tanks should look to it that he himself does not become a sniper tank. And when you gaze long into the Dark AI, the Dark AI also gazes into you. - Old Treco Saying

[Ed Oscuro]

Being a sniper tank isn't all it was cracked up to be.

How do you think they fielded so many tanks? They just repainted the insides and shoved new crews in. (True story unfortunately.)

[BIL]

What about the ones that got their turrets blown off but managed to escape the side of the screen? Are you saying they just bolted on a new turret and scrolled them back in?!

[Ed Oscuro]

Probably had plenty of spare turrets lying around off the side of the screen, just look in the area beyond the overscan

It's like a tank graveyard in there

[Edmond Dantes]

Well, you can get the prettier Mega Drive (Japanese) box version instead now

Is it significantly cheaper [than the US version of MUSHA, for those just catching up]?

Twin Cobra's port was handled by Toaplan themselves, right?

You guys would know more than I would.

All I know is that "Wow, this is like Raiden Project... except it hates me more. Raiden at least gives me a fighting chance before it slaughters me."

That's not a complaint, because challenge has never deterred me from anything. Except perhaps Adventures of Dino-Riki but that's different (and not a Mega Drive game so its off-topic)

Probably had plenty of spare turrets lying around off the side of the screen, just look in the area beyond the overscan

It's like a tank graveyard in there

I suddenly imagine a world where, once the player uses up his credits and walks away, little people come and build new tanks from the off-screen scrap.

[greg]

Well, you can get the prettier Mega Drive (Japanese) box version instead now

Is it significantly cheaper [than the US version of MUSHA, for those just catching up]?

Yeah, I think it might be. I recently scored Musha Aleste on YAJ for 5200 yen after shipping. Of course, I live in Japan, but even if I used a proxy service and still lived in the US, it would have only cost $70 or so. This is complete with box and manual. The only thing wrong with it is that the label on the cartridge is peeling up a bit and is not in the best condition. A cart only of the North Americaqn Musha goes for well over this amount. And yeah, the cover for the JP version is WAY cooler, yay-ah.

[Drum]

Is the Crude Buster/Two Crude Dudes port significantly different from the arcade version? Was thinking about giving it a shot.

[BIL]

Not really - the level layouts and action remain mostly the same, iirc. But there are some noticeable changes to the engine. Enemies have a considerable invulnerability period after taking damage, making crowd control via enemy/scenery chucking even more vital. Picking things up feels somewhat quicker. And jump kicks register hits differently, in rapid flurries (try using one on the first brick wall or crowd of enemies you encounter).

[Leandro]

What people think of the euro platformer "Flink"? I was never into Amiga styled games but I loved this one, the gameplay is really solid.

[null1024]

What people think of the euro platformer "Flink"? I was never into Amiga styled games but I loved this one, the gameplay is really solid.

I remember giving it a go a while back and enjoying it.

[BIL]

you can enter passwords that let you play with Elemental Master and Thunder Force BGMs

Fuuuuck Will have to give that a go, thanks. EM's soundtrack is a masterpiece among masterpieces.

Finally tried them out, and wow - those bonus arrangements were clearly someone's beloved pet project. The richness of sound is borderline alchemic, Tecno Soft's MD sound team were beasts. Currently blasting "A Breach of Contract" from Herzog Zwei and feeling the kick drum in my chest. The agile, relentlessly tight basslines on this and TFII's "Knights of Legend" sound almost overdubbed.

It's a shame Devil Crash MD apparently didn't receive its own soundtrack album like seemingly every other Tecno Soft release of the time did. I guess it being a Naxat property and Crush+Crash having their own album might've particularly scuppered things.

Jaki Crush (SFC) has some astounding tunes as well... this trilogy packs a ton of good VGM.

[stryc9]

You know what else is good BIL? the Zero Wing soundtrack, special mention to stage 2 BGM. Not only are the compositions themselves absolute classics, but the instrument set is one of the best on MD, as I remember someone in this thread already pointing out.

I just needed to be reminded of this awesomeness thru a decent stereo, and man, this sort of stuff just does not get made anymore. There is plenty of retro throwback music in the newer shooters etc, but predictably they all lack the soul of the 16-Bit generation. Except for Eschatos, of course

Just looking at a bunch of softs to put some time into aside from Rainbow Islands (which is as playable now as it ever was, and supremely addictive), and Final Fight (how are you supposed to beat this on 1 credit)? I'm looking at Ghouls and Ghosts, Splatter House 2 and Slap Fight.

Beat SH2 as a kid, never had GnG back then so am now in for a world of hurt thanks to my inexperience, I guess

[BIL]

Zero Wing's second stage BGM epitomises all I love about that era's Japanese shooter music. ^__^ Catchy, stoical and motivating without a single wasted note. I believe Noriyuki Iwadare worked on the MD version's sound - I always found it far superior to the PCB's. He was also involved in Space Invaders 90's soundtrack, it uses his custom sound driver. Another of those MD OSTs to chuck at anyone who says the machine lacked good tunes. I was in love with that game from the first time I booted it up and the enemy lines materialised in sync with the pounding drum beats.

I need to try out Bad Omen at some point. I'd love for it to be a game I want, because that Sakimoto soundtrack is pretty much my favourite on the console. edit: Weird that it got the title "Devilish" for US release... you'd think it'd be the other way around.

[Edmond Dantes]

I need to try out Bad Omen at some point. I'd love for it to be a game I want, because that Sakimoto soundtrack is pretty much my favourite on the console. Weird that it got the title "Devilish" for US release... you'd think it'd be the other way around.

OTOH, Sega was the one always trying to prove they were edgy or mature, and "Nintendo is for kids." Maybe that's why?

[BIL]

Oh wow, apparently Bad Omen was Genki (of Shutoku Battle / Tokyo Xtreme Racer fame)'s first game. Sounds like a GOOD OMEN, ROFL. Dunno about playing a Breakout-type without a trusty volume controller though, my primary misgiving. Haha, its full US title is "Devilish: The Next Possession." They really went Full Satan on that one.

OTOH, Sega was the one always trying to prove they were edgy or mature, and "Nintendo is for kids." Maybe that's why?

True, true. Thinking about it, most of my examples of Western skittishness about religious / satanic imagery in Japanese games come from either Nintendo or NEC systems (Castlevania IV, Splatterhouse).

"Devil Crash" did become "Dragon's Fury" on the Genesis, though. And I do remember reading in a few places over the years that Tom Kalinske (head of SOA at the time) axed Altered Beast as the system pack-in because he thought its "naked beastman orgy" cover art might offend potential buyers and send them into Nintendo's friendly, fruity embrace. Here's a TK interview where he makes the same point about the Bible Belt not liking the fornicating beastmen (the one I read was from 2002/3 in an Edge magazine Sega special).

After about three months — there was so much to do — I figured I better go back to Japan and tell them what was on my mind. I go back to Japan, and I meet with Hayao Nakayama and the board at Sega, and I say "look, you guys have got this thing all wrong. You can't sell the Sega Genesis at $189.99," which was ridiculous. I mean, back in those days that was really expensive. I told them "you can't have this title in there, called Altered Beast, because that's not going to sell in Kansas.

Sounds good Tom!

Also, you must develop software in the U.S., and you're relying too much on Japanese software.

YEAH, THAT SURE WORKED OUT WELL. FUCK YOU TOM.

[louisg]

Tom Kalinske wrote:
Also, you must develop software in the U.S., and you're relying too much on Japanese software.


YEAH, THAT SURE WORKED OUT WELL. FUCK YOU TOM.
Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 1:15 pm

Heheh US-developed console games back then were generally so bad. Even the better EA titles or stuff like TJ&E still ran at a snail's pace. We were good at strategy and RPG games that ran on computer-- M.U.L.E., Archon, Ultima, and stuff like that. Console/action games? Not so much. And oh god, don't get me started on how poor the sound is on most western Genesis games. Absolutely inexcusable.

Too bad about Vette getting canned though (sigh). Of course, I played it later on PC, and it really isn't so hot. But come on, a game back then where you drove through a real city was such a novelty.

When did Altered Beast have a naked beastmen orgy cover? Mine just had a painting of a werewolf, and it *was* the pack-in when I bought it.

[BIL]

Heh, just exaggerating for Headline News effect. (I remember my uncle telling me in hushed shock about this GTA III game "where you get points for raping people!")

Although Mr. Wolfman does seem to be going commando ala Dracula X. The dude in the lower-left appears to be cowering in fear of his lycanthropic todger.



On a more serious note, I always loved how the fishman over Wolfy's right shoulder appears to have just been socked right in his frickin' eye. \m/

[Rob]

Tom Kalinske (head of SOA at the time) axed Altered Beast as the system pack-in because he thought its "naked beastman orgy" cover art might offend potential buyers and send them into Nintendo's friendly, fruity embrace.

Clearly didn't understand the workings of a 10 year old boy's mind/1990 video game market.

As for US developed games, STI's output is heroic compared to the rest. Kid Chameleon deserves a lot more credit, Comix Zone also stylish and fun. The Ooze... need to play that one a bit more before passing judgment. Sure there would be a few more notable releases if they were actually allowed to develop/finish more original content and less Sonic.