Compile shmups: the basics

[RoninBuddha]

Cotton is Success guys. You know, the team behind Psyvariar / Sanvein

oh yeah

hehe... i mixed up their company logos (which looks almost the same)

[rolins]

Ok, I just checked it

MSX Columns says on the title screen "Sega 1990 - Reprogrammed by Telenet Japan".


Regarding Borderline, I didn't know it had an arcade version. Compile is usually credited only for the SG-1000 and MSX versions (Its also commonly credited as its first game ever, though some other people say it's A.E. )

Also, where did you get the info they've made Ghostbusters for the Mega-Drive and the Master System?

The Master System version is the Actvision one, which was released for the Atari 2600, Commodore 64 and MSX too. The Mega-Drive version is completely different, its a platform game, usually credited to Sega.

They also made a few PC games, which may be REAL hard to track now.

Most of my info came from here

http://www.puyo.org/cache/www.compile.c ... index.html

They have list of every game Compile has worked on. It’s all in japanese though, so I've translated the japanese charaters below to help you.

MSX
テグザー (Thexder)

MSX2
コラムス (Columns)

MegaDrive + MarkIII
ゴーストバスターズ (Ghostbusters)

-

[Koa Zo]

In Jan of 2003, Puyo Puyo Sun Ketteiban was released for Playstation and is credited to Compile on some websites. And while looking for info on that game I found that another game by the same name: Puyo Puyo Sun Ketteiban has been anounced for a 2006 release on PS2, and is also credited as being developed by Compile.
So are they really defunct, or what?

If any of you guys do endeavor to make a new Compile fan site hit me up and I'll get you some scans from the official guidebooks from Guardic Gaiden and Zanac. The ebay seller 16-bit just had an original Gunhed guide for $50.00 US, but I couldn't quite afford it and someone else seems to have purchased it.
I'm always hoping that Super Aleste manga, or guide, (or whatever it was that was once linked from this forum) turns up for sale sometime.

MSX
テグザー (Thexder)

Regarding Thexder - am I correct in remembering that Game Arts ported this to Famicom which was then published by Square?

[KBZ]

This is a cool thread. I never knew much about Compile. Musha looks awesome. It also seems to fetch a hefty price on ebay for the pretty jp version

[rolins]

In Jan of 2003, Puyo Puyo Sun Ketteiban was released for Playstation and is credited to Compile on some websites. And while looking for info on that game I found that another game by the same name: Puyo Puyo Sun Ketteiban has been anounced for a 2006 release on PS2, and is also credited as being developed by Compile.
So are they really defunct, or what?

Huh...Puyo Puyo Sun Ketteiban. First time I heard this, but also I'm not much of a Puyo fan. It's strange I've search around for credits to this game and all them says Compile.

AFIK when Compile went bankrupt most the members went to another company called Aiky. They also bought nearly all copyrights to Compile games. Maybe it's being developed by Aiky, I don't know. I'll have to do some more digging.

If any of you guys do endeavor to make a new Compile fan site hit me up and I'll get you some scans from the official guidebooks from Guardic Gaiden and Zanac. The ebay seller 16-bit just had an original Gunhed guide for $50.00 US, but I couldn't quite afford it and someone else seems to have purchased it.
I'm always hoping that Super Aleste manga, or guide, (or whatever it was that was once linked from this forum) turns up for sale sometime.

I want to make a Compile fan page, but I pretty brain dead when it comes to web designing. If anyone wants start one count me in.

If you can make scans of those guide books please do. Especially Guardic, I've never been able to beat that game. I know someone made a entire Guardic map outlaying every room, but even with the map I still get lost.

Edit: Oh wait. You were referring to Guardic Gaiden not Guardic. I've already beat that game, but damn Guardic is tough.

Regarding Thexder - am I correct in remembering that Game Arts ported this to Famicom which was then published by Square?

Yeah, Thexder was licensed to Square to publish the game, but Game Arts still ported it to the famicom.

[rolins]

Ok found it. Puyo Puyo Sun Ketteiban was originally released on 11/27/97 on the PS1. It was then released to the PS1 by Sega in 01/30/03.

Sega seems to be behind the PS2 version as well. I've know now that the copyrights to Puyo Puyo is shared between Aiky (Compile) and Sega. Probably explains why Sega is developing the game, but has Compile's name on it.

[AAA]

don't forget Chaos Field ...

or Radirgy!

[rolins]

don't forget Chaos Field ...

or Radirgy!

I don't own a Dreamcast and I've never played Chaos Field or Radirgy, so this the first time I heard of these games. But they look amazing.

I've looked up the games and their developed by Milestone which is comprised of former members of Compile.

I guess I can stretch the list to add games from former Compile staff. That would mean adding games from Aiky which is more puyo puyo related or maybe leave their stuff out because I'm sick of listing puyo puyo.

You know I just realize that the president of Aiky is Masamitsu (Moo) Niitani.

[Shatterhand]

Rolins, I am not saying your info is wrong or anything.

I just want to point out HOW DAMN MESSY is the compile History.

I mean, it makes NO SENSE to have Ghostbusters in that list, neither Columns.. I mean, if it was made by Compile, WHY THE HECK is Telenet Japan credited at the title screen ?

[Ceph]

Musha looks awesome. It also seems to fetch a hefty price on ebay for the pretty jp version

MUSHA was released only in Japan and in the US, and actually the US-version is much harder to find (among the rarest Genesis games).

[Macaw]

Does anyone know what Jemini Hirono (lead designer of Super Aleste and Zanac Neo) is up to these days?

[BrianC]

Rolins, I am not saying your info is wrong or anything.

I just want to point out HOW DAMN MESSY is the compile History.

I mean, it makes NO SENSE to have Ghostbusters in that list, neither Columns.. I mean, if it was made by Compile, WHY THE HECK is Telenet Japan credited at the title screen ?

The list is a cache of a list from the official Compile webpage and probably not somthing some crazed Compile fan made up. Maybe it lists games that Compile was partially involved with as well as games they developed. Also, Ghostbusters SMS has some differences from other versions. It's a port of the Activision game, but I don't think it was designed by Activision. It makes no sense that Compile designed R-Type SMS either, but they actually did design that one.

[rolins]

Rolins, I am not saying your info is wrong or anything.

I just want to point out HOW DAMN MESSY is the compile History.

I mean, it makes NO SENSE to have Ghostbusters in that list, neither Columns.. I mean, if it was made by Compile, WHY THE HECK is Telenet Japan credited at the title screen ?

I'm not saying that Compile made Columns and Ghostbusters all on their own, but took part in its development in some way. Maybe they did the sound effect and music, or help with code optimizations who knows. But you're right that their history is messy, and what makes it more difficult was they were not always credited for some of their work.

So trying to separate the games that Compile had partial involement with from the games that were completely created by them is tough.

R-Type for the SMS was ported by Compile, yet they did not get credit for it. I've looked around for evidence that Compile worked on R-Type, and Kelesis page said that it was and so did Compile's home page. It doesn't say how involved they were. Probably alot because it had that cool hidden super stage in there and it's music was seems Compile's styles.

So if I have to modify the list with only games that I know is Compile original, had their logo represented, or staff names represented in the credits then I would mean games like Zanac/Aleste, Guardic, Rune Master, anything on DS, and a lot of Puyo games. And leaving games like Cyber Knight, Devil's Crash, Higemaru, Ghostbuster, Columns, Thexder, and R-Type from the mix.

Does anyone want me to only list games that Compile was credited for?

Games like Xevious (msx/pce) and Gunhed would still be added because the names of Compile members who worked on them are known.

[Turrican]

This page:

http://www.ngy.1st.ne.jp/~momochi/untiku/u_comp.htm

List a rather obscure coin-op "Spriggan Powerd" among Compile works.

More info on the same pcb here:

http://nfg.2y.net/static/EpZllpyyAZnGAxCYtr.php

http://nfggames.com/games/yahoo_auction ... Powerd.htm

It's probably an unreleased game.

[Shatterhand]

The list is a cache of a list from the official Compile webpage and probably not somthing some crazed Compile .

Yeah, I know that. I already knew this page before it was cached, when this went online for the first time (And it didn't look that nice, and it didn't had all those games in the list, they kept on updating it), many people on the MSX scene also went "WTF?".

Someone once told me that back in the late 80s, early 90s, Compile and Sega had the same main share-holder.. I dunno if this is bullshit or not, but this explained the Compile-Sega relationship (Borderline, Gulkave, R-Type were all developed by Compile but it only shows the Sega logo).

And the author of the BR-SMS emulator told me that if you check R-Type code, it says somewhere on it that it was made by Compile, and it has the full credits for it.

I'd like some evidence on MSX Higemaru too. Capcom really never made any MSX games, though 3 of their games were ported, 2 by Ascii (Commando and 1942), and Higemaru had always been a mystery for me. The MSX version of Higemaru is AWESOME, a lot different and better than the arcade one

[rolins]

And the author of the BR-SMS emulator told me that if you check R-Type code, it says somewhere on it that it was made by Compile, and it has the full credits for it.

How do you check the code of roms like R-Type? Would be useful to discover hidden credits in a lot games Compile was never credited to like Devil's Crash (pc-engine). There no credits in that games at all.

Higemaru is definitely one those underrated msx games. Have you noticed playing the game that Hebi island has some Ghost n' Goblins themes? It is a Capcom game afterall.

On a side note, Higemaru was also ported to the famicom under the same name, and the msx and famicom ports were both released the same year. So I don't know if Compile came up with the idea of sea/island adventure theme first, or whether they were just following some one elses ideas when developing the msx version.

This page:

http://www.ngy.1st.ne.jp/~momochi/untiku/u_comp.htm

List a rather obscure coin-op "Spriggan Powerd" among Compile works.

I remember seeing this page a few years ago, and Spriggan Powered looked awesome from the pictures. To think someone actually has the PCB is greedy, that person should let a mame dumper borrow it so it could be shared. I'm correct that Spriggan Powered hasn't been dumped yet right?

[Turrican]

it's a wide known fact that the SMS R-Type was developed by compile. There was a statement about this on their official homepage, iirc.

[Kollision]

WISE FROM YOUR GWAVE!

One question for those who know:
was that split-second invincibility upon power-up collecting pioneered by Compile and, most specifically, in Zanac?
if that's not the case, when did it first appear?

tks in advance

[BIL]

I wonder about that, too. It's a superb mechanic for introducing a bit of wriggle room to tight 2D action. Done right it combines the innate satisfactions of nabbing goodies and narrow escapes in a nice aggressive package. I always get a kick spotting it in other genres.