Twenty (yes - twenty!) years ago, Capcom released what was to be one of the most fondly remembered platformers of all time, the exceptional, rock hard Makaimura - aka Ghosts and Goblins in the West. I guess I am really showing my age, but I can remember playing this in 1986, soon after it was released, whilst on holiday with my folks. I was hooked. It was the first platformer I can remember playing that had such a choice of weapons; it had such charming, often amusing graphics and animation (Nazca must have been influenced to some degree by the series when they produced their awesome Metal Slug series). Anyone who loves games will remember that when hit by an enemy, our protagonist - Sir Arthur of Camelot - was reduced to fighting on in nothing but his shreddies. One more hit, and he is reduced to a pile of bones, with the skull falling neatly on top. Add to the mix some amusing enemies. I will never forget the spitting, almost cocky, carnivourous green plant that always seemed to nail you when climbing a ladder. Then there were the goofy, broomstick riding ghosts; the persistent, annoying sprites in the Ice Palace, and of course the legendary demon Red Arremer - but more on him later.
It was a year before G & G recieved home conversions. Back in the day, I managed to pick up the C64 version, which at the time suited me fine. But far more competent versions arrived for the NES, Amiga, PC and Atari ST. More recently, versions have appeared on Gameboy Color, and even as a mobile phone game (Japan only). Who would have thought it, eh?
So popular was Capcom's original, that of course a sequel had to follow. Daimakaimura (Ghouls & Ghosts) hit the arcades in 1988. A slicker, more polished game, it introduced more weapons, and a new powered-up suit of armour that could be combined with weapons to create a charge-and-blast super attack. Arthur could now also throw projectiles vertically. To compensate for his new powers, the baddies were even harder than in the original, and opening a treasure chest in the sequel could see the poor feller transformed into a wizened old man, or even a duck. The graphics and animation were once again superb, and the game itself a few notches harder than the original. Home conversions were inevitable. The most widely known home version was for the Megadrive/Genesis. A near arcade perfect port, this game alone helped Sega shift a fair few units of their black 16-bit beast. Cracking versions also popped up on the home computers once more, with a special mention going out to the C64 version, which had absolutely awesome music for it's time (and the machine's capabilities). Superb conversions were also produced for the Sharp X68000, NEC Supergrafx, and Sega Master System. As recently as 1999, an incarnation of Daimakaimura even surfaced on Bandai's Wonderswan handheld. Alas, it was the same in name only - this was a completely new game, with different levels and bosses never seen before in the series. I have not played this myself, but from opinions online, it is well worth a look for Sir Arthur junkies.
Remember I said I would get back to the Red Arremer? Well, in 1990, the popular crimson devil got his own game. Red Ariimaa - Makaimura Gaiden, or Gargoyle's Quest as it was known over here, was released on the Gameboy. An RPG-ish platformer (imagine G&G crossed with Zelda - The Adventures Of Link) it went down extremely well and remains one of the better titles released for the monochrome handheld. A sequel, Red Ariimaa 2 / Gargoyle's Quest II was released two years later on the Famicom/NES, and went down well. The sequel was also converted to the Gameboy in 1993, known as Gargoyle's Quest II - The Demon Darkness. The GB version was the better of the two, and once again became known as a standout title for the machine. The red dude was not finished there, however. In 1994, the frankly awesome Demon's Blazon/Demon's Crest was released for the SNES/SFC. Taking the best bits from the earlier games, and harnessing the power of the 16 bit console to create a roaming, 3D overworld and brilliantly realised, dark and atmospheric levels, Capcom had produced one of the best games for the machine. I would strongly urge anyone on here who hasn't played it to pick it up pronto. It is hard to believe that back in 1986, that demon I had so much difficulty killing off, the bastard that would peer down from his pile of skulls, would later be blowing me away on my SNES.
Back to the chase. It was inevitable that Arthur would appear on the SFC/SNES. And he did - in a Nintendo-exclusive G&G game - the superb Chohmakaimura / Super Ghouls & Ghosts. Of course, as expected there was a bit of willy waving and the developers were very generous in utilizing the Mode 7 and sprite scaling capabilities the console offered. Thankfully, slowdown issues aside, it didn't affect the playability, as Sir Arthur got to roam through the most brilliantly realised adventure yet. Once more there were new weapons, and a new, power-tastic green suit of armour. Some of the levels were sublime - particlularly the spooky ghost ship, and subsequent one-wrong-move-and-you-die raft section. To this day, it remains one of the platform high points on the SNES, so much so that a tasty, re-arranged port appeared recently on the GBA to all-round acclaim.
That was to be the last major G&G game. More recently, Arthur has appeared in some inspired cameo roles - as an additional striker-style character in Marvel vs Capcom (why didn't you put him in the sequel, you fools!), in the underrated Dreamcast Psikyo shooter Cannon Spike, and he is due to appear in the forthcoming Namco X Capcom rpg. There was an obscure Saturn/PSX Japan only G&G puzzle game back in 1996 (the snappily titled "Arthur To Astaroth No Nazomakaimura: Incredible Toons"), and rumoured one-on-one fighters for XBOX ("Ghosts N Goblins Online" and "Ghouls & Ghosts - Match Fight") which never appeared. The Saturn and PSX also recieved quality conversions of all three G&G titles as part of the well-worth-owning Capcom Generations series.
PS2 owners can enjoy a lovely little homage to the series in the form of the Maximo games ("Ghosts To Glory" and "VS Army Of Zin"). There canbe little excuse for not owning these playable titles, as they can both be found in bargain bins across the country.
Alas, that would appear to be the end of the road for Sir Arthur and co. I would love to see a new, hi-res 2D version appear on one of the consoles, but you and I know that probably isn't going to happen. It is a shame - because as has been touched upon many times on these forums, no-frills 2D platforming is a dying art. That saddens me, particularly when you see how well the likes of Capcom and Konami have used the format in the past. Playable, instant classics like G&G should never be ignored. If you don't own an incarnation of any of these games, then MAME the ****ers and play them TODAY. If you DO own one or more then at the weekend just have a blast, for old time's sake. Hopefully my screens will whet your appetite.
Ciao for now, bitches!
It was a year before G & G recieved home conversions. Back in the day, I managed to pick up the C64 version, which at the time suited me fine. But far more competent versions arrived for the NES, Amiga, PC and Atari ST. More recently, versions have appeared on Gameboy Color, and even as a mobile phone game (Japan only). Who would have thought it, eh?
So popular was Capcom's original, that of course a sequel had to follow. Daimakaimura (Ghouls & Ghosts) hit the arcades in 1988. A slicker, more polished game, it introduced more weapons, and a new powered-up suit of armour that could be combined with weapons to create a charge-and-blast super attack. Arthur could now also throw projectiles vertically. To compensate for his new powers, the baddies were even harder than in the original, and opening a treasure chest in the sequel could see the poor feller transformed into a wizened old man, or even a duck. The graphics and animation were once again superb, and the game itself a few notches harder than the original. Home conversions were inevitable. The most widely known home version was for the Megadrive/Genesis. A near arcade perfect port, this game alone helped Sega shift a fair few units of their black 16-bit beast. Cracking versions also popped up on the home computers once more, with a special mention going out to the C64 version, which had absolutely awesome music for it's time (and the machine's capabilities). Superb conversions were also produced for the Sharp X68000, NEC Supergrafx, and Sega Master System. As recently as 1999, an incarnation of Daimakaimura even surfaced on Bandai's Wonderswan handheld. Alas, it was the same in name only - this was a completely new game, with different levels and bosses never seen before in the series. I have not played this myself, but from opinions online, it is well worth a look for Sir Arthur junkies.
Remember I said I would get back to the Red Arremer? Well, in 1990, the popular crimson devil got his own game. Red Ariimaa - Makaimura Gaiden, or Gargoyle's Quest as it was known over here, was released on the Gameboy. An RPG-ish platformer (imagine G&G crossed with Zelda - The Adventures Of Link) it went down extremely well and remains one of the better titles released for the monochrome handheld. A sequel, Red Ariimaa 2 / Gargoyle's Quest II was released two years later on the Famicom/NES, and went down well. The sequel was also converted to the Gameboy in 1993, known as Gargoyle's Quest II - The Demon Darkness. The GB version was the better of the two, and once again became known as a standout title for the machine. The red dude was not finished there, however. In 1994, the frankly awesome Demon's Blazon/Demon's Crest was released for the SNES/SFC. Taking the best bits from the earlier games, and harnessing the power of the 16 bit console to create a roaming, 3D overworld and brilliantly realised, dark and atmospheric levels, Capcom had produced one of the best games for the machine. I would strongly urge anyone on here who hasn't played it to pick it up pronto. It is hard to believe that back in 1986, that demon I had so much difficulty killing off, the bastard that would peer down from his pile of skulls, would later be blowing me away on my SNES.
Back to the chase. It was inevitable that Arthur would appear on the SFC/SNES. And he did - in a Nintendo-exclusive G&G game - the superb Chohmakaimura / Super Ghouls & Ghosts. Of course, as expected there was a bit of willy waving and the developers were very generous in utilizing the Mode 7 and sprite scaling capabilities the console offered. Thankfully, slowdown issues aside, it didn't affect the playability, as Sir Arthur got to roam through the most brilliantly realised adventure yet. Once more there were new weapons, and a new, power-tastic green suit of armour. Some of the levels were sublime - particlularly the spooky ghost ship, and subsequent one-wrong-move-and-you-die raft section. To this day, it remains one of the platform high points on the SNES, so much so that a tasty, re-arranged port appeared recently on the GBA to all-round acclaim.
That was to be the last major G&G game. More recently, Arthur has appeared in some inspired cameo roles - as an additional striker-style character in Marvel vs Capcom (why didn't you put him in the sequel, you fools!), in the underrated Dreamcast Psikyo shooter Cannon Spike, and he is due to appear in the forthcoming Namco X Capcom rpg. There was an obscure Saturn/PSX Japan only G&G puzzle game back in 1996 (the snappily titled "Arthur To Astaroth No Nazomakaimura: Incredible Toons"), and rumoured one-on-one fighters for XBOX ("Ghosts N Goblins Online" and "Ghouls & Ghosts - Match Fight") which never appeared. The Saturn and PSX also recieved quality conversions of all three G&G titles as part of the well-worth-owning Capcom Generations series.
PS2 owners can enjoy a lovely little homage to the series in the form of the Maximo games ("Ghosts To Glory" and "VS Army Of Zin"). There canbe little excuse for not owning these playable titles, as they can both be found in bargain bins across the country.
Alas, that would appear to be the end of the road for Sir Arthur and co. I would love to see a new, hi-res 2D version appear on one of the consoles, but you and I know that probably isn't going to happen. It is a shame - because as has been touched upon many times on these forums, no-frills 2D platforming is a dying art. That saddens me, particularly when you see how well the likes of Capcom and Konami have used the format in the past. Playable, instant classics like G&G should never be ignored. If you don't own an incarnation of any of these games, then MAME the ****ers and play them TODAY. If you DO own one or more then at the weekend just have a blast, for old time's sake. Hopefully my screens will whet your appetite.
Ciao for now, bitches!
Comment