Battle of the Ports

[Asura]

Zool's extremely nauseating genericness might kill Sonic. A technically decent game with a severe lack of inventiveness. I've always disliked it, even if I can sort of understand why people bought it.

It's a great example though of the mindset at the time. Games were really cheap and predominantly sold on the basis of back-of-the-box screenshots and rolling demos on a machine in the shop. Zool was a fantastic technical achievement for the Amiga; I'm willing to bet that a better design team with a bit more time could've taken that engine and reconfigured it, with better enemies and levels, to create the Amiga's true equivalent of Sonic or Megaman. As it is, it's just a middling game with good tech.

[Blobcat]

Ahh Zool Thanks for the memories even if your were a bit crap to play!

I never owned it but it was very impressionable on me as a kid. I did not get any consoles of my own until I was maybe 8 but I had a keen interest in computers, gadgets and especially games. My mum somehow nabbed an old black and green screen Apple in the early 90's for me to use as a computer to learn typing and it had 2 games on it, later I had a NES (when the SNES came out) and gameboy and at my Dad's house he had some ancient computer with a handful of colours with some MS DOS operating system that was slow as **** but had a ton of badly run games on it (sorry I am crap with identifying old computers.) Then there was the Acorn at school and later PC's I was only allowed to type on so no games or colour whatsoever apart from MS paint.

We had new neighbours move opposite us and as well as having 3 cats (which was awesome), the guy was some lecturer who had an interest in computers. As a teacher herself my mum got along with them well so we visited often, especially when they needed extra hands when one cat kept having kittens. He let me have a go of his pc a couple of times which must have been a pretty up to date set up. I remember once seeing the box from Zool on the shelf in his office and I had recognized it from some posters in a pc shop and magazines. He let me play it once and I was blown away that a game could have so many colours. Only played it 1-2 times but I just remember seeing that sweet level being so bright and colourful. The only other game I remember being so bright was Sonic the Hedgehog that I only got to play in the waiting room at the dentists.

I think he was a bit awkward about letting this weird little girl play with his computer he used for work but I am very grateful he did, even if it was only bout 3 times overall. He later taped stuff off sky for me on VHS like Beauty and the Beast off the Disney channel and Space Precinct as he was the only adult I knew who liked Star Trek Next Gen. I hope you are well somewhere out there David

[Kotatsu Neko]

It's a great example though of the mindset at the time. Games were really cheap and predominantly sold on the basis of back-of-the-box screenshots and rolling demos on a machine in the shop. Zool was a fantastic technical achievement for the Amiga; I'm willing to bet that a better design team with a bit more time could've taken that engine and reconfigured it, with better enemies and levels, to create the Amiga's true equivalent of Sonic or Megaman. As it is, it's just a middling game with good tech.

There wasn't much impressive about Zool. It was just a 4-bit plane with hardware scrolling and a hardware sprite for the main character. Basic stuff, and far behind much earlier titles like Shadow of the Beast. (which ran in 3-bit dual playfield mode and used the copper much more extensively)

There is a little known very late release Amiga platformer called Brian the Lion from Reflections/Psygnosis which pushed the hardware well, although it wasn't a good game. Like Zool it has 4-bit single playfield on the 500 and 4-bit dual playfield on the 1200 and CD32, but it had a multiplexed sprite background on the 500 and masses of copper spits to increase on screen colours. It even used horizontal copper splits. There some bonus stages which use scaling and rotation too, all on the blitter and at 50fps. Made by ex-demo scene guys.

Incidentally the reason most Amiga games are so heavily bordered is because they ran in 320*200, which is full screen on NTSC systems but bordered on PAL. Zool ran 320*256, hence the full screen on PAL machines. There's an extra cost on the blitter and it requires more RAM, and it also means the game cannot be sold in the US without modifications. The latter was a pretty lame excuse though, given the total failure of the Amiga there.

[Leon Retro]

and far behind much earlier titles like Shadow of the Beast. (which ran in 3-bit dual playfield mode and used the copper much more extensively)

I wish the developer[Reflections] had used their skills to create a game more similar to Rygar or Rastan. A game with a more arcade style that flows better could have been something special. I've always loved what SotB does with the A500 tech, but the gameplay leaves me cold.

There is a little known very late release Amiga platformer called Brian the Lion from Reflections/Psygnosis which pushed the hardware well,

Yeah, that's a really impressive game. Kid Chaos is another late A500 platformer that shows off the tech brilliantly.

When it comes to Zool era Amiga games, I've always much preferred Robocod. There's something about the old school British charm that has always appealed to me, and it plays really well. I know it can feel quite repetitive after a while, but I always enjoy playing through it.

Incidentally the reason most Amiga games are so heavily bordered is because they ran in 320*200, which is full screen on NTSC systems but bordered on PAL. Zool ran 320*256, hence the full screen on PAL machines.

It's always a nice bonus when an Amiga game runs full screen. The huge border that is common in a lot of Amiga games definitely spoils things.

[Yakumo]

It's the 300th show of Battle of the Ports!! That's right, the show has now been going for 300 weeks or 5 years and 7 months.
To celebrate this grand number we are going to take a look at one of the most iconic sci-fi adventure games to come out of Japan. this in Snatcher.

[Yakumo]

[JazzFunk]

Master System version looks badass. Only ever had the C64 version and that was good, too. Aaaaah, the Reaganite era!

Kinda stoked but also sorta half-gutted that Snatcher's gonna be on the PCE Mini...and it's gonna be the JP version. Can it be played through despite the language barrier or is a translated version essential?

[Yakumo]

Master System version looks badass. Only ever had the C64 version and that was good, too. Aaaaah, the Reaganite era!

Kinda stoked but also sorta half-gutted that Snatcher's gonna be on the PCE Mini...and it's gonna be the JP version. Can it be played through despite the language barrier or is a translated version essential?

You can tumble your way through it but then what's the point of playing. It's a game about the story.

[JazzFunk]

It's a pity but I expected it. Ah, well.

I've said it many times on here but my PAL Rumbelows Mega CD 2 died *exactly* on the same day I got Snatcher for it. It was the game I bought the system for. Gutting.

Anyway, there's something about the look of the game I love and the different colours of the PCE look really nice, it's still a big draw for me, tbh.

[Team Andromeda]

I didn't even know there was an Arcade version. Loved the game on the Master system but I've always known it as Global Defense

[wakka]

It's a pity but I expected it. Ah, well.

I've said it many times on here but my PAL Rumbelows Mega CD 2 died *exactly* on the same day I got Snatcher for it. It was the game I bought the system for. Gutting.

Anyway, there's something about the look of the game I love and the different colours of the PCE look really nice, it's still a big draw for me, tbh.

Definitely play Snatcher in English Jazz. It’s entirely text/story driven so will be almost pointless in Japanese, just a picture book really.

Download a Mega CD emulator for your computer and play it that way is my advice.

[JazzFunk]

I could always bang it on my Pi, I guess.

It's a very crap old Pi but seems to play MD 100%,don't see why MCD would be an issue.

[samanosuke]

I could always bang it on my Pi, I guess.

It's a very crap old Pi but seems to play MD 100%,don't see why MCD would be an issue.

What I’d say makes playing it in your native tongue essential is the world-building aspect of it. During playthroughs I’ll spend time reading about different topics on the Junker computer database, and this really bolsters the immersion level beyond what one would normally experience from what is effectively little more than a linear graphic novel.

[JazzFunk]

You make it sound brilliant. Very good choice of words, you could sell ice cubes to Eskimos!!!

[Yakumo]

Known as Soldiers of Fortune in the US but The Chaos Engine everywhere else comes yet another classic from the Bitmap brothers. But which versions are the best? Home computer or console?