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    You can still visit the set, it's now a Maltese theme park.

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      Originally posted by Yakumo View Post
      Did you know that the original Donkey Kong was meant to be a Popeye game? Yes, it's true but Nintendo couldn't get the license until later.

      Yup. I knew all of that.

      Popeye is something of a real sliding doors moment for Nintendo. Had they been able to get the rights for Popeye from King Features Syndicate back in 1981 then Donkey Kong wouldn't have happened and consequently we may well have not got Mario.

      In any case, Popeye is a decent game but it clearly isn't as good (and obviously wasn't as successful) as Donkey Kong so Nintendo can consider themselves fortunate that they were able to rebound from the megaflop that was Radarscope.

      As for ports of Popeye, you left out the two best ports of Popeye IMO.





      (Fun fact: The G&W Panorama Screen games used the same screen tech that Nintendo would later go on to use in the Game Boy Color.)

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        Originally posted by Nu-Eclipse View Post
        Yup. I knew all of that.

        Popeye is something of a real sliding doors moment for Nintendo. Had they been able to get the rights for Popeye from King Features Syndicate back in 1981 then Donkey Kong wouldn't have happened and consequently we may well have not got Mario.

        In any case, Popeye is a decent game but it clearly isn't as good (and obviously wasn't as successful) as Donkey Kong so Nintendo can consider themselves fortunate that they were able to rebound from the megaflop that was Radarscope.

        As for ports of Popeye, you left out the two best ports of Popeye IMO.





        (Fun fact: The G&W Panorama Screen games used the same screen tech that Nintendo would later go on to use in the Game Boy Color.)
        Oh man, I wasn't aware of those LCD games. Wish I had know.

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          I still remember my aunty getting me Popeye and SuperCobra for my Intellivision for Christmas. I loved Popeye on the Intellivision

          Comment


            Rayman was massive or at least in Europe he was. It was the best selling PlayStation game in the UK outselling the likes of GTA and Tomb Raider 1 and 2.
            These days everyone knows Rayman but not many people talk about the original game any more. Let's take a look at all the available versions. I say available because as always the digital only versions are long gone. That's the DSi and Smartphone versions. Good old digital only releases. Sure it the way forward to making stuff obsolete.
            Versions such as the PlayStation classics or virtual console type services don't count because they're not ports, just emulated versions of another port.

            Comment


              Originally posted by Yakumo View Post
              Rayman was massive or at least in Europe he was. It was the best selling PlayStation game in the UK outselling the likes of GTA and Tomb Raider 1 and 2.
              It's amazing to think a 2D platformer was extremely successful in the early days of the PlayStation, when everyone was talking about 3D games and the machine's 3D power. I can see why people liked Rayman, but it's huge success still feels strange. It wasn't like people were craving 2D games for 32-bit consoles in the West, but something about Rayman really struck a chord.

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                Or maybe people were missing games they felt comfortable with?

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                  Originally posted by Leon Retro View Post
                  It's amazing to think a 2D platformer was extremely successful in the early days of the PlayStation, when everyone was talking about 3D games and the machine's 3D power.
                  But it was an early IP when lots of early PS owners were looking for quality games to buy, that really helped matters. It was also the days when 2D fighters like Mortal Kombat 3 could sell in decent numbers, with SONY looking to pay for exclusive launch rights.

                  I remember at time Heart Of Alien getting loads of press before it was delayed for years and people have moved on from 2D games. I think its a shame more 2D games weren't made for the PS (or brought over from Japan) given the PS had some great 2D hardware.

                  Comment


                    Originally posted by Yakumo View Post
                    Rayman was massive or at least in Europe he was.
                    I must have been the only one who bought the game (I got the Saturn version) and didn't like it or saw what all the fuss was about. I could see it was a quality and well made game, but it did nothing for me . The sequel, on the other hand, was almost as good as Mario 64 imo

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by Team Andromeda View Post
                      I think its a shame more 2D games weren't made for the PS (or brought over from Japan) given the PS had some great 2D hardware.
                      IIRC Sony had some sort of policy against 2D games at the time; they only made exceptions in specific cases for the first few years of the PS1's life. I'm not certain who it was, but I remember hearing someone senior at SCEE was convinced that Sega's 2D games on the Saturn were good PR for the Playstation, because it made the Saturn look like a halfway house upgrade from the Megadrive.

                      Thing is, platform holders like money, so games like Mortal Kombat 3 get through if they're going to be big sellers.

                      Comment


                        Originally posted by Asura View Post
                        IIRC Sony had some sort of policy against 2D games at the time; they only made exceptions in specific cases for the first few years of the PS1's life. I'm not certain who it was, but I remember hearing someone senior at SCEE was convinced that Sega's 2D games on the Saturn were good PR for the Playstation, because it made the Saturn look like a halfway house upgrade from the Megadrive.
                        I seem to remember that was really just SONY America who also had a Policly of having issues for using the original Japanese dub. I used to know somone who worked at SEGA America and they had a nightmare trying to get Yakuza 2 passed with no English dub in the USA

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by Yakumo View Post
                          Or maybe people were missing games they felt comfortable with?
                          That might be part of the reason, but the beautiful graphics and big bold sprites must have impressed people. I still think it's quite strange how well it did, because it's essentially very much the sort of platformer you'd expect for the SNES or MD.

                          When people bought the latest 3D powerhouse console for £300, you'd think the last thing they would do is also spend £40 on a quite generic 2D plaformer. I guess lots of parents/grandparents bought it because it looked like something they were familiar with. It is a decent game though, but definitely not one you'd have expected to be a big hit for the PlayStation in the West. Definitely an anomaly.

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                            It's tough to say but I'd say Rayman was very impressive to watch. Maybe that's what sold it. Really interactive cartoon?

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by Yakumo View Post
                              Really interactive cartoon?
                              As much as I can appreciate Rayman from a retro gaming point of view, thinking about why it achieved such huge success on the PlayStation really is baffling.

                              That's because there had been loads of 2D platformers similar to Rayman on 16-bit machines, so you'd think gamers would have been quite tired of the genre by that point. It's not like Rayman was offering anything radically different over similar 16-bit games.

                              So, I can only guess that parents & grandparents must have thought that because Rayman looked similar to 16-bit games that their kids had previously enjoyed, it was a safe bet. That could have been a strong driving force behind the immense success of the game. I don't think most gamers with a brand new 3D powerhouse console would have felt Rayman was a 'must-have' title next to all the impressive 3D games. I just don't think early adopters of the PlayStation would have been gagging for more 2D platformer action that cost £40.

                              Of course, I'm not saying Rayman is a bad game. No, it's an attractive 2D platformer. But its immense success does baffle me for various reasons.
                              Last edited by Leon Retro; 26-08-2019, 01:21.

                              Comment


                                I don’t think it’s inconceivable it sold well. Sure, it’s 2D, but it looks gorgeous, far nicer than a 16-bit platform game and was released during the console’s infancy when there weren’t really any other quality platform titles. There were other 2D titles I recall selling well including Worms, the Abe’s Odyssey games and the C&C ports, so it wasn’t as if gamers back then were completely averse to 2D titles.

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