Battle of the Ports

[Yakumo]

I did not enjoy making this show

[Leon Retro]

I've always really liked RoboCod since it impressed me on the A500 back in 1991. I like the charming design, really colourful graphics, catchy music, and it plays really well. The SNES version is also a gem that's well worth owning/playing.

I also have copies for the PS2(there's also a PS1 version) & DS. I was really surprised when I discovered the PS2 version on Ebay a while back.

There's also a Switch port, so there's been life in the game for nearly 30 years. They should release a James Pond compilation.

[JazzFunk]

It was fun for two minutes with the extending bod gimmick and clingy roof antics but then I was straight back on MICKEY MOUSE IN CASTLE OF ILLUSION and DICK TRACY.

I mean, Jesus. Fish puns. Were they ever amusing? No, never. Unless it's referring to fannies. Fish puns are the refuge of the comedically impotent.

PS: your 6yr old GALAXY FORCE 2 vid came up in my YouTube Recommended. Somehow didn't catch it first time around.

Did NOT know Appaloosa Interactive did the Saturn version, and that it was 30fps. Always assumed it was a perfect SEGA port but I never owned the game on Saturn. Damn, didn't those guys do that really crappy PS1 Contra 3D abomination??!! And Ecco....me, personally thought it was always ****ing ****.

But, yeah, Appaloosa Interactive!!!

[Yakumo]

It was fun for two minutes with the extending bod gimmick and clingy roof antics but then I was straight back on MICKEY MOUSE IN CASTLE OF ILLUSION and DICK TRACY.

I mean, Jesus. Fish puns. Were they ever amusing? No, never. Unless it's referring to fannies. Fish puns are the refuge of the comedically impotent.

PS: your 6yr old GALAXY FORCE 2 vid came up in my YouTube Recommended. Somehow didn't catch it first time around.

Did NOT know Appaloosa Interactive did the Saturn version, and that it was 30fps. Always assumed it was a perfect SEGA port but I never owned the game on Saturn. Damn, didn't those guys do that really crappy PS1 Contra 3D abomination??!! And Ecco....me, personally thought it was always ****ing ****.

But, yeah, Appaloosa Interactive!!!

Yeah, I'm in the camp of thinking Ecco is **** too.

[Leon Retro]

I mean, Jesus. Fish puns. Were they ever amusing?

The thing about RoboCod is -- it feels like the sort of trippy 8-bit platformer you'd get on the Spectrum but with really colourful 16-bit graphics. I love the old school British charm. It may not be as straightforward and refined as the best Japanese platformers, but it shines bright with British eccentricity. A lot of British/Euro 16-bit platformers are pretty poor, but RoboCod actually plays well and has a lot of charm. I'd never say it's a perfect game, but it's a good one

[DeathAdder]

It was fun for two minutes with the extending bod gimmick and clingy roof antics but then I was straight back on MICKEY MOUSE IN CASTLE OF ILLUSION and DICK TRACY.

I mean, Jesus. Fish puns. Were they ever amusing? No, never. Unless it's referring to fannies. Fish puns are the refuge of the comedically impotent.

PS: your 6yr old GALAXY FORCE 2 vid came up in my YouTube Recommended. Somehow didn't catch it first time around.

Did NOT know Appaloosa Interactive did the Saturn version, and that it was 30fps. Always assumed it was a perfect SEGA port but I never owned the game on Saturn. Damn, didn't those guys do that really crappy PS1 Contra 3D abomination??!! And Ecco....me, personally thought it was always ****ing ****.

But, yeah, Appaloosa Interactive!!!

Pity this never came out on the Plaice Station. Or the Breamcast.

[samanosuke]

Pity this never came out on the Plaice Station. Or the Breamcast.

Shark X68000

[Leon Retro]

Shark X68000

You'd have to be a loan shark to be able to afford an X68000 in the late '80s. $2,500

[Yakumo]

Dos original or the ports? Which do you like?

[samanosuke]

I have the Piko re-release for the Mega Drive and it adds a much-needed reticule to make aiming shots easier. It’s a shame they didn’t also fix the brutal difficulty though - all that is needed is to reduce the amount of damage enemy shots cause. It’s hard almost to the point of being broken, and the only way I managed to finish it was by constantly saving my way through each level. Almost a good game and very impressive for the hardware it’s on. It also looks bloody awful on that Youtube video compared to how it actually looks on a CRT, which isn’t too bad.

[Yakumo]

I agree, the MD games is crazy tough.

[JazzFunk]

Tbh, it looks a LOT better than I thought it would on MD. I wouldn't want to actually PLAY it but I proper caned ZERO TOLERANCE back in the day and this certainly looks a bit more impressive than that!

Even the Game.com looks decent for what it is, certainly looks like it's actually a playable game, and I liked how they added those corner-turning animations to polish the turd even more. Glad I never owned that machine but it's easy to see what a great job they did with this!

PS I own the two digital versions on 360 and XB1. I hear the Xbox One version might be missing some add-on levels, not sure about the 360 one...anyone know?

Still got the PS1 version, too. Good version! Just remember the Saturn version feeling more colourful when I had it back in the day. Could be wrong, mind.

[Leon Retro]

but I proper caned ZERO TOLERANCE back in the day

There's also Bloodshot, which is similar to Gloom on the A1200. These games show how good the VDP is in the MD, because they're doing stuff you wouldn't expect from a 16-bit console.

[JazzFunk]

Awwww, maaaaan, I couldn't get on with BLOODSHOT. It felt like a 3D Doom engine experiment with a game as an afterthought. Too blobby!

Nah, ZERO TOLERANCE had the *FEELZ*, like you were fighting squids in a futuristic city office skyscraper (with beautiful, MOONLIGHTING intro-standard cityscapes in the backdrop) but it felt ACE, even though it looked like you were looking thru an 80s ninja mask.

I found ZERO TOLERANCE to be curiously evocative and special, as a game. In early 1995. I loved, luuuurved, loafed it.

Tbh, I bought it as part of a dirt-cheap MD package Toys 'R' Us were doing at the time, they used to advertise them in papers like The Sun on a Saturday in the mid-90s, in the 'adverts' bit between the horoscopes/crossword/cartoons and the start of the horseracing odds n fixtures.

Yeah, also got BALLZ 3D, BUBSY 2, this, and summat else for like £14.99 brand new, or thereabouts, all in for all.

In full nostalgia mode tonite, sickeningly so!!!!!

[Leon Retro]

Awwww, maaaaan, I couldn't get on with BLOODSHOT. It felt like a 3D Doom engine experiment with a game as an afterthought. Too blobby!

Yeah, it has such very barebones design. But it's quite impressive technically. It's a lot like Gloom on the Amiga, but better.

Zero Tolerance is a more meaty game that is even more impressive. Definitely the best FPS on 16-bit consoles.