Best arcade conversions
Best arcade conversions
Fuelled by nostalgia and many hours on the RetroPie over lockdown, I've been revisiting some of the arcade coversions I remember from my youth. I'm sure there are plenty of classics I missed at the time, so please do pipe up below. No crap ones though, or we'll be here forever (I realise this obviates most of US Gold's output). In the meantime, here's a few I did play back in the day but had forgotten about:
Ikari Warriors
I was expecting this to be a bit crap on replay many years later, but I was wrong! My brother acquired this on one of those C90s that gets passed around at school (shhh!!) but it was slap bang in the middle of one side, so didn't really get the time it deserved... actually, I think I can get further on it these days than I could back then, which never usually happpens... I don't recall ever reaching the helicopter before! (Not that I got much further ) The "toggle" function is great for tearing up the screen & picking off baddies while staying relatively out of harm's way, the graphics are really nice with smooth scrolling, and the tanks are just a delight. My only real criticism is that the power-ups are too random, particularly when you're in a tank & low on fuel, or find yourself with zero bullets It's great fun though, I might have to dig out the POKEs cos I want to see more of it
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH_g2hm-AlA[/media]
Shinobi
I first became aware of Shinobi in a railway station cafe, and proceeded to pass the time (and spend a not inconsiderable portion of my allowance) doing ninja stuff. Ace. I picked up the Speccy version after spotting it on budget re-release. And what an absolute bargain it was! Nice and fast with lovely colourful graphics. I'm determined to get past the chopper on Level 2, those pesky little bouncing ninja sods won't get the better of me.
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCRppFwYO_8[/media]
More to follow! Dinner's ready...
Ikari Warriors
I was expecting this to be a bit crap on replay many years later, but I was wrong! My brother acquired this on one of those C90s that gets passed around at school (shhh!!) but it was slap bang in the middle of one side, so didn't really get the time it deserved... actually, I think I can get further on it these days than I could back then, which never usually happpens... I don't recall ever reaching the helicopter before! (Not that I got much further ) The "toggle" function is great for tearing up the screen & picking off baddies while staying relatively out of harm's way, the graphics are really nice with smooth scrolling, and the tanks are just a delight. My only real criticism is that the power-ups are too random, particularly when you're in a tank & low on fuel, or find yourself with zero bullets It's great fun though, I might have to dig out the POKEs cos I want to see more of it
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH_g2hm-AlA[/media]
Shinobi
I first became aware of Shinobi in a railway station cafe, and proceeded to pass the time (and spend a not inconsiderable portion of my allowance) doing ninja stuff. Ace. I picked up the Speccy version after spotting it on budget re-release. And what an absolute bargain it was! Nice and fast with lovely colourful graphics. I'm determined to get past the chopper on Level 2, those pesky little bouncing ninja sods won't get the better of me.
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCRppFwYO_8[/media]
More to follow! Dinner's ready...
Re: Best arcade conversions
That is all
Re: Best arcade conversions
[media]https://youtu.be/-6lvAXSGBpI[/media]
Good call there with Hypersports, too.
Good call there with Hypersports, too.
Last edited by p13z on Wed Sep 09, 2020 9:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Best arcade conversions
Spy Hunter. Better than the original arcade (IMO).
Gauntlet 1 & 2 are also good conversions.
Gauntlet 1 & 2 are also good conversions.
Re: Best arcade conversions
[media]https://youtu.be/PbpdMDWueqE[/media]
And this modern one is as good as they get
And this modern one is as good as they get
- Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Best arcade conversions
Another vote for Pheenix and Bomb Jack!
Re: Best arcade conversions
Keeping thinking of more, sorry.
[media]https://youtu.be/Ntsb8ITIh6s[/media]
[media]https://youtu.be/Ntsb8ITIh6s[/media]
- Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Best arcade conversions
Speaking of Commando (posted above), I think Elite used to sacrificed graphics for a great gameplay in some games like this and Ghosts'n 'Goblins.
Really good games but not the best graphics.
Really good games but not the best graphics.
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Re: Best arcade conversions
SUPERB conversion. Everything is said with this game. Please mods close the thread as no need to say moreRev_Stuart_Campbell wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 9:42 pm But it's the modern-era Speccy arcade ports that have really knocked it out of the park, most of them comprising some of my all-time arcade faves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or4Yldy ... gLongplays
Re: Best arcade conversions
Ah, amazing! King Fu Master was the very first arcade game I ever played, in the hotel during our first family holiday in Spain. I was crap at it but thought it was great. Even as a child, I was super gutted about the terrible official arcade port, so I'll definitely have to get hold of this!Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 9:47 pmSUPERB conversion. Everything is said with this game. Please mods close the thread as no need to say moreRev_Stuart_Campbell wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 9:42 pm But it's the modern-era Speccy arcade ports that have really knocked it out of the park, most of them comprising some of my all-time arcade faves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or4Yldy ... gLongplays
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Re: Best arcade conversions
This is one of those topics that never seem to get old
As usual, I'll point to the article I wrote in 2011 for the Gamesark.it website about my selection of the 15 worst and 15 best coin-op conversions for the Spectrum:
https://www.gamesark.it/mostra_speciale ... =0&f=1&s=1
It's written in Italian but the percentage markings at the end of each entry should be self-explanatory.
As usual, I'll point to the article I wrote in 2011 for the Gamesark.it website about my selection of the 15 worst and 15 best coin-op conversions for the Spectrum:
https://www.gamesark.it/mostra_speciale ... =0&f=1&s=1
It's written in Italian but the percentage markings at the end of each entry should be self-explanatory.
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Re: Best arcade conversions
Desperado... Cool when it came out, great hype here in Spain but I think it hasn't aged well.Rev_Stuart_Campbell wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:07 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZaaZ5v ... RZXArchive
by the way, another great spanish western-themed conversion: West Bank:
https://youtu.be/Rd2xcG3P--A
Re: Best arcade conversions
I remember West Bank. Great game and really worked well on the Spectrum.
Re: Best arcade conversions
I never knew Ping Pong was an arcade conversion. Fantastic game and still my favourite Speccy tune.
Green Beret was also a stroke of genius.
Green Beret was also a stroke of genius.
Re: Best arcade conversions
Rastan would be better without the horrible backdrops.Rev_Stuart_Campbell wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 9:25 pm
Later on, it's hard to imagine how Bubble Bobble, Cabal, Super Sprint and Rastan could have been done any better
I can't play for more than 5 minutes without it straining my eyes.
Re: Best arcade conversions
The parallax effect through the windows is still pretty cool though. I really enjoyed Rastan as a kid but TBH I found it a bit boring last time I played it.RWAC wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 7:38 amRastan would be better without the horrible backdrops.Rev_Stuart_Campbell wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 9:25 pm
Later on, it's hard to imagine how Bubble Bobble, Cabal, Super Sprint and Rastan could have been done any better
I can't play for more than 5 minutes without it straining my eyes.
Re: Best arcade conversions
I like the Master System version of Rastan bit it is a bit samey after awhile.
As for the Speccy, some of my favourites are Rainbow Islands, Midnight Resistance and Silkworm.
As for the Speccy, some of my favourites are Rainbow Islands, Midnight Resistance and Silkworm.
Re: Best arcade conversions
I don't consider Rastan a good game. It has too simplified graphics compared to the original. All the backgrounds areRastan would be better without the horrible backdrops
lost and you have just this dithered sky all the time. It also misses pictures between levels ( well, that probably would be
asking for too much) and other things. And playability is so-so.
It's not bad, it's average. The other games mentioned are generally very good however.
Re: Best arcade conversions
Following a lockdown-induced foray into the world of Z80 programming, I'm blown away by Rastan's full-colour scrolling AND parallax backdrop, given the speed it runs... technically, it's incredibly impressive to me. I'd love to know what trickery was used to achieve this, but that probably requires a new thread in the Programming forum!
But yes, very difficult to see what's going on... that was my biggest bugbear with this game in the past. Some chunky outlines on the sprite masks may have helped.
Re: Best arcade conversions
Speccy Bombjack is arguably better than the arcade original, as is Commando (arcade version is just too difficult). Amazingly Chase HQ was a better conversion than on any other home computer at the time (ST and Amiga included).
But my all-time favourite has to be Hypersports. What a conversion that was. The C64 version was a bit special too.
But my all-time favourite has to be Hypersports. What a conversion that was. The C64 version was a bit special too.
ZX Spectrum Reviews REST API: http://zxspectrumreviews.co.uk/
Re: Best arcade conversions
...I think I'm probably one of very few people that actually quite liked Double Dragon on the Speccy.
[Edit: And Kung Fu Master - the original one]
[Edit: And Kung Fu Master - the original one]
My Speccy site: thirdharmoniser.com