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We fired this up on my TG-16 back in summer of 1990, my ten year old eyes couldnt believe how arcade perfect it looked and played, it was a very impressive machine at the time, especially since we upgraded from a C64, Blazing Lazers was actually even more impressive to us, R-Type was great, but BL just seemed more impressive, visually and with the audio. They should have released SFII for it, they made so many bad decisions with what was a great console.
@@ImWithTeamTrinity It was awesome on the TG16, that's the one I played too. but I agree Blazing Lazers was a better game. TBH I couldn't get anywhere in R-Type, I had a lot more fun with Blazing Lazers, especially the power-up system. Then later Space Megaforce on SNES which I always felt was Blazing Lazer's spiritual successor.
@@AlistairBrugsch Sometimes even now, I find myself humming or whistling this tune. Because of Chris Huelsbeck I had no option (after R Type was released) than to invest in a decent audio set up, just so I could start this game and let them listen to the intro music. Brilliant..
Thanks for the shoutout of the soundtrack for the Commodore 64 version: It was such a marvelous arrangement, which had so much more power and vibe compared to nearly every other port. Only the PC Engine CD port was also very impressive (like you said), but in another way. The C64 soundtrack was of course by Chris Hülsbeck and Ramiro Vaca. I played the new title theme hundred of times back and forth - like the Amiga version, also composed by Chris. And as brillant that version is: I always wonder what he could have done, if he had arranged the whole 16-bit soundtrack. Considering his astonishing career on the Amiga (Turrican, Apidya, Masterblazer, X-Out, etc.), it could have been the best rendition of the R-Type music ever made.
As a c64 owner, I was very impressed by the Speccy version. Altho the c64 version looked great and sounded fantastic, some mechanics were sacrificed which the Speccy version actually did include! Before watching your vid, I would've said that the ps1 version was best, so we agree 👍
@ Cool, will check it out! I have pretty much played it on everything but not R-type final on PlayStation hardware (real or emulated)! Have you heard of Pico-8? There is a brilliantly done R-type clone on that “system” as well… If you want to get really obscure! :-)
The Master System version was programmed by Compile (one of the best shooter teams to ever exist, later Raizing) and they even made a complete hidden stage. It also has FM music if you have a Japanese Master System or an emulator that supports FM. (or FPGA device) Definitely an impressive port! There's also an interesting back story to the C64 version and Katakis (Factor 5 / Rainbow Arts).
The vertical panning in some versions is perhaps the biggest turnoff for me. It's too difficult and disorienting if you can't see all the screen at once.
I'd put the Amiga version higher than the pc engine simply because the pc engine version scrolls vertically to accomodate the whole stage, which, playability-wise, is not like the arcade...
You should check the remake version of R-Type on the Amstrad CPC made by Easter Egg team This is unbelievable what they achieved with love and passion !
My eyes and ears were in awe of this in the small lil' arcade in 1989/90. I bought it on budget cassette for the C64, bolted up to my house with it....and it would'nt load!! The guy in the shop took it back to his c64 to try it,and it wouldnt load on his either. So, I never got to actually see it onthe c64 till online yeeers later.😂 But, the passing times and ages later didnt alter or falter how I felt when I heard that title screen music finally. Chris Huselbeck crafted a stone cold stunner that, upon hearing it, transported me back to my Eleventh year on Earth, as though the game had Loaded all along and I was hearing that tune again for the first time in ages. It just "felt" that good, familiar. The game itself, well again it is the bastard hard difficulty that, makes it less enjoyable to play ,with the onscreen action lasting mere seconds sometimes.😂 I think too, the levels were multi-loaded, so dying on level 2, saw you rewind the tape allll the way back to load level 1 again to play. But, R-Type overall is one of those games that really reminds me of exciting times in childhood ,scored by the superb soundtrack. I had "RTypes" onthe PS1, and yes that is fantastic.👍👍
Back in the day I had a Sega master system and an Amiga A500 (batman pack) I had to master system version and loved that port of the game. Yes had sprite flicker & a little slow down when screen got packed, yet it was so playable and I thought the soundtrack throughout the game was one of the best music scores on the mighty master system.
When it comes to the spectrum, i think for so long programmers were terrified of having colour clash in their games, so they stuck religiously to monochrome - by the time of the R-type conversion though, they were starting to find ways of getting more colours in to games without it looking a mess.
For the Atari ST version, a couple of questions. Is it just for the ST, or was there also an STE version? If there was a version with STE improvements, it should be able to look ALMOST as good as the Amiga give or take a little. Also, what did you use to play it on for the video? Software emulator, original hardware, or FPGA? My recommendation would be to check it out on a MiSTer as that's going to be the closest to original hardware, and see if any of the options make it play a bit more smoothly. Otherwise, it's probably just one of the typical ST ports that didn't get as much attention as the Amiga version. Occasionally some devs would pull off some impressive things on the ST or STE, but I think generally, there wasn't much care taken in the ports.
I have the Atari ST version and it's still one of my favourite games ever and a big part of why I got into gaming in the first place. I had the PC Engine version on the Wii Virtual Console but was disappointed as it didn't have the epic intro with the thunder on the logo and the music that has always stayed with me that the Atari ST version has. Does any other version have this?
If I recall the x68000 was similar in capabilities to arcade hardware which is why it has so many high quality ports. I imagine it was a very premium device back in the day.
Easily in my top 5 arcades of all time. I was absolutely blown away by the Commodore Amiga version back in the day, as it felt arcade perfect, even though in hindsight it's not quite there. The great thing about the PS1 version is that it came on a compilation called "R-Types" containing the original and the sequel on one disc, which was brilliant value for money.
Such a great game to choose to rank. Some absolutely amazing conversions - that PC Engine version is absolutely stellar. My only quibble: I don't know that I'd rank the MSX version above the Spectrum version just because of the MSX's janky scrolling, which I find a bit distracting. Still, given both machines limitations, they both did get pretty awesome ports, and I sort of felt like once you got into the top 8 it was getting a bit tricky to separate them: I'd be pretty happy playing any of them if push came to shove. It's pretty incredible when you think that, in the late 80s, a good arcade conversion onto the micros was far from a given and yet, here we are, and the only real turd is the Amstrad version. As you say, if they'd put in more effort that machine would have been more than capable of running a much better version of the game - a real missed opportunity given its vibrant colour palette. (Similarly, I'd also recommend the later R-Type games. R-Type Final for the PS2 is a real standout: just an absolutely beautiful shooter with tons of replayability. I don't know if this series has ever had a miss to be honest.)
I'd have ranked the ST and Speccie higher. I had the ST version and absolutely loved it. The Spectrum one is amazing considering the machine's capability. The C64 dropping the rotating blobs halfway through stage one is a total cop out. I also had R-Types for PS1, and that's basically arcade perfect, so no arguments with that getting first place. I did like the mentions of some versions being overly hard. The original arcade game is infamous for being rock hard. Stage four with those green blob laying ships was an absolute nightmare! As were the maze stages. One of my favourite arcade games though.The MSX version looked janky as hell!
the master system version had a secret stage that only that version had and the pc engine version had to be split into 2 r type 1 and 2 but 2 was the other 4 levels not the sequel due to the limitations of the console but that's why it's such a good port
anytime .the game boy colour is my favourite version its such a bargain you get a good port of r type 1 and the sequel thrown in for good measure and it has a mono mode so it can be played on the original game boy as well I still play it on my gba to this day 🙂
oh and 1 more thing about the pc engine version it's very hard with lots of extra big robots and stuff because they had to make it hard so it would last longer as like I said you only get the 1st 4 levels in what would become to be known as r type 1 you had to buy 2 if you wanted to play the whole game but considering how near except for the difficulty it is to been arcade perfect I would say the pay off is worth it 🙂
Nice video. Though you will. Red to redo it when the homebrew version for the Mega Drive is finished. The demo is already excellent and would place it near the top of the list.
The original Game Boy version still rocks! It ran well despite some issues, solid port nonetheless The MSX is a bit weird, it's not slow or laggy but the camera didn't have the panning like most of these
There's also an FM version of the Master System port, although the PSG music is excellent. Master System also has a secret bonus level accessed on level 4, with fantastic background music. The PC Engine port here is the CD port. There's also the original port which has faithful chip tube renditions of the arcade soundtrack. I prefer the original PCE port as I'm not a big fan of the CD soundtrack.
I first saw this on my brothers Atari ST, not even the Arcade.. Then later when i got my Amiga i was happy to see it was better on the Amiga :D Sometime after that i played it in the Arcade and yeah, its great. Only saw it on the Spectrum years later, but as an aficionado, i can take a conversion based on how well the machine represents itself, and really, the spectrum had no business being so good!
I would rank the GB version just behind the GBC. The gameplay is incredibly responsive, the audio is fantastic, and, aside from the occasional drop, the frame rate is solid. As for the PCE/TG16 version, I’d bump it up a spot. Such a great port, and my first R-type at home.
Wow! Good honest review. Amiga vision for me. I had it on Amstrad CPC 464 back in the day and I didn't play it much, because my friend had it on the Amiga! I was so jealous at the time.
I owned the Amstrad version back in the day, I enjoyed it back then because I didn’t know any better but it was a terrible Speccy port. Apparently it was ported in just 2 weeks. Anyhow there is another Amstrad version which is miles better. Made in 2012 featuring colour graphics and music and even some cut scenes which goes to show you how capable the cpc was in the right hands
In the UK, I played the Amiga version (back in the day). It was a good port of the arcade (the sprites were 'thinner / slimmer' in size, than the arcade version). The Amiga version had great music and sound effects too. However, if i remember correctly, it seemed like the PC Engine version was thought to be the best port (back in the day). Apparently it 'felt' (gameplay) a little more like the arcade version
Can't agree with you there. The C64 version features super-smooth scrolling and sprite movement. The Spectrum version - though impressive in some respects, is way too jerky to be playable.
Wish they still made 2d shmups like this. Another I’d recommend is In the Hunt by Irem. Found that one when I was in the army while training at Ft Sam Houston. Its style is similar to metal slug but you fight in a submarine that can shoot above and below water. You can get it still on the Sony store, not sure about other consoles. Anything by Cave is an easy recommendation. Played the hell out of the PC engine version of R-TYPE back in the day when I couldn’t play it in an arcade. I have the retro collection with 1 & 2 on every console we have in the family.
Good video, thank you. The cpc version does indeed deserve last place. But have you seen the modern remake for the cpc 128k by Easter egg? I strongly recommend an ebook by Bob Pape called “it’s behind you”. It’s about the speccy port of rtype and explains why the cpc version was so bad. Worth a read.
Good list, but did you rank the PC Engine/Turbografx chip version? Either I missed it or I only noticed the CD version of the game on the list. R-Type is just a very cool franchise; it's a lot of fun until the difficulty cranks up and goes well past my skill and/or patience level. My first knowledge of it was seeing the Sega Master System version on the cover of an old Sega Challenge magazine (around 1988-1989) that I received for free in the mail back then. It was Sega's version of the Nintendo Fun Club magazine but on a smaller scale. The Master System version was developed by Compile and featured an extra exclusive level, two things that I didn't know until much later on. A couple of other aftermarket versions; of course the Mega R-Type in development for Mega Drive which I am sure that you are aware of and looks amazing, and also there was a Supergrafx homebrew up-conversion that was attempted but only finished through three or four levels before the project was shelved; this made the game full-screen and removed or greatly reduced the flicker. I'd love to see somebody pick that one up and finish it, but for me personally I generally can't get more than half-way through the game anyways. On another topic, are you going to keep going with the Amiga recommended A-Z series? I've been finding that rather helpful.
I grew up with the Master System version. Fantastic work by Compile on all fronts with that port. Hell, they even added an extra hidden level and boss not in the original arcade game.
The zx spectrum version was very addictive...it played very responsively in its sputter ,it's not o fast...or too slow....only bad thing about the version is you have to load each level 1 at a time and if you are defeated you must load the 1st level....each of the levels were about 35kb and it still needed more than 128kb....is the c64 version multiloading levels.......I reckon so ,it's a big game
@JustJamie1983 the c64 version looks quite decent .......another sparkling 8 bit version is the Sega mastersystem it's slightly better version than the c64s....you never know.... some nerd might convert it to the vic 20 or atari 2600.a petscii version would not at all suprise me.everything gets done in petscii.....petscii mario,petscii kong ,petscii invaders,petscii chess......1 brilliant 2600 conversion firebirds thrust......very playable
@@Mr.1.i Yeah, I love(d) R-type on the speccy. First version I played. I played it again recently on my ZX Spectrum Next and it’s still excellent for that platform - I had forgotten about the tedious loading though - although one can get around that these days on “new” hardware.
Just starting the vid. Best port I've tried was PCE. Shout out to the MS version, though, really great for an 8-bit Will be interesting to see how they rank here...
Was pleased to see them both highly ranked. I really do like the PCE one. I'll have to check out the PS version as I've never played that. I do mean to try the Speccy too as I've heard a lot of good things. I was a C64 kid, but never got on with that one - I think it's just too hard!
Outrun will cause Jamie eye cancer. Besides the Saturn version (and anything after that) all 8bit and 16bit versions suck the big one. Funny how the pc engine beat sega in its own game btw as it had a better (still crappy though) version than the megadrive...
yes, I'm an ST fan, but judging by the speed of play and music, you were playing that in ntsc.. somehow. Either way, good shout for the speccy version being above that; an absolute gem of a conversion but not sure the msx version was better (or was that an msx2 version?). A good ranking list anyway and thanks for making the video!
I can't really speak to any of the computer versions (with the exception of emulating the X68000 version), but when it comes to the console ports, I would personally place the Master System version above the PC Engine/Turbografx-16 port. The TG version smokes the Master System when it comes to the graphics and sounds, but those almost arcade perfect graphics come at a severe cost. Since the arcade original has a higher screen resolution than the Turbo, they kind of had to "zoom in" on the screen with the Turbo version to keep the graphics pixel accurate, and this results in the screen having to scroll vertically, as the entire vertical playfield no longer fits properly on the screen. This absolutely ruins the gameplay for me, as the game is designed to have everything visible. With The TG version, a lot of enemies like turrets on the floor/ceiling in level 1, the crawling creatures in level 2, and all of the other ships entering from the top or bottom of the screen are no longer visible 100% of the time, and to me that is not R-Type.
You forgot to mention the Xbox 360/PS3 version. That one includes the option to switch between the remastered HD graphics and oldskool graphics on the fly!
That ST version, as others have said, is running way too fast, and must be running at 60hz rather than the intended 50hz judging by the music speed. Though it has its problems, your right that the sprites are too big (looks like what happens when the Amiga's larger screen gets converted down to the ST's lower resolution without alterations), and the less said about the jerking second level massive ship the better, but it is definitely a lot better than quite a few of the games on this list when run at the right speed. People rave about that Master System version but I presume they are playing it at 60hz, because the PAL 50hz version I have is a flickery slow mess with really floaty controls on real hardware. I literally thought the game was faulty when I played it because it was nothing like the videos I'd seen of it beforehand.
I'm far from a Nintendo fanboy, but I can't see how the Spectrum and MSX versions are better than the Original Game Boy! Especially the MSX. It looks a mess.
Great video. I had the Amiga version back in the day - and it played really smoothly. You don't seem to take frame rate/smoothness into account in this video. For me, smooth scrolling and sprite movement is the most basic requirement in a shoot 'em up. Some of the ports featured here have very jerky scrolling and/or sprite movement yet feature quite highly on your list. For me, the jerkiness disqualifies them immediately. Those games are horrible to look at and I would not have played them at all in the 1980s.
The ST version has banging audio - Wally Beben's version of the stages themes are top notch. While I enjoyed it the ST verison plays nothing like the arcade, the Amiga version has weak BGM but great sound effects and plays like the coin op. The PC Engine version is sublime - i can't put my finger on it but it seems better balanced than the arcade in terms of gameplay and difficulty. The X68000 version is horrible to play despite looking and sounding like the source material. The PS1 version is probably the best overall in terms of fidelity.
you need to get your hands on the c64 demo of r-type. It is WAY better than what was released. It was jsut a reskin of a rainbow arts game and is not that grat a conversion. there is now a fan made 128k R-type for the amstrad and that is amazing.
The MSX version has improved sound if you have an FM sound chip. On an MSX 1 you need the game in cartridge slot 1 and an FM-Pac cartridge in slot 2. Later MSX 2+ computers mostly had FM sound built in but this game needs to be patched to find it
It does not count, but there's a Megadrive version in development. It was a shame we never got arcade ports of popular 80's games on the system, like R-type. Instead we got were botched ports of Toki and New Zealandstory that disappointed fans of the originals.
There was a remake Amstrad Version of R-Type release recently. Which was a better effort than the original official release at least visually. Dunno what the playability was like, the video seem to show a rather fast play experience. :) ua-cam.com/video/1Ghpgpjd3hk/v-deo.htmlsi=RZ5fYdG5SCVpeVwt
I would put the excellent ZX Spectrum version above the MSX and C64 ports. The MSX version's scrolling is irritatingly jerky. I don't know whether this is reflects hardware limitations. The C64 version shines only in the sound department. It is incomplete in several places and could have been a bit better if... well, if greedy publishers had given the developers more time. The end credits reveal those poor coders only had 6 weeks to rush out the C64 version.😮 Did you read Bob Pape's account of the development of R-Type on the ZX Spectrum? It can be downloaded for free. It's interesting how some publishers tried to rip off those genius coders back in the day.
I played this in the Arcade and had an Amstrad and when I heard that Activision had the rights to this game I was pissed off because I knew it would just be a crappy speccy port.
The PS3 version is better than any of these. It's arcade perfect and also has a version with updated graphics. Best thing is you can switch between them on the fly.
some of the console ports is totally unbalanced, unfair..... Im played last year PC Engine, and yep, im diddent like it. You cant see the full play area, change the whole and caused it much harder than its should been.Stage 6 (if im remember) was unfair. Im did do have the C64 original which got rushed out to market, but still plays well. Anyway tryout the homebrew Amstrad version. its much better than the original released. Best music goes to Amiga, the title screen tune is great.
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If I'm not playing the arcade version, the TG16 is my go to. It plays really really well....
And it's the full game on the Turbo. Japan got the game in 2 parts on the HU Cards. The CD version has different music, that I'm not a fan of.
We fired this up on my TG-16 back in summer of 1990, my ten year old eyes couldnt believe how arcade perfect it looked and played, it was a very impressive machine at the time, especially since we upgraded from a C64, Blazing Lazers was actually even more impressive to us, R-Type was great, but BL just seemed more impressive, visually and with the audio. They should have released SFII for it, they made so many bad decisions with what was a great console.
@@ImWithTeamTrinity It was awesome on the TG16, that's the one I played too. but I agree Blazing Lazers was a better game. TBH I couldn't get anywhere in R-Type, I had a lot more fun with Blazing Lazers, especially the power-up system. Then later Space Megaforce on SNES which I always felt was Blazing Lazer's spiritual successor.
The title music on the Amiga version.
👍👍
It was pretty awesome.
@@JustJamie1983it was a special Amiga only tune by Chris Huelsbeck 💪
@AlistairBrugsch 100%
@@AlistairBrugsch Sometimes even now, I find myself humming or whistling this tune.
Because of Chris Huelsbeck I had no option (after R Type was released) than to invest in a decent audio set up, just so I could start this game and let them listen to the intro music.
Brilliant..
Loved the video, R-Type is one of my favorite games on the Amiga🔥🤩
Hey, thanks very much. R-Type is great.
I will always love SMS the best because pushing the hardware is always so satisfying
Exactly what I feel too.
Thanks for the shoutout of the soundtrack for the Commodore 64 version: It was such a marvelous arrangement, which had so much more power and vibe compared to nearly every other port. Only the PC Engine CD port was also very impressive (like you said), but in another way.
The C64 soundtrack was of course by Chris Hülsbeck and Ramiro Vaca. I played the new title theme hundred of times back and forth - like the Amiga version, also composed by Chris. And as brillant that version is: I always wonder what he could have done, if he had arranged the whole 16-bit soundtrack. Considering his astonishing career on the Amiga (Turrican, Apidya, Masterblazer, X-Out, etc.), it could have been the best rendition of the R-Type music ever made.
As a c64 owner, I was very impressed by the Speccy version. Altho the c64 version looked great and sounded fantastic, some mechanics were sacrificed which the Speccy version actually did include! Before watching your vid, I would've said that the ps1 version was best, so we agree 👍
You’re doing the Lord’s work here. It needed to be done, and you’ve done it! A ranking of my favourite arcade schmup. I may try them all!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Definitely my fav shoot em up of all time have you played R.type final on PS2 or R.type final 2 or PS4 if not give they a try if you can 👍🏼
@ Cool, will check it out! I have pretty much played it on everything but not R-type final on PlayStation hardware (real or emulated)! Have you heard of Pico-8? There is a brilliantly done R-type clone on that “system” as well… If you want to get really obscure! :-)
The Master System version was programmed by Compile (one of the best shooter teams to ever exist, later Raizing) and they even made a complete hidden stage. It also has FM music if you have a Japanese Master System or an emulator that supports FM. (or FPGA device) Definitely an impressive port!
There's also an interesting back story to the C64 version and Katakis (Factor 5 / Rainbow Arts).
The vertical panning in some versions is perhaps the biggest turnoff for me. It's too difficult and disorienting if you can't see all the screen at once.
Yeah, I get what you mean.
Amiga version was a beauty.
100%
75%
I'd put the Amiga version higher than the pc engine simply because the pc engine version scrolls vertically to accomodate the whole stage, which, playability-wise, is not like the arcade...
The Amiga version has by far the best music. That intro is tremendous!
Agreed 😀
You should check the remake version of R-Type on the Amstrad CPC made by Easter Egg team
This is unbelievable what they achieved with love and passion !
Yup. It's awesome. But obviously couldn't add it here.
Nice video! I would probably have ranked the ST above the Spectrum and C64, but not much higher
R-Type Dimensions is superb as well. It's great having the ability to morph between original and enhanced graphics modes in real time.
Yup. I agree. Great game.
i will pick the Amiga version on my amiga 1200 each day Thanks for the video Jamie😀
Hey, no worries. I tried doing it fairly and can't show any bias lol
My eyes and ears were in awe of this in the small lil' arcade in 1989/90. I bought it on budget cassette for the C64, bolted up to my house with it....and it would'nt load!!
The guy in the shop took it back to his c64 to try it,and it wouldnt load on his either. So, I never got to actually see it onthe c64 till online yeeers later.😂
But, the passing times and ages later didnt alter or falter how I felt when I heard that title screen music finally. Chris Huselbeck crafted a stone cold stunner that, upon hearing it, transported me back to my Eleventh year on Earth, as though the game had Loaded all along and I was hearing that tune again for the first time in ages. It just "felt" that good, familiar.
The game itself, well again it is the bastard hard difficulty that, makes it less enjoyable to play ,with the onscreen action lasting mere seconds sometimes.😂 I think too, the levels were multi-loaded, so dying on level 2, saw you rewind the tape allll the way back to load level 1 again to play.
But, R-Type overall is one of those games that really reminds me of exciting times in childhood ,scored by the superb soundtrack. I had "RTypes" onthe PS1, and yes that is fantastic.👍👍
Back in the day I had a Sega master system and an Amiga A500 (batman pack) I had to master system version and loved that port of the game.
Yes had sprite flicker & a little slow down when screen got packed, yet it was so playable and I thought the soundtrack throughout the game was one of the best music scores on the mighty master system.
When it comes to the spectrum, i think for so long programmers were terrified of having colour clash in their games, so they stuck religiously to monochrome - by the time of the R-type conversion though, they were starting to find ways of getting more colours in to games without it looking a mess.
PC Engine on 2 Hucarts, was the 1st arcade perfect home version. Though it did have vertical scrolling due to the resolution.
For the Atari ST version, a couple of questions. Is it just for the ST, or was there also an STE version? If there was a version with STE improvements, it should be able to look ALMOST as good as the Amiga give or take a little. Also, what did you use to play it on for the video? Software emulator, original hardware, or FPGA? My recommendation would be to check it out on a MiSTer as that's going to be the closest to original hardware, and see if any of the options make it play a bit more smoothly. Otherwise, it's probably just one of the typical ST ports that didn't get as much attention as the Amiga version. Occasionally some devs would pull off some impressive things on the ST or STE, but I think generally, there wasn't much care taken in the ports.
I have the Atari ST version and it's still one of my favourite games ever and a big part of why I got into gaming in the first place. I had the PC Engine version on the Wii Virtual Console but was disappointed as it didn't have the epic intro with the thunder on the logo and the music that has always stayed with me that the Atari ST version has. Does any other version have this?
If I recall the x68000 was similar in capabilities to arcade hardware which is why it has so many high quality ports. I imagine it was a very premium device back in the day.
It was used as the development kit in a lot of Capcom games.
Easily in my top 5 arcades of all time. I was absolutely blown away by the Commodore Amiga version back in the day, as it felt arcade perfect, even though in hindsight it's not quite there. The great thing about the PS1 version is that it came on a compilation called "R-Types" containing the original and the sequel on one disc, which was brilliant value for money.
That's the version in this video.
Such a great game to choose to rank. Some absolutely amazing conversions - that PC Engine version is absolutely stellar. My only quibble: I don't know that I'd rank the MSX version above the Spectrum version just because of the MSX's janky scrolling, which I find a bit distracting. Still, given both machines limitations, they both did get pretty awesome ports, and I sort of felt like once you got into the top 8 it was getting a bit tricky to separate them: I'd be pretty happy playing any of them if push came to shove. It's pretty incredible when you think that, in the late 80s, a good arcade conversion onto the micros was far from a given and yet, here we are, and the only real turd is the Amstrad version. As you say, if they'd put in more effort that machine would have been more than capable of running a much better version of the game - a real missed opportunity given its vibrant colour palette.
(Similarly, I'd also recommend the later R-Type games. R-Type Final for the PS2 is a real standout: just an absolutely beautiful shooter with tons of replayability. I don't know if this series has ever had a miss to be honest.)
I'd have ranked the ST and Speccie higher. I had the ST version and absolutely loved it. The Spectrum one is amazing considering the machine's capability. The C64 dropping the rotating blobs halfway through stage one is a total cop out. I also had R-Types for PS1, and that's basically arcade perfect, so no arguments with that getting first place. I did like the mentions of some versions being overly hard. The original arcade game is infamous for being rock hard. Stage four with those green blob laying ships was an absolute nightmare! As were the maze stages. One of my favourite arcade games though.The MSX version looked janky as hell!
the master system version had a secret stage that only that version had and the pc engine version had to be split into 2 r type 1 and 2 but 2 was the other 4 levels not the sequel due to the limitations of the console but that's why it's such a good port
Hey, thanks for letting me know. Wasn't aware of this.
anytime .the game boy colour is my favourite version its such a bargain you get a good port of r type 1 and the sequel thrown in for good measure and it has a mono mode so it can be played on the original game boy as well I still play it on my gba to this day 🙂
@neothedog5769 awesome 👌
oh and 1 more thing about the pc engine version it's very hard with lots of extra big robots and stuff because they had to make it hard so it would last longer as like I said you only get the 1st 4 levels in what would become to be known as r type 1 you had to buy 2 if you wanted to play the whole game but considering how near except for the difficulty it is to been arcade perfect I would say the pay off is worth it 🙂
In the US it was released complete on one cartridge.
Nice video. Though you will. Red to redo it when the homebrew version for the Mega Drive is finished. The demo is already excellent and would place it near the top of the list.
Sounds awesome.
Yea I’ve played the demo it’s top notch smooth as heck and very classic
Can't beat the music on the ST. It even has its own unique menu tune.
It's certainly a banger.
The original Game Boy version still rocks! It ran well despite some issues, solid port nonetheless
The MSX is a bit weird, it's not slow or laggy but the camera didn't have the panning like most of these
MSX had no hardware scrolling capacity
@@danmoney9932 yeah that's unfortunate
Sega master system did an incredible job at porting this arcade classic.
100%
ZX Spectrum is one of the best, it preserved a large amount of original content and the graphics are big, like they should be.
There's also an FM version of the Master System port, although the PSG music is excellent. Master System also has a secret bonus level accessed on level 4, with fantastic background music.
The PC Engine port here is the CD port. There's also the original port which has faithful chip tube renditions of the arcade soundtrack. I prefer the original PCE port as I'm not a big fan of the CD soundtrack.
I first saw this on my brothers Atari ST, not even the Arcade.. Then later when i got my Amiga i was happy to see it was better on the Amiga :D
Sometime after that i played it in the Arcade and yeah, its great. Only saw it on the Spectrum years later, but as an aficionado, i can take a conversion based on how well the machine represents itself, and really, the spectrum had no business being so good!
Absolutely agreed. The Speccy could pull off some miracles.
I would rank the GB version just behind the GBC. The gameplay is incredibly responsive, the audio is fantastic, and, aside from the occasional drop, the frame rate is solid. As for the PCE/TG16 version, I’d bump it up a spot. Such a great port, and my first R-type at home.
You got it just right for me !!
Good video Jamie. Yeah spot on with these rankings I would say.
Thank you Sir 😀
Wow! Good honest review. Amiga vision for me. I had it on Amstrad CPC 464 back in the day and I didn't play it much, because my friend had it on the Amiga! I was so jealous at the time.
Like I say. The CPC version just seemed like a lazy Speccy port. Shame really.
@@JustJamie1983 There is a better homebrew version from 2012.
I owned the Amstrad version back in the day, I enjoyed it back then because I didn’t know any better but it was a terrible Speccy port. Apparently it was ported in just 2 weeks. Anyhow there is another Amstrad version which is miles better. Made in 2012 featuring colour graphics and music and even some cut scenes which goes to show you how capable the cpc was in the right hands
Yup. I have been told about the remake since. I am going to give a go.
The c64 version sounds great! I loved the Amiga one when it came out, its one of the best arcade ports for the A500
Yup. Agreed 👍
First Version I played was on the Master System II, later on the Amiga and PS 1.
Master System really did pull this off pretty well.
In the UK, I played the Amiga version (back in the day). It was a good port of the arcade (the sprites were 'thinner / slimmer' in size, than the arcade version). The Amiga version had great music and sound effects too.
However, if i remember correctly, it seemed like the PC Engine version was thought to be the best port (back in the day). Apparently it 'felt' (gameplay) a little more like the arcade version
Interesting!
As you mentioned the special music of the Turbografx CD version, don’t forget the awesome intro music of the Amiga version by Chris Huelsbeck.
Thank you
personally, I'd rank the speccy version higher than c64 and especially the MSX version, but it's a nice list nonetheless :)
Hey, thanks 😊
Thankfully just your opinion… the c64 was great
Ha ha, fair play the speccy version was decent 👍
Can't agree with you there. The C64 version features super-smooth scrolling and sprite movement. The Spectrum version - though impressive in some respects, is way too jerky to be playable.
Pointless as the PCEngine was the clear winner 😂
Wish they still made 2d shmups like this. Another I’d recommend is In the Hunt by Irem. Found that one when I was in the army while training at Ft Sam Houston. Its style is similar to metal slug but you fight in a submarine that can shoot above and below water. You can get it still on the Sony store, not sure about other consoles. Anything by Cave is an easy recommendation.
Played the hell out of the PC engine version of R-TYPE back in the day when I couldn’t play it in an arcade. I have the retro collection with 1 & 2 on every console we have in the family.
Surprisingly their still are modern 2d shooters on a range of old platforms and even for windows.
@ I’ll have to see what’s out there then thanks for the heads up.
Good video, thank you. The cpc version does indeed deserve last place. But have you seen the modern remake for the cpc 128k by Easter egg? I strongly recommend an ebook by Bob Pape called “it’s behind you”. It’s about the speccy port of rtype and explains why the cpc version was so bad. Worth a read.
Thank you 😀
Great video but did you see the CPC remake of it in full colour with music
Hey Patrick, yes. But of course I had to stick with the originals.
@JustJamie1983 agreed but just wondered.
@PatrickJFurlong-c6z yup. I follow the micro scene pretty closely.
@@JustJamie1983 but some do creep under the radar
Good list, but did you rank the PC Engine/Turbografx chip version? Either I missed it or I only noticed the CD version of the game on the list. R-Type is just a very cool franchise; it's a lot of fun until the difficulty cranks up and goes well past my skill and/or patience level. My first knowledge of it was seeing the Sega Master System version on the cover of an old Sega Challenge magazine (around 1988-1989) that I received for free in the mail back then. It was Sega's version of the Nintendo Fun Club magazine but on a smaller scale. The Master System version was developed by Compile and featured an extra exclusive level, two things that I didn't know until much later on. A couple of other aftermarket versions; of course the Mega R-Type in development for Mega Drive which I am sure that you are aware of and looks amazing, and also there was a Supergrafx homebrew up-conversion that was attempted but only finished through three or four levels before the project was shelved; this made the game full-screen and removed or greatly reduced the flicker. I'd love to see somebody pick that one up and finish it, but for me personally I generally can't get more than half-way through the game anyways.
On another topic, are you going to keep going with the Amiga recommended A-Z series? I've been finding that rather helpful.
Hey there, i will be continuing the Amiga series at some point.
I had this one on the ZX Spectrum but unfortunately could never get it to load past the main screen.
Ah damn. Cassettes were a pain at times.
C64 is Top 5, perhaps Top 3 🤷🏻♂️
Good video
Thank you 😊
I grew up with the Master System version. Fantastic work by Compile on all fronts with that port. Hell, they even added an extra hidden level and boss not in the original arcade game.
Like I say. I was very impressed with this version for sure
@@JustJamie1983 Play it with the FM sound chip enabled and its even better
ua-cam.com/video/Mjb5N_0fXjQ/v-deo.html
Thanks Jamie.
My pleasure!
I think my fave version is SMS and PC Engine! They are actually making an Atari 7800 version!!!
Ah cool, ill look into the 7800 version for sure, thanks
@@JustJamie1983 Of course! Keep up the great work!
@ThePbrook1967 thank you
The zx spectrum version was very addictive...it played very responsively in its sputter ,it's not o fast...or too slow....only bad thing about the version is you have to load each level 1 at a time and if you are defeated you must load the 1st level....each of the levels were about 35kb and it still needed more than 128kb....is the c64 version multiloading levels.......I reckon so ,it's a big game
It was a multi loader. I was using a CRT image for this though.
@JustJamie1983 the c64 version looks quite decent .......another sparkling 8 bit version is the Sega mastersystem it's slightly better version than the c64s....you never know.... some nerd might convert it to the vic 20 or atari 2600.a petscii version would not at all suprise me.everything gets done in petscii.....petscii mario,petscii kong ,petscii invaders,petscii chess......1 brilliant 2600 conversion firebirds thrust......very playable
@@Mr.1.i Yeah, I love(d) R-type on the speccy. First version I played. I played it again recently on my ZX Spectrum Next and it’s still excellent for that platform - I had forgotten about the tedious loading though - although one can get around that these days on “new” hardware.
Just starting the vid. Best port I've tried was PCE. Shout out to the MS version, though, really great for an 8-bit
Will be interesting to see how they rank here...
Hey, what did you think?
Was pleased to see them both highly ranked. I really do like the PCE one.
I'll have to check out the PS version as I've never played that.
I do mean to try the Speccy too as I've heard a lot of good things. I was a C64 kid, but never got on with that one - I think it's just too hard!
@awatson3367 to be fair. They are all kinda even in difficulty. The C64 version is extremely difficult though.
Any chance you could do an Outrun video along the lines of this, at some point?
I'll take a look into it.
Outrun will cause Jamie eye cancer. Besides the Saturn version (and anything after that) all 8bit and 16bit versions suck the big one. Funny how the pc engine beat sega in its own game btw as it had a better (still crappy though) version than the megadrive...
Make sure to check out tonights video at 8pm :)
@@jimkrom sorry, who are you?
@@jimkrom A perfect reason to decide the best version.
My pc engine rtype doesn't have the different music, is it maybe the cd version ?
It is the CD version as I said in the video.
@@JustJamie1983 That's awesome, I never knew this existed!
No probs 👌
Tbf most r type ports were decent, even the one on the speccy was pure class, it was good on the snes 👍
I totally agree 😀
yes, I'm an ST fan, but judging by the speed of play and music, you were playing that in ntsc.. somehow.
Either way, good shout for the speccy version being above that; an absolute gem of a conversion but not sure the msx version was better (or was that an msx2 version?). A good ranking list anyway and thanks for making the video!
The Speccy was impressive it must be said.
I have the Sega Master System Game I love it
Wasn't a bad port at all 😀
MSX scrolling is brutal.
Footage shows Spectrum version chugging along at 3 fps. Voice-over: "It's so smooth!"
For a Speccy game, it's brilliant. Pretty sure I said "smooth" regarding sprites.
@@JustJamie1983 Pretty sure that was unclear. Also, the Game Boy version should be above it.
@JopieHaargel thanks for your feedback.
The PC engine CD version should be 1# Yes just beacause of the music , And the chessy FMV
Thanks for your feedback.
I can't really speak to any of the computer versions (with the exception of emulating the X68000 version), but when it comes to the console ports, I would personally place the Master System version above the PC Engine/Turbografx-16 port. The TG version smokes the Master System when it comes to the graphics and sounds, but those almost arcade perfect graphics come at a severe cost. Since the arcade original has a higher screen resolution than the Turbo, they kind of had to "zoom in" on the screen with the Turbo version to keep the graphics pixel accurate, and this results in the screen having to scroll vertically, as the entire vertical playfield no longer fits properly on the screen. This absolutely ruins the gameplay for me, as the game is designed to have everything visible. With The TG version, a lot of enemies like turrets on the floor/ceiling in level 1, the crawling creatures in level 2, and all of the other ships entering from the top or bottom of the screen are no longer visible 100% of the time, and to me that is not R-Type.
For me the top versions of R-Type are GameBoy, GBC, Spectrum, Master System, and the
PC-Engine if you want to be in the Arcade..
You forgot to mention the Xbox 360/PS3 version. That one includes the option to switch between the remastered HD graphics and oldskool graphics on the fly!
I had to cut off at some point and those games aren't retro as such.
That ST version, as others have said, is running way too fast, and must be running at 60hz rather than the intended 50hz judging by the music speed. Though it has its problems, your right that the sprites are too big (looks like what happens when the Amiga's larger screen gets converted down to the ST's lower resolution without alterations), and the less said about the jerking second level massive ship the better, but it is definitely a lot better than quite a few of the games on this list when run at the right speed. People rave about that Master System version but I presume they are playing it at 60hz, because the PAL 50hz version I have is a flickery slow mess with really floaty controls on real hardware. I literally thought the game was faulty when I played it because it was nothing like the videos I'd seen of it beforehand.
Hey, thanks for your feedback.
I'm far from a Nintendo fanboy, but I can't see how the Spectrum and MSX versions are better than the Original Game Boy!
Especially the MSX. It looks a mess.
*Subjective
Aside from R-Type Dimensions EX, it's no surprise to say the PlayStation port was the best effort.
Exactly.
Hardly surprising with the technological jump. A Saturn version would have trumped them all.
It is the arcade version as far as I can tell.
I think the sms boss looks the most badass just my opinion
Haha
R type was a 123 abc for the playstaion
Great video. I had the Amiga version back in the day - and it played really smoothly. You don't seem to take frame rate/smoothness into account in this video. For me, smooth scrolling and sprite movement is the most basic requirement in a shoot 'em up. Some of the ports featured here have very jerky scrolling and/or sprite movement yet feature quite highly on your list. For me, the jerkiness disqualifies them immediately. Those games are horrible to look at and I would not have played them at all in the 1980s.
Ah sorry about that, not sure why I didn't mention this.
@@JustJamie1983 Hey, no problem. I'm just nit-picky. It's YOUR video - you do what you want with it! Thanks for making it: very entertaining!
@Midwinter2 haha, no worries at all. Thanks for watching 👀
PC Engine CD - R Type Complete, by a longshot.
100%
Although you must have played on an emulator, because there's a ton a sprite flicker on OG hardware!
The ST version has banging audio - Wally Beben's version of the stages themes are top notch. While I enjoyed it the ST verison plays nothing like the arcade, the Amiga version has weak BGM but great sound effects and plays like the coin op. The PC Engine version is sublime - i can't put my finger on it but it seems better balanced than the arcade in terms of gameplay and difficulty. The X68000 version is horrible to play despite looking and sounding like the source material. The PS1 version is probably the best overall in terms of fidelity.
you need to get your hands on the c64 demo of r-type. It is WAY better than what was released. It was jsut a reskin of a rainbow arts game and is not that grat a conversion. there is now a fan made 128k R-type for the amstrad and that is amazing.
Yup. Played the demo and it's very good.
Amiga GFX + C64 music combo would have been ideal, i know many like it but im not a fan of the music the amiga version uses.
OG GB shoulda been way higher especially considering it's the same dang game as the GBC version. nice list tho!
Thanks for watching 👀
The MSX version has improved sound if you have an FM sound chip. On an MSX 1 you need the game in cartridge slot 1 and an FM-Pac cartridge in slot 2. Later MSX 2+ computers mostly had FM sound built in but this game needs to be patched to find it
Hey, thanks for the info 😀
The best port of R-Type was Katakis/Denarius on the C64...
Yup. Very good stuff.
Title music on Atari ST version ❤
Yup. It's not bad 😀
@@JustJamie1983music of level 7 👍
Hi, you might like to try the amstrad 128k remake 😊
Hey, thanks, will check it out.
It does not count, but there's a Megadrive version in development. It was a shame we never got arcade ports of popular 80's games on the system, like R-type. Instead we got were botched ports of Toki and New Zealandstory that disappointed fans of the originals.
Yup. The Mega Drive port has been in development for some time now. Is it still active?
@@JustJamie1983it's almost done! I plan to update the demo to show the current state and how much closer to arcade it is now.
There was a remake Amstrad Version of R-Type release recently. Which was a better effort than the original official release at least visually. Dunno what the playability was like, the video seem to show a rather fast play experience. :)
ua-cam.com/video/1Ghpgpjd3hk/v-deo.htmlsi=RZ5fYdG5SCVpeVwt
Thanks
I would put the excellent ZX Spectrum version above the MSX and C64 ports.
The MSX version's scrolling is irritatingly jerky. I don't know whether this is reflects hardware limitations.
The C64 version shines only in the sound department. It is incomplete in several places and could have been a bit better if...
well, if greedy publishers had given the developers more time.
The end credits reveal those poor coders only had 6 weeks to rush out the C64 version.😮
Did you read Bob Pape's account of the development of R-Type on the ZX Spectrum?
It can be downloaded for free.
It's interesting how some publishers tried to rip off those genius coders back in the day.
Where's the Atari Lynx version? It plays in Tate orientation and is IMO better than the Game Boy Color version.
That's an unlicensed game and wasn't released officially.
@@JustJamie1983 You're right, I got Raiden mixed up with R-Type
Your using emulation and listening to the music on the ST the games running way too fast. One of you issues with the ST version.
This version was via FPGA.
@@JustJamie1983if your using a mister it should be bang on.
I played this in the Arcade and had an Amstrad and when I heard that Activision had the rights to this game I was pissed off because I knew it would just be a crappy speccy port.
Haha
The PS3 version is better than any of these. It's arcade perfect and also has a version with updated graphics. Best thing is you can switch between them on the fly.
Yup. Not a bad version at all.
Just looked it up - it's called rtype dimensions. Seems to also be on PS4 and switch.
@acciid yup. I bought it when it released on PS3.
Pc engine cd port is the best
It is a fabulous version.
But did you know the pc engine cd have extra boss from r type complete cd
I had a c64 and an amiga
I preferred the c64 version
Agreed 😀
Going out on a limb... Fellow Bristolian?
Used to be. I am now a Farmer sounding Yorkshire man.
some of the console ports is totally unbalanced, unfair..... Im played last year PC Engine, and yep, im diddent like it. You cant see the full play area, change the whole and caused it much harder than its should been.Stage 6 (if im remember) was unfair. Im did do have the C64 original which got rushed out to market, but still plays well. Anyway tryout the homebrew Amstrad version. its much better than the original released. Best music goes to Amiga, the title screen tune is great.
Many thanks for your feedback. The modern CPC version is great too.
You sound like Gareth Keenan
Cheers. I am actually an impersonator too.
Sprite flicker? On the Spectrum? No such thing! The Spectrum doesn't have sprites.
You know what i mean.
@@JustJamie1983 I don't. Do you mean they are jerky due to the character space movement?
Please get a pop filter for your mike
It's on my Amazon Wishlist.