PLEASE, I made the TAS of both the Genesis (with Jimmie1717) and of the SNES version. I have quite a bit of knowlege of this game. I would love to see a Director's cut of this game.
Director's Cut definetely should happen. The only thing I want to suggest is to expand the time limit in "Really Inside the Claw Machine" stage required to get 50 stars. It's nearly impossible to accomplish in the game.
Indeed. It is the only level outside bosses where I have NEVER managed to get 50 stars. And I have played the game since the 90's, beaten it on Sheriff multiple times - but still can't do it.
Absolutely!!! I'd also love for you to do a video on how you made the FPS segment of Toy Story so smooth, especially when other FPS segments on the SNES/Mega Drive were so incredibly jerky. like Corporation, Jurassic Park Etc.
That's a good question. While it's only wolfenstein style 3d, even that is pretty demanding on a 16 bit processor. Not to mention that both the Mega Drive and the SNES have issues around DMA time limitations that make it difficult to transfer lots of data to the graphics chip on a regular basis when doing any kind of graphics on the CPU. (take for instance Starfox on the SNES. In spite of having a secondary processor, it runs quite slowly, but it's worth remembering that regardless of anything else it's coded to update on 3's. - which is to say it takes so long to do a DMA transfer that you only transfer one frame's worth every 3 frames. Thus on an NTSC system the framerate is hard-capped at 20 fps no matter what, and on PAL it'd be capped at 16.66 fps - though you should be able to do better than one frame in 3 on a PAL system really. - point is regardless of what kind of external hardware you throw at the problem, you're still going to run into that DMA problem.) I do wonder how something like that was written efficiently, because that really is no simple task.
There is a pretty great mod for the PC version of the game, it doesn't effect the handling if I recall but it makes it better than the saturn version and in true widescreen.
Just wanted to drop in and let you know that I ADORE the precedent you're setting to other video game company owners of continuing to support and be active with the games we loved as kids. Although I was always a fan of TT games when I was young, my love and respect for your company and work has skyrocketed since I found your channel months ago. On a side note, I'd really love to see you put together a series on how you would go about optimising games being made in modern engines like Unity and Unreal, if you happen to have knowledge in that. As a game developer myself, I'd really appreciate some advice from someone who would know much more about the intricacies of communicating with hardware effectively from someone that had to learn all that out of necessity. Do you think that could be a possibility some time?
My main complaint with the Toy Story 1 games was that Buzz didn't say "You don't want to be in the way when my laser goes off" enough. I think he only said it like a dozen times in that one boss fight. I'd like to hear him say that line every single time he appears or is even vaguely referred to. Thanks!
Jon, first of all, the fact that we have the ability to write comments to the man who coded this game from childhood borders on incredible! I can't believe we're discussing Toy Story for the Genesis, the game just feels so personal to me. Between the ages of 7-8-9, I mastered the whole thing, including the car level and the one with the claw. I loved this game. I played on the US version without a password system. To get back on topic, I just don't see the need for a Director's cut. Mostly because I didn't have that much trouble with the game's more frustrating levels. I found it enjoyable and come back to it every few years. I'm enjoying your Sonic 3D cut, but personally, I don't need a DC for Toy Story.
I agree...all of the fixes pointed in the video to the complains are to make the game easier, not to fix some broken thing of the game (except maybe the car crash knockback). I used to play this game all the time in my childhood and nothing to me was frustrating: it was a matter of getting good at it, while sonic 3d never catch my attention because of the maneuvering and what not.
Yes please! Resetting your hit points between levels alone would be a godsend. Easily the most unfair thing about the game, as it gives you very little room for error.
Hi, Jon! A friend of mine and I played the game yesterday just to see if there was anything else that might be improved. These are our five suggestions regarding gameplay: *1.* Increasing the frequency or rhythm of Woody’s attacks while crouching: The amount of attacks per second you can perform while crouching is noticeably lower than the one you can perform while standing. In addition, there is a considerable delay between your hitting the button and the execution of the attack. As a result, it is common to get hit by spiders when trying to halt them with the pull-string, as you have to crouch to hit them. *2.* Adding the ability to jump down through platforms: As far as I could see, this is not possible. Sometimes it could come in handy to avoid enemy attacks or just to go down from a series of platforms. *3.* Allowing the player to look up or down while holding down the corresponding D-pad button: There are some instances where you have to make a leap of faith, and you end up landing on an enemy or an inconvenient place. I like the way this camera movement has been implemented, for example, in Sonic games. *4.* Making the camera show both Woody and Buzz during the Buzz Battle level: Since the camera moves towards the place Woody is looking at, you cannot always keep track of Buzz’s position. While you run from Buzz to avoid him or to hit the tire, he is sometimes totally or partially off-screen. It might be nice to know where Buzz is at all times. *5.* Making it less tricky to capture Buzz with the tire in the Buzz Battle level: Maybe this is just me, but I cannot find a perfect and reliable way to capture him. Sometimes I think I have done it right, but then I see him running free as a cosmic bird. *Thanks* for all your work, *thanks* for giving us Sonic 3D Blast: Director's Cut, and *thanks* for your passion! We appreciate it a lot.
Really good reasons I Kinda Hate when you play the level buzz battle because to me it’s very Difficult to do. When I played this level I was on one star and I had to get buzz on the tire one more time and I died. Some of the levels are so hard to do, but if a person in the 90’s played this game or any person who played the game I would say that person had a good childhood, and I think many that played the game. they probably had a good childhood. The game is really good 10/10
I'd love to see a Director's Cut of this game, it's one of my favorites. maybe in the "Shooting Stars" Bonus Game, since the idea of starting the next level with reset hit points instead of having the previous level's hit points has been introduced, the bonus game would award you with extra lives instead of hit points
Password - YES Level Select Similar to Sonic 3D DX - YES An Easy Mode - Would be cool! A Sound Test to listen to your favorite tunes - YES! Maybe a palette change to brighten up the graphics - If Possible
Loving your channel man, interesting how all of the games you mention in your channel and that you worked on, defined my childhood! Those are some interesting tweaks you mentioned, seems like it would be just tweaking parameters too, so it wouldn't be a huge amount of work, I'm assuming. One thing that I would love to do, is to "zoom out" the camera a little bit on the RC Car level, either that, or move the car back a little bit, so you can see the track ahead of you a little better, so you can react in time, maybe that alone would make the level easier and better to play
Jon, I think you can create a community poll, separately from this video and we can vote and comment why we chose that option. Maybe you can look into it. It's a feature within UA-cam.
I'd say go for it my man! I love these DX versions of games you've made/had ideas for, plus I really like how you're reviving your old games with new updates, that's true dedication.
The level I had the most trouble with as a kid was the first-person section inside the claw machine. I got lost really easily and always ran out of time. I didn’t have a great sense of direction when I was younger, and the fact that you didn’t talk about that part reaffirms this 😅
The 3d claw machine could be more forgiving for players trying to get all the stars, cause theres barely enough time to get them. Aldo, the stars in Nightmare Buzz Disappear way too fast. If those stars could stay on screen for just another two or 3 seconds, the player would have a better chance to get them all if they desired a completionist run. All the other levels stars seem to be more accessible; it's just those two that are a little unforgiving in that regard. A tweak in the stars in Nightmare Buzz and a more forgiving timer in the 3d stage to make getting the stars genuinely possible. I mean I did it with about 105 seconds left on the clock but it only gave me about 37 stars. I cant figure out how much time should be left to get 50.
I played the heck out of this game when I was 9 years old. Yes the rc car level was hard and a bad turn could ruin a play through. But it wasn't impossible! THE FEELING OF CONQUERING that level and being able to help my little brother get through it so he could play the later levels is an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. I remember my friends and I memorizing the speed of the fans inside the soda machine. This game was perfect. I know how it is to want to improve upon your art and never feeling like your work is finished. I truly loved the game you shipped. But just because something is difficult or obscure doesn't mean it could be improved upon. I loved every moment I had with this game.
Toy story on genesis was probably my favorite game as a kid, I distinctly remember it kicking my add and being super frustrating, but also very satisfying when you got further
I would absolutely love to try a directors cut version! One thing I had a massive amount of trouble with was the level in Sid's house, where you had to climb up higher and higher by catching the pull string on hooks attached to chains. That part had sections where I was stuck for 20+ minutes on a single area because of the absolutely precise timing required when throwing the pull string to go from one hook to the next. Nothing in the game was as frustrating as that, especially because there didn't seem to be any correct way to so it. It just seemed like pure chance whether your string would catch the hook or not. I had a harder time with that than with any of the things you mentioned, and I've completed the game a couple times. So that's the one thing I'd love to see changed
First of all, it's amazing to listen to a game design review about one of my childhood games, from the point of one of its developers! I agree with you on the those being the hardest levels of this game. Here goes my opinion on them. I would put the claw boss fight first: As a kid, I had a really hard time understanding that you had to hit the aliens twice, and that the second hit had to be in mid-air for them to hit the claw. Also that rotating thing in there made things much harder, and it's not obvious how to avoid it from hitting you. The second hardest level for me was the dog chase, and I agree with everything you mentioned. In my personal third place of difficult, and a level that you don't mention, was the level before the dog chase: when you are at Sid's place with all the monstrous toys. I know it's just a platformer level, but I found it particularly hard. I agree the RC card levels could use some tweaks, specially on the battery duration and the handling. Same goes with the flashing of the enemies: It's not obvious when the enemy planes will not hit you. Thanks a lot for the video! I will definitely play it if you make a DC version of this game.
I loved this game growing up but like I suspect is the same for many others, never beat it, mainly due to EVERY ISSUE you pointed out in this video. I recently played it again for the first time in years with my daughter and she also loved it. I also found at the age of 32 that the game wasn't almost unbeatable because I was a kid, it REALLY IS just hard as balls! I really love everything that you sat on the table here. RC levels should indeed be first priority and the health reset would also reduce the difficulty to a more fair level. If possible I feel like while the PW system would be nice, what would be even better would be a more frequent distribution of continues as I feel that it could have been beaten through shear force of will if the lack of continues didn't prevent it. As always I love your channel and everything you do here!
I'd love to see this happen. Having the actual creator of a classic game go ahead and do something like this is incredible! While I didn't play this game as a kid, I DID play A Bug's Life, so I'd love a video about that too.
As a very little kid, the RC Car always ended my run. For my big brother it was Sid's Workbench. When you lose control of Woody because his forehead is burned. always ran out of hitpoints in that section. Never had a problem with Rex's level. I think some jumps are unforgiving in the claw machine level. Password system would have been a godsend as a kid.
Would it be possible to implement some of the changes from the SNES version? The title screen, for instance, fits Woody's personality a lot better in that port (I always thought it strange that he was grinning in the Genesis version.) The ending text also has a variety of colors in the SNES port, while the Genesis version is a flat white.
SomeLinedPaper I think Disney may have had to do with the title screen change, they seem to keep changing Woody's face from the artworks whenever they notice that he's not smiling.
TheRealPatete ^I think that’s the reason. The VHS cover is almost the same as one of the theatrical posters rendered by Pixar, except the VHS cover has Woody smiling instead of frowning. I’m guessing the marketing team wanted Woody to appear more appealing to the consumer, so they might’ve had Pixar render a different expression for Woody
I haven't played that game, however I've been making games too, and currently making a racing game, I can tell the scale is certainly a big issue in the racing part, as you said, it would be easier to see more ahead. As for the timing for the platform section around 5:00, I know it can be tricky to manually fine-tune those parameters, that's why my approach is to make the A.I. play the games with human reactions (create different AI profiles), make it play the level 10,000 times and collect statistics, see where it struggles the most, and optimize those sections. It sounds overly complex but I think it's saving a lot of time! Note: I'm liking all the ideas that you mentioned in the video, just wanted to add my own point of view too.
Dude, I have to say I just knew you'd start with that driving level. When I was a child, that level was always the 'brick wall' I'd face playing through the game that I couldn't get through. That said, I practiced and practiced and practiced and you know what? One day I beat it and I don't think I had ever felt such achievement from a game before that.
I would love this! Toy Story was one of my favorite games as a kid, but my playthroughs typically ended at Buzz Clip or The Claw. Even replaying it as an adult, I still struggle a lot with The Claw.
YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES!!! I DIDNT EVEN WATCH THE VIDEO YET BUT MY CHILDHOOD IS SCREAMING! MAKE THIS PLEASE! YOU'RE AMAZING AND YOU DO AMAZING THINGS!
The Claw boss caused me so much stress as a kid. Without the password system, I doubt I would have beaten this game in one sitting. I think it's really cool you're revisiting these old games, just from the point of view we have an insight into retro game development.
Incredible Video!!! i really like the game as a child when I replayed it recently I was stunned of how much variety it had for each stage. As for the fix, the password screen, replenished HP at the start of a level and a more obvious feedback on stunned enemy would be my pick. The car level are great when you get the handling, it just need a more pulled back camera.
It's really fascinating to see a game developer have such a close and thoughtful relationship with their older work. If anything, I think the thing that makes the RC car levels frustrating is how easily one loses speed--it's tedious and unrewarding to get really good at them because they're fraught with error and bumping stuff slows you down a lot.
Not sure if you're still intending to do this or not. I don't think the difficulty needs to be messed with, but making the RC car not spin out as much would be nice (no other change). The crane boss battle tweak and flashing enemies when hit would also be great, as would any new additions such as a world map or level select if you add completion percentage.
Love this channel and even thinking about doing DX versions of these games is cool as others said. The one change I can think of is that kinda irritating part of the Buzz race where you have to jump to grab the rope but the shark keeps jumping from the bottom of the screen, that always stumped me as a kid.
I played the SNES version when I was younger, but I recently got my hands on the Genesis version. I would DEFINITELY love to see a director's cut of this game! Toy Story 1 is my favorite movie of all time, but the game itself has given me so much heartburn. In addition to the things you mentioned above, I'd also like to point attention to the grappling sections. I've had issues where some of the grapples don't register, would be nice if the grapple boxes were a bit bigger so those intense areas (like Sid's workshop) doesn't become a "make or die" situation. Also, in the Buzz Race level (with all the grapples and pits), it would be cool to actually race against Buzz, or something like that.
I have some damn fine memory's of the SNES version. I think when I got my neighbors Genesis thinking it was better, toy story was one of the games I rented realizing they are the same more or less
As someone who had the PC port and loved it (even if my computer could never properly run it) I'd love to see a Director's Cut of this. That first RC level always ate thru my lives and having better turning would make it feel so much better. I'd also love a sound test if possible, love the music from the Sid's Workbench stage. Dunno if it'd be possible to see anything from Toy Story 2's game be modded/hacked, but if it's possible, or ya have any coding secrets from that game, I'd love to see them. (huge nostalgia for that game)
Really nice you're intending on doing these fixes. Yeah! The RC levels were a pain, although I was able to finish the game back then. Curious about what can come out of this. If I were to complain about something were visuals. The non-use of some colors on right places, even they were present on screen, and the one that bugged me and anyone that cared to pay attention from the very first level: Why, the heck, all the dice letters, are showing the B?! I thinks it's a easy one to solve, unless it's due the way the background is built.
I have some good memories of that game. I didn't own it and sucked at it, but one time I had borrowed it from a neighbor and it glitched out where every time I died it passed to the next level. One of your debug exception redirects. Good to get an explanation why TT games did this lol.
Toy Story 2 directors cut would be insane. It was probably the game I played and enjoyed the most as a child. Perhaps even just a coding secrets/info about that specific game would be so amazing.
This and Sonic 3D are probably the most technically impressive 16 bit console games that don’t use enhancement chips (such as Super FX or Sega Virtua Processor) or hardware addons. Amazing that the Genesis alone is doing this. October 15, 2019 4:16 am
I think that would be a fantastic idea! I remember playing this game on both the SNES and Genesis when I was younger, and I even own a copy of the Genesis version. I think it would be great to have a fixed up version that irons out the kinks and makes certain segments of the game less of a headache!
I just found your channel and its so awesome that you're revealing all these cool things to us about some of my favorite childhood games, like Toy Story, Crash Twinsanity, and Lego Star Wars. Keep it up, I'm really enjoying your channel. Me personally, I never did beat Toy Story, I got all the way to Sids Room and then once I game over'd my kid self never had it in me to try again 😂 I loved the game though, and would love to see a director's cut!
Simply YES... DO IT!!! My Requests: -I agree you. Adding flashing enemies when they are hit will improve a bit the gameplay -Save system if possible. With levels map acessible when you finish the game -Region free version. 50 and 60hz More impossible request: -A more optimized sound driver like the XGM sound driver by stef so voices samples could sound a little better and up to 4 mixed PCM sounds at same time... OFF: -If possible, release a tool with the mod player created for this game alone so we could compile us favorite AMIGA mods and play in the Mega Drive/Genesis system. Keep it up and thanks for these amazing effort!
Hi Jon! God I love this game so much. It was one of the favorites of the kids here in Brazil. The graphics and soundtrack were perfect. In terms of frustration, the only level that seemed to be like hell to me was "The Claw". Buzz Clip I think that was a fair stage despite the bad controls of RC. And please, dont make Roller Bob easier. The intence music and action of this level is unique and really fun to play. In fact, you could make it longer haha. One thing that you could add is a "Star Counter". It would be much more easier to colect all the 50 stars. Thank you for this wonderfull game.
Who beat that hard level kids struggled with as a kid? This guy. *feelsgood* lol. I knew that thing was difficult. Thanks for making this game. I loved it as a windows 95 PC game when I was 6-7 year old.
Of course! I'd think that a good idea would be to maybe add a little more leeway for the secret hidden behind the bombardment of coins in "Inside the Claw Machine."
Please go back and do Director's Cuts for any of your genesis games, the fact that you are even willing to do them is so awesome. I love this game and would really love to see a spin on it.
I think the simplest fix for the claw level would be to simply have Buzz bounce a sprite-width to the left when he's dropped, maybe two if he's very close to the edge. It doesn't change the existing dynamics of how the level plays, but keeps the game from "cheating" the player when Buzz gets stuck in the corner. I never got too frustrated with the first RC level, but that last one... perhaps an effective fix would be to let the player counteract spinouts by turning the opposite way? If RC is spinning right, press left to counter and get control more quickly, that way the player is still docked for hitting an obstacle but they're able to mitigate how bad it is.
Ideally with the prototype map included and Amy running. Maybe if you get first place on the prototype map, you can unlock Shadow or something. Tina Turner should sing the theme song.
Tina Turner is an amazing singer. She sang the themesong for "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" and "Goldeneye". She performed "The Best", the best version of "Proud Mary", and "River Deep Mountain High".
I feel like it's impossible to say No when asked this question. I always think it's so cool to see one of the original creators of a game back to it after all this time and fix issues they wish they could've back when it released.
Absolutely!👍 If this is what you love doing and if it makes the people that follow you happy, this is totally a win - win situation. Looking forward to this project.
OMG YES PLEASE! I don’t even play games on PC so I wouldn’t be able to play it but I still think it totally deserves a Director’s Cut!! I loved that game as a kid, played the shit out of it both on SNES and on my cousin’s Genesis, and still feel fondly for it to this day! Super solid and fun platformer! But there are without a doubt some little inconveniences sprinkled throughout. All it would need is some good polishing, like the ideas you mentioned in the vid. Toy Story is absolutely a game that deserves it!
Thanks for giving a beautiful game for my childhood. For me, I'm able to enjoy and finish the game. It's the first game I knew having lots variety in the gameplay. I love the RC Car most, bumping buzz for the batt. I think I am very good at that gameplay. I wish the gameplay all about the RC Car. Love the graphics too. The only level that I hate is.. I forgot, but yes I have one level that I hate most.
This game is some gorgeous and the game play variety so diverse... it's just those little quirks you mentioned that keep it from being a more-beloved star on the console. I would pre-order a Mega Drive/Genesis cartridge Director's Cut right now.
Man that would be amazing. The RC level was so frustrating as a kid. I really wanted to play the heck out of the game, but then I'd remember how frustrating the game was and get discouraged.
When it'ss about reflexes in those levels, maybe you could add like a sign that something is coming, for example a quick sign letting you know the giant dog will appear. That sort of things is what they used to do in that kind of game. Also, maybe look at RC pro am as inspiration in how to fix the car levels?
I think the main issue with the driving sections is how bad some of the battery placement is and how you have to spin out to pick them up. Maybe for the buzz one, you make it so hitting buzz makes his battery fly into RC, but on the road chase section, make it so the batteries are in easier to pick up spots. I can see making the battery drain less as a good idea too, so when you miss one battery you can still keep going. The controls are also a little weird for RC, maybe make the drifting that RC can do a little more toned down. Also, with RC and Scud in the chase sections, you gotta add easier sounds to detect that they're coming, or at least some sort of warning arrow. Those two always got me good in the PC version.
In the top down RC level, the star bits are used pretty well to direct you, but some might be better re-positioned or with more lead. Your suggestion of reducing the penalty for hitting objects would also make it flow better.
For the driving parts I can't remember the layouts very well or how the car handled for me personally, but I feel from looking at the video that you could keep RC from over turning. Basically lock it to 90 degree turns on every press. and if you want to have it go just a little more than 90 degrees you'd have to press again to continue turning and if you wanted to do less than 90 you don't hold it down the entire time. I hope that made sense.
Well, you certainly hit on my own stumbling blocks from my childhood (incidentally: loved this game as a kid, thanks for the memories). The Claw boss fight in particular was a major one for me for the longest time. One thing I don't think you touched upon in the video that I never quite understood: that wire. I'm not even sure what point that thing served - a way to orient yourself around how far Buzz has before he's off the screen? Something to dissuade you from going too far to the right? Just something to annoy you as you focus on hitting the Claw? At any rate, I don't think most claw games have a live wire just flailing about inside them, it seems like a minor safety hazard (ignoring that most users wouldn't be going inside, somebody does have to _fill_ the thing...). The thing's not even in the SNES version for whatever reason; maybe it's safe to cut entirely. RC stages: yeah, the bouncing around might be a bit much, in retrospect. At least the battery spawning isn't too bad - it's consistently from the north of Buzz when you hit him, so if you bounce into him from the north, it'll spawn right on top of you and you'll grab it instantly. If anything, maybe it'd do better to have it spawn on the opposite side of him heading away from you, so you're likely to just drive into it if you're going in a cardinal direction. Other than that, the battery drain might be a bit high (especially for the later level, where it's noticeably faster). I don't think the Rex stage needs much adjustment, though. Roller Bob, probably (that just gets crazy), but Rex's stage was designed smartly enough that, say, RC on the left wouldn't likely hit you when he first appeared because you'd be jumping rightward over something at that time - and RC's initial appearance there would warn you that he would sweep across the entire floor in a few seconds, letting you prepare for that. I thought it was smart enough design that it's safe to leave as-is. Roller Bob, on the other hand, I never could quite figure out the tells for...
I think the password system is a good idea, and being able to move Buzz around in the claw machine makes sense, but I don't think the others are really necessary. In "Battle of the Mutant Toys," it isn't made clear that you're meant to go to the right instead of just fending them all off until they give up. The only real hint is that you can't seem to turn around, but that can be overlooked easily and you die very quickly.
I had Sega Genesis Toy Story as a kid, and loved every second of gameplay I got from it. Although I found the game challenging, never thought it was too difficult; it just required more practice (and therefore, more hours of sweet, sweet gameplay). That said, I'm all in for a Director's Cut. I also loved the original Sonic 3D Blast, and the Director's Cut was awesome. It would be incredible if you could add some extra content (another first person level like "Really Inside the Claw Machine" or another racing level like "Day-Toy-Na" would be my first choices), but the changes you mention are more than enough on their own.
I feel that a director's cut would be nice either way. As a retro gamer it's nice to see a developer returning to a game from this era to try and improve things. People can always play the original if they don't like the idea of a director's cut, but i think it'll be cool to have the DC version as an alternative and the changes you've suggested would make for an interesting comparison. So i say YES! For sure give me some of that sweet, sweet coding goodness! I beat the original game as a kid (PAL version) and i was amazed at how good the game looked for a 16-bit Mega Drive game. It's great that you've set this channel up to interact with us on projects like this and share some of your coding secrets. Love this channel.
Is it possible to add basic "contact" shadow under Woody's legs? I mean something like a pitch black line that goes from one boot to another one(see Streets of Rage series for example). Or maybe a simple black oval sprite? Do we have VRAM left for that?
Go for it dude. One suggestion: Give Woody an alternative way of attacking instead of just the rope. Maybe a ground pound attack? EDIT: A suggestion for the level select: you could put a Genesis in the top right of where you start in the first level, and smacking the cartridge out of it brings up the level select. As a nod to one being able to do so in Sonic 3D Blast.
The RC levels were torture. I had both the Genesis version and the PC CD-Rom port (that AUDIO, though!). Loved the cinematic slideshow sequences as a kid. Also, maybe a way to indicate better where the hit-boxes are on the skateboard-man level. I remember not being exactly sure where I was trying to protect as the hit detection in that level was a bit wobbly with so much going on. just didn't feel very tight. All about this project. Love the 3D Blast DC.
I'd suggest adding an option to remove the time limit and the lives entirely. The challenge in the RC sections comes mostly from controlling the car. Completing it quickly is already a big incentive to get better. As for lives, I think forcing a player to redo sections they've already completed is kinda pointless. As for the auto-scroller sections, you could double or triple the ammount of hit-points. That would severely soften the blow of the hard-to-dodge obstacles.
I may not have been very good at the game, but I always enjoyed it. I'd say a level select would be a cool addition, & maybe a way to change the amount of lives you start with
Man, I have to tell you: I played this in my childhood ... And I loved every little bit of difficulty in it ... Today, I play racing simulation games !!! LOL. My opinions are related to the RC session: - The car slides a little too much with only small commands and bounces too much when it hits a barrier. I think just a little adjustment would make the experience more enjoyable without losing the challenge ... I love the way it slides in the corners! - In the session with Woody in it, the camera moves forward in the direction you follow, I feel that this in exaggeration confuses the view of the player besides being a bit nauseating. I think this alone makes the gameplay very difficult, it gives us the impression that the car is slipping when it is not really. And I think that's just it! CONGRATULATIONS! [Portuguese] Cara, eu tenho que lhe dizer: eu joguei isso na minha infância... E adorei cada pedacinho de dificuldade nele ... Hoje, eu jogo jogos de simulação de corrida!!! ri muito. Minhas opiniões são referentes às sessão RC: - O carro desliza um pouco demais apenas com pequenos comandos e ricocheteia demais quando bate. Acredito que um pequeno ajuste tornaria a experiência mais agradável sem perder o desafio... Adoro a forma como ele desliza nas curvas! - Na sessão com Woody nele, a câmera movimenta para frente na direção em que você segue, eu sinto que isso em exagero confunde a visão do jogador além de ser um pouco nauseante. Eu acho que isso sozinho dificulta muito a jogabilidade, nos dá a impressão de que o carro está deslizando quando na verdade não está. E eu penso que seja apenas isso! PARABÉNS!
I remember renting this game back when I was 12 or 13 years old. At the time I thought that the game was ok, just a generic platformer with some racing levels and kinda "off" controls. But watching it now, I really have to appreciate the technical prowess that this game achieved. It wasn't perfect but, mashing so many game genres in one and with such great graphics, it should be considered one of the Mega Drive's "must own" games!!! Congrats!!
I think the idea of allowing you to send Buzz back to the left would fix up the Claw boss quite well. I actually had only gotten past that boss a few months ago during a stream.
OH MY GOD YES! And you know how each version has certain things that aren’t in the other? Such as music in one version and not in the other, or pictures in Genesis cutscenes and not in the SNES version. Fix those please. One last thing: remember the area Disney didn’t want you to add that Christian Easter egg? Go for it! Disney can’t hold you back now. I loved the idea so bring it to life! Just my suggestion
adding in a christian easter egg would be kinda cute, so it'd somewhat retroactively maintain Jon's running habit of adding one to every game he worked on, except for Sonic 3D Blast... maybe a cross in Sid's room, considering it'd oddly blend in well with all the death metal posters around
I know you're mainly a Megadrive person but do you think you could fix the SNES at least a little bit? Here's a lot of things that could be done to improve the SNES version: -Squeeze the assets so they don't appear streched in 4:3 aspect ratio compared to the Megadrive -Use the "You've got a friend in me" rendition that exists in the rom but was never used. For example in the narration and the ending that is completly silent where in the Megadrive version, it plays an FM version of this song. -If the SNES allows it: add the extra animations of the Megadrive like woody turning around in the level complete screen (in the SNES he's just ankwardly punching the air). -If the last point is possible, maybe adding the ennemies presentation in the ending like the Megadrive. -Add the bonus stage where you shoot the stars -Add the second top down driving section -I guess the pseudo 3d driving stage is too demanding for the SNES but since the FPS section has been ported (with lower FPS obviously), do you think it would be doable? (Also it would be a lot of work I guess) -Finally adding the missing images in the story. I guess most of these things are a lot of work so it's just suggestions.
Here's something you ought to do IMO: Make level 7 longer so you can actually hear the full song. You can't hear the full song in any version of the game AFAIK
Random ideas: - Make a mode that will generate a random FPS labyrinth using an algorhythm that makes it beatable no matter how hard it is (sort of like Sonic 3's Blue Sphere), should be an amazing reward - Make an advanced Sound Test that can mute channels or display which one of them is emitting sounds and which note, look at how Knuckles' Chaotix sort of handles it - Of course, you could do the same thing with the MOD track, or maybe even write software to allow the replacing of the stock MOD as long as it remains beneath the space requirements - Make a Level Exploration mode, where you just move the screen with all the enemies AI disabled, just to explore the levels, like you did with Sonic 3D (only without the editing part), another good reward - Movie Mode, see all the cutscenes one after another. - Now this must be the hardest one of them all but I really like the idea: Time Attack mode. You play the games against a clock counter and it will tell you how fast you were. Didn't you also do this thing with Sonic? Of course you can't really save the times but whatever. You don't have to do any of this, just sharing some ideas :) By the way, really attached to this game, even though I had the PC copy I played on W95, and didn't start to work properly on something as old as XP :(
I was 6 when I got this game and could never get past the section in Sid’s room where you use Buzz’s arm to defend against the other toys. There’s very little feedback to let you know what you need to do. It took other players UA-cam videos to understand what is required and how precise the defend movement is.
My main issues were with the SNES version. It felt like the hit detection was off. I noticed the same with Mickey Mania and lion king. I think the lower screen resolution makes it harder too.
YES! For sure give me some of that sweet, sweet coding goodness!
do it
GameHut I choose yes. Also, that thumbnail though.
absolutely
PLEASE, I made the TAS of both the Genesis (with Jimmie1717) and of the SNES version. I have quite a bit of knowlege of this game. I would love to see a Director's cut of this game.
EZGames 69 Let's not forget about this video's beautiful thumbnail.
You're incredible for even suggesting to make DX versions of your old games. I hope you get as much enjoyment as we do.
Director's Cut definetely should happen. The only thing I want to suggest is to expand the time limit in "Really Inside the Claw Machine" stage required to get 50 stars. It's nearly impossible to accomplish in the game.
Indeed. It is the only level outside bosses where I have NEVER managed to get 50 stars. And I have played the game since the 90's, beaten it on Sheriff multiple times - but still can't do it.
Oh my gaaawwdd it's the Sonic pro's!! I have spent many hours watching you guys 🤘🏼
With how much you love to show off in your videos, I'd expect you to not find a problem with it as is.
Absolutely!!! I'd also love for you to do a video on how you made the FPS segment of Toy Story so smooth, especially when other FPS segments on the SNES/Mega Drive were so incredibly jerky. like Corporation, Jurassic Park Etc.
Hey there Larry! Actually he did make a video on that! ua-cam.com/video/IhMMK3QLxSM/v-deo.html
Awh sick! Larry, not seen you in ages.
Hello you
That's a good question. While it's only wolfenstein style 3d, even that is pretty demanding on a 16 bit processor.
Not to mention that both the Mega Drive and the SNES have issues around DMA time limitations that make it difficult to transfer lots of data to the graphics chip on a regular basis when doing any kind of graphics on the CPU.
(take for instance Starfox on the SNES. In spite of having a secondary processor, it runs quite slowly, but it's worth remembering that regardless of anything else it's coded to update on 3's. - which is to say it takes so long to do a DMA transfer that you only transfer one frame's worth every 3 frames. Thus on an NTSC system the framerate is hard-capped at 20 fps no matter what, and on PAL it'd be capped at 16.66 fps - though you should be able to do better than one frame in 3 on a PAL system really. - point is regardless of what kind of external hardware you throw at the problem, you're still going to run into that DMA problem.)
I do wonder how something like that was written efficiently, because that really is no simple task.
LARRY
I dream of a Sonic R: Director's Cut, but my guess is it's too difficult. Would still be amazing.
Soapbox It’s not that, he doesn’t have the leftover game code like with Sonic 3D Blast. He’d love to do it if he could!
There is a pretty great mod for the PC version of the game, it doesn't effect the handling if I recall but it makes it better than the saturn version and in true widescreen.
that'd be kinda nice, since after unlocking Super Sonic, it's absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to win races when playing as any other character
GameHut could take advantage of the Sonic R Modloader by MainMemory for a director's cut.
SorcererLance
What? I didn't played the Saturn version, but i don't remember anything like this on PC version.
Just wanted to drop in and let you know that I ADORE the precedent you're setting to other video game company owners of continuing to support and be active with the games we loved as kids. Although I was always a fan of TT games when I was young, my love and respect for your company and work has skyrocketed since I found your channel months ago.
On a side note, I'd really love to see you put together a series on how you would go about optimising games being made in modern engines like Unity and Unreal, if you happen to have knowledge in that. As a game developer myself, I'd really appreciate some advice from someone who would know much more about the intricacies of communicating with hardware effectively from someone that had to learn all that out of necessity. Do you think that could be a possibility some time?
My main complaint with the Toy Story 1 games was that Buzz didn't say "You don't want to be in the way when my laser goes off" enough. I think he only said it like a dozen times in that one boss fight. I'd like to hear him say that line every single time he appears or is even vaguely referred to. Thanks!
Jon, first of all, the fact that we have the ability to write comments to the man who coded this game from childhood borders on incredible! I can't believe we're discussing Toy Story for the Genesis, the game just feels so personal to me. Between the ages of 7-8-9, I mastered the whole thing, including the car level and the one with the claw. I loved this game. I played on the US version without a password system. To get back on topic, I just don't see the need for a Director's cut. Mostly because I didn't have that much trouble with the game's more frustrating levels. I found it enjoyable and come back to it every few years. I'm enjoying your Sonic 3D cut, but personally, I don't need a DC for Toy Story.
Griffin Tremaine I
I agree...all of the fixes pointed in the video to the complains are to make the game easier, not to fix some broken thing of the game (except maybe the car crash knockback).
I used to play this game all the time in my childhood and nothing to me was frustrating: it was a matter of getting good at it, while sonic 3d never catch my attention because of the maneuvering and what not.
Ok, im fucking stupid i thought we were talking about
GB like ts2
Yes please! Resetting your hit points between levels alone would be a godsend. Easily the most unfair thing about the game, as it gives you very little room for error.
But it would give the bonus games no purpose then...
Not necessarily. It wouldn't have to reward you with health. It could give you lives instead.
- Bump -
Yeah, it seems unfair that all you get is a single hit point.
@@PirateywareOr they could give you extra hit points.
Hi, Jon! A friend of mine and I played the game yesterday just to see if there was anything else that might be improved. These are our five suggestions regarding gameplay:
*1.* Increasing the frequency or rhythm of Woody’s attacks while crouching: The amount of attacks per second you can perform while crouching is noticeably lower than the one you can perform while standing. In addition, there is a considerable delay between your hitting the button and the execution of the attack. As a result, it is common to get hit by spiders when trying to halt them with the pull-string, as you have to crouch to hit them.
*2.* Adding the ability to jump down through platforms: As far as I could see, this is not possible. Sometimes it could come in handy to avoid enemy attacks or just to go down from a series of platforms.
*3.* Allowing the player to look up or down while holding down the corresponding D-pad button: There are some instances where you have to make a leap of faith, and you end up landing on an enemy or an inconvenient place. I like the way this camera movement has been implemented, for example, in Sonic games.
*4.* Making the camera show both Woody and Buzz during the Buzz Battle level: Since the camera moves towards the place Woody is looking at, you cannot always keep track of Buzz’s position. While you run from Buzz to avoid him or to hit the tire, he is sometimes totally or partially off-screen. It might be nice to know where Buzz is at all times.
*5.* Making it less tricky to capture Buzz with the tire in the Buzz Battle level: Maybe this is just me, but I cannot find a perfect and reliable way to capture him. Sometimes I think I have done it right, but then I see him running free as a cosmic bird.
*Thanks* for all your work, *thanks* for giving us Sonic 3D Blast: Director's Cut, and *thanks* for your passion! We appreciate it a lot.
Really good reasons
I Kinda Hate when you play the level buzz battle because to me it’s very Difficult to do. When I played this level I was on one star and I had to get buzz on the tire one more time and I died. Some of the levels are so hard to do, but if a person in the 90’s played this game or any person who played the game I would say that person had a good childhood, and I think many that played the game. they probably had a good childhood. The game is really good 10/10
Your consistent insistence on improving stuff from my childhood greatly pleases me. I just really really hope it's legally safe to do this.
I'd love to see a Director's Cut of this game, it's one of my favorites.
maybe in the "Shooting Stars" Bonus Game, since the idea of starting the next level with reset hit points instead of having the previous level's hit points has been introduced, the bonus game would award you with extra lives instead of hit points
Right time for E3.
You should definitely do this. I love it when game devs go back to their creations to improve on things and make the experience better.
Password - YES
Level Select Similar to Sonic 3D DX - YES
An Easy Mode - Would be cool!
A Sound Test to listen to your favorite tunes - YES!
Maybe a palette change to brighten up the graphics -
If Possible
ChannelMage Also googly eyes
Dark Mind
Googly eyes? What is this Rareware? Lol
Stop being so casual and go get gud. ;)
MarioMadness734 // Mar734
Sounds like something Cranky Kong would say...
ChannelMage Googly eyes are 1 of the best things in the world.
Loving your channel man, interesting how all of the games you mention in your channel and that you worked on, defined my childhood!
Those are some interesting tweaks you mentioned, seems like it would be just tweaking parameters too, so it wouldn't be a huge amount of work, I'm assuming.
One thing that I would love to do, is to "zoom out" the camera a little bit on the RC Car level, either that, or move the car back a little bit, so you can see the track ahead of you a little better, so you can react in time, maybe that alone would make the level easier and better to play
As a person who played this game a lot as a kid, I would love to see a director's cut for it if you are willing to put in the time and effort for it.
Jon, I think you can create a community poll, separately from this video and we can vote and comment why we chose that option. Maybe you can look into it. It's a feature within UA-cam.
I'd say go for it my man! I love these DX versions of games you've made/had ideas for, plus I really like how you're reviving your old games with new updates, that's true dedication.
Now this is what you call a developer! Keep the good work!
The level I had the most trouble with as a kid was the first-person section inside the claw machine. I got lost really easily and always ran out of time. I didn’t have a great sense of direction when I was younger, and the fact that you didn’t talk about that part reaffirms this 😅
Yes, every game you made should have a director's cut because I find every piece of code interesting and unique.
The 3d claw machine could be more forgiving for players trying to get all the stars, cause theres barely enough time to get them.
Aldo, the stars in Nightmare Buzz
Disappear way too fast. If those stars could stay on screen for just another two or 3 seconds, the player would have a better chance to get them all if they desired a completionist run.
All the other levels stars seem to be more accessible; it's just those two that are a little unforgiving in that regard. A tweak in the stars in Nightmare Buzz and a more forgiving timer in the 3d stage to make getting the stars genuinely possible. I mean I did it with about 105 seconds left on the clock but it only gave me about 37 stars. I cant figure out how much time should be left to get 50.
I played the heck out of this game when I was 9 years old. Yes the rc car level was hard and a bad turn could ruin a play through. But it wasn't impossible! THE FEELING OF CONQUERING that level and being able to help my little brother get through it so he could play the later levels is an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. I remember my friends and I memorizing the speed of the fans inside the soda machine. This game was perfect. I know how it is to want to improve upon your art and never feeling like your work is finished. I truly loved the game you shipped. But just because something is difficult or obscure doesn't mean it could be improved upon. I loved every moment I had with this game.
Toy story on genesis was probably my favorite game as a kid, I distinctly remember it kicking my add and being super frustrating, but also very satisfying when you got further
Toy story was one of the most graphically impressive super nes & Sega Genesis games!
I remember been blown away by the legs walking past.
Heck yeah, I'm totally down for it. Toy Story is one of my favorite game growing up. I would love to play a directors cut version of the game. :)
I would absolutely love to try a directors cut version! One thing I had a massive amount of trouble with was the level in Sid's house, where you had to climb up higher and higher by catching the pull string on hooks attached to chains. That part had sections where I was stuck for 20+ minutes on a single area because of the absolutely precise timing required when throwing the pull string to go from one hook to the next. Nothing in the game was as frustrating as that, especially because there didn't seem to be any correct way to so it. It just seemed like pure chance whether your string would catch the hook or not. I had a harder time with that than with any of the things you mentioned, and I've completed the game a couple times. So that's the one thing I'd love to see changed
First of all, it's amazing to listen to a game design review about one of my childhood games, from the point of one of its developers!
I agree with you on the those being the hardest levels of this game. Here goes my opinion on them.
I would put the claw boss fight first: As a kid, I had a really hard time understanding that you had to hit the aliens twice, and that the second hit had to be in mid-air for them to hit the claw. Also that rotating thing in there made things much harder, and it's not obvious how to avoid it from hitting you.
The second hardest level for me was the dog chase, and I agree with everything you mentioned.
In my personal third place of difficult, and a level that you don't mention, was the level before the dog chase: when you are at Sid's place with all the monstrous toys. I know it's just a platformer level, but I found it particularly hard.
I agree the RC card levels could use some tweaks, specially on the battery duration and the handling. Same goes with the flashing of the enemies: It's not obvious when the enemy planes will not hit you.
Thanks a lot for the video! I will definitely play it if you make a DC version of this game.
Would absolutely love to see this! It's amazing seeing these types of definitive changes being made to old games by the original creators.
Thank you so much, I wish there were more developers like you, really grateful
I loved this game growing up but like I suspect is the same for many others, never beat it, mainly due to EVERY ISSUE you pointed out in this video. I recently played it again for the first time in years with my daughter and she also loved it. I also found at the age of 32 that the game wasn't almost unbeatable because I was a kid, it REALLY IS just hard as balls! I really love everything that you sat on the table here. RC levels should indeed be first priority and the health reset would also reduce the difficulty to a more fair level. If possible I feel like while the PW system would be nice, what would be even better would be a more frequent distribution of continues as I feel that it could have been beaten through shear force of will if the lack of continues didn't prevent it. As always I love your channel and everything you do here!
I'd love to see this happen. Having the actual creator of a classic game go ahead and do something like this is incredible! While I didn't play this game as a kid, I DID play A Bug's Life, so I'd love a video about that too.
The googly eyes in the thumbnail are how I feel about this.
...I'll take that as that you do want a DX version
Same xD
As a very little kid, the RC Car always ended my run. For my big brother it was Sid's Workbench. When you lose control of Woody because his forehead is burned. always ran out of hitpoints in that section. Never had a problem with Rex's level. I think some jumps are unforgiving in the claw machine level. Password system would have been a godsend as a kid.
Would it be possible to implement some of the changes from the SNES version? The title screen, for instance, fits Woody's personality a lot better in that port (I always thought it strange that he was grinning in the Genesis version.) The ending text also has a variety of colors in the SNES port, while the Genesis version is a flat white.
SomeLinedPaper I think Disney may have had to do with the title screen change, they seem to keep changing Woody's face from the artworks whenever they notice that he's not smiling.
TheRealPatete ^I think that’s the reason. The VHS cover is almost the same as one of the theatrical posters rendered by Pixar, except the VHS cover has Woody smiling instead of frowning. I’m guessing the marketing team wanted Woody to appear more appealing to the consumer, so they might’ve had Pixar render a different expression for Woody
I haven't played that game, however I've been making games too, and currently making a racing game, I can tell the scale is certainly a big issue in the racing part, as you said, it would be easier to see more ahead.
As for the timing for the platform section around 5:00, I know it can be tricky to manually fine-tune those parameters, that's why my approach is to make the A.I. play the games with human reactions (create different AI profiles), make it play the level 10,000 times and collect statistics, see where it struggles the most, and optimize those sections. It sounds overly complex but I think it's saving a lot of time!
Note: I'm liking all the ideas that you mentioned in the video, just wanted to add my own point of view too.
Dude, I have to say I just knew you'd start with that driving level. When I was a child, that level was always the 'brick wall' I'd face playing through the game that I couldn't get through. That said, I practiced and practiced and practiced and you know what? One day I beat it and I don't think I had ever felt such achievement from a game before that.
any videos delving into the technical wizardry is a yes to me
I would love this! Toy Story was one of my favorite games as a kid, but my playthroughs typically ended at Buzz Clip or The Claw. Even replaying it as an adult, I still struggle a lot with The Claw.
YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES!!! I DIDNT EVEN WATCH THE VIDEO YET BUT MY CHILDHOOD IS SCREAMING! MAKE THIS PLEASE! YOU'RE AMAZING AND YOU DO AMAZING THINGS!
The Claw boss caused me so much stress as a kid. Without the password system, I doubt I would have beaten this game in one sitting. I think it's really cool you're revisiting these old games, just from the point of view we have an insight into retro game development.
Incredible Video!!! i really like the game as a child when I replayed it recently I was stunned of how much variety it had for each stage. As for the fix, the password screen, replenished HP at the start of a level and a more obvious feedback on stunned enemy would be my pick. The car level are great when you get the handling, it just need a more pulled back camera.
If you were to release a DC, I'd do it as an IPS patch to avoid lawsuits from disney.
Kippykip I find if unusual that the majority of commenters here are unaware of this concept. Baffling.
It's really fascinating to see a game developer have such a close and thoughtful relationship with their older work.
If anything, I think the thing that makes the RC car levels frustrating is how easily one loses speed--it's tedious and unrewarding to get really good at them because they're fraught with error and bumping stuff slows you down a lot.
Not sure if you're still intending to do this or not. I don't think the difficulty needs to be messed with, but making the RC car not spin out as much would be nice (no other change). The crane boss battle tweak and flashing enemies when hit would also be great, as would any new additions such as a world map or level select if you add completion percentage.
Love this channel and even thinking about doing DX versions of these games is cool as others said. The one change I can think of is that kinda irritating part of the Buzz race where you have to jump to grab the rope but the shark keeps jumping from the bottom of the screen, that always stumped me as a kid.
I played the SNES version when I was younger, but I recently got my hands on the Genesis version. I would DEFINITELY love to see a director's cut of this game! Toy Story 1 is my favorite movie of all time, but the game itself has given me so much heartburn. In addition to the things you mentioned above, I'd also like to point attention to the grappling sections. I've had issues where some of the grapples don't register, would be nice if the grapple boxes were a bit bigger so those intense areas (like Sid's workshop) doesn't become a "make or die" situation.
Also, in the Buzz Race level (with all the grapples and pits), it would be cool to actually race against Buzz, or something like that.
I have some damn fine memory's of the SNES version. I think when I got my neighbors Genesis thinking it was better, toy story was one of the games I rented realizing they are the same more or less
Mega Drive version has the best soundtrack
As someone who had the PC port and loved it (even if my computer could never properly run it) I'd love to see a Director's Cut of this. That first RC level always ate thru my lives and having better turning would make it feel so much better. I'd also love a sound test if possible, love the music from the Sid's Workbench stage.
Dunno if it'd be possible to see anything from Toy Story 2's game be modded/hacked, but if it's possible, or ya have any coding secrets from that game, I'd love to see them. (huge nostalgia for that game)
Really nice you're intending on doing these fixes. Yeah! The RC levels were a pain, although I was able to finish the game back then. Curious about what can come out of this.
If I were to complain about something were visuals. The non-use of some colors on right places, even they were present on screen, and the one that bugged me and anyone that cared to pay attention from the very first level: Why, the heck, all the dice letters, are showing the B?! I thinks it's a easy one to solve, unless it's due the way the background is built.
Share source code. Other programmers can help! Also prevent source code become lost.
I loved Toy Story as a kid so this would be incredible, just watching this makes me want to play for the first time in a couple years.
I have some good memories of that game. I didn't own it and sucked at it, but one time I had borrowed it from a neighbor and it glitched out where every time I died it passed to the next level.
One of your debug exception redirects. Good to get an explanation why TT games did this lol.
Toy Story 2 directors cut would be insane. It was probably the game I played and enjoyed the most as a child. Perhaps even just a coding secrets/info about that specific game would be so amazing.
This and Sonic 3D are probably the most technically impressive 16 bit console games that don’t use enhancement chips (such as Super FX or Sega Virtua Processor) or hardware addons. Amazing that the Genesis alone is doing this.
October 15, 2019 4:16 am
I think that would be a fantastic idea! I remember playing this game on both the SNES and Genesis when I was younger, and I even own a copy of the Genesis version. I think it would be great to have a fixed up version that irons out the kinks and makes certain segments of the game less of a headache!
I just found your channel and its so awesome that you're revealing all these cool things to us about some of my favorite childhood games, like Toy Story, Crash Twinsanity, and Lego Star Wars. Keep it up, I'm really enjoying your channel.
Me personally, I never did beat Toy Story, I got all the way to Sids Room and then once I game over'd my kid self never had it in me to try again 😂 I loved the game though, and would love to see a director's cut!
Simply YES... DO IT!!!
My Requests:
-I agree you. Adding flashing enemies when they are hit will improve a bit the gameplay
-Save system if possible. With levels map acessible when you finish the game
-Region free version. 50 and 60hz
More impossible request:
-A more optimized sound driver like the XGM sound driver by stef so voices samples could sound a little better and up to 4 mixed PCM sounds at same time...
OFF:
-If possible, release a tool with the mod player created for this game alone so we could compile us favorite AMIGA mods and play in the Mega Drive/Genesis system.
Keep it up and thanks for these amazing effort!
Hi Jon! God I love this game so much. It was one of the favorites of the kids here in Brazil. The graphics and soundtrack were perfect. In terms of frustration, the only level that seemed to be like hell to me was "The Claw". Buzz Clip I think that was a fair stage despite the bad controls of RC. And please, dont make Roller Bob easier. The intence music and action of this level is unique and really fun to play. In fact, you could make it longer haha. One thing that you could add is a "Star Counter". It would be much more easier to colect all the 50 stars. Thank you for this wonderfull game.
Make a Toy Story 2 Director's Cut! That game was my childhood! One of the best 3D Platformers for its era!
GMMReviews hell yes! And if possible he should fix the Dreamcast version to have proper analog movement.
He wasn’t involved in the development of Toy Story 2.
Are you sure this is from Toy Story 2? This looks an awful lot like Toy Story SNES to me.
Oh, yeah, I recognize this one now. He probably doesn't have the rights to this one, as it's somewhat relatively new (unlike Toy Story SNES.)
Wasn't there even (cut?) easteregg made by Jon in TS2? Some bible line Disney removed.
Jon please make a director's cut
Who beat that hard level kids struggled with as a kid? This guy. *feelsgood* lol.
I knew that thing was difficult. Thanks for making this game. I loved it as a windows 95 PC game when I was 6-7 year old.
Of course! I'd think that a good idea would be to maybe add a little more leeway for the secret hidden behind the bombardment of coins in "Inside the Claw Machine."
Please go back and do Director's Cuts for any of your genesis games, the fact that you are even willing to do them is so awesome. I love this game and would really love to see a spin on it.
I think the simplest fix for the claw level would be to simply have Buzz bounce a sprite-width to the left when he's dropped, maybe two if he's very close to the edge. It doesn't change the existing dynamics of how the level plays, but keeps the game from "cheating" the player when Buzz gets stuck in the corner.
I never got too frustrated with the first RC level, but that last one... perhaps an effective fix would be to let the player counteract spinouts by turning the opposite way? If RC is spinning right, press left to counter and get control more quickly, that way the player is still docked for hitting an obstacle but they're able to mitigate how bad it is.
I know it may sound stupid
but I think you should rather do a Sonic R DX sooner or later
Yes.
Ideally with the prototype map included and Amy running. Maybe if you get first place on the prototype map, you can unlock Shadow or something. Tina Turner should sing the theme song.
I dunno about Shadow and Amy running
Shadow just seems weird and Amy running just sounds like a weird cosmetic thing
Who’s Tina turner ?
Nate Watson why should shadow be in a classic game
Tina Turner is an amazing singer. She sang the themesong for "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" and "Goldeneye". She performed "The Best", the best version of "Proud Mary", and "River Deep Mountain High".
I feel like it's impossible to say No when asked this question. I always think it's so cool to see one of the original creators of a game back to it after all this time and fix issues they wish they could've back when it released.
Absolutely!👍 If this is what you love doing and if it makes the people that follow you happy, this is totally a win - win situation. Looking forward to this project.
OMG YES PLEASE! I don’t even play games on PC so I wouldn’t be able to play it but I still think it totally deserves a Director’s Cut!! I loved that game as a kid, played the shit out of it both on SNES and on my cousin’s Genesis, and still feel fondly for it to this day! Super solid and fun platformer! But there are without a doubt some little inconveniences sprinkled throughout. All it would need is some good polishing, like the ideas you mentioned in the vid. Toy Story is absolutely a game that deserves it!
Thanks for giving a beautiful game for my childhood. For me, I'm able to enjoy and finish the game. It's the first game I knew having lots variety in the gameplay.
I love the RC Car most, bumping buzz for the batt. I think I am very good at that gameplay. I wish the gameplay all about the RC Car.
Love the graphics too.
The only level that I hate is.. I forgot, but yes I have one level that I hate most.
This is a great idea! I love the idea of level selection.
This game is some gorgeous and the game play variety so diverse... it's just those little quirks you mentioned that keep it from being a more-beloved star on the console. I would pre-order a Mega Drive/Genesis cartridge Director's Cut right now.
Man that would be amazing. The RC level was so frustrating as a kid. I really wanted to play the heck out of the game, but then I'd remember how frustrating the game was and get discouraged.
When it'ss about reflexes in those levels, maybe you could add like a sign that something is coming, for example a quick sign letting you know the giant dog will appear. That sort of things is what they used to do in that kind of game. Also, maybe look at RC pro am as inspiration in how to fix the car levels?
I think the main issue with the driving sections is how bad some of the battery placement is and how you have to spin out to pick them up. Maybe for the buzz one, you make it so hitting buzz makes his battery fly into RC, but on the road chase section, make it so the batteries are in easier to pick up spots. I can see making the battery drain less as a good idea too, so when you miss one battery you can still keep going. The controls are also a little weird for RC, maybe make the drifting that RC can do a little more toned down. Also, with RC and Scud in the chase sections, you gotta add easier sounds to detect that they're coming, or at least some sort of warning arrow. Those two always got me good in the PC version.
In the top down RC level, the star bits are used pretty well to direct you, but some might be better re-positioned or with more lead. Your suggestion of reducing the penalty for hitting objects would also make it flow better.
For the driving parts I can't remember the layouts very well or how the car handled for me personally, but I feel from looking at the video that you could keep RC from over turning. Basically lock it to 90 degree turns on every press. and if you want to have it go just a little more than 90 degrees you'd have to press again to continue turning and if you wanted to do less than 90 you don't hold it down the entire time. I hope that made sense.
Well, you certainly hit on my own stumbling blocks from my childhood (incidentally: loved this game as a kid, thanks for the memories). The Claw boss fight in particular was a major one for me for the longest time. One thing I don't think you touched upon in the video that I never quite understood: that wire. I'm not even sure what point that thing served - a way to orient yourself around how far Buzz has before he's off the screen? Something to dissuade you from going too far to the right? Just something to annoy you as you focus on hitting the Claw? At any rate, I don't think most claw games have a live wire just flailing about inside them, it seems like a minor safety hazard (ignoring that most users wouldn't be going inside, somebody does have to _fill_ the thing...). The thing's not even in the SNES version for whatever reason; maybe it's safe to cut entirely.
RC stages: yeah, the bouncing around might be a bit much, in retrospect. At least the battery spawning isn't too bad - it's consistently from the north of Buzz when you hit him, so if you bounce into him from the north, it'll spawn right on top of you and you'll grab it instantly. If anything, maybe it'd do better to have it spawn on the opposite side of him heading away from you, so you're likely to just drive into it if you're going in a cardinal direction. Other than that, the battery drain might be a bit high (especially for the later level, where it's noticeably faster).
I don't think the Rex stage needs much adjustment, though. Roller Bob, probably (that just gets crazy), but Rex's stage was designed smartly enough that, say, RC on the left wouldn't likely hit you when he first appeared because you'd be jumping rightward over something at that time - and RC's initial appearance there would warn you that he would sweep across the entire floor in a few seconds, letting you prepare for that. I thought it was smart enough design that it's safe to leave as-is. Roller Bob, on the other hand, I never could quite figure out the tells for...
This channel makes me happy. You make me happy.
I think the password system is a good idea, and being able to move Buzz around in the claw machine makes sense, but I don't think the others are really necessary. In "Battle of the Mutant Toys," it isn't made clear that you're meant to go to the right instead of just fending them all off until they give up. The only real hint is that you can't seem to turn around, but that can be overlooked easily and you die very quickly.
I had Sega Genesis Toy Story as a kid, and loved every second of gameplay I got from it. Although I found the game challenging, never thought it was too difficult; it just required more practice (and therefore, more hours of sweet, sweet gameplay). That said, I'm all in for a Director's Cut. I also loved the original Sonic 3D Blast, and the Director's Cut was awesome. It would be incredible if you could add some extra content (another first person level like "Really Inside the Claw Machine" or another racing level like "Day-Toy-Na" would be my first choices), but the changes you mention are more than enough on their own.
I feel that a director's cut would be nice either way. As a retro gamer it's nice to see a developer returning to a game from this era to try and improve things. People can always play the original if they don't like the idea of a director's cut, but i think it'll be cool to have the DC version as an alternative and the changes you've suggested would make for an interesting comparison.
So i say YES! For sure give me some of that sweet, sweet coding goodness!
I beat the original game as a kid (PAL version) and i was amazed at how good the game looked for a 16-bit Mega Drive game. It's great that you've set this channel up to interact with us on projects like this and share some of your coding secrets. Love this channel.
Is it possible to add basic "contact" shadow under Woody's legs? I mean something like a pitch black line that goes from one boot to another one(see Streets of Rage series for example). Or maybe a simple black oval sprite? Do we have VRAM left for that?
Go for it dude. One suggestion: Give Woody an alternative way of attacking instead of just the rope. Maybe a ground pound attack?
EDIT: A suggestion for the level select: you could put a Genesis in the top right of where you start in the first level, and smacking the cartridge out of it brings up the level select. As a nod to one being able to do so in Sonic 3D Blast.
The RC levels were torture. I had both the Genesis version and the PC CD-Rom port (that AUDIO, though!). Loved the cinematic slideshow sequences as a kid. Also, maybe a way to indicate better where the hit-boxes are on the skateboard-man level. I remember not being exactly sure where I was trying to protect as the hit detection in that level was a bit wobbly with so much going on. just didn't feel very tight. All about this project. Love the 3D Blast DC.
I'd suggest adding an option to remove the time limit and the lives entirely.
The challenge in the RC sections comes mostly from controlling the car. Completing it quickly is already a big incentive to get better.
As for lives, I think forcing a player to redo sections they've already completed is kinda pointless.
As for the auto-scroller sections, you could double or triple the ammount of hit-points. That would severely soften the blow of the hard-to-dodge obstacles.
a bubble showing upcoming objects, kinda like the smash bros magnifying glass when you get out of bounds, could help during the chase scene.
I may not have been very good at the game, but I always enjoyed it. I'd say a level select would be a cool addition, & maybe a way to change the amount of lives you start with
Man, I have to tell you: I played this in my childhood ... And I loved every little bit of difficulty in it ... Today, I play racing simulation games !!! LOL. My opinions are related to the RC session:
- The car slides a little too much with only small commands and bounces too much when it hits a barrier. I think just a little adjustment would make the experience more enjoyable without losing the challenge ... I love the way it slides in the corners!
- In the session with Woody in it, the camera moves forward in the direction you follow, I feel that this in exaggeration confuses the view of the player besides being a bit nauseating. I think this alone makes the gameplay very difficult, it gives us the impression that the car is slipping when it is not really.
And I think that's just it! CONGRATULATIONS!
[Portuguese]
Cara, eu tenho que lhe dizer: eu joguei isso na minha infância... E adorei cada pedacinho de dificuldade nele ... Hoje, eu jogo jogos de simulação de corrida!!! ri muito. Minhas opiniões são referentes às sessão RC:
- O carro desliza um pouco demais apenas com pequenos comandos e ricocheteia demais quando bate. Acredito que um pequeno ajuste tornaria a experiência mais agradável sem perder o desafio... Adoro a forma como ele desliza nas curvas!
- Na sessão com Woody nele, a câmera movimenta para frente na direção em que você segue, eu sinto que isso em exagero confunde a visão do jogador além de ser um pouco nauseante. Eu acho que isso sozinho dificulta muito a jogabilidade, nos dá a impressão de que o carro está deslizando quando na verdade não está.
E eu penso que seja apenas isso! PARABÉNS!
I remember renting this game back when I was 12 or 13 years old. At the time I thought that the game was ok, just a generic platformer with some racing levels and kinda "off" controls. But watching it now, I really have to appreciate the technical prowess that this game achieved. It wasn't perfect but, mashing so many game genres in one and with such great graphics, it should be considered one of the Mega Drive's "must own" games!!! Congrats!!
I think the idea of allowing you to send Buzz back to the left would fix up the Claw boss quite well. I actually had only gotten past that boss a few months ago during a stream.
OH MY GOD YES! And you know how each version has certain things that aren’t in the other? Such as music in one version and not in the other, or pictures in Genesis cutscenes and not in the SNES version. Fix those please. One last thing: remember the area Disney didn’t want you to add that Christian Easter egg? Go for it! Disney can’t hold you back now. I loved the idea so bring it to life! Just my suggestion
I think it is just simpler to tweek the genesis version (which is the best one) to make it even better
adding in a christian easter egg would be kinda cute, so it'd somewhat retroactively maintain Jon's running habit of adding one to every game he worked on, except for Sonic 3D Blast... maybe a cross in Sid's room, considering it'd oddly blend in well with all the death metal posters around
@@avideogamemaster
No, making both versions the same would be great.
As a kid, I was never able to get passed Sid's room. This game kicked my ass. Loved it though!
I know you're mainly a Megadrive person but do you think you could fix the SNES at least a little bit? Here's a lot of things that could be done to improve the SNES version:
-Squeeze the assets so they don't appear streched in 4:3 aspect ratio compared to the Megadrive
-Use the "You've got a friend in me" rendition that exists in the rom but was never used. For example in the narration and the ending that is completly silent where in the Megadrive version, it plays an FM version of this song.
-If the SNES allows it: add the extra animations of the Megadrive like woody turning around in the level complete screen (in the SNES he's just ankwardly punching the air).
-If the last point is possible, maybe adding the ennemies presentation in the ending like the Megadrive.
-Add the bonus stage where you shoot the stars
-Add the second top down driving section
-I guess the pseudo 3d driving stage is too demanding for the SNES but since the FPS section has been ported (with lower FPS obviously), do you think it would be doable? (Also it would be a lot of work I guess)
-Finally adding the missing images in the story.
I guess most of these things are a lot of work so it's just suggestions.
Yes! Please do it! I'd love to see what you can do with my childhood game
Here's something you ought to do IMO: Make level 7 longer so you can actually hear the full song. You can't hear the full song in any version of the game AFAIK
Random ideas:
- Make a mode that will generate a random FPS labyrinth using an algorhythm that makes it beatable no matter how hard it is (sort of like Sonic 3's Blue Sphere), should be an amazing reward
- Make an advanced Sound Test that can mute channels or display which one of them is emitting sounds and which note, look at how Knuckles' Chaotix sort of handles it
- Of course, you could do the same thing with the MOD track, or maybe even write software to allow the replacing of the stock MOD as long as it remains beneath the space requirements
- Make a Level Exploration mode, where you just move the screen with all the enemies AI disabled, just to explore the levels, like you did with Sonic 3D (only without the editing part), another good reward
- Movie Mode, see all the cutscenes one after another.
- Now this must be the hardest one of them all but I really like the idea: Time Attack mode. You play the games against a clock counter and it will tell you how fast you were. Didn't you also do this thing with Sonic? Of course you can't really save the times but whatever.
You don't have to do any of this, just sharing some ideas :)
By the way, really attached to this game, even though I had the PC copy I played on W95, and didn't start to work properly on something as old as XP :(
I was 6 when I got this game and could never get past the section in Sid’s room where you use Buzz’s arm to defend against the other toys. There’s very little feedback to let you know what you need to do. It took other players UA-cam videos to understand what is required and how precise the defend movement is.
My main issues were with the SNES version. It felt like the hit detection was off. I noticed the same with Mickey Mania and lion king. I think the lower screen resolution makes it harder too.