Battle of the Ports - The Immortal (ウィザード・オブ・イモータル) Show
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- Опубліковано 3 лип 2024
- This month, the Immortal is 30 years old. Released back in November 1990. Let's celebrate by taking a look at all ports side by side. Please note that the Switch version is not included.
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Time Code
00:00 - Start
00:20 - Apple ][GS
02:03 - Amiga
03:51 - Atari ST
05:10 - Mega Drive
07:17 - NES
08:51 - IBM PC Compatible
10:25 - All versions side by side
Enjoy! - Ігри
![The IMMORTAL NES, Бессмертный dendy полное прохождение [106]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TC8Fin1IBLY/mqdefault.jpg)
I never did finish this. This was back in the days when there were no internet gaming forums or GameFAQs to go to when you got stuck so completing any game was a case of sinking in the time, making your own maps when necessary and figuring out things for yourself. As far as I recall this needed the RAM expansion on the Amiga and marks the point when games that needed at least 1MB of RAM started turning up.
To the people that complain that you take two steps and die, well duh, its an old man simulator what do you expect?
😁😂
Goddamn...
This is quite nice. All of the ports are really good, even taking the hardware differences into account.
I loved this game back in the 90's on my megadrive. It was completely different from other games that i was used to.
I remember that my mom hated the sound of the slamming doors ;-)
It’s pretty impressive that all of them have the same graphics and gameplay
Dungeon crawler is not really my thing, but this is an exception. The music really sets the atmosphere, especially the spider lair and the waterway, both creepy and downright scary. Just when it looks like your character, an old wizard with a knife and magic staff can't seem do much, you get caught off guard by the gruesome execution animation he pulls off like cutting a goblin in half from head to toe, electrocution, and lopping off heads. I mean, this was 2 years before Mortal Kombat made the debut with their iconic fatalities, how cool is that.
Besides, this was the iconic game that slowbeef played, and officially jumpstarted the whole Let's Play trend, it's part of history.
Goodness! I had this on the Megadrive. Had no idea it originated on the IIGS!
Wow! Thanks for making this video. As a kid, I played the heck out of the IIGS version so it was great to see all of the other ports stuck to the original!
I had this for Genesis and I could never finish it. Tough as nails
There's no denying that. 👍
Had to turn my volume down when the ST port started! 🤕
I swear this game was advertised in every single magazine I used to pick up back in the day, that cover image is burnt into my soul lol.
Oh, I can attest to that. I clearly remember seeing the add a million times.
I remember the ads in the gaming magazines back in the day advertising this game, and my impression based on those is that The Immortal could be released today as a Prepare to Die edition :) I recall Good Old Games putting this up for sale recently, but I assume it's the IBM PC version.
Happy to find this. Thank you. I'll say the Mega Drive's music is probably my most treasured but I don't know how they do the tracks I like in the first versions you profiled. Feels different though. The gore was hilariously over the top, too. I believe, though, that the MD's combat AI was lacking compared to the Nintendo version's, and I think there are a few puzzles in the Nintendo version that aren't in the MD. The MD version's aesthetics are great, though.
Thanks for watching. 👍
........and another top notch Battle of the Ports! Damn! Thank you for this pleasant video.
I became shocked once I discovered that Piko Interactive has the rights of the game. Like it was released in Evercade and most people didn't pay attention, but when Nintendo put the NES version on NSO app, I started to feel uncomfortable when I knew it.
Great video, Mark: it's rare to have a battle of the ports without at least one bad port in the mix. The Immortal is a game I was interested in back in the day but picked up or played. Maybe someday I'll play it...
I agree. This is a nice refreshing change.
One of those rare lovely games that is basically good across all platforms. If only there were more like that...
Ironically the NES version was censored, but was sinister mainly in empty rooms because of music
This is one game that I never thought would be adapted to consoles but I am happy to be wrong. The NES version clearly benefits from its full screen presentation without the unnecessary borders of the computer versions. It is clear that more of the scenery is visible in this version, which in my opinion enhances the gameplay and immersion. The other versions feel a little bit cramped in comparison.
I wonder why they thought these blank and functionless borders were a good idea. I suppose that the Apple II GS may not have hardware scrolling (just a hypothesis, I do not remember if that is the case) so reducing the display size was necessary to obtain satisfying performance?
In any case, great video Mark! I think I will pick up the NES version if I ever find one. 😉
Yay! Apple II love! Damn loved those systems.
The Apple IIgs is an incredibly underrated machine.
For me personally I loved the game and the Megadrive version when it came out. Those death animations! Especially when you split the goblin in half and all spaghetti came out or you cut a section of the trolls face off and you see it trying to cover the exposed grey skull underneath. PEGI would have had a field day with that back in the day. Thought the music was creepy as hell too back in the day. Lost count the amount of hours I spent on this game but could never get past that worm room in Level 5, always got caught :D so used a code out of a magazine to get to Level 6. Great times!! :D
Loved this so much at the time on the Mega Drive as never owned a 1 Meg ST
Mega Drive really loved to add gore to their games back in the day,
Funnily enough and if I'm not mistaken, this seems to be one of only two games that Electronic Arts ever released for the NES. They seemed like they instantly lost interest on the platform once they got in love with the Mega Drive. Must have been one of the licensed NES developers/publishers that for sure released less games during that system lifespam.
I guess they though the Mega Drive offered a better chance of making money?
Like many people who commented here... I tried to play this back at the day... both the Amiga version (Which was the first one I tried) and then later the Mega Drive one, and I couldn't get anywhere, This game is so BRUTALLY hard and unfair. If anyone ever finished this fairly without walkthrough and cheats, god damn it, congratulations for the patience.
It's a shame because the game has lots of cool features and a very interesting design, but most people who played it barely saw anything of the game after losing the temper by steping in an invisible insta-kill trap for the billionth time.
the one thing the megadrive excelled in was sound quality and clarity, especially the model one with the yamaha chips.
Kid playing Dark Souls: This game is so hard.
Anyone who's played "The Immortal": Boi...
The battles here are quite excrutiating if you don't have the manual, and it's an example of console games that _can't be picked up and played just like that._
Amazing!! The first game I played with a VGA!!
Nice game to start off with.
I remember this being ludicrously hard and getting killed over and over and over, back when Devs hated you and wanted you to suffer 😂 Wasn't there a dragon in it?
Yeah, the dragon is at the end of the game.
@@RetroCore It was so impressive at the time, now so quaint 😁
The IIGS version was the superior version - It was the only one that really featured the original full score using its 16 Channel Sound. The music score for the IIGS was absolutely brilliant! I wish I knew what ever happened to Douglas Fulton! He inspired me to become a video game composer!
Yeah, i remember renting this one.. It was a wasted weekend 😅
Constantly dieing I bet. Sometimes rentals saved us a lot of money 👍
Not my cup of tea, but very impressive for a computer game in 1990, maybe ahead of its time. I have the impression it's always on the verge to struggle performance wise on pretty much all platforms, but it achieves a lot in terms of animations and sound. Also, competent conversions to the Amiga and the ST: thanfully they did not outsource the job to the usual suspects we all know and not love, and it shows!
Yeah, this was quite impressive ack in the day. Bloody tough game though.
I love the game. The Amiga port could have been much more impressive, though. At that low speed and with 1 mb, translucency effects and 32 colors would be straightforward.
Always that I've played a game which asks for character's name I call it "Mordamir" or "Bydo" in tribute to this game and R-Type.
I played it on MD. It was way to difficult. I love the soundtrack. A couple of years ago I read that Will Harvey turned out a eletronic music professional, or something like that. By the time, his intension was create Immortal to be a multiplayer game!
I guess he was thinking ahead of the times.
I remember the guide to this on NES...so brutal but I did beat it a few times.
Спасибо за наглядное сравнение редких версий. Жалко, не переиздали игру в максимальном качестве...
Another early PC port to the Genesis that only uses 16 colors except for static screens. And nurds online insist there was no reason why Sega thought 61-75 colors on screen was acceptable in 1988.
The Immortal is one of my favorite games for the Genesis period, and one of my fondest memories from the early days. I had already beaten the NES game before the Genesis game came along and I still picked it up and thought it was a fine upgrade. The Immortal is a great, well designed and unique title.
This is what the AVGN played.
Battle of the ports 🎮🕹 very retro♡
I miss the old EA
I only played Amiga and Megadrive versions back in the day
I've played this for the Amiga , Megadrve and Nes. And all were hard and frustrating.
I got it on GENESIS version ....... very very good game !
Atari ST music is just a nightmare!
I'd agree. It's horrible.
I had this on the megadrive and loved it. Took me so long to finish it, I got stuck on the last boss for ages. I was well proud of myself for beating it, but I also couldn't help kicking myself for how dumb I had been.
Congratulations on completing this one. It's a really tough game. That's for sure.
@@RetroCore At last! The recognition I deserve!
I first came a across this game was from an AVGN episode.
I had the iigs soundtrack somewhere years back... it is (imo) miles ahead of all the others, and incredibly atmospheric. I'd happily and respectfully advise anyone to go look for the zip files.
Dos mt-32, best soundtrack
I loved that game! Great video!
Ea was such a differenti company back then
newer played it. but yes, actuelly im do like the animation, quite cool. yes, scrolling etc is jecky for all platforms. but a game extractly like this does not matter really extractly in this game, when the core game is good and still play nicely. This is what it is.
5:23 Holy shit! 😰 And to think Night Trap and the original Mortal Kombat were bad according to Congress. HA!
Lol, obviously this game just wasn't high status enough to get their attention.
@@RetroCore Yes, that's true.
I think a battle of the ports of Aladdín by Virgin Games would be interesting because while the Mega Drive version Is the most well known it had a surprising number of ports
Agreed, I was shocked to find out just how many there were. Mega Drive, DOS PC, NES, Game Boy and Game Boy color off the top of my head.
They're all different games. Maybe the DOS is the same as the Mega Drive but the others aren't.
Retro Core Actually, there's also a NES port, a Amiga port, a GBC port, and probably some others I'm missing that are the same.
@@RetroCore the only versions of Aladdin that are different are the Game Gear/Master System one, and the SNES /GBA one, but all the others are ports of the Mega Drive version, including the GB, GBC and NES ports oddly enough
Never tried this game before. Reminds me a little like Gauntlet
It's quite different to play but I can see why it reminds you of Gauntlet.
The ST version made my ears bleed!
Yeah, it's not the best sounding game on the platform, that's for sure.
A lot of ST games seem to really not make very good use of the AY chip... I *know* it can do better.
My best friend and I played the absolute hell out of the NES version when we were kids. All these years later as a veteran game developer, and I still don't know how they managed all the animations on the NES, definitely an envelope pusher for the hardware. I certainly prefer the NES version over the Genesis/MD port. The Sega port just looks washed out most of the time, with a strange lack of contrast. Always thought the game actually looked better on the NES. The gory death animations on the Sega were pretty entertaining, though.
I guess there is plenty of space for the animations when all the dungeon assets are the same.
The Mega Drive version looked so good to me back in the days. Now with the lack of a crt tv the dithering just looks awful today. Even nes graphics aged with a lot more dignity :)
Oh yeah I forget EA is such good game company back then, such good game company like them became jerk now day, heck I even cannot believe how they can still in business after release many crap sequel and even kill some of them along with studio who develop good franchise, I still hate them after what they did to Ultima series btw.
Yep, EA just became a horrible company.
Same with Activision, and to think it started as protest against Atari practices...you either die a hero, or live long enough to become a villain.
What were thou thinking? - AVGN
You should do Dark Castle on Battle of the Ports. I would love to see that.
Oh man, that trully is a horrible game. I've only ever played the Mega Drive version and that was enough.
Despite having the weakest hardware, I must say the NES version seems the best of all versions. It certainly has the best sound, in my opinion even surpassing the ][ GS original, smooth gameplay and even looks pretty decent. Though the sprites are smaller, the animation seems less stiff than the other versions, which is impressive for an NES game. Though, I'd argue it was poorly optimized for the Mega Drive and IBM PC, as those systems should have the smoothest scrolling and animation. They're still good games, but they don't really take advantage of the extra power of the Motorola 68000 and whatever cpu IBM compatibles used at the time.
In 1990, most people would have a 286 or less. Wing Commander required a 386 just to boot and caused outrage! PC graphic cards struggled with scrolling back then let alone an isometric one, so I think it's a decent looking action game for the PC of the time, especially considering its non-X86 origins (which probably cause the dumbed down AI).
"Please note that the Switch version is not included."
THERE WAS A SWITCH VERSION? Gonna check this out! (unless you mean the NES Online version)
Regarding ports, the console versions are the best here. No big surprise to be honest.
Yeah, it's just the NES version on switch.
The ST port also looks slower and has jerkier scrolling than the Amiga version.
I had this one for the Amiga and was one of those games I enjoyed playing, even though I couldn;t get that far in it. I found the graphics and the music really added to the atmosphere. Isometric games are a style I can't quite get my hand/eye co-ordination on them but I still enjoy the challenge and of the ones I've played on the Amiga, this would be second only to Cadaver.
The Dark Souls of it's day? Lol. Just kidding. Still have the Genesis game. Actually finished it back in the day. God knows how. It's still an interesting game with some enjoyment to be had if you are willing to keep at it.
Did you know the NES version is available on Nintendo Switch Online Service (alongside Donkey Kong Country) a few months ago?
At least in the west.
I played it a little and didn't bothered touched it afterwards.
Yep. It's just emulation though.
❤❤ 💥⚡💥💥 battle of the ports 💥⚡💥💥
Obviously, the Amiga and Megadrive are a tossup for 1st and second, with the ST at the rear. That NES version looks hella impressive though, and is a fine example of a good developer doing well with what they have.
I'm interested to know why you listed the PC version as "IBM Comaptible" instead of "MS DOS." Surely this wasn't a booter...
Because thats what the PC standard was known by in most countries throughout the 80s and early 90s, and not simply listed as ‘MS-DOS’. you can even check the Immortal disk on Moby Games and it says IBM and Compatibles
The PC version is actually a exe boot file. Not a Dos game.
@@RetroCore Wow, didn't think you could get this complex as a bootdisk game on IBMs. Impressive.
@@CastleFamilyThe Additionally, PC98 (an almost completely different architecture) games also ran on top of MS-DOS, so it's just being more technically correct. XD
Looks like a 16 bit Diablo game.
For me, the Megadrive port wins out. Not only does it add the battle scenes, but the music is by far the gloomiest and most atmospheric, and it just suits the setting perfectly.
That Atari ST music is painful. I'm impressed with the NES music, though.
Oh, I should add that I had only ever encountered the Genesis/MD version before today and was unaware that it was a port
Yeah, the NES version was quite impressive in all areas.
I didn't even know there was a Genesis version of this game. Or any other version that wasn't the NES for that matter.
Yup. The Genesis/Mega Drive had all the blood and gore.
@@ravager48 I can see that. Very graphic for its time.
Yep, actually I was the opposite. I always knew there was a PC and Mega Drive version but had no idea about the others.
I had a copy of this for the Amiga. I loved the graphics, but hated the gameplay. I hated the unavoidable traps, I found it impossible to swing out of holes and the combat was frustrating.
Yeah, sadly this is a game you need to learn rather than just play./
@@RetroCore I had a copy of the manual and I read all the combat tips about dodging and waiting to strike, but they never seemed to work for me. I also read how to swing out of holes, but that never semed to work either. I could swing up to the edge, but could never get him to climb out.
Many thanks for this one mark! Your Battle of The Port are my saturday morning appointment in the morning with my coffee here in France. And this time its The Immortal Battle of the ports!
I really enjoyed this game on my Amiga. Another very ambitious heroic fantasy game with mature content and a lot of gore, characteristics of a few games at the time. Graphics are detailed with lot of animations, sometimes very funny, nicely mixed with the mature elements. Musics are nice and tried to use the Amiga ability to play PCM instruments. But the choice of a kind of bagpipe as main instrument is surprising and while all the rest is rather melodious, this bagpipe can become annoying and disturbing. In comparison, the original Apple IIGS musics are less invasive.
I really love the Megadrive version too with the kind of "zoom" mode for the fights, a feature clearly created to make the game more "consolish". Completely useless, but funny.
I'm a little bit surprised concerning what you tell about the Atari ST version which uses the same GFX as all the other versions in 16 colors. The colors are slightly different as ST only have a 512 colour palette compared to the 4096 colors of the Apple IIGS and Amiga, but it's the same on Megadrive. On the other hand, I didn't remember the musics were so atrocious on ST. How players could concentrate while playing whithout shutting down the sound is a mystery. A shame because even the little YM2149F can do far better.
I never took time to have a look on the NES version and whaooo, many thanks for drawing my attention to it. It's really amazing. Of course all is smaller but to be honest, I think it gives a cute aspect to the game. Musics are really nice too! I think I will give a try on this one soon.
And I'm not susprised by the choice of making the game more linear game. Developpers often took liberties converting games on the NES, maybe a recommendation of Nintendo to ensure the games published on NES are the more possible adapted to the constraints of the machine and the expectations of their customers to ensure the best experience for the player, even if it means to modify the game content and gameplay compared to the other versions (I immediatly think about Bionic Commando).
Many thanks again for this great Battle Of The Ports. Not a lot of versions, but what a game! And for once, all the versions are nice!
Hey, glad to hear you are enjoying the show with your morning coffee 👍
Whats the best port of the game in your opinion?
Hmm, I'm quite a fan of the PC version 👍
What is it with IBM PC versions not having continues? Double Dragon 2 was the same, nearly impossible because you only had 3 lives and no continues.
I guess they thought nobody would play the games.
@@RetroCore maybe but it seems like a lot of effort went in into them. CGA, EGA and VGA graphics, at least two sound drivers...
The NES version is somehow better than the Megadrive
Nes is getting my vote. Most impressive.
It is very impressive for the NES.
@@RetroCore Never knew about Nes verison. Learn something new every day. Good old Nes👍
I'm impressed, this version is astonishing. How they managed to insert all the animations of the 16 bits versions is a complete mystery 🤪
@@iXien I need to see how it plays. But how Impressive for a little 8-bit. 👍👍
Goodness, I've wasted many nights for this game on the NES version and never really finished it.. While I loved it's gameplay aspects, it really is a battle of patience.. I always think of this game as an 8bit Demon/Dark Souls type of game haha
Fantasy and Action should have been right along my alley, but I couldn´t connect with the cheap deaths in the game. (MegaDrive)
Try the PC version. It's a bit more forgiving
Did you know that the game’s rights are now picked up by Piko Interactive? (I saw the NES version up for play on Switch Online) It’s true! Piko Interactive is known for picking up practically dead franchises (they even have Jim Power!) and having then available to the public again.
Ah, good old Piko, reviving games that nobody wants. Well, sometimes.
Huh, maybe I should play this. I wish it was released on the Commodore 64. It might've had some awesome music by Jeroen Tel!
It's the sort of game I'd expect on the C64 too.
The NES version seems a direct port of the Megadrive one. Both great versions. I've to try Megadrive one, some day...
i think this was in an AVGN episode...it's the game that killed him and sent him to hell...
And sadly a lot of people will believe this game is crap until the end of times, only because AVGN has made a video about it. Once he trashes a game, it's over. Also, many of his fans seem unable to underdstand his videos are comedy and not reviews.
Very well said
This game title sounds like the immoral john hancock
Nah, it's way better than him 😁
Man... I can't like this game. Its difficulty is punishing and, to make it even enjoyable, only with cheat codes. Pity, it has nice graphics, music and presentation.
Yeah, sadly this was quite normal with computer games. They weren't very long so to make them last they were designed to be quite difficult.
Had this on megadrive, always thought it was very unfair and not much fun. Quite a badly designed game with unavoidable deaths until you work out where everything is. The music on the st and Amiga versions is bloody horrible, almost like semi random grating notes piled on top of each other.
Especially on the ST. That version did sound bad.
next episode i want to see is xenophobe
Maybe in the near future.
Feels like the IBM compatible version has the jerkiest animation and scrolling.
They're all a bit wobbly but yeah, the PC version is probably the worst.
nes handily wins in the music department.
There's a Master System port of the Immortal? I never knew about that.
@@RetroCore he ment md. it was a typo.
That's the kind of the game that has a heck of a first impression and then, about 30 mins later, it's pretty unbearable.
Lol, it can become very annoying.
@@RetroCore A sneeze and you die later in the game. xD