Battle of the SHMUPS - TRUXTON vs TATSUJIN - Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) vs PC Engine
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- Опубліковано 5 сер 2024
- Ready for another Battle of the Shmups? It's TRUXTON vs TATSUJIN in a Port Battle to the Death. Both will kick your ass, but is the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) or PC Engine version the best? I analyze the graphics, sound, gameplay and even the cover art to determine which port comes out on top? Console Wars back again in this Shooter Shootout - Battle of the Shmups - Truxton Vs Tatsujin - Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) Vs PC Engine
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Chapters
0:00 - Intro
1:20 - Aspect Ratio Arcade vs Ports
03:19 - Graphics Comparison Arcade vs Sega Genesis vs PC Engine
05:04 - Sound and Music Comparison Sega Genesis vs PC Engine
08:58 - Gameplay In-Depth Arcade vs Sega Genesis vs PC Engine
15:50 - Cover Art Sega Genesis / Mega Drive vs PC Engine
16:14 - And the WINNER is!
16:29 - Which one should you play? Final Thought
17:19 - Want more Tatsujin? Check out my other video!
Want more Toaplan action? Check out my other video series "Brutal Shooters" especially on the Mega Drive for lots more STG / Shoot Em Up gameplay and perspectives. And never forget that Shmups are Shooters!
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It's refreshing to see someone from North America that recognises that Sega's 16-bit console was called the Mega Drive in most of the world and doesn't insist on calling it the Genesis (Wikipedia editors, I'm looking at you). I played the shit out of Truxton in one of my local arcades back in the day and still love the soundtrack. The PC Engine port looks really good I have to say but for me the thing that lets the Mega Drive version down the most, at least visually, is the blue backgrounds in all the space parts.
I grew up in the US calling it the Genesis and generally use it interchangeably but I get that globally and in Japan it’s the mega drive. And I have a pretty international audience so I try to use the name most prefer. I don’t get why some take so much umbrage it not being called Genesis. When I refer to the US version of the pc engine as Turbografx it makes sense as it was practically a different console in form and some function. They’re unique from each other. Same with NES and Famicom the hardware is unique. But the MD and Genesis are mostly identical and it’s just how it was marketed. So it feels more natural to just call it a mega drive no matter the discussion. But I get both types and some comment that I should call it Genesis 🤷♂️. Can’t win em all.
In my book Genesis is either the crap part of the Bible, or a crap eighties soft pop band.
It’s crazy that both the arcade and Genesis versions are going to be released this fall thanks to the Genesis mini 2 and the toaplan collection on the Evercade. Golden content
I'm from England so I grew up playing on a PAL Mega Drive, needless to say it felt like my childhood was a bit of a lie when I discovered emulation in my teens and realised that many of the games I enjoyed in my younger years were running slower than they should have been. Very interesting to see that Truxton is the exception here - perhaps one of the few games I actually enjoyed at the intended speed! Great video by the way.
Classic Game Room was what got me to give Truxton a try back in the day. Glad he memed that game so hard because I love it.
Tatsujin is my all time favorite Toaplan game, I just love it plain and simple. And to be honest, even though I gave the more arcade like PCE version the edge here, it was likely the more accessible nature of the mega drive port that got so many into the game as kids. It's just so damn brutal on the PCE, the Genesis port really is the best way to get started playing it and at least enjoy the early levels before it slaughters you late haha.
I played Truxton at an Arcade in Italy in 1990 whilst on a two week family holiday. I was sixteen and played it pretty much every day of those two weeks. Happy memories. What a great game.
I was never lucky enough to see that game in arcades. So it was console only for me. That game was so brutal I can imagine trying to get anywhere in the arcade version and all the quarters used. I must have finished the pc engine version maybe twice in my life lol. But what a game and I love the music in it.
Great video! Truxton and Armed Police Batrider were the reason I set up a Retropie. Then played barely any of those two when I discovered Truxton II
Thanks! I can't wait for Truxton 2 to come out on Switch by M2 that I keep hearing about. That will be so awesome and also a very difficult week lmao
I didn’t even know until last week that truxton was tatsujin and that there was an arcade. This is why I love your videos! You put me onto new games! Keep it up i see positive things in the future.
Thanks dude I'm always happy to spread the shmup love. I'm always learning new things as well especially from great people I met on IG so I'm glad I found that community.
Excellent work. Really enjoy this channel.
Thanks! One of my very early videos and comparisons but so much fun to make.
Great video dude! 😎
Another great video Mr. Junkie! I had just found out there was a Truxton 2 for arcade right when you uploaded this. Also, a Salamander 2.
They are going to be porting Truxton 2 to switch from what I hear! Super excited about that. More ways to get our ass handed to us lol. Salamander 2 is super cool and it's been available on the Saturn and PS1 pack for a while so there are some ways to play it. Definitely check it out. I'm looking forward to the Tatsujin Oh port but not looking forward to it's famed brutality. I'd definitely do a video on it though!
@@ShmupJunkie Have you ever played Image Fight 2?
Yet another great video. Tatsujin is amazing on both systems, Love the first couple of stages on the PCE version, can't get any further 😂 The MD version is also great and allows me to get to Stage 4. The music is just awesome and Stage 1 on pCE version is perfection. Keep up the good work on the videos 👍
RetroHeed thank you my friend and I agree both versions are so good. I tried to impart that in my video and comments. The stage 5 music is so amazing on PCE too bad almost no one gets to hear it 😂.
I'm having Classic Game Room flashbacks
Haha I can't compete with that Truxton classic that's gotta be one of his most popular ones I remember.
Awesome! I didn't know this channel exists, I used to watch a lot of Retro Core and Game Sack to learn about Shmups to play (emulation)! great work man!
I'm really glad you found me and yeah, I have a lot of good videos with recommendations. New games coming this year in 2021, a Beginner Shmups video, and another with the best FREE to play shmups and a wiki you can get download links from. Hopefully between everything you'll find plenty to look up for a long time!
@@ShmupJunkie Thank you, It's a great work you do man, there are a lot of videos i'm catching up to, already take some advices and played some of the shmups you reviewed. Also one of my favorites is Eliminate Down in Megadrive horizontal shooter awesomeness!
@@leonardoantonio8756 Eliminate Down is great. I remember I showed it in an old video I did for the top 5 hardest mega drive shooters.
@@ShmupJunkie I'll watch it
Great video and detailed comparison!! Even though I am a Sega fan and not had that much chance to play TG16/PCE back in the day, I am going to stick with Tatsujin as well after this review!!
Hard to go wrong with either one. Esp given the PCE game goes for a lot of money now like a few hundred bucks. But I do personally prefer it even if if both versions are pretty great. Glad you enjoyed it though and found it useful too.
I discovered your channel on instagram. Great content!
Sudaca Thanks! What’s your IG name so I can find you there?
There is a code to adjust the difficulty in the PC Engine port, which puts it even more over the top for me. That ability to customize your gameplay experience is important, especially for those of us who have busy schedules or who want to play these games for a long time and with other people who may not be as good as we are at the games.
Does the code allow you to lower the difficulty also? I would love to try that out. I love Tatsujin on PC Engine, but I admit it's only for the most hardcore of players. 99% of people can't even finish the first stage. So a code to make it a bit more reasonable for more people is very cool. Even better if they did not hide it inside a code haha.
@@ShmupJunkie I believe you can, and also adjust lives and continues and other things. I don't own a copy or a flash cart, so could you try the code below and let me know? They're actually selling it at my local recycle shop for about $230, which is why I watched your video, haha! I agree they should have not hidden it behind a code, but a lot of games did that back then (like Final Match Tennis and L-Dis). It might have been a Japanese cultural thing.
Anyway, here's the code:
At the title screen, hold select and press run to enter the Options Screen. In addition, play the game, score 7100 points, soft reset and do the same code to get a more advanced Options Screen.
I think there's also a code to see the ending on Gamefaqs.
As for the recycle shop, can't decide whether to take the plunge yet or not myself. But damn that cover is so sexy. 😍😍😍
I'm pretty sure the PCE version has a hidden options screen with a difficulty setting and narrow screen mode, but I haven't played it for years. This channel is excellent btw, keep up the good work and keep hitting the pipe. I'd love it if you covered the likes of Nexzr at some point
JSfromthecrypt it totally does. It’s one of the things I wanted to cover but ran out of time. It lets you adjust bombs, lives etc as well. Maybe in a future vid. Nexzr is pretty special to me too you can bet I’ll do a video on it. It’s not super well known and one I want to do justice one day. The music is epic.
It took me a few seconds to look this up: kill lesser enemies to earn exactly 7100 points, then press run and select together. I'm new to PCE forums, too. It's not just you :)
I want the narrow screen mode, too - specifically the longer screen, not just a change aspect ratio (I want more real estate).
Very cool comparison video
Thanks! I really enjoy making them!
Spaceships of red, blue and green. You can hear the alien ladies scream: WE WANT TRUXTON!
OK, I want to know where that lyric or line is from. It sounds familiar yet I just can't place it!
This was a great review, really enjoyed it. I wish I had bought the PC Engine version back in the day, but it's prohibitively expensive these days, £300+ for a boxed one vs about £60 for the Mega Drive version. I'm am lucky though as I have the MD one and also the arcade PCB, such a great game!
Awesome you have the PCB! If you have that, you already have a perfect way to play it with that original difficulty. The PCE version is really good at keeping the spirit of the original intact, but it's definitely not as good as the arcade with all the extra vertical space. It's one of the few Toaplan PCBs I own too along with Outzone.
This was cool. Thanks.
Liked and subscribed. Look forward to more videos! BTW, have you ever played Slap Fight (Alcon)?
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it I'm working on a bunch more comparisons like this one and the Lords of Thunder I did. Slap Fight is really cool and I've totally played it, but I'll admit I need to put more time into it one day as I'm not too great at it yet. It's one of the MD ports I want to get but it's gotten so darn expensive over the years. It would make for a cool video one day if I can put some more time into it... I know it gets pretty deep in the multiple loops.
Great game, great breakdown. Much love for this one but damn is it hard on the PCE.
Thanks buddy. It's more than hard it's a beast. Sometimes hard to tell if it or the arcade is harder but they are both brutal in their own way. I was glad to already have PCE footage from my last playthrough so I only had to beat it again on the MD this week 😂
Great comparison!! For the next time a comparison between Aero Blasters MD/PC E
Benjamín Zúñiga Funny you choose that game I was thinking the same thing! 😂. Both great ports just the PCE version is even harder as usual 🤦♂️
Thank you for the video. Your channel is great by the way. I was about to buy the PCE version but the price is kind of high ^^
"The Genesis version may be too easy"
>Slowly crawls under the table as I remember I never managed to finish it on the Genesis
Oh it's not too easy, it's honestly perfect for a console. It's only that way for someone that grew up playing either the arcade or PC Engine version. And it gets very hard on the final stage. Looking back after making this video so long ago, even though I prefer the PCE version myself, the MD port is the perfect difficulty level for a console release.
Awesome comparison mate and great game play! Based on what I saw in the video I totally agree with everything you said and damn those ghost bullets, I would'nt stand a chance. And BOSS FREEZE! NOOOOO!!! I have a story about this but I'll save for Instagram one day!
Excellent video mate and seriously looking forward tou your next one!
Oh, and my awesome T-Shirt arrived!!!! I will drop a post soon!
King Lizzard's Game Lounge Thanks buddy. Yeah that’s the second time now making these vids I had the game freeze on a boss. No bueno. I’m working on a really funny one this week I think you’ll have a blast with the next one. If not at least I am haha.Stoked your shirt came! Looking forward to seeing how it came out. I just got my other ones the other day too.
0:00 - Intro
1:20 - Aspect Ratio Arcade vs Ports
03:19 - Graphics Comparison Arcade vs Sega Genesis vs PC Engine
05:04 - Sound and Music Comparison Sega Genesis vs PC Engine
08:58 - Gameplay In-Depth Arcade vs Sega Genesis vs PC Engine
15:50 - Cover Art Sega Genesis / Mega Drive vs PC Engine
16:14 - And the WINNER is!
16:29 - Which one should you play? Final Thought
17:19 - Want more Tatsujin? Check out my other video!
Top 5 Most Brutal Shmups on the PC Engine (Tatsujin Included)
ua-cam.com/video/_d4-6NrvI90/v-deo.html
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www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/SHMUPSARESHOOTERS-Shumups-Are-Shooters-by-patee333/52102559.IJ6L0
Very nice video, and I have the same conclusion as you. 🥳
BTW you didn't played correctly the PCEngine version! 😱
You need to set the screen in Slim mode and you will see that the game is even more beautiful 🤩
How to do that? Just play the beginning of the game without missing any enemy until you reach the 2 big Demi-boss. Your score should be 7100 nothing less nothing more, and then do a soft reset. Now relaunch the game but by keeping the SELECT button and press RUN
You should enter the debug menu, letting set various things to ease you... more credits? ;)
And of course choose Slim video mode! And voila ! 😎👌
Hey! Do you know where to find the hack that fixes the audio on the Mega Drive version?? I can't find it online. Thanks!
I'm not positive it's still out there, though I'd heard of it. I mainly know the one that improves the colors and look of the game, along with bullet visibility on the final stage. But I don't think that one addresses the sped up audio. One thing for sure, M2 will likely fix it in their ports when they eventually get to the Tatsujin collection.
Great video as usual. Also, that soundtrack on the PC Engine version is so good.
Oh yeah I looove the music on the pce version of this. It gets stuck in my head all the time.
@@ShmupJunkie And what 'bout music from Thunder Force IV?
Will you make a review of this Genesis masterpiece?
It looks/sounds/plays SO gorgeous...!!
@@oldfan4049 I actually would like to do a special video on Technosoft as a whole. Thunder Force and all their other excellent games. I have a friend who is a big technosoft buff and has been giving me a lot of rare info on them, so I’m going to take all of it and make something special for them.
@@ShmupJunkie How long I need to wait for that masterpiece review?^^
@@oldfan4049 As long as it takes until I think it’s worthy of their greatness 😁👌
They will be next after I finish my current project on Compile
I didn’t even know this had a PC Engine or even Arcade Version until a few years ago.
Yeah everything made by Toaplan was originally arcade far as I know. They usually handled the mega drive ports themselves. And did a great job with them too. Their hellfire and zero wing ports are both good.
@@ShmupJunkie I haven’t given many arcade shooters a try because of the vertical screens. I don’t have the Option to spin mine around so they‘re usually rather awkward to play.
Great comparison! Good old EGM ha. Some of their shmup reviews were pretty suspect.
I'm afraid to go back now and see what they said about other old shooters. The stock I put in them from sheer nostalgia is slowly fading.😅
Have you tried turning on the PCE while holding down Select + Run (or only Run or something, can't remember)? There are a few games that will boot in a different aspect ratio this way. Sorry mine is not set up right now, otherwise I'd just check myself.
However, as far as I remember there are games that look a bit off in both aspect ratios, the picture is either too narrow or too stretched (visible by looking at objects that are expected to be perfectly round if you know what I mean).
Reinhart Sieger Yes! Tatsujin has a special menu I didn’t get a chance to include. There’s even a more advanced menu if you accumulate some points before using the select run trick. Aspect ratio, difficulty and more.
I probably dropped a comment somewhere before. But the audio is 100% superior at least to my ears on the turbo graphics.
I honestly love the chip tunes so much on the pc engine version I prefer it to the arcade. The melodic nature of Tatsujin music is a match made in heaven for that hardware.
Just found out about your channel; I've been watching all your shoot 'em ups comparisons and enjoy them. Regarding Truxton, some tunes sound better on the Genesis/Mega Drive, even if it was mistakenly sped up. Sally (Stage 2) is a perfect example of that.
Awesome! Glad you found me and you like the vids. I think this is the first or second one I ever did for comparisons. I can think of a few games too where sped up music sounds a bit better and ups the pace. I heard the upcoming Retrobit rerelease supposedly will fix the speed. So I wonder if they’ll add an option or not for those that like it left alone as it was. Nostalgia usually trumps all else. If my first experiences were a certain way I can see preferring it vs a fixed version.
@@ShmupJunkie There's a colors and sprite hack for the Genesis that makes the icons and colors closer to the arcade, adds backgrounds and texture details, fixes the bullet colors on the last stage, and more. I don't remember if it corrects the music speed to PAL but I think there's an option to do it.
@@arioca yeah I’d heard of that and pretty sure I downloaded it. So next time I play the MD version I’ll get to check it out!
Mega drive version has more detailed graphics. PC-Engine version has more brighter graphics due to displaying more colors on screen out of 512 color pallet. Overall, Genesis/Megadrives audio has more bass and very little mild distortion. Both games have same tracks, MD soundtrack is lower but much more technical with it's Yamaha soundchip. PCE version's music is more faster and melodic. sound effects are standard 8-bit, with the exception of the weapons.
Overall gameplay is the same for both versions. bombs in MD version fill entire screen. Both version are great. Happy gaming
There's an arcade color/sprites/background rom patch for the Mega Drive/Genesis version of the game. It's great and fixes the ghost bullet issue too. Try it if you get the chance.
I had one other person mention that also back when I first did this. I definitely will and load it onto my everdrive. Just seeing the bullets better at the end will already be worth it.
@@ShmupJunkie Didn't you know that Genesis version has FIVE different endings for the each of the successive loop?
Arcade original had no endings at all and PCE-conversion hadn't those either.
I think it can be a slight edge on the part of Genesis-port in terms of a gameplay (game become harder but you'll have your reward and in other versions there's NO reward at all).
"Invisible" bullets though are still a horrendous feature(((
Great content, as always. However, where did you get that there's a music speed fix for the Gen/MD version? I can't find one for the life of me. I do know that the version on the Mini 2 includes a fixed music option, but I cannot find a ROM hack patch that does the same. There is an easy-to-find hack that supposedly improves some colors and makes bullets easier to see. However, I tried it and the only thing that it did, is badly corrupt my ROM file. The Gen/MD version is still pretty great for such an early game coming on a 4 Mbit ROM. I don't get why they didn't implement at least some of the arcade version's parallax effects though. It's not as if it takes much work or resources on this system and the vast majority of other early 4 MBit games do take advantage of the second background layer and interrupt scrolling effects. I can only think of one other MD shooter which has zero layers: Insector X. By the way, I'm guessing that even with the black bar on the side, the MD version play area is the same horizontal resolution as the PCE one. I mean, like most MD games, this one looks to run 320 pixels wide, while PCE (and SNES) mostly did 256 pixels.
Excellent review and comparison of one of the GOAT shooters. The PC Engine soundtrack is sublime. This needs a re-release.
With you on the sublime soundtrack. They did an amazing job translating the music to the pc engine sound chip and I like some of the tunes even more than the arcade.
@@ShmupJunkie it’s out on Steam! The arcade version anyway! Little disappointed they didn’t get us a definitive collection, but still so grateful.
LOL I remember that EGM review well. Their preview in an earlier issue made it look so hype, it was weird to see them tear it down right after. Still, even as a Nintendo kid those visuals always left an impression, it was one of the handful of Genesis games I always wished I could play. After watching this I think I'm going to try & track it down.
EGM never went easy on games, at least first vs later toward the end, so I liked reading their takes, but some of the shooter reviews were definitely a bit suspect. Like the person playing wasn't always good enough at the games or able to really dig into it properly to render a fair opinion. If it frustrated them they tore it down. The true review is how it stood the test of time and is still considered a classic by anyone that loves the genre. Tatsujin is honestly still my favorite Toaplan game.
man, this channel fucking rocks
Great review! Apparently the difficulty of the Genesis one was a localization thing and the Japanese Mega Drive version is much harder.
You can actually play the Japanese version on the same cart, it's accessible and it does get a bit harder yeah. But the slowdown is still there so you can really take advantage of it with the blue laser powered up. I really like both of the ports and honestly the Sega difficulty is way more accessible for most players. The PCE version is brutal as hell.
Liking the megadrive mini 2 version of truxton with the corrected speed music. Feels pretty dam solid emulation-wise too 👌
Heck yeah it is. I had no doubts with m2 behind it. Practically the ideal way to play the mega drive version now.
Great video as always. Both are great versions but yeah, being an early port, the MD one suffers from some stuff like that sound issue and slowdowns. Also I don't know why they didn't added more parallax scrolling when the console can do it just right. I'm sure they used one of the layers available for bosses but c'mon the rest of the game feels flat. I understand the PCE version didn't have any because the hardware can't do it. Also, I mentioned on Twitter that my only real complain with the PCE version (Aside from being ultra hard lol) is that the damn sound effects mute the drums... Damn you sound designer for that stupid choice! This also happens with Kyukyoku Tiger :(
For an early port it's really quite excellent I never had many complaints except for it playing slower and why I liked the PCE more. It feels more like playing the arcade version. I guess the PCE only had so many sound channels so they had to sacrifice something. Kind of strange I don't know many games that do that, but the music came out so well. I think I don't notice it as much as I always use the blue laser so it's a constant stream until something actually dies or explodes. Both the MD and PCE showed they can do parallex yeah... even if the PCE cheats to do it. I will always take smooth gameplay over the fancy effects though so I am happy that remained intact. Very few games I enjoy going back and playing as much as Tatsujin.
@danmakuman Somos poquitos los latinos dedicados a los shmups. Ahí te tengo un poco de info de Super XYX (el máximo puntaje hasta ahora confirmado como potencial es de 85 millones). Deberías unirte a los Discords de Shmups y el de STG Rev 2020. Saludos!
Another amazing video man 👏 Tatsujin kicked my ass when I tried it on the PCE. Might have to play Truxton on the Genesis just to get my feet wet and then get the brutality of the PCE 😆
Bruno L Not a bad idea dude you’ll do better on MD then you expect. I went the other way so after playing it so much on PCE it felt bit easy on MD. Or just fire up that Everdrive and see how it is on PCE. Should only take you several minutes to find out 😂. It’s seriously that tough.
@@ShmupJunkie that's how I tried it the first time man. It kicked my ass 😆 I shall try again 😉
Bruno L 🤣😂
14:54 You actually can! I have a Mega Drive clone set to Japanese language, so it runs Tatsujin instead of Truxton (the cartridge is multi-region and will change its version depending on your console region). This was the only version I've played for some time, but recently I've fired up a Genesis emulator on my phone and went to play some Truxton (set to US version), set it to hard mode and played for some time. The first two big ships did not shoot their spread gun, large enemies died faster, there were much less bullets and I've thought for some time that I was playing Normal mode, but there was definitely a "Hard" next to my score. After some research I've found out that Hard mode of Genesis Truxton is actually Normal mode of MD Tatsujin, only limited to 3 credits and the difficulty level is actually the same as in the second loop of the American/European version. So if you feel like Truxton is too easy, just mod your Genesis a region switch (it is very easy on Model 1 MD) or buy a Japanese MD... or at least try it on the emulator. This is fun!
Cool to know thank you. I did get the impression the Japan version was a bit harder, but I couldn't really tell by how much. The main thing that made it easier for me was all the slowdown that happens if you use the blue laser near full power. So it makes dodging all the bullets much easier. Which I figure would be on any mode. But I will definitely try the Japan version on purpose deeper into the game next time I play it on the MD. It'll be fun to see how it is by comparison. Hopefully with the color hack so I can see the bullets on the final stage haha. That's when MD Truxton gets really nasty and brutal, no joke!
Excellent comparison! PCE definitely has the better sound, but I always prefer the Mega Drive sound over PCE. Such an challenging shooter regardless!. Great job!
Yeah man everyone has their preference. I actually think the MD has overall better sound effects than the PCE version I just happen to like that lightning sound. I mainly just love the chip tunes on the PCE version it just gets me in the feels whenever I play it.
what a great video an channel
Thank you. I see you are streaming some great retro games as well. I saw you had blazing lazers in there... an old favorite.
@@ShmupJunkie thx man, i'm a die hard shooter fan as well
Another awesome video mate. Have recently played both versions after watching this, and once again, you are totally on the money here. Totally agree. PC Engine version so much harder. And, what’s with the music on the Sega Genesis/Megadrive? Defo sounds like it’s on speed. Keep on shmuping in the real world ✌️
One thing I missed and would like to have mentioned as although the MD port may not be on par with the arcade difficulty and feel, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It could be it's higher accessibility is part of what makes it so beloved among many MD fans as opposed to it slaughtering most players on Stage 1 lol. So it's a double edged sword, and not my preference, but possibly much more ideal for the majority of players versus the brutal PC Engine port. I really appreciate the feedback though and am glad you enjoyed it. This was my first Toaplan video comparison, but it's still my all time fav Toaplan game.
@@ShmupJunkie I’m part of the majority lol
Fun vid. You know about the hidden option menu in the PCE version? You can make the game much more accessible to practice on. More lives, bombs, screen size change, and even dropping the difficulty level. PCE version is my pick as well. Edit : Nm lol. Seen from another comment you do know now.
Yeah I know quite a few PC Engine games had that hidden menu access including this one. I never played with the aspect much actually I'm not sure how much it effects the gameplay. Of course I didn't know about it at the time as a kid that would've been much more helpful back then haha. I am curious what dropping the difficulty effects exactly so I will try it one day. Maybe the bigger enemies aren't as tanky or shoot as many bullets.
@@ShmupJunkie From my memory, enemies don't take as many hits. Definitely made a difference.
Man, I only got Truxton for the MD a year ago or so (bought a Japanese cart, which does indeed play both US and JP versions of the game depending on console regio).
The game is now permanently stuck in my MD, but even so it’s one of the harder shooters I’ve played so far. Great game, but I guess I’m getting old because dodging those bullets is quite hard for me 😅
But somehow, despite it teaching me some humility about how good I am at action games, I keep coming back!
Because Truxton is just a brilliant game! Even on pc engine and his brutal that port is… it kept me coming back.
As a beginner in shoot 'em ups I prefer the MegaDrive version because as you mention, at least at the begining is easyer. Also, for almost half-armed players like me, the bomb on the MegaDrive is of great help. Concerning the music, I love the 3 versions, even the "too fast" MegaDrive one. Ironically my girlfriend hates them all.
This game on the MegaDrive, Blazing Lazers on the PC-Engine and R-Type on PlayStation are the games that I have played most in the last 4 months thanks to this channel.
You're right on with that. If the Mega Drive version wasn't more accessible at the time, I think there would be a lot less Truxton fans today than there are. I don't knock it for that aside from me being so used to enjoying the original without the extra bits of slowdown. It really is the only somewhat reasonable way to play the game and not have it completely emasculate you haha. Though that's exactly what Toaplan intended for it to do.
Awesome. I definitely think the pce has the superior port after this great comparison vid. Having said that I’ll still be looking to pick up a mega drive version, still an incredibly good game as you’ve pointed out plus I’ll probably be able to get further into it before having my ass handed to me 😅
That and the MD version is a few times less expensive so it's a win all around. Hard to go wrong really. Let me know how you do once you get to try it out. It definitely takes some practice as the bullet patterns are unusual and seem to know where you are going to be at any one moment.
Is there any difference between the English and Japanese versions on megadrive/genesis ?
I did notice the Japan version is slightly harder. You can actually play both versions from the cart. If I remember right it’ll play the version depending on the console region. So if you’re using a flash cart or emulation you can play either version with the same rom.
Excellent and fair comparison here. As a kid I popped a few coins into the arcade cab but over time would rather watch than play due to it being outrageously difficult and unfriendly. The quickest credits ever spent, probably. Certainly Gradius & R-Type were better value (much longer lasting) experiences. The way certain 'boss' type enemies attack in formation, wait a while and then suddenly spit out clusters of fast multidirectional projectiles. You talk about reaching a zen state while playing - I think I know what you mean; for me it's 'unfocusing', being able to see everything at once and naturally slipping in and out of the spaces and patterns. Well, that shit never worked here because it's too damn nasty - and this is the easier MD version I'm talking about! I'll have to try again as I'd long written this game off as one that my brain never clicked with. Another excellent video, thank you.
You're welcome and glad you enjoyed it. PCE Tatsujin is crazy brutal so playing the MD version after certainly makes it feel much more manageable. I like how the levels just continue so you can stay in the flow if you are playing without dying (which is hard to do admittedly). I use up a lot of bombs toward the end just so I can keep my weapon and not have to start at a checkpoint. That is one thing the game does is give you lots of bombs to use up.
@@ShmupJunkie I literally just had a full go on my old MD cart, all 6 credits on normal. Managed to get to the end of stage 3. The erratic, insect-like movements of the boss enemies, huge sprite sizes & small field of view, how it forces you to stick to the middle of the screen so to avoid cheap enemies that suicide you from behind..I remember now why this game has such a reputation. I did manage to stock up on loads of bombs (especially during that later section in Stage 3) but lasting long enough to use them didn't happen. I haven't totally given up on it though, even though honestly it might be too much of an asshole for me. Thanks again.
-SG6000- my one biggest recommendation is to use the powered up blue laser. So you can induce lots of slowdown on the MD cart. It helps a lot to learn the bullet patterns which are very tricky on the mini bosses. I got my butt kicked for many attempts when learning this game. On PCE version without the slowdown it’s crazy brutal. I still can’t clear it myself on every attempt.
-SG6000- I forgot to mention. If you play the same cart on a genesis the US version will start and the bullets are a bit slower. Good for practice too.
Hey Shimo Junkie, how did you capture that arcade footage? It looks awesome!
Sorry, my phone auto corrected Shmup
It was actually just using retroarch! One day when there are Mister cores for some of these I can do that, but I don’t have PCBs so emulation is the only way I can play some of these. Although M2 is slowly going to release the Toaplan catalog so that’s exciting.
Truxton, to this day, I wish we could get a full mock up of a metal version of the megadrive "Brave Man, Far Away" first level music, with that kick ass launch off music to start it off, fading into that first boss fight as the second half, and ending off with the game over riff.
Too bad Tatsujin didn't make it on the mini. I've always liked to believe that the reason why Truxton played at the correct speed at 50hz was that the Toaplan guys were too hardcore to let PAL timings slow down their game. Sad to realise it was just about getting the specs wrong!
I would've loved it on the mini... even if it was likely way too hard for anyone but some of the most seasoned players. Truxton really was kind of a more reasonable way to at least enjoy the game and get your feet wet... but it just doesn't quite feel right to me after playing the original. So I like that both versions are out there for everyone. Toaplan supposedly did the MD port themselves so aside from the music being sped up by accident I can only guess it played exactly as they wanted. But I do love that second loop it feels great to play and more in line with what I'd think Toaplan would have wanted.
Ever since I played Truxton I find myself humming the intro tune
i play truxton MD version first when i was 3 years old. when i saw arcade and PCE version i was like i found a new experience! also the music of PCE/arcade are going my jam now!. even im still adore MD version because MD version made an old school retro music than PCE/Arcade.
even im playing the MD version. it still hard to me. im even reach stage 2 without death, even now i can't reach beyond that without death. especially the enemy ship speed, the bullet also the issue but im usually got crashed by enemy ship, also when the enemy appear from behind, made the game even more tricky. and about the bullet blending. im just realized when you notice that. i think that was normal before XD.
Btw thanks for reviewing my oldschool game in console battle!
I think the MD version was perfect for most players and why it’s so loved. It’s the perfect difficulty to enjoy without being so crazy nobody could play it. Even the first stage on PCE most people couldn’t beat so it’s only enjoyed by experienced players. But I love the PCE music so much it’s the one I like playing the most. I’m glad you have such good memories of it. It’s my favorite Toaplan game.
@@ShmupJunkie yeah its also my first ever toaplan game. the PCE music is just goosebumping me. until you show the PCE version. im decided to try that version and the arcade one too.
It's a tough call. The Sega version is definitely appealing and more console friendly, but at the same time you have to hand it to the pc engine for getting so close to the arcade version despite being a weaker console generally. I also prefer the pc engine sound chip. It's just more versitile and easier on the ears than the genesis/MD.
As always great video!
Thank you man appreciate that. One thing I did forget to talk about was the cost just as an aside, given how much the PCE version costs. That does make the MD port very appealing. With you on the sound chip I have a hard time going back from the great chip tunes on the pce port they're just so so good to me.
Can you explain why you think the PCE sound chip is more "versatile"? The Frequency Modulation synth used on the Genesis is pretty much the definition of "versatile" due to its nature. PCE music tuned to always sounded like souped up NES chip tunes, while MD could sounds like anything in hands of people who knew what they were doing (or didn't). Even early in the the console's life, you had soundtracks like Revenge of Shinobi, which transcended what "video game music" could be.
When comparing Tatsujin on both system, you really have to take into account that there are 3 years between them. The MD one was a very early release, done by people who were new to the hardware. To me, it always felt like a souped by Master System game, with its flat backgrounds and primitive, two channel FM tunes. I can't think why they didn't include the arcade's parallax scrolling backgrounds, considering that MD gives you two independently scrolling layers for "free" (supported by the VPD). I do wonder if it did perhaps start out as a Master System game. Compare Truxton to MUSHA, which came out a year later, and you pretty much see a generational leap in graphics and sound quality.
In the final level, the enemy *orange/red* bullets in the Mega Drive/Sega Genesis version turn *white,* instead of *blue.*
I had a hard time seeing them, particularly against the bright lava areas.
Boss song of said version turned out to be my fav, much to my surprise.
Yeah I was complaining about that in the video as well. There is supposedly a hack now that fixes that along with some other graphic enhancements. For me they were just very orange and blend with the lava too. Made it extra tough to see.
On MEGA DRIVE the sound effects are heavy and blend perfectly with unique, incredible music, we ended up being obsessed with this game, S+ game.
When comparing the sound on the two systems, the Sega Mega Drive sounds like Molly Hatchet's Flirtin' with Disaster blaring and crackling through the one good speaker I had in my 1979 Trans Am.
You make that sound like a bad thing? 😂 There’s nostalgia to some of that crap and I know it. I had an 87 Camaro and it didn’t sound much better until I upgraded the stereo. But now I’m picturing what that song would sound like that way lol
@@ShmupJunkie It was all I had when I was 19 years old, it was horrible. Trust me, I heard it in color.
I remember owning a copy complete for genesis believe I got it quite cheap at a used game store I remember it not rating that well but I loved it.
Not all the magazines at the time were well equipped to review these games and looking back some of them got it very wrong. Truxton is definitely a classic, proof by how many Sega fans still remember the game fondly to this day. Now of course it's a pretty expensive game. The cost of the PCE version is even crazier.
This was my favorite shmup to play in the 90's. Wish they would have put it on the PCE mini. Hopefully someday will be ported to Playstation of Switch
I like to think they didn't put it on the mini because they didn't want to make grown men cry 😂 but most likely as they won't get the license to release a Toaplan game. But M2 owns this now and is in process of porting all Toaplan games to Switch and PS far as I know. Including Truxton 2 and many more, so rejoice!!!
I'm a huge Sega fan boy and I own the Genesis Truxton but I have a Turbo Duo and now I want the PC Engine version of this game. It's overall the better game!!!
To be honest it’s hard to say which is best for everyone. It’s just best for me as I’m a huge Tatsujin fan. The sega port is still very good and way more accessible to most players with a fair difficulty curve. The pc engine port is just more like the arcade difficulty and gameplay and I love its music. But I can also see why many may prefer it on the mega drive. So they’re really both good. But if you are looking for that no slowdown arcade brutality the pce port is it. That or playing the original somehow. It’s coming to the Astro City V this summer.
The PCE one on hard/expert is what I call a difficult shooter. Drives me nuts. I disagree regardless, I am all for the Genesis version. Good to watch and it's always interesting to see another point of view. Cheers!
Man even the normal on PCE is hard as hell. Sure was for me anyway. What did you like most about the Genesis version? I liked it too of course but the gameplay just didn't have the same speed for me. I like using the blue weapon a lot and it always slowed the game down too much on the sega port. But honestly, I think for most gamers the sega port is by far more accessible which isn't a bad thing.
@@ShmupJunkie 1) PCE adds percussion track but it cuts out when firing and I find it incredibly distracting, far prefer genesis soundtrack which is constant all the way
2) Far prefer genesis resolution/screen size
3) Where we disagree completely - the pc engine version "feels" wrong to me, I have no idea what you are talking about with the genesis slowdown either.
I’m putting it out there. If you ask me this game is brutally hard. I think it’s the power up system as it takes a while to get a decent weapon set, though if you die you’re f**ked as you have to build them up from scratch.
I’m seeing areas and bosses in this game that I’ve never seen as I find it tough reaching the 2nd level boss lol.
That being said it’s such a fun game.
I'm with you a 100% when I first played it, it felt like one of the most impossible games I'd ever played. And it brutalized me for a good while. It wasn't until I could get the best weapon and just hold onto it without dying did it start to feel more reasonable. I like the blue laser as it allows me to dodge as I see fit without having to line myself up with enemies. You hit the nail on the head though that it's fun. It's one of those games that kicks your ass but you want to keep playing it. It just flows and when you get into a groove it's just killer. It's one of my most played games the last couple years.
Great comparison, did you know you can change the resolution of the pc engine.
Yes! It's one of those hidden secrets I wanted to include in the video and didn't realize until it was too late. I'm not so sure how I feel about it as I didn't know if it made the game any easier when I tried it last haha, but it's definitely a cool feature. But the other menu options like an easier mode and adjusting life and bombs is super useful.
I think you need to show some love for Shmup giants Cave & Psikyo.
Did you see my Top 5 Hardest Shmups on the Xbox 360? It was a Cave extravaganza! 😂 Psikyo is definitely going to happen, they will get their own special. I am not as much a Cave expert, but Psikyo is my era, even if the games bust my balls. 😅
I got to play Truxton a bit more tonight on the Mega Drive Mini 2. It still totally destroys me 😅 Though I can see what makes this a cool game, and the OST is amazing (though yeah, listening to the samples in your video, PC Engine OST takes the crown).
I think it’s awesome M2 went and fixed the audio speed for the mini 2 release. I’m a fan of both versions. But yes the pc engine tunes for this game slap.
@@ShmupJunkie Absolutely. M2 did a great job on the mini 2 in general with all those little details.
The PCE music sounds similar to some of it's other games - Dungeon Exporer, Legendary Axe and Kyukyoku Tiger. I wonder if the music for all those games was composed by the same person?
It’s possible. Or more likely just the type of sound chip it uses so many will sound alike. Mega drive was that way too many games had a similar sound to the music. PCE games were more melodic most often especially like the super star soldier and soldier blade games. It’s honestly my favorite thing about pce games. The sound effects were often lacking but the music was exceptional.
Ahhh tatsujin , loved it , i still remenber the bomb glitch , dropping a bomb on a boss and then press pause and the bomb was constantly damaging everything on screen during the pause 😂
Of course the trick didn’t work on the PCE version, the one game that we could’ve really used a break haha. I never actually knew about that glitch until a few years ago.
Привет братан) В список игр Sega Mini 2 входит японская версия Tatsujin, это очень интересно. Есть ли там какието отличия? А еще я видел в рекламе Wiewpoint , порт с аркады, перевыпущенный в 2022. Старая версия была кривоватой, при этом почти идентичная аркадной версии. Интересно поговорить об этом, зная о том что у вас стрелялки очень популярны были в свое время. А у нас раньше на картриджах совсем не попадались шмапы. Но сейчас я очень ценю шмапы. Особенно все 9 портов от Toaplan на mega drive.
Эй, приятель. Японская версия Tatsujin очень похожа, только немного сложнее, я думаю. На физическом картридже можно воспроизводить обе версии, японскую или международную. Новая точка зрения на Mini 2 впечатляет. В оригинале было много замедлений, и из-за этого было трудно играть. M2 исправляет/удаляет замедление Mini2 на Viewpoint, так что это будет улучшенная версия игры. Очень круто.
@@ShmupJunkie спасибо за интересный ответ. Проведи пожалуйста расследование в игре Power Drive.
@@ShmupJunkie почему нигде нельзя найти ром или дамп Tatsujin? Попадается только Truxton (W). Что за чертовщина?
That shirt 👕 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Damn straight! haha. My wife randomly made it for me as a gift and I liked it so much I had to put it up on Redbubble for anyone who wants to pick one up lol.
What could have been mentioned in the video is that the Mega Drive version starts in Easy mode and the PC Engine version starts in Normal mode. On the latter you have to hold "Select" and then press "Run" at the title screen to access the difficulty menu.
There is even a more advanced menu if you reset the Pc Engine after scoring exactly 7100 points by pressing Select and Run synchronously and then enter this menu. You can set a "Slim" mode there (which is closer to the Arcade aspect ratio).
I did want to show that menu actually on the PCE and it somehow just completely slipped me until after the video was done. I've messed around with it before too. The thing about the MD version is I never was able to get it on par difficulty wise no matter which loop or setting. The PCE version on normal is literally as hard or harder than the arcade, right from stage 1 and absolutely murders most people. I admit I like it because I grew up with it, and it does mirror the arcade curve. But in terms of what is "better" for a home console, I'll readily admit the MD makes more sense. It's not meant to eat quarters and many kids who played it ended up enjoying it a lot more than they would have if it was so unapologetically brutal from the get go. I don't think it would be nearly as popular hadn't it been more accessible and that's definitely a good thing. Aside from the slowdown which does take away from the game a bit, it does make it more manageable.
I only play it on Mame. But I would love to have this game for ps5 or series X.Truxton II is the epitome of everyshooter.
You’ll see it for sure from M2 on Switch and PS4 since they’ve been releasing the Toaplan collections. So likely playable on PS5 too once it’s out.
@@ShmupJunkie i checked Toaplan collection but I only seen Tiger heli and a few others Is Truxton already in the collection?
i always wondered why the heck did they decide not add any drums on the Genesis music? not even a single snare?? maybe it has to do with sega giving them the information about the sound specs too late? oh well....
I remember the interview with how short their timetable was and how late they were given certain info on the game. It's what caused the music to run too fast and sped up, so I can only imagine that's the reason for your theory too. I'll bet they could've fixed all those things had things been more organized, but it was still the wild west in those days haha.
You rock, bro! \m/
TRUXTON! The louder you speak its name, the more awesome it sounds! Arrrrgh!
About the conversions, I've always preferred the PCE version (Tatsujin) over the MD/Genesis version even for a personal preference: the MD/Genesis soundtrack lacks the drums! In fact, in the arcade version, these tunes were makin' your head bangin' but, when it come to the Genesis....where is the noise channel? Where are the fu**in' drums? (plus, the tune are faster than they should be, but they were optimized for PAL systems) Despite that, Truxton is still Truxton on every system.
And i love it, even on Mega Drive/Genesis....but, that soundtrack....ugh!
The MD's version music sounds more like the Mark 3 FM add-on music than MD's FM. It makes sense, considering that what he said about the developers not getting the proper specs for the MD audio hardware in time. I find that the music still has a minimalist charm to it though. It's almost like listening to "lo-fi". Anyway, it's a very early game for the MD and doesn't take advantage of many aspects of the system, especially the multiple background layers for parallax scrolling. There's no reason for it not having some of arcade's parallax in there, as it's basically "free" on MD. Being on a 4 Mbit ROM probably held it back too, like it did a lot of early MD games.
I’d die for a current gen re-release of this. PS4 or even 5 with the different versions. Come on Toaplan. The PC Engine music with the Genesis gameplay. Please and thank you!
M2 is already rereleasing all the Toaplan games so you can bet it’s coming. There won’t be any mix and match music business going on lol, but they’ll likely fix the speed of it on Genesis. Their release will have the arcade version plus the home ports. They’re not up to Truxton yet but it’s coming!
Have you tried Crisis Wing? It reminds me of Truxton.
I have, definitely some Truxton vibes. I found it a bit repetitive after a while and haven't put a ton of time into it, but the gameplay was solid and the look was clearly Truxton inspired yeah.
@@ShmupJunkie sure. I got it for £2.50 so it was definitely good value fun.
Tatsujin always kicks my arse. And I always thank it for doing so.
Tatsujin has been kicking all our arses since it released. Especially the pc engine version. Any time I don’t play it for a long while it reminds me who’s boss 🤣. But it’s rarely so fun to get throttled and come back for more.
PC Engine version is best imo. The last couple days I've been playing both Genesis and PC Engine, and the slowdowns on Genesis really makes the experience worse. On so many games, too!
I prefer when devs underbuild their games to keep a stable frame rate.
You're fuckin hilarious btw. Subbed
Definitely agree there. It’s the slowdown that messed it up most for me too. That’s a good point btw about prioritizing gameplay and frame rate which seemed more common on pce games. You didn’t see the slow down quite as often as on the other systems (we won’t talk about the snes 😅) and the games were better for it. They played smooth first. Tatsujin is so based on rhythm it doesn’t feel right to me when it’s interrupted by performance. The pce version feels like the arcade experience even if a different aspect. That being said very few people could ever get far in it by design. The one good thing about the MD version is it did create a lot of fans by being a bit more accessible for the general players. Lots of them remember Truxton fondly and I wonder if that wouldn’t be the case if it was as insanely hard as the pce version.
@@ShmupJunkie that's a great point too, very reminiscent of the Genesis vs PCE Lord's of Thunder. After playing on PCE, the Genesis is unplayable cuz it's boring! But at the same time, I'm sure the vast majority of kids who owned a Genesis preferred it that way(just your point wrapped in a nutshell).
You see the same framerate vs graphics battle in modern games, and graphics is winning. I own a ps5 but I'm bored of new shit and that's why I bought a pc Engine CD and Sega CD this month. Looking forward to more quality oriented games. I adore the batshit-crazy PC Engine shoot em ups! Just bananas, especially for a newcomer to the genre like me
@@ShamanNoodles batshit crazy is a good description lol. Many pce games are fast making them a lot of fun for me. I’m assuming you’ve messed around with the Soldier games, they’re big names and all play really fast. Some of my favorite. But if you haven’t yet, also check out Override for batshit crazy. You’ll see what I mean haha. Really stoked to hear you discovering and enjoying them. That’s what it was like for me as a kid renting a new one to try from the import store every weekend.
@@ShmupJunkie That's awesome. You should do a video for nostalgia junkies, reminiscing about those days! I have only played a few games so far, Lord's of Thunder and Gate of Thunder mostly. I'm kinda trying to wait until my RGB mod kit comes in to keep exploring, I want to give these classics the respect they deserve. My OSSC came in yesterday and the Sega Genesis is native RGB so that's why I've been checking out a couple of those. Twinkle Tale(kinda like a shmup) is what I was enjoying last night, but as soon as it starts getting exciting, the slowdown just brings the whole experience back to the ground. I'll definitely be staying in touch as I discover these games, it's really lit a fire under my ass! If you say Override is batshit, I'll be hitting that first with the RGB. I'm amped
@@ShamanNoodles I did make a really cool nostalgia vid a while back called Amazing Shoot Em Ups of the 80s and 90s. It’s not just pce focused but on that era. Still one of my favorites though it’ll bring back the memories hard lol
The ultimate reveiw and comparison,a excellent game,owned both and prefered the megadrve ONLY because it pisses me off less lol but yes the pce is the more faithful and clear winner
Pisses me off less is a very good reason to prefer a game 🤣. Honestly looking back it’s a good thing the Sega port was as it was, or it may not quite have the same legion of fans. It was likely a perfect difficulty for the console market... at least until that final stage. Oof
@@ShmupJunkie totally agree man,watchin hellfire comparison now👍
Truxton was my jam on the Genesis! Wow, I don't remember it having so much flicker...Damn, the PC Engine got us in the sound department and it's not even close. It has a more complex sound that brings out the action far better than the Genesis port. As far as the difficulty is concerned...I don't think that would change very much even if it was next to impossible to complete. Ghosts n' Goblins, Ghouls n' Ghosts, and Ninja Gaiden for example are absolutely brutal. Even while kicking you in the teeth and stealing your lunch money I still came back for more. I believe the PC Engine port is better as well.
I have to be honest I’m very torn on the difficulty argument even if I prefer it too. In terms of arcade accuracy and being about on the same level the pce has it. But Truxton is an old fav with sega fans for a reason and part of it was the more console appropriate difficulty curve with the devs realizing it’s not a quarter muncher but a home game. I wonder how many less ardent fans of the game there would be if it was as insanely punishing as the pce port. It can’t be overstated how difficult it is from the very first stage and onward. In a way I’m almost glad the genesis port was as it was. It let people enjoy the game and get hooked on it before it got properly hard. I definitely give the pce the win on it for matching the arcade but I can see how a majority of people would actually see the sega port as the ideal difficulty in a console comparison. So it’s more my opinion than fact. Same with the music but there I agree it’s not even close. I adore the PCE tracks on this one. Melodic tunes was its specialty.
The people who worked on the PC Engine port would go on to create the Department Heaven series! Did you know that? You know, Riviera, Yggdra Union and Knights in the Nightmare just to name a few. And by the way, KITN has an element that modern STGs have! Gotta play more of that one since I did put some time into Yggdra but I’m lost in Riviera.
I honestly didn't know the series or had heard of it until you mentioned it here. So I looked it up and it seems not too well known? Certainly looks cool though and very unique.
Another guilty pleasure
Day three of asking you to review over horizon
I played truxton on sega genesis mage drive. It's was a good classic game. I still have my copy of truxton on sega genesis but sadly my mega drive don't work anymore. The max upgrade for the first ammo is the best one giving you a shield for every time you fire the weapon and I think it fires 7 or 9 bullet per shot.
Yeah you do get an extra shield for the red weapon the Mega Drive version. Overall it's easier to get into vs the PCE version, but that final level suddenly gets incredibly hard.
Hmmm….
Would prefer to see people compare different shooters with each other.
How does r-type hold up when compared to last resort?
Let them fight!
Or maybe Gradius vs Operation Spacehog?
How about Salamander vs Life Force (US) vs Life Force (Japan reissue version) to see which arcade version is the best
Matthew6248 So you mean on the NES? Life Force NES vs the Famicom Salamander? I’ve actually not played the reissue before either. Just on nes and of course the pc engine salamander after. Love the game though I wouldn’t mind at all. Especially if there’s quite a few differences. I know the nes version by heart and it’s definitely unique.
@@ShmupJunkie I meant the arcade versions, there were 3 arcade versions of Salamander/Life force (The original Salamander release, Life Force version and the Japanese re-issue under the Life Force name with the Gradius Power Up system)
The squashed look and gameplay area of the PCE version due to the lower resolution, worse graphics (smaller, less detailed and worsly animated), much more sprite flickering, the lack of the five different endings (one per loop) the MD version has, worse control pad feeling (the MD version rocks with a 6 button controller), worse difficulty scalability (from stage to stage and loop to loop) than the MD version, among others, make me think the MD version rules, being the console version to go. Never played the arcade game back in the day, so having such an incredibly well done and replayable game on the MD was a blessing from god! I also loved its sound and music, but it is true that the PCE is also incredible in that regard!
I don't blame you for thinking that and I would agree that in terms of the perfect console port for home gaming, the mega drive port is ideal. Simply for the more gradual difficulty curve and accessibility. I love the arcade original and the PCE plays just like it, without the slowdown the MD port had. It just feels like the arcade experience on the gameplay side. But for a majority of players, the more forgiving difficulty curve on the MD just makes more sense. It's kind of the argument of faithful to the arcade vs more accessible home port that makes sense. Toaplan themselves did do the MD port so it was their call.
There is a new truxton extreme coming exclusively to ps5. It looks metal and stylishly done.
Great great episode!!!! Also tatsujin ohh is amazing!!! I'm trying to snag a copy for the legendary fm towns Marty 🤞 But ohhh soooo expensive 😩😭😭
They are supposedly working on a port for the Switch I am very much looking forward to it! Even if I am not looking forward to it's famed brutality 😂
Yeah I heard about that, The switch has been getting great smup ports! I'm collecting them all in there digital form... Love turning it on and just having them all on the fly and portable! Love the collections they are offering.
Braiking Boss I agree on that even if I like having a physical for long term. What I wish they’d do is include a digital copy with a physical purchase. Like they did with Blu-ray.
Yes!! That would be a great idea! That would be amazing, And yes I love collecting everything in physical form.... Unfortunately with the switch and it being portable, I'm a fool for that and Im just filling my system to the brim of old school smups and beat um ups 🤞
Braiking Boss I’m just afraid it goes the way of the Wii shop one day. I still have many of the Rebirth series and other stuff loaded and rarely use it anymore. If the console goes I have to find the Roms and Homebrew it back. 🤷♂️
The colours on the Mega Drive version were not picked to make it look more appealing but rather to get around the Genesis' limitation of displaying a much lower colour count. If it weren't for there being a lot of sprite flickering, especially on the bosses, which seems to be more prevalent on the PC Engine, and that smaller bomb effect, which is only bigger on Genesis because it hides all the sprites when the bomb visual is on screen, the PC looks like it would better the Genesis version visually overall. At least that I can see.
I LOVE SHMUPS, but admittedly I suck at them. Truxton was my favorite growing up, especially on my Dad's home theater setup with surround sound. We used to have the volume up so high that my Mom's tea cups would rattle of the display case (I could have made a fortune in super glue futures if had invested then, but I digress). It was only in recent years that I had discovered PCE/TG16 had a version, and of course I had to have it. Holy crap, that game is a NUT BUSTER! It took me quite a while to beat the Genesis version, but the PCE version?... I cannot get past the first freaking level! Even my baby sister who is a way better gamer than me got her ass handed to her on the 2nd level of Tatsujin. I'm sure if the difficulty was more approachable I would love Tatsujin way more than I do, but as it stands the graphics, music, sound, and nostalgia I have for Truxton on Genesis edge it out by a vast margin.
You make a great point at the end and one I think I mentioned too. The mega drive version is more accessible to a majority of players that can actually progress somewhere into the game. The original arcade game which the pc engine version copies so well is insanely hard which you noticed right away. I love it for the same reasons you do the MD version growing up with it. So I don’t fault it for being brutal like the arcade (and why it was in my top 5 hardest PCE games video), but for most people I can totally see the MD port being a way more accessible game. It slowly gets harder as you progress. Btw now that you mentioned playing it on your dads home theater I now want to fire it up in mine. The MD effects were always bassy and impactful I want to hear how that sounds on something other than a crt. 😁 My stuff is already glued down so I’m good to go.
@@ShmupJunkie if I can make a recommendation; go old school stereo. Mark from Classic Game Room has a nearly identical stereo receiver as my Dad had. With four full stack 3-way speakers in Dolby 4 channel surround it was a literal wall of sound. Just glorious. Hellfire and Truxton rumbled enough to loosen fillings. Good times!🍻
I hadn't played this in a long while, but tonight I sat down and played about 3 hours between both of these versions... I forgot just how much harder the PCE version really is. I only made it to the end of stage 3 on one credit after a few tries. After that, I put in the Genesis port, and made it to stage 5 on my very first credit played. It really is dramatic how different the difficulty between the two can be. It's almost a different game.
I don't know which I actually prefer. Both feel too cramped compared to the arcade. I definitely prefer the look of the Genesis, but the sound of the PCE, and I'm split over which was more fun. Either way, I may have to play some Gate of Thunder tomorrow to get my self-esteem back.
Yeah the PCE port is no joke. Like you I prefer the music and the difficulty level is much closer to arcade, tough right off the bat. For a home port I can see the MD being better and more accessible to most people for sure. Stage 5 actually gets really hard on the MD too, so it ramps better to get there versus just being brutal from the get go. It kinds of comes down to what you grew up with in my case. Tatsujin makes us all look like chumps and I can't run it either after not playing for a long while and losing the practice. It's just a really hard game I happen to enjoy for having such incredible ship control. Gate of Thunder is like taking a warm bath after the cold shower of Tatsujin haha.
@@ShmupJunkie yep, Gate of Thunder, Final Soldier, Blazing Lazers, and Gradius II are my go-tos when I want to feel like I'm decent at my shooters after getting my butt handed to me by a real challenge. I know Gradius II probably shouldn't be, but I'll make it to the boss gauntlet at least on muscle memory from playing it so much over the years. On a good day, I'll clear it. On a bad day, I die on those dumb cubes that appear out of nowhere in ever Gradius game. On those good days, I tend to get cocky and think I'm going to finally get my 1cc on Border Down... and then I remember that I suck at Border Down.
I will say, though, that as tough as PCE Tatsujin is, I'm way better at it than I am at Star Jacker. I doubt I'll ever clear a loop on Star Jacker. It hurts my soul.
The PC Engine rocks apparently! And it's shmups library is really impressive, if not intimidating. I never knew about it back in the day as the SNES and moreso the MD had the market corned in my native Sweden in the early nineties. Later I wrote off as not competitive with the SNES and MD being just a 8-bit machine. But some of PC Engine games actually seems to be a lot better than their MD counterparts. The PCE version of Twin Cobra/KK Tiger absolutely looks nicer than the MD version, at least from I can glean from youtube vids and a quick emulator playthrough (didn't get very far in either though, they're rather tough).
Your experience was pretty common around the world. Aside from their failed attempt at the American market they kept mostly to Japan. Some parts of Europe had a grey market for them for those that knew of its prowess and wanted those games, but for the most part it wasn’t well known outside Japan. It really did have some fantastic games so it’s really great to see people discovering it now. The mini console helped. Though for difficult games Tatsujin is about as rock hard as it gets haha
After watching the video, Im looking forward to having the PC Engine version 😬
But not looking forward to what they cost now 😱 I can't believe how much it sells for now since I bought mine. I forgot to mention that in the video the MD version is much less expensive.
Shmup Junkie I find the sale for 360 USD, but because of the pandemic, they aren't sending it to my country...
That skull in the game is gonna give me nightmares...
mhmrules I think it’s the game itself that gives people nightmares 🤣 That skull bomb on the mega drive is bad ass 🤟
Hah, as I grew up with a Mega Drive I thought this was an easy win at first, but the music version of this game is by far better on the PC Engine, the guy who worked on the SEGA console wasn't much inspired at all, not only the speed, it just doesn't sound pleasing to me. Now, one thing I always find disappointing with vertical shooter ports is that developers rarely got it right, probably and mostly due to time constraints and indifference. Almost all the time, checking against the original, wrong aspect ratio or zoomed in gameplay, or it's an ugly giant bar on the side. It's even worse in games like this one where you have that giant bar on the right and you notice the screen still scroll basically the same width you wouldn't need to if they just put the information from the bar in the screen like a normal game. This could have made the game a little better to compensate the loss in vertical real estate.
Which comes to another thing that I find lazy, they really should have added an option to display such ports with a rotation option (even sounding ridiculous for playing on CRTs) or just leave black bars on the sides, it happened for a few Saturn and PS1 ports later (with plenty of options to display arcade ports), but the golden age of shooters were the 8 and 16-bit eras, mostly.
Vertical arcade shooters were designed with the whole vertical area in mind, if you crop it and add no options for consoles, it's a crippled experience.
An exception to this, which is not a shooter, but a normal horizontal game is Jim Power for SNES, I always found that game ridiculously hard and unfair, but when I knew this was originally an Amiga game (an action platformer, for those who never heard of it), I knew something was wrong, Amiga's original version runs in a higher resolution, zoomed out view, so you can see ahead enemies that come out of nowhere in the SNES lazy port.
Interesting bit of info you may appreciate. Toaplan themselves did most of the MD ports including this one. The blame for the wrong music speed lays squarely with Sega, as they didn't get them some critical details until weeks prior to release and without enough time to code the music correctly. So it ended up that way. It's one of the things they would have liked to correct but couldn't. It was one of their very first ports for the MD as well. They made up for it with the great Hellfire and Zero Wing ports among others, which ended up better than the PCE counterparts.
Good to know, but to me, the biggest problem isn't music, it's what I mentioned in my previous comment. You can always do it better. Take Ranger X, mastery use of color and other effects, but since it's a native Mega Drive game, it didn't suffer from being a port, if this was originally an arcade game, you'd have a zoomed in game area, wrong aspect ratio, wrong color, less animation, etc. Usually, exclusive vertical shooters for a console is often considered easier and fair, the biggest reason being the game was designed with a standard CRT in mind. I always found vertical games suffered when ported to home consoles.