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Konami Game Works Amstrad CPC

Started by ukmarkh, 23:37, 19 April 22

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ukmarkh

Konami is famous for its arcade games, what's strange when it comes to the 8bits and in particular the Amstrad CPC, is that instead of using other software houses to convert their licensed games onto home computers. Konami sometimes produced its own conversions. I think the first was prison break for the humble Amstrad CPC.



Nworc

Watching this video, I thought: at the time I was playing these games, all people I did knew that had a CPC were roughly the same age as me.

It is obvious, that this fact still holds true some 30 years later  ;)

To me it was surprising to see how many titles they did for the Amstrad. Some of them are among the best I've seen.

But Nemesis on the Amstrad was a disappointment. A friend of mine had it on the C64. When we met, playing it was guaranteed. Could even be that this was the reason to stop by ;-) So one day I bought the version for the Amstrad - and dumped it to the bin to make room for something else. I think this title deserves a second life as a remake on the Amstrad - I would buy the platinum version if someone would do it.

You mentioned Gryzor! Yes, one of my favorite games. That it doesn't scroll is an often heard argument you hear from people that knew the original Contra or that saw it on a different platform. I never did, hence I never was disappointed. I just like the fact that you can clear a screen and move on, and progress that way.

eto

Except for the missing sound effects I always liked Nemesis. 

manossg

Great video, mate, thanks!

WiltshireWizard

#4
oooo

Gryzor

Great vid, never realised so many titles Konami titles were released on the CPC...

Shaun M. Neary

Quote from: Nworc on 10:57, 20 April 22But Nemesis on the Amstrad was a disappointment. A friend of mine had it on the C64. When we met, playing it was guaranteed. Could even be that this was the reason to stop by ;-) So one day I bought the version for the Amstrad - and dumped it to the bin to make room for something else. I think this title deserves a second life as a remake on the Amstrad - I would buy the platinum version if someone would do it.

In what way did you think it was a disappointment? Genuinely curious. If it's because you compared it to a completely different machine, it's a pretty weak argument.

I thought Nemesis was done quite well on the CPC. It was mostly fast, it had scrolling for what it was capable of at the time, the levels were fairly faithful to the arcade original (although I've never gotten past the second level). The only downside for me on Nemesis was the slowdown when a certain amount of sprites were on the screen.

Salamander on the other hand. That was one of the biggest piles of crap I've ever had the misfortune to play. Apparently it got a full price release, I never actually ever saw it. In fact here in Ireland, even the Hit Squad version was fairly difficult to find. I was pretty excited to find it when I did but when I loaded it up, the disappointment reeked out of my trusty 464.
Currently playing on: 2xCPC464, 1xCPC6128, 1x464Plus, 1x6128Plus, 2xGX4000. M4 board, ZMem 1MB and still forever playing Bruce Lee.
No cheats, snapshots or emulation. I play my games as they're intended to be played. What about you?

Nworc

Quote from: Shaun M. NearyIn what way did you think it was a disappointment? Genuinely curious. If it's because you compared it to a completely different machine, it's a pretty weak argument.

I thought Nemesis was done quite well on the CPC. It was mostly fast, it had scrolling for what it was capable of at the time, the levels were fairly faithful to the arcade original (although I've never gotten past the second level). The only downside for me on Nemesis was the slowdown when a certain amount of sprites were on the screen.

Well, you know, we are talking about a personal impression. Sometimes you see something and you say: great, and sometimes you don't, and wouldn't know why. But in this case I think it's the sum of many things that are different when I compare the CPC and C64 versions.

I'm not comparing the CPC with the arcade version which I have never seen, but with a system that has the same amount of RAM available. And I don't want to be unfair, as you'll see, many things that I'm missing on the CPC appear to be doable, they were just not done / or shortcuts have been taken. I don't know if the developer of the CPC version had access to the C64 version, or which version did come first on the market.

I have prepared a screen comparing these two versions, I hope it's okay if I don't put numbers on everything, so that you can relate the points on the list below with the things in the screen. Okay, let's try so some up just some of the points:

o  At first the sound. Okay you can't see that, and it's not true the CPC version has no sound: just press the M key like in the C64 version and there you go. However, it's just a boring shooting sound, and no other sound you'll ever hear, like the sound that you hear when you catch up an upgrade on the C64. Also, the shooting sound is not synchonized well to the fire button, except for the very first fire sound in a series, I could even hear the shooting sound starting to shoot when the last bullet already disappeard from the screen.

o  Okay, the menu screen: Amstrad version: a simple message using the AMSDOS font. C64: a nice logo and font, stars moving in the background.

o  The battleship: CPC version: a static image, C64 version: the ship appears in difference perspectives depending on whether you move up or down.

o  The Multi sphere: CPC version: a static blob, C64 version: that thing appears to be a shimmering sphere. Apart from that it's bright on the inside with a gradient to a darker outside. The CPC version: what happened here? It's a red blob with a bright surface.

o  The Multi sphere: on the CPC version you can have that only once, the C64 version allows to get two of them.

o  The upgrades you catch up appear to have a rotating piece inside, the CPC version is static.

o  Then, most off putting, and that was the moment where I started to give up: the moment when the landscape starts to roll in. On the C64 it does what you'd expect. But on the CPC version it does something that did break any kind of immersion that I tried to get with the game, you see that on the screen here, the landscape is that pink thing materializing around you. And, why is it pink?

All these tiny things made the C64 version a great game, everything seems to live in a way, or make sense. The CPC version gives the impression to be a victim of time-to-market.

Shaun M. Neary

Cheers for the detailed answer.

However it's still very much an unfair comparison. It has the same amount of RAM, but that's about all it has in common with the C64. The Amstrad doesn't have a SID, or a Vic II chip for the sound and graphics differences that you point out. Trying to compare the two is putting Lewis Hamilton and Stevie Wonder in two separate cars and expecting a fair race.

For what it's worth, I'm not saying you're wrong. I've played both, I love both. I just think that for the CPC's capabilities, it wasn't a bad conversion...
... but the sound going out of sync is torture on the Amstrad version, that always did annoy me. I had forgotten about that.
Currently playing on: 2xCPC464, 1xCPC6128, 1x464Plus, 1x6128Plus, 2xGX4000. M4 board, ZMem 1MB and still forever playing Bruce Lee.
No cheats, snapshots or emulation. I play my games as they're intended to be played. What about you?

Axelay



Quote from: Nworc on 13:38, 28 April 22o  At first the sound. Okay you can't see that, and it's not true the CPC version has no sound: just press the M key like in the C64 version and there you go. However, it's just a boring shooting sound, and no other sound you'll ever hear, like the sound that you hear when you catch up an upgrade on the C64. Also, the shooting sound is not synchonized well to the fire button, except for the very first fire sound in a series, I could even hear the shooting sound starting to shoot when the last bullet already disappeard from the screen.
I am fairly sure that 'sync' issue with the sound effect is coming about because they use the player shooting sound effect, or one indistinguishable from it, for the enemy exploding sound effect as well.

WiltshireWizard

#10
zzzzzzzz

zhulien

You mean it is possible to get through more than about 10 seconds on the CPC version?  I used to be able to play the C64 version indefinitely, looping all levels and having to turn the game off when i got bored - i loved the C64 version for being very playable, it took me a lot of play time to get as good as I was. But the CPC version, OMG, the difficulty level is so hard right from the start.

Gryzor


WiltshireWizard

#13
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EgoTrip

Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 14:24, 28 April 22Trying to compare the two is putting Lewis Hamilton and Stevie Wonder in two separate cars and expecting a fair race.
With the way Mercedes are performing this season, It would actually give Stevie Wonder a fair chance.

Shaun M. Neary

Quote from: zhulien on 18:29, 29 April 22You mean it is possible to get through more than about 10 seconds on the CPC version?  I used to be able to play the C64 version indefinitely, looping all levels and having to turn the game off when i got bored - i loved the C64 version for being very playable, it took me a lot of play time to get as good as I was. But the CPC version, OMG, the difficulty level is so hard right from the start.
The trick is to work out the movement pattern of the enemies. It stays exactly the same so you can repeat with the exact same movements. However the second level is crazy difficult as some of spaces you have to attempt to fit your craft through are tiny. I gave up at that point, and I'm stubborn as hell when it comes to my games.

Actually scratch that, I'm a stubborn prick anyway, but I've never denied that. :D

Quote from: EgoTrip on 20:05, 29 April 22
Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 14:24, 28 April 22Trying to compare the two is putting Lewis Hamilton and Stevie Wonder in two separate cars and expecting a fair race.
With the way Mercedes are performing this season, It would actually give Stevie Wonder a fair chance.

Hahah, I'll still take him over Max Vercheatin any day of the week. But it's a fair point, Hamilton is off his game at the minute.

Currently playing on: 2xCPC464, 1xCPC6128, 1x464Plus, 1x6128Plus, 2xGX4000. M4 board, ZMem 1MB and still forever playing Bruce Lee.
No cheats, snapshots or emulation. I play my games as they're intended to be played. What about you?

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