A few weeks back, I looked at some great arcade fighters, which, due to timing, were released
on systems, which, weren’t quite up for the task.
Back in the late 80s and early 90s, home gamers salivated over arcade imagery and wanted nothing
more than their 8 bit home systems to be able to replicate those life changing experiences.
So, publishers made sure the screen shots looked up to task, and then released games
that were utter, unplayable hogwash.
This week, it’s time to look at some of the greatest racers from the golden arcade
age, and see how they translated across to systems like the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64,
Amstrad CPC and MSX.
Buggy Boy Developed by Tatsumi in 1985, this was a mind
blowing experience, especially if you look at what passed as a racing game just a year
prior. To add further incredulity, Cockpit versions of the cabinet, actually had an incredible
panoramic triple screen display. So you can imagine how keen Spectrum owners were to experience
the long awaited port, at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning 1988.
[Similar to sound effects from a children's toy]
Yeah, maybe I’ll look at what other presents I’ve got.
Now, that’s not to say this isn’t an impressive port. It is graphically impressive, after
all, that’s what this series is all about. But what works in the arcade, works less well
on your gran’s 12″ black and white travel television.
The main Buggy sprite just occupies so much space, and when you combine that with the
sedate 5 frame per second trudging, as it blocks the entire road in the sky, it gets
very difficult to interpret the road ahead and control the *ahem* action.
You can see how expectations move in a short space of time, as, upon release, Spectrum
magazines gave it a largely favourable review. However, on it’s budget re-release in 1990,
the same magazines gave roughly half the score with Your Sinclair saying “What’s most
unforgiveable, though, is the game’s deadly slowness, which might just be bearable, if
not for the speedometer, which tells you you are going at 227mph”
Smaller sprites, and a quicker pace would have made this game infinitely better. In
fact, a lot like the Commodore 64 version developed by Dave Thomas.
What’s worse, is, although the Speccy version looks the part, publishers Elite Systems,
just slapped arcade screenshots all over the sleeve. Eugh.
Outrun If you thought Buggy Boy was mind blowing,
Outrun was in a new league. Based on the 1985 Hang On hardware, but with faster clock speeds,
more memory and increased drawing abilities, this is a game which still stands up today.
We had beautiful blue skies, a rapid red Ferrari, blistering road side speeds, multiple choice
routes and an absolute banging soundtrack.
[It's definitely the Outrun theme, but lacking something]
What you’re witnessing here is the MSX version. Imagine playing the arcade version and then
coming home to this. You’d be weeping into your cereal for years to come.
Like a lot of MSX games, it’s actually what’s known as a “lazy”, or, direct port of
the ZX Spectrum version. All they’ve done is make things slightly more colourful, including
the Ferrari. But like most ZX Spectrum ports, it relies on the same Z80 code, and as the
MSX has slower access to it’s screen memory, it almost always results in a slightly slower
game. Which is a shame, as MSX games programmed from the ground up, making use of hardware
sprites, could be pretty impressive.
But it’s not actually the worst conversion.
This is the Amstrad CPC Outrun. On the face it, it looks colourful, it looks like it could
be good. But Jesus Christ, that is far from the truth.
Computer and Video Games, awarded 20%, saying “If you are really determined to get a copy
for your Amstrad, please, please, please ask for a demonstration before you play it. It
could save you a lot heartache.”
There’s no music for starters, which really takes a huge part away from the Outrun experience.
It’s also dog slow, which takes another huge part away. But worst of all is the Gameplay,
it’s half finished. If you’re unlucky enough to hit a car, you’ll stop dead in
the road. Absolutely dead. It’s soooo frustrating, and not a playable experience at all. *bin*
Super Hang On Of course Sega were going to come back and
improve on their earlier Hang On success… and what better than to whack SUPER on the
front. Now we get four tracks and a turbo feature. Plus it looks amazing.
We all know about the Mega Drive release. It was pretty darn tasty. So you’d expect
that Software Studios, responsible for Sailing, Enduro Racer and After Burner would be equally
as good. It’s not looking great is it?
Why do I build things up like this. Why do I do it to myself.
[Interesting crunchy sounds]
WHAT IS THAT?!? HAHAHAHA, it looks like something out of the Power Rangers. Even the ZX Spectrum
version is instantly more recognisable, and playable, frankly. Well, if you can get past
the stage select screen at least. ARRGGGH MY EARS.
Look, maybe I’m being a bit harsh. When cornering, they look more like biker sprites,
but again, it’s s horrendous, jerky mess… and the colours are just grim. This is not
the Super Hang On that I’m familiar with.
The fact that the Commodore 64 box has a Your Sinclair review on the back, says all you
need to know.
Just take Super Cycle on the Commodore, released by Epyx in 1986. Look at the speed difference.
It’s absolutely astonishing. You could have released Super Cycle as the official Super
Hang On, and everyone would have been happier. Everyone. Even Jonathan Dean, the guy who
programmed this….. because he has programmed some good games, like Hacker II and Aliens.
They’re superb titles. So we can only presume this was an off day, or an overloaded work
schedule.
Rather than Hanging on, this one can slip off, the edge of a cliff.
Chase HQ
[Glorious high energy music]
My favourite ever racer, Chase HQ. Released by Taito in 1988, this is one hell of a fun
game that used to regularly wipe out my parent’s 10p stash.
There are several reasons its fun too. The first is just the atmosphere it exudes; from
Nancy calling in from Chase HQ, to the little quips from Broady, to the multiple track choices,
the falling rocket launcher, and of course, getting to smash purps off the road, in a
blaze of fiery glory. What a game.
So it always felt astonishing to me, how well Ocean did with the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad
CPC ports. Somehow, here were 2 ports which actually managed to capture, all the nuances
and excitement of the arcade cabinet, on 8 bit hardware. The two games are an absolute
master class in how to do things right, given adequate time and resources.
So you’d expect the Commodore 64 version to be up there as well, especially given it’s
also an Ocean release.
Oh my. This. is. a VERY different experience.
From the loading screen you know something has gone wrong. Look at their eyes man, they’ve
seen some terrible things. Yes, this game it turns out, apart from the lacklustre SID
tune, it feels nothing like the arcade game.
This dashboard, looks like it should be in a Delorean time machine, not a Porsche 928,
and those sounds. Imagine if that’s what real skidding sounds were like. We’d never
have invented traction control. People would just go out of their way to avoid it.
[Horrendous sounds]
Zzap magazine even remarked that the budget £4 release was overly expensive for mere
curiosity.
The whole affair is just janky. Cumbersome. Jerky and unplayable. Any fun the original
had has well and truly been sponged up by this version.
Verdict: Fun sponge.
Hard Drivin’ Which brings us to Hard Drivin’, a game
which well and truly lives up to its title, even in the arcade. Atari’s 1989 simulator
like experience, always struck me as a bit of an odd arcade game, but a worthy one, none
the less.
Now, this was always going to be a tricky one to get onto the 8 bit machines; after
all, here was a new world filled with 3D polygonal shapes and tracks that looped the loop. The
arcade cabinet needed several CPUs to run this feast for the senses, including a Motorola
68010 and various dedicated graphics processors running at 50MHz.
The Spectrum, had a single Z80 CPU running at 3.5MHz, so it was bound to be difficult
for programmers, Mike Day and Matt Furniss, to pull off.
[Droning sounds from the Spectrum]
It’s slow, it’s choppy, and it’s verging on unplayable, but it still looks the part,
and if you’re dedicated you can get something out of it.
Now with 3D worlds, clock speed is of paramount importance. We’re talking a lot of maths
here…. and the Commodore 64, wasn’t the greatest in that department, having a MOS
6510 processor, clocked at 1MHz.
One.
[Harsh screeching sounds]
Here’s Hard Drivin’ on the Commodore 64.
WHY.
It it were me, I just would have made a sprite based game, in the hard driving world. I would
have made it as close as possible, without the polygons, because this is a joke. It’s
just unreasonable.
This is more like it. This is actually an NES prototype created by Mark Morris for Tengen
that never saw the light of day, and it’s a shame, because it uses some really clever
effects. For example, these loop the loops sections are actually pre-recorded, and simply
played back when you tackle them. The game also employs a lot of sprites, but then, the
C64 version also used some sprites, and we STILL got this….
Imagine getting this as a kid. IMAGINE.
ZZap magazine awarded it an astonishing 20% saying “About as much fun to drive as half
a C5”. Which I think is a little unfair. Half a C5 still sounds like a pretty good
time to me.
This is not a good time, it's not even close to a good time, and I'm sorry if you had to
experience it.
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Which brings this episode to a close. By the 90s, racers were getting increasingly three
dimensional, and I think publishers were beginning to realise that these little machines, just
were not up to the task. That’s not to say there weren’t more games. But I think we’ve
had enough for today.
I certainly have.
Until next time, I’ve been Nostalgia Nerd. Toodleoo.