(It's for a Pentagon. You're advised to switch off the background graphics to get it to run well at 3.5MHz. Plays great!)
hmm not sure why I've never come across this before. playing it now, decent effort tbh although the movement is very erratic even with background turned off. seems to go fast then slow randomly
I'd say the best Mario-a-likes for the spec are Turbo The tortoise, Scooby Doo & Scrappy Doo, Yogi's great Escape, and Wonderboy.
hmm not sure why I've never come across this before. playing it now, decent effort tbh although the movement is very erratic even with background turned off. seems to go fast then slow randomly
I'd say the best Mario-a-likes for the spec are Turbo The tortoise, Scooby Doo & Scrappy Doo, Yogi's great Escape, and Wonderboy.
No erratic movement for me- I switched off the background and stars, and I'm using ZXSpin. I've only played through World 1-1 though...
I think it's a great conversion! For me, the Hi-Tec games you mentioned, though admirable efforts, lack the Mario feel.
I wonder how the 3-colour character squares were achieved; a special feature of the Pentagon, or some clever coding? (NB this doesn't show up in the Youtube video. As noted in the comments, the video isn't a good representation of the game as the backgrounds should only be switched on if the Pentagon's 7MHz Turbo Mode is being used).
I always thought that Mario was pretty poor as a gaming experience. The control method with the unbelievable amount of inertia was just awful. I couldn't figure out why so many people thought it was a good game.
But then it came to me. None of those people had played JSW or MM, so had no idea how a platformer should have been done.
I couldn't figure out why so many people thought it was a good game.
But then it came to me. None of those people had played JSW or MM, so had no idea how a platformer should have been done.
D.
SMB >>> JSW / MM
Miles ahead. In every department.
(none of these poeple had played JSW? It might suprise you but that is not the case.
I don't like JSW, but I can figure out why so many people thought it was a good game. You don't have to like something to understand why others would like it.
(none of these poeple had played JSW? It might suprise you but that is not the case.
I don't like JSW, but I can figure out why so many people thought it was a good game. You don't have to like something to understand why others would like it.
I feel the EXACT same way about Super Mario Brothers - I can see why people like it, but I just don't like it myself.
But a direct comparison between SMB and JSW isn't really sensible as the only thing they have in common is jumping. They're two very different kinds of games.
I wonder how the 3-colour character squares were achieved; a special feature of the Pentagon, or some clever coding?
I's a typical use of "gigascreen", maybe you've heard this term before. It's 100% made in code and possible on every Spectrum.
Basically you refesh picture each frame but during let's say even frames draw some pixels and during odd frames don't draw them.
The effect may look like black+white=gray, a new 3rd colour. Actually by mixing different colours, more new colours are possible. The downside of it is that they flicker which makes this technique not so usable as it would seem.
I's a typical use of "gigascreen", maybe you've heard this term before. It's 100% made in code and possible on every Spectrum.
Thanks, I thought it was something like that. When the screen scrolls the greys revert to a dithered form, only appearing solid grey when it's stationary.
This sounds bad, but in practice it's OK: somehow the effect suits the game since it's slightly reminiscent of the smeared scrolling on an original Gameboy.
The greys don't flicker at all in ZXSpin, but I presume there would be noticeable flicker with a real Speccy.
I always thought that Mario was pretty poor as a gaming experience. The control method with the unbelievable amount of inertia was just awful. I couldn't figure out why so many people thought it was a good game.
But then it came to me. None of those people had played JSW or MM, so had no idea how a platformer should have been done.
D.
I totally agree. Until Super Mario 64 (which was superb, I thought, but is 3D so isn't comparable) I thought all of the Mario platformers that I'd played were not that special, yet others raved about them like they were the epitome of platform gaming. To be fair, by all, I've no doubt played only a fraction, but I'd played a couple on the SNES (including Super Mario World) and at least one on NES emulators, and to me they were good but nothing special. Yes, I thought Manic Miner and JSW were much better, as were Earthworm Jim and Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, and (my favourite ever 2D game) Dynamite Dan 2. I know it's all down to opinion, but to me the 2D Mario games are not that special. And I hate timed levels in games.
Especially if some dolt says "None of those people had played JSW or MM" which is obviously wrong.
and, "I couldn't figure out why so many people thought it was a good game" ....how on earth can it be difficult to figure why other people would like a game (or anything for that matter)? Read a review...that'll tell you for a start. After a few reviews, a penny might drop. Doesn't mean you have to agree with a point of view, but at least you might figure out why some poeple have that point of view.
"so had no idea how a platformer should have been done"
Miyamoto and the designers at Nintendo, had no idea how a platformer should have been done? Maybe they should have asked the experts here. Dunny's got a good avatar,..**** for brains.
The only really good thing about Super Mario Bros. is that it paved the way for Super Mario Bros. 3 which is awesome.
Looking back at Super Mario Bros. it's an infuriating piece of sh*t, that I gave more time to than it deserved when I was younger, and for some horrible reason if I see it I feel the urge to play it, even though I know I'm not really going to enjoy myself that much whilst doing so.
Glad I never owned a NES when I was younger, it's a f**king awful machine, but it does undoubtedly have a few really good games for it.
I own one now, it's got more dust on it than Rosie O'Donnell's c**t...
The greys don't flicker at all in ZXSpin, but I presume there would be noticeable flicker with a real Speccy.
It depends on what display you use, and / or what de-interlacing settings you use.
Gigascreen works with zero flicker if you set temporal de-interlacing on a modern TV or capture card. Its not that bad on old CRT displays either. It just looks bad through an emulator or modern display with inappropriate settings.
It depends on what display you use, and / or what de-interlacing settings you use.
Gigascreen works with zero flicker if you set temporal de-interlacing on a modern TV or capture card. Its not that bad on old CRT displays either. It just looks bad through an emulator or modern display with inappropriate settings.
Thanks. I just discovered that ZXSpin has a "Reduce Gigascreen Flicker" feature, which makes the blended colours look perfect.
Even without Gigascreen, I'd still say the Super Mario Bros demo for the Spectrum was a triumph. Just waiting for a Super Mario Bros 3 conversion next!
"so had no idea how a platformer should have been done"
Miyamoto and the designers at Nintendo, had no idea how a platformer should have been done? Maybe they should have asked the experts here. Dunny's got a good avatar,..**** for brains.
Roffle. I'll just sit here continuing to be right, and you can carry on being wrong. There's not a lot you can say that will change that.
Especially if some dolt says "None of those people had played JSW or MM" which is obviously wrong.
Yes, but I don't doubt that most real fans of the Mario 2D platformers have never played JSW or MM, as the games were most popular in Japan and the USA, where JSW and MM didn't exactly make a splash. Still, no doubt many Mario fans did (especially in Britain), and Dunny was making (a) a joke, and (b) a generalisation. He was also making a point, albeit one he exaggerated for effect, that is that to him (as to me and some others) the Mario 2D platformers are nowhere near as good as the (seeming) majority seem to think. I'm not saying that they are bad (I can't speak for Dunny here) just that they aren't, to me, anything special. I'd rather play JSW, MM (and many of the fan-made JSW or MM rewrites), Chuckie Egg, Dynamite Dan 1 and 2, to name just games on the Spectrum, rather than a Mario game (that I know of) on the SNES or NES.
Just my opinion.
Dunny's got a good avatar,..**** for brains.
You should edit your post and remove that. Resorting to insults (unless they're a joke, which is usual on WOS) doesn't win any arguments, or any friends, and won't make you look like a responsible person.
I don't like JSW, but I can figure out why so many people thought it was a good game. You don't have to like something to understand why others would like it.
yer , not like miner 2049er / bounty bob had anything to do with manic miner ;) ... oh wait mr smith *did* have an atari ;)
it was a good game on spectrum , but I'll give bill hogue his dues also
Actually there are quite a few differences between arcade Super Mario Bros and the home version. I have the arcade version here and people who play it are surprised when they come across the changes as they play.
While it doesn't hesitate to categorize Manic Miner as one of those, it mentions that Miner 2049'er rather is a climbing game than a platform game, but that there are disputes about the definition of a platform game.
Furthermore, it mentions Pac-Land (Namco 1984) as a strong precursor for both Super Mario Bros and Wonderboy. One slightly obscure game that I'm missing in the article is Nutcraka (Nutcracka on the BBC?) from Software Projects, originally on the Beeb in 1984 and then ported to C64. It might be primitive and childish, but it features smooth scroll and game-wise could've just as much inspiration for Shigeru Miyamoto as Pac-Land (or BC's Quest for Tires) had been, if Miyamoto got himself a Beeb.
SMB for the Famicom was released on September 13, 1985 so I suppose development begun earlier that year.
You all know what a big Nintendo fan I am but the 2D Mario games, although undoubtedly very good games, just don't do it for me. I've always got bored of them very quickly.
You should edit your post and remove that. Resorting to insults (unless they're a joke, which is usual on WOS) doesn't win any arguments, or any friends, and won't make you look like a responsible person.
You should pay more attention :-) This joker insults anyone who dares to have a differing opinion and I don't think it's done in a jokey way either. He's insulted at least 5 long-standing members that I'm aware of.
Comments
quite, but the real thing, not that terrible conversion
hmm not sure why I've never come across this before. playing it now, decent effort tbh although the movement is very erratic even with background turned off. seems to go fast then slow randomly
I'd say the best Mario-a-likes for the spec are Turbo The tortoise, Scooby Doo & Scrappy Doo, Yogi's great Escape, and Wonderboy.
No erratic movement for me- I switched off the background and stars, and I'm using ZXSpin. I've only played through World 1-1 though...
I think it's a great conversion! For me, the Hi-Tec games you mentioned, though admirable efforts, lack the Mario feel.
I wonder how the 3-colour character squares were achieved; a special feature of the Pentagon, or some clever coding? (NB this doesn't show up in the Youtube video. As noted in the comments, the video isn't a good representation of the game as the backgrounds should only be switched on if the Pentagon's 7MHz Turbo Mode is being used).
But then it came to me. None of those people had played JSW or MM, so had no idea how a platformer should have been done.
D.
SMB >>> JSW / MM
Miles ahead. In every department.
(none of these poeple had played JSW? It might suprise you but that is not the case.
I don't like JSW, but I can figure out why so many people thought it was a good game. You don't have to like something to understand why others would like it.
I feel the EXACT same way about Super Mario Brothers - I can see why people like it, but I just don't like it myself.
But a direct comparison between SMB and JSW isn't really sensible as the only thing they have in common is jumping. They're two very different kinds of games.
My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation, SQIJ.
Twitter: Sokurah
I's a typical use of "gigascreen", maybe you've heard this term before. It's 100% made in code and possible on every Spectrum.
Basically you refesh picture each frame but during let's say even frames draw some pixels and during odd frames don't draw them.
The effect may look like black+white=gray, a new 3rd colour. Actually by mixing different colours, more new colours are possible. The downside of it is that they flicker which makes this technique not so usable as it would seem.
Thanks, I thought it was something like that. When the screen scrolls the greys revert to a dithered form, only appearing solid grey when it's stationary.
This sounds bad, but in practice it's OK: somehow the effect suits the game since it's slightly reminiscent of the smeared scrolling on an original Gameboy.
The greys don't flicker at all in ZXSpin, but I presume there would be noticeable flicker with a real Speccy.
I totally agree. Until Super Mario 64 (which was superb, I thought, but is 3D so isn't comparable) I thought all of the Mario platformers that I'd played were not that special, yet others raved about them like they were the epitome of platform gaming. To be fair, by all, I've no doubt played only a fraction, but I'd played a couple on the SNES (including Super Mario World) and at least one on NES emulators, and to me they were good but nothing special. Yes, I thought Manic Miner and JSW were much better, as were Earthworm Jim and Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, and (my favourite ever 2D game) Dynamite Dan 2. I know it's all down to opinion, but to me the 2D Mario games are not that special. And I hate timed levels in games.
well sure,
Especially if some dolt says "None of those people had played JSW or MM" which is obviously wrong.
and, "I couldn't figure out why so many people thought it was a good game" ....how on earth can it be difficult to figure why other people would like a game (or anything for that matter)? Read a review...that'll tell you for a start. After a few reviews, a penny might drop. Doesn't mean you have to agree with a point of view, but at least you might figure out why some poeple have that point of view.
"so had no idea how a platformer should have been done"
Miyamoto and the designers at Nintendo, had no idea how a platformer should have been done? Maybe they should have asked the experts here. Dunny's got a good avatar,..**** for brains.
Looking back at Super Mario Bros. it's an infuriating piece of sh*t, that I gave more time to than it deserved when I was younger, and for some horrible reason if I see it I feel the urge to play it, even though I know I'm not really going to enjoy myself that much whilst doing so.
Glad I never owned a NES when I was younger, it's a f**king awful machine, but it does undoubtedly have a few really good games for it.
I own one now, it's got more dust on it than Rosie O'Donnell's c**t...
VS Mario Bros. (arcade version) is the exact copy of NES Mario Bros., and runs on the same hardware.
It depends on what display you use, and / or what de-interlacing settings you use.
Gigascreen works with zero flicker if you set temporal de-interlacing on a modern TV or capture card. Its not that bad on old CRT displays either. It just looks bad through an emulator or modern display with inappropriate settings.
Thanks. I just discovered that ZXSpin has a "Reduce Gigascreen Flicker" feature, which makes the blended colours look perfect.
Even without Gigascreen, I'd still say the Super Mario Bros demo for the Spectrum was a triumph. Just waiting for a Super Mario Bros 3 conversion next!
Roffle. I'll just sit here continuing to be right, and you can carry on being wrong. There's not a lot you can say that will change that.
D.
Yes, but I don't doubt that most real fans of the Mario 2D platformers have never played JSW or MM, as the games were most popular in Japan and the USA, where JSW and MM didn't exactly make a splash. Still, no doubt many Mario fans did (especially in Britain), and Dunny was making (a) a joke, and (b) a generalisation. He was also making a point, albeit one he exaggerated for effect, that is that to him (as to me and some others) the Mario 2D platformers are nowhere near as good as the (seeming) majority seem to think. I'm not saying that they are bad (I can't speak for Dunny here) just that they aren't, to me, anything special. I'd rather play JSW, MM (and many of the fan-made JSW or MM rewrites), Chuckie Egg, Dynamite Dan 1 and 2, to name just games on the Spectrum, rather than a Mario game (that I know of) on the SNES or NES.
Just my opinion.
You should edit your post and remove that. Resorting to insults (unless they're a joke, which is usual on WOS) doesn't win any arguments, or any friends, and won't make you look like a responsible person.
That's true, but the arcade version has way better controls because you control it with a proper arcade stick instead of crappy control pad.
yer , not like miner 2049er / bounty bob had anything to do with manic miner ;) ... oh wait mr smith *did* have an atari ;)
it was a good game on spectrum , but I'll give bill hogue his dues also
http://www.mariowiki.com/VS._Super_Mario_Bros.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_game
While it doesn't hesitate to categorize Manic Miner as one of those, it mentions that Miner 2049'er rather is a climbing game than a platform game, but that there are disputes about the definition of a platform game.
Furthermore, it mentions Pac-Land (Namco 1984) as a strong precursor for both Super Mario Bros and Wonderboy. One slightly obscure game that I'm missing in the article is Nutcraka (Nutcracka on the BBC?) from Software Projects, originally on the Beeb in 1984 and then ported to C64. It might be primitive and childish, but it features smooth scroll and game-wise could've just as much inspiration for Shigeru Miyamoto as Pac-Land (or BC's Quest for Tires) had been, if Miyamoto got himself a Beeb.
SMB for the Famicom was released on September 13, 1985 so I suppose development begun earlier that year.
You should pay more attention :-) This joker insults anyone who dares to have a differing opinion and I don't think it's done in a jokey way either. He's insulted at least 5 long-standing members that I'm aware of.