I read that the GGS was considered a Mario-infringement, and therefore it didn't come out on the Speccy, but why was it OK to publish it on ye olde Commode?
but why was it OK to publish it on ye olde Commode?
It wasn't! Nintendo set their attack lawyers onto the C64 version as soon as it was released. The C64 version got pulled, and the Speccy version never got released.
The Amiga version was also pulled, but iirc it got leaked or copies were sold before the attack lawyers got in. This meant a cracked / pirated version was floating around.
The Amiga version was also pulled, but iirc it got leaked or copies were sold before the attack lawyers got in. This meant a cracked / pirated version was floating around.
There was definitely a pirated Amiga version kicking-around in the early 1990s which means copies will still be available somewhere on the internet. I don't recall it being terribly good, though.
Always thought Nintendo's reaction was grossly unfair and rather stifling. Great Giana Sisters was a knock-off of Mario, true, but it wasn't the same game and what Rainbow Arts had done was identical to what a large number of software houses had been doing throughout the 1980s - porting games from another platform to the home computer in a similar style with a different name to avoid copyright issues.
It's the sort of thing that heralded a potential slippery-slope of litigation - FTL trying to sue Westwood Studios over Eye of the Beholder's similarity to Dungeon Master for example - but luckily didn't.
There was definitely a pirated Amiga version kicking-around in the early 1990s which means copies will still be available somewhere on the internet. I don't recall it being terribly good, though.
Same goes for the Atari ST version!
It was also pretty poor - used screen switching instead of scrolling... yuk.
I had the Amiga version off a mate of mine. In fact, I think I've still got it somewhere.... just no Amiga to play it on any more!
I remember wanting to get the game for the Spec back when Crash gave it a great review and had it on the cover of the same issue as well. Judging by all the screenshots there must have been a fairly complete version of the game knocking around if not a fully complete version. Crash were generally quite reliable when it came to reviews so I don't think they'd have "done an SU" and reviewed a screenshot and a bag of cash.
It's weird how some of the versions got leaked but the Spec one has never turned up. Surely by now there'd be no-one worth suing if one were to turn up?
History is what the majority of people believe happened eh?
They weren't leaked. It was on sale at the time of the Nintendo lawsuit. However, there were delays with the Spectrum version which meant that was never offered for sale once the other versions were withdrawn. The irony is that GGS is one of the games that's supposed to be available for Nintendo's own Virtual Console for the Wii.
Well, ok, maybe the word "leaked" wasn't exactly too accurate but since the Amiga version I had came with one of those "woo hoo!!! look at us - we're pirates!!!!" type of intros attached then I wasn't sure if it'd actually come out or just been acquired from somewhere before it was due for release. Not an unheard of phenomenon.
Still, it doesn't mean that there isn't a beta or full version of GGS somewhere for the Spec. Maybe someone at one of the mags kept a review copy? As much as they weren't allowed to release it then maybe someone associated with Rainbow Arts stashed a few on one side? Who knows? It's gotta be more likely to exist than Mire Mare, surely?
Still, it doesn't mean that there isn't a beta or full version of GGS somewhere for the Spec. Maybe someone at one of the mags kept a review copy? As much as they weren't allowed to release it then maybe someone associated with Rainbow Arts stashed a few on one side? Who knows? It's gotta be more likely to exist than Mire Mare, surely?
It existed. The chances of a copy turning up now are pretty slim though.
It existed. The chances of a copy turning up now are pretty slim though.
I don't think it did exist in a finished form, which would explain why it's never been found. I remember reading an interview long ago with a member of the Crash review team suggesting they hadn't even played the thing, that they got some screenshots and faked it, perhaps because they needed a Crash Smash for that issue.
I don't think it did exist in a finished form, which would explain why it's never been found. I remember reading an interview long ago with a member of the Crash review team suggesting they hadn't even played the thing, that they got some screenshots and faked it, perhaps because they needed a Crash Smash for that issue.
According to the editor, they did have a copy and did play it, but it was crap.
D'oh! Just read that bit on crashonline.org.uk about the "review"... and there was me defending Crash. :razz:
Old stereotypes do not die easily. Even more true in this case, since the SU review, by Tony Dillon, stated that the game was a disappointment although being pretty to look at.
Could it be that a tape/code listing of TGGS still lurks somewhere, just waiting to be discovered, as it has already been speculated about Mire Mare? Rainbow Arts went bust years ago, who knows who holds the rights to their products now?
it probably wasn't leaked as such, more a case of it was released in Germany on c64 and amiga by rainbow arts themselves before the stink.. much like US gold released Epyx's stuff in the UK. I think they started the speccy version after the c64 / amiga one was done perhaps.
funny one though is the c64 version of R-type was rubbish, until they got the Katakis coder from c64 in to do it.
same with Karnov etc.. nice on speccy , but c64 is like a c64 running an emu version.. it was a load of s....
Even though Phil South (of YS/H'n'T) mentions that they didn't have a copy available he does start out by saying that he doesn't think GGS is the same as SMB.
So, he had previously played GGS? And if so, did he play it on the Speccy?
And well, there is that Colin Smith sending in a tip for the game...
The answer to what happened to GGS in on WoS. See the permissions page for Ian Richards who coded it.
"Gianna Sisters", I did Spectrum and Amstrad versions of this. Unfortunately, Speccy one was never even mastered, Nintendo had it cancelled two days before duplication.
As for the tip, I'm guessing that Phil wrote it himself and credited it to a made up person.
Yes, I'm told that the finished game was sent to the mags for reviewing purposes. However, the chances of the tape being saved by the reviewer is extremely slim.
I used to work on a PlayStation reviews mag, and we got loads of preview/review discs sent in every weeks. Once they had been played, they were all just dumped in a big filing cabinet (some discs used to have messages on them, saying that they had to be returned to the publisher once finished with, but no publisher ever demanded this).
When the magazine closed, I remember all of these disks been throw into a skip. To my crying shame, I didn't rescue any of them. Didn't care at the time. When I think what was thrown out... a lot of it was crap, but there was some great stuff., such as beta versions of the Silent Hill games with different puzzles etc, and tons of pre-release Sega stuff.
And to SU as well, I remember reading it :) Probably it was a pre-marketing release specifically distributed to magazines for reviews. In this case, the Nintendo legal action would have probably been in force when the magazines reviewing the game were already being printed and distributed, creating the surreal situation of a game which was reviewed and even advertised, but that you couldn't buy even before you knew of its existence :(
I used to play Giana Sisters on C-64 at our meetings. I loved the smooth scrolling and perfect pacing and great SID soundtrack. It's far better than any other platforms including Amiga. It is even better than Mario. Probably one of the top 5 C-64 games of all time. Too bad Nintendont banned it. And too bad Speccy didn't have anything like this... I could only play Chuckie Egg, Manic Miner, Dynamite Dan but they were all lacking the smooth SCROLL magic...
I've made extensive enquiries re GGS, my information was that the dev/review copies were on +3 disk and at the moment all those involved with it no longer have any copies.
Comments
Comparison shots: http://pc.sux.org/tomcat/giana.jpg
There was definitely a pirated Amiga version kicking-around in the early 1990s which means copies will still be available somewhere on the internet. I don't recall it being terribly good, though.
Always thought Nintendo's reaction was grossly unfair and rather stifling. Great Giana Sisters was a knock-off of Mario, true, but it wasn't the same game and what Rainbow Arts had done was identical to what a large number of software houses had been doing throughout the 1980s - porting games from another platform to the home computer in a similar style with a different name to avoid copyright issues.
It's the sort of thing that heralded a potential slippery-slope of litigation - FTL trying to sue Westwood Studios over Eye of the Beholder's similarity to Dungeon Master for example - but luckily didn't.
Same goes for the Atari ST version!
It was also pretty poor - used screen switching instead of scrolling... yuk.
http://www.giana-sisters.com/giana_sisters_en.html
I remember wanting to get the game for the Spec back when Crash gave it a great review and had it on the cover of the same issue as well. Judging by all the screenshots there must have been a fairly complete version of the game knocking around if not a fully complete version. Crash were generally quite reliable when it came to reviews so I don't think they'd have "done an SU" and reviewed a screenshot and a bag of cash.
It's weird how some of the versions got leaked but the Spec one has never turned up. Surely by now there'd be no-one worth suing if one were to turn up?
They weren't leaked. It was on sale at the time of the Nintendo lawsuit. However, there were delays with the Spectrum version which meant that was never offered for sale once the other versions were withdrawn. The irony is that GGS is one of the games that's supposed to be available for Nintendo's own Virtual Console for the Wii.
Still, it doesn't mean that there isn't a beta or full version of GGS somewhere for the Spec. Maybe someone at one of the mags kept a review copy? As much as they weren't allowed to release it then maybe someone associated with Rainbow Arts stashed a few on one side? Who knows? It's gotta be more likely to exist than Mire Mare, surely?
Oh? Is it lined up for a future release on the Virtual Console then? Because there's no sign of it on there yet. I'll keep an eye out for it though :)
It existed. The chances of a copy turning up now are pretty slim though.
Well, you know how the rumours go. There does seem to be a version for the DS in the works though.
I don't think it did exist in a finished form, which would explain why it's never been found. I remember reading an interview long ago with a member of the Crash review team suggesting they hadn't even played the thing, that they got some screenshots and faked it, perhaps because they needed a Crash Smash for that issue.
https://discordapp.com/invite/cZt59EQ
According to the editor, they did have a copy and did play it, but it was crap.
http://www.crashonline.org.uk/99/handy.htm
D'oh! Just read that bit on crashonline.org.uk about the "review"... and there was me defending Crash. :razz:
Old stereotypes do not die easily. Even more true in this case, since the SU review, by Tony Dillon, stated that the game was a disappointment although being pretty to look at.
Could it be that a tape/code listing of TGGS still lurks somewhere, just waiting to be discovered, as it has already been speculated about Mire Mare? Rainbow Arts went bust years ago, who knows who holds the rights to their products now?
funny one though is the c64 version of R-type was rubbish, until they got the Katakis coder from c64 in to do it.
same with Karnov etc.. nice on speccy , but c64 is like a c64 running an emu version.. it was a load of s....
Right hand side ... what's that all about then, eh?
Even though Phil South (of YS/H'n'T) mentions that they didn't have a copy available he does start out by saying that he doesn't think GGS is the same as SMB.
So, he had previously played GGS? And if so, did he play it on the Speccy?
And well, there is that Colin Smith sending in a tip for the game...
"Gianna Sisters", I did Spectrum and Amstrad versions of this. Unfortunately, Speccy one was never even mastered, Nintendo had it cancelled two days before duplication.
As for the tip, I'm guessing that Phil wrote it himself and credited it to a made up person.
My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation, SQIJ.
Twitter: Sokurah
And would have been sent to mags for reviews....
I used to work on a PlayStation reviews mag, and we got loads of preview/review discs sent in every weeks. Once they had been played, they were all just dumped in a big filing cabinet (some discs used to have messages on them, saying that they had to be returned to the publisher once finished with, but no publisher ever demanded this).
When the magazine closed, I remember all of these disks been throw into a skip. To my crying shame, I didn't rescue any of them. Didn't care at the time. When I think what was thrown out... a lot of it was crap, but there was some great stuff., such as beta versions of the Silent Hill games with different puzzles etc, and tons of pre-release Sega stuff.
It was reviewed in YS. I remember reading it.
http://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=1147
katakis came out later as denarius http://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=703
and katakis 2 came out as enforcer on c64 IRC
http://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=3699
Steve