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Post by Ryu the Grappler on May 31, 2012 14:28:37 GMT -5
How Monster Land has remained strong in my memories By Shin-ichi Sakamoto (Westone Bit Entertainment board member) Composing the background music and sound effects for Monster Land was my first job at Westone. Because of this, the game has remained strong in my mind and I wouldn't had it any other way. The truth is that the System 2 board, the target platform chosen for Monster Land, was already becoming obsolete in light of other platforms that were being used by rival developers at the time, since there were severe restrictions to what could be displayed on-screen and the sound could only use PSG. I think the task our staff was burdened to do was quite suitable for their abilities (laughs). At first, I didn't quite understand what was the intention of the game's planners. Even though it was conceived as an arcade game, you could collect gold and buy weapons while traveling back and forth between towns like in an RPG, yet it has a stage-clear system true to the principles of arcade game design. I remember asking Nishizawa many questions about this. The very detailed concept was quite amazing. While gathering gold was an important element in completing the game, it was still possible to complete the game without doing so. This concept, which can be seen as an antithesis to itself, was also used for Monster World III. I really want players to challenge both of these games, because I am not good enough do it myself. (laughs) But what makes the release of this collection ( Monster World Complete Collection) a truly happy occasion for me is the fact that it is now possible to listen to the music Monster World II in FM format. Although the game was originally planned for the Sega Mark III, it wasn't released in Japan until it was ported to the Game Gear. The software and data was simplified to allow optional support for the FM sound module that was available at the time. However, the Game Gear version was the only version released in Japan and the FM Sound Module was never released for the overseas versions of the Master System. Because that, it was impossible to listen to the game's FM soundtrack. But thanks to the fact that FM Unit simulation is now possible, you can listen to the FM soundtrack by setting it on in the game's options. I want to thank Sega Ages for allowing me to release data that has been kept sealed away until now. (laughs) * All products and companies mentioned in this text are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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Post by Allie on May 31, 2012 15:18:34 GMT -5
That took a lot of effort. Ha. I just noticed that it's the 'ripoff' characters (Higgins, the Bikkuriman guy, and the Dynastic Hero guy) that got KO'd in that.
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Post by Ike on May 31, 2012 15:59:11 GMT -5
All of the Wonder Boy hero(in)es are adorable.
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Post by xerxes on May 31, 2012 16:55:38 GMT -5
The scrupulous concept was quite uncanny as well. While gathering gold was an important element in completing the game, it was still possible to complete the game without doing so. This concept, which can be seen as an antithesis of itself, was also passed down to Monster World III. Because I am unable do it myself, I want players to truly challenge both of these games. (laughs) "The scrupulous concept was quite uncanny as well." Best translation EVER.
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Post by Ryu the Grappler on May 31, 2012 17:20:40 GMT -5
Maybe I translated that line a bit too literally, but the original line says kawatta concepting (拘ったコンセプティング). Kakawaru or kodawaru means to be obsessive or fixated with something. I don't know what exactly he means by "concepting" though.
EDIT: Either way, I refined a few things in my translation. Feel free to point out any other phrases that could be worded better.
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Post by kal on May 31, 2012 23:04:27 GMT -5
That took a lot of effort. Ha. I just noticed that it's the 'ripoff' characters (Higgins, the Bikkuriman guy, and the Dynastic Hero guy) that got KO'd in that. Also, from the top down it's a rough genealogy of game releases. Only Pupucillia throws it off a bit (she just HAD to be on their stupid flying pink things). And Wonder Boy from Monster Land is in the silly pose that all the Boy's stand in which makes him look rather awkward.
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Post by muteKi on May 31, 2012 23:57:55 GMT -5
I have to admit I agree with Sakamoto and don't really like the SN76489 chip, except to work with as an extreme challenge, because of how goddamn limited it is compared to some of the other chips that were available at the time of the master system.
I mean, if they'd gone with the AY-3-8910 in the SG-1000 (podcast errata: like the MSX actually had; the colecovision was another console that had the SN chip, not the MSX) they could have at least upgraded to the backward-compatible with AY-3-8930 which actually had configurable duty cycles!
The SMS implementation of the SN chip is fucked anyway because of how high the input clock frequency is, so you can't get any bass out of it. As a result while it pairs well with other chips, it's awful alone.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2012 21:47:32 GMT -5
The podcast is up for grabs, all! This one's been really impressive and I hope you'll all enjoy it.
Stay tuned, because we're switching the paradigms up for next month...
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Post by ommadawnyawn on Jun 5, 2012 22:29:49 GMT -5
Interesting listen. Just a couple of things regarding WB3... You actually can transform anywhere by using a specific equipment combo and pressing some button on the second controller. You can create destructible blocks in mid-air as well, with a different combo (allows you to get the legendary stuff earlier but not much else). Of course there's no hint in-game of these but it's on gamefaqs.
In the GG version, I think you could teleport so there's less backtracking.
I always thought it was cool how the game ties into the prequel, beginning in the final castle of that game. Do you think that part inspired the intro in SOTN or is that too far fetched?
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Post by Discoalucard on Jun 6, 2012 7:55:29 GMT -5
Interesting listen. Just a couple of things regarding WB3... You actually can transform anywhere by using a specific equipment combo and pressing some button on the second controller. You can create destructible blocks in mid-air as well, with a different combo (allows you to get the legendary stuff earlier but not much else). Of course there's no hint in-game of these but it's on gamefaqs. Yeah! I didn't realize this at all until I read it on GameFAQs. I think it's the Tasmanian Armor. I've been playing on my phone so I can't give it a try. Should make the final fight easier if you can play as someone with less crappy defense than Hawk Man. Also, the Hades Armor acts like a potion, refilling your health completely when you die. It's supposed to be a consumable item, I think. However, there's some sort of glitch I accidentally activiated - the FAQ said something about equipping the Legendary Equipment first, then equipping the Hades Armor - then it won't disappear, thereby basically making you unkillable. Also also, if you have 99 charm stones apparently you can activate a boss rush of sorts through hidden doors in the town.
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Post by ommadawnyawn on Jun 6, 2012 11:36:32 GMT -5
Also, the Hades Armor acts like a potion, refilling your health completely when you die. It's supposed to be a consumable item, I think. However, there's some sort of glitch I accidentally activiated - the FAQ said something about equipping the Legendary Equipment first, then equipping the Hades Armor - then it won't disappear, thereby basically making you unkillable. Yeah, Hades is bugged in the SMS version but not the TG16 version IIRC. Pretty neat if you just want to breeze through the game. I can't imagine playing this game on a phone personally, wouldn't feel right and probably be much more frustrating.
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Post by Discoalucard on Jun 6, 2012 11:45:13 GMT -5
I have an Xperia Play, the kind with a control pad. It's basically a mini-PSP running on Android (though without PSP software functionality). It's beautiful for emulation.
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