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Post by EXMaster on Jul 13, 2006 16:56:16 GMT -5
First, let me say that I've been coming to the site for a while and lurking around the forums a bit, and I really enjoy this site and what it showcases. As a shmup fan, I like that attention is given a lot of the good stuff here, but one thing that always irked me a bit was the site's lack of Thunder Force. So, instead of just complaining about it, I thought I'd try my hand at writing an article for the series. Before I get too far into this, I'm posting here to see if anyone had already started on one or have been meaning to start one and if it was okay with the webmaster for Joe Nobody to write stuff for the site.
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ed
Full Member
Posts: 230
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Post by ed on Jul 13, 2006 19:33:40 GMT -5
If you want any help getting ahold of the (original) x68000 version of Thunder Force II, I can help. I also remember seeing a writeup of the series elsewhere with some information about the original game...
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Post by EXMaster on Jul 14, 2006 20:32:25 GMT -5
Thanks for the help, but I have all the games on hand except the Saturn stuff (the gold packs, and saturn TFV) and other versions of TF1 besides the Sharp X-1 one. Hopefully, I can find enough research to fill in the gaps of what I'm missing.
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Post by Discoalucard on Jul 15, 2006 0:55:52 GMT -5
The only reason I haven't is due to Thunder Force V - I've seen SOOOO many threads on the SHMUPS forum over the years debating which is better, the PSOne or Saturn version. Naturally, Sony is teh evil so it's hard to get a valid opinion, and I've never seen pictures. (Apparently the Saturn version looks a bit nicer but is prone to slowdown. The PSOne version has a lot less slowdown but looks worse. How much worse, I dunno.)
Anyway, I never tracked down the Saturn version to grab my own comparison pics and settle this once and for all, which is why it never got started.
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Post by EXMaster on Jul 15, 2006 11:14:08 GMT -5
Yeah, TFV PS1 vs. Saturn is a touchy subject for some reason. I haven't spent a great amount of time with the Saturn version, but it has better graphics mainly because of transparency effects that the Playstation was unable to reproduce. The most obvious example demonstrating this is in the third stage, where the Satun version has a neat little effect on the stage's floor that shows a futuristic city below, instead of the plain, browned floor of the PS1 version.
From my experience of going through both, it really doesn't matter which version you choose, as they offer marginal variations of the same experience. When I get that point in my article, my plan is to focus less on the version differences and more on the actual game itself, and hope I don't get stones thrown at me for not mentioning the Saturn version is superior because the enhanced color of the score multipliers and such.
Speaking of which, when I'm done should I just post it or send it to you? Or would you still rather do it yourself in the future?
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ed
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Posts: 230
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Post by ed on Jul 15, 2006 16:25:37 GMT -5
Yeah, TFV PS1 vs. Saturn is a touchy subject for some reason. I haven't spent a great amount of time with the Saturn version, but it has better graphics mainly because of transparency effects that the Playstation was unable to reproduce. Odd...wasn't the situation essentially reversed for Castlevania: SotN? Though that was blamed on not enough time for development. |
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Post by Neo Rasa on Jul 15, 2006 23:03:14 GMT -5
Yeah they used sprite dithering instead of true transparencies in the Saturn port of SotN. Transparencies were a pretty big deal at the time too, most notably with the way the Spectre is represented in the console Doom ports.
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Post by dartagnan1803 on Jul 17, 2006 2:44:23 GMT -5
it would still be nice to put up screenshot comparisons and give differences a brief mention.
Most of hg101's articles treat version differences as stubs anyway
Unless there's something to the effect of 12 different versions of a single game (like Ys III).
TFV's differences add up to; slight graphical touches, slight slowdown, and the picture gallery and opening sequence.
I personally haven't encountered that much slowdown in the Saturn game.
I can only assume that people may prefer it since it's essentially the original form and presentation of the game.
in any case, be sure to include the cancelled Thunderforce VI for the Dreamcast (and the trailer) as well as the current Fan project.
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Post by Discoalucard on Jul 18, 2006 22:01:17 GMT -5
I found an ISO of the Saturn version and snagged these comparison shots - Saturn on top, Playstation on bottom: Level 3:   There's that transparent floor EXMaster mentions. It definitely looks nicer but that's the only standout part I've seen. Level 1:   Different but essentially equal. The Saturn version runs at a slightly higher resolution though. Overall it's not the transparency effects that are the issue, but the multiple planes of scrolling. Both look rather ugly though, so it's no big deal. However, the PSOne version added all of that cool computer code during loading segments, it's all blank in the Saturn version. The Game Over screen also says "Try to Next Chance", as opposed to "Pilot Error in the English PSOne version. Man that always pissed me off in a hilarious kind of way. |
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Post by kyouki on Jul 21, 2006 7:31:42 GMT -5
It seems like the textures are a lot nicer in the Saturn version also. There's very little warping, whereas in the PSone version the textures are all bent out of shape (judging by the screenshots you posted).
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