AL82 Retrogaming Longplays | Shinobi Longplay (NES) [QHD] @AL82RetrogamingLongplays | Uploaded 11 months ago | Updated 10 hours ago
Game Info
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Developer: Tengen
Publisher: Tengen
Year of Release: 1989
Game Review & Impressions
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An unlicensed NES game and terrible conversion of an arcade classic. There's really nothing to redeem this pile of tosh; the controls are awful, the collision detection amiss, and animation almost non-existent. I guess some of the sprites are reasonable, but backgrounds from certain bosses are missing, and there's perpetual raster flicker where the top UI and game window meet.
Chapters
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TBC
Game Info
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Developer: Tengen
Publisher: Tengen
Year of Release: 1989
Game Review & Impressions
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An unlicensed NES game and terrible conversion of an arcade classic. There's really nothing to redeem this pile of tosh; the controls are awful, the collision detection amiss, and animation almost non-existent. I guess some of the sprites are reasonable, but backgrounds from certain bosses are missing, and there's perpetual raster flicker where the top UI and game window meet.
Chapters
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TBC
![Shinobi Longplay (NES) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Tvs-cZYqfQI/hqdefault.jpg "Shinobi Longplay (NES) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Tengen
Publisher: Tengen
Year of Release: 1989
Game Review & Impressions
An unlicensed NES game and terrible conversion of an arcade classic. Theres really nothing to redeem this pile of tosh; the controls are awful, the collision detection amiss, and animation almost non-existent. I guess some of the sprites are reasonable, but backgrounds from certain bosses are missing, and theres perpetual raster flicker where the top UI and game window meet.
Chapters
TBC")
![Trio the Punch - Never Forget Me Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TxLoYQ1pAzs/hqdefault.jpg "Trio the Punch - Never Forget Me Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Data East
Publisher: Data East
Year of Release: 1990
Game Review & Impressions
With a title that hardly rolls off the tongue, Trio the Punch - Never Forget Me is nothing if not true to its namesake. There are many things you can say about this total oddity of an arcade game, but youre unlikely to forget it any time soon.
Players must choose from one of three characters before the game commences, each possessing individual strengths, weaknesses, attack moves and special equipment. There are opportunities to swap characters later on, and since the entire game is as far from a typical beat em up as you can expect, it really doesnt matter which one you choose.
Once selected, youre dropped into the game proper. Each stage involves defeating a bunch of smaller enemies which appear, collecting the hearts they drop, then defeating the stage boss or bosses when they appear. The core game loop is really a succession of these small vignettes, with different platform layouts and varying combinations of enemies.
Between each level, players participate in a roulette-style minigame. Prizes include restoring health, upgrading primary or secondary attacks, or the opportunity to change their character entirely. I guess this was added to keep cycling various variables to spice up the gameplay and keep things fresh.
If youve watched more than 5 minutes of this and decided the game is somewhat insane, youd be right. It made absolutely no sense to me, I wondered whether it faired any better in its native territory, but it appears to have been something of a dud in Japan as well; Game Machine listed Trio the Punch as being the 24th most successful tabletop arcade machine in the May 1990 edition of the magazine, which isnt saying much. Karnov and Chelnov heroes from other Data East coin-ops make guest appearances in various guises, but its innate wackiness is just too over the top, and its not particularly entertaining as an actual video game.
Chapters
TBC")
![Vroom Longplay (Amiga) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/U6bsfmMaFGU/hqdefault.jpg "Vroom Longplay (Amiga) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Lankhor
Publisher: Lankhor
Year of Release: 1992
Game Review & Impressions
When it comes to the Amiga, the machine had some genuinely impressive racing games. Lotus Turbo Challenge 2, Crazy Cars III and Jaguar XJ220 proved the machine could handle 2D sprite scaling racers just as well as the console competition, and were probably the three titles most synonymous with the genre, and among the most popular.
But what if I told you there was another contender? One which you may have never heard of, let alone played. Im definitely one of those people, and its real shame, because Vroom is one of the best games in its class.
I was more familiar with Lankhors Jerome Lange adventure games, particularly Maupiti Island, but they were also responsible for Vroom. This take on Formula 1 racing is genuinely impressive, boasting great visuals, a selection of tracks to choose from, arcade and simulation racing modes and, best of all, it runs as a decent pace on the A500.
The buildings which adorn the track pit lanes, bridges and such appear to be made from vectors, rather than sprites. The roadside furniture, player cockpit and opposing vehicles appear to be sprites, although the game does something very clever with the latter when you look closely. Get up behind another vehicle and youll notice the perspective of the car changes as you weave left and right, resulting in a really convincing 3D effect, probably the best Ive seen in this kind of game.
When it comes to game modes, Arcade Mode (seen in this video) has you racing each of the six circuits in turn, with the objective to pass as many cars as possible before the end of the race; you need to pass the requisite number of opponents to qualify for the next race, else its game over and back to the main menu. By contrast, Racing Mode aims to be more of a simulation. Each race starts with a qualifying session, where your lap time determines your position on the starting grid. The races operate like real-world F1, where youll want to finish the race in as high a position as possible to earn more championship points.
The game mode you choose also affects the handling of your car, and its with this aspect that the game lets itself down. Whenever you turn into a corner youll notice your car tends to rebound off the inside of the rumble strips to try and keep you on the track, provided youre not driving too fast. This system is far less forgiving in Racing mode, and, somewhat weirdly, the game seems to take over the steering when youre in the middle of corners. Its really quite disconcerting it feels like youre just operating the gas peddle and the game is handling the driving for you. I couldnt get on with this arrangement using the joystick controls, and mouse mode was borderline useless, so I went back to the Arcade mode, which behaves perfectly.
If the controls werent quite so weird in Racing mode, Vroom might well have been the best racing game on the Amiga, or at least in the top three. If there had been an option to play the Racing mode with the arcade handling, this would have been absolutely perfect. As it stands, arcade mode is still great fun, and I have no hesitation in saying this is one of the best driving games on the Amiga, well worth taking for a spin.
Chapters
TBC")
![Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting Longplay (SNES) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/U7Wt0WevPs4/hqdefault.jpg "Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting Longplay (SNES) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Year of Release: 1993
Game Review & Impressions
Street Fighter II: Turbo was released into the arcade in 1992, with the SNES conversion arriving a year later in 1993. It marks the first in a series of incremental revisions to the base game, including making each of the four boss characters selectable, plus introducing the ability to control the games overall speed. There are also some additional palette swaps available for each fighter, and new specials, such as Chun-Lis fireball, are seen for the first time in this particular release. If you hadnt already invested in the original SF II cartridge on release, then Turbo would clearly have been the version to purchase.
Unsurprisingly, Street Fighter II: Turbo ended up as a pack-in game bundled with the SNES console, and it was this particular pack that I owned back in the day. I remember getting up early and sneaking in a few rounds before school each day and being thoroughly impressed with how excellent the game was, although considering my previous experience with series had been the utterly risible Amiga version of SF II, my expectations were probably pretty low.
Playing back through the game now, its still apparent how well Capcom captured the essence of the arcade game. The large sprites and multiple layers of parallax scrolling look superb, and the controls, aided by the fact the SNES joypad had six buttons by default, are slickly implemented and responsive. Theres never any problem pulling off special moves, something which blighted the Amiga version of the game, and just feels incredibly tight as a result.
When it comes to problems, the AI of the CPU-controlled player isnt as adept as it could be. It puts up a reasonable challenge under most circumstances, but it becomes quite apparent its reading player inputs and reacting accordingly. As demonstrated during the fight with Vega, the AI never really learns from mistakes, so exploiting certain behaviours are pretty easy to do, even on the hardest difficulty. I came away from the recording session a little disheartened, because its fairly noticeable flaw in an otherwise excellent conversion.
With that said, the game was always at its vest when played multiplayer. Even today, I dare anyone not to thoroughly enjoy a few rounds of Street Fighter II: Turbo against a mate; its a stonkingly good conversion thats stood the test of time.
Chapters
TBC")
![X-Men Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/U9c61cFH-wQ/hqdefault.jpg "X-Men Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Year of Release: 1992
Game Review & Impressions
Released in 1992, X-Men is another triple-A IP license from Konamis coin-op division. Assuming the role of the one of the eponymous X-Men, up to four players do battle with the forces of Magneto in an action-packed sideways scrolling brawler. Anyone who has played one of these games before should be instantly at home; just move to the right and hit those buttons as fast as you can to unleash combo attacks that send evil doers flying, all whilst cooing and marvelling at the graphics and animation.
Except something is a little bit different about X-Men, and not in a good way. Yes, the production values are generally excellent, but if it all feels just a little bit familiar, youre not alone. Given that Konami also produced the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, its only natural to expect the games to share DNA, but given that three years had passed since TMNTs release, I was expecting something more from X-Men. Apart from the graphics, theres nothing that I could really single out as being different - the move list and combo mechanics are practically identical, even down to the way you automatically grapple and chuck enemies around. The level layouts and enemies within them, even down to the sudden appearance of static defences and sentry guns, feel too much like cut and paste from Konamis previous games.
I suppose the ability to compare and contrast these games to such a degree is more of a modern phenomenon, but nonetheless, its difficult to look at X-Men with the quite the same degree of fascination as TMNT. Make no mistake, its a solid fighting game with top production values, but the lack of innovation means X-Men doesnt leave the same lasting impression as its predecessors.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
01:45 Stage 1
04:35 Stage 2
08:00 Stage 3
12:30 Stage 4
18:17 Stage 5
23:30 Stage 6
28:30 Stage 7
33:50 Ending")
![Paperboy Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/V1R5Pnb2eXM/hqdefault.jpg "Paperboy Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Atari
Publisher: Atari
Year of Release: 1984
Game Review & Impressions
Delivering papers might seem like a ridiculously mundane premise for a video game, but to Ataris credit, they managed to produce something that would become an all-time classic. This game got ported to an extensive number of home computers and consoles back in the day, but the arcade version, with its handle-bar controller and high -res display is definitely the best way to experience the game.
The objective is simple: chuck papers into mailboxes or on the porches of subscribers homes, and avoid all manner of obstacles lining the route. Engage in petty vandalism of non-subscriber properties for bonus points, then complete the obstacle course en route to the next stage; delivering to all subscribers will cause a new household to sub on subsequent days, while subs you miss will unsubscribe.
Although later arcade games would offer better visual and engaging experiences, I think Paperboy is a solid experience, one of the few Atari games I actually enjoy. Theres something undeniably endearing about causing havoc with a sack of tabloids in American suburbia, and its a game still worth playing today.
Chapters
TBC")
![Strider II Longplay (Sega Genesis) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/V2n-0FuiZjo/hqdefault.jpg "Strider II Longplay (Sega Genesis) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Tiertex
Publisher: US Gold
Year of Release: 1993
Game Review & Impressions
The original Strider is one of Capcoms best-known arcade titles from the late 80s. The sword-slashing acrobatics and platforming were quite unlike other coin-ops at the time, and whilst its not my favourite Capcom game, theres no denying it had a cool aesthetic.
What we have in Strider II, however, is a sequel developed exclusively for home computers and consoles of the day. I think US Gold had secured a publishing license with Capcom which allowed them to develop and publish conversions of the arcade giants games, but also to develop titles based on their IP.
Strider II was developed by Tiertex in association with US Gold, and while that might set alarm bells ringing, the Sega Genesis version of the game isnt as bad as you might think. In fact, its a pretty faithful extension of the original arcade game; not as innovative or as adventurous, but most of the features from the original make a return in some form, and it certainly looks the part. The home computer versions of Strider II are far more dubious in terms of quality, but to give Tiertex their due, if you wanted more Strider, the Genesis sequel might just scratch that itch.
Chapters
TBC")
![Rolling Thunder Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/V8vORk77Ufc/hqdefault.jpg "Rolling Thunder Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Year of Release: 1986
Game Review & Impressions
Although familiar with Rolling Thunder, I hadnt really appreciated just how refined the gameplay of Namcos platformer really is. Sure, its difficult as heck, but the general flow of the game shooting bad guys with split-second timing before ducking into cover behind a convenient door is actually really satisfying. Use of the upper and lower play areas is key to avoiding the neon-coloured goons which besiege you on all sides, so quick reactions are the order of the day.
Chapters
TBC")
![Steel Gunner Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VDbgIKXfMCU/hqdefault.jpg "Steel Gunner Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Year of Release: 1990
Game Review & Impressions
Im quite partial to a decent lightgun shooter, so when I stumbled across Steel Gunner online I thought Id give it a shot. Blasting waves of cyborg droids and hover tanks looked super cool, and being from Namco it must surely be fun, right?
In terms of aesthetics, its definitely up there with the best of them. The artwork and sprite scaling effects are consistently excellent, which makes this one of the best in class for the period of its release. Sound and music are also fantastic, with sampled audio, music and plenty of rumbling explosions. In short, it definitely captures your attention.
As for the gameplay, I was less impressed. This game is HARD and offers little in the way of concession or assistance, no power-ups. Unlike similar titles in the genre, theres no visual cue either through flashing or some kind of telegraphing animation to indicate when an enemy is going to shoot. This makes the experience particularly fraught because the only way to survive is to learn where and when enemies appear, and to be an absolutely crack shot. Theres also a perceptible lag between firing your gun and the projectile connecting with whatever you were aiming at; I found I had to lead targets to drop the shots where they needed to land, which takes some getting used to.
In my opinion, Steel Gunner would be much more enjoyable in co-op mode with a friend. Twice the cover and twice the firepower would make things considerably more manageable, but the solo experience just feels frustrating. I cant say this issue is unique to Steel Gunner; it is a coin-op after all, designed to relieve you of your cash, but having some power-ups or extra weapons to make things a bit easier would have been a welcome addition.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
01:10 Stage 1
04:30 Stage 2
08:30 Stage 3
12:19 Stage 4
15:00 Final boss")
![Ta*o Taido Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VDra5pbkGB0/hqdefault.jpg "Ta*o Taido Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Video System
Publisher: Video System
Year of Release:1993
Game Review & Impressions
Another game to pop up on my socials which I thought weird enough to warrant a long play is this versus fighting game from Video System.
The developers opted to use a combat system with just two buttons. Executing special moves is as simple as holding down both buttons, waiting for your character to power up, then pushing the joystick in one of the eight different directions and let go of the buttons. The direction of the stick on release dictates which type of move is executed, but this is all rather moot when theyre all equally crap. In fact, the combat in this game is just terrible, period.
Ta*o Taido is a long way from Street Fighter or Fatal Fury in its production values. Some of the character art is reasonable, but is then let down by poor animation, most of which seems to involve stilted pirouettes and cartwheel-esque flailing. Theres not much to recommend this, and there are plenty of better games to play.
Chapters
TBC")
![Tecmo Knight Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VwZSUlE7nJs/hqdefault.jpg "Tecmo Knight Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Tecmo
Publisher: Tecmo
Year of Release: 1989
Game Review & Impressions
Also known as Wild Fang, Tecmo Knight is a side-scrolling fighting game created by, as the name implies, Tecmo. The gameplay is based very closely on Shadow Warriors/Ninja Gaiden, which Tecmo released a year or so earlier, but is no where near as entertaining. In fact, the only thing I can say that is really memorable about this is the level of gore - you literally punch heads clean off the enemies, which is rather amusing for the first 10 minutes or so, and the intro is rather shocking for its time.
The player has the ability to transform between a guy mounted on the shoulders of an even bigger guy, who pummels enemies with his oversized ham-like fists, and a mounted on the back of a tiger. The tiger is certainly the more agile of the two modes, and your attack a spiked ball on the end of a chain has extended reach, but does less damage. Each transformation consumes a number of stars, shown above the character bar in the bottom left of the screen, and must be topped up by collecting the skulls of defeated opponents. The third and final form, a fire-breathing wyvern, can only be activated by collecting a specific power-up dropped by enemies, something that appears so rarely that it might as well have been removed from the game altogether.
Tecmo Knights worst crime is that its simply too dull. The combat isnt rewarding and the difficulty too punishing to really recommend this, certainly when compared to Shadow Warriors. The initial novelty of the bestial enemies and gore wear thin before too long, and I doubt anyone will bother to continue beyond their initial credit.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
00:30 Stage 1
04:05 Stage 2
08:20 Stage 3
11:20 Stage 4
15:19 Stage 5
19:37 Final boss & ending
23:38 Bonus: Continue screen")
![Rabio Lepus Longplay (Arcade) [QHD] [JP]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W7n3AnxGUsw/hqdefault.jpg "Rabio Lepus Longplay (Arcade) [QHD] [JP]
Game Info
Developer: Video System
Publisher: Video System
Year of Release: 1987
Game Review & Impressions
Known as Rabbit Punch is Western territories, Rabio Lepus is quite an enigmatic shooter. It looks and feels like a hybrid of R-Type and Gradius, albeit one starring a weird rabbit-shaped droid that can fly and shoots plasma bolts.
As shooters go, this is pretty formulaic, although its approach to power-ups and weapons is quite novel. Tapping the fire button close to enemies will initiate a proximity attack, biffing the enemy with pneumatic-powered fist. This is more powerful than your default blaster, but you run the risk of taking damage, or losing a life, if you mis-time the attack.
The most powerful and useful weapon by far is the smart missile launcher. These home in on enemies and are great for getting out of tight spots, but with only a limited amount of ammunition on hand, these should be used sparingly. More missiles can be found by shooting the rotating tin cans littering each of the levels, but you can never hold so many that you can afford to relax.
If youre in the mood for a shooter thats quirky and a little bit different, Rabio Lepus is worth a look.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
1:35 Stage 1
3:12 Stage 2
4:40 Stage 3
6:16 Stage 4
7:04 Stage 5
8:41 Stage 6
10:19 Stage 7
11:53 Stage 8
12:54 Stage 9
14:38 Stage 10
16:29 Stage 11
18:31 Stage 12
18:53 Ending
#arcade #retrogaming #longplay")
