Dah-dah-dadada-DAH-dah-dadada-DAH-dah-dadadadaaaaaah!

Ah, Star Trek.

...

I mean...Star Wars.

Welcome to Computo Obscurio episode seven! Today, I'll be taking a look at Star Wars: Attack on the Death Star, developed by MNM for the Sharp X68000 and NEC PC-98*, and released in Japan in 1991. It also happens to the the best Star Wars game you've (probably) never played.

First, some history...

In 1983, Atari released the first licensed Star Wars arcade game. "Star Wars" was a flight-simulator based around the first movie's (Episode IV for people who buy into that particular brand of madness!) climactic Rebels V Death Star smackdown. It's subsequent success was responsible for a slew of home conversions, spread over the next six or seven years, most of which failed to capture the simple appeal of the original cabinet.

Until Sega's Star Wars Arcade, or LucasArt's X-Wing, both released in 1993, the original Atari game remained the best interactive representation of every Star Wars fanboy's wet dream.

Record scratch!

In 1991, after two years of development time, and some lengthy business negotiations, Japanese publisher Victor finally struck a deal with LucasArts to bring an enhanced version of the Atari game to Japanese home computers.

Based around the same three-level structure as Atari's original, and using wire-frame 3D to ape the arcade cabinet's vector graphics, Attack on the Death Star, developed by MNM Software, not only had deeper gameplay, but also added features that would eventually find their way into LucasArts' own X-Wing games; a four-way cockpit view, and a third-person "chase" view.

Like the arcade original, AotDS spread it's action (Hmm!) over three stages:

Stage 1: TIEs! KILL!

Stage 2: Clear the Death Star surface of pesky turrets.

Stage 3: Down the trench, torpedo hole, celebrate!

But AotDS gave the player a lot more freedom of movement, as opposed to the almost on-rails nature of the arcade original, while the "shoot enemy missiles" mechanic of the original game was removed entirely, replaced by a more accurate take on the movie's dogfights.

Along with an intro comprised of a five minute wire-frame reproduction of key scenes from the movie, MNM added dozens of lines of digitized speech, and worked elements of the movie's various graphical displays (such as the targeting computer and the Death Star countdown timer in the screenshot above) into the game's HUD, helping make Attack on the Death Star the most authentic home Star Wars experience available at the time of it's release.

Also worth a mention is the game's "Trace" mode, which enabled play sessions to be recorded, saved, and distributed between systems; a revolutionary feature, and remarkable technical achievement, for the time.

Released on the 17th of December 1991, AotDS quickly went to the top of the home computer charts, and was subsequently proclaimed OH! X magazine's (a popular publication dedicated to Sharp systems) Game of the Year in a number of award categories.

A sequel was later announced, but nothing ever came of it. Boo!

Video!

Video info! Depending on player skill, or lack thereof, an AotDS session can be quite time consuming. Seeing as I'm closer to the "sucks" end of the skill scale, I've edited the video down to best represent the levels contained in the game. Plus, I totally choked the trench run. Oh, and watch on 480p...best quailty...etc.

So there you have it. The best Star Wars game you've (probably) never played.

And another Computo Obscurio in the bag. Thanks for watching/reading, and check back again...soon!

*Footnote! While I've chosen to highlight the X68000 version, the game was, as I said at the start of this post, also released on the NEC PC-98. That version is, unfortunately, an inferior port, with cut content and no joystick control. It also doesn't have the way cool cockpit view, so screw it!

Hello, and welcome to episode six of Computo Obscurio. Today we'll be looking at three Compile shooters that were released on the MSX-2 home computer: Aleste, Aleste 2, and Aleste Gaiden.

First up...

Anybody who knows shooters, knows Compile. And anybody who knows Compile, knows Aleste. Between 1988 and 1993, nine Aleste titles were released on various formats, with (arguably) the most famous being M.U.S.H.A Aleste, released for the Sega Megadrive/Genesis in 1990.

But! The series actually began on the 8-bit MSX platform; a hardware project spearheaded by Microsoft in 1983 as an attempt to unify home computer standards. Though hugely popular in Japan and other foreign markets, the MSX never really made an impact in the US or UK, and most of it's software library remains relatively obscure in these territories.

The MSX also went through a number of hardware revisions; most notable was the release of the MSX-2 in 1986, which featured, among other upgrades, vastly improved video capabilities. With Aleste, Compile would push these new abilities to their limit...

Supercomputer DAI-51 has gone rogue and declared war on mankind! With his girlfriend, Yuri, currently in a coma following DAI-51's opening assault, ace pilot Ray Waizen decides to take matters into his own hands and strike back at DAI-51 from the cockpit of his state-of-the-art Aleste-class fighter jet. Exciting!

Aleste is a classic example of a developer's vision being limited by hardware constraints. Compile wanted to create a super-fast scrolling shooter that delivered a dazzling sense of speed along with huge numbers of on-screen enemies. And they succeeded, albeit with one or two caveats. While the game is fast, it's also prone to regular bouts of slowdown when the action gets hectic. And while large numbers of enemies do indeed swarm all over the screen, the amount of heavy sprite flickering, no doubt due to some creative exploitation of the MSX's video modes, can sometimes give the impression that the game is being viewed through a zoetrope. Quite possibly, a broken zoetrope.

But leaving aside it's unavoidable technical shortcomings, Aleste remains an enjoyable title, and a good indication of what was to come.

Video!

Footnote: A version of Aleste was later ported to the Sega Master System, and released in the West under the title Power Strike. While the Japanese version is basically a direct port, the Western version is short one level and is also missing all cut-scenes. The original MSX version of Aleste is available on the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan, and also on iTunes. Score!

Next up...

It's been twenty years since DAI-51's attempt to exterminate mankind, and the ruined cities of the world still struggle to rebuild. The Vagand, an alien race of humanoid/plant hybrids(!), orbit the Earth in their galactic bio-ship, plotting imminent invasion. Following the death of original Aleste hero Ray Waizen at the hands of the Vagand, it's left to his daughter, Ellinor, to lead Earth's counter-attack and avenge her father's death! Drama!

With Aleste proving a huge success for Compile, a sequel was developed and released within a year. Though more an iteration on the formula of the previous game, rather than an evolution, Aleste 2 polished the aesthetics, minimized the sprite-flicker and slowdown that had afflicted the first title, and ramped up the difficulty level. It also introduced us to the series unoffically-official heroine, Ellinor, who would later go on to appear in spin-off M.U.S.H.A Aleste on the Megadrive/Genesis.

Video!

Like it's predecessor, Aleste 2 is a shooter that remains playable today, but it's apparent that Compile had squeezed all that they could from the aging MSX hardware. But, before they would depart for pastures greener, they had one more Aleste-related release for the MSX.

Which brings us to...

Aleste Gaiden wasn't a standalone retail release, but was instead featured on Disk Station Special Aki-Gou, one of a number of miscellaneous compilations that Compile would put out on a regular basis.

Intended for fans of the developer, Disk Stations would contain a mix of demos, CG galleries, full games, mini-games, and whatever else Compile could fit on a handful of floppies.

Aleste Gaiden plays like a regular Aleste title, crossed with a top-down version of Atomic Runner. It carries over the basic weapon upgrade system from the earlier Aleste games, but, instead of a jet, the player controls a forever-running ninja through the game's five short stages. There is no onscreen HUD, so score is irrelevant, and the whole thing can be completed in under an hour. Speedy!

Video!

Aleste Gaiden may be a curio, but it's interesting to note that the whole ninja/robots angle would be recycled by Compile three years later for Robo Aleste on the Sega CD. That's...interesting, right?

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And that BOMBSHELL brings us to the end of another Computo Obscurio. Thanks for watching/reading, and check back again...soon!

Technical Disclaimer!: Watch all videos in 480p windowed mode to avoid that annoying grey line at the top of the screen. I'm working on fixing it.

Hello!

This week, our game is...

SNES gamers may remember Phalanx as "The One With The Hillbilly Geezer On The Box", and while technically correct, they would actually be remembering a lesser Phalanx. While this 1992 Kemco* SNES port, of the original Sharp X68000 version, may be the pinnacle of Phalanx-related recall in the West, it's only because the superior original never made the journey. And while SNES Phalanx was decent enough in it's own right, the game lost some of it's sparkle in the transition from computer to console. Gone were the groovy intro sequence and sampled speech when collecting power-ups, while the graphics took a slight downgrade in colour and overall detail.

Phalanx, developed and released by Zoom in 1991, is a classic example of the right way to make a horizontal shooter. It's difficult, without becoming annoying or unfair, and features cleverly designed enemy patterns and complex boss fights that require more from the player than quick reflexes. A number of weapon combinations, and a switchable ship speed, result in a pleasingly customizable play experience that still stands up today. Pleasing!

History! Between 1989 and 1992, Zoom was primarily an X68000 developer. While almost all of their X68 titles would also appear on the SNES, they were, like Phalanx, port jobs handled by Kemco. A series of sports/puzzle games featuring their mascot "Dolucky" (a cartoon cat) would be Zoom's only original console output during this period. Later, Zero Divide, along with it's sequel, would prove Zoom's most notable contribution to the Playstation era, while the underrated Mr. Mosquito games on the PS2 would be among the developers last physical releases. Today, Zoom are primarily a Wiiware developer; a remake/port of the original X68000 version of Phalanx was released for Wiiware in 2009, but sadly remains only available in Japan. Boo!

Video! Watch in horror as my attempt to complete the first stage fails miserably, despite having set the game to "Easy" and increased my ship count!

Well, that brings us to the end of this week's Computo Obscurio. Thanks for watching/reading, and check back for another episode...soon!

*Footnote! Along with inflicting that hideous SNES box art upon the world, Kemco also saw fit to change the name of Phalanx's hero from "Riki Sanada" to..."Wink Baufield". Unfortunately, I'm not making that up.

Well, that was longer than a week!

Hello, and welcome to a DOUBLE installment of Computo Obscurio! But first, some bad news: neither of these videos come with a commentary...OF ANY KIND! Instead, relative information will be imparted to you, the viewer, through the medium of this here blog. FORMAT CHANGE! You will now be able read about the history of a game, and view some screenshots, before watching a short video of the game in action. Hopefully, this will allow me to concentrate on getting these blog entries out on time, rather than faffing around with time-coding subtitles.

Enough! You didn't come here to read me prattling on about undisciplined time management! You came for games! Old ones!

First up...

Mad Stalker Full Metal Force (yes, it does say Forth, but trust me on this) is a scrolling beat 'em up, developed by Fill in Cafe and published by Family Soft, for the Sharp X68000 home computer in 1994. If you're familiar with either Family Soft or Fill in Cafe, you've probably played one or more entries in their Asuka 120% series of 2D fighting games that surfaced during the mid to late 1990's on various Japanese formats. Or you're me.

Family Soft began life primarily developing for the MSX home computer. They branched out briefly onto the X68000 and FM Towns platforms, before moving with the times and ending up on Playstation. One of their last, non Asuka 120% related, releases would be a Playstation remake of Mad Stalker, released in 1997 as "Full Metal Force".

History lesson ends!

Mad Stalker is very much in the Kung Fu Master/Vigilante/Dragon Ninja style, with movement and combat limited to a single plane. The player can move left and right, jump by pressing up and duck by, well...pressing down. You have standard light and heavy attacks (punches while standing, kicks while jumping or crouching), while double-tapping in a number of directions will trigger various dash attacks. Which is all very well and good...

Unfortunately, hit-box/collision detection is muddily defined, with instances were attacks seem to pass through smaller enemies, and were damage is taken as a consequence of those same enemies now being close enough to touch you. It makes an already tricky game seem unfairly difficult. Which is a shame, because, when it works, it's a perfectly enjoyable entry in the genre.

Video!

Footnote: Eagle-eyed viewers may have noted a "VS" option on the title screen. This is a one-on-one mode where the player can choose from a roster of six mechs (five bosses and the player mech) and fight it out against the CPU or against a second player.

Episode 3 ends!

Man, this is a long post.

And now...

Enix! We all know that name, right? Dragon Warrior? Of course they're are now part of the behemoth that is Square Enix, but back in 1991 they had been primarily developing titles for the MSX, FM7, PC-98, and Sharp X68000. Dragon Warrior ports on the NES had largely been their only console output, and it would be another year or so before SNES classics like Actraiser and Dragon Quest V would herald their arrival into the era of the 16-bit.

Code-Zero is a vertical shooter for the X68000. Being from a pre-bullet hell era, it may seem sedate by today's standards. Nevertheless, it's a solid old-school, no nonsense shooter that does what it sets out to do.

As far a I can tell, there's no intro sequence, so I can't say for sure if "shoot shit up!" is the extent of the storyline. What I do know, is that the game's subtitle is "The Lonely Space Fighter", which leads to me to believe the hero may have just broken up with his girlfriend.

Regardless, when not shooting shit up, as it were, the hero can power up his ship by collecting the weapon pods occasionally dropped by friendly ships. These pods cycle between a laser, a shield, and an option...option, with each power up becoming maximized by collecting the same type again. Temporary bonus upgrades can also be collected, along with blue stars that provide extra points.

Video!

Episode 4 ends!

Thanks for reading/watching this absurdly long post, hopefully you enjoyed it, and look out for the next Computo Obscurio...soon!

That's right! Computo Obscurio...Episode 2!

Developed by Wolf Team, FZ Senki Axis is an isometric, eight-way shooter, which was released for the Sharp X68000 home computer in January of 1990. Some Genesis aficionados may recognize it as " Final Zone", the name the (inferior!) Genesis port went under when it was released in the US later that same year.

In the video, I watch the full intro cinematic (all five minutes of it), and play through the games opening level. Badly.

This is not an easy game.

Remember to turn on Closed Captions for my commentary, and to watch the video in 480p full-screen mode.

Enjoy, and leave a comment if the mood takes you. :)

EDIT: Youtube seems to have added some minor video and audio artifacts that weren't present in this episode before I uploaded it. Hopefully it won't detract from your viewing.
 
  

UPDATE: 14th August. Video now supports a captioned commentary.
 
What? Another nobody who thinks he can produce interesting, watchable videos?
 
...
 
Maybe! Welcome to LimpingFish's Computo Obscurio, a new video series in which I play old Japanese home computer games, while ignoring the fact that I have almost no understanding of Japanese, for your enjoyment. Some will be interesting, some will be weird (sorry, not that kind of weird, tentacle fans), and some will refuse to boot!
 
If you've ever had a passing interest in the...
 

•  Sharp X68000
•  MSX and MSX2
•  NEC PC-88 and PC-98
•  ETC!