a complete run through R-Type on the Sharp X68000

[handygrafx]

The X68000 rendition of R-Type is very interesting to observe in action.   It is not quite arcade-exact, and so it's not as close to the arcade as the PS1 R-Types version is. The PS1 port itself is not 100% arcade-exact because of the difference in screen resolution: PS1: 320x220 pixels (or something very close to that) arcade: 384x256 which is significantly higher resolution, but otherwise the PS1 ver. is basicly the arcade game, a carefully rebuilt port for the PS1 hardware.   

X68K R-Type is better than the PCE/TG-16 & PCE SCD versions in some areas:
*graphic detail
*parallax scrolling
*sound & music (debatable)
*perhaps color palette as well but it's hard to tell

yet worse in other ways:
*scrolling speed/smoothless was definitely slower/chopper than PCE/TG-16
*animation of certain objects like missiles was really slow   
*music is overall better on PCE, even if technically the X68K has advantage with FM Synth.
 
Concidering that X68K R-Type was made in 1989, while the PCE version was made in 1988, and also concidering the vast hardware differences between the X68K and PCE, there's no excuse for the X68K version not living upto and surpassing the PCE version in every single area.

Overall X68K R-Type is a faithful rendition of the arcade for a home computer system that blows the ever-living snot out of the weak AtariST-quality Amiga version, is lightyears ahead of it, and every other home computer rendition released in the late 80s/early 90s.

If the Amiga or any other home computer had been given a version of R-Type precisely identical to the X68K port, it would've been worth its weight in gold. Such a thing would've been hailed as the arcade coin-op machine playing on your home computer.



However, for the X68K, and by its standards, this rendition is actually sub-par. It's not the usual X68K quality of incredibly near an arcade game, like say, X68K Salamander or Fantasy Zone, ports that are so close its hard to tell.

[Joe Redifer]

X68K R-Type is better than the PCE/TG-16 & PCE SCD versions in some areas:
*sound & music
*perhaps color palette as well but it's hard to tell

I think the Turbo/PCE version looks slightly more appealing as far as color choices are concerned, mainly stage 2 if I am recalling correctly.  The music and sound are infinitely better on the PCE than the X68KX000XXX or whatever it is called.  True, the X68X0X000 may sound a little closer to the arcade, but the arcade sounds like ASS!  The PCE renditions of the music are the best in any version of R-Type.  I much prefer it over the R-Type Special CD music.  The arcade and X68XXX000 sound much more chinsey, like they had cheaper hardware or something.  Same story with Midnight Resistance.  The Genesis/Mega Drive version of the music BLOWS AWAY what the arcade sounds like with the same tunes. I am surprised at how many crappy-sounding arcades existed in those days.  Arcade games were supposed to sound hella awesome, but not all did.

Anyway, this looks like one of the few ports of R-Type that don't scroll up and down to match the arcade resolution.

[Arkhan]

Yes the X68000 sure does sound less awesome.  We're spoiled on the PCE PSG.

Id rank the x68000 as the second best port of Rtype, PCE being first.


got any other playthrus?

[awack]

X68K R-Type is better than the PCE/TG-16 & PCE SCD versions in some areas:
*graphic detail
*parallax scrolling,
*sound & music
*perhaps color palette as well but it's hard to tell

yet worse in other ways:
*scrolling speed/smoothless was definitely slower/chopper than PCE/TG-16
 *animation of certain objects like missiles was really slow 

This is a pretty good assessment of the two from what Ive seen in videos(X68000)
the smoothness and animations, like explosions etc, make it the better version(PCE) i think, like Joe and Arkhan, i also like the music.

I wonder how the X68000 port of Gradius II  compares.

[ccovell]

Have you played it on a real X68000?  The scrolling looks a little choppy, but that could be emulator lag, or video/emu/hardware unsynchronization.  The game looks almost arcade-perfect otherwise.

And I agree about the sound.  Much of Irem's arcade games had shitty, shitty instruments and melodies, even.

[rag-time4]

Have you played it on a real X68000?  The scrolling looks a little choppy, but that could be emulator lag, or video/emu/hardware unsynchronization.  The game looks almost arcade-perfect otherwise.

And I agree about the sound.  Much of Irem's arcade games had shitty, shitty instruments and melodies, even.

Chris do you know of another company who used similar instruments for their game music?

[handygrafx]

After listening to the music of the PCE/TG-16 R-Type, I change my mind, it sounds better than the X68K version overall. 

[handygrafx]

Have you played it on a real X68000?  The scrolling looks a little choppy, but that could be emulator lag, or video/emu/hardware unsynchronization.  The game looks almost arcade-perfect otherwise.

Never played on a real X68000, just WinX68K emulator.   At least that's better than judging it based on a youtube video.     

So are you saying that playing R-Type on a real X68K computer gives significantly different results than emulation?   How much smoother is it playing on real hardware?

Anyway from what I observed of X68K R-Type playing via emu,  it looks closer to the arcade than the PCE/TG-16/PCE SCD versions, and indeed, almost arcade-exact, although it's not as close as the PS1 port, as I mentioned in my OP.

X68K R-Type is better than the PCE/TG-16 & PCE SCD versions in some areas:
*graphic detail
*parallax scrolling,
*sound & music
*perhaps color palette as well but it's hard to tell

yet worse in other ways:
*scrolling speed/smoothless was definitely slower/chopper than PCE/TG-16
 *animation of certain objects like missiles was really slow 

This is a pretty good assessment of the two from what Ive seen in videos(X68000)
the smoothness and animations, like explosions etc, make it the better version(PCE) i think, like Joe and Arkhan, i also like the music.

Thanks.  I modified my post with regard to the music.

I wonder how the X68000 port of Gradius II  compares.

I've played X68000 Gradius II several times via emulation.  It's definitelly not arcade-exact, but it's closer than the PCE SCD version, and it's a higher quality piece of software than the port of R-Type.



original Gradius:  X68000 is a very close port of the arcade, however I personally "like" the PCE version more
(I'm not saying it's technically better), because from what I remember, the developer improved the PCE version
in graphics and sound/music over the arcade version, in some aspects.  Again I'm not saying the PCE version of Gradius is technically better than arcade or X68K, I'm just saying I like it more, because it seemed unique among Gradius1 renditions.

Salamander (Japanese Life Force): There is no question that X68000 version is much better than the PCE version in this case.  PCE version is clearly inferior to arcade, while X68000 is near-exact.

[Arkhan]

the instruments are all tinny sounding and make my ears hurt.

Thats what happens when FM is used poorly

[Ninja Spirit]

yeah and worse yet the music sounds tuned up from their original key signatures.