Super-scale success: Great Baseball & Space Harrier | Segaiden
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Exploring Sega Master System's chronology in direct comparison to the NES lineup has proven education. I didn't own either system as of March 1987, when these two games premiered, yet I distinctly remember being as impressed by the Master System demos I saw at shops as I was by my friends' NES games. Releases like Great Baseball and Space Harrier assure me of my younger self's sanity: They really did blow anything Nintendo had on offer right out of the water.
Great Baseball looks (and more or less plays) like Bases Loaded, a game that wouldn't appear on NES until mid-1988. In the meantime, all the NES had to offer on the baseball front in 1987 was Nintendo's own elderly Baseball, a first-generation release hailing from 1983. As for Space Harrier, no one cared about its strange graphical clipping effect at the time, because no one had ever seen a console game crank out so much high-speed action with such huge sprites. Master System obviously couldn't match the Super Scaler arcade original, but this cart came close enough that no one was complaining.
Production notes:
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Most Master System footage captured from U.S. carts running through an adapter on Sega Mark III hardware with FM Sound Unit and RGB bypass modification by iFixRetro. Most arcade and Master System Light Phaser footage captured from MiSTer, with thanks to MiSTerAddOns. Video upscaled to 720 with xRGB Mini Framemeister.
Always referred to the guy in Space Harrier as Space Harry
Lmao stealing this
Hi Jeremy. I've been marathonning your video works series, and as someone who was born in 1998, I greatly appreciate the effort you've gone to to contextualize these retro game releases. I love having the opportunity to spiritually step back into an era of video games that I wasn't around for. Keep up the amazing work!
I always assumed Space Harrier's cannon thing is what made him fly and he was just hanging on to it...
Yea me too... i think he may have that wrong
Loved when he said "It's Space Harrying Time" and Space Harried all over those goons
Progressive Rock, the thing that retro chronogamers love almost as much as video games. I definitely am curious about which Yes albums Jeremy likes.
It's strange to me that when I was a kid in the late 1980s, I hadn't heard of Sega. To me, the Genesis and Game Gear were my first impression of them. It's definitely impressive what Sega was putting out in early 1987 though.
This is very true. I got away from that thrash metal and been in a prog fog since 89.
I'm gonna guess Fragile given the immediate reference to start the video
@@Frigidevil Yup! Roundabout in particular!
I didn't see the arcade version of Space Harrier until the 21st century, so when my one neighbor with an SMS got it, I was absolutely FLOORED. My parents got us an NES instead, which was the right choice, but between the earworm main theme, the weird little secret menus, and the game being like literally nothing I'd ever seen, I was obsessed. This set a pattern, since I was also the only person in our household who wanted a TG16 over an SNES or Genesis. (Again, my parents were right to deny me.,l
I've *still* never seen a Space Harrier cabinet. I've only ever known Space Harrier as the game that Sega puts inside of other games, starting with Shenmue over 20 years ago.
Yuji Naka may be an infamous name nowadays, but he really was a brilliant programmer who pulled things off on these consoles most contemporaries assumed just wasn't possible.
Quick question for you, Jeremy: you mentioned a prog rock connection in the way of the Roger Dean-style visual aesthetic, but I'm wondering if you had anything thoughts regarding specific sources of inspiration for the music. In particular, I've been listening to the ending track, "Lake Side Memory," and I feel like I've heard a song from the late 70's or early 80's that sounds similar to it. That track would be more soft rock than prog rock, presumably, but I'm having trouble pinning a specific artist... I don't suppose you (or anyone else on RUclips) would happen to know of any soundalikes off the top of your head, would you?
Love the videos as always!
I honestly always just thought that Harrier flies about via the cannon he uses, as the rear of it (in the arcade version, at least) kind of looks like a jet engine, and it's even red, as though it was actively propelling Harrier forward. Sure, it doesn't make sense from a physics perspective (realistically, Harrier should just be spinning around in circles like a mad man), but this IS the Fantasy Zone...
The problem with using this technique on NES was the slow speed of uploading to video memory on that system - - if you look at NES titles with pop-up text boxes like RPGs, you'll notiss they oftin take sevral frames to drawr!
**EEEEERRRGGHHH**
"Warriors, revive the power of the orbs!"
**EEEEEERRUGHHH**
But at the same time, I don't think the Master System had mappers, so I'm kind of surprised that this technique is even possible on a Master System.
I remember getting Space Harrier at the time, as I went to a local store that had a game section, and was surprised to see it on the shelf. That's one of the great things being a kid back then, was how you never had any clue on what games were being made, or when they would release. Almost anytime you went out looking for games, it was Christmas like surprises around every corner. And yes, my mind was blown by Space Harrier when I got it home, an amazing port for the time.
Yuji Naka's sheer genius is on full display with the Master System Space Harrier.
The experience of getting a Space Harrier port as a 13 year old kid in '87 will always be indescribable to me. Plugging it into my Master System for the first time, powering it up...
I am looking forward to Double Target/Quartet's video. Thank you!
What a great day for Great Baseball!
Since this is the only title in the Great series I own. I always assumed the rest were also appropriately titled.
Cherish that innocence. You live in a happier place than the rest of us do.
@@JeremyParish I have memories of Great Volleyball being excellent.
It's cool if you like games where the ball randomly changes its trajectory in midair, I guess?
Ha, perfect cut at the start!
One of the best film series
Space Harrier was the game that got my dad to buy us a master system back in the day as he's a huge fan of the arcade game (also being a big Yes fan helped I think)
While it is it isn't an amazing version of it I've always had a soft spot for this version also helps that I find the main Space Harrier theme one of the best tracks in all of video games
"...the timely illusion of relative distance in space." T.I.R.D.I.S.? Well done on the tech research for this one. I've come across the background tile explanation a few times, but you pulled some interesting details I didn't know. That super scaler board was really something, there are arcade boards in the second half of the 90s that I'm not entirely sure could properly pull off Space Harrier. Sadly, there was no conspiracy against Sega, just Tonka lacking the first-hand understanding of the market to keep up with the boundary-pushing vision the competition had. And very limited widespread games media to pick up their slack. My baseball loving friend made me play Bases Loaded when I came over, but none of us had any idea there was already a game out there that look way better. If there was more of a grasp on the true potential the wider sports market had in North America for gaming, the Master System's story might have gone differently.
If I had spouted this kind of sophisticated thought out I would have commenced stroking my imaginary beard. Good one, my friend.
The player's gun in Space Harrier sure is in a good mood on Sega Master System. :)
It never gets tired of shooting either. I'd be in a good mood too.
I noticed that too! Funny, eh?
I think a lot of people are gonna take exception to that comment about Shadow of the Beast. The game is certainly not 10/10 but it’s kinda of important in the history of the U.K. game industry. Personally, it’s a flawed, but interesting game with fantastic art direction and sound design.
Agreed.
It’s important but it’s not good!
@@JeremyParish agreeeeed!
I was hoping someone else would object to the Shadow of the Beast slander. It's a terrific game!
It's funny how the Black Onyx worked its way in there given how I've been kinda fixated on how mysterious and inscrutable Super Black Onyx is.
SMS Space Harrier may be my favorite game on the SMS! Yugi Naka absolutely made the right decision to use tiles. Using tiny sptites with tons of flicker would mean the gameplay related to weaving through a lot of large objects at fast speeds would not be possible. You also couldn't have maintained the fun without moving forward through Z space. I've also heard tiles have the limitation of only moving in 8 pixel increments (the tile size), but somehow it pulls off the objects moving their offsets from the vanishing point convincingly. It seems to parallax objects when moving right to left near the screen edge though the checkerboard does not do so. It seems to be changing color palettes mid screen to make the objects match the sky or ground color. It has an added last boss after the boss rush. The best levels feel like Luke on his speeder bike on Endor weaving through trees all over the forest floor. My only complaint are no horizon backgrounds, and having to find a turbo controller to play it. 😁
Roger Dean has always been my favourite artist, specifically because of those Psygnosis covers for Atari ST games I had as a kid. I never knew the creative connection with Space Harrier, but it helps explain why I love that game.
Space Harrier is a pastiche of 1970s and 1980s science fiction and fantasy. Besides the similarities to the art of Roger Dean, the protagonist of Space Harrier resembles Flash Gordon and Space Cobra, the flying stone head at 12:40 reminds me of Zardoz, and the friendly dragon Uriah was inspired by Falkor from The Neverending Story.
I always assumed that the gun could fly in space and the guy just held on. But now that I think about it, that might not be a reasonable explanation.
Amusingly enough when it was mentioned anyone familiar with the 80s arcade scene knows Space Harrier actually had the opposite experience at work last week. Was talking to my coworker, he's in his mid 30s while I'm only two years older, and mentioned my love of Space Harrier and he had no idea what I was talking about. Brought up screenshots and explained it to him and it was brand new to him. I was baffled as he grew up big on Sega and was generally more knowledgeable than the average fan.
He may have latched onto Sega at a different time in his life. There have only been a couple of Space Harrier games, but there are lots of different Sonic, Shinobi, Alex Kidd, Golden Axe etc games. We really should have had a Space Harrier 3 from Sega by now.
I really love the blatant gundam ripoff enemies of space harrier, they even get referenced in Bayonetta's space harrier segment.
''unlike tower of druaga,this game has no swords in it,but it's kinda like tower of druaga because you control a character in it...''
The birds eye fielding perspective looks almost exactly like my preferred and thus deemed "a weirdo," early-ish NES baseball game, MLB... yes, I preferred the play, the sick, hauntingly repetitive music of MLB instead of RBI Baseball.
That's right, i somehow tricked myself into having no problem with MLB having only TEAMS and PLAYER NUMBERS to figure out who was playing (not really all that hard if u were heavy into baseball in 87, which my fleer, Topps, and Donruss full sets of baseball cards, 85-91, and my either full or like just 3 or 4 missing stickers damnit, Panini and jeez I don't remember the other one, sticker albums😅😅.... though some guys had their stats off a bit, sometimes way off).
Plus, I believe what u could do in MLB, you COULD NOT do in RBI--- create your own All Star team(s) for a different human v human super competitive a star game, every time.
Either way, we all know what the best Baseball game for NES was, which is still absolutely in the top 10 baseball games ever at the VERY LEAST, is:
Baseball Stars
So innovative and ahead of its time. The speed of the game helped make it feel that much more realistic, and the fielding was still one of the best, simple/simple to control, versatile fielding in ANY baseba game, EVER, once again... I'll never forget the BURST of outrage from a friend or cousin, who would play against me for the 1st time, and I'd bust out the diving catch, jumping catch, or of course, the very rare, but insanely awesome HR ROBBING WALL CLIMB!!
When I found out the eShop was closing I caved and bought that 3D Classics Space Harrier for the 3DS. I didn't grow up with arcades, but if I did, that's the game I think I would have been obsessed with as a kid. Peak aesthetics. Excellent sounds and vibes. The kind of thing I would have doodled in notebooks.
Great Baseball looks, uh.. great for the time! Space Harrier on SMS was actually the first version I had ever played, when I got into collecting Master System titles in the mid '90s. I really enjoyed it at the time along with its soundtrack, but I do find it a bit redundant today, with the 32X and Saturn versions available. It's still a neat title for the system though.
wow that Space Harrier game looks like a total mess with all the clipping. yuck
When I was a kid, my dad and his friends were obsessed with Great Baseball. Maybe that's one anecdotal reason it's mentioned so rarely -- the 8 years old weren't playing it, but the 38 year olds loved it. Great Golf also got a ton of grown-up play.
Great Golf was the first video game golf I ever got into and even though I've never golfed it does help me enjoy seeing a great tee off/distance shot and finishing putt. It's Great
From what I understand, Psygnosis used Roger Dean cover art with the intention of making games that actually lived up to it, since their formation coincided with the rise of 16-bit computers which greatly simplified this task.
That Montgomery Wards reference actually made me miss being a kid roaming around the toy and video game section of that store for a minute there. I'm pretty sure that was the only place I ever saw Master System games back then.
If I recall correctly (I could be wrong, but I don't believe I am), the enemy patterns in this version of Space Harrier are identical to the Arcade version. So if you memorized this version you memorized the Arcade version as well. For the time, the fact that aside from the graphics they're literally the same game is practically a programming miracle.
The Master System port of Space Harrier also added prologue text, epilogue text, and a final boss that weren't in the original arcade game.
I really love your show and look forward to each weeks episode and It's a crime that you don't get more recognition and views for your work. Your channel does a major service for game history preservation. Thank you so much for all of your work to date.
Personally a fan of the TG16 version of Space Harrier, but this one is impressive for an entirely 8 bit system
I remember getting Shadow of the Beast II with my Amiga and being knocked out by the box art. A few months later I came across a copy of Yesstory in my Dad's CD collection and immediately recognised the style. I've liked Roger Dean ever since.
Love how you let the audio play up to *that* point in the song everyone knows, framing it as a presentation of the game itself (For SH.) Fantastic editing.
I do love that the unifying thread for Sega is that they shoot for the moon every time with their big releases. Whether they hit, eh, but Space Harrier swings for the fences.
It's easy to see how Yuji Naka got such a big head by the time of Sonic 2 when you consider how many years he'd spent as the rockstar who could will the VDP to do whatever he pleased.
Jeremy, I applaud you for giving Space Harrier on the Master System it's due praise. I love Space Harrier and also love the Master System port. For a programmer to figure out how to make the game run on 8-bit hardware is impressive, but to also replicate most of the attack patterns, enemies and enemy salvo with the speed and definition, they call that kid a cracker jack. Great Baseball would have been in my collection, but Reggie Jackson Baseball was a free mail-in offer when I bought my Master System. Still, Great Baseball refuses to look dumbed down in any way. Great job putting this one together.
I know most people on here are probably commenting on Space Harrier, and no argument from me here, it's a fantastic game.
But I just want to mention that Great Baseball was the game my dad and I used to play together on our SMS all the time as a kid. I still remember him playing as Toronto, his favorite team, and replacing the first batter with Glass, who was a Fleet Footed runner.
We played for years, and I don't think I ever beat him. I wish I could find our old SMS to play it with my son, but I'm sure it's lost to the aether.
Oh, and let me just say, between this video and the new video about Quartet, I have a much greater appreciation for the Master System. Growing up, the only other person I knew who even had one was my uncle (Dad's brother). None of my friends did, and I was insanely jealous of the NES. I couldn't even rent games at our local video rental place! Only the one in the town where we went on vacation had SMS games. But now that I know Sega was on the cutting edge of game development? Both for Baseball and the run 'n' gun genre? I'm very happy that I got to experience it growing up now!
An apparently unpopular take that I would have thought was popular: Bases Loaded's glitchy broken-ness was charming as hell, interesting, goofy, fascinating and why people speak so well of it, not despite them.
Never really seen the arcade version of Space Harrier in action before now (played a bit of Space Harrier II for Mega Drive), but looking at it here I'm FLOORED by how fast that game is! The Master System version is doing its best, but not even the sequel on better hardware could even touch that kind of smoothness and blinding speed!
I was definitely struck by your quoting of Roundabout at the beginning of this video, but it all made sense as I watched, absolutely amazing!
All of Sega's Super Scaler ports to SMS were incredibly impressive. I loved the SMS version of Space Harrier--much better than the Sega Scope 3D version, that's for sure. But in 1987 it was absolutely incredible. I'd say the worst conversion was Thunder Blade--but even that has its merits.
and the japan version of bases loaded was bug city with homerun bunts
What is he saying at 12:46 between “legally fraught” and “and Tie Fighter knockoffs”.
Rick Dom, a mobile suit type from Gundam that they straight-up ripped off the design of those big robots from.
@@JeremyParish Oh cool!! Thanks, Jeremy!! Been watching your works series for years, really enjoy your work.
Space Harrier 3D was impressive and did an excellent job of creative depth.
I had many of the SMS 3D games, they were all pretty fun.
I dunno. I think the C64 version is overall better in action. Not that there is any real reason to play either now obviously.
Sega is lucky they sold a single copy of anything with their clip art box covers!
Thanks for the Montgomery Ward reference: that store was a staple of my childhood.
When I play Great Baseball, I like to take the roundabout way around the bases and do a lot of stealin'.
Space Harrier?
does anybody remember...
Wee Wee Jumbo
I had a master system and great football had soiled any desire for other “great” sports games. Reggie jackson baseball was my choice of baseball on sms
"The timely illusion of relative distance in space" I see what you did there.
No mention of the original '85 Great Baseball for Mark III?
That My Card version was built upon with a new batting perspective and some more bells and whistles to birth the US release, while the overhead fielding portion remained the same. That polished release was then later ported back to the Japanese Mark III under a new name.
Ah, I guess I overlooked that one. Sega's weird sports naming convention makes it hard to tell which games were distinct between regions.
@@JeremyParish Please don't think I was trying to be a smartass with that comment. I always thought it was interesting that SoA took the time to build and improve it for a Western release, taking into account how horrible the rest of the Great sports series is. Now the difference between the realistic batting graphics and cartoony outfield make sense.
Nope, I didn't take it like that, I genuinely did not know about the facelift.
The Sega Master System version of Space Harrier looks great. 😀👍🎮
I was going to suggest Punch-Out, which uses background tiles to great effect, but it came out a few months after Space Harrier, surprisingly. This port looks pretty miserable to play because of the clipping but it's still pretty impressive.
Now that you mention it, I wonder if Space Harrier's tech inspired Punch-Out!!? I suppose not, since it used a bespoke chip, and I doubt that Nintendo could have engineered a new chip, programmed a game, and sent everything to manufacturing and distribution in six months.
@@JeremyParish I'd have to imagine that arcade Punch Out was the driving force behind tech in NES Punch Out, since it came first by a good margin. Although those two versions are pretty different, so who knows for sure.
If only the Space Harrier dude would just slow down a bit, he'd live longer.
Where is he in a hurry to get to? More like Space Hurrier, am I right?
I appreciate the fact that you workshopped this here before posting it on Bluesky
The Amstrad CPC version of Space Harrier does an even more unexpected thing by rendering the bad guys not as background tiles but as unfilled vector 3D objects that move toward you. It's an impressive and clever effect, even if it does result in a visual downgrade.
The rare Fun Fact that is actually fun
Mattel had made a multi-camera angle baseball title in 1983 with World Series Major League® Baseball for the Mattel Intellivision with the Intellivoice and ECS computer add-ons required.
Yes, I've mentioned WSMLB in a few videos. That's why I specified the Master System's generation.
0:04 Was that a JoJo reference?
Only in the sense that Araki has great taste in music.
I noticed that since everything was made of background tiles, the game lacks, well, a background. The stages only change color but never look different. Visually, it's all the same now. You don't even get clouds.
Near the end of the game a floating castle appears in the sky, before the final boss Haya Oh. The castle and Haya Oh were additions to the Master System port that didn't appear in the original arcade game.
7:11 The Timely illusion of Relative Dimensions in Space... a world that appeared larger on the inside... fairly random Doctor Who reference?
Doctor who?
I picked up great baseball about a year ago from a flea market and enjoyed it.
opening with the powerful yes's fragile reference
It’s kind of one of those things where it’s highly unlikely one would pick this version to play in 2023 when there are so many better space harriers….
Putting SMS space harrier on a screen next to something early NES 1987 like Chubby Cherub would make the master system look next Gen.
Like many others in the comments, I too always rationalized the Harrier guy was able to fly because his gun had rear propulsion and flight so he's just hanging on to it and steering it. Full marks for the effort put into the Master System port too, it's got a rough look but for all intents and purposes, it is Space Harrier.
There's only one three-initial high score name you put in as a young lad that starts with S.
SPY
Such is my complete near-ignorance of the Sega Master System library that I had no idea "Great Baseball" looked so ... well, great. Yes, I was a big-time fan of both "HardBall" and "Bases Loaded."
I remember Space Harrier being the first game I saw running on the Master System, and I was very impressed, as my only access to Space Harrier was one of the weirdest versions of the game, the Amstrad CPC port that (rather cleverly) used Starglider/Elite style wireframe objects. And playing it then, I absolutely adored it. I still know parts of it by heart, like the cheat codes. It's still one of my fondest memories on the console. It felt weird of course, though back then you couldn't put a technical explanation on why. Funny experiment : try to play this, Altered Beast or Golden Axe on a Master System emulator that allows you to turn the background layer off. You will indeed see almost NOTHING on screen. Worst offender is Golden Axe : the only sprite in the game is the life bar.
I always thoght it was the laser that made him fly, kinda like a laser rocket booster. I love SH. The moving machine back in the day was epic to play on as a kid/ early teen. Recently I've been playing it on the Yakuza games. M2 ports for the win baby!
Damn, I remember playing Barbarian (not to be confused with anything Conan related) on "IBM compatible" back in like '92 or something. Seem to recall it had synthesized voice on the title screen that yelled "BARBARIAN"! All keyboard controls which was brutal and really shoddy frame rate. Still a great memory.
Regarding 10:32, which games seen before March 1987 had moving interactive elements as background tiles... Yes, it really is that rare. Kung-Fu had the player using background tiles instead of sprites. BurgerTime had all the burger parts use background tiles, even while they were falling. Gradius had a couple of bosses that were static backgrounds. Bokosuka Wars had all units using background tiles only. So as for NES games that were released up to that time, basically just Kung-Fu.
great baseball I have no memories with, indeed the baseball game I remember the most on NES was bases loaded. space harrier, don't think I ever really played that one (at least not until picking up the SEGA AGES version on sale within the past year or two) , but I can definitely see the 'prog rock album cover' influence in the towers in one level, I believe it! although shoutout to attack animal gakuen, I did play a bit of the ROM at one point)
#freeyujinaka
perhaps ironically, there is a way to play SMS Space Harrier as a jet...I don't recall the details, but I know it requires you to make the high score scoreboard and then input a number of button pushes. Not much else changes but the sprite, but it's fun to break up the monotony when this is the only new game your parents would spring for for like six months. :)
Even some of the super scaler ports on Genesis utilize background layer tiles for the close-up frames of objects, presumably to reduce sprite flicker.
the clipping in Space Harrier reminds me of the C64 ports of the Super Scaler games
It’s a joyous feeling to see the notification about a new Segaiden episode.
Knockout video once again. Thank you.
Finally, an intro reference I understand
I have a feeling the internet thinks I'm making a JoJo reference while in fact I'm sitting over here clutching my copy of the Fragile insert booklet signed by Steve Howe
@@JeremyParish We all know that Jojo invented classic rock
I had great baseball back in the day it was great.
Barbarian on c64 is awesome.
Get a load of the European viewer!
I'd always been curious why Psygnosis had such great cover art for such middling games.
Careful, don’t let the European gamers hear you call those games middling!