Wow The PC Engine is fantastic they hold very well in every parts + the graphics is excellent is almost Arcade perfect ports this is unbelievable , they are very close to the Arcade version + the Konami make a great job with pc Engine version , i see pc Engine more than Arcade game the music sound is very good , PC Engine is excellent ports
This was an interesting comparison. I was expecting the arcade version to trounce the PCE but it actually didn’t. I remember the arcade version from the chip shop round the corner from my school as a kid (it’s a UK thing) and nobody ever managed to get past the stage 4 boss. Overall, the PCE version looks more balanced than the arcade game which was clearly designed to take as much money from you as possible, especially towards the end.
Yeah, the arcade version gets brutally difficult towards the end. The PCE version is a little bit easier, but... in a different way it can be harder since it uses checkpoints when you die instead of bringing you right back. Overall, the PCE release is slightly more polished even though it lacks some of the tech of the arcade game like parallax scrolling and voices.
There's also a Near Arcade version of Salamander for PC Engine by M2 where they make it a bit closer to the arcade game. And there's no check point system in that version thankfully! You respawn right where you died in the Near Arcade version. Even still, there's a few things here and there that I feel that M2 could have pulled off but didn't. The thing that stands out the most is any kind of scaling that they possibly could have faked using multiple frames of animation, especially the final boss. However it might be that M2 restricted themselves to the limit of how big the original PC Engine version was and didn't want to go beyond that memory limit. And I do wonder if some of the parallax could have been thrown in with some tricks since there's a lot more known these days about how to pull that kind of stuff off on the PCE, including some stuff that's apparently stupidly easy like that Bonk Parallax demo by Turboxray , totally crazy looking and supposedly easy to pull off. I hope he gets around to doing more demos and maybe even full games using that new engine he has for doing parallax on the PCE. If you haven't seen it, just search Bonk parallax demo on RUclips.
PCE port of Salamander is definitely the most polished port on the system, it's somehow way better than arcade original as they fixes some of the janks in the arcade (questionable hitboxes, 4th boss being near impossible without exploiting safespots, no extends) and the addition of checkpoints is better than instant respawn as ALL the checkpoints in this port are recoverable.
There are things about it I like better than the arcade version, it's a little more polished overall, but I still think overall I probably prefer the original. What can I say, I'm a sucker for parallax and not a fan of checkpoints.
Look up the PC Engine Near Arcade version, that's also really good. It's by M2. They also did Near Arcade versions of Gradius and Fantasy Zone to make the PC Engine versions closer to the arcade. Originally they were on the TurboGrafx mini, whom M2 worked on. But people have been able to extract the ROMs for everyone to enjoy. You can even find physical versions with translated manuals.
Nice comparison from 3 years ago, by the way did you had any chance tried out the near arcade version of Salamander? M2 beefed up the audio (and slight graphic change by making it brighter) as well as adding instant respawn back in.
Programming in general seems better on the PC engine version. Everything is more physicaly right and smoother. Especialy that Fire Chaos boss... That's a shame, the arcade boards are generaly more powerfull...
The PCE version definitely feels a little more polished, the arcade release feels a bit sloppy and kind of unfinished. I still think I prefer the arcade version overall in this case, but the best playing version of Life Force / Salamander is probably still the NES version 😁
@@InglebardGaming I respect your preferences in this aspect, sometime the defects make the charm. Yeah you're right for Life Force... In fact, I don't know what happened at the Konami studios during the NES era, but they were on fire. A lot of games shipped for NES are superiors than the arcade counterpart... Thank you for these "utterly pointless comparisons", they are *very* interresting and well done. I'd take more.
@@Randerson112 Awesome, appreciate the kind words! There are definitely more coming! As for which version of Salamander I prefer, it's a tough call. Things are a little neater and more refined in the PCE version, for sure. It's also less brutally difficult, although it's made artificially harder with the checkpoint system. Definitely an excellent port for the hardware!
The MAIN difference is that the PC Engine version uses the Gradius checkpoint revival system instead of returning the player in the position they died, a system that Gradius Gaiden ditches when playing with a buddy (otherwise the classic checkpoint system is used in single player) or by default in Gradius V (yup, in Gradius V the checkpoint revival system must be enabled... I dunno if just like Gaiden if you play with a 2nd player ditches that system OR if just like PC Engine AND MSX Salamander goes back to the last checkpoint regardless of who died... like playing the Turbo Tunnel or Volkmyre's Inferno in Battletoads during the bike/plane segments), is also funny how Parodius also has the Salamander (Arcade) revival system starting with Gokujou (or in Europe Fantastic Journey) in the same manner as Gradius Gaiden for the Arcade and 32-bit ports (Ps1 and Saturn) and on the SNES/SFC if you enable the Salamander revival system as well... I think this extends to Oshaberi Parodius in both SFC and 32-bit consoles (just keep in mind that the Options/Multiples you had when you lose a live are instantly lost instead of having a chance to recover them), however in Sexy Parodius the Salamander revival system when it comes to single player is ONLY used when you pick the Auto power up option. Revival systems aside, the Pc Engine port is amazing, there's also a cheat code to have it in "arcade mode" but I think that's only for the mini-console re-release.
Yeah there were some exclusive features for a few of these Konami games on the mini. As for the checkpoint system in general, it's got plusses and minuses I guess. On the minus side, it makes it way tougher to get through the game so it's a more frustrating experience. Also, there are some places these games put you where its near impossible to make it through without power ups. On the plus side, you're kind of forced to actually get better at the game so you can survive longer with your power ups. In most cases I'd prefer to just come back where I died instantly.
The PCE version sounds pretty nice and is clearer than the FM sound of the arcade game. Having said that, the arcade game has a definite style with its FM sound so I can see people preferring that version. I think with this game it's mostly down to personal preference and isn't as cut and dry as some others.
Just got the coregrafx mini and not knowing much about this game or playing it back in the day, your info was interesting. Amazing isn't it? an essentially 8-bit home console can make this comparable to the arcade.
I see the PC-Engine more as a 16-bit console due to its GPU being 16-bit and only the CPU being 8-bit, much like the Dreamcast would be considered a 32-bit console and is known as 128-bit due to its GPU actually. It's much more powerful than it's credited for, specially for its year release, even though the SNES was released almost 4 years after the PCE, I think NEC's CPU is much faster, there are comparisons between the Genesis/SNES/TG16 CPUs and there are instances where the TG16 is even faster than the Genesis, which sounds absurd, if that is true, I don't know, but there's a tech video showing that.
There are definitely songs that sound better in the PCE version. The PCE version overall is a little more refined, but the whole checkpoint system for deaths is a huge minus. They did make the game easier overall, but checkpoints are annoying. Still a great port for the time and the hardware!
*Maybe it’s the poor adjustments on your monitor for PC Engine here?!? My tv is just as colorful and bright as the Arcade shown here sir!! It’s very dark and almost zero contrast to compare with arcade here* 💡
Err, I'm a little unclear about your response. I was agreeing with your last comment the colors are better on PCE. I also noted that some visual details were omitted from the PCE version. It's missing some tiles, some background details and parallax scrolling among other things. So in the end, it was a great contemporary port that did some things better than the arcade version and some things not as well.
![Double Dragon Arcade vs Genesis - Utterly Pointless Comparisons ep 010 [720p60]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/70NxLeCm2NY/mqdefault.jpg)
Back then when arcades are always superior , getting a port almost as good on console was difficult
Wow The PC Engine is fantastic they hold very well in every parts + the graphics is excellent is almost Arcade perfect ports this is unbelievable , they are very close to the Arcade version + the Konami make a great job with pc Engine version , i see pc Engine more than Arcade game the music sound is very good , PC Engine is excellent ports
Konami definitely did a nice job with this port considering the hardware differences.
At @19:35 you can actually see the arcade slow down and the PCengine just keeps the frame rate solid the whole time!!
This was an interesting comparison. I was expecting the arcade version to trounce the PCE but it actually didn’t.
I remember the arcade version from the chip shop round the corner from my school as a kid (it’s a UK thing) and nobody ever managed to get past the stage 4 boss. Overall, the PCE version looks more balanced than the arcade game which was clearly designed to take as much money from you as possible, especially towards the end.
Yeah, the arcade version gets brutally difficult towards the end. The PCE version is a little bit easier, but... in a different way it can be harder since it uses checkpoints when you die instead of bringing you right back.
Overall, the PCE release is slightly more polished even though it lacks some of the tech of the arcade game like parallax scrolling and voices.
There's also a Near Arcade version of Salamander for PC Engine by M2 where they make it a bit closer to the arcade game. And there's no check point system in that version thankfully! You respawn right where you died in the Near Arcade version.
Even still, there's a few things here and there that I feel that M2 could have pulled off but didn't. The thing that stands out the most is any kind of scaling that they possibly could have faked using multiple frames of animation, especially the final boss. However it might be that M2 restricted themselves to the limit of how big the original PC Engine version was and didn't want to go beyond that memory limit.
And I do wonder if some of the parallax could have been thrown in with some tricks since there's a lot more known these days about how to pull that kind of stuff off on the PCE, including some stuff that's apparently stupidly easy like that Bonk Parallax demo by Turboxray , totally crazy looking and supposedly easy to pull off. I hope he gets around to doing more demos and maybe even full games using that new engine he has for doing parallax on the PCE. If you haven't seen it, just search Bonk parallax demo on RUclips.
PCE port of Salamander is definitely the most polished port on the system, it's somehow way better than arcade original as they fixes some of the janks in the arcade (questionable hitboxes, 4th boss being near impossible without exploiting safespots, no extends) and the addition of checkpoints is better than instant respawn as ALL the checkpoints in this port are recoverable.
There are things about it I like better than the arcade version, it's a little more polished overall, but I still think overall I probably prefer the original. What can I say, I'm a sucker for parallax and not a fan of checkpoints.
Look up the PC Engine Near Arcade version, that's also really good. It's by M2. They also did Near Arcade versions of Gradius and Fantasy Zone to make the PC Engine versions closer to the arcade.
Originally they were on the TurboGrafx mini, whom M2 worked on. But people have been able to extract the ROMs for everyone to enjoy. You can even find physical versions with translated manuals.
Excellent comparaison thanx you very much !
You're welcome! There are a bunch more on the channel you might like, the newer ones are better 😁
Nice comparison from 3 years ago, by the way did you had any chance tried out the near arcade version of Salamander? M2 beefed up the audio (and slight graphic change by making it brighter) as well as adding instant respawn back in.
Er, which version are you talking about?
@@InglebardGaming the PCE/turbografx mini version with those hidden games within Salamander, Gradius and Fantasy Zone
I haven't played that version. I might check it out somewhere, I'd be especially interested in hearing the audio changes.
wow that was a Great comparison !
Thanks! There's over 30 more on the channel and most are better since this was one of my first 😁
Programming in general seems better on the PC engine version. Everything is more physicaly right and smoother. Especialy that Fire Chaos boss... That's a shame, the arcade boards are generaly more powerfull...
The PCE version definitely feels a little more polished, the arcade release feels a bit sloppy and kind of unfinished. I still think I prefer the arcade version overall in this case, but the best playing version of Life Force / Salamander is probably still the NES version 😁
@@InglebardGaming I respect your preferences in this aspect, sometime the defects make the charm. Yeah you're right for Life Force... In fact, I don't know what happened at the Konami studios during the NES era, but they were on fire. A lot of games shipped for NES are superiors than the arcade counterpart...
Thank you for these "utterly pointless comparisons", they are *very* interresting and well done. I'd take more.
Thanks, appreciate it! There are definitely going to be more. The next one will be in a few days and is one I've wanted to do from the start 😁
@@Randerson112 Awesome, appreciate the kind words! There are definitely more coming!
As for which version of Salamander I prefer, it's a tough call. Things are a little neater and more refined in the PCE version, for sure. It's also less brutally difficult, although it's made artificially harder with the checkpoint system.
Definitely an excellent port for the hardware!
The MAIN difference is that the PC Engine version uses the Gradius checkpoint revival system instead of returning the player in the position they died, a system that Gradius Gaiden ditches when playing with a buddy (otherwise the classic checkpoint system is used in single player) or by default in Gradius V (yup, in Gradius V the checkpoint revival system must be enabled... I dunno if just like Gaiden if you play with a 2nd player ditches that system OR if just like PC Engine AND MSX Salamander goes back to the last checkpoint regardless of who died... like playing the Turbo Tunnel or Volkmyre's Inferno in Battletoads during the bike/plane segments), is also funny how Parodius also has the Salamander (Arcade) revival system starting with Gokujou (or in Europe Fantastic Journey) in the same manner as Gradius Gaiden for the Arcade and 32-bit ports (Ps1 and Saturn) and on the SNES/SFC if you enable the Salamander revival system as well... I think this extends to Oshaberi Parodius in both SFC and 32-bit consoles (just keep in mind that the Options/Multiples you had when you lose a live are instantly lost instead of having a chance to recover them), however in Sexy Parodius the Salamander revival system when it comes to single player is ONLY used when you pick the Auto power up option.
Revival systems aside, the Pc Engine port is amazing, there's also a cheat code to have it in "arcade mode" but I think that's only for the mini-console re-release.
Yeah there were some exclusive features for a few of these Konami games on the mini. As for the checkpoint system in general, it's got plusses and minuses I guess. On the minus side, it makes it way tougher to get through the game so it's a more frustrating experience. Also, there are some places these games put you where its near impossible to make it through without power ups. On the plus side, you're kind of forced to actually get better at the game so you can survive longer with your power ups.
In most cases I'd prefer to just come back where I died instantly.
PC Engine has far cleaner and clearer sound.
The PCE version sounds pretty nice and is clearer than the FM sound of the arcade game. Having said that, the arcade game has a definite style with its FM sound so I can see people preferring that version. I think with this game it's mostly down to personal preference and isn't as cut and dry as some others.
Just got the coregrafx mini and not knowing much about this game or playing it back in the day, your info was interesting. Amazing isn't it? an essentially 8-bit home console can make this comparable to the arcade.
They definitely a great job with the hardware in the system!
I see the PC-Engine more as a 16-bit console due to its GPU being 16-bit and only the CPU being 8-bit, much like the Dreamcast would be considered a 32-bit console and is known as 128-bit due to its GPU actually. It's much more powerful than it's credited for, specially for its year release, even though the SNES was released almost 4 years after the PCE, I think NEC's CPU is much faster, there are comparisons between the Genesis/SNES/TG16 CPUs and there are instances where the TG16 is even faster than the Genesis, which sounds absurd, if that is true, I don't know, but there's a tech video showing that.
The PCengine soundtrack makes it sound “funner” to play!!
There are definitely songs that sound better in the PCE version. The PCE version overall is a little more refined, but the whole checkpoint system for deaths is a huge minus. They did make the game easier overall, but checkpoints are annoying. Still a great port for the time and the hardware!
I still think "Poison of Snake" is one of the best damned boss themes of all time.
There's lots of iconic music in Life Force / Salamander, I'd say!
@@InglebardGaming Absolutely, it's just the boss theme (Poison of Snake) just kind of stuck with me over the years, that's all.
Yeah, definitely memorable!
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Welcome and enjoy!
*Maybe it’s the poor adjustments on your monitor for PC Engine here?!? My tv is just as colorful and bright as the Arcade shown here sir!! It’s very dark and almost zero contrast to compare with arcade here* 💡
Err, I'm a little unclear about your response. I was agreeing with your last comment the colors are better on PCE. I also noted that some visual details were omitted from the PCE version. It's missing some tiles, some background details and parallax scrolling among other things.
So in the end, it was a great contemporary port that did some things better than the arcade version and some things not as well.