I always liked the city lights in the background of the Casino Zone Sonic 2. Made me think wow there's entire cities back there. I get the same feeling in real life seeing buildings far in the distance.
The water parallax effect in Sonic 3 was utterly amazing at the time, the way it transitioned to underwater was just so natural that I didn't even notice it being there until my second time through.
Sonic cd on stardust speedway was the first time i properly took note of the technique - by looking out the passenger window of my dads car on a long journey...i noticed the fields etc and suddenly twigged.
After playing the likes of ZX Spectrum and NES - Sonic was the first game on "next-gen" consoles that I've ever seen. I didn't even notice that there were multiple scrolling layers in the background - I just felt like there was this liberating sense of depth to all of it.
All of the DKC games had some really cool parallax/line scrolling effects. I was always blown away by the sunken ship levels in DCK2 and how they made the water and the background look 3D. Also, Toy Story had some really cool tricks, like how the floor looked like a 3D plane. Line scrolling effects are what really blew me away
Nice episode! Like you I always felt kind of disappointed if a game only delivered flat backgrounds (looking at you Golden Axe). If the game at least tried a bit in some way I'd be prone to forgive it a little (feathers flying behind the bird in Golden Axe). The parallax in Altered Beast always confused me... why doesn't the arcade have it? I also wondered why the Genesis version didn't turn black and white during boss fights. Supposedly the latter is because the lack of colors available for the backgrounds on the System-16 hardware and all of the available colors needed for the boss itself, but I didn't care I wanted it closer to the arcade at the time. Apparently the Genesis is better at dealing with backgrounds than the System-16 hardware is.
"The world can be a complicated place, don't be afraid to revel on the simple things" Damn SLX, that's a very good phrase I don't usually comment on your videos but keep up the good work
I'll never not love videos about parallax scrolling, specially when they're are peppered with the wonder and positivity of its admirers. Thank you for this. And yes please, part 1 of many!!!
Gosh, I adore parallax scrolling so much. Even today, in the world of huge, graphically intensive 3D games, I'm always delighted when I play a 2D game and see it using the technique.
Same. I think it's more interesting to look at it because for the most part it's moving artwork. A lot of 3D games today are just weird algorithmic asset farms and motion capture. Nothing wrong with that, but I like drawings more than sculptures in real life too. :)
I've been enamored with differing background layers since I first played Altered Beast on the Sega Genesis... And said to myself, "Oh wow! Even the arcade version doesn't have multiple scrolling backgrounds!"
Altered Beast was the first game i played with parallax and i got it the same time i got my sega genesis, which at the time i didnt even know was a thing. Lasting memories were made then and there
We saw so much parallax scrolling back in the day that I'd no longer notice it after awhile, because I expected it in my games (I didn't know the term of it back in the day till I saw it in gaming magazines, like EGM and Gamepro). The 16 bit era it was especially common place, and if you ever rode in a car and looked at the scenery in the countryside, you could see real life parallax scrolling, the objects closer to you zooming by fast, while objects in the distance slowly moved, it is a thing of beauty.
Parallax scrolling with vertex manipulation such as fire of gas was amazing, combined with the use of foreground is what makes my love for the SNES even to thisnday
For me it was mode 7 I could never get enough of. I had so much fun watching those pixels re-arrange themselves with beautiful rippling patterns, I even use that effect in some of my art now!
I'm a sucker for 3D background effects in 2D games. That's why Megaman 8 and Megaman X4 are some of my favorite games in the series. Just seeing the spinning widgets in Grenademan's stage, or the spiraling staircase in Split Mushroom's stage made the stages seem massive despite being in narrow corridors.
Sonic 1’s parallax forever altered how I saw the world. I noticed “parallax” in real life out the window of a car, and it was an early example of looking at the world through a lens of something I love.
Many 3d fighters on the Saturn made use of this for the backgrounds. VF2 and Dead or Alive looked so good because they used all the Saturn's architecture. Floors and backgrounds were created using 2d effects with the fighters made of polygons 👍
Parallax scrolling brings the world inside the game to life it pulls you into the game like extra dialog, character development and plot twists would in a movie or TV show.
Your channel is great and you've been killing it lately I broke my leg two days before Christmas so I've been bored and looking forward to your videos it's been awesome
Hey bro idk what kinda stuff your into watching but my favorite channel on youtube is wrestling bios! He has been doing this show reliving the war. Its a show on the monday night wars between wcw and then wwf. He goes through each episode and compares the 2. Then gives a point to who he beleives had a better segment or match. He is up to week 30 something i think. So if you are in my age group or just a fan of the old school wrestling then i think u will love it. And u would have alot of catching up todo.
You've hit the nail on the head with comment on 2:55, I've also often got the feeling, when looking at these dark woods backgrounds or scenes in various games made of "pixel art", of something mystical, atmospheric and hidden that broadened the whole game world.
@@reginaldeberhart8521 and @The SektorZ, why are none of you talking about Pier Solar and the Great Architects and Paprium? Those games have EXCELLENT parallax scrolling, as does Xenocrisis.
Yeah the edges of buildings in Batman and Robin Genesis gives off the same 3D effect as the building edges seen in this vid for Aladdin on Master System. The line scrolling is so plentiful that it looks like the buildings are polygonal as they pass.
I was trying to explain parallax scrolling to my 10-year-old the other day. He just looked at me the blank expression on his face. I'm going to have to show him this video Good work my friend. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
At 10 year old I was blasting Quake 2 and Unreal and finally got my playstation, 1998. was in my opinion (and probably lot of others) one of the best years in gaming history ever. Kids today could never understand how in that magical time every year the bar was raised in better graphics and games, and we could not wait to see new great games come out. Hell, with no internet I waited on my gaming magazines every month and read them like gospel.
@@dobriSTARIcrtani - I agree! NES to SNES = larger sprites, more colors, better sound, new effects, multilayer parallax scrolling SNES to N64 = Sprites to 3D polygons, 3D(ish) sound, FMV, open world N64 to NGC = more detailed 3D polygons, larger worlds, in-game cutscenes, NGC to WII/PS3/360 = real-time shadows, HD graphics, 16-9 aspect ratio, more expansive 3D worlds Wii U/Nintendo Switch/PS4/X1 = 4K, 60fps, VR PS4/SERIES X = Raytracing, 8k, If you look at the earlier years between the end of a cycle into the other, you’ll see a much bigger difference between system capabilities and onscreen differences. For example, I have played some games on the PS3 that look just as good as a game from the PS4.
@@NYCJoeBlack exactly what I was telling my wife... Glad she understands all this and can conversate about this kinda stuff with her.. As most people don't get this kinda shit at all.. But she takes the time to understand terminology as she appreciates the things I do just as much.. Just wouldn't have known what it was called.. PS3 games don't look that far off from PS4 games sometimes... So thats why the era that impressed me the most is the 8/16/32/64-bit eras the most... From there on it only became minor tweaks it mostly seemed... But back then you just felt the difference... Which is why I till this day love retro hardware (in general) and loved seeing it being pushed to it's limits. It is still mind blowing to this day seeing what some of these little things could do back then.. And the whole analog vs. Digital argument takes that appreciation/debate to new heights... I love the retro years of gaming... And I feel pretty alone in that.. Being 22 and most who are in my generation just try fitting in with the millenials.. but I always stayed true to me and kinda got left behind with the myspace era of kids ideals'.... Birth year '98. Outcast/underdog but I'm truly blessed in the outcome. And truly glad to appreciate the things I can... And so grateful to've found someone to share my common interests with as well haha 😄
@@NYCJoeBlack ive been trying to say this for ages.... the jump in graphics are marginal. My step son has the latest xbox upgraded from xbox1 ..... i honestly can't see a difference - yet I've been playing games since atari days as a toddler!! - to me the ps5 etc are released too early and a cashgrab. Havin said that - i couldn't see the difference between xbox360 and xbox1 until i saw mortal kombat 10...so its probably that kinda deal.
@@orderofmagnitude-TPATP I actually just got a PS4 Pro and Street Fighter V was one of my first games to try out and to be honest, the graphics are not much better than Street Fighter IV for the PS3. I have been a generation behind when buying consoles and that is on purpose. I got a PS3 and XBOX 360, the latest and most improved models at 500GB and I just got a PS4 Pro and XBOX ONE X, both the latest models of that generation and I am cool with it. I will probably buy a PS5/SERIES X six to ten years from now.
What people didnt realize, parallax scrolling is so much more beautiful and mesmerizing on a concave,non-flat, CRT television, seems like a pop up 3D effect without glasses
Today's AAA games with millions of polygons, ray tracing and 4K resolution have never impressed me as much as a well executed parallax scrolling effect 🤤
Old games are still more impressive to me than modern day ones. The programmers did amazing things with tiny code and incredibly clever tricks! They made me marvel at the visuals and sounds in games, made my childhood awesome.
The first instance of parallax scrolling I recall from childhood was playing Castle of Illusion on the Genesis. Specifically the game's second level, the Toy Area, where it took me a few playthroughs to notice the huge door spread across the level's background layer. I was blown away by that effect, back in 1991.
At some point in my life, I was so mesmerized with parallax scrolling, I was looking out for it in real life, like when my parents where driving around and I got bored and just starred out of the window. What an influence this graphical trick had on me, LOL.
and on the mega drive too! same amount of scrolling layers IIRC, colors are quite different (less soft and somehow more "arcade-ish") but the mega drive version runs in higher resolution (320x224 pixels vs 288x200 on amiga) which makes the effects stands out even more! then there's the FM towns version which has even more layers of scrolling albeit in lower resolution then there's the PC Engine version which is rather compromised (less layers of scrolling AND lower resolution) but still impressive given the system's limitations and then there's the master system version which is even more compromised (even less layers of scrolling AND even lower resolution) except during the indoor sections where it manages to keep a sort of independant 2nd layer of scrolling :v
The first time I saw a Genesis game pushing parallax scrolling I was blown away (Ghouls N' Ghosts 1989). Seeing that effect on a home console was like having an epiphany or discovering or a great truth that was obscured from our vision by ineffective hardware...and it was grand.
5:27 Aladdin (SMS) was the most impressive parallax effect I ever saw on a 8bit system. I remember I was shocked when I saw it on the first place. Just look at the buildings edges - they shift angle as the camera moves! Kudos to the programmers.
My favorite was the Starlight Zone in Sonic 1. The combination of the "infinite" parallax stars at the top of the playfield and the music always charmed me every time I played it.
The first time that I really was blowm away by parallax scrolling was in Ice Cap Zone in Sonic 3. It is not the best example out there, but it was thr first time that I really sat up and took notice.
The first time parallax scrolling really got me to sit up and notice was on Christmas day 1987, with Choplifter on the Master System. It had 4 or 5 layers of scrolling in the foreground, and a cloud layer behind as well. it really gave a convincing illusion of looking into the TV. I always thought it would have been cool if the game had gun/missile placements in the foreground that would shoot into the screen at you.
Been playing paprium ever since launch and I gotta say... That is the most amazing game I ever seen run on my beloved genny. The spirit scaling and use of foreground and background effects are unreal not to mention that 24 channels of some of the best music I ever heard from a 16 bit console. I wish Sega lord X would do a review of paprium.
There's a part early on in Alisia Dragoon, where a storm comes and these fast-moving clouds blow through - it really filled me with awe the first time I saw it. When you get to one of the higher sections of Mountain Hill Zone in Sonic 2, and you see that cloud layer, it just blew me away. Some of the hallways in Castlevania: SotN, where it seems like you can see back to infinity, are also quite breathtaking.
"The world can be a complicated place, my friends, don't be afraid to revel in the simple things" Don't I know it, this really made me tear up. With all of my hardships, these have become words I live by!
Man, someone who gets me! As a kid, I was completely obsessed with parallax scrolling. I didnt really understand it, but I loved the effect. So much so that I would look at the edge of a table and move my head side to side and watch things scroll. I also loved effects like that scrolling of the floor in Street Fighter 2 and Killer Instinct. MMM! So good. I loved that pseudo 3D effect so much, that I tried recreating it in Mario Paint with the animation tool. Its ultimately what fueled my love of 3D and what got me to learn 3D modelling.
Parallax scrolling is a case of the more the better with the exception of the foreground. Unless it's highly transparent it's mostly an inconvenience, I didn't mind it in Astal however; kinda added to the feel of looking into a story - like a picture book. Also I like the new channel logo.
neo turf masters is probably the pinnacle of paralex scrolling. but the effect is so well done that the average observer probably wont even notice whats going on on a technical level.
4 года назад+2
Batman - Return of the joker on the NES had amazing graphics and parallax effects too. 🔥🔥⌛
Thoroughly enjoyed this! I've been a huge fan of parallax scrolling effects since those early arcade games and as a developer would always look at ways to include it in projects I've worked on over the years. It was the love of the effect that prompted me to design the parallax scrolling mission intro sequences for Cannon Fodder. The world needs more parallax scrolling!
My first impact with 16 bit generation. Used to my beloved Master System was a shock to see The Revenge of Shinobi and Strider in movement, mainly because the incredible 3D sensation from the backgrounds (the beginning of the second stage in Strider, with all those might mountains in the background). It was like, "WOW this is really way beyond what my Sega Master System can do". It was in the beginning of 1991. When I saw Green Hill Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog for the first time was mind blowing too. All those waterfalls look so real for me. It was like the whole stage was really surrounded by water everywhere. Memories...
Nice work - I always loved the background effects in Gunstar Heroes on the airship, and then the boss battle flying through the sky on the gunship, really jawdropping at the time, it was so good it almost made you laugh out loud at how clever it all was.
Like lots of people (it seems) I'm still hypnotised by parallax scrolling. Your comment about feeling there could be whole games hidden in the distant scenery is bang-on and the feeling was visceral at the time, I remember :) The effect just wasn't there when the whole screen scrolled as a unit. I was waiting to see if Thunder Force IV on the genesis would make an appearance and was pleased it was there at the end. I guess it was done by sort-of-switching the front and rear tile planes at specific scan lines. I spent too long peering at that first level looking for the seams :)
Parallax is the effect of objects moving at different speeds depending on the spectators distance from it. it is used in all 2D animation to simulate percieved depth. The Sega 3D classics on 3DS push the parallax and line scrolling effects to the next level for sure M2 did a great job on those games. I always loved the backgrounds in Disney's the Lion King.
You are right on. Back then it was about what could be done on this simple hardware and it was pretty amazing. Hell just the screen scrolling was a big deal at one time
my first viewing of "parralax" was dungeon explorer on pc engine, we used to just boot the game up for the intro screen think it had 8 layer parralax we were stunned, great video nice to see old school games admired by those that were there, and more modern gamers!
Love that effect also! I think Sagaia (Darius II) has some amazing 'parallax' effects on some levels that really show off what the 8-bit master system could do.
@Bliss Catharthey I have the Master System version. It's quite an impressive title on the system. I had a NES growing up as well, but I played the master system first and loved it.
I recall donkey Kong country 2 having some great parallax, what comes to mind is the level lockjaws locker from the first world. The background looks like it’s 3D rendered in some parts
Great video my dude! I agree with you here wholeheartedly. Growing up with Nintendo in the 80’s it was always a treat to see what graphical tricks the game developers could accomplish! And as the years went on it was nice to see side scrolling titles really push the envelope. I’m glad you included a scene from DARIUS : GAIDEN from the Sega Saturn here! That’s one of my absolute favorite titles on the system. Superb game is accompanied by beautiful graphics, the occasional 3D special effect and excellent soundtrack! Seriously ‘yo. The music is sooooo good!
I remember playing a Sega genesis for the first time in the electronics department of Macy’s. I thought it was really neat that the background was separate (as I phrased it at the time) than the foreground. Back then, the colloquial expression for this was that the game “scrolled like a Genesis”. I still love seeing it. I wonder how they did it so well in some games. Games like Toy Story actually had pseudo 3D background objects... still blows my mind. I’m a pixel gamer not a polygon gamer.
What would the effects used in Summer Carnival Recca 92 for the NES/Famicom be considered? Those trippy effects even in 2013 blew my mind that it was on the NES.
IREM's Metal Storm (NES) had lots of parallax scrolling. Jim Power: The Lost Dimensions in 3D (Super NES) used it by a large amount. It's a nice game, but it'll make you dizzy asl.
It makes you dizzy because the scrolling in Jim Power is all wrong. The multiple background layers scroll in the opposite direction than they should, and the layers also scroll at the wrong speeds. The middle layer should scroll faster than the background layer, and everything should be scrolling right to left, not left to right. The only way it makes any sense the way is, is if the character is running around a cylinder. Seriously, that game makes me feel ill just looking at it for a few seconds, I don't know what they were thinking when they did it that way. To anyone who wants to search for a video of it just be warned, don't make it full screen, and make sure you have a barf bag nearby.
Paralax scrolling is my favorite technique when playing retro games. It gives them so much depth and makes them feel alive. I also can't help but admire when developers manage to pull it off on hardware that doesn't support it natively.
I always get excited whenever I see an upload from you, I simply cannot get enough of your introduction and the gentle "Se---ga!" While parrallax scrolling was one factor it was not the primary reason for playing games. Not to say that colourful graphics did not attract the pre-teen version of myself, my reasons for playing games was typically either to see how far I can progress or whether to finish the game before my allotted game time was up. This topic does direct me to appreciate game developers and programmers in general. I know that the NES was programmed using Assembly language (I don't know at the moment whether Sega consoles are set up) but this was the way to create those games instead of using more intuitive programming languages such as Java. If only computers were not set to solve World's problems I probably can appreciate computer programming more. Thank you for the video!
Parallax was the gold standard for realism back in the early nineties. It reminds me of seeing the animations on Last Of Us 2,and thinking "this is it, we can progress no further!"
It’s just for the first two levels. It’s over pretty quick. The rest of the game is still good, but it’s more big standard colourful master system stuff.
Great topic that I was waiting for somebody to cover on and finally SLX nails it on the head. One that comes to my mind was Ranger X (Ex Ranza) with really impressive 3D looking background in the glass-tunnel scene on Genesis and the parallax ground on the SMS Choplifter.
Thunder Force IV is still one of the most beautiful games ever for me... Also, there's sonic. Sonic & Knuckles first act also had even a "faded" effect for the background so it looked even further away. Even my dad was impressed by then, and it's also a show off about the Genesis displaying more colors than it should on screen. The boss on the first act also had pseudo 3d moving parts of the scenery. I've always been fond of these techniques and also observed them on disney movies even from the 50's... Awesome stuff!
The first time I noticed parallax scrolling in a game was Rastan at my local Pizza Hut in the late 80s, couldn’t look at my nes games the same after seeing it. As far as modern games the newer Ray mans and Unruly heroes are keeping that beautiful 2d parallax scrolling alive
I first saw parallax on snes and was amazed, I did not expect it all, I literally yelled out that this looks 3d. Later I learned that megadrive could also do parallax that was pretty incredible. I had a master systerm and knew about megadrive but I though it would be the same just with more memory for backgrounds and animations.
I moved from the Atari ST to the MegaDrive, the ST had no hardware scrolling whatsoever and had a hard time scrolling full stop. It was great when talented programmers got the ST to scroll smoothly and always impressed me when they did. Consider my mind blown when I got my Mega Drive the fire stage in Shadow Dancer, Green Hill in Sonic not only was this all smooth but the Mega Drive was throwing around multiple layers, along with multiple sprites. I loved my ST but the Mega Drive was a huge step up in gameplay and presentation.
Thanks for all your great work, SLX. You are now my go to authority on Sega consoles and games. I've been collecting games for my (PAL) Sega Mega Drive, Mega CD and Saturn for many years now, and your recommendations have always been bang on. :)
Finally convos about parallax scrolling. I didn’t what it was called back in the day but noticed it when I played back belt for SMS. And since then I would look for games that have it.
Shadow of the Beast was a chore to play but man it looked good. I was maybe a bit simpler and LOVED idle animations. Taz going ballistic, sonic getting impatient, Mickey balancing on the edge of a platform were details that showed me programers cared and were having a little fun.
The parralax scrolling in Sonic is great, it's one of things that really sells you on the impression of speed.
I stay focused on the hills in emerald hill zone
I always liked the city lights in the background of the Casino Zone Sonic 2.
Made me think wow there's entire cities back there.
I get the same feeling in real life seeing buildings far in the distance.
The water parallax effect in Sonic 3 was utterly amazing at the time, the way it transitioned to underwater was just so natural that I didn't even notice it being there until my second time through.
Sonic cd on stardust speedway was the first time i properly took note of the technique - by looking out the passenger window of my dads car on a long journey...i noticed the fields etc and suddenly twigged.
After playing the likes of ZX Spectrum and NES - Sonic was the first game on "next-gen" consoles that I've ever seen. I didn't even notice that there were multiple scrolling layers in the background - I just felt like there was this liberating sense of depth to all of it.
All of the DKC games had some really cool parallax/line scrolling effects. I was always blown away by the sunken ship levels in DCK2 and how they made the water and the background look 3D. Also, Toy Story had some really cool tricks, like how the floor looked like a 3D plane. Line scrolling effects are what really blew me away
The 2D aesthetic is so timeless. Still looks amazing today.
Nice episode! Like you I always felt kind of disappointed if a game only delivered flat backgrounds (looking at you Golden Axe). If the game at least tried a bit in some way I'd be prone to forgive it a little (feathers flying behind the bird in Golden Axe). The parallax in Altered Beast always confused me... why doesn't the arcade have it? I also wondered why the Genesis version didn't turn black and white during boss fights. Supposedly the latter is because the lack of colors available for the backgrounds on the System-16 hardware and all of the available colors needed for the boss itself, but I didn't care I wanted it closer to the arcade at the time. Apparently the Genesis is better at dealing with backgrounds than the System-16 hardware is.
Hey Joe, you're the man!
Joe when you said in an episode that you can't help seeing parallax effects in real life? I felt that.
Somebody, somewhere makes a video about parallax scrolling.
Joe: My Sega-senses are tingling!
@@cj694x2 Indeed.
@@GameSack what'd you think about what I said joe?
"The world can be a complicated place, don't be afraid to revel on the simple things"
Damn SLX, that's a very good phrase
I don't usually comment on your videos but keep up the good work
Thank you for including Shadow Dancer. The city in flames on the first stage still impress me.
"Hell we could spend the next hour talking about Saturn 2d games"... ahem PLEASE DO!!
Good idea!
Twinbee Yahho! Doesn't matter this one was on PS1 too.
That was my take on that as well. Let's see them amazing 2d Saturn games with ridiculous amounts of parallax scrolling. ;)
Please do
Yes indeed!
I'll never not love videos about parallax scrolling, specially when they're are peppered with the wonder and positivity of its admirers.
Thank you for this.
And yes please, part 1 of many!!!
Maybe the best ones for each system?
@@aem9978 That's a thought!
Parallax scrolling: second only to scaling and rotation in my heart.
mode 7 for me
Don’t forget about cool alpha transparency tricks.
I wonder just how far Genesis games could have gone had they found or solved that whole blast processing algorithm back then.
@@MrCalverino mode 7 is scaling and rotation! Except i think it could only scale 1 thing at a time. Still excellent stuff.
@@Lightblue2222 mariokart 2 player had 2 instances of mode 7 at the same time. And Contra 3 2player
Gosh, I adore parallax scrolling so much. Even today, in the world of huge, graphically intensive 3D games, I'm always delighted when I play a 2D game and see it using the technique.
Same. I think it's more interesting to look at it because for the most part it's moving artwork. A lot of 3D games today are just weird algorithmic asset farms and motion capture. Nothing wrong with that, but I like drawings more than sculptures in real life too. :)
I've been enamored with differing background layers since I first played Altered Beast on the Sega Genesis... And said to myself, "Oh wow! Even the arcade version doesn't have multiple scrolling backgrounds!"
True
Altered Beast was the first game i played with parallax and i got it the same time i got my sega genesis, which at the time i didnt even know was a thing. Lasting memories were made then and there
@@Lifesizemortal 1989
@@rustymixer2886 you know it!!
What a way to sell the system!
That last clip of Thunder Force IV looks amazing.
hi CELda!
@@Video-Games-Are-Fun hello MERIO
he ended on two bangers. TF4 and Ranger X. both killer games dude.
I was waiting for Thunder force 4. I had that as a kid and I was blown away with graphics and music.
We saw so much parallax scrolling back in the day that I'd no longer notice it after awhile, because I expected it in my games (I didn't know the term of it back in the day till I saw it in gaming magazines, like EGM and Gamepro). The 16 bit era it was especially common place, and if you ever rode in a car and looked at the scenery in the countryside, you could see real life parallax scrolling, the objects closer to you zooming by fast, while objects in the distance slowly moved, it is a thing of beauty.
Parallax scrolling with vertex manipulation such as fire of gas was amazing, combined with the use of foreground is what makes my love for the SNES even to thisnday
For me it was mode 7 I could never get enough of. I had so much fun watching those pixels re-arrange themselves with beautiful rippling patterns, I even use that effect in some of my art now!
I enjoyed a lot looking these pseudo 3D backgrounds at the time. The glorious 16 bit era...
Speaking of the background telling a story, seeing Ganon's tower from the top of the Dark World pyramid in Zelda ALttP still gives me chills.
I'm a sucker for 3D background effects in 2D games. That's why Megaman 8 and Megaman X4 are some of my favorite games in the series. Just seeing the spinning widgets in Grenademan's stage, or the spiraling staircase in Split Mushroom's stage made the stages seem massive despite being in narrow corridors.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has some good background scenes that not just went side to side but also up to down as well.
Sonic 1’s parallax forever altered how I saw the world. I noticed “parallax” in real life out the window of a car, and it was an early example of looking at the world through a lens of something I love.
Many 3d fighters on the Saturn made use of this for the backgrounds. VF2 and Dead or Alive looked so good because they used all the Saturn's architecture. Floors and backgrounds were created using 2d effects with the fighters made of polygons 👍
Parallax scrolling brings the world inside the game to life it pulls you into the game like extra dialog, character development and plot twists would in a movie or TV show.
Your channel is great and you've been killing it lately I broke my leg two days before Christmas so I've been bored and looking forward to your videos it's been awesome
Hey bro idk what kinda stuff your into watching but my favorite channel on youtube is wrestling bios! He has been doing this show reliving the war. Its a show on the monday night wars between wcw and then wwf. He goes through each episode and compares the 2. Then gives a point to who he beleives had a better segment or match. He is up to week 30 something i think. So if you are in my age group or just a fan of the old school wrestling then i think u will love it. And u would have alot of catching up todo.
You've hit the nail on the head with comment on 2:55, I've also often got the feeling, when looking at these dark woods backgrounds or scenes in various games made of "pixel art", of something mystical, atmospheric and hidden that broadened the whole game world.
Ranger X impresses the hell out of me even today with the background scrolling.
If you wanna showcase awesome parallax scrolling and 3D depth effects on the Genesis play the Adventures of Batman and Robin 👌
Red Zone for the Genesis also
@@reginaldeberhart8521 and @The SektorZ, why are none of you talking about Pier Solar and the Great Architects and Paprium? Those games have EXCELLENT parallax scrolling, as does Xenocrisis.
@@paxhumana2015 some of those have enhanced cartridges to do the effects. It’s not a vanilla cartridge using the Mega Drive power. Which is a shame.
@@paxhumana2015 Were they released in North America? I don't remember them!! But I do remember Xenocrisis!!
Yeah the edges of buildings in Batman and Robin Genesis gives off the same 3D effect as the building edges seen in this vid for Aladdin on Master System. The line scrolling is so plentiful that it looks like the buildings are polygonal as they pass.
man that cloud and sea stage in lightening force.
I didn't know what it was called in 1982, but when I first saw Moon Patrol in the arcade, the effect blew me away! 🌕
I was trying to explain parallax scrolling to my 10-year-old the other day. He just looked at me the blank expression on his face. I'm going to have to show him this video Good work my friend. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
At 10 year old I was blasting Quake 2 and Unreal and finally got my playstation,
1998. was in my opinion (and probably lot of others) one of the best years in gaming history ever. Kids today could never understand how in that magical time every year the bar was raised in better graphics and games, and we could not wait to see new great games come out. Hell, with no internet I waited on my gaming magazines every month and read them like gospel.
@@dobriSTARIcrtani - I agree!
NES to SNES = larger sprites, more colors, better sound, new effects, multilayer parallax scrolling
SNES to N64 = Sprites to 3D polygons, 3D(ish) sound, FMV, open world
N64 to NGC = more detailed 3D polygons, larger worlds, in-game cutscenes,
NGC to WII/PS3/360 = real-time shadows, HD graphics, 16-9 aspect ratio, more expansive 3D worlds
Wii U/Nintendo Switch/PS4/X1 = 4K, 60fps, VR
PS4/SERIES X = Raytracing, 8k,
If you look at the earlier years between the end of a cycle into the other, you’ll see a much bigger difference between system capabilities and onscreen differences. For example, I have played some games on the PS3 that look just as good as a game from the PS4.
@@NYCJoeBlack exactly what I was telling my wife... Glad she understands all this and can conversate about this kinda stuff with her.. As most people don't get this kinda shit at all.. But she takes the time to understand terminology as she appreciates the things I do just as much.. Just wouldn't have known what it was called.. PS3 games don't look that far off from PS4 games sometimes... So thats why the era that impressed me the most is the 8/16/32/64-bit eras the most... From there on it only became minor tweaks it mostly seemed... But back then you just felt the difference... Which is why I till this day love retro hardware (in general) and loved seeing it being pushed to it's limits. It is still mind blowing to this day seeing what some of these little things could do back then.. And the whole analog vs. Digital argument takes that appreciation/debate to new heights... I love the retro years of gaming... And I feel pretty alone in that.. Being 22 and most who are in my generation just try fitting in with the millenials.. but I always stayed true to me and kinda got left behind with the myspace era of kids ideals'.... Birth year '98. Outcast/underdog but I'm truly blessed in the outcome. And truly glad to appreciate the things I can... And so grateful to've found someone to share my common interests with as well haha 😄
@@NYCJoeBlack ive been trying to say this for ages.... the jump in graphics are marginal. My step son has the latest xbox upgraded from xbox1 ..... i honestly can't see a difference - yet I've been playing games since atari days as a toddler!! - to me the ps5 etc are released too early and a cashgrab. Havin said that - i couldn't see the difference between xbox360 and xbox1 until i saw mortal kombat 10...so its probably that kinda deal.
@@orderofmagnitude-TPATP I actually just got a PS4 Pro and Street Fighter V was one of my first games to try out and to be honest, the graphics are not much better than Street Fighter IV for the PS3.
I have been a generation behind when buying consoles and that is on purpose. I got a PS3 and XBOX 360, the latest and most improved models at 500GB and I just got a PS4 Pro and XBOX ONE X, both the latest models of that generation and I am cool with it.
I will probably buy a PS5/SERIES X six to ten years from now.
What people didnt realize, parallax scrolling is so much more beautiful and mesmerizing on a concave,non-flat, CRT television, seems like a pop up 3D effect without glasses
The single greatest effect imo. It still dazzles. Before I watch im just saying Thunderforce 4. Whoah.
Probably the most impressive game on the system graphically.
Soundtrack was sick too
@@darkchild130 Agree. I have the soundtrack from Data Discs. That intro, omg.
Best mega drive game ever
I loved the parallax in Symphony of the Night. Combined with 3D polys and ridiculous animation, it made for a gorgeous game.
Today's AAA games with millions of polygons, ray tracing and 4K resolution have never impressed me as much as a well executed parallax scrolling effect 🤤
Unfortunately, here in Brazil, at the time we didint know these games, It would be great!
I absolutely love the 1st level background in Sonic 2
The clouds in the first level of Batman Revenge of the Joker on NES.
Yes
that game was a looker and great game.
@@aryinc it was almost 16bit. I was blown away by its graphics back in the day and I still consider it one of the best looking games on the NES.
I was going to mention that game too. It really pushes the NES to great results. It's an amazing looking game
A nice trick using what's called sprite zero. Basically the clouds are locked in place while the screen scrolls
So glad you've included Ranger X! It was and still is an impressive game, especially the pseudo-3D scrolling background in Stage 3!
Old games are still more impressive to me than modern day ones. The programmers did amazing things with tiny code and incredibly clever tricks!
They made me marvel at the visuals and sounds in games, made my childhood awesome.
The first instance of parallax scrolling I recall from childhood was playing Castle of Illusion on the Genesis. Specifically the game's second level, the Toy Area, where it took me a few playthroughs to notice the huge door spread across the level's background layer. I was blown away by that effect, back in 1991.
At some point in my life, I was so mesmerized with parallax scrolling, I was looking out for it in real life, like when my parents where driving around and I got bored and just starred out of the window. What an influence this graphical trick had on me, LOL.
Shadow of the Beast = amazing parallax scrolling, specially on the Amiga.
and on the mega drive too! same amount of scrolling layers IIRC, colors are quite different (less soft and somehow more "arcade-ish") but the mega drive version runs in higher resolution (320x224 pixels vs 288x200 on amiga) which makes the effects stands out even more!
then there's the FM towns version which has even more layers of scrolling albeit in lower resolution
then there's the PC Engine version which is rather compromised (less layers of scrolling AND lower resolution) but still impressive given the system's limitations
and then there's the master system version which is even more compromised (even less layers of scrolling AND even lower resolution) except during the indoor sections where it manages to keep a sort of independant 2nd layer of scrolling :v
Too bad it's a shitty game. At least, the Genesis version definitely is. Beautiful, but shitty gameplay.
The first time I saw a Genesis game pushing parallax scrolling I was blown away (Ghouls N' Ghosts 1989). Seeing that effect on a home console was like having an epiphany or discovering or a great truth that was obscured from our vision by ineffective hardware...and it was grand.
5:27 Aladdin (SMS) was the most impressive parallax effect I ever saw on a 8bit system. I remember I was shocked when I saw it on the first place. Just look at the buildings edges - they shift angle as the camera moves!
Kudos to the programmers.
Waited to see Ranger X up there and you didn't disappoint. One of the best!
OIne of my favorites in that regard is the Donkey Kong Country series, especially the "Barrel Shield Bust Up" stage in DKC 3. Just pure eye candy!
My favorite was the Starlight Zone in Sonic 1. The combination of the "infinite" parallax stars at the top of the playfield and the music always charmed me every time I played it.
Parallax is one of the nicest looking effects that can be done in games with 2D graphics, it really enhances the scene.
The first time that I really was blowm away by parallax scrolling was in Ice Cap Zone in Sonic 3. It is not the best example out there, but it was thr first time that I really sat up and took notice.
The first time parallax scrolling really got me to sit up and notice was on Christmas day 1987, with Choplifter on the Master System. It had 4 or 5 layers of scrolling in the foreground, and a cloud layer behind as well. it really gave a convincing illusion of looking into the TV. I always thought it would have been cool if the game had gun/missile placements in the foreground that would shoot into the screen at you.
more than 25-30 years later and those effects are still mind-blowing.
Been playing paprium ever since launch and I gotta say... That is the most amazing game I ever seen run on my beloved genny. The spirit scaling and use of foreground and background effects are unreal not to mention that 24 channels of some of the best music I ever heard from a 16 bit console. I wish Sega lord X would do a review of paprium.
I remember noticing the background effect in Batman Return of the Joker in NES and it was WHOAAAA
There's a part early on in Alisia Dragoon, where a storm comes and these fast-moving clouds blow through - it really filled me with awe the first time I saw it. When you get to one of the higher sections of Mountain Hill Zone in Sonic 2, and you see that cloud layer, it just blew me away. Some of the hallways in Castlevania: SotN, where it seems like you can see back to infinity, are also quite breathtaking.
Nice to see Ranger X from the Genesis in there. That was the 1st game I remember that blew me away with the parallax scrolling.
"The world can be a complicated place, my friends, don't be afraid to revel in the simple things" Don't I know it, this really made me tear up. With all of my hardships, these have become words I live by!
Man, someone who gets me! As a kid, I was completely obsessed with parallax scrolling. I didnt really understand it, but I loved the effect. So much so that I would look at the edge of a table and move my head side to side and watch things scroll. I also loved effects like that scrolling of the floor in Street Fighter 2 and Killer Instinct. MMM! So good. I loved that pseudo 3D effect so much, that I tried recreating it in Mario Paint with the animation tool. Its ultimately what fueled my love of 3D and what got me to learn 3D modelling.
Parallax scrolling is a case of the more the better with the exception of the foreground. Unless it's highly transparent it's mostly an inconvenience, I didn't mind it in Astal however; kinda added to the feel of looking into a story - like a picture book.
Also I like the new channel logo.
neo turf masters is probably the pinnacle of paralex scrolling. but the effect is so well done that the average observer probably wont even notice whats going on on a technical level.
Batman - Return of the joker on the NES had amazing graphics and parallax effects too. 🔥🔥⌛
Nobody gonna talk about how Castle Of Illusion stealing the Ninja Garden castle approach?
Ninja Garden...I want to play that game. :P Just joking, I know it's a typo, but it's a funny one. :D
@@heavysystemsinc. silent pruning
Thoroughly enjoyed this! I've been a huge fan of parallax scrolling effects since those early arcade games and as a developer would always look at ways to include it in projects I've worked on over the years. It was the love of the effect that prompted me to design the parallax scrolling mission intro sequences for Cannon Fodder. The world needs more parallax scrolling!
My first impact with 16 bit generation. Used to my beloved Master System was a shock to see The Revenge of Shinobi and Strider in movement, mainly because the incredible 3D sensation from the backgrounds (the beginning of the second stage in Strider, with all those might mountains in the background). It was like, "WOW this is really way beyond what my Sega Master System can do". It was in the beginning of 1991. When I saw Green Hill Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog for the first time was mind blowing too. All those waterfalls look so real for me. It was like the whole stage was really surrounded by water everywhere. Memories...
Nice work - I always loved the background effects in Gunstar Heroes on the airship, and then the boss battle flying through the sky on the gunship, really jawdropping at the time, it was so good it almost made you laugh out loud at how clever it all was.
"the world can be a complicated place, don't be afraid to revel in the simple things" well said!
Like lots of people (it seems) I'm still hypnotised by parallax scrolling. Your comment about feeling there could be whole games hidden in the distant scenery is bang-on and the feeling was visceral at the time, I remember :) The effect just wasn't there when the whole screen scrolled as a unit.
I was waiting to see if Thunder Force IV on the genesis would make an appearance and was pleased it was there at the end. I guess it was done by sort-of-switching the front and rear tile planes at specific scan lines. I spent too long peering at that first level looking for the seams :)
thunder force iv is a masterpiece
Shadow of the beast for atari lynx was one of my favorite parallax scrollers as a kid!
Parallax is the effect of objects moving at different speeds depending on the spectators distance from it. it is used in all 2D animation to simulate percieved depth.
The Sega 3D classics on 3DS push the parallax and line scrolling effects to the next level for sure M2 did a great job on those games.
I always loved the backgrounds in Disney's the Lion King.
You are right on. Back then it was about what could be done on this simple hardware and it was pretty amazing. Hell just the screen scrolling was a big deal at one time
my first viewing of "parralax" was dungeon explorer on pc engine, we used to just boot the game up for the intro screen think it had 8 layer parralax we were stunned, great video nice to see old school games admired by those that were there, and more modern gamers!
Love that effect also! I think Sagaia
(Darius II) has some amazing 'parallax' effects on some levels that really show off what the 8-bit master system could do.
@Bliss Catharthey no, it's also on Master System, but only in Europe and Brazil. I can confirm it's an impressive version.
@Bliss Catharthey I have the Master System version. It's quite an impressive title on the system. I had a NES growing up as well, but I played the master system first and loved it.
Truthfully, I think the parallax scrolling is one of the things that make classic retro games great.
Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo has great parallax scrolling.
I recall donkey Kong country 2 having some great parallax, what comes to mind is the level lockjaws locker from the first world. The background looks like it’s 3D rendered in some parts
Great video my dude! I agree with you here wholeheartedly. Growing up with Nintendo in the 80’s it was always a treat to see what graphical tricks the game developers could accomplish! And as the years went on it was nice to see side scrolling titles really push the envelope. I’m glad you included a scene from DARIUS : GAIDEN from the Sega Saturn here! That’s one of my absolute favorite titles on the system. Superb game is accompanied by beautiful graphics, the occasional 3D special effect and excellent soundtrack! Seriously ‘yo. The music is sooooo good!
Completely agree with you man! "Its not about which console could pull off but the end results!"
I remember playing a Sega genesis for the first time in the electronics department of Macy’s. I thought it was really neat that the background was separate (as I phrased it at the time) than the foreground. Back then, the colloquial expression for this was that the game “scrolled like a Genesis”. I still love seeing it. I wonder how they did it so well in some games. Games like Toy Story actually had pseudo 3D background objects... still blows my mind. I’m a pixel gamer not a polygon gamer.
I think back in the day I noticed how nice the background was in the first Sonic game.
i feel those who grew up with the NES (or older consoles) first, better appreciate the advent of parallax scrolling in the 16-bet era
So true.
To think that most "newer" 2D games fail greatly at using these kind of effects, making the visuals look too static and lifeless.
Awesome video
Bloodstained Curse of the Moon actually has some of these effects. I love that game.
This was my thought when I played Streets of Rage 4 on PS4!
@@HOWLWOLF yeah, that game looks like something taken from the SMS combined with the Konami VC6 sound chip. I also loved it.
Also add in sonic mania.
What would the effects used in Summer Carnival Recca 92 for the NES/Famicom be considered? Those trippy effects even in 2013 blew my mind that it was on the NES.
I think is Raster effect. Moving lines of pixels independently to each other creating that wave effect.
Android Assault on the SCD contains some really gorgeous background work.
IREM's Metal Storm (NES) had lots of parallax scrolling.
Jim Power: The Lost Dimensions in 3D (Super NES) used it by a large amount. It's a nice game, but it'll make you dizzy asl.
It makes you dizzy because the scrolling in Jim Power is all wrong. The multiple background layers scroll in the opposite direction than they should, and the layers also scroll at the wrong speeds. The middle layer should scroll faster than the background layer, and everything should be scrolling right to left, not left to right. The only way it makes any sense the way is, is if the character is running around a cylinder. Seriously, that game makes me feel ill just looking at it for a few seconds, I don't know what they were thinking when they did it that way. To anyone who wants to search for a video of it just be warned, don't make it full screen, and make sure you have a barf bag nearby.
One of the best channels out there, it's Sega Lord X killing it again
Paralax scrolling is my favorite technique when playing retro games. It gives them so much depth and makes them feel alive. I also can't help but admire when developers manage to pull it off on hardware that doesn't support it natively.
I always get excited whenever I see an upload from you, I simply cannot get enough of your introduction and the gentle "Se---ga!"
While parrallax scrolling was one factor it was not the primary reason for playing games. Not to say that colourful graphics did not attract the pre-teen version of myself, my reasons for playing games was typically either to see how far I can progress or whether to finish the game before my allotted game time was up.
This topic does direct me to appreciate game developers and programmers in general. I know that the NES was programmed using Assembly language (I don't know at the moment whether Sega consoles are set up) but this was the way to create those games instead of using more intuitive programming languages such as Java. If only computers were not set to solve World's problems I probably can appreciate computer programming more.
Thank you for the video!
Parallax was the gold standard for realism back in the early nineties.
It reminds me of seeing the animations on Last Of Us 2,and thinking "this is it, we can progress no further!"
Show more of the 8 bit Aladdin. So curious about that
That looked stunning for an SMS game!
It’s just for the first two levels. It’s over pretty quick. The rest of the game is still good, but it’s more big standard colourful master system stuff.
Great topic that I was waiting for somebody to cover on and finally SLX nails it on the head. One that comes to my mind was Ranger X (Ex Ranza) with really impressive 3D looking background in the glass-tunnel scene on Genesis and the parallax ground on the SMS Choplifter.
Castlevania music with my childhood classic arcade moon patrol! Only Sega Lord X! Great video
Super castlevania 4 SNES theme song is legendary in my childhood 😊
Sweet background layers made a game feel a certain way.
Thunder Force IV is still one of the most beautiful games ever for me...
Also, there's sonic. Sonic & Knuckles first act also had even a "faded" effect for the background so it looked even further away. Even my dad was impressed by then, and it's also a show off about the Genesis displaying more colors than it should on screen. The boss on the first act also had pseudo 3d moving parts of the scenery.
I've always been fond of these techniques and also observed them on disney movies even from the 50's...
Awesome stuff!
The first time I noticed parallax scrolling in a game was Rastan at my local Pizza Hut in the late 80s, couldn’t look at my nes games the same after seeing it. As far as modern games the newer Ray mans and Unruly heroes are keeping that beautiful 2d parallax scrolling alive
I first saw parallax on snes and was amazed, I did not expect it all, I literally yelled out that this looks 3d. Later I learned that megadrive could also do parallax that was pretty incredible. I had a master systerm and knew about megadrive but I though it would be the same just with more memory for backgrounds and animations.
I moved from the Atari ST to the MegaDrive, the ST had no hardware scrolling whatsoever and had a hard time scrolling full stop. It was great when talented programmers got the ST to scroll smoothly and always impressed me when they did.
Consider my mind blown when I got my Mega Drive the fire stage in Shadow Dancer, Green Hill in Sonic not only was this all smooth but the Mega Drive was throwing around multiple layers, along with multiple sprites.
I loved my ST but the Mega Drive was a huge step up in gameplay and presentation.
Thanks for all your great work, SLX. You are now my go to authority on Sega consoles and games. I've been collecting games for my (PAL) Sega Mega Drive, Mega CD and Saturn for many years now, and your recommendations have always been bang on. :)
Finally convos about parallax scrolling. I didn’t what it was called back in the day but noticed it when I played back belt for SMS. And since then I would look for games that have it.
Shadow of the Beast was a chore to play but man it looked good. I was maybe a bit simpler and LOVED idle animations. Taz going ballistic, sonic getting impatient, Mickey balancing on the edge of a platform were details that showed me programers cared and were having a little fun.
Guys I played Bubsy bobcat 2 last night and it's like some waking nightmare of chiptune jazz and nonsensical art design.
10/10 must play