Let's Compare Arkanoid

[AmigaJay]

As I said, the issue for me was that is uses 2 screens, which I found awkward and very unnatural. That is nothing to do with what model of DS I have.

Yeah same for me, soon deleted it off...I mean *cough* sold it

[DreamcastRIP]

As I said, the issue for me was that is uses 2 screens, which I found awkward and very unnatural. That is nothing to do with what model of DS I have.

Given that the screen dimensions are dramatically different between DS Lite and DSi XL then I was wondering if that could be a factor in explaining for why you have problems with the game and I do not.

[tomwaits]

It's not a 'retro' console but Arkanoid Plus for Wiiware was a solid port. Remixed music, additional levels as DLC, time limit mode, side-by-side two player, and a few other minor additions.

[TrekMD]

I would have never guessed that Arkanoid was going to generate so much discussion.  Good! 

[Rogue Trooper]

It's not a 'retro' console but Arkanoid Plus for Wiiware was a solid port. Remixed music, additional levels as DLC, time limit mode, side-by-side two player, and a few other minor additions.

Does'nt matter mate, after all, what IS Arkanoid if not a then modern update of Breakout? so i welcome any updated versions since then.

[DreamcastRIP]

@ tomwaits: Cheers for having mentioned Arkanoid Plus for Wiiware as I'd not even heard of it until now! I'll have a look into it soon. Here's hoping one can use the analogue stick/s of the Classic Controller rather than them having made it motion controls-only.

[Rogue Trooper]

:-) Maybe someone could track down the A8 coder of Arkanoid and find out what he thinks of the game, now (he also did A8 Green Beret i believe) and Atari User Magazine reviews of them both, along with internet wisdom from a few sites that the A8 version is the most 'graphically Primitive' of the 8 Bit versions.I'd also like to know if game was squuezed in 48K so it'd fit on all A8 machines.

[Rogue Trooper]

Dug out the Atari User Magazine review of Arkanoid it scored:

Sound 4/10 Graphics 5/10, Playability 4/10 VFM 2/10 and Overall 4/10.

Reviewer (Richard Vanner) had played and loved the ST version and said '...i'm sorry to say the Atari 8 bit version is well below average' and closed review with ' The game lacks in graphics, the colours clash making the game at times impossible to see, there's no music and it seems to give out capsules by the dozen making each level too easy to complete'

He finished up say he expected a lot more could have been done with the A8 hardware, espically considering it was a Breakout game.


Cannot recal how easy game was, but i do recal level 2 was a really strain on the eyes due to colours used, so whilst his scores are harsh, i can see where he's coming from on a lot of the points he makes, going from the A8 version to the C64 i really appreciated the superb music and sfx, hence my thinking it was coded for a 48K Atari 8 bit and had it been 64K, we could have seen music as well.

Page 6 Magazine (who had good sense just to give opinion of games in reviews, did away with scores all told) loved the animation on the nasties, the very colourful playfield, said bat+ball were slightly dissapointing and it was a pity about the lack of music, but the few existing sounds were of reasonable quality.

[tomwaits]

@ tomwaits: Cheers for having mentioned Arkanoid Plus for Wiiware as I'd not even heard of it until now! I'll have a look into it soon. Here's hoping one can use the analogue stick/s of the Classic Controller rather than them having made it motion controls-only.

The Classic Controller/Pro's analog stick works fine. Also works with a horizontal wiimote. I don't think there's even an option for motion controls.

The DLC pack is the Arkanoid 2 levels... at least at the start.

[Havantgottaclue]

I hate the colours and the sound effects are just horrible to me. Just doesn't look or sound like Arkanoid IMO.

I'd maintain that certainly visually, the C64 is pretty close to the arcade - in fact, for me it resembles the arcade version far more than the A8 version. Here's the first level as an example:


C64

Arcade

A8

It does of course show the much criticised lack of vibrancy in the C64's colour palette, but the resemblance is at least clear. Oddly, there is an extra line of cyan bricks, but that's the only major difference. The colour selection for the A8 not only lacks authenticity, it is a strangely dowdy set of colours for a machine with so many colours to choose from. Later levels don't get any better - the green-themed levels in particular are an eyesore, IMHO.

[TL]

I never said the A8 version looked more like the arcade, just that I preferred it

But then I hate the look of most C64 games because of the awful colour palette it has.

[TL]

Two of the best Arkanoid clones out there are Impulse for the Falcon and Impluse X for the Jaguar:

Impulse by Duranik. Atari Falcon 030 game

Impulse X gameplay

[Rogue Trooper]

I never said the A8 version looked more like the arcade, just that I preferred it

But then I hate the look of most C64 games because of the awful colour palette it has.

C64 games often look very washed out 'thanks' to the muted colour palette, but then i think back to some of the bizzare colour choices made by A8 coders on things like Arkanoid, where level 2 alone was a nightmare, or Who Dares Wins II (trees are green, everything else is a shade of brown it seems) and i hope you'll be interviewing the people behind them so i can ask why in the name of god they picked the colours they did.

I'm tad confused now Laird, your post said C64 version did'nt look like Arkanoid, which i  took to meaning did'nt match or replicate the look of the arcade game, still now it's been made clearer.

[DreamcastRIP]

@ tomwaits: Cheers for having mentioned Arkanoid Plus for Wiiware as I'd not even heard of it until now! I'll have a look into it soon. Here's hoping one can use the analogue stick/s of the Classic Controller rather than them having made it motion controls-only.

The Classic Controller/Pro's analog stick works fine. Also works with a horizontal wiimote. I don't think there's even an option for motion controls.

The DLC pack is the Arkanoid 2 levels... at least at the start.

I just looked on WiiWare. 800 points seems a little steep so I'll think about it. There's no mention of the DLC so I'm guessing one only sees that in-game - like IAPs on iOS, for instance.

[Rogue Trooper]

Two of the best Arkanoid clones out there are Impulse for the Falcon and Impluse X for the Jaguar:

Impulse by Duranik. Atari Falcon 030 game

Impulse X gameplay

Love the look of Impulse X, plus great music, but think that creaky door opening..ballon pop sound fx would get on my tits, very quickly.LOL