3D Polygon Games On 8/16-Bit Consoles

[Rogue Trooper]

Steel Talons on Lynx pulled in 90% at review in C+VG's GO! magazine with both Frank o'Connor and Paul Rand being very impressed by it.

I remember that review really well, I pretty much bought the game off the back of that.

What did you make of Frank O'Connors review in GO! of Lynx Hard Drivin (40% score awarded) he said with out the steering wheel+gear stick, it's a sad parody.Forget it.

I thought it was nonsense, I bought Hard Drivin' for the Lynx the week it came out and loved it. I thought they did an outstanding job with the conversion.

Yep it read like utter nonsense to myself as well, as by that logic, there was no point in converting:Afterburner, Space Harrier, Thunderblade, Outrun, Op.Wolf+Thunderbolt, Paperyboy, Gauntlet, 720 etc etc to home formats as they lacked arcade control devices or the set up etc.


What makes it even more ironic is you read the Game gear review of Out Run by Paul Rand and he says it feels nothing like Out run, yet scores it at 75%.

[Rogue Trooper]

Another early MD 3D game:

M-1 Abrams Battle tank.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTU9xcxWNMo

Music is sooo similar here and in MD Mega-Lo-mania as well.

[onthinice]

I never played this one. I did play a lot of SuperBattleTank on the Super Nintendo. This does look like a super game.

[Rogue Trooper]

THIS is what winds me up (still to this day with UK Jurno's at review) IF your going to slag a game off for lacking something (in this case steering wheel+gearstick, in other games lack of originality) then that 'rule' has to apply to all versions or games in that genre.

Mentioned Lynx Robotron loosing points as controls don't mimic arcade version and Lynx Hard Drivin getting slagged by C+VG reviewer for not having controls of arcade, so, looking at C+VG's review of Hard Drivin on ST.....


Graphics 90%
Sound 78%
Value 89%
Playability 93%

A stunning conversion. (Jaz Rignal reviewing).

[nakamura]

Did it not have any form of analogue control?

[Rogue Trooper]

Did it not have any form of analogue control?

ST Hard Drivin? Not sure to be honest, but the rant at Lynx version was that unless you had both a steering wheel and gear stick, a conversion was always going to be a mere shadow of the arcade original.So by that logic, they (C+VG) should have slagged off all conversions of Paperboy-No BMX handlebars, Thunderblade-No control yoke etc etc.Unless you put Hard Drivin onto soimething like the Konix, where the default set up had gear changer and could mould the device into a steering wheel for racing games, you'd be looking at buying add-on steering wheels for computer/console versions, if they were avaiable and thus you'd really need 2 ratings:1 for those with a default set up (i.e joystick+mouse) and another for those with add-ons.

[Rogue Trooper]

By the time Hard drivin hit the MD and was re-released on budget on the ST, reviewers were admitting it worked far better as a coin-op rather than home conversion, but this again makes a mockery of how they initally praised the Amiga/ST versions.

In the C+VG MD review, where they note it's basically an Amiga port, reviewer admits ' One game is all that's required to see all this game has to offer and after that all interest in the game vanishes'

The ST budget release review  in C+VG (69%) '....Gameplay is repetive after 10 mins play....2 tracks not enough for home play'


So, your basically talking of something that really worked best in the arcade where you had an enclosed cabinet, with realistic clutch+steering wheel adding to the 'feel' of the game, but there really was'nt that much of a game to be had, so rather than slagging Lynx version off on control scheme, i'd rather reviewer was more open+honest and said game needed serious enhancements in gameplay, to work on home formats.

See Hard Drivin 2 on ST+Amiga (80% each at review in C+VG) adressed these issues, offering 3 courses, 2-Player link up and a track editor.

[nakamura]

If you want me honest opinion, I think you spend far too much time talking about nobody writers from a bygone era. Who cares what scores games got over 20 years ago? I know I don't.

[Rogue Trooper]

If you want me honest opinion, I think you spend far too much time talking about nobody writers from a bygone era. Who cares what scores games got over 20 years ago? I know I don't.

Well, if you want my honest answers:

1)There are more people on here than just your goodself.
2)If you don't want to read my posts, just put me on ignore.
3)Been discussing:CD32, MD, Lynx and Jaguar review scores for WEEKS now on here with Laird and good few others, so why kick off now?, been magazine scans etc posted for weeks.
4)Point was brought up on here few days ago about challenging media-this is just a continuation of that.
5)we all know unless a score or reviewer quote suits your case, you'll not trust it anyway, so very surprised your even taking an interest in what i post.
and 6) Who's time is it? yours or mine?

[nakamura]

Just saying I would rather read your opinion or the ones of other forum members that's all. Rather than digging up something we really know nothing about. We don't know who reviewed what and the context of the reviews as it was so long ago.

[Rogue Trooper]

Just saying I would rather read your opinion or the ones of other forum members that's all. Rather than digging up something we really know nothing about. We don't know who reviewed what and the context of the reviews as it was so long ago.

The entire point of threads like:Did the Jaguar get unfair reviews? The Saturn thread etc has been to take a lot at how the media scored+commented on games and how it often seemed certain formats took flak, where as others escaped same flak, ergo, if your going to score say Lynx Rampage or Hard drivin down for a gameplay point of view, then other versions should be treated in same way.

We do 'know' when it comes to context in most of the cases, as we've the review scans, names of reviewers, reasons they knocked points off etc.we are giving our opinions in response to review scores given, think latest i gave was Blue Lightning on Lynx-i felt it perfectly suited the handheld, Laird not so much so, hope is to get discussion going on wether games mags have really changed all that much in past 20 years.

But no, your right, i'm wasting time, (killing time in fact, before i start 1st of my Night shifts) and despite ALL the posts i've put up on here, general public still view Saturn as rubbish at 3D, SNES far more powerful than MD, the N64 a failure, the PS2 gods gift to gaming and the NES dragged us out of the stone age of gaming.....

F-it.The internet wins.God bless all who sail in her....Now where's the Thatcher is dead thread? time for folks who were'nt even born when she left office to get posting on how glad they are she's dead!

[Rogue Trooper]

Also, i gotta say this:

Since some of these 'nobody'reviewers are now given regular columns in certain Retro publications or have gone onto work in the industry designing the games we now play or did a few years back, i'd wager they must still have some standing in the industry.

And certain irony that we're on a forum, talking about machines+Games that to the masses out there are from a bygone era and best left there.

Hope was to kickstart a few more posts on here, been very quiet over past few days, hoped a few thread bumps might inject a new spark or 2 of life into the place...

[nakamura]

Do you know that a lot of reviews were written by different people that were actually quoted in the mags? I know that some mags did that, even some of the larger ones.
Also yes some of the nobody reviews are still going, many are not however.

Also review scores have the least meaning of anything in the gaming industry, even more so today.

And if you talk about the knowledge of the general public, go check out the thread on RG where people still don't even know the difference between 50/60hz or things like RGB.

[Rogue Trooper]

RG forum is the last place on earth i want to check out.

[TL]

Interesting comparison video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1DFK0hw_s0