Yuber::thread.fork(SIGDERAIL);

[Yuber]

Seiken Densetsu 2/SoM uses the high res mode? I looked it up and confirmed it and was kinda surprised, as I thought only SD3 used it and not SD2; nice to know and no wonder it looks so much better than most SNES games on my actual system. Kinda funny that it was originally planned for the SNES CD too. Only things I need are some new controllers because of all the days in the early 90s playing SF2(2 original Nintendo brand controllers from around 92 and one Ascii pad) so I hope I can find some in good condition. Although I enjoy it on 9x, I need to get Earthbound too along with an S-video adapter since the games look pixelated on even my old 720p TV and especially on my 1080p monitor; Thank God for HQ4x+bilinear filtering in emulators.

Does Chrono Trigger use the higher res mode(looked it up with no success)? Zeal still looks absolutely gorgeous even on a regular SNES and is one of my favorite games period. The Doctor L retranslation that improves on the Chrono compendium hack is the best version by far and perfects the game imo. Thankfully I haven't noticed any cracking in 9x with it and it's one of the few games that runs better in 9x due to the perfect sound emulation. The only flaws in ZSNES are some of the monster screams and attack sounds being slightly inaccurate/buggy. I just wish 9x had the high res mode 7 option because it makes games like Terranigma look even more beautiful.

The SNES along with the NeoGeo have aged really really well imo, especially late NG games like the 2 Last Blade games. Those fighters look like paintings in motion, as does Super Metroid, FF6, SD2(SoM) and 3 and especially Chrono Trigger. Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean were amazing technical achievements on the SNES too. Chrono Cross on PS1 gets a lot of shit but I find it to be a masterpiece with beautiful music and it's just a trippy mindfuck in a good way. As always this post is way too fucking long.

[Gil_Hamilton]

Seiken Densetsu 2/SoM uses the high res mode? I looked it up and confirmed it and was kinda surprised, as I thought only SD3 used it and not SD2; nice to know and no wonder it looks so much better than most SNES games on my actual system.

It only uses it in a very few places. The entire game does not run in high-res.

Does Chrono Trigger use the higher res mode(looked it up with no success)?

No.

The Doctor L retranslation that improves on the Chrono compendium hack is the best version by far and perfects the game imo.

WOOLSEY OR BUST!

[blackmyst]

Seiken Densetsu 2/SoM uses the high res mode? I looked it up and confirmed it and was kinda surprised, as I thought only SD3 used it and not SD2; nice to know and no wonder it looks so much better than most SNES games on my actual system.

It only uses it in a very few places. The entire game does not run in high-res

IIRC, just the save select screen actually. Same with SD2, just some menu screens.

To be very honest, Secret of Mana always looked kinda crummy to me, even as a kid. Some of the foresty areas looked alright, especially when they used the transparent overlay shadows, but the art overall just wasn't all that great, mostly in the indoor areas. I might have been spoiled by CT or FF6 or Terranigma or Illusion of Time. That paired with the fact that the combat had, let's be honest, worthless collision detection and a weird, floaty, laggy feel (especially after being used to Terranigma's near perfection in that regard), and the music that tended to cut out when you did something like swing your sword, and the game never left a very good impression on me. The only reason I like it now is because of nostalgia really. It was only with SD3 that I felt the production for that series really matured.

On a related note, that graphical update of SoM they released recently, did that ever come out on an actual game system? Or is that going to be stuck on a phone forever?

[joe_devore]

any one still tinkering with zsnes?

Most likely they tinker in their spare time, whatever much of it they have anymore.

What is the url for the ZSNES svn repository these days?
My old Local copy (whats was last (v1.52)(audio Broken) is still pointing to bounty source (yeah loi it hasn't seen internet in a long time...).

Non-existant. It's closed off to the public due to many bugs.

Ohh good thing I still have an older backup of v1.51 source.... as the last time I was able to get em it was v1.52 (broken)

oh on that note FuSoYa's released an update to the v1.51 of ZSNES and SNES9X on his site fixes some 8MB ROM issue go check it out..
http://fusoya.eludevisibility.org/
ZSNES 8MB Custom Build
Snes9x 8MB Custom Build

[grinvader]

IIRC, just the save select screen actually.

SD3 uses hires in every in-battle message box, and its main menu bg.

[Yuber]

I found out that I can run ZSNES in full screen using the lower resolutions(640x480 with hq 2x), including the Fusoya build, and thanks for posting that. Once I replace this shitty graphics card I'll hopefully be able to run ZSNES in any res again. Any emu that gives me the option of using DX9 works flawlessly with the best visual & sound enhancements(9x included, sound problems are universal afaik), so maybe my ZSNES and a couple other emu problems are a combo of Windows 8 and my shit gfx card. I really need to work on becoming more tech savvy since I'm considering buying a new computer since this is a budget PC. Hopefully a new gfx card alone will help, and it already runs around 95% of what I play perfectly and runs epsxe MUCH faster than my old PC with OpenGL.

Off topic, but there's a hack of the Japanese Symphony of the Night(Akumajou Dracula X - Gekka no Yasoukyoku) that translates the entire game, and I'm really fucking surprised how awesome the Japanese voice acting is compared to the hilarious shit we got in the US. They got fucking Norio Wakamoto Dracula who sounds bad ass and we got some hilarious douche out of central casting. Easy to find and makes an already fantastic game that much greater. It crashes a LOT in PSXfin, my main emu for 2d PS1 games so epsxe is recommended.

EDIT2: I suppose SoM is more about aesthetic taste than anything technically impressive about the game. I was in grade school when I first played it and I really loved the colorful, anime-like graphics and the big sprites(especially bosses) look pretty good too. I may be wrong, but in 9x when I play SD3 with high-res mode enabled, the entire game looks better, not just the title screen and battle menus. All of the in-game graphics look crisper and cleaner with less pixelation, so it may just be the emulator. I've only played it through emulation so I have no idea what it looks like on a genuine system, and it's one of those games that really needs a remake for modern hardware. I think it tops SD2.

[Gil_Hamilton]

Off topic, but there's a hack of the Japanese Symphony of the Night(Akumajou Dracula X - Gekka no Yasoukyoku) that translates the entire game, and I'm really fucking surprised how awesome the Japanese voice acting is compared to the hilarious shit we got in the US. They got fucking Norio Wakamoto Dracula who sounds bad ass and we got some hilarious douche out of central casting.

Oh, come ON. The only problem with the US SotN dub was Richter.
ESPECIALLY given the english voice-acting requirement was sprung on Konami at the last minute.

My understanding is Konami was told the game did not need to be redubbed, and SCEA sprang a redub requirement on them at the last round of the approval process, necessitating a one-weekend recording session.

So give them credit for casting and recording a credible performance under incredible time constraints, don't give them shit because Richter overacts and you miss Wakamoto.


Edit: Also, the japanese title is Akumajo Dracula X2. It's a sequel to Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood on the PCEngine SuperCD. The save icons represent this, with one being a classic Konami film frame with X² in it.

[blackmyst]

IIRC, just the save select screen actually.

SD3 uses hires in every in-battle message box, and its main menu bg.

Gah I meant to type SD3 where I typed SD2. I know SD3 uses it in more menus, also I forgot about the text boxes.

EDIT2: I suppose SoM is more about aesthetic taste than anything technically impressive about the game. I was in grade school when I first played it and I really loved the colorful, anime-like graphics and the big sprites(especially bosses) look pretty good too.

I'm speaking purely aesthetically, too. Technically it's actually pretty alright, like the shadow/mist overlays, the big sprites and well executed mode 7. But even when I was in grade school I just felt there was something "off" about the art itself. A color palette with hues that just didn't work together, characters that seemed to teeter strangely off-balance, certain environments that just seemed thrown together, plain bad pixel art on certain elements, random incoherent designs, and just lots of other stuff like that.

Compare how SoM and SD3 handle a similar stone temple kind of place, for example:
http://v016o.popscreen.com/eGtkZmVuMTI= ... -glace.jpg
http://ipod-info.zxq.net/Images/secret-of%20mana.jpg

Again I was probably just spoiled by CT and the like, but eh.

I may be wrong, but in 9x when I play SD3 with high-res mode enabled, the entire game looks better, not just the title screen and battle menus. All of the in-game graphics look crisper and cleaner with less pixelation, so it may just be the emulator. I've only played it through emulation so I have no idea what it looks like on a genuine system, and it's one of those games that really needs a remake for modern hardware. I think it tops SD2.

This is just in your head, I'm afraid.

[Yuber]

I just retested SD3 in 9x and you're right; maybe I accidentally set it to hq3x when I didn't have HRES support on and bumped it to hq4x with it on or something. The whites in SD2 are a little off in the palaces, but the outdoor graphics still look pretty good to me, although it's nothing compared to SD3 and to be fair, SD3 was a later more technically impressive SNES game with absolutely gorgeous visuals. It's unfair to compare anything to CT since it's one of the most aesthetically pleasing games ever in my opinion, although other SNES games are more impressive on a purely technical level. CT(especially the Doctor L retrans) is my favorite RPG of all time so I'm biased towards it. CT is the #1 game that I want a true remake of, and I REALLY want a direct sequel although I did love Cross too. CT beats FF in every way imo, and I love FF4, 6, 7, and 9 so I'm no hater of the FF series although I think 13 sucks.

Also Gil, I'm a big fan of Wakamoto's voice acting and I can't think of an English anime or game actor that tops the dude's awesome villain-like voice, especially his voicing of Anderson from Hellsing Ultimate. I didn't know about all the time constraints with the voice acting since I didn't play or pay much attntion to SOTN until around 99 and just started to replay it a few weeks ago; interesting to know though. I just find the English voices as a whole hilarious, but the Japanese VAs sound really experienced, and while I don't know the name of Alucard's VA, I definitely recognize the voice from various anime shows. I was just shocked at how much better it sounded when I first played the hack.

Also, the first Dracula X(Rondo) is a really badass classic CV game and I wish it would've been ported to the Sega-CD or something in the US. It plays more like CV3 and I love how Maria as a cute little kid just kicks Richter's ass in every way other than taking more damage. I'm no CV enthusiast but I prefer Rondo over the SNES CV4/remake of 1, but I do wish Richter had all the different whip techniques. Looks damn good for a PC-Engine game too.

edits: spelling

[Gil_Hamilton]

Also, the first Dracula X(Rondo) is a really badass classic CV game and I wish it would've been ported to the Sega-CD or something in the US.

Eh, technically, the first Castlevania X game DID get a port to another contemporary platform.
Given how the SNES game turned out, I don't have hopes that a SegaCD version would've fared any better.

At least we finally got a tots legit US release with the PSP remake(which also contains the SuperCD game, as well as a not-very-good port of Symphony of the Night)?

[Yuber]

I've only watched youtube videos of the PSP remake and it does look pretty decent, but I've been playing the original on Magic Engine for years. When I mentioned a SCD port, I was thinking Konami should've released an exact replica of the PC-Engine version on the SCD instead of(or do both) the butchered SNES remake. Although the Sega CD failed, it was more popular than the US Turbo DUO. I'm pretty much just speculating and considering SCD sales it probably would've been a loss, but it would've been cool for the full version to be officially playable in the US in the 90s.

[Gil_Hamilton]

I've only watched youtube videos of the PSP remake and it does look pretty decent, but I've been playing the original on Magic Engine for years. When I mentioned a SCD port, I was thinking Konami should've released an exact replica of the PC-Engine version on the SCD instead of(or do both) the butchered SNES remake. Although the Sega CD failed, it was more popular than the US Turbo DUO. I'm pretty much just speculating and considering SCD sales it probably would've been a loss, but it would've been cool for the full version to be officially playable in the US in the 90s.

SCD capabilities are different than TurboCD capabilities, though. Direct ports were rare in those days because different hardware did different things well and what worked great on one system was a nightmare to do on another.

I know right off that the graphics would've had to be redone. Genesis color is far more restrictive than TurboGrafX color.
Sound is fundamentally different, though at least SegaCD has PCM channels, and music is coming through CD-DA either way, albeit in a somewhat non-RedBook playback style.

And it goes without saying that the actual executable code would have to be written from scratch. Fundamentally different processors.
Gameplay could probably be reimplemented close to the original. But also probably wouldn't be, just because if you have to expend the effort to make a new game either way you may as well make a NEW game.


You'll also find a lot of japanese companies didn't put their biggest and best games on the Genesis. It bombed horribly in Japan, after all.
On the other hand, they also felt free to experiment with them a bit more when they did. Castlevania: Bloodlines didn't even HAVE a Belmont in it, and took place in the far-flung future of World War 1, which was a big deal.



And I never said I hadn't played the original before the PSPort.
Just that the original is available in english legally as a bonus feature on the PSP remake(and in fact, it's the part of the remake that I got the most use out of).

[Yuber]

I can't really argue with you there dude; I was simply speculating about how nice it would've been to have this game in the 90s in the Americas & Europe. I'm not a BIG shmpup fan since I'm absolutely terrible at them, but they're often really cool games and the PC-Engine had a fuck ton of them. I suppose the only way for the US to have hypothetically gotten Rondo was if the TG16/Turbo DUO was more popular outside of Japan. The Supergrafx(sp?) version of Daimakaimura/Ghouls n' Ghosts is really well done other than the sound & some color problems, but it's MUCH closer to the arcade than the Genesis port. Considering it was released iin 89 the Ghouls port is damn impressive; it has some flickering but not a whole lot of slowdown like the remade SNES Ghouls.

I love how Magic Engine plays SGX games no problem. That's actually the hardest version of Ghouls since you have VERY limited continues. I can beat the Genesis and World arcade version consistently, but I die a lot especially on the maggot boss and the boss rush before beelzebub so I probably couldn't beat the Supergrafx Ghouls. I'm having enough trouble changing my play style in Super GNG; ZSNES runs a little faster than a real SNES(not as much slowdown, still lots though) so it's the best emulator to play on. I think Capcom tried to push the SNES a little too far in the early years of its release, but SGNG does look and sound amazing for its time.

[yShawn]

Zsnes needs alot more advertising that it has an online community.
I have been using Zsnes forever, and never knew it was online, or even had forums or anything like a community.
Too bad the population is shot.

[odditude]

there's a link to the board on the homepage - just like with pretty much every other emulator. what else are you expecting?

[yShawn]

there's a link to the board on the homepage - just like with pretty much every other emulator. what else are you expecting?

I did not download the emulator from the official website though. So..
Snes would be the fucking shit if it had more people playing online.
Its so hard to find games. Im using the ZNet I or whatever.

[nintendo_nerd]

Zsnes needs alot more advertising that it has an online community.
I have been using Zsnes forever, and never knew it was online, or even had forums or anything like a community.
Too bad the population is shot.

Let's just say people move on to bigger and better things (in this case, other Snes emulators).

[Gil_Hamilton]

Zsnes needs alot more advertising that it has an online community.
I have been using Zsnes forever, and never knew it was online, or even had forums or anything like a community.
Too bad the population is shot.

Let's just say people move on to bigger and better things (in this case, other Snes emulators).

Some of them generate three pages of "should I do it" discussion before they move on.

[yShawn]

Zsnes needs alot more advertising that it has an online community.
I have been using Zsnes forever, and never knew it was online, or even had forums or anything like a community.
Too bad the population is shot.

Let's just say people move on to bigger and better things (in this case, other Snes emulators).

That are online? Like what. -_-

[Gil_Hamilton]

You're not supposed to play SNES games with friends. You're supposed to play them alone in your bedroom because all your friends got a Genesis and you got blackballed for having the wrong system, then cry yourself to sleep afterwards.

[grinvader]

alone in your bedroom because all your friends got a Genesis and you got blackballed

what friends ?

[Gil_Hamilton]

alone in your bedroom because all your friends got a Genesis and you got blackballed

what friends ?

Well, they sure weren't your friends after you got the WRONG SYSTEM during the 16-bit war. No quicker way to end a friendship.

[Johan_H]

what if all you had was a gameboy and literally ALL of your snes playing experience was with friends

what then

[Agozer]

what if all you had was a gameboy and literally ALL of your snes playing experience was with friends

what then

Yeah, but you know... that was one guy playing and the other one watched and played the backseat driver.

[Gil_Hamilton]

what if all you had was a gameboy and literally ALL of your snes playing experience was with friends

what then

You didn't get a Game Gear? What the fuck is WRONG with you? Get out!