Arkanoid & Athena retrospective: Big boxes, big pain | NES Works

Two direct arcade ports hit the NES here, and boy golly are these things not necessarily created equal. About the only thing they have in common is that they're both incredibly difficult to complete. But Athena is a hot mess of a conversion, as is the Micronics way, while Arkanoid is a pretty spectacular adaptation. Of course, to be fair, Arkanoid has an advantage here: It came with its own pack-in controller, designed exclusive for use with this one game. But even without the Vaus paddle, it's still a far sight more fun than Athena. Which isn't to say Athena was necessarily a barebones package; in Japan, it came with a special bonus pack-in that Americans were denied...
If you'd like to hear the full cassette tape, I've ripped the audio into a separate video upload: • Athena: The Famicom ta...

[@marbyyy7810]

This channel is criminally underrated

[@GrecoCalabrese]

Indeed

[@ChatWithAsh]

💯

[@umageddon]

Marcy’s Galaxy i personally prefer small communities like these..

[@stoozdee]

umageddon yeah, but Jeremy - who’s channel this is - would benefit from a larger one.

[@pheenmachine]

I love it. The 90s public access TV aesthetic is so great. Makes me want to watch it on a CRT

[@badwrongfun5541]

Athena’s name is magic, mystery is what you see. Her crystal is the answer, fighting fair, to keep us free. She’s just a little girl with power inside, burning bright. You’d better hide if you are bad, she’ll get you! She’ll read your mind and find if you believe in right or wrong… Fire! Fire! Psycho Soldier!

[@JeremyParish]

The original Elf on the Shelf

[@s3np411]

I love how the english version sounds like some guy called his niece.

[@Davethe3rd]

@@s3np411 It's not that much better in Smash Ultimate...

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

@Tashiro Sato CULTURE

[@IceDelight]

I've spent a lot of time with The King of Fighters series over the years, the Psycho Soldier song has been covered and remixed many times. This is the first time I've heard the original though. Thanks.

[@pheenmachine]

I would have been unreasonably uset if he didn't play it lol. I absolutely loved the KOF 96 AST and even though I was more into the rock tracks and Arashi No Saxophone 2, I never skipped the Psycho Soldier theme.

[@joshualewis3780]

If I were you, I wouldn't let go of that Famicom package for Athena. Less for the monetary value, and far more for the quirkiness of the thing. It's wonderful.

[@JeremyParish]

Oh, heck yeah. I've coveted this weird set for ages. It's part of the permanent collection now.

[@QuestionBlockGaming]

What a way to preserve that cassette tape at the end, i love it!

[@QuestionBlockGaming]

I absolutely did! But he uploaded it just after I published the comment! It's kind of incredible, really. This tape is something else.

[@QuestionBlockGaming]

@@yesticles Hey thanks! I really appreciate that!

[@QuestionBlockGaming]

@@yesticles You're right! I definitely do appreciate the kind words. I've got a bunch of stuff lined up, I've just had some serious motivation issues for getting it out, life sort of gets in the way. But, maybe I should spend some time finishing things up. There's clearly an audience for it =)

[@Fryguy64]

Never noticed before, but those little blobs in Athena show up in Crystalis. Thanks for sharing that tape. I love those cheesy Psycho Soldier jams.

[@ActionGamerAaron]

I noticed this as soon as I saw them in this video. Never played Athena, but Crystalis is great.

[@MrERLoner]

So does Athena although named "Atena" in game. Kensou does too with a different spelling

[@7thangelad586]

I love the different pathway aspect: 1) grudgingly play 2) don’t

[@JeremyParish]

"A curious game. The only winning move is not to play."

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

How about a nice game of Chess?

[@ActionGamerAaron]

Dude, you speak so well that the auto-generated English text for captioning actually works very accurately.

[@ActionGamerAaron]

I was shocked to see it was auto-generated, I was watching it assuming you did it manually!

[@JeremyParish]

One of the few benefits to having a socially awkward type-A personality I guess

[@EvanCWaters]

I just now noticed the NES Athena box has "From the Makers of Ikari Warriors" proudly stamped on it. We can't say they didn't warn us.

[@jessragan6714]

Like Weird Al used to say, "It's hard to argle bargle vaus, with all these marbles in my mouth." My understanding is that the Athena Asamiya character is supposed to be a resurrection of Athena, the goddess from SNK's earlier game. But it's probably a mistake to invest too much thought in the continuity of a crossover game like King of Fighters. The plots of all those older games pretty much went out the window when they made this.

[@BainesMkII]

In a 1993 interview, when asked what happened to Athena, a backstory was presented that Athena Asamiya was a descendant of the original Athena. (With the female descendants having psychic powers.) But it also read like that backstory was created on the spot.

[@WarioMCP]

I feel like it’s been forever since an NES Works episode and I find myself missing the old Evangelion episode preview. Great episode

[@DownChucked]

What's the name of the specific song?

[@EmmBee27]

@@DownChucked I'm not sure of the exact name, but it's the next episode preview music from Evangelion.

[@fazares]

@@DownChucked jikai yokoku

[@shadowpresident4203]

7:50 That is some godlike Arkanoid'ing right there! I always played the computer versions of Arkanoid as a misguided youth, which meant using a joystick. I rented the NES version once and was blown away by how much better the control felt with the control pad, compared to the joystick or keyboard input on the Commodore 64, Apple ][GS, Tandy CoCo 3, and Atari ST versions. There was a version for essentially every platform, now that I think about it. Back in the day you'd have a group of friends and family who would have all different incompatible computer standards. In fact, I'd say that home microcomputer users were America's most oppressed minority group during the 8-bit and 16-bit home computer era.

[@willmitchell8500]

Twitch streamer TheMexicanRunner beat this and Ikari Warriors live during his NESMania streams, beating all the NES releases without save state or cheats. Totally insane to watch him mash through them.

[@JeremyParish]

He's the guy who beat every single NES game, right? Absolute madman.

[@willmitchell8500]

@@JeremyParish Yup! I actually JUST edited my message prior to your response. Totally bonkers for sure.

[@tcbvgames]

Bases Loaded may have been the most painful one for him to trudge through. He forced himself to win 80 games for that!

[@robbyrobot3303]

Someone else just did Arkanoid live at AGDQ, amazing run

[@OmegaDez]

Man the Psycho Soldiers song was always SO catchy.

[@CactusJack]

I am glad we got that treat of the song on the cassette

[@jasongarrett768]

That cover really was cruel for any kids on a Greek mythology kick. I really expected something closer to Battle For Olympus. It’s still one of those rare cases where I prefer the US cover over the original though. The English version of the Psycho Soldier theme has an even stronger “recorded in a supply closet” ambience. Thank you, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Yeah, the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is great.

[@subtlewookiee]

As someone who has recently binged all your NES & SNES content these new videos make me unreasonably excited.

[@danieluranga6872]

Don't forget his GB and VB series. Just be prepared for a LOT of boring matching games.

[@LordChozo]

Thanks for that Psycho Soldier full song play at the end! Never heard it before, but it's a really solid tune. Lyrics aside, it feels of a kin to the 80s era James Bond title tracks like The Living Daylights or A View to a Kill, and in my book that's not a bad thing.

[@JeremyParish]

There's a full rip/upload of the entire Psycho Soldier cassette elsewhere on this channel, if you're interested.

[@LordChozo]

@@JeremyParish I noticed that right afterward! You're truly a man for all seasons.

[@nimaiiikun]

I noticed some of the enemies in Athena also appear in Crystalis like the slimes. Crystalis also has Athena in the game too (although the US translation referred her as Asina)

[@JeremyParish]

Yeah, and Kensou from Psycho Soldier! And the top equipment in the game is the Psycho gear. Lots of fan service there.

[@FallicIdol]

If Crystalis had been allowed to continue on and develop, I imagine it would be similar to the modern Ys games at this point, but with a more sci-fi setting.

[@MAYOFORCE]

Whenever you're talking in your videos you don't give the impression that you're a turbo weeb, but every now and then something comes up that reminds me of what your true power level is

[@JeremyParish]

I'm curious to know what specifically elicited this comment

[@MAYOFORCE]

​@@JeremyParish Sharing the audio from the casette. That and you just in general have huge extensive knowledge of Japanese culture and media around that time period.

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

Psycho Soldier is not a particularly good game, but it BLEW MY MIND when I first played it in the arcade and it had an actual, voiced song that played during the first stage. I seem to recall that the instruction booklet for Athena teased an NES release of Psycho Soldier, which I don't believe ever materialized.

[@FLCL75]

I think there was 'Psychic World' for the Master System, i saw it in Australia.

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

@@FLCL75 Yes, that is a different game but a good one that I think originated on the MSX. Definitely worth playing.

[@MrJWTH]

Assuming the version of Lode Runner is the one from Hudson there is an interesting fact about it. When the NES version of Bomberman was created (it was originally a PC series) they used the enemy design they created for their version of Lode Runner as the basis for Bombermans’ design. A design that have been maintained with one horrifying exception.

[@JeremyParish]

Yep, I've already written the next script and that strange connection definitely gets a mention.

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

Oh god, I still have that crappy Bomberman game for the Xbox 360 sitting in a box somewhere. I only played it once and I'll never play it again.

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

Thanks for that Psycho Soldier theme from the cassette. I don't like it at all, but that makes it more worth saving.

[@alexandernichols413]

Athena nearly gave me an aneurysm from shear frustration and rage.

[@Mansini77]

Great way to start the day, my coffee ebowlacereal, a new NES works. Thanks man

[@SkunkStarlight]

Ebola cereal? "Kid tested, CDC approved."

[@Mansini77]

Skunk Starlight lol

[@AltimaNEO]

Man I love those 80s Japanese pop songs. Thanks for sharing that!

[@argylega]

I played Arkanoid on the PC back in the day, and the mouse made a decent replacement for the paddle controller. I've loved this series ever since, and I really wish we would get a nice update to it along the lines of Tetris Effect.

[@Doritomurderer]

Oh my God the cassette.

[@FiftyfourhundredWatt]

When I was about 8 years old my best friend Rick had been the first person I knew that had an NES. His parents got him Arkanoid with the controller. I bet that combo is worth a ton now....

[@tiago9819]

Athena was THICC back then.

[@JeremyParish]

Yeah... sometime a little after this was when cartoon characters stopped being chunky and actual humans stopped being thin.

[@akeminakajima449]

I miss when girls actually had curves seems like most girls are too skinny now

[@absolutezeronow7928]

Glad to see a new episode of NES works. Loved Arkanoid, very fun update to Breakout genre. Looking forward to Lode Runner & Deadly Towers next episode. Also thanks for including the Psycho Soldier cassette music at the end

[@smoothness69]

Thank you so much for posting the song. I love Japanese from that time period.

[@Skeletroy]

That song at the end is pretty catchy.

[@Arcadiality]

I will always love arkanoid and never tire of a quick play. Always played it on the home systems and (I'm 99% sure) never even seen it in the arcades, back in the day. I adore that Psycho Soldier track too...... I've heard it a few times before but cannot place where. Thanks for your efforts on the upload.

[@JeremyParish]

I encounter Arkanoid arcade cabinets at most of the retro conventions I attend. It is a game that chews me up and spits me out. No mercy.

[@METR0lD]

I only played the arcade version of Arkanoid back in the day. And I absolutely loved it.

[@Ebeeto]

That Psycho Soldier cassette is banging.

[@silentfanatic]

I was a psycho soldier in the Athena army.

[@SkunkStarlight]

Thanks for sharing the music at the end, that was nice. :) I recently picked up SNK 40th Anniversary Collection for Switch, and I've been having a blast. I hadn't played a lot of SNK's old work, so much of it is new to me. As for Arkanoid, I do love my paddle games. About a decade ago I was tempted to import Arkanoid DS, though I never did. You can play them with a mouse, an analog stick, a touch screen, or even digital controls, but I've never found them to be even remotely as fun with anything but a paddle.

[@SkunkStarlight]

@@CecilMcW00t Yes, I'd heard good things about the paddle. The only reason I didn't end up getting it was because it just wasn't in the budget. Hopefully they end up doing something like that again in the future, perhaps with the Nintendo Switch.

[@orichumo]

that good old japanese pop music at the end

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

It was a nice extra!

[@dezm101]

thats a pretty good rendition of the psycho soldier theme

[@jaketaur]

I think you can play Athena in the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection if any of you are interested.

[@JeremyParish]

With save states and rewind, which makes it vaguely tolerable

[@jasonblalock4429]

Yep, it includes both the arcade version and the NES version *and* it has both the Japanese and American versions of the arcade ROM, so you can enjoy both poorly-compressed versions of the theme song. (It was re-recorded in English for the western version.) Seriously, SNK 40th Anniversary is an AWESOME package and well worth it for anyone who's interested in the evolution of 80s gaming. The best part besides the absolute gobs of content is that it includes full *in emulator* recorded playthroughs of every game, which you can jump into at any point. That's an amazing feature, and I wish every emulated game collection would include it.

[@damian6631]

Athena was my first NES game. Yeah. I would play things like Rygar, Zelda, and Goonies2 at my buddies house but when I got the chance to choose my own cart: I wanted to be unique. I was taken in by the promise of Greek mythology and the classy box art. As a kid, I didn't undertstand that a game could be bad. I thought Athena's bizarre issues were MY FAULT and that I just needed to try harder.

[@ValkyrieTiara]

I think we all had a game like that. A game that just was not very good but we couldn't wrap our heads around the possibility, so we kept going back to it to try again. Mine was Back to the Future lol

[@MarginalSC]

Oh no. It took over a year to get that out of my head after beating Psycho Soldier. Now it's back. Alas.

[@DisrespectfulRob]

Arkanoid is one of the biggest regrets getting rid of when I sold all my NES stuff to get a Genesis. Man I wish I still had that game and controller.

[@EskeAndersen]

I had both of these games for the C64. Yes, Athena does suck, and yes, Arkanoid is excellen for that system too.

[@MissAshley42]

I wish Athena was a better game. Outfitting her with weapons and armor on the fly is pretty cool.

[@darktetsuya]

Indeed there's a reason I never play the NES version of Athena on the SNK 40th anniversary collection... even with savestates I doubt I would have the patience for it! I do play a fair amount of Psycho Soldier though... so I can appreciate the crystal-clear rip of the theme song! and yeah I guess Arkanoid is fun too. :P

[@littleterr0r]

I'm still wondering if this copy of the Japanese Athena is the one that I had been watching on eBay. If so, I'm glad you got it because you put it to far better use than I would have.

[@littleterr0r]

Also, this song still slaps in 2019.

[@a.calder8217]

I feel that Athena's inspirations were both popular sword-and-sorcery chainmail bikini anime such as Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko, which came out on video a year before the game's release as well as Masami Kuramada's Saint Seiya, which focused on warriors protecting a purple-haired girl that was the reincarnation of Athena.

[@russianbot8576]

i will say one thing: this vid makes me want a paddle controller for emulation purposes to play arkanoid/breakout now. it's been since i had a win95 that i played a breakout game, damn.

[@lnlonelyness6021]

they're quite expensive tbh (and probably rare depending on where u live) but if u want the full and real experience of playing Arkanoid yeah buying the Arkanoid Paddle is pretty neat

[@NJRoadfan]

I was never able to play Arkanoid with the controller....heck most people haven't. I much prefer the Apple IIgs port anyway. You can play that one with a mouse or trackball!

[@sneakyskunk1]

Okay, after watching the video I was wondering what was on that pink cassette he mentioned......AND THEN HE TOTALLY PLAYED THE AUDIO THAT WAS ON THE CASSETTE! At this point I am convinced this fellow is intent on spoiling his audience.

[@TeruteruBozusama]

First heard about Athena from Vinny from Vinesauce who apparently loved the game as a kid, and found it to his surprise in many worst lists when he grew up..!

[@shadowpresident4203]

In King of Fighters '95, one team I liked creating would be an all-female lineup featuring Athena, as well as Yuri Sakazaki from Art of Fighting. It probably goes without saying, that the team was rounded out (ahem) by Mai Shurinai. There were probably more individual 2-D animation frames for Mai's 'jiggling' and breathing character sprite and walk cycle, than used for all of the punches and kicks in the game put together. But I digress, where was I... Ah yes! Athena, as it turns out is from another SNK game and not just a character they introduced in the KOF series... WHO KNEW! Where the hell is the SNK fighting game that lets you play as the hero from Crystalis tho?

[@buffalotomholt]

Seems like Athena was so close to being amazing. A few fixes like reducing item drops, improved jump mechanics, and incorporating iFrames could perfect that lil gem. Like, think of the jump from Metroid to Super Metroid, and then what that same level of improvement could have meant for Athena

[@LilJeezyLoC]

Really love watching your content I wish you had more investments so you can produce episodes faster.. amazing content friend

[@Tubewings]

I believe Athena is wearing a gown at the start of the game, not a school uniform. Regardless, I wasn't disappointed by this episode. As for the next episode--I'm predicting an ex-bomberman will be spending some cheap-a** h**s.

[@mymangodfrey]

I got Arkanoid for Christmas and loved it-and then the special controller stopped working a month after I got the game, rendering the game basically useless. Early memory of getting burned!

[@angelarle7377]

Not gonna lie, even though I know there are worse NES games, Athena is still my least favorite one of the NES games i've played.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Yeah. As a kid, I had a special loathing for Athena. It was one of the first times I genuinely noticed *bad* design.

[@SEGAClownboss]

3:52 6:24 Body positivity Athena

[@RetroAdvisoryBoard]

1987 on the NES is a Who's Who of video game greats. Athena deserves a proper remake, a better game is in there.

[@JeremyParish]

I agree with all parts of this.

[@babystacks]

THIS SONG FUCKING SLAPS

[@feitclub]

DId the Vaus controller support any other games, or was it unique to Arkanoid? I know I used one, but I cannot recall answering this question through experimentation.

[@JeremyParish]

So far as I'm aware, only Arkanoid.

[@flemishdog]

In Japan,Taito Chase HQ had options to use the Vaus. And Arkanoid II also used it (but that ALSO came with its own, differently coloured Vaus)

[@KuraIthys]

That arkanoid controller reminds me how difficult to play bit.trip beat on anything other than the wii. That game's tilt controls have the exact same characteristics as this paddle does. Hold the controller level and your paddle is in the centre of the screen. Tilt it way up, and it hits the top of the screen, way down and hit the bottom... Or inbetween to get anything else. The directness and those definitive stops made it very responsive, yet none of the other versions had either quality. The PC version uses a mouse, and it sucks for quick, precise responses. Technically I guess the android port also has tilt controls, but that turns out to be undermined by the fact that tilting a phone also tilts the screen you're playing on. In the end, controls do matter to the playability of a game...

[@charlieg6913]

Yeah forget Arkanoid with the standard controller. The d-pad can only give you a fixed speed while the Vaus controller has an actual potentiometer inside that allows for varying speeds and rewards fast reflexes. Pity player-2.

[@jamesmoss3424]

I play arkanoid at the arcade it's very good and I will play the nes version. 😀👍🎮

[@PastoKage]

FAYA! FAYA!!! PSAICO SORUDIAAA!!!

[@captainnintendo]

I was thinking of getting Arkanoid in box years back but now it's gotten so expensive

[@michaelsegal3558]

Arkanoid has a pause button just press start on the controller and it will pause at least on the NES version

[@JeremyParish]

The Vaus controller doesn't have a start button.

[@michaelsegal3558]

I see maybe it’s like using the light gun where you you plug the gun into control port 1 and a regular controller into control port 2 for pausing so perhaps if you plug the Vause controller into control port 1 and a regular controller into control port 2 perhaps you can pause it that way I have the Arkanoid game but not the Vause controller because I didn’t get the game new but I always wanted a Vause controller

[@michaelsegal3558]

I have Arkanoid but I’m still looking for the special Arkanoid controller

[@ACrownofFlowers]

What is the piece of music that plays right before the video ends?

[@JeremyParish]

It's from the tape cassette. Check the link in the description for more.

[@jasongarrett768]

The theme song for Psycho Soldier. The arcade cabinets had Japanese or English lyrics depending on the location and that really is the maximum sound quality. It also contains more actual cheese than a stick of Velveeta, but in a charming way.

[@ACrownofFlowers]

@@JeremyParish Thanks.

[@ACrownofFlowers]

@@jasongarrett768 Yeah, which is honestly why I've heard it in his other videos, but in this particular case I decided to just skip the entire cassette portion because of the cheese LOL.

[@ActionGamerAaron]

@@jasongarrett768 That's not a hard accomplishment... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velveeta#Classification_as_a_cheese_product

[@Skawo]

I've always wondered if anyone has actually beat the NES Arkanoid legit

[@Skawo]

It is. And, yeah, I'd say that is still legit.

[@davidgusquiloor2665]

Athena is unfair sometimes, i wouldn't mind something closer to Castlevania considering how that game didn't have me yelling bullshit most of the time.

[@silpheedTandy]

i've always felt sad for the cute, benign, timid little "enemies" that wander around the playing area in Arkenoid. it feels like they are prisoners, cruelly thrown through the doors just for the sake of the viewer's sadistic entertainment to see them get blasted by the ball, or sucked into the gravity that the paddle produces. poor little aliens :(

[@JeremyParish]

I'm sure they were "just following orders." They deserved what they got.

[@neojeets]

i absoultely hated Athena on NES as a kid because of its difficulty. Its actually kind of fun and challenging playing it years later, but yeah, its a mess of a game.

[@michaelsegal3558]

The western version of Arkanoid has 3 rounds the Japanese version doesn’t have

[@nidoqueenadvance6798]

Could Athena be considered one of the first examples of a developer using cheesecake to try to sell a terrible game?

[@JeremyParish]

That's been with the medium since the beginning. Some of those early arcade flyers are really something. Like "don't show your mom" something.

[@ArtersArcade]

I remember being so pumped seeing Athena at a KB, and judging it by the box art work and Greek mythology references. Probably the most disappointing game I ever purchased

[@NEStalgia1985]

Is Athena NES unplayu

[@kabutops87]

Never played Athena and i never will, awful looking game! Arkanoid i have played tho. I simultaneously like it and hate it, its way too hard and frustrating to be any fun for more than five,ten minutes. Look forward to the next episode! Should be an interesting episode mainly because i love me some Lode Runner.

[@Lifesizemortal]

Psycho Soldier is great, except for the terrible vocoder music. Only other game in it's genre like Son Son

[@jasonblalock4429]

The song doesn't use a vocoder; it's an actual recording of a live singer. It's just incredibly compressed to fit into sound hardware of the time, to the point you can hardly tell it's a real person.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@jasonblalock4429 Yes, people forget how limited space was on those old boards.

[@knkn5049]

i can understand that port of Arcanoid has some new features, but it is still very primitive and boring because of this, on another hand Athena is good but brocken game, and it could be fixed, it has something to work with, we can discuss and redesign it, when Arcanoid is just a proof of concept it is just like to compare Barbarian 2 for c64 and Pong: Barbarian 2 is unbalanced, cryptic, Pong is perfect game, but i would play Barbarian2

[@DanielSong39]

Arkanoid is excellent. Athena is a lousy game.