Battle of the Ports - Prince of Persia (プリンス・オブ・ペルシャ) Show 429 - 60fps

[@Xorcist77]

I love that the SFC/SNES version had so many little additions not present in the other ports (extra cut-scenes, extra tiles, extra levels, extra enemy types, bosses!!!), really makes it stand on it's own. Loved that at the very beginning the sword was hidden away down in the watery cavern area... ports always feel better when they're not just straight 1:1 conversions and can take advantage of what the systems offer.-

[@martinefrensoquigomez7835]

Fun fact: The PC98 port was actually the very first port to be released! It sold (as far as I remember) over a million units over in Japan, and it contributed to the game becoming a success.

[@RetroCore]

That sure explains why all the Japanese ports are based upon it.

[@bishopcruz]

It is also the reason that the Prince has a turban in the Mac port amd in PoP2. Mechner was blown away by the port.

[@angelriverasantana7755]

​@@bishopcruzhe described the Japanese version to be like seeing a big budget and well-written film adaptation of a novel, if I remember correctly

[@SilentRealm6677]

fun fact: the gbc version wss planned to be released in Japan by sunsoft but it never happened but during 2020 Nintendo leak we got prototype of it

[@miketate3445]

It's impossible to overstate how amazing it is seeing something that looks like this running on an Apple II

[@johns6265]

It's interesting how the high degree of attention to detail in the animations really elevates Prince of Persia. The Apple II version isn't the most graphically impressive version of the game but it's subtle differences in the animations that do drag the ports down. For instance the scene at the beginning, note how quickly the princess appears to turn, showing us that she is startled when the Vizier enters the room. The Amiga version has the princess making a pretty leisurely turn that changes how you'd interpret the scene. Great video! There are so many versions of the game I've never seen and now want to try.

[@djchac5245]

SFC one has always been my favorite by a mile. Fantastic game, and I'm glad I got the uncensored JP version of the game all those years ago.

[@RetroCore]

There's so many games that got a censored release on the SNES but the SFC versions were not.

[@P5dfsf64g36]

@@RetroCore it strange that the Virtual Console were based on the GBC ver instead of either Genesis and SNES version

[@josephfrye7342]

@@RetroCore man i hate that the western made the game sucky but also censored the gory stuff but you know what i think western is only one to censored current modern gory gens and crappy micro transactions and gambling instead of censoring old retro games etc. and i kinda hate it when westerns has gone corrupted and woke. although in the full motion video scenes i kinda prefer the anime or cartoonish full motion video besides the live action ones well since every live action full motion video might cost too much limitations and money.

[@amerigocosta7452]

A couple of notes about the versions not included here: the Atari ST versions looks, strangely enough, quite different from the Amiga (and DOS) version as it is slightly more detailed and has different colours. It appears to have been developed in France and it is reminiscent of the CPC port. The Macintosh version looks again different from the DOS and Amiga as it sports a resolution of 640 by 400 pixels (exactly doubling the res. of the PC/Amiga ports) and might have influenced most of the higher res. Japanese ports. There is also a modern era (2011) Commodore 64 port which was developed by Mr. SID (the same person who ported Canabalt and SMS Sonic the Hedgehog to the C64, truly a C64 virtuoso). As he documented all his work we know that he used the Apple II and DOS versions as the foundation for his port. Now, that version would on original hardware only if flashed on a "modern" Easy Flash cartridge for memory reasons. It might not be considered a port for the stock machine (eventho is debatable and ultimately irrelevant as it's matter of opinion and especially if you play C64 on an emulator these days) but it's an impressive undertaking nonetheless. The Commodore 64 is a superior machine to the Apple II in most respects, still a 1:1 port of PoP has always been considered tricky due to the different ways the two machines handle the memory needed for the animations.

[@diskyboy86]

Thanks for the information! Only the Macintosh port came after the Japanese computer versions and was inspired by them. Jordan Mechner even admitted such and was so impressed with the port that he chose to copy their art styles for the sequel.

[@RagingRowen]

The Mac version actually came out in 1992 so the Japanese influence would be the other way round, because it definitely took things like the character looks and some other details from those versions.

[@amerigocosta7452]

@@RagingRowen Right, I wasn't that sure about the timeline.. Still the Mac version looks like an interesting middle ground between Amiga/PC and the Japanese computers.

[@thepirategamerboy12]

@@RagingRowen The Mac version actually has Arsys Software in the credits, too.

[@Reptil3]

There's also Atari 8bit version released in 2021. Only downside is it's requires 128K RAM so either upgraded 65XE/800XL models or stock 130XE (or emulator).

[@Silanda]

As a lifelong Sega fan it pains me to admit, but imo the SFC/SNES version is easily the best. Though I suppose it's not a port in the strictest sense, the enhancements are great. The levels keep elements of the originals, giving the game a familiar feel, but are expanded to make the game worth playing even if you've mastered other versions. I've still got a lot of nostalgia for the Mega CD version though; it was the first version I played, and I absolutely love the main menu theme.

[@pacbilly]

Oooh, Tommy Tallarico burn!

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

There is a patch for Atari STE owners, which gives an audio upgrade which uses the DMA coprocessor to play the effects better. They sound a lot cleaner and without any slowdown because the DMA is a coprocessor, working independently of the main CPU. This means that the gameplay is actually smoother than the original release

[@RetroCore]

It's great when old games get modern updates based on knowledge gained over the years to improve the product.

[@AngryCalvin]

I remember Karateka being amazing. But Prince of Persia was life changing. It was the first game I played that resembled like a real person moving around. I could not believe the amount of animation and detail. I figured it had about this many ports but didn’t realize how different some of them were. Especially the amount of detail. I really enjoyed the second game but it wasn’t as mind blowing at the time it came out.

[@RetroCore]

I played the Japanese ports of the original Prince of Persia to death, especially the SFC version but never played the 2nd game for some reason. I can't even recall if I've ever seen it running.

[@spacefractal]

there was also a unofficial version to the Commodore 64, which has done a great job as well. its was releaseed in 2011 as a free game.

[@losalfajoresok]

I was about to comment the same

[@spacefractal]

its a great port as well. but Mark is right here was newer has a official version, dispite there should have been 2 official and one unofficial attempts, until we see that one. Checkout games that wasen't.

[@amerigocosta7452]

PoP on the C64 requires an Easyflash cartridge to run on an actual machine, eventho this is not noticeable on an emulator where you just load a .crt file. So I guess it wouldn't qualify as a port that would run on a stock machine.

[@spacefractal]

still, its can run on the actuelle machine. Easyflash did only has extra flash memory. No special other features like reu. There was large cartriges that could uses 512kb when fillfated C64s came out. But not a game you could run on disc or cassette. Etc the main prince uses 40kb or such alone.

[@amerigocosta7452]

@@spacefractal I agree, nothing special the EF is doing there. But the game specifically needs to be flashed on an after market cartridge to run on a actual machine. If it was something that could run on one of those early 90s large Ocean Software carts, then I'd say it was running on a stock machine. Impressive port nonetheless and I'm all for C64 after market improvements. Not a purist.

[@MasterZebulin]

That sick burn towards Tommy, though. 🤣

[@oscarzxn4067]

His mother is not very proud for the how the ost turned out.

[@killerb2099]

I know I'm stupid late, but thank you for covering this game. IIRC, this was one of the games I suggested when you asked the audience. I know it was an enormous task, and I appreciate it.

[@RetroCore]

I hope you enjoyed the video. This was indeed a big one to cover.

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

Had this on the Atari ST and it never clicked for me at the time, picked it up again on the Game Gear and fell in love with it.

[@RetroCore]

I wish I could get the ST version running for this video but I had such a pig of a time. Cracked versions would crash after the cracktro and none cracked versions would boot 😢

[@highscores8593]

Had the Amiga version to play as a kid and I liked the game so much that I got it for SNES when it was new. I was really blown away by the snes version back then

[@googleboughtmee]

Man, Tom Tallarico can't catch a break 🤣

[@RetroCore]

Lol😁

[@esathegreat]

The colur palette of the master System is not limited.It blows all other 8-bit systems out of the water

[@FlyingSurprise]

The SNES version blows all other ports out of the water. It is just amazing.

[@RetroCore]

I think so, too.

[@DarkLink1996.]

It would be cool to see the European Mega Drive levels ported over in a hack. Get an absolutely complete version of the game

[@Horos_de_Vega]

What a game! And great ports. Played it first on Amstrad CPC.

[@RetroCore]

Nice fist experience the game.

[@MRSAUltraviolet]

Some of your best work yet Mark.

[@DJDanceClassic]

you misspelled worst so many versions are missing !

[@RetroCore]

Well why don't you spend hours and hours recording video so someone can criticize it?

[@RetroCore]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the show.

[@RndStranger]

I like as how we get deeper in the video, he stops running off the cliff above the sword.

[@RetroCore]

Pure coincidence 😁. The order in which they are shown in the video is not the order in which they were recorded. The versions were I just jump off the two floor ledge are probably later recorded videos. I just wanted to get it over with 😂

[@odine55]

16:58 This part of the intro was removed in the international versions.

[@RetroCore]

Correct. That happened a lot with international snes games.

[@odine55]

@@RetroCore It has to do with NoA's strictness before the ESRB existed. Also, the PAL Genesis version has music and more levels.

[@RagingRowen]

Some notable port differences you missed: 1. The Japanese ports moved the Jaffar fight to the final part of Level 12 where the Princess is, when he was in the previous part in the original version(s). The Jaffar from the original became a high-class guard in the ports. The SNES version adds even more extra bosses, with the most notable one (IMO) being an Ashura-like creature in Level 17 which has its own unique behaviour. 2. The European MD version is the one with the added music. It moves the level count from 12 to 16 despite the time limit being unchanged unlike the SNES version. The US version is more akin to the original with 12 levels and no music.

[@JorgeAraujo97]

Literally the first game I've played on PC, on a XT with green phosphor CGA, lent by the technician who sold me my first PC - a 286 with white phosphor CGA. Since the delivery of my 286 was delayed, I was lent the XT for some weird technicality to hold the price in Brazilian cash, because at the time we had to pay stuff in USD converted by the daily rate - which doubled or tripled every day. xD I can laugh now, but it was a bit trying to acquire anything technological back in 1993.

[@gargonovich]

There's a pretty impressive Atari 8-bit conversion that released not too long ago. Just waiting on my SIO cables to get in so I can see how it actually plays.

[@M0L0TOV]

I was just about to say the same!

[@AngryCalvin]

The Japanese computer versions are awesome! The NEC PC88 definitely was the blueprint of the PC-Engine CD. The cutscenes are cinematic videos instead of just looking like the gameplay. More Ninja Gaiden style. I didn’t expect it. I never played any of these versions so this video was well worth my time.

[@rockmanhunter]

Yeah, finally PoP! My favorite of all time is the SFC one but the MCD is also such a great port. It's my second favorite. The MD one had potential but it feels so slow that I can't have any fun with It.

[@philipcohen7192]

I love seeing what Japanese developers could do with a western developed game. They really were light years ahead.

[@Error_4x5]

They definitely were.

[@Bubba__Sawyer]

Japan does what American't 🤪🤙

[@Error_4x5]

Especially during the 8, 16 and 32bit era

[@philipcohen7192]

@@Bubba__Sawyer take one of those European games like turrican and see what they could do with it

[@forcedfeedbackclassicgamer5499]

I remember playing the Apple II original in elementary school, except the school's machines were all monochrome, so I've always had the impression that the game was older than it actually is. That FM Towns version looks sick af, though, very impressive, love the textural feel of that art.

[@delta7890]

The Super Famicom version with the PC Engine port's CD soundtrack (surely doable with MSU-1 integration) would be the perfect combination in my eyes!

[@DeadlyGamingLV]

That does exist. :)

[@SomeOrangeCat]

In my opinion the Super Nintendo music sounds more full-bodied than the Pc Engine's CD music, which sounds very hollow and compressed.

[@delta7890]

@@DeadlyGamingLV Yeah, just happened to stumble upon it actually! :D There's also an option to use the Mega CD soundtrack.

[@DeadlyGamingLV]

@@delta7890 yes

[@DavidKingNT]

The Super Famicom box art is just beautiful

[@RetroCore]

I absolutely agree with you.

[@retro_daz]

I had this on the Mega CD (I purchased a copy of Sonic CD from Gamestation and there was a copy in the second disc tray!) I loved it, and still do, up there as one of my all time favourite games! Great video Mark 👍🏻

[@RetroCore]

You're welcome and a very lucky find in your Sonic CD case. 👍

[@samsulummasamsulumma6898]

Special note: there are unofficial versions for the Atari 8 bit and the BBC Master that are worth checking out if that's your thing

[@weldum1]

also the c64 port

[@timoheinonen9570]

And also a good version for BK-0011M.

[@KISSbestfan]

Yeah, Atari XL is really impressive considering the system capabilities. If only it came out in 1989...

[@RetroCore]

That there are. Also C64 I beleive.

[@SimianScience]

will never forget playing this on a apple IIGS in 1990.

[@honved_77]

Great video! It is notable the absence of the Mac port, however. My favorite versions are the ones from PC-98 and FM Towns; the playability is excellent and they look like oil paintings in motion.

[@Charlie-Cat.]

Hahaha. Nothing, I mean nothing is like playing the Original Prince of Persia on the Apple II Mark. I do have this for he Amiga and MS-DOS as well. But that game on the Apple II is just so memorable for me to play growing up bro. Thank you for sharing this with us as always Mark. 8^) Anthony..

[@RetroCore]

I can imagine that back in the day, the Apple II version really impressed anyone who saw it.

[@MagisterHamid]

Amazing work on this one gathering all those versions!

[@Colin_Ames]

I’m just catching up with things after spending a couple of weeks in the UK, visiting family. This is a great BOTP, obviously a lot of work went into it. It seemed to me that the three best versions are the NEC, Fujitsu and Sharp. Of course, these are also the pieces of hardware that most of us can only dream about.

[@willrobinson7599]

Amazing fluid animation, all versions pretty good to be honest

[@SomeOrangeCat]

I owned the MS-DOS port, I gave my friend the 5.25" floppy, while I kept the 3.5" one. Our experiences were vastly different though. He had VGA graphics, but only a PC speaker for audio. I had a Tandy-1000 and the game was optimized it! While I had only 16 color graphics, I had rich music, and digitized samples. The only Japanese developed one I played and liked was the SNES version, because it felt like the logical evolution of the original game's cinematic presentation.

[@RetroCore]

I'm glad you did get to experience at least one of the Japanese developed versions. The SNES version is a great option. Personally the FM Towns version is my favourite followed by the SNES.

[@topofbones]

What a huge Battle of the Ports! I'm very surprised with the japanese computer releases. Didn't know about that.

[@RetroCore]

Back in the day I always wondered why the SFC version was so different. Now I know why.

[@GamayObera]

The MCD version of PoP would be a nice addition to MD Mini 2 / Genesis Mini 2. I think Ubisoft would be okay with that, but the main hurdle will be Victor Entertainment, who still owns the publishing rights of their games (stuff from other Victor labels are owned by Marvelous).

[@RetroCore]

I would have thought UBi Soft would have been the biggest issue here.

[@davidfernandezsabio3844]

Had the MSDOS port back in the day with the PC speaker(the sound card came years after) and played a lot back then.Impressive animations for a game at that time.The Amstrad CPC port is amazing for an 8 bit computer but didn't had the comp when it was released.Great video Mark,thanks.

[@RetroCore]

You're welcome.

[@dougr.8653]

I have played the MS-DOS when it was released. I will never forget playing it using a green monochrome monitor 🤣🤣

[@RetroCore]

Ah, the classic days of green monitors.

[@karolis.burzinskas]

I had Famicom version, and i loved it for what it was. For me as a kid, it was mindblowig., ✌️😊

[@pulsemyne7488]

It looks like you were playing the playable demo version of the Sam Coupe version. That's why the screen is different. It was just to give people a taste and to not go any further. There is also the full intro in the game if you press a certain key on the title screen (think it's T).

[@RetroCore]

Ah, so that is why. Thanks for the info. The ROM was not label as demo so I was unsure.

[@samstersvideos7202]

@@RetroCore Yes - said in my earlier reply - need to press "I" for the intro

[@PG-gs5vb]

It's a pity that some ports are missing in this battle.

[@rikishi852]

SFC version is my favourite by far! Good job with this video, guy!

[@RetroCore]

Thanks. I have a lot of nostalgia for the SNES version too but I'd have to say the FM Towns is my faviourte. I do love all the extras on the SNES version though.

[@ferhound]

Its crazy how overlooked it's the GameBoy version. Controls like a charm with no lag, fullscreen no freezes or fades.

[@cliffchampion5501]

You finally said something good about the Super Famicom now that’s surprising! 🙌 great episode.

[@volkte37]

😂

[@jmbenetti]

He's a Sega fan, but I think he has no problem recognizing when a Snes port is better. Not as certain brazilian channel where they twist the facts to give always the victory to Sega.

[@RetroCore]

Eh? I love the SFC. I have a lot of good things to say about the system, just not when it comes to ports that tend to be on the SFC and Mega Drive. Although, I'm sure in all the Neo Geo port videos I prefer the SFC over the MD.

[@RetroCore]

Absolutely. I love the SFC. My own personal collection of carts reflects that for sure.

[@cliffchampion5501]

@@jmbenetti Lol VC Decide another famously bias channel is gamesack I liked it better when Dave was there.

[@astrades2601]

Long episodes about games which was released on almost everything are my favorite and this is important game too. There is so many faces of original Prince of Persia. I never completed any version, I don't remember why, but still i think that it's standing out title from late 80s early 90s.

[@ElBlogdeThePunisher]

The final version for Speccy 128K works fine in Spectaculator, also it's a lot colorful than the demo. Amazing BOTP!!! As always!

[@lasskinn474]

the author made a talk/presentation on making the game I think and it's somewhere on youtube I THINK but I can't find it now, he had journals from when he was making it

[@MrNightshade2010]

wow i remeber this game was every where for most o the 90s ,,,,,didn't they even reboot it a few diff times ?

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

Prince of Persia 3D on PC and Dreamcast 1999 then Ubisoft with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time on PS2, XBOX, GC and PC 2002 and subsequent titles, ones that spring to mind.

[@flink1231]

I feel lucky that I first played the super famicom import! There was no way I'd get my hands on one of the japanese computer versions at the time. Also the box art on the thumbnail is incredible!

[@RetroCore]

The SFC version is the one I played the most too. And you're right about the cover art. It's beautiful.

[@randy7894]

The long awaited BotP!

[@LuigiMario79]

4:45 Actually, that’s the SNES version.

[@RetroCore]

Super Famicom = SNES

[@LuigiMario79]

I was actually referring to the fact that you’re able to continue playing after the time runs out. That’s exclusive to the SNES/SFC version.

[@mastersproutgamer9327]

10:16 Iris Software?

[@pruthuchauhan2159]

Great Job, Prince of Persia has to be one of the toughest assignments in BOTP. I grew up playing this game on my 8088. You might have missed a few like the Atari ST, Java and Prince of Persia Classic (which used Sands of Time inspired GFX)

[@RetroCore]

Yep, this one took a lot of time to put together.

[@pruthuchauhan2159]

@@RetroCore pls try Karateka later. It was also ported to many different platforms.

[@JolliAllGenGamer]

I only played the Sega cd version and was just too frustrating.

[@ravagingwolverine]

These comparisons of iconic games with many ports always end up being very interesting. I finally got into the original Prince of Persia a few years back and am pretty well versed. Plus, there's also a great video comparison out there that's pretty in depth which helped me get started. The video is titled " Stumbling through Prince of Persia on Almost Everything" and I enjoy it despite the fast talking. So I will share my brief thoughts on several versions. First, the SNES version is well made, but the added content doesn't fit well into the game for me, and the added length also feels off as I find the original to be the perfect length for what it is. The SNES version is worth trying though since my issues come down to personal taste and it does play better than most ports. The NES, Master System(SMS), and Genesis versions are all messed up in various ways. The SMS version has really strange jumping. The NES version has the resolution issue here, but is missing important content that just makes it not worth the time. The PC Engine version is good in many ways. There is a speed setting in the options menu, so it needs tweaking to get it to play well enough, but I could get it to feel good for me. My biggest issue with the PCE version is that the potions are not color coded like they're supposed to be, which leads to annoyances if you don't have all the locations memorized. The Sega CD version is very similar to the PC Engine version but has the color-coded potions so that's a huge plus for me. I haven't played the Macintosh version since about 1994, but it is worth mentioning that it plays well and has the updated, if cartoony graphics. It looks good though. The DOS version looks much simpler, but once I started playing it with all that nice animation and such, I got sucked in and really enjoyed it. The smoothness is nice compared to the console versions, especially in combat. I was actually playing an open-source recreation of the DOS game called SDL-PoP that runs natively on modern systems. If it's not an exact recreation, it's close enough. That version was my favorite one(I don't have access to the Mac version to compare further), with the Sega CD version being my second favorite and top pick from consoles. That version is good if you want to emulate and use save states for convenience.

[@nomadjock]

An absolute classic of a game, the first version I played was the PC version but my personal favourite is the SNES version with the level music adding more atmosphere and with more forgiving controls.

[@scm64entertainment44]

Imagine if someone make a port of prince of persia where the death jingle is like a mashup of the Ms dos and snes version of the death jingle.

[@jbmaru]

This mega Drive port looks mighty good! I wonder if there's a custom MSU version with the MCD music...

[@RetroCore]

That would really help!

[@Bubba__Sawyer]

That would be good, but also using a romhack of the mega drive port that fixes the in-game mechanics!

[@Deimos_Fresh]

It was probably mentioned already but just in case. MSDOS version does not allow you to complete the game after timer runs out.

[@RetroCore]

That is correct.

[@miltiadiskoutsokeras9189]

One of the most ported games ever, in terms of official releases.

[@jrs4516]

for some reason the princess' bedroom scene looks so much better in the apple II version than all the others but i can't quite put my finger on why

[@randy7894]

Nostalgia kicking in. Nothing beats the MS-DOS CGA version on a green phosphor monitor though. The gameboy version is my guilty pleasure though.

[@GodlikeOCD]

PRINCE OF PERSIA is the grand father to all metroidvania game

[@LordDeBahs]

nah thats getsufumaden

[@mattfritz1]

Great video! What always struck me as odd with the PC port is, back in the ‘80s, PCs/IBM compatibles not only didn’t come with joysticks, they didn’t come with joystick cards. That had to be installed separately. The only exception to this was the Tandy 1000 (and the IBM PCjr it was cloned from). Not only did that come with a joystick card, but two joysticks. So when Prince of Persia came to the PC, which graphics mode did the makers decide to ax joystick support and make keyboard only? Tandy, of course. The only one you’d be expected to actually have a joystick.

[@w.w.7148]

Where is the fabulous Atari 8 bit version???

[@wizzgamer]

Sega Master System port was my favourite and still is it's also the first game that scared me as a kid.

[@RetroCore]

I can see that. Creeping around dark dungeons.

[@WMARUoriginal]

Wow what an epic battle! Visually I like the Mega Drive and SNES best. Might give the SNES one a try soon. Been a long time since I played this game.

[@KorenLesthe]

There's an unofficial port for the VIC-20 now !

[@RetroCore]

Cool. I wonder how that looks.

[@itsmatt517]

Wonder why the CPC received a release and C64 did not?

[@RetroCore]

The C64 didn't have enough RAM I believe.

[@itsmatt517]

@@RetroCore CPC464 and C64 both had 64k

[@pacbilly]

If you include the Speccy version, it's also worth including the C64 version, since neither was official. Also the omission of the original Mac version is crucial here, since many say it was the best of the Western home computer ports.

[@RetroCore]

I didn't know about the C64 version. But I think so many people now know about the Sam Coupe version 😁 which is cool.

[@shaolin95]

The very first computer game I saw and first computer at school back in the day.

[@RetroCore]

A great introduction to games for sure!

[@dftfire]

When you look at the gameplay of this game, it's not hard to see where the original Tomb Raider drew influence from! Same distance in jumps from standing (shorter distance) to running (longer); same walking-through spikes to not get hurt; same picky positioning for pickup of items; same collapsing floor tiles; similar ledge pull-ups...

[@RetroCore]

Absolutely. This game was definitely an influence on Tomb Raider.

[@gaminglazarus4343]

@@RetroCore hi retro core you are on youtuber favorit list and i like your videos. my favorit computer are amiga, c64, atari st they have classic games. you have forget prince of persia (atari st) and prince of persia (c64)

[@qaz3000]

I had this in my watchlater list since it came out, glad I finally got around to it. Very good presentation of a timeless classic. I cant say that im not a little bit disappointed that my port wasnt showcased. Is there a particular reason you choose to forego the Macintosh version ?

[@RetroCore]

I can't run mac stuff. It's not just this game, but other videos too. The Mac version is always left out I'm afraid. Sorry, I couldn't include you version.

[@qaz3000]

@@RetroCore Thank you very much for this inside, and your time for replying !

[@mypkamax]

[1:05] Grand Visor? Do you mean Grand Vizier?

[@iXien]

The fate of Prince of Persia is a bit atypical on western computers. The Amiga version was developed at the same time as the DOS version by Broderbund for the American market (the Amiga was still quite present there in 1989). We can also be surprised by the absence of an official C64 version, this computer having had its greatest success across the Atlantic. But Jordan Mechner's historic editor used to outsource conversions for other machines. For Prince Of Persia, Broderbund signed a license agreement with Loriciel, and Loriciel called on the Microïds teams for the development, ultimately dealing only with marketing. Thus, developed by a French studio, we understand better why the game was converted with so much care for the Atari ST and the Amstrad CPC. Conversely, no version for, Atari 8 bits, C64 or Spectrum, machines very little represented in France. I played a lot the Amstrad CPC version, it made so well use of this computer's capabilities 🤩. For the record, the CPC and ST versions of the game, distributed by Loriciel in Europe (and not by Domark as for the other versions), offers a box with a different visual. However, the French publisher is stepping aside to reveal only the Broderbund logo since a Broderbund France subsidiary had nevertheless been created on the occasion of these agreements which enabled Microids to develop adaptations of successful games on CPC and ST (and sometimes even Amiga if I'm not mistaken) like Shufflepuck Cafe, Karateka, Wings Of Fury, Carmen Sandiego, Ancient Art Of War or even Lode Runner. The origins of the SAM Coupe version remained mysterious to me, thank you for all this information Mark! 😉

[@lasskinn474]

it was 'late' to be ported to c64 I think. the author was worried the game was too late for apple II if I remember right - like he he knew it was good but the platform was running out of time, there's a talk about it somewhere on youtube and I think he made a book too. wasn't supposed to have fighting in it first either (no memory left) and some coworker kept on poking him to add fighting and once it was in things clicked into place.

[@mashk]

I remember everyone in college having this on floppy and playing this on the college's 286 PCs at the time. If you launch the game with the word Megahit after the Prince.exe executable you get the cheat mode activated.

[@RetroCore]

When I went to school, we had BBC Micros :( Yeah, I'm old.

[@agroed]

Thanks a million for this. Really great work. Gonna go with the Sega CD port personally because I really like the cheesy intro. The regular Genesis port is just gorgeous though. I wish I could combine the two. Would you happen to know anything about the XBox/PS2/Gamecube port in Sands of Time? From the small amount of footage I can find it looks like it's a version all its own.

[@RetroCore]

I'm afarid I wasn't even aware of the sands of time port 😅

[@agroed]

@@RetroCore All good haha, just thought I'd ask. Yeah, the port at least for the Xbox (can't even find footage for the other two) seems to be unique. Sands of Time on XBox also has a port of PoP 2 but from what I can tell it's just the DOS version. Edit: The Wikipedia page says that they're both the Mac versions.

[@Bubba__Sawyer]

@@agroed That version is the Macintosh version from 1992.

[@Bubba__Sawyer]

@@RetroCore This is the version he is referring to >>> kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJu1kHSerbWhjK8

[@Dumbledork_Prime]

Alright. I've been waiting for this one. I remember how I cheated my way through the PC version by starting the game with "Prince megahit". That let me add time, remove time, skip levels, become invincible, or immediately kill enemies. Good times.

[@RetroCore]

Ah, the good old cheats 😊

[@Dumbledork_Prime]

@@RetroCore Yes, those were he days. Any plans on doing Monkey Island?

[@robbiereisman8954]

Thanks for the video! It was great, and I agreed with most of it. I did notice that you skipped the ST version, which I find quite enjoyable. But the SNES version really is sublime.

[@RetroCore]

Sadly I had issues getting the ST version running, 😢

[@SilentRealm6677]

there could've been version for Macintosh here but visually it's same to ma dos version with higher dietails but it's also compatible with b&w machines

[@WrightOffsGaming]

A cracking battle for sure Mark. As always the work put into these huge battles is greatly appreciated and for a change nearly all are excellent. I can't say I've played those excellent Japanese computer versions so I'll say the SNES port is my favourite, I remember seeing a couple of screenshots in the magazine's of day which made it look incredible. It was pretty much a import day one purchase and it was awesome, I even turned down a swap for a Japanese copy of Parodius which nowadays I'd probably rather play. I ended up getting a four game swap from the same person a few weeks later after it was long finished, I think Soul Blazer was one of the games which was Japanese and finished over a days solid play on a Sunday.

[@RetroCore]

I remember dropping 60 pounds on a Japanese Prince of Persia back in the day. The cover art on the SFC is so beautiful. Right up there with Alisia Dragoon on the Mega Drive. Choosing the SNES as you favourite is a good option. It's also one of my favourite versions. The FM Towns just pips it for being my ultimate version though. The CD audio and sharper graphics do it for me. Both play really well though. By the way, amazing you finished Soul Blazer in a day. That's a pretty tough game.

[@Nathan-rb3qp]

Did you accidentally call Matt Furniss "Tim Furniss" because you mixed his name up with Tim Follin?

[@RetroCore]

Yep. I do that a lot. In another video I did the same silly mistake. I don't know why.

[@Nathan-rb3qp]

@@RetroCore Probably because both are amazing composers.

[@zanegandini5350]

"Tim" Furniss? I think you were getting Matt Furniss confused with Tim Follin. Granted, they're both amazing chiptune artists. While PoP really isn't my type of game (Blackthorne is the only cinematic platformer I've liked so far), I'd have to agree with popular opinion that the SNES version is probably the best one. I love how the music sounds, and the graphics look amazing. Speaking of graphics, it's kind of a shame that the X68000 and FM Towns ports didn't really add much to the PC-9801 graphics they were based on, as I know they had better color palettes and could look less grainy. But at least their FM music doesn't have the annoyingly loud PSG of the PC-9801 version. The arranged music in the CD versions of the game definitely sound like they used a Roland Sound Canvas, which is pretty believable since many games did at the time.

[@RetroCore]

Man, I always do that. Why do I keep thinking Matt is Tim :p

[@afropowa1598]

I am glad that you used the Super Famicom cover. That artwork is too damn good. The SNES version maybe the best since I heard it has so many exclusive levels. Wow, I didn't know that you dislike Tallarico's music. Yeah the control was too laggy for me to get into as a kid. I died couple of times & just gave up. I believe it was either the Sega CD or the Genesis version.

[@RetroCore]

Too right, the SFC art is beautiful. I think Tommy Tallarico is overrated. I don't dislike all of his music but I do dislike the man himself. Comes across as being a slimy self loving nob. And in recent years, an aledged scammer.

[@Midekai]

My dad had the DOS version, I had no ideda it started on the apple II. Despite some of the gameboy and NES attempts, I'm surprised most of these ports are pretty competent. Tommy's soundtracks are usually not too bad at all, but man does the audio on the gameboy ports sound grating...

[@Frikinautas]

Played it on DOS at my uncle's (monochrome monitor, no sound at all) and got the Game Gear version not much later. Growing up with these versions caused me a terrible pet peeve: I don't like to play PoP with music. As good as it is on many versions, it feels tacky to me. On a sidenote, check out the connection between this game and Ray Harryhausen's Simbad films, including the unforgettable skeleton swordsman. And the guys that made the SNES version for Konami completely got Mechner's picture and added a couple o' Harryhausen-esque creatures to their expanded game!

[@OneofFortyEight]

I first played the Amstrad CPC port on a green monitor, and then owned the Mega CD version which I loved. Is Ubisoft's (download only) Prince of Persia Classic not considered a port?

[@RetroCore]

Sorry, I dont know about UBisofts classic version.

[@GlenLehane]

I had the DOS version and it was great! I was really impressed with the Atari ST version too

[@andy6576]

Great vid, Marc, of one of my fave classic platformers. I was hoping to see the C64 homebrew version though... 🤔

[@RetroCore]

Sadly I never knew about that.

[@andy6576]

@@RetroCore Fair enough. You should check it out, mate, it's a little slow but it plays just fine and everything is there. It's a free download too (homebrew)

[@sdekaar]

The sfc game is the best version for me. And maybe it have the most beautiful box cover ever.

[@RetroCore]

The SFC box art sure is beautiful. It's also used on a French novel I believe.

[@mleolv426]

WOW that FM TOWNS version is rough on the eyes with all that dithering.

[@RetroCore]

It looks much nicer in real life.

[@IvoryTowerCollections]

Unless someone has mentioned is elsewhere in the comments, there is also a VERY impressive Atari 8-bit homebrew port of this that should be looked into.

[@rvounik]

what. no special mention of the homebrew prince of persia for commodore 64?

[@metalcoola]

15:02 - If that's the same Tom Tallarico, he is face of scam crowdfunding for Intellivision Amico nowadays.

[@RetroCore]

Yep, the one and only.

[@timoheinonen9570]

There is also a pretty impressive looking version of the game for the Russian ZX Spectrum clone ATM Turbo. It looks and plays pretty much the same as the PC EGA version. ( 320x200x16 resolution and no colour clash )

[@RetroCore]

Nice, I think you are the first person to mention that. A true rare version or at least for use western players.