Battle of the Ports - Rampage (ＲＡＭＰＡＧＥ) Show

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

Kenneth Hurley has said he was never happy with the frame rate on the Apple II version, but Activision said it was good enough, so they shipped it. It took a mere 3 weeks to port his 8086 PC code to the Apple II.. This source code was later used in the Sega Master System version.

[@silentfanatic]

Lynx was usually a pain in the ass to actually play stuff on, but that giant rat is undeniably cool.

[@reagandow850]

Hello again Mark! I just can’t stay away from these “Battle of the ports” series. I was always fascinated by the different versions of games when I was younger. Always searching for the near perfect arcade port.....that I could NEVER find!! Not in the early days at least!! 😁

[@RetroCore]

I'm happy that you are enjoying the series Reagan.

[@lucaspam]

The 2600 port is very impressive for the system. The 7800 port is kinda charming; the winner is the master system version, IMHO.

[@RetroCore]

I was really surprised at the 2600 version. It's much better than I was expecting.

[@ReviewUSA-ri5dv]

02:41 "One interesting fact about this version, one interesting fact about this version..." LOL

[@RetroCore]

Hehe, yep, I missed that one in editing.

[@eljugadorescaldenc4002]

I remember renting this game on the 64 version and stood all an afternoon playing this game. Silly but addictively fun.

[@inphanta]

Fun fact: the tunes in the ST version are AY renditions of music from the C64 shooter IO.

[@tomyu3208]

Getting nostalgic watching this, I missed the good times when I played it with my elementary school friends!

[@RedTsarOldChannel-INACTIVE]

Woah,pretty much all ports are well made! Even the Apple ][ ver.,which can be considered the worst is still playable! Just like Rainbow Islands,pretty much all ports are good on their respective systems!

[@brazilmugenteam]

And Master System had done it again. For a 8bit console, that version is awesome. I remember to play that version a lot when I was a kid. And, again, the MS version was better than the NES version.

[@1983parrothead]

When most people think of Midway Games, Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam (includes NBA HangTime as part of it) are usually thought of by gamers the most. Rampage isn't thought of as much, but a Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson film based on it was released last year in 2018. The NES port was developed by Sakata SAS, a developer that Data East used for most home console and handheld Data East games and ports.

[@Larry]

Elite bought the rights to port Trojan, they made a Spectrum version, but never released it. :S

[@RetroCore]

I wonder if they had a CPC version planned at some point? By the way, noticed you just uploaded a new vid. Be checking that out later on :)

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

​@@RetroCoreSteve Wilcox from Elite, has said that they considered it but Capcom’s commercial terms were unrealistic and the game only "middling" Clive Townsend confirmed that he was working on a C64 Trojan conversion for Durell, but it was cancelled early on.

[@masterlee1988]

I'm glad you took my suggestion to do this one. I'm surprised at how well most of those ports turned out. I only remember the arcade, NES and Master System versions, but the Master System version looks awesome!

[@RetroCore]

It sure is. To be honest most versions are fun once some multi player action starts.

[@louispodobnik8118]

love this game! first played it on an amstrad before seeking it out at the local arcade. not long after a friend invited me around to play rampage on his new master system,i saved alot of money,the port was so good!

[@RyuHayabusa06]

SMS port looks impressive. Sounds great too. Makes sense since it uses the FM synth. So much better than the PSG.

[@RetroCore]

Yeah, the PSG is just nasty in most cases.

[@topofbones]

Glad to see that one of my favourite games has reasonable good ports for all the systems. Very surprised with the three player mode on lots of 8bit computer ports.

[@gkoyt]

Back in the arcades, there was a mistaken belief that if you hammered on the start button when you “died”you might get lucky and transform back to the monster. It wasn’t until sometime later did I figure out it was because one of the other kids put their coin in anticipating their turn to play; they basically got their quarter stolen. 😅 Apparently everyone, both playing and watching, was too caught up in the cartoon carnage to notice. I don’t recall anyone realizing this and getting upset.

[@SelfIndulgentGamer]

The Master System, a very underrated console in my opinion and an 8bit one at that :)

[@JudgmentStorm]

My favorite Rampage port is the Master System's. I prefer the graphics even over the 16-bit ones, and the FM BGM is great. Difficulty is toned down some from the arcade, but that's a good thing in this case.

[@AzrialAlaria]

Impressive that Lynx Version!

[@carn9507]

Loved it on CPC. So much so that I get disappointed when that Trojan tune doesn't play when trying other versions cos to me it fits so perfectly. Used to play the game lots in 3 player a lot especially since it was one of the few games back then that could do that. We did try the Lynx in three player (didn't have 4 lynxes..was rare to even have one lynx to be honest) and while it was fun at first the limited screen view made it somewhat annoying and i think we played it more for the novelty of the link up more than anything.

[@stevew8513]

The Lynx version started out life as a knock-off of Rampage, and when they were able to get the license for the original they modified their clone to look more official, but they had already implemented the zoomed-in graphics. The same thing happened with the Lynx version of Gauntlet - it was a clone until they paid for the license. That's why you can play as a punk, a robot, a pirate, or a nerd in the game.

[@GlenLehane]

I had both the Atari 2600 and C64 version and actually liked the 2600 version more! I don't know, maybe the chunky SFX and basic look gave it more charm, maybe I just respected the fact that such a basic machine as the 2600 could pull off a functionally excellent port. The C64 version, even though there's nothing wrong with it, just didn't grab me in the same way

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

The Atari 8 bit conversion only came about as one of the coders was a fan of the coin-op, phoned Activision, asked if they would let him convert it, they said yes. The single colour sprites are due to hardware limitations and in hindsight, they would of liked to of added a 3 player option

[@RetroCore]

3 players would have been quite special.

[@RetroCore]

3 players would have been quite special.

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

@@RetroCore would of needed a lot more work done on graphics and controls for it to have an appeal myself, hated it as an A8 owner

[@gabrielloko30000]

Rampage series never gets old (Orrr....gets sometimes), The sequels gets the destruction on crazy levels, even taking the carnage out of the Earth...because....why not?

[@segadriven]

Really like the look of the Master System port!

[@NightSprinter]

Lynx port wins for me, because of the rat (they can just be really cute animals honestly). Plus, the Amiga and ST versions, I guess the third player uses the keyboard (unlike Gauntlet II or Dynablaster where Player 5 uses the keypad while players 3 and 4 use an adapter connected to the printer port)?

[@RetroCore]

In the ST, Amiga and PC versions you can have two players on joysticks with one on the keyboard or you can have the CPU control them.

[@RetroCore]

I never did try the dual stick mode but I am aware of it since making the video. It would probably make the game much easier to play.

[@ravagingwolverine]

That was fun to watch. I felt compelled to give Rampage a go after not playing it for a while. It's a fun way to pass a little time. It's not a deep game and doesn't have a ton of staying power, but it's a fun one to go back to from time to time. I do love the concept. Very creative. I had to go play the Master System version after watching this. Great episode.

[@RetroCore]

Yeah, Rampage is best played with a few friends to get the most out of it. The Master System port really is good.

[@Charlie-Cat.]

YES!!! Love Rampage Mark. The arcade version is always will be my favorite version out of them all. What a great game this was for sure. I love how I was a monster that destroyed everything in my path. Still do. Always a pleasure to see what you offer my good man. Anthony...

[@RetroCore]

I've got another true classic coming next week :)

[@chunkycjw]

I always wanted Rampage on the Master System, don't know why i never ended up getting this.

[@RetroCore]

It was one of those games that looked arcade perfect. Of course it wasn't but it was good enough :)

[@davidfernandezsabio3844]

Played this on CPC back in the day after spending too much on the arcade.Didn't know that CPC music was borrowed from Trojan arcade.We had some nice plays with my bro these days.SMS is truly the best along with Lynx.In the versions all by side screens CPC doesn't appear and Arcade is mispelled.

[@johns6265]

Unlike most games covered on Battle of the Ports, the Rampage franchise managed to keep going for quite a long time after the death of the arcades. It does tend to suffer from the same problems as Paperboy, a great concept that draws people in but not enough variety to sustain extended play at home on you own. I picked up the PS2 version last year for just £1, initially you're wondering 'why don't people talk about this great game?' you quickly realise that Rampage still suffers from lack of variety. Played on your own it gets boring very quickly indeed, this is one of those games where you need some friends.

[@RetroCore]

Exactly right. As a one player game Rampage is pretty boring. It only really comes in to its own once you get a few friends together.

[@zemaj0]

great video I used to play on the spectrum and then later on the Atari ST I got the remake for the Wii

[@nicholasthetaylor]

The Atari ST version looks like a good step up from the PC and Amiga versions. I had a friend at primary school who had an Atari ST, and he was so upset when he found out that all his favourite games were improved for their Amiga release. Knowing about this game would have cheered him up no end. Space harrier had a superior ST port too if I remember correctly.

[@SynthatronPrime]

I was never a huge fan of this game. However the Master System once again shows its power directly against the NES and comes out on top. I'd get that version over the others. Another great episode. I like three tweaked format without the optional subtitles.

[@RetroCore]

Hi YoukoAoshi, glad you're enjoying the new format. It's also a little quicker to put together :) You're right about the Master System. It's just a shame it was never give the support it deserved outside of Europe and Brazil.

[@alexsartandgameschannel3883]

17:28 I spy with my little eye, Someone turning off one of the ports ;)

[@natecronnon4736]

good it's sad to see games like this to not be played anymore

[@RetroCore]

Yep. Now people are playing the Switch. Just got one for my son and looking through the advertisement booklet that came with it, it seems like nothing more than a wii with a portable screen.

[@natecronnon4736]

hey don't get wong nintineo got has plans for it peity much vr head set in makeing sorry for mispilling

[@natecronnon4736]

and what's up things these now days get an new game bam it's inficted with dlcs like that got to gride you gears a bit

[@natecronnon4736]

i hate to see what kind of bullcrap the devs going to hit with this days and are you triggerd about the neo and sorpio

[@RetroCore]

They may have but at the moment I can't get excited by it.

[@mastersproutgamer9327]

CC: Running in EGA mode, this port for MS-DOS does look the part. Mark Smith: This port for the MS-DOS does look the part. Me: Wrong, it's not "the MS-DOS", it's just "MS-DOS".

[@topofbones]

I've the master system version and I installed the NES version in my NESmini just yesterday... I thought "How about a battle of the ports for this game?" XD

[@RetroCore]

It's as if you could read my mind :)

[@topofbones]

Retro Core. I put also Super Off Road, another favourite...you know what I have to say ;)

[@RetroCore]

Hahaha, it is one the list. On day it will be covered :)

[@sobesons]

Gran trabajo. Gracias!

[@RetroCore]

You're welcome

[@genblob]

my favorite version is the 7800 port just because how the characters look

[@RetroCore]

They do look cool, don't they.

[@RSP04]

I've spotted a blooper where you said "One interesting fact about this version..." twice. (2:41) 😂

[@RetroCore]

Lol, sometimes happens.

[@RSP04]

And I just noticed that not I'm not the only one I spotted that goof. 😂

[@vintagegamecrazy]

Please make an updated video with the TRS-80 port included. That version is near and dear to my heart and always flies under the radar.

[@RetroCore]

Maybe in the future.

[@sonicmario64]

I think it's kinda weird that Data East was the company to release the NES version of "Rampage" (which, sadly, was a lousy port on such a great console), and I'm surprised that Acclaim wasn't the company to release it considering the fact that they were known for releasing home console versions of the Midway arcade games such as "Arch Rivals", "Mortal Kombat", and "NBA Jam".

[@RetroCore]

I guess Acclaim had enough crappy games to publish at the time under their LJN brand.

[@RaposaCadela]

Ooohh, man! That Atari 2600 version! I love it!

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Pretty good so far, though the only port unaccounted for is the Tandy Color Computer 3 (or "CoCo 3").

[@RetroCore]

Think the Tandy Colour version is part of the MS Dos release as it gives 3 options when booting, CGA, EGA and Tandy Colour.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Further read-up.... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandy_1000 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer

[@RetroCore]

Oh, the CoCo. yeah, I know about that. Didn't it also go under the name of TRS or something? I didn't know there was a version of Rampage for it though. Shame I missed that one.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

That's fine, just thought I bring it up, though the "Trash-80" didn't get too many ports.

[@DragonSlayerKyo]

The Lynx port has to be the best out of the bunch, I think.

[@RetroCore]

It certainly is good but I find the cropped screen changes the way it plays at times. Still a fantastically detailed port though.

[@M4R14NO94]

Great vid as usual! Master System version's definitely my fav (of the ones I played), and I'll go as far as saying that I like it a bit more than the arcade original. The FM support thing is odd, even moreso as there's a lot of MS games that never came out in Japan having that feature. Just as interesting are said games having Mark III or Sega logos when booting them via a system set to the Japanese region; I've featured pretty much all of those on a Sega logo compilation vid I did last year (*SHAMELESS PLUG*) A small addendum to the Lynx port, not only does it have the new character, but it's also the only version to support 4 players rather than 3 as it was on the arcade original. In fact, for the longest time, it was the only Rampage game *at all* to have that feature, up until the GameCube and Wii versions of Rampage: Total Destruction (PS2 version supported only two), as all the sequels kept the 3 player format. There's also another port, one for the GBA, as part of the compilation cartridge Paperboy/Rampage (which, as the title implies, also has a Paperboy port). I haven't played it in quite a while, but I don't recall either port being accurate.

[@RetroCore]

I really like the Master System version too. It's really nice what Sega managed to do. I never knew about the GBA version though. Wish I did now :(

[@mikecontra8844]

Rampage on the MS was the first game i ever played, at the young age of 6/7. Been a Sega fan ever since :)

[@esathegreat]

The monster sprites on the arcade look pretty sharp.The ports don't come close.

[@solarflare9078]

Arcade ran in a much higher resolution

[@TrainmasterCurt]

Game Boy Advance port which isn’t on here looks better than the arcade

[@solarflare9078]

I remember seeing an arcade remake of this game in another arcade once. It looked generic as hell compared to the original 1986 game (but it does also look faster).

[@RetroCore]

Interesting. I wonder what it was.

[@custardo]

Another great game with lots of good conversions! And lots of Atari love, which is always nice!

[@RetroCore]

Yep, you don't see a lot of Atari love on Battle of the Ports so it makes a nice change.

[@JasonsDigitalStuff]

I thought it was pretty awesome that the 2600 even attempted this game. Of course it's horrible by comparison, but it was fun to play and shocking it even made it to the console to begin with! I bet most don't know that Double Dragon was ported to the 2600 also lol.

[@RetroCore]

I know Double Dragon was on the 2600. That's another surprising addition to the console.

[@sumdood8563]

Playing the Atari Flashback like “Where the hell is Rampage!?”.

[@michael-dannsstebenne4011]

it sounds like the music of trojan around 02:00

[@RetroCore]

That's because it is :)

[@michael-dannsstebenne4011]

yup i noticed you mentioned it right i after i commented :-P btw your videos are awesome

[@RetroCore]

Cheers man. Hope you have time to check out the back catalogue.

[@AlienExorcist]

Ahh, Rampage. The one glaring red case in my Master System collection. I have a few black case games as well, but rampage is the only Red case. Guessing it was an Activision thing.

[@RetroCore]

Red case? That must be a US only thing as I don't remember and Master System game in the UK having anything but black cases.

[@AlienExorcist]

Retro Core I'm sure it was US only, so needless to say, my SMS collection is the white grid cases, even my UK Master of Darkness is white. I have Robocop vs Terminator (PAL AU) in a black grid case (fantastic game, btw. I like it better than the SNES version).

[@RetroCore]

Indeed. Robocop VS Terminator is really impressive for a Master System. One of those game that shows of the hardware power.

[@AlienExorcist]

Retro Core Yep, they only possible complaint might be the looping music, but that's only a complaint if I'm comparing it to the Megadrive soundtrack, which is excellent. That would be a short video if you did one on that, being only 3 3/4 games involved. The NES prototype is okay too, for what it is...

[@bhirawamaylana466]

yes rampage, i play the sequel in playstation version, plus i still play it. i even put the rom in my android so i can play in the go and my favorite character is boris the rhino, george the gorilla, ralph the wolf and cirtus the mouse. What your favorite character in rampage series ?!

[@hellykerbert2838]

So which port won the battle? I'm gonna have to say the Master System port, mainly because it's the only version I own.

[@RetroCore]

To be fair the Master System port probably does win the battle. It's such a great port probably followed by the ST. The Lynx is also very good but kind of plays differently due to the screen scrolling.

[@lurkerrekrul]

What program do you use for emulating the Lynx? I assume it's not running on a real Lynx, since I don't know of any way to output the Lynx's video to a capture card.

[@RetroCore]

It's an emulator for Windows called Handy. Sometimes it messes up the audio though :(

[@lurkerrekrul]

I thought so. :) Handy has always had kind of poor audio. Check out Mednafen. It emulates several different systems including the Lynx, and does a much better job with the audio. Actually, the Lynx emulation is based on Handy, but with improvements. On the down side, pure Mednafen doesn't have a GUI at all. You have to give it a filename on the command like and then everything is done through hotkeys. However, there are various frontends for it, some more complete than others. It's also been incorporated into other multi-system emulators. In particular, I know Bizhawk uses it for some of the systems it emulates. Give it a try and let me know what you think. :)

[@RetroCore]

Media fen you say? Sounds interesting. I will give that a try as the poor sound emulation in Handy can be off putting at times. Thanks.

[@RetroCore]

Silly auto correct on the phone. I meant to type Mednafen not Media fen.

[@lurkerrekrul]

I haven't really kept up with all the different front ends for it. If you use BizHawk, it's pretty simple; Just put the Lynx BIOS in the Firmware directory, load a Lynx game and configure the controls (has to be done after a game is loaded, so it knows what the controls are).

[@fallofsaigon]

Love your show man! Keep rockin!!! :)

[@RetroCore]

Cheers man. Hope you keep on watching well in to the future.

[@fallofsaigon]

Absolutely!

[@rafaellima83]

Holy crap , the Atari ST version really surprised me ! I always get pissed when I see a ST game with music + sfx and then the Amiga version lacks one or the other.

[@RetroCore]

The Amiga port is just the MS Dos game or the Ms Dos game is the port of the Amiga. They're basically identical. The St version is pretty nice. Multi player plus has music and sound effects.

[@rafaellima83]

"The Amiga port is just the MS Dos game or the Ms Dos game is the port of the Amiga. They're basically identical. " Which is dissapointing since the Amiga could run circles with the PC gaming-wise at that time.

[@RetroCore]

It's a mystery we'll never know the answer to :(

[@RetroCore]

It sure could. In fact so could most consoles.

[@miikasuominen3845]

Bought this one for my Atari ST all those years ago. I remember, that I liked the graphics and sound, but didn't really like the gameplay. It's kinda boring, as a single player game at least. Other version, that I have played is the Spectrum one and that one is also kinda nice version, when one thinks the machine it is on... I would say the best versions are on ST and SMS (which is an fantastic port).

[@RetroCore]

You're right in say g Rampage is kind of boring. In a single Ayer game it sure is boring. You really need to ay this one as a multi player.

[@philjordan3459]

there were two versions of rampage for c64 - i think the one in your video is the european version. i had the us version growing up, which looked a little different. some screenshots are here of both versions: www.mobygames.com/game/c64/rampage great video, btw - love this series.

[@e10lam_e10]

13:34 Give a name for the giant rat👍

[@shingoldenwarrior]

They're killing the employees of the company that caused their mutations.

[@pjo6245]

I like the port for the gba.

[@RetroCore]

It may exist on some Midway compilation pack. I've not checked though.

[@TrainmasterCurt]

@Retro Core How come the GBA port wasn’t on here? It actually looks better than the Arcade!

[@RetroCore]

Probably because I didn't know about it.

[@ianbrooke9313]

This video is missing the trs-80 coco and the other version of the c64

[@virustwin]

another thumbs up

[@RetroCore]

Thanks, virustwin.

[@e10lam_e10]

I know kong and godzilla Thus, IM A GODZILLA FAN

[@TrainmasterCurt]

The iOS version was good too

[@krazycharlie]

Isn't there a Rampage port for PlayStation? What about the Saturn? PS: Ah! I see. The ports not covered by this video are not based on the original arcade. My bad.

[@RetroCore]

Yeah, those 32bit versions are Rampage World Tour. A different game as you noticed.

[@yannic1036]

2:41 You said ''One interesting fact about this version'' twice.

[@RetroCore]

oops, editing miss.

[@williamhowe1]

I played the sequel once.

[@TJWolf26]

The arcade version look hi-res at the time

[@JudgmentStorm]

It's in 512 x 480 resolution, compared to the typical 320 x 240.

[@HeitorMD]

the ST monsters look so weird

[@losalfajoresok]

Why did you write twice the game's name but with a different font?

[@enigma776]

I am guessing its because it has no Japanese translation.

[@RetroCore]

As enigma776 said, there's no Japanese name for this game. It's just written as I've written it. That's actually a Japanese font which is why the spacing is odd.

[@losalfajoresok]

and why they usually use this font? thanks for the clarification!

[@RetroCore]

It's just the basic Japanese PC font that gets used when writing words I the alphabet. It's called "MS Gothic P" from memory.

[@Deathkicker666]

How about a twin cobra or raiden 2 episode?yakumo

[@RetroCore]

I'll add them to the list :)

[@Deathkicker666]

+Retro Core thanks ;)

[@marioghernandez4960]

*_G O J I R A_*

[@tomyu3208]

Please do an episode on street fighter 1/fighting street.

[@RetroCore]

It's on the to do list :) it will arrive at some point.

[@marioghernandez4960]

There's now gonna be a live action movie of this game... It's likely to be shit.

[@RetroCore]

Of course it will be shit. It's a movie based upon a game :)

[@marioghernandez4960]

Retro Core Why are such movies so hated, anyway? Just curious...

[@pgraphics]

The adaption work is shoddy at best.

[@tylerd4884]

aracde

[@SomeOrangeCat]

The NES port is a bit of an embarrassment if you ask me.

[@RetroCore]

It is. It's a real half arsed effort.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

NES had plenty of arcade ports that didn't have to skimp on to terribly much(graphics aside), so ports like Rampage didn't have a single excuse to fall back on.

[@TrainmasterCurt]

GBA PORT kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6qWqpJqh61-q5o

[@Clasiku]

I am *NOT* looking forward to the movie, game based movies just straight up suck. Apart from that, the game is 10x better, haha.

[@RetroCore]

100% it will suck big time.