Battle of the Shmups - Hellfire by Toaplan - Sega Mega Drive vs PC Engine

BATTLE of the SHMUPS - HELLFIRE by Toaplan - Sega Mega Drive vs PC Engine CD. With the upcoming Toaplan collection by Retrobit, I've been focusing on highlighting these great shmups. First, it was Truxton / Tatsujin, and this week it's Hellfire by Toaplan. I compare the PC Engine CD to the Mega Drive (Genesis) port with the Arcade as a reference. Presentation, Graphics, Music and Gameplay to see which port rules supreme.
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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:35 - Toaplan Collection by Retrobit!
01:17 - Timmy is Unimpressed
01:37 - Comparison GO!
02:27 - Presentation & Waifu
04:04 - GRAPHICS Comparison - Sega Mega Drive vs PC Engine vs Arcade
10:56 - MUSIC Comparison - Sega Mega Drive vs PC Engine vs Arcade
17:42 - GAMEPLAY - Sega Mega Drive vs PC Engine vs Arcade
24:30 - and the WINNER is...
25:26 - Give Away reminder
25:35 - I'm rich biyach
26:13 - The BIG Pitch!
26:59 - Poor Timmy
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[@ShmupJunkie]

✅ Subscribe To My Channel ➡️ Support me on PATREON www.patreon.com/shmupjunkieslushfund Want a SHMUPSARESHOOTERS shirt? Buy it here www.redbubble.com/people/patee333/shop?artistUserName=patee333&collections=798159&iaCode=all-departments&sortOrder=relevant Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:35 - Toaplan Collection by Retrobit! 01:17 - Timmy is Unimpressed 01:37 - Comparison GO! 02:27 - Presentation & Waifu 04:04 - GRAPHICS Comparison - Sega Mega Drive vs PC Engine vs Arcade 10:56 - MUSIC Comparison - Sega Mega Drive vs PC Engine vs Arcade 17:42 - GAMEPLAY - Sega Mega Drive vs PC Engine vs Arcade 24:30 - and the WINNER is... 25:26 - Give Away reminder 25:35 - I'm rich biyach 26:13 - The BIG Pitch! 26:59 - Poor Timmy Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/turbothunder16/ Follow me on Facebook: facebook.com/shmupjunkie Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/shmupjunkie

[@360KB]

I love how we can here the passion In his voice

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks, it's just there I love this stuff. I think you all do. So I try to make sure that comes across in the videos.

[@user-ow3hz8wx2k]

Yeah, he has a great delivery.

[@360KB]

@@user-ow3hz8wx2k absolutely 100%

[@cd4playa1245]

Yeah this and Electric Underground both compliment each other extremely well and are the two best shmup channels on KZbin.

[@Myako]

Damn, the PC Engine music is more than energetic: it's emotional. 👏🏻👏🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@ShmupJunkie]

Ts music man just always great work. And to think this is likely their least popular and celebrated soundtrack compared to lords of Thunder, Gate or Sapphire.

[@DodonEnthusiasticArt]

My copy of Hellfire MD is traveling to my home right now, can’t wait for it! What an awesome OST, great game and great video as always man.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! I’m still looking for a good cib of Hellfire myself for MD. I’ve always enjoyed the game too. Enjoy it I’m gonna keep looking 😁

[@dr_ubo]

Just gonna come by to say: _Toaplan Forever_ ... I'm honestly quite glad to see such a resurgence of the company's games this year. From the M2 port announcement to the retrobit repros to the indie Toaplan styled games such as Super XYX and Crisis Wing. Seems like people stopped seeing Toaplan as "oh that's where CAVE came from" and have now started to see it as "oh these games are freaking amazing, no wonder so many companies came out of it". I'll be waiting for All your base is belong to us any moment now, would like to see your Zero Wing vid. #ToaplanForever

[@ShmupJunkie]

UBO Zero Wing totally gonna happen I’ve been getting lots of requests. Me personally not being as proficient in the later bullet hell style that Cave became famous for I definitely appreciate all their older games. Even V-V and Batsugun where it’s almost a mix of the two but enough old school to feel like the style I enjoy most. I finally got to play Super Xyx some more for about an hour but still have some control issues with it, so I don’t have a button for continue. I’ll need to look up the keyboard entry on that otherwise it’s a 1cc run or nothing for me 😂. I’ll figure it out though. It just doesn’t like my Saturn pad.

[@dr_ubo]

@@ShmupJunkie it's weird as I've never seen issues with any sort of controller. The one issue it had was that you had to have your input already connected before starting the game. Btw, you can remap controllers on the "More options" tabs in the main Options menu. Hope you enjoy it, it really is amazing. Super XYX feels a lot like Batsugun and I do enjoy V-V as well as Dogyuun. Hope to see those videos sometime :D. Smoke em if you got em!

[@luissantos5622]

That stage 5 "elevator" section has a background on my MD japanese version! It has a (very cool) fast-paced vertical scrolling light.

[@lordadk31]

yes i confirm. you can also see it in other video. maybe it was removed on genesis version but i'm sure it was in my european version.

[@Erk1234567]

Coming here from your Toaplan super video. I've been looking for a horizontal shmup to catch my eye, and the Genesis version seems like EXACTLY what I'm looking for. Cheers Junkie; keep up the good work!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Awesome, I'm glad those little cards I put up sometimes came in handy. I liked doing these comparison vids. The Genesis port is definitely a solid challenge it doesn't mess around, but it's my fav version as well in terms of gameplay.

[@kumrogames]

The compare videos series has been awesome so-far, I learned alot more here about games i thought i already knew, great info and insight as always sir!

[@ShmupJunkie]

rkgames You’re not the only one that’s learning. Playing the games again and editing them side by side I’ve been learning new things about them too. And then some people come in and add things in comments I still didn’t know. So it’s been great for me too.

[@japanis1382]

damn, these videos keep getting better and better, you good sir are legend, keep it up.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Alfredo Figueroa Thats awesome to hear thank you. I’m glad I’m moving in the right direction! 😂

[@Chan_Prado]

I still watch your VS series when I want to chill out and have fun. I hope you can find time to do another couple of these this year :)

[@Spartan77]

Loving your videos. You're reviews are spot on and catch all the important details that make these games great. By the sound of your voice I can tell you really love these games, that makes you stand out more than some of the other game review channels I have seen.

[@ShmupJunkie]

The biggest thing for me is I am trying not to review games in the traditional sense and give them scores or numbers, as they are more than that and don't boil down to a score. Especially classic games that have a big nostalgia factor for many of us. I want to focus on what made them really good, or unique, or just fun, and help highlight why they are still loved and popular now (at least with us old farts haha). Compare them, talk about them, etc. We are all in this hobby for the love of the games, so it makes sense to take that approach. People want fun videos about games they loved or can get excited to play again. That's how I feel anyway, so I am trying to make videos that I would want to watch myself.

[@Spartan77]

@@ShmupJunkie I am truly loving your videos, thank you for all the hard work you are putting into making them. Your passion for these retro gems is evident in the videos I have seen so far. Again, thank you, you are appreciated.

[@DrJ3RK8]

Small note: If you play the PC Engine version on the MisterFPGA, you can turn on the extended sprite support, and the flicker will go away. Still, I prefer more layers of scrolling most of the time. :)

[@FightGet]

Heck yeah bro great video. If you make more comparison videos I will definitely continue to watch them.

[@ShmupJunkie]

FightGet You know I will. 👌 This is just my fourth one I did a few others before, but got plenty more in the works.

[@FightGet]

@@ShmupJunkie Yeah I saw 'em, well that is to say I seen 'em.

[@docheckfire3979]

The stage 3 ost on PC Engine is... magic. :)

[@ShmupJunkie]

Ts Music didn’t mess around back then. I love almost all of their work from that era. Some pretty incredible remixes.

[@dezm101]

great job on this video, I really like how detailed you go into the all the differences. Excellent gameplay skills too, impressive job on that crazy boss

[@ShmupJunkie]

dezm101 Thanks man! Stoked you liked it. It’s impossible to hit every detail in a video with just a week to make it but I do try to get the main points and capture the overall spirit of the ports. That fish head boss on the arcade is no joke.

[@dezm101]

@@ShmupJunkie damn, thats pretty amazing you got all this done in a week! Props

[@ShmupJunkie]

dezm101 i did have my gameplay already recorded for the mega drive back when I did that top5 video. But yeah some of these are many long days worth of work. I did have fun with it at least 😁

[@Jikkuryuu]

Wow those music comparisons. Thanks for letting us sample them like that, it was a really nice experience. The PCE soundtrack is *stellar* but I just can't get behind changing a grungy guitar soundtrack into a twinkling piano track. That's like ordering a burger and getting a soup, no matter how good the soup is, it can't sate the same craving.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Only that great FM chip on the mega drive could duplicate that arcade sound. They definitely had the advantage when porting Toaplan and similar games since the sound hardware was so similar. That opening track on the PC Engine was definitely the odd one out, good but so different and that's the best of all the tunes. I prefer the opening track on the MD as well. It was the later stages, where some of the music was just OK in general from the arcade, that I really liked the arranged tracks on the PC Engine CD. It was really close for me and a personal thing. I can totally see how at least half would prefer the MD FM tunes.

[@Jikkuryuu]

@@ShmupJunkie Yeah, I grew up with a Genesis rather than a SNES, so I'm definitely biased towards that unique MD sound. I love the Air Diver soundtrack enough that I tried uploading it myself back when it wasn't on youtube yet. If you haven't run into it yourself, someone remade a battle track from FF6 using Genesis hardware a while back. Because Squaresoft's composers were so into rock at the time they made FF6, that one track almost sounds more at home on the Genesis than the SNES. It's nifty. Oof, I went to find the video and found dozens instead. This is a more popular thing to do than I thought. Here's a good example: iMVoSV8Q0KU

[@st1ka]

Wow, I just realized I wasn't subscribed to you and wow, this video was amazing! Such an awesome comparison.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! This was one of the earlier ones I did, but if you liked this one, you'd probably enjoy my most recent one with Zero Wing as well. That one turned out great too. I'm about due for another one it's been a while. They are fun to make. I found you originally from your Darius comparison video.

[@st1ka]

@@ShmupJunkie oh cool I'll check out the zero wing video. I hope you enjoyed the Darius video. I've met some people who were super angry that I said I couldn't Play the arcade version on my TV due to the screen crunch xD

[@damageinc.5458]

Both ports have their pros & cons, where it's like a constant tug of war on deciding which is better, but the Mega Drive wins. Man, that one stage with the glass domes with brains in them in the background, looks a lot like a stage in R-TYPE. Great job again! 👌

[@ShmupJunkie]

DAMAGE INC. I thought so yeah. It was a close call for me on both graphics and sound. Both had their pluses. It’s the gameplay that the MD port ran away with it in my eyes. So it’s definitive in my opinion. But I admit I’ll still play the PCE port sometimes for that great music

[@damageinc.5458]

@@ShmupJunkie You're right, the Mega Drive bested the PC on this one! 🤫

[@Daniel-it1dp]

Love these in-depth, comparison videos. Keep them coming!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I'm due for another one pretty soon here. Was deciding between Kyukokyu Tiger and Forgotten Worlds. Or Raiden but that one is tough as it's been released for so many systems. And it's hard as hell so playing through it so many times on various systems is a nightmare haha

[@Daniel-it1dp]

@@ShmupJunkie oh man, all of those sound like they’d be great videos. I know you’ve talked about how you got started with Shmups winning a Turbo CD but have you considered a video covering how long you have been collecting to get the rare and pristine consoles and games you have?

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@Daniel-it1dp I never thought about doing a video for it yet no. I’ve actually not been collecting that long, maybe a few years tops but not like many of these folks with massive collections that have been doing it for decades.

[@Daniel-it1dp]

@@ShmupJunkie I’m just shocked how you have all of these CIB games and all the systems. I held off on TG16 for the most part as with the Saturn because so many warned me “it’s too expensive right now” years ago and wish I had looked myself because what some ppl consider “too expensive” was actually reasonable especially considering current prices. Also, keep up the Timmy bits in your videos 😆

[@deceiver444]

Such a classy rendition of the soundtrack on the PCE

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yeah T's music outdid themselves on this baby as usual. Even when it's not their absolute best work it's still better than almost anything out there. Hard to imagine the remixes done much better. It was only that opening stage 1 track that made me wonder why they did something so drastically different from the original tune, whereas the other levels are very close.

[@LordShmup]

Solid jam session comparing the tunes!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Nice right! I love doing that, just playing one after another in sequence when it's cool music. Air Buster was good for that too it had some killer chip tunes.

[@chadmolitor6691]

I love these comparison videos. Kn a game like this that I've never played before it's nice to have an idea which version I'd like to try first. Some games are WILDLY different. Keep it up, these videos rule.

[@chadmolitor6691]

I'd also love to see more taoplan, I've really only played a few overall in their vast catalog but loved pretty much every one. I love their style.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Love to hear that thank you. I tried to make this one as detailed as I could without going overboard. There’s a lot to say about the next comparison as well, zero wing, which I plan to be the next one.

[@chadmolitor6691]

@@ShmupJunkie that'll be cool since I didn't even know zero wing was on multiple consoles lol

[@KingLizzardsGameLounge]

Great comparison mate, this must have taken ages to put together with those 3 versions, the timing for that is a nightmare, I know, I've done it! Really brilliant video and loved the humour to. I totally agree with your verdict overall and I was uncertain I'd played this back in the day, however having watched this video, those spheres of doom brought it back to me, I never got any further than them.... my Hellfire nemesis. Thing is I don't remember owning the cart so it must have been a a BlockBuster rental or possibly a naughty version on the old Magic Card / Wild Card (I always used to buy what I liked or what stuck with me). Congratulations on monetisation mate, well deserved. And best of luck getting sponsors, you defintiely deserve them with the quality of content you have been creating. Before your channel I barely watched KZbin, but now I find myself looking forward to every Sunday for a slice of Shmup greatness and cool entertainment. Oh, and that PC ENGINE music, sublime, and so much more technical it amazes me for it's era.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I always enjoy your thoughtful comments my friend. It does take a ton of work, usually the majority of a week. Thus my conspicuous absence on and off on IG. I'm usually in the thick of it. But I enjoy it, and you and others enjoy it, so it's been worth it. And weekends I get a break to relax and do other things for the most part. Those spheres are especially tough on arcade and the harder MD setting, only the PCE port they are pedestrian to kill quickly. Big reason I went with MD it's just on a similar level with the arcade original intent. And good fun too. The PCE tracks are excellent. Since they are on CD it freed them up to go nuts with it. The arranged tracks aren't to everyone's liking but I haven't heard anything from T's music that I didn't like (or love really). I just dig the style. 🤘

[@mintyretro]

Another great comparo! I’ll definitely be picking up a mega drive copy at some point, great to see it beside the pce port. And that pce remixed soundtrack is killer!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Minty Retro Thanks man. Glad you enjoyed it. Also glad there’s a few folks that feel as I do on the cd tracks I think they’re stellar. I need a mega drive copy myself been looking for a decent one for a while.

[@LostJediJC]

i love that toaplan ad in the beginning!

[@ShmupJunkie]

😂 I hope Retrobit loves it as much as you do... somehow I doubt it haha. Or maybe they'll see past the satire and realize sending an early review copy I can show everyone and give away would be a good idea. I'd bet it would get them some sales and in front of a good audience of people that are actually interested. I ordered mine already way back 😅

[@LostJediJC]

@@ShmupJunkie ordered mine too haha!

[@blakemink1464]

Great content as always, thank you!!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

You’re welcome! Worked hard on this one. I think it was my most thorough comparison so far.

[@TheAmazingLSB]

Dude, you deserve way more views and subs than you get.... Love this channel....

[@Parms]

I have just discovered your channel. Your videos are awesome! They make me want to play some shooters.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I am the go fast shootemup crack dealer! 😂 My top goal is getting people excited and hooked on these games and genre so I’m glad I’m doing my job well. If you just found me check out the one video I made recently called Amazing Shoot Em Ups of the 80s and 90s. That short video will get you in the mood any time you need it. It’s one of my favorite I’d made so far.

[@Parms]

@@ShmupJunkie you go into so much depth. Your passion really shows. Okay I will check that one out next. I watched your video about how to get good at Shoot 'Em Ups. I should try to master Thunderforce IV as it's my favourite one.

[@Shilster1]

I Just got all the 4 shooters came in the mail the other day. I missed out on the pack but thankfully I found them at a game store

[@ostiariusalpha]

I'll chime in for Zero Wing next as well. Great job, man!

[@ShmupJunkie]

ostiariusalpha Thanks! Looks like we got a ton of interest for that one. 👌 Will have to see how many All your base jokes I can cram into an episode 😅

[@ostiariusalpha]

@@ShmupJunkie Rick Roll everyone and start with playing the correctly translated Japanese ROM instead. LOL!

[@360KB]

Thank you for your out standing video excited to see more of your videos when I get my mg sg I sure try this one

[@ShmupJunkie]

You’re welcome. The mega sg is awesome I’m a big fan. I’m sure you’ll love playing them on it. I use mine a lot.

[@360KB]

@@ShmupJunkie I really love your style of videos keep up your fun work

[@fdolop79]

As always, great detailed video considering an holistic view of the game instead of focusing on specific aspects of the game. The music on the PCE is great though by a mile!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Isn't it though! I've yet to play games from any gen that stack up to some of the amazing compositions by T's music or Falcom for that matter. I play the PCE version for the music alone sometimes. But that's my view in a nutshell. I look at it overall even though I nitpick each section. The MD port was just better in my eyes mainly due to the gameplay. Had the PCE gameplay been more on point, especially with how arcade accurate the stages were, this would've swung the other way. They just didn't nail it with actual gameplay for me.

[@Carina_d3a]

Excellent vid!! As for music, even though the snare on mega drive is really bad, I used it for one of my songs because I friggin love it xD

[@ShmupJunkie]

Carina Haha which song. You should link it I want to hear it. I love the mega drive sound chip for these games. It either sounds kick ass or just ass.

[@Carina_d3a]

@@ShmupJunkie The bonus stage song for Super XYX. I even named it "HELLFIRE" xD kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJvSYayVZc57ga8

[@ShmupJunkie]

Carina oh yeah! 🤟 I can absolutely hear the hellfire in that track! I bought the game already and started playing it but it was giving me game pad issues and I couldn’t continue. I’ll be getting back to it soon enough as I want to really do a short review on it along with a few other indie games that really deserve it. And you can bet I’ll be giving you a shout out on the great music in it when I do. Not that I’m big or anything 😆 but I’m sure it won’t hurt.

[@MossArchive]

Nice video! I'd love to see a Zero Wing comparison!

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's too funny! I'm literally just finishing Zero Wing and it comes out this Sunday haha. Good timing. Let the memes begin.

[@tomtodd6143]

Another great vid Junkie!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! How you watch it so fast? I'm still just 20 minutes in! 😂

[@tomtodd6143]

@@ShmupJunkie I was watching it 8 min. after you posted it. I'm still watching. Lol

[@ShmupJunkie]

Tom Todd 😂 nice. I just finished on my end. I always gotta give it a full view after it goes live to make sure nothing on the upload was messed up.

[@kamadoma715]

Funny thing is, I've never heard of Toaplan until this year when I started getting into shmups! My only experience of their games had been Tiger-Heli on the NES as a kid. I had an MD back then, so it was a very special console to me even if I never had shmups on it. After watching your top 5 hardest MD shmups, I had to give the MD port of Hellfire a try, and boy was it a lot of fun. Personally I prefer it even more than the highly-acclaimed Thunder Force IV. I've only reached the stage 2 boss so far on easy mode, but I find the shot-switching mechanic a lot of fun. Save stating for practice is fun and efficient, but I find that I can enjoy Hellfire by playing it even on the old-school way of playing till I drop (or to be accurate, till my parents say that game time is over).

[@startoys2113]

Love the PCE cd ost on this one , never played the Genesis one I should to try it . Good video

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thx, the PCE ost really is great on this game. Ts music never disappoints. The MD drive port is a grea game I don't think you'll be disappointed. I did prefer it's gameplay. But great music and waifu does have to count for something.

[@earthad666]

Great video mate 👊

[@ShmupJunkie]

DynamiteReggae Thx dude 🙌🏻 appreciate it.

[@exmosquito]

Very cool video :) Love the detail you go into in these comparison videos and not just going along with first impressions. I havn’t played either conversion extensively enough to have an option on the difficulty differences have you try kicking up the difficulty up on the PCE version to normal to see if it makes a difference?

[@ShmupJunkie]

exmosquito The PCE version starts on normal if I remember right. I didn’t kick it up to hard mode to try. It doesn’t even loop unfortunately which the MD does. The MD starts on Easy mode by default and is already tough starting on stage 4. And hard is really hard closer to the arcade. But I should give the PCE hard mode a try and see how it is. I actually haven’t yet. I thought it was interesting though that MD only has easy and hard (no normal) and Easy is default. And certainly not easy lol

[@exmosquito]

Shmup Junkie I’d be interested in how much of an impact it has knocking it up to normal. On the PCE Image Fight default difficulty ‘Recruit Class’ is a pushover compared to the middle ‘Leader Class’. And the stupidly easy PC Engine-Mode on Ninja Spirit compared to the brutally hard Arcade-Mode, it’s a pretty insane jump! :)

[@alexrushdy2751]

Awesome video. I do hope you do Zero Wing next!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I will totally do a zero wing next! I've gotten a ton of requests for it!

[@ats2099]

I feel that you could have justified your opinion about the music the same way you did the visual differences: just emulating the arcade to the best the console can handle might not be the better choice- the strength of the platform might be more important. Really great stuff here!!

[@ClockedIt]

Hellfire in the Megadrive will always remain one of the hardest games I've played. But I completed it and I'm proud. Also I o my saw you use the Hellfire special once in this entire video heh! A video about Hellfire with no Hellfire, but clearly you got mad skills enough to not even need that special, something I needed for sure! Great comparison. I never played either the arcade or PC Engine version but based off this I don't feel like I missed out.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yeah I completely forget about the special weapon often 😂. Because it doesn’t exist on pce or arcade, it was something they added on the MD. So I got used to not having it. I agree I find the game really fun too even if it’s not Toaplan’s bread and butter. And the MD version is my favorite too. You would have no problem completing the pce version now that you beat this one. It’s a hard game you should be proud 💪

[@sprigganxiii9339]

Love your videoes!

[@swmorgan515]

that distorted synthy sound on the megadrive is so great. But I really like the new versions of the tunes on the PC Engine.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I actually agree with you on Hellfire. I do like the MD music but I'm quite fond of the PC Engine renditions done by Ts music too. They did a great job. Unlike the other comparison I did for Zero Wing, where the PCE music was still not bad and had some high points, but the Mega Drive music on that one is so kick ass it steals the show. It's even better than the arcade!

[@narf571]

love the channel. Friendly advice - for audio use a decent mic. currently doesn't catch your voice that well and captures room noise / echo. Your content is great & love the attention to detail

[@ShmupJunkie]

Very true and well noted. This was an older video before I could record myself live very well. I now have a table mic for the voice parts and a lapel mic for when I'm on camera. So it's come a long way since this video. You're spot on though, my early videos definitely didn't sound as good on the voice. Had to work my way up!

[@jessragan6714]

I'm seconding the guy who appreciates your enthusiasm. Also, you claimed that your opinion was going to be quite different from other reviewers, but personally, I found that this aligns quite neatly with my own experiences. I was shocked by how easy the Turbo version was... it's downright trivial next to the Genesis game, and that's just not Hellfire. One other thing! I wish this game had omni-directional fire like the arcade oldie Vanguard, and twin stick shooters like Geometry Wars. It'd be less of a hassle to sort out where you were aiming if you had a second joystick. It would literally be fire and forget, as opposed to cycling through trajectories and hoping you don't skip over the one you need.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Toaplan was the first to admit horizontal shooters were not their strength and were actually surprised at some of their popularity. As from what I've heard they themselves aren't as enthusiastic about them as their more common vertical games. But I still find them fun as well and enjoyed both this and Zero Wing. At a minimum, the music on ZW especially is absolute fire. Two ports where the MD version came out on top IMO, versus some others like Tatsujin and Kyu Tiger where I prefer them on PCE.

[@Marc_Araujo]

Any company releasing a new shmup, or re-releasing an old one, would be smart to send you a review copy. You, good sir, are the leading shmup authority/historian on KZbin. A favorable review from you would def move many to make a purchase. P.S. I really wish that Sega had hired you as a consultant when making the Astro City Mini V...a horrendous crime that thing turned out to be.

[@sudacagamer]

0:51 : lol a minute of silence for all those shelf collectors. 8:00 :100% agree. 15:43 : Sounds a little bit like Elemental Master.

[@ShmupJunkie]

To each their own I try not to go after how anyone likes to consume their nostalgia, but no harm in getting a fun dig in every now and then. 😁 It's all no fun if you can't talk just a little smack.

[@unlimitedretrogaming]

Congratulations on this amazing video!! Simply stunning and top quality!! I really enjoy the content and the dedication for this comparison, not missing a single detail, as usual. As a Sega fan, it's cool that this time the badge went to the MD but I was completely awed by the PCE soundtrack, wow dude!! Regarding the gameplay, now I can't wait to put my hands on this collection!! 👌👌 Also, I think the publishers/developers should knock at your door asap after these great reviews you are making!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Unlimited Retrogaming Thanks dude I always like hearing people enjoy these. I’m always realizing more stuff I missed with these but you can’t apply changes with video so I just do my best and have to stick with what I got. I’m clearly a big fan of the cd tracks too while others aren’t it’s such a toss up. I honestly like them both. No knocks at my door just yet , but if there are hopefully it’s with some early review copies I can give away and not the FBI. 🤣

[@unlimitedretrogaming]

@@ShmupJunkie LOL

[@mkn_retrogamer]

Well done Mr. Junkie! I totally agree with what I saw and heard in terms of graphics and music. Yes arcade perfection is one thing but both systems took it to the next level in their respective area and improved on the original.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Markus Ulfberg The arcade still looks the best visually of course, but I like the gameplay changes on the mega drive. It still plays great without being quite so unforgiving. And the music on the PCE port is ❤️. I’m glad you enjoyed this one. I tried to step it up in the amount of detail I included.

[@SouthernMenace]

Nice comparison of a game I dearly love, so grab a comment to help in those metrics. I frankly have never played the T16CD version, because I've always had the arcade and the Mega Drive games in mind,but looks like I'll have to give that a go. And you are right, that boss in the arcade is brutal and ate many a quarter back in the day. Lots of coins in your channel's future =)

[@ShmupJunkie]

I learned to enjoy this game even more than before playing it again this week. You will likely find the PCE way too easy, so just enjoy it for the different music and cut scenes/ending, but maybe crank up the difficulty if you plan to have a bit more fun with it. I'm going to try that next myself and see how it plays compared to the default.

[@headman82]

Toaplan has a special place for me. Not because I grew up with them, but in my Swedish language, “toa” means bathroom or toilet. 😂 but I would happily sit on the can playing a Toaplan game

[@ShmupJunkie]

I think you’re on to something. Now with portable emulation you can even practice while on the toilet. Why lose valuable seat time when you can have a toilet plan and kill two birds with one stone. Caravan practice while on the can.

[@chev9632]

Amazing video, the Genesis control is good, but the PC Engine music is a total killer!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Chev Chelios Thanks I’m glad you really enjoyed it. The music is so subjective. I love it. Others aren’t a fan and like the original tracks. But on the gameplay it’s pretty one sided. The genesis port is just great and the PCE gameplay is ok. I’m going to try the PCE port on harder modes too and see what I think.

[@WilsonCQB1911]

Ha, I just did a playthrough of the PCE version! I think I like one best but either is fine. Thanks for this!

[@ShmupJunkie]

WilsonCQB1911 good timing then 😁. I still play the PCE version sometimes to hear that great music.

[@crazyoldschool6342]

Great video! I myself like the pc engine one more because of the soundtrack. I grew up playing the genesis version. But when I finally had the chance of playing the pce version I was hooked.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Crazy Old Skool funny how that works and how subjective music can be. I also love the new tracks aside from the radically different first stage, and I still like that composition too. The gameplay never hooked me but I’ll still play it just for the tracks. I’m going to try it on hard next to see how it is that way.

[@shikasketchbook7610]

14:56 - nice music

[@-RH80-]

I regret so much passing that Toaplan collection. Dont know how many times I saw it on LR for preorder but by that time I never played any of those titles. Now I finally played them ....😮‍💨...lesson learn. At least I got the also Retrobit re-release of Gaiares and preordered Gleylancer.🥳.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yes that was a nice mega drive rerelease. There are the best version available though slowly from m2. Arcade and mega drive releases. They are releasing them slowly but they are coming.

[@prehistogeek7090]

Really great work! 👏 and as I agree with your analysis it's even better 😋😉

[@ShmupJunkie]

Prehisto Geek I’m glad you do this one time 😉 🤣 jk Thanks dude. Zero Wing next? 🤔

[@prehistogeek7090]

Shmup Junkie 😋 The Megadrive version of ZW is also excellent maybe better than the arcade 🤔 Yes chain all Toplan and then ... Technosoft! 😁

[@ShmupJunkie]

Prehisto Geek 😂 well technosoft gets a special episode. Which releases did they have across multiple consoles? I think it was pretty much Sega consoles right? Besides arcade.

[@prehistogeek7090]

Shmup Junkie Yes indeed if you want to do a battle of the ports you will be limited (Thunder Spirits VS Thunder Force AC or Thunder Force II vs Thunder Force II MD and Thunder Force V vs Thunder Force V Perfect System) but you could also make a video on the 'Technosoft story for example 😊 And for the arcade, TS only released 3 games.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Prehisto Geek i think a technosoft story is a much better idea. Or maybe a series of 2-3 so it’s not too long. I’ve been thinking about the best way to do it. It’s a lot of games to play through and record first!

[@Chinopolis]

Great video as always! I would enjoy seeing your thoughts on Zero Wing as it's the only Toaplan game I've taken the time to 1cc. Memes aside it's an interesting game, most definitely has some insane difficulty spikes out of nowhere though. It gave me one of my most painful moments caught on video for my 1cc of it. I got a random 20up early in the run and thought I had it in the bag...until the final stage midboss checkpoint. No joke, took every single life I had collected up to that point to finally luck my way past it to the final boss...which I managed to kill in one shot. Fun times.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Chinopolis I have a ton of requests for zero wing so that’s gonna happen for sure 👍🏻😎. Very interesting on the difficulty spikes too. That’ll make it fun on my part as I don’t know if I ever 1cc’d it on the mega drive. I mainly played it on PCE and popular opinion is the MD port is by far the best. So I think it’ll be a really fun and educational play through for me on both the arcade and mega drive ports. Did you say a 20up? One boss took all of it? 😳 Is that video posted here I gotta see that 😆

[@Chinopolis]

@@ShmupJunkie I don't know if it's the same as on PCE, but on the MD version every 4th power-up is random, usually a score item. It has a chance to be a 1up, 2up, or 10up, not a 20up, i misremembered, but i had in fact got the 10up and accumulated a ton of lives. Viewer discretion advised at a bit after this time code: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJ_Og6Oomctrj5I

[@ShmupJunkie]

Chinopolis i just watched it. Recovery on that last part looks tough but it looks like you finally got through in the end with a few lives to spare. I definitely am excited to play this port now it looks pretty bitchin. 🤟

[@perlichtman1562]

I’m re-watching this today (along with your Zero Wing one) after spending today with the new M2 STG Zero Fire release. The new Super Easy modes for both Hellfire and Zero Wing make the re-spawns work really well and I had a great time 1CC-ing them after a few attempts on each. For Hellfire, I’m really glad that that M2 added a lot of different options for changing the firing pattern because the arcade original (requiring letting go of the shot button before you could change the firing pattern) was pretty frustrating and needlessly cumbersome as someone who is playing the game for the first time in 2023. :) So far I’m enjoying M2 STG Toaplan Arcade Garage Vol. 3 more than the first two volumes or Truxton. Something about the routing feels more intuitive to me in these horizontal ones, even though I’ve spent more time with Tiger Heli and Twin Cobra. Anyway, thanks for these great videos - it’s fun looking at the differences to keep them in mind when loading the games up. :)

[@360KB]

Your background is clean and cool

[@ShmupJunkie]

You mean the shrine of shooters behind me? Haha thanks. That corner is all pc engine and turbo shooters that I slowly put together over the years

[@hammerheadms]

Oh my gosh, this game wooped my ass! Some of my favorite sound and music though.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yeah it's pretty tough on the MD, but it was the better port too imo. I love the music on the PCE but gameplay wise I have a hard time going back to it now.

[@jszekerj]

Great games on both systems! I've played both a bunch in anticipation of the collection. I actually love the MD one but the PCE was easier😋. I love the color outline on the ship. Top video again!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Retro Jash Hey dude! Totally it’s easier. Did you pretty much finish the PCE version already? The MD port gameplay is king 👑 💪

[@gallowaygaming75]

Excellent comparison video dude. I never owned the pc engine version but still own the megadrive one. Still one of the best shmups i have played👍

[@ShmupJunkie]

You've got a great version and I agree the game is great fun. Not everyone is a fan but I enjoyed it a lot this week. Aside from the cool CD tracks, I don't know if you'd be very thrilled with the gameplay on the PCE it doesn't quite measure up. When I do zero wing next it will be interesting, as it's really cool in the arcade from what I remember but I haven't played it in a long while. Next on the list.

[@jqr8049]

Keep the comparisons coming! Amazing work! R-Type some day? Could be a monster to tackle. I feel there is a real lack of reliable coverage for the Switch/PS4/Steam port

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks man appreciate that. RType would be a monster indeed. Almost more of a generations episode than a comparison. You have the early ports like SMS, followed by the nice Turbo release (but no other 16bit system), followed by arcade accurate ports on the PS1 etc. More like tracking it as the hardware could do it more justice. I'm sure to do it sooner or later. I can only imagine trying to cover every RType including the portables and arcade only like Leo would be nuts 😅 That would have to be a whole documentary 😂

[@jqr8049]

@@ShmupJunkie not trying to pressure/stress you, just keep doing what you’re feeling inspired to do!

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@jqr8049 don’t worry about that man. I love the suggestions and ideas. I do a plenty good job putting pressure on myself 😅. Btw I saw the Patron contribution thank you. Gesture is much appreciated. I just posted a little testing update there an hour or so ago 😉

[@Fattydeposit]

08:17 - "When so see blank sections like this it makes me scratch my head" - this section - the downward shaft is only blank in the US / Euro versions. In the OG JPN MD release there's actually a really cool background visual effect here. It was likely removed because of its strobing effect.

[@ShmupJunkie]

-SG6000- Really? That’s really cool info I would love to see that now. I’ll have to download the Jpn version to play. You would think they could’ve maybe added stars or some other background. Mainly on stage 2 with the moving Egyptian blocks. Just some stars there would make sense. But now I really want to see that section. Thanks for the tip! 💪

[@Fattydeposit]

@@ShmupJunkie There's also a code for a hidden very hard mode but I think it only works in the US version. It's pretty nuts. The effect that was removed is excellent, it's a veritable light show.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@Fattydeposit I read about that mode but haven’t played it. Doubt I’m that good to get too far in it 😅. Usually a second loop or hard mode is where I call it quits in most of them. That becomes weeks or sometimes months of practice territory. I leave that to the truly hardcore haha

[@CrimRui]

The best version would be if Mega Drive could combine with Pc Engine. Then we would have awesome gameplay, great music and waifus. XD

[@digitalworms]

I was playing this today on the sega genesis mini 2 it's gonna take me a min to get use to but so awesome!

[@ShmupJunkie]

And the arcade versions are coming to PC/Steam really soon in Feb as well. It's a good time for Toaplan fans right now.

[@digitalworms]

@@ShmupJunkie oh heck ya man I gotta grab that! Playstation has been having some good sales lately! Alot of shooters for sale!

[@vivekmantripragada832]

I love both ports definitely! Unfortunately i never played pc engine version but i will on retroarch !

[@felixfranzen7578]

They music soundtrack is awesome on the Mega Drive version and it clearly beats out both the arcade and PC Engine versions. The music just fits the Mega Drive sound chip so perfectly. I have always loved those tracks. I actually made a mix tape back in the day with the best music from my (somewhat meager) Mega Drive collection and Hellfire tunes took up a large chunk of that tape.

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's actually how I felt about Zero Wing on Mega Drive, that OST was fire and clearly better than the arcade, as well as the arranged tracks on the pc engine version, when I did a comparison on that game later. Even moreso it perfectly suited the sound chip on the MD. With Hellfire the MD definitely matches the arcade best and sounds really good, it just so happened that the arrange tracks on the CD version were also unbelievably well done, at least I thought so. To where I'd rather even listen to them. But it's music of course, so it's 99% opinion. And the MD tracks are great too. I actually still prefer the Stage 1 music on MD to the remixes myself too.

[@felixfranzen7578]

@@ShmupJunkie To be honest. I haven't actually heard all the tracks from the PC-version as I don't own it. So it's perfectly possible I jumped to conclusions here. But yeah, the Zero Wing tracks are great too. Btw, I'm kind of a shmup novice. Or rather a re-beginner. Owned a Mega and this particular game as well as kid (but never managed to clear it). Now I'm your age, recently reaquired a Mega Drive and went on a shmup buying spree, getting basically all MD shmups (aside from the insanely expensive ones, they're going on my flash cart). Going to look in to your How to get good videos next. Seems great!

[@TexasHollowEarth]

Have you covered the PC-Engine ports of Dragon Spirit & Dragon Sabre vs the arcade originals? Dragon-based shooting is awesome 👍.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Not yet I have not, since they pretty much only came out on PC Engine (and Famicom) that I know of. Without a doubt the arcade versions are superior, but the PCE ports are not bad at all minus some quirks. I do love that freaking music though. Some of the stages in the original, especially level 2 is one of my favorites. I think I will do a Dragon Shmups episode at one point that would be fun. Talk about the dragon spirit games, dragon blaze, mushihimesama and some others. That would be unique and not sure I've seen anyone do yet. Thanks for the idea you didn't know you were giving me! haha

[@SonyPWNsNintendont]

The Mega Drive version wins hands down in both gameplay and soundtrack. The improvements made (color changing, little companion that blocks projectiles and attacks and super laser) are much better than having 2 players or a barebones experience that's way too easy. I also think the MD version is also the most punishing especially on Yea Right difficulty. The PCE version has CD audio that doesn't really "fit" IMO and having to hear the beeps and boops of your shots every second gets annoying.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Red Alert Soundtrack is subjective for sure I really did like most of the arranged CD tracks. Especially since the MD music is also so well done. But on gameplay we agree it’s not even close. MD port is how it should be. The arcade port was extremely tough and I think the changes to console was for the best. Although I’m sure Yeah Right has got to be insane. I’m not quite that hardcore! lol. It would be funny to just have it kick my ass and see how far I could get though.

[@SonyPWNsNintendont]

@@ShmupJunkie I agree that the soundtracks are subjective but I only said the PCE soundtrack didn't "fit" the feel of the game even if it is also good. Maybe you should do a Yea Right (No h BTW strangely enough) playthrough to see if the game is actually harder on Arcade or Mega Drive.

[@djf7]

Excellent comparison! I didn’t even know the PC Engine version was on CD till I saw the opening here. For me the background scrolling plays a part in my liking the Mega Drive version alongside the bigger sprites. I think that is something more noticeable while playing. But there are some nice accurate details on the Turbo in comparison with the arcade. I do like the CD arranged soundtrack but feel it’s not “period correct” while playing. I would however, listen to it while not playing! An option for both would be nice, but I understand at the time it was all about showcasing the superiority of the CD format. How is the balance between the sound effects and the music on the PC Engine when playing? I would like to get my hands on the Turbo copy now after seeing this!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! I would say the sound effects are pretty typical pc engine fare. Not the greatest but not overwhelming like some other games. Aside from your shot they don't call a ton of attention to themselves. Overall I think the MD port has a more pleasing set of sound effects. I have to remember to compare those too. Sometimes they are so obvious like in Lords of Thunder where I spend time on it and others where it's not as prominent and I don't pay enough attention to it. The PCE version is still not super expensive so I guess it's worth grabbing if you like the soundtrack and the cut scenes, that's it's main draw for me. And 2 player if you have someone to actually play it that way with, although you definitely get even more sprite flicker issues that way.

[@fazares]

MD has the HELLFIRe....a very cool and powerful laser (limited uses though)

[@ShmupJunkie]

fazares very limited. Most of the time when playing I forget all about it. I think I used it just once my entire play through on mega drive.

[@ouchiewowow]

i gotta give more toaplan games a try, only ones ive really got any experience in are out zone and zero wing. so yeah a vid on that would be great.

[@ShmupJunkie]

ar walker their vertical shmups like tatsujin are particularly brutal but it’s their specialty. Batsugun is a must play if you have a Saturn and the means as it’s way too expensive now unfortunately. But zero wing is next on the list!

[@overkill1473]

That is why i come here. For a different, and hopefully refreshing perspective.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Wow thanks man. I certainly try. I’m just not a “hardcore” scorer and play mainly for fun so I try to show that perspective. It helps more people see the genre as accessible vs strictly for elite players.

[@happyspaceinvader508]

Need a collection on modern consoles containing Hellfire, Fire Shark, Truxton and Zero Wing... arcade, Mega Drive and PC Engine versions. Maybe some of the lesser-known Toaplan shooters as well. I’d pay good money for that. Would personally prefer on Switch as these games really lend themselves to portable gaming. I used to play them regularly on the Nomad.

[@ShmupJunkie]

You're in luck! Kind of. M2 has the rights and is going to release Toaplan arcade games on Switch and likely PS4. Nobody better to do it. I don't think they will b4e the console ports though but the arcade originals. It would be nice to have the various versions though, you're right about that.

[@happyspaceinvader508]

@@ShmupJunkie Awesome! 😃. I already collection in this video on order... just waiting for delivery. Having the arcade versions would be amazing.

[@rockhyde7775]

Yeah I like blue hair too. Since blue is my favourite colour after all. It’s also why I like gals with blue hair.

[@JamesTaylorMain]

Hey. What game is the music at the end (Poor Timmy) called? (I believe it's a TurboGrafx game because of how it sounds like, but my Google-fu is failing me)

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yep, it's from Air Zonk! You had it right.

[@JamesTaylorMain]

@@ShmupJunkie Thank you.

[@thehumbleone1983]

The Mega Drive is my favourite but both are good games especially the PC Engine music

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yes I’m a big fan of the pce remixes on this one. Anything by Ts music was always incredible.

[@KLONOA105]

old but there's a few things ( not important ) you left out how in the pc version the themes for stage 2 and 4 are switched with each other, and how in the sega version in place of the 2 player mode you have an option/wingman ( thought it flies around at random its is kinda useful ) and the bombs or hellfire attack to deal heavy damage.

[@MagisterHamid]

I bought the PC engine version solely for the music. Amazing tracks. Especially the later tracks in the game

[@ShmupJunkie]

T's music didn't mess around all their work was awesome. If you liked this one, have you ever played the PC Engine port of Cotton? The tracks there are even more amazing!

[@MagisterHamid]

@@ShmupJunkie gotta check it out

[@joshmiller887]

Another great video! I was on the fence about this collection. The money is the only thing holding me back. Maybe I’ll make the investment to play some of these great shooters I’ve never played. Btw...SHMUPSARESHOOTERS!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Josh Miller Thanks! 🤟 These collections really are pricey tbh if all you want to do is play. You’re paying for the extras. No better investment than an Everdrive which costs less than the whole set. I use mine to play most of the time. I haven’t completed compiling a list yet for the give away, but if I remember right you already commented on that other video right? That’s how I’m keeping track over there.

[@joshmiller887]

Shmup Junkie the extras is what it’s all about! The only problem is budget.... haha. I need to get savvy with roms again for the everdrive. I haven’t touched a rom since I found Nesticle in high school 😅. I certainly did enter in the previous video. Don’t want to miss that opportunity!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Josh Miller the Roms have gotten so easy to find for most games. Pretty much the top few results for any google search and copy it to the SR card. But if you want those scratch n sniff stickers you gotta pay the piper 😆

[@joshmiller887]

Shmup Junkie if I had to pick just one of these games...which should it be? I have truxton already soooo

[@ShmupJunkie]

Josh Miller that’s a tough call as they’re all kind of unique. If you prefer vertical fire shark is the only other one. The other two are methodically paced. Zero Wing is pretty popular and I think more people like it over Hellfire, but you’ll see for sure when I do the video on it. They even both have cool music and the mega drive port is also well done. ZW is a bit fancier with some bosses and design too. So I guess the answer is most would pick ZW but your mileage may vary haha. I personally find hellfire gameplay more fun because I like fast ship speed and dislike slow ships. So it’s a preference thing.

[@wheelchairwunda-Arcade]

Hellfire S best on PCECD jus sounds great & has a lil more I believe, besides the cutscenes. Luv the arcade version too & play it on md so it's a rounding endorsement coz I often pick one & stick

[@ShmupJunkie]

Ryan Parsons aka WheelchairWunda I agree the remix music is awesome and sometimes I play the PCE version just for that. And it’s got the extra section on the last level that the mega drive is missing. I mainly like the gameplay on MD most it’s closer to the arcade in difficulty. That’s the main reason I play that version the most. Gameplay is king 👌

[@ShamanNoodles]

PC Engine is the most underrated system in history! I just heard of it a month ago and ordered one immediately. Hours of quality gaming ahead

[@ShmupJunkie]

Hell I been playing it for 30 years and I am still enjoying it haha. It's definitely underrated or unknown outside of Japan, so I am always trying to spread awareness on it. Did you get an actual pc engine? If so let me know if you need any pointers on flash carts or anything else to play the whole library including CDs. It can be crazy expensive to buy some of it's games, so a good flash cart is a must at first.

[@ShamanNoodles]

@@ShmupJunkie thanks man! I actually jumped in head first, bought a broken Core Graphics/CD IFU unit(the briefcase) and somehow managed to fix all the little things wrong with it. Altogether it cost 190$ and it came with a system card 3.0! Wish I had an arcade card so I could play Ginga Sapphire. I just ordered an RGB mod kit for the IFU, I hope it makes a difference vs composite

[@oil_moon]

I could never beat Hellfire as a kid but I really adored it.. think stage 4 was always the wall I hit. And the Mega Drive music SLAPS! Much grimier than the Arcade version.

[@Nitroxity]

Now we just have to hope for an MD+ hack on the Mega SD that puts the PC Engine music in...

[@ShmupJunkie]

Maybe they can add in the waifu while they’re at it 😅

[@360KB]

I would love if they release this on modern consoles with the 3 conversions and you can play the mega drive ver with the pc engine soundtrack

[@ShmupJunkie]

It would be awesome, but I would be surprised if anyone did that. It sounds more likely of a fan hack. Kind of like they did for Lords of Thunder, where you can play the Turbo version but with the SegaCD tracks.

[@riggel8804]

Fish heads fish heads, rolly polly fish heads, fish heads fish heads in a soup yum...I heard that song on the radio around 1992. I only heard it once but I will never forget it. WEIRD.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I still have old recordings of it and other weird stuff on an old cassette tape from radio shows. I think it was part of the dr demento skits back then. The famous boot to the head skit that the funny ace attorney video did is from that show too. If you search ace attorney boot to the head it comes up haha

[@riggel8804]

@@ShmupJunkie Damn, I hold on to a lot of old tech but magnetic tape tech can eat a bull full of dicks. My VHS lasted but looked really bad so I tossed them. I actually had a cassette deck in my 91 Explorer until about 2 years ago. My tapes started to rot and wouldn't play. I had this old Sublime bootleg of unpublished stuff you can't find anywhere. It was recorded live off of old Long Beach local radio.

[@360KB]

The pc engine soundtrack is freaking amazing I wish I had a pc engine I never played this game

[@ShmupJunkie]

I thought so too Ts music rocks. I’m really hoping the mini gets a nice hack soon to play more games like this on it. At least there are some other emulators that can do it too.

[@360KB]

@@ShmupJunkie it would be cool if someone would but the pc engine soundtrack on sega genesis version to get the best of both worlds

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@360KB That is a cool idea but would only work on an emulator I think. Since it’s a CD soundtrack it’s too much for a cart. There are plenty of hacks out there though I’m sure someone would.

[@360KB]

@@ShmupJunkie like if they made an emulated port to modern console where you can choose to play the genesis ver with the pc engine ost

[@chrisgardiner2215]

as of the 13:00 mark I enjoy the Arcade music the most

[@ShmupJunkie]

The arcade original tracks on Hellfire are so good, I love them too. Zero Wing the MD port was even improved over the arcade imo, but here the Arcade tracks are so good.

[@danmakuman]

Some months ago some friends and I did a little video game challenche and one of the games we choose was Hellfire. One of my friends had to play it and he never was into shmups, but with practice he finished the game quite well. Then I showed him the PCE port and he felt it was way too easy, even for him. And yeah, I feel the same, it is ok, a good game with nice tunes, but just way too easy for its own good (except some parts you mentioned). The MD added enough to make it stand out but respecting the original source. Also it loops, the PCE version doesn't. Regarding the music, it's odd that the tunes from the Stage 2 and 4 are switched in the PCE one.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yeah not sure why they do that on swapping tracks. Kinda like how the SegaCD lords of thunder swapped Bosque with the last stage. Perhaps just saving a killer tune for a killer stage. Good point on the loop. I totally forgot to mention that in the vid and how the PCE version doesn't even do that. Sounds like your assessment was similar to mine on the gameplay. I was kind of perplexed seeing other reviews stating how the MD version was too hard and unfair and the PCE was just right. In all honesty, the MD port plays "right" like the arcade, and the PCE port feels like it was purposefully made much easier. Which is odd given how the opposite is usually the case when it comes to PCE given it's demographic.

[@vermillion16]

Damn. Now I want to play the PC Engine version of this, too! You probably know this, but the US and Japanese versions of this on the MD are VERY different. I had both, which is odd as I'm from the UK, which has only just struck me. I'm uually a purist when it comes to games, and prefer the harder versions of games, but the Japanese version was too much for me. I was able to complete the US version without TOO much trouble, though, and that felt like quite the accomplishment!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I’ve actually never played the Japanese version. I mainly knew it didn’t have the bad translation but didn’t know it was also much harder. I’m imagining it’s as hard as the arcade then or close which would make it really dang hard lol.

[@Glux247]

My BIGGEST issue with the Hellfire S - Another Story is the OST track order. Nevermind the arrangement, I could get over that if the levels had the right music playing on them. Levels 2 and 4 have their respective tracks swapped. Why would they do that? Legit, Hellfire is one of my favorite OSTs of all time and the PC engine drives me up the wall because I KNOW the tracks are out of order. Maybe it was a coding error, but OMG I just can't settle with that misstep.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I honestly couldn’t tell you either. Maybe they just thought that music suited their respective levels better 🤷‍♂️. It’s like the music swap on Sega cd lords of Thunder. It’s hard for me to not hear the proper Bosque music on that stage as it’s the baddest track in the game. Maybe that’s why they swapped it into the final stage instead.

[@norther333333]

I'd love to play this game, but for some reason this game and a few others have no sound on my Sega mini with Hakchi. I just can't play it with no sound but it seems like a great game. Anyone have any idea why it has no sound?

[@ShmupJunkie]

Jamie Sanders I’ve not hacked my Sega mini yet so I’m not sure. I usually use my Everdrive to play it. Maybe someone else here will see it and chime in. I’ve got a friend who knows the project lunar hack on the Sega mini really well. I’ll ask him later and see if he knows about it or a fix.

[@ostiariusalpha]

Mine plays the sound just fine. What emulator core are you using?

[@norther333333]

@@ostiariusalpha I don't know. How do I find out?

[@ostiariusalpha]

@@norther333333 You can right click on the game in your list, and from the little options window that pops up, near the bottom you can select the emulator menu. Once that open, the name of your emulator will be on the right, with a list of available emulators further to the right.

[@norther333333]

@@ostiariusalpha Mine says either unassigned or M2engage. It was set to M2engage. Is there a better option I need to add?

[@heilong79]

The Megadrive port was actually an enhanced version or at least that is what they say on the street ;)

[@ShmupJunkie]

Enhanced over the arcade? They seemed very similar to me I wouldn't have guessed. Whatever it was, it was a damn good port either way. It's my preferred way to play it now.

[@jameshenderson4089]

I have both games but I usually reach for my turbo CD before my genesis/mega drive.

[@TROLLING_BOT]

Who cares what you like, the genesis version is superior. 🙂

[@ilukadesigns5476]

Clearly the turbografx port. But Megadrive is eternal

[@claimyourqueen]

Very in depth as usual. Sega for the win!!! Now Bring that Wing #ZeroWing ♡

[@ShmupJunkie]

Ash Vendetta Definitely would be the natural choice with the Toaplan collection coming up fast. I was thinking that or Kyukoyu Tiger, but that one won’t be on there. And fire shark isn’t on PCE engine. So it makes sense.

[@RuV9999]

hmmmm i have a suggestion for Battle of Shmups series. Forgotten World by capcom has a Arcade/MegaDrive/PCEngine platform as well and so far im playing the arcade emulation version and daym it's extremely hard.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yeah I was actually considering just this game, either it or Kyukokyu Tiger next. The Capcom arcade stadium default setting for the game is nuts it feels nearly impossible. I agree there. It’s near the top of my list for one and it’s been a while I’m due for another one of these

[@RuV9999]

@@ShmupJunkie Ah twin cobra isn't? i've play a few time of it. reminds me of Raiden or something.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@RuV9999 Yeah it’s twin cobra in the US. Was also by Toaplan. Sooner or later I’ll do both of these games. The Genesis version is really hard on that one