Battle of the Ports - Soukyugurentai / Terra Diver (蒼穹紅蓮隊) Show

[@SaturnMemories]

RayForce is my favorite shmup, but this one's not too far behind. There's something about lock-on lasers that I really love. :)

[@amberdean1263]

Phenomenal game, one of the best. Thanks for taking the time to put this together!

[@RetroCore]

No worries. It's a true classic of a shooter.

[@DeadlyGamingLV]

This is one of my favorite shooters. I love the music, the visuals and especially the gameplay. I always recommend this game for getting into shooters on the Saturn although now for how much it's going for, it's hard to still recommend it. For the price I would go with Layer Section for starting out with shooters on the Saturn. For Soukyugurentai, I have both versions for the Saturn as well. I bought the first release and there were some glitches so I bought the second release and no glitches so I still have both discs for collection reasons but I always use the later release when I play this on my Saturn. Thanks again Yakumo for another awesome Battle of the Ports.

[@RetroCore]

Ah, Layer Section/Ray Force/Galactic Attack is a fantastic game. I'd go with that over Soukyugerentai, especially when you consider the cheaper price.

[@Charlie-Cat.]

Nice job with Soukyugurentai / Terra Diver Mark. I haven't played this title in years. I almost forgot about it if it wasn't for this video. Now I really need to catch up on on the fun I use to have with it. Thanks Mark, I got mt work cut out for me now! 8^). Anthony...

[@RetroCore]

Have fun, Anthony. It's a great game with a fantastic soundtrack.

[@RedRanger2001]

Fact: When the Saturn version is used in the American console with the region-converter cartridge, the game will be in English along with the "Terra Diver" name. However, the original version is glitchy. It was fixed in the Otokuyou version.

[@dontcallmejon]

I'm hoping this is the surprise M2 project coming up, Dangun, Garegga and Souky would be the Holy Trinity of 90s shmup.

[@averageradiantreplays7702]

I came from the future is just a plain boring Cave game, I was seriously dissapointed...

[@almostliterally593]

Soldier Blade is a hell of a 90s shmup

[@jonathanlisowski5618]

@@almostliterally593 YESSS!!!!

[@danbigboss6484]

@@jonathanlisowski5618 there are 2 others that people dont know and i will keep theses titles for myself ;)

[@SA-ph1gl]

1990年代のゲームセンスおよび技術は日本が世界一でした。 ライジングが手掛けるビデオゲームは侍クール(笑)な作品があり、蒼穹紅蓮隊は世界観と音楽が素晴らしいものでした。 世界の皆様、これからも日本の多大なる支持と応援をお願いします!!

[@MarcBarkyMarta]

This game feels like a spiritual successor to the Aleste games. No surprise, as Raizing was founded by former Compile staff, who were later joined by Toaplan refugees. Shooting royalty, for sure. Definitely go with the Saturn version here; it’s a 1:1 match with the arcade system, and the PS1 version slows down too much starting at level 3.

[@blazingsoulhunter2862]

I would love to see this game have a Steam port along with Battle Garegga, Radiant Silvergun and maybe Darius Gaiden and the Ray series by Taito.

[@danmakuman]

Awesome video as always, bro. In fact, thanks to your Sega Saturn episode I recently bought Soukyugurentai (Otokuyo), also Layer Section. I knew those games for a long time, but your episode helped me to take the decision.

[@RetroCore]

No worries man. You'll really like Layer Section too. It's a hard game but full of class.

[@danbigboss6484]

got all of them for free ;)

[@IMDRanged]

Amazing. As always the Saturn is great at handling 2D sprites. I hope to find this even if I might have to settle for MAME due the Saturn being collectibles. But the PSOne "lacking transparencies?" That is even a worse port offense. I believe Kaitei Daisensou (In the Hunt) port for the PSOne was amazing so it just would be great if ported by the good team.

[@RetroCore]

The PlayStation has issues with some 2D transparency effects. There are many games on both systems which have transparency effects in 2D for the Saturn but none on the PlayStation. Games such as Darius Gaiden, Rockman X4, Thunder Force V and others. It basically the opposite of when the PlayStation does transparency effects in 3D while the Saturn is left with the mesh effect for the most part.

[@joystickjedi]

The way it starts reminds me SO MUCH of Layer Section / Galactic Attack, lol.

[@NightSprinter]

An ST-V game being superior on the Saturn? Why am I not surprised? X)

[@Retro_Royal]

The Playstation version is missing some 2D transparency effects. Oh the irony xD No one gives a crap about the 3D Performance of the early 32bit consoles, what flashed us back then is eye-cancer today. 2D aged very well in comparison and those 2,5D games overlooked in the past are called art today. Hope they finish the Princess Crown translation on Saturn.

[@RetroCore]

This is not the only game on the PlayStation to be missing transparency effaects. Thunder Force V on the Saturn has loads where as on the PlayStation there are almost none. Also the Saturn has solid straight floors while the PlayStation's are all bent as always. On the plus side for PlayStation, I'd does have higher resolution textures.

[@Retro_Royal]

This here will be on the Menu today, took my wife for a spin on Battle Garegga yesterday, she liked it but complained being to busy to experience the background graphics. This might suit her better :) As always, keep up the good work, a highlight everytime :)

[@RetroCore]

Ah, Battle Garegga is a busy game.

[@hikaruk.981]

Thankfully, for those of us without hefty wallets, the X-Box One version gave us another chance to experience it (Battle Garegga).

[@ravagingwolverine]

This game has been on my mind a lot since you featured it in the Saturn episode and I've been reading up on the ST-V board. Very cool looking game and I do like the lock-on concept also used in Rayforce. I really do need to play both of those somehow. The fact that it is in 4:3 is likely do to the cart-based nature of the board, much like Neo Geo which also used horizontal layouts for vertical shmups. Since the ST-V concept used carts to allow operators to switch carts, they needed a standard cabinet and horizontal made the most sense for all genres. Likely, gamers were quite used to it since there were many good 4:3 vertical shooters for home systems over the years. There's not a ton of ST-V info out there, so I'm not sure if any of the boards had multiple slots like Neo Geo offered. It's also possible that it was a planned feature that was never actually produced. Great work, and cool to see a record of the mobile version, even if it's not good. Thanks for sharing.

[@RetroCore]

It's a real shame that a lot of these mobile games from old Japanese phones are lost forever. The sad part is that I do own these games on old phones but the phones can't be accessed since the are locked down once the contract is up :(

[@frankschneider6156]

+Retro Core Don't get me wrong, but that's why backup is absolutely essential and the only way to prevent data loss. If you still own the phone (even if you have no access anymore,) you still have got access to the hardware. In case the program was fully stored locally and didn't need any external server input, you should be able to retrieve it.

[@RetroCore]

Yes, I know that but the big problem is that nobody seems to care about unlocking the early 2000s Japanese phones. I would love to try myself but I haven't got a clue :( hopefully one day someone will find an exploit to gain access to these phones and their data.

[@frankschneider6156]

Retro Core You may want to google BitPim

[@RetroCore]

ah yes, I know about BitPim but sadly it&s not of much use when it comes to Japanese phones,

[@alecjahn]

Great game pick, and great video as always!

[@sminem777]

odd tidbit to add: the saturn version has various Raizing tracks right on the disc! some stuff from shippu mahou daisakusen and garegga if I remember correctly. Great video btw. soukyugurentai is like Layer section and Silvergun morphed together with the addition of raizing's typical rank. insanely underappreciated game imo

[@sminem777]

also any thoughts of doing a Garegga battle of the ports when the ps4 port releases in December?

[@RetroCore]

Ah yes but those extra music tracks are only present on the re-release version of the game as they are featured in the Battle Garegga demo. Great little extra mind you.

[@RetroCore]

Only if the remake comes to the Xbox One because I don't own a PS4.

[@DaveVoyles]

You sir, just earned a new sub with this awesome video!

[@RetroCore]

Thank you for joining the channel, Dave.

[@StevenCusic]

Another Favorite shooter of all time....

[@energyzer_bunny1913]

I feel like playing this game on my Saturn right now lol.

[@lightdark28]

one of the examples of a Saturn (well , ST-V board ) being ported to the Playstation and the results are pretty evident. Most times it was the other way around which is why stuff like Die Hard Trilogy or the EA sports games exist (I wasn't that fond of it on the PS either, but at least it ran well) though at least back then consoles were different, and each console had a distinctive look , sound and game selection.

[@RetroCore]

That's true. These days games look pretty much identical on the Xbox One or PS4.

[@danbigboss6484]

I LOVE the PSX intro !

[@DanielAyy]

And to think I STILL haven't gotten this gem for the Saturn.

[@RetroCore]

It cost a fortune now too.

[@DanielAyy]

Wait, really? I've seen most copies going for about 60-70 euros. I mean, It's not cheap but it seems affordable for a game of this caliber.

[@RetroCore]

Nice. Its come back down in price. It was going for over a hundred for quite a while.

[@andrewmendes2562]

I need to get this for my Saturn

[@RetroCore]

Yes you do. It's a great shooter.

[@kaikiske7436]

awesome video, keep it up! We have the SEGA Saturn version, bought new at release. However, do you think it's worth getting the PS version simply for collecting purposes? Any chance that you'll start doing comparison videos of PS / Saturn games that weren't arcade ports (I assume), like Nekketsu Oyako or the Time Bokan games? in any case, thanks for taking the time to make and share these videos. best gaming channel on YT

[@RetroCore]

Oh by all means, you should have a PlayStation as well. I own quite a few PlayStation games. The system is home to many great titles however I wouldn't buy one for collecting as there's far too much crap to waste money on. But do get one to play a lot of the PlayStation exclusives. As for Saturn vs PlayStation videos, hmm...... I can kind of do that in some Battle of the Ports videos but for separate videos I may not do so at the moment.

[@retrovideogamejunkie]

a bunch of powerups in one ship?!

[@SebasHCG]

the Power-up system work like the early Compile Power-up system.

[@retrovideogamejunkie]

SebasHCG would you gimme an example to check it out?

[@SebasHCG]

in Power Strike II (SMS) & the GG Aleste games it's the same system. it was already there before on Aleste (MSX/SMS) but 1 ship carry only one item (they came in group of 4~5 though) but 1 item don't Power-up your ship, you need a few "P" before upgrading your weapon, same system than Compile used back in the past. :)

[@retrovideogamejunkie]

i will try aleste, it seems less hellbullet (for me) than power strike 2 XD

[@SebasHCG]

Compile was a great Shmup Dev & if you like the genre, it's time to do your homework : www.hardcoregaming101.net/aleste/compile.htm www.hardcoregaming101.net/aleste/compile2.htm most of their games deserve to be played, even today ! don't care the system, Aleste Gaiden & Aleste 2 (MSX2) / the crazy GunNac (Famicom) or the GG Aleste 1 & 2 (on Game Gear) are pure gems from the 1st era games, after that Gunhed (PCE) Musha (MD) & Super Aleste (SFC) became some sort of very popular games on each machines =D very regretted & talented Compile team, we are loving you

[@TheRealJPhillips]

nice game. I play it on mame from time to time. reminds me of raystorm a little

[@RetroCore]

I found it hard to get running on MAME. It wasn't until I combined the ST-V bios with the actual game rom did it work.

[@SolCresta3405]

Never understood why the PSX version is frowned upon by fans. I mean, it has a few things the Saturn version doesn't, such as an exclusive character, cutscenes, voice acting, and an alternate final boss.

[@RetroCore]

Because overall its awful. A game like this needs to be smooth something the PlayStation version is not. Same with Darius Gaiden.

[@SolCresta3405]

@@RetroCore What about the alternate final boss, though? I don't remember the Saturn version having a boss like that. Not to mention the voice acting.

[@marioghernandez4960]

So wait... The backgrounds are in 3D, but the actual game is 2D? Well, that's a twist...

[@RetroCore]

Some backgrounds are in 3D.

[@TheSaturner]

Sega Saturn, best 2D and also handles great 3D (Exhumed).

[@DesertRainReads]

The PSOne version is okay, but the Saturn/Arcade versions are where it's at! I saw the slowdown you were talking about with the PSOne version, it was at times almost painful to watch. I mean, it's functional and playable, I'll give it that, but by far inferior to the Saturn/Arcade version.

[@RetroCore]

Makes a change really. Most of the time the Saturn comes out worse :p good to see it getting the upper hand every now and then.

[@joystickjedi]

Only in 3D games. In 2D the Saturn typically dominates!

[@DesertRainReads]

Indeed, the Saturn is a 2D monster, shame we never got that version of X-Men vs. Street Fighter, but with 3D games? It lags behind the PSOne.

[@joystickjedi]

Ah, XvsSF is so nice. Yeah, PS1 has a edge in 3D for sure, not that Saturn was incapable... see Panzer Dragoon 2 for example.

[@johns6265]

It's a bit of a rigged fight as a PS1 versus Saturn contest. The arcade original running on ST-V hardware gives the Saturn a home team advantage and Raizing handled the port versus the Playstation version which was outsourced.

[@esathegreat]

Google translates this to "Sky Red Lotus Team" in Chinese and "Blue Sky Crimson Corps" in Japanese

[@RetroCore]

In Japanese translated to English is probably closer to Azure Crimson Squad. I have no idea what it would be from Chinese but it should be a similar meaning.

[@gabrielloko30000]

I played the ports just because i really love this game...but buggers me how the PS1 version was so damn downgrades. Yes...Thunder Force V and G-Darius got the same stuff...BUT! on this game case was very glitchy. I take out the filters of the emulator and i could see some stuff missing...even the FREAKING BOSS MUSIC. And also also...the forth pilot actually is kind of redudant, Swordfish is the balanced type, Mackrell is the laser focus type, and the Gallop is the Vulcan focus type....i not see much of a difference on the forth ship maybe he is all-round and i didn't notice

[@RetroCore]

Yep, Sokyugurentai on the PlayStation is rubbish. Darius Gaiden is another Saturn Arcade perfect shooter that's awful on the PlayStation.

[@gabrielloko30000]

Retro Core Hey i forgot to mention this! I played after you Bop episode of it and..Which it's was not great at all. I think the only arcade port that was perfectly ported was Raiden, Raiden 2(Raiden Project) and Raiden DX

[@Jac2Mac]

What happens if you time out the final boss of Terra Diver?

[@RetroCore]

Hmm, I dont know. I've never experienced that. Maybe it just fly away?

[@ThoughtformsOfTheSubconsciousM]

Typical the Saturn owns the PS1 in 2D yet again👍🤣

[@RetroCore]

Yep but the true PlayStation fanboy will still find a reason to say why their version is better. They always do.

[@KokoroNoSama]

why does the Saturn version look darker?

[@RetroCore]

Because it is running on real hardware while the others are emulated.

[@SebasHCG]

there is the scanlines on the Saturn version.

[@hil1893]

question this game has polyguns or its 20 scalimg

[@RetroCore]

+‫יאן ברסלבסקי לוי‬‎ it uses some polygons but mostly sprites.

[@CaspisSinclair27]

I'm curious, is there one particular game port you consider the absolute worst? Something so poorly made that it almost tarnishes the arcade original by its very existence?

[@RetroCore]

Oh, there are so many on the home computers thanks to developers such as Tiertex and numbnut publishers such as US Gold and Ocean.

[@carlosbragatto]

It seems like the ST-V and Saturn versions rely on 2D Sprite Scaling, with a little touch of 3D Polygons here and there, and the PSX version is completely done in 3D

[@RetroCore]

The game was designed to be 2D so I'm not sure why some sections are polygons on the PlayStation port. I guess it was easier to do it that way?

[@davidvfx]

I do not see were is any new polygon in the game, re-waching again.

[@RetroCore]

davidvfx I'm pretty sure the roads on stage 1 are polygons on the PlayStation version where as they are Sprite layers on the Saturn.

[@31leoceara]

I don't see any difference whatsoever in terms of polygon/sprite usage between those 2 versions. They are virtually the same.

[@Perkinson78]

If there was a nintendo 64 port you would had me massacred lol, the fanboys came up deep on this vid.

[@RetroCore]

Yep. You see, according to some fanboys the PlayStation does everything better.

[@RyumaXtheXKing]

I didn't know there were PS1 fanboys.

[@davidvfx]

Saturn.

[@topofbones]

European people, like always, didnt´t deserve a fantastic game like this....we had NHL, FIFA, NHP and lots of shit like this...Stupid regional policy of games!

[@RetroCore]

Well, you can kind of that American for that as European releases kind of followed what the US got although some European countries did get some exclusives such as the Dragon ball games in France and Spain. The one that always puzzled me was Konami bringing Whizz out in the UK on the Saturn but not Castlevania. I mean, Castlevania had been released for a few months so we'll all though that's what Konami were going to release. But no, they released Whizz, a crappy Amiga style platform. Funny thi g is that Whizz was also released in Japan but not by Konami but by Micro value, whoever they are.