Space Harrier - Versions Comparison (HD 60 FPS)

Comparison Video of Space Harrier / スペースハリアー (Sega, 1985), created by Yu Suzuki, featuring gameplay of the first level on the following versions:
0:00 Arcade (1985)
1:53 Master System (1986)
3:53 ZX Spectrum (1986)
5:34 Amstrad CPC (1986)
6:56 C64 / Commodore 64 (Euro Version) (1986)
8:51 C64 / Commodore 64 (USA Version) (1986)
11:11 NEC PC-6001mkII (1987)
12:44 NEC PC-8801 (1987)
14:12 Fujitsu FM-77AV (1987)
16:04 Sharp X68000 (1987)
18:12 Sharp MZ-700 (1988)
20:04 Sharp X1 (1988)
22:35 Atari ST (1988)
24:28 Amiga (1989)
26:25 NES / Nintendo Entertainment System (1989)
30:36 PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 (1989)
32:59 PC DOS (1989)
34:11 Game Gear (1991)
36:11 Sega 32X (1994)
37:33 Sega Saturn (1995)
39:12 Dreamcast (1999) Included with Shenmue / Yu Suzuki Game Works Vol.1 (2002)
40:42 GBA / Game Boy Advance (2003)
42:10 PS2 / PlayStation 2 (2004)
44:21 J2ME (2006)
45:56 Nintendo 3DS (2012)
47:39 Nintendo Switch (2019)
49:04 BONUS: Space Harrier 3D - Master System (1988)
51:31 BONUS: Atari XL/XE Unofficial Port
53:10 BONUS: Bayonetta (Space Harrier based stage)
Space Harrier has been ported to lots of different systems. Some versions that are based on pure emulation has been purposely discluded in this video. Though Dreamcast version is based on emulation, we've included because there are minor differences regarding the sound.
As a curiosity, Sharp MZ-700 version was originally a fanmade version, released in a Japanese Magazine in 1988 and later licensed by Sega. Most of Japanese computers of that times were unable to offer sprite scaling, and that's why most of the elements has a blocky look.
BONUS: We've included Space Harrier 3D, a semisequel released for Master System stereoscopic glasses. Although most times we do not include unofficial versions, this time we've included an unofficial Atari XL/XE Port released in 2011 and updated in 2018, that looks like an original release in terms of graphics and gameplay. To end the video, we've included footage of the Bayonetta's Space Harrier tribute.
Which version is your favorite? If you enjoyed this video give us a like, share, comment, subscribe and don't forget to click the bell icon to receive new updates.

[@retrosutra]

🕹️ Explore retroserk, my other channel dedicated to retro game reviews and comparisons in Spanish. Join the fun! youtube.com/@retroserk

[@Toblerone5]

The Sharp MZ 700 is trying it's best

[@Buck3366]

I thought my glaucoma had returned but it seems it looks like this intentionally.

[@merkquavious2]

@@Buck3366 yeah idfk how this port is even playable

[@hakureicirno6059]

Because the MZ-700 itself is a terrible machine. It was released in 1982 and has no graphic mode, only text mode. That is good enough since the MZ-80A released in the same year earlier doesn't even support color display. You can imagine if someone write a Space Harrier port for Commodore PET and it would be as terrible as this.

[@greensun1334]

@@hakureicirno6059 I was born in 1982 - so, this Computer is 38 years old... Unbelievable!

[@Toblerone5]

@@greensun1334 Mega Drive launched with the sequel. Wasn't til the 32x came out they did a full port of the original

[@shaggydog9789]

Props to the Spectrum programmer for getting checkerboard floor in there and the sense of speed, he got those sprites zipping around.

[@curcumin417]

Yeah but the sound effects sound like fast-food induced diarrhea 😂😂

[@JasonMontell2501]

This game had to be INCREDIBLE to see in the arcades in 1985 compared to what was out at the time.

[@AnaheimRob]

Jaws dropped! When it first came out there were lines to play it!

[@greensun1334]

It still looks good today!!!

[@blenderbachcgi]

Space Ace, Dragon's Lair, and Star Rider looked better.

[@noaht2005]

@@blenderbachcgi dragons lair was literally an interactive cartoon. Of course it looked better

[@sadeness]

@@blenderbachcgi no way this was impressive at th time considering most games looked like super mario bros

[@knyosh]

The graphics for the PC-6001Mk.II version are monochrome, but they are programmed to look like color images using the bleeding of the cathode ray tube when displayed on a home TV. However, red and blue are reversed in this video.

[@dcb99filmz]

kinda like when you play DOS games in CGA mode on a composite monitor such as a CRT

[@ianbrooke9313]

That version on the pc-6001 looks worse

[@MagikGimp]

I had absolutely no idea the Amstrad's programmer went for the vector approach; that's amazing. What's also very cool is how you could have had almost identical sound hardware to an arcade cab back then at home in Japan!

[@Buck3366]

The spectrum version sounded like me this morning on the toilet.

[@nekononiaow]

To me it sounded more like a thousand crickets on LSD. Maybe you consult a gastroenterologist. 😋

[@Yeeter629]

To me it sounds like a fart blaster from “despicable me”

[@solarflare9078]

Every single 48K Spectrum game tend to sound like that

[@UltraCollagenBooster]

Completely understand... 👍

[@retrojamm07]

Space Fantasy Zone would be a good bonus to add. It's an unreleased crossover of Space Harrier and Fantasy Zone, which is mostly using Space Harrier elements.

[@wishusknight3009]

I love how every CPC game the music slows to a crawl every time there are graphics on the screen.

[@AnnoyedArt1256]

well the devs at elite had a brilliant idea of displaying wireframe graphics which is pretty cool and a tremendous speed boost from normal graphics on the cpc

[@JasonMontell2501]

What does CPC mean

[@wishusknight3009]

@@JasonMontell2501 its the computer Amstrad made.. eg the CPC 464 or 6128. Also stands for "Crappy Puter Cystem" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amstrad_CPC

[@BenLiuChungHin]

Amstrad doesn't have a separate dedicated sound processor like on the C64 (SID chip).. it required clocks from the Z80 to process sound and hence why sound slowed a lot of games down. It's probably the weakest point of the CPC.

[@wishusknight3009]

@@BenLiuChungHin Even drawing a few pixels on the screen slows the games down. The weakest point of the cpc was the cpc itself. Friends of mine that had one were always feeling like they were ripped off with it. And they replaced it pretty fast when they could afford to do so.

[@ayumudas1023]

凄すぎてもう何が何やら 全ての開発者の苦労努力は無駄ではない証です

[@user-zo7xf1ep7y]

序盤に出てくるセガMKⅢ？版とかはよく移植したなあと... 当時の開発者様には頭が下がります。

[@massproducedeva_]

The SHARP MZ700 port looks like I forgot to put my glasses on

[@cristianplaza1466]

Plus your ears have problems

[@darkridearts]

It’s like an ai trying to reconstruct what it thinks the game is like

[@harrymasonsm]

Love how the NEC PC-6001mkII version proves the concept that if your gameplay is good, the graphics can be just be a bunch of blocks.

[@b0rg1010]

Such an epic game way ahead of it's time. I remember playing this all the time with my dad on the hydraulic moving chair which had never been done before. Always had a crowd watching. Good times. 👍😃

[@williamcrowe2576]

Given the limitations of microprocessors at the time, sacrifices had to be made for certain home releases; frame rate, collision detection, sound effects, graphics, and (sometimes) digitized voice samples. Takara's port for the NES is a good example.

[@BokBarber]

It's interesting seeing how some of the hardware limited PCs prioritized graphics while others went for smoothness. The US C64 VS the NEC being an extreme example.

[@TheTenthArt]

This video is incredible!! Kudos!! There are a lot of japanese PCs that I didn't knew they existed. Thanks!

[@OrbGoblin]

This is amazing, I can't believe you put all this together, what a fantastic vid!

[@TheBoxyBear]

For those asking, the PS4/Xbox One/Steam version included in Yakuza and the Shenmue HD is the same as the arcade. Probably running the same emulator as the Switch version

[@AdamNovagen]

Arcade: The original, the classic. Good stuff. Master System: I have this one! Why do the rocks look like vaginas? ZX Spectrum: Looks and sounds like a playable memory leak. Amstrad CPC: I feel like this one started as a different game. What is up with that background? C64 Euro: Odd take on the iconic music, but it still bumps. Pretty smooth performance. C64 USA: Looks a little more like the original. American developers sure love explosion sounds. NEC PC-6001mkII: Well-drawn man goes to war with a bunch of rectangles. NEC PC-8801: The graphics look downright unfinished, but I could listen to this version of the music for days. Fujitsu FM-77AV: Graphics are a little chunky, but the music is decent and the sound effects bring a lot of life. Sharp X68000: Surprisingly good port of the original, albeit a little skinnier. Sharp MZ-700: Dwarf Fortress. Sharp: X-1: MY FUCKING EYES Atari ST: Looks nice enough, but oh my god the framerate. Amiga: The music would be great if the sound effects didn't override 90% of it. Looks nice though. NES: The hero is an adorable smol bean. The vagina rocks make a comeback. TurboGrafx-16: The depth feels a little off, but otherwise pretty good. PC-DOS: MY FUCKING EARS Game Gear: Surprisingly good, with weird revamped sprites. Why is the mammoth a Ninja Turtle now? Sega 32X: Pretty much just a direct port of the arcade original. Nice. Sega Saturn: Literally just a direct port of the orignal. Nice. Dreamcast: A direct port of the original but ALSO VERY LOUD PLEASE HELP Gameboy Advance: Adorable low-res direct port of the original. The audio is CRUNCHY though. PlayStation 2: SURF'S UP, DUDES J2ME: Sounds like the music is being played on a rock organ at the end of a subway tunnel. 3DS: This would be a trip on the actual 3D screen. Nintendo Switch: Yep, direct arcade port. Master System (Space Harrier 3D): Why are we suddenly in Star Wars? Why does everything sound so weird? Why is everything chugging so badly when the floor is moving perfectly smooth? Atari XL/XE: Pixels bigger than your mom, but surprisingly faithful and very smooth. Bayonetta: The music for this stage is actually great, if only I could hear it over the ENDLESS FUCKING NOISE OF SHOOTING AND EXPLOSIONS

[@jasonlee7816]

GBA Space Harrier is in a collection called Sega Arcade Gallery with 3 other games After Burner, Out Run, Super Hang On, i wouldn't expect GBA Space Harrier to look/sound any better it might be your standards that are a bit too high would you prefer they delete After Burner or Out Run or Super Hang On so GBA Space Harrier sounds better or downgrade a game's audio, graphics, music, sound, visuals so GBA Space Harrier sounds better? GBA Space Harrier sounds fine (good) to me why does it sound crunchy to you in a bad way?

[@AdamNovagen]

@@jasonlee7816 Chill bro, I'm not saying it's a bad port. The audio is just noticeably lower bitrate compared to the original, i.e. it sounds "crunchy." If you want to be technical, however, the original arcade ROM for Space Harrier is only ~737KB in size, or 0.7MB, while GBA ROMs could be up to 32MB in size. The fact that there's four games on one cartridge wouldn't normally have caused a problem, were it not for the limitations of the GBA audio chip, which had two PCM audio channels plus the original 4 PSG channels in the Game Boy/Color. If you listen closely to the GBA version, there is never more than one sound effect - explosion, gunshot, etc - playing at once, which suggests that one channel is dedicated to playing the sound effects while the other is literally playing an ongoing audio loop of the entire music track for the level. Realistically, the designers would have had a choice: remix the Space Harrier music to use the 4-channel PSG chip, which would sound very dated by the mid 2000s, or just record an entire WAV file for each music track in the game. Taking the second option meant a better sound overall, but at the cost of blowing that 0.7MB ROM up by probably multiple megabytes; so, to cram everything in, they had to cut the bitrate down, which is why the sound is kind of muffled and "fluffy." Overall, they did the best they could for the medium, but there's no denying that it can't match the crisp, satisfying music of the original arcade game, which just used regular ol' FM synthesizers; the most "analog-like" sound that the 80s had to offer. EDIT: A footnote, speaking of memory limitations. The vagina-looking rocks in the Master System version are most likely for saving precious cartridge space as well. Consoles of the era could easily "flip" a sprite by drawing its pixels in reverse order, so rather than store an entire rock sprite in memory, they created _half_ a rock, then drew the other half as a perfect mirror image. Almost all the obstacles in the game, including the large trees, actually have perfect left-to-right symmetry for this exact reason; it just so happens that drawing the rocks this way makes them look like vaginas.

[@EnderArlo]

Fujitsu FM-77AV(in title):HOW DID YOU GET A GRADIENT LOGO ON AN 8 COLOR SYSTEM

[@steuph1976]

MZ700 version is the boldest arcade conversion ever attempted.

[@JoystickVersusMachine]

It looks a bit like abstract art in motion.

[@steuph1976]

Or like someone took the arcade version and applied the biggest pixelated filter ever.

[@belstar1128]

They should port doom to it.

[@retro_reflections]

Love the visual fidelity and sheer speed of the Atari 8-bit version, just a crying shame the colour palettes couldn't be tweaked to make things less dark and muddy.

[@SNESMike]

I believe the issue is color artifacting, which good emulators (Altirra) will appropriately emulate. It looks much better when the emulator is setup account for original hardware outputting to a CRT (particularly NTSC CRTs).

[@nasty_niff]

It's using two graphics modes alternating between them, and is probably the NTSC version

[@jaysmith2858]

I never knew an Atari XL/XE version had been made. It was very good. I would have loved this back in the day.

[@jasonlee7816]

You must be blind or deluded Atari XL/XE is awful, crap, dreadful, garbage, horrible, rubbish, terrible port

[@bigalejoshileno]

It's a modern fan made version. Took years to develop it

[@jaysmith2858]

@@bigalejoshileno It looks like it. Top work.

[@KAZ197569]

PC-6001版、敵のデザインはユーザーの想像力に全振りしてるのが素敵すぎる。モーションの再現度は素晴らしい！

[@laziestoldman]

For 1985 this must have been an amazing technical accomplishment. I first played it recently in Yakuza 0 and then bought the Sega Ages version on Switch along with Out Run. Funny enough I played Bayonetta 10 years ago without knowing about Space Harrier.

[@simonm7848]

The Amstrad version looks like it was ported from the Vectrex...

[@theabsurdplatypus4688]

I'm surprised how few people are talking about the brilliant 3DS port. I urge anyone with a 3DS to buy it before the eshop shuts down on 27th March. The system's use of stereoscopic 3D is often seen as just a gimmick but in 'Space Harrier' it is absolutely stunning! It truly enhances the game. Not only does it feel like the continuous barrage of enemies and projectiles are almost flying out of the screen but it also considerably helps to distinguish the distance between Harri and all the chaos that is happening around him. Of course if 3D isn't your thing you can always turn the effect off and still enjoy the many different options you can tinker around with. You can select up to five lives and chose from four levels of difficulty so it is great for both casual newcomers and hardcore gamers. A genuine must play for any 3DS owner.

[@dcb99filmz]

I have it, can confirm

[@peterparker1615]

almost always proud of the c64, looks and sounds great for the machine churning that out :)

[@Zontar82]

i prefer the amiga version except for the music where is done much better on the c64

[@NaraSherko]

I prefer the original version

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

The atari version has set a really high standard for the original 8bits

[@mthecritic6795]

I always thought his C64 running looked more like furiously pedaling a unicycle! ;-)

[@Hexagonaal]

@@NaraSherko I also prefer the version that would have cost the most back then, but that's not the point.

[@DiamondGB]

Owning a X68000 in 1987 must have been like owning a Nvidia RTX 4090 Ti in 2020.

[@mmxgn]

Me: Mom, can we get a dragon? Mom: No we have a dragon at home. Dragon at home: 12:20

[@deadlyraver4454]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Omg. 80s kids would certainly understand that joke.

[@POSSUM_chowg]

Let's all make fun of the MZ-700 version xD

[@raycourtsi]

Sharp MZ700!! I remember one of my old friends had one of those - to be fair, this looks like a great attempt with very limited hardware!

[@antenant9294]

This was a game I adored in the arcade, so playing the SMS version on my friend's machine was a bit of a letdown... but looking at these videos now, for its time it really held its own. When it finally came out in a good home version, on the Saturn, I was in heaven.

[@sameash3153]

You really expect us to believe you owned an SMS or a Saturn?

[@antenant9294]

@@sameash3153 Why not? Many people owned these consoles? I live in the UK where these machines were extremely popular, but I have more than a passing interest in Sega games... What a truly strange question.

[@sameash3153]

@@antenant9294 Those consoles are retail failures in first world countries and nobody owned them

[@aydenrw2719]

@@sameash3153 Sega was extremely popular in Europe, more popular than Nintendo I'd say

[@higoizmahnameiszetcat]

18:13 GOD! THE GRAPHICS!!

[@lucianothewindowsfan]

We're playing a censored version of _Space Harrier..._

[@MuffinHop]

MZ-700 doesn't have a proper bitmap mode. It has a predefined character set, so basically it uses only text mode.

[@Kazuo1G]

What "graphics"? 😜

[@tanzimi5518]

Rip resolution

[@intel386DX]

@@MuffinHop and even this have more rounded explodions and enemies compard to other NEC and Sharp ports LOL that have only boxes for everitning on the screen other then your character which is very detiled by the way :D

[@BAZFANSHOTHITSClassicTunes]

A great game. Wow the memories. C64,Atari St,Amiga, Dreamcast and best of all Sega ages pack with two more classics. Nedd o say more.

[@coding9646]

i played the nes version, totally impressed by the 3d spatial movement of this game, different from other nes game.

[@jacobware1912]

There's another?

[@LOGICAL-JAY]

The arcade version in my opinion is the best..but I do love the nostalgic feeling I get when I hear the music from the sega master system's version..I wish sega would drop another classics game collection and include this with the arcade version of SUPER HANG ON and OUT RUN..my only way to play it is to go to the mini arcade on LOST JUDGEMENT for PS5..

[@rodd1000]

Surprisingly the Spectrum version was the most playable and enjoyable of the 80s home computer versions. Despite its measly 48k.

[@richardsogaray8165]

Excuse me for correcting you in just one point, in fact Spectrum claimed to have 48K, but for programming you only had 41K of free memory, in the rest of what you say I totally agree with you, in a machine that was not designed to play this Space Harrier is quite a feat, even better than other machines with more menoria and features.

[@Avelinovski]

The C64 version by Chris Butler was amazing, and great fun, too. I wonder what could be pulled off nowadays, considering how programmers are managing to squeeze the impossible out of 8-bit hardware...

[@RedRanger2001]

Me: Mom, can I get Space Harrier? Mom: We have Space Harrier at home. Space Harrier at home: 18:20

[@JasonMontell2501]

Is it ever explained how the character is flying? I see hes holding a cannon as a weapon but does it also propel him through the air?

[@eng3d]

Yes, the cannon is also a propulsor, it like shooting with a witch broom

[@cyberhawk2799]

He has superpowers, according to the second game (Space Harrier II).

[@MagikGimp]

It's the smiley face on the back that's doing it.

[@stevenwhuntva]

I thought this one would have been a short one, but I forget how many of these old arcade games were ported to the random 25,000 European and Japanese computers there were back then.

[@Fools_Requiem]

I find it funny that Sega looked at that Master System port and thought, "yeah, this is fine, no need for a Genesis release".

[@Formula_Zero_EX]

The Sharp MZ 700 version looks like everything’s on a censor filter rn

[@rasowa2958]

This MZ-700 version looks surprisingly good when you run it on a 1-inch display or watch it from a very large distance, or preferably both.

[@CCWH68]

Very good comparaison. No version of this game is missing. The Atari XL/XE (Bonus) can look better with other settings, like NTSC mode + artifacts actived.

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

Yes, I ran it on original hardware +CRT and looks amazing.

[@tm0054]

It's crazy to me that this never released on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.

[@HooperTheUpupa]

It was never released on Game Gear either because it was an unreleased port showing.

[@tonybell7267]

nope they did space harrier 2 instead

[@HooperTheUpupa]

@@tonybell7267 It was in Sega Genesis. For 32X.

[@solarflare9078]

Well, it recently got a port on the Sega Mega Drive Mini 2 lol

[@Dark_Mario_Bros.]

the gba version looks and sounds very clean

[@amandaarcher2155]

My Shorts 0:23 Arcade 2:13 Master System 4:13 Zx Spectrum 6:04 Amstrad cpc 7:22 C64 Europe 9:14 C64 Usa 11:30 Nec Pc 6001Mkll 12:58 Nec Pc 8801 14:29 Fujitsu fm-77AV 16:33 Sharp X68000 18:25 Sharp Mz 700 20:22 Sharp X1 22:52 Atari St 24:50 Amiga 26:46 Nes 30:54 Turbografx-16 33:11 Pc Dos 34:35 Game Gear 36:23 32x 37:48 Sega Saturn 39:27 Dreamcast 41:03 (Gba) Game Boy Advance 42:34 (Ps2) PlayStation 2 44:39 (JM2E) Java Mobile

[@regmtait100]

Loved on Atari ST, big poster on the wall. From clips... Spectrum super zippy, Amstrad totally astonishing... both look loads of fun to play now

[@Hunari]

11:23 Space Harrier Sonic.exe edition

[@drowan1a]

Please do afterburner next

[@MrAlan1828]

The 3DS mode also has a Arcade seetting in which the whole screen tilts and an option for the play to go further on all four corners, not to mention the hydrolics of the real arcade movements which is not shown here.

[@Zontar82]

was it intentional that the rocket shooter weapon looks like it has a smiley face from behind

[@greensun1334]

The Game Gear-Port, right? 100% Smiley!

[@cst1229]

@@greensun1334 The Master System version too.

[@greensun1334]

@@cst1229 true

[@greensun1334]

@@stuporman 🤣...looks like!

[@amerigocosta7452]

It must have taken some bravery to attempt porting one the most technically advanced games of its time to the weakest systems, so kudos for that, but let's be honest, some versions are just abominations made not to leave money on the table.

[@Zontar82]

seriously, as much as i love the underdogs of a games series, in some games here you literally shoots blocks to other blocks, while avoiding blocks

[@AGwolf2097]

32x is probably still my favorite home version, but that PS2 remix soundtrack absolutely kills me every time, it is So Good. I also like the multishot panzer dragoon mechanic they added. The deluxe arcade cabinet is only one of a very limited handful of machines I would love to own.

[@8squared007]

I find it funny that the only console that a Sega produced game didn't release on was their most successful one. (Barring the 32X release.)

[@CptJistuce]

There actually IS a Space Harrier on the Genesis. It is titled "Space Harrier 2"

[@retrosutra]

Yes, but it's the sequel so we'll cover in another video

[@aydenrw2719]

The MZ-700 version is very impressive. Pretty much plays exactly like the original despite the graphics being colored blocks

[@MrKarlyboy]

Well done for including the Atari 8-bit, which is the best of the 8-bit ports by far even if it is unofficial. So well done for that! Even better than many of the 16-bit ports.

[@jasonlee7816]

Atari XL/XE is one of the worst 8-bit ports (versions) it is 10, 100, 1000 times worse than any of the 16-bit ports (versions)

[@MrKarlyboy]

@@jasonlee7816 no its not. I reviewed all of them. The atari 8-bit moves faster smoother than just aboit any 16 bit port. I am not talkimg of graphics i am referring to speed gameplay.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

THE SHARP MZ-700 VERSION IS INSANE, I HAVE NEVER SEEN PIXELS THAT HUGE

[@ReyndOut]

It’s graphics characters.

[@peterparker1615]

i Know, that was insane, I thought it was some sort of video editing issue lol... how would anyone even play that

[@reillywalker195]

Indeed. There are plenty of Atari 2600 games that look better, not even including limit pushing games like _Solaris_ that packed beefier cartridge chipsets.

[@CptJistuce]

@@reillywalker195 "chipset" seems a bit generous. Solaris's only extra hardware was bankswitching logic to allow access to 16 kB of ROM instead of the 4 kB actually allotted to the cartridge slot. It is still running on naught but a standard VCS, with a cripplingly miserly 128 bytes of RAM and a CPU too busy micromanaging the display to dedicate much time to the game. It really is an incredible accomplishment.

[@reillywalker195]

@@CptJistuce Hence "like" in my original comment. What exactly those extra cartridge chips were, whether they were simply extra ROM or if they included extra RAM or something else, doesn't exactly matter. The point was that they helped to augment the system's power to allow for bigger, more elaborate games-and that even some of the system's more basic 2 KB and 4 KB games looked better than _Space Harrier_ on the MZ-700.

My opinion: Very good: Arcade (0:04), Sharp X68000 (16:15), PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 (30:36), Sega 32X (36:11), Sega Saturn (37:34), Dreamcast / Yu Suzuki Game Works Vol.1 (39:12), GBA (40:46), PS2 (42:10), 3DS (45:56), Nintendo Switch (47:39), Bayonetta (53:11) Good: Master System (1:55, 49:03), Fujitsu FM-77AV (14:12), Amiga (24:28), NES (26:25) Kind of good: Commodore 64 (6:56, 8:50), PC DOS (32:59), Game Gear (34:12), J2ME (44:19) Medium: Amastrad CPC (5:34), NEC PC 6001-mkll (11:11), Atari ST (22:34), Atari XL/XE (51:33) Bad: ZX Spectrum (3:53) NEC PC-8801 (12:44), Sharp MZ-700 (18:12), Sharp X1 (20:03)

[@Turbulation1]

Honestly the PC DOS port should be ranked lower than the Atari ST Port, mainly because it's just a straight port of that version, and the music is ear screeching to the point you have to put the game on mute.

@@Turbulation1 Despite being a "straight port", i ranked PC DOS higher than Atari ST because the sound is less crappy than the Atari ST port (Also because i did'nt know it was a straight port).

[@rubenjo9266]

I guess one plus with having an nec pc is that you'd never know if the game is glitching out

[@tonybell7267]

absolutly love space harrier my favorite game, used to play the arcade version as a kid , it also started me in emulation about 15 years back , when i first tried mame with this rom . speccy version is rather good to be fair. might have a tinkle on the gba version

[@J-Ren.Ninobla]

I gotta say the Sharp X68000 is great in early ports...

[@demonology2629]

The Sharp MZ 700 graphics only make sense when viewing far from screen!!!! Meanwhile the Turbografx-16 port is impressive 🤯

[@andyc6542]

Ah, Space Harrier... Massively rare in as far as it gives me nostalgic vibes, and I’ve never played it! Think it’s more a case that even in 2020 it looks completely unique to near on anything out there, and that’s always stuck with me through the years. Should really get round to playing it one day...

[@johnkerkalis6310]

Do you have a Switch?

[@gryzord9231]

Hey, you're missing one more bonus. Appeared as a guest ship in Dariusburts Chronicle Saviors

[@kilssj2250]

🕹01:55 - Bless you for letting me eyes 👀 and ears 👂 relive these memories of my childhood ^_^ 🎮 (Master System, Huzzah!)

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

I'm really surprised that Joe from Game Sack hasn't commented on this. This is his kind of video!

[@chriswebber6107]

We had the stand up in my local arcade and I was killer at it, I remember going to Butlins in Minehead and playing the hydraulic for the first time, I completed it on 20p and had a massive crowd lol

[@chriswebber6107]

actually i think they may have even been charging 50p on the hydraulic even back then, still a win

[@sloppyjoe4017]

Space Harrier 3-d for the Sega Master System will always be the best.

[@ambientedge952]

The music and sound effects are better than everything else imo.

[@lovemadeinjapan]

Great to see how they did the OST on the PC Engine. It lacks the deeps of the original arcade FM, but they made up for it by delivering a way nicer stereo image and an incredible staff roll track. Best sounding one IMO.

[@Mik_lackofbits]

Japanese home computer programmers were like : "Hey, I got the main sprite and the gameplay, but I'm out of memory for other sprites" "Just make them squares and call it a day" "But..." "Come on, it's lunch time and I'm hungry!" "*sigh* ok..."

[@retrosutra]

They used plain text mode instead of sprites, but surprisingly I found those versions very playable. The worst IMO Amstrad and C64 euro version

[@Mik_lackofbits]

@@retrosutra go figure, I used to love the c64 version back then :) also, I guess every 8 bit version, except TG16, is character (or tile) based for obvious hardware limits.

[@retrosutra]

You're right @Mik1, when I said plain text I only wanted to make reference of the japanese home computer versions. Hope you liked the video!

[@retrosutra]

Which C64 did you play, euro or usa version?

[@Mik_lackofbits]

@@retrosutra European version, I was 9 or 10 and I discovered the US version many years later. And yes, I liked the video, expecially the inclusion of all obscure versions and the XE version 👍

[@ST2008X]

The best product featuring Space Harrier to come out this year so far was the TurboGrafx-16 mini.....Looking forward to the Sega Astro City Mini, this product also features Space Harrier....

[@greensun1334]

Master System is the best looking 8bit-version... '86!

[@Gigabyte1002]

The GBA one stood out to me. Shocked how well that port turned out. Has a better soundtrack than the others in my opinion.

[@Guillermo_XT]

Why was there no Adlib or Roland sound in the Dos version? Many other games had it besides the Pc-Beeper i don´t get it.

[@realtrisk]

I agree. '89 was early for the Adlib, but games were releasing with support by then. It looks like a super lazy port of the Atari ST version, though, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised.

[@Guillermo_XT]

@@realtrisk I uploaded a video recorded with my Smartphone connected to my Audio interface wich captured the Theme as Midi running on a 386 pc just to demonstrate, how it should have sounded as MS-Dos edition ;-)

[@deadturret4049]

I was kinda impeessed by the Sharp X68000 version. First off, I didn't know that thing even existed, and its a great lookkng port.

[@noaht2005]

X68000 was a very capable PC; if you lived in Japan and wanted arcade-perfect games at home in early 90s, and X68000 is what you would’ve wanted

[@fefyfona4318]

Awww the Master System version has him carrying around a smiley face gun. How adorable

[@junebug6493]

18:12 WHARES THE MUSIC?!?!? I herd music on other gameplay of this version but why is the music muted on this version?!?!?

[@jrs4516]

x86000 looks great. does it have hardware scaling? everything else (in period) shouldn't have bothered. i don't count 32x as period for this game.

[@Soft-Ballet]

16:15 Sharp X68000 is a Great Machine！

[@boardernut]

Motorola 68K blast processing ftw!

[@ryzmaker11]

The Master System port was really nice for its time and one of the most iconic games on the system. Then some versions are reeeally on the experimental side of things haha, most notably the PC-8801 (12:58) and MZ-700 (18:25) versions 😂👍 And the versions without the checkered floor simply don't look right. This feature is integral part of the game's identity, this makes it look more "3D-ish" and also more "80s-ish"! If even the ZX Spectrum port can handle it then there's no excuse for the PC Engine port to not have it. And the 32X port was the first that really brought the arcade experience at home, further cemented by the perfect Saturn port (which is part of the excellent "Sega Ages" line). Ultimately though, Space Harrier is a cool audiovisual experience but one of the worst Sega Super Scaler type games. The gameplay is just too shallow. Other Super Scaler games such as Super Hang-On, OutRun or After Burner II are significantly better in that regard.

[@Keezawea]

k.

[@jasonlee7816]

in the right hands Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive could’ve or might’ve brought the Space Harrier arcade experience home

[@baroncalamityplus]

I was with you until you said "one of the worst Sega Super Scaler type games."

[@tm0054]

@@jasonlee7816 It's wild that this game seemed to release on every system under the sun but never on the Genesis.

[@jasonlee7816]

@@tm0054 the Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive did get a downgraded Space Harrier 2

[@Tanookicatoon]

For those that wanna know what the lower res versions of this game looked like for folks who played these was, you gotta put the resolution of the video at 144p.

[@JuliusTheTiger]

I love the Atari XL/XE computer's music. It must have been done by someone that really knew the synthesizers. Of course, the project might have been done over a longer amount of time vs the other versions, but still. I don't think I ever heard the Atari sound chip sound close, especially during gameplay

[@yanis7272]

I played it a lot on Shenmue ^^'

[@Sm07369]

Me too

[@FocusSight]

Crazy this never got a standard Genesis / Mega Drive release!

[@amazingdany]

Whoa, what is up with the Sharp X68000's arcade lookalike?? 😲

[@j1mp4ck]

Es variada la gama, he jugado a la mayoría como fanatico y la que mas me impresionó es la versión de 8 bits de Atari, superior a las platafroma de esa gama incluyendo la jugabilidad, se nota trabajo con vocación, que es inclusive superior a la version de 16 bits de computadores. Si es un juego Sega, es la mejor opción su propia plataforma, es como super mario de nintendo.

[@Banderpop]

So close to being complete! But I would have liked to see Space Harrier: Return to the Fantasy Zone (Amiga) in there. Things appear in the wrong order, but it's certainly not a sequel, more a remix that tries to make up for the first Amiga port being weak.

[@founder0171]

Are the NEC-PC versions supposed to look like that?

[@ccpediafoundation8994]

Guys!, Arcade Version on-ned in 0:06

[@arw2008]

Sharp M-700 version FTW! Next gen graphics right there! woo! 18.27

[@RokkitGrrl]

The music in this game was so awesome.

[@jasonlee7816]

why was the music awesome?

[@stevenallan5822]

Oh dear, can't believe how bad the CPC version looks, and I had one.

[@rolingthunder8612]

sega: (sees mz700 port) I'm about to start this man's whole career!

[@hirokikaneko2024]

Kazuhiro Furuhata: He ports it. www.openspc2.org/mz700/index.html

[@sackerlacker5399]

The amiga port looks really good!

[@ages_dot_mp4]

There's also the DS port of Sega Superstars Tennis that, for some reason, has a better Space Harrier mission mode than the console versions.

[@baalfgames5318]

Sharp MZ 700 version: 18:12 Me: Angry Video Game Nerd plays miniature golf on the Atari.

[@mthecritic6795]

...another story! I had the PC version and was deeply disappointed it had no sound options for Tandy or Adlib. Worse, it said "Tandy" on the box but did NOT support Tandy 16 color graphics. So not only was it PAINFULLY slow on my 8088, it was in garish 4-color CGA. :( So glad they accepted the return.

[@paulleitner8305]

if Arcade 1985 looks same as switch 2019 🤦‍♂️

[@isaosakamoto88]

ありがとうございます。

[@user-kh2sq6jm1f]

これほど、自宅で遊べることを夢見たゲームもないと思う