Sprite Supreme: A Brief History of Graphics, Part Two

Second of a five part series. Playlist: goo.gl/ilCrn5
◄ First part: • Pixel Pioneers: A Brie...
Part three: • Polygon Realm: A Brief... ►
Question? Email me: [e-mail]
Or ask on Twitter: / xboxahoy
Better yet, join me on Reddit for behind-the-scenes content discussion:
/ xboxahoy

[@hollenwanderer]

It's probably worth noting that Yoshi's Island actually is very impressive technically. It makes extensive use of the Super FX chip which powers Star Fox, but instead of using it for 3D polygonal effects, uses it's impressive 2D transform capabilities for the games huge enemies that spin and scale and warp in very impressive ways.

[@Horzuhammer]

Yeah. The game still looks very impressive and beautiful. I'm glad Miyamoto got his way, and the game didn't use digitized graphics like the higher ups initially wanted. The N64 Yoshi game that did looks a lot more dated than Yoshi's Island, which has a very timeless quality about it's graphics.

[@jasonalen7459]

And for the Tough Fuzzy Get Dizzy stage lol

[@ankui6031]

Probably one of the very few games from Nintendo that actually used the graphics to show something impressive rather than make just a nice game

[@severalgecko]

You've really come into your own with these videos. Every since you stopped focusing on the weapon guides your videos have gotten better and more interesting.

[@eddieoweis101]

No any video he does is always quality. Its just he has less on his plate now that he doesn't have to do a weekly series.

[@thatscottishkaren1]

eddieoweis101 jkkk

[@thesuperioroneu2628]

I liked the weapon guides :(

[@zs1171]

@@thesuperioroneu2628 same lol

[@TheSkullDragger]

@@thesuperioroneu2628 I like anything and everything he creates: ahoy is the one youtuber I consistently watch when doing a chore it makes it better :)

[@OddManSam]

Ladies and gentlemen, the most talented KZbinr in the Gaming category.

[@kharusbell4025]

Couldn't be more agree

[@pvtests8248]

amen, & still holds true.

[@pvtests8248]

someone, 8 more years from now will reply to this, still agreeing.

[@tymo7777]

Always excellently produced. You could make an interesting and informative video on anything, especially the small wonders we take for granted.

[@wallyhackenslacker]

7:47 you know, even today I'm still in complete awe at how Myst was originally made in HyperCard of all things.

[@hacksawhill]

I absolutely love video game history and this series is one of the best I've seen so far, keep it up!

[@chronoflect]

I'm loving the consistent quality in all of your videos. Keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to part three.

[@MortRotu]

This mini series is awesome, can't wait for pt 3. I hope you'll do another set on something else and that it garners at least as much attention (and income) for your as the weapon guides have!

[@connorjones9949]

Thanks for always putting in so much time to make quality videos. I feel like it's not truly appreciated. You're the best!

[@sersou]

So much love to the show !

[@zhbvenkhoReload]

I LIKE HOW INSTEAD OF GIVING AWAY INCOMPLETE GAMES, THESE ARTISTS AND DEVELOPERS MADE THE EFFORT TO OPTIMIZE THEIR VIDEOGAMES AND MAKE IT LOOKS AWESOME. ESPECIALLY DONKEY KONG. IT LOOKS AWESOME.

[@renzoames7581]

zhbvenkhoReload how the optimize them?

[@fizland9137]

its nice to have a bit of a recap of what games we were playing in this era for some of us it doesnt seem that far away but the quality of graphics certainly makes history seem to pass slower I've not seen much about this but I like Stu's style and believability.. can't wait for the next part :D

[@HonakoGreen]

Love this series.

[@blood4snakebiteb253]

I like ahoy's style, it's an interesting source of information presented in a good way. It's all nicely edited and also it's clear that the person who animates this has a talent for graphic design.

[@beauXtschirhart]

Crazy memories all over this thread...funny how many games I've played throughout my life and even more impressive is how many I've forgotten ever playing...until you see it. Seeing Pit Fighter & Narc & the old Simpsons got me all teary-eyed...little square tears, of course...

[@ozgeozcelik8921]

your channel is soo good, please keep up awesome work

[@holo379]

Your voice, your narration, and style is amazing.

[@RamiroApache]

And now to wait another day. Great videos!!!

[@xorising]

Five part series? Outstanding.

[@giampaolomannucci8281]

That's a beautiful ride man, thank you for this work! Took my memory back to see Aladdin in there, great to have Earthworm Jim right after it! Dunno why but my mind automatically jumped back to Flash Back and I thought maybe you'd mention it too, when I saw Rotoscoping I knew it would be in there, awesome job! Can't wait to watch the other chapters. Thank you! :)

[@danielhall6354]

This was very professionally done, good job.

[@SKUTE.]

I love this channel

[@BIGGIESIZE89]

Awesome work man! Your videos are amazing!

[@iGotchy]

Just supreme stuff this is considering it's just for KZbin, so much talent here well done Sir :)

[@bobaugust3430]

Great series

[@Dunamis_010]

This latest series is really well done. I'm reminiscing and learning at the same time, lol!

[@earliestsunsets]

Really loving the outro music.

[@gabenewell4548]

you could do documentaries with that voice

[@kael13]

Gabe Newell He sounds like Daniel from Amnesia.

[@SparksX18]

this is a documentary

[@Birmanncat]

Simply superb.

[@LukesGamePage]

Superb, learned so much- just what I was looking for xxx

[@ChastasticGaming]

Great video! Loved it!

[@MarcWithaContent]

Ah ha! I've been anticipating this. It's always wonderful to see how much effort you put into your videos.

[@tfantoni]

thank you very much for subtitling these videos!

[@imicca]

Great video !

[@mrmumblz9496]

You could make a video about almost anything iid still watch it since the way you make your videos make it so interesting. Great Videos hope you'll do more on weapon origins those are great and things like this are also great gives some of the lazy a way to learn about video game history

[@dizzylion2591]

Wow, 2014? This is some really good quality content. Never had so much of knowledge packed in one video.

[@jamn3500]

So good it was set as homework for me.

[@Scripter-bx6zy]

EARTHWORM JIM OH MY GOD THAT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND IT FOR YEARS

[@gazfcgruff]

Loved earthworm Jim! Have a look for the cartoon

[@imdoug]

This is excellent.

[@sniveria]

Good video. Keep it up man

[@maistrotom8313]

I am so excited about part 3, Captain Price! :)

[@mkmasterthreesixfive]

That is President Lord Commander Captian Professor Doctor Von Price Esquire Senior III to you sir!

[@maistrotom8313]

Alright. My apoligize President Lord Commander Captain Professor Doctor Von Price Esquire Senior III

[@AraPehlivanian]

“Titles like Clay Fighter were clearly molded in its image” (7:18) LOL, nicely done. 😂👌🏼

[@JCally83]

Great video

[@simplecircuit]

Stu, have you considered covering "multi-player" games within the "A Brief History of" format? Thinking from Pong -> Arcade 4-players [Gauntlet, Simpsons, etc...] -> MMO, etc... Also, distinctions between 1v1, co-op, team competitive, etc? Impact of changes from arcade to consoles to online play Just some thoughts. I think it could make for an interesting study in gaming history.

[@MUGIME]

Can you feel your childhood XD But seriously. I have always loved sprite games as a kid. And this is why today I do sprite animations.

[@Drakub]

I'm a sucker for any "History of games" type videos ^_^

[@legice]

again, amazing!

[@EliteWW]

Really wellmade :)

[@MikeBiohazard]

Terrific!

[@jimothygoldfish]

Why do I think of Captain Price when I hear you talk. I love it

[@killertruth186]

Mortal combat was indeed very popular at the time and my older brothers would love to play it nearly non stop

[@icew0lf98]

I used to play metal slug on my ps1 and roadrash on my old pc :D thx for bringing back memories stew

[@swsephy]

Wonderful series, Stu! Will you be uploading this as one video after all the individual parts are out?

[@ConcaCon]

Crazy how advanced Need For Speed looked for its time.

[@RazorEdge2006]

I think this is probably the best part of the series. The only thing I might nit-pick is that, instead of jumping to the Mode 7 of the SNES, it should have mentioned Sega's arcade classic After Burner (1987), which is what introduced the background tilemap/texture scaling techniques later used by Nintendo's Mode 7. Later arcade games like Sega's Last Survivor (1988) and Taito's Gun Buster (1992) even used ray-casting techniques similar to Wolfenstein 3D and Doom.

[@hughjass5156]

Im here because of Totalbiscuit's plug. This shit rocks

[@illiteratethug3305]

hey, KZbin algorithm, PART 1 MAYBE?!!

[@TheSuave101]

Good job

[@VeryWetCarrot]

omg another world! i completely forgot about that game, i use to play it when i was very little

[@WizardOfToasters]

Hell yeah, Myst! I loved that game! :D

[@Rozmic]

Hated it. Very frustrating >

[@pferreira1983]

+WizardOfToasters It's actually possible to complete the game in thirty minutes.

[@rebeka1212100]

Hello Mr Brown and thanks for this awesome series... Can i download them to my pc or phone?

[@Old_Man_Medina_Gaming]

ROBOTRON 2084 Great video stu

[@kingfiachra]

This music is amazing Stu, I would seriously listen to these tracks on their own outside of the video. Any chance of a download?

[@CrocoDylianVT]

fun fact: sprites are still used in modern games, and I don't mean just the pixel art ones, every 2D game and even some 3D ones use sprites, just that they are at high resolutions so they don't look as sprites but they still are

[@onemanenclave]

The history of videogames is really entertaining.

[@thekillerwaldo]

Its a good day when ahoy doesnt forget about Mortal Kombat

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Thanks so much.

[@nolanrux7866]

Alright! The man with the silver voice returns!

[@samkop3626]

I would love to see weapon guides for CoD AW!!!

[@JH-pj8nw]

I looooooved the Aladdin game growing up.

[@Nyerguds]

Well, FMV and prerendered 2D sprite gameplay were handled wonderfully in Command & Conquer :)

[@JoshuaConnorMusic]

When I first read the title I originally thought, "Wouldn't the title 'Sprite Supremacy' make more sense and sound better?" But then I read said title out loud, and well, let's just say you dodged a bullet there Stu.

[@patrik7816]

i will join you in part three! :)

[@farizshadier6324]

good content

[@TesserLink]

damn seeing clay-fighter brought back memories.

[@johncastle5896]

@6:22 thats the addison stop in chicago. . . and i saw the california stop too

[@omesius]

Dat flowchart Ken!

[@nicholasvladd7149]

Fascinating... this was the era of gaming I was brought up in. Unfortunately, I never was apart of the arcade generation. I was a 90's kid! ;)

[@Energyone]

When you started up parallax scrolling, I knew Shadow of the Beast would show up for sure.

[@jazzmunky]

Yes! PARALLAX, I've been looking for the name of that game for years! Played it when I was 10.

[@XxDEDEYExX]

shadow of the beast is one of my most memorable games.

[@mcphersonsound]

Good video, I wished you would have touched on more modern Sprite art like in skull girls and ducktales remastered

[@yu.niverse]

Say, "Pika pika pikachu!" Wait, I thought this was honest trailers with that smooth, smooth voice.

[@IndigoSolace]

Thanks for reminding me of the headache game of Myst lol. I did like the game, but it was quite difficult and confusing on where to go. My excuse is that I was 8 when I played it.

[@Iron2Man911]

Stuart, have you seen Machinima's' "sonic for hire" series on KZbin? If so, what did you think of it?

[@benjaminshinobi]

I would argue that Super Mario World 2 was about showy effects to a certain degree, and was very technically impressive. Largely in the boss battles it was a way too show off some of the scaling/rotation effects of the Super FX chip

[@teruzakezr.6836]

NEW GUIDES!!!

[@GrazerMagic]

Again, that music at the end! Hngh.

[@SpriteTheDude]

the title scared me :D

[@MrBioManic]

Top tier Ken play in the SF2 example ;)

[@XC11301991]

For a second I thought I clicked on the wrong video and was watching a Scrublords ep.

[@planetretro4581]

C64 game Parallax does NOT have parallax scrolling either in hardware or software. The 8x8 pixel tiles are redefined from pre calculated options in memory. It's the same effect as the title screen in Boulder Dash and a very simple trick with memory pointers. For the ultimate version of C64 simulated parallax "scrolling" check out Enforcer 2 demos on KZbin. The Amiga on the other hand did have a parallax mode built in but it limited you to just 8 colours for each playfield (as opposed to 64 in 320x512 pixel resolution the chipset was designed for). Martin Edmundson used many non related parts of the Amiga 1000 (and hence A500 and A2000) chipset to fake the parallax scrolling seen on level 1 of Shadow of the Beast like a very complex sprite multiplexor for the trees. (Amiga sprites are crap so not much use for most games but this game was designed around the Amiga chipset which is why the Megadrive and SNES versions look like Donald Trumps face in comparison to the Awesome Amiga version...ditto for sound on SNES/Megadrive *puke*.

[@thescaredshadow]

I loved Myst, and still do.

[@hiroprotagonest]

In retrospect, it's funny how he went to King of Fighters when he said "some games work best in 2D." And while I'm all for showing Garou: Mark of the Wolves, I wish he had shown Skullgirls. Absolutely goddamn fantastic visuals.

[@ModelOmegaForReal]

Stu, how could you not bring up Symphony of the Night in this regard? On how it remained 2D in the 3D revolution? (Or will that be next part?)

[@Gigaamped]

Ah Myst! I was born in the 90s and not a lot of my peers have heard of it, unfortunately. I wish it had a more lasting impact like Half-life. It really would deserve it. Maybe it would help if you did a RetroAhoy video of it or of it along with games like it, Stu =D

[@xXUnrulyXx]

Flashback! i had completely forgot about that game! and i see they did a sort of re-imagining of it in 2013.. Definitely going to get the current one.. and i'm so going to find an emulator or something and see if i can locate the original Flashback!

[@Rozmic]

The Megadrive version is the best- easy to emulate and doesn't have the pointless censoring the SNES version had. The Mega CD version and later PC versions have better sound, but ugly FMV cutscenes. The remake is an absolute disgrace and best forgotten. Unlike New 'n' Tasty, it wasn't merely flawed, the developers just didn't care at all. On the other hand, Another World Remake is decent and on steam for pretty cheap. Doesn't slow down like the Megadrive version during heavy action scenes either.

[@DasIllu]

SPRDEF is the one command every C=128 Kid from the late 80s remembers i bet. BASIC 7.0 was just made for homebrewn games. But i later just exploited moving offscreen sprites to trigger interrupts with the sprite collision detection. Cheapest and dumbest way to bring interrupts to BASIC... but i was cheap and dumb. A match made in heaven :-D

[@likahmac]

Donky Kong country I'm so glad got to play that as a child

[@kokichiouma297]

wait a minute is 0:40 the reason for the design smash bro's green wire frame for little mac? from the original punch out interesting

[@thetreblerebel]

I love sprites based graphics. Cuphead is a modern tribute to such digital art