Super R-Type retrospective: Bydo your time | Super NES Works

Irem's classic shooter series makes its debut on a Nintendo home console at last with a remixed conversion of R-Type II. And it's… OK. Riddled with slowdown and hilariously unfair, Super R-Type really has quite a lot in common with Gradius III. Not a terrible game, but a little bit of a letdown.

[@FV2]

I remember my mom walking into my room when I was playing R-Type on my TG-16 right as I was trying to beat Gomander. She was like "What the hell *is* that thing? What kind of games are you playing?!"...aaaand that's how I got the "birds and the bees" talk and how I found out what a vagina was, at the tender age of 9. Never let it be said that video games can't be a powerful tool for education.

[@JeremyParish]

Bless you for this tale.

[@zxKAOS1]

I had to look this up online anyways, even though I was sure of what it was. There have been some high resolution images of this boss added online!

[@philmason9653]

Another good one, really loved the close reading of the game's visual influences here.

[@LoppinLazy]

Sure the lack of checkpoints suck, but so does dying at a dicey section of a stage then being forced to try to make it through without your force, which is borderline futile in most cases. At least starting the whole stage over will usually give you time to get back most of your power

[@KhamStronk]

That's the kinda shit that makes me furious when playing Gradius or Parodius.

[@Hrogoff]

I love Gradius, but that is the worst. Basically when I die once in that game I may as well start over.

[@massivepileup]

@@Hrogoff Arcade Gradiuses will grow more and more difficult if you progress without dying, expert runs of the games actually die on purpose to reset that difficulty growth.

[@KuraIthys]

The Master system sold some 12 million systems, and most of that can be attributed to Europe. Nintendo actually struggled in Europe, with Sega doing better, but it was the dominance of home computers that really caused the problems. The c64, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Atari 8 bit computers, BBC Micro, etc. I would hazard a guess and say the reason the Mega Drive draw level with the SNES in the long run is ALSO because of Europe. Of the people I knew when I lived in Europe, the breakdown was roughly like this: My cousins owned an NES. Multiple people had PC's. One family I knew had a Master System. I personally owned a SNES (and an Atari 800XL. - as a family we also owned a 286 PC at that time) Nobody I knew owned a Mega Drive, but I did rent one once, and they were very prominent. (As was the Atari Lynx early on, though that didn't last.) One person I know had a c64 and several Amigas, and later LOTS of PC's (they now run a tiny online PC retailer, so you can imagine what that looks like) My primary school had exactly one computer, and it was an Apple IIe So between the handful of people I knew that owned anything at all (Excluding those that owned PC's, by far the most numerous category) 3 owned consoles, and (if you count the school), 3 owned home micros. I owned both somehow, even though we were extremely poor... Go figure. (then again, this was right around the time my mother took up computer related jobs, so perhaps it's not so strange as all that.)

[@gabrieleriva651]

The Lion King developer confirmed that the producers pressed them to include a difficulty spike to fight rental, in an interview with Double Fine.

[@CircsC]

I've always believed that's why gaming didn't really take off well except with nerds at first.

[@josephattwell1006]

8:08 A specific example of the "game was made deliberately harder for rental" was the Lion King for Genesis, as revealed in a develper in an interview with double fine (it's on youtube). Towards the end of developement, Disney informed the developer that the game wasn't hard enough and there playtesters were getting through the game too easily. This meant the game did not fit into Disney's metrics, which suggested if the player could get a certain percent through the game during the rental period they would never buy the game. So, Disney demanded the developers put a difficulty brick wall early in the game. The only thing the developers could come up with on such short notice was the infamous Monkey Puzzle, an exceptionally complex system where monkeys would throw you around the map in seemingly random directions, broken up by some quick reaction instant failure ostric riding moments.

[@RichardHannay]

I wish they would release a Parodius collection for the Switch...

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Richard Hannay Oh, that would be nice!

[@THE_GIN_MASTER_]

Oh! And it looks like you will be showcasing this title as well on my 60th bithday! Not one, but TWO titles from Jeremy on June 16th, 2035!!!

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

Zero Wing showing up in this was nice. I fucking love the soundtrack. All Your Base is a meme I remember purely for that fucking remix

[@Druffmaul]

I remember Xmas shopping in 1991, being totally annoyed, and buying Super R-Type as a present for myself because I felt like I deserved a treat. Then being sick on Xmas and laying in bed all day playing it.

[@ateefrashid7459]

I finished the pro... Only once and after watching this, i had hellish flashbacks of the insanity i went through.

[@massivepileup]

After checking out longplays of this and comparing to the Dimensions version of R-Type 2 it seems that about half the stages in Super R-Type are completely original and even with the stages they did port from the arcade game they changed the boss of the water cave stage to a completely different design. Plus I wonder if they really removed checkpoints to counter rentals or if that was just a technical/dev time limitation, R-Type II is not a game you're gonna finish quickly even with infinite credits.

[@THE_GIN_MASTER_]

You can't slip the 2-3 seconds of Karn Evil #9 past this guy @ 2:40, Hahaha, well done editing right there. Like three things at once happening there.

[@KuraIthys]

You know, seeing all this slowdown in so many Early games, but less frequently in later titles, makes me wonder how much of it is due to bad coding and design decisions (lots, I'd guess, given the problematic sprite engine), and how much can be attributed to the early games only being able to use slow ROM. Fast ROM, when used effectively, can make the CPU run nearly 33% faster. That's nothing to sneeze at, for sure. And later into the system's life, it'd make sense that fast ROM got cheap enough that most games would use it, since there would be little reason not to. But early on, that extra speedy memory would've come at a high price, if it was even available...

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

Just watching you play this, my first thought is "Holy shit does that fighter move fast!" I think you picked up one too many speed boost power-ups because your fighter just ZIPS around the screen- yet somehow you don't crash into things, which was always a problem I had with side-scrolling shooters like this. I only really played the original R-Type on Gameboy, which even back in the old days (when I was a better gamer and had fewer games to play so I had to try and beat every one I had) was just too much for me. I could never beat the boss of stage 4, because the maze level you had to navigate through was too much when there were large, fast-moving enemies (possibly Boldos?) that literally filled the entire passageway and were only vulnerable to the Force, and the boss was just a room filled with them (I think this stage was unique to the GB port). I think that was the first game I ever owned where I just threw up my hands and said "screw it, I can't beat this" (although I've never been all that great at shooters in general).

[@benoit1335]

i remember the pain it was on gb back in the day.

[@RocMegamanX]

So, basically, because of game rentals, Irem flipped us the bird...Blockbuster was a mistake.

[@KhamStronk]

That little tidbit about rentals makes complete sense to me now that I'm playing Castlevania 3 for the first time. That game is stupidly hard and for some reason the Japanese version is fair and a lot of fun.

[@arciks11]

Rentals weren't a thing in Japan as far as I heard.

[@kevinbowyer7205]

Makes me want to play Rtype final 😍

[@xCrossBite]

I'm new to your "works" series, so my comment is 2 years too late, but I'm genuinely surprised to hear anyone say they can beat Battletoads without warps but find Super R-Type incredibly difficult. I know everyone is different but the amount of slowdown in the game offers a big advantage to see what's coming and the enemy patterns are mostly predictable. Maybe completing Super R-Type as a kid prepared me for all the bullet-hells that are out in the modern day.

[@Hrogoff]

I'm shocked by that too. I played this game as a kid at a friends house and got nowhere. Got it recently and did a casual playthrough on the easiest difficulty with minimal issues. I beat it in about an hour on the easiest difficulty. Surely people don't have that much difficulty with novice, right? It was nowhere near the difficulty of Battletoads. Now the harder modes? I don't doubt those are borderline impossible, this is Irem after all. I then tried R Type 3 and was completely and mercilessly crushed. Now if Super R Type is hard, then this game is soul crushing. Irem are truly the kings of showing no mercy.

[@hell-yeah8776]

Late comment here but I managed to beat Battletoads without warping but find Super R-Type more difficult. Note that I played Super R-Type on it's hardest settings and tried to complete it in 2 loops to see the credits. All of your points are valid but no checkpoint and cruel power-ups placement is what makes this game even more difficult. You basically can't make any mistake after all. Well, granted I never good at shooter games by the way.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Aside from the Master System port, R-Type was also abailable for the TurboGrafx-16 when that was released.

[@RunningRiot1999]

Oh God. The box says "R you ready". Ooof

[@FloatingSunfish]

The cover art looks like Rayquaza lol. 😂

[@SatoshiMatrix1]

Despite being pretty good at videogames when I was a kid in the early 90s, I never looked at shmups as games playable through to the end credits. That seemed...impossible. No matter what one I'd play - Super R-Type, Thunder Force II, U.N Squadron - all felt like games you'd play the first few stages of until you die, and that be that. I hadn't even seen the endings of most shooters until the website vgmuseum came around.

[@StriderZessei]

Satoshi Matrix that's quite apt. Most of the shmups were just ports of arcade games that were literally designed to eat your quarters, after all.

[@massivepileup]

I always wanted the game when I saw it running on demo kiosks in stores but fortunately never bought it. I didn't learn until much later that it lacks checkpoints. I had R-Type 1 and 2 on the Game Boy instead and funnily R-Type 2 was easier than 1 on there, in part because it's shorter and gives you infinite continues (as opposed to 2 for the first game).

[@chamchamtrigger]

I have prided myself in being able to nearly defeat Hibachi in Dodon Pachi DOJ, and actually defeating Master Light Wings Close Range Support Cruel Battle Machine Evaccania DOOM in Ketsui, yet I have never completed a single R-Type game (nor Gradius 2 or 3 for that matter). I honestly like and respect the series, but these games are simply merciless. Anyway, I love your works so much. Once I get my finances in order, I must contribute more than I currently am. I know that words mean nothing, though.

[@JeremyParish]

I appreciate the thought, but honestly just sharing videos is all I could really ask for. Thanks!

[@chamchamtrigger]

@@JeremyParish Well it's a bit too late now, since I became a patron a few minutes after that post. I'll share, as well, of course.

[@jamesmoss3424]

Super R-type look fun to play. 😀👍🎮

[@xenxander]

You must do Phalanx at some point

[@seanthiem1176]

It's about memorizing the levels and enemy behaviour patterns, it's hard but not that hard.

[@SalasBarnaby]

Is that kid with the Master System you went to school with named, Joe Redifer?

[@gunbuckybucketman4578]

What are you talking about? Mid stage check point IS a mistake.

[@Levitz9]

Courts siding with consumers? Imagine that. I confused this R-Type with R-Type 3, honestly. I wondered why you didn't quote the "blast off and strike the evil Bodo empire!" bit.

[@justinscott7825]

Super R-type is indeed hard. But the feeling of accomplishment was very sastifying. But R-type 3 is the better game. Are you gonna look at it too in the near future?

[@JeremyParish]

Yuuuuup

[@kommissar.murphy]

If the drone is virtually indestructible by lasers,why didn't they make the ship from whatever the drone is made of?

[@jlc992]

9:08 And there's the sperm... thanks game.

[@elrickking9293]

It makes me anxious to hear someone criticize a game that I love so much, you didn't talk about one of the most important things in the videogame..... The music..... Wich SNES, GB, and comodore64 has the best mixes of the game, you really think this game is hard? have you ever played Gradius 3 on SNES on easy mode?

[@CircsC]

I had R-Type on the game boy as a kid. Convinced me I didn't enjoy shooters and to avoid Irem. (The game gave you 75 cents worth of continues) I do like both now, but still no love for R-Type.

[@mrmanjumac3454]

If this game had checkpoints like gradius or rtype 3 it would be more doable. Levels 4 and on are fucking brutal. And why are there even lives? No checkpoints and unlimited continues.

[@luisguillermojg]

Does this mean you're not doing the Star Fox 2 review anymore?

[@card-joker5301]

You can play Rtype 3 on GBA too

[@massivepileup]

I read that that's a terrible port though?

[@card-joker5301]

the music is a little bit bad, but a portal cheap cardridge. i like both

[@kara-knight3364]

Rtype is this month's PSN deal. Wish there was a physical version.

[@niespeludo]

I'm a big shmup fan and I tell you, I can't beat R-type. It requires you to be perfect. I'm good at Life force, Gradius, Aero Fighters (big favorite of mine), UN Squadron....but R-Type? I can't .

[@curlyfm]

drubio I’ve been trying to beat level 4 of the arcade versions for months now. I think I will say I have completed it after that the next 4 look insane.

[@supercomputer276]

Ahhh, THAT would explain Ecco the Dolphin. Much like this game, it didn't have a mid-stage checkpoint system for much of the same cited reasons.

[@Seafoamgaming]

You're making us wait until 2035 for a Hyperzone Review? That seems like an error or an odd joke to make

[@poopoo-dk4hu]

I find this game to be a cake walk compared to gradius 3. Except on hard. If you die on the last level on hard just reset the game.

[@codekhalil6437]

Hyperzone. such a gross looking game

[@reneemapes6103]

R type 2 is way harder

[@user-a5Bw9de]

I still have hard time believing a story of Gommander being designed by a female artist in IREM.

[@keq64]

you are wrong about difficulty being high just to make the game longer, it was an arcade game originally and they just ported it how it was, nothing to do with rentals. renting is illegal in japan anyway.

[@todesziege]

It wasn't uncommon for japanese games to be made harder when localized to the west in that era, though.

[@krissymarklewis1793]

I hate the first level of this...it's crap.