Was there ever an NTSC version of Zool?

[mc68060]

Does anybody know if Zool got an NTSC version? I mean, it was insanely popular in Europe and many say it saved Gremlin so why didn't they go for an NTSC version? Of course, the US Amiga market in 1992 was already pretty much dead but still, a game like Zool could have sold quite some copies, couldn't it?

Or was there an NTSC version after all? At least I've never seen or heard of one...

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by mc68060

Does anybody know if Zool got an NTSC version? I mean, it was insanely popular in Europe and many say it saved Gremlin so why didn't they go for an NTSC version? Of course, the US Amiga market in 1992 was already pretty much dead but still, a game like Zool could have sold quite some copies, couldn't it?

Or was there an NTSC version after all? At least I've never seen or heard of one...

Im pretty sure Gremlin didnt bother with NTSC versions of their software.

Psygnosis did, Bitmap Brothers did, and NTSC versions exist of software that was published/distributed by a different company.

[Hewitson]

Always wanted to like Zool, but never could. Compared to the platformers I had on the SNES & Megadrive, it just... sucked.

[OmegaMax]

I had it on Jaguar,it wasn't good on there either.

[softwarefailure]

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

Im pretty sure Gremlin didnt bother with NTSC versions of their software

Interestingly, I have an NTSC version of Gremlin's Utopia here. Published by Konami in the US, just like the Bitmap Brothers games. I've Kryofluxed it and it even has a Konami/Gremlin splash screen:



And the title screen has a "V3.0" which the EU version doesn't have either:



Too bad they didn't do Zool V3.0 on NTSC ;-)

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by softwarefailure

Interestingly, I have an NTSC version of Gremlin's Utopia here. Published by Konami in the US, just like the Bitmap Brothers games. I've Kryofluxed it and it even has a Konami/Gremlin splash screen:



And the title screen has a "V3.0" which the EU version doesn't have either:



Too bad they didn't do Zool V3.0 on NTSC ;-)

I'm guessing that was a one off as the American Amiga audience was more strategy orientated, rather than action platformer.

[Gzegzolka]

I wonder were there ever arcade version of Zool or was that just urban legend?

[th4t1guy]

I have a factory CD32 disc of Zool labeled as NTSC, but it's actually just the PAL version. It doesn't even run correctly unless the CD32 is switched over to PAL.

[VJagentONE]

I am pretty Sure there was NOT an NTSC version, as an NTSC Zool 2 game was something I desired badly.....not because I could not just Run the PAL version...the PAL version worked fine.....its because of 2 reasons....I wanted to Play Zool 2 on a Big screen NTSC TV and wanted to recored it to an NTSC DV tape to show my friends and alos upload online back in the day when YouTube began.....I did one day discover how to force it to NTSC though....Dont remember how...I think it was through Emulation running on a Powerbook or Macbook pro 2008 in which I connected the Mac to S-Video CRT TV through Macbooks DVI to S-Video Adaptor which it did fantastically....also.......Atari Jaguar had a slightly better drawn and Animated ZOOL in their Zool 2 version......the Game Emulated looked Awesome....on a real Jaguar the resolution was so low it looked like Garbage.....also the PC version is identical to the Jaguar Version and plays more Console like...try both of them with Scanlines enabled to get that Arcade console look.

P.S. I hate the A1200 AGA and CD32 versions of ZOOL and ZOOL 2....because of that Stupid Non transparent Purple Score bar at the top....a patheic attempt to make it appear that the AGA version had more colors.....they DIDN'T ...they ..only had an extra Field or Background and that Background was the added palette....but if you notice the forground and Zool, had not a single color added to them.......the ECS is better...unless you like the backgrounds that dont properly fadeaway into the distance....the colors are not muted making the game look crazy and unorganized.

Anyway :-)

Oh and one more thing.......there is a secret to geting Every PAL game in existence to display on an NTSC TV.......Most PHILIPS and some Magnavox CRT tube TVs(Owned by Philips) display both PAL and NTSC.....and goes into Actual PAL mode which squishes the image slightly to make sure it shows all the pixels. Most people were not aware of this nor did Philips advertize it....but Philips knew their stuff and infact made some Amiga monitors.

[OmegaMax]

Most likely urban legend

[Matt_H]

Originally Posted by th4t1guy

I have a factory CD32 disc of Zool labeled as NTSC, but it's actually just the PAL version. It doesn't even run correctly unless the CD32 is switched over to PAL.

Originally Posted by OmegaMax

Most likely urban legend

I have an NTSC CD32 disc that truly is NTSC. There's a check in the startup-sequence and everything. If it detects that the system is running in PAL, it puts up an error message explaining that it needs NTSC.

I can't remember if I got it from Softhut or one of the St. Louis shows in 1998/1999. But it exists.

[OmegaMax]

Sorry,I meant the arcade game Zool is an urban legend.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Matt_H

I have an NTSC CD32 disc that truly is NTSC. There's a check in the startup-sequence and everything. If it detects that the system is running in PAL, it puts up an error message explaining that it needs NTSC.

Well that "check" Doesn't necessarily mean the game is NTSC, but why don't you rip teh disc and share so we can have a look and confirm?

[Matt_H]

Originally Posted by Akira

Well that "check" Doesn't necessarily mean the game is NTSC, but why don't you rip teh disc and share so we can have a look and confirm?

Where can I upload?

Upon further examination, the check isn't in the startup-sequence - it's part of the game code (the zool executable).

There are three little text sections on the CD hub. They read:
S NTSC ZOOL 1 A 01
GREMLIN
DISCTRONICS

Further in on the hub, the clear part, there is a "12" embossed in the plastic.

The printed label seems to be identical to the one on HOL except it says "NTSC COMPATIBLE" instead of "PAL COMPATIBLE"

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by Matt_H

Where can I upload?

Matt_H; how long have you been a member of EAB for now?

...the EAB File Server of course

Register an account here.

[gimbal]

Originally Posted by Hewitson

Always wanted to like Zool, but never could. Compared to the platformers I had on the SNES & Megadrive, it just... sucked.

Hm, I guess I was sort of lucky then to only have an Amiga. I got a demo for it with a magazine, completed the demo level the usual hundred times and was so much in love with the game that I got the full version. Really horrid loading times between levels and really stock sound effects, but that didn't phase me back then.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Matt_H

Where can I upload?

To the EAB fileserver, Damien gave you the info.
Looking forward to check this out!

[mc68060]

@Matt_H: Can you also upload an image of the CD? Does it come with a printed booklet or is it just a plain disc?

[th4t1guy]

Originally Posted by Matt_H

The printed label seems to be identical to the one on HOL except it says "NTSC COMPATIBLE" instead of "PAL COMPATIBLE"

That's exactly what my disc looks like, but the game is definitely NOT NTSC. Maybe there are different pressings of this disc?

[Matt_H]

Originally Posted by DamienD

Matt_H; how long have you been a member of EAB for now?

...the EAB File Server of course

Register an account here.

Would you believe that I've had no cause to upload anything larger than what The Zone can handle in all that time?

Will get this uploaded soon.