[Nishicorn]

Does Amiga really NEED Green Beret?

Does every game have to be ported to every platform, so no platform has anything unique about them anymore? Can't we enjoy something on the original platform, and then something else on some other platform?

This 'conversion' mania is really getting out of hand, we don't need everything converted everywhere. Let's just enjoy things where they are.

If you are going to 'convert' something, why do it in the most boring way possible? Why not add some personality and something of your own? Make new levels, different graphics (not necessarily 'better'), utilize the platform's strengths and add a copperslide for the Amiga port and cool live synth sound for the C64-port (Falcon Patrol games are good examples of how to utilize a live synth right - the sound LIVES with the action of the game), and create something beautiful of your own.

Then again, you could just make your OWN game and just create something really, really good without caring whether someone else has done something similar or not - if you are excited about your project and are honest about it, it will show.

These 'conversions' seem like uncreative ways to gain ego points to me; sure, it's lots of work and hard to do right, but in the end, it's making something that already exists, and even if you do perfect justice to it, it's just going to be 'something everyone has already seen and experienced'. A perfect port of an old game is just the same old game someone has already played, without the original, wonderful 1980s atmosphere that the original actually has.

Look at Prince of Persia to see what I mean; there are wonderful 'diversions from the path' - Atari ST-version added some weird colors (didn't quite work, but it's at least something), Mac version made everything cartoony in a higher resolution (looks dumb and boring, but at least it's something), Super Famicom version added new levels, different cutscenes and pictures, more complexity and visual beauty to the levels, different colors and 'textures', made the rock formations more interestng and so on and so forth.

(Super Famicom-version is probably the 'optimal' version, but to me, the Amiga-version is the most nostalgic version).

This particular game suffers visually from 'repetitive rocks', so some versions tried to make it more interesting, but it's really the original game design that's at fault (the original Apple II-version doesn't look that good in my opinion), they didn't think that through. After all, it was designed by a programmer that's also a drug user (admittedly!).

Someone decided to make a 'C64-port' - it's not a REAL C64-port, because you can't play it on a normal system that most people had at the time, you need a special cart version for memory requirements and all (perhaps they sell it as a cart that works on a real C64, I am not sure). So although I can play it on my real C64 because I happen to have devices that make it work, back in the 1980s, it wouldn't have been possible to play it on a real C64, so it's not a true port.

Putting all that aside, its rocks are mis-aligned, so they look horrible, and they're as stock and as boring as possible - NOTHING new was attempted. It's as paint-by-the-numbers, soulless 'conversion' as possible, from the Amiga version, which is the simplest-looking version after the Apple II original.

This means that although the version is competent, there's nothing about it that would make anyone want to play THAT exact version. They didn't DARE do anything of their own that would've added personality to it, which is an insult to the C64, whose versions of games historically have always had great, big personality. Commando has amazing music the arcade version doesn't have, Bomb Jack has wonderful playability and energy, and its music is better than the arcade version again, Kung-Fu master improved the arcade's weirdly (I can't draw but I made the sprites anyway)-style graphics (and punching sound, weirdly enough), International Karate and Way of the Exploding Fist are really amazing versions of 'Karate Champ', and so on and so forth.

Why couldn't the C64-port of Prince of Persia reflect this history AT ALL? Not even slightly different-shaped or -looking rocks that would have actually aligned as well as the Amiga version's? Even in the Amiga version, some rocks are a bit different shade (but it's still dull, as most of the screen is just rocks - they should've done something about that from the get-go).

So when you think of this kind of 'let's convert some old arcade game to some other platform'-stuff, think of Super Famicom's (or even just Atari ST's) Prince of Persia, and see how it can be done right, by adding your own personality and imagination to it and thus actually enhancing it. Forget about resolutions and color amounts, polygons and textures - focus on just making everything as beautiful and gorgeous as you can and add your best and most imaginative self to it.

Just 'directly porting' something in a soulless way just to clone something into another platform, in my opinion, is just unimaginative, uncreative people with time on their hands saying "HEY, look at me because I copied some NOSTALGIC stuff you feel strong emotions about, to a platform you love and give me kudos for it!!1".

It's an ego-trip, a shortcut to gaining a lot of attention and appreciation for exploiting other people's property and creativity because you don't have any yourself, or you don't trust your own visions and creations.

This makes it questionable and despisable in my opinion, and that's why I don't really like people doing it. If you are going to do it, do it with some STYLE! (As the Doc once said in a movie)

Just look at all the different versions of Prince of Persia and see what CAN be done (and you can do MORE!), before starting your 'conversion of something you know will gain you kudos points automatically because of its name'-project.

Please.

Otherwise, it's just a VANITY PROJECT.