What Makes The Amiga CD32 The Best Amiga?

[Gilbert]

Originally Posted by dreadnought

Man, you really are a CD32 cultist Only a true zealot would try to employ extreme cherrypicking, such as using SotB port for MD or some Sonic homebrew as example of MD/SNES capabilities, while blissfuly ignoring all the other games which actually matter, eg Castlevania or Guardian Heroes.

Nevermind that CD32 joypad has been universally panned, hey, it's got 6 buttons! Who cares about ergonomics, or the fact that most games only use one?

This thread is a trainwreck but it is also amusing to watch, in a way. Every forum has an occasional Don Quixote who's on a mission to prove that some ancient flop was actually a misunderstood powerhouse. Tilt away, sir!

We were talking about the Megadrive not the Saturn. The CD32 probably could do a good version of Symphony of the Night - the Saturn version wasn't that great from what I heard (slowdown!)

The Sonic Homebrew on the SNES shows a legitimate issue with the SNES - it has lower resolution than the Megadrive and Amiga. I think it has a high resolution mode but very few games use it and a version of Sonic wouldn't be possible in it

Games that most impressed me technically on MD were Panorama Cotton and ThunderForce 4. But CD32 could probably do both of those. And even if not possible - it's like I said a lesser machine will always have at least a couple of games a better machine can't do. But 9 times out of 10 the CD32 smashes the Megadrive into pieces.

Originally Posted by sokolovic

Gilbert, sadly, not every CD32 games use all the buttons. Many were just 1 button, 2 at best, like Shadow Fighters which is a mystery for me considering this is a VS fighting game (don't know for Body Blows but I'm not sure it use many buttons also).

That's because 90% of the games on CD32 were just quick ports. That's why you guys don't realise how great it is. You are judging it on a few games ported from the lesser Amiga's.

Originally Posted by TEG

d point about the fact that Commodore did not imposed a format for CD32 games boxes. So it was a mess for:
1/Customers to recognize CD32 games
2/Dealers who simply pile up CD32 games where they can instead of having a nice shelf

I agree with this - wish we just had the jewel cases, I have to keep a load of big boxes in my attic.

Originally Posted by EAUniW

The CD32 controller was great, you could tap the shoulders easily and the buttons were well spaced and the D-pad wasn't slippy like the Mega Drive's.

Yes great comment. Very true. Also the Megadrive 6 button pad is designed for fighting games so buttons aren't symmetrical for other types of games.

[jotd]

Sorry, I can't let you say that the CD32 controller is great

Original CD32 controller sucks! The D pad ages badly, rubber falls off and D-pad rotates, making games unplayable. But KTRL-CD32 is a nice replacement (or honeybee, or any clone probably!)

But thanks to Commodore we have standard 7-button controller, compatible with most amigas, and a lot of games support it, natively, or with whdload patches.

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by Gilbert

Games that most impressed me technically on MD were Panorama Cotton and ThunderForce 4. But CD32 could probably do both of those.

OMG, you are sooooo deluded

Not a chance in hell could the CD32 do ThunderForce IV.

Originally Posted by Gilbert

And even if not possible - it's like I said a lesser machine will always have at least a couple of games a better machine can't do. But 9 times out of 10 the CD32 smashes the Megadrive into pieces.

That's because 90% of the games on CD32 were just quick ports. That's why you guys don't realise how great it is. You are judging it on a few games ported from the lesser Amiga's.

We are not dealing with "what ifs" here... get back to reality.

Games on the CD32 were exactly as you've said, A500 / A1200 games with audio... Wow!!! Nothing special at all.

Please enlighten us all; what are the killer / must have games on the CD32?

[fxgogo]

This thread still going on...?

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by fxgogo

This thread still going on...?

I know, crazy hey...

Thing is; Gilbert never gives up in trying to convince the world that the CD32 is the best thing since sliced bread; and pretends that it blows other, earlier, way more successful consoles that have oodles of games better than anything ever released on the CD32, out of the water

I mean, it's so sad I could almost cry... but it's just sooooo ridiculous and hilarious at the same time. I think it's his mission in life

[mcgeezer]

Originally Posted by DamienD

I know, crazy hey...

Thing is; Gilbert never gives up in trying to convince the world that the CD32 is the best thing since sliced bread; and pretends that it blows other, earlier, way more successful consoles that have oodles of games better than anything ever released on the CD32, out of the water

I mean, it's so sad I could almost cry... but it's just sooooo ridiculous and hilarious at the same time. I think it's his mission in life

Yeah, probably got a CD32 tattoo (on his arse)

[dreadnought]

Originally Posted by Gilbert

We were talking about the Megadrive not the Saturn. The CD32 probably could do a good version of Symphony of the Night - the Saturn version wasn't that great from what I heard (slowdown!)

How on Earth did you manage to drag Saturn into this? My "such as using SotB port for MD" obviously means Shadow Of The Beast port for MegaDrive, because that was one of your examples. Also, it does not matter what CD32 could do, but what has (not) been done.

Originally Posted by Gilbert

The Sonic Homebrew on the SNES shows a legitimate issue with the SNES - it has lower resolution than the Megadrive and Amiga.

It's not a "legitimate" issue, because it was never an issue to start with, not when it mattered most - back then - and not now either. "OMG, SNES has lower res than the other lot, I sure as hell am not buying it!" - said nobody, ever. What matters is the quality of actually released software, not an amount of pixels something theoretically can render.

Using you inane logic of cherrypicking out of context tech specs and factoids, to prove that something was allegedly the greatest leads to amusing conclusions. Eg, surely Jaguar was the greatest console of that time, since it was "64 bit"? And the greatest Amiga was A4000, since it had muh MHz?

Originally Posted by Gilbert

But 9 times out of 10 the CD32 smashes the Megadrive into pieces.

Right. Let's forget the handicap of being released 4 years later, it's a tiny detail. Please name 9 CD32 exclusives which "smash MD into pieces". You'd struggle to do this even using the original Amiga library, but since you're trying to prove CD32 is the greatest, you're only allowed to use its native games (and because for the 399USD launch money I'm pretty sure I could buy an A500 and Megadrive, thus rendering CD32 backward compatibility irrelevant)

Originally Posted by Gilbert

That's why you guys don't realise how great it is.

I'm sure you can conjure some more "arguments" and we'll finally see the light. Keep on keeping on, it's quite entertaining

[d4rk3lf]

Well, in Gilbert defense...
I'd choose CD32 over Genesis anytime, simply because I can attach keyboard, mouse, HD, and get nice A1200 with CD Rom.
That way I could play games like Civilization, and other strategy games, or flight sims, or any gender that was lacking on consoles.
Hell, I could start Lightwave, Real 3D, create and render animations, or paint in Deluxe Paint.

What other console can do that?

[lmimmfn]

Originally Posted by DamienD

Not a chance in hell could the CD32 do ThunderForce IV.

I think a CD32 with some fastram could have a decent stab at it, interesting topic tbh.

[Retro-Nerd]

It's not a ram problem. The MD is much better in sprites (moving, amount, scaling/rotating etc) than the CD32.

[sokolovic]

Thunderforce IV is a splendid game but I I can't see why the CD32 couldn't do a good version of it.
Reshoot R have much more impressive effects IMHO, especially considering it was made by 3 guy as a hobby project.

[DanScott]

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

It's not a ram problem. The MD is much better in sprites (moving, amount, scaling/rotating etc) than the CD32.

fixed

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by sokolovic

Thunderforce IV is a splendid game but I I can't see why the CD32 couldn't do a good version of it.
Reshoot R have much more impressive effects IMHO, especially considering it was made by 3 guy as a hobby project.

Oh come on; Reshoot R has much more impressive effects than Thunderforce IV???

Next you say Reshoot R a better game also

IMHO it's not even a 20% as good a game as Thunderforce IV is.

[dreadnought]

Originally Posted by d4rk3lf

Well, in Gilbert defense...
I'd choose CD32 over Genesis anytime, simply because I can attach keyboard, mouse, HD, and get nice A1200 with CD Rom.

I'd choose A1200*, and for the money I saved (price difference+CD32 expansions) would buy a SNES. You can keep the CD

*(actually, like I said earlier I'd choose A500 and have enough left to buy MD and SNES, but for the sake of the argument...)

[trixster]

Originally Posted by Gilbert

We were talking about the Megadrive not the Saturn. The CD32 probably could do a good version of Symphony of the Night

There’s been some gems in this thread but this wins it.

[sokolovic]

Originally Posted by DamienD

Oh come on; Reshoot R has much more impressive effects than Thunderforce IV???

Next you say Reshoot R a better game also

IMHO it's not even a 20% as good a game as Thunderforce IV is.

Yes I think Reshoot R have got some stunning effects and no I don't see where TFIV got something more impressive or not seen on an A1200 or CD32.
The lava effect is great but the distorted front layer and multi layered parallaxe in Reshoot last level is fantastic (ans much more impressive IMHO).
That said it haven't said that Reshoot R is a better game. TFIV is a monument of course, but that's more linked to the general design of the game than for its technical specificities.

[Thorham]

Originally Posted by trixster

There’s been some gems in this thread but this wins it.

Game play wise that game doesn't seem too special. Seems like matching the audio visual presentation is the problem.

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by sokolovic

Yes I think Reshoot R have got some stunning effects and no I don't see where TFIV got something more impressive or not seen on an A1200 or CD32.

Sorry, but there are no shoot em' ups on the A500 / A1200 or CD32 that even come close to Thunderforce IV in terms of effects, number of bullets, diverse enemies, huge bosses or gameplay.

[sokolovic]

That don't means it would be impossible to achieve. Boss machine for example seems a good rip off of TFIV at least technically and for the inspiration.
TFIV had 9 coders and 12 gfx artist working on it professionally. I doubt that an Amiga games ever had, even in its glory day, as much people working on it.

Originally Posted by Thorham

Game play wise that game doesn't seem too special. Seems like matching the audio visual presentation is the problem.

SoTN have many 3D effect when using special weapons for example, that won't be possible on a stock CD32 for sure.

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by sokolovic

That don't means it would be impossible to achieve.

I'd have to disagree again... as Retro-Nerd said:

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

The MD is much better in sprites (moving, amount, scaling/rotating etc) than the CD32.