Angry Video Game Nerd TRASHES the Amiga CD32!!

[Foebane]

Originally Posted by rothers

So what happens if you play the Zool cd track 1 in a CD player?

If the CD player is modern enough, silence. The player will detect it is data and not output the audio on that track.

I had the game Total Annihilation for PC back in the 1990s, and I once took the CD round to my grandparents' house so that they could hear the excellent orchestral soundtrack that was on all tracks but #1. Then, out of curiosity, I tried track #1 on their basic CD player, and there was was white noise (hiss) and the occasional other sounds.

People say playing a data track like this sounds very much like a modem of the 1990s making its screeching noises over the phone line when logging onto Internet services back then, but the CD is many orders of magnitude faster than the slow baud rates of the time, so it doesn't sound as bad. Of course, it is entirely possible, because of the nature of the data, that it can still damage speakers.

[Predseda]

What was an unacceptable noise back then in 90s is now considered to be a modern music style by many. Believe me, I was invited to a free tekkno party once

[Foebane]

The AVGN does make some excellent points:

1. He's most likely not used to the joystick ports being on the side, rather than on the front.

2. He's also most likely annoyed by having to turn the console on at the switch on the back. Again, other consoles have it on the top.

3. I agree with him about the cryptic symbols on the coloured buttons on the controller: what was Commodore thinking by not labelling them simply, like other consoles do? I'm not surprised that he's annoyed and baffled by this bizarre decision to put non-standard symbols onto the buttons. What do they even mean? And if they're meant to be referred to by their colours, it's not very helpful in a black-and-white manual, unless they're spelled out. A, B, X, Y are much more intuitive, as is the PSX's symbols.

[d4rk3lf]

Originally Posted by rothers

So what happens if you play the Zool cd track 1 in a CD player?

The real question is:
What happens if you play it backwards.

Originally Posted by Foebane

I'm not surprised that he's annoyed and baffled by this bizarre decision to put non-standard symbols onto the buttons

Dude, you realize it is all his acting?
He just want to look funny, he is not annoyed at all.
Also, exaggerating things is kind of his job too.

[Foebane]

Originally Posted by d4rk3lf

Also, exaggerating things is kind of his job too.

OK then, how do the game instructions identify the buttons?

[Juz400]

Dont get me wrong, I love everything Amiga BUT

If you look at the bigger picture, there was a vast amount of games for the Amiga and if you catagorized them into
Excellent, Good, Mediocre, Bad, Absolute reheated Hyena shit
there are alot more in the last 3 choices than the first 2
the same goes for the CD32 and you had to BUY the software! I dont think many people in the amiga scene had CD buring capability in 1994!
If you were new to the Amiga and got a CD32, how many times would you get stung with a absolute stinker of a game before you got rid and bought a Mega Drive/Snes

[d4rk3lf]

Originally Posted by Foebane

OK then, how do the game instructions identify the buttons?

That's not the point.
If those poorly labeled buttons were only faulty stuff in CD32, then I would be very happy. Unfortunately, CD32 had much bigger issues.
AVGN simply took short time to point out poor labels, and he just continues with other stuff.
Again, it's his job to act and behave like he is mad, and it's on others to like it, or not.

[Predseda]

I think in this case CD32 ended quite well in trash. Some episodes ago he shitted into Atari Jaguar

[Foebane]

Originally Posted by Predseda

I think in this case CD32 ended quite well in trash. Some episodes ago he shitted into Atari Jaguar

Ah, the last two consoles launched by two former powerhouse companies in the world of home computers. Both platforms now long dead, both companies also long dead.

RIP Commodore + Atari

[nexus]

Originally Posted by Predseda

...which was never released AFAIK....

CD32 keyboard was released
http://eab.abime.net/attachment.php?...1&d=1322101465
and CD32 was my A1200 back then with SX-1 500MB HDD and 8MB RAM which ended up as my last amiga
also i got mine in the USA and mine had a real D-PAD
bought it and all my amiga stuff from CompuQuick Media Center in Ohio
if it wasnt for that store i wouldnt have been in amiga stuff

[Predseda]

Originally Posted by nexus

CD32 keyboard was released

...as a prototype I think?

[trixster]

Originally Posted by PortuguesePilot

The CD32 is an Amiga and as an Amiga, I love it. But just 'cos I'm an amigan, with a personal history connecting me to it since 1989. If I came from the SNES, MD or even NES realm directly into the CD32, I'd think it was poo as well. The CD32 was pretty poor compared to what was right around the corner in 1994 (Saturn first, then the mighty PlayStation). If the A1200 was too little, too late in 1992, imagine what the CD32 (just an A1200 with the Akiko chip) was in 1993. Being based on the Amiga, the CD32 was still in the old paradigm of gaming and did not break through to the next paradigm (brought forth by the other 32bit machines but inspired by the increasingly popular PC's 3D gaming). The CD32 never stood a chance. Despite its puerile tone, I agree with everything that AVGN said. Sure, he didn't show any of the actual good games that the CD32 has (even Bubba 'n' Stix is a very old-school game), but what is shown in the video is nothing but the truth. I took no offence at all. Sometimes we must know how to separate emotion from factual data. And the factual data is: the CD32, as a 5th generation console, sucked donkey balls. It even sucked compared to the most established 4th generation consoles...

I’m just going to quote you in entirety as I completely agree with everything you’ve said.

[nexus]

Originally Posted by Predseda

...as a prototype I think?

no it was released in small numbers
http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=1218100&postcount=2

[Daedalus]

Originally Posted by PortuguesePilot

the CD32, as a 5th generation console, sucked donkey balls. It even sucked compared to the most established 4th generation consoles...

Well, it really was a 4th generation console that just happened to be released during the 5th generation era

As for the symbols on the controller, they're standard media controls, probably chosen to reflect the console's abilities for playing music CDs, and even video CDs... Though given that neither were the machine's primary purpose, this was a little misguided. Still, I've seen the symbols used in manuals and on screen, and the names of the colours in some places too... It wasn't all that hard to reference them. But a more conventional system of labels (and while we're at it, a more conventional D-pad too) would've been nice.

[Predseda]

BTW did anyone of you noticed AVGN trashed different CD32 than he played with?

He played with early one and dropped the later revision (that was even worse than the early ones).

[rare_j]

I didn't realise the price of it was so poor. Could have had a snes or an md with a pile of games for the same money. A really really poor offering from Commodore.
Imagine opening up your CD32 with Oscar or Dangerous Streets, and realising you could have been playing Sonic or Mario All Stars for less money.

A well-deserved bashing from the nerd.

[jotd]

the only good thing about this console is that it allows to play Amiga games from CD (not floppy)

Also could theorically have used CD audio & sfx, AGA versions... but almost no game does that... (check out my CD32 audio-enhanced games BTW).

One of the issues is that Nintendo & Sega had some in-house devs, Commodore had some, but most devs was made by external companies, who mostly didn't care about the CD32

There are some beautiful CD32 titles, though, like Fire & Ice (no CD music when playing), and... well... games that you could play on your A1200, with more buttons...

And the controller sucks. But that can be fixed now with latest efforts (KTRLCD32)

[Marle]

Originally Posted by rare_j

I didn't realise the price of it was so poor....
Imagine opening up your CD32 with Oscar or Dangerous Streets, and realising you could have been playing Sonic or Mario All Stars for less money.

A well-deserved bashing from the nerd.

Yeah I mentioned that earlier, at first in 1994 I thought it was a CD32 I had to get, even though realistically I have no idea how i would have afforded it (probably have sold my A600, thankfully that never happened and I still have the A600).

Instead I bought after a lot of saving a SNES with All Stars around the middle of 1994 if my memory serves me right for about £100, I seem to remember it was just over £100 as I had to wait for another week's paper round money to make it over £100

The games were more expensive but so long as you got a good one, like Mario Kart and Secret of Mana, there was a heck of a lot of game for your money.

Occasionally in Super Play Magazine you would see reader Ads offering to swap CD32s for SNESs....Ouch.

Of course I see the use of a CD32 today as an Amiga, but as a console at the time, it proves what good marketing can do - the IBM PC sold well due to marketing, and the CD32 did sell well in the UK due to marketing... doesn't mean they were better than the competition though. Some twisted irony in that isn't there?

After the initial launch, the CD32 was the buzzword at school but by mid-1994, everyone was back to talking about Mega Drives and Super Nintendos, and the MegaCD seemed to generate buzz at school, even though nobody had one to my knowledge.

[Marle]

Originally Posted by d4rk3lf

Btw Marle, I am watching your pixel art videos, and you're doing a great job. Very appreciated. Keep up the awesome work.

Aww thank you, that's very kind - I know I'm not a video machine in churning out lots of content but I want to keep my own pace that I enjoy working at and produce quality thought about content Very happy to read that the content is well received!

[d4rk3lf]

What I don't get, why AVGN (and some others) consider Zool 1/2 mediocre at best?
Sure, there were better platformers then Zool, but still, imho, its a very nice platformer,
Its fast, with good, responsive controls, and I like the way you can hang on the vertical walls.

What Sonic offers that Zool don't have?
(I've played both a little bit, loks very similar to me, and I've always consider Zool, as an Amiga Sonic)