i really wish SEGA produced JAMMA boards of this so i could build a real System-16E...i figure i could set up a nettop/thin client to run the Windows port and build a cocktail cabinet around it. that might work.
Anyone know where i can get the soundtrack to Fantasy Zone I Arcade and this? i really hope someone's done a MP3 rip of this, i love the remixed boss theme...
@poopskinTheLiar Project 2612 has the rip of Super FZ, isn't that similar to the arcade one (being FM synthesis and all)? Did the Sega arcade machines have FM based chips like the SMD/Genesis?
The original 1980s versions of Fantasy Zone II on the 8-bit SMS and 8-bit System-E arcade board were good games, but the upgrade to full 16-bit System 16 is AMAZING
Remember, the System 16 board is mid-80s technology, from 1985-1986! It's older than the Megadrive / Genesis console, but considerably MORE POWERFUL, therefore this remake of Fantasy Zone II surpasses the Megadrive Super Fantasy Zone, in graphics anyway. I wish SEGA would do MORE System16 remakes!
I liked little things like the floating notes and the warps from the Master System version, and the fact that the shop is stationary, but other than really missing those little things that I liked a lot this looks really good.
It's not really supposed to be a substitute for FZ2. Instead it's meant to be a "What If" game for all the people that were sad the original team never did a true arcade sequel. It's kind of like an alternate timeline. It really is a better game than the real FZ2, also, but it's different and it's supposed to be different.
I still would have liked to have seen the floating notes and stationary shops from the Master System FZ2 though and I don't think keeping them would have ruined the game in anyway.
It wouldn't have ruined it, but the idea was to take things back closer to the original and then build on it from there. It's for people who liked the original better and wished FZ2 improved on it. The regular shops don't appear at all in the dark side stages, btw.
Well I've just went back and played Fantasy Zone 1 and 2 and Super Fantasy Zone to compare to this video, since I can't actually play the game, and I still think Fantasy Zone 2 did the warp and shop stuff a bit better imo and I REALLY did like collecting the notes (they were just a nice touch).
I think some things in this version are obviously better (the graphics and base marker at bottom of screen) but I think with notes and stationary shops it would have been the best combination.
Funny you mention the warps. They don't even work slightly similarly. The different warps are parallel dimensions in this one, not separate levels, with the "Dark Side" being much harder, but also having greater rewards. The story also branches depending on which you favor with multiple endings. It's pretty cool.
Despite the fact that the shops are balloons again, they're not random in this one either, which is refreshing.
beginnings of stages on the bright side, shooting hidden spots on the dark side, and after dying during a boss fight (engine only, so you don't get stuck with small wings). Everything was really designed with game balance in mind.
I still think I prefer the fixed shops because there's more strategy involved imo. It's more fun for me to plan when to buy and use certain weapons/items and I can even decide to avoid the bosses until I have collected lots of cash and I am fully stocked up.
I like the idea of the dark side though so maybe if the warps took me to the dark side but the shops and boss warp were still fixed I think I would prefer that combination.
Still looks like a great game though as they all are.
Well remember, even though it's a hybothetical arcade game, it is designed for the arcade. So milking strategies would be considered a negative.
It's not fair to say this has less strategy. It's just different strategy. I'd actually say there's more overall.
But remember, it's not a remake in the traditional sense anyway. It's an attempt to imagine what the game would have been like if the original FZ1 team made it. So the design ethic is different on purpose and it's really a whole new game.
So maybe it would have been more appropriate to call it just Fantasy Zone DX so people like me who enjoyed what I consider the improvements made in II would not be slightly disappointed that they were then removed in this game.
I personally really liked the addition of the notes that fall when you destroy a base as opposed to just coins, and the fact shops and Boss warps are stationary so it's easy to plan play strategies around them.
It's not even called DX, that's a name given by fans.
A lot of Fantasy Zone fans really felt like the series went downhill after the first and in particular the lack of a true arcade sequel on equal or better hardware than the original was a missed opportunity. Kind of like how Space Harrier fans feel about SH2.
So this is designed to look and feel like "a" real Fantasy Zone II, but not "the" real Fantasy Zone II. Hence the title, the 1987 copyright, etc. It's an alternate history, kinda.
I still don't get why fans thought it went downhill after the original when it seems to me that Fantasy Zone II is superior to the first one, on Master System certainly.
I'm sure it got better reviews at the time too but I'm just speculating on that one.
Ah well.
I guess I just wish they had kept Fantasy Zone II the way it was and simply used the new graphics and stuff rather than change the game but I understand that it's like an amalgamation and a 'what if' so it's cool.
You could definitely argue that SMS FZ2 is better than SMS FZ1, but it's a faaaar from as good as the arcade original. The intense action and the balance of that game is still amazing.
Especially in Japan where the arcade version was (and is) very popular (and where the SMS was less relevant in general), people aren't really comparing FZ2 to the SMS game, they're looking it as a missed opportunity to follow up the arcade game.
And those games didn't really get much review coverage at all.
I still have the feeling that most people only think Fantasy Zone Arcade, or any other new version, is better than Fantasy Zone II MS simply because it/they had better graphics but that's just my take on it.
I personally think if the original Fantasy Zone II MS had simply had the same graphics as this system 16 version then most people would prefer it but that's just because I genuinely believe it is the better game.
Anyhow I can leave it at saying this game looks really good too regardless.
It has nothing to do with the graphics. Arcade Fantasy Zone 1 is almost a perfect game. It's incredibly intense, the number of bullets that start flying by the second loop is ridiculous, and the amount of strategy required to play effectively is really rewarding. It's just a much deeper, more refined game than the console releases.
There's a reason people still play it in the arcades in Japan. It really does hold up as a classic. I think you might need to spend more time with the arcade one.
I like how they took the melodies from FZII's soundtrack and re-did them in Hiroshi Miyauchi's distinctive style. It really sounds nothing like the SMS version, and yet it fits so much better. The arranger composer for this (Manabu Namiki I think) did a masterful job of imitating Miyauchi's style.
That's one smooth secret parts shop
EnerieEffex 3 weeks ago
Mas eu queria lhe perguntar
Qual botão do controle PS2 devo apertar para encher a barra e soltar a F.bomb
5607caio 7 months ago
Se não entender traduza
5607caio 7 months ago
brincadeira falo PT
5607caio 7 months ago
sorry
5607caio 7 months ago
What button on the PS2 should I push to fill the bar and drop fire bombs?
5607caio 7 months ago
Wow, Opa-Opa tore Tree's SOUL to shreds? he's more evil than i thought. :P
poopskinTheLiar 1 year ago
i really wish SEGA produced JAMMA boards of this so i could build a real System-16E...i figure i could set up a nettop/thin client to run the Windows port and build a cocktail cabinet around it. that might work.
poopskinTheLiar 1 year ago
@poopskinTheLiar At least you'll have something.
RetroToledo 7 months ago
Anyone know where i can get the soundtrack to Fantasy Zone I Arcade and this? i really hope someone's done a MP3 rip of this, i love the remixed boss theme...
poopskinTheLiar 1 year ago
@poopskinTheLiar just download the VGM from SMS Power! then get a plugin for winamp to play .vgm files (or game music box on mac)
Biopharmer 1 year ago
@Biopharmer thanks, but that's FZII Classic. i don't think anyone's ripped IIDX, and i can't find a rip of FZI Arcade either...
poopskinTheLiar 1 year ago
@poopskinTheLiar Project 2612 has the rip of Super FZ, isn't that similar to the arcade one (being FM synthesis and all)? Did the Sega arcade machines have FM based chips like the SMD/Genesis?
Biopharmer 1 year ago
You know...it woud be sweet to hear all of the OSTs of this marvelously great sounding game In their own separate video :3
Corad4 1 year ago
I really want to play this one, it's the only one I haven't played!!
AZthehedgehog 1 year ago
I would love to play this remake! I wonder if it's available for the US?
Kojain 1 year ago
0:25 Why is father in quotation marks? is Sega implying Opa-Opa is a red-headed stepchild? that'd be terrible.
poopskinTheLiar 2 years ago
i have to wonder why FZII never got a System16 version* when FZI did?
*Although FZII DX was developed on a Slightly expanded System16, FZII is more of a remake then a port.
poopskinTheLiar 2 years ago
The original 1980s versions of Fantasy Zone II on the 8-bit SMS and 8-bit System-E arcade board were good games, but the upgrade to full 16-bit System 16 is AMAZING
Remember, the System 16 board is mid-80s technology, from 1985-1986! It's older than the Megadrive / Genesis console, but considerably MORE POWERFUL, therefore this remake of Fantasy Zone II surpasses the Megadrive Super Fantasy Zone, in graphics anyway. I wish SEGA would do MORE System16 remakes!
airraideagle 2 years ago 3
I liked little things like the floating notes and the warps from the Master System version, and the fact that the shop is stationary, but other than really missing those little things that I liked a lot this looks really good.
impurekind 2 years ago 6
It's not really supposed to be a substitute for FZ2. Instead it's meant to be a "What If" game for all the people that were sad the original team never did a true arcade sequel. It's kind of like an alternate timeline. It really is a better game than the real FZ2, also, but it's different and it's supposed to be different.
GotNextVideo 2 years ago
I still would have liked to have seen the floating notes and stationary shops from the Master System FZ2 though and I don't think keeping them would have ruined the game in anyway.
impurekind 2 years ago
It wouldn't have ruined it, but the idea was to take things back closer to the original and then build on it from there. It's for people who liked the original better and wished FZ2 improved on it. The regular shops don't appear at all in the dark side stages, btw.
GotNextVideo 2 years ago
Well I've just went back and played Fantasy Zone 1 and 2 and Super Fantasy Zone to compare to this video, since I can't actually play the game, and I still think Fantasy Zone 2 did the warp and shop stuff a bit better imo and I REALLY did like collecting the notes (they were just a nice touch).
I think some things in this version are obviously better (the graphics and base marker at bottom of screen) but I think with notes and stationary shops it would have been the best combination.
Anyhoo
impurekind 2 years ago
Funny you mention the warps. They don't even work slightly similarly. The different warps are parallel dimensions in this one, not separate levels, with the "Dark Side" being much harder, but also having greater rewards. The story also branches depending on which you favor with multiple endings. It's pretty cool.
Despite the fact that the shops are balloons again, they're not random in this one either, which is refreshing.
GotNextVideo 2 years ago
So how do you make the shops appear?
impurekind 2 years ago
beginnings of stages on the bright side, shooting hidden spots on the dark side, and after dying during a boss fight (engine only, so you don't get stuck with small wings). Everything was really designed with game balance in mind.
GotNextVideo 2 years ago
Hmmmmm,
I still think I prefer the fixed shops because there's more strategy involved imo. It's more fun for me to plan when to buy and use certain weapons/items and I can even decide to avoid the bosses until I have collected lots of cash and I am fully stocked up.
I like the idea of the dark side though so maybe if the warps took me to the dark side but the shops and boss warp were still fixed I think I would prefer that combination.
Still looks like a great game though as they all are.
impurekind 2 years ago
Well remember, even though it's a hybothetical arcade game, it is designed for the arcade. So milking strategies would be considered a negative.
It's not fair to say this has less strategy. It's just different strategy. I'd actually say there's more overall.
But remember, it's not a remake in the traditional sense anyway. It's an attempt to imagine what the game would have been like if the original FZ1 team made it. So the design ethic is different on purpose and it's really a whole new game.
GotNextVideo 2 years ago
I hear what you are saying.
So maybe it would have been more appropriate to call it just Fantasy Zone DX so people like me who enjoyed what I consider the improvements made in II would not be slightly disappointed that they were then removed in this game.
I personally really liked the addition of the notes that fall when you destroy a base as opposed to just coins, and the fact shops and Boss warps are stationary so it's easy to plan play strategies around them.
Still, I'd like to play this.
impurekind 2 years ago
It's not even called DX, that's a name given by fans.
A lot of Fantasy Zone fans really felt like the series went downhill after the first and in particular the lack of a true arcade sequel on equal or better hardware than the original was a missed opportunity. Kind of like how Space Harrier fans feel about SH2.
So this is designed to look and feel like "a" real Fantasy Zone II, but not "the" real Fantasy Zone II. Hence the title, the 1987 copyright, etc. It's an alternate history, kinda.
GotNextVideo 2 years ago
I still don't get why fans thought it went downhill after the original when it seems to me that Fantasy Zone II is superior to the first one, on Master System certainly.
I'm sure it got better reviews at the time too but I'm just speculating on that one.
Ah well.
I guess I just wish they had kept Fantasy Zone II the way it was and simply used the new graphics and stuff rather than change the game but I understand that it's like an amalgamation and a 'what if' so it's cool.
impurekind 2 years ago
You could definitely argue that SMS FZ2 is better than SMS FZ1, but it's a faaaar from as good as the arcade original. The intense action and the balance of that game is still amazing.
Especially in Japan where the arcade version was (and is) very popular (and where the SMS was less relevant in general), people aren't really comparing FZ2 to the SMS game, they're looking it as a missed opportunity to follow up the arcade game.
And those games didn't really get much review coverage at all.
GotNextVideo 2 years ago
I still have the feeling that most people only think Fantasy Zone Arcade, or any other new version, is better than Fantasy Zone II MS simply because it/they had better graphics but that's just my take on it.
I personally think if the original Fantasy Zone II MS had simply had the same graphics as this system 16 version then most people would prefer it but that's just because I genuinely believe it is the better game.
Anyhow I can leave it at saying this game looks really good too regardless.
impurekind 2 years ago
It has nothing to do with the graphics. Arcade Fantasy Zone 1 is almost a perfect game. It's incredibly intense, the number of bullets that start flying by the second loop is ridiculous, and the amount of strategy required to play effectively is really rewarding. It's just a much deeper, more refined game than the console releases.
There's a reason people still play it in the arcades in Japan. It really does hold up as a classic. I think you might need to spend more time with the arcade one.
GotNextVideo 2 years ago
"DX" was a tentative(proto) name by SEGA, not a name created by fans.
There was a title screenshot including this old name that SEGA officially released, but I dont remember where it was.
mr0919 2 years ago
This remake is awesome! And I see Opa Opa is dropping some F-Bombs.
darkangelsv1 3 years ago 14
@darkangelsv1 haha! whenever I heard people say "don't drop F-bombs" I always thought about Fantasy Zone lol.
Biopharmer 1 year ago
Sega hasn't lost their touch afterall. =D
KrazyScruffy9001 3 years ago 2
The soundtrack is PERFECT
I love this game ^^
Vectorman2 3 years ago 3
I like how they took the melodies from FZII's soundtrack and re-did them in Hiroshi Miyauchi's distinctive style. It really sounds nothing like the SMS version, and yet it fits so much better. The arranger composer for this (Manabu Namiki I think) did a masterful job of imitating Miyauchi's style.
GotNextVideo 3 years ago 3
its to bad this game didn't came to the us.
goemon7719 3 years ago
I need FZ II music D=
hianholyfox 3 years ago
I love the music in this game, its so catchy and cute!
Now to get a PS2 and mod it so I can play this! :D
Inuyashathe3rd 3 years ago
This is in Sega Ages Fantasy Zone Complete Collection. Has every game in the series.
SAGAIA2 3 years ago
Wow. The FZII remake looks great! :D
SAGAIA2 3 years ago