Why does this game always get a hard time?? People say the C64 game sucked and while I'm sure it could of been better had the developers had more time I still think it's the best 8-bit home computer version by far! Smooth 50fps and responsive controls plus the intro music is pure Huelsbeck epicness.
@zombiemod to be honest mate, this is the version I had. I also still have that issue of Zzap 64 somewhere too. Think they gave this 72% for the C64. The Amiga version was incredible though, and was nearly arcade perfect. Fantastic game on all platforms I thought. The grandaddy of modern gaming. It really raised the bar!
This is R-type v2. The first was written by Elecric Dreams in-house and hated by everyone when released. Manfred Trenz hated it and wrote Katakis which was released, but then Rainbow Arts got sued for "copying" R-type, so it was pulled from sale. Cheekily, Electric Dreams got Manfred to write R-type v2 (above) which was released about 2 months later, some glitches are still in the game due to time limits, but he didn't want it to be better than Katakis which was re-released months later. :)
An epic conversion. Good compromise with visuals, and excellently-converted music. of course, what can we expect from Manfred Trenz but things like that?
@leknightcluber SID is not "bit" anything. It uses a rather simplistic attack-sustain-release-decay envelope, to control the sound of each note. For example a piano would have a sharp attack followed by a slow decay, while an organ would have a slow attack and slow decay.
SID is pure analog with no bitness. The Paula in the Commodore Amiga was one of the first digital sound chips. It uses 8 bit sampling.
Very interesting. Very nice music on an 8 bit system. Of course the C64's SID chip was good at the time. One thing I notice about the C64 version vs some of its peers of the day is that the C64 version has proper smooth scrolling which the CPC, Speccy, and MSX are not accomplishing. Still very interesting to see. NES was a match for C64 on graphics though not music. I never played much on Master System. It seemed cool though.
i thought i'd look this up to see if its out there, i'm SO pleased to see so many people appreciating that tune on the title screen! it's amazing! :D i should also add that i never heard music remotely as good as this version on any other format, INCLUDING the arcade version!
i'm working on a cover of that very tune, you should hear it on the guitar, its absolute dynamite! anyway, i should have it uploaded soon. check out my other computer game cover tunes in the meantime if yr interested...
I still got my C-64 tape-version R-Type, but sadly my computer would never load level 5 because the tape was damaged at that point, or something like that... Really annoying.
This doesn't look like the R-Type reviewed in Zzap!! 64... is this an American version, or an unreleased European version?
The C64 version I played YEARS ago was absolutely dire, but looking at this one its actually a fair attempt at the coin-op, you can't tell me they are one and the same!!
This is the only C-64 version I know. The video is recorded playing the cassette version I bought in the early 90's from a finnish game store. The tape is pretty much worn out, won't even load any sprites on the second level.
I got R-Type for the C64 when it got released so i was 14 years old at the time, and as the original poster of the video said, he posted it mainly for the intro music and i can definitely understand where you are coming from my friend when you make that statement, because its one hell of a tune and it brings back SO MANY memories and feelings for me of that time as well :) and then came the Amiga! Thank You for the upload.
What a masterful conversion r-type was. It seems that on every system I have played it on it was converted into something very closely resembling the arcade both graphically, and more importantly, preserving the playability consistently. Definitely one of the top 10 or 20 games of all time on any system
HAHAHA.. "nose hairs waving in the wind".. hahaha.. yes! I totally agree! You guys should check out the manifestogames website, tring to bring back the "awesomeness", making for games what the indy music/movies scene does for hollywood/music industry.
I really do agree with you re: current games not having the "awesomeness" of the golden age of gaming. I was thinking exactly the same myself just recently. I'm what i'd class as a retro gamer really. I love the old stuff, still own C64's/Amiga's, & own many other classic systems/computers, including the big boys of the current crop such as the 360, & the Wii (i'm yet to get a PS3 - but have a PS2) & the current machines are technically amazing, but still miss that special something somewhere ??
Agreed. It's so well-composed for the 3(!) SID channels, and it's just a tune that has "legendaric theme"
written all over it.
Too bad the intro of the first level's music is kinda fucked up by firing sounds (which uses the channel of the second lead melody, so you can't hear it here).
imho, it's one of the best title screen musics EVER, even today's games don't have that great music.
by the way, the metal band "Machinae Supremacy" made a GIANT medley of great classic game musics (mostly C64)and it's available free on their website. It's called Sidology (episode 1-3). google for their website. this r-type tune is in ep3, i think.
also, for getting to know what games the tunes are from, check the faq. google for "sidology faq" its the first page. its in section 2-8
I don't know about you, but I like how the regular shots seem to be quantised to the BGM. I know it wasn't intended by the developers, but it still is a pretty cool side effect.
I dont know how many 10ps I put into the arcade version of this in my local arcade in the late 80s!! Fantastic game-rock hard and addictive,especially in the later levels. This was a great c64 conversion,with brilliant music. The intro tune was,and is fantastic here-especially from 1.01-1.15. I remember getting this for my 11th birthday-and it wouldnt load!! It looks great though,but I did read at the time that the multi-load on it was annoying.
Other than seeing it in the Arcades, the C64 was the home system that i played R-Type on back then, and with that SID chip, it made the NES and SEGA sound laughable! :)
I remember back that far :) Actually, i went to Germany this year, and met a guy by the name of Jen Schoenfield that was selling a device that plugs into the back of your C64 that can take memory cards, thus allowing you to pretty much store EVERY C64 game that ever came out on the one card, scroll through a menu and the games boot in an instant. I could have bought it for 50 Euro and now i am kicking myself that i didn't. :(
I have noticed that you are into older games going by your profile. If thats the case and you have heard of it ( although i doubt it ), get hold of an Amiga 500 or Amiga 1200 ( 1200 is better ) and experience "the" best system ever made. Amiga was also a Commodore machine, and it came after the C64. :)
I have noticed that you are into older games, so if thats the case, and if you haven't heard of it ( I doubt it ), get hold of either an Amiga 500 or Amiga 1200 ( 1200 is far ) and experience the "best" system ever made with the best games. The C64 comes a close 2nd.. Amiga is also a Commodore machine and it came after the C64 ( or after the 128 if you get technical .. lol )
Was this ment for me? Sure I've heard of the Amiga systems. I had the A500 when I was younger and I envied a friend who had the amazing A1200 with a SVGA display (early 90s!). Overall I think I've spent more time fiddling with the A500 than with the C-64. Besides playing games it was also a great computer for making art. I still own my original Deluxe Paint :)
I didn't think my post went through, so you will find one of my responses repeated but slightly different.. I hate it when YouTube doesn't update the responses for about 5 minutes and you think it hasn't gone through, when it actually has, and then it makes me look like a dickhead.. lol.
Yeah, I did. I've read about the Amiga machines and they are considered pretty advanced for their time as 16bit computers. They also had some pretty nice games like James Pond, Monkey Island and so on, so I guess it's worth a buy if I can get my hands at one. But thanks for the advice. You're right, I'm pretty much a retrogamer.
Why does this game always get a hard time?? People say the C64 game sucked and while I'm sure it could of been better had the developers had more time I still think it's the best 8-bit home computer version by far! Smooth 50fps and responsive controls plus the intro music is pure Huelsbeck epicness.
cloudskipa 1 month ago
Looks and sounds better on the SNES.
MangaMaximum 2 months ago
ahh the good old days when games took about 5-10 minutes to load!
Simon0 2 months ago
Its OK but its no Katakis.
P5BDeluxeWiFi 8 months ago
and what about the music? ha!
giovannibulgari 8 months ago
this game rocked, one of the best space shoot-em ups i've ever played
giovannibulgari 8 months ago
oh wow the memories...this game still works perfectly fine for my sega master system...i love the music
bishdnjuan 10 months ago
Best game of all time -R-Type.Manfred Trenz is god.
MrJanimro 11 months ago
OMG, the Commodore 64 version makes the Sega Master System version look like CRAP!
BlackIceDragon 1 year ago
@zombiemod to be honest mate, this is the version I had. I also still have that issue of Zzap 64 somewhere too. Think they gave this 72% for the C64. The Amiga version was incredible though, and was nearly arcade perfect. Fantastic game on all platforms I thought. The grandaddy of modern gaming. It really raised the bar!
TeesterX 1 year ago
This is R-type v2. The first was written by Elecric Dreams in-house and hated by everyone when released. Manfred Trenz hated it and wrote Katakis which was released, but then Rainbow Arts got sued for "copying" R-type, so it was pulled from sale. Cheekily, Electric Dreams got Manfred to write R-type v2 (above) which was released about 2 months later, some glitches are still in the game due to time limits, but he didn't want it to be better than Katakis which was re-released months later. :)
robbiew73 1 year ago
I like the theme tune played during the menu screen :) Shows off the SID chip's potential.
SPeacock 1 year ago
Excellent conversion I must say!
SamusDrake 1 year ago
i always wondered what was that catchy tune from machinae supremacy's sidology pt.2. now i know.
bachterman 1 year ago
An epic conversion. Good compromise with visuals, and excellently-converted music. of course, what can we expect from Manfred Trenz but things like that?
poopskinTheLiar 2 years ago
@poopskinTheLiar Yes, especially considering the fact that it was programmed in 6,5 weeks :D
(Although they had a self-made similar game just sittin around, but still incredible for such a short period of time).
hoques1432 1 year ago
Wow, excelent conversion, specially the songs!
diegobras 2 years ago 4
I agree about the high score thing, thats what it was about in those days.
bazfanv2 2 years ago
brilliant. had the tune in my head for reasons unknown and here it is... what an age we live in!
JiminyKracker 2 years ago 2
A great conversion!
sakaerad 2 years ago 2
You can shoot down bullets in this one? That would have saved me many many lives.
carpenoctem66 2 years ago
he sid is an 8-bit analog synthesizer?
sounds terrible, I'm looking for some keyboard sounds similar, but I leave Athens to buy or sidstation hards that can not find
leknightcluber 2 years ago
@leknightcluber SID is not "bit" anything. It uses a rather simplistic attack-sustain-release-decay envelope, to control the sound of each note. For example a piano would have a sharp attack followed by a slow decay, while an organ would have a slow attack and slow decay.
SID is pure analog with no bitness. The Paula in the Commodore Amiga was one of the first digital sound chips. It uses 8 bit sampling.
harleykman 1 year ago
Very interesting. Very nice music on an 8 bit system. Of course the C64's SID chip was good at the time. One thing I notice about the C64 version vs some of its peers of the day is that the C64 version has proper smooth scrolling which the CPC, Speccy, and MSX are not accomplishing. Still very interesting to see. NES was a match for C64 on graphics though not music. I never played much on Master System. It seemed cool though.
jkeelsnc 2 years ago 2
Hell yes, I would load this up on my C64 and wait the 10 minutes just so I could listen to this song.
KomaruMedare 2 years ago 3
awesome music
SkankinDevil89 2 years ago 15
This makes me wonder... Why don't I have Rtype for the C64..
DusteDdekay 2 years ago 8
sid chip rules!
keysersozeh 2 years ago 6
Gaming was so different then. You always were on the chase on POINTS... get the High Score.
zentralwerkstatt 2 years ago 4
I loved my C64.
markie101uk 2 years ago 6
Very good music - this version really captures the feel of the seminal coin-op...
retronostalgic 2 years ago 3
pretty cool song !! sad my sega didnt have it... :-/
ImYourClit 2 years ago
i thought i'd look this up to see if its out there, i'm SO pleased to see so many people appreciating that tune on the title screen! it's amazing! :D i should also add that i never heard music remotely as good as this version on any other format, INCLUDING the arcade version!
i'm working on a cover of that very tune, you should hear it on the guitar, its absolute dynamite! anyway, i should have it uploaded soon. check out my other computer game cover tunes in the meantime if yr interested...
nostalgiacreep 2 years ago 3
i second that
jobwell 2 years ago
@nostalgiacreep Listen to the Amiga version. That's the best music for R-type
watch?v=mBJ0bzB2_FU
harleykman 1 year ago
I still got my C-64 tape-version R-Type, but sadly my computer would never load level 5 because the tape was damaged at that point, or something like that... Really annoying.
edzzzwin 3 years ago 3
Awesome music! Really love that game!
zobot123 3 years ago
Sounds a lot like the Music for Codemasters games on the NES.
koolkitty8989 3 years ago
this was one of my fave games on the c64 so smooth and absolute mayhem when the screen was full.
awesome
uggla03 3 years ago
I love the intro tune^^
soldier501 3 years ago
Whats the name of this music style? I hear it on Keygens often...
TerrawindX2 3 years ago
This style of music is called a "Chiptune". You should be able to find many if you look up the Tracker scene.
CybernautZero 3 years ago
This doesn't look like the R-Type reviewed in Zzap!! 64... is this an American version, or an unreleased European version?
The C64 version I played YEARS ago was absolutely dire, but looking at this one its actually a fair attempt at the coin-op, you can't tell me they are one and the same!!
Are they?
zombiemod 3 years ago
This is the only C-64 version I know. The video is recorded playing the cassette version I bought in the early 90's from a finnish game store. The tape is pretty much worn out, won't even load any sprites on the second level.
Rlyehfinland 3 years ago
@Rlyehfinland - see my other comments posted a year ago for the explanation.. this is R-Type v2 for the C64.. not v1..
robbiew73 2 months ago
This is the ONLY version ever released !
Couldn´t have been done on better on ANY other 8bit home micro.
Ahle2 3 years ago
@zombiemod The C64 version is not a 100% port of the original gameplay. The changed a lot of graphics and the patterns are totally different.
presidentegallente 1 year ago
@presidentegallente I know that - be very surprised if they got even 25% of the game into the C64 :)
zombiemod 1 year ago
I got R-Type for the C64 when it got released so i was 14 years old at the time, and as the original poster of the video said, he posted it mainly for the intro music and i can definitely understand where you are coming from my friend when you make that statement, because its one hell of a tune and it brings back SO MANY memories and feelings for me of that time as well :) and then came the Amiga! Thank You for the upload.
blade004 3 years ago
Imo R-TYPE sounded best on the amiga. I could honestly listen to it for the rest of my life...
ChairoOkami 3 years ago
What a masterful conversion r-type was. It seems that on every system I have played it on it was converted into something very closely resembling the arcade both graphically, and more importantly, preserving the playability consistently. Definitely one of the top 10 or 20 games of all time on any system
ajmossey 3 years ago
They sure knew how to make game music back then... way better than the music they used for R-Type final :(
Lightstormer 3 years ago
yeh nice full bassline. good sound on c64, and im biased coz i owned a specy
mitzibishi 3 years ago
I totally agree. It seems like R-Type Final's music was composed for a funeral....
KollisionBR 3 years ago
LOL so tru.. it had its moments... but it wasn't as engaging as the original music.. They should have stuck in a few remixes imo lol
Lightstormer 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Fuckin' crap game.
Masta686Yamato 3 years ago
How so?
LeTinctoire 3 years ago 2
either too hard for him or hes comparing old games to xbox360 games
mitzibishi 3 years ago 4
probly both... I mean seriously, being able to see your hero's nose hairs or eyebrows wave in the wind does not mean the game is good, right?
Few current games have the "awesomeness" of the arcade classics, not even (or especially not) the popular ones.
BenBenjiro 3 years ago
HAHAHA.. "nose hairs waving in the wind".. hahaha.. yes! I totally agree! You guys should check out the manifestogames website, tring to bring back the "awesomeness", making for games what the indy music/movies scene does for hollywood/music industry.
trickyoutrickme 3 years ago
I'm checking it out atm... thanks for the tip!
BenBenjiro 3 years ago
I really do agree with you re: current games not having the "awesomeness" of the golden age of gaming. I was thinking exactly the same myself just recently. I'm what i'd class as a retro gamer really. I love the old stuff, still own C64's/Amiga's, & own many other classic systems/computers, including the big boys of the current crop such as the 360, & the Wii (i'm yet to get a PS3 - but have a PS2) & the current machines are technically amazing, but still miss that special something somewhere ??
Ironlord2015 3 years ago
Best conversion of a shooter ever...far better than amiga ,even the music
XTraaashX 3 years ago
This tune still gives me shivers.... BRRRR!
123snuggles 3 years ago
Agreed. It's so well-composed for the 3(!) SID channels, and it's just a tune that has "legendaric theme"
written all over it.
Too bad the intro of the first level's music is kinda fucked up by firing sounds (which uses the channel of the second lead melody, so you can't hear it here).
LeTinctoire 3 years ago
imho, it's one of the best title screen musics EVER, even today's games don't have that great music.
by the way, the metal band "Machinae Supremacy" made a GIANT medley of great classic game musics (mostly C64)and it's available free on their website. It's called Sidology (episode 1-3). google for their website. this r-type tune is in ep3, i think.
also, for getting to know what games the tunes are from, check the faq. google for "sidology faq" its the first page. its in section 2-8
BenBenjiro 3 years ago
I don't know about you, but I like how the regular shots seem to be quantised to the BGM. I know it wasn't intended by the developers, but it still is a pretty cool side effect.
MattTheSpratt 3 years ago
I'm an amiga man but I gotta tell ya... Bit music to this is fucking awesome!
foxmakeba 3 years ago
OH FUCK YES!
SusakeKes 3 years ago
Come R-Type III, they kind of brought back the way the first stage song sounded on this version.
ArbalestModel 3 years ago
It'll always be "kind of" and never "fully" since they've stopped making SIDs.
LeTinctoire 3 years ago
Love this shit!!!!!!!!!!!!! forgot how good this sounded!Played good too!Thanks!
inocentfool 3 years ago
I dont know how many 10ps I put into the arcade version of this in my local arcade in the late 80s!! Fantastic game-rock hard and addictive,especially in the later levels. This was a great c64 conversion,with brilliant music. The intro tune was,and is fantastic here-especially from 1.01-1.15. I remember getting this for my 11th birthday-and it wouldnt load!! It looks great though,but I did read at the time that the multi-load on it was annoying.
Classic game!!
tempestgopherit 4 years ago 2
Vitosta pukkaa = Fiver on the way!
ahamatti 4 years ago
r type was ahead of its time hardcore!
PanayotiProductions 4 years ago
The c64 version was much more better then the amiga version !! this game rocks...
plexxusx 4 years ago
How so? The Amiga version looked and sounded just like the arcade version.
lurkerrekrul 3 years ago
The music slays.
samwyse2006 4 years ago
With a cassette drive that game had to be reloaded after every game over. It was so frustrating.
BigAngeloSantorini 4 years ago
lol, i played this a lot on my gameboy :)
Brandt85 4 years ago
Other than seeing it in the Arcades, the C64 was the home system that i played R-Type on back then, and with that SID chip, it made the NES and SEGA sound laughable! :)
blade004 4 years ago
The music is pretty awesome. Too bad they screwed up the loader...
x0n1c64 4 years ago
I remember back that far :) Actually, i went to Germany this year, and met a guy by the name of Jen Schoenfield that was selling a device that plugs into the back of your C64 that can take memory cards, thus allowing you to pretty much store EVERY C64 game that ever came out on the one card, scroll through a menu and the games boot in an instant. I could have bought it for 50 Euro and now i am kicking myself that i didn't. :(
blade004 4 years ago
I have noticed that you are into older games going by your profile. If thats the case and you have heard of it ( although i doubt it ), get hold of an Amiga 500 or Amiga 1200 ( 1200 is better ) and experience "the" best system ever made. Amiga was also a Commodore machine, and it came after the C64. :)
blade004 4 years ago
I have noticed that you are into older games, so if thats the case, and if you haven't heard of it ( I doubt it ), get hold of either an Amiga 500 or Amiga 1200 ( 1200 is far ) and experience the "best" system ever made with the best games. The C64 comes a close 2nd.. Amiga is also a Commodore machine and it came after the C64 ( or after the 128 if you get technical .. lol )
blade004 4 years ago
Was this ment for me? Sure I've heard of the Amiga systems. I had the A500 when I was younger and I envied a friend who had the amazing A1200 with a SVGA display (early 90s!). Overall I think I've spent more time fiddling with the A500 than with the C-64. Besides playing games it was also a great computer for making art. I still own my original Deluxe Paint :)
Rlyehfinland 4 years ago
I didn't think my post went through, so you will find one of my responses repeated but slightly different.. I hate it when YouTube doesn't update the responses for about 5 minutes and you think it hasn't gone through, when it actually has, and then it makes me look like a dickhead.. lol.
blade004 4 years ago
Yeah, I did. I've read about the Amiga machines and they are considered pretty advanced for their time as 16bit computers. They also had some pretty nice games like James Pond, Monkey Island and so on, so I guess it's worth a buy if I can get my hands at one. But thanks for the advice. You're right, I'm pretty much a retrogamer.
x0n1c64 4 years ago
Hey!!!!!!! I remember that music from when I was a kid! Amazing!!
dinkyfriend 4 years ago
Looks so hard without a speedup. :(
BurtWilson1 4 years ago
cool. can u upload the level 4 music?
fidosoup 4 years ago