 So, I'm browsing the internet, as you do, on a forum called CPC Wiki and I came across Green Beret for the Amstrad CPC, but a modded version where the game has been speeded up. I never rated the original on the Amstrad CPC, I couldn't get my head around why it couldn't scroll and instead of implementing a flip screen scroll that you see in things like Renegade and Grisor, this had a start and stop, almost like a push and stop scroll. The game still got a few issues, especially in the collision detection department, but this now is highly playable in my personal humble opinion. So, on with the show. Right then, I actually urge you play this version and then you can be a little bit like me, a man on the edge. I'm John Rambo, I've got nothing to lose. Come on! So, back in Amstrad Action in 1986 or 1987, this game actually was awarded a master game status and I've popped the original, a video of the original on the top left there so you can see the speed difference from the old to the new and this is running on a stock Amstrad CPC 464 with 64K. I mean, I just love how responsive this game is now, that was my fault there, but I mean that was a terrible start, but I am going to complete this game, I've practiced lots and I'm quietly confident I can get through this, unlike England at the World Cup, so rest assured I'm going to rescue these captives and I bloody love this game. It just works, it shouldn't, but it does. Now the music's not playing because they've taken it out and optimised the code to get the speed increase that you can see here and it's got me thinking, I wonder if they could do the same with games like Outrun, god I'm mad for this now, it's absolutely brilliant. I felt like the original robbed me all the time because of the poor collision detection and I'm not getting that feeling about this new improved version, it's there but I'm not aware of it as much, I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this game in the arcade. The speccy version was accurate as well, I'm a fool I nearly went and nearly messed up there, I still love the flamethrower, my god it's probably one of the most devastating weapons I've ever experienced on an 8 bit, I mean I've played this game quite a bit, I've practiced quite a bit leading up to this video, but there's still no guarantees, it can catch me cold. This is amazing so far, it's so effing cool, just got to keep going forward, got to beat the crap out of this game. So Green Beret, it's of it's time, yeah things have moved on but I kid you not, there's still a challenge here, oh that's bad, damn it I've only got three Green Berets left, I need to get angry now, it's the only way, I need to kill all these bitches, you watch I'll mess up now on only the first level, after all the practice I'm going to screw this, I'll hop skip and jump to the end if I have to, whoa, whoa, because of the speed increase if I make a mistake I actually feel now like it's my fault where before it just felt BS, yes come on the first of the end level boss fight, this one's not too taxing you just need to stand there, timing is everything, I'm really impressed with the graphics in this game for an 8-bit and considering when it came out I feel like they at least tried, I'm almost at the end of level one, so not a complete tragedy, not the car crash I envisaged, come on, come on, almost there, this is the last two, yay, hey I did it, I don't think this game suffers too badly, not having the music, I'd actually recommend this to ZX Spectrum owners and C64 fanboys because it's massively improved and I think they'd enjoy it, no I'm serious take the bias out of it and give the game a go, try it for what it is, the controls feel really responsive and there's a good challenge, I really want to say something negative, yes the scroll that's still a negative but because it's moving that tad faster it's not a hindrance, it's not in the way if that makes sense, the original I think zapped the energy from the game as soon as it happened but here it keeps the momentum, it seems to keep the pace, I remember thinking as a kid how do I become a green beret and then I realized that you can't because it's an American special forces unit and apparently it's quite a rigorous selection process, the odd thing about it though is somebody I know said that you have to volunteer for it and have a never-quit mentality and this game is bloody hard and I was at the point at one stage where I thought I'm just never going to be able to complete this but I persevered, I kept at it and I like to think that if you own this game back in the day on the 8 bits there's a little bit of green beret in all of us and this is awesome, really enjoying it, it's the perfect storm for your Amstrad CPC, the other game I liked was Combat School and there was a mission at the end where you fought the instructor and then you went on to a side-scrolling mission, they should have built green beret on the end of that, I really liked the scenario of a one-man army, we had it in the movies in the 80s, the first one I ever saw was First Blood, John Rambo, it's where he's a retired vet and he walks into a sleepy American town and straight away the police officer, the chief of police or the sheriff has got it in for him, absolutely brilliant and there's no way I was old enough to watch that back in the day but somehow I did, I even had a Rambo t-shirt, the trend continued as well with Commando with Arnold Schwarzenegger, well I've got to admit I've never seen the Chuck Norris movie missing in action and this has reminded me that I need to see that, I need to hunt that down and find it, it's probably rubbish, I'm sure it is but it's one of those I've got to cross off my list, I think it was a great decision for Konami to go with a knife as opposed to a machine gun or a gun you know as a default weapon and I always thought it was a bit weird how in America they released it as Rush, Russian Attack, I guess you could argue that that name was of its time but it just felt like a bit of a low blow to me, I'm glad that we, the rest of the world, won't be green beret, woohoo second time lucky come on, strange how we've got to face off with a pack of walls or dogs now and unlike the arcade you have to face off against the rabid dogs, walls and soldiers you just get the walls here, also I think you can only have a maximum of five sprites on screen at any one time and four whilst you're running about, correct me if I'm wrong on that but that's how it looks to me, so hopefully third time lucky, this is not looking good now, only two green berets left and egg on my face if I can't get through this, oh apparently that Chuck Norris missing in action movie is a game as well it's like the spiritual successor to green beret, it looks identical, it was another game released on the eight bits called The Vindicator and apparently that was green beret too so not really sure what was going on there and probably best you don't quote me on that but from memory that was a really good game the other thing I like about green beret is it's not signposted or anything but you do get checkpoints so you don't have to go all the way back to the beginning I really like that so thanks Konami that is really great level design and I think that's it we've reached the end of level two, hey now you can't beat the bridge it's my favorite level, the graphics are absolutely brilliant I think personally when you consider it was 1986 and the chap that did the graphics on this game he was called George Wright with the programmer Keith Wilson and as a pair they also went on to do Zone Trooper in 1988 published by somebody called Game Busters never heard of them but it's an alright game it won't set you pulse racing but it's a good way to spend an afternoon but in case you didn't know Keith Wilson the chap responsible for green beret he also programmed Yihar Kung Fu and I'm also thinking that if you took the music out of Yihar Kung Fu on the Amstrad CPC could that be optimized as well could that be speeded up and it's not applied on Keith Wilson's programming it's just that back then they probably weren't given enough time to optimize the games so it was a guy called Jean-Marie on CPC wiki that gave us this wonderful optimization for Christmas now he posted I've managed to speed up the scrolling of green beret through various code optimizations it's still slow but less painful to watch I guess my timing show the following results measured from the offset 23E8H and 2450H beginning and end of scrolling routine so the regular version was 1589 milliseconds but it's been overhauled to 836 milliseconds so he goes on to say the results vary depending on number of enemies on screen tiles set to move and whatnot I had to sacrifice the music to give a few cycles you can get it back by pressing the escape to pause then M it will still be turned off during scrolling that you can use a two button joystick by pressing fire 2 on the main menu that is awesome and he goes on to say Merry Christmas so also a personal thank you from me because without the update that the mod I wouldn't have done this video and I wouldn't have replayed green beret to the level that I have so yeah a big thank you and Merry Christmas back I'm massively living on the edge here on a knife edge because I think I've only got one man left so one green beret but it's just concentration I need to properly focus now now I love this bit in the arcade you are good in the arcade you get you have to face off against three helicopters you only just you only get one at a time on the Amstrad but it's still good I can just get through this bit the last level I could normally get through quite quickly I've even got this game on the Nintendo DS it's arcade perfect and I pretty much take it everywhere with me if I'm on holiday or I'm working away it's a fantastic little console one of the best purchases I ever made the only issue I've got with green beret regardless of the system it was released on is there's only four levels four stages and I wish there were more and I've got no reservation in saying this green beret for me is still one of the best games ever made still one of the best arcade games ever made run and go and whatever you want to call it even today I'm still mad for it interestingly enough Amtics in August 1986 they gave green beret on the Amstrad CPC 81% and went on to say green beret is a slight disappointment but perhaps I was expecting a little too much and Ace magazine in November 1989 they gave it 80% and they went on to say intelligently thought-out shoot me with excellent graphics so the original it had its fans and people that disliked it so you could say this arcade conversion for the Amstrad CPC is a little bit like Marmite you either loved it or you hated it I'm not sure what's happening now I think I've come in I come across a little bug in the game the chap isn't running out with the rocket launcher so I'm not even sure if you can take this guy out with the knife I'll try I've had a few stabs at him now so I don't know yeah this is a bug playing out before your very eyes hopefully I can salvage this I've got an extra man so let's see what happens yeah so we're back no idea what happened there never happened to me before so fingers crossed come on there is get that I've got four of those so maybe try not to miss this time then I'm being extra cautious now there you go got that one I've missed him there we go just got to get close that's got both of them there brilliant there we go bloody hell and this is it the last bit now so I should probably think about wrapping up if you've liked this video please like subscribe and share my content it's the only way my channel can grow let me know your thoughts on this game old and new let me know what you think of this game if you're a Commodore 64 ZX Spectrum or MSX owner let me know your thoughts on this new Amstrad version and what you thought of the original oh nearly forgot before I go it'd be rude not to there's a couple of jokes that I've got at the Christmas crackers these are the best of a worst bunch so the first one why wouldn't Santa ride his sleigh for elf and safety concerns they're awful on it and what do you call a fake noodle an imposter sorry had to be done if I'm going down if I have to suffer you guys are suffering with me so look at this nearly at the end come on come on just got to remember to duck when those green guys come flying kicking at you and the guys with the machine guns are an absolute pain I wish I could change the sprite the main sprite character I'd probably change it for the guys with the gun animation but come on almost there nice little graphical touches there with the buildings and what it is reflection or snow on the windows good job I got that extra life normally whiz through this it looks simple but trust me it's not one wrong move game over okay come on oh my goodness me to come so so near but so far oh he's right on my heels there goodness oh I like this bit I really like the graphics on this level just taking my time I don't want to just jump and it doesn't jump and then the next minute I've hit those pair but go on come on that's it almost there this is it and then after this it loops and it gets harder to make my way towards him that's it if I had more lives I'd be a bit more brave but just don't I don't you know come on there we go next one oh no you get a bit closer come on this is it that's it now that's it got him there we go so it's a goodbye from me and I'll see you next time