http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0tcCCJwMqE Meh, I don't really need to explain anything since the video pretty much does it for me. I do want to say though, that is one of those rare occurrences where the changes to the PAL/US versions are actually better than the ones in the Japanese versions IMO. Also, I'm sure there are other people who know about it already. For those of you who don't, you're in for a possible treat. About the only regret I have about the changes made to the US/PAL versions are that they got rid of a number of rather interesting sprites found in the opening of the Japanese version. No gameplay changes were made whatsoever. ( I should know be cause I've played it by chance.)
I really thought this was common knowledge to anyone who cares about RKA. Maybe I just have a thirst for knowledge. ...Nah, it's not that. On this topic, I suppose I may as well contribute something: The level select doesn't exist in the US or European versions, but if you enter a code in the PAL version a sound plays. This sound doesn't exist in the NTSC version. This could turn into a 'Supreme Topic of Other Knowledge' for the General Gaming section.
I actually like Japan's better, but I wouldn't have when I was 8, so I guess Konami did the right thing for the dollar.
I had no idea a level select even existed. But yeah, its a cheat so it doesn't really count as real gameplay at any rate. Besides, I used a Game Genie to beat the US version the first time through, and gradually started using fewer cheats each time I played, until eventually, I got so good at the game, that I didn't need any cheats anymore. Konami of America removing the level select is probably the best thing done for me as I tend to become addicted to cheating. (I got lucky with the Game Genie codes and managed to break free of the addiction. Does anybody know if the Japanese version of RKA is region locked? I'm just curious because I may purchase it for the sake of nostalgia and rarity. Plus I want to brag to other RKA fans that I actually played the Japanese version on a real console like I do with my other three Japanese games.
Yes. Someone on another forum is looking to sell/trade-in his (J) copy largely on account of that fact.
I was beaten to the punch! Anyway, while this thread IS here... You don't even have to MOVE to dodge the Stage 4 End Boss's first attack.
I like the band on the Stage 1 screen. Otherwise yeah, I think the Pal intro is nicer. Never knew about this though, so thanks for posting it.
I had never noticed this before, and I love RKA! haha. I think I like the PAL one better, as thats the one I grew up with owning that cart if anything else. I wonder if there will be two different intros on the new Sparkster?
There are a couple more differences I know from experience, being a huge RKA fan: I don't think the Crazy Hard Mode cheat is doable in the US/PAL version. I know for a fact that it works with the Jap version The floating lava that goes up and down at the beginning of stage 3 (?) kills you instantly in the US version, whereas the other versions don't The stage 4 end boss doesn't look banged up and bloody-nosed in the US version I probably have some of the versions wrong, it's been a long time... EDIT: I'm checking them out right now. First thing I remembered was the difficulties are different: Japanese - Normal (3 lives / 5 continues) and Hard (2 lives / 3 continues) Europe - Easy (3 lives / 5 continues) and Hard (2 lives / 3 continues) US - Children (3 lives / 5 continues) Easy (2 lives / 3 continues) Normal (1 life / 1 continue) and Hard (1 life / no continues) Main menu sound FX in the japanese version is different from the US/PAL versions There are two cheats - one for the Very Hard difficulty (only works in the European version) and the Crazy Hard difficulty (works with Jap/PAL, not US) equivalent to the Normal and Hard difficulties in the US version Did you know the only thing you have to do to defeat the first miniboss is get behind him and stab him until he explodes? =P
[sarcasm]Oh sure, because other games like Dynamite Headdy were SO not harder in USA/Europe and had a TOTALLY better story than the Japan version even though the Japan version actually had dialogue and didnt censor women fighting in the game like the USA/Europe versions did[/sarcasm] This actually doesn't surprise me because when these games were made, it was around the same time where the USA didnt think that the public would understand those kind of games and didnt think the whole japanese craze would catch on so they decided to jack up the difficulty and make it more "americanized" (idk if Europe was the same in this situation). How ironic that more japanese games today are being presented to the USA unaltered cause now stuff like that is all the rage (specially Doujin & Touhou games)
<!--quoteo(post=383602:date=Dec 11 2009, 01:30 AM:name=::CMG (UTOPIA):--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (::CMG (UTOPIA):: @ Dec 11 2009, 01:30 AM) </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> [sarcasm]Oh sure, because other games like Dynamite Headdy were SO not harder in USA/Europe and had a TOTALLY better story than the Japan version even though the Japan version actually had dialogue and didnt censor women fighting in the game like the USA/Europe versions did[/sarcasm] This actually doesn't surprise me because when these games were made, it was around the same time where the USA didnt think that the public would understand those kind of games and didnt think the whole japanese craze would catch on so they decided to jack up the difficulty and make it more "americanized" (idk if Europe was the same in this situation). How ironic that more japanese games today are being presented to the USA unaltered cause now stuff like that is all the rage (specially Doujin & Touhou games) [/QUOTE] Actually the above reason is actually why I imported Dynamite Headdy. I actually do think that the US/PAL openings are better than the Japanese version's of RKA. Other than that though, The Japanese version is pretty nice actually. I hope the music tempo wasn't raped by the reduction to 50 Hz in the PAL version. That would suck.
I think this was one of the cases where the sound engine just keeps playing with the same tempo no matter how many Mhz the system's running at.