No Contra, wah wah...

[spenoza]

Konami released a number of shooters on the PCE and a fantastic Castlevania title. So why wasn't there a PCE Contra? Was the series simply not popular enough in Japan? I mean, in Gradius II it even has the little alien-dispensing pods! What would it have taken to get a Contra title?

Also, on a side note, I wonder sometimes about the quality of Konami's actual game code. Gradius II just has WAY too much slowdown.

[esteban]

Konami felt that interest in Contra/Gryzor was waning and was looking for "the next big thing" (blockbuster) game for the Japanese and North American market.

PCE magazines in early 90's reported that American gamers were clamoring for a "next-generation Bayou Billy", which, apparently, Konami had begun developing as a SCD project (tentatively titled "Billy's Mad City") exclusive to Japan.



That said, why do I waste your time with drivel like this?

[Senshi]

I agree it would have been nice to see a Contra port on the PCE. Someone should port it over   

[Black Tiger]

Konami released a number of shooters on the PCE and a fantastic Castlevania title. So why wasn't there a PCE Contra? Was the series simply not popular enough in Japan? I mean, in Gradius II it even has the little alien-dispensing pods! What would it have taken to get a Contra title?

Also, on a side note, I wonder sometimes about the quality of Konami's actual game code. Gradius II just has WAY too much slowdown.

Have you played Konami's original Castlevania game? The Gradius series was designed to incorporate slowdown and from all acounts the PCE ports are simply being arcade faithful to recreate the gameplay. It's nothing like the customized SFC Gradius III.

It would been nice to have seen what Konami could've done with an original Gradius built from the ground up for the PC Engine. But I'm not crazy about the series and am glad we got Drac X over any other original games Konami put out for consoles at the time.

 An original Contra that built on the best qualities of the NES version would have also been nice, but I'm not so crazy about the 16-bit Contras thst they did make. Of course, the other 16-bit Castlevanias are nothing like Drac X, so it's not really an indication of how a game might have turned out.

[ddd1234]

Having no contra for PCE is discriminatory. I mean Genesis and Snes had one.

[Senshi]

Is that scanned from your personal collection Esteban? 

[ParanoiaDragon]

Someday, I'd like to help in the creation of remaking the first Contra from the NES version, but using gfx of the arcade version.  Keranu did a test of colors, taking the arcade Bill, & coloring him like the NES Bill with PCE colors.  Maybe someday, though, nobody has expressed it deep interest in the project.  And I myself am not sure if I'd be able to handle the music as properly as it should be.

[Black Tiger]

Having no contra for PCE is discriminatory. I mean Genesis and Snes had one.

But the Genesis has no Gradius.  Konami was only biased towards Nintendo.

[Tatsujin]

Yeah a very nice port of contra and hammerin' harry (daiku no gensan) were my most wanted for the system.

[Tatsujin]

Konami was only biased towards Nintendo.

I wouldn't say that too loud. Konami brought us at least the unrivalled best akumajo dracula game in 16-bit times and one of the best game in history of video games.
That's a sheer undescribable treasure we got there for which we can laugh at nintendo and sega still for many upcoming decades.

[Keranu]

Who needs Contra when you have SHOCK-MAN?

[Arkhan]

Who needs any of this when there was sposed to be a f*cking Bayou Billy sequel.

f*ck, I need it.

[Joe Redifer]

Contra might have been cool.  As for Gradius, aside from the music it has always been pretty shitty series.

[spenoza]

Also, on a side note, I wonder sometimes about the quality of Konami's actual game code. Gradius II just has WAY too much slowdown.

Have you played Konami's original Castlevania game? The Gradius series was designed to incorporate slowdown and from all acounts the PCE ports are simply being arcade faithful to recreate the gameplay. It's nothing like the customized SFC Gradius III.

Please elaborate. I was unaware of any such planned slowdown. At least on the PCE version it seems to occur when there are enough of certain types of sprites on the screen, and not always where slowdown would make the game easier. It might well have been a planned limit, but it seems to be an indiscriminate one.

[nodtveidt]

Someday, I'd like to help in the creation of remaking the first Contra from the NES version, but using gfx of the arcade version.  Keranu did a test of colors, taking the arcade Bill, & coloring him like the NES Bill with PCE colors.  Maybe someday, though, nobody has expressed it deep interest in the project.  And I myself am not sure if I'd be able to handle the music as properly as it should be.

I'd be up for helping out with it.