Strider (Famicom)

[Eteponge]

Yet another Famicom intended release obtained outside of mindless prototype horder Famicom Cafe's hands.

http://www.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=35&threadid=123828

So, Famicom Cafe initially buys up both the Monster Party Famicom and the Strider Famicom prototypes (a few years ago), and declares that he wants them both buried with him in his grave? (So that no one else can ever have them?) And now someone wants to repro ( and translate) and release those games?! (Both games now getting a great repro release?!) Yes, yes!

[Carnivol]

Never seen the big deal with Strider on the Famicom (other than it now basically being on the ever-so-much-shorter list of known protos that haven't been dumped). It's just a case of a regional version never getting released (Probably about as exciting as Japanese versions of Snake's Revenge or Star Tropics would be). Unlike Monster Party, there's no reason to believe it to be, to any significant extent, different from the version that was actually released in other territories.

[Eteponge]

Never seen the big deal with Strider on the Famicom (other than it now basically being on the ever-so-much-shorter list of known protos that haven't been dumped). It's just a case of a regional version never getting released (Probably about as exciting as Japanese versions of Snake's Revenge or Star Tropics would be). Unlike Monster Party, there's no reason to believe it to be, to any significant extent, different from the version that was actually released in other territories.

The owner uploaded a video of the gameplay of the first level. There are some differences. Player has less health, enemies need more hits to take down, and according to the owner there are level design differences later on, and stuff like breakable blocks, and the translation is totally different (for instance, the opening scene has song lyrics instead of saying each character's name).

What *IS* interesting, is what the owner plans to do with the game ...

"It was not created for the US market. There is a bit of history involved with it, I'll try to give the executive version here:

Strider was a multi pronged multimedia franchise created by Capcom and the manga group Moto Kikaku in 1988. There was a manga, a famicom game, and an arcade game. The arcade game strayed heavily from the manga source material decided on by Moto Kikaku, while the Famicom game in development stuck to it quite closely by comparison. The Famicom game for whatever reason was canned, and never released.

The NES port was rushed, shoddy, and had a rather poor translation from what I am finding out. This prototype is a year earlier in development and has a good bit more vestigial game ideas in it. The Japanese text in the intro is not the names of the characters like the US one, but actually lyrics to a vocal version of the intro song released on a promo cassette tape in Japan.

Gameplay differences will be somewhat minor, but from my playing the cart I can say I already have found a few interesting level design differences such as the breakable blocks in the Kazakh stage, and the slope instead of a wall after getting Disk 1.

I'll also take this opportunity to say what my intentions are clearly with this prototype and what I want to offer on a reproduction run.

"This just looks like a version with Japanese text, why would this be interesting to get on a cart?"

That is not what I will be offering. I will be offering a re-translated, bug fixed game that is not only more accurate to the manga source material but actually more fun to play and enjoyable than the FC OR the NES version. Both versions are flawed in many ways.

I want to offer something far better than that 72 pin Strider cart at your local game shop. I am working with the Strider Citadel and others to make this a worthy release.

This project isn't Monster Party on Famicom, it's a restoration and improvement of a lost part of Strider history that everyone can enjoy in English accurate to source material, and will actually be a lot more fun to play.

I appreciate all the comments from folks here on NA, I take them seriously and I am open to any more suggestions on how to make this a reproduction that people can get behind."

[Carnivol]

So, basically, just an "improvement hack" idea. Not many of those that actually manage to improve the game they're meant for, though (go filter them on RHDN and I'd dare say the few worth it that truly makes a meaningful difference are some of the elaborate Sonic ones, the audio and color fixes for some GBA ports, and bisqwits insane Castlevania 2 hack). Will at least monitor it, but ... really ... only truly mention worthy difference in this prototype, the way I see it so far, is the trivia bit with the intro tune actually having a song lyrics to go with it (but that might just be me not following Strider media in general), but hardly anything significant in its current rendition (don't see anyone feeling mindblown over RoboWarrior's main theme actually having full lyrics in the JP release, Bomber King, in Japan ;D).



By the way; video of the cart in action
(Looks and sounds just as dull and boring as Strider NES )

[Upaluppa]

I know, the game is full of glitches, wonky physics and a laughably bad translation, but am I really the only person who actually likes the NES Strider more than the arcade game? Arcade Strider got so much praise from people around the net, yet somehow, its gameplay never appealed to me...

It may not be as big a surprise as the Monster Party proto in terms of differences, but I still look forward to this release.
I guess I'm just being nostalgic about NES Strider because I played it so much in the past...

I'm also glad that famicomcafe's stupid "you'll never play this" teasing will come to an end when these two protos are made public.
Not wanting to share protos you paid loads of cash for with the public I can understand, but waving them in front of us like he did is just wrong...

[Eteponge]

Regardless, my primary glee in this prototype being found is an enduring fuck you to Famicomcafe the prototype hoarder. The guy buys up ultra rare prototypes, then swears he will never dump the roms, never re-trade or re-sell the games, never give any information on the prototypes (aside from teasing us with a playthrough of the first level just to say "nananana boo boo") and even states that he will be buried with them in his casket. He's just a pompus black hole for rare prototypes.

I hope he enjoys being buried with two useless prototypes now.

[Dracarys]

Buried with prototypes, pretty funny.

[Eteponge]

Buried with prototypes, pretty funny.

Yep, he buys up rare prototypes, then declares he will never dump, re-sell, or re-trade them, but rather will be buried with him in his coffin.