Yeah, that's the one important element of this game he doesn't mention, the difference in saving (or lack thereof) between the versions. The PC version has saving -- once you reach a level it's unlocked in a menu, so you can start from any stage you have reached. This is the same save system Activision put in the Windows 95 PC version of Earthworm Jim, which they also released in 1995. I think both games are much improved for it; I know the console versions of Pitfall that don't have saving do have level-select codes, but this is better.
I didn't know the Jaguar version also lets you save though, that's pretty interesting. Is it the only '90s console version with saving? I'd guess the GBA version also lets you save, but I don't think the others do.
Why did they make both a Sega CD and 32x version of this lol? Sega was really shitting the bed around that time.
Why did they make both a Sega CD and 32x version of this lol? Sega was really shitting the bed around that time.
Wow, that's even worse than I thought. Most of the SNES-to-GBA ports at least put in password systems at minimum... but when you're talking about a port which somehow removes all the music, I shouldn't be surprised. The graphical changes are more okay -- making the game playable on an original GBA is important -- but seriously, no music? Why...The Genesis and SNES don't have saving. I've only tried the GBA version very briefly (not long enough to complete a level), but according to IGN's review of the GBA version, it too lacks a save feature. Not sure if Sega CD or 32X offer saving.
Ah. That's better than the other console versions for sure. The PC versions' level select menu probably is better, though. In both games (this and EWJ '95) it's just a dropdown menu on the top bar, but it works.IIRC, the Jaguar version only has one save slot. After you complete a level, it asks if you want to save. If you choose "Yes", then it stores your progress up to that point. You can load that game from the main menu, and resume from where you left off--there's no "level select" option, unfortunately.
I don't know,. they made three new levels, paid for a CD soundtrack, and made an FMV. I'm sure it wasn't too hard, but that's about as much work as most Genesis-to-SCD ports did and I'm sure it cost some money... but it made sense and allowed for clear improvement. Earthworm Jim's Sega CD port added in a password save system, though, so it's too bad tha tthe SCD version of Pitfall doesn't seem to; just like the Genesis, 32X, and SNES versions, it's got a cheat code for level select and that's it, apparently.As Pop-O-Matic said above, the Sega CD port was probably a cinch for Activision to make, by adding the CD soundtrack and FMV to the Genesis game, although they added extra levels as well. The 32X version was a vehicle for Activision to showcase the high-color artwork on a Sega platform.
Yah, if ou mean the exact same game on all three formats, I think Pitfall is it. The next closest would be Brutal, which is on all three formats but the 32X version is technically a sequel and not a port of the first game, though it's quite similar. After that all you've got is 'well the franchise is on all three formats, but not one specific game', for After Burner, NBA Jam, and Mortal Kombat.How many other games have distinct versions for Genesis, Sega CD, and 32X? There are several Genesis games that also game out on Sega CD, some Genesis games that came out on 32X, and even a few Sega CD games that also came out as a 32X CD (requiring the Genesis, Sega CD, and 32X), but (aside from Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure) I can't think of any others off the top of my head that were released on Genesis cartridge, Sega CD disc, and 32X cartridge.
I think the copious amounts of dithering seen in the Genesis version is moreso a byproduct of the general dark aesthetic to the environment. This has less to do with the amount of onscreen colors and more to do with a very distinct bottleneck in the 512 color master palette which barely has any dark colors to choose from. Most of the palette "budget" goes to the mid range.
As you can see, you basically only have a gradient of saturated blues within the truly dark range. Then you have a bit of magenta and brown/red. This pretty much forces you into using those colors (if you look at many other Genesis games with dark artwork you'll notice how often artists employed that distinct mix of dark blue and brown) or in Pitfall's case heavily relying on dithering pattern to achieve a more nuanced color mixture.
If you were clever you could partly work your way around this limitation by going for a higher gamma sort of look, which I think Ristar does in places (which is also one of the very best examples of getting the most out of the system's color limitations and quirks).
Wow, that's even worse than I thought. Most of the SNES-to-GBA ports at least put in password systems at minimum... but when you're talking about a port which somehow removes all the music, I shouldn't be surprised.
The graphical changes are more okay -- making the game playable on an original GBA is important -- but seriously, no music? Why...
Great video John. It inspired me to go out and buy the big box Windows 95 version of the game.
One question though... couldn't the Mega CD version have utilised far more colours than the Megadrive? That would've been cool.
Unfortunately, I don't think it's possoble since they seem to be capped at 30fps.Is there a way to improve the framerate in 32X or Jaguar ports with over clocking the emulated cpu like some neogeo games?
If the framerate is not locked maybe we can reach 60 fps.
Which is one of the reasons FMV games (aside from cartoony ones) looked so bad on the Sega CD. 32x CD games were typically a massive improvement.No, unfortunately. Everything has to go through the Genesis which has its limiting 9 bit palette.
The only way to get around it was what the 32x did: take the output of the Genesis, plug that into the 32x and then the 32x will output the full image.
No, unfortunately. Everything has to go through the Genesis which has its limiting 9 bit palette.
The only way to get around it was what the 32x did: take the output of the Genesis, plug that into the 32x and then the 32x will output the full image.
Yeah, that all sounds great on paper but, in practice, it isn't feasible.Which is one of the reasons FMV games (aside from cartoony ones) looked so bad on the Sega CD. 32x CD games were typically a massive improvement.
It's a shame there were no non-FMV 32X CD games. It would have been cool to get Knuckles Chaotix or Kolibri with a CD quality soundtrack.
You're probably thinking of shadow and highlight which is a common trick.Thanks for that.
I could've sworn it was possible to double the colours on Mega CD through a hardware trick. Pretty sure Eternal Champions CD did so.
Clearly given it was originally announced only on SNES, it was going to be the main focus.Technically speaking, operating at what appears to be a locked 60fps is an animation advantage! But yeah, I do think that this was a case where the port just didn't have the budget to bring everything over from the lead platform intact, so you wind up with the missing frames.
Insane, like those old C64/IBM ports of console games.One of my friends made the GBA port of pitfall. That port had a lot of problems that this video doesn't go into. For one, the team was not given any access to the original art or code or anything. It was made in the old-style of game ports -- by the team playing the game, watching with their eyes, and figuring out how it works. The art for the game was created by the team playing the game on the SNES and taking pictures of the CRT they were playing on, and digitizing those pictures, which is partially why all the art is so garish and the colors so messed up. They also only had like 5 months to do the port. Considering the insane time constraints and how little they had to work with, I'd say it's a minor miracle they got the game out at all.
Yeah, I forgot to mention the saving on Jaguar but only because it's not a feature I really think about in that I usually finish this game in one sitting every time I play it. So the save thing just didn't stick in my mind because I don't need it or use it.No mention at all that the Atari Jaguar version is the only version of the game which features game saving? Every single Atari Jaguar cartridge features 64kb of Flash Memory -- it's part of the cartridge spec for the Jaguar. Most games use this in minor ways -- saving game options or whatever, but the Jaguar version of pitfall uses the save ram in the cart to actually save the game. Thus, unlike every other version including the Windows 95 version, the Jaguar allows you to actually save and load your game, which is a massive improvement considering how long the game is and how difficult it is.
One of my friends made the GBA port of pitfall. That port had a lot of problems that this video doesn't go into. For one, the team was not given any access to the original art or code or anything. It was made in the old-style of game ports -- by the team playing the game, watching with their eyes, and figuring out how it works. The art for the game was created by the team playing the game on the SNES and taking pictures of the CRT they were playing on, and digitizing those pictures, which is partially why all the art is so garish and the colors so messed up. They also only had like 5 months to do the port. Considering the insane time constraints and how little they had to work with, I'd say it's a minor miracle they got the game out at all.
I'd like to track down TUME and play around with it. Is it available in any form where this is possible? Seems really interesting and I want to know more.TUME and MEAT exist for the Sega Genesis (and thus 32X and Sega CD), Super NES, Amiga 500 and 1200, MS Dos, Atari Jaguar, Atari ST platforms, Gameboy Advance, and Windows 95. Other games which used TUME include Cool Spot and Earthworm Jim.
Yes and yesOn par with Earthworm Jim? No.
On par with Donkey Kong Country? Hell no!
I'd like to track down TUME and play around with it. Is it available in any form where this is possible? Seems really interesting and I want to know more.
Big Grub has a newer 32 bit map editor called Meat for Map Editing Art Tool. It runs under Windows95/NT and supports 24 and 32 bit graphics and will edit more than just tiles. Only one version of MeatPack (the equivilent of tUMEpack) currently exists. I'm not sure if they are interested in selling it but you can ask John Alvarado at [email protected].
Insane, like those old C64/IBM ports of console games.
I get the feeling a lot of GBA work was like that, especially in the west where handhelds got no respect.
Yes and yes
I love Earthworm Jim but it has too many gimmicky levels which slow down the pacing while EWJ2 is just a mess. EWJ2 is a game that I like less each time I play it. The DOS version of 2 is probably the best version since it eliminates some of the worst content. Lorenzo's Soil? What a terrible stage to play through. I hate it so much despite the neat tech.
...either way, it's all opinion.
I guess it's a matter of taste but I love the way the controls feel in this game but can agree that hit detection is a little wonky at points. I've become used to it but it's not perfect. To me, it's very much a B+ type of game that I just happen to enjoy a lot....what really puts the Pitfall below all those games is the character control. I think it's floaty, the jumps have no weight to it, collision and hit detection are not satisfying. I played the Sega CD version and occasionally the windows one too, which by your analysis are the best versions.
Is there a good resource for reading up on all of this?Regarding animation in games like Pitfall and Earthworm Jim and Disney's Aladdin: The reason those games had extra special animation is owed to the specific way the Sega Genesis handles sprites compared to the Super NES, and it explains why Pitfall had more frames of animation on the Genesis. Disney, for aladdin, hyped up a technology called digicel animation, which was supposed to be a process to squeeze more frames of animation out of the genesis. In fact, it's not the digitizer that is the star of the show, digitizers had been rote technologies for a long while by that point. Rather, the star of the show is a program called Chopper, which was created by the same people who created TUME.
I enjoyed playing the Windows 95 version as a kid, could never get past the first level.