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Fantasy Zone Retrospective [message #129324] Tue, 14 October 2008 00:01 Go to next message
parallax-scroll is currently offline  parallax-scroll
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http://retro.ign.com/articles/915/915442p1.html

Fantasy Zone Retrospective
Drop sixteen tons, and what do you get?
by Travis Fahs

October 1, 2008 - While none of them were ever million sellers, and
the series has been dormant for well over a decade, few games embody
the spirit of Sega as well as Fantasy Zone. With its imaginative
world, surreal charm, and unmistakable sense of style, it was once one
of Sega's flagship series, and its puny protagonist, Opa-Opa, was once
even considered the company's mascot. His star burned bright, but as
his games only moved backwards in gameplay and technology, he lost his
place in the gaming world. He may be gone from our lives, but make no
mistake: Opa-Opa will not soon be forgotten.

Welcome to the Fantasy Zone

Space Harrier first welcomed us to the Fantasy Zone in 1985, but its
dangerous world of dragons and robots didn't bear much resemblance to
the whimsical land of the shooter that would bear its name. Fantasy
Zone premiered in March of 1986 as one of the first games for Sega's
ambitious new arcade hardware, the System 16. The new general purpose
powerhouse board became Sega's lead arcade platform, capable of
pushing over a hundred on-screen sprites and thousands of colors, far
outpacing the Genesis console, still years away.



The title arrived less than a year after Gradius, when the side-
scrolling shooter genre was still in its formative years. Many of the
conventions we take for granted had yet to be cemented, and Fantasy
Zone's approach was a bit different than what we now know shooters to
be. Like Defender and Choplifter, players could travel freely in both
directions. Clearing all ten generators on a stage will bring on the
boss. The free-form structure meant that Fantasy Zone wasn't as much
of a game of patterns as Gradius or Salamander. The soundtrack also
became a signature. Composed by Hiroshi Miyauchi, the simple, bubbly
melodies remain some of arcade gaming's most infectious.

But it was the psychedelic world that really made the game stand out.
Along with Space Harrier and Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars, it represented
Sega's short-lived fascination with the surreal. The colorful and
bizarre landscapes and enemies could only be matched by the budding
star that was its protagonist. Opa-opa might have appeared to be a
winged ship at first, but he was a living being with hopes, dreams,
and even a family. When he had to best his own father at the end of
the game, you actually felt bad for the little… thing.

The power-up system also turned a few heads. Destroying enemies
dropped coins of varying amounts that added up to cash, separate from
the score. Opa-Opa could visit shops and purchase upgrades to his
speed, or various primary and secondary weapons. This helped to add a
layer of strategy and planning to the game, especially early on when
the budget is tight.



The title was an instant hit in Japanese arcades, earning a reputation
for ruthless intensity, especially after looping the game. The number
of bullets zooming around on screen would make even today's veterans
flinch, and success demanded strategy as well as reflexes. The main
character, strange though he was, even spawned imitators, most notably
Konami's Twinbee, another living ship in a surreal shmup. Sega even
went as far as to call Opa-Opa their mascot; a title that went largely
ignored once Alex Kidd stepped up to take on Mario. In the West,
Fantasy Zone never achieved the same kind of popularity, but the home
front would offer new opportunities.

Console Wars

With arcade success, Fantasy Zone was a sure bet for the home market.
Sega had just launched a new console, the Mark III (Sega Master System
in the West), and Fantasy Zone seemed like a prime candidate to help
move systems. Of course, with Sega less than firmly rooted in the
console market, they were happy to license the game to Sunsoft to port
to the Nintendo Famicom, as well.

Not everything from the cutting edge arcade game could be crammed onto
8-bit hardware and a one megabit cartridge, of course. The Sega Master
System conversion took quite a few liberties with the source material,
exchanging bosses when needed, and axing plenty of animation. Despite
the cuts, it proved to be a flagship game for Sega's new console,
earning new fans that weren't even familiar with the arcade version.
That same year, Pony Canyon created a scaled down MSX port loosely
based on the SMS version.



Despite the weaker specs of Nintendo's hardware, Sunsoft's conversion
was more than impressive, arguably besting even Sega's home version.
While the color palette took a major hit, and the sprites were scaled
down a bit, it managed to replicate the subtle vertical panning,
animation, and hectic firing patterns of the arcade. The quality port
wouldn't go unnoticed by Sega, and Sunsoft would go on to become a
stepparent to the series.

Unfortunately, North American NES owners weren't so lucky. Not only
would they have to wait until 1989 for Sega's shooter, but the rights
were sold to Tengen, who created a new, markedly inferior port. While
it still managed to scroll four ways, the enemy patterns were stiff
and choppy and sprites flickered and jerked.

Behind Sunsoft and Sega's ports, NEC released a quality version for
the TurboGrafx that packed in most of the charm and gameplay of the
original with slightly neutered difficulty. The Sharp X68000, as
usual, was blessed with the best port of the time; nearly arcade
perfect, thanks to the similar hardware, with an added secret level
with enemies from Space Harrier and an optional arranged soundtrack.


Don't Cry for Me

With Fantasy Zone's popularity secure in arcades and on consoles
alike, a sequel was a no-brainer. In a move that remains controversial
to this day, Sega opted to build their new title from the ground up
for the Sega Master System, completely bypassing the superior arcade
hardware that the original graced. The result, as you would expect,
had its pluses and minuses.

For those that cut their teeth on the home versions, Fantasy Zone II:
The Tears of Opa-Opa was an impressive follow-up when it was released
in 1987. The visuals were absolutely gorgeous, among the best on the
consoles of the day. The soundtrack duties were handed off to Tokuhiko
Uwabo, who proved just as capable as Miyauchi, and the levels were
expanded to span at least three zones per stage.

The new format allowed players to uncover warps behind destroyed
generators to zip back and forth between zones and hunt down all the
necessary targets. This meant the levels had been greatly expanded,
and there was a good deal more variety. There were also some truly
impressive bosses that put to shame the scaled-down monsters in the
first game.



But for arcade junkies, the hardware downgrade was a disappointment.
Without the white-knuckle challenge and floods of bullets, the sequel
seemed tame, and it certainly didn't look or sound as good as its 16-
bit big brother. The demand for an arcade version was there, but Sega
shrugged it off, handing duties over to their friends at Sunsoft. The
arcade version of Fantasy Zone II ran on the Master System-based
System E hardware, and was a pretty straight conversion of the home
game. The difficulty was ramped up, and there were some minor graphic
and display improvements, but it was still wasn't far from the console
experience.

Sunsoft also picked up Famicom porting duties once more. Their second
attempt was likewise impressive, but instead of being compared to
another scaled down port, this version had to make sacrifices based
directly on a Master System game, and it was painfully clear Sega had
the better version. Unlike its predecessor, the sequel didn't have
legs beyond the Famicom and MSX versions, and other consoles and
computers were left in the cold.



After only two games, Sega was about ready to retire the series from
internal development, but they still had a pair of small spin-offs
left in them. Both of these games took the series in a radically
different direction. Released at nearly the same time as Fantasy Zone
II, his next game, titled Opa-Opa in Japan, and Fantasy Zone: The Maze
in the West, moved into the maze chase genre popularized by Pac-Man.



It's no secret that by late 1987, maze chase games were facing
extinction. Platform games were all the rage, and maze games were
treated like relics of the last generation. The decision was certainly
a strange one, but The Maze, as it turns out, would be one of the best
games in the genre.

As in every game in the genre since Head On, Opa-opa had to clear the
stage of dots (in this case coins that decreased in value as time went
on) to proceed to the next stage. But scattered about these levels
were various items that would allow the little guy to fire various
weapons, speed up his movement, or even barrel through baddies. There
was also a "home base" in the center that needed to be touched
periodically to keep new enemies from spawning. It was a well thought
out game that had a simple arcade appeal. Sunsoft was once again given
the honor of bringing the title to the arcade, again in slightly
enhanced form.



Opa-Opa would get one more spin-off before slipping into temporary
retirement. This time, he left the familiar Fantasy Zone to protect
our own planet Earth in Galactic Protector. The simple shooter was
another throwback to the early golden age of arcades, this time
designed to take advantage of the Paddle Controller released in Japan.
Spinning the dial moved Opa-Opa around the planet as he shot away
descending meteors, comets, and UFOs. The title was mostly designed to
service those who purchased the paddle, and since the controller was
never released outside of Japan, neither was Galactic Protector.


'90s Revival

The Mark III/Master System never managed to catch fire in its native
Japan. By 1989, interest was waning, and Sega chose to focus on the
games that mattered more to the European and American markets, like
Alex Kidd. Fantasy Zone was put on the shelf, and Opa-Opa would have
to wait for a new generation of hardware.

In 1991, NEC Avenue, having had some success porting Sega franchises
to the TurboGrafx-16, decided to use the license to create an original
title for the PC Engine CD that blended both Space Harrier and Fantasy
Zone. The unique hybrid favored the forward-scrolling gameplay of
Harrier, but starred Opa-Opa, and an art style closer to Fantasy Zone.
There were also shops and power ups that would help FZ fans feel right
at home. Unfortunately, for reasons still unknown, the title was
cancelled late in production, and while it was circulated via
underground bootlegs, Opa-Opa would still have to wait for a chance
enter the spotlight again.



His break came with the release of the handheld Sega Game Gear. In
1991, when the system was still young, they decided to do finally take
the Fantasy Zone series back to its roots. Developed by Sanritsu,
Fantasy Zone Gear followed the story of Opa-Opa Jr., and paired the
same gameplay that made the title work in the arcades with some
impressive graphics that blew away anything on the Master System,
despite similar hardware. A host of new weapons helped to expand the
gameplay a bit, and boss battles now allowed you to shoot freely in
any direction.

It was a flawed title, however, with a narrow view that made it easy
to miss targets and clipping issues that led to deaths that should
have been near misses. Fans were glad to return to the series roots
and get something new at the same time, but the Game Gear wasn't the
kind of system that could deliver a meaningful improvement.



The Sega Genesis was much better equipped. With hardware in the same
ballpark as the System 16, it seemed like the perfect platform to
finally do the series justice again. Unfortunately, Sega didn't seem
interested, and so development was left to Sunsoft. While Sunsoft had
already done four Fantasy Zone releases, this was their first time
developing a completely original title. Super Fantasy Zone, as it was
called, would be the first attempt to really follow up the arcade
classic with graphics and gameplay that could rival its ancestor.

It was obviously done by another team, but then, so were all of
Fantasy Zone's sequels. It did a remarkable job of nailing down the
gameplay, and even added some new twists, like a dark level that
required a special item to seem more than a few feet. New enemies
mingled with some old, and a host of new bosses boasted some wildly
varied attack patterns.

It really was, in many ways, the best Fantasy Zone since the first,
but with so many years gone by, almost catching up might not have been
good enough. Everything about the game seemed just a bit behind, the
original. The stages weren't quite as colorful, the music wasn't quite
as catchy, and the challenge wasn't quite as intense. For all its
impressive effort, Super Fantasy Zone was not enough to revive
interest in the series. While it did make its way to Europe a year
later, North America was passed up entirely.

Ages Past

So ended the Fantasy Zone series. It's been more than fifteen years
since Super Fantasy Zone, and while the occasional cameo in Shenmue or
Planet Harriers, or a home port on Saturn reminds us that Sega has not
forgotten, we haven't had a new game since.

Fantasy Zone (PS2 AGES remake)
http://i35.tinypic.com/23uwn4x.jpg

When Sega launched their AGES line of budget retro-revivals in 2004,
however, Fantasy Zone was one of the first to get the 3D treatment.
While Golden Axe and Space Harrier got ugly, clunky remakes, the
Fantasy Zone makeover was the crown jewel of the early lineup, with
faithful gameplay and 3D graphics that managed to look just like the
2D tiles they were imitating. The additions were few and careful,
including some forward-scrolling bonus rounds between levels. A number
of the SEGA AGES games made it to the West on the Sega Classics
Collection, and Fantasy Zone was featured prominently.

Earlier this month, Sega released Fantasy Zone Collection. The
impressive compilation packed every game in the series, including
Galactic Protector, The Maze, and even the rare arcade Fantasy Zone II
release. But its most compelling addition was its answer to that
hypothetical that has been nagging fans for decades: What if Fantasy
Zone II was a System 16 arcade game?

http://i35.tinypic.com/2aah8cz.jpg
Fantasy Zone II (System 16 remake)

The novel "concept remake" re-imagined the title to take advantage of
Sega's premiere arcade hardware of the day, but no more. While still
quite retro, the completely original artwork is drop dead gorgeous,
shaming Super Fantasy Zone, and even topping the original. There are
also some changes to the gameplay as well. Rather than forcing players
to traverse three zones, each stage is instead split into two
alternate dimensions, a "bright side" and a "dark side." The dark side
offers a path for more seasoned vets to rack up more points with some
challenging attack patterns and utterly vicious bosses, giving arcade
fans the real challenge they've been craving since the first game.

While not exactly a new game, the Fantasy Zone II remake is probably
the closest fans are going to see for quite some time. With enough
substance to last for quite a while, it could help to give fans the
closure they need on one of the series' biggest missed opportunities.
Ultimately, making up for one missed opportunity from the series
heyday is probably a whole lot more productive than giving Fantasy
Zone the same treatment Sega is giving to Golden Axe.
Re: Fantasy Zone Retrospective [message #129326 is a reply to message #129324] Thu, 16 October 2008 22:20 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Pete Holland Jr. is currently offline  Pete Holland Jr.
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I just wanted to say thank you for the article. FZ was one of my
favorites, it was one of the first games I bought for my old SMS (the
NES version by Tengen really suffered from the decreased color
pallet). It really was a fun series.
Re: Fantasy Zone Retrospective [message #129328 is a reply to message #129326] Mon, 20 October 2008 19:57 Go to previous message
parallax-scroll is currently offline  parallax-scroll
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On Oct 16, 7:20 pm, "Pete Holland Jr." <pet...@uti.com> wrote:
> I just wanted to say thank you for the article.  FZ was one of my
> favorites, it was one of the first games I bought for my old SMS (the
> NES version by Tengen really suffered from the decreased color
> pallet).  It really was a fun series.

Welcome.

I'm not a huge fan of the FZ series itself, but I'm really pleasantly
surprised & impressed with what SEGA did with FZII DX in FZCC. They
made a new arcade version of an old game for old hardware. Sega made a
System16 game!

They made it for PS2, yeah, but it's based totally on System16
capabilities. This is cooler than the 3D Ages FZ 3D (2.5D) remake
they did 5 years ago:
Sega Ages 2500 Volume 3 (JPN), Sega Classics Collection (U.S.)

Sega took their 8-bit Master System FZII from 1987 (which was ported
to 8-bit System-E arcade hardware in 87 or 88) and remade it into a
16-bit System16 game within an emulation environment on PS2. Way
freaking cool!

I so much hope that Sega takes various other 8-bit SMS, 8-bit arcade,
16-bit MD/Genesis games (I could name dozens) and remake them into
either System16 or SuperScaler (X Board, Y Board Hardware, etc) games,
taking advantage of the higher specs and larger ROM spaces.

A few arcade and non-arcade games off the top of my head that should
be remade using 16-bit Sega arcade hardware/specs and released for
PS2, and/or current-gen consoles (and PC):

Herzog Zwei
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
Phantasy Star
Streets of Rage 2
Revenge of Shinobi
Missile Defense 3-D
Blackbelt
Zaxxon 3-D
Mystic Defender
Sonic 2
Thunder Force III
Poseidon Wars 3-D
Miracle Warriors
Ristar
Phantasy Star II
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Phantasy Star IV
Sonic 3
Zillion
Choplifter
Sword of Vermilion
Thunder Force IV


And also, Sega should make some sequels to some existing System16,
System18 and SuperScaler games, using either the same hardware as the
original, or take a step up to a stronger board (but only 16-bit Sega
arcade HW), How about:

'Altered Beast 2' on System 16
'Galaxy Force III' on Y Board
'Alien Syndrome 2' on System16
'Shadow Dancer II' on System 18
'Golden Axe IV' on System16
'After Burner IV' on X Board
'Super Hang-On 2' on X Board
'Power Drift 2' on Y Board
'Super Outrun' on X Board

Like FZII DX on PS2 using System16, any of these would use 2D
sprites, with or without scaling and other effects, but all using
80s arcade spec and 80s / early 90s design.


Okay wake me up now, but it's fun to dream.
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