Genesis Does: The Movie *must see*

[17daysolderthannes]

but no Z80...

unless I'm mistaken the Z80 is strictly for sound processing and used for master system backwards compatibility, the 68000 is the primary processor.

[17daysolderthannes]

Wrong. The Super Game Boy, indeed let you play two players on certain games, like Wario Blast.

Not according to what I read in the "Buyer's Beware" section of Gamepro. Some kid wrote in asking if his unit was defective because he couldn't play with two players and Gamepro responded after talking to Nintendo and said they couldn't do it because of some sort of FCC violation, something like having the two player feature would cause additional interference or something (how I don't know, sounds like a fixable problem to me, but they didn't go into details). Is Wario Blast a game made specifically for Super Game Boy? if so, maybe figured out a way to make it work later on...but nevertheless, what I said was straight from horses mouth back in 95.

[Earthworm_Jim_Fan]

Yeah, only certain Super Gameboy games had this option. Wario Blast was released in 1994.

However, the Super Gameboy 2 alowed for two player support, although you need an extra Gameboy for this to work.

[TmEE]

unless I'm mistaken the Z80 is strictly for sound processing and used for master system backwards compatibility, the 68000 is the primary processor.

It can be used for other things than sound, but in most cases it was sound... omitting Z80 is still a bad thing.... nobody appreciates the mighty Z80

[Zebbe]

Give examples of other things it was used for. I think the 68k was used for sound in some games, leaving the Z80 completely unused perhaps.

[TmEE]

You can use Z80 for anything, the chip has near full control over the rest of the system... and while many games used 68K for sound, Z80 was usually still used for sound too (samples). Z80 is still rather vital part of the MD (disabling Z80 means MD won't boot), and for example, Neo Geo would never be "24-bit" if you'd not count the Z80

[16-bit]

Dangit! I want to watch it but I'm at school and they blocked youtube.
I'll watch it when I'm back from school and from work, and then I'll favorite it and subscribe to you with my youtube account.

[Phantar]

Z80 is still rather vital part of the MD (disabling Z80 means MD won't boot)

Then what did they use in the Model3-Genesis? Did they simply override the Z80-check? Because AFAIK there's no Z80 in them.

[TmEE]

no Z80 = no sound in MANY MANY games

[Psy]

I have always stood behind Nintendos choice of Cartridges for the N64 and feel that was what made it so special. I wouldn't call them "Vastly inferior" but they did cost much more to produce, pushed many 3rd party companies away and obviously couldn't hold as much data as a CD. RE2 was the largest N64 game made I believe it was 64MB (yes Bytes not bits) and contained all the FMV sequences as the PSX version along with higher resolution 3D (character) graphics.

My main problem is that so many people looked down upon the N64 for being cartridge based before it even got a chance. Most of them thinking a CD-ROM automatically has better graphics even tho they are both just storage mediums and have nothing to do with the graphical power. There is no reason for this other than the fact N64 carts specifically held only a fraction of the info possible on a CD. But really take out the redbook audio and FMV sequences and how many PSX games used over 64MB for the actual game, graphics/textures and sounds? I bet half of them didn't! Most PSX games could have been done on the N64 with better graphics (but minus FMV for the most part) IF it was needed but overhead cost of producing the carts pushed most 3rd party publishers away. I assume its less profit for them if they have to sell the games at the same price as PSX games?? That or like you said they would have to raise the price of the games and sell less because of it. Price is the main issue here. If it cost the same to built these 64MB carts as a CD (obviously I'm in backwards land) but IF it did more developers could have PUSHED the N64s abilities. Look at what RARE and Factor5 could do with that thing! Check out Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine or even Star Wars Rouge Squadron in high res mode with the RAM expansion. It was far superior graphically to anything I can remember on the PSX. The N64 could have been the "Arcade" king. FPS, Racing etc while the PSX would be better at RPG, Adventure games with longer vocalized stories where the FMV would aid the story of the game.

I know I'm starting shit here but the N64 should go down in history as the last cartridge based system and the end of an era! It was just massively underrated and never got the chance it deserved IMHO.

That said I owned a PSX in the day and NOT an N64! I was the guy laughing at anyone who bought an N64 actually. I really was a CD-ROM head, I loved the FMV, I loved the "high tech" feeling of ditching the ancient cartridges! I tried for weeks to talk my buddy out of buying an N64 and to instead go with the PSX!

Yes the PSX was the king of that era and YES the time was right for CD-ROM and the storage it provided. PSX won the war no questions asked and it had the games! I just don't feel that was the systems fault as much as the consumers and industry in general. Forget about the PSX for a minute and just look at the N64 for what it is. There is no reason other than cost that more great games didn't come out for it! I just can't blame "Money" when looking at a piece of hardware, looking at the system alone for what it is and nothing else.

CDs were not only able to stream music but voices too, while you could fit some voices in the N64 carts space was an issue while on the CDs space was not an issue. The N64 just couldn't realistically have all the voices in Metal Gear Solid.

[Earthworm_Jim_Fan]

What about Conker's Bad Fur Day?

[Psy]

What about Conker's Bad Fur Day?

Which has the most voice dialog for a N64 game, yet still far short of the amount of voice dialog in Metal Gear Solid.

[dragonboy]

I maybe wrong, (because I'm just taking a guess) I think some of the most sprite intense games like Gunstar and Contra use the Z80 as help for collision detection, AI, and software graphic tricks such as rotation and scaling, whenever the 68000 gets overloaded. Of course you would need to program everything in both asm codes for it to work.

[Psy]

I maybe wrong, (because I'm just taking a guess) I think some of the most sprite intense games like Gunstar and Contra use the Z80 as help for collision detection, AI, and software graphic tricks such as rotation and scaling, whenever the 68000 gets overloaded. Of course you would need to program everything in both asm codes for it to work.

I would think it would also be in the pain in the ass as the Z80 as a sound processor doesn't have to be in sync with the 68000.

[dragonboy]

I would think it would also be in the pain in the ass as the Z80 as a sound processor doesn't have to be in sync with the 68000.

I thought I remember reading somewhere the 68000 could send an interrupt to the Z80. I'll look it up again to refresh my memory.