NES Works Gaiden #037: Zippy Race / Super Arabian / Front Line

NES Works Gaiden #037: Zippy Race / Super Arabian / Front Line

Author: Jeremy Parish April 30, 2022 Duration: 13:06
OK, this week we have the ACTUAL debut of Irem on Famicom, but it's hard to say TOSE's take on Zippy Race makes for a splashier debut than 10-Yard Fight would have. At least 10-Yard Fight had the benefit of not having been shown up by a conversion of the same game to technically inferior hardware more than a year earlier. TOSE also helps a second publisher make its debut here with Sunsoft's first Famicom release: A similarly underwhelming arcade-to-console conversion of the game Arabian. If you love Ice Climber's jump physics (spoilers: you don't), you'll love Super Arabian (spoilers: you won't). Finally, wrapping up the episode, we have another arcade port from Taito. Front Line more or less invented a genre, but does that mean this version has any value besides its place in history? (Spoilers: it doesn't.) Yes, it's dark times for Famicom.

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Jeremy Parish's Video Works by Jeremy Parish is a curated collection of his long-running projects diving deep into the history and design of classic video games. Rather than a single focused series, this podcast serves as an archive and hub for several distinct endeavors. You'll find episodes from Game Boy World, which meticulously documents every pre-Game Boy Advance handheld title in chronological order, offering a unique historical perspective. Another strand explores the interconnected world of "Metroidvania" games, analyzing the design principles that define this beloved subgenre. The Anatomy of Games segments provide thorough, thoughtful critiques of classic game design, breaking down what makes these titles endure. Each episode, whether originally audio or adapted from video content, carries Parish's knowledgeable and considered commentary. This podcast is for anyone with an appreciation for gaming's foundations, presented not as dry history but as an engaging exploration of the artistry and innovation that shaped the medium. Tune in for a consistently insightful look at the pixels and philosophies behind the games you might have played-or always meant to.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Video Works by Jeremy Parish
Podcast Episodes
Segaiden #16: GP World / Tooru-kun / Hyper Sports / Star Force [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:43
Sega winds down the cartridge format for SG-1000 in favor of a new media type, and this corner of the console library unfortunately wheezes to a half-hearted ending. Somehow, Sega even managed to completely squander Kona…
Segaiden #15: Zaxxon & Champion Pro Wrestling [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:46
Sega enters 1985 with the hottest game of 1982, and the good news is that Zaxxon looks and plays far more convincingly than its sibling release Congo Bongo did back in 1983. This adaptation of the arcade hit makes some c…
NES Works #082: Defender II & Iron Tank [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:55
A pair of arcade shooter adaptations leads us into the second half of 1988 for NES Works, both of which deserve attention for entirely different reasons. Defender II sees the publishing debut of HAL Labs (via HAL America…
NES Works #081: Double Dragon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:13
Technos (by way of freshman NES publisher Tradewest) follows up on Renegade with a home conversion of a massive arcade hit that plays extremely fast and loose with the meaning of the phrase "home conversion." Double Drag…
NES Works #080: Metal Gear [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:47
One of the most beloved franchises of all time makes its debut on NES, though not its actual debut; the Metal Gear Nintendo fans knew and enjoyed back in the 8-bit era was in fact a port of a minor hit for MSX/2 home com…
Super NES Works #000: The Super Nintendo Entertainment System [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:44
It has been three decades since Nintendo launched its first next-generation console in the U.S.: The Super Nintendo Entertainment System. On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, Super NES Works returns for a limited-tim…
Game Boy Works #125: Klax, Klax, & Ginga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:58
A curious case here on Game Boy Works: A game that is somehow two games. While Klax on Game Boy plays about the same as the Klax we've already seen on Atari Lynx, it takes two very different approaches to its presentatio…
Game Boy Works #124: Nail'n Scale & Pri Pri: Primitive Princess [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:09
Puzzle platformers are in their Game Boy; all's right with the world. Yes, this episode brings us not one but two—two!—puzzle action games for Game Boy. As if we'd have it any other way. As often happens, one of these is…
Game Boy Works #123: Kung' Fu Master & Kinninkou Maroku ONI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:23
Game Boy turns its focus to the far east this episode, with an action game based on Chinese martial arts and an RPG centered on battling (and being) Japanese yōkai. Neither one is particularly world-shaking, though Kung'…
NES Works Gaiden #027: Nazo no Murasame-jou [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:58
By request of Peter LaPrade, this week brings us another look at a Famicom Disk System exclusive that ended up being stranded in Japan until fairly recently: Nintendo's own Nazo no Murasame-jou. A brisk, challenge action…