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How come Microsoft USA never talks about the MSX?
Fundraiser... for Takumaji... needs new MSX2... he blew up his... TARGET ACHIEVED!
- Thread starter Rot
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Congrats man,generous of most here to donate so you could buy a replacement for the msx.It's a interesting piece of hardware that's for sure beside even today it has homebrew support as well.I wouldn't mind having one myself but there pricey and collecting for it is expensive unless of course you go the flashcart route.The Panasonic MSX computer arrived today!!
Man, that was really quick, I'm very impressed with the seller. Came exactly as described/shown, works perfectly.
I'm in heaven!
Castlevania looks and plays just like the real thing on NES, music is awesome too. Given that the MSX version usually goes for 150+, I made a very good deal here. Paid 300 for the computer + the game and something extra for fast shipping.
As promised, here are some pics:
In the first pic, you see my laptop standing next to the FS A1, I use a special audio cable that goes into the tape port of the computer. I've turned all my MSX tape games to WAVs and added a small BASIC routine to them which gets loaded first and then loads and executes the code that comes in via WAV/tape interface. Loaded The Castle for testing purposes and it works fine. Takes between 4 and 6 minutes to load but that's okay, good things come to those who have learned to wait, eh...
Okay, where's my H.E.R.O. WAV...
Hooray!
EDIT:
The fact that Panasonic found it necessary to print SPACE on the space bar is hilarious
EDIT #2:
Here are some gameplay vids:
Castlevania
Space Manbow 2
Aleste 2
Metal Gear
Spelunker
For some of the later games, a MSX2+ machine is necessary to run them.
Still, I'm more into the older MSX1 games, like Spelunker, and some MSX2 stuff like Castlevania. Specially the old games still have that raw charm of early arcade games that I love, takes me back to the days when I saved every penny to pump them into any cab I could find.
Last edited:
Montatez
Aero Fighters Flyboy
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Just a not-so-small addendum: I said that Akumajo Dracula MSX (Vampire Killer outside of Japan) would be almost the same as the NES version but I guess I was too quick with my verdict here. It looks similar to the NES versions with more colors, a smaller selection of sub weapons but more magical items. The platformer approach is there but the MSX version brings in some Metroidvania elements as well. There are keys scattered across each level that either unlock doors or chests with items to collect which takes quite some exploring and backtracking. The game has six levels divided into three sections each with locked doors inbetween. There also are merchants in the game (a first in the series) called Old Crones which have to be repeatedly whipped before they offer you weapon upgrades or alternative weapons (thus temporarily replacing the whip as your main weapon).
Difficulty level is very high and the slightly awkward control scheme only adds to that. In order to play the game with a joystick or pad, you will need one that has two separate buttons (A/B). Trying the play it with a normal stick (like a one-button Competition Pro or Quickshot) will enable you to move the character and use the weapons but you can't jump since it's set to button B. Apparently, you need a MSX-compatible joystick with two buttons for that, tried it with a Mega Drive gamepad but it didn't work so I have to play the game with keyboard controls which is okay-ish since you can use the cursor keys for it. Another tricky part is the activation of the sub weapons (only Holy Water and Hourglass) which has to be done by pushing left, down or right while jumping (!), often times you activate a sub weapon by accident. Overall, the controls need quite some practise.
Still, the MSX version is fun and very rewarding to play, it's amazing to see that it came up with a lot of new elements that were used in later games like Simon's Quest or even SotN. I still prefer the action platformer style of NES CV1/3 or Bloodlines over the Metroidvania thing but gameplay of the MSX version is excellent so I guess I will have to spend some more time with it. For a huge Castlevania fan like me with maybe a bit too much of an action platformer bias, it's a refreshing take on one of my fave game series that combines the gothic horror atmosphere of the original games with an exploration aspect that does not stand in the way of a nice arcade-style game (like in SotN (IMO, etc.)).
Difficulty level is very high and the slightly awkward control scheme only adds to that. In order to play the game with a joystick or pad, you will need one that has two separate buttons (A/B). Trying the play it with a normal stick (like a one-button Competition Pro or Quickshot) will enable you to move the character and use the weapons but you can't jump since it's set to button B. Apparently, you need a MSX-compatible joystick with two buttons for that, tried it with a Mega Drive gamepad but it didn't work so I have to play the game with keyboard controls which is okay-ish since you can use the cursor keys for it. Another tricky part is the activation of the sub weapons (only Holy Water and Hourglass) which has to be done by pushing left, down or right while jumping (!), often times you activate a sub weapon by accident. Overall, the controls need quite some practise.
Still, the MSX version is fun and very rewarding to play, it's amazing to see that it came up with a lot of new elements that were used in later games like Simon's Quest or even SotN. I still prefer the action platformer style of NES CV1/3 or Bloodlines over the Metroidvania thing but gameplay of the MSX version is excellent so I guess I will have to spend some more time with it. For a huge Castlevania fan like me with maybe a bit too much of an action platformer bias, it's a refreshing take on one of my fave game series that combines the gothic horror atmosphere of the original games with an exploration aspect that does not stand in the way of a nice arcade-style game (like in SotN (IMO, etc.)).
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I think the reason MSX Akumajou Dracula was so different was in the early MSX days the programmers had a hard time with scrolling, so they used single screens with hard transitions to the next. iirc it was due to memory limitations. I remember Final Fantasy having very rough scrolling because it would have to scroll one sprite width at a time. Later MSX2 stuff didn't have that problem.
MSX music is great though.
MSX music is great though.
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Given that Akumajo Dracula MSX is a 128k cart and MSX2 machines have at least 64k of memory, I don't think that memory limitations played a role here. IMO, Konami took the extended possibilities of the MSX computers as a chance to add extra elements that were not present in the first NES game to give it more depth. The flip-screen thing is also present in the NES and part of the CV style. Of course it also helps to counter some inadequacies of a given system, it was used a lot in MSX1 games where the lack of hardware scrolling was a constant issue. However, I can tell from experience that it's only a problem during the first few hours, you will quickly get used to it and enjoy the faster gameplay (compared to most other home micros and consoles of the time) courtesy of the 3.5MHz Z80 CPU. From MSX2 onwards, the extra VRAM eliminates most (not all) scrolling problems. It's still not perfect, though, here, the Commie was far ahead of MSX computers.
Take your time before jumping in, prices for used MSX stuff increased a lot during the last few years and it's easy to get ripped off these days (sounds familiar, eh.). There also are a ton of different MSX systems and all have their pros and cons so it pays to read up a bit beforehand. Hit me up if you have any questions.
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I'm happy for you Tak. I've always been intrigued by these old school computer video game systems. It's something that I've thought about getting into ala the Sharp X68000 which I heard is a really cool vg computer but just never took the plunge. Would avoid taking the plunge now because I have a feeling it would turn into a money pit.
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X68k did turn out to be a money pit for me. I had one a few years back that lasted a month before the psu took a shit. Took out my TV and the VGA port of my XPC-4 too.
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If you are planning to buy an old home/micro computer system, you have to be aware that many of them are older than 20 or 30 years now. They all have their specific weak spots and problems, RAM chips may fail over night, PSUs may blow, floppy drive belts may get loose or drive heads get busted, cassette tapes may lose their content due to demagnetization, etc., etc. Some of the problems can be solved quite easily, others may require decent electronics repair skills and/or spare parts that sometimes are difficult to find.
That said, I would not want to miss my old computers that I've grown up with and simply accept the fact that they get a bit shaky with age. Even though it came a long way, emulation doesn't do some of the old systems and games justice, there is this last but IMO essential bit of un-emulateable magic that makes playing the games on the real thing so desireable for me.