Altered Beast- Ah the memories.....

[Earthquake]

I was just curious, is the original arcade version of Altered Beast a favorite to anyone else here on the forums? I don't know why, but I just started thinking about it for some reason today. I can't believe all of the negative reviews the game received over at gamefaqs. I could practically play the likes of AB, Golden Axe and Final Fight all day if I had the chance. So, is anyone else a big fan of this one?

 

[Makismo]

I got the game with my Sega Genesis back in 1990. I played the games many times and finally beat it way back in the day. I thought that the graphics were pretty good. I think that it came out in the arcades back in 1988 and was on the Genesis in 1989 when it first came out. It was on a Model 16 board I think. The home cartridge version doesn't do the arcade version justice. The sound and graphics is just so much beter in the arcade. The audio is very clear for a game made back in 1988. I remember the opening line "I comman you to rise from your grave!" In the Genesis version it sounded like, "Rise from your dwerve!" Also when Neff says, "Welcome to your DOOOOOMMMM," it sounds great in the arcade. However, on the Genesis, Neff's voice sounds like a robot talking.

The Genesis version is still fun but it comes nowhere close to the arcade version. The same can be said about Golden Axe. I am not sure why the home version is different from the arcade version. I wish they had put these games on Sega Ages' disk on the US Sega Saturn. Hell, the Sega 32X had an arcade perfect version of Space Harrier. It would be nice to see these games on a Sega Classic disk for the new systems out there: Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Golden Axe 2, Space Harrier, Alien Syndrome, and 128-bit 2D versions of all three Streets of Rage games. Now that would be kool.

 

[Liquid Snake]

"Wise from your Dueive"

Altered Beast is the main reason I bought my Genesis

I've played arcade version later........of course it's not as good as original one

 

[galfordo]

"Wise from your Dueive"

Altered Beast is the main reason I bought my Genesis

I've played arcade version later........of course it's not as good as original one

Same here - I bought my Genesis way back in 1990 with AB as a pack-in. I was pretty impressed with the game in general, and thought that it had all the essential elements of the arcade game. Back then, home console ports usually weren't even close to their arcade counterparts, and Altered Beast seemed like a relatively good one.

And yeah, I used to love the arcade game - dumped quite a few quarters in it . I thought it was quite innovative and entertaining back then, and still give it a play every now and then.

 

[GunstarHero]

Even if its not as good as the arcade version, its a damn good pack-in game. I've had limited experience with the arcade version, but I know I liked it alot. I was blown away by the awesome graphics when it was released, and the mythological atmoshpere of the game impressed the hell out of me too. Strangely, I don't have a copy of this game, and I wish I did. Just waiting to pick it up cheap at the game shop one of these days. Great, now I want to play it and I can't...gee thanks

 

[Freelancer]

I had the extreme displeasure of playing Altered Beast first on the Sega Master System. To say the SMS was a crappy game was an understatement...herky-jerky control, sllooowwww pacing, no cave level, and tiny sprites.

However, once I played the Genesis version, it was like playing a completely different game. The pacing was faster, the graphics and animation were smoother, and overall the game was just more enjoyable. You could actually see that the final stage had piles of dead bodies in the foreground, something which was not apparent in the inferior SMS version. Sure, it paled a bit in comparision to the arcade original (no scaling explosions, play control felt different, etc), but still, for 1989 this was the best we were going to get. I loved it...played it every day during the fall of 1989 when I got my Genesis.

 

[Hidden Character]

The memories....all five of them. Nah, I'm kidding, but I did have some good times playing AB at arcades and local cornerstores when I was younger. I have always mesmorized by the cutscene with the two different eye colors.

 

[Steve]

"WISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!"

AB was first ever Genny experience so it holds a dear spot in my gaming heart.

I believe it was an innocent morning-afternoon in 1989... ahhh

 

[ClassicMode1985]

I still remember during Fall of 1989..it was at the local Sears, they just had setup Altered Beast when the Genesis was new...a small crowd watched in awe as two guys played the game. Never forget the cover of the original Genesis box that day...

 

[Earthquake]

I had the extreme displeasure of playing Altered Beast first on the Sega Master System. To say the SMS was a crappy game was an understatement...herky-jerky control, sllooowwww pacing, no cave level, and tiny sprites.

However, once I played the Genesis version, it was like playing a completely different game. The pacing was faster, the graphics and animation were smoother, and overall the game was just more enjoyable. You could actually see that the final stage had piles of dead bodies in the foreground, something which was not apparent in the inferior SMS version. Sure, it paled a bit in comparision to the arcade original (no scaling explosions, play control felt different, etc), but still, for 1989 this was the best we were going to get. I loved it...played it every day during the fall of 1989 when I got my Genesis.

Man, I know exactly what you mean. I can still remember heading to Toys R Us with my mom and three brothers to pick up the SMS port. Getting a game back then was a huge deal for us as our parents would only let us borrow games from our best friends across the street because we couldn't afford them.

So like the anxious little kids we were, we popped it in and found ourselves immediately disappointed. It's a shame to considering how well the SMS port of Golden Axe turned out. I can still remember my oldest brother saying "Is this even Altered Beast?".

 

[kafuin_gaira]

remind me of the transformations, i'm forgetting one

1. wolf
2. dragon
3. bear
4. ???
5. wolf (again )

why can't i remember the fourth stage lol

awesome game btw, i remember getting it and super ghouls and ghosts together with the genesis.

 

[GunstarHero]

stage 4 is a tiger, or some kind of feline I think

 

[Freelancer]

stage 4 is a tiger, or some kind of feline I think

Were-Tiger to be exact.
Method of attack is a zig-zagging fireball and a vertical dash attack.

 

[Baseley09]

Cool i see some clear respect in this thread, certainly not to many people's taste but right up my street.

For one, being a SMS owner Golden Axe was, is, truly amazing, truly.........the Megadrive version is near spot on, and even the some what limited SMS vewrsion was soo good. Honestly imagine the spritex that size on a NES, no chance at all