Nice game, unfortunately, too short
You have a shield so it’s basically Dark Souls.
Like most arcades ports on the Famicom/NES, Trojan was reworked as a brand "new" game. However in that case, it's still pretty close to the original.
There's a few differences in level design (most notably a short water section in stage 2 or the removal of those godawful spider enemies) and even underground sections hiding power-ups. Overall the game feels easier and slower and the power-ups are very limited: the jump boots add something that was already present as contextual actions in the original (high jump), and the speed-up should have been your default speed. Feels like they removed stuff to put them back as hidden "features".
The most interesting thing about Trojan is probably the multiplayer mode: a 1-on-1 duel between two players (the first Capcom fighting game?).
Not a bad port, but pretty forgettable.
There's a few differences in level design (most notably a short water section in stage 2 or the removal of those godawful spider enemies) and even underground sections hiding power-ups. Overall the game feels easier and slower and the power-ups are very limited: the jump boots add something that was already present as contextual actions in the original (high jump), and the speed-up should have been your default speed. Feels like they removed stuff to put them back as hidden "features".
The most interesting thing about Trojan is probably the multiplayer mode: a 1-on-1 duel between two players (the first Capcom fighting game?).
Not a bad port, but pretty forgettable.
A playable nes game but these early Capcom titles are rough. Not amazing by any means but decent. Pressing up to jump is pretty messed up though.
Side scrolling action game. Slower and much less visually impressive than the arcade version. Sword strike, duck, jump tied to the up key, A button holds out your shield that you can maneuver to block low, high, or attacks from above. Difficulty that comes from needing to get used to enemy attack patterns made much more bearable with a button combination that allows you to continue from where you left off. Pretty dull looking stages, short. Finding strength or speed powerups make a big difference. Your shield and attacks work well but movement is too sluggish.
Screenshots: https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/1588903114832502785?s=20&t=CFxoATyVJPM3Epx9mqsecQ
Screenshots: https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/1588903114832502785?s=20&t=CFxoATyVJPM3Epx9mqsecQ
Capcom Classics Collection Revisits #8
Trojan is a spiritual successor to Irem-developed Kung Fu Master aka Spartan X or plain ol' Kung Fu when it was ported to NES, this was made by the same designer who left Irem for Capcom because I guess the pay was better or someone at Irem was porking his wife.
In Trojan you use a sword and shield, the sword is pretty nice to have for a bit of extra length to your attack, but the inclusion of the shield here is seriously haphazard. Blocking attacks in close quarters combat is useless, the enemies don't get stunned at all from this so it's not like they're open to counterattack or anything, and often times they swarm at you meaning that taking the time to block will just leave you open to getting crowded, and having attacks thrown at you from both directions. You're better off using your blocking for projectile attacks, at least assuming you have the TAS-like reflexes at times required to block them properly, or that the knife-throwing enemies don't throw a flashing projectile that disarms you of everything if you block said projectile. Goddamn do I love games who say "fuck you" to their own mechanics.
There is no post-hit invincibility in this game, so there will be plenty of times where you'll be minding your own business thinking you're doing well only for enemies to drain your health incredibly quickly and suddenly finding yourself back at the last checkpoint. It's so outrageously easy to get hit due to the speed of everything, and it feels like enemies sneak in hits out of nowhere even from beyond your shield and enemies respawn CONSTANTLY. It's actually easier to get all the enemies behind you and constantly jump forward to make the screen scroll quicker.
I believe when I reviewed this game last year I called it "The worst game Capcom ever made" or something, but honestly that's probably an exaggeration because at least this game is a barrel of laughs. I'd much rather play this fucking clownfest of a game than Dino Crisis 3. Christ, I'd rather play fuckin' five finger fillet than touch Dino Crisis 3. I must've been on some serious haterade when I wrote that thing.
Dumb game.
Trojan is a spiritual successor to Irem-developed Kung Fu Master aka Spartan X or plain ol' Kung Fu when it was ported to NES, this was made by the same designer who left Irem for Capcom because I guess the pay was better or someone at Irem was porking his wife.
In Trojan you use a sword and shield, the sword is pretty nice to have for a bit of extra length to your attack, but the inclusion of the shield here is seriously haphazard. Blocking attacks in close quarters combat is useless, the enemies don't get stunned at all from this so it's not like they're open to counterattack or anything, and often times they swarm at you meaning that taking the time to block will just leave you open to getting crowded, and having attacks thrown at you from both directions. You're better off using your blocking for projectile attacks, at least assuming you have the TAS-like reflexes at times required to block them properly, or that the knife-throwing enemies don't throw a flashing projectile that disarms you of everything if you block said projectile. Goddamn do I love games who say "fuck you" to their own mechanics.
There is no post-hit invincibility in this game, so there will be plenty of times where you'll be minding your own business thinking you're doing well only for enemies to drain your health incredibly quickly and suddenly finding yourself back at the last checkpoint. It's so outrageously easy to get hit due to the speed of everything, and it feels like enemies sneak in hits out of nowhere even from beyond your shield and enemies respawn CONSTANTLY. It's actually easier to get all the enemies behind you and constantly jump forward to make the screen scroll quicker.
I believe when I reviewed this game last year I called it "The worst game Capcom ever made" or something, but honestly that's probably an exaggeration because at least this game is a barrel of laughs. I'd much rather play this fucking clownfest of a game than Dino Crisis 3. Christ, I'd rather play fuckin' five finger fillet than touch Dino Crisis 3. I must've been on some serious haterade when I wrote that thing.
Dumb game.
This game is hilariously bad. By far the worst game Capcom has ever produced. It's a fucking hoot.
Cheap shots galore, constant button mashing and praying for the best, very little if any invincibility frames after being hit, Ninja Gaiden style forever respawning enemies, unblockable attacks(so much for that blocking gimmick), a final boss that doesn't spawn if the on-screen enemy limit is reached, etc.
If you're curious about just how bad Capcom in 86 was at comprehending decent game design then play this thing, it will not disappoint. It even comes with a stage select at the beginning so you can experience all of their bad decisions. My favorite piece of trivia about this game is that Capcom didn't bother putting it on the PSP versions of their Collections that came out later after the PS2 ones, it's as if they realized just how bad this game was and decided to try and ignore it.
I'll give it a full star because it manages to still be entertaining in just how shit it is.
Played off Capcom Classics Collection vol. 1 for PS2
Cheap shots galore, constant button mashing and praying for the best, very little if any invincibility frames after being hit, Ninja Gaiden style forever respawning enemies, unblockable attacks(so much for that blocking gimmick), a final boss that doesn't spawn if the on-screen enemy limit is reached, etc.
If you're curious about just how bad Capcom in 86 was at comprehending decent game design then play this thing, it will not disappoint. It even comes with a stage select at the beginning so you can experience all of their bad decisions. My favorite piece of trivia about this game is that Capcom didn't bother putting it on the PSP versions of their Collections that came out later after the PS2 ones, it's as if they realized just how bad this game was and decided to try and ignore it.
I'll give it a full star because it manages to still be entertaining in just how shit it is.
Played off Capcom Classics Collection vol. 1 for PS2
It's alright as far as side scrolling action games of this era go. It controls well enough, though some of the bosses will almost certainly kill you instantly on your first attempt. The gameplay itself doesn't really evolve beyond what you experience in the first 30 seconds.
Taking another dive into the Arcade Stadium, we have Trojan, a game which is a spiritual successor to both Kung-Fu Master and Ghosts ‘n Goblins, one of which I have never played before, and one that has left scars that will never heal, so that can only spell out a good quality product, right? Well… somewhat. Fundamentally, it can be a fun time, and it does have some tiny elements that make it somewhat unique compared to other titles at the time, but not only does it suffer from what you would expect an arcade game to have, but what little it does have can’t save it from being overshadowed by the inevitable curse of mediocrity.
The story is detailed enough, which I can appreciate, but it all just boils down to “Go stop evil” at it’s core essentials, the graphics are good, but they do look like every other Capcom arcade game from that era, so nothing really special, all the music sounds like the exact same twangy garbage, the controls are pretty good overall, and the gameplay is about what you would expect if you took a look at a screenshot, but I will admit, it can be fun and satisfying at points.
The game is a 2D action platformer, where you run through various stages, defeating plenty of enemies along the way, getting power ups to help you out, and fighting both mini bosses and regular bo- yeah, you all have heard all of this before MANY times, especially from me. And of course, as usual, there are one or two aspects that make the game stand out somewhat from other games at the time. Throughout the game, you are equipped with a sword and shield, which allows for both attacking AND blocking, something that most platformers around the time almost never had. I have to admit, I really like this gameplay addition, as it allows for more quick thinking and strategy that does help out a lot, while also not making things too easy on the player (which we will get to soon enough).
Aside from that though, there isn’t really that much else unique with the original game, and it just comes off as (say it with me now) incredibly generic amongst many of the other titles out at the time. However, this is only for the arcade version, which is the version that I played, but for the NES version, there was apparently plenty of other additions made to the game. These additions include more powerups, hidden rooms for more goodies, more bosses, and even a Versus mode where two players can battle it out in a three round match. I’m not sure how all of that stuff works out in terms of quality, but if you are ever considering playing this game (which you probably won’t), then play the NES version, as you will definitely be getting more bang for your buck.
On the whole, I did enjoy the game to a degree, but of course, since it is an arcade game, it can’t let us go without giving us a good ol’ dose of that arcade syndrome. There will be plenty of enemies coming at your from all directions, and while I wouldn’t say it is THAT hard in the regular side-scrolling levels, it does get pretty harrowing in the gauntlet levels, where you have to traverse down various rooms while facing off against enemies in VERY TIGHT corridors. As you can imagine, getting out of these rooms without taking any damage is really fucking hard, as they attack fast and rapidly, and what doesn’t help is that your health can be depleted in seconds if you aren’t careful. But like I mentioned, you do at least have a shield to help you get past the enemies, which did make the experience less stressful.
Also, remember how I said this game was inspired by Ghosts ‘n Goblins? Well, you can certainly tell that’s the case, because this game makes you beat it twice in order to see the true ending, and no, that is still never going to not be a bad aspect of these older games. Sure, the game isn’t really that long (at least it won’t be if you are good at it), but still, making the player go through the same game twice just to beat it has always been an incredibly lazy way of stretching out game length. I have yet to find a game that does this and actually managed to make it work, and I don’t think I ever will.
Overall, while it does have a unique approach to taking on enemies in this era (at least, you know, in this genre), it doesn’t help the game feel less like yet another generic Capcom arcade title, with the usual issues that comes with these games not really helping things out whatsoever. That being said, I still had a good amount of fun, and I wouldn’t consider the game to be bad, just sort of… there. Hey, at least it doesn’t actively make me suffer while playing it, so it gets props just for that alone.
Game #240
The story is detailed enough, which I can appreciate, but it all just boils down to “Go stop evil” at it’s core essentials, the graphics are good, but they do look like every other Capcom arcade game from that era, so nothing really special, all the music sounds like the exact same twangy garbage, the controls are pretty good overall, and the gameplay is about what you would expect if you took a look at a screenshot, but I will admit, it can be fun and satisfying at points.
The game is a 2D action platformer, where you run through various stages, defeating plenty of enemies along the way, getting power ups to help you out, and fighting both mini bosses and regular bo- yeah, you all have heard all of this before MANY times, especially from me. And of course, as usual, there are one or two aspects that make the game stand out somewhat from other games at the time. Throughout the game, you are equipped with a sword and shield, which allows for both attacking AND blocking, something that most platformers around the time almost never had. I have to admit, I really like this gameplay addition, as it allows for more quick thinking and strategy that does help out a lot, while also not making things too easy on the player (which we will get to soon enough).
Aside from that though, there isn’t really that much else unique with the original game, and it just comes off as (say it with me now) incredibly generic amongst many of the other titles out at the time. However, this is only for the arcade version, which is the version that I played, but for the NES version, there was apparently plenty of other additions made to the game. These additions include more powerups, hidden rooms for more goodies, more bosses, and even a Versus mode where two players can battle it out in a three round match. I’m not sure how all of that stuff works out in terms of quality, but if you are ever considering playing this game (which you probably won’t), then play the NES version, as you will definitely be getting more bang for your buck.
On the whole, I did enjoy the game to a degree, but of course, since it is an arcade game, it can’t let us go without giving us a good ol’ dose of that arcade syndrome. There will be plenty of enemies coming at your from all directions, and while I wouldn’t say it is THAT hard in the regular side-scrolling levels, it does get pretty harrowing in the gauntlet levels, where you have to traverse down various rooms while facing off against enemies in VERY TIGHT corridors. As you can imagine, getting out of these rooms without taking any damage is really fucking hard, as they attack fast and rapidly, and what doesn’t help is that your health can be depleted in seconds if you aren’t careful. But like I mentioned, you do at least have a shield to help you get past the enemies, which did make the experience less stressful.
Also, remember how I said this game was inspired by Ghosts ‘n Goblins? Well, you can certainly tell that’s the case, because this game makes you beat it twice in order to see the true ending, and no, that is still never going to not be a bad aspect of these older games. Sure, the game isn’t really that long (at least it won’t be if you are good at it), but still, making the player go through the same game twice just to beat it has always been an incredibly lazy way of stretching out game length. I have yet to find a game that does this and actually managed to make it work, and I don’t think I ever will.
Overall, while it does have a unique approach to taking on enemies in this era (at least, you know, in this genre), it doesn’t help the game feel less like yet another generic Capcom arcade title, with the usual issues that comes with these games not really helping things out whatsoever. That being said, I still had a good amount of fun, and I wouldn’t consider the game to be bad, just sort of… there. Hey, at least it doesn’t actively make me suffer while playing it, so it gets props just for that alone.
Game #240
In 1983, Kenzo Tsujimoto founded Capcom after being forced out of his own previous company. That company was Irem.
Tsujimoto was a good businessman (pretty obvious when you look at where Capcom is 40 years later), and as a good businessman he did the obvious: scouting who he thought was Irem's best game designer for his new company. That man was Takashi Nishiyama.
Nishiyama's first game was the "golden age" classic Moon Patrol, but his next game was even more important: a Jackie Chan movie adaptation called Spartan X, and renamed Kung-Fu Master in the West. Kung-Fu Master is basically the origin of the beat'em up genre. You walk from right-to-left (and then left-to-right), beating the shit out of absolutely everyone who appears. And it's great! It's hard to think of a better video game concept (except maybe shooting things of course).
So, what about Trojan? Well, Trojan is basically a conceptual sequel to Kung-Fu Master. Except this time you're not playing a karateka dude (or Jackie Chan), but a warrior armed with a sword and a shield fighting his way through some sort of post-apocalyptic future (a very 80s' setting).
It seems a bit derivative at first, but in the sword and shield lay the true ambition of Trojan: it's a game about spacing and blocking. Like in Kung-Fu Master, when you're not mowing down legions of mooks you fight tense boss battles, usually one-on-one. At that point learning to use the block button and being wary of the bad guy's range is incredibly important.
Well, on paper. In execution, it doesn't work as well. Trojan is janky as hell. Crappy hitboxes, uneven difficulty, dumb strategies involving button mashing,... It's not good. It's not a completely terrible game, it can actually be a fun time-waster at times, but it doesn't realize its ambitions at all.
Looking back at Nishiyama's career as a whole, it wouldn't be fair to dismiss Trojan totally. It's not very interesting to play, but the building blocks for greater things were already there. It was still a long way to go though.
Tsujimoto was a good businessman (pretty obvious when you look at where Capcom is 40 years later), and as a good businessman he did the obvious: scouting who he thought was Irem's best game designer for his new company. That man was Takashi Nishiyama.
Nishiyama's first game was the "golden age" classic Moon Patrol, but his next game was even more important: a Jackie Chan movie adaptation called Spartan X, and renamed Kung-Fu Master in the West. Kung-Fu Master is basically the origin of the beat'em up genre. You walk from right-to-left (and then left-to-right), beating the shit out of absolutely everyone who appears. And it's great! It's hard to think of a better video game concept (except maybe shooting things of course).
So, what about Trojan? Well, Trojan is basically a conceptual sequel to Kung-Fu Master. Except this time you're not playing a karateka dude (or Jackie Chan), but a warrior armed with a sword and a shield fighting his way through some sort of post-apocalyptic future (a very 80s' setting).
It seems a bit derivative at first, but in the sword and shield lay the true ambition of Trojan: it's a game about spacing and blocking. Like in Kung-Fu Master, when you're not mowing down legions of mooks you fight tense boss battles, usually one-on-one. At that point learning to use the block button and being wary of the bad guy's range is incredibly important.
Well, on paper. In execution, it doesn't work as well. Trojan is janky as hell. Crappy hitboxes, uneven difficulty, dumb strategies involving button mashing,... It's not good. It's not a completely terrible game, it can actually be a fun time-waster at times, but it doesn't realize its ambitions at all.
Looking back at Nishiyama's career as a whole, it wouldn't be fair to dismiss Trojan totally. It's not very interesting to play, but the building blocks for greater things were already there. It was still a long way to go though.
[Capcom Arcade Stadium]
Nothing about this game was good if I’m honest. The sprites were average at best. The levels designs were bland. I don’t recall any of the music. The gameplay was unfair and I definitely wasn’t playing through it a second time for the ’true’ ending, even if it was a breeze with invincibility mode on.
Nothing about this game was good if I’m honest. The sprites were average at best. The levels designs were bland. I don’t recall any of the music. The gameplay was unfair and I definitely wasn’t playing through it a second time for the ’true’ ending, even if it was a breeze with invincibility mode on.
Strangely enough, it didn't have the success of Ghosts 'n Goblins, even though the title is generally more enjoyable in its inertia and fighting style. It is therefore shorter and easier, requiring average reflexes. If the aesthetic choice doesn't offer a coherent background (a mix between ancient Greece, urban post-apo and desert), the diversity of the environments keeps the player's attention during the short hour of gameplay that it represents.
Yeah early Capcom could be grim sometimes thanks to garbage like this. Muddy colours, stiff controls and mean spirited difficulty just makes for an all-round unfun time.