Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy

[doctorclu]

A message about Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy

 

 

Just finished the game last night thanks to the Atari 50th Anniversary collection on the PS4.   Loving the Jaguar games on that setup for the wireless controller, and for the ability to save game position.   And for Trevor McFur I think two things would make that game much more addictive on the regular Jaguar:

 

1) Patch in a modplayer and .mod music for each level.

2) Regular game save ability.

 

And with that, it would be tops for what it is.   But that is to say, I think after playing it through and getting to know the game, much like Cybermorph, I like it a lot more now and will probably revisit when I need about 15 minutes of mindless play.  

 

The ability to save position would be great for the occasional game, but what I like about this game already is you can start on any of the four moons, so you can jump in a play from where ever, so some variety in the quick game rather than playing the first level again and again for 15 minutes games.

 

Why 15 minutes?   Generally when on break from work.

 

Trevor, Cutter, and the other animal characters were pretty cool.  Would love to know if any other background material on the characters have been unearthed?   Love mascot characters, and Trevor and Cutter are cool in concept.  I think something a bit more cartoony might have been less creepy, but then this whole game with the Odd-it creatures is just creepy in tone.   Which is maybe part of the charm?

 

 

Speaking of more cartoony, so far, I'm enjoying the pictures of the characters in the upcoming homebrew, Crescent Memories!

 

 

Would love to hear thoughts about Trevor McFur related material in this message such as how you liked the game, what you thought of the characters, and any concept and fan related material on the Trevor McFur characters.

[+BitJag]

It definitely falls into a "It's so bad that it's interesting" category for me.  I wouldn't be making Crescent Memories if it didn't have this odd attraction for me.

 

I think one of the "best" parts of the game is it's script.  Here it is, a very unorganized transcription by me as an Easter egg reference for Crescent Memories:

 

Quote

Cutter, Trevor Here; I'm headed down to the surface of Zephyria. You can tag along and let a real pro show you how its done.  McFur roger dodger, over and out!
        
Cutter, its Trevor; Don't get caught in my dust as I take on this desert moon.  This is going to be like taking kibbles from a kitten!! McFur over and out!
        
Everything is under control, its time to shoot through a few hoops... Hey! Watch this hot-dogging!  Get some mustard and come on Nothing is better or sweeter than a little extra power... Hey, watch an ace of aces do a few flying tricks!!
        
Cutter, Trevor here;  I'm headed down to the surface of Zephyria.  You can tag along and let a real pro show you how its done.  McFur roger dodger, over and out!

 

Hey T.M., lets go kick some Odd-Ball Butt!  Ill see you on the other side!  Lets do it for the Circle R!
        
Trevor, I just heard from a trade ship that Odd-It has been controlling the legendary skull creature of Ossedus.  Oh Trevor, Id love to bury those old bones! Lets go! Not bad flyboy!  But you've got to do better!  Try and keep up with me, Its time to go fishing!
        
Trevor, its Cutter;  Odd-It has awakened the Quetzalcoatl monster from the depths of Grottoneria.  Be careful...  I've got your back! Cutter out.
        
Trevor, you'd just be a hopeless kitten without me.  I think you'd better look where you're going,  or you'll end up with mud on your face!!!

 

That's all of it. The script was most likely an after thought, but there are parts of it that make me think that you really had to put some effort into making it as campy as it is.

 

Does anyone have cultural context for "Get some mustard and come on"?  This makes absolutely no sense to me, but it feels like it should.

[agradeneu]

Saying Trevor is a bad shooter (by any tangible standards) is not meant to be a knock against Crescent Memories. Your re-interpreation of the character design is vastly superior to what the Atari Trevor game offered.

 

And it will have even good music too.

[+BitJag]

7 minutes ago, agradeneu said:

Saying Trevor is a bad shooter (by any tangible standards) is not meant to be a knock against Crescent Memories. Your re-interpreation of the character design is vastly superior to what the Atari Trevor game offered.

 

And it will have even good music too.

 

No worries.  Outside of using this as an excuse for me to start programming, originally the other principle behind making Crescent Memories (specifically Flappy McFur) was to simply mock Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy.  Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy feels like it took the loose idea of a shooter and reskinning it for the Jaguar.  So, I decided to repeat history by taking the basic format of Flappy Bird and reskinning it for the Jaguar, but doing it in a way that is at least fun to play.  Over the years this motivation has added to by exploring what Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy could have been when a bit of effort is put into the idea  

 

Regardless, I appreciate that Trevor Mcfur in the Crescent Galaxy exists because, as bad as it is, it's been a good source of inspiration for me.

[doctorclu]

33 minutes ago, agradeneu said:

Saying Trevor is a bad shooter (by any tangible standards) is not meant to be a knock against Crescent Memories. Your re-interpreation of the character design is vastly superior to what the Atari Trevor game offered.

 

And it will have even good music too.

 

Well glad to hear the upcoming game will have good music.  Still think music needs to be hacked into Trevor.

 

As for it being a bad shooter, I dunno, I must have played a lot of bad shooters on the Amiga and ST because this came off to me as "parr to sometimes redundant, with better graphics".    But redundant is also parr for a lot shooters for me as well.

[agradeneu]

Shooters on 16 bit consoles and arcades were generally superior to ST or even Amiga shooters. 

 

There were two really top notch shooters for the ST, Wings of Death and Lethal Xcess, and both blow TMCG out of the water. 

 

Compared to ST, the Jag is an high spec machine and it should do impressive things like seen in Native. 

 

Or take Last Strike, which is pretty well done in every aspect. 

 

There are a thousand average shooters, and somehow Trevor managed to be at the very bottom of the list. 

 

 

It is fine you like Trevor and I see how a fan could have fun with it as it is functionable and somewhat "works". 

 

But, mind you, when Atari produced the game, they tried to impress the 16 bit and arcade crowd, and that failed completely. 

 

The technical and gameplay standards for shmups were pretty high, as that game formula was done a thousand times, especially by skilled Japanese developers. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by agradeneu

[Editorb]

4 hours ago, BitJag said:

Does anyone have cultural context for "Get some mustard and come on"?  This makes absolutely no sense to me, but it feels like it should.

It references previous line: "Watch this hot-dogging!" Mustard complement hot dogs.

[doctorclu]

4 hours ago, agradeneu said:

Shooters on 16 bit consoles and arcades were generally superior to ST or even Amiga shooters. 

 

There were two really top notch shooters for the ST, Wings of Death and Lethal Xcess, and both blow TMCG out of the water. 

 

Compared to ST, the Jag is an high spec machine and it should do impressive things like seen in Native. 

 

Or take Last Strike, which is pretty well done in every aspect. 

 

There are a thousand average shooters, and somehow Trevor managed to be at the very bottom of the list. 

 

 

It is fine you like Trevor and I see how a fan could have fun with it as it is functionable and somewhat "works". 

 

But, mind you, when Atari produced the game, they tried to impress the 16 bit and arcade crowd, and that failed completely. 

 

The technical and gameplay standards for shmups were pretty high, as that game formula was done a thousand times, especially by skilled Japanese developers.

Seems we agree on the ST and Amiga shooters in relation to TMCG

 

Everyone wass impressed with Native.  I would have been impressed if it was all that AND a full game.

Yes, Last Strike gave us a really nice shooter, true true.

 

A thousand average shooters comment and Trevor McFur is dead last?  Oh I have played some STINKERS for shooters and Trevor is far from it.  LOL

 

But I will say I could see where the reviewers were coming from while playing it on the Jaguar today.   It was a little bit of pain without save states, and the Jaguar controller on this one does hurt the hands.

 

Playing this one on the PS4 is a much more enjoyable experience comparatively.

[+BitJag]

3 hours ago, Editorb said:

It references previous line: "Watch this hot-dogging!" Mustard complement hot dogs.

Wow I feel dumb   I've definitely heard hot-dogging before, but for some reason I couldn't catch the play on words going on here.

[+Sauron]

Trevor McFur is the one Jaguar game that in itself sums up the Jaguar's existence - something that initially looked impressive and with tons of promise, but ended up turning out to be a massive disappointment. I think that reputation is what has lowered the general opinion on the game as being one of the worst games on the system. I've said before and I'll say it again - Trevor McFur is easily NOT the worst game on the system, nor is it the worst shooter I've ever played. However, that doesn't mean I think it's a good game. Between it's repetitive gameplay, non-sensical waves, a complete lack of background parallax scrolling, and many other flaws, it was a highly unpolished title that seems to have been made by someone who had never played a side-scrolling shmup before. Despite that, I know it has its charms, and it's not hard for me to see why some people may have their own love for the game. Ultimately, I rate it as a below-average shooter that mainly holds appeal as being emblematic of the Jag as a whole.

[doctorclu]

1 minute ago, Sauron said:

Trevor McFur is the one Jaguar game that in itself sums up the Jaguar's existence - something that initially looked impressive and with tons of promise, but ended up turning out to be a massive disappointment. I think that reputation is what has lowered the general opinion on the game as being one of the worst games on the system. I've said before and I'll say it again - Trevor McFur is easily NOT the worst game on the system, nor is it the worst shooter I've ever played. However, that doesn't mean I think it's a good game. Between it's repetitive gameplay, non-sensical waves, a complete lack of background parallax scrolling, and many other flaws, it was a highly unpolished title that seems to have been made by someone who had never played a side-scrolling shmup before. Despite that, I know it has its charms, and it's not hard for me to see why some people may have their own love for the game. Ultimately, I rate it as a below-average shooter that mainly holds appeal as being emblematic of the Jag as a whole.

 

A balanced assessment.   In truth, if not one of the classic Jaguar titles, or the characters in the game, I probably wouldn't have given the time I have getting to know it.

[PFG 9000]

I think it's great that Trevor McFur has its fans.  But I feel strongly that it's an awful game. I love the Jaguar, and I tend to give small transgressions in Jag games a free pass.  I also love shmups - they're one of my favorite genres and I've played a ton.

 

Trevor McFur is probably the worst shmup I've played.  Yes, it looks gorgeous.  But there is absolutely no thought put into level design or enemy placement.  They just throw a bunch of enemies at you at once, with occasional power-ups tossed in too.  And the lack of music brings it down further.  Bosses are bullet sponges with health bars that are a bit too big.  The whole thing feels empty and soulless.

 

In comparison, I'd list some well made shmups as Gradius Gaiden, Mushihimesama, DoDonPachi, Giga Wing, Gunbird 2, and Shikigami no Shiro II.

[agradeneu]

 

AvP or Tempest 2000 are emblematic games for good reasons, but Trevor for all bad ones. Just ignore it, you won't miss anything!

 

It managed to look great in magazine screenshots, that is the only thing it really achieved,  imaginations about cool animations and effects were running wild.

 

 

However, as soon as you see the real game running in motion and how it *sounds*, it falls apart.....e.g. the skull boss of crescent moon looked cool on stills but it is so poorly realized with just 2 frames animation, a single primitive pattern and cheap ass sounds. 

 

It reveals itself as something that a college student would produce for a first attempt at a shooter game, to put it mildly. 

 

 

[agradeneu]

3 hours ago, PFG 9000 said:

 

 

In comparison, I'd list some well made shmups as Gradius Gaiden, Mushihimesama, DoDonPachi, Giga Wing, Gunbird 2, and Shikigami no Shiro II.

To be fair, these are nexgen shmups for Playstation or Dreamcast.

 

However, I take any average SNES or PC Engine/Turbo Grafx shmup over Trevor, Iam not even thinking about masterpieces like Axelay or Lords of Thunder. 

[LynxJagLunatic]

Graphically the game looked fantastic in screen shots and I couldn’t wait to play it. Was bummed when I finally did get to play it. No in game music and hard as hell. Over the years I’ve taken quite a liking to it.

[MrMaddog]

My "beef" with that game is that it was like a lot of SHUMPS made by British developers, and there's plenty of those games on the ST & Amiga as well.  They're designed to be ridicously difficult not with challenging game play but by making the gameplay a tough chore.  Not only are the enemies (even low end ones) bullet sponges but you have a very low rate of wepon fire.

 

Just compare that style to any Japanese SHUMP on a 16-bit console and the difference is as night and day.  In fact, the most damning proof is the Jag version of Raiden.  Here is a Japanese arcade shooter remade by a British studio and it plays much harder than the other versions because even the power-up ships are bullet sponges that hit you hard.

 

Oh and this is all justified by the "graphics over gameplay" mentality of 90's gaming industry including Atari, hence all that 64-bit vs. 16-bit marketing hype...

 

(But hey, at least Trevor has some rapid-fire and you can hold both B & A buttons for straight & bottom shooting because you're gonna need it!)

 

[Austin]

It's supremely uninteresting, which is probably the greatest gaming sin out there. That's not to mention it's also totally redundant when one could play a half-decent version of Raiden on the same system.

[Jag_Mag]

The programmers knew this was a total dud but they had to release,I studied the source for months before jumping into Jag dev and this could be a good game given the time.When the designers are on a unrealistic time schedule that puts the programmers in a crunch to deliver.

Edited April 25, 2023 by Jag_Mag

[Austin]

26 minutes ago, MrMaddog said:

and it plays much harder than the other versions because even the power-up ships are bullet sponges that hit you hard.

This is false. The damage output was actually raised in the Jaguar version, particularly on the red shot and the homing missiles, and thus it's easier to take enemies out faster. I can steamroll this game when in the zone, whereas the arcade version is a cruel, cruel mistress (as much as I still love it).

 

The biggest issue with the Jaguar version is the 30fps cap and lower response time, which makes movement feel sluggish and dodging more difficult. But there are ways to manage the playfield, like shoving enemies off the screen (off screen means they won't fire).

 

It's a pretty decent version in its own right and the Jaguar launch would have looked better if they just stuck with this and dropped Trevor McFur completely. Perception is a big part of things and Jag Raiden was generally well-regarded when it came out. Trevor sort of cancelled out that goodwill, heh.

Edited April 25, 2023 by Austin

[Jag_Mag]

Jaguar can do 60 fps on 2d easily,it's a power house in 2d and kills 3DO,...3DO does something different,it's not real 3D it distortes images to give a 3D impression and it's fast at doing it...199 ....something fast.Some of the games you see exclusive to Jaguar look flat compared to 3DO,it's way more impressive then what 3DO can do.I know this because 3DO devs are trying to get me over there..I had a look at the tools,yeah the 3DO tools allow anyone to come into dev,the jaguar tools are terrible,CJ corrected this but at the time.

Edited April 25, 2023 by Jag_Mag

[agradeneu]

I agree, Raiden on the Jaguar is much easier than the Arcade version. The bosses are pushovers.

When you loose a life, the game respawns your ship while going on.

 

It scrolls faster and smoother and generally the game has been accelerated.

 

The graphics got some overhaul (more textures) and they added some detail ("3D" asteroids level 7).

 

 

 

[Editorb]

Good gravy, I can barely get past first level on Raiden. Finally get enough powerups to almost survive, then, bam, sore-ee, back to a single shot for you! Then I give my poor thumb a rest and play something else.

 

It's the same experience with Furry McTrevorb, only it's even harder and far less fun.

[agradeneu]

How can Trevor be considered an hard shmup?

 

I would say it is on the easy side, but boredom being the biggest adversary 

 

 

 

Anyway, we are not done with 2d shooters on the Jag yet. Too much of potential! 

[Editorb]

4 hours ago, agradeneu said:

How can Trevor be considered an hard shmup?

 

Elephino. I can't come close to finishing first stage without cheats. I feel like there's a lot going on and my weapons are ineffectual, likely cuz I keep getting dead.

[MrMaddog]

4 hours ago, agradeneu said:

How can Trevor be considered an hard shmup?

 

I would say it is on the easy side, but boredom being the biggest adversary 

 

 

There is no set pattern for to learn, they just throw lots of crap at you on the screen to dodge.  And yes I actually played this and Raiden...

 

Quote

Anyway, we are not done with 2d shooters on the Jag yet. Too much of potential! 

 

 

If someone can make a homebrew SHUMP that plays like a Mega Drive type shooter but use 90's style pre-rendered graphics, that would be awesome to play on the Jag...