Konami's Asterix (SNES homebrew port)

[KidGameR186496]

It seems that someone is making a homebrew port of Konami's arcade game Asterix for the SNES. It's in the early stages but it looks promising so far. I do hope it becomes a full-fledge port

 

https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/11/konamis-arcade-beat-em-up-asterix-could-be-getting-a-fanmade-port-for-the-snes

[Tanooki]

Never heard of that one, the franchise I know though, and hopefully it is finished as that looks like it could be fun.

[Kirk_Johnston]

3 hours ago, KidGameR186496 said:

It seems that someone is making a homebrew port of Konami's arcade game Asterix for the SNES. It's in the early stages but it looks promising so far. I do hope it becomes a full-fledge port

 

https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/11/konamis-arcade-beat-em-up-asterix-could-be-getting-a-fanmade-port-for-the-snes

A very solid start. Love to see any stuff like this for SNES. Hope to see more, both of this particular port, any other ports, and indeed any brand new SNES games too.

[KidGameR186496]

3 hours ago, Kirk_Johnston said:

A very solid start. Love to see any stuff like this for SNES. Hope to see more, both of this particular port, any other ports, and indeed any brand new SNES games too.

Slowly but surely, the SNES homebrew scene will eventually grow more and more. I heard it's also being ported to Sega Genesis so if it is being ported simultaneously, it will take time to see them finished...

[Kirk_Johnston]

2 hours ago, KidGameR186496 said:

Slowly but surely, the SNES homebrew scene will eventually grow more and more. I heard it's also being ported to Sega Genesis so if it is being ported simultaneously, it will take time to see them finished...

Ah, I really hope that doesn't mean the SNES version will be unnecessarily gimped in any way just so it can be easily ported from the Genesis versions' assets but with a lower horizontal resolution and little else, making it basically the obvious secondary platform like most new games coming to both systems. Hopefully it will use the full colour range of the SNES along with proper semi-transparency for the likes of the flying carpet shadows on those stages and the full-screen-width HUD on top of the two parallax background layers in many areas, and any other stuff that could make the SNES version actually shine properly on that system. I'll be happy if both versions take proper relative advantage of their respective systems.

Edited November 2, 2023 by Kirk_Johnston

[Tanooki]

Going to have to actually back up Kirk on that one this time.

 

That abusive lazy garbage was pulled way too many times in the SNES era and came with a wide range of effect.  Some cases had it where despite sharing assets, they were touched up, more code was done specific to the SNES so that it still stood out and didn't suffer.  But, often enough the coders or perhaps the bean counters forced those developers to do the bare minimally functional execution of the game.  You'd end up with trash like Boogerman with that unique genesis style vertical line banding with bad shading and clearly sega color limited palette visuals coupled with damage from screen resolution changes in this toxic mix that got worse.  Bad speed, slow down, muffled audio sampling poor audio at weak limits.  Or you'd end up with a game like MIckey Mania with entirely cut stages and so poorly optimized code it had actual loading screens.  If that were the case, any of this, then just don't bother making the SNES version as few would support that in this era at all.

[Wayler]

Interesting, did not know Konami dabbled with this IP. Being a huge fan of the comic, Asterix is perfect for a sidescrolling brawler. But looking at the longplay, it does seem a bit lackluster. There so much stuff. locales and characters you could throw in there. It does have some neat touches, like Obelix collecting the soldier's helmets or using his big pointy boulder in places. But enemy variety seems a bit low and only 5 or so stages.

 

The bosses also seem a bit uninteresting. The most baffling choice is the final boss being a pair of random gladiators. In the comic, Asterix and Obelix befriended with them when they where assigned to become gladiators and they invented a guessing-game to be played in the Colosseum, instead of fighting. (which infuriates Caesar). Anyway, Konami really did not put all the effort in to this, when compared to other IP's like Turtles in Time, which came out a year earlier.

[roots.genoa]

It's well-liked in France because it was quite faithful to the original material compared to other Asterix games, even though it might not be as elaborate as other Konami games, idk. I got in touch with its designer and at the time, he lived in England and really took the time to do things right, went to the Asterix park in France, etc. As a beat 'em up it might be basic, sure, but it's still better than the recent Microids outings unfortunately.

[Tanooki]

Well good on you getting that opportunity.  Even looking back if wayler maybe right, maybe it is just that, or maybe for the year it was as good as it could be given.  But if the developer cared that much to make some solid trips, research, and digging part of his design specs that speaks to me about a pretty honest attempt at the game.  While Asterix is a spec of dust in the states really, I've been familiar, and I used to own a majority of those translated large print color comic books of those too (in the last 10 years too) and it was enjoyable.  I've even had that insane game on the GBA which plays much like Croc on old Saturn too which was mind blowing, and some 8bit stuff like GameGear too, so I'm fairly familiar with the format for a non-European.  I think I'd rather enjoy this game if it came out ported to the SNES, so if it makes it, I'm in to try it out on a flash kit minimally, but if it is pretty high class I could see getting a cart by some means.

[Kirk_Johnston]

17 hours ago, Kirk_Johnston said:

Ah, I really hope that doesn't mean the SNES version will be unnecessarily gimped in any way just so it can be easily ported from the Genesis versions' assets but with a lower horizontal resolution and little else, making it basically the obvious secondary platform like most new games coming to both systems. Hopefully it will use the full colour range of the SNES along with proper semi-transparency for the likes of the flying carpet shadows on those stages and the full-screen-width HUD on top of the two parallax background layers in many areas, and any other stuff that could make the SNES version actually shine properly on that system. I'll be happy if both versions take proper relative advantage of their respective systems.

Thankfully for me: https://x.com/MisterDigifox/status/1720199927135957438?s=20 

[Tanooki]

What the hell, ran out of people to talk to other than yourself?  Narcissism much?  No need to quote yourself, could have just linked the tweet or just said the coder is doing SNES only instead of that cry for attention.

[Wayler]

I would have thought there is a limit to egotistical arrogance but apparently the bar can be raised. Hopefully in the future we can really see someone push the boundaries of self-indulgence even more. There is so much untapped potential. 

 

[TrekkiesUnite118]

1 hour ago, Kirk_Johnston said:

Thankfully for me: https://x.com/MisterDigifox/status/1720199927135957438?s=20 

How petty are you that you completely change your outlook on a project solely based on if it's also on the Genesis?

[+Razzie.P]

4 hours ago, Tanooki said:

What the hell, ran out of people to talk to other than yourself?  

Gonna be funny when he forgets who he's talking to and gets so mad he puts himself on his own ignore list.

[Kirk_Johnston]

Looks like this is coming along nicely:

 

That's apparently only a couple weeks work, and half of that time was just doing the Konami logo from scratch.