SuperGrafx Strider

As most people who have done any sort of SuperGrafx research know, there is a good deal of speculation and heated debate concerning the existance of the port of Strider for the SuperGrafx. A good deal of reports indicate that there are a few alpha copies with three levels that leaked and are floating around in the ether, while many staunchly proclaim that the game doesn't exist in any form. I'm slightly inclined to believe the latter, as there seem to be no reports anywhere online of people having a copy or knowing anyone who does, and there seems to be only one screenshot from the game at all, which goes a long way to support the idea that the game never left Capcom's doors, as one would think something as highly coveted as this would at least have owners posting screenshots of the game in action as proof.


The lone SuperGrafx Strider image.

I'm wondering if anyone in the vast Assembler network can shine any conclusive light on the existance of this proto, or lack thereof, as many of the folks here seem to be very knowledgeable concerning other various unreleased games. I'm hoping someone at least knows of somebody who has a proto or has seen one, but it could be that SuperGrafx Strider is indeed just a myth after all.

On a related note, I noticed quite a few of the websites out there pertaining to this game mention that a lone programmer was assigned to work on what Capcom had in mind as the ultimate Strider game, and said websites mention that the stress was so great that the young man either snapped and was committed, or tried to hitch a ride on the front of a shinkansen (or something like that). I'm not sure how true that is, but it struck me as a rather morbidly creepy footnote to the legend - maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea to own a proto if it does exist... :death

 

Well, according to NFG's site, it never existed, not even a beta.

 

That is prolly the most classic promo/proto image ever, for me it is anyway.

It's a shame really, Strider wouldve been a great addition to the SGFX line up.

Wasn't it meant to be coming to SCDRom2 along the way too?

 

It was actually released for Arcade Card CD, but apparently the SuperGrafx version was supposed to blow it out of the water.

 

That picture is probably from the X68000 version which is the perfect arcade port of them all. I remember reading about it on NFG's site.

 

On the subject of Supergrafx games, anyone know of anymore unreleased titles? Surely there must have been more in development before the system was canned?

I mean, 5 (+2 Darius') games really don't make a system. Surely there must have been more in dev? Especially as that mad/crazy/ultimate joystick/steering wheel jobbie was proto'd??

 

NFGman is right as always, never existed in any form. It probably would have sucked balls like the Arcade CDROM version. If anything, it could have been *gasp* Mega Drive quality.

 

Early issues of EGM and GamePro reported that a few other classic Capcom games like Forgotten Worlds were coming to the system, along with a few Sega titles like Galaxy Force. That proto version of the Power Console steering console attachment would have kicked ass back in the day. Nothing quite like it existed back in the day...and Battle Ace and the rumored Galaxy Force would have benefitted greatly.

The SuperGrafx library, while small, is incredibly good in terms of quality to crap ratio. I really enjoy my SG and have always maintained an interest in the system since the thing was announced way back in 1991.
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Nothing quite like the SuperGrafx??? PCE was exactly like the SuperGrafx. Sure SuperGrafx had comparable grafx to MD at the time but that didn't hide the fact that it's basically a souped up PCE. Flopped due to the expense:goodness/support.

 

Of course, the PCE's roots are evident in the SGX, especially given the fact that the thing is backwards compatible with HuCards. The improvement over the standard PCE Hucard games (we're talking Aldynes, 1941 and Ghouls N Ghosts) was pretty substantial.
And there's something undeniably cool, to me at least, about the game's limited but quality library...sure it wasn't a success in Japan but it is a cool system which always had a aura of mystery to it--particularly to us US gamers.

 

Its backwards compatible because they only added an additional VDP and some more RAM :\ I personally don't think of it as a new system, just another PCE incarnation. It has to be the smallest change to become a new system ever. I'm a American gamer and I'm blind to it's mystery I guess. The only appeal IMO is the case. If there was an extended library of games, I'd be happy to own the system however.

 

SuperGrafx: yep, my thoughts on SuperGrafx mirror yours.

SuperGrafx versions of Strider, Galaxy Force II, Forgotten Worlds, OutRun and possibly AfterBurner II were in the works. or rather, supposedly in the works.


Greatsaintlouis:

I do doubt that picture of Strider is from the SuperGrafx game. it is most likely either arcade or X68000. however, on the other hand, that is the single most beautiful picture of Strider I have ever seen. it seems to look better than even the original arcade version. could it be it is from the SuperGrafx Strider which Capcom / NEC wanted to be better than the arcade? we will never know, most likely. So I will have to assume it is from the arcade or X68000 version.


by the way, according to the very early issues of EGM, the PC Engine 2 was supposed to be a true 16-Bit machine with better graphics AND sound than the PC Engine. the SuperGrafx really only got 1 out of those 3 upgrades. better graphics (and only modestly better). no 16-Bit CPU, and no superior audio processor.

 

I understood that and even the first review in a 1990 issue of GamePro cleared that up right away. However, like the Sega 32X, I still consider it a separate platform.

The one feature which I always thought was pretty sweet (in addition to the PCE compatibility) were those 2 games (ie: Darius) that played with enhanced (ie: less flicker) mode on the SGX. That was a pretty cool feature back in the day as far as consoles were concerned!

 

Its not possible for a SuperGrafx game to best a CPS1. CPS1 is like a Neo Geo & MD combined minus the redundancies.

 

yeah I forgot for a moment. that's true. SuperGrafx in no way can touch CPS1.

SuperGrafx: 128 sprites.
CPS1: 256 sprites

SuperGrafx: 2 background layers
CPS1: 3 background layers

SuperGrafx: 256-512 colors out of 4096
CPS1: 2048-4096 colors out of 65,536

SuperGrafx: 7.16 MHz 8-bit CPU
CPS1: 10 MHz 16-Bit 68000 CPU

not complete spec comparison but enough to give you an idea of how they compare.



if SuperGrafx had been the machine discribed by EGM, or the Namco 16-Bit machine, it would have been more comparable to CPS1 plus scaling & rotation.

 

As far as that image goes, I'm fairly sure that the picture I posted is indeed a screenshot released by Capcom of the game in development (of which there is no real question that it was). Most of the stories indicate that this one picture is legit, but a lot of sites feature a different, clearer picture of the same area that is no doubt from the MD/arcade version.

 

'Eh, either way, not a big deal. Yea, I don't think that the blurry scan is a very adequate way of judging quality but who knows/cares about what could have been? Since it never was released and it couldn't have been groundbreaking, dunno why it's (un)release is so coveted.

 

from EGM Number 6.

 

The heated debate should be not about whether a beta exists, but whether they even started the project or not. In making the "unreleased" lists at Japnaese Gaming, I did quite a bit of web-research. There was only one PC-Engine site that mentioned the SGX Strider, and there's even a good chance that came back to him from the Turbo List claiming it was an announced game.

My hunch which I've stuck with for about 5 years now and gotten flamed for it -- the idea of an SGX port was being toyed with... at best.

For the record, yes, the game was originally going to be an SCD game. You can see a pic of it at The Turbo List which is also what got the word spread about the SGX Strider I'm convinced.

I think his original statement was, "nothing was quite like the Power Console", which is probably the rarest proto hardware from a major Japanese maker you can think of. There was one on Yahoo Japan about 3-4 years ago with a starting bid of 3-million yen. Nobody bid.

I was only able to come up with Dragonbreed, although the Turbo List reports that Galaxy Force II (which I have slated as an untimely Hucard release) was going to be an SGX release.

 

I'll PM you GSL...there's someone that might be able to help you...there was an alpha sold in May of 1999 for a retarded high price...