Forgotten Worlds

Last updated

Forgotten Worlds
Forgotten Worlds (flier).png
Promotional poster for Forgotten Worlds
Developer(s) Capcom
Publisher(s) Capcom
Sega (Genesis, Master System)
U.S. Gold (home computers)
NEC Avenue (TG-16)
Designer(s) Akira Yasuda
Akira Nishitani
Noritaka Funamizu
Yoshiki Okamoto
Artist(s) Akira Yasuda
Composer(s) Tamayo Kawamoto
Platform(s) Arcade, Sega Genesis, Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Master System, TurboGrafx-16, Wii
Release
May 13, 1988
  • Arcade
    DOS
    Genesis
    • JP: November 18, 1989
    • NA: 1990
    • PAL: 1990
    ZX Spectrum
    Amiga
    Amstrad CPC
    Atari ST
    C64
    Master System
    Turbo-CD
    • JP: March 27, 1992
    • US: November 1992 [6]
    Wii
    • JP: September 24, 2008 [7]
    • US: November 28, 2008 [8]
    • EU: November 17, 2008 [9]
Genre(s) Side-scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Up to two players, simultaneously
Arcade system CP System

Forgotten Worlds [a] , originally titled Lost Worlds [b] , is a side-scrolling shooter video game by Capcom, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1988. It is notable for being the first title released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware. [10]

Contents

Plot

Set in the 29th century, an evil god known as Bios has destroyed most of the Earth, turning it into a desolate wasteland known as the Dust World. Two nameless supersoldiers are created by the people to defeat Bios and the eight evil gods who serve him. [11]

Gameplay

Forgotten Worlds can be played by up to two players simultaneously. The player controls a flying muscle-bound soldier armed with a rifle with unlimited ammo. The Player 1 character is equipped with a long-range automatic rifle, while Player 2 has a short-range wide shot. The controls in the original coin-op version consist of an eight-way joystick for moving the character in the air while flying and a unique rotatable button known as the "roll switch". [11] Rotating the switch left or right allows the player to adjust their character's aim in one of sixteen directions, while pressing it causes the player character to shoot his gun. This allows for the player to move their character anywhere while keeping their aim in one direction. Pressing the switch rapidly will cause the character to perform a "megacrush" attack which will destroy all on-screen enemies, but at the expense of a portion of their vitality gauge.

The player character is accompanied by a satellite module orbiting near him that will provide backup firepower every time the player fires their gun. Like the main character, the satellite can also be rotated with the roll switch. Rotating the character while firing will only rotate the aim of the satellite, while rotating the character without firing will not only rotate the satellite's aim, it will also move its relative position around the player.

The player can obtain blue-colored coins known as Zenny from defeating enemies throughout the game. Zenny is used as currency to obtain new power-up items from shops located at certain points in each stage. When the player enters an item shop, they are given a choice of the items available and a limited time to make any purchase they wish. These items consist primarily of new weapons for the satellite module, but also include a health kit to restore lost vitality, armor that allows the player to sustain additional damage, and even tips on how to defeat the boss awaiting at the end of the current stage.

Forgotten Worlds consists of nine stages each with its own boss. The player will lose if their vitality gauge runs out, but will be given a chance to continue.

Development

The game took two years to develop, with a production budget between $5,000,000(equivalent to $13,000,000 in 2023) and £5.5 million or $10,000,000(equivalent to $26,000,000 in 2023). [12] [13] The game used four megabytes of sprite data. [12] The game started off as a regular side-scrolling shooter, but Yoshiki Okamoto wanted a more imaginative game. [14] During development, Capcom tried to make the game easier to play, having received criticism about how hard it was to dodge enemy projectiles in previous games. As this was the first game to use the CPS-1, Capcom tried to fully maximize its software capabilities. [15] The game did not generate enough income upon its release due to large numbers of shooter games in the market and there were increased expenses due to a shortage of chips needed for the CPS-1 boards. [14]

Home versions

Forgotten Worlds was first ported to various home computers in Europe by U.S. Gold in 1989. Versions were produced for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and IBM-compatible PC. These versions of the game were developed by Arc Developments. [4] The development team had four months to make the conversions. Every graphical frame was digitised directly from the arcade version's screen using a DigiView Gold device and stored the data on an Amiga 500 computer. The God of War was hand sketched, redrawn on the computer and colored with Deluxe Paint, although the mirroring function saved time. Even the shop scene was hand sketched from scratch. [16]

All the home computer version required a joystick controller in order to be played and could not be played with the keyboard only (with the exception of the IBM PC, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC versions). The player rotated the character in these versions by holding the fire button while pushing the joystick left or right. [17] In the Spectrum sales charts, it was number two, behind Robocop , which was number one every month for most of the year. [18]

The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version, produced by Sega, was released in Japan on November 18, 1989, with subsequent releases in North America and the PAL region the following year. The Mega Drive version simulated the controls of the arcade version by using A and C buttons to rotate the character in either direction and the B button for shooting. Unlike in the arcade version, both players are equipped with long-ranged automatic rifles. This version has only seven of the arcade's nine stages and provides an auto-fire feature that can be toggled on or off on the game's settings. In 2008, the Mega Drive version was released on the Wii Virtual Console in North America on November 17 and in Europe on November 28. [19]

The Master System version was also released by Sega in Europe and Brazil. This version is 1-player only and due to the presence of only two buttons on the Master System's standard controller, the buttons are used solely to rotate the character, who shoots automatically. The megacrush attack is performed in this version by pressing both buttons simultaneously.

The PC Engine version (published by NEC Avenue) was released in Japan on March 27, 1992 as a Super CD-ROM² title which supported a specialized 3-button controller that NEC released only in Japan. The North American version for the TurboGrafx-16 CD was released by Turbo Technologies Inc. With the 3-button controller, the player can control their character as they would in the Mega Drive version, with two buttons to rotate the character and one to shoot. With the standard TurboGrafx-16 controller, the Run button is used in the place of the third button to rotate the character to the left. The TG16 CD port is one-player only, but allows the player to select between either of the two unknown soldiers at the start of the game (with their respective abilities from the arcade version retained).

A version for the Capcom Power System Changer was planned and previewed but never released. [20]

An emulation of the original arcade version is included in the 2005 compilation Capcom Classics Collection Vol.1 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, 2006's Capcom Classics Collection: Remixed for the PlayStation Portable, and also for the Nintendo Switch as part of Capcom Arcade Stadium , as well as the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows via Steam. The PS2 and Xbox versions allow the player to use their respective controllers' right analog sticks to control the player character's aim. In 2008 the Mega Drive version was ported to the Wii as part of the Virtual Console. [21]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Forgotten Worlds on their September 1, 1988 issue as being the second most-successful table arcade unit of the month, outperforming titles like Sky Soldiers and Ninja Spirit . [42] In the United Kingdom, U.S. Gold predicted the home computer port could outsell their previous best-selling Capcom release Bionic Commando , which had sold 70,000 copies in the UK as of early 1989. [13]

The game was met with highly positive reviews from critics. Upon release, the arcade game received positive reviews from Computer and Video Games , The Games Machine , Your Sinclair , [25] and Commodore User . [31] Critics compared the arcade game favorably to earlier shooters including Capcom's Side Arms (1986), Konami's Nemesis (Gradius) and Sega's Space Harrier . [25]

The Games Machine gave the Amiga version a score of 94%, praising the title's graphics and faithfulness to the arcade version.

Accolades

At the 1988 Gamest Awards in Japan, the arcade game received the "Best Graphics" award. [36]

The home computer conversions received the "CVG Hit!" award from Computer + Video Games . The ZX Spectrum version received the "Crash Smash!" from Crash and the "SU Classic" award from Sinclair User .

Retrospective

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: フォゴットンワールズ, Hepburn: Fogotton Wāruzu
  2. ↑ Japanese: ロストワールド, Hepburn: Rosuto Wārudo

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TurboGrafx-16</span> Fourth-generation home video game console

The TurboGrafx-16, known as the PC Engine outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, however in actuality, the console has an 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) coupled with a 16-bit graphics processor, effectively making the claim somewhat false advertising. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. In Europe the Japanese model was unofficially imported and distributed in the United Kingdom and France from 1988. In Japan, the system was launched as a competitor to the Famicom, but the delayed United States release meant that it ended up competing with the Sega Genesis and later the Super NES.

<i>Ghouls n Ghosts</i> 1988 Video game

Ghouls 'n Ghosts, known as Dai Makaimura in Japan, is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Capcom, released as an arcade video game in 1988 and ported to home platforms. It is the sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins and the second game in the Ghosts 'n Goblins series.

<i>Columns</i> (video game) 1989 video game

Columns is a match-three puzzle video game released by Jay Geertsen in 1989. Designed for the Motorola 68000-based HP 9000 running HP-UX, it was ported to Mac and MS-DOS before being released commercially by Sega who ported it to arcades and then to several Sega consoles. The game was subsequently ported to other home computers, including the Atari ST.

<i>Street Fighter II</i> 1991 arcade video game

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior is a 1991 fighting game produced by Capcom for arcades, and their fourteenth game to use the CP System arcade system board. It is the second installment in the Street Fighter series and the sequel to 1987's Street Fighter. Street Fighter II vastly improved many of the concepts introduced in the first game, including the use of special command-based moves, a combo system, a six-button configuration, and a wider selection of playable characters, each with a unique fighting style.

<i>Altered Beast</i> 1988 video game

Altered Beast is a 1988 beat 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Sega. The game is set in Ancient Greece and follows a player character chosen by Zeus to rescue his daughter Athena from the demonic ruler of the underworld, Neff. By collecting three power-ups in a level, the player character transforms into one of five magical beasts. It was ported to several home video game consoles and home computers. Altered Beast was the pack-in game when the Genesis launched in North America and the Mega Drive in Europe.

<i>Super Street Fighter II</i> 1993 video game

Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers is a 1993 competitive fighting game produced by Capcom and originally released as an arcade game. It is the fourth game in the Street Fighter II sub-series of Street Fighter games, following Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting (1992). It refines and balances the existing character roster from the previous versions, and introduces four new characters, including Cammy and Dee Jay. It is the first game on Capcom's CP System II hardware, with more sophisticated graphics and audio over the original CP System hardware used in previous versions of Street Fighter II.

<i>Hyper Dyne Side Arms</i> 1986 video game

Hyper Dyne Side Arms (サイドアーム) is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed and released by Capcom as an arcade video game in 1986. The player takes control of a flying mecha fighter who must battle an alien army. Side Arms uses a two-directional attacking system similar to Capcom's previous shoot-'em-up Section Z.

<i>Strider</i> (1989 arcade game) 1989 platforming video game

Strider, released in Japan as Strider Hiryū, is a 1989 hack and slash game developed and published by Capcom for arcades. Set in a dystopian future where Earth is ruled by the tyrannical Grandmaster Meio, it follows the titular Strider named Hiryu as he attempts to end his tyrannical reign for good. The game resulted from cooperation between Capcom and manga publisher Moto Kikaku. It marked the video game debut of Strider Hiryu, after the character was introduced in the 1988 manga Strider Hiryu.

<i>Fantasy Zone</i> 1986 video game

Fantasy Zone is a 1986 arcade video game by Sega, and the first game in the Fantasy Zone series. It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles, including the Master System. The player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-Opa who fights an enemy invasion in the titular group of planets. The game contains a number of features atypical of the traditional scrolling shooter. The main character, Opa-Opa, is sometimes referred to as Sega's first mascot character.

<i>Golden Axe</i> (video game) 1989 arcade game

Golden Axe is a 1989 beat 'em up game developed and published by Sega for arcades, running on the Sega System 16B arcade hardware. Makoto Uchida was the lead designer of the game, and was also responsible for the creation of the previous year's Altered Beast. The game casts players as one of three warriors who must free the fantastical land of Yuria from the tyrannical rule of Death Adder, who wields the titular Golden Axe.

1989 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Phantasy Star II, Super Mario Land, Super Monaco GP, along with new titles such as Big Run, Bonk's Adventure, Final Fight, Golden Axe, Strider, Hard Drivin' and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The year also saw the release of the Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 in North America, and the Game Boy worldwide along with Tetris and Super Mario Land.

<i>Super Hang-On</i> 1987 video game

Super Hang-On is a motorcycle racing arcade video game released by Sega as the sequel to Hang-On. It uses a simulated motorcycle arcade cabinet, like the original game. An updated version was released in arcades 1991 as Limited Edition Hang-On.

<i>Street Fighter</i> (video game) 1987 video game

Street Fighter is a 1987 arcade fighting game developed and published by Capcom. It is the first competitive fighting game produced by the company and the first installment in the Street Fighter series. It was a commercial success in arcades and introduced special attacks and some of the conventions made standard in later fighting games, such as the six-button controls and the use of command-based special moves.

<i>Willow</i> (arcade game) 1989 video game

Willow is a 1989 arcade game by Capcom. Capcom published two different games in 1989 based on the 1988 film of the same name. The arcade version is a platform game while the Nintendo Entertainment System version is an action role-playing game.

<i>Mercs</i> 1990 video game

Mercs, originally released as Senjō no Ōkami II in Japan, is a run and gun video game developed and published in arcades by Capcom in 1990. It is a sequel to the 1985 arcade video game Commando. While not as successful as its predecessor, Mercs was well received by critics and was a moderate commercial success. It was followed by Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 in 2008, a downloadable game.

<i>Midnight Resistance</i> 1989 video game

Midnight Resistance is a side-scrolling run and gun game produced by Data East and released in arcades in 1989. Midnight Resistance is set in a dystopian future where the player controls a member of a resistance movement who goes on a mission to rescue his kidnapped family from a drug kingpin.

<i>Dynamite Düx</i> 1988 Video game

Dynamite Düx is a beat 'em up developed by Sega AM2 and released by Sega as an arcade video game in 1988. Produced by Yu Suzuki and with music composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, the game uses the Sega System 16 arcade board, the same board used for Golden Axe and Altered Beast. It was ported to the Master System, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum platforms in the following year. A Mega Drive version was planned but never released.

<i>Street Fighter Collection</i> Fighting video game compilation by Capcom

Street Fighter Collection is a 1997 fighting game compilation developed and published by Capcom for the Sega Saturn and PlayStation. It contains the original Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (1993), its follow-up Super Street Fighter II Turbo (1994), and an enhanced version of Street Fighter Alpha 2 titled Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold, which is exclusive to this compilation.

<i>Street Fighter Alpha</i> 1995 video game

Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, known as Street Fighter Zero in Japan, Asia, South America, and Oceania, is a 2D arcade fighting game by Capcom originally released in 1995 for the CP System II hardware. It was the first all new Street Fighter game produced by Capcom since the release of Street Fighter II in 1991. Plotwise, it serves as a prequel to Street Fighter II and thus features younger versions of established characters, as well as characters from the original Street Fighter and Final Fight.

<i>Street Fighter II: Champion Edition</i> 1992 video game

Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, released as Street Fighter II Dash in Japan, is a fighting game released by Capcom in 1992. It was launched for arcades and converted to several video game consoles. It is the first of several updated versions of Street Fighter II, and part of the Street Fighter series. The main changes are the addition of the four grand masters as playable characters and mirror matches. The fighting techniques of the eight main characters from the original game were further balanced for competitive play.

References

  1. ↑ "Forgotten worlds (Registration Number PA0000415060)". United States Copyright Office . Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  2. ↑ Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971–2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 112. ISBN   978-4990251215.
  3. ↑ "Forgotten Worlds" Credits
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Never make a destructive God angry". The Games Machine . No. 19. Newsfield Publications. June 1989. pp. 30–31.
  5. 1 2 "Forgotten Worlds Sega Review". Mean Machines . No. 9. EMAP. June 1991. p. 58.
  6. ↑ "Turbo Force - Coming Attractions". Turbo Force. No. 2. Sendai Publications. September 1992. p. 28.
  7. ↑ "Forgotten Worlds - Virtual console (JP)". Archived from the original on March 6, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Forgotten Worlds - Virtual console (US)". Archived from the original on January 20, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Forgotten Worlds - Virtual console (EU)". Archived from the original on November 22, 2010.
  10. ↑ "CP System - Capcom (Video Game, 1988) - Japan". Museum of the Game. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Capcom. Forgotten Worlds (Arcade). Level/area: Operator's manual, page 1 & 8.
  12. 1 2 "Coin Ops". Sinclair User . No. 78 (September 1988). United Kingdom: EMAP. August 18, 1988. pp. 74–5.
  13. 1 2 "Capcom: A Captive Audience". The Games Machine . No. 19 (June 1989). United Kingdom: Newsfield. May 18, 1989. pp. 24–5.
  14. 1 2 Nakayama. "Akira Yasuda Interview" . Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  15. ↑ Okamoto, Yoshiki. "Capcom and the CPS-1". Capcom. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  16. ↑ South, Phil (April 1989). "Forgotten Worlds (Amiga) - Work in Progress". The One . No. 7. EMAP. pp. 23–26.
  17. ↑ Arc Developments. Forgotten Worlds (Amiga). U.S. Gold. Level/area: Manual.
  18. ↑ "The YS Rock'n'Roll Years - Issue 45". ysrnry.co.uk. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Two WiiWare Games and Two Virtual Console Games Added to Wii Shop Channel". November 17, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2008.
  20. ↑ "カプコン アーケードオリジナルボード CPSシリーズ+CPSチェンジャー 限定販売決定!!". Club Capcom (in Japanese). Vol. 2. Capcom. Spring 1994. pp. 90–91.
  21. 1 2 "Forgotten Worlds Review (MD)". Nintendo Life. November 18, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  22. 1 2 "Forgotten Worlds". Advanced Computer Entertainment. August 1989.
  23. ↑ "Crash".
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 "Image: CVG09200025.jpg, (969 × 1331 px)". wos.meulie.net. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 "Forgotten Worlds (Arcade Reviews)". Solvalou.com. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Album". www.abandonware-magazines.org. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Sinclair User". worldofspectrum.org. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Forgotten Worlds". ysrnry.co.uk. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  29. 1 2 "Forgotten Worlds". Zzap!. June 1989. pp. 75–77. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  30. ↑ Mark Patterson (May 1989). "Amiga Screen Scene: Forgotten Worlds". Commodore User. pp. 16–17. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  31. 1 2 Kelly, Nick (July 18, 1988). "Arcades". Commodore User . No. 59 (August 1988). EMAP. pp. 93–7. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  32. ↑ Mark Patterson (May 1989). "64 Screen Scene: Forgotten Worlds". Commodore User. p. 19.
  33. ↑ "Forgotten Worlds Megadrive Review" (PDF). Mean Machines . No. 2. EMAP. November 1990.
  34. ↑ MegaTech rating, EMAP, issue 6, page 78, June 1992
  35. 1 2 3 Presley, Paul (March 28, 1991). "The Price is Right". The One . No. 31 (April 1991). EMAP Images. pp. 80–1.
  36. 1 2 "第２回ゲーメスト大賞" [2nd Gamest Awards]. Gamest (in Japanese). Vol. 29 (February 1989). December 27, 1988. pp. 25–41. alternate url
  37. ↑ Game review, Crash magazine, Newsfield Publications, issue 65, June 1989
  38. ↑ Front cover artwork, home versions
  39. ↑ Front cover artwork, home versions
  40. ↑ Front cover artwork, home versions
  41. ↑ Front cover artwork, home versions
  42. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 339. Amusement Press, Inc. September 1, 1988. p. 21.
  43. ↑ "Forgotten Worlds Sega Genesis Review Score". Archived from the original on May 3, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.