Renegade

Renegade description

Maybe you don't know, but once this game was popular and famous; not only for genre "free fighting" (or "beat'em up") she was about the same as what is Wolfenstein 3D for the FPS. However, all this mainly concerns the arcade original.

But about all under the order.

Was born this game in 1986 in Japan under a completely different name – parents Technos Japan titled her Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun. Told it's about a Japanese high school student Kunio from school to Nekketsu uchinyat showdown with students of other educational institutions, bandits and other unpleasant personalities, defending the honor of his own alma mater.

What is remarkable was this game? The fact that it was popularized this feature of the genre as an additional degree of freedom of movement – the ability to move the character not only along the plane of the screen, but deeper into it. It radically changed the gameplay, allowing you to make tactical component, although significantly lightening it.

In fact, the plan to capture the market of gaming machines is not limited to only one home region. The game was decided to advance to the West, and it took Taito Corporation. Because the romance of the Japanese education system is alien to Western man, bulky and obscure the name is not conducive to attracting interest in the work of Technos Japan has been significantly redesigned. Instead of honor of the school – saving the kidnapped girls, instead, think of Tokyo – nameless American city, instead of Kunio – at least the nameless main character, known Renegade. However, the changed was only the appearance of the first level and the appearance of opponents of the first three phases. But that did not stop a victorious gait of the newly made world product.

Machines machines, but the market for home gaming systems at that time were already considerably developed, and to lose a piece of this pie Taito did not want to. Because over the next three years, all the major games and not the platform has acquired the "port" Renegade. Except that up to Sega 8-bit systems it "arrived" only in 1993.

Speaking of "ports". If now the term "porting" we used to understand the transfer of the game virtually unchanged from one hardware to another, in the best case adapted to it somehow, then in the 1980s everything was completely different. Most often the game as it did again for a specific platform. In theory, this approach should ensure the quality of the final product and its playability, but – alas. Doing this is often completely random people who are not familiar with the original and absolutely do not feel his spirit. Moreover, there have been cases of the "porting port", that is, for example, was taken, not the original, the very first version, and already "adaptation" under another system. The result is a hodgepodge of absurdities, created by different people. An example would be a DOS version of Metal Gear, which was taken game with NES.

On the other hand, if the modern interactive entertainment in all its versions look virtually the same, then "ports" of the 1980s – two very different games made, so to speak, on one topic, often giving very different impressions, and therefore represents a much greater interest from the point of view of digging into the story.

This concludes the introduction and go directly to the game presented here.

As you can guess, this version of Renegade DOS created in 1988 by Banana development company Development order-Taito. "The company", of course, loudly said: only two people – John Siegesmund, programmer, and Brenda Johnson, artist. However, we must recognize that with their work they did a good job. Graphically the game is quite close to the original, although gag is also missing. The technical part is surprising that: first, the player is allowed to control; secondly, it is almost shocking information, the Renegade is able to run even on modern hardware if you have a 32-bit OS, however, in this case, she is deprived of music. Yes, the game has music (and not only PC Speaker Naya!), which is unusual for the then "ports" - this is the DOS version of Double Dragon, for example, no. But that is not worth much praise, so this is a local implementation of the gameplay, because she was limping on both legs.

As in the original, fights are going on a small area of approximately one to two screen. The challenge is how to in two minutes to defeat the group of enemies, led by a special enemy – boss. The latest to join the battle only when player will thin out the ranks of his henchmen. Here there is difference: in the original, all enemies are immediately presented on the level, while the DOS version has to fight groups of two or three people, send new ones as their death. After the victory - it will have to beat all enemies, not just boss, as it was in the arcade version, the character will be transferred to the next stage, which the game consists of six pieces. Don't worry, the bonus levels in the game, just the battle with the bikers and a fight in the street in front of the office to the final leader is allocated separately. Defeating all villains, the hero will meet his mistress, after which it was again stolen, and everything will start again – as befits the arcades, the gameplay loop. Total for one complete playthrough should take at least twelve minutes, provided that the result will be successful. If the time expires before the player will cope with opponents, he'll lose his one attempt out of three. The same thing will happen if you run out of a strip of energy, waning from shock. By the way, although a certain amount of health all enemies on the screen are additionally shown only "life line" boss. Interestingly, the developers have implemented in their version of Renegade as a possibility to replenish vital energy, and extend the time period of stay on the level by picking up special power-UPS – hamburger and hours, respectively. That's just the reason and the time of appearance of these "buns" are not very obvious and even obscure.

Control of the game, apparently made with the expectation of a five button joystick, otherwise it's hard to explain why they have not adapted the original algorithm from the arcade, which, though it takes some getting used to, but copes with its task much better. As mentioned earlier, keys are adjustable, but there is a little trick. If you assign a move usual today, four arrow keys, the player cannot move the character diagonally. The trick is that the "diagonal" keys are used to perform leap, and thus, this technique automatically drops out of the Arsenal, and go without, second level, motorcyclists, impossible. Management itself is too specific: to strike, you must press "fire" + "left/right", and depending on the situation the hero will beat any hand (forward) or leg (back), "fire" + "up" – jump, "fire" + "right/left/up" – a leap in the appropriate direction, "fire" + "down" – a strange Crouch-like animation on the function of finishing off the enemy lying in the arcade original.

The most sad in the game is the interaction of the hero with the enemy. It is very difficult to predict whether your attack is successful and whether to avoid damage in the "response" of the opponent. Strikes sometimes are, even if you stand with the enemy is not on the same line, and sometimes not applied to damage, while fists clearly reach the face of the enemy. Opponents are able to knock down as if the power of thought and able to give up the hero for quite some time. In the end, no beauty, no tactics, no interest – instead of fighting it turns out the junkyard and pile-on.

It turns out that the DOS version of the Renegade is a pretty clumsy game. And recommend it to any fans of the genre as a whole, a series about Kunio or creations Technos Japan, or just collectors. The rest would be correct to advise you to see the arcade original. He is much more thoughtful and interesting.

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Source: Archive.org, Mobygames.com