***** I collected a lot of the toys when they were in Toys R Us bargain bins, they are extremely shoddy quality, awful paint jobs and exposed joint pegs/screws.which stand out like a sore thumb.
Exact same thing that happened with Young Justice (until the season three on Netflix news of course) and the Green Lantern cartoon. Heck I remember reading or hearing once, most stores didn't even want the Green Lantern cartoon series toys because they couldn't even get rid of the Green Lantern movie toys. Also both Thundercats and Young Justice's primary audiences were girls which is another reason why toys weren't bought and thus the shows were cancelled. I really wish cartoon producers would get off of this "show must equal toy sales" mentality because it's not healthy for networks or cartoons in general.
I think their popularity had faded by the time Konami went on their rampage of turning kids shows into scrolling beat em ups. But that genre didn't really exist int he mid-80s Oh, I've been meaning to tell you the PAL ROM of Indiana Jones on the N64 has been diesovered and made public!!!
bwakenshaw It was just a bit early for that really, another 3-4 years and Konami would have bagged it. They were grabbing any kids show, even stuff like failed like Wild West CowBoys of Moo Mesa and even stuff that was axed before a show was even commissioned, like Zen the Intergalactic Ninja.
+KJ Setser terriosts pfft pokemon is gay and so is sonic play some real rpgs like baulders gate elderscrolls or fallout or waste land or how about quest for glory games only lik kids play gay ass pokemon and watch it if u want watch good animes watch blood + vampire hubnter d lensmen or macross plus or vampire rossario
Hey, Larry, did you know there a guy who made a more "complete" version of the "Thundercats : The Lost Eye of Thundera" called "Super Thundercats: The Lost Eye of Thundera" ? It use updated graphic based on the original sprite, it has more define animations, the stages are bigger (you have more space to avoid enemies), it has redesign driving stages more in the vein of traditional 2D horizontal space shooter, It use Mumm-ra's henchmen as bosses (though they're a bit lame as they all have the same attack pattern) and there even an actual final battle with Mumm-ra himself... complete with an ending cutscene rip from the show. Though the game use modern means like the music and some graphics, it still very much in the standard of the original. I mean, it's not trying to be a better brand new Thundercat game, but rather a better port of the same old game ! It be nice to hear your though on it, i think ! Here a video of it, if you're interested : th-cam.com/video/YWKtaDamOdg/w-d-xo.html
Oh dear GOD I needed this! I just got done watching both Pain and Gain, and Olympus has Fallen back to back. My head is still spinning from... whatever the HELL happened in those movies and I needed something to calm the nerves! Like taking a warm bath after coming home hung over and bruised. I had a good time, but lord knows it took its toll on me! Thanks Larry.
I'm just glad they didn't make a Crappy Videogame based off of Thundercats Roar along with some Hideous Looking Action Figures modeled after the Show's Atrocious Art Style that looked like a Meth Cooked Version of The Amazing World of Gumball
Its simple because of their love for thundercats the reviewers after saw for the first time an actual thundercats game didn't had the heart to give a lousy score to this.And since this was the only game released based on the tv show,and wasn't something better to compete with this elite game they said what the heck its better than nothing.Probably the challenge it provided also made them consider it as a game worth playing for because of the times you needed to finish it? But it was at least an effort instead having nothing for a game experience with thundercats.I always made thoughts about why never konami or capcom didn't released a beat em up close to their X men game or the punisher with them.They have released turtles,bucky o-hare,asterix but never thunder freaking cats,i still make thoughts for how an arcade like that would be,the bosses the stages enemies etc!
Fantastic episode. I love documentary/investigative journalism types of videos. Especially about videos games. The AVGN episode about Swordquest is one of my favorites. Great job Larry!
Great video, Larry! That Beyond the Ice Palace theme by David Whittaker is a bloody masterpiece. I used to boot up the game on the Amiga just to listen to the music.
Amazing video sir! Very cool to see how final games could differ so much based on timing and licensing. So many 'could be' scenario's out there! Great to see this series alive and kicking as well! Looking forward to more Larry.
Thanks dude, yeah. It does show that a lot of licenses are just paint jobs and can be put on any game at the time. But GYCW is still kicking, this episode was a real time vampire to make which is why it's been 4 months since the last episode. Speaking of which though, I do hope you make some more CD-i episodes soon, I do miss those :(
+noisyturtle A lot of people say she really kickstarted the Furry movement, not Disney since Disney characters don't have much in the way of sex appeal.
Some people say that furries are as old as time and they cite all the animal gods from history, like Anubis and Coyote and Pan and Ganesha. I don't agree at all, but they say that.
wooow, this is so detailed! it's really fun to see early gaming development and the critical reception at the time ( I wasn't even born back then). I'm amazed at the amount of work that went into making this video.
I think the rating system in reviews have changed a bit. This was during the era of impossible and/or broken games. Was the game workable? Was the game playable? That's 10 points right there.
Thanks dude. It just feels rude not to. You took the time to watch my video and leave a comment, the least I can do to thank you is to reply to your message!!!
***** Nah - from the looks of them, other than comparing versions of each, there's only so much that you can say about the games themselves. The inside info added nice flavor, and got bonus points for being new - not just from you, but from anyone.
Bomb Jack II was published earlier than the other games, in 1986/1987. Issue 3 of ACE magazine, saying that another Thundercats game was being developed, is from December 1987. Something does not fit. Maybe that was actually a fourth wannabe-Thundercats game?
lol your now officially my go to utube channel, loved this game an i still infact own the spectrum 128k version an the amiga version, i always remeber classing how well i did in a go if i got to ride the jet scooter thing lol
Aw, thanks dude, that's really kind of you to say so :D I had the Amstrad version as a kid, I can barely remember ever getting that far. The game is just way too unfair.
The episode in the 2011 Thundercats with the little plant people had more emotion and depth than half the cartoon industry combined. That episode made me fucking cry. Ofcourse you can't have such an intelligent, well-made show for kids! Gotta keep stuff dumb for kids, right?
+Andreazor Sadly, that seems to perfectly describe Cartoon Network's and Nickelodeon's line of thinking these days: "We can't let intelligent shows like Thundercats and The Legend Of Korra go on! Let's cancel those and put out dumb shows like Teen Titans Go and Breadwinners, instead!"
Steven Universe is actually about intergalactic war if you bother to watch is enough. Code Lyoko is a show about a sentient evil artificial intelligence. Season 1 was pretty bad but 2-4 are great.Andreazor
TheWiddaC I think most people do, But it's more a case if you can admit it and start over. It's better in the long run, you don't get the "Actually..." comments for starters :D
Fantastic video, the hours of research really shows through. Seeing the old box art for the tape deck systems takes me back to the days of finding the right numbers in the anti copying code book or getting home to find out the shop assistant had put the wrong tape in the box! Absolutely loving these videos, keep up the good work Larry!
I've been subbed for a few months, and this is easily your best video I've seen. Great stuff. I love hearing interesting gaming stories of the past, especially when it comes to the good old NES days. The way that companies so easily would swap a few sprites and change a new game into a licensed game, or vice-versa, was pretty nuts, lol ACE Score for this video: 913/1000 :P
Ah thanks dude, well I put a few months work into it. Probably too much time, but it's definitely my most "in depth" video i've ever done. The Renegade video I did had a lot of info, but was condensed, and Don't Buy This was more a jokey video. But I do love reading what magazines at the time said at the time, and how laughably bad some are in hindsight.
"It suffers from being Thundercats. Have you watched it now? It's sooooo bad." - Gryphon, Planet Dominion 2019. The reboot was leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor.
You absolutely deserve your subscriber count x20. The high quality of detail that has been put into this is remarkable. You have definitely won me over as another subscriber.
Always a pleasure Larry, I love researching contemporary issues like BF4's net code or Watch_Dogs but I love these history lessons as they help me draw excellent parallels with contemporary issues, much like with world history. Cheers!
Good video on the whole, but I recall this getting a lukewarm reception in Zzap! 64 so it wasn't the case that "all" mags at the time liked the game. I also think the game itself is closer to Green Beret than Ghosts 'N Goblins as far as gameplay goes. Finally, if you think the NES had better sound than the C64, then you either haven't heard much SID music, or need new ears.
Brilliant, Larry. A really well edited video that lent some great insight into some of the games based on one of my fave childhood TV shows. Good to see these type of vids from you, sir. More please :)
Wow, I learned so much from this video! I owned the ST versions of Thundercats and Beyond the Ice Palace as a child, but I never spotted the connection until now! Also, it always intrigued me as to what Ice Palace was being referred to in that latter game - now I know. Good digging, Larry!
Great video and great story. I played all three C64 games (Thundercats, Bomb Jack 2 & Beyond Ice Palace) and I have never imagined that theses games have something in common.
Thanks a lot for such an excelente and highly informative video. I was a 80's Tundercats fan in my childhood so I recently realized "wait a minute, Thubdercats was an awesome tv show with many fans across the world, 2 seasons with 130 episodes, there were action toys, comics and even a reboot (as short as it was). Was there a videogame? This series deserved a videogame!" And that's how I found your video. Thanks.
+Larry Bundy Jr I wonder if anyone else has tinkered with the idea of making a Larry Bundy JR game. That Tcats gauntlet at the end of your video made me think of this... Giving AVGN some competition for a change.
The "this was on my birthday! things are already wastes of comments smelling of a 6 year old's attention grab, ending it with the internet's favorite false promise "I might do this (but already lost interest before I finished typing this comment)", pushes it into double digits of pointlessness
Thanks dude, they probably thought they got themselves an easy meal ticket, bagging one of the biggest licenses around at the time to make into a game.
***** Yes. Although I can't decide why they didn't give themselves enough time to code a decent game. Especially as those times are regarded as the golden years. As so many poor games do, it had all the potential.
All the more reason to get some more out Larry, you could be a national treasure by the time you're finished. They'll name things after you. I for one welcome the forthcoming opening of the "Guru Larry Bundy Jr Public Convenience". May God bless it and all who relieve themselves against the ceramic fittings. Or perhaps there might be a Poundland you could officiate at as the celebrity opener. The possibilities are quite unlimited...! ;)
Amiga computer stores in the US would import software from Europe, so games like Thundercats were available to us. It has always been a popular misconception that US Amiga gamers were neglected, but in actuality we weren't. There wasn't a Commodore Amiga store in the US they didn't import software from Europe. In fact, European Amiga software was so common here in the States, a hardware mod was released for all Amigas that allowed the user to change between regions (i.e. NTSC or PAL) by flipping a switch, which was neatly installed through the computer's case. Every Amiga in our household had that mod installed. Ah yes, those were the days!
***** Oh and it was very likely to be a blessing in disguise with LJN not producing an NES game of their beloved toy property, given their record of games for the NES. Though it could have been worse, it could have been a game similar to Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. :D
I played the hell out of Thundercats and Beyond The Ice Palace on the ST. Such an awesome bit of research on the background of the development of these games. Fantastic mini doc.
Great episode Larry! Give me Larry and Olly any day over the overinflated u.s ad-sense chasers cough IGC. p.s I live no more than two milles from the old Elite h.q in Anchor house, Aldridge, here in the better part of the west midlands.lol Back in 92, a friend of a friend who lived down the road from their h.q who's mom was a cleaner at Elite, told me he could get bootleg SNES carts.. and being 14 at the time, and rather gullible, went there on a rusewhich was obviously bullcrap, however I did get into the main offices after asking to speak to a guy who I was told would sort me out with said carts only to find out the guy was a programmer who knew (obviously) nothing about this. While waiting for someone to come speak to me, I remember there being picture frames of their arcade conversions, namely Ghosts n goblins/Buggy boy/Bomb jack to name a few, and also a package addressed to Nintendo of Japan siting on an office desk unattended! This was in 1992, and the game in question I was told he had on bootleg was none other than..Mortal Kombat! true story!
What did their offices look like? I did look them up on Google Streets as I was thinkign of using photos of their offices when I couldn't find a decent logo, but couldn't work out where they are. They're new address seems to be a flat now :S But that package could have been SNES copies of Dr. Franken or Dragons Lair, as they were the only games they developed themselves around that time. But that's a great story, I must confess I was into pirating SNES games myself not much later on, I bought a Super Wild Card and would just copy games I rented from Blockbuster Video. Then I just bought them off some guy in the LOOT newspaper.
Hey Larry, the offices were located at Anchor house on Anchor road, google maps says approx number 44. The offices were on the first floor and the entrance to Anchor house was/is to the left of an Indian take-away named Dilshad. A former school friend of mine A.Francis later did freelance network code for a little known Sega arcade racer called Ford racing, he also did some retro ports for Elite not too long back as we attended the nearby Manor Farm high school in Rushall, Im not sure if he has any info about them from previous employers, Ill drop him an inbox. Suffice to say they were a massively impressive little outfit back in the day, and I never knew when I had my zx 48K spectrum that they were just up the road from me..Doh!
I'm a 90s kid yet I'm a huge fan of the classic Thundercats series. I even have an Eye of Thundera in my room and played the "16-bit" game on the classic Toonami site. Thank you so much for this vid. I never knew there were official games!
I still have the Amiga version. I remember playing it loads and finding it crazy frustrating. Probably got to about stage 4 maybe. Pretty sure I only played it because it was quite a decent looking game and I was a total graphics whore back then.
Well done Larry! As a TC fan myself, I heard the rumors about various Thundercats games but never knew which were true. Thank you for finally putting that old mystery to rest. (Also, yes, I agree with your statements about the Thundercats reboot).
Thanks for a great video, Larry. You did a superb job uncovering all the info surrounding Elite Systems and its three ThunderCats games. I've always thought the 8 and 16-bit games were dire, so it was shocking to see the extremely high ratings from the gaming magazines of the day. I smell corruption! Then Beyond the Ice Palace - a much better game - received poor reviews. It's all very baffling. Seeing the ThunderCats games again, reminded me how much I felt let down by them back in the day. At least I was reminded of Beyond the Ice Palace, so I'll be playing it again soon, whilst humming the ThunderCats theme tune. :D
Shame there is so very little of the Thundercats show to watch. I really loved it as a child. 1988? I would have been 8 years old. Aaaah the memories. Thats just 3 years after I saw Laputa Castle in the Sky at 4 or 5am on a xmas morning on UK tv. Thats a film that has shaped my life. So much nostalgia, so much feels. So much Cheetara hentai. ^_^
***** Did the old Streamline dub air in the UK that year? As far as I know it had a very limited VHS release here in the US before Disney got hold of it and released it years later.
Was very curious why such a popular show never got the 8-bit treatment it deserved in the States. Thank you for taking the time to put together a great vid that explained why :)
Gaming journalists giving scores is probably the most pointless thing ever. What makes a game that's 94% better than a game that achieved 93%? It's all down to preference, especially as anyone cares about is if the game is good or not.
***** Very true and I still don't see why some gaming journalists use a rating system today. It is just that I can't fathom how the journalist managed to decide that the game deserved the specific number '648' for its score, lol.
Just binge watched your entire fact hunt series. Have to say I really enjoy these retro games that transformed from/into games under completely different names but still retaining many of the originally planned features videos that you do. Especially enjoy you ripping on video game magazine reviews of the day.
Aah, a game that was hailed by revieweers based on its look, rather than story or gameplay. Good thing that wouldn't happen today... *glares at Skyrim*
Great video Larry. I miss being a kid in the eighties having so many great cartoons based on toys. In the review I noticed on one of the magazine pages the bottom half is a review of Nebulus. I loved that game when I was young. So hard. Keep up the great work.
I remember playing thundercats on Amiga back in the day. Don't remember owning or rather my older brother owning, beyond the ice place, but do remember the yellow faces. Or similar faces. Time for me to find out what game that was. And this was a great video.
I remember hearing about this game from the Top Ten Worst TV Licenses, so it was great to learn more about it, and in such depth too! It's obvious a lot of time and effort went into researching this, and it's definitely paid off. Thumbs up from me!
This was oddly fascinating! I have never seen an episode of Thundercats nor have i ever given a toss about Thundercats in any shape or form. Great video Larry! Thoroughly enjoyed it!
There's bound to be a ton of new modern day Thundercats games made by fans using Unreal Engine 4 or Unity. with the characters modeled on Z-brush or Bleder beforehand even and ported over to powerful; videogame engine programs like Unreal Engine 4 or Unity etc.
loved thunder cats as a kid, it was a great time for action cartoons, also loved, He-Man, Transformers, i remember watching the first pilot episode, and thinking how amazing it was, and then going to school and all the kids talking about it. Great video Larry, Thank's :o)
I'm a bit late to this party having come across this video today, thoroughly enjoyed it. Well researched & presented & nice bit of humour too, real interesting insight into part of my childhood. Many thanks!
Funfact the reason why the thundercats 2011 gotten terrible ratings have was due to cartoon Network constantly changing the shows schedule as it was intended to air on adult swim but was changed at the last minute as they thought that since thundercats was originally made only for children they should air the reboot at a time were children would be at school and fans of original who likely started families of their own would be at work. This would fuck up the show ratings which led to the cancellation of the show
Excellent video Larry. This is another great example of managements trying to push games out for that Christmas deadline, and then panicking because they didn't have the time. No wonder why Elite are now only loosely associated with mobile phone games
Would be interesting to see if it is successful or not. If it did go through, it would make for an interesting retro meets 21st century gaming review :)
"Cartoon network realized people actually enjoyed the show, so they promptly cancelled it"
Yea that seems to be how it goes
*****
I collected a lot of the toys when they were in Toys R Us bargain bins, they are extremely shoddy quality, awful paint jobs and exposed joint pegs/screws.which stand out like a sore thumb.
*****
That sounds about right, a lot of people in charge are completely clueless about the product in hand.
Exact same thing that happened with Young Justice (until the season three on Netflix news of course) and the Green Lantern cartoon. Heck I remember reading or hearing once, most stores didn't even want the Green Lantern cartoon series toys because they couldn't even get rid of the Green Lantern movie toys.
Also both Thundercats and Young Justice's primary audiences were girls which is another reason why toys weren't bought and thus the shows were cancelled. I really wish cartoon producers would get off of this "show must equal toy sales" mentality because it's not healthy for networks or cartoons in general.
@@drewvonawesome8851 At least Young Justice went on to be revived on DC Universe.
Og teen titans, still miss it😔
"It looks like the reviewers at the time were more bedazzled by the graphics than the game"
Nice to see some things never change.
Ghost81 basically What Critics did with EA Star Wars Battlefront
basically What Critics did with EA full stop
They were mesmerized by the box art. If it look's this good then the game must be as good give it a 10.
i like and a reply cause i love your icon!
Never understood why the cats didn't get a side scrolling beat em up back in the day
I think their popularity had faded by the time Konami went on their rampage of turning kids shows into scrolling beat em ups. But that genre didn't really exist int he mid-80s
Oh, I've been meaning to tell you the PAL ROM of Indiana Jones on the N64 has been diesovered and made public!!!
aye i saw that, I've always played the ntsc version even though some people used to have problems with it on everdrives i never did
Yeah it would have made a great multi player like the TMNT arcade but a bit too early to take advantage of that technology unfortunately.
bwakenshaw
It was just a bit early for that really, another 3-4 years and Konami would have bagged it. They were grabbing any kids show, even stuff like failed like Wild West CowBoys of Moo Mesa and even stuff that was axed before a show was even commissioned, like Zen the Intergalactic Ninja.
"When Cartoon Network realized people actually enjoyed the show, they cancelled it." Line of the show...
+Jason Tepp Just like another network can't just seem to recall the name of it, but made quite amazing scifi show I think
Cartoon Network Is Filled With Terrorists. Don't you get that? they'll cancel sonic boom and Pokemon XY next
+KJ Setser pokemon sucks so does sonic dragon ball gt is better than thoose pieces of shit and gt fucking succks lol
+KJ Setser terriosts pfft pokemon is gay and so is sonic play some real rpgs like baulders gate elderscrolls or fallout or waste land or how about quest for glory games only lik kids play gay ass pokemon and watch it if u want watch good animes watch blood + vampire hubnter d lensmen or macross plus or vampire rossario
+N30R3M You mean the SciFi Channel with MST3k?
Mum-rah's face at 3:18 "WTF is your problem, Lion-o?"
Hey, Larry, did you know there a guy who made a more "complete" version of the "Thundercats : The Lost Eye of Thundera" called "Super Thundercats: The Lost Eye of Thundera" ?
It use updated graphic based on the original sprite, it has more define animations, the stages are bigger (you have more space to avoid enemies), it has redesign driving stages more in the vein of traditional 2D horizontal space shooter, It use Mumm-ra's henchmen as bosses (though they're a bit lame as they all have the same attack pattern) and there even an actual final battle with Mumm-ra himself... complete with an ending cutscene rip from the show. Though the game use modern means like the music and some graphics, it still very much in the standard of the original. I mean, it's not trying to be a better brand new Thundercat game, but rather a better port of the same old game ! It be nice to hear your though on it, i think ! Here a video of it, if you're interested :
th-cam.com/video/YWKtaDamOdg/w-d-xo.html
Great work Larry, thoroughly researched and well edited. Fantastic effort. Well done.
Cheers matey, I mentioned you in the video description funnily enough :D
Haha just realised. Well you did need a kick up the arse to get it done.
Oliver Harper
My fault for biting off more than I could chew!!!
I enjoyed this thanks for nagging him to finish it, lol.
yogibear2k10
Lol, thanks bud!!! We got some more board game videos coming up if you've ever seen any of them that we did.
Oh dear GOD I needed this! I just got done watching both Pain and Gain, and Olympus has Fallen back to back. My head is still spinning from... whatever the HELL happened in those movies and I needed something to calm the nerves! Like taking a warm bath after coming home hung over and bruised. I had a good time, but lord knows it took its toll on me! Thanks Larry.
My Good Man. This video should be a template for every review video online. 5 stars.
+joeriveracomedy Why bless you kind Sir! :)
+Larry Bundy Jr I love your butt so much
I'm just glad they didn't make a Crappy Videogame based off of Thundercats Roar along with some Hideous Looking Action Figures modeled after the Show's Atrocious Art Style that looked like a Meth Cooked Version of The Amazing World of Gumball
This is one of the best videos not only that you have done but has been done in ages :) big big inspiration. Keep up the great work LBJ
Its simple because of their love for thundercats the reviewers after saw for the first time an actual thundercats game didn't had the heart to give a lousy score to this.And since this was the only game released based on the tv show,and wasn't something better to compete with this elite game they said what the heck its better than nothing.Probably the challenge it provided also made them consider it as a game worth playing for because of the times you needed to finish it? But it was at least an effort instead having nothing for a game experience with thundercats.I always made thoughts about why never konami or capcom didn't released a beat em up close to their X men game or the punisher with them.They have released turtles,bucky o-hare,asterix but never thunder freaking cats,i still make thoughts for how an arcade like that would be,the bosses the stages enemies etc!
Fantastic episode. I love documentary/investigative journalism types of videos. Especially about videos games. The AVGN episode about Swordquest is one of my favorites. Great job Larry!
Great video, Larry! That Beyond the Ice Palace theme by David Whittaker is a bloody masterpiece. I used to boot up the game on the Amiga just to listen to the music.
Many games seem better after one's had two more pints
Amazing video sir! Very cool to see how final games could differ so much based on timing and licensing. So many 'could be' scenario's out there!
Great to see this series alive and kicking as well! Looking forward to more Larry.
Thanks dude, yeah. It does show that a lot of licenses are just paint jobs and can be put on any game at the time.
But GYCW is still kicking, this episode was a real time vampire to make which is why it's been 4 months since the last episode.
Speaking of which though, I do hope you make some more CD-i episodes soon, I do miss those :(
*****
Thanks Larry! I have a new one in the works and will have plenty of time to work on more next week, should have something then!
HalfBlindGamer
Ooh, excellent! I look forward to it Sir!!!
Cheetarah was my first cartoon crush.
+noisyturtle Loving your Boo Bu.
+noisyturtle A lot of people say she really kickstarted the Furry movement, not Disney since Disney characters don't have much in the way of sex appeal.
I'm ashamed to say she was probably mine too
+Dargonhuman Fucking furries.
Some people say that furries are as old as time and they cite all the animal gods from history, like Anubis and Coyote and Pan and Ganesha. I don't agree at all, but they say that.
wooow, this is so detailed! it's really fun to see early gaming development and the critical reception at the time ( I wasn't even born back then). I'm amazed at the amount of work that went into making this video.
I think the rating system in reviews have changed a bit. This was during the era of impossible and/or broken games. Was the game workable? Was the game playable? That's 10 points right there.
One great thing about this channel is that he actually responds to commenters, unlike the other channels.
Thanks dude. It just feels rude not to. You took the time to watch my video and leave a comment, the least I can do to thank you is to reply to your message!!!
I love the research and the behind-the-scenes information in this. Congratulations on getting all of this data, and for your awesome presentation!
Thanks, I was worried towards the end that it might be too much.
*****
Nah - from the looks of them, other than comparing versions of each, there's only so much that you can say about the games themselves. The inside info added nice flavor, and got bonus points for being new - not just from you, but from anyone.
***** It was very thought out and entertaining. (As well as informational!)
Bomb Jack II was published earlier than the other games, in 1986/1987. Issue 3 of ACE magazine, saying that another Thundercats game was being developed, is from December 1987. Something does not fit. Maybe that was actually a fourth wannabe-Thundercats game?
The Tundercats were awesome. Its a shame the reboot got gutted, it was amazing.
It sucked!
@@mrg466 so does ur mum
lol your now officially my go to utube channel, loved this game an i still infact own the spectrum 128k version an the amiga version, i always remeber classing how well i did in a go if i got to ride the jet scooter thing lol
Aw, thanks dude, that's really kind of you to say so :D
I had the Amstrad version as a kid, I can barely remember ever getting that far. The game is just way too unfair.
The episode in the 2011 Thundercats with the little plant people had more emotion and depth than half the cartoon industry combined. That episode made me fucking cry. Ofcourse you can't have such an intelligent, well-made show for kids! Gotta keep stuff dumb for kids, right?
*Cough* Steven Universe *Cough*
Cough*Code Lyoko*cough
+Andreazor Sadly, that seems to perfectly describe Cartoon Network's and Nickelodeon's line of thinking these days: "We can't let intelligent shows like Thundercats and The Legend Of Korra go on! Let's cancel those and put out dumb shows like Teen Titans Go and Breadwinners, instead!"
***** Steven Universe isn't good. It's just about 3 lesbians and a fat kid. Yeah we get it they're lesbians, big deal.
Never heard of Code Lyoko.
Steven Universe is actually about intergalactic war if you bother to watch is enough. Code Lyoko is a show about a sentient evil artificial intelligence. Season 1 was pretty bad but 2-4 are great.Andreazor
I discovered the The thundercats logo spraypainted somewhere in my school. It's awesome!
You're a regular Poirot for uncovering all that, Larry.
Please do make more.
Lol, I did screw up the research half way through and had to start again from scratch!
***** Im sure poirot did that from time to time too lol
TheWiddaC
I think most people do, But it's more a case if you can admit it and start over. It's better in the long run, you don't get the "Actually..." comments for starters :D
Fantastic video, the hours of research really shows through. Seeing the old box art for the tape deck systems takes me back to the days of finding the right numbers in the anti copying code book or getting home to find out the shop assistant had put the wrong tape in the box!
Absolutely loving these videos, keep up the good work Larry!
"A face like a smacked arse." lol
I've been subbed for a few months, and this is easily your best video I've seen. Great stuff. I love hearing interesting gaming stories of the past, especially when it comes to the good old NES days. The way that companies so easily would swap a few sprites and change a new game into a licensed game, or vice-versa, was pretty nuts, lol
ACE Score for this video: 913/1000 :P
Ah thanks dude, well I put a few months work into it. Probably too much time, but it's definitely my most "in depth" video i've ever done. The Renegade video I did had a lot of info, but was condensed, and Don't Buy This was more a jokey video.
But I do love reading what magazines at the time said at the time, and how laughably bad some are in hindsight.
"It suffers from being Thundercats. Have you watched it now? It's sooooo bad." - Gryphon, Planet Dominion 2019.
The reboot was leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor.
You absolutely deserve your subscriber count x20. The high quality of detail that has been put into this is remarkable. You have definitely won me over as another subscriber.
"Growing up from a privileged child into an actual hero, rather than being an insufferable dipshit like he is in the original." Best line.
Always a pleasure Larry, I love researching contemporary issues like BF4's net code or Watch_Dogs but I love these history lessons as they help me draw excellent parallels with contemporary issues, much like with world history. Cheers!
"it seems the reviewers where more dazzled by the graphics than the gameplay" I'm so glad we've moved past that these days
Good video on the whole, but I recall this getting a lukewarm reception in Zzap! 64 so it wasn't the case that "all" mags at the time liked the game. I also think the game itself is closer to Green Beret than Ghosts 'N Goblins as far as gameplay goes. Finally, if you think the NES had better sound than the C64, then you either haven't heard much SID music, or need new ears.
As a yank I feel extremely unwanked.
Brilliant, Larry. A really well edited video that lent some great insight into some of the games based on one of my fave childhood TV shows. Good to see these type of vids from you, sir. More please :)
Cartoon network, Get your ass in gear to finish that series!
Gaming history!
The 2011 version also took away Snarf's ability to speak, demoting him from Nanny to pet.
Which makes his character much better.
**snarf snarf** you! lol j/k
Great video, thanks. I didn't know any of this. It was really cool to learn about it.
Wow, I learned so much from this video! I owned the ST versions of Thundercats and Beyond the Ice Palace as a child, but I never spotted the connection until now! Also, it always intrigued me as to what Ice Palace was being referred to in that latter game - now I know. Good digging, Larry!
+LizardGenes No worries matey, glad you enjoyed it! :D
Great video and great story. I played all three C64 games (Thundercats, Bomb Jack 2 & Beyond Ice Palace) and I have never imagined that theses games have something in common.
Yeah The true crimes cartoon network did was remove toonami from prime time giving kids lame cartoons and Canceling Young Justice
Thanks a lot for such an excelente and highly informative video. I was a 80's Tundercats fan in my childhood so I recently realized "wait a minute, Thubdercats was an awesome tv show with many fans across the world, 2 seasons with 130 episodes, there were action toys, comics and even a reboot (as short as it was). Was there a videogame? This series deserved a videogame!" And that's how I found your video. Thanks.
You're intro about Lion-o being arrogant had me in stitches!
:D Well it's true hough, half the episodes are him being rescued by the other ThunderCats as he didn't listen to them.
+Larry Bundy Jr I wonder if anyone else has tinkered with the idea of making a Larry Bundy JR game. That Tcats gauntlet at the end of your video made me think of this... Giving AVGN some competition for a change.
The Thundercats reboot actually first aired on my birthday! I never watched it, but I might after this.
It sucks!
The "this was on my birthday! things are already wastes of comments smelling of a 6 year old's attention grab, ending it with the internet's favorite false promise "I might do this (but already lost interest before I finished typing this comment)", pushes it into double digits of pointlessness
To summarise, they completely wasted their time. On the other hand, you did not. Great work Larry!
Thanks dude, they probably thought they got themselves an easy meal ticket, bagging one of the biggest licenses around at the time to make into a game.
***** Yes. Although I can't decide why they didn't give themselves enough time to code a decent game. Especially as those times are regarded as the golden years. As so many poor games do, it had all the potential.
Arcadiality
I think 3-6 months was the normal development time for a AAA game back then.
***** But didn't it earn them more cash in the long run? Because once they've bought the game, it's money in ya pocket. Chaching!
Good on you, Larry. As none of us really wanted to play any of the Thundercat games, you did the dirty deed for yourself. Bless you.
Having to beat every single version of ThunderCats for footage was pretty arduous I must admit!!!
I can imagine
Took your sweet time, Larry!
But the end result was worth it.
Lol, thanks!!!
well hello there Freako
Freako when's the Cheetarah art? ;^)
Yeah it's similar to GnG all right. HARD AS BALLS!
Lol, I wouldn't go that far. But thanks bud!!! :D
You might want to proof read your reply, Larry.
*****
EEp, Done!!! Cheers for the head's up :D
All the more reason to get some more out Larry, you could be a national treasure by the time you're finished. They'll name things after you.
I for one welcome the forthcoming opening of the "Guru Larry Bundy Jr Public Convenience". May God bless it and all who relieve themselves against the ceramic fittings.
Or perhaps there might be a Poundland you could officiate at as the celebrity opener. The possibilities are quite unlimited...! ;)
***** is so crazy, he bit off one of his fingers... He used to have six!
*obscure reference*
haha He spelled "Shakespeare" wrong.
Amiga computer stores in the US would import software from Europe, so games like Thundercats were available to us. It has always been a popular misconception that US Amiga gamers were neglected, but in actuality we weren't. There wasn't a Commodore Amiga store in the US they didn't import software from Europe. In fact, European Amiga software was so common here in the States, a hardware mod was released for all Amigas that allowed the user to change between regions (i.e. NTSC or PAL) by flipping a switch, which was neatly installed through the computer's case. Every Amiga in our household had that mod installed. Ah yes, those were the days!
Loved this review Larry, I laughed when I heard the blatant use of the Thundercats theme on the C64 version of Bomb Jack II. :D
David315842 lo, cheers matey :D
***** Oh you're welcome. I look forward to seeing more video game/nostalgia types of videos. ;)
***** Oh and it was very likely to be a blessing in disguise with LJN not producing an NES game of their beloved toy property, given their record of games for the NES. Though it could have been worse, it could have been a game similar to Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. :D
Been waiting ages for this, and it didn't disappoint, well done! xD
Wait, was there an explanation why the US didn't get the games?
I played the hell out of Thundercats and Beyond The Ice Palace on the ST.
Such an awesome bit of research on the background of the development of these games. Fantastic mini doc.
Great episode Larry! Give me Larry and Olly any day over the overinflated u.s ad-sense chasers cough IGC.
p.s I live no more than two milles from the old Elite h.q in Anchor house, Aldridge, here in the better part of the west midlands.lol
Back in 92, a friend of a friend who lived down the road from their h.q who's mom was a cleaner at Elite, told me he could get bootleg SNES carts.. and being 14 at the time, and rather gullible, went there on a rusewhich was obviously bullcrap, however I did get into the main offices after asking to speak to a guy who I was told would sort me out with said carts only to find out the guy was a programmer who knew (obviously) nothing about this.
While waiting for someone to come speak to me, I remember there being picture frames of their arcade conversions, namely Ghosts n goblins/Buggy boy/Bomb jack to name a few, and also a package addressed to Nintendo of Japan siting on an office desk unattended!
This was in 1992, and the game in question I was told he had on bootleg was none other than..Mortal Kombat!
true story!
What did their offices look like? I did look them up on Google Streets as I was thinkign of using photos of their offices when I couldn't find a decent logo, but couldn't work out where they are. They're new address seems to be a flat now :S
But that package could have been SNES copies of Dr. Franken or Dragons Lair, as they were the only games they developed themselves around that time.
But that's a great story, I must confess I was into pirating SNES games myself not much later on, I bought a Super Wild Card and would just copy games I rented from Blockbuster Video. Then I just bought them off some guy in the LOOT newspaper.
Hey Larry, the offices were located at Anchor house on Anchor road, google maps says approx number 44.
The offices were on the first floor and the entrance to Anchor house was/is to the left of an Indian take-away named Dilshad.
A former school friend of mine A.Francis later did freelance network code for a little known Sega arcade racer called Ford racing, he also did some retro ports for Elite not too long back as we attended the nearby Manor Farm high school in Rushall, Im not sure if he has any info about them from previous employers, Ill drop him an inbox.
Suffice to say they were a massively impressive little outfit back in the day, and I never knew when I had my zx 48K spectrum that they were just up the road from me..Doh!
Great video! Thundercats was one of my favorite cartoons besides The Real Ghostbusters being my number one.
Cheers! there was a real ghostbusters arcade game in the 80s, and was ported to a few systems, but it's pretty terrible.
I'm a 90s kid yet I'm a huge fan of the classic Thundercats series. I even have an Eye of Thundera in my room and played the "16-bit" game on the classic Toonami site.
Thank you so much for this vid. I never knew there were official games!
*****
You're most welcome.
Yeah, they really kept the official games quiet. Possibly as they were a bit crap!
More and more I'm enjoying your channel. Hats off for covering the thundercats. It was one of my favorite shows.
I still have the Amiga version. I remember playing it loads and finding it crazy frustrating. Probably got to about stage 4 maybe. Pretty sure I only played it because it was quite a decent looking game and I was a total graphics whore back then.
Well done Larry! As a TC fan myself, I heard the rumors about various Thundercats games but never knew which were true. Thank you for finally putting that old mystery to rest.
(Also, yes, I agree with your statements about the Thundercats reboot).
Cheers matey!!!
I rate this video 999/1000 you lost 1 point... down the back of the sofa ;)
Great vid tho mate :)
This post amuses me. I give it four out of five pints for some reason.
I think it was more like 6/5 pints....now back to my Guinness!
Thanks for a great video, Larry. You did a superb job uncovering all the info surrounding Elite Systems and its three ThunderCats games. I've always thought the 8 and 16-bit games were dire, so it was shocking to see the extremely high ratings from the gaming magazines of the day. I smell corruption! Then Beyond the Ice Palace - a much better game - received poor reviews. It's all very baffling. Seeing the ThunderCats games again, reminded me how much I felt let down by them back in the day. At least I was reminded of Beyond the Ice Palace, so I'll be playing it again soon, whilst humming the ThunderCats theme tune. :D
kingstonlj No worries matey, glad you enjoyed it :D
Excellent video Larry, good job on getting all the research done for this, was worth the wait.
Shame there is so very little of the Thundercats show to watch. I really loved it as a child. 1988? I would have been 8 years old. Aaaah the memories. Thats just 3 years after I saw Laputa Castle in the Sky at 4 or 5am on a xmas morning on UK tv. Thats a film that has shaped my life. So much nostalgia, so much feels. So much Cheetara hentai. ^_^
Lol, I watched Laputa when it aired on ITV one Easter in the 80s.
Those robots were stuck in my head for years.
*****
Did the old Streamline dub air in the UK that year? As far as I know it had a very limited VHS release here in the US before Disney got hold of it and released it years later.
Was very curious why such a popular show never got the 8-bit treatment it deserved in the States. Thank you for taking the time to put together a great vid that explained why :)
648/1000 as a score... How do you get that specific a number to represent your opinion of a video game? It confuses me just thinking about it.
Gaming journalists giving scores is probably the most pointless thing ever. What makes a game that's 94% better than a game that achieved 93%? It's all down to preference, especially as anyone cares about is if the game is good or not.
***** Very true and I still don't see why some gaming journalists use a rating system today.
It is just that I can't fathom how the journalist managed to decide that the game deserved the specific number '648' for its score, lol.
*****
They were given 1% more money by the publishers in return for a positive score...
Just binge watched your entire fact hunt series. Have to say I really enjoy these retro games that transformed from/into games under completely different names but still retaining many of the originally planned features videos that you do. Especially enjoy you ripping on video game magazine reviews of the day.
Aah, a game that was hailed by revieweers based on its look, rather than story or gameplay. Good thing that wouldn't happen today...
*glares at Skyrim*
Great video Larry. I miss being a kid in the eighties having so many great cartoons based on toys. In the review I noticed on one of the magazine pages the bottom half is a review of Nebulus. I loved that game when I was young. So hard. Keep up the great work.
2:03: I've seen AVGN, I know how big of a bullet we in the US dodged by *not* getting a Thundercats LJN game!
That game looks even worse than Cheetahmen! :o
Wow! I would have never made the Beyond The Ice Castle connection with Thundercats in a million years but after seeing this vid I can totally see it.
damn you cartoon network! why you keep canceling good shows?!
+bumblebeelife35 'Cause they don't sell toys.
well, .... that's true.
I blame Mum-ra!!!!! I just know he had something to do with it
This was very nicely done, thanks Larry!
Marvelous job, Larry!
You've managed to answer a long-standing question that I've carried for 25 yrs.
Tim Howan Ah thanks matey, so glad I was of help to you :D
Oooooo I have a serious urge to watch some Thundercats now! Thanks Larry >.>
MWAHAHAHA My plan has worked :D!!!
I remember playing thundercats on Amiga back in the day. Don't remember owning or rather my older brother owning, beyond the ice place, but do remember the yellow faces. Or similar faces. Time for me to find out what game that was. And this was a great video.
Really enjoyed this video. I can see a'lot of effort has gone into this.
Your voice and accent are incredibly enjoyable to listen to.
You are also incredibly funny.
Keep the content coming good sir!
I remember hearing about this game from the Top Ten Worst TV Licenses, so it was great to learn more about it, and in such depth too! It's obvious a lot of time and effort went into researching this, and it's definitely paid off. Thumbs up from me!
Yeah, That was the main influence of this episode, I loved doing that segment, but really wanted to expand on it quite a bit.
This was oddly fascinating! I have never seen an episode of Thundercats nor have i ever given a toss about Thundercats in any shape or form. Great video Larry! Thoroughly enjoyed it!
LMAO, cheers!!!
The 2011 series is pretty decent if you ever feel like checking it out.
There's bound to be a ton of new modern day Thundercats games made by fans using Unreal Engine 4 or Unity. with the characters modeled on Z-brush or Bleder beforehand even and ported over to powerful; videogame engine programs like Unreal Engine 4 or Unity etc.
Great episode. I did not know about these games. I loved thundercats when I was a kid.
loved thunder cats as a kid, it was a great time for action cartoons, also loved, He-Man, Transformers, i remember watching the first pilot episode, and thinking how amazing it was, and then going to school and all the kids talking about it.
Great video Larry, Thank's :o)
I'm a bit late to this party having come across this video today, thoroughly enjoyed it. Well researched & presented & nice bit of humour too, real interesting insight into part of my childhood. Many thanks!
Thundercats was acquired by viacom. The show failed because viacom was a failing concept.
Review scores in the old times were hilarious!
Ahhh, Anthropomorphic... one of my favourite words. Excellent vid Larry, Beyond the ICe Palace has one of my favourite ever soundtracks. Brilliant.
Ha, Thundercats! Loved that show when I was a kid... Never got to play the game though. Great video Larry!
Wait people actually gave thundercats reboot a fair try!?
Funfact the reason why the thundercats 2011 gotten terrible ratings have was due to cartoon Network constantly changing the shows schedule as it was intended to air on adult swim but was changed at the last minute as they thought that since thundercats was originally made only for children they should air the reboot at a time were children would be at school and fans of original who likely started families of their own would be at work. This would fuck up the show ratings which led to the cancellation of the show
Awesome video Larry, the amount of research you put into this is amazing.
Excellent video Larry.
This is another great example of managements trying to push games out for that Christmas deadline, and then panicking because they didn't have the time. No wonder why Elite are now only loosely associated with mobile phone games
They're doing a kickstarter to re-release a bluetooth keyboard shped like a Spectrum ATM.
Would be interesting to see if it is successful or not. If it did go through, it would make for an interesting retro meets 21st century gaming review :)
Trant007
You should look for articles about it! It's quite interesting.
***** Are you supporting the kickstarter for it?
Trant007
It's long finished, I never got a chance by the time I found out about it.
Fun video man. Its interesting to see how games get changed and retooled, and often also scrapped. Keep up the good work.
Very well done. Regardless of the topic, the analysis shows a deep insight into the inner workings of early video game development.
One of my favorite cartoons from the 80's
Great episode, thanks! Interesting to know that some Thundercats games actually did come out back in the day.
Absolutely brilliant video Larry! I learned so much and was extremely entertained throughout.