Story time!! When I was a little kid, I was obsessed with helicopters. I don't know why, but I was. So, when I saw demonstration of this game on NES in the electronic shop I knew I MUST have it. OIf only I knew... Silk Worm was probably on of the hardest games I have ever played on NES. I was able to complete it only several years later after buying it. I can't say I have especially fond memories about it - it's hard as nails and doesn't look and sound particularly enticing (why all levels in the game, except for the last one, have the same music?). But it is a competent game, so I give it that.
The Amiga version is one of my all time favourite games. I think it is actually better than the arcade version as the proportions of the graphics are more pleasing. You can see more around you with the screen being more wide than square and with everything being smaller, it is far less claustrophobic and actually fun to play unlike the coin-op :) Plus the music rocks and the explosion effects are still impressive.
I remember Silkworm being the first Amiga game I ever played when I was a young lad, and being blown away by the sound fx, the explosions etc... I think it still sounds cool today. Great retro memories :)
Retro Core Thanks. I really enjoyed the Amiga days, plus snes, megadrive/genesis. Unfortunately where I come from we never had the pc engine/turbografx but I'm going to watch your show on it now. Btw as a retro gamer I really appreciate the effort you put into this channel. It's like a timewarp for me. Cheers :)
Fantastic! I'll be sure to check it out. Back in the day I used to check out all the best SuperCD2 games in EGM but it was just still pictures then. Now thanks to youtube I can see alot of games I couldn't, including the FM Towns and the X68000 etc...
Cracking game, I have this on the Amiga and absolutely hammered it back in the day. It was a firm favourite with all my friends and we preferred it on the Amiga over the Arcade.
I loved it in the arcades and in my C64. Always wondered what was the purpose of the helmet's image in the intro but with the NES version it seems is the one that pilots use.
I think the best looking version is the arcade and Amiga version but i also like how the Spectrum version looks. in the case of the C64 port, i do love the smooth animations. i guess is too bad this game couldn't make it to home consoles like the PC-Engine, oh well i guess i'll make my own rendition of this game's theme with the soundchip of the PCE, i'm no expert at composing but i do like how the european versions made the song of this game less repetitive sounding.
Oh! I found out it's shmup, rather than shump that the kids say. It's SHoot 'eM UP :) So there's a 'schmuhp' sort of sound to the word. :) Great video as usual mate :)
Fun fact: The Sales Curves intended SWIV to be a spiritual successor to Silkworm. Silkworm was a strong influence for SWIV after all. I would love to see Battle of the Ports - SWIV video and hopefully enhanced SNES and MD versions are also included.
I remember seeing this for the first time on the Amiga at my local computer shop and being blown away. I didn't have many arcades near, well only one where the games were crap, and owning the ZX Speccy and playing on a mates C64 this is the first time i had seen true 16 bit graphics on a machine for the home. The C64 could do shoot em ups quite well too, always remember there was a game (or tool) that my mate bought, think it was called shoot em up construction kit.
+Vincent GR good to see retro gaming alive and kicking, like my modern games too, but sat down and played some streets of rage 2 last night for nostalgia and ended up sitting for a couple of hours. The C64 was probably the best 8 bit console for shoot em ups😉
Wow, that parallax scrolling in the C64 port surely is impressive. And - to be honest - it's quite surprising to see it in the Amiga game too, since it was usually the very first major feature to be axed, during the average arcade-to-Amiga transition.
+Retro Core I don't specifically remember the guy, but The Sales Curve in general were brilliant at porting arcade games to the Amiga. I think about Rodland, Indie Heat, Ninja Warriors, even Double Dragon 3... They were all pretty solid ports (DD3 was crap to begin with, so it should still count as a faithful conversion, right? XD).
Hehe, Double Dragon 3 was crap on everything but I do agree that a crappy game ported in equal crappy fashion should count as a good port. Now, if they some how made the awful DD3 a great game that would have been something special.
+Retro Core It was in the arcade at a resort my family stayed at for a summer every year when I was a kid. They had Silkworm, and samurai showdown. Those were the only two arcade machines there actually. Nobody else was ever in there so I didn't have to stop playing till my parents didn't give me anymore coins for that day. Lol
+Retro Core Excelent port for the Amiga and the C64 - played them both, and loved them. The Amiga is the definite port... Remember playing with a few people at a friends house - everyone would claim to be it's turn! Hope to see more good amiga ports - PANG, Rainbow islands, New Zealand Story and more...
Aaahh I was waiting for this! The CPC version has a trick, if you press T (I think) it renders half the field. Amiga version rocks! it even has software synthesis in music. C64 is fantastic.
The amiga port is very good, also I was impressed with the C64 port, but honestly I don't know how you play with the Amstrad and Sinclair ports and other games in general, those always look unplayable to me, maybe you, guru larry and other euro gamers from the 80s should get awarded with a special badge! :D
Retro Core haha yeah, well thinking about it, I don't think I could enjoy playin the same games when i was a little kid in 89-90, we had a 286 Ibm pc clone with monochrome yellow display with MSdos and no windows at all, only a GUI app called Desk mate hehehe, those times, the games I remember a little bit, gran prix, and prince of persia played kind of choppy, but snake and gorillas played well because they were more simple.
One of my favorite arcade games. I've had it on NES for years but would have killed for a Genesis/SNES port... That Amiga version owns. If it only had music!! Also, did you say the computer versions don't have tilt? Laaaaaaaaame.
+joystickjedi I think the home computers may have this feature but if the do it's going to be a button on the keyboard so it's unless since reaching over to press a keyboard button is not going to help in gameplay.
Retro Core I like how many of them get nice little additions too, like 1943, with it's upgrade system, and chargeable shot, or Gyruss and it's complete overhaul of the visuals and the addition of boss battles. All things the arcade games didn't have.
I've ever beat the Famicom version when I was seven or eight years old with helicopter, never tried this version before, looks cool! I forgot whether there's an X68000 version or not...mmm, totally forgot...maybe I got wrong.
+Retro Core but unfortunately, Sharp didn't make a fairly cheap and compatible home console using the same tech like FM-Towns and FM-Towns Marty......*sigh*
What a weird name for a shmup! Considering not all versions of this game have smooth scrolling screens as the game's name suggested (smooth as silk pun intended). Amiga & NES ports are somewhat great to me. For NES's 2P mode, is it co-op or another player has to take turn & wait until the 1st player dies?
The Atari st version is very choppy. The Amiga version is smooth. The nes version amazing for a 8 bit system. The c64 version is best of the 3 systems. The speccy version is ok and the Amstrad cpc is a dung ball
Silkworm on the arcade is not a great game. The helicopter is to big and has too low space on the narrow screen. Amiga version looks like better and more playable then the arcade. Nes and C64 looks like playable versions. Others are crap.
Story time!!
When I was a little kid, I was obsessed with helicopters. I don't know why, but I was. So, when I saw demonstration of this game on NES in the electronic shop I knew I MUST have it. OIf only I knew...
Silk Worm was probably on of the hardest games I have ever played on NES. I was able to complete it only several years later after buying it. I can't say I have especially fond memories about it - it's hard as nails and doesn't look and sound particularly enticing (why all levels in the game, except for the last one, have the same music?). But it is a competent game, so I give it that.
The Amiga version is one of my all time favourite games. I think it is actually better than the arcade version as the proportions of the graphics are more pleasing. You can see more around you with the screen being more wide than square and with everything being smaller, it is far less claustrophobic and actually fun to play unlike the coin-op :) Plus the music rocks and the explosion effects are still impressive.
Ahhhhhh! that wonderful Amiga version. :-) Many hours of 2 player fun with my mates on this one.... only topped by Battle Squadron in play time.
I remember Silkworm being the first Amiga game I ever played when I was a young lad, and being blown away by the sound fx, the explosions etc... I think it still sounds cool today. Great retro memories :)
You were lucky to start off on one of the very few good Amiga arcade ports.
Retro Core Thanks. I really enjoyed the Amiga days, plus snes, megadrive/genesis. Unfortunately where I come from we never had the pc engine/turbografx but I'm going to watch your show on it now. Btw as a retro gamer I really appreciate the effort you put into this channel. It's like a timewarp for me. Cheers :)
Craig Anderson cheers man. I'm glad you are enjoying the shows. I'll be publishing the P Engine CD Rom special next week.
Fantastic! I'll be sure to check it out. Back in the day I used to check out all the best SuperCD2 games in EGM but it was just still pictures then. Now thanks to youtube I can see alot of games I couldn't, including the FM Towns and the X68000 etc...
Cracking game, I have this on the Amiga and absolutely hammered it back in the day. It was a firm favourite with all my friends and we preferred it on the Amiga over the Arcade.
I loved it in the arcades and in my C64. Always wondered what was the purpose of the helmet's image in the intro but with the NES version it seems is the one that pilots use.
I think they just made up that NES intro :)
+Retro Core yep, pretty sure, but a good idea anyways
My favourite amiga shooter
At long last, Silkworm finally got an Arcade Archives treatment it deserves.
I think the best looking version is the arcade and Amiga version but i also like how the Spectrum version looks. in the case of the C64 port, i do love the smooth animations. i guess is too bad this game couldn't make it to home consoles like the PC-Engine, oh well i guess i'll make my own rendition of this game's theme with the soundchip of the PCE, i'm no expert at composing but i do like how the european versions made the song of this game less repetitive sounding.
Oh! I found out it's shmup, rather than shump that the kids say. It's SHoot 'eM UP :) So there's a 'schmuhp' sort of sound to the word. :) Great video as usual mate :)
I hate the way all game types have had their names changed :p I can't keep up.
Retro Core Tell me about it, FPS doesn't sound as good as Doom Clone. :p
+Bewareofthephil Yeah it was Shump back in the days, now it's shmup...
Carlos Bragatto stupid the way they change things,
+Retro Core but shmup sounds better and more reasonable than STG lol, I totally REFUSE to call them STG.
Fun fact: The Sales Curves intended SWIV to be a spiritual successor to Silkworm. Silkworm was a strong influence for SWIV after all.
I would love to see Battle of the Ports - SWIV video and hopefully enhanced SNES and MD versions are also included.
I remember seeing this for the first time on the Amiga at my local computer shop and being blown away.
I didn't have many arcades near, well only one where the games were crap, and owning the ZX Speccy and playing on a mates C64 this is the first time i had seen true 16 bit graphics on a machine for the home.
The C64 could do shoot em ups quite well too, always remember there was a game (or tool) that my mate bought, think it was called shoot em up construction kit.
Ah, the good old shoot'em up construction kits. I used to love using a Japanese one called Dazaemon. I had a Super Famicom and Saturn version.
+Craig Wilson They still produce games with SEUCK nowdays.
Lots of games btw, even they do contests.
+Vincent GR good to see retro gaming alive and kicking, like my modern games too, but sat down and played some streets of rage 2 last night for nostalgia and ended up sitting for a couple of hours. The C64 was probably the best 8 bit console for shoot em ups😉
A great game for the C64 that was so well put together, but like you said, in game music would have improved it even more
Wow, that parallax scrolling in the C64 port surely is impressive. And - to be honest - it's quite surprising to see it in the Amiga game too, since it was usually the very first major feature to be axed, during the average arcade-to-Amiga transition.
I think it's all to do with the quality programmer who worked on the Amiga port. Robert such had the skill to get the goods out of an Amiga.
+Retro Core I don't specifically remember the guy, but The Sales Curve in general were brilliant at porting arcade games to the Amiga. I think about Rodland, Indie Heat, Ninja Warriors, even Double Dragon 3... They were all pretty solid ports (DD3 was crap to begin with, so it should still count as a faithful conversion, right? XD).
Hehe, Double Dragon 3 was crap on everything but I do agree that a crappy game ported in equal crappy fashion should count as a good port. Now, if they some how made the awful DD3 a great game that would have been something special.
Did they do the ST port in STOS? Oof..
Omg! I spent so many quarters on this game when I was a kid. I had forgotten the name of it. Awesome!
I'd never actually seen it in the arcade before. That's why I have to thank mame for it.
+Retro Core I played a couple of times on the real machine, it was pretty common in arcades here in Argentina.
+Retro Core It was in the arcade at a resort my family stayed at for a summer every year when I was a kid. They had Silkworm, and samurai showdown. Those were the only two arcade machines there actually. Nobody else was ever in there so I didn't have to stop playing till my parents didn't give me anymore coins for that day. Lol
+Lord Alfajor it seems that this game was far more popular in the west than in Japan.
+Crono21 ah, they were the days. Holiday resort arcades :) for me they were always one of the biggest highlights.
The Amiga, NES, and C64 ports seem to be the best IMO. I remember playing the NES version a lot as a kid. Great choice of game for this episode.
I was quite impressed with the C64 version to be honest. From a distance it looks better than the NES.
Loved that the Amiga finally had a good version !
Yes, it's nice to see the Amiga getting a really good port for once.
+Retro Core Excelent port for the Amiga and the C64 - played them both, and loved them. The Amiga is the definite port... Remember playing with a few people at a friends house - everyone would claim to be it's turn!
Hope to see more good amiga ports - PANG, Rainbow islands, New Zealand Story and more...
+Retro Core By the way - that's the diference between an Amiga version and an ST port!
Never seen this before... Looks neat af
Aaahh I was waiting for this!
The CPC version has a trick, if you press T (I think) it renders half the field.
Amiga version rocks! it even has software synthesis in music.
C64 is fantastic.
Ooh, nice info on the CPC version. I'll give that a try just to see what it does.
Its a shame about the music on amiga but I can say that I like the graphics on it the most.
The amiga port is very good, also I was impressed with the C64 port, but honestly I don't know how you play with the Amstrad and Sinclair ports and other games in general, those always look unplayable to me, maybe you, guru larry and other euro gamers from the 80s should get awarded with a special badge! :D
+Leonardo hahaha, certainly don't enjoy playing most of those Spectrum and Amstrad games.
Retro Core
haha yeah, well thinking about it, I don't think I could enjoy playin the same games when i was a little kid in 89-90, we had a 286 Ibm pc clone with monochrome yellow display with MSdos and no windows at all, only a GUI app called Desk mate hehehe, those times, the games I remember a little bit, gran prix, and prince of persia played kind of choppy, but snake and gorillas played well because they were more simple.
At least you had Prince of Persian :) my first computer was a Commodore Plus 4.
That pc is a classic! I guess you learned some BASIC language too :D
Yes but I've forgotten it all now :)
One of my favorite arcade games. I've had it on NES for years but would have killed for a Genesis/SNES port... That Amiga version owns. If it only had music!! Also, did you say the computer versions don't have tilt? Laaaaaaaaame.
I think I said the NES allows you to tilt with ought moving but yeah, the computer versions don't allow you to do that as far as I know.
Weird. The arcade had a tilt button on the top of the stick, it also made the Jeep shoot behind it. The NES maps that to A which is a little awkward.
+joystickjedi I think the home computers may have this feature but if the do it's going to be a button on the keyboard so it's unless since reaching over to press a keyboard button is not going to help in gameplay.
by using up/down (amiga n speccy version for sure), you can move the jeep gun ... a bit tricky at beguining cause the same move make the jeep jumpin
Not surprised that the NES port is so good. That little system handles shmups like a champ.
It does have it'd fair share of quality shooters, that's for sure.
Retro Core I like how many of them get nice little additions too, like 1943, with it's upgrade system, and chargeable shot, or Gyruss and it's complete overhaul of the visuals and the addition of boss battles. All things the arcade games didn't have.
+Andrew Vrba that's true. I've not played many NES shooters compared to other systems but those I have played were always well done.
I love this game and play with the land vehicle owned it for the nes and play it like hell.
Playing with the Jeep can be good fun but it is much harder :)
I've ever beat the Famicom version when I was seven or eight years old with helicopter, never tried this version before, looks cool!
I forgot whether there's an X68000 version or not...mmm, totally forgot...maybe I got wrong.
+Tempest Ararat no, I don't think there was a X68000 version
Retro Core I always regard X68000 as home arcade, and surely IT IS. Many games on it are very similar to the arcade version...
Yeah, if you had a X68000 back in the day it would have been like owning your very own arcade. It was a very powerful system.
+Retro Core but unfortunately, Sharp didn't make a fairly cheap and compatible home console using the same tech like FM-Towns and FM-Towns Marty......*sigh*
It probably wasn't possible to be honest.
Like many people have said already, it's "shMup", not "shUmp".
2 certainties in life:
1.An Amstrad CPC conversion is going to be painfully slow..
2 Information on Wikipedia is likely to be utter, utter bullshit.
🤣
Dudes around my way use to finesse this shit with the jeep lol.. as a kid I figured choppers was better... nah
What a weird name for a shmup! Considering not all versions of this game have smooth scrolling screens as the game's name suggested (smooth as silk pun intended). Amiga & NES ports are somewhat great to me. For NES's 2P mode, is it co-op or another player has to take turn & wait until the 1st player dies?
The NES is co-op like all the other versions :)
Arcade is always the best.
did this get a famicom port or nes exclusive?
I think that was the second game.
Arcade is the best (graphically).
Yep, that is so true but then again it's probably not the best to play. I really like the NES version.
Danke from Russland!
You're welcome :)
The Atari st version is very choppy. The Amiga version is smooth. The nes version amazing for a 8 bit system. The c64 version is best of the 3 systems. The speccy version is ok and the Amstrad cpc is a dung ball
SHMUP. SH-MUP. Not Shump. Wtf?
It's none of those. The original word is shoot'em up.
Amiga version is a better game than the arcade.
Silkworm on the arcade is not a great game. The helicopter is to big and has too low space on the narrow screen. Amiga version looks like better and more playable then the arcade. Nes and C64 looks like playable versions. Others are crap.