Yeah, but it set you back $2500-3000, it was insanely expensive. while the Amiga 500 released the same year cost $699 and also had amazing looking games. $3000 in 1987 is equal to $8000 today. That is some seriously expensive hardware. What i find very interesting however, is how many quality games was made for the platform, the x68000 sold less tan 200.000 units, tiny numbers compared to the likes of Amiga 500, which sold 6 million. But yet, gaming companies kept making great looking games with awesome gameplay, it's almost unbelievable. Yet, here we are.
@@FabledGentleman A big chunk of the cost went into the build quality and featureset of the machine. Perhaps Sharp should have considered a cheap entry-level cost reduced version without all the extra fluff; MIDI, video-in genlock, motor-driven soft eject disk drives and so on.
In 1987, US PC owners were fumbling around with 16 on-screen colors and horrible PC speaker beeps (or AdLib sound if you were lucky). In Japan, you could have gotten a computer that could play Neo Geo quality shooters, near-perfect arcade ports, and 3D polygon mech games with amazing sound and music for the price of a mid-range PC compatible at the time. Man, IBM owners got ripped off.
The Sharpx68000 is practicaly the "Commodore Amiga of Japan". The Amiga had the same main Prozessor but other co processors and it was way cheeper then the x68000 (around 600$).It had way better GFX from the end of the 80s into the early 90s then any dos based PC back then.
PC also had support for MIDI (especially the Roland MT-32). A lot of games (especially those from Sierra and Origin Systems) supported it.Also, 1987 was when VGA hit the PC market, and the initial specification supported 256 colors at 320x240 (mode 13h). Of course, the biggest downfall of systems like the Sharp x68000 is that they weren't even remotely modular, so any changes to the way the system worked would break things. PCs tended to be weaker in the games department, but the architecture was abstract enough to support things being upgraded easily. Plus, once the 386 hit, it was pretty much over for all competing systems.
@YTCensorsMe Poop Apple IIs weren't a thing in 1987, except the Apple IIGS (which was a 16-bit machine). Everyone was migrating to Amigas, Atari STs, IBM compatibles, or Macs.
@YTCensorsMe Poop The Amiga has a massive assortment of specialized chips and is capable of some things that x68k simply can't do. You can't just compare the clock speeds of the main CPUs and conclude that the Sharp x68000 is more powerful.
You also have to take into account that the Sharp x68000, baseline, was more than twice the price of an Amiga. It wasn't a machine that the common Japanese person owned - it was more akin to owning a NeXT cube or an SGI workstation.
I don’t know if you mentioned this already, but Japanese fans’s nickname for the X68K was “The God Computer”, due to specs being ahead of its time compared to the other Japanese computers at the time; the Mega Drive wouldn’t be released until the following year. Capcom used the X68K as its development platform for their CPS 1 and 2 games; former Capcom composer Hiroaki Kondo’s nickname was “Hiroaki ‘X68K’ Kondo”.
Back to those days, I had Sharp X68000XVI Compact, 6MB RAM and MC68881 math co-processor module. Memorable games were, Gradius 2 Paradius Etoile Princess Street Fighter 2 Hiryu Stryder Geograph Seal Star Cruiser Overtake : The intro music is AWESOME. Sim Ants Marble Madness Final Fight Twin Bee series. There were several open source games, which I ported to X6800, such as Gnu Chess Nethack : Yes, all time favorite. :) Tips: 1) Since it had 6MB of RAM, I allocated several MB as disk cache, so, it reduced [floppy] disc access and smoother gaming experiences. 2) I installed a 'program; to NVRAM, which wil SLOOOW down the CPU clock, by pressing Interrupt button. Very useful during fighting with the "Boss" characters Sorry, I forgot the 'progam's name :) X68000 was a very versatile Personal Workstation, and I learnt alot about computing. Thank you, and Good bye... X68000.
Ok, I had the X68000XVI Compact for couple of years, 1992-1994, and I had a limited games title. So, it was 20 years ago's experiences :), but it still in my memory. Mostly I used to learn MC68000 assembly language, porting GNU and open source programs. I was using it as a 'workstation' more than as an arcade game's computer. Yes, there are Internet, those days, but not widely used as today. The most comman way to sharing was by newsgroup and email. There was also dialup BBS, conntected at blazing 4800baud. :) yes, 4800 baud. Games were sold using floopy discs media. either 5" or 3.5". For certain programs, you stil lcan download precompiled binary with the source code from newsgroup or FTP. We are lucky to have high speed bradband, and much powerful computer. I still able tou use the X68000's games/programs on emualtor, whith IMHO runs FAYSTER than the original hardware. :) Thanks for the comments and questions.
***** The internet wasn't even really a thing that it is now until the late 90s early 2000s. It was invented in the 60s-70s, but only connected like... 5 ivyleague colleges and that's it.
***** I have no clue why you don't think a perfectly reasonably answer is the truth. I hate to imagine your thoughts on the more eccentric happenings in reality.
I swear... it's episodes like this that make this THE best Video Game channel on TH-cam bar none! There really isn't anywhere else where you can get this quality of content for stuff this niche. It scratches my nerd itch in a way that no other channel can! That being said, Dave, we miss you! Come back to the show! It just isn't the same without you!
Game Sack is the best retrogaming show and this is one of the best episodes. Wouldn't be surprised if this episode creates and uptick with X68000 collecting and emulation.
This ep was definitely one of my favs. I've always been curious about these older computer systems and I learned a lot today. Thanks! Also, I love that the keyboard LEDs were in sync to the music in Cotton! Fantastic!
My inner tech support nerd had to muffle a "NOoooo!!" Though I bet the solution at the time was to simply "Copy that floppy". Gotta love the era when it was recommended to make multiple backup copies of your software to keep them from getting damaged.
TheThatEthanGuy It could've just been a prop, or an already ruined disc.. or maybe Joe took out the magnetic disc thing that spins inside the square enclosure so it would fold easier. But it looked like a "5'n a Half".
thanks guys for another great episode!! you guys are the best. The most consistent and high quality retro game review channel out there.very high production value and interesting. if you guys can't fit everything in 1 episode, maybe you could break it into parts? won't mind watching more of you guys!!
This is one my favorite systems. It's just a step below Fujitsu's FM Towns I feel, but that's not a strike against it.. i'd have been more than happy to have one back in the days I was lusting over the Super Gun system i'd never have. Excellent system synopsis here, hits almost everything.
Awesome, nothing better than pouring a cup of coffee, sitting down and seeing a new Game Sack on my TH-cam feed. You guys are great, thanks for all the cool and informative content. This is one of the coolest channels out there for sure.
Every time I watch a new video you guys post, the quality just keeps climbing higher and higher; definitely one of the most satisfying TH-cam channels to watch :)
The X6800 is one of the many reasons the Mister FPGA is such an amazing device... with how expensive X6800 units are now I would probably never have played it and its awesome library without the Mister.
Just when you thought Gamesack couldn't get any better you talk about and review the Sharp X68000. An awesome console/computer especially for ports of various Falcom and Konami games . A really rare system indeed and not cheap by any means but I would still love to own one thanks for the great episode guy's.
Oh! Okay that makes sense now! Yeah I remember those old replica motorcycle arcade games now. Thanks for the post. I had literally completely forgot what it was like to play in those things.
If you two did an extended version of your endings and turned it into a show, and I had thousands of dollars, I would turn it into my favorite show. Oh wait, you already have made my favorite 'show'. Hilariously informative every time. You guys are just great.
Dave is such a genuine and, if you will excuse my "feminine" statement, very sweet individual who always makes me happy to listen to, I just love his positivity and humor. Without him the show is still great and I admire Joe for taking on the entire job himself (and doing awesome) but at least we have a couple hundred or so Dave episodes to go back and enjoy when I start missing him too much. Thank you both so much for everything you guys have done for the gaming community!
I'm sure it's unintentional social blindness but there are some pretty funny moments where it seems like Joe is just a complete dick to Dave for no reason as though they don't like eachother. We're all weird nerds here I'm sure but it's especially prominent in these older vids.
Speaking of Jumping Flash, I'd like to see an "updated" version of it. Same polygon style, but with strafing or more modern fps controls(being able to see farther would be cool, too.) Is it just me, or were there very few games like Jumping Flash? And guys, I must say that the consideration y'all put in for the music is almost awe inspiring. You guys generally weigh in on the music on every game, and include clips in the reviews and even whole songs in the background! That's something that just strikes me every time I watch a Game Sack episode. "Late 80s/Early 90s upbeat video game music" should be a Genre.
to bad gamesack dont know shit about computers or back story of video games and videogame industry if they did they would be pc gamers and not consolefan boys that constantly bash on pc gaming
we do idiot all console games are made and devolped on pcs n macs dipshit and pc gaming was before consolegaming pc gaming dates back to 1950s that goes before copnsoles were even around dipshit
Just found you guys and I'm already enthralled. You guys are an awesome duo! You remind me of Mark from Classic Game Room and that's the highest compliment I can pay somebody.
Game Sack has quickly become my favorite gaming show on the Internet. It's introduced me to a ton of great games I otherwise would have never known about.
pfft then u know nothing watch poushing up roses and lgr there about classic pc gaming and console gaming not just nintendo and sega gaming see this is whyganesack fails in compairson to lgr and pushing up roses and ADG aka ancient dos games also check out metal jesus rocks and john hancock
wowzers! one of the biggest and best game sack episodes to date! i love it when you guys do obscure systems like this and the laseractive; you don't see that kind of content from many youtubers.
i've seen every episode of game sack and i found this one to be the most interesting of all. more retrospectives on hidden gem systems would be a great idea
This is the best presentation of X68000 i've seen on TH-cam.Well done guys! The system was expensive back then because it was quite advanced for its time and it's expensive now because it's relatively rare and many of its extra components and modules are really hard to find. So, you better off finding a good emulator and some disk 'images' if you want to experience the software first-hand.Yeah, i know "it's not the real thing", but you have to wonder if it's really worth it to pay good money for vintage hardware.
As usual great episode. I just had to watch it again. Im drawn to the X68000 for some strange reason, maybe its my love for old school Capcom and Konami games and they seem to show the X68000 a lot of love.Also I love the different midi devices . Thx again for a great episode, quality as always !!!
loved the review and loved that ending. lol, that's the 2nd time dave is more impressed by big clunky consoles with wires everywhere over the more practical systems. I CONSIDER YOU MY FRIEND NO MORE was 1 of my fav lines delivered in the past on this show, lol
''The X68000 leaves almost no table space available therefore you know this system is serious about the games it plays [...] The power consumption alone is probably more than any other appliance in the home what a great system''
Terrific episode, guys. I had never really read much about this system, and it was great to see the bevy of quality games available for it. This was some of your best work!
Game Sack Where's Vagrant Fighter FX, Goddess' Blazon, Tatakae! Konyanko Comike 47, Tatakae! Konyanko Comike 46, Tatakae! Konyanko Comike EX, Jotei Senki 1: Queen Edition, Jotei Senki 2: Legend of Heroines, Jotei Senki 3: Queen of Fighters, Jotei Senki 4: Heroines Forever, Megami De Pon and more games for obscure fighting games?
Great episode, I've heard of the X68000 but never really looked into it so this was a great overview for me, a lot of these games have really great soundtracks. Was funny seeing the little touches the developers did like the musical keyboard lights.
Wow, seems like the X68000 is a great gaming set up. This video really highlights how amazing older video game soundtracks are especially compared to the shitty soulless and unmemorable soundtracks of most modern games.
I agree. The X68000 had a lot of great music. These days games want to be scored like movies and they're no longer games but instead interactive adventures. That's fine but I like games more.
Well put. That's probably a much better description. I feel like I spend more time watching than playing, which is fine but not exactly what constitutes as a "game" to me.
The last year I have been playing emulators on my Wii more than anything else! So you are right, to me old games were the best. The only thing I wish I could have is a Roland M32 Midi player!
Was just reading up on the NEC PC's of the era, and the FM Towns, then got stick in a wiki loop and ended up reading about this x68000 and what do I see on my feed! Nice one.
More like enhancements than changes. They are similar enough that you recognize one game is based on the other. Salamander is just a more fleshed out version of the same game. I can't remember which came first, though... I wanna say that Life Force was a port of Salamander from the arcades.
+FallicIdol Salamander was the first version (and actually only in Japan appaered and some versions with the name like the C64, MSX and among others) Life Force had 2 versions. 1st is the American Arcade, which more or less is a very bad Salamander edit. 2nd was the Japanese arcade (and where most ports are based off) is a more vivid and very good edit of Salamander with most enemies and sprites totally reworked (except level 4 and 6 which are not really edited) also features a "Gradius Power-up" System, so you need to pick power-capsules just like Gradius, when in Salamander the power-up automatically appaer. Most ports are based off as the Japanese Life Force port (NES for example) but major part of the time are called "Salamander" even if they are not based upon really in the Salamander weapon system (yep, is a mess lol)
You know what, I'm just going to go overboard on this video and gush about how much I love Gamesack. Seriously, if this kind of "show" existed when I was younger it would be my favorite TV program of all time. These guys show us gluts of awesome games and provide a little bit of opinion and comedy to go with it. It's informative, entertaining, and fun. The internet has jaded me to the point where it almost feels heretical to just publish fawning praise and appreciation out of nowhere but I really do look forward to each episode of gamesack as a very special thing. You gents rock! PS: Has dave lost weight?
Thanks man that's a great compliment. I have lost weight in the past. I've slowly gained a little bit back. I've got to get it in check now! No more donuts!
this was a great video, I've seen these and other similar japanese only PCs mentioned in other videos and reviews but nothing really indepth that gives me a good feel as to what the system was like before this. Also both the "review" of The Cockpit and that final bonus like scene had me laughing so hard I was crying.
Great video guys. We covered the Sharp X68000 in our second issue and the fans have responded quite well. Loved the expanded coverage you were able to give- especially seeing the games in action.
Awesome review about the most impressive PC of the late 80s. You're explanations are really good and the video is pretty cool edited. You gained a new sub, congratulations! I'll gonna check your other videos.
I thought I'd heard of every system out there and you guys pull this one out! Admit it guys you just made this up to fool smart asses like me who think we've seen it all! Awesome system and great video keep it up guys!
Yes it's a big fabrication and we thought we would do our April fools joke super early this year. APRIL FOOLS! Ha! The X68000 is real and it's awesome. I just wish I had the money to own one. Oh and Thanks for watching.
Great episode! A couple bits of trivia you might not know: - Akazukin Chachacha is actually based on the popular manga and anime franchise, Akazukin Chacha, with "Akazukin" being the Japanese name for Red Riding Hood. - Star Trader's music is awesome because Star Trader was developed by Falcom, the makers of the Ys games. It is, in fact, the ONLY shmup Falcom has ever made in their entire history as a company -- and they've been around since 1981! You can hear an '80s glam rock-style vocal version of the title theme on their album "Falcom JDK Band 1," under the name "Go Fight," and this same track was also used as the theme song to the recent Falcom Gakuen anime series.
Wow, the form factor on those is great. The way it's styled has also held up amazing well. It looks like something that could be released now and it would look absolutely normal provided the I/O is updated.
I was just thinking about this system the other day...and of course Game Sack covers it, with their impeccable timing and tastes in gaming. Nice coverage of so many games here...I envy you guys. I'd like to pick up some games just for the sake of collecting...the actual hardware, however, will have to wait...$$$ Nice skit at the end, as usual. I found myself chuckling even more than all your other episodes, probably because of the intentionally bad voice over(with Dave, though, you have to wonder if it was intentional...XD).
This was a great video. I had heard of the Sharp X68000, mostly because of the PSX port of the X68000 Castlevania game, but I didn't know much about it. I love learning so much about a gaming platform I basically knew nothing about previously.
The reason Hang-On's menu options are like that is because it's an arcade port of the motorbike sit-down cabinet with fully functioning throttle grip. The B button is emulating the throttle, that's why it carries momentum. There's also a time limit because....it's an arcade port! You can't sit there forever scrolling through letters.
I'd love to see a MSX episode, as it was the home of the first games of the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Also I've heard the MSX was used as guiding system for the missiles of the Brazilian army. That's a very warring computer right there.
Jere Aho That was actually fairly reasonable for a fully functioning high-end PC around that time. I remember the first computer we got so my dad could work from home was an IBM that cost $3300. It was before 3D accelerator cards were common too, that would've been several hundred more dollars back when those things first became popular.
+Jere Aho My family's first computer ran for a little less than that. Things were crazy back in the day. And that computer is weaker than my cell phone today. Crazy when you think about it.
+Jere Aho that's what high end computers cost even today. at the time this was the ultimate console, which is also true of any 3k P.C. today face it 3k worth of P.C. will blow the doors clean off of any current gen console ever since then you know.
Absolutely. MANY Japanese game developers used the X68000 as a development tool, and watered down the specs a bit. Capcom often watered down the graphics (12 bit from 16 bit colour), Konami would water down the processor (and use a customized Motorola 6809 derivative). Sega itself watered down the specs in order to create the Mega Drive/Genesis hardware to the point where the masses could afford their arcade games on a console, but one could tell the sound and graphics quality werent the same as their arcade counterparts.
Heads up on the UI controls in Super Hang-On. They are the same on the XBLA port. So it appears they ported the UI controls instead of re-inventing them, which would explain why buttons were used: The D-Pad would map onto steering (leaning) the physical bike in the arcade, whereas the buttons would map onto gas and break, easier to use for UI in an arcade.
"Silky-smooth buttery voices" that's true, Dave! I just start Game Sack on continuous play and sleep at night! The nights when I have disruptive thoughts and other ways of insomnia. Since I'm not a native English-speaker the whole bunch converts to an unending videogame lullaby! The worst part is when you make a really turned up volume level in endings... But I got used even to that.
Thanks for sharing this! I didn't know too much about the Sharp X68000 before, so this video is much appreciated. Informative and hilarious as always. I'm impressed with the system, not just for what it's capable of, but the sound options are amazing too.
You guys never skimp on info and games when covering a console. You cater to folks who like all genres. Also best f/x and capture for youtube retro game channel. Keep it up.
Must admit that I'm at least somewhat surprised we didn't see this bad boy get a PAL release, given the popularity of the Amiga and Atari ST over there. This looks like a hell of a lot more capable machine than the ST at the very least.
I think there wasn't enough of a market in Europe for a $3000 hi-end home computer. The reason Amiga 500 and Atari ST were so popular was in no small part because of their rather affordable prices (and the ability to copy (pirate) all games).
You guys are cool. I recommend you redo your intro to include all the consoles you guys have. It'd be so much more awesome if you did. You guys have such Clean editing though. It's very impressive. Awesome job, Game Sack.
Got the pleasure of seeing one in person at the Long Island gaming expo this weekend. First with the sharp RGB monitor the visual clarity is striking. The colors and crisp lines made me doubt my eyes. With the midi sound setup the sound is rich full and bassy. This thing is definitely one of the ultimate ways to play good 16 bit goodness. I only wish the game library was more padded out. But if you got money to burn and like to tinker then get one.
Most games on the X68000 were also in arcades, or got ported to the Sega Genesis and/or SNES. One of the advantages the Genesis had over the SNES was that multi platform games played better on a Genesis mostly because of how many computers used the Motorola 68000 processor and a Yamaha sound chip.
![[TH] JFT vs RLF - VCT Ascension Pacific - Day 2](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PuIH7w_jO6c/mqdefault.jpg)
It's hard to believe graphics like this were available at home so early. These are arcade quality. Amazing.
Yeah, but it set you back $2500-3000, it was insanely expensive. while the Amiga 500 released the same year cost $699 and also had amazing looking games. $3000 in 1987 is equal to $8000 today. That is some seriously expensive hardware. What i find very interesting however, is how many quality games was made for the platform, the x68000 sold less tan 200.000 units, tiny numbers compared to the likes of Amiga 500, which sold 6 million. But yet, gaming companies kept making great looking games with awesome gameplay, it's almost unbelievable. Yet, here we are.
@@FabledGentleman A big chunk of the cost went into the build quality and featureset of the machine. Perhaps Sharp should have considered a cheap entry-level cost reduced version without all the extra fluff; MIDI, video-in genlock, motor-driven soft eject disk drives and so on.
In 1987, US PC owners were fumbling around with 16 on-screen colors and horrible PC speaker beeps (or AdLib sound if you were lucky). In Japan, you could have gotten a computer that could play Neo Geo quality shooters, near-perfect arcade ports, and 3D polygon mech games with amazing sound and music for the price of a mid-range PC compatible at the time. Man, IBM owners got ripped off.
The Sharpx68000 is practicaly the "Commodore Amiga of Japan". The Amiga had the same main Prozessor but other co processors and it was way cheeper then the x68000 (around 600$).It had way better GFX from the end of the 80s into the early 90s then any dos based PC back then.
PC also had support for MIDI (especially the Roland MT-32). A lot of games (especially those from Sierra and Origin Systems) supported it.Also, 1987 was when VGA hit the PC market, and the initial specification supported 256 colors at 320x240 (mode 13h). Of course, the biggest downfall of systems like the Sharp x68000 is that they weren't even remotely modular, so any changes to the way the system worked would break things. PCs tended to be weaker in the games department, but the architecture was abstract enough to support things being upgraded easily. Plus, once the 386 hit, it was pretty much over for all competing systems.
@YTCensorsMe Poop Apple IIs weren't a thing in 1987, except the Apple IIGS (which was a 16-bit machine). Everyone was migrating to Amigas, Atari STs, IBM compatibles, or Macs.
@YTCensorsMe Poop The Amiga has a massive assortment of specialized chips and is capable of some things that x68k simply can't do. You can't just compare the clock speeds of the main CPUs and conclude that the Sharp x68000 is more powerful.
You also have to take into account that the Sharp x68000, baseline, was more than twice the price of an Amiga. It wasn't a machine that the common Japanese person owned - it was more akin to owning a NeXT cube or an SGI workstation.
I don’t know if you mentioned this already, but Japanese fans’s nickname for the X68K was “The God Computer”, due to specs being ahead of its time compared to the other Japanese computers at the time; the Mega Drive wouldn’t be released until the following year.
Capcom used the X68K as its development platform for their CPS 1 and 2 games; former Capcom composer Hiroaki Kondo’s nickname was “Hiroaki ‘X68K’ Kondo”.
oh man, going back to a video with Dave sure gets you in the feels..... miss you man!!!!!
Back to those days, I had Sharp X68000XVI Compact, 6MB RAM and MC68881 math co-processor module.
Memorable games were,
Gradius 2
Paradius
Etoile Princess
Street Fighter 2
Hiryu Stryder
Geograph Seal
Star Cruiser
Overtake : The intro music is AWESOME.
Sim Ants
Marble Madness
Final Fight
Twin Bee series.
There were several open source games, which I ported to X6800, such as
Gnu Chess
Nethack : Yes, all time favorite. :)
Tips:
1) Since it had 6MB of RAM, I allocated several MB as disk cache, so, it reduced [floppy] disc access and smoother gaming experiences.
2) I installed a 'program; to NVRAM, which wil SLOOOW down the CPU clock, by pressing Interrupt button. Very useful during fighting with the "Boss" characters Sorry, I forgot the 'progam's name :)
X68000 was a very versatile Personal Workstation, and I learnt alot about computing.
Thank you, and Good bye... X68000.
*****
1 question:
how hard are you trolling right now?
Ok, I had the X68000XVI Compact for couple of years, 1992-1994, and I had a limited games title.
So, it was 20 years ago's experiences :), but it still in my memory. Mostly I used to learn MC68000 assembly language, porting GNU and open source programs. I was using it as a 'workstation' more than as an arcade game's computer.
Yes, there are Internet, those days, but not widely used as today. The most comman way to sharing was by newsgroup and email. There was also dialup BBS, conntected at blazing 4800baud. :) yes, 4800 baud.
Games were sold using floopy discs media. either 5" or 3.5". For certain programs, you stil lcan download precompiled binary with the source code from newsgroup or FTP.
We are lucky to have high speed bradband, and much powerful computer. I still able tou use the X68000's games/programs on emualtor, whith IMHO runs FAYSTER than the original hardware. :)
Thanks for the comments and questions.
Are there any English resources for programming for it?
***** The internet wasn't even really a thing that it is now until the late 90s early 2000s. It was invented in the 60s-70s, but only connected like... 5 ivyleague colleges and that's it.
***** I have no clue why you don't think a perfectly reasonably answer is the truth. I hate to imagine your thoughts on the more eccentric happenings in reality.
Here in 2020. One of favorite episodes still
I swear... it's episodes like this that make this THE best Video Game channel on TH-cam bar none! There really isn't anywhere else where you can get this quality of content for stuff this niche. It scratches my nerd itch in a way that no other channel can! That being said, Dave, we miss you! Come back to the show! It just isn't the same without you!
Game Sack is the best retrogaming show and this is one of the best episodes. Wouldn't be surprised if this episode creates and uptick with X68000 collecting and emulation.
This ep was definitely one of my favs. I've always been curious about these older computer systems and I learned a lot today. Thanks!
Also, I love that the keyboard LEDs were in sync to the music in Cotton! Fantastic!
Cracked me up when he folded that floppy disk. lol
My inner tech support nerd had to muffle a "NOoooo!!" Though I bet the solution at the time was to simply "Copy that floppy". Gotta love the era when it was recommended to make multiple backup copies of your software to keep them from getting damaged.
DEFkon001 ...So that was an actual floppy disk that he folded? I thought it was rubber! XD
TheThatEthanGuy It could've just been a prop, or an already ruined disc.. or maybe Joe took out the magnetic disc thing that spins inside the square enclosure so it would fold easier. But it looked like a "5'n a Half".
It looks like he simply took a floppy cardboard sleeve.
I cringed so hard
thanks guys for another great episode!! you guys are the best. The most consistent and high quality retro game review channel out there.very high production value and interesting. if you guys can't fit everything in 1 episode, maybe you could break it into parts? won't mind watching more of you guys!!
This is one my favorite systems. It's just a step below Fujitsu's FM Towns I feel, but that's not a strike against it.. i'd have been more than happy to have one back in the days I was lusting over the Super Gun system i'd never have.
Excellent system synopsis here, hits almost everything.
Awesome, nothing better than pouring a cup of coffee, sitting down and seeing a new Game Sack on my TH-cam feed. You guys are great, thanks for all the cool and informative content. This is one of the coolest channels out there for sure.
love that they always have long videos these guys
Every time I watch a new video you guys post, the quality just keeps climbing higher and higher; definitely one of the most satisfying TH-cam channels to watch :)
The X6800 is one of the many reasons the Mister FPGA is such an amazing device... with how expensive X6800 units are now I would probably never have played it and its awesome library without the Mister.
X68000 (echo included) is The Neo Geo of computers !
Just when you thought Gamesack couldn't get any better you talk about and review the Sharp X68000. An awesome console/computer especially for ports of various Falcom and Konami games . A really rare system indeed and not cheap by any means but I would still love to own one thanks for the great episode guy's.
I see systems like this and am really thankful for emulation. Japan exclusive and floppy based? Wallet am cry!
I'm a collector but some things are just worth emulating to both save money and especially the space.
A lot of those games like “Etoile Princesse”, “Mad Stalker”, and “Aqua Lez” look gorgeous! Especially for the time period!
The Super Hang-On name entry screen is like that because it's based on the arcade machine, which was a replica motorbike and had no d-pad.
Oh! Okay that makes sense now!
Yeah I remember those old replica motorcycle arcade games now. Thanks for the post. I had literally completely forgot what it was like to play in those things.
If you two did an extended version of your endings and turned it into a show, and I had thousands of dollars, I would turn it into my favorite show. Oh wait, you already have made my favorite 'show'. Hilariously informative every time. You guys are just great.
Dave is such a genuine and, if you will excuse my "feminine" statement, very sweet individual who always makes me happy to listen to, I just love his positivity and humor. Without him the show is still great and I admire Joe for taking on the entire job himself (and doing awesome) but at least we have a couple hundred or so Dave episodes to go back and enjoy when I start missing him too much. Thank you both so much for everything you guys have done for the gaming community!
I'm sure it's unintentional social blindness but there are some pretty funny moments where it seems like Joe is just a complete dick to Dave for no reason as though they don't like eachother. We're all weird nerds here I'm sure but it's especially prominent in these older vids.
Lol in the previous episode he said joe had nutz on his chin
excellent video!
I always had an interest in the x68000 thanks to the great konami arcade ports.
Game Sack, you continue to amaze me! You've become an awesome part of my Sunday mornings. Can't wait to see what's next.
Remember kids,
"Losers don't play the cockpit!"
I never heard of this thing but I was very impressed. This is the reason I love this channel, I see the obscure and its a blast to watch. Thanks guys
Can you do an episode about games that bankrupted developers or nearly did ?
That'd be AMAZING!!!
Good idea
22:40
This is one of the coolest things I've seen.
yeah that’s super neat lol
We need more game systems that light up in sync to the music!
My 4 month old son really enjoyed watching this on my tablet. You guys have a fan.
Speaking of Jumping Flash, I'd like to see an "updated" version of it. Same polygon style, but with strafing or more modern fps controls(being able to see farther would be cool, too.) Is it just me, or were there very few games like Jumping Flash?
And guys, I must say that the consideration y'all put in for the music is almost awe inspiring. You guys generally weigh in on the music on every game, and include clips in the reviews and even whole songs in the background! That's something that just strikes me every time I watch a Game Sack episode. "Late 80s/Early 90s upbeat video game music" should be a Genre.
I miss the days of giant computer game boxes with all sorts of goodies inside.
Now you have to pay extra...
+JLConawayII Now game cases just seem sooo... empty...
to bad gamesack dont know shit about computers or back story of video games and videogame industry if they did they would be pc gamers and not consolefan boys that constantly bash on pc gaming
Retrogaming Insanity Yeah cos PC gamers know more about the history of gaming...have you been drinking?! lol
we do idiot all console games are made and devolped on pcs n macs dipshit and pc gaming was before consolegaming pc gaming dates back to 1950s that goes before copnsoles were even around dipshit
Another interesting console review with Joe and Dave's silky smooth voices.
Just found you guys and I'm already enthralled.
You guys are an awesome duo! You remind me of Mark from Classic Game Room and that's the highest compliment I can pay somebody.
yea, Joe reminds me of Mark because they are both huge Sega fanboys. but really, who isnt?
Game Sack has quickly become my favorite gaming show on the Internet. It's introduced me to a ton of great games I otherwise would have never known about.
***** Same here. I'm sad that I binge-watched just about every episode, so I'm re watching them! Love this channel!
pfft then u know nothing watch poushing up roses and lgr there about classic pc gaming and console gaming not just nintendo and sega gaming see this is whyganesack fails in compairson to lgr and pushing up roses and ADG aka ancient dos games also check out metal jesus rocks and john hancock
butthurt because someone doesnt enjoy the same channel as you do?
Really like the way you spell étoile princesse!! VERY good vidéo as usual, Many thanks!! Greetings from France, Stéphan
wowzers! one of the biggest and best game sack episodes to date! i love it when you guys do obscure systems like this and the laseractive; you don't see that kind of content from many youtubers.
Screw modern konami, we need old konami!
?
#FuckTodayKonami
Old Konami was the best Konami.
Castlevania sequels chronical the deterioration of Konami ... there is still hope, but it is slim.
Wow. What a hot take. "Everyone" loves pachinko machines and hates actual games.
Your opinion is so unorthodox and radical.
Who needs a Xbox One when you could have a Sharp X68000?!?!
i've seen every episode of game sack and i found this one to be the most interesting of all. more retrospectives on hidden gem systems would be a great idea
this is one of those PCs I'd love to get. It seems like an amazing system for its day
It's an awesome system, the games look pretty amazing and fun, the graphics are top notch for its time
This is the best presentation of X68000 i've seen on TH-cam.Well done guys!
The system was expensive back then because it was quite advanced for its time and it's expensive now because it's relatively rare and many of its extra components and modules are really hard to find.
So, you better off finding a good emulator and some disk 'images' if you want to experience the software first-hand.Yeah, i know "it's not the real thing", but you have to wonder if it's really worth it to pay good money for vintage hardware.
As usual great episode. I just had to watch it again. Im drawn to the X68000 for some strange reason, maybe its my love for old school Capcom and Konami games and they seem to show the X68000 a lot of love.Also I love the different midi devices . Thx again for a great episode, quality as always !!!
loved the review and loved that ending. lol, that's the 2nd time dave is more impressed by big clunky consoles with wires everywhere over the more practical systems. I CONSIDER YOU MY FRIEND NO MORE was 1 of my fav lines delivered in the past on this show, lol
''The X68000 leaves almost no table space available therefore you know this system is serious about the games it plays [...] The power consumption alone is probably more than any other appliance in the home what a great system''
Change x68000 to xbox one and it's about the same
X68000 Consumer about the same power as the air conditioner
Hello, its 2022 here. This episode is still very cool to this day. Thank you and all the best
A chill went down my spine when you folded up that floppy disk :-(.
Terrific episode, guys. I had never really read much about this system, and it was great to see the bevy of quality games available for it. This was some of your best work!
was actually just watching a few older gamesack episodes waiting for this to be posted, pumped to start watching!
This is incredible. I don’t have any idea how you ever got your hands on that beauty from the past 😍
I love you guys. These videos are what I always wanted to see on youtube. I hope the copyright police never touch you.
So far so good! :)
Game Sack Where's Vagrant Fighter FX, Goddess' Blazon, Tatakae! Konyanko Comike 47, Tatakae! Konyanko Comike 46, Tatakae! Konyanko Comike EX, Jotei Senki 1: Queen Edition, Jotei Senki 2: Legend of Heroines, Jotei Senki 3: Queen of Fighters, Jotei Senki 4: Heroines Forever, Megami De Pon and more games for obscure fighting games?
Great episode, I've heard of the X68000 but never really looked into it so this was a great overview for me, a lot of these games have really great soundtracks. Was funny seeing the little touches the developers did like the musical keyboard lights.
Wow, seems like the X68000 is a great gaming set up. This video really highlights how amazing older video game soundtracks are especially compared to the shitty soulless and unmemorable soundtracks of most modern games.
I agree. The X68000 had a lot of great music. These days games want to be scored like movies and they're no longer games but instead interactive adventures. That's fine but I like games more.
Well put. That's probably a much better description. I feel like I spend more time watching than playing, which is fine but not exactly what constitutes as a "game" to me.
Game Sack
Not enough likes in the world for this comment. That's been my problem with games for years.
The last year I have been playing emulators on my Wii more than anything else! So you are right, to me old games were the best. The only thing I wish I could have is a Roland M32 Midi player!
Well there is an emulator call Munt which emulates the MT-32, but you will need to download the rom files.
Was just reading up on the NEC PC's of the era, and the FM Towns, then got stick in a wiki loop and ended up reading about this x68000 and what do I see on my feed! Nice one.
Great video! You guys are great fun together, the ending is hilarious too. Keep it up!
We need a gif of Dave playing Marble Madness.
Game Sack makes me happy!!!
Production is obviously top notch and each GS is just so f'n relaxing to watch!
Jeez....this was more advanced than the damn PC I bought in 1992.
That's why your peasant ass grew up on 8-bit nintendo and shitty Dos.
@@ajsingh4545hahahaha Sir you are a moron
Salamander was called "Life Force" in north America. I played it on NES and LOVED it.
There actually are some differences between Life Force and Salamander.
Were they significant changes? I was never very good at Life Force. Liked it though.
More like enhancements than changes. They are similar enough that you recognize one game is based on the other. Salamander is just a more fleshed out version of the same game. I can't remember which came first, though... I wanna say that Life Force was a port of Salamander from the arcades.
+FallicIdol
Salamander was the first version (and actually only in Japan appaered and some versions with the name like the C64, MSX and among others)
Life Force had 2 versions.
1st is the American Arcade, which more or less is a very bad Salamander edit.
2nd was the Japanese arcade (and where most ports are based off) is a more vivid and very good edit of Salamander with most enemies and sprites totally reworked (except level 4 and 6 which are not really edited) also features a "Gradius Power-up" System, so you need to pick power-capsules just like Gradius, when in Salamander the power-up automatically appaer.
Most ports are based off as the Japanese Life Force port (NES for example) but major part of the time are called "Salamander" even if they are not based upon really in the Salamander weapon system (yep, is a mess lol)
Thanks all. You guys rock
You know what, I'm just going to go overboard on this video and gush about how much I love Gamesack. Seriously, if this kind of "show" existed when I was younger it would be my favorite TV program of all time.
These guys show us gluts of awesome games and provide a little bit of opinion and comedy to go with it. It's informative, entertaining, and fun.
The internet has jaded me to the point where it almost feels heretical to just publish fawning praise and appreciation out of nowhere but I really do look forward to each episode of gamesack as a very special thing.
You gents rock!
PS: Has dave lost weight?
Thanks! And yes Dave is losing weight and I think I might be gaining. :(
Thanks man that's a great compliment. I have lost weight in the past. I've slowly gained a little bit back. I've got to get it in check now! No more donuts!
this was a great video, I've seen these and other similar japanese only PCs mentioned in other videos and reviews but nothing really indepth that gives me a good feel as to what the system was like before this. Also both the "review" of The Cockpit and that final bonus like scene had me laughing so hard I was crying.
Great video guys. We covered the Sharp X68000 in our second issue and the fans have responded quite well. Loved the expanded coverage you were able to give- especially seeing the games in action.
Awesome review about the most impressive PC of the late 80s. You're explanations are really good and the video is pretty cool edited.
You gained a new sub, congratulations! I'll gonna check your other videos.
I wouldn't get to see obscure stuff like this without you guys! I don't think it's for me though. Love the "after the credits" scene as usual.
I thought I'd heard of every system out there and you guys pull this one out! Admit it guys you just made this up to fool smart asses like me who think we've seen it all! Awesome system and great video keep it up guys!
Yes it's a big fabrication and we thought we would do our April fools joke super early this year. APRIL FOOLS! Ha! The X68000 is real and it's awesome. I just wish I had the money to own one. Oh and Thanks for watching.
@@tetrisdave 😀
Great episode! A couple bits of trivia you might not know:
- Akazukin Chachacha is actually based on the popular manga and anime franchise, Akazukin Chacha, with "Akazukin" being the Japanese name for Red Riding Hood.
- Star Trader's music is awesome because Star Trader was developed by Falcom, the makers of the Ys games. It is, in fact, the ONLY shmup Falcom has ever made in their entire history as a company -- and they've been around since 1981! You can hear an '80s glam rock-style vocal version of the title theme on their album "Falcom JDK Band 1," under the name "Go Fight," and this same track was also used as the theme song to the recent Falcom Gakuen anime series.
I hope you guys do a PC-98 episode soon
Wow, the form factor on those is great. The way it's styled has also held up amazing well. It looks like something that could be released now and it would look absolutely normal provided the I/O is updated.
I was just thinking about this system the other day...and of course Game Sack covers it, with their impeccable timing and tastes in gaming. Nice coverage of so many games here...I envy you guys. I'd like to pick up some games just for the sake of collecting...the actual hardware, however, will have to wait...$$$
Nice skit at the end, as usual. I found myself chuckling even more than all your other episodes, probably because of the intentionally bad voice over(with Dave, though, you have to wonder if it was intentional...XD).
Hey! I was trying my hardest.............to be bad.
David White
For the sake of your fans, I can only hope that you try even HARDER next episode. ;)
The Sega CD32x, the Sharp x68000, the neo geo cd, doesn't matter what variation of this skit i see, i will still laugh a lot.
That skit at the end was amazing. Y'all are modern masters of deadpan.
This was a great video. I had heard of the Sharp X68000, mostly because of the PSX port of the X68000 Castlevania game, but I didn't know much about it. I love learning so much about a gaming platform I basically knew nothing about previously.
The reason Hang-On's menu options are like that is because it's an arcade port of the motorbike sit-down cabinet with fully functioning throttle grip. The B button is emulating the throttle, that's why it carries momentum. There's also a time limit because....it's an arcade port! You can't sit there forever scrolling through letters.
I'd love to see a MSX episode, as it was the home of the first games of the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Also I've heard the MSX was used as guiding system for the missiles of the Brazilian army. That's a very warring computer right there.
What an awesome episode! I keep on getting back to this one every few weeks hoping that someday I could own one of those beasts.
Originally $3000US! Holy shit, I hope it gave you a happy ending at least
Jere Aho That was actually fairly reasonable for a fully functioning high-end PC around that time. I remember the first computer we got so my dad could work from home was an IBM that cost $3300. It was before 3D accelerator cards were common too, that would've been several hundred more dollars back when those things first became popular.
Jere Aho This system was your father's PC Master Race. I kinda want one now. :P
+Jere Aho My family's first computer ran for a little less than that. Things were crazy back in the day. And that computer is weaker than my cell phone today. Crazy when you think about it.
+Jason Quinn weaker than a cubic centimetre of your phone
+Jere Aho that's what high end computers cost even today. at the time this was the ultimate console, which is also true of any 3k P.C. today face it 3k worth of P.C. will blow the doors clean off of any current gen console ever since then you know.
Wow, more power consumption than ANY other electronic in my house! Where can I buy this expensive thing?!??
Your dryer and your space heater are whining that you completely forgot about them.
I freaking love these guys!
Thanks for this great look at a computer I knew nothing about.
This thing cost four Amiga 500s. Way too much for a gaming system, but you do get arcade quality games.
Absolutely.
MANY Japanese game developers used the X68000 as a development tool, and watered down the specs a bit. Capcom often watered down the graphics (12 bit from 16 bit colour), Konami would water down the processor (and use a customized Motorola 6809 derivative). Sega itself watered down the specs in order to create the Mega Drive/Genesis hardware to the point where the masses could afford their arcade games on a console, but one could tell the sound and graphics quality werent the same as their arcade counterparts.
Heads up on the UI controls in Super Hang-On. They are the same on the XBLA port. So it appears they ported the UI controls instead of re-inventing them, which would explain why buttons were used: The D-Pad would map onto steering (leaning) the physical bike in the arcade, whereas the buttons would map onto gas and break, easier to use for UI in an arcade.
For what's it's worth, Mad Stalker on PC Engine is same game (with minor changes to stage design), but with better graphics.
"Silky-smooth buttery voices" that's true, Dave! I just start Game Sack on continuous play and sleep at night! The nights when I have disruptive thoughts and other ways of insomnia. Since I'm not a native English-speaker the whole bunch converts to an unending videogame lullaby!
The worst part is when you make a really turned up volume level in endings... But I got used even to that.
FM Towns Marty or MSX episodes in the pipeline then boys?
You got your wish
Thanks for sharing this! I didn't know too much about the Sharp X68000 before, so this video is much appreciated. Informative and hilarious as always. I'm impressed with the system, not just for what it's capable of, but the sound options are amazing too.
Growing up as an 80's kid in Japan must have been RAD!
I Still Is Becuase They Get Every Game Console Before We Got It!!!!
+Segadude 23 except the xbox but who cares about that anyway
Yes
+Thresh The Chain Warden lol they certainly don't buy xboxes hahahah. Microsoft has sold maybe a few thousand since the first in 2001.
they had a rough market in Japan
The X68000 is a godsend for a late 80s/early 90s arcade junkie like myself. I'm getting one.
Thanks, guys.
That's amazing. The design of the unit is gorgeous in some weird way. I love slots.
You guys never skimp on info and games when covering a console. You cater to folks who like all genres. Also best f/x and capture for youtube retro game channel. Keep it up.
I've never heard of this thing before. Awesome video!
Heard of this little beauty before but your episode was excellent demonstrating all the great titles. Thanks!
Must admit that I'm at least somewhat surprised we didn't see this bad boy get a PAL release, given the popularity of the Amiga and Atari ST over there. This looks like a hell of a lot more capable machine than the ST at the very least.
that would have been very smart and made them less rare today
I think there wasn't enough of a market in Europe for a $3000 hi-end home computer. The reason Amiga 500 and Atari ST were so popular was in no small part because of their rather affordable prices (and the ability to copy (pirate) all games).
kosmosyche 3000? Damn. Yeah, that might not have been the best idea for a games computer in the early to late 90s.
The 68030 model is the slickest looking 80s computer i have ever seen
You guys are cool. I recommend you redo your intro to include all the consoles you guys have. It'd be so much more awesome if you did.
You guys have such Clean editing though. It's very impressive. Awesome job, Game Sack.
Such a rare gem of gaming history!
Hey, Joe, I really liked the Game Chasers episode you edited. Great work.
Got the pleasure of seeing one in person at the Long Island gaming expo this weekend. First with the sharp RGB monitor the visual clarity is striking. The colors and crisp lines made me doubt my eyes. With the midi sound setup the sound is rich full and bassy. This thing is definitely one of the ultimate ways to play good 16 bit goodness. I only wish the game library was more padded out. But if you got money to burn and like to tinker then get one.
Most games on the X68000 were also in arcades, or got ported to the Sega Genesis and/or SNES. One of the advantages the Genesis had over the SNES was that multi platform games played better on a Genesis mostly because of how many computers used the Motorola 68000 processor and a Yamaha sound chip.
I would buy anything if it was being described to me by Dave in that voice.
Lolz...
Great work with this episode! So much information and good game recommendations, love it! I really miss that donate button on your episode guide site!
How about the Amiga 500? Or an episode devoted to the Turrican series!
Justin Reynolds yeah or Amiga in general. When it comes to the later life span during the 90s it becomes just insane.
To me this is a Super Amiga, which was my exclusive machine for years.