I only played fantasy zone 2 and i got the bad ending first untill i got better and got the normal ending then i noticed........and i said "thats it! I need to use the tear drop bomb to get the good ending in fantasy zone 2" i did it and it worked
"Opa" is sort of a multi-functional interjection here in Brazil. You can use it as an equivalent to "whoa", or "hey", or when something catches your interest.
Fellow SEGA (and NAMCO) fan here, and crazy yank. Just thought I'd add: @ 21:56 You're right. Super Fantasy Zone didn't get a physical release on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive here in the United States, but it did see an American release on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console (Nintendo needs to bring back the Virtual Console on the Switch!). @ 23:40 It's also worth noting that this PlayStation 2 Remake actually has an Enemy Model Viewer (Foes & Bosses will sometimes drop Red coins, whereupon collecting them will unlock their character model in a gallery), and *FOUR brand-new exclusive levels* with their own unique enemies, bosses, and music. Glad to know I'm not the only westerner who's a big fan of Fantasy Zone. Top notch video! Thumbs up.
I actually own a PS2 Remake with the PS2 SEGA Classics Collection, which has remakes of a lot of classic games. one thing to note of the remake is that if you raise enough money overall, you can buy 4 other bonus stages, all unique, and might I add, VERY challenging. I'm only 17 and I'm already a mega fan of this lil' character!
Interesting little fact: Konami, the devs behind Gradius released the first entry in their Twinbee franchise the same year that Sega brought Fantasy Zone to Japanese arcades, these two franchises are so identical in presentation that it leads me to think that there was some cross company espionage going on! Since there was no precedent they also jointly gave birth to a new sub genre of games called 'cute em ups'
I always wondered if there was some kind of connection between Twinbee, Fantasy Zone, and Clu-Clu Land - fairly different games, but very similar characters!
This game makes me want to tear my hair out because I'm terrible at it, but it makes me incredibly happy at the same time. I love the art style of Fantasy Zone and I'm so happy you're doing a "Complete History" on this! *Gets cozy and settles in to watch*
a few tips: purchase engine upgrades as soon as you can for better mobility, keep your eyes locked on to your ship at nearly all times so you can quickly evade projectiles and finally play the 3DS version so you can abuse save states!
Man, the original Fantasy Zone is still just so good looking, it's crazy! Really shows how much colours can add to a game's look over time. Awesome video as usual!
Never understood why this game series just seemingly got completely forgotten in mainstream retro game culture. It's so much fun, with catchy tunes, addictive gameplay, and fair difficulty. Should be up there with Space Harrier, OutRun, and After Burner as one of Sega's all time classics, and probably regarded as the better game out of those overall as well. Thanks for the vid!
Actually, here in Brasil "Opa" is literally "Oops". We say "opa" in the same context you guys say "oops" or "oopsiedasies" if you're Hugh Grant. You must be mistaking it with "Oba". We DO say "Oba" when we are excited.
As a Brazilian I have to say that 'opa' doesn't mean what you said, it's more like an interjection for 'hi', in some situations for 'sure'. 'Upa' like for Babies when tapping on their back , or small kids riding a toy horse... Upa upa upa
i think the origins of the fantasy zone ii remake could've been explained a bit clearer here, it makes it sound like sega made the arcade version first. it was not made by sega themselves, but m2, the emulation wizards that developed the ps2 collection. it was made for inclusion in the ps2 collection originally (but still developed as if it was a system-16 game), with modified system-16 boards running the game created to promote the ps2 release.
Gaming Hell! It's always fun to meet in TH-cam comments like this. Fantasy Zone 2 is actually my favorite SMS game, it was painful to hear it disparaged in the video, but that's how differing opinions work isn't it? But anyway yes agreed, m2 is amazing but their "re-imagining" of Fantasy Zone 2 on different hardware did really make things confusing! :D This may be common knowledge by now, but m2 was interviewed for just about each of their many Sega 3DS conversions, quite lengthy interviews too. The translations are up on Sega's blog: blogs.sega.com/2015/04/13/sega-3d-classics-3d-fantasy-zone-ii-interview-part-1/ blogs.sega.com/category/sega-3d-classics/
you never know where i will appear~! what confuses the fantasy zone 2 dx matter even more is that there were bootleg arcade boards made too! apparently bootlegged from the ps2 version, even. and yes, those sega 3d classics interviews are an invaluable resource. i think they include things like m2's origins making gauntlet iv then planning to port edward randy to the game gear, instead getting the gunstar heroes port job!
For anyone wondering what that japanese arcade in the video is, it's called mikado and is located near Takadanobaba station in Tokyo. If anyone of you plan to go to Tokyo I highly recommend it. Incredible place
Véi, eu nunca falei "opa" quando fico feliz hahaha, também nunca achei a trilha sonora parecida com música brasieira. É engraçado ver como as outras culturas enxergam a gente
Does anyone else say "we are getting a little ahead of ourselves, so let's go back to the beginning'" a long with slope? I do almost every time lol. I can usually catch when it's coming now. Love how hew made it part of the format
I'm so happy the mention of the Arnold Palmer golf made it into the video. I remember being 5 years old, not caring in the slightest about golf and torpedoing ball after ball out of bounds to trigger the Fantasy Zone mini game. It had randomly popped into my head a few times over the years and had started to think I'd totally invented the unusual multicoloured spaceship game hidden on the golf cartridge! I'd also totally misremembered it as PGA Tour Golf 199X so didn't have luck finding anything online. Absolute nostalgia, thanks mate.
Oh is that what it was. I was biffing out because I thought it was my phone at first. No one else was in the flat, so I just presumed it was my downstairs neighbour's phone. This makes more sense!
Glad you motivated and got out of the discord most of yesterday to finish this. I really like Kickscammer but I love the Complete History series. Your proper work ethic denotes my ensured entertainment.
I remember playing that for a while when I first discovered arcade emulation. Sad to say, that between all the amazing games I played in that context Fantasy Star paled a little in comparison. Especially behind the Chariot part of Three Wonders, which was kinda similar (as in a non gradius like shmup) but fascinated me without end.
It's so weird hearing about how Fantasy Zone II on the Master System doesn't measure up to the original, because Fantasy Zone II is quite literally tied for my favorite game of all time. I absolutely, ADORE Fantasy Zone II on the Master System. I've played thousands of games in my life, and it's never topped in my heart.
thank you, kind sir. i've been following your 'the complete history' series for a long time now. for me this is the very best episode. i was interested in the series long before i knew your channel and could never quite appreciate any of the home system versions. there a so freaking many of them! something was missing for me in every one i tried. i highly appreciate your effort in creating this magnificent overview about every version out there! the releases were quite a mess to me. until now. i found out about the sega 3d classics compilation for the 3ds a year ago or so. physical media rules, so i got it and instantly fell in love with the fantasy zone 2 remake. this version is perfect for me. since you recommended it i will have look at super fantasy zone for mega drive as well. one minor complaint: gradius may have been the direct competition profitwise, but i think defender has been more of an inspiration gameplaywise. the similarities are striking. it's basically "parodius defender" (i know that parodius came out later than fantasy zone, though). some footage of defender would have made your video perfect. 9/10 for me. keep up your great work please. cheers
Wow. Thank you so much. My suggestion is to check the website shmupulations who did a big interview on this franchise and was a big help in making this vid
I love the option of playing with the original game's music in the Megadrive version of Super Fantasy Zone. Some of the best ever Megadrive music I ever heard.
I actually discovered the hidden Fantasy Zone mini game in Arnold Palmer Golf on the Genesis back then. I sent it into Video Games & Computer Entertainment magazine (April 1990 issue) and got my name printed + a cash reward. :)
Fantastic video. I know the series fairly well but there was a lot here I didn’t know. Your encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Sega makes these videos a joy to watch. And as always, makes me want to go and play one of the games you’ve talked about!
Another great video! My first experience with this was the Master System, but the Turbografx version was (and still is!) so good. And the death sound on that port is such a pitiful sound😂😂😂 Thoroughly enjoyed this video allllllllmost as much as the games, themselves😀 Loved the Mega Drive title, too. Just so good! And the little feet when Opa-Opa lands. Just. Okay. I'll stop😂
Super Fantasy Zone was my very first Mega Drive Game next to The Ottifants ^^ I never completed it but now I think I finally have to do it! Thanks for this awesome Complete History on a Series that not many people know about nowadays.
Does anyone else sort of hear the guy from "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" while Daniel is talking? Not a bad thing by the way. Keep up the good work!
Great video as always :) I played this on my friends mega drive as a kid and loved it, I couldn't remember what it was called. Also an interesting fact about the Monty Python reference aswell!
I knew about Fantasy Zone for awhile but never played, but then they put those two versions on the 3DS and I was hooked. I even got excited when in Yakuza 0, after you do a questline by beating high scores in Space Harrier, you unlock the orginal arcade Fantasy Zone (which then I admit to taking the time to beat again). Good vid!
Took me a while to get to this one. I've played the first on Master System and that's about it. One of them games that I think just went under my radar back in the day, which I think happened for a lot of us really. That Space Fantasy Zone game looks kinda rad. Sega should sneak that onto some collection some day.
Love your videos man. I'm wondering though, how you missed the obvious influence of Defender on the Fantasy Zone series. Surely, Defender has much more in common with it than Pac-Man.
No problem man. Found your channel after I started watching Larry Bundy. I always check out your new stuff when I see it pop up. Thanks for clearing that up. I wonder why Ishii didn't mention Defender. Maybe the influence was subliminal? Maybe he's just forgotten a bit about it all these years later. I always considered Fantasy Zone to be a spiritual successor to the Defender series. Odd to hear that the designer didn't think so.
I think I might have found the interview you got the info from. In it Ishii says "My feeling was that if I was going to make a game, I might as well make something that hadn’t been done before. I didn’t want to make a game that people would just call an extension of Gradius; I wanted to do something completely new. I also thought it was a little boring to always have the screen advance in one direction. On top of that I had just made Flicky, another game that has free scrolling. Basically, I just like that style. I like how you can rush forward, then turn around really quick and retreat if you need to. " It would make sense that he wouldn't want to reference Defender if he was selling Fantasy Zone as "something that hadn't been done before". That's not a claim that would be caught by a lot of people in 2018, but I don't know how he could sell it like that back in the 80's though. Though it wasn't something people would call an extension of Gradius, it was no doubt an extension of Defender. Defender, though not fresh would still have been in the minds of gamers. It was a very popular game. I'm wondering how much of this interview might have been revisionist history on the part of Ishii.
There's one thing the Master System version of Fantasy Zone II does better than all the other versions and that's having you collect both coins and notes. I found the notes slowly swaying back and forth and they dropped down really satisfying in that version and I'm not sure why they removed it from all the others.
I was excited when I saw the thumbnail. I play the arcade version of the original game on MAME whenever I decide to boot it up. I'm going to check out that Space Harrier crossover game in PC Engine since I enjoy emulating those games too.
Amazing video! I just picked up the Saturn versions of both Fantasy Zone and Space Harrier and they are truly the best from ports of the arcade originals!! The only thing missing here was giving props to Midway for the infinite horizontal scrolling shooter idea from their 1980 arcade hit Defender. That's still an addictive game O-PAAAAAAA!!! *breaks dish*
Absolutely love your work. Watching your Complete Histories and Kickscammers is always a delight. I hate to say that when I was younger, I was a Nintendo fanboy and avoided all these like a plague. Now that I am older, I have so many great games to play and enjoy. So thank you for telling us about them on your channel, so I can know the better one to play. Cheers!
Fantasy Zone along with Twinbee are two series that could use some new games. But shooters nowadays only cater to a very specific part of the fan base, you know... The ritalin fueled spergs that like bullet hell shooters.
Ah, heck yeah. Fantasy Zone! Hard as nuts to do well in, but addictively fun. My first experience with it was the Tengen version. It may not have been pretty, but I enjoyed the heck out of it.
This was an informative video for me because I only got into the original game last year. I'm not big on arcade shooters so I passed up on it. Then they put the game in Yakuza 0's arcades and challenged you to get a certain high score on it. I found the game frustrating initially but after a while it started to get addicting. I never beat the score challenge though. I should pick up the 3DS game at some point.
The Sega classics collection 2 on 3ds has great ports of the arcade fantasy zone 1 & 2 with the master system versions as unlockables and extras. Also it has power drift, puyo puyo 2, and a bunch of awesome Genesis/mega drive and master system stickers. I highly recommend it for all my fellow genesis nerds.
I woke last night to the sound of thunder How far off I sat and wondered Started humming a song from 1962 Ain't it funny how the night moves When you just don't seem to have as much to lose Strange how the night moves With autumn closing in - Bob SEGA
Great overview of the series. I came to the series late although I've known about it forever. Great game series and nice to hear Ravi Abbott in the video.
You forgot to mention that Opa Opa was the mascot character in the Akai Kodan Zillion anime also produced by Sega and a series that also have video games.
Awesome video as always Slope, but you forgot something regarding Opa Opa cameo appearences, it also appears as a summon disc on weird JRPG series, Hyper Dimension Neptunia :)
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Join the Slopes Game Room discord channel discord.gg/vvYPwHG
Hey, Daniel! Can you do the complete history of Sonic the Hedgehog? I'm a fan of that speedy hedgehog!
I only played fantasy zone 2 and i got the bad ending first untill i got better and got the normal ending then i noticed........and i said "thats it! I need to use the tear drop bomb to get the good ending in fantasy zone 2" i did it and it worked
But you didn't mention you can unlock it in Yakuza 0!
"Opa" is sort of a multi-functional interjection here in Brazil. You can use it as an equivalent to "whoa", or "hey", or when something catches your interest.
Fellow SEGA (and NAMCO) fan here, and crazy yank. Just thought I'd add:
@ 21:56 You're right. Super Fantasy Zone didn't get a physical release on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive here in the United States, but it did see an American release on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console (Nintendo needs to bring back the Virtual Console on the Switch!).
@ 23:40 It's also worth noting that this PlayStation 2 Remake actually has an Enemy Model Viewer (Foes & Bosses will sometimes drop Red coins, whereupon collecting them will unlock their character model in a gallery), and *FOUR brand-new exclusive levels* with their own unique enemies, bosses, and music.
Glad to know I'm not the only westerner who's a big fan of Fantasy Zone. Top notch video! Thumbs up.
I actually own a PS2 Remake with the PS2 SEGA Classics Collection, which has remakes of a lot of classic games. one thing to note of the remake is that if you raise enough money overall, you can buy 4 other bonus stages, all unique, and might I add, VERY challenging. I'm only 17 and I'm already a mega fan of this lil' character!
That Fantasy Zone ending screen on Arnold Palmer Golf is a hilariously obscure easter egg
Interesting little fact: Konami, the devs behind Gradius released the first entry in their Twinbee franchise the same year that Sega brought Fantasy Zone to Japanese arcades, these two franchises are so identical in presentation that it leads me to think that there was some cross company espionage going on! Since there was no precedent they also jointly gave birth to a new sub genre of games called 'cute em ups'
I always wondered if there was some kind of connection between Twinbee, Fantasy Zone, and Clu-Clu Land - fairly different games, but very similar characters!
Thanks for the info! ✈
This game makes me want to tear my hair out because I'm terrible at it, but it makes me incredibly happy at the same time. I love the art style of Fantasy Zone and I'm so happy you're doing a "Complete History" on this! *Gets cozy and settles in to watch*
no don't tear your hair out, we love redheads lol
a few tips: purchase engine upgrades as soon as you can for better mobility, keep your eyes locked on to your ship at nearly all times so you can quickly evade projectiles and finally play the 3DS version so you can abuse save states!
The heavy bomb is the key to victory
Nothing wrong with tuning the difficulty setting too for an easier time!
The hardest setting is absolutely brutal.
tsangpogorge ha I’ll totally have to try again. Thanks!
Sega should sue Google because they clearly ripped off Opa Opa for their Chrome logo.
333%
Do the history of Guru Larry.
HAHAHA Might save this for this next years april fools :D
Daniel Ibbertson I'd watch it.
Daniel Ibbertson I would also watch that
Genius!
"The ultimate version of number two" is probably not the most flattering way to describe a game...
saskatoonguy Perhaps more appropriate for ET.
Man, the original Fantasy Zone is still just so good looking, it's crazy! Really shows how much colours can add to a game's look over time. Awesome video as usual!
Never understood why this game series just seemingly got completely forgotten in mainstream retro game culture. It's so much fun, with catchy tunes, addictive gameplay, and fair difficulty. Should be up there with Space Harrier, OutRun, and After Burner as one of Sega's all time classics, and probably regarded as the better game out of those overall as well. Thanks for the vid!
Actually, here in Brasil "Opa" is literally "Oops". We say "opa" in the same context you guys say "oops" or "oopsiedasies" if you're Hugh Grant.
You must be mistaking it with "Oba". We DO say "Oba" when we are excited.
Here in Holland "Opa" is Dutch for grandpa... :)
In Romanian Opa is Oops asweel
2:59 Sweet jesus. Visiting that shmup room would be a dream come true.
*They have three Dariusburst machines lined up*
Speaking of which, my interest in Fantasy Zone started with his DLC in Dariusburst CS.
As a Brazilian I have to say that 'opa' doesn't mean what you said, it's more like an interjection for 'hi', in some situations for 'sure'. 'Upa' like for Babies when tapping on their back , or small kids riding a toy horse... Upa upa upa
i think the origins of the fantasy zone ii remake could've been explained a bit clearer here, it makes it sound like sega made the arcade version first. it was not made by sega themselves, but m2, the emulation wizards that developed the ps2 collection. it was made for inclusion in the ps2 collection originally (but still developed as if it was a system-16 game), with modified system-16 boards running the game created to promote the ps2 release.
Gaming Hell! It's always fun to meet in TH-cam comments like this.
Fantasy Zone 2 is actually my favorite SMS game, it was painful to hear it disparaged in the video, but that's how differing opinions work isn't it? But anyway yes agreed, m2 is amazing but their "re-imagining" of Fantasy Zone 2 on different hardware did really make things confusing! :D
This may be common knowledge by now, but m2 was interviewed for just about each of their many Sega 3DS conversions, quite lengthy interviews too. The translations are up on Sega's blog:
blogs.sega.com/2015/04/13/sega-3d-classics-3d-fantasy-zone-ii-interview-part-1/
blogs.sega.com/category/sega-3d-classics/
you never know where i will appear~!
what confuses the fantasy zone 2 dx matter even more is that there were bootleg arcade boards made too! apparently bootlegged from the ps2 version, even.
and yes, those sega 3d classics interviews are an invaluable resource. i think they include things like m2's origins making gauntlet iv then planning to port edward randy to the game gear, instead getting the gunstar heroes port job!
I thought I was good at Fantasy Zone until I played the arcade version on Yakuza. Had to revise that to "I was good at the Master System port".
For anyone wondering what that japanese arcade in the video is, it's called mikado and is located near Takadanobaba station in Tokyo. If anyone of you plan to go to Tokyo I highly recommend it. Incredible place
As a Brazilian, it is very funny to see the references. I always thought that the Opa Opa name was just a coincidence.
Véi, eu nunca falei "opa" quando fico feliz hahaha, também nunca achei a trilha sonora parecida com música brasieira. É engraçado ver como as outras culturas enxergam a gente
8:35 You lost me at Carebears. Even as a kid I hated those cringey wretched abomalies. And that comes from a boy who loved the Gummibears.
Loved this game back in the day. Fantasy Zone sits proudly in my Sega Master System collection. LOL
Does anyone else say "we are getting a little ahead of ourselves, so let's go back to the beginning'" a long with slope? I do almost every time lol. I can usually catch when it's coming now. Love how hew made it part of the format
Plugged in my Sega today and started reliving this slapper of a game. Can’t believe it’s been 34 years.
I like Larry mostly because he introduced me to your channel.
Ah yes, Google Chrome's Icon Game. I didn't know that Filthy Frank made ads for the 2nd game though.
I'm so happy the mention of the Arnold Palmer golf made it into the video. I remember being 5 years old, not caring in the slightest about golf and torpedoing ball after ball out of bounds to trigger the Fantasy Zone mini game. It had randomly popped into my head a few times over the years and had started to think I'd totally invented the unusual multicoloured spaceship game hidden on the golf cartridge! I'd also totally misremembered it as PGA Tour Golf 199X so didn't have luck finding anything online. Absolute nostalgia, thanks mate.
Another awesome video, but that thing making those interfering vibrating sounds (phone?, microphone?) in background made me double check my phone.
HAHAHA I only noticed this after it rendered :P Yes it was my phone :S
Oh is that what it was. I was biffing out because I thought it was my phone at first. No one else was in the flat, so I just presumed it was my downstairs neighbour's phone. This makes more sense!
@@slopesgameroom You're popular!
thanks for making me aware of the 3ds versions, i always wanted to try those games but end up forgetting about it
They're both great, highly recommended!
The colors... They're so beautiful.
Nice intro music! It's an unused Sonic 2 track that can only be accessed through the sound test for anyone wondering.
tsangpogorge And it was intended for Hidden Palace Zone.
just bought both fantasy zones games on 3DS shop, cuz you know, i'll play them soon, and beat them, like all the other games i buy.
How fitting, I actually just played Fantasy Zone and Fantasy Zone 2 on the 3DS recently.
Brillant ports
Great History, I've always been interested in fantasy zone and didn't know about it till I saw the 3ds port. Thanks for your hard work!
Link Loop Land mode in M2's fantasy zone remake is absolute perfection. Enjoyed this episode of Complete History!
18:47 You say "Super Fantasy Zone" when I think you mean Space Fantasy Zone.
ahhhhhhhh my bad
Dan: no no no, you're supposed to say you're pulling a Guru Larry and planting secret 'mistakes' in your video to catch plagiarists!
There's also an area in Phantasy Star 4 where some girls dance to the Opa Opa theme.
Quick little tidbit:
Back in March 2022, Super Fantasy Zone was added to the Sega Genesis collection of Nintendo Switch Online +
3D Fantasy Zone II W was the reason why I finally bought a 3DS. :)
Glad you motivated and got out of the discord most of yesterday to finish this. I really like Kickscammer but I love the Complete History series. Your proper work ethic denotes my ensured entertainment.
Thanks bud :) yes it was hard to get both vids out this week but im happy that I did
I remember playing that for a while when I first discovered arcade emulation. Sad to say, that between all the amazing games I played in that context Fantasy Star paled a little in comparison. Especially behind the Chariot part of Three Wonders, which was kinda similar (as in a non gradius like shmup) but fascinated me without end.
It's so weird hearing about how Fantasy Zone II on the Master System doesn't measure up to the original, because Fantasy Zone II is quite literally tied for my favorite game of all time.
I absolutely, ADORE Fantasy Zone II on the Master System. I've played thousands of games in my life, and it's never topped in my heart.
Thanks for bringing up the Fantasy Zone thing on your vid, lad.
Fantastically done! I wish they can make FZ3(or 4) soon enough cuz I totally need it!!
The gameplay for Fantasy Zone has its origin in Funky Fish 1981 by Sun Electronics
One of the few Sega games to be on nes and turbo grafx!
wow this game looked great in Arcades. I had no idea that they put out games on the ps2 and 3ds thanks Dan.
thank you, kind sir. i've been following your 'the complete history' series for a long time now. for me this is the very best episode.
i was interested in the series long before i knew your channel and could never quite appreciate any of the home system versions. there a so freaking many of them! something was missing for me in every one i tried. i highly appreciate your effort in creating this magnificent overview about every version out there! the releases were quite a mess to me. until now.
i found out about the sega 3d classics compilation for the 3ds a year ago or so. physical media rules, so i got it and instantly fell in love with the fantasy zone 2 remake. this version is perfect for me. since you recommended it i will have look at super fantasy zone for mega drive as well.
one minor complaint: gradius may have been the direct competition profitwise, but i think defender has been more of an inspiration gameplaywise. the similarities are striking. it's basically "parodius defender" (i know that parodius came out later than fantasy zone, though). some footage of defender would have made your video perfect. 9/10 for me.
keep up your great work please.
cheers
Wow. Thank you so much. My suggestion is to check the website shmupulations who did a big interview on this franchise and was a big help in making this vid
Don't forget the appearance of Fantasy Zone (PC-Engine/TG-16 version) in the Muppet Babies episode "It's only pretendo"
4:19 Thought that was my phone vibrating
Glad it's not just me. I kept checking my phone like an idiot.
I love the option of playing with the original game's music in the Megadrive version of Super Fantasy Zone. Some of the best ever Megadrive music I ever heard.
P.S. Fantastic vid as always Dan! I never knew about Opa Opa's inclusion in Planet Harriers.
I actually discovered the hidden Fantasy Zone mini game in Arnold Palmer Golf on the Genesis back then.
I sent it into Video Games & Computer Entertainment magazine (April 1990 issue) and got my name printed + a cash reward. :)
Fantastic video. I know the series fairly well but there was a lot here I didn’t know. Your encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Sega makes these videos a joy to watch. And as always, makes me want to go and play one of the games you’ve talked about!
Fantasy Zone II W needs to be ported to other platforms.
PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch. The 3DS is a prison for this gem!
To be fair the 3D aspect of it on the 3DS is *really* well done, which you'd obviously lose on a port. Still, you're not wrong.
Fantasy Zone was one of my favorite games when I was a kid. I swear, I was the only kid in California with a Master System lol
Another great video! My first experience with this was the Master System, but the Turbografx version was (and still is!) so good. And the death sound on that port is such a pitiful sound😂😂😂
Thoroughly enjoyed this video allllllllmost as much as the games, themselves😀 Loved the Mega Drive title, too. Just so good! And the little feet when Opa-Opa lands. Just. Okay. I'll stop😂
Whoa. Didn't see this one coming. I just LOVE Fantasy Zone! Another great Complete History!
I believe you mean "Opa. Didn't see this coming," as per your above comment.
I love me some Fantasy Zone every so often, and so glad I picked up the SEGA 3D Classic collection for my 2DS XL, and as always awesome video. :-)
Had it on master system as a kid in the 90s and loved it...nice to see it in the in game arcade in segas judgment for ps4
Super Fantasy Zone was my very first Mega Drive Game next to The Ottifants ^^
I never completed it but now I think I finally have to do it! Thanks for this awesome Complete History on a Series that not many people know about nowadays.
Does anyone else sort of hear the guy from "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" while Daniel is talking?
Not a bad thing by the way. Keep up the good work!
Great video as always :) I played this on my friends mega drive as a kid and loved it, I couldn't remember what it was called. Also an interesting fact about the Monty Python reference aswell!
Awesome work as alwasy, but what about the appearance in Muppet Babies episode "It's Only Pretendo"?
I knew about Fantasy Zone for awhile but never played, but then they put those two versions on the 3DS and I was hooked. I even got excited when in Yakuza 0, after you do a questline by beating high scores in Space Harrier, you unlock the orginal arcade Fantasy Zone (which then I admit to taking the time to beat again). Good vid!
Took me a while to get to this one. I've played the first on Master System and that's about it. One of them games that I think just went under my radar back in the day, which I think happened for a lot of us really. That Space Fantasy Zone game looks kinda rad. Sega should sneak that onto some collection some day.
I’m late to the draw on this one but thanks to you I discovered the 3DS ports of Fantasy Zone 1 & 2!
Great to hear!
The weirdest thing about this game... is that they played it on an episode of Muppet Babies.
I’m a big sega fan and never played this. Picked it up on my 3ds and loving it!!!
I was just playing this on Yakuza 6 in the Arcade. I go on TH-cam to watch your latest content and I find this video lol.
Love your videos man. I'm wondering though, how you missed the obvious influence of Defender on the Fantasy Zone series. Surely, Defender has much more in common with it than Pac-Man.
I didnt miss it. I just read an interview with ishii who only referenced certain games.
Big thanks for the support dude
No problem man. Found your channel after I started watching Larry Bundy. I always check out your new stuff when I see it pop up. Thanks for clearing that up. I wonder why Ishii didn't mention Defender. Maybe the influence was subliminal? Maybe he's just forgotten a bit about it all these years later. I always considered Fantasy Zone to be a spiritual successor to the Defender series. Odd to hear that the designer didn't think so.
I think I might have found the interview you got the info from. In it Ishii says "My feeling was that if I was going to make a game, I might as well make something that hadn’t been done before. I didn’t want to make a game that people would just call an extension of Gradius; I wanted to do something completely new. I also thought it was a little boring to always have the screen advance in one direction. On top of that I had just made Flicky, another game that has free scrolling. Basically, I just like that style. I like how you can rush forward, then turn around really quick and retreat if you need to. " It would make sense that he wouldn't want to reference Defender if he was selling Fantasy Zone as "something that hadn't been done before". That's not a claim that would be caught by a lot of people in 2018, but I don't know how he could sell it like that back in the 80's though. Though it wasn't something people would call an extension of Gradius, it was no doubt an extension of Defender. Defender, though not fresh would still have been in the minds of gamers. It was a very popular game. I'm wondering how much of this interview might have been revisionist history on the part of Ishii.
First game I got on my Master System. So much fun man
Fantasy Zone is more similar to Defender than Gradius.
oh my god, Fantasy Zone is one of my fav Sega IPs! Super Fantasy Zone is one of my fav Genesis games and Opa Opa is a sega icon to me along with Sonic
This was a fantastic video, one of your best. Thank you for your hard work.
There's one thing the Master System version of Fantasy Zone II does better than all the other versions and that's having you collect both coins and notes. I found the notes slowly swaying back and forth and they dropped down really satisfying in that version and I'm not sure why they removed it from all the others.
I was excited when I saw the thumbnail. I play the arcade version of the original game on MAME whenever I decide to boot it up. I'm going to check out that Space Harrier crossover game in PC Engine since I enjoy emulating those games too.
Amazing video! I just picked up the Saturn versions of both Fantasy Zone and Space Harrier and they are truly the best from ports of the arcade originals!!
The only thing missing here was giving props to Midway for the infinite horizontal scrolling shooter idea from their 1980 arcade hit Defender. That's still an addictive game
O-PAAAAAAA!!! *breaks dish*
Slop you’re lucky I got a 5 minutes ad and did not skip because how much I love your channel
I appreciate it bud :D
OHH!! That Space Harrier themed stage is cool :D I love how Sega always had some headnods to other titles
and wth is space fantasy zone?!?!?!? I need it in my life
Slopes, I get this feeling you secretly want to get back at all us Nintendo kids from the 80's who knew nothing about 90% of these games. Well done.
Absolutely love your work. Watching your Complete Histories and Kickscammers is always a delight. I hate to say that when I was younger, I was a Nintendo fanboy and avoided all these like a plague. Now that I am older, I have so many great games to play and enjoy. So thank you for telling us about them on your channel, so I can know the better one to play. Cheers!
Ahhhhh thanks bud :)
Hell yes! Since I found your channel I've been hoping you'd do a complete history on fantasy zone
Yes! One of my favorite Shmups!
Just purchased these for 3ds can't wait to play the games look awesome
Fantasy Zone along with Twinbee are two series that could use some new games. But shooters nowadays only cater to a very specific part of the fan base, you know... The ritalin fueled spergs that like bullet hell shooters.
The Arcade version of the first Fantasy Zone game was also unlockable in Yakuza 0. It's the fun game, I really enjoy it.
Still convinced Blood Money was heavily inspired by Fantasy Zone as well.
Ah, heck yeah. Fantasy Zone! Hard as nuts to do well in, but addictively fun.
My first experience with it was the Tengen version. It may not have been pretty, but I enjoyed the heck out of it.
This was an informative video for me because I only got into the original game last year. I'm not big on arcade shooters so I passed up on it. Then they put the game in Yakuza 0's arcades and challenged you to get a certain high score on it.
I found the game frustrating initially but after a while it started to get addicting. I never beat the score challenge though.
I should pick up the 3DS game at some point.
Hell yes, perfect sunday watching material
I absolutely love Fantasy Zone 2. I've put too many hours into the game this year.
The Sega classics collection 2 on 3ds has great ports of the arcade fantasy zone 1 & 2 with the master system versions as unlockables and extras. Also it has power drift, puyo puyo 2, and a bunch of awesome Genesis/mega drive and master system stickers. I highly recommend it for all my fellow genesis nerds.
Space Fantasy Zone looks really cool. Consider playing Panorama Cotton if you want to see a fully fledged Space Harrier x cute'emup game
nice work. Opa Opa should make a major come back!!!
I woke last night to the sound of thunder
How far off I sat and wondered
Started humming a song from 1962
Ain't it funny how the night moves
When you just don't seem to have as much to lose
Strange how the night moves
With autumn closing in
- Bob SEGA
Just stared the vid, and love you using Sonic 2's Prototype/unused Hidden Palace tune
I'm very fond of those Master System ugly box cover art. It's 80s all over.
Love the videos, great way to end my weekend.
Great overview of the series. I came to the series late although I've known about it forever. Great game series and nice to hear Ravi Abbott in the video.
You forgot to mention that Opa Opa was the mascot character in the Akai Kodan Zillion anime also produced by Sega and a series that also have video games.
Awesome video as always Slope, but you forgot something regarding Opa Opa cameo appearences, it also appears as a summon disc on weird JRPG series, Hyper Dimension Neptunia :)
Awesome vid Dan.
Also OpaOpa appeared in Burning Rangers on the Saturn, on stage 3 a rescue survivor has an OpaOpa helmet on :)