Road Blaster; Thunder Storm (found Windows/Sharp X68030 ports of arcade games; 2009): Difference between revisions

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{{NeedingWork|lack of content and clarity}}
{{InfoboxFound
{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>Road Blaster/Thunder Storm (Windows/Sharp X68030 port)</center>
|title=<center>Road Blaster/Thunder Storm (Windows/Sharp X68030 port)</center>
|image=111091 front.jpg
|image=111091 front.jpg
|imagecaption=Cover art of the Windows/Sharp X68030 port of Road Blaster.
|imagecaption=Cover art of the Windows/Sharp X68030 port of Road Blaster.
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>
|datefound=25 May 2020
|foundby=[https://archive.org/details/@nkmkii NKmkII]
}}
}}
Some time in 2009, a company named "Jitensyasougyou" ported the two Data East arcade games '''''Road Blaster''''' and '''''Thunder Storm''''' (''Cobra Command'' in the west) to Microsoft Windows and the Sharp X68030, respectively. The game was released on DVD format and was the first Sharp X68000 game to be commercially released since ''Princess Maker'' (1996).


Information of this port is very scarce due to the fact that this version was only released in Japan since no copies of this version were shipped outside Japan. Only the cover art and minor information for this port are only available. As of October 2012, sales of the Windows/Sharp X68030 port of Thunder Storm has been ended, while sales of Road Blaster ended in December 2012, making them harder to find.
'''''Road Blaster''''' and '''''Thunder Storm''''' (Known as ''Cobra Command'' in the west) are both Data East Laserdisc-based arcade games from the mid-1980s that have seen numerous ports to many consoles over the years. The rights to these games were sold in February 2004 with the liquidation of Data East due to its bankruptcy to the Japanese developer and publisher G-Mode Corp., which specializes in mobile game development.<ref>[https://gmodecorp.com/dataeast/ A website that lists Data East properties that are owned by G-mode Corp.] Retrieved 16 Sept '19</ref> since their acquisition of these games there are two known ports; a 2011 port by Revolutionary Concepts to IOS and a limited release to the sharp X68030/68060 MSX PC and Windows, which only released in Japan.<ref>[http://revolutionaryconcepts.org/ Revolutionary Concepts website which lists all the work they have done in the gaming industry.] Retrieved 16 Sept '19</ref><ref>[https://mobygames.com/game/sharp-x68000/road-blaster/techinfo Moby Games page for ''Road Blaster'' on Sharp X68000 family of PCs.] Retrieved 16 Sept '19</ref><ref>[https://mobygames.com/game/sharp-x68000/cobra-command_ Moby Games page for ''Thunder Storm'' on the Sharp X68000 family of PCs.] Retrieved 16 Sept '19</ref>


==Technical Information==
==History==
Unlike the majority of games and software released on the X68000, which was released on the floppy disk format, this was one of the first pieces of X68000 software to be released on an optical disc format. Due to the game's large file size, thus the videos, of course, it was released in DVD format, making it perfect for this port.
The Sharp X68030 and Windows port were coded by Taiyo Seisakusho Inc. and distributed by Jitensyasougyou Inc. The minimum specs for Windows are Windows 2000 or newer, a Pentium 3, DirectX 9, and 1.5 GB worth of free space on an HDD, as well as a DVD ROM drive to install the game from. The minimum specs for the Sharp X68000 are either an 030 or 060 revision PC, Human68k Vers. 3.02 OS, Internal ram of 8MB, and 150MB or freer on the HDD. It uses the same DVD as the PC port as the install medium, making it the only Sharp X68000 software to be distributed on DVD-ROM. It is not Emulator compatible. The source of the video used for the port is the rare VHD Version, pulled from a disk with only a couple of previous plays. It seems the X68000 port was a passion project by a talented Developer only listed in these pages as EXCEED, and the Windows port is just an upscaled x68000 port version. The game was sold through the online store of Jitensyasougyou and some online retailers before ''Road Blaster'' was pulled from sale after October 2012, with the store page edited to reflect the end of its availability. ''Thunder Storm'' was pulled in December 2012.


X68030 system requirements for Road Blaster and Thunder Storm can be found  [http://www20.atpages.jp/tkhr000/x68softlist/x68soft5.htm here]:
==Availability==
(translated extract) "Operable only with X68030 / X68030 + 060 Turbo, Human68k Ver 3.02 (It does not work on emulator). HDD capacity 150 to 350 MB required (180 to 220 MB for Thunder Storm). To operate at a high frame rate, 64 MB of memory is required for X68030 + 060 Turbo. Since the supply media is DVD, in order to install, a DVD-ROM drive compatible with X68000 is required. It might be easier to copy to CD-R and then install it"
Located in the archived store pages are download links to playable demo versions of the Windows ports, and the links to download from are still up somehow.<ref>[http://firestorage.jp/download/2b6e5e722e9158347797a34b9f84f12cebc663d3 Archived file containing the ''Road Blaster'' demo.] Retrieved 18 Sept '19</ref><ref>[http://anos.jp/cgi-bin/lime2/lime.cgi?down=http://www.anos.jp/down/THUNDER_tai_v121.zip&name=%83T%83%93%83_%81%5B%83X%83g%81%5B%83%80%91%CC%8C%B1%94%C5 An archived link to the ''Thunder Storm'' demo.] Retrieved 18 Sept '19</ref> Both of these are strangely listed as trial versions, and there are updates for the full versions if someone owned a physical copy, which means it might be possible to manipulate the .exe to unlock the full game.  As for the Sharp X68000 versions, there appear to be no digital versions available or ROMs available at this time, but there might possibly still be copies existing in people's Sharp X68000 software collections.


==External Links==
On May 25th, 2020, ICEKnight of Retrolel announced the '''''Road Blaster''''' and '''''Thunder Storm'''''  ports were found, with files to the games being uploaded to the Internet Archive on April 16, 2018, in a collection of software and documentation for the Sharp X68000 computer.<ref>[https://retrolel.com/en/road-blaster-x68030-windows-2/ Retrolel announcing the ports being obtained] Retrieved 2 Jun '22</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/SharpX68000Collection Internet Archive of Sharp X68000 Collection] Retrieved 2 Jun '22</ref>
*[http://www20.atpages.jp/tkhr000/x68softlist/x68soft5.htm Japanese list of X68000 games]
*[http://www.anos.jp/index.htm Official pc ports page]


[[Category:Lost video games]]
==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
File:Road Blaster PC port Screenshot.jpg|Screenshot of the Windows port of ''Thunder Storm'' (1/2).
File:Thunder Storm PC Screenshot.jpg|Screenshot of the Windows port of ''Thunder Storm'' (2/2).
File:Road Blaster PC screenshot 02.jpg|Screenshot from ''Road Blaster'' (1/2).
File:Road Blaster PC screenshot 03.jpg|Screenshot from ''Road Blaster'' (2/2).
</gallery>
==References==
{{reflist}}
 
[[Category:Found media]]
[[Category:Found video games]]

Latest revision as of 05:12, 8 April 2023

111091 front.jpg

Cover art of the Windows/Sharp X68030 port of Road Blaster.

Status: Found

Date found: 25 May 2020

Found by: NKmkII


Road Blaster and Thunder Storm (Known as Cobra Command in the west) are both Data East Laserdisc-based arcade games from the mid-1980s that have seen numerous ports to many consoles over the years. The rights to these games were sold in February 2004 with the liquidation of Data East due to its bankruptcy to the Japanese developer and publisher G-Mode Corp., which specializes in mobile game development.[1] since their acquisition of these games there are two known ports; a 2011 port by Revolutionary Concepts to IOS and a limited release to the sharp X68030/68060 MSX PC and Windows, which only released in Japan.[2][3][4]

History

The Sharp X68030 and Windows port were coded by Taiyo Seisakusho Inc. and distributed by Jitensyasougyou Inc. The minimum specs for Windows are Windows 2000 or newer, a Pentium 3, DirectX 9, and 1.5 GB worth of free space on an HDD, as well as a DVD ROM drive to install the game from. The minimum specs for the Sharp X68000 are either an 030 or 060 revision PC, Human68k Vers. 3.02 OS, Internal ram of 8MB, and 150MB or freer on the HDD. It uses the same DVD as the PC port as the install medium, making it the only Sharp X68000 software to be distributed on DVD-ROM. It is not Emulator compatible. The source of the video used for the port is the rare VHD Version, pulled from a disk with only a couple of previous plays. It seems the X68000 port was a passion project by a talented Developer only listed in these pages as EXCEED, and the Windows port is just an upscaled x68000 port version. The game was sold through the online store of Jitensyasougyou and some online retailers before Road Blaster was pulled from sale after October 2012, with the store page edited to reflect the end of its availability. Thunder Storm was pulled in December 2012.

Availability

Located in the archived store pages are download links to playable demo versions of the Windows ports, and the links to download from are still up somehow.[5][6] Both of these are strangely listed as trial versions, and there are updates for the full versions if someone owned a physical copy, which means it might be possible to manipulate the .exe to unlock the full game. As for the Sharp X68000 versions, there appear to be no digital versions available or ROMs available at this time, but there might possibly still be copies existing in people's Sharp X68000 software collections.

On May 25th, 2020, ICEKnight of Retrolel announced the Road Blaster and Thunder Storm ports were found, with files to the games being uploaded to the Internet Archive on April 16, 2018, in a collection of software and documentation for the Sharp X68000 computer.[7][8]

Gallery

  • Screenshot of the Windows port of Thunder Storm (1/2).

    Screenshot of the Windows port of Thunder Storm (1/2).

  • Screenshot of the Windows port of Thunder Storm (2/2).

    Screenshot of the Windows port of Thunder Storm (2/2).

  • Screenshot from Road Blaster (1/2).

    Screenshot from Road Blaster (1/2).

  • Screenshot from Road Blaster (2/2).

    Screenshot from Road Blaster (2/2).

References

  1. ↑ A website that lists Data East properties that are owned by G-mode Corp. Retrieved 16 Sept '19
  2. ↑ Revolutionary Concepts website which lists all the work they have done in the gaming industry. Retrieved 16 Sept '19
  3. ↑ Moby Games page for Road Blaster on Sharp X68000 family of PCs. Retrieved 16 Sept '19
  4. ↑ Moby Games page for Thunder Storm on the Sharp X68000 family of PCs. Retrieved 16 Sept '19
  5. ↑ Archived file containing the Road Blaster demo. Retrieved 18 Sept '19
  6. ↑ An archived link to the Thunder Storm demo. Retrieved 18 Sept '19
  7. ↑ Retrolel announcing the ports being obtained Retrieved 2 Jun '22
  8. ↑ Internet Archive of Sharp X68000 Collection Retrieved 2 Jun '22
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