Jeremy Parish

Dec. Exclusive - NES Works Gaiden Epoch #4: Monster Mansion & Astro Command (Patreon)

Published:

2022-12-11 15:41:59

Imported:

2024-04

Tags:

astro command cassette vision epoch exclusive monster mansion nes works gaiden

Content

As promised, I've gone and made up for last month's late exclusive video by getting this month's together very early. Here is your penultimate episode of Cassette Vision coverage, covering two games that surprisingly do not have roots in Epoch's standalone consoles. I'd say we've turned a corner here in Epoch's determination to create new and inventive content, but alas, both games undeniably resemble other companies' arcade hits. But, you know, these games coincided with the radical upheaval to the medium represented by the Famicom and SG-1000, so it's kind of nice to see that you could still count on some things remaining consistent.

Files

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While Nintendo and Sega were in the process of entering the programmable console market, Epoch kept churning out Cassette Vision games... slowly. As per usual, these games should look fairly familiar to fans of classic arcade games, being slightly tilted renditions of popular hits. Business as usual, really. To Epoch's credit, their Donkey Kong knockoff beat the release of Nintendo's actual Donkey Kong conversion by several months. To their detriment, it wasn't nearly as good as the real thing. But, all things considered, while neither of these unofficial adaptations will go down in history as all-time classics, they do pretty impressive things with Epoch's very humble and dated hardware. That's something, right? Production notes: Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more! Cassette Vision footage recorded from original hardware, modded for S-Video output by Christa Lee of Sound Retro Co. Super Cassette Vision footage recorded from original hardware via legacy RGB cable. NES/Famicom footage captured from @analogueinc Nt Mini; SG-1000 footage recorded from Analogue Mega Sg Video upscaled to 720 with Micomsoft's xRGB Mini Framemeister; arcade footage captured from MiSTer when possible, with thanks to @MiSTerAddons.