Which version is the definitive one?

[Hideo]

I find it fairly confusing that this game is sold as a collection of various different ports. Which one is the definitive one, one that you should play?

There's also a version on consoles, which includes two different versions, 8-Bit and 16-Bit, but with no clear indication which platforms they're from.

[ThreeSon]

It'd be hard to call any of them the "definitive" version because they all have their own strengths and weaknesses, mostly tailored to the platform they were developed for. I have only limited experience with the non-DOS versions, but from what I remember here is a basic breakdown of each:

- DOS version has the best graphics and sound, but also the lowest frame rate (which can lead to nausea for certain people in the stages with heavy use of parallax scrolling, e.g. stage 1). The benefit of having the best sound is pretty substantial for this game, as the soundtrack is one of its best qualities.

- SNES version is pretty good all-around without any particular highlights or drawbacks. It arguably has the best graphics and sound of the console versions.

This specific SNES version is the "enhanced" revision, not the original release. The changes include giving the player more lives and disabling the parallax scrolling in the side-scrolling levels (probably a good idea from a playability perspective). You can still play the original SNES version (outside of Steam), by running the Jim Power (Normal).exe file in the game directory.

- Genesis/Mega Drive version is similar to the SNES version, except that the top-down stages have been replaced by side-scrolling shmup levels due to the Genesis' hardware limitations. The top-down levels weren't particularly well-designed in my opinion, so this may actually make the Genesis version superior overall.

- NES version is a brand-new creation that was developed by Piko. It has exclusive story cinematics and probably some other modernizations that I haven't explored yet. The visuals are obviously a downgrade from the 16-bit versions, but they both seem pretty good to me, relative to other NES games.

The NES version also notably has a wider FOV than any of the others, which makes the game feel considerably less cheap and punishing since you can see enemies and traps earlier. It is still a difficult game but almost certainly the easiest of the four.


Like I said I don't have much experience with the non-DOS versions, so don't take any of this as gospel. If anyone reading this wants to make corrections please do so.


All told, there are three 16-bit versions (DOS, SNES, Genesis) and one 8-bit version of the game (NES) included in the package. The SNES version includes both the original release and the modern "enhanced" revision. The original release is not exposed by the launcher but is playable from the directory.

I'd say if you've never played the game before, the SNES enhanced version is a decent one to go with. I personally prefer the DOS version, mostly due to the music quality, but I grew up with a DOS computer so I'm also somewhat immune to its less polished particularities.

[Hideo]

Definitely an interesting oddity of a game. Such version differences are usually expected from movie tie-in games, where they sometimes released on every current platform on the market in the early 2000's.

But doesn't your description of the DOS version contradict with your description of the SNES version, when it comes to being the version with the best graphics?

[ThreeSon]

But doesn't your description of the DOS version contradict with your description of the SNES version, when it comes to being the version with the best graphics?

It might be a matter of taste, but to my eyes the artwork in the DOS version is superior, even though the frame rate is lower. Certainly though, if having a smooth frame rate is of greater importance, then the DOS version would definitely not be the one to play.

EDIT: If you're referring to this quote:

It arguably has the best graphics and sound of the console versions.

I didn't intend "console versions" to include the DOS version. So SNES has (in my opinion) the second-best graphics overall, but the best among the three console releases (SNES, Genesis, NES).

[Hideo]

Originally posted by ThreeSon:

EDIT: If you're referring to this quote:

It arguably has the best graphics and sound of the console versions.

I didn't intend "console versions" to include the DOS version. So SNES has (in my opinion) the second-best graphics overall, but the best among the three console releases (SNES, Genesis, NES).

Yes, I referred to that quote, but it was a mistake on my part since you specified that "console versions" at the end, which excludes the DOS version.

Originally posted by ThreeSon:

It might be a matter of taste, but to my eyes the artwork in the DOS version is superior, even though the frame rate is lower. Certainly though, if having a smooth frame rate is of greater importance, then the DOS version would definitely not be the one to play.

After having a look at gameplay from both the DOS and SNES version, I find them both extremely similar graphics wise, but I am not a Jim Power aficionado. I certainly didn't feel that the SNES version is lacking anything and as you mentioned, it even has a smoother framerate - although I wonder how high the framerate actually is (30 fps or even 60 fps?).

So far, I think I'll go with the PlayStation 4 release, which comes with the 8-Bit NES version and 16-Bit SNES version, for the simple reason that there are achievements/trophies. They're a bit of a personal vice of mine, but I like seeing when I played a game and how fast I made progress, sometimes looking back at how many months/years I needed to finish a game.

But I'll also get this one as a complementary piece. It's definitely a fun oddity, having roms for 4 different systems and being able to simply take them out and play via different means, possibly even on real hardware.

[Hideo]

As an aside, how relevant/significant is this game? I have never heard of it before and only came across it by accident, but it seems that it meant something to people, considering how this release made it a big selling point offering 4 different versions of the game.

And why was the new NES version developed? Was it possibly mostly finished already and only required a little work to be released?

[ThreeSon]

although I wonder how high the framerate actually is (30 fps or even 60 fps?)

The console versions all run at 60 FPS. The DOS version fluctuates but it's definitely lower than 60 and you'll notice that when playing.

One thing I should also mention: The console versions in this package have a very slight stutter - one or two dropped frames per second. That's not a problem with the games themselves though, just the emulator that's being used. You can fix it and get perfectly smooth 60 FPS by using the frame rate limiter in your GPU driver.

As an aside, how relevant/significant is this game? I have never heard of it before and only came across it by accident, but it seems that it meant something to people, considering how this release made it a big selling point offering 4 different versions of the game.

I'm not going to be the definitive source for the answer to this, since I hadn't heard of the game either until I saw it on Steam back in 2015. Based on what I've read though, the nostalgia for this game is tied primarily to the the soundtrack and the game's roots on the Amiga.

Chris Huelsback is generally known as one of the best composers of the Commodore computer era. He started on the C64 but gained most of his popularity on the Amiga with games like Turrican. Jim Power's soundtrack is regarded as one of his best, even though it borrows very heavily from Mieko Ishikawa's music in the first three Ys games (you can hear just how much he borrowed by comparing these two tracks from Ys III and Jim Power).

Aside from the music, I think that the Amiga PC in general is still fondly remembered by those who owned one in the 90s and/or still use one today. It has a small but dedicated fan base, and so any game which was originally noteworthy on that platform is bound to draw attention when getting a modern update or re-release.

On that note, the original Amiga Jim Power game was called "Jim Power in Mutant Planet" and also saw ports to the Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, and the PC Engine CD. The Lost Dimension is similar to that original game and even has some of the same levels included, so in a way this game is sort of a remake or rearrangement of the original.

[Hideo]

Oh, that's interesting. Thank you for the info.

As soon as I've read Chris Huelsback, it immediately made sense to me. I've seen him mentioned many times over the years in connection to the Turrican series and Jim Power, at least the movement, definitely reminds me of it.

Now I wonder if the game stutters on consoles as well (PS4/Xbox One). I hope not, considering how it was released only last year there and hopefully was reworked a bit (updated emulation). I'll find out someday.

[MrUnbecoming]

Originally posted by Hideo:

As an aside, how relevant/significant is this game? I have never heard of it before and only came across it by accident, but it seems that it meant something to people, considering how this release made it a big selling point offering 4 different versions of the game.

And why was the new NES version developed? Was it possibly mostly finished already and only required a little work to be released?

The original game was a very small drop in the bucket in Europe, but gained some relevance because Chris Huelsbeck was the composer. He is arguably one of the most famous composers in Europe (I am not even European, but I am a fan of Euroshooters)

I can answer the last part about the NES version. The NES version was not developed by Piko, but rather Piko as the publisher acquired the rights to the IP from the original creator's brother after he passed. (if I recall). This compilation was put onto Kickstarter for crowdfunding. The NES version was a Kickstarter stretch goal, and so was the Genesis version. Basically, for the NES version, Piko hired a freelance NES coder who is known in the Demoscene for being very good at coding for unorthodox hardware. He developed the game completely from scratch, making the engine and all of the tools himself. It's essentially using the framework of the original game visually as reference, while creating everything else by hand. The creator's name is Shiru8bit, and here is their youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@shiru8bit/videos

Here is a demo he made for the NES:
https://youtu.be/338r2BRYg3A?si=Cn-An2X7rAOi8kz1

Very impressive coder, the NES version is quite impressive. Also as an aside to the part where the versions were compared, the SNES version definitely runs way too fast compared to any other version including Amiga. Enemies are absurdly fast, and because of the game's zoomed in camera it's quite unfair. The NES version is probably the most balanced and fun.

[Hideo]

Thank you for the information. What a bizarre development. An NES version made long afterwards. And now I'm torn on which version to play. I was hoping the easy answer would be the SNES version, but now the NES version seems to be better from a gameplay perspective.

Originally posted by MrUnbecoming:

The creator's name is Shiru8bit, and here is their youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@shiru8bit/videos

Here is a demo he made for the NES:
https://youtu.be/338r2BRYg3A?si=Cn-An2X7rAOi8kz1

Very impressive. If only NES games back then looked as nice.

[MrUnbecoming]

Originally posted by Hideo:

Thank you for the information. What a bizarre development. An NES version made long afterwards. And now I'm torn on which version to play. I was hoping the easy answer would be the SNES version, but now the NES version seems to be better from a gameplay perspective.

I have played them all. They are all playable, but for me the SNES version is disappointing. It definitely feels like it's way faster than it was intended to ever be, and I don't know if the original game was like that, or Piko's port breaks it. I heard they increased the base framerate from 30 to 60 which would explain that. But I forget, and I don't have a source for that. I have not actually played the original SNES release, I forgot to do that. It has some weird backwards parallax scrolling which you need 3D glasses to see, and it apparently gave people headaches which is why it eas hacked out for this release. That's why the original game has "3D" in the title actually.

Imo they are all worth playing, it's very interesting to see and feel the version differences between them.

As for NES games, there are wuite a few NES games with graphics ahead of their time actually. Batman Return of the Joker on the NES by Sunsoft is one of the most significant that comes to mind. Amazing graphics and outstanding music, which was a Sunsoft staple.

[Hideo]

Originally posted by MrUnbecoming:

As for NES games, there are wuite a few NES games with graphics ahead of their time actually. Batman Return of the Joker on the NES by Sunsoft is one of the most significant that comes to mind. Amazing graphics and outstanding music, which was a Sunsoft staple.

I know about it, but I found the color palette always rather depressing. But indeed, definitely one of the most graphically impressive games of the NES. I didn't quite grew up with the NES, so I have no fond memories of it. Many of those games were rather janky. Instead, I find the original GameBoy and GameBoy Color much more memorable and I find that the style and color palettes of the games of those systems still hold up to this day.