Sharp X68000 Roms

[Lida Rick]

Ihave created m3u lists for the complete TOSEC set for the X68K. If you don't rename the files, all you have to do is have the m3u files in the same folder as the roms and import them into launchbox.

Obviously it's no good for Launchbox like this as you don't want to manually select the game from the OS every time. However, you get round this by using the method Cleverest (thank you for the tip by the way) uses for games with over 2 disks.

What you end up with is games that are individually launch-able within Launchbox but they don't require any disk swapping, regardless of how many disks the original game used. They also load faster from HD than FD.

The other thing to note is that all the emulator settings are saved in the save state as well. So if you want to use Munt for Midi for example (this sounds awesome), make sure that you set up the emulator with it before you start saving states, other wise they will all hold the settings for no or windows midi.

Just created a repo that generate AHKv2 script to launch the x68000 floppy disk, supporting specifying disk boot order and without relying on other frontend. Check it out if you're interested. You can either run those AHK file themselve, or import it to LB then create an emulator for AHK v2 and pass the ahk script there.

It's difficult to state exactly how many games were released for the X68000, since after being discontinued by Sharp in 1993, both professional and hobbyist (or doujin) developers continued to produce software for it. For research purposes, we found over 640 commercial releases and over 1000 doujin or homebrew releases. Wikipedia, meanwhile, gives a single figure of over 820 games. We asked Joseph Redon of Japan's Game Preservation Society about this number, to which he replied:

We contacted Sharp directly to get the inside story but were informed that due to how long ago it was, there was no one who could answer questions. They did however provide us with an archive photo of Sharp's Chairman Akira Saeki and President Haruo Tsuji, circa 1986, not long before the X68000 launched.

It was a different era, with Japan's computer scene evolving in a Galpagos syndrome-like bubble. NEC, Sharp, and Fujitsu were the dominant trio during the 8-bit era, with the PC-8801, X1, and FM-7 respectively - in a way mirroring the UK's C64, Spectrum, and Amstrad scenes. The X68000 was Sharp's follow-up to its X1, and it was for a time one of the most powerful computers around. It was marketed as a work computer; many developers such as Masayuki Suzuki, creator of the Langrisser series, used it to draw pixel art or program.

The distinct idiosyncrasies of the system have been better described elsewhere, so instead, we're focusing on its games. This is not a definitive list of any kind. Such a thing is impossible until players outside of Japan fully explore and document its back catalogue. Instead, consider it a fleeting glimpse of an as-yet unexplored retro frontier.

We almost wish this had never been ported to the PlayStation as Castlevania Chronicles, since there's an allure to the idea of a lost and forgotten 16-bit Castlevania exclusive to an obscure Japanese computer. This was designed by Hideo Ueda and is described as a remake of the Famicom original. However, SNES developer Masahiro Ueno has said he also had the original game in mind when creating Super Castlevania IV, so it seems fair to put both of these alongside Bloodlines on Mega Drive and Rondo of Blood on PC Engine. In a way, this tetralogy is a perfect barometer for discussing the 16-bit era, be it consoles or computers. Which unique 16-bit Castlevania title is your favourite?

The first of many homebrew doujin games we want to get more attention. This doesn't have the slick graphics or production values of some others, but the concept is something we've not really seen elsewhere. Using the X68000 mouse, you move a spinning blade around the screen slicing enemies. Holding one of the two mouse buttons imbues the blade with fire or ice, needed to defeat enemies of the opposite element. See those adorable penguins? Light 'em up! There are also bosses and you can activate "bombs" to clear enemies. If you like the mouse control, there are a lot more doujin games which use it (we also rather enjoyed Asteroid Queen). Could doujin games make it onto the X68000 Z? It's perhaps unlikely, but there were rumblings that the version of Darius that was included on the Mega Drive Mini was heavily inspired by a fan-made port, so you can never say never...

How many glorious 2D mecha games have graced our planet? Ranger X, Target Earth, Cybernator, Metal Warriors, Gun Hazard, Final Zone, Genocide 2, Mad Stalker, even Night Slave. Well, Aquales is better than half of them (we bet you're wondering which half). Don't believe us? The only way to prove us wrong is to play it. Go ahead, we'll wait... Aquales came out in 1991, predating several of the above, but it takes the 2D mecha formula and adds a grappling hook system ala Bionic Commando (it doubles as a weapon), plus RPG mechanics. As you explore the mazelike levels, you'll discover new equipment: improved grappling wires, energy blades, plus different varieties of guns and missiles (flamethrowers, bounce shots, homing, etc.). Levels feature multiple layers of parallax scrolling, vibrant colours, and clever gimmicks such as underwater transparencies or using a flashlight in darkness. The developer, Exact, would go on to make two more X68000 must-owns: toile Princesse and Geograph Seal.

Designed and programmed by Kotori Yoshimura this forms part of an astounding portfolio. She was programmer on the original Thunder Force, helping define the early years of Tecno Soft; programmer and designer on WiBarm, a precedent-setting 3D polygonal RPG; same again on Star Cruiser and its sequel, a pair of astounding FPS/RPG hybrids; finally designer on Omega Boost for PlayStation, a technological showcase and intense mecha blaster. Knight Arms is slightly less impressive, but still worthy given its system exclusivity. Alternating between Space Harrier-style 3D segments and free-roaming 2D sections, you might be reminded of Axelay which came out some years after. The side-scrolling sections are cool since enemies zoom in and out to create a faux sense of depth, and you can fly anywhere. The only letdown is its brutal difficulty.

Created by the infamous Zainsoft, this is the last entry in its Tritorn saga, a series of platform RPGs. Most places Romanise it as 'Barusa', but the villain in the first Tritorn was named Valusa. The music is astounding, the graphics detailed, the gameplay rock-hard. It's also quite a simple hack-n-slash, despite pre-release adverts showing it to be an RPG, with a magic meter, gold, and selectable equipment.

It was because we didn't have enough time to put it in. Only about 60% to 70% of each game was completed. We had plenty of unused graphics data. It was a dilemma. In order to sell our games, we had to get featured in the magazines. But because of the magazine scheduling, we had to prepare the screenshots very early. Sometimes we didn't know whether we were creating assets for the game, or just creating assets for screenshots in the magazines. I remember that for Valusa we hadn't actually started development. The designer simply used the X68000 to draw these images. These aren't actual game screens, they're mock-ups. The advertising agency that created the ads and game packaging created everything with no information to go on, and without ever playing the game. And we let them print it without even checking the final proofs.

By the time Capcom ported Super Street Fighter II to the X68000, the computer was no longer significantly more powerful than the competition. The 3DO was on the market and was capable of hosting amazing arcade ports, while the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation were about to hit store shelves. Even so, this X68000 conversion is remarkable in how close it is to the arcade original, with the visuals being an almost complete match. As was the case with the equally impressive X68000 port of Street Fighter II Dash / Champion Edition, the game was sold with an adapter for the CPS Fighter joystick controller so that players could benefit from the full six-button layout. On the downside, if you didn't have access to a HDD on your X68000, there are seven floppy discs swap between during gameplay.

Sure, the X68000 had a port of Street Fighter II, and an excellent port of Space Harrier, but what if those two series were combined (yes, we realise it's actually Street Fighter I being used and not II), along with just about every other arcade game of the time? Welcome to someone's Fantasy Zone, as Ryu flies around battling the ship from Galaxy Force, towers of Tetris blocks, Outrun cars, the muscleman from Forgotten Worlds, and countless other characters ripped from various titles. Sure, it's just a fan-hack of Space Harrier and perhaps highly unlikely to appear on the X68000 Z, but you have to love how much work and passion went into it. How many cameos can you spot?

The X68000 wss home to many arcade ports, but Baraduke is unique because the X68000 version was the only home port until Namco Museum Volume 5 on PlayStation. The arcade original was developed by Professor Yoshihiro Kishimoto, who also created Pac-Land. He explained:

Takahashi was the planner for Baraduke; he was a newcomer and was practising drawing. At that time there was no artists, the planner would draw things. At one point he drew my face and his face, and said he wanted to have these faces in the game. So I said fine. If you continuously kill Paccets the faces appear after every 10th one. If it were done today somebody would have asked, 'What is this?' But back then nobody checked, so it got released as it was. The good old days!

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