Rainbow Islands - Ds

[Qazimod]

Drawing Rainbows with the Stylus sounds fun, but it's not going to be Rainbow Islands if they do that, really. As an added mode it'd be fine, but I say don't fuck with the existing control scheme. That's how hearts are broken, that is.

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Agreed. In fact, I still can't think of how RI could take advantage of the stylus. Or the mic. Or the dual screen. Or the wireless.

[roberthazelby]

Whilst you lot are all getting excited about this, can I suggest you pop over to the `High Scores` folder to laugh at my pathetic RI score, and then beat it into the ground?

As for the music. I used to love the Amiga version music, but the arcade version drives me up the wall. The tune's great, it's just the instrument used. Nasty, nasty!

[DarhkFox]

Didn't that have screen size issues?

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Well, kinda. You could play the game full screen mode but it scaled the gfx down a bit to fit it all on screen. Normal mode goes off screen ABIT but nothing major. Its perfect besides that tiny, tiny thing. And i really do mean that.

Its probably the game I most played on the GBA - i love it to bits.

And it only cost me a tenner with a free link cable.

[Dr Derek Doctors]

Also - Yay! Now bring on Cannon Fodder DS!

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And save me a copy, too! Blamblamblam!

[df0notfound]

The Amiga Rainbow Islands was far too difficult IMO...

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Ohhh yes also it only gave you shit items on your first play from my experience, the better ones came the more you played it (of course this was always reset at bootup)

[UKBuckaroo]

Drawing Rainbows with the Stylus sounds fun, but it's not going to be Rainbow Islands if they do that, really. As an added mode it'd be fine, but I say don't fuck with the existing control scheme. That's how hearts are broken, that is.

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Agreed. Whatever you think of the stylus there is no way it could replicate the precision of the joypad/button. If there is one think that Rainbow Islands is it's precise. There is no way stylus control could do it justice.

[Dapple]

Am I the only person who played this on an ST, rather than an Amiga? For a long time it was my favourite game (well, maybe second to Dungeon Master) despite never having got past, oh, level 3!

They don't make 'em like they used to...

[Dr Derek Doctors]

Am I the only person who played this on an ST, rather than an Amiga?  For a long time it was my favourite game (well, maybe second to Dungeon Master) despite never having got past, oh, level 3!

They don't make 'em like they used to...

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I played (and completed) it on the Speccy. I am teh H@RDC0R3Z!

Fookin' 'ell that last island is a bastard, though.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

MAME just seems to suck the life out of a game for me 

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In my setup it's 100% identical to the original arcade version. Same controls, same screen, same resolution, same sound ... the only thing that's different is the DOS-loading screen and the menu with a few thousand games you see before playing

[DarhkFox]

Ohhh yes also it only gave you shit items on your first play from my experience, the better ones came the more you played it (of course this was always reset at bootup)

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Indeed. This game was hardcore to the max. (amiga version)

So hardcore that, even though i CHEATED (infinite lives) and spent 4 hours getting to the end of the game - i still couldnt beat it cos the end boss was rock hard. Literally spent an hour on the boss and gave up. Really needed an infinite health cheat too.

Shame cos id have loved to have actually beat the game.

WHY WAS IT SO HARD?

Also: What the hell was the deal with these "secret" areas? I couldnt find one of them. It even said it in the manual. To my understanding, the secret areas where never in the amiga version?

[Meh]

In my setup it's 100% identical to the original arcade version. Same controls, same screen, same resolution, same sound ... the only thing that's different is the DOS-loading screen and the menu with a few thousand games you see before playing

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Helps a lot if you aren't playing with some shitty Sidewinder pad, too.

[df0notfound]

Indeed. This game was hardcore to the max. (amiga version)

So hardcore that, even though i CHEATED (infinite lives) and spent 4 hours getting to the end of the game - i still couldnt beat it cos the end boss was rock hard. Literally spent an hour on the boss and gave up. Really needed an infinite health cheat too.

Shame cos id have loved to have actually beat the game.

WHY WAS IT SO HARD?

Also: What the hell was the deal with these "secret" areas? I couldnt find one of them. It even said it in the manual. To my understanding, the secret areas where never in the amiga version?

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You had to collect the diamons in the colour order and it made a door appear at the boss. Think you got extra islands if you did this on every level.

Only ever saw one door (my sister played this mostly) but she couldnt figure how to get in it.

Gave you cool powers like perminent book of wings aparently

[therearerules]

Man I loved this on the C64. Me and my brother would play, infite lves and we never completed it ether. Did you have to get the diamonds in order? I just thought you had to get all the diamonds. Ace game though, the feeling of power when you can fire 4 rainbows s great.

[JedEvangelion]

Yep, get the diamonds in rainbow order, left to right, on each level to unlock the bonus stage. I managed 2 doors in total on the Amiga version.

There were so many clever, clever scoring mechanics in that game, I could still happily be playing it now and discovering cool stuff. Amiga Power (I think it was) did a real eye-opening article on the bonus stuff once. That was probably the first time I ever looked at a Game's design in any kind of seriousness and I was amazed at all that shit going on behind the scenes. It was a seriously well thought through piece of design. Bubble Bobble and Parasol Stars were both similarly clever, but rainbow had the playability in my book.

[DarhkFox]

I think Bubble Bobble was my fave, mainly because it was so replayable. Rainbow islands was realy good, although I just thought it was too hard.

Parasol stars was decent too.. being a naughty boy, i bought a copy at a boot sale. I didnt even know what the game was to be honest and me and my brother were pleasantly surprised when we booted it up to discover it was the sequel to rainbow islands/bubble bobble. Think I beat it too.

Rodland was simular in design too, and a good game to boot.

Might have to boot up the mame cab and play rainbow islands again.

[df0notfound]

Amiga Power (I think it was) did a real eye-opening article on the bonus stuff once.

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I keep finding dodgy photocopies of that round my house, friend of mine had it and lent it me and we must have copied it about 50 times because they still turn up today.

The crystal ball's listing was "see last months altered stakes(or states it looked like on the copy)" Which became some bizzare long running joke for some reason.

It was MUCH harder to get the diamonds in order on the amiga, played it on mame a few weeks back and did it several times first go, in fact the whole game is easier thats why I prefer the Amiga one.

[Luke]

Umm, I've not read the whole thread, but why are all the games in the first thread called "<something> Revolution"?

Anything to do with a certain upcoming Nintendo console perhaps?

[Floppy]

You had to collect the diamons in the colour order and it made a door appear at the boss. Think you got extra islands if you did this on every level.

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Of the home conversions, the only one I'm certain has the three hidden islands (Magical, Darius and Bubble Islands) is Rainbow Islands on the Mega Drive, which only came out in Japan.

[eves pudding]

I remember reading that the hidden islands were left out of the home computer versions due to space restrictions

I'm not sure if the PC Engine CD version was complete like the Megadrive one