Road Spirits dissection (soon to be ARC Company review)

ccovell · 09/03/2011, 09:50 AM

Hi, folks. My interest in a couple of Arc Co. Ltd's games for the PCE boiled over, so I'm going to take screenshots of these lesser-known games and even do a review or something.

The first game: Road Spirits https://www.chrismcovell.com/games_illustrated/arc-road_spirits.html
The 2nd game: Chris' Adventure https://www.chrismcovell.com/games_illustrated/arc-hihou_densetsu.html
The 3rd game: Minesweeper https://www.chrismcovell.com/games_illustrated/arc-minesweeper.html

SuperPlay · 09/03/2011, 11:25 AM

Thanks Chris :-)

_Paul · 09/03/2011, 12:28 PM

Nice!

shubibiman · 09/03/2011, 06:00 PM

QuoteHackers can set RAM location $2010 to 4 or 5 on the selection screen to drive these forbidden cars.

Wow! It's high time I get into hacking myself just to be able to drive french cars in a PCE game!

nat · 09/03/2011, 09:45 PM

Too bad there's no way to hack the game itself to make these cars accessible on a real console. I had no idea this game actually featured (yellow, no less!) a 2CV, hidden or not. My family owned a yellow 2CV with the "peel-back" roof when I was a kid in the 80s and even into the early 90s, so this certainly sparks some nostalgia for me.

Road Spirits just shot to the #1 spot on my list of games to buy. If someone could figure out a way to hack the actual game itself so that I could burn an ISO and be able to select the 2CV for play, they would certainly shoot to the #1 spot on my list of insanely awesome people.

TurboXray · 09/03/2011, 10:45 PM

Quote from: ccovell on 09/03/2011, 09:50 AMHi, folks. My interest in a couple of Arc Co. Ltd's games for the PCE boiled over, so I'm going to take screenshots of these lesser-known games and even do a review or something.

The first game: Road Spirits https://www.chrismcovell.com/games_illustrated/arc-road_spirits.html

Nice write up! Keep 'em coming

Keranu · 09/03/2011, 10:53 PM

I've been wanting to play Road Spirits for so many years.

ccovell · 09/04/2011, 12:40 AM

Quote from: nat on 09/03/2011, 09:45 PMToo bad there's no way to hack the game itself to make these cars accessible on a real console.

Well, as I just discovered, a hack isn't needed. The game has a few debug codes. At the title screen, after the title music just starts up (you can't enter the code when the wind is howling or when START/CONTINUE is on screen), press the following buttons the specified number of times, then press RUN to choose start or continue.

Ux5, Dx9, Lx6, Rx0-5. Watch the Ending using the car specified by R button presses. 0=Citroen, 1=Ferrari, 2=Lambo, 3=Porsche, 4=Acura, 5=Renault.

Ux7, Dx7, Lx7. Watch the Credits!

Ux3, Dx8, Lx4, Rx0-16. Stage Select.

Ux9, Dx6, Lx8, Rx0-5. Car Select! As in the main game, 4 and 5 button presses get you the Citroen and Renault.

Ux10, Dx0, Lx9... ????
Ux4, Dx2, Lx10... ????

nat · 09/04/2011, 12:51 AM

Fan-fucking-tastic. Best news I've heard all week.

csgx1 · 09/04/2011, 02:52 AM

Great info! I never really heard of this game. I got to play it just because it features an NSX.

SuperPlay · 09/04/2011, 05:06 AM

Looks like I will be digging out my copy of Road Spirits this afternoon.

Thanks again for the info Chris

Tatsujin · 09/04/2011, 05:46 AM

Thx, so many details for such a simple game.

SignOfZeta · 09/04/2011, 10:46 PM

I support this fully.

Tatsujin · 09/04/2011, 11:13 PM

Quote from: SuperPlay on 09/04/2011, 05:06 AMLooks like I will be digging out my copy of Road Spirits this afternoon.

Thanks again for the info Chris

QFT!

M1Savage · 09/05/2011, 12:08 PM

Add any sort of challenge and this game could have been great. So frustrating to play because you keep waiting for it to get harder and it never does.

Joe Redifer · 09/05/2011, 05:02 PM

This looks pretty good to me. I'll probably pick it up for a decent price if I can find it. I like boring games, since I am quite boring myself.

NecroPhile · 09/06/2011, 12:58 PM

"automatic for pussies"

Thanks for sharing the peak under the hood. I'm not a big fan of such games, but I kinda want this one now; in the mean time, I'm gonna have to fire up the rom to find out what the 911 passenger is.

Otaking · 09/08/2011, 05:20 PM

Interesting review thanks. Will pop this game in the Duo and give it a spin.

ddd1234 · 09/09/2011, 09:29 PM

OMG i remember beating this on Magic Engine. Very boring racer. The music is sweet though.

ccovell · 09/14/2011, 10:43 PM

A new review for a game by ARC is up: Chris' Adventure

https://www.chrismcovell.com/games_illustrated/arc-hihou_densetsu.html

Tatsujin · 09/14/2011, 10:45 PM

UBERGEIL

thx a lot chris

nat · 09/18/2011, 04:49 AM

Quote from: ccovell on 09/04/2011, 12:40 AMUx9, Dx6, Lx8, Rx0-5. Car Select! As in the main game, 4 and 5 button presses get you the Citroen and Renault.

So I picked up this game upon learning the 2CV was playable, but this code doesn't work on my Duo. It does... absolutely nothing. Has anyone else tried this and verified that it works, either under emulation or on the real hardware?

Is there some other code you have to enter first in order for it to take effect?

EDIT: I got it to work. I missed the part where it was said it doesn't work while the wind is blowing. I guess I began entering it a little too early.

nat · 11/06/2011, 10:44 PM

I was playing Hany on the Road today, and I noticed something I hadn't noticed in the past. The title screen says the game is "DESIGNED BY ARC."

I always thought these Hany games were purely Face, but maybe Road was actually developed by Arc and just published by Face? Chris, do you know?

ccovell · 11/07/2011, 12:45 AM

Yes, I knew about ARC's other games published by FACE. Check out here for more games developed (in part or in whole) by ARC:

http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Company:Arc_System_Works
http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Company:Arc_System_Works_(credits)

Windy · 11/07/2011, 01:03 AM

I played the crap out of this game and it was just a sunday Cruise

I had some fun with it but really easy. I think a very young kid could kick the crap out of it. Graphically cool. I think more polish and they might have just gotten it right

ccovell · 12/27/2011, 07:05 PM

Added Minesweeper: https://www.chrismcovell.com/games_illustrated/arc-minesweeper.html

Whooptie Frickin' Doo, right?

esteban · 12/28/2011, 07:43 AM

Quote from: ccovell on 12/27/2011, 07:05 PMAdded Minesweeper: https://www.chrismcovell.com/games_illustrated/arc-minesweeper.html

Whooptie Frickin' Doo, right?

Hahahhahaha. I have never been tempted to get Minesweeper... no, that's a lie. I have been curious if the game had any interesting music (Redbook, even). You say it has a couple of "groovy tracks"--care to elaborate? Or rip the PSG/Redbook? (Ha!)

UPDATE: Inspired by Cook, I'm listening to the Gameboy chiptune (it's OK, quite cheery, but would it have killed them to provide another song or five?) and... MineSweeper ST (Frank Seemann) is a nice tune (I have no idea if it is part of the MineSweeper canon, but a good tune is a good tune).

Anyway, I have to say that Cook's Quest piqued my interest (too bad it wasn't fully fleshed out), as did "The Great Voyage" (I love a grand, epic adventure that spans half a millennium...and with random stock illustrations/photos of sea vessels, no less!)

ccovell · 12/28/2011, 09:04 AM

The music is a bit offbeat, but a couple of the tracks are the usual good Katsuhiro Hayashi fusion/reggae/rock stuff. No links provided, but be sure to do a search for "snesorama" in Google or whatever.

NecroPhile · 12/28/2011, 09:46 AM

And now I want Minesweeper.... what the hell's wrong with me?!?

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Road Spirits dissection (soon to be ARC Company review)