@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries You know a game is well done when you just need to hear the Death noise and everyone panics :) "DOES ANYONE HAVE A POTION??"
This game was one of those games at the arcade that demanded attention. The sfx music and voices added so much. The simple, colorful and clear animations brought everything to life. This was a classic.
I have lived only the tail end of the arcade era, but the more technology "progresses", the more i want to go back when the experience was really a social event
When you see it from the beginning You have a much greater appreciation for the early stuff such as Atari or even the Odyssey. Every week or so when you would go to the arcade it was a treat to see what new arcade games were there. It really was a social event
It was very cool. It became REALLY intense when the fighting game boom came around. I was just thinking about playing Renegade and Shinobi at Convenience Stores at the time. The home consoles brought in a new world but Arcades were really the beginning of the hobby as far as communities growing around them.
Yeah, we're at that age where games are played online and not shoulder to shoulder on the floor in front of a 150lb 30" tube TV... I miss those days of my childhood.
I was in the same situation. I remember getting into arcade games when, oddly enough, I would go to the dentist. Lol the dentist my mom took me to had arcade games you could play while you wait. Just the big ones like Pac Man and Centipede but it made the experience less traumatizing. I remember playing Gauntlet Legends later on and it blew my mind that I was able to save my progress with a password. I miss the days of asking my mom for some quarters and walking down to the arcade with my friend. Or even just sitting at home and playing games together on the old tube TV. I still game to this day, and it's amazing to see how far we've come with hardware and graphics. Can't wait to see where it goes in the future!
Fond memories of standing on a milk carton to reach the machine while the jukebox played and the teenagers smoked cigarettes. It was so much more than just the social experience. The amount of freedom that kids had back then compared to now would blow your mind. I was a latchkey kid babysitting my two younger brothers for a few hours after school everyday when i was 11 and nobody thought twice about it. DCFS would come and take the kids away today if that happened.
I remember when this game came out. Eventually we had it at a local 7-11, where a kid broke into the back and kept giving everyone free credits. I recently acquired a TMNT machine, which was converted from an original Gauntlet to turtles. Also, I have a MAME cabinet, which was originally a Gauntlet: Dark Legacy machine from when I worked for namco. The 36" screen stopped working and it was too expensive, and not making enough money, to fix. So, the company had me scrap it, after sending all the main boards back to the home office, but rather than destroy it, I took it home and made it into a MAME machine.
Gauntlet legends came out when I was 22 I still remember one particular weekend when my parents had gone on vacation and me and my friends hooked up my Nintendo 64 on their big screen, not that big by today’s standard. We played it basically for a full weekend. My friends going home at dawn Saturday and Sunday. The 64 having that awesome design to have four controllers plugged in was perfect for the game.
"How the company could release a game in this state is beyond me, unless it was just a quick cash grab." Good thing we've come far enough that game developers never do such things anymore.
Yes, Gauntlet and Gauntlet II are among my most favorite arcade games. Too bad I sucked at them, though-especially as a kid. Thanks for all the nostalgia and new information, Patman!
THANK YOU for acknowledging Dandy on the Atari! Most people don't know or dismiss the influence of Dandy on Gauntlet. Without Dandy, there'd be no Gauntlet.
Had Atari Inc not been broken up, the AMY sound chip - which John Palovich (sic) wrote code for, in addition to having written DANDY - could’ve ended up in the Gauntlet arcade games instead of the YM2151 audio chip. That would’ve changed a lot of what we consider distinct sounds to Gauntlet.
yeah, just as iconic as altered beasts "rise from your grave" - even now gives me that little tingle! its funny how certain sound can transport you right back (like reinstalled C&C: tiberium sun and man, those death sounds...)
I think that Nes version deserved a little more attention. It is fantastic, with great music and dared with her own story and changes in gameplay. For example, the search for passwords and the fight against the guardian. Excellent video, congratulations!
Agreed👍 Nes is my favorite version. The arcade was cool but in reality it's just a chaotic mess of a quarter muncher. The Nes version is a doable adventure!
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries I loved the video, I just wish the NES footage didnt have that filter. I hate that stuff, it's criminal. Let the pixels be free!!
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries would love to throw some Patreon love to ya but times are tight since the lay off. Glad I have this channel to see me through it. Ty so much for your amazing videos.
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Never was a fan of the Spectrum - I can see the pitchforks and torches hahaha. Now the C64 and then the Amiga I was jealous of them lol. I loved that Amstrad many memories and some very good games I don't understand why some people hate on it?
Huh! It's pretty cool to learn that Xybots was started as a Gauntlet sequel! Especially since I'm currently developing a fantasy RPG, inspired by Xybots! The gameplay is basically Dungeon Master meets Punch Out.
@@Rendo86 Yes, I am familiar with Crossed Swords. It also influenced a few of my design decisions. Such as groups of monsters having two rows, and a "tag" system, to help each other out.
Would that make it more like Doom except with a level generator?? Or Shining the Holy Ark or Shining in the Darkness... I'm guessing more like a simplified version. If it's more like Xybots? Etrian Odyssey comes to mind... those are really fun! Never finished the 2 EO games I have... they get tough quick.
@@Grillenheimer I would love to see an update to the DC version of the Shining series. Or actually ANY of the Shining series! *EDIT* I put DC as "dungeon crawler" not for Dreamcast. I know the titles were on Genesis and Saturn.
1986 my best friend in the world just graduated from Boot Camp at Camp Pendleton California. We rented a Gauntlet arcade cabinet for the day and had a party for him. We all ate a giant 6' long sandwich, drank soda and played this game all day long. We were all in the military and yes we were nerds!
You know that feeling when you just discover a content creator, really like their delivery, then find they have a veritable mountain of existing content to explore? I think I'm going to need some popcorn...
Gauntlet Slayer edition is one of the best games I own. I can play it by myself, with friends or with my kids on a local steam box in the family room. I really feel like its underrated as a true successor to the gauntlet franchise.
I agree. The only problem with it is the developer for the Slayer Edition only did PS4 games, and WB Games didn't give much of a crap to find another developer to port it to Xbox One and even the Switch.
@@bland9876 the reviews seem skewed - maybe as people reviewed the original then the slayer edition, which changed a lot of the mechanics and gameplay. Get it on sale for like £3, it's a good game, just limited/no endgame - really fun as a group tho.
I remember the DAY this came out in 1985. Crowds all around it. Me on my tippy-toes trying to get a peek. Such a REGAL feel to it... and IT TALKED! And it talked GOOD. The voice samplings bought it 'to life'. After a while people got sick of it once they realized there was no end... such fond memories
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Amazing to think all of this was created from copying Gary Gygax's AD&D... Think of all the Swords and Sorcery games ... so many trace back to Dungeons and Dragons.
I remember when i was a kid, my dad bought a arcade cabinet and it had i think 6 or 7 hit game on it. Punchout, Mario2, Contra, and Gauntlet!!! I cant remember the rest of the games. I always loved playing Gauntlet, so much fun!!! All my neighborhood friends would come over and we would play. Very good memories, I miss u and love u Dad!!!
Here’s a bit of history for Gauntlet: the sprites and levels for the game were drawn on the Atari 520ST. In fact, Atari used their 16-bit computers to draw the graphics for a lot of their arcade games during the mid-to-late 1980s. Another game that comes to mind is Toobin’. Since these games ran on dedicated PCBs, they always ran better than their home conversion counterparts.
@@niooi Let's not forget that Marble Madness was made by a 15 year old Mark Cerney who also helped make Sonic 2 as well as founding Naughty Dog. Now he's designing the PS5. Quite a resume.
For that to have happened, Ed Logg would’ve had to get his hands on an Atari 520ST before release. And that was after “Atari” had become 3 different companies. Ed Logg was at Atari Games which was the arcade company. The ST was from Tramiel’s Atari Corp. Even though they shared the same building for several months, the employees of those 2 companies weren’t supposed to be working together… although allegedly some did. Ed Logg did have an ST later at some point… and one of his favorite games on it was Tetris. He showed Atari Games’ management team it and convinced them to try to license it for the arcades…but that’s a different infamous story…
@AldousHuxley's Ghost I basically grew up in a bowling alley. My dad Went bowling in leagues two or three nights a week and then I was in leagues on Saturday afternoons. The games you mentioned sound exactly like my bowling alley :-)
Thank you for uploading this. Love the pacing and humour throughout. Just to clarify, Gauntlet 3 never made it to the shops on the C64, due to a multitude of reasons. Firstly, the machine itself was towards the end of its shelf life. Secondly, the game's isometric perspective (as per the amiga version), plus its size and complexity meant that making it a disk only product (or cartridge, which at the time weren't cheaper than disks in the U.K), was the only feasible option. And this wouldn't have been commercially viable , as the majority of C64 users in the U.K., and indeed europe, favoured tape versions due to the lower cost. Ergo, a poor return on investment due to potentially lower sales. As a result, the 80% or so completed game was shelved. I think it may have been a Software Creations project, which means it could have had the quality of their other conversions, such as Bionic Commandos & LED Storm. There is information about all this online. Furthermore, it's possible someone, perhaps from the original team, may have finished it and put it out in the public domain somewhere. All in all, it's a pity it wasn't released back in the day, as the music for it sounds fantastic, which isn't surprising considering it was composed by the Follin brothers. Maybe with the current resurgence of retro gaming, it might get an updated release. For example, Hunter's Moon (an absolute classic), has recently been re-released, with massive updates , including new levels, intro and outro sequences and new music too.
I thought I had read somewhere a long time ago that the third game did not come out on the 64 but I wasn't sure why. It makes sense though since it would only have been released on a disk format. When I saw software creations mentioned in regards to the Amiga version I got goose chills when thinking about some of their other games LOL. I will have to try the third one just for the music alone. Thanks for all the info
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries No worries . The music is available on the HVSC (high voltage sid collection), which has been around and updated for well over a decade. You can use various SID players to listen to it.
Really appreciated this documentary and learned a lot about the series, thanks for putting it together! There were a few opinions I was surprised at, like the slight dismissal of Legends / Dark Legacy, as those are some of my favorite, and how you like Seven Sorrows, as I felt that was the largest departure from the Gauntlet series. Subscribed, cause I'd love to hear more of what you have to say, thanks for making this!
Did not mean to dismiss legends or dark legacy as I really enjoyed the follow-up. Since I grew up on gauntlet I appreciated the back to the basics of seven sorrows. Thanks for subscribing and I appreciate the nice words
Legends and Dark Legacy were huuuuge at my house. I remember getting Seven Sorrows and only playing it once and being completely bummed out since it was way different than the previous. I'd love a remake of Legends/Dark Legacy or a game back in that style. Used to be such a great time with buddies. They definitely don't make them like they used to.
One great video after another! with all the research and stuff that goes Into it I sometimes wonder how difficult it is to put a video like these together. and thinking like that I can honestly appreciate them more snd say thank you for all the hard work you do on these. they are so enjoyable.
From the very first time I stumbled onto this channel, I've always found the presenter's voice reminds me of the digitized speech in Gauntlet. And now we have arrived. Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way. But still, he really sounds like that computer voice to me. Thanks for the upload. Always enjoy them.
"The NES version of Gauntlet is a significant departure from the arcade original, keeping only the basic game formula and cast of enemies. 100 entirely new levels were constructed for this version, and the quest was given a definite goal: to retrieve a Magic Orb located in the 100th level, which could only be accessed by collecting portions of a password hidden in clue rooms scattered throughout the first 99 levels." Those passwords were a nightmare.
Gauntlet Slayer edition the most recent edition of Gauntlet is hugely underrated. Me and my two sons fell in love with it and completed every aspect of the game. We still go back to it from time to time. Controls so well.
Nes version had another problem. You had to go to certain rooms to get part of a code to give to the Master of the game to even play the last level and to fight the dragon. This code was different either to each character. So it punish you to skipping levels..
Just like the Ikari Warriors trilogy video I wished there was coverage of the ports of the sequels, but that’s a lot to cover. I loved Gauntlet II & Gauntlet: The Third Encounter for the Atari Lynx & Gauntlet IV for the Sega Genesis were decent follow-ups. Really enjoying your channel and your videos!
Although the NES version was quite different from the arcade, and lacking in some ways, it also had some pluses. There was a password system allowing you to continue, collecting gold enabled you to upgrade your character, and best of all it had an ending.
Yep it sure did. Me and my friend were talking about beating it again. We use to mess with the passwords to get better items but this was before u could easily acquire info online.
another old school arcade meal from patmanQC! perfect portions of information and entertainment. and always at least 1 humorous quote to keep and use, i.e. 'so was my prom night' hahahaha' KEEP IT UP Patman!
The MSX version looked better than the Spectrum version too. You can see that in the video, so I’m not quite certain why he says it’s worse: the ghosts, piles of bones (ghost generators), etc. All look better on the MSX version in my opinion. The Nintendo version at the end looked wrong too... I take it that was an emulator with some kind of smoothing turned on making everything look so weird? On the genuine hardware, on a CRT TV, ALL these games looked and played very differently to how they look here. I remember the Spectrum, MSX and C64 versions very well.
Your gaming documentaries are SO interesting. They are great to binge watch. Its incredible how high quality the voice audio is given the time period it was made in. I really loved playing this on Midway Arcade Treasures. It sounds better than Sinistar.
Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed them. I agree, the voices are better in gauntlet. They are much clearer in the amount of voice in the game is staggering. Like I said, 212 different sound effects including voices.
One of my all-time fave games (and one of Atari Coin-op's very best), many great memories of unadulterated four-player chaos on both Gauntlet and Gauntlet II. The titles that came afterwards...yeah, not so much.
I think they got caught up in the 'everything must be in 3D' mindset that emerged in the early 90s, and ended up completely overlooking what made the first two great to begin with. Shame.
My brother, dad, myself, and some of our neighborhood friends played Gauntlet Legends on N64 religiously. There was always someone ready to pick up when you were done or wanted to take a break. We also had a 4 computer LAN setup so if you couldn't get in on Gaunlet/Goldeneye, you could jump into Quake or Warcraft. I loved that era of gaming. Our house became something of a local hub. Even if you didn't want to play games, you could always watch someone play.
Gauntlet Dark Legacy and Gauntlet Legends were my childhood. Such great childhood memories playing that game. Special place in my heart. Great to see the game's history. Cheers.
I was a big time Atari personal computer game player back in the early 80s. Played Dandy Dungeon religiously and the moment I saw Guantlet in the arcades, i *KNEW* it was inspired by it. They definitely took it to the next level with the sound FX, voices, and graphics though.
I remember playing the original Gauntlet game back in 1985 I was a little kid but that game blew me away since then I have played all of them so this game series definitely brings back memories to me so thanks.
Really enjoyed this video Patman, my brother and I had a blast playing Gauntlet on the C64 back in the day....still have the tune in my head lol We also got to play Legends in the arcades and had a blast with the password system as we were traveling cross-country with family at the time and got a kick out of picking up at a Vegas arcade where we left off in NYC.....that was the future, man :D It would be great if you would do a video someday of Shadow over Mystara (with a mention of Tower of Doom), as I think that is probably the best 4 player arcade ever, and one of the last that you could beat with a single quarter, if you had the skill....like Golden Axe 3, but with more depth.....I know that it is slightly niche even though it is D&D, but that has never stopped you before lol
Thank you, and thanks for sharing the memories. The password system was really unique and like you said as long as the Internet connection was working you could pick up play on a different machine no matter where you were. I will have to check in the game you mentioned, I don't have any recollection of it
"In my opinion Gauntlet should always be played from a top down 2D perspective as found in the originals."Oh, no, sacrilege. Valkyrie sword-and-boarding through mobs of orcs and goblins in Gauntlet Legends is one of the high points of my casual gaming career.
I remember commenting on the first video of yours that I hoped you got around to Gauntlet. It's my favorite arcade game. And my cousin and I had to put hundreds of hours into Gauntlet Dark Legacy on PS2. Thanks for this video!
Absolutely, it's always been on my list but I knew it was going to be a massive undertaking considering the amount of games that were made available , LOL
I wondered if I had missed you covering this game Patman! Working in an arcade back in the mid-80's was a glorious time, and spent many a night after closing playing this with my friends. I would gladly pay to own one of these today, but this global madness has put a damper on my ability to be employed full time. This would be my #1 pick, even over Galaga. I'll be patient....
This game has been on my to do list for quite a while but I knew it was going to be a huge task and almost split into two videos. Hopefully the pandemic is over soon
I remember being amazed by this arcade game the first time I seen it.. Love the Speak and Spell dungeon master voice... The 80's was the best! I am newly subscribed... You do a great job!
I remember having this on the spectrum, and the extra dungeons expansion. You used to be able to level skip if you played the first line of code for the level the computer was expecting to load from the tape, after that line of the level was loaded you could fast forward it to any point of the tape you wanted.
Gauntlet was such a huge part of my childhood. I remember staying up all night trying to reach lvl 100 with my dad on the Midway collection while my mom told me about the dragon in Gauntlet II. I still get teased by my sisters because I was scared of the ghosts in Dark Legacy. Thanks for the memories.
Enjoyed this video & good history to the game. I owned the Atari 800 XL & was not a fan of the brown colour but I did not recall this being that slow while playing! But once again good video 👍🏼
I loved this game. I was a kid when this arcade game came out. I didn't have much money, so I just looked with envy on those who could put in coin after coin on this game. However, a couple of years later I got the game for my Amiga and played it alot. :) Nowadays I got Gauntlet slayer edition for my PS4 and play it sometimes when I just want some hack n slash action without to much thinking. You pointed out the camera is to zoomed out, I have never thought of it because I game on my big screen TV, and it is not a problem there. Thanks for an excellent and deep covering video about the Gauntlet universe. :)
Thank you for the nice words. I wish the original gauntlet had come out for the Amiga so I could have covered it but only gauntlet 2 Was released for it. Cheers
I used to play this with my sister on the C64 as kids. I also had lots of fun playing the arcade version with friends at holiday camps and such as a kid. I never played or even saw the sequel though so it was good to see what it was about here. Great video as always; Gauntlet was an excellent choice. :)
I played one of the Gauntlet Legends/Dark Legacy games in a bar in London and it had that had the password system which meant every Friday after work, we would all continue our progress. I also played the original in a bar in Springfield, Missouri (almost certain it wasn't Illinoui) which catered to original cabinets. I also have the PS4 Slayer edition which is great for a 15 minute blast. Tough on your own however. Great vid as always PQC!
: ) It probably was Missouri. There is a Springfield in Illinois but it's in the middle of the state and where the fairgrounds are located. Hmmm, maybe you were in Illinois? The cities are far apart so...
@@fifthof9501 we were driving route 66 at the time and had looked up places to visit before hand. I have actually found the name of the bar, it's called "1984" and it is in Missouri. Worth a visit if you're ever nearby.
I remember playing this in single-player mode on the C64. While using one joystick, I had the other on the floor ready to press the fire button with my foot when one character was about to die.
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries I also remember that the two-player mode was very quirky in terms of character movement. Often, one character would get 'stuck' in a section of a dungeon if the two players went in different directions. Leaving the 'unstuck' player to 'untangle' the other as they were usually limited to what they could do in that situation.
Oh my goodness Pat, at 12:26, that incredible music by Tim Follin - probably one of the best bits of music the Amiga's ever had. I remember this one really well! Also, as a fan of the original arcade game (I used to play with a few friends every chance we got at the arcade down the street from university), this brings back serious nostalgic happiness. Awesome video. Some of my oldest friends and I still comment "Warrior needs food, badly!" P.S. I commented before the video was finished, so I'm sure there's lots more treasure to be mined from the dungeons of this video.... :)
LOL, those comments from the game really stick in my memory. The Amiga music was really good especially back in the day. Thanks for the nice words, glad you enjoyed it
I loved all the Arcade versions, those quarter - eaters. My favourite version was Gauntlet: Dark Legacy on the Nintendo Gamecube, with extra - sharp graphics and exclusive stereo sound. ( seriously, it was the only port in stereo that I know of and was a major selling point of the game ) On a similar note, I also loved Forgotten Realms' Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance on the Gamecube as it is an official Dungeons and Dragons game, and boy did it look and play good~! The extra bonus of BGDA was that you fought against actual D&D monsters and bosses taken right from the original source material. Anyhow, thanks for another great review of this amazing game, Patman~!
Ahhh the memories of playing Gauntlet at the bowling Alley in Jackson Heights Queens NY in 1985. I do remember assholes putting up to 5 bucks of quarters up, there was no way you were interrupting a game played by Metalheads and geeks. Great video PatmanQC!
A few things you didn't mention: Although the original arcade game featured a lot of fast and furious shooting, you couldn't just go in and blast everything. That's because your shots could also destroy items that you needed. (DM's voice: "Remember, don't shoot food.") Also, I believe that later in the game, players could be damaged by other players. (DM's voice: "Shots do not affect players, yet."). One really nice featured - which encouraged the spending of a lot of money - was that you could add life with additional quarters before your character was killed; allowing you to continue without interruption. The Death character could be killed, but not before it absorbed 200 life from your character - which was an enormous amount. Again, a way of getting players to throw a lot of quarters into the machine. But as others have noted, it was a hell of a lot of fun back in the day.
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries My pleasure. You always have very informative videos about the old arcade games. I just love occasionally submitting a few pieces of trivia myself.