Another cool news story for the C64 community as we've just been told by both Sarah Jane Avory and Saberman, that the sequel to Zeta Wing which is a Indie Retro News 2020 Game of the Year, has been made available to download and play via the itch io website below. This game of which we have featured many times before, is a fabulous top scrolling shooter developed by the ex-SEGA game developer and author: Sarah Jane Avory who also released the incredible GOTY RPG for the C64 called ' Briley Witch Chronicles '.
For those of you who haven't seen any of our previous write ups about this rather cool looking game. Zeta Wing II features not just many challenging stages, each with their own graphic style, but lots of parallax scrolling as mentioned above, multiple weaponry upgrades, end of stage bosses, PAL and NTSC compatible, simultaneous music and sound effects, and finally all of this programmed, graphics, and sound by Sarah Jane Avory with hopeful publishing through Bitmap Soft. So yes if you loved any of Sarah's previous games such as Soul Force and Zeta Wing, you are sure to like Zeta Wing II which is now available!
Links :1) Website
So far for the commenters in the previous topic who hoped it'd get better music.
ReplyDeleteLOL the cheerleaders have arrived. After tons of positive comments online, they can't even take some people doubting one aspect of the game, apparently just as the very thin skinned creator :-)
DeleteOoh I already know I gotta play it on EASY because I'm so horribly bad at these types of shooty shooty games! :3 But I love that classic arcade feel! The graphics on the C64 sure is making the computer flex the electronic muscles like a rockstar! ^^ The music isn't bad, though it feels a bit 'samey', maybe because the instruments are like those from earlier games, not sure.
ReplyDeleteYeh I have mentioned before about the music, it was fine at first but it's being recycled and tone changed(?) for every new Sarah release. Shame that! But apart from that, a banging game :)
DeleteYou mean "transposed" IRN
DeleteSound fx are recycled for every game, too.
For me stuff like that decreases the overall quality of the game.
It's a great game. Don't let others comments about the music put you off supporting a fabulous C64 developer.
DeleteGreat! I love it!
ReplyDeleteCan’t fault it. Very impressive!
ReplyDeleteExcellent game. Very bad music. It's especailly jarring considering how good C64 music can be - the sounds are okayish but the melody itself is just boring, unimaginative and bit childish. But as I said, the gameplay, graphics are great - highly recommended and a total steal for the current price.
ReplyDeleteHave you two perhaps some examples to share of your own efforts to create new graphics / music on C64 from the last few years, as a basis for healthy discussion? Just curious?
DeleteI think this is another stellar game and just feel that it's wonderful we have developers like SJA putting there creative efforts into making gems like this and giving us fresh ways to enjoy our favourite old systems! Especially as solo artists doing everything themselves.
Always look forward to each release, keep 'em coming!
You guys know how to encourage a release! :P
DeleteI don't like vertical shumps, but this one just nail it! PLayed it for hours uintil I reach to the last stage in NORMAL difficult... fantastic game!
I find it encouraging when someone finds my work very good but point the issues they don't like. That's the best way to fine tune current or future projects. On the contrary, a pat on the back saying all is alright and good, hiding your opinion about less good options or results, hinders good results in future projects. I know people take it different ways but I would still push all the way through for positive criticism. Either good or bad. People who can't take it, better go crying to mama because we're talking to kids, not adults...
Delete"healthy discussion"
DeleteXD XD XD
It's an opinion. You don't have to create music to have an opinion about the music you hear. Or do you ?
Then, your "healthy discussion" starts with a fallacy, which is no good.
Fabulous work once again from Sarah. Not every tune is a banger but overall I'm impressed with the quality of the entire game as a whole. Hopefully Sarah won't be put off any future projects by negative comments. Sarah is one of the finest coders out there doing C64 stuff right now.
ReplyDeleteI don’t agree with comments about music and graphics. Few commercial shoot’em up of old ages are better than Zeta Wing 2. You can count them with fingers of your hand. Enforcer for example. But as i say, few.
ReplyDeleteSeparate topic: Whats wrong with fourth boss? fuc*k*i*ng bas*t*a*rd
txzrym
Best shootemup on the C64 bar none! Sarah keeps producing better and better games. I'd suggest critics of the music, just turn down their speaker and put on their Justin Timberlake greatest hits albums.
ReplyDelete;)
DeleteI can't comment on music, there is no demo ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is bloody good. i love the music and look of it. Really good.
ReplyDeleteAWESOME GAME +AAAAAAA More please
ReplyDeleteWhy is there an expectation that every C64 game has to have a Rob Hubbard-quality soundtrack? Most of the classic arcade shooters had no music at all. I'd far rather rather shooter coders used the memory for more gameplay and features.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is a "Rob Hubbard" expectation, but evidently there is an expectation that a commercial game doesn't recycle the soundtrack of the previous game of the developer.
DeleteWhy there are people that just can't accept a bit of criticism ? It seems this issue in particular is rather an opinion shared by some. Why don't you just live with it ? The game is damn good but some people don't like the soundtrack. Boooo uhhhh ....
DeleteHi Marco... Like I said to Sarah and have said many times about her games... I love them all, I think they are brilliant but the only thing I didn't like was the music. Not that the music was bad, far from it. It's just with each game, the music sounded kinda the same. Couldn't put my finger on it. Sadly myself and some others mentioning the music ended up with myself getting death threats and abuse :(
DeleteMan ... that's really bad. Very sad to hear some people in the retro community behave like that. That's very immature on their part. I mean, the music is not stellar - it's an opinion - but the game is being praised left and right, for god sake. Too bad some people won't take it if others don't see their work as perfect. Anything less than that and you get this childish behavior... oh well.
DeleteWell I love listening to Synthwave and Power Metal.. Sister thinks that isn't music :P
DeleteI'm an eclectic guy regarding music but both Synthwave and Metal (some power but mostly thrash and groove) are up there :)
DeleteThis is no doubt one of the best vertically scrolling shooters on the C64. There are lots of enemies on the screen, parallax scrolling, enemies zooming in from the background and all of that without slowdown and with almost zero flicker. The game is challenging but never unfair. Also, it probably has the best boss battles in any C64 shooter ever. Maybe not visually, those big insects can look a little goofy at times... but the bosses have all kinds of different attack patterns, and when you think you've won it might just happen that they fly out of the screen only to come back with bigger weapons. Challenging and amusing at the same time.
ReplyDeleteSomeone commented the graphics looked amateurish (why was that comment deleted?). The game might not have the best graphics ever, but calling them amateurish is just silly.
However, as a fan of SID music and knowing there are dozens of very talented active SID musicians out there, I had to lie saying the (lack of) quality of the music in this game doesn't bother me and bring the overall impression down. Taking the most primitive melody, like going up and down a scale, transposing and repeating it will not result in a good tune somehow. That has nothing to do with taste or being overly critical. I can very much understand wanting to do everything yourself at your own pace, having full control over all aspects of your game. Too bad if you have such a quality product in your hands held back by that one aspect.
If that wasn't clear: the game is of course very much worth the few bucks. Here's hoping Sarah will never grow tired of making C64 games but will one day let proper SID musicians help her.
Because some of the negative comments, even if it was their opinion such as they didn't like the music but loved the game. Was causing us to get flooded with Abuse and even death threats from people in the C64 community. One person called the site trash, another person said I was a **** and another said I should die...
DeleteJesus f***ing Christ! People on the internet...
DeleteWow I am so sorry to hear that IndieRetroNews. What has the world come to? If you disagree with 1 or 2 persons stating just their opinion that the gfx are "amateurish" how does that warrant any anger and even death threats? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't see a comment that was an attack on the developer or the game itself, just some that liked the game but thought the gfx and music would be better by using a dedicated artist. That is now a problem? Please don't let it get to you. We do love you and your site and I for one do appreciate the option for anonymous comments because I like to read different opinions, whether I agree with them or not. Have a good day.
DeleteHaters will always hate, but this game is really good. Thanks Sarah!
ReplyDeleteNobody hated the game though. Some voiced their opinion that music and/or gfx could have been better.
DeleteWell, few hate comments have been rightfully deleted by moderators, i reckon. I agree on the sound not being up to quality of the rest of the game, but ZW2 is still a great piece of C64 software..
DeleteNo there were never any hate comments visible, as they all are approved by moderators before posting on the site. See IRN comment above: "some of the negative comments, even if it was their opinion such as they didn't like the music but loved the game."
DeleteThe only negative comments, well most of them were as you said above, was about the music. Only one person didn't like the graphics. The ones I didn't allow were the ones filled with hate and vile to the point of being very abusive. Even had some impersonating a well known streamer too! So I'd say around 90%+ of the people here loved the game. But sadly as with Human nature, any form of criticism is taking priority :(
DeleteHaters will always hate, but the game is Really Good.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah.
tonysavon
Utterly Amazing Looking... Superb infact for a C64. I am one of the ones who wished the music was different (by this I mean tune arrangement...different song, not the quality of the sound necessarily...but guess what? Zeta Wing III can implement this small suggestion...different sound effects for the shooting...which maybe should sound organic/liquidy? because its like bugs I guess? as rich as Galaga perhaps. Just would be cool. now as far as people saying the gfx are goofy? I suppose you thnk that of Sam's Journey? or SuperMarioBros? I mean that is the style...cartoony. So thats a weird statement. I think it all looks perfect for the entire game....as long as the levels change the palette because you are in a different level.
ReplyDeleteIt is a good looking game. Most of the game has a more "semi-realistic" visual style though. There are very few elements that look a little more cartoon-ish. The look isn't full on cartoon style like maybe Twin Bee or as you mentioned Sam's Journey. Since the visuals are modeled after the arcade game Gemini Wing, I'd say Sarah tried emulating that colorful "light" arcade style but the C64 palette and resolution makes the game automatically look a little darker and less arcadey. That makes the few more cartoon-ish elements look a tiny bit out of place. That is only nitpicking of course. Overall the graphics are well done, especially considering Sarah did everything herself. I merely used the word goofy to explain why I think that while no other C64 shmup has boss battles of this quality, some of them have bosses that still look a bit cooler / more intimidating. Which doesn't mean they don't look good in this game.
DeleteNow to something completely different... wouldn't it be nice if everyone used a nick name instead of posting anonymously? Having a discussion is a bit difficult like this.