Pengo available for free

In 2010 Paxanga Soft released the game Pengo. Pengo is an MSX2 conversion of Sega's 1982 classic arcade game Pengo. In the game you play as a penguin that is stuck in a maze of ice blocks and hunted by the blob-like Sno-Bees. The aim of the game is to survive by killing the Sno-bees while collecting bonus diamonds.

Recently Paxanga Soft has made the game available for free. The downloadable version on the Paxanga website contains the ROM file and a manual in text format. The game requires at least a MSX2 machine with 64K RAM and 64K VRAM and the game only works at 60Hz. The game can still be bought on cartridge from MSX Cartridge Shop for € 25,-.

Relevant link: Paxanga website

Media browser (3)

Comments (23)

By MsxKun

Paragon (1134)

01-07-2012, 19:37

Important to say: It's Pengo 30th anniversary soon!

By hap

Paragon (2043)

01-07-2012, 19:53

Thanks MsxKun! =)
Is there any difference between this one and the cartridge? (and don't say 25 euro )

By MsxKun

Paragon (1134)

01-07-2012, 20:11

hap wrote:

Thanks MsxKun! =)
Is there any difference between this one and the cartridge? (and don't say 25 euro )

Yep! It's said on the TXT, but I think I only wrote it in spanish so...
There are 2 changes:
1- You don't have the Cheat Finder. This is to keep some kind of support or extra only for the people who supported the game in the beginning. After all, until there is no new Paxanga game, nobody can use it anyways... (patience...)
2- You can't write to flash. This is for security. I can't be sure the flash save routine will work ok in all flash cartridges without messing them. I don't wanna mess any cartridge. I took the flash save routine off.

And well, you don't have the cute box, the full color manual and the cute cartridge with Pengo sticker on it

By ARTRAG

Enlighted (6976)

01-07-2012, 20:24

Awesome! Thanks! Why not doing an improved version with SCC music?
PS
Try it on msx1 and you will find a nice Easter egg!!!

By mars2000you

Enlighted (6556)

01-07-2012, 20:34

Quote:

Actually, the txt file is in English and includes the explanations about these 2 changes.

Concerning the first change :
- advanced emulators (blueMSX and openMSX) have a cheat finder, sorry for users of other emulators
- selling digital versions could be also a way to get support from MSX fans, but MSX coders don't seem to like this option

By mars2000you

Enlighted (6556)

01-07-2012, 20:37

ARTRAG wrote:

Try it on msx1 and you will find a nice Easter egg!!!

Nice !

By supmsx

Master (158)

02-07-2012, 07:22

Thanks Paxanga...It could be very nice for softwares developpers to distribute freely their productions after
(for example) 2 years as Paxanga did

By mars2000you

Enlighted (6556)

03-07-2012, 07:08

The manual does not mention these little secrets :

- CTRL on the start screen : mode 2 players + credits

- TAB on the start screen : access to Dip Switches (F1 to exit)

you can change different parameters :

* first switch : bonus 3000/5000 - demo sounds on/off - up right/cocktail - pengoes 2/3/4/5 - rack test on/off - difficulty easy/medium/hard/hardest
* second switch : ??? - probably only used in the arcade version :

http://www.arcade-museum.com/manuals-videogames/P/Pengo%20pi...

http://www.davesclassicarcade.com/pengo/pengo.html

If rack test on : reset required to exit the test

- SELECT (End in blueMSX) on the start screen : access to Extra menu

* enabled options : Music Test - Game Info - Mini Game - Cow Abductors
* disabled options : Cheat Finder - Save Scores - Erase Scores (use the corresponding tools in blueMSX or openMSX !)

By ARTRAG

Enlighted (6976)

03-07-2012, 09:44

Amazing accuracy! Did Paxanga port the original code or did they develop a remake from scratch?

By MsxKun

Paragon (1134)

03-07-2012, 10:17

mars2000you wrote:

The manual does not mention these little secrets

Well, in fact the printed manual DOES. The TXT is ... low cost version.

By MsxKun

Paragon (1134)

03-07-2012, 10:24

ARTRAG wrote:

Amazing accuracy! Did Paxanga port the original code or did they develop a remake from scratch?

It was from scratch. Original code is Z80, so anyway I dissasembled it, but It was a mess to read, as you can imagine. A code for a non MSX machine with all labels as .. L000xxx. A pain. So it was more easy (and fun) to code it myself.
Anyway, original code was useful, cause patching here and there, try and error, I managed to have infinite lives or start at the level I wanted. This way I can play the original ROM in MAME and see how enemies behave at higher levels easily, without playing again and again and again until I could reach them. What was specially useful to see a BIG BIG amount of mazes, make a LOT of screenshoots of them, and this way, figure how the maze generator works.

By Maggoo

Paragon (1218)

03-07-2012, 17:10

Beautiful port and nice to see it freely available. I remember playing this one in the arcades when I was a kid. Brings back fond memories.

When I see this, the accurate Pac Man port and MSX 2 Bombjack, it makes me which we had more of these old time arcade ports !

By vanfanel

Champion (446)

04-07-2012, 11:18

Maggoo: where's the "accurate pac man port" you talk about? The only pac-man version for MSX I know is the Namco MSX1 cartidge.

By JohnHassink

Ambassador (5684)

04-07-2012, 11:36

vanfanel wrote:

Maggoo: where's the "accurate pac man port" you talk about? The only pac-man version for MSX I know is the Namco MSX1 cartidge.

How could you forget about Oh-Shit?

By Maggoo

Paragon (1218)

04-07-2012, 14:19

This one

http://www.msx.org/forum/msx-talk/software-and-gaming/pac-ma...

By hap

Paragon (2043)

04-07-2012, 14:20

This one maybe? Opcode Games released an MSX2 demo rom for it ages ago.
http://www.opcodegames.com/pacmancol_msx.htm
A (alternate?) version was made for the Colecovision:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqWBmYKI9jc

By hap

Paragon (2043)

04-07-2012, 14:22

hehe, two people can't be wrong on that
The pacman fever song in that video was done by wolf_ btw.

By anonymous

incognito ergo sum (116)

04-07-2012, 16:21

mars2000you wrote:

If rack test on: reset required to exit the test

Not true, just have a look at https://youtu.be/qo6B8JSvMCw and you'll see that if you hit the right buttons (cursor keys, space, and F1 and F2), you'll be able to successfully exit the tests.

By mars2000you

Enlighted (6556)

04-07-2012, 16:30

FiXato wrote:

mars2000you wrote:

If rack test on: reset required to exit the test

Not true, just have a look at https://youtu.be/qo6B8JSvMCw and you'll see that if you hit the right buttons (cursor keys, space, and F1 and F2), you'll be able to successfully exit the tests.

Thanks for the info, I was not sure about this part, but trying all keys to find what's not explained in the 'degraded' version of the manual is not evident. Probably I'll create an alternative PDF file for emulators users !

By MsxKun

Paragon (1134)

04-07-2012, 19:01

I wasn't sure about RACK Test either, so I think it doesn't do anything on the MSX version. Can't be perfect.

Trying stuff is part of the fun

By vanfanel

Champion (446)

05-07-2012, 12:52

Did Mr Opcode ever release final, fully playable version of Pacman for MSX2? All I can see are demo roms... Impressive indeed, but you can't play past the 1st stage.

By MäSäXi

Paragon (1884)

05-07-2012, 19:01

If I remember it correctly, there was another opcode´s msx2 conversion topic (there was some discussion about possible donkey kong conversion too in that topic), that topic may tell you why opcode´s MSX2 Pacman (or his any other MSX2 project either) is not finished. (and probably will never ever be)

By mars2000you

Enlighted (6556)

05-07-2012, 19:29

The Coleco version has been released in 2008 :

http://www.opcodegames.com/pacmancol_cv.htm

MRC discussion :

http://www.msx.org/forum/msx-talk/software-and-gaming/pac-ma...

Demo rom :

http://www.opcodegames.com/games/pacman/PAC_MSX.rom

Early version for MSX :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyWs60KO_s0