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Emulator
Review:- System
16
Version Reviewed:- DirectX and DOS ports
Written by:- Thierry Lescot, Li Jih Hwa,
DirectX port by Bartman
Available from:- www.system16.com
Last version:- 0.82
DOS 0.80 Direct X - 1999 – no more updates expected
System16
is an arcade emulator for primarily Sega (actually I
think all the games are) arcade ROMs. Some of my
favourite games of all time were by Sega and I
was incredibly happy to see some of them here especially Out
Run, Golden Axe and Space Harrier. While
there are builds for other machines (I think, due to open
sourcing), I am looking at the PC versions. There is a
build for DOS and for Direct X so armed with my virtual
coins, I go to acade heaven – I hope!
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Unfortunately this review will
concentrate on the DirectX port which, although
slower than it’s DOS brother, had sound
which just wouldn’t work in the DOS version.
Blimmin’ PCI sound cards. Grrr! Fume….etc.
So most of this review will be dedicated to the
Windows version. The Windows version is much more
flaky when it comes to ROMs than the DOS one so
I'd get them both if you plan to.
As with Mame, ROMs are
located within the ROMS directory and each game
has it's own directory within that. I've got used
to this now but surely the ROMS could be
concatenated into a single image a la the console
emulators. A minor grippe but a valid one
nontheless.
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thing about the Direct X version is the frame
update was very low. Out Run peaked at
around 15-20 and dropped as low as 5 according to
the status indicator at the bottom. Golden
Axe managed around 25-30 which was adequate.
I don't think these readouts were particularly
accurate though because the games felt a lot
smoother than the FPS readout gave. I was, of
course, running in a window also which couldn't
have been that good for the refresh either. The
DOS port ran at a lovely full frame rate most of
the time but that might be put down to the sound
no working. |
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The
options screen on the Direct X version is a
pretty comprehensive beast and a damn site easier
than all the fiddly command line switches in the
DOS port. It would have been nice, as I've said
earlier, to be able to return to this once the
game had started so that the best screenmode and
configurations could be found but alas, this was
not to be. In game, the usual control and dip
switch alterations are included allowing you to
get the controls to suit you perfectly. A very
tempting force feedback tab was also ther but
sadly not enabled and as this is the last
version, never will.
Some of the
games displayed some incompatability eg. Hang
On and sadly, Space Harrier which
both had no sound of any kind during the game. I
hope that the Mame team, whos emulator
now includes most if not all of System 16's
games, will work on a solution to this. I like
the music to both of them. Grrr... Fume (II)!
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Overall. I would love to recommend this
emulator but I can't due to the fact that no-one seems to
be working on any future updates, and the games emulated
here are also working in Mame now. It is/was a good
emulator and may be better for you if you only want to
play Alex Kidd or Golden Axe. It's up to you. If you can
get the DOS version to work with sound then that is
better, and more compatible.
6/10 A good emulator but the low
mark reflects the update status and the fact that it is
overtaken by Mame.
Coagulus / Rob
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