Platoon (NES)
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- For other games in the series, see Platoon.
Platoon is an action game developed and published by Sunsoft. It is a port of the Commodore 64 version by Ocean Software.
In the game, you play as Chris Taylor. The game takes place across four stages, each with differing gameplay styles. In the first stage, you are navigating through the jungles in Vietnam. In this stage, you must first locate some explosives and plant them on a bridge. You must be cautious of the constant supply of hidden tripwires, and you should not shoot any villagers. Next, you must find the hidden path to the underground tunnel system. In the second stage, you are in the tunnel system, and must navigate through its complex maze to find items for the next stage, as well as find an exit that can be used. If you got the map and torch from the previous stage, then the stage is a lot easier, but you must be quick to fire upon enemies when they appear. In the third stage, you are in a bunker under the cover of darkness and must shoot nearly-invisible Vietnam soldiers. They can be made visible by using flares. On the fourth and final stage, the game takes place from a bird's eye view, and you must navigate the jungle with a Vietnam soldier relentlessly shooting at you.
The NES version of the game received mixed reviews. Some praised the graphics and music, while others criticized the difficulty, and the fact that you die in one hit (à la Contra (NES).)
Screenshots
Music
Since Platoon is a conversion from the Commodore 64, it also shares the same soundtrack. The soundtrack, originally written by Jonathan Dunn (and one of his most praised works) was ported over to the NES by another legendary composer, Naoki Kodaka. Unfortunately, the music takes a significant downgrade in quality because of the limitations of the 2A03 compared to the SID chip. However, the conversion is mostly accurate and note-for-note. Only in very few areas are there inaccuracies. Each stage has its own theme, each of which is quite long in length. As a result, some of the recordings fade out after a single playthrough for extending beyond 3 minutes.
Since Kodaka was solely a composer and not a sound programmer, he likely transcribed the music from the recordings, and it was implemented into sound code by Akito Takeuchi, who is credited as the game's music programmer.
The song titles come from the game's music test. However, the track ordering is the sequence in which the songs are heard in-game. The track "2nd Title" was originally used during the stage loading screens in the Commodore 64 version, but the NES version does not use the song during these screens, leaving it unused. Also, due to changes in region and hardware, the NES music plays slightly faster than the Commodore 64 version.
Recording
| # | Title | Composer | Arranger | Length | Listen | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Title | Jonathan Dunn | Naoki Kodaka | 4:01 | Download | |
| 02 | Jungle Walk | Jonathan Dunn | Naoki Kodaka | 3:27 | Download | |
| 03 | Tunnel System | Jonathan Dunn | Naoki Kodaka | 3:39 | Download | |
| 04 | Bunker | Jonathan Dunn | Naoki Kodaka | 3:13 | Download | |
| 05 | 3D Jungle | Jonathan Dunn | Naoki Kodaka | 4:11 | Download | |
| 06 | Final Stage | Jonathan Dunn | Naoki Kodaka | 2:17 | Download | |
| 07 | Game Over | Jonathan Dunn | Naoki Kodaka | 3:22 | Download | |
| 08 | Ending | Jonathan Dunn | Naoki Kodaka | 2:10 | Download | |
| 09 | 2nd Title | Jonathan Dunn | Naoki Kodaka | 2:25 | Download |
(Source)
Credits
- Ripper: MrNorbert1994
- Recorder: Doommaster1994
- Game Credits:
- Music: Naoki Kodaka credited as New
- Music Programmer: Akito Takeuchi credited as A.T
- Not Credited Composer: Jonathan Dunn
(Sources: Commodore 64 version, NES version)
Unlike the Commodore 64 version which displays the credits during the title screen, the NES version requires you to beat the game to see the credits. We have received verification from Hiroaki Higashiya that the pseudonym "New" belongs to Naoki Kodaka.
Game Rip
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Ripping NES music is a very arduous process that is beyond the scope of this site.
The game uses the 2A03 of the Famicom. It uses the Sunsoft sound driver.
Releases
Links
- gamefaqs.gamespot.com/nes/587514-platoon - GameFAQs.
