Sharp X68000 Game Image Gallery

The X68000 was a super-capable series of computers sold between 1987 and 1993. If you imagine a souped-up ST or Amiga with more power, better software support and a sexy twin-tower mainframe-like design you'd not be far off. One of the very best reasons to own one of these systems is the string of official releases from some of Japan's top codeshops at the time. Konami + Capcom made arcade-perfect ports of their popular games, and Namco + Sega licensed some very talented publishers to do the same. Many of these games are pixel-for-pixel clones of their arcade counterparts. In one test I took an emulated screengrab of Ghouls n Ghosts from the X68000 and from MAME, cut one in half and slid the image over the other - they meshed perfectly. Same resolution, same graphics. In Capcom's Fighters History book they mention the X68000 versions of Street Fighter Dash + Super Street Fighter are "Arcade Perfect." This from the original manufacturer of the arcade game! Many games had bonuses as well, making them perhaps more useful or valuable than the arcade versions. Hi-res intro screens, music + stage select, the ability to pause... Most games as well came in very large deluxe packaging, normal for the Japanese computer industry at the time. No flimsy cardboard here, just quality clamshell cases or plastic boxes with paper sleeves. Konami's releases came in a massive flip-top jewel-case-like box with a cardboard sleeve outside, and loaded with extras. Many games in fact came with free goodies. Postcards, cloth banners, booklets, heavily illustrated manuals, and sometimes extra controlers or adaptors. Pac Land, Crazy Climber, LibbleRabble and Street Fighter all came with extras to make the game more playable at home.

Here then is a gallery of some of the best looking X68000 games, including a bunch of the high-resolution title screens many games would boot up with. Most of these came on one or two 5.25" floppy discs, many had a disc or two just for the introduction. Please enjoy the gallery.

Neo's X68k Gallery
The X68000 was a super-capable series of computers sold between 1987 and 1993. If you imagine a souped-up ST or Amiga with more power, better software support and a sexy twin-tower mainframe-like design you'd not be far off. One of the very best reasons to own one of these systems is the string of official releases from some of Japan's top codeshops at the time. Konami + Capcom made arcade-perfect ports of their popular games, and Namco + Sega licensed some very talented publishers to do the same. Many of these games are pixel-for-pixel clones of their arcade counterparts. In one test I took an emulated screengrab of Ghouls n Ghosts from the X68000 and from MAME, cut one in half and slid the image over the other - they meshed perfectly. Same resolution, same graphics. In Capcom's Fighters History book they mention the X68000 versions of Street Fighter Dash + Super Street Fighter are "Arcade Perfect." This from the original manufacturer of the arcade game! Many games had bonuses as well, making them perhaps more useful or valuable than the arcade versions. Hi-res intro screens, music + stage select, the ability to pause... Most games as well came in very large deluxe packaging, normal for the Japanese computer industry at the time. No flimsy cardboard here, just quality clamshell cases or plastic boxes with paper sleeves. Konami's releases came in a massive flip-top jewel-case-like box with a cardboard sleeve outside, and loaded with extras. Many games in fact came with free goodies. Postcards, cloth banners, booklets, heavily illustrated manuals, and sometimes extra controlers or adaptors. Pac Land, Crazy Climber, LibbleRabble and Street Fighter all came with extras to make the game more playable at home. Here then is a gallery of some of the best looking X68000 games, including a bunch of the high-resolution title screens many games would boot up with. Most of these came on one or two 5.25" floppy discs, many had a disc or two just for the introduction. Please enjoy the gallery.
Akumajo Dracula ( Castlevania )
Strider Hiryu
Atomic Robo Kid
	Atomic Robo Kid's main character was typical of UPL's games: Oddly shaped but lovable. Here's the main character in hi-resolution glory.
Nemesis '90
	Nemesis '90 Kai was released only on the X68000 platform. It's a stunning example of how much better the X68k was than any computer at the time. This version of Gradius was better than any of the arcade or console ports available when it was released.
Galaga '88
	Better than the arcade, with the addition of alien portraits between stage groups. Perfect port, one of many great Namco ports by Micomsoft, makers of the XRGB.
Crazy Climber 2
	Another arcade-perfect Micomsoft port, complete with the self-check at the powerup/boot stage, perfect graphics and sound. Very impressive, and a lot of fun with the dual-pad controller (or a pair of sticks).
Dig Dug
	Micomsoft again, this time with a dual release of DigDug 1 + 2. Like many of their games you'd get a different game depending on which drive you put the disk in when booting. Drive 0 would load DigDug 1, Drive 1 would load DigDug 2. I could never get into DigDug 2. It just wasn't as fun or as good as the original. Am I alone in this?
Phalanx
	The X68k version of Phalanx is excellent, better in most every regard than the SNES version, while maintaining the 'almost good' gameplay of off-brand shmups of the era. Delightfully detailed intro with many small cutscenes, frequent resolution changes for a free scaling effect on low-res graphics, good soundtrack, lots of parallax... It's all good. And the box art - to die for.