Like Chris Covell, I was poking around in some ISO images I'd made. I found
the same Ford Pickup and Lizard pictures from Gradius II in the US release
of Prince of Persia. So evidently, this goes beyond territorial or company
boundaries.
Also, in Prince of Persia, I found quite a few scenes/graphics that I never
encountered in the course of the game. In addition to the intro/end
cinematics, there are also anime-style images of armed men on horseback, a
closeup of a princess, a closeup on the feet of a person striding through
the desert, a wide shot of a city and palace (not the one from the US
ending), the tyrant Jaffar, and others. Also, there were a few photographs
of men. I'm assuming the developers. I also found a Riverhill Soft logo
(pretty cool looking), and names of other companies.
So, how much of this is actually in the game (US or Japan)? I almost want
to buy the Japanese version now. I feel ripped off :) Well, not the first
or the last time, I'm sure, as far as US translations go.
While looking through Ys IV, I found some 'omake' screens. Some seem to be
a preview of a Dragon Slayer game. It has the little blue dragon from the
beginning cinema of Dragon Slayer, and I think the map, too. It also has
what appears to be, and this is just speculation, a CD player utility. I
saw transport buttons and something like a VU meter. I've seen the extra
screens you can get when you beat the game, BTW, and this is completely
different.
So, I'm thinking of compiling all this and posting it up on GeoCities, but
what would be better I think is if someone who already has a Turbo site
wants it. Anyone interested, let me know.
Well, I'm off to work on this some more. I'm glad the holidays are almost
over. Happy New Year, everyone!