Jackal (NES, Famicom Disk System)

Jackal
Also known as: Final Command: Akai Yousai (JP) Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Platforms: Famicom Disk System (JP), NES (US) Released in JP: May 2, 1988 Released in US: September 1988 This game has regional differences.

Jackal for the NES is a home adaptation of Konami's top-down run-and-gun (drive-and-gun?) arcade game.

Regional Differences

Originally released for the Famicom Disk System in Japan as Final Command: Akai Yousai ("Final command: Red Fortress"), the game was heavily expanded for the cartridge release in America, becoming more accurate to the original arcade game in the process.

Interestingly, an ad for the Japanese version shows screenshots of what appears to be the US version, suggesting that the cartridge version is actually the original game that had to be cut down to fit the disk format.

Title

Japan	US

• The title logo was changed, of course. The US version goes with the arcade game's international title instead of the US one, Top Gunner, likely due to Konami already having made an actual Top Gun NES game.
• The text's drop shadow was made darker, making it easier to read.
• The "2 PLAYERS B" mode was removed from the US release. This mode had one player controlling the Jeep and the other firing the weapons, simulating the rotary joystick controls of the first revision of the arcade game. Perhaps they thought it was redundant due to already having a co-op mode with two separate vehicles.

Japan	US

• A line break was added to the last sentence of the intro.
• "A WILD BLOODY ROSE" was changed to "A WILD JACKAL".

Japan	US

• The character portraits were changed from red to blue, with frames added around them.
• The portraits themselves were slightly retouched, Bob's mouth being the most noticeable difference. Oddly, Grey's cigarette was left in.
• The text's drop shadow was changed from grey to light blue.

Music

• More songs were added in the US version.

Stages

• All stages were expanded horizontally from 256 pixels wide to 512 pixels wide. As a result, the stages now scroll horizontally in addition to vertically, like the arcade game.
• The majority of the level design was altered in some way, shape or form because of this.

Japan	US
X

• This jungle level, based on the first level of the arcade game, is exclusive to the US version.
• The level begins with an animation of a helicopter dropping off the player Jeep(s), an animation exclusive to the US version. A similar but not identical animation was present in the arcade game.

Japan	US

Japan	US

• The water is now animated, using two frames of animation.
• The battleship boss was flipped 90 degrees to the right to take advantage of the increased horizontal space. The level is now a bit shorter due to this.
• A sixth turret was added to said boss.

Japan	US

Japan	US

• The gates are red in the Japanese version and green in the US version.

Japan	US

• The final level was more than doubled in length for the US version.
• Prisoner camps were added, along with a helicopter to pick them up.
• Some jets were added to the background.
• The final base was changed from red to brownish.

Misc.

• This map screen, based on the one from the arcade game, was added to the US version. It appears at the beginning of the game and between levels, showing player scores and a little Jeep driving up the map to show your progress.

• These three level end screens were added to the US version. Which one appears depends on how many powerups you collect, with the counter resetting to 0 upon death.

Ending

Japan	US

• The "WELL DONE" text appears on a separate screen in the Japanese version. It's typed out on the game screen in the US version, like the arcade game.

• Credit for visual designer Yamamoto was removed from the US release for some reason.
• A small patch of dirt under the second guy from the left was edited.