I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

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hamfighterx
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by hamfighterx »

BIL wrote:75% weird shit, 25% rabidly in-demand debuts. :cool:
Heh, I like that ratio. I really dig some of the "weird shit" that I had zero experience with; Black Heart is the kind of Arcade Archives release that I just love (and OMG that music, thanks for the heads up :D). For another example, I unexpectedly got really into Sea Fighter Poseidon for a while this summer. Who knew!

I think we can all agree that getting the more notable never-ported stuff is fantastic, but quirky oddball never-ported stuff is cool with me too. The ones I'm less excited about are things like yet another Pac Man or Rally X release. I get it though, they're surely happy to put famous Namco games out and those probably get more total sales thanks to the name value for casual fans (so they do help subsidize the rest of the series).
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BIL
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by BIL »

hamfighterx wrote:
BIL wrote:75% weird shit, 25% rabidly in-demand debuts. :cool:
Heh, I like that ratio. I really dig some of the "weird shit" that I had zero experience with; Black Heart is the kind of Arcade Archives release that I just love (and OMG that music, thanks for the heads up :D). For another example, I unexpectedly got really into Sea Fighter Poseidon for a while this summer. Who knew!
I was surprised at Poseidon myself - I was expecting quality work from Taito, but the hijacking mechanics are remarkably finessed. Sniping and clobbering dudes without totalling their rides is an appropriately suave process, very Roger Moore. :mrgreen:

<3 Hide-Kaz's NMK work Image Image Thunder Dragon's got some bangers in the same starkly fiery vein; he's got a decided post-punk austerity and militance that fits hardcore shooting to a T. (Listening to Kaz always makes me think of his predecessor, Sizzla Okamura, who somehow makes the smoothest grooves ever work just as well... a man of wizardly calibre Image)

Of all the 80s/90s catalogues that could've seen quality treatment on modern console, NMK and UPL are two I'd never have expected, but definitely the sort I approve of. A good selection of hardcore standards, plus some total one-offs, like Mutant Night and Ninja-kun II, the latter of which only ever got a customarily shoddy Micronics FC port. I just hope they don't sleep on Valtric, assuming it's not tied up somehow. (Jaleco-published NMK, so hopefully not too big a stretch)

Somewhat on the subject of mounted body ramming ala Poseidon, was interested to see this annotation in Black Heart's manual, RE the International version:

Spoiler
Image


I really like this setup, being a big fan of aggressive tactile mechanics; snuffing out flak feels like a cheerfully cut-rate Dragon Breed. Image Pairs great with the mid-ranged flamethrower, as well as the dragonrider aesthetic. Get in close and unleash the beast, but don't get blasted off his back like a tick!

Dive Dive Dive
Spoiler
Image


Spoiler
Image


Enjoying this one, as expected - some schoolboy visibility issues in stage 2 aside, it's got a similarly accessible getup and go to Hachamecha, only without the crushing difficulty. Love the goofy yet unmistakably fiery art style - I'd have little trouble believing it was a Euro refugee ala their earlier Makai Densetsu... I have an affinity for JP releases of Western stuff, along similar lines. :cool:

Image

POWER OF ANGER (■`w´■)

Reminds me a lot of UPL's Vandyke, actually. Cheap n' cheerful cod-fantasy with a deceptively solid STG chassis.
I think we can all agree that getting the more notable never-ported stuff is fantastic, but quirky oddball never-ported stuff is cool with me too. The ones I'm less excited about are things like yet another Pac Man or Rally X release. I get it though, they're surely happy to put famous Namco games out and those probably get more total sales thanks to the name value for casual fans (so they do help subsidize the rest of the series).
This is exactly how I view the so-far conservative Namco picks. More Xevious and Mappy won't blow anyone's minds (would swap for Metal Hawk and Nebulasray, easy) - but besides always appreciating first-rate console emulation of classic AC games (my previous source for these was the PS1 Namco Museums - excellent conversions, but naturally not 100% accurate), Hamster have more than earned a little playing to the crowd. I hope the Namco deal works out handsomely for 'em.

(and tbh, sometimes "big in Japan" stuff is new to me too - had a great time finally sitting down and figuring out Genpei Toumaden, a smash hit in its native land that's only ever seen one EN translation)
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by velo »

Looks cool to me but if it's not a lot easier than Saint Dragon maybe I want to hold off
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Skyknight »

They do seem to cluster company releases (e.g. the earlier NMK set with Thunder Dragon, Saboten Bombers, and Hacha Mecha Fighter, and the recent set of Namco games), so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Big Bang in a week or two (I don’t think it’s any more related to Thunder Dragon than Metal Black was to Gun Frontier).
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Jeneki
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Jeneki »

That Black Heart off-center hitbox (from where your shot appears) is messing with my mind. I'll have to unlearn how to dodge if I want to get good at this one. Cool game otherwise.
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by headlesshobbs »

Does anyone know who currently owns the Heavy Barrel IP?
"Don't HD my SD!!"
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BulletMagnet
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by BulletMagnet »

headlesshobbs wrote:Does anyone know who currently owns the Heavy Barrel IP?
Whoever released this, presumably.
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Sima Tuna
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Sima Tuna »

Another weird old one today. Just release the cool shit already!
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BIL
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by BIL »

headlesshobbs wrote:Does anyone know who currently owns the Heavy Barrel IP?
G-Mode, who've licensed out several of the IPs they own to Hamster. Darwin 4078, Karate Champ, Burgertime, Burnin' Rubber, Miracle Adventure and Fighter's History Dynamite are all on ACA, with Trio The Punch inbound.
Sima Tuna wrote:Another weird old one today. Just release the cool shit already!
Daww, LIBBU RABERU is Iwatani-san's personal fave :3 Image It's a cool game imo. I thought I was really shit at it, at first. Then I looked up some retrospectives, and nubcaeks were going "ITS SO CONFUSIN" and even Iwatani himself said "yeah, if you cross up them arrows, it's gonna mess with your brain, Jack" and I was like "AWW YEE, AH GEDDIT NAO, REALTIME TACTICAL BASHISHI ACTION" :shock: :cool: (the arrows pointing to their respective sides of the control panel is superb design nous)

Good couch co-op game, too - if u have a BFF (NO HOMO Image) or BF/GF (STRONG HOMO Image), you can share the controller and go full Tactical QIX Assault on Satan's ebon asscheeks!

I almost wonder if peeps did this at arcades BITD, haha... would make those credits last a lot longer with two minds attacking the field instead of just one. It's an interesting game. Image
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by CRP »

headlesshobbs wrote:Does anyone know who currently owns the Heavy Barrel IP?
on out on steam & switch btw
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1540 ... vy_Barrel/
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/j ... el-switch/
headlesshobbs
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by headlesshobbs »

I didn't notice any release on PS4, so I'm concerned if they're skipping out on that one.
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

I've been playing Halley's Comet. It's a really charming game, and one where it's MUCH easier once you're at maxed out power, despite having some jank that mostly makes recovery an issue. You're too slow to really dodge properly, but once you get two speed powerups (the max) you can zip around the screen freely, and there's an orange Max Power item on the first level that instantly assures you'll be able to mow down enemies.

If you die at any point you're in serious trouble, despite how generous the game is with extends, because there's some very nasty checkpoints, so it's the sort of game where you'll likely 1cc the first loop as a no-miss once you do.
Jeneki wrote:Picked up Raiden, but mostly been playing Halley's Comet. It's somehow addictive but has serious flaws. Like, wtf those background colors inside the comet on some levels.
The only really nasty level I saw were the green ones. There's enemies with green lasers that go straight down that are the same shade of green as your shots, and then when they start showing on a green background... oof. Other than that it seems mostly fine.
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EmperorIng
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by EmperorIng »

Is Raimais out in the west yet? Been looking forward to playing some based Taito maze games. Love that they won't even include the shitty western hack job, afaik.
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BrianC
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by BrianC »

EmperorIng wrote:Is Raimais out in the west yet? Been looking forward to playing some based Taito maze games. Love that they won't even include the shitty western hack job, afaik.
It's already on PS4. Bought it yesterday. Should be on Switch today (usually arrives around 12 PM Eastern).
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Udderdude »

Looks like thanks to a bug fix, the secret hidden ending in Raimais is finally possible to reach. https://twitter.com/Captain_Pixel/statu ... 6388079617
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Skyknight »

a.k.a. a classic example of the Do Well, but Not Perfect trope. (It’s immiscible with Syvalion, anyway.)
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Skyknight »

Phozon has already been announced for this week. It used to be Japan-exclusive, so I guess this is Hamster beating Black Friday to the punch?
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Firehawke »

I seem to struggle with getting the aspect ratio perfected on tate-rotated AA titles. Does this need to be different for each machine to get it just right, or is there a common correct size/position number set?
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Marc »

Absolutely addicted to Raimais this week. Occasionally slippery controls aside, it's bloody infuriatingly great fun. Love the Arkanoid-meets-Tron vibe, though the bike looks like more of a tricked-out C5 in the cut scenes.
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BIL
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by BIL »

OMFG that's beautiful Image Image Image
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Sima Tuna
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Sima Tuna »

Thank god. Now please please please, give us Elevator Action Returns. I just bought Huntdown on a sale and it reminds me how much I love EAR.
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BIL
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by BIL »

EAR would be a pretty major step, running on F3. I wouldn't write off the possibility, but I could see them holding back that hardware and others similarly complex until they're ready to move onto current-gen machines.

I'm guessing they'll save XEXEX for nearer Christmas, going by the last couple years' marquee STGs (Kaitei Daisensou, Detana! Twinbee and Gradius III all got late-year releases).
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Ms. Tea »

Liquid Kids, yes!! That's one of my faves. Really looking forward to this.
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Udderdude »

Did you know Liquid Kids had a cancelled Amiga port that was actually found, fixed up and released? And it's actually not complete crap? Yeah, I got nothing else to add here. lol

Liquid Kids is pretty cool, though.
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by OldSkoolShmuper »

Since Xexex is happening, what are the odds of seeing the first two Parodius arcade games and Salamander 2?
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BIL
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by BIL »

Hard to say WRT specific releases - Crime Fighters 2 aka Vendetta came out of nowhere a few months back, a real treat for brawler fans - but in hardware terms, I don't think Paro Da or Gokujou would be a stretch. They seem to be happily mining the late 80s/early 90s Konami hardware.

IIRC, Salamander 2's board was quite a bit newer, so I'd be less confident about it popping up out of nowhere.

Paro Da could really use an accurate home version. The old PS/SS Deluxe Pack is great, but it never quite matched the PCB's infamous difficulty level.

It's Mystic Warriors I really want to see. I've come to regard Hideyuki "Falco" Tsujimoto as Nobuya Nakazato's AC counterpart. Image Image Mans loved his run/guns. Violent Storm to round out the Violence Street Action trilogy after Crime Fighters and Vendetta would be rad, too.
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by Bassa-Bassa »

Gokujou Parodius used basically the same hardware as Salamander 2 - quite a beast in 2D terms not unlike Taito F3 if we attend to Mame.

But Parodius Da!, I can see it definitely coming soon as a honorific entry like they did with Gradius III.

What makes Mizubaku so special, charming characters apart?
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BIL
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by BIL »

Aha, I thought I might be off on Gokujou. Yeah, could imagine that being a further-off project.

I like Mizu as a kinda chill, relatively easy arcade platformer with Bubble Bobble-esque water mechanics. My first love is precision-violent scrolling action ala Rygar/Dai/Saigo, but I dig more constructive/oblique stuff now and then, especially with tight handling and colourful style, as expected of Taito. I've only played around casually on VING's Saturn port, so ala Genpei Toumaden last month, I'm planning to get to grips with it properly this time.

---

Was interested to see this on Hamster's timeline:

Image

ACA Rabio's been long-awaited; I hope this means ACA Turbo Force, too. ACA Hachamecha Fighter and Saboten Bombers came out of nowhere this year, after a similar OST release. (Rapid Hero conspicuous by absence, but ACA's not exactly wanting for NMK STGs lately). I like this synergistic approach... give the music some overdue coverage, and reissue the games themselves in fine form too. :cool:
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Re: I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

Post by OldSkoolShmuper »

I was looking through 1994 EGMs and found this.

https://i.imgur.com/ITs6vS1.jpg

Heh, they were right then and all the years since. it never released here in the U.S., nor in arcades, PS1/Saturn or even PSP.
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