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

[FRO]

Very happy to see the original Raiden coming through ACA, and hoping that portends II, as well as potentially DX, and hopefully Viper Phase 1 at some point.

[BIL]

It's officially official. Zero Team beating it to release by almost a year is a very encouraging sign in II+DX's favour! I hope they really clear out the boards/systems they've emulated to this point. There's a solid couple dozen Seibu/IREM/Konami/Taito/Tecmo classics with adjacent ACA releases, at bare minimum.

[baconcow]

What are the essential or must-have shmups currently in this collection? I have played a lot of arcade shmups, but I didn't recognize many when I took a quick glance.

[DenimDemon]

OMEGA FIGHTER

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[EmperorIng]

What are the essential or must-have shmups currently in this collection? I have played a lot of arcade shmups, but I didn't recognize many when I took a quick glance.

Good lord, there are so many.

My picks? Gradius III (this is the crown jewel of the ACA releases in terms of being feature rich), Trigon (aka Lightning Fighters), and X-Multiply

Some hon. mention picks for me would be Cybattler, Plus Alpha, Blazing Star, and Image Fight.

Omega Fighter does get a special mention since iirc its revisions are not emulated correctly on mame (same goes for Trigon, which makes both a bit more desirable, imo).

here's a solid couple dozen Seibu/IREM/Konami/Taito/Tecmo classics with adjacent ACA releases, at bare minimum.

Where's Gun Hohki, dammit

[BIL]

^^^ IKR, Gun-Hohki, Leo and Air Duel pls. I've not even played the last, I just like them early-days Nazcas!

WRT good picks, yeah, there's a ton at this point. Sticking to the bigger-name devs... ImageFight and X-Multiply are two of IREM's best, in the harder and easier ends of the difficulty spectrum, respectively. Kaitei Daisensou (includes its US rev In The Hunt) is a more idiosyncratic effort from Nazca, who famously went onto Metal Slug at SNK. If you like those games you'll almost certainly dig this. I'll also cite Moon Patrol, a sort of racer/STG hybrid from the pre-RType days. Great pickup and play game, its parallax vistas still look great too.

Konami has a ton of foundational stuff on ACA. Gradius, Gradius II and Salamander (which includes Life Force US & Life Force JP) are quintessential 80s horis. Twinbee's juggle mechanic tends to annoy people, but it needs mentioning. 90s redux Detana Twinbee might be a more forgiving intro, though that annoys people too. Thunder Cross I (includes JP, Euro and US versions - the first is preferable) & II are great as well, significantly more forgiving than the preceding horis. A-JAX and Trigon are progressively tougher Toaplanesques, super solid if you're into that style of STG.

Quarth, a borderliner puzzle/STG hybrid, really hooks some people - needs a mention.

There's also a whole raft of pre-Gradius/Twinbee Konami STGs worth giving a look. Scramble, Super Cobra, Time Pilot, Time Pilot '84 and Pooyan all have their charms.

Gradius III is too goddamn hard to recommend as casually, but it includes the much easier Asia version, and a great practice mode - great version if you want GIII, but make sure you know what you're getting into.

Darius is probably more cost-efficiently acquired via the Cozmic Collection, these days - even if it's just the original you want, you'll still benefit from M2's trademark practice tools. However, as far as the base game goes, the ACA one still does fine. I really dig Halley's Comet, too. Quick ship, big guns, addictive little shotdown% system.

Raiden, the arch-Toaplanesque, is out in a day or so, obvious mention.

Cybattler is amazing. Plays like Shock Troopers x Hyper Duel, rampant eight-way strafe n' slash. I'll mention EDF too, a very solid hori, but Cybattler is far and away the most arresting work I've seen from Jaleco.

As DD mentioned, UPL's Omega Fighter (which includes its Special revision) is excellent. 80s simplicity with 90s firepower and winningly OTT style. Lots of STGs have Huge Battleship stages, this is a Huge Battleship game.

Finally, never played Tecmo's Star Force much myself, but as far as essentials go it's a very popular choice. SNK's Alpha Mission somewhat less so. I'll recommend Ikari and Dogosoken, provided you can dig slower, more tactical vertical run/guns. Guevara, the third of this series, isn't as easy to suggest - it runs afoul of sometimes-awkward camera tracking - but as an aficionado of these games, it's worth getting to grips with IMO. Balls-hard.

There's also lots of lesser-known but super-solid efforts like NMK's P47 and Task Force Harrier (ruggedly no-nonsense hori/vert shooting), and the hugely hooky Hachamecha Fighter. As cute and easily picked-up as balls-hard horis get.

[baconcow]

Thank you for all of the responses. I've heard of several of these and have already started looking into the others.

[BrianC]

BIL, what do you think of the NES port of Alpha Mission? TBH, both versions seem equally mediocore to be, but I should give them more of a play to be sure.

[BIL]

I don't know what to make of ASO/Alpha Mission, tbh. I tried out the FC one briefly, and it seemed agreeable... but I also felt like firing up Zanac or Star Force (I don't really understand Star Force either, but it at least has foot-to-floor intensity from the get-go). I left it there for now.

At this point, I'm mostly interested in it for legacy SNK reasons. I'll at least wager the AC version is solid ala Ikari/Sasuke, rather than a rickety nostalgia pick like Athena.

[Fingolfin]

Thanks for the welcome BIL!
As is said in these parts, “I appreciate you!”


Nihon Bussan’s strip mahjong games?
(Oooof!)


Nichubutsu
gameplay & music

Among many Nichibutsu classics ACA Arcade Archives has

Moon Cresta
Terra Cresta
Armed F

Moon Cresta’s a very demanding early STG — timing and memorization being very challenging.

Several/most of Nichubutsu’s STGs are A quality and worth a bit of play/experience/a visit!

Is there a better game over tune than Terra Cresta’s sea ditty?!?

Besides Raiden’s game over tune of course!

Hopeful someday for
UFO Robo Dangar
Legion 87 — Spinner

The use of a time pause in place of a traditional bomb in Legion 87 — Spinner is deeply compelling; not for everyone but clever, good stuff as an alternative.

[dmk1198]

Great posts guys I'll pick up afew with birthday monies

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[BIL]

ACA Raiden's out now on Japan PSN. Oi Marc, your prayers (may have ) been answered - JPN ver for checkpoints, INTL ver for instant respawn.

Also has Loop Start Select in the Preference Settings, a VERY welcome feature in any Toaplan-style. There's two more - the increasingly ACA-standard option to invert player sides, so you can use the Blue ship in a 1P game (Raiden's one of those games with variable ship performance), and a Rank Adjust, which I guess might affect its starting level? I'm no Raidenologist, others will know better there. Great to see, at any rate.

Plus the expected 15/20/30hz autofire options, for Shot and Bomb alike. Feels good seeing this one in such fine form, hopefully II's not too far off so Raiden Project can finally retire.

[DenimDemon]

Damn can't wait.

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[Flashman]

Great news about the blue ship in 1 player mode, it's just a slightly smaller hit box but I'll take every advantage I can get in the later levels. Can't wait to pick this up tomorrow, on nights this week but I think I'll get myself up a little earlier in the afternoon

I'll always have a soft spot for the Raiden Project but I must admit, Raiden is a game best when not played on a 12" portable CRT which is my set-up at the minute until I get round to an upgrade.

[John4300]

The second player has a smaller hitbox in Raiden 1? I always thought the only difference was the ship speed. Does Raiden 1 have similar system as Raiden 2 where the ship hitbox gets bigger after you get enough power-ups (And the reduced hitbox is a bug that it doesn't get bigger as it should?)

[Flashman]

The second player has a smaller hitbox in Raiden 1? I always thought the only difference was the ship speed. Does Raiden 1 have similar system as Raiden 2 where the ship hitbox gets bigger after you get enough power-ups (And the reduced hitbox is a bug that it doesn't get bigger as it should?)

I'm the other way there, I've never noticed a significant different in the speed of the two ships, but I can defiantly squeak through a couple of tighter situations in the blue ship.

Yes the original Raiden does have the same mechanic as Raiden 2 where your hitbox increases as you get to a certain upgrade level (if you make it to the first boss, don't change from the red weapon and don't die it will happen with the last upgrade you get - it's subtle but the game makes a slight noise to signify the change) I'm not sure if the reduced hitbox with the blue ship is a bug or it was intended.

[trap15]

In Raiden the speed between the two sides is the same, the player side speed difference started in Raiden II to my knowledge. According to Plasmo's excellent thread on player side differences, the difference in Raiden is just difficulty, but it's pretty non-specific. I kind of doubt it's a hitbox difference, but who knows.

[BIL]

^^^ aha, great thread - I was wondering why JP players were repping Thunder Cross II's red ship, after its ACA release. That one lets you invert sides, too.

[Marc]

So what's the 'accepted' way of playing Raiden then? Checkpoints or respawn? Can't remember which Project did, it's been a while.

[BIL]

Personal preference, really. Stating which version you played should be all the explanation required (like any reasonable table, Hi Score mode keeps separate JPN/INT records, as well as noting whether autofire was used).

I like checkpoints in my 80s/early 90s Toaplanesques, though I understand why many can't be arsed with them. To me they're just part of the collective ethos, along with the perpetual tension of moderate ship speed VS Fast Aimed Shots, No Terrain Ever*, manfully elegiac BGM and hard-edged army/scifi styling.

And tank graves. Lots and lots of tank graves! Acres of solemnly smouldering tank graves for the valorous little buggers ;-;7
*Thomas Teh Tank Engine BGM intensifies*
CHOO CHOO CHOO ON THIS YOU FUCKIN LOUSY PRICKS (■｀W´■)凸

Spoiler

*yes I know :3

The shooting game I envisioned is over when you don't return to a checkpoint after a miss because you are no longer creating a pattern.

Raiden Project infamously enforces Raiden 1's checkpoints in NTSCJ, while letting you toggle them in NTSCU. "Infamously" because, while that would seem to make NTSCU the better buy, that one has its TATE mode coded out. You can technically still access it, but you'll need a Gameshark. Suffice to say, the best of both worlds has finally arrived.

I always subconsciously underrate the intensity of Raiden 1's first stage, mis-remembering it as easygoing. It's no real threat compared to st4 onward, but before long those sniper tanks are coming outta the woodwork like murder-crazed fire ants, with lots of air support from the Kyuukyoku-boomeranging VTOL zako. Lovely.

[Tarma]

Awesome to see Raiden come out on ACA... I'm not going to double-dip on this as I'm happy with my Raiden Project and DX on PSX, but hopefully this will mean that Viper Phaze 1, and the three Raiden Fighters games are not too far away

[OmegaFlareX]

"Infamously" because, while that would seem to make NTSCU the better buy, that one has its TATE mode coded out. You can technically still access it, but you'll need a Gameshark.

NTSC-U Raiden Project has tate mode intact, only with a big disclaimer when selecting it, and the controls aren't flipped. But it wasn't as difficult as I expected holding the (standard) controller sideways.

[BIL]

Oh yeah, now I remember. The Notorious Ghetto Tate. GS is for rotated controls, IIRC. I can't recall if NTSCJ has the in-game warning, but it does have this!

Spoiler

[TransatlanticFoe]

Awww yeah finally - and I had enough points to get it for free!

Although... I do wish Nintendo would make a joycon pair with a SNES d-pad on it. It sort of undermines the "switch" part if you need the damn thing docked to hook it up to a playable controller. Raiden seems worse for this given slow ship + fast bullets. Yes there's a Hori one but that's only for use attached to the damn thing. Do you not want my money Nintendo??

Anyway. Glad to have single player 2P option (buried in a weird menu) and JP/World options. 2P side is noticably easier and does feel like it has a smaller hitbox, as a few times the first boss' central cannon fire clipped me on 1P side when I thought I was safe. Tried on 2P side and safe every time. Or maybe it's the shitty joycon button-pad thing. Probably leaning toward sticking to the JP version, because the instant respawn doesn't give you much time to recover and you can easily be facing a hail of bullets/suicide craft the moment your invulnerability wears off. Checkpoints seem more fair. Fair being a loose definition in a game where tanks will sneak on screen and murder you

Stage 2 music! I noticed this when playing years ago but Flying Shark and Hellfire mixed, excellent.

[Flashman]

Yeah I got the switch version, playing with a Hori Vhayabusa arcade stick though.

All I can say is well worth the wait I didn't want to come to work tonight and spent 5 solid hours playing before I did. It is very nice to be able to use the P2 ship with a single flick of a switch in the menu - looking into it, all I can find about the blue ship is that the rank is lowered, no mention of the hit box and so I guess I had that wrong.

The rank is noticeably easier though; it brings the game down to Raiden Project difficulty rather than crazy arcade 20p munching mode. I am finally going to grind and get my first 1cc on Arcade Raiden with this version, and I'm going to go with the blue ship for now, and try with the red ship once I've achieved that goal.

I've also got rapid cranked up to max and I make no apologies!

[Fingolfin]

Wah-Watusi!

Hot damn!

[Jeneki]

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.

I've been playing a lot of Konami games in Arcade Archives lately, so I'm kinda used to recovery strategies. But this game really makes me laugh at how mean spirited it tries to be. Want to let a powerup move down the screen so you can safely collect it? Fuck you, it exits stage left. Go up to collect it right away? Fuck you, a teleporting enemy jumps directly on top of it.
(not shooting the rocks that contain powerups until they drop far enough down the screen seems to work best for me)

Also this is hilarious:

I could be wrong but I think that should be the other way around.

[BrianC]

I'm glad I went with the JP version for Raiden Project. I have DX now too. Hopefully, that will get ported to arcade archives, as well. Just got Raiden 1 on PS4 and enjoying it quite a bit. I also have two tateable PC monitors with hdmi inputs (though I need to use an hdmi extractor for one of them since it has no speakers).

[Marc]

Ah man, Raiden + Beer = RAGE. Fuck this game

[BIL]

This is why M2 need to get that Hishouzame and Kyuukyoku out, so you can cool off between credits of Raiden and Trigon. ;3

(probably gonna end up being ACA Raiden II vs M2 Tatsujin Ou, haha. STG Fukkatsu '92: Jigoku no Blood Pressure )

Some nice brief comments by TZW_guile, on 2P side being easier, the perils of tackling extreme loops without a pattern, and the ol' Vulcan/Laser boss switcharoo.

Yandex-translated

Spoiler

I've also got rapid cranked up to max and I make no apologies!

Make sure to assign a low/no rapid button for those close zako encounters, though

Spoiler

^^^ I like the nod to ACA's cheap n' cheerful (but effective!) Interrupt Save. Yo, from contemporary perspective that is some holodeck shit! I ain't complainin. Sup I come from a future where Trigon and Guevara and ImageFight 1CCs ain't no thing