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

[CRP]

Found a move list for Zero team , got quite some depth it seams.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/arcade/56 ... faqs/74649

[Rastan78]

That's cool. I wasn't expecting Zero Team to have so many options. Looking at the credits it really is basically the same exact team plus or minus a few staff that made the first Raiden games. Impressive that they were able to switch over to a different genre and make such a solid game. Other shmup specialist devs have had varying degrees of success when it comes to making other types of games. For example, this game game out the same year as Toaplan's Knuckle Bash.

BTW is it just me or has ACA Thunder Cross been removed from the Switch eshop?

[CRP]

BTW is it just me or has ACA Thunder Cross been removed from the Switch eshop?

Unsure if it been there at all, i only have it on the konami compilation.

[Rastan78]

Its so strange. They have been recently releasing the other games from that collection individually. I got Gradius, Gradius II and Salamander. I would just about swear on my mother's life I was looking at Thunder Cross on there the other day. When I went back it was gone.

Maybe it's pending release and was accidentally put up early then removed. That or I need to lay off the smoke if you know what I'm saying.

The screen scaling options on these earlier Gotch developed releases are very nice on the Switch. They look better than the other ACA games. Neo Geo etc. They give you a Soft or Hard filtering option and 10 levels of scanline thickness. With Hard filtering selected you get a nice clean image that is filtered, doesn't shimmer when scaled to full screen, and is not overly dark and blurry like on most other rereleases, including M2 games.

What are the screen options etc. like on the Konami arcade collection? I hear it was kinda barebones.

[BIL]

Sunsoft's Markham is out tomorrow - holy cow, never even heard of this one. Two years out, a fine chap's wish is granted.



^^^ ohshi - never noticed how cool the old Sun Electronics Corp logo was.

Will have to give this a tryout in MAME. I already like the vistas, though they're reminding me of Jaleco's Formation Z, which is sadly only just playable. While early 80s Sunsoft doesn't enthuse me too much (their cutting-edge latter-day FC run, OTOH...), the recent ACA Pettan Pyuu really impressed me. And Hideki Kamiya, always a good sign! Isometric maze-chaser with several intriguing twists, solid fundamentals and ageless personality. Single-screen platformers Kangaroo and Arabian are alright too, even if not up to Taito's classic standards AFAICT.

Topdown run/gun Ikki is pretty nice, if you can accept the fairly massive caveat of its bad camera tracking. Works better than you might think! Ala Pettan it has some neat tricks, like the auto-tracking single-shot projectile. Authentic ninja farmer action. The infamously derided FC version lacks its onscreen radar, a likely last straw for most. You won't come away empty-handed with either - PWN all your Blaster Master-loving noob friends with esteemed Sunsoft lore.

[dmk1198]

Wow awesome they highlight these lost gems, will try and find on mame to before purchase but they such good value often just press buy if UK release?

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[BIL]

It's always good to verify, imo. Having completed my physical collection and moved onto digital (because that's where all the games I want are nowadays), ACA Athena taught me a sharp lesson: no matter how little it cost, even if was free, allowing a bad game into my household hurts my goddamn soul.

Deleted it off my HDD, couldn't bear to see it there between beautiful ACA Rygar and ACA Circus Charlie (Rygar aka Argus no Senshi )

[dmk1198]

It's always good to verify, imo. Having completed my physical collection and moved onto digital (because that's where all the games I want are nowadays), ACA Athena taught me a sharp lesson: no matter how little it cost, even if was free, allowing a bad game into my household hurts my goddamn soul.

Deleted it off my HDD, couldn't bear to see it there between beautiful ACA Rygar and ACA Circus Charlie (Rygar aka Argus no Senshi )

I guess in austerity times better to be safe than sorry lol not often u get chance to try before u buy, not enough game Demos these days, remember the discs attached to magazines lol

Sent from my Redmi Note 8T using Tapatalk

[BIL]

Unofficial emulation is absolutely invaluable for road-testing, I've found. Wouldn't have discovered a fraction of the stuff I enjoy without it, and communities like this one.

I was actually playing one of those cover discs for old times' sake, the other day. Had Klonoa and Tekken 3, good stuff.

---

Ah sheeit - more like MarMITE mirite, as those Formation Z vibes prove eerily prescient. Is this the genesis of the beloved "nose up/nose down" aiming mechanic, made famous by Capcom's landmark furry extravaganza Tailspin for Nintendo? Might make/break for some. Your Xeviousesque BOMBAS, otoh, are straight as a goddamn boner, vital for taking down the similarly Namco-recalling air fortresses. Rank seems fierce from the outset, zako have mean fadeaway snipe game. Cute AF chibi-NEAR FUTURE WAR aesthetic, Whip Rush-esque.

Unlike terminally floaty Formation Z, the game that doesn't know if it's a mecha sidescroller or an STG, control response is tight, and handling is solidly compact. Imma get this (the nose tilt's actually pretty useful, and as a proud Metal Black Man.txt I am used to edging up and down to confirm teh kill ). But do your research, that nose tilt really (mff!) GETS UP SOME PEOPLES NOSE MIRITE

[Rastan78]

You should have posted a trigger warning before talking about Athena. Some people might have severe PTSD from playing this game.

I guess Athena is best known for giving us the purple haired version of the goddess that went on to great fame via the KOF series. I always dug being able to play as Ralf and Clark from Ikari Warriors too.

But man Athena controls badly. I always think of Japanese arcade games from this era as having some basic level of quality, even if some have aged worse than others. A little jank is expected, but oh my goodness those controls.

Take a similar platformer with RPG elements from the same era, Wonder Boy: Monster Land for example. BTW highly recommend the recent Switch port of this game by M2. You have to accept that controls and jumping are a bit floaty and you start with a little awkward stubby chode sword. If you can accept that, then you are rewarded with playing a stone cold classic. But Athena? Just. Walk. Away.

[BIL]

It's the screen edge riding that kills Athena dead, for me. I could just about tolerate the rest of its bullshit - the floaty handling, the jarringly harsh knockback, the remarkably dumb jump height select - and even get along with its assholic side, RE inexplicable weapon/item levelling. A fully-equipped Athena is a real hoot, a land/sea/air Hellenic killing machine.

But to expect the player to ferret out secrets while putting them a pixel away from the left screen edge and the mass of enemy blades lurking within is just criminal. Some players I really dig, like Korean badass Janet, have done cool things with the game. Look at this maniac demolish his Athena PCB. Personally though, after subjecting myself to the Holy Diver no-miss and coming back fucking haunted (defeating that thing's control bugs requires a total nervous system overhaul, your "normal" action games will suddenly clobber you), I decided there has to be a limit. Imma just watch at safe distance for now.

[Rastan78]

Do you mean how your character can completely walk off the edge of the screen behind the black bar where the Life meter is? Yeah, thats janky. The jumping alone was enough to put me off. Overall the game seems like it could've been cool at the time, or could still be cool if it controlled better. It has a lot going on for a game at the time. Something of a noble experiment at least.

I had been checking out Janet's channel as well recently. Found it bc of searching for a Zero Team 1cc, which they also have up on real hardware. Iconoclast has one as well via emu. Iconoclast seems to be able to just 1cc any beat em up at will.

Side note, its starting to get sad that more Irem games aren't coming out yet. I want R Type Leo, Undercover Cops and Gun Force.

[Rastan78]

Personally though, after subjecting myself to the Holy Diver no-miss and coming back fucking haunted (defeating that thing's control bugs requires a total nervous system overhaul, your "normal" action games will suddenly clobber you), I decided there has to be a limit. Imma just watch at safe distance for now.

The only time I've ever come across something like this was was in Megaman 11. Overall a very solid game and it seems like its not nearly as egregious as HD. I was inconsistent at reproducing it but my best guess was that when you change directions there is a frame or two during the turning animation where it will eat your jump input. Very annoying in a game with a lot of pits.

You can imagine how this pairs with small conveyor belt platforms that try to push you off. You're likely to be pressing away from the edge then press towards and jump simultaneously. And you'll never really know for sure if you got the glitch or just timed your jump late.

Even more annoying than in a Gradius game where you ram into something bc the severe slowdown suddenly let up

[Sengoku Strider]

You have to accept that controls and jumping are a bit floaty and you start with a little awkward stubby chode sword. If you can accept that, then you are rewarded with playing a stone cold classic. But Athena? Just. Walk. Away.

NGL the stubby sword thing is one of my absolute most hated design choices. It killed Zelda II for me, and it made me bounce off this even faster.

Poor Athena can never catch a break. Once the novelty of the song wears off, Psycho Soldier is likewise pretty rough.

It's why it always felt like the Neo Geo came out of nowhere for me, I only knew SNK as a C+ grade company who I'd only score that high because of Time Soldiers, P.O.W. and Crystalis. The Ikari games were known round the schoolyard as some of the worst out there (though I did learn to like the second one once I got decent at it). It seemed super bizarre that they'd be in line ahead of Konami or Capcom or even Sunsoft for getting their own console. I was like "where did they get the money for this?"

[Rastan78]

Yeah SNK really earned their stripes during the Neo Geo era. I haven't played it extensively, but I think of Prehistoric Isle as a pretty solid game. Although it was a later release than Athena/Ikari, coming out in 1989.

At least in Monster Land your little sword can grow in length with a little coaxing. Having magic spells and bombs on down on the joystick was always puzzling to me though. They really didn't want to add a third button back then. Maybe it was meant for a 4 way stick gate? You do not want to play this game on a switch pro controller. The main problem with that d pad (besides that it feels like you're wrestling with a Norwegian strong man) is it can be really hard to consistently hit left and right without grazing up or down. Oops there went your fire spells.

[BIL]

The only time I've ever come across something like this was was in Megaman 11. Overall a very solid game and it seems like its not nearly as egregious as HD. I was inconsistent at reproducing it but my best guess was that when you change directions there is a frame or two during the turning animation where it will eat your jump input. Very annoying in a game with a lot of pits.

I've come to regard HD as the IRL Lemarchand's Box from Hellraiser. Very pretty, very nice to hold, but if you figure out how to open it (Famicom boxes are tricky), what's inside will tear your gamer soul apart.

Basically, whenever the dpad changes state, [A.] and [B.] inputs occurring on the same frame get eaten. Ready to make a long jump over a pit? You're getting dunked in. Need to stop and shoot a charging zako? Dead man's click. You have to learn to skip those frames, then press the button. This goes great when you're over a pit exchanging fire with a boss who's machinegunning your tiny platform with deadeye shots launched from pointblank at random intervals. -_-

EVEN BETTER is the sprite dropout. It can't be called "flicker," that's what games like Recca and Abadox do. HD has bullets and enemies literally go invisible for near-seconds at a time.

TLDR: HD is legitimately a harder than average console action game, and an interesting stage-by-stage riff on Metroid and Zelda II's floaty yet punishing action. HD is illegitimately arcade-tough. I get the feeling the designers wanted to make an action game but didn't have the time/skill to iron out the kinks, so they just patched it over with a ton of 1UPs.

OST by Masahiko Ishida of Image Fight, X-Multiply, R-Type II, Mr. Heli and Saigo no Nindou, incidentally. Not quite as great as those (his style relies on pounding rhythm and guttural abrasion, not something the FC chip's great for) but worth a look if you did his sinister grooves.

You can imagine how this pairs with small conveyor belt platforms that try to push you off. You're likely to be pressing away from the edge then press towards and jump simultaneously. And you'll never really know for sure if you got the glitch or just timed your jump late.

Honestly if I ever encounter something like HD again, I'm gonna pass - there's so many balls-hard games out there that don't involve rewiring your nervous system around shoddy programming.

It's why it always felt like the Neo Geo came out of nowhere for me, I only knew SNK as a C+ grade company who I'd only score that high because of Time Soldiers, P.O.W. and Crystalis. The Ikari games were known round the schoolyard as some of the worst out there (though I did learn to like the second one once I got decent at it). It seemed super bizarre that they'd be in line ahead of Konami or Capcom or even Sunsoft for getting their own console. I was like "where did they get the money for this?"

Time Soldiers was actually ADK's, as far as I know. Very cool game, I like how it goes in the completely opposite direction of Obada's Ikaris by making your character super-agile (the enemies likewise). I've learned to love the Ikaris (meaning Ikari, Dogo and Guevara... Ikari III is blatantly mislabeled), though they are the definition of acquired tastes with their glacial movement speed.

Have you played Search And Rescue? Phenomenal topdown run/gun, and my pick for the best one to bear the SNK logo. User-friendly yet utterly hardcore, also a drop-dead cool riff on Aliens et al. Zombies in mech suits, blow up the suit and the zombie's still goin', blow away zombie and his parasitised guts coalesce into a hulking Xenomorph, blow away Xeno's chest and arm and cause it to blindly tumble off the disintegrating catwalk into the red-lit abyss, it's a good time.

POW I can't get along with simply for it refusing to let you drop empty guns. I'm fond of the gritty KO system otherwise, the way enemies become "marked for death" is an interesting riff on Technos combo enders. No need to combo - if someone's on their last legs, and you hit 'em clean, they're getting a jaw-jacking/neck-snapping wallop with that incredible *CRACK* sound. Pick up a gun and it's all gone though... and what kind of late 80s action game dissuades you from grabbing an AK and lighting up a herd of fuckin' ugly reds?!

[Rastan78]

I'd like to think the pay to win formula prominent in mobile games like Candy Crush was inspired by that Hellraiser box. Go ahead give it one more try. What do you have to lose?

That carnage in SAR though. Wow

[BIL]

WHAT HAS HAPPENED?



NOBODY KNOWS THE FACTS

It's a rugged joint, the lost pioneer starship USS DISPLACEBEFUCT



I hope SAR, Time Soldiers and Bermuda Triangle get ACA releases like TANK, Ikari, Dogo and the upcoming Guevara... the SNK40th versions are 90% ok, but their LS30 remap options aren't as nice, and all have the collection's universal control glitch (the analogue sticks jam up every hour or so, demanding a rattle to "unstick" -_-)

How I wish I could send back ACA Athena, POW and Ikari III for ACA Genshitou, World Wars and Vanguard ;w; Then again, with so much of SNK40th's stuff already on ACA (see also Psycho Soldier and Sasuke VS Commander), it doesn't seem too outlandish to think they'll arrive eventually too.

[Rastan78]

SNK
The Future Was Then

Edit: Wait wasn't there supposed to actually be a new 2D run n gun Metal Slug in development?

[Sengoku Strider]

in Monster Land your little sword can grow in length with a little coaxing.

Are you my grade 7 health class teacher?

Time Soldiers was actually ADK's, as far as I know.

Fair and relevant point. I tend to blur them together as from 1987 on the two were essentially the same company, they only released on SNK platforms. They even did much of the hardware design for the Neo Geo and created its pack-in, Magician Lord. They were an exclusive SNK subcontractor for years during the 90s. SNK officially wound up with all their IP when they went under in the early 2000s.

Very cool game, I like how it goes in the completely opposite direction of Obada's Ikaris by making your character super-agile (the enemies likewise). I've learned to love the Ikaris (meaning Ikari, Dogo and Guevara... Ikari III is blatantly mislabeled), though they are the definition of acquired tastes with their glacial movement speed.

Our entire reference point for Ikari back then was the ABBA nes version, and the second game on nes which had quite likely the worst voice samples ever committed to silicon. 30 + years on and I still have no idea what the boss is saying:

https://youtu.be/JitziQ_dmiA?t=669

Easy stuff?
Jeezy stop?
Wheezy stun?
Cheesy guff?

Have you played Search And Rescue?

Nope, only seen the name on lists.

[BIL]

The FC/NES versions of Ikari 1 & 2 were... well, they were by Micronics. Arrant shite, as per their typical standard. FC/NES Guevara, Ikari III and POW were by SNK themselves, and as with Capcom's own 1943 vs Micronics' 1942, the quality jump is measurable only in light-years.

I know one of FC/NES Ikari 2's voice samples is attempting to mimic Ralf's "He's tough!" regarding the game's titanic bosses. That squawking "Hee iss tuff!" sounds more like "JESUS CHRIST" though, which is obviously the better line

JP Ralf rocks, shame you only get to hear his badass KOF-prefiguring "IKUZO!" when respawning after a death. Or listening to the OST, an undersung classic of Toaplanesque GAMUSHARA that predates the stuff it most resembles ie Kyuukyoku Tiger and Hellfire.

[Rastan78]

I think most people blur ADK and SNK together. World Heroes is about as SNK as it gets. Kinda like how Metal Slug is basically considered SNK even though it was created by Nazca before becoming merged with SNK.

I've been meaning to get around to ADK's Ninja Commando one of these days. Part of me wishes SNK had stayed true to their Ikari roots and done some games in this style for the NG.

Grade 7? You must be Canadian lol.

[Sengoku Strider]

I know one of FC/NES Ikari 2's voice samples is attempting to mimic Ralf's "He's tough!" regarding the game's titanic bosses. That squawking "Hee iss tuff!" sounds more like "
JESUS CHRIST" though, which is obviously the better line

*shocked Pikachu*

It never occurred to me it was the player character saying that, the raspy voice is so alien boss-like. But yeah, I can hear the he-is-tough now.

Grade 7? You must be Canadian lol.

That would be correct. In the States do they wait until after puberty to teach kids about puberty?

[dmk1198]

Top bombing
U guys were on form today!

Sent from my Redmi Note 8T using Tapatalk

[Rastan78]

Grade 7? You must be Canadian lol.

That would be correct. In the States do they wait until after puberty to teach kids about puberty?

Here we deny them access to condoms, lock them in the basement til they're 18 and keep watch with a loaded shotgun. Are you saying there's another way?

But it was the fact that you said grade 7 instead of 7th grade that was a dead giveaway.

[Sumez]

The only time I've ever come across something like this was was in Megaman 11. Overall a very solid game and it seems like its not nearly as egregious as HD. I was inconsistent at reproducing it but my best guess was that when you change directions there is a frame or two during the turning animation where it will eat your jump input. Very annoying in a game with a lot of pits.

Apologies for going off on this tangent, but what platform did you play MM11 on? I don't recall that happening to me even once.

[Rastan78]

This prompted me to do a little searching. This guy verified the bug and has a video with inputs. I was playing on Switch. Seems like it happens across versions and there are other things that can trigger this no jumping state. Depending on your play style and controller etc its more or less a rare issue that doesn't affect gameplay too often. But it's very frustrating if it does crop up.


https://www.reddit.com/r/Megaman/commen ... your_jump/

[Rastan78]

I posted this a while back in another thread . . .

Probably the only game I really felt held back by lag on Switch was X Multiply. Haven't seen any tests on this. It could also be something about the framerate or input response making the game feel inconsistent. For whatever reason this game just did not feel good to me.

Having not seen this:

It was recently discovered that the arcade game itself of X-Multiply has an extra frame of movement after you stop moving - and this is consistent across all versions of the game (including MAME). It apparently was just how the game was coded.

That makes so much sense. I tend to notice input lag much more on the tail end when letting go of a direction. After all shmup controls are all about being able to put your ship into a precise location after every movement you do.

I feel a lot better about the Hamster port now and just playing and enjoying X-Multiply. I had been needlessly shying away from it out of some vague sense that it was a rare case where Hamster messed something up about the emulation.

[BIL]

Yep, Markham is cool. PS4 version dropped a week behind the Switch one, Nintendo's machine getting Vs. Tennnis this week.

Setting [shot] to 10hz and [bomb] to manual is pretty comfy, imo. Spray zako with angled shots, demolish heavies with bomb. There's some decent balance between the two weapons - bombs may fly ramrod-straight, but their range is only about 75% screen-width.

I wonder if this is the earliest example of negative edge bomb mechanics, later seen in Raiden Fighters, where pressing the button fires and releasing it detonates. In Markham, it lets you drop a vertically-falling bomb, then send it rocketing off on release.

NO ESCAPE (GTFO XEVIOUS BLACK BALL THINGS)

Spoiler

This game's in a really interesting epoch betwen Scramble and Gradius, with some obvious elements of Xevious. Actually, between the precision weakpoint sniping and certain familiar enemy types, not to mention its sunny primary-coloured look, this really feels like the work of a Xevious fan looking to take it horizontal. I didn't mean that to sound so sexual but I'm keeping it.

SHOOTING AND FUCKING ARE THE SAME (■｀ω´■)

Spoiler

Seems very unknown, even by early Sunsoft standards. Unlike Arabian, Ikki and Route 16, I don't recall it ever seeing home support. I wonder if it was more acclaimed back in its day. Console debut at thirty-seven years of age, at any rate. Not bad!

[BIL]

ACA: Gradius III is out next Thursday, for both PS4 and Switch.



Ain't foolin' around with that thumbnail BACK 2 THA HELL (cube stage also screencapped elsewhere )