Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[Bassa-Bassa]

Gaia Crusaders wasn't even released in Japan, only in Taiwan and HK.

[Despatche]

That seems incredibly unlikely, as you have things like a Japan-only soundtrack album for it, and there's also a good bit of Japanese Gaia Crusaders content on the internet. Japan, like most places with most things, doesn't really care all that much for things not actually released in Japan, and I can't imagine any of this content existing without a Japanese release. Americans and Europeans mostly care about Japanese things because we're all on the outside looking in.

a culture once existed that actually refined these things and had them stand on their own, the artists of the time rapidly consuming everything else done in their genre to create truly superb and refined things. we just don't have this any more.

Oh and uh this whole post is probably the most important written body of work ever posted to the forum. I have not quoted the entire thing for convenience. In fact, I probably could have picked a better part to quote. Oh well.

There was a long time when I regarded you as an enemy. I had reason to believe that you were part of that same club that you rightly condemn here. I apologize. I admit my frustration that I have done absolutely nothing to improve my standing with regards to this thread's real topic, the one you and BIL have so clearly outlined, and the one that is honestly at the heart of whatever this whole community is supposed to be anymore.

[Air Master Burst]

I can't even really be mad about the state of modern gaming (other than poor treatment of the workers making them!) since we're kinda in a new golden age of belt-scrollers (at least 3 notable ones on Steam this year alone!) and I feel like a kid in a candy store.

Hell, Shredder's Revenge is selling like crazy and it's not even the best of the modern crop; hopefully this means we get even more of them! FLOOD THE MARKET!

If nothing else, maybe it can at least convince DotEmu they can keep making money cranking good ones out.

[Bassa-Bassa]

That seems incredibly unlikely, as you have things like a Japan-only soundtrack album for it, and there's also a good bit of Japanese Gaia Crusaders content on the internet. Japan, like most places with most things, doesn't really care all that much for things not actually released in Japan, and I can't imagine any of this content existing without a Japanese release. Americans and Europeans mostly care about Japanese things because we're all on the outside looking in.

It's a cute theory and all but the fact is that Gaia Crusaders was not released in Japan and got a very limited distribution elsewhere. There're many cases of unreleased games which got the soundtrack published for whatever reason, but in the case of G. Crusaders there's even a quite obvious reason, anyway - Noise Factory was specialized in game music and self-published their albums, which sold well enough just for the company's name alone.

[Despatche]

What? That... what? You think I'm the one with the cute theory? Putting aside that what you say is pretty outlandish and very uncommon just by itself, never mind the reasons I described, I haven't seen anything anywhere that has ever suggested Gaia Crusaders wasn't released in Japan except your posts right here and a PCB shop's website claiming the same thing, which is where I'm guessing you got this theory of yours from. If you can find literally anything more substantial, I'd love to see it, but there's way too much weird hearsay in this hobby to just take anyone at face value, especially someone being so aggressive about it. Like, if you're messing with me, please say so now, because it totally seems like you are.

There actually aren't that many examples of unreleased games that got plain old soundtrack releases like that, especially so long after the fact, but there are exceptionally few examples of games not getting actual Japanese releases but somehow getting a soundtrack release there like it's no big deal. The game even has an official website, all in Japanese, which unreleased games typically aren't getting. So you have a soundtrack release, an official website, tons of info on the internet in Japanese about a very Japanese game, etc. What more do you want?

Oh and please don't tell me that this was something MAMEdev "figured out", because MAMEdev are also the ones who think that "newest" and "export" versions are somehow the most important (to the point of complete nonsense like what they did to DOJ and Futari BL), are also the ones playing musical chairs with romsets whenever they like, and are also the ones intentionally putting down a game for the wrong year because that year happens to be on the title screen. I still have no idea what's going on with Out Zone anymore thanks to MAME. Ketsui literally has a 2003 build date (never mind actual release which was almost a month later) on it, but MAME still puts it down as a 2002 game because that's what the title screen says.

[BIL]

I admit my frustration that I have done absolutely nothing to improve my standing with regards to this thread's real topic, the one you and BIL have so clearly outlined, and the one that is honestly at the heart of whatever this whole community is supposed to be anymore.

To me, all this thread and community are about is playing Hard Scrolling Action games and STGs to the best one is able (IRL sux), then posting about them in much the same mode. That's what makes it a hobbyist's community, suitable for ongoing engagement with historic and new works alike, rather than a sleepy retirement home for detached reminiscings. I knew I was in the right place when I found my way here via Icarus's Tecno Soft 1LC diaries ca the old #featheredwings days.

It also ensures it'll remain forever quite obscure, which is A-OK by me. :3 That spirit of quality is itself an obscure thing.

(along the same lines, some complain about the Hardware subforum's shadowy empire of exclusive posters who never venture beyond its borders. WTF? I'd hope those guys are as balls-hard for their tech and maintenance/repair projects as I am for the games that rely on them. I'll need their work when my shit starts breaking down! I can help you 1LC Dogosoken, but if you need an LS-30 wiring schematic, you're SOL with me sonny )

[Bassa-Bassa]

What? That... what? You think I'm the one with the cute theory? Putting aside that what you say is pretty outlandish and very uncommon just by itself, never mind the reasons I described, I haven't seen anything anywhere that has ever suggested Gaia Crusaders wasn't released in Japan except your posts right here and a PCB shop's website claiming the same thing, which is where I'm guessing you got this theory of yours from. If you can find literally anything more substantial, I'd love to see it, but there's way too much weird hearsay in this hobby to just take anyone at face value, especially someone being so aggressive about it. Like, if you're messing with me, please say so now, because it totally seems like you are.

Curious, because I myself felt the same way.

There're many factors that when you put them together show it quite clearly - the game didn't get an official distributor in the end and Noise were never a publisher, so it just couldn't get the means to be officially released. There's no other copyright in the game than Noise Factory's, so the dumped PCB is not for Japan. No other version in the emulation or collectors scenes after all these years despite being a 1999 game. No printed game flyers or stuff in Japanese. Rarely available (or not at all) in second-hand markets. No actual known people that played it in the arcades. Even published arcade DB books can't give a specific release date like with the rest, and that's if they mention it. What more do you want?

[Rastan78]

Well there are definitely Japanese boards out there. You can see players that usually play on real hardware like Janet and TZW-ART have replays on their YouTube channels. Japanese subtitle on the title screen and Japanese text in the ending. I think the Asia release has English text?

Also TZW-ART says something in the description like Gaia Crusaders and Thunder Heroes are both boards I have.

https://youtu.be/dS8SqQKwPDA

[Bassa-Bassa]

The Asian PCB has a Japanese language setting. They definitely wanted it there but found themselves without a publisher.

[Despatche]

Please don't project, and please don't imitate what I'm saying like that, that just makes you look even more trollish.

Every single bit of "proof" you're dropping is either hilariously circumstantial (imagine the number of used boards meaning anything except "it's rare") or you straight up do not have that info (what is "no other version in the emulation or collectors scenes after all these years despite being a 1999 game" even supposed to mean).

All I'm saying is that this is really weird, that you don't really have any proof, and that you're acting like this is some well-documented fact that should be common knowledge. I'm not at all saying that this isn't possible, I'm just asking you to provide real evidence for what is an obviously outlandish claim, about a hobby filled with outrageous nonsense that has never been factchecked even to this day.

[it290]

Yeah so.. That Kabuki Z game looks hella interesting. Seems to incorporate some parry/swordplay mechanics, and has an interesting narrative where the main hero kills a demon who hatches some kunoichi from its back and then he subsequently transforms into a Rastan-esque barbarian and kicks lots of ass? That's definitely something that would have completely captivated me in 1988, even if the mechanics were jank, and is infinitely more interesting than arguing about whether some random PCB received Japanese distribution or not.

[Sima Tuna]

I've been meaning to play more UNGA barbarian games like Rastan. Been craving some good, clean, Conan-style HARD ACTION. Anyone know if Volgarr the Viking is good? It seems ok. I'm always hesitant of these newer games. Some have turned out fantastic, like Huntdown and Ninja Saviors. Others, like The Takeover, I've been less impressed by.

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

Volgarr is quality. It has a really likable core moveset - quick-burst rolling, limited blocking, a meaty downstab, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts-style fixed-arc double-jumping (a favorite mechanic of mine) with levels designed to encourage smart use of it.

The game obviously draws aesthetic cues from Rastan, but don't expect the same kind of game. Volgarr isn't about chaotic action driven by randomly-spawning enemies; it's a slower-paced, almost puzzle-like game with completely static enemy layouts and behaviors and with less room for error (you only have two HP by default, unlike Rastan's more generous health bar meant for its rough-and-tumble combat). It does have an alternate path you can only stay on by 1CCing (default route has infinite lives with relatively sparse checkpoints) and a scoring system that scales up well and strongly encourages fast, efficient play, too.

I would definitely recommend it, but personally I like its inspirations more than it; I don't think it has either the dynamism or the complexity needed to make its static, fairly strict courses endlessly revisitable.

[Jeneki]

Volgarr is awesome. Always a fan of games where melee attacks doesn't root you.

A few other barbarian games I played through in the past year or so and enjoyed: Vandyke, Tiny Barbarian.

[Ghegs]

Only technically a barbarian game, but I unironically like Cybarian: The Time Travelling Warrior, to the point that I bought and 1LCed both the PC and Switch versions (they only have very minor, inconsequential differences). It's short, not that hard after a little bit of practice, but the boss battles are pretty cool and it just has that je ne sais quoi that makes me like it. It's also very cheap (five bucks normally and goes on sale pretty often) and many reviews complain how you have to start the game from the very beginning every time you play it doesn't save your progress omg what is this super hard game, so that can be an added source of amusement.

[Bassa-Bassa]

Please don't project, and please don't imitate what I'm saying like that, that just makes you look even more trollish.

Every single bit of "proof" you're dropping is either hilariously circumstantial (imagine the number of used boards meaning anything except "it's rare") or you straight up do not have that info (what is "no other version in the emulation or collectors scenes after all these years despite being a 1999 game" even supposed to mean).

All I'm saying is that this is really weird, that you don't really have any proof, and that you're acting like this is some well-documented fact that should be common knowledge. I'm not at all saying that this isn't possible, I'm just asking you to provide real evidence for what is an obviously outlandish claim, about a hobby filled with outrageous nonsense that has never been factchecked even to this day.

Even more trollish than asking for proofs of something that didn't happen? How am I projecting? You have your proof if you're really interested, mate - you won't ever find a publisher for Gaia Crusaders in Japan, period. Make a proper research, there're many books that compile this stuff. A 1999 game would have this aspect well known and documented, it's that easy. And I'm obviously talking about the official market, it's likely that Noise themselves or a particular arcade managed to install a couple of Asian PCBs here and there, but that doesn't make of it an official release.

[tomwhite2004]

"Gaia Crusaders was never released in Japan even if it was supposed to be distributed by Manjyudo in Japan..."

http://adb.arcadeitalia.net/dettaglio_m ... search_id=

[Bassa-Bassa]

Arcade History is very hit and miss in my experience, though I'll admit I'd love this bit to be true:

This game might be a code rip-off of the game "Pretty Soldier - Sailor Moon".

Ex-Atlus people ripping off ex-Toaplan people for a brawler when nobody cared about these anymore.

[drauch]

Googling the release in Japanese is bringing up either not sold in Japan, or rarely sold in Japan.

Here's an auto-translate that has some better info:

It was a work that was operating mainly in Asia and is not officially sold in Japan, but at "AOU1999 Amusement Expo" it was exhibited by a manufacturer called Manmitsudo, and location tests are being conducted in Japan as well, and it is on the market even though it is a very small number.

[Air Master Burst]

I've been meaning to play more UNGA barbarian games like Rastan. Been craving some good, clean, Conan-style HARD ACTION. Anyone know if Volgarr the Viking is good? It seems ok. I'm always hesitant of these newer games. Some have turned out fantastic, like Huntdown and Ninja Saviors. Others, like The Takeover, I've been less impressed by.

Odallus: The Dark Call from JoyMasher is pretty good, has some major early Castlevania/Demon's Crest vibes. I hear their Ninja Gaiden homage Oniken is supposed to be good too, but I can't for the life of me get it to register any controller whatsoever.

ETA: on a whim I just checked again, and apparently Oniken IS registering my new arcade stick, so my afternoon just got booked solid!

[Sima Tuna]

I've been meaning to play more UNGA barbarian games like Rastan. Been craving some good, clean, Conan-style HARD ACTION. Anyone know if Volgarr the Viking is good? It seems ok. I'm always hesitant of these newer games. Some have turned out fantastic, like Huntdown and Ninja Saviors. Others, like The Takeover, I've been less impressed by.

Odallus: The Dark Call from JoyMasher is pretty good, has some major early Castlevania/Demon's Crest vibes. I hear their Ninja Gaiden homage Oniken is supposed to be good too, but I can't for the life of me get it to register any controller whatsoever.

ETA: on a whim I just checked again, and apparently Oniken IS registering my new arcade stick, so my afternoon just got booked solid!

Nice! Let me know how that one goes. I'm familiar with the joymasher games. They always struck me as more directly derivative of NES era platformers like Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania than arcade experiences.

I've heard of Tiny Barbarian, but never tried it. Same for the time-traveling barbarian game. Both seem interesting. Of the UNGA barbarian games I've played, I think my favorite was Golden Axe 3. Golden Axe 3 has Panther Speedo Man, as well as the biggest caveman in the world.


The first time I played Golden Axe 3, I was surprised at its quality. Of the three genesis games, I prefer GA3 the most. Each enemy has its own AI and the playable characters have loads of attacks.

[Air Master Burst]

Of the UNGA barbarian games I've played, I think my favorite was Golden Axe 3. Golden Axe 3 has Panther Speedo Man, as well as the biggest caveman in the world.


The first time I played Golden Axe 3, I was surprised at its quality. Of the three genesis games, I prefer GA3 the most. Each enemy has its own AI and the playable characters have loads of attacks.

The arcade-only Revenge of Death Adder is the pinnacle of the series and one of the finest belt-scrollers around, so if you haven't tried that yet you should absolutely get on it!

[BrianC]

as well as the biggest caveman in the world.

Revenge of Death Adder has a bigger caveman with Gillius riding on his back.

[Despatche]

Googling the release in Japanese is bringing up either not sold in Japan, or rarely sold in Japan.

Here's an auto-translate that has some better info:

It was a work that was operating mainly in Asia and is not officially sold in Japan, but at "AOU1999 Amusement Expo" it was exhibited by a manufacturer called Manmitsudo, and location tests are being conducted in Japan as well, and it is on the market even though it is a very small number.

Yeah see this is what I found. I just chalked it up to being a very rare game in an arcade-hostile era, but one that at least some people had and knew about. Otherwise I doubt anyone on the Japanese internet would ever have talked about this game at any point.

[Bassa-Bassa]

Otherwise I doubt anyone on the Japanese internet would ever have talked about this game at any point.

What kind of reasoning is that?

The game was made in the internet era, it got a homepage in Japanese and, years later, an OST album with colorful screenshots, it was previewed in the specialized mags from the moment, got its roms dumped and perfectly running on Mame many years ago... yet you expect nobody ever talking about it on the Japanese internet unless it happened to be released?

Your vision of Japanese people is something else, isn't it?

[Despatche]

Okay, now you're just trying to call me racist over this and I'm not having that. Everything about how you've approached this has been in bad faith. Gaia Crusaders was likely barely released in Japan in very small numbers, which is probably also true for a number of games during that time. Go away.

[Bassa-Bassa]

Gaia Crusaders was likely barely released in Japan in very small numbers, which is probably also true for a number of games during that time.

So you were never really interested. Easy guess, on the other hand.

[Vanguard]

I've been meaning to play more UNGA barbarian games like Rastan. Been craving some good, clean, Conan-style HARD ACTION. Anyone know if Volgarr the Viking is good? It seems ok. I'm always hesitant of these newer games. Some have turned out fantastic, like Huntdown and Ninja Saviors. Others, like The Takeover, I've been less impressed by.

Volgarr is very good. Flawless controls and an A+ moveset combined with nicely varied level designs and a stern yet approachable difficultly level. For me the biggest flaw is that there is zero randomness to enemy behavior, which makes the game 100% fair, but also means it can get rote after a while, especially when it comes to the boss fights.

[dojo_b]

When your sprites are small, when your story is delivered over precious few cutscenes with static images, you've really got to commit if you want to deliver strong emotion! Elemental Master knows this. Like, damn. Here's how you do it! (mild spoiler)

Spoiler

[BIL]

Ah jeez, EM is legit one of the hardest-hitting endings delivered in foot-to-the-floor 1CC format ever. Bloodening tragedy and resounding catharsis via balls-out nonstop dual-way STG. The hopelessly milquetoast new Star Wars trilogy would've done well hewing to such simple, elemental (bwaaa!) vigor. A bit of what hurts and a whole lot of payback to take the sting off, that's how it's done.

Ninja Gaiden (NES) does this even better, the endgame playing out in the face of world-ending heartbreak and blistering white-hot rage. While his own game's derivative scenario cannot compare, Ashtar (NGII) even gives some very helpful advice there! "You know you cannot hope to touch me with a sword so full of hatred. Fool!" That's for you, Edmans! Think for one fucking second!