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

[Sturmvogel Prime]

mmm, why i can't unlock the 500.000 Points trophy in Aero Fighters 2 // Sonic Wings 2 ???
Is a bug?
EDIT: the 100.000 and 300.000 worked, but not the last one

No...really, i have higher scores, but the trophy didn't appear :\

I also have the same problem on the PlayStation 4 version. I guess its a glitch which Hamster hadn't fixed yet.

[SeafoamGaming]

Two months later and with ACA US pacing back to normal i'm pretty sure we're never gonna get jail break or finest hour here

what the fuck happened man, those games should not be taking this long to escape whatever limbo they got caught in: it can't be a ratings issue at this point

[Lemnear]

mmm, why i can't unlock the 500.000 Points trophy in Aero Fighters 2 // Sonic Wings 2 ???
Is a bug?
EDIT: the 100.000 and 300.000 worked, but not the last one

No...really, i have higher scores, but the trophy didn't appear :\

I also have the same problem on the PlayStation 4 version. I guess its a glitch which Hamster hadn't fixed yet.

Yes, same, PS4 version, i messaged Hamster Corp- support.
There are other bugged ACA/Arcade Archives?

Oh fun fact, a few ACA/Arcade Archives are not available in my country for some reason..for example Twinkle Star Sprites

[Steven]

As always, I'm almost always (redundant sentence, but whatever) a week and a half to several years behind with ACA, but I'll probably get Daioh (BTW I hate romanizing ou as oh) eventually. Maybe I'll get Turbo Force while I'm there in the shitty half-functional PSN store because it looks supremely terrible, which means I should absolutely love it.

[Sima Tuna]

Turbo For is pretty bad. There's no bomb stocking and you're constantly losing shot power as you play.

[BIL]

Yeah TurboFawrce is perhaps the genre's most literal Slot Machine RNG. Ammo stock is ridiculously mercurial. Funny game though, and likeably instant. It's hard to dislike it too much, even the ammo mechanic is kinda interesting. Psikyo The Coolege Years: Psiyko gets wasted

Been a while, but I seem to recall Rabio Lepus being entirely more respectable, with plenty of Psikyo DNA (an early display of the melee attacks they'd increasingly favour). It's bizarre we've not seen Sonic Wings at this point, I wouldn't complain if it was this year's Christmas title... better yet SW Limited.

For Bad Game thrills to pair with Daioh, I would suggest Athena's earlier Strike Gunner STG, with the massive caveat I don't think it's all that bad. ;3 Feels like a feral Mark III game raised on Aleste and escaped into the JAMMA jungle. Only real problem I have is its god-awful penultimate stage BGM. Otherwise, good semi-jank fun opposite infinitely superior Daioh, which I'm headcanoning as a direct sequel (yo them snazzy red/blue n' white ship designs ).

[Lemnear]

Yeah TurboFawrce is perhaps the genre's most literal Slot Machine RNG. Ammo stock is ridiculously mercurial. Funny game though, and likeably instant. It's hard to dislike it too much, even the ammo mechanic is kinda interesting. Psikyo The Coolege Years: Psiyko gets wasted

Been a while, but I seem to recall Rabio Lepus being entirely more respectable, with plenty of Psikyo DNA (an early display of the melee attacks they'd increasingly favour). It's bizarre we've not seen Sonic Wings at this point, I wouldn't complain if it was this year's Christmas title... better yet SW Limited.

For Bad Game thrills to pair with Daioh, I would suggest Athena's earlier Strike Gunner STG, with the massive caveat I don't think it's all that bad. ;3 Feels like a feral Mark III game raised on Aleste and escaped into the JAMMA jungle. Only real problem I have is its god-awful penultimate stage BGM. Otherwise, good semi-jank fun opposite infinitely superior Daioh, which I'm headcanoning as a direct sequel (yo them snazzy red/blue n' white ship designs ).

Why Strike Gunner S.T.G. BGM sounds so distorted? Never heard those sounds from an arcade

[BrianC]

Oh fun fact, a few ACA/Arcade Archives are not available in my country for some reason..for example Twinkle Star Sprites

The PS4 version isn't even available in the US.

[BIL]

Why Strike Gunner S.T.G. BGM sounds so distorted? Never heard those sounds from an arcade

Yeah, the audio quality reminds me of the godawful sampled entrance themes in Wrestlemania 2000 for N64. Sounds like it was recorded off an overseas telephone call.

Despite that, I actually like the first three stage BGMs. They've a melancholy that offsets their tinny sound and short loops. st3's ambient groove verges on good; in a stronger OST, I'd assume the synth boom's brittle compression was a deliberate affect. The way it splinters and decays over the glassy soundscape is really cool... actually reminds me of Garegga's inimitable Coin In sound.

Sadly, st5's BGM deluges the bed in corn-ridden explosive diarrhoea. 3; st6 recovers with generic feelgood rockin', and st7 has a cute shuffle, but it's nowhere as interesting as the earlier stuff. The OST's better half reminds me of HIDE-KAZ's Task Force Harrier, another sullenly abrasive not-for-everyone OST (albeit Harrier is an entirely less amateurish affair than Strike Gunner).

Compared to its audio foibles, and its poor rep, I found S.T.G. itself surprisingly decent. Like a lost Sonic Wings prequel for Japanese PC, with lots of obvious Compile and later IREM influence. Some neat tactical considerations with the subweapons. Nothing special, to be sure, but you gotta be grateful for small mercies when Athena's in Bad Game mode. I'm not looking forward to ACA Dragon Unit, but if it means ACA JJ Squawkers, I'll tolerate it.

[Lemnear]

Oh fun fact, a few ACA/Arcade Archives are not available in my country for some reason..for example Twinkle Star Sprites

The PS4 version isn't even available in the US.

only in full japanese?

Why Strike Gunner S.T.G. BGM sounds so distorted? Never heard those sounds from an arcade

Yeah, the audio quality reminds me of the godawful sampled entrance themes in Wrestlemania 2000 on the N64. Sounds like it was recorded off a telephone call. Despite that, I don't mind the first few stage BGMs; they've a stark melancholy that offsets their short loops. Intro/st3 is easily the standout; in a less amateurish production, I'd have assumed that glassy, grainy sound was intentional. Genuinely troubled and turbulent-sounding.

Sadly, stage 5 BGM shits the bed. 3; st6 recovers with generic feelgood rockin', and st7 has a cute shuffle, but it's nowhere as interesting as the earlier stuff. The OST's better half reminds me of HIDE-KAZ's Task Force Harrier, another sullenly abrasive not-for-everyone OST (albeit Harrier is an entirely less amateurish affair than Strike Gunner).

Compared to its audio foibles, and its poor rep, I found S.T.G. itself surprisingly decent. Like a lost Sonic Wings prequel for Japanese PC, with lots of obvious Compile and later IREM influence. Some neat tactical considerations with the subweapons. Nothing special, to be sure, but you gotta be grateful for small mercies when Athena's in Bad Game mode. I'm not looking forward to ACA Dragon Unit, but if it means ACA JJ Squawkers, I'll tolerate it.

Sounds like an arcade cabinet that's frying because it's too cheap to run the game, and i like it!

Mmh...too many Arcade Archives in my wish list...(18 Games):

Spoiler

P-47: The Freedom Fighter
US AAF Mustang
Mad Shark
Blandia
RodLand
Penguin-Kun Wars
Sonic Wings 3
Sengoku 3
Raiden
Raiga: Strato Fighter
Last Resort
Twinkle Star Sprites
Image Fight
X-Multiply
In the Hunt
Bells & Whistles
Waku Waku 7
Zed Blade

and i hope for New Zealand Story!

Not to mention all those "sponsored" games in Ridge Racer (Bosconian, Phozon, Baraduke, Gaplus, Druaga, DigDug etc.)
Damn i've read those names for years on my cars and never played them hahaha

And non-ACA/Arcade Archives wish list (11 Games):

Spoiler

Batsugun
GG Aleste 3
Gunbird 2
G-Darius HD
Darius Cozmic Arcade Collection
Ketsui Deathtiny
Hishouzame//Same!Same!Same!
Tiger-Heli//Kyuukyoku Tiger
Air Duel
GunForce
GunForce II

Wish list of games that have no console or PC version (11 Games):

Spoiler

Nebulas Ray
Air Gallet
P-47 Aces
River Raid
Recca [Summer Carnival '92]
Soukyugurentai / Terra Diver
Gaiares
Gokujyō Parodius
Neo XYX
DUX
Earthion

[BIL]

Depending on how you feel about IREM horis, X-Multiply, Last Resort, and In The Hunt are possibly your best picks. Super lovable! ^o^ Also if you like those add Pulstar.

Oh fun fact, a few ACA/Arcade Archives are not available in my country for some reason..for example Twinkle Star Sprites

The PS4 version isn't even available in the US.

only in full japanese?

Damn, had no idea PS4 TSS was non-US. That sucks.

But no, as with AFAIK all ACA NeoGeo releases, the JP one includes both Japan and International revisions.

NYAAA~ (｀w´メ)

Not to mention all those "sponsored" games in Ridge Racer (Bosconian, Phozon, Baraduke, Gaplus, Druaga, DigDug etc.)
Damn i've read those names for years on my cars and never played them hahaha

Same; I grew up with RR64 and cars named "DRAGONSABER" and "NEBULASRAY" and "MICRO MOUSE MAPPY" ; it still feels weirdly reverse-nostalgic, seeing those names. Actually, RR64 even has Pooka from DigDug and a goddamn actual Galaga ship as unlockable cars, haha.

Baraduke is killer, highly recommended! It's my YT channel icon for a reason. Super-hardcore seek/destroy, on one hand; but on the other, the collision is remarkably generous, even ignoring its age (1985). Plays super smoothly.

BATTLE IS BEGUN (｀w´メ)

[Lemnear]

Depending on how you feel about IREM horis, X-Multiply, Last Resort, and In The Hunt are probably the safest bets on your list. Super lovable. ^o^ Also if you like those add Pulstar.

The PS4 version isn't even available in the US.

only in full japanese?

Damn, had no idea PS4 TSS was non-US. That sucks.

But no, as with AFAIK all ACA NeoGeo releases, the JP one includes both Japan and International revisions.

NYAAA~ (｀w´メ)

Yeeh

Why didn't they include the games manual?
It's probably the only "extras" missing in Hamster games.

By the way, yes i want to explore Irem and Jaleco more, because when i was very very little, every bar had 1 or more arcade cabinets and usually were Metal Slug (1-2-X and rarely 3), Puzzle Bubble 2, Bubble Bobble, R-Type and Jaleco games (like Rodland ) i was something like 5 or 6 and those games were already old.

[Rastan78]

Kinda OT but Atari is acquiring Digital Eclipse. Maybe that means they will focus only on Atari IP now rather than Capcom, Konami, SNK stuff etc? This is good news if that's the case.

[BIL]

There go my hopes of SNK40th's broken LS-30 emulation getting patched, though. It was gonna happen! Any decade now! 3;

RIP Atari fans though. 3; WTB ACA Gauntlet to forget about ACA Dark Adventure (not to be confused with its non-quartermunching JP/EU revs Majuu no Oukoko & Devil World, the latter also not to be confused with Nintendo's FC dot eater!)

Robotron x Defender is Williams, right? I always get 'em mixed up. Hoo boy I'd nab em, though. Badass.

[Fingolfin]

Robotron x Defender is Williams, right? I always get 'em mixed up. Hoo boy I'd nab em, though. Badass.

Continuing (off topic but) important arcade related posts…

Eugene Jarvis developed/co-developed arcade shooters Defender, Stargate, Robotron 2084, Blaster, Narcs and SmashTV. He later developed Cruisin’ USA. He worked at Williams when Defender was made.

If you’ve never tried Blaster you gotta give it a try: aside from missing an admittedly key piece of tech in its controller, Blaster works pretty well in MAME.

[BIL]

Oh yeah, Jarvis is the man. Rare balance of disciplined craft and wild showmanship. I remember Mark J. Turmell telling this great story about working on Smash TV with him, and Jarvis explaining that while Mutoid Man's head flying off was cool, it needed to happen a hundred more times to really seal the deal.

[SeafoamGaming]

Incomprehensible fighter game Dino Rex is this week’s launch. Boo. Oh well, only one more game until we’re past TM2 redundancies and I can hope for Volified.

Still no Jailbreak/Finest Hour nor a word on them.

[Sturmvogel Prime]

Dino Rex's this week's release? Thanks Taito, thanks Hamster, that's 7 dollars saved for a better game.
Along with Allumer's Blandia, makes me wonder how does a crappy game made its way to the "Please enjoy the masterpiece" library of Arcade Archives?

Still no Jailbreak/Finest Hour nor a word on them.

Apparently, the unavailability of Finest Hour in the US is due to copyright reasons since the stages borrow their names from Rush's songs and albums while Jail Break is due to the controversy of police brutality. Which is strange since both Finest Hour and Jail Break are available on Mexico.

[Skyknight]

The “masterpiece” text is just standard boilerplate, Hamster is taking archival-regardless-of-critical-reception seriously, and Dino Rex was known to be in the pipeline for a while. I don’t think Hamster considers this project to be strictly commercial.

Anyway, since the Namco/Taito/Konami/not-Big-Three order was changed, I’m genuinely unsure who’s up for next week. Obviously not Taito, but I have Hopes for each of the other three (Metamorphic Force, Blast Off, Aero Fighters).

[SeafoamGaming]

Still no Jailbreak/Finest Hour nor a word on them.

Apparently, the unavailability of Finest Hour in the US is due to copyright reasons since the stages borrow their names from Rush's songs and albums while Jail Break is due to the controversy of police brutality. Which is strange since both Finest Hour and Jail Break are available on Mexico.

I do not buy that reasoning at all. For one, Jail Break is laughably tame and even more aggressive games in that aspect have hit ACA over time, (The batman parody, even edited would be more of a concern imo) and two, does anyone even know who Rush is in 2023 to legally care, cuz I sure never heard of em until now, and I doubt old song references would block it here but not everywhere else. Otherwise it would be a fairly easy blanket ban.

Someone also mentioned one of the Recharged games referenced that band too yet that's fine, plus I see Jail Break on Canada's eShop, so it just irks me that nobody will say anything about why it isn't coming out here. There's no US trademarks that would conflict with either game name, are there? Marvel Land was an easy lock in why it wasn't coming out here but to have two great games just skip the US for no reason, even if other regions manage to get it just blows my mind, and it's been months now... And I just know the minute i cave and buy Yen for jail break it'll show up in the west anyway almost immediately after, knowing my luck

[Fingolfin]

No clue about specifics for either Finest Hour or Jail Break but can imagine if Finest Hour’s stages are named for Rush songs or albums that does seem a possible legitimate legal snag: copyrights/trademarks “intellectual property” can be pretty tightly bound. Consider Nintendo’s legacy of lawyers, guns, and money…er lawyers, lawyers and lawyers….

Regardless of taste (not a huge fan) Rush is considered to be one of rock’s best bands ever — especially for “progressive rock” or “fusion rock” (labels insufficient). Neil Peart is one of the greatest drummers ever (again not a diehard fan or nothing but Neil Peart’s genius/talent is/was unquestionable).

You’ve really never heard Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”?
https://youtu.be/auLBLk4ibAk?si=meylrN92CmOi0GKW
Or “Limelight”? https://youtu.be/ZiRuj2_czzw?si=qizwMrB4UujFoaMj
Or “The Spirit of Radio”?https://youtu.be/g_QtO0Rhp0w?si=HQGTFsayh78YZ7pA


[I fully expect & hope that BareKnuckleRoo will chime in at some point re: this grievous injury/injustice to Canada. ]

Might be very very off topic but…
Had to be said.

And previous poster had specifically asked:
“does anyone even know who Rush is in 2023 to legally care, cuz I sure never heard of em until now….”

Last edit/addition:
A bit of googling reveals Grace Under Pressure is Rush’s 10th studio album https://www.rush.com/albums/grace-under-pressure/ and the name of rounds 4 and 8 in Finest Hour arcade https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Finest_Hour

Not sure why it is on sale in eShop Canada; perhaps Rush’s copyright was filed in US?
Or the copyright’s more binding or bigger potential liability here vs Canada and elsewhere….

Edit: misspelled Neil’s name (Neil vs Neal)
Edit/additions: more examples of Rush

[hamfighterx]

Incomprehensible fighter game Dino Rex is this week’s launch. Boo. Oh well, only one more game until we’re past TM2 redundancies and I can hope for Volified.

We knew Dino Rex was coming based on it getting into TM2 and being the only game on either of the two compilations not yet available a la carte, so might as well be now. And to be fair, I'd call the Milestones compilations the "redundancies" - since they're basically just physical collections of the Arcade Archives releases that I view as the primary SKUs.

Apparently, the unavailability of Finest Hour in the US is due to copyright reasons since the stages borrow their names from Rush's songs and albums while Jail Break is due to the controversy of police brutality. Which is strange since both Finest Hour and Jail Break are available on Mexico.

If those are the reasons, I don't see why availability in Mexico is especially meaningful. The US is a FAR more litigious jurisdiction with more favorable laws for copyright holders bringing suit, and the police brutality sensitivity is a more US-specific thing too (that's the place where police violence is a hugely controversial social issue in recent years, not Mexico) - so yeah, I could see those being reasonable explanations. But who knows whether those are even the reasons. Maybe Jail Break was Batman.

Regardless of why, Marvel Land, Jail Break, and Finest Hour aren't coming. For years now, AA has been a weekly release across regions - once one week passes and the game doesn't show up in a particular region (perhaps due to some sort of submission error, as seems to have been the case with Empire City and Itazura Tenshi), I write it off as a lost cause and just buy the Japanese version.

The “masterpiece” text is just standard boilerplate, Hamster is taking archival-regardless-of-critical-reception seriously

And GOOD, I'm very glad they are focused on doing archival quality releases regardless of critical acclaim. I'm often more interested in checking out a kusoge car crash like Dino Rex than a lot of options, and I appreciate that it's here to experience it and put it in historical context (THIS is the game that the Gun Frontier and Metal Black team did as a follow up to those revered names? Wild.)

[BrianC]

Jail Break is available in Canada on PSN, but still not Switch AFAIK. Is it still unavailable in AU? My guess for this and Finest Hour is that Hamster messed up submitting a release and didn't bother to fix it. Only reason I can think of for Star Force STILL not being available on US PSN, despite being on Switch.

[Lemnear]

Dino Rex's this week's release? Thanks Taito, thanks Hamster, that's 7 dollars saved for a better game.
Along with Allumer's Blandia, makes me wonder how does a crappy game made its way to the "Please enjoy the masterpiece" library of Arcade Archives?

poor Blandia, probably a missed Guinness World Records for the shortest OST ever made for a game...by the way the combat system seems to be fun for non competitive play (1vs1 with a friend).

Is Kaneko owned by anyone? There are no Kaneko games in the arcade archives...and they are collecting those old deceased studios.

[Steven]

The status of the rights to Kaneko's games is unknown from what I remember. Believe me, I'd insta-buy Bakuretsu Breaker if they put that shit up on ACA.

[Lemnear]

The status of the rights to Kaneko's games is unknown from what I remember. Believe me, I'd insta-buy Bakuretsu Breaker if they put that shit up on ACA.

I don't know what happens when a developer closes down and no one owns the rights on their titles...
However, thanks to the shMeme topic, i discovered some really obscure developers totally forgotten...i feel like an archeologist!
But some developers named in a meme, are nowhere to be found!

[AGermanArtist]

Iron Horse, Jackal and Mikie would make for a rather nice Xmas present for this old MSX-Konami fanboy.

[arturo]

Iron Horse, Jackal and Mikie would make for a rather nice Xmas present for this old MSX-Konami fanboy.

I need Jackal…

[Steven]

The status of the rights to Kaneko's games is unknown from what I remember. Believe me, I'd insta-buy Bakuretsu Breaker if they put that shit up on ACA.

I don't know what happens when a developer closes down and no one owns the rights on their titles...
However, thanks to the shMeme topic, i discovered some really obscure developers totally forgotten...i feel like an archeologist!
But some developers named in a meme, are nowhere to be found!

Generally nothing happens. Literally nothing. No more rereleases, physical copies stop being made (and then those existing copies start to increase in value on the used game market), etc..

[m.sniffles.esq]

does anyone even know who Rush is in 2023 to legally care, cuz I sure never heard of em until now

This made me laugh

(as mentioned, Rush continues to enjoy a very dedicated fanbase. And they were still selling out arenas up until a few years ago when they were forced to cease due to their drummer dying)