Toaplan Shooters Collection coming from Retro-Bit

[jd213]

I guess it will be the US version of Twin Cobra, I remember the MD Kyuukyoku Tiger being slightly harder/different (like having 2 barges instead of 1 after the aircraft carrier in stage 2, both on default difficulty)

[jehu]

I'm pretty meh on Twin Cobra, but having a more affordable Slap Fight MD and a Grindstormer with a PCB that isn't threatening to die is a win.

[Koa Zo]

I guess it will be the US version of Twin Cobra, I remember the MD Kyuukyoku Tiger being slightly harder/different (like having 2 barges instead of 1 after the aircraft carrier in stage 2, both on default difficulty)

Product page is saying "First time officially released outside of Japan & South Korea", so does not seem to be US version.

[jd213]

I assume that's meant to refer to just Slap Fight, or mistakenly copied over from the Elminate Down description.

[Koa Zo]

I assume that's meant to refer to just Slap Fight, or mistakenly copied over from the Elminate Down description.

Ah you're right. It does also say "emerald nebula" cartridge, which was Eliminate Down.

[Steven]

SLAP FIGHT MD

Uh yeah I kind of have all of these except V-V, and where is Daisenpuu? At least Yuge-san actually looks like Yuge-san this time. The email from Retro-Bit says that Slap Fight MD has a re-orchestrated soundtrack by renowned video game composer Yuzo Koshirothe [sic], and on the website it says that the clock has the signature of Tatsuo Uemura [sic]. Oops.

Seriously, go play Slap Fight MD if you haven't already. It's fucking amazing. I promise. I literally wouldn't be here without Slap Fight MD.

There is no way that the Space Invaders alien is staying. I wonder what it is going to be replaced with. Hopefully it's Pipiru like on the Bitwave PC versions and not the strange white blob from the MD Mini.

[beer gas canister]

SLAP FIGHT MD

Uh yeah I kind of have all of these except V-V, and where is Daisenpuu? At least Yuge-san actually looks like Yuge-san this time. The email from Retro-Bit says that Slap Fight MD has a re-orchestrated soundtrack by renowned video game composer Yuzo Koshirothe [sic], and on the website it says that the clock has the signature of Tatsuo Uemura [sic]. Oops.

Seriously, go play Slap Fight MD if you haven't already. It's fucking amazing. I promise. I literally wouldn't be here without Slap Fight MD.

There is no way that the Space Invaders alien is staying. I wonder what it is going to be replaced with. Hopefully it's Pipiru like on the Bitwave PC versions and not the strange white blob from the MD Mini.

Consider using the pink bullet visibility rom hack for MD Slap Fight, it's simple and amazing

[Steven]

I already counterstopped it though...

[Bassa-Bassa]

and where is Daisenpuu?

Is the MD version confirmed to have been developed by Toaplan?

[Steven]

and where is Daisenpuu?

Is the MD version confirmed to have been developed by Toaplan?

Yes.

[pablumatic]

Looks like the volume 2 collection has been postponed.

[Sumez]

The statement made me think it was a QA issue - which wouldn't be surprising coming from Retro-Bit despite their apparent insistance on the opposite. It's kind of funny to state that "we pride ourselves in releasing the highest quality and best experience" and then put out a cartridge where the default controls were accidentally reversed.

But anyway, this follow-up statement about them not being able to disclose what's going on makes me believe it's a licensing issue, unsurprising when Embracer is involved:
https://x.com/RetroBitGaming/status/1856474939198460214

[Steven]

It's kind of funny to state that "we pride ourselves in releasing the highest quality and best experience" and then put out a cartridge where the default controls were accidentally reversed.

What game was that? I don't have all of their games, but the ones that I do have function as expected.

[Sumez]

What game was that? I don't have all of their games, but the ones that I do have function as expected.

Metal Storm
Fortunately you can change the controls ingame after starting it, but the funny thing is that IIRC that control setting isn't even documented anywhere. It's definitely not in the original manual.

[Steven]

New email just now. No more Kyuukyoku Tiger due to licencing, which is disappointing, but Slap Fight is still here and that's the important one given how much it costs now.

[BrianC]

Fortunately you can change the controls ingame after starting it, but the funny thing is that IIRC that control setting isn't even documented anywhere. It's definitely not in the original manual.

Especially crazy since that code was always there, even in the original JP version. Silly thing is that the switched controls were due to a flipped bit due to different bank switching and not the rom itself.

[Sumez]

Well technically it's still the rom. They modified the rom to handle said initial bank switching that wasn't in the original code, and this left some memory addresses in an unexpected state, causing a different default setting.
But yeah, I don't think anyone was even aware that this setting existed, as you said in the original game, before this new release. So it's a little funny as well.

[BIL]

I took apart and reassembled JUURYOKU SOKOU ~ RAYTYPE 外伝 like the M72-calibre coinop detonator it is, and yeah; had no idea whatsoever of that hidden command. Granted, I approach my games wilfully hyper-blind... it may well be JP community folklore, or mentioned in the FC manual, now I think about it.

When that re-release appeared, I pounced on the discrepancy in anger, not knowing the command's OG roots.

[jd213]

New email just now. No more Kyuukyoku Tiger due to licencing, which is disappointing, but Slap Fight is still here and that's the important one given how much it costs now.

And for some reason the price for the set of all 3 (now 2) was only reduced by $25...

[Steven]

Starting the year correctly, it seems, because I woke to the doorbell ringing. It was the post office dude bringing me the volume 2 box set thingy! It's only been this year for a few hours and I've already received Toaplan stuff!

The V-V clock is kind of cool. It's very slightly larger than the dust collector known as Nintendo Switch. The numbers are bright blue, so if you are trying to eliminate blue light exposure to help you sleep better, this clock is actively detrimental to your health. Yay~

Here is what it looks like.

Spoiler

The instruction manual for the clock is also very poorly translated from whatever language it was originally written in, in true Toaplan fashion, so configuring it was somewhat more interesting than I expected. It's got a USB power cable too, which is nice because I am too cheap and lazy to go buy batteries for it, so I'm powering it with my computer. Wasn't expecting it to have a built-in thermometer, alarm, and calendar, but it does.

There have been some cosmetic changes to Slap Fight MD, and I don't mean just the removal of all Tengen references. There's now a licensing screen that says Licensed by Retro-Bit whereas it used to go directly to the title screen, and the Space Invaders alien has been replaced by the nondescript blob thing from the MD Mini. I was hoping they would replace it with Pipiru like they did on the PC version of Slap Fight, but no, we got this weird thing instead. Here's what those look like, running on and captured from the absolutely glorious Sega Mega Jet.

Spoiler

One other change: the credits have been removed. I... don't like this. The reason I am here is because of those credits. If those hadn't been there on the original release, I wouldn't have looked into Toaplan. Otherwise, it's Slap Fight MD. Toaplan mode works and all of that. Don't know too much about MD V-V or Grind Stormer and didn't have the cartridge until now, but it seems normal to me. Wasn't sure if the game detects your system's region and boots to the corresponding game, but it does, so it defaulted to V-V for me.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The Sega Genesis Tengen port of Grind Stormer has V-V included (which is quite cool as it is). I own the SG cart of GS/V-V and it works 100% flawlessly like a charm on the ol' Genesis gaming console (despite the well-known fact that Tengen shipped a lot of boxed copies of GS not being playable straight out of the box -- it is what it is).

Protip: To unlock "Free Play" mode, simply press the Reset button on your Sega Genesis 100 times with the Sega Genesis cart of Grind Stormer powered up. Easy as pie.

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There's the ability to play the MD port of V-V & SG port of GS on the KriKzz Everdrive Pro & Everdrive X7 flash carts as a legit way/means as a proper backup if it needed be.
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It'd sure be nice if there was S-Ram saving functionality hack/patch to save both high scores and high score initials with the V-V & Grind Stormer roms on a KriKzz Everdrive Pro or Everdrive X7 setup. How about it fellow shmupper, Enemy?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~