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

[Sima Tuna]

I do not recommend arcade ports of fighting games for single play. The home versions/ports are always far superior for that, with superior modes and training options to the arcade ports.

I don't want to recommend any of the ACA fighting games. Not because they are bad games, but because you can't get the picture of what makes a fighting game fun, when all you have to work with is a shitty arcade ladder against cheating CPUs. And no fucking practice options at all, because lolarcade.

If you want to "get into" fighting games, go pick up a game like Central Fiction, Accent Core Plus, KoF XI, Virtua Fighter 4 Evo or KoF '98 UM. Those games were all made/ported for console and cater to single play. Playing a fighting game by yourself is like fapping when everyone around you is having sex. I won't say you can't enjoy it, but you won't really get a picture of what fighting games are.

The best fighting games, imo, are Garou, KoF '98 UM, KoF 2002 UM, 3rd Strike, Alpha 2/3 (dealer's choice,) Virtua Fighter 4 or 5, DoA 3, Tekken (pick one), Real Bout 2 and Samsho II. But any of these without a home console conversion is not worth spending money on. Set up fightcade instead and play against real people.

Zupapa is worth a look if you like single-screen platformers and have already played the others. Mutation Nation is the best beat em up on neogeo, which isn't a high bar. The game is fun though, and fairly competent, if unusual in its systems.

I hope Hamster will port Joe and Mac Returns, as well as Super Burger Time, so I can recommend those two. Super Burger Time is a blast. I like that game so much I will even tolerate the shit-tastic Johnny Turbo version.

[valziman]

Donkey Kong 3 is a shooter, which makes it sort of the ugly duckling of the whole 'Mario' thing. But, I unabashedly love it.

It's by far my favorite of that trilogy too, but I'm horrible at all 3 games. That said I'm kind of okay at dk3, since I play it way more than the other two.

[BrianC]

I don't want to recommend any of the ACA fighting games. Not because they are bad games, but because you can't get the picture of what makes a fighting game fun, when all you have to work with is a shitty arcade ladder against cheating CPUs. And no fucking practice options at all, because lolarcade.

ACA Touki Denshou Angel Eyes adds a practice mode. Though the PS1 port has more features.

[Jonpachi]

Donkey Kong 3 is a shooter, which makes it sort of the ugly duckling of the whole 'Mario' thing. But, I unabashedly love it.

(full disclosure: I actually owned a DK3 cabinet for awhile, so I'm WAY better at it than most people of the planet--but even if I was terrible at it--I would still think it's a really cool, unique, very fun game. I voted for it in the one top 25 poll I ever voted in, and I actually think it got one other vote, So I'm not the only person on the planet)

My dad got me the NES version one time coming home from a business trip, I think because it was the cheapest game they had at the store, so I played the absolute hell out of DK3 as a kid and also have a soft spot for it.

[Sturmvogel Prime]

Bill Rizer makes his way into 2024: Konami's Super Contra is this week's Arcade Archives entry.
https://www.gamer.ne.jp/news/202401170040/

Next week: Taito releases the censored version of Rainbow Islands.

[AGermanArtist]

At fucking last! Decent display options. Glad that's it out of the way. Hopefully the next Konamis will be something a little less played out.

[BEAMLORD]

Any ACA advantage over the Konami Contra collection version?

[AGermanArtist]

Any ACA advantage over the Konami Contra collection version?

Correct display options. I have the collection on Switch so I can use a Flip Grip since I don't have access to a rotating TV for my PS5. Now I don't need one.

[Marc]

Never got the love for this one tbh.
Vert screen with the amount of action sucks balls, overhead levels are tripe. Pass.

[Jeneki]

The quest for freedom continues! ... finally.

[BIL]

(｀w´メ)

(メ｀w´)

WUT IZ DIS PLESS (■｀w´■) KEEP YER EYES PEELED (˘w˘)

Now I no longer have to re-enact the intro voiceover for company! Or indeed, solo Who am I kidding. I'll still fuckin do it!

I am on the road and away from muh gamez, please correct me brutally if it turns out this version, like M2's, is somehow missing the VA.

Double-dipped just for the display options, tbh. While M2's Anniversary Collection plays perfectly, none of its screen options look right. And tbh, with how uncharacteristically ragged the Anniversary Collection's arcade Contra is - the usual broken 3D stages that marred every single emulation, official or otherwise, until the ACA release, plus tons of added slowdown - I like having a dedicated ACA release. Safety First!

(the Anniversary Collection's console games are 110% perfect; I swear The Hard Corps is more responsive than both my US+JP carts)

Cross-region 2ALL notes, for anyone tackling this ornery beast.

[Udderdude]

Oh yeah, let's get SUPER again. https://twitter.com/seiba/status/1747531666745372776

[Skyknight]

Never got the love for this one tbh.
Vert screen with the amount of action sucks balls, overhead levels are tripe. Pass.

I take it you prefer the NES iteration? (If any, that is. Contra in general isn't my thing.)

[AGermanArtist]

Correct screen orientation. Speech intact.

[BIL]

Correct screen orientation. Speech intact.

Ham-chans saving the world as usual

[OldSkoolShmuper]

Yes! Super Contra finally on ACA. I remember playing this at Galaxy Game Center in Palatine, Illinois (Chicago suburb) and I'd never seen the original game in an arcade until later.

Still have my fingers crossed for Thunder Fox, after Rainbow Islands next week.

[Klatrymadon]

Really enjoying this, having barely touched the arcade Contras in some years. The potentially awkward feel of the controls is offset by the main strat they in part necessitate - speedkill everything before it gets a chance to do anything*. The game rewards aggressively tearing through its stages, and because even the peashooter is viable you're not punished too harshly for the mistakes this playstyle might cause. It's a riot once you've memorised a few sticking points and are able to just keep holding forward, running and gunning with no hesitation. It also scores a lot of bonus points with me for being an extra-breezy ten-minute clear.

*The fourth boss in particular is a good example of this necessity. It throws out a languid 3-bullet arc that your jump can barely deal with unless you've pre-emptively positioned yourself to herd it away. But you don't have to bother with any of that if you just get right in its face with your machine gun from the word go.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I recall seeing Konami's Contra at the local mall's Tilt arcade hangout back when it was brand new and would watch some folks play it. I wasn't very good at it, considering it was a "quarter muncher" at best. Eventually, Super Contra arrived afterwards like a little while later and I tried it as well -- still wasn't good at it. It wasn't until I bought the American version of Contra Hard Corps on the Sega Genesis console, that Konami had a cool "run 'n' gun" action platform with tight gameplay that drew me in (it felt like Contra all-out upgraded in fine form).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[OldSkoolShmuper]

Contra III on SNES was peak Contra for me, I really didn't care for Contra Hard Corps that much. Too much of a boss run.

Contra 4 on NDS was great though.

[Acid]

Hi guys. I have a PS4 and have not purchased a Hamster port before. I took a quick look at all their releases and made a list of which ones interested me. I plan on buying many. I was hoping you guys could add your quick input on my potential buys. Like say, "These ones are great, definitely buy", or "this one's a actually a bit of a dud", or "part 2 is generally considered the best". Here's my list. Thanks for your time.

Atomic Robo Kid
Baraduke 2
Black Heart
Bubble Bobble
Burning Force
Cosmo Gang the Puzzle
Cosmo Police Galivan
Crime Fighters 2
Cybattler
Detana!!Twinbee
Finest Hour
Hacha Mecha Fighter
Image Fight
In the Hunt
Kuri Kinton
Mystic Warriors
Phelios
Raiden (only game on list I've played)
Rainbow Islads
Salamander
Splaterhouse
Sunset Riders
Thunder Dragon 2
TwinBee
Samurai Showdown II
Sengoku 2
Twinkle Star Sprites
Waku Waku 7

[AGermanArtist]

Buy all of them, but get Sengoku 3 not 2. Swap out Galivan for Cop 01 for now. Also get Jail Break, Green Beret, Trigon, Xexex and Shao Lin's Road.
edit - Kuri Kinton's dogshit.

[spmbx]

I have about half the ones i want, the other half are on my wish list to be picked up at an eshop sale. They really released a ton of great games.

[valziman]

your quick input on my potential buys.

Skip Sengoku and get Vendetta and/or Zero Team instead.

Also, here's a compilation of recommendations from folks in this thread: https://www.dekudeals.com/lists/hjchdy? ... ed_to_site

[Jeneki]

If you're looking into puzzle games like Cosmo Gang and Puzzle Bobble, I suggest Quarth (Block Hole).

[Acid]

To start, I just bought Splatter House, Mystic Warriors, Sengoku 3, Vendetta (Crime Fighters 2), Cosmo Gang the Puzzle, Phelios, Thunder Dragon 2, Cybattler, and SunsetRiders.

[AGermanArtist]

Good start. I'm up to 120 ACA and 30 NEOGEO on PS5 with 30 or so on Switch with some doubles for handheld play, all the Nintendo games and games seemingly only available on Switch in the UK like Kid Nikki, Ninja Spirits and Omega Fighter. Also - GET RYGAR

[valziman]

Everyone who hasn't dug into Donkey Kong 3 is really missing out. The scoring system is pretty great. I'm playing it quite a lot lately. I'll probably write it up when I'm ready for a break from it.

Best fixed shooter I've spent enough time with at the top, worst at the bottom:

Gaplus
Galaga 88
Donkey Kong 3
Gyrus
Galaga
Galaxian
King and Balloon

I'll get Phoenix, Moon Cresta, Cosmo Gang, Space Invaders Extreme, Tempest, and Pooyan on my list eventually.

Edit: does Judgment Silversword count? It probably scoots right to the top of my list.

[Acid]

Also got Orius (Xexex), Bells & Whistles (Detana!! TwinBee), and Image Fight.

[Steven]

..............there's a Donkey Kong 3?

[AGermanArtist]

It's an STG of sorts.