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

[BEAMLORD]

Fair play to Hamster, the Rainbow Islands ACA manual is fucking massive. But as Jesse Ventura once said, ain't got time to read! Time to dive in.

[Sturmvogel Prime]

...and here's Rainbow Islands' censored music in action.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJvOxwk6LtE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUH-rJc1NIo

This change is a double-edged sword. While in one side it gives us an idea of how the NES soundtrack would sound on the game's sound board on the other is another example of censorship due to copyright.

[AGermanArtist]

The copyright holders are quite litigious.

[BIL]

It's been long enough since I last played RI - and it's not a game I've put extended hours on to begin with, outside of the quasi-Arrange Mode PCE port - that I couldn't quite recall how the music went, until a quick Youtube refresher after trying out the ACA version. What's on ACA is well within the same ballpark, imo. Curious to hear how Sumez and other veterans find it.

As BMD says, the manual is one of their passion projects ala Druaga / Ishtar. Likewise, some nice training assets; an onscreen ROYGBIV grid, and some such to do with codes. I never advanced to the point of using them in any BB, but it's always nice to see for the future. Also an input latency reduce option, as occasionally pops up in ACA. Seemed as airtight as expected of ACA, even without, but I whacked it on anyway. As always, Hamster showing "no frills" and "high quality" are complementary, not conflicting aims.

Having said all this, the game itself, magical. The uninitiated shouldn't be deceived by the immortally warm and sunny aesthetic; it harbours one of the most riveting exercises in precision firepower ever seen. Hardcore platform/shooting zen. See you this time next year, Rastan? ( )

ala their superlative Crime Fighters 2 (RIP HardGay-sama, and condolences to Gay Dog's Bad Touch Larry-ryuu being declared tourney-illegal, but Red Knifer is the best knife zako of ALL TIME), I don't imagine I'll care much a hundred or so hours in.

Caught up with Super Contra (nicely done on the NoMiss Mr. BEAMLORD ) and Cosmo Gang. The former, it's genuinely nice having an audiovisually un-scuffed translation - it's such an obscenely crunchy game, nowhere moreso than those floor-shaking boss sendoffs - and one with the distinct advantage of quicker bootup, too. No menus to sift through, *boof* and the bodycount is skyrocketing. Anniversary Collection is still an essential pickup where the console titles are concerned; it's all worked out nicely, with Hamster redoing the AC pair.

Int'l Normal 1ALL came back to me fast; I was briefly tempted to do an ol' times VHARD run, but was reminded quickly of how tricky that jacked-up enemy HP can make things! Stage 4 is as ever the real killer, with its super-armoured runners. Game's such a model of streamlined carnage, I might still give it a go once I'm out of my FromSoft coma in a couple months.

While I think many of us would've gone for something like Jackal or Missing In Action (the latter's name sadly apropos... and the former all about rescuing the forgotten, too!) - I think it's encouraging to see another high-profile Konami release, so soon on the heels of crown jewel Mystic Warriors (Hideyuki Falco's Ura Contra IV, after his Sunset Riders / Another Contra III). Might mean a lot of those sorely unported (or badly ported; same difference) goodies throughout the coming year. Regular Konami/Namco/Taito rotation with a few Tecmo holdouts sounds great.

Cosmo Gang, as expected, sweet Jesus what a time-stealer Apropos entirely of those adorably scurrilous baddie designs, though it seems to play fine, too. ala The Shooting, the BGM is fookin cookin' too Delightful cacophony. A Pac-Mania rebadge, AFAIK? It's such a charming archetypal arcade puzzler, I'd happily double dip on that, too.

Speaking of first-rate BGM; as with Super Contra, I'm mainly excited for the future, and by that, I mean F/A.

[Jonpachi]

Cosmo Gang, as expected, sweet Jesus what a time-stealer Apropos entirely of those adorably scurrilous baddie designs, though it seems to play fine, too. ala The Shooting, the BGM is fookin cookin' too Delightful cacophony. A Pac-Mania rebadge, AFAIK?

Do you mean Pac-Attack? It was the other way around, with Cosmo Gang: The Puzzle out first, then reskinned to be Pac-Man for the home ports out west.

[BIL]

Cosmo Gang, as expected, sweet Jesus what a time-stealer Apropos entirely of those adorably scurrilous baddie designs, though it seems to play fine, too. ala The Shooting, the BGM is fookin cookin' too Delightful cacophony. A Pac-Mania rebadge, AFAIK?

Do you mean Pac-Attack? It was the other way around, with Cosmo Gang: The Puzzle out first, then reskinned to be Pac-Man for the home ports out west.

Oh right! Cheers, that explains everything. I'd mis-remembered CG The Puzzle being the rebadge; was thinking its presentation seemed incredibly high-effort for that. (as does CG The Shooting's; they're eminently solid genre efforts, but their presentation and character work is really outstanding).

Makes CG The Puzzle's enemy eraser powerup seem like an especially classy Pac-Man riff, haha.

[Jonpachi]

It’s truly a serendipitous IP pairing. No doubt CG:TP would have been instantly swallowed into oblivion had it launched as-is out west.

[beer gas canister]

Would be glad to hear anyone's thoughts regarding Rainbow Islands. I'm a casual fan of Bubble Bobble, and have played RI, but not enough to dig into the complexities.

[BIL]

Sumez is the man re: BB & RI, but from a newcomer's perspective, I always liked Vanguard's appraisal.

What always drew me to RI was the balance of cheerfully godlike firepower and mobility with tricky restraint. It reminds me of certain late 90s STGs like Raiden Fighters, where shredding screenloads of targets is trivial, and also sub-optimal if you want the best goodies, but also kinda fun in itself. Super tactile, super finessed, and - as with RF's irresistible hardstyle pulse - so damn characterful. Like Fantasy Zone, it's a game that will forever feel like it was published last Tuesday.

As BeamLord says, the ACA manual is charmingly thorough. Even Hamster's briefer manuals for simpler titles display an unmistakable attention to detail, and when it comes to more labyrinthine works like Druaga, Ishtar, and now RI, they really shine. I'm a bit too green to say for certain, but I'd be 90% on it providing a solid foundation.

After a few early morning credits, the ACA's NES arrangement has really grown on me. The way the bass ambles up and down the fretboard is so cute. The same irrepressibly toe-tapping joie de vivre, with the same lovable warbling tone; it's very seamless work. I was worried they'd either harsh the sound image, or just pick something without the needed staying power. A dubious bullet gracefully dodged, imo.

[BEAMLORD]

Caught up with Super Contra (nicely done on the NoMiss Mr. BEAMLORD )

Cheers, BIL. Must confess I was somewhat apprehensive picking it up, having read about the aim lag, but while that's not totally ideal, it's really not a big problem for me. I'd even say that being lag-free while airborne adds a little tactical garnish to proceedings, the old hop 'n lock deployed to dispatch both static and incoming aerial threats has its own satisfaction. The game is otherwise so bombastically gratifying in presentation and execution, and with the powered up LMG being a prime xeno-shredder of the highest calibre, it definitely makes up for what I think is only a minor shortcoming.

So going into it having only previously played "good" Contras (Contra FC, Spirits and Hard Corps), I'm glad to see that chain hasn't been broken. I'll be taking a look at either V Hard International or the JP loop at some point. They on par, difficulty-wise?

In the meantime though, Rainbow Islands fever grips me (outside of an ongoing DOJ WL grind). Took a ramble through a couple of credits last night, looks like the fucking real deal. Gotta take a proper look through the manual, looks very thorough indeed, and I'm a total green-horn at this one. I'll get round to it. Just wanted to sling some rainbows.

[Sumez]

It's been long enough since I last played RI - and it's not a game I've put extended hours on to begin with, outside of the quasi-Arrange Mode PCE port - that I couldn't quite recall how the music went, until a quick Youtube refresher after trying out the ACA version. What's on ACA is well within the same ballpark, imo. Curious to hear how Sumez and other veterans find it.

Sounds good, using the correct hardware and remains within the spirit of the game.
But the similarities to the original tune makes it extremely off-putting for me to hear when it keeps deviating from what my brain expects XD

Would be glad to hear anyone's thoughts regarding Rainbow Islands. I'm a casual fan of Bubble Bobble, and have played RI, but not enough to dig into the complexities.

It's the best arcade game ever made, next to TGM2, and ahead of Daimakaimura itself.

[AGermanArtist]

What music is this? Doesn't sound NES.

[Sumez]

It's an arcade game
EDIT: Oh you weren't talking about hardware, but the music introduced in the US release of the NES port?
It seems to be the same tune used in the crappy PlayStation port

EDIT2: Seems, that *is* the one used for the NES game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akhcuhPUHhk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVEafbTUgiM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJvOxwk6LtE

[MJR]

Rainbow Islands is one of my all-time favourite titles, ever. I used to play it hell of a lot on Amiga, reached the "true" ending on 1cc without knowing that some islands were missing.. and few years ago, bought the PC-Engine version which I promptly played to the true ending. But the coin op I have only played fleetingly at the Probe Offices.

It's nice to see that the ACA version adds stripes to show where the monsters have to be killed in order to get gems. However, there is one nasty unspoken feature: direction of the monster will determine whether the first gem in the list will be red or orange. You will understand once you play it. Getting those gems in order has caused me many nervous breakdowns during my life.

RI has one control peculiary which drives me nuts every time I play it after a break. When you climb to rainbow, your character will auto-climb to it's top. Which means that 99% of my deaths are caused by me running into a monster, because its so ingrained against my muscle memory that you can't control your character the way you want, when you climb rainbows. You will either auto-climb to the top, or auto-climb off it. You can't stop or turn in the middle of climbing. ARRGH

Getting the true ending in this game requires insane dedication, even though it is not as merciless as Bubble Bobble, where you are screwed if you die just once. RI is more forgiving, even though it is still really just foul in how it punishes the poor failing player.

Still, one of the best.games.ever.

[StrzxgvNuvWvfld]

From a quick listen, I think the music sounds like the best re-working I've heard.

The PSOne port changed all the instrumentation and just sounds a bit weak, I think the PS2 version mostly just removed the lead, from memory.

I love Rainbow Islands. Like Bubble Bobble, the amount of attention to detail and hidden content is amazing when you consider 99% of players probably never got any further than about the 3rd island (though as a kid, I did like that I could get a reasonable amount of gameplay for my one credit!). It's definitely good to be cautious, picking off enemies as you go along. If you're going for the true ending, you also need to think about how you kill enemies (dropping rainbows on them for the best reward) and where they're going to land.

It is worth a quick mention of the PC Engine version which is the best (non-emulated) home port and has an easier mode where you can get the true ending by simply collecting all 7 diamonds on each island, as opposed to having to collect them in the correct order. It also keeps the original soundtrack!

[AGermanArtist]

It's not the NES music. It's not the arcade version's music, but it is distinctly Taito and has more 'oomph' and orchestration than the PS1 version.

[Sumez]

However, there is one nasty unspoken feature: direction of the monster will determine whether the first gem in the list will be red or orange. You will understand once you play it. Getting those gems in order has caused me many nervous breakdowns during my life.

That's not exactly how it works. The direction of the enemy determines which direction it will fly when killed. The gem color depends on where it *lands*.
So getting the correct color is easier when you kill an enemy in a location where you can realistically predict where it will land, ideally on the same elevation or close.

I think getting the gems in order on the first three islands is nearly essential to 1CC'ing all 10 islands, but from the fourth island forward it gets a lot harder to achieve! If you can do it on island 6, the rest of the game becomes a breeze, but that is insanely hard to do.

an easier mode where you can get the true ending by simply collecting all 7 diamonds on each island, as opposed to having to collect them in the correct order.

Getting them in order on arcade gets you the 50 million point bonus (in the later revision only), but the true ending only requires getting all colors independent of order. That usually happens all on its own without even going for it, outside of islands 1 and 5 where you usually need to be a bit more aware of which you are missing!

Og course the most important part is doing it on the first seven islands since that is the only way to see the next three

[MJR]

However, there is one nasty unspoken feature: direction of the monster will determine whether the first gem in the list will be red or orange. You will understand once you play it. Getting those gems in order has caused me many nervous breakdowns during my life.

That's not exactly how it works. The direction of the enemy determines which direction it will fly when killed. The gem color depends on where it *lands*.
So getting the correct color is easier when you kill an enemy in a location where you can realistically predict where it will land, ideally on the same elevation or close.

Sorry, but I have put so many hundreds on hours on this that you are going to have to do more than just argue to convince me that I am wrong.

Gem color depends on where in the screen the enemy is where you kill it, and which direction the enemy is facing, you are confusing it with landing because it yes, it does land on the same horizontal place in the screen where you killed it. And yes, it's direction will also decide it's flying direction.

If you have a way to actually prove your claims, I'm all for it. But so far I think you are wrong.

[MJR]

Just an example: how to get red and orange gem from the two caterpillars that crawl to the left side of the screen at the very beginning of the game. You let the first one meet the edge of the screen, and turn back, while the other is still walking towards the edge. The one who has turned is now facing right, while the other one is still facing left. The one who faces right gives you orange diamong, while the one facing left gives you red diamond. Yet they are exactly in the same area. This is because their direction determines whether the order of the diamons is orange-purple or red-blue. It does not go from red to purple. It's either orange-purple or red-blue. Direction of the enemy determines this. Don't argue with me

[Klatrymadon]

The US and PAL NES conversions are two completely different games, confusingly enough, and with different music. The arrangement in the ACA port originated with the US one, and will therefore be new to most folks who had the PAL one growing up!

[Sumez]

If you have a way to actually prove your claims, I'm all for it. But so far I think you are wrong.

No problem you can prove it easily by playing the game. Watch where the enemy lands, it's consistent, and it's why it's hard to get the right color when the enemy falls further or bounces off the right or left side of the screen.

Trust me, I've played this game to death. I 1CC it consistently and always get the diamonds in order

[MJR]

If you have a way to actually prove your claims, I'm all for it. But so far I think you are wrong.

No problem you can prove it easily by playing the game. Watch where the enemy lands, it's consistent, and it's why it's hard to get the right color when the enemy falls further or bounces off the right or left side of the screen.

Trust me, I've played this game to death. I 1CC it consistently and always get the diamonds in order

Trust me, I have also played to game to death since 80's and know it inside out - plus I've been reading the actual design manual from Taito (okay, it was in japanese which I can't read, but I had to puff myself up somehow.. ha ha)

Anyway, this whole argument is pointless actually, since we are not really disagreeing. Enemies land always more or less in the same spot where you killed them. But the decision in the program is already made in the event of killing. Of course, if you are willing to argue that where you kill them does notmatter, then we have a disagreement, and it's a hill I am ready to die on!

[MJR]

If you have a way to actually prove your claims, I'm all for it. But so far I think you are wrong.

No problem you can prove it easily by playing the game. Watch where the enemy lands, it's consistent, and it's why it's hard to get the right color when the enemy falls further or bounces off the right or left side of the screen.

Trust me, I've played this game to death. I 1CC it consistently and always get the diamonds in order

Trust me, I have also played to game to death since 80's and know it inside out - plus I've been reading the actual design manual from Taito (okay, it was in japanese which I can't read, but I had to puff myself up somehow.. ha ha)

Anyway, this whole argument is pointless actually, since we are not really disagreeing. Enemies land always more or less in the same spot where you killed them. But the decision in the program is already made in the event of killing. Of course, if you are willing to argue that where you kill them does not matter, then we have a disagreement, and it's a hill I am ready to die on!

[MJR]

No problem you can prove it easily by playing the game. Watch where the enemy lands, it's consistent, and it's why it's hard to get the right color when the enemy falls further or bounces off the right or left side of the screen.

Trust me, I've played this game to death. I 1CC it consistently and always get the diamonds in order

Trust me, I have also played to game to death since 80's and know it inside out - plus I've been reading the actual design manual from Taito (okay, it was in japanese which I can't read, but I had to puff myself up somehow.. ha ha)

Anyway, this whole argument is pointless actually, since we are not really disagreeing. Enemies land always more or less in the same spot where you killed them. But the decision in the program is already made in the event of killing. Of course, if you are willing to argue that where you kill them does not matter, then we have a disagreement, and it's a hill I am ready to die on!

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I've not played much of Rainbow Islands, but for what it's worth Sumez has talked a lot about it to the point where he's by far the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to the game. He's really into it. And given all the information I can find in various other guides online like this one agree with him when he says landing position is what matters, I'm inclined to trust he knows what he's talking about.

It shouldn't be too difficult to confirm for yourself by using savestates in MAME I think.

[MJR]

I've not played much of Rainbow Islands, but for what it's worth Sumez has talked a lot about it to the point where he's by far the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to the game. He's really into it. And given all the information I can find in various other guides online like this one agree with him when he says landing position is what matters, I'm inclined to trust he knows what he's talking about.

It shouldn't be too difficult to confirm for yourself by using savestates in MAME I think.

Since the landing position is decided by the position you killed the enemy, then why should I be looking it from Mame savestates? What there is for me to know what I didn't already know? Because Sumez very knowledgeable? Sorry, but I just see no reason. I already said we don't really disagree.

I have always looked where the enemies are and what direction they travel in order to know when to kill them to get the right color I want.
But, Sumez is also right that you can ALSO watch where they fly and in what direction to see what is the color that is going to come up

[velo]

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.

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

Excellent selections. Zero Team didn't make your list, but it's maybe my favorite beat-em-up on AA. I got into Atomic Robo Kid but it's rough round the edges and might not be for everyone. It's got the same UPL charm as Mutant Night.

It's not the NES music. It's not the arcade version's music, but it is distinctly Taito and has more 'oomph' and orchestration than the PS1 version.

Is it the music from the Genesis Mini 2 version maybe? I couldn't find it on Youtube, but it seems very familiar.

[Sumez]

Anyway, this whole argument is pointless actually, since we are not really disagreeing. Enemies land always more or less in the same spot where you killed them. But the decision in the program is already made in the event of killing.

No it isn't. Where they land can vary wildly depending on the stage layout and how close to the edge of the screen they are, which is the whole reason getting diamonds in order from island 4 onwards is so much more difficult!
It's in fact very rarely close to where they were killed. An enemy in the far left of the screen can fly left, bounce back, and reach all the way to yellow.

Look I have no real reason to convince you, because I know 100% how this works, and if you want to insist on your idea, that's cool. But it's not correct

[Marc]

I thought it was common knowledge tbh, and I'm no expert. It's where the baddie lands that determines the diamond colour, always has been. I've certainly never played a rev that dealt with it any other way.

[BIL]

The game is otherwise so bombastically gratifying in presentation and execution, and with the powered up LMG being a prime xeno-shredder of the highest calibre, it definitely makes up for what I think is only a minor shortcoming.

There's this great loke test story, of the designers considering toning down the Super Machinegun - until they heard players yelling "KIMOCHIIIIII" pulverising bosses, and knew it was a winner. I wonder if the original's similarly dominating, iconic Spreadgun also influenced that choice. Tsujimoto's subsequent Sunset Riders and Mystic Warriors tying weapons to character choice seems relevant, too.

I'm so glad they let it be, it's a classic. Besides that, I'm always ok with a dominant pick, as long as they're fun and/or interesting to use. III's C+C is somewhat the apogee of this; hands-down best DPS, but it's got a host of caveats (short range can't reach distant snipers; narrow focus makes crowds tricky; long decay time makes missed shots extra-lethal) demanding learned play. A weapon fit for Surgeon Doctors Of Destruction

So going into it having only previously played "good" Contras (Contra FC, Spirits and Hard Corps), I'm glad to see that chain hasn't been broken. I'll be taking a look at either V Hard International or the JP loop at some point. They on par, difficulty-wise?

The Japan loop and International V-HARD are 100% identical, AFAIK. I put a lot of time on both, a few years back; everything I'd machined together for the Japan 2ALL worked fine for the International V-HARD 1CC.

The only real difference is a less comfy International Stage 1, since you won't have the SMG until Great Heli, who'll be extra-vindictively pelting you (with extra-armoured turrets) as he steams in. Gotta grab the shooter promptly! But - besides even the base MG being plenty strong - I find going into the second loop a lot nervier. So it all evens out, imo.

These days I consider International V-HARD the best experience; something Tsujimoto and co seemed to gravitate to, with the Japan rev of Sunset Riders being 2ALL (versus Endless), and Mystic Warriors another streamlined 1ALL (versus 2ALL). A curious case of International and Japanese looping standards gradually trading places over a half-decade. One and done son.

It's been long enough since I last played RI - and it's not a game I've put extended hours on to begin with, outside of the quasi-Arrange Mode PCE port - that I couldn't quite recall how the music went, until a quick Youtube refresher after trying out the ACA version. What's on ACA is well within the same ballpark, imo. Curious to hear how Sumez and other veterans find it.

Sounds good, using the correct hardware and remains within the spirit of the game.
But the similarities to the original tune makes it extremely off-putting for me to hear when it keeps deviating from what my brain expects XD

I'd wondered about precisely that - it was familiar enough, even I was feeling a bit wrong-footed, initially.