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

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Wow, Hamster's sure on a roll with their latest announcement of Banpresto's Macross II: Lovers Again ACA release due for mass consumption in upcoming 2025 -- definitely something to look forward to, indeed. As usual and expected, Harmony Gold still reigns and rules with a mighty scepter as it won't see "the light of day," at least "stateside" that is -- that's a given.

Of course, Fabtek didn't pick up the exclusive rights to sell/distribute Macross II jamma conversion pcb kits in the USA during it's initial grand debut in Japanese game centers at the time of general release -- I wonder why that was?

You might recall back in 1992, the announcement of the Macross II OVA series was quite a major and stunning news revelation, especially with American anime fans during that particular year. On a related note, the Bandai manufactured Macross II Valkyrie mecha plastic model kit (circa 1993) with it's cool transforming capabilities was quite awesome for it's time. I'd see it listed for sale at one of the San Francisco based Japantown Mall shops with a $44.00 usd pricetag brand new.

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I'd imagine the swansong Macross Plus arcade rom will get the proper ACA treatment down the road (possibly perhaps in 2025 as well) to round off the "trifecta" of Macross themed arcade stgs (as it should be for completeness/posterity).
----------

The ACA series, certainly, just keeps getting better and better as time rolls on by. Makes you wonder "just what's around the next corner" with the Hamster ACA series as it is.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[hamfighterx]

Question 2: Is there a list of games only released in certain regions?

I can tell you which ones aren't available in the US. Someone else would need to weigh in on Europe, which I understand has some other inconsistencies (including not having all of the 108 ACA Neo Geo games that the US and Japan got).

AA games that released in Japan but not US:
Marvel Land
Jail Break*
Finest Hour*
Face Off*
F/A Fighter Attacker
SDF Macross
Wonder Boy (Japan PS4 only as one of the very early AA releases way back in 2014, long before they went to weekly release model, and Switch never got it in any region. The game did show up on the Wonder Boy Collection from Inin/Strictly Limited though)

The three with * = did not arrive in the US, but did release in some countries in "the Americas" - Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.

Question 1:
So, which 2024 Arcade Archives games stand above the rest for you?

For me, I kind of want to exclude Cotton, Viper Phase 1, and SDF Macross as "duh, obviously" picks.

So my personal top 5 aside from those:
Legion - my oddball 2024 pick, had never even heard of it but now I sorta love it. Even appreciate the atonal screeching chaos of the soundtrack!
Metamorphic Force
Master of Weapon
Final Blow
Ninja Emaki

Lots of other strong honorable mentions though: Rainbow Islands, Mighty Guy, Rastan 1 and 3, Silk Worm, F/A, Crime City...

I have a small question for all of you: What are your Arcade Archives predictions for 2025?

My big one is that we're gonna get something great to coincide with Switch 2 launch. A new platform like Taito F3? Namco 3D stuff (could you imagine Switch 2 launching with Tekken and Ridge Racer?). Maybe something utterly wild like SEGA coming on board???

My most desired 2025 release: Pretty Solider Sailor Moon

[BIL]

Question 1:
So, which 2024 Arcade Archives games stand above the rest for you?

F/A and Viper Phase 1. Honestly, I'd have been happy even if these were the only two titles released this year. Both longterm milestone wants going back an embarrassing length of time. Supremely refined hardcore with tight, technical 1ALLs and super-cool aesthetics. Will last forever, and/or healthily bulk one's backlog.

I was delighted to see Silkworm, too. Tecmo's AC staff never disappoint, combining technical excellence with a keen eye for clever riffs. This one is absolutely not the straitlaced P47-style army hori it first appears; it's actually a madcap Compile Body Rammer / Chain Bomber. (I love P47 but sometimes you gotta wild the fuck out )

War Of Aero's quality was a pleasant surprise. I actually kinda like Rezon, its godawful BGM loops aside. (mute it and blast some GSM IREM, that's what I do!) And pardon some endemic low-vis Moss bullets, I love Mad Shark's Raiden 1.5, with its XTRA-chunky sniper tank onslaughts.

Aero, however, could pass for a bonafide IREM-made Image Fight Leo. Archetypally fiendish puzzlebox vert, with weapon and stage designs fondly reminiscent, yet credibly unique. You can tell it was a passion project; they even replicated IF's PCB stage select. Not only does it evade the Allumer BGM Curse, it even contributes an intriguingly xeno-melancholic endgame. Fans should give this a look; I found it welcome consolation for the lack of an arcade IF2.

Cotton was great to see; it went forever without a definitive home translation, fond as I am of the PCE-CD port. (and even the bizarrely nerfed PS1 rev) While the scoreplay is milkier than I prefer, I was impressed by the precision of Yeti's superplay; and those mechanics are just as good for casually enjoying its roving stages, and inimitably chibi-sepulchral air.

(As an aside, I'm always happy to see Sega hardware in safe hands - however remote the prospect of further games. I've hopes for Bay Route and Tuff Turf, at least; Hamster seem tight with Sunsoft. Also just great to see Success on ACA. Maybe ACA Psyvariar MU+Rev aren't entirely out of the question, somewhere down the line? Even post-Delta, I love seeing disciplined translations of OG titles)

SDF Macross: yeah, as jehu says, it's the destined TD1 to its sequel's TD2. Can't 'ave yer puddin if you don't eat yer meat! Nonetheless, it's a decisive refinement of Thunder Dragon, and an addictively furied STG in its own right. Enjoying it thoroughly, however long SDF2 takes! I'm glad I've finally played both TD1 and TD1.5; particularly with TD2, Gunnail, and HachaMecha Fighter, too. These are all games I figured I'd never encounter, being a diehard console plebe. Not like I didn't already have plenty to do; but it's nice to explore, y'know? NMK are the archetypal lovable scrappers.

Finalizer and LIFE magazine star Tutankham were just the crisp blast of early 80s I'd hoped. Both pair their instant pace with impressive finesse. Finalizer's a charmingly authentic Super Roboto (Real Roboto?) affair, its independent arms letting you blast bogeys with a beam rifle in one fist, rock 'em sock 'em with the other. Or perhaps heft a shield for extra-aggressive frontal assault? Hurl it aside and bust out the NAGAREBOSHI to demolish Zeon in TENSAI PILOTO style. Tutankham's pitting of two-way strafe against eight-way mazes makes for frisky tactical exchanges. It's the kind of thing I could believe was a happy accident, ala the title missing some letters after its mid-dev switch to TATE. Regardless, it works addictively well. Super lovable style, too! Makes me wonder if La-Mulana's designer was influenced by the intrepid Mr. Adventurer and his varmint nemeses.

Ninja Emaki finally arrived, a topdown ninja run/gun rampage I always dug the look of. It still has a bit of Holy Warrior Amaterasu's aim lag, regrettably en vogue around then; but it's far less intrusive, and easily-forgotten with the much beefier guns. The eight-weapon arsenal is impressively inventive; workhorse shots paired with originals I can't recall seeing before or since. Brings to mind the abundant variety of Alfa's Shikigami games. The time-limited POW that enables them gives wicked pace. You're hard to kill during POW, but you don't have time to waste! Grab the scroll, say a sutra, then mow these honourless shitbirds down Super rad feudal/occult aesthetic, too.

As a big topdown tanker guy, I loved seeing OG Tank Battalion and the home debut of VS Battle City in quick succession. With last year's brillant Tank Force, the arcade trilogy is completed! (the original FC version of Battle City is on M2's customarily excellent Namco Museum Archives, too) These games have a certain relaxing quality, as you punch out terrain for maximum utility... until the enemy sneaks in, and you're suddenly not relaxing at all, scrambling to survive and/or save ur base. I've been meaning to give Battalion its Caravan due; I suspect its chicken-based scoring might be superb, there.

決死の攻めがハイスコアを狙う鍵です.
A DESPERATE ATTACK IS KEY TO AIMING FOR A HIGH SCORE.

Finally, Master of Weapon has its rough edges; chiefly some aggressive bullet wobble. But I enjoy its hyped-up Xevious all the same - it keeps such a harried pace - and ACA's optional fix for its harshly strobing bullets is pure class. I may finally give this one proper time, now that annoyance is taken care of. The rushing cityscapes and wildernesses are so much more enjoyable, and the stage layouts so much more readable.



Just like 2022 and 2023, this was a rock-solid year for STG-adjacent hardcore, too. In brief:

Taito: Rainbow Islands needs no introduction; Fukio Mitsuji's masterpiece of precision-destructive platforming. Fellow MTJ masterwork Volfied is even better than I remembered; pure arcade tension, with a walloping shot of STG demolition. This release even has a counterstop fix! Rastan Saga surprised me with its momentum-based idiosyncrasy. It's not pickup-and-play instant, like fellow Buff Dude In Red Underwear icon, Rygar - but it's just as excellent at what it does. All about hurdling treacherous ground, building a raging head of steam to dome the foe with laser precision. Its pulp cred is immaculate, a bullseye adaptation of Howard's wily Conan to the arcade killing floor. "By Crom! I kind of wish I'd never taken this job!"

Its equally charismatic sequel (only sequel ;3) Warrior Blade, along with The Ninja Kids, are eminently solid early 90s beaters. Being brand-new to both, I think their respective Soulsy zoning and crazed hyper-hopping have aged with impressive grace; to say nothing of each's splendidly well-realised pulp/puppet stylings. You will become servants of The Satan! The latter even has a fix for the busted Stage 4 boss timeout.

And while Crime City is something of a Meat 4 Puddin pick - cool, now Thunder Fox pls - ala Macross, it's genuinely very good in its own right. Some of the most seamless gun/melee combat of any Rolling Thunderesque. Meat is good tbh, what an odd expression. Juvenile palate, I guess. Eat yer meat kids! You'll get big and strong and nail them 1CCs!

Konami: Surprise Attack by name and nature! Little-known, super solid Shinobi riff. Exactly the lower-profile gem ACA serves so well. Packs some wickedly clever anti-grav stage designs, with bravura Hollywood blockbuster style. Easily on par with the famously characterful Sunset and Mystic - no surprise its roots were in a Batman license.

Metamorphic Force is absolute rock-solid quality, as was Crime Fighters 2 before it. Can't even call it a Meat 4 Puddin! As large as Violent Storm may loom, with the sheer strength of ACA's 90s Konami beaters, it's a veritable naked handstand victory lap.

City Bomber proved as enjoyable as it is obscure. Technically describable as a Racing STG, ala Spy Hunter, but I think it works best a blistering-fast time trial. The inevitable memo barrier of topdown racing is surprisingly mild, and rush of tearing through each stage is more than worth the brief investment.

Finally, while I'm not a big puzzle gamer, I do treasure the genre for an STG-elemental and instant change of pace. On that front, Cue Brick is a keeper. Check out its superplays, you will witness the Block Slider Hardcore.

Tecmo: Riot is rightly known as a unique Cabalesque. (not even Tecmo's first! see their TAD-predating Senjyo, an ace Caravan pick). But for me, it's also STRONG TEAM's third action extravaganza, after athletically madcap Ninja Gaiden, and inimitably savage Wild Fang. Despite the genre shift, vets will know its bracing combo of tight hardcore and bacchanalian uproar. Fine-brushed mechanics meet Nagai/Araki/Cannon Films largesse! God bless STRONG TEAM.

[Daytime Waitress]

Cracker of a yearly audit, Biru-dono
Your enthusiasm for Hamham's output was what drew me into the series in the first place, so I'll post my own hagiography for it when I grab a bit more time during the break.

I breezed through the first five stages of Macross and almost made a post about how remarkably easy the game seemed to be. (Crazy that these were the same guys who made TD2 soon after, right?!)

Then I played 6, and, okay, here’s the challenge - and then 7, and what the holy fuck is going on with the stage design. Hope you all enjoy getting railed in the ass by wave after wave of hard mecha steel.

A reasonable clear overall, I gather, but what the fuck were they thinking with 7..? Whole stage seems designed to shake you down for all your bombs and extends.

You get a clean 5 lives, all considered, but recoveries aren’t good in later stages. Chain deaths encouraged to get enough powerups to proceed like in Aces.

I’m going back to Viper, which is the harder game, but one that seems to have been built with a more sound design philosophy. As someone said, though, there’s something extremely charming about the messy punk NMK vibe. Peak developer.

Just rushed through my first credit feed and I feel the same way. It's a bit of shame, because there are some cute, intelligent setups in the opening few levels where it blatantly teaches you what it wants you to do, like the blokes that come from the bottom of the screen, but give you enough time/space to maneuver - solid design principles that make the player feel like more a badass than they actually are whilst introducing fundamentals. And then there is a fair bit of escalation as you progress... but the final stage just feels like being hurled from a cliff

Glad you brought up VP1, though, because I reckon the release schedule makes it an interesting companion piece: SDFM's endearing as all get out, nails its source material, has a banger of a soundtrack, but ultimately I think what it does best is make me appreciate Viper's tight design a hell of a lot more - I certainly wasn't expecting to get shot in the back more in a non-Raiden-derived game

[OldSkoolShmuper]

Viper was icing on an already delicious cake that was 2024. I remember reading about it EDGE and EGM, hoping it would make its way onto the Saturn or PS1. Many years later, I somehow thought Viper Phase 1 was going to be part of the Raiden Fighters Aces compilation on X360, but that was not to be.





I have a good feeling about Raiden II and Raiden DX in 2025.

[Sima Tuna]

Viper and Rastan 3 were the big ones from ACA this year for me. We had to wait until the end of the year to get 'em, but we did. Metamorphic Force was a cool drop too. It's not Violent Storm or Undercover Cops but it's good if you are a homosexual furry who enjoys excessively muscular bipedal lizard asses.



Poor Little Panther Boy (2003)

[Jeneki]

"Ultimate Tiger 2" aka "Tokkyu Tiger"

Interesting they didn't just go with the western name Twin Cobra 2, but I guess that was part of the fun translating in the 90s.

[Daytime Waitress]

"Mid- and End-Bosses are quite difficult, but can be reasoned with."

If only you could talk to these battleships, then perhaps you could try and make friends with them, form alliances... Now that would be interesting.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Interesting to learn about Seibu Kaihatsu's Viper Phase 1 was the "premire flagship arcade title" to debut on the SPI arcade motherboard sporting an Intel 386 DX cpu along with a custom gpu according to the Edge article. Also in the Edge article regarding VP1, the unnamed SPI arcade puzzler (the second official SPI-based game) that Seibu was working on, was none other than Senkyu (aka Battle Balls in the USA that was also released in 1995). American arcade distributor, Fabtek, did sell and distribute both VP1 USA & BB stateside to both arcade operators and arcade owners in 1995. Seibu, themselves, released an awesome PSX port of Senkyuu that's 100% spot-on in terms of gameplay to compliment it's SPI arcade counterpart of the same name, indeed, back in 1996.

Yes, it'd be nice if Hamster would do a proper ACA port of Senkyu/Battle Balls down the road.

I was very well-acquainted and quite familiar with both Viper Phase 1 U.S.A. and Battle Balls at my local arcade joint, The Electric Underground, back in 1995. I do own the USA region Battle Balls SPI cartridge and later on, snagged the PSX port of Senkyuu as well. As fate would have it, I was hoping that Battle Balls would be released on the NTSC U/C PlayStation gaming console platform but it was never done nor even seriously considered -- it would've certainly made for a cool budget PS1-based puzzler game release during the twilight years of the PSX/PS1 console's lifespan back in 2001-2002 but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Dazzymank]

Still can't download Viper Phase One for PS5 in UK.
Has there been any update as can't find the thread for it being broken on ps5 and need a PS4 to buy it?

[D]

It reminds me of TGM1, yet another former technical+legal impossibility that came out of nowhere a couple winters ago, but needed some patching up. (the Hi Score mode's starting RNG was limited to a handful of set patterns, since fixed)

you do know about the unofficial ps1 port, right? which is not really a port, more of it running on the same hardware

[BIL]

Poor Little Panther Boy (2003)

I remember reading about it EDGE and EGM, hoping it would make its way onto the Saturn or PS1.

Great scans as always! Reminds of that nice EDGE/Next Generation glossy paperstock n' binding.

"Ultimate Tiger 2" aka "Tokkyu Tiger"

Interesting they didn't just go with the western name Twin Cobra 2, but I guess that was part of the fun translating in the 90s.

Haha, I knew that rang a bell.

—I think you were known for making titles that sounded cool, but in Japanese. Was there a person at Toaplan who was mainly responsible for that?

Yuge: No, I think our games just acquired that flavor naturally. When we first presented the title Kyuukyoku Tiger, the president rejected it. "What the hell is that?" was his reaction. (laughs) We explained to him that "Ultimate means you pilot a ship with firepower that's never been seen before in a STG, so it's the 'ultimate' tiger."

It's like the STG version of Spinal Tap's "These go to eleven." It's the ultimate, innit?

It reminds me of TGM1, yet another former technical+legal impossibility that came out of nowhere a couple winters ago, but needed some patching up. (the Hi Score mode's starting RNG was limited to a handful of set patterns, since fixed)

you do know about the unofficial ps1 port, right? which is not really a port, more of it running on the same hardware

Yes and yes. At the time (2022), Hamster hadn't attempted anything newer than IREM's M92.

In hindsight they not only nailed ZN-2, they did so with the assistance of two feared entities, The Tetris Company and Mihara. Perhaps them 1337 connections helped 'em with the world's first (and still only) Zero Team OG emulation, a couple years prior.

Speaking of hobnobbing - get that bag muhfucka!

MOVIN ON UP (*'ω' *)

Did a double-take, I'm so used to having to switch from "Sort By Most Sales" to "Sort By Newest" every time.



Japan must love EastEnders too!

Cracker of a yearly audit, Biru-dono
Your enthusiasm for Hamham's output was what drew me into the series in the first place, so I'll post my own hagiography for it when I grab a bit more time during the break.

Happy to hear I've returned a favour. ^__^ I think I may have mentioned it before, but I avoided them (and anyone not M2) with a vengeance for a solid decade, after the PS2 Thunder Cross fiasco. Until Sumez, alamone, and jepjepjep vouched for Bubble Bobble, Gradius, Rygar, and Ninja-kun 2. I knew something must be up, if these guys were happy! Thanks again chaps. Otherwise, I might've been waiting until their surviving not one but two close encounters with Mihara on TGM1+TGM2!

Packed year. Looking back, I forgot Star Luster and Quest of Ki's VS ports. I'd slept on both's FC carts forever, promptly rectified that. Neither's an easy pickup-and-play; testdrives may be warranted. But if you dig their genres (arcade/sim spacefighter and sidescrolling physics 'em up), they've wild ambition and total hardcore. Ki's ACA version also has a genuine USP: twenty arcade-exclusive master stages, which you can skip straight to via Preference Setting. (not that this is recommended, they're tough! but surely great for veterans of the cart, or the recklessly brave)

I picked up FC Valkyrie some years back, but likewise, I was happy to see its VS port. The FC box is extra-fat, to hold the bigass mapual, which I unfortunately can't read just yet. The ACA version's translation didn't disappoint! I like the obvious care of their Namco manuals - Druaga, Ishtar, Ki, VS Valkyrie. It'd be easy enough to punt 'em out and leave players to seek guidance; instead, you get the "forked out extra for the Certain Victory Guide" experience circa 1988, in English.

The optional HUDs are great, too. Of course you can go entirely without any of this stuff, and gather a like-minded party to relive the authentic oldschool fog of war / communal spirit.

Similarly, I'd be remiss not to mention Super Contra. Didn't play it much beyond a quick 1ALL. Was inspired a few years back by PEG's manful all-series NoMiss campaign to settle an old grudge, via M2's Anniversary release. But! ACA has the all-important intro voiceovers inexplicably missing from that version. As with Gotch's world-first accurate Contra emulation - official or unofficial - it's the kinda thing that warms me auld heart.

Finally, the other recent Seibu release, Lead Angle. Didn't have time for more than a couple credits, but it looks so rad, right from the title screen. Actually all of Seibu's non-STG titles - Wiz, Zero Team, Empire City - have been great. I hope we'll get Raiden II and/or DX this year; presumably II first, given Hamster prefer series order. But I'd be almost as happy with more from the rest of their catalogue, like Senkyuu and Dynamite Duke.

[BEAMLORD]

Japan must love EastEnders too!

Billy Mitchell is now synonymous with slam-dunk Hamster releases. We can all feel like king for a day, every Wednesday

Thinking about Macross's preference setting second loop start option. What a nice touch. Is this the first time Hamster have implemented that? They've ported tons of 2 or more loop games. Maybe I've missed that on prior releases. For example, off the top of my head, I can't recall if Mazinger Z has this same perk.

[BIL]

ACA Raiden has a starting loop select, but I think Macross might be the first 2ALL with the option. Definitely something I'd like to see more often!

[NightBeast]

Viper Phase is one of my favorites ACA releases so far. Too many great things about it to know where to begin. But I want to give a shoutout for the amazing entrance of the stage 5 boss. Dude just comes slamming in out of that asteroid. That’s a boss with personality!

[Tokyo-J]

Viper Phase 1 is awesome. So glad I can Switch between NEW and Original versions without having to wait 15 minutes to load up the carts. And at $8 it is literally one of the best deals out there for an excellent game that is just now getting a port 30 years later!

[BIL]

After enjoying a few superplays and livestreams - notably Video Games Robot, which saw at least one 2ALL, with a few very close attempts, and Mikado's 2015 Spring Shooting Fest, whose player made a heroic multistage loop rally on their last life - I will never forget the st5 wingman dude's name ever again. ;w;7 Bro is a national institution.

~STAGE 5~ "Yosh, minna, ganbare!" *everybody deep breath* "KAKIZAKIEEEAAAAAH"

Loop 2 start is a great knock down drag out survival challenge; possibly score challenge too, given how intense the pressure to survive and keep your chain without missing medals can be. (being able to skip medals without losing your chain was a classy move, I think; it's more than imperilled enough as-is) Plus the bomb capacity bonus on top of that, in a game that very much likes you to bomb.

The spatial memo aspect can verge on outright IREM - escaping Stage 7's brutal dogpile waves without bombing requires maneuvers not unlike Image Fight and R-Type II's loops - though the moderate firepower, big hitbox, and consequently deadlier-than-they-seem bullets mostly remind me of early Video System. You're constantly on the verge of being overrun, but not in a crummy peashooting Euroshump way. Your weapons do gratifying damage, tearing apart what they hit. The enemy is simply relentless, and fiendishly-placed. It's a bullseye reflection of its IP, there. Didn't notice the Meltrandi caught in their exploding mechs until this afternoon's credits, oof. As with DYRL itself, hard not to feel some pity for the genocidal meat puppet bastards.

Counterbalancing is that trademark NMK sledgehammer bomb, dating back to at least USAAF Mustang. Instantaneous, deadly, and heartily i-framed, with a calculatedly generous restock rate. You shouldn't hoard, but you mustn't squander, either. That kinda demolition routing is my jam. The one 2ALL player I saw on VGR's stream demonstrated excellent judgment, proactive on routing and bombing alike, where less successful players went for desperate dodges and died with bombs in stock. As with Thunder Dragon, there's a strong element of Equivalent Exchange; bomb floating amongst a maelstrom of bullets and enemies? Nuke the bastards and grab it to equalise.

TD2 is comfortably the strongest of this intriguing trilogy, leveraging its kinder hitbox and firepower for stages more flexible yet at least as intense. If not for that titanic st3 boss milk, I'd consider it near-perfect. (easily ignored with a "clear under X minutes" stipulation, imo) But I'm putting SDF progressively nearer to it on the scale than its likeable but decidedly rough-edged predecessor. I even temporarily forgot my Meat 4 Puddin longing for SDF2! Though not for long, it being one of my two Last Request Ever ACA wants. (the other was Thunder Dragon 2 )

After SDF's gorgeous cutscenes - the rare ones that are so well done, and in a game so relentless, I actually enjoy the break - it's kinda endearing going back to TD1, with its scrappy but every bit as heartfelt precursors.

Unlike poor Kakizaki, TED JUSTICE keeps his eye on the ball!

Damn it, I swear I had some 1337 lore on TD1's pilot names being FREEDOM BREAKFAST and something else ridiculously cool. I think trap might've posted it? Will have to go back and look. (PRECURSOR is a machinegun-killer Standby BGM; HIDE-KAZ's austere post-punk fury blisters on that OST )

EDIT: Ha, I remember now. That's Gun Frontier! With JAY LIBERTY and FREEDOM KENNEDY in their mighty DESPERADOS.

As Seen In The Ninja Kids!

Ironically, you actually see TD2's strapping young nameless dudes, but get just a childhood photo (presumably?) of one of Gun Frontier's.

[valziman]

I tried out a bunch of these outside of ACA in response to this splendid Bil post (and some I tried before.)

City Bomber makes me want to play Toaplan's Rally Bike instead, but once I 1cc that, City Bomber will probably be much more appealing. It's fun. It's wacky.

Warrior Blade, Ninja Kids, and Metamorphic Force all seem good but somehow... insubstantial, buttery, low impact? I'm too green with beltscrollers and probably just blind.

Surprise Attack and Crime City are thrilling.

I played Ninja Emaki in Finalburn Neo and accidentally became invincible somehow... so... uh, I guess don't play it in FBNEO. Kiki Kaikai vibes but more shmuppy.

Finalizer was my big exciting surprise from your list. It's something I've been searching for but wasn't sure existed. It's a Ga/laxian/laga/plus game with changes just big enough to make it truly a different thing! Wheeeee!

I've been avoiding oldschool Cotton ever since I didn't find the fun in Cotton 100%. Maybe it's time to try again.

F/A is intense. It's a winner.

[BIL]

Warrior Blade's definitely a bit lower-impact compared to Technos and Capcom, especially with such brutal-looking characters. Nothing from that era has the whiplash dynamite impact of Final Fight - that was just raw talent from Akiman and co - but I think WB makes up for it with its icy precision and vicious OTGs. Especially with the ACA's super-comfy AB button making it a bonafide three-button game, giving laser certainty to kicking the shit out of armoured foes with a flying back roundhouse, or deftly executing the poor bastard you've just choke-slammed headfirst into the stairs. Or many other creative brutalities!

By Crom, I will give you a taste of my shoe!

You can do a ton of crowd-shredding damage off a single good jump-in, particularly with ACA's new super button letting you nailbomb 'em from the inside out at appropriate cost. On-foot stages are mostly short and best taken at sprint pace, aside from grabbing that booty ofc. Grapples, throws, and executions (down + AB) are devastating too. Standing combos and heavies are mostly for warding, or finishing off stragglers.

TNK's much the same re: OTG, one step nearer Konami's TMNTs. All about hyper-hopped hit and runs with its rocketing 8-way jump and doubletap dodge-strike. I'm fondest of Green aka IRON PIPE, his overhead hits twice in brutal fashion. Once to the dome, once on the floor! Blue's rad too with his dash doubling as a mowing charge. I can't even remember what this one's standing combos look like.

Sasuke! Defend Burger Town!

One thing I find with both these and other doubletap-heavy beaters is, a good arcade stick is vital. I dislike playing them on even high-quality dpads; just not as effortlessly explosive as putting my whole wrist into those dashes. Might just be me, though.

[Acid]

Hamster collection going into 2025:

Super Dimension Fortress Macross
Fighter & Attacker
Viper Phase 1
Gunnail
Life Force
Cybattler
Image Fight
Orius
Bells & Whistles
Phelios
Thunder Dragon 2

Metamorphic Force
Vendetta
Sengoku 3
The Ninja Kids
Warrior Blade

Shock Troopers

Mystic Warriors
Sunsetriders

Rastan Saga
Splatter House

Cosmo Gang the Puzzle

Big Tournament Golf

[D]

Still can't download Viper Phase One for PS5 in UK.
Has there been any update as can't find the thread for it being broken on ps5 and need a PS4 to buy it?

It's on the NL store for ps4. I just typed in 'viper' and there it was.

[Sturmvogel Prime]

Still can't download Viper Phase One for PS5 in UK.
Has there been any update as can't find the thread for it being broken on ps5 and need a PS4 to buy it?

It's on the NL store for ps4. I just typed in 'viper' and there it was.

I caught that part too.
For some reason, the game was included in the store as an Add-on instead of a normal game.

[Pointman]

Viper Phase 1 shows up on PS5 if someone else in your friend’s list also has the game. The store page for it is there and it can be bought, it just doesn’t show up in the store for some reason.

[Some-Mist]

I had to go through and see how many I had and I kinda surprised myself

Spoiler

super spacefortress macross
viper phase 1
fantastic night dreams cotton
riot
metamorphic force
the ninja kids
ninja emaki
numan athletics
surprise attack
mystic warriors
burning force
tetris the grand master
gun frontier
the legend of valkyrie
thunder dragon 2
gunnail
black heart
sea fighter poseidon
hacha mecha fighter
saboten bombers
legend of makai
zero team
rush'n attack
64th street
gemini wing
burger time
p-47
sunsetriders
in the hunt
buta san
tetris the absolute grand master 2 plus
tecmo knight

aero fighters 1, 2, 3
blazing star
senogku 3
metal slug 3
shock troopers
metal slug x
spin master
magician lord
zed blade
big tournament golf

[RedCadre]

Viper Phase 1 shows up on PS5 if someone else in your friend’s list also has the game. The store page for it is there and it can be bought, it just doesn’t show up in the store for some reason.

This...what I'll call exploit helps a lot as I, for one only have a PS5. Is there anyone I can friend or, they me, so I can see the title in their collection and then gain access to the store page? That would be awesome

[RedCadre]

On another note, the information on this forum regarding Arcade Archives is spot on. A great source of information and impressive. Did a lot of reading.

[BIL]

God have mercy, SDF 2-7 is insane from Nomiss perspective. TD1's Theory of Equivalent Exchange at screaming redline, engine on fire coasting over the finish line. From the first of three circular dogpiles onward, a battery of brutal hurdles that oblige with a bomb for ur bomb. :3

Discovered a smorgasbord of savoury cheeses vs last boss. My current ideal is reaching him with Armor and a single bomb for insurance; though since losing Armor also nets a bomb, even arriving on empty isn't a problem with good timing. The i-frames on losing Armor are every bit as critical as those of bombing! Use 'em to snag ur free bomb, let rip, and finish the uncultured teamkilling bastard off just like in the movie. Second-best is reaching with a couple bombs and Battroid. I dunno if Fighter and Gerwalk can do this, smoke is filling the nerdbunker from this punitive ass-ramming so I'm calling it a day for now. It's all kinda silly, but it's the kind of stunt I love trying to pull off.

Stages 2-4, 2-5, and 2-6 are all great, harrowing clashes right on the edge that 2-7 finally tumbles over. Accursed Meltrans! Absolute gauntlet at 2-5's climax. Their "bungee drop" entrance is important; they can't start attacking until it completes, the sidesteppable Revenge Bullet aside.

I'd say 2-1 is actually harder than 2-2 and 2-3, on account of so many mechs aka flying tanks; their Revenge Bullet (singular) is nastily quick, accurate, and has no sealing whatsoever. Limiting the RB to Zentradi/Meltrandi mechs was a smart move. It'd be absolutely nightmarish if aircraft and lesser tanks had 'em too, with the rate you mow through 'em, you'd never get anything done. Like TD1, SDF's a more considered game than it sometimes appears to be.

Dream SDF hack: TD2 hitbox, single loop with steeper rank for best of both worlds, and one button per form; any two buttons to bomb. Make the Armor a simple Batsugun Special-style aura. It perplexes slightly that two very good Macross titles (SDF1 + Scrambled Valkyrie), and one absolute gem (SDF2) all tie the Valkyrie's transformations to traditional powerups. The games work just fine, it just feels like a missed bit of synergy. Hyper Duel and its possible doujin descendant The Under Stellar always feel so much nearer the source dogfights, letting you seamlessly jump between sleek jetfighter and grittily gunning BATTROID.

Also, among all the hellaciously deadly things in 2-7, the infamous SameSame bouncing powerup is way up there. It's extra-ridiculous that a player ship whose Kawamori-bred raison d'etre is transformation has to route around a dreaded powerup. If I lose Battroid during DogPileMania, my life ain't worth shit. I got it routed, but I wish I didn't need to. Actually any form can survive sans bombing, but Battroid seems easiest by a mile.

Curious how Battroid missiles love mechs but ignore aircraft. Had to unlearn going for oblique hits on the stage's nastily quick strikers.

Good game that led to a couple great ones in SDF2 and Thunder Dragon 2. Wheels finally start falling off at the climax, but against all odds, they kinda knew what they were doing even there.

Going back to Loop 1, I get the feeling they balanced it for bi-lateral IP appeal. Series fans clearly like it, judging by the ACA release's sales. And even a very casual Macross onlooker like myself can't help getting drawn back into DYRL and its source anime. Now I remember the tuna head thing, haha. I gotta watch Lovers Again and Plus so I can spot the BGMs! I didn't even know the latter was a Watanabe+Kanno production, god damn. I had to laugh at the Zentradi flagship in 2-3 and 2-6 absolutely spewing Revenge Bullets when critically damaged, albeit harmlessly upscreen... that's good canon!

BIG RAID ON ENEMY FLAGSHIP: How it started >;3



How it's going >83



Speaking of Macross Plus's game... it seems incredibly information-scarce, in fact it's been a long time since I encountered such a scenario here. I'm not sure if it's even by NMK, or Moss? Some fun to be had it seems. Does anyone have any impressions? I'm very in the dark on later NMK, anything beyond TD2 pretty much. I always wanted to try out Desert War / Wangan Sensou, just looks rad. I'm a helicopter STG junkie, the most badass STG aircraft, no ejector seat in this motherfucker! And P47 Aces ofc, one of those games all my favourite people swear by.

Viper Phase 1 shows up on PS5 if someone else in your friend’s list also has the game. The store page for it is there and it can be bought, it just doesn’t show up in the store for some reason.

This...what I'll call exploit helps a lot as I, for one only have a PS5. Is there anyone I can friend or, they me, so I can see the title in their collection and then gain access to the store page? That would be awesome

Oh wow, that's good info! Hope I can help! Sent you a friend request, Cadre. I'm bad at this though, so let me know if I screwed up. I think my game list is visible, will go check. EDIT: yep, seems so.

[RedCadre]

Decided to play some Daioh, when a BILO appeared! or is that BIL 0?

The friend request came through and Viper Phase 1 is visible in your list of games. Once selected it goes right to the store page as if everything's right in the world of ACA Viper Phase 1.

Regarding the friend request, I assumed correctly it was someone from here....the 43 mutual arcade games gave it away kinda....

Anyway,
Confirmed store page able to be visited and title purchased on PS5 console. I guess that's the only way to access it as of yet on a PS5?

I'm more use to the Xbox ecosystem to be honest. It's a lot more user friendly in my opinion.

I can understand them maybe messing up the submission, or the game itself still having some unresolved glitches with VP1 not showing on PS5 consoles but, for Hamster to then also know/have the game also non-visible on all Playstation Store websites internationally when visited from a PC, that they know to not even post a PSN store link from their website seems like a really dumb decision to still go ahead with the release of title.

Speaking of Hamster, another aspect (emulation/remastering/ports/whatever) they do really well are their visual filters/ I find them to be very well done especially when looked at against competitors who try the same thing with ports/re-releases.

Any preferences? I prefer either B-2 or B-3 depending on the game.

By the way for reference, the filters are listed A-1 through A-5, with those only showing scanlines. Then B-1 through B-5 which show scanlines and that effect where it looks like a vertical bar goes across screen. lol not sure what it's actually called however, the old arcade games used to have it.

[BIL]

Yep that's me Glad it worked!

[hamfighterx]

Lol yeah the difference in difficulty on loop 2 of SDF Macross is intense. I wasn't super familiar with the intricacies of the game before digging into the Arcade Archives release, and here's me on Loop 1 thinking "this isn't so bad, maybe I can practice this one and nail a 1CC". Loop 2 changed my mind REAL QUICK.