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

[Jucksalbe]

So the hitbox is smaller in NG2! i thought I was going crazy when I missed with just about every strike.

[BIL]

Yeah, you have to be extra-precise in NGII; I guess they wanted to balance out the almighty screen-erasing subweapon blunderbuss. I respect what they were doing, even if it makes the game play a bit more stringently that I'd like. It leads to comical situations like the final stage, where you can annihilate a small army in one shot, only to face authentic pants-shitting terror while swatting a random ledge guarder.

DETERMINED 2 AVENGE HE FRENS

That NG1+NG3 swordbox velcro is perfect though. I know even NG1's irks some, but imo, it's the best-balanced BOOM HEADSHOT melee attackbox of the entire Draculaesque subgenre. Jump/landing-cancel and rad sound effect help, too.

[Bassa-Bassa]

A friend of mine is telling me I should have mentioned Kyuiin as well, and maybe he's right. I found it a bit too lacking of compactness, but its pacifist mode-like approach as a core mechanics is quite unique, why not.

[SavagePencil]

Yeah, you have to be extra-precise in NGII; I guess they wanted to balance out the almighty screen-erasing subweapon blunderbuss. I respect what they were doing, even if it makes the game play a bit more stringently that I'd like. It leads to comical situations like the final stage, where you can annihilate a small army in one shot, only to face authentic pants-shitting terror while swatting a random ledge guarder.

DETERMINED 2 AVENGE HE FRENS

That NG1+NG3 swordbox velcro is perfect though. I know even NG1's irks some, but imo, it's the best-balanced BOOM HEADSHOT melee attackbox of the entire Draculaesque subgenre. Jump/landing-cancel and rad sound effect help, too.

Off-topic but how did you feel the latest (2D) Ninja Gaiden did or did not deliver on an authentic NG experience?

[ACE1CC]

Does anyone know if Hamster will work on a TGM3 release?

[BIL]

Off-topic but how did you feel the latest (2D) Ninja Gaiden did or did not deliver on an authentic NG experience?

Sadly I am woefully out of the loop 3; Even moreso than I usually am, I mean. My colleagues in the R2RKMF Studies Dept / Super Fun Tyme Club may have some input, I will go check.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Yeah, you have to be extra-precise in NGII; I guess they wanted to balance out the almighty screen-erasing subweapon blunderbuss.

Yikes, the sword's already quite small. Is there a graphical comparison showing the size change somewhere? I can't imagine playing with an even smaller hitbox. I beat the first NG without savestates eventually after a LONG time of figuring out the last stage, but never moved onto the other games. Played other platformers with more comfy, gigantic melee hitboxes instead like a COWARD. >w>;;

How bad is the SNES port? I've heard it's not worth it, but how bad is it really?

[BIL]

Yeah, you have to be extra-precise in NGII; I guess they wanted to balance out the almighty screen-erasing subweapon blunderbuss.

Yikes, the sword's already quite small. Is there a graphical comparison showing the size change somewhere? I can't imagine playing with an even smaller hitbox. I beat the first NG without savestates eventually after a LONG time of figuring out the last stage, but never moved onto the other games. Played other platformers with more comfy, gigantic melee hitboxes instead like a COWARD. >w>;;

It's something I've heard so many times over the years from the speedrunner crowd, but tbh I dunno a hard data source offhand. >w> 100% confirmation bias on my part. Offhand, something definitely changed between the two games... as that page says, it's the OTG kills that really differ. Killing enemies during a jump ascent / jump landing without breaking stride is so much easier in NG1, I don't really need to think about it. Can still do it in NG2, but it's nowhere as forgiving. NG3 introduced a Castlevania-style powerup sword, and plays way nearer the original when it's active, though the lunar gravity puts its own spin on things.

Man I will always love these games, I hope they do NG3 with both regions included for super-EZ switching. :O Both revs are good at their own things. NES for a brutal Master Ninja Challenge, FC for an easygoing latterday style showcase. That OST is fuckin HAWT! All of them have strong soundtracks, bridging the indomitably driven and yearning plaintive, II's "Unlimited Moment" a particularly outstanding melancholia... III adding a harrowed intensity that can verge on off-kilter violence, though never sacrificing RIDDIM.

STAY. IN. CONTROL. (■｀W´■)

Girl / I want / You here with me ♫ (｀ω´メ)

But I'm really not as cool as I'd like to be (◎ω◎;)

How bad is the SNES port? I've heard it's not worth it, but how bad is it really?

The SFC/SNES trilogy ports actually play pretty decently, IIRC, but they are punishingly fugly to see and hear. RUNMARU and company's thumping DPCM drums and fiery 80s ninja elegias get put through Babby's First MIDI Deck. 3; And much of NGII+NG3's still-stunning graphical trickery is AWOL. Colours washed out too.

There is one unique selling point: its version of NG3 combines the more sensible Famicom damage scale with the NES's much more exciting enemy+powerup distribution. NES stages are not only busier, they also demand more toe-to-toe combat due to ammo scarcity. But you don't have to deal with the batshit NES damage scale, which really feels more appropriate to a theoretical Loop 2. IIRC, there's actually a fan hack that accomplishes the same via the OG rom.

Honestly I'd just get a NES cart, or emulate, or indeed get the new Hamster release. I've not tried it out yet, hell I have not turned on my PS5 in half a year, but I trust HamHams!

...

Speaking of OSTs, I hope Rave Racer's makes it home intact. SamplingMasters lived up their name! I was pleasantly surprised to see ACA RR1 do fine, so here's hoping.

I've never actually played Rave Racer, but I have played the absolute balls off its tracks via Ridge Racers 2. Weirdest reverse-nostalgia there, haha. MOUNTAIN brings apotheotic RR physics hijinks... only TRVE FAITH, hard-won after much RR fuckery, will suffice! Stop to question how that s-shaped drift is even happening and you're gonna eat the wall with a knife and fork, loser! EDIT: God damn, just seeing that course again, pure adrenaline >w<; So bumpy and twisty and relentless. Rave Racer and Rage Racer were so good at taking OG Ridge Project track design to its logical extreme, before R4 dialled it back with tracks as calculatedly chill as its OST.

Ridge Racers 2 rocks, the generally weak OST selection aside. I wonder if that was due to licensing concerns.

Preference Option to tweak the infamous DRIVE A SMART RACE broad down a bit would be nice. >w> All the samples are great, especially the charmingly stilted "Keep an eye on THAT ONE coming up from behind!" But toots needs to mix it up!

[PC Engine Fan X!]

With Rave Racer appearing on both ACA1 and ACA2, does the ACA2 port of Rave Racer support VRR option (or is it limited to just 60hz at 4K output)? It's a given that the ACA1 port of Rave Racer will be capped to 60Hz at 1080p at best indeed.

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Considering that Rave Racer will be a premium ACA release, it seems befitting that it'd get a $14.99 usd pricetag (or even perhaps a more expensive $19.99 usd pricetag instead) rather than the usual customary $7.99 usd pricetag associated with the lesser hyped ACA1 game releases. We'll known when the 2/26/2026 release date draws nearer for sure.
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[BrianC]

I mean, Ninja Gaiden II is already on Switch, Cool Boarders is already on PlayStation. Like with their Darius and Space Invaders releases as well as many of their Namco arcade games, they don't really seem to care.

SI has some nice backdrop options (though sadly no option to simulate the mirror), options to reproduce the white noise, and shot counters. AFAIK, the Switch collection doesn't have the background or sound options, though it does have a counter for UFO score. At least NGII Console Archives is available without a subscription, though the emulation of the NSO version is not bad.

There's a nice homebrew Ninja Gaiden Trilogy for SNES that is much better than Tecmo's version. Direct NES ports with the option for CD quality audio, or a conversion of the original NES soundtrack that is more faithful than the official Trilogy's soundtrack.

[OldSkoolShmuper]

Speaking of OSTs, I hope Rave Racer's makes it home intact. SamplingMasters lived up their name! I was pleasantly surprised to see ACA RR1 do fine, so here's hoping.

I've never actually played Rave Racer, but I have played the absolute balls off its tracks via Ridge Racers 2. Weirdest reverse-nostalgia there, haha. MOUNTAIN brings apotheotic RR physics hijinks... only TRVE FAITH, hard-won after much RR fuckery, will suffice! Stop to question how that s-shaped drift is even happening and you're gonna eat the wall with a knife and fork, loser! EDIT: God damn, just seeing that course again, pure adrenaline >w<; So bumpy and twisty and relentless. Rave Racer and Rage Racer were so good at taking OG Ridge Project track design to its logical extreme, before R4 dialled it back with tracks as calculatedly chill as its OST.

Ridge Racers 2 rocks, the generally weak OST selection aside. I wonder if that was due to licensing concerns.

Preference Option to tweak the infamous DRIVE A SMART RACE broad down a bit would be nice. >w> All the samples are great, especially the charmingly stilted "Keep an eye on THAT ONE coming up from behind!" But toots needs to mix it up!

With the Rave Racer tracks remade for PSP Ridge Racers/Ridge Racers 2 - Namco added two additional tracks: Silvercreek Dam and Downtown Rave City.

The original Rave Racer "City" track was called Midtown Expressway and the Mountain track was called Greenpeak Highlands.

However, I did not like how Midtown Expressway was set at nighttime, and it lost the bright, colorful look of the original City track in Rave Racer. Also lost was the Pac Man/Pac Land sign on the building, among other things. Also, the industrial area with the smoke stacks and storage buildings don't come across nearly as well in Midtown Expressway as they did in Rave Racer's City track, and the stadium/dome at the final banked corner before the final stretch is also gone.

Here is a comparison

Rave Racer "City" vs Ridge Racers/2 Midtown Expressway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6jyEklWBu4

Rave Racer "Mountain" vs Ridge Racers/2 Greenpeak Highlands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGU5ftbY70M

[NYN]

Heck, I looked up the Ham shirts in the A store, and some are fire (as the kids say now). From the official site, I thought it's mostly the game title or emblems on cotton, which is wrong. Turbo Force has the "ship", Ninja Emaki the title screen. That's the spot, I might wear one of these. The Outfoxies, please!

[tzm_rade]

Heck, I looked up the Ham shirts in the A store, and some are fire (as the kids say now). From the official site, I thought it's mostly the game title or emblems on cotton, which is wrong. Turbo Force has the "ship", Ninja Emaki the title screen. That's the spot, I might wear one of these. The Outfoxies, please!

I have been eyeing up some of their shirts but I'm worried that Amazon's print on demand clothes are probably a bit lacking in quality, especially for the price...

[NYN]

Yeah, OK, the trade-off for availability. I mean we are talking highly nerdy content. Other "specialized" shops are no less virtuous by importing special trinkets to prices, then and now.

[Steven]

If you want good STG shirts, go to WAXON's online shop, at least if you live in Japan, or find him at an event because he sells his stuff at old game events quite often. No idea if they ship overseas. I have two of their Batsugun shirts, the Hellfire shirt, the original discontinued Toaplan V2 PCB shirt, and both of their Toaplan V2 PCB hoodies. Pretty sure my Tatsujin Extreme shirt was made by him, too, but I'm too lazy to go dig it out of my closet and check. They're all extremely good, but for those prices they'd better be.

[tzm_rade]

Hardcore Chocolate in Higashi Nakano also had some Taito shirts and just recently got some Namco licensed shirts in. I got a couple of their Hokuto no Ken shirts recently and the quality is reasonably good.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Finally gave the ACA1 port of Top Speed a spin on my OLED Switch setup -- it's a 93.7mb d/l at best with the usual $7.99 usd entry-level pricepoint as paid admission to try it out properly. I've noticed with this particular Top Speed port, it's sprite-scaling isn't as smooth as that with Sega's Super Scaler lineup of arcade racing titles (such as OutRun, Turbo Outrun, Rad Mobile, Power Drift, OutRunners, etc. with Sega's in-house AM2 arcade division and Yu Suzuki at the helm) given it's release at the arcades back in 1987.

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At least with Taito's superb F1-ish racer upright cab configuration of "Continental Circus" with it's impressive 3-D sprite effects overall presentation (with the on-board adjustable passive 3-D glasses apparatus setup) going on fares much better: https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/videogames/show/2654
----------

The steering is a bit atrocious and hard to judge if "collusion detection" will occur if your car is too close to the edge of the on-coming trackside hazards (i.e. -- towering bridges, tunnels, trees, buildings, etc.) -- it's still possible to "clip the edge" of a tunnel entrance and still have your car do a 180 degree flip-over inside it thus wasting valuable time on the countdown timer to get back up & running again. You can enter up to 9 credits maximum to continue on the same last stage portion that you ran out of time on -- which is a plus in my book. I didn't realize that the Taito of America arcade subsidiary sold and distributed Top Speed stateside as I've never encountered it at my local arcade hangouts back in the 1987/1988 timeline in retrospect nowadays. The branching tracks strongly reminds me of the branching stage paths with the Darius arcade stg releases.

For maximum visual effect/punch, hooking up a docked OLED Switch to an LCD screen projector via HDMI setup makes the overall "larger-than-life" presentation of Top Speed quite something to witness/behold indeed.

On Stage 4 of Top Speed, the default allotted time of 60 seconds given to complete it seems like that it isn't enough time to finish it within that specified timeframe (due to it's overall default "Hard" difficulty factor alone of some very tight curved 2-lane sections that can't be taken at high speed mixed in with problematic traffic to contend with = enough to induce some much needed "rage quitting" quite easily + plus using a Nitro Boost on the curved sections of the course is a recipe for "wiping out big time"). You'll also notice that some of the billboard ads shown throughout on Stage 4 of Top Speed prominently showcase Taito's Operation Wolf upright arcade game as well -- how cool is that?

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After spending some quality time with Top Speed with the difficulty setting set to "Easy" and five Nitro Boosts at the start of a gaming session -- the real goal is finish all five stages on a single credit and without using any continues (it can be done). If you reach Stage 5 and run out of time, the game ends without allowing you to continue whatsoever and if you score high enough, lets you enter your high score initials for bragging rights. I finally beat Stage 5 from the beginning of Stage 1 and received the hallowed "Congratulations" screen with an overall score of 900,940 points with "All" Stage and a Lap Time of 6' 26"96 with the above listed settings. Upon getting the congratulatory screen, the Staff Credits will start to scroll leading into the usual "Game Over" screen and it's time to enter your high score initials being entered with the gas pedal button.
----------

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As it is, Top Speed does become a competent arcade racing game but you have to spend some time learning the inner "finer points" of what makes it work on the given Stage at hand and try to finish each one before the countdown timer reaches zero (giving the player a very compelling goal to achieve with just a single credit type of situation).
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The ACA2 port of Top Speed running on the Xbox Series S/X is priced at $9.99 usd on the Microsoft Marketplace portal and is a 403.8mb digital d/l + an additional 2gb of free memory space allocation is required to boot up/run it on either console setup. By using a Hori Series S/X-based Octo Commander gamepad setup, it's easier to re-configurate the usual buttons to your liking/personal tastes for better gameplay during a serious racing session of Top Speed. With the game setting parameters set to "Easy" difficulty + five Nitro boosts at the start of a session, it gives the player a better chance to ace all five stages with ease. I got a final score of 821,940 points with Stage "All" and a time completion of 5" 12"94 on a single credit with the above listed game settings -- so yes, Top Speed (aka Full Throttle in Japan) is perfectly playable and beatable on a single credit provided you have enough experience and familiarity with it to pull it off successfully.

Taito of Japan's arcade division has delivered another ace arcade racing title worthy of the "Top Speed/Full Throttle" moniker, especially for it's initial debut at the American arcades & Japanese game centers back in 1987. Plays awesome on a 55" 4K TV setup.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[SavagePencil]

The lack of telegraphing of upcoming branches makes the game feel random, and the inconsistent collision detection render Top Speed as a shaky C rating. But Hamster releasing it paves the way for some more refined (and obscure) games like Double Axle and Enforce.

Unfortunately I expect Aqua Jack and Space Gun will come first, which already have releases on console and the Egret Mini.

[Sumez]

Does anyone know if Hamster will work on a TGM3 release?

TGM3 is a Windows game. ACA trying to emulate a PC running Windows XP is very far outside of their typical scope, I would not expect it

If that game ever gets a port it's gonna be a source port

[hamfighterx]

You know what unknown jarpig franchise I'd like to see on console archives? Phantasy Star! Phantasy Stars 2-4, I believe, are no longer able to be purchased. They were part of the extremely laggy and barebones "Sega Classics Collection," which has since been delisted at least on Switch. I don't know about the other consoles. Those ports were so laggy that even for jarpigs, you could feel the lag when moving around.

The first Phantasy Star has an amazing Sega Ages port, but even a barebones Console Archives port for Phantasy Stars II and IV would be excellent.

The PS2 Sega Ages 2500 Vol 32 - Phantasy Star Complete Collection has all four of Phantasy Star I-IV, and is my preferred way to play all of them except Phantasy Star I (the wonderful Switch Sega Ages release wins there due to the map functionality). Phantasy Star (Master System version) and Phantasy Star II-IV all have language options so you can play them fully in English on the Japanese release. The Sega Meganet text adventures and two Game Gear games (Gaiden and Adventure) are even included, but those ones are Japanese only.

M2 developed this one (like most of the final 2/3 of the Sega Ages 2500 releases) and the quality is excellent - screen options are fantastic, and there are some nice quality of life gameplay options like character speed and money/exp gained. It's not super cheap to grab a physical copy these days, but also not insane. Also got a Japanese PSN release on PS3 that might still be up.

I'd love to see the entire Sega Ages 2500 line get re-releases on something like Console Archives though. A classics compilation series getting re-released in another series of retro rereleases? Like, whoa, dude - it's a Sega inception! I don't expect to see PS2 games on here for a while though.

[Sturmvogel Prime]

Konami's Megazone is this week's release.
https://www.famitsu.com/article/202602/65707

[AGermanArtist]

Very Exed Exes. Even the title typeface. One Konami game I don't think I've ever played. One closer to getting the good stuff.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Ah yes, Konami's Megazone vertical based arcade stg that was properly released in the USA as a conversion pcb kit complete with a full-sized arcade marquee included (that was illuminated internally from within by a small compact florescent light bulb setup). It was in-housed in a generic upright cab setup and I gave it a spin back in 1985 at a local "mom 'n' pop" liquor store as it accepted American quarters as the "gold choice" to "coin it up" properly. It's quite easy to see the similarities between Megazone and Namco's Xevious arcade stg circa 1982 (that was released in the USA as a dedicated upright cab by Atari themselves).

As usual, Megazone was designed as a "pure quarter muncher" with it's highly touted continue feature (with it's "just one more try" to see if you could get a bit further into the later stages stint).

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Here are all of the various arcade flyers associated with Megazone -- did not know that there was an American Konami arcade subsidiary based out of Torrance, California that handled both sales & distribution of both conversion pcb kits & dedicated upright cabs of MZ as well back in 1984: https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/all/se ... e=megazone Definitely "new news" to me indeed -- learned something new today in regards to Megazone with the various Megazone arcade flyers from a retro arcade historical perspective/viewpoint.
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Considering that a real Megazone arcade pcb is pre-Jamma (with it's proper release in 1984), a Megazone jamma adapter is required/necessary if you want to play it on a standard jamma candy cab setup nowadays -- go figure.

Here's a proper Konami to Jamma adapter to play Megazone: https://www.ebay.com/itm/224535940084?_ ... R8znuMaJZw

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[StrzxgvNuvWvfld]

Finally gave the ACA1 port of Top Speed a spin on my OLED Switch setup -- it's a 93.7mb d/l at best with the usual $7.99 usd entry-level pricepoint

The ACA2 port of Top Speed running on the Xbox Series S/X is priced at $9.99 usd on the Microsoft Marketplace portal and is a 403.8mb digital d/l

How do these actually differ?

Particularly interestd in PS4 vs PS5.

Are there additional options? (better scaling would be nice!), improved latency?

I thought initially ACA2 was for games which wouldn't be released for older platforms, but that obviously isn't the case here.

[AGermanArtist]

Finally gave the ACA1 port of Top Speed a spin on my OLED Switch setup -- it's a 93.7mb d/l at best with the usual $7.99 usd entry-level pricepoint

The ACA2 port of Top Speed running on the Xbox Series S/X is priced at $9.99 usd on the Microsoft Marketplace portal and is a 403.8mb digital d/l

How do these actually differ?

Particularly interestd in PS4 vs PS5.

Are there additional options? (better scaling would be nice!), improved latency?

I thought initially ACA2 was for games which wouldn't be released for older platforms, but that obviously isn't the case here.

I've bought a couple of ACA2 games recently. I don't see any options to improve visuals over ACA or improved latency. It's just a PS5 badge, a Platinum Trophy, and a different presentation... oh and a new wallpaper option. I suppose it's just a case of whether those things are worth the extra. In my opinion, it needs refining, which given how the early ACA games looked until now - there has been progress. I suppose we'll see with ACA2 eventually. Maybe they'll update the older ones.

[Some-Mist]

the aca2 version of roc'n rope has an additional time attack mode fwiw

[BrianC]

I noticed some Time Pilot sound effects in Megazone when watching a video of it.

[Jeneki]

The first 22 Megazones were cool, but Megazone 23 really pushed it over the top.

I like the diagonal scrolling based on which path you choose to take, nice effect for 1983.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

On the USA region Switch eShop portal, 2/12/2026, the ACA1 port of Konami's Mega Zone arcade stg title has a $7.99 usd pricetag and is a diminutive 68.8mb digital d/l at best. It does have support for online leaderboards which is a plus in my book.

Control scheme is a very simplistic 8-way digital joystick along with a single fire button (you can map out two separate fire buttons, one for "Normal" fire and the second one for "Auto" which makes playing MZ a whole lot easier imho). Upon scoring high enough on the high score screen, you can input up to five characters maximum and it's saved for posterity -- how cool is that?

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As for screen setting parameters, the original Mega Zone arcade pcb has a 38-pin interface and does require a 38-pin to 56-pin jamma adapter if you want to play it on a "standard jamma" endowed candy cab setup as usual. It's also presented in tate orientation (whereas with the ACA1 port of MZ, there's no proper way to play it in tate whatsoever so you are SOL/screwed "big time" as it is).

On the genuine MZ arcade pcb setup, you'll find a dipswitch setting to allow it to be played on both an upright cab or a "cocktail table" styled cab setup (with the screen auto-rotating to either 90 degrees or 270 degrees for a two-player gaming session -- how cool is that?) if so desired. You can also select either up to be given "3, 4, 5 or unlimited lives" on the pcb version of MZ as well via dipswitch settings. As usual, both sound effects and music will be played together on a single arcade speaker setup rated at 8 ohms as it's monophonic as originally presented.
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If you want to play the definitive version of MZ as originally intended, by sourcing an actual MZ pcb itself is your best bet or play it in Mame instead.

Just bought a genuine Konami manufactured Mega Zone arcade pcb (that's a two-layered pcb consisting of the motherboard & daughterboard sandwiched together by two ribbon cables to interface properly) + the proper Konami to Jamma adapter for it today so I can finally revisit it as originally meant to be played. MZ is a two-player stg as it is -- it's just that both players take turns in doing so (it's not possible to play a two-player session of MZ on the Switch gaming platform as there aren't two separate Start buttons for Player 1 & Player 2 mapped out anyways -- which is another important "key point" issue/difference brought up in being compared to the original MZ pcb version release).

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Hamster could've easily implemented tate mode but simply chose not to with the ACA1 port of Mega Zone -- perhaps a patch add-on to do so would be in everyone's best interest down the road. Oh well -- the ACA1 port of MZ has it's pluses & minuses in comparison to the arcade pcb itself.
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[BrianC]

On the USA region Switch eShop portal, 2/12/2026, the ACA1 port of Konami's Mega Zone arcade stg title has a $7.99 usd pricetag and is a diminutive 68.8mb digital d/l at best. It does have support for online leaderboards which is a plus in my book.

Control scheme is a very simplistic 8-way digital joystick along with a single fire button (you can map out two separate fire buttons, one for "Normal" fire and the second one for "Auto" which makes playing MZ a whole lot easier imho). Upon scoring high enough on the high score screen, you can input up to five characters maximum and it's saved for posterity -- how cool is that?

----------
As for screen setting parameters, the original Mega Zone arcade pcb has a 38-pin interface and does require a 38-pin to 56-pin jamma adapter if you want to play it on a "standard jamma" endowed candy cab setup as usual. It's also presented in tate orientation (whereas with the ACA1 port of MZ, there's no proper way to play it in tate whatsoever so you are SOL/screwed "big time" as it is).

On the genuine MZ arcade pcb setup, you'll find a dipswitch setting to allow it to be played on both an upright cab or a "cocktail table" styled cab setup (with the screen auto-rotating to either 90 degrees or 270 degrees for a two-player gaming session -- how cool is that?) if so desired. You can also select either up to be given "3, 5, 7 or unlimited lives" on the pcb version of MZ as well via dipswitch settings. As usual, both sound effects and music will be played together on a single arcade speaker setup rated at 8 ohms as it's monophonic as originally presented.
----------

If you want to play the definitive version of MZ as originally intended, by sourcing an actual MZ pcb itself is your best bet or play it in Mame instead.

Just bought a genuine Konami manufactured Mega Zone arcade pcb (that's a two-layered pcb consisting of the motherboard & daughterboard sandwiched together by two ribbon cables to interface properly) + the proper Konami to Jamma adapter for it today so I can finally revisit it as originally meant to be played. MZ is a two-player stg as it is -- it's just that both players take turns in doing so (it's not possible to play a two-player session of MZ on the Switch gaming platform as there aren't two separate Start buttons for Player 1 & Player 2 mapped out anyways -- which is another important "key point" issue/difference brought up in being compared to the original MZ pcb version release).

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Hamster could've easily implemented tate mode but simply chose not to with the ACA1 port of Mega Zone -- perhaps a patch add-on to do so would be in everyone's best interest down the road. Oh well -- the ACA1 port of MZ has it's pluses & minuses in comparison to the arcade pcb itself.
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

ACA1 and ACA2 Mega Zone support tate. It's under settings, in the display tab, under "custom settings". Cocktail mode IS supported via the preference settings, but it's called "screen inversion".