Games with unusual number of starting lives

[Aliquantic]

We were trying to come up with examples of games that do NOT start the player with 3 lives but weren't very successful... there are a few doujin games like that (RefleX comes to mind, or Genetos), and lifebar games need not apply, but are there arcade games with odd starting setups like that? Thanks

[nimitz]

Strikers Plus has 2 lives default in mame.

Not sure if this was the pcb default, but I think most people (and our HS thread) use 3 lives.

[mjclark]

Not arcade but...Angel Dive on x68k starts you off with 5 lives by default and in the config you can increase the number to 99!

[Uzumakijl]

Ray series.

[Kiken]

Strikers Plus has 2 lives default in mame.

Not sure if this was the pcb default, but I think most people (and our HS thread) use 3 lives.

That's the US/EU setting. The Japanese default is 3 lives.

Summer Carnival 92' Recca starts the player with 5 lives, IIRC.

[Bananamatic]

Must resist posting Gradius

doesn't Ketsui DL extra give you only 2 lives?

[Treasurance]

doesn't Ketsui DL extra give you only 2 lives?

not like it'd be difficult enough already

also that doujin teleporting stg gives you only one life but I guess it's too cool for this thread

[sikraiken]

Default settings on Dragon Saber are 1 credit for 1 dragon or 2 credits for 3 dragons. Japan romset has 1 credit for 3 dragons, though.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Default settings on Dragon Saber are 1 credit for 1 dragon or 2 credits for 3 dragons. Japan romset has 1 credit for 3 dragons, though.

Ild popped in here just to mention Dragon Saber, I didnt know that the original Japan version was 3 different, thats good to know as ill play that version in the future

[Moniker]

Every Extend

[tinotormed]

Air Zonk / PC Denjin on the PC Engine starts you with 5 lives on Sweet while you start with 3 on Bitter and Spicy Modes. Same thing happens on Coryoon, but you start with 5. The PC Engine version of Ordyne starts you with 4.

[Twiddle]

border down

[tinotormed]

border down

Well that is because you start with colors instead of lives. Getting slain in one point will create one hell of a leap in rank, at border RED, until you lose. So let me get this straight:

green - AVERAGE
yellow - HARD
red - DIFFICULT

I guess DEL should tell you what these are all about.

[BPzeBanshee]

ESPGaluda II's Arrange Mode gives you five lives as opposed to the usual three. If you play it right you don't really need 5 to start off with though going by some of the videos I've seen.

[Vexorg]

Chariot, The shooter portion of Three Wonders only gives you one life to start off by default.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

You can change the default life/lives setting on a Three Wonders PCB to what is more acceptable. When I used to play it at my local arcades, I would get three lives per credit/token (which seemed quite reasonable back in the mid-1990s). Getting five lives per credit seemed too generous (but it all depended if said arcade operator was earning enough to keep it installed on the arcade premises though).

If said arcade game wasn't earning it's keep, it'd be gone and replaced with another one that was more profitable. It was always nice to see the newest/latest PCB conversion kits brought in from the local arcade distributors just to try them out/see how they played. I noticed that if I played the right arcade games that I was familar with, I could make five bucks last about two to three hours (or even more) at the local arcades -- (this was considered cheaper entertainment compared to watching a bargain matinee first-run movie at the local movie theaters + not to mention spending even more $$$ on snacks/concessions). So yeah, those were the days of playing games/pinball at the local arcades back in the 1990s.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Vexorg]

It seems odd because the other two games (Midnight Wanderers and Don't Pull) both default to three lives, but Chariot defaults to only one, which is how it was set back when a local arcade here had one.

[Despatche]

armed police batrider

Seems that Midnight Wanderers defaults to two lives, and Chariot and Don't Pull default to three. RayForce also defaults to three lives.

[dunpeal2064]

border down

Well that is because you start with colors instead of lives. Getting slain in one point will create one hell of a leap in rank, at border RED, until you lose. So let me get this straight:

green - AVERAGE
yellow - HARD
red - DIFFICULT

I guess DEL should tell you what these are all about.

The first midboss is hardest at green and easiest at red.

[Siren2011]

The first midboss is hardest at green and easiest at red.

I've noticed that too. That's weird.

[StoofooEsq]

While not the Arcade default, Burst Mode in Darius Burst starts you with only one life.

A side mention goes to Elevator Action Returns, where the default is only two lives.

[BIL]

Ray series.

The arcade default for both Rayforce and Raystorm is three lives.

[cools]

armed police batrider

Wut?

[Despatche]

related: the nes g.i. joe games were made by kid

[gs68]

Recca's Zanki Attack mode starts you with 50 lives. The catch is, enemies fire suicide bullets upon death. You're ranked based on number of lives remaining at the end (or not at all if you lose all your lives).