VideoGame_Discussion

We're up to 12 arcade nominations so far. Let's keep them coming!

Lunar wrote:

It's a common PCB with a custom flex cable for each platform, so you'll almost certainly need to send it to a modder if you don't have adequate soldering skills yourself. Most of their installs have been Intermediate+ so far.

All their previous solutions preserve - or add - analog video support, so I'd be shocked if this changed now. They even said in the video that the Gem supports the full existing XXXDigital feature set, plus more, which wouldn't be true if they dropped analog video.

I'd also think it's $80 per digital upgrade, not $80 per "account" as it were. They don't have account functionality now, they've spoken out against TerraOnion's practice of locking hardware to accounts, and it'd be hard to implement a household-wide upgrade without such a system if you don't also open the floodgates to abuse.

I don't think it's worth upgrading my existing HDMI-modded consoles - the big get would be 1440p support, and I still haven't found an HDMI switch that works with 1440p capture reliably - but I'm stoked about adding this to my PS2s, and their Wii kit is overdue for an upgrade.

I'll nominate Three Wonders

Lunar wrote:

Seconded, this is actually three games too

I’ll also nominate Sky Skipper, even if it breaks the illusion of this being an actual arcade.

SupremeSarna wrote:

Hey, it's still an arcade game, technically.

Last day for nominations. I'm going to throw my hat in the ring and nominate three games that were important to me in my younger years: Galaga, Burgertime, and Raiden.

If you've already nominated some games and thought of a few more after the fact, feel free to make another post. We want to end up with ten games in our list, so the more the merrier.

Ill nominate some more.



Star Wars Pod Racer

Mace the Dark Age

Primal Rage

Ms Pac-Man

Saturday Night Slam Masters

…

Tattoo Assassins


Idk if Ms Pac-Man ever ends and Tattoo Assassins would be very hard to find and play.

LET'S BUILD AN ARCADE, FOLKS! We collectively nominated 25 classic arcade games for next month's arcade bonanza. Here are all the nominees, along with Wikipedia pages to help with research:

Nominees
Bonanza Bros.
Bosconian
Burgertime
Crazy Taxi
Donkey Kong 3
Fantasy Zone
Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa
Galaga
Mace: The Dark Age
Marble Madness
Mortal Kombat II
Ms. Pac-Man
Primal Rage
Raiden
Saturday Night Slam Masters
The Simpsons
Sky Skipper
Star Wars
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: Racer Arcade
Tattoo Assassins
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Three Wonders
Tron

Either publicly in this thread or privately in a PM to me, give each nominee 0-5 points. Omitting a nominee is equivalent to giving it a vote of 0. The ten games with the highest score at the end of the month will make up the showroom of Arcade August 2023.

Here are my votes:

Bonanza Bros. - 3 Bosconian - 3 Burgertime - 5 Crazy Taxi - 5 Donkey Kong 3 - 4 Fantasy Zone - 4 Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa - 1 Galaga - 4 Mace: The Dark Age - 4 Marble Madness - 4 Mortal Kombat II - 5 Ms. Pac-Man - 4 Primal Rage - 5 Raiden - 5 Saturday Night Slam Masters - 3 The Simpsons - 5 Sky Skipper - 3 Star Wars - 4 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - 1 Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - 1 Star Wars: Pod Racer - 3 Tattoo Assassins - 2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - 5 Three Wonders - 5 Tron - 3

It's the biggest ballot in this thread's history, but I know you folks can handle it. Let's see what's going to be eating our virtual quarters next month.

TMNT 5
Three Wonders 5

My vote

Bonanza Bros. - 5
Bosconian - 5
Burgertime - 4
Crazy Taxi - 5
Donkey Kong 3 - 5
Fantasy Zone - 5
Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa - 5
Galaga - 3
Ms. Pac-Man - 3
The Simpsons - 4
Sky Skipper - 3
Star Wars - 2
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - 2
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - 2
Star Wars: Pod Racer - 5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - 3

Three Wonders 5
Simpsons 5
Raiden 5

Rounding out our Bionic Commando month, I finished Re-armed for the PlayStation 3 a few nights back.

https://twitter.com/Renaissance2K/status/168479119...

I first played through it shortly after release on the 360, having not played the NES original and assuming it was a pixel-for-pixel remake of it. Now that I've played the NES game, I can see substantial amount of content that was added or changed.

I had a much easier time this run, as well. My original 360 run was just a matter of brute forcing myself to the finish line, but this time, I sought out all the optional upgrades and hamachis. Those routes were usually pretty brutal, but the base game itself was much easier than I remember.

Fabricator 2 is a jerk, though.

Is anyone else gonna vote for arcade games?

Nope

a good opportunity to use my mame cabinet I haven't used in months. .

5 - Bosconian
5 - Mortal Kombat II
5 - Saturday Night Slam Masters
5 - Tron

Burgertime - 5
Crazy Taxi - 5
Fantasy Zone - 5
Galaga - 5
Mace: The Dark Age - 5
Marble Madness - 5
Mortal Kombat II - 5
Ms. Pac-Man - 5
Primal Rage - 5
Saturday Night Slam Masters - 5
The Simpsons - 5
Star Wars: Pod Racer - 5
Tattoo Assassins - 5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - 5
Three Wonders - 5

I normally do the math to see which games are in the lead, but I’m not bothering this time, lol. Hope you’re keeping a running tally, @Renaissance2K .

SupremeSarna wrote:

I have a spreadsheet that updates every time somebody nominates or votes. It's been stealthily linked within every "Start of Month" post I do.

I thought I was done, but I couldn't let Bionic Commando month fade away without playing through my personal favorite of the series, so I knocked out the Game Boy version over the weekend.

https://twitter.com/Renaissance2K/status/168577649...

I also finished a playthrough of Bionic Commando: Elite Forces for Game Boy Color, which I hadn't ever touched until now. It has some great character animations and swinging mechanics, but it's zoomed in way too much and requires an uncomfortable amount of blind swinging to get anywhere. I'll stick with the originals.

LAST HOURS OF ARCADE VOTING! Start shining your quarters!

Bionic Commando has swung its way home. Here are all the badges we earned this month:

BleedingViolet {imgt}https://i.imgur.com/99gx3Ec.gif 160 96{imgt} BloodPuppetX {imgt}https://i.imgur.com/99gx3Ec.gif 160 96{imgt} Renaissance2K {imgt}https://i.imgur.com/99gx3Ec.gif 160 96{imgt} {imgt}https://i.imgur.com/fnBW63H.gif 132 75{imgt} {imgt}https://i.imgur.com/z0v9Myh.gif 133 80{imgt}

Many thanks to you who played this month, with a special salute to those who played the atrocious arcade version. We should all be ashamed of ourselves for letting such a turd grace our ranks. The guy in charge should really be taken out back and flogged with a bionic arm or two.

Anyway...

The August Arcade is open! Brace yourselves for a massive info dump!

While we were originally targeting a docket of ten games, a massive five-way tie for tenth place means the cutoff for our Front Room is nine games, but if it makes you feel better, Three Wonders is actually a bundle of three tiles, each of which will be tracked separately. Here's a look at the final vote, including the winners:

1. The Simpsons - 23 points
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - 23 points
1. Three Wonders - 23 points
4. Crazy Taxi - 19 points
5. Burgertime - 17 points
6. Mortal Kombat II - 15 points
6. Ms. Pac-Man - 15 points
8. Fantasy Zone - 14 points
9. Galaga - 14 points
10. Bosconian - 13 points
10. Raiden - 13 points
10. Saturday Night Slam Masters - 13 points
10. Star Wars: Pod Racer - 13 points
10. Tron - 13 points
15. Marble Madness - 11 points
15. Star Wars - 11 points
17. Primal Rage - 10 points
18. Donkey Kong 3 - 9 points
18. Mace: The Dark Age - 9 points
20. Bonanza Bros. - 8 points
20. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - 8 points
20. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - 8 points
23. Tattoo Assassins - 7 points
24. Fantasy Zone II - 6 points
24. Sky Skipper - 6 points

Some of these games have a definite ending where the credits roll. Some of them loop until you run out of quarters or the machine runs out of memory. We'll figure things out as we go, but here's the general plan:

Beat any of the Front Room arcade games (or complete one loop, where appropriate) or one of their home ports to earn the game's Front Room Arcade Machine badge: image image image image image image image image If you play the original arcade release or a direct port, feel free to submit your high score. The holders of the high scores at the end of the month will get bronze, silver, and bronze medal badges for each game.

I was hoping to have more badges ready to go by tonight, but the template I'm using took a bit longer than expected to put together. Hopefully, it was worth it. More badges will be posted in the coming days.

So, that's the Front Room. Does that mean there's a Back Room? Folks, since Lunar began archiving the Games of the Month back in 2018, we've played through a whopping 22 games that began their humble lives in the arcade. Here's the full list, along with when we played them:

Galactic Attack (March 2018)
The Astyanax (April 2018)
Outrun (December 2018)
Ninja Gaiden (September 2019)
Final Fight (November 2019)
Altered Beast (December 2019)
Sunset Riders (January 2020)
Strikers 1945 (February 2020)
Super Dodge Ball (April 2020)
Metal Slug (May 2020)
Renegade (June 2020)
Jackal (January 2021)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (March 2021)
Metal Slug X (April 2021)
Strider (May 2021)
Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire (June 2021)
Splatterhouse (October 2021)
NBA Jam (March 2022)
Dynamite Cop (September 2022)
Virtua Fighter (March 2023)
Daytona USA (June 2023)
Bionic Commando (July 2023)

Since we're diving into the arcade this month, why not take that as an opportunity to dust off some of the coin-op classics that we've visited before?

Beat any of the Back Room arcade games or one of their home ports to earn the game's Back Room Arcade Machine badge. {imgt}https://i.imgur.com/tNByof5.gif 84 176{imgt} {imgt}https://i.imgur.com/RZpK7gj.gif 84 176{imgt} {imgt}https://i.imgur.com/z4ZSnUm.gif 84 176{imgt}

I won't be tracking high scores for Back Room games; this month is already going to be bonkers, and I have to draw the line somewhere. Also, because I'm not a monster and don't want to see anyone else throwing themselves at that awful Bionic Commando arcade game, folks that have already played the 2023 arcade games this year will have their badges added to the leaderboard once they're created.**

There's a lot going on, a lot of badges to earn, and hopefully, a lot of fun games to be had. I hope everyone finds a game (or three) worth picking up this month. Have fun!

I guess I'm kicking things off with a playthrough of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

{imgt}https://i.imgur.com/b3LcJA0.gif 84 176{imgt}

I got a score of *283*. I think pumping this one is going to depend on your stamina when it comes to the handful of enemies that regenerate endlessly. Baxter's Mousers is probably the easier of the two.

image

I’ll admit, I didn’t think Fantasy Zone would make the cut. Always happy to replay that cute’em-up!

I've been playing Castle of the Winds again lately. I think it might have been the first video game I played and I was having some nostalgia for it.

Can be played via web browser here
https://archive.org/details/win3_CasWin1

Renaissance2K wrote:

What did you play it on?

BleedingViolet wrote:

I played the arcade port in the Cowabunga Collection.

Knocked out a second playthrough this morning, this time for The Simpsons.

image

I played this on MAME and ended up with a score of 252. Like TMNT, I think there are only a few places where you can really pump up your score, like the bonus games, but I could be wrong.

image

I beat Fantasy Zone (specifically the arcade-accurate SEGA AGES Nintendo Switch port).
[imgt w=1280 h=720]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F2o1DkKaMAA6pZQ?format...[/imgt]
Did a full loop, died back on Plaleaf in Round 9.
Total score: 1549400

On default settings, this one's really hard. I've always preferred the inferior Master System port, not only because it's how I first played FZ, but also because it has a few key differences that make it more fun/managable. There are two secret exploits that let buy lives super cheap or get infinite time on special weapons (as long as you don't die). Enemy Generators are stationary, and Heavy Bombs fall straight down during boss fights, making it much easier to nuke the last few Aliens on Salfar.

@Renaissance2K There's no Fantasy Zone arcade badge! What is the meaning of this outrage???

SupremeSarna wrote:

I have to assemble each badge from scratch using PCBs, microchips, and authentic arcade-scented particle board. Please be patient.

SupremeSarna wrote:

Okay, okay, the Front Room badges are all done, and you get your Fantasy Zone badge.

image

I'm going to do the Back Room badges on demand because, while I plan on visiting or revisiting a few of those titles, I don't know how many of you will.

On my Steam Deck today, I took first shots at Galaga and Ms. Pac-Man. I'm sure I can do better in both. The kamikaze ships in Galaga kept cornering me and blowing me up. With Ms. Pac-Man, after years of training on my uncle's original cocktail cabinet, I think it may be the only game where I really need an arcade stick to play. I'll try again on MAME with my Arcade Stick Pro.

And then, there's Crazy Taxi...

I've played this more than any other Dreamcast game. It was one of the few that actually gave me blisters. Twenty years ago, I really couldn't get enough of it, but every time I've picked it up in the more modern era, it's been a disaster. The muscle memory is all gone, and even when I look up strategies for the special driving moves, I couldn't manage to get a hang of it.

I tried a few weeks ago while I was on vacation, and fared terribly. I tried earlier today with the PC port, failing miserably. And then, finally, tonight, after another half-hour of mediocrity, something finally started to come back.

image

Still not as good as I used to be, and light years behind those arcade monsters that make a million dollars in one shift, but it's a start.

@Renaissance2K Looks great! Are you planning to play every game? If so, I look forward to you (possibly) besting my score. If you need advice, just ask.

SupremeSarna wrote:

I'm for sure going to play all the games we voted on this month, but I'm not a big score chaser. We'll see how it goes. I love a good shooter.

Man, these arcade badges look amazing! How'd you make them?

Lunar wrote:

Thanks! Turns out that DaVinci Resolve can export direct to GIF.

I found some arcade machine clip art, hollowed out the marquee and screen sections, and put the game appropriate content behind the image. The footage is the attract mode of the game captured from MAME (or whatever other emulator the platform uses).

SupremeSarna wrote:

Last night, I booted up Fantasy Zone on my MiSTer. I really enjoyed the first three levels, even the bosses, but right at Level 4, I feel like the difficulty reached an "oh, there's just no way" magnitude. It's also a super mindscrew that a game that looks so damn adorable can be so ruthless.

Also, that snowman boss can go to Hell.

That's about the time I raided the higher shelves of the Shop and found that 7-way shot, which let me blow through the next few levels in a fraction of the time... which would be awesome, except when things REALLY hit the fan, the weapon cost as much as a new Tesla. Didn't really notice the price going up every time I bought it.

In the end, I made it to the final form of the final boss of the final level and just gave up after a half hour or so of trying. Even after I cracked a strategy for the first forms, I simply couldn't outrun the final one, and didn't have the money to buy a speed boost. I'm not convinced it wouldn't have made me slam into a wall or another enemy before reaching the end, if I did have the funds.

So, I turned it off. I'll try again once my pride recovers, and I'll save my money for the later levels. I'm also now very interested in the 3D port of this that came out for the 3DS. I bet that's a lot of fun.

In other more successful news, I wandered into the Back Room and played through Metal Slug X, which we played back in April 2021. The Steam version runs perfectly on the Steam Deck, which is odd because the original doesn't.

image

Renaissance2K wrote:

I watched a video of the final boss. Dude beat it by dropping a well timed heavy bomb on the super fast one

benstylus wrote:

That’s the recommended strategy for the last Alien. I usually buy two or three, depending on the version I’m playing. The Arcade version has an annoying effect where Heavy Bombs don’t fall straight down, instead falling at a slight southwest angle. Try luring the Alien to the top-left of the screen, then quickly flying right while dropping the bomb almost simultaneously.

As for Poppoos (snowman boss of Polaria), destroy 9 of the Enemy Generators and then die. That way you can buy a fresh 7-Way Shot and use it to destroy the last generator and fight Poppoos.

I’ve played the FZ series for years and still have a seriously tough time winning at FZ1. I recommend the Master System port to newbies since it’s technologically inferior and this made a little easier. 3D Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Bros. is also quite good, though it’s mostly just the arcade one with a new mode and stereoscopic 3D.

So that online emu I found didn't have the second part. Had to just set-up Dosbox and I'm playing through it now. Masterpiece.

Well, the nightmare is over.

Not blowing money on fancy weapons in early levels (save for the 7-Way Shot against Poppoos, which was a laughably-fast fight) definitely helped, until I got to Pocarius and ended up so frustrated that I was throwing my ship into the last few bases just to make the madness end. I'm also not sure how I handled Ida 2 so easily during my first run and got stopped dead by it this time, but I was prepared for the final boss this time.

Yes, one Heavy Bomb did the trick against the final alien. Messed up the timing once, but I nailed him the second time.

I don't know what's up with the MiSTer version of this game, but after "The End" flashed on the screen, my score got maxed out. My score before that was 352500. Assuming you get a million points for finishing a loop, I still got thoroughly trounced by @SupremeSarna, as I deserved to, I'm sure.

Renaissance2K wrote:

“Was my victory really worth the price I had to pay?”

Well done! I’m surprised you got it so quickly—even us veterans struggle on the original game! Great work thrashing Poppoos and everyone else in the Fantasy Zone… except for the Strong Tot and Dz Deno Roma, two bosses I’m sure you never saw. Aw well, guess I’ll always be Fantasy Zone’s only true savior.

JK. Hope you had fun with this quirky shmup!

SupremeSarna wrote:

Good God, there are more bosses?!

Thanks to the ancient phenomenon known as Girl's Night Out, I got to spend more in the arcade, managing to squeak out clears in all three of the Three Wonders games.

Midnight Wanderers: 1014406
Chariot: 2517910
Don't Pull: 1493040

I'm probably going to spend some time looking up the story behind this one. My guess is that Midnight Wanderers was the "main game" that was deemed not good enough for some reason, Chariot is something they whipped together quickly using most of the same art assets, and Don't Pull was the equivalent of an intern project that didn't deserve a standalone release.

I love the sprite work in all three games. Chariot was the easiest. Midnight Wanderers had some serious Ghouls 'n Ghosts vibes, though it didn't seem to be trying as hard to be brutally punishing. I liked Don't Pull too, but I had a lot more fun with the first 16 levels before the enemies find that bag of uppers and start zipping around the levels in berserk mode.

I think I need to pick up Mortal Kombat II next. I'm not looking forward to being cheesed out by that AI...

Edit: Fancy that! According to my Backloggery, I played through these three games on PSP many moons ago. I barely remember them, especially Don't Pull.