Game of the Day - Forgotten Worlds

Forgotten Worlds is a horz shooter/omni shooter hybrid with a great control mechanism.  That is the good news and the bad news.  The game in the arcades was played with a joystick (to move) and a spinner (to aim) that you pushed down to shoot.  Since the button was part of the spinner, it made shooting and aiming easy.  However, if you translate that into MAME, you need to have a push/pull spinner to really get the most out of the game (see my post on a push/pull spinner here).  If you don't have a push/pull spinner, you have to move with the js, aim with a spinner and use a thumb or something to shoot.  If you don't have a spinner at all, it's not so bad, you have to use the MAME control setup to assign one button to rotate left and another to rotate right.  If you setup the fire button to be between the two rotate buttons, it's still pretty intuitive.  But, let's be clear, this game is at its AWESOME best when you can hold down the spinner to fire.  Then, you just move around the screen with the JS and constantly move the spinner around to kill your attackers on every side.

The graphics are fun and a little cartoony.  The most important graphic feature is that the boss at the end of level one looks just like my cats' butthole.  I'd snap a pic, but it'll be better for you to discover it on your own.

The other great feature of Forgotten Worlds is the shop.  I love games where you can periodically purchase your own power-ups from a wide array of choices.  During the game, you get points for killing and also collect blue sparkly things that increase your "Zenny" - that's money to you and me.  Don't know where they came up with the word "Zenny", apparently Capcom used it from time to time.  Anyway, at periodic shops, you can purchase all kinds of crap - and of course, the stuff gets cooler and more expensive when you have more Zenny.

Of all the games I've discovered on MAME that I never played in the arcades, Forgotten Worlds is among my favs.

Guest Gamer Strategy Guide - Cyber Troopers: Virtual On by MasterFygar

Virtual On is a crazy-good time.  While I haven't seen Virtual On work well on MAME (maybe others have), it works great in the Sega Model 2 emulator. Any way, emulator or original dedicated cabinet, MasterFygar has been kind enough to spend his time trying to help us play it well. Here is his strategy guide... (if you'd like to write a strat guide or just a few tips on any game, just email me)

Also, due to the control scheme of Virtual On, it is a great game to play with a wireless Xbox 360 controller on your MAME/emulator setup.

Virtual On, SEGA’s underrated mech-battle series, took the Japanese arcade scene by storm in 1995 when the original game in the series was released, spawning audio dramas, published fan-comics, soundtracks, figure series, and ‘clans’ that would assemble to duel one another in brutal tournaments. The game was so popular there that an arcade with only Virtual On cabinets, called Tangerine Spur for some unexplainable reason, was opened and quickly became a hit. Tips and tricks and countless strategy guides exist… in Japanese. In the English speaking world, it’s much harder to find an arcade cabinet to play or buy, let alone tips and tricks on how to play it well. The first part is up to you, but I may be able to help with the second part!

Virtual On is controlled with two tank-like joysticks with two buttons on each: a dash button and an attack button. Also like a tank, the sticks can be moved in the same direction for quick movement, opposite each other vertically to rotate, or moved apart horizontally to jump (okay, maybe tanks can’t do that last part). The attack buttons, when done in combination with maneuvers and each other, execute different offensive tactics. That’s about all the game tells you before throwing you into the fray… some of the advanced tactics are trial and error to discover, so hopefully I can help a bit by introducing you to some of them.

The absolute first thing to realize is that, at the end of each dash, there is a short period where the Virtuaroid (the robots you control) pauses and is very prone to damage—projectiles automatically hone, and they will almost always find you at the end of a dash. A big part of the game is developing a rhythm in battle… dashes always go for a set amount of time, unless you attempt a dash in the opposite direction, which cancels your dash and makes an even larger period of vulnerability. Almost always when you and your opponent get into a dashing fight, one person will keep moving for just long enough to dodge the other’s attacks, while the other will get hit full force. Timing your dashes to keep yourself on the winning end of this timing-struggle will go a long way: if you find yourself getting hammered every time your dash ends and your opponent is dodging everything, it’s time to change your tempo.

There are, of course, alternatives to dashing: one very basic technique that works well with VRs (Virtuaroids) that can fire their left-weapon without running out of ammo often (it works best with Fei Yen, Bal Bas Bow, Temjin and, my favorite, Dorkas) is ‘crabbing.’ This is when you hold down your left weapon button and walk either left or right (move both sticks, but don’t push either dash button). You’d think the projectiles would shoot in the direction you’re facing and completely miss your opponent, but the weapons will travel towards your opponent as if you were facing them. The subtle movement you make will dodge slow projectiles and keep your shots very close together, making a focused stream of fire. This works well if you’re fighting a large computer opponent (one of the bosses usually), a stuck computer opponent (they’re not that bright on easier difficulty levels), or a human player stupid enough to dash backwards (NEVER dash backwards. It’s flat out suicide. EVERYTHING that has ANY homing ability WILL hit you).

Another, that is very tricky to master, is the art of ‘rowing.’ Rowing takes advantage of a glitch in the part of the coding that handles turning speed (faster than walking or dashing speed). To row right, hold the left stick to the right, and move the right stick diagonally up-right, then diagonally down-right, repeat (mirror this for rowing left). This doesn’t work for all VRs (mainly Belgdor, though Bal Bas Bow and Viper can do it to some extent as well) but when it does, it allows you to move left or right while gaining the speed of a rotating VR. Like most advanced techniques in games, if done wrong, this only hampers gameplay. Only do it in a real fight if you’ve practiced it to death with CPUs or a dummy player (empty seat on other side). I haven’t managed to master it as my main VR, Dorkas, so I personally avoid it unless I’m just psyching someone out.

Some minor moves that help but aren’t as complex:
-CC Quickstep: If you’re in close combat, you can step circularly around your opponent and literally backstab them by moving up and diagonally (either direction) while hitting an attack button. The timing is key here and it takes a ton of practice, but is very useful (if you can’t do it and your opponent can, avoid CC all together, or jump out of it when they engage).
-Jump Cancel: After moving the sticks apart to jump, putting them inverted immediately (essentially a crouch) makes you immediately land while still locking on to the opponent. This is great for quickly locking on to a shifty opponent (or if you jump by accident, since for most VRs floating around is suicide).
-Weapon Cancel: These are the easiest moves on the list. If you’re standing or dashing, you can cancel out the cool down time of a center-weapon shot by firing a crouching shot or dashing away (and, presumably, attacking during said dash). These techniques can potentially double your firepower at key times in the battle.
-Super Duper Stander Upper Power: If you’re knocked down, you can get up much faster by rotating both sticks in either direction.
-Summon The Enterprise: After the credits, the wreckage of your VR usually just floats dramatically in space. If you rotate both sticks quickly clockwise at the end, a huge starship comes by, picks the wreckage up, and zips away. This does nothing but make you feel cool (contrary to rumors, it does NOT unlock Jaguarandi).

Thanks for reading! I hope this helps if you ever come across a VO cab in public or maybe even get the chance to purchase one! Once you get the hang of the game’s intricacies and get with some friends who understand it to some extent (the computer, even on the hardest setting, gets to be a bit easy once you get good enough) it is one of the most entertaining, unique and deep fighting games there is. If you can’t find a cabinet you owe it to yourself to try one of its sequels on the Xbox 360 or the PS2 port, it’s a series that must be experienced to be believed.

Game of the Day - Mad Crasher

It's a dark secret of the arcade world that in 1984, Zaxxon and Spy Hunter had an affair and the result was a love child they named Mad Crasher.  Mad Crasher looks a little like Zaxxon and tries to play a little like Spy Hunter.  It doesn't do either one of them great, but somehow the resulting concoction is a compelling experience.

You are in a futuristic car driving on a road suspended in mid-air.  It is an isometric-3D look like Zaxxon except it is car (not plane) based.  That doesn't mean you don't leave the ground occasionally... In fact, one of the two buttons is "jump" (the other is "shoot").  So, there are cars all around and you have to blast them out of the way to live on.  Also, you have to stay on the suspended road or you fall off and die.  The road narrows and curves and angles a lot so you have to watch where you are going.  More importantly, there are breaks in the road that you have to jump.  If you don't, you also plummet to your death.  What's interesting about the jump is that there are little markers indicating it is upcoming (the screen scrolls fast and there isn't a lot of heads-up about what's coming).  One cool bonus is that it SEEMS that the later you wait to jump, the more points the game awards you for the "jump bonus".  I don't know that for sure, but it seems that way from my experience.

Like most games, it gets harder as you go.  At first you just approach cars and blast them from behind.  Later, faster cars come up behind you - so look out.  Then, the cars start shooting at you.  Also, some cars drop oil slicks that you need to avoid (or again, plummet).

There are power-ups that help a little...  One is a strip you drive across that works like the same in "Vanguard".  Once you drive across it, you become invincible for a while and are able to destroy the other cars by smashing into them.  A small timer indicates how much more time you have left of invincibility.

One last note that is extra cool...  The dipswitches have a setting for difficulty (easy, norm, hard) like many games do.  BUT, there is a separate dipswitch that simply controls the speed that the road scrolls (slow, med, fast).  So you can have any combo of difficulty and scrolling speed, they are independent of each other (although a faster speed is naturally more difficult anyway).

Weak graphics and a simple game, but somehow it all works for Mad Crasher.

Game of the Day - Cyvern

It would be difficult to overstate how good Cyvern is.  It's a vert shmup that looks and plays great.  You choose from several souped-up (genetically enhanced?) dragons to join the fight.

The first thing you'll notice is just how great the graphics are.  There are many dragon-based shmups and this one, along with a previous GOTD - Dragon Blaze - are by FAR my favorites.  There are a lot of tank, train and ship looking things to shoot and plenty of enemy fire in the air at all times.  It borders on too much chaos and certainly makes it difficult at times to watch the beautiful scenery go by.

You have two buttons:  Shoot & Bomb.  However, the shoot button is also a charge weapon if you hold it down.  There is a gauge called "banish" at the top of the screen to indicate how much more charge you have.  It slowly replenishes over time.  Of course there are also the requisite power-ups and scoring boosts.  For instance, if you use the banish/charge to defeat certain enemies, they drop medals for you to pick-up and score big.  These can chain together if you get them all and thereby increase the value of each one.  Long periods of banishing everything and collecting all the crap is the key to big scores.

The charge weapon and bomb are, of course, related to which dragon you choose to fly.  The first dragon is the old school one as his banish is a nice stream of fire - just as it should be.

The reality is, for superficial players, the details don't matter.  It's absolutely beautiful, the controls work great and feel spot on, and the fun doesn't end.  Saddle up a dragon, and go do your business.

QuarterZone Shots - Atari Football

Game of the Day - Repulse

Repulse.  Another obscure programming gem.  Repulse is a vert shooter where you fire from some sort of futuristic tank/ground-based vehicle at a myriad of incoming aliens. (It's ALWAYS the damn aliens).

You have two buttons to win the battle.  Fire and shield.  The issue with the shied is that the time you have to deploy it is finite.  You have a bar at the bottom of the screen named "energy".  Every moment you push the shield button, the energy decreases.  Once it is gone... no more shield until you die again.  There is no way to increase the shield energy, so use it judiciously. 

The graphics are cute/typical for the time (1985), but what makes this game is the programming/flight patterns/variation of the aliens.  Ships come from all directions.  All sizes.  All speeds.  All shapes and colors.  They come from behind, left, right, dive right at you, you just never know.  Also, the game tries to have a little bit of a 3D perspective as things fly off into the horizon.  So, as your fire (which is two artillery shells) goes off into the distance, the shells appear smaller and closer together.  More importantly, the same goes for the aliens.  They swoop in big and close - and then zoom off into the distance and get tiny.  It's a nice effect.  This combo of all diff aliens from all directions and the quasi 3D effect is what makes Repulse a great game and very fun to play.

There are end level bosses and the extremely rare power-up.  In fact, when you shoot the helicopter carrying the power-up, the wreckage falls along with the power-up so you have to make sure you collect just the power-up and not get creamed by the wreckage.

Last point:  Repulse can get extremely challenging.  I found myself often in the mode where all I do is try to avoid incoming missiles and ships while firing randomly and hoping I'm hitting something.  I'm clearly a skilled war General.

Game of the Day - Riot

Riot is a unique 3rd person, cross-hair shooter I recently discovered.  First the basics... Cut from the mold that gave us Rambo 3, you use the joystick to move your hero and aim the cross-hair at evil enemies and then use your fire button to kill them.  As is common in these games, you also have a button to roll quickly to evade fire or change directions.  Since the js controls the movement and aiming simultaneously, sometimes the roll is what you need to quickly change your aiming direction.

Now the punchline...  There are two fire buttons - one for the background and one for the foreground.  It is totally unique - as I can't think of a single other game that works exactly this way.  So, here's what I mean...  When you first start out, you are aiming and firing at guys on the screen as usual (the background).  There are power-ups you can get and other stuff to blow-up.  After you have gotten your feet wet, enemies start appearing in the foreground.  You are in the middle (3rd person) and didn't really realize there was gonna be crap in the foreground and then suddenly, you see the backs of guys heads (because they are looking at you in the mid-ground).  So, you aim/place the cross-hair on them and shoot.  But you have to do it with the foreground fire button to make sure your bullets head in the foreground direction instead of the background (normal) direction.  This is much easier to handle when all the enemies are either in the back or foreground, but once they are mixed together, it becomes much hairier to handle.  You have to recognize by the size, perspective and way they are facing whether they are fore or background.  Then aim at them, and fire the correct button.  Very cool and very unique.

In addition to the aforementioned power-ups, there are also the ubiquitous bosses.  But the bosses are magical.  What that means to you is that the battles with the bosses take place in weird areas (air, space, etc), so that the normal perspective becomes even harder to delineate.  When the boss's minions are floating at you from every direction and you are in mid-air, space or clouds, it's much more difficult to quickly determine which button to use to fire at them.

Graphics are fine, but not great.  However, some of the boss scenes are especially well done.  The first boss is in a quasi-stormy sky and the colors and lighting are fun to look at while you blast his magical zombie/golems.

Riot is very obscure.  There are almost no references to it on the web and KLOV does not even have an entry for it.  Go play it and help give it the fame it deserves.

Game of the Day - Varth: Operation Thunderstorm

Nice name... Some made-up word that sounds like you are puking followed by a bunch of stuff to try to make it sound cooler.

 
But don't be alarmed, Varth is a nice vert shooter.   In the same mold as the 194? series, Varth is an airplane/military shooter with a little bit of a steampunk type art theme.  At the beginning, you select what type of "pods" you are going to use.  Pods are the little spheres that fly with you and act like shields with remote weaponry.  You can choose the pods that always stay in front of you - thus blocking most direct incoming enemy fire, or those that circle around you, trying to stop everything, but occasionally not there in front when you need them.  I usually choose the ones that are fixed in front.  The strange thing about choosing the pod type before you start is that...you don't start with any pods!!!!  You only get pods when you get certain types of power-ups.  Then the pods appear.  So don't think there is something wrong with the game (like I did) when you first start out and the pods you chose are not there.

There are three types of normal weapons and three types of pod weapons.  All fire with the first button.  As usual, the second button is a bomb, and the bomb type is based on what conventional weapon/power-up you are currently sporting.

The bomb acquisition is a little diff in Varth.  Rather than gobble them up like other power-ups, the number of bombs simply increases based on a timer bar located in the lower left of the screen adjacent to where they show how many bombs you currently have.  Once the bar fills up (and it simply advances constantly with time), you get another bomb and it starts over again.  So, you can always see how long 'til you get another.  It's kind of like Dorothy keeping an eye on the hour glass in WizOz.

Also, just like the game Double Wings (GOTD from a few days ago), your score gets incremented by 1 point each time you continue.  Thus, just by looking at someone's score (the last digit), you can tell how many continues they used to achieve it - it's a very cool feature, especially in the MAME world of infinite free continues.

Game of the Day - Shuffleshot

 Since it's Christmas and you have folks over, here's a suggestion... Crank up the MAME cab and play Shuffleshot.  It's a straight-forward shuffle-bowler that plays four different games (all with virtual shuffle pucks).  Like World Class Bowling that was a previous GOTD, it's good old-fashioned fun that is easy for any player (even geezers and non-video gamers) to learn and play.


You simply use the trackball to adjust where you want the puck to start, and then roll the trackball forward to initiate the roll.  The graphics and physics work nice, and the game plays well especially with friends and family as competition.  Unlike bowling, in Shuffleshot games, the other players pucks stay on the playfield for you to crash into, knock off, or try to avoid to land your puck on big points.  As I said, easy to learn, but lots of fun to play with a group (up to 4) at parties.

There are two buttons - one for a quick overhead view and one to change the waxiness (slickness) of the lane.  Now, go get your Meemaw/Nana/Bubie and start playing.

"Twas the Night" - For my Pinball Friends

'Twas the night before Christmas

And in the arcade

Stood every Bally and Williams

With no cabinet fade

From the 80s and 90s

Each game was there

There was TOTAN and Monster Bash

And games even more rare

I had only one dollar

And that caused some sadness

So I decide to beat
the Medieval Madness

I dropped in my quarters

I assumed the position

I approached the game

Like a licensed physician

I pushed the start button

And out came the ball

I nailed the skill shot

With no doubt at all

I made all the shots

One after another

I made the left ramp

And then made the other

I racked up the points

No shot was a hassle

Nailed the ramps and the loops

Then I nailed the castle

I couldn't possibly miss

'cause I was so hot

Then I cradled the ball

For one final shot

It was my turn

To beat the High Score to Date

On this Christmas Eve

It was surely my fate

As I lined up the shot

To make history
I heard a loud sound

unfamiliar to me

It was hooves and ho-hoing

On top of the roof

Santa had crash-landed

And I heard the proof

I looked at my game

And imagine my horror

(It was my last dollar

I couldn't be poorer)

But as can be the case

The arcade wasn't well built

The thunderous crash

Caused my last ball to tilt!!

No High Score to Date

I was madder than hell

When Santa came in

I started to yell

He reached in his suit

And pulled out a key

He opened the coin door

And giggle with glee

He pushed on the buttons

And he changed some setting

He murmured how that

Should stop me from fretting

He locked it back up

And before I could ask

He had slipped out the door

Having completed his task

I wanted to know

What he had done
Just how in the world
Had he increased my fun?

Then I heard him call out

As he flew off in his sleigh

Merry Christmas to All

Your game's on Free Play

How cool is this?

It's a brand-new hand-held with a 3.5 inch screen that plays original SNES cartridges.

http://hyperkin.com/index.php/retro-gaming/supaboy-portable-pocket-snes-console.html

Game of the Day - Double Wings

Double Wings is a pretty typical vert shooter, but done very well.  You choose one of many planes (bi-planes) to fly and then take off to conquer all the normal arcade shmup enemies.  The graphics are very sharp and quasi-cute.  And the sounds are nice depending on which plane/weapon you are sporting (some of the weapons sound a little tinny).

There's a strange mascot in Double Wings and if you went to the University of Kansas (I didn't), you'll be pleased.  Because it looks just like a Kansas Jayhawk.  I don't see any explanation or know why they chose this, but the little bird introduces the levels, asks you to continue and generally hosts the game.  It looks just like it came off the basketball court at KU... weird.  Anyway, the little guy also shows up in the game.  When you continue, one of the first things that happens is that the little Jayhawk floats around for you to be able to pick-up (power-up).  If you get him, you are awarded some sort of power-up you wouldn't have otherwise had - sort of a reward for continuing.



The game can be very difficult - and the way you are respawned when you die and continue doesn't help.  Unlike other games of this era, where you usually respawn right where you were with the enemies still in their current status, Double Wings goes old school.  You are backed up a little on the level and any damage done to enemies is erased.  So, it can be very challenging to defeat the bosses.  Because if you die during the battle, you have to start over - you can't just pick up where you were with your next life and finish him off.  It must have taken me 10 or so continues to beat the first boss.

One final thing to mention.   I know there are other games that do this, but I can't name any of them now, but Double Wings has a nice feature when it comes to scoring.  Every time you choose to continue, the last (ones) digit of your score gets incremented by one.  That way, your score might be 500,503 if you have continued 3 times - or 1,800,900 if you didn't continue at all.  It makes it so you can look at the high score table and immediately know how many continues someone used to achieve the score.  Very cool.

QuarterZone Comics - Terminator

Game of the Day - Super Stingray

Super Stingray is an exceedingly obscure tank-based shooter.  You have an overhead view of a battlefield and you fight/shoot other tanks and enemies.  There is some difference here between this and many other vert shooting games that make it unique.  Each level is small and you have a specific goal - mostly to destroy the opponents base before the timer runs out.  It plays a lot like "capture the flag".  You have to maneuver thru the dangers on the battlefield, get to the other side, and destroy/shoot/capture whatever is in the middle of the far side of the battlefield.  In the early stages, the length of the battlefield is only a few scrolls of the screen long.  So, while it's a shooter, you are really playing "capture the flag".  The other part of the game that makes it feel this way is the power-ups.  While there are some scattered around the playfield (mostly health), there is a kind of garage on either side of your home base that has different bays that house different power-ups.  So, at any time during the round, if you want to change weapons or change some special ability or get repairs, you can just head back to your base and pull into the corresponding bay.  The problem is that time is always running out, so you can't go back to the well too often.

The graphics are serviceable and the action is at tank-speed (slower than other shooters).  But, for the interesting, strategic gameplay - while still being action based - Super Stingray is a nice change of pace.

Game of the Day - Wacko

I'm a sucker for gameplay like Robotron 2084.

I'm a sucker for games that use a trackball.

Therefore, I'm a sucker for Wacko.

(By the way Wacko is the parent/spirit brother of the game Kozmik Krooz'r which was just featured here in a Strategy Guide by Dave V.)

Wacko is a shooter in the Robotron style, but instead of using one of the joysticks to control your movement, you use the trackball.  So, you move all over using the trackball and shoot the direction you want by using the joystick.  There are no buttons used to control the gameplay.  The js fires only four ways (up, down, left, right), so you don't get the benefit of firing at your enemies on the diagonals.  Using the trackball to quickly zoom all over the screen and the js to fire the direction you want is a great control combo that needed to be used more in the years that came after this game.

You are a little alien dude in a flying saucer shooting monsters as they attack.  The graphics are simple and cartoonish and they work well for the game but won't be winning any awards (even back in their time).

Wacko adds a little brain action to the trigger action.  You can't just shoot any monsters, you have to shoot them in pairs.  Once you shoot a certain type of monster he freezes/shakes for a few seconds - then you have to shoot the matching monster to make them both disappear.  If you don't shoot anything within a certain time, the monster starts moving again.  If you shoot a different type of monster, it freezes, but the first one is released and takes off again.  So, you can't just shoot everything you see, you have to choose very specifically what to blast.

In subsequent levels it gets more complicated.  When you shoot the pairs of monsters, they don't disappear - they just shrink.  Then, you CAN'T kill them until you've shrunk all the pairs!  Once all the monsters are shrunk - then you can pick any of them off - it doesn't have to be pairs when they are shrunken.  Also, on subsequent levels, if you hit monsters consecutively that aren't pairs, they mutate, creating combo monsters.  Then it gets really hard to shoot pairs - you either have to mutate another pair to match, or de-mutate the original pair.  As you can imagine, it gets crazy, because while you are figuring out what to shoot - the bastards are chasing you all over the screen.  Nicely done all around.

Guest Gamer Strategy Guide - Kozmik Krooz'r by Dave V.

From time to time I'm gonna have someone who loves and is good at a game submit a strategy guide or random tips on playing the game.  Here's Dave V. with his write-up of how to do well and enjoy Kozmik Krooz'r...

A face that only a mothership could love! Midway's little advertising catch phrase actually fits pretty well. Kozmik Krooz'r is a tough nut to crack; but once you pick up on the nuances of gameplay, you may find it pretty addicting!

Kozmik Krooz'r is at its heart, a twin stick shooter, ala Robotron. The primary objective is to get your little dudes up to the mothership. You have at your disposal a multi-directional shot, and a limited forcefield.  You'll face a small assortment of baddies, from generic UFO aliens to kamikaze space witches (no joke!) that give a nice bonus; but these aren't your focus. Sure, kill as many as you can on your way, but don't dawdle and point press. For maximum scoring potential, make a bee line for that mothership, and only through the marked 5000 bonus point entry. Doing this with each and every life will net you tons of points, which will only increase as you earn extra lives. Again, do not point press! The longer you take, the more black holes and enemies, meaning a greater chance of losing those precious lives.

You'll also get to play a bonus level every fifth round, which has you gathering parts for your ship. I'll leave these to you to figure out. Don't worry, you're capable!

Want to aim for a high score? Well, the arcade world record is Jason Cram's 439,900, with the MAME champ Robert Macaulay weighing in with an astronomical 1,220,300 pts. As I'm sure you're curious, my personal high is right about 800k; a ways to go, I know. ;) Best of luck, Krooz'rs!

Game of the Day - Section Z

Section Z is a horz and a vert shooter.  It's simple, straight-forward fun.  And it's the precursor to one of my all-time fav games which will be a GOTD in the near future - Forgotten Worlds.

Section Z is so named because you fly thru sections that are labelled alphabetically.  At certain predetermined spots, the game changes from left/right scrolling to up & down.

The controls are simple and a little bit unusual.  You have two buttons, one to shoot and one to change the direction you are facing.  As you can imagine, there are power-ups available that can improve your speed and the power of your shot - but that's about it, nothing too fancy.

The graphics are typical for the time period and pleasant - mostly you play Section Z because of the nice action and interesting flight patterns of the enemies, as well as a difficulty level that isn't all that easy.

Play Section Z and see what letter you can get to without the benefit of continuing.

Game of the Day - Gun Force II

I'm absolutely, totally amazed that GF2 is not a more popular game.  For a while, I did not make it a GOTD because I just assumed it was very popular and well known.  However, when you look at the data of how often it's mentioned and how many votes there are on it on MAME sites and how many downloads, it turns out its not nearly as popular as I had thought.  Make no mistake Gun Force II (some think it's name GunForce II) is one of the Top 10 action games in all of MAME.

It's a lot like Metal Slug, but on steroids.  The graphics, action and gameplay meld together into the most mesmerizing platform shoot-'em-up experience I've had.  There are many great (and some unique) touches that make the game stand out...

Your character has two guns at all times.  And they rotate around you with one following the other as you move them to aim.  So, positionally, they are firing at different directions at all times.  What's more, is that when you collect one of the myriad power-ups that are around, they usually apply to one of the guns and not the other.  It also changes color to indicate its powered-up status.  Thus, when you are aiming and moving the guns around, make sure to aim the more powerful weapon where you want.  Also, the vehicles are crazy.  Helicopters, Tanks, other stuff are gigantic and fun to pilot.  Most also have two quasi-independent guns to aim.  Another cool feature occurs when you are fighting the bigger enemies (bosses)...  Generally, you can jump on them and hide/hang on in the cracks an crevices and fire at them from within.  While on your enemy, you can jump all over it and hang at strange angles while continuing to fire at it.  It's a fun way to attack.

An extra couple of lines here for the graphics...  As I wrote, they are Metal Slugian, but bigger and brighter.  They don't necessarily of the nice cartoon immersion effect of Metal Slug, but the sprites are gigantic and the detail of all the vehicles and backgrounds is as nice as any game you'll see in this genre.

Here's my strong statement - if you don't like Gun Force II, there is something wrong in your head.

Game of the Day - Enforce

Enforce is a 1st person tank game that looks and plays somewhat like Space Harrier (although SH is a 3rd person game).  The first thing you need to know is the control mechanism is diff than the arcade.  In the arcade, apparently the game had a yoke and a pedal.  The default in MAME is an 8-way joystick.  There is no provision for analog controls.  So, when I first played the game, the js control was too fast and hard to aim.  I changed the up,down,left and right settings to be controlled by the trackball and Voila!, the game is cool and controls work great.  Remember, it's still not analog, but using the trackball instead of the js gives you much more precise control over the action.

You have two buttons - one shoots your normal artillery and the other a powerful energy charge shot.  The amount of the charge is shown on the lower left and depleted when you use it - but it quickly builds back up.  You shoot at everything coming at you using a cross-hair controlled by the aforementioned js or trackball.  There is a wide variety of crap coming at you, including flying things holding clear capsules containing prisoners.  Make sure to shoot the capsule, and not the prisoner (unless you are a traitor, of course).
 
At the end of each section there are weaponized walls or other large structures to defeat, they can be very easy or very tough.  While the graphics aren't great, they fit well with the theme and the speed at which they fly at you. 

Enforce is a rare, obscure game, but one you can certainly enjoy trying to finish.

Game of the Day - Alien 3 - The Gun

Don't be fooled by the name, you don't need a gun to enjoy Alien 3 - The Gun.  Based on the movie of the same name, Alien 3 is a cross-hair shooter that used mounted guns in the arcade version of the game.  Obviously, if you have a light gun with your MAME setup, you can enjoy similar action, but I don't have a gun.

You can play the game with a joystick, setting it up in MAME is easy if you are a newbie.  But, this game plays unbelievably well using a trackball as the gun/cross-hair/aiming mechanism.  I've tried many games that were designed for use with guns in the arcades, and some of them play well with other controls like a trackball and some don't.  It depends on how the things come at you and what kind of action the game has as well as other factors.  There are some games where it is more about aiming and a quick/steady hand - those are better with lightguns and not so much with trackballs.  However, games where there are lots of enemies coming from everywhere and where you can zoom all over the place with the trackball - starting and stopping at will - provide a very satisfying game experience without the benefit of a gun.  Alien 3 is one of those games.

You have two buttons, fire and bomb.  Normally the fire button is for bullets, but you can change weapons by finding and shooting items (flamethrower, for instance).  When you hold down the button to shoot, it acts like a machine gun EXCEPT, the longer you hold the button, the slower your bullets fire.  It's essentially like overheating.  So, you have to give it a rest here and there to keep at max firepower.  The bombs pretty much kill everything in sight.  You start with a couple but can get more by shooting items as you move around.  Other than weapons and bombs, you can also shoot an item that gives you more lifeforce.  Alien 3 is a game that gives you a certain amount of lifeforce to start that decreases when you take hits (as opposed to games that you die each time you are hit and give you multiple lives).

There aren't actually a lot of items to get and the graphics tend to lack variety, but those weaknesses are made up for by the fun of the action that is all around.  Watch out for the Facehuggers.

Game of the Day - The Deep (aka Run Deep)

The Deep (which is also called Run Deep in the US) is the slowest arcade game I ever enjoyed.  I'm a twitchy, hyper-active, ritalin-needing uber-bundle of energy, so I love games that are fast and furious.  Run Deep is not.  It's still an action game (as opposed to a strategy or tactics or puzzle game) - it just has its own pace that fits with the theme perfectly.

You are a boat floating on the surface and most of the screen represents what is under the ocean trying to attack/kill you.  You have two buttons.  One that drops depth charges of the left half of your boat and one that drops depth charges of the right side.  They travel slowly thru the water (like they might for real) and blow up when they collide with something.  The different enemies are at varying depths and it can take a while for your depth charge to get to them, so you have to aim ahead/lead them.  They shoot and float lots of stuff at you: missiles, mines, other crap.  You have to avoid getting hit despite the fact you can only move left and right and can't do it very fast.  You can also drop a depth charge to blow up anything on the way to hit you.  The number of depth charges you have starts as a fixed amount and declines as you deploy them.  They slowly replenish over time OR you can find a power-up that will restore your full complement.  But, the point is, you can't fire them willy-nilly without watching your supply, as the number is finite.

It all happens in a molasses, slo-mo kind of way, but the action still gets interesting as the screen gets more full and more crap comes up after you.  As is usual, there are power-ups that increase things like speed, power of your charges, etc.

The graphics are very nice and the backgrounds and under water look are especially pleasing.

If you want to play an action based game and yet still mellow out, play The Deep.

Game of the Day - Gunbird 2

 Gunbird 2 is one of my top 3 favorites as far as graphics in a SHMUP.  The graphics are simply outstanding.  Sharp, crisp details of all kinds of enemies (many robotic).  Backgrounds that go far beyond most games of this type.  Little cartoon people running around like kooks.  The level of detail is amazing and there should be some sort of award for it.

You choose among several charcters to start - and there is a variable element to what order you play the stages in.  Also, as you can imagine, the diff characters have diff firepower, bombs and special attacks.  For instance, one character is Alucard (that's Dracula backwards if you just woke up) - and he shoots bats as bullets.

There are 3 buttons in use: fire, bomb and close/power attack (which you need to power-up to use again).  The gameplay is as smooth as the graphics and blowing the crap up is very satisfying.

There aren't a lot of inventive tricks or scoring peculiarities, the game is just solid vert SHMUPing with glorious graphics.  My one criticism would be the difficulty at some points in the various stages.  The screen can become so cluttered with enemy fire to avoid that all you can do is focus on navigating your way thru the crap (and just shooting willy-nilly, hoping you are hitting something).  Of course, then I can't focus on the beautiful graphics because I'm just trying to survive.

When I do a GOTD, I try to cover games that not everyone knows (i.e. - no point in telling everyone about Pac-Man).  So, with some games, I check a few references to see how popular/known the game is.  I was surprised that Gunbird 2 isn't as well known as I thought and many folks haven't played it.  Hopefully, a few of you will find it now and crank it up.

QuarterZone Shots - Rally-X

Game of the Day - Heavy Smash

Heavy Smash is a fun hockey/soccer/bball game that is really just an updated version of the old game "Speedball".  But that's okay, because it's well done and a good time.

If you don't know of Speedball, basically you control a player as part of a team and you need to throw the ball in the other team's goal.  You can pick the ball up and run around, pass it to teammates, do special moves and throw the ball in the goal from almost anywhere.  On defense, you can tackle/punch opponents to steal the ball - there are no holds barred.  The goalie is/can be controlled automatically by the CPU.  As with most sports games, the guy you control changes to the player who has the ball on offense and to the player who is the nearest to the ball on defense.

The passing, shooting and special shots are satisfying and the action is fun.  Best of all, you can throw the ball so hard that even though the goalie catches the ball, the momentum carries the goalie into the goal and your score anyway.  You can also master passing and shooting by bouncing the ball of the corners of the stadium to yourself or your teammates.

Graphics are very colorful and humorous.  And as I write in almost every sports game review, the game is even more fun when you play against a human (or close) opponent.

Holy Crap - $1,850 of Geekdom

I saw this on Etsy.  Described as a custom made "Devil May Cry Vergil Coat".  It takes 10 weeks to make it and costs the buyer $1,850 hard earned dollars.  If you buy it, you better damn well win the costume contest at Comic-Con.

Here's the link, don't all go ordering it at once...


http://www.etsy.com/listing/63952235/devil-may-cry-vergil-coat

Game of the Day - Charlie Ninja

Charlie Ninja is a cartoon disguised as a platform game.  You take the form of Charlie Ninja (not even sure what species he is) and you fight your way through all kinds of levels that would make Hanna and Barbera proud.

You throw ninja stars and fight your way past all types of enemies.  Destroying lots of things that wind up turning into power-ups.   Your weapons can even become the guided missile variety - pretty good for a hand-thrown, tuning-fork-looking thingy. Of course you can jump and double jump to get to high stuff and there is lots of up & down action to keep you busy.  The one extra they put in the controls is that if you push both buttons at once, you turn invisible (or transparent) and enemies and gunfire go right through you.  You can see it in top picture, just to the left of the horse.

There's fire and caverns to jump over and enemies from all eras to fight.  The first two levels are the old west and then some sort of military/Rambo-esque goings on.

It's very cartoony and done with detail and a lot of love.  Charlie Ninja may be a little goofy, but it's a lot of fun.

Game of the Day - Gundhara

Gundhara is an Omni Shooter that owes a lot to others in the genre like Shock Troopers.  You choose one of two dudes and mount a Big-Ass Gun on your shoulder and go and fight enemy soldiers and rescue ultra-whiny kids.

The controls are typical.  The first button fires your weapon in the direction you are facing.  And, like in other games, if you hold the button down you lock the direction you are firing and can move around without screwing up what you are aiming at.  The second button is for hand-to-hand attacks and the third button is a super bomb/grenade.
 
The graphics are good, and you can blow up much of the surrounding crap.  Make sure to fire at everything because it may reveal more power-ups.  In fact, you can even shoot the kids you are supposed to be rescuing - and believe me, once you see and hear the little whiners - you'll want to blast them.  Speaking of power-ups, the usual suspects are here... You can get different weapons and/or power-up any weapon you have.  You can also collect more bombs/grenades.

In the second area, the game actually changes to a vert vehicle-based shooter.  You are on a motorcycle and shoot vertically only and vehicles come at you from above and below.  The graphics are nice and the action is good, but I don't like this kind of level near as much as the walk-around, omni shooter type.  Luckily, on the third level, it returns to the omni shooter goodness I love.

Difficulty can start to get pretty rough.  I can't even count how many times I got slammed right at the beginning of the third level.  The enemies are everywhere and the dudes that fight you are giant.  Be prepared for obliteration.

All in all, lots of good stuff.  Go blast some crap.

Game of the Day - Twin Eagle II

What good is a vert shooter if you can't blow up everything in sight?  Well, don't worry about TE2, because - KABOOM! - you can.  Cars, trains, tanks and most fun of all, buildings can all be vaporized by your missiles.  In fact, in some levels, your air-to-ground missiles are necessary to blow up most things because there are very few airborne targets.  Some levels, the targets are more balanced - and some levels, almost exclusively air-to-air.

You have 3 buttons.  One for airborne fire, one for missiles that head to the ground and one for a super whirling-dervish type bomb.  Power-ups come in many forms, but most are gained by blowing up buildings that then reveal colored trucks to destroy and then, colored parachutes to collect.


The graphics are early stage quasi photo-realistic.  While they are a little muddy and not entirely smooth, they are very effective and fun to look at.  And the fact that all things can be blown-up and have some sort of animation graphics to represent that is awesome.

So, get in your chopper, blast away at everything in your way and have fun with TE2.

Game of the Day - Space Bomber

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to play Galaga on psychotropic drugs (and we all have) - you have two choices.  Take the drugs and play it, or just play Space Bomber instead.

Space Bomber has the weirdest stuff/graphics you'll ever see attack you in a vert shooter.  These pics don't even remotely do it justice.  Skulls, evil rabbits, giant robots - and all in this weird, quasi-photo-realistic look.  Despite how weird it looks, I like the visuals.  They are sharp, modern, unusual and they work very well together.







The gameplay does not disappoint.  It is a typical Galaga type shooter with one big twist - you use the 2nd button to capture pretty much any of your enemies (except the big bosses).  Once captured they hang off you like a tail and then you can deploy them with a charge shot/button "b" combo that'll turn it into some kind of bomb.  The bomb type can be different depending on what kind of thing you captured.  And you can capture lots and have them all tail you - subsequently burning them off one at a time, only when you choose.  As far as the enemies go, some stuff dives at you, and some just jitters around over your head - some things are wiped out easily while some take lots of hits.  Then, there are the bosses... the difficulty of some of them is off the charts.  I just played a game where I used three continues just to defeat one of the bosses.

So, if you are looking for something new, with some eye-popping and eye-irritating graphics, some unusual control and a big,fat challenge, give Space Bomber a try.  If the graphics don't immediately send you screaming into your mommy's bosom, you'll have a good time.

.

Control Asteroids with your Eyes - Seriously!

Tobii EyeAsteroids™ - the World’s First
Eye-controlled Arcade Game

http://www.tobii.com/eye-tracking-integration/global/products-services/hardware/eye-controlled-game-tobii-eyeasteroids/

Game of the Day - Bang Bead

Okay, it's Pong.  But it's Pong 4G.  Or Pong Y2K more to the point.  Bang Bead came out in 2000 and is a fun, down & dirty sports game.  Unlike Pong, you get to move your player all over the court (not just up and down).  And unlike Pong, you get to hit the ball with force...

So, if you are just in front of the ball, it bounces off you.  If you push the "A" button you HIT it back.  If you push the "B" button, you slide or dive for the ball.  If you push the "C" button, you do the super/power hit - but only when your power gauge is full.

You choose a player when you start and they have slightly diff attributes.  And then, off you go.  When you first start the game, there are protective stars behind you that make up your goal line.  Those have to be eliminated first to make space for the ball to score.  So, you can strategically plan to defend based on what stars remain on your side.

The graphics are light, cartoony and fun.  Most important of all, the action is good.  The ball can get whipped into a pretty good frenzy and take your best reactions to return it.  While it's a fun game against the computer, like most sports games, Bang Bead is at its best against another gamer.

Game of the Day - Ninja Baseball Bat Man

Believe it or not, Ninja Baseball Bat Man is far more absurd than its title.  Some people know and love this game, some know it and don't and lots have never played because they pass it over from the sound of the title and the pics online. I know I did for a while.  It's a platform/beat-'em-up with some of the craziest graphics and theme you'll ever see.  They took the title literally.  You are a baseball player (albeit robotic) and a ninja, and you beat the crap out of baseball themed enemies and any other crazy thing the programmers felt like in locations all over the world.

But don't make the mistake of writing the game off for its goofiness.   It's a ton of fun.  The graphics are sharp, super bright and imaginative and make me laugh more than any other platformer I can think of.  Some of the enemies are gigantic and most are smiling at you.  More importantly, the action is better and way less repetitive than most beat-'em-ups.  The moves and special moves you get from simple controls are plentiful.  And the sprinkling of items around to use to throw at enemies and blow them up are ample and fun.  There is always something new to look at, pick up, beat up or escape from.  They even tried to be a little different with the soundtrack - although I think they missed the mark with it.  They at least get points for being creative, despite some of the annoying sounds.

You may not like it as much as I do when you play it, but you will have to admit it was fresh in its day.  I think its a good time.

Game of the Day - Hellfire

Hellfire is by most measures a pretty standard late 80s horz shooter.  The graphics are nice and sharp but not very inspired.  The sound and other details are good but not great.  Why is it a GOTD?  For a couple of reasons that are related to one another.

First, the enemies shoot at you and come at your from all directions - in front, behind, in tiny crevices, at difficult angles, etc.  Some of the stationary guns can be hard to reach or shoot at because they are protected by walls on either side and at difficult angles.... That bring us to the second reason why I like this game - controlling where your guns fire.

Obviously, there are lots of games that let you control what angle or where you are firing from/at.  Sometimes it's just your gun, sometimes it's an accompanying drone.  But with Hellfire it is more primarily integrated into the design of the game.  The second button simply chooses where your fire goes - front, back, up & down, or all four diagonals.  Again, this isn't totally unusual, but in Hellfire you use it all the time because of where and how the enemies come at you.  Some you can only get with the up & down, some you need the diagonal because they are buried and protected with angled walls.

It's clear that in the programming for this game a lot of thought went into the use of the different gun angles and where and how to use them against varying enemies.  There is no game I've played where I use the button to adjust where I'm shooting as often as Hellfire.

QuarterZone Shots - Pac-Man Joy

Hadouken T-Shirt

 Awesome T-shirt I just ordered...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86305824/hadouken-t-shirt-cool-shirts-design-a

Game of the Day - Desert War

Desert War is a vertical shooter with a nice twist... You are a helicopter making your way thru hostile territory and (as usual) blasting most anything is sight.  However, the hook here is that you routinely have to land and take off again at designated spots to: rescue dudes, get fuel, get ammo and get busy.


You are aided in this quest by a nice radar screen to your right.  It shows where all the hot spots are and what is there.  Once you pick something or someone up, you usually have to go to a heliport to then drop it/them off to collect your reward.  The trick is to not hover/land/take-off when you are being attacked...  It's the two diff things at once crap that'll get you.

Graphics are very nice and all go well together (although the soldiers are a little cutesy for the rest of the game).  You use a button to fire your arsenal and another to take-off and land.  There are a few more control surprises I'll let you discover on your own.  Go play Desert War, it's good stuff.