Accepted [+] [X] Lunar Lander Update submitted by XtC
Lunar Lander (c) 1979 Atari.
Lunar Lander is a 1-player coin-op electronic game that simulates landing a manned spaceship on the moon. Various video-display phrases indicate score, time elapsed during this landing mission, fuel units consumed, altitude above the moon, and horizontal and vertical speed. The fuel consumption and both speed readings are important for the player to determine how to land the craft. Realistic engine rumble and crash sounds accompany game play. A high beep warns of an almost-depleted fuel supply, whereupon players can add coins to automatically extend the game and 'fill up' their fuel tanks. Depending on the quality of the landing or the crash, various messages are displayed on the screen.
Game play begins with engine rumble and the lander drifting towards the bottom
right corner of the screen. Horizontal and vertical speeds are constantly displayed, including two arrows to show horizontal and vertical directions of travel. Altitude is measured in distance above the surface of the mountain - not above 'sea level'. The screen also shows time in actual seconds, representing time elapsed in the current mission.
The operator can select from four different settings for fuel units - 450, 600, 750 or 900 fuel units per coin (free play is also available). As the lander module flies over the landscape, it approaches the mountains and a landing site. At a certain point near the mountains, the game 'zooms in' for a close-up view of everything on the screen.
If the player realizes the speed is too fast and the landing looks hopeless, he or she can press the ABORT button on the control panel. This will give the lander extra thrust and make it fly upwards at top speed. The abort feature does consume 120 to 180 fuel units, though, as a disincentive to overusing it. If the ABORT button is pressed too late, however, a crash cannot be avoided.
The four levels of mission difficulty are determined by the player and can be changed at any time during the game or the ready-to-play mode. The differences between the four are printed on the mission select panels and are self explanatory, except perhaps rotational momentum. This feature causes the lander to tumble around when either ROTATE button is pushed. The longer either button is held down, the faster the lander module will spin in that direction. The player gains control of the lander by pressing the other ROTATE button for the same amount of time.
- TECHNICAL -
Lunar Lander came in a large black upright cabinet, which was a little heavier than most. The sideart is a (predominately blue); there is no front art at all, and the monitor bezel is relatively clear of decals. The marquee features a 'Lunar Lander' blasting off from the surface of the moon (some of these have a black background, while others have blue, it appears that there were 2 print runs of these).
Cabinet dimensions : 25.25 in. (64.14 cm) wide x 32 in. (81.28 cm) deep x 71.87 in. (182.54 cm) high.
Cabinet monitor : 19-in. B/W
Game ID : 0345xx
Main CPU : MOS Technology M6502 (@ 1.512 Mhz)
Sound Chips : Discrete
Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : Vector, capable of 1024 x 768 static points, infinite resolution of lines in between.
Screen refresh : Dynamic, varies depending on how many vectors are drawn on screen at once.
Palette colors : 16 levels of grey.
Players : 1
Control : Lever (increase or decrease the THRUST)
Button : 3 (ROTATE LEFT, ROTATE RIGHT, ABORT)
- TRIVIA -
Lunar Lander was released in August 1979, selling at an MSRP of $1695. Approximately 4,830 units were produced.
Licensed to Sega for Japanese market.
Lunar Lander was Atari's first vector game and was inspired by "Moonlander", a game written by Jack Burness in 1973 as a demo for the DEC GT40 vector graphics terminal (based on a PDP-11/05 CPU). This game used a light pen to control thrust and rotation.
If the player landed at exactly the right spot, a McDonalds appeared. The astronaut would leave the lander and walk over to the McDonalds and order a Big Mac to go, before walking back to the Lander and taking off again. If players crashed directly into the McDonalds, the game displayed a message reading 'You clod. You've destroyed the only McDonald's on the Moon.' After a short run of Lunar Lander machines were manufactured, production was shifted over to "Asteroids" and the first few hundred "Asteroids" machines were housed in Lunar Lander cabinets. Atari donated a gold edition version of the coin-operated video game to the Discovery Center of Science & Technology in Syracuse, New York.
On June 17, 1980, Atari's "Asteroids" and "Lunar Lander" were the first two video games to ever be registered in the Copyright Office.
David Nelson holds the officially recognized world record for this game (certified via Twin Galaxies) with 1,525 points. This was achieved using a single credit and 750 units of fuel which are the default settings for this game.
A Lunar Lander units appears in the 1984 movie 'The Philadelphia Experiment'.
- UPDATES -
Revision 1:
DIP switches allow 450, 600, 750, or 900 fuel units per coin.
Revision 2:
DIP switches allow 450, 600, 750, 900, 1100, 1300, 1500, or 1800 fuel units per coin.
- SCORING -
The scoring system gives 50 points for a good landing, plus 50 fuel units as a bonus. A hard landing earns only 15 points, and a crash earns 5 points. A crash happens when the vertical speed exceeds 15 and the horizontal speed exceeds 31. The number displayed after SCORE is cumulative of all landings made in the current game. The point scores for a good or hard landing can be greatly increased by landing on an area with a flashing multiplier, for example 2X or 5X. Thus, a good landing on the very narrow 5X site would give that player 250 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* When you start the game, your Lunar Lander will be floating above the moon's surface. Immediately, your lander will start to descend. Figure out where you want to land and maneuver your lander to that landing pad. Fuel is a valuable commodity in this game. To get the most ''bang'' for your quarter, try to use as little as possible. Since everything burns fuel (even rotating your lander left and right), do your best to get centered over a landing pad so you don't have to overreact at the last minute.
* Use the thrust lever sparingly. It is easy to move it up and down so you can easily put on full thrusters before you realize what's happening. This can be especially dangerous if you are in a canyon and are going sideways. Your lander will become part of the moonscape very quickly. Just use short bursts to correct your downward and left/right movement. This not only gives you better control, but it also saves you on fuel.
* After you have decided on the landing pad, start maneuvering your lander toward it. Use minimal thrusters to keep your lander from going too fast toward the moon. Also, only tap on the right and left rotation buttons so that you keep your left/right speed as near to zero as possible.
* When you get near enough to the moon's surface, the view will change and you will get the close-up view. This is the time you can start doing all your finishing maneuvers. If you set yourself up right when you were way above the moon's surface, you shouldn't have to do much to ensure that you are over the landing pad. If you find yourself in trouble and there is no way out, press the ABORT button. The effects are that it automatically straightens out your lander, stops all left/right movement, and moves you a little ways off the surface. The penalty for this is approximately 100 units of fuel.
* On your final descent onto the landing pad, watch your speed. If you land at anything greater then 10, you run the risk of damaging or destroying your lander. When you have landed, the game will give you an assessment of the landing and the points earned.
* Over time, the easy pads will go away and you will have to land on pads located on the sides of mountains or very deep, steep sided ravines. It will be even more critical that you know how to do small maneuvers since some of the landing pads are not wider then your lander.
- STAFF -
Original design by : Jack Burness
Programmed by : Rich Moore
Vector generator display system by : Howard Delman
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Microsoft XBOX (nov.16, 2004) "Atari Anthology [Model 26084]"
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.22, 2004) "Atari Anthology [Model SLUS-21076]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (nov.26, 2004) "Atari Anthology"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.18, 2005) "Atari Anthology [Model SLES-53061]"
[JP] Microsoft XBOX (aug.4, 2005) "Atari Anthology [XBOX World Collection] [Model B7X-00001]"
[US] Sony PlayStation 4 (oct.18, 2016) "Atari Flashback Classics Vol.1"
[US] Microsoft XBOX One (nov.1, 2016) "Atari Flashback Classics Vol.1"
* HANDHELDS:
[UK] Nintendo DS (mar.11, 2005) "Retro Atari Classics [Model NTR-ATAE-UKV]"
[EU] Nintendo DS (mar.11, 2005) "Retro Atari Classics [Model NTR-ATAE-EUR]"
[US] Nintendo DS (mar.16, 2005) "Retro Atari Classics [Model NTR-ATAE-USA]"
[JP] Nintendo DS (june.30, 2005) "Atarimix Happy 10 Games [Model NTR-ATAJ-JPN]"
[US] Nintendo GBA (aug.15, 2005) "3 Games in One! Super Breakout - Millipede - Lunar Lander [Model AGB-B62E-USA]"
[EU] Nintendo GBA (sept.2, 2005) "3 Games in One! Super Breakout - Millipede - Lunar Lander [Model AGB-B62P-EUR]"
[AU] Nintendo DS (nov.2007) "Retro Atari Classics [Model NTR-ATAE-AUS]"
[US] Sony PSP (dec.19, 2007) "Atari Classics Evolved [Model ULUS-10325]"
[AU] Sony PSP (mar.7, 2008) "Atari Classics Evolved"
[US] Nintendo DS (nov.2, 2010) "Atari Greatest Hits Vol.1 [Model NTR-BR6E-USA]"
[EU] Nintendo DS (feb.24, 2011) "Atari Greatest Hits Vol.1 [Model NTR-BR6P-EUR]"
* COMPUTERS:
PC [Booter] [US] (1983) "Eagle Lander", part of the "Friendlyware PC Arcade" suite
Tandy Color Computer [US] (1983) "Lander"
Tandy Color Computer 3 [US] (19??)
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.11, 2003) "Atari - 80 Classic Games in One! [Model 25069J]"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (june.10, 2005) "Atari - 80 Classic Games in One! [Replay]"
[US] Steam (mar.24, 2016) "Atari Vault [Model 400020]"
Microtan 65 [EU]
VTech Laser-VZ [AU]
* OTHERS:
[US] Nokia N-Gage (2005) "Atari Masterpieces Vol. I"
[US] Atari Flashback 2 (2005)
[EU] Nokia N-Gage (oct.13, 2005) "Atari Masterpieces Vol. I"
[US] Atari Flashback 2+ (2010)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Game's F.A.Q. by Kevin Butler A.K.A. War Doc
Accepted [+] [X] Double Dragon 3 - The Rosetta Stone [Model TA-0030] Update submitted by XtC
Double Dragon 3 - The Rosetta Stone (c) 1990 Technos Japan Corp.
A mysterious fortune teller warns Billy & Jimmy Lee about the rise of a powerful enemy in Egypt. Since the Lee brothers are looking for a true challenge to put their martial arts skills to the ultimate test, they agree to face this mysterious new enemy. They embark on a world quest - joining up with new allies in the process - and try to lay claim to the famous 'Rosetta Stone'.
The 3rd and final arcade entry of the Double Dragon series (not counting the later Neo-Geo fighting game based on the movie) features a completely gameplay system and graphics from the first two instalments. The game can played by up to 2 or 3 players, depending on the cabinet and settings. The 3rd player takes control of a yellow-clad Lee brother named Sonny, who is exclusive to this game. Techniques from the previous games such as the hair grab and the elbow punch are gone, but new ones are added such as the belly-to-back throw and the back-to-back hurricane kick, as well as the ability to dash by tapping the joystick left or right twice.
The game features weapon shops that allows the player to purchase power-ups by inserting additional tokens. The power-ups differ between stages differ between stages and are available as followed.
* Extra Guys - Allows the player to control a new character who replaces the current fighter when he dies. There are three character types in addition to the Lee brothers.
- The Urquidez Brothers (Roney, Sunny, Jonny) - Tall European grapplers. They have the most energy of the four character types. Up to three fighters can be have in reserve.
- The Chin Brothers (Seimei, Taimei, Sinmei) - Chubby Chinese men with powerful attacks.
- The Oyama Brothers (Masao, Kunio, Akira) - Japanese karate masters dressed in gis specializing in speedy attacks.
* Tricks - The hurricane kick and the one-armed stand head butt are added to the player's move set. If the player's current character dies, then the new techniques will be inherited by the next character in reserve, if there is one.
* Weapons - A nunchaku or sword are given player. Only the Lees can have purchase and wield weapons.
* Energy - Restores the current character's life to 150%.
* Power-Up - Increases the character's agility.
There are 5 stages in the game :
Mission 1 - America - The enemies in this stage are typical thugs and bikers. The first area takes place in a downtown area of city. After defeating the first wave of enemies, the player will enter a warehouse, where they encounter bikers that will try to run over them with their bike. The boss in this is Jim, a red-haired biker wearing a leather jacket.
Mission 2 - China - The enemies are martial artists that specialize in flying kicks. The stage takes place in a single level set in a countryside near the Great Wall of China. The boss at the end of level is Li Cheng-Long, a Shaolin Martial Arts expert who resembles Bruce Lee. When he's down in life, he will wield out his club.
Mission 3 - Japan - The enemies are samurai swordsmen. The first area takes place outside a castle, with bamboo traps and enemies coming out of walls. The second area takes place inside a castle, where the player will face a few more swordsmen before taking out on the boss, Ranzou, a ninja. He attacks with throwing stars and smoke bombs and splits into three forms when he's down on his life.
Mission 4 - Italy - Consists of a single level set in the ruins of a coliseum. The enemies are roman archers. After defeating most of the archers, the boss Giuliano, a man decked in gladiator armour, will attempt to run the player over with his horse. After defeating all the archers, Giuliano will dismount at the end of the level and fight the player. He wields a long hand spear and can block attacks with his shield.
Mission 5 - Egypt - The final stage is composed of seven levels, which includes a desert field, an underground forest, a trap room with stone pillars and giant hands emerging from the floor, a hall with a flying disc. Enemies include living tree men and rock creatures.
- TECHNICAL -
Game ID : TA-0030
Main CPU : Motorola 68000 (@ 12 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.579545 Mhz)
Sound Chips : Yamaha YM2151 (@ 3.579545 Mhz), OKI6295 (@ 8.5 Khz)
Players : 3
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 3
- TRIVIA -
Developed by East Technology. Double Dragon 3 was released in November 1990 by Technos.
The first two Double Dragon games were created by an internal team at Technos, but this game was written by an outside team called East Technology (see Staff section for more information). A graffiti in the first stage reads "Gigandes", which one of the team's previous games.
There are 4 character types, the Lee brothers and 3 new character types (who are available via the weapon shops in the American and World versions, and are selectable in the Japanese version). However the original idea for the game was for the player to select between Billy and Jimmy Lee, or one of the 3 new characters introduced in the game. The original characters which were Roney Urquidez (who originally wore orange), Chin Seimei (who originally wore red) and Masao Oyama (who was originally named Masahiko Oyama). Apparently the designers considered the possibility that 2 or 3 players playing the game at the same time might want to control the same character, so they revised this by creating Sonny (the 3rd Lee brother) and 2 siblings for each of the new characters. A separate character portrait was made for Jimmy, which is unused in the released Japanese version. The game's ending depicts the original 5 characters, as does the artwork on the Japanese sales flyer.
Soundtrack releases (for limited-editon) :
Double Dragon 3 / The Conbatribes - / Pony Canyon / Scitron - PCCB-00065 - June 21, 1991
- UPDATES -
The US version is slightly different, it has the 'Winners Don't Use Drugs' screen.
The Japanese version discards the weapon shops completely from the game. Instead, the game asks the player to select from the 4 character types available when they begin (Lee, Chin, Urquidez or Oyama). The one-armed stand head-butt and the hurricane kick are available as part of the default moveset, but the hurricane kick is made hard to execute. While controlling one of the Lee brothers, a nunchaku or a sword can be found on the floor in certain stages. The first stage is slightly re-arranged, with the starting point moved in front of the Power Records store and the conveyor belt inside the warehouse removed.
- SERIES -
1. Double Dragon [Model TA-0021] (1987)
2. Double Dragon II - The Revenge [Model TA-0026] (1988)
3. Double Dragon 3 - The Rosetta Stone [Model TA-0030] (1991)
4. Super Double Dragon (1992, Super Famicom )
5. Double Dragon V - The Shadow Falls (1994, Super NES / Jaguar )
6. Double Dragon (1995, AES / NEO GEO / NEO GEO CD, 1996, Playstation)
7. Double Dragon Advance (2004, GBA)
8. Double Dragon (2009, Zeebo)
9. Double Dragon (2011 iOS / Android)
10. Double Dragon Neon (2012, PS3 / Xbox 360)
11. Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons - (2013, Xbox 360)
12. Double Dragon IV (2017, PS4 / Nintendo Switch / iOS / Android / Windows)
- STAFF -
Director: Yoshihisa Kishimoto
Programmers : N. Takioka, E. Ogura, Y. Katsumata
Designers : K. Ichikawa, T. Irisawa, T. Chida, J. Hasepin, H. Nagoshi, U. Hoshino
Audio : A. Inoue, T. Nozaki
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[JP] Nintendo Famicom (1990) "Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone"
[US] [EU] Nintendo Entertainment System (feb.1991) "Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones"
Sega Mega Drive (1992)
Nintendo Game Boy (1992)
* COMPUTERS:
Commodore C64 (1991)
PC-Compatible [MS-DOS, 5.25" / 3.5"] (1991)
Atari ST (1991)
Commodore Amiga (1991)
Amstrad CPC (1991)
Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1992)
* OTHERS:
LCD handheld game (1991) : released by Tiger Electronics.
- SOURCES -
Game's manual.
Game's picture.
Game's ROMs.
Game's screenshots.
See goodies section.
Official soundtrack (enemy names)
Accepted [+] [X] beatmania IIDX 3rd style [Model GC992] Update submitted by XtC
beatmania IIDX 3rd style (c) 2000 Konami Company, Limited.
DJ simulation game from Konami's BEMANI series of games. Beatmania IIDX tasks the player with performing songs through a controller consisting of seven key buttons and a scratchable turntable. Hitting the notes with strong timing increases the score and groove gauge bar, allowing the player to finish the stage. Failing to do so depletes the gauge until it is empty, abruptly ending the song.
3rd Style removed the 4-keys mode from previous installments and replaced it with the Light7 difficulty, giving most songs a fully separate, easier notechart. The game also introduced Free Mode and Extra Stage, and featured a new aesthetic.
- TECHNICAL -
Game ID: GC992
- TRIVIA -
beatmania IIDX 3rd style was released on February 25, 2000 in Japan.
Konami Music Entertainment released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (beatmania IIDX 3rd style Original Soundtracks - KMCA-77) on 25/10/2000.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Play the Extra Stage: To play an 'Extra' stage (4th stage) you must pass at least a 5 star song on your final stage.
* Unlock 3 new songs: Move first slider to the middle, and the other 3 to the top. Press the VEFX button. You can select the another version of some songs while holding the VEFX Button and selecting a song.
- SERIES -
1. beatmania IIDX [Model GQ863] (1999)
2. DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX with beatmania IIDX CLUB VERSiON (1999)
3. beatmania IIDX substream (1999)
4. DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX AND beatmania IIDX substream CLUB VERSiON 2 [Model GE984] (1999)
5. beatmania IIDX 2nd style [Model GC985] (1999)
6. beatmania IIDX 3rd style [Model GC992] (2000)
7. beatmania IIDX 4th style [Model A03] (2000)
8. beatmania IIDX 5th style [Model A17] (2001)
9. beatmania IIDX 6th style [Model B4U] (2001)
10. beatmania IIDX 7th style [Model B44] (2002)
11. beatmania IIDX 8th style [Model C44] (2002)
12. beatmania IIDX 9th style (2003)
13. beatmania IIDX 10th style (2004)
14. beatmania IIDX 11 IIDXRED (2004)
15. beatmania IIDX 12 HAPPY SKY (2005)
16. beatmania IIDX 13 DistorteD (2006)
17. beatmania IIDX 14 GOLD (2007)
18. beatmania IIDX 15 DJ TROOPERS (2007)
19. beatmania IIDX 16 EMPRESS (2008)
20. beatmania IIDX 17 SIRIUS (2009)
21. beatmania IIDX 18 Resort Anthem (2010)
22. beatmania IIDX 19 Lincle (2011)
23. beatmania IIDX 20 tricoro (2012)
24. beatmania IIDX 21 SPADA (2013)
25. beatmania IIDX 22 PENDUAL (2014)
26. beatmania IIDX 23 copula (2015)
27. beatmania IIDX 24 SINOBUZ (2016)
28. beatmania IIDX 25 CANNON BALLERS (2017)
29. beatmania IIDX 26 Rootage (2018)
30. beatmania IIDX 27 HEROIC VERSE (2019)
31. beatmania IIDX 28 BISTROVER (2020)
32. beatmania IIDX 29 CastHour (2021)
- STAFF -
Producer: Koji Okamoto
Executive Director: Seiji Higurashi
Director: Tadao Kageyama
Planner: Tadao Kageyama
Sound Director: Takayuki Ishikawa
Programmer: Tadao Kageyama
Movie Director: Gyo Eguchi
Movie Designers: Yuji Takahashi, Gyo Eguchi
Game Graphic Designer: Goli Matsumoto
Illustrator: Goli Matsumoto
Visual Superviser: Yuji Takahashi
Printing Graphic Designer: Noriyuki Yokoki
Manual Editor: Hiroyuki Kusuyama
Main Sound Data Analyzer: Tomoyuki Uchida
Sound Data Analyzers: Osamu Migitera, Takeshi Yamagami
Composers: Hiroshi Watanabe, Osamu Kubota, Shin Murayama, Tatsuya Furukawa, Taku Sakakibara (TaQ), Yasushi Kurobane, Naoki Maeda, Reo Nagumo, Takayuki Ishikawa
Artists: ANGELA, atomic kitten, DR.JEKYLL, EverythingButTheGirl, m-flo
Sound Supervisor: Reo Nagumo
Special Thanks to: Sumiko Shindo (KME), Kazunari Okido (KME), Toshikatsu Kawai (Sinbad), Shunsuke Miyasaka (Sinbad), Tomoya Kobayashi (Sinbad), Yoshitaka Yamama, Ryo Komatsu, Yoriyoshi Matsushita, Takeshi Yamazaki, Nobutane Takeuchi
- PORTS -
* Consoles:
[JP] Sony PlayStation 2 (2000) "beatmania IIDX 3rd style [Model SLPM-65006]"
- SOURCES -
Game's picture.
Game's ROM.
Official website: http://www.konami.jp/am/bm2dx/bm2dx3/
Accepted [+] [X] Mines of Minos [Model CM005] Update submitted by Arcadehero
Mines of Minos (c) 1982 CommaVid
Something terrible has happened in the mazelike Mines of Minos. The smoothly running robot operation has been interrupted by an invasion of monstrous alien life forms! Aliens stalk the corridors of the mine; only a single robot survives to battle them. Desperately he struggles to find and assemble pieces of his fellow robots scattered around the mine while avoiding the pursuing aliens. If he can assemble a large enough robot army, he can battle the aliens to fight his way down to deeper levels of the mine and even destroy the alien command center at the lowest level. But if the aliens catch him he is doomed and his only weapon against them is his stock of time bombs.
Can you avoid the monsters and assemble enough robots to expel the alien invaders from the Mines of Minos? Find out in this latest video challenge from CommaVid.
Some of the game variations are two player games. The left joystick controls the robot and the right joystick controls one of the monsters. Pushing the button on the right joystick changes which monster is under the player's control. The other two monsters will pursue the robot on their own.
The monster being controlled by the joystick is seen as darker in color. If the robot runs into this monster, the monster is destroyed instead of the robot. But if the robot runs into either of the two monsters under their own control, he is destroyed as usual.
Game variations:
Game 1: The standard game. It takes three robot pieces to complete a new robot, and the flood both slows you down and keeps you from dropping a bomb.
Game 2: A two-player version of Game 1.
Game 3: An even greater challenge, it takes six robot pieces to complete a robot.
Game 4: A two-player version of Game 3.
Game 5: For practice, it takes three robot pieces to complete a robot, but there is no flooding.
Game 6: A two-player version of Game 5.
Game 7: The mine floods as usual, but it only takes two robot pieces to complete a robot.
Game 8: A two-player version of Game 7.
Game 9: Three robot pieces to complete a robot, but you can drop bombs in the flood.
Game 10: A two-player version of Game 9.
Game 11: The maze is invisible, except when you blow up a monster. Three robot pieces complete a robot, and you can drop bombs in the flood.
Game 12: A two-player version of Game 11.
Additional game variations can be created using the difficulty switches. With both difficulty switches in the B (or novice) position, the robots and monsters both move at normal speed. Raising the left difficulty switch to the A (or expert) position causes the robots to move at half speed, while the right difficulty switch in the "a" position causes the monsters to move at half speed.
- TECHNICAL -
Model CM005
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
Descending to the next level is not obvious - one has to be holding the fire button down while moving through one of the portals on the side of the screen. You might have to make a few attempts for it to work right.
Collecting pieces of robots and building your own extra lives is crucial for completing the game. On the final maze level there are three pulsating entities - these are the "final boss" in a sense. The only way to destroy them is to sacrifice your own robot by running into them. Since there are three, you need at least three lives to do so.
- SCORING -
Destroying a monster = 20 points.
Picking up a robot part = 70 points.
Depositing the robot part = 70 points.
Every 1000 points scored up to 4000 raises your power level by one unit.
- STAFF -
Programmer: Irwin Gaines
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's Manual
Accepted [+] [X] Cosmic Monsters 2 Update submitted by Arcadehero
Cosmic Monsters 2 (c) 1979 Universal.
A Space Invaders clone that simply changed the alien & laser tank sprites.
- TECHNICAL -
Main CPU : Intel 8080 (@ 1.9968 Mhz)
Sound Chips : SN76477 (@ 1.9968 Mhz)
Screen orientation : Vertical
Video resolution : 224 x 240 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.00 Hz
Palette colors : 2
Players : 2
Control : 2-way Joystick
Buttons : 1
- SCORING -
Large Invader : 10 points
Medium Invader : 20 points
Small Invader : 30 points
UFOs : 50-300 points
- SERIES -
Cosmic Series
1. Cosmic Monsters [Upright model] (1979)
2. Cosmic Monsters 2 (1979)
3. Cosmic Guerilla (1979)
4. Cosmic Alien (1980)
5. Devil Zone (1980)
6. Zero Hour (1980)
7. Space Panic (1980)
8. Cosmic Avenger (1981)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Sonic the Hedgehog Extreme New entry submitted by Thisismyusername123
- DESCRIPTION -
Unreleased Microsoft Xbox game.
- SOURCES -
https://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_Extreme
Accepted [+] [X] Sister Sonic New entry submitted by Thisismyusername123
- DESCRIPTION -
Cancelled Sega CD game.
- SOURCES -
https://lostmediawiki.com/Sister_Sonic_(lost_build_of_cancelled_%22Sonic_the_Hedgehog%22_localization_of_%22Popful_Mail%22_Sega_CD_side-scrolling_platformer;_1993)
Accepted [+] [X] Double Dragon [Model NGM-082] Update submitted by XtC
Double Dragon (c) 1995 Technos.
A head-to-head fighting game based on the 1994 Double Dragon movie, the game features a roster selectable which consists of "Double Dragon" alumni Billy, Jimmy, Marian, Abobo and Burnov, as well as 5 original characters as they enter a martial arts tournament to take out evil crime lord of Bloody Town, Koga Shuko. Unique features in the game includes destructible environments and a super move meter which fills out based on how much energy the player has left, giving weaker fighters a handicap. After defeating the default 10 fighters, the player faces Shuko's bodyguard, Duke, before fighting Shuko himself.
- TECHNICAL -
Runs on the SNK "Neo-Geo MVS" hardware.
Game ID : NGM-082
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 4
=> [A] Light Attack [B] Medium Attack [C] Hard Attack [D] Extra Attack
- TRIVIA -
Released in February 1995. Double Dragon was Technos' first game for the Neo-Geo hardware. This game was based on the movie 'Double Dragon', which was, in turn, based on the 'Double Dragon series' of games.
The game features a combo counter like many fighting games, however this one is not always very accurate since it registers Cheng Fu's Super Dragon Kick technique (Forward Dragon Punch motion + 2 buttons with the charge meter filled) as a single hit! The original Double Dragon logo can be seen in the large white boat on Cheng Fu's stage!
Billy, Jimmy, Marian and Abobo are the only characters from the original 1987 "Double Dragon" game who were featured in both : the movie and this game. Billy and Jimmy have the ability to transform into more powerful counterparts like they did in the end of the movie, while Abobo turns into his mutated form for a brief moment when he does his 'Grow 'n Throw' super move. Marian is depicted as a female gang leader, much like her movie counterpart. Burnov was the first stage boss in "Double Dragon II - The Revenge", while Duke was the final boss in the Super NES game "Super Double Dragon", although neither character were in the movie. Koga Shuko, the game's final boss, was an original character from the film.
April Simmonds holds the official record for this game with 96,700 points on April 21, 2007.
Pony Canyon / Scitron released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Double Dragon - G.S.M 1500 - PCCB-00175) on March 17, 1995.
- UPDATES -
MVS (arcade) vs. Home (neo-geo) differences :
- Arcade : If you beat the game without losing a round you'll see a drawing of each character posing while the credits roll. If you beat using a continue you just see the credits rolling on the screen in one of the monitors that fell on the last boss.
- Home : Regardless if you use continues or not you will only get the credits that roll on the big monitor screen.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Play As Duke / As Koga Shuko : Go to the character selection screen and put the cursor on Billy, then Marian, then Chung Fu, then Jimmy for 3 seconds each. If done correctly you will hear the word 'Bingo!'.
* Alternate Costume Colors : Press B, C or D when selecting a fighter.
- STAFF -
Voice: Hikaru Midorikawa (as Billy), Kaneto Shiozawa (as Jimmy / Amon), Yuka Koyama (as Marian), Daisuke Gōri (as Abobo / Burnov), Yukimasa Kishino (as Eddie), Keiko Han (as Rebecca), Yusaku Yara (as Dulton), Hisao Egawa (as Cheng Fu / Duke), Osamu Saka (Shuko), Miyako Endo (Narration)
Aoni Production: Yasuaki Sumi
Program: Tadamichi Obinata, Naoki Kashiwabara, Shinji Hirao, Yasuhiro Matsumoto
Graphic: Takumi Ishikawa, Seiichiro Ishiguro, Fujimi Ōnishi, Kazutaka Ōhashi, Satoshi Kazato, Takahide Koizumi, Chihiro Kushibe, Takeyoshi Suzuki, Katsuhiro Nakamura, Akiko Maruyama, Kazumi Minagawa, Koji Ogata, Kōji Yamada, Hideki Hoshiya
Planner: Muneki Ebinuma, Minoru Yamaguchi
Sound Program & Tools: Robert C. Ashworth
Sound Effects: Taku Urabe (credited as Taku)
Composer: Kiyomi Kataoka, Chiaki Iizuka, Reiko Uehara, Fumio Suzuki
Guitar: Osamu Sakai
Special Thanks: Toshiaki Tsugane, Kensuke Nishi, S. Yasuraoka (credited as Yasuraoka Special), Makoto Shigenobu, Teruo Ichimura, Kouji Matsuyama, Yukiko Yamashita
Genic: Akira Kitsuno, Keinosuke Akichi, Norihiko Yonesaka
Espo Corp.: Seiji Kawakatsu, Daisuke Hatakeyama, Kei Tamura
Madhouse: Yuji Takae
J.C. Staff: Tomoko Kawasaki, Eiichi Endō, Nobuko Ogino
Illustration: Tsuguyuki Kubo
Leader: Kazuyuki Kurata
Boss: Kunio Taki
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[JP] [US] SNK Neo-Geo (mar.31, 1995) "Double Dragon [Model NGH-082]"
[JP] SNK Neo-Geo CD (june.2, 1995) "Double Dragon [Model NGCD-082]"
[US] SNK Neo-Geo CD (1995) "Double Dragon [Model NGCD-082E]"
[JP] Sony PlayStation (apr.26, 1996) "Double Dragon [Model SLPS-00191]"
[JP] Sony PlayStation (aug.10, 2011) "Double Dragon [PS1 Classics]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Arkanoid [Model NES-AR-USA] Update submitted by Andrzej Warszawski
Arkanoid (c) 1987 Taito corporation.
North American release. Game developed in Japan. See the original for more information.
The story (from the USA Manual):
Their earth-like planet was devastated by a brutal attack of aliens. The survivors roam the galaxy on their photon spaceship Arkanoid in search of a new home. The Arkanoid is attacked and the survivors barely escape in the Vaus spacecraft. Instead of finding safety, they are now trapped in a deadly space labyrinth.
If they are to be saved, you must summon all your courage and skill to shatter the space walls and defeat the merciless enemy forces!
- TECHNICAL -
Model: NES-AR-USA
Compatible with 7-pin Arkanoid controller
- TRIVIA -
Released in August 1987 in the USA.
This release has round #3 slightly easier than in FamiCom port: the bottom row is replaced by 11 red bricks instead of gold blocks.
Round #33 has red, green and blue circles with 9 destructible silver blocks (absent in FamiCom port).
Round #34 is a rendition of an ice cream (absent in FamiCom port).
Round #35 shows a flower in the grass (absent in FamiCom port).
Round #36 is a final boss fight with DOH (FamiCom port ends after round #33.
- SCORING -
COLOR WALLS (from the USA manual):
white: 50 points.
orange: 60 points.
light blue: 70 points.
green: 80 points.
red: 90 points.
blue: 100 points.
pink: 110 points.
yellow: 120 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Connect the Arkanoid paddle to move Vaus faster than on d-pad.
* HOW TO PLAY (from the USA Manual):
- Your mission is to destroy the space walls with the energy ball by strategic movement of your Vaus spacecraft.
- There are three types of walls: colors, silver and gold. You earn points for their destruction as follows:
-- Silver walls: 50 points times the number of the round. The number of energy ball hits required to break the hard walls follows:
--- 2 times - 1st to 8th round.
--- 3 times - 9th to 16th round.
--- 4 times - 17th to 24th round.
--- 5 times - 25th to 32nd round.
- Gold walls are indestructible.
- There are 33 rounds in this game. In the final round, a huge enemy fortress will loom before you as the ultimate challenge. While dodging bullets, you must hit the fortress 16 times with your energy ball to destroy it.
- Some walls contain power CAPSULES. Each time you capture one you'll score 100 points and gain these super powers:
-- orange (S) - slows movement of ball.
-- pink (B) - opens warp escape - advance to next round.
-- yellow/green (C) - catch the ball and release it.
-- red (L) - increase to Vaus laser fire power.
-- light blue (D) - splits energy ball into 3 particles.
-- grey (P) - awards an extra Vaus.
-- dark blue (E) - widens Vaus.
* PLAYING TIPS (from the USA Manual):
- Choose capsules carefully. Each one changes the one before it. Use them cautiously to suit each situation.
- You may advance through the levels up to the 16th!! To do this simply press the START button and the A button at the same time. This must be done at the beginning of each level - before any game play occurs.
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Traverse USA Update submitted by Andrzej Warszawski
Traverse USA (c) 1983 Irem corporation.
An excellent motorcycle racing game.
Enjoy the wind of American landscape, accelerating hard your motorbike across highways and desert roads, evading the rivals cars and obstacles on challenging narrow roads and curves, and take a good amount of fuel, to finish the race before running out of fuel!
The levels (and cities) are:
Los Angeles,
Las Vegas,
Houston,
St. Louis,
Chicago,
New York.
The 3 engine classes in this game are: 500 cc, 750 cc and 1200 cc. The higher the engine class is, the higher the speed is, but the motorcycle is harder to control.
The Las Vegas -> Houston and St. Louis -> Chicago stages are ridden across deserts, where the remaining stages - on asphalt roads.
- TECHNICAL -
Irem M-52 hardware
Main CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound CPU: Motorola M6803 (@ 894.886 Khz)
Sound Chips: (2x) General Instrument AY8910 (@ 894.886 Khz), (2x) MSM5205 (@ 384 Khz)
Players: up to 2 (alternate)
Control: 2-way joystick
Buttons: 2
[A] = accelerate, [B] = brake
- TRIVIA -
Traverse USA was released in June 1983. Exported to the USA as "MotoRace USA" with license for Williams electronics inc. Another export release is "MotoTour" licensed to Tecfri S.A.
Later re-released as "Zippy Race". The title can be changed in dip switches, from Traverse USA to Zippy Race.
The speed unit is also changeable in the switches, from a mile per hour to a kilometer per hour.
The engine classes are written in a cubic centimeter, independent on the release.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Hold both buttons to temporarily block speed. Release to go back to normal speed.
* The bike will ride (a bit) slower on desert roads even on the asphalt parts leading to cities.
* You can't control your bike or speed when jumping on desert roads. You can regulate the speed when performing a wheelie (on asphalt), though.
* You'll be unable to finish 1st after 500 cc class: the enemies are also faster.
* You'll get a full tank after a class completion (reach New York), so you may finish with half fuel.
* Watch out for trucks on deserts: the drivers throw barrels down the off-road. Overtake the trucks.
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Game Center 12: The Tower of Druaga Update submitted by Andrzej Warszawski
Game Center 12: The Tower of Druaga (c) 1986 NAMCOT (Namco ltd label for home releases).
Portage of their arcade game. 12th and last title of their Game Center series. See the coin-op entry "The Tower of Druaga" for more information about the game itself.
- TECHNICAL -
Players: 1
Controls: arrows, 4 ways
Keys: 1
[SPACE] = wave the sword
- TRIVIA -
The portage was released in October 1986. The 1984 copyright year refers to coin-op game published in June 1984.
This portage uses generic font used in the first games for MSX. Completion of floor #60 throws back to the title screen, showing no credits or any ending message.
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
https://www.mobygames.com/game/19625/the-tower-of-druaga/releases/#msx
Accepted [+] [X] Game Center 04: Warp & Warp Update submitted by Andrzej Warszawski
Game Center 04: Warp & Warp (c) 1984 NAMCOT (Namco ltd label for home releases)
Portage of their arcade game. See the following entry: https://www.arcade-history.com/?n=warp-and-warp&page=detail&id=3142 for more information about the game itself.
- TECHNICAL -
Players: 1
Controls: arrows, 4 ways
Keys: 1
[SPACE] = shoot (when in space) or deploy a bomb (when in maze)
- TRIVIA -
This portage was published in February 1984. The 1981 copyright year refers to coin-op version of Warp & Warp published in July 1981.
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
https://www.mobygames.com/game/19634/warp-warp/releases/#msx
Accepted [+] [X] Game Center 03: Galaxian Update submitted by Andrzej Warszawski
Game Center 03: Galaxian (c) 1984 NAMCOT (Namco ltd label for home releases).
Portage of their endless arcade game. See the coin-op entry (https://www.arcade-history.com/?n=galaxian&page=detail&id=901) for more information about the game.
- TECHNICAL -
Players: 1
Controls: arrows, 2 ways (horizontal)
Keys: 1
[SPACE] = shoot
- TRIVIA -
Namco published this MSX portage in January 1984. The 1979 copyright year refers to the coin-op original version published in October 1979.
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
https://www.mobygames.com/game/137/galaxian/releases/#msx
Accepted [+] [X] Game Center 10: Star Destroyer Bosconian Update submitted by Andrzej Warszawski
Game Center 10: Star Destroyer Bosconian (c) 1984 NAMCOT (Namco ltd label for home releases)
Portage of their arcade game. 10th title of their Game Center series. See more information about the game under the following entry: "Star Destroyer Bosconian (upright model)".
- TECHNICAL -
Players: 1
Controls: arrow keys, 8 ways
Keys: 1
[SPACE] = shoot
- TRIVIA -
This portage was published in July 1984. The 1981 copyright year refers to the coin-op game released in November 1981.
Due to MSX's limitations, the 'Blast off!' command is low quality. All the other speech files (spy ship sighted; battle station; alert alert; condition red) are removed.
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/msx/934737-bosconian
Accepted [+] [X] Magic Jewelry Update submitted by Andrzej Warszawski
Magic Jewelry (c) 1990 RCM Group.
A "Columns" clone developed in Taiwan. Match 3 (or more) identical tiles in either vertical, horizontal, diagonal or even all combined.
- TECHNICAL -
Players: 1
Controls: d-pad 3 ways
Buttons: 1
[A] or [B] = swap tile
- TRIVIA -
Magic Jewelry was published in November 1990.
The music played throughout stages is mostly known and copyrighted. Only Jaegerchor (known in English as Hunters' chorus) and Greensleeves (a Medieval folk song) are now in public domain.
Level #000 plays 'All kinds of everything' originally performed by Dana Rosemary Scallon; the song was a winner of 1970 EuroVision held in the Netherlands.
Level #001 plays remixed 'Happy Chinese festival' (also known as 'China festival') originally performed by Chen Yang.
Level #002 plays 'Descendants of the dragon' originally performed by Lee Chien-Fu.
Level #003 plays 'Rise from your grave' originally performed by Tohru Nakabayashi.
Level #004 plays >Hunters' chorus< (or Jaegerchor) originally performed by Carl Maria von Weber.
Level #005 plays 'Moonlight on the Colorado' originally performed by Dick Robertson.
Level #006 plays 'Greensleeves'; it's not known who originally wrote or performed it.
Level #007 plays 'Speak softly, love' performed by Andy Williams. The last tune is taken from 'The Godfather' film.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Don't litter the playfield: swap the tiles as often as you can. You'll get a game over when you forget to swap any tile. It's not a Tetris-style game requiring you to remove lines.
* Special blocks appear every 70 jewels. They remove all the jewels of that type touched first.
* See the hidden RCM's logo: At the game over screen, hold [Select] + [d-pad right] then press [Start] to see the developer's logo screen. Press [Start] again to continue the game with the same statistics (score, jewels and current level). CAUTION: This is a cheat!
* The game will start after the word 'jewelry' scrolls letter after letter, which takes roughly 40 seconds, so get the pad into your hands quickly.
- SERIES -
1. Magic Jewelry (1990, November)
2. Magic Jewelry II (1991)
- STAFF -
Developed by: Hwang Shinwei
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
https://handwiki.org/wiki/Software:Magic_Jewelry
https://tcrf.net/Magic_Jewelry
Refused [+] [X] Angry Birds Arcade New entry submitted by Thisismyusername123
Arcade game. https://angrybirds.fandom.com/wiki/Angry_Birds_Arcade