#konami arcade classics

[smbhax]

Made myself game-specific thumbnails for some PS1 game collections in DuckStation:

BurgerTime and Moon Patrol (Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2 (USA))

Yie Ar Kung Fu (Konami Antiques - MSX Collection Vol. 1 (Japan))

Pooyan (Konami Arcade Classics (USA))

Galaga (Namco Museum Vol. 1 (Japan))

Mappy (Namco Museum Vol. 2 (Japan))

Pac-Land (Namco Museum Vol. 4 (USA))

[fancypantsrecords]

Konami Kukeiha Club - Annivserary Collection: Arcade Classics -Selected Soundtrack- | Limited Run Games | 2023 | Black

[papiplays]

If there was 1 game that defined my love for space shooters it was definitely Gradius III.

What shooters have you played?

Gradius III, released for the SNES in 1991, is a classic side-scrolling shoot 'em up game that tests players' reflexes and strategic skills. As the pilot of the Vic Viper spacecraft, players must navigate through waves of enemy ships and obstacles, upgrading their weapons and abilities along the way to face off against powerful bosses. With its challenging gameplay, stunning visuals, & iconic power-up system, Gradius III remains a beloved title in the shoot 'em up genre, offering intense action & nostalgia for fans of retro gaming.

[z2z-gaming-and-random-art-ai]

Handheld Fighting Games of 89/94 - Raging Fighter

Raging Fighter is a one-on-one martial arts fighting game released in 1993 for the Game Boy by Konami. Set in the futuristic Omega League, the game pits seven unique fighters against each other in a quest to determine the universe's ultimate champion. Each fighter boasts distinct stats such as speed and defence, along with two special attacks activated by precise button combinations.

The game offers several modes, including Story Mode, where players progress through the tournament, and Training Mode, which allows practice against a stationary opponent. Additionally, Tournament and Multiplayer modes offer competitive experiences, with the latter supporting two players via a link cable. Matches follow a best-of-three format, with victory achieved by depleting the opponent’s health or outlasting them within the time limit.

1. Intro 00:00 2. Gameplay 00:15 3. Outro 05:22

For other Handheld Fighting games released between 1989 and 1994 check out this playlist. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CG_uI1-iafuDaV2LXRQTbZH

[fufighter76]

CONTRA: OPERATION GALUGA (GAME REVIEW)

[orangeloungeradio]

Classic Game of the Week: Metamorphic Force Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Platforms: Arcade Video Courtesy of: NintendoComplete

[zentendo]

Ninja Armageddon! Arcade Archives Mystic Warriors Blasts Onto Switch and PS4 Today

There’s a new ninja brawl in town, and it’s ready to take you back to the glory days of 16-bit side-scrolling mayhem. Yes, the legendary Arcade Archives Mystic Warriors has finally thrown its shurikens onto the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, bringing a heaping dose of nostalgic beat-’em-up action straight from 1993. Dust off your headband and sharpen your kunai, because in Mystic Warriors,…

[confessionsofanarcadeaddict]

Episode 68 - Yes, I'm An Arcade Employee

Greetings, and welcome to Episode 68! In this one, Brian discusses a game he discovered in 1993, breaks down another home system, and wraps things up with some thoughts from the road after his second day working at an arcade.

If you would like to contact the show, you can send an email at arcadeaddictbrian@gmail.com or you can leave a voicemail for the show at 734-632-0832. The show also has a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/arcadeaddictbrian), and is also on Instagram (@arcadeaddictbrian), Bluesky (@arcadeaddictbrian.bsky.social) and Tumblr (tumblr.com/confessionsofanarcadeaddict). You can help the show by leaving a five-star review wherever you listen to it, which helps other people find it. If you want to help the show directly, go to https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coaa and click on the Donate button. For as little as a dollar a month, you can help the show develop further as a podcast, as Brian uses those funds for things directly related to the show such as buying podcasting equipment, and funding arcade runs to new locations for him to review for the show.

And now, I’m streaming live on Twitch! Twitch.tv/arcadeaddictbrian. If you’re a listener to the show, please do me a solid and drop me a follow over there. That helps grow the stream, and who knows, maybe I might become a big-time streamer! A guy can hope, right??

Discord server coming soon!

Hope to hear from you soon, and good gaming out there!

RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/4481fd0/podcast/rss

Are You Experienced? – Run and Gun

Home Systems – Magnavox Odyssey 2

On The Road – June 26th, 2021: Second day of work at The Arcade

[themarvelproject]

The X-Men in a Sideshow art print by Jhony Caballero (2024) based on Konami’s all-time classic X-Men: The Arcade Game (1992)

[xxrainskullzxx]

DDR 5th Mix stimboard with themes of arcades, rhythm games, and classic games! (I have no credits to give except to Konami for creating DDR, I recorded all of these GIFs. You have permission to use these gifs as long as you credit me)

[smbhax]

Pooyan - in Konami Arcade Classics (PS1)

Session: https://youtu.be/z88j9vPsZ4Y

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Top 47K - Pepsiman + Devil World

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank the cult classic PS1 advert-game about the man who spreads awareness of Pepsi. Then stick around, because our SUMMER ARCADE FEATURE continues with Konami’s otherworldly Gauntlet clone!

[alln64games]

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon

JP release: 7st August 1997

NA release: 16th April 1998

PAL release: 18th April 1998

Developer: Konami

Publisher: Konami

N64 Magazine Score: 90%

I remember seeing the scores for Mystical Ninja in N64 magazine, but it didn’t seem like my kind of game. I was very wrong about that – Goemon’s first N64 game is kind of a hybrid of Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time, mixed with edo era Japan and a gloriously absurd plot of musical performers trying to turn Japan into their stage.

The game starts out in a Zelda-style town, but what’s impressive is that this is from before Ocarina of Time. You can swap between Goemon and Ebisumaru (plus more you meet along the way) at any time, each with their own set of weapons and abilities. These are uses sparingly throughout the game, so for the most part you can play as who you prefer.

Connecting each town is a large overworld with some nice locations. The first one I encountered brought back strong childhood memories as I recognised the music from Krazy Konami Racers, but the rest of the music in the game is also great, with lots of great tracks throughout the game. I was bopping my head to quite a lot of the music which mixes classical and modern instrument sounds.

Dungeons also play a big part in the game. While there are map/compass items to collect and keys to find, they’re a lot more platform-oriented than Zelda dungeons. One downside is the game’s camera (which can be turned holding R and using the c-buttons), but it’s something you get used to. While there are some bottomless pits, other areas just have you fall to a section where you work your way back – although one handy thing is that there’s no fall damage.

There’s also a variety of other sections, including multiple giant robot boss fights, which treat you to a song each time you use your giant robot, Impact. Each starts off with an arcade-style section to build up your health and ammo before taking a first person perspective as you shoot and punch your opponent. It’s a lot of fun, although they do become more frustrating the longer they go on.

Goemon is an incredibly charming game that’s still a ton of fun to play. Some of the puzzles do have a sign flat out telling you what to do, although these mainly relate to Ebisumaru’s camera item, which reveals hidden things, so I would probably get stuck without being reminded that the object exists. Even with that, the main story is amusingly silly and the game likes throwing new things at you. It’s a great game.

It’s a clever game, not only because there’s simply so much to do, but because you’re never quite sure what’s going to come next. Mini boss? End-of-level boss? Ludicrous sub-game involving a big yellow man and some falling shrinking pills? Erm, yes, quite. Mystical Ninja is a supreme example of game invention.

- Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine #14

Remake or remaster?

An updated version of Mystical Ninja would be great, with a better camera and fine tuned controls. A bit of extra side content would also be welcome. And perhaps a quest log as instructions are a but unclear at times.

Official ways to get the game.

There is no official way to get Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon.

[archoneddzs15]

Sony PlayStation - Castlevania Chronicle Akumajo Dracula (Castlevania Chronicles)

Title: Castlevania Chronicle Akumajo Dracula / 悪魔城年代記 悪魔城ドラキュラ

Developer/Publisher: Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo

Release date: 25 May 2001

Catalogue No.: VX236-J1 / SLPM-86754

Genre: Action

This game is basically a home console port of the Sharp X68000 entry in the Castlevania series. The plot of Castlevania Chronicle is similar to that of the first Castlevania: at the end of the 17th century, the dreadful vampire Dracula is resurrected after a century of slumber. The people in Transylvania flee in horror, but the brave Simon Belmont takes his Vampire Killer whip and ventures into the ominous castle to put an end to the Lord of Darkness. This is the exact same plot as found in the Sharp X68000 original.

When it comes to graphics, I feel I must be honest. These graphics are fairly average, especially for a game released on a platform supposedly capable of arcade-quality graphics, and in 1993 no less. I would say Simon and other sprites, backgrounds, etc. are probably about the same quality as Castlevania Bloodlines. Not bad, but one must always consider the hardware when reviewing. Many arcade ports were lacking on the X68000, but certainly closer to arcade graphics than this version of Castlevania, which looks like an early Mega Drive effort. Think Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle.

Aside from that rant, the familiar-looking Castlevania stages have all been redone, and look definitely better detail-wise, compared to the FDS and Famicom original that kickstarted the series, so at least we can acknowledge them as upgrades. Simon's sprite is certainly different looking as well and it is nice to see the slight redrawn changes of Dracula, Death, and other famous bosses and enemies. The crystal man in Stage 4 sucks ass though. I don't care for his appearance at all, it seems so out of place!

On the bright side, there are many classic Castlevania tunes redone for this release, which include Bloody Tears, Vampire Killer, and Simon's Theme. Exclusive pieces (due to the stages not being present in the MSX, NES, or myriad other versions of the original Castlevania) include Tower of Dolls and Etude for the Killer, both solid compositions that earn their place among CV music. Lastly, Dracula's boss music, while it can't touch Super Castlevania IV (aka Akumajo Dracula on the Super Famicom), is awesome simply because of its name: You Goddamned Bathead! Classic! The gameplay has several changes from the original versions of Castlevania. Simon can whip diagonally down left or right while jumping. He is also able to slightly correct his jumps in mid-air, saving you some unnecessary deaths. We also have a new subweapon that helps to conquer the notorious difficulty of this remake. This is a laurel/herb and for 10 hearts, you can refill 6 life bars. A very helpful and neat idea, proving that the game is not without rules.

The challenge is merciless; this is the hardest traditional Castlevania there is, mostly due to the huge amount of damage that enemies take off with each hit. In the early stages, it is only 2 or so bars. In the later stages, every single attack does 4 bars, causing Simon to die in only 5 hits. This coupled with the still limited dodging and mobility of Simon makes having the aforementioned laurel seem like a necessity if you want to beat this game without a great deal of frustration. The laurel certainly helped me to do as such.

Now you might say that this was the case in the FDS and Famicom Castlevania too. Still, this is an ultimately harder game because of the new enemies and stages. Many more enemies have projectiles that they use to hit you from far away. The dolls in Area 7 are especially annoying, all this adds up to a deeper and greater challenge. Replay value for this specific game is no more significant than the original. There is the added challenge of new enemies and greater incurred damage for each subsequent playthrough, but that cannot be defined as a true incentive to replay as the stages and bosses are identical. The only real difference is that enemies hit harder and that there are more of them.

In conclusion, Castlevania X68000 was mostly unknown at the time of its release, and in playing this, I'm glad it has received greater availability on the PlayStation. There are minor differences in the PS1 version mostly involving the internal system clock option affecting certain stages and graphics, nothing to really write home about.

I try to look at this remake in the context of a Japan-only release or the 1993 release year, but neither bit of reflection gives this product much reason to exist, especially as a far superior remake of Castlevania had already been made in Akumajo Dracula on the Super Famicom. That remake was on a far superior and more accessible system. Perhaps this X68000 version was nothing more than an attempt to sell the Sharp computer (which was sold at super expensive prices with prices starting from US$3,500 for the base configuration) by putting respected franchises on it, similar to the Mario and Zelda games on the Phillips CDi, and we all know how bad those games turned out. Castlevania X68000 is not as bad as those games, it is at least playable, but it feels like an unclear project. Given the PC's limited user base, who was this game meant to appeal to? It is worth a playthrough on the PlayStation version, but I can't fathom the complete sense that would make a gamer hardcore enough to buy the Sharp PC just to play this fairly mediocre remake of the original Castlevania. The limited new features of this version just don't do enough for me.

However, all this pales in comparison to the fact Konami actually added an Arrange Mode to the PlayStation port. Castlevania Chronicle's arrange mode is all about the little changes that may not be initially apparent. It really feels like it was made for the fans, as these are the groups likely to enjoy the changes the most. These are both obvious with the complete musical overhaul and subtle with the slight graphical changes. I think the best way to express my approval is to say that the Arrange Mode not only makes the Sharp X68000 version better, but it also makes it more acceptable as part of the Castlevania series.

[orangeloungeradio]

Classic Game of the Week: Aliens Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Platform: Arcade Video Courtesy of: kakoroto

[acquired-stardust]

Game Spotlight #7: Snatcher (1994)

Acquired Stardust's next game spotlight is here! This time Ash takes a look back at the first title in Hideo Kojima's portfolio that one would probably call a 'Kojima game' in the Sega CD port of Konami's Snatcher, a traditional Japanese-style adventure game, with an examination of some of the history and culture around its American release!

Popular wisdom recalls that the ESRB was founded in 1994 in response to the moral panic surrounding the earlier 1992 release of Mortal Kombat, but this collective memory is missing a few details - namely that it wasn't Mortal Kombat alone that created the panic. It was a trio of games, all released in 1992, that caused the mainstream American culture to pay attention to the medium, which had begun to enter its edgy teenage phase, and it did not like what it saw.

Sega CD classic Night Trap was one of the most prominent releases in the then-popular Full Motion Video field, essentially an interactive campy d-tier horror movie that tasked players with protecting the residents of a house besieged by bumbling, uncoordinated creepers with the timely use of trap doors via security camera operation. It was vaguely sort of voyeuristic in the way that likely titillated the senses of teenagers in 1994 before widespread access to the internet, but otherwise mostly unremarkable and had little redeeming qualities. Konami's own Lethal Enforcers was the third game in the trio, a fairly standard arcade shooter featuring a realistic revolver-type handgun for players to use as a controller along with Mortal Kombat style digitized actors for its visuals.

Long before Columbine at the end of the decade, these three games were singled out as essentially the harbinger of the doom of a generation of American youths, allegedly promoting violence and sexual assault against women, prompting a series of US senate hearings the following year best summed up by Democratic senator from Wisconsin Herb Kohl's stern warning on the industry needing to reign itself in: "If you don't do something about it, we will".

It's certainly true that the video game industry had begun to experiment with new, different and edgier games that would increase in their edginess in the years to come (Duke Nukem for example was released a mere 3 years after the senate hearings), but it was abundantly clear to anyone who was paying attention (and indeed anyone with a brain) that this was largely a shallow echo of the ongoing satanic panic which had the country collectively clutching its pearls since the 1980s. Night Trap was certainly not endorsing sexual violence against women (and its content was far more tame than was asserted even by the standards of 1993), and Lethal Enforcers was simply a very standard arcade shooter following the digitized graphical trend with a realistic (though brightly-colored) peripheral. However, the industry responded to the hearings in relatively short order with the creation of the ESRB (that's the Entertainment Software Ratings Board) in September of 1994, meant to advise consumers on the content of the video games they were buying in an effort to help police the perceived wild moral decay corrupting America's youth. It was somehow in this climate that Konami decided that it was time to bring Hideo Kojima's PC-88 adventure game Snatcher (originally released in Japan in 1988) to the west for the first time with an upgraded port.

While the video game scene in America had begun to show signs of maturing into its teenage years, Japan had at this point a well known pop culture machine churning out plenty of violent and sexual content (not without its own local controversy I might add), and was no stranger to content not meant for children. Typically when an American thinks of Japanese adventure games they think of Capcom's popular later Ace Attorney series, and might consider Snatcher the direct predecessor of it, but the genre has a very long history on Japanese PCs with a large number of games, often of a pornographic nature, released. It's a chapter of gaming history that is poorly preserved, particularly in the west (where it is often unknown that Enix, famous for its Dragon Quest series, started with releases of erotic adventure games in 1983), but is an important link between the two games.

Particularly foundational for the Japanese adventure game genre was 1983's Portopia Serial Murders, a game by future Dragon Quest creator Yuuji Horii, responsible for popularizing the interface and style of virtually every game in the genre to follow. Of particular note it was a young Hideo Kojima, future creator of the Metal Gear franchise, who took heavy inspiration from Portopia, seeing the adventure game genre and their cinematic nature as his pathway into doing the next best thing to what he'd always wanted to do: creating movies. And so Snatcher was born.

Snatcher is set in the fictional Neo Kobe city, a cyberpunk dystopia heavily inspired by Blade Runner, and while the video game industry may have been maturing into its teenage years, it is incredibly striking how adult Snatcher immediately comes across. Opening with a fully-voiced narration about a catastrophic Russian biohazard that killed 80% of the populace preceding the appearance of what are essentially Blade Runner's replicants (the titular snatchers), main character Gillian Seed bids farewell to the wife he recently underwent a separation with and sets off to join Neo Kobe's JUNKERs, a special police force tasked with hunting down and eliminating snatchers.

Snatcher stands head and shoulders above its contemporaries in not just the content of its story but the sophistication with which it is told. It boggles the mind that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Donkey Kong Country, incredible games in their own right, are some of the big mainstream releases of 1994 while this was also on store shelves. Immediately obvious through its incredible opening cinematic is a hallmark of creator/writer/director Hideo Kojima's titles all the way to the present day: they are incredibly dense and feature an almost overwhelming level of worldbuilding. Arriving at JUNKER headquarters only hammers the point home, with the player able to research a number of in-world historical topics that play out across multiple lengthy encyclopedia entries. While it is not necessary to fully explore these (the player does receive a few answers to later characters' questions in two entries), it goes a very long way to making the world feel very real which is an effect that the game achieves very well out of the gate with its flawed protagonist picking up the pieces and attempting to rebuild his life after a failed marriage with or without his former wife, itself a very realistic struggle that many can relate to. Another hallmark of Hideo Kojima titles is present in the form of abundant easter eggs and meta humor, with just one example of such easter eggs being that the player can use a phone obtained early in the game to call one Taeko Hayasaka (then a spokeswoman for Konami) as well as the localization director Jeremy Blaustein and receive some special dialogue.

Playing out across three acts, the player follows Gillian's investigation into the snatcher crisis gripping Neo Kobe city which threatens to spill over into the world at large all while grappling with his own amnesia stemming from a mysterious incident before the start of the game. It's worth noting that another hallmark of Kojima video games was present in the original 1988 release of Snatcher in the form of deadlines cutting his project into dramatically shorter form, where a planned six acts was cut to a mere two. Ending on a severe cliffhanger up until this generation of ports where the final third act was added in an attempt to wrap up the ongoing storyline as best as possible, the third act was somewhat controversial at the time due to its linearity in comparison with the rest of the game which is rather open in its accommodation of player sidetracking.

Though toned down in its Sega CD port to the west, Snatcher features a very surprising level of gore and sexuality (all while somehow only achieving a rating of T for teen from the ESRB) that can catch people even today unprepared for it. A clearly defiant Konami takes several shots in-game at the then-current moral panic around video games and the senate hearings that resulted in the creation of the ESRB, and it's hard to deny that had the game received more contemporary attention that it probably would've been hugely controversial in the mainstream for its violence and sexual content (much of which is based around the absurdity of being able to investigate people you meet, leading to everyone from JUNKER chief Cunningham to daughter of fellow JUNKER Katrina thinking you're an unhinged lunatic). The game does have a reputation for allowing the player to behave in a creepy manner towards female characters, itself an oft-criticized element of Hideo Kojima's works, and while that is true in some respects I found it of particular note that Gillian is able to 'investigate' every single character in the game regardless of gender (much to their dismay) and that not only is this never actually required to progress in the game, there are instances where being creepy towards female characters can result in the player being actively punished. Just because Gillian can doesn't mean that he should - a good lesson to all you people struggling with self-control out there.

All the things one typically associates with a Hideo Kojima title are present in Snatcher, including heavy inspiration from cinema, self-referential elements such as Gillian partnering with a very familiar robot sidekick appropriately named Metal Gear, to dense narratives told with an astounding level of worldbuilding and flavor, all through the style of using familiar concepts such as a setting very inspired by Blade Runner to get its foot in the door before making a hard left turn into original wonderful sci-fi insanity that culminates in what can only be described as 'a very Hideo Kojima' third act, and if you're familiar with his work you likely know exactly what that means.

The graphics and storytelling are excellent, featuring some incredible writing and localization for the time. Thanks to the Sega CD's disc-based nature the game boasts very good quality music and even a shocking level of voice work which is also similarly surprisingly high quality for a release from 1994 (though there are a few lines which fall flat), as many wouldn't consider the golden age of English voiceover dubs to start for another several years. Extremely ahead of its time in a year when we were still playing as giant gorillas jumping on crocodiles, the incredibly intricate story of Gillian Seed won't be something I forget and has held up remarkably well, serving as a great early example of the depth of experiences that gaming would come to host, particularly in the indie game scene which produces experiences often very relatable and impactful to players with a similar 'art from the artist' vibe.

In a time where the industry was beginning to reflect the sensibilities of a teenager, Snatcher largely feels very adult and manages to impress with its content and sophistication even to the present day. Hideo Kojima's freshman effort laid the groundwork for an incredible portfolio of titles and is worth experiencing for anyone who are fans of Japanese-style adventure games, visual novels, cyberpunk, or just plain good stuff.

A gem hidden among the stones, Snatcher is undoubtedly stardust.

--Ash