The Arcade Thread
Oct 30, 2018 16:59:22 GMT -5
Post by toei on Oct 30, 2018 16:59:22 GMT -5
...in which we discuss arcade games, whether exclusives or not. (EDIT: There was already a thread about arcade memories, but this one is 100% about the games)
I wanted to start this thread because I've exploring the output of a semi-obscure, but interesting arcade company these past few days: TAD Corporation (could we have a TAD month at some point?). Some of their games couldn't be emulated properly in MAME until (relatively) recently due to copy protection issues, so now's a good a time to get into their output.
The company was started by former Data East employees in the late '80s, put out a near-yearly string of arcade releases until folding in 1992 or 1993. Many of their employees then joined Mitchell Corporation, another lesser-known arcade company founded by ex-employees of a better-known one: Capcom. (source)
TAD's games have their own identity; their general look is similar from one game to the next, particularly in the distinct color schemes. There are also gameplay elements that recur in most of them; they generally start pretty easy, contrary to many contemporary arcade games, and only become difficult in the last two stages or so; they also use various methods to prevent credit-feeding against bosses, such as restoring the boss' health if you use a credit, or gradually refilling parts of their health bars so you have to do steady damage to defeat them. All of their games, except Toki, are multi-player (but then, most arcade games are).
Their most famous title, and their first, is Cabal (1988), which pioneered a genre named after it; shooters where both your character and a target are visible on-screen at the same time (a pretty well-known example is Natsume's Wild Guns), and you usually have some sort of evade move. It wasn't technically the first game of its type, but it was the first famous one, so it gets most of the credit, which is how it usually goes. Cabal was pretty simple - each level consists of a single-screen, and you must defeat enemies until you fill up a bar, allowing you to move to the next level (the bigger/more dangerous the enemies, the more killing them fills the bar). It was military-themed and featured various guns and grenades. It was a hit in the West, and received ports to the NES and basically every computer at the time.
In 1989 came Toki, an oddbeat side-scroller starring a big-headed monkey who spits energy balls and fire at his foes. You die in one hit, except when you happen to put on a football helmet that can absorb a hit. The one-hit deaths along with the projectiles almost makes it feel like a much looser Shinobi with longer levels. It's weird and fun, despite the slow walking speed, but contrary to TAD's other games, it's damn hard the whole way through. It was ported to the NES and various European computers; the Amiga port was especially well-received. It also got an heavily-extended Genesis version by Santos/Whiteboard, which more than doubled the levels. If anything, it's way too long for its own good.
Next came the Cabal follow-up Blood Bros (1990), a Western that refined the same basic formula. It's generally easier, smoother, and prettier, with better pacing. This was clearly a big influence on Wild Guns. Arcade-exclusive.
Probably my favorite TAD game is Heated Barrel (1992). It's another Western-themed shooter, with similar-looking enemies, but the gameplay is very different as it is viewed from a top-down perspective. On top of the usual guns, you can collect explosive barrels that work as both an evasive move and a small-scale area attack. The bosses, which are quite numerous, have two-tiered health bars; usually their last few hit points refill gradually, so you have to finish them off with a steady stream of attacks. It can be played by up to 4 people at once. The closest comparison is probably Sunset Riders, but the depth of field is much wider and the action is looser and more manic (it also doesn't have the amazing music). Arcade-exclusive.
Their final release, Legionnaire (also 1992) is a beat-'em-up. This one is pretty standard, apart from the fact that pressing the jump button twice rapidly makes you dash forward (from which you can launch a dash attack) or grab enemies if they're close. Not necessarily a bad game, but also their least interesting. Arcade-exclusive. EDIT - It's actually pretty good. The weird dash thing works because you can basically dash-grab enemies, which allows for tighter crowd control.
Heated Barrel:
I wanted to start this thread because I've exploring the output of a semi-obscure, but interesting arcade company these past few days: TAD Corporation (could we have a TAD month at some point?). Some of their games couldn't be emulated properly in MAME until (relatively) recently due to copy protection issues, so now's a good a time to get into their output.
The company was started by former Data East employees in the late '80s, put out a near-yearly string of arcade releases until folding in 1992 or 1993. Many of their employees then joined Mitchell Corporation, another lesser-known arcade company founded by ex-employees of a better-known one: Capcom. (source)
TAD's games have their own identity; their general look is similar from one game to the next, particularly in the distinct color schemes. There are also gameplay elements that recur in most of them; they generally start pretty easy, contrary to many contemporary arcade games, and only become difficult in the last two stages or so; they also use various methods to prevent credit-feeding against bosses, such as restoring the boss' health if you use a credit, or gradually refilling parts of their health bars so you have to do steady damage to defeat them. All of their games, except Toki, are multi-player (but then, most arcade games are).
Their most famous title, and their first, is Cabal (1988), which pioneered a genre named after it; shooters where both your character and a target are visible on-screen at the same time (a pretty well-known example is Natsume's Wild Guns), and you usually have some sort of evade move. It wasn't technically the first game of its type, but it was the first famous one, so it gets most of the credit, which is how it usually goes. Cabal was pretty simple - each level consists of a single-screen, and you must defeat enemies until you fill up a bar, allowing you to move to the next level (the bigger/more dangerous the enemies, the more killing them fills the bar). It was military-themed and featured various guns and grenades. It was a hit in the West, and received ports to the NES and basically every computer at the time.
In 1989 came Toki, an oddbeat side-scroller starring a big-headed monkey who spits energy balls and fire at his foes. You die in one hit, except when you happen to put on a football helmet that can absorb a hit. The one-hit deaths along with the projectiles almost makes it feel like a much looser Shinobi with longer levels. It's weird and fun, despite the slow walking speed, but contrary to TAD's other games, it's damn hard the whole way through. It was ported to the NES and various European computers; the Amiga port was especially well-received. It also got an heavily-extended Genesis version by Santos/Whiteboard, which more than doubled the levels. If anything, it's way too long for its own good.
Next came the Cabal follow-up Blood Bros (1990), a Western that refined the same basic formula. It's generally easier, smoother, and prettier, with better pacing. This was clearly a big influence on Wild Guns. Arcade-exclusive.
Probably my favorite TAD game is Heated Barrel (1992). It's another Western-themed shooter, with similar-looking enemies, but the gameplay is very different as it is viewed from a top-down perspective. On top of the usual guns, you can collect explosive barrels that work as both an evasive move and a small-scale area attack. The bosses, which are quite numerous, have two-tiered health bars; usually their last few hit points refill gradually, so you have to finish them off with a steady stream of attacks. It can be played by up to 4 people at once. The closest comparison is probably Sunset Riders, but the depth of field is much wider and the action is looser and more manic (it also doesn't have the amazing music). Arcade-exclusive.
Their final release, Legionnaire (also 1992) is a beat-'em-up. This one is pretty standard, apart from the fact that pressing the jump button twice rapidly makes you dash forward (from which you can launch a dash attack) or grab enemies if they're close. Not necessarily a bad game, but also their least interesting. Arcade-exclusive. EDIT - It's actually pretty good. The weird dash thing works because you can basically dash-grab enemies, which allows for tighter crowd control.
Heated Barrel:
