Arcade Shooting Parade - Kaitei Daisensou / In the Hunt / 海底大戦争

Kaitei Daisensou (Japan: 海底大戦争 - Asia/export: In The Hunt).
Released in 1993 worldwide, Kaitei Daisenpou stunned the players with an amazing and detailed and impressive graphic. Created (by the same group of people that later found Nazca Corporation) and released on Irem M-92 for the arcade market and converted to various systems later (saturn, ps1 and pc) its a classic solid shooting game very popular among players and collectors. We guide a submarine and we have various power ups as usual but we are under the sea and the gameplay is slow, chaotic but not the usual shoot all like crazy. You need to use your brain and be carefull what to shoot and how you want fight the war. The gameplay is little slow (of course, you are under the sea!) but once you figure it will be a great and unique experience.
The pcb can be found for around 50.000/70.000 yen in Japan based on conditions but prices are always rising in these days...


-Steve

                       


Maker: Irem
Releases: Japan / Export
Year: 1993
Genre: Shooting Game
Standard: JAMMA
Controls: 2 Player - 1 lever 2 buttons
Arcade System: Irem M-92 system hardware

Collector Grade:     🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
Fun Factor:             🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
Replayability Rate: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
Learning Curve:     🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
Satisfaction Level:  🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
Acquisition Class:  🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑🌑
Price Rank:             🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑🌑

Arcade Belt Parade - Undercover Cops / アンダーカバーコップス

R Type LEO (Japan: アンダーカバーコップス - Asia/export: Undercover Cops) is a Brawler / Belt / Scrolling Beat ‘em up like the many that ruled the arcade scene in the early ’90s together with Final Fight, cadillacs & dinosaurs, The Punisher just to list few).
By Irem from the same men who will become the creator of Metal slug for Snk under the Nazca name. From the start you can notice the graphic very raw and state of art like others masterpieces like In the hunt and GeoStorm, great gameplay, musics and full of details.
Here we have the classic 3 characters to choose from with different characteristics and special moves (try to find out the various combinations for every character) and run through five levels full of enemies and weird level bosses.
The Japanese arcade version differs from the export english version in several aspects and the later seem an unfinished game. The export version is simple BAD. Some graphic and details are missing, sound is cutted, the common enemies can be killed by one hit making the game way easier and worst of the worst most of the special moves are removed. Unbelievable.
I suggest absolutely to get a Japanese version and avoid the USA/export one ulless you can find the rare ALPHA (Undercover Cops 𝜶) wich is the finished version and tranladed to english identical to the Japanese veresion).
Nowadays the Irem pcb are very expensive. this game price can vary from 100.000 to 120.000 yen.
Final note: Irem released in 1995 a SFC port of the game and is very good (even if its downgraded from the arcade and its 1 Player only. A must buy but... yes... its very expensive too, about 50.000/80000 yen depend on overall conditions)

-Steve

Maker: Irem
Releases: Japan / Export
Year: 1992
Genre: Action Belt Game
Standard: JAMMA
Controls: 2 Player - 1 lever 2 buttons
Arcade System: Irem M-92 system hardware

               

Collector Grade:     🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Fun Factor:               🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Replayability Rate: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Learning Curve:      🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Satisfaction Level:  🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Acquisition Class:   🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Price Rank:               🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

    

Arcade Shooting Parade - R Type LEO / アールタイプ レオ

R Type LEO (Japan:  アールタイプ レオ - Asia/export: R Type Leo)  is the third game  (but not the third episode, which was made exclusively for the Nintendo SFC ) and arcade exclusive of the legendary R Type saga. 

The game run on the IREM  M92 system board and was released in Japan in December 1992.

The game is a bit away from the classic R Types and for that reason we can call it a "Gaiden" episode. 

The Force pod is now missing and we have  two little pods/satellites wich aim forward and backward based on the direction you are moving.  There are 3 different weapons to power up, which need to be use in different situations, making the gameplay interesting.

R-Type Leo is just "different". Its a good shooting game, with good graphic, gameplay and sounds.

Not easy to find and quite expensive like most Irem games nowadays but it's a must have for all R Types fans out there.

-Steve

Maker: Irem (nanao)

Releases: Japan / Export

Year: 1992

Genre: Shooting Game
Standard: JAMMA

Controls: 2 Player - 1 lever 2 buttons 

Collector Grade:     🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Fun Factor:               🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Replayability Rate: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑🌑

Learning Curve:      🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Satisfaction Level:  🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Acquisition Class:   🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Price Rank:               🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Arcade Shooting Parade - Kyukyoku Tiger / Twin Cobra / 究極タイガー

Kyukyoku Tiger (Japan: 究極タイガー - Asia/export: Twin Cobra) is the first great Toaplan shooting game: released in 1987 by TAITO, it truly perfected previous titles.
Even not standing out in the graphic department, kyuukuoku tiger has amazing in music and gameplay thanks to the TP-011 B30 board specifications.
Specifically, enemies AI is advanced and complex making the arcade pcb a blast to play.
Kyuukyoku tiger was ported to almost every console of the time, a truly indicator of the success it had.
The japanese game is a bit different from the oversea version: 1 player option only with re-play in a position a little further than where you died.
Still a very fun experience nowadays.
The arcade pcb is really sought after with a japanese one demanding 40-60000 yen.

- FDM -

  

Maker: TOAPLAN

Releases: Japan / Export

Year: 1987

Genre: Shooting Game
Standard: JAMMA

Controls: 1 Player - 1 lever 2 buttons (japan)

                    2 Players - 1 lever 2 buttons (export)

Collector Grade:     🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Fun Factor:               🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Replayability Rate: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑🌑

Learning Curve:      🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Satisfaction Level:  🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑

Acquisition Class:   🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑🌑

Price Rank:               🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑🌑

Arcade Shooting Parade - Mahou Daisakusen / Sorcer Striker / 魔法大作戦

Mahou daisakusen (Japan: 魔法大作戦 - Asia/export: Sorcer Strikers) Is the first game released by Raizing for the arcade and it runs on  RA-MA7893-01 hardware similar to other Toaplan later releases.
It is an extremely fun game with a fantasy-middle ages theme, a sort of unique setting for the era.
Mahou daisakusen has 6 levels in total, all interesting and well characterized by an outstanding pixel art .
It was ported poorly to two platforms (X68000 and FmTowns) and only recently for PS4 by M2.
The game is a must have for any shooters or arcade collector.
It is very sought after and it is becoming rare.
A Japanese copy in good condition might cost you from 60.000 to 80.000 yen.
Not easy to Find but still not impossible.

         

- FDM -      

 

Maker: RAIZING

Releases: Japan / Export

Year: 1993

Genre: Shooting Game
Standard: JAMMA

Controls: 2 Players - 1 lever 2 buttons

Collector Grade:     🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Fun Factor:             🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Replayability Rate: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Learning Curve:      🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑🌑

Satisfaction Level:  🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑

Acquisition Class:  🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Price Rank:             🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑🌑

We are BACK!

Yes, We are back. From Japan. Business is doing very well and I decided to bring back my old blog for fun and report what's goin on in the land of the falling sun. This time with a new gamig partner, Federico FDM, a great shooting game and arcade enthusiast.

We have few projects and bring back some old ones for finish what i started back in 2009.

Stay Tuned for more.

Steve