Swithin

Thanks for the support, guys, but I'm most curious about why MAME is specifically requesting a file it clearly has access to - crc-checked and all. It's letting me know it can't see pgm_p01s, but everything says it should be able to. Oh well, new version of MAME out, I'll see if that works.

DC vs PS1 or PS2? Either way, I'm going to go with the Dreamcast. There are incredible games on PS1 and PS2, but if you asked me to name 5 console games I'd want on a deserted island, 4 would be on DC > Soul Calibur 1 (I hate SC2, so this is already a strike against PS2), MotW, LB2, Project Justice. PS2 wins a point for GGXX#R, it's hard to go back to GGX by now. Of course, DC has many other fan favorites, including but not limited to SF3 1-3, MVC2 (this has been released on PS2 by now, hasn't it?), DOA2 (good enough, even with newer versions out), KoFs 98(that dream-match named 99something)-2k2 (points to PS2 for 2k3 and SSV, not to mention the upcoming LB1-2 pack, although the jury's out on the quality of the port), SFA3, it even has Vampire Chronicle, etc. I guess I'm being a fan-boy. I'm not putting the playstations down, many of my favorite games are on PS2, and they own the DC for free on RPGs and many other genres... but I truly feel love for the DC, as do a lot of people. It's a kickass little system with capabilities ahead of the competition's time, it even comes in a loveable little box with cute little controllers (and the Agetec stick ain't that bad.) Soul Calibur 1 clinches it for me, but still, for fighters in general, DC all the way. Kinda hard not to want both systems though... [edit: oh, btw, Bluestinger X, what anime is the clip in your avatar from?]

Whoa there L.S.D., your start-up made it sound as if you were talking about blowing money on bad games. By the end you get to KoF and SS, so generally the quality improves as you go down the sentence, but still... Waku Waku 7 *before* Gowcaizer? Waku Waku 7 rocks! It's in the elite 'magical' group of Neo-games that make the system so damn special. Also, since we're speaking of innovations, it's super-stock system was pretty clever, and hasn't ever been repeated as far as I know. Anyway, sometimes analysing a game is as much fun as playing (sometimes it's more fun, if the game sucks in new and interesting ways, for instance.) Are you saying you'd go see a movie with friends, and if they got out of the theatre and started making theories, etc..., you wouldn't consider that fun? Phantom, sounds like we pretty much agree on NM. I hadn't really thought about it's relevence toward the later SS series. NM was released in May of '95, and SS3 in November, so they might have very directly used what they'd learned from NM in making SS3. Still, NM had much less "floaty, flash-animation jumps" than SS3+. Too bad that change wasn't made in SS. I actually could see NM being a practice-run for SNK's background-artists, though, in preparation for Last Blade.

Congrats on the w00tness! The cable will come. Remember the old saying: broadband comes to those who wait. As for the other subject, I think we've talked about it on irc. It's not something I *can't* mention, but it's not like there's anything new I can say about it either. Life can be hard. When in *serious* doubt, get laid. That should clear up all confusion.

Yeah... I unfortunately lost a lot of files in a hard-disk frell-up last spring, included in which were some pre-final character designs for MotW. I'm not sure where to get these again, so if anyone knows post a link please? Anyway, Terry's incarnations showed him quite dramatically older, even more so than he appears in MotW. I remember one where he's got Odysseus's beard, and the post-Superman Clark Kent ponytail from Kingdome Come - and he was only supposed to look 35! That's still *the* definitive superhero-Odysseus image in my mind, he looked more like 45-50 (but still badass).

Yep, but as I said before, everything is filename and CRC-checked against MAWS, and should be working perfectly. I've tested multiple versions of MAME, no luck, but haven't tried another comp yet. The only thing I can think is that the PGM bios has been updated and somehow MAWS didn't catch it (or anyone else, for that matter,) but that seems *very* unlikely. It's a mystery alright.

All PGM games. Mame says it can't find pgm_p01s.rom, crc: E42B166E, but it's in pgm.zip in its right place.

For some reason, MAME 0.86+ doesn't seem to recognize pgm_p01s.rom, even though the CRCs match up and everything. Yes, this is tested with multiple versions. Anyone else have the same problem?

I seriously don't get why he doesn't just get a loan, buy some extra cabs, and open up an arcade. Give a man a fish, teach a man to fish, charge $0.25 to view the fish, and at all that... that collection shouldn't be placed in re-sellers hands, after all. It's like a mini museum.

[0] Name=Zetsumei Ougi 0=Off,0,0 1=On,10E010,02 Default=1 Yes, it's from SS5. But it works. I thought you guys knew this.

Huh, just got some Ninja Master's in earlier tonight with a good friend (as in 'played', not 'received a shipment'.) I do have thoughts on this game, actually. The first is that the sprites look horrendous. The character design is OK, but the sprites are stiff, under-animated on the whole, an generally sub-par (with some notable exceptions.) Yes, that makes a huge difference. The music is better than average, the backgrounds, while they don't have tons of animation, are pretty good (especially the cave and Nobunaga's palace), so the presentation is pretty good... but the characters look like ass. They look poorly drawn. They're unappealing, and they really hinder the game because the character sprites themselves emote a certain FF1-ness, which is unfair to the game. Tennhou and Ranmaru are, however, exceptionally well done, while Karasu (who has a good conceptual design) looks like ass. As for the game-play, it's good, it's somewhat innovative (you could willfully disarm in SS as well, so it's not entirely new), and the ease of play is a plus point. Good at combos? Come on in. It's not the most technical game, but you'll have fun shooting the ****. Bad at combos? That's OK, mash a bit, read a movelist, and eventually you'll be able to do things on purpose. It's not the total mash-fest everyone makes it out to be. Beyond that, it's fun to play, the characters aren't immediately unbalanced, and there's suprising depth to the game. Anyway, the game is a fair bit of fun. The CD version is worlds above the cart for the plentitude of options and the awesome soundtrack provided, as well as having Ranmaru and Nobunaga unlocked at the selection screen. The really annoying thing for me is that there is so much in NM that I like, but the game... falls short. I've had some pretty tense matches, but on the whole it lacks the 'experience' that many better games provide. It's not as enthralling, you can see easily behind the curtain, the bad parts stick out. There are simply better games to play. And yet... I'm not alone in feeling a certain fondness for the game. The atmosphere of the game is well laid out, the characters are interesting, the weapon-drawing is a cool gimmick, etc etc. I'm left wanting all the same ingredients re-blended and re-used in a better game. I guess I know it won't happen, but hell, SNKP owns the IP. We've got tons of samurai in the SNK universe, it would be cool if they could integrate some of these characters into other series, or make a crossover (part of why I keep harping on the subject) with SS and LB. It wouldn't be all that hard, either - the characters each have about the same amount of specials as all other SNK characters, and having them use their infinite extra-specials with a full super-stock would set them apart from other characters, not to mention drawing/sheathing/throwing their weapons (I'm not a believer in the theory that every character in a game *must* use the same guages, combo systems, etc...) Good backgrounds, good music, good character design, fun mechanics, some crappy sprites (Karasu!), but overall a 'bleh' game. Not something you can play for 12+ hours like Soul Calibur. I kinda look at NM as a portfolio of content ready to be re-used...

All we know so far is that he's the next major fight, and it looks like he's venus-fly-trap based. No idea on which village he's from originally. Actually, that's all pretty obvious, isn't it? As for a name or anything, nope, no-one knows yet.

The really odd thing is, I finished reading what I have of Bleach this afternoon, just kinda decided it was time. Checked to see if any more's been translated, and instead I find they've made an anime and the first ep just came out yesterday. My life is filled with these kinds of coincidences, seriously. Anyway, not sure if anyone else cares, but it's worth checking out. It seems to be a pretty literal translation, which is a good thing. Animation is... well, it's Ok. Satisfactory at best, but then Naruto got a lot better with a budget-boost, didn't it? Let's hope this also gets popular very quickly. Spoilers ahead (but hey, it's the introductory chapter, can they really even be classified as spoilers at this point?) The pros: voice-work seems pretty good, camera angles are fairly intelligent to maximize the looks for the budget they've got, and on a second pass some minor inconsistencies in the manga seem to be cleared up (as in, the ghost-girl going visible to normals in the first chapter, when normals can't *ever* see ghosts again, whether they want to be seen or not.) I guess it's also a pro that the manga is *so* far ahead there won't be any filler eps for at least a year. The cons: Production value. It's not the greatest, but meh. Some odd stuff inserted which wasn't there originally, perhaps an effort to 'unify theories' that are revealed over time in the manga (like floating kanji in the air to show demon-magic and spiritual power... err, wtf?) At the moment I'm not sure whether this is a pro or a con: everything is very terse. I generally love that, because it speeds the story up and condenses the character moments and action (and you don't get three episodes of 'powering-up for the big fight' or whatnot.) However, at the moment the animators and voice-actors don't quite have the hang of displaying the character behind the characters in quick cut-aways, facial expressions, or single-lines... so maybe some of the "show, don't tell" that is so well-done by manga-artists is a little bit lost. However, and I've saved this for last, the FIGHT SCENE MUSIC is TERRIBLE. Seriously bad, ALL CAPS LOCK BAD. It's a kickass scene, right? In fact, the FIRST kickass scene in the story, and you're supposed to be clenching your fists while your eyes dry up 'cuz YOU are in the mood for some fightin' too! And a Japanese Prince wannabe starts crooning to a one-legged toothless old hooker at the other end of the bar. Yes, it's J-PRINCE. Hell, if you're going to invent a new genre of music for your anime, at least get Yoko Kanno to approve it, dumbasses! And if you don't have the budget to come up with something stellar, just RIP OFF NARUTO you dumb ****s! GRARHH! It's like that puddle of ooze around a public toilet has seeped into my brain after hearing that ****, and it JUST WON'T GO AWAY. Otherwise, a fine freshman effort. Can't wait for things to *really* get up to speed. That is all. [edit: oh yeah, and they ripped off Ciel's telephone-pole thing. Oh well, it's still pretty cool.] [edit2: Hey, it's being made by Pierrot, animators of Naruto and Hikaru no Go. They really SHOULD rip off Naruto's music. <In the odd case the musicians/studio are reading this, it's not that the music is all that bad, just that the music is mind-bendingly inappropriate for a fight scene. No hard feelings, k?>]

I'm a story-nut, so I never thought I'd be saying this, but... story in Last Blade simply serves to congeal it's style. A Last Blade game without a decently atmospheric story would fall flat... but that's only because the game has a certain lightness, the style put into the first two games is a work of art. It's like poetry because it has (an admittedly superficial) context. So yeah, Last Blade without proper framing wouldn't be Last Blade. On the other hand, the Last Blade series, the Samurai Spirits series, and even the Ninja Masters series (IIRC) are integrally tied with hell/the demon world/ whatever. I think an interesting twist would be to throw the characters *through* the gates of Hell and have a full-on crossover in some kind of mirror-world on the other side. Anyway, that's the macguffin I threw together to explain a Castlevania fighter - the castle exists outside of time, so on some level anyone who ever entered it could meet anyone else who enters it in the future or entered it in the past while inside. I rather like that explanation, maybe it would work if they had a big Samurai/Ninja/Gaijin fighter in the netherworld. Didn't Ukyo actually *enter* Hell, after all, to pick that certain flower? I guess it can be done.

I didn't know that. In fact, I've never actually seen any info on Yuki. Any idea how many people were with Arc System Works when they came out with GG1? As for the Last Blade series, there is a compilation pack of 1&2 coming for PS2. Hopefully, they'll port everything seamlessly, and include an 'extra' mode where they'll include (for instance) both the original and neo-cd soundtracks and the ability to use Musashi etc in LB2 without having to drop things like taunts(!)... I still believe LB to be a highly superior series to SS, but when I think of SNK's great character designs in SS (and even Ninja Masters), what I really want is a great all-character-inclusive crossover, with revamps so that everything's in LB style. I even wouldn't mind a game in 3D, with Soul Calibur style graphics (not SC2, I hate SC2) and Rival Schools style gameplay (and Project Justice style backgrounds.) SNK is developing SS6, which I find interesting. They've recently converted KoF into 3D, and Metal Slug, but those titles aren't sequential in the main series. SNK has confirmed SS*6*, which suggests 2D... on the other hand, SS5 re-introduced some of the SS64 characters, SVC had Shiki, and NGBC has Asura, so they aren't exactly burying the 3D SS titles of the past as some dark secret. Now that KoF: MI actually looks pretty good, I wouldn't be surprised if they're going back to 3D at some point for their weapons-fighters. My hope is that SS6 will be 2D but that they're developing their 3D title either from Last Blade (possible) or as a crossover (because SS is much more known in America, and this would be a great way to introduce the LB series to a new audience.) Oh well, things are definitely revving up over at SNKP. I'm amazed they've had so many titles going recently, it's only a matter of time until LB is resurrected. I just hope whatever they make deserves the name.

I like Fighting Layer too. I don't think the mid-boss is supposed to be Siegfried, though... for one, that's pretty ghostly armor, disappearing and all that. Second, it moves/plays nothing like Siggy.

Changed for Mizuki, Zankuro and Amasuka. The only change I did not like was the removable of Yumeji You guys are forgetting that virtually *all* major fighting games go through revisions. In fact, SNK is particularly behind on this issue due to the MVS/AES simultaneous development. Midway might have started the major revisions with their multiple MK releases for 1, 2, and 3 (2 especially was very buggy on first release), Capcom has released many versions of the SF series (some major revisions, like SFZ2A are considered independent games, virtually), Namco even introduced new characters in their Soul Edge / Tekken releases, etc... Now, it might be very easy for Watanabe to release balance-fixing and character-unlocking patches for Melty Blood, for instance, or for Namco to ship out three versions of a game to arcades before finalizing the home release... but when you 'finish' a product for the Neo, it's done. You all saw the hubbub over the AES-version SS5SP's censorship in America and subsequent recall... now imagine that happening to tweak character balance once or twice over the life of a cart. Personally, I think Yuki did a damn fine job with SS5 given what they were asked to do and the product they delivered. Of course, it's not perfect... so in grand SNK tradition, Playmore made a sequel-tweak. Think of the endless KoF's, and what players point to to compliment the series: "they've had ten tries, of course 2003 is better than 94!" Well, that's good, but in some sense you could consider KoF2k3 to be KoF94+++++++++. Samsho 4 is basically a major rework/fix of Samsho 3, not to mention the FF 'specials'. Sure, it might be a rip-off to pay for both carts (but most of us couldn't do this anyway.) In fact, stuff might have been taken out of SSVSP that you greatly enjoyed in SSV. I know there's stuff that leaves me scratching my head (why wasn't Yumeji 'completed' as Slash Ukyo? Why do the alternate colors suddenly suck? Where did the boat stage go? Why take out Poppy?!? etc...), but it *is* a better fighting game. If you look at the good stuff, the second release is justified... although it wouldn't be if they could just patch the original, but whatever. 1.) Four more playable characters. 2.) Play balancing. 3.) A different tone. 4.) Most of the sucky stages are gone (but the new ones aren't that great, and WHERE'S THE BOAT STAGE?!?) 5.) Play balancing. 6.) A training mode. 7.) Fatalities re-inserted. 8.) Play balancing (it might not be perfect, but the *attempt* is very important.) Sure, I'd like a 2D Samurai Shodown with Shiki and Asura, and maybe Morosumi. I'd like to see the PS Warrior's Rage characters in 2D. I'd like animation and backgrounds on par with LB2 or MotW. I'd like to play a Samsho with the intensity of GGXX and without the appearance of a flash game. But whatever, that might be in the future. I still love this series, and SP is pretty cool. If I pick up a used PS2 or X-Box, it's on my list. I mean... why not? Anyway, I'm not 'arguing' with anyone in particular or anything. I've just had these thoughts in my head and it seems a fitting place to put them, since someone brought it up.

V1/2 works perfectly, except for some slowdown when you beat the stage-boss. Not a great game, though. Not bad, but not great - it feels like a flash game.

Hey guys, I don't know if anyone remembers Asura Blade, probably a hazy memory, but it's a cool game. It's sequel, Asura Buster, was released in 2000, but I was looking at Fuuki's sales-page a while back, and they'd sold very few units... shame really... anyway, I'm wondering if anyone's heard anything about its dump-status. The game's not even listed on unmamed... which is a shame, because it sounded like an awesome game. Now I can't even find more than 3 pages of passing mentions on Google... has the world totally forgotten Asura Buster?

Oh, I'm so jealous! Have fun, take care bro.

No, mentioning Rick Strowd isn't 'showing off'. I was going to bring him up, but then I read the thread and saw that he's mentioned. Rick Strowd looks cool, *memorably* so. In other words, he's a good boxer 'design'. Anyway, Vanessa owns me, but Rick Strowd looks damn cool, and '98 Heavy D! is cool also. There are a lot of great designs. Dudley is cool, too. I'd go so far as to say you can split up "best boxer" amongst these four in different categories - they might not be the most realistic 'boxers', but they are up there in terms of style and design... Hottest Boxer EVAR: Vanessa Best Gentleman Boxer: Dudley Best 'Modern' Competitive Boxer: Heavy D! (he's actually likeable! gasp!) Fiercest Looking Boxer: Rick Strowd

Awesome. Even has a music tracker. Have to play with this!