Bombjack Twin highscore

NMK really upped the speed (and thus difficulty) in Bombjack Twin, making average game play times in the single digit minutes. This game is not for casual play, unless you like being stuffed by round 3 all the time. But there is definitely a pattern that can be found, where memorizing paths, and timing when the P icon comes out (which freeze the screen), can really help to finish off stages quickly. Each round has 3 stages, and after two completed rounds a special bonus round contributes to a majority of your score. Thus my highscore table below shows some big jumps after stage 3 and 6. I believe I got an extend icon by round 4 or 5.

DJK - 766,420 7-1

March GETs

I could not pass up an opportunity to snatch up one of those new Radirgy Noa kits on YAJ.



As well as another rarely seen NMK sequel (the original put NMK on the map) Bombjack Twin!

The TRON desk is back!

Last December, I pointed out that Japanese STG blogger Ikeda_San had this cool black Taito cocktail cabinet, that looked similar to Dillenger's desk in the movie TRON. Well now the desk is back in its full glory, and I can't wait to see it coming out this December!

Espgaluda II Black Label release party

This past weekend, I hosted a get-together for local SF Bay Area friends to celebrate Cave's Espgaluda II Black Label for XB360. I have to admit that one of the best things about these latest Cave ports are the Novice modes. Although these provide little challenge for 1CC, they do give an opportunity to really understand the deep scoring mechanics for what is considered one of Caves most complex games. I can attest to getting quite frustrated at this game in PCB form, and as such, have never given it a lot of attention, but am really enjoying the opportunity to learn it in a more friendly environment, which I'm sure non-shmup players would also find quite accessible. It seems that Cave really does understand the difference between their hardcore PCB fans and consumer console players.



Besides playing Cave's latest XB360 port (with its equally awesome Black Label and Arrange modes), we also played a few unreleased Cave titles, namely Muchi Muchi Pork and Pink Sweets, as well as some Type X2 games, and classic Genesis games via a jamma-converter.