Arcade Emulator Games

NAM-1975 is a 1990 war-themed action shooting game released by SNK. It was the first game released for Neo Geo arcade and home platform, and the only title to not feature the Neo Geo logo in its attract mode.
"The roar of the helicopters overhead snaps us back into reality. We will never forget the nightmare of that summer..." these were the phrases that started the story of Silver & Brown (the names used to describe the two available players).



The game is set in a very fictional account of the final months of the Vietnam War. The story begins with the two soldiers entering the war to rescue Dr. R. Muckly, an ex-scientist of the American Army, who has been kidnapped by Northside Terrorists. Nancy Muckly, Dr. Muckly's daughter has also been kidnapped and is presumed imprisoned in the NAM interior.

However, as the game progresses, the armies learn that Dr. R. Muckly is a madman who is building a gigantic laser cannon to take over the world himself (the final boss battle was infamous for disallowing continues, except by modifying the DIP switch).

There are many references to many famous Vietnam War films in the game, such as Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket: the attract sequence showing one of the characters firing off an M60 machine gun is clearly ported from the shot of Animal Mother firing on the VC sniper in the latter film.




NAM-1975

The basic gameplay is simple: progress through the levels in your spacecraft, collecting powerups and protecting your spacecraft from destruction. The game has very obvious similarities in design and gameplay to R-Type. It is actually believed that some ex-Irem employees left the company to join Aicom, which used to be a subcontractor for various coin-op manufacturers like Jaleco or SNK.



Despite the familiarities, Pulstar is not without innovations. There is the option of using the weapon power bar, which consists of two halves. The right-hand side of the bar turns blue when you depress the fire button, when fully charged your ship delivers a devastating emission of energy. Meanwhile the left-hand side turns red when it is continually pressed, shooting out a barrage of smaller, rapid blasts.

The in-game visuals are mostly pre-rendered 3D graphics, which gives the interactive elements a far more realistic appearance. Great care was taken to really place the player into the world of the game, with cinematic style cut scenes and pre-rendered movies.

There is a hefty reliance on strategy and not just blasting everything in sight. Using the charged weapon is key, and requires careful precision. Also, once you obtain a power up, a small orb appears at the posterior end of your ship. This can be used to your advantage by deflecting/absorbing oncoming enemy fire and taking out small enemies that run into it.




Pulstar

Andro Dunos is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released by Visco in 1992 for the SNK Neo-Geo MVS. The player control a futuristic fighter spacecraft with different weapon settings that you can switch between, and shoot enemies, collect power-ups, and defeat bosses to advance levels.

The players are put in control of the Neo Type fighters designed by Earth's defense system and sent to end a long lasting war against an alien race. The ships are capable of selecting and upgrading four different types of weapons all ready available and categorized by attack: Shot, Bomb, Missile and Unit.








Andro Dunos

Sometime in their past, the planets Remuria and Mutras started an interplanetary war that showed no sign of ending. The endless fight between the human-like inhabitants of the two planets had gone so long that weapon development moved into dangerous territory: Organic Weapon Production combined with alien technology. Soon, a sentient weapon - Brawshella - was born. Brawshella gathered all animal life on both planets and forced them to do its bidding and attack the humans. In a week, the humans were assimilated by Brawshella.

Yet, once they were assimilated, they found no other purpose in life but to continue fighting each other. After a while, four of the assimilated fighter pilots regained their consciousness and remembered their pasts. Upon discovering their humanity, the pilots were conflicted with following Brawshella's orders or fighting it to fully regain their independence. The pilots finally turn against the machine in a battle to rediscover themselves and reclaim their planets.



The joystick and two buttons are used to play Blazing Star. The joystick moves the ship around, while button A fires the normal shot. If A is tapped rapidly, then a variation on the normal shot is used. If A is held down, then the ship stores energy for a charged shot, which is fired when A is released. The charged-shot attacks have a duration based on how long the A button is held for, and pressing B during the attack will split the projectile in some way, greatly increasing the range.

Power-ups can increase the strength of the player's guns, while also increasing the maximum power of the charged shot. The types of shots, charge-up attacks, and split shots used are dependent on the ship the player selects. For instance, the ship seen in the screenshot above has small energy waves as its normal shot. The charged shot, seen in action here, releases a continuous stream of large fireballs. By pressing B, every fireball onscreen splits into numerous smaller shots, spreading to cover a much wider range.




Blazing Star

The gameplay is straightforward with elements similar to that of Capcom's 19XX games, but it is incredibly difficult even on the easiest difficulty level. Unlike most scrolling shooters, the vehicle is a seaplane instead of spaceship or airplane. As the in-game instructions indicate, move the joystick around to maneuver the seaplane. Press the A Button to fire bullets. The player can also hold the A button for a semi-automatic fire. Press the B Button to launch bombs from the inventory. The player starts with 3 bombs.



Next the player has to choose the bomb types for the seaplane. In the first and last stage, the player has a choice to start with either the mega bomb or the magnetic warhead. In the sea strike stage, the player also has the gas flame bomb to choose. In the air strike stage, the player also has the air mines to choose. In a 2 player game, both players cannot choose the same bomb type.

The player has to battle airplanes, tanks, gunboats, jets and many other units. Along the way Power ups can be collected for stronger and more widespread firepower, star medals can be collected for bonus points and bombs can be added to the inventory for more bomb attacks. A player can have a maximum of 9 bombs. Soon the player has to face a big boss, consisting of jumbo bombers, Godzilla-sized tanks and other large war machines. The player needs to aim for weak points to destroy the bosses. Some bosses fire dangerous fireballs that split when shot by the player, making the battle more difficult. The player is destroyed when shot once by enemy fire or rams into an enemy unit, then the player has to continue with the next seaplane left in the inventory. The first stage is two part which means there is no checkpoint in between. When the player reaches a checkpoint, the overall score is boosted. After the first stage the player can choose to do either the sea strike stage or the air strike stage first. The sea strike stage consists of mostly sea and land units while the air strike stage consists of a majority of air units. If the player makes it past both stages, the last stage is two part and then the player must face a tank boss the size of a city to win the game.




Ghost Pilots

Story
Gunbird uses anime-styled character as the player's chosen craft. A story plays out in between levels and before boss fights, telling a tale of how the protagonists are trying to collect pieces of a magic mirror to make a wish.

Gameplay
When player collides with the body of an enemy unit, player loses a shot power level, and the P item flies around the screen and disappears as soon as it reaches the edge. If player's fighter is at the lowest level of shot, player loses a bomb instead.



Controls
Each character in Gunbird has three attacks:
* Normal shot: Tap A button.
* Special shot: Hold A button until pose is changed, then release.
* Bomb: Press B button. It uses 1 bomb stock. When bomb blast occurs, all enemy enemies are destroyed, and player's fighter is invulnerable.

Items
* P: Increase shot power. If fighter is already at maximum, player gets 2000 points.
* B: Increase bomb stock by 1. If fighter already has 6 bombs, player gets 10000 points.
* Bonus: Obtain this Coin-shaped item increases score by 200 points.

How to play
execute Play xxx.bat

As is the standard with most arcade shooters, the player controls their ship with a joystick and two buttons. One button (Fire) shoots the main guns, and the other button (Bomb) releases a smart bomb that spreads huge energy balls all around the player's ship.

As enemies are destroyed, the player gains experience points that are separate from the score. For every 288 experience points gained, the main gun will 'level up', becoming much stronger. This is analogous to experience points and levelling up in role playing games. The weapon can only level up twice, so after it has achieved its maximum level, 288 experience points will grant the player an extra bomb.



The player can also grab "P" icons to increase the power of the current level gun. A maximum of five "P"s can be collected per experience level; getting more after this gives extra points instead.
Collecting "B" icons increases the number of bombs, to a maximum of 7.

How to play
execute Play xxx.bat

Raiden Fighters 2 takes place four years after the events of the first game. In the aftermath, a few surviving guerrilla groups gather under a dictator. Together, this rogue group forms a new nation and launches a salvo of attacks on the protagonist fighting forces. In response to these surprise attacks, the government recalls the previous troops into action once again, outfitted with retooled ordinances.

There are a total of seven stages, divided into three Missions. Stage environments include swamps, beaches, and high in the sky on a strafing run against very large bombers. Each of the first two Missions ends in a long boss encounter. The first two stages in these Missions are randomly ordered. The final Mission pits the player against an attack base and an experimental attack aircraft as bosses.



Like most games in the shoot 'em up genre, Raiden Fighters 2 has simplistic controls. A Fire button shoots the player craft's weaponry. A Bomb button unleashes an attack that deals massive damage to all enemy targets caught in its blast, as well as nullify enemy firepower. Bombing is most often used as a panic attack to save the player from death.

A new feature introduced in Raiden Fighters 2 is the Hybrid Attack, available only during a two-player game. This attack is initiated by both players unleashing their charged special attacks near simultaneously while within very close proximity within each other.

Scoring has been given a significant upgrade from the first game. Medals, bonus items that increase player score, appear far more frequently in Raiden Fighters 2.

How to play
execute Play xxx.bat

In Raiden Fighters, there are five standard fighter craft from which to select, each with a Laser and a Missile weapon. Each standard fighter craft has different strengths and weaknesses. Depending on a particular machine's settings, the cameo ships Raiden mk-II and the Judge Spear can be directly chosen, or selected by performing a specific joystick sequence. The Raiden and Judge Spear differ from the standard planes in two respects. First, each uses their signature bomb rather than the Firestar bomb and begins each life with three of them. Second, instead of employing charged shots, the cameo planes can shoot both lasers and missiles simultaneously. The Slave plane is playable, inheriting the bomb and movement speed of the fighter craft they normally accompany.



The game's seven levels are divided into three distinct Missions. The first two Missions have three levels each. The final Mission is a lengthy fight through the enemy's fortress.

By default, the stage order is chosen at random. Players can force a specific stage order by holding the joystick in one of the four principal directions before pressing the Start button after inserting a coin.

How to play
execute Play xxx.bat

Ten different planes are available for selection by default, some of whom return from previous Aero Fighters games. An additional two secret characters from previous Video System games can be accessed by entering a code. Various characters can carry different numbers of power-ups (P) and bombs (B) before reaching full stock; picking either of these up while fully stocked grants the player 2,000 points, while a full-power (F) grants 10,000.

Destroying large enemies on the ground, as well as buildings and other prominent bits of scenery, will frequently reveal any of the above powerups as well as currency icons, which change depending upon the nationality of the player's character. Currency icons are worth anywhere between 10,000 and 200 points each; picking the icons up at the very top of the screen nets the maximum, picking them up more than halfway down nets the minimum.



The game contains a total of eighteen stages, of which eight will be played in each of the game's two loops using a branching system. After killing the bosses of certain stages, a plane will appear with two destructible wings; whichever wing is destroyed first determines the next stage that is played. Stages 3 and 6 are always bonus stages; these have no boss, and will either contain enemies which release lots of power-ups which can be collected for 2,000 points each, or a large number of non-firing ground enemies which release currency.

The game also contains a number of secrets; both of the last bosses will very rarely be replaced by hidden bosses, who also grant hidden endings. Some smaller enemies will sometimes exhibit unusual behaviour; for example, the gun turrets in the USA stage will occasionally turn into a bust of Villiam from Aero Fighters.

In two-player mode, players must use any two planes which are on the same row as each other on the character select screen. During gameplay, if both players' sprites sit exactly on top of each other, a powerful combined shot will be fired as long as neither player uses a bomb.




Aero Fighters 3

Gameplay
Each plane in Strikers 1945 has three attacks: A normal shot, a charged shot, and a bomb that clears the screen of minor enemies and bullets. Both the normal shot and the charged shot can be strengthened by grabbing power-ups and extra bombs can be collected. Gold bars, which are found by destroying certain buildings or enemies, can be collected for bonus points. After the defeat of the final boss, the player's time, number of gold bars, and number of enemies killed are added up for each level and, if high enough, marked with a silver or gold medal.



Story
In 1945, the second world war ended. Soon, there was peace, but an organization of high-ranking military officers from all over the world form a global army known as CANY. Their mission was to conquer the world. CANY activity was found in areas like the Soviet Union, America, Japan, and even Germany. It is revealed that CANY had weapons never seen before from rockets to mechanical walkers. The world quickly formed a group of pilots and planes called the Strikers whose mission is to rid of CANY from the world.




Strikers 1945

Zed Blade / Operation Ragnarok is an arcade game from NMK (company), released in 1994 as a Neo Geo MVS cartridge for the MVS (arcade) system. Zed Blade is known in Japan as Operation Ragnarok.



Gameplay
One or two players simultaneously choose one of three characters to play, each with varying speeds at which they control their ships. A selection of three weapons are used for the front and back of your ship. You must defeat various enemy ships and the boss near the end of the planet as you travel through every planet in the solar system. Weapons can be upgraded during the battle, and you can also collect HyperBombs that cause maximum damage.




Zed Blade

Getting Started
Press the one player start button to begin your war against the dinosaurs, then the two player button if you'd like some much-needed assistance from a friend. The player select screen will appear. Press the controller left and right to select between the two available pilots, then tap the fire button to lock in your choice. When both players have made their selections, they're thrown into the charred battlefield that was once known as New York City.



Tip: Bombs Away!
If deadly dinos are blocking your path to a civilian, just tap the bomb button and fire off a double helix shot. Even if it doesn't destroy the dinosaurs, you can use your temporary invincibility to sneak past them and rescue the civilian.

Tip: Score Multipliers
Weapons can only be powered up four times. However, you'll want to collect more weapons even after you've maxed out your firepower, because doing this starts a bonus timer. Hitting enemy targets while the bonus timer is active increases their point values by up to sixteen




Prehistoric Isle 2

Last Resort is an arcade shoot 'em up video game by SNK released in 1992. It was also released for the Neo-Geo and Neo Geo CD systems, as well as SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 for the PS2 and PSP. Extremely difficult, its gameplay was heavily inspired by R-Type and its system of pod attached to the player's ship. Its first level remained memorable for its homage to the futuristic Neo-Tokyo depicted in the anime Akira.



Story
Taking place many years in the future, mankind has developed the technology for space colonization. However, a mysterious computer virus infects the primary computer running man's first space station, causing it not only to affect its automated defenses, but to convince other humans to side with it. The computer attacks Earth so often that Earth's only hope is put into advanced spaceships wielding great firepower.

Gameplay
The game uses only 2 buttons. Manuever the cyber jet with the joystick. If you have the drone it will rotate in the same direction of the cyber jet. Press the A button to fire bullets. If you have the drone it will fire in the direction it is pointing. Provided you have the drone, hold the A button to power up the gauge amd let go to launch the drone in the direction it is pointing. The higher the power in the gauge the bigger the damage the drone can cause. Press the B button to toggle the stoptrack position of the drone, so it will stay on that point by the cyber jet, but the cannon on the drone can still rotate.
To obtain the drone, collect a power up. If the power up is blue, the attacks are electrical-based. If the power up is red, the attacks are fire-based. Different power ups grant different weapons to add to the cyber jet's attacks. The Laser is effective for shooting through enemies, the Missiles are suitable for spreadfire attacks and the Horizantal bombs are good for attacks either side. The weapons can be powered up to three levels on the cyber jet. Speed power ups can also be added to increase the cyber jet's speed. The cyber jet is destroyed by crashing into enemy ships or hazards or by being shot. The drone can block most bullets, but not lasers or large shots.
The game has five stages. In each stage, the player has battle through swarms of enemy war machines and planes. In some stages mid-bosses can be battled. If the player makes it far enough and the cyber jet is destroyed, the game can resume to a checkpoint, but cyber jet will lose all its power ups. When the player gets to the end of the stage, the player will have to battle a robotic boss, aiming fire on its weak point to destroy it.




Last Resort

The game is played with two buttons, with the A button firing bullets from the plane and the B button launching a special bomb attack which uses a bomb from a limited stock of bombs. Power bullets can be obtained by destroying buildings and armored enemy planes. There are 2 types of Power bullets: "P" Power bullets, that increases the plane's firepower by one level, and "F" Power bullets, that increases the plane's firepower to the maximum level instantly. The maximum level only lasts for a limited amount of shots.



When certain ground enemies and buildings are destroyed, money bonuses appear which give a random amount of points each. When the player reaches the end of the stage, the player has to face a boss ship.




Aero Fighters 2

ASO II: Last Guardian (also known as Alpha Mission II) is a vertically scrolling full screen shoot 'em up released by SNK in 1991 for the Neo Geo arcade and home systems. It was later released for the Neo Geo CD in 1994.
The player controls a fighter spacecraft (Armored Scrum Object) and can shoot enemies in the air, bomb enemies on the ground, collect power-ups, and defeat bosses to advance levels.



Gameplay
The game has only 2 or 3 buttons used depending on the selected shuttle mode. Pull the joystick to manuever the shuttle. The first shuttle mode enables you to fire missiles and laser shots simultaneously with Button A, but in the alternate mode press Button A for laser shot and Button B for missile shot. Laser shots are used for air-to-air attacks and Missiles are used for air-to-ground attacks. When a drone is shot, power ups can be collected: S for Speed, L for Laser shots, M for Missile shots and G for credits. Credits are useful for purchasing weapons in between stages. The power ups are changed by shooting them. When Laser shots and Missiles are maxed, they are more widespread and combined in power. There Hidden items can do certain things like an R item can put the shuttle in Reverse for a certain distance. The shuttle is destroyed by the one shot or by running into an enemy unit or hazard. Unless the player gets far enough, the missiles and laser shots will be lost to minimum power.
Press Button C(on the first mode)/Button B (on the alternate mode) to bring up the weapons selection provided you have weapons available, select the weapon with Button A. To cancel the weapons selection press the button used to bring it up. Different weapons serve different purposes. The Laser Cannons provides a more powerful version of air-to-air attacks but restricts air-to-ground attacks completely. The Fire Launcher is very destructive on both air and ground targets. The Shield protects the shuttle from damage. The weapons have a limited power indicated on an energy metre on the left of the screen. Using the weapons or getting the ship damaged lowers the energy. The energy can be recharged by E power ups.
There are seven stages in the game. The player has to fight through them avoiding hazards in addition. Mid-bosses very occasionally appear in the game. When the player meets an mid-boss or end stage boss, the player must destroy weak points and various parts of the boss to destroy it.




Alpha Mission II