@JJtheTexan I can understand your reasoning - the Egret hardware and game packs are priced so high, they’re not going to appeal to many people outside of Japan.
AFAIK Hamster hasn’t ported any of the 20 Arcade Memories expansion pack games to Arcade Archives yet. It’s probably just a matter of time, though. Most of the best games on the base Egret have been Hamstered. They’re doing amazing work! Bosconian this week!
Awesome news! I’ve loved all the Taito arcade games on the Egret II Mini and have already preorder the Arcade Memories Vol. 2 pack which features Night Striker. Bringing M2 on board will make this a top-quality port! I couldn’t resist ordering the Cyber Stick bundle, as well. It’s a super indulgence, but it’s going to be great playing NS in the Egret and Afterburner 2 on the MD Mini 2 with it. I hope some more platforms support this controller going forward. I bet Sega will do their best on any further minis they produce.
@Porco It is nuts how expensive that controller is - Amazon JP sells it for JPY26,000 on its own, or JPY28,585 bundled with the Vol. 2 cartridge. I probably wouldn’t have invested if the yen wasn’t so weak vs USD right now.
The lineup looked fun to me, and the Cyber Stick will work with my Mega Drive Mini 2 as well, so I preordered Vol.2 plus the controller as a Xmas gift to myself 😁 You could say really it’s a 70th Anniversary present for Taito! Today (8/24/2023) is the official day. Like Producer Egappi-san said, this pack brings the Egret Mini up to 70 games. 70 games on Taito’s 70th bday. 🎂
I’ll look forward to playing Wardner, Night Striker, Crime City, and Operation Wolf. I hope that latter plays with the trackball, as well as the Cyber Stick (though a thumping uzi controller will forever be the definitive way to play).
Gotta say, though, I’m bummed there’s no belt-scrolling beat em up like Arabian Magic or Rastan III.
@Guru_Larry
A few fans I’ve listened to in Japan are predicting (or maybe just hoping) the Egret will be compatible with that huge Cyber Stick controller that came out last year together with the Mega Drive Mini 2. They pitched it to After Burner fans, but it’ll work great for Night Striker, too.
But yeah, a steering wheel would be best for Chase HQ, for sure.
Just another half day till they announce the games for Vol. 2! The livestream will be at 7:00am tomorrow for us easterners in the US, so I’ll have to catch it on my lunch break. They announced the games will be between 1985 and 1995, which eliminates Zoo Keeper, sadly. I hope they include heavy hitters like Chase HQ and Galactic Storm and sell enough so we can get a Vol. 3 next year (with Zoo Keeper). 😅
I love my Egret II Mini and I’ll be preordering this pack as soon as it goes up on Amazon JP.
I thought Vol. 1 was an ok value - 10 games with Hamster pricing, essentially. These packs come with a snazzy case, insert cards and a lovely guidebook covering all 10 games plus interviews. I think producer Ega-P and co. are doing archival-quality work, but yeah, there is a language barrier that reduces the value for many people.
Gladiator, Gekirindan, and LightBringer were my faves in vol 1.
Since Night Striker is in vol. 2, I don’t see why they couldn’t port Chase HQ. I desperately want them to announce Zookeeper this time!
Holy Mother of all that is holy this is AMAZING news!! I have waited for a home port of this game since 1987 or 88! I pumped many quarters into this game at the local arcade back then, and then poof! The machine was relocated and I haven’t played since.
This is probably my single most-wanted non-licensed Arcade Archive game. Well, besides some Western games that Hamster would never do. Still, AWESOME NEWS!!! NOSTALGIA OVERLOAD!!! 🤩
This plus the news that Taito has set a release date for the next “Arcade Memories” pack of 10 games for the Egret II Mini has made me super happy today! Night Striker plus 9 more games for my favorite mini console will be an Xmas present to myself this December. 😁
Taito America’s Zookeeper, please and thank you! A forgotten classic game. Or maybe Gladiator. That one is freshly added to the Egret II Mini, so maybe it’s easier for Hanster to port to Arcade Archives.
Well, Time Gal Rebirth seems interesting enough, but since it is exclusive to the Limited Edition (JPY19,580 on Amazon JP) I will be skipping.
The regular edition of this LD Game Collection is expensive enough for me at JPY9,680! I guess Taito has to pay for these remasters and all the voice talent for Rebirth somehow!
@Damo Where did you see the standard edition listed for JPY5,720? That would be a bargain if accurate.
@Beefcakeyamato I know!! Rocky Point is just a memory now. It was still booming when I was a kid, and we would go every summer. The arcade there was cavernous! Stuffed full of video games, pinball tables, skee-ball, and antique mechanical games. I would run out of quarters but it was still neat to just mill around and see everything. My sis would get impatient and drag me out to go back on the park rides. 😅
This is great news! I encountered a Time Gal machine long ago in the arcade, I think at Rocky Point Park in Rhode Island. I think I rented the Sega CD release, too. I thought it was fun enough, even if It didn’t have the impact of Dragon’s Lair or Space Ace for me.
But I didn’t know of the ninja game, and had no idea Taito released a Space Cruiser Yamato LD game! I’ll definitely be ordering this physical from Japan.
Thanks for the great interview! Target Earth (Leynos) was an unexpected delight when I first played it long ago on my Genesis. So many times I would see that MASAYA logo and wonder gratefully about the unknown heroes who built that game, so I appreciate this coverage. I loved Target Earth so much, I still have my original cartridge! Its one of the very few games that survived all the misguided trade-ins I did over the years. Love of mecha fiction in Japanese games like Leynos and localized anime or coproductions like Force Five, Mighty Orbots, Transformers and Robotech eventually drew me into studying the language and then working in Japan for 8 years. To this day I still use Japanese at work.
I may not have played Cybernator (Valken) yet (waiting for the Declassified EditionI to get a physical release hopefully), but certainly I’m one of many Westerners positively influenced by Suzuki-san and Nakai-san’s creativity and hard work.
Hamster is amazing, even resurrecting licensed games now! I had no idea there was a Mazinger arcade game. The price is a little steep but as fan of old super robots I will certainly invest in this. Hopefully it brings more memorable licensed games to Arcade Archives, like Aliens, Area 88, Superman, Capt America and the Avengers, etc.
You know, there’s one game they NEED to get out, and that’s Irem’s Spartan X (Kung Fu here in the West). And Konami’s Dark Labyrinth really sparked my imagination back when I was a kid. I’d love to see that again.
As we all know, Sega hardware rules the wrestling ring! Mega Drive Mini 2 and his mysterious partner are the undisputed tag-team champs: https://t.co/2ZvqZRVLAY
This is truly sad news - I enjoyed his work in a few of the animated shows over the years, and in Arkham City. Just the quintessential Batman voice, and perfect foil to Mark Hamill’s manic Joker. Rest In Peace.
There are so many great games on here, reminders of that time (in the US, at least) when Sega truly ruled the roost, where the TurboGraphx never took off and before the SNES arrived.
I really appreciate your taking the time to catalogue where and how modern players can still find these games, like the MD Mini, NSO, or other re-releases (hopefully you can addend MD Mini 2 later).
I would recommend Super Monaco GP, Super Hang-on, Star Control, or Target Earth for the list, or some of the unique licensed games we’ll never see again, like Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker or even that McDonald’s themed platformer I can’t quite remember, other than it was fun 🤩
@Damo
I think I was overly optimistic because Amazon.jp still hasn’t shipped my Mini 2 preorder! Its status has been “now shipping” for the past 2 days, but I’m getting nervous as currently it’s no longer an “in stock” item at Amazon. STRESS.
I hope you order is proceeding smoothly, at least.
Edit:
So 2 hours after venting my fears above, I get the shipment notice from Amazon.jp! Whew 😅
Oh wow what a difference! I was excited to hear Producer Okunari-san reveal that the team improved the scaling in this re-release for the MD Mini 2, but just wow!
Plus IIRC, it's supposed to have Space Harrier 1 bundled in with the same smooth scaling.
EDIT:
Yes indeed, per the Spacer Harrier II's description on Sega's Japanese MD Mini 2 website, it does include a smooth-scaling version of the original Space Harrier, too! Here is a quick translation:
What if the Mega Drive had 3D scaling capabilities? This bonus game answers that historical What If question. We resurrected this 3D shooting game and Mega Drive launch title, using new tech to make it more like the arcade experience. Furthermore, we included the original Spacer Harrier, a game considered impossible to port faithfully to the original Mega Drive. You'll now be able to start the game in either Space Harrier or Space Harrier II mode!
This is great news - thanks for the tip! I wasn't even aware Sega was doing this. I'll check out a few while I'm waiting for Amazon Japan to ship my Mini 2.
I saw they still have the original MD Mini manuals posted, too!
This review lured me off of Nintendo Life and over here to Time Extension for the first time. The site is looking good and I really should have visited sooner, as a regular console gamer since the early 80s! It's nice to see familiar faces, @Damo, and many people here in the comments.
My Japanese version is winging its way across the Pacific as we speak. The first MD Mini has been my most-played mini console to date, so I preordered the Mini 2 as soon as I found out M2 was still involved. Watching producer Okunari-san present the several waves of game announcements over the year has really hyped me for what Sega is offering this time.
There are some games on the Western version (Genesis Mini 2) that I'll be missing out on, but either way there are many hours of great games to be enjoyed here. For me, the Jpn version has a great lineup I know I'll enjoy - eclectic choices like Nadia, Harimanada, Majandojo, and Tenka Fubu, some great-looking games like Chelnov, Ranger X, Popful Mail, and the Lunar RPGs, and some dearly-missed games from my teen years like Granada, Final Fight CD, and Silpheed.
So much good gaming on its way, so little time to play it all!
I procrastinated about preordering from Amazon Japan for months, then Strictly Limited emailed that they opened their preorders, and I finally decided to splurge.
The mini cab was just too cute to resist. And I'm really looking forward to playing the Arkanoid games properly, with a spinner. I remember Rastan and Bubble Bobble fondly, too, and QIX was probably my most-played Gameboy game, back in the day.
Definitely an impulse buy for me, but the package just appealed to me more than, say, a PS4 and a few used games would.
I preordered my Mega Drive Mini direct from Amazon JP with my US credit card. It arrived last Saturday and I've been enjoying it at home quite a bit! My main reasons for choosing the Japan version over the US Genesis version were the JPN exclusives like Assault Suit Leynos, MUSHA, and Revenge of Shinobi. Although, oddly enough I've played more Road Rash 2 than anything else!
The 6-button controllers are neat but I haven't played SFII yet and so haven't even used that upper row of buttons.
The console's default display language is Japanese, but switch it to English and it shows the US versions of the game cases in the library screen as well as letting you play US versions of each game (i.e. play Target Earth instead of Leynos). That feature was really a classy inclusion by Sega and M2. Overall, super happy with this purchase!
Comments 77
Re: Poll: Handheld Or TV - How Do You Play Retro Games?
My eyes are from the early 70s. Even with help from reading glasses, at this point they have a hard time seeing tiny screens.
The Switch, Wii U, and arcade mini’s I’ve bought all offer portable play, but I play on TV almost all the time.
My guess is that most of us still playing video games in our mid to late-40s and beyond are going to increasingly prefer our large flatscreens.
Re: Here Are The 10 Games Included In Taito Egret II Mini Arcade Memories Vol. 2
@JJtheTexan
I can understand your reasoning - the Egret hardware and game packs are priced so high, they’re not going to appeal to many people outside of Japan.
AFAIK Hamster hasn’t ported any of the 20 Arcade Memories expansion pack games to Arcade Archives yet. It’s probably just a matter of time, though. Most of the best games on the base Egret have been Hamstered. They’re doing amazing work! Bosconian this week!
Re: Taito Is Working With M2 To Create Perfect 'Night Striker' Home Ports
Awesome news! I’ve loved all the Taito arcade games on the Egret II Mini and have already preorder the Arcade Memories Vol. 2 pack which features Night Striker. Bringing M2 on board will make this a top-quality port!
I couldn’t resist ordering the Cyber Stick bundle, as well. It’s a super indulgence, but it’s going to be great playing NS in the Egret and Afterburner 2 on the MD Mini 2 with it. I hope some more platforms support this controller going forward. I bet Sega will do their best on any further minis they produce.
Re: Here Are The 10 Games Included In Taito Egret II Mini Arcade Memories Vol. 2
@Porco
It is nuts how expensive that controller is - Amazon JP sells it for JPY26,000 on its own, or JPY28,585 bundled with the Vol. 2 cartridge.
I probably wouldn’t have invested if the yen wasn’t so weak vs USD right now.
Re: Here Are The 10 Games Included In Taito Egret II Mini Arcade Memories Vol. 2
The lineup looked fun to me, and the Cyber Stick will work with my Mega Drive Mini 2 as well, so I preordered Vol.2 plus the controller as a Xmas gift to myself 😁
You could say really it’s a 70th Anniversary present for Taito! Today (8/24/2023) is the official day. Like Producer Egappi-san said, this pack brings the Egret Mini up to 70 games. 70 games on Taito’s 70th bday. 🎂
I’ll look forward to playing Wardner, Night Striker, Crime City, and Operation Wolf. I hope that latter plays with the trackball, as well as the Cyber Stick (though a thumping uzi controller will forever be the definitive way to play).
Gotta say, though, I’m bummed there’s no belt-scrolling beat em up like Arabian Magic or Rastan III.
Re: Taito Egret II Mini Arcade Memories Vol. 2 Coming This December
@Guru_Larry
A few fans I’ve listened to in Japan are predicting (or maybe just hoping) the Egret will be compatible with that huge Cyber Stick controller that came out last year together with the Mega Drive Mini 2. They pitched it to After Burner fans, but it’ll work great for Night Striker, too.
But yeah, a steering wheel would be best for Chase HQ, for sure.
Just another half day till they announce the games for Vol. 2! The livestream will be at 7:00am tomorrow for us easterners in the US, so I’ll have to catch it on my lunch break. They announced the games will be between 1985 and 1995, which eliminates Zoo Keeper, sadly. I hope they include heavy hitters like Chase HQ and Galactic Storm and sell enough so we can get a Vol. 3 next year (with Zoo Keeper). 😅
Re: Taito Egret II Mini Arcade Memories Vol. 2 Coming This December
I love my Egret II Mini and I’ll be preordering this pack as soon as it goes up on Amazon JP.
I thought Vol. 1 was an ok value - 10 games with Hamster pricing, essentially. These packs come with a snazzy case, insert cards and a lovely guidebook covering all 10 games plus interviews. I think producer Ega-P and co. are doing archival-quality work, but yeah, there is a language barrier that reduces the value for many people.
Gladiator, Gekirindan, and LightBringer were my faves in vol 1.
Since Night Striker is in vol. 2, I don’t see why they couldn’t port Chase HQ. I desperately want them to announce Zookeeper this time!
Re: Konami's 'Dark Adventure' Coming To PS4 & Switch On August 17th
@BionicDodo
I agree - it’s great to hear that Hamster is including the NA and EU versions of the game together with the Japanese.
I wish the same were true for Frogger. 🐸
Re: Konami's 'Dark Adventure' Coming To PS4 & Switch On August 17th
Holy Mother of all that is holy this is AMAZING news!! I have waited for a home port of this game since 1987 or 88! I pumped many quarters into this game at the local arcade back then, and then poof! The machine was relocated and I haven’t played since.
This is probably my single most-wanted non-licensed Arcade Archive game. Well, besides some Western games that Hamster would never do. Still, AWESOME NEWS!!!
NOSTALGIA OVERLOAD!!! 🤩
This plus the news that Taito has set a release date for the next “Arcade Memories” pack of 10 games for the Egret II Mini has made me super happy today! Night Striker plus 9 more games for my favorite mini console will be an Xmas present to myself this December. 😁
Re: Hamster Wants Fans To Guess Its Next Taito Arcade Archives Release
Taito America’s Zookeeper, please and thank you!
A forgotten classic game.
Or maybe Gladiator. That one is freshly added to the Egret II Mini, so maybe it’s easier for Hanster to port to Arcade Archives.
Re: Three Of Taito's Classic '80s LaserDisc Games Are Coming To Nintendo Switch
Well, Time Gal Rebirth seems interesting enough, but since it is exclusive to the Limited Edition (JPY19,580 on Amazon JP) I will be skipping.
The regular edition of this LD Game Collection is expensive enough for me at JPY9,680! I guess Taito has to pay for these remasters and all the voice talent for Rebirth somehow!
@Damo
Where did you see the standard edition listed for JPY5,720? That would be a bargain if accurate.
Re: Three Of Taito's Classic '80s LaserDisc Games Are Coming To Nintendo Switch
@Beefcakeyamato
I know!! Rocky Point is just a memory now. It was still booming when I was a kid, and we would go every summer. The arcade there was cavernous! Stuffed full of video games, pinball tables, skee-ball, and antique mechanical games. I would run out of quarters but it was still neat to just mill around and see everything. My sis would get impatient and drag me out to go back on the park rides. 😅
Re: Three Of Taito's Classic '80s LaserDisc Games Are Coming To Nintendo Switch
This is great news! I encountered a Time Gal machine long ago in the arcade, I think at Rocky Point Park in Rhode Island. I think I rented the Sega CD release, too. I thought it was fun enough, even if It didn’t have the impact of Dragon’s Lair or Space Ace for me.
But I didn’t know of the ninja game, and had no idea Taito released a Space Cruiser Yamato LD game! I’ll definitely be ordering this physical from Japan.
Re: The Making Of: Cybernator / Assault Suits Valken - A Legendary SNES Mecha Epic
Thanks for the great interview!
Target Earth (Leynos) was an unexpected delight when I first played it long ago on my Genesis. So many times I would see that MASAYA logo and wonder gratefully about the unknown heroes who built that game, so I appreciate this coverage.
I loved Target Earth so much, I still have my original cartridge! Its one of the very few games that survived all the misguided trade-ins I did over the years.
Love of mecha fiction in Japanese games like Leynos and localized anime or coproductions like Force Five, Mighty Orbots, Transformers and Robotech eventually drew me into studying the language and then working in Japan for 8 years. To this day I still use Japanese at work.
I may not have played Cybernator (Valken) yet (waiting for the Declassified EditionI to get a physical release hopefully), but certainly I’m one of many Westerners positively influenced by Suzuki-san and Nakai-san’s creativity and hard work.
Re: Mazinger Z Is The First Arcade Archives Game To Fall Foul Of "Licence Tax"
Hamster is amazing, even resurrecting licensed games now! I had no idea there was a Mazinger arcade game. The price is a little steep but as fan of old super robots I will certainly invest in this.
Hopefully it brings more memorable licensed games to Arcade Archives, like Aliens, Area 88, Superman, Capt America and the Avengers, etc.
You know, there’s one game they NEED to get out, and that’s Irem’s Spartan X (Kung Fu here in the West). And Konami’s Dark Labyrinth really sparked my imagination back when I was a kid. I’d love to see that again.
Re: Cannon Dancer's Digital Release Date Slips To April 13th
Hmm… Interesting. Considering Strictly Limited Games emailed last week to tell me they’ve shipped my physical copy of Cannon Dancer.
Maybe physical preceding digital for once!
Re: Random: Sega Dreamcast Makes Comeback As A Weapon In Pro Wrestling Match
As we all know, Sega hardware rules the wrestling ring!
Mega Drive Mini 2 and his mysterious partner are the undisputed tag-team champs:
https://t.co/2ZvqZRVLAY
Re: SNES Classic Cybernator Is Coming To Switch Next Month, Thanks To M2
Insta-buy, insta-double dip if it’s gets a physical release somewhere. M2 are doing righteous work!
Re: Batman Voice Actor Kevin Conroy Has Passed Away
This is truly sad news - I enjoyed his work in a few of the animated shows over the years, and in Arkham City. Just the quintessential Batman voice, and perfect foil to Mark Hamill’s manic Joker.
Rest In Peace.
Re: Interview: Q*Bert Creator Warren Davis Reflects On 40 Years Of The Arcade Classic
I agree - cool interview! Q-Bert was one of my favorite Colecovision games back then. Warren and co’s work has really stood the test of time.
That mini Qbert cabinet is very tempting!
If only I had more money and better eyesight! @!#?@!
Re: Best Genesis / Mega Drive Games
There are so many great games on here, reminders of that time (in the US, at least) when Sega truly ruled the roost, where the TurboGraphx never took off and before the SNES arrived.
I really appreciate your taking the time to catalogue where and how modern players can still find these games, like the MD Mini, NSO, or other re-releases (hopefully you can addend MD Mini 2 later).
I would recommend Super Monaco GP, Super Hang-on, Star Control, or Target Earth for the list, or some of the unique licensed games we’ll never see again, like Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker or even that McDonald’s themed platformer I can’t quite remember, other than it was fun 🤩
Re: Review: Mega Drive / Genesis Mini 2 - Sega's Sequel Scores CD Support
@Damo
I think I was overly optimistic because Amazon.jp still hasn’t shipped my Mini 2 preorder! Its status has been “now shipping” for the past 2 days, but I’m getting nervous as currently it’s no longer an “in stock” item at Amazon. STRESS.
I hope you order is proceeding smoothly, at least.
Edit:
So 2 hours after venting my fears above, I get the shipment notice from Amazon.jp! Whew 😅
Re: Space Harrier II Shows Huge Improvement On Sega Mega Drive / Genesis Mini 2
Oh wow what a difference! I was excited to hear Producer Okunari-san reveal that the team improved the scaling in this re-release for the MD Mini 2, but just wow!
Plus IIRC, it's supposed to have Space Harrier 1 bundled in with the same smooth scaling.
EDIT:
Yes indeed, per the Spacer Harrier II's description on Sega's Japanese MD Mini 2 website, it does include a smooth-scaling version of the original Space Harrier, too! Here is a quick translation:
Re: Sega Publishes Game Manuals For Sega Mega Drive / Genesis Mini 2 Titles Online
This is great news - thanks for the tip! I wasn't even aware Sega was doing this. I'll check out a few while I'm waiting for Amazon Japan to ship my Mini 2.
I saw they still have the original MD Mini manuals posted, too!
Re: Review: Mega Drive / Genesis Mini 2 - Sega's Sequel Scores CD Support
This review lured me off of Nintendo Life and over here to Time Extension for the first time. The site is looking good and I really should have visited sooner, as a regular console gamer since the early 80s!
It's nice to see familiar faces, @Damo, and many people here in the comments.
My Japanese version is winging its way across the Pacific as we speak. The first MD Mini has been my most-played mini console to date, so I preordered the Mini 2 as soon as I found out M2 was still involved. Watching producer Okunari-san present the several waves of game announcements over the year has really hyped me for what Sega is offering this time.
There are some games on the Western version (Genesis Mini 2) that I'll be missing out on, but either way there are many hours of great games to be enjoyed here. For me, the Jpn version has a great lineup I know I'll enjoy - eclectic choices like Nadia, Harimanada, Majandojo, and Tenka Fubu, some great-looking games like Chelnov, Ranger X, Popful Mail, and the Lunar RPGs, and some dearly-missed games from my teen years like Granada, Final Fight CD, and Silpheed.
So much good gaming on its way, so little time to play it all!
Re: Hardware: The Taito Egret II Mini Is A Doorway Into True Gaming History
I procrastinated about preordering from Amazon Japan for months, then Strictly Limited emailed that they opened their preorders, and I finally decided to splurge.
The mini cab was just too cute to resist. And I'm really looking forward to playing the Arkanoid games properly, with a spinner. I remember Rastan and Bubble Bobble fondly, too, and QIX was probably my most-played Gameboy game, back in the day.
Definitely an impulse buy for me, but the package just appealed to me more than, say, a PS4 and a few used games would.
Re: Hardware Review: Should You Import The Japanese Mega Drive Mini?
I preordered my Mega Drive Mini direct from Amazon JP with my US credit card. It arrived last Saturday and I've been enjoying it at home quite a bit! My main reasons for choosing the Japan version over the US Genesis version were the JPN exclusives like Assault Suit Leynos, MUSHA, and Revenge of Shinobi. Although, oddly enough I've played more Road Rash 2 than anything else!
The 6-button controllers are neat but I haven't played SFII yet and so haven't even used that upper row of buttons.
The console's default display language is Japanese, but switch it to English and it shows the US versions of the game cases in the library screen as well as letting you play US versions of each game (i.e. play Target Earth instead of Leynos). That feature was really a classy inclusion by Sega and M2.
Overall, super happy with this purchase!