#Densha de GO! 2

[bancho-zx]

【PlayStation】

Densha de GO! 2 | 電車でGO! 2 ~Intro/Title/Demo

[ LOVE Express Komachi | LOVE特急こまち ]

// Vocal: Zuntata-J.A.M // Lyrics: Zuntata-J.A.M // Composition: Dr. HAGGY / Hideki Takahagi | 高萩英樹 // Music: Norihiro Furukawa | 古川典裕

// MiSTer FPGA / PSX core // Y/C Composite // Sony KV-13TR20 CRT TV

[itsayaze]

Day Three - Nakan-oh shit my legs hurt

"Tomorrow will be a chill day"

This is something I've been telling myself every night, and every time it's been a lie. So, we took the Chuo Rapid to Nakano Broadway, which is haven for Mandarake shops. They have specific branches all throughout the mall dedicated to specific things, such as trains, video games, boy's love manga, titties, CDs, etc.

It's also the day where I spent quite a bit of money on a few things. Normally I'm journaling in the morning, but because on the third day of your stay, APA do housekeeping wether you are prepared or not, so I took some time in the morning to clean up after myself a bit to inconvenience the staff less. As today's shenanigans have gone on, memories of yesterdays have become a little more hazy.

The main attraction of the day for me is Namco Nakano Broadway. In there, they have a full-size cabinet of the newest Densha de GO! game. As I've only had the opportunity to play the heavily watered down PS4 version of the game, this was very exciting.

At 300 yen a pop for a 2 station run, it's expensive, but as its a larger cabinet with a whole host of features, I personally think it's worth it.

It has FOUR screens, one of which is a touch screen, as well as a pedal for the horn, and the mascon for power/brake. The touchscreen is used to emulate the point and call system that train drivers in Japan follow to ensure that they make no mistakes. So, for example, if the speed limit was changing for that stretch of track, you'd slide a point on the touch screen, and tap the speedometer to acknowledge the change in speed.

On top of this, there's a bass speaker inside of the seat that I'm pretty sure is tuned to specifically react to the track sounds which makes it pretty damn immersive!

I played on a familiar Yamanote line route to get my bearings with the new controls - I've only played this on PS4 mind - and it went well! I got an S rank on the mission and only messed up a few things such as honking over a bridge. (They don't do this on actual JR trains as far as I'm aware, so I'm unsure as to why this is a gameplay mechanic?)

After this, I wandered around the broadway, poking my nose in all the different Mandarakes. I got a few games, but unfortunately I don't remember what ones. To take a break, we sat in an interesting artsy cafe on the 4th floor. It turns out its directly tied to the artist who was responsible for My Lonesome Cowboy. If you know, you know.

I had a nice melon soda, which had a scoop of vanilla ice-cream shaped like a flour and the juiciest cherry I've ever eaten. With my drink, I also got a special token to play the cocktail arcade cabinet table that you sit at, which was Space Invaders Deluxe.

Once we were done looking around the huge 4F complex, we headed by Shinjuku on the way back to the hotel. There's a Like a Dragon pop-up shop taking place over the course of this week, and I wanted to take a quick peek to see if there was anything left later in the evening. I got a handful of things, but showing it all would be spoilers to the people whomst I've bought gifts for.

Tomorrow morning (JST) I'll do a quick writeup about my proper experience in the pop-up, the results of the final round of the chigyu championship, and government buildings...?

[0xfc963f18dc21]

LET'S FUCKING GO THEY MADE AN ENGLISH PATCH FOR DENSHA DE GO FINAL 2004!!!

[anythinggoes210]

Lesson #5

Function #1

A particle that marks a direct object

Example:

スミス���んは車を買いました

Sumisu san wa kuruma o kaimashita

Mr Smith bought a car

私はケーキを食べています

Watashi wa ke-ki o tabeteimasu

I'm eating cake

Note that the direct object in English is not always marked by o (を)in Japanese. Example:

私は英語が分かる (I understand English)　➞ Refer to Lesson #4

In some constructions, the direct object marker o (を)can be replaced by the subject marker ga (が)

Example

ミルクを飲む (Miruku o nomu) ➞ I drink milk

To: ミルクが飲みたい (Miruku ga nomitai) ➞ I want to drink milk

日本語を話す (Nihongo o hanasu) ➞ I speak Japanese

To: 日本語が話せる (Nihongo ga hanaseru) ➞ I can speak Japanese

O (を) cannot occur more than once in the clause. It is grammatically incorrect.

Example

父は私に(×を)酒を飲ませた

Chichi wa watashi ni (o) sake o nomaseta

My father made me drink sake (liquor)

（〇）妹はパンを買ったが、弟はお菓子を買った

Imouto wa pan o katta ga, otouto wa okashi o katta

My younger sister bought bread while my younger brother bought sweets.

If the direct object is presented as a topic or a contrastive element, o (を) is replaced by wa (は)

Example

英語は知りません (Eigo wa shirimasen) ➞ I don't know English

その本はもう読みました

Sono hon wa mou yomimashita

I already read that book

Function #2

Indicates space in/on/across/through/along which indicates movement

Example

公園を通って帰りましょう

Kouen o tootte kaerimashou

Let’s go home through the park

日本では車は道の左側を走ります

Nihon dewa kuruma wa hidarigawa o hashirimasu

In Japan, cars drive on the left side

When a sentence involves the verb noboru (のぼる) to climb, there is an important difference between the use of the particle o (を) and that of ni (に)

マリーは東京タワーをのぼった

Mari wa toukyou tawa- o nobotta

Mari climbed Tokyo Tower

マリーは東京タワーにのぼった

Mari wa toukyou tawa- ni nobotta

Mari went up Tokyo Tower

The particle de (で) also marks the space in which an action takes place. The difference between de (で) and o (を) is that de (で) can be used with any action verb while o (を) can be used only with motion verbs such as aruku (歩く) to walk, tobu (飛ぶ) to fly, etc.

Example

(✖) 私は図書館を勉強しました

(〇) 私は図書館で勉強しました

Watashi wa toshokan o/de benkyou shimashita

I studied at the library

When either de (で) or o (を) is possible, there is usually a subtle difference between the sentence

Example

私は川で泳いだ

私は川を泳いだ

Watashi wa kawa de/o oyoida

I swam at the river / I swam the river

Function #3

Marks the location from which some movement begins

Example

電車がトンネルを出た

Densha ga tonneru o deta

The train came out of the tunnel

日本を離れて外国で暮らしている

Nihon o hanarete gaikoku de kurashiteiru

I left Japan and is living abroad

Function #4

Marks the cause of some emotion

Example

スミスは父の死を悲しんだ

Sumisu wa chichi no shi o kanashinda

Smith was saddened at his father’s death

マリヤは京都にいた一年を懐かしんだ

Mariya wa kyouto ni ita ichinen o natsukashinda

Maria nostalgically reminisced about her year in Kyoto.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to ask :)

[nahasmarine]

Trouble witches taito type x2

TROUBLE WITCHES TAITO TYPE X2 WINDOWS 10

TROUBLE WITCHES TAITO TYPE X2 PRO

taito type x2 arcade loader arcade pc loader taito typ. 15 new Taito Type X / X2 games now working on domestic PC's. Most of the Type X4 boards (500A) are equipped with Intel Core i5-4590 processor, 4GB of RAM, and nVidia GeForce GTX 960, but some games could have their own variations, for example, Densha De Go !! comes with nVidia GTX1080 (502A)/RTX2070 (504A), while Groove Coaster 4C comes with Intel Pentium G4400 and just Intel HD Graphics (601A). Taito Type X2 Arcade Loader 1.5 60 DOWNLOAD (Mirror 1) 29 Apr. Taito Type X4 has few different variations. 2GB of RAM, up to 16GB, and an AMD Radeon HD 6770 GPU which could also be changed out for a nVidia GeForce GTX560Ti. The Taito Type X³ had an Intel Core i5 2400 with other supported CPUs being the Intel Core i3/2120 and Core i7/2600. The Taito Type X Zero had an Intel Atom 230 at 1.6 GHz with 1GB of RAM and a nVidia GeForce 9400M GPU. The Taito Type X² Satellite Terminal was just a Type X² but with network multiplayer. The GPUs that were supported were the PCI Express ×16-based graphics, ATI Radeon x1600Pro, x1300LE, nVidia GeForce 7900GS, 7600GS, and 7300GS. The RAM could either be 512 MB, 1 GB, or 4 GB. The Taito Type X² had an Intel LGA 775 CPU with other supported CPU being the Celeron D 352, Pentium 4 651, and Intel Core 2 Duo E6400. It had an ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 with 128MB of VRAM. The Taito Type X7 had an Intel Celeron M at 600 MHz with 512MiB of RAM. The Taito Type X+ just had a more powerful graphics board.

TROUBLE WITCHES TAITO TYPE X2 PRO

The Taito Type X had a Intel Celeron at 2.5 GHz with 256MB of RAM with the supported GPU being ATI Radeon 9600 SE 128 MB, 9600 XT 128MB, and X700 PRO 256MB GPUs.

TROUBLE WITCHES TAITO TYPE X2 WINDOWS 10

Windows Embedded Standard 7 64bit / Windows Embedded 8 Standard / Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC IdMacX offers support for Taito NesicaxLive games. Jconfig offers support for some Taito Type X, X+, X2, X3, and X4 games, while support for each game is distributed separately. Currently supports some games for Taito Type X, X+, X2, X3, and X4. TeknoParrot offers an out-of-the-box solution for running Windows-based arcade games. There's more info about tools and games here. Also, some shmup games for the original Type X need an extra fix. For saving scores, you'll need to use save fixes on a per-game basis, 'Loaders Pack' has fixes for many games.

[retphienix]

I had.... more fun than I feel comfortable admitting here. I think it’s the charm of the situation I’ve put myself in playing an old NeoGeo Pocket Color Train game from Japan.

Took me a while to understand what was happening, and even then I only learned how to finish a level and never got to try for a good score, but I had a lot of fun, like, too much fun. It’s just nice to look at the scenery they put in and, again, the charm of it all.

[kurhl]

Nos números da dança dos trens.

[marferino-fd]

I was looking back at WIPs and went through a pretty old racing comic I had started. I think I had stopped my skills were lacking in some spots at the time. After listening to the densha de d ost 2 days straight at work I decided I am going to finish it up and share it. It just needs a few more panels and some touch ups/redrawing but I am really excited and hope I made something people can enjoy!

[kimonobeat]

Heavenstamp Lyrics: Stop!

English translation and romanization below the cut.

ENGLISH

I realized what I should’ve gifted you Far, far too late Not flowers, a key, or cake And not me either, of course

I should’ve given you... A magical mystery tour The one waiting for us one quick train transfer ahead It’d go down as one of the best, most psychelic nights in history I blaze through everything and throw down the words “Stop! I don’t need. I’ll pick up where I left off in my next dream!”

It slowly dawned on me how reluctant I’d been Your bashed in skull’s pretty absurd Doesn’t matter what I do It’s not me you wanna feel every waking second

At the very least... Climb in the cockpit bombastically And take off, London calling you out there It’ll go down as one of the sickest, most punk rock nights in history I take aim and fire words at you “Stop! I don’t need. I don’t have the time to waste Feeling out of sorts until my next life Over a shapeless fever That isn’t even love 3, 2, 1, 0! Kick out!”

Speaking of... It was by chance that a swift gravity Made me fall into your galaxy Whether it was inevitable has nothing to do with it But why? I’m not here

Maybe... I ride submarine winds turbulently An Eleanor Rigby for our lonesome selves It’ll go down as one of the worst, loneliest nights in history The words that chain my foolish self down are “Stop! I don’t need. There is no next time, not by any means This isn’t love I don’t have the time to waste Indulging in aimless carnal desires That aren’t love 3, 2, 1, 0! Kick out!”

ROMAJI

sanzan tatte imasara kidzuita no kimi ni purezento subeki datta mono hana demo kagi demo ke-ki demo naku mochiron sou, watashi demo naku

sore wa... kaigaishiku densha nori-tsuida saki matte’ru majikaru misuteri- tsua- shijou saikou ni saikederikku na yoru zenbu moyashite touka suru wa-do “Stop! I don’t need. tsudzuki wa tsugi no yume de!”

iyaiya datte dandan kidzuita no kimi no kurasshu shita nou wa rifujin ne netemo sametemo kanjitai no wa dou shitemo, watashi wa dewanai

semete... gyougyoushiku kokkupitto norikomi tobitatsu hate no rondon ko-ringu shijou saikyou ni panku rokku na yoru kimi wo neratte hassha suru wa-do “Stop! I don’t need. nannara tsugi no yo made koi demo nai katachi no nai netsubyou ni ukareru hima wa nai no 3 2 1 0! Kick out!”

sou ieba... tamatama datta surudoi inryoku de kimi no gyarakushi- ochite itta no hitsuzen ka dou ka wa kankei nai demo doushite? watashi ga inai

tabun... sousoushiku sabumarin kaze ni noru kodoku na futari no erina- rigubi- shijou saitei ni ronrinesu na yoru oroka na watashi ni rensa suru wa-do “Stop! I don’t need. konrinzai, tsugi wa nai yo ai dewanai deguchi no nai retsujou ni oboreru hima wa nai no 3 2 1 0! Kick out!”

[kimchi-noodles]

[Lyrics] meychan - ブライトサイン (BRIGHT SIGN)

flower ver. | meychan ver.

I’ll add this comment he wrote about the song: “Everyone has been feeling lonely because of these hectic times, and I feel the same, too. But, I focused on thinking ‘That shouldn’t be the case!‘ and tried writing a cheerful song! I hope I can see you all soon!“

It’s a song written to cheer everyone up in quarantine, I love him u_u

REMINDER: Please ask me for permission first before reposting these translations to other sites or translating into other languages. My DMs here or on Twitter are always open. 

Romaji and English lyrics after the cut!

Romaji:

DANCE DANCE saa odorou ze

Taikutsu da na tte warau hibi no naka ni sukoshi kurai tokimeki o misete Motto shigekiteki na hibi ga osuki desho? Hore HAPPY na yume o egakou   Densha nanka ni yuraretenaide Sukoshi dake toomawari shite mo ii n ja nai? Mokutekichi henkou

Kurikaesareru hibi ni furafura to tadayottemata Ikikau hito no saki   NEON ga mabushii machi ga sasou

Yoru to DANCE DANCE saa, odorou ze Shita o muitenaide hora   Ude o nobashite yo Makkura na sekai de kidzuite kurenai kimi ni shizuka ni aizu shite

Sakebunda sono ai o Machigatte nanka nai yo Kikoeru kai kono kore ga Itsu da tte kodoku ja nai yo

WANTSUU de JUMP shite mirai o matagou Kimi no suki na RHYTHM ni nosete Chotto ibutsu na kurai ga choudo ii no sa Kono mama ni shite

Sugisatta hi o furi kaeru tabi urei o obite Furumau uso no kao Itsuka sunao ni uchi akerarereba ii na

Karamatta shisou o motte ikou to shinaide Kekkyoku hikkyou ni nattenjan Meiro ga owaranai Heiro da tte wakatte shiyou ga nai na Dou da tte ii kara mou BARIA tsukutte haimono ni nareba Dare ka taema ni toka tsugou yosugimasu

Kidzuita no boku mo kare mo kodoku o kanjireba Anata ga waratte kureru sore dake de yokatta Shiawase na ECOLOGY

Sakebunda sono ai o Machigatte nanka nai yo

Suteki na machi de DANCE DANCE yoru to te o totte ikou Mi o makasereba hora egao ga michite Makkura na sekai de kidzuite kurenai kimi ni shizuka ni aizu shite

Itsu da tte kodoku ja nai yo

English:

DANCE DANCE now, let’s go dance 

While we laugh at these days for being boring, show me even a little bit of your heart throbbing You prefer your days to be more exciting, don’t you? Come on, let’s paint happy dreams   Don’t let the rumbling train get to you It’s not so bad to make a little detour, right? Our destination has changed 

In these repetitive days, wavering feelings drift in the air Past the people who come and go, the neon lights invite you to a bright town

With the night, DANCE DANCE now, let’s go dance Don’t look down, come on    Open your arms wide In this pitch dark world, I silently send a signal to you who wouldn’t notice

You have to shout out about your love There’s nothing wrong about it at all Can you hear my voice? You won’t be alone forever

Counting 1, 2, let’s jump onto the future Follow your own preferred rhythm A little distortion is perfectly fine Just keep it going

Looking back at the days that have passed, your expression turns sorrowful While lying about keeping it together I hope you can open your heart sincerely someday

Don’t try to bring those thoughts you’ve bottled up In the end, you’re getting cold feet, aren’t you The maze goes on and on Even if we get that it’s a cycle there’s no way of going around it It doesn’t matter anymore If you build barriers and lose against them Having someone to be an intermission will be way too convenient

I noticed, that if I, or he, too, felt loneliness As long as you smile, that alone would have been good enough A happy ecology

You have to shout out about your love There’s nothing wrong about it at all

In this wonderful town we DANCE DANCE, let’s go take each other’s hands with the night Once we surrender ourselves, come on, your smile will fully grow In this pitch dark world, I silently send a signal to you who wouldn’t notice

You won’t be alone forever!

[sodapaladin]

I love that the local arcade has this 1998 Densha de Go 2 machine still up and running in 2019, though I have to wonder why. The screen isn’t exactly in great condition, and I’ve never seen anyone play it. 11/10 aesthetic, though.

[itsayaze]

Day Two - "Wait, what did we come in here for again?"

I woke up early that day. 6AM. When I wake up before I actually want to I lay there for a few minutes to see if I'm AWAKE awake. And I was. That morning, I hopped into a Discord call with my friends and just hung around with them whilst I wrote the previous day's journal.

After that, I went outside for a quick nibble. There's a Famima directly across from the hotel, so I dropped in for a drink and my trusty favourite: tuna mayo onigiri. I returned to the hotel and got ready for the day.

Later on, we made our way towards the day's destination: Akihabara.

However, there's a little detour we need to take first. So from Shinjuku, we made our way over to Ochanomizu's Hijiribashi Bridge, because we had a mission: can we get the fated triple?

We patiently waited as many trains came and went, chatting all the while about a theoretical Pokemon Snap-like for transporting, since its a fairly universal hobby. After a while, we'd assumed that it wasn't gonna happen, and just as we were getting ready to walk to Akihabara, the 3 trains (and a bonus fourth) all rocked up at the same time!

With that achievement bagged, we headed off towards Akihabara to continue the Chigyu Championship.

Now, I stayed in AKB with my partner in 2018 when we visited it last, so I'd like to say I know it pretty well. And whilst it is mostly the same, the lack of Club SEGA breaks my heart a bit. I don't WANT to get into the gaming oasis. I want to join club SEGA!

Round 2 of the CC found us at Sukiya. We ordered up, and the fabulous cheese gyudon arrived. At Sukiya, they also give you tabasco sauce, so I slathered it over and stirred. The cheese is better than that at Matsuya, and the addition of tabasco elevates the dish higher. Sukiya currently sits at top of the ranking. Next up, Yoshinoya.

Beefed up, we went to Excelsior Coffee, where I got a iced latte. It was there that my buddy showed me a sticker he'd stumbled upon in a prior visit to the city. It was a lenticular sticker of a guy driving a car, but pulling over to stop and look at you at the right angle. There was a website on it, and it's a Web 1.0 delight.

We went to go and see if the sticker was still there out of curiosity.

Curiosity satiated, and we went to start the day's mission proper.

My goal for the day was to try and find a neGcon, the weird PS1 controller made by Namco. Apparently, it's a really good way of playing Ridge Racer, so it makes sense to have one.

We went to a few places. Let's do a quick rundown:

Super Potato: Cool retro shop, but now has become so well known its basically a tourist trap.

Beep: "Super Potato but gooder" - they also carry a lot of PC-98 stuff. Recently, they published Radirgy 2?! I must remember to grab a copy... As soon as I spotted the Game CD section my quest for the neGcon went straight out the fuckin' window. I grabbed a whole bunch of Ridge Racer OSTs and a Phantasy Star Online Ep I&II arrange album.

Surugaya: I've known about Surugaya when importing stuff using OneMap. I bought quite a lot of stuff in here, mostly some nice gifts for my girlfriend.

Trader: Usually good, but way too busy today. Maybe I'll take a nose another day.

Mandarake: Was comically busy. We were both kind of hurting at that point so we turned around immediately. We're heading to Nakano Broadway soon anyway.

The hell began when we went across Akiba to Yodobashi Camera. Initially, we were going there because Dave wanted to find a fancy-ass cable for his fancy-ass phone with a weird charging standard.

Just over an hour and a half later, I've got a whole bunch of shit in my basket. As we're standing at the register to deal with the tax-free shopping process, I turn to Dave and say "Wait, what did we come in here for again?"

We headed back to the Chuo Rapid to get home to Shinjuku, completely forgetting that another one of the things we were going there for was to play the big sitdown Densha de GO!! cabinet at Taito Station.

But, not to worry, there's a Taito Station at the East Exit of Shinjuku Station! The DDG website said that on its location list, they had one, so we figured we'd drop in on the way home to right that wrong.

Whilst yes, they technically have a DDG cab, it is not the full-size model. Which makes sense, considering the real estate. Dave asked me "do you really want your first experience of the DDG cabinet to be on the small one next to a Taiko?" and on that note, we'd left.

Thanks a lot, Big Crappy!

After a soak with a strong zero to calm my leg muscles down, and a quick nap to put some more gas in the tank, we went to a Bankara Ramen for an outrageously great bowl of tonkatsu. After this, a little stop into the Game Panic. This is pretty much our home arcade since it's right next door to our hotel.

That day, we focused mostly on racing games. I'd set up my profiles for Initial D THE ARCADE and Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 6RR. (MaxiTune 6 is hilarious, we've gone from 6, to 6R, to 6RR. Sadly, 6RR+ comes out a few days after I leave Japan, and it adds the new Nissan Fairlady Z... I love that car, man.)

So many intense races, close calls and outrageous drifts. I love these games so much. After that, I played Chunithm until a staff member came over to inform us it was closing time. I grabbed some snacks and something to drink from the nearby 7-Eleven, including Coca-Cola K-Wave, which is a limited-time K-Pop flavour, and a pouch of Coolish, of which I am now a massive fan.

Time to rest up. Tomorrow is the RGG pop-up shop and potentially Nakano Broadway.

[sf-in-hindsight-blog]

“Samurai Flamenco, In Hindsight” 5th Anniversary Recap Project - Introduction

October 10-11, 2018 will mark the fifth anniversary of Samurai Flamenco, an oddball original series produced by studio Manglobe for the back half of the Fall 2013 noitaminA block on Fuji TV.  The show’s 22 episodes aired alongside a lot of other series that I still look back on fondly, but nothing else from that period hit me as hard, or has stuck with me as long.  Samurai Flamenco pushed me to do things I hadn’t done in years, like leaving the fandom sidelines to discuss the show with total strangers instead of lurking on the edges of others’ conversations, and exploring the show’s characters, story, and themes through art and writing.  Eventually, I even started watching some of the tokusatsu shows the series is so interested in so that I’d have a little more context (and could get more of the in-jokes).  The show has gotten me through some hard times, as have the friends I’ve made through the small but devoted SamFlam fandom.  

I love Samurai Flamenco, and I love what engaging with Samurai Flamenco has brought to my life.  And so, to celebrate the show’s fifth anniversary, I’m planning to spend at least the next year doing extensive write-ups on all 22 episodes.  These won't be reviews, but more like essays, each focusing on whatever struck me most about the episode in question.  For instance, I'll be looking at the use of repetition in the premiere episode, "Samurai Flamenco, Debut!", while episode 2's write-up will talk about how "My Umbrella is Missing" develops (and complicates) Masayoshi as a character.  Episode 3, I'm thinking I might talk about how “Flamenco Versus Fake Flamenco” sets up the series' overall look at violence as it relates to heroism and hero media…but I haven’t re-watched the episode for this project yet, and I want to be open to whatever this particular viewing suggests would be most interesting to talk about.

More details below the cut!

That might sound like a haphazard approach, but attention to each episode as its own distinct thing is one of my guiding principles for this project.  An episode of a television show is always part of a larger whole, but it also remains singular, and looking at an episode on its own can be just as worthwhile as taking the opposite tack.  I think that's true even for super-formulaic whatever-of-the-week series — but that it's especially true for a show like Samurai Flamenco that plays with so many genres and sub-genres, isn't afraid of big tonal swings, and will very explicitly race through an entire season’s worth of monster-of-the-week fights in a single episode to make points about toku TV and hero media more generally.  I will never be able to talk about everything I find interesting about this show, but this approach should at least give me plenty of opportunities to discuss plenty of different topics.  (That said, of course I’ll be drawing connections between episodes and across the series as a whole, because why else do a retrospective project?  I picked that subtitle very deliberately!)

More on What to Expect

Every write-up will begin with a short episode summary, and wrap up with some stray observations.  You can probably also assume that each of these will include some amount of close formal analysis — that is, taking apart what we actually see onscreen, what we hear, and how it all unfolds in time — as a way of understanding how the show works.  Episode one’s write-up is largely that; episode two is significantly less so, but you can still expect a fair amount of “long shot” this, “low angle” that, “shot/reverse-shot” SIT DOWN, and so on.  I’m taking that approach in part because while I recognize the very real limitations of formal analysis, I think it can be a good starting point for understanding why something works on you as a viewer — or why it leaves you cold, uncertain, etc.  (I also just enjoy doing formal analysis; it’s fun for me, and this project is meant to be a little self-indulgent.)

But I’ll also lean toward formal analysis because I think Samurai Flamenco generally doesn’t get enough credit for how well put-together it is.  I know, I know — the art is often off model; the animation isn’t particularly impressive; have you ever noticed how unfinished the backgrounds were in the broadcast version of episode 14, holy hell.  And the MUSIC, don’t get me started on

...well, to be honest, I’ve got a soft spot for the soundtrack, and think it fits the show’s overall tone and aesthetic fairly well.  So no real complaints there from me there — but I do get it.

Still, having watched Samurai Flamenco start to finish more times than I can count, single-framed my way through both the broadcast and Blu-ray versions of the show, and futzed around on a defense of the much-maligned Flamengers arc longer than I care to admit, I’ve spent a fair chunk of time looking at this show up close.  There is a lot of rough stuff, yes, but also a lot of really solid visual storytelling, great attention to detail, and some very daring choices, particularly in terms of what’s left up to the viewer to figure out on their own.  The show has good bones, I think, sometimes hidden by wobbly execution.  Beyond that, I think Samurai Flamenco’s story structure is ridiculously good — that as much as we talk about the WILD RIDE and MULTI-TRACK DRIFTING*, in hindsight, the show is carefully set up to go all the places it does in a fairly well-paced way, enabling the character development to unfold realistically over time, and very little feels rushed that doesn’t feel like it was meant to feel rushed.

All this is a long way of saying that I think there’s a lot of good in Samurai Flamenco’s construction that I want to highlight, and sometimes that will require going shot-by-shot to explain what I mean.  I’ll try to keep the jargon to a minimum, though — and for long segments, I’ll provide time codes if you want to see if your read checks with mine.

A final content note: be forewarned that all of the write-ups will assume you’ve already completed Samurai Flamenco, meaning they will be FULL OF SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES.

Posting Schedule 

(or, You Never Know What Could Happen to You in the Final Episode, But I Do Know It’ll Take a While to Get There...)

My original plan was to post each episode’s write-up on the anniversary of its original airing, working out to one a week for approximately 22 weeks.  Then I started work on episode 1, and…well, maybe I’ll pick up speed as I go, but one a week was way too optimistic given the time I actually have to work on these, and how slowly I write.  So these write-ups will come out as I have them ready.  If that’s one a month or every six weeks, so be it — but I am committed to finishing this project.

A final programming note: I’m starting this project here on tumblr because, frankly, I need to start, and this is what’s easy and available at the moment.  At some point, I may migrate to a blog.  If I do, I’ll continue to announce new write-ups here and then link to the complete post, so if you’d like to keep tabs on this project, follow this tumblr for updates.

Closing

I hope that you’ll enjoy reading these write-ups at least as much as I enjoy writing them.  If you do, please share them with your friends, and support Samurai Flamenco in whatever way possible.  Stream from legal sources (ex. Crunchyroll), buy the home video releases if they are available where you are (I can personally vouch for All the Anime’s excellent Region B Blu-rays), and support people who engage with the show, whether through critical essays and appreciations, fan art and fan fiction, remixes, or whatever.

Until next time, FLAMWENCO!

Ko (ratherboogie)

* When a show that should be a “train wreck” avoids careening off the rails and instead becomes even more entertaining, not by fixing what’s “wrong” with it by conventional standards, but by continuing to do its own thing with confidence, commitment, and a sense of purpose.  It’s not an entirely positive label, carrying a whiff of “I know this is trash, but...”  Still, you don’t say a show is MULTI-TRACK DRIFTING if you don’t love it -- and if you continue to enjoy Samurai Flamenco after episode 7, you know immediately why it gets this label.

(For full context, look up the Initial D parody “Densha de D.”)

[evolutionblog79]

Neo Geo Roms All

In my case i mixed the Neo Geo Roll-Up BETA 3.1 with all the old pack of rom (Darksoft Neo Geo Add-On Pack.etc.) You allready have all the game in the roll-up beta 3.1 the rest is just hacks and variation, different set. I think it's these roms who are remove from the roll up beta 3.1 aof3k kf2k2pls kf2k5uni kf2k2pla kof98ka kof99h kof99k. The Neo Geo is a video game platform developed and designed by SNK and supported from 1990 to 2004. It was released in three different iterations; a 24-bit cartridge-based arcade system board called the Multi Video System (MVS), a cartridge-based home video game console called the Advanced Entertainment System (AES), and a CD-based home console called the Neo Geo CD. Top 25 Neo Geo ROMs. King of Fighters 2002. Metal Slug 3 » Metal Slug X » Metal Slug 4 » King of Fighters '98 » Metal Slug » King of Fighters '97 » Neo Bomberman » King of Fighters 2001 » Metal Slug 2 » King of Fighters 2000 » King of Fighters '99 » Samurai Shodown 4 » Sengoku 3.

Note: I am just linking this page to provide extra information for a LetGo/Craigslist ad of mine. Just go ahead and ignore this posting… Unless you came here from the LetGo/Craigslist ad. In which case, continue on ☺️

Neo Geo (327)

2020superbaseball 3countbout 3D Engine V2 (PD) Adventures of Gus and Rob V1, The by Mickey McMurray (PD) Adventures of Gus and Rob V2, The by Mickey McMurray (PD) aggressorsofdarkkombat alphamission2 androdunos Anime Video (PD) artoffighting1 artoffighting2 artoffighting3 bakatonosmahjong bangbead Barbarian Invaders (PD) Baseball Stars (JUE) (M) Baseball Stars Color (JUE) (!) baseballstars2 baseballstarsprofessional battleflipshot Big Bang Pro Wrestling (JUE) (!) Bikkuriman 2000 (J) Biomotor Unitron (UE) (h1) Bitmap Demo (PD) blazingstar Blocks by Ivan Mackintosh (PD) bluesjourney breakers breakersrevenge burningfight Bust-A-Move Pocket (UE) captaintomaday Chaos 89 (PD) Columns by Thor (PD) columns Cool Boarders Pocket (JUE) Cool Cool Jam (J) (!) Cotton – Fantastic Night Dreams (UE) CPU Test by Judge_ (PD) crossedswords Crush Roller (JUE) (h1) Crush Roller (JUE) cthd2003 cthd2003s2 cthd2003superplus cyberlip Dark Arms – Beast Buster 1999 (JUE) (!) Delta Warp (J) (!) Densetsu no Ogre Battle (J) (!) Densha De GO! 2 (J) Diamond Run by Ivan Mackintosh (PD) Dive Alert – Becky’s Version (UE) Dive Alert – Burn Edition (J) Dive Alert – Matt’s Version (UE) Dive Alert – Rebecca Version (J) Dodger (PD) Dokodemo Mahjong (J) doubledragon Dynamate V1.1 by Thor (PD) Dynamite Slugger (J) eightman Evolution – Eternal Dungeons (U) Evolution (J) Faselei! (UE) Fatal Fury F-Contact (JUE) (!) fatalfury1 fatalfury2 fatalfury3 fatalfuryspecial fightfever Flavors Multipac 12-10-01 (PD) Flavor’s NGPC Multi-ROM Menu V1.0 (PD) footballfrenzy galaxyfight Gals Fighters (UE) (!) Ganbare NeoPoke Kun (J) ganryu garou ghostlop ghostpilots goalgoalgoal gururin Hardware Test (PD) Hello World! (NEO Clock) (PD) HICOLOR Demo NEOPOP by Thor (PD) Hi-Colour by Fuz (PD) Infinity Cure (J) (!) Invaders by Tomasz Slanina (PD) jonasindiana Jumpy! by Monkey Heeded Software (PD) Juno First (PD) jyanshindensetsu kabukiklash karnovsrevenge Kikouseki Unitron (J) King of Fighters R-1 (JUE) (M)(!) King of Fighters R-2 (JUE) (!) King of Fighters, The – Battle De Paradise (J) (!) kingofgladiator kingofthemonsters1 kingofthemonsters2 kizunaencounter kof10th kof10thextraplus kof10thunique kof2000 kof2001 kof2001plus kof2001pluss2 kof2002 kof2002magicplus kof2002magicplus2 kof2002plus kof2002pluss2 kof2002pluss3 kof2003 kof2004hero kof2004ultraplus kof94 kof95 kof96 kof96bootleg kof97 kof97plus kof97pluss2 kof98 kof99 kofspecial2004 kofspecial2004plus Koi Koi Mahjong (J) (!) lansquenet2004 Last Blade, The (UE) (!) lastresort leaguebowling legendofsuccessjoe Lights! V1.1 by Roger Bacon (PD) Lines, Triangles and Points. First Step for 3D by Thor (PD) Magical Drop Pocket (UE) magicaldrop2 magicaldrop3 magicianlord mahjongkyoretsuden Mainreg Test (PD) Manic Miner Alpha V0.2a by Lindon Dodd (PD) Manic Miner V1.0 by Lindon Dodd (PD) marukosdeluxequiz Master of Syougi (J) (!) Maze Demo V1.02 by Jeff Siebold (PD) Melon Chan’s Growth Diary (J) (M) Memories Off Pure (J) Mersenne Twister Random Number Generator (PD) Metal Slug – 1st Mission (JUE) Metal Slug – 2nd Mission (JUE) (!) metalslug1 metalslug2 metalslug3 metalslug4 metalslug4plus metalslug5 metalslug5plus metalslugx Mezase! Kanji Ou (J) Mines V1.0 by Ivan Mackintosh (PD) minnasanookagesa Mizuki Shigeru Youkai Shashin Kan (J) MOD Player for NGPC Sample by Thor (PD) moneyidolexchanger Movie Player by Thor (PD) Mr. Do! (PD) Multi Game Menu (V1.5) (PD) Music Demo 1 by Ivan Mackintosh (PD) mutationnation nam1975 Neo Baccarat (UE) (!) Neo Centipede by Roger Bacon (05-13-2001) (PD) Neo Cherry Master Color (JUE) (!) Neo Derby Championship (J) Neo Dragon’s Wild (V13) (JUE) (!) Neo Fantasy by Darek J Davis (PD) Neo Mystery Bonus (JUE) (!) Neo Poke Pro Yakyuu (J) Neo Turf Masters (JUE) (!) Neo Twenty One (JUE) (!) Neo Yahtzee 0.1 by Darek J Davis (PD) neobomberman neodriftout NeoGeo Clock Demo (V000524) (PD) NeoGeo Cup ’98 (JUE) (M)(!) neogeocup98 neomr.do Neo-Neo! V1.1 (with Music) (05-05-2001) (PD) neonopanepon neopong neoturfmasters NGPC Game Pack (Spacies & Asteroids) (PD) Ni-ge-ron-pa (J) (!) nightmareinthedark ninjacombat ninjacommando ninjamasters Oekaki Puzzle (J) overtop Pachinko Hissyou Guide Pocket Parlor (J) Pachi-slot Aruze Oukoku Porcano 2 (J) (!) Pachisuro Aruze Ohgoku Pocket – E-Cup (J) (!) Pachisuro Aruze Oogoku Ohanabi (J) (!) Pachisuro Aruze Oogoku Pocket – Dekahel 2 (J) (!) Pachisuro Aruze Oogoku Pocket – Delsol 2 (J) (!) Pachisuro Aruze Oogoku Pocket Hanabi V1.04 (J) (!) Pachisuro Aruze Oogoku Pocket Ward of Lights (J) Pachisuro Azure Oogoku Pocket Azteca (J) Pac-Man (JUE) (!) panicbomber Party Mail (J) Picture Puzzle (UE) (!) pleasuregoal pochi&nyaa Pocket Love If (J) Pocket Reversi (J) Pocket Tennis (JUE) (M)(!) PocketRace V0.03pre-alpha by Thor (PD) pokernight popnbounce powerinstinctmatrimelee powerspikes2 prehistoricisle2 pulstar Puyo Pop (V06) (JUE) Puzzle Bobble Mini (V10) (EJ) (!) Puzzle Gems V1.1 by Thor (PD) Puzzle Link (UE) (!) Puzzle Link 2 (UE) (!) Puzzle Tsunagete Pon 2 (J) Puzzle Tsunagete Pon Color (J) puzzlebobble1 puzzlebobble2 puzzled puzzledepon puzzledeponr quizdaisousasen1 quizdaisousasen2 quizkingoffighters rageofthedragons ragnagard realboutfatalfury1 realboutfatalfury2 realboutfatalfuryspecial ridinghero roboarmy Rockman Battle & Fighters (J) (!) Samurai Shodown! (JUE) (M)(!) Samurai Shodown! 2 (JUE) (!) samuraishodown1 samuraishodown2 samuraishodown3 samuraishodown4 samuraishodown5 samuraishodown5special savagereign sengoku1 sengoku2 sengoku3 SFX for NGPC – Example by Ivan Mackintosh (PD) SFX for NGPC – Sound Generator by Ivan Mackintosh (PD) Shanghai Mini (JUE) shocktroopers1 shocktroopers2 Shufflepuck Cafe (Beta 2) by Loic Julien (PD) Simple Fractal V1.1 by Tomasz Slanina (PD) Slideshow (Jan 23 2003) by Thor (PD) Snake V1.2 by Ivan Mackintosh (PD) SNK Vs Capcom – Card Fighters Clash – Capcom Version (UE) SNK Vs Capcom – Card Fighters Clash – SNK Version (UE) SNK Vs Capcom – Card Fighters Clash 2 – Expand Edition (J) (!) SNK Vs Capcom – Match of The Millennium (JUE) (!) snkvscapcom snkvscapcomplus snkvscapcompluss2 snkvscapcomsuperplus soccerbrawl Sodchess V1.1.0 by Thor (PD) Solitaire V1.0 By Ivan Mackintosh (PD) Sonic the Hedgehog – Pocket Adventure (JUE) (!) sonicwings2 sonicwings3 Soreike! Hanafuda Doujyou (J) Spacies (Newer Version) by Jim Bagley (PD) spinmaster Squall (PD) stakeswinner1 stakeswinner2 Starfield Array Test by Roger Bacon (PD) streethoop strikers1945plus Super 12 in 1 (p1)(!) Super Real Mahjong (J) (!) superdodgeball supersidekicks1 supersidekicks2 supersidekicks3 syouginotatsujin tecmoworldsoccer96 thelastblade1 thelastblade2 thesuperspy theultimate2 Thieves V1.0 By Ivan Mackintosh (PD) thrashrally tophunter topplayersgolf TPaint (PD) twinklestarsprites Unlimited Multidirectional Scrolling Sample by Thor (PD) Unnamed Jumpy Platform Game by Roger Bacon (06-06-2001) (PD) viewpoint voltagefightergowcaizer wakuwaku7 WAV Player Sample – 2’40’ by Thor (PD) windjammers worldheroes1 worldheroes2 worldheroes2jet worldheroesperfect Wrestling Madness (Beta) (JUE) zedblade zintrick zupapa

While the company is better known for their many fighting franchises, many of which remain active to this day, SNK used to be a leader in gaming hardware.

Not only was their cartridge-based Neo Geo arcade machine one of the most versatile game cabinets throughout the 1990s, but their premium home consoles(the Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD) brought the power of arcades to the living room in a way no other console could compete with.

To this day, the Neo Geo and its games remain some of the most collectible gaming items ever released. And the bright red cabinet is a symbol of a bygone era.

Whether you’re just here to reminisce or you want to see what all the fuss was about back in the day, you’ll enjoy this ranking of the top 30 best Neo Geo games ever made.

30. Money Puzzle Exchanger

Neo Geo All Roms Pack

Released: January 17, 1997

Our first entry is one of those games that make you wonder whether what you’re seeing on screen is ironic, or if the developers had too many poppy seeds on their bagels every morning before work.

Developed by Face, this 1997 puzzler title plays like more well-known titles such as Puzzle Bobble or Magical Drop.

But instead of bubbles or colorful spheres, you’re shooting currency.

The whole game has a weird financial aesthetic, and even the machine-controlled opponents have names like Debtmiser or Eldylabor.

29. Neo Drift Out: New Technology

Released: July 26, 1996

For something more normal I’d suggest trying Neo Drift Out, a 1996 title developed by Visco Corp.

This puts you at the wheel of a classic rally car racing on six courses from all around the world.

One of this game’s most charming features other than its tight controls and exciting gameplay is the cars from which it lets you choose – a Mitsubishi Lancer, a Toyota Celica or a Subaru Impreza.

All in all, it’s like playing an Initial D game. And it’s really fun.

28. Super Sidekicks 3: The Next Glory

Released: March 7, 1995

For the sports fans out there, the Neo Geo had a pretty healthy selection of games.

And SNK’s “Super” series was among the best.

The third entry in the Super Sidekicks series came out in 1995, and it’s easily the best one in the trilogy.

It does everything Super Sidekicks 2 did right while also overhauling the presentation, turning an already engaging game into a visually striking one.

With quite a few gameplay options ranging from quickplay to regional cups, this was easily one of the best soccer games of the decade.

27. Puzzle Bobble

Released: December 21, 1994

If you’re anything like me, a game having cutesy graphics is already reason enough to consider playing it.

If the game is as fun as Puzzle Bobble, then it’s a must-play.

This 1994 title developed by Taito was hardly the first color-matching puzzle game. But it’s one of the most influential due to its massive popularity in arcades.

That’s mostly due to how intense multiplayer matches can get despite the game’s simple puzzler gameplay.

26. Last Resort

Released: March 23, 1992

I’ve always been a fan of shoot-em-ups in any presentation. And while I recognize there are some better options, my local arcade only had SNK’s Last Resort for most of its lifespan.

Not that I mind!

Neo Geo Roms Archive

This 1992 game has fantastic graphics and pretty fluid enemy animations.

It’s also very hard, so even though I played it plenty as a child, I was never able to clear it.

Luckily for me, it became available on several systems as part of the SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1. I was finally able to experience its five levels and amazing bosses in their entirety.

25. Spinmaster

Released: December 16, 1993

One of the Neo Geo’s most aesthetically unique games is Data East’s Spinmaster, which looks like a Japanese take on Western cartoons.

The result is something you might call Saturday Morning’s Doraemon.

But Spinmaster is much more than a pretty face. This platformer plays a lot like the legendary Metal Slug, except your weapons are stuff like a yoyo or shuriken rather than firearms.

The co-op is also just as good!

24. Twinkle Star Sprites

Released: November 25, 1996

One of the most undoubtedly Japanese games to make it to Western audiences back in the 90s has to be Twinkle Star Sprites, a top-down shoot-em-up with a cutesy Magical Girl aesthetic not usually seen in Western games.

Developed by ADK, this 1996 title has you take control of an adorable anime girl and shoot magical beams at – get this – colored puffs with faces that can only be described as “uwu”.

Really, it doesn’t get any cuter than this on the Neo Geo.

But cute or not, what really made this game climb to the top was the frantic multiplayer and intense gameplay. You’ll have to carefully chain explode enemies together for maximum effect, not easy but very fun.

23. Mutation Nation

Released: March 16, 1992

Gameplay-wise, SNK’s Mutation Nation is an average beat-em-up, of which there were many on the Neo Geo.

But what it lacks in innovation, it makes up for in spades with personality.

The game takes place in urban slums where a gene-modifying virus has spread, turning the local hoodlums into mutants. This allowed developers to go all out in designing bizarre wacky enemies.

This, coupled with a fantastic soundtrack and crisp colorful graphics, made it into one of the greats.

22. Pulstar

Released: August 28, 1995

Many games in the Neo Geo took inspiration from the classic shoot-em-up R-Type and tried to re-create its space-monster-fighting charm.

But few were as influential as Aicom’s Pulstar.

Released in 1995, this side-scrolling shoot-em-up features the same kind of challenging gameplay as its spiritual predecessor, requiring players to strategize on-the-go if they want to survive.

An exciting addition to the formula was the use of pre-rendered graphics that mimic 3D.

While some people find this too much of a gimmick, it was also pushing boundaries. And the result isn’t half bad.

21. Windjammers

Released: February 17, 1994

Windjammers is probably my favorite sports game on the Neo Geo because this air-hockey title feels much more like a fighter than a sports game.

Developed by Data East and released in 1994, the game pits two muscular characters against each other. Both trying their hardest to get a puck past their opponent and into the goal – just like air hockey.

However the top-down perspective makes it play a bit like PONG, and the inclusion of “super throws” to disorient the opposing player is reminiscent of modern faux-sports games like Super Mario Strikers.

With many different courts to play in, plus fun graphics, and one of the best voice acting performances on the Neo Geo, it’s no wonder this unique game is still cited as a favorite by many fans.

20. Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy

Released: May 18, 1994

If we’re speaking of unique games, it would be silly not to mention Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy. Arguably one of the best combat-oriented platformers on the system.

As one of SNK’s in-house games, the high quality of this 1994 title shouldn’t come as a surprise.

What’s surprising is how well they managed to blend the absolute silliness of its character design with outstanding gameplay, which places great emphasis on grabbing and throwing items with your stretchy arms.

19. Waku Waku 7

Released: November 20, 1996

Way before there was Jump Force, there was Waku Waku 7: a unique fighter starring parodies of many popular anime and videogame archetypes.

For example, the game’s characters include Mauru, a purple forest creature oddly similar to Ghibli’s Totoro, and Dandy-J, who’s a thinly veiled reference to Joseph Joestar from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.

Luckily for video game historians interested in playing the game, this 1996 title recently became available on the Nintendo Switch as part of the Arcade Archive collection.

18. Viewpoint

Released: November 20, 1992

Neo Geo All Roms Download Zip

Whereas all other shoot-em-ups on the console so far had been either side-scrolling or seen from a top-down perspective, 1992’s Viewpoint featured an isometric viewpoint (get it?).

This made it very visually appealing, and it quickly set itself apart from the competition.

The idea to make an isometric shoot-em-up wasn’t actually new, as the game takes inspiration from 1982’s Zaxxon.

It was only the first game to do it with such impressive graphics on the Neo Geo.

17. SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos

Released: July 24, 2003

Surprisingly for a gaming system with such a high focus on fighting games, the Neo Geo doesn’t carry too many crossover fighters.

Among the very best is SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, developed by SNK after merging with Playmore.

Unlike most games produced in such situations, this 2003 title was fantastic in almost every way. Including its graphics and its TKoF-like combat system.

It includes characters from Samurai Shodown, Street Fighter, TKoF, and Darkstalkers.

It’s truly a dream match! Watching Mai Shiranui and Chun-Li duking it out is nothing short of legendary.

16. Baseball Stars 2

Released: April 15, 1992

If you ask anyone who actually owned it what their favorite games on the Neo Geo MVS home console were, they’re likely to mention 1992’s Baseball Stars 2.

The reason is chiefly how fast-paced and dynamic SNK managed to make this baseball simulator, which isn’t exactly easy to achieve.

It also has eye-catching visuals and tight controls so it plays well.

Couple that with fantastic sound design that makes every action in the game feel exciting, and you’ll begin to understand the appeal of this excellent sports game.

15. Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers

Released: March 19, 1998

There were plenty of Fatal Fury titles on the Neo Geo, as the franchise was one of SNK’s most well-known and top-grossing series.

As the system’s life cycle drew to an end, the developers shifted gears from innovation to maximum polish – and this 1998 title is the result.

All Neo Geo Roms

Not only does it feature an all-star cast with picks from every title in the series, but the spritework and fluid animation were utterly stunning.

On top of that, this fluidity extended to the actual combat system. Chaining attacks together had never felt so natural.

14. Aero Fighters 2

Released: July 18, 1994

One of the most “realistic” shoot-em-ups in the Neo Geo’s roster was also one of the very best – Video System’s Aero Fighters 2.

Instead of giant Lovecraftian monstrosities, this game pits you against enemy tanks and aircraft while commanding one of eight planes, including the F-14 Tomcat and the F-15 Eagle.

If you want a shoot-em-up where your objective is satisfactorily blowing everything up, this 1994 title is the one for you.

13. The Last Blade

Released: December 5, 1997

I love games with a heavy Japanese aesthetic. Samurai, Shinto priests, and other colorful Japanese staples are all right up my alley – and, therefore, The Last Blade is too.

Developed by SNK and released for the Neo Geo in 1997, this weapon-based fighter was the alternative to the long-running Samurai Shodown series.

It emphasizes story and worldbuilding along with more subtle character designs.

With incredibly sharp sprites, detailed backgrounds, and special attacks that were wonderfully flashy, this game quickly rose to legendary status among Neo Geo fans. Absolutely worth a try if you can find it anywhere(or find a working ROM of it).

12. The Last Blade 2

Released: November 25, 1998

A year later, SNK released The Last Blade 2, an upgraded and polished successor to the original arcade hit.

The sequel focuses on a more fast-paced and varied gameplay.

It introduces combat styles focused on either speed or power, giving players more freedom to develop their own strategies.

The Neo Geo CD version features the shortest loading times and an amazing orchestral arrangement of the original soundtrack, so play that one if you get the chance.

11. Neo Turf Masters

Released: January 29, 1996

One of the most surprising hits on the Neo Geo is Nazca Corporation’s Neo Turf Masters, a quick-paced arcade golf game released in 1996.

While golf might not sound like something that’d translate well to the system, this beautiful-looking game managed to make it fun by simplifying it as much as possible.

You can pick it up and play with no prior experience, and you’ll most likely hold your own. At least better than playing real golf.

Even if you’re not a sports game person, this title’s relaxing soundtrack and beautiful visuals make it worth a try.

10. Art of Fighting 3

Released: March 12, 1996

You can’t talk about the Neo Geo or SNK as a whole without mentioning the Art of Fighting series, which began with the original AoF back in 1992.

While the first title in the series is iconic, the third release from 1996 is the most polished product.

Plus this last release also introduces some mechanics from newer franchises, such as juggle combos, which made it a more complete game.

Among my favorite things about AoF3 is the characters’ fluidity of movement, achieved by using motion capture techniques in the making of both sprites and animation.

9. Shock Troopers 2

Released: November 6, 1998

Developed by Saurus as a top-down answer to SNK’s Metal Slug franchise, Shock Troopers 2 is one of the most satisfying yet challenging action shooters on the system.

Just like Metal Slug, the game features a charming cast of characters going all out against tanks, enemy soldiers, and a wide array of other high-octane opponents.

This includes bosses that felt four times as epic thanks to how successfully the game hyped-up each fight.

Ideally you’d play this game with a friend or a sibling, but you can have plenty of fun by yourself too.

Neo Geo Rom Pack

8. Magician Lord

Released: April 26, 1990

As one of the Neo Geo’s flagship titles, ADK’s Magician Lord did a great job of showing audiences precisely what the system was capable of. Both in visual and technical aspects.

This 1990 title follows the Elta the Magician in his quest to defeat the evil sorcerer Gal Agiese. On his way, the pointy hat hero must defeat hordes of demons and other monstrosities, and even shape-shift into different creatures to overcome diverse challenges.

The gameplay was excellent. But the game was also incredibly colorful and detailed, which made it the perfect game to draw players towards the big red Neo Geo cabinet.

7. Metal Slug 4 & 5

Released: 2002/2003

After SNK went into bankruptcy in 2001, its intellectual properties went up for grabs in a public auction.

One of these was the famous shooter-platformer Metal Slug.

The fourth and fifth installments in the series were developed by retro-engineering Metal Slug X and taking things from there.

The result is a surprisingly good pair of games with lots of new characters, scenarios, and the same quality gameplay.

Opinions are mixed on whether they’re any better than their predecessors or if they lost their soul. But they’re still some of the best games on the system.

6. The King of Fighters ’98

Released: July 23, 1998

Choosing the best out of a series as prolific as SNK’s The King of Fighters isn’t easy. But ’98 is definitely the most representative of the franchise’s run on the Neo Geo.

With an all-star cast of characters, this dream match took a minimalist approach in development, focusing on polishing what was already good from ’97 rather than trying to shake things up.

The result is a game with tight controls, beautiful sprites, and genuinely fun gameplay.

You can sink weeks into this game without feeling repetitive as you try out every character to find the perfect one for you.

5. Blazing Star

Released: January 19, 1998

Blazing Star is the graphically updated spiritual sequel to 1995’s Pulstar, keeping the same side-scrolling shoot-em-up goodness while introducing some new gimmicks.

Like its predecessor, Blazing Star features pre-rendered pseudo-3D sprites that give its giant bosses a truly massive sense of scale.

It also allowed developers to add much more dynamic movement to otherwise static enemies, even if it’s only visual.

It’s a bit easier than its predecessor, but also comes with fun co-op, amazing anime cutscenes, and excellent gameplay. It’s positively one for the history books.

4. Samurai Shodown (Series)

Released: 1993-1996

There was a lot of interest in the Japanese Samurai back in the day. And SNK’s Samurai Shodown was one of the franchises that fanned the flames in the hearts of young arcade-goers.

Beginning in 1993, this weapon-based fighter featured several Samurai and contenders from other Japanese backgrounds.

Rather than focusing on endless combos, this game values landing the right hit or parrying at the right time to turn the tide of battle.

While the second installment is widely recognized as the best by long-time fans, subsequent releases introduced plenty of technical and graphical improvements that warrant giving them a try.

3. Sengoku 3

Released: July 18, 2001

Another absolutely fantastic game with a Japanese aesthetic focusing on the country’s warring states period is Sengoku 3, developed by Noise Factory and released in 2001. This was very late into the system’s life cycle so it’s often overlooked

This game was made by developers who knew the system inside-out, allowing them to push it to its very limits.

This resulted in killer animations, flashy visual effects, and wonderful spritework. All coupled with tight, responsive controls that make combat in this beat-em-up a thing of beauty.

Neo Geo Rom Set

With deep combo systems and a lot more character variety than its predecessors, this is one of the best beat-em-ups on the Neo Geo and the genre in general.

2. Garou: Mark of the Wolves

Released: November 26, 1999

Like Sengoku 3, Garou: Mark of the Wolves was made to push the Neo Geo as far as it could go in terms of graphics and fluidity.

It was SNK’s answer to Capcom’s Street Fighter 3, a sort of reboot of the Fatal Fury franchise with a refined combat system.

Its most innovative feature was allowing you to customize your health bar to switch between defensive and aggressive fighting styles depending on where it stood.

However, what I like the most about Garou has to be its presentation.

The graphics are truly superb, and that soundtrack is one of the best I’ve ever heard on a fighting game. Especially for an older retro home console.

1. Metal Slug 1, 2 & 3

Released: 1996-2000

Despite Garou: Mark of the Wolves being a more technically impressive and good-looking game, it can’t hold a candle to the mere fun factor and broad appeal of the Metal Slug series.

Developed by SNK until their bankruptcy in 2001, this run-and-gun platformer flew high thanks to an absolutely chaotic and incredibly fun co-op experience. Not to mention its charming characters and quirky enemy designs.

Everything in this game, from the bizarre animations to the camels outfitted with machine guns, has a particular style that’s just “Metal Slug”.

The second installment was notorious for introducing the female characters Fio and Eri, and the remastered Metal Slug X is easily the best game on the Neo Geo.

If you’re going to play any games from this era, absolutely give the Metal Slug series a try.

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[lovecrazysaladcollection]

A conditional sentence is one that expresses a condition and a possible outcome. 

“If I study, I will graduate.” 

There are two conditional’s in Japanese たら and と. Lets focus on たら for now. 

たら conditional corresponds to English clauses starting with “if” or “when” 

Here’s the formula ; “Plain past tense form of verbs/ adj,/ copula+ら”

1.) 日本へ着いたら、電話してください。(nihon e tsuitara, denwashite kudasai) -> When/If you arrive in Japan, please call me. 

2.) 勉強したら、卒業します。(benkyoushitara, sotsugyoushimasu) -> If I study, I will graduate.

3.) 大学に電車で行ったら、３０分かかります。(daigaku ni densha de ittara, sanjuppun kakarimasu) -> If I go to University by train, it’ll take 30 minutes. 

4.)学生だったら、もっと勉強してください。(gakusei dattara, motto benkyoushite kudasai) -> If you are a student, please study more. 

*the main clause (following たら) can be non-past or past tense*

1.) 家に帰ったら、家の前に友達がいました。(uchi ni kaettara, uchi no mae ni tomodachi ga imashita) -> When I went home, my friend was in front of the house. 

2.) 会社に歩いて行ったら、一時間かかりました。(kaisha ni aruite ittara, ichijikan kakarimasu) -> When I walked to work, it took one hour.

3.)クラスに行ったら、先生も学生もいませんでした。（kurasu ni ittara, sensei mo gakusei mo imasen deshita) -> When I got to class the teacher and students weren’t there. 

*when the main clause is past tense it expresses something the speaker was surprised about* 

4.)日本人だったら、もっとたくさん漢字を知っているんですけど… (nihonjin dattara, motto takusan kanji wo shitte iru n desu kedo…) -> If I were Japanese I’d know a lot more Kanji but…

5.) お金があったら、新しい車を買うでしょう。(okane ga attara, atarashii karuma o kau deshou.) -> If I had money I would probably buy a new car.

たら　is also used when asking for or giving advice

1.) 日本語を勉強したいんですけど、どうしたらいいですか。(nihongo o benkyoushitai n desu kedo, dou shitara ii desu ka) -> I want to study Japanese, but how should I do it? 

2.) 日本に留学したらいいですよ。(nihon ni ryuugakushitara ii desu yo) -> It would be good if you studied abroad in Japan. 

3.)東京��に行きたいんですけど、どうやって行ったらいいですか。(toukyou eki ni ikitai n desu kedo, dou yatte ittara ii desu ka) -> I want to go to Tokyo station, how should I get there? 

4.)電車で行ったらいいでしょう。(densha de ittara ii deshou) -> It would probably be good to go by train. 

[supergenial]

[translation+lyrics] ぼくらの"最☆強"おもちゃ箱ワンダーランド♪ by ななひら

Nanahi just uploaded this! Very toy story-ish song and she seems pretty proud of the video, hope the d*sney lawsuit is worth it. Overall just a really happy beat to cheer people up, and I love that her bunny bebe shows up in the video, lyrics down below and see you all next time

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ぼくらの"最☆強"おもちゃ箱ワンダーランド♪ bokura no sai☆kyou omochabako wandaarando (our ultimate toybox wonderland)

Vocal:ななひら Music:山本真央樹

buriki kan ni kimekondayo omocha no sekai nuigurumi ya ressha no reeru dakishimete mite hora boku to bouken shiyou yo

a world covered in toys plushies stand around the little train's rails now let's go on an adventure

ribon no neko to sanpo suru koinu kyou mo futari wa nakayoshiko yoshi de asobu tiitaimu koi no hanashi dokidoki♡

cats with ribbons and dogs going out on walks today as usual those 2 get along just fine playing during teatime they'll share exciting love stories

soko ni arawareta ikemen supaahiiroo! baiku ni matagari iroke furimaku hora acchi de wa kikouki ga bakuhatsu~!? ミ☆

over there we can see a handsome superhero show up riding his bike and spreading his charms around and over there an airplane just exploded!?

haato darake no meruhen rando ni pinku densha ga hashiru kyandi reesu tsumekondara sou kirakira a-ra-moo-do♪

in this wonderland filled with hearts the pink trains blaze by as the candies race around shining a la mode

isshoni asobou! isshoni waraou! kokoro no mama ni mimi sumaseba kikoeru desho happii sutoori♪ omochabako wandaarando wa sai☆kyou!! no airashisa de Every time!! kyou mo bokura wo matteru☆

let's play together! let's laugh together! to our hearts content clean up your ears and take a listen to this happy story this toybox wonderland is the greatest!! I love it every time!! and today again I'll wait for you

mukashi itsumo dakishimeteta shiroi usagi tobihanete utau

long ago I always held a white rabbit while singing

"motto fukai basho he ikanai ka i?"

"can't we go to a deeper place?"

"kocchi kocchi, nemutteiru kotachi wo isshoni okoshi ni ikou♪"

"here here, let's wake up the kids who're still asleep"

kabocha no rantan majo no ningyou "harouin janai hi wa taikutsu dayo" boku wo odokashite egao de choko wo kureta (*´∀`*)

pumpkin lanterns and witch dolls abound "days that aren't halloween are boring as hell" with creepy smiles on their faces they hand me over some chocolates

taiya no toreta kowareta rajikon papa to asonda natsukashii kioku aa souieba zutto wasureteita...!(; ﾟ ﾛﾟ)

a loose tire and a broken radio bring me nostalgic memories playing with my dad ah, right, I'd totally forgotten

santa no boushi tsurii no kazaride gyugyu oshiire no naka niyari warau tonakai san hora itsudemo kurisumasu

a santa hat decorating a tree tucked away in a closet bring them out with the laughing reindeer now let's always have christmas

isshoni asobou! isshoni waraou! omotteitemo wasurechau desho omoi dashite "koko ni iru koto" omochabako wandaarando wa Every day!! omoi tsumuide Hurry up!! natsukashii kioku meguru

let's play together! let's laugh together! I think we should do that if there's anything you've forgotten "it's right here" this toybox wonderland is where we'll make memories every day so hurry up and be wrapped by these nostalgic memories

chiisai koro no omochatachi hontou wa zutto matteta mata boku to asoberu koto koko ni iru yo

those toys from your childhood they've really always been waiting for me to play again with them and now I'm back here

hitori janai itsudemo soba de mimamotteru yo yuuki wo kureta omochabako wa takarabako dayo dakishimete mou ichido tsuyokune...!

I've never been alone, they've always been by my side watching over me this toybox that gives me courage is really my treasure chest let me hold you tightly once again...!

isshoni asobou! isshoni waraou! kokoro no mama ni mimi sumaseba kikoeru desho happii sutoori♪ omochabako wandaarando wa Make you smile!! egao ni naru kara boku to mata bouken shiteminai?

let's play together! let's laugh together! to our hearts content clean up your ears and take a listen to this happy story this toybox wonderland makes you smile and since you've made me smile shall we go on another adventure?