Toaplan Shooting Battle

[Cutty]

Competition open to any Toaplan game.
Rules: One credit, no continues, default options, and normal speed. All platforms are acceptable, unless someone has an objection about some particular version of a game. Please list your name, score, stage reached and character used (if applicable) in the format employed by the chart.

Twin Cobra: [set extend to 70,000 and 200,000 every]

1. cigsthecat     - Area 167  - 1,203,970
2. gameoverDude   - Area 125  -   828,980
3. oxtsu          - Area 102  -   662,000
3. Malc           - Area 110  -   653,300 
4. Cutty_Sark     - Area  62  -   326,280 
5. elbarto        - Area  43  -   241,610 



Batsugun: Original mode

1. cigsthecat  - 3,215,480  - ALL    - Beltiana
2. Kaneda      - 3,027,420  - ALL    - Beltiana
3. Kinopio     - 1,209,650
4. 
5.


Batsugun: Special Version

1. cigsthecat  - 11,959,290 - Stage 9 - Beltiana 
2. Kaneda      -  7,714,640 - Stage 9 - Beltiana
3.
4.
5.

[Cutty]

Everybody should get this game!
Kinopio, did you end up getting it? For some reason I thought you did.

These scores I'm getting are pathetic. I've can hardly even make it through the first level without dying. Would somebody PLEASE put up a nice high score. I need some motivation goddammit!

[cigsthecat]

Cutty, believe me I'd be in here if I had it. Damn shame.

[Kinopio]

Originally posted by Cutty
Everybody should get this game!
Kinopio, did you end up getting it? For some reason I thought you did.

I don't have it. i don't even have a PSX at the moment.
I do have tiger heli for the NES, though. I'll try to get it working sometime this week, and i'll post some scores then

my next purchase is going to be a PSX, and my first game will be this one, provided i can find it.

what toaplan shmups does everyone have? wouldn't hurt to throw batsugun, aleste or something like that into this thread, provided there is interest.

[gameoverDude]

Here are the Toaplan shmups I've got:

*Batsugun (Saturn)
*Tatsujin-ou (FM Towns Marty. Very good conversion with the only issues being a lack of parallax and a trivial amount of slowdown in some places.)
*MUSHA (US "Musha Aleste: Full Metal Fighter Ellinor")

For curiosity's sake, how HTF is Toaplan Shooting Battle?

[Cutty]

I'm all for making this a real Toaplan Shooting Battle. Let the digits flow like wine, for any Toaplan shooter.
Sadly, the only ones I have now are the 3 in the TSB compilation and a Sky Shark PCB (with nothing to play it on yet). But I'll be completing the Toaplan collection as soon as humanly possible.

Gameoverdude: It's an excellent collection, compiling Tiger Heli, Kyokyoku Tiger and Twin Cobra. All three have TATE modes, and you can set the speed to either Arcade or Normal (Arcade being ever-so-slightly slower). There's zero slowdown.
The games all have a very dry, serious art style. There's nothing extraneous to distract you from the bullet dodging. The art has really grown on me though.

Tiger Heli I haven't put a whole lot of time into. It's the oldest of the three, and seemingly the hardest. Your shots only travel about half the length of the screen, and enemies still fire when you're in close. Power-ups are little mini choppers which fly on your wing adding firepower, but they are vulnerable.

Kyukyoku Tiger and Twin Cobra are basically the same game except Twin Cobra is 2 player, and you continue right from the place you died. Ship speed is quite slow, your hitbox is large, and enemy bullets are fast and 90% aimed. For the most part it's about anticipating and leading bullets rather than reflexive dodging. Boss battles are especially difficult because minor enemies continue to attack. Just when you think you've got a pattern figured out, a tank will roll up and start taking potshots. You have a bomb weapon which clears a circular area of bullets and enemies. It takes a split second to hit the ground, which is kind of annoying. My only other gripe is that it seems very power-up reliant. Once I've died once (and lost all my firepower) it's not long before I've lost the rest of my lives. But I think I just need more practice.
All-in-all, Twin Cobra is now my second favorite shooter (right behind Layer Section). It's pure, tough, fair, and it gives me that adrenaline rush like so few other games. I can't wait to play Sky Shark!

Here's TekCadet's TFP feature on the TSB: http://boards.gamers.com/messages/me...arlie&id=zzzzj

[Mode7]

I'd be very curious to hear your impressions on Sky Shark as all I have is the butchered NES rev. I've looped Sky Shark twice though, and Tiger Heli once - Too bad Taito never stuck any batteries in those NES carts, otherwise I'd lay down some scores.

Oh, and good to see you about.

[Cutty]

You've looped them? Fuck, I should just give up now.

When the time comes I'll put some Sky Shark impressions on TFPF, and I'll link them here.

Thanks for the warm welcome. Nice place you got here.

[Kinopio]

Yes, lets just include all the toaplan games we can. I've got batsugun, musha, truxton, tiger heli and grind stormer. i'll post a batsugun score in the next couple days.

[gameoverDude]

Putt-Putt near me had Sky Shark at one time. I coughed up a score of 1,492,000 on it. I cleared the fifth stage three times, if I recall right.

My friend bought the NES rev around 1989. I remember that night when he was asking me "Should I get Sky Shark or Guerilla War?". I agree with you that it is rather wretched. I was sickened by the horrid mockery of the arcade tunes (You'd think Tim Follin could've done a lot better than this!). After seeing this hack job, I felt like a fool- we should've gone with GW. When Sammy's relatively good port of Twin Cobra came out for the NES, I had that feeling of "Why didn't Taito put this team on the job?".

Another NES port of a Taito shmup that didn't come out too well was Twin Eagle (their Seta licensed game).

Originally posted by Mode7
I'd be very curious to hear your impressions on Sky Shark as all I have is the butchered NES rev. I've looped Sky Shark twice though, and Tiger Heli once - Too bad Taito never stuck any batteries in those NES carts, otherwise I'd lay down some scores.

Oh, and good to see you about.

[gameoverDude]

Well, after a bit more time with the FM-Towns port of Tatsujin-ou, I did notice an issue or two. Sometimes during a boss battle the slowdown can actually get horrific. The screen is a bit cropped at the top- you now have a little less warning on certain enemies unless you're at least somewhat familiar with the level layout. Certain enemies that you can draw a bead on right as they come up can sometimes get a shot off at you soon after they appear.

I think I'll probably track the JAMMA board version down in the near future.

[Kaneda]

I've been playing Batsugun lately and I'm ready to post scores. Should a separate thread be made?

[Cutty]

Put your Batsugun scores up here, and I'll add a chart to the original entry. Might as well keep this thread alive!

I can play Batsugun in Raine, but it's a bit screwed up, and it's tricky to play with a keyboard.

[Kaneda]

A Batsugun score:

946,110 - Kaneda

I don't know how weak that is, so I'll just assume it's pretty bad. Damn, this game is tough.

[malc]

Twin Cobra:

1. Malc - Area 110 - 653,300
2. Cutty_Sark - Area 62 - 326,280
3.
4.
5.

[Cutty]

Very nice score Malc.
I'll try to work on mine this weekend, but that figure might be just out of reach.

[Gondolin]

Cutty = the Cutty_Sark that left TNL a while ago? If so, welcome back. If not, welcome anyway.

-Gon

[xS]

Should I keep my MUSHA high scores here?

[Cutty]

Originally posted by xS
Should I keep my MUSHA high scores here?

xS: Go for it. Might as well keep this thread bubbling.

Gon: Yeah, it's me. Thanks for the welcome back! Stay thorough brohammon.

Malc: I'll get at you with a new score sooner or later. I got distracted by a little game called Photoboy.

[Kinopio]

Batsugun high score- 1,209,650

level 4 is so intense. i love it!

[Kaneda]

Batsugun score:

1,435,800

[cigsthecat]

Batsugun score:

cigsthecat - 1,396,690

In case you want to add stage and character info- Stage 4, Jeeno

I screwed up on the third boss though; if I hadn't died I'd have had a lot more points. Last death was level 4, one of those big ships came up from behind right on me while I was busy with another pattern. Cheap shot!

[Kaneda]

Glad to see this one revived.

Batsugun:

Kaneda - 1,620,530 - Stage 4 - Beltiana

And in case we add the special version:

Kaneda - 7,714,640 - Stage 9 - Beltiana

[gameoverDude]

Twin Cobra:
gameoverDude - Area 125 - 828,980

[cigsthecat]

Batsugun Original mode score:

cigsthecat - 1,723,140 - Stage 4 - Jeeno

If I could just get through the Stage 4 boss unscathed I'd have a ton more points...I seem to do pretty well on Stage 5 and the last boss.

[Kaneda]

Batsugun Original Mode:

Kaneda - 1,956,690 - Stage 5 - Beltiana

[cigsthecat]

Original mode score:

cigsthecat - 2,644,670 - Stage 5 - Jeeno

[cigsthecat]

I hate to follow myself again but I can't help it.

Original mode:

cigsthecat - 3,215,480 - ALL - Beltiana

I decided to switch to the Beltiana for the sake of variety. At first I was impressed by the power of her shot, then disappointed to see that I was scoring quite a bit lower. However the powerful weapon is what allowed me to make it through the Stage 4 and 5 bosses somewhat easily, and ultimately beat the game. I think now I'll switch back to trying for completion with Jeeno since if and when I do finish with him my score should be quite a bit higher.

This is the first time I've beaten a shooter on one credit, barring Cho Ren Sha, so I'm a bit excited.

[Josh]

Batsugun. Arcade Cabinet. 795,690

I'll get better... this is my first day.

[cigsthecat]

Do you have your stage and character used for that? Let me know and I'll get it up there. Glad to see another player too.