Hamster Adding Even More Games To The Arcade Archives On Switch

Image Fight! Great news.

Wahey DK Jr!

Also who wants to predict how many copies of Urban Champion they'll sell

Athena and Ikari (Warriors). Well, this is awkward. I wonder how HAMSTER will handle Ikari?

Also, I'll finally get to learn Angel in KoF '01. And yes, definitely picking up Image Fight.

Lastly, everyone can safely skip Strikers 1945 Plus and pick up ZeroDiv's Strikers 1945 II, instead (which Plus is a port of).

Close to giving up hope that Konami’s stuff (Gradius, Gradius 2, Salamander, Thunder Cross, Contra) or R-Type, Atomic Robo Kid ever make it to switch. Bummer.

@Jimgamer8 Isn't R-Type coming in that R-Type 1&2 double pack that includes the original games and their remasters?

Edit: It's called R-Type Dimensions.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/09/shmup_twin_pack_r-type_dimensions_coming_to_switch_this_winter

I hope Hamster will consider the inclusion of online especially with the recent introduction of NSO.

@Jimgamer8 Gradius is already on Switch.

3 count bout....

But agree with article... let’s have fire pro

Would love to see some Konami arcade perfect games like Sunset Riders, TMNT, & more.

@SuperZeldaMaker Its actually far cooler to play NES games online than I originally thought. It would be sick to see these games get the same treatment and makes me even more excited if SNES or N64 get added to the service.

Given that I got dk jr on the switch through online now..... I really need them to announce the arcade versions of super punch out and arm wrestling

Shoot - thought this was going to be Bubble Bobble announced.

@HobbitGamer If you mean the NES game, no way. There's an absolutely huge difference in quality between the NES and the arcade original.

Definitely getting the PB games, Ikari Warriors, and Vs. Urban Champion. Yes, I am the one guy who likes it.

@BionicDodo it is, but some Irem releases (R-Type, Ninja Spirits) were announced as Arcade archive releases long before Dimensions.

@HobbitGamer sorry to be a snob, but the NES version doesn’t do it for me. PC Engine version would be better, arcade version best.

@Firehawke I know
@Jimgamer8 Nah, it’s not snobby when the versions are different

I'll probably nab Bust-a-Move at some point. It's really basic, but I enjoy it.

OMG! Donkey Kong Jr.!

But... Athena and Ikari Warriors? They overlap with SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, at least for me.

I still have to check which Puzzle Bobble entry is the best. I won't be buying both.

I hope next week we see a Neo Geo and an Arcade Archives title, considering the latter aren't necessarily (actually, almost never) released weekly.

R-Type and some other arcade classics from other companies will get to Switch. If you check Wikipedia's Arcade Archives page you can see them as TBA in Switch column. Other Arcade Archives games we've got so far were released on PS4 long ago. Switch is the system with more of these games: ACA Neo Geo, Arcade Archives and Nintendo arcade games in Arcade Archives. Xbox One just gets Neo Geo and PS4 obviously won't get Nintendo arcade games.

But yes, would have been great to have some Konami titles by now. Still PS4 exclusives.

R-Type should get to the Switch both in Arcade Archives and R-Type Dimensions. Ikari Warriors and Athena will come by two separate companies after all.

I played R-Type on Switch last Thursday during the Tokyo Game Show business day. Excellent port. They had a video running of the original graphic style, the demo only had new graphics. It was a weird mode where you played throught the first level amd it counted how many times you died. And yes, it was R-Type Dimensions. They said it's coming out in physical form beforebthe end of the year. They also gave me a free R-Type fan and R-Type 2019 calender. Score!

Yea baby!! Keep em coming Hamster!!! Every day the Switch becomes more and more of an Arcade Power House!!

@masterLEON I'm quite tempted by Strikers 1945 Plus for the better graphics and completion sake. Zerodiv have been quiet these past couple of months, I hope that's not them finished with the Psikyo releases. I assumed we'd get Strikers 1945 III and perhaps Space Bomber and Cannon Spike.

I'm most excited for Urban Champion! (I'm not joking)

when more and real good titles come to Hamster and Nintendo Direct 75+ NES, 50+ SNES, 20+ Genesis and TG-16 each, 20+ N 64 & NGC each, then I will consider upgrading my system and getting it, too bad no chance in heck about getting some really good 30+ PSX titles, but until then, I'm off Nintendo online anything

Did anyone here pick up an arcade stick? Any recommendations?

@masterLEON @OorWullie
Just would like to add that Strikers 1945 Plus is more like a remix of Strikers 1945 II than a port though.
Sometimes it's very close and at others, there are quite a couple of big changes, even in the stages. On top of that there's different music, enemy patterns from time to time and an extra ship for example.
Oh and PINK bullets!

@Sinton
The Hori one is really good. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hori-Real-Arcade-Pro-Hayabusa/dp/B01N4P40LG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537709286&sr=8-1&keywords=hori+switch+arcade

Although if I had known beforehand that I could use my PS4 Hori Premium VLX Kuro with a Brook adapter on Switch, I wouldn't have bought it.
Still, a quality stick though.

@Hck Any impressions of Grandia 1 by any chance?
I'm kinda anxious since they talked about having bloom and some other new things thrown in as well as basing this port on both the PSone and Saturn code.
Hoping it's more Saturn than PSone...

Zupapa!
That was a fun little game.
Also the last game SNK made before their bankruptcy in 2001.

R-Type?

PFF, I'd rather have Katakis!

Except that wasn't an arcade game.

@meppi64 Yeah, I’ve been waiting for some kind of special offer for that one, as it’s rather expensive here (about three times the cost of a brand new Switch retail game).

@masterLEON "How are Hamster going to handle Ikari Warriors?" Remember when ACA started and Hamster were saying they really liked the Switch and...would like to look into controllers...

Ok, I'm reaching

Nice, i'm happy about Image Fight, and i'm looking forward to exploring the differences between Strikers 1945 II and PLUS.

@OorWullie The president of Zerodiv confirmed on his blog that he's working on a Switch port of Strikers 1999 (Strikers 1945 III).

@Sinton Yeah, a good stick always costs a bit of money.
But in the end you're better of getting a high quality one instead of one of those cheap knockoffs that are not much good and you'll end up not using for very long.

@EmirParkreiner Thank you for that really exiting bit of info!
I only check their website and official Twitter account so I missed that.
Could you link me up perhaps?

I knew it was a matter of time for DK Jr. Instabuy. As for Athena and Ikari Warriors I'll wait for the SNK Collection.

Image fight is a fun game. Its very hard but fun

@Shiryu Welcome back to NLife dude

Most of these just don't do it for me...
Getting SNK 40th Anniversary so I've got Athena and Ikari Warriors covered.
I'd be more excited about Williams-BallyMidway arcade games.
They'd be best in a set like the ones they put out for Xbox, PS, and Gamecube years ago, but I'd probably throw money at Cruisn USA, Bubbles, Tapper, Timber, Smash TV, Rampart, Marble Madness, Road Blasters, Vindicators, Rampage World Tour, Hydro Thunder, and Robotron 2084.
Glad Atari will be putting out a collection this winter (last I heard at least) as they have many simple but fun games like Tempest, Breakout, and Missile Command I want on my Switch.

@Alikan Man, I would be over the moon if those Midway Arcade Treasure compiltions made it to Switch!

@GrailUK So much retro, so little time...

@Alikan If Atari collection is Atari Flashback Classics, available on other systems, their reviews were kind of bad. For the games themselves. It seems that they're typical really old games that look the same and not even the greatest hits.

Anybody know how superior the arcade Donkey Kong Jr. is in comparison to the NES? The arcade versions of Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. spoiled me from enjoying the NES versions.

@Moroboshi876 lol. Don't worry, I've played Atari games before. I know they're not technological marvels and many are wastes of space.
I own an Atari Flashback 8 Deluxe and play less than half of them when I fire it up. There are some gems in the junk heap though. Also if they include the arcade versions like they have in the other console ports then there'd be a few more good games in there.

@hatch I’ve kept an eye on that one as well, mostly because it costs less than half of the Pro V.

What happened to balloon fight, clu clu land, ice climber, and pinball??

3 Count Bout is a bit odd. It can be good for two or three matches, then it gets ridiculous, from what I can tell.

I took a chance on Image Fight for PC Engine and ended up liking it quite a bit. I think it's pretty faithful to the arcade version offered here. It's quite difficult, including having a penalty zone, but it's nowhere near R-Type hard. I beat the PC Engine version a couple of times including working my way out of the dreaded penalty zone which lived up to its name. That stage may be R-Type hard. The game is also quirky in how it handles power ups. Overall, I liked it a lot, so good to see the arcade version offered here.

@DrUncle They just won't be coming soon. But eventually will. I guess this is why they didn't mention them. Nintendo games in Arcade Archives have been releasing very slowly after all.

3 count bout is a must!

Just as they brought Moon Patrol to Switch, I would like Hamster (and/or Nintendo) to bring Mr. Do! and Popeye. Who know who holds the rights for those two arcade classics, but if they were to be released on Switch, my 80's arcade nostalgia would be complete. 😁

@Dark-Link73 I am 100% fine with both of those games coming to Switch ^^

@Dark-Link73 I’d also love to see those two, as well as Mr Do’s Castle, Bomb Jack, Road Blasters, and Super Off Road!

@meppi64 Didn't see Grandia there, but that's not so odd considering it's currently a western exclusive (no announced release in Japan). I did play Monster Boy, though. Really nice animation in that game- very pretty looking. Tight control that was almost TOO tight, but I walked away from my time with Monster Boy looking forward to playing the whole game when it comes out shortly.

Ah, THERE'S Urban Champion!

@Hck ah, thanks for that.
I had no idea Grandia doesn't have a Japanese release planned right now.
That sounds so weird to me.
Already got my Monster Boy physical copy preordered from Videogamesplus, since it's digital only in Europe.

@GrailUK Popeye is my most wanted Nintendo arcade game that I'd want to see come home again, but I fear that the licence stands in the way of that. While it's not in high demand at all, it would up the price of the release for sure, so I don't know if Hamster would be willing to go that route.
It would be a very nice prestige release for them though.

@meppi64 Never say never mate. They worked with Nintendo to get Sky Skipper and Donkey Kong sorted. Outside of Sony being pretty ruthless, the rest of the industry seems to be in an amicable state.

I'm super excited for puzzle bobble and do Jr as those are some of my favorite slightly less popular but still fairly popular retro games.

Surprised a basic version of puzzle bobble wasn't on eshop sooner.

@GrailUK that's certainly true.
After seeing games like Grandia, Shenmue, Streets of Rage and others return, there's certainly hope.
The issue with Popeye is that there's not much of a fanbase clamouring and requesting it to come back. So it'll probably keep flying under the radar.

@Sinton NS30 arcade stick by 8bitdo is what I use . I've upgraded the stick and buttons for fun but not necessary. 8Bitdo N30 Arcade Stick with BONUS Geek Theory Arcade Stick Dust Cover Case - Wireless Bluetooth - For Switch, PC, Mac, Android, Retropie https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0779LXT2K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_noaQBbCQE9AKM

Dk Jr and kof 2001 is good for me.

And of course knowing the Nintendo ones will be seeing them around........April.

Between SNK Collection, Atari Collection Vol. 1-3, NESflix, Sega Genesis Collection and Sega AGES, we're not doing too bad on the VC front.

What's missing though, is Nintendo's games. SNES, GBA and N64. Don't give a crap about Gameboy and we're never getting GC since those are ripe for remastering. But those 3 are the trifecta of VC. And if they don't give it to us, I'll just load my ROM collection at the end of the gen when I do a final Switch hack.

In the meantime, GPD Win 2 has all my VC needs covered. Although I would certainly prefer them on switch and would gladly shell out $1000+ on a quality VC collection. But hey, if they don't want to sell those games then I'll just spend my money with these other companies who are providing quality retro titles on Switch.

Still no Mr. Goemon?

Some of those games will be on that upcoming SNK collection. So I won’t be getting those, but I will take Puzzle Bobble.

I personally just want to see SegaSonic.

@citizen_zane I love Urban Champion on the NES! I wonder how the arcade version plays....

@OorWullie Also, the ZeroDiv games lack the online leaderboards, which is a major selling point of the Hamster games, for me anyway.

@VR32X Yep, arcade version is a lot better in this case too.

I was so happy to see DK Jr. on the article thumbnail. DK Jr. was the VERY FIRST arcade game I played, at a Colorado Springs arcade called Nickels & Dimes, in 1984, back when I was 7 years old! So, it'll be special to me, owning the arcade version. The NES version was also the first NES game I played!

The only thing to me that really fees missing from Switch, preventing it from being the ULTIMATE retro system is the absence of the Konami games. Dammit, Pachinkonami, why do you always have to be the odd-man-out these days? You break my heart... If Hamster ever brings out the Konami library from PS4 Arcade Archives, then the Switch will be THE system for retro gamers like myself, IMHO!

@meppi64 Cheers, that's good to know. I'll definitely be getting it then.

@EmirParkreiner That's also good to know. Hopefully Space Bomber and Zero Gunner will follow.

I wish to see VS - Ballon Fight please and VS - Ice climber, and last VS - Punch out added to nintendo switch. this is legndary great clasic arcades that is always fun to play.

When I saw the picture with Bub and Bob I thought that we was going to get Bubble Bobble.

It's great that Hamster keeps putting out games, but along with the aforementioned Bubble Bobble I really want Gradius, Salamander, Rampage, R-Type and Rastan.

Out of the games announced I'd get Ikari Warriors, but I might just get it in the SNK collection instead.

Athena was my first cassette game ever on Commodore64, even before the NES era of gaming. I´m so hyped and feeling the nostalgia!

Nice to finally see Savage Reign, now we just need Kizuna Encounter.

@Mazaah Cassette came before NES??

@meppi64
This is the blog of Zerodiv's president:
http://zerodiv.jugem.jp/

The last blog entry (which was posted on the 24th of August) was linked to from Zerodiv's Twitter.
It mostly deals with the president reflecting on that day being the anniversary of Zerodiv and showing pictures of varios places where he worked before, but at the very end of the blog entry he says "Strikers ... 1999" after thanking people for their support and promising that he'll keep doing his best.

The blog does not get updated too often, but so far it was definitely a better source of information then the almost dead Twitter account and the weird outdated main website (however, that one recently got updated to reflect their current work).
Both Gunbird 2 and Taisen Hot Gimmick got mentioned on the blog first.

@EmirParkreiner
Oh, thank you so much for that, I'll add it to my bookmarks!
Just saw that he did a post TGS post and the Hamster booth.
Sad to see there's still no Japanese physical release for the Psikyo Collection Vol.1, but at least I got my preorder in for the Korean version.
And good to see him confirm Strikers 1999.

@citizen_zane Its really cool. Worth checking out if you’re a fan of the series.

Thought we were getting Bubble Bobble and now I'm sad. Cool though!

@OorWullie Cannon Spike definitely, if they could clear it with Capcom. I never got around to getting the DC version, sadly.

@GrailUK Midway Arcade Treasures would be the icing on this retro-flavored Switch cake! I still have all 3 volumes for the original XBOX and PS2 (I got the PS2 version first, then I got the XBOX versions when I heard they had leaderboards).

@meppi64 Pink bullets just make me want CAVE games on Switch more than ever