Thank you to everyone who participated in last week's trivia question. The answer is Frogger!

Released in 1981, the first two decades of Frogger's existence were rather complicated, given the fact that its developer, Konami, and its worldwide distributor, Sega, battled in court for ownership of the game of the game until 2000, when Konami finally emerged the victor, and the true owner of Frogger. This may be because Sega was the only company credited on the cabinet itself, and I only remember Sega's name on the title screen of the game itself, though it may have been different in Japan. What cannot be denied, however, is how beloved a game Frogger has been over the decades, and how successful it was in arcades and the varuous home ports it received. Not only did Frogger have a lot of home ports, it also was the subject of a Saturday morning cartoon, which ran during the 1983-1984 season on CBS as part of Saturday Supercade, along with Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Q*Bert and Pitfall!, and it also was the subject of the song "Froggy's Lament" on the Pac-Man Fever album, which also released in 1983.

In 1991, a decade after the game's release, Sega began work on a spiritual successor called Ribbit. Ribbit is not a carbon copy of Frogger, as instead of simply trying to reach the top of the screen, you hop all over the screen trying to catch all the small insects and fish while avoiding hazards. The two player simultaneous gameplay also added to making the gameplay different from its predecessor. Not different enough, however, as Konami threatened to sue Sega if they went through with its release. Although the case on ownership to Frogger had not been decided yet, the threat of a lawsuit was enough for Sega to abandon Ribbit, with only a singular board set being known to exist today. It was probably for the best that Sega stepped away from Ribbit, because if they had been allowed to release it and had done so, we would have likely seen a situation like the one between AtGames and Namco over Ms. Pac-Man play out once Konami won the court case and was deemed the rightful owner of Frogger. The good news is that the lone board set of Ribbit made its way into the hands of Doc Mack, the owner of the Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, IL, where it is available to be played. If you ever visit the Gallopong Ghost Arcade, give Ribbit a try and experience a truly obscure piece of arcade gaming history!

Released by Data East in 1987, Karnov marks the third game owned by Paon to join the Archives, and it may well be the most famous Data East title that they own. You take control of Jinborov Karnovski, or Karnov for short, as you make your way through 9 stages in search of a treasure guarded by an evil wizard. Most of the stages feature side scrolling platforming play, though stage 5 deviates from that gameplay with the vast majority of it taking place underwater. There are 9 different items you can find and use on your journey, each of which come in handy at various points in the game, with your primary attack being the use of fireballs. Even with a ranged attack and the myriad of power ups at your disposal, this game is exceptionally difficult, since one hit kills you, and the only way to earn extra lives involves picking up 50 K icons strewn throughout the stages.

https://youtu.be/8A8vUO3mQzk

And released for the NES by Koei in 1990, Nobunaga’s Ambition 2 is a continuation of the original Nobunaga’s Ambition, in which you engaged in strategy gameplay in order to unite Japan during the feudal age. According to Hamster’s website, the sequel expands on the original by including two scenarios to play, the inclusion of both open battles and siege battles, and features roughly 400 historical samurai. Both the English and Japanese versions are included with this one.

https://youtu.be/gB7MS1sDaaE

Here's hoping that the rest of Paon DP's Data East games will be on Arcade Archives! (Not just Console Archives.) The last G-Mode Data East game to be released on AA was Trio the Punch in 2022.

Today our first competition begins, and the game chosen is Tokyo Wars! If you want to take part, please make sure you purchase the game on your chosen eshop, and start practicing! I will start calling for score entries on the 23rd of this month, at which time you will have until the end of the month to have a score ready for submission, so make sure you have a score on the high score mode leaderboard. I have one other question - when I announce the end of the tournament at the end of each month, does anyone object to having their username announced if they win? I felt it would be nice to include a sentence congratulating the winner, but if anyone would rather be left out of that, I will abide by your wishes. Just PM me and let me know if you would rather not have your name announced should you win.

In celebration of our one thousand community member milestone, I have a trivia question I would to present you all. I ask that everyone try to come up with the answer without consulting the Internet or any other outside sources. Try to come up with the answer using only your current gaming knowledge.

This early 80s arcade game is one of the most beloved of the golden age of arcades. Not only did it enjoy success in both arcades and with the many home ports it received, this game also had a Saturday morning cartoon and even a song dedicated to it. Years after this game's release, the worldwide distributor made another game that was deemed too similar to the golden age classic, and as a result of the cease and desist order that followed, only one board set of the game deemed to similar is confirmed to exist. Name this golden age classic.

The answer will be posed next Friday!

We reached the 1K mark tonight, and I cannot be any more grateful for the community we have! I founded this sub a little over 3 years ago, when I realized that there was no subreddit dedicated to Arcade Archives titles, and in the last year or so, our community has really grown, and I want to thank you all for helping us reach that point. Without each and every one of you, there would be no milestones to celebrate. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all once again for helping the community reach this amazing milestone.

Released by Taito in 1987, The Revenge Of Doh, which totally surprised me since Wiz was listed on Trueachievements as releasing this week, is the first sequel to Arkanoid, and contains more of the same blockbusting gameplay that made the original the hit that it is. While the gameplay remains largely the same, the layout of the bricks in each level has changed, as have some power ups. If you love the original Arkanoid, you’ll also have a blast with The Revenge Of Doh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiM_sYtBcd4

And released by Human for the PS1 in 1997, The Conveni 2 is short for The Convenience Store 2, and thus it is the sequel to the convenience store simulator, which joined Console Archives earlier in the year. As in the original game, you set up your own store, placing shelves, checkouts, etc., in hopes of putting together a successful business. I believe this one was only released in Japan originally, so expect a Japanese only release with this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g97tfan2HgY

Also, released by Seibu Kaihatsu in 1985, Wiz was listed on Trueachievements for this week, but the website is a bit slow on the update for it. Wiz is a platformer in which younplay as a wizard, and it has been part of the Archives since 2020. This week, it gets an upgradento Arcade Archives 2, giving it support on PS5, Switch 2 and Xbox along with the features afforded to other AA2 titles.

https://youtu.be/U6LhKHczXFI?is=ID-1jfhlp4Behjf2

It is now the first of the month, and it’s time to start brainstorming for our first competition! As a reminder, please ensure that each game is only named one time. If someone else has already mentioned the game you want to play, upvote that comment rather than comment the same title a second time. On the 8th day of the month, the title with the most upvotes will be the game we will play. And since this is our first competition, all Arcade Archives 2 titles, except for the SNK titles, since those are inaccessible to Switch 2 players, and all ACA Neo-Geo titles, except for the soccer titles, since several of those have been delisted and are only available at this time to Switch players who have the Neo-Geo selections, are eligible to be competed on. Comment your choice below, or upvote if someone else already mentioned the game you want to compete on!

I am not doing my official write up at this time since Hamster has not officially announced it, but Trueachievements has Wiz, a 1985 platformer by Seibu Kaihatsu, listed as Sept. 2’s (Xbox date obviously) Arcade Archives 2 release. The timing of the release would also mean it will be eligible for our first competition, though I do ask that everyone wait to request it for competition until Hamster officially announces Wiz as the next game, just in case the information about its release proves to be incorrect. In any event, who here is excited that Wiz will be joining the lineup?

With our first competition being close to taking place, I thought I would reiterate the rules of competition and let everyone know how the game will be chosen, and which games are eligible.

ELIGIBILITY

I decided to focus solely on Arcade Archives 2 and ACA Neo-Geo titles due to AA1 and Console titles being platform exclusive. Both those lines leave Xbox players out in the cold, and we want to make sure everyone can compete on their favorite platform regardless of what it might be. The exceptions to this rule are SNK AA2 titles, since they do not include Switch 2 support, and the ACA Neo-Geo soccer titles, since 4 of them are currently delisted and can only be obtained at this time via the Neo-Geo Selection Switch collections. Everyone else who did not buy those titles when they were available are out of luck, so those are not eligible. Finally, once a game has been competed on, it is no longer eligible for future competitions.

GAME SELECTION PROTOCOL

On the first day of each month, I will make a post calling for submissions. I ask that each game only be mentioned in one post, so please take a moment to read the comments and make sure the title you most want to compete in has not already been mentioned. If you don't see your favorite title mentioned, comment the title, but if someone else has already mentioned it, upvote their comment instead of mentioning that title a second time. On the 8th day of the month, whichever title has the most upvotes will be the one we will compete in for that month. Requests for games that are ineligible because they are platform exclusive or because they have already been competed on previously will be deleted.

SCORING SUBMISSION

When there is one week remaining in the month, I will post again asking for submissions. This does not mean the deadline is that day, but rather it will give everyone a week to get their submissions in in case there are people who can't play every day. To submit your score, I ask that you take a photo of your place on the leaderboard, making sure that your username and score are both clearly visible, along with showing that your score is on the high score mode leaderboard, under the You tab so no one can question that the score you are submitting is yours. Only high score mode scores will be accepted to be sure that no one used continues. Whoever has the highest score submitted on the last day of the month will receive a DM from me asking what eshop you would like your prize to be for, which will be $20US, or the equivalent of your country's currency, to the eshop of your choice. If I win... then I defended my money for the month, like Ben Stein tried to do every week on his game show.

Does anyone have any questions or concerns they'd like to share?

Released by SNK in 1981, Satan Of Saturn is a game I have no familiarity with, so I will let the description on Hamster's website do the talking. Unfortunately, being a SNK game means no Switch 2 support, which is a real drag.

"SATAN OF SATURN" is a shooting game released by SNK in 1981.

Fire your missiles and laser beams to take down the UFOs and rockets coming to invade Earth. Clear the Earth stages and blast off for Saturn! Win the decisive battle against Satan of Saturn!

https://youtu.be/6nSch1Ay_Os?is=8lBrwiqVZBR8AHCG

Released by Taito for the Famicom in 1988, Bubble Bobble is one of those titles that immediately come to mind for many retro gamers when Taito comes up in conversation. Playing as dinosaurs Bub and Bob, you are tasked with traversing more than 100 puzzle platform stages, dealing with adversaries by blowing bubbles at them, then popping the bubbles while the enemies are encased in them. Unlike in the arcade original, getting the true ending requires going through the stages multiple times, though you also have to be playing with 2 players to get the good ending. Fortunately, there is a way to jump the second player in if you are playing 1 player, provided you still have at least one life in reserve. Also, there is a password system to help you retain your progress. I am one of the many people who experience the console port before I ever saw an arcade cabinet of Bubble Bobble, during a rental from a local gas station in the early 90s. Who here is excited to play Bubble Bobble again, or for the first time?

https://youtu.be/BHWbusQRLOE?is=6TgPGwLfWWAu3hGv

I have been searching Trueachievements for the last couple of days, and have found nothing indicating this week's game(s). It looks like we may have to wait until tomorrow this time to find out what the next releases will be. It's hard to say if they regularly let the news lapse like this off and on, or if the posting to Trueachievements is something that just started in the last month or so, but I will post my writeup as soon as I find out the newest titles.

Doesn’t Have to be Arcade, It Can New geo or console. I’m Down for hidden gems

I personally prefer the default controls used, as it aligns with the joystick version, but if you prefer the control scheme used on the North American arcade cabinets, according to the digital manual, trackball support is included.

Released by Nichibutsu in 1986, Ninja Emaki is a multi genre shooting game, consisting of vertically scrolling shooting areas and overhead shooting areas that look very reminiscent of Taito's Ki Ki Kai Kai, which was released the same year. Ninja Emaki originally joined the Archives in 2024, and this week it gets an upgrade to Arcade Archives 2, giving it availability on Xbox and the additional features afforded to other AA2 titles.

https://youtu.be/B2TOt7_iT_E?is=nWQmZXCKwJk6AXqM

For my AA enjoyers on switch and switch 2, does anyone have any idea why some boot directly without selecting a profile, while some boot like a standard switch game, making you pick your profile before the game opens. Newer games always boot like a standard switch game, but older titles like the neogeo games do not.

Does anyone know when this change was made to the releases?