Gaming Hell

This week's Arcade Archives release is... Munch Mobile (SNK, 1983)


Both the Japanese (Joyful Road) and English (Munch Mobile) ROMs are included, which have slight differences in terms of progression and stage design. No unique Preference Settings this time, but according to Eonostro on the LordBBH Discord server, this release fixes several problems exhibited by both MAME at the time of writing and Digital Eclipse's SNK 40th Anniversary Collection- some music errors have been fixed, you can see the letters to input them on the high score table in Munch Mobile, and you are no longer stuck with a single credit always in the game as is the case with the SNK 40th version.

Mankind's folly has lead to this point. We have given our cars, those wheeled contraptions that take us to and fro and here and there, digestive organs, extended arms and eyes. We asked if we could create a horrific amalgamation of creature and conveyance, but we never asked if we should, and now all is lost. Anyway, this is a weird 1983 vertically scrolling driving game, I guess you'd call it, where as the Munch Mobile itself, you have to drive along the road, avoiding hazards and using your extending arms to grab fuel so you can keep going and bonus food that your car somehow eats and leaves behind just apple cores and fish skeletons- be sure to dump the waste in the nearest-available bin, don't be a litter bug! Be careful not to slam your arms against obstacles or you won't be able to grab things, and don't hit the sides of the road or your car's toast. Don't run out of fuel either! This is a strange game but it's pretty interesting- the presentation is very cute (I like the tpuches like the car's eyes closing as you run out of fuel like it's falling asleep) and it's a non-violent game with no shooting, no real enemies, just obstacles which is nice to see for an action game like this. This is on SNK 40th as a free downloadable game, but if you want the best version with leaderboards and a more robust feature set, this is the one you want.

This week's Arcade Archives release is... Dead Connection (Taito, 1992)

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This game is also included in Taito Milestones 3 (this is the final 'exclusive' game from that set to get an individual ACA release) but while that release only has the Japanese ROM, here both the Japanese and International ROMs are included. This is important because the intro and cutscene text is only in English in the International version, and it's a really big part of the charm. Anyway, Preference Settings include displaying the number of remaining bullets in special weapons and allowing solo players to play on the Player 2 side.

Dateline, The Big City! Nerozzia's crime syndicate has seeped into every part of the city, but four untouchable cops from the Criminal Department- Philip, James, Eddie and Gary- start striking back. Enraged, Nerozzia's message to them is simple- "You can regret it in Hell!"- and orders a hit on the beloved Christine. Keeping anger in their hearts, the four trecnhcoats refuse to give up in the face of tragedy, and go all-out in crushing out the crime in the city, with Nerozzia at the top of their list. From the opulent Restaurant Campanula to the Nerozzia crime family garden party and even the grand opera house, each single-screen stage sees the quartet gunning down a quota of gangsters and can grab machine guns and shotguns to even the odds, as well as duck for cover and dive to avoid shots (and take out bad guys at the same time). Evil power steals on, but nothing will stop their quest for vengeance!

Oh hell yes, Dead Connection. One of my favourite discoveries through emulation, this is an action-packed arena shooter that eschews the twin-sticks of the likes of Roboton: 2084 and Smash T.V. and goes for a single stick with two buttons layout. The controls might be an issue for some, as there's a sort-of auto-aim mechanic- bullets will fire slightly to the left or right if there's enemies in those directions- but it doesn't take long to get used to it, plus the dive can save you in a pinch as it will kill enemies. It also makes up for potential control shortcomings by taking cues from crosshair shooters like Cabal with its focus on environmental destruction. It goes a step further even, as these finely-detailed dioramas have environmental hazards that can be used against the enemy like statues you can kick down stairs, tables you can knock the candles off of to start fires and even machinery to turn the warehouse stage into a raging inferno. The later stages do perhaps go on a bit too long and slowly get less and less interactive elements, but the game overall is pretty short, so as I said about 10 years ago in my short review, at least it wears thin near the end rather than halfway through.



So it plays very well, but the presentation really puts Dead Connection over the top. You've got hugely-detailed dioramas for stages, great character and enemy animation, and some of the most bonkers stage intros and environmental destruction in a game of the time. This does come at a bit of a cost, especially in co-op mode as there can be some rough slowdown, which is a shame, but that's the price of fighting crime. The story really helps as well- the intro has stone-cold classic lines like "MEN MAKING A STAND AGAINST A GIGANTIC CRIME" and "EVIL POWER STEALS ON", this continues throughout the game with diary entries before each stage explaining the story, voice clips throughout like "NEROZZIA... I'LL CHASE YOU TO HELL AND BACK" and "DON'T DIE, ANDY! PLEASE, OPEN YOUR EYES!" and even inserting a coin gets you "WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU, DON'T LET US DOWN". It's incredible, and the ending really leaves an impact, like a good Taito ending should. If you want more info, my very very old Gaming Hell playthrough hasn't aged as badly as I thought- probably needs a rewritten intro but generally it's got some good tips, if I do say so myself. In summary, play Dead Connection.