14-Aug-2009 Community Feature: Coin-ops and cosplay! Insert Coin 09 is retro-gaming heaven. This event held at Northampton Saints rubgy ground plays host to over 100 classic arcade games under one roof. There's also a cosplay competition hosted by community site Ready-Up.net, plus a large Street Fighter IV tournament.
I've been chatting with some of the arcade fans and cosplayers at the show, trying to create a fantasy line-up for next year's Summer of Arcade. Some of the suggestions below are quite unexpected! Excellent show, and the games are even better.
Ben Talbot - Community Editor
Graham "Fast Feet" Seward Fast Feet Media.net
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Graham is a massive Sega fan, he runs a site dedicated to playing Sonic the Hedgehog and video game music, which is where his nickname comes from. "If there were one arcade game from Insert Coin that I would like to see remade, it would probably be a new Metal Slug game," he says. "Largely because I can remember playing Metal Slug in my local games shop quite a lot, but a new 2.5D rendition of the game similar to day stages in Sonic Unleashed would look and play fantastic in my opinion. Other than that I'm always hoping a new Virtual On game will be made!"
Metal Slug SNK (1996)
We've already had Metal Slug 3 on XBLA, but the original classic is long overdue a remake. The game's excellent 2D animation and unique sense of humour have earned it a huge following over the years. A 3D sequel was released for the PlayStation 2, but it was a huge disappointment. The good news is that Metal Slug 7 is in development for XBLA, and is going back to the 2D cel-animation style.
Fran Shergold Cosplay Judge
Ready-Up.net's Cosplay Clash
"I'm a big fan of Sega and a big fan of Sonic. Sonic Fighters for me, was one of those games I knew existed and was out in Japan, but never came out over here," says Fran. She's the host of Insert Coin's cosplay competition, herself an accomplished costume maker. "So far, I've never seen one of those arcade cabinets in this country. I was very lucky to play it when I went to Las Vegas last year, it just happened to be in an arcade inside one of the casinos. It was brilliant - these characters that everyone knows, being brought into the arcade scene. It brings some really good memories back."
Sonic the Fighters Sega (1996)
Although Sonic's creator Yuji Naka loved the idea of a fighting game based on the character, Sega USA was reticent to release it. They were worried about the mascot being involved in violent scenes. A limited number of machines were produced for the West, and it's fairly hard to find outside Japan. The game is based on the Fighting Vipers engine and plays very similarly. A Saturn version was planned, but eventually cancelled. We had to wait nearly ten years for it to reappear in the Sonic Gems Collection for Playstation 2.
Walter Frazer Centre Manager of www.esc-games.com
Walter is an experienced fighting game player and also runs the esc Internet and Gaming Centre in Glasgow. He tells us, "I'd have to say that I was most impressed with Arcana Heart, a 2D fighting game that was loads of fun that me and Dan played for about 2 hours, it sums up Arcades for me, straight forward fun, so easy to pick up and you get to see the persons face beside you once you beat them."
Over 100 classic arcade games under one roof.
Arcana Heart Atlus (2006)
All-girl fighter Arcana Heart bears some similarities to Marvel vs Capcom 2, not least for its insane combos and frenetic pace. This 2D game only featured 11 fighters, but you could also choose an elemental alignment before each battle, giving you markedly different special moves.
Lozzy Jane Masters Staff Writer: Ready-Up.net
"I would have said Splatterhouse if it wasn't already on its way!" says Lozzy, a writer for community site Ready-Up. "It's quite tricky as so many games have already been recycled for more recent consoles, not always for the best unfortunately! Ghosts and Goblins would be a nice addition though, one that I would definitely pick up and play if they did!"
Splatterhouse Namco (1988)
The remake of Splatterhouse has had a troubled time. Namco fired and then re-hired a large portion of the development team, leaving it in the hands of new studio managers. We'd prefer it if they just did a HD remake of the original 2D beat 'em up. It was one of the goriest games at the time, playing homage to the Friday the 13th movies with hero Rick and his 'terror mask'. We can't forget beating up the mutant worms on the first level.
The cosplayers were out in force
Veggie Cosplayer
"I heard that they are remaking Turtles in Time for XBLA, so I'm really looking forward to that one!" says Veggie, who got his nickname from spending too much time playing games. He adds, "Besides that, I'd also like the four-player Simpsons game from the arcade to be revived as well!"
The Simpsons Arcade Game Konami (1991)
Now that EA has The Simpsons license, chances of seeing a remake of this superb beat 'em up seem slim. It'd almost certainly be a hit though, it was one of the biggest games of 1991, and easily the best Simpsons game ever made. Konami made this side-scroller using the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade engine. It added new features such as co-op attacks and throwable weapons.
Alex and Zoe Cosplayers
Alex and Zoe are cosplayers, hoping to win big at Insert Coin's cosplay clash with their Final Fantasy creations. "It's a difficult question, but I'd really like to see Raiden Fighters," says Alex. I know it's out in Japan, but I really think they should make it available to everyone."
Don't mess with these Outrun experts!
Raiden Fighters Seibu Kaihatsu (1996)
This classic top-down shooter was recently re-released in Japan along with its two sequels as Raiden Fighters Aces. The game is most memorable for its stupidly powerful charge attacks and the five different playable fighters. The collection isn't being released in Europe, which is a real shame.
Laura Rich Staff Writer: Ready-Up.net
"There was one game that stood out for me. It's called Demon's World," says Ready-Up writer Laura. "I don't know if it was on God mode or what but the hero was invincible. He had a huge gun but didn't actually need to fire a single shot as the enemy would disintegrate on contact with him. Obviously it just wasn't challenging enough but it was playing as the character that I found so enjoyable. That guy is badass and not to be messed with."
Demon's World Toaplan (1989)
This side scrolling shooter featured a hero who looked like Chuck Norris wearing a Ghostbusters back pack. He could also transform into a 'super' version of himself by collecting power-ups. It's very charming, and all the supernatural enemies go around with a smile on their faces, even though you're about to destroy them with a grenade launcher.
Photos used with kind permission from Lozzy Jane Masters
