Planet Harriers – Part 3

Here are some pictures of my Naomi running Planet Harriers. 

 

Swapping out the Naomi motherboard for a Hikaru was no problem at all, everything hooked right up perfectly!

The 31KHz monitor is ideal for Planet Harriers, although the game can also be set to 24KHz or 15KHz on the boards test menu.  The custom marquee was produced by Spectre (Arcade Otaku).  I am considering a control panel overlay, but I do like the nice clean look of the powder coated panel.

Joystick Gamers! Video Game Photo Magazine #2

This magazine came as a nice surprise!  A new issue of Joystick Gamers! Video Game Photo Magazine, released a year after the first.  This issue includes three bonus mini magazines.

 

Another nice surprise is that it features Nanboya Arcade, an awesome arcade we just happened to stumble upon during our stay in Osaka. 

Arcades In and Around Great Yarmouth – Part 1

I have awesome memories of the arcades in and around my hometown of Great Yarmouth.  I remember playing Pac-Land, Double Dragon 2, RoboCop and sit-down OutRun on the local holiday camps.  A trip to the seafront with my nan and granddad and playing Chase HQ.  The buzz surrounding Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat and the crowds gathered around the machines.  Going to the arcades weekends/after school and being blown away by Alien vs. Predator, Daytona USA and Killer Instinct.  Happy times indeed.

During the Easter holidays I went out with my wife and daughter to check out a few of these arcades.  Whilst my expectations were pretty low and the machines I remember are sadly long gone, there were some nice new games I hadn’t seen before, a couple of classics and a few nice surprises along the way!

Great Yarmouth Golden Mile

It’s sad to see how the arcades along the seafront have changed over the years, with video games losing floor space in favour of gambling and redemption machines.  The OutRun2 and After Burner Climax machines have disappeared as well.  However it was good to see some new machines.  I was really excited to see Mach Storm.  A spiritual successor to After Burner, the game is awesome!  However it’s probably best avoided if you suffer from motion sickness.  Or if you’ve just eaten!

Dark Escape 4D was also a lot of fun.  The cabinet says ‘Body-shocking 3D horror shooting’, which I think is a pretty apt description!  The 3D is very effective, and the game genuinely puts you on edge.  One cool feature is that your heart rate is monitored and displayed on screen! 

 

 

Batman combines racing and combat and allows you to select different era Batmobiles and adversaries, pretty cool!  These games are currently in Wellington Pier.

Other cool new games in the arcades along the sea front include Aliens Armageddon, Dream Raiders, Super Alpine Racer and Transformers Human Alliance.  Very few older games remain.

Planet Harriers – Part 2

It was awesome to be finally able to play Planet Harriers, but the set up wasn’t very practical or wife friendly with it taking over our lounge.  I needed a dedicated Planet Harriers cab!

The plan was to make a custom panel and play the game in a Naomi cabinet.  I picked up a NOS Sanwa analogue JLK-GF2-AT flight stick (same type as used on Planet Harriers cabinet) and a NOS Sega analogue control panel [NAO-2019].  I’d also use my Planet Harriers cabinet control panel loom and buttons, and the analogue stick amplifier PCB.

Fast forward to 2013 and this still remained an unfinished project.  I contacted Craig / Giz10p and he kindly agreed to make the panel. 

No part of the original Planet Harriers control panel loom has been hacked, not a single cable cut, just re-pinned and the connectors changed so that it will plug into a Naomi. 

 

 

The loom uses player 1 digital, player 1 analogue, extra button 15 way connector, and the 4 pin connector that’s normally sat doing nothing in the bottom of the control panel lower (connector with 1 red and 1 red/white wire into a 4 pin connector). 

 

In addition to these a 3 pin loom was made for the extra lamp switching used on the buttons.  This has a 3 pin connector on one end and the correct pins on the other end to clip directly into the digital I/O loom.

A massive thanks to Craig / Giz10p for his superb work on the panel!

The TonTon Club - Amsterdam

During a recent stay in Amsterdam I checked out The TonTon Club, a new arcade located in the heart of the Red Light District, behind the Old Church. 

I went along on a Sunday afternoon, and it was nice to see the venue busy and people enjoying the games. 

 

Credit tokens can be bought at the counter, although some of the games are on free play, including Cruise ’n USA, Virtua Racing and Daytona USA.  I was especially pleased to see Virtua Racing, although it’s just as unforgiving as I remember!

It’s a nice venue to chill, play some games and enjoy a couple of beers!