Side Arms and Happy New Year

Near the end of 2014 I bought a Side Arms PCB off the guy who runs shmuplations.com. I LOVED this game as a kid, I used to gawk at the box of the DOS version at Fry’s Electronics and think about playing it at home. But even as a kid, I smelled trouble because the back of the DOS box featured screen shots from the arcade version. When they don’t show actual screen shots of what you’re about to buy, chances are it’s a turd. I was so right.

So while 8 year old me thought highly of this game, current me who has decent shmup skills 1CC’d it the first time I played it seriously. FOR REAL! I played 2 credits just to make sure the PCB worked ok so I could give the seller positive feedback, then I let it sit for a few days. On the first credit I sat down and played with real effort, I 1CC’d the game. I double checked the DIP switches to make sure the difficulty wasn’t set super low, but they were set to defaults.

The left/right shooting mechanic is neat, but all in all the game isn’t anything that special. The music is rad and it has that classic Capcom feel, but I don’t think this is a PCB worth keeping.

I think the first thing I’m going to do in 2015 is sell some PCBs and tidy up my collection. I have picked up a few games based on nostalgia, but they aren’t games I’ll play seriously or repeatedly.

As far as 2015 shmup goals, I carry over some goals from last year:

• Ibara: Letter Score
• Mushihimesama Futari Black Label: 1 billion points in God mode

I had the day off work on January 1st and I hooked my XBox 360 back up to my vertical cab so that I could play Mushihimesama Futari Black Label (MFBL). That game is amazing! I 1CC’d maniac mode in the past, now I want to work on God mode as building up the multiplier to x30,000 and then cashing it in is probably one of the most satisfying feelings in gaming I’ve ever experienced.

I will be streaming stuff on my Twitch channel, so subscribe and check out my efforts!

Happy New Year!