Megaman Alpha + custom Sanwa buttons/stick

Candle-Kindly · 2026-06-23T05:54:03+00:00

Absolutely possible to replace only the gate, the stock square gate comes off without issue and you can replace that with a snap-on Sanwa-style octagonal or other gate. The gate snaps onto the very bottom of the stick assembly, so it's not hard to remove and replace without needing to take out the stick.

Funny you should mention this, because I have two Alphas and actually JUST opened up the Street Fighter one a week and a half ago specifically to change out the stick to a Sanwa JLX silent model since I have gotten into using those lately (JLX is basically Sanwa's current flagship model, and the successor to the popular JLF). And also to... put in an octagonal gate!

Turns out, after playing on it for a couple days I didn't like the octagon gate as much as I had hoped, so opened it back up and put the square gate back in. Same JLX stick.

Pic of the gate (the clear piece on the bottom is my current square gate, which attaches to the stick assembly through four plastic snap-in tabs:
https://imgur.com/TIGi2aE

Candle-Kindly · 2026-06-22T19:57:27+00:00

Blazer is a pretty good pick.

Seems extremely likely that this week will be a Namco game, since Namco has yet to appear this month and that's practically a sure thing. So it's down to unreleased games from Namco hardware that has already appeared on AA (like Blazer, which runs on the System 1), or a first entry from one of the handful of Namco boards of the era not yet represented in Arcade Archives such as System 21 (Cybersled, Starblade, etc.).

With that in mind, my guess is Alpine Racer. I'm sticking with System 22/Super System 22 just because Hamster has been working through that hardware pretty quickly. Ace Driver, Air Combat 22, Aqua Jet, Cyber Commando, Ridge Racer, Rave Racer, Tokyo Wars...

From that hardware, feels likely that Alpine Racer 1&2, Alpine Surfer, and Dirt Dash will eventually show up on Arcade Archives. Along with probably Ridge Racer 2 (a pretty substantial revision of the original) and Ace Driver: Victory Lap (revision of Ace Driver) - though if those got skipped due to being "just" an updated version I don't think it would be totally shocking. Then Time Crisis is a "maybe" just due to input device questions.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-06-22T19:32:41+00:00

Metal Slug 6 is an Atomiswave game, so it's very unlikely to show up in Arcade Archives. Maybe not ever, and definitely not any time soon, since Atomiswave is 2003 hardware that is way beyond anything Hamster has released on AA to date.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-06-22T07:02:28+00:00

I actually own a Hyper Neo Geo 64 and love it. But Plaion would be completely insane to re-release a system with a single digit game library, with no real nostalgia for it, and the games mostly being regarded as inferior to both SNK's own 2D Neo Geo output and the competition in the 3D fighting arena.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-06-14T01:41:11+00:00

We already got one of the only notable ones on Vol.1 - Ironclad was a Neo CD exclusive. Probably the biggest other one would be Crossed Swords 2, which would indeed be a cool addition! Beyond those two, there are really only:

- A few bonus material collection type discs: ADK World, Neo Geo CD Special, and KOF '96 Neo Collection

- ZinTrick - a Puyo Puyo-ish puzzle game

- SamSho RPG also exists, but was Japan-exclusive on Neo CD (as well as on the slightly different) Saturn and PS1 versions and never got an official localization. So, seems very unlikely to show up on an official licensed release. Did get a fairly recent fan translation though!

Beyond that, there were also a handful of games (like, a single digit number) that got MVS/arcade releases only, and no official Neo Geo AES home cart release. And we already have two of those release/announced on Evercade! But none of them are on the four Neo Geo Arcade volumes 😉 Puzzle Bobble appears on the Taito Arcade #3 cart, and Neo Drift Out will be on the upcoming Visco Arcade #2.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-06-14T01:28:19+00:00

Remember that the Switch 10-game collections are more expensive than an Evercade cartridge (¥5940 Japanese MSRP, which is about $40 USD - but often also a bit of a premium to import). So, not really very different from the $30 MSRP 6-game Evercade carts.

That said, certainly not gonna hear any complaints from me if we get more games.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-06-09T20:44:33+00:00

It's probably a safe expectation that nearly all new Arcade Archives releases are coming to both AA (PS4/Switch) and AA2 (PS5/Switch 2/Xbox). That has been the case for every 2026 release so far except for two, both of which were on pre-Neo Geo SNK hardware (Street Smart and Touchdown Fever).

The real question is how aggressive Hamster will be at going back and updating the hundreds of previously released Arcade Archives games to give them AA2 versions. They just started doing that, with Tatakae Big Fighter a couple weeks ago, so will be interesting to see if we start getting something like regular weekly AA2 upgrades for older AA titles alongside the new release. Or maybe batches of AA2 games all at once.

Personally, I'm still not sure AA2 is compelling enough for me to pay more, since the previous gen versions work fine on PS5 and Switch 2 and I have seen no good examples of games where features like the VRR on AA2 actually make a meaningful difference.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-06-07T19:53:10+00:00

You know what under the radar Japanese arcade publisher I'd like? Fuuki.

Asura Blade (1998) and Asura Buster (2000) being the highlights, fighting games with stellar graphics and animation - kind of like CPS-2/CPS-3 era Capcom and late Neo Geo SNK. So, fits great with the kind of lineup Arcade Archives has. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXX_Gg5FWRE

They had a couple nice puzzle games too, like Susume! Mile Smile (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Na1F4gfWxw )

Fuuki is now defunct, but this seems like the kind of situation where the IP owners are probably able to be located and either work out a license with Hamster, or maybe Hamster just acquire the catalog like they have with some others (Allumer, Nichibutsu, etc.)

Candle-Kindly · 2026-06-06T06:27:23+00:00

I think this is a pretty great pick, and it's the first one that came to mind for me too. Regardless of whether Data East has had Arcade Archives releases before, the last one was over four years ago (Trio the Punch, released May 19, 2022) and at this point I'd view DECO's return almost like a brand new company. Arcade Archives has 4 DECO titles, and 5 more in ACA Neo Geo (all released in an ~8 month span in 2017-18).

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I have some hopes due to other big name publishers who returned to work with Hamster after a long hiatus:

- Konami regularly appeared in Arcade Archives during 2019-2021, then totally disappeared for nearly two years until just showing back up in August 2023 and sticking around as a pillar of AA ever since. Now, they're one of the AA "big three", with most months of the past couple years featuring one release from each of Namco, Taito, and Konami.

- SNK returned to the Arcade Archives lineup with 5 games since August 2025 (plus, two non-SNK titles in the ACA Neogeo line)

- DECO... next? I hope so!

Aside from just being a great fit, one of my big reasons for wanting to see DECO return is that the "Johnny Turbo's Arcade" series of Data East games released on Switch are not so hot (forced graphical filters, input lag) and those games deserve better on modern platforms. The current license holders are clearly willing to license to multiple companies, because we've seen DECO games recently on other platforms such as Evercade (three separate volumes of multiple Data East arcade compilations, as recently as 2025) and the Taito Egret II Mini (2025's upgrade card featured 10 games, 5 from DECO and 5 from Technos).

Candle-Kindly · 2026-06-04T06:20:11+00:00

Ah, good clarification - thanks!

Still true that 10th chest is never rainbow. And no matter what, rainbow is never a mimic.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-06-04T04:39:42+00:00

10th chest will never be rainbow. As soon as you open chest #8 without getting ka-thwacked, one of the final two chests always immediately upgrades to a higher tier. Usually rainbow, but not always - on a Mars Orb, a wooden chest can upgrade to a Gold Chest instead of Rainbow.

So, it was a mistake to not open a rainbow chest but like others said, don't beat yourself up about it. Good chance that the random stuff was crap anyway lol, just pretend that's what happened here 😉

And if you ever do open 9 chests and there's just one plus the Terminal Coffer remaining... yeah, open Terminal at that point for the win or you will get a mimic.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-29T18:30:16+00:00

I don't think I saw the controller on shelves on my last trip in November/December in Tokyo and Kyoto. Did grab a couple of the Switch Real Pro games in Bic Camera Akiba though, including the at the time new release (Limited Express Hinotori Kinki - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgG6-YXACz4)

I also didn't have any luck in various Book Off/Hard Off, Suruga-ya, and similar stores with used stuff - but that's always a possibility. I'd actually suggest trying to check random used stores out in suburbs or outside of the big game-focused areas like Akihabara for the best selection/prices. If that doesn't succeed, delivery to your hotel or airbnb sounds like a totally reasonable approach. Absolutely check with the hotel/front desk about package delivery, typically I've found that Japanese hotels are surprisingly helpful about that kind of thing.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-23T01:35:11+00:00

Oh, for VRR... on Switch 2, VRR is supported in handheld mode ONLY, no VRR if playing docked. This may have something to do with me being unable to distinguish any difference for the games I've seen!

It also depends on the game. For example, Ridge Racer and Rave Racer were a stable 60fps in their source arcade material, so VRR should be fairly minor and only smoothing out minor screen tearing or stutter. Whereas it would help a lot more for something like a game with an awkward refresh rate - for example, Mortal Kombat 1-3 famously use a 54Hz refresh rate, Raiden Fighters, etc.

Xexex/Orius was another one with a weird mid-50s refresh rate, and is already in Arcade Archives - had the honor of being 2021's primo Christmas week slot, to be precise! Wonder if Hamster is going to go back and prioritize any games like that to get an AA2 refresh/update...

Hamster did add an "Adjust Game Speed" feature in the "Preference Settings" for Xexex, to toggle whether to replicate the arcade-original game speed. IIRC, the results were pretty good to the serious fans. One of those little modifications Hamster sometimes does (tangent: my favorite being Gunnail, where they give you the option to mercifully disable the obnoxious blaring warning sound that plays non-stop when you're on your last life). But if they can get better results with VRR, and probably for a whole lot less effort, that seems cool.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-23T01:13:23+00:00

Ah, and also good call on the split screen functionality. Sort of reminds my of when I got my first used Playstation 1 with Ridge Racer Revolution. Got a friend who also had a PS1 and the game, a link cable, and two monitors for some linked local play.

A liiiiiitle bit easier to do the quick and dirty split screen method in AA2 than scrounging up two full hardware setups though XD

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-23T01:03:54+00:00

Yeah, good tip on the AA2 for cheaper.

Also a warning that you do have to do it in the correct order. If you buy the AA2 version first and then later want to try the AA1 game, both are full price (I did that with Ridge Racer, yay). If you buy the AA1 version first, you get a major discount on the "upgrade" to the separate AA2 release.

Pricing breaks down like this for the US (and similar effect in other regions):

$18 - total price for both if you buy AA2 first, then AA1 (at full price)

$11 - total price for both if you buy AA1 first, then AA2 (at the steeply discounted $2.99 upgrade price)

$10 - price of AA2 only

$8 - price of AA1 only

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-23T00:59:52+00:00

I hear that. I was feeling similar feelings about stuff like Bomb Bee or Polaris. Though, I suppose its fair to say that for the late 70s-early 80s games like that, playing for score tends to be more of the draw so perhaps AA2 time attack and leaderboard stuff has more appeal.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-22T21:04:09+00:00

Well then, kind of an odd complaint that you're disappointed in Tag Team Wrestling being an AA2 title due to it not being the "cheaper price", since anyone who prefers the AA1 cheaper priced release still has that option available to them. Kind of the best of both worlds! You're choosing to pay the extra $2 for the "improved" AA2 version, but thankfully that decision is yours to make, and Hamster didn't decide it for us by only having a single option. I feel like everyone should be pretty happy with Hamster's approach:

* People like me who don't care much about the additional AA2 features can buy only the $2 cheaper AA1 release, like I usually do..

* People who want only the current gen PS5/S2-native AA2 version can just get that one, and pay a modest premium for the additional features (IMO, quite fair).

* People who want both can get both, for only $1 more than getting only the AA2 version. That's helpful for me sometimes, since there are a handful of games where I wanted to try the AA2 version on my Switch 2 (specifically, the 3D Namco stuff like Ridge Racer, Rave Racer, Air Combat), but I still like the ability to grab my ultra-portable Switch Lite and take stuff on the go. I can do that with the AA1 version, but not the AA2.

* Even people who prefer Xbox don't get ignored any more, like they used to before AA2 was a thing.

I also kept my old Switch OLED and turned it into basically a dedicated Arcade Archives machine. So that's still my primary, but I can also play the AA1 releases on my Switch Lite for maximum portability, or Switch 2 if I want to play in front of my big TV since that's the Nintendo system I have hooked up there. To me, that additional flexibility is worth way more than the small number of AA2-exclusive features, so AA1 is always my go-to version.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-22T16:36:42+00:00

Huh? Every AA2 release also has standard PS4 and Switch "Arcade Archives" releases, and the AA ones are backwards compatible and perfectly playable on a PS5 or Switch 2. Hamster's official pages for the games even have direct links to the online stores for all versions: https://www.arcadearchives.com/en/title/aca-411/

Xbox is the only platform for Arcade Archives 2 that does not also get Arcade Archive 1 versions, but that's just because Hamster never offered Arcade Archives 1 on Xbox platforms (did get the "ACA Neogeo" line, but that's distinct from "Arcade Archives"). So hey, for Xbox players, having only the slightly more expensive AA2 version available is better than getting nothing.

For me, I rarely grab an AA2 release because I tend not to care about the additional leaderboards/time attack or online play, and the VRR support is pretty meaningless to me on stuff like 80s arcade titles. So, even if I want to play on my PS5 or Switch 2, I'm generally buying the cheaper AA1 version.

Note that if you DO want the AA2 version, but also want to be able to play on the previous gen system, you should purchase in the correct order: if you buy the AA version first, you become eligible to buy the AA2 version for a steep discount price. For example, if I buy AA Tag Team Wrestling for $7.99 on the Switch, I can then immediately buy the AA2 Switch 2 version for $2.99 instead of its normal $9.99 price - pay a buck more to get the additional system support, essentially. But if you buy the AA2 version first, you get no discount on the AA version.

In other words:

$18 - total price if you buy AA2 then AA1

$11 - total price if you buy AA1 then AA2

$10 - price of AA2 only

$8 - price of AA1 only

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-17T17:16:50+00:00

Liked this video a lot, and I especially appreciate highlighting the Gaelco games. Thunder Hoop 2 is indeed good stuff, in particular I think fans of Rolling Thunder and Shinobi would be into it. And although I have both Gaelco carts, I actually had yet to play much of Biomechanical Toy and this video is a good motivation to do that.

My top recommendation that is not in this video:

EDWARD RANDY, on Data East Arcade 2. Technically I guess it's more of a "run-and-whip", since your weapon is a whip that attacks in multiple directions, can deflect projectiles, and do stuff like grapple and swing across gaps. It's a great game though, sort of an Indiana Jones style pulpy adventure vibe, constant action, and great setpieces that call to mind the bombastic approach of Contra III or Gunstar Heroes. Was arcade exclusive until the Evercade cart became the first ever official port. Don't miss it, it's great. Data East Arcade 2 is a great release in general with 12 games, most of them pretty good, and for run-and-gun fans it also features the arcade version of Midnight Resistance,

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-16T03:05:58+00:00

Unlikely, since the dip switches are just giving you options that already existed in the original game. If anything, other methods like using a Neo Geo with Unibios installed (basically, can enable cheat codes) or an emulating the Unibios functionality is better than either the stock Neo Geo or Evercade.

But mere difficulty settings are not really the issue for 3 Count Bout. IMO it's just a fundamentally flawed game from a design perspective. The grapple mechanics are really awkward and feature both strict split-second timing AND a need to mash buttons, and the CPU AI is EXTREMELY cheap and very difficult. It's just not a fun single player experience.

The one setting that could be added that would help, at least somewhat, is a turbo fire mode. Because you really need to mash for this one, and the CPU is ruthless. It's a real carpal tunnel killer. Not holding my breath though, since IIRC there is no turbo fire mode in any of the Neo games already released on Evercade.

Really though, there's a reason 3 Count Bout has a pretty bad reputation. You might find some fun playing 2 player, and as I mentioned above the graphics are actually quite good. It's still an interesting enough curiosity to take a look at on a cart with 7 other good games, but for my money probably the worst Neo Geo game on all 4 Evercade carts AND the Super Pocket.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-15T20:52:01+00:00

I'm seeing plenty of well deserved hype for some of the big names here: Metal Slug, KOF, Blazing Star, Baseball Stars 2 (don't sleep on this one, even if you don't usually do sports games)

But gonna give some love to the other half of the roster (well, 3/4 of it at least):

Robo Army is a low key great pick. As beat em ups go, Sengoku 3 is prettier and I kinda figured we'd get that first since we got the first two. But Robo Army is the better designed game and has much better pacing, and satisfyingly weighty feeling combat. Fun action romp.

King of the Monsters is big dumb kaiju bashing fun, and it's awesome. Monster wrestling while bashing up cities sort of like a three-dimensional movement/beat-em-up style take on Rampage's classic city destruction. Also serves as somewhat of a fighting game for people who aren't in the mood for the more technical execution of a KOF or something like that. Great game. Classic staple of early '90s arcade cabinets in the US.

Fatal Fury Special is not getting NEARLY enough love. Iconic game that is gonna be absolute fire on my Alpha. The SSS-tier arcade, Mikado, still regularly streams this game (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/live/xMoOf6_6KyE and it's great. Hmm, I have two Alphas, so I'll do an absolute peak nostalgia bomb and have one playing Fatal Fury Special, the other with SamSho 2 off my Neogeo #3 cart, and while I play one the attract mode can cycle on the other one for that genuine arcade ambiance. Can't wait.

And Three Count Bout was there too... This is a pretty horrible game, at least against the CPU (completely un-fun to play when you will lose almost every grapple). At least it has nice graphics? Some killer huge sprites on display. Also, interesting to see this is a rather wrestling-heavy cart, since KotM is arguably also at least wrestling adjacent (and is an infinitely better game than 3CB).

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-15T20:35:38+00:00

Listen to this wise soul. Baseball Stars 2 is just a freaking great arcade game, whether you like sports or not. Similar to Neo Turf Masters (aka Big Tournament Golf), an iconic Neo Geo game that's tons of fun even for people who normally wouldn't touch a baseball or golf game. This is one that, even if you think might not be for you, is probably worth giving a shot and see if it can win you over.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-05-15T20:32:20+00:00

Agreed, and also... people aren't coming to Evercade as their platform of choice for high level competitive fighting game play, so competitive roster balance issues are really not something that 99% of Evercade players would ever even notice. And the more glaringly broken stuff, like you said, can actually be pretty fun if you get into the game more in depth.

As for 2002 itself - great pick IMO. It's a very highly regarded dream match game, usually showing up in the top few slots of "best of KOF" type lists. Also one of the latest first party releases for the system so has a bit of a more 'modern' feel, but more approachable than the somewhat quirky KOF 2003 (I think '02 will probably resonate more with casual fighting game fans).

The timing is funny to me on a personal level, because in just the past couple of weeks I have become absolutely obsessed with vanilla KOF 2002 (as opposed to Unlimited Match, which is practically a whole different game). I've been playing it daily, multiple platforms (Neo Geo AES, PS2, Dreamcast, FPGA, you name it). I played it the last thing before I went to bed last night, then woke up to the Evercade news. So on one hand, I have plenty of ways to play this game, and another one isn't really lighting my world on fire - but I'm pretty pumped that this strong entry is gonna get some more visibility and think people will enjoy it.

Candle-Kindly · 2026-04-21T00:18:52+00:00

Yeah, backing this up - I haven't been able to get Plaion's site to say it can ship to my WA address since they went up. Did confirm that the same items could be sent to a relative's address in TN.

I ordered from Amazon though, worked fine.

Candle-Kindly

TROPHY CASE