Cynicaster

264,510 I generally don't get the allure of video game pinball simulations, but this one is decent I guess.

400,160 This game is pretty awesome; I like it a LOT more than the original.

This game doesn’t work in the version of MAME I have running on my cabinet. Can somebody recommend a confirmed working version?

Well Han, keep your head up and take support from your family when things get rough. That sure saved my ass when things got rough for me. As for Alien Syndrome, I never played this one in the 80s but I did play it in the AtariAge high score club 7-8 years ago, so I'm not totally green with it. Actually, I just checked; the score I got in that competition is significantly higher than what I've posted here. That's the problem with games like this - so much of it is memorization that if you go a long stretch without playing, you lose it all and have to almost start over. In digging up the old AA thread, I was reminded of a play tip I posted back then that I had completely forgotten about, regarding how to handle the 2nd boss that throws those blobs at you. I was really struggling with that boss the other night because the blobs are very difficult to avoid. What you can do is grab the flame-thrower weapon (not the fireball weapon) and when the monster lobs the blobs at you, just stand still and let them land around you. When they land, mash the button and spin around in a circle. The flamethrower will nuke the blobs around you and give you a chance to attack the main monster.

167,400

101,700

Continuing on my streak of games I suck at... just to get on the board here. 42,000

80,060 Can't seem to figure this game out.

Saw this game come up and realized I hadn't played it. I had heard it was crushingly difficult, and it did not disappoint. It makes me wonder how a game like this would have made any money in an 80s arcade. The gameplay is fun in concept, but constantly getting killed by super bats that fly 10x faster than you can move is very deflating. It's hard to picture myself continually paying for such punishment. 32,120

317,460

Go Go Vertical Smile - 278,680 The "hey, you'll need this" gets a bit annoying but it's a pretty fun game. Pay attention to how the scoring works; there is a risk/reward system that enables you to rack up lots of points if you're willing to push your luck. The value of the items goes up for each one you grab on an excursion, but then resets on the next excursion. In other words, there are lots of points to be had by trying to string together as many items as you can without retreating back to safety.

There are lots of "secret points" in this game, so if you want to play it, take a few minutes to watch a quick Youtube video to see where some of them are. It's been so long since I played I can't remember, myself.

Small improvement, but doesn't move me in the standings. (haha, I was wearing my Brian Kuh "There's a potential Donkey Kong killscreen coming up" t-shirt, you can see his reflection in the monitor) 69,670

I will! 244,400

Han, When the baddies grab you, to break free you have to shake the joystick back and forth almost like you’re playing Decathlon on Atari 2600. It usually works within 2 seconds or so.