Taito Egret II Mini - another mini arcade!

[Vaeran]

Those all sound great, Wildcat. Some super interesting picks.

Unfortunately, as they're available in separate collections, I don't think RayStorm/Crisis, Time Gal or G Darius have any real chance of showing up here. But who knows? They could surprise us.

 

[Torzelbaum]

Night Striker (1989) - Already confirmed! No matter how the rest of it shakes out, at least I got one.

I don't think I ever played this much in the arcades back in the day but I always thought it looked really cool.

 

[WildcatJF]

Those all sound great, Wildcat. Some super interesting picks.

Unfortunately, as they're available in separate collections, I don't think RayStorm/Crisis, Time Gal or G Darius have any real chance of showing up here. But who knows? They could surprise us.

That is hard to say. My best assumption is that since the Egret II Mini is considered a standalone toy versus a game console, they might not be as hesitant to issue something that's available on Arcade Archives, the Saturn reissues, or their own compilations since it's a separate enterprise. We'll see I guess!

 

[Vaeran]

This is only tangentially related, but this video popped up in my Youtube feed and I thought I'd share. It's a 15 minute, commentary-free walkthrough of the five-floor Taito Station building in Akihabara. The first few floors are all UFO catchers and other prize machines, and then the upper levels are devoted to arcade games. I saw fewer Taito titles than I would have expected, but I did spot what looked like a cluster of full-sized Egret II cabinets. My mini was like, "Aniki~!"

There's nothing life-changing in here, but as I've never been to Japan I found it an interesting watch.

I don't think I ever played this much in the arcades back in the day but I always thought it looked really cool.

It sounds really cool too!

 

[WildcatJF]

The games have been revealed for Volume 2!

• Return of the Invaders
• Wyvern F-0
• Wardner no Mori (aka Wardner/Pyros; developed by Toaplan)
• Operation Wolf
• Tokushu Butai U.A.G. (aka Thundercade; developed by Seta)
• Chuka Taisen (aka Cloud Master; developed by Hot-B)
• Night Striker
• Crime City
• Yuuyu no Quiz Go!Go!
• Kyukyoku Tiger II (aka Twin Cobra II; developed by Takumi)

Here's my reaction for funsies:

Also, a firmware update is going out tomorrow. More details about all this here.

 

[Vaeran]

It's a cool selection of games, no doubt, and I wasn't aware of the sticky rights issues behind some of these so it's kind of amazing they're on here at all. But I'll admit to being a little disappointed that more of my wishlist didn't end up getting picked. (That said, I flipped out when they revealed Operation Wolf. I was ALMOST KIDDING when I put that on my wishlist!) The fact that the tenth game is a Japanese-only quiz game means there are effectively only 9 games on here for me. Oh well. I'm still excited.

The other big news item is that Taito apparently wants you to pay for an enormous $200 "Cyber Stick" analog stick for Night Striker and Operation Wolf, and... no, dude. I can't do it. That thing is not welcome in my home. I love my Egret, but at the same time I acknowledge that buying into this ecosystem was one of the dumbest financial decisions of my life. I'm on the hook for the games, there's no question about that, but I can't justify buying this stupidly huge device to make two games slightly more enjoyable. (I just thought of the shipping cost from Japan and had a brief out-of-body experience.) I'll live without it.

The fact that Chase H.Q. isn't on here (and was apparently highly requested, according to the survey) suggests to me that it's being saved for an eventual Vol. 3, but I guess that will depend on how Vol. 2 sells.

 

[Vaeran]

(I just thought of the shipping cost from Japan and had a brief out-of-body experience.)

Speaking of shipping, probably don't preorder Arcade Memories Vol. 2 yet, as the shipping cost for just the expansion alone is the same as shipping with the enormous fucking Cyber Stick. This is apparently a mistake on Amazon.co.jp's part, and someone on the ResetEra thread said that it will probably get corrected closer to the release date, perhaps only a few days before. Preorder Price Guarantee won't help you either, since apparently that only applies to the cost of the item itself and not to shipping.

 

[WildcatJF]

https://x.com/TaitoASelection/status/1772171937101611045?t=YjIUHcdLtyj2v4Di4yTv9Q

I am late!
There are still games I want to record.
We have a lot!
I will do my best
Development of VOL3 has been approved
Thanks to everyone for your support
Please guess the title…

Taito announced a Volume 3 Arcade Memories on Twitter overnight, so it's time to speculate what (presumably) 10 games are going to be!

 

[WildcatJF]

An update on Volume 3 (per GSK):

https://twitter.com/x/status/1797968859343004159

 

[Vaeran]

I can't believe the Egret and its expansions have sold well enough to warrant three volumes of Arcade Memories. Is it weird to feel proud of something you had no hand in creating? Good job, little buddy.

 

[Vaeran]

Sounds like Galactic Storm will be headlining Arcade Memories Vol. 3. Twitter doesn't want to play nice and embed the video but here's the tweet. (Thanks for the heads up, @WildcatJF !)

And the source for that jingle at the beginning? Why, of course it's...

Spoiler

 

[WildcatJF]

So excited!!!!!

 

[WildcatJF]

For any Egret II Mini heads: the third expansion's contents will be revealed on 8/22

https://twitter.com/x/status/1821389952384688181

 

[Vaeran]

The cutoff date of 1995 gives us some hints as to what can and can't be on here. For example, Akkanvader and Psychic Force (both 1995) are possible, but RayStorm (1996), G-Darius (1997) and Psychic Force 2012 (1998) are not. Anyway, here's my wishlist, which looks a lot like my wishlist from Vol. 2!

• Galactic Storm (1992) - basically already confirmed via the hint in the last video
• Chase H.Q. (1988) - Please. For God's sake.
• Flipull a/k/a Plotting (1989) - WildcatJF convinced me that this one's worth wanting!
• Insector X (1989)
• Special Criminal Investigation (1989) - Probably unlikely if Chase H.Q. is confirmed, but who knows
• Arabian Magic (1992)
• Super Chase: Criminal Termination (1992) - See Special Criminal Investigation
• Dead Connection (1992) - This will be on Taito Milestones 3 so that gives me hope
• Akkanvader (1995)
• Psychic Force (1995)

And just for fun I'll guess that the 1982 game is Wild Western.

Very excited to find out what will be on there! I wonder if this will be the last of the Arcade Memories expansions. Three seems like a good stopping point, but Taito's got so many games in their back catalog. I guess it'll depend on how well this sells.

 

[Vaeran]

As a reminder to all you Egretheads out there, the livestream is at 7am EST tomorrow. I'll be setting my alarm!

 

[WildcatJF]

Forgot to share my wishlist here!

 

[Vaeran]

The livestream just concluded, and here are the games for Vol. 3:

• Mr. Do! (1982)
• Rumba Lumber (1984)
• Wiz (1985)
• Metal Soldier Isaac 2 (1985)
• Extermination (1987)
• Dr. Toppel Tankentai (1987)
• Top Landing (1988)
• Aqua Jack (1989)
• Galactic Storm (1992)
• Akkanvader (1995)

I haven't heard of a lot of these, but while I'm pleased to get Akkanvader I was hoping for more 90s titles if I'm honest. I can't believe they're still withholding Chase H.Q., and I feel like its absence here almost confirms a Vol. 4 given how highly it's been requested. (I think I said that about Vol. 2, as well.) From the comments on the livestream it sounds like Arcade Memories Vols. 1 and 2 are hard to find now, so get your preorder in if you want this.

The real story, though, is this ridiculous thing they expect you to buy:

It's a little piggy bank pedestal that attaches to the bottom of the Egret to make it look like a full-proportioned scale arcade cabinet. It also comes with a little stool so you can sit your teddy bear in front of the machine if you want. I honestly cannot believe the audacity.

 

[Vaeran]

Also, if you're still on the fence about the Cyber Stick controller, I saw a lot of comments during the livestream from Japanese players requesting a sturdier version of it. Sounds like it's surprisingly flimsy for a $200+ controller. Good thing it's optional.

 

[WildcatJF]

I'm pretty pumped; there's really some deep cuts here! Working on my edit of my reaction, so I'll share when it's ready.

 

[Vaeran]

I honestly cannot believe the audacity.

UPDATE: I bought it

 

[WildcatJF]

Here's my reaction!

 

[ShakeWell]

Wait... as in Avengers in Galactic Storm? Or am I confusing that title?

Also, did Taito acquire Universal's games at some point, or does Square just own all of that? Didn't Visco have the Universal game rights for awhile, and didn't Visco's stuff end up with... Pixelheart or someone? JFC, the fucking lineage of old mid-tier game developers is a thorny one, ain't it?

ANYWAYS: Point is, if you have the rights to Mr. Do!, why can't you just give us Mr. Do's Wild Ride? (Or all the Mr. Do! games, really.)

 

[Vaeran]

Wait... as in Avengers in Galactic Storm? Or am I confusing that title?

Captain America and his avenging pals do not appear in this one, I'm afraid. Just a coincidental title.

Also, did Taito acquire Universal's games at some point, or does Square just own all of that? Didn't Visco have the Universal game rights for awhile, and didn't Visco's stuff end up with... Pixelheart or someone? JFC, the fucking lineage of old mid-tier game developers is a thorny one, ain't it?

I'm not privy to the nature of the licensing deals going on here, but I don't think Square-Enix owns any of the non-Taito properties that have come out on the Egret or its expansions. Each year Taito conducts a survey asking what titles people would like on the next Arcade Memories, and they have sections asking for both Taito games and games by other developers. Taito published a number of titles back in the day that they did not develop in-house, and I think they're just revisiting those old relationships and working out new licensing agreements. That's my understanding of it, anyway.

 

[WildcatJF]

Yeah, Taito is working out licensing agreements with companies like Tatsujin (Toaplan), Seta, Hot-B, UPL, SEIBU KAIHATSU, and Universal for the Egret II Mini; they don't own those titles in full, but just published them back in the day.

Universal happens to also own the IP for Shadow Hearts after merging with Aruze in 2009 (and Aruze then naming themselves Universal...perhaps to distance themselves from the SNK debacle where they bought them out for the IP and tried to bleed the company dry that eventually led to SNK staff forming Playmore, buying themselves back, and suing Aruze for using the IP illegally after the auctioning...which they won). They've been pretty reclusive on their gaming IP for a while and recently filed for bankruptcy protection in the US, so I'm hopeful Mr. Do popping up here might be a start of seeing some sort of activity from them (and not their demise...altho what they did to SNK was barbaric).

 

[Vaeran]

The v.2.0.0-1 firmware update is now available. It fixes a few minor issues but most importantly will be required in order to run Arcade Memories Vol. 3. I should be going to bed but I'm kind of fired up after watching Kamala Harris' speech so I guess I'll update my Egret!

Notice regarding "Arcade Memories VOL.3"​

From "Arcade Memories VOL.3" and onwards, update of EgretⅡmini main unit is neccessary for the improvement of security function.

and onwards

Vol. 4 confirmed?!

 

[Vaeran]

It's been a quiet year for Egret II mini owners... UNTIL NOW

Credit goes to WildcatJF for alerting me to this. I can't embed a Mastodon post so I'll just quote it:

https://mastodon.social/@gosokkyu/114787296776354705

Taito's announced a new line of SD card expansion content for the Egret II Mini: Arcade Collection Part 1, due out in December

they'll be sharing the included games, how this series differs from the previous Arcade Memories expansion line & other Egret II Mini news on a Famitsu stream on July 17, 20:00

you'd think the bottom had fallen out of the market for these things by now but despite everything, this device & expansions have only become more in-demand over time

The bottom hasn't fallen out, GSK. The bottom's never been higher. (?)

I have no idea why they're dropping the "Arcade Memories" line at three volumes and rebranding to a new Part 1. My only theory is that "Arcade Collection" will be a mixture of games that already appeared in Arcade Memories along with new titles, since the three AM volumes are out of print and hard to find now. That would be disappointing, but I guess we'll find out on July 17.

 

[WildcatJF]

Thanks for posting it here my friend, haha. I'm curious about the rebrand myself.

 

[Vaeran]

Might as well post my predictions/hopes for what will be on Arcade Collection Part 1 since I can't stop thinking about it. I'm still sticking with my theory that this will be a mix of returning and new games, and I'm guessing now that it will be an even split between the two so I won't be too disappointed if we only get five new ones. I'll also guess they're going to be hitting the fan-favorite, popular games more than the obscure niche titles. Arcade Memories was for the die-hards, and Arcade Collection will be for the mainstream. ...insofar as there is a "mainstream" among Egret owners.

Returning:
1. Cleopatra Fortune
2. Pu-Li-Ru-La
3. Operation Wolf
4. Night Striker
5. Akkanvader / Space Invaders '95

New:
6. Chase H.Q.
7. Arabian Magic
8. Dead Connection
9. Flipull
10. G-Darius

That would be a pretty stacked lineup, so watch me be dead wrong on all ten. (I don't even know if the Egret can run G-Darius.) I swear to God if we don't get Chase H.Q. this time I will bite someone.

I'm also wondering what goofy optional item they'll have for us this time. Arcade Memories Vol. 2 introduced CyberStick support, and Vol. 3 brought us the deliriously silly coin bank base and mini arcade stool. I'll guess... a set of Taito-branded arcade tokens that you can feed into the coin bank if you want. I'd buy em.

 

[WildcatJF]

I've also been thinking a lot about this, haha. I made a video on the matter (and ranked the current 80 game lineup) here:

LVLS+ Whenever Ep 145

Welcome to LVLS+ Whenever, my weblog show where I talk about whatever video games stuff strikes my fancy, as well as showing off any new stuff I’ve gotten! For this episode, I rank the 80 gam…

jfieldsted.wordpress.com

 

[Vaeran]

watch me be dead wrong on all ten.

lol

The livestream just concluded. I honestly did not expect Taito Arcade Collection Part 1 to include zero (0) Taito arcade games, but instead they are featuring five titles each from Technos Japan and Data East. They are:

Technos Japan

• Mysterious Stones: Dr. Kick no Daibouken (1984)
• Bogey Manor (1985)
• Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun (1986) a.k.a. Renegade
• Xain'd Sleena (1986) a.k.a. Solar Warrior
• Double Dragon (1987)

Data East

• Atomic Runner Chelnov (1988)
• Dark Seal (1990) a.k.a. Gate of Doom
• Edward Randy (1991) a.k.a. The Cliffhanger: Edward Randy
• Wolf Fang: Kuuga 2001 (1991)
• The Great Ragtime Show (1992) a.k.a. Boogie Wings

December 18.

I haven't heard of some of the Technos Japan games, but I have to tell you I am incredibly excited for Boogie Wings; that's a game I've been wanting to play forever. (If you're not also excited, look up a gameplay video.) I'm also glad there's no overlap between this and Data East Arcade Classics on Wii.

They're re-releasing the Egret itself: same lineup of 40 games, with new purple stick and buttons. They're also reprinting all three Arcade Memories volumes as "Arcade Memories Lite," i.e. without the Taito Station magazine. This is great news, as the machine and the expansions have apparently all become murder to acquire secondhand. They're even re-releasing the stupid coin bank pedestal and stool, lol. Looks like the only thing that isn't coming back is the paddle/trackball expansion and the optional controllers. It's all out on December 18.

I believe I heard them say that the Arcade Memories series will continue. How many games will the Egret II mini end up having...? Also, there will be a firmware update available tomorrow.

Anyway, I'm pretty excited for this! I would have liked some Taito games, but this is a pretty good lineup with a couple real standouts. But I made a promise, and I intend to keep it:

I swear to God if we don't get Chase H.Q. this time I will bite someone.

Spoiler