Final Star Force (Japan, set 1) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 32 years ago:

Final Star Force © 1992 Tecmo ltd.

A sequel to Tehkan's 1984 shoot-em-up classic, "Star Force", featuring improved graphics and sound and a new weapons power-up system.
The player's ship is equipped with three smart bombs and the fire button can be held down for rapid fire. At regular intervals, a red ship will appear which will release a power-up capsule; the three power-ups available are as follows:

• A-Pulsator:

Fire: Thunder + Homing
Bomb: S-Bomb

• B-Pulsator:

Fire: Wide Shot + Missile
Bomb: M-Bomb

• C-Pulsator:

Fire: Spraygun + Synch-Fire
Bomb: T-Bomb.

Stages in this game are as follows:
01 = Encounter;
02 = Emergency;
03 = Orbit lift;
04 = Above all;
05 = On the moon;
06 = Counterattack;
07 = Wind pipe;
08 = Decision;
09 = Home! Home!
10 = Final force.

TECHNICAL
Main CPU: Motorola 68000 (@ 12 Mhz)
Sound CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound Chips: Yamaha YM2151 (@ 4 Mhz), OKI6295 (@ 7.575 Khz)

Screen orientation: Vertical
Video resolution: 224 x 256 pixels
Screen refresh: 60.00 Hz
Palette colors: 4096

Players: up to 2 (simultaneous)
Control: 8-way joystick
Buttons: 2
=→ A = shoot guns, B = fire bomb.

TRIVIA
Released in September 1992.

Stage 06 is misspelled as 'Countrattack'.

A warning siren is played before each stage.

Both players can enter their initials into the high score table when their scores are eligible (unlike many other games).

Unlike Star Force, the demo mode is played after a few seconds of inactivity from insertion of a coin.

UPDATES
The US versions have the 'Winners Don't Use Drugs' and the 'Recycle It, Don't Trash It!' screens.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Pulsator capsules and fire power will automatically be increased after a period of time, so do not hesitate use the smart bomb if you are in a dangerous situation. Always choose the Thunder Cannon as this is the most powerful of the three primary weapons available. Try to position your ship to the right of the screen as enemy craft tend to appear on this side.
• Never get the A-powerup. The gun is extremely ineffective and it will force you to throw unnecessary bombs, which aren't effective either. Use B or C capsules instead.
• Enter service mode: hold P1 start and P2 start when you power the machine on. One of the buttons goes to next steps there. You can even steal a credit when you touch the coin acceptor; this will show up after you exit service mode and go to game. Note: the entrance to service mode works only you power the machine on; the game doesn't have a separate dip switch reserved for service mode.
• Fire a bomb when you have 5 of them because you can't hold more. Collection of any powerup when you already have 5 bombs will increase your score by 2000 points.
• Steal a continue: even if dip switch 'Allow continue' is set to off, you can still continue when you have spare credits: simply press start after you lose the last life before you encounter 'Game over' - you have roughly 3 seconds to do so.
• Player 2 can play independently on player 1 when 2p start button is pressed (just like in Konami's Contra or Super Contra) - press the 1p start just after the game begins. The game doesn't have double player mode programmed correctly, so use this tip.
• Get the best ending: destroy all bosses. Letting any boss escape after any round will retain the ending credits, but not the message.

SERIES

• Star Force (1984, Arcade)
• Super Star Force [Model TCF-ST] (1986, Famicom)
• Final Star Force (1992, Arcade)

STAFF
Program, SP action: Mae-Yan
Program, scroll: LaPlace
Program, others: (Jun)
Graphic, mechanical design: Kazu Tomita, Bon, Hamaii Tel, Sato Dou!, Kotoe Murasaki
Graphic, background design: Nawa Lin, Nami, Satoru, A. Haruno, Bon, Hamaii Tel, Sato Dou!, Kazu Tomita, B.F.R
Sound, BGM composer: Wakasugi Matsuri, Yamasan, Kaorin, Rikarin BZ, Rio
Sound, sound effect: Wakasugi Matsuri
Design, artwork: Maru-Kata

CONTRIBUTE
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