Armed Police Batrider (Europe) (Fri Feb 13 1998) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 27 years ago:

Armed Police Batrider © 1997 Eighting / Raizing.

An excellent vertically scrolling shoot'em up.

TECHNICAL
Game ID: RA9704

Main CPU: Motorola 68000, Zilog Z80
Sound Chips: Yamaha YM2151, (2x) OKI6295

Players: 2
Control: 8-way joystick
Buttons: 3
→ [A] Fire, [B] Bomb, [C] Option

TRIVIA
Released in December 1997.

The game forbids the initials 'SEX' on the high score table. If you try, it gets changed to 'H!?'.

If you beat the game in Single Character mode with Car-Pet, she says she's off to work on a great RPG and it shows a parody of the original Nintendo Famicom Dragon Quest boxart called 'Car-Pet Storys'.

In the Secret Stage, you fight the first and last boss of Razing/8ing's game "Sokyugrentai".

UPDATES
Revision 1:

• Software version: A.
• Japan release only.

Revision 2:

• Software version: B.
• Japan release only.

Revision 2 (Alternate):

• Software version: B.
• Korean release only.
• Enabled 'Special Course', 'Guest Players' and 'Player Select' codes by default.

SCORING
Medals score: As long as you catch all medals of a wave, the increasing continues up to 10,000 points per medal. If you miss one, the next wave restarts at 100 point...
1: 100 points.
2: 200 points.
3: 300 points.
4: 400 points.
5: 500 points.
6: 600 points.
7: 700 points.
8: 800 points.
9: 900 points.
10: 1000 points.
11: 2000 points.
12: 3000 points.
13: 4000 points.
14: 5000 points.
15: 6000 points.
16: 7000 points.
17: 8000 points.
18: 9000 points.
19: 10,000 points.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Ship Selection: at the player select screen, your fighter's capability is determined by which button(s) you press to pick your craft...

1) To select a 'Normal power type' fighter, select your ship with A button (Strong shot, weak option).
2) To select a 'Bomber power type', select your ship with B button (Strong option, weak shot).
3) To select a 'Option power type', select your ship with C button (Strong option & shot, slower speed).
4) To select a 'Speed up type', select your ship with Start button (Weak option & shot, faster speed).

• Stage Edit: start from the game mode selection screen, highlight the game mode of your choice and press A+B simultaneously. This can also be enabled by setting a DIP switch.
• Guest Players: insert a coin and press Up(x2), Down(x2), Left, Right, Left, Right, FIRE, BOMB, START. Nine additional fighters from "Battle Garegga" and "Mahou Daisakusen" will be unlocked. This can also be enabled by setting a DIP switch.
• Player Select: with this mode enabled you can select one ship instead of a team. Insert a coin and press Up(x2), Down(x2), Left, Right, Left, Right, BOMB, FIRE, START. This can also be enabled with a DIP switch.
• Score Mode: to show up score calculations, start from anywhere in the game, hold the START button and press BOMB (To leave the score mode, re-enter the code).
• Special Course: at the title screen, press Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, A, B, START. This will enable a fourth 'Boss Attack' game mode. This can also be enabled with a DIP switch.
• Garegga Option Formation Codes: the Garegga ships are unique in that their options can be set to a variety of different formations. Typically, this is done by pushing button C, just as in "Battle Garegga". However, since Batrider is 'officially' a 2-button PCB, some cabinets may not have a third button. If you're stuck playing on one of these cabs, use these "Street Fighter" moves instead:

Front: up, down, A
Back: down, up, down, A
Wide: right, down, down-right, A
Control: left, down, down-left, A
Rolling: left, down-left, down, down-right, right, A

• Garegga Option Special Formations: just like in "Battle Garegga", you can get unique (and in most cases powerful) option formation upgrades by collecting items in special sequence:

Wide: miss 5 small shot items, then pick up an option item. Options shoot out to the sides in a very wide pattern.
Search: miss 5 option items, pick up an option item. Options automatically aim themselves at enemies.
Homing: miss 5 bomb icons, pick up an option item. Options fly right up to enemies and shoot them.
Shadow: miss 5 bonus medals, pick up an option item. Options follow your ship a la Gradius.
Rolling: miss 5 large shot items, pick up an option item. Options roll around your ship while still shooting forwards.

• Ingame Commands: press these button combinations during play to customize the game's bullet patterns. Note that the START+A and START+C combinations affect only your ship, and not the enemies:

Increase your ship's firing rate: START+A
Decrease your firing rate: START+C, or Start+Up (B ver. only)
Score Display: START+B (displays points given for destroying enemies)
Change color of round bullets: START+Left
Change color of straight bullet: START+Down
Change color of destructible bullets: START+Right

• Secret Extend Items: an extend item will drop after each 1.5 million points. In addition, there are two secret methods for triggering extends:

1) Kill the Highway Stage's blue hovercraft only after it's stopped.
2) Miss 3 max bomb items.
Missing three extend items and collecting the fourth will yield a 'special extend', refilling all your empty life slots.

• Galaxy Valhallyzer: this is Gain's 'dream machine' from the "Mahou Daisakusen" games. In Batrider, you can actually play as this ship for the first time, although it's not particularly useful. To get it, you must be playing as Gain. Miss an extend item with no options on your ship, and collect the next option you see. Your ship will now transform into the the 'Galaxy Valhallyzer'. It can be difficult to reach 1.5 million points without using options, so it's easiest to just suicide to drop your options right before you hit the extend.

STAFF
Program 68000 side: Shinobu Yagawa
Program Z80 side: Yuichi Ochiai
Character designer: Kazuyuki Nakashima
Graphic designers: Kazuyuki Nakashima, H. Yokoyama, M. Taguchi, Masaharu Tokutake, Yuki Yonei
Music composers: Manabu Namiki (Santaruru), Ken-ichi Koyano, Hitoshi Sakimoto
Sound effects: Mato

CONTRIBUTE
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