CROSSBEATS' New Update: CROSSBEATS.REV SUNRISE!

By Andy Castro

April 27th, 2016 brought a wonderful surprise to Round 1 players early in the afternoon with the release of CROSSxBEATS REV: SUNRISE updating across all machines. The update should be treated as a new version of the game, with many changes made to the songlist, UI, and even two new mascots! On the day of release, music game circles on social media sites were excitedly posting about the release, and to tell us more about SUNRISE, I interviewed two very serious NorCal Crossbeats players: Oliver Wing (RI74TA) and Matthew Bulotano (すぴりっとすねぁ).

When asked about initial impressions, Oliver was pleased overall with SUNRISE. “It’s good!” he exclaimed, “They didn’t ruin anything. I like the new songs and charts a lot!” While Matthew admits that he preferred the more “elegant” theme behind the original CROSSxBEATS REV, he praised the songlist for including “a lot more bangers and lots of hard bass.” They both noted that the biggest change comes from the tweaks to the user interface. Oliver explained that with SUNRISE, “menus are generally easier to navigate, and the biggest improvement is the option to add a contracting circle to the dot targets during gameplay.” Both Oliver and Matthew compared the concept to Ouendan, and both agree that it makes the game easier to read while also making the game much more accessible for new players. The game also adds a rival system, which has been praised by the CROSSxBEATS community. “There was no real way to look up anything aside from top 10 song scores before, so rivals are a #bless,” explains Oliver, “Honestly, it’s my favorite added feature.”

A new feature has a ring close around the note to help with timing!

Great for players who can’t adjust to the default arrows.

While Oliver did state that SUNRISE didn’t “ruin anything” from the previous version, there will still some criticisms that have been left unaddressed. For Matthew, he felt the game could use more variety in songs. “There are still a lot of songs from the original crossbeats iOS version that aren’t ported over yet,” he stated, “and they are fantastic songs with fantastic charts, so I’d like to see those reach SUNRISE as soon as possible.” Oliver has accepted that arcade CROSSxBEATS and the mobile version as “almost two separate games in terms of songlist,” but still feels that changes can further be made to both the user interface and the hardware of the actual machines.

Oliver explained what he think could be made better, stating, “We still need an internationalized interface!! I think the overseas community was pretty diligent in prodding NAOKI and the cbREV staff when they asked for feedback, but a lot of the help text and menus are still in Japanese. Fortunately, the game doesn’t have complex missions or strategy, so it’s possible to get by without. I would also like to see a cabinet hardware revision, to replace the delicate headphone jacks.” While he notes that the UI is still easier than before, he does make a point about those headphone jacks, which have been regularly malfunctioning across all cabinets.

Oliver really crosses those beats!

When asked if SUNRISE will draw in new players, the two had different responses. While Matthew agrees that the “easier-to-read notes” will draw in some new people, the game itself “still doesn’t offer too much more to attract new players.” Oliver, however, was much more optimistic about the game, saying that a lot of people at Round 1 were “turned off by how hard it was to read and understand charts,” and that the new gameplay mechanic is already drawing in those who originally shrugged off the game. “Already I’ve heard new players mention it as the most important upgrade.” He also says the new songlist should be able to get people interested in playing the game more and more, and praised the new licenses that have been brought into SUNRISE.

If you are one of the people who originally didn’t enjoy CROSSxBEATS REV for its user interface and gameplay, it is definitely a good idea to give SUNRISE a try and see how much the game has grown over a single game update. Be sure to buy a BANAPASS from the Round 1 card counter, and set your account to “海外” (overseas) to make use of that new rivals system! As a final comment from Oliver, he asks that while the option to return to mode select without having to log back in at the end of a game session is cool, “don’t abuse it if someone is waiting their turn! It’s very rude!!”

“Also, please play Strayer.”

5/19 - Disney Tsum Tsum has rolled into Round 1 San Jose!

By Ann Nakamura

Last year, Round 1 had a location test of Disney Tsum Tsum at their Puente Hills location. Now, we bring you Disney Tsum Tsum again, but it’s here to stay! The long awaited mobile-turned-arcade game has entered Round 1 Eastridge and its starting to create huge crowds and gather a lot of fans!

If you have played Disney Tsum Tsum on your mobile phone, the premise is absolutely the same: connect the same like Tsum Tsum on screen, create chains, and attempt to get the highest score and become a Tsum Master! The game is completely localized for the American audience, meaning the menus are easy and comprehensible! But what makes this game so great? To the human eye, it’s just Tsum Tsum with a bigger screen. However, the game offers more than that! An optional feature of Tsum Tsum is the ability to purchase different keychains that will unlock in-game abilities! For $6, you can obtain a physical Tsum Tsum keychain that contains a random Disney character (Donald, Pluto, Mickey, Minnie, etc) and you can obtain up to four keychains per game! These keychains are absolutely adorable, but don’t let their looks fool you! Since the Tsum Tsum arcade game was published by Konami, it utilizes the e-Amusement server, meaning players can register their e-Amusement cards for this game to unlock power-ups, earn coins, record high scores, but most of all register the keychain you just got! Each keychain has its own unique ability (like in the game) and by registering the keychains to the card, you can use that character in game!

Is there anything different though than just keychains and big screens? One other new feature of Disney Tsum Tsum is dual-wielding Tsum's abilities. Instead of having one Tsum Tsum chosen as your main character (like in the mobile game), players can pick two Tsum Tsum’s for ability use. This means that you fill up your Tsum meter and then use their abilities, but instead of only being able to use one, you get two! This makes gameplay much more interesting as you will find yourself strategizing as to when to use certain Tsum’s abilities. And if that isn’t a curveball, there are also two other modes besides the classic Tsum Tsum that players can try out!

Ramil Tadeo demonstrates the gameplay for Disney Tsum Tsum

“This game is a money pit.” says Ramil Tadeo, an avid Tsum Tsum fan. “I’ve spent 12 swipes ($18) in 10 minutes!” When we asked him to talk about his experience with the arcade game in comparison to the mobile version, he said, “Comparing to the iOS version in particular, the screen is definitely bigger where I find my eyes moving around a lot. Also, one of the big differences between both games is you get two ability Tsums”.

Hopefully, this game will be able to bring Tsum Tsum fans from all across the Bay Area together, and will give fans new things to collect!

5/12 - Groove Coaster 3: Link Fever Hits Round 1 San Jose!

By Andy Castro

On Sunday, May 1st, 2016, Eastridge Round 1 rolled out three cabinets of Groove Coaster 3: Link Fever! Groove Coaster, made by Taito (and not Konami for once), has been a successful mobile music game, but the arcade version was nearly impossible to find in the US until the release of this third installment. Today, we’ll be looking at this new addition to the Eastridge Round 1 lineup, and talk to local players about their experience with what the game has to offer.

The game’s title explains a lot on its own. You choose an avatar that rides along a track designed uniquely for each song and chart you wish to play. While your avatar glides, slides, and tumbles around each coaster, various notes appear along the track, and your score is graded on how on-the-beat you hit each note, as well as how much “chain” (combo) you build. The controls to the game are also pretty simplistic, relying solely on actions made on the two “boosters” attached to the cabinet. The game can have you press the booster’s buttons, hold them down, or shake the boosters in a variety of different ways depending on the difficulty of the chart. You don’t have to worry too much about remembering every kind of note, either, as the game warns you what kinds of notes each chart will have before the song starts. Handy!

While the cabinet is very tall, the two boosters

can comfortably fit in the palms of your hands.

Groove Coaster 3 had been rumored to arrive at Eastridge Round 1 for a couple of months, and many music game regulars had been anxious to give the game a chance. On Sunday morning, a good number of Round 1 regulars anxiously waited as the machines were set up, with some who were live-tweeting the process while others prayed that the game’s required updates happened quickly and without issue. I talked to two of NorCal’s regular music gamers, Eric Andrus and Corey Prasek, who had not only shown interest in the game, but also had a lot of talk about due to each having previous experience with the game while in Japan.

“I actually didn’t really care for Groove Coaster when I tried an earlier version in Japan,” Eric admitted, “but Groove Coaster 3 is better. A lot better. When I had first tried it, the game felt too simple and all the menus were in Japanese, but this version adds a lot of interesting features as well as a total localization into English”. While casual gamers have expressed difficulty in understanding the menus and UI in other music games Round 1 provides (we’re looking at you, Konami), Groove Coaster 3 was localized in English for its “worldwide” releases in America and Australia. Even Linka, the game’s virtual navigator, was given an English voice actress, Jennifer Skidmore, just for the international releases. Compared to other music games, the amount of English will almost feel gratuitous at times!

The gameplay and presentation of Groove Coaster is also very eye-catching and colorful, with unique videos for every song to make each chart’s “coaster” feel incredibly immersive into the music. Eric cautioned that this could be a double-edged sword, though: “The game is super fun and easy to get into, but at the same time it feels as though the only way the game can get around the low skill ceiling is through abusing the UI for cheap visual gimmicks.” Some charts do have fast bpms that, combined with a zoomed-in camera angle, makes reading charts more difficult, and overall, the game has been criticized before by the competitive music game community for being extremely reliant on memorization and playing charts repeatedly. It does not help that the game itself hides notes throughout each song (called “ad-libs”) that can easily change the tide of victory in a competitive setting.

A “NO MISS” means everything visible was hit, but a “FULL CHAIN” only

occurs if you hit every ad-lib. A “PERFECT” can’t occur unless you hit every

ad-lib note with perfect timing, too. Random guesses will only help so much!

Corey didn’t have as big of an issue with the visual gimmicks or the ad-lib concept, but said that the only issue he had was with the customization features that are only available online (which has yet to be localized to English). “The NESICA service is a pain to sign up for on the website,” Corey groaned, despite being fluent in Japanese.

“Groove Coaster 3 is also a bit more diverse in the song selection,” explained Corey. “The addition of a lot of Japanese club producers is a welcomed addition, but the game itself has something for everyone.” Corey and Eric both agreed that Groove Coaster 3’s extensive songlist will do a lot to draw in a lot of players. The game has many originals, but also includes J-Pop songs, anime licenses, Touhou arrangements, and even songs from other popular games like Puzzles and Dragons, Danganronpa, and even Konami’s Sound Voltex and IIDX! While Corey was mostly excited about the increase in Japanese club track producers from the previous version of Groove Coaster, he firmly believed that the game could easily allow anyone to find a set’s worth of songs they would enjoy playing.

While the game is playable offline, you are able to save your scores with a NESICA card, available at Round 1’s card desk for $10. With a NESICA card, you are able to access global events, as well as customize unlockable avatars, titles, and messages to send friends during multiplayer matches! You’ll also need to save scores to unlock bonus charts for select songs, so a card is definitely a worthy purchase.

You know you want a card just so you can have a fancy avatar while you play!

They have characters from Puzzles and Dragons, Pitapat Beat, and more!

The game has great potential to be Round 1’s most popular music game, and the lines a proving it. Don’t just take our word for it, though - go and try out Groove Coaster today!

4/16 - First Look: Round 1 Pump It Up Pre-Tournament Thoughts

By Ann Nakamura

Arcade Tournaments. If you are an active arcade-goer, you have probably seen a tourney of some sort happen at your local arcade. Whether it was Providence at Round 1 Eastridge, Best of the West at Sunnyvale Golfland or the well-famed and known EVO in Las Vegas, tournaments are everywhere regardless of their genre. Today at the Arcade Hub, we’re taking a look into the first music-game tournament that will be held at Round 1 Eastridge on April 30^th. And what better way to ring in the first music game tourney than with Pump it Up?

Pump it Up is a dance game created by Andamiro in 1999 - 2000. This game is equipped with a dance pad with five panels and the premise of it, if you are familiar with music games (in particular, Dance Dance Revolution), is that the player steps on the corresponding arrow panel that is displayed on the dance screen. This game has had many upgrades and versions over the years, and with the latest iteration of Pump it Up called “Pump it Up Prime”, players from all over the Bay Area have been coming to practice their skills, master songs, unlock new content and build a community. On April 30^th, the very first Pump it Up Prime tourney of the Bay Area will be taking place at Round 1 Eastridge, led by Kevin Tan, a big community advocate and leader of the Pump it Up community. He has been running Pump It Up tournaments since 2013, and has led the United States Pump Festival, a national tournament for players all over the USA. We took him aside to get a couple of words from him.

The official banner for the PRIME tournament at Round 1 San Jose.

This is the first music game tournament to be held at Eastridge Round 1. How’re you feeling about it? Enthusiastic? Worried?

Kevin Tan (herein “KT”): I am absolutely excited that I had the privilege of working with Eastridge Round 1 to organize the very first music game tournament in the location.  Obviously, as with any tournament, there is always a worry about problems arising, but I’m also excited because there has been a lot of interest in a tournament at Round 1 from even when the location first opened!

What are we going to expect from this tournament? New and old players? Different brackets? Anything in particular?

KT: I’ve invited a lot of players who have attended previous Pump It Up tournaments in California and Las Vegas, and I am hoping to see a lot of the new and upcoming players who started playing at Round 1 and have made astounding progress.  The brackets for this tournament are the same as the previous FanimeCon tournaments.  First, I will talk about the speed divisions, the divisions in which players compete for the highest scores.  There are two speed divisions, one for players at the intermediate level and one for players at the highest level or the international level.  There is also a freestyle division, a division with less of an emphasis on pure score and a strong emphasis on presentation and looking good while still hitting the arrows.

Pictured is Tim Bolosan, playing Prime during the first months of Round 1 Eastridge's opening.

How has the planning been in comparison to other tournament locations? (working with Round 1 to put on this tournament)

KT: The staff at Round 1 has been easier to work with than I initially expected.  There are still certain details that are being discussed, but it is extremely exciting that Round 1 Eastridge is willing to make the process of organizing tournaments easier.

Is there anything you would like to tell to potential spectators? Potential Entrants?

KT: To players thinking about entering, please do not hesitate.  One thing I like to emphasize is that, although players are competitive, players should not feel embarrassed about their tournament performance, nor should stronger players look down on the less skilled.  No matter how you do in this tournament, the most important is to simply do your best and try to have fun doing it, because tournaments are not only about the competition but about meeting great people.  To the spectators, I hope that the performance of the spectators will be entertaining enough to impress you all.  I also want to emphasize that, although the game can look extremely intimidating from watching the tournament, please remember that the game itself does have beginner modes for you to enjoy, so the game is not only it’s hardest skill levels.  I hope you will be encouraged to play and to play together with us.

---

Interested in the Tournament? Want to get more information? Visit the Tournament's Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/806301666141956/

4/7 - Let's Talk GITADORA!

By Ann Nakamura

At the Arcade Hub, we’ve gone over many music games such as MUSECA, Sound Voltex and Crossbeats. However, there is one particular game we have not covered, and it’s because we wanted to save the best (in my opinion) for last! GITADORA is currently a Round 1 exclusive and we talked to David Aerts and Simm Broome for their insights!

GITADORA Tri-Boost is the most recent iteration of the GITADORA series.

As many of you may or may not be aware, GITADORA, a drum and guitar simulator game created by Konami, has been gaining popularity not only for the vast amount of songs, content and unlockables the game presents, but the community that is growing from it.

GITADORA was formerly known separately as Guitarfreaks and Drummania (herein after GF/DM). If you are familiar with Rock Band or Guitar Hero, the gameplay mechanics are very similar: with the guitar, you hold down a fret and strum the note when prompted, and with drums, you hit the corresponding drum pad you see on your screen. GITADORA’s gameplay has upgraded since its “mania” and “freaks” days where the guitar features 5 frets instead of the classic 3, and the drums are now equipped with another pedal and two other pads. "Beyond just the controllers, the game has also received a significant interface overhaul, making the leap to HD and bringing many new gameplay modifiers that bring it close in line with more competitive Bemani games such as IIDX and Sound Voltex." veteran David Aerts says. "Finally, there's a new 'Master' difficulty which challenges players with some of the most insane charts of any active music game."

The general look of the cabinets: two guitars on one side, drum set on another.

The music in GITADORA is varied all across the board. You have licenses from artists such as Galneryus, BABYMETAL and Dragonforce, and also BEMANI originals from GFDM artists such ASAKI, Thomas Howard Lichtenstein and Akhuta. Every single song has a guitar chart, bass chart and drum chart, each ranged from the easy level 1.0 to the difficult 9.0 and above. Like many music games, GITADORA's learning curve may seem kind of intimidating at first, especially when a player has to keep in mind certain chords or drum patterns. This game also requires some amount of physical movement, especially for the drum counterpart where you are constantly moving your arms and legs. Simm Broome, another veteran player who has been playing the games for more than a decade, goes, "It is one of the few current rhythm games that try to simulate an actual instrument and it is probably one of the best rhythm games to do a good job at it."

What also makes GITADORA truly unique is the concept overall: it is the Rock Band before Rock Band and the Guitar Hero before Guitar Hero. Being able to "session" with your friends, meaning cooperatively play with each other during play, adds a great social element to it where each player is responsible for each of their instruments. "While games such as Pump it Up have cooperative features such as Couples charts, there's nothing else that lets two (or three!) people playing completely different games combine their efforts to jam out a single song." Aerts exclaims, "Beyond simply being fun, it also lets people with varying gameplay preferences and skill levels work together seamlessly--- Rather than waiting on someone else to play drums, why not just grab the guitar and jam along?"

Tri-Boost's current unlock system consists of growing Oto-bear Flowers and gaining stickers for your profile.

The game itself, GITADORA, is very new to Northern California. GITADORA was only playable in Southern California Round 1's, leaving Northern California denizens to play on classic Guitarfreaks and Drummania (in particular, V6 and V8). Because of having such a new game, both Aerts and Broome agree that there are some new players giving the game a shot. These two veterans agree that because GITADORA is new in many aspects (gameplay, e-amusement support, etc), people are starting to take an interest in the game and are at least trying the game out. 
When asked what advice should be given to new players, Broome noted the importance of bringing your own sticks. "The sticks at the machine are not comfortable to play because it is attached to the machine with bulky metal pieces." he says. "I also recommend resisting the urge to put on any sort of 'auto' mod. It may seem useful but it only holds you back once you try to progress to the harder songs." 

"Just have fun!" David notes. "Grab a couple of friends, pick something easy and just rock out. We all look ridiculous doing it, but we do it anyway."

General Overview: Round 1 Current and Future Prospects

Today at the Round 1 Blogger, we are going to take a step back from San Jose Eastridge’s Round 1 store and talk a little bit about Round 1 as a company. Some may already be aware of Round 1’s “Current and Future Prospects” statement that is released through Round 1 JP’s website every quarter. This statement gives a general overview of the revenue, costs and bottom line of how each store is doing, including the ones in the United States. What is also interesting about this statement, particularly for the United States audience, is it announces where their next store will be if there are any plans.

Last month was the most recent release of this statement. Since the statement itself is somewhat lengthy (and if you are not interested in the accounting/finance aspect of it), I have taken the liberty of showing the two pages that will matter: New Shop Openings and Principle Conditions. (I apologize for the image size)

Source: http://www.round1.co.jp/company/ir/pdf/english/20160223_eng.pdf

If you still don’t want to look at the statement, right now, the United States is looking at 5 upcoming store openings and it is looking to be in:

Concord, California

Littleton, Colorado (I believe  “Concord” is a typo)

Lithonia, Georgia

Hicksville, New York

Exton, Pennsylvania

  

Source: http://www.round1.co.jp/company/ir/pdf/english/20160223_eng.pdf

There is a lot of information on here, so let me break it down for you. The top part shows what stores are already built in the USA and their square footage.  The “Principles of Conditions for Future Shops Openings” gives the parameters for how a store location is chosen. This is a very interesting section since it gives the specifications for potential locations and demographics that Round 1 is currently looking for. For Northern California in particular, before the Eastridge location was announced, many arcade-goers were debating amongst each other as to what location it could possibly be at such as Westfield Valley Fair, Vallco (previously known as Cupertino Square), Westfield Oakridge Mall and so on. This will enlighten (and maybe even guide readers) where in their state could a Round 1 possibly open at. Additionally, next to that section is the “investments and budgeting”. This section tells readers (and regulars at Round 1) how much money will be invested into their store. While this may seem not particularly interesting, this information is really important as it will determine the priority of your store and by priority, I mean the potential of getting new games, facilities, and equipment for the staff to use to enhance your Round 1 experience.

There is definitely much more information that can be analyzed in the Round 1 statements, but today, I’m primarily going over the two that pertains to the American crowd. Want to read more? Below is the link to their English statements.

http://www.round1.co.jp/company/ir/index_eng.html

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR ROUND 1

Article by Andy Castro

So you’re going to visit one of the “many” US Round 1 Entertainment locations, hooray! While you get yourself mentally prepared for the fun adventure you’ll have, here are some tips on how to get the most fun (and money) out of your time.

1) The Round 1 Club Membership Card

When you approach the arcade card counter (the first thing you’re sure to visit), you’ll see two different kinds of cards available: the basic red card and the club membership card. Here’s a flowchart to help you decide which card you should use:

Why Would I Want A Club Card?

A Round 1 Club Card offers you discounts towards arcade credits, bowling, billiards, darts, and karaoke. When you first buy your club card (that has a $5 activation fee) you’ll be at the most basic membership. This will take $1 off any of the above transactions! As you frequent Round 1, you’ll collect club card stamps with every purchase you make for bowling or arcade credits or whatever else you can purchase from a counter (other than food). Your card will upgrade after 10, 30, and 50 stamps, taking an extra $0.25 off with each upgrade! This means that once you hit Platinum Membership status, $10 worth of credits is only $8.25!

An employee tried to sell me on Time Play. Is that better?

If you found this guide as a BEMANI lover I can probably assure you the answer is NO. Most BEMANI games are not available for time play, and you can check to see if your favorite game is time-play-ready by looking at the color of its card reader. If it’s green - you’ve found a game that is time play accessible. If it isn’t? Your time play card isn’t gonna work on it.

Even if the music game you do love is available for time play, consider this: every moment you have to wait in line - every minute - is your time play money going down the drain. Do yourself and your wallet a favor by avoiding time play.

Does my club card last forever?

A club card is valid for a year after it is purchased. If you would like to maintain

your membership status, you’ll need to renew your membership once every year.

This is only a $5 renewal fee, and you’ll be given a new card automatically at the

upgrade level you were at before. Be sure to make the most out of the benefits

you have!

I lost my club card! What do I do?

If you’ve already lost your club card, you’re probably already out of luck, sorry to say! However, I have a big tip for all of you readers:

TAKE A PHOTO OF THE BACK OF YOUR CLUB CARD

If you have your club card on you right now go do that. Stop reading and do that immediately. If you ever lose your card you can show your photo to Round 1 staff, who are able to pull up using the card’s barcode all of your information (and hopefully respect all those stamps you’ve accumulated) and move them into a new card. Now it’s as if you never lost your card! There are other ways to keep your card information secure, but this is the fastest, simplest method.

2) Your Friendly Neighborhood Arcade Techs

You may be playing IIDX and find that a key suddenly stops working. If this happens, you might think it’s the best idea to either A) do nothing about it, or B) whine about it on social media. Those are terrible choices and you shouldn’t do either. If everyone were to do that, then nothing would ever get fixed. Simply pull aside any Round 1 staff member and inform them of the following:
1) What game is broken

1a) You’ll probably have to explain where that game is

1b) Do not get mad if staff members don’t know what game you mean

2) How it is broken

2a) BE SPECIFIC. The staff member, if not a tech, will probably relay the

information to a technician right in front of you. Speak clearly so

the tech knows exactly what to fix.

3) If possible, WAIT by the machine itself

3a) When the tech arrives you can explain exactly what is wrong

There may come times when the tech doesn’t know what you’re talking about, or

dismisses your issue as something not important (or not broken). While this may be

frustrating it is best to stay calm and re-explain the issue. Be patient with the techs - they have a lot on their plate but really do respect your desire for perfect arcade cabinets!

Blog Editor NOTE: Please do not get discouraged if the issue is NOT fixed immediately. Round 1 mechanics bounce between both bowling repairs and the arcade repairs, and when there are over 200+ games on the arcade floor, the workload for them gets overwhelming. Please be supportive and as patient as you can!

3) The Round 1 I’m Visiting Doesn’t Have _____! This Place Sucks!

Remember that Round 1 is a fairly new entertainment chain in America. While new

branches are slowly opening over this decade, no two locations will be exactly alike for many reasons! You may be disappointed that another location has a game you really want to play, but that doesn’t mean your location will never have that game! Support your local Round 1 and do your best to be happy with Round 1’s progress in giving you an accessible arcade full of games you won’t find anywhere else.

3/10 - First Impressions: GUNSLINGER STRATOS 2

By Ann Nakamura

Gunslinger Stratos 2 is a game published by Square Enix (alongside Taito) that was to be location tested at certain Round 1 locations. Eastridge Mall had the honor to be one of those locations! As a personal aside, I have been waiting to play this game ever since I had seen gameplay videos of it, so my expectations were pretty high. Were they satisfied after the 3 year wait? Read on!

To start off, the actual arcade cabinet itself is aesthetically pleasing. Side panels have glowing lights that change during gameplay, and it comes equipped with two, very intricately-made lightguns. Each lightgun has two joysticks: the one on the left gun controls your character's movement, and the one on the right controls where you are aiming. The gun on the right has a "jump" button which leaps/floats you into the air to be able to shoot foes from above. Of course, both guns come with triggers and you can alternate from shooting from each. However, you can only shoot from one gun for a certain amount of time before it is forced to reload and by reload, it's alternating to the next gun you have. Now before you, as the reader, go "well, that sucks, I'm not left handed", it adds a sense of bad-assery and, to my surprise, trying to aim with the left gun wasn't too bad! The crosshairs really help out with this as well.

I like this gun. Like, a lot. The middle of the gun has a slot for you to merge your other gun with it.

The long line of Gunslinger Stratos 2 cabinets

Now comes the cool part of Gunslinger Stratos. Why the hell does it have two guns? Well, with Gunslinger Stratos, you are able to "combine" your guns so you can use even better guns! There is the side-style and the tandem-style: one where you hook your guns to each other side-by-side and your gun becomes a semi-automatic machine gun that you can use for a short time on foes. This gun packs a PUNCH and will end an enemy's life before they can say, "Nani?". The tandem style, placing one gun on top of the other, unlocks a ranged weapon which can be a sniper, a laser gun, anything. These are great if you're trying to hit an enemy from really far, especially where a normal gun or machine gun could prove not as effective. What is great is that each character has a unique weapon for both modes, so you may or may not see different guns for the characters you use. This game gets intense very quickly in having to dispatch enemies before the timer runs out, so you are quickly switching between shooting from both guns, switching out your styles and running around so you do not get hit.

But besides gameplay, what else does this game offer? Besides having over 15+ playable characters, with a NESiCA card, players are able to upgrade their weapons and unlock more content. You are also able to play through a story mode which is unique to each character (although, once again, if you cannot read or understand a lick of Japanese, may not be the best thing). Also, the game comes equipped with audio jacks that allow players to use headsets to communicate with each other during gameplay. This proves to actually be in the interest of players since the whole entire game is team-based, and, if players are matched up with a rival team, it makes communication easier than yelling to the other machines. It is a very different functionality on an arcade cabinet, but one that is meant to be for the benefit of the users. 

I picked Olga Janetine as my character of choice. Her costume is pretty... um.... well, you can fill in the blanks.

My thoughts? The game. Is Freaking. Awesome. I am very sad that is just going to be a location test, but I would personally love to see this game in Round 1 SJ in the future. The one major drawback that may prove to be the game's downfall is that it is not localized for an American audience (as most Japanese games tend to be). It is definitely not American friendly, and a couple of Round 1 employees who tried the game were a little peeved when they had to endure a 15 minute tutorial mode by mistake followed by a very dry practice mode. However, for an individual who knows Japanese or for someone who is familiar with at least the basic language, this game will be very interesting and something to be genuinely hyped about, mostly because it is different and a different type of arcade shooter.

Since Gunslinger is looking to be staying for about one more week or so, I would DEFINITELY recommend giving it a try, especially with friends. 

Authors Note: If you decide to buy a NESiCA card for this game, please do yourselves a favor and keep the card on the NESiCA wavepass at all times. According to staff, if you take it off at any time, you lose access to your NESiCA card, meaning that if you try out story mode and take it off, you end after the second stage (out of eight). This is also true for doing team matchups.

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Ann Nakamura is the head correspondent for The (Unofficial) Round 1 Arcade Hub. A lover of arcade games of all genres, she likes to spend her time playing Gitadora and trying out new games that hit Round 1 SJ's arcade floor. Got questions for her? Contact Ann through Facebook!