Donpachi (ARC) high score #2

A new Donpachi score means only one thing - got a new MAME box! Specifically an IBM Thinkpad running ShmupMAME and it runs it excellently. I set it up Friday and played a bit on Saturday, getting some time in on Twin Cobra and Donpachi. I actually really enjoyed Donpachi and credit fed the game a number of times working on the later stages and then set this score, not really destroying my old one, but more setting up my future progress. I was actually working on chains where I knew I could get 20 and 30 hit runs when timed right and it shows in this score.

I'm excited to have a MAME box back and I'm hoping to get some good progress on DP here in the near future.

New machine - PC turned into emulation box

After years of decrying Mac owners as left wing computer snobs, I have finally put my PC days behind me and bought a Mac. It's a MacBook to be precise and I am totally in love. It does everything my PC did, but its like someone designed a computer operating system to actually be fun and intuitive rather than laborious.

But rather than sit here and go on and on about why Mac's are awesome (which they are), I'll actually focus on what I did with the boring ol' PC.

Like a lot of STG and arcade fans, I use mame from time to time to try out games I may want to own. I'm not a big fan of using it and definitely prefer the original hardware to an emulated version, but there are instances where it totally makes sense. Especially in an apartment.



I have become enamored with Donkey Kong 3 and the original Donkey Kong recently and have been searching out a dedicated machine for the better part of a month to no avail. Finding one really isn't the problem, though as I have run out of room in the gaming area. As it is right now, I have to move the CC to the basement or possibly in the partition off the kitchen (where we currently have our bikes) when I move the vs. cab in and getting another cab would mean even more moving around of junk to try and find space we really don't have.

So, I put two and two together and came up with mame.

My old PC was ok, not really top of the line or anything, but it runs mame fine - a perfect place to play DK 3 and the like on. I wiped the hard drive and set it up on my NEC XM29 and it sparkles. Super fun and easy to use, I'm really enjoying it. That is, except for the vertical tearing and lack of sound in some roms and the myriad of other problems with mame, but nonetheless, being able t play DK 3 in my gaming room without making any changes is pretty cool.