Bury Me With My Money
Hamster has revealed several classic old-school coin-ops headed to its ever-growing Arcade Archives range. This next batch includes a couple of true gems from the golden age of the coin-op.
Leading the pack is Konami’s side-scrolling shooter Sunset Riders. This banger was launched in 1991 and was a smash hit in arcades worldwide. Supporting up to four-players, Sunset Riders is remembered for its garishly coloured visuals, awesome soundtrack, and charismatic bosses. I played this game to death – even owning a Sunset Riders PCB at one point – and am looking forward to taking down Simon Greedwell, Sir Richard Rose, and The Smith Bros. for the 473rd time.
Let’s see that intro again, for old times sake…
Also coming in the next wave of releases is the iconic 1985 shmup Gradius, a pioneering space shooter that helped paved for the wave for the genre’s success and is still an absolute blast to play today. While the NES port has been previously released by Hamster, it will be great to see the arcade original make its return.
And we’re sticking with the shmup genre for the final reveal, Trigon (also known as Lightning Fighters). Released in 1990, this vertically scrolling shooter was typical of the era, featuring detailed sprites, fast-paced action, a glut of powerful weapon drops, and screen-filling boss characters.
Quite honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of these Konami classics. Sunset Riders and Trigon will launch for PS4 and Nintendo Switch, while Gradius will only launch on Switch, having been made available previously on PS4. Keep an eye out for all three titles in the coming weeks.
