(Games 61–80 include: Bad Dudes, Crime Fighters, Vendetta, Knights of the Round, King of Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Sunset Riders, Mystic Warriors, and Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa.) For the vertical orientation. Turn your monitor sideways for the authentic experience. 81. DoDonPachi (1997) Cave’s masterpiece. Chain combos, tiny hitboxes, and more bullets than sky. 82. Gradius III (1989) The "Option" system. Konami code works. The Moai heads will haunt your dreams. 83. R-Type (1987) The "Force" orb. Attach it to the front for a shield, or the back for a surprise attack. The Bydo Empire is terrifying. 84. 1944: The Loop Master (2000) WW2 shooters were a dime a dozen, but this one has a "squadron" super meter. 85. Progear (2001) Steampunk + Cave. Gorgeous pixel art of warplanes crying tears of blood. 86. Raiden II (1993) The Vulcan cannon vs. the plasma laser. The sound design is explosive. 87. Armed Police Batrider (1998) Weird, wonderful, and complex. Multiple ships and "medal" systems. 88. Darius Gaiden (1994) You fight fish... in space. Massive robotic anglerfish. Three screens wide (MAME can letterbox it). 89. Mars Matrix (2000) Hyper aggressive. The "reflect" shield changes the game. 90. Thunder Force AC (1990) A port of the Genesis classic, but better difficulty.
Final Tip: If a ROM doesn't load, audit it. 90% of the time, you are missing the BIOS or the parent set. The other 10% of the time, the ROM is bad. Find a "non-merged" set for the top 150 specifically to avoid headaches.
Today, we are diving deep into the ultimate bucket list. Whether you are building a Raspberry Pi cabinet, setting up a Batocera hard drive, or just want to relive your youth on a laptop, this guide to the will serve as your treasure map.
