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Thread: Help with Game Identification: Gnomes Riding Dragons in a Neo-Geo Shmup

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    Question Help with Game Identification: Gnomes Riding Dragons in a Neo-Geo Shmup

    What I remember is that this was an arcade game in an SNK Neo-Geo MVS. It was a horizontal shooter where you played as gnomes or gnome-like creatures. I think at some parts you might have walked on the ground and shot magic at your enemies, but at other points you are riding on dragons shooting at the enemies. Granted, I last played this like 11 years ago, so all of what I wrote might not actually be present in the game, just my mixed up, hazy memories.

    If you could help to identify this game, it would be much appreciated! I'm trying to recommend this game to an arcade operator to add to his business.

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    Sounds like Golden Axe

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    Sounds like Dragon Breed a little, but that wasn't a Neo Geo game... but I don't think you're looking at a Neo Geo game either way from the sound of it. Sounds more like something Taito would have done to me.

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    It sounds like Dragon Breed, which I believe was an IREM title, and an awesome one at that. But the guy riding the dragon wasn't a gnome. I didn't think he was anyway.

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    Red face

    It turns out that what I was thinking of was "3 Wonders" which features the games Midnight Wanderers (known in Japan as "Roosters"), Chariot, and Don't Pull. The game was published by Capcom in 1991. The reason I thought it was an SNK game is that I believe some of the developers of this game trio left Capcom afterward to join SNK which led to the similar look, feel, and sound of 3 Wonders to SNK games. Also, due to the Neo Geo MVS having slots for multiple games in one arcade machine, I had believed 3 Wonders to be a work of SNK and not Capcom as Capcom's games are usually distributed as one per arcade cabinet.

    I'd like to take this time to thank "Tehcno" from the Neo-Geo forums for answering this question... back in 2004. No, I didn't ask over there back then, I just found the answer after an extensive number of Web searches. :P

    P.S. I thought the main characters in these games were gnomes or dwarves, but as it turns out, they are supposed to be elves. That's news to me, as I thought elves were supposed to have long, slender ears and be peaceful, and these characters have small, round ears and are shooting everything around them to bits!

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    Ah. In that case you may own it already on Capcom Classics Vol.2 on PS2 and Xbox.

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    I would have never guessed Three Wonders (fantastic game, BTW) since they aren't gnomes, and don't ride dragons or use magic.

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    Quote Originally Posted by celerystalker View Post
    Ah. In that case you may own it already on Capcom Classics Vol.2 on PS2 and Xbox.
    Actually, no, I didn't know that it was available in North America for home consoles. I only knew of the Japanese SEGA Saturn import home release, and that's much too expensive ($120!) for my taste. True, I could look at it as $40 per game, but $120 is still $120, and it would all have to be paid at once, obviously.

    It's far better to go with Capcom Classics Vol. 2 which can be had for about $20. But then, the question is, "Which version is better: PS2 or XBOX... or does it not matter?" And in conducting research, I found 3 Wonders is also included in Capcom Classics Collection: Remixed for PSP, so that makes me wonder if that version is the best one to get or not. Throwing a wrench in the works, the PSP also has a two-pack featuring Capcom Classics Collection: Remixed and Capcom Classics Collection: Reloaded which seems to sell for about the same price as either one by itself!

    Quote Originally Posted by Emperor Megas View Post
    I would have never guessed Three Wonders (fantastic game, BTW) since they aren't gnomes, and don't ride dragons or use magic.
    Well like I said, I was going from memory, the "elves" don't look like elves, they look like gnomes both in the game and on the box/cabinet art, the things they ride to look serpentine like dragons, and the magic... OK, the magic was just a guess given everything else. I mean, it's been like, a decade since I played the game! Slack must be given, ya?

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    The differences in emulation on PS2 and Xbox are negligible. I prefer Xbox because my X-Arcade stick works better with it and it's 4 player without a multitap. If both are an option for you, I'd go Xbox, but you aren't screwing yourself either way. Either way, you could wax nostalgic brushing up on Three Wonders, play some killer beat 'em ups with King of Dragons, Knights of the Round, and Captain Commando, and then knuckle down and play Black Tiger until it becomes quite apparent that it's Capcom's most awesome game ever.

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