Monday MAME Club [11/01/04] - Satan's Hollow

[Flack]

Welcome to this week's Monday Morning MAME Club Posting. Every Monday, a member of the MAME club will pick a new game for you to play in MAME! All you have to do to participate is install MAME, download the ROM of the week from this message, and then post your thoughts about the game! You can post a full review of the game or simply tell us what you liked/didn't like about the game. Have you played this game before? Have you played it in an actual arcade? Do you like the genre? How did it run on your computer? Did you beat it? If so, how long did it take? What was your high score? How far can you get? Did you have any problems emulating the game? When writing your review, post it right here in the sticky topic and include any thoughts you have about the game. Remember, YOU are the reviewer. Let us know anything and everything you think about the game! Just remember, if you want people to respond during YOUR week, you should play along on OTHER weeks!

The ROM of the week is: Satan's Hollow (available HERE!)

Club Members:

digitalpress (Battle Bakraid)
Gamereviewgod (ESP Ra.De.)
Wisesalesman (Waku Waku 7)
scooterb23 (I'm Sorry)
ddockery (Penguin-Kun Wars)
AlanD (Dr. Micro)
IntvGene (Strike Force)
NE146 (Portman)
jonjandran (Bronze Adventure)
Flack (Rollergames, Yie-Ar Kung-Fu, Liquid Kids, Ninja Clowns)
IGotTheDot (N/A)
zektor (Battle Bakraid, Haunted Castle)
buttasuperb (Blazing Star)
chadtower (Berkerk)
Sotenga (Caliber 50)
Stark (Mighty! Pang)
christianscott27 (Darius Gaiden)
ECWSandmanECW (League Bowling)
TripppsK (Lady Bug)
vespertillio (Rampart!)
ghsqb (N/A)
TheSmirk (Bomb Jack)
Flukkake (Elevator Action)
BHvrd (NARC)
ManekiNeko (Battle Circuit)
MarioAllStar2600 (City Bomber)
Ze_ro (Pandora's Palace)
slip81 (Biomechanical Toy)
Qbert (Mysterious Stones)
k8track (Go! Go! Mile Smile)
Hamsnibit (N/A)
Lady Jaye (Chuka Taisen/Cloud Master)
Sofa King Gud (Crossbow)
Schenley (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Kaine23 (Super Burgertime)
Arqueologia_Digital (Burgertime)
Jiscan (Withdrew)
-hellvin- (Splatterhouse)
Acidic_Pain (Armed Police Batrider)
Gamemaster_ca_2003 (Block Out)
Vigilante (Pu-Li-Ru-La)
Hovoc (D&D: Shadow Over Mystara)
Mr.FoodMonster (skipped)
sniperCCJVQ (WWF Superstars)
!!! A Boy (Satan's Hollow) !!!
JibbaJaba
Cauterize
youruglyclone
Ed Oscuro
Gapporin
Graham Mitchell
RockyRaccoon
XxMe2NiKxX
brykasch

Remember, you don't have to be a member of the club to download the game and write up a review, but by joining you get the honor of picking a game to share with the group during your week. If you would like to join, simply send me a PM and I will add you to the list!

MAME ON!

[Ed Oscuro]

I like this game! Can't get terribly far in it (always get done in when there's two waves going towards opposite corners) but the little mechanized howitzer-ship juxtaposed with Ride of the Valkyries and the castle in the background makes things a bit more interesting in what is, essentially, just a variation on Phoenix :)

Ever since I played the Macromedia Shockwave version in Shockmachine a few years ago, I've liked this game.

It's hovering in limbo - halfway between classic status and obscurity.

[Sniderman]

Interestingly, Satan’s Hollow is my wife’s favorite arcade game. In fact, it’s her ONLY favorite arcade game, as she doesn’t like to play ‘em. Turns out, there was a Satan’s Hollow game in the Pizza Hut she worked at, so that was the game she played all of the time.

True story: She went into the hospital years ago for some major surgery. Was there for 2 weeks. When she got home, I had to be at work that day. I left her a note to go to “the computer room.” I had installed MAME specifically to have Satan’s Hollow running when she got home. She ended up playing it all that day. She said it was a nice “coming home” surprise.

And, when I got Midway Arcade Treasures for PS2 a few years back, she and I played numerous Satan’s Hollow head-to-head games. And she kicks my ass every time.

[Sotenga]

Ooh, good choice, this one.

I'd like to consider SH one of Midway's forgotten treasures. It's like a synthesis of Galaga and Castlevania mixed in with some frantic gameplay. It often gets hectic, what with loads of demons and gargoyles bombarding your cannon, and then we often have bastards trying to steal your spare cannons. It's definitely one of the greatest early shmups, able to give Space Invaders and Galaga a run for their money any day.

[Sniderman]

Plus, you've got little extras like:

- Bridge building to open up more of the screen/access the Bonus stage
- Shields that recharge when not in use
- A bonus round you can enter whenever you want.
- An enemy that can steal your reserve ships long before Galaga was even programmed
- A screen that goes darker and darker as the sun sets on the playfield, making later rounds impossible as you fight in the darkness of night

For a mere "shooter," there's a LOT of gameplay extras all over the friggin' place. Plus there's all that cool demon/Hell imagry and music. Now, if only the Showdown with Satan wasn't so cheesy. (blocky devil thowing pitchforks...feh. now that fire-breathing demon that gets larger and larger - THAT would've been a cool "Satan" bonus enemy.)

[Ninja Blacksox]

I've always said that if I were to get an arcade cabinet it would be "Satan's Hollow."

I love this game.

Every time I ever got to visit Funspot in Weir's Beach, NH, I made sure that my initials were the only ones on the top score list. Although, I believe that the machine is reset constantly... Oh well.

I've made it to some of the previously-mentioned "darker" levels, and they are HARD! Things get fast and frantic in a big way.

I agree with the "Showdown with Satan." Pure cheese.

The bridge-building is one of my favorite aspects of the game. It requires a good deal of thinking if plan on working up your point total... The recharging shield is a great addition, too.

Dammit. I really have to find this thing in the wild.

-A Boy

[Flack]

Satan's Hollow is a classic, and A Boy's pick made me drag this one out again and take it for a spin. I used to play this one a lot as a youngin' -- either our local bowling alley or our movie theater (can't remember which one) had it. I'm glad to see it get some respect again, instead of just being known as "a great source for replacement TRON joysticks".

Not much to add that everyone else hasn't beat me to. Shoot, shoot shoot, and work on your bridge, get flamed by Satan ... I can relate.

[ddockery]

What? I always thought the Tron stick was a good replacement for Satan's Hollow!

[Ninja Blacksox]

What? I always thought the Tron stick was a good replacement for Satan's Hollow!

Heh!

Bingo!

The Satan's Hollow cab at Funspot features an out of place blue joystick... Hmm... Wonder where they got that from...

-A Boy

[Flack]

Anybody keeping track of their high scores?

During my first round I got 14,000 ... of course I'm at a slight disadvantage, my son seems to have got something sticky in the "shield" key.

[Flack]

The power of Christ compells you ... to play this game and report back to us! Do you part in fighting (the disembodied) Satan himself!!

[ddockery]

38,454

[Flack]

Ouch, damn you! Time to sell my soul and get back in there!

[Gamereviewgod]

Ok, I've never played this one. Sue me.

For 1981, I'm am absolutely stunned by how many sprites this thing can move. No slowdown or flicker either. Your ships explosion adds even more to it.

Anyway, this is a nice little Space Invaders style knock-off. The shield aspect really makes it unique. It really becomes a blast when the screen is filled with the green bastards.

Now, question. What's the purpose of the green brid thingy after you clear a stage? If I can't shoot it, it shouldn't be there.

[ddockery]

The little dude after you clear a stage is to give you a breater, I know I need it.

Flack - 65220 - bring it!

[Sotenga]

The little dude after you clear a stage is to give you a breater, I know I need it.

Flack - 65220 - bring it!

GAH... you automatically beat my most recent attempt to hit a high score in this game... 62210. I will bury you all with a few more plays, I swear it!

[DJ_DEEM]

i also had never played this beofre but its really fun, i really love the shield feature awesome fun gameplay im supprised i had never even heard of this game before, the first time i had to fight the devil i was yellin at the top of my lounges cuz it was really badass his fire breath is somethnig to be aftraid of man, good game, good times, im sure ill play this more often when i boot up mame