MiSTer FPGA - Hypernoid / Neo Geo
0Today I'm checking out Hypernoid- a 2021 Neo Geo homebrew game. Clocking in at 170 MEGA POWER, this is heavily inspired by one of my arcade favorites: Arkanoid. It's an excellent homage to the classic, while bringing in enough of an evolution to the formula to stand on it's own.
There are several new powerups, as well as new hazards to watch out for. Featuring 50 stages in total, this was quite a bit longer than I expected it to be. A series of 5 bosses caps off every 10th stage. Some of these fights seem like sheer luck to get through and will take many tries to overcome because of some odd choices in their design, like the amount of time they hang out at the bottom of the screen, blocking you from moving or saving a ball heading into the gutter.
Much like Arkanoid, there are times when things get *very* hectic and you will need to elevate your senses, focusing out of the screen to take everything in at once. This can be difficult to do when you spend so much time focusing directly on the ball. Luckily the dev did an excellent job of implementing joystick controls for the paddle, with a proper acceleration curve and quick response. Spinner controls are also in the game, and MiSTer supports mouse control as well.
There is an added element where you can detonate an explosion at the location of the ball, and you start with two at the beginning of each stage. Some stages will take careful planning on how to use these, to get through golden blocks or the red blocks that shoot fireballs. They're also handy for bosses. I neglected to use these at first, but started to mix them in later on.
I would go so far as to say that this is the best homebrew game I've played for the system, and it's awesome that the devs made sure it's tested with common ways people are playing Neo Geo nowadays, instead of locking their work behind bespoke (and expensive!) carts that ensure almost nobody will experience it besides diehard collectors.
$6 patreon sub gets you a DL link: https://www.patreon.com/nhb
Tips:
-The powerups that morph your paddle are colored Red/Green/Blue. Avoid the other two colors if you're trying to keep a particular one. Laser (red L) can be upgraded two times.
-Sometimes you will want to avoid certain powerups. For example: If you're on a stage with the red blocks shooting fireballs at you, it's best not to get the larger paddle powerup (blue E), since that will make you a much larger target.
The Neo Geo core was mostly made by Furrtek, who decapped the chips of the console to gain a new understanding of how the system works, resulting in the excellent MiSTer core you see today.
You can support him at his Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/furrtek
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Neo Geo core 2-25-21 build - Hypernoid
Final Score: 5,562,060
Filter: Scanlines(Bright)\110_85_soft // Gamma: Poly 2.4
Played using a Hori Real Arcade Pro VX-SA (with Seimitsu LS-62 lever) arcade stick & 1ms USB polling.
Settings: Integer Scaled to 1080p // HDMI to Datapath e1s capture card
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|:=-Timestamps-=:|
00:00 - Settings
00:28 - Title/Instruction/Demo
05:00 - Full Game (Default MVS Difficulty)
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Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/WalrusFPGA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WalrusFPGA
=---------------CONTRIBUTE---------------=
None of this would be possible without the constant hard work of Sorgelig. It cannot be overstated how much he has done and continues to do for this project, since its beginning. You can support him either at his Patreon in the link below, or on Paypal, depending on your preference. MiSTer is a paradigm shift in how we can experience these classic games. This is a long-term preservation project that will continue to grow so that gamers today and in the future can experience these excellent systems as accurately and lag-free as possible. Donating what you can will help keep the updates coming. Thank you.
Patreon: https://patreon.com/FPGAMiSTer
PayPal: https://paypal.me/FPGAMiSTer
NOTE: I am not affiliated with Sorgelig and am only sharing these links as a fan of the project who wishes to see it continue to grow rapidly.
=-----------------INFORM-----------------=
SmokeMonster's overview video of this core: https://youtu.be/qqngWjUTSlI
Github link for this core: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/NeoGeo_MiSTer
MiSTer Forum/Wiki/Github (source, guides and info): http://MiSTerFPGA.org
Official MiSTer Discord for live chat/help: https://discord.gg/4xKVg4XVYn
(Be respectful; this server is moderated. New users must be verified.)
=------------------BUILD------------------=
Worldwide list of sellers for MiSTer expansion boards: https://misterfpga.org/viewforum.php?f=34&sid=74e1c5e7dae1b99284789d93194cfa0b
I have personally ordered all my parts from https://www.MiSTerAddons.com and have been 100% satisfied with the quality and service there. (North American seller. If in a different region, check list linked above for best local shipping rates.)
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