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metalbj: MAME ROM Information.

History:

Metal Black (c) 1991 Taito.

Earth is under attack from an alien race from the 'Nemesis' region of space, and human civilisation now stands on the brink of collapse. The invaders have utilised energy molecules - known to earth scientists as 'Newalones' - to create powerful beam weapons with which to attack Earth. In response, Earth's scientists have developed the 'Black Fly' project; a powerful space craft that utilises the same Newalone molecule technology of the alien aggressors.

Metal Black is a very playable sideways scrolling shoot-em-up which manages to feel different to other games in the genre, due to the fact that it lacks a a player-definable weapon power-up system. Instead of collecting items that provide extra speed, different weapons etc. players must collect the clusters of 'Newalone' molecules that float around each level. These molecule clusters will gradually increase the player ship's firepower.

As long as the Metal Black ship has sufficient firepower, players can activate the 'Beam Weapon', which generates a powerful energy beam that destroys everything it comes into contact with. The Beam Weapon will only last for a few seconds and its use will reduce the ship's energy levels. Once the Beam weapon de-activates, Metal Black will have vastly reduced firepower for its forward-firing laser cannon. Players must once again collect the Newalone molecule clusters to build up the ship's firepower.

- TECHNICAL -

Taito F2 Expanded hardware

Prom Stickers : D12

Main CPU : 68000 (@ 12 Mhz)

Sound CPU : Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)

Sound Chips : YM2610 (@ 8 Mhz)

Players : 2

Control : 8-way joystick

Buttons : 3

- TRIVIA -

Released in September 1991. Metal Black was a great shooter game, bu was a flop because it was released at same time of Capcom's "Street Fighter II - The World Warrior".

Metal Black was originally planned to be "Gun Frontier 2", but somewhere in the middle of development, the programmers decided that it had to be a different, unrelated game. Metal black's original storyline was too gloomy. Taito's supervisor rejected the original game project.

This was Taito's first game to show the title of the tune which plays for each stage at the start of each one.

Moriyama Yoshihiro (See Staff section for more info) is the chief of G.rev (makers of "Border Down" in 2003).

The game forbids the initials 'SEX' on the high score table. If you try, it gets changed it to '***'.

Metal Black was awared by the Gamest Game music section.

Pony Canyon / Scitron released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Metal Black - PCCB-00079) on 21/01/1992.

Zuntata Records released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Zuntata History L'ab-normal 1st - ZTTL-0038) on 01/04/1999.

- TIPS AND TRICKS -

* Levels Select : Boot machine with service switch pressed.

Message appears : SERVICE SWITCH ERROR, press 1p Start(x3), service switch, 1p Start.

Message appears : SELECT BY DOWN SW, select level with joy Down/Up and push Start button.

- SERIES -

1. Gun & Frontier (1991)

2. Metal Black (1991)

- STAFF -

Producers : Senba Takatsuna, Hori Takamasa

Game designers : Senba Takatsuna, Hori Takamasa, Kuroki Naoya, Ohno Tomohiro, Seguchi Takashi, Mizobe Kumi, Watanabe Yasuhisa, Jun Sawaki, Katsuhisa Ishikawa

Art directors : Senba Takatsuna, Ohno Wepokichi

Programmers : Tarabar, Kuroki Naoya, Seguchi Takashi

Hardware engineers : Jun Sawaki, Takeda Tomio

Decorator : Kumi Mizobe

Sound (Zuntata) : Yasuhisa Watanabe (Yack.), Ishikawa Babio

Bit pattern : Moriyama Yoshihiro, Tanaka Kuniaki, Nakahara Yoshikatsu, Tsuneoka Masatoshi, Vap-Awave

Cast : Ho Lee Chan, Zuntata, John Neianik 8th, Sakou Menme

- PORTS -

* Consoles :

Sega Saturn (1996)

Sony PlayStation 2 [JP] (July 26, 2005; "Taito Memories Joukan [Model SLPM-66057]")

Sony PlayStation 2 (2005, "Taito Memories Vol. 1")

Microsoft XBOX (2006, "Taito Legends 2")

Sony PlayStation 2 (2006, "Taito Legends 2")

Note : The PlayStation 2 version of "Taito Legends 2" has a bug that breaks the control system - in the original, you could press the super button and hold it down for a directed blast.. The XBOX version does not suffer from the aforementioned bug, and plays as you would expect.

* Computers :

PC [CD-ROM] (2006, "Taito Legends 2")

- SOURCES -

Game's rom.

MAME Info:

0.37b6 [David Graves]

0.37b4 [?]

WIP:

- 0.143u3: Changed 'Unknown' to 'Unused' dipswitch.

- 8th September 2008: Guru - Metal Black (1991 Taito) arrived from Korea. Thanks to gp-lee.

- 0.88u6: Bryan McPhail added support for extra effects in the Taito F2 driver. This fixed the transparent sun in 1st level of Metal Black and the special effect on level 5 boss who slides in under the bottom tilemap. The update also provides full 5 tilemap layer priority support in Metal Black (was previously 4 due to pdrawgfx limitation).

- 0.37b16: Stefan Jokisch fixed incomplete first credit sound in MetalB and other F2 games.

- 0.37b13: Bryan McPhail and David Graves fixed raster-style effects in Metal Black.

- 25th August 2000: David Graves improved the Taito F2 zooming graphics in Football Champ, Metal Black and Dead Connection.

- 0.37b6: David Graves added Metal Black (World) (Taito 1991) and clone (Japan).

- 8th August 2000: Nicola Salmoria implemented zooming tilemap functionality for Dead Connection, Football Champ and Metal Black.

- 7th August 2000: David Graves fixed a few graphical glitches in newer Taito F2 games and Metal Black now works.

- 0.37b5: Added clone Metal Black (Japan) (Testdriver).

- 0.37b4: Added Metal Black (Gun Frontier 2) (Testdriver).

STORY:

- 2042 A.D. A phantom companion star which has suddenly appeared on the jupiter's orbit affected the asteroids, dropping a rain of meteorites to the earth. At the same time, the earth's civilization was at a crisis of being on the verge of collapse by receiving the invasion of foreign intelligental lives. It was believed that they came flying from the sky area of Nemesis... Earth's National Security Information - 17th March, 2052: They had a special ability of combined with the Earth's civilization. The Earth's military force was defeated by their overwhelming beam arms. The beam was the thing which made good use of energy. Scientists called it as 'Newalone'. Project Metal Black: The earth's government made a compromise called peace. And the government concealed newly produced machines 'Black Fly'. Having the same ability as their's into darkness. The earth died, and it was about to enter upon silence times...

LEVELS: 6

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Romset: 4480 kb / 10 files / 2.28 zip

MAME XML Output:

<description>Metal Black (Japan)</description>

<manufacturer>Taito Corporation</manufacturer>