Here at Twin Galaxies, we love a good high score and a record time. So each week we look deep in the wealth of Undisputed and Verified scores in the Twin Galaxies Adjudication Archive and dig up some spectacular recent scores! On this edition of the Scoreboard Spotlight, on long drift down the river in Toobin’, a look back at the one-and-only Spider-Man on the Atari 2600, and a surprisingly intense game of Plaque Attack on the Atari 2600.
Daniel Ocampo - Toobin’ (PlayStation Portable): Points
Let’s start with a nice calm drift down the river in Toobin’ with this version being played on the PlayStation Portable by Daniel Ocampo, who we saw last week rocking Tenchu: Shadow Assassins. Really this score stands out because of the sheer number of the points accumulated, 1,386,004 gotten through two warps for tons and then some precise gate passing.
Truth be told, if Ocampo’s phone hadn’t been running out of battery life, this score could’ve been higher. At the moment, he sits at the top of the track, but if someone were to pass him up, he has the potential to snag that top spot once again. Most interestingly about this game is the ability to play vertically, which was the first time we’ve seen this style of play on the PSP.
Midway Arcade Treasures keeps the history alive in an interesting way.
Matt Sales - Flying Shark (MAME): Points
What sort of scoreboard wrap up would this be without a vertical shooter? Flying Shark (also known as Sky Shark in the US) is one of those classic arcade titles that puts the player behind the wheel of a small plane, fills the screen with bullets, and challenges the player to survive the onslaught. Matt Sales takes this challenge several steps further by scoring a solid 434,250 points.
Of course, this is a MAME run, which makes it ultra convenient for those looking to try out some obscure titles and go for a high score. As long as it’s well known that it is MAME, there are several tracks that can be played on.
Really what ended this run was the usual losing of power-ups after a death, which is something that usually tough to recover from. Regardless this submission currently sits at the top, but there have been some close scores submitted recently, so who knows where it will end up.
Roger Blair - Spider-Man (Atari 2600): Points
With E3 still fresh in our minds, we just had to mention the recently accepted score on Spider-Man for the Atari 2600 just because it’s interesting to see just how far video games have come. While seeing the game in action these days can be a bit confusing and slow, there's some insight provided by Roger Blair into how this score was achieved. Apparently by tricking the Green Goblin to use a Super Bomb, higher points can be acquired. Through this technique, Blair was able to snag 7,560 points.
This is nowhere near the score set by Stephen Knox, who scored a doozy 110,300 points, but it is still a unique title that doesn’t get a lot of score chasing attention. Looking at this and Insomniac’s approach to the webslinger really highlights how games have evolved over the years.
Pete Hahn - Tengai/Sengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode II (MAME): Points
The world of shoot-em-up games is almost as vast and varied as the ocean is deep. There are probably hundreds of excellent games that have been forgotten, but Pete Hahn educates us about a sweet title and puts up a top score. Tengai/Sengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode II, which is a part of the Sengoku Blade series is a horizontal shooter with samurai, demons, and steampunk robots. Like other games in the genre, it is a sensory overload, but with adept stick control and dexterity it can be overcome.
Hahn was able to complete the game once, but was unable to land the second cycle. At the end of the run, he walked away with 877,000 points. Having never seen this game before, it’s now on our list of games to keep an eye out for. It is a MAME submission, proving that emulation can be used a historical tool and a way to attempt high scores on games that are harder to come by as a physical cabinet.
Steve Germershausen - Plaque Attack (Atari 2600): Points
Another mystery from the past, Plaque Attack on the Atari 2600 is a visually deceptive, but is fast-paced and challenging shooter that’s worth looking into for fans of the console. Steve Germershausen puts in work that would make any dentist proud, scoring 73,605 points and only falling to the dreaded cherries. Seriously, Plaque Attack moves fast and it takes some excellent reflexes to pull off scores this high.
Germershausen does mention in the submission footage that his personal best is around the 75,000 range, meaning that if he keeps this up, he could surpass the third place score by William Rosa and puts him in a good spot to take the top position. This would defeat a record set in 2003 by David Yancey.
Either way, for a game as silly in premise as Plaque Attack there is a ton of fun score chasing to be had.
Bounty of the Week - Shovel Knight (PC) Any% Speedrun
Last week in our previous Scoreboard Spotlight, we checked out Brandon Finton’s run at a challenge in Children of Mana and for the first time set a bounty for Metal Slug (that score track can be found here) on the Switch. There has still yet to be scores submitted to that track, so we’ll check back on it as we go.
However, we’ll be moving forward each week with a different track, so this week’s bounty will be something with a different flavor, Shovel Knight. Let’s get some speedruns going! The track can be found here and is set for PC, although I suspect playing on other consoles could easily be setup for those unable to play on PC. The rules for this Any% speedrun are: The timer starts the instant you select "Yes" on the "Use This Profile" menu and stops the instant you deliver the killing blow to the Enchantress final boss.
Pierce the earth, Twin Galaxies players!
This covers our Scoreboard Spotlight for this week. As a reminder, these were just a few of exceptional records that were adjudicated and accepted recently. Every record that made it through verification and landed on our leaderboards has a well-deserved place in the Twin Galaxies gaming pantheon.
Keep scoring high and finishing fast and you just might end up on our next Scoreboard Spotlight!
