Lost In Translation/Metal Black

From ExoticA
Out Run (Arcade version)
Out Run (Sinclair ZX Spectrum version)

This page is a stub for arcade games that are part of the Lost In Translation series using information based on MAME (version 0.113u2).
For an example of preferred content and layout please refer to Out Run or The Ninja Warriors.


Metal Black
No screen shot.
Manufacturer Taito Corporation Japan
Released 1991
Control
Method
8-way Joystick
3 Button(s)
Main CPU 68000 (@ 12.000 MHz)
Z80 (@ 4.000 MHz)
Sound CPU Stereo
YM2610 (@ 8.000 MHz)
Video
Details
Raster (Horizontal)
320 x 224 pixels
60.00 Hz
8,192 Palette colours
Screens 1
ROM Info 10 ROMs
4,587,520 bytes (4.38 MiB)
MAME ID metalb · metalbj

About The Game

Metal Black is an arcade video game.

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 agressors.

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.

Trivia

Released in September 1991.

Metal Black was originally planned to be "Darius III", but somewhere in the middle of development, the programmers decided that it had to be a different, unrelated game.

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 '***'.

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

Cabinet and Artwork

Ports

Consoles
Sega Saturn (1996)
Sony PlayStation 2 (2005, "Taito Memories Vol. 1")
Microsoft XBOX (2006, "Taito Legends 2")
Sony PlayStation 2 (2006, "Taito Legends 2")
Computers
PC [CD-ROM] (2006, "Taito Legends 2")

Soundtrack Releases

Album Name Catalogue No. Released Publisher Comments
Game Music Festival ~Super Live '92~ PCCB-00099[1] 1992-10-21 Pony Canyon, Inc. CD version.
Metal Black -19th Moon- PCCB-00079[2] 1992-01-21 Pony Canyon CD version.
METAL BLACK -The First- ZTTL-0012[3] 1997-06-21 Zuntata Records CD version.
ZUNTATA LIVE 1997 ~CINETEQUE RAVE~ (AUDIO FILE) ZTTL-0016[4] 1997-10-22 Zuntata Records CD version.
Zuntata Live 1997 -Cineteque Rave- (Visual File) ZTTV-0001[5] 1997-11-21 Zuntata Records Released on VHS.
ZUNTATA LIVE 1998 "güten Talk" from the earth ~AUDIO FILE~ ZTTL-0031[6] 1998-10-21 Zuntata Records 2 CD version.
ZUNTATA LIVE 1998 "güten Talk" from the earth ~VISUAL FILE~ N/A[7] 1998-11-10 Zuntata Records Released on VHS.
ZUNTATA HISTORY L'ab-normal 1st ZTTL-0038[8] 1999-04-01 Zuntata Records CD version.
Taito 1500 Collector's Box PCCB-00130[9] 1993-09-17 Pony Canyon/Scitron 5 CD version.
Scitron 10th Anniversary Special CD Sampler DMCZ-300098[10] 1998-01-01 Scitron Label 2 CD version.
Gaesen Oh - Scitron Game Music Mega Mix Vol.1 KGCD-0001[11] 1994-01-01 Pony Canyon/Scitron CD version.
TAITO GAME MUSIC ZTTL-1003[12] 2004-09-24 Zuntata Records CD version.

References

The contents of this page are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
The sources used include MAME (version 0.113u2) and history.dat (revision 1.28 - 2008-10-18).
Please see http://www.arcade-history.com for credits.