DOJ coming to PGM2!

[SuperPang]

There's a red version too? 

[emphatic]

There's a red version too? 

Is your's blue?

[SuperPang]

Yep

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

Here is my Day 1 review.

The Easy Mode is pretty nice. I wouldn't call it easy but it's definitely easier than Original or Black Label. As already stated, the bullets are slower, so you have more options for how you dance around them, and you have more time to figure out if you have an imminent death approaching to hit bomb. So the more efficient use of bombs definitely eases the difficulty off a bit sort of how it was in Dodonpachi in the later levels especially if you use Shotia. Getting the 1-ALL still got my nerves completely jacked though. It's a nice mode. People who feel like White and Black are unreachable goals will love this mode.

Sound quality is maybe slightly improved, or maybe it's my mind playing a trick. It sounds like you took the original files and played them through slightly better hardware. The woman's voice in stage 1 sounds a tad prettier, there is more and deeper bass, and the frequency range seems slightly better. Certain highs are more pronounced so certain percussion instruments are slightly more noticeable in areas. But it could be my mind playing a trick. Also there seems to be some odd choices for loop locations of the music in some levels. Check my Easy Mode video, it probably has examples.

There is a marquee included. This board comes up as version 201 China region. The original was 100. So maybe the original kits didn't have a marquee. There is also a move strip, game instructions, and system instructions.

The pcb box has the cart sticker on it which I've scanned:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/nftnlt

Attract mode:
http://youtu.be/9H85Vx27YLw

Easy Mode 1-ALL:
http://youtu.be/FB8hz6cwDWo

Kit:
http://i46.tinypic.com/o0azhg.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/v430uh.jpg

There are 4 system difficulty levels, Easy, Normal, Hard, Very Hard. It defaults to Easy if you reset system settings so that is what I have it at in the videos. At some point I'll scan the strip and marquee if nobody else has but the marquee still has the protective plastic layer on it and the insane collector in me doesn't want to peel it off. I'll take it apart at some point to get pics of the actual pcbs as well.

It's hard for me to compare the Original Mode in it to anything because it has just been the Black Label board that I've played for..ever. Considering the conversion roms floating around where you can turn a White into Black, I wouldn't say this is a replacement for the original release, and not really for everyone. Although it isn't important, physically the system looks err, better than any arcade hardware ever?

Looks beautiful:
http://i49.tinypic.com/1ph2fs.jpg

I think Blue is China and Red is Taiwan(?). Here's my boot screen:

[Dave_K.]

Thanks for posting your review on this.

It's hard for me to compare the Original Mode in it to anything because it has just been the Black Label board that I've played for..ever.

Wait, so original mode in the PGM2 version is black label?  Does it give you the option of white or black when you start original?

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

No the Black Label is not in this PGM2 game at all. I mean I've been playing my Black Label board forever so that's the version I'm used to / more able to compare stuff to.

[emphatic]

Thanks for the review!

[SuperPang]

No marquee here. Boo!

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

pcb pics
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0n1gzt

[THE]

Does it still use the ICS2115 for Sound? Or does it have a Yamaha on it? I can't make it out clearly from the pics...if it's Yamaha which model number is it?

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

According to a friend who checked his it's a YMZ774-S. I don't feel like taking mine apart again quite yet...

[THE]

Sounds about right. Apparently Mame already has a stub driver for the PGM2.