Game of the Week time! Money Idol Exchanger is actually very similiar to another game on the Neo Geo, Magical Drop. Except this one requires more... thought. ^^;
That being said, though, I never played the game (yet...) So let's hear what you guys have to say! ;D
Money Puzzle Exchanger
Genre: Puzzle Players: 2 Size: 78 Released on: MVS, Gameboy, Playstation
Brief Description:
Money Idol Exchanger (also known as Money Puzzle Exchanger in the US) is a puzzle game created in 1997 by Japanese video game developer Face for the Neo-Geo MVS arcade system. Money Idol Exchanger is a stacking game similar to the Magical Drop, Astro Pop, Moujya and Puzzle Bobble series whereby players race to prevent a perpetually falling array of coins in different values from filling up the screen. Coins are combined (vertically and/or horizontally) to form higher valued coins; for example, five '1' coins will form a '5' coin, and two '5' coins will form a '10' coin, and so on, until two '500' coins are put together, at which point both disappear.
The gameplay is pretty challenging and puzzling with all those different coins waiting to be matched, but after a while it gets a bit boring, because you play the game straight and there aren't any additional modes equivalent to "Magical Journey Mode" in Magical Drop 3.
I find the characters pretty screwy due to their bold and jagged outlines, not to mention their soppy and lame voices. I would say that game is fit to be freeware. I wish it had a complete makeover to match the challenging gameplay.
Excellent game. Along with the Magical Drop games this is one of my favourite Neo Geo puzzle games. I love the cute style of graphics, cool intro and catchy tunes. Gameplay is very addictive but I do find it very challenging. Definitely harder than Magical Drop 3 I think. Everyone who is a fan of puzzle games needs to check this game out.
Love this game. Although I really didn't get into it until after I got back from Japan. Using Japanese currency for a year was an interesting experience. I wish I could get a higher rank than futsuu(normal) on the challenge mode though.
So I suck at Magical Drop style puzzle games for some reason. This game takes that formula and makes it harder that ever! However, just because I suck at it doesn't mean I don't like it. The whole number thing is an unusual twist for a puzzle game and really adds a lot of depth to the strategy. It also bears mentioning that this game has a great intro. Toward the end of it you'd swear you were watching some sort of saccharin coated Sailor Moon style anime!
I voted "Definitely good! But still outdone in some aspects..." It might be the best puzzle game of it's kind, but for me nothing tops Puzzle Bobble.
I just gave the game a go to try to enter the high score challenge, but I can't even get it to let me enter my initials! I think I'm gonna take a break and go play a video game that doesn't require math.
Edited by reelmojo on 06. January 2010 02:34
You can get this game on PSN if you have a Japan or Hong Kong account. It's a neat but challenging puzzler with cute character designs and very cool music. The hand-drawn-ish anime style comes off as a bit dated but the furious pace of the game makes it stand out in my opinion. Magical Drop 3 is still better but this is still a cool game and I played it a ton since I bought and downloaded it for my PS3.
Asuka does not wait until after school, she will kick your ass right now!
GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe I missed this as game of the week!! And I waited sooo long too! sniff
Well, if anyone out there is still willing to talk about this game, I'm game. Seriously. Best game on the neo?... well, maybe not. My favorite game on the neo?... shit **** hell YEAH! I should go do the high score challenge this weekend. I noticed Raiken got 38 on solo play. My old best was 60 but I'll have to dust myself off and get back into fighting condition to do that again.
Only time you'll ever see me gloat. My old scores went like this:
60
54
53
53
52
Jesus I love this game so! Someone, talk to me! Please! I missed the boat!
Wow... if you can get a score like that you should record your HSC entry so we can watch you do it! Watching someone destroy this game like that would be awesome for someone like me who is not very good at it.
reelmojo wrote:
Wow... if you can get a score like that you should record your HSC entry so we can watch you do it! Watching someone destroy this game like that would be awesome for someone like me who is not very good at it.
You know what? I think that's exactly what I'm going to do. Should show people how badass this game really is. I know Merlin does a lot of recording like this. Is it hard? I've never recorded anything for youtube but I think this is worthy of the hassle.
And thanks for coming to the rescue! Is it in your neo top ten?
I don't think it's in my Neo top ten, but I still really like it. And depending on your emulator of choice recording is really simple. Some emulators have features to record video while you're playing. If that slows the game down too much, MAME allows you to record your inputs and then play it back later at which point you can record it with a program like Fraps. You're right though, Merlin would be the one to ask. His YouTube page is loaded full of videos he recorded himself.
I had a feeling this was your favourite Neo Geo game Boogie. I almost messaged you when it was game of the week but didn't want to bother you thinking you'd probably be really busy. Do you own a copy of this game? I seem to remember that you were interested in getting a copy for PlayStation or did you end up getting this for MVS?
Although I ultimately prefer Magical Drop 3, Money Idol Exchanger is probably my next favourite puzzle game on the Neo. I do find it very difficult though. It seems a lot harder than MD3.
That would be cool if you recorded a gameplay video Boogie. Like Reelmojo says there are a variety of ways of doing it. I use Final Burn and record with Fraps. You have to pay for Fraps of course but it's less expensive than some other similar programs and you get free upgrades for life.
An alternative to using Fraps would be to use a version of Final Burn that has an AVI recording option built in. Final Burn Evolution and Final Burn Alpha Shuffle both have this. I'd still recommend using Fraps though as that way will guarantee you get excellent video quality. There's a trial version of Fraps available so you could always try making a test video first.
If you need any help with making videos please let me know.
Edited by merlin on 27. January 2010 15:31
Cool, thanks. I actually had to sell this game (with all my other neo geo games) for money for my last Japan trip. I figure, get a good job, then buy all my stuff back... slowly. It's been the hardest game to let go and I had been looking for the ps2 version (pretty rare) until I sold my Japanese ps2. Sad day but whatever.
HexElf wrote:
You can get this game on PSN if you have a Japan or Hong Kong account. It's a neat but challenging puzzler with cute character designs and very cool music. The hand-drawn-ish anime style comes off as a bit dated but the furious pace of the game makes it stand out in my opinion. Magical Drop 3 is still better but this is still a cool game and I played it a ton since I bought and downloaded it for my PS3.
Really?! Maybe this was the solution I was looking for. My girlfriend wants a ps3 and I may very well be living with her in Japan this summer. Hmmm.... (damn I'm selfish!)
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