A Very Long, Extremely Complicated Rewrite of the Apollo Trilogy (Part 2)
Part 1, Part 3 So, up till now, we've not done much interesting. Some writing fixes here or there, some choice revisions, and a completely changed ending for one case, but nothing that interesting. Now we go off the rails. For this, my purposed rewrite of Turnabout Succession is so utterly immense, altering about 90% of the story in some way, along with massively recontexualizing the rest of the game, that I will have to divide it into sections. Consider this the real part of the Apollo Justice rewrite, all before it was just the small fry. First Investigation For starters, not even the date is the same. Rather than October 7, the case opens up on September 3, for reasons which will become very clear soon at the end. The case opens up with Phoenix acting surprisingly busy, which confuses Apollo until Trucy explains that Phoenix has a strange tradition to head out by himself every year out into the countryside. She doesn't know why, but reassures Apollo it's no big deal (Apollo just assumes that Phoenix has a mistress). Like in the actual game, Valant has announced that he's making a big performance, but a notable change is that he's having Trucy come along as an assistant, wanting her to start getting some professional stage experience. With Apollo left on his lonesome, Phoenix gives him a random job, giving a package to Eldoon as a "gift". Meeting up with Eldoon, it turns out that he's planning to get back in surgery now that his old rival is dead, and maintain the family noodle business at the same time (Apollo points out that's insane). Eldoon proceeds to ask how Phoenix is doing, and relays some outsider perspective on the Wright's. After Phoenix's disbarment, he took to doing countless odd jobs around the community before settling into his job as a "pianist", and still does even now, all for zero pay. He just laughed at every struggle he had to make, never once losing the smile on his face. He was, in every way, a hero. Returning to the office, Apollo finds it empty, only to find a mystery envelope on the desk. Reading it, Apollo finds a baffling message. "Within the frame of the portrait, there is something to reveal. The truth of MM-4 will not be forever sealed." The letter is signed from Akashic. Apollo is baffled by the note, but chooses to follow the address to studio anyway. There, he encounters Klavier, who was called to the studio with the exact same note, with them both aware of who Drew Misham was. Evidently, someone wants both of them to investigate this case. Klavier himself is the same as usual, but Apollo can tell he's still shaken about what happened two months ago. The investigation of Misham's studio is basically the same, minus Ema not being so obstinate since the Jurist system isn't a thing in this version, though she does comedically sock Klavier in the gut when he gets on her nerves one too many times. After learning about Brushel, Apollo then leaves to go find him, though, Klavier asks for Apollo to see him at his office, for...some reason. The meeting with Valant is basically the same minus Phoenix being there, then there's essentially a merged take on the two encounters in the detention center with the introductions of Vera and Brushel. Brushel, noticeably, seems unsurprised in this version about Apollo taking up Vera's case. Here, though, he informs Apollo and Trucy of a secret compartment in Misham's studio, which he learnt about during the interview. Returning to the studio, Apollo puts in the lock Brushel told him, and finds a series of evidence, all critical to the plot:
The stolen art revealing Misham was an art forger. Ema confirms the police had long suspected of his criminal activities since he made the original confession seven years ago, but no long-term evidence could be found.
A strange old photo marked from seven years ago of Drew, Vera and an older boy with a "bad face".
A stack of letters indicating a back and forth correspondence...with Phoenix Wright.
The last one shocks Apollo and Trucy immensely, only for any attempt to contact Phoenix to end up with no answer. Returning to the office, Apollo finds another letter, this time from Phoenix, informing the two of them he's had to vanish. He assures Apollo that he believes in him, and that, no matter what, he can pull through. That evening, Apollo visits Klavier's office, which he sees has become much neater since the Gavinners have disbanded. Klavier exchanges some pretty friendly words with Apollo, only to clam up when Apollo notes that he's acting different. Klavier, suddenly, deflates. Klavier reveals his backstory. His and Kristoph's father was an official of law who pushed his sons to be the greatest no matter what. While he was a great man who believed in the law, Klavier admits his methods were beyond harsh, and Kristoph bore the brunt of it, which Klavier suspects it the reason he turned out the way he did. He, on the other hand, got the easy deal in life, and lived the fulfilling life both as a prosecutor and musician. This has changed now, though. With Daryan still at large, Kavier is stuck with the reminder that, no matter what, he's not what Apollo thinks he is. He, like every other person, is weak. Weak in spirit, weak in will, and weak in motivation. Everything, he says, which he thinks Apollo is. "You know, Herr Forehead...I think we really are opposites." Apollo ponders Klavier's words, then decides to show Klavier what he found. Klavier is left utterly shocked when he sees the photo, as he reveals a shocking fact, that "older boy" is actually Daryan. How on earth this is possible he has no idea, Daryan never talked about his past, but the truth is unmistakable. And, if that's the truth...who knows what else exists. Klavier, despite being the prosecutor in the case, fully believes Vera is innocent. Together, he and Apollo are going to unravel the truth, and end what began seven years prior. First Trial The first half of the trial is basically identical to the actual game. Apollo and Klavier cross-examine Brushel. The only difference is Klavier is far less insistent, since here he wants Apollo to prove Vera's innocence. Where it diverges however is once we get to the "proving what Misham was poisoned with" part, where, instead of a postage stamp kept in a picture frame, what Apollo pushes for is a recently sealed letter included in the correspondence letters in the secret compartment. As explained, the chain of letters were, in order to protect their security, were always matched with specific stamps for the responder to send with. Thus, when Misham was using the stamp sent to him, he ended up poisoning himself. Obviously, the question then becomes why the letter was in the safe, only a bit of cross-examining answers that, Brushel did it on request of a dying Misham himself, who wanted both the "secret" to be hidden while still protecting Vera. Brushel's only mistake was not realizing poison residue got on the coffee cup, meaning Vera was implicated by essentially freak chance. With this, Vera's innocence is proven, but, realizing that he's essentially implicated Phoenix, Apollo demands that Vera now testify so to get more information. This is where we go into the fact that, as a savant, she was the one comprising the forgeries, though purely on her fathers orders. Vera insists that, despite this, he was a good person, and was only doing this to help her. Eventually, it comes out that there was actually a secondary correspondence chain besides Phoenix, but Vera claims her father burnt all of them out of shame. Before she can confirm, however, she collapses, having fallen into a coma, and is rushed to the hospital. Apollo is left victorious and defeated, Vera innocent yet in intensive care, and the missing Phoenix now a murder suspect. Second Investigation The following day, Apollo is at the bar located at Sunshine Colosseum, drinking apple juice in frustration over the situation while talking to a not exactly inebriated Ema (Ema getting wasted is canon BTW, going off a piece of official art). Phoenix is still missing and a suspect, Vera is still in a coma with the strong likelihood of death, and there's zero way of proving the alternate chain of correspondence letters even existed. He's not really interested in the performance either, seeing Valant as just a criminal showboating about getting away with what he did. Apollo, however, does come out for the segment at the end focused exclusively on Trucy, saying it's the least he can do for what might be one of the most important days of her life. Once her part is over, however, Valant returns for the final act...and then the show is suddenly halted. Trucy suddenly appears, looking horribly pale and genuinely shaken, and Apollo soon sees why as he heads into the underground parts of the colosseum, and finds a trail of blood leading into a storeroom. Standing there, a bloody sword in his hands, is Phoenix, with Lamiroir's body having been run through. ~~ A few hours later, the situation has been clarified. Lamiroir is alive, but in critical condition, Phoenix has been arrested and is now believed to be the culprit of both murders, and Valant not only believes that whole-heartedly, but is planning to testify in court that Phoenix is the murderer. Apollo, obviously, doesn't believe for a second that Phoenix is the culprit, but can tell despite putting on a cheerful face Trucy is clearly even more grief-stricken and broken by the situation. Heading to the detention center, Apollo confronts Phoenix about what's happened.
The Murder: Phoenix tells Apollo that in no way did he attack Lamiroir, not that there was any doubt there. As he explains, he met with Lamiroir that day with the intent of just an "important chat", only to partway into the discussion notice something "strange" in the background. He suddenly felt himself blacking out, and then, when he awoke, was holding the sword.
Meeting With Lamiroir: Phoenix explains he vanished for the last few days because he was looking for Lamiroir. Apparently, there's a lot of people who have some kind of vested interest in her in some fashion, so going underground was the only option. Phoenix suddenly drops an oblique hint that Burshel might have the answers Apollo is looking for.
The Letters: Apollo asks what exactly is up with the letters Phoenix was exchanging with Misham. Phoenix acts strangely evasive, before saying that such decisions are to be up to the people. Phoenix wants justice, so in void of his badge, he finds "his own ways". He's called for questioning after this.
~~ Visiting the crime scene, Ema delivers the low down on the situation. Lamiroir was stabbed through the abdomen, the weapon being one of the real swords that are used in the Trope Gramarye's acts (as is implied in canon, and explicit here, Magnifi's tricks involve the use of actual dangerous objects for authenticity). The storeroom has only one entrance/exit, and is otherwise completely inaccessible. Lamiroir's body was found on the table located in the middle of the room, with mild fractures located across her body. There's also an upper level in the storeroom accessible by a single ladder, and two strange holes in the wall on the far end, and an ornate knife which Trucy notes she doesn't recognize in the Gramarye props. As Ema confirms, all evidence is pointing to Phoenix as the killer, but she refuses to believe that he's the culprit. Ema suddenly reveals a non-spoiler recap of the events of Rise from the Ashes explaining the actual relationship she has to Phoenix, and tells Apollo and Trucy that, no matter what, she has faith that they will be able to prove his innocence. ~~ Out on the stage, we have another meeting with Valant, giving more of the Gramarye backstory from the actual game:
Apprentices: Magnifi made apprentices out of wayward orphans who were looking for a purpose in life, giving them a purpose in continuing his legacy. He took in many over the years, but the harsh training and genius needed to master the craft was enough to drive away everyone but those two. They were in many ways like brothers, who competed in everything, even love.
Love: Valant gives all the basic facts about Thalassa, prompted on the basis that Trucy ultimately doesn't really remember her. He noticeably however seems to trail off when the circumstances of her death, only saying it was a "tragic accident".
Zak Gramarye: More basic facts about Zak, he was Valant's rival and closest friend, Trucy's biological father, Magnifi's favoured heir, and Valant has no idea what happened to him.
Phoenix: Valant bluntly says what he believes, this incident proves Phoenix is, and always has been. He is the one who scorned the Gramarye name with his deceit, stole Trucy away from her true family, and has now shown himself a vile murderer. Trucy unsurprisingly gets extremely uncomfortable about this, and Valant leaves in disgust after Apollo calls him out, saying Phoenix must have "brainwashed" her.
~~ Outside the colosseum, Apollo and Trucy run into Brushel, who says that he's heard all about the current incident. Information travels fast, and, in this case, there's a lot more truth to be seen than just the basics:
Misham's Death: Brushel is secretive about why he lied about the true cause of Misham's death, arguing that it was his "journalistic integrity" he was defending. Apollo, despite being able to tell he's lying, realizes there's no way to get him to admit the truth.
Lamiroir: Apollo tries to get Brushel to explain why Phoenix was trying to track down Lamiroir, and why she's so important. Brushel suddenly goes into a bizarre, unprompted tangent about the nature of the truth, asking if the Gramarye can truly be considered the lynchpin of the story unfolding right now. He does admit to knowing Phoenix, so that's something.
~~ Heading back to the office, Apollo is mulling over what they know, with Trucy admitting she always "knew" Valant's hatred of Phoenix, but didn't want to acknowledge it. Suddenly, Apollo finds a crudely written message from Akashic (despite the handwriting being completely different) hidden with a shocking piece of information, head to the Borscht Bowl Club. Arriving at the club, Apollo is shocked to find Klavier, who is acting friendly as always, but quickly gets serious again as he admits that Vera's health not only isn't improving, it's getting worse, and chances of her survival are seeming slimmer and slimmer. More pressingly, though, he reveals why he's here, because the letter explicitly gave him a heads up that the club is where Daryan and Machi have been hiding. The question is where, but Apollo quickly deduces it, it's the secret room from Case 1 (remember that? That's now an actual plot point). He and Klavier head inside, where Daryan is sitting there, glaring at the two of them with eyes ready to kill. Daryan asks why the two of them are planning to do, to which Klavier says he's simply here to talk. His failure to persecute Daryan was his own failure, so here in the moment he's going to try and atone for that failure. Daryan calls Klavier a naïve moron, and just readies the gun, fully intending to shoot. Apollo, suddenly, notices a single cocoon Daryan successfully preserved from the destruction of the guitar through a plastic wrap. Apollo realizes that, even if he was willing to throw all of it away, Daryan at least wanted to preserve a single one, which makes him reveal his motives. 12 years ago, he and his parents were in a fatal car accident, and Daryan only survived because of the Misham's being there at the time. He spent his life trying to repay his debt to them, only for "someone" to appear seven years ago and essentially take Vera's life hostage. To that purpose, Drew had to make forgeries for that person, while Daryan had the more pressing job, become "friends" with Klavier, and make sure he never found out the truth. This continued until Vera, who always suffered from fragile health, developed Incuritus, which would likely kill her before she turned 20. Daryan, determined to save her, organized the plan to smuggle out the cocoons with Machi, acquiring the cure he needed to save her life while also appeasing the masterminds want for Lamiroir to be in the country. Klavier is understandably shocked about all of this, saying that, if he knew, he would've tried to help. Daryan just calls him a moron, and pulls the trigger... ...Only for the bullets to harmlessly bounce off Klavier's chest. As Apollo reveals, while the two of them were negotiating, Trucy had secretly entered the room and swapped the bullets with dummies. Daryan, refusing to give in, attacks Klavier in a fit a rage, only for him to be overpowered, unable to fight with a dislocated shoulder, and is forced to the ground. Daryan has been defeated. Machi, who's still in the room, clarifies his own motives for the smuggling, explaining that Lamiroir had remembered "something" about her old home, and her family. Due to her fame and some kind of past "agreement", however, Lamiroir was prevented from ever leaving the country except as a tour, never able to see her family again. The plan, as Daryan had convinced him of, was that selling the cure would get Machi the money needed to free her. Klavier asks if Daryan regrets what he's done, to which he just laughs at it. He regrets nothing of what he did, and rubs it in that he never considered Klavier a friend. Klavier goes silent for a bit, and then says he will find a way to get Vera treated, and will actually help Machi find a new identity and life, acknowledging the two of them as victims of a world larger than either of them could handle. As for Daryan, he'll carry the weight of all his sins, for the rest of life. Daryan hesitates, clearly uncertain to trust him, before deciding to just give up. If Vera survives, then his life is worth sacrificing. Apollo is left almost baffled by this act of sacrifice considering how vile Daryan had revealed himself to be, but tells Klavier that maybe that's proof that everyone is trying their own method to survive in the world. ~~ After Daryan is taken away by Klavier, Apollo and Trucy investigate the hidden room, and find a strange note of what appears to be prison escape plans of some kind, which say that it'll be easy because of everyone being "sheep". After Trucy poking around some more (because Trucy), something shocking is unveiled, another secret passage, this time leading down a much longer, windier path, before finding themselves in, of all places...the crime scene. This leaves the two of them incredibly confused, and they go to meet Klavier at his office. Klavier is shocked at the possibility, but thinks whole-heartedly that this at the same time explains a lot, though he can prove none of it:
Daryan: After turning himself in, Daryan explained most of his actions, but refused to give the masterminds identity. Apparently, they're so powerful that he could kill Vera the moment he spilt the beans, not that there's any way he could prove it.
The Mastermind: Klavier admits he has no idea who could be pulling the strings behind the back of everyone. If what Daryan said is to be believed, then there's nothing they can't do. The world is their playground, their motives unknown, and their evil immense.
Akashic: Apollo asks Daryan why he believed a random note, and he says it's because Akashic saved countless cases over the past seven years. He is the most powerful weapon the law has in the name of justice, an entity capable of defying all ideas preventing justice from being served. Apollo notes the suspicious timing of that, and makes a note of it.
The Case: Klavier is certain that both Vera and Phoenix are innocent, and that the true mastermind is the culprit behind all these incidents. He asks Apollo to help him find the truth, saying that, without him, there's nothing that can, or could, be done. To that end, Apollo needs to confront Valant's honesty.
~~ Valant is found at his "office", which is horribly run down and filled with bottles indicating he probably has some issues he's not quite being honest about. After his extremely hostile interaction last time, Valant almost refuses to talk, but acquiesces at Trucy's request:
Seven Years Ago: Valant continues to insist that Zak was the culprit of MM-4, and adamantly denies that he was the one at fault. He however takes far more heated the idea that Trucy was somehow taken away from him, insisting that it was his right to take care of Thalassa's daughter.
Zak and Thalassa: Valant goes over the story of Zak and Thalassa, mentioning as well the story of Thalassa's first husband, the musician who died under odd circumstances. Thalassa never spoke much about her time with him, but he's sure they were happy.
The Accident: Valant is hesitant to discuss any details of the accident which claimed Thalassa's life, but after some pressing admits to Magnifi's blackmail of him and Zak in the aftermath as punishment. Like the game, he frames this as a story of the dark side of a great performer, but has no way of admitting if that was a good thing or not. He does however let it slip that they never even saw her body, she vanished into thin air.
Apollo gets annoyed by Valant's obstinacy on discussing the current case, only for Trucy to find something, a letter asking him to meet the two of them "backstage", addressed by Phoenix! Why was Valant working with a man he actively hated? ~~ Apollo and Trucy meet with Phoenix yet again in the detention center. Phoenix asks Apollo if he understands the facts, to which Apollo admits he's just even more confused.
Valant: Phoenix fully admits he sent the letter with Valant, wanting a proper discussion with him. He was surprised that Valant was willing to go along with it himself, but, since it was "for Trucy", it makes sense that he would do so.
Trope Gramarye: Apollo asks Phoenix what exactly his feelings on the trope even are, given Valant regards him as a villain for adopting Trucy over him. Phoenix admits that he made the decision which seemed the most justified at the time, protecting the young girl from the dangerous criminal, and refuses the moralize it any more than that. He tells Trucy that, if she truly loves him, she'll be able to come to her own conclusion on the matter.
The Disbarrment: Apollo asks if everything Phoenix is doing is because of bitterness for losing the career he stacked his entire life in. Phoenix laughs and says he's lived a life as blessed as it is cursed, so indeed he's lived a life as a whole.
Before he leaves, Phoenix drops a hint that, if he wants the truth, to give "him" the note Apollo has. Apollo questions how on earth Phoenix knows that, to which Phoenix just smiles, quotes Mia, and says he is placing his faith in the next generation. Suddenly, Apollo gets a call from Ema, she's found Brushel, and he's willing to talk. ~~ Apollo and Trucy find Brushel talking with Ema at People Park. Brushel acts incredibly nervous and attempts to hide the truth, but, the moment Apollo shows the tipoff about Daryan to him, he cracks and begins the mother of all exposition dumps:
Akashic: Brushel confirms that, indeed, Phoenix is Akashic, the legendary police informant said to know everything. After his disbarment, Brushel met with Phoenix, suspecting correctly that something was off about the forgery incident, and the two formed an alliance. Phoenix would gather scant bits of information through the extensive information network he had through his many connections, Brushel would investigate the goings on, and then Phoenix would inform his contacts inside the legal system of what he had learnt. Ema, as it happens, had become one of those contacts sometime after she returned from her studies, and knows plenty of other officers who trust Phoenix fully.
Misham: After the disbarment incident, Brushel helped Phoenix track down Drew Misham, who quickly became the third key member of Akashic. Misham had developed a fascination with Phoenix's work during the trial, and thus a plan was set in place; he would take up forgery requests from clients, and leak the plans to Phoenix and Brushel on the outside via the correspondence letters. The official interview, Brushel reveals, was not the first time they had personally met, it was just the cover story in order to explain why he was there at the time of death.
Zak Gramarye: Brushel had been a fan of the Trope since he was young, and began pursuing them after he became a journalist. While Magnifi and Valant dismissed him . After Zak disappeared, he and Phoenix worked tirelessly to track him down, but never did before he returned to the country a few months ago. The reunion, however, was short-lived, because Zak was murdered by Kristoph.
The Murder: That night, Zak seemingly came with the intentions of a pleasant interaction, only to instead try to ruin Phoenix's career in a rigged poker game. Brushel admits he has no idea why Zak betrayed them like that, but is convinced he had a good reason.
Thalassa Gramarye: Brushel confirms the truth, Thalassa is indeed Lamiroir. After her accident left her both blind and amnesiac, Magnifi, wanting to separate her from the life of the Gramarye, essentially sold her to the Borginian government under the basis that they would would grant her protection. She was watched constantly, and after she became famous, the control on her became explicit, as her fame became a valuable bargining chip for the fragile nation of Borginia.
Brushel admits that he knows all this is a lot to take in, but says that Phoenix was perhaps the man who impressed him more than anyone else in the world. A man who would gladly sacrifice his own life if it was in the interest of granting justice for another. He tells Apollo and Trucy that, no matter what, it's their responsibility to carry what he started, and to, perhaps, change the world. Before he leaves, he hands Apollo something Phoenix asked him to give, a fresh locket made from the one Phoenix found on Zak's body, showing Trucy as she is now. It is the proof of everything Phoenix now fights for, and what Apollo should be fighting for as well. ~~ At sunfall, Apollo and Trucy see Thalassa on her hospital bed. Trucy admits she barely even remembers her mother. She was only five when she "died", and she had no idea what even happened to her. The only words she can even say are that she looks peaceful now, as if the cruel nature of the world is absent in a single instance. Apollo starts pondering the meaning of what he's even doing, if even doing this means anything. Apollo feels a grip on his hand. Like a miracle, even though she is near death, her hand touches his. For seconds, a happy memory appears in the back of his mind, of a loving woman's song. "What...what was that...?" Suddenly, Apollo's phone rings. Answering it, it's Klavier. Talking to him, he reveals he and Ema investigated Kristoph's jail cell while he was in questioning, and found not just an identical vial of nail polish to the one that poisoned Vera, as well as a envelope identical to the correspondence letters Misham and Phoenix were using! Klavier says he's certain there's a thread behind all of this, and that the two of them are going to prove everything in court. "Everything's in place. You ready?" "...If I don't do this, there's no reason why I'm even alive." "Heh, all right then. Herr Justice...let's rock." ~~~ This got too long for one post, so read Part 3 for the final trial.
The Beast of Cairn Gorm Just over a 100km north of Inverness, Scotland in the small village of Braemar, on the Berriedale River, lived a gaelic speaking people of approximately 800. Raising cattle, farming and being good neighbours was the village’s mission statement. Winters remained dark and bitter but pints were rarely without gripped hands and spirits remained high. On one such night, a dozen or so frolicking and drunken Braemar folk kept a late hour at the Ox and Yolk Pub; an establishment in Braemar that was the pearl of the town. The pub, owned by Angus John MacDougall, rarely had its guitars and fiddles silenced and the laughter was perpetual. In the corner of the pub opposite the raging fireplace, Angus kept a piano that was rarely played and mostly used as a spot to lay your empty drinks. Angus saw to it that a doily was placed atop it to prevent any water damage. He bought it in Aberdeen at an auction and felt that it gave the place a bit of style but residents knew, as did he, that piano had no place in proper fiddle tunes. At least not here. Aila Gillis, the server kept the drinks flowing and was on her feet for hours from the opening when dinner service started and the stews filled bellies and the chips never stopped, post-dinner. When Colin Kenworth laid his fiddle down to the boos of the few left, he did so with a smile and an apology. This was the dance. This was the routine each night. The music had to cease at some point and it was always to the yells of resistance of the patrons but they also knew that this signified their time to get the coats and hats on and head out into the crunchy snow and howling wind. After all, the wives would let them play for awhile. Farming and cattle keeping was hard work and it was a trade off. They would keep the peace and ensure that they had their nights of pints and repeated gaelic tales of northern prowess in hunting and iron guts that held their drink like no other. The remaining din was of goodbyes, stools moved about, dishes and pint glasses collected and coats being slipped on. A few laughs for the remaining 9 patrons that typically saw to the close of the place and cutting through the jolly ambience was a shriek that some would claim to have shook the tables and the empty glasses upon them. This unknown noise repeated one more time, seconds after, and this time, it already had won its silence as to remain as clear as possible. Heads turned to each other with a look of shock and disbelief. “What was that, does anyone know”? Colin spoke up. Being the most sober of the bunch, outside of Aila and Angus, he knew that this was not a trick of the mind and it was clear to him that it was no sound that he’d ever heard before. “My jesus, Angus….is that Edward MacLeod’s cattle next door being attacked?. Those fooking wolves have been getting some bollocks on them since we started working on the turbines” Aila shouted. Angus, who had stopped frozen in his nightly closing bar wipe down. “Jesus, Aila, I dunno….that’s not a cow, no….more like an eagle but they aren’t that loud and aren’t around at night” He replied. The patrons stopped and there seemed to be no rush to get out into the night. Gordon Allen Logan, the youngest of the crew had been working for the past year with his father, Glen, on the new wind turbine that one of the big companies had started installing into the countryside. It provided dozens of new jobs for the folks in Braemar and surrounding villages across the river. They were hearty folks and could be relied upon for the tough jobs that no southerners would go near in the winter. Gordon exclaimed “well, I’m to gittin home and fetching my rifle and I’ll find out because if it’s wolves, we can’t lose more livestock”…..Gordon started moving towards the door. His arm was firmly grabbed by Colin. “Shrink yer bollocks down, lad…nobody should be getting out there yet. Just wait a second, there”. The shriek repeated loudly and with a higher tone and it was followed by the scream of a man…..a scream that had as much fear washed over it as you could imagine. This made knees buckle inside the pub. Angus had not seen any of these lads afraid before. Not like this. It was not meant to be obvious but they were caught off guard. The shriek and the scream ended. It was hard to tell the distance but it was no more than 300, maybe 200 metres away. It was distant but none of them had ever heard a man scream that loud. That was pure terror in his heart. “CHRIST ALMIGHTY, WHAT IS HAPPENING, LADS? WHO WAS THAT, WHAT WAS THAT?!” yelped Danny Christie, a Northern Irish expat engineer from County Armagh that had moved to Braemar to take up the management of the energy center being used to monitor the wind turbines. “It’s fookin madness! That would have woke the town” “Me by’s, I need to get back to the missu! She’s alone! I need to get out of this place and back home!!” added David MacCullough…..a part time guitar player at the pub and manager of the local grocer…..”the wife is alone with the baby and for sure as christ, she’d be off her head with this racket. I have to go, lads….” And with that, he grabbed his coat and pushed through the door before anyone could protest or hold him back. The wind forced its heavy whistle into the pub on the door opening and with a slam, forced by the same wind….David was heard running through the snow. The crunching was fast and his panting almost as loud….and after a half a minute, it all faded into the distance. He couldn’t be seen for the frost on the stained glass windows. Others had the same idea but were more interested in attempting to decipher the mysterious animal. It was a beast, for certain. Michael Coy. The oldest of the residents was an old farmer that spent nearly 8 decades watching Braemar grow into the village it is today from thick woods and spacious meadows and rolling hills, alongside a rushing river. Then it was home to only 28 residents, 6 homesteads including his own up on the highest hill. His father built the home in the early 1900s and Michael took very good care of it along with the 40 acres of farm surrounding it. He built an adjacent barn for the ox and chickens. The other original residents had passed away many years ago. Michael slumped into his seat, clutching his long white beard. He was staring onto the floor, seemingly distracted and distraught. He was shaking. A man nearly 80, he shook a lot but he was visibly upset. Danny seemed to have been the only one in the pub that noticed the distress of the elderly man. “Michael Coy, by jaysus…are you alright old man?” Danny quietly and privately asked of Old Mick Coy. Slowly rotating his wide open gaze, he moved to meet Danny’s concerned face. “I’m fine, just a bit tired, son and I’ll have to be moving on. I may have left the barn door open and that wind is a real bastard tonight. I …. I don’t want to risk the livestock freezing overnight if the cold shuts down the generator” Danny found this explanation to be quite cosmetic. There was something in Coy’s voice, the tremble and slow, measured words that made it sound a bit made up. “Coy, tell me what’s botherin ya…it’s not the chickens, I know this b’y. You are not one to leave anything open or prepared” Danny added. Just then, from just outside the pub at what must have been just inside no more than 50 metres inside the tree line….a deafening shrill, a high pitched beastly scream that put everyone into their seats and some with a bright whimper from a fear, unexpected. The lights seemed to have flickered but from the sudden fright, it could have been a trick of the eye. This time, it was accompanied by a constant panting and low growl. Whispering as loudly as possible but with clear intention, now, that detection is not favourable…..Angus asked young Gordon to turn off the light at the front door while he turned off the read kitchen light, leaving a lantern burning on the piano. Gordon decided that bolting the door wouldn’t hurt either. The latch slid shut and the group knew that this was something new, something extraordinary and something terrible and dangerous. The silence filled the pub if you didn’t count the collective din of hard breathing and beating hearts. Angus reached under the bar to the bottom and slid out a rifle that was once used for Elk but now he kept in case of wolves or lynxes that got to close to the visitors outside in the summer when he had a few tables in front. Michael Coy pulled his wool hat down and covered his eyes. This went unnoticed by no-one. “For the love of jesus, Michael….what’s eating you?” said Colin. The rest vocalized their concern also. Michael was afraid of nothing. Hard as the peak of Ben Nevis and as fearless as a Hebrides Bull. He was being devoured by fear now. This was a canary in a coalmine for the lads that watched this pillar become a puddle. Michael pulled up his wool stocking cap to reveal his deep, blue bloodshot eyes, awash with a light mist of tears that he wiped as quickly as he could. He took a slow breath and wiped forward on his lap as a distraction reflex….”I’m alright by’s….just had a bit much of the drink and the tummy is not feeling too good from the fish” he proclaimed. “I’ll have you know that Tommy Dylan and Raymond Campbell caught that fish fresh today out on the ice! There was nothing wrong with the fish!” Aila protested. “Speak up old man” Angus said. “What’s gotten into you?” Michael slowly stood up, holding onto the shoulder of Danny Christie and his cane in the other hand….made a little “oof” sound and slowly walked towards the bar and leaned into it, his back to the group….a light growl and branches snapping was heard outside from the same distance as before. This turned all heads and made Michael grab a bar stool with his squeezing, white knuckled hands. “I’ve heard this before” Michael said softly….then slowly turning to meet the eyes that had just settled back on him, from the direction of the door. “It was a long time ago, maybe 50 years or so but I know this sound like I knew the sound of my wife’s voice. Not something I’d soon forget although would give anything to be able to” Michael continued. “When my father’s father broke ground here for the very home of mine that you’ve all been to up on the hill…it required a great deal of wood and digging. We cleared out a lot of wood and chased away a lot of wildlife and my grandfather used to tell me that we take the space that we need and not an shovelful more. We kept to that until my father passed away. After he was buried, we came home and the first thing that came to mind was to extend the farm and make space for the barn that now lies 40 metres from the house and being a 25 year old young man that never really paid much attention to my elders…..I declined my father and grandfather’s wishes of not expanding or using more of the highlands to stake my claim on the rest of the land that we owned by deed but did not exploit. I felt that this was my damned lot and I wanted to use it for as much as I could reap from it. So, I did, with the help of some hired local boys from nearby Brora that had the tools and carriages that I needed to get the job done” Michael, stared into the door ahead of him and paused. He walked slowly back to his seat on the bench next to Danny and blew some heat into his hands. Not a sound was made from the lads. “I was warned to not take more. I remembered only then, in my twenties, a story that my grandfather told me about the Beast of Cairn Gorm - he called it - that lived in a cave on the highest point of the Cairn Gorm nearly 1300 metres up. It terrified me as a child….but even as a clever story that I felt was a tale of the retributions of over indulgence, it seemed a bit extraordinary and one that seemed clearly invented within the mind of an old Highland man. It was an old gaelic tale that was whispered about between the kids and when brought up, in fun, the faces of the adults turned to scorn and sharp shushes. We kids felt that the adults just played the game well.” He continued. “So, I had forgotten that story for two decades until the first of my 40 acres were cleared away and tills came in to cut up the soil, while I worked on the large barn I focused on…..that some very peculiar activities started happening. See, I was the only home in the area of a few dozen residents that wasn’t happy with the confines of the small home and wanted more. I wish that I hadn’t” Michael took a sip of the forgotten about last bit of his Tennent’s that wasn’t yet collected by Aila. The rest of the folks started to quietly pick up their chairs and get closer to Michael to keep the rest of the tale as covert as possible from any terrible ears outside of the pub. Gordon lightly ensured the lock was in place while Angus came from around the bar with his rifle, stoked the fire to make sure it didn’t go out in this bitterly cold night. “One night in October, after opening up a bottle of cider that was gifted to us in celebration of the new land development that we completed during two months, my wife and I sat at our kitchen table after a lovely dinner – of what, I don’t remember now – and that was when we heard this terrible sound for the first time. She dropped the bottle onto our wooden floor and it bounced around. I remember being angry at the bottle while it rolled. It seemed illogical but I was focused on the sound and when the bottle had come to a stop at the foot of the wood stove….we could hear loud footsteps and the cracking of large branches. Then, that is when we heard our cows scream. If you haven’t heard a cow scream, then I envy you. This was terror. Pure terror in the animals voices. We heard them being slaughtered not 30 yards away. I grabbed my gun, a pocket full of shells and rushed on my boots and ran outside. I was terrified but I needed to do something. There was something killing my livestock. I ran to the newly built barn and the door had been pried open. The animals’ entrails and skin and flesh were strewn across my barn. I could not tell which were pigs, cows or lamb. All were ripped apart. Then I heard this shriek come from just outside the rear of the barn…..followed by a guttural roar. I ran outside, my heart was pounding and I thought I would faint from fear….but to the back of the barn, the shriek again! I saw a massive beast bent over with matted fur which could only have been from the blood of my animals…..it’s eyes were shining in the moonlight and it was panting and growling in a low vibration, staring directly at me. It must have been 7 or 8 foot tall, long ears fallen to the side of its head but with sharp teeth that protruded from its maw and down to it’s chin. Then, suddenly, to my left near the house, my wife screamed. She had been standing on the porch and had noticed this monster. It immediately noticed her and began to speed towards her on all fours. This was no animal I have ever seen or knew of its existence. It was fast and was about to descend upon my wife. Why did you scream, woman!? I raised my shotgun as quickly as I could and landed a shot into its lower back which sent it rolling across the yard of my house and I added another to its neck. It sounded a piercing yelp and looked at me with a malice that reduced me to jelly. Then quickly reloaded with the shells from my pocket and shot again, this time missing it entirely. I was shaking. I was physically vibrating. It was down and not moving except for its head that was intent on me and while I took aim with my last shell, it roared at me with its fanged mouth wide open. It was certainly perturbed with the holes I had put into it. The surprise of the shriek made me drop my gun. My hands were drenched in sweat and I was lucky to have landed any shots at all with my shakes and sweat covered hands. My wife ran inside and it rose to its feet and took a step towards me as I scrambled for the shotgun on the darkened grassy yard. Then I finally felt it and picked it up. When I looked up, the beast had run off. It was moving fast away from us and it was emitting yelps of pain and growls of rage. I didn’t care. It was gone.” Michael then let out a long sigh, reliving his night those 50+ years ago feeling the relief that he felt that night and then rose his head suddenly to attention and looked towards the door of the pub. He then came back to reality. It was back. It had obviously killed…that one man whoever it was….they would have known him. He would have been a friend. All the village were friends. Even Ethel MacDonough, the town loudmouth and gossiper…..and how many more lives were lost this night? Michael continued to an attentive storytelling session of listeners “It came back three more times during that month but seemed to remain a spectator…we heard its growls in the night and the crashing of the brush and branches within the tree line beyond the crops. We had our gun at the ready and had some folks bring me up a new rifle that was semi-automatic from Glasgow that I don’t think was really legal.” “I know what you mean`” Danny added. “I lived a few years in Belfast, Michael. Remember?” and tried to attempt a cheeky, comforting smile. Michael hardly paid any attention as he continued. “We had been told….warned… to leave the land alone. We were told tales of a bogeyman that were laughable, at best, but were told to leave the land alone and take only what was enough for you and your family. I want you to know, I was not being greedy. I wanted to provide food for mine and was just glad that the beast had disappeared for years after and that was when I had my daughter Isabelle. She was only 5 years old around the time when the area attracted new settlers and….they started to build the town” he explained. “but Michael….you mean your son Michael Jr….Micky Alexander ….your son that works at the docks now in Liverpool….right, you don’t have a daughter” Angus interrupted. “Please, Angus…..” Michael hushed Angus with a calming hand gesture “let me finish”….. The Old Man observed the faces around him, with a final glance to the space around the front of the bar. Listening. Seems that only Michael could hear the low breathing that accompanied his survey. “that damn thing would not give up!” Michael insisted. “the villagers did not help the situation with the constant build and razing of meadows, woodland and river space. I did not blame them. They were not aware. If I had told them, how would they accept this fairy tale when a child of 5 thought it to be pure haver…gibberish?? I asked them, during one town meeting, that perhaps they leave some of the natural space for the habitat of the wildlife so we don’t drive away the elk, rabbits and deer. We would need food and they also help the fertility of the land for crops. I was voted down. They wanted mills and lumber yards and needed to pull in the riverbanks for boat passages. This was not going to end well. I hoped that mine was not connected to my childhood warning and this monstrosity was a one-time occurrence. It was not” Michael’s head bowed. He had trouble catching his breath and coughed twice. This brought about a sound much closer to the pub that sounded like a demonic recognition of an old friend. A low mooing sound. Deep and unnatural. The group inside froze and trembled. Angus gripped his rifle and pulled it close to his chest. There was silence for nearly 10 minutes after this….Michael wanted to hurry back to his final bit of the story. His cautionary tale that was past caution. “The wind turbines. The town had grown so much back then in such a short time and remained unmoved for so long that I had not considered this until I heard this thing tonight. We have just ripped apart untold stretches of land – at least 80 km – to install cabling and these behemoths for the energy of a few Glaswegians. I didn’t think about this. It would have been through many villages now to make its way here tonight. I promise you that lives were lost this night. It is not finished. The destruction of the land it surveys creates a seething rage. I’ll be honest, I am not sure why it has stalled outside. It is what I tell you. This is beyond doubt. The question is if we will survive as I did that night long ago. My daughter did not. It took her away from me” Michael lamented, glossy eyed. “After the town had been built up and there were dances and fiddles blaring and the newly erected halls were alight with merry and cheer….it made its way to us. It was always in the dark of night. Never in the day. It came to us while the town was asleep. Screams rang out across the village as it tore from home to home. Some homes were smashed into and we lost 6 of our folk. When it came to me, I heard it first outside, howling….I heard the claws raking across the trees. It wanted my attention. I knew what it was. I know that it remembered me. My wife peeked outside and I begged her to hold her stress. We could not risk this beast getting inside. We turned off the lights. It wanted revenge I have no doubt. Not just for the raping of its land but for the wounding of it years before. I believe that the reason it held back was also because I believe that it had some small measure of fear which caused its hesitation. My little girl woke and began screaming. I grabbed my rifle and flashlight and ran outside to make some attempt to take this thing on. Whether I was killed or not, it would not get to my family. I got to the front porch. There is was, staring into my little girl’s bedroom. It was as massive as I remembered. I screamed at it in such a rage that I frightened myself. I was ready to wrestle it to the ground if I had to. I shot at it again. It shrieked at me and slammed it’s claws at the house as the bullet hit. This time, the shoulder. It seemed to make it more enraged” Michael grit his teeth and spit out the next sentence with tears. “it smashed my little Isabella’s window. The window exploded and it rushed into the room while I scrambled after it screaming, crying, wailing while my wife screamed from behind me and raced behind me, falling into the mud at the bottom of the steps….I got the window in less than a second, it felt. The beast had my daughter in its claws” Michael paused, wiped a tear, another sip from a now empty pint. Danny handed him his for that final sip. Gordon and Colin placed arms around Michael Coy while he finished his tale. “There was blood covering its right arm as it spread a wide fanged grin across its face. This thing was a mass of rage filled instinct, I knew but at this moment, it was personal. I knew this. I pointed my gun at it and because Isabelle was small, I knew I could get its leg or foot to disable it for a moment to reach Isabelle. I raised the gun and immediately, it let out a scream as it stretched its head towards me to focus its anger towards me. My wife and daughter screamed in unison while I fired. I barely grazed its leg. It didn’t even flinch. It rushed towards me while I raised my Enfield for another shot and it knocked me to the ground and sent my rifle flying. It flew off into the forest. I could hear the screams of my little Isabelle fading into the distance. I gave chase as long as my legs could and I heard nothing. Was beaten down by branches in my face and roots tripping me up in the pitch dark. I lay in the bog, wailing uncontrollably. Screaming for my little girl for hours until I had to get back to my wife that was beyond comfort. We spent years in a haze. We could not stop considering the hundreds of versions of Isabelle’s fate. It plagued us. 7 years later, Mary got pregnant with Michael Alexander. We put up a large fence but we vowed to stay and not give up our land. I have added to my gun collection and we raised Michael without incident for the rest of our lives, until now” Michael concluded. The lads were all tear filled and with heads bowed and felt Michael’s pain. Aila, head in hands, weeped quietly near the fire with her back to the rest. “Fook sake Michael….I’m sorry lad. I didn’t know” Angus declared. Colin, Danny, Angus, Aila, Gordon and the other boys Arthur and Dennis, brothers who patroned the pub every Saturday evening, looked at each other and asked Michael what could be done and what are we expecting. “We must make a stand. We cannot let this get any further. We cannot let it take any more innocent lives” Michael asserted. “what weapons do you have, Angus?” “I have a pistol in the drawer of the desk in back and this here rifle”. I have some knives in the little kitchen in the back if they are of any use but can’t imagine you’d get close enough to use, by your account” Angus replied. The group each took whatever they could. Michael refused a weapon while Danny took the pistol and various items – knives, a cricket bat and a fire poker and snow shovel were grabbed up. They moved towards the front. The low breathing was not far from them, on the other side of that paint chipped, three-inch-thick cedar door. The lads tried to get a peek again through the stained glass window but could see nothing. Danny took a deep breath, paused and slowly unbolted the door and gripped its handle. There was a paralyzing fear amongst the group at what they would see and less of what it could do. The door creaked open. Angus and the others had never heard that creak before. The pub was usually full of life and song and laughter that this unwelcome noise had not existed. The door slowly fulfilled its action to bring in a bluster of wind and light snow. The snow in front of them was luminated white and shining from the one light that positioned itself at the start of the lane that had guided so many staggering souls back to their safe and warm beds. There was nothing outside but the blackness of a tree line and a the last steps of David’s rush home. David never made it home, it was later learned. Found in a ditch off the path, less than 150 metres from the pub. The group scanned the perimeter and listened. Nothing. Then a low growl attracted their attention in a cumulative snap of heads towards the left of the tree line, near Angus’ bobcat tractor used for snow removal. There it was. Eyes alight, nearly 8 foot tall. Staring at its prey. All you can eat buffet for demons. They stood paralysed. They gripped their weapons. Angus raised his rifle. Waiting for a shot. Danny was first. Danny, a crack shot, fired his pistol at it, hitting it straight into the head. The precision of an IRA soldier. A former life that was extinguished and escaped from. The beast howled into the sky and clutched at its eye where the bullet seemed to hit. Then Angus fired and hit the snowplow window “Ah fuck!” he shouted. Even during this, he momentarily realized that he had smashed his own window. Then fired another and hit its chest while Danny pushed forward through the snow, pistol at eye level firing every last bullet into the beast while it attempted to run. Courage found itself in the team as they all pushed forward knowing that Danny had provided an advantage. They got close to it. Michael stayed back at the pub door. He watched. He wanted his revenge but he knew that his old legs would not be able to catch up. “Da…..daddy……” a female voice came from behind Michael, in the empty pub. Michael gasped and spun around. This little voice was etched in his memory and would be if he lived to be 5000 years old. Tears gushed from his eyes and he peered across the pub. Nothing. There was nothing. He fell to his knees, sobbing. He needed closure. This was his past begging for him to make amends, somehow. He rose up, he moved outside to the group that had surrounded the wounded beast. It was on its haunches, covering its head. Danny had pointed his final bullet towards its head and was ready to pull the trigger when Michael, who appeared behind him quietly, placed a frail hand on Danny’s and took the pistol. The beast then uncovered itself and looked directly into the eyes of Michael Coy. Old enemies. A lifetime journey of hell steered by this fur clad nightmare. It grinned with that same wide fanged mouth. It’s mouth was covered in blood from its night of savage brutality. Many Isabelle’s were cut down this evening. The beast gave out a final shriek and a sudden swipe of its claw took off Michael’s arm but not before that final blast. Blood filled the air as Michael Coy’s arm flew across the sky. It was hard to distinguish between the shriek of the beast, the gun shot and the scream from old Michael Coy. The beast collapsed to the ground. A fountain of blood gushed from its head while Michael lay in the snow, filling it with blood while Danny and Angus grabbed him and began to pull him back towards the pub. Dragging Michael leaving a trail of blood across the snow. The rest of the group screamed and stabbed and beat the demonic creature until it was nothing more than a hair covered mass in the snow. The group made its stand at the behest of Michael Coy. Michael got his revenge but at the price of his life. The old man, lay bleeding to death. Bar cloths and coats held the blood to a minimum but it couldn’t be stopped. Michael offered the group a last look and a vague smile and looked up, imagining his lovely wife Mary and daughter Isabelle and then he joined them. The group then burned the beast and dumped the remains into the river using Angus’ bobcat plow. The following weeks, there were stories of what the villagers had seen. The pub group had made a promise to leave the story alone. To keep it to themselves forever. It would do no good to cause a furor and also risk being ostracized as drunken fools with wild imaginations. Michael was said to have been attacked by wolves on his way home. An old man that was easy prey for the scavenging packs that had been pushed into the village due to the overextension of the land development. Four years after the night’s deadly occurrences, the Scottish government had decided to bring investment to Braemar and the villages of Aberdeenshire and provide new jobs with a large-scale highway project. There would be a new Council highways moving through the north. The new mayor of Braemar had brokered this deal and was proud to be leading this new development. The villagers that new the truth, including Danny, Angus, Aila, Colin, Gordon, Arthur and Dennis were not against it. They knew that their bogeyman had been dealt with and this was a welcome new chapter for the area. As long as the village kept its community, there would be no objection. Six months into the rapidly moving infrastructure project, 160km of forest was razed and rivers were bridged and Aberdeenshire was hardly recognized anymore. This would make for easier access to the larger towns and cities for supplies and medical visits. Over 200 new jobs were created for the project and it would last another 3 years, it was projected. It was at the end of this six months that there were shrieks across the countryside. Higher pitched screeches. This was soon followed by the loss of many project workers, then children. Then sightings of many human-like hairy monstrosities with fangs and claws moving very fast across fields and woodland. Some claimed to have seen 4 at once moving quickly across the land and some seen feeding on livestock. The beast had been given a family. The slaughter was far reaching, merciless and quick. Their directives were instinctive and not focused on livestock.
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With the end of November in sight, it’s time to check out MAME 0.216! We’ve addressed the reported issues with last month’s bgfx update, and made a whole lot of little improvements to MAME’s internal user interface. In particular, setting up controls should be easier, and several issues affecting macOS users with non-English number format settings have been fixed. Some of the issues caused bad settings to be written to INI files. If you still don’t see the filter list panel on the system selection menu, try removing the ui.ini file. This month, we’re able to present two unreleased 1970s prototypes from Italian developer Model Racing: their internal code names are Cane and Orbite. With the assistance of former Model Racing employees, the source code was extracted from the original disks. These games are incomplete, but they provide a unique look into early CPU-based arcade development. Game & Watch titles continue to be emulated, with the addition of Mario The Juggler, and the panorama screen Mickey Mouse and Donkey Kong Circus games in this release. This release brings GameKing emulation to MAME. The system-on-a-chip used in this low-cost, low-resolution hand-held console from the early 2000s has been identified and emulated. Games for the colour-screen GameKing III are also playable. Acorn BBC Micro emulation has been re-worked to support internal expansion boards, and a number of additional peripherals are now available. ZX Spectrum emulation has been enhanced with better open bus read behaviour and support for two Miles Gordon Technology peripherals. Of course, these are just the highlights. You can get the source and Windows binary packages from the download page.
MAMETesters Bugs Fixed
05177: [Crash/Freeze] (studio2.cpp) All studio2 variants: Memory map does not support cartridges larger than 1 kB. (Robbbert)
05600: [Graphics] (popeye.cpp) popeye and clones: Games use interlaced video output. (Couriersud)
07386: [DIP/Input] (qix.cpp) zookeep, kram and clones: Unable to start game or use first coin slot. (O. Galibert)
Vs Maxx Texas Hold'em TV Poker - 6 Player Edition (UK) [David Haywood, Morten Shearman Kirkegaard, Peter Wilhelmsen]
VTech DynamiDesk (Germany) [TeamEurope]
VTech Mis Primeras Lecciones (Spain) [ClawGrip]
Yu-Gi-Oh Monster Capsule [SpinalFeyd, R. Belmont]
New clones marked as NOT_WORKING
286 motherboards with Suntac ST62C303-A chipset [rfka01]
Abit AB-AH4 [rfka01]
Abit AB-PI4 [rfka01]
AEG Olympia Olystar 20F [rfka01]
Arstoria AS496 [rfka01]
Biostar MB-1433UCV [rfka01]
Channel Three [TeamEurope, Grull Osgo, Ivan Vangelista]
Chicago Cubs' Triple Play (German) [PinMAME]
Comus Instruments Ltd. Comus Daisy [Nigel Barnes, Centre for Computing History]
Corona Data Systems, Inc. Cordata PPC-400 [rfka01]
Eagle EAGLEN486 GC10A [rfka01]
First International Computer 486 KVD [rfka01]
Highscreen 486-25 [rfka01]
Leading Edge Hardware Products, Inc. Model D [rfka01]
Mephisto (Stargame) (newer?) [jordigahan]
NAT48PV-1.00 VL [rfka01]
Oba-Oba (old hardware) [PinMAME]
Philips NMS 9100 [rfka01]
Shuttle Computer International HOT-307H [rfka01]
Shuttle Computer International HOT-419 [rfka01]
SOYO SY-4SAW2 [rfka01]
Space Train (Pinball, old hardware) [PinMAME]
Tandy Radio Shack Videotex [cuba200611]
Video Technology PreComputer 2000 (Spain) [ClawGrip]
VTech Pitagorin [ClawGrip]
Wang Laboratories, Inc. PC-250/16 [rfka01]
New working software list additions
apple2_flop_clcracked:
Certificates and More! (cleanly cracked), The Cosmic Balance (cleanly cracked), Empire III: Armageddon (Version 1.1) (cleanly cracked), Fractions: Addition (cleanly cracked), Labyrinth of Crete (cleanly cracked), Labyrinth: The Computer Game (Lucasfilm Games) (cleanly cracked), MECC-A315 Freedom! (Version 1.0) (cleanly cracked), Questron (cleanly cracked), The Tournament Manager (cleanly cracked) [4am, Firehawke]
The Adventures of Kristen and Her Family (cleanly cracked), Korg 800 4-Track MIDI Sequencer (Version 1.0) (cleanly cracked), Leadsheeter (cleanly cracked), MIDI/8 Plus (Version 1.2) (cleanly cracked), PolyWriter (Version 1.2) (cleanly cracked), PolyWriter Utilities (Version 1.2) (cleanly cracked) [4am, san, Firehawke]
The Railroad Works (CBS Version) (cleanly cracked) [Tom Greene, Firehawke]
apple2_flop_misc:
Anti-M (version 1.6) [4am, Firehawke]
Best of Muse (16 Sector + LC Patch) [Tom Greene, Firehawke]
apple2_flop_orig: Appilot Edu-Disk, Asteroid, Beneath The Pyramids, The Best of MUSE, Bloody Murder, Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom, Checker King, Deadline (Release 26 / 821108), Earthquake: San Francisco 1906, Empire III: Armageddon (Version 1.1), Flight Simulator I (A2-FS1), Gammon Gambler, Gulf Strike, Hacker II: The Doomsday Papers, How The West Was One + Three x Four, In Search of Space: Introduction to Model Rocketry, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients, Lane Mastodon vs. The Blubbermen, Law of the West, Little Computer People, Lords of Conquest, Master of the Lamps, MicroChess (Version 2.0), Might and Magic Book Two, Pandora's Box, Pharaoh's Revenge, Physics of Model Rocketry, Punctuation: Building Better Language Skills, Realm of Impossibility, Roadwar 2000 (Version 1.1), Super Zaxxon, Video Vegas (Version 12501), Word Zapper [4am, Firehawke]
c64_cass: 3D Pinball, American 3D Pool, Angle Ball, Ball Crazy, Continental Circus, Feud, One Man and His Droid, Robocop, Rockford / Back to Reality [archive.org, Zoë Blade]
gamegear: Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos (Euro, prototype 19930517) [Hidden Palace]
neogeo: Real Bout Fatal Fury / Real Bout Garou Densetsu (Korean release, bug fix revision) [jysx012]
sms: Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos (Euro, prototype 19930713) [Hidden Palace]
spectrum_cass:
La Mode - 1984 (Programa Computado) [ClawGrip, avlixa, ICEknight]
DISCiPLE System Tape v3b [TwistedTom]
spectrum_mgt_flop: DISCiPLE System Disk v2, DISCiPLE System Disk v2b, DISCiPLE System Disk v2c, DISCiPLE System Disk v3a, DISCiPLE System Disk v3b, DISCiPLE System Disk v3d, Pick-Poke-It, Plus D System Disk v2a, Uni-Dos [TwistedTom]
studio2: RCA demo [Robbbert]
visicom: Gambler I, Gambler II, Sansuu Drill, Space Command [unknown]
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