A cool way to write your name

Ok, so on May 26th 2024, I got all the stars after 31 hours + 3 more I had on another save file, and let me tell you what, it was quite a rollercoaster of an adventure, so here I'll just review my overall experience of it
C1 Dice Domain: (9/10) It was a nice beginning course that felt welcoming for people who are just getting started on easier Kaizo hacks, like sure, it feels a bit different from the original source material, and that can be great, as it gives a player something kinda new, so overall, it's a solid level without it being intimidating, and it's just a nice little warmup for me, someone who's trying Kaizos for the first time
C2 Concrete Jungle: (8.5/10) This is also a pretty solid course, and although, the red coin star was replaced in this version, it was still a solid experience without them, and the stars still felt like a nice little warmup. Also, there was that one heave-ho trick I had to know about, so yeah, I didn't know at the time, and instead went the long way on top to slide and jumped to the star, which involved me finding a bug where I get soft locked on the slope, but again, still quite a solid level with interesting design choices
C3 Wallowing Wells: (8/10) This is a great mashup of C3 from SM74 and EE, and even though I'm not the biggest fan of water levels, you actually have faster swimming, and it's way better than what I tried in EE, I mean, I had a good time getting the stars and the 100 coins even, then you have the waterless mode star which is a good test of your platforming skills, and even though a fell down a few times, it's actually not near as bad as what you had to do in EE, and it was quite enjoyable, so still a nice mashup that doesn't feel like a difficulty spike out of nowhere, but still slightly trickier than the first two courses
Underground Slide: (7.5/10) Now, here's the first little difficulty spike in the hack, so this one had me dying a bit on the slide's reds, and yeah I died at the end to that stupid pillar. Also, to get that first star in the metal cap switch, I decided to take the long route instead of doing the skip, I dunno why, but anyway, near the end of that section kinda felt like a chokepoint, but I mean, it's not bad, and I liked how they replaced the Mario Party minigame music with the underground theme from Yoshi's Island, which is quite fitting with the redesign, so overall, even if it's a bit of a difficulty spike early in the game, I still did like my experience with it quite a bit, and I like the new aesthetic of it
B1 Bowser's Park Party: (9/10) I actually like what they did with this version, they made it feel a bit different by making it like an island in the sky, and the stars were just pretty fun overall, like the one metal cap star was an interesting because of the way you go inside the building to get it, and the key section felt free because of the metal cap safety net, but there was that one part where you had to do oddly precise lava bounces, I don't know why LinCrash made it that way, but I'm not gonna question it, and it was an enjoyable experience all the way through
C4 Bogey Bayou: (8/10) I thought this course was pretty fun, but there was that one pit with Bubbas with the red coins that were a bit risky to get due to the relentless nature of them, however, the rest of this course had some solid stars in it, like there was one star where you have the entrance to a secret lava section, and due to the Parallel Lakitu cam, you didn't have to do blind guesswork, so that's nice, but yeah, the actual secret entrance star was just free, nothing else to say about that one, but even though the 100 coins took me longer than it should've, I actually had quite a fun time platforming on rooftops over some deadly quicksand sludge
C5 Flamework Factory: (8.5/10) An interesting course with tunnels that leads you to other stars and parts of the level, and honestly, I liked how it felt sort of like nice little puzzle with a couple of stars requiring certain caps to traverse to the other section, and in the current version, the tunnels just warp you to that certain room, I don't really mind the change that much because it doesn't really decrease the difficulty that much, so overall, another solid experience when I knew the places I needed to go for certain stars.
MC Aerial Alpine: (9/10) I love what they did with the metal cap stage from the original EE, they turned it into a snow level, and now it's a lot more enjoyable, and even though this current version replaced the red coin star, it was still a nice chill stage, no pun intended, and the stars felt like nice little warmup sections that I had a pretty good time with, even though they replaced the metal cap section with a shell riding one, so that actually felt a bit more fun to do, since I'm actually good with the shell
VC Dusty Darkness: (6.5/10) Now, this is the first level that started giving me a bit of problems, like there's this one star where I had to jump down to a walljumping section, and I actually had to turn up the brightness on my monitor to see where I was, and even then, I kept on getting caught on the one wall because the collision is weird, and I missed my jump quite a bit because of it, but once I learned to stop touching the wall, it wasn't as bad, and there was one more star that gave me slight problems, but that one at least didn't have bad collision, and the other stars were actually quite decent, so yeah, definitely not a great level at all, but not that bad
WC Lava Pit of Inversion: (7.5/10) Yeah, it's just a chill wing cap course that doesn't feel special at all, it was just like the original, except flipped upside down, I mean, the stars were satisfying to get, however, could've done something more creative with it, but I mean, it still is quite a decent experience
C6 Stalactite Cave: (8/10) This is yet another water stage, and again, I'm not the biggest fan of them, but this one actually was kinda interesting, even though this course got the Drowned Factory treatment. This course seemed quite solid with this one platforming section above water that is slightly tricky, but quite fun to do, and I liked that one part where you had to get a Chuckya from the cage below and clip behind a wall to get that one star, so yeah, nice rendition of course 6 that had completely different stars, and it was not bad to navigate at all
C7 Crumble Rumble Tower: (8/10) I really do like the aesthetic of this course, and I enjoyed the climb to the top with the 5 secrets, it's actually kinda fun doing those ledgegrabs near the top, even when there were those clouds that blew you off the course, and the 100 coins were fun to get, except there was that one sketchy red coin you had to get a walljump off of, but it was still a bit of fun nonetheless, and the King Whomp bossfight is actually not bad, even though it was sand, but you actually had more of a platform to work with, so yeah, overall, solid course with only a couple parts that made me go "meh"
C8 Absolute Zeroasis: (6.5/10) Yeah, this is a course I didn't enjoy as much due to that red coins maze with freezing water, and the camera not being the greatest, along with that one spiral pyramid star that was quite a bit annoying to get, but if you set aside that, the 100 coins and other stars are actually decent, so overall, it's not that bad, but yeah, wasn't really a fan of a couple stars
C9 Nature Nocturne: (8/10) This is actually a solid rendition of Course 9, I liked the music in it, it was a nice vibe from Yoshi's Story, and I liked the red coins in it, there was some enjoyable platforming on top of wood planks, and it's interesting going under the flower field to get this one secret, even though you had to go back to get the star, but I really like the idea of it, and yeah, the star under the bridge I could've gotten by using the switch, but I did it the hard way, which took me dozens of tries, but overall, what a solid remake
B2 Bowser's Tidal Tropics: (6.5/10) So yeah, this is the first level that actually made me rage a bit, but before I get into that, I will say that I love the Koopa Troopa Beach music in this course, it really compliments the theme of it, and 4 of the stars in there were just kind of a nice experience, but that one star where you had to do the firsties at the right angle, even though, thankfully it's not quicksand this time, it's water, it still proved to be quite a bit annoying, but it was satisfying once I pulled it off, and now, the key part was what really started getting to me because at the beginning, I felt like I had to do the one firstie so that I can have just the right height land on the platform without getting grabbed by the Chuckya, and that gets annoying because every time a failed on those angled timed boxes, I have to start front the beginning, but I realized, I did that part the hard way, so my experience with this could've went a lot smoother, if it weren't for that, but still, not the greatest experience due to it deriving from the EE version of this stage, however, the stars before the key section were overall not bad, and again, that key section made me quite a bit angry, but the rest of it was actually not bad, it was just a matter of getting past those couple things I mentioned earlier
C10 Quicksand Beach: (9/10) After the last stage, this one was actually quite chill, the stars were actually quite enjoyable to get, like the red coins were fun to shell jump up to get in the middle of the quicksand, and thank God LinCrash decided to have 100 coins nerfed because in the older versions of SM74, you had to get all the blue coins like near frame perfect, and you had to slowly push all the bullies into that one tiny lava pit, but this version, really made it chill, and at first, I thought the stars you had to get by going into the quicksand tunnel we're gonna be a pain, but actually, the Parallel Lakitu cam worked out in my favor, and I actually enjoyed going down there, so this yet is another nice and solid experience
C11 Polluted Pond: (7/10) So, it's the level with one of the stars I dreaded, the star where you have to do walljump crossovers over a platform with quicksand, but I really surprised myself here, as it only took me a few tries, and I actually never died to the quicksand itself, I just failed at the last crossover a few times, so this might've been just a fluke, but yeah, while the rest of the level wasn't the greatest due to having to climb back up out of the toxic sand below, and it took me so long to find the last red coin for some reason, although, it still has quite a bit of fun platforming here and there, but on that one hideout star where you kinda have tight window for those timed boxes, it was mildly annoying when I hit that arrow leading me to it, however, after that is not that bad, just one sketchy jump, so overall, not really a great course, but the platforming was a bit of fun to do
C12 Cliff of Time: (8/10) Now this is an interesting one because this is like the first time that we see two versions of a course that you get to switch between depending on the star, and I mean, I enjoyed getting these stars, they were quite a bit unique from each other, and yeah, the red coins weren't really as bad as I thought, it was just that one sketchy walljump ledgegrab I had to do to get to the rest of the course, and every time you started the harder version of this course, you had to do a firstie to even start it, which is not that annoying at all, and just meh, but the same went for some of the red coins, however, you did have quite a bit of room for error before the timer ran out, so this course overall has cool concepts, and it felt quite fair
C13 Sea Salt Peaks: (5/10) Now, most of this course felt a bit free, and Koopa the Quick is still slow, this was just a fine level, but oh my God, the Hot Arch Crossing star really brings down the experience because it was so annoying with those firespitters while having to do more precise walljump crossovers three times in a row, and one where you have to do kind of a precise triple jump to get to the last crossover, like that star genuinely made me just rage, and I never wanna touch it again, although the 100 coins were quite a bit scarce
C14 Veninium Sphere: (8.5/10) Now this course was quite fun, and I actually like how LinCrash designed the course to have more gaps in it to make up for the nerfs he did, so it still didn't feel too easy for what it was, and the climb was quite satisfying, but the one small flaw I had was with the first star Tower of the South, and that is when I just got through the hall of angled walljumps, I would sometimes miss the star because I couldn't exactly tell where it is in that hole in the ceiling, but I mean, I feel like that one was just on me, although, the rest of the level was very good, and the red coins didn't feel daunting at all to get, so overall, it was quite an enjoyable experience
C15 Delombru Sphere: (8.5/10) Same as the last course, the climb was quite satisfying to do, but this course felt a bit more convoluted to me because there was that one sideways tower that I didn't know I could reach with a triple jump until I tried it, and there was that one Dungeon Dominance star where I didn't think that precise walljump ledgegrab was intended, yet it was, but it wasn't actually that bad, and thank God that one crazy Tower of the North star was changed into an amp obstacle course because in the old versions, you had to do really precise walljumps consistently without ledgegrabbing, and the 100 coins and 8 reds were actually pretty satisfying to get on only like what, my 4th attempt? I mean, you got those two sketchy red coins at the beginning, but after that, it was nice and smooth sailing because I just crushed it, I genuinely thought I was gonna fumble more on that, but glad I didn't, however, the Morbid Deadly Puzzle star was still pretty tough because it's like closer to EE difficulty than any other star here, and I will not forgive that one Snifit that killed me one time when I was getting far into that star, but it was quite satisfying once I finally got the star at the end, so overall, a well designed course with a challenge that will prove to be pretty difficult, but comes with a satisfying reward at the end
Void of the East: (8/10) Now this was quite a tough and challenging star, and that one angled walljump off the pillar and tower right next to it is kinda what made the challenge even moreso, but good thing you can come up with a good routing method for this star to not feel like as much of a drag, so for me, the metal cap lava bounce secret was the easiest, so I did that last, and yeah, to get off that one rooftop, it sucked when I just couldn't make the jump with the wrong angle, but as I did the right angle, it wasn't as bad, and the rest of the course is actually fun, so once it got consistent, it was quite enjoyable, and I was thoroughly satisfied after getting that star
B3 Bowser's Rainbow Realm: (6/10) Yeah, I didn't enjoy opening the cannon in this stage that much at all, I just hated having to do those angled wall kicks over the first lava section at every attempt I had at opening the cannon, but good thing that you didn't have to do three of those in a row, just one of them, and the amp section was just a bit annoying because I had to be careful with my jumps, while having to deal with the possibility of the firespitter getting me, as for the second lava section that first jump was quite sketchy to make, but right after that, the section was definitely better than the first one. There was also that Heave-ho on the third section that killed me at least a couple times, and it felt like a slap to the face when that happened to me, but when I opened the cannon, I felt quite a bit relieved, and the other stars were actually a bit enjoyable, despite me wanting to get to Grandmaster's Goal that final day, like the secrets had some decent platforming, but it was just a slight flaw that I couldn't properly see that one opening to getting that 5 secrets star, however, I got the right angle at some point, and now the 8 red coins were actually quite decent, it felt like a good break, but there were a couple red coins that seemed slightly sketchy, but we're not bad at all, however, I will say, wasn't really the biggest fan of getting on those steep slopes, as they felt fast, and I had to make sure my angle to get on them was good or else I'd fall down due to no ledgegrabs, but it was alright, and yeah, I accidentally got that one caged Banjo Tooie cartridge star while getting the red coins, but after that, there was one more kind of annoying star I had to get with that risky platforming on the walls of the amp section, and the final fight was just Bowser, but the bombs were oddly closer than the original, don't know why LinCrash made them like that, but whatever, it's fine, so overall, yeah, this stage can get quite frustrating when you are trying to open the cannon, but after that, it's not bad at all, it actually got quite a bit fun, although, the music felt a bit repetitive NGL
Grandmaster's Goal: (8/10) This was a pretty good gauntlet at the end, but oh my God it's quite nerve-wracking I got closer to the end, and when I died a couple times at those cones in the Cliff of Wrath part, it was a bit disappointing, but as I noticed that I was getting more consistent with the other parts, the confidence built within me, and in this current version, they added a heart at the walljump crossover section, and oh man, I really needed it, even though it nerfs the endurance test a bit, I still appreciated it, and yeah, the metal cap section was still a chokepoint because of that one walljump ledgegrab, and at the beginning of me doing this gauntlet, I kept dying at the Stalagmite Cave slide part, even though I shouldn't have because it's easy when I got the angle right, but yeah, overall, this gauntlet was pretty well put together, but yeah, there are a couple parts that are easily chokeable and can be roadblocks to your success. Oh and one thing I forgot, the other two Grandmaster's Goal stars, they were a bit easy to get, like you could just do a skip to save time for the "speedrun" star, and there was that one hidden star that was fairly easy to find, so those two stars were essentially before the real deal, and they were kinda cool to get
In conclusion, my first Kaizo experience definitely had times where I got quite a bit frustrated, but in the end, I'm glad I beat this as my hardest ROM hack, and the experience was definitely worthwhile, so I decided to post this review here to share my experience

Some of you may have seen me drop hints here and there (or a full preview on the Super Gameroom Dudes), but 4 months later, I've finally finished my biggest Arcade1Up mod project to-date:
Arcade1Up NBA Jam Shaq XL is now... Soul Calibur XL!
There's a lot that went into this cab, and I basically built the entire thing 2 or 3 times over because of all the trial-and-error as I used new tools, tried new materials, got measurements wrong, etc. It was FAR more complicated than my prior NeoGeo build, but the results are better, too. Here is where I ended up with what went into this beast.
Cabinet ($600):

• This started life as a standard Arcade1Up NBA Jam Shaq XL cabinet. I didn't want that game, only the shell. So, I only assembled the frame of it.

Control Panel:

• The 4-player deck was replaced with a fully custom 2-player deck of my own design. I started with a sloped, Midway-style design, but the angle wasn't comfortable for my height (I'm 6'2"), so I settled on a raised, flat design that felt much better. The whole thing is made of melamine-coated half-inch plywood, so it's super strong.
• The entire deck slides over the factory frame, and re-uses a modified version of the Shaq XL sub-frame to provide full support from below. I also re-used the factory "shelf" with some adjustments (used spacers to make it higher, and moved the mounting poins out to the sides to allow more room for controls and wiring).
• There's a piano hinge on the back that allows the deck to open so the joystick and button wiring can be accessed. There's also a wireless keyboard in case the PC needs to be controlled.
• The top features an acrylic panel that was a bugger to measure and cut, but I finally got a version that's about 1/16-1/32" accurate in every dimension. It also attaches to the deck with 4 bolts, just like the Arcade1Up versions (though it's not strictly necessary, because unlike A1U plexi, I put the panel under the button surrounds like real arcades would do).

Art ($300):

• I contacted several graphics vendors, but some never responded, and others didn't have any Shaq templates and didn't seem to want to get involved. But I'd used Escape Pod in the past with good results, and they had a Shaq template. They also had a Soul Calibur design they had used for a full-size cab. So, we collaborated, and they produced the custom art package that made this happen, including marquee with plexi, side panels, kick panel, and the entire control panel. They're great!

Monitor ($100), Mount + Bezel ($108):

• Dell 20" 2007fpb 4:3 monitor came from eBay. It only has a DVI input for digital. Everything was de-cased, and the controls were screwed into the back. It's a great looking monitor!
• Of course, Shaq comes with a crap 19" monitor, so the Dell is a definite upgrade, but not a 1:1 fit. So, I contacted Gus from Karv Design on Etsy, who had done work on my NeoGeo build, and he came through. He had never done a Shaq cab before, but I gave him the exact dimensions and he custom-built a monitor mount, and black acrylic bezel. I messed a few things, but his stuff was spot on! Can't recommend him highly enough!

Audio ($166):

• Dayton Audio KAB-2150 2x150w Class D Amp ($30) and power supply ($35)
• Visaton 3.3" speakers ($30) and grills ($11)
• Powered subwoofer ($90)... this makes such a difference it's not even funny
• I wanted a "stock" look with the audio and not get into making a custom panel, so I stuck with the same size speakers, but much better quality and power handling. The amplifier is admittedly overpowered for this project, but it had two, important features that were surprsingly hard to find: external controls AND a dedicated subwoofer output. This had both!

Controls ($86):

• Industrias Lorenzo Eurostick (x2) ($34 total)
• Happ Competition Pushbuttons (x16) ($34 total)
• Easyget (Dragonrise) Zero Delay Encoders ($18)
• I went through probably dozens of combinations of buttons and switches and ended up with something that has a shorter through and minimal click. I wanted a fast response. For the joysticks, I never considered anything other than ILs.

Games ($162):

• I started with a Raspberry Pi 5, which WAS capable of running Soul Calibur I and II, but it was finnicky. The controllers would randomly disconnect, AND it has a stupid design that lacks an audio out, so I had to pickup an HDMI audio/video splitter that ended up not outputting the video signal accurately and decreased the audio out level significantly. It also added several extra wires. The Pi setup was a total PITA that cost me nearly $200 with everything it needed (board, case, cables, splitter, power supply, etc.).
• SO... when DIY Retro Arcade started offering the pre-built Core i5 computer with "no junk" Batocera 38 build ($162), I jumped. And boy, was it worth it! The i5 is so much more capable, not to mention STABLE, and getting rid of the HDMI splitter reduced cable clutter AND improved the audio quality significantly! The Batocera build is really good, too! No junk, and lots of good stuff (yes, every Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, KI, NeoGeo, and other fighting game). This really makes the system.

Special ($152):

• Faux Coin Door from Arcade1Up ($20)
• Coin Door Lights from RETRO 530 ($21)
• Isobar Surge Protector w/ Switch ($105)
• Control Panel Hinge ($22)
• LED Strip Light ($6)

Other Materials ($418+):

• PVC Edge Banding ($20)
• Melamine Edge Banding ($20)
• Hand Roller ($9)
• Side Edge Trimmer ($33)
• Flush Cut Trimmers ($18)
• Super 77 Adhesive ($12)
• Planar Knives ($16)
• Weatherstripping ($7)
• L-Brackets ($12)
• DP to DVI Cable ($12)
• 12v Power Supply ($9)
• Various bits, blades, screws, and tools (picked up here and there)... oh, and WOOD! Experimented with lots of MDF, melamine, and acryclic ($250+).
• And many, many things I ended up not using (t-molding, Pi 5, arcade-spec power supply, lots of buttons, etc.)

Tools (N/A):

• Some of these tools I had on hand, some I inherited, some I bought. But I used a lot of different stuff... table saw, radial-arm saw, jigsaw, circular saw, drill press, heat gun, iron, hand roller, T-squares, speed square, hand drill, power sander, drill driver, various clamps, X-acto knives, squeegee, various screwdrivers, hammer, tape measures, shop-vac, etc.

TOTAL COST: $2,092 (excluding most tools and everything I bought that didn't get used, or that was thrown out, etc.)
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Would it have to cost this much? No. I'm not a woodworker or craftsperson, but I am a perfectionist. So, the two things combined meant everything took longer and cost more than it probably should. But I also don't think you could legitimately do this build for anything less than a grand, unless you happen to have everything you need sitting around (including a PC and monitor) and can get cheap art, etc. All told, it probably cost me at least $2,500 if I include things that didn't make it into the final product.
So, wouldn't it be better to just buy the real thing? That isn't the point. This is "built not bought" kind of thing. I wanted to see what I could do. And I wanted to prove what an XL could be... I think this did both. And I've owned a real arcade machine... tt was heavy, huge, and finnicky. Not again. And either way, good luck finding an original Soul Calibur machine. They weren't made in large numbers.
Why not just build your own? I could, but that also wasn't the point. Building from scratch is a whole other endeavor, whereas using an Arcade1Up means it "inherently" has Arcade1Up-style dimensions and will fit in with my other cabinets. I also just wanted to do something in the XL size.
Why Soul Calibur? It's a legit awesome game. It has a Metacritic score of 98, making it one of the highest scoring games of all time across all platforms and consoles. And it's easy for anyone to start playing. I have lots of fond memories playing on the Dreamcast, but with its very limited arcade exposure, there's less-than-zero chance Arcade1Up will ever make the game.
Why use the Dreamcast version instead of the arcade game? Surprisingly, Soul Calibur originally ran on Namco System 12 hardware, which was an upgrade of the Namco System 11 hardware that itself was based loosely on the original Playstation 1 hardware design. That meant the arcade version of Soul Calibur was actually worse than the Dreamcast version of the game that followed a year later. The Dreamcast version added better visuals and 3D backgrounds, along with a whole bunch of extra features. This was reported to be the first time a console game performed better than the arcade version upon which it was based.
Would you do it again? No, and also no. I proved it was possible and built the game I wanted in the way I wanted. And it plays great and looks cool. But it cost too much time and money. I learned a lot, and that was invaluable, so I recommend it on that level. Practically speaking, however, there's really no justification to do something like this again unless the market just completely fails to produce the products we want.
Anyway, thanks to anyone who made it this far. I have a lot more pics and some video, and am happy to answer any questions. I also want to thank all of the vendors who helped make this happen, as well as the kind words from PDubs and other supporters along the way.
So, now it's your turn, Arcade1Up... bring us the XLs!
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From Shaq to the Legend That Will Never Die!
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Yes, that's actually a light under the control deck illumuninating downward.
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The edge banding on the control panel mirrors the factory A1U edge banding.
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Yes, the entire control panel lifts up to access the controls!
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The top panel has audio controls, lighting control, and a master power switch.
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Behind the marquee is a powerful amp, upgraded speakers, and full tone controls.
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Yep, those are Happ ILs (and that's a piano hinge across the back).
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The full back section, complete with acoustic stuffing up top and a subwoofer down below. That's a custom shelf for the PC, too.
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A look inside showing inside the control panel from the back.
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Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk!