iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ellen Juniper Kaplan

@juniper.ellen.zone

🤖 DevRel Enjoyer [Open for work!] ⭐ Theme parks, coffee, and retro games are my jam 📝 Author, "Coping with Gender Dysphoria"; bylines in Vice, @pcgamer.com, etc. 🗺 Boston, MA 🌐 ellen.zone

Posts Replies Media

Ellen Juniper Kaplan @juniper.ellen.zone · 12/07/2026

as a side note, i don’t think galaxian 3 is the best shooter in their collection. that honor goes to STRIKERS 1945 III, a psikyo classic that i’ve never gotten to play on a cabinet before. phenomenal game, highly recommend the switch port.

an original STRIKERS 1945 III cabinet from 1999, a world war ii shoot-em-up developed by psikyo. the screen displays a GAME OVER, with gameplay of a semi-realistic plane bombing naval vehicles below.

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Ellen Juniper Kaplan @juniper.ellen.zone · 12/07/2026

on top of attack of the zolgear, we also got to play a round of bowling on Bowlingo, a fully automated electro-mechanical mini bowling installation released by Capcom in 1990. this was genuinely very fun, and worked surprisingly well!

a small scale bowling alley with tiny balls and segmented LED displays to track score. only one of the lanes has a wood panel floor. the machine is coin operated and is labeled with the “bowlingo” and “capcom usa” logos

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Ellen Juniper Kaplan @juniper.ellen.zone · 12/07/2026

the installation has definitely seen better days. the laserdisc player was replaced this year, and i’m sure that helped! but a couple of the controller stations are non-functional (or less than functional) and the sound is so quiet it might as well be off. maintaining this can’t be easy at all.

a closer look at the screen. color-coded player stations from 01-06 are marked underneath it, with a sci-fi looking faux display below those marks. the screen displays the words MISSION BRIEFING, with status information for the player ship on the right hand side. it does not photograph well.

a shot of one of the two projectors. it is a divided CRT style projector, with three distinct lenses—one red, one green, and one blue.

a closer look at the sign. a mirrored sign displays GALAXIAN3 PROJECT DRAGOON, while a craggy detailed sign below it proclaims the subtitle ATTACK OF THE ZOLGEAR. According to the sign, the planet “EXIA” has been attacked by “ZOLGEAR” the giant monster, and the player must fight back in “heavily armed stormer of UGSF Dragoon J-2: new generation, dragoon class”

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Ellen Juniper Kaplan @juniper.ellen.zone · 12/07/2026

got to play galaxian 3: attack of the zolgear at fun world today! i didn’t even have to ask a tech to turn it on for me, it was just running. it’s one of four left in the whole world, and the only one left in the US. feeling grateful i got to play it.

a large scale arcade installation labeled “GALAXIAN3” in an exciting font, with a craggy sign under it detailing the “ATTACK OF THE ZOLGEAR” update. it has blue and yellow trim, and there is a dedicated “ENTRANCE” and “EXIT”. the interior has a large theater like projection display, and six different player stations with seating and gun controllers.

a closer look inside the unit. the worn out looking projection display shows the game’s title (GALAXIAN 3, stylized as if it were “Galaxian Cubed”) and INSERT COINS text. there are various spaceship-like details surrounding the projection surface, including a CAUTION light.

another look inside. the “cockpit” type controllers are visible, white boxy things with red lights and handle like buttons. they are motion controllers which a player must manipulate to move their aiming reticle across the screen.

the display is very washed out, and poorly color balanced. it’s clearly two projectors, with a demarcated line where one projection surface ends and the other begins. a space sky is spread across both of them, with a health bar across the top. the color balance is wildly off, leaving one projection surface blue where the other is green.

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Ellen Juniper Kaplan @juniper.ellen.zone · 08/07/2026

back at it again at the circles machine

a SSS+ score (100.7722%) on 空回りライブラリ (Karamawari Library) by yukino ito on expert in maimai dx prism plus

a SSS+ score (100.5720%) on なんかノイズにきこえる by HaNaMiNa ft. Hana on expert in maimai dx prism plus

a SSS score (100.3146%) on オーバーライド (Override) by Yoshida Yasei on expert in maimai dx prism plus

a SSS+ score (100.7837%) in マヌルネコのうた by 小田朋美 on expert in maimai dx prism plus

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Ellen Juniper Kaplan @juniper.ellen.zone · 26/06/2026

Had the opportunity to visit Quassy Amusement Park at Lake Quassapaug in Connecticut last weekend for a @ridewithace.bsky.social New England event! Perfect weather for a swim in the lake. Wooden Warrior’s an easy new A-tier, the CoasterCon crowds were nice, and the food was great.

a picture of the train on wooden warrior, a gravity group family wooden coaster, descending down its roughly 35 foot primary drop

the twisting, winding tracks of wooden warrior from behind

a photo of lake quassapaug and a house on the shoreline, taken from a boat

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Ellen Juniper Kaplan @juniper.ellen.zone · 07/02/2026

Batsugun (1996) is really, really fun. Great patterns, super cool weapon leveling system. Glad I’ve been playing more Saturn lately.

A screenshot depicting a red spaceship flying over a sunny beach while being shot at by strange blue circular ships with giant propellers

a screenshot depicting a green spaceship fighting off a large enemy spacecraft in the background, approached by more of the blue circular craft

a screenshot of a blue spaceship frantically shooting enemies in some manner of airfield or military installation. a shower of bright blue bullets fires ahead of the ship.

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