HI SCORE MODE 100,000 points Achievement in ACA NEOGEO: NAM-1975

To reach 100,000 points, you'll need to complete the first level for sure, and then a little bit of the second level. You can't change the settings for this mode so you'll only have two lives. This means you'll need to be pretty good at the first level so you can beat it with ease. Dying is okay, but it depends on where you die. If you die during an intense part, it's unlikely you'll be able to recover from all the enemies now on screen. You really need to stay ahead of the enemies and be ready for what's coming next.

User CTM AudiRS6 has recorded a video showing the first level being completed without a death, and then enough of the second level to reach 100,000 points. Use it as a reference to see how he handles each part. Here are the highlights to be aware of:

• Stay in the left corner as much as possible. Bullets rarely go there. Grenades do, but they're very slow, so you can either move out of the way or just shoot them out of the sky.
• Don't put yourself at risk for a 200 point power-up or two. On the other hand, you'll see 500 or 1000 pointers sometimes. These are definitely worth grabbing.
• Save up your grenades for the boss. You'll want at least 12 grenades, but 15 to be safe.
• You need to anticipate the vehicles that are going to enter, and destroy them ASAP. Specifically, once you get to the river, be aiming to the left after each pair of grey enemies so you're ready for the boats. Also be ready for the set of four helicopters just after the river. Destroying three of them rewards you with a 1000 point power-up.
• Practice makes perfect. It's highly unlikely you'll manage this in your first couple attempts. But as you get to learn the enemy patterns and anticipate their entrances onto the screen, it'll become much easier.

One final note before the video. It's possible to beat the first level and instead of going on to the second level, go to a bonus boss fight against a giant machine. The general consensus is that killing the two guys in the boss fight at the end of level one at the same time triggers it. I believe that's why you see him pause in the video below after the first guy dies. In my experience, if you go to the bonus boss fight instead of level two, there's no reason to panic as long as you didn't die in level one. If you defeat the bonus boss, you should get enough points from defeating him to reach 100,000. As soon as the boss level starts, spam him with grenades. He'll undoubtedly kill you, but as soon as you spawn continue to spam grenades. I was able to kill him a couple times with this method, and both times resulted in my reaching 100,000 points upon destroying him.

Here is the video: