Atariboy Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 Another very relevant thread for AtariAge. This one is about the favorite genre for many a classic gaming fan. The vertical and horizontal arcade shooter. Click below to reveal the pre-AtariAge archive of this thread, reposted from the PSPMinis.com community forum. Part 2 of the archive will follow in the next post. Spoiler onmode-kyMember If you're a big fan of scrolling shooters, you've likely heard of the Shooting Game Historica series of Japanese trading figures (of the type either dispensed in capsules from vending machines or individually packaged in cardboard boxes). This is a series of sets of plastic miniatures, some assembly required, of player ships from a variety of shooters. The overall series began in 2007, and a few weeks ago, Series 4 of this line finally came out, after many months of delays. I was blown away by the jump in quality over Series 1 and 2 (I didn't pick up Series 3, only being familiar with a few of the ships in it). These toys were already of very good quality, but Series 4 has an incredible level of detail compared to the first two series' entries, along with more precise molding and more rigid material. This gallery of images at NCSX shows off just how amazing these things are. Despite being just a few centimeters long, several of these even have multiple moving parts (the most impressive of these being the ones with the jointed tentacle-like parts). If you're a fan of these games, this set is quite worth the money. Series 4 includes the player ships from Xexex (Konami, 1991), Pop'N TwinBee (Konami, 1993), X-Multiply (Irem, 1989), Metal Black (Taito, 1991), and DariusBurst (Taito, 2009). If you're wondering why there is an image in NCSX's gallery with two DariusBurst Silverhawks, the one on the left in that picture is actually from Series 1; it's the Silverhawk from Darius Gaiden. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Pretty neat but they're also too big. How much do these things cost anyway? POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # CecilMcW00tMember Metal Black is SO GOOD. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # volcaneMember Nice! POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Pretty neat but they're also too big. How much do these things cost anyway? Too big? They're like 3-4 inches long. How small do you need them to be? I hope you weren't planning to carry them around in your pocket. . . . The full set purchased from NCSX is about $40 after [domestic American] shipping. The individual capsules are labeled with 400-yen stickers, so they would be 2000 yen if you got them from actual machines in Japan--assuming you managed to get no duplicates at all. By the way, Freelance, I was thinking of posting my full list of shooting games that I own (yes, I keep track of that). However, no one here would likely be interested, with the possible exception of you. So, I'll just ask you directly: would you like to see my list? Metal Black is SO GOOD. The Black Fly (the player ship from the game) is also pretty nifty, despite its sprite in the game being rather ho-hum. The model of it in this set has several moving parts (that you never seen in action in the game, as far as I can tell), including sliding engine covers and a huge "mouth" at the bow, which is probably supposed to be the emitter of the big gun. Speaking of which, the beam dueling in Metal Black was so cool that it was passed down to G-Darius and DariusBurst. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # ChaosRandomMember I wouldnt mind seeing your list. I love shooting games. Sorry for asking, but what is Metal Black? POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Oh, well those shots seemed to make them look big. That's the thing about capsule toys. I hate the random factor if you just want one figure in a set. It'd be nice to get one though, and yes, I'd like to see your list. I'm assuming you mean SHMUPS. In return I can show you my, er, pinball list? POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember ChaosRandom, it's a Taito arcade side-scrolling shooter from 1991, whose most significant mechanic is massive beam duels with the bosses (both you and they charge your weapons by collecting these fairly ubiquitous mini-power-up "Newalone molecules"). Oh, well those shots seemed to make them look big. Heh, the pictures made them look big because the level of intricate detail is so high. Yes, I did mean my shoot'em-ups list. Here it is. The titles are grouped by system, and within each group, the order is primarily determined by when I got the collection (like Taito Legends or Atari Flashback 2, though the collection names are not mentioned) that contained that title; within each collection, the titles from it are ordered however they were ordered in the collection, which is usually alphabetically. Enhancing forum structural integrity field. . . . - Plug-n-PlayBosconian (x2)Galaxian Galaga Xevious 1942 Commando Arcade Asteroids Asteroids Deluxe Centipede Millipede River Raid Caverns of Mars Yars' Revenge Yars' Return Cybernoid Cybernoid II: The Revenge Uridium Zynaps - PCAsteroids (x2)Asteroids Deluxe Black Widow Centipede (x2)Gravitar (x2)Millipede (x2)Tempest Yars' Revenge Darius Gaiden Defender Kozmik Krooz'r Robotron 2084 Satan's Hollow Sinistar Smash TV Stargate Total Carnage Exzisus Phoenix Return of the Invaders Space Invaders Space Invaders Part II Tokio Air Duel Battle Chopper Cosmic Cop Dragon Breed Image Fight In the Hunt Mystic Riders R-Type Leo - GameCubeChaos Field - Game Boy AdvanceSigma Star Saga - PlayStation 21942 1943: The Battle of Midway 1943 Kai Commando Exed Exes Forgotten Worlds Gun.Smoke Legendary Wings Mercs Section Z Vulgus 1941: Counter Attack Eco Fighters Last Duel Side Arms: Hyper Dyne The Speed Rumbler Varth: Operation Thunderstorm Future Spy Tac/Scan Zaxxon Zektor Darius Gaiden Front Line G-Darius Gekirindan Grid Seeker: Project Storm Hammer Gun Frontier Insector X Metal Black RayStorm Space Invaders '95 Space Invaders DX Super Space Invaders '91 Wild Western R-Type Final Castle of Shikigami II Raiden III Gradius V - PlayStation PortableGradius Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou Gradius III: Densetsu Kara Shinwa E Gradius IV: Fukkatsu Gradius Gaiden Salamander Life Force Salamander 2 Xexex Gradius 2 Space Invaders Extreme Super Star Soldier Final Soldier Soldier Blade Star Parodier Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire TwinBee Detana!! TwinBee Pop'n TwinBee TwinBee Yahho! TwinBee Da!! Parodius ~Tako wa Chikyuu o Sukuu~ Parodius Da! -Shinwa kara Owarai e- Gokujou Parodius! ~Kako no Eikou o Motomete~ Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius ~forever with me~ Sexy Parodius Everyday Shooter Strikers 1945 Plus Thexder Neo DariusBurst Earthshield Ace Armstrong vs. the Alien Scumbags! The Flying Hamster A Space Shooter for 2 Bucks! NEOGEO HEROES ~Ultimate Shooting~ M.O.Z.O.X. Space Salvager Alpha Mission II - PlayStation 31942: Joint Strike Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer Astro Tripper Dragon Spirit Galaga Xevious Xevious Resurrection Gravity Crash Fantasy Zone Zaxxon Space Invaders Infinity Gene Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype - PlayStation (from PSN)R-Type R-Type II R-Type Delta GaiaSeed Shienryu - WiiChaos Field Radirgy Karous Castle of Shikigami III That's all so far. The next two will probably be Sky Force and WTF?!, which would push the PSP list size beyond that of the PS2. Yes, I know I have a distinct lack of Thunder Force in the list, and no games by Cave, either (I don't have an XBox 360, Japanese or otherwise). Sure, I'd be interested in that pinball list. Speaking of which, here's mine (how did you know I track what pins I have, too?!): - Plug-n-PlayPaleolithic Pete Super Star Strike Skate Scene Pinball Dragonball Z Pinball - PCSpace Cadet Baffle Ball Humpty Dumpty Knock Out Slick Chick Spirit of 76 Haunted House Cue Ball Wizard Timeshock Big Race USA Fantastic Journey - GameCubeOdama - PlayStation 2Play-Boy Ace High Central Park Big Shot Genie Black Hole Victory Tee'd Off Gorgar Firepower Black Knight Space Shuttle Pin*Bot Taxi Whirlwind Funhouse Flipnic: Ultimate Pinball - PlayStation PortablePinball Heroes: Hot Shots Golf - PlayStation 3Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball Jive Time Gorgar Firepower Black Knight Space Shuttle Sorceror Pin*Bot Taxi Whirlwind Funhouse Tales of the Arabian Nights Medieval Madness No Good Gofers POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # DarthDanManMember I own two SHMUPS you have in your list: Everyday Shooter and ASSF2B! Is Gravity Crash a SHMUP? POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Wow...my SHMUP list is barebones compared to you and I listed pretty much all of them in another thread. I noticed you got Alpha Mission II. I got it too and you're right about the weapons system. It's pretty cool. I had no idea about you keeping a pinball list though. I just thought that since I like pins and I actually have several games, I might be able to show you something. Not many people these days enjoy pins, sadly. The local theatre here removed all the pins they had Anyway here's my list. Now I do have several games on your list so I'll just mention them by compilation name (if available). Gameboy Pinball. Okay, I don't know the name of this game because it's Japanese, but it sucks anyway.Revenge of the Gator. I had anyway. I lost it Gameboy AdvancePokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (2 pins) PSP Pinball Hall of Fame The Gottlieb Collection (10 pins)Pinball Hall of Fame The Williams Collection (10 pins)Pinball Heroes set 1 (4 pins)Pinball Heroes set 2 (4 pins)Pinball Fantasies (4 pins)Pinball Dreams (4 pins)Extreme Pinball (4 pins) PS3 Pinball Hall of Fame The Williams Collection (12 pins)Zen Pinball (7 pins) PC Timeshock! (1 pin)Fantastic Journey (1 pin)Big Race USA (1 pin)SlamIt Pinball: Big Score (1 pin)Ultimate Pinball Extreme (20 pins, but most of them are horrid)Austin Powers Pinball (2 pins)Pure Pinball (3 pins)Pinball Gold Pack (20 pins and comes with the following games, Pinball Dreams, Pinball Dreams II, Pinball Fantasies, Pinball Mania and Pinball Illusions.3-D Ultra Pinball: Thrillride (1 pin)3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night (1 pin) POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Balrog/DarthDanMan, whether or not Gravity Crash is considered a shmup in general, I consider it so, as with its most direct predecessor, Atari's Gravitar arcade game. I think my essential criterion (aside from the shooting) is that the game needs to have player avatar movement over the 2D plane of the screen (or the variation of the background moving around while the avatar stays still). Thus, top-down run 'n gun games like Commando and Total Carnagemake the list while side-view run 'n gun games like Contra and Metal Slug do not (even though I have some ContraNES games in a PC collection, as well as Metal Slug Anthology for the PSP). The feel is different when you're restricted to running back and forth at the bottom of the screen. Also, somehow I feel like tube shooter Tempest is a shoot'em-up, but rail shooters like Space Harrier are not. It's hard to nail down. Oh, I need to add Alien Syndrome to the PS3 list. The arcade version is in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, and I didn't realize until playing it a few days ago that it plays more or less like a multi-directional Commando. Freelance, I wouldn't say yours is barebones. You have several arcade compilations on the PSP, including the Capcom ones that I don't have (which I assume generally correspond to my PS2 Capcom collections). And, you have Irem Arcade Hits, too. I guess I should specify which compilations are the sources of many of my shoot'em-ups: - Plug-n-Play Namco (Namco I) TV Game Namco Ms. Pac-Man (Namco II) TV Game Capcom TV Game Atari Flashback 2 C64 DTV - PCAtari Anniversary Edition and Atari: 80 Classic Games in One! (latter is a superset of the former)Midway Arcade Treasures Taito Legends Irem Arcade Hits - PlayStation 2Capcom Classics Collection Vols. 1 and 2 Sega Genesis Collection (arcade extras; no Genesis shoot'em-ups are in it)Taito Legends 2 - PlayStation PortableGradius Collection Salamander Portable (Asia-region)Soldier Collection (Japan-region)Twinbee Portable (Japan-region)Parodius Portable (Japan-region) - PlayStation 3Namco Museum Essentials Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (arcade extras only, again) - PlayStation (from PSN)R-Types - WiiUltimate Shooting Collection (known as Milestone Shooting Collection in Japan) It's a much smaller list when you put it that way. Nice pinball list! It certainly dwarfs mine. I seem to have stopped getting pinball games; the problem with pinball is that it's extremely addictive to me. I always feel like "I can do better! Go again!"; in contrast, with shoot'em-ups, there's always a point where I either pass the game or realize that I won't be able to progress farther or get a higher score without a significant amount of more practice. I can have a blisteringly high score in a pinball game and still want to keep playing. Anyway, my list of pinball compilations: - Plug-n-Play Classic Arcade Pinball TV Game - PCMicrosoft Pinball Arcade (a collection of Gottlieb tables, different from the PHoF collection; includes the first table that had flippers, Humpty Dumpty!)Ultimate Pro Pinball - PlayStation 2Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection - PlayStation 3Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection I tried the Zen Pinball demo but didn't like it. The only real pinball table I know of in my area is a Stern Pirates of the Caribbean table at a Chuck E. Cheese. Regarding Alpha Mission II, the armor thing is cool, but I'm kind of disappointed that you have to collect the pieces in order, and you can't pick up other armors while you're in the middle of collecting the pieces of one already. Basically, you have to memorize which armors are where in order to be successful at the game. It's still fun, though, and nicely designed. I have the PSP version of the game; if I had gotten the PS3 version like you, we could actually do online co-op. Oh, well. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Yeah when you list the compilations, onmode-ky, it now looks more comparable to my own list. Dunno if you seen my backloggery page but I also have G-Darius and Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer for PC. G-Darius has no music included on the CD and the port is pretty bad too but hell, it was less than a buck at an Asian computer store. I agree with you about what you said about pinball and SHMUP but still, I can never have enough pinball games! Oh, a word of advice. Don't ever buy Ultimate Pinball Extreme. It's the only game I know of that has tables with 6 flippers (3 on each side) by the drain. WTF. Don't even ask how it's supposed to work, because it doesn't. I actually don't really care for Zen Pinball either I got it anyway as I was craving for a pinball game and didn't have Williams Pinball yet. The ball moves way too fast for pinball (but it could be just me) although some of the tables have nice layouts. I don't have Alpha Mission II for PS3 either, only PSP. Since I bought it on the PSN, I lumped it there under that heading. I don't really play my PS3 much as the room is usually occupied by my sister and she always has the TV on so I always get PSP stuff since I'm always playing that. I don't like how you have to get the items in order too but like you said, it's still fun. I don't count run n gun games and top down shooters as SHMUPs. Just like RPGs, the term SHMUP means different things to different people. For me, it's strictly stuff like Gradius and Star Soldier. I never bought Gradius Collection, can you believe it? I keep hearing conflicting info about it, like how there's some slowdown and things. Since you have the game, can you confirm that? POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I also have G-Darius and Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer for PC. G-Darius has no music included on the CD Holy crap, G-Darius without the music? How awful! A Darius game without its Zuntata soundtrack just isn't the same. Also, you just reminded me that I too have Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer for the PC. I've never played it before, only the PS3 version; I got the PC version afterward (at a sale price) for the art book and soundtrack CD. tables with 6 flippers (3 on each side) by the drain Whoa, tables, plural? How odd. I was going to note that Humpty Dumpty has 6 flippers, 3 on each side, but none of them are by the drain (it's the first table with flippers, but they weren't in their now-standard location yet). Sticking them all by the drain does sound rather silly. I don't have Alpha Mission II for PS3 either, only PSP. I assumed it was for the PS3 because you had listed other PSP games downloaded from the store under your PSP heading, with "PSN" written after the title (in the PSP/PS3 games thread). By the way, NEOGEO HEROES ~Ultimate Shooting~ introduces the SYD III space fighter craft and its pilot. The SYD-series ships are what are in Alpha Mission II and its predecessor, so Ultimate Shooting is sort of like a third game in the series, albeit one with completely unrelated mechanics. In the game, the SYD III's special attacks involve equipping assorted armors--sound familiar? Once SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 0 releases (in Japan), the PSP will end up having the entire Alpha Mission "trilogy" (Alpha Mission is known as A.S.O. ("Armored Scrum Object") in Japan). I hope that compilation comes to the US. It contains 7 shoot'em-ups (in contrast with Vol. 1's solitary Last Resort), but they're fairly obscure, so I'm not inclined to import it. I can confirm that I have no memory of any severe slowdown issues in Gradius Collection. There might have been slowdown every now and then when lots of stuff was going on, but there was nothing that should influence a purchase decision. I can also confirm that I was quite happy to buy a PSP for that game. It even includes a music player with all the soundtracks, as well as the CGI movies that originally accompanied the PS1 and PS2 two-game compilations. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Oh yeah, I see what you mean when you thought I had Alpha Mission II for the PS3. My mistake. I couldn't find a screenshot online for a 6 flipper-by-drain-table but here's one with 3. Now imagine 3 more in the same layout and you'll get the idea. All too often balls get caught between the flippers and too many tables have too many flippers scattered around the table. I can understand if they were put there for a reason (to get access to a ramp for example), but I think whoever made this game just put them there for the hell of it, just like how they put more than 2 flippers beside the drain and yes, they did that with several tables too! Oh, and the artwork on these tables are pretty horrible. One thing I like about Söldner-X: on PC is that it doesn't require any install. It runs right off the disc. I was pretty disappointed that the PS3 version has more stages, high-res graphics and more music but the PC version was never updated with the new stuff. Bah. The sequel isn't even on the PC either. Honestly, "Armored Scrum Object" is a very odd title for a SHMUP. I haven't heard of any of the titles in SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 0, sadly. So you had no troubles at all with Gradius Collection? I also heard that it was very hard to see the bullets but not all reviews mention that so it's all very confusing. If you were fine though then it should be good enough for me. Since you mentioned why you got a PSP in the first place, the reason I wanted one at all was because I was excited about FFVII Crisis Core when it was first anounced. Of course, then no additional news came out at all for years until finally it resurfaced again after I gave it up as vapourware. Then I bought the PSP and imported the game I found lots of other games I enjoyed too and the rest is history. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # lucidameaMember onmode-ky - impressive list! I see that others know some of those games...but I (truly) know just three of them (!!!) The Flying Hamster, A Space Shooter for 2 Bucks! and TwinBee. Anyway..when pinball-type games are not shooter? Are they just a new genre - for ex pinball-type games or something? POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I recall a few of the pins in the Gottlieb collections I have having more than 2 flippers by the drain, such as Genie, Haunted House, and Black Hole. However, they maxed out at 4, with no more than 3 being right "at" the drain. Black Hole and Haunted House were 2- and 3-level tables, too, respectively, so they had even more flippers--but in places that made sense, not like 6 by the drain. The playfield in that image you posted looks like it has poor flow. On top of being an eyesore. The PC version of Söldner-X likely got neither updates nor the sequel because it sold poorly. Play-Asia.com had it on clearance for a long time (which was when I got it). It probably wasn't worth the resources for the devs to do more for it. "Armored Scrum Object" is a very odd title for anything. I'd heard of a few of the titles in SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 0, probably because I had read this press release back in 2005 (for a product that was never released, possibly never even developed; the plug-n-play market plateaued and then began to decline around that time) and subsequently looked into old SNK games. A former coworker of mine also liked Vanguard a lot, much like JeremyR here. Of course, Vanguard, the original, is not in the Vol. 0 game list, only the sequel. I suspect that the original is missing because of its likely unauthorized use of Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek: The Motion Picture theme music, and the source code of the game is probably lost so that the music can't be changed. I had no troubles with Gradius Collection, but I should note that most of my Gradius experience comes from playing that very compilation. So, if there were things that were "wrong" with it compared to the arcade originals, I couldn't tell. I didn't have any problems seeing the bullets, though, that's for sure. Crisis Core is a more typical reason for buying a PSP than Gradius Collection, certainly. Interestingly, I've read of some people in Japan buying a PSP when they heard DariusBurst was coming out, what with it being the first new Darius game in 12 years. Speaking of which, what is it that bothers you about Lightning Flamberge? Also speaking of which, Taito's Zuntata sound team is having a DariusBurst Another Chronicle (the super-widescreen HD arcade remix of the PSP game) concert this coming weekend. Wish I could attend. lucidamea, you really don't know Asteroids and Centipede? Nor Galaxian and Galaga? Not even Space Invaders? I'm not trying to sound mean; it's just that those are some of the most famous video games of all time, yet you know the comparatively obscure TwinBee instead. It's just unusual. I'm honestly surprised. Anyway..when pinball-type games are not shooter? Are they just a new genre - for ex pinball-type games or something? Um, I don't understand what you're asking me. At all. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember That's good to hear about Gradius Collection! I should pick it up sometime, probably on the PSN since the UMD is so hard to find now. Soldner-X probably wouldn't have bad sales if Play-Asia didn't have exclusive rights to sell it. Bet it would've made more if it was readily available like on US digital distribution websites (Steam, GOG, etc). Oh, Lightning Flamberge was just annoying to me. I always get hit by its mega beam hehe. Heh, I wish I could go to any VGM concert... Luckily Ultimate Pinball Extreme was less than 10 bucks so I didn't waste too much money on it :3 Judging from his/her(?) wording, I'm guessing lucidamea is from another country. Maybe where he's from, arcades either don't exist or are unpopular? POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I think Play-Asia.com had exclusivity because they helped fund its development--or I think they did, anyway. I don't have any proof and am just going on a hunch. You always get hit by Lightning Flamberge's pink burst beam or that zig-zag mouth-fired beam? If it's the latter, just stay out of the line of fire of the mouth; it only fires that gun when you cross it, as I recall. As for the burst beam, you're home free if you can counterburst. In my best run through the game, I successfully killed the first 3 bosses with counterbursts (which makes for major points). It's freaking hard to get a counterburst kill with any of the later bosses, though, since they take so long to kill anyway; it'd be easy to know when to wait for a counterburst opportunity if they had health meters, but they don't. Great Thing in particular takes lots of time. I attended a Video Games Live concert in 2007. Great experience, though the orchestra's performance could have been better in certain places. Ten bucks: 1) several Minis or 2) the knowledge that Ultimate Pinball Extreme is not worth it? I'd go for door #1. lucidamea may be from somewhere where arcade games were extremely niche, but you have to admit, it's kind of weird knowing TwinBee (which I myself had never heard of until a few years ago) but not the Namco/Atari/Taito classics. It's sort of like knowing the registry number of the USS Galaxy but not knowing the name of the primary starship in Star Trek. Not impossible, but quite unexpected. Let me know if you get Gradius Collection and find it not meeting expectations. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember But I like pinball! I can't help it if I get excited over a pinball game featuring 20 tables. Okay, I'm mighty embarrassed to say this, but I never figured out how to counterburst. I always end up doing it too early or too late. *giggle* I am jealous you got to go to a concert. I'd love to attend a FF one. Well I would expect people to not know the classics if they're part of the new generation, but then they wouldn't be knowing about Twinbee either if that's the case. I heard of that game for ages but never played it until I got the Twinbee Collection. I bought Gradius Collection last night and played a few of the games just to see if any of those complaints I heard was warranted. I am happy to report that I haven't experienced any of it and it is just as you described. I was also impressed that they have held up surprisingly well for 20-odd year old games. The graphics are so bright and sharp and the detail is great. I was blown by the fire dragons in the very first stage of Gradius II and the boss was sweet. I should have brought it when it first showed up on the PSN if I had known these complaints were hogwash. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # ChaosRandomMember Is Gradius collection worth 20 bucks though? I wouldnt mind picking it up. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Is Gradius collection worth 20 bucks though? I am perhaps not the most unbiased source of an answer, having been enticed to spend the cost of a PSP to have the ability to play Gradius Collection. It depends on how much you value a unique and well-crafted shooter--and difficult, as well. If you're looking for something with mechanics and value-for-dollar similar to ASSf2B!, then no. If you are willing to pay more for a more tactical and more punishing experience (as well as a historical journey across 5 titles spanning 15 years), then yes. Also to consider when evaluating its worth: Gradius Collection includes a music gallery for every game in it (plus remixes from the X68000 ports), the CGI videos from Gradius Deluxe Pack (PS1), Gradius Gaiden (PS1), and Gradius III and IV (PS2), and also the ability to save and load game states, which was what allowed me to reach the end of the original Gradius. However, your $20 in the PS Store does not get you the awesome Vic Viper artwork on both sides of the UMD case insert. But I like pinball! I can't help it if I get excited over a pinball game featuring 20 tables. Heh, well, I hope the experience taught you a valuable lesson: you should like and acquire quality pinball, not quantity pinball. ? About counterbursting: when a boss is about to fire its burst cannon, there is a sequence of 3 flashes at the emitter. Those flashes set up a timing count for when to fire your burst cannon for a counterburst. As I recall, the timing goes: "one, two, three-FIRE"; the time between the third flash and when you press your Square button is half the time between consecutive flashes. As a musical reference, think two quarter notes followed by two eighth notes. Even knowing that, though, you can still miss fairly often. It's much easier to activate a counterburst after the boss' burst beam is already activated, by coming in from the side of the beam. In that case, you just hit Square right when your Silverhawk is about to enter the boss' beam (note: this is very difficult against Hungry Gluttons, of Zone H, because that punk rotates his beam in an arc rather than floating straight up and down). The VGL concert I attended did in fact include performances of "Liberi Fatali" and "One-Winged Angel." I hypothesize that those two are popular enough that they may appear in every VGL performance. Yeah, aside from the absurd slowness of the Vic Vipers when you have no speed-ups, the early Gradius games hold up quite well. Oh, there's also the extreme punishment of losing everything (possibly barring 1 speed-up) when you die. But in terms of design and gameplay, they're very good. Gradius II Stage 1 is quite memorable, and the background music of that stage, "Burning Heat," is my favorite Gradius stage music (incidentally, remixes of "Burning Heat" appear in Konami's Beatmania and Dance Dance Revolution). In fact, I think the middle section of Gradius VStage 1 is an intended visual tribute by Treasure to Gradius II Stage 1, with the red spheres in space thing. Shoot it in the eye! POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I think it would depend on how much you like SHMUPs. $20 for 5 games seems like a pretty good deal to me. Naturally I agree with you, onmode-ky but see, how would I know the game has quality before purchasing it? I could have been lucky to find an awesome pinball game with 20 awesome tables. Oh, there's also the extreme punishment of losing everything (possibly barring 1 speed-up) when you die. They wouldn't be SHMUPs otherwise. That's like giving Contra health bars. For the record, Liberi Fatali rocks. FFVIII is my fave FF game. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I could have been lucky to find an awesome pinball game with 20 awesome tables. I guess I'm much less optimistic than you. The likelihood of there being a big bunch of awesome pinball tables in a pack from an obscure developer seems pretty low to me. At least with the Classic Arcade Pinball TV Game (whose 3 tables are proprietary, not remakes of actual classics), I had the option of returning it to the store even if opened, had I found the tables unsatisfying. That pack of 20 tables being a CD-ROM, it wouldn't have been returnable, so I would have avoided it if I had found it in a store (or at least first checked online for reviews and such before deciding to buy). It's also worth noting that I'm very stingy. But, yeah, a big bunch of great pinball tables would be a great treasure find. They wouldn't be SHMUPs otherwise. That's like giving Contra health bars. Well, they wouldn't be retro shooters otherwise--plenty of newer titles let you keep at least some semblance of your power-up set. Report, in Japanese, on this past weekend's Zuntata concert (preceded by a discussion panel from several people involved in making DariusBurst) here. Scroll down for the set list, which is at least partly in English, as well as pictures of event-exclusive T-shirts (I note that the T-shirt sizes include "XL," not "LL," unlike the Japanese DSi). It seems it was the first full band Zuntata live concert in 12 years. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I ran across a new scrolling shooter recently from an unlikely source: Taiwan. 雷神戰記 (Reishen Zhanji, "Record of the Lightning God War,"; if the characters are read in Japanese, it's Raijin Senki) claims to be an online shooter. I have no idea how you make a non-cooperative scrolling shooter "online," but it does seem to have one mode with one player at the bottom of the screen and one at the top, the two facing each other. Check out the screenshots and videos from their Facebook page (much easier for English readers to navigate to those sections than at the official website): Official websiteOfficial Facebook page The videos seem to show a rather odd style of gameplay. It's not really bullet hell; sure, there are lots of bullets onscreen, but a whole lot of them are from the player. Those videos seem to show a game in which you spray firepower all over the place--so, it doesn't seem very tactical. By the way, Googling for the game's subtitle, the English phrase "Thunder God Online," gets you nowhere. In less interesting news, I finally unlocked all the art in the gallery for one of the characters, Reika Kirishima, in Castle of Shikigami III (Wii). For most of the other characters, I have at least 2 pieces still missing, though only 1 left for the Stage 1 boss, Yukari Horiguchi (who must be one of the funniest scrolling shooter bosses in history, thanks to her silly dialogues with each player character, e.g., "Isn't this one-player mode? Why are there two of you here?"; "I was the fourth stage boss in the last game!"; "There was an ad to be boss of this stage, so I took it. It pays pretty well."; "I'm working here part-time. The flower shop gig isn't enough to pay for my video games."). That game sells replay value with its incredible volume (for a scrolling shooter) of character-specific dialog. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # volcaneMember Looking at the website gives me a migraine! POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember The new Lego Earth Defense HQ set includes a tribute to the Vic Viper. The decals on the Viper lookalike apparently are also a tribute to a prominent, now deceased member of the Lego builder community who seems to have had Lego Vic Viper models as a hallmark. Check out some more Lego Vic Viper creations from a Lego employee here(this is the guy who designed the above-mentioned set). POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # volcaneMember @onmode-ky That's a great looking Lego set, especially the head-clinger alien! ? It was a nice gesture for them to include the tribute. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Back to the pinball topic momentarily, for Freelance: I recently got my first TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine title from the PlayStation Store, the pinball game Alien Crush. Its reputation in the retro video pinball arena is quite good, so I thought I'd see how it was for myself. Aside from some occasional instances of the flipper missing the ball when I'm sure it should have hit, it's pretty solid. Decent physics, nice playfield(s). You should check it out. The weird thing, though, is that even though the game is playable on both PS3 and PSP, and you can transfer the game just fine from a PS3 to a PSP, their save files are not cross-compatible. They don't share the same fileset format, and the directory names are slightly different. Also odd, when installed on a PS3, the game is 17 MB, whereas when installed on a PSP, it's only about 5.5 MB. I wonder what that's all about. Another, less bizarre difference between the game as played on PS3 vs. PSP: you can scale the PSP graphics to original resolution, zoomed-in to fit the screen vertically, or stretched out to fill the whole screen (I don't know why anyone would ever choose that heavily distorted third option, since the original aspect ratio is 1:1!). There is no such option on the PS3, and it's just scaled to vertically fill most of the screen. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Wow I played Alien Crush ages ago on the TG-16. I didn't know it was out on PSN. Devil's Crush was the superior sequel though. Dunno if I'd get it. I already spent some money on the 3DS eShop. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Haha silly me. I forgot I had like a little over $7 in my 'wallet' so I guess I'll get Alien Crush now. I prefer the aliens (I bet they were inspired by Alien) in that game over the demons in the sequel anyway. I also got one of the Dissidia DLC. I noticed Soldier Blade and Super Star Soldier are also in the store. It'd be awesome if they released Blazing Lazers since it's not in the Star Soldier compilation. Hmm the controls for Alien Crush is pretty strange. I keep pressing R by accident because I use the triggers for the flippers in every pinball game I have on my PSP. Wish I could change it like the PSX games. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I'm thinking of getting either Pinball Fantasies or Pinball Dreams. Do you recommend one over the other? I'm not familiar with Blazing Lazers. But, I'll tell you this: we are very unlikely to see either of the Galaxy Fräulein Yuna PC Engine games in the US PS Store. On a more serious note, I suspect we won't get Star Parodier, either. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Blazing Lazers. It's a 1989 SHMUP that's very similar to the Star Soldier series. Very good game and I already have it on the Wii but I wish I could play it on the go. You can get Star Parodier in the Soldier Collection so it's possible to play it. Both pinball games are good so it doesn't really matter what you pick. Pinball Fantasies is the sequel in case you weren't aware. I really hate Boom Beats in Dreams though so Fantasies gets a nudge up because of it. That said, I really wish they had put out Pinball Illusions too on the Mini platform. I have it on PC. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I actually made reference to Star Parodier precisely because it's in Soldier Collection; of the four games on the UMD, that's the only one that would be unlikely to see release in North America, due to the Japanese dialogue (starring well known seiyuu Hisakawa Aya! I recognized her voice right away). By the way, I have the UMD, if you forgot. Yes, I had read Fantasies was the second in the series and was going to go with Dreams since it's the first, but I thought I ought to see if there might be good reason to reverse that. I think you meant "Beat Box." Off topic: Sony sure is doing a crappy job with the TG16 releases in the Store. They don't get their own category, and there is nothing you can search to get them all in one result. Right now, the only way to get all of them together is to look under New Releases--which, of course, won't work as more Store updates go up. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember The TG16 stuff made me think to pull out my Galaxy Fräulein Yuna Collection UMD and play the Galaxy Police Legend Sapphire (Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire) vertically scrolling shooter. I set the difficulty to Easy, maxed out the credits to 9, and set bonus lives to appear at the lowest score thresholds, and I was actually able to beat the game (had never thought to alter the settings before; best I can do on Normal difficulty seems to be 2 credits used just to beat Stage 1 of 5). The game is extremely rare as a PC Engine (Arcade CD) title, and even better, it's also very good. The main unique gameplay aspect is the fact that your wingmen orbs become temporary homing weapons with incrementing score bonuses if you don't fire your guns for a couple of seconds and then start firing. Other than that, it also has numerous bosses (at least 2 per stage) with a wide variety of attack behaviors, multiple time period settings, and the CD-quality music is intense (80s metal style, maybe?). It has some Japanese dialogue (monologues, really), though, so it will probably never see release on the PS Store. Nonetheless, if you can get the UMD, it's quite good; the soundtrack, which is available in a sound test mode, almost makes it worth the price alone. Of course, the fact that you also get the first two Yuna visual novels is another plus--if you can understand all the Japanese. . . . Alternatively, Play-Asia.com currently has a used copy of the PC Engine Arcade CD original, asking $400. Here's some footage from the game's first two stages. Check out that stage-end boss music! POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Freelance, incidentally, what do you think of Apache Overkill? I never got it because it seemed rather mindlessly repetitive--come to think of it, M.O.Z.O.X. turned out to be much like what I thought Apache was like. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # volcaneMember While I think that Apache Overkill is certainly a little repetitive, it has the curious ability to keep drawing me back for quick play sessions every now and again. I prefer Apache Overkill over M.O.Z.O.X. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Thanks, volcane. Might you be able to elaborate on what you like more about Apache, and also how much more? Something about the presentation, the difficulty curve, the gameplay? By the way, I've currently got 65% of the unlockable images in the NeoGeo Heroes: Ultimate Shooting image gallery unlocked. Probably won't be unlocking much more, given that the rest likely depend on playing and beating Subject and Survival Modes multiple more times (not that I can beat Survival). I also encountered something odd in Subject Mode scoring: for two runs through, the final score was much higher than the actual total score of the individual stages. No idea where these huge bonus points came from. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # confuletlyfMember I plan on buying Flying Hamster, and am still considering Apache Overkill. It looks so beautifully retro (I'm 20s, so 'retro' is genesis era to me). POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # volcaneMember @onmode-ky I think both games are fairly close in terms of enjoyability, but there is a very different feel for each game. Whereas MOZOX feels like an average space shooter, Apache certainly looks more terrestial (which you would expect, given that it is set on Earth and not in space). Apache reminds me of the kind of scrolling shooting games back in the Amiga & Spectrum days. Apache is faster and busier and has more energy in it, as opposed to MOZOX. I also quite like the radio voice feedback that you get telling how well/badly you are doing. Having said that, unfortunately I do start to lose my interest a little after a while in both games. Neither title seems to keep me engaged for too long. But I've not yet deleted either from my PSP because they both do seem to pull me back periodically! ? Is it usual for Japanese shooters to make you work really really hard to get the gallery and media unlocks? ? POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Hmm, I would think the Genesis, Amiga, and Spectrum all have scrolling shooters with much more "design" going on in them than Apache Overkill. Certainly more so than M.O.Z.O.X. (it only has, I think, 3 bosses, which rotate through the levels, and the game's only real difference between levels is enemies becoming more resistant to your fire). Does Apache have actual enemy patterns, or is it what it looks like to me from the trailer: random enemies just appearing onscreen at random? Or is it dynamic like Xevious, where the enemies you face depend on how well you have been performing? volcane, it probably is pretty standard, yes. However, NeoGeo Heroes' unlock method being so obscure is probably not standard. In Castle of Shikigami III, you unlock story sequences and images by simply seeing them in gameplay. In DariusBurst, you unlock its gallery items by beating missions in Mission Mode. Then again, Gradius V didn't have anything to unlock other than free play and weapon edit, as far as I can recall. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Apache is okay I guess. Fast paced and has different scenery in each level. Not the best thing around and I haven't played it much. Erm yes, I mean Beat Box. Really hate the table layout. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # volcaneMember Does Apache have actual enemy patterns, or is it what it looks like to me from the trailer: random enemies just appearing onscreen at random? I think the enemies are pretty much random. There are boss and mid-level mini-boss types, but that's about it. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Thanks for the input. I think I will continue to avoid Apache. Had my fill of disappointment already with M.O.Z.O.X. On the pinball side of things, I'm thinking Fantasies rather than Dreams. "Beat Box" does seem to have a not-very-fun layout, indeed. Yesterday, I went into PS Home to pick up some of the free Welcome Back items (there's quite a bit, including entire personal spaces), and while I was there, I poked around to see some of the changes since the last time I was there. Aside from the E3 bit, I hadn't been in Home in over a year. In my explorations, I discovered something awful: I swore never to spend actual money in Home, but KONAMI IS SELLING GRADIUS V ANIMATED CAPS AND SHIRTS! What do I do now?! I was able to resist Irem's scale-model R-Type Home merchandise, since they had smaller-scale free versions, but Gradius V! GRADIUS V! Konami even had models of the Vic Viper T-301 on display (three of them, all small ones, not like Irem's R9 Arrowhead sand sculpture) in their space. I snagged screen caps of them, but that may not slake my Gradius V thirst! Incidentally, if you go into Sony's E3 booth space and do all the stuff, you unlock the booth's upper level. On that level, there is a decent little doodle-graphics vertically scrolling shooter, Scribble Shooter. It's a demo, just the first level, of a game set to be released later this summer in Home. Rather easy, even for just a first stage, but it has good weapon variety (clear Gradius V influence in the option control arrangements: orbit, freeze, and the traditional follow!) and a lot of charm. Going back to TG16/PCE, I played a bit of the first Yuna game (on the same UMD as the above-noted Sapphire) recently. It's the first visual novel I've ever encountered with RPG-like, turn-based battles; I fought 3 attackers (in separate battles) as the story progressed. There is an abundance of voiced Japanese dialogue, some of it even without accompanying text, but I was fortunately able to understand the majority of it. Very silly stuff. Yuna: "Is that a robot? I don't really like robots." Her companion, Elner: "Um, you know, I'm a robot." Elner: "This is acid rain! We have to find cover!" Yuna: "Oh, no! My hair is going to get bleached!" Elner: "That really isn't what you should be worrying about!" POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Freelance, is Devil's Crush a lot like Alien Crush? I was a little disappointed that my aim in Alien Crush turned out to be much less accurate than in, say, Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection. At times, I can have pinpoint accuracy in Williams, but I have less than 50% success getting the ball where I want it to go in Alien Crush. Now that TurboGrafx-16 games are in the North American PS Store . . . maybe we'll get the PC Engine port of Flying Hamster! POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I actually can't remember how Devil's Crush is played so I'm probably not the best person to answer. I didn't even remember, until I played it, how hard it is to hit the ball in Alien Crush, especially the top field. Being unable to change the controls is another hit. Devil's Crush generally considered to be better though, but I've no clue if the controls are better though. Now I'd like to ask you a question. Let's assume that I am willing to buy one of the two R-Types on the PSN store. If you've played them, which one is better? I would assume the one with both R-Type and R-Type 2 would be the better value, but I've barely played the series and don't know what to expect. P.S. I wasn't aware that Flying Hamster was available elsewhere. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Yeah, it's a good thing that the playfield doesn't seem too drain-happy in Alien Crush, or else all those mis-aimed shots would be a major problem. I think your R-Type decision (and I do have both) is dependent on what you're interested in. R-Types is just a straight anthology-style pairing of R-Type and R-Type II (the arcade games), while R-Type Delta is a deeper affair, with multiple playable fighters, more to the weapon system, a credit-earning system, and 3D graphics. So, if you're mostly interested in seeing R-Type roots, go for R-Types, and if you're more looking for more depth, go for Delta. In terms of difficulty and level/boss design, I can't say I really noticed much difference; all three games are hard and require memorization and deliberate attack planning, and none of them resemble R-Type Leo. Of course, I've never gotten very far in any of them, so my evaluation is only based on the first stages of the games. I kind of liken Ace Armstrong to R-Type in its reliance on practice and memorization, while Flying Hamster has more of a Gradius feel. Not sure what you meant by "available elsewhere," but Flying Hamster is so far only available on Minis and iOS; the PC Engine port I mentioned was Game Atelier's April Fools' Day joke. Would be kind of cool if they made a homebrew version, though (since they obviously wouldn't be able to actually make a licensed TG16/PC-E game). I got Pinball Fantasies, by the way, and have played a bit of Party Land and Speed Devils. Fun stuff! POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Oh, I wasn't aware of the joke so oops. I as wondering 'cause I definitely haven't heard of any other games with the same name hehe. Ugh, memorization. No wonder I never played R-Type much back in the day. Sweet. Speed Devils is my fave table, followed by Party Land. Glad you like it! Might as well get Dreams too! Now if only they released Pinball Illusions to Mini format. I have it on PC and it's awesome. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I discovered yesterday that in the Asia-region PS Home, Irem has a space dedicated to R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate. Not only does the space contain full-scale models of two R-series fighters (because the space is the bridge and hangar deck of a battleship in an orbital battle over the Earth), but it includes a space battle mini-game! You pilot an R9 fighter (camera follows it) in a free-roaming 3D space environment, allotted 2 minutes to take down as many enemy fighters and capital ships as you can. For playing the game, you get costume pieces, for a yukata, adorned with large R-Type art. For beating the 10,000-point objective, you get an R9 hat--which is pretty big, so it looks hilariously insane on your head! All in all, a space with many photo opportunities, both in the space itself and in the clothing items it gives you. I wish it were in the North American Home, too. It must be in Japan's Home; does anyone know if it's in Europe's Home? Incidentally, among the 100 Welcome Back items in the Asia-region Home, one was an anime-themed personal space--by "anime-themed," they seemed to really mean urban futuristic, like a Neo-Tokyo. The North American Home gave you 2 free personal spaces, but this one is much cooler than a luxury garage and Dragon's Lair. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Freelance, I've found that my performance in Pinball Fantasies seems notably poorer than my performance in other pinball games. I can only reach the second or third high score position on most of the tables, and in the supposed highest-scoring table, "Billion Dollar Gameshow" (Wikipedia said something like many trillion points had been accomplished), I've only managed fourth place at best, a mere 22 million points or so. I abort any session on it where I don't have 5 million at least by the third ball, and I've found I'm aborting more than half the time. Am I just playing it wrong somehow? I was doing very poorly at "Speed Devils" for a while, too. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Freelance, you can ignore my previous post. I discovered that playing "Billion Dollar Gameshow" with the table displayed vertically on the PSP seemed to improve my performance. Also, it's a table where the large point values come from only a few things, things that are rather difficult for me to pull off consistently. A glance at a YouTube video also confirmed what I suspected for a while: the table's "missions," which are key to getting the absurdly high scores, are very poorly explained during gameplay. While most tables I've played have lights or DMD messages directing you which way to go to activate things, this table has none of that. It wasn't until my most recent game that I realized you could actually get the prizes on that wheel (I got 2 of the first trio). Also, what I said in my previous post about the trillions of points was actually for "Stones 'N Bones," not "Billion Dollar Gameshow." Oops. Anyway, back to the scrolling shooter topic! Something (expansion? sequel?) called "DariusBurst Another Chronicle EX" has been announced by Taito. This comes at around the same time that the Western version of (non-EX) Another Chronicle made its first appearance at a coin-op trade show in the UK; this international edition of the game differs only in the absence of the awning over the players' bench. If I ever find this game locally, I hope it's not outside on a rainy day. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember The previously mentioned Scribble Shooter will be releasing in PS Home in a couple of weeks. It seems it is going to be an arcade cabinet for personal spaces (i.e., won't be free to play). I've never spent any money in Home before, but this and those Gradius V shirts. . . . I ordered the Shooting Gameside Vol. 2 book yesterday--and from the look of it, I got the last one. Either that, or it was already out of stock when I placed my order, and they just updated it. Anyway, extensive Gradius coverage + interview with Zuntata = must-buy. POSTED 8 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Scribble Shooter is now available both in PS Home and from the PS Store's new Home section (but it's a Home personal arcade cabinet in either case). I think it was $7. Not sure if I'll get it yet. A few nights ago, I beat Castle [of] Shikigami 2 for the PS2 for the first time. It was a remarkable game ending; I was down to my final hit before death on my final (seventh at the time) credit, with no bombs left, and I was about to get hit in the next second or two by bullets from which there was no escape, when all of a sudden, the final boss died. Honestly, it was sooooo close that I thought at first I had died, but no, it was the boss! Beating the game unlocked extra options like altering enemy bullet speed and bullet size, so for the sake of making it easier to beat the game for the remaining 7 characters (to see everyone's endings), I made the game a little easier. Heck, it was already at "Very Easy" difficulty mode and the most generous earned-bonuses setup, yet the game was still seriously hard bullet hell. While collecting the single-player character endings (obtuse though the game's laughably poor script translation and voice acting may be--seriously, their translator seems to have been someone who couldn't speak English very well), I also unlocked free play (6 hours of game time, same as R-Type Delta, apparently), which also unlocked the final images in the image gallery. Unlike in Shikigami III, none of the gallery images depend on 2-player play in this game. Overall, Shikigami II is pretty good, though I think I like III more (I have the North American Wii version of that). Not only is the localization significantly better, though the dialogue can still be incomprehensibly bizarre, but I like the changes to the mechanics, as well as the climactic final boss fight. Oh, and Yukari Horiguchi Ver. 2 and Reika Kirishima are a riot. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I was very, very disappointed today to discover that a movie theater less than an hour away from me, which I have visited in years past, was host to a location test for DariusBurst Another Chronicle . . . up until a few weeks ago. ? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! That cabinet has since moved to a new location test site in Utah; the guy who runs ArcadeHeroes.com has it in his arcade. Pictures and lots of text here (including an "unboxing" of a 1010-lb. machine ). I want to play it, damn it! In other news, because Irem is pulling out of PlayStation Home, along with nearly every other video game service they're on (but that's another story, a rather sad one), I took the plunge yesterday and bought my first virtual items in Home: some R-Type virtual fighter models. Still haven't decided to buy Scribble Shooter. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember A new side-scrolling shooter is coming soon for the Dreamcast, and this one even has a pricey limited edition. DariusBurst Another Chronicle EX was an expansion to the non-EX version, but I didn\'t read about the content; EX2 is coming, and I\'ve read that the content this time includes a new player ship, new bosses, and the addition of wingmen (a la 1942 or the options in Gradius). POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Well over a year after Gundemonium Collection debuted in the PS Store, I\'m finally ordering the PC CD-ROM release of it (with art book and soundtrack CD), which is on sale through Saturday for 50% off its standard price--making its with-shipping price equal to that of its standard non-sale price in the PS Store. Everything I bought on Black Friday was for me. . . . POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I just discovered today that G.Rev\'s vertically scrolling helicopter shooter Under Defeat, formerly of the NAOMI arcade/Dreamcast family, is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 (in Japan, anyway) remade as Under Defeat HD. It includes a new widescreen mode as well (the original game uses a vertically oriented screen), by which I mean an actual widescreen mode, not just the Tate (rotated) mode. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I really don\'t know how to respond to these posts but it doesn\'t mean I do not read them. At any rate, an Indie vertical SHMUP named Jamestown on PC is a daily deal today on Steam for $2.49. It looks like a bullet hell game which I do not like. Just passing this info in case someone wants to snag it. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Additions (and edits) to my shooting game library since the list on the first page: - Plug-n-PlaySpace Invaders - PCGundemonium RecollectionGundeadliGneHitogata Happa - PlayStation PortableThe King of Fighters Sky Stage (included in the previously mentioned NEOGEO HEROES ~Ultimate Shooting~)Sky ForceDuæl InvadersWho's That Flying?!VanguardHAL 21Ozma WarsSasuke vs. CommanderAlpha MissionVanguard IIPrehistoric Isle in 1930Bermuda Triangle - PlayStation 3Alien Syndrome (part of the previously mentioned Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)PixelJunk Shooter 2Galaga Legions DXPixelJunk SideScroller - PlayStation (from PSN)Kyuiin The plug-n-play Space Invaders is part of the 10-game Taito TV Game system (AKA "Retro Arcade featuring Space Invaders"), while the 3 PC titles make up Gundemonium Collection. Everything else minus KoF Sky Stage and Alien Syndrome was a standalone download purchase. Additions to my pinball library since that earlier list: - PlayStation PortableParty LandSpeed DevilsBillion Dollar GameshowStones 'N Bones - TurboGrafx-16 (from PSN)Alien Crush The PSP titles make up the Pinball Fantasies Mini. By the way, Freelance, that Japanese Game Boy pinball game you have, does it have the number 66 in its title? Edit: Oh, wait, never mind. The title I was thinking of was localized as Revenge of the Gator, which you have. I tried searching "pinball" in Japanese (ピンボール) to see if I could ID that game of yours. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember onmode is like a shooter mania, and i think it's contagious... it's starting to bring back my buried love for shooters... ^_^ POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Oh hey, I dug up that Japanese GB game I had and found out it's from Jaleco so I did some searching on GameFAQs and discovered what this mystery game is! It's called Hero Shuugou!! Pinball Party, and judging from the cover and in game screen shots (only saw 2 online, one of which is the title screen), it looks to be based on a manga and/or anime that I've never heard of before. The game itself is pretty dull. That's what I recalled when I played it many years ago. Oh, I just discovered this Japan-only pinball game. Have you ever played it? Looks like it has 2 tables:http://www.ebay.com/itm/PSP-Pinball-Japanese-Import-Factory-Sealed-brand-new-MINT-/220969385847?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3372cd3f77 It looks like it can only be played in Tate mode too. This page has more clearer pics of the 2 tables:http://www.gameforfun.com/en/product.asp?product_id=6050# P.S. Wow, the Japanese cover for Revenge of the Gator is darn cute:http://image4.play-asia.com/640/6l/pa.118726.1.jpg POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember A-ha, so that's what your game's called. I looked up the Japanese title (ヒーロー集合!! ピンボールパーティ, if you want to use that to find images), and an Amazon.co.jp user review notes that the game most appeals to Jaleco fans because they'd recognize the characters. I guess it was a game populated by company mascots, like their version of Super Smash Bros. I've never heard of that PSP pinball title before. Did Hudson Soft get excited by the PSP's vertical screen or something? There's this game and also their Star Soldier remake that were both Tate-position early PSP releases. I wonder how good this one is. I'm rather disappointed that there's a single nudge button (though maybe that site just isn't telling how to do a directional nudge). Are you getting it? Heh, yeah that Revenge of the Gator cover is kind of cute. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Ah more images. Just looking at them again reinforces my 'this game is dull' comment. I'd like to get that game but I can't right now. I am unemployed and am looking for a job. I may get one soon if they ever call me though so if I do get it, maybe I'll get that game as a reward. I also want the buy a 200 page book about everything Game & Watch related though so I will have to decide what to get. Glad that seller ships to Canada. Lots of ppl usually don't. Sadly, it's out of print according to Playasia. It's a 2005 game ? Update: Yes it looks like there's only one nudge button. I'd like a directional one myself. To be fair, pinball and SHMUPs are the genres that's best suited to a vertical screen so Hudson probably just taking advantage of that fact. I do prefer SHMUPs with a vertical screen but I'd rather have my pinball in a horizontal format (I am used to it and I like using the triggers to control the flippers). POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Add Scribble Shooter to my shooting game library; I got it today. Overall, it's not bad, but I was slightly underwhelmed. Sure, I wasn't expecting a super-hardcore shooter, given that it's a PlayStation Home virtual arcade cabinet, but the amount of content in it kind of didn't feel like it was $7 worth. There are 10 stages, each with a distinctive boss, and you can start from any stage you've reached (there are no Continues, just your 3 lives, with more earned in-game through reaching score milestones). Some of the wingman mechanics are very reminiscent of Gradius V options, namely the ability to have them orbit your ship and to lock their relative position. It's generally not very hard, but power-ups being dropped fairly rarely later on does make it a little difficult to recover from any deaths. The weirdest thing about it, though, is the uneven difficulty. The first 3 stages are pretty easy, but the Stage 4 boss will likely kill every newcomer right away because of his surprise attack. And, I don't know if I simply don't fight him properly or what, but he takes a really long time to kill even after you know his pattern. There are two other bosses who are particularly troublesome to deal with. You have to fight one of them (Stage 7?) with most of the screen blacked out, just a circle of light illuminating the area around your ship while he teleports around in the darkness and throws homing fireballs at you. Annoying? You bet! Then there's the final boss who wouldn't be so bad if he didn't pull a really cheap trick at the end of the fight to make things extremely disorienting. The scoring is weird. As you kill enemies, the multiplier continues to increase, and not even dying resets it. So, the longer you play, the greater your rate of scoring will be, not just the score itself. I couldn't pass the fourth stage for a few tries and topped out at less than 400,000 points, but after beating the whole game (from stage select, just to unlock all the stages), I gave another try from Stage 1 and racked up just shy of 4 million points, and a multiplier just under 100x, before the Stage 9 boss unexpectedly killed my last life with what must have been a bullet camouflaged by my own laser beam. I ranked 53rd or so in the leaderboard. The top 10, presumably full-game 1CC runs, were between 7 and 7.5 million. Most of the boss fights are rather fun, with one being very reminiscent of that one Salamander boss with the spinning arms. I looked up user reviews at Amazon.co.jp for the Hudson Pinball game, but what was there was mostly short and useless (but not positive, for what that's worth). Maybe it's good; maybe it's not. While I was there, I discovered that Amazon.co.jp has entries for the PSP and PS3 editions of PHoF: The Williams Collection, North American imports, and both have decent numbers of reviews (for imports). I was amused by the one PS3 version reviewer who talked about how impressive it was that the games included tours of each table . . . but because his own English was poor, those tours weren't much help. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember i wish there's shooter in which the aliens are made up to spell: facebook, cause that's what i want to shoot right now! POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I only found one review for Pinball and that was on Playasia. Basically he said it was very cool so that's one positive review. Problem is, there's not many pinball fans and even if there were, I doubt they'd be in a hurry to import an unknown Japan-only pinball game so they can review it. I only want it because I'm willing to try them all even if they suck (not saying this game actually sucks of course). POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember The Amazon.co.jp reviews were spread across the spectrum. When I said "not positive," I meant that it averages to about 3 out of 5. There were a couple of positives--but again, the reviews were short, so maybe the reviewers weren't qualified. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember 3/5 isn't bad at all. It's not awesome but it isn't total crap either. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember right in the middle...^_^ good enough POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I didn't get the stupid job so that pinball game is out of my reach now. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Sorry to hear that. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember After having had Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype (PS3 download title) for a while, I finally beat it today. It was kind of unexpected, too. The game has 7 stages, but stages 6 and 7 are unavailable until you find sufficient secret keys from the first 5 stages. Basically, you get a "bad ending" when you finish the game while it only has 5 stages, and you only see the "true ending" when you finish Stage 7. Unlocking Stage 7 requires finding 4 of the 5 secret keys from each of the first 6 stages, and when I first started playing tonight, I only had that for Stages 1 through 3. A few single-stage runs later, I had managed to find my fourth key for Stage 4 and my third and fourth keys for Stage 6, but I just couldn't find my fourth for Stage 5. I gave one more try, and lo and behold, while not finding the actual Secret Key #4, I stumbled upon Stage 5's Secret Key #5. Thus, with 4 keys total (key numbering order doesn't matter for the unlock) in each of the first 6 stages, I suddenly had Stage 7 available. So, I played it, beat it, got a Bronze Trophy, and finally saw the "true ending." Overall, the game is definitely an improvement over its predecessor. The first game had a more interesting weapon gimmick, but your weapons were just so underpowered that the game became frustrating and, eventually, boring. Sure, maybe if you figured out the optimal way to handle the weapon gimmick, you could power them up properly, but that took more patience than I had, probably. This game, though, keeps the action fast and your weapons better balanced. Moreover, its stages and enemies have lots of variety, while also just looking pretty spectacular. Sure, it's no Gradius V, and the secret keys can be a pain to find (apparently, sometimes they even only appear if you're playing well!), but I think anyone who likes scrolling shooters even a little bit would enjoy the game. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember It looks like Sengoku Cannon (the PSP sequel to Psikyo's arcade Sengoku Ace and Sengoku Blade scrolling shooters) is suddenly in stock at Play-Asia. I think it had been out of stock for years. But, do I really want to spend ~$45 to import a ho-hum side-scrolling shooter? Especially with Velocity on the horizon. Leaning way toward "No." POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # ChaosRandomMember I also would say no, but I dont what that game is like. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Here is gameplay of the first two stages. It seems sort of like the developers thought, "Let's use the PSP's technical capabilities and show off a really dynamic, real-time 3D background!"--but they didn't notice that the imagery they made for the background just doesn't look very good. It's kind of strange to think that Koyori, the shrine girl character being played in that video, went from looking kind of tomboyish in the original Sengoku Ace (in which the characters pilot aircraft instead of flying themselves, and they scroll vertically instead of horizontally) to becoming overly voluptuous in the series' second and third outings. I guess scrolling sideways had a profound effect on her *ahem* development. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # ChaosRandomMember The game looks sweet and overly voluptuous might be an understatement. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Heh, she's certainly the series' most *ahem* visible character. I don't think there's been a figure released of her where the clothes were not removable--and that's for the ones where she's actually clothed. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I just beat Floating Cloud God Saves the Pilgrims. Certainly a very charming game, but after Dakko Dakko's The 2D Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character, I was surprised at how, well, easy it was (until the end, at least). Octopuswas kind of brutal in its checkpoint system, though, so maybe Rhodri decided to lighten the load on the player. Still, Octopus had a whole lot more levels, 76 versus Pilgrims' 28 (and in terms of per-level time investment, I'd say Octopus might have the upper hand, in general, and this is coming from someone who restarted whenever a pilgrim died). The game controls very responsively, and I was able to make full use of my high-speed manual firing skills to wipe out incoming foes in a flash--heck, I discovered that, in certain circumstances, I could take out the second-to-last boss in less than 5 seconds. Er, maybe that's why I found the game easy, because I shoot fast. There is auto-fire, but I think I shoot faster on my own. Anyway, I do have one controls complaint: tapping up or down on the D-pad to slightly alter your vertical position majorly changes your aim, due to the way aiming is set up, and that constantly opened up holes in my stream of fire through which enemies managed to shoot. I'd have preferred a tap to change the aim in increments instead of moving your aim all the way in that direction. E.g., I could be shooting (diagonally) upwards and decide to move myself slightly lower, but then my aim would suddenly be angled like 45 degrees lower, instead of a less drastic amount. The boss fights were fun, though it took me some time to figure out how to hurt that fish, and the variety in enemies and their attack methods really made each world quite distinctive. Definitely worth playing, for both casual and hardcore scrolling shooter fans. But, don't expect it to be very hard, even if you choose to go for 0 casualties throughout. P.S. My favorite would be the octopus hats. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Not on the main topic, but since this is where most of our pinball discussion has been . . . I don't think I'll be able to get the two Silver Trophies in Pinball Arcade PS3 that I haven't gotten yet. One is for clearing all the Wizard goals in Theater of Magic, and the other is for clearing all the Wizard goals in Ripley's Believe It or Not. On each of the two tables, I've gotten 3 of the 5 Wizard goals, but the remaining pair in each are really hard. Heck, I got a top-400 score in Ripley's last night in a game that went incredibly well, with at least 5 extra balls earned to keep my efforts going, yet all that work (and time, lots of time!) didn't get me the two remaining goals. *sigh* I never did get the last Wizard goal for Medieval Madness in The Williams Collection, either (win the Battle for the Kingdom--I always screwed up in that last, timed portion, after working for like 45 minutes to get there), back when I was playing that. I don't like how all the different platforms in Pinball Arcade share the same leaderboards. The iOS/Android players (marked on the leaderboards as "mobile") dominate; is their version somehow easier?! I wonder how my Ripley'sscore would have ranked were I able to look only at PS3 scores. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Crap. I came close to getting the "Complete the Grand Finale" Wizard goal on Theatre of Magic, but I missed because a) I only managed to spell about half of "Magic Theatre" in the 90-second time limit, and b) I didn't know "complete" meant I had to spell the whole damned thing anyway--the in-game instructions just talk about how Grand Finale ends and don't explicitly say that you actually have to earn all its points for the Wizard goal. I'd thought simply staying alive throughout would count. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # ChaosRandomMember My favorite pinball game used to be The Addams Family one. I wish they would make that a game. Or have they? POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # DarthDanManMember I think they're did/planning to in the most recent pinball game, whose name escapes me, on PSN. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I'm still waiting for the 3DS and PC versions of TPA, they being the two main platforms I want to play them on. Too bad things aren't looking too hot on the 3DS although they did say there's going to be an announcement soon for PC. @ChaosRandom, TAF is one of the most requested tables but it's going to be pretty expensive to get all the licenses involved. I wouldn't expect that for a while, assuming it's actually going to be made. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Balrog, the name you're looking for is 3 posts above yours. Freelance is abbreviating it with 3 letters, though I don't think there's a "the" in the title. ChaosRandom, The Addams Family is the highest-production pinball table in history, so it's definitely up there for Pinball Arcade in terms of what tables FarSight wants to add to their game. But, as Freelance noted, the licensing is bound to be expensive. They may go for it, though, depending on how well their Kickstarter page for the Twilight Zone pinball table goes. They've gotten licensing all sorted out for Twilight Zone (another table commonly cited as one of the all-time greats), but their projection is that it's so much money that making it available for consumers to buy would actually not cover the cost, hence the Kickstarter. Addams might happen depending on how that goes, though the Kickstarter page actually names the Star Trek: The Next Generation pinball table as a likely next candidate. Actually, it looks like this question was just addressed yesterday in the Kickstarter's FAQ section: We love the Addams Family table, and we would be very excited to digitize and preserve it! However this table is an even bigger licensing challenge than the Twilight Zone or Star Trek: The Next Generation. We are working on identifying all the required licenses. We won't ask for money for it until we're sure we can secure all of the licenses we'd need to do it. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember No, it really is The Pinball Arcade. The logo has 'the' there in small letters and TPA is the official abbreviation. I presume saying 'the' is sorta redundant though and people may not use it. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Huh, maybe I blocked it out. By the way, what did you mean about things not looking too hot for a 3DS version? FarSight still lists it among the target platforms. Did I miss some news about it? POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Well they are having problems getting the ROM emulation to work well for it (compared to the other versions). They mentioned that months ago and I still don't see any update in sight hence my comment about things not looking too hot. Problem must be pretty big. 'It doesn't appear to be coming out anytime soon' is what I meant. PC release is a tad more optimistic though. Valve declined to put TPA on Steam and I don't know what Farsight is going to do, but they did mention an announcement 'shortly' which implies they figured out something and should be out far sooner than the 3DS version. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # ApeZeroMember I know the topic has moved on to Pinball... so before I start talking shmups I will add something... I really hope Devil's Crush ends up on the PSN, it really was one of the best games on the turbografx16, also one of the best digital pinball titles of all time. Alien Crush just doesn't do it for me. Hudson being officially dissolved by Konami makes this whole situation murky after all, but I really think there are more must have games on that system that should be ported, Blazing Lazers and Gate/Lords of Thunder namely. I'm also sure Ys 1&2 would sell pretty well without cannibalizing the newer Chronicles version. Just ordered Akai Katana for the 360, Cave games and their crazy scoring techniques are always way above my head,... but damn if they aren't fun and pretty to look at. Finally what I really wanted to talk about is everyones opinion of dual stick shooters... The PSP is home to 3 really good ones. Super Stardust Portable is easily my favorite, online leaderboards, amazing visuals and music and a fun/risky scoring mechanic keep me coming back. Everyday Shooter I just picked up a month ago and it is like an acid trip! Every level requires a new strategy to score points and the melding of the music with the gameplay makes for almost a sense of synesthesia. Age of Zombies is also a fun if somewhat short and easy romp. I always enjoy a quick replay, since it is only a half hour long lol. Now first off I want to say my first experience in this genre was on the SNES with Super Smash TV, which to this day I think is way better than the arcade version, the music rocks and the play field is zoomed out further... So here is the thing I have a problem with. Professional reviewers are all a bunch of ninnying poseurs, they complain about the PSPs lack of a second analog stick as though there were no dual stick shooters before Geometry Wars. These Johnny-come-latelys claim Super Stardust Portable and its ilk control poorly because they don't have analog firing. These crybaby punks need to be sat down and handcuffed to a Robotron arcade machine for 12 straight hours to get a much needed history lesson in this genre. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I know the topic has moved on to Pinball Eh, we flip-flop between shooting games and pinball quite frequently in this topic. Take a look at the first two pages. I'd like Devil's Crush to hit the PS Store, too. Never played it before, but the general consensus seems to be that it's superior to its predecessor. Freelance mentioned Blazing Lasers earlier in the topic, too, and that's another I've heard a bunch of good things about. Heck, the PCE/TG16 seems to be the console of choice for shooting game enthusiasts, followed by the Mega Drive/Genesis (I'd like to play a Thunder Force game, and Bio-Hazard Battlecomes highly recommended, too). I have very little Cave experience, since I don't have an Xbox 360 or an import PS2. I understand that they've built themselves a market on the 360, but it would be nice to get some of their work on the PS3. My interest in scrolling shooters alone is not sufficient reason to buy a 360--especially since I'd have to get a Japanese one to really be able to play the complete selection. I like twin stick shooters, but not as much as scrollers. My arcade cabinet (not a MAME cab, but it has a lot of titles in it, fully licensed, too) has Robotron 2084, Black Widow, Smash TV, and Total Carnage (I also have these titles in PC anthologies). I have Everyday Shooter for my PSP--by the way, I remember reading, maybe in the game's manual, that Jonathan Mak prefers his game to be played with 8 directions only. For my PS3, I have PixelJunk Shooter and its sequel, and I think they're twin stick shooters; I haven't played either yet. I also have Gravity Crash, though I only played it with classic, Gravitar-style controls, not twin stick shooter controls. Additions to my shooting game library since the list on the first page and the list on the second page: - PlayStation PortableFloating Cloud God Saves the PilgrimsVelocity - PlayStation 3Scribble ShooterPixelJunk Shooter All of the above were standalone, download purchases. Additions to my pinball library since the lists on those pages: - PlayStation 3Tales of the Arabian Nights (second PS3 rendition)Ripley's Believe It or NotBlack HoleTheatre of Magic These are from The Pinball Arcade. The Black Hole in The Pinball Arcade plays much better (unsurprisingly) than the one in Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection for the PS2. For one thing, it doesn't constantly crash! POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # ApeZeroMember Yeah the shmups, as I like to call them, you call them scrolling shooters, are the only thing the 360 has going for it... that and Minecraft I suppose. In fact I was in heavy debate over the issue of 360 vs PS3 because I always adopt systems a few years late. They both play NHL, Rockband, Street Fighter/MVC so the deciding factor was Raiden IV. It sucks because the PS3 has Motorstorm and I would probably enjoy Stardust on PS3 and the Dual Shock dpad is infinitely better for fighting games so I would have saved the investment in a tournament stick. Sigh... still a good investment overall. Blazing Lazers is really cool, but if you've ever played any of Compile's Aleste series of shmups(Space Megaforce perhaps) it will seem very familiar. Strangely it is basically Aleste but attached to a terrible Japanese Sci-Fi movie license called GunHed. On that subject Sony really should push Sega SNK and Hudson to form more of a 'Virtual Console'(-SNES) for PSP/Vita/PS3. We got Hudson and SNK we just need more titles... Sega should be a no brainer, get a Genesis/MD emulator running and contact some third party publishers and maybe Thunder Force isn't such a pipe dream after all. Mentioned it before I think but out of the TG-16 titles currently available Soldier Blade is fantastic and you should really try it if you haven't already. It might have one of the best soundtracks of the 16 bit era, which is no small boast. I might sound like a TG-16 fanatic but really I never owned one, even though the adverts in comic books made me really want one when I was young. I'll post my collection sometime later I suppose, just to join in the fun. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Yeah the shmups, as I like to call them, you call them scrolling shooters, are the only thing the 360 has going for it... that and Minecraft I suppose. Well, it has plenty of other exclusives, many of which are insanely popular, but yes, for me, it has very little exclusive that I would be interested in. Raiden IV wasn't much of a draw for me after I found Raiden III a bit disappointing. Do you have Otomedius Excellent, by the way? I think XBLA also has HD remakes of Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga, and RayStorm. I've never played the vast majority of console shooters, Aleste included (never owned a console--unless you count an original Game Boy in your definition of "console"--until buying myself a GameCube in 2004). Regarding Gunhed, I actually knew of the film for years before ever knowing about its game version. We got Hudson and SNK we just need more titles. Yeah, it's sad that the PCE/TG16 and Neo Geo sections are so small, especially given what the Virtual Console got before it went nearly dormant. About Soldier Blade, I don't need to buy it from the PS Store because I already have it on UMD. I have Hudson's Soldier Collection from their PC Engine Best Collection UMD series (see my collection list), and it includes emulated Super Star Soldier, Soldier Blade, Final Soldier, and Star Parodier, along with Caravan versions of some of them, plus some helpful tips videos starring Takahashi Meijin himself. The PC Engine Best Collection also includes the cheapest way to legally get Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (rare PCE Arcade CD game): Galaxy Fraulein Yuna Collection. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # ApeZeroMember Yeah Raiden 3 did seem somewhat bland, but Raiden 4 is much better. Hard for me to say why, maybe it is the music, maybe the toothpaste lazer... Maybe it is the interesting mechanics where you let go of fire and it charges for 1 second then you press fire and a dozen missiles fire and each one that hits is worth 5000 points. I just know I kind liked 3 but love 4. I have Ikaruga on GC and Raystorm on Taito Legends 2 may someday get RSG on XBLA(which has plenty of fine shmups on it really). Otomedius, I sadly passed on. I love Gradius and Parodius and even bought Deathsmiles so the 'moe' factor wasn't a big deal but... after reading the HG101 article I was somewhat anti-hyped. Might get it used if I can find it. AHA, forgot you listed the PCE collections somewhere near the beginning of this huge thread(which I read all of :P). Sapphire is a game I definitely wanted to play I hear it really pushed the system to the brink. RE: Gravity Crash. I got a severe case of buyers remorse 30 minutes after I bought it. I felt like there was no point to playing it 'right' cuz no matter what I was on to the next level. First impression, boring. Still on my memory card, which puts it in better company than Cho Aniki Zero, man that one is a stinker. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember toothpaste lazer... Consumer safety hazard alert! Maybe it is the interesting mechanics where you let go of fire and it charges for 1 second then you press fire and a dozen missiles fire and each one that hits is worth 5000 points. This sounds similar to part of Sapphire's gameplay mechanics. Admittedly, Otomedius didn't really catch my interest, not because of the graphical style, but because opinions about it seemed universally lukewarm. On Gravity Crash, I have the PS3 version and had a completely opposite experience: I got permanently stuck on one of the missions. There is a Trophy for achieving a certain score over the course of the game, and getting it basically means you have to miss very few scoring opportunities and not run out of lives for the entire run of the campaign. I could not beat (as in earn all possible points and complete) this mission without losing an unacceptable number of lives, so I could not progress any farther. Heck, my memory is fuzzy, but it may even have been so hard that I couldn't best that mission even with all my extra lives. What's wrong with Cho Aniki Zero? Hitbox too big? In shooting game news, the Kickstarter campaign to bring Redux: Dark Matters to Steam, XBLA, PSN, and Dreamcast is a success. In pinball, thanks to a tip I read online (use the other flipper), I got one more of Theatre of Magic's Wizard goals in The Pinball Arcade--and on my very first try, even!--so only one remains between me and that Silver Trophy. Of course, that leftover one is the hardest goal on the table, the Grand Finale. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember *sigh* I started Grand Finale 3 times last night in Theatre of Magic, I think. Never completed it. On one of those runs, GF started with 2 balls in play, which really helped for quick acquisition of the "Magic Theatre" letters. I was on a roll! But then GF ended with no bonus . . . and I think it was because one of the balls drained (thus ending GF) when I had ONE letter remaining to get. KHAAAAAAANNNN!!! POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Today, I popped The Williams Collection into my PS3 to confirm which tables I never finished all the Wizard goals on (Medieval Madness and Jive Time, one goal left each). I'd forgotten about the Jive Time one, which tasks you with getting 4 extra balls via the West Gate. This sounds absurdly difficult, because the West Gate can only be opened as a random reward from one of the table's spin holes, so you have to get it randomly selected 4 times and actually shoot the ball through the West Gate each time (no direct path from the flippers, mind you), all in one 5-ball game. However, I thought, "Maybe I misinterpreted this when I was last playing it, and maybe I just have to open the West Gate once and then shoot the ball through that open gate 4 times." So, I started trying. Eventually, I confirmed that even though the gate remains open after you collect an extra ball through it, it doesn't award any further extra balls unless you randomly get the reward from a spin hole again. BUT, while I was half-heartedly trying to trigger more West Gate openings, I did manage to smash my previous high score. It had been about 218,000, and I finished today's session with a shocking 319,990 (yet during this game, I never once managed to score a West Gate extra ball). Now, I wasn't logged into PSN while doing this, so my score didn't make it into the leaderboard (I have a ~183,000 score there, top 100), but I checked the board to see where this score would have put me. Turns out it would have been the 10th-best PS3 score for the game! Far from #1, though, which was about 2 times as high. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Okay. Finally. I worked on beating the Grand Finale in Theatre of Magic last night and at loooong last did it. Took a big bunch of tries, though! I remember a run I made a couple of days ago where I had just one letter in "Magic Theatre" left to get, but then I screwed up a shot and lost the ball into the drain (this isn't the same as the earlier time when I had 2 balls in play and lost one; it's much more upsetting to have all your attention on 1 ball and lose that one). Quite maddening. During last night's tries, I recall one time when I was on my way to finishing GF but apparently ran out of time before I'd gotten all the letters. Then there was another time when several attempts on the shot to start GF all missed (seriously, what was going on?!) and eventually ended the game. BUT, then there was The One, the run that made it. Oddly enough, if I'm recalling correctly, it started out not so well. I lost the first 2 balls before I'd earned any extras (typically, if you're playing all right, you'll earn at least 2 during a game), but I didn't restart because I'd made decent progress with the Grand Finale requirements. The third ball went really well and picked up those 2 extra balls, and I later even earned a third extra ball from the Haunted Basement's Digital Pinball mode. I actually went into GF with at least 1 extra ball, for the first time--not that it really mattered, because GF ends if you lose the ball you started with. GF started out slowly, with my ball repeatedly getting preoccupied amongst the jet bumpers (i.e., using up my time limit doing nothing productive), but I then managed to focus multiple shots on the ramps and inner loop in quick succession to make up for that. The announcer was yelling "50 million!" over and over as I picked up steam getting the remaining letters in "Magic Theatre". I got closer and closer to the final letter with the GF music still going . . . and then voila! GF complete and 500 million points more! Silver Trophy unlocked! Seconds after that, the ball drained, but it was okay! I continued playing with my remaining ball(s?) and broke my previous high score by almost a billion points. A little under 4.5 billion, my new score put me at 356th on the leaderboard, or 153rd if you take out all the users marked as "Mobile." My new Theatre of Magic high score is *ahem* more than triple Freelance's. Maybe if she stopped waiting and put in the time on the platform for which she already has the game . . . POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Well, well, well. I played Ripley's Believe It or Not today, the table with the last remaining Trophy for me in Pinball Arcade. Despite miserable performance for the most part, I actually collected all the letters of "Ripley's" on one particularly incredible go at the table, leading to the Trip to Atlantis, which is probably the table's hardest Wizard goal. So, now I only have one Wizard goal left in the entire base Pinball Arcade: getting all 6 Super Jackpots in Ripley's to start Frog Frenzy. That should be easier than getting all the "Ripley's" letters, but I'm not really sure. It involves a lot of multiball, which is a bit hellish in this table. I'm also not really inclined to try, since I don't particularly like the table. Anyway, I got a new high score as a result of the good run, somewhere north of 120 million, landing me at 257th on the leaderboard (something like 111th, if Mobiles are ignored). Not quite triple Freelance's score. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember I doubt you could beat my high score for Video Pinball on the Atari 2600*. I don't actually remember the score, but I could basically play it until I got sick of playing it, and once I remember playing it for several days straight. (No pause, but there was no time limit when you had to launch the next ball, so you could pause it like that). Had it hooked up to a B&W TV next to my bed. *Okay, you probably could, but wouldn't want to. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I could basically play it until I got sick of playing it Jakks Pacific's Dragonball Z TV Game plug-n-play system from 2005 has a pinball game in it, which was my original interest in the product (not actually a DBZ fan). The game was too easy for me, though, as proven by the fact that I once beat the whole table 4 times and ended the game by purposely disposing of my remaining 9 balls. So, I know how you feel. Technically, I can play Jive Time in The Williams Collection until I get sick of playing it; sometimes I reach that point before the game ends. Back to the shooting games topic! A walkthrough for the entirety of Atari's vector-graphics arcade game Gravitar was recently published on YouTube (just search "gravitar walkthrough" for all 5 parts or look at this AtariAge forum post), and watching pieces of it revealed that the game is even harder than I'd imagined! After you beat the whole thing, then you have to beat the whole thing in reverse gravity! After that, the third universe is back to normal gravity but with invisible walls--and then the fourth, last universe is invisible walls and reverse gravity! Talk about hardcore! POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Okay, it appears that activating Frog Frenzy is the hardest Wizard goal in Ripley's Believe It or Not. Getting 6 Super Jackpots in one game looks like it's more difficult than activating the Trip to Atlantis; after a couple of hours of work, the best I could do was a mere 2 Super Jackpots in one game. Accurate ramp shots during multiball (which are prerequisites for a Super Jackpot) are really hard due to the chaos of multiple balls on the playfield. I think I'll have to sit this one out. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Here is a nice photo for the [pinball] archives; the head of FarSight countersigns the CBS agreement for the Twilight Zone table license. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember To add to my earlier impressions of Scribble Shooter, I went back to it last night after finding an article on the Web that described the right way to handle the Stage 4 boss. Finding that aspect of his behavior (he becomes vulnerable if you make him run into one of these two tiny obstacles on the screen--that are so small you might not notice them) made the fight much easier, especially if you have option wingmen that can shoot him from inside his body. My previous high score had fallen to 59th place on the leaderboard. A go at the game last night, though, upped my high score to over 4.6 million and a rank of 50th. I got farther than last time, too, avoiding death easily in the Stage 9 boss fight but finally buying the farm partway through Stage 10, the last one (I likely wouldn't have survived the final boss fight anyway, what with that stupid disorientation move of his). I also figured out how the score multiplier increments. As you continuously kill enemies, a meter builds and eventually increases the multiplier by one. If your rate of sequential kills stops, though, the meter empties. The multiplier itself, however, never decreases. That teleporting-in-the-dark Stage 7 boss is still the pits. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I came across this clip while searching YouTube for footage of Zone H in DariusBurst, because I wanted to hear whether the music sounded any different from the soundtrack version (the music in Zone H, "The World of Spirit," is one of the best in an already awesome soundtrack). As I watched the guy play, I wondered why he was doing certain things, like ramming straight into enemies. I happened to glance at the score. And then it hit me. This is THE MOST INCREDIBLE GAMEPLAY FOOTAGE of DariusBurst I've ever seen! Not because he displays unbelievable skill (though he must have done so earlier in the game), but because he manages to counterstop the score and then go on to score more points!!! X_X DariusBurst has 8 digits for tracking score, so the score counter stops if you try to go past 100 million. Scoring that high is really hard to do and takes dedicated practice; for comparison, my best is ~47 million, and that was including counterburst-killing (major points) 3 of the 5 bosses in the run, and it was in Burst Mode, which I think is easier to score in than the normal Arcade Mode. This guy goes into Zone H (one of the game's 5 possible final zones) with a whopping 90,470,750 points (see the start of the clip). By the time the boss introduction starts (2:48), he's at 93,924,050 points. Nothing really strange is going on yet, though he's clearly not attacking boss Hungry Gluttons in earnest. Then, when the boss does its first burst attack (3:20), the player initiates a counterburst but doesn't use it against the boss; he's trying to keep it alive so that he has more time to score points. At 5:15, he reaches the mythical counterstop, with a score of 99,993,050. Killing more of the boss' minions does not add to the point total. But is that it? Is that the end of the score? No! This is when he rams straight into Hungry Gluttons, letting his shield take a bunch of hits (but not to depletion/death). Why in world would a guy do that? Because getting hit not only weakens your shield, it also decrements the score multiplier! He wants more points, but because he needs smaller point values in order to keep scoring, he chops down his multiplier by hurting himself! The multiplier normally builds as you kill enemies, maxing out at 16x. It's a good thing his shield appears to have been in excellent health so that he has the luxury of doing this. He takes more hits at 5:43 and manages to get his score to 99,999,050 via more minion kills. But it's not over yet! He bides his time, killing only enough minions to stay alive, still avoiding hits on Hungry Gluttons. Then, at 8:05, a minion previously unseen in the fight appears (a secret enemy later into the boss fight than most people ever let it survive to???), and he attacks them with the burst cannon, killing 2 of the 3 to reach 99,999,850. But wait, there's more! At 8:40, he takes more hits and attacks another trio of that new minion, killing one to reach 99,999,950. Now, it really is over, and he begins attacking Hungry Gluttons for real. The boss goes down at 9:03 (and doesn't add to the score at all, of course). The end-of-stage bonuses are also all point values too large to be of any use. This is it, the max final score in DariusBurst. I was VERY impressed. The player writes in the video description that DariusBurst is his favorite PSP game, and it shows. He clearly put in the work to determine how to hit that max score. POSTED 7 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember It took 6 years, but FINALLY, the PS3 has a scrolling shooter coming out in North America on a Blu-ray disc. Rising Star Games is releasing Under Defeat HD: Deluxe Edition this fall, for $40. Wow! Apparently, there will also be a PSN release, but I'd rather go for the extras-included physical format. In Europe, the game will be released on disc for both PS3 and Xbox 360. I suspect that the reason it won't be on the Xbox 360 in North America is Microsoft's minimum manufacturing threshold here. You have to print at least some X number of copies; basically, Microsoft is not very friendly toward low print runs. Maybe it will get an XBLA release, though? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember $40!!! Cheap!!! Does this game have online co-op or something?? I never heard of this game. Oh it's a Dreamcast game. Like you I'd get the retail copy for the goodies. The Wiki page says it's coming to 360 so I guess it'd be on XBLA. Yes I am very disappointed the PS3 barely has any SHMUPs, especially verticals. I think the 360 has loads more ? Hey, you heard of Sine Mora? It's a horizontal SHMUP on the 360 but it's coming to PS3/Vita sometime. It's a bullet hell though so meh. Oooo I just noticed I am not gonna get a physical artbook, only a digital one!!!! Arrgh. I hate digital artbooks. I very much like hardcover artbooks. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Yeah, it's a NAOMI arcade (2005) to Dreamcast (2006) game. I'm not sure why some people are referring to it as an arcade classic, what with it being not even 10 years old right now. About Wikipedia's statement on the HD remake being on the Xbox 360, it got a physical release in Japan already earlier this year on both PS3 and Xbox 360. I think that's all that the Wikipedia entry is referring to. Rising Star's announcement for North American distribution is not yet mentioned in the Wikipedia entry. Yes, I've heard of Sine Mora, and I knew of it coming to the PSV--but I'm pretty sure it's only the PSV and not also the PS3 that it's coming to. The art book is digital, but at least the soundtrack is on a CD, and there's that nifty letter from the G.rev guy, too. It'd be cool if he personally signed every single one. That would make 3 signatures for me from people who worked on Gradius V! POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Yes, I've heard of Sine Mora, and I knew of it coming to the PSV--but I'm pretty sure it's only the PSV and not also the PS3 that it's coming to. Nay mew: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-06-21-sine-mora-heading-to-psn Yes, thank god for actual CDs. I am sorry, but MP3s just aren't as good as the real thing. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Yeah, I hate when games come with codes to download soundtracks. Rockstar is good for that. Still haven't redeemed my Max Payne 3 code. I might buy Sine Mora when it releases on the Vita. I'm not interested in it honestly, I just want to add a Vita game sale to the pot. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember That's weird, that the PS3 version only got announced like 2 weeks after the PSV version (which was announced around E3). I wonder when we should be expecting it. Before the end of the year? At any rate, I suppose that's another game to add to the to-buy list. Ofaliss, what if the game costs $15? Would you still buy it then, a game you're not interested in? It's 1200 MS points on XBLA. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I find the difference between reactions to Under Defeat HD's North American price amusing. The casual shooter players are going, "Are you kidding? You want a whopping $40 for a shmup in this day and age?" The hardcore crowd who have had to import in order to slake their thirst in recent years, on the other hand, are going, "Holy crap, $40 is like half the price of the Japanese standard edition! Awesome!" The game is now available to preorder at Amazon.com. They list it with a November 28th release date. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I've played a bit of Sengoku Cannon lately, enough so that I managed to get all 4 characters available at the start to Stage 4 on 1 credit (and I think I made it there once with no lives lost). There are 5 stages total, so it's a pretty short game, even shorter given that you can continue whenever you run out of lives. After 1CC'ing all the characters to beyond Stage 3, I beat the game with continues (very necessary in Stage 5 . . .) once, unlocking a 5th character (whom I then worked on taking past Stage 3 on 1 credit). While short, its gameplay is pretty good; every character has a different basic shot, a different cannon shot (powerful, unlimited ammo weapon that needs a brief recharge time between shots, varying in length between characters), and a different save-my-butt-now bomb. They also move at different speeds and have different levels of strength in their shots. The primary gameplay mechanic comes from the cannon shot; if you kill a non-boss enemy with it, you score a lot more points (multiplier up to 10x, which I think depends on how close to death it was already) and get points from any of its bullets on-screen, which also turn into harmless coins (not meant to be picked up). However, you have to coordinate it right, because none of this good stuff will happen with any enemy that has been hit by and survived a cannon shot once already. This mechanic, combined with a pretty wide variety of enemies (one of which is a flying tree, by the way), enemy attacks, and boss patterns makes for a nicely diverse experience. Just a short one. Graphically, while the designs all look very good, the sprites are pretty tiny (which, I guess, is actually a good thing for a scrolling shooter), and the 3D backgrounds kind of look awful. The worst part is the dark blue enemies which blend completely into the dark blue background in parts of Stage 1, ugh. The music (synthesized orchestra) and sound effects are not particularly memorable, but every bit of dialogue is voiced. There is a story here, involving a princess getting kidnapped, and there's a bit of talking every time you encounter a boss (some stages have more than one boss fight, too, and nearly every boss has more than one phase/life bar). It's kind of amusing, these encounters, because sometimes the player and boss know each other from fighting in the previous games in the series. English sources on how to unlock stuff didn't agree on some things and also just seemed suspicious in general, so I checked in Japanese and found this useful page. Here's some of its info: - extra lives at 400,000 points, 1,000,000 points, and every 1,000,000 points afterward (for context, my best runs typically wound up at ~1.2 million in Stage 4) - player character #5, Tengai, is unlocked by beating the game on Normal difficulty with any character, continues allowed - player character #6, Junis--pronounced like a German word, "yuunis"--is unlocked by beating the game on Normal with any character without using continues; alternatively, she can be unlocked by beating the game on Easy with no continues after 20 hours of gameplay, or she can also be unlocked by beating the game in any mode, continues allowed, after 30 hours of gameplay (geez!). If this stuff is true, I'm never unlocking her. I did see some claims that the attract screen sequence contributed to gameplay time, though, so maybe. . . . - Hard mode is unlocked by beating Normal mode with no continues; alternatively, it can be unlocked by beating Normal mode after 10 hours of gameplay, continues allowed--with the caveat in this method being that only the character used will have Hard mode unlocked. - I'm not sure what this one is talking about: to make the Shinra Tanuki (???) appear, either play Hard mode (will always appear) or play Normal and have at least 1111 successful cannon shots before the final boss appears. What the heck? How would you figure that one out? Is it fake, or a dev leak? - pause and press up x3, down x3, up x7 to get full-power basic shot, available once per stage. I haven't tried this out. Overall, better than I expected. There is no chance of it dethroning DariusBurst as my favorite PSP scrolling shooter, but it's all right. It's not bullet hell, by the way, until some of the later boss fights. Oh, and the Japanese text in the dialogue boxes is too freaking small. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I downloaded DoDonPachi Resurrection on my phone earlier today and I'm really enjoying it. I saw it was on sale, hadn't purchased anything from the Play Store in a while, and I remember someone here mentioning the game, so I bought it. Best impulse buy I've made in a long time. I suck terribly at it, but hey, it's not a genre I claim to be any good at. Ofaliss, what if the game costs $15? Would you still buy it then, a game you're not interested in? It's 1200 MS points on XBLA. Sorry for the late reply. I rarely visit this thread. If it's not released during a time where I have a lot of things I have to waste money on, then yeah, I'm willing to pay $15 for it. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember What do you find most enjoyable about DDPR? I've never played any DDP incarnation before. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember No one thing really. I just really like it. I'm thinking about buying the PAL version for the 360. That way I can enjoy the game with buttons and not have my big a** thumb covering up a lot of the action. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # ApeZeroMember I picked up DDP:R on my 360 for 10 British pounds(works in NA)... here are my impressions. Great stuff! Its your standard Cave fare(awesome) you have your faster rapid shot and the power shot that slows you down, which I always enjoy. There are 3 selectable power-up styles including Bomb style which auto bombs every time you get hit, very handy for new comers. Also as you destroy stuff you build up a 'hyper' guage that when released cancels bullets when you use rapid fire. Your power shot also now counters enemy beam lasers... The whole thing is super flashy and plays like a dream, and with novice mode it is accessible even for beginners... hell Bomb style on novice mode can be cleared on one credit by anybody. There are 2 different arrange modes which I've barely even scratched so I can't comment on those. Akai Katana is also super enjoyable, especially Slash mode once you get the hang of building up your steel and power and obliterating everything with katanas! Great soundtrack! I also finally got Otomedius, and at first it was hard to play since it has such a huge hitbox in comparison to these cave games. It is Gradius at heart though and not to shabby despite looking like it could have used some polish. Also picked up Trouble Witches Neo and Trigger Heart Exelica but haven't played them much yet. Sine Mora is on sale this week so I plan to pick it up Friday... (800pts) So many shmups so little time. (btw Ofaliss, I posted a link in the 'deals' thread a while back if you want DDP:R for cheap, shipping was 99 cents.. the whole thing was like $17 Canadian after the currency exchange) POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Thanks a lot, ApeZero. I couldn't remember if it was you or Atariboy who had mentioned it. Not sure why I thought it could have been Atariboy, though. If the deal holds out through Friday I'll order it then. My game budget is tapped out until then. Edit: Now that I think about it, Otomedius Excellent was a game that I was once interested in because of the cute chicks. I never purchased it because I'm not a big SHMUP person. But with my recent interest in them I may have to rethink that decision. OE has online multiplayer which is always a plus. And that sweet Special Edition is dirt cheap on Amazon right now. OE seems like a much easier experience than DDPR too. So I may order that instead. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember $22 for Otomedius Excellent Special Edition at Amazon.com?! Heck, maybe I'll get one (once my budget heals) just for the bonus swag! I see the Deathsmiles Limited Edition is also really cheap, though its swag is probably not enough to interest me (CD soundtrack and Xbox 360 faceplate). I think these two are also currently on sale for the week at Play-Asia.com, though the minimum shipping charge ends up pushing their costs over the Amazon prices. I came across a rather interesting scrolling shooter today: Divine Sealing, an unlicensed Mega Drive game from (in) Japan. It was a poor, ugly vertical scroller with images of disrobing anime girls between each of the 5 stages. Not a hentai game per se, but naked they ended up. The story was that in each stage, you were rescuing a particular girl on a particular planet, who then transferred her remaining life force to you--which involved a lot of close contact. Now, while it sounds kind of awful that this guy was essentially killing these girls, they were forcing it on him (of course!), and ###SPOILER### a new girl born from their life forces was created after the final stage. And if it makes you feel any better, ###BIGGER SPOILER### the guy's life force was then drained by that new girl. Well, assuming I read that Japanese Web page correctly. So that was the stuff before and after the stages. During the stages, it was awful graphics and sound, plain vanilla shooting action, mind-numbing enemy patterns, and confusing, eyestrain-inducing backgrounds. Not exactly a recommendation. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember eBay has really spoiled me with all the free shipping floating around. You can get the Otomedius Excellent Special Edition for $19.89 with free shipping there. I usually don't even open the stuff that comes with special editions, but I think I may open and use that pillow case that comes with Otomedius Excellent! Most hardcore SHMUP fans seem to somewhat dislike Otomedius Excellent because of it being pretty generic with not much difficulty. But that is more of a plus for me right now. Ease my way into the genre. I'm thinking about getting at least competent with the genre. You know, to add to my claims of being one of the best in the world at what I do. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # ApeZeroMember At that price I would recommend OE in a heartbeat. I like it... definitely plan to beat it with all the characters(on expert). It is an easier experience to get into as it isn't bullet hell. Just so long as you can max your weapons and keep your shield, then keep your powerup always sitting on your NEXT shield when that one runs out then you can make it far... just always have that next shield ready! Powerups are plentiful but death is a bitch! (of course if you enjoy this there is always the gradius(and parodius) collections on PSP) POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember The primary gameplay mechanic comes from the cannon shot; if you kill a non-boss enemy with it, you score a lot more points (multiplier up to 10x, which I think depends on how close to death it was already) and get points from any of its bullets on-screen, which also turn into harmless coins (not meant to be picked up). It seems that this also works on bosses--at least some of them. Of course, you have to be able to stay alive long enough, not using the powerful cannon shot, until the boss life meter is almost empty. Then you can fire it to finish off [that phase of] the boss and get some bonus multiplier and bonus points from the bullets on screen. However, of all things, I haven't been able to see this work for the Stage 1 boss. ApeZero, did you mean you plan to 1CC Otomedius Excellent on Expert with all characters? I've never 1CC'd any Gradius-related title. Not really a scrolling shooter, though it involves shooting and scrolling, but I did 1CC Thexder Neo (PSP version) on Easy recently. Got kind of hairy in the middle stages; I'm not very good at the game. On Normal difficulty, I've never reached the halfway point. That was before I adopted the "don't try to kill every enemy" policy that enabled the 1CC on Easy, though. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember However, of all things, I haven't been able to see this work for the Stage 1 boss. After carefully trying a few times, I've concluded that this simply doesn't work on the Stage 1 boss. Also, after watching a Sengoku Cannon 1CC run on YouTube, I think that I could 1CC the game, too, with more practice, if I spammed the later bosses with the cannon shot. The player in the video played the first 3 stages more sloppily than I do. However, I think I'd rather just play something else. Oh, and I also discovered that the details on how to unlock stuff (like that bit about 20 hours, 30 hours) came from a tips page that was on the game's official website, back when it was still around. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # ApeZeroMember ApeZero, did you mean you plan to 1CC Otomedius Excellent on Expert with all characters? I've never 1CC'd any Gradius-related title. Well not exactly 1CC, but just do it. There are achievements for beating the game with each pilot(on normal and expert), although realistically it isn't about 'gamerscore' I probably still would have done it if this were a SNES game y'know what I mean. I went through with 3 girls so far and was close to a 1CC(which was simple on Normal difficulty) they throw an extra stage at you on Expert and I don't use practice mode. ALSO Otomedius much like Lifeforce or Gradius 5 doesn't use a checkpoint system(unless you turn it on in the options) so you get a chance to recover your options when you die(unless the game screws you royally and they fly somewhere where they get lost...) so you aren't punished to badly for mistakes. As long as your keeping a new shield ready consistently then the game is not to tough even on expert. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Hmm, simple to 1CC on Normal for you. I don't know your skill level, though, so maybe that's still quite difficult. In Gradius V Normal, at one time, I could make it to Stage 4 without losing a life. I'd lose ~25 lives in Easy mode in Stage 7 alone, though. How would you say that would translate as far as Otomedius Excellent performance? a chance to recover your options when you die(unless the game screws you royally and they fly somewhere where they get lost...) Heh, Gradius V Stage 7 would always strip my Vic Viper of its options, with that high-speed section at the beginning. By the way, you're supposed to have a space before opening parentheses. Or are you making a computer programming reference? run1cc(otomedius_excellent, expert, blue_girl); multiplier up to 10x, which I think depends on how close to death it was already I checked the Sengoku Cannon manual, and it actually says pretty much that exact thing. I'm not sure what this one is talking about: to make the Shinra Tanuki (???) appear, either play Hard mode (will always appear) or play Normal and have at least 1111 successful cannon shots before the final boss appears. What the heck? How would you figure that one out? Is it fake, or a dev leak? I never saw this when I played, but it's visible in that 1CC run on YouTube. It's a large tanuki statue that bounces around the screen. And that 1111 is the sum for total multipliers obtained from the cannon shot, not the number of cannon shots. Practicing against this enemy is probably difficult, as I would imagine it can't possibly appear playing Stage 5 alone in Practice mode. Also, the game isn't as short as I'd thought, it turns out. The first 4 stages go by pretty quickly, maybe 20 minutes if you're milking the bosses for more points, but Stage 5 is long and has 3 multi-phase boss fights. The whole game takes about 30 minutes. DariusBurst takes a little longer per run, as I recall--but, of course, that game has branching stages (i.e., multiple possible paths to take) and other game modes, so there's a lot more replayability. Ace Armstrong was also around half an hour, I think. Barnhouse Effect Co. is credited for "World Create" in Sengoku Cannon; I assume this means the terrible background CGI is their fault. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # ApeZeroMember Hmm, simple to 1CC on Normal for you. I don't know your skill level, though, so maybe that's still quite difficult. In Gradius V Normal, at one time, I could make it to Stage 4 without losing a life. I'd lose ~25 lives in Easy mode in Stage 7 alone, though. How would you say that would translate as far as Otomedius Excellent performance? I would say your Gradius V performance sounds as good as mine... I am not gifted with uber elite skillz by any means, Otomedius is simply a much easier game. The game gives you limited bombs and charge attacks as well so that does help. Also thanks for the grammar lesson, I've probably been doing that for years. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Dunno if anyone mentioned this, but I just learned today an indie dev made a SHMUP that's supposed to be based on 'old school classic.' It's called Syder Arcade. Gamersgate has it for sale right now. What do you guys think about this game? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember I dunno, but it seems it's one of those "Void" games on Gamer's Gate, where you can play it free if you watch some commercials. Although looking at the list of games by popularity, it's almost last, just ahead of Tibor: The Kind Vampire. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I'd never heard of it myself. However, a look at the game's description and gameplay video gives me these thoughts: my computer doesn't have enough video RAM to run the game; it's not a "normal" scrolling shooter, in that it seems you can flip the ship around and go in the other direction, sort of like in Defender; I find it a bit difficult to visually follow the player ship, similar to a problem I have with the Söldner-X games; the alternate video modes honestly don't look either interesting or accurate, the latter probably because the resolution is still too high. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Update on Under Defeat HD: Deluxe Edition: the price for even the retail disc version has been dropped to $30. This is not news anymore, but I forgot to say anything about it earlier. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Even better price! Too bad I can't get it right now. Other things are taking priority. Hmmmm....only $34.50 though. Maybe I can squeeze it in somewhere. Problem is, since the genre itself isn't popular anymore, I'm afraid the stores will get like, 1 or 2 copies and make it hard to find. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I'm surprised it took you so long to say anything about the game, onmode-ky. I saw a post about it on the blog early in the month. Even though I literally cannot afford it, I plan on somehow getting it day one. Just for the soundtrack alone. Just listen to that sexy track in the trailer. That's one thing about SHMUPS I've always acknowledged. The soundtrack tends to be epic. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember What do mean, O? He first mentioned the game 10 months ago on the forums. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Oh... Disregard. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember You know, I guess there are several scrolling shooter series with notable music. Darius is of course a particular standout, where its otherworldly sound is unlike pretty much anything else in video games; Thunder Force is apparently known for its metal soundtracks (I have no first-hand experience, though); Parodius does crazy things (big surprise!) with classical music. But, I wouldn't say it's a genre hallmark. I think there are plenty of generic shmups out there with boring music. If I ever get that Otomedius Excellent Special Edition (no budget during this season), I'll see how Konami did with its music, thanks to the included soundtrack. In fact, since I won't be able to play the game itself, that's all I'll see. Speaking of retail scrolling shooter releases, though, I saw a comment where the guy said he'd wait until Under Defeat HD dropped to really cheap before he bought it, because recent history shows these games end up with lots of overstock after a few months. He's right, but he's also forgetting one detail: all the data points of shmup overstock at retail are Xbox 360 games. Retail Xbox 360 titles in North America have a fairly high minimum printing requirement from Microsoft. Being on the PS3, Under Defeat HD may not have to print as many; the publisher, having released Xbox 360 scrolling shooters previously, may be able to print a quantity more in line with what they've seen sell in the first few months. So, Under Defeat HD may buck the retail release trend and actually end up rare if its supply actually matches its demand. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Yeah, I have this feeling that the price is going to get a lot higher before long. I'm no stranger to speaking my mind when I think things are priced too high, but seeing the comments on the blog post really made me mad. I could understand if the cries were, "Why isn't it $24.99 at the most on PSN?" But to go as far as saying it should just be a PS+ freebie just shows how entitled to things gamers really think they are these days. $29.99 for a retail release of a genre that is almost nonexistent on the PS3, a deluxe edition at that, is pretty damn good IMO. Are there even any other SHMUPS with retail releases in NA for the PS3? I can't think of any, and I'm too lazy to check I believe 360's got a $50 price cut in NA. I would love to get a slim model, but it won't be any time soon. You may want to keep that in mind down the road, onmode-ky. But you're still looking at the 250GB model. The 4GB model is useless. 2 or 3 demos will eat that up. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Yes it's just plain rude mew. Even one of my friends says it's too high, even after the price cut. Just like all the other comments they think a SHMUP isn't a game you're not gonna spend a lot of time on and say it should be 15 bucks or less. SHMUPs cost the same as any other game back when they were popular, and $30 is a steal and it comes with extra goodies! I don't think gaming has gotten worse each generation. I think it's the gamers that are getting worse. One person even said it's a 'casual' game. Grrr!! POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Are there even any other SHMUPS with retail releases in NA for the PS3? Nope. Hehe, to quote myself from earlier, "It took 6 years, but FINALLY, the PS3 has a scrolling shooter coming out in North America on a Blu-ray disc." It was a long wait, with no expectation of fulfillment! If I ever did get an Xbox 360, it would nonetheless come after a PSV and a 3DS XL. Most of the Xbox's scrolling shooter library is bullet hell, which doesn't interest me as much as the more traditional type. So, the draw for me is slightly mitigated. One person even said it's a 'casual' game. Grrr!! Yeah, I thought that was hilariously sad. People nowadays seem to have a distorted view of the genre. What casual game will last, say, 60 minutes total but will take you 6 months of daily practice to reach its ending on 1CC (or in some cases, that much practice to earn enough credits just to see the ending--because you simply don't have the inherent skill to 1CC it ever!)? The genre is one of the most "hardcore" there is, really, considering the devotion you have to have to end up with decent performance. I wonder if people just generally think the games are endless waves of the same exact thing over and over, where the only goal is to see how much stamina and luck you have. Like if Madden were just made up of "see how many first downs you can get before a turnover." POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember On the official website, it now says UD HD is coming Nov 14th, 2012. Is that accurate? It's on a Wednesday and games usually come out on Tuesday. It is from Rising Star Games though which is an EU developer and I believe PSN EU updates on Wednesday. If that date is true, then it's very bad news for me, as Sims 3 Seasons comes out the day before. I doubt I can get both games at launch, but if worst comes to the worst, I'll get UD HD first as I said earlier, it may disappear on shelves soon after launch so that'd be a higher priority for me. Either that or get it on PSN whenever since it will always be there. If I go that route, I won't get the nice goodies like the extra chopper and CD. A friend of mine says I should get the retail copy. I really want Seasons though, argh. I've been looking forward to it since forever, but I also need $80 by March to preorder SimCity. Luckily that game was pushed back to March, giving me more time to save. Anyway that's my sob story for today POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember The Wikipedia page for Under Defeat says that HD releases in Europe on the 9th. Amazon has a release date here for the 28th, which is also a Wednesday. I hope it isn't the 14th, I'll be broke then. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember It looks like the game has been released on EU PSN just yesterday, but the retail version isn't out yet. Wasn't expecting this but then it's EU anyway so it doesn't affect me. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember It's weird, I'm actually excited. ME. Excited about a SHMUP. It really is the end of days. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I think you might be setting yourself up for disappointment. You'll start playing it, and then WHAM! "Oh, that's right . . . I don't like this kind of game. D'oh!" When you wrote "ME" up above, I momentarily thought you were saying you were excited about Mass Effect. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember And you've made me think of that Wham! song again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIgZ7gMze7A POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I am very worried. Under Defeat HD is not listed in any of the major Canadian websites (FS, BB, EB) except for Amazon. Does this mean not a single store is going to be getting this game? I don't want to get it at Amazon 'cause I wanna use cash. I am very sad. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember So I guess it's been defeated? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Freelance, have you called any of the brick-and-mortar stores to ask if they'll be carrying the game? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember No, but if the game isn't in their websites, I see little chance of it appearing in the actual stores. Maybe I'll ask EB next week. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Hello pplz. Sine Mora has arrived on PC today for 10 bones. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember The Vita is supposed to be getting a version of that eventually. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Yay!! I'd rather play SHMUPs on handhelds. I no need PC version then. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Otomedius Excellent came today. I just did a playthrough, and I sucked something fierce. It's embracing when you die countless times on easy. I was doing so bad that bosses were leaving because I was taking too long to beat them. I BS you not. They were leaving! Well, my pride has been hurt worse, but it's still hurting pretty bad. It's a pretty fun game, a little slow, though. Which makes my suckage even more embarrassing. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Speaking of Otomedius Excellent, I just placed an order including the special edition of it, for less than $15. Seems quite a decent price for a CD, art book, and pillow case. I was doing so bad that bosses were leaving because I was taking too long to beat them. I BS you not. They were leaving! That is not all that uncommon in the genre, actually. Even for experienced players, it can often happen as a result of getting killed in an unlucky moment and losing your heavy firepower, so that you end up unable to hit hard enough afterward to finish them in the time limit. Don't feel too bad about it; it doesn't mean you suck if it's happening on your first time playing. a little slow Hmm, I'll have to watch some gameplay to see if it's any slower than typical Gradius. Slow, of course, doesn't necessarily mean easy, considering that R-Type games are always slow and very hard. Does OE have a high-speed section in one of the later stages? That's sort of a Gradius trademark (The Flying Hamster does it, too). POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Where did you order your copy? It has one high speed section towards the end. I was not expecting it at all. I did better on the last stage. It was easier to get power ups because there was plenty of enemies to shoot. I had four little tag alongs, lasers, missiles. There is a practice mode that let's you see the hit box around your ship. I'll give that a play or two. I was having a hard time figuring out what would and wouldn't hit me. Sometimes I was able to cut it real close, but other times I was being hit by stuff I was sure wouldn't hit me. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Looks like anyone interested in Sine Mora on PC can get it for $6.75 with this code: GMG25-UAAHK-6AI9S POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Where did you order your copy? From an Amazon Marketplace seller. But whaddaya know? The lowest price there has shot back up over $20. I guess I got in right at the sweet spot. Last year around this time, I snagged my copy of Star Ocean: The Last Hopefor well under $20, after which it went back up over $20. A well timed purchase happens every now and then. It has one high speed section towards the end. I was not expecting it at all. Hehe, I would have seen it coming. Not that I would have survived it any better. . . . I had four little tag alongs What are they called in this game, anyway? Typically, in Gradius, they've been called "options," but the North American release of Gradius V referred to them as "multiples." POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I got very bad news (for me anyway)!!! It turns out that Amazon has exclusive rights to sell Under Defeat HD!! No wonder no other website has it in their database! http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/11/07-1/video-under-defeat-hd-trailer-introduces-exclusive-chopper This sucks!!! I wanted to buy the game with cash, not with CC. Now I dunno what I'm going to do. I don't think it's exclusive to Amazon in Europe, so why does NA have to? I haaaate this. OMG OMG, Amazon.ca raised the price of the game back up to $40 and not $30!!! WTF? I'm never going to get a retail version now at this rate!! It's as if they're conspiring against me and forcing me to get it digitally!! I am very disappointed! Now you're probably thinking, why don't I buy it from Amazon.com? It turns out now that certain items can now be shipped outside of the US. Reason why I don't want to is because: a) it will take longer to get to me. Amazon Canada's warehouse is literally an hour away from me so it gets to me usually in 2-3 days even with free shipping. b) shipping internationally costs too much. For this game, it'd cost me $9 dollars extra. c) if I get unlucky, I could be slapped with an import tax when it crosses the border, thus I am spending even more money. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I'm not sure what they're called, but I think they are called options. The Vic Viper in The 2nd Runner fights you using options. The longer the fight goes on the more options that tag along with him. A little off topic, but I freaking love that Vic Viper boss fight. Wow. UDHD really might end up being a rarity here then. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Hmm, seems the Amazon exclusivity was announced on Rising Star's blog just a few days ago. I wonder if it's a real exclusive (i.e., Amazon arranged this with them) or just a de facto exclusive (i.e., no other retailers wanted to carry it). Freelance, I think you should contact Amazon.ca and tell them that their listed price is incorrect. Maybe the increase was a mistake. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Okay I sent an email to them to let them know. Hopefully it is a mistake, but that still doesn't help me. I was actually planning on paying half of it with cash and the rest by CC (stores let you do this) but now that I can no longer do that, I won't be able to get it anymore if I have to pay it all with CC since I planned all my budgeting with the half/half in mind. Argh. Then again it might be a rare item and I should get it anyway but if I do that, I cannot get anymore new pinball tables and such (don't want to use PSN cards since I have to pay a minimum of $20). Then again this is a once in a lifetime opportunity so I should make sacrifices. Sorry for my ranting. When I pick up Seasons next week, I'll ask them if they're gonna get UDHD. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember So I got an answer back from Amazon. They seem to think $39.99 in Canada even though it was at $30 before... Here's the reply I got: Thank you for writing to Amazon.ca with your feedback about our prices. I'm sorry to hear that you are disappointed with our policy concerning and I would like to offer an explanation of some of the considerations which have led us to adopt this policy. Prices on Amazon.ca do not reflect prices on Amazon.com, regardless of the current exchange rate. While many of the items we offer on the Amazon.ca website are also offered on Amazon.com, the prices of items offered on both sites may not match each other. Also, I have forwarded your message to the appropriate department in our company for their consideration. Many factors in the Canadian marketplace, including what we pay to our own suppliers, affect the prices that we charge at any given time our customers on Amazon.ca. This may result in different prices on Amazon.ca and on Amazon.com for a particular item. As retailers Amazon.ca, do not fix the price for the items on our website as our list price is the MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price). Unfortunately, we can only make changes to the list price on our website if the manufacturer has made these changes known to us. I apologize for any inconvenience the above information might have caused and hope you can understand our limitations. We realize that from time to time, our customers will be able to purchase a title from another store at a lower price than ours. While price is obviously a very important factor in any purchasing decision, the best reason to buy from Amazon.ca is the quality of customer service we provide. The employees here at Amazon.ca truly care about your experience with us and take great pride in the level of service we provide. From the time you put an item in your shopping cart to the day you receive the order at your door, your order is given the individual attention it deserves. Thank you for shopping at Amazon.ca. So much for buying it retail now. I hate Canada POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember Jeff Conaway died from taking a drug he bought in Canada... POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember It really is a gamble. It could very well turn out to sale so poorly that it ends up being dirt cheap in a few months. But I SERIOUSLY doubt it. I'm sure the publisher knows all too well the mindset of the market today. "If it ain't CoD, Halo, or something else everybody else is buying, it should be free.", they won't be pressing many copies. Then you add in the fact that it's now common knowledge that this game is niche, and can only be purchased from one place. Scalpers live for that. But you could still get lucky. Scalpers get their share of humble pie from time to time when they can't move what they horde, and end up having to sell what they have for cheap. No on really knows. But as long as Amazon has stock, you'll be safe from price jacking. But when they run out, it can go either way. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Ah, sorry, I didn't mean for you to ask them to price-match with their American cousin. Rather, they need to know that the official MSRP is $29.99. A statement from Rising Star Games, specifically. The recent press release says it, for example. Unfortunately, RSG doesn't seem to have published that press release through the usual channels, so the most "official" place I've been able to find it, for the link above, is from their Facebook page. The release is also on the RSG website's blog, but you can't link directly to it. The blog does some silly ASP crap and doesn't display the full posts with unique URLs, so you'd have to say something like "click on the blog post link that talks about the exclusive helicopter." POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Nooo I DID tell them that the official MSRP is $29.99 and that Amazon.com has it under the correct pricing still while Amazon.ca had raised it. I never mentioned price matching. I dunno why they said all that crap in the reply but they probably didn't bother reading my email closely. I'll just get it digitally then cause I'm not paying for a game that's higher than its MSRP. The good news is that I don't need to get it right away now since digital games aren't going anywhere. I won't get the goodies but the game itself is more important. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember So I went to EB today and they have not heard of UD HD. I am sad now. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Interesting. According to a guy at the Amazon forum, Newegg was taking pre-order for Under Defeat HD before Amazon was. They still are. [Newegg] Is J. Chan you, Freelance? If not... Weird. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Yes I am. Just doing my duty to inform other Canadians they're paying higher for the game. It'd be better off at Amazon.ca's listing but there's no 'discussion' forum there. I'm planning to wait 'til it's released and then write a 'review' letting other people know. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Fight the power. It is weird that they would do that. For everyone who pre-ordered at $29.99, they are still going to pay that no matter what. Unless Canada's Amazon doesn't have a lowest price guarantee on pre-orders like us. Which would REALLY suck. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember It's a shame it's an Amazon exclusive. If it wasn't, I could have used their price match feature and give links to EB and BB-whatever as proof but since it is, I can't do that. I'm pretty sure Amazon Canada also has the lowest price guarantee feature too so yes, if ppl preordered before the price went up, they would still keep the lower price. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Sine Mora news from PSNStores.com Exclusive to the PS3 version of the game is a Challenge Mode. In this mode you will have to try to beat different sections of the Story Mode levels. Each of these challenges lasts around 1 or 2 minutes. The Vita version has a bunch of different options that can only be done on Vita like touch controls. There is also a “GPS Unlock Gallery” in the Vita version. Not really sure what that means but the press release says it “conveys the player’s cumulative progression”. Both versions of the game will have a new character, Wilhelmina Muller who is from the shmup game Under Defeat. Each version of the game costs $9.99 when it is released later today. Which version do you plan on picking up? I thought it'd be $14.99 based on past PSN releases but this is nice. It's the same price as the PC version. When I do eventually get it, I'll get the Vita version. Wonder how much space it takes up. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Hey, that's good pricing. Another definite candidate for my $20 of PSN credit. Except, if I buy Sine Mora, BreakQuest: Extra Evolution, and Derrick the Deathfin, it will total $22, meaning I have to add $3 of unused money to my account (due to the $5 funding minimum). So either I'll have to wait for something else I want to get or the unfortunate Derrickdevelopers don't get my donation. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Dunno if I should wait and see if Amazon.ca drops the price of Under Defeat HD (I highly doubt it but you never know) or just get it on PSN without the goodies. It sucks being Canadian. You US guys are lucky. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Awesome. I was hoping Sine Mora would be 10 bucks. I'll be getting it tonight, along with Jet Set Radio. Big day for me today. Those two, Persona 4 Golden, and All-Stars. My Vita will be in use for a good long while. I say wait. If people are as entitled as the Blog suggests, it's not going to sell well and a price drop will happen fairly quickly. If not then oh well, it'll still be on PSN. The only thing you loss by waiting is playing it the day it releases. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Those entitled Blog commenters were never part of the projected audience to begin with, in my opinion. They're outside the niche's consumer base, having never plunked down a hefty chunk of dough to import a shooting game they really wanted but couldn't get domestically. It's like me going to a Britney Spears forum and declaring her latest album overpriced. So, I think there's still a good chance that Rising Star judged the real size of their market more or less accurately and printed enough copies that there might not be much remaining stock months down the line. But hey, it's all conjecture! You may as well believe me saying they only printed 5 copies. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Um yeah, thanks. That only makes me want to plonk down $40 for it to grab it before those die hard fans do, although it's above MSRP and it'd suck if I'd have to go that route. Argh. I dunno what to do. I guess I can live without the extras. The main thing I wanted was the artbook but it's digital anyway and I hate digital artbooks. I would miss the new chopper the most though. The soundtrack would be nice, but I can't get too excited over music from a game I've never played before, and therefore have no idea how the music is. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Nexus PrimeMember I picked up Sine Mora for PS3. Didn't notice at first because I first played the game at like 6 in the morning with all the lights off, but the PS3 version is "letterboxed" leaving black bars on the top and bottom of the screen, even on widescreen TVs. It's not necessarily a bad thing. Playing it in the dark gives it a somewhat unique feel. The 3D effects are pretty decent as well. Not really coming out of the screen, but it gives an immersive feel to the game. Also, it's subtitled, because the spoken language in the game is Hungarian. ...and yes it's rated M, because there is (from what little I've seen so far) some profanity in the game. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # RinkydinkMember The Vita version of Sine Mora is letterboxed too. I definitely agree about the unique feel. The music in this game is weird, in an atmospheric, good way. So far I'm really enjoying it, love to see such a fully featured trophy set, plenty to get on with achieving. Perhaps I'll try and really get good at this, tried the level on Insane in the trial and could barely make it past the first few waves of enemies ;_; Long way to go.... POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Please! I failed the damn Prologue! But in my defense, the on screen instructions just showed me how to move, so that was all I did. I thought I was just supposed to dodge until time ran out. Since I don't read instructions, I didn't yet know that time is this game's health. Most embracing trophy I've ever accidentally got. The game really is special. It feels really unique, plays really well, and is just stylish as hell. The graphics are as crisp as a Lays original potato chip. With so many games purchased at one time, I haven't spent much time with it, but it's one that'll be on my Vita for a good long time. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember the PS3 version is "letterboxed" leaving black bars on the top and bottom of the screen There are lots of movies that are wider in aspect ratio than 16:9 televisions (2.35:1 is fairly common, for example), so I'm not too surprised to hear of a game doing something similar. Maybe they're trying to channel some Darius (the original was three 4:3 screens wide, and 2010's DariusBurst Another Chronicle is twin side-by-side 16:9 screens)! The music in this game is weird, in an atmospheric, good way. Heh, also a very Darius comment. . . . Heck, I've been listening to Taito Zuntata's just-released 25th anniversary CD album COZMO for hours today, so there's plenty of Darius music murmuring through my head right now. Oh, and I also listened to the Otomedius Excellent soundtrack CD from the Special Edition package today, which I'll review later (hint: I liked the horde of Konami shooting game music remixes). I haven't tried the Sine Mora trial yet. Not much point, since I'm definitely buying the game--but I'm still at a loss on how to organize my purchases so that I don't end up overfunding my wallet. Might have to cross the streams. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Nexus PrimeMember There are lots of movies that are wider in aspect ratio than 16:9 televisions (2.35:1 is fairly common, for example) Maybe it's just me, but I'm finding more movies are sticking with 16:9 for home releases instead of the wider cinema screen, especially with 3D movies. Avengers, Avatar and Titanic (if I remember correctly) were 16:9 and looked better for it. Spider-man was wide, but I think it would have looked better if it wasn't. Personally, I want a movie that fits the TV that I have. What percentage of people have a 2.35:1 television or projectors? In Sine Mora it didn't bother me because of the nature of the game being a side scroller. It seemed to fit well with it. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # RinkydinkMember I'm still really digging Sine Mora, be nice if we could compete for scores a little, those who have the game. I've just got up to 2nd on the leaderboard for Story-Challenging, and 5th on Story-Normal. Can anyone beat my score? (It's not that big an achievement or that great a score this soon after release, but its a start) I'm trying to work out at the moment whether high multiplier or not getting hit at all nets more points overall. You kind of have to go either or, as using time powers or sub weapons resets you multiplier, but helps avoid the hits. I;ve been favouring high multiplier so far, but the bonuses for no hit clears are pretty nice... POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I'm terrible at SHMUPS, so you don't have to worry about me beating your scores any time soon. Probably never. Under Defeat has shipped and should be here Saturday. Sucks that people who plan on buying it on PSN have to wait until next week. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Le sigh. I hope you guys don't start going on about much UD HD is awesome. That'd only make me sad I hate Canada. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I wouldn't do you like that, Team Freeliss has to stick together! POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Jesus, how long does it take to stop sucking at SHMUPS!? It's the only genre that I've never been able to just pick up and be fairly good at it. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # RinkydinkMember I don't know, usually I barely scrape through shooters on easy. I'm finding the clarity on Sine Mora on the Vita screen and the immediacy of the buttons being right next to the screen quite helpful in being able to play fairly well. I can still only barely get to stage 3 on Hard on a good run, and insane is just silly, but at least by the leaderboards you can tell its difficult for most people. A decent run through story with not too many deaths got me straight up into the top ten, so I guess perseverance helps, as well as liberal use of powerups and sub weapons on bosses, especially the ones that negat bullets like ytoo's super powerful laser beam... POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I've just got up to 2nd on the leaderboard for Story-Challenging, and 5th on Story-Normal. In the world? Why would you say that's not that big an achievement? Sounds obscenely good to me! I think I'd be lucky to break the top 10,000. . . . Or are hardcore scrolling shooter players just not buying this game? I haven't gotten Sine Mora yet. Will get it for the PS3 eventually. Under Defeat HD has shipped, with a projected arrival date of next Tuesday, in the same package as my PSV, additional 4-GB PSV memory card, The Jak & Daxter Collection, and K-On! Vol. 1 manga. This is, incidentally, the first time I've seen products from 4 separate Amazon.com orders in the same shipment. Nifty. Do either of these games support online 2-player? If so, that might be something to try out. Wait a minute. Do the PS3 and PSV versions have separate leaderboards and no cross-play? Because I guess that would limit which people I'd be able to play with/against. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember My copy of Under Defeat HD arrived yesterday. I won't say anything about how I like it because I don't want to rub Freelance's nose in it. It doesn't have online multiplayer. In a brilliant twist of fate I just loaded up Sine More because I couldn't remember if the game has multiplayer or not (it doesn't, not sure about shared leaderboards), and I decided to look at what was available in the Arcade mode. To my surprise I saw that Wilhelmine Muller (one of the main characters from Under Defeat) is available as a playable character! Apparently she is exclusive to the Vita version. I love when things come full circle like that. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember The Sine Mora scoredboard is shared. It tells you which system your score was registered with too. Not too bad for a person who sucks at SHMUPS. The top score 3 scores for Arcade are as followed. 1. 498,874,000 PS3 2. 237,968,003 Vita 3. 233,153,001 Vita This is for Hard. There is no Easy or Normal in Arcade. I'm not sure if it's a toned down hard or not though. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # RinkydinkMember The reason I didn't feel my placing on the leaderboards was that impressive is because its so early on in the game, although 7000+ people are on the normal story leaderboards, only 300 or so have even attempted insane arcade, I'm 16th there with a score of 2 million dying shortly into the first level. It's really cool to see the combined leaderboards, says a lot for the confidence of the developers in the parity of the two versions for score hunting. We'll see how my places hold up over time, I'm down to 10th on normal and 4th on challenging already. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Those are still awfully impressive ranks. Have you seen the High Score subforum here, Rinkydink? Any Minis for which you'd like to post some scores there? Also, since it looks like you're into maximizing scoring opportunities, have you read this post in this thread I made a while back, detailing how a guy counterstopped DariusBurst? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Mm mm mmmmm! I'm usually not the type to consider dating outside the species, but... Hey, sweet thang, can I buy you a fish sandwitch? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember The catgirl sisters in Escaflowne were very attractive. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Interesting!! According to the PSN Blog, Zanac X Zanac is coming this week and it's a vertical SHMUP! Compile released a compilation titled Zanac X Zanac for Sony's PlayStation console in Japan on November 29, 2001 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the original. This compilation features an updated version of Zanac—titled Zanac Neo—and three versions of the NES version of the game, including a version featuring enhanced graphics and sound. The game features two-player cooperative gameplay as well as a remix of the game's soundtrack So even though there's two games in the pack, there's 3 versions of the NES game meaning there's 4 versions even though 3 are the same, just with different graphics and such. I don't think I've ever played it before (on the NES I mean) but it's from Compile, the same company that gave us Blazing Lazers!!! BL is awesome!! Maybe Zanac is awesome too! There's 24 different weapons in it! POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Yeah, I saw that on the PS Blog, too. I thought the word "Zanac" sounded familiar but couldn't quite place it. What was more on my mind was the fact that, HOLY COW, that's a lot of new PS1 Classics incoming!!! SIX!!! They all appear to be imports, too!!! That program's been quiet for so long that I thought it had been totally abandoned. I'll have to look into those titles (and I'll DEFINITELY have to get that Ni no Kuni demo!). Perhaps my PSN wallet funding conundrum will be over, should I find something I'd like. BL is awesome!! Um, just so you know, "BL" is an abbreviation for "boys love," a term that a certain female audience uses for gay male fiction (also known as "yaoi"). How about "BlazLaz" as an abbreviation for Blazing Lazers? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I could, but what's the fun in that? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember I take generic Zantac for my stomach acid. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember O.M.G. Sine Mora is ON SALE at Steam for 66% off! $3.39!!!! Sale ends Dec 10th!!!! POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Went ahead and purchased it. My laptop can't run it, of course, but I plan on getting another one sometime in the near future. So at least I have it. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Mew!!! How the hell do you get through that stage where you have to enter the raw materials? I keep dying and I dunno why. Please help me mew! POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Hehe, that part is a B word. Took a good chunk if my lives to do it right. You have to stay in the materials. If any part or your plane touches a laser you die. You just have to keep at it until you get used to it. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Thankie mew, but alas, my save got 'lost' and I have to replay everything. I chose Continue at main screen and it started back at prologue POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Can someone with the PS3 version of Sine Mora confirm or deny that the Under Defeat character is not in that version of the game? As far as I can tell, the main source saying that the character is PSV-exclusive is an old press release, back from when the existence of the PS3 version wasn't even revealed yet. The game's PS Blog post closer to release does not make it clear whether the character is only in the portable version. This confusion is pretty much the only thing holding up my purchase right now. Freelance likes BL. *immature snicker* POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Mew! Despite what the official blog says, you CAN play the 6 import games on PSP/Vita, as long as you transfer it from PS3. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Did you buy Under Defeat from the PlayStation Store, Freelance? Says here that the PS3 version also includes Wilhelmine Muller. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Hell no. That's only as a last resort. I'm waiting for Amazon to drop the price so I can get the extra goodies, except it's already sold out and Usually ships within 1 - 2 months. Expedited shipping available. . I already fear I'm never going to get it now. I can't get it right now anyway even if I wanted a digital copy. Right now Zanac X Zanac is more interesting since I can actually play it on a handheld. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember That's a bit strange, Amazon.ca not having any stock. Did they sell through completely (seems pretty unlikely, given the price they were asking), or did they never have any to begin with? Maybe it's time to contact Rising Star Games and ask them what's up with their relationship with Amazon.ca. Despite what the official blog says, you CAN play the 6 import games on PSP/Vita, as long as you transfer it from PS3. Yeah, GungHo is saying as much to people who ask them about it on Twitter. I let someone at PlayStation know about the issue with the Store. I've opened my Under Defeat HD. The soundtrack CD is 25 minutes long, with only 6 tracks. ? I'd hoped for a little more on it. The 2-disc case also has disturbingly sharp edges where you put your thumbs to open it. Thanks for the link, Ofaliss. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Okay I sent them an email and I'll post their reply here (if I ever get any). I also told them about the higher price. P.S. Is the extra goodies even worth it? Maybe I'll just get it digitally then since it's $10 cheaper with NO TAX? I'd like the extra chopper though. How is it? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember It's worth it if you don't mind digital art books. I personally think the game alone is worth the $29.99. I still can't make it very far. I can only get to stage 1-4 in New Order Mode on normal, with the standard 2 stocked lives. I got to 1-3 in Arcade Mode. I don't play it very often, so I'm still not used to the way you control the chopper. As far as I can tell, there is nothing special about the exclusive chopper. I only used it once, I could have missed something. Even though the soundtrack only has 6 tracks, I still really enjoy it. I have it on my Vita. Whenever I use Muller in Sine Mora I play the soundtrack. The Under Defeat music goes really well with Sine Mora. I recorded a video, but I'm not going to pimp out the link. You can just search for it if you want to check it out. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I got Zanac X Zanac last night. NES version is like, hard. The 'enhanced' version of it doesn't look any different to me. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Well, Ofaliss, congratulations! Even though you don't generally like the genre, it seems you are nonetheless better at scrolling shooters than me. The best I've been able to do in Under Defeat HD is make it to somewhere in 1-3 in New Order Mode (leaderboard-qualifying settings). I've seen 1-4, but not on the first credit. I wonder when free play unlocks for this game. So far, I believe I've earned 2 credits beyond the initial allowance, maybe meaning I've had at between 2-3 hours of gameplay (mixed across New Order and Arcade)? I don't play it very often, so I'm still not used to the way you control the chopper. What control mode do you use? Twin sticks (console-version mode)? Normal (turns toward direction of horizontal movement)? Reverse (turns opposite direction of horizontal movement)? I use reverse, and it feels very natural to me. Then again, I've done something similar before in Image Fight and one of the R-Types (Leo?). Random thought: SNK's Chopper I, as punishingly difficult as it is, could really have used a turnable chopper. As far as I can tell, there is nothing special about the exclusive chopper. If I'm not mistaken, the exclusive chopper is the big red one that's at the farthest right (#4) in the selection list. It seems way more powerful than the other three; I've only played it once and didn't use it to its fullest potential (I thought it was behaving like the #3 chopper at first, which is also pretty good), but that mama fires twin rockets every 2 seconds or so as part of its normal weapon--and it still has the ability to deploy an option, just like choppers #1 and #2. Honestly, it almost seems unfair how much firepower it's packing, compared to the other three. Is the extra goodies even worth it? I'd say yes, because it's a physical CD (not to mention a physical game disc). The music is pretty good, though I wouldn't say it's as memorable as more retro material. Track #6 is the best, I think. Incidentally, since the track listing isn't anywhere in or on the package, here it is from the Internet: 01 - Don't look back! (3:52) 02 - Go on a mission (4:21) 03 - The way that bring an end (4:52) 04 - Beyond the snowstorm (5:15) 05 - Never say die (3:54) 06 - Tears in their eyes (3:25) Disc length 25:39 Composition: Yousuke Yasui & Shinji Hosoe (01, 02, 04) Shinji Hosoe & Yousuke Yasui (03, 06) Yousuke Yasui (05) Arrangement (I think this is the rearranged, New Order music on the CD): Yousuke Yasui (01~06) POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Hey man, now the game's out of stock at Amazon.ca. People are actually buying it at that price???? This is bad. If people are buying it, Amazon is never going to lower it. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I use the normal control mode. I can only get to 1-4 if I play really well on 1-1 and 1-2. The 1-3 boss is really hard. I can't avoid the missiles it shoots when it gets behind you. It takes a bunch of lives for me to beat it. I haven't seen the boss of 1-4 yet. It seems way more powerful than the other three; I've only played it once and didn't use it to its fullest potential (I thought it was behaving like the #3 chopper at first, which is also pretty good), but that mama fires twin rockets every 2 seconds or so as part of its normal weapon--and it still has the ability to deploy an option I didn't notice any of that when I used the exclusive chopper. I only used it my second attempt at the game, and since I didn't make it far my first attempt, I didn't really have much to compare it to. I haven't used it since. Which is your option of choice? I prefer the cannon. It has a decent fire rate, and it is more consistent than the most powerful option. I forget what it's called. Go on a mission is my favorite track. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I just got done playing some Sine Mora. I was doing alright. Moved up almost 500 spots on the Scoreboards. I thought I was doing big things. Until I compared my score to my friends. Then I see this... Why you gotta be such a try hard, man!? You've got to get in on this, onmode-ky. Don't forget that I still intend to beat you on a leaderboard. Don't be scurred. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Hey man, now the game's out of stock at Amazon.ca. People are actually buying it at that price???? This is bad. If people are buying it, Amazon is never going to lower it. It's possible that text simply means "We never had any stock." Also, maybe Amazon.ca talking to Rising Star about getting stock will actually prove to them that their listed price is incorrect. I can't avoid the missiles it shoots when it gets behind you. Heh, I remember suddenly blowing up while at the bottom of the screen with no bullets near me, and I thought, "Wh-wh-what the HELL just killed me???" I haven't figured out what you're supposed to do about those missiles yet, either. Which is your option of choice? I use the most powerful one (I think it's "Rocket"?). If your aim is good, the damage it dishes out in that one shot just about makes up for all the recharge time. Don't forget that I still intend to beat you on a leaderboard. Don't be scurred. . . . This seems like a really obvious solution to me, but why don't you just play Under Defeat HD online again? If you've made it to 1-4 on the first credit, you should be able to beat my scores on the leaderboard. As of the last time I played, I was ahead of you on both the game's leaderboards, but it seems like you ought to be able to pass me now. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I use more than one credit getting to 1-4. By the time I get to 1-4 I have no credits and no lives. I'm usually running on just I can't believe it. This seems like a really obvious solution to me, but why don't you just play Under Defeat HD online again? I'm better at Sine Mora, so I rather beat you in that. Less work on my part. I haven't figured out what you're supposed to do about those missiles yet, either. Bombs negate that missile, but I would prefer knowing if it is even possible to out maneuver it. I assume it is. It would really suck if it is unavoidable without setting off a bomb. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # RinkydinkMember You get between around 20 and 40 million bonus points at the end of each stage in Arcade, so all you need to get up the leaderboards is to beat a stage or two. Try and maintain an A rank for most of the standard enemies, then use all your tricks on the bosses, forgetting about rank. Personally I find the two eight legged bosses (octopus and spider) to be the hardest in the game, they both have a plethora of nast attacks, and ole octopus is the first boss in the game! Tried an Arcade run tonight for the first time in ages, cleared stage 1 no prob, but used all my continues on stage 2, and barely scraped through the boss just blasting away with sub weapons. Time to get practicing again. Also, I noticed you're using Willhemina Muller a lot, imho she has the worst sub weapon, its way too chaotic to use effectively. Lynthe Ytoo is my favourite because his laser beam destroys bullets in a line infornt of you, meaning you can just evaporate most of the bullet hell on the bosses. It really is an awesome game, might have to try out Under Defeat when I reunite with my consoles briefly at Christmas, though I've had my on Okami HD, that'll probably take all holiday to beat... POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I'm usually running on just I can't believe it. Is that what you meant to type? It kind of looks like part of what you were typing got deleted by accident. I'm better at Sine Mora, so I rather beat you in that. Less work on my part. Well, you already do, so mission accomplished! Whenever I do get the game, I'll be tens of hours behind you in practice, so it's a de facto win. And hey, I'm not playing Under Defeat HD actively right now, either, so there's your chance for game #2! I still intend to write a brief overview of the Otomedius Excellent soundtrack, but not right now. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Yeah, that's what I meant to type. Make it past that boss and you'll see what I mean. Well, you already do, so mission accomplished! Whenever I do get the game, I'll be tens of hours behind you in practice, so it's a de facto win. Don't be a dickel. Find your fellas and meet me on the scoreboard battle ground! I still haven't put in my copy of the Otomedius Excellent soundtrack. I haven't played OE (Hehe, Old English.) in forever. I have so much to play right now, I'm having a hard time playing anything for long. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Personally I find the two eight legged bosses (octopus and spider) to be the hardest in the game, they both have a plethora of nast attacks, and ole octopus is the first boss in the game! I HATE that eight legged bastard! Even though I've beaten him a dozen or more times, he still jacks me up! His gun fire is hard to dodge, and it's easy to forget his ram is coming. It wouldn't be so bad if that ram wasn't an instant kill. After all that, if you haven't played him before and don't know about his getaway tactic he'll screw you with his rocket. I can't even get to the second level boss in Arcade. I keep dying from environment damage while dodging and shooting those dang worm things. Also, I noticed you're using Willhemina Muller a lot, imho she has the worst sub weapon, its way too chaotic to use effectively I'm used to her sub weapon. It works the same as the bombs in Under Defeat, so I have experience with it. Plus, once I take a liking to a character I stick with them, even if it isn't the most logical choice. I've always been like that. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember Sine Mora seems to be a cool shooter, but let's face it: i suck at it so bad... last shooter i was any decent with was Life force, and it was with the Konami code....when i was 6 or 7.... >_> POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Yeah, that's what I meant to type. Make it past that boss and you'll see what I mean. Hmm, I've made it to 1-4 once, but I don't remember anything about it in particular. Maybe I didn't last long enough to see the fun stuff. Don't be a dickel. I'll be 7.5 cents if I want to be! POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember This is rich. No more 'Shipping in 1-2 months' anymore! Amazon.ca stopped listing UD HD period, and it looks like the the third parties are now selling it for over $40. I love Canada! POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # DarthDanManMember I love Canada! I do too! POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember It's certainly in my top 5 list. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember How expensive is it to ship to Canada? Maybe you can get someone here to buy it and ship it to you. I'd be willing to do it. I could order it with free shipping, and we don't pay taxes on Amazon purchases in North Carolina, so you'd just end up paying $29.99 for the game, plus whatever it would cost to have it shipped to Canada. Just an option, but if you really want it that seems to be the best way other than just buying the game from PSN. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember http://ircalc.usps.com/ Not too expensive if you send it 1st class. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember That is nice of you mew. I canna buy it right this very minute though. All my friends don't want to go through the hassle of shipping it to me from the US so they're kinda mean and stuff 'cause they no wanna help me. I'll let you know when want to buy it. No taxes for the win! POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember It's no big deal really. Just let me know when you can, and we'll work it out. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I was able to get to the 1-4 boss. I had no lives, credits, or bombs though, so I died. I did manage to get him down to about 50% health, so that pleased me. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Damn. I attempted to play through the game on easy. I figured since I was getting fairly competent with normal I would be alright on easy. I was doing great, until the 1-5 boss. 2 lives, 4 credits, all snatched away from me by that bastard. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember My personal experience of shipping stuff to Canada, from a few years ago, came to the following conclusions: - It takes much longer than you'd expect, as in several weeks. - It's surprisingly expensive. I expected shipping would cost significantly more than the $10 overcharge from Amazon.ca. If that's changed now, then great! POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Wow. The Sexy Seashore is really difficult. Harder than pre-patch Ace Armstrong. The screen is constantly packed with enemies, many of whom blend too easily into the background, some of whom shoot at you, and there are pick-ups all over the place. Every killed enemy lets float a pick-up once it falls to the bottom of the screen, and most of these are 1-point items that are the only way to increase your score. You only get one life, though you'll stay alive as long as your speed level is more than 0--but you increase speed by collecting and then activating (with R) randomly dropped wing pick-ups, which can only be activated for a speed increment once you have as many wings as your current speed (e.g., going from Speed 4 to Max Speed requires you to have 4 wings). If you lose speed by getting hit and then die, you can continue with 0 points--but only from the very start of the current stage. The overwhelming number of pickups can make it hard to identify the weapon pick-ups, of which there are 4 kittens: rapid fire, wide bullet, controlled-angle fire, and backwards shot (control for your gun, incidentally, is the right analog stick, so you're usually holding it to the right unless you use the backwards shot). You get to equip 2 kittens at any one time, and picking up more of a kitten you already have increases the range of the backwards shot, speed of the rapid fire, width of the wide bullet, or angle you can use of the angle fire (up to a max of 5 levels). So, it really sucks to accidentally pick up a kitten you didn't want and suddenly have your weapon screwed up. Like I said, the screen is constantly packed with pick-ups, so this happens pretty often. The bosses take a long, long time to kill, which is pretty bad because they spew lots of bullets. Even with rapid fire kitten maxed out, it takes an eternity to take out a boss, so I don't see why rapid fire is even replaceable with other kittens; you're kind of dead without it, at a boss. The Stage 2 boss gets more dangerous as the fight nears the end, because he gets bigger, so his constant bouncing around the screen becomes harder to avoid. Meanwhile, you get slower every time you're hit. The Stage 3 boss was crazy hard, because not only are there homing bullets (fish) chasing you all the time, but when you make the boss himself manifest, he charges right at you from what might be a random direction (from behind, below, etc.). Late in his fight, it becomes possible that he'll charge you from above, which seems totally impossible to avoid. It took so many attempts for me to beat Stage 3 boss that both my hands were literally sore, like I'd been squeezing oranges for hours. I gave up once I died in Stage 4 . . . at which point I discovered that there is no stage select for stages you've seen. You always have to start from the beginning. Damn it! Anyway, it's hard, but not for "good" reasons. It's hard because the screen is frequently clogged with enemies coming from multiple directions, that can be difficult to distinguish from the background; it's hard because wings and weapon pick-ups come randomly, are often not what you were hoping for, and are all too often picked up by accident; it's hard because the boss fights are drawn out too long. You can press L to not take a weapon pick-up you're about to run into, but just you try to use the left stick effectively while holding down L. You'll just ram yourself into an enemy or a bullet. Still, in terms of basic mechanics, it's not bad and is also pretty unique. Could really use a lot more polish, though. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember The title condradicts the fun level of this shooter... POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember So you do want to write the review of The Sexy Seashore? Heck, you could use that post. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Well, I haven't reached the end, and even if that's okay, I also have only played it for one session so far. I think this brief time spent with it doesn't qualify me to write a real review yet. What I wrote above is just the initial frustrating (and physically debilitating) impression. Maybe if I heal enough to play it more later on. Oh, I just thought of another place where it needs work: you can pause the game by pressing Select, but all it does is freeze the game. No menu, not even the word "Pause" or anything. So, no easy way to restart a level or exit to the main menu. You have to go get yourself hit to death. Come to think of it, there are also no options or credits--not even the developer's name, geez. Plenty of amusing Engrish, though. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember I wonder what Japanese call badly translated English to Japanese? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I don't know how interested you still are in Under Defeat HD, Freelance, but it's now $19.99. My Prime trial last another week or two, meaning I get free shipping, so you would now only be paying $19.99 plus whatever it would cost me to ship it to you. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember After talking to the developer about how crazy hard I found the third boss fight of Sexy Seashore to be, he told me some details about how its mechanics worked (if there's one thing honestly well done about this game, it's the variety in the boss fights). I gave the game another shot two nights ago, and after a few bad starts dying early, I made it to the Chapter 3 boss . . . and fairly easily beat him. Then I made it to the Chapter 4 boss for the first time, still without having Restarted, and because I had seen that page of captioned screencaps, I knew how that fight was supposed to go. After that, I made it to the Chapter 5 boss and took him out, still without Restarts as well. So, by this point, I had fulfilled the more stringent requirement of unlocking Free Mode. I just needed to beat the extra chapter, and Restarting was okay now. This was good, because I did in fact finally die, setting a high score of 1861, at last above the default high of 1000. After a few tries, I made it past that extra stage, and voila, Free Mode was available. So what is Free Mode? All we knew about it so far, which I had noted down in the PSM topic, was that it had the nudity that gave the game its M rating. Well, as it turns out, it's censored nudity, with swimsuits whisked off by your gunfire but oo la la bits still covered by hands, palm fronds, or just little heart overlays. I know the developer is trying to get real M-rated nudity into the game in a later update (I'd guess Sony is resisting), but for now, it's not showing anything terribly scandalous. As for how else Free Mode differs from the Mission Mode, it lacks the text bits that bookend each chapter, and it wraps around back to Chapter 1 after you beat the extra chapter, making an infinite loop if you always hit Restart when you die (the wraparound would be the "free" part, I guess; same rules about continuing, though, still called a Restart and taking you back to the current chapter's beginning). It's also a little bit harder than Mission Mode, because those swimsuits absorb a few bullets before they get shot off. Thus, some of your bullets are going to waste hitting those background elements instead of enemies. That I suddenly beat the whole game immediately after dying right at the start a few times illustrates one of the game's main issues: there's quite a bit of luck involved, specifically in the distribution of pick-up types. The screen is often packed with enemies, some very difficult to see (those damned lines of flounder in particular, I ran into them so many times because they just blend right into the backgrounds), so it's essentially a given that you're going to hit something sooner or later. There are some patterns to the enemy formations, but a lot of it is randomized, so it's not a game like R-Type where you can memorize your whole way through. Since you'll eventually not see something and get hit, you need a good stock of wings to keep your life going . . . wings which are among the roll-of-the-die pick-ups. I managed to do so well and 1CC the main 5 chapters because that one time, I somehow had a ton of wings dropped for me, eventually nearing the 20-count max. When that wasn't happening, I died early on. The other problem (this one might be more subjective than the luck complaint) is the way some of the boss fights work. Specifically, if I hadn't been made aware of some of the less obvious details of how certain bosses worked, it might have taken ages to make it past them (not that it doesn't take ages even when you know how to deal with them), and definitely not with a 1CC run. Maybe I'm simply not observant enough--though I kind of doubt it--but even so, there's also the fact that some of the boss fights are designed such that they're an order of magnitude more difficult if you don't go in with a specific gun type. And it isn't like in Gradius when you lose all your power-ups and know you're screwed; here, you don't know that you're screwed because no indication is given earlier that you're in for a rough time if you're without THAT gun for THIS boss. All you know is that, geez, is it supposed to take this long? That about sums it up. A couple of major gameplay issues, but it has the potential to be a pretty decent shooter. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Hello mew. Me dinna see your post, O. Sorry, but me has no way to send you $20. I no wanna say this, but my sister has some control over my bank account and if I try to send money through Paypal, she'll find out and won't like it because I am unemployed. Great price though, but I'm afraid I have to pass. If I was still working, then sure. I can send you the money easily. I have cash right now, but I have no way to send it to you. I no wanna mail it because it's not a wise thing to do. I guess I'll just get the PSN version when it drops in price. I can use my cash to get a PSN card or something, although it's gonna suck as I'd have to pay $40 to get it for $30. Canada doesn't sell $10 cards here. No give me a hard time and ask blah blah why is your sister controlling your bank account and all that 'cause I no wanna talk about it. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember What about a money order? A postal money order, in particular, would be fairly easy: go to the post office with your cash and a ready envelope, purchase the money order (obviously, you'd also have to bring enough cash to cover that cost, whatever it is), stick it in the envelope, seal and mail. Make sure it's an appropriate international postal money order, though, for the US. Once Ofaliss gets it, he can just cash it at his local post office, presumably. Postal money orders were how I used to pay for most eBay things back before PayPal became required. Of course, it helped that I within walking distance of a post office at the time. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I'm kinda lazy too Not sure if I want to give away the only bill I have though. I'd be more inclined to do it if it was a Vita game though. I like this crap for handhelds. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Maybe one of these days if it gets any cheaper and I'm in an extra super good mood, I'll send it as a gift. Don't count on it, but don't rule out the possibility. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Thankie mew :3 POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Once again using this topic to cover pinball as well as scrolling shooters: Freelance, the PEGI ratings database had an entry for Pinball Heroes Complete added to it a few days ago. It sounds like the PSV is getting a batch of all 8 of the PSP's Pinball Heroes tables. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Oh I knew that already, although if you have a PS3, you can already transfer the games over. I did that recently so now I have seven pinball games on my Vita. Are they giving it an 'HD' treatment or anything though or are they just ports? Out of all the seven pinball games, I think the PH collection is the worst of them though. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Ooh, another scrolling shooter is headed to the PS3 in North America, Mamorukun Curse! (originally Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta!, "Mamoru-kun Got Cursed!" 「まもるクンは呪われてしまった！」). It's getting published as a PSN exclusive in mid-July by UFO Interactive for $20. Here is the trailer. Originally, this was a 2008 arcade bullet hell shooter by G.rev, which got a port to the Xbox 360 (in Japan) in 2009, and this enhanced port hit the PS3 in Japan in 2011. Looking forward to it! Maybe I'll get it at the same time as Sine Mora, which I've been putting off forever. This makes two recent PSN releases by UFO Interactive, after Elminage Original. I wonder if they're planning more PSN localizations. P.S. A very rough pronunciation guide: ma MOR oo koon POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember You still haven't gotten Sine Mora yet!? Stop being a cheap skate. And speaking of Sine Mora, I recently got back into the game. I never did get around to finishing it. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember Did you try Megablast, onmode-ky? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Why, do you need help at the boss gauntlet? I haven't played Under Defeat HD in ages. My high score is probably considered very poor now. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I missed this release from last year, a moe side-scrolling bullet hell shooter on the PSP! Soreyuke! Burunyan-man Portable (this is a long promotional video; skip to the middle to see some gameplay) Three player characters to choose from, eight stages, plus some EX bonus stages. It's rated CERO D, roughly equivalent to an ESRB M rating . . . but I get the feeling that, were the game ever attempted to be localized, maybe the ESRB would hit this with an AO rating, based on the Stage 4 boss' attack you can see at 4:15 in the video. Wow. Were it not for the moe elements, I think Freelance would really like this game. The story in it has a cat discovering that her canned tuna has gone missing and then going after a mouse army for revenge. Of course, the cats and mice in the game are all transformed into mostly cute humanoid forms, which is where Freelance totally loses interest. According to the game's website (it's from the makers of Gal Gun, by the way, Ofaliss), the non-Portable edition of this was an early 2012 PC game, which itself grew out of a mini-game in a 2008 PC game, Musume-ker (wordplay on "musume" (girl, daughter) and "maker"). So, it's not totally new, but not old, either. The main character's name, Burunyan-man, is a smash-up of "buruma" (originally from "bloomers," now used also for girls' gym shorts), "nyan" (Japanese "meow"), and, er, "man" (tacked on as superhero name suffix?). The other player characters are Skunyan-man ("school swimsuit") and Meinyan-man ("maid"). The characters are dressed matching their names. Anyway, speaking of PSP scrolling shooters, DariusBurst is now a whopping $153 at Play-Asia.com??? Clearly not an exchange rate thing! I guess new copies have suddenly gotten ultra rare. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Sorry, the video is no longer available. I guess I should be happy I imported Darius. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember The video is still there for me. . . . Try again? POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember It worked the 2nd time. Stupid Youtube. Anyway, the game looks too weird for me, even with the scary 'catgirls.' POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Imagine playing this and Choaniki Zero back to back. Could be a lethal combination. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember "man" (tacked on as superhero name suffix?) Silly me. I neglected to remember where I had heard "Soreyuke" before in a title. This game's title, "Soreyuke! Burunyan-man," is a parody of the title of a popular children's series, "Soreike! Anpanman" (the "yuke" and "ike" are variant pronunciations of the same verb). That's where the "man" comes from. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Now I know why I didn't keep Flying Hamster on my PSP for long. That damn final boss screwed me out of finishing Flying Hamster HD using no more than one credit. AND he kept me from scoring at least 1,000,000 points. I would have made it if I hadn't died. It's bad enough the last stage has a pretty big difficulty spike, but then you throw in a cheap boss. That's not cool. Currently I rank 72 on the leaderboard, but I would have been higher if it wasn't for that bastard. The fact that it's not even really a difficult fight makes it even more frustrating. He has no pattern and those minions he calls in randomly ups the frustration 10 times. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Wow. . . . You downloaded the game and shortly thereafter nearly beat the whole thing on 1 credit? Either the game had its difficulty severely dialed down in the remake or you're much, much better at it than I was even after 6+ hours of practice, that resulted in a high score of ~500K. The former seems unlikely. . . . I tip my hat to you. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I kind of cheated. I would play a stage multiple times on the PSP until I got comfortable with it, then I'd grab my Vita and move on. It was all gravy until that last stage. I was only needing 2 or 3 plays to get comfortable with a stage, but that last part where you fly really fast through a corridor was a real pain. The final boss is just too random and cheap, so you have to just go for it. My score was 860,775 when I first died. Thinking about it now, I doubt I wouldn't have hit 1,000,000. Still cost me my 1 continue run. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Kokuga is brutal. There are no lives or checkpoints, you get one shot to do it right or you get put right back at the stage select screen. Which sucks because I always die at the bosses. My friend list is cluttered with some real cheap bastards! You guys know how Velocity Ultra plays. It plays like Velocity, only really shiny. Stop playing the demo and buy it you cheap skates! Right now Rinky is my only friend registered on the leaderboards. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I'm waiting for some Vita shmups/bullet hells to come out here in Europe. Flying Hamster isn't enough. Maybe an Ikaruga port or a new Darius game.... My favorite shmup is G-Darius. The whole game is just... Awesome. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I was thinking about how cool it would be if Ikaruga got released on the Vita the other day. I keep eyeballing it on the Play Store, but it doesn't seem very fun on a phone. I guess I could buy it on the 360, but I'd prefer to have it on the Vita. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember My favorite shmup is G-Darius. The whole game is just... Awesome. Yeah, G-Darius is amazing. I don't think I've even played every stage, since there are so many branches. I do remember The Embryon, one of the most unique bosses in a game filled with unique bosses. And, of course, there's always cowering in fear from Great Thing. Have you played DariusBurst, AxelMill98? It's discussed extensively in this thread (mostly by me, though Freelance has it, too). It plays great, and I'd consider it a rival against G-Darius for best in the series if not for the fact that it's a little light on content. Of course, the arcade sequel, DariusBurst Another Chronicle (and its EX expansions) remedies the content issue . . . or so I hear, since I've never been able to play the game myself. ? I noted this in the off-topic thread, but Castle [of] Shikigami 2 hit the NA PS Store this week as a PS2 Classic. Not exactly what I would call a classic, it's nonetheless a pretty good vertically scrolling bullet hell shooter. It's sad, though, that any greatness is forgotten in the face of the completely useless localization by XS Games (Castle of Shikigami III was localized by Aksys for the Wii, and it's like night and . . . dusk, since the game's dialogue is seemingly often obtuse to begin with). Anyway, I have the PS2 disc and don't intend on getting the download version. POSTED 6 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Freelance noted in the Off-Topic topic that Apogee scrolling shooter Stargunner is currently free at GOG.com. In pinball news, Stern is producing a Star Trek pinball table! Based on the two recent films (eh), it's coming in 3 versions and was designed by Steve Ritchie (!). I note that the playfield has Alpha Quadrant and Beta Quadrant ramps in positions very similar to those used in his ST:TNG playfield. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember @ onmode-ky I consider The Embryon to be the true final boss, be it for the stage (You travel to the very beginning of time! How awesome it is!), or for the final boss theme's name, Adam. It's more fitting for a thing called The Embryon than for a giant whale. As for Darius Burst, I DO know it, but I don't know how I can play it. You know, Japan-only and stuff like that. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Do you mean you don't have a UMD-capable PSP anymore? Or that you're not aware that the PSP is region-free? Of course, going the UMD path for DariusBurst nowadays is apparently very expensive, judging from that US$150+ price at Play-Asia.com. Come to think of it, the game is much cheaper if you get it in download form from either a Japanese or Asian PSN account. Sure, paying for a PSN card for another region can cost a hefty premium over the actual currency exchange rate, but hey, it's not US$150, either. Adam Speaking of Darius boss music, have you heard "Self," from Darius Gaiden? For boss music to be so melancholic is pretty unusual, but then Hisayoshi Ogura's music for the Darius series is so admired precisely because it's so entrancingly bizarre. FYI, while he composed all of Zuntata's Darius music through G-Darius, he had left Zuntata by the time of DariusBurst. But, the music in that is still really awesome, and he contributes the music for Great Thing, "Hello 31337." POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Years after first seeing some brief clips of footage from the game, as featured in Play-Asia.com's product page for it, I found extended gameplay footage today from Geigeki Go Go Shooting, a Japan-only 2003 2-player plug-n-play vertically scrolling shooter made by Takara, developed by SSD Technology Ltd. (and also using SSD's XaviX hardware; it even says so on the box, as shown in the guy's unboxing video, in which he even goes through the full-color manual--did I mention that this retailed for roughly $65?). Obscure and unremarkable though it may be in comparison to more well known shooter names, it still has a decent variety of weaponry and boss designs, and explosions are nicely animated. I also found a commercial for GGGGS. By the way, note the form factor: a pair of linked flight sticks. I'd say flight sticks aren't very good for scrolling shooter games, though. Too much throw. Incidentally, while the copyright date on this says 2002, sources on the Internet say the release date was March 20, 2003. And, I should note that the gameplay footage is from the easiest difficulty setting, Normal. It also has Hard and Super Hard as options in the menu. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember That looks like a nice game. I wish there was a port of it to a console or handheld. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember @ ky I mean that I can't buy Jap. PSN Cards. I never bought something online, I don't know the price of DB AND of the Card itself... Besides, I doubt my parents would let me. I guess I'll never play it. Dang it. Maybe... Searching for the arcade rom? Though the MAME won't be able to play it. Shoot. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I'm not sure what state it's in right now, but I'm sure that the PSP will be emulated to a high degree someday a few years down the line. And then there's always homebrewing a PSP. So I wouldn't get down since if you want it I'm sure you will have an option open up eventually that will allow you to enjoy it. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember That looks like a nice game. I wish there was a port of it to a console or handheld. For the 105 yen that the YouTube guy paid for GGGGS, I'd certainly be interested in playing it, but I don't think it looks quite so good a game that I'd really want to see a port of it to a platform I already owned (where I'd no doubt have to pay more than 105 yen). Well, if it were still cheap, maybe. But then, I never ponied up for the Sonic Wings Special PS1 import on the PS Store, and that's a known title for $6. What I saw of SWS didn't really appeal to me. Incidentally, the YouTube guy mispronounced the Japanese word for auto-fire. He said either "renga" or "renka," but 連射 is "rensha." I don't know the price of DB AND of the Card itself... In the Japanese PS Store, DariusBurst is 4000 yen. The cheapest way to get that at Play-Asia.com is via a 5000-yen PSN card, for which their current price is US$60 (roughly 45 EUR right now), with no shipping charge if digitally delivered; i.e., I think they just e-mail you the voucher code. This is actually cheaper than paying their even more inflated prices for a 3000-yen card and a 1000-yen card (the $60 5000-yen card is apparently a sale price). The 5000 yen would cover the 61-MB DariusBurst download plus another 1000-yen something--assuming that tax is already included in the listed prices, anyway. Personally, I don't think I'd ever pay 4000 yen for a download. Back when I bought the UMD 3.5 years ago, it cost me less than $50. . . . A new UMD copy might be far too expensive now, but maybe you could find a good deal on a used copy. Maybe... Searching for the arcade rom? Though the MAME won't be able to play it. Shoot. I doubt anyone's dumped the ROM of a 2010/2011 arcade game that is hard to find outside of Japanese arcades. And yeah, even the newest MAME versions would be unlikely to support DBAC. Once again, it might be better for you to look into a used copy, which can be yours for $8475 + shipping from Japan. ? I forgot the price of a new one (not listed at that site), but it was somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000, I believe. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember It looks like my kind of shooter though. I liked the little touches like the rainbow by a waterfall, the bright colors, the classic gameplay rather than being a bullet hell shooter with bizarre scoring systems and needless complexity, the average looking difficulty that isn't easy but is still reasonably possible if you're on your game, and the sprite graphics. I'm a 80's and early 90's vertical shooting fan and this looks like it would have been right at home in a arcade back around 1986 or so. But trying to import a obscure Japanese plug and play console is a game breaker for me even if I am fond of conventional vertical shooters. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember So basically it costs 50 dollars. Oookaay... Oh well, I'll continue playing Gaiden and G. Until sometime in the future! I'm so happy I bought Taito Legends 2 that one day. Pure arcade awesomeness. Anyways, I do not want to play the other Darius games because they are TOO much old school. There are lame checkpoints, limited continues, restart the whole level if you lose all lives... Nope, I don't like it. Oh, and a new PSM shooter came out last week. I don't remember the name, but it costs about 5 € here. It looks pretty good and it has 6/7 levels. Did anyone buy it? POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember But trying to import a obscure Japanese plug and play console is a game breaker for me even if I am fond of conventional vertical shooters. You don't have to import it from Japan. . . . You can import it from Sweden! That's actually the same eBay.co.uk auction (though I'm using its eBay.com link) that the YouTube guy saw a year ago, though the price has dropped so that it's now "only" about $80. So basically it costs 50 dollars. Oookaay... You say that like importing a scrolling shooter was never expensive. If I ever make room in the budget for the Burunyanman UMD, that's just about $50 (unless I lose my mind and go for the ~$30 "Best" re-release, but I still have a few marbles behind my eyeballs). This is traditionally a pricey playing field. But I take it you're not the type who paid $80 to get Under Defeat for the Dreamcast. I'm so happy I bought Taito Legends 2 that one day. Pure arcade awesomeness. Indeed! That disc is packed to the spaceborne mechanical gills with shooting mania. Oh, and a new PSM shooter came out last week. I don't remember the name, but it costs about 5 € here. It looks pretty good and it has 6/7 levels. Did anyone buy it? I think you're talking about Shikkoku. Ofaliss mentioned it in the PSM thread, and he has it. I'll likely get it someday. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Well, I meant "Unicorn Savage" or something like that, but Shikkoku looks amazing, too. But, as usual, the latter is not here POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I suggest you stay away from Unicorn Savior. I'd give it a pile of crap/10. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Interesting title. That is, both those words have been in the names of Gundam mobile suits, namely the Unicorn Gundam and the G-Saviour. I'd give it a pile of crap/10. This may be Ofaliss' way of insinuating that I (alone) will probably derive some enjoyment out of it. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Here's another pinball sidebar. I played the 1985 Tehkan (Tecmo) arcade game Pinball Action last night, for the AtariAge arcade/MAME weekly tournament. While I decided to participate because it was a video pinball game, I didn't have fun, to put it bluntly. The physics are frustratingly unrealistic, absolutely killing my typical level of accuracy, and it's also slow--both in terms of raw gameplay speed and its "frame" rate. That is, there is a visible strobing effect in the movement of the ball. Pinball isn't supposed to stutter. . . . In terms of playfield design, it's mildly interesting. The main table has 3 locks, opened via knocking down a corresponding bank of drop targets, and getting the ball in a lock takes you to an associated sub-table. Each of these sub-tables has a particular objective that, when completed, upgrades the sub-table's bumpers from 100 points to 1000 points. The upgrade also applies to the sole bumper on the main table; I was never able to complete more than one sub-table, though, so I don't know if multiple completions progressively advance the main table bumper's point value. The bowling-themed sub-table has you targeting rollovers arranged like bowling pins; the card-themed sub-table has you hitting specific groups of drop targets; the slot machine-themed sub-table just has 3 lanes you have to complete, but they're not that easy to reach (and the game has no shift feature for lit lanes, which would be really welcome considering the awful physics). I'd be interested in a remake of the game, using the existing playfields but with a proper physics model, unlikely though that may be. Well, I'd be interested to play it, just out of curiosity about what happens when all the sub-tables are done, but maybe I wouldn't want to buy it. Incidentally, Pinball Action is available in Tecmo Classic Arcade for the first Xbox, as well as the Japan-exclusive Tecmo Hit Parade for the PS2. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I've never heard of Pinball Action, and I've never heard of an arcade game that simulated a pinball machine. The sub-tables reminds me of Sierra's 3D-Ultra series. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I've fired up my copy of Tecmo Classic Arcade three or four times and didn't even remember that game (This was at the height of the compilation era and 2 or 3 much bigger releases happened within a matter of weeks so I didn't give it much attention). But it must be a very forgettable game since I remembered things like Swimmer. Most of my time was spent on Solomon's Key. "Pinball Action is available in Tecmo Classic Arcade for the first Xbox, as well as the Japan-exclusive Tecmo Hit Parade for the PS2." I wonder if the Japanese PS2 game has the original music for Bomb Jack. I remember reading that it was all replaced on Tecmo Classic Arcade. "I've never heard of Pinball Action, and I've never heard of an arcade game that simulated a pinball machine." Atari had a popular B&W arcade game in the late 1970's called Video Pinball. Off hand it's the only other one I can think of. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I DO know some arcade pinball "simulator", but I don't remember their name, but they're really old, like early 80's. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember There have been several it seems. According to the KLOV arcade database, these are what's out there for video arcade pinball releases. Had the list all formatted nicely but the forum software took care of that. Alien Crush NEC 1988 Flipper Ball Cinematronics 1976 Gals Pinball Comad 1996 Grand Cross Pinball Excellent Systems 1994 Hot Pinball Comad/New Japan System 1995 Panic Road Seibu Kaihatsu 1986 Pin Pong Atari 1974 Pinball Action Tehkan 1985 Pinbo Jaleco 1984 Pinbot (Playchoice NES) Nintendo 1988 Speed Ball Tecfri 1987 Super Flipper Chicago Coin 1975 Super Pinball Electro Plastic S.A. 1983 Super Pinball Action Tecmo 1991 Time Scanner Sega 1986 TV Flipper Midway Manufacturing Co. 1975 TV Pin Game Chicago Coin 1973 TV Pinball Exidy 1974 Video Pinball Atari 1978 Vs. Pinball Nintendo 1984 VS. Pinball & Golf Nintendo 1984 POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Had the list all formatted nicely but the forum software took care of that. To get around this problem, somewhat, take a look at what I did here within Code tags. Anyway, that's a longer list than I would have expected. Never knew Alien Crush was an arcade game--but then again, that could be an erroneous entry. KLOV isn't perfect; just check out this entry in their database (for the record, that's actually the title of a NAOMI/Dreamcast game, and Sega was not founded until after WWII). I haven't found a reliable other reference to Alien Crush as an arcade game. Video pinball in arcade form is a bit of a weird concept, but it does make some sense from the operator's perspective. Not only does it take up less room than a pinball machine, but it should cost less to buy (certainly true nowadays, at least) and definitely costs less to maintain in the long run. I wonder if the Japanese PS2 game has the original music for Bomb Jack. I remember reading that it was all replaced on Tecmo Classic Arcade. User reviews at Amazon.co.jp remark that the music there was replaced as well, using the NES' Might Bomb Jack's music. I looked up the original Bomb Jack's music, and it seems it used a Beatles song ("Lady Madonna"), an ending theme from an anime series, and an original song. The anime series was Spoon Obasan, known in English as "Mrs. Pepper Pot," and is based on a series of children's books created by a Norwegian author. The opening and ending songs were sung by a very familiar voice . . . and I couldn't quite put my finger on it at first, but the opening's credits revealed the singer to be Mari Iijima, best known in the West as the voice of Minmei Lin (Lynn Minmay) in Macross(which was localized as the first saga of Robotech). I can't believe I didn't think of her right away! Atari had a popular B&W arcade game in the late 1970's called Video Pinball. Off hand it's the only other one I can think of. That was the only one I could think of, too. I've never played/seen it before myself, but here is a look at the cabinet and game. I'm not much of a fan of the split playfield, but it does appear to play better than Pinball Action (i.e., faster, smoother). I wonder if the nudge function is directional (doubtful), rather than upward-only as in Pinball Action. SoCal Mike in the video seems to think the reflected playfield, backlit from overhead, is a novel concept . . . but was that really the case? I realize this was 1978, but hadn't that been done before? It definitely was done a few times afterward, several times on famous titles. Incidentally, Pinball Action's nudge seems to be unlimited; i.e., there is no tilt in the game. Then again, nudging doesn't help that much in it anyway. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember It's older than that. The black & white cabinet of Sea Wolf does it for instance and I'm sure that predates Video Pinball since they came out with a color Sea Wolf II right around that time. And Space Ship 1 from Atari, a game I never knew about until a recent video was posted at AtariAge showing off some popular B&W 70's arcade games, also had such a setup and sure looks as if it predates 1978 and games like Video Pinball & Space Invaders. As for Alien Crush, it appears to have been a NEC counterpart to the Playchoice line of Nintendo's. In other words for the uninitiated, it's console hardware adapted for arcade usage running console software which explains why it looks just like the TG16 game. http://mamedev.org/source/src/mame/drivers/uapce.c I believe Sega had something similar with the Genesis. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Sea Wolf doesn't really do the same thing, though. That's a game where the screen's image is what's reflected, whereas the backdrop is what's reflected in Video Pinball. I guess you could say they're close enough, but what I kind of meant was whether the Video Pinball-specific method was new. As in whether Atari was trying something that had not been done before, or if this was entirely an existing method. I'm going to have to look into Super Pinball Action. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Yeah, I understand now. I was just thinking of games that have a mirror setup in general. I believe that Triple Hunt by Atari has such a setup and it predates Video Pinball. http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10193 POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I found an interview with Owen Rubin, the designer of Triple Hunt, from about 6 months ago, and it did indeed have the mirror in front of the monitor, reflecting a background. I'm going to have to look into Super Pinball Action. So I found the ROM for this and played it a bit. It definitely plays much better than its predecessor, and I'm not saying that because it's strip pinball. No, that's not a typo; it really is strip pinball. There are 4 themed tables to choose from when you start the game, and you can warp from any table back to the selection screen while playing, after opening up the table's warp chute(s). Each table has an associated image of a girl (or two girls, in the case of Table I), and prior to the table loading, a screen is shown pointing out a particular set of drop or spot targets on the table, with an accompanying quote from the girl(s) telling you that they'll happily undress if you hit those targets to light the letters of a theme-relevant word. Each time you spell a word, your next warp jump will display the girl's image and remove an article of clothing (if you spelled multiple words before warping, articles are removed one after the other with a pause in between). Of note, the game lets you continue if you insert a new coin, though your score is reset, so you can pretty easily, uh, finish your work on all the tables. The pictures are low-resolution images of illustrations (not anime style, but not realistic, either) with low color depth, and they're pretty plain, really. I guess there's novelty value in using the stripping in place of missions, but I wouldn't say the pictures give any real incentive to play. I couldn't see any relationship between the stripping and the actual scores, either--and in fact, the score isn't even displayed except when you start a new ball. Finishing a strip operation (i.e., leaving the girl in undies) lights a Roman numeral corresponding to the table on the score display, but that's it, with no big bonus or anything that I could see. In terms of gameplay, Super is much better than its older sibling, with fast movement, no stuttering, and multi-ball modes available. Each table has multipliers for the end-of-ball bonus, but I never figured out how to increment them on purpose. With the first game, meanwhile, it was easy to tell how to do that: get lucky lighting all the upper lanes. The four tables in Super also share another characteristic with all the tables in the original: there's always a right outlane but no left outlane (EDIT: I misspoke--there's a left outlane in Super, but it has a kickout save). However, unlike the absurd ball-sucking power they had in the original ("left slingshot -> right outlane" was a favorite on that playlist), the outlanes in Super feel much tamer. Also different from the first game, Super has no nudge function (well, it does, but it only seems to have an effect if the ball is stationary). Regarding the playfields, they're not terrible, with a degree of differentiation between them similar to that of the first game, but there just isn't all that much to do on each. The original game is kind of guilty of this, too, but it's masked by the crap-o-rama physics keeping you from finishing each table's objective with any ease (I never did manage to finish the card-themed sub-table at all). Here, there are targets associated with the stripping, locks for multi-ball, targets for opening the warp chute . . . that's pretty much it. As far as video pinball goes, you could do a lot better, but Super Pinball Action at least outdoes its spirit-crushing predecessor. And you get to feel uneasy as you strip unremarkable fake women as you play, too, so there's that to look forward to? POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Back to scrolling shooters! I got an e-mail from CDJapan today advising me of two new CDs up for preorder. I'm not going to get them, but they're soundtracks from obscure side-scrolling shooters: Gigandes (arcade, 1989, East Technology) and Scorpius (X68000, 1991, B-Type/Shinseisha). Both have pretty nifty gimmicks. With Gigandes, your ship can equip one weapon for each of the up, right, down, and left directions, and the positions can be rotated. In Scorpius, your ship has a scorpion tail that you can deploy to use as a weapon itself (like a claw) or to fire its gun. That "indestructible deployable object" element is a bit reminiscent of R-Type. I think I'd like to try out Scorpius, but I guess I'd have to look into X68000 emulators first. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Regarding the playfields, they're not terrible I forgot about Table IV, which is kind of a bad one. It's the hardest table to do well on, because there are obstacles/restricted pathways that keep most of the gameplay in the lower half of the playfield. It's not uncommon on that table to be stuck twiddling your thumbs for a good while just watching the ball bounce between the slingshots and the barriers above them. The only way to get to the upper playfield is through a narrow path on the right side (there's also a very narrow path up the middle, but that just loops the ball back to the left flipper). Claustrophobic, and also has an annoying schtick: the lock kicks balls out for your upper flipper to shoot at a crucial spot target, but its speed randomly ranges from really fast to "ha ha made you shoot too early." Even the warp chute is a pain; on the other tables, it's opened with one shot, but here, you have a bank of serially arranged drop targets in the way. I'd say Table III is the best one. It has a lot of targets to go for. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Most games adapted from anime series are visual novels, RPGs, fighting games, or (more recently) Dynasty Warriors. But, I discovered recently that Strike Witches has a side-scrolling shooter rendition. Originally released for the Xbox 360, Strike Witches: Hakugin no Tsubasa ("Silver Wings" or, better-sounding, "Wings of Silver") was later ported to the PSP. It scrolls sideways, but it kind of plays like Robotron 2084 (or, in terms of other PSP games, Everyday Shooter), with the face buttons controlling direction of fire. Here is some gameplay footage. . . . Okay, that guy played really badly. How about this clip? POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember OMG a week after Revenge of the 'Gator comes out on the Eshop, Star Soldier comes out! I've been wanting both games for ages, and they both come in two consecutive weeks? AWESOME!!! I ned moneeeey! POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember If you get any, be sure to send some my way so I can pay to replace my car's muffler or exhaust pipe that just broke. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember After not playing Scribble Shooter in a long while, I went back to it last night and today, because the new PS Home Challenges, which seem pretty cool, included the game among the achievements (I initially went in, for the first time in ages, just to get the free PS1 games, but I discovered some other new stuff). The Challenges are sort of like Trophies and Xbox Achievements, things that you do in Home to get points. Like Trophies, accumulating points results in leveling up. In this case, though, the increase in levels actually comes with a reward, namely Home items. Anyway, I did two of the Challenges, "survive up until Stage 1's boss in Scribble Shooter (Stage 1 is available for free to everyone) without firing a shot" and "achieve a 10x multiplier." I did both in the same game, and then just kept on playing. My last life was extinguished partway through Stage 10 (the final one), as has happened before, but I'd beaten my personal best. That score had dropped from 50th to 75th on the leaderboard, and the new 4,700,200 put me at 70th. Having achieved my new personal best while not firing a shot during Stage 1 (and dying twice while doing that), I was curious how much better I could do without that handicap. So, I tried again today, in the PSV's Home Arcade, since that's quicker to load than going into Home itself. I survived all the way to the final boss but lost my last life during his confusion maneuver. Actually, I lost 4 or 5 lives in a row there, pretty awful. But, new high score! 6,518,425 crushed my PS3 high score . . . but then I found that Home Arcade's Scribble Shooter doesn't connect to the Home version's leaderboard. Well, then, how about another go on the PS3? After a bunch of crashing problems, I finally got into the game. I did really well, though not actually as smoothly as I had done on the PSV, BUT this time, I did in fact manage to beat the entire game on 1CC--and I even had 2 lives left! My final score was yet again a personal best, 6,747,075, and what did that translate to on the leaderboard ranks? . . . I HAVE NO IDEA! THE DAMNED THING DIDN'T SUBMIT OR EVEN SAVE THE SCORE!!! I think the score might have broken the top 25, but you can only see your rank and the top 10 (the highest score is a bit under 7.37 million). Anyway, I'd wanted to keep track of what multiplier I reached, but all I know is that during my PSV run, I hit 127x partway through Stage 10. Also, my success against the final boss on the PS3 was due to remembering what I'd thought of waaaay back when: during the confusion maneuver, turn your controller upside-down to even the odds. Playing on the PSV helped my PS3 performance, as well; sound effects on the PSV were much more clearly stereo, and I discovered that the Stage 7 boss (an annoying battle in the dark) gives away his position through stereo sound effects. I turned up my TV's volume, listened carefully during that fight, and beat him in record time. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Konami classics Pooyan, Scramble, Super Cobra, and Yie Ar Kung Fu were added earlier this week as PS Home arcade cabinets. Of these, Scramble is the highlight for me. One of the first side-scrolling shooters (it and SNK's Vanguard both came out at around the same time, I think), it has been included as the first work in a few of Konami's Gradius timelines. Super Cobra is apparently a direct sequel to Scramble, though I had not known of that until a few minutes ago. Pooyan isn't a scrolling shooter, but it does involve shooting sideways. Yie Ar Kung Fu, of course, is not a shooting game in any regard. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Do people actually play and enjoy Yie Ar Kung Fu? That and Sho Loans Road or whatever it's called that was its sequel or prequel seemed awful. But I suppose someone must enjoy them judging by all the rereleases. I enjoy the other three. It's nice to see Super Cobra in particular get some attention since it hasn't been rereleased since their PS1 compilation. I've heard it wasn't considered canon as part of the Gradius series or some such nonsense for why it hasn't reappeared until now. Any idea if more are planned? I'd like to see Juno First with properly emulated audio. The 360's Game Room app has it but the audio emulation shortcomings hurt Juno First quite a bit. If there's a classic arcade game that deserves to not be unknown, it's that one. Since Classic Game Room has been mentioned around here today, it was nice to see them review the arcade and the excellent 2600 homebrew conversion from a couple of years ago in recent weeks. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I hope they come to PS Home Arcade on Vita!! POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Me, too, Freelance! Yie Ar Kung Fu does get rereleased a lot. I had intended to note above that, with the new titles, four of the six games represented by Majesco's 2004 NOAC Konami plug-n-play were now in PS Home, namely Frogger, Scramble, Time Pilot, and Yie Ar Kung Fu (the other two being Gyruss and Rush'n Attack). The interest in Yie Ar is probably due to its position as the first one-on-one fighting game, though not of the 2-player variety. Incidentally, "yie ar" is supposed to be "yi er," AKA "one two" in Mandarin Chinese. I don't think Shao-Lin's Road (shao lin, as in the Chinese temple and martial arts) is much related to Yie Ar, at least not in gameplay. It's not a one-on-one game. I have no idea if more are planned, and it's kind of strange that more showed up now. Time Pilot and Frogger have been in Home since February. Why would anyone schedule a second batch 10 months afterward? And a stealth release even, with seemingly only a PlayStation Forum post announcing the arrival of the new games (I myself found out by accident, poking around in Home's shops). At any rate, I wonder if this means Night Stalker Gen2 is coming soon as well. And maybe finally more 2600 games besides Adventure. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember Did you say Pooyan? Woohoo! That's one of my favorite games POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Me too, I'm surprised that it doesn't seem to get much love since it seems close to being the perfect early 80's arcade title. Shao-Lin's Road I think at least on the Konami DS collection was portrayed as a sequel. Seems like at least some consider it a "spiritual successor" judging by a search just now so perhaps that's a better term here than sequel. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Did you say Pooyan? Woohoo! That's one of my favorite games Yeah, I found out it was one of your favorites when searching "playstation home" and "pooyan" on Google. One of the results was the PS Blog post wherein they first announced the PS Home Arcade program, and a certain familiar name in the comments said he hoped for Pooyan. I hope these new games get added to the PSV Home Arcade soon. I wonder why they're not there already. . . . Hopefully, it isn't one of those "we're not going to support that anymore" deals. Mamorukun Curse! got its price cut in half a few weeks ago, to $10. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember For the few of you out there who don't already own the DariusBurst original soundtrack on CD, it is now available on Amazon as an MP3 album. If you're too deep in debt to afford the whole album, my favorite tracks are "Hello 31337" (the contribution to the soundtrack from the Darius series' original composer, Hisayoshi Ogura; it plays when you fight Great Thing), "The world of spirit" (one of the other final boss themes), and "I LED NU-RED-GAS" (can't remember where this appears in the game, but it's a medley of music from across the Darius series; the song's title is an anagram). Two other soundtracks from Taito sound team Zuntata's history also got added to Amazon MP3 at the same time (Zuntata has a much bigger iTunes catalog, FYI): Full Throttle, a 1987 racing game similar to Sega's OutRun and and also known as Top Speed, and Galactic Storm, a 1991 sprite-scaling 3D action game similar to Sega's Galaxy Force II. Lastly, here's a "WARNING!! Darius-san" comic I thought was hilarious. It's a 4-panel gag manga built around the Darius series. The two main characters are a guy, uh, whose name I can't read, and a laconic little girl named "Burst" who's modeled after the android girl pilot Ti2 from DariusBurst. Burst carries a stuffed Great Thing toy with her (awww). Translation of what's going on: - Title: RGB Sweets - Panel 1: "Burst! I brought back a souvenir!" "You like chocolate, right?" - Panel 2: Burst opens the tube of multicolored candy-coated chocolates. - Panel 3: Burst pops a blue chocolate in her mouth. Bottom right corner: BLUE = ARM (shield) FLAVOR. A shield appears around Burst. - Panel 4: Burst pops a green chocolate in her mouth. Bottom right corner: GREEN = BOMB (missile) FLAVOR. The guy starts freaking out, "Wait! Wait!", as the missiles start coming. The gag is that these chocolates look like the colorful ball-shaped power-ups in (some) Darius games. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I decided today to try my hand at the one remaining Under Defeat HD Trophy unrelated to game progress which I didn't yet have (in contrast, I have very few of the game progress Trophies, since prior to today, I only played the game on 2 days in December 2012): having 6 bombs in stock at the end of a level, a Gold Trophy. This basically means getting all 3 bomb pickups available in Stages 1 and 2, using no bombs at all, and finishing both stages without dying--either that or losing all your lives and using a credit (gives you a free bomb pickup) prior to either of Stage 2's bomb pickups appearing. There's an easier way to do this if you fake a second player and steal the bomb pickups from his added credits, but I didn't want to do that. Nor did I want to switch to twin-stick mode, since that's not how the game was originally designed. However, I did end up switching from Normal to Easy difficulty; multiple attempts at Normal still left me dying at the Stage 2 boss. Just can't get between his bullet patterns. Mind you, Easy is still not that easy, as I think it just lowers the amount of hits it takes to kill enemies. Their bullet intensity seems about the same. I wasn't really having trouble anywhere except that boss, so the main effect I needed was having him die more quickly, before he could start spewing those nasty bullet spreads. I still had quite a hard time, but then on one try, when I thought I was screwed because I accidentally switched my option gun to Vulcan type (I typically use the slow but powerful Rocket, not the quick but weak Vulcan) just before the boss area, that Stage 2 boss suddenly died just before he could begin his spewage. Accidental option switch did the trick?! Maybe; I also managed to do a fair amount of pre-fight damage to him that time. After getting the Trophy, I decided to try to improve my leaderboard standings from 13 months earlier (247th in New Order Mode, 274th in Arcade Mode). A few runs back in Normal difficulty later, I made it to 209th in New Order and 195th in Arcade. Yay! New Order's leaderboard had just under 4000 entries, while Arcade's had just over 2100. Some of the lower scores looked odd to me, players reaching Stage 2 with under 100K points. In my playing, if I started Stage 2 with under 200K points, I'd already screwed up badly enough that I ought to restart. I think these are players who don't know how to use the option weapon (gives you more points) and were perhaps relying on bombs instead (fewer points, maybe zero?). POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I confirmed yesterday that bombs give you 0 points for any enemies they destroy. That's the price you pay for the moment of invincibility. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I thought I'd put some more time into Under Defeat HD Arcade Mode to get it closer to unlocking Free Play (apparently, I haven't spent 2 hours on it yet), so I ran through it a couple of times last night, as far as 3 credits could take me, anyway. New high score! At 96th, I broke into the top 100 on the leaderboard. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Last month, I played a bit of Gun Frontier, a 1990 vertically scrolling arcade shooter by Taito, in my Taito Legends 2for PS2. It's a quasi-prequel to Metal Black, in that Metal Black is described in its title sequence as "Project Gun Frontier 2," even though that game is a side-scrolling shooter. I have to say . . . Gun Frontier is not fun. Maybe I was "playing it wrong," but its difficulty and user-friendliness seemed to be even beyond arcade Gradius III. The way it's designed, with checkpoint-based revivals and constant bomb collection and usage being almost necessary for survival, I think it's entirely possible that a lay player could keep putting coins in forever and yet never get past the first stage (unless they happen to pick up a max-firepower power-up). I got a few stages in and then was stuck forever myself. The main weapon, which can be slightly powered up but never changed, is terribly weak, so enemies often stay on the screen a long time, absorbing your bullets and shooting at you all the while--or worse, running into you. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Metal Black on the other hand is a really good shmup, besides the "touch the floor and you die" thing. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I bought Raiden Legacy for a buck! Here! POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember What sort of controller do you use for games like that on the PC? A controller? Or the keyboard. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I hate using keyboard for SHMUPs. I use a Logitech F310. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I have a Logitech Rumblepad 2, but I'm good with a keyboard, too, if the game has auto-fire (so I don't destroy my keys). I bought Raiden Legacy for a buck! Since that's one of those "pay as much as you want" things, I wouldn't let myself pay only a buck. That being the case, and since I'm not interested in those other games in the bundle, I'm considering getting Raiden Legacy direct from DotEmu.com, where it's part of their 70%-off 7th anniversary sale, at $3. The Genesis RPG Landstalker(emulated), too, for $0.90. It's one of the few Genesis games that Sega never put on their console compilations. Another such example is the side-scrolling shooter Bio-Hazard Battle, which I think is also $0.90 in DotEmu's sale (I got that a few years ago from Amazon.com for twice as much). POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I'd pay more than a buck too, but I'm quite poor these days and a buck is literally all I can afford. I remember when I used to have loads more money Raiden Legacy actually does have autofire for all 4 games. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I'm surprised it doesn't include Raiden 2 and Raiden DX. Great franchise though and I've enjoyed every entry at home (Except the spin off Viper Phase 1 that remains an arcade exclusive and should be here since it runs on the same hardware as Raiden Fighters does). Hard to imagine a better use for a buck. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember a buck is literally all I can afford I'm giving myself some leeway, having spent $0 on games so far this year. Milestone, the developer of a number of NAOMI-based bullet hell shooters, including Chaos Field (whose GameCube port was released in North America), Radirgy AKA Radio Allergy, and Karous (all three of which came to North America in Wii form, as Ultimate Shooting Collection), died within the past couple of years when the head of the company was arrested for illegal securities activities. I knew that much a few months ago. What I didn't know was that another company ended up with Milestone's IP. Apparently, a firm called "Klon" recently released a 3DS variation (not a port) of Karous, as well as a 3DS eShop variant of Radirgy. Milestone's composers, k.h.d.n. (Kou Hayashi and Daisuke Nagata, whom Freelance may also recognize from their work on the PS1's Zanac X Zanac), have joined Klon as well. Here's k.h.d.n.'s page at Klon, including a pair of 20+-minute-long Soundcloud sample medleys of their work. The first sample ("Grey") includes a few pieces of music I recognize from Chaos Field and Radirgy. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Raiden Legacy actually does have autofire for all 4 games. Yes, but it isn't quite the autofire I was talking about. I just meant the kind where I can hold down the button instead of mashing it nonstop; Raiden Legacy has the kind where the game's just firing on its own all the time. I have to say, the original Raiden has really annoying power-ups. They fly around the screen, at what looks the same speed as your own fighter can muster, so you end up having to chase them constantly--while still trying not to get shot. It's not fun getting killed because a power-up led you into enemy fire. After I installed Landstalker into Sega's Genesis emulator, I decided to go ahead and play Bio-Hazard Battle through to the end (with the help of save states). It plays pretty well. The main gimmick at play in this one is that you have a secondary weapon pod that orients itself to point in the opposite of your direction of movement. The primary weapon can be charged for a powerful blast, but it otherwise never changes, and there are no bombs, so the gameplay is mostly focused on the weapon pod. The pod is indestructible, like R-Type's Force but smaller, and can be used to absorb enemy bullets and damage enemies. The pod's firing type is determined by the color of power-up you go with; there are 4 colors, of which you start out with green, and you switch the secondary weapon by picking up a different color (picking up the same color upgrades your current secondary weapon, up to 3 levels, I think; dying downgrades your weapon by 1 level). Also, when starting the game, you pick from 4 ships, and each one has its own set of 4 types for secondary weapons. I picked the ship in the top right of the selection screen, for its orange power-up (homing laser). There are 8 stages to Bio-Hazard Battle, and the last ones are indeed quite tough. The best I did without save states was getting into Stage 4 (you get 10 continues, but using one is really tough, because you have to replay the whole current stage and start with nothing powered up). Stage 1 is very easy and doesn't even have a boss. Stage 2 is a bit harder and has a cakewalk boss fight. Stage 3 is where things really start heating up, with lots of instances of enemies coming in suddenly from different parts of the screen, as well as some mid-bosses. It's one of those games where you need to memorize where enemies will be coming from in order to avoid getting rammed. By the end of the game, I was having to reload save states every few seconds. . . . Definitely worth checking out, and even if you don't particularly like the gameplay, the art is interesting in itself. Almost all the enemies are otherworldly biological organisms, from flying squid mantas to giant flying centipedes to shape-shifting blobs of goo. Yum! POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Well, whaddaya know? We've been talking Raiden in here, and I just found out that UFO Interactive will be bringing the PS3 PSN-exclusive [ ] expansion of Raiden IV, Raiden IV: Overkill, to North America at the end of April (there's a trailer at that link). That's only two weeks after the Japanese release, which makes it particularly impressive. The "Overkill" part of the name comes from the new element wherein you can keep shooting a boss after it's already dead for, uh, some sort of bonus, I guess. Back to the original Raiden for a moment, one of the launch titles for the PS1 in Japan was Raiden Project, a collection of Raiden and Raiden II. However, instead of this title, the Raiden that is in the Japanese PS Store is Arcade Hits: Raiden, a later PS1 release by Hamster that is basically Raiden Project minus Raiden II. So, maybe the reason that Raiden Legacy doesn't have Raiden II is that the rights to that specific entry in the series are separate from the general Raiden IP. *Raiden IV previously had a disc release on the Xbox 360, also from UFO Interactive in North America. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember What's Gunship at that link? A PSN release of the old PS1 game? Never even heard of Raiden IV: Overkill, but I think I'll just stick with the 360 original. This new mode doesn't sound like anything to get excited about. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I don't know what Gunship is, but the screenshot resembles screenshots from the PS1 game, according to Google image search. Regarding Overkill, I don't really know what in total is different between the Xbox 360 release and this expanded version. I didn't mean to imply that the overkill thing was the only added element, just that that's where the name comes from. The trailer says something about there being 3 modes; I don't know if those were all in the original release. I do know that the two fighters that were paid DLC for the Xbox 360 are included in the PS3 game. Last night, I logged into PS Home to see if more retro games had been added into Home Arcade. The answer was no, but I decided to stick around and do some of the day's Home Challenges. One of them was getting a 10x multiplier in Scribble Shooter, which basically amounts to playing Stage 1 without missing too many enemies. I did that, but I didn't quit out of the game. I kept going, intending to quit at some point, but I just kept doing so well . . . despite not having touched the game since November (and despite weird wireless issues with my controller sending out phantom button presses), I didn't die at all until Stage 9. And then I managed to survive all the way to the final boss (Stage 10), killing him but losing my last life in his death throes (much like when I beat Ace Armstrong vs. the Alien Scumbags! in Pro mode, a quasi-1CC run). The important part of this was that in establishing my 3rd highest score ever in the game, I finally got a recent score uploaded to the leaderboard: 6,388,685 for 27th place, less than a million off 1st place! Thus, I'm pretty sure that the run in November where I beat the game with 2 lives left and had over 6.7 million points would be in the top 25. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Since you're the resident plug and play expert, do any more recent offerings (What few there are, these days) have HDMI support? I can't help but think that AtGames is making a mistake since it sounds like their 2014 product line will once again be composite only. Nothing makes a game more fun than having the typical HDTV scaling chip butcher the picture of something like an Atari 2600 game. And if it hasn't already happened, I suspect we're going to soon see HDMI only sets be commonplace and the usual front composite port for convenience will be an HDMI port for easy interfacing with devices like iPads. Wonder what they will do when that limited legacy SD support starts to disappear. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember No plug-n-play game systems have had HDMI support, and according to my most recent research, there are none in development either (i.e., nothing for 2014, at least, since planning for these typically shoots for release in a year or less). The press release for Jakks Pacific's recently announced Skylanders-lite branch off their TV Games line, Hero Portal, says "plugs into the A/V jacks of any standard TV." The main roadblock to HDMI adoption in the plug-n-play market is the fact that HDMI requires a licensing fee. With these games generally being meant for the budget-conscious consumer, the added cost of the license versus the added feature's projected increase in adoption by consumers likely doesn't balance out. At least for now. typical HDTV scaling chip You know, I've wondered for some time if my TV (it's a Sony from 2009) just has a very good scaling chip, because I honestly don't see a terrible picture when I plug my PS2 or GameCube into the S-video jack. The picture quality of a game on the PS2 looks about the same as it does when I put the exact same game into my PS3 (which is connected via HDMI). Granted, S-video is superior to composite, but not by a ton. My main gripe about my TV is that its Game Mode still has noticeable lag, so it's tough trying to do well in fast action games, like 1942 (Capcom Classics Collection), whose easiest setting I couldn't beat on my TV. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember AtGames has a range of plug and plays in development for 2014 covering the Atari 2600, Intellivision, Colecovision, and Sega properties. So it's not quite dead unless you're not counting these things because they're not contained in the controller itself. There are certainly some good scalers out there. Being a Sony set, I'd say it's likely above average other than causing noticeable lag. If it's so similar now, I wonder how your PS2 would perform with component on that tv especially with a progressive scan capable game (I forget if the CCC volumes were 480p here, but they were on the Xbox). POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember What I meant by "none in development" was "none in development with HDMI support," which includes AtGames' works in progress. "None in development at all" would have been a strange thing for me to mean, considering I went on to talk about new Jakks projects in the very next sentence. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Yeah, my screw up since that's obviously what you were saying. Apparently your following line didn't register. What do PS2 games look like on your PS3 if you disable upscaling and just set it to output as 480p? If it's doing well with S-Video and 480i, I suspect you'd get an even better picture this way (Or hooking your PS2 up via component) than having your PS3 do the scaling. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Just recently, I did in fact set my PS3 to 480p in an attempt to get progressive scan display working for Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 and Sega Genesis Collection (incidentally, that doesn't work; trying to switch to progressive scan gets you a black screen, even though the switching works just fine for Star Ocean: Till the End of Time and Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria). Honestly, I could not see any significant increase in image quality, and I was looking for it--but then again, I didn't disable upscaling or smoothing or anything, hmm. I will note, though, that in 480p mode, having the two progressive scan games in widescreen mode did a more proper filling of the HDTV screen. . . . So, hows about them scrolling shooters [and pinball], eh? POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Granted, S-video is superior to composite, but not by a ton. It occurred to me recently that the PS2 AV cable I use that has the S-video head also has a composite head on it. I switched back and forth between the two while watching game footage . . . and it's actually quite a noticeable difference in quality. I had forgotten how much sharper S-video looked. Composite on my TV doesn't look like anything I'd call horrible, but it does have the blurry feel of overly aggressive anti-aliasing. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember For future reference, I posted about Warning!! Darius-san here. And, I posted about getting Scramble and Super Cobra PS Home arcade cabinets here. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I put some time today into both Super Cobra and Scramble, the PS Home arcade cabinets. Super Cobra is much harder than Scramble. Both games have 10,000 as the default high score, but even though Super Cobra seems to be only a little bit more stingy with the points, my typical score was only in the 3000-6000 range, while I could easily break 10,000 in Scramble. Eventually, I consistently scored over 15,000 in Scramble, with a high of 25,000+ (making it to the final area before the game loops). Meanwhile, I can count on one hand the number of times I saw the third area of Super Cobra (out of 11 areas!), and my 14,000+ high score there was the only time I ever broke 10,000. The difficulty difference is basically rooted in how aggressive the enemies are. Super Cobra enemies attack more often and are faster, too, making them more difficult to evade. The most annoying aspect would have to be the fact that missiles sometimes suddenly come in from the left side of the screen. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I downloaded the demo for Bentley's Hack Pack, which contains the first 3 stages of each of 3 arcade games from the world of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. One of the arcade games is a side-scrolling twin-stick shooter. After several tries, I ended up with decent scores in the first 2 stages of this game, in the top few hundred of their leaderboards, but I apparently did stupendously well in the third stage: I ended up ranked 10th! Right there on the leaderboard's first page! Super Cobra is terribly hard. The difficulty in both it and Scramble stems from the fact that you can't possibly shoot every enemy, so you have to get lucky that the ones you don't take out don't get picked by the game's randomizer to come hit you. As I noted above, Cobra's higher difficulty derives from the enemies' greater aggression, but with both games, survival depends a lot on luck. Thanks to that, I've sometimes done really well, followed by an embarrassingly awful run where I don't even make it 10 seconds in. So far, I've managed to score above Super Cobra's default 10,000 high score 3 times, the max being 15,000+. The farthest I've gotten into the game is somewhere in the fifth area, so not quite halfway through. In Scramble, I've fully populated the high score table with numbers over the default 10,000, but I haven't done much better than my earlier 25,000+ for a high score. And, I still haven't made it all the way to the end without screwing up in the tight corridors leading there. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember Super Cobra always seemed to be like a half-assed hack of Scramble. It just looks cheap (and plays cheap). POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember No argument from me. It's sort of like they expanded the game but took away a lot of the fun. Perhaps a foreshadowing of Konami's later progression from Gradius II to Gradius III. The port of Scramble that I played ~10 years ago on Majesco's Konami plug-n-play was definitely easier than the original arcade game. I recall looping the game on that version. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Raiden IV: OverKill released on the PS Store today. It's $20, which is a pretty good discount off the ~3000 yen that the Japanese version will be when it releases--yes, the Japanese release got delayed until May 13th, but the North American edition is out now. The Xbox 360's non-OverKill port of the game was over 7000 yen when it came out (on disc) back in 2008, for comparison. UFO Interactive gave out some free code(s?) yesterday through Twitter to people who tweeted about their Raidenmemories. I didn't get a code, but that's okay, because UFO dumped 10 codes today on Twitter in a first-come, first-served celebration of having hit a target number of followers, and I got one of those. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I just spent some time with Raiden IV: OverKill, and I think it's pretty good. Based on my memories of III (haven't played it in years), I think I like its younger sibling better. While I haven't played IV's original arcade mode yet, I've played the new OverKill Mode, and it's a nifty twist on the gameplay, if only for people actively trying to score higher: after mid-size enemies are defeated, their lifeless husk remains on screen for a few seconds. During that time, you can continue attacking the wreckage to build up a meter over it. Depending on how much that meter fills up, a pick-up item of varying score amounts, Levels 1 through 5, gets left behind when the dead ship finally goes belly-up. The trade-off is that while you're busy with that enemy's remains, you're leaving other enemies free to attack you. In my experience so far, it appears that the only ship capable of filling the meter to Level 5 is the classic Raiden fighter, whose shot firepower is greater but whose bomb has a delay and doesn't really render you momentarily invincible. Its other weakness is that it's slower than the default fighter. Some of my time with the game was spent trying to put a decent starter score on the online leaderboard. It's barely populated right now, but when there were only 8 people, I was #3. Then, when there were 13 total, a newer high score of mine put me at #4. It's all downhill from there, though--waaaay downhill. *sigh* Downhill is how I roll. By the way, some of OverKill's Trophies are crazy hard. The 1CC on hardest difficulty comes to mind. Then there's the one for 20 million points, which is over 5x what I put on the leaderboard. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Most fans prefer Raiden IV. Looking forward to hearing what you think of arcade mode. I haven't given this one or the Raiden Fighters compilation a real chance yet. After brief looks, they've gathered dust. Someday I'll get to them. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 Part 2 of the archive. Spoiler onmode-kyMember Most fans prefer Raiden IV. You mean compared to III? Or out of the full series (or something else?)? After seeing some screencaps people posted of their OverKill online ranking, I played some more to get some photographic evidence, too (not for posting online, just for myself). My score had fallen out of the top 5, but a few valiant struggles later (along with perhaps a greater number of ignominious struggles), I fought my way back in, adding over 500K more points to my previous high. Snapped for posterity. More interesting, though, is the new #1 score; previously, the top score was under 7 million, reaching Stage 1-4, but that guy got pushed back to second by someone with a whopping 33 million (so yeah, someone definitely already has that 20 million points Trophy) who passed the whole first loop of the game. Incidentally, I was wrong about only the classic Raiden fighter being able to generate Level 5 OverKills. I found that the spread gun can do it on the default fighter, too, if you go right on top of the dead guy so that all your shots are concentrated on him. However, I constantly got myself killed by other enemies when I did that, so it might not be the wisest course of action. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Compared to III. I suspect most fans would nominate Raiden II as the highlight of the franchise. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I checked yesterday and Raiden III has been removed from the store. I couldn't find it at all on the website. Luckily I had purchased it ages ago. How is digital distribution 'the wave of the future' when games keep getting delisted? Anyone who hasn't had the chance to buy it before is now screwed. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember At the very least Sony needs to start publicizing pending delistings so people have some warning. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember That's a thing I like about Nintendo eShop. When a game is going to be delisted, they send you a notification about it, at least a week before the game gets delisted. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember You mean like a blog post, or Nintendo actually messages every eShop account holder whenever anything is about to be delisted? Even third-party releases? I suspect most fans would nominate Raiden II as the highlight of the franchise. Heh, the one I don't have. You know, it's kind of strange how I only had Raiden III at the beginning of the year. Then, without even having any particular interest in the series, I ended up with nearly the whole series--though mostly as downloads. Maybe I'll suddenly find myself with all the Thunder Force games at some point. I don't have any of them right now. How is digital distribution 'the wave of the future' when games keep getting delisted? Anyone who hasn't had the chance to buy it before is now screwed. In the case of III, they could still get the disc. Of course, if OverKill gets delisted, it really will be gone for good. Wave good-bye to the future. Sony seems to have announced a bunch of indie games coming to PS4 yesterday, including Jamestown Plus, a co-op vertically scrolling shooter that was originally a PC game. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember You mean like a blog post, or Nintendo actually messages every eShop account holder whenever anything is about to be delisted? Even third-party releases? Basically in the eShop there's a notification section, which blinks every time a new one is received. Yes, even third-party AND Virtual Console ones. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember It came out as an XBLA title years ago, and I spotted it in the Japanese PS Store recently; R-Type Dimensions is now coming to the North American PS Store. It's a remake of arcade R-Type and R-Type II, but with the ability to switch between the original graphics and a 3D HD rendering, on the fly. Personally, I'm not certain to get it, since I already own R-Types as a (now delisted) PS1 Classics download, and that too is a recreation of R-Type and R-Type II. I recently set for myself a new high score of 27,000+ in Scramble, but I still can't make it through the enemy base area without hitting a wall. The new high score came about when I switched to a DS3 controller I don't often use, but which is more stable when I press right (as in the opposite of left) on the D-pad. That is, it makes me less likely to accidentally go up or down at the same time. Of course, immediately after setting that new high score, I had a run where I didn't even break 10,000. . . . POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember While using a TV with lower latency than mine, along with the more stable controller, I not only finally made it through the enemy base area in Scramble, I looped the game twice! Two full runs through all the game's areas, two successful attacks on the final target, and then finally Game Over during the third loop's "flying rocks" area. I more than doubled my previous high score, to 58,090. No luck doing any better on Super Cobra, though. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember along with the more stable controller, You should really always take your medication. But seriously, you should get an arcade stick if you are going to take arcade gaming so seriously. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I'm not sure if we've mentioned this franchise before so you may detest it, but are you going to buy the R-Type collection that just appeared on PSN, Onmode? Was on XBLA several years ago but never got around to it, but I think I'll buy it this time around. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I think it mentioned it, like, three posts above yours. I won't buy it. And, according to Ky's post, neither won't he. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember So he did, oops. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Hehe. If you don't already have R-Types, I think Dimensions sounds pretty good. I don't think it includes the R-Typeworld chronology (essentially a text file) that is in R-Types, though. I like that kind of stuff. A few days ago, in yet another frustrating session with Super Cobra, I finally raised my high score by another mere ~1000 points, to 16,720. Ironically, I didn't actually get farther into the game than before, since Game Over occurred in the fourth area. But whatever, I don't think I'll ever want to play it again! POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember Pixel junk shooter ultimate supposed to release this July.... Woot! POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember PJS! PJS!!! PJS!!!!!! POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I'm not sure I've ever seen someone so excited about pajamas. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember LAWL POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember I'm not sure I've ever seen someone so excited about pajamas. *smack smack smack POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember My, the Gradius games always had disappointing final bosses. Like, REALLY disappointing. I'm currently going in a shmup rampage. Two days ago I replayed for the umpteenth time Super Space Invaders '91, Metal Black and Raystorm in Taito Legends 2, and I will probably play Space Invaders '95, Gekirindan and the two Darius games (G and Gaiden). Also, today I'll play for the first time Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun and Valkyrius (a really well done indie shmup), and I'll probably buy Sine Mora on the Vita soon. I NEED MOAR!!! POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember I hope Axel played Pixeljunk shooter already, it's really fun. Freelance loves her SHMUPS so she's like the expert to ask on that topic. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I'm assuming from the absence of a copyright date later than 2009 that what you have there is not DariusBurst Second Prologue but rather the original DariusBurst. If that's the case, then why do you have those touchscreen overlay controls? Is this a PSP emulator on a phone or something? Also, if your only option is onscreen controls, that's going to suck, since parts of the screen will always be obscured then. This kind of game on a touchscreen works best with a relative-position cursor-type control, so that your ship is always visible to you. My, the Gradius games always had disappointing final bosses. Like, REALLY disappointing. The way I see it, the actual final boss in a Gradius game is the final stage itself. The final boss in name, on the other hand, is sort of a victory lap to celebrate your success. Of all the Gradius games, the only one where I've both beaten the final stage and remember the final stage is Treasure's Gradius V, and what I remember is that it was TERRIFICALLY hard, much harder than every previous stage. The high speed section, then Beacon Core, then the gun wall, then Elephant Gear. A variety of very slightly easier bits in between. Geez. I've still never played Radiant Silvergun. I hope Axel played Pixeljunk shooter already, it's really fun. While I would not consider PixelJunk Shooter a scrolling shooter (although PixelJunk SideScroller certainly is), it is still a game I definitely enjoyed a lot. Last week, when my niece and nephew were visiting my parents at the same time I was, we played a fair amount of PJS1 and PJS2 (they also tried PJSS, but it was too hard for them). Even over a year after I played PJS2, it seems I'm still ranked in the leaderboard's top 100. And, the revived interest in PJS2 also led me to retry its online battles enough times such that I finally got both of my remaining online Trophies in the game. Freelance loves her SHMUPS so she's like the expert to ask on that topic. I dunno . . . she apparently doesn't love scrolling shooters enough to go into PS Home and get/play Scramble, Super Cobra, or Scribble Shooter. Also not enough to own an import Xbox 360. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have either Burunyanman or Strike Witches imported for the PSP, too. Of course, those last two sentences apply to me as well. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Is Scribble Shooter related to Scooter Shooter? That one was on Microsoft's Game Room service but I passed on it after the demo. Bought many of the Konami games I didn't already have on XBLA or their old Playstation compilation with Juno First being my favorite. What else does Konami have out on PS Home these days besides those and Frogger? POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I played DariusBurst on my mobile, yes. It was the only way I could play it, until I grow up and get a credit card and buy it. Note that, as of now, I use emulators as a "trial" before buying. It happened with Vagrant Story, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and some more, and will almost surely happen with Z.H.P. So, yes, I WILL buy it. I sort of "adapted" to the on-screen control, and while I was a bit bad at it, I managed to defeat Great Thing as my first final boss. MINI REVIEW Instead of being an evolution of G-Darius, I consider it one of Gaiden, with (mostly) stationary background, no in-level multiple paths, no enemy capture etc. Graphic-wise it is kinda pretty, while sound-wise, some songs are weird (like the first stage's), while some are awesome (like Hello 31337, which Ky already. I posted, but who cares it's a cool music). I couldn't hear much of the soundtrack because the SE were too high, but I'll sure replay it a lot. What I liked the most were infinite continues (for me ) and that you maintain your power-ups when you die, unlike Gaiden or G. My biggest complain is the too quick boss death animation. I mean, remember when in Gaiden a boss exploded? It was awesome! And so was G's animation. But here, as soon as you land the last hit, a few seconds, BOOM, select area. No technicolor death, no "Good job" voice, just select area. It's not a big con, obviously, but it's there. My favorite boss so far is Mirage Castle. I like how you slowly destroy its armored shell (of which every part shoots at you), before taking on its host, a porcupine fish. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember WAAAAAAIT wait wait wait wait. You fight the SAME bosses (except for the last) on EVERY route, no matter what? That's horrible! POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember WAAAAAAIT wait wait wait wait. You fight the SAME bosses (except for the last) on EVERY route, no matter what? That's horrible! It's called saving room or whatever they call it. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember ------ For Atariboy: Is Scribble Shooter related to Scooter Shooter? No, and I've never heard of Scooter Shooter (I vaguely recall you talking about Juno First, though). Scribble Shooteris a Sony-published, and also Sony-owned, I believe, vertically scrolling shooter that's Home- and PSV-exclusive (on the PSV via the Home Arcade App). Its name derives from the fact that its graphics are all crayon drawings--by the son of one of the developers, if I remember correctly. It's 10 stages long and challenging in spots, but generally not terribly hard, given that it's one of the few scrolling shooters I've managed to 1CC in my life. I'm in the top 30 on the leaderboard, too (out of at least 50K players). What else does Konami have out on PS Home these days besides those and Frogger? Time Pilot, which we've previously discussed, is playable in both Home and the PSV Home Arcade App, just like Frogger. The second-wave Konami games are unfortunately not playable in the PSV HAA, and those 4 titles are Scramble, Super Cobra, Pooyan, and Yie Ar Kung Fu. ------ For AxelMill98: some songs are weird (like the first stage's) Eh? What's so weird about the Stage 1 music, "Good-Bye My Earth"? And wow, I just found an official live version of it! Anyway, did you mean the Stage 1 boss music, "Hinder One," which I'll admit is pretty bizarre? I like the trumpet part quite a bit, though. remember when in Gaiden a boss exploded? It was awesome! And so was G's animation. Yeah, Gaiden had mesmerizing boss death throes, and I missed G's Silver Hawk flying in front of the camera. My favorite boss so far is Mirage Castle. Yeah, that one's fun. Actually, I like a lot of the boss fights in the game. Have you been counterburst-killing any of them? If not, THAT is what you should really try for, at least on the bosses where you can easily keep track of how much damage they've taken. For Stage 1's Iron Fossil, that means you stop shooting him early on. His first burst beam attack happens later than his death normally would if you shot him nonstop. You fight the SAME bosses (except for the last) on EVERY route, no matter what? That's horrible! A little disappointing, yes, but the four endgame bosses are a real treat (and 8 unique bosses out of 11 total levels isn't too bad; I think G is the only main series entry where they're all unique). I mean, really, I still remember their names (Hungry Gluttons, Thousand Knives, Dark Helios, Great Thing . . . actually, um, I remember all the bosses' names) and their attacks, despite not having played the game in a couple of years. By the way, Dark Helios is a throwback to Taito's Syvalion arcade game; his music is a remix of that game's music, too. If you want more content to DariusBurst, try to see if you can find a DariusBurst Another Chronicle arcade cabinet. That super-widescreen monster is the sequel to the PSP game, and it has lots of new action, including new bosses. There's even a campaign mode where every player (the game saves your profile) contributes to the overall mission of reclaiming star systems from the Belser. New elements include 4 simultaneous players, the ability to face the Silver Hawk backwards, and several new Silver Hawks, including the original and Gaiden's (yep, throwing Black Hole Bombs). I WISH I could find a DBAC cab near me. T_T POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Maybe I should have said the stage TWO theme, but pretty much every stage theme has this girl repeating this "Yeeeeeeeeeeee" (without the Y) over and over. For no apparent reason, the Hinder One trumpets remind me of something, though I can't actually define what... I was (again, for no apparent reason) going to say the old Lupin the 3rd anime episodes, but it makes no sense. I don't really know how this "Burst" works, except for "Press X to deal massive damage". I tried to counterattack it a la Metal Black, but it doesn't work. Could you please explain how it works? Thanks. Hungry Gluttons was a boss from Gaiden, I fought him some days ago. It's weird that, in that game, the lowest path leads you to a palette swap of the first boss. Hard as heck, but still a palette swap. I like Syvalion, so I'll face that boss next time. To unlock the other modes you need to beat every path, right? Suuuure, I'll buy a 2000+$ cabinet. My highest-priced game was 50€ a.k.a. the highest price for a PSP/V game. Don't know the exact value.Hey, look here. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember pretty much every stage theme has this girl repeating this "Yeeeeeeeeeeee" (without the Y) over and over. Hey, she's not talking smack about you. Personally, I really like the vocals. Not a surprise, considering how many DariusBurst soundtracks I've bought over the years. Could you please explain how it works? Do you know the two different firing modes? Single- versus double-tap? Now, it's been years, but I believe single-tap is how you engage fixed-fire mode, where the Burst Cannon just fires straight ahead and moves with your Silver Hawk. Double-tapping engages the variable direction mode, where the cannon itself stays where it materialized, but it rotates depending on where you move the Silver Hawk in relation to the cannon. The two Silver Hawks (Legend and Next) operate differently in this case: one of them rotates the cannon to point toward your fighter, while the other rotates it to point in the opposite direction. This variable direction mode is extremely useful (in fact, I think it makes DariusBurst the most tactically versatile game of the series), because it can be used to act as a shield for the Silver Hawk, protecting it against most enemies and enemy fire. Also, because it can be positioned so that the line of fire contacts just about all incoming enemies and bullets, it's better at recharging itself than the fixed-fire cannon. However, it's less powerful--which also means it drains the Burst Gauge more slowly. The fixed-fire mode is, in most cases, best reserved for counterburst attacks against the bosses. When a boss is preparing to fire its Burst Cannon, it will give off three flashes from the cannon's mouth. These form a timing indicator for you; you should engage your Burst Cannon at the halfway point between the third flash and an imaginary fourth flash following the same timing as the first three. In musical terms, a half beat after the third beat. With this timing, your Burst Beam will absorb the enemy's beam, turn golden, and deal lots of damage to the boss. If you absolutely can't get the timing down, you can always do a counterburst attack by staying away from the boss's beam until after it's fired, then entering it from the side, engaging your Burst Cannon at the moment you enter the boss's beam. This is the best way to do it against Hungry Gluttons, since that punk engages his beam while he's rotating. To unlock the other modes you need to beat every path, right? I don't really remember, but I think beating every path in Arcade Mode unlocks Burst Mode. Then, beating Burst Mode once unlocks Mission Mode. In Burst Mode, you have the ability to switch weapons (different guns are better for different situations--you'll figure it out), and you start out with a full shield, BUT (if I recall correctly) there are no shield refills, and you have only 1 life and 0 continues. Needless to say, if you want to unlock Mission Mode as quickly as possible, do Burst Mode on the easiest path. Suuuure, I'll buy a 2000+$ cabinet. $2000? Surely you jest. When originally released, DBAC cost in the neighborhood of $13,000. Sit-down cabinets are expensive (did I mention the "Body Sonic" subwoofer-equipped seat?). At any rate, when I said "find," I didn't mean "find and buy." I just meant find one available for the public to play at an arcade, movie theater, restaurant, whatever. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Hey, she's not talking smack about you. I know, it's just weird. Despite all that, I found my two favorite songs in the game: Syvalion Arrange ONE and World of Spirit. I love the peacefulness of the first one, and the "Chinese" feeling of the second one (the voice). Thank you really much for the in-depth explanation, Ky. After I wrote that, I beat the three paths remaining. For some reason, Mission Mode was unlocked after I beat the second path, and Burst Mode (a mode that I will NEVER beat) after I completed every path. THIRTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS?!?!? I knew it couldn't be that cheap. And good luck finding one HERE, where the only Arcade around me is 200 km far from me. And it has a MAME emulator on a machine, and pay-to-play PS3s. POSTED 5 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I played (or tried to play) every one of the 122 games on my INTV FB and CV FB over the past few days, spending at least a few seconds with each game. In the end, I added the following titles to my shooting games library file: Intellivision: - Astrosmash - Buzz Bombers - Party Line: Blow Out (actually a versus game, but structured like a shooter) - Space Armada - Space Hawk ColecoVision: - Cosmic Avenger - Frantic Freddy - Frenzy - Mecha-8 - Nova Blast - Omega Race - Search for the stolen Crown Jewels 2 (air combat parts) - Search for the stolen Crown Jewels 3 (air combat parts) - Space Fury - Super Cross Force - Threshold - Zaxxon Quite a haul. Of these games, I have to say that Mecha-8 is an impressively slick piece of homebrew work, actually looking more professional than most of the non-homebrew games. I also beat the whole game (not 1CC; had to retry the later levels a few times), making 2014 the most prolific year ever for me in terms of beating plug-n-play games. Of course, that's mainly because most of my plug-n-play systems contain games with no ending. Early this year, though, I played 2 non-retro models and beat them. And, that Hero Portal model I played a few months ago, it would have been easy to get to the end, but I stopped halfway through. Mecha-8 is mostly fun, but it kind of sucks when you only have the basic shot. Absolutely no enemy can be destroyed with a single shot from the base gun, meaning you have lots of enemies--and their bullets--on screen when you're stuck with the base gun. In a way, your success in the game is dependent on the game's randomizer deciding to drop gun power-ups from defeated enemies. Also of note, the pilot of the Mecha-8 vehicle has the hairstyle of a fashion model (it's a she, FYI). POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember Yeah, I was very impressed with Mecha-8. And Nova Blast is somehow an Imagic game I missed. It's pretty fun, too. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Defender without all the frustration of Defender = a good thing. On the pinball side, I added the Intellivision Pinball to my list of owned pinball games (and nothing from the CV FB; Flipper Slipper, despite its name, has very little relation to pinball). Also added it and Atari 2600 Video Pinball to the list under PC, where I had left them out this whole time despite the two of them being the oldest PC pinball games I've had excepting the Windows Space Cadet table. I have them via Intellivision Greatest Hits and Atari: 80 Classic Games in One! There's a user review now on Amazon.com for the DreamWorks Dragons Hero Portal game (which, you may recall me repeating ad nauseam, is a side-scrolling shooter), from a 35-year-old mom. She notes that one of the reasons she likes it is that it is "not extremely challenging*." Granted, I knew it was meant for kids and was never going to play anything like, say, Mushihime-sama, but that kind of description is kind of a mood dampener. Then again, I suppose some "normal" people think of all scrolling shooters as casual games. *For the record, the quote is from the review of the Dragons game that she wrote under user reviews for the TMNT Hero Portal, I guess before she found that the Dragons one now had an Amazon listing. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember There's also Mightnight Magic for the 2600, though it might not be on that compilation. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Thanks for leading me on a wild, though brief, goose chase with your typo. Anyway, Midnight Magic is not in that compilation (which explains why I hadn't heard of it before). Kind of odd, too, considering it's apparently totally Atari-owned. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember When I get a cold (like now), I make typos like that at an alarming rate. It's strange how it's not in compilations, but was in that Xbox Game Room thing. (Almost did it again, calling it Game Run) POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Midnight Magic actually isn't fully Atari owned. There's a Broderbund Software copyright and trademark notice on my cartridge. Not sure what the connection is, although I think I've read about it before over at AtariAge. It's also not on Game Room, as I recall. Edit: The mention of Broderbund Software made me search YouTube for Apple II Midnight Magic. Looks like Atari licensed a computer game and created a version for the 2600. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1a9Y55NJy0 POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember I'm not sure it has anything to do with the Broderbund game. I'd guess that maybe the guy made it not knowing of the computer game, then when they released it, they couldn't change the name (because it's displayed on the screen, at least as "Midnite Magic"), so decided to just license it to avoid legal trouble. If your scenario was the case (and it could be), they should've made a 2600 version of Raid on Bungeling Bay. That was Will Wright's first game and pretty neat. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember While I can't rule that out completely, I doubt it. I'm sure that any talented programmer even without the source code could've figured out how to edit that out if a name change had been required. Plus, I'm not aware of it sitting for years like some finished projects were. If they found out about a conflict late in the game, why couldn't the original programmer have just changed it? POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember It was apparently finished in 1984 and released in 1986 POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Anybody with a PS3/4/Vita may really want to consider getting Resogun. It is pretty badass. Solid difficulty and I'm really having a good time with the online co-op. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I see that Raiden V was announced for the Xbox One last Fall. Must've missed that bit of news. I hope that it receives a retail release in at least one region. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Broken Pearl, an Xbox Live Indie Game. Wonderful music, wonderful graphics, typical vertical bullet hell, reminds me of DoDonPachi for no reason. Warning though: you can't continue. Go buy it, it's just 1$. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I was showing off my new Flashbacks to my nephew and niece, and while showing them the ColecoVision FB, I demoed Mecha-8. My demoing lasted a while . . . and for the first time, I 1CC'd the game! At Normal difficulty (which is the easiest), and somehow holding out against the final boss and taking him out just before I ran out of life. I think I ended up with 616K points. Or maybe 660K? POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember It was a wonderful idea, Ky. Let's show how games used to be, to kids that live in a generation focused on graphics and cinematics only. Mecha-8 seems to be a really interesting game, I will try it out later. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember I think onmode-ky just likes it because it's easy. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember No, I like it because I'm stunned that, aside from the music, it's made by one guy. Everyone else listed at the bottom of this page worked on music, beta testing, or cartridge production. In terms of the gameplay, I think it's pretty good, but I don't like how it flip-flops between you shooting up the attackers (i.e., whenever you have more than base gun power) and you being a bullet sponge while you hope a gun power-up item randomly gets dropped by a dead baddie (i.e., whenever you have base gun power). At base gun power. every enemy takes more than one shot to kill, so you have tons more enemies and bullets on screen to deal with than when your gun is powered up. I'm suddenly reminded of M.O.Z.O.X. Space Salvager, though Mecha-8 is nowhere near that train wreck level of frustration. In M.O.Z.O.X., whenever you let an enemy get past you, your gun dropped all the way to base power, which effectively killed you in later levels. It seems there was an AtariAge ColecoVision Mecha-8 competition a few months ago, at Veteran difficulty. The next time I have access to my CV FB, I'll have to try my hand at Veteran and see how I compare to those guys' scores. Mecha-8 seems to be a really interesting game, I will try it out later. The original (and apparently quite different) MSX game is available from the author's website, but the ColecoVision game does not have its ROM image publicly available on the Internet. Lots of homebrews are withheld from online distribution at least temporarily, so as to increase demand for the cartridges. Also, if you didn't know it had been made by one guy, it probably wouldn't look that interesting. The gameplay is straightforward. I do note, though, that I just learned there are two endings. Don't know how to see whichever one I haven't seen yet. To my dismay, the DreamWorks Dragons Hero Portal is not at post-holiday clearance prices at Walmart, and there is apparently still no other retailer selling it (besides online sellers asking more than MSRP). There's gameplay footage of it now on YouTube, but I'm not going to link it here because the guy really doesn't play it properly as a scrolling shooter (he generally avoids enemies, focusing instead on picking up environment items). It looks all right, though. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember Back then, most games were made by 1 person. It's not that amazing. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Back then, most games were made by 1 person. It's not that amazing. Pretty much every indie game is made by 1 person. And this fact alone does not make a game interesting, but rather, the game itself, obviously. And this one, for an early 8-bit (?) console game, looks really good. And hey, since this ColecoVision Flashback is only 40$/30€, I might import it. Yes, import it, because the only Flashback I've ever seen was the Atari one (can't remember which one, might be the 3rd), at GameStop, a couple of years ago (back when I thought it was a bad console that ruined the industry, stupid me). I need to know if the other 59 games interest me. *checks the game list* What if they release a NES Flashback? Instant buy. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Surprised that we haven't seen a NES Flashback. Not an official Nintendo product mind you, but rather, one that brings together all of the non-licensed based games from the Capcom and Konami libraries. That would be a heck of a plug and play and would contain the bulk of the 3rd party material that people best remember. They have such strong 8/16 bit libraries, much of it unencumbered by licensing, that I'm surprised both seem content to just let Nintendo trickle that material out on their Virtual Console services. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Back then, most games were made by 1 person. It's not that amazing. In the Atari 2600 era, yes, but by the time of the NES, I'm pretty sure small teams were responsible for most games, similar to how arcade games were being done by the early 80s. You had a project designer/manager, a programmer, an artist, and a sound guy. Mecha-8 has the look of such games. Pretty much every indie game is made by 1 person. I think your definition of "indie" is too strict. If it had to be a 1-person project to count as "indie," then that would mean very few Minis were indie games. FuturLab, Icon, Laughing Jackal, Grip Games, none of those would be indie developers. As far as describing 1-person projects, I think "homebrew" is more akin to that than "indie." However, there are some homebrew developers who are teams, and I'm not sure the term is ever used for anything other than obsolete game systems. E.g., do any PC games ever count as "homebrew"? I do note, though, that I just learned there are two endings. Don't know how to see whichever one I haven't seen yet. I asked Mecha-8's developer yesterday about this, and he not only responded but put up a new forum topic at AtariAge describing how to get the alternate ending. And hey, since this ColecoVision Flashback is only 40$/30€, I might import it. It has no official European release, so you'd definitely have to import it. That might cost quite a bit more than 30 Euros, though, since a) sellers willing to sell overseas might be the type to raise the price, and b) shipping could be pricey, since it's not exactly a tiny box. Something like 50 cm wide. Maybe it would be cheaper to buy a used ColecoVision and a Mecha-8 cartridge . . . or maybe not. Not an official Nintendo product mind you, but rather, one that brings together all of the non-licensed based games from the Capcom and Konami libraries. Majesco's 2004 Konami plug-n-play system showed arcade screenshots on its packaging but contained NES versions of the 6 games. In the case of Frogger, Scramble, and Time Pilot, they were newly created, since they didn't have NES versions back in the day. Gyruss, Yie Ar Kung Fu, and Rush'n Attack were the NES games, though. Capcom has had a smattering of its Genesis games released in plug-n-play form, a couple by Radica and another three by AtGames (it's mostly been Street Fighter games). Jakks Pacific's Tecmo TV Games system, had it been released, would have included Mighty Bomb Jack, Solomon's Key, Tecmo Bowl, Tecmo Basketball, and Fire 'N Ice, and at least Tecmo Bowl would have had link-up support (I'm plagiarizing from my website here). Admittedly, some of the titles listed could have been the arcade originals, but the other titles strictly denote NES games. New, emulation-based Capcom Flashbacks and Konami Flashbacks from AtGames would be kind of interesting, though. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember "New, emulation-based Capcom Flashbacks and Konami Flashbacks from AtGames would be kind of interesting, though." As long as they're stingy with the game lineup, like the previous examples you mentioned were. I'm familiar with those plug and plays, although I've never owned one. Would like to download Frogger, Scramble, and Time Pilot someday to my Everdrive if their rom images ever surface on the internet. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember RESOGUN is on sale this weekend in the INDIE GAME SALE. But it can't be better than AQUA KITTEH can it? It's almost 1GB though ? BTW, AQUA KITTEH DX is on sale too. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember GET RESOGUN! Seriously, get it. It's a great game. Plus I need someone reliable to help me co-op the levels on the harder difficulties. And I personally think it is better than Aqua Kitty. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember And I personally think it is better than Aqua Kitty. BLASPHEMY!!!!! Well it's either this game or King's Bounty: Dark Side as that is on sale this weekend too. I dunno if it will run on my laptop though so I am DLing the previous game in the series because it has the exact same system requirements, so I can test it. Problem is, my net is horribly slow lately, so it's taking forever to DL ? BTW, although I love SHMUPs, I am HORRIBLE at them and doubt I can actually help you on harder difficulties. It still amazes me how I managed to save all the kittehs though: POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember If I can get the hang of it you can. Plus, I can barely play Aqua Kitty, you managed to complete it just fine. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember What's up with PSN lately? Duke 3D is listed as being 1.2GB on PSN but it's actually only 400-ish MB. RESOGUN is listed as being 964MB, so I deleted some games and moved one to PC, but when I DLed the game, it's only 300MB??? POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember Maybe it lists the install size, not the download? Steam seems to do that too. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Yes, Steam does that, but the two games I mentioned lists those sizes both when I was DLing and after it was installed, so 1.2GB and 964MB is totally wrong. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO JeremyRMember Maybe it's using new math, then. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I think the download sizes shown are actually for PS3 or PS4 versions of the games. Also, I think you exaggerate your awfulness at scrolling shooters more than a little bit with your "HORRIBLE" assertion. You did way better than I could in Aqua Kitty. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Well Aqua Kitteh is the only SHMUP that I actually am decent at (but still can't finish Arcade mode) Every OTHER SHMUP though... I am so confused about Resogun mew!! Please help me mew! The manual is so barebones mew! Sometimes the hoomans perish in their cages and the symbol for it at the top left is red outline, and not a filled in red symbol. Why does this happen mew? Is it because it took too long for keepers to come to free it from the cage?? Well the manual doesn't even explain how often they come and how to get them to come more often! Help me mew! I am mewing because I am frustrated! POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember *Cat stuff* They die because you don't have a high enough multiplier. If you do in that precise moment, they get freed. Can't remember the exact multiplier, though. I've got the platinum for that game, I can help anytime. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Thank you mew!! It worked!! I have finally managed to save them all in a level! POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember It's meow pleasure. Hehe, bad puns. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I had an opportunity a few days ago to play a little bit of the DreamWorks Dragons Hero Portal. It isn't very challenging, but I think it's still pretty fun. One pleasant surprise was that despite the large size of the player avatar, the actual hit box seems to be just the head, a nice nod to the hardcore. I also got a kick out of a sudden high-speed section during the second level, always fun for the Gradius fan. A particularly good find, though, was discovering that the portal can read booster pack dragon figures while they're still in the package. It may take many, many, many tries for the right-side figure in the pack, but it can be done. Thus, one could conceivably buy the booster packs, use them to their full extent in the game, and then return them to the store completely unopened (of course, you would be giving up all future possibility of seeing those characters in the game, which is something of a drag given their appealing polygon modeling work--I think they really look pretty good). So yes, I think I might actually keep this Dragons game, if I can ever find it for a price I'm willing to pay. Incidentally, if you don't mind the German narrator, here is part of a "Let's Play" overview of the game. Watching it, I realized that years of anime viewing has made my Japanese listening comprehension far superior to my German listening comprehension. Indeed, I'm not sure I can parse even 50% of what Rupi is saying in the video. That reminds me, one of the spam comments I came across this morning was in German--and I understood the whole thing. It was trying to advertise the experience of wearing evening wear. . . . That at least made more sense than the spam comment about "chicken backyard supplies." POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember It seems there was an AtariAge ColecoVision Mecha-8 competition a few months ago, at Veteran difficulty. The next time I have access to my CV FB, I'll have to try my hand at Veteran and see how I compare to those guys' scores. I gave a Normal-difficulty run and a Veteran-difficulty run at Mecha-8 and came up with these results: - Normal: 1,022,010 points; Game Over during the first time through Stage 4 in the second loop (1 loop = one full pass through the game) - Veteran: 409,880 points; Game Over during the second time through Stage 4 in the first loop (so no 1CC in this run) Somehow, I took a ton of damage all of a sudden toward the end of the Veteran Stage 4 second time, so that when I faced the boss, I just didn't have enough life remaining to survive his homing missiles until my (now puny) guns could take him out. Still, it's not bad for my first time ever at Veteran; it would have placed me second in the AtariAge competition, roughly right at the midpoint in that 500K-point gap between the first and third place scores. I'd like to add that Mecha-8 really does a number on your hands when played using the CV FB controller. . . . I don't know how other people adapt to using it, but I ended up sitting cross-legged on carpet, holding the controller firmly by stuffing it between my calf and the floor, pounding the fire button with my left index or middle finger (note that I've swapped my CV FB controllers' side buttons so that they match proper CV left-right), and steering with the stick held by my right thumb and index/middle fingers. The right side button was hard to reach, but I'd find it, while still steering, by using my right ring finger. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember It still amazes me how I managed to save all the kittehs though: [screencap] Freelance, I just realized that your screencap was from the DX version of Aqua Kitty (namely, it has one more stage in Mouldy Depths than my PSM version, and it also mentions leaderboards, which I think don't exist in the PSM version). Were you also able to save all the kittehs in the PSM version, or was it too brutal for even you? POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Yes I saved all the kittehs from the DX version. No I never saved them all in PSM version. I gave up after a bit, but I didn't try hard enough to save them. In the DX version I played a ton and didn't give up until I saved them cute kittehs. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Hmm, do you think maybe it wasn't as simple as you not trying hard enough in the PSM version, but also that the difficulty got tweaked down in the DX version? Or did it feel just as hard? I'm reminded of how SNES Gradius III is easier than original Gradius III, because the latter was just crushingly brutal. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Hullo mew. I had deleted the PSM version some time ago and I forgot how hard it was, so I redownloaded it and played until the third section. It's hard to say which game is harder 'cause both games are bloody hard. I dunno for sure, but I think the available space to move around in is smaller than DX. The new weapons in DX made it a lot easier in rescuing the kitties when they are above sea level because you should still free them if you had the right weapon. In the PSM version once they go above sea level you're already screwed and have to start over. DX does have additional bosses which makes it a bit hard in those levels, especially with the crab. It's hard to hit the weak spots. I'll probably play some more to test. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Let me know your findings. the crab. It's hard to hit the weak spots. How can you write those words and not include the phrase "massive damage"? I'm going to put down a pointer to one of my high score posts for Chiebura. Definitely worth playing. It can look like bullet hell, but since you can actually neutralize all incoming bullets, it really isn't. It does get quite hectic, though. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Gradius V has been released on the PS Store for the PS3, 10$. It's a "remaster" of some sort, with "new enemies and new options". POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember It isn't a remaster, just a PS2 Classics emulated release. "New enemies and new options" refers to the game itself when compared to previous entries in the Gradius series. Of note, the word "option" in Gradius-speak means those glowing orange orbs that follow the Vic Viper around (though they're called "multiples" in the North American release of Gradius V). Gradius V is unique in the series in that it allows you several types of options to choose from (at game start, when you're setting up your weapons loadout). Instead of just plain following the Vic Viper, they can: - hold current formation while you're holding down a specific button - rotate around the Vic Viper while you hold down that button (this is generally the least useful configuration) - maintain a constant, equally spaced wingmen formation above and below the Vic Viper, whose spacing changes when you hold down that button - change their direction of fire when you hold down that button (i.e., your control stick/buttons go from moving the Vic Viper to changing their direction of fire, so you're immobile while doing this) I prefer the last one of these. By the way, these are named "Type 1" through "Type 4," but I have the order wrong; I think the one I use is actually Type 2. Have any of you PS4 owners played Jamestown+? POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Actually I did not meant to refer to the Options in that description I summed up, but "options for single player and two player co-op" as I read, wrongly believing that it was supposed to be new stuff. Stupid misleading news. I'm still waiting for Konami to make the PSP Gradius Collection Vita compatible. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I wouldn't buy Gradius Collection for the handheld version of the Vita since I have the UMD and two PSP's that can play it, but it would be a certain purchase when I add a Playstation TV to my collection one of these days. There's just enough lag with my PSP scaler, that it can throw me off a bit in something like this when playing it on my monitor. But I bet the PSTV would virtually eliminate that. I really should get that PS2 collection one of these days since I doubt the PSP collection ever joins the compatibility list, but it feels like a big step down after this one, since it features only a fraction of the content. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember PS2 collection? Are you talking about Gradius III & IV? POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Yes, that's the one. It's a far cry from the 5 games that the PSP collection featured, which spanned the entire arcade lineup and the console exclusive title, Gradius Gaiden. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Back when I only had 2 Duel Maids, I would not have referred to them as a "collection." Granted, game companies have used the word to refer to 2-in-1 packs. . . . That's what will cause the next video game industry crash. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I suppose its a bit of a misnomer, but I was lazy and didn't want to bother checking out its official title. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Someone buy the newly released PS4/PSV vertically scrolling shooter Project Root and post opinions. Confirming that it is indeed a vertically scrolling shooter, and not just a game with misleading screenshots in the PS Store, would be helpful, too. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I can't buy it (yet), not only because I don't have any money (unless it costs 7.49, though I'm sure it doesn't), but also because it didn't come out here, yet. Here's some gameplay of the Vita version. Can't watch it right now, so I don't know whether he likes it or not. The developers call it a "free-roaming vertical shooter", you explore an open world with your ship, on your typical vertical perspective, while enemies come from all directions. I already imagined it, maybe you will, too. Or just watch the video. Oh, it does cost less than 7.49, at least with the Plus subscription. If I somehow happen to love the game, even though the Steam reviews are kinda low (the average being 6), and the only "official" review being a 5 due to its "high difficulty", I might give it a shot. Why is there no demo (of any game, really), though? I miss the Official Playstation Magazine demo discs... POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember That's a fairly informative video--by which I mean that I watched a few minutes from the middle and determined that I'd probably get motion sickness from it (as that started happening just from watching the gameplay). Anyway, in terms of weaponry, it's sort of like Xevious and Dragon Spirit; you have a weapon for air enemies and another weapon (with targeting reticule) for ground enemies. However, unlike those two Namco classics, you have non-stop rapid fire while you hold down the firing buttons. The free-roaming bit is reminiscent of Bosconian and Vanguard II (a Mini mention!). POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I finally saw the video, and it seems decent, I guess. Not much else to say, though Jamestown+ is much more interesting to my eyes. Oh, and for no apparent reason it reminded me of RayStorm. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember it seems decent Good, because we certainly don't want indecent videos here. Or maybe we do. for no apparent reason it reminded me of RayStorm. I think there are apparent reasons for that. It's a polygon-graphics, overhead-view scrolling shooter with a targeting reticule on screen. That's enough to remind anyone of RayStorm, I think. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember From what I'm seeing and hearing, Project Root isn't a very good game. I got the SHORT PEACE game since it was finally on sale, so I'm at my PSN games I probably won't get to play anytime soon limit for the week. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I think I've played enough of the DreamWorks Dragons Hero Portal to write a little review now. When evaluated against the entire history of side-scrolling shooters, it doesn't have much going for it. Its mechanics are very plain, with no real player variety (all 6 playable dragons seem to mostly play similarly), no power-ups, no change in enemy variety over the course of the game, only one boss, and very low difficulty due to the generous health bar. Admittedly, there is an R-Type-style charge shot, and there are two bomb-type secondary weapons available, which need to be recharged after each use, but there's generally no need to resort to them--and if you do, your timing is usually thrown off by the delay they have. But, the game does two things which I like very much: it rewards accuracy, and it has distinctive enough level designs such that you're rewarded for repeat play through increased familiarity with what's coming up at any given moment. Regarding accuracy, I noted some time ago that the player's hit box is nice and small, letting you line up your shots so that enemy bullets are grazing you. Since this is one of those games where enemies often come in with their guns (mouths, in this case) blazing, it really helps being able to put yourself juuust beside the line of incoming fire so you can return the favor with impunity. Since all but one enemy require two shots to kill, and your rate of fire is not that high, there's plenty of opportunity for any given enemy to attack you. You'll need to be able evade and counterattack if you want to take them out. Also, there are various pick-up items scattered throughout each level, with differing point values. The most important of these are the sheep. You see, enemies are only worth 100 points (well, I didn't check every enemy, but I think that's right); picking up a sheep gives you either 2500 or 5000 points. It's worth 5000 if it's unscathed (white) when you pick it up, and it's only half as much if you've shot the sheep black ("Baaaah!!!", it will cry) with your fire before picking it up. Since there are a few sheep in every level, it really helps your score to learn the level so that you can manage to only shoot around the sheep (accuracy, again) and pick them up intact. I wrote above that the 6 player characters don't have a whole lot of difference between them. Within the main shooting game, the only major difference I saw was that Stormfly takes longer to recover from getting hit than the others--so it kind of sucks that she's one of the two characters you get in the base game. The main reason you use different characters in the game, then, is to enter the mini-games, of which there are 3 per level. Entry to each mini-game is restricted to either 3 of the player dragons or a single one. Is it even worth switching your dragon to play these? Well, I'd say no. There are 6 types of mini-game available: a Flappy Bird clone; a vertically scrolling "race" (more like an auto-scrolling scavenger hunt); a shooting gallery game with overly inertial controls, targeting attacking ships and dragons; a "turntable" shooter (overhead view); a catapult game; and, the best one, a multi-directional scrolling shooter, sort of like a much less frenetic Bosconian or Time Pilot. For hardcore shooting game fans, I'd generally say this won't interest you. Its difficulty level is, well, for kids (the one boss in the game is almost as easy as a Gradius final boss). But, if you don't mind that, and you can just enjoy the act itself of evading fire and toasting enemies (and not toasting sheep), this can be pretty fun. Still, I wouldn't say it's $40 of fun, so do like I did and wait for a solid deal. If you're just shopping for a young gamer/Dragons fan, maybe $40 is fine. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I found an interesting other way of playing Dragons Hero Portal. The instruction manual tells you that double-tapping a direction results in an evasive move (or, in the case of double-tapping Forward, a dash). I never did any double-tapping intentionally, since with the way I play, I'm always trying to intercept, not evade. But, I tried just double-tapping all the time . . . and to my surprise, I discovered that the move actually damages enemies! I guess the idea is that the evasive roll results in you smacking whoever's next to you (and the dash obviously is you charging into the other guy). So how about that, a side-scrolling shooter where you can just beat up the enemies. Oh, and yes, enemies are 100 points. So don't shoot the sheep. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember The "evade" physical attack is actually stronger than the standard shot; one hit kills any enemy. It's definitely pretty handy if a dragon gets past you before you can shoot it down. A unique and useful gameplay element. Bumps up the score a bit. After a lot of tedious effort, I was finally able to see what the assist attacks look like for all six dragons. When playing the game, you can put two figures on the portal; the first one you put becomes your player character, and the other one becomes your assist attack, engaged by holding down what's normally the special attack button. However, it's agonizing enough just trying to get the portal to momentarily recognize a single figure still in its package. Trying to get it to consistently recognize a still-packaged figure on the portal at the same time another figure is already there? Truly a pain. But still less pain than opening up the package and accepting the fact that you've paid Walmart's higher-than-MSRP price would be. For their assist attacks, Cloudjumper and Barf & Belch start rolling in place, then gradually spiral outward, damaging everything they touch. The other four dragons have some variation of firing a 360-degree burst of firepower. In Meatlug and Stormfly's case, it's a burst of spikes; in Toothless' case, it's a burst of his usual white blasts; in Hookfang's case, which looks much cooler than everyone else's, it's a big burst of flame in all directions. Toasty! POSTED 4 YEARS AGO Sniper D. LuffyMember Star soldiers??? POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember ? What about them? Are you asking if the Star Soldier games are scrolling shooters? They are; we've even discussed them in this topic before. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember Shouldn't they really be Star Marines? POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Salvo Saga is the best vertical shooter I've played in a while (and I've played no less than 15 of them in the past two days). It's an Android and iOS bullet hell that contains 10 (quite simple, honestly) different stages and 24(!) difficulty setting, and a sort-of customizable ship. If you can get past obviously mobile things such as lives that recharge after 5 minutes (each) and weapons that cost either money or boredom, you'll find a real gem. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember For some reason, RayForce is soooooooo much better than RayStorm. It's just so much better, and the final boss is kinda simple, yet amazing, despite quite lacking in the music department. I'll try to get to RayCrisis soon. A question to anyone who can answer it, how many runs does it take to 1CC an average shmup (neither R-Type, nor Space Invaders '95)? I want to know how bad I am, since after 15+ runs I can barely beat the first boss without dying in G-Darius, before becoming horrible in the next levels. DariusBurst is still at 4115 yen (33 dollars) on the Japanese PS Store. Better than the 80+ they ask for a physical copy, but still. And now that I think about it, I can't even get it on the Store, not because I can't buy it, but because I can't use it, unless I buy a new 1GB SD and keep switching account (and watching that tedious introduction video) whenever I want to play it. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I've never played either RayForce or RayCrisis. I've played RayStorm only because it's on the PS2 edition of Taito Legends 2. A question to anyone who can answer it, how many runs does it take to 1CC an average shmup (neither R-Type, nor Space Invaders '95)? I'm not sure there is a real answer for this. Scrolling shooters vary widely in difficulty, and the only people who actually regularly kept count across multiple games and could give you their personal average would most likely also be much better players than average. The vast majority of players of scrolling shooters almost never 1CC a game. I think G-Darius is pretty darned hard even on the easiest path; if you're honestly trying to 1CC it, good luck! Wild guess, I think it could take 2 weeks of intense (intense!) practice to do (for me, I mean). A few days ago, I watched most of a YouTube video of a guy's 1CC run through the all-levels mode of Darius Gaiden Extra Version. That means not only memorizing how to survive 28 levels, but also 28 multi-pattern level bosses! I do believe he only died once in ~90 minutes of white-knuckle action. unless I buy a new 1GB SD and keep switching account (and watching that tedious introduction video) Huh? You said "1GB SD" and "introduction video" in the same sentence, so I can't tell if you're talking about using a PSP or a PSV. Anyway, I recall DariusBurst being a tiny download, something like 60 MB, and switching accounts on a PSP is pretty painless. Just use your PSP. Also, I'll point out that switching accounts on a PSV most likely will permanently kill your PSM games once PSM activation support disappears. If that matters to you. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember The only shooter I've ever been able to "1CC" is Galaga '88 POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I think G-Darius is pretty darned hard even on the easiest path; if you're honestly trying to 1CC it, good luck! Wild guess, I think it could take 2 weeks of intense (intense!) practice to do (for me, I mean). So I don't suck as bad as I thought. Great. Huh? You said "1GB SD" and "introduction video" in the same sentence, so I can't tell if you're talking about using a PSP or a PSV. I was talking about the Vita. You know, that video. And I need to buy a new micro SD (maybe it's better to call it this way) because on one I have my Vita account and on the other I have my PS3/4/Plus account. Just use your PSP. It's in a really bad state right now. Sometimes it shows the "Want to go Home?" screen on its own because the disc slot is slightly broken (it thinks that you opened it), the console often thinks that I'm holding the stick up even though I don't, and the battery is pretty much dead. I'm so good at explaining things, ain't I? Also, I'll point out that switching accounts on a PSV most likely will permanently kill your PSM games once PSM activation support disappears. If that matters to you. Be sure not to deactivate the console when you reset it. Simple as that. The only shooter I've ever been able to "1CC" is Galaga '88. How I love that game. I never finished it, though, because the amount of times you can continue, regardless of the credits you have, is limited. That's what I remember, at least. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember So I don't suck as bad as I thought. Great. Well, hey, maybe you do. From what you've said, you haven't gotten in real practice for the true hard parts of the game yet. I think I've pointed out before that back when I was actively playing Gradius V, I could make it to halfway through Stage 4 (out of 7.5 total) without losing a single life on Normal difficulty, but then, when I lowered the difficulty to Easy and fought my way through the full game, I had lost 51 lives by the end, about half of them in Stage 7 alone. Granted, even though I haven't played either game in a good while, I think G-Darius is probably easier than Gradius V, but it's still got plenty of challenge heavily weighted toward the end. In short, you can't really judge how hard it is to 1CC a game based solely on how well you can play the early parts. I was talking about the Vita. You know, that video. Yes, I know you meant that video, but you referred to a memory card format which the PSV doesn't use BUT which the PSP can use, via an adapter, and you said "1GB," a size in which PSV memory cards are not available at all. It sort of sounded like you were simultaneously saying your PSV would be too tedious, while your PSP didn't have enough space. Hence my pointing out that the game is tiny. Why are you calling PSV memory cards "[micro] SD," anyway? Just so JeremyR can snicker while I get confused? . . . I suppose that's a legitimate reason. Be sure not to deactivate the console when you reset it. Simple as that. I was under the impression that you can't switch from account A to account B without deactivating account A first. Are you saying a single PSV can have multiple accounts activated on it at one time? I thought both the PSP and the PSV could only have one activated account at a time. Not so? The only shooter I've ever been able to "1CC" is Galaga '88 You might be able to 1CC Mecha-8 on the Normal difficulty. Just ram through enemies whenever your gun is puny, to pick up power-ups as fast as possible, then stop ramming once you're above the puny gun. - 2015/06/04 GMT POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Well, hey, maybe you do. Why, thank you for your your kind words. [Blah blah blah, you suck real bad] Yes, I do. In fact, I used up 16 credits (including the starting one) to finish RayStorm at the standard difficulty, amounting to 46 lives, while to complete Gaiden's A-B-D-G-K-P-Z' path, 10 credits and 30 lives lost, which could have easily been less (maybe 5 or 6 less) if I didn't always use a bomb and think that I could pass through walls while the bomb detonated. Stupid zone G. Though I did finish A and B without losing a life. Hooray. Then again, as you said, I do not really "practice". Maybe I should give myself a credit limit (like the Sega Saturn's version of Gaiden had a limit of 3) and try to get better and better. It doesn't help me at all for the latter stages, but it trains me become a better player. Why are you calling PSV memory cards "[micro] SD," anyway? Just so JeremyR can snicker while I get confused? . . . I suppose that's a legitimate reason. Okay then, now I'll call it Memory Card for the PS Vita© portable gaming system, as I should have. I was under the impression that you can't switch from account A to account B without deactivating account A first. When you are resetting the console, it clearly asks you "Do you want to deactivate the account", while telling you why you should (so that you can have one more system that's free to activate). I'll get a picture later. When I get home, that is, i.e. in 9 hours. Are you saying a single PSV can have multiple accounts activated on it at one time? A Vita can be bound to multiple accounts at the same time, but you can have only one account in it simultaneously. Stupid Sony. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Every time you restore the Vita (not reset, as I mentioned earlier multiple times), it asks you this. And as you can see, the handheld still counts as activated, even though I currently have the PS4 one on there. Haven't tried playing Mobile games in a long time, and I doubt I can check whether it allows me to play or not, since it constantly asks you to log in when you do it. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Memory Card for the PS Vita© portable gaming system Copyright symbol? What are you smoking? ? That should have been "Memory Card for the PlayStation(R)Vita system." The only symbol-equipped rendering of the system name that I'm aware of is the logo, which is "PSVITATM" (the "PSVITA" is in Sony's specific typeface, and the "TM" is in subscript). And, while the PS3 was officially referred to as "PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system" (sometimes all-caps on "PlayStation," due to the early Spider-Man-typeface logo for the PS3), the PSV is just "system," with no preceding adjectives. Side note: the Xbox 360 was "Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system." We're lucky Capcom never made their own home console. Haven't tried playing Mobile games in a long time, and I doubt I can check whether it allows me to play or not, since it constantly asks you to log in when you do it. Well, we're now in the period where your next PSM login should be the last one you ever need to do, so if you're up for testing whether account switching deactivates your PSV PSM activation, please give it a shot. I took a run through the DreamWorks Dragons Hero Portal again last night, and man, I didn't break my previous high score on any of the levels. I tied one, and I came just 800 points shy of another--overall, I had very good scores, helped by generous use of the physical attacks, but I suppose my existing highs were particularly good performances. After that, I fired up the PS2 and played a few rounds of G-Darius and Darius Gaiden. Since I didn't use any continues, I never saw a third level boss in either game. I did stay focused well enough once that I successfully killed Eclipse Eye with an alpha beam counter, but every other time, I'd lost my capture by the time he fired off his beta beam. I'm suddenly reminded of the episode of the Warning!! Darius-san gag comic in which main character Riga meets G for the first time. G has a capture ball on her headband, and she shoots it at him and seizes control of his body. After jerking him around a bit, she mutters, "Useless," and detonates him. And then after Darius Gaiden and G-Darius, I popped .hack//G.U. Vol. 2: Reminisce (action RPG) into the PS2 and played for a couple of hours for the first time--despite having no clue what happened in Vol. 1: Rebirth. Strange experience. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Well, we're now in the period where your next PSM login should be the last one you ever need to do, so if you're up for testing whether account switching deactivates your PSV PSM activation, please give it a shot. I'll give you the results soon-ish enough. Copyright symbol? What are you smoking? ? That should have been "Memory Card for the PlayStation(R)Vita system." CRITICAL FAILURE, TERMINATING. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Nope, it doesn't work. It asks you to "Activate the system", even though I clearly told the Vita not to deactivate itself, and I tried twice. And all games seem to do, not only Mobile games. Stupid Sony. Sniper was right... Sniper was right... I need to calm down. I need to talk about happy stuff. So... Rumors state that DariusBurst Another Chronicle EX is coming out for PS4. I don't think that'll turn out to be true since the arcade game had a 32:9 screen, unless they add a letterbox that covers half the screen. I still want that. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I 1cc'd a game, Touhou 8: Imperishable Night, for the first time ever! ...on Easy. And I didn't actually beat the game, because I have now unlocked the true final stage. And on the final pattern you only have one life by default, and I failed. But that's still something, right? ...Right? POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember Sniper was right... Sniper was right... I need to calm down. I need to talk about happy stuff. Wait.... Wut? POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Wait.... Wut? I always get angry at the gaming industry. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember More like recently..... But whatever. I pick what I like and ignore others. Most gamer base is crap anyways. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I'm a bit late with this, but obviously, if you have a PS4, I recommend you get the Arcade Archives release of Gradius. Doesn't matter to me that it's $8; I'm recommending you buy it, not me. Also, another 80s arcade shooter appeared this past week in the Arcade Archives series, Nova 2001. I'm not familiar with it, but the demo video in the PS Store shows it to be a multi-directional shooter. - 2015/06/21 GMT POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Does Japan still get new additions to this lineup? Nova 2001 is one of the titles here that I was hoping to see. While I don't remember any details beyond its genre, I remember it looking interesting in the YouTube video that I watched. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember The only Arcade Archives game we have is Crazy Climber, which came out two days ago. But for 8$ I might as well buy the PSP collection with 4 more games. Or for 2$ more, Gradius V. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember It takes a crazy climber to take that long to reach Europe. Does Japan still get new additions to this lineup? I wasn't sure, so I searched at the JP PS Store website. This link returns all results for "arcade archives" (アーケードアーカイブス) sorted newest first. The most recent addition (ignoring the search result that isn't a game) is dated earlier this month, so the series is still active. - 2015/06/23 GMT POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Oh, Arcade Archives Gradius finally arrived, but it's ten euros (11$). Who the heck thought that it was a good idea to price it so high? POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember The Vic Viper is a heavy starfighter, AxelMill. Heavy = higher shipping costs. Even without express shipping (and you clearly didn't get express shipping). I wondered for a bit whether I ought to get the PSP Sega Genesis Collection on sale in the PS Store for $4, just so that I would have the PSP version's arcade games. Of those, I don't have any reproduction of Astro Blaster, Eliminator, Space Fury (not counting the ColecoVision version on the Flashback), or Super Zaxxon, all space shooters. However, I decided that these four particular titles are not $4 worth of interest to me. Super Zaxxon in particular is an absurdly brutal game (I once played it in an AtariAge competition; I think none of the participants enjoyed it). - 2015/06/25 GMT POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember You should buy it, in my opinion. You don't get those games only (that, by the way, are all unlockables), but you also get Sonic 1 & 2, Ristar, Vectorman, Phantasy Star 2, 3 & 4 (I can only bear the fourth game, the other ones are too archaic and slow), Super Thunder Blade, Comix Zone, Shinobi 3, Shadow Dancer (unavailable in Europe)... You get a big bang for your bucks. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Early 1980's Sega arcade games, especially the vector classics, are great. I happily paid $60 at release for the PS2 and PSP versions, falling for the trap that they laid by making the five unlockable arcade classics exclusive to each version instead of including all ten on each. Along with EA Replay, Outrun 2006, Activision Hits Remix, and Gradius Collection, it was one of five UMD's that I walked out with the day I bought my first PSP in November 2006 (Easy to remember, since Sega Genesis Collection and several of the others were brand new releases that month). POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Is there much known about Raiden V yet? YouTube just has a generic trailer with no gameplay up. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I haven't heard anything at all about it . . . to the extent that I forgot it had been announced. You get a big bang for your bucks. I'm shocked that you think I don't already own Sega Genesis Collection for the PS2 and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for the PS3, thus already having all those games you listed at least once, possibly twice. That's why I only talked about the PSP-exclusive arcade games. I'm not some kind of pretend retro gamer! . . . Okay, so I don't own any retro systems at all, but you didn't know that! And not knowing is half the battle. falling for the trap that they laid Ain't nobody listening to Admiral Ackbar, I see. The four UMDs which I bought before I owned a PSP: Salamander Portable, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yakusoku ("The Promise of Haruhi Suzumiya"; bought together with Salamander Portable), Gradius Collection, Fate/tiger colosseum Limited Edition (this is what my awesome PSP pouch came from). So even before I owned a PSP, I already had half of Konami's scrolling shooter collections for it. - 2015/06/26 GMT POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I don't know if anyone here has mentioned Astebreed, you guys know how I feel about reading, but it looks pretty slick. It's 20 bucks though, which is pretty pricey for me right now. But still, I'm a sucker for fast paced games with big robots blowing sh*t up, so I'll probably end up getting it within the hour. Ugh... I have terrible impulse control when it comes to games. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I was so hyped about it when I randomly saw it on that Live on Playstation app on PS4, that I even wanted to buy a Japanese card to get it. Then they brought it in Europe. And now I have no money, if I happen to get Bayo 2 tomorrow like I said to O. I did play a "demo" on PC, at 20fps and at half the regular speed, but I loved it as much as I thought I would have. Thanks for making me remember this game, O. Now I'm sad. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO Always_SerpicoMember No problem! You're going to dig it when you finally get it. It's really short, took me 30 minutes to clear it on easy. But man is it a rush! I hope it gets a physical release at some point. I'm going to import the hell crap out of it. POSTED 4 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I beat Wing Warriors, a vertically scrolling shooter which, based on Web searches, seems to be a PSM port of an MSX homebrew (!). When I say "beat," I mean that I finished all 3 levels with all 3 characters, and I also did the boss rush with all 3 characters. When I say "finished," I mean that I had 1CC runs every time. In fact, I've never seen the Game Over screen--even my very first run was a 1CC. Therein lies the game's main problem: it's definitely too easy. That said, it runs well, looks good, has decent enemy variety and behavior, and has nice bullet patterns from the bosses. The game's scoring system features a multiplier whose value builds (to a max of 5x) as your shots hit enemies and decreases as you don't hit anything. Thus, the character with the most powerful basic shot (and, accordingly, the narrowest shot width) yields the least points simply because he takes out enemies more quickly than his comrades. There's simply less time for the multiplier to build when you play as him, not to mention the fact that his lack of shot spread means he hits fewer enemies--some of which manage to escape entirely. The game has a secondary weapon, different for each character, whose use depletes a self-refilling gauge. However, this weapon doesn't increase your multiplier value, and really, there's pretty much no point in using it, with the game being as easy as it is. The sole exception I can think of is with the lightning girl character, since her omnidirectional secondary weapon can take out the enemies which spawn from behind you in Phase 2. Normally, some of them accelerate off the screen faster than your bullets can catch up to them by the time you can get behind them. At the end of each level, there's an "Ofensive" (sic) and a "Defesive" (sic) bonus that are added to your score, but I have no idea how they're determined. They seem to have a max value of 5000 points, but I usually end up with 0 Defesive bonus points. Overall, not a bad execution, but also not a satisfying game experience. Maybe it's not actually considered finished yet? I don't know. If you're interested in the game, though, a PSM link to it is in one of the posts in the Big Thread of PSM Links. - 2015/08/01 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Hey, AxelMill, DBCS. PS4/PSV/Win, end of 2015 (Japan). !!!!!!!! - 2015/08/02 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember OOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!!! The rumors were true! The rumors were true! Which version should I buy...? Glorious 39" screen with multiplayer, or small portable screen with artbook and album but much more pricey? If you think that I've been posting too many gifs, please tell me. Sorry though, the Duane is basically me right now. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I don't know who Duane is. But no big loss. I played Bloodred Wyvern 2 a couple of days ago. It's a PSM rail shooter (the sequel to another PSM rail shooter, but that one isn't available in the US anymore, if it ever was) which, as I understand it, plays a bit like Panzer Dragoon. I've never played Panzer Dragoon, so I can't make any qualified statements, but BW2 involves piloting a winged reptile from a perspective above and slightly behind the creature, firing fire blasts and lock-on lasers at incoming enemies. To a degree, you can control the flight path of the wyvern and thus avoid smashing through obstacles, which cause a lot of damage. You can also look left or right to face enemies coming in from the sides. The lock-on utilizes the targeting reticule and can acquire up to 8 targets at a time, and it seems to result in pick-ups being dropped from defeated enemies (firepower boosts, life boosts, point boosts). Thus, it's best to use the laser as much as possible, but sometimes it's more pressing to use the fire blasts' ability to destroy incoming bullets. I've only been able to make it past 4 levels out of the 7 total, and that happened only once. The Stage 3 boss is still a bit of a puzzle to me, and I don't know a proper strategy for beating it yet (really, I once completely ran out of life on that boss, then proceeded to totally use up the 2 available Continues on him and still didn't defeat him). It also took me a few tries (including Continues) to beat the Stage 1 boss when I first started playing. Maybe it's just inexperience with this type of game, but I find it quite challenging. That's a nice change compared to Wing Warriors, but I kind of get the feeling I won't be able to figure out how to beat Bloodred Wyvern 2 at all. Nonetheless, it's pretty fun and worth its tiny price, so do check it out. There's a link for it in the Big Thread of PSM links. Hmm, I wonder what it means to bloodr someone. - 2015/08/03 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I wonder what happened to Raiden V. Starting to think this one is cancelled. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Don't be so pessimistic. Gamescom, maybe. TGS, perhaps. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember One of my online friends gave me $20 for my bday and I bought Airport Madness World Edition with it. I'm also going to get the Sims 4 kitchen pack coming the day after my birthday. Yay. I may use the rest to get another pack or the last pin I need. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Er, did you post in the wrong thread by accident? I don't think there's any shooting going on in that game. Unless it concerns airports declaring war on each other. "Duty free THIS, Laguardia!" Pew pew. I wonder what happened to Raiden V. Starting to think this one is cancelled. I did a brief search, and Moss' Twitter account (in Japanese) last mentioned Raiden V on May 13th, not all that long ago. Admittedly, all they said amounted to "Sorry for the lack of news" and "We continue to work toward having news to announce." But, at least it wasn't an announcement of cancellation. - 2015/08/05 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Oh, I thought I was posting in that 'off topic' thread. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I counterburst'd! I finally counterburst'd! And against Great Thing, of all the bosses. Now I finally learnt how to graze near their Burst and then firing mine, not doing it at the same time as theirs. Not yet. *I'm talking about DariusBurst. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Congratulations. Did you kill Great Thing with a counterburst? That's not easy, since he has a ton of HP; the absence of health meters means you can't tell just how close to death a boss is; and, you don't know just how much damage a counterburst actually does. I've never counterburst-killed Great Thing. I think I've only done it against Iron Fossil, Mud Wheel, and Lightning Flamberge. - 2015/08/11 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Did you kill Great Thing with a counterburst? Of course not. It still had 1 minute worth of life left. That's not easy, since he has a ton of HP; the absence of health meters means you can't tell just how close to death a boss is; and, you don't know just how much damage a counterburst actually does. I prefer the old "getting redder the closer it is to dying". It made the boss uglier, lacking its true colors, but it was pretty useful. I think I've only done it against Iron Fossil, Mud Wheel, and Lightning Flamberge. After defeating Great Thing, I went to counterburst kill Iron Fossil in Mission Mode. That's all I did, as of now. During my ABDFJ playthrough, I managed not to lose a life up until Lightning Flamberge. Then I started sucking. Then Zone F came, which is the initial of the word I wanted to scream everytime space debris destroyed me. Then Dark Helios, which is a royal pain in the bum bum. I didn't remember Hinder Four to be so amazing. I love the desperation coming from that voice. This game's really starting to grow up on me. I'll play some more G to decide whether the worst iteration of a 4-times-updated game is better than nostalgia. Is it just me or does the burst gauge deplete much slower in ACEX? And why did Dark Helios become a first stage boss (Zone Q) with only the first phase and change name to Dark Flare? Can't wait to play CS. And to play it with you, if you'll get it and if there's online multiplayer. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember the worst iteration of a 4-times-updated game In terms of gameplay, I feel that the original Darius is the least compelling in the series. DariusBurst lets you get creative with the Burst Cannon, and the bosses, while not numerous, are very distinctive. Is it just me or does the burst gauge deplete much slower in ACEX? You think I've played DBACEX? Or even DBAC? Can't wait to play CS. And to play it with you, if you'll get it and if there's online multiplayer. I think reports said that the PSV version, which would be the only one I could play, would not have multiplayer. - 2015/08/14 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember In terms of gameplay, I feel that the original Darius is the least compelling in the series. I didn't mean the very first game, the Darius games up until Gaiden was garbage, anyway. I meant DariusBurst: the original PSP version, Second Prologue, Another Chronicle, ACEX and now Chronicle Saviours. You think I've played DBACEX? Or even DBAC? Neither I did. I was only judging by the videos I watched. I think reports said that the PSV version, which would be the only one I could play, would not have multiplayer. Aww, I forgot. I doubt there'll be online coop, but still. Hey, I learnt how to counterburst by firing at the same time as they do, thanks to the power of PPSSPP (emulator) save states. I can't do it consistently, at all, but still, I counterburst killed the first three bosses, and "almost did it" (like it's possible to "almost do it") when fighting Thousand Knives. Funnily enough, I can do it more often on my phone than on my PSP. What should I do, buy it as soon as it comes out on the Jap Store, or wait for a (moreso than the Jap's) English version? I think I first need to know how much we're supposed to wait. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Yesterday I did not one, but two no miss DariusBurst runs: ABCEH and ABCEI. After trying (invain, of course) with the Great Thing path once, failing miserably at the last level (including of course the boss), and twice with Gluttons', I then switched to the Next Silver Hawk and destroyed everyone standing in my way, twice. Me being me, I forgot that Jap games switch O with X, so I didn't save the first run's replay, but I did the second's. On the ABCEH path I counterburst killed everyone but Iron Fossil, who died too quickly, while on the ABCEI, I couldn't counterburst kill Mirage Castle, who got killed too soon, and Thousand Knives, who had a tiiiiny bit of health left, after I depleted my Burst gauge. Had I not wasted time because of the blades covering the boss, he'd have died. I found Zone I to be much easier than Zone H because of the latter's tight corridors and enemies appearing below and/or behind me on said corridors. Zone I's giant indestructible asteroids weren't much of a problem, compared to that. I scored 39,150,800 (3rd best, behind the aforementioned failed Great Thing path, about 41m) and 47,486,170 (1st place, more than double the points of my first ABCEI run, which is around 19m), respectively. Not much at all, but still something. When fighting the final bosses, with my heart pounding like crazy, watching their anticlimactic explosion as I scream in joy, was priceless. Okay, while G-Darius is much more spectacular and epic, both background and foreground-wise, DariusBurst is... I don't know how so and how to explain it... "better", in my opinion. It has less levels, even less bosses, both of these are smaller, emptier and lack personality (the stages moreso than the bosses, of course), lacks the variety that Capture Balls added, and that's just off the top of my head, but, all in all, I'm liking it more. And it's not even remotely close to ACEX and (hopefully) CS. Also, it's easier POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Congratulations! Looking at my save data in Media Go, I don't seem to have any Arcade-mode replays other than one which ended at Zone C, possibly my first time playing the game. I have a few Burst-mode replays, though, the best of which scored 47,521,150 (Zone H path, with the Next). These are from 2010, FYI, when I was last playing the game actively. On the ABCEH path I counterburst killed everyone but Iron Fossil, who died too quickly You should have just restarted then and there. It was only a few minutes into the game, and you'd just let a good chunk of points get away. Okay, while G-Darius is much more spectacular and epic, both background and foreground-wise, DariusBurst is... I don't know how so and how to explain it... "better", in my opinion. There is something to be said for having a more compact, more focused presentation. Sometimes, you just want a great snack rather than a lavish meal. - 2015/08/18 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Ooh, I also completed Burst Mode a day later, ABCEH, Next, 54,951,320. HA HA, I DID BETTER THAN YOU!-I Mean, I am starting to become quite good at this game. And I didn't even try, since... You should have just restarted then and there. It was only a few minutes into the game, and you'd just let a good chunk of points get away. I don't care about score, I just care about surviving. Do you want to play a portable remake of the very first Darius with bad remixes (not that a GBA could do much better with its soundchip) of musics such as Adam (G) and Fake (Gaiden), half the Zones (15 instead of 28), less bosses, no Great Thing, a much smaller field of view, and as a result an even tougher difficulty than the original, and no continues? Then Darius R is for you! Buy at Amazon.com for 49.99! I had to use the power of cheats to play through this, and I got as final bosses two starfish, two seahorses and an octopus (called Octopus, even if they already had a name for it). And I didn't even bother to play through the stages, using the emulator's fastforward option as I pleased. I was that bored. After playing them some more, the first two Darius games aren't as garbage as I thought. They are boring and basic (compared to Gradius and R-Type, far better than these, by the way) and impossibly hard, yes. The only this going for them was robo-fish being in it, sure. But they are enjoyable in their own way. Also, Darius 2 (much better than the first) introduced that "ship turns to face the boss" feature, which I thought was a G-Darius exclusive, that is kinda cool and useful (in Another Chronicle you can press a button to do it whenever you want, in any part of the stage). I'll now try to stop talking about Darius. You know, I have certain crazes that I go by most of the time, which result in me playing everything about that series and annoying people I talk about videogames with to no end. It used to be SoulCalibur for about a week or two, now it's time for Darius. After that... who knows? Hopefully something there are more games of, or something I have yet to finish. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember In a forum someone asked for good PSP games that he hasn't mentioned in a list, and I was appalled to see that nobody who replied (except me of course) mentioned ANY SHMUPs. Blasphemy! The PSP is the king for SHMUPs on a handheld. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Some of the people who replied probably saw your recommendations and thought, "Why would she recommend those games? Aren't shmups for CASUAL gamers?" Nice Burst-mode score, AxelMill. Given the difference, I'd guess you counterburst-killed one more boss than I did (while you had a good multiplier). If you want a less recommendable Darius game (by name, at least) than Darius R, look into Darius+, a game made for the ZX Spectrum (!), Atari ST, and Amiga. There isn't much about it that's like real Darius games, though it uses some Darius music and keeps the boss warnings and branching level structure. Heck, you're not even piloting a Silver Hawk in it. I agree that Darius II seems like quite an improvement over the original. Has anyone with a DSi/3DS played any of the "G.G. Series" shooters? - 2015/08/30 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Has anyone with a DSi/3DS played any of the "G.G. Series" shooters? No. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Nice Burst-mode score, AxelMill. Given the difference, I'd guess you counterburst-killed one more boss than I did (while you had a good multiplier). Actually, no, it was ABCEI. So it doesn't really count, until you do the same run. If you want a less recommendable Darius game (by name, at least) than Darius R, look into Darius+, a game made for the ZX Spectrum (!), Atari ST, and Amiga. There isn't much about it that's like real Darius games, though it uses some Darius music and keeps the boss warnings and branching level structure. Heck, you're not even piloting a Silver Hawk in it. I haven't tried those, but I'm currently playing, besides some Genesis shmups (more on that later, maybe), Sagaia for GB and for SMS. The first one is kinda weird, because it has different versions of the first game' stages (even though it has the name of the second) and it offers no branching paths, being the only Darius game to do so. It only has 7 zones and that's it, and for some reason the fourth is a boss rush of the previous bosses, plus some enemies inbetween and a new boss at the end. Still, much better than R: the sprites are smaller, the difficulty isn't insane, the music doesn't sound awful. Try it. I didn't play the SMS game after the first stage, but it's pretty much a port of Darius II with less stages (because of the small cartridge). Hard, but decent. Has anyone with a DSi/3DS played any of the "G.G. Series" shooters? I think I've heard about them, but no, I didn't play them. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Man, I've been playing sooo many shmups it's not even funny. It's basically all I did last (and this, currently) week, besides Xenogears. I didn't play them much singularly, but I spent a lot of time playing this huge number of games. Let's begin, then. -----Genesis----- -Bio-Hazard Battle. I like the "different" setting. -Elemental Master. A medieval-themed vertial shmup. Nice concept, but pretty hard. -Eliminate Down. Fairly generic and fairly easy (at this point of writing), but functional. -Gaiares. Using your R-Type-like Option, you can absorb any enemy's shot type. Cool. -Gley Lancer. Highly customizable "Options". Wonderful backgrounds. Good soundtrack. -Hellfire. A difficult shmup in which you can change between four kinds of shot at will (ahead, behind, vertically and diagonally). -M.U.S.H.A.. Vertical shmup with stockable Options. Well-made music. -Sagaia. Darius II on Genesis, period. -Steel Empire. Steampunk hori with lifebars. -Thunder Force III. Amazing game, whose only shortcomings are a certain cheap stage (Haides) and stupidly easy bosses, including the final boss. -Truxton. Really outdated game. Meh. -Wings of Wor (aka Gynoug). Original setting. Why were most Genesis shmups equipped with a speed-changing button, by the way? -----Game Boy----- -Sagaia. Portable Darius. Eight Zones, two of which are difficult boss rushes. -----Master System----- -Sagaia. Darius II on SMS. Identical to the Genesis version, but with less zones, and slightly harder. -----Playstation----- -R-Type Delta. Great, great, amazing game. Makes me want to buy Final, and also this one on the PS Sto... Oh, wait. -Thunder Force V. 2.5D Thunder Force. Much harder than III. -----SNES----- -Darius Twin. Typical old-school Darius, with a single final stage (u wot m8). No continues, but you get to keep power ups after death. -Darius Force (aka Super Nova). Typical old-school Darius, with a weird Zone selection. Also, the only game, besides Burst, to include different ships to choose from (not counting Genesis Sagaia's "easy mode" Tiat Young). Also, it has checkpoints, unlike any Darius besides the first. Decent backgrounds. -----Arcade (Capcom Remixed)----- -Section Z. Fairly innovative for its time. -Side Arms. An "evolution" of Section Z. Stay away from this, unless you are a masochist. The most unfairly difficult shmup I've ever played. -Three Wonders - Chariot. Pretty good, and a relief after having played the above. -----PSP----- -Salamander/Life Force. Gradius: Hard Mode, with some vertical sections. -Salamander 2. Much better, in my opinion. -Xexex. Amazing game. Love the graphics. -Gradius II. Another Gradius II? Hard. -Star Soldier. Pretty good TATE, if a bit generic-looking. Also, I got Parodius Portable. And that's that. Is anyone going to read this? POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Stop doing a better job of being me than I do, damn it. That's just mean. I thought we were homeless! No, wait. Homies. Yes, that's it, I thought we were homies! Why were most Genesis shmups equipped with a speed-changing button, by the way? I'm not aware of that, having played few Genesis scrolling shooters, but the obvious answer is Blast Processing, duh. Have you played Arrow Flash? That's one of the only Genesis scrolling shooters I've played, as it was on an AtGames plug-n-play I once test-drove. I found it a bit on the easy side, though I didn't actually try to 1CC it. Also, I have Bio-Hazard Battle as a PC download from Amazon.com (runs in a provided Genesis emulator). Not bad, certainly well-varied, but felt a bit lacking in presentation. It mostly felt like "shoot a bunch of random weird stuff," without much sense of flow. -R-Type Delta. Great, great, amazing game. Makes me want to buy Final, and also this one on the PS Sto... Oh, wait. I snagged Delta back when it was still in the PS Store. Never been able to beat it, though. I think there was one part which I simply could not get past. As for Final, I have the PS2 disc (it was $5 + tax (in 2005)! New!). Didn't get very far in it. -Side Arms. An "evolution" of Section Z. Stay away from this, unless you are a masochist. The most unfairly difficult shmup I've ever played. I've played and beaten this (via Continues) in the PS2 collection that has it, but I don't remember anything particularly hard about it. Maybe I've just forgotten? -Gradius II. Another Gradius II? Hard. Given that your other games were in Salamander Portable, I assume you actually mean Gradius 2, the MSX game. Not the same thing as Gradius II, the arcade game which came later and is in Gradius Collection/Portable. By the way, the SNES Darius games don't seem to be regarded as canon. At the least, they never appeared in any of the Taito-published Darius timelines I saw (though I haven't checked since after DBACEX came out). - 2015/09/04 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Stop doing a better job of being me than I do, damn it. That's what the shmup genre is doing to me, teehee. I'm not aware of that, having played few Genesis scrolling shooters, but the obvious answer is Blast Processing, duh. I didn't explain well: I meant that pressing a button (always A), you can change the ship's speed. Always four settings. Have you played Arrow Flash? I've never heard about it, even after numerous Genesis shmups Google searches. It seems to be good, if extremely easy. I'll give it a try. As for Final, I have the PS2 disc (it was $5 + tax (in 2005)! New!). Didn't get very far in it. I found a (used) copy on eBay for 7.49 (5 + shipping). I decided against it, because I didn't want to wait a week. So I got a 10€ PSN card to buy Gradius V, but do I seriously want to spend that price for a less than 3 hours long game? I'd have no problem in getting DBCS for whatever price (30? 40? According to the rumor that confirmed this game, it's supposed to be a "full price download", and the lead of Pyramid is considering a Western retail version), because it's going to be awesome and infinitely replayable, unlike Gradius V.? I've played and beaten this (via Continues) in the PS2 collection that has it, but I don't remember anything particularly hard about it. Maybe I've just forgotten? Yes, you did. Thousands of enemies coming everywhere at Mach 2, going through walls and shooting bullets. Given that your other games were in Salamander Portable, I assume you actually mean Gradius 2, the MSX game. Yup. By the way, the SNES Darius games don't seem to be regarded as canon. The Chronicle Saviours trailer only mentions Darius, Darius II, Gaiden, G, Burst and ACEX. So, yeah. DBCS is apparently going to be a 930x420 (blaze it) game, 31:14. Wonder what they're going to do for the 30th Anniversary in 2016, considering this game's coming out this year. Darius Collection confirmed! Oh, and I finished Xexex a day later. It's wonderful, period. My favorite checkpoint-based shmup, easily. Really hard, but skill based, unlike the horror I went throw in playing R-Type Dimensions. And I played Infinite mode. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Yeah, Xexex is pretty cool, but I'm not sure if I've ever beaten it. If they didn't do a Darius Collection for the 25th anniversary, which was right when DBAC was still fresh, I'm not seeing it as likely for the 30th anniversary. So I got a 10€ PSN card to buy Gradius V, but do I seriously want to spend that price for a less than 3 hours long game? [. . .] going to be awesome and infinitely replayable, unlike Gradius V. Wait, wait, am I reading this right? You think Gradius V will take you only 3 hours to beat? You think Gradius V is NOT awesome and infinitely replayable? You're just messing with me, right? - 2015/09/15 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Um, aren't ALL SHUMPS infinitely replayable? They're high scoring games after all, just like pinball. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember If they didn't do a Darius Collection for the 25th anniversary, which was right when DBAC was still fresh, I'm not seeing it as likely for the 30th anniversary. Shhh, let me dream. Wait, wait, am I reading this right? You think Gradius V will take you only 3 hours to beat? You think Gradius V is NOT awesome and infinitely replayable? You're just messing with me, right? Ummm... Err... Um, aren't ALL SHUMPS infinitely replayable? B-but I don't care about score and Darius has b-branching... Low quality, but eh. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember This is surely an attempt to make me talk at length yet again about how Gradius V is one of my favorite games of all time. Like how it took me almost 17 hours--and every credit I had earned up to that point--to beat it before Free Play unlocked (initially trying on Normal before encountering the staggering Stage 7 and dropping down to Easy). Or like how the only T-shirt in 6+ years in PlayStation Home for which I spent actual money to buy was the Gradius V shirt. Or like how I got my copy of the game signed by the composer and the cover artist. How many paragraphs do we need, though? If you honestly don't like it, well, I really don't know what to say. I think the game is a masterwork. And if you can really beat it in 3 hours--which would be roughly 3 tries total, with only 4 credits at most--you're far better at scrolling shooters than I will ever be. - 2015/09/07 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Is the Vita Darius Burst up for pre-order anywhere? I can't find it, and I want to pre-order a copy. That PSP one ended up having a nice resale price, I don't want to miss out. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO AXMMember If you honestly don't like it, well, I really don't know what to say. I think the game is a masterwork. Surprise! It's a masterpiece. And if you can really beat it in 3 hours--which would be roughly 3 tries total, with only 4 credits at most--you're far better at scrolling shooters than I will ever be. Suprise! I suck! In an hour and a half, and five runs (haha, "three runs in three hours"), I barely reached the fourth stage (I still had 3 credits only), no-missing up until the first boss in stage 2, and losing everything at the stage 3 boss, since I had no idea I could have begun to hit him after a minute. I though I only had to dodge stuff. And judging from the "sample" I played at Stage Select, this fourth stage's gonna be a bi*ch. Is the Vita Darius Burst up for pre-order anywhere? Gematsu.com says that you can preorder one at "Ebten and CharaAni.com".Ebten only nets me Darius Odyssey, the live concert disc and some near shirts.CharaAni gives me... Weird stuff (no NSFW, don't worry). POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember haha, "three runs in three hours" To clarify, that estimate was based on a person completing the entire game in one session, sight unseen previously. A full run through Gradius V takes 80-90 minutes. Thus, in 3 hours, with one full run's duration included, there are 90-100 minutes remaining. The hypothetical player only completed the game once, so that remaining time is at minimum 2 incomplete attempts. The game gives a new credit each hour of play, and it starts with 3 credits. The completed run through the game would have to have started before the second hour were complete, and so there would have to be 4 credits available to be used at the start of that run. I was never able to survive Stage 4 without dying. In particular, I'm not sure I ever figured out how to survive the regenerating wall section properly, and I think I never made it through the Stage 4 boss without dying. What option configuration do you use? It's fun to watch footage of super-players using bizarre combos. I remember seeing one guy using flamethrowers (which have limited range) and V-formation options once, a pretty difficult combo. But hey, I've also seen a guy survive Stage 6 with just the pea shooter! Darius Odyssey is part of that Amazon.co.jp order I have pending. If I really go through with it, I'll have gotten Darius Odyssey and WARNING!! Darius-san separately, without the pair of "BattleShips of Bellser" clear files that are bundled if you buy the Ebiten exclusive set. - 2015/09/07 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember o clarify, that estimate was based on a person completing the entire game in one session, sight unseen previously. I know, Ky, I know. I was never able to survive Stage 4 without dying. In particular, I'm not sure I ever figured out how to survive the regenerating wall section properly All I know is, stay as close to the right side of the screen as possible. The walls don't regenerate as fast there, so you can stand still and shoot. Of course, those digging thingies may kill you, but a shield, a currently unknown (to me) safe spotarefully placed Options (or Multiples? I like Options more.) will do. and I think I never made it through the Stage 4 boss without dying. I either die at the first boss (curse you rotating-and-laser-shooting pattern) or at the last boss of the second stage's rush. What option configuration do you use? I first used Freeze, but after two or three runs I fell in love with Direction's rotating laser of doom. I remember seeing one guy using flamethrowers (which have limited range) and V-formation options once, a pretty difficult combo. But hey, I've also seen a guy survive Stage 6 with just the pea shooter! Oh, those people without any kind of social (and non-social) life, who can no-miss ten loops with no power up and while being blindfolded. Those people. So! I reached the three hour mark. What did I accomplish on these last two runs? Well, I 1CC'd it up until the Stage 3 boss. Then Stage 4 came, and made me waste all my four credits. Then I almost reached the 6th level's boss (little did I know, it was a four-bosses rush), but lost my last life because of those tiny power up enemies before it. Oh, I also played this one on Easy, heehee. And even so, the Stage 5 boss (didn't have much trouble with the level) and its endless "gazillions of asteroids and mines that shoot a lot of bullets" intro was insane, the Stage 6 green goo is annoying, some parts of that stage are impossible without Direction, and holy crap I'm gonna need Free Play to beat this game on Normal, am I? POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember This is what bothers me when people ramble on about how today's games are longer. Their evidence is usually that a classic game like Gradius can be finished in just a few short minutes. What inevitably goes over their heads is that the time towards completion in such a classic (or modern classic in the case of something like this) isn't just those few short minutes after you've finally mastered the game and finished it for the first time. In something like a proper vertical or horizontal shooter, there's always much practice that goes into that accomplishment. So a game that can have a full playthrough be measured in say 30 minutes, isn't going to be remotely close to being a 30 minute experience. And that's ignoring possibilities that expand the experience afterwards like alternate paths, optional difficulty modes, etc. Unlike a modern single player experience, you actually have to learn something along the way if you're going to succeed and get the most out of your purchase. They offer replayability, something that far too few single player experiences in the 3D error have to offer. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Wikipedia has Darius listed as an upcoming Arcade Archives release for the PS4. Presumably, a North American release is at least a year away though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFvLu8Av1N4 That should be interesting if it ends up accurate, thanks to its three screen setup. The various sites reporting on this though just say "Darius series", so they could be planning on skipping this one. I hope not though, especially since many gamers have large enough televisions these days to still enjoy this at home despite the obvious need for heavy letterboxing. http://gematsu.com/2015/08/darius-other-taito-classics-coming-ps4-arcade-archives Older Taito arcade collections have these other ones like Frontline and the rest of Darius taken care of, but I'd definitely buy this one if it happens. Edit: Although not my type of game, it looks like Ninja Warriors would also be new. And it has a similar screen setup as Darius. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=54&v=bWdcpJ0DY_Q Sort of like the arcade version of Cinerama. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember The trailer I saw for DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours showed the screen letterboxed to match the arcade DBAC's 32:9 aspect ratio. If they're really okay with that, I'd imagine that the only slightly longer 4:1 aspect ratio of the original Darius is no problem, either. If "series" means that all of the Darius arcade games finally get ported together to a home system, I do wonder which version of Darius II will be included, the 2-wide or the 3-wide. The 2-wide would be, y'know, easier to see. One of the PS1 Classics released last week was supposed to be a PS1 budget side-scrolling shooter localized by Agetec, Shooter Space Shot. It was in last week's The Drop post in the PS Blog, but it didn't actually release, for some reason. Anyway, it was originally part of D3 Publisher's Simple budget series in Japan, and it was made in cooperation with a Japanese TV show whose name escapes me at the moment (it's in the opening logos). - 2015/09/23 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember The trailer I saw for DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours showed the screen letterboxed to match the arcade DBAC's 32:9 aspect ratio. Look at 00:35. Not only the boss is new, but the hud and the Zone letter (Alpha) are also different. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember If "series" means that all of the Darius arcade games finally get ported together to a home system, I do wonder which version of Darius II will be included, the 2-wide or the 3-wide. The 2-wide would be, y'know, easier to see. Ideally, both versions would be present and selectable (A word that Google says is incorrect) from an options menu. But because it's such an obvious move, it probably won't happen. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Look at 00:35. Not only the boss is new, but the hud and the Zone letter (Alpha) are also different. Yes, that's the new CS Mode, made for the home port (so says the video that's in the JP PS Store (in Japanese)). I was talking about the rendering of the normal arcade mode. But because it's such an obvious move, it probably won't happen. Yeah, Taito may view one of the two screen modes as "not what we really intended," the same way they refuse to let 2600 Space Invaders be on the Atari Flashbacks. - 2015/09/23 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember But because it's such an obvious move, it probably won't happen. Well, I heard that the other Arcade Archives games have a lot of emulation-related options. So, maybe. I'd rather have two-screens out of the two, of course. Yes, that's the new CS Mode, made for the home port (so says the video that's in the JP PS Store (in Japanese)). I was talking about the rendering of the normal arcade mode. Oh, so it's a completely different mode? Amazing! Considering that the zones have Greek letters, I demand to fight The Embryon again with an Adam remix as background music. DariusBurst hinted at that during the I ending, I think. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember DariusBurst hinted at that during the I ending, I think. Sorry, J ending. And reading around reveals that Ti-2, that AI that for some reason needs to be represented as a not-flat loli catgirl because of course, is negotiating with the Thiima during that ending. I was talking about the rendering of the normal arcade mode. If you consider either of the modes as "extra", it's basically two games in one. Cool. Yeah, Taito may view one of the two screen modes as "not what we really intended," the same way they refuse to let 2600 Space Invaders be on the Atari Flashbacks. ...Not cool. I forgot that. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Hey, leave Ti2 alone! She's a great fighter pilot! And she's really good at shouting, "WARNING!!", too! I think it unlikely that we would be fighting against the Thiima. The DariusBurst ending you linked says Ti2 goes off to negotiate because humanity would have no chance of survival engaging the Thiima so soon after the war with the Belser. - 2015/09/23 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember The DariusBurst ending you linked says Ti2 goes off to negotiate because humanity would have no chance of survival engaging the Thiima so soon after the war with the Belser. Would you believe me if I said that I thought that Thiima and Belser were the same thing under different names, like so many Jap-to-Eng translations? They both use fish battleships, so it's not entirely my fault. No, "Belser found the Thiima's technology and then used it" doesn't count. Using the same technology doesn't mean recycling the same exact battleships except the bigger ones (Queen and Fire Fossil). Heck, these guys recycled a battleship from an entirely different game (Syvalion). They reuse more stuff than Activision and EA combined, and at least they actually made the originals. Do you know if the endings in AC(EX) are different? Are they set after vanilla or are they the same as that? POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember at least they actually made the originals. I don't understand what you're referring to here. Who made which originals? Using the same technology doesn't mean recycling the same exact battleships I think you misunderstood the Thiima-Belser relationship. It does mean recycling the same exact battleships, because the Belser were using actual Thiima ships. The ships of the Belser fleet are re-purposed Thiima leftovers. That's what the chronology is saying. Kind of like how Cuba had tons of 1950s American cars for years because those were what were left over after US-Cuba trade was halted when Castro came to power. Now, why the Thiima were created by Taito in the first place, when G-Darius was going to be using maritime enemy designs as per usual Darius practice anyway, I have no idea. Perhaps the intention was to cast the Belser as opportunistic scavengers, rather than a mighty force unto themselves. It does enrich the series' history and universe, then, even if it has no impact on gameplay--nor on the understanding of the series by the lay player. Heck, these guys recycled a battleship from an entirely different game (Syvalion). Not really "entirely different," since Syvalion is considered part of the Darius universe. Do you know if the endings in AC(EX) are different? I assume they're different, because my understanding is that DBAC is a sequel, not a remake. However, I've never seen any of the game's endings, so I don't know for sure. One of the PS1 Classics released last week was supposed to be a PS1 budget side-scrolling shooter localized by Agetec, Shooter Space Shot. It was in last week's The Drop post in the PS Blog, but it didn't actually release, for some reason. It seems it did release--but it released the week prior, so I guess its appearance on The Drop was belated. - 2015/09/26 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I don't understand what you're referring to here. Who made which originals? Activision made COD, and is making it for the past 12 or so years, EA made FIFA Soccer 94, and is making it for the past 22 years. Perhaps the intention was to cast the Belser as opportunistic scavengers, rather than a mighty force unto themselves. Well, you're right in saying that it makes the story more interesting and deep. Not really "entirely different," since Syvalion is considered part of the Darius universe. Even though they have nothing in common besides a boss battle in Burst and a snail-looking boss and orange Silver Hawks as enemies (these could have been mistakenly considered as a cameo, though) in Syvalion. Darius Force has one of the most creative bosses in Darius (or shmup, even) history: Spiral Snail (also one of the least creative names). It's not exceptional, but it could be mind blowing, especially at the time. It's hard to explain, so, please, click here and skip to 4:20. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Actually, no, there's no creativity in that boss. It was all the emulator's fault. Basically, a video setting made it so that the snail's body was visible unless the rectangular "plane of existence" rotating alongside the floating shell hid it. It was actually pretty cool. If you want, I can capture professional footage of that. I guess this idea will be used in my shmup. Did I tell you I'm planning to make a shmup? I'm planning to make a shmup. I already know how to make it (a prototype, following a certain Youtube tutorial, is playable). I "only" need to create graphics, musics (I made a small relaxing piano piece, which will be probably used for the space stage) and program the "unique mechanic" of the game, without which makes a shmup feel generic. Ikaruga has Polarity, Darius has Fish/Beam/Burst, Gradius has custom Power Ups, R-Type has Force. They stand out among the hundreds of shmups because of them. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Activision made COD, and is making it for the past 12 or so years, EA made FIFA Soccer 94, and is making it for the past 22 years. Oooohhh, I had thought you were talking about Taito, instead of the Belser. So that's what you meant about someone not having made the originals. orange Silver Hawks as enemies I thought it said that the golden Silver Hawk in Syvalion was an ally, not an enemy. At any rate, if they're defined as being in the same universe, it doesn't really matter how many or few concrete relational aspects there are. You and I both exist on the same planet, but aside from a text-based multiplayer element, we might as well not be in the same game. If you want, I can capture professional footage of that. Sure, since I can't make head or tail of what you mean by "plane of existence." I don't think emulators have any metaphysical video settings. the "unique mechanic" of the game Usually, I see this referred to in Japanese (and sometimes in English-speaking hardcore shoot'em-up circles) as "the gimmick." The word "gimmick" has evolved to usually mean "useless extra attribute" in English these days, but it does also (still) mean "differentiating element." By the way, I'd say that Darius' original gimmick was the branching stage structure. That's why someone would play it more than once, to see what else there was. Admittedly, it wasn't a very strong gimmick, so I'm glad the capture ball, beam dueling, and burst cannon came along. Good luck with your game! I've had a pinball concept for Gradius for years, but I'm sure it'll never happen. - 2015/09/28 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Thanks to this handy reference, I see that A Jax has been released for the PS4 in North America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcade_Archives Looks like a fun vertical shooter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA0Fp6_qtW0 POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember Lords of thunder Gate of thunder That's some good scrolling shooter... Water armor ftw!!! POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I thought it said that the golden Silver Hawk in Syvalion was an ally, not an enemy. I misintepreted what I read, apparently. You and I both exist on the same planet, but aside from a text-based multiplayer element, we might as well not be in the same game. Then PSPMinis.com is my most played game ever By the way, I'd say that Darius' original gimmick was the branching stage structure. How could I forget the main reason why I always come back to Darius?! Good luck with your game! It's not the most creative, nor the most original "the gimmick", in fact I'd say it's pretty derivative. It's basically "graze bullets to charge a super beam". Yeah. And to do so, I'd have to make the perfect mix between classic hori (which is the main reason I want to make this, and the main goal) and bullet-hell. I can't make this "graze" without more than a few bullets, after all. Another "version" of it, is "if you get hit, let the bullet be absorbed by guiding it to what other games call it 'hitbox' to charge the same super beam". I'm pretty sure this one might make the game unplayable, unless I make the enemy bullets be ultra slow. Nah. I've had a pinball concept for Gradius for years, but I'm sure it'll never happen. You (and I) don't know how many concepts do I have (all of them basically dead). A metroidvania, a videogame-history time-travelling platformer, an RPG, an Oddworld fangame, a vertical bullet hell, a VVVVVV-like game, and now this. The only difference is that I actually made something now, and something playable nonetheless. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember You asked for it, onmode-ky, so here it is. I was randomly thinking about some cool boss intros for my game (brackets for undecided words). Normal bossWARNING A powerful enemy [is awakening/has awakened]. Brace yourself. Final bossWARNING An almighty opponent is standing in your way. Be on your guard. True final bossWARNING An [unparalleled/omnipotent] adversary is before you. Abandon all hope. OrWARNING Death awaits you. Abandon all hope. Why am I thinking about superfluous stuff when I didn't even design the main ship? IDK. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Thanks for the video. That's some weird glitch. Something to do with a compositing error with an overlay effect, I guess. Why would you think that were intentional, though? I mean, it looks like you're getting shot at by nothing. Regarding your boss intro ideas, I'd personally try to go for something more unique. Not trying to sound discouraging, but the ones you have up there are all "video gamey" material. We've seen those before, and often. Go for something off the beaten path, like that bizarre "I've always wanted a thing called 'tuna sashimi'!" in Darius II's first stage. - 2015/10/01 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Why would you think that were intentional, though? I mean, it looks like you're getting shot at by nothing. Because hidden bosses are cool. Regarding your boss intro ideas, I'd personally try to go for something more unique. Not trying to sound discouraging, but the ones you have up there are all "video gamey" material. We've seen those before, and often. Go for something off the beaten path, like that bizarre "I've always wanted a thing called 'tuna sashimi'!" in Darius II's first stage. Check it out! Looks like this [dude] wants to throw you down. But you're not gonna stop here, are you? Look at this! This one's dead serious about stopping ya! Don't be discouraged, and fight back! Whoa! It seems that all their work went into this one. Are you sure you want to fight it? I'm imagining it spoken by the announcer of DonPachi (not DoDon). Groovy. Still not completely original, I can tell something like this has already been used (like the aforementioned DonPachi), but still better, right? Gotta change to mood of the game now, even though I already planned the setting of the 5 stages. Good. Eureka! The final boss' gonna be a Giant Disco Ball of Doom™! Steam Greenlight, home of great games (haha), here I gooo!! "I've always wanted a thing called 'tuna sashimi'!" Nope, it's 'tuna sasimi'. Tell me how did Jap people spell a Jap word wrong. Please. Or did they want to write the romaji version of 刺身, letter by letter, forgetting that we read 's' as 's' and not as 'sh'? POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Because hidden bosses are cool. Spoken by someone obviously not yet in the workforce. "Sasimi" is an accepted romanization, just not a very useful one for foreigners' purposes. Remember, Japanese people rarely speak and write Japanese in romaji, so it's maybe sometimes viewed as just some way to directly, mindlessly convert Japanese into Roman letters, rather than a way to let foreigners read Japanese words. Like if you converted the sounds of your Italian name into Chinese without regard for what your chosen Chinese characters actually meant. "Why did you choose to name yourself 'Pig Constipation'?" Thus, you might see "tunami" instead of "tsunami," "patinko" instead of "pachinko." By the way, don't use "Jap." It's offensive. You wouldn't want me to call you an . . . Itchy? Still not completely original, I can tell something like this has already been used (like the aforementioned DonPachi), but still better, right? Gotta change to mood of the game now, even though I already planned the setting of the 5 stages. Good. Better, yes, but keep in mind to not sound like you're trying too hard. And about the mood, choose that first, then choose your dialogue. It will flow better that way. As for the mood vs. setting relationship, that doesn't really matter, I think. I mean, Darius has settings similar to lots of other scrolling shooters, but it has a very distinctive mood. You're not required to derive mood from the setting. The Japanese website for Mononoke Slashdown has some developer comments that are not in the English website. There, the character designer wrote that their project originally started out as a side-scrolling shooter, with the character in the first image of this page as the main character, "Birdman." Somehow, along the way, it ended up as a side-view brawler instead. - 2015/10/01 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember By the way, don't use "Jap." It's offensive. You wouldn't want me to call you an . . . Itchy? What? I did that on purpose because someone (Jeremy, perhaps?) said that "the Japanese" sounded too World War 2. What am I supposed to call them, then? JP? "People living in Japan"? Better, yes, but keep in mind to not sound like you're trying too hard. If I was trying hard, I wouldn't waste every day of my life checking PSPMinis every half an hour, watching random Youtube videos, playing Xenoblade for an hour and a half before getting tired of it, and taking the "Coronatus" route on G and Gaiden, even though I absolutely despise that boss. It does not qualify as final boss, period. G even acknowledged that, and gave him the 3rd boss theme, instead of Adam. Okay, I don't get what you mean, sorry. And about the mood, choose that first, then choose your dialogue. It will flow better that way. Well, I did want to make a game in which a moon-shaped spaceship is planning to destroy the Earth, then succeeding after you try to destroy its core invain at the end of stage 4, then fly back to find desolation and destroyed skyscrapers, then kill the thing living inside the core after telling you 'There's nothing left for you to fight for. There's nothing left for me to fight for(the "moon" exploded in the end). This is not a fight for glory. This is not a fight for survival. This fight is for our own gratification.', or something like that, then spend the rest of your life wandering in an empty world, but HEY! I came up with a game in which you control a jetpack riding guy (!) trying to defeat a group of people who are weaponizing music (!). It has a Darius-like level select (!), and every stage and its boss are related to a musical genre, like a sax-wielding hooded man (!) who's trying to kill you with his attacks timed to the background music (!) (of course, jazz and saxophone in that stage). Or an orchestra stage. Or a club stage, with a boss akin to Splatoon's overrated final battle, but with an awesome pattern (imagine the usual techno 'beat going faster, then dropping, random word or quote, start a short catchy loop that lasts 3 minutes' in the form of bullets, expecially the first part). There, the character designer wrote that their project originally started out as a side-scrolling shooter, with the character in the first image of this page as the main character, "Birdman." Somehow, along the way, it ended up as a side-view brawler instead. Shoot. Could have been amazing (maybe) but instead we got this '5/10' game. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember While playing through the dozens of shmups these weeks, I couldn't help but think "Man, these early 90's shmups levels are soo long and boring". Well, today I wanted to time the length of Burst, and, surprise, the game is 20 minutes long. The first three stages barely last 2 minutes each, and their bosses fall after one, if a counterburst is done correctly, the fourth stage and boss last 2.5 each, and Thousand Knives and its home don't last much longer, either. Another Chronicle only includes three levels per run to shorten one's playthrough and maximize the income, but is still 20 minutes long, weirdly enough. I guess it really is a massive improvement. G and Gaiden last 30 minutes instead, but the latter has 7 levels, so it's the same thing, basically. There's one thing I have to say, though, and it's the first time I've said this: shorter is better. You can't believe it, can you, person reading this? A person who thinks game length is important said this? Yep. Shmups changed my life. I'm not kidding. I used to buy nothing but RPGs "because that's the only genre that's going to last me more than a day or two", even though I left them after a few hours, most of the time. During this past month and a half, I played wonderful experiences as short as a lunch break, but more engaging than a 50-hour-long epic. Maybe, just maybe, it has become my favorite game genre ever. Thank you, PSP Custom Firmware. Thank you.And my sister hates it to death because that's the only thing I'm talking about for the past two months, though she's as hyped for Chronicle Saviours as I am. By the way, New ABCEI Normal record: 49,403,060. I zone's multiplier was 1 by the end of the boss, and before it, it was barely x5. It was painful to watch that one digit number throughout the whole stage, and even more to see it decrease. Wow, I never wrote this much stuff about anything, anywhere, ever. That's the power of my love. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I'm glad you've found so much enjoyment in scrolling shooters. It's a genre that's long been one of my favorites, even back in the days when I thought video games must not be for me (because I was terrible at Super Mario Bros.). These days, popular opinion is that they're casual games, but they're really among the hardest of the hardcore, and extremely rewarding for those who seek a meticulous type of challenge. Thank goodness they're not hours upon hours long, too, or I'd probably suffer nervous breakdowns or heart attacks from all the non-stop intensity. Incidentally, here's a video I've been neglecting to post for the last few weeks (although I've probably posted it somewhere in the forum at some point in the past few years, given that it's one I've liked for a good while), a collection of Gradius V superplay clips, set to "Fire Tripper," an unused track from Salamander 2's soundtrack. It's a piece of music that goes quite well with demonstrations of incredible shooting game skill! Edit: Heh, a forum search reveals that I have indeed posted that video before, at least once, and it was just 5 monthsago. While playing through the dozens of shmups these weeks, I couldn't help but think "Man, these early 90's shmups levels are soo long and boring". Which games in particular are you thinking of? What? I did that on purpose because someone (Jeremy, perhaps?) said that "the Japanese" sounded too World War 2. Er, seems obvious to me, but "Japanese people." And "Japanese word," for the other occurrence in your sentence. Also, I'd say that "Jap" were even more "World War II" than "the Japanese." Okay, I don't get what you mean, sorry. I meant that your example boss text seemed like it might be trying to push the "cool dude" speech style a little too hard. It would definitely have been over the deep end if you had peppered it with "Radical!", "Far out!", "No way! Way!", "Heinous!", and the like. Or *ahem* "Wazzuuuup!" - 2015/10/02 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Thunder Force VI never came out here? I figured I'd add it someday to join Gradius V and R-Type Final. I wonder what the import version goes for these days. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I wonder what the import version goes for these days. Pretty cheap, surprisingly. Incidentally, here's a video I've been neglecting to post for the last few weeks (although I've probably posted it somewhere in the forum at some point in the past few years, given that it's one I've liked for a good while), a collection of Gradius V superplay clips, set to "Fire Tripper," an unused track from Salamander 2's soundtrack. It's a piece of music that goes quite well with demonstrations of incredible shooting game skill! I have not enough mouths and I must scream. Er, seems obvious to me, but "Japanese people." And "Japanese word," for the other occurrence in your sentence. Also, I'd say that "Jap" were even more "World War II" than "the Japanese." Okay, then. Which games in particular are you thinking of? Not Gradius or R-Type. They're even shorter than Burst (much harder, of course), and not even 90's games. Pretty much the whole Genesis and SNES shmup library. Nope, apparently they're not much longer. But they do feel much longer. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Pretty cheap, surprisingly. Not as cheap as it might look from the listed prices. Those are all based around using unregistered (untracked) SAL shipping from Japan, which should take ~3 weeks but can take up to 2 months (or more, if you're unlucky . . . or just plain lost, if you're very unlucky). If you go for expedited (and tracked) shipping, many of those sellers charge absurd amounts for that. I saw one seller demanding $95 per order--with even more per pound--when looking at another game earlier today. For a PS2 game like Thunder Force VI, I'd say actual EMS shipping cost would be 1500 yen, currently around $13. There was a time when Play-Asia.com had Thunder Force VI for $30 (new). I thought of getting it, but since I have no intention of ever getting a modded or import PS2, it would have been pretty pointless. Sure, I bought a copy of the limited edition of Otomedius Excellent even though I'll never have an Xbox 360, but that a) was really cheap from that seller and b) came with a soundtrack CD, art booklet, and pillowcase. I have not enough mouths and I must scream. Well, you only need one mouth to do that, so maybe you can just stop stuffing your face with those spaghettos for a moment. - 2015/10/04 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO AXMMember Well, you only need one mouth to do that, so maybe you can just stop stuffing your face with those spaghettos for a moment. B-but I like spaghettees. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember 1CC'd Zanac Neo. On my first try?! I lost countless lives, yet I gained two for every boss (and there are like 3 bosses for each stage, on average). At some point I had ten, then four, then eight, then four, then zero, two, zero, You saved the galaxy or whatever. Okay, then. Overall, pretty enjoyable, and really long, too. I hated how half of the bosses were nothing but "a number of turrets on the ground", though. I also played the terrible Philosoma (relatively excusable, as it's a 1995 release), the incredibly overrated Soukyugurentai Oubushutsugeki(Terra Diver) and the fun Sanvein (only downside is that every time you finish one 5 second (at most) "stage", the same "win" music plays everytime, not allowing me to enjoy the rest of the music. A remake or a spiritual successor would be amazing). POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Sanvein popped up in the NA PS Store a week or two ago, but it and the Street Racquetball PS1 game that accompanied it are both categorized in the PS Store as compatible only with the PS3. They're probably actually playable on PSP/PSV/PSTV (and I think one of the two games even explicitly says that it is in its description text), but you can't see the games in those systems' PS Stores due to the compatibility categorization. At least they didn't get screwed up as badly as the previously mentioned Space Shot; that game has "PSOne Classic" in its title, but it's actually categorized in the Store as "PSN Game," specifically one for the PS3. As a result, it doesn't even appear in the Classics section, for any system! Of course, nothing beats the (NA) Store's categorizations for SNK Playmore's Minis The Next Space (Store says it's a Mini that only works on PS3) and Chopper I (Store says it's a Mini that is not compatible with any platform at all). - 2015/10/16 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Amazon.co.jp has DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours PSV regular edition available for preorder here. It doesn't actually help any of us, since Amazon.co.jp only ships books, music, and movies internationally, but at least it's an indicator that the regular edition may actually be available as a real, you know, regular edition. That is, available as a general release, not as a "select retailers only" kind of thing. Of course, maybe it just happens that Amazon is one of the select retailers. . . . - 2015/10/21 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember It's on Playasia, too. The price for the LE is beyond insane, though. Ooh, that's because it includes Darius Odyssey with extra pages and a bonus CD akin to the great WonderWorld. Fun fact:I had to submit this post eight times before understanding that the website probably blocked my Playasia link. Removed it, posted it, then added in the link. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Thanks for the link. When I went looking around for info on the game, Google didn't return any search results for the actual product entries at Play-Asia.com, only their news page about it. I thought that meant they weren't actually selling it. My copy of Darius Odyssey arrived just yesterday, as a matter of fact. It was part of that partial shipment from Amazon.co.jp. It's a very nice piece of work, though I've only had a cursory flip-through so far. By the way, I think the LE is so expensive at Play-Asia.com because they're essentially buying them from here at the Chara-Ani.com store and then selling them to Play-Asia.com customers. As I understand it, it's not just any LE; it's a store-exclusive LE (in this case, the publisher's own store). According to the Chara-Ani.com product entry, their version of Darius Odyssey has 8 extra color pages and 8 extra B/W pages. The new content includes new boss illustrations by Kanetake Ebikawa and new WARNING!! Darius-sanwork (:D) by Ao Fujimaru. The arrangement CD has 12 tracks, by Zuntata, Nobuyoshi Sano, SEGA Hiro, Michiru Yamane, and Yasuhisa Watanabe. - 2015/10/21 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember My copy of Darius Odyssey arrived just yesterday, as a matter of fact. It was part of that partial shipment from Amazon.co.jp. It's a very nice piece of work, though I've only had a cursory flip-through so far. It would be amazing if I got a copy, since I have nothing concrete to demonstrate my love for the Darius saga with, unless you count Taito Legends 2, which I don't, but... By the way, I think the LE is so expensive at Play-Asia.com because they're essentially buying them from here at the Chara-Ani.com store and then selling them to Play-Asia.com customers. As I understand it, it's not just any LE; it's a store-exclusive LE (in this case, the publisher's own store). ...50+% is too much. I understand that they need to make a profit, but they added in 5000+ yen to the price. And it's on Vita, while I prefer to play it on a big screen like it needs to be. According to the Chara-Ani.com product entry, their version of Darius Odyssey has 8 extra color pages and 8 extra B/W pages. The new content includes new boss illustrations by Kanetake Ebikawa and new WARNING!! Darius-san work (:D) by Ao Fujimaru. The arrangement CD has 12 tracks, by Zuntata, Nobuyoshi Sano, SEGA Hiro, Michiru Yamane, and Yasuhisa Watanabe. Uuuh... Ooh, that's because it includes Darius Odyssey with extra pages and a bonus CD akin to the great WonderWorld. Thanks for the details, though. Amazon.co.jp How?!? POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember ...50+% is too much. I understand that they need to make a profit, but they added in 5000+ yen to the price. Don't forget, not only might they be buying them from Chara-Ani.com at the list price, they need to pay for shipping from Japan to Hong Kong. And since they presumably intend to ship them to their customers not too long after the release date, they can't go with cheap, multi-week shipping methods. Their price is a large increase, but other stores doing the same thing, if they even exist, might not be much lower, if at all. Uuuh... Yes, I know you wrote that, but I figured that since you can't read Japanese, you probably didn't know the specifics of what the additional contents were. I also wanted to make sure to let everyone know there was more WARNING!! Darius-san, too. How?!? What? - 2015/10/23 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Holy crap, I take what I said about the price back. What? How did you buy something from Amazon Japan, as you need to input a Japanese credit card and address, which is where they'll, you know, ship what you paid for. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember No, you don't need a Japanese credit card or address. Definitely not a Japanese address, considering the site shows specific policies for international shipments. And this is not anything new, either; the first time I bought something from Amazon.co.jp was when you were about 3 years old. - 2015/10/26 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Amazing. Thanks. Much better shipping prices than what the hell they had in mind those guys of another website whose name I can't remember. 4900¥ to ship the Premium Box of Atelier Sophie is insane. R-Type Final is... Definitely unique. I'm really enjoying the incredibly depressing atmosphere this game has, even though it's the cause of unmemorable, or barely there, music. It's meant to be such, probably, but being a huge fan of videogame music, I would have preferred a much better score, at the cost of some kind of contrast between what you see and what you hear. It's cool that the third stage basically has funeral music, though it was the worst stage to include it, in my opinion. It's the most "frantic" (for R-Type Final standards) stage out of the first four (five, since I played 2.2 and 2.3), so it strikes me as weird. They should have used that for the stage 4 boss. Speaking of which, I love it. Not for gameplay, considering the first phase has two attack repeated ad nauseum, but for the concept. This is pretty much the emblem of R-Type, and look what's left of it. As Eurogamer said "If the Warship was an assassination, this is euthanasia." Finally, the Giant Enemy Crab fight in stage 1 is overly long, boring, infuriating, and the lack of autosave is jarring, considering Delta. tl;drCome here, it'll explain it much better than I ever will. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Downloaded DariusBurst Second Prologue on my smartphone, because why wouldn't I? Wanted to try the new Assault ship on the new SP Mode. Put no effort at all to no miss the ABDGJ Route. Not only do the touch controls to make it much easier to dodge fast, but the ship is also overpowered beyond belief. The "bomb" pretty much destroys everything on its path, costs nothing, and it's insanely easy to counterburst, considering you only have to touch the Burst icon relatively close to the boss. Here's the score and all. Finally, since the endings are now dubbed in English, I can now understand what the Thiima are doing in this game. "The flagship of the Belsar fleet is swallowed by the void... True to legend, the Silver Hawks emerge victorious. Suddenly, out of the light, a white form shimmers into view. This is the Shiima, an alien intelligence responsible for destroying Amnelia; the birthplace of mankind. Despite knowing full well that they cannot defeat the Shiima, the Silver Hawks ready themselves for battle, but the Shiima themselves are eerly still, seemingly studying the Hawks...? After what seems like an eternity, the Shiima begin to silently draw away. The Silver Hawks can do little but watch as their would be enemy disappears into the infinite depths of space. Mankind has been spared, but for what purpose..." Huh. Are the Shiima (bleh) longing for mankind to finally annihlate Belsar (ugh) for them, as revenge for stealing their stuff? Are they waiting for mankind to prove their worth, so that they can fight once more? Tune in next decade to find out in Shin Darius VI! POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Nice score, almost a counterstop. But yes, touchscreen control makes shooting games too easy. I remember when Second Prologue first released, I saw a phone games review that said it was nothing special and not worth the price (which, I remind you, was a fraction of the original PSP release's price). The review recommended you spend your money on some other scrolling shooter instead. I suspect the reviewer was one of those people who sees little difference between any two given scrolling shooters. Not a connoisseur. Finally, since the endings are now dubbed in English, I can now understand what the Thiima are doing in this game. Wait, what? This text is totally different from what we talked about for the J ending on the previous page of this topic. Where's the negotiation with Ti2? Or, heck, with anyone? Did the localization dispose of the original endings??? By the way, AxelMill, check out what got a PEGI rating for PSV on November 1st. And Amazon.co.jp's shipping policy makes it definitely better for small orders of heavy items (such as books like Darius Odyssey). If you're ordering multiple light items, though, a place that charges shipping by weight would probably be better. - 2015/11/06 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Nice score, almost a counterstop. Nope, as you can (barely, by zooming in) see, they added in another digit. That's because if you destroy the last enemy of a wave, the score bonus is multiplied by 3*(your multiplier), or 6*(your multiplier) if you detonate the Assault's burst bomb to destroy it (you should be able to do something similar with the other two, but I don't know how yet). The multiplier can reach 96x, basically, be it for that specific wave. Also, in my new ABCEH run with Legend (which can NOT separate from its Burst anymore, while Next can), I scored, without No Missing, 167,314,500. Far from a Counterstop, but I guess they purposefully made it that way. Records are now divided in Mode, Ship and Route. Cool. Wait, what? This text is totally different from what we talked about for the J ending on the previous page of this topic. Where's the negotiation with Ti2? Or, heck, with anyone? Did the localization dispose of the original endings??? Now the Assault and the Origin are part of the endings, so probably the other two aren't even piloted by Ti2 and OtherGuyNobodyCaresAbout. There are two modes: Original Mode, which is regular Burst PSP, and SP Mode, which is the same except a palette swap in Zone A, music changes in Zone A and I (Fossil and Knives included), and more kinds of enemies, coming straight from Another Chronicle (it was originally released the same year). There are eight endings, the first four for SP and the other four are certainly going to be real translations of the Burst endings. Whether the new ones are retellings or sequels it's uncertain, but some official text does explain that these new events are part of an all-out war with the Belser, now that the Burst Cannon has been mass-produced. By the way, AxelMill, check out what got a PEGI rating for PSV on November 1st. Of course I already knew Hope they release it fast enough for it to be GOTY2015. Then again, if there's a DBCS rating and no Persona 5, it does mean something. Oh my Gosh the game is approaching fast. Another thing, this Second Prologue has finally fixed one of the few problem I had with the original: now in Zone D and F there are, respectively, Lightning Claw (new version of Flamberge) and the amazing Heavy Jaw. I love that boss. To be fair, though, it removed Burst Mode, and there are much less, easier, missions, 32, as opposed to 50. Oh well. And I noticed that the Assault autobombs when it has no shield. That's another reason why it's overpowered as hell. With this last thing I finally leave: yes, the Burst gauge does deplete slower than in Burst PSP. And it's stupid easy to counterburst, with any ship. I never even mess up once, unlike on the other game. Oh my God this post is insanely long. Sorry. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember PSV DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours is now available to pre-order at CDJapan. - 2015/11/14 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I've placed a pre-order for DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours at CDJapan, along with a manga volume (that's already released). If the game really does release in just a few weeks in the NA PS Store, well, I have no budget for it. Will probably get that at some point just to support the Western release, but who knows when that will be. - 2015/11/18 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Good luck waiting for two more months, mwhahaha. These two weeks are killing me, since I have "nothing" to play, and they are just started. So you have my compassion. And my evil laugh. Anyway, I created a Twitter account just to tell Pyramid manager James Wragg about the horrible typos in the Chronicle Saviours website. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Trophy list. No damage QUZ (hardest route) is going to be really fun. As fun as scoring 350,000,000 in a mode, destroying every piece of Mirage Castle and counterburst killing every boss in the game. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I'm not looking at that list (yet), but given how far I made it into DariusBurst's Mission Mode (i.e., not far at all), I don't doubt I won't be seeing many of those Trophies make it into my collection. Good luck waiting for two more months, mwhahaha. Or more. I might have to cancel, if there's no money for it. - 2015/11/25 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Ouch. That sucks. Oh, forgot to tell you: I got a beta code for Chronicle Saviours PC. And it's not a beta, it's actually the full game, achievements and all. I am supposed to be a tester, and that's what I did. During the first hour, that's all I did. My sister was the first one to play a full run (ADI), that sucked. I did play a lot of CS mode afterwards, though. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Not much of a surprise, but people are now laughing at the $40 price tag for Dariusburst. They seem to think SHMUPs should be $5 or less. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember To be fair, you can pre-order the import for about $10 more. Which is what I plan to do. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I am appaled to say, I am guilty of that, too. I am disgusting, I know, and I realized that shortly after I posted my thoughts on the Shmup Forums. Yes, maybe it is a commercial suicide, considering they built no hype around a full-priced game, which people might think thay, like every shmup, lasts half an hour. But they are wrong. It's fifteen minutes tops A guy on that same forum earlier said that it took him 22 hours to reach a certain boss in the main CS mode (and it's not even the final one). In 10 hours, I barely cleared 6 arcade runs, 17 of the 200+ CS stages and about 10 of the 3097 Chronicle stages. I also did my job as a tester a lot, so that's that. To be fair, you can pre-order the import for about $10 more. Which is what I plan to do. Right. I forgot to mention that I said that also because we have no physical release, but are paying the same price for it. This started a physical vs digital war. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember To be fair, you can pre-order the import for about $10 more. Which is what I plan to do. If you plan to do that at CDJapan, now's a good time. Until December 9th (AKA December 10th Japan time), they're having a double bonus points offer on all orders placed. Normally, the price of DBCS being above 5000 yen would qualify you for a 300-point bonus when the order shipped, but it's a 600-point bonus right now. That's like $2.50 more than normal! Jackpot, baby! Incidentally, I'm jealous of Mr. DBCS Beta Tester here. Might have to throw a fish at him if I ever see him. - 2015/12/08 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Incidentally, I'm jealous of Mr. DBCS Beta Tester here. Might have to throw a fish at him if I ever see him. What if I told you... That I got the game for free. *runs away* POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Didn't you already say that you got the game for free? Saying so now doesn't earn you any extra fish thrown at you. By the way, the second boss in To-Fu Fury is awfully reminiscent of Syvalion/Dark Helios. - 2015/12/08 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember This might be up youse alley: Mushihimesama Bullet hell shmup. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Didn't you already say that you got the game for free? Saying so now doesn't earn you any extra fish thrown at you. I myself didn't know if I got to keep it or not after the game release. Sometimes it's not the case. Like every console "beta" (more like demo you usually pay for). This might be up youse alley: Mushihimesama Of course I already know about Cave's first Steam port. Personally I'm waiting for a DoDonPachi, be it Daifukkatsu (which is a word I can't say loudly, as 'katsu is too close to our f**k, which is actually d**k, with the last letter swapped with an O) Black Label or SaiDaioujou. It's made by the same guys who brought us DBCS, too, and they did a beta specifically because, in its earlier state, Mushi was a disaster of a port. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Onmode, do you enjoy the TwinBee franchise? I ask since you're a fan of the franchise and I believe you've mentioned owning all of the Konami shooter compilations for the PSP. I dig this out every once in a while and I just can't get into this one. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I think I own all the Konami SHMUPs on PSP. I dunno if there's any that I've missed. The Twinbee series is 'okay' for me. I don't love it. I thought the first game was pretty bad, but all the sequels were better. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO onmode-kyMember Onmode, do you enjoy the TwinBee franchise? Hmm. Well, I don't dislike it, but I definitely find it a bit chaotic to play, what with having to shoot and catch the bells. If anything, maybe I just enjoy opportunities to play vertically scrolling shooters with my PSP held vertically. Regarding the franchise in general, it'd be nice if I could someday see the TwinBee anime OVA and try out TwinBee RPG. I think I own all the Konami SHMUPs on PSP. After Gradius Portable/Collection, Konami did a trio of releases, for Salamander, TwinBee, and Parodius. If you have those, then you have them all. I myself didn't know if I got to keep it or not after the game release. Yes, but you'd already written here that you were being allowed to keep the game. - 2015/12/15 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Oh. I'm an idiot. CS Mode is really hard for me. I almost reached the end, skipping every other secondary mission, but this one is insane. 7 ARM, plus whatever you may find, to finish 12 between bosses and stages, with G.T.V at the end. There's a hidden last mission which has 12 zones and 12 bosses. Luckily I'll never unlock it. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember After Gradius Portable/Collection, Konami did a trio of releases, for Salamander, TwinBee, and Parodius. If you have those, then you have them all. I have them all then. Out of those 3 releases, Salamander is my fave. CS Mode is really hard for me. It is. Some of the missions are insane. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember XEVIOUS 3D/G+ is on sale for 3 bucks on PSN. I have Xevious 3D on the 3DS. Any reason to pick this one up? I know it has 2 other games on it, but are they sooo good that I have to play them, or are they just more of the same? POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Xevious 3D is just a 3D version of Xevious, but XEVIOUS 3D has, besides the original and its sequels (Super and Arrangement, the second of which was originally released on Namco Museum Vol.1), a completely new game called, unsurprisingly, Xevious G+, a more modern take on the series with 3D (polygonal) graphics. You also unlock Heihachi Mishima as playable "ship". If you like Xevious, this is the ultimate collection. Well, they are more of the same if you mean "same gameplay". Think the Gradius Collection. Besides Super (which I didn't really notice any difference at all, when I played it years ago), they are all different games. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Dunno if I like Xevious, if you get my meaning. Hmmm. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Dunno if I like Xevious, if you get my meaning. Nope, I don't. Still, three bucks for four shmups, old-school as they may be, is a steal. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I mean I dunno if I like it enough to get more Xevious games. While it's cheap, I'm supposed to be saving money for Civ Rev 2 (so pissed it got delayed) and Digimon. I was hoping future games on sale wouldn't be anything I'd actually be interested in, so as not to be tempted to get it, but this week there's 2 games I'm eyeing... POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I'm thinking of getting it, at long last. . . . If it were the only sale item I were interested in, yes, but I'm already pretty sure I'll be getting Brandish: The Dark Revenant and maybe Rock Boshers DX: Director's Cut--and that's already much more than the $0 I really want to spend. The problem is that Brandish's 50%-off sale price is a $10 savings, making it very appealing, and while both Xevious 3D/G+ and RBDXDC are both ~$3, the latter's $3 is a greater discount from its normal price. What's the other game you're eyeing in the sale? Regardless, though, at some point, I think you should get Xevious 3D/G+ just because Xevious is historically significant for the whole genre. Family's gotta stick together, so you need 3D/G+, too. Eventually, at least. - 2015/12/17 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember No hurt me much, but it's Tetris Ultimate. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember Free scrolling shooter on Steam http://www.pcgamer.com/grab-a-free-steam-key-for-arcade-shooter-enemy-mind/ Probably not that good, but eh, it's free POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember It's actually pretty good. Not memorable (neither visually nor audibly) but the gameplay is unique. It's like G-Darius, but instead of having the enemy as an ally, you become the enemy. Add a limited amount of bullets per ship, and there you go, fun game. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Thanks guys. I got Xevious and the visuals in motion look pretty cool. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Thanks guys. I got Xevious and the visuals in motion look pretty cool. Glad I could help. Lucky you, Namco hates Europe for some unknown reason. Played three of Cave's vertical shmups, Espgaluda II, Mushihimesama and Mushihimesama Futari - Black Label. I think I like these slightly more than the DoDonPachis and Ketsui because of their uniqueness, the two Mushis being about a princess riding a beetle and firing at other giant bugs (or a T-Rex, or Dragons) and the other telling a story about flying magical dudes and dudettes. And Mushi's (not Futari) third and fourth stages are fantastic. The former is basically R-Type's third stage, but against a gigantic insect instead of a battleship, and the latter's atmosphere is splendid. Play them, regardless of the brutal difficulty. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember a princess riding a beetle For anyone unaware, "Mushi Hime" literally means "bug princess." I caved and not only bought Brandish: TDR and Rock Boshers DX: DC, but also Xevious 3D/G+. I'll abstain from some grocery purchase to make up the deficit. - 2015/12/21 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Wrong topic. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Dariusburst: I Forget the Rest is releasing soon, the physical version, and I'm curious to how difficult the game is. I'm still pretty much a SHMUP noob, so how hard of a time am I going to have? I at least want to do better than onmode-ky on a few stages. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Much harder than vanilla. CS mode (the "story" mode), while repetitive, is really challenging, and every stage (which can last a few minutes or almost an hour) requires you to 1CC it. It gives you tons of ARM (shield), but sometimes that's not enough. If you've never played DariusBurst before, here's a really helpful guide. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Thanks for the link. I'll probably just get really good at the first few levels and do better than him on those. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I really like Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours. It's one of the more accessible SHMUPS I've played. It's visually slick, and the soundtrack is pretty kickass. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember My copy hasn't arrived yet. . . . T_T I didn't pay for tracking on this one, either, so no idea where it is. It's close to the end of the usual Air Mail window, though, hmm. - 2016/01/23 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember My copy arrived today. Naturally, I haven't actually opened it yet. But, I did go and take a picture of all my Darius-related goods together: Incidentally, Japanese weekly game sales reports had this to say about DBCS: 20. Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours (PS Vita) – 3,675 Made the top 20, though not with particularly large numbers. Hmm. - 2016/01/28 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Well, now, this is a bit odd. The 3,675 figure was from Media Create's Jan. 11th-17th stats. Enterbrain's Jan. 11th-17th stats say PSV DBCS sold 7,223 copies. Just about twice as much. . . . Dengeki Online stats for the same period say 6,144. I wonder who's closest to being right. In any case, I guess we can at least say it was under 10K. - 2016/01/28 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember You are missing a few things, like POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Well, continuing in that vein, then I'm also missing the bones of several Persian kings. No one offers free shipping on those. But speaking more on topic, I don't have any of the PC Engine, Super Famicom, Mega Drive, Saturn, or PS1 releases in the series. Nor any of the arcade cabs. Nor any of the soundtracks prior to DariusBurst. But then, I never claimed I had as much Darius stuff as I did Voogie's Angel. - 2016/01/28 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember While records from that time are pretty spotty, I'm pretty sure none of the Persian kings put out any cds POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember My collection is still made of Taito Legends 2, and that's it. Need to buy some old games. Some games aren't terribly overpriced, unfortunately I lack the consoles to play them on. And I don't really want to have a dusty cart/box on my shelf. Oh my gosh those are the two small Silver Hawk figurines I found on the Net!! Sho cute! I love this amazing R-9 Arrowhead figurine more, though. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Er, that's a 1/100-scale plastic model kit that's almost a foot long (the product info says ~25 cm). How does that fit under "figurine"? The little Silver Hawks I have are from the Shooting Game Historica trading figure series. Specifically, the blue one is from Series 1, and the red one is from Series 4. I have most of Series 1 (missing its R-9A Arrowhead and red Silver Hawk--incidentally, the Silver Hawks in this series were from Darius Gaiden), all of Series 2, and all of Series 4 (the Silver Hawk in this series is DariusBurst's Legend Silver Hawk Burst). Checking around the Web, it seems the series continued after I lost track of it, too: the "SP" re-release of Series 4 had actual new ships (unlike the earlier SP releases, which had just been retail-sold versions of the existing trading series); there were deluxe "EX" releases for Thunder Force V and Terra Cresta; and there was a 2013 Taito series with deluxe versions of the Legend/Next Silver Hawk Bursts (both including Burst Cannons) and Black Fly from Metal Black. Search "historica" at Hobby Search to see some of these. The Thunder Force V one in particular seems to have been quite pricey. The Terra Cresta one apparently came out just a couple of months ago. Atariboy might want to look into Series 3, since there's a Raiden jet in that series. Incidentally, the very first post in this thread was about the Shooting Game Historica series. - 2016/01/31 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember How does that fit under "figurine"? I don't know, please explain to me the words to describe that. Is it because it's made of plastic? Too small/big? Because you assemble it? POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Well, I generally associate "figurine" with something that's small and requires little to no assembly. - 2016/02/02 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO AXMMember No-missed all five Original routes in DBCS! Yay! The second one (BEI) was the hardest, and also the last one I did, weirdly enough. I had less trouble fighting Great Thing than that stupid turtle (Ancient Barrage), dang it. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Wow, nice work! I have no idea when I'll even get around to playing my copy. Haven't played anything at all in a good while. But, at least the credit card charge finally came in, 20 days after it shipped. To my surprise, my cost for DBCS was actually slightly less than the amount I paid back in 2010 for the original DariusBurst, thanks to an agreeable exchange rate, some redeemed reward points, and amortized shipping cost. - 2016/02/07 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Wow, nice work! I have no idea when I'll even get around to playing my copy. Haven't played anything at all in a good while. Thanks! It's not much, as Burst is one of the easiest shmups out there, but hey, five more "games" I 1CC'd. Woah, I'm sorry for you. Try to play it ASAP, because it truly deserves it. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Holy smokes, the Shooting Game Historica series is back in a particularly unusual way: an Iron Fossil figma! The figma series by Max Factory and Good Smile Company has traditionally been made up of highly detailed action figures of humanoid characters, but WARNING!! it looks like they're changing up their game. And yes, it is still in the Shooting Game Historica series; look in the upper right quarter of the image, under the "figma" logo text. - 2016/02/10 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Already saw that elsewhere, forgot to share it. I'm kind of disappointed that it's part of the Historica series, as that means it'll be excessively small. If not, and if there's an already painted version, and if the price won't be insane, I might consider the purchase. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember as that means it'll be excessively small I don't think that's true. It's obviously not a trading figure itself; it just happens to bear the branding of the trading figure series. Most likely, it will be about the size of other figma products--which are not all that big to begin with. Mine are 13-15 cm tall. It will probably not be as big as the closest existing figma to it in concept, the Panzer IV figma (the tank used by the main characters in Girls und Panzer), which is "[a]pproximately 490mm in length and 220mm in height." That's sized to fit actual figma character figures in it, though, which is not something Iron Fossil would need to do. It's also electrically powered and extremely expensive. . . . Anyway, judging from this picture of the actual prototype on display at WonFes, and assuming that that name card is maybe slightly larger than a typical business card, I'm guessing Iron Fossil figma is 25-30 cm long. if there's an already painted version Er, figma products are fully assembled, painted figures. What you're seeing in those pictures is the unfinished prototype. If you follow figure releases, you regularly see unpainted prototypes like this during product announcements. if the price won't be insane The price is very likely to be insane, unfortunately. You should just find yourself one of the trading figures. - 2016/02/10 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember 1CC'd DariusBurst PSP's ABDGJ and ABDGK, because A) why not? B) I no-missed the respective routes on AC, I had to do it there, too. Unfortunately, due to the lack of shields in Zone K, I did not no-miss that route. Will make it at some point, I just need to not lose that many ARMs against Mirage Castle, of all things. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember I went ahead and followed Axel's advice and put a 64GB USB drive in my 360 and then purchased a bunch of games on Live (Mostly games that have been on a Sega system). A few of them were shooters: Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun, and Raystorm HD. I've only tried Ikaruga so far. It's pretty cool. Starts off deceptively easy though. I had already knew about the color changing thing, and at first I was having a pretty easy go at it. But then I got to the first boss. I died twice. Then died almost immediately at the start of chapter 2. Having to switch and dodge at pretty much the same time is a lot trickier than I anticipated it to be. There's a good amount of strategy to it, when to switch, when not to switch. It adds to the rather simple core gameplay. And it looks great. I'm not sure how much they did cosmetically for the 360 release, but it's a good looking game. Now I want a Vita version, because every game should have a Vita version. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Ikaruga hasn't received any graphical update, beyond an upscaling. It looked just as good on a Dreamcast/Gamecube. It's easily one of the most graphically advanced shmups. Now I want a Vita version, because every game should have a Vita version. The Vita has, like, two shmups, one of which is a(n amazing) Defender clone and one the other's halves is kinda unplayable on a small screen like that. A tate mode on Vita would be the s**t. I played Star Soldier and DoDonPachi that way, and, on PSP, at least, it's not terribly uncomfortable. Starts off deceptively easy though Heh, get ready for stage four, whenever you'll reach it. Raystorm HD Rayforce is better in my opinion, but Storm's the only one in the series on XBLA. Radiant Silvergun I'm still waiting for a Steam port. Ikaruga came out two years ago. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Raiden V release in the West http://www.purexbox.com/news/2016/02/shmup_action_on_the_way_as_xbox_one_exclusive_raiden_v_heads_west Hope it's a retail one. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember They kind of had to. I mean, the Xbone has sold what, 3 units in Japan? Even though it's region free, a lot of people still don't know how easy it is to just import certain games. SHMUPS and fighters are the best games to import, since there is little in the way of language barrier. And SHMUPS tend to have English text and voice work all over the place, for some reason. I tried Radiant Silvergun today. I am AWFUL at it. I couldn't even make it to the first boss. I've always heard people talk about the difficulty in Ikaruga, and it is hard, but I at least got to the first boss in Ikaruga no problem. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember 1CC'd Mushihimesama Novice Original, no Bombs or Lives left. BOW DOWN BEFORE YOUR SHMUP LORD. Other than that, some Under Defeat, and I think I'll buy DoDonPachi Resurrection, Deathsmiles and Akai Katana with the money my parents gave me. Or DDP Saidaioujou, I don't know. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Darius Burst Chronicles DLC came out today. Are they worth it? POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I personally didn't get them - yet -, but if you expect them to add new exclusive levels or bosses, you're out of of luck. They're just just new "compilations" of levels, like every CS mode stage, with the added bonus of Night Striker, Metal Black and Rayforce's soundtrack. You can't use those three ships in the normal CS stages, but you unlock, along with three stages for each DLC/ship, the Taito pack (10 more, including some Defender, Scramble, and bosses on their own) and the CS Pack 1 (30 of the "best" CS stages).BlueMaxima's got you covered. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Thanks for link. I was hoping for new bosses at least. Not sure if I'll get it, especially if Civ Rev 2 Plus is coming soon. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember Just to inform you guys in case you make a terrible error, there is a bundle for all 3 DLC that you can buy for $11.99, which is cheaper than getting all 3 individually ($4.99 each), but it only shows up as a PS4 game and not Vita, so if you did a search for just Vita games, you won't find it. The desc does say it's crossbuy though so I guess Sony screwed up when they made the listing. Here is the link. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember It would be cool to have new ships, but I imported it. I would have to buy a Japanese voucher, use my Japanese account, and I wouldn't be able to use them on my main account, so it's a no go. Too bad DLC doesn't work across regions. Still not sure what's the point of being region free, but having DLC locked to the account you purchased it with. I don't know why Sony doesn't just let you use your one account for every region. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Since I'm bored, what's everyone's preference? Horizontal or vertical scrolling shooters? For me it's clearly vertically scrolling shooters. I've never been too enthralled by horizontal releases like R-Type, Gradius, Life Force, and many others. Good games that I enjoy playing, but with the exception of Defender, they take a back seat to a good vertical shooter any day. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I love horis much more than verts. I really do. One of the reasons is that they are memorable, without the need of playing them for hundreds of hours. I can remember every stage of Gradius V, Metal Black, Gaiden and G-Darius, R-Type I, Delta and Final, Thunder Force III, IV and V, Einhänder, etcetera. The same can't be said for vertical shooters. One of the deciding factors is their backgrounds. In every vert, you fly above cities, evil fortresses, seas, forests. In horis, you can fly while a black hole in the background engulfs nearby planets, until, when you approach it, the black hole turns out to be a huge battleship. You can fly in pitch darkness while two gigantic people make out in the background. You can fly above a devastated metropolis, as rain floods everything and your ultimate enemy can be barely seen when lightning lights up the night. Horis' enemy patterns are built around the stages. In verts, enemies are all there is. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I can see that, although there are certainly some fine exceptions to that rule. If you could look past the primitive but still attractive graphics of it, I think you'd appreciate River Raid. It's not full of eye candy, but it's also not just an open area populated by enemies. The environment is as much of a factor in its challenge as the enemies are, along with the added bonus of having to concern yourself with your jet's fuel. And the variety with no two areas of the river ever looking alike is amazing, particularly when considering that the system was originally released in 1977. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # FreelanceMember I play both, but I love vertical more than horizontal. In vertical, there's far less chances of crashing into rocks. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Eschatos is an amazing vertical shmup that everyone should play, be it on the 360 (import) or on the PC (Steam). I only paid $3.75 (WinGameStore, on sale) for the "Deluxe" edition, that also included the two old "prequels", Judgement Silversword and Cardinal Sins, and the very good (and pretty retro) soundtrack. If you could look past the primitive but still attractive graphics of it, I think you'd appreciate River Raid. I already played it in 2014, back when playing 2600 games was all the rage. Well, at home. It's definitely one of the better shmups on the system, alongside Phoenix and the two Defenders. And Space Invaders, of course. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I just got these three beauties on Amazon for €28.94, guess what I'm going to play? POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Almost asked if they were all region free, but then I saw the PEGI logos. I wish region free 360 releases were more common. I own World Rally Championship 2 from the UK that is and perhaps might buy a Ubisoft XBLA collection with Beyond Good & Evil HD on it someday that supposedly isn't locked, but they seem few and far between outside of Asia. Then again, I can't really think of much else I'd actually want to import. I'd of rather had WRC1/3-4 on my 360, but it's a moot point with the PS3 versions in my collection (The last two of which actually saw North American retail releases on the PS3 for a switch). POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Deathsmiles is the only one that isn't region free, actually.DoDonPachi Resurrection "proof".Akai Katana "proof".Deathsmiles "proof". Resurrection includes a "somber" Arrangement of the OST, and (our version of) Deathsmiles includes the OST and PC icons and wallpapers. These three are from Germany, with covers in German and manuals in German, but the games are in English. Too bad to actually get the games you need to read the manual, for the games lack any tutorial or explanation of the modes (besides Akai, sort of). I think you can buy them from Amazon.it. Here's DDP, and here's Akai Katana. DoDonPachi Saidaioujou is next. Eventually. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Söldner-X 2 for the Vita will be getting a limited printing. It'll have a new trophy list exclusive to the retail version, and the DLC will be included. I'll definitely be picking it up so I can delete it, and make room on my memory card. Well, I'll try to get a copy before they sell out in 2 minutes. [link] POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Even though I think Söldner-X 2 is better than its predecessor, I'm still not that big a fan of it. Thus, I'll sit out the physical copy (and save myself some stress struggling to get it, too). I recently went back to my PSM library and took a look at the two Team Red Herring scrolling shooters that I have, Eternal Interceptor Bit (vertical) and M.B.Re (horizontal). Back when I bought them, I'd played them both briefly . . . just long enough to understand that I couldn't read the controls explanations before they disappeared from the display. >_< So, back then, I just fumbled through some gameplay on both for a bit before turning to my other simultaneous PSM purchases. This time, I tried to decipher what the cryptic controls explanations meant and gave some earnest shots at playing. Both games start off offering just an Easy and a Normal mode, and just the main game. Guessing that beating the games would unlock more content, I switched to Easy and fought my way to their ends (after you deplete your life bar and die, you're allowed in both titles to Continue from the beginning of your most recent stage, but with 0 score and no power-ups--which can make it so that you're better off just starting again from the beginning). I eventually also 1CC'd both on Easy, but not Normal. Anyway, I was right about more content unlocking after beating the games: Hard and Extreme difficulties unlocked in both games, as well as a selection screen for your starting stage; E.I. Bitunlocked a one-long-stage "Nightmare" variant of the full game, a survival mode (randomly picks set enemy patterns to send your way), and an evasion mode (try to survive with no gun); M.B.Re unlocked a boss rush mode. In terms of content, I suppose E.I. Bit has more, not just in the post-conquest unlocks but also in the main game; it has four stages, to M.B.Re's three. However, M.B.Re has different weapons for different purposes (for example, one seems to be for taking down enemies' shields--the controls explanation sadly tells you what they're called but doesn't explain well what they're for). Thus, there's more variety in the shooting, whereas E.I. Bit just gives different weapons to different ships, one of which really seems entirely better than the other two. Also, E.I. Bit's Stage 3 is that annoying anomaly in the vertical shooter realm, the stage full of environmental hazards. I.e., your greatest obstacles are actual, physical obstacles, walls all over the place, sometimes with narrow gaps you have to quickly reach. Therefore, I'd have to say that M.B.Re is the more enjoyable of the two. Neither game is mind-blowingly memorable, but they both have pretty good enemy variety and boss battles. M.B.Rehas an eye-catching color vector-graphics look to it, and you can blow parts off enemies, so it has some good visual kick. Overall, I'm satisfied with both at their under-$3 cost, in contrast to my other PSM vertically scrolling shooter, Wing Warriors, which was entirely too simple and easy; it was unsatisfying even considering its 79-cent price. - 2016/04/18 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Raiden V's release date has been confirmed for the West. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-05-02-raiden-v-arrives-in-the-west-next-week POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember And a recent update added three new weapons and full English voice acting throughout the entire game. And they've done a decent job at it, I've heard. The story is supposedly pretty dark, R-Type kind of dark, and I like R-Type kind of dark. If they ever get to port it elsewhere, though, I think I'll turn the voices off. The soundtrack is truly one of the best I've ever heard in any game, ever, and I demand to fully enjoy its greatness. If you haven't listened to it yet, don't. It would detract from the experience. Here's some trivia, just for the sake of it. You might call them spoilers, but they're not. I think. - The first two stages are stupid easy, but the game really gets going (and difficult) when you enter the third one. The developers call them "tutorial stages", to get accustomed to the game. I think I've already wrote this, but still. - There are branching paths. Kinda like in Raiden Fighters Jet, the following stage is chosen depending on the percentage of enemies shot down and/or how well you played overall. They range from S to C (or B, can't remember). Example, Stage 3-A. I don't know how different they are, but I do know that these also do not affect whether you encounter the TLB or not. - This game is one hour long, and there's no looping. Definitely a longer experience than normal, but it will more likely than not burn you out faster than DariusBurst or RayCrisis (pretty short games even for shmup standards). I guess it's the fifth game syndrome: Gradius V and R-Type Final are also this long, more or less. - There are three "colors" for the weapons, like Raiden IV (and others?): red, blue and purple. Maxing out all three grants you access to the True Last Boss, no matter the difficulty or continues. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember The game's going to cost $50 digital-only. I suggest you import a physical copy. The recent update translated it into English.Not cheaper, but better. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO AtariboyMember I was worried that would happen. Import it is then. Hopefully it doesn't cost an arm and a leg when I'm ready, since $40 or so is the most that I'd be willing to go. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Unfortunately for you, this is the lowest price I found. And knowing Moss, it's never going down in price, neither the physical, because it's more likely than not going to become rare, nor the digital version. 7344 yen are 68 dollars, and that game came out two years ago. Also a 30-dollar PS4 version of that same Caladrius Blaze is coming out. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Here's another option just in case shipping through Play-Asia is on the high side. https://solarisjapan.com/products/raiden-v Honestly, chances of you getting it cheaper than what it is is pretty slim. I doubt it'll sell well enough for a Platinum Hits type variant. And sometimes they can be just as hard to find later as first run copies. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Oh, and that same amazing awesome beatiful soundtrack is also included. Pretend you're buying it separately and ta-dah, 50 + 15 = 65 dollars. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember Just a note: generally, Amazon.co.jp won't ship video games outside Japan, so it isn't much help to post their links. Like for Raiden V, the page (English version) says, "International Shipping: We're sorry; this item can not be shipped outside Japan." - 2016/05/07 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I'm afraid that even though Raiden III is all I've touched for 21st century shooters besides R-Type Final and Gradius V (I'm not impressed by modern "bullet-hell" shooters), I'm not a big enough fan of either Raiden III or what I've watched of the two sequels in action to pay that much. While I enjoy Raiden III even though it's not as great as the 2D classics and I want Raiden V, Raiden IV will have to comfort me when I buy it for the 360. What they want for this new one could get me three Nintendo Selects rereleases and a lot more entertainment for the same amount of money, so I just can't justify it. Hopefully if it never gets a proper physical release (Maybe Limited Run Games could rescue it, if they ever start publishing on the XB1), it will at least go on sale someday. I'd grab it if it ever hit the $20 or so mark. They're making a mistake since I'm confident a large segment of the fanbase for this type of game prefers purchasing a retail copy. Making it be a $50 digital purchase is going to kill off most interest in it. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Just a note: generally, Amazon.co.jp won't ship video games outside Japan, so it isn't much help to post their links. Oh, I thought they started doing so. Huh. Speaking of DariusBurst PSP... YES Now I'm done with this game. Besides ABCEI runs for fun and Mission Mode, but if I want to play missions, there's the 3200 of them in DBCS. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Cleared Eschatos (Original, Normal) after a dozen runs or two. Last time I lost at the beginning of the final boss, but this time I had five lives left (instead of one), so I had almost nothing to fear. Besides the creepy as f**k sreaming human face during the last phase. All in all, it's the best thing ever and that's an indisputable fact. Fun fact: it's my first legit 1CC of a game that's not 1) stupid easy, 2) on easy mode, 3) DariusBurst. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Anyone played R-Type Delta? That's one that I never gotten around to buying, but probably should one of these days. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # JeremyRMember No, it's not my type POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I've had R-Type Delta as a PSN download since mid-2009. AxelMill's played it before, too, based on one of his posts on page 20. Sounds like he beat it, as well, whereas I got stuck somewhere and never went back. It's been a few years since my last attempts. I should note that the game is no longer in the PS Store (any region). It was removed when Irem had their meltdown and abandoned video games. My R-Type shooting game library consists of R-Types (i.e., R-Type and R-Type II), Image Fight, R-Type Leo, R-Type Delta, and R-Type Final, which I guess means I only lack Armored Police Unit Gallop and R-Type III. I also have neither of the R-Type strategy games. - 2016/05/23 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember That reminds me that I should pick up that Irem collection someday. Been an awful long time since I bought a new PC game. Bet it has been over a decade, not counting the F2P game that has had me hooked all year. Always been a bit difficult to get excited about a PC classic compilation given the ease of emulating them yourself with homebrew programs, but I'm sure that I'd enjoy myself. AxelMill's played it before, too, based on one of his posts on page 20. Given that he remembers every stage, it sounds like he must like it. I don't think I've ever even looked it up on YouTube. I hope that it's all 2D sprites and not 2.5D. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I do remember every stage. Up to the fourth one. Because I'm a terrible shmup player in every regard. I don't think I've ever even looked it up on YouTube. I hope that it's all 2D sprites and not 2.5D. Wish... Not granted. 2.5D in all its confusing glory. My R-Type shooting game library consists of R-Types (i.e., R-Type and R-Type II), Image Fight, R-Type Leo, R-Type Delta, and R-Type Final, Mine consists of R-Type Final and That's It. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Too bad since I prefer sprites in my shooters over polygons. From the scattered two minutes I looked at in a longplay video just now, it looks a lot like a lower-res R-Type Final. Probably still worth a buy if it doesn't go for crazy amounts of money. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I do remember every stage. Up to the fourth one. Because I'm a terrible shmup player in every regard. Not sure if you're saying you're terrible -> you didn't get beyond the fourth stage, or you're terrible -> you can't remember beyond the fourth stage. Or another possibility, you're terrible -> you left the keys in the Arrowhead with the canopy open when you took a bathroom break during the fourth stage, yet you reported it destroyed in combat. - 2016/05/25 GMT POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I clearly meant the third one you mentioned. Though, yeah, of course it was because I didn't get past that fourth stage. I did say "terrible shmup player" and not "terrible rememberer". it looks a lot like a lower-res R-Type Final. It's arguably much more fast-paced, and Delta's music is actual music. It also has autosave, unlike Final, and customizable menu wallpaper (you unlock them as you progress into the game, kinda like the ships in Final but not really). Too bad since I prefer sprites in my shooters over polygons. Low-poligon 3D graphics fascinate me. I really like them. Moreso than ultra HD super pretty ones. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I still enjoy many Playstation era 3D games, I just never much cared for 2D perspective games going the polygonal route over utilizing traditional 2D sprites. In fact until I played it and realized how crucial it was due to the paper transformation mechanic, I was holding it against A Link Between Worlds. All I could remember was the last time they delved into A Link to the Past for inspiration to create Four Sword Adventures and how beautiful it was on the GameCube, with me wishing ever since for a proper Zelda adventure that went in a similar direction graphically. POSTED 3 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I haven't been playing any shmup for God knows how long. Last time I did I 1CC'd the great Eschatos, after that, I got burned out. I expected that, considering how many of them (and how much) I played. Today I played some DariusBurst, for old time's sake. Incredible how I feel nostalgic about something I first played two years ago, and for real less than a year ago. I wanted to fight Syvalion, but then I remembered how much I love World of Peace, so I went to fight Thousand Knives, like I always do. My route was slightly different this time: ABDFI. Well, new high score: 50,768,880, a bit more than my previous 49,403,060. Probably because of Zone F's incredibly high number of debris. By the way, onmode-ky, did you finally get to play Chronicle Saviours? I hope so. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Sega has bought the Tecnosoft library and are adding Thunder Force 3 to Sega 3D Classics Collection Volume 3. Hopefully we'll see a Thunder Force collection someday. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AXMMember WOAH! What great news! Thanks Atariboy! POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AXMMember DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours's next DLCs, despite R-Type's victory in the poll, will be Cave, with DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu, Ketsui and Deathsmiles (lolis in space, yes), and Raizing, with Battle Garegga (which will also get a rerelease on PS4 this year), Mahou Daisakusen and Soukyugurentai. Do you know the last two? Of course you don't. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember I've heard of Soukyugurentai, though I don't recall what it is remembered for. "Mahou Daisakusen" is a very generic-sounding title; literally, it just means "[The] Great Magic Plan." What I most remember about Raizing is that they are/were associated with 8ing. - 2016/09/21 GMT POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I don't have the space for it anyways, but out of curiosity, is DariusBurst on the PSTV compatibility list? Seeing conflicting things about that and it has no notation on the Playstation Store that says it works and isn't on another list that I usually rely on, either. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AXMMember This guy played it on the TV. There are also a few videos on Youtube who claim to be playing on it. EDIT:Confirmed by the developers. onmode-ky, have you played DBCS yet? POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Yes, but with hacks, YouTube footage is meaningless. And I saw that from the developers, but that was a few days before release and the usual PSTV compatibility note at the store isn't there and it's not on any compatibility list that I've seen besides the site that made that inquiry you linked to. So I wonder if it really is in North America and if it requires a workaround like installing it to a memory card on a handheld first. It's on sale and a smaller file than I figured, so I've been tempted since I think I can squeeze it in without sacrificing a few more planned purchases. But I'll just wait I suppose. A PS4 arcade stick should be useful when the day comes thanks to the Arcade Archives line and AtGames starting publishing compilations, and I assume that would work well with this game. Or maybe not, given that they list this in the feature set on the Playstation Store page for the game... "Dual Analog Sticks" Does it actually utilize the right analog in any way, breaking arcade stick support in the process? POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AXMMember This review says so.This one also does.Neogaf, too. ...Wikipedia? Please buy it. As for Arcade Sticks, almost none of them seem to work with the PSTV unless you use an adapter. Also, one more person playing DBCS on there. And yes, PC Engine Fan X! is a reliable source.Here's a more throughout discussion about sticks on PSTV. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AXMMember My Hori Fighting Stick Mini 4 doesn't work in either of the modes (PS3 and PS4) on PSTV. Please buy it, anyway. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember No, I haven't played DBCS yet. As with the majority of the games I've bought this year, I haven't even opened the packaging yet. The game card currently in my PSV is the same as it has been for a looong time, Ys: Memories of Celceta. And I'll get back to that once I'm done with my PSM games. I would trust the Reviews2Go affirmation of PS TV compatibility. The guy who runs that site specifically tests every game he reviews for (official) PS TV compatibility and maintains his own list about it. Back in the PSM days, the site had a different name, and I remember talking to him about the "can't switch memory cards without killing PSM" issue. In the midst of that, I saw him frequently bugging game publishers on whether upcoming games were going to be PS TV-compatible. It's definitely something he focuses on. - 2016/09/25 GMT POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I would trust the Reviews2Go affirmation of PS TV compatibility. What he said! Buy it! POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I held off since I really want it for the PS4. But I'll be relying on that compatibility list in the future. I didn't realize that Vanguard was compatible. I could've swore that was one SNK PSP Mini that I wasn't able to get going. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO AXMMember Why? It's not like the graphics improve that much, and it's always going to cost more on PS4. All it has over the Vita version is 4-player coop and a Japanese-only digital artbook. If you can find people that want to play DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours with you, I'm extremely happy for you. As always, I only have my sister, and we only played it once or, at most, twice. Sorry for getting angry over you not buying a game, but I want as many people to play DBCS as possible. I wanted to bring a cracked version of it at school, considering a lot of people liked Darius Gaiden, but it needs Visual C++ installed Mamorukun (sic) Curse was on sale this weekend (US Store), so yesterday I decided to buy it. It was either that or a PSX Disney game, I only had ~$2.40. Do you know Pocky and Rocky (huh, it's supposed to be a KiKi KaiKai sequel) for the SNES? Well, it's that, but with more bullets and moe AF (the main character is a shota, though, not a loli. Yes, that person on the "cover" on PSN is a boy). Branching paths, optional harder versions of bosses to fight, free choice of the stage order, a Chronicle-esque (from DBCS) mode, it's plenty fun. And the music is composed by Yousuke Yasui the same person who composed Eschatos's amazing soundtrack, and it shows. FM synth greatness, right here. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember I really like arcade sticks. Plus I don't intend to juggle memory cards or pay the crazy prices for a larger card, so this leaves me 800 mb's free for something Vita specific that catches my eye in the future. And after buying several things recently on PSN, I just didn't want to spend the money so soon if I had any excuses. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I have absolutely no idea how I forgot that you wanted to play it with your arcade stick. It was literally three posts above. Luckily it's on sale relatively often. Moreso on Steam. The only place where they also discount the DLCs even though I asked them to do the same on PSN on Twitter and they answered with a like! Gaaaah! POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Raiden V is only $12.50 on Xbox Live right now. Too bad that I don't even want it now. It just seems lacking in gameplay videos. Otherwise I'd buy it in anticipation of acquiring a Xbox One, one of these days. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AXMMember Man, did its price drop harder than... Than... Whatever. Did you watch the first two stages? Because everyone agrees that the first two (or three?) stages are boring AF. Including the developers, who call them a "tutorial". After that, it picks up. And the better you play, the harder it gets. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember It's on sale. I just jumped around a bit, I doubt that I watched any segment in its entirety, since I usually don't like doing that with prospective games. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AXMMember I know, it's still an excessively low price for a game that was released a few months ago. I guess they realized pricing a shmup with little to no content at $69 (or 59, or whatever), in a world where DBCS's $50 on PC is "insane", was stupid. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember At that price though, I'd of probably bit just to see for myself. But not only do I not have a Xbox One as of yet, but I'd of also had to renew my long expired Xbox Live subscription since all of the good sales on the Xbox marketplace these days are for gold subscribers only. Just not worth the expense when videos left me less than enthusiastic. If that roadblock hadn't been present, I'd of likely grabbed it just like I did with TxK when Atari was threatening Jeff Minter, back before I bought a PSTV to play it on. But I figure that if they're this desperate, it won't be the last time that it will be dirt cheap. And who knows, maybe it will even join Raiden IV in making the jump much later on to Sony's platform, where everything else that I'd like to use an arcade stick with is already available. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Actually, I think I'd of been out of luck even if I had tried to buy it. I can't buy Xbox One content from my Xbox 360, I believe. And the last I heard, you can't use points cards with their PC storefront. A lot of Xbox One fans that don't trust MS with their credit card data discovered that back when backwards compatible Xbox 360 content could only be bought from a 360 or the PC storefront, before MS fixed it recently with direct access to the 360 store from a XB1. And since I'm not about to trust Sony or Microsoft with that information with their various security issues, the FIFA scammers, and Microsoft enabling auto renew behind my back years ago, I don't think I'd of had a way to buy it. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember This is neat. http://gematsu.com/2016/11/darius-30th-anniversary-edition-announced-ps4 POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AXMMember No, it's not. They could've made a complete collection, instead they're taking an 823 yen game and selling it for 13,000. I couldn't care less about 7 CDs, or an artbook, or superplays of games I can not play on the console they're selling this for. I'm incredibly butthurt, if you couldn't tell. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember That's what happens when someone spends ~$150 and doesn't read the fine print. But there are a lot of Darius fans out there and soundtrack fans, so I bet that this will be desirable just like past boxsets like the Outrun 20th Anniversary release have been. POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember That's definitely quite a lot of money for what's basically one arcade game, a music collection (at least most of which has been released before), some videos, and an art book. And if you think about it, a Blu-ray disc containing a single 1986 arcade game is a whole lot of unused disc space. I think I'll just stick with my 30th anniversary Space Invaders towel and 25th anniversary Zuntata COZMO CD album, and my existing Darius art book. Besides, I think I've had enough of buying $100+ things for a while. - 2016/11/05 GMT POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember This is news to me, but DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours is getting a PS4 physical release at the end of March. There's also a limited edition: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/C16A-123 . Includes some Silver Hawk Burst figures, in the 2P through 4P colors. - 2016/12/29 GMT POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # onmode-kyMember This thread has been asleep for a while, and I don't have time to write much right now, but I thought I'd pop in and report that I played through Xevious 3D/G (via the Xevious 3D/G+ PS1 download, on my PS3) a few days ago. The game only gives you 2 credits in reserve if you play it normally, but I found the cheat code for opening it up to free play (holding L2, select 3D/G from the compilation's menu by banging away at the O button as fast as you can, until the game is completely done loading). I'm really not very good at it--the best I've been able to do in Normal difficulty, with the default 3 lives (can be set to 1, 2, or 5 as well), is to make it partway through Stage 2 on the initial credit--so it took around 25 credits to punch through to the end. Fun game, though, a slick polygon-graphics take on Xevious. However, not masterpiece class; it's no G-Darius or Gradius V. Somehow, my high score from single-credit play was set in a 3-lives game, over 500K points. My best 5-lives single-credit score is only over 400K. - 2017/07/20 GMT POSTED 2 YEARS AGO # AtariboyMember Raiden V on sale for $7.50 on the Xbox One. Too bad I can't make XB1 purchases from my 360, just in case I could put that to use someday (The PC storefront would let me, but I don't trust MS with my credit card information and points cards can only be used to make purchases from a console). POSTED 1 YEAR AGO # Always_SerpicoMember Don't they except PayPal on the PC store? I don't know how likely you are to get a PS4, but a physical NA release has been available for preorder for a while now. POSTED 1 YEAR AGO # onmode-kyMember I only found out about this a couple of days ago, but there is a Kickstarter project ending in about 30 hours to fund the creation of R-Type Final 2: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/granzella/r-type-final-2-aiming-for-a-brand-new-the-best-shmup-ever Specifically, Granzella is raising funds (and met their basic goal within 2 days of the project's opening . . . which was only about a week ago--not sure why they set up the project with such a short window for backing, but that's how it is) to create the game, having gotten a license from Irem Software Engineering Inc. You may recall that Granzella is made up of former Irem employees who quit after Irem primarily left the video game industry and focused on pachislots. In an earlier instance of Granzella working with Irem, they acquired the Disaster Report IP from Irem and completed the series' fourth entry, which had been canceled in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami (published last year for PS4 rather than the original target PS3; prior to that, Granzella also brought the series' third entry, a 2009 PSP game, to the JP PS Store). In this case, Irem is holding on to the R-Type IP (as it's their most well known IP, they're doubtless disinclined to sell it off), but Kazuma Kujo, a former designer on R-Type Delta, R-Type Final, and R-Type Tactics (AKA R-Type Command in the West) is the person at Granzella doing lead design on R-Type Final 2. I haven't decided which tier I want to back at yet . . . and it sure would help if the tiers that got you a copy of the game weren't so expensive, even before adding in a whopping 3000-yen charge for shipping. Anyone else planning to become a backer (or is already one)? If so, what tier? - 2019/06/10 GMT POSTED 1 MONTH AGO # JeremyRMember I actually had heard about it, but i had only played R-Type Tactics. Now if it were a new Vanguard game, I'd be on board... POSTED 1 MONTH AGO # AtariboyMember What they released as Disaster Report 4 was actually a fully original title of their own creation. They apparently didn't bring to completion and port/upgrade the PS3 mess that Irem was struggling to develop (And which the producer 2 or 3 years ago admitted wasn't cancelled out of compassion as portrayed at the time, but because Irem were out of patience/money and the earthquake was a great excuse to look like an humanitarian corporation and get out from under it while saving face). As a fan of the PS2 games and one that was watching with interest the progress of Disaster Report 4 on the PS3, I wish this would get localized and released in the west. But I don't think it's going to be happening at this point. And judging by my playthroughs of Disaster Report 1 and Raw Danger/Disaster Report 2, I doubt it would be import friendly for a non-Japanese speaker (and no English language option is present in the Japanese release). POSTED 1 MONTH AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember Sometimes using a guide is the only option to complete a game. I also played the crap out of disaster report series. Only left 3 unfinished because boredom hits on final day. With 4 not likely for localize I guess I better grab a copy soon POSTED 1 MONTH AGO # AXMMember Anyone else planning to become a backer (or is already one)? If so, what tier? Took me an unreasonably long time to reply because I'm a lazy bum, but I personally didn't back this game. I do follow Kickstarter projects from time to time, but I don't feel confident in doing stuff like this, if that makes any sense. I'd rather just buy things instead. So it's safe to say that I'm going to get this when it comes out, and I'm very happy that the stretch goals for the III, Delta and Final levels were met. I genuinely hope they'll be able to keep their promise of making the best horizontal shmup ever. Apparently Italian is going to be in there, so it's already off to a great start compared to Final. POSTED 1 MONTH AGO # AtariboyMember As a fan of the PS2 games and one that was watching with interest the progress of Disaster Report 4 on the PS3, I wish this would get localized and released in the west. But I don't think it's going to be happening at this point. A Western release was announced today. https://nisamerica.com/disaster-report/ It's also getting PC and Switch ports. POSTED 1 MONTH AGO # Sniper D. LuffyMember A Western release was announced today. https://nisamerica.com/disaster-report/ It's also getting PC and Switch ports. Holy shit holy shit.... HOLY SHIIIIIIEEEETTTTT!!!!! Yay for this news! 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Atariboy Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 (edited) Not sure what the dotted lines are about, but I can't seem to eliminate them. Bringing our thread into its new AtariAge incarnation, I downloaded ACA: Ghost Pilots today on the Playstation 4. I hadn't played this much before this, with a brief fling on the AtGames Legends Flashback a few months ago constituting most of my experience. But I must say this has everything I like in a vertical shooter. Interesting landscapes, a challenging level of difficulty that at the same time doesn't feel unfair (This may change since I think it has a reputation for being a hard game), a choice at the start for what type of secondary ground weapon you want to equip, and some interesting powerups. And like usual, I like the fictionalized WWII theme like Capcom was famous for with their 194X franchise. And I love that the player's plane is a seaplane fighter. It wasn't a common type of fighter plane, but an interesting one none the less. I think the Japanese with a floatplane conversion of their famous Zero fighter for forward bases without prepared landing strips was the only power during WWII to deploy them in quantity. Edited July 22, 2019 by Atariboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXM Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 (edited) Yesterday I accomplished something almost by complete accident, or at least something I didn't expect to do right there and then: I finished Touhou 8: Imperishable Night on a single credit on Normal (True ending, using the Reimu/Yukari team). Took me just under four hours of play total, but a running time of *ahem* 1235 hours, apparently. It's clearly the easier game in the series from the ones I've played -- it also gives you plenty of time to use a bomb after you're hit to save yourself (at the cost of two bomb stocks) -- so it's not that big an achievement, but I'm still very proud of myself. I hadn't played it in a while, too, and the true final stage I'd never even seen before. And unlike with my Metal Slug 1CC, I actually have concrete proof of it thanks to the in-game Replay function. I had no lives left and my last bomb I spent half-way through the true final boss's very last, seemingly neverending phase. I died seconds into the following "bonus" attack pattern, which thankfully was completely optional. I'd have been real sad if I lost at the very very end. Edited December 31, 2020 by AXM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXM Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 22 hours ago, AXM said: I'd have been real sad if I lost at the very very end. ...which is exactly what happened today with Touhou 10: Mountain of Faith! I did end up 1CCing it later, but man, that hurt a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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