Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

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Stevens
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Stevens »

Battle Traverse

Regularly making stage 5 on hard, but definite spike and route required. It feels just right as far as how hard the final stage should be. I had made the final stage a few times and forgot you need to clear it before you can practice it, so there was some feeding going on.

In practice I am getting passed the mid boss just into the underground hangar.

I can definitely clear this.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by endali »

slime rancher
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o.pwuaioc
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by o.pwuaioc »

I was playing a little bit of Astro Boy on the GBA earlier. It's got a few shooting levels in it, and while the overall game is not that great, I wish Treasure had made a classic shooter in that style (aside from Gradius V).

Otherwise been trying to play a little Shienryu when I get time.
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Seamonkey
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Seamonkey »

Ketsui Deathtiny on PS4.

I’ve been translating the trophies (thanks Google translate camera mode!) and trying to get all of them. Some are weird, like avoiding the 1up when it appears. Others are take a while like Arcade Challenge mode where you have to unlock all modes with both ships. There’s a 162 of them! It’s all good though. I’m getting lots of training in.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

o.pwuaioc wrote:and while the overall game is not that great
:?

It's the single best Astro Boy game ever made and one of the better GBA games to have been released, being all about those precise i-frame dodges.
Stevens wrote:Battle Traverse
Stage 5 is rough. I have to have a few bombs planned usually for a 1CC because I still absolutely cannot dodge the last attacks the S3 and S4 boss use. Are you getting all the extends in the game by Stage 5?
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Stevens »

BareKnuckleRoo wrote:

Stage 5 is rough. I have to have a few bombs planned usually for a 1CC because I still absolutely cannot dodge the last attacks the S3 and S4 boss use. Are you getting all the extends in the game by Stage 5?
Stage 4 bosses last attack is rough. I can dodge it for a bit but ultimately I always bomb through it. I have fumbled my way through stage 3's last attack once or twice without bombing though. Although for a planned 1 CC route it would be better if I did.

For the score extends I usually hit 8 million just after the stage 2 mid boss and 25 million sometime on stage 3. BT is honestly really generous - don't have to score it at all and you get them.

Getting the 1 up form the mid boss is pretty easy, especially compared to say, Ketsui.

I can see stage 5 taking me some time.
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o.pwuaioc
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by o.pwuaioc »

BareKnuckleRoo wrote:
o.pwuaioc wrote:and while the overall game is not that great
:?

It's the single best Astro Boy game ever made and one of the better GBA games to have been released, being all about those precise i-frame dodges.
Just because all the other Astro Boy games are bad doesn't mean this game is great. But maybe I sounded more negative than I intended. It's an ok game (better than average only because the average game on the GBA is bad), and I do like the aforementioned mechanic. But this is a shmup thread, so I'll talk about its positives and negatives elsewhere.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

Just because all the other Astro Boy games are bad doesn't mean this game is great.
I don't recall ever having made that argument. The game is great on its own merits.
Stevens wrote:Getting the 1 up form the mid boss is pretty easy, especially compared to say, Ketsui.
It is indeed much easier than Ketsui.
Spoiler
The second item 1UP is harder to obtain.
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Stevens
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Stevens »

BareKnuckleRoo wrote:
It is indeed much easier than Ketsui.
Spoiler
The second item 1UP is harder to obtain.
I just had a run end at the stage 5 mid boss. Lost one life to stage 3 boss, one quick on stage 5, and my last life at the mid boss.

The other two were at stage 4 boss, and while the first was expected the 2nd was the old case of let me see if I can't bomb. Had I spent the bomb I would have started the final stage with 2 lives instead of 1, and probably could have pushed on a bit further.

That said overall it is hard to be disappointed at my furthest run yet.

Yeah the 2nd 1 up reminds me of Progear's stage 4 1 up, but the one in BT is way harder to get than that one too. I've gotten it a few times in practice, but never in an actual run.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Stevens »

Lots of runs to stage 5 and they all have one thing in common: Either 3 is shit or stage 4 is shit, and then I get to around the mid boss on 5.

Stage 3 shit? Goes on to no miss stage 4. Stage 3 great? Dies three times on 4.

The coup de grace are runs where I do ok on 3 and then die 3 times on 4's boss.

A boss that if I reach with 1 life I will no miss.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by To Far Away Times »

I am Mr. Inconsistency in all my runs. Started playing a little Hyper Duel last night. Some runs would end in stage 2, others in stage 4. Deaths all over the place. I suppose that gets better with some practice.

And I will not tolerate this Astro Boy GBA slander. That game is so much better than it has any right to be.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by ACSeraph »

Went to Mikado for the first time yesterday and played a bunch of stuff. Dunno how I've lived here for ten years and never made it over there, makes me wonder what I'm doing with my life.

Anyhow they have a cabinet running Darius Old Ver. and it was actually the first time I've ever seen it (pretty much every arcade runs Extra) so I had to nab that PCB 1cc before I left. I really used to hate the older versions of Darius but I'm starting to appreciate them for how significantly they alter your approach to any given route. They aren't just "harder", they actually require (and at times allow) a completely different strategy from Extra.

---

I also finally bought Raiden V since it had a very significant sale on Switch. I'm really enjoying it a lot, though you can feel a lot of Caladrius influence in it to a point that it doesn't really feel like a true Raiden game to me. For what it is though I'm loving it, and after my first week I can get about halfway through the final stage of a rank controlled C route.

As a total package it's a bit rough for a Moss game with the ham-fisted obtrusive story, mediocre practice options, and terrible boss rush mode. And holy shit that English dub... But if you sweep a way the clutter, turn off the in game subs and mute the voices, you will find a really kick-ass shmup lurking underneath.

And I'm also certainly in the minority here, but I absolutely love the cheer system. It's not nearly as obtrusive as I expected and it really gives you just a tiny sense of camaraderie and living breathing community in a genre where you quite often feel you might be the only person in the world playing a particular title. I'd love to see it return in whatever their next title is (make Caladrius 2!).
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Lord British »

1cc'd DoDonPachi Ressurection with no bombs or lives left. This was on the easiest possible setting but you gotta start somewhere.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by copy-paster »

I'm playing Gradius IV right now, anyone have tips of first part of Cell stage?
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by EmperorIng »

ACSeraph wrote:Went to Mikado for the first time yesterday and played a bunch of stuff. Dunno how I've lived here for ten years and never made it over there, makes me wonder what I'm doing with my life.

Anyhow they have a cabinet running Darius Old Ver. and it was actually the first time I've ever seen it (pretty much every arcade runs Extra) so I had to nab that PCB 1cc before I left. I really used to hate the older versions of Darius but I'm starting to appreciate them for how significantly they alter your approach to any given route. They aren't just "harder", they actually require (and at times allow) a completely different strategy from Extra.
I find that pretty interesting given the differences between Extra and Old. Old is apparently a little heavier on the milking aspect (at least for high-scores), but I appreciate that Old provides an easier 1cc if you purposefully keep yourself powered down to the triple shot. That was actually my first 1cc what is now several years ago.

Now that I've finally played Caladrius I can see how much Raiden V feels like it. I still enjoy it (and Caladrius is great, too).

I've been doing some hoppin' around lately.

Sisters Royale: Trying to work towards that Nur Normal 1cc. I would say it feels bad that it's taking me so long, but apparently according to my #6 spot in the leaderboards, not as many people on Switch have made it with that character either. It provides that nice Shikigami no Shiro gameplay feedback - the weighty hit of your familiar killing enemies while you graze bullets to scoop up all of those x8 coins. It's pretty addicting. The game is definitely budget in some respects but it has a pretty solid foundation and over time the cutesiness starts to win you over. I did set up a Sisters Royale score thread for people to participate in.

I periodically return to RayCrisis every now and then, and I've recently managed some new personal bests and a clear of the PS1-exclusive arrange mode. This game is really fun and is probably my favorite of the Ray trilogy. Even if it lacks the tight 2D control of RayForce it makes up for it in its unique structure where you are really incentivized to score and play well in a way you simply aren't asked to in RayForce or RayStorm. The Encroachment meter always rising, and the threat of missing out on stage segments (or getting the bad ending) force you to play well all the time, and you are rewarded with more exciting stages and higher scores. It's a gameplay loop that always keeps me coming back... Too bad the game is so hard. With no extends and some perspective wonkiness it can really make dodges tricky to pull off. I've made it as far as the penultimate boss, Dis-Human. I don't know how I'll survive the TLB Infinity. But I'm getting better. Basically the goal for 1cc is to no-miss up to Dis-Human and hope for the best!

I'm also dabbling in KiKi KaiKai (the ACA release) on the side for fun! This game always provides a simple, straightforward charm, and I've managed to make it to stage 6 (out of 7) for the first time ever, which encourages me. I just wish the st5 boss wasn't such a pain in the ass - I feel like if you die to him you are not recovering the credit, as you want the maximum range on your little talisman cards to keep him far from you and hurtin' for certain. Perikles ran the Kiki KaiKai thread but I wonder if I might have to make a new one as he's taken a more hands-off approach to them (for obvious reasons).
copy-paster wrote:I'm playing Gradius IV right now, anyone have tips of first part of Cell stage?
I know a few players who purposefully suicide there to lower rank; otherwise you have to be really strategic about which veins you burst. I've never made it there in a single credit myself.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Kiken »

Been playing Koutetsu Yosai Strahl (ACA ver on Switch) and I'm constantly running into input issues. This game really should have used 3 distinct buttons, not 2. I've had my secondary weapon start adjusting while trying to use bombs and had instances where trying to tap A+B deployed bombs. It's exceeding annoying.. also, screw those big orange planes in stage 2!
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

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EmperorIng wrote: I know a few players who purposefully suicide there to lower rank; otherwise you have to be really strategic about which veins you burst. I've never made it there in a single credit myself.
Dying on the veins is instant game over to me. There's no way to recover from this section on Medium difficulty.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by BIL »

Kiken wrote:It's exceeding annoying.. also, screw those big orange planes in stage 2!
Pointblanking them with the second-most powerful laser and the Spread Bomb-styled missiles should speedkill them before they can do anything.

Agreed on the buttons, it's one of those annoying cases ala Image Fight where the devs ignored the third JAMMA button for no apparent reason whatsoever.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by o.pwuaioc »

Playing Bio-Hazard Battle (Genesis) here. It took a while for me to warm to it, but I really enjoy the "nature" theme.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by trap15 »

BIL wrote:where the devs ignored the third JAMMA button for no apparent reason whatsoever.
Unfortunately, while 3 buttons is the JAMMA standard, there were plenty of cabs for a long time that were only 2 buttons. So that was certainly the deciding factor. I believe the Batrider 2 button versions (and Garegga's special input option settings) are made for this sort of thing too. Kind of sad.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by BIL »

Sheeit. :O Now I'm really counting my blessings that Image Fight's 1988 M72 stablemate Saigo no Nindou didn't skimp on Button 3.

Further to Strahl - on PS4, when adjusting the turrets, I don't get any unwanted inputs as long as I hold [shot] before pressing [bomb]. Just need to set the buttons to the same autofire frequency (Off/15/20/30hz). Much like ACA Image Fight and its [shot+speed] button, you can also set a dedicated [shot+bomb] button, which seems to work consistently. Wouldn't bomb, no matter how I hammered on it.

Haha, just realised what this is reminding me of... Battle Formula aka Super Spy Hunter (Famicom). Same manhandling direction-cycling turret controls.

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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by trap15 »

Playing "Jishou no Chihei Mendako" a.k.a. "The Flying Pancake Octopus in Blackhole", a fixed screen-style shooter by the Cambria Sword dev. Really incredible game, I was extremely surprised at the quality and awesome design. Music is killer as well, of course.

Replay of my latest PB for those interested in taking a look: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/697685444
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Jonpachi »

Working on Thunderforce V on the PSone. I feel like I'm pretty close to the 1CC, but need more work on the last two bosses.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by EmperorIng »

Still hoppin' along and playing Sisters Royale; I got a new PB that puts me at #4 on my character's global leaderboard. Hope to get a clear soon!

I also just managed a no-miss of Darius (New), against Great Thing. It felt pretty exciting! Darius (Old) was my first-ever 1cc, so it feels nice to come back to the game having grown in skill over the years.
trap15 wrote:Playing "Jishou no Chihei Mendako" a.k.a. "The Flying Pancake Octopus in Blackhole", a fixed screen-style shooter by the Cambria Sword dev. Really incredible game, I was extremely surprised at the quality and awesome design. Music is killer as well, of course.

Replay of my latest PB for those interested in taking a look: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/697685444
I really enjoyed my time with the game when I first discovered it last year, so I am happy to see more people finding out about it. Really surprising quality all around. I hope the guy makes money off these somehow; Flying Pancake Octopus is every bit as good as most other indie shmup releases.
Jonpachi wrote:Working on Thunderforce V on the PSone. I feel like I'm pretty close to the 1CC, but need more work on the last two bosses.
This is understandable; the last two bosses are the hardest parts of the game! I try not to use up all of my overweapon on Khaos because the likelihood of getting hit and losing your CRAWs is too high. You gotta be quick to switch out your Free Range to save it if you get hit, too!
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by DietSoap »

EmperorIng wrote:Still hoppin' along and playing Sisters Royale; I got a new PB that puts me at #4 on my character's global leaderboard. Hope to get a clear soon!
Kind of tempted to get that game now.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by EmperorIng »

If you like Shikigami no Shiro, Sisters Royale is pretty much that, but chibi (same devs even). It's fun!
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by o.pwuaioc »

Got Kyuukyoku Tiger for the PC Engine in the mail the other day, so that's up now.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by EmperorIng »

hm, I just sold a k-tiger hucard the other day on ebay and shipped it to NY... Coincidence!?!?

It's a great conversion.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by o.pwuaioc »

EmperorIng wrote:hm, I just sold a k-tiger hucard the other day on ebay and shipped it to NY... Coincidence!?!?

It's a great conversion.
Ha, nah, that was me. Just a super old ebay name. Left you feedback earlier today!

I had been debating between Genesis and PC Engine versions for a while now, but ended up going with the latter despitebroken scoring. It so far has not disappointed. Thanks for it!
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by EmperorIng »

I like the PCE version better of the two I played; BIL sings the praises of MD Twin Cobra, but it was a little too smooshed in for my taste. Good luck on the 2ALL :mrgreen:
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