I am tempted to say that it is a timeless classic, though I am *heavily* biased towards the franchise: I played the first title in 1988 when I was 8, and had to stay on a stool just to see the screen (!). It is part of those character-forming childhood memories, I guess.Sengoku Strider wrote:Isn't EX just so freaking good? It just feels so...visceral, like a boxing match against 1000 robot space fish or something. I had a great time with that one. Darius II was also a strong effort, but the devs didn't quite have the time or chops or ROM space to turn out the same level of polish.
Old and New versions play at a slower pace and have a few design aspects that make them a bit unbalanced and on the easy side (e.g. some final bosses are too easy; some latter stages such as "Q" don't have enough enemies). Of course, I am reasoning with the "fast" autofire option in mind.
EX has aged incredibly well, since it is still a fast-paced, very frantic and almost manic/danmaku shmup: final bosses are tough but not impossible, latter stages are really fast-paced but perfectly doable, and in general any path has a really smooth difficulty progression curve (favourite achievement: clearing the "Y" stage on a maxed-out missile weapon).
Regardless of the versions, the game has interesting score system, which was no mean feat for an 1986 game (most shmups were "blast stuff, hoard bombs" in the 1980's), and a visual style and OST's that I can still find endearing (and innovative, somehow), to this age.
Darius II had jaw-dropping graphics for the time (I played it on a 3-screens cab in 1990), but a more conservative gameplay (e.g. enemy formations always appear in the same spots; lots of fast sniping bullets; etc.) and a vaguely irksome power-up system. I adored the synth J-pop/city-pop OST, but now it sounds really cheesy to my ears.
Boss battles are a joy in both games, though "Great Thing" and "Mother Hawk" still beat me semi-regularly; I do believe that the series' pinnacle is G-Darius on this aspect, though.
Ah, whatever: I will post more ruminations in the Darius love thread