Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

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BIL
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by BIL »

Saturn. PS1 has more slowdown, and is rarer and more expensive too.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by ACSeraph »

SAM wrote:For Darius Gaiden which version is bettler? PSOne or Saturn?
Saturn by a long shot. Saturn version is so well made it appears arcade perfect to the untrained eye. I 1cced the cabinet after learning on Saturn and couldn't tell any difference (though minor differences do exist)

The PS1 game on the other hand has severe slowdown and is just generally a rough port. It's more of an oddity for collectors.

The patched version in Cozmic Collection is also spectacular. It's my go-to version these days.
Last edited by ACSeraph on Sat May 16, 2020 3:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by EmperorIng »

Fond memories of the days we discovered how fucking awful the Darius II port on the Saturn was.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

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EmperorIng wrote:Fond memories of the days we discovered how fucking awful the Darius II port on the Saturn was.
Warning, a huge pain-in-the ass
Infinite laser glitches with giant hitboxes
Is Approaching Fast!
Those f'ing lasers seriously. You know though, if you take courses that avoid those lasers, Z' for example, the Sat version is much easier because there are a lot more nukes.

It certainly didn't deserve its supreme reputation, but I've kind of learned to appreciate how impressive the port was for the time I guess.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

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The only retro system you have hooked up is a Japanese PS2. You have all the Cave titles, but are looking to dig into some of the more obscure titles on the system that you missed out on.

1) Trizeal - This one is pricey and doesn't look super exciting in videos. What's so special about it?
2) XII Stage - Quite cheap. Looks interesting, but kinda slow and I don't love games with weird mechanics. Any love?
3) Radirgy - Has fallen in price a LOT recently, but the PS2 port is reportedly one of the worst versions.
4) Chaos Field - Middle-tier price, and looks OK in videos. Not the most exciting game, but I am curious.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by Bawa »

Heya. I've been wondering something related to Mushihimesama 1.5 and would like to ask here, if possible.

I get the supershot mechanic of getting really close and holding full-auto and tapping shot.
What I'm wondering is: I just use the supershot and barely anything else. Sometimes I use shot (the one that slows down and shows the hitbox) when trying to dodge some stuff. Is it the correct way to approach the game?

Also, I mostly use formation options, even though I'm terrible at "controlling" them to focus fire.

Thank you for any input.
Sorry if this is not the proper place to post this but I couldn't really find another suitable place.
I suck at these games but I do enjoy them.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by ACSeraph »

Jonpachi wrote:The only retro system you have hooked up is a Japanese PS2. You have all the Cave titles, but are looking to dig into some of the more obscure titles on the system that you missed out on.

1) Trizeal - This one is pricey and doesn't look super exciting in videos. What's so special about it?
2) XII Stage - Quite cheap. Looks interesting, but kinda slow and I don't love games with weird mechanics. Any love?
3) Radirgy - Has fallen in price a LOT recently, but the PS2 port is reportedly one of the worst versions.
4) Chaos Field - Middle-tier price, and looks OK in videos. Not the most exciting game, but I am curious.
Of those 4 my favorite is definitely XII Stag. The mechanics aren't weird at all; by moving left and right quickly you can fire a close range side shot. By killing enemies with this close range shot (or your ship's rear exhaust!! :o ) you build up a score multiplier that maxes at 12. The side shot is mapped to a button in the port so you don't have to worry about wrecking your arcade stick. It's really easy to get into and just generally among Triangle Service's best work.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by o.pwuaioc »

BIL wrote:Saturn. PS1 has more slowdown, and is rarer and more expensive too.
Thirded for the Saturn.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by Stevens »

Whoa look who decided to post:D

What up homey?
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by Jonpachi »

Can anyone help me understand how you rotate captured ships in Triggerheart? I just don't get it. I've watched videos where the player immediately starts swinging enemies around, but I can't figure out what I'm supposed to do. The ships just kinda slowly move off to one side and I feel like I'm fighting against them.

EDIT: Nevermind. Found an old thread and also found out there's an auto-spin option.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by To Far Away Times »

I've been in the mood for something R-Typey lately and I've been thinking about giving Pulstar a go. Though with a play through being about the length of R-Type I & II combined that is giving me some pause.

How does the game stack up with R-Type as far as difficulty? It doesn't look super hard in videos but you can never tell with a good ol' memorizer.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by Mero »

^^ It's definitely easier than R-Type, and I'm sure it isn't that long. 8 stages, 1 loop only.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by Kiwi »

Bawa wrote:Heya. I've been wondering something related to Mushihimesama 1.5 and would like to ask here, if possible.

I get the supershot mechanic of getting really close and holding full-auto and tapping shot.
What I'm wondering is: I just use the supershot and barely anything else. Sometimes I use shot (the one that slows down and shows the hitbox) when trying to dodge some stuff. Is it the correct way to approach the game?

Also, I mostly use formation options, even though I'm terrible at "controlling" them to focus fire.

Thank you for any input.
Sorry if this is not the proper place to post this but I couldn't really find another suitable place.
Actually they removed supershot in the Xbox arrange mode (I'm not sure about the PS1 arrange) and 1.5.
Supershot damage is integrated into the base damage in those modes. Even if you were playing 1.0, controlling your options properly is very important and W supershot only does increased damage at point blank range (S supershot works at any range), so you shouldn't hold it constantly unless you're using S. Even then, you may want to fan out your options and just take the slightly lower damage every now and then.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by Lord British »

So PSX Raiden DX is pretty pricey on eBay. Is it worth the money if I already have Raiden Project?
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by BIL »

Depends how much you like Raiden II, and the idea of added scoring mechanics (a medal flash system similar to that used by later Psikyo games, Xevious-esque hidden targets, the "Guts" bonus for keeping upscreen, plus a traditional destruction percentage and boss clear time). It re-uses Raiden II's bosses, weapons and first five stages for its Novice course, but Expert's eight are completely new, as is Training's single 15minute stage (not to be underestimated, it's substantial). If you score well enough you can play Training, Novice and Expert in one go, if I remember right.

PS1 port has good autofire options, too, plus a choice of 60hz or arcade (~55hz) speed.

I like having both Project and DX around. Sometimes it's nice to forget about the advanced scoring and just kill/collect everything, but it undeniably adds a lot to the traditional Toaplanesque.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by Kiken »

Jonpachi wrote:The only retro system you have hooked up is a Japanese PS2. You have all the Cave titles, but are looking to dig into some of the more obscure titles on the system that you missed out on.

1) Trizeal - This one is pricey and doesn't look super exciting in videos. What's so special about it?
2) XII Stage - Quite cheap. Looks interesting, but kinda slow and I don't love games with weird mechanics. Any love?
3) Radirgy - Has fallen in price a LOT recently, but the PS2 port is reportedly one of the worst versions.
4) Chaos Field - Middle-tier price, and looks OK in videos. Not the most exciting game, but I am curious.
Trizeal is a very straight-forward game with a bunch of hidden tricks thrown in for good measure. Your ship can transform on the fly between 3 different modes: Shot, Missile and Laser. Each can be powered up individually by grabbing a cube while in said form. Once a weapon reaches level 4, its shot will carry over into the other 2 modes. The PS2 port is decent and adds some additional content, although all 3 NAOMI games on your list have far more accurate DC releases.

If you want to dip into the more obscure PS2 stuff, check out Homura. Also, snag The Shooting: Double Shienryu.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by ACSeraph »

Kiken wrote:If you want to dip into the more obscure PS2 stuff, check out Homura.
Seconding this. Homura is a vastly underrated game.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by EmperorIng »

Speaking of which, anyone want to tell me what's up with the 4 shot-buttons in Shienryu Explosion? I've tried the game myself and I can see much of a difference between them.

Homura is cool, but I don't know enough about how it works yet to comment deeply.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by BulletMagnet »

EmperorIng wrote:Speaking of which, anyone want to tell me what's up with the 4 shot-buttons in Shienryu Explosion? I've tried the game myself and I can see much of a difference between them.
If memory serves it was one of the few games to make use of the PS2 controller's pressure-sensitive button feature, where there technically was only a single "shot" button and how hard you pressed it would determine how strong your shot was (and how many points you got from destroying an enemy with it) and how much your movement slowed down; the developers also included an option to map "weak", "medium" and "strong" shots to 3 separate buttons so you didn't have to worry about how hard you push. IIRC the review of this game on the "main" shmups site has some more details.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by Jonpachi »

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I have Homura already, and it is indeed an underrated gem. I went ahead and nabbed XII Stag for now, as I found a nice copy for less than $30 on ebay.

Currently enjoying Triggerheart, but the PS2 version seems to be in 480i, which causes some weird shimmer and flicker on my tv. Some of the bullets appear to "vibrate" as they move down the screen, while others do not. I assume vibrating bullets are not by design. :?

It's not a deal-breaker, but I would assume the other versions are all superior to the PS2 port.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by Kiken »

Jonpachi wrote:Currently enjoying Triggerheart, but the PS2 version seems to be in 480i, which causes some weird shimmer and flicker on my tv. Some of the bullets appear to "vibrate" as they move down the screen, while others do not. I assume vibrating bullets are not by design. :?

It's not a deal-breaker, but I would assume the other versions are all superior to the PS2 port.
The PS2 port supports 480p. Hold down X and Triangle on controller 1 during boot up to initiate progressive scan mode. Same goes for Thunder Force VI.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by Jonpachi »

DOOOOD. Thanks!
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by BrianC »

I found out that Gunbird for Saturn has an anime intro and full voiced cutscenes. Does this make it the definitive version?
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by EmperorIng »

The digital re-releases keep the voices and remixed music.
The Saturn version lacks a YOKO mode (instead having a wobble mode) though I suppose if you can TATE your TV it's probably the most responsive port - or at least as responsive as the steam version.
But does the intro play in TATE? now that is a question.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by Kiken »

EmperorIng wrote:The digital re-releases keep the voices and remixed music.
The Saturn version lacks a YOKO mode (instead having a wobble mode) though I suppose if you can TATE your TV it's probably the most responsive port - or at least as responsive as the steam version.
But does the intro play in TATE? now that is a question.
The anime intro in Saturn Gunbird is yoko only, but the original arcade intro does cycle when tate is selected (although, it appears to be streamed video and not the original sprite art). The only tate game on Saturn that I'm aware of having a vertical encoded intro fmv is Sonic Wings Special.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by BrianC »

I heard that it does have a Yoko mode similar to the one in Strikers 1945 where the aspect ratio is different and patterns were adjusted in an attempt to compensate. It's the PS1 version that's stuck with wobble mode.

Anyway, I might stick to the steam version, especially since I can still play it on a 55 inch screen. I do like the Saturn port of Strikers and the PS1 port of the sequel, though. I like that they have tate and the option to rotate the controls. Original 1 mode is not the worse Yoko I have seen. It reminds me of some of those earlier console ports.

Edit: Looks like I was mistaken. Only wobble and arcade mode in Saturn port.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by ACSeraph »

BrianC wrote:Does this make it the definitive version?
I think we can all agree that Mobile Light Force is the definitive version of gunbird.
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

Post by BrianC »

ACSeraph wrote:
BrianC wrote:Does this make it the definitive version?
I think we can all agree that Mobile Light Force is the definitive version of gunbird.
Lol
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Re: Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

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Is there a way to stop being anxious during full run attempt?
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