shmups.system11.org

Interesting interview of Taito, M2 and Pyramid about Darius here:

https://toucharcade.com/2021/01/22/dari ... interview/

I am intrigued about their comment on upcoming news regarding 'other' titles, seemingly related to Darius. Would be nice to see the missing games included in a set:
Sagaia (Gameboy)
Darius MD Extra
Super Darius
Super Darius 2
(Metal Black?)
and the alternative versions of Gaiden, G and Burst(PSP ver)
I can live without Darius+ and Darius R tbh

Probably too much to hope for though!

Thanks for the interview link. I'm curious about one part:

"Over the years, G-Darius has been ported several times, but the base has always been the PlayStation code. G Darius HD represents the first time a port has been based on the arcade version."

Wasn't the Taito Legends 2 (not sure about Memories) port based on the arcade?

^Its seems not. I remember FMV intros and endings in Taito Legends 2.

Has there been any word on whether Cozmic Revelation will hit the (Japanese) eShop/PSN at the same time as the physical release? Or will there be a delay as with the first Cozmic Collection? Strictly Limited's special edition says it won't ship until June-ish which almost makes me want to double dip, assuming the digital release comes out soon and isn't too expensive.

I don't know if you have seen more up to date information elsewhere, but according to Strictly's website, Darius Cozmic Revelation is due to ship in March.

https://www.strictlylimitedgames.com/ma ... updates-2/

Oh, that's good news. Thank you. The product page for the special edition says June/July but that update you linked is likely way more recent.

Looks like they just pushed it back to April/May

ugh. Turrican Anthology's date was also slightly pushed back. At least I have the slightly different digital release on switch to tide me over. TBH, not really fond of how they separated that collection. I feel like they were grasping at straws for extra content. I also have a feeling the real reason certain games aren't in the collection is because Factor 5 still treats Turrican like their property.

No new information on Darius Extra MD either. Still "early 2021".

As an extra knife in the gut for us sick-grabbers, Taito announced that the Japanese versions will launch with English text options!

Sick grab? More like SICK CRAB

I am increasingly glad I pre-ordered the Japanese version.

I pre-ordered the SLG Switch Collector's Edition months ago (now seeing that there is still 30% stock left as of today I feel like an idiot for paying that early), but after seeing this latest delay I may just double dip and get it digitally from the Japanese PSN store to hold me over. I double dipped on the Cozmic Collection as well and as usual you can definitely tell there is an input lag difference between the 2 ports but it's still really fun with the Switch on the go so I don't regret it.

I was about to bite and order the limited edition on amazon japan, but they wanted over $200 for shipping. It's not THAT big is it? Makes no sense, as I ordered an Astro City Mini and two controllers a few months back and paid about $25 for shipping.

Something is definitely wrong there, the box isn't that big. The shipping price from Amazon.jp has actually gone UP in the last two weeks too. I ended up bypassing them and ordering the full set (which also comes with the MD cart) from cdJapan, even with them as the middle man and fees, shipping only ended up being about $60 at the end of the day. Not ideal but much better than the $200. I've used them before without issue so I'm hoping this is smooth as well.

I almost ordered the deluxe edition from Amazon.jp, but with so much uncertainty around the product, I ended up cancelling.

Don't suppose you've spoken to CS any more since then? I've held out with my pre-order assuming the cost would drop at some point, but I kinda forgot about it and think my credit card just got billed for the full amount (~33k yen on the standard edition...).

G Darius HD and DariusBurst EX+ are now available on PSN..... for 4,180 yen each though

I always thought they were going to release them together for ~6,500 yen.

EDIT: I just saw a couple pages back on this thread where that was mentioned. 8,360 yen still feels like a lot for both. I think I will just pick up G-Darius for now since I already have CS on PC.

It's been updated on Amazon.jp with normal (non insane) shipping costs as of today.

Damn wish I had held onto my Deluxe edition pre-order. Ohh well, they've already charged me for the regular.

I spent about an hour messing around on G-Darius HD and it is pretty well done. The input lag feels just as good as their Darius Gaiden port and the upgraded visuals look better than I expected. There is a lot of slowdown but I am not experienced enough with the PCB to get a feel if it's accurate to it or not.

The only cons I can come up with so far are minor ones:

Not as many gadgets on the sides of the screen as Gaiden.
*No in-game option to turn off controller vibration. (found out that the option is there, but it's labeled oddly within the sound settings)
Once you get used to the HD version, the standard version is hard to look at.

It's a hell of a lot better then the PC port that I have, which barely has any slow down at all and is locked at 50fps (and the overall game speed reflects the lower fps).

Ohshi G-Darius HD is out? Thanks for the heads-up, completely slept on this.

There is. It’s under Sound > Body Sonic Strength

Thanks! Kind of weird it's under sound options, but I just checked and that is indeed the controller vibration setting.

Just DLed the Switch version of G Darius. Looks and plays great so far. Defaulted to Japanese for me. Just go into the options at main menu and change the first option. Exit back out and you have all English menus.

Call me crazy, but even though the HD upgrade looks great I still prefer the original grainy look. I'm more into the idea of finally having arcade perfect G Darius than having an HD upgrade. Maybe I'm just a purist or it's the nostalgia. Could be that bc the only thing upgraded of course is the 3D rendering, but all textures and 2D elements are still low res so it's a little inconsistent looking that way. Scanlines are there if you want to go low res. Either way it's great that both options are there. Can't go wrong. Leaderboards are not split between modes so I'd take that as an early indication that the visuals are the only difference. Leaderboards do have a split for final zone boss.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are no replays and no training mode. Lack of replays is a bit surprising for M2. Could be hidden in a menu I missed or implemented with a patch down the road. There are 16 save state slots so the lack of training mode is NBD. With the first collection additional gadgets and the training mode were in a later patch. In a first for M2 I think, achievements are in the Switch version.

There are replays, as you can download them from the leaderboards. However I haven't found the option to play them back yet - maybe the option appears when you actually download a run or something. it's also interesting that you can't actually save your own runs after a credit like you could in the M2STG ports.



No training mode isn't a problem since you can save a state anywhere and reload it like in all of the previous games, which to be honest is an acceptable solution given that you'd have to have all kind of parameters including specific power level, specific rank level, and specific captured enemy in a focused training mode, and that'd be too much for most people to mess with. At least with a state, you can be guaranteed that the game conditions are exactly what you'd be expecting at that point.

Initial testing indicates that this version of the game is the most accurate in terms of speed and slowdown implementation by far, going off what I remember of the arcade version I've played in various places in Japan. Visuals appear to be the only differentiator between AC and HD on the port, and I've ran through Lambda route on both in one sitting just to make sure. What's really good about the port is the variety of autofire settings - there's like seven different speed going from 5hz to 30hz - which is crucial in efficient scoring on Great Thing among others.

The only disappointment is that this port doesn't include Ver.2, or a version of the PS1 exclusive 30 Boss Attack Mode, but that's small change compared to the quality of the port itself.

Play session on the Switch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utjVgH6aQ7k

M2, the heroes we deserve.

Yeah and the game autocreates save states at key points as you go. Looks like there are three slots so they must overwrite as you go. So die at a certain boss and decide you want to practice it a few times after your run and the save state from the boss battle intro will be there.

Training mode would be a nice bonus, but isn't sorely missed. The first collection did a nice job (added in a later patch) with being able to adjust all those options but maybe all the captures would be a bit much. Am I wrong that G Darius doesn't have rank though?

I guess I didn't see the replay downloading on the leaderbords bc you have to access it while on the attract mode. You can see the scores once you start a credit but not the replays. Looks like it's the setup where you can watch a replay while connected online but not download it and save it to your console permanently? This is how the Sega Ages games work too IIRC.

One little touch is that you can assign an easy mode button to automatically do the special input for a capture without a SF2 style motion. This will also mean you can't submit to arcade leaderboards.

I dig the gallery that shows all the enemies with HP and has a diagram of what they do when captured. Pretty labor intensive stuff for a port like this. Might come in handy for those who don't have a G Darius Gamest mook from 1997 just laying around the house.

Very happy to have this one. I think M2 said this is the first port based on arcade code as all the others were derived from the PSX version.

A little detail, but that title screen BGM rumbling my floorboards was most grand. Darius should always exude aspects of cosmic grandeur and primal fear.

Love that loading screen. If you want primal fear switch the BG wallpaper to "pilots." You get Sameluck Raida and Lutia Feen staring at you from either side of the screen in a configuration that evokes the twins from Kubrick's The Shining. Their pathetic walleyed stares seeming to say, "Please, Mister. Don't let us die."

I'll do my best, but yeah you're probably gonna die. A lot.

Edit: I'll take that loading screen as confirmation that M2 is making a full 2D demake of G Darius in the style of Darius 1. Hey I can dream right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T5EyFT6_h4

And as an extra bonus, Ti2, the protagonist of the Dariusburst saga, will be featured in Alice Gear Aegis!