M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

[EmperorIng]

DonPachi/Dodonpachi? Small-time and predictable. Yawn, give me another game to suck at.

Apparently there will be 'new announcements by Taito'. Clearly this means Shottriggers Metal Black, or better yet Taito > Square Enix > SHOTTRIGGERS EINHANDER.

Now a real achievement? A deluxe Ray- trilogy with a recovered R-Gear prototype (remember that?) as a score attack mode. You know I speak what's true.

[Trevor spencer]

Armed Police Batrider and Battle Bakraid Double Pack

[blackoak]

Armed Police Batrider and Battle Bakraid Double Pack

They mentioned struggling with the Batrider pcb sometime back, but I hope that isn't a permanent impediment.

I'm thinking about going to this ESPrade event on the 7th at Akihabara actually, sounds like the M2xTatsujin talk with Masahiro Yuge is right up my alley.

[GSK]

A Famitsu leak just revealed they're adding a new 4P arrange of Space Invaders Gigamax to their upcoming Invaders compilation, so that's probably the Taito announcement. (They're also adding Super SI '91, the overseas version of Majestic Twelve).

I know people at M2 want to do Tatsujin-ou in particular, the M2 president already said they've had the game running for a while and are ready to go at any time, but getting the license hasn't always been easy. Who knows what they'll announce, if anything. They actually had a Toaplan mobile license years and years ago but let it lapse, I forget exactly why but I think they just weren't satisfied with the experience.

I don't think compilations are likely, they've said they're consciously selling the Shottriggers releases as one-shots at a higher price because they're cultivating a market that will pay fill price for their original games like Ubusana and Aleste Branch.

[DoomsDave]

Looks like they're doing a talk on Tatsujin in 2 days so we're going to find out something.

https://m2stg.com/thanks2/

[Mantrox]

Is that Tatsujin the game or the company?

Both would be interesting, but Tatsujin the company owns all the Toaplan IP's IIRC.
That + M2 could be great news.

Edit: From a rough google translate it seems a that segment is a live discussion with a representative from TATSUJIN, the company.
That could be good news.

[GFoyle]

First of all, I hope that there will be actually another shot triggers release from M2, I doubt they make much money out of those considering the effort that goes to each one (definitely going to get ESP rade at least twice, for both Switch and PS4 digitally).

Based on their previous efforts, it's most likely next shot trigger release would be again some game which hasn't seen a console release before, similarly to all the others the have done outside Ketsui. I think DoDonPachi would actually be a smart choice considering there has not been a real release for consoles in couple of console generations and it's one of those great classic shmups, which new people can get into and enjoy easily (not talking about scoring). Somehow I think that it will be Cave with somebody else who will be doing new console ports of the Dodonpachi (DOJ onwards) or Mushi games in future (similarly to the Deathsmiles collection they announced).

Could they get a deal with Capcom and do Progear? That would be cool as it hasn't seen console ports before (I don't count the recent Capcom Home Arcade as one). If they would get a deal with capcom, then maybe also 19XX would be possible. Yagawa games would be cool, but most are perhaps tad too much like Garegga, but still quite likely choices

As for Toaplan games, I would love to see Darius collection style collection from M2 for those and not a separate shot trigger release for single game.


I would personally would also love to get Soukyugurentai.


EDIT: just read the latest posts about M2+Tatsujin, which most likely will mean some Toaplan stuff. I still think Darius Collection style collection would make more sense that single game shot trigger release.

[Mantrox]

Although a collection would be nice, i like the M2 deep dives on each game.
A Shottrigger treatment for Tatsujin Ou would be fine by me.
I bet they already have sick ideas for an arrange mode.

[EmperorIng]

A beatable version of Tatsujin Ou/Truxton 2 would be a pretty sick mode.

[BIL]

Was never very into ESPRade but Shottriggers are day one buys for me on principle... actually it's been so long since I played it, I'm looking forward to the re-acquaintance.

As a medium between standalone releases and a full catalogue, Toaplan Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Shark, Vol. 3: Tatsujin, Vol. 4: Army Mans, Vol. 5: The HellZero WingFire etc would be nice. OTOH M2's archival element is something I've valued going right back to their pro debut MD Gauntlet. I'd love just a standalone, painstakingly accurate Hishouzame, given the decades-spanning absence of arcade-comparable home release. VING's FM Towns one was a decent effort but the screen crop kills it, unlike Toaplan's own MD stuff the playfield is active beyond the chop so you're perpetually battling stuff in the phantom zone above your monitor.

Exciting times seeing that Tatsujin Co. notice, at any rate.

[evil_ash_xero]

Armed Police Batrider and Battle Bakraid Double Pack

I'm sure they'd spread those out. I know Batrider is VERY in demand by shmup fans. I was expecting it a bit sooner.
But if they do Taito... Jeez, RayForce, all the way. I would cry if they did some kind of remaster of G Darius, but I think that would be too much work.

[6t8k]

I'm all ears, one can assume Yuge will part of the panel -

It's notable that TATSUJIN Inc. also has been officially mentioned alongside the EXA for months.

While I have read the wish for the Toaplan games getting the M2 treatment in the form of a collection every now and then (however dreamlike that would be ), I don't think it will happen anytime soon, if at all.
I have no doubt that they will be split it up in one way or another and released way apart, to keep interest up, instead of exploiting that great asset by way of one monumental, sweeping move. I'd love to be proven wrong though

[scrilla4rella]

would def buy any Toaplan or Raizing STG as a standalone release

[6t8k]

Oh, definitely

[CRP]

I know people at M2 want to do Tatsujin-ou in particular, the M2 president already said they've had the game running for a while and are ready to go at any time, but getting the license hasn't always been easy. Who knows what they'll announce, if anything. They actually had a Toaplan mobile license years and years ago but let it lapse, I forget exactly why but I think they just weren't satisfied with the experience.

I don't think compilations are likely, they've said they're consciously selling the Shottriggers releases as one-shots at a higher price because they're cultivating a market that will pay fill price for their original games like Ubusana and Aleste Branch.

I always apperciate your posts , thanks alot for all postings regarding M2.

[Zeether]

I'd be cool with Tatsujin Oh even though I'd have to import, unless they are going to listen to people asking them for overseas releases (myself included)

[finisherr]

Is this game out yet? I remember someone mentioning a December release date.

[Buffi]

Nope, 19th

[Wittischism]

Can’t wait! Have the limited preordered with the better shipping option. Checking every day now to for updates to see when they ship it.

[6t8k]

Livestream from Taito HEY (will go live 9:30 AM JST): nicovideo
According to the announcement, the M2 x TATSUJIN talk will be at Hirose Radio Building 5th floor (above Akihabara Hey), so don't know if the stream will show anything related to that.
The previous stream (Dec, 6th) was showing ESP Ra.De Ψ until a few mins ago.

[Astro City II]

It's a shame these guy's royally screwed up the western releases of this series. Instead of opening up the genre to more people worldwide they've killed it stone dead.

Quite amazing to not recognise there's a market for these games in the likes of France, UK, Brazil etc

Just didn't listen to their potential customers.

[DietSoap]

It's a shame these guy's royally screwed up the western releases of this series. Instead of opening up the genre to more people worldwide they've killed it stone dead.

Quite amazing to not recognise there's a market for these games in the likes of France, UK, Brazil etc

Just didn't listen to their potential customers.

I mean, they gave us a chance with the Dangun Feveron and Garegga release. I have to assume that there really ISN'T much of a market for shmups here.

[Xyga]

The only market is for a few thousand old nerds around the world, who already played and/or bought the games many times over in the last two decades on any format available including pcb's, who have been buying imports since the 90's, and today will have a PS4 that plays them anyway.

Most customers are returning and only curious about the little added novelties, gadgets, or something to add to their collection.
Considering the cost of localizations, I'd say it all makes perfect sense that M2 don't do any by their own means, as there aren't enough customers no matter what even if they set 20 languages and put cocaine in the games cases.

There really is no real 'market', shmups are relics or retrogaming curio, in this era such releases are only exploiting the bottom end of the surviving niche.

[DoomsDave]

We know the answer now.

M2 have signed ALL Toaplan games and plan to bring them to consoles.

https://twitter.com/okunari/status/1203212104087437312

[llaoyllakcuf]

We know the answer now.

M2 have signed ALL Toaplan games and plan to bring them to consoles.

https://twitter.com/okunari/status/1203212104087437312

Wow. M2 are turning my dreams into reality

With that news I'll be selling off even more of my PCBs in the future, heh.

[BIL]

Good times.

OUT ZONE PLS

(I would also ask 4 SNOW BROS but its MD conversion is already pretty bangin )

[Xyga]

Yes, Same x3 special mode w/ suicide bullets plz.

Seriously tho hope they won't begin with Nth re-releases of the 80's titles, it's indeed the likes of Outzone, Doggy, VV and *sigh* Tatsu2 that deserve ports in priority.

[Wittischism]

Wow. Fantastic news. Even if single releases for all, digital or physical, going to snag them all.

[GSK]

They clarified "everything" as "everything that isn't Mahjong Sisters or Enma Daio", ie the horny games. They plan to start releasing them from next year but they also said it could take years to get to everything, so if they release them chronologically it may be a while before they get to Tatsujin-ou or whatever. I don't think these are explicitly Shottriggers releases, either, so maybe they'll ditch all the crazy supplemental features in order to release them quicker/cheaper.

Yuge also announced they're going to fix the aspect ratios of the Tatsujin/Kyuukyoku mobile ports, and that Snow Bros is coming to mobile soon as well.

Taito's announcement was the Darius collections for PS4 in Japan and the extra overseas games being patched into the Switch version, which hadn't been announced over there yet. They also talked about M2's involvement with one of the emulated games they're giving away as a promo for the new Bubble Bobble, Final Bubble Bobble for Sega mkIII--it's one of those annoying limited-window Amazon things, like they did with Darius and Space Invaders.

Beep talked about Cotton Reboot, mostly the arrange mode and the improvements/changes they've made: more animations, more detailed stages, a new system where shooting the crystals splits your shot which you can use for scoring tricks, the arranged soundtrack and all the guest composers, etc. They also announced a new series of old game reissues for old hardware, starting with the MSX2 version of Undeadline.

Blackoak might be able to offer more info, if he ended up going.

EDIT: M2 also struck a deal for Boogie Wings/The Great Ragtime Show, which is sort of a self-indulgent pick on behalf of M2's president, but no news beyond that.

I always apperciate your posts , thanks alot for all postings regarding M2.

No problem! I'm sure I come off like a M2-bot on twitter sometimes but they're the only STG dudes regularly making moves, so it can't be helped.

It's a shame these guy's royally screwed up the western releases of this series. Instead of opening up the genre to more people worldwide they've killed it stone dead.

Quite amazing to not recognise there's a market for these games in the likes of France, UK, Brazil etc

Just didn't listen to their potential customers.

I'm surprised they haven't made more moves on releasing overseas but they're definitely not ignorant of the demand from overseas, including the countries that weren't covered by their previous English releases. Maybe they don't have personnel dedicated to working on this issue, maybe the other overseas releases simply didn't recoup, maybe they're banking on interest from overseas publishers like LRG, who knows.

[BIL]

I don't think these are explicitly Shottriggers releases, either, so maybe they'll ditch all the crazy supplemental features in order to release them quicker/cheaper.

I'd be happy with this. As with the PS4 Arcade Archives stuff (barebones but highly accurate), at this point just getting quality home releases of these games is novelty enough for me.