BareKnuckleRoo wrote:
The aesthetic in Strania is certainly more varied than Under Defeat is. Under Defeat probably won't be everyone's cup of tea in terms of it sticking to its guns and delivering on its gritty, military aesthetic (which it does a very good job of, imo), but Under Defeat is probably the better game overall if you had to pick one. It's mechanically simpler, but it all feels like it works a lot better and the core gameplay is more enjoyable than Strania. The twin stick New Order mode obviously will have some appeal for people looking for more control, but I think the original arcade as well as New Order both felt just fine once you got used to the default controls (Reverse functions better than Normal in my opinion for keeping your sights on enemies in the middle of the screen). The bombs also feel super satisfying to use defensively in a way Strania's O.D. is not.
I agree that "dodge the powerups" is often a mechanic that ends up being to the game's detriment, and something like Ibara Black Kuro where you "store" the weapons you collect and cycle through them via selection is probably better overall. I don't think "dodge the powerups" is always fatal to a game though, and there's several shmups like that I play. It depends on how it's implemented (Mushihimesama always starts the powerups at your current weapon before they cycle, Under Defeat doesn't let powerups go below a certain point on the screen where you can dodge without worrying about collecting one, etc). Strania's weapon placement and how they fall is such that it's rarely a matter of dodging them and more of knowing what to pick when, I think.
You know I never consciously noted/remembered that about Under Defeat's powerups (it's been a while since I've played) but you're right, that's a nifty compromise. It's also true there's not a huge rain of weapons in Strania (like those friggin machine guns in Ibara) but I recall a tight spot in level 2 (but don't quote me on this) somewhere where it gives me the sword and I don't want the sword but I can't dodge it and now I've got two swords and I need a gun and all I got is the m*****f***ing reflect and...
Other than that, well, I also prefer Under Defeat. I agree it's less varied visually but it REALLY nails the super heavy military hardware aesthetic. Even though it's pretty old by now and graphically retrograde compared to modern AAA stuff, the models still look neat and the visceral sense of destruction still comes through perfectly. The billowing smoke, the way the grenades/rockets slam into the bosses and of course the bomb! LOL, it's the only shmup bomb that actually makes me question how *I* actually survived it. UD's presentation is kind of timeless really, it does exactly what is needed, nothing superfluous.
Twin Stick controls... yeah I can't tate my living room TV cause it's a plasma so I've been mostly playing New Order. I do remember playing the original TATE game on a dreamcast emulator way back when and getting pretty into it. But for New Order now I definitely prefer twin stick, I think it makes sense with the widescreen and dammit the game is hard enough already for me LOL!
Nex Machina, got it but have yet to sit down with it. Loved previous housemarque games, though.