shmups.system11.org

Took me about a week on/off to get a Xeno Crisis 1CC, and when I finally did I did it on the Neo Geo version, which is pretty much identical to the MegaDrive version except from a new enemy type on the final stage. It's maybe slightly harder for this reason, but the difference is miniscule.
There's also a new manual button for the melee attack, but I wouldn't recommend relying on it, ever.

I agree that it's a fantastic game, and yeah enemies spawning on top of you can be an issue, though it's only really an issue with those plant type enemies that appear on the "base" stages, which is one of the reasons those are my least favourite stages (and the game starts with two of them back to back). Every other enemy is telegraphed perfectly well, and the game just generally gets a lot better from stage 3 onward.
Though the game can give you some pure crap, and mitigates it with randomized health drops, ultimately making much of your run very RNG loaded, it's still a game that relies 100% on skill, and a skilled player will win 100% of the time!

I got an MVS cart of my own recently so I can record a new run at some point, but I'm already rusty again. So my only 1CC recording is from a friend's event, where the gameplay was streaming in a smaller window for the first part, and it's accidentally recording audio from the bar instead of the game for the first half an hour. I've tried to salvage what I can of it on my YouTube upload:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMyxYp2gzf8

More people should play this game.

I really do not like the controls on the Neo Geo version at all. Glad I bought the digital version and put that on my NeoSD Pro instead of the 300 pounds or whatever it was for the AES cart. MD version and especially the Dreamcast version have much better controls. They did what they could with the Neo Geo, but I don't prefer it to the other versions' controls.

I do need to go get the no miss on the game; my best result was a death on the final stage, which made me sad. I haven't really played it since then, so I should probably go get revenge. It really is one of the best games on the Mega Drive.

No-miss Xeno Crisis??? I can't imagine ever going for that. There's a reason the game has semi-frequent medkit drops, it's near impossible to never take a hit.

I'm not sure what you like about the MegaDrive controls over the Neo Geo ones? They are exactly the same, except from the manual knife button which doesn't matter because it still comes out automatically.

Something tells me you've been playing it on the Mega Drive with a 3 button controller. Play it with a 6 button controller and it becomes a completely different (and way better) game.

Does the NG version control like Shock Troopers (or the 3-buttons MD version)? And is there any extra content in the DC version like there is on the NG?

I'm not sure about extra content, but the DC version does support the VOOT Twin Sticks.

I finally got around to learning Shadow of the Ninja on the NES. Sorta long overdue on that one, given I've been a fan of Shatterhand for so long. SotN is a little anemic by comparison with the route through the game being about the same every time you play, but it was still fun. Bosses were decent, and the hook shot/harpoon/whatever is a pretty solid mix up on typical NES game attacks.

I'm not sure if this falls within this thread, but it is most certainly scrolling action: I learned Ranger X on the Genesis/Megadrive this week. Had only dabbled with it briefly back in the day and it didn't leave much of a mark, but it's always been on my to-do list. Man, I wish I got to it sooner, it's an awesome game. Visually impressive but the gameplay is quite unique and flows pretty well when you get the hang of things. Tough at first but easily doable when you know what you are doing. I learned it on Normal, but am going to have to attempt the higher difficulties and see what it's like there.

Kage/SOTN (two equally confusing shorthands ) suffers a bit from middle child syndrome in the Natsume FC Power Trio. Not an instant slash/blast ala Dragon Fighter, nor the tactile masterwork of ShatterBrain. Some of its subweapon mechanics are just bizarre, too - Natsume did well to shave them away for the game's quasi-sequel, Ninja Gaiden Shadow.

I still love it though. Barring a handful of cheap bumps, the stages are the kind that grow progressively more enjoyable to tear apart at learned speed, rather than diminishing into rote. st4 is particularly nuts; I never did quite nail down a replay that did its hanging elevators justice (what with the rather terrifying penalty for missing a grab!). The hanging grip mechanic is exceptionally smooth, Strider Hiryu-good.

Ex-Ranza and Valken and Leynos et al are most definitely good peeps here Ranza especially! Amongst the most singular, authoritative scrolling mecha works ever. Toshio Toyota is a diehard game center vet, apparent in Ranza's relentless pace and fine-brush detailing. A combo shared by its spiritual forebear, the immortally scintillating topdown seek/destroy Granada. Exactly the sort of chap who'd appreciate masterworks like Assault, and especially the fiendish Grobda!

Made it to stage 4 of Shinobi Non Grata. Loving it so far. Alien Soldier by way of Ninja Spirit. 4 bosses per stage, spaced out so that you play a bite-sized section of level before each.

Big change from the demo version is that the doublejump no longer has invincibility, instead you can fastfall by pressing the dodge button while in the air. I still tend to go to the air to avoid attacks simply because you're more mobile there. The dodgeroll on the ground feels pretty slow/committal and a lot of patterns are tricky to roll through. One of the subweapons is a flash that clears the screen of projectiles for the same cost as a cannon shot. It's a pretty interesting ability, the ammo cost and the fact that you need to manually switch to it makes it a premeditated option rather than a reaction. You've also got the kusarigama as a strong defensive weapon, although its hefty recovery time interferes with your ability to perform doublejumps. However the coolest way by far to avoid attacks is with the cannon's invincibility:

On one hand, holy fuck it's been a long time since I was impatient to play something. On the other, you and Stevens both digging it makes me just as happy.

Megadrive version has Smash TV SNES style controls with 4 buttons controlling firing directions with a 6 button controller. AFAIK, the NeoGeo version only has the Shock Troppers style controls. IIRC, DC version does have the extra voices and remixed soundtrack, but I'm not sure if it has everything the NeoGeo version has.

So MD 3B version is like Shock Troopers and DC version is like Smash TV? Can't you use Shock Troopers style on the DC? I think it's worth knowing how the game was originally conceived and what's an afterthought. The NG version wasn't in the original plans, and having both, auto and manual melee attack at the same time sounds a bit weird. Said that, I love Shock Troopers style and play with arcade stick, so unless you emulate the MD or DC versions and configure a double stick panel for it, I'd go with NG type.

Closer to Shock Troopers than it is to the twin stick style of MD and Dreamcast, but still different from Shock Troopers.

A = roll, rotate (somewhat slowly) counterclockwise when shooting
B = shoot
C = grenade, rotate (somewhat slowly) clockwise when shooting
D = knife (don't use this, it's bad)

Playable, but overall a massive downgrade from MD and Dreamcast controls. The MD version is the original version, so I imagine the 6-button twin stick-like controls were the intent.


I do not think you can, although I am not sure why you'd want to when you can use twin stick controls, which are way better. I can go check, though. You can use the actual Twin Stick controller if you want, too, but I don't have that.

Edit: yes, you can use 3-button controls if you really wanted to.

Lol, that's kind of a mess. It's like they don't know what an arcade panel (or a NG stick) is. You can fix the shoot (main) action being on the second button instead of the first if the config options are generous enough, but not being able to throw grenades when you're shooting is silly, specially if the manual knife action is useless.





I try to avoid control pads for arcade games whenever it's possible. By the looks of it, actual double stick panels are the way to go with this game, which is a shame, because there's not an official controller like this on the MD or the NG. And the Virtual-on controller for the DC version is just not the same.

Thanks for the detailed post, as usual.


ED.- Nope, a double stick arcade panel won't work too well, forgot the grenade button. So it'd be an Assault-like panel, which I guess the Virtual-on controller isn't too far from it, for those who like it. I guess they didn't want simultaneous shooting and grenades actions as the MD 6B controller doesn't have shoulder buttons like the SNES one, so in the end 4B Shock Troopers style has to work for me.

Good thing it isn't an arcade game, then! Well, I guess it is if you play it on the MVS and arguably the AES, but it's definitely a Mega Drive game.

Of these versions, Dreamcast version has the best controls, as it maps grenade and roll to R and L, and you can absolutely grenade when shooting in both the MD and Dreamcast versions; try the MD version with the M30 2.4g, as that maps C and Z to R and L, which makes it play identically to the Dreamcast version, just with worse sound than on Dreamcast.

I imagine the N64 version will be pretty close to the Dreamcast version, but the Gamecube version will be interesting. They probably just put the shooting on the C stick, but maybe they did something different instead.

Blimey that sounds complicated I just play the PS4 one like it's SFC Smash TV (cross pad = move, cross buttons = shoot), plus shoulder buttons (L/R = roll/grenade).

You can't reconfigure the controls in any way whatsoever. I think it uses L2/R2 by default for shoulders, and while I can tolerate 'em in stuff like Bloodborne, I dislike even hairtrigger analogue buttons in my binary 1HKO digital world. But the PS4 has its own button remap feature, so it's all good.

I suspect there are at least some revisions to the game itself. IIRC Sumez noticed a few from my PS4 writeup. For one thing, melee is really goddamn strong on PS4, you can take down multiple zako no problem. Very good for breakouts; autotriggers when in range ala Slug. And the roll is utterly invincible, I seem to recall hearing that was different... I'll quit speculating, you guys surely know what's up on both.

EDIT: Ah, here we go: Sumez's post noting possible differences in the PS4 rev.

Revisiting my review reminds me of the announcer's lovably schizophrenic lapses from Starship Troopers' goonery to "GAME OVER MAAAAN!" panic.

I like the DC Twin Stick controls quite a bit and wish I could use the controller with more Robotron like games. The sticks are microswitched 8-way sticks.

Yeah I was gonna say that sounds amazing.

Ok this is going way off the rails and I need to stop you guys asap!



No, I've been playing on an arcade stick. I have tried the 6-button pad controls, and though you'd assume it's the way to play, it's a little messy, and especially not good for diagonals (an actual twin stick setup would be better, but the version of the game made for modern consoles with this setup is a completely different build from the ground up, it's easier and with a ton of little differences.

While the shock troopers style control scheme does feel cumbersome at first, I find it the most enjoyable way to play by far! To master Xeno Crisis is to embrace and learn the three-button arcade style controls (though I wouldn't attempt it on a gamepad because you need a finger on each button). It took me a while to get used to, but once it clicks, the game is excellent!

There's a MD+ hack for the MD version that gives you the extra voices and CD Soundtrack.

Well, yesterday I went to a doujin game/old game event and Ichikawa-san, the dude that made Slap Fight MD, was there. We talked for a little bit and I apologized for not having played Hover Attack yet and he was like "Oh, we have that here! Buy one! It's 6000 yen! It has a 100 page instruction manual and poster and the soundtrack and stuff!" and I was like "Uh... you have... physical copies? Okay... as long as you sign it", so he did and now I have finally played Hover Attack. It is... unique. It's not Run 2 The Right, though; it's Hover 2 The Left. You can go right, but you can't face right since you are required to face left at all times.

I guess you are a little dude/robot thing that has a hovering platform that you can and more or less have to ride on, and you hover around on it blowing things up. You can get off of the platform and walk around and shoot things, but you have limited ammo and have to refill at your hover platform thingy. You also have a jet pack type of thingy that makes you move super fast, but it has limited fuel, but it also recharges automatically and basically instantly when you are not using it. There is also a grenade, but I don't think you can get more of them, so you have to use them carefully. You can never turn right, so you have to shoot stuff when it is to your left, so you really have to think about positioning in some places. Your hovering platform thing can also shoot, but its range is horrible, so you have little choice but to dismount in order to kill most things unless you are basically touching them while riding your platform thing.

Your little robot dude and your hover thing both have separate health, and if either one is destroyed, you instantly game over. There are a shitload of things shooting at you and they shoot a lot, so you have to be careful or you will definitely die. This new release has all of the levels from the original Hover Attack and a bunch of new ones and you can make your own, it seems. I would not be surprised if you can download other people's levels, too. This game is really something. I am not really sure what it is, but it is definitely something. I have only played it for 10 minutes and need to spend way more time with it, but if you want to play something that is weird and crazy and the weirdness and craziness actually works, definitely play this.


I definitely do not like the 3/4 button controls at all, especially after playing the Dreamcast version. They are awkward and restrictive and you can tell it was meant for the MD's 6 button controller, and it's even better with the Dreamcast controller. Playing it as a twin stick game is definitely the best way, even if it only lets you shoot in 8 directions.

^ Premium on-the-ground reportage, marked for index

Clever of him to attach his gross misinformation about Xeno Crisis to an indexed post XD

Fortunately I have a brand-new "FLAMEWAR" icon for contentious posts of great value ;3

EDIT: currently just a static Zelda fire - maybe it should be a little pepper gif. you know, like on food! green = novice mode, yellow = watch out watch out! red = BURN YOURSELF :3

Isn't it just a matter of preference between arcade stick or control pad? The former works bad with 4-buttons shooting for obvious reasons and the latter, at least if you manage to use a controller with shoulder buttons and front buttons close enough to let you do diagonal shooting easily (does a controller like that even exist, lol), works better with that method than with a shoot+roll+grenades layout, if only because you don't need to rapidly press the button to shoot freely (which, as everybody knows, sucks with a control pad but not at all with an arcade panel).

It's nice to have both thanks to MD's standard pad being 3B (and I believe we can't really know which one is the intended one), but if you can't remap the buttons, it's really a loss for arcade stick users, as the main action should always be on the first button, which is where your first finger should always stay in a shooting game.


So then again, does the DC version have the extra content from the NG version (did this one get improved visuals over the MD version, actually)? And are really N64 and Game Cube versions being made!? (What for?)

Made stage 3 in SNG. Powered through with some continues to 4. Like any well designed game there is a trick for everyone.

Sometimes I need to pay more attention to shit..