New NEOGEO / Dreamcast game: "NEO XYX" NG: DEV.TEAM 2013

[DMC]

My first impressions:
I think the they implemented the medalling system very well. If you play aggressively in the first stage you can max the medals already there. There are some well-designed spots with dozens of popcorn enemies in which you can shoot a few in batches and collect a medal in between every batch to level up as fast as possible. The medals appear quick enough so that they force you to play aggressively - if you don't the medals will very slowly level up. This makes the first stage very intense together with the game's overall fast pace. A potential problem is that breaking a medal chain may cost too much because you get such a hugh score by max medals and there are also large amounts of medal levels before you reach the maximum. Lastly, the sound effect of picking up low and max level medals is just perfect. It feels rewarding to pick them up just the hear the bright, clean sound. In general, the music is excellent, and sound effects are well done as well. Maybe the smartbomb could have benefited from some more powerful SE.

Some issues:
* The weird side scrolling (played in vertical.s) when you approach the border of the screen can give rise to some stupid deaths, because you are not sure how much space there is left for dodging.
* When I use a bomb I always wonder for a second whether I still died or not, because the ship flickers and the animations sometimes make it blurry and difficult to find the ship. So instead of inducing a feeling of relief and satisfaction as a smartbomb should, it induces a feeling of confusion, which of course makes you very vulnerable for a moment.
* I have yet to destroy stage 2 midboss, it always times out for me. Can this one be beaten without multiple bombs?
*Pressing the pause button can sometimes be done twice rapidly by accident, so when you think you have paused the game it actually continues.

[Zosite]

...I don't see NG:Dev needing to issue a fixed version but at least let's have an apology.

Sorry, but I can't agree with this for I wouldn't have bought the MVS version since my old TV set doesn't have any zoom nor it can stand on its side to play TATE. I kinda spent more than 30 bucks BECAUSE I saw it had the much needed (absolutely all modern shmup console ports have it!) "TATE in YOKO" mode. I'll take an apology, sure, but only if it comes with my money back.

And about that pause issue it's funny but some people have been reporting it as yet another bug. Incidentally THAT is not a bug; pause isn't broken but it seems much more responsive to manual input which can make people think that game unpauses on its own.

[Ghegs]

* I have yet to destroy stage 2 midboss, it always times out for me. Can this one be beaten without multiple bombs?

I've never had such a problem. I kill him swiftly in my "a few credits later" -video without any bombs, here.

MVS version, though.

[eckart]

Timm?

[LordHypnos]

@Pause issue: oh, that explains a bit

I should also say that I thought the actual gameplay was pretty solid. Especially the medaling system. Pretty clever / fun idea for a scoring system, and I like the way that the bomb can be used to help recover your chain. The gameplay feels pretty genuinely Toaplaney, as well.

Speaking of the bomb: I think it makes you invincible while the bomb is on the screen as well, though I don't know that I've played it enough to be totally sure on that, especially with the single pixel hitbox.

It's a shame though that so many people are getting bugs and that the vertical.S mode is borked. That's a pretty big deal.

[Zosite]

Uh-oh... seeing Gheg's video up there I think I can fairly say stage 2 mid-boss looks bugged on DC version too... something about its hit points coming from some silly Espgaluda boss nightmare or its central section being completely invulnerable for no apparent reason.

However, I'd like to have input from someone else playing the DC port to confirm this.

And about those badass-looking bombs, I'm not sure but I think they don't make you invulnerable at all but just protect you by obliterating anything on your path in addition to clearing all bullets. Basically because I already had a couple game overs (screen freezed on countdown) with bombing tiger-head... on screen!

[DMC]

Zosite: Yeah, I agree with you. The midboss seems very different from the one in Ghegs' video.

[Jonst]

I've never managed to kill the stage 2 mid boss either (dc version),even with concentrated fire and a couple of bombs,it just dosn't come close to finishing him.Yet,every mvs playthrough shows it being killed fairly easily,like people are saying.the game is good but it's so disappointing that it has a fair few problems...made worse by the fact that they delayed the release to iron out all the kinks.

[chempop]

Okay, going to start making a list of oddities/things that differ from MVS and DC versions/things we wished were patched ( ) Feel free to add to the list.

1. Vertical S. Mode crashing
2. Stage 2 boss health
3. Extra gunpod option accessible
4. "small" medal count between stages
5. pause button issues
6. ...

[ptoing]

What about non bug issues? Like the weird horizontal scrolling, enemies firing from off screen, arguably the movement vector stuff, I personally thought the way the medals get sometimes sucked in and sometimes not, and the speed with which this happens, was weird. Plus of course things like a very fixed looking scoring system, without even chip damage or left over lives bonus at the end of the game...

[Zosite]

6. Game Over screen without "head-to-head" artwork on Horizontal screen mode.
7. Score counter appearing on top at between-stage screen (sometimes, not too often).

Way too many issues for a homebrew title skyrocketing to more than 30 bucks IMHO, let alone the limited edition... but I'd never complain about that otherwise, for I clearly realize all the efforts put on releasing this kind of titles on 2014 kinda *need* to take its toll on our wallets.

[drunkninja24]

Man....I really wanted to pick this up...but all these issues people keep reporting make me leery...does it play fine in tate or are the issues just present in yoko or s. vert modes?

[LordHypnos]

Way too many issues for a homebrew title skyrocketing to more than 30 bucks IMHO, let alone the limited edition... but I'd never complain about that otherwise, for I clearly realize all the efforts put on releasing this kind of titles on 2014 kinda *need* to take its toll on our wallets.

I think that this is kinda where I am, more or less, as well.

[Zosite]

Man....I really wanted to pick this up...but all these issues people keep reporting make me leery...does it play fine in tate or are the issues just present in yoko or s. vert modes?

Sadly enough, the only issues you'll be able to dodge if NOT playing on "Vertical.S" modes are game freezes AFAIK. On the other hand, those are the only true -game breaking- issues... your choice.

All in all I think NG:DEV guys are but VERY serious on what they do and I prefer to think about all this as some isolated fail of their testing methods due to some unspeakable reason. Release date schedule maybe... in any case something different than Dux/Redux 1/1.5/Alpha/Omega/Prime/shit jokes... besides, you wouldn't expect another Crimzon Clover to be released on a yearly basis...

[spadgy]

Just to catch up, it seems some people are finding the freezing bu in Vertical.S mode is drastically reduced or even solved with filtering switched off in the menus?

As for the additional diagonals, while I'm not a huge fan of it in this game, I guess its inclusion could be their creative decision (like chempop, I'd never noticed it in Garegga, or realised that it was in many other shmups).

Playing in tate with a official DC stick, I'm getting plenty of enjoyment out of it, but I agree; with this many bugs NG.Dev should be communicating with their customers, and must be aware of the bugs. At least an email to buyers with an explanation/update/indication of possible resolutions would be a start. Just hearing that they are listening and learning from these mistakes would help me with continuing to support them. I really want to carry on buying and playing their games, as I'm sure many of us do, but their radio silence on this front makes it a little tough to feel quite so supportive.

They're a small indie team doing something special, so I'll give them leeway, support and patience; but that's something easier to do if it feels like a two-way effort. I'd really like them to email buyers, post here, or something!

[antares]

If you have a Tate setup on a RGB CRT I strongly recommend buying this. If you don't, what are you doing on this forum?

Really this game is great and the graphics are unbelievable good. The diagonal movement may seem strange to some but after playing three credits you should get used to it. Certainly not as big an issue as some people here make of it.

Getting a bug free version still would be nice but given Ngdevteam's record I wouldn't count on it.

[Zosite]

Just to catch up, it seems some people are finding the freezing bu in Vertical.S mode is drastically reduced or even solved with filtering switched off in the menus?

Nope, it does happen with and without the filter exactly the same, at least for me. In fact, I always play without the filter on my CRT TV! Also tried to set different ingame zoom levels to no avail. In the end freezes are so random that I've had several consecutive runs without any whereas there're days when I just cannot get a clear gameplay for the life of me.

And about the rest of your post, spadgy, consider it quoted and agreed 100%.

If you don't, what are you doing on this forum?

Complaining and bitching my arse off thus wasting my playing time, isn't it obvious?

[spadgy]

If you have a Tate setup on a RGB CRT I strongly recommend buying this. If you don't, what are you doing on this forum?

Yeah. I recognise all the concerns, but it remains a visually stunning, beautiful sounding, immensely fun shmup if you have such a set-up. So what Anteres said.

And now I know about the additional diagonal speed, I'm actually understanding the game a bit more. It's just a different type of movement, rather than a lesser movement, I guess.

I stand by my early comments. This game is both great fun and has some major issues.

I do, by the way, struggle with the stage-2 mid boss. Indestructible mid-section for most of the battle. Grrr! That really irks me!

[eckart]

So, not everybody has this freezes from time to time?

[LordHypnos]

So, not everybody has this freezes from time to time?

seem to be related to one of 3 things:
Vertical.S mode
Foreign inputs (e.g. unlicensed controllers, adapters)
holding down buttons between stages

Any sources I'm missing?

[DMC]

Freeze bump!

Just when I was actually thinking about many of the good aspects of the game and thought I'd upload a mainly positive review at youtube, it freezes four times in a row.

So my freeze history:
* Day 1: I played this game at my friend's house, Dragoforce from here. We played maybe a dozen of credits. One freeze at stage 4, but I blamed him for credit-feeding.
* Day 2-9: I played several credits a day, maybe 100 in total. No freeze at all, I figured it was because I used original DC pad whereas at Dragoforce we used a suspect arcade stick.
* Day 10: I played a good credit, got a new hi score, was in positive mood, and felt no pity for those suckers getting freezes with this game. Then bang! Freeeze at stage 2. Bang! Freeze at stage 3. Bang! Freeze at writing score initials. Bang! Freeze at stage 1! Four in a row - from nowhere!

I did not change anything in the options menu, not sure at all what it was. Why this sudden heat?

[LordHypnos]

^That's pretty mysterious. What screen settings have you been using? If TATE, then we have a serious problem that can't easily be connected to anything.

[DMC]

No, I'm using Vertical S, so we're still targeting that mode I guess.
Anyone contacted NG Dev. Team?

[LordHypnos]

No, I'm using Vertical S, so we're still targeting that mode I guess.
Anyone contacted NG Dev. Team?

That's a good question. I know I haven't. And yes, it seems like Vertical.S mode is still the root of all evil with this game, which is good... I guess. Better than it being in multiple modes

[Zosite]

Heh... While I don't remember having seen any freeze before stage 3 myself, I indeed got one entering my initials too. Funny...

And yes, nobody doubts "Vertical.S" *IS* the root of all evil. Confirmed by NG:DEV themselves, as well as the fact that ALL DC game copies have the same issue, including LE copies. And I'm saying this because I know some people already got responses from them about these issues (check THIS french forum), and the general tone comes to be around these lines below:

- Errr... yes. Freezes. Vertical.S mode only. All games affected. Do you want your money back? What, a fixed game version you say? Err... umm... DC you know and... ahem. <click>

Yet there they are already announcing the pre selling of Pink Bullets AES on 24th March, so I doubt we'll see a NEO XYX fixed version for DC anytime soon.

[LordHypnos]

Heh... While I don't remember having seen any freeze before stage 3 myself, I indeed got one entering my initials too. Funny...

And yes, nobody doubts "Vertical.S" *IS* the root of all evil. Confirmed by NG:DEV themselves, as well as the fact that ALL DC game copies have the same issue, including LE copies. And I'm saying this because I know some people already got responses from them about these issues (check THIS french forum), and the general tone comes to be around these lines below:

- Errr... yes. Freezes. Vertical.S mode only. All games affected. Do you want your money back? What, a fixed game version you say? Err... umm... DC you know and... ahem. <click>

Yet there they are already announcing the pre selling of Pink Bullets AES on 24th March, so I doubt we'll see a NEO XYX fixed version for DC anytime soon.

goddamn. That sucks

[trap15]

[chempop]

Almost got the 1CC tonight, one more bomb fragment and I'd have had enough resources arrggh..

[Elaphe]

Amazing game! I'm playing it in tate mode, CRT, native low resolution, and with a custom arcade stick (PSX adaptor) and it's perfect. It's beautiful, fast-paced, difficult, it's well designed, lovely and detailed graphics, colorful, nice soundtrack, superb pixel art, nice intro, good attract mode, no euroshmup feeling, and focus movement!! Congratulations to the devs. The world really needs more games like this NEO XYX.

[chempop]

Ran into another glitch (hard to believe, I know). The medal value stopped increasing on 1 of my runs, very strange. Next credit was back to normal.

Besides the temporary freezing in-between stages by holding down a button, and being able to [pause] in-between options menus, this is the first main bug (that hasn't been mentioned) I've experienced in Arcade mode now that I have a reliable method with my Dreamcast>JAMMA interface.

As far as progress playing the game, I broke 30 million and made it to the TLB for the first time today