Beautiful Darius Retrospective at Eurogamer approaching fast

[Skykid]

Justice served by one of my contemporaries, no less. It's a great thing:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014- ... rospective

[gray117]

Nice info. Could do with a lot more imagery. Maybe a bigger preamble introduction before the series retrospective. Definitely some of that music.

Would have used the 28 year reach as the opener and used some of the imagery of packaging/hardware platforms on which this series been developed on throughout the piece to establish credence and interest, plus some of that merch/marketing art. There's not a lot there to tease anyone unfamiliar with the series to read that text... which is pretty good, but when isolated feels like it's trying too hard, scatter in some examples I think it would be really good.

[DEL]

By Rupert H no less.
He could have also mentioned that the Darius series also spawned Metal Black and its successor Border Down.

Border Down is an horizontal shmup from G.Rev, a bunch of former ... designers/programmers/project leaders on " G.Darius " (Taito,1997).

[Skykid]

I actually think he mentioned far more than any other so-called 'informed' retrospective, especially for such a mainstream site. There is a limit to how much extraneous detail you can chalk into a piece that's intended for a largely green audience. I think there's a nice balance here, and everything that makes Darius unique has been captured beautifully.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Great article. Ive been living, breathing and sleeping this series for the last 5 years or so.



Secretly, I wish R-Type and Gradius had the staying power of Darius and weren't currently fading into obscurity.

[Rupert H]

Thanks for the mention Tom. I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

gray117

Yep, I'm with you there. My initial draft included a much fuller intro and delved much deeper into each episode. Space was of the essence however, so it had to be trimmed. I also submitted more in the way of assets (including hardware images), but again there were only so many they could publish. Ultimately I think Eurogamer retrospectives are less about giving the "definitive" picture and more about trying to say something new. I'd love to do a definitive deconstruction of the whole series but that sounds like something better suited to a blog so that I'd have complete control over it. I completely agree some Zuntata music would really add to it though.

DEL

Thanks DEL! Yeah, I wanted to include that bit of trivia along with a more detailed look at G Darius' mechanics, but it didn't really fit. Of course I agree that Metal Black and Border Down are fascinating offshoots of the Darius legacy, but I barely had enough space to cover the mainline Darius entries.

Sly Cherry Chunks

Thanks dude! Yeah, me too. I've really been enjoying ACSeraph's recent exploits on the series (that Darius II 1cc tale was really inspiring) and it just goes to show how timeless it is as a series.

As for what you were saying about Gradius and R-Type... That's the bizarre thing, isn't it? Outside of genre fans, the Darius series is seen as a bit of an also-ran next to those heavy hitters, but it's proven to have shown the greatest staying power so far. It's fair to say though that that's a largely Western perspective though, and the series gets all the love it deserves in its homeland.

[ACSeraph]

I read this last night after seeing your post in the Darius Love thread. Great stuff, really enjoyed it. I can feel that Darius Love burnin'

[Aleksei]

I can feel that Darius Love burnin'

you might want to see a doctor about that
I recommend seeing Dr. Darius Burt.

[ACSeraph]

you might want to see a doctor about that

Been fooling around with too many different well played cabs lately >_> Didn't help that I lost my shield last time and had to finish the run bare...

[Rupert H]

I read this last night after seeing your post in the Darius Love thread. Great stuff, really enjoyed it. I can feel that Darius Love burnin'

Thanks dude! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Likewise I've really been enjoying watching you pick the series apart, game by game, on here.

[DEL]

Mr H wrote;

Thanks DEL! Yeah, I wanted to include that bit of trivia along with a more detailed look at G Darius' mechanics, but it didn't really fit. Of course I agree that Metal Black and Border Down are fascinating offshoots of the Darius legacy, but I barely had enough space to cover the mainline Darius entries.

Yeah I agree, they are offshoots, but I would have mentioned Border Down as an evolved Darius.
It would be good if you could join spadgy & CHI and make it over to Stunfest
Good article!
As random trivia, I think I was the very first person to play the first Darius cab in London in 1986. It was premiered in the Golden Nugget arcade in Soho.

[Rupert H]

Maybe I could propose a Border Down retrospective to Eurogamer.

I desperately want to come to Stunfest but alas, funds won't allow it.

That is some claim to fame DEL. You were sticking it to King Fossil when I was only six years old! You are a genuine Silver Hawk.

[DEL]

Mr H wrote;

Maybe I could propose a Border Down retrospective to Eurogamer.

I desperately want to come to Stunfest but alas, funds won't allow it.

That is some claim to fame DEL. You were sticking it to King Fossil when I was only six years old! You are a genuine Silver Hawk.

Fossil?!? Silver (hair) Hawk?! HeHe! I like the subconscious Zimmer frame refs
Not yet!

As for a Border Down retrospective - Naah. Way too obscure. Only on one console and the Naomi board.

[Rupert H]

Who said they were subconscious?

Yeah, I was completely kidding about the Border Down retrospective, hence the laughing smiley. It's definitely way too obscure. It's a real pity G. Rev didn't give it an HD remake on XBLA. There were rumblings of Border Down HD following Under Defeat HD but I guess the latter wasn't the success they'd hoped for. More people need access to that game.

[spadgy]

Great piece mate! Having done one of these for Eurogamer (DDP) I can empathise with the challenge; make it engaging for a broad spectrum of gamers (mostly non-shmuppers), fill it with facts without it being a dull list of statements, balnce chronology and clarity with making it engaging, focus and make it informed while staying 'zoomed out' enough to paint the broad picture, give it a frame of reference and context without falling back on too much genre cross referencing and jargon; and all to word count. I think you did so brilliantly!

[Rupert H]

Thanks Will, I'm really glad you enjoyed it too.