Noob looking for recommendations

[nasty_wolverine]

Oh boy, not the DFK bashing again. Can we agree its a cool game that's not every bodies cup of tea and move on?

[BareKnuckleRoo]

DFK seems to be a love it or hate it thing. I quite appreciate it for what it is; a game that tries to actually be more like classic DDP in its chaining (hyper early to build hits, then don't use it and chain normally).

Futari is still more my thing. I enjoy the bullet patterns more, the shot types, the visuals... I find that the pacing of the game is generally more fun to play with, and the scoring system feels more satisfying than the feeling of ruining a stage score due to a chain drop. Having multiple difficulty modes helps a lot too. BL God Mode is incredibly fun to play.

I actually prefer SDOJ to DFK thanks to its more forgiving chaining system. That, and I am actually fond of its art style. But DFK is by no means bad.

[Squire Grooktook]

The first and last stage themes in dfk are boss though, as are the actual boss themes IMO.

I might be thinking of DFKBL and not DFK, but I do remember being fond of the colorfulness and sense of hyperactivity of one their art styles.

[nasty_wolverine]

The first and last stage themes in dfk are boss though, as are the actual boss themes IMO.

I might be thinking of DFKBL and not DFK, but I do remember being fond of the colorfulness and sense of hyperactivity of one their art styles.

Visually both are almost same, DFKBL has the best soundtrack.

[finisherr]

Mushihimesama Futari Black Label Original Mode
Dodonpachi

Both games are highly approachable, very fun, and stand the test of time. One might even say unforgettable. They stick with you.

[Obscura]

DFKBL has the best soundtrack.

I'll never understand why so many people think this. 1.5's soundtrack is nothing amazing (aside from the great boss themes), but DFKBL's soundtrack (at least based on listening to it on youtube) is just unnecessarily harsh and grating and annoying as hell.

[Satan]

Oh no! Not SUBJECTIVITY!

[Skykid]

DFKBL OST is awesome. Awesomely unconventional, awesomely heavy, thorougly required audio for getting the adrenaline pumping - exactly what shmups require.

[jasoncslaughter]

I think the DFK BL soundtrack fits the game a lot better (not to mention I think it just is better). I was hoping to hear more from Yoshimi Kudo (who did stage 4 and both boss themes), but I'm not sure what he's up to now since CAVE is essentially done. Azusa Chiba's stage 2 track was pretty awesome too. I actually wrote an article a couple of years ago on the soundtrack differences, with structural diagrams and all that jazz. Maybe I'll think about editing it and sharing it on here at some point.

[Sinful]

It depends on what you are going for - around here there is a definite pressure to start lining up 1CCs but personally I can't imagine spending hours upon hours with a game that I only have a half-hearted interest in, in order to to potentially collect an "easy 1CC" - I rather spend that time with a game that I truly enjoy playing, even if does put me in my place again and again.

Exactly. Why it's always really hard to answer this question.