Is Pulstar considered better than R-Type?

[BIL]

I dunno, I kinda dig how roboman corpse goes "BUWAHHHHHH" at you. That's some scary shit!

[Squire Grooktook]

Not sure why anyone would complain about the Akira stage. It looks nice as hell. I'd rather have a gorgeous rip off than an original dud.

As iconic as it is, the Dobkeratops in R-Type is a far less impressive copy and paste design then Last Resort's first stage. He got better over time, though, and some of the promo artwork of him is awesome.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Not even close - Pulstar basically rips off R-Type, loses some of the mechanics, gives you an engine that slows down constantly, and doesn't look as nice although it looked impressive on release.

That's pretty harsh, man... can't really agree with the pulstar is an R-type ripoff-bit. Since it was done by a bunch of people who had been working for Irem I see it as an unofficial part of the R-type series. The mechanics are simpler, yes, but for me this means more pure joy of playing and less of a strategic approach & memorisation (although it has lots of this too). And just like in Cave games, I enjoy the slowdown, it makes intense moments even more epic. It has much better music as well (from a composition standpoint - gotta admit I'm not a big fan of the soundchip in R-Type boards), much more atmospheric & epic.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

They deserve to be fairly compared, i.e. R-Type vs rest of Irem shmups, or Pulstar vs Blazing Star.

It would be like comparing Out Run vs Sega Rally.

Pulstar is much more similar IMHO to R-Type than to Blazing Star... or R-type Leo... it's not like we're comparing it to Border Down or something along those lines. R-type's and Pulstar's gameplays are extremely similar, and comparing them makes a lot of sense, as you can see from the fact that people are having interesting discussions on many gameplay points in this thread.

[atro]

I'm not a big fan of the soundchip in R-Type boards)

Yeh, unfortunately it only sounds really great on Ninja Spirit. Gotta love those loud drums.
I love the tunes from R-Type nonetheless. They're just too high pitched.

[Imhotep]

The visuals in Pulstar have aged well I think. Some of the levels feel like a dive in a working biosphere. Audiovisual masterpiece in my book.
The gameplay only shines after checkpoints though, on full power it's too easy to breeze through.

I'd guess R-Type is superior, but I'm not very familiar with that game.


On a side note: I find that prerendered graphics might be easier to appreciate today than when they were created, I've recently marvelled at Sol Divide.

[To Far Away Times]

Is McDonalds better than a nice steak?

[Austin]

(long post incoming..)

I do not think Pulstar is better than R-Type. I think it's got some great visuals and a lot going on, but the lack of flexibility with your pod, the forced button mashing and all the slowdown leaves a lot to be desired. I do think it's a good game and a great shooter for the Neo-Geo platform, but all these years later I don't hold it in near as high regard as the original R-Type, a game that, to me, has few issues even to this day.

Addressing the R-Type vs. R-Type II talk, I enjoy R-Type II but I think the game is just too damn hard for its own good. Not that I've really attempted to get through it in recent years (maybe that should be slapped on my to-do list), but I had far more hell with the stages in that game than I did the original R-Type. I much prefer how the original R-Type eases you in for the first few stages (something others here have complained about), something I see as generally good game design. R-Type II is tougher right from the start, and kicks up a few more notches earlier in the game (that level where ships fly in and leave blocks behind them can go screw itself). I'm also not a fan of the sound in R-Type II. Everything sounds way too high pitched and tinny. This is a shame because some of the tunes themselves are pretty damn good and fit the mood of the game. The sound in the first R-Type was of a better balance and thus was more enjoyable for me.

Speaking on Delta, I'm surprised some lump it with R-Type II in terms of difficulty. I think Delta isn't even as tough as the original R-Type (although it's still a good challenge, don't get me wrong). You have more flexible weapons at your disposal and a screen-clearing bomb which makes a lot of parts easier. I've completed Delta many times, while I've only completed the original R-Type once (on the PCE CD, mind you), whereas I've never managed to make it to the final stage in R-Type II (so yeah.. that's where I'm coming from).

In regards to Last Resort, I think it's a good game but lacks the excitement of the R-Type games. It just seems bland in comparison. That's a little harsh actually, because I find the visuals to be quite appealing, I like the sound of the game, and it does have a lot going on. The bosses however are pretty uninspired and the way the pods work just never felt right to me. I can definitely recommend this game, but it's on the bottom of the list for me when grouped with the R-Type series and Pulstar.

[SuperDeadite]

Honestly I think R-Type 2's difficulty is fine, assuming you can clear R-Type 1 first. Way I see it, the first 3 stages of R-Type are training missions, learn the mechanics or die, stage 4 is when it starts to really test you. If you could beat R-Type in the arcade, then you were ready for R-Type 2, you didn't need to relearn the same thing again. But R-Type 2 certainly isn't as memorable as the original meaning most people remember the difficulty over anything else.

[JBC]

R-Type I & II both have a fundamental beauty about them that Pulstar can't touch. (I do love Pulstar though.) I think it's really all about the level design. Everything in R-Type is deliberate while Pulstar has abit more chaos to contend with. Maybe the visuals are a little harder to make out in Pulstar for me.

One thing about the originals is the wide variety of great ports they had. I'd say it's really only fair to compare the arcade versions side by side.

Anyone here ever play R-Type DX on GBC or R-Type for ZX Spectrum? Both ports you would think would be terrible - they're f'n awesome.

[uzernaem]

R-Type for ZX Spectrum

Oh, I loved that one! Too bad there was no NES port. Anyway, I find R-Type and R-Type 2 perfect. I cannot say this about Pulstar because it has less deliberate level design and I do not like prerendered graphics at all. Out of R-Type clones, I prefer Last Resort.

[Ed Oscuro]

Since it was done by a bunch of people who had been working for Irem

Did this get locked down? Last I checked, it wasn't. The music looks like it was done by regular SNK folks, for example.

[atro]

Last I checked, it wasn't. The music looks like it was done by regular SNK folks, for example.

That's why it kicks ass
Gotta love that YM2610 beast

[MoreorLess]

Not even close - Pulstar basically rips off R-Type, loses some of the mechanics, gives you an engine that slows down constantly, and doesn't look as nice although it looked impressive on release.

That's pretty harsh, man... can't really agree with the pulstar is an R-type ripoff-bit. Since it was done by a bunch of people who had been working for Irem I see it as an unofficial part of the R-type series. The mechanics are simpler, yes, but for me this means more pure joy of playing and less of a strategic approach & memorisation (although it has lots of this too). And just like in Cave games, I enjoy the slowdown, it makes intense moments even more epic. It has much better music as well (from a composition standpoint - gotta admit I'm not a big fan of the soundchip in R-Type boards), much more atmospheric & epic.

Personally it actually feels much more like R-type than any of the console sequals which for me tend to lack replayability due to the stronger memorisation focus.

Losing the force detachability might seem like a simplification but really I would argue it actually makes the backwards moving sections on stage 3-4 more interesting as you are a bit more limited in your attacks, aiming the side probes or only using certain weapons rather than having any weapon facing backwards.

I like the way Pulstar focuses on the charged shot as well, the R-type sequals increasingly make it a long charge boss killer but here its more akin to the original, something you use thoughout the game. Better in some respects I would say since a lot of the weapons are linked into it so you don't leave it behind when fully powered up. Picking out a charged blast every second or two rather than just gunning down everything infront of you makes for both fun and tactical play for me.

That circular plasma weapon as well in really unique and makes for a very different playing experience.

[MintyTheCat]

I would say a resounding "no".

R-Type in its many guises is better than Pulstar. I never really liked Pulstar even when it was first released.

In fact on the NeoGeo Last-Resort is a lot better but you will have to take that with a pinch of salt as LR is one of my favourite Shmups.