Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

[R79]

Raiden II on the other hand doesn't waste any time. It's definitely much harder than Gradius III as far as brutish difficulty is concerned. Even stage 2 will murder you over and over and over again if you don't know the location of every little tank and sniper in advance. Just tapping, sweeping and improvised dodging on the spot which will get you through most of the first Raiden will not suffice at all. I have the feeling that it'll take me much longer to clear this one compared to Gradius III, but it's kinda refreshing to get wiped out by honest, ruthless bullets. Will see how much time I invest in this one for now, but I'm greatly enjoying myself despite all the suckage.

I've been hacking away at this recently, and it's pretty addictive running on a flipped CRT, with some juddering sound effects. I regret not spending more time with The Raiden Project in general, which has been pretty much sat in a shoebox here since around the time Espgaluda came out on PS2.
For early '90s games, these still pack a helluva brutal punch, and offer a serious blasting marathon to some of the 5 stage stuff that's come out in recent years. I suspect more than ever now, Raizing were heavily influenced by both Seibu's graphic style, and punishing ethos.

[Perikles]

Making satisfying progress on Gradius III: just managed to get through the entire final stage for the first time. I lost five lives on the cell walls, I definitely need to tinker with my strategy at the end, I get shot by those turrets way too often. My timing is probably off. I'm also musing whether two or three speed-ups are the adequate amount, I love the widespread spacing between the options when playing with the latter, but it is menacingly common to slam into a ceiling, especially when the slowdown subsides during critical moments. Since there is a very good chance to die at least once during the cube rush I could just play the game with three speed-ups up until that point and then switch to two, I'll try it out.

Overall I'm having a great time. Game got its quirks and rough edges, yet I don't know many other shmups that feel so grand and vast in scope while at the same time being egregiously playful and insouciant. It's a ton of fun figuring out solutions with tactical option placements and prudent enemy prioritization as well as devising strategies for the tougher bosses. I'll probably sing a different tune once I start to do full runs and die by some questionable hit detection really late in the game, thus terminating a long credit instantly, but a man has to overcome obstacles! Too bad I'll never be able to get through the final stretch with all my options which renders any ambitions regarding the second loop moot. Oh well.

[BIL]

Has the AC game changed your opinions on the SFC port any, Perikles? I like having both around, their relationship might be compared to hard booze and a glass of warm milk with cookies. Both quite appropriate depending on one's mood.

[Perikles]

Both quite appropriate depending on one's mood.

Ita est! The arcade game demands a great deal of specific knowledge (to cope with some of the rather unintuitive spots), proper tactical decisions/the execution thereof and, most important of all, strength of nerves. But I can pop in the SFC conversion at any given time, clear at least two loops, listen to the fantastic renditions of the soundtrack (some of which I prefer over the original tunes; and Uncharted Territory has to be one of my favourite stage themes out there, period!) and soaking in the fabulous atmosphere I so adore about the series (this is also the main reason why I can't quite get into V as much as I'd like to: I want my iridescent colours and varied stages everywhere, V is a bit too focused on mechanical bases for my personal liking). When we think of Gradius III AC as the Iliad, then Gradius III SFC is a Discworld novel: the former represents wellnigh classicistic traits whereas its port is vigorous and pleasurable without sacrificing any of the inherent quality.

...but I love pretty much every version of the first three Gradius games, anyway (and Gaiden).

[pegboy]

V is a little bland graphically compared to the sprite work of the earlier games but I still think it has by far the best gameplay in the entire series. Playing around with type 2 is a thing of beauty, nothing is even remotely comparable in the earlier games.

[Mischief Maker]

Gradius V, to me, gives an excellent argument against translating Japanese shmups, at least from a story perspective:

Computer: Two ships are approaching. One of them is the same Vic Viper you are piloting.
Pilot: What??? But that... that's impossible!

later

Pilot: Looks like we'll need to travel back in time. Computer! Create a time warp.
Computer: Okey-doke! *ding*

[BIL]

What I find more troubling is the pilot saying there'll be "no future for either of us" if they don't destroy the mothership... which was harmlessly chilling in some far-flung hangar until his intervention positioned it directly over Gradius on a screaming collision course with the planet.

[Perikles]

Alright, my practice for Gradius III is nearly complete now. Just had a run from the crystal stage right to the end of the game, only losing one life at the final cell walls ('s way too finicky to get through there with all the options). I can get through every part with adequate reliability right now (terrible luck at the crystal stage notwithstanding - if one gets to it with a full stock of lives there's a good chance to pass it sooner or later, the true horror lies in the disheartening quality, dying over and over again debilitates one's strength fast, leading to more deaths and a weakened player that will make a fatal error during the fortress), my biggest fear is that little maze with the laser-spewing drones whose remains will stay on-screen even after dispatching them. I have a route for this part but since I have to cease fire it means that there's no slowdown which in turn causes even the meekest of taps on the d-pad to slam into something. Terrifying! That's one of the few things I'm not fond of in the arcade version: the slowdown has a nasty tendency to abruptly subside, leaving players that are caught into the action open to navigate the Vic into something lethal. There's not even a speck of doubt in my mind that it is harder to clear the game on the PS2 with slowdown turned off entirely, but at the very least you always know how fast you're going to move.

I'm peculiarly scared to attempt full runs, though. Game's immensely intimidating and I've longed for the clear for quite some time now, yet I'm afraid to actually try it out. Well, I'll force myself in the near future, it's time to finish this business once and for all!

[EmperorIng]

I'm rooting for you! The bubble stage is my litmus test for whether or not it's possible for me to beat Gradius III one day. The answer is always no.

[LordHypnos]

Just did another session of Under Defeat. I feel like some of the blue guy patterns you can (randomly) get for the 3 blue guy part are basically inescapable. Also, I'm finding it super annoying how sometimes the EMP cannon will shoot another EMP right when I'm trying to rocket it and destroy my rocket, then basically just kill me because when it's right at the bottom of the screen the explosion shot is really fuckin hard to dodge. These, and the occasional accidental vulcan / cannon pickups (as well as the inevitable stupid mistakes that occur most of the time, as well) make it really hard to get to the part that I actually want to practice which is the terrifying rail tanks part. Still don't really know the best way to tackle it. I've got the first one down: focus fire on it from the moment it appears, and the second: rocket it, but then after that really needs some practice.

[EmperorIng]

Tested out some Final Blaster on Ootake. Not sure why Perikles digs it so much. To be sure, the game has nice graphics, sound, and is competently-designed... except when it comes to the fake wobble mode they hard-coded into the game. It's like playing Original 2 on a Psikyo port, or whichever mode makes you scroll the screen up and down to see the whole field. It really throws me off and leaves me susceptible to a stray bullet or enemy kamikaze. If it were straight 4:3 i think it'd be one of the best shmups on the PC Engine, but the up-and-down nature of scrolling really aggravates me.

[trap15]

Not a fan of Thunder Force IV then, I take it?

[OmKol]

Three weeks of playing Radiant Silvergun Saturn Mode and I'm still having problems even with that cheating full powerup save file (I'm afraid of playing it with scoring everywhere). And still my record is 7 deaths (at least no miss stage 5, xiga and the last stage 1). Is it so freaking hard or it's just my hands?

[EmperorIng]

I'm not sure; I can't figure out RSG for the life of me. Too many weapons, buttons, and chains, but maybe I'm just dumb.

Not a fan of Thunder Force IV then, I take it?

Hey now, below the belt.

Maybe it's hard to get across in text, but look at videos of Final Blaster and you'll know what I'm talking about - it's also like the Yoko Saturn port of Kyuukyoku Tiger II+. Thunder Force IV's open levels do scrolling the right way, just like how nearly every vertical shooter that wants more screen real estate increase the horizontal width of the screen, as opposed to the vertical space.

Hori increasing vertical space = good
Vert increasing horizontal space = good

Hori increasing hori space = bad
Vert increasing vert space = bad

[Perikles]

It really throws me off and leaves me susceptible to a stray bullet or enemy kamikaze. If it were straight 4:3 i think it'd be one of the best shmups on the PC Engine, but the up-and-down nature of scrolling really aggravates me.

It didn't bother me that much since Final Blaster is heavy on memorization, anyway, the scrolling merely adds another layer to that. I personally don't feel it's different from getting sniped by a tank in Raiden II or Twin Cobra, honestly. Just gotta know what's coming up ahead. You can also use that to your advantage when pushing the screen backwards to dodge bullets. It's an unorthodox system for sure, I think they implemented it reasonably well, though.

[horaceappleton]

Three weeks of playing Radiant Silvergun Saturn Mode and I'm still having problems even with that cheating full powerup save file (I'm afraid of playing it with scoring everywhere). And still my record is 7 deaths (at least no miss stage 5, xiga and the last stage 1). Is it so freaking hard or it's just my hands?

RSG is a hard game, and Saturn Mode's a hard clear. I recommend playing with Every 1,000,000 extend settings; it's not a True Default Settings One Cee Cee but it's significantly more enjoyable. And start learning those chains and boss destructions! You may find it more fun not to use a save file once you start to develop your scoring.

[Gamer707b]

Im back at it with the delicious Gaiares. Also looking to complete Super Rtype soon and dabbling back and forth with Darius Gaiden.

[Stevens]

Learning Gunbird 2 the past few days. Initial thoughts -

Love the overall presentation. Great sprite work, transforming bosses, and surprisingly non annoying characters:D Whole thing is really pretty, plays well, and it looks fantastic tated.

Playing it on difficulty 4 (easy) till I learn the stages (I did this with ZG 2 and it helped a ton). Only difference I can tell so far is the enemies have slightly less health, but the patterns and bullet speed appear to be the same.

Spiltting time between Valpiro (who reminds me a lot of Huitzil/Phobos), Aine, and Tavia. All are fun to play, and Tavia's bomb into melee is devestating. I can see why she is so popular in that respect.

Haven't seen past 1-5 yet, but I will!

[LordHypnos]

^Nice rapid progress there! Not an easy game.

[RecklessRave]

Today I really felt like playing a shmup during my lunch break at work, so I tried out Cho Ren Sha 68K. I am loving the soundtrack of this game so much and really enjoyed what I played, even though I only made it to the stage 2 boss. Unfortunately, I have to play with a script for autofire since I share my office and it would be rude of me to make my coworker listen to me rapidly pressing a keyboard key for 30 mins+, so I spent most of my actual play time experimenting and finding a fire rate that imitates how fast I think I would typically press. I feel like it's cheating, but it's either that or I don't get to play it during lunch at all.

Meanwhile, at home I am trying really hard to get my first Touhou 1cc, on EoSD. It is not really going that well but I need to get it by the beginning of April when I might wear the Marisa cosplay I just got last night to a convention. I would feel kind of stupid wearing it if I haven't even cleared a game (and I am also determined to play all the games in order, though I skipped the PC-98 ones). Next I will revisit DariusBurst CS and start trying to clear the Arcade EX stages, since I took a break after clearing all the Original routes, and by that time the DLC should be out as well (I hope).

[ryu]

Don't worry about the fire rate in Cho Ren Sha 68k. It's very tame. The dev himself specified the fire rate to the fastest at 4 presses a second, no need to feel like a cheater for using autofire.

[PAPER/ARTILLERY]

Finally getting stuck in with Crimzon Clover after owning it for a while. Loving the 'everything-up-to-11' feel and starting to get a grip on how scoring works. Torn between Type I and Type Z ships, like the firepower of Z but the move speed is a little too fast for micro-dodging. Probably stick with Z while I'm learning the stages and patterns then go back to Type I. Great game though, I can see myself putting some serious time into it.

[Stevens]

Under Defeat. I know, you're surprised.

The good - I changed my route ever so slightly in 1-4 and found an additional 5,000 points. WOOHOO.

Fell short a little yet again (4.6 million). Started 2-4 with 4.2 million and one extra ship. Ate a bullet right before the trains, panic bombed one too many times, and lost my last life at the cannons right before the boss. Once I spent my last bomb I pretty much knew it was the end, but I never lost my shit which is always a plus.

I am thinking I need to just tape a piece of paper over the TV screen so I can't see my score. I wonder if it is more mental right now?

[S_Fang]

Why Steam must screw up with Crimzon Clover and corrupt my scores and progress?!

Damn bastard!! I'll never unlock Type Z if it the game freeze each time Steam upgrades. Did it happened to some of you?

[Klatrymadon]

I had some trouble unlocking Type Z for keeps, yeah. Every time the achievement popped, I'd finish my run and close the game, and Steam would sync everything as normal, but when I came to play it the next time the ship wouldn't be available, and the unlocking percentage would drop to 80-odd. The ship is always available now, but I couldn't say what the solution was...

[OmKol]

RSG is a hard game, and Saturn Mode's a hard clear. I recommend playing with Every 1,000,000 extend settings; it's not a True Default Settings One Cee Cee but it's significantly more enjoyable. And start learning those chains and boss destructions! You may find it more fun not to use a save file once you start to develop your scoring.

Thank you for motivating. Will try it after some Deathsmiles because Steam release finally.

[S_Fang]

I had some trouble unlocking Type Z for keeps, yeah. Every time the achievement popped, I'd finish my run and close the game, and Steam would sync everything as normal, but when I came to play it the next time the ship wouldn't be available, and the unlocking percentage would drop to 80-odd. The ship is always available now, but I couldn't say what the solution was...

I made a backup of the "data" folder, in case that shit happens again. I even had a nice Novice Arcade 1CC trophy now lost.

[PAPER/ARTILLERY]

Hmm, haven't noticed any problems like that with CC. Doesn't always recognise my stick for some reason though.

[AxelMill]

There was a lone copy of Under Defeat HD Limited Edition in my local Gamestop, for merely 7€. My family bought it for my 18th birthday, alongiside PX22 headphones and 40€ on my PayPal account, which I'll surely use to buy me ever more shmups.
Unfortunately, being the incompetent employee that he was, there's no soundtrack CD in the case. Hopefully there still is one in the shop. Don't give a damn about listening it on a CD player, but for collecting purposes. Who knows, at some point it'll be extremely expensive, and people will be willing to pay whatever amount for this dented (new) box.

I clearly need to get used to the hitbox, and the bullet speed. The excessive slowdown after every explosion is kinda annoying, though. Border Down is miles better, pls G.Rev, Steam port when?

[vvv_stg]

Tried playing Embodiment of Scarlet Devil. It's much better than I expected. The music is outstanding. I had to actually install vpatch, because without it game ran at 144 fps and eventually crashed.