What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[null1024]

Bit of a Saturn kick tonight.

NiGHTS into Dreams [Saturn].
's fun. It's finally really starting to click with me.

for anyone who doesn't know what to do, the goal is really simple:
- get 20 blue chips ASAP, find and blow up that big 'ole Ideya Capture thing
- do not go through the start gate, go above it
- loop around the stage, making the biggest fucking chain you possibly can
- go through the start just as time is about to run out
- repeat for each section, then kill the boss
It's all about getting those perfect lines for keeping your combo while going faster and faster to do more loops around the track.

The game's really pretty too.
Like, is it just me, or was Sonic Team like the only developer to actually use Gouraud shading for lighting?
damn near every Saturn game is a: devoid of lightsourcing, or b: flatshaded
There's a reason [read: no real hardware T&L, the programmable DSP that's supposed to handle it is described in the Saturn manual to be a fucking pain in the ass to write for], but it's still a bit of a shame.

Gungriffon [Saturn].
I kind of want to like this more, but there's a lot of fiddly shit you've gotta kill. What a pain.
Two of the missions at the start are low visibility. The snow one was okay because it was more wide open. The night one fucking sucked, loads of buildings and shit in the way.
There's a lot of enemies hanging out near the area border/outside it in stages. Not coming in, but just sitting around there. Lost a mission because I was following a tank and went OOB.
Trying to hit helicopters fucking sucks, they're fast as shit and make these big loops around you and zip right over your head, while you're this clunky ass mech that only gets gets three short flight jumps for every few minutes and is probably also getting shot at by other shit [if you focus on said other shit, you're gonna just get railed on by the helicopters].

It's not all bad, and the game gives some really intense action [ooh baby, zipping behind hills to get out of some crossfire, sniping some fuckers from the edge of draw-distance range, sometimes it's fun to swap to the machinegun and try to nail the helicopters], but it's a bit rough.

It also really makes good use of the Saturn's not-Mode-7 feature for those wide open fields. Not the best looking graphics, but it's not super ugly.

Virtual On [Saturn].
so, this really is absurdly different to on PS2 or arcade and trying to do shit like forward dash right weapon at close range misses a hell of a lot more here
Ah, well. It's still a cool version of the game, and probably still worth playing because of [rather than despite] the different mechanics, since it's otherwise a choppier, uglier version of a game you can play on better machines in modern times.

oh, and
Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram [DC].
turns out Demul is faster than nullDC for this, who knew [it's mostly not an issue except in some stages, Ascent Corridor is probably the worst with FPS in nullDC, most of the rest of the game runs at like 90-160fps when uncapped, maybe like 210 in like the first stage or when paused, I can get it full speed by running in a really fucking small window at 1/4 res in nullDC, but that's as awful as it sounds -- the game keeps a steady 60 in Demul beyond some probably loading related hiccups]

Still loads of fun. Still obnoxiously fast. I wish my DC was in better condition so I could just play it right on the DC.
there's nothing quite as annoying as the wrong shot coming out, I want crouching right turbo center weapon, and I get just crouching left weapon and fucking miss [or don't fire at all since the weapon was charging], blah

also, fuck Bradtos
it's dramatically harder than Tangram, and not in a good way
It's not as dumb as Force/MARZ's Ajim twins, but still dumb.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Saturn rules.

My latest Saturn plays are Gale Racer and Puzzle Bobble 3. Oh and honestly, I'm probably always playing Digital Pinball Necronomicon. That game rocks. Hell I mostly got a Japanese Saturn so I didn't have to sit through the AR menu before playing DPN. Well that and basically all my games are Japanese anyway.

Made it to the last chapter of Yakuza 6 the other night. I really like that they kinda cut the bullshit with the boss fights. They don't feel nearly as long. They also don't lose the epic feel such as

Spoiler

the fight with Beat Takeshi ERRRR Hirose which is completely badass. I lol'd when he shoots one of the pipes which gets steam everywhere. Then he hides in the mist like a ninja throwing knives at you.

Overall the game hasn't disappointed. Typical exposition dump in between the 2nd to last chapter and the last but I'm all anyways. Just enjoying the melodrama. Also happy that they switched back to one fighting style. The 4x fighting style where you were more or less forced to use a particular style for boss fights (which again were long and drawn out) was a bland aspect of 0 and Kiwami. I am hoping Kiwami 2 is more like 6. The whole 5 types of experience thing is a complete non-issue, you get enough by simply playing the game. I guess if you really hate the mini-games you might be short on type 4/5 but then if you hate all that and the substories, I'd question why you picked up a Yakuza game in the first place. I had just kind of maxed everything multiple chapters back.

Speaking of the substories

Spoiler

Munan Chohept Onast is back. With a really nice touch too. This is one of my favorite substories in the entire game.

Thoughts on the big mini-games.

Baseball: Pretty easy, like that there is an option to speed it up because it would be a real drag without. The one thing I wished they did was have an option to turn off randomly having to bat yourself on/off. Would have been real nice to turn that off when I was grinding exp. Overall not too long, just make sure to recruit the better players and it's easy.

Spear fishing: I pretty much just did all the areas and the quests associated with this and then never messed with it again. Not worth the time investment when you don't need the money.*

*That's another nice part of this game. I was never in a situation where I needed to grind up money at all. I've always had more than enough just from the random street fights. Well balanced.

Clan Battle: Didn't get that into this. Just kind of did it because it was there. Also relatively easy, I don't think I was ever in danger of losing. Apparently there are codes to get you extra powerful characters including Kazuma but I didn't bother.

Favorite characters in this game (besides Kaz): Hirose and Big Lo.

[null1024]

Saturn rules.

My latest Saturn plays are Gale Racer and Puzzle Bobble 3. Oh and honestly, I'm probably always playing Digital Pinball Necronomicon. That game rocks. Hell I mostly got a Japanese Saturn so I didn't have to sit through the AR menu before playing DPN. Well that and basically all my games are Japanese anyway.

Yeah, I love the machine.
Man, I really do wish Gale Racer was a better port though. Sure, you've got neat 3D cars, but you've got cuts between sections [not entirely inexcusable, but a bit unfortunate] and an absurdly short draw distance combined with a relatively low framerate. It could have [and should have] been better.

Lately I've been playing Taromaru on the machine. God, is that game fucking stylish. I still can't get over the seamless level transitions too, the game just feels like it keeps going on, and on, and on. It's wild.
I kinda wish I wasn't quite so bad -- part of it is just lack of foreknowledge, but a lot of it is just me not being good with movement and when to shield or dash.

The only real issue I have with the game is that targeting what you want to hit is a real fucking pain and I kind of feel like you should have been able to hold R or something to let you move the cursor directly with the d-pad.

[Xyga]

Man, I really do wish Gale Racer was a better port though. Sure, you've got neat 3D cars, but you've got cuts between sections [not entirely inexcusable, but a bit unfortunate] and an absurdly short draw distance combined with a relatively low framerate. It could have [and should have] been better.

plus the engine at full throttle makes the most annoying noise

[BIL]

The only real issue I have with the game is that targeting what you want to hit is a real fucking pain and I kind of feel like you should have been able to hold R or something to let you move the cursor directly with the d-pad.

I'm competent at Taromaru (can no-miss Hard consistently; I like to think its supposed AC version would've been one life per credit) - tbh, I prefer to ignore fine aiming where possible, especially in crowd melees. If I want to hit something particular, I'll either try to get near it, or stall until it's near me. If that's not practical, I'll just hit what I can and enjoy one less enemy + a bit of collateral damage (if using Taromaru). Treat it like a taser basically.

This is an easy setup, and it's possible to improvise similar, but if you've got 3+ active pursuers it's often better to just clap the nearest target:

Spoiler

Don't overlook bombing btw! You can be superlatively aggressive with it. If you're using Tenkai/old guy, it's particularly vital since he lacks Taro's chain lightning, but makes up for that by doing more damage/possession per shot.

BOOF! That's five unrecognisably mutilated victims for the price of one!

Spoiler

Slaves ain't much use individually, so acquire and dipose of meat warheads ruthlessly. However, it's a great idea to possess the last survivor of a given scene and let 'em tag along, then kick off the next scene all "SAY HELLO TO MAH LIL FRIEND"

"Buhahaha! We are the midboss monk bros, and - wait, Tom from accounting, why are you BLPTBHHHH!"

Spoiler

>Minor Taro Strategy/Love-In Post

[Steamflogger Boss]

Man, I really do wish Gale Racer was a better port though. Sure, you've got neat 3D cars, but you've got cuts between sections [not entirely inexcusable, but a bit unfortunate] and an absurdly short draw distance combined with a relatively low framerate. It could have [and should have] been better.

plus the engine at full throttle makes the most annoying noise

Definitely not my favorite arcade racer (that's our lord and savior Outrun) but I had enough fun with it for a cheapy.

Taromaru is another one of the mythically expensive Saturn games right? I assume so because it's in my burn stack. I remember it being pretty good but I haven't played it in years.

Nice to see to Saturn love here.

[BIL]

Taromaru is another one of the mythically expensive Saturn games right?

Yeah, sadly. 3; The annoying sort of expensive game, being not only excellent but also very unique. Glad I did my big tyming in relatively sane and slightly less scalper/scammer-ridden times.

Not that any of this matters now ofc. ;3

[Immryr]

i haven't been playing all that much nier automata over the last few days, and when i have it's just been messing around with side quests. tonight i finally started my next main mission, which turned out to be a pretty long shmup / twin stick section. it feels like the first shmup bit since the one at very beginning of the game, could be mis-remembering that though.

anyway it was full of quite a lot of bullshit. the section has quite a few mini cut scenes or just sections where you're talking, then it immediately cuts back into the action and enemies can very easily already be spawned more or less directly on top of you. in a game where you die in one or two hits (on hard at least) this just feels really shitty. fortunately i managed to come through that unscathed just to run into something even more shitty. the last part of the whole long section puts you at some weird angle against the boss where you only have something like 60% range of movement and the direction you input doesn't quite seem to match the way you move on screen..... who thought this was a good idea? did anyone playtest this game?

i really want to love this game but there are just so many things which seem ill-judged, unbalanced, poorly thought out or just shitty. weirdly i don't remember seeing anyone complaining about this stuff when the game came out. is it just me?

[null1024]

Oh shit, thanks, BIL!
I'll definitely take that advice to heart.

I definitely wasn't bombing enough, too. I guess there's a reason possessed enemies aren't too useful as followers otherwise.

[ED-057]

I've been playing Sunrider - Mask of Arcadius. It was free on GOG, also claims to be a beta version and is buggy enough that I believe it. It's like a low-budget Super Robot Wars game based on a harem anime.

[Mischief Maker]

Re Outrun PC;
Sun/lens flare fix. https://steamcommunity.com/app/4730/dis ... 384292066/

Is there anywhere this folder is uploaded for those of us who don't have the XB Online Arcade version to do this with?

Turns out it's a misplaced file on the PC version:

1. Go to <path-to-game>\Media\.
2. Copy lens_flare_offset.bin.
3. Paste in <path-to-game>\Common\.

[soprano1]

Turns out it's a misplaced file on the PC version:

1. Go to <path-to-game>\Media\.
2. Copy lens_flare_offset.bin.
3. Paste in <path-to-game>\Common\.

Really, they fucked that up like that?

[Steamflogger Boss]

Related: Tropico 5 retail disc has a fucked install, had to fix it to get the game to work lol.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Beat Yakuza 6. Shit got real. All the feels.



The ending was really good and closes out the series nicely. There really isn't room to make another game, so I hope they stick to it. I know they are making a Yakuza game with a FOTNS skin so maybe just keep doing stuff like that. Or new characters. Kazuma Kiryu's story is done. Don't fuck it up Sega. The whole final chapter is insane and there is just in general a huge amount of cutscenes in the last two chapters.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Turns out it's a misplaced file on the PC version:

1. Go to <path-to-game>\Media\.
2. Copy lens_flare_offset.bin.
3. Paste in <path-to-game>\Common\.

I will test this tonight. You are a gentleman and I appreciate this.\

edit: works beautifully, thanks.

[BulletMagnet]

The ending was really good and closes out the series nicely.

Without being too spoiler-y I have to say I had mixed feelings about it; I can more or less understand why they went that route, but it honestly felt like a bit of a cop-out to me.

Off to the side, I recall reading that the team is working on another Yakuza title starring a different main character, so at least for the moment they seem to (say they) intend to leave Kiryu alone for a bit.

[Steamflogger Boss]

I know they are also working on a FOTNS skinned Yakuza game. I'll probably buy it.

[Immryr]

i got the A ending on nier automata today, swiftly followed by the G ending...... twice in quick succession. at that point i'd had enough and turned it off.

i'll play through at least a few more of the endings before making a final judgement, maybe all of them - i'm not sure how many there are or how much of a pain in the ass playing through them all is.

[Bananamatic]

almost done with persona 5 on hard mode
funny difficulty curve, the first 2 bosses are insanely hard on hard mode, worse than anything in p3 or p4 that early
then you get to the endgame and it's super easy due to all the social link bonuses in this game and how you can choose what skills to carry over when fusing
literally went from the hardest SMT earlygame to the easiest SMT lategame I ever experienced

[Stevens]

OutRun 2 on the Xbox and C2C on the PS 2.

C2C is definitely the more forgiving of the two. Run over some grass in C2C - lose a few MPH, same grass in 2? 60 MPH.

2 looks every bit as good as OutRun Online Arcade on the 360, without the high price tag of the Xbox version of C2C. When I can't play Online Arcade anymore I'll have moved on to the PC version:D I don't have a favorite car just yet in this version, but most likely something in five speed manual.

C2C on the PS 2 doesn't look as good, but it plays great. I haven't found a better car (imo) than the tuned Testarossa. It accelerates ridiculously fast, has a pretty good top speed, and controls really well through drifts making it easy to hug the inside of the road. The F40 has a better top speed and hugs regular corners like a dream, however it accelerates slower and is harder to handle through drifts.

Loves me some OutRun.

[Marc]

OutRun 2 on the Xbox and C2C on the PS 2.

C2C is definitely the more forgiving of the two. Run over some grass in C2C - lose a few MPH, same grass in 2? 60 MPH.

2 looks every bit as good as OutRun Online Arcade on the 360, without the high price tag of the Xbox version of C2C. When I can't play Online Arcade anymore I'll have moved on to the PC version:D I don't have a favorite car just yet in this version, but most likely something in five speed manual.

C2C on the PS 2 doesn't look as good, but it plays great. I haven't found a better car (imo) than the tuned Testarossa. It accelerates ridiculously fast, has a pretty good top speed, and controls really well through drifts making it easy to hug the inside of the road. The F40 has a better top speed and hugs regular corners like a dream, however it accelerates slower and is harder to handle through drifts.

Loves me some OutRun.

Holy balls, when did Xbox C2C shoot up to those prices!?
Funny, about five/six years ago I got broken in to. It was early on in the morning, and because I was on an early at the job I was in, he/they/it legged it when they heard me getting up around 3am.
At the time I still had a lot of JPN DC stuff, some SNES and MD rarities, the Cave 360 stuff, and some other bits and bobs on a bookshelf, and I'd been on a bit of an Xbox spree, snapping up a dozen or so 'cult classics'. Being the smack heads that they undoubtedly are around that estate, they'd gone straight for the Xbox stuff and stolen games worth pennies at the local pawn store, rather than the stuff that might have made them a few quid. They took the original OutRun, but left me this, though they did nab my Silent Hill 2 and Panzer Dragoon Orta.

Anyhow, yes I also love me some OutRun. Hadn't realised the differences between the two games were so pronounced, I'll have to pick up the original Xbox O2 and compare. I picked up some component cables for the Xbox a few years ago and did a side by side of C2C on Xbox/X360 and the results were quite complimentary to the older machine. It's been my hope for years for a home version of OutRunners, but sadly Sega seem to have all but buried that game.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

C2C is definitely the more forgiving of the two. Run over some grass in C2C - lose a few MPH, same grass in 2? 60 MPH.

There's also a huge difference in terms of how drifting works that makes even more of a difference in my opinion:

• In Outrun 2, you can collide with vehicles while drifting. There is a specific animation for this where you make a kind of low, shuddering bounce and lose maybe 100 - 120 KPH. It's not immediately fatal to getting you across the finish line like a serious, flip over in the air crash is, but you have to be very wary of when to drift and when not to drift in traffic, because a few of those in a race can jeopardize your chances of making it across the finish line.

• Outrun 2 SP and versions based on it such as Outrun 2006 C2C (and I believe the XBLA version?) do not appear to have drift collisions. When you are in a drifting state, hitting traffic will result in kind of 'grinding' against them, and as soon as you stop touching them you'll be on your merry way with no real speed loss. You can drift into the back of traffic, skim past them, and be clear of them completely safely. There are some sections you can take faster without drifting, but essentially drifting protects you from traffic collisions. If you're in even a shallow turn and you're suddenly about to hit traffic, you can quickly start a drift to protect yourself.

This is a significant change and the biggest factor in Outrun 2 SP / 2006 C2C being easier. Note that drifting never does anything to protect you against collisions on the sides of the road - if you clip a wall while drifting, you can and will suffer a major crash, regardless of version. There's also slipstreaming introduced which helps with your speed.

The courses in Outrun 2 SP are harder though. In Outrun 2, the nastiest course is Coniferous Forest, mostly because it has one turn at the end that's a trap for beginners, and requires practice to take it properly. Ghost Forest has a few turns where you can lose speed due to the dirt on the sides of the road, and Cape Way is tricky, but none of the courses in Outrun 2 approach the traps found in Outrun 2 SP. Ice Scape and Jungle both have a couple of turns that are very dangerous at high speed while drifting as there are rocky outcroppings that go over the sides of the road and make the outer lanes unsafe. It's very easy for your rear end to smack one mid drift if you're not careful, and that's an instant disaster. Milky Way amps this up, combining this style of hazard with a really tight track. Milky Way is probably the most difficult track in the game. Skyscrapers is also tricky, with some very tight turns you need to slow down to take properly, but there is much less risky of a serious crash in Skyscrapers since the track itself is rather wide.

Funny, about five/six years ago I got broken in to. It was early on in the morning, and because I was on an early at the job I was in, he/they/it legged it when they heard me getting up around 3am.

Ugh, that's one of my fears is coming home to a ransacked house. Thankfully the neighbourhood we're in is nice enough that you can literally leave your housekeys in the door and they'll still be there when you finally notice.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Of all things there were a couple of women stealing mail out where I am at. It's quite rural so they probably thought they were pretty safe. They ended up getting busted but it's the main reason I have a PO box now. I can't even see my mailbox from my house because the driveway is long and winding.

[Marc]

C2C is definitely the more forgiving of the two. Run over some grass in C2C - lose a few MPH, same grass in 2? 60 MPH.

There's also a huge difference in terms of how drifting works that makes even more of a difference in my opinion:

• In Outrun 2, you can collide with vehicles while drifting. There is a specific animation for this where you make a kind of low, shuddering bounce and lose maybe 100 - 120 KPH. It's not immediately fatal to getting you across the finish line like a serious, flip over in the air crash is, but you have to be very wary of when to drift and when not to drift in traffic, because a few of those in a race can jeopardize your chances of making it across the finish line.

• Outrun 2 SP and versions based on it such as Outrun 2006 C2C (and I believe the XBLA version?) do not appear to have drift collisions. When you are in a drifting state, hitting traffic will result in kind of 'grinding' against them, and as soon as you stop touching them you'll be on your merry way with no real speed loss. You can drift into the back of traffic, skim past them, and be clear of them completely safely. There are some sections you can take faster without drifting, but essentially drifting protects you from traffic collisions. If you're in even a shallow turn and you're suddenly about to hit traffic, you can quickly start a drift to protect yourself.

You know, if you hadn't mentioned it I'd never have remembered, but yeah it's a massive difference. I knew there was something off about C2C but because of not having the original around I've never been able to put my finger on what it was. I've always meant to get around to replacing the OR2 disc but never done so simply because C2C has all the content, and HD is perfect for firing up for a quick blast. Looks like I need to pick it back up after all. Those extra courses suck though, it was plain to see they hadn't been developed around the OR2 drift mechanic.

[Stevens]

There's also a huge difference in terms of how drifting works that makes even more of a difference in my opinion:

• In Outrun 2, you can collide with vehicles while drifting. There is a specific animation for this where you make a kind of low, shuddering bounce and lose maybe 100 - 120 KPH. It's not immediately fatal to getting you across the finish line like a serious, flip over in the air crash is, but you have to be very wary of when to drift and when not to drift in traffic, because a few of those in a race can jeopardize your chances of making it across the finish line.

• Outrun 2 SP and versions based on it such as Outrun 2006 C2C (and I believe the XBLA version?) do not appear to have drift collisions. When you are in a drifting state, hitting traffic will result in kind of 'grinding' against them, and as soon as you stop touching them you'll be on your merry way with no real speed loss. You can drift into the back of traffic, skim past them, and be clear of them completely safely. There are some sections you can take faster without drifting, but essentially drifting protects you from traffic collisions. If you're in even a shallow turn and you're suddenly about to hit traffic, you can quickly start a drift to protect yourself.

The courses in Outrun 2 SP are harder though. In Outrun 2, the nastiest course is Coniferous Forest, mostly because it has one turn at the end that's a trap for beginners, and requires practice to take it properly. Ghost Forest has a few turns where you can lose speed due to the dirt on the sides of the road, and Cape Way is tricky, but none of the courses in Outrun 2 approach the traps found in Outrun 2 SP. Ice Scape and Jungle both have a couple of turns that are very dangerous at high speed while drifting as there are rocky outcroppings that go over the sides of the road and make the outer lanes unsafe. It's very easy for your rear end to smack one mid drift if you're not careful, and that's an instant disaster. Milky Way amps this up, combining this style of hazard with a really tight track. Milky Way is probably the most difficult track in the game. Skyscrapers is also tricky, with some very tight turns you need to slow down to take properly, but there is much less risky of a serious crash in Skyscrapers since the track itself is rather wide.

Yeah to be fair I should have clarified - 99% of the time I am playing Time Attack so I didn't think to mention anything about other cars.

I've gotten much better at the end turn in the CF (145 mph seems to be the sweetish spot) - However the Jungle and Milky Way? They've raped me for years (never really put the time into learning them until now though). I've had my rear clip one of the rocks towards the end of the Jungle on too many occasions, but I can slip passed unscathed here and there. Milky Way is definitely the hardest course though. Need to practice it proper:D

EDIT - the canyon also has a particular nasty turn about halfway through.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Those extra courses suck though, it was plain to see they hadn't been developed around the OR2 drift mechanic.

I actually find them really refreshing because of that. One course is a mashup of tracks from one of the Daytona USA games and the other is a mashup of the tracks from Scud Race. You definitely can't just drift your way through them and need to learn them to clear them properly, but once you've raced it a few times to learn where the ideal drift spots are and where you need to just let off the accelerator to make a turn in a tight part of the track, I find it a blast to run through them because of how different they feel from either the OR2 or OR2SP tracks.

OR2 also has an unlockable port of the original Outrun game which actually controls pretty well, though unfortunately on the Xbox 360 it seems to have emulation issues; it's playable, but the graphics are messed up significantly.

[BIL]

I completely slept on the PS2 iterations of OutRun 2, appreciate all the detailed info! Will have to see about picking up a copy to go with the Xbox pair.

[Xyga]

I wasn't aware the JP PS2 version of 2SP is a later release superior to the EU/US ones (read about it on rolling-start)

[Stevens]

The Japanese release of SP goes for drug money.

[null1024]

A Certain Magical Virtual On [Vita].
So, I've finally gotten a chance to play this.

It's fun. There's gobs of story that I can't read. It's probably naff, but I'd kinda like to have some idea of what's happening. The game's never gonna come out over here, so unless I manage to learn Japanese, I'm gonna be stuck clueless.
The controls make a lot more sense for pad play. I haven't tried the "smart" option at all, I'm just playing with the more traditional VO pad controls [edited the button order to be a bit more like classic VO too, triangle not being jump was killing me], and I think they've been modernized enough to not be an issue.
The ability to re-target while on the ground is nice, but the new sliding feature is actually pretty cool too and I love it [you can do neat quick dodges with it in the air and then immediately press the attack with your slide towards the enemy].
You've got right-stick control of your VR. There's a dedicated melee button. It's all really sensible, and if VO had controls more in line with this before, I feel that people'd complain less about it on pad.
It's 2v2 focused, like Force or MARZ, but it's so much faster and smoother. Whoever thought they needed to slow the game down so much with Force to handle 4 players was wrong. It's not VOOT fast, but it's maybe a bit faster than original VO.

The HUD's too fucking small, so I'm never too sure of how much HP anything has left. Or how full my weapon gauges are, and I don't get a big blaring warning sound either. Melee makes more sense, although I'm not 100% sure if it's better than the old CC system.

The point system is weird as hell, and I hate the way knockdowns work here so much.
Some move properties are really pissing me off [why in fuck's name do Fei-Yen's side dash weapons curve upwards, what in the fuck], and some of the attacks don't feel properly meaty [explosions have this lame digital looking effect, Grys-Vok's missiles don't really look that threatening, etc]. I also really, really, really hate the paintjobs on all of the VRs, except for the new VR that Index got [because it's just her colors, and it looks great]. They're really ugly and I hate that stripe pattern.

Would be nice if I could play this on PS4, if only because of the Vita's framerate issues.