Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

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Kiken
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Kiken »

Thanks to the new SNES app on the Switch, I've been playing the solitary shmup available, Jaleco's Super EDF. This is one plodding game.. and the homing weapon is practically broken but I'm now determined to SCC this mess.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by ACSeraph »

TGS got me hyped up for R-Type Final 2, so I decided to try and put some real time into R-Type 3 and get the clear. I'm still working through it and was really loving it until stage four, but gahddamn what a slog that is. Definitely one of my most hated STG stages. The only thing that makes it bearable is the checkpoint system and infinite continues. It's essentially like playing with save states so you can learn the one single badly telegraphed route the game is demanding you take. I'm sure the stage will be easy once I've learned the route though. Hopefully I have enough play time to at least credit feed my way to the end tonight.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by ACSeraph »

Been trying the play Star Soldier on Famicom via the Nintendo online service. The flying under terrain mechanic makes me utterly hate what would be an otherwise solid game. There is absolutely nothing helpful about flying under, you lose sight of your ship and stop shooting, and it seems impossible to tell when you will or will not fly under. Is there any way to avoid flying under the terrain of at least a way to tell which terrain will cause that effect?
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by blossom »

After burning out on Eden's Aegis, I've started bouncing around a lot of games. I feel like this is probably a good place for me right now, grinding one game for months and months is something that I enjoyed until suddenly I hated it. Made it to the final stage of Blue Revolver normal mode on one credit, made it to stage 5 of Cho Ren Sha, kinda messing with the idea of getting a no-miss for Thunder Force IV normal mode, occasionally playing Dodonpachi Daioujou for a laugh.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by dexster »

truxton on mega-sg via the mega-sd

and lords of thunder (sega cd version)
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Klatrymadon »

Been working on a 1CC of Mushihimesama's Original mode for a few hours, having not played it seriously in a decade. I've just done it (it's a pretty easy clear, or should be), but only by the skin of my teeth, so I'm hoping to clear it with a couple of lives left in stock. I'm having a nightmare, though - every run has been riddled with silly mistakes and unnecessary stage 2-3 deaths, and I can't seem to shake this pattern. It's driving me barmy. :P

By the way, is there a reliable fix for the replay desync issues in the Steam version? (Vsync is already off in the ini file.) I've just downloaded the replay of this first clear and Reco dies at the st2 miniboss. Weirdly, on downloading it again she dies in completely different places. :P
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Stevens »

After a four month break I'm back at Ketsui.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by system11 »

I'd wanted to maybe practise and get this into Pasky's 1CC event, but ultimately didn't get around to it in time. I did just manage my 1CC of Armed F though, and I'm feeling pretty confident I could turn that into a routine clear so maybe next year. Next in the cabinet since I had the board out to replace the battery, is the Asia rev 19XX.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by blossom »

Been playing Donpachi quite a bit more than I expected, although typically I lose the credit to the stage 3 boss. Not sure what it is, while I can't get into Dodonpachi, Daioujou and Donpachi are both fun as hell. I think maybe Dodonpachi feels like this game sandwiched in between "what I wish Toaplan would have done" and "Cave's idea of bullet hell taken to its logical extension."
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by davyK »

Samurai Aces (PS2). Getting to level 5 but still too many silly mistakes.

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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by ACSeraph »

davyK wrote:Samurai Aces (PS2). Getting to level 5 but still too many silly mistakes
I loved Sengoku Ace when I got it on my PS2. There's a guide in the strategy forum I wrote to assist with a clear of the first loop if you are interested. It was the first guide I ever wrote, so you'll have to forgive how rough it is, but there's some good cheesy strategies in there.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Buffi »

Working on 1cc for Blazing Star. Should have it by end of week unless I'm awful.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Gamer707b »

Im back on Battle Gaergga (PS4 ) . Man is it deep!! Once I get a grip on controlling rank, it will be tits. Can someone give me a link to a guide of sorts?
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by CloudyMusic »

There's one right near the top of the Strategy sub-forum.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by blossom »

Never thought I'd really get into a Psikyo game, and here I'm adoring two of them: Space Bomber and Dragon Blaze. The latter in particular is a beautiful game, while Space Bomber is this great mix of old and new, like Galaga mixed with bullet hell.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Stevens »

Experimenting with an option less run in Under Defeat.

Stages one is easy, two is do able with a bomb or two. Discovered you can quick kill the stage three boss but you need three bombs to do it. Haven't spent much time on stage four yet but again the boss isn't too bad. Stage five also isn't bad, but the final boss is tough.

You don't have a lot of time and your gun doesn't do much damage on its own. That said it seems you can take advantage of your i frames if you bomb after the cannon loads. Sometimes it will fire during the bomb animation and you can keep shooting it.

Also noticed something after the boss fires - during the "wind" part if you are directly under the turret you will get blown straight up into it. If you have i frames and are firing you seem to do increased damage. More testing needed.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Gamer707b »

CloudyMusic wrote:There's one right near the top of the Strategy sub-forum.
Thanks
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by awbacon »

R-Type Final
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Marc »

Holy crap, the MD port of Darius is some seriously impressive stuff! :shock:
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by RawlingGunnar »

Started playing Nexzr Special lately and it's some amazing stuff. That soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a long-ass time.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Perikles »

After an extended period of shmup doldrums, I've played through several 16-bit shooters again, either in order to boost scores and/or to look at higher difficulty settings. I'll start with the MD, in alphabetical order:

Battle Mania Daiginjou: cleared this on Hard for the first time. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between this and Normal since it's been a while since I've played this and Hard difficulty is anything but. What I can promulgate on the other hand is that I can't think of many shmups which so deftly interweave minimal challenge with almost sedulous activity. You might never be seriously threatened (unless you get stuck on the screen somewhere which will instantly result in a game over; the first game has a similar instance like this, and for the pungent discrepancy it creates with the rest of the experience, it is a truly unsettling moment when that happens), yet you're thoroughly entertained by the journey all the same. The constant shifting of screen directions, alterations in scrolling speed, variation in stage design (open design without terrain, claustrophobic shafts, a stage where you're limited to lateral movement etc.), ceaseless - if charitable - enemy spawnings, it's an aureate melange of bombastic audiovisual presentation (Iron Casanova being a particular standout) and illusionary craftsmanship adept in begetting excitement without difficulty. On account of having to turn around the main character and her companion so often and likewise being able to use immensely satisfying bombs periodically, you're even engaged on an executive level - where in lesser easy games, you would just hold down one button during the entire runtime. Not a title to hold one's attention for a prolonged amount of time, nevertheless a magnificent diversion.

Battle Squadron: the polar opposite of that, really. Aside from PCE Aero Blasters, this is the hardest 1-ALL of a 16-bit shmup for me. I've never played any Amiga game, a quick glance at a video shows me, however, that the original version appears to be significantly easier. You can gain extra lives there, a lot more bombs, the visibility is decidedly less perfidious (you actually fly over the background objects instead of them obscuring up to 80% of the screen!) and the enemies are considerably less bellicose. Despite all that and other egregious mishaps such as the monstrous hitbox when it comes to collisions with other sprites, I grudgingly have to concede that there is still a certain allure here; due to the merciless difficulty and the short length, it has that "one more try!" quality to it, specially since the difficulty is moreso structural (bullet herding and a keen sense of your surroundings are more vital than sheer memorization). Having said that, I had a minor epiphany that helped me out this time around: instead of playing the entire game with the red spreadshot, I decided to use the green laser (which still covers a surprising amount of width) in the third and hardest lair. While it still almost bled me dry (had to expend countless bombs and two lives), I did manage to get through it. Fortunately, the other two lairs aren't as daunting and you can start with whatever cavern you desire, meaning you can start with the hardest one so that you know you have somewhat auspicious chances to end the credit successfully. I would definitely not recommend this game whatsoever (the insidious five-second-loop of a soundtrack is enough to dissuade anyone to attempt this), I will admit that there is an inimitable sense of satisfaction in beating such a fierce game regardless.

Crying: the most adequate reaction after Battle Squadron. Similar to Battle Mania Daiginjou, Crying occupies a specific niche within the genre perfectly, which I'm going to baptise as organic memorizer (doubly fitting considering the theme!). Some of the stages lend themselves towards systematic routing, a combination of loose handling with the option/force, exquisitely overpowered weapons (the orange search laser has to be one of the most satisfying tools in the genre's history) and, most crucially, absence of checkpoints allows for a less methodical approach, though. Namely, I think that not being able to lock down the option in place was a judicious decision; certain boss fights would be trivial if you were able to just position it directly in front/below/at a 45° angle as the only other threats - accompanying creatures - could be dealt with minimalistic movement. As is, you have to constantly abandon spots on the screen and restabilize your grip. Normal is rather simple with vague knowledge of the game, Hard has its nasty streaks, Hardest reflects the eery music with its Psikyo-fast bullets. My strategy to hug the ground (another prudent concession of the designers; on account of this and the masterful atmosphere, Crying will always be my representation of a 16-bit R-Type Delta) against the final form of the final boss and then move back and forth to mislead its projectiles lead to several grisly deaths in a row, the fifth boss is likewise a true nightmare. Terrific game, at the very least in my top 5 of MD shmups.

Daisenpuu: finally managed the long overdue Hard 2-ALL in this particular port, and a 3-ALL on Easy (which is quite the misleading epithet). I used to loath this conversion for its PCE Image Fight hitbox, expressly after discovering that the larger playing field in the arcade version drastically alters the entire experience (unlike, say, Kyuukyoku Tiger MD where you still retain a similar spirit). With all the routes & strategies I've devised for the arcade game, I can safely state now that my appreciation somewhat increased. It is nonetheless problematic that in order to actually enjoy the game, you need to have a hermetically tight itinerary, something that is not exigent even for some of the other tougher MD Toaplan ports. I got curious whether external autofire would make a difference, and while it doesn't matter during the stages, it is indispensable during boss fights: sit on top of the hellish boats in stage 4, for example, and with a bit of careful manoeuvering, you can take them out without them ever being able to bother you. Otherwise, higher loops would be more of a run of a gauntlet than they already are, hence my compunctionless usage thereof. I was surprised to find out that the folks over at Toaplan figured that after loop 2, your ship would be too ponderous no matter what:

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While it only seems to alter your movement speed, it completely alters the way you can approach the game. I wish they had crafted some alternative mode just for that (think Slap Fight Special), having to put up with Same! Same! Same! 1P AC bullet speed deters from the zest you might gain out of faster ships.

Dangerous Seed: likewise surprised me with its retaining of the arcade trait to include alternative stages when you let bosses time out (which I surmised they would drop for the port as is most often the case). Scoring well only makes a difference of a few ten thousand points (out of over a million total), it's nevertheless unexpectedly exhilarating to find a chatoyant balance between milking bosses for all their worth whilst not dying in the process or letting them escape (although a few of the first bosses might not time out; milking e.g. the first boss is practically impossible in any case, mercifully). It's a shame that, due to the scintillating graphical prowess shown in their arcade games, Namco 16-bit ports tend to look a bit drab by comparison, which is exacerbated by the unorthodox presentation in several of their games (the entomological theme here, the mythological one in Phelios, Dragon Spirit/Saber...). It does provide unremitting action in the Override/Elemental Master/Battle Mania Daiginjou sense, though, and the music is still great. Very much part of the backbone of 16-bit shooters with its unswerving solidity, and admirably unpretentious at that.

Darius II: since I got the score I want out of this game already, I tried this on Very Hard and got the 1LC after a few attempts. 'twas an exemplary case of a game where the brilliance is lucidly built around the default setting, for this was fairly disappointing. The faster bullet speed is fine for the most part, the added resilience is definitely not. Some of the later enemies which were tricky to kill in time on Normal now take way too many hits, thus acting as meat walls for other foes behind them, therefore helping them to get more shots off etc. pp. As a result, you feel oftentimes underpowered and have to flee the battle instead of quickly facing enemies as you would on Normal. Stick with the default setting as it is fantastic, don't bother with this.

Divine Sealing: figured I'd attempt to get better scores for this and the next entry as my existing ones were as nugatory as the games themselves. Underneath the infamous veneer presented in the cutscenes, this is probably the worst Star Force epigone in existence. The poor visibility alone would render this into a firmly below average game, what really takes the cake is the foible that killed enemies (or their explosion, rather) are still lethal for a second or so. With how busy later stages become, it is a veritable struggle not to fly right into one of those remnants by necessity/accident, meaning you not only lose a life, but all power-ups in the process. Technically speaking not the worst out of the unlicensed MD shooters, it's still indubitably terrible.

Earth Defense/The Earth Defend: this one proudly takes that moniker. You sometimes earn half a dozen extends from the power-up carriers and not a single upgrade, sometimes the weapons constantly alternate so that you can never upgrade your shot, sometimes it all works out. The truly awful hit detection and jerky framerate have to be seen in action to be believed. If you die on a boss, they will literally take minutes to kill even with the Terra Cresta invincibility phoenix, got somewhat felicitous in a run and managed to get most points in all stages but the fourth, which suits me well enough.

Fire Mustang: noteworthy combination between a more than manageable clear overall and an exceptionally aggressive rank system that will kill you after a few stages. Considering that several NMK games thematize resource management above all else, this is indeed keeping in line with the selfsame principle. I'm still not sure whether rank is merely based on survival time or if the amount of bombs in stock also influences it, although I almost suspect the latter; I desultorily would like to push for a 2-ALL one of these days which would require figuring out the best spots to gracefully lose a life in order to keep the rank at bay - hard to say just how much material one would need for the curst second loop.

Gadget Twins: mayhaps even worse than Earth Defend, at least in certain regards. Bafflingly energetic music in a few places reminiscent of Tim Follin, I suppose. Never going to return to that one, either.

Gleylancer: was mildly miffed here - I forgot that there were quite a handful of stretches where nothing happens whatsoever here. It's an exquisite entry shmup for its mildest form of memorization, nimiety of extends and reasonable checkpoint recoveries if a tad lengthy and sedate under closer scrutiny. It's odd that it picks up quite elegantly in pace in stage 4 and then never reaches this height again. I don't want to sound too harsh, I still greatly delectated the wonderful atmosphere, decadently holding the controller in one hand (the automatic fire function is quite congenial for that purpose!), maybe I should give Hard difficulty a go in this one.

Gynoug: still have no definitive verdict on this one. I commend a lot of what the game does leastwise on a theoretical if not on a practical level: the techno-mythological theme, amount of bullets, overall difficulty, it's artfully done. Alas, most stages feel strained to the point of being largely filler. Furthermore, I often get the impression that I usually actually die to capricious tricks instead of being honestly overwhelmed by the frantic action (the first stage's hidden spiders being a perfect example of a veritable beginner's trap) which sours the taste somewhat. A firmly above average without a modicum of doubt, I'm convinced it could've been great with some tweaking, though.

Heavy Unit: ostensible illustrative material for a wasted opportunity. The PCE version, while technically inferior, earnestly assays to translate the betimes frantic action to the best of its abilities, the MD port settles with the odd set-ups and one-tricky ponies from the arcade game which are the weakest part of it. If you have a game where you have to go out of your way to die to the actually exciting things yet will get crushed by cheap tricks for a handful of times only to then utterly dominate it, you got a serious problem. To compensate for the overall humble difficulty, they made checkpoint recovery close to impossible, which only adds insult to injury; it's fine in the PCE port since dying there means you took a ton of hits before your shield eventually failed, meaning that you effectively lost your "lives". But here, you'll die with a full shield if you die at all, inviting indignant frustration. It's such a shame in light of the superb sprite work.

Insector X: similarly to MD Dangerous Seed an uncomplaining workhorse, albeit with the added advantage that it is vastly better than the frankly weak arcade original. The rank system in this game is the real star of the show, ranging from suicide bullets even from minor enemies at its peak to moderate behaviour among larger enemies upon recovery. Knowing where and when to proceed in some of the more confined sections can be frustrating with no foreknowledge, but it's a non-issue after a handful of attempts at most. Milking the fourth boss for points was fairly enjoyable even though his pattern is entirely fixed, just like that of its brethren.

Master of Weapon: most of it is an undeniably improvement over the rebarbative arcade game - bullet visibility is much improved, the difficulty is drastically lowered, bullet wobble at least deadened and some of the most suppurating enemies are removed. This shows a clear understanding on the part of the developers, hence my bemusement why even after two speed-ups (which are randomly distributed, you might have to wait for several stages to see one if you don't draw out boss fights for them), your ship is even slower than the Vic Viper without one. Only after three speed ups does it feel like you're getting anywhere, consequentially, recoveries after a death can be even more punishing than in the incredibly brutal arcade game, which is simply a tomfoolery. It's not as though Master of Weapon has that many qualities to make up for vital flaws such as this one (not to speak of the combination of hit detection and occasionally unfair boss patterns later on) - without this issue, I'd even go so far as to call it only slightly below average, as is, it's mostly harmless garbage for as long as you don't die late in the game.

Mega SWIV: played this and Super SWIV back to back again. One thing I always found strange about either is how disadvantaged the helicopter is compared to the jeep - not only is the heli unable to turn around, it also has to fend off innumerable airborne enemies which will placidly fly over the jeep. Only the second half of stage 4 is easier for the heli by virtue of not having to battle inertia in the water. I have a suspicion that the developers somewhat designed the core game around this particular version since you cannot jump on your own with the jeep (which is possible in Super SWIV), resulting in a few rather awkward spots which might've been intended to balance the scales in favour of the heli. Not a huge fan of the game in general (either version for that matter), the difficulty curve only impresses by dint of its unevenness (the final two stages are among the easiest, for example), boss battles are unspectacular (most of them are immobile constructions of sorts), the theme is completely generic. Neat reverberating sound effects, though.

Musha: I always solemnly swear to genuinely love this the next time I play it, and always fail. It's a quality game by a quality developer, it's utterly outclassed by Dennin Aleste in every regard all the same - or by e.g. Sylphia when it comes to leisurely relaxing whilst watching diverse creatures garishly biting the dust. Performed the scoring trick/glitch to nearly counterstop my score (you have to be a bit careful since it just rolls over once you reach the billion mark) which took a few attempts.

Task Force Harrier EX: underneath the grimy visuals (and not in a rarefied vein à la Fire Mustang) hides a rock-solid port that easily outshines the mediocre arcade original. I reckon the sharp, untelegraphed increase in difficulty in stage 9 comes as a distressing surprise (killed one credit of mine since I forgot just how quickly those flanking jets fire at you) and is fairly uneven, the tense dodging is nonetheless a gratifying endeavour. Love some of the tracks in this conversion, too.

Thunder Force III: finally warmed up an iota to this one. This comes with one strident caveat (aside from the recurring calamity of the Seiren midboss not spawning whatsoever, thus quenching all scoring ambitions with arrant fractiousness): the Haides stage has to be one of the most miscalculated, misplaced, maladaptive stages in the genre. Thunder Force III is by all accounts a simple, sleek game whose sole focus it is to enable the player in the quest of doling out insuppressible wrath. Why do you spoil that with a stage that needs to be studied from beginning through end by virtue of textbook cheap shots, ranging from falling (and hopping!) rocks to shifting fissures and comical lithic revolving contraptions? With the Venus stage and its various fiery traps, holding back on the screen usually is enough to avoid the worst of it, you also gain a shield halfway through the stage. Haides on the other hand is just irredeemable - once you learn it it's trivial, but if you forget even minuscule details, you're going to lose a life. I love my loop 2 Irem arcade rigour - in those games. I don't want that in a Thunder Force title.

Uzu Geobukseon: playing this for score actually disabused me of my entirely unfavourable opinion. It's not great by any means, calling it a respectable mid-range shmup wouldn't be too far of a stretch either on the other hand. It regrettably leaves a decidedly bad impression with the pitiful starting weaponry and the cheap enemies from behind in stage 1 (easily remedied with knowledge, that, but if you have a game that doesn't offer immediately perceptible quality you're probably better off with restraining yourself until stage 3 or so with manoeuvers like this), having Darwin 4081 and Master of Weapon as aesthetical inspirations likewise won't help to alleviate doubts. Puzzling over how to squeeze more points out of bosses (infinite milking is really only theoretically possible) whilst not perishing and then having to recover from abrasive checkpoints turned out to be unexpectedly thrilling. It's weird that such an obscure game of all things has an instructive numerical display for the remaining boss health, you'd think a convenience like that would be implemented in a moreso streamlined, popular game.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by BIL »

Fire Mustang's rank is something else - I'm immediately recalling that one Thailand-looking stage full of enemy weather balloons, which seems a formality with a few misses taken, but erupts into hell itself if you should deign to arrive unscathed!
Perikles wrote:I was surprised to find out that the folks over at Toaplan figured that after loop 2, your ship would be too ponderous no matter what:
Whoa, cool! :o Is that the only Toaplan game to do that? Actually, I can't think of any other STGs that upgrade your ship for later loops, offhand.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Perikles »

BIL wrote:Whoa, cool! :o Is that the only Toaplan game to do that? Actually, I can't think of any other STGs that upgrade your ship for later loops, offhand.
To the best of my knowledge, yes. I've gotten to the fourth loop of both PCE Daisenpuu ports without witnessing any metamorphosis, nor were there any in other higher loops in either the arcade games or their respective ports that I've seen. I likewise can't think of a single other example within the genre at the moment. On the one hand, it commands respect that the good folk over at Toaplan had at least some compassion, it's frightening in equal measure that they figured this would be sufficient. :lol:
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Stevens »

After watching Gus clear Futari Ultra at Stunfest I have shelved Ketsui (for now) and I am back playing maniac. Forgot what a great mode it is.

Also Under Defeat.
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Perikles »

Perikles wrote:I'll start with the MD, in alphabetical order:
Now onto the SFC!

Acrobat Mission: Micronics' finest hour, honestly! The porting effort itself is most assuredly not impeccable, outside of the not-so-minor circumstance that one of the two weapons is bugged (which I don't mind since the changes towards the stage design support the other weapon splendidly), most if not all of them are in the player's favour (you might kill enemies with charge shots despite the fact that they aren't anywhere close to its radius; the puissance of said charge shot is such that even larger enemies sometimes flat-out disappear), at least! I am admittedly somewhat prepossessed for this game: I love the SFC's instrumentation of the tracks, find the kitchen utensil aesthetics to be adorable and also have fond memories of vigorously trying to clear this when I started out with 16-bit shmups. Aside from all that, I frankly believe that this is a surprisingly good game: both mashing/using autofire and the charge shot have very distinct roles and allow for a variety of strategies in several situations depending on whether you trust your timing with the charge shot or rather want to get close with the regular weapon. The scoring system is perfectly suited for the console format (you can get a no continue bonus, no lives lost bonus, bomb bonus and mission cleared bonus for each and every stage; the latter denotes whether or not you killed a boss or timed it out, which is very much a valid strategy, I always used to do so against the third and fourth boss for they are dangerous fellows, only now did I dare to fight them to gain more points) not just for the purposes of achieving a score in and of itself, but also because you gain an extra live after every 100,000 points, which are immensely helpful resources against the concededly cheap last patterns of the final boss. A clear will only take about 25 minutes or so, mitigating frustration if you attempt to clear this for the first time/try to improve your score. Not entirely sure why it has such a horrendous reputation (this also applies to the arcade version).

Axelay: ever so slowly rises in my appreciation, it's been an arduous joruney, forsooth. As we've discussed elsewhere recently, I find that you have to plan the vertical stages fairly meticulously considering the overall temperate difficulty of the game. Losing a life on account of something bumping into you which visibly didn't even touch you anywhere is incredibly aggravating in a game like this, prohibiting incidents such as these drastically improves your enjoyment. If Axelay's entirety would consist of stages such as the fourth and the sixth, it would at the very least rank in my top 3 now. On top of being just mechanically sound, they also bring incredible atmosphere onto the screen. The various layers of defense in the final stage flagrantly become more and more haphazard, yet some of the more peculiar last reserves (especially those horrifying flyswatters!) are among the most lethal ones, it truly feels like you're trying to struggle against a cornered animal. Starting with Hard both cuts down the runtime and sharpens the focus early on - I would highly recommend getting familiar with the game on Normal first, getting a 3-ALL there before attempting the Hard 2-ALL, the latter is a wonderful complement afterwards.

BlaZeon: I'll probably be constantly on the mend with what this port is compared to what it could've been. Every so often, you get a glimpse of the stringent Iremesque style that makes the arcade game such a unique if not universally approachable title, as though you're watching a chiaroscuro behind a gauze veil, making out some shadowy figures from time to time. The original source material is obviously not a manic shooter either, the innate difficulty is not to be scoffed at, though, and chasing after the elusive 100% destruction rate adds a lot of agitation. Depriving the screen entirely of enemies or terrain for 10, 25 or even 45 seconds is just invidiousness, is what it is - if it weren't for the still fantastic music it'd be entirely intolerable. Doesn't help that the hitboxes are idiosyncratic in this port, either, and some of the mechs (particularly the one with the horseshoe lasers) are considerably weaker. Its couple of praiseworthy additions cannot possibly resuscitate this disfigurement of a conversion.

Darius Force: after the sobering experience with MD Darius II's Very Hard, this was a sterling counterpoise. No added resilience with enemies whatsoever as far as I can tell, they just become a lot more aggressive. While it ultimatively leads to a handful of rough difficulty spikes (concentrated waves of small enemies tend to be much more dangerous than bosses; it also took me an almost embarrassing amount of attempts to get through the first four stages, but once I did manage that, I could clear the game on my first life on the selfsame attempt) whereas the default setting is much more smooth than that, it was an appropriately tense & thrilling journey. I think this particular entry in the Darius series is regrettably overshadowed by its later cousins due to their grand scale even though it has much stronger fundamental level design. The wistful soundtrack almost gains an extradiegetical quality if you keep that in mind.

Kidou Soukou Dion: another example of an astutely well-designed higher difficulty setting. For the most parts, the differences aren't all that noticeable, it does become very apparent with the small enemies which will enter the screen from all directions. These will quickly fill the entire screen with bullets if left alone to their devices, thus forcing the player to use the multi-directional shurikens or perhaps the homing shot more frequently. I've said it before and gladly reiterate again, I find that Dion as an epigone triumphantly succeeds where several of the inspirational Compile games stumble: even when there is a brief respite in the action, there is a systematical reason for it, that is, you get an opportunity to build some score/experience to get back on your feet after & before a hectic onslaught of nasty critters. Most bosses (particularly the fourth) will likewise offer a great spectacle both audiovisually and gameplay-wise. Yet another criminally underappreciated SFC shmup in my opinion, how could you even dislike a game with such a bombastic soundtrack?

Kiki Kaikai: Nazo no Kuro Manto: probably always will be my favourite manually scrolling shooter. I can safely say that I love absolutely everything about this game, just as I do with the other two colluders from the Natsume triumvirate. Increased my Normal score considerably (breached the 600k mark) and also cleared this on Hard with almost 590k by applying the tried-and-true Granada strategy of milking the final stage and then finishing the final boss with a fresh life & full timer. One might want to carp about the bombs being too strong at close range (especially compared to Twinkle Tale's steadier yet less potent supply thereof) against bosses, I'd reply that this is merely the customary Natsume retaliation splendour at its finest. Whether it is the Vulcan gun in Wild Guns, the Blaster meter in TNWA or the bombs in this, it's a most gratifying example of video game violence. Those games are just as much about style as they are about hermetically tight game design, crushing opposition is not a detriment if it is earned. The walk/slide dynamic is likewise marvellous, you can dodge quite a few things simply by walking once you developed a good understanding of your speed & legerity. The midboss in the final stage is a particular standout in a game full of them, you first have to tightly dodge a few fireballs just by dauntlessly sauntering before you can go into the slide. What an amazing game.

Märchen Adventure Cotton 100%: even with the cornucopia of cute contemporaries around, it's impossible not to be enchanted by this, I find. There is so much detail put even into minor foibles (the tree midboss in stage 3 for example usually tries to track your movement with his eyes, but becomes distracted when the squirrel shows up and jumps around the branch) that the world feels lived-in and believable to a degree which is exceptionally rare. It's a bit of a shame that the scoring system is ultimately such a Manichean affair what with having to get the secret tea time bonus in every single stage to boost your score by an almost absurd amount, not that it substantially matters with it being broken in a different spot, I suppose. I'm also always thrown off by the final boss at first, who is a lot more dangerous than the rest of the game combined.

Phalanx: 'twas a trifle disappointing. I remembered the casual instance of poor bullet visibility, repressed the occasional frustration with the terrain detection which is is doubly vexing for the developers loved putting it purposefully in the way during tense boss battles. Having to play with underpowered weapons or even the default pea shooter is possible, but overwhelmingly tedious, especially when it happens late in what amounts to a 50-60 minute long credit already. Still a perfectly serviceable, average 16-bit shmup, nonetheless a missed opportunity at that.

SD Gundam 2: hybrid between a platformer with forced scrolling and shmup, although almost entirely the latter if you play as the RGM-179 robot. This is by all means an incredibly simplistic game, yet mostly competent at that - I also have a soft spot for the edulcorated sprite work (almost comical to see this in effect with the obscure arcade SD Gundam Neo Battling - it's just as cute as the rest of the series visually, but it's also harder than even Tatsujin Ou and its ilk, quite a few spots are more reminiscent of Image Fight's second penalty area than anything else) and the solemn main track of the game. As such, I had quite a bit of fun to somewhat optimize my score in the game. I would actually recommend the game in the same manner I would recommend Arrow Flash or Darius Twin: there are no particular stand-outs or sudden raptures of grandiosity to be had, it's a continuosly solid if undemanding experience all the same, elevated a notch by the charming presentation.

Strike Gunner S.T.G: consistently called the worst SFC shmups together with Dimension Force, rightfully so. It never ceases to amaze that Athena turned one of the shortest insubstantial arcade shmups into a likewise insubstantial, long-winded one, supplanting ephemeral unimaginitiveness with outright cabin fever. As fascinating is the scoring system which rewards points for merely hitting larger enemies - while this is not the most peculiar concept (it works in Kiaidan 00 and, in slightly different form, even in modern games like Dodonpachi II: Bee Storm), its execution is bizarre. Fighting early bosses purposefully with just the pea shooter will boost your score by almost 1/3 of your entire score compared to actually playing well and picking up all the power-ups, with seldom a change regarding the strategies. Playing this title in a skewed manner for the last time appears to be somewhat adequate at least.

Super SWIV: as already mentioned in the Mega SWIV entry, I don't esteem either all that highly, considering them to be average only on magnanimous days. This version is undoubtedly the better of the two (albeit at the cost of privileging the jeep even further), that's still not saying much. If only bosses were more interesting from a visual or even gameplay perspective...

Thunder Spirits: with all the critical words I've indited on Thunder Force III's Haides stages, it is compulsory to assure that while it has those noticeable lapses, they are so striking for the very reason that it is a sleek, dynamic game otherwise. The Haides stages is thankfully absent in Thunder Force AC (which is no small part why this one is my favourite interpretation of the game) and thus also in Thunder Spirits, it avails the latter naught. I should also mention that I've played the SFC version (as opposed to the US version) which - I'm almost entirely positive about that - has appalingly resilient enemies which decelerates the action even further (not being able to kill them quickly results in them staying on the screen longer, therefore adding more slowdown and so on and so forth). I admit that I like some of the music renditions on the SFC, that's about the only positive aspect to note, though, as even the exclusive adaptations on the stages/bosses are decidedly below average. I even found out that the scoring in this particular version is broken, removing the last potentially redeeming quality out of the equation.
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Squire Grooktook
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Squire Grooktook »

Thanks for the tip about Darius II MD on v.hard Perikles. I test ran it awhile back and liked the snappy and vibrant pace, but I'd probably have been inclined to play on the harder settings when it comes time to return, had you not warned me.
RegalSin wrote:Japan an almost perfect society always threatened by outsiders....................

Instead I am stuck in the America's where women rule with an iron crotch, and a man could get arrested for sitting behind a computer too long.
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Mantrox
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Mantrox »

Hey Perikles, can you condense your posts into a book and call it, "The Shmup Guide Vol. 1"?
I'd buy it.
Ddshot
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Ddshot »

blossom wrote:Been playing Donpachi quite a bit more than I expected, although typically I lose the credit to the stage 3 boss. Not sure what it is, while I can't get into Dodonpachi, Daioujou and Donpachi are both fun as hell. I think maybe Dodonpachi feels like this game sandwiched in between "what I wish Toaplan would have done" and "Cave's idea of bullet hell taken to its logical extension."
you know what I kind of agree with you,for me it’s the music in dodonpachi I really hate the rock like music but aside from that it pretty good but donpachi is defo my fav


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Ddshot
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Ddshot »

Ketsui for me still keep getting smashed on stage 3 can get a no hit till I get there then die twice!!


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BareKnuckleRoo
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

Perikles wrote:Super SWIV: as already mentioned in the Mega SWIV entry, I don't esteem either all that highly,
I have a soft spot for the game as it was one of the earliest games I owned for the SNES. I think in spite of the unusually clunky starting interface and the strange designs of the levels, it's actually a refreshing change of pace from other shmups without many of the pitfalls of shmups that suffer from "euroshmup" syndrome synonymous with gigantic hitboxes and lifebars. It's a game where you're encouraged to use "bombs" almost constantly, and you get to do so even more aggressively than in a Raizing shmup! They technically come with no invulnerability, but the flame ring and homing missles are incredibly good as speedkilling dangerous targets,

I agree that the Heli is vastly underpowered though. It has genuine issues getting slammed into by popcorn and can't attack diagonally or from the sides, which in a game with only one spreadshot weapon (Plasma, Bullet has minor spread at L6 and 7 too) is a liability. Also, the best high damage weapons in the game such as Flame, Laser, and Pulse all are incredibly powerful when combined with good use of the Jeep's ability to fire in any direction. Worse, the Jeep's "disadvantage" is actually part of what makes it so fun. The platforming in the lava stage, jumping over pits and ravines, dealing with the deliberate use of inertia in the boat level or the sudden change to a jet plane in the airport level... I'm actually rather disappointed you can't have two people playing different coloured Jeeps at once. The Jeep is by far the most fun to play by a wide margin and I would've loved to see a Jeep-focused sequel.

You can get a similar feeling game out of Guardian Force, though the game's massive number of cool shot types and bomb variations (that differ per player side) is marred by an unfortunate amount of input lag.
Perikles wrote:If Axelay's entirety would consist of stages such as the fourth and the sixth, it would at the very least rank in my top 3 now. On top of being just mechanically sound, they also bring incredible atmosphere onto the screen.
Agreed. I actually rather dislike Axelay, and the reason for that is almost entirely due to the wonky collision detection in the (edit: apparently fancy scaling an parallax scrolling but not actually Mode 7) vertical levels. I honestly can't stand a lot of SNES action games that used Mode 7 as a primary game element as I either think they look aesthetically unappealing (Contra's overhead levels look bad and were mostly annoying) or the use of Mode 7 made it unnecessarily difficult (Axelay's collision detection feels wonky in the (edit: apparently fancy scaling an parallax scrolling but not actually Mode 7) levels). F-Zero is just about the only game that I feel I genuinely enjoy its use of Mode 7.

The horizontal levels (which include one inside an O'Neill Cylinder, best space station aesthetic in my opinion) are genuinely solid, and there's some fun elements such as the stage 4 boss (?) that has a special attack that causes your weapons to cycle randomly. Non-killing special attacks in shmups are always neat to see and Axelay's use of it is solid.

Axelay wants desperately to emulate the success of Salamander's alternating horizontal and vertical levels, but it mars the vertical levels with a visual gimmick that looks fancy but comes at a detriment to the gameplay.
Last edited by BareKnuckleRoo on Fri Oct 18, 2019 4:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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