Questions About Sol Divide

IlMrm · Post by **IlMrm** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 7:08 am

Hello all.

To those who have the game, a couple of questions regarding Sol Divide:

-The characters look pretty damn big. Where are the hitbox for them?

-Is this game similar to another Psikyo side-scroller, Sengoku Blaede?

Thanks.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 7:53 am

Pretty much the whole character IIRC but then again, you have an HP bar so it sort of counterbalances.

And no, it plays quite differently from Sengoku Blade. It's closer to Lords of Thunder since it has a more powerful melee attack in addition to your shot but in Sol Divide, you have a separate button for it. It is closer to Sengoku Blade though in that nearly all enemies tend to require many hits before dying.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 8:46 pm

It sucks

That's all you need to know.

It's not similar to Sengoku Blade at all, except by the fact you are controlling flying characters. Sengoku Blade is usually called "A vert played in horz", and that's not very far from the truth.

Sol Divide is something very different from any other shmup I had ever played. But it plays like shit.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 8:50 pm

Shatterhand wrote:It sucks

That's all you need to know.

It's not similar to Sengoku Blade at all, except by the fact you are controlling flying characters. Sengoku Blade is usually called "A vert played in horz", and that's not very far from the truth.

Sol Divide is something very different from any other shmup I had ever played. But it plays like shit.

seconded, couldn't have put it better myself.

tehkao · Post by **tehkao** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 9:11 pm

Why do so many people hate this game? It's one of my favorite Saturn shmups, if just for the fact that it's so different from everything else. It reminds me a bit of Forgotten Worlds.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 1:19 am

Gloomy visuals. Uninspiring sound. Rather boring bosses. Too much hack & slash to kill most enemies. Just my view.

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 2:11 am

Sol Divide has numerous play-mechanics that were later taken and used in GunSpike (where they were all used much better).

With the upcoming Psikyo Shooting Collection 3, a bunch of players are going to get this game one way or the other... even if the intent is to strictly play Dragon Blaze.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 2:27 am

And I can't wait to see if original mode will be omitted since it wasn't in the arcades. Then again, it's incredibly boring anyway.

stoneroses · Post by **stoneroses** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 4:19 am

Yea, I ran out and found this game when I read about it here. I played it a little in the month or so since then.

It does seem more like Forgotten Worlds than a traditional shooter though. My moto for games like this is "if you can find it cheap, then why not". In that regard then I do suggest a purchase. It does round out a collection of other shooters and offers something different when the mood hits.

If I was to rate it, I would give it a 5 out of 10. Average.

TWITCHDOCTOR · Post by **TWITCHDOCTOR** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 6:16 am

Ganelon wrote:Pretty much the whole character IIRC but then again, you have an HP bar so it sort of counterbalances.

And no, it plays quite differently from Sengoku Blade. It's closer to Lords of Thunder since it has a more powerful melee attack in addition to your shot but in Sol Divide, you have a separate button for it. It is closer to Sengoku Blade though in that nearly all enemies tend to require many hits before dying.

Saying that Sol-Divide plays like Forgotten Worlds and Lords of Thunder, is like saying a 74 Pinto Station Wagon drives like a Ferrari 308.
Yea, they may all have 4 tires, but thats the only simalarity. These games may be side scrolling shmups, but Sol-Divide feels like a short demo at best. In fact, it hardly even feels like a shmup!
I guess, get it for cheap, just don't expect much.

BTW: I own the PS1 import version.

IlMrm · Post by **IlMrm** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 6:42 am

Thanks all.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 9:31 pm

TWITCHDOCTOR wrote:Yea, they may all have 4 tires, but thats the only simalarity.

For Lords of Thunder, the similarities are:

1. Character-size hitbox
2. Fantasy atmosphere
3. Melee attack in addition to shot
4. A bar of some sort that lets you take more than 1 hit
5. Side view
6. Human enemy transforms to monster

Thus, it's not like comparing 2 compeltely random vehicles but rather like comparing a RR Phantom to a Bentley Arnage, quite different but definitely similar in ways.

pixeljunkie · Post by **pixeljunkie** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 10:08 pm

Ganelon wrote:
TWITCHDOCTOR wrote:Yea, they may all have 4 tires, but thats the only simalarity.
For Lords of Thunder, the similarities are:

1. Character-size hitbox
2. Fantasy atmosphere
3. Melee attack in addition to shot
4. A bar of some sort that lets you take more than 1 hit
5. Side view
6. Human enemy transforms to monster

Thus, it's not like comparing 2 compeltely random vehicles but rather like comparing a RR Phantom to a Bentley Arnage, quite different but definitely similar in ways.

I agree, they have enough similarities to put them next to each other. Sol Divide is much slower than LOT. I think it Sol Divide has its place though....sometimes I dig it. [wouldn't buy the PCB though...only ROM worthy] Whereas I would buy LOT 100 times over..

Anarchos · Post by **Anarchos** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 10:25 pm

Yeah, the game is pretty much suxxors. Doesn't feel like a shmup because nothing about it is precise. Just feels so slobby... definetely the worst Psikyo-game. Haven't played Ace though.

The Bullet Dodger · Post by **The Bullet Dodger** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 11:07 pm

I think Sol Divide could have been a lot better. I love the idea of being a flying person rather than being the usual ship. Once in a great while I'll take it off the shelf and play through it once, then put it right back. It's definetly not a "top-ten" shmup. But it IS worth a try, IMO. If you're a collector, you should add it to your library.

I own the U.S. PSX port, so I have no idea if the Saturn version is better. Has anyone played both versions? And if so, which one is superior?

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:18 am

I think I've found my evil twin!

Or, no, wait, maybe he's the good side...

The Bullet Dodger · Post by **The Bullet Dodger** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:35 am

"I dodge, therefore I advance."

Post by **system11** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:44 am

Ganelon wrote:Gloomy visuals. Uninspiring sound. Rather boring bosses. Too much hack & slash to kill most enemies. Just my view.

I think that's a little generous.

"Lamentable visuals"
"Pathetic bosses"
"Too much effort"

Insert the above and it just about covers my sentiments. The graphics on the bosses in particular are laughable, semi-digitised rubbish.

ShooterJ · Post by **ShooterJ** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:45 am

I've played both Saturn and PS versions. They suck equally. It's a shame really. With a bit more effort and better design, Sol Divide could have been a whole lot better.

FRO · Post by **FRO** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:33 am

Let me just add another negative opinion of this game. The only reason I'm glad I purchased it is because it's a US conversion of a Psykio game. I played it once, got EXTREMELY frustrated w/ it and haven't touched it since. It has a really cheap tactic where your restart points (especially as you advance in levels) are WAY too unfair and force you to replay a LOT of stuff that you've already cussed at/sweated through just to have to do it all again. Sorry, but I'd rather play something that's actually fun.

If you purchase it for completeness' sake in your shmup collection, don't pay more than $3-$5 - I didn't.

iatneH · Post by **iatneH** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:58 am

Yeah, I played it once and was wholly unimpressed. Although Dragon Blaze by itself is enough to warrant an import of Psikyo Vol.3 for me.... although I am very poor and don't want to dig into my PSP fund anymore...

Miriam is hot too. O_________________o;;;

TWITCHDOCTOR · Post by **TWITCHDOCTOR** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 6:25 am

Regardless of how you guys want to compare shmups and cars...Sol-Divide still SUCKS plain and simple.
Yea, there's the close range attack...GunBird has this too. But GunBird2,Forgotten Worlds and Lords of Thunder are at least "good" games.
Lords Of Thunder is one of the best horz scrollers period. Sol-Divide cannot, or ever will be compared to these.

If you still don't believe me, ask yourself this question...when was the last time someone included Sol-Divide in ANY top 20!? Hell, even top 50!

Like I said, its "ok-ish", just don't expect too much. ALso, DONT pay too much.

I'm really dying to hear a rebuttle here...

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 6:30 am

Heh, no argument here. Wasn't there someone that enjoyed the game and used to defend Sol Divide in this forum?

Neon · Post by **Neon** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 12:40 am

Recap liked it a lot IIRC.

The problem with you guys is you never are willing to play shooters on their own terms. Everyone was so eager to shit on Psyvariar 2 for not being Gunbird 3, likewise for Ikaruga. Instead of playing them the way they were meant to be played people judge them like they're a 16 bit shooter.

That said, Sol Divide sucks even if you don't think of it as a shmup.

TWITCHDOCTOR · Post by **TWITCHDOCTOR** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:38 am

Neon wrote:Recap liked it a lot IIRC.

The problem with you guys is you never are willing to play shooters on their own terms. Everyone was so eager to shit on Psyvariar 2 for not being Gunbird 3, likewise for Ikaruga. Instead of playing them the way they were meant to be played people judge them like they're a 16 bit shooter.

That said, Sol Divide sucks even if you don't think of it as a shmup.

With that said Neon, you basically said we're all full of shit, but no, not really. (?)
BTW: I love 16 bit shooters.

Sol-Divide is known far and wide to be "bland"...so regardless of older titles or not, its still lame any way you look at it.

Hey, shouldn't you be practicing guitar or something?

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 5:41 pm

I remember the first time I saw a Sol Divide arcade upright. I thought what is this arcade game?...after watching the opening story sequence and the shmup demos, I wanted to try it out. A quarter inserted and I was hooked. Very impressive digitized flame effects...have never seen another shmup with flame effects like that in Sol Divide arcade game PCB setup. Just a few games down the arcade aisle was another Psikyo shmup arcade upright, a Strikers 1945 II. Tried that one too for the first time...made me long for the days when I used to play the original Strikers 1945 arcade upright four years earlier.

To see an Sol Divide arcade upright cabinet is a rarity these days (at least here in the USA). I vowed myself to see if I could get both Sol Divide and Strikers 1945 II for my modded PSX console when visiting Japan a few weeks later after getting the chance to try out the arcade versions of the same names.

I did snag an new PSX import copy of Sol Divide for a mere 3,980 yen at a game shop in Akihabara. Wasn't so fortunate to find either a new or used copy of Strikers 1945 II in Akihabara but did manage to find a lone last copy of Strikers 1945 II at a Japanese game shop in Hiroshima...the asking price was a full retail 5,800 yen. No problem there as I was more than happy to pay full price for such a HTF PSX game such as an original 1st print run edtion of S-1945-II.

Several months back on eBay in late 2004, someone was selling a complete USA Altus/Psikyo released Bios version of Sol Divide Jamma PCB kit. There was a mad scramble as an all-out bidding war broke out as the final minutes of this particular Sol Divide PCB kit was slowly coming to an end. The final winning bidding price was a unsurprising $252.50 for the complete USA Sol Divide PCB kit. I didn't bid on it nor did I win it but was curious to see how much a complete Sol Divide PCB kit would go for these days on the secondary collector's Jamma PCB market.

Now I know that it's not very often that you see a Sol Divide PCB (or even a complete arcade PCB kit) being sold on eBay these days due to the low production run of the USA Bios version of Sol Divide PCB. I wondered why Psikyo didn't make a sequel to Sol Divide...I realized that it tells a complete story from beginning to end, hence the no need for a sequel anyways (just like Squaresoft's Einhander PSX shmup -- it too tells a complete story from beginning to end thus there's no sequel or even a prequel for that matter).

The Sol Divide PCB uses the same PCB architecture of the eailer Psikyo shmups like Strikers 1945 II and Gunbird PCB. It is the overall style & presentation that makes Sol Divide a very interesting shmup conversation piece...let alone to even own the actual PCB itself -- you have a unique shmup game that's in a class by itself even if the original Psikyo arcade staff has disbanded. It's the gameplay and sense of nostagia of shmups made in the late 1990's made with Psikyo's stylized signature of making games their way.

I've seen Sol Divide as reffered to spelled out alternatively as "Soul Divide" but cannot remember where on the internet.

I also bought the XS USA PSX version of Sol Divide and they butchered it to their own tastes by omitting the necessary automatic game save feature
and mini RPG-like mini shmup game that was featured in the original Japanese PSX version. The original Japanese PSX of Sol Divide is the ONE to own if you want to play it unaltered.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Post by **Ghegs** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 6:11 pm

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:I wondered why Psikyo didn't make a sequel to Sol Divide...I realized that it tells a complete story from beginning to end, hence the no need for a sequel anyways (just like Squaresoft's Einhander PSX shmup -- it too tells a complete story from beginning to end thus there's no sequel or even a prequel for that matter).

As cool as that sounds, I very much doubt the completeness of the story had anything to do with the fact no sequels/prequels were made for either game. First of all, these are shmups, story is pretty much irrelevant.

Secondly, having a complete story certainly hasn't stopped Squaresoft from making a sequel (or ten) before.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:11 pm

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:I also bought the XS USA PSX version of Sol Divide and they butchered it to their own tastes by omitting the necessary automatic game save feature
and mini RPG-like mini shmup game that was featured in the original Japanese PSX version. The original Japanese PSX of Sol Divide is the ONE to own if you want to play it unaltered.

Eh, what about the Saturn version?

Anyway, what "RPG-like mini shmup game" might you be talking about? If it's original mode, then XS left it intact, albeit without any option to save. Indeed, it was the stupidest thing they did in the localization, worse than cutting out the story sequences, worse than not translating the endings, and worse than messing up the item descriptions in original mode so that the text appears garbled sometimes.

Incidentally though, I've actually gone through the US version of Sol Divide original mode. My complete final run took about 4 grueling hours to beat. I was sweating bullets realizing that death would mean a waste of hours of boredom. The blobby original mode final boss was a nice extra but given that I had stashes of magic, he wasn't bad at all. I don't know if there's an ending to the JP Sol Divide since I never played any version of the game after that but the only reward I got were credits. Not even ending scenes.

Of course, XS's horrendous localization only made a weak game even worse.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 10:18 pm

Take a look at Squaresoft's 2nd shmup-related project, iS: Internal Section...did that game get a sequel too?

I'm afraid not, man...otherwise I would've bought the sequel to Internal Section in a heartbeat. So Einhander & Internal Section remain as a one-off shmup projects. Even before Squaresoft joined forces with Enix to become SquareEnix, the headhonchos at Squaresoft had said that no sequel to Einhander will ever happen.

Sure, there were several PSX shmup-related titles like: Tempest X, Nanotek Warrior, N2O: Nitirous Oxide, and a few more others that inspired the likes to create Internal Section and thus pave the road for the future Sega game experience masterpiece that is Rez.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Ghegs wrote:
PC Engine Fan X! wrote:I wondered why Psikyo didn't make a sequel to Sol Divide...I realized that it tells a complete story from beginning to end, hence the no need for a sequel anyways (just like Squaresoft's Einhander PSX shmup -- it too tells a complete story from beginning to end thus there's no sequel or even a prequel for that matter).
As cool as that sounds, I very much doubt the completeness of the story had anything to do with the fact no sequels/prequels were made for either game. First of all, these are shmups, story is pretty much irrelevant. Secondly, having a complete story certainly hasn't stopped Squaresoft from making a sequel (or ten) before.

cigsthecat · Post by **cigsthecat** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 10:34 pm

Neon wrote:Everyone was so eager to shit on Psyvariar 2 for not being Gunbird 3

What?

shmups.system11.org

Questions About Sol Divide

Questions About Sol Divide

My two cents on the Atlus/Psikyo's Sol Divide Jamma PCB...

Re: My two cents on the Atlus/Psikyo's Sol Divide Jamma PCB.

Re: My two cents on the Atlus/Psikyo's Sol Divide Jamma PCB.

Re: My two cents on the Atlus/Psikyo's Sol Divide Jamma PCB.