Vanguard wrote:95% of the time you really did commit the crimes you're accused of, but every once in a while you'll get blamed when someone steps on a landmine on the opposite side of the map. Personally I think being framed is just part of the fun.
Yeah I was gonna say, that sounds hilarious too.
Cleared Blaster Master Zero II's DLC characters this week. I never expect much from extra Search Action characters, SOTN's amusing but decidedly low-effort Richter mode having cast a long shadow on the subgenre (great they gave him his own game in
Circle of the Moon ). Zero II's pair are well above the Richter average, sharing an ethos comfortably distinct from Jason's: they're stronger on foot than in their tanks, which are mostly relegated to mobility.
Some pretty amusing Little v Large boss battles ensue.
That that you lousy fuckin crab!
Sock The Brain
They're also completely immune to fall damage, an instant source of novelty for any longtime Metafighter.
Fall damage?
Wazzat?
First up is the unfortunately-named Copen, from
Luminous Avenger IX.
Copen has a Rockman X-style airdash, which not only ricochets off walls for unlimited vertical maneuverability, but also doubles as a Taromaru-style lockon. Ram an enemy, and Copen's feeble laser becomes a hellish raystorm. His subweapons will clamp on too, pounding the target to dust. The drawback is, outside of subweapon splash, you're limited to one target at a time - but this is easily offset by Copen's extreme mobility.
Bouncy bouncy!
He's a fun character, sadly compromised by a balance issue. Copen's bullets, which can be reloaded at any time, either manually or by ricocheting off a wall, are not only his airdash ammo - they're also body armour. Get hit and you lose a couple, while your lifebar remains unscathed. Ostensibly, this is to punish sloppy play by cutting off his advanced mobility and attacks. Problem is, you can regain bullets infinitely faster than you lose them. Provided you mash reload, you can tank straight through even the most massive boss attacks. Stand on the cables that instakill the other characters, their tanks, and
Copen's own tank, and mash reload - no problemo!
Its only lock n' roll but I rike it ♫
It's a shame - remove the body armour, and he'd be one of the most enjoyable "superhero" characters I've seen. I certainly enjoyed the playthrough - there is incredible agility and violence in his moveset, even moreso given his tiny stature. Reminded me of
Bangaioh's diminunitive pyrotechnics. Cool character, just don't expect any sense of danger. I could see him being an excellent speedrun game, with his blistering pace and moderately technical inputs.
Next is Empress, from
Dragon Marked For Death.
She's almost as overwhelming as Copen, even more screen-judderingly violent, and free of his balance flaw. You can smash foes beneath her Birkinesque Dragon Arm, or torch them with its monstrous flamethrower - but you'll die fast if you deploy these startup-heavy beasts without good tactical sense. You'll also want to jumpstart her meter with the ultra-smooth triple slash, which chains into an instant Dragon Arm for authoritative slayings. Her Quickdraw and Spear counters work similarly to Jason's, with the added bonuses of not only tearing straight through the target, but in the latter's case, being infinitely chainable.
No respect AT ALL.
Can't counter-backstab when your hair's on fire, Gonbei-kun. ;[
I would've liked a shield, to facilitate aggressive toe-to-toe swordplay, but the strafe ability is possibly even better. All this adds up to a winningly hard-hitting yet balanced character, by far the better of the pair.
In classic Richter fashion, there's no storyline for these characters - a trivial omission, as ever. Recommended, with the obvious caveat for Copen. I'm interested in trying out both characters' source games now. Just as planned mirite.
There's also a third DLC gametype, the very different "Kanna Raising Simulator." Kanna is a cheerful rival tank pilot with a plant pot for a head, a skintight jumpsuit, and a massive pair of tits. I don't quite understand. But Yacopu is her co-pilot, so she is good people imo. Mode seems to play like a cross between the game's topdown dungeons and an oldschool cursor shooter. The idea is to clear rooms of targets under timed pressure, to unlock more artwork of the various characters. Seems fun enough!