Espgaluda or Mushihimesama?

jpolz · Post by **jpolz** » Fri May 26, 2006 10:24 pm

I recently started buying japanese import shooters. So far in my collection I have: DDP:DOJ, Ibara, Psyvarair 2, and Sheinryu Explosion. I'm looking for advice on my next purchase. I've got it norrowed down to either Espgaulda or Mushihimesama. I played Espgaluda in Las Vegas last year and thought it was killer, but I 've not yet been able to experience Mushi.

So which do you perfer and why?

Eps · Post by **Eps** » Fri May 26, 2006 10:40 pm

Hmm, I have a feeling this thread is going to be, shall we say, conclusive

I'll start the ball rolling: ESPGaluda.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Fri May 26, 2006 10:42 pm

ESPGaluda. It is, perhaps, the best arcade port ever done for something that has come from completely different architecture. It is actually better than the PCB. Features are:

1: Near perfect port (95%?). Even slowdown found on the PCB is emulated.
2: Graphic glitches found on PGM hardware are gone
3: Arrange Mode with ESPRade scoring system and shitloads of bullets (it's like a new game)
4: Replay mode (save your own replays, or play super replays found on game disc)
5: Accompanying Superplay DVD
6: Gallery mode

What you get w/ Mushi
1: Non-perfect port. Slowdown is not emulated, and fucks the game in a few spots IMHO
2: Doesn't feature PCB's native resolution (Mushi needs it more than anything w/ all those pastel backgrounds and purple bullets. Burns retinas!!!)
3: Arrange mode (which sucks)
4: Gallery mode
5: A toy if you get the Limited Edition (whoopee)

Don't get me wrong, Mushi is loads of fun, but it does not have the amount of dedication and soul that is apparent w/ ESPGaluda. ESPGaluda's soundtrack, while not something I would play in my car, is decades ahead of Mushi's. Same composer, two differnet levels of quality.

Arznei · Post by **Arznei** » Fri May 26, 2006 11:01 pm

Galuda, since there's too many problems with the PS2 Mushi port.

And besides, you can play it for survival, scoring, or whatever you like. Galuda is quite versatile.

Fenrir · Post by **Fenrir** » Sat May 27, 2006 1:08 am

Mushihimesama is good, don't cast it aside just because Galuda is way better. First Galuda, which is indeed awesome (even though Galuda2 is fantastic - I still hope for a NAOMI->DC port) ... and then mushi. And shiki too!

FMK · Post by **FMK** » Sat May 27, 2006 1:11 am

GaijinPunch wrote:Same composer, two differnet levels of quality.

But who is this N.T thing which is credited as the composer of Espgaluda's OST?

In a review at SquareSound, the guy call this "N.T Team" and mentions Namiki as starring at only one track.

roker · Post by **roker** » Sat May 27, 2006 1:13 am

Fenrir wrote: (even though Galuda2 is fantastic - I still hope for a NAOMI->DC port)

ummmmm . . .

ESPGaluda is on the Naomi?

MrMonkeyMan · Post by **MrMonkeyMan** » Sat May 27, 2006 1:23 am

Toshiaki Tomizawa is credited for sound producer in ESPGaluda and Neptune, Reeb and T-FORCE are credited as sound creators. I am unaware of any work that Namiki or Iwata did on ESPGaluda.

And no, ESPGaluda 2 is not a Naomi game.

roker · Post by **roker** » Sat May 27, 2006 1:25 am

MrMonkeyMan wrote:And no, ESPGaluda 2 is not a Naomi game.

thank you

SAM · Post by **SAM** » Sat May 27, 2006 2:14 am

and

and Esp said ESPgaluda.

We are now waiting for

and

to say somthing.

****************************************

Sorry guys, just cann't resist.

No matter what setup you got at home, IMO ESPgaluda is the better deal, since it got bundle with the Superplay DVD.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Sat May 27, 2006 3:00 am

I like Mushi's aesthetics and music better than Galuda's, but gameplay-wise Galuda gets the nod from me...while still somewhat derivative, its "kakusei" system has a unique feel to it, while Mushi basically offers a slightly more forgiving "chaining" system similar to the DonPachi games. Galuda also has an Arrange mode which adds in the "piercing gun" mechanic from ESP Ra.de to make scoring even more complicated (oh yeah, and the enemies are meaner too): Mushi's Arrange is more or less an easier version of the "main" game (well, except for the fact that it tosses the true final boss at you). In Mushi's favor, though, it offers 3 different modes/gameplay styles to choose from...unfortunately, its practice mode is far inferior to Galuda's.

Add in the stuff that's already been said about port quality and whatnot, and I'd have to recommend Galuda over Mushi...I don't think the latter is utterly awful as some others do, but imo neither the game itself nor the port stands up to the previous game.

EOJ · Post by **EOJ** » Sat May 27, 2006 3:57 am

Both are very good games, but I too prefer ESPGaluda. You should buy both (the Mushi port really isn't so terrible--it looks quite good on a tated TV via component input), but get Galuda first then perhaps buy the cheap 'best of' mushi edition for about $30 shipped from Yesasia.com when it's released in August.

Herr Schatten · Post by **Herr Schatten** » Sat May 27, 2006 7:42 am

I, too, would recommend ESPGaluda, but still I have to defend Mushi. The quality of the port is indeed far inferior to that of the Galuda port, but not to the point that it stops being enjoyable.

I'm with BulletMagnet in thinking that the aesthetics of Mushi are miles ahead of Galuda and the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in years. Galuda has that awesome stage 1 theme, but after that I don't find the music very memorable, while Mushi delivers very varied kick-ass tunes all the way. Just my opinion, you know.

One strange thing I've noticed when people talk about Mushi is that they practically always talk about Maniac mode and compare that to other Cave games. It's true that Maniac is pretty much standard Cave fare with a more forgiving chain system, but for me Mushi is all about Original mode. It seems that some people never even play it because they are under the impression that it's Mushi's easy difficulty setting. Which it is not. Original mode feels like it's the way the game was designed in the first place and it's how it's supposed to be played. That's why it's called "Original" after all, no? It's perfectly balanced and with its fast bullets it points back to Cave's Toaplan roots in a way you simply have to love.

People always complain that Cave rarely try something different, but when it happens they just dismiss it and play the mode that gives them more of the same. Human behaviour never ceases to amaze me.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Get Galuda. It's a must-have, simple as that. After that, if you seek for another manic bullet hell type of shooter, you should probably get Dai Ou Jou, as Mushi isn't the top choice for a game of that style. But if you lust after a modern take on the old Toaplan style, get Mushi and play the hell out of Original mode. Beware, though, Original mode on the PS2 suffers from the fact that the port inexplicably removes slowdown in most places while adding some stutter slowdown in some other spots. Original on PS2 is quite a bit more difficult than on the PCB.

Erm, yes. I think I got carried away a bit. Sorry for the lengthy post.

IlMrm · Post by **IlMrm** » Sat May 27, 2006 8:36 am

I've only played ESPGaluda a few times, so I can't really comment on it, but it's one of the games near the top of my "to buy" list.

So I would recommend buying both and call it an early Christmas present to yourself.

Knoskoloz · Post by **Knoskoloz** » Sat May 27, 2006 9:21 am

I can't really say that I prefer one of these titles bot are very enjoyable and great games(ok I like Mushi a bit better

).
But Mushime will get a budget release soon so you should go for Galuda now and buy the 30$ Mushihime later.

€:
With these two games you can't really make a right or wrong discussion both
are quite awesome.

chtimi-CLA · Post by **chtimi-CLA** » Sat May 27, 2006 10:00 am

i agree with schatten, mushi is more about the classic fast bullets original mode than the extremely unnatural scoring gimmick of maniac. survival based scoring in a cave shmup, i know i have wanted that for some time. too bad the slowdown in the port is a stuttering stop and go rollercoaster that often gets you when it reaccelerates at the end of a dense bullet cloud, quite frustrating. nothing like the regular, smooth and controlled cave slowdown.
the graphical issues have already been mentioned. it is true that the music is very good (stages 4 and 5, boss theme).
on the other hand galuda is a 99.5% arcade perfect port, actual work was put into porting it which is exceptionnal these days. it seems a bit weak and easy at first compared to other caves, but the scoring system is introduced naturally and it does grow on you. it has a nice flow and is a nice break after getting wasted by DOJ.
so if you can't get an expensive mushi PCB, go with the galuda port.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Sat May 27, 2006 10:33 am

MrMonkeyMan wrote:Toshiaki Tomizawa is credited for sound producer in ESPGaluda and Neptune, Reeb and T-FORCE are credited as sound creators. I am unaware of any work that Namiki or Iwata did on ESPGaluda.

And no, ESPGaluda 2 is not a Naomi game.

My bad. As anyone who has read more than 3 of my posts knows, I generally hate game music. There's some game music site who's slogan is, "putting game music where it deserves to be" or something. In my head, I can't help by say, "the bin".

EOJ · Post by **EOJ** » Sat May 27, 2006 10:36 am

GaijinPunch wrote:ESPGaluda's soundtrack, while not something I would play in my car, is decades ahead of Mushi's. Same composer, two differnet levels of quality.

I have the opposite opinion. I hate Galuda's music, especially the boss music which is just HORRID. Galuda 2's music is pretty cool though. I'd say ESPG2>Mushi>ESPG1.

(I wouldn't play any of these in my car either though

)

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Sat May 27, 2006 10:46 am

The first thing I thought of when I heard the Mushi soundtrack was "game music". I then thought "bad Japanese pop music you'd find in some 90's anime". Never thought much else. I do like the stage 4 track though.

icycalm · Post by **icycalm** » Sat May 27, 2006 10:57 am

GaijinPunch wrote:I do like the stage 4 track though.

I was about to say. You can't be human and not like that stage's music.

Fenrir · Post by **Fenrir** » Sat May 27, 2006 12:51 pm

MrMonkeyMan wrote:And no, ESPGaluda 2 is not a Naomi game.

I read once somewhere (it was a coin-op site I think) that it was a Naomi GD-Rom native and I convinced myself to live in that illusion.

Valgar · Post by **Valgar** » Sat May 27, 2006 1:12 pm

If the mushi port didn't suck I would pick that.

Anyway, I say DOJ.

Plasmo · Post by **Plasmo** » Sat May 27, 2006 1:43 pm

mushi all the way
galuda is gay

Valgar · Post by **Valgar** » Sat May 27, 2006 2:41 pm

Plasmo wrote:mushi all the way
galuda is gay

ESPGayluda.

Trevor spencer · Post by **Trevor spencer** » Sat May 27, 2006 4:27 pm

espgaluda all the way , im not that keen on mushi plus the espgaluda port is so much better

hopefully cave sack taito off and get akira envoled in there next port

GaijinPunch you forgot to mention no digital sound output for mushi too , sucks

Eps · Post by **Eps** » Sat May 27, 2006 5:37 pm

SAM wrote:Sorry guys, just cann't resist.

It's okay, even if it's "Eps" and not "Esp" or "ESP" ..

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Sat May 27, 2006 5:46 pm

Trevor spencer wrote:hopefully cave sack taito off and get akira envoled in there next port

Someone really ought to sticky the thread (I forget which one it was) where someone confirms that Cave themselves, not Taito, ported Mushi and Ibara after Arika left. Taito was just the publisher, which explains the widely-varying port quality in games with their label on it, from Giga Wing Generations to Homura.

That said, I also hope that they manage to patch things up with Arika to get some future ports out of them, they did a very nice job with DOJ and Galuda.

SAM · Post by **SAM** » Sat May 27, 2006 6:10 pm

Fenrir wrote:
MrMonkeyMan wrote:And no, ESPGaluda 2 is not a Naomi game.
I read once somewhere (it was a coin-op site I think) that it was a Naomi GD-Rom native and I convinced myself to live in that illusion.

Yes, for some reasons (which I don't know), Cave continue to publish their new games in the now not quite popular PCBs format.

Xexyz · Post by **Xexyz** » Sat May 27, 2006 6:16 pm

Trevor spencer wrote:espgaluda all the way , im not that keen on mushi plus the espgaluda port is so much better

hopefully cave sack taito off and get akira envoled in there next port

GaijinPunch you forgot to mention no digital sound output for mushi too , sucks

Your hate on Taito is unfounded. Cave did the port themselves and Taito merely published the game. If you have problems with the quality of the Mushihimesama and Ibara ports, you better blame Cave, who was responsible for both arcade to PS2 ports.

Trevor spencer · Post by **Trevor spencer** » Sat May 27, 2006 7:33 pm

Xexyz wrote:
Trevor spencer wrote:espgaluda all the way , im not that keen on mushi plus the espgaluda port is so much better

hopefully cave sack taito off and get akira envoled in there next port

GaijinPunch you forgot to mention no digital sound output for mushi too , sucks
Your hate on Taito is unfounded. Cave did the port themselves and Taito merely published the game. If you have problems with the quality of the Mushihimesama and Ibara ports, you better blame Cave, who was responsible for both arcade to PS2 ports.

ok sorry taito

, bad cave

but imo akira done a fantasic port of espgaluda and DOJ

very polished and good value for money with the DVD ,