I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

[Jonpachi]

Finally got the 1CC on Bullet Soul: Infinite Burst (Burst Mode).

This game is mostly fall-asleep-easy, but the final boss (SECRET!) is such a dramatic shift in difficulty that it becomes something like Esprade, where mastery of that single final battle becomes more of a struggle than the game that led up to it. The lack of a bomb really makes you feel powerless at the end of a long game that mostly has the player feeling OP. I think you could argue it's quite broken from a balance perspective, but it does leave you with the feeling that you DID A THING at the end, and I suppose that's something worthy of at least talking about.

[BrainΦΠΦTemple]

G-Darius [Ver. 1] HD (PC) - Manic - Cleared (Route: αA, γF, ζL, ιQ, νZ) - NoMiss
bosses, music, and visualz in this 1 are all fukken siCk

[Sturmvogel Prime]

Finished Arcade Archives: Metal Black. Even with the Rapid Fire function enabled, it is quite difficult.

[xxx1993]

Graze Counter, arcade mode, 1CC.

[Gamer707b]

Got a 1cc on Super Aleste normal over the weekend. Planning to do the higher difficulties. Wonderful game.

[BIL]

Finished Arcade Archives: Metal Black. Even with the Rapid Fire function enabled, it is quite difficult.

Congrats! Saw you in the rankings. Another ALL for the HS thread.

[Randorama]

Metal Black. Well, a 1-LC, which was (drum rolls, please) a 32-years old grudge (badoom-thumpsh!).

The recent re-release motivated me to play the game a bit. My memories with this game are probably material for a novelette...played it to death in the arcades ("Tragic Taito shmup! Yay!") as an impressionable 11-years old, played to death in my early 20's via emulation first and Saturn later (during a rather dark patch of life), and then periodically played this and the OST/AST when I was in the mood for Matsumoto (Leiji)-esque atmospheres (in particular, the "1 minute to midnight" scenario that the game shares with Yamato and, at times, with my life). The Honneamise-esque final boss battle remains sublime stuff, too.

This year has been good, videogame-wise. Still, December hasn't started yet, and I'd like a 1-LC in Tokyo/Scramble Formation (well, the first loop anyway). Can you say: "36-years old grudge"?

[Kiken]

I finally got a single credit clear of Einhänder on Normal difficulty. It was a messy run and I died 3 times plus missed 4 of the secrets but I managed to just scrape past 15 million. I really need to figure out how to effectively fight the stage 6 boss as I've yet to trigger the bonus medusa satellite.

[xxx1993]

I finally got a single credit clear of Einhänder on Normal difficulty. It was a messy run and I died 3 times plus missed 4 of the secrets but I managed to just scrape past 15 million. I really need to figure out how to effectively fight the stage 6 boss as I've yet to trigger the bonus medusa satellite.

Keep attacking the top part of Schwarzgeist.

[Starfighter]

Einhänder on Normal difficulty

Very impressive! I tried going for that one but after a few weeks of practice I just gave up. I ended up using a continue (maybe even a couple, I can't remember) to finally finish it.

[xxx1993]

Einhänder on Normal difficulty

Very impressive! I tried going for that one but after a few weeks of practice I just gave up. I ended up using a continue (maybe even a couple, I can't remember) to finally finish it.

After having played the crap out of it since 2006, I've gotten used to it pretty quickly. Though, I often tend to struggle with the Stage 5 miniboss, Ausf De Gestell, the Stratagem Spacecraft in Stage 6, and the aforementioned boss following it, Schwarzgeist.

[Nugs]

I can clear DDP DFK on PC but for some reason wanted to do it on Switch in handheld mode.
Took me way too many tries but did it last night.

[Steven]

Randomly got the SuperGrafx 1941 Counter Attack 1CC/no miss on the Analogue Pocket just now playing in bed at like 0200 since I couldn't sleep. Unexpected, but definitely not unwelcome.

[BIL]

Metal Black. Well, a 1-LC, which was (drum rolls, please) a 32-years old grudge (badoom-thumpsh!).

The recent re-release motivated me to play the game a bit. My memories with this game are probably material for a novelette...played it to death in the arcades ("Tragic Taito shmup! Yay!") as an impressionable 11-years old, played to death in my early 20's via emulation first and Saturn later (during a rather dark patch of life), and then periodically played this and the OST/AST when I was in the mood for Matsumoto (Leiji)-esque atmospheres (in particular, the "1 minute to midnight" scenario that the game shares with Yamato and, at times, with my life). The Honneamise-esque final boss battle remains sublime stuff, too.

This year has been good, videogame-wise. Still, December hasn't started yet, and I'd like a 1-LC in Tokyo/Scramble Formation (well, the first loop anyway). Can you say: "36-years old grudge"?

Totally missed this - congrats, Rando! You always deliver the best grudge matches. I've never quite managed a 1LC myself, I think I'll go for it this holiday. It's a deceptively tricky game to keep together to the very end... the Black Fly is marvelously purpose-built to its game, between its graze-brawling shot hitbox and fiendishly tactile Bomb/Beam (scorch 'em! spear 'em! with all of one button, to boot!), but the creepy Cyber Fish Ghost Fucks aka Harbingers of Nemesis are just as well-appointed. A preternaturally well-balanced STG for those who grasp that the Black Fly's armaments are as much shields as swords. And not passive weenie hide-behind shields, either! I'm talking bashing fuckers' skulls in, then guillotining they heads off, naw mean?

Gonna massively overhaul my crusty-yet-faithful ol' ST to my more recent Gun.Smoke and Saigo no Nindou ones this holiday, for sure.

[copy-paster]

GGs for the 1LC as well! I too almost getting a nomiss clear of MB while back, one of st5's red star before the boss spawned exactly on the middle of my ship with instant hitbox activation and the rest is history (it was a 1-miss clear).

I finally got a single credit clear of Einhänder on Normal difficulty. It was a messy run and I died 3 times plus missed 4 of the secrets but I managed to just scrape past 15 million. I really need to figure out how to effectively fight the stage 6 boss as I've yet to trigger the bonus medusa satellite.

Amazing achievement! any tips how to manage the gunpod ammos, as well as best weapon to quickly take out the bosses? Einhander is amazing but stage 2 is too long and I hate limited ammos. The secret ship makes the game plays like classic shmup but boss fights are doubled the length.

[BIL]

GGs for the 1LC as well! I too almost getting a nomiss clear of MB while back, one of st5's red star before the boss spawned exactly on the middle of my ship with instant hitbox activation and the rest is history (it was a 1-miss clear).

Those fucking things Had one spawn into the ground at st5's late downslope, then shoryuken me with a perfect 12 o'clock laser, last session.

Feels so rad mowin' em down en masse though, as well as improvising around their rather terrifying RNG. BULLET TYME BOYEEEE (◎w◎;)

[Kiken]

I finally got a single credit clear of Einhänder on Normal difficulty. It was a messy run and I died 3 times plus missed 4 of the secrets but I managed to just scrape past 15 million. I really need to figure out how to effectively fight the stage 6 boss as I've yet to trigger the bonus medusa satellite.

Amazing achievement! any tips how to manage the gunpod ammos, as well as best weapon to quickly take out the bosses? Einhander is amazing but stage 2 is too long and I hate limited ammos. The secret ship makes the game plays like classic shmup but boss fights are doubled the length.

I use the Endymion FRS Mk 2 since it has the 3 available gunpod slots. I make it a point to stockpile Wasp as it's easily the most abundant weapon in the game and when used in the up position homes in on enemies regardless of their z axis location. I do a fair amount of weapon juggling for the other 2 slots depending on the level.

I've started capturing my runs so I'll be posting them on my Youtube channel soon. The scoring isn't too hot but I'm making small adjustments here and there to improve consistency.

[OmKol]

2-ALLed Salamander 2, cool BGM and really short loop length.

[xxx1993]

Today, I've gone the extra mile and 1CC'd Andro Dunos 2 on Android difficulty, the hardest mode! I lost a few lives, though.

[Nahar]

Today, I've gone the extra mile and 1CC'd Andro Dunos 2 on Android difficulty, the hardest mode! I lost a few lives, though.

Nice! I got it yesterday too. Very fun game.

[xxx1993]

I guess months of playing the game really paid off. It's one of those breather games. By the way, I found out if you take too long during the final boss battle, it'll kill you instantly with an unavoidable laser, almost similar to Gloire in Silpheed for the Sega CD or Hyperion from Einhander.

[BurlyHeart]

Returned to Dariusbust on PC after playing it on PS4 many years ago.

Got the ADH 1cc with Gaiden, though the score was nothing to write home about. I do love Gaiden's black hole bomb.

Have two monitors being delivered soon, and obviously interested to check out the dual monitor mode.

[Ice Beam]

1cc Raiden Fighters (X360) arcade difficulty with the Judge Spear slave (duh).
I have no idea why this was so hard for me. It took 70 hours to get a 1cc. It's only ranked an 8 on the Japanese STG difficulty list, but it was way harder for me to clear than Gradius (10) or Mushihimesama maniac mode (18).

[Kiken]

1cc Raiden Fighters (X360) arcade difficulty with the Judge Spear slave (duh).
I have no idea why this was so hard for me. It took 70 hours to get a 1cc. It's only ranked an 8 on the Japanese STG difficulty list, but it was way harder for me to clear than Gradius (10) or Mushihimesama maniac mode (18).

While the Raiden Fighters series is certainly easier than the original Raiden series, the games are hellishly chaotic! The Judge Spear and Option craft move incredibly fast, enemy patterns are hectic, you constantly spend brief moments hovering over various locations to trigger miclus spawns which spew medals everywhere and then the screen shakes violently when they explode, bosses throw out crazy high-speed patterns and the soundtracks are essentially noise played at 240 beats per second.

[Ice Beam]

1cc Raiden Fighters (X360) arcade difficulty with the Judge Spear slave (duh).
I have no idea why this was so hard for me. It took 70 hours to get a 1cc. It's only ranked an 8 on the Japanese STG difficulty list, but it was way harder for me to clear than Gradius (10) or Mushihimesama maniac mode (18).

While the Raiden Fighters series is certainly easier than the original Raiden series, the games are hellishly chaotic! The Judge Spear and Option craft move incredibly fast, enemy patterns are hectic, you constantly spend brief moments hovering over various locations to trigger miclus spawns which spew medals everywhere and then the screen shakes violently when they explode, bosses throw out crazy high-speed patterns and the soundtracks are essentially noise played at 240 beats per second.

And the level 3 boss (the ship) and the level 6 boss (the airship) have this subtle sway that throws me off every time.

[copy-paster]

1cc Raiden Fighters (X360) arcade difficulty with the Judge Spear slave (duh).
I have no idea why this was so hard for me. It took 70 hours to get a 1cc.

70 hours is like my estimated playtime of my Raiden II progress, that game is baller.

GGs for the clear btw, I think the reason it's lower on the ranking is judge spear slave really that OP. Max shot is so powerful the later entries kinda nerfed it(?), also the bomb too and you can adjust the bomb distance by hold the B button for a while and release it.

Pointblanking bosses with bomb = dead boss in a seconds, I haven't clear with slave yet but did clear twice with regular Judge Spear. I think the game also meant to be balanced with normal ships unlike Jet.

[To Far Away Times]

Got a 1-ALL on Life Force (Japanese arcade version). This run was nearly a no miss, but because the game has instant respawns and the end game speed section is super hard, I decided that part wasn't worth learning and I would just cash in my lives to get through it. Final Score 581,000.

Fun little game, if a bit basic. Any game from the mid 80's that can hold my interest in 2022 is doing something right though. The game is fun but it has some jank to it. Certain enemies or objects that are hit by a missile lose their collision box and you no longer take damage when colliding with them. It's most noticeable on stage one with the expanding pink blobs. The game has the usual fucked up Konami hit boxes, so that's something that has to be taken into account. Taking a power up also damages your shield (lol wut). The shield hit box is absolutely massive, probably double the size of the sprite. It's totally worthless.

I do have one really nice strategy I'd like to share.
The infamous stage four boss is a real pain in the ass. I've seen people try to safe spot it or just dodge it randomly. The problem is the safe spots are nearly pixel perfect and your ship moves really fast. But I found a consistent way to do it every time. Start on the very right edge along the wall at the very bottom of the screen. You want to be to the right of where the bays are so the enemy shots move toward you. As soon as the boss fires, move all the way over to the left wall. You want to be to the left of the left most bay. Once the second shot fires, you will have enough time to safely squeeze into the bay on the upper right without having to dodge anything. This works because the enemy bullets bouncing off the wall are too slow to catch up to you. There is a pretty large safe spot inside the right most bay after the second round of shots are fired, and from there the boss can't harm you.

There's lot's more to explore within the series. I'd like to give arcade Salamander a shot to check out the differences and also check out the NES port. The NES port is nearly twice as long as the arcade game and has different level layouts. I quite liked the NES ports of Gradius, Gradius II, and Contra, so I have high hopes for it.

[bcass]

About those Life Force bouncing balls - there's an interesting video on youtube about that here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_U9bsQBEP0

I'm not entirely sure what it's alluding to, but it seems that the state of the background destruction indicates where the safe spot will be? Video is from Salamander but might also be applicable to Life Force.

[To Far Away Times]

I got the 1-ALL in Salamander (Japanese arcade version) tonight. This time with a video.

Salamander is almost identical to Life Force except for a few things that I noticed.

The sprite changes and differences between the power up systems are fairly well known.

The stage 4 boss is different. I tried my Life Force strategy in Salamander and it didn't work. The Salamander version keeps firing, it doesn't stop after two rounds. I watched the video bcass linked to and saw there was a safe spot strategy in the lower right hand corner and you could just stay parked there. I made sure not to fire any missiles so I didn't destroy the ground targets. The Stage 4 boss and the powerup system were the only two gameplay adjustments I had to make.

You also don't get extends in Salamander for whatever reason, but it doesn't matter much.

Also, it might just be my imagination, but the hit detection seemed better in Salamander. Bosses seemed to get hit by the multiples more often. I noticed a big difference on the 3X big core section in Stage 6, and the second stage boss.

I also like the color pallet and most of the original sprites better in Salamander... I think. Red flames are better than blue flames. And gray asteroids are better than pink "kidney stones."

[BIL]

Salamander ST4 boss is an infamous sticking point, we had some nice discussion a while back in this short+sweet thread. Here's my usual method, and here's PEG just killing the bastard on the PS1 port's SP Hard mode with Wait Off