Akai Katana Shin PS4 switch

[DietSoap]

Did anyone else verify Mark's numbers on Switch AK port?

I saw like 3 different numbers floating around about the Steam port's lag, Mark's data on the high end. Don't know how many people have the equipment to do the measuring, but it doesn't seem like the most precise science.

What were the other 2 figures? Mark still had Gysnc on, which while miniscule compared to vsync, does still add a tiny bit of input lag from my understanding.

[Klatrymadon]

Just got my PS4 copy in the post. It seems to run in a lower resolution than the Steam version, which itself doesn't have a very high res or much in the way of display options, but the performance seems much better. The Steam port is often quite juddery and inconsistent for me, with or without vsync on - maybe I should experiment with getting it to run at a lower res?

[sunnshiner]

Just got my PS4 copy in the post. It seems to run in a lower resolution than the Steam version, which itself doesn't have a very high res or much in the way of display options, but the performance seems much better. The Steam port is often quite juddery and inconsistent for me, with or without vsync on - maybe I should experiment with getting it to run at a lower res?

Teh interwebz says its's locked to 1280x720 (dunno how true that is though) so maybe the juddering is some kind of non-integer scaling thing going on with your display/graphics card?

https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Akai_ ... 201280x720.

[Klatrymadon]

Cheers! I think the only gaming-oriented setting my AMD software has enabled is "Radeon anti-lag", but I'll have a dig around and make sure.

[yosai]

I can see that the game is available for xbox one in the HK store.

https://www.xbox.com/en-HK/games/store/ ... 8VDJ5XX7JP

Anyone know if I can purchase AK with a Hong Kong VPN or is it region locked?

Cheers.

[lmbmu1335]

Definitive edition for console?

[NeoStrayCat]

I can see that the game is available for xbox one in the HK store.

https://www.xbox.com/en-HK/games/store/ ... 8VDJ5XX7JP

Anyone know if I can purchase AK with a Hong Kong VPN or is it region locked?

Cheers.

Unsure about this, but IIRC, I was able to purchase DLC for X1 and Series titles from other regions that don't have it stateside and they work on a US copy. I'd assume they might work on games too, considering X1/Series is region free. Probably not necessary to need a VPN, unless otherwise. All you need is just get an Xbox Gift Card currency for that region and it should still work the same.

Definitive edition for console?

Sadly no, considering (the) Exa-Label (mode) is only exclusive on the Exa-Arcadia arcade platform. However, this is just basically a port of the X360 version onto modern platforms with additional text language support and the additional character dialogue that was DLC in the JP X360 version now included as part of the base game.

[lmbmu1335]

Thank you for the reply. Regarding the console option, between PS4, XB360 and Switch it would seem that regarding input lag, PS4 must be the best option? Certainly have been learning how important it is to consider the total package and the source of the port…especially after the City Connection ports on Switch of the Psykio games.

[XtraSmiley]

Sadly no, considering (the) Exa-Label (mode) is only exclusive on the Exa-Arcadia arcade platform. However, this is just basically a port of the X360 version onto modern platforms with additional text language support and the additional character dialogue that was DLC in the JP X360 version now included as part of the base game.

Is the Exa version different than the 360 port we got here? Is there a good break down of the differences?

[NeoStrayCat]

Thank you for the reply. Regarding the console option, between PS4, XB360 and Switch it would seem that regarding input lag, PS4 must be the best option? Certainly have been learning how important it is to consider the total package and the source of the port…especially after the City Connection ports on Switch of the Psykio games.

Well, I'm hearing that Akai Katana seems to be a good port, well, after updates on some bugs that needed to get fixed. Sadly, other than the X360 version that I have, I don't have it on the current gen consoles outside of the PC/Steam version. (Considering since City Connection has yet to release it digitally overseas on console. Along with the upcoming physical release.)

Sadly no, considering (the) Exa-Label (mode) is only exclusive on the Exa-Arcadia arcade platform. However, this is just basically a port of the X360 version onto modern platforms with additional text language support and the additional character dialogue that was DLC in the JP X360 version now included as part of the base game.

Is the Exa version different than the 360 port we got here? Is there a good break down of the differences?

Sorta, slightly, the Exa page for the game lists some changes/differences, outside of its exclusive Exa-Label mode which kinda feels sorta Progear-ish in its scoring/mechaincs.

https://exa.ac/en/games/crimson-katana- ... 177369a3b7

Otherwise, I don't have a clue between breaking down the differences from the current gen port to the Exa version, unless someone owns them both. But I would assume all the modes (outside of the Exa-Label mode) will still play the same, with only 1 frame input lag in the Exa version.

[BulletMagnet]

Limited Run is having a go at this one too.

[NeoStrayCat]

Limited Run is having a go at this one too.

Aye, with physical US versions now up for pre-order, this would hopefully mean that the overseas digital edition is not too far off. (Even though it should have been out by now.)

[Lux]

Do we know if it will be the sole physical western release ?

[TransatlanticFoe]

No, there will be a European release - it was confirmed earlier in the topic that Clear River Games would be doing a full EU retail release - latest seems to be July:

https://twitter.com/clearrivergames/sta ... 5612186624

[Warp_Rattler]

For what it's worth, LRG only mentions that this is a distro title, not a numbered entry in their catalog like Mushi, ESP2, and DDP DFK. Given that Deathsmiles was also City Connection/Clear River and is still up on Amazon, it would be a good bet that this could end up the same. You know, in case anyone is tired of the huge lead times and mysterious delays from the limited print publishers and wants to go through a [slightly?] more reliable source. July seems like an awfully short period from preorder announcements to release, though.

[Jonpachi]

Buy imports. Get games earlier. Support developers directly instead of giving SLG/LRG a cut.

[hamfighterx]

Buy imports. Get games earlier. Support developers directly instead of giving SLG/LRG a cut.

Yes. And for Akai Katana in particular, there is really no reason to go with LRG, since the existing Japan release is already region free with full multi-language support, is roughly the same price, and is available now instead of waiting for 9+ months. There's nothing at all unique to the LRG version.

I do appreciate when LRG does a physical release when there is otherwise no physical version available, like for Switch Mushi, Espgaluda II, and Daifukkatsu. I'll also double dip if there are additional limited edition things that seem worthwhile to me (like the chiptune arrange soundtracks that are exclusive to LRG's Collector's Edition versions of Espgaluda II or DFK). None of that applies to Akai Katana though.

[hamfighterx]

Sorta, slightly, the Exa page for the game lists some changes/differences, outside of its exclusive Exa-Label mode which kinda feels sorta Progear-ish in its scoring/mechaincs.

https://exa.ac/en/games/crimson-katana- ... 177369a3b7

Otherwise, I don't have a clue between breaking down the differences from the current gen port to the Exa version, unless someone owns them both. But I would assume all the modes (outside of the Exa-Label mode) will still play the same, with only 1 frame input lag in the Exa version.

Tangentially related question:
Can anyone confirm the default Exa button layout for Crimson Katana and/or Saidaioujou?

[jehu]

Yes. And for Akai Katana in particular, there is really no reason to go with LRG, since the existing Japan release is already region free with full multi-language support, is roughly the same price, and is available now instead of waiting for 9+ months. There's nothing at all unique to the LRG version.

I agree with the general sentiment, but worth noting that the LRG version will likely have the post-release patches on disk / on cart. As this thread attests, there were some non-trivial problems with the game at launch that have now been ironed out.

That being said, this isn't going to impact most buyers and is a thought symptomatic of a terminal collector's brainworm.

This is increasingly how SLG and LRG are marketing their delayed releases - 'we want all post-release patches on the disk.' On Strictly Limited's website, this is taken verbatim from their 'manufacturer updates' page for the Ray'z Collection: "SLG version will include patches of retail version as well as the R-Gear prototype level on game card, therefore being released later."

I'm not sure I believe that's the real explanation for the delay, but it's an alright marketing spin.

And, I hate to admit, I do actually appreciate having a disk/cart that I won't have to worry about patching in the future to avoid Rayforce crashes or Raycrisis stuttering. Though, of course, more patches are likely to come for practice modes etc., so it really is never going to be quite 'complete.'

[Steven]

I keep forgetting that this game exists for some reason.

Can anyone confirm the default Exa button layout for Crimson Katana and/or Saidaioujou?

It has been like a year and half since I played exA Saidaioujou, but I think it's

shot bomb/hyper auto
bomb (exA mode only)

So basically it's the same as the regular version but with an extra dedicated bomb button for the new game mode, which I don't think I played. Pretty sure the cabinet was using a Vewlix arrangement. God I hate Vewlix lol.

[Ms. Tea]

That's correct for SDOJ. It's basically the original game's layout with the one extra button. Bomb only can be used in X arrange, too.

I haven't played Akai Katana exa, but videos show it being

shot bomb auto
soul shift

So, same as the original game.

[Warp_Rattler]

Buy imports. Get games earlier. Support developers directly instead of giving SLG/LRG a cut.

I've seen this idea mentioned a few times here and there, but I'm curious: is there any empirical data out there that shows developers are getting significantly less revenue from overseas releases (whether from boutique limited print publishers, mid-tier companies like NIS, etc.) than from the original Japanese releases? I mean, unless a game is submitted straight to the eShop by the developer themselves, there are still the Japanese publishers who take their cut, right? I'm all in favor of developers and other artists getting the maximum amount of revenue possible from their work (the irony of the contemporary Internet: after all the "Web 2.0" hype two decades ago about how creators will be able to directly connect with their audiences, the commercialization of the web has metastasized to the point where ANY connection between creators and consumers can only be facilitated through one or more platform middlemen, each taking their 30% cut) but I haven't seen anything to suggest that buying a LRG release versus the Japanese one is as significant a difference as, say, listening to an artist's album on Spotify versus buying it on Bandcamp.

(Don't get me wrong: there are plenty of well-documented reasons to avoid LRG, SLG, and all the other "limited print" publishers out there, depending on your individual tolerance for various viscosities of bullshit: the current business model of some of them has significantly fallen away from the "let's preserve games in physical formats!" ethos of their founding days; customer support is iffy at best; estimates for manufacture and delivery times are consistently wildly inaccurate; the transparency of updates and communication in general is just awful, etc.)

And, I hate to admit, I do actually appreciate having a disk/cart that I won't have to worry about patching in the future to avoid Rayforce crashes or Raycrisis stuttering. Though, of course, more patches are likely to come for practice modes etc., so it really is never going to be quite 'complete.'

I'm definitely on board for this as well--the approach to patches/post-release content seems to be all over the place at the moment (games being rushed to manufacturing before critical performance bugs are addressed, most recent updates at the time of manufacture not actually making it onto the cart/disc, game-breaking bugs being overlooked, etc.), but in general if there's a readily available version that is more complete on disc/cart, then that's worth it for me, especially since online updates/distribution has been the dominant paradigm for a few hardware generations now and post-release updates or content seem to be increasingly considered part of the development cycle. In the case of Rayz, if SLG's promised patches do include the fixes for consistent crashes or stuttering, that is a significant enough difference for me.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Amazon listing is up in the UK, 31st July release

[NeoStrayCat]

Amazon listing is up in the UK, 31st July release

Also at US Amazon, but way longer, for some reason, it has a date for 10/31/23.

[Ms. Tea]

This is finally out on consoles internationally:

https://www.nintendo.com/store/products ... in-switch/

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Ninten ... 09059.html

https://store.playstation.com/en-ca/pro ... 8508175019

https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/pro ... 6091855825

Also, no idea if anyone's interested, but I put together a music modding tool for the Steam release because I really wanted to play with the FM arrange soundtrack from the Nin2 Jump/Akai Katana CD. Works well! I've got a demo here:

https://youtu.be/PEL3aglJzGY

Tool and instructions here: https://github.com/mistydemeo/akaikatana-repack

[shirorm]

Hello
Has anyone tried the Xbox One conversion? Is it any good?

[ExitPlanetDust]

I know the assumption was 4 to 5 frames based on the usual disparity between Switch and PS4, but did we ever get any actual tests for the PS4 version?

[Jonpachi]

It’s great. Go buy it and play it unless you already have the 360 version.