LUNardei wrote:I don't like the idea of a sequel almost equal the first game, but I like less the idea of a sequel which is totally different from it, gameplay-wise.
Well, it's not as different as you think. Original mode in Futari is much better than Mushi 1's Original mode because they actually took the "shoot everything and collect the gems" gameplay of that version and made it into an actual scoring system with a multiplier that grows based on the gems you collect that can increase to 100,000+ now in ver 1.5. Maniac mode does feel different from Mushi 1, but it's a good kind of different. I love both games, and I think you will two.
I spent all afternoon with ver 1.5 and am pleased to report it is even more fun than the first. Some thoughts:
Original mode
-Those of us weaned on ver 1.0 will no doubt be taken aback by the laughable patterns the first two stages throw at you, especially those from the bosses. In 1.0, every now and then I would get caught by the T-Rex's final spread that can trap one in the corner if you're not ready for it, but 1.5 T-Rex doesn't do shit to you.
-However, while stage 3 is easier as well, things start to ramp up come stage 4. Faster bullets and enemies that take longer to kill will make you rethink your previous strategies. The stage 4 boss' notorious final pattern is now very doable and I successfully dodged the whole deal with not a bomb chucked.
-Now, stage 5...Cave's revenge, I guess. Immediately faster bullets and lots more of them, plus the red dinosaurs on the ground that will clear the screen upon death now take many more hits to kill. Cruelest of all is where they moved the 1-up. It comes right when you get the bomb, and at that point you're being bombarded from all sides and desperately wish to use said bomb...but of course you can't if you want the extend. I grabbed it in two out of five attempts, whereas ver 1.0's 1-up I got every time. My strategy for it seems to be just blowing up the house and charging with a dagger in my teeth and hoping for the best.
-The final boss' patterns aren't changed at all, really.
-Bombs do a nutty amount of damage to the bosses now, which I dig.
-I also like the increased points. Stage 5 even has dozens of gem geysers (which you'll likely have to ignore due to everything in the world trying to kill you).
-I cleared the game three times out of six attempts, so if you're used to the first version you'll likely have no real trouble here, despite a ramped up final stage.
Maniac mode
-Don't care for it too much, so I don't really have much to share here. Definitely seemed easier, though.
Ultra mode
-Cave owes me 200 yen. Two humiliatingly short attempts proved to me that Ultra is only for those that own the game and can experiment with it's cruel patterns. I didn't even make it to the first fucking boss. Very, very mean stuff here.
In short, 1.5 rules and is more polished. This is one of the funnest and most accessible shooters I've ever played, and I've seen em all. I look forward to the day when I can add the board to my library.
Thanks for the impressions! Great to hear it's as good as I thought. Most people on 2ch are saying they really prefer this version to version 1.0 as well, as it's a lot more fun.
About the original Original: I kind of liked its way of being enjoyable and extreme at the sme time. It's an easy game you can play for fun every time you want, a quick run on it it's always good and so on. But at the same time you can perform a lot of scoring tricks, leech everything you can and no-miss the game to get a competitive score. It's a good change of pace from the usual Cave stuff, heavily scoring system based. It makes me think a little bit to Batsugun, because of the "tricks" instead of a "system".
LUNardei wrote:About the original Original: I kind of liked its way of being enjoyable and extreme at the sme time. It's an easy game you can play for fun every time you want, a quick run on it it's always good and so on.
Well, I agree with you there. I still play a round of Mushi's Original mode now and then and it's always a lot of fun for me.
I read something funny on 2ch today. Some Japanese players were saying it is about as hard to no miss no bomb the first stage of Ultra mode as it is to get 300 mil in Original mode. Ultra mode must be freakishly difficult.
Yea pretty much. I think Cave likes to do shit like this to fuck with the hyper nerds that keep breaking their games year after year. "No miss this you turkeys!"
btw, I can't get that second link you posted to work, twe.
Really? In the short while I played it, I liked it much more than Original. The original scoring is just too damn confusing.
I've got the opposite opinion I guess; Maniac I can't figure out, but Original is as simple as it gets. Just alternate between the two shots depending on your counter and you're good to go.
If you guys don't know Original and/or Maniac mode's scoring system, check out the thread I made in the strategy forum explaining them. Each mode is pretty simple, actually.
@Neverland: I don't know anything about the Antialiasing in 1.5, sorry.
Folks at the arcade seem to be getting into the groove of the game.
Maniac scores went up to 500m, two guys got to stage 2 in ultra (...), and perhaps most impressive of all, someone got 386m in Original with Reco. I really wish I could have seen this run because I have no clue how this is even possible. I watched more than one guy score high throughout their run and clear the game with only a life or two lost, and these scores only went up to 320m. Someone figured out how to tear the shit out of Original 1.5 already, it seems.
Thanks to your thread, twe, I figured out Maniac but still don't really like it. Feels too much like Galuda to me. I would like to play Ultra, but it's just too ridiculous. Unless I see the secret to such giant Original scores, I think I might be done with this game.
I put some time in on 1.5 today (Maniac). I don't remember 1.0 that well since I was brain-friend when I played it, but I didn't get my ass kicked nearly as much. I figured out some decent patterns on the first 2 stages, and am half-decent at the 3rd. I 1 credited to the very first of stage 4. Best score was around 120 mil (crap, I suppose). As before, I don't remember specifics about 1.0, but I do find this much more playable.
RegalSin wrote:New PowerPuff Girls. They all have evil pornstart eyelashes.
I'm visiting my girlfriend in Japan right now and got a chance to play Futari at a local arcade (1.0, I think, and original mode). I only put in one credit because I was short on time, and I didn't know jack about the scoring system, but I had really great fun. I'll be going back today.
I wish there was one really comprehensive arcade in Kumamoto. I can play Futari, Ketsui, and ESP2, but I have to go to a different arcade across town to play each of them. On my girlfriend's tiny shitty Chinese bicycle no less.
I could imagine. From Maryland... isn't that like 32 hours on a plane?
Anyways, perhaps someone here can confirm a few things for me. Something I think I found out on my own in Maniac Mode (at least stuff that twe didn't point out to my at my crib)
-The A-shot multiplier thing only works when the chain meter is down all the way. Screwed up a lot of scoring opportunities with that. One the bright side, it can help you get out of some tight spots.
-Hitbox seems smaller in 1.5. Maybe it's just me, but I'm doing stuff Iwasn't able to before.
-Stage 4 is fucking hard
RegalSin wrote:New PowerPuff Girls. They all have evil pornstart eyelashes.
GaijinPunch wrote:
-The A-shot multiplier thing only works when the chain meter is down all the way. Screwed up a lot of scoring opportunities with that. One the bright side, it can help you get out of some tight spots.
Yeah, this is in my strategy guide in the strategy forum. Same as in ver 1.0.
-Hitbox seems smaller in 1.5. Maybe it's just me, but I'm doing stuff Iwasn't able to before.
Some of the ver 1.5 vids I've seen have led me to believe they did shrink the hitbox a bit. Which is a good thing, especially since there's an Ultra mode.
-Stage 4 is fucking hard
I'm pretty sure I pointed that out to you at your crib!
Last edited by EOJ on Tue Dec 26, 2006 6:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Newest file uploaded contains 2 videos:
Stage 1 - Ultra Mode - No Miss - 1 Bomb - Parm - Abnormal Shot
Stage 2 - About the last 30 seconds of the level, right before the boss- Ultra Mode - Parm - Abnormal Shot
Check out the newest file on that link, it's called "Mushihime-sama Futari Hetare Pureeyaa-no Oo-misoka" (or in the original Japanese, 虫姫さまふたり_ﾍﾀﾚﾌﾟﾚｰﾔｰの大晦日). It's a really hilarious video of some American kid playing some other game, with a video of the last boss in Mushi Futari Maniac mode superimposed on the screen. I laughed my ass off!
New video shows Ultra stages 1-3 with Abnormal Palm but the video isn't rotated. The player dies 3 times and uses a number of bombs. My lust for this game continues to rise.
I love both games, and I think you will two.
