X-Multiply appreciate

Sly Cherry Chunks · Post by **Sly Cherry Chunks** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 10:48 pm

Last boss------>

bcass · Post by **bcass** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 7:57 pm

Otherwise known as Baphomet:

Which has all manner of conotations, and pre-dates Geigers use of the image by several hundred years... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baphomet

Klatrymadon · Post by **Klatrymadon** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 9:03 pm

Aye, good call.

Skyknight · Post by **Skyknight** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 2:29 am

Thinking about the descriptors I found on that Japanese site for stages 3, 4, 6, and 7, I'm thinking that this might be a good way of describing the stage layout...

1 (Hastur): Pulmonary vein
2 (Locus): Heart (a ventricle should a big enough "dark cavity" to hold Locus...)
3 (Zarikas): Lungs
4 (Ghoums): Larynx
5 (Hydra): Esophagus
6 (Darya): Intraperitoneal cavity (i.e. the abdomen area)
7 (Byakhee): Uterus

ccovell · Post by **ccovell** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 2:06 pm

Sorry to dredge up an old topic, but I decided to take out X-Multiply and play it on my Saturn today. I'm not the greatest player, so I got to the final level and gave up after several attempts to reach the end -- the final level has NO restart points mid-level, and those annoying indestructible balls that need to be avoided.

I guess the strategy is to destroy those ball dispensers before they even come on-screen, as I've learnt that the balls are released by their dispensers as soon as they are onscreen in the arcade version. On the Saturn version it's even tougher, because the balls are released before you can even see them. Observe:

Arcade version is on top; Saturn version is on the bottom. You can see that the graphics are cut off on all edges in the Saturn version, so the game is that much more annoying to play.

bcass · Post by **bcass** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 5:50 pm

Does the PS1 conversion suffer from that too?

icycalm · Post by **icycalm** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 6:34 pm

Sup guys, since I made this thread all these months ago, I have actually written a review:

http://insomnia.ac/reviews/ac/xmultiply/review.php

Klatrymadon · Post by **Klatrymadon** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 7:30 pm

Does the PS1 conversion suffer from that too?

I'd assume so, mate. The PS1 version has the same "move the score-board out of the way" stuff going on...

bcass · Post by **bcass** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 8:46 pm

I actually have the PS1 version, but I'm too damn lazy to set-up my old PS1... If no-one else knows for sure then maybe I'll set it up at the weekend. I remember some strangeness but it's been years since I last played the Arcade Gears release.

JoshF · Post by **JoshF** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 8:53 pm

Nice review Icy. I like how you put the game in a historical perspective.

Klatrymadon · Post by **Klatrymadon** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 9:05 pm

It certainly doesn't make the game unplayable, bcass. I can rinse it on the PS1, the Saturn, and in MAME.

bcass · Post by **bcass** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 6:45 am

Not impressed. I remember gathering crowds in a Manchester arcade watching as I slaughtered Bykhee at the age of 14. I haven't been back to it with any level of dedication since then. I seriously doubt I possess the required dexterity anymore.

Klatrymadon · Post by **Klatrymadon** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:40 am

Nice one, mate (but I wasn't trying to impress - just illustrating that they're all fine and dandy)!

bcass · Post by **bcass** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:49 am

Fear not, just pulling your leg. Great game though. One of my all-time favourites. Such a cool atmosphere. Incredible soundtrack.

Klatrymadon · Post by **Klatrymadon** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 12:40 pm

Yeah, every piece of music in it is shockingly well composed and fitting. My fave tune's probably the one from the first level, though. Level 3's is still faintly disturbing today! It's all such a wondeful achievement...

Assuming it isn't against the board's rules, I can upload the R-Type II CD (which contains X-Multiply's soundtrack) for anyone who fancies a slice.

Post by **Ghegs** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 12:45 pm

Bal-Sagoth wrote:Assuming it isn't against the board's rules, I can upload the R-Type II CD (which contains X-Multiply's soundtrack) for anyone who fancies a slice.

It is. It's distributing copyrighted material, which isn't kosher.

Klatrymadon · Post by **Klatrymadon** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 12:46 pm

Aye, no worries.

ccovell · Post by **ccovell** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 12:52 pm

I hope it's not against the rules, then, to recommend the great program M1, which plays the music from MAME-supported games.

bcass · Post by **bcass** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 1:43 pm

Indeed. BridgeM1 too as the front-end of choice for M1.

The thing is though, those IREM CDs are mastered to a very high standard, with some subtle mixing (NOT remixing) which brings out the audio more than on the PCBs and via emulation. Arcade VGM doesn't get much better than those old IREM soundtracks. Light years ahead of anything you hear in games these days.

icycalm · Post by **icycalm** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 6:45 pm

JoshF wrote:Nice review Icy. I like how you put the game in a historical perspective.

Thanks, I also plan to write reviews of R-Type II and Dragon Breed soon. 1989 was such a great year for Irem.

Last Guardian · Post by **Last Guardian** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 4:38 pm

Lovely game with an awesome soundtrack, holding the rapid fire button produces a nice rhythm of its own. tut-du-tu-tu-tu-tudu-tu..........

Great review Alex, look >> to the others.

Battlesmurf · Post by **Battlesmurf** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 9:05 am

"Reminds me of Salamander, but with more vagina." haha- best.line.ever.

DBH87 · Post by **DBH87** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 9:09 pm

Shocky wrote:"looks awesome"?? It looks like shit, graphically. It's a great game, but it lacks a graphical style, unless one counts having multi-color puke all over the screen as style. I just played the ultra-crappy neogeo game Andro Dunos, which suffers from the same problem: Single objects may be drawn well, but when they're on the screen at the same time it's a total mess.

OK, I admit that the X-Multiply graphics are at least interesting idea-wise, even though they may look ugly.

not surprised it was made years ago.

Bloodreign · Post by **Bloodreign** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 9:59 pm

It's a pretty good game, though the Saturn borders don't bother me too much. Perhaps a nice Irem Arcade Collection (released worldwide with all the great Irem shooters no named R-Type like Dragon Breed, Image Fight, and XMultiply, and nonshooters like Ninja Spirit) could someday pop up, but it's only a dream.

BIL · Post by **BIL** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 6:02 am

Skyknight wrote:St. 3 ("The Rolling Worms"; I think there are two versions of this)
Into some of the victim's internal organs, blasted by inflammation and tumors, as well as the creature "Ganyuru" (at least, that's what the katakana elicit).

Skyknight wrote:"Bloody Bloom", meanwhile, is just plain STRANGE. "Babe Good-Lookin'" is pretty somber, so I'm wondering how it got its name (it certainly wasn't for the composite alien!). "The Rolling Worms"...whatever you do, DON'T play the first part just before bedtime. I doubt you'll get to sleep, it's so unsettling.

Just gave X-Multiply a go in MAME, after this thread and several similar ones elsewhere got me very interested in hearing "The Rolling Worms" (horror game & game music fan here). Is there another version of the song besides the one heard in Stage 3 of the X-Multiply (Japan) ROM? Although it sounds very, very cool as per Irem's usual standard, it doesn't seem overtly creepy to me. Maybe I just blew it out of proportion in my mind, as it was late and dark while I was tracking down the song. ^^

I really like this game's overall look and atmosphere, from what little I've seen. Has a real morbidity to it. The second boss in particular, what an evil-looking SOB (with an interesting attack pattern too). I love the intuitive control on the ships' tentacles, too. I might take this game up after I get off my current RayForce kick.

Shocky · Post by **Shocky** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 2:15 pm

DBH87 wrote:
Shocky wrote:"looks awesome"?? It looks like shit, graphically. It's a great game, but it lacks a graphical style, unless one counts having multi-color puke all over the screen as style. I just played the ultra-crappy neogeo game Andro Dunos, which suffers from the same problem: Single objects may be drawn well, but when they're on the screen at the same time it's a total mess.

OK, I admit that the X-Multiply graphics are at least interesting idea-wise, even though they may look ugly.
not surprised it was made years ago.

It looked ugly back then also. R-Type is older but has _much_ better and more stylish graphics. Image Fight and even Dragon Breed from the same times look considerably better too.

I was thinking that maybe I was too harsh but a couple of weeks ago I played X-M again and it looked even worse than I remembered X_x

Fighter17 · Post by **Fighter17** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 2:40 pm

Bal-Sagoth wrote:
Does the PS1 conversion suffer from that too?
I'd assume so, mate. The PS1 version has the same "move the score-board out of the way" stuff going on...

Yeah it does suffer that issue.

shinsage · Post by **shinsage** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 4:31 pm

Anyone know if you get a different ending on the second loop?

The loop where the enemies fire back at you when you kill them?

bcass · Post by **bcass** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:33 pm

http://www.vazcomics.org/mamend/X/xmultipl.htm

captpain · Post by **captpain** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:43 pm

The little thing that drops your ship in looks like it was drawn in MS Paint.

Cool game, though, but it looks like a homebrew project.