Is 1944:The Loop Master underrated?

[tehkao]

I just played this for the first time and was totally blown away.

15 varied stages?

15 bosses?

A cool chargeup system?

Why isn't this game mentioned more as one of the top classic shmups?

[Dave_K.]

You forgot to mention its made by Raizing! I love this game.

I think people don't give it much respect here because its not a real vertical shooter (being its a horizontal-vertical shooter), its not made by Cave, and its too difficult and long for the average shmupper.

[Ozymandiaz1260]

Why isn't this game mentioned more as one of the top classic shmups?

Probably because it sucks.

[D]

because its not a real vertical shooter.

agreed

[mulletgeezer]

Why isn't this game mentioned more as one of the top classic shmups?

Probably because it sucks.

agreed.


it's a totally unremarkable game.

[sffan]

I've been playing this a lot lately. I agree it's underrated and a great game. Not a true vertical? Then I guess neither is Giga Wing.

I think some people don't care for it because it's hard to 1CC, if that's your objective. For me, the objective is score and progress on one credit. Getting to the end is not the goal for me. Just getting a little further is satisfying enough, kinda like with the classic games that have no end. The better you do, the more stuff you see, and that's the reward.

It's the kind of shmup that can last a lifetime, since you can always do better. If it had an attainable ending, then you would set it aside once you reached it, never to play it again.

[Fighter17]

Raizing's worse right here.

[JBC]

Probably because it sucks.

agreed

agreed.

No U.

Loop Master is awesome. Good graphics, nice patterns, decent difficulty, good tunes, some fine splosions'. They just changed some of the traditional stylings of the series around so alot of purists hate it. It never bothers me when they do that with a series so much as long as they don't count it in the series numerically. It's a side game, that's why it has a sub-title.

Though... it's style comes on a bit strong and there's only so much i can take of it in one sitting. The levels are fairly consistent throughout and some of the boss battles are just sad.

[FRO]

Yes, it's "a little too Raph". It's long & difficult, not nearly as much fun as 1943, 1941, or 19XX, & can be a bit frustrating at times when it shouldn't be. Also, it feels like a regression from 1941 & 19XX in many ways.

[BulletMagnet]

I played it on MAME a long time ago, and all I remember about it is that I deleted it and have no desire to try it again. I much prefer 19XX, though I'm not a huge fan of the "1900" series in general.

[poieo]

Raizing's worse right here.

I don't think it's one of Raizing's. They did the coding, but i think that's the extent of their involvement. Nothing feels like Raizing. In fact, it looks and feels more like a Takumi game.

The game is trash, gameplay-wise. The sounds are great and the animation is fantastic (which is what makes me think Capcom had more to do with the design than Raizing), but the mechanics are shit.

A) It's a shooting game. It's retarded to have a major aspect of a shooting game involve NOT SHOOTING. Screw this shit; ditch the bomb, make the chargeup instant-activate and recharge on its own, and give me a proper auto-fire.

B) The support fighters are obnoxiously fragile. They give you all these support fighter drops, but it's just clutter. Give me fewer icons to chase down and just make the goddamned things more durable.

C) The main weapon is piss weak even powered up. It sucks when it feels like even medium enemies take forever to kill.

[dave4shmups]

You forgot to mention its made by Raizing! I love this game.

I think people don't give it much respect here because its not a real vertical shooter (being its a horizontal-vertical shooter), its not made by Cave, and its too difficult and long for the average shmupper.

I agree. It's an outstanding shmup, and I'd love to see a home port, but, like 19XX, I doubt we ever will.

[tehkao]

I dunno...I don't think "too long" could ever be a negative point when it comes to shmups...or any video game for that matter....games are not movies.

Gimme more huge bosses. More enemies. More levels. Gimme my money's worth is what I say.

[dave4shmups]

I dunno...I don't think "too long" could ever be a negative point when it comes to shmups...or any video game for that matter....games are not movies.

Gimme more huge bosses. More enemies. More levels. Gimme my money's worth is what I say.

I don't mind looong shmups except for 1943 and 1943Kai, for several reasons. Your weapons and health points in both games go down regardless of whether or not you get hit by enemy fire. That's just flat-out unreasonable. If I'm going to play a shmup that's over 20 levels, I should be able to keep my weapon until I decide to change it, and shouldn't have to worry about health unless I get hit.

[ktownhero]

I dunno...I don't think "too long" could ever be a negative point when it comes to shmups...or any video game for that matter....games are not movies.

Gimme more huge bosses. More enemies. More levels. Gimme my money's worth is what I say.

I couldn't disagree more. Games can be "too long" just like any form of entertainment can be.

[gameoverDude]

I don't like having to sacrifice the gold to get support fighters in 1944. If you want to keep your gold for score, you have to avoid the Side-F powerup should you accidentally shoot the plane that carries it.

19XX handles the charge-shot concept better. It may not be as powerful as 1944's, but it's more useful and doesn't require as much time for a full charge.

There are some cool moments in the game, but also a few kinks that should've been pounded out.