Nanostray 2 - it's finally out in the stores

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:19 am

eretsua wrote:the nanostray 2 website has been updated with a link to amazon where you can buy the game. also the world ranking board has been opened up.
listing both a us and european scoreboard! so a pal release seems likely to happen!

I already ordered the US version, because I want it as soon as possible, and besides, the US boxes are slimmer and all black, way cooler than the bulky transparent euro ones. But yeah, hurray PAL release! The more people buy this the better. It seems like Shin'en really likes producing shooters, so let´s pray for NS3 (if this one turns out to be good, but I can´t see any evidence to the contrary right now).

And holy shit, that gameplay clip on the official site looks incredibly cool. That bossfight and the mech are really looking great, and look at all these bullets! It´s gorgeous. I also like how that boss is chasing you all around the screen, trappin you in the corner. The other trailers also showed rotating stages, which is also a soft spot of mine. And yeah, I just hope the scoring system is actually fun to use this time around.

I CAN`T WAIT.

sfried · Post by **sfried** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:05 am

The new frontpage video on the Nanostray 2 website...*drools* Is that hitbox mechanics at work I see on the big propeller boss?

DocileMouse · Post by **DocileMouse** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:57 am

I'm also drooling over that clip on the official page... The crazy smoothness of the game never ceases to amaze me. Best grphics on DS by far.

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:57 am

Gamestop's website claims the game ships on 3/13, but just yesterday (3/11) it said 3/11, and every other site out there still has 3/11 listed as the release date. I really hope the game is in-stock when I head out to Gamestop later.

Crap, I've never been this hyped about a video game before. :/

shmupboy · Post by **shmupboy** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:04 am

http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/ds/game ... 7948.shtml

nanostray 2 should be in the stores by today or tomorrow. we tried to improve lots of stuff, we read in critics the last two years.
have fun and buy a copy. ...and give us a reason to continue the series...
by the way, codemaster will publish the game in europe...no confirmed date yet, but a confirmed release.

sfried · Post by **sfried** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:11 am

shmupboy wrote:http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/ds/game ... 7948.shtml

nanostray 2 should be in the stores by today or tomorrow. we tried to improve lots of stuff, we read in critics the last two years.
have fun and buy a copy. ...and give us a reason to continue the series...
by the way, codemaster will publish the game in europe...no confirmed date yet, but a confirmed release.

Is this Mr. Linzer?

shmupboy · Post by **shmupboy** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:20 am

no, this is mr.sauter, the lead artist. (btw. it's linzner

)[/b]

sfried · Post by **sfried** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:41 am

shmupboy wrote:no, this is mr.sauter, the lead artist. (btw. it's linzner )[/b]

Hey awsome. Shin'En staff actually visit here.

(So, I've taken you guys adressed all the issues from the last one? Simply can't wait to get my hands on a copy. Iridion II was one of my favorite porta-shmups out there.)

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:33 pm

sfried wrote:
shmupboy wrote:no, this is mr.sauter, the lead artist. (btw. it's linzner )[/b]
Hey awsome. Shin'En staff actually visit here.

Yeah, it´s great to see you guys care about the reception in the more hardcore parts of the player spectrum! From the footage I´ve seen it seems pretty obvious that you are targeting shmup veterans and not casual players (though this game might draw some new players into the genre like more or less recent worldwide releases like Gradius V or Ikaruga did).

It´s also great to hear you think about continuing the series. I will post some first impressions and most likely a little review of it later on here.

sfried wrote:The new frontpage video on the Nanostray 2 website...*drools* Is that hitbox mechanics at work I see on the big propeller boss?

Seems pretty small, right? I don´t really have a memory about the hitbox in Nanostray since the skewed perspective made pretty much everything hard to judge, but a small hitbox is already a step towards more modern shmups and away from "euroshmup".

I also love the toned-down look in that level, flying over a big metropolis is just a classic shmup motive. That boss seems like a Radiant Silvergun homage to me (IIRC), and I saw a screenshot of a boss that looked a bit (okay, A LOT) like the Ikaruga stage 3 one (fighting inside a ring). I think the enemy design, especially on the bosses, looks a bit more "serious" this time, more robotic and less like plastic toys.
This game seems to hush you around the screen a lot, which I love - aside from danmaku type shmups, these "busy obstacle" type of games (see Radiant Silvergun) are what I like most about the genre - the sense of danger and urgency they create by trying to crush you in all kinds of ways.

Other shots had a strong Gradius organic-stage look to them. It´s obvious these guys played a fair share of important shmups, and modern ones too. Nicking a few ideas from all kinds of famous titles isn´t something I will complain about, as long as the result feels original enough.

It´s also good to hear that there are PROPER difficulty settings this time around as the posted review tells us - increased bullet count and speed instead of just tinkering with the lives and continue setttings. So far I can only see improvements. I really hope this will be the proof that a) western developers can do proper shmups (after horrible efforts like Last Hope and Söldner X) and b) shmups can play great on handhelds (aside from the pure gorgeousness of the graphics).

Kaspal · Post by **Kaspal** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:17 pm

its good to see there are Shin'en guys lurkin around here, gatherin opinions and stuff from veteran shmup playaz here... im not one (even tho, i've been playin'em for more than 15 years now), but i can tel you guys somethin STAY AWAY FROM MAJESCO NEXT TIME!!!... the worst publishers EVER.

sfried · Post by **sfried** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:47 pm

I'm wondering what the Shin'En guys actually play. I hope they've looked into some CAVE games lately...

That said, based on the videos posted on IGN, the music is awsome. I hope they relase a soundtrack compilation similar to Iridion 3D & II.

MathU · Post by **MathU** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:08 pm

I believe Linzner has stated they were thinking about it if things go well.

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:35 pm

sfried wrote: That said, based on the videos posted on IGN, the music is awsome. I hope they relase a soundtrack compilation similar to Iridion 3D & II.

Holy mother! That boss tune at "Shokkoh" sounds like a track straight from Border Down - electro-prog rock or something. The whole Teppeki dock music is very atmospheric. That slight drum´n´bass-kinda loop reminds me of certain tracks in Gradius V. I knew they had good musicians at Shin'en, but this surpasses my expectations.

Another surprise: No lifebar - good old one-hit deaths! None of these two gauges on the touchscreen have anything to do with health - one of them (the "Nanogauge") seems to be some kind of chain-meter perhaps? The player in these vids can´t play for shit (what´s up with all this nervous wiggling?), and often runs straight into the most obvious traps, but really, there is a lot going on in these levels. The levels in NS1 seemed pretty unfocussed to me, but this here is a whole different level.

The additional delay is really wrecking my nerves. I can´t remember the last time I anticipated a release so badly.

EDIT: Does the announcer really say "Fuckers!" when you die?

sfried wrote: I hope they've looked into some CAVE games lately...

If looking for some well-made scoring systems, then yes, but their shooters are obviously a wholly different type of game. I don´t expect their next game to be a complete danmaku shooter. Their games are more obstacle-based, which is fine with me.

sfried · Post by **sfried** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:42 pm

FrederikJurk wrote: EDIT: Does the announcer really say "Fuckers!" when you die?

sfried wrote: I hope they've looked into some CAVE games lately...
If looking for some well-made scoring systems, then yes, but their shooters are obviously a wholly different type of game. I don´t expect their next game to be a complete danmaku shooter. Their games are more obstacle-based, which is fine with me.

I think the voice says "Focus!" It also says "Zoom out!" and "Too close!"

I believe the Nanogauge is the amount of power left for whatever upgrade you chose a.k.a. DDP laser. You replenish those with the blue coins.

And yes, another obstacle-based shmup appriciater. Glad I'm not the only one.

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:46 pm

Regardless, millions of kids all over the US will understand "FUCKERS!" until their moms take their cartridges away

And yeah, there haven´t been many obstacle-type shmup recently at all. Especially faster ones - not strict ones like R-Type. This seems to be a nice blend of bullets and terrain; and the occasional change of scrolling direction is nice, too.

Zweihander wrote: Crap, I've never been this hyped about a video game before. :/

Yeah, me too. It´s about time we get a nice shmupping gem inbetween a swamp of games like "BunnieZ", "Winx Club 3: Mission Enchantix" and "Petz Wild Animalz: Tigerz" (I didn´t make up any of these, as much as I wish I did). I love the DS for it´s "GBA 2.0" part - but sadly, there is hardly any software to back up this love. With NS2 and Bangai-O Spirits at the doorstep and fricking Ketsui DS on the horizon this is going to change very soon.

sfried · Post by **sfried** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:59 pm

FrederikJurk wrote:And yeah, there haven´t been many obstacle-type shmup recently at all. Especially faster ones - not strict ones like R-Type. This seems to be a nice blend of bullets and terrain; and the occasional change of scrolling direction is nice, too.

I can understand how people would respond to obstacles in verticals as either being "too hectic", but comments like "random"...To me having obstacles in the playing field forces you to re-evaluate your position in the whole game of "playing for survival". In fact, I've seen alot of top Gradius players pull off some insane stuff based on that principle of adapting to your surroundings.

Also, obstacles add a nice identity to an otherwise monotonous "flat" level.

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:11 pm

sfried wrote: Also, obstacles add a nice identity to an otherwise monotonous "flat" level.

Yeah, it´s a competely different approach to leveldesign. In games like DDP, the carefully coded clouds of bullets shape the level; in both instances it narrows your moving space, which adds to the challenge, obviously. But obstacles can give a level a more distinct feeling. As long as it´s executed in a clever way I like both. It´s the mixture of bullets and narrow hallways that I found thrilling about RSG (which I have yet to play).

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:23 pm

RSG would be okay without the scoring system.

Though I almost exclusively play FPS now, I'm actually looking forward to this game. The fact that the genre is pretty much dry of games I actually want to play (honestly I am most excited about Raiden 4 and RFAces, both of which have an actual chance of coming here, unlike the popular duo) leads to slim pickings, like the 1998-2000 generation of anime fans.

sfried · Post by **sfried** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:09 pm

I just got it today.

It is marvelous.

MathU · Post by **MathU** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:25 pm

So how's the scoring system this time?

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:49 pm

sfried wrote:I just got it today.

It is marvelous.

Dear god, it´s out at last.

sfried · Post by **sfried** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:49 pm

MathU wrote:So how's the scoring system this time?

According to the manual:

"The Nano Gauge is an important part of gameplay. It maxes out when you hit an enemy, but will run out of energy within one second if you don't hit another enemy in time. Keeping the Gauge at a constant high level will multiply the score of the enemies you shoot during that time. Sometimes it's better not to kill all enemies on screen at once, but instead shoot them one after another. This keeps the Nano Gauge at a constant high level for a higher score."

So, in essence, a la Einhander?

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:51 pm

sfried wrote: So, in essence, a la Einhander?

Or DoDonpachi (though stage-long chaining will be unlikely). Sounds like a proper scoring system this time

So, how hard is the expert setting?

sfried · Post by **sfried** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:57 pm

FrederikJurk wrote:
sfried wrote: So, in essence, a la Einhander?
Or DoDonpachi (though stage-long chaining will be unlikely). Sounds like a proper scoring system this time

So, how hard is the expert setting?

Haven't tried it yet, but on Normal it will put you through your paces. This is one of those shmups where you really do have to consider enemy collision.

Of course, that's just me, and I'm pretty sure there are alot of people here that are way better than me, so best bet is for them to get the accurate assesment.

jp · Post by jp » Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:07 pm

I can't find this anywhere.

Fucking Majesco.

Kaspal · Post by **Kaspal** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:22 pm

just tried it a couple mins ago... lovin it so far.

bVork · Post by **bVork** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 12:59 am

How in the nine hells do you do challenge A-4? That's the "survive for 10 seconds" one where a giant ship flies upwards into you.

Edit: Discovered that some of the side walls can be destroyed. The Raydion is the best for this.

DBHashman93 · Post by **DBHashman93** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 3:23 am

Alright well I picked it up today and played a fair amount, so I have some general impressions. Keep in mind that I did not exactly enjoy the first Nanostray, however I still picked this one up based on promising videos and an utter devotion to support any western shmup releases.

Pluses:

-It is definitely a large improvement over the first Nanostray. Although I don't recall too much about the first game, some of the major glitches were removed (such as coins not spawning when you finish off a wave too close to the top of the screen).

-The first Nanostray always felt to me like it should have been a horizontal shooter due to the many obstacles, low bullet count, and DS screen ratio. It should go without saying, then, that the horizontal levels play a lot better than their vertical counterparts (IMO).

-There is an actual scoring system involved, as already mentioned, and it does indeed feel like the chaining systems in DDP. I'm not too big on playing for score so I haven't gone in-depth on the mechanics, but I'm sure somebody else will.

-Levels are much longer and more creative than they were in the original Nanostray.

-I LOVE the adjustable options, they remind me of the second weapon in Axelay (which I also love)!

Minuses:

-Hit detection still seems a little wonky to me, although that might just be my own issue. I still can't seem to get a feel for where the hitbox is, and sometimes I do not actually hit enemies when I think I should be.

-I'm a huge Cave fan, so the bullet patterns feel a bit lacking to me. They're basically like typical Raiden bullet spreads, just slowed down to Cave bullet speed.

-Worldwide ranking seems to work fine, however scores are only taken single stage runs in Arcade mode (where you select your stage and then play it, as opposed to playing though each level in succession). This means that the overall score is taken from each of the scores from these piecemeal runs being added together. The scoring as well as general game format seem to discourage 1cc attempts, significantly downplaying this achievement.

-This doesn't have anything to do with the game proper, but the "touch screen simulator" games don't seem to have much effort put into them at all. I've only unlocked the first one so far, but ti was a simple Araknoid clone with only a handful of stages that I was able to "loop" on my second attempt. No, the second loop was no different from the first. There is no online ranking as far as I can tell for these simulator games.

Alright this is getting pretty wordy, but one more note as long as I'm at it. My game had some strange glitch on the Shinkai Bay stage. When the second yellow enemy with the three narrow guns (he looks like he came right from a Star Soldier game) showed up, my game would freeze every time. I changed the difficulty setting and tried it again, and my game began freezing when the first Star Soldier enemy came out instead. Then I took the game out of the DS and put it back in, and finally the game did not freeze. However, the second Star Soldier enemy didn't show up at all. Not sure what that glitch was all about, but it seems to have stabilized...I just hope it doesn't start happening again.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:03 am

I've gotten to the second second set of levels right now. It's quite a nice game. I'll get around to picking up a copy ASAP.

I just want to know what the heck is it with all the bits and pieces stolen from other shmups. The moment I start the first level, I go "the hell!? that is the beginning of Gradius V!" Here's a list of other stuff:
- those green goo spewing holes (Gradius V)
- vertical fire level (Salamander)
- organic level (Gradius V. Extremely obvious.)
- the R-Gray.
- Cores.
- that crustacean seemingly pulled out of Darius.
- those boxes from Ikaruga.
- that wheel boss thingie (Ikaruga).
- pink bullets (DDP).
- that spider boss walking over a chasm (Rayforce)
- Daitoshi's beginning seems straight out of the first level of RayStorm.

more to come...

edit: oh yeah, recycled stuff sucks too.

DBHashman93 · Post by **DBHashman93** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:11 am

Update on the scoring for those interested, it actually isn't like DDP's chain system at all. Instead, the MORE FULL the bar is, the higher the score multiplier is. So if the bar is full when you kill an enemy it will be around a x9 multiplier, while if it is close to being empty you will just get a x2 multiplier. The chain bar fills and drops about as quickly as the one in DDP, however enemy waves are quite spread out. Chaining entire levels definitely does not seem feasible, or even all that useful, as the multiplier maxes out at x9. The scoring strategy in its most basic form seems to be simply waiting until an entire formation is on the screen so you can kill them all at once, thereby having no multiplier only for the first enemy of the wave, and a x9 multiplier for all the rest of the enemies in the wave. It really is a pretty simple scoring system. If you have a 1000 kill chain (which won't happen) your 1000th kill is worth the same amount of points as your 10th kill in a 10 kill chain.