Harmful Park is for girls

[Skykid]

Don't get me wrong, I just got a copy of this and I love it! It's not quite as varied as something like Parodius (which it feels closest to), but it's still got bags of character, and is full of creativity.

But I 1cc'd it on my second go, after I figured out how the weapons worked (on Normal) cos its just so damn easy. Of course I can crank up the difficulty, but it seems like the entire thing is aimed at girls who don't normally play shmups. I say that cos of its ease, its candy coloured cute-em-up nature and that my girlfriend won't stop playing it.

Am I missing a trick here - are there any secrets I should know about?

[Ed Oscuro]

I heard it has a score attack.

[Turrican]

Props for the lady playing Park!

[Ghegs]

Go for Score Attack and crank the difficulty up to Very Hard for the normal game and it will murder you pretty fast.

[Udderdude]

Hi, I don't know the difference between arcade game difficulty modes and console/home game difficulty modes!

Fixed.

[Skykid]

Hi, I don't know the difference between arcade game difficulty modes and console/home game difficulty modes!

Fixed.

Yeah, because playing through most console shmups on default difficulty for the first time is stupid. I should just crank them all up to 'extra hard' and go from there.

[Udderdude]

Hi, I don't know the difference between arcade game difficulty modes and console/home game difficulty modes!

Fixed.

Yeah, because playing through most console shmups on default difficulty for the first time is stupid. I should just crank them all up to 'extra hard' and go from there.

That is actually exactly how they work, fyi.

[Skykid]

Fixed.

Yeah, because playing through most console shmups on default difficulty for the first time is stupid. I should just crank them all up to 'extra hard' and go from there.

That is actually exactly how they work, fyi.

[BIL]

Hey, it works for Gradius Gaiden!

[Shatterhand]

Don't get me wrong, I just got a copy of this and I love it! It's not quite as varied as something like Parodius (which it feels closest to), but it's still got bags of character, and is full of creativity.

But I 1cc'd it on my second go, after I figured out how the weapons worked (on Normal) cos its just so damn easy. Of course I can crank up the difficulty, but it seems like the entire thing is aimed at girls who don't normally play shmups. I say that cos of its ease, its candy coloured cute-em-up nature and that my girlfriend won't stop playing it.

Am I missing a trick here - are there any secrets I should know about?

You actually suck. I finished it on my FIRST go

[Zebra Airforce]

[Skykid]

Don't get me wrong, I just got a copy of this and I love it! It's not quite as varied as something like Parodius (which it feels closest to), but it's still got bags of character, and is full of creativity.

But I 1cc'd it on my second go, after I figured out how the weapons worked (on Normal) cos its just so damn easy. Of course I can crank up the difficulty, but it seems like the entire thing is aimed at girls who don't normally play shmups. I say that cos of its ease, its candy coloured cute-em-up nature and that my girlfriend won't stop playing it.

Am I missing a trick here - are there any secrets I should know about?

You actually suck. I finished it on my FIRST go

Ah, but I did finish it on my first single player go - the first time I played was with the missus, which wasn't a 1cc.

[undamned]

Harmful Park is for girls

I just got a copy of this and I love it!

-ud

[trivial]

foram chalk-full of avatars to Get Rid Of Slimy girlS. Will read again, and recommend to freinds.

[Zebra Airforce]

Are insinuating that our avatars are designed to scare away girls?

[Super Laydock]

Harmful Park is for girls

So am I.

[trivial]

Are insinuating that our avatars are designed to scare away girls?

Naw, I was playing Hobbes to the OP's Calvin. If I logged in more often the avatars wouldn't bother me a bit.

[Grinning Cat]

Bizarrely, when I used to have a copy of Harmful I actually found it quite hard: simply because it was sooo easy, I used to semi-switch off - and probably concentrate too much on all the silly visual gags - leaving myself open to stray bullets

It's a game that always looked more fun to me in screen grabs, than it actually was to play, though And I usually love wacky shooters! Definitely still a fun game, though


~ Louis

[BulletMagnet]

Yeah, because playing through most console shmups on default difficulty for the first time is stupid. I should just crank them all up to 'extra hard' and go from there.

No, but if it is too easy for you on defaults then yeah, crank it up. If memory serves the game keeps separate score tables for each difficulty.

Also, there's the matter of playing for score versus just survival...for the former you have to not only try to never miss an enemy or score gem, but also use the more awkward weapons (i.e. everything but the vulcan) to nail a bunch of enemies with one shot.

[Skykid]

Yeah, because playing through most console shmups on default difficulty for the first time is stupid. I should just crank them all up to 'extra hard' and go from there.

No, but if it is too easy for you on defaults then yeah, crank it up. If memory serves the game keeps separate score tables for each difficulty.

Also, there's the matter of playing for score versus just survival...for the former you have to not only try to never miss an enemy or score gem, but also use the more awkward weapons (i.e. everything but the vulcan) to nail a bunch of enemies with one shot.

Jesus, Bulletmagnet - an answer that wasn't sarcastic or completely throwaway. I like it when people find ways to engage in conversation on forums instead of just trying their best to post something witty that they think will hold them in higher regard with people reading their posts.

As I've literally only played the game twice, I could see when I went through it that aside from it being deliriously easy, there would definitely be some challenge in not dropping a gem.

I completely disagree with Udderdude that all console shmups have a rule of starting on the hardest difficulty setting from the outset. That's a retarded notion for many games (Thunder Force V, Sengoku Ace 2...list goes on).
I'd agree this method suits certain shmups (Harmful Park definitely included) but unless you're a gaming god, its going to be a minority of games.

The fact is I play through everything console on defaults first, and then look to turning the challenge up - just my preference maybe.

The first challenge for me from here is prying the fucking pad out of the girls hands so I can get a go.

[Udderdude]

I completely disagree with Udderdude that all console shmups have a rule of starting on the hardest difficulty setting from the outset.

What I really meant is that you should try the different difficulty modes first, before coming to forums and posting about how easy a game is. As you can see, you were almost immediatly told to try the different modes yourself anyway. (Ghegs post)

That's a retarded notion for many games (Thunder Force V, Sengoku Ace 2...list goes on).

IIRC Thunder Force V did get significantly harder on it's other difficulty modes. And Sengoku Ace 2 is an Arcade port. Arcade game difficulty modes are different in that they are pretty much completely ignored, and don't do much anyway. Makes me wonder why arcade game devs didn't just remove it and add in-game difficulty selection years ago ..

[Skykid]

Udderdude, I understand what you're saying here - we're definitely not arguing on the topic. I'll be honest with you though: what really gets me (and this isn't the first time on this particular forum) is when people pipe up making comments that suggest a forum member (in this case, me) has no decent experience of videogames, and therefore needs to be schooled with sarcasm.

This thread is not a great example (and I've seen it happen to others much worse), but there always tends to be an air of superiority about the whole thing which frustrates. Gaming knowledge isn't like driving a big car, and shouldn't be flaunted like a extension of one's phallus - especially when you're in a forum chatting to a bunch of blokes.

Besides, it's that kind of bullshit commentary which really makes us all look like geeks, and that really bothers me.

My point was, and apologies if it wasn't clear enough, is that I was suprised at how simple it was to finish HP on the default setting. I wrote in the opening thread:

Of course I can crank up the difficulty, but it seems like the entire thing is aimed at girls who don't normally play shmups.

In-fact, I can't think of many shmups I've played on defaults that get torn through anywhere near as fast. And because of that, I felt it was a shmup that could have been genuinely geared at a Female gaming demographic - especially as it lacks the usual oversexed characters and fan service commonplace in Anime heavy games (just conjecture of course.)

As for games I'm well aware of how they work and the options available, I've been engrossed in them for twenty years:

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... collection

[RGC]

...shouldn't be flaunted like a extension of one's phallus

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... collection

Put your tackle away, kid. We're already jealous.

Edit: Just so you know someone's taking your points seriously, I agree a game should be judged chiefly in terms of its default difficulty.

[henry dark]

Fixed.

Yeah, because playing through most console shmups on default difficulty for the first time is stupid. I should just crank them all up to 'extra hard' and go from there.

That is actually exactly how they work, fyi.

If the default difficultly setting is too easy that's a flaw in the game.

[shoe-sama]

Yeah, because playing through most console shmups on default difficulty for the first time is stupid. I should just crank them all up to 'extra hard' and go from there.

That is actually exactly how they work, fyi.

If the default difficultly setting is too easy that's a flaw in the game.

YESSSSSSSSS

[jpj]

when people pipe up making comments that suggest a forum member (in this case, me) has no decent experience of videogames, and therefore needs to be schooled with sarcasm.

LRN2PLAY LOLZ

[professor ganson]

This thread is a muddle, and I can't be bothered to sort through it.

You realize that the default is Easy, right? So turn it up to Normal or Hard. Normal is the setting by which you judge difficulty, not default.

[Skykid]

Hello and a warm welcome to you lot - where were you earlier when I needed some sense in this thread damnit!

I agree, if a games default setting is too low, it is a flaw. Unless of course it's made for little kids or girls that don't play shmups?

I know you loves Skykids tackle RGC - I see your point though (no, not that point...), that was a bit of gaming phallus waving there eh?

Flipping huge too.


Skykid Wrote:

what really gets me (and this isn't the first time on this particular forum) is when people pipe up making comments that suggest a forum member (in this case, me) has no decent experience of videogames, and therefore needs to be schooled

Professor Ganson wrote:

You realize that the default is Easy, right? So turn it up to Normal or Hard. Normal is the setting by which you judge difficulty, not default.

Yes, I understand that 'Normal' denotes default Prof. I finished it on Normal.

Thanks.

[Skykid]

when people pipe up making comments that suggest a forum member (in this case, me) has no decent experience of videogames, and therefore needs to be schooled with sarcasm.

LRN2PLAY LOLZ

Jpj, you iz a little fooker.

[professor ganson]

Yes, I understand that 'Normal' denotes default Prof. I finished it on Normal.

Thanks.

No, what I'm saying is that the default setting and the Normal or Medium setting are different. Default is what you get when you just play the game, and that setting in the menu is labelled "Easy". You have to go to the menu to get to Normal or Medium (whatever it is called).