Ketsui X and Daioujou Black Label X - Ports for Xbox 360

E. Randy Dupre · Post by **E. Randy Dupre** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 5:03 pm

Looks like the downloadable replays are fucked, btw. Just downloaded the one for the top score on the first level of original mode and it's a mess - the player craft spends its entire time bugging out on the left hand side of the screen, throwing out all its bombs as soon as it's able to, then loses all three lives after about thirty seconds.

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 6:33 pm

I unlocked and played quite a bit of "Extra" mode yesterday. Some thoughts:

It's actually not as easy as it seems like it should be. I played mostly as the new character, who has a constant Hyper for her shots, and then the bullet-cancelling Hyper when you collect and use an icon. Playing as the other characters starts you with fully powered shots, but you have to stack two hypers to enter the bullet-cancelling hyper mode.

They did two things to balance the gameplay. First is that extends are set at 6 and 12 Billion. Second you get NO bombs when using the new character (other characters get their default bomb stock). Since you're always in Hyper you'll have to contend with increased enemy fire, so the gameplay in later stages quickly becomes a game of chasing Hyper icons about to get back into bullet-cancelling mode to survive the onslaught. This makes boss fights very intersting as you really have to watch your ass as to when you fire off your hypers since you have no bombs to back you up. I'm an Exy fan anyway, so the lack of bombs didn't catch me too off guard, but there were quite a few moments where I really missed my "oh shit" button.

Chaining is of course insanely easy, but chaining well in the new bullet-cancelling system is something I have yet to fully master. I was able to pull off a complete chain on stages 1 and 2, then do a two-part chain on stage 3, and most of stage 4, ending my game in stage 5 with only 5.5 billion, well short of the FIRST extend. I have yet to earn an extend through score.

Getting the 1CC on this mode is not going to be "free." It does make you invincible about 70% of the time, but there is definitely a new rythm to be found as it can be quite jarring to be cruising along soaking up bullets, only to have your Hyper run out and have to desperately scramble through the cloud to catch the next icon.

It's a one-loop run (so far as I can tell) and you have to face the final true form of Hibachi to complete it. Oh, and you cannot cancel his final pattern...

It's still among the easiest Cave clears, if you can really consider this mode a Cave title, right up there with Ibara's special PS2 mode and Espgaluda, but you're still going to have to earn it.

Overall, I'm having a blast. I've spent probably 1000 hours on the PS2 port of DOJ, diligently learning the patterns and beating myself up on the quest to break 100m, which took me many months of play to achieve. It's just damn fun to return to the old girl after all these years and tear the game in half with this insanely over-powered character.

RuffNEC · Post by **RuffNEC** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:31 pm

E. Randy Dupre wrote:Looks like the downloadable replays are fucked, btw. Just downloaded the one for the top score on the first level of original mode and it's a mess - the player craft spends its entire time bugging out on the left hand side of the screen, throwing out all its bombs as soon as it's able to, then loses all three lives after about thirty seconds.

yes I discovered the same... what the hell were they thinking about ?

The Gameport is ok for me till now. No other bugs discovered but I only played 45mins till now.

One thing that really bothers me are the loading times... I mean It takes sometimes 5secs only switching from the option menu to the original menu. The loading time between the levels is ok but all the others are crap.

I WANT A PATCH TO REDUCE THE LOADING TIMES!!

adversity1 · Post by **adversity1** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:46 pm

One big bug that people should watch out for (I would hate to see some of the better players fucked over by this): the vanilla version apparently freezes somewhere in the second loop, rendering your score moot. This problem in particular has really pissed off some of the hardcore fans.

Jockel · Post by **Jockel** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:30 am

Is there an OST Rip from the games new X-Mode?

agustusx · Post by **agustusx** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:57 pm

Jockel wrote:Is there an OST Rip from the games new X-Mode?

sounds like a new OST to get... watching the jpn xbox live trailer i was wondering if that was yet another arrange album. I guess it will help keep things fresh but similar.

anyone know if this is selectable or only in the xmode?

moozooh · Post by **moozooh** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:59 pm

IIRC, it's unlockable, and then freely selectable.

It's pretty great, too. Doesn't sound cheesy, and the arrangements are richer this time around. The only songs I don't like are boss themes; I think the original ones were more "pumping".

Jockel · Post by **Jockel** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:01 pm

Well i didnt like the first arrange OST of DOJ. But this one is just too awesome.
Is there a sound test? Would somebody record the music?

Elixir · Post by **Elixir** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 6:29 pm

Sweet, I 1cc'd DOJBL. I went into 2-1 and ended up getting crushed by the boss, but I ended with a score of 140 mill. I haven't even consistently chained stage 1 and 2 together. As for the king bee, I didn't take any chances and bombed through the majority of it, bombing once at the near end of the first pattern (leaving me with no bombs), dying to the near end of the second pattern, bombing on the line pattern which skipped itself to the final pattern, which I stalled until shit got rusty, then bombed again. I'm confident that I can do this again, since Stage 5 basically fed me hypers.

I'm still not satisfied until I've 1cc'd the PS2 port, which is significantly better and harder.

One thing I noticed though, was that the leaderboards are also messed up. It mixes peoples scores in with people who end at the end of 1-5, and people who continue. So basically, someone who isn't good at chaining can carry on into the second loop, and end up with a higher score than someone who is good at chaining and ends at the first loop.

hirounder · Post by **hirounder** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:40 pm

Looks like Ketsui is coming out 05/28...
http://www.happinetonline.com/NASApp/mn ... PCATEGORY=

also from weekly sales
17. [360] DoDonPachi Daioujou Black Label Extra (5pb) - 11,000 / NEW
__. [360] Shooting Love 200X (Triangle Service) - 3,200 / NEW

Elixir · Post by **Elixir** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:42 pm

Please don't remind me about the Ketsui port. I'm still trying to deal with this.

Maybe trading Ketsui for Futari was a bad idea.

adversity1 · Post by **adversity1** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:08 pm

So guys, 5pb posts on their website that they are working on a patch. (Ok, we knew this)

http://5pb.jp/games/div2/ddpdojblex/info.html

But apparently there's a chance that rankings and replays will be erased as a result of its implementation.

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:22 pm

adversity1 wrote:So guys, 5pb posts on their website that they are working on a patch. (Ok, we knew this)

http://5pb.jp/games/div2/ddpdojblex/info.html

But apparently there's a chance that rankings and replays will be erased as a result of its implementation.

This is to be expected if they're actually going to fix some of the messed-up game structure. Besides, the replays don't work anyway, so no loss there.

Udderdude · Post by **Udderdude** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:51 pm

hirounder wrote:Looks like Ketsui is coming out 05/28...

I hope that's a placeholder date, they're going to need more time to make sure it's not crap. Ah, who am I kidding .. it's gonna be crap anyway.

Brb going to trade forum to sell my fucking 360

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:10 pm

Elixir wrote:Please don't remind me about the Ketsui port. I'm still trying to deal with this.

Maybe trading Ketsui for Futari was a bad idea.

this seems to be the consensus amongst others who made this trade

adversity1 · Post by **adversity1** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:22 pm

Udderdude wrote:
hirounder wrote:Looks like Ketsui is coming out 05/28...
Brb going to trade forum to sell my fucking 360

There were like 10 posts on the DOJBLEX 2ch thread about people selling back their 360s. lol

Elixir · Post by **Elixir** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:30 pm

jonny5 wrote:
Elixir wrote:Please don't remind me about the Ketsui port. I'm still trying to deal with this.

Maybe trading Ketsui for Futari was a bad idea.
this seems to be the consensus amongst others who made this trade

And they would be?

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:59 pm

well....actually its just sourdiesel....but he said he was trying to get ketsui again now

i wouldnt trade one for the other cuz they are both amazing games....i would miss either one for sure....

the other thing is ketsui seems to be harder to get still, and is staying put price wise for the most part, where as futari is going down

i seem to recall somebody else making this trade as well but i cant recall who....

Elixir · Post by **Elixir** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:31 pm

Well whatever, I like Futari more. Ketsui is great but it's the most overrated shooting game of all time. You have people on this forum saying it's in their top 5 shmups list and they haven't even played it. I mean for god's sake, get a grip.

Also, who the fuck set joke mode on this port. This remix is horrendous. The boss theme sounds like remixed egyptian wailing which turns into a mashup and I can't even recognize stage 2. Stage 3 is about the only good thing about it. Fuck that, I'm turning it off. Even the game over remix is bad.

Also, as for a patch, I welcome it. I don't care if leaderboards are reset so long as it fixes the glitches in them. Also for some reason pressing "a" doesn't immediately bring up the leaderboards. Whatever, poverty menus. I'll stop whining about them now. Just hurry up with the patch already. I'm actually thinking about not buying the Ketsui port, or chaos;head noah, or anything from 5pb for that matter if they can't churn out anything above loli touching trash.

There is no way they're going to be able to fix all the aforementioned bugs with a patch within the next few months, though.

PsikyoPshumpPshooterP · Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:52 pm

can someone translate this achievement?

本当の敵

エンディング終了時に解除

or a translated achievement list would be greatly appreciated!!!

sourdiesel · Post by **sourdiesel** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:24 pm

well i want to get ketsui again , but would not trade futari for it , futari manaic mode is the best -- if i cant get a ketsui pcb or kit im gonna get an xbox and ketsui360 ... i already picked up DDP dojBL for 360, now im trying to get a import 360 at a decent price ...

Elixir · Post by **Elixir** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:02 pm

PsikyoPshumpPshooterP wrote:can someone translate this achievement?

本当の敵

エンディング終了時に解除

or a translated achievement list would be greatly appreciated!!!

Gotta get all endings with all characters. You can just credit feed through the game and get them if you like.

Also, the required combo achievements per stage become totally irrelevant once you unlock X Mode. It's actually kinda sad, since they're probably the most challenging. I have 41 out of 50 achievements, and as for the rest, they're just grinding.

X Mode is actually pretty fun, but I think it's going to kill my skill if I end up playing with it too much. Piper blows the other characters away, since she's automatically hypered, and can bullet eat. And apparently practice mode starts you off with your default power (no powerups), so fuck that. I'm still eagerly awaiting a patch.

PsikyoPshumpPshooterP · Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:44 pm

so far im liking this port very much, loading times and poor menu is inexcusable for a 5 year old game

dmauro · Post by **dmauro** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:50 pm

Elixir wrote:And apparently practice mode starts you off with your default power (no powerups), so fuck that.

Are you sure there's no option for that hidden somewhere? It took me forever to realize you actually COULD change your ship in PSX DDP

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:56 pm

Elixir wrote: Also, the required combo achievements per stage become totally irrelevant once you unlock X Mode. It's actually kinda sad, since they're probably the most challenging. I have 41 out of 50 achievements, and as for the rest, they're just grinding.

Aren't there achievements for getting perfect combos on each stage, and getting each bee within that combo? Those at least would be something to work for, though the new girl would still make it pretty easy. I can't believe they didn't tie those stage combo achievements to just the normal and black label modes. I was shocked when they all unlocked the first time I played X mode.

Elixir · Post by **Elixir** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:09 pm

dmauro wrote:
Elixir wrote:And apparently practice mode starts you off with your default power (no powerups), so fuck that.
Are you sure there's no option for that hidden somewhere? It took me forever to realize you actually COULD change your ship in PSX DDP

You can select the stage, your ship (type a or b, p1 or p2) and your character. That's it. Nothing else.

So basically this means you can play 2-5, but you start with no powerups. Bullshit, I know.

As for the menus, half of them don't even do anything when you press them. You need to wait like, 10 seconds before they'll come up. The lack of options is really piss poor as well.

8 1/2 wrote:Aren't there achievements for getting perfect combos on each stage, and getting each bee within that combo? Those at least would be something to work for, though the new girl would still make it pretty easy. I can't believe they didn't tie those stage combo achievements to just the normal and black label modes. I was shocked when they all unlocked the first time I played X mode.

No. There's achievements for getting all the bees, and achievements for getting x hit on x stage. For stage 1, it's 550 or something. For stage 2, it's 1200. But since X Mode has Piper, the hypered-by-default character that bullet eats, you can unlock them instantly. As for the bees, you don't even need to chain or anything, just obtain them. Simple.

The stage combo achievements only work for stages, not bosses. So even if you get a combo above that amount on the boss, it won't work. For stage 2, just use 5 hypers near the end of the stage, pre-boss.

I'll probably have all the achievements by the end of the week. Again, really easy stuff, it's just combination of grinding and exploitation.

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:41 pm

Jeez, you just pick them up? I hadn't even tried for them yet as I'm still getting my basic stage chains back in shape. I just assumed they'd make you work for it, but nevermind. They really bent DOJ over a stump with this one. X mode is fun, but I agree it will make you a very lazy player in the real game if you stick with it too much.

Elixir, have you been able to get to the second extend in X mode? I can only get to about 8 billion so far.

Elixir · Post by **Elixir** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:20 pm

I only unlocked it today, so no. I still need to find out what works and what doesn't with X Mode.

Elixir · Post by **Elixir** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:31 am

Apparently, the 360 port has safespots: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm6260763

This is critical since it's the final attack of stage 5. It's meant to be the final attack of the first loop. But, hey, a safespot. I tried replicating this in the PS2 version (which looks incredible in comparison to the DOJBL port), and it didn't work. So I assume it's only for the 360.

Anyway, I managed to get that second extend from X Mode. There wasn't any real trick to it, just milk bullets and stay alive as long as you can. Chaining, such as it is, also helps a fair bit. Maybe I should look into this mode some more.

But yeah BL is a massive disappointment. I feel bad even recommending this game, but it's still worth checking out if it gets patched.

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:41 am

Maybe I've just been killing enemy ships too fast to milk all the bullets. I've had an unbroken chain up through stage 1 and 2 that only resulted in around 4 billion. I'll give it another shot, though I've been mostly avoiding X mode after my initial inspection.