DDP-DOJ....not so Meh?

[Metal Gear Okt]

I just got hooked up with a copy of DOJ cheap, and all I have to say is "meh". I was expecting DDP turned up to 11, and instead I got a game that feels shorter and less polished than its predecessor. I'm coming off of playing SnS2, so that may be coloring my perceptions some, but I was generally underwhelmed.

It's still a good, and possibly great, shmup, but if I'd spent $80 for it, I would have felt ripped off.

[Cthulhu]

I spent $60 on it and I love it. One of my fave shmups by far. To each his own I suppose.

[Metal Gear Okt]

I loved...LOVED DDP. Probably my second favorite shmup after Ikaruga. It just feels like it's harder to combo in DOJ while on the whole the game is easier. My second time through i beat it on two credits.

[8 1/2]

I'm pretty tired of playing the wounded girlfriend to DOJ so I'll spare the part of this post where I jump to its defense. I love this game and I will play it for the rest of my life. It's that good and that deep. I'm just surprised at how it seems to have fallen so out of favor recently. I feel like I'm looking at the Mona Lisa and people are yawning.

[sffan]

It seems you were expecting something miraculous but it turned out to be just a game. A great game though. Once you accept it for what it is and forget about the instant amazement you were hoping for, it may grow on you. Good luck.

[Metal Gear Okt]

Ok, ok. I'll eat some crow here. I've been playing it some more, and even in Ghetto Tate, it's growing on me. I'm definitely going to bang on this for a few more weeks before i get ESPGaluda (which i'd canceled when I found i could get DOJ for $30).

[Nemo]

Let that be a lesson to you kids, play a game MORE than 5 mins. before you judge it.

[Metal Gear Okt]

Well, i played it for like 20 minutes, then posted, then went to the gym, then played it for another hour.

[BulletMagnet]

Haven't we already had a couple of "I don't like DOJ that much" threads? Not that disliking the game is wrong, but if this many threads of this type were popping up for anything non-Cave, there'd be an uproar...

[mannerbot]

Haven't we already had a couple of "I don't like DOJ that much" threads? Not that disliking the game is wrong, but if this many threads of this type were popping up for anything non-Cave, there'd be an uproar...

You really like talking about Garegga, don't you?

[BulletMagnet]

Don't even bring that up. But seriously, imagine if there were as many threads like this about any other company's games...Cave seems to be the only developer it's "okay," if not "good," to criticize regularly. I just wish the standard were a bit more equal.

[mannerbot]

Why shouldn't Cave's games be discussed most often? They're the highest-profile developer nowadays. It only makes sense that their games are brought up most frequently. And, well, this is a forum for discussion, and every now and then there are some really weird people that don't like the same things everyone else does. Must be a glitch, but I thought they fixed all of those when the forum was moved off of Gamespy, so who knows?

[BulletMagnet]

I don't mind people saying that they don't like Cave's stuff for some reason or other, it's just that if you do the same for any other developer you're likely going to get flamed by someone for it. THAT'S what bugs me.

[mannerbot]

Back to the topic at hand, I admittedly haven't put too much time into DOJ myself as I can only play it for so long before my ass gets sore. I think I need to get a new chair or something, but this only happens with DOJ.

Regardless, saying that DOJ isn't polished is just silly. To say that it's shorter as well, I'd think that one would have to have cleared it. And I highly doubt that anyone is awesome enough to do that their first day of playing the game.

[raiden]

Regardless, saying that DOJ isn't polished is just silly. To say that it's shorter as well, I'd think that one would have to have cleared it. And I highly doubt that anyone is awesome enough to do that their first day of playing the game.

he creditfed.
As for chaining being harder in DOJ, that´s true, but one way to make it easier is starting to care for hyper items. You´ve got a second gauge in DOJ which is filled by collecting bees while a chain is active - the higher the chain, the more it gets filled. There are other ways to fill it (like dying), but bees are what counts most.
A filled gauge will release a hyper item on screen shortly, a tiny floating golden thing coming in from the top of the screen. Collecting these turns your bombs into a "Hyper", which makes for weapons bigger, but weaker, for a few seconds, allowing you to chain easier and much higher, but increasing rank each time you use it as well.

[Dave_K.]

Well, i played it for like 20 minutes, then posted, then went to the gym, then played it for another hour.

Unless you played the hell out of DDP, you are not going to like DDPDOJ. Its not accessable to beginners. You'll have to play DDPDOJ for many months before you really start to get an appreciation for it.

[TalkingOctopus]

I liked DOJ immediately, but like Dave K. said, I had been playing the hell out of DDP. However, I like Espgaluda even more than DOJ. Now, after playing LOTS of DOJ and Espgaluda, when I go back and play DDP, it seems very easy -- much easier than I remember. I think it is the easiest cave game to 1cc if you completely ignore score, use bombs and play for survival (Yes I have done it).

[fpbrush]

Well, i played it for like 20 minutes, then posted, then went to the gym, then played it for another hour.

Unless you played the hell out of DDP, you are not going to like DDPDOJ. Its not accessable to beginners. You'll have to play DDPDOJ for many months before you really start to get an appreciation for it.

I noticed this too. I get two completly different feelings when playing DDP and DDPDOJ. DDPDOJ seems fairly technical when compared to DDP. (this is coming from someone who is horrible at DDP)

[Dylan1CC]

I have been looking for a copy of the game for two months and am a big DDP fan. If it's not as AAA as you think please PM me with an offer and I will buy it. I have nothing to play on my import PS2 system arriving this week.

[iatneH]

Yup, DOJ hooked me instantly.

And I saw a whole new side of Garegga after I discovered Button C...

[Metal Gear Okt]

Regardless, saying that DOJ isn't polished is just silly. To say that it's shorter as well, I'd think that one would have to have cleared it. And I highly doubt that anyone is awesome enough to do that their first day of playing the game.

he creditfed.
As for chaining being harder in DOJ, that´s true, but one way to make it easier is starting to care for hyper items. You´ve got a second gauge in DOJ which is filled by collecting bees while a chain is active - the higher the chain, the more it gets filled. There are other ways to fill it (like dying), but bees are what counts most.
A filled gauge will release a hyper item on screen shortly, a tiny floating golden thing coming in from the top of the screen. Collecting these turns your bombs into a "Hyper", which makes for weapons bigger, but weaker, for a few seconds, allowing you to chain easier and much higher, but increasing rank each time you use it as well.

1) Beating it in 2 credits isn't "creditfeeding". I'd call it a good start.

2) I really played the hell out of DDP, both in MAME and on the PSX, so I'm fairly comfortable with the gameplay style.

3) Saying it lacks "polish" was a bit premature. I was playing it in Yoko, and the hit detection felt a bit sloppy. Playing it later in Ghetto Tate, it seems much, much better.

4) Again, I don't hate it, I'm just not bowled over. I'd compare it to something like Metroid Prime 2. Both of them are great games, but they lack the wow factor of their predecessors.

5) That said, I'm going to hang onto it for a while. I know the minute I sell it, I'll regret it.

[TVG]

now, beating doj on 2 credits the first time you play it, im sorry, i fucking dont believe you at all.

i too am tired of defending it, so ill just say that: did you people notice that when the first boss does his spinning drones thing, the drones change size to mimic real life physics? its one of the many details that just completely make me giggle about doj, and i just noticed it 2 days ago.

as far as polish goes, i dont want to sound like a fanboy, but...sns2???
that felt like the cheapest graphic design ive ever seen in a shooter.

[Metal Gear Okt]

now, beating doj on 2 credits the first time you play it, im sorry, i fucking dont believe you at all.

i too am tired of defending it, so ill just say that: did you people notice that when the first boss does his spinning drones thing, the drones change size to mimic real life physics? its one of the many details that just completely make me giggle about doj, and i just noticed it 2 days ago.

as far as polish goes, i dont want to sound like a fanboy, but...sns2???
that felt like the cheapest graphic design ive ever seen in a shooter.

again, "polish" was the wrong word for it. the hit detection felt a little sloppy in yoko, but much better in tate.

I didn't say i cleared it with two credits the first time. The first time, it took me 5 or 6, i really wasn't counting. After I settled on Ship A with Doll 3, I cleared in two credits the second time.

[TVG]

now, beating doj on 2 credits the first time you play it, im sorry, i fucking dont believe you at all.

i too am tired of defending it, so ill just say that: did you people notice that when the first boss does his spinning drones thing, the drones change size to mimic real life physics? its one of the many details that just completely make me giggle about doj, and i just noticed it 2 days ago.

as far as polish goes, i dont want to sound like a fanboy, but...sns2???
that felt like the cheapest graphic design ive ever seen in a shooter.

again, "polish" was the wrong word for it. the hit detection felt a little sloppy in yoko, but much better in tate.

I didn't say i cleared it with two credits the first time. The first time, it took me 5 or 6, i really wasn't counting. After I settled on Ship A with Doll 3, I cleared in two credits the second time.

well, the first time, i sort of believed you, like you choosed shotia and bombed you way.
now you told me you choose exy, there's no way ill ever believe you, no offense.

[Metal Gear Okt]

now, beating doj on 2 credits the first time you play it, im sorry, i fucking dont believe you at all.

i too am tired of defending it, so ill just say that: did you people notice that when the first boss does his spinning drones thing, the drones change size to mimic real life physics? its one of the many details that just completely make me giggle about doj, and i just noticed it 2 days ago.

as far as polish goes, i dont want to sound like a fanboy, but...sns2???
that felt like the cheapest graphic design ive ever seen in a shooter.

again, "polish" was the wrong word for it. the hit detection felt a little sloppy in yoko, but much better in tate.

I didn't say i cleared it with two credits the first time. The first time, it took me 5 or 6, i really wasn't counting. After I settled on Ship A with Doll 3, I cleared in two credits the second time.

well, the first time, i sort of believed you, like you choosed shotia and bombed you way.
now you told me you choose exy, there's no way ill ever believe you, no offense.

Admittedly, yes, I used a lot of bombs. And, as a matter of course, I always set ships to 5. Believe me if you want or not. My max chain was only 240, so i wasn't really going for that, I was just trying to get through it.

[freddiebamboo]

DOJ & Galuda both look like shit in Yoko, graphics are blurry and depending on the size of your TV, it will probably look stretched and thus give the game a very different feel.

In Tate, they are as close to arcade perfect as possible.

[Metal Gear Okt]

DOJ & Galuda both look like shit in Yoko, graphics are blurry and depending on the size of your TV, it will probably look stretched and thus give the game a very different feel.

In Tate, they are as close to arcade perfect as possible.

Yeah, that's the conclusion I came to. Hence, why i changed the topic title.

Although, at this point, I'm reduced to lying on my side and playing Tate like that.

[Ord]

I played DOJ for a good bit on the PS2 last year and although I loved it, it still left me feeling a little....cold, I guess. I much prefered Espgaluda's play mechanics, so that was the one that i was TRULY hooked on.
However after inadvertantly winning the DOJ board on ebay i've started playing it again and really getting into it. I think I just wasn't ready for it last year as i only had it for 2 weeks before my copy of Espgaluda arrived. Now however I find myself playing DOJ for at least 2 or 3 hours a day and it is a sheer pleasure.

[Metal Gear Okt]

I'm definitely going to spend some more time with DOJ. I'm going to try to 1CC if i can before i pick up ESPGaluda or Mushihimesama.

[matt]

as a matter of course, I always set ships to 5.

That's kind of like 4 credits then, right?