Death Smiles 2 [Cave 2009]

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Sat May 23, 2009 11:14 pm

To my knowledge humans have a more expanded view angle horizontally than vertically. Though it shouldn't be harder to make horis at the first place. I rather see Toaplan/Cave having problems realizing their style of game in horis. Which is difficult indeed. I love Toaplan, but I consider their horis crap...

Read some of the interviews with them.

BryanM · Post by **BryanM** » Sun May 24, 2009 12:20 am

Kiken wrote:You'll be waiting a very long time then.

But just think of all the shemales they can add to the game in the meantime. While we wait excitedly.

Taylor · Post by **Taylor** » Sun May 24, 2009 1:42 am

BryanM wrote:The optimistic side of me wants to think they no longer care much about the arcade scene, and plan to use higher detail models in the ports. Ports on consoles with video cards from the past five or so years.

No longer caring about the arcade scene is taking it too far, but portability would be my guess for the art direction as well. DS2 was being made alongside the DS1 port, and the ability to drop them on console quickly could be a good earner for them. They can’t exactly be rolling in cash, certainly not enough to draw thousands of giant, gorgeous sprites in their development cycle...

It’s kind of a shame this is the title they tried to experiment on, really. DS is/was a strong franchise and I absolutely adore both incarnations of the first, regardless to how hard they are or are not.

originalz · Post by **originalz** » Sun May 24, 2009 7:00 am

Well, I played it. Graphics aside (reminds me of a Dreamcast game), the game is pretty solid, I think. The new character is interesting, although I think I prefer Windia. The levels are pretty good, the well stage is like the volcano level but with all sorts of snakes wrapping around you, it's pretty fun. Lack of a rank select is kind of disappointing but whatever. I enjoyed playing the game, and I'll be looking forward to seeing the new characters and stages unlocked.

bucklemyshoe · Post by **bucklemyshoe** » Sun May 24, 2009 7:46 pm

where can i find some vids of this game?

something besides the first level.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Sun May 24, 2009 11:53 pm

but portability would be my guess for the art direction as well.

Or lack thereof.

Honestly, I couldn't get over the shitty models which really stand out on teh large enemies. Most Dreamcast games look better than this.

Taylor · Post by **Taylor** » Mon May 25, 2009 10:52 am

I agree the game looks rather bad. But they could do another pass on the models for modern hardware; It's still much easier/cheaper than doing sprites at different resolutions.

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:02 pm

MMMEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH!!

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7136723

heres hopeing CAVE make som danmakuspitting shoes for their next crap sale!!

seriously, that boss looks like he ran straight out of segaages or some segata sanshiro shit or something..

moozooh · Post by **moozooh** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:27 pm

Ha, the caption in upper-right corner reads the same as in DFK 1.0 Hibachi no-miss video, "boring".

That head separating scene was priceless, though.

emphatic · Post by **emphatic** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:18 pm

sven666 wrote:MMMEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH!!

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7136723

heres hopeing CAVE make som danmakuspitting shoes for their next crap sale!!

seriously, that boss looks like he ran straight out of segaages or some segata sanshiro shit or something..

Also, bonuses coming out of his ass was a "nice touch".

SuperPang · Post by **SuperPang** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:20 pm

A little part of me just died. If Cave put Ketsui 2 out on this hardware I think I'll kill myself.

originalz · Post by **originalz** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:36 pm

Well, I got a 1cc during my 3rd time playing the game, first time it's happened so quickly for a Cave game with me, haha. Can I actually count that to my list of 1cc achievements?

adversity1 · Post by **adversity1** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 2:29 pm

4 stages?

No.

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 2:38 pm

emphatic wrote:
Also, bonuses coming out of his ass was a "nice touch".

*fap fap fap*

i dont think this is necessarily a show of the hardware, more so of CAVEs nonexistent 3D programming skills...

id love to see the next game on the hardware providing they go back to handdrawn 2D graphics...

robivy64 · Post by **robivy64** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 4:47 pm

Does anyone have any information on hardware specs?

I've seen a photo of the 'PCB' itself, and the black metal box is smaller than a standard PC. Either it uses custom hardware, or perhaps something small like a Micro ATX-based setup. Intel Atom anyone?

At any rate, it makes you wonder if Cave no longer produces the SH3 hardware, since games like DDP DFK are somewhat hard to find in stock at most resellers.

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 5:49 pm

That looks fun as hell, just like the original. That "Meeeeh!" roar is going to be stuck in my head all day now. I don't see what people are complaining about. I'd prefer sprites too, but that doesn't look any worse than Shiki III, and is a hell of a lot more creative in design. The important point is that the gameplay doesn't seem to be compromised. Most of this forum has gotten WAY too picky. We are amazingly lucky that these games keep coming out at all. If they have to use poly's to stay alive then so be it.

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 8:00 pm

8 1/2 wrote:The important point is that the gameplay doesn't seem to be compromised.

You are obviously not watching the right vids then, allow me to help:
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7194762
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7158694

Ex-Cyber · Post by **Ex-Cyber** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 8:48 pm

robivy64 wrote:Does anyone have any information on hardware specs?

I've seen a photo of the 'PCB' itself, and the black metal box is smaller than a standard PC. Either it uses custom hardware, or perhaps something small like a Micro ATX-based setup. Intel Atom anyone?

An ARM+PowerVR chip (e.g. OMAP3530 or i.MX31) seems plausible. It would be really interesting if it were something other than that or PC hardware, since there aren't exactly a lot of niche GPU vendors anymore.

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:15 pm

Gwyrgyn Blood wrote:
8 1/2 wrote:The important point is that the gameplay doesn't seem to be compromised.
You are obviously not watching the right vids then, allow me to help:
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7194762
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7158694

I'm still not seeing what's so bad. The excessive bullet-cancelling does seem to make it easier, and less exciting, but it still looks like a solid shmup. That boss fight with the big walking guy was actually pretty creative in a few spots. I don't have the luxury of getting hands-on, so maybe it really sucks, but with just seeing those videos... yeah, I'd hit that.

Momijitsuki · Post by **Momijitsuki** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:26 pm

Oh god, I just want to play this so I can hear the 'MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH!!' in person.

LtC · Post by **LtC** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:41 pm

8 1/2 wrote:
Gwyrgyn Blood wrote:
8 1/2 wrote:The important point is that the gameplay doesn't seem to be compromised.
You are obviously not watching the right vids then, allow me to help:
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7194762
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7158694
I'm still not seeing what's so bad. The excessive bullet-cancelling does seem to make it easier, and less exciting, but it still looks like a solid shmup. That boss fight with the big walking guy was actually pretty creative in a few spots. I don't have the luxury of getting hands-on, so maybe it really sucks, but with just seeing those videos... yeah, I'd hit that.

needs more boss milking. I wonder how many hours a superplay of this would be

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:59 pm

You see, boss milking is a clever application of the risk-reward system, because

Taylor · Post by **Taylor** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:26 pm

I can defend Cave for trying to go for a more port-friendly art direction, but...

And the milking doesn't look intended. While it relies on a core mechanic of the original game, the boss has no time out and isn't getting any harder... Is this by the Imagine team or something? I don't understand.

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:25 pm

8 1/2 wrote: I'm still not seeing what's so bad. The excessive bullet-cancelling does seem to make it easier, and less exciting, but it still looks like a solid shmup. That boss fight with the big walking guy was actually pretty creative in a few spots. I don't have the luxury of getting hands-on, so maybe it really sucks, but with just seeing those videos... yeah, I'd hit that.

You don't have a problem with 11 minutes of milking a single boss for an absolute shitload of points?

Taylor wrote: And the milking doesn't look intended. While it relies on a core mechanic of the original game, the boss has no time out and isn't getting any harder... Is this by the Imagine team or something? I don't understand.

The boss does time out. Each form times out after 5-6 minutes. Also that video of milking the giant guy was cut short, it doesn't bother even showing milking the second half (probably another 5-6 minutes). Those two bosses alone take longer to milk than it takes to finish a whole loop of Ketsui.

CStarFlare · Post by **CStarFlare** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:45 pm

good thing it's only got 4 stages

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:55 pm

Isn't this still in location testing, or has it gotten a full release yet? I can forgive a pre-release exploit.

Even if its in the full game, I'm not playing it for the world record. Esprade has the same issue, and it's one of my all-time favorite games.

Not to be a total Cave fanboy here, but I hesitate to bash the hell out of a game based on exploits in youtube videos when I haven't played it. The patterns looks fun, and the action seems on pace with the last game, boss exploits be damned.

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:02 am

It's been out for a few weeks now.

And as ugly as boss milking is, the fact that there are only 4 stages unlocked is a massive dick move as well. You basically can't even play to the end of the game yet.

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:11 am

Gwyrgyn Blood wrote: And as ugly as boss milking is, the fact that there are only 4 stages unlocked is a massive dick move as well. You basically can't even play to the end of the game yet.

I can't argue with that. I suppose it does keep interest going in the game for a little while longer, but at the expense of pissing off anyone who "finishes" it early. I could see unlocking a character, or a bonus stage, but yeah, locking out the end of the game is just idiotic. This set-up works in a fighting game, but is just bad business in a shmup. Cave must be hurting pretty badly for cash right now. They seem to be in full-on "let's try anything" mode.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:30 am

8 1/2 wrote:hey seem to be in full-on "let's try anything" mode.

The flaws are probably more directly related to it being a new endeavor than anything. This whole "profit sharing" thing is probably killing them as well. I was playing DFK yesterday, with someone playing Ketsui on my right, and Mushi Futari on my left. Nobody playing DSII. Poetic justice for such a turd.

escadrille · Post by **escadrille** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 4:56 am

GaijinPunch wrote:
8 1/2 wrote:hey seem to be in full-on "let's try anything" mode.
The flaws are probably more directly related to it being a new endeavor than anything. This whole "profit sharing" thing is probably killing them as well. I was playing DFK yesterday, with someone playing Ketsui on my right, and Mushi Futari on my left. Nobody playing DSII. Poetic justice for such a turd.

It's excusable for a developer to turn out a sub par game now and then, but in this genre I wonder if a developer can survive one economically.