Getting a Japanese 360. What Shmups Do I Need To Get?

[Chacranajxy]

Changed my mind... I'm probably just going to go with a 360 for shmupping now. So which Japan only shooters are must haves, and where's the cheapest place to score a new system?

[neorichieb1971]

www.ncsx.com for JP 360

Or getting someone here to send you one


If your going the SG route, your PCB collection will likely not lose a lot of its investment if any at all. Your 360 system will probably RROD on you unless your really careful and even then its possible.

I don't really know what is the best system for you, only you can decide.

[cj iwakura]

You could just get a Wii and the US(re: dubbed) version of Shikigami 3, which is awesome.

[Chacranajxy]

You could just get a Wii and the US(re: dubbed) version of Shikigami 3, which is awesome.

Well, I've already got a Wii, but I don't want a lower res version of the game when there's a much better option out there. Cause the 360 is all HD an' shyt.

[captpain]

Get a supergun. There aren't that many shmups on the 360 (plus you have a US one) and a supergun lets you play tons of great games perfectly. Then again, you'll miss the super-new ones because of $$$.

[Chacranajxy]

Hmm... decided I'd rather go with the 360 for now, because it's the place to go for Cave's shit (or at least, it will be...) and because it's way cheaper to get games for it.

[Chiaroscuro]

Games are a matter of taste...

I will definetly say DeathSmiles, and I liked Otomedius G (but that is not a commom opinion). Besides, get Shikigami No Shiro III. Shooting Love is hit or miss, DoDonPachi is waiting for a patch/correction. Mamoru-kun is also a kind of hit or miss.

Raiden IV will have soon a US release, otherwise it would end being a good recomendation.

[brentsg]

I personally think all of them are solid buys once you've made the initial investment in the console.

[bcass]

Raiden IV will have soon a US release, otherwise it would end being a good recomendation.

Well, he'll be getting a JPN 360 so he won't be able to use the US release. I think the two Raiden packages (Raiden Fighters Aces and Raiden IV) are the only other must-haves (assuming you liked the previous Raiden games). Otomedius G is average IMO, if you must have it try and get a cheaper 2nd-hand copy.

[Bootaaay]

DeathSmiles is a must - so far i've picked up all the available shmups (except Shooting Love & Raiden Fighter Aces) and DeathSmiles imo is head and shoulders above the rest, but next in line for me would be Mamoru-kun. I initially disliked it because of the awkward controls, but switching to twin stick mode makes things much easier and i'm really enjoying the game, it's alot of fun and it has a good ammount of content to keep you occupied.

[Chacranajxy]

Raiden IV will have soon a US release, otherwise it would end being a good recomendation.

Well, he'll be getting a JPN 360 so he won't be able to use the US release. I think the two Raiden packages (Raiden Fighters Aces and Raiden IV) are the only other must-haves (assuming you liked the previous Raiden games). Otomedius G is average IMO, if you must have it try and get a cheaper 2nd-hand copy.

Just to clarify, I've already got a US 360. And yes, I like Raiden Fighters Aces very much, and fully intend to nab Raiden IV when it comes out.

By the way, does it look like there are any more Cave shooters on the way before the end of the year? Haven't really been keeping up with the progress on that stuff... or the DOJBLEX debacle.

[Jeneki]

where's the cheapest place to score a new system?

If you're shopping around, make sure you include shipping in your equation. On games this is usually pretty minimal, but on a console it can be a big deal.

When I picked up my J360 last fall, I took a look at Play-Asia and NCSX. Play-Asia was selling them cheaper at the time, however their shipping rates were much higher to the point where it was actually cheaper to buy though NCSX. No idea if that's still the case.

[Zero Gunner]

You could just get a Wii and the US(re: dubbed) version of Shikigami 3, which is awesome.

So instead of playing.....

Dodonpachi (which will be patched or reissued)
ESPGaluda 2
Mushihmesama Futari
Death Smiles
Shooting Love
Shiki 3 in HD
Mamoru-kun
Otomedius
...and inevitably...
DDP DFK
Ketsui
Deathsmiles 2
and more....

....you think he should stick with the Wii and the single domestic shmup available on it? I understand that some of you hate the 360 (for whatever silly reason) but do you guys even think before you post such nonsensical responses? Or was this just an auto-fanboy-response that you made?

[Danbo]

I certainly don't see the point in buying one until the games that you want actually, you know, come out... The only direction the console price can go is down.

[Zero Gunner]

Raiden IV will have soon a US release, otherwise it would end being a good recomendation.

Well, he'll be getting a JPN 360 so he won't be able to use the US release. I think the two Raiden packages (Raiden Fighters Aces and Raiden IV) are the only other must-haves (assuming you liked the previous Raiden games). Otomedius G is average IMO, if you must have it try and get a cheaper 2nd-hand copy.

Just to clarify, I've already got a US 360. And yes, I like Raiden Fighters Aces very much, and fully intend to nab Raiden IV when it comes out.

By the way, does it look like there are any more Cave shooters on the way before the end of the year? Haven't really been keeping up with the progress on that stuff... or the DOJBLEX debacle.

Mushihime is this year. ESPGaluda 2 could hit this year as well but I'm just guessing. Also perhaps they'll get Death Smiles 2 out in time for Christmas (given it's Christmas/winter theme) but that's entirely me speculating. A patch/reissue of DDP, the status of Ketsui, and DDP DFK are up in the air with nothing official. However the Cave matsuri is this weekend so perhaps they'll take the opportunity to clarify what is going on with their other titles.

[Zero Gunner]

I certainly don't see the point in buying one until the games that you want actually, you know, come out... The only direction the console price can go is down.

Elite Consoles are currently $489 at NCS. Arcade units are $319. The Arcade units won't be getting a price cut at this point from their $199 retail. Elites are dropping to $299 retail in the next few weeks as MS phases out the 60GB Pro systems. So an imported Elite system could drop to around $389-$400. So if Chacranajxy needs an HDD then I would say wait for the pending price drop. But the arcade unit price isn't moving this year. Given that Import PS2 consoles still go for $240, I dare say that if there are enough games already for you to be interested (and there should be by year's end) there's no point in waiting another 2+ years for a $50 price drop on an Arcade unit. If you've already got a domestic console just buy a Japanese Arcade 360 now and use your HDD on both...

[Elixir]

I certainly don't see the point in buying one until the games that you want actually, you know, come out... The only direction the console price can go is down.

Pretty much this, wait until stuff arrives before you make a purchase. If you're paranoid about rarity, just preorder the games.

As for now until the end of the year, nobody really knows and there's nothing set in stone. Everyone's just guessing at this stage.

[Chacranajxy]

I certainly don't see the point in buying one until the games that you want actually, you know, come out... The only direction the console price can go is down.

Well I've found the system as cheap as $300, and I really want to play Death Smiles... I really doubt that the price will drop for a while, and even if it does, it'll be by a meager amount. And if I did wait for all the games to come out before getting one, that could leave me in a situation where some of the stuff I want is OOP... and that's no fun for anyone. Neither is buying up the games as they come out and having no hardware to play them on.

[Danbo]

if you want deathsmiles then get a 360. games dont go out of print until theyre released, and i don't exactly know if deathsmiles is getting rare at this point or not. i am not going to get one until galuda 2 or ketsui the port is released

[DC906270]

id go with Death Smiles and Raiden IV as the "must buys"

[Zero Gunner]

I certainly don't see the point in buying one until the games that you want actually, you know, come out... The only direction the console price can go is down.

Well I've found the system as cheap as $300, and I really want to play Death Smiles... I really doubt that the price will drop for a while, and even if it does, it'll be by a meager amount. And if I did wait for all the games to come out before getting one, that could leave me in a situation where some of the stuff I want is OOP... and that's no fun for anyone. Neither is buying up the games as they come out and having no hardware to play them on.

Then you should buy Death Smiles now. Personally I bought 3 Xbox shmups before I picked up my console just to be sure I didn't have to buy a used copy at new price off ebay or a price-jacked new copy later on. Always grab niche games ASAP...especially Cave stuff. You can get a console any time but you might not want to pay the price that Death Smiles fetches in a year when it's no longer in print...or even if you do you could have bought 2+ copies for the same price.

[Chacranajxy]

Any impressions on Shikigami no Shiro III? I'm wondering if it's actually worth getting as well as whether it's the sort of game I'd need some Japanese knowledge to get the most out of... some stuff I saw about the US Wii release suggested that there was some sort of story mode or something, so I'm wondering how that all works...

[Jeneki]

As far as I'm aware, the gameplay in the Wii version of Shikigami III is the same as the 360 version. You probably won't need to import this one, assuming you have a Wii.

Although Shikigami stories never make much sense anyway, so you won't be missing much if you do decide to import. I remember picking up an import Shikigami II on the original XBox (one of only two games I bothered to import for that system), and the lack of translation isn't a big deal. I later picked up the NA PS2 version to see what was the story was about, and ... yea. The story mode in Shikigami III makes about the same amount of sense; It's mostly unrelated random chatter between the characters.

[MathU]

... the Wii and the single domestic shmup available on it?

Actually, the Wii has more than a few. Mostly bad, like The Monkey King: The Legend Begins and Ocean Commander. But it also has Blast Works and English localizations of Milestone (Ultimate) Shooting Collection and soon Illvelo. It's not just Castle of Shikigami III.

Not counting digitally distributed games like Gradius Rebirth either.

[bcass]

The Wii also has one of the best shumps of all time on the WiiWare service: PCE Gradius II.

If you're not absolutely desperate for a 360 right now, I'd wait for Natal next year. Natal isn't just the motion sensor, it's also going to involve a complete re-marketing of the 360. Microsoft want all the casuals that Nintendo have just created. The aftermath will involve a smaller, more reliable, more fully-featured iteration of the hardware than they're currently peddling to the hardcore.

[dmauro]

I certainly don't see the point in buying one until the games that you want actually, you know, come out... The only direction the console price can go is down.

This. I kept an eye out on these forums and eBay and eventually got a new-in-box jp360 premium 2005 system for $120.

[bcass]

A JP360 at this point is all about Death Smiles. Even if Ketsui never arrives, at least a few more Cave conversions are guaranteed. It's a bonus that all the best non-Japanese titles for the 360 are region-free so will work on any 360.

[SkylineR32]

You simply must get DeathSmiles. It's rapidly become a favourite of mine. I also own Otomedius G, Shooting Love 200X, DDP:DOJ and Mamoru-Kun yet DeathSmiles keeps ending up back in my Japanese 360.

Love it so much I've since gone and bought the LE, the Official Guidebook, some other memorabilia and the MBL DLC.

[cj iwakura]

You could just get a Wii and the US(re: dubbed) version of Shikigami 3, which is awesome.

So instead of playing.....

Dodonpachi (which will be patched or reissued)
ESPGaluda 2
Mushihmesama Futari
Death Smiles
Shooting Love
Shiki 3 in HD
Mamoru-kun
Otomedius
...and inevitably...
DDP DFK
Ketsui
Deathsmiles 2
and more....

....you think he should stick with the Wii and the single domestic shmup available on it? I understand that some of you hate the 360 (for whatever silly reason) but do you guys even think before you post such nonsensical responses? Or was this just an auto-fanboy-response that you made?

Single? You forgot Ultimate Shooting Collection(Radio Allergy/Karous/Chaos Field).

No, it doesn't have the shmup lineup the 360 does, but the Shikigami localization was so well done that I think it merits owning. I have nothing against the 360, but he specifically mentioned Shiki 3, so I felt the US version warranted a mention.


The Wii VC also has quite a few classic shmups, as mentioned, namely M.U.S.H.A. & Gleylancer.

[undamned]

If you're not absolutely desperate for a 360 right now, I'd wait for Natal next year... The aftermath will involve a smaller, more reliable, more fully-featured iteration of the hardware than they're currently peddling to the hardcore.

Yeah, this has been in the pipeline for a while. GPU and CPU will be combined into one package and will hopefully suffer little of the ill effects of earlier designs.
-ud