psyvariar complete edition comments

[sjewkestheloon]

ok picked this up for a paltry £5.99 the other day and i'm really enjoying it. i've '1cc'd' the obvious a route and i'm totally aware that this clearly isn't too much of an accomplishment, but i've had some real fun with it so far.

any more experienced players of this game? what i'm really curious of is what is truely considered a 1cc? i've looked for some info and it appears that you can unlock the further stages (i'm playing revision btw) by achieving high levels throughout. does this permanently unlock the other stages for selection anytime? or do you have to unlock them on each playthrough? by getting for example lvl 16 on stage 1 will i permanently unlock the 2c (?) stage for selection whether of not i achieve that paticular level on the next playthrough?

i've heard some people slate this game pretty harshly and i don't see why. maybe cause i haven't played many modern shmups but seems good fun to me, especially if you set it to one cred.

peace out

[Danny]

Nope you have to get to the level of experiance every time you play if you wish to unlock the level you desire so you can continue on the harder routes. It's annoying but hey, they atre trying to make you consistantly good at the game so I guess it's not that much of a bigge!

[icepick]

i've heard some people slate this game pretty harshly and i don't see why. maybe cause i haven't played many modern shmups but seems good fun to me, especially if you set it to one cred.

I think that you have the appropriate perspective for this game, which I also share since I haven't played too many modern shmups either -- It's a good thing in this case, since approaching the game with a fresh slate can pave the way for much enjoyment.

I can speak only from having played Psyvariar 2, but I'll say that as you learn the ins and outs of the game, you won't have to worry about "unlocking" any levels (or stage variants) -- Once you know the groove, you'll likely have them unlocked during regular play without even having to think about it. You'd almost have to purposefully play badly to get the easier versions again, and then it'd seem like the game was in slow motion, or something... But, you do have to come to that understanding of the optimum game flow, first.

I was just thinking this morning about how Psyvariar is like the "refreshing spring rain" of shmups. Some don't like to play in it, but it is indeed rejuvenating and nourishing.

(Man; I take a two-week break from PCs and the Internet, and I forget how to type. Oof!)

[Danny]

Yeah psyvariar is a very "refreshing" shmup in terms on consept on so on. I find the game highly enjoyable, I have also one credit completed the game going though the easy and normal routes but I've yet to master the harder routes due to playing resedent evil 4 and the two shmups that I've brought recently for the sega saturn.

[sjewkestheloon]

sweet... played pretty much all last night and now i've managed to reach lvl 90+ in a playthrough. you're right about the improvement in the early stages. i was crap at the first stage for a while and couldn't see any chance of getting about lvl 11 but now i can consistently reach lvl 21 and it causes the score to leap up.

also it's fun trying to figure out what exactly will open up different areas.

once last night i reached over 10,000,000 (i think) by the end of stage 3-a and instead of progressing to 4-a i automatically moved to x-a. am i correct in assuming that if i had completed this stage that i'd move onto xx-a? it seems like there's so little coverage of this game that noone actually knows how to unlock and open up this game.

it's a shame that noone actually gives this game the credit it deserves

[rib]

did you use the roll button, or played it trough on normal without it, because im really bad at it(both) never beat stage 4.

[Smraedis]

once last night i reached over 10,000,000 (i think) by the end of stage 3-a and instead of progressing to 4-a i automatically moved to x-a. am i correct in assuming that if i had completed this stage that i'd move onto xx-a?

That means you'll go onto X-B as the final stage, after 4-A, from what I remember.

[sjewkestheloon]

well primarily i don't use the roll button but i have it handy for when certain enemies shoot out big ass streams of bullets with a narrow corridor. holding the roll button then ensures you get beacoup de levels.

[Defcon 5]

I dont really see the point in adding the rolling feature to console. Ok some may play with Controller (lol) and therefore this feature comes in handy, but if you can roll without moving then forget all those scores if you play it on arcade. Its impossible to roll in some patterns the boss strikes without this feature.
I dislike this feature

[Saurian]

ok picked this up for a paltry £5.99 the other day and i'm really enjoying it. i've '1cc'd' the obvious a route and i'm totally aware that this clearly isn't too much of an accomplishment, but i've had some real fun with it so far.

any more experienced players of this game? what i'm really curious of is what is truely considered a 1cc? i've looked for some info and it appears that you can unlock the further stages (i'm playing revision btw) by achieving high levels throughout. does this permanently unlock the other stages for selection anytime? or do you have to unlock them on each playthrough? by getting for example lvl 16 on stage 1 will i permanently unlock the 2c (?) stage for selection whether of not i achieve that paticular level on the next playthrough?

i've heard some people slate this game pretty harshly and i don't see why. maybe cause i haven't played many modern shmups but seems good fun to me, especially if you set it to one cred.

peace out

The beauty of Psyvariar is that the qualty of your play is immediately reflected in your gained level. You're getting lvl16 on stage 1 which is good going, but keep at it and you'll soon be getting lvl30. The better you do through the earlier sections means you'll have harder stages (with a lot more buzz) available later on and finally XD which is the true final stage.

Psyvariar Revision has some absolutely superb bosses to work out - the way you're tactically looping the level-up guage in time with attacks is extremely satisfying. I'd suggest playing on a stick from the very start if you've got one, I made the massive mistake of playing with the rolling assist when I first got into the game and hit a wall very quickly in terms of what I could do on the game.

Colony
Ancient vids with rolling assist on >_< - but there's still some ology in there.

Area 3
Area 6
Got myself sorted out now tho, I play Psyvariar 2 religiously - the level of control you have over your craft and it's relation to the level-up guage is massively increased without the assist. You completely lose the tactile nature of the way you relate to the shots if you use that assist, I've started over from scratch again on Revision after obsessing over Psyvariar 2 and I'm loving it!

[sjewkestheloon]

well i've been using the roll button as when you watch the replays on revision mode the instruction plays are all done using the button. the high scores are designed, i'd say, with the roll button in mind. plus, playing the game at night in the room next door to the parents (who are hyper sensitive to noise...) on the clickiest stick ever (namco) isn't a good idea without the roll assist.

just wondering, if xd is the true final stage of revision, why is there a listing on the highscore pages of a possible level and score grqading for stages xx-a through to xx-d? are these secret stages that people haven't found out about yet? or am i just missing something stupid?

i'm supprised this post hasn't had more interest. i was expecting some unscrupuluos comments from the establishment, hoping for them even, as i like hearing the flip side of my opinion. so come on.

[Saurian]

I've not played the PAL version so I'm not aware of what you speak of (nor do I have parents so dont have to worry about noise! XD). The roll assist was put into the PS2 version for people playing on pad, it's extremely difficult to get the proper movement down using a pad.

The game was not designed with this function in mind (this was an arcade game long before PS2 release), it's an assist - added for pad users playing the PS2 version and nothing more (it doesnt exist on other machines or any of the arcade versions). Psyvariar is as much about the movement style as it is about the action of Buzzing shots, this is all one system. The replays added to the PAL version is due to the fact you dont get the DVD replays with the game, no control assist is used on the expert replays you get with the Japanese version. I guess they added amateur replays like that to the PAL one try and ease people into the game more gently, it's a good idea but they shouldnt make out that it's THE way to play.

If you want to develop your style using the assist go for it - I played like that for a long time and really loved the game cos I got loads out of it, but believe me you DO hit a wall! Only with full mastery of the control can you proper bang up this game, it's a wicked feeling aswell, the way you relate to the shots - adjusting between vertical and horizontal rolling depending on angles (and you can play 1 handed with the other free to smoke a J) - it's unlike anything else.

Still to this day I dont know how to access the XX stages! I used to access XD no problem after a lot of practice but no clue as to the others! I love the X stages in Revision, the way it slows down the gauge rate is wicked as you have to totally adjust to a different style of play - Psyvariar 2 adjusts the rate on the fly, I love that stuff!

[sjewkestheloon]

well i've just dug out my hardly played copy of pyvariar 2 on the dc today. had about 5 mins on it and put it away a good while ago, with the intention of getting a stick. as soon as i get some money in i'm going to be getting myself an adapter for ps2 - dc so i can enjoy all my dc shmups and 2d fighters. it seems a real quality game but seriously little fun with only a pad. doesn't have the same feel and the roll mechanism feels sloppy.

[Saurian]

I'd love to talk about play or boss strategies for either game for once if anyone's interested.

This is the best XA run I've ever seen, sorry I forgot the name of the player but the way he totally maximises buzz and times the guage to perfection is wicked.

Revision - XA
http://s15.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=096O ... ZOIDKB8T10

The extra loops he adds in are class, I've only ever been looping the big orange attack - getting the exit from the orbit exactly spot on so your gauge is ready to max again is a real art!

Psyvariar 2 - Area 0
Timing the Neutrino gauge so that it's near maxed at the boss flies in is important. You can get right in there and ram the boss immediately to explode it 3 times (increasing the Neutrino rate as you do). If your guage is not near maxed at the start of this fight it's worth sacrificing a bomb to get in there.

With the Neutrino now set to green you can use the Point Blank Buzz technique to stay in the boss' face soaking up as much buzz as you can. It's also helpful to constantly fire while fighting this boss, you cant destroy it anymore past the 3rd explosion so just keep firing to keep the Neutrino gauge building. I've found that instead of buzzing the origin of the final attack, it's better to follow the shot as it leaves the boss in a U shape - the rate of level-up is definetly faster.