Upcoming Cave arcade title (Akai Katana)

[kernow]

Not as good as Ibara though.

[cools]

Mushihimesama OST > Futari OST

Nah. Galuda > Galuda 2, but Futari > Sama.

[Trevor spencer]

Mushihimesama OST > Futari OST

Nah. Galuda > Galuda 2, but Futari > Sama.

Nah. Pink Sweets > Galuda 2

[Skykid]

Mushihimesama OST > Futari OST

Nah. Galuda > Galuda 2, but Futari > Sama.

Mushihimesama stage 4 > Galuda stage 3 > Futari stage 5 > Galuda 2 stage 3

[rancor]

Any other feedback from Japan on this?
....
Will this game go the way of Ibara?

AK is beautiful. It has incredible artwork and design. But I just don't think its as fun as Ibara, or even MMP. I've loaded a lot of credits into all of these lately, and I just don't like AK very much. Hell, I still get more excited to play Mushihime than AK. Perhaps more research is needed, but as of now - not impressed with the gameplay. Apparently it was a bit of a flash in the pan for locals as well as its not getting near as much action as some older titles.

[undamned]

1CC run with TLB, about 290mil, the player is unknown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX81ZCk2kBY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooje-3Q8I_M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQktz0_JKKQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbRyIOaZ9T0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95B0LutDzpA

Thanks. Now I don't feel obligated to play it
-u

[cools]

Mushihimesama OST > Futari OST

Nah. Galuda > Galuda 2, but Futari > Sama.

Mushihimesama stage 4 > Galuda stage 3 > Futari stage 5 > Galuda 2 stage 3

Pink Sweets stage 6 > *

[emphatic]

Why does the thread title still say "Upcoming Cave arcade title (Akai Katana)" instead of "AKAI KATANA (CAVE 2010)" or something? WHO IS RESPONSIBLE!!!!!!????!!!!111

[SuperPang]

It's easier than Futari's original? That's pretty easy...

Difficult for me to say actually as I'm not a big Futari fan and haven't even put the effort in to try and 1CC it.
If you play AK for survival its maybe a tad harder than a mixed rank DS run. Espgaluda without the final boss.

[clp]

It's easier than Futari's original? That's pretty easy...

Difficult for me to say actually as I'm not a big Futari fan and haven't even put the effort in to try and 1CC it.
If you play AK for survival its maybe a tad harder than a mixed rank DS run. Espgaluda without the final boss.

If its Espgaluda easy thats just a joke .

[SuperPang]

Newsflash, Cave shooters aren't designed to be played for survival.
It's not as ridiculous as DFK 1.5.

[NTSC-J]

It's easier than Futari's original? That's pretty easy...

Difficult for me to say actually as I'm not a big Futari fan and haven't even put the effort in to try and 1CC it.
If you play AK for survival its maybe a tad harder than a mixed rank DS run. Espgaluda without the final boss.

If its Espgaluda easy thats just a joke .

Easier. I beat it on my 4th attempt, compared to DS and DFK which took 2 attempts each.

But again, the fun is in the scoring (which isn't as fun as some of their other games, but still pretty good). I'm sure many folks here will enjoy the game plenty when it gets the inevitable port.

[clp]

To be honest that kinda difficulty will probably suit a majority of the western audience as much as i hate to say it .

[Skykid]

To be honest that kinda difficulty will probably suit a majority of the western audience as much as i hate to say it .

Yeah, and I hate to hear you say it too (cos you're right.)

As Superpang illustriously pointed out, Cave game's are about score over survival primarily, so pretty please Cave, can we possibly have a new 2D SH3 game that's balls to the wall hard as nails?

Everything looks so right with Akai Katana, but I'm disappointed to hear the difficulty lies only in the scoring.

[Trevor spencer]

To be honest that kinda difficulty will probably suit a majority of the western audience as much as i hate to say it .

so pretty please Cave, can we possibly have a new 2D SH3 game that's balls to the wall hard as nails?

We already have one , its called pink sweets

[Skykid]

To be honest that kinda difficulty will probably suit a majority of the western audience as much as i hate to say it .

so pretty please Cave, can we possibly have a new 2D SH3 game that's balls to the wall hard as nails?

We already have one , its called pink sweets

I think you missed the "new" part in that request Trev!

[Trevor spencer]

I think you missed the "new" part in that request Trev!

Oh yeah Reading to quick

[Strider77]

Newsflash, Cave shooters aren't designed to be played for survival.
It's not as ridiculous as DFK 1.5.

What do you mean? As easy as DFK strong? DFK has power to fix that, it also has the option to go for 2 loops with strong and the other modes. It all kinda works.... granted on other modes you may hate 2 loop games. But I'm ok with an easier game. I still enjoy a game of thunder force (random example) from time to time ect and really enjoy it still. I'm still really interested in this game and could easily see a 1.5 or BL to address it's issues.

[Elixir]

As Superpang illustriously pointed out, Cave game's are about score over survival primarily, so pretty please Cave, can we possibly have a new 2D SH3 game that's balls to the wall hard as nails?

Everything looks so right with Akai Katana, but I'm disappointed to hear the difficulty lies only in the scoring.

Are you serious. I wouldn't say they're just for scoring or just for survival, it depends on the game.

Oh, and as for Akai Katana, the easier difficulty is just like Deathsmiles 1, 2, and DFK (in other words, Cave's stuff in recent years). They're obviously trying to make their games more approachable.

[Skykid]

As Superpang illustriously pointed out, Cave game's are about score over survival primarily, so pretty please Cave, can we possibly have a new 2D SH3 game that's balls to the wall hard as nails?

Everything looks so right with Akai Katana, but I'm disappointed to hear the difficulty lies only in the scoring.

Are you serious.

Er... yes. Completely.

I wouldn't say they're just for scoring or just for survival, it depends on the game.

Oh, and as for Akai Katana, the easier difficulty is just like Deathsmiles 1, 2, and DFK (in other words, Cave's stuff in recent years). They're obviously trying to make their games more approachable.

More approachable as in come and put a credit in this really busy looking game and get to have a twenty-five minute go on your first credit.
Or, don't worry shmup fans, even though you might have to wait in a forty-minute arcade queue line or struggle to retain interest because every time you make a run it ends it a 1cc, you can still score really deep. Weak.

I'm not really happy with Cave dumbing down their stuff. Yes, the recent titles have options you can utilise to make it more challenging, but the length of time per credit is broadened drastically compared to their older stuff, and that can get trying. I prefer the short, sharp progress of shmups, getting a little further ahead with a few quick credits a day.

For me, the line of well-balanced ease was drawn with Espgaluda. It didn't need several modes to offer everyone a decent game.

[SuperPang]

What do you mean? As easy as DFK strong? DFK has power to fix that, it also has the option to go for 2 loops with strong and the other modes. It all kinda works.... granted on other modes you may hate 2 loop games. But I'm ok with an easier game. I still enjoy a game of thunder force (random example) from time to time ect and really enjoy it still. I'm still really interested in this game and could easily see a 1.5 or BL to address it's issues.

the easier difficulty is just like Deathsmiles 1, 2, and DFK (in other words, Cave's stuff in recent years). They're obviously trying to make their games more approachable.

This is what I was getting at, in the shell of a nut. You're right though Strider, it could've done with a second loop, although it would get a bit yawnsome tapping your way through in Ninja mode at 10fps.

Cave are obviously trying to make their recent games accessible/good value and with enough scoring depth for the better players. Not an easy task.

This is bound to get a BL, there are so many variables that could be adjusted to significantly change the gameplay. The only reason it wouldn't is if the ops are indeed sick of them killing off their original investment.

[emphatic]

Cave are obviously trying to make their recent games accessible/good value and with enough scoring depth for the better players. Not an easy task.

This is bound to get a BL, there are so many variables that could be adjusted to significantly change the gameplay. The only reason it wouldn't is if the ops are indeed sick of them killing off their original investment.

I think that having the average Joe play longer than 10 minutes per credit is a great way of drawing in new players = more revenue so that's an accomplishment in it's own. This is IMHO a good thing, there's almost always someone playing the game, and probably always a crowd/queue for it so it'd make sense for operators to add more copies as it's sure to be a popular title. And the BL thing, is it really a sure "investment-killer"? I mean, for the small percentage of people actually buying a kit to play at home, it's a nuisance, but for operators, I'd say they get a re-hash of the rather fresh title that hard core players can move on to, while the "average Joe" types can keep bettering themselves on the easier first version.

[Mills]

Looks like a mixed bag of their Cave's previous titles. Guess we'll never see it here in the uk.

[cools]

Looks like a mixed bag of their Cave's previous titles. Guess we'll never see it here in the uk.

It'll be at R3PLAY for anyone attending, thanks to Mr SuperPang.

[Skykid]

Cave are obviously trying to make their recent games accessible/good value and with enough scoring depth for the better players. Not an easy task.

This is bound to get a BL, there are so many variables that could be adjusted to significantly change the gameplay. The only reason it wouldn't is if the ops are indeed sick of them killing off their original investment.

I think that having the average Joe play longer than 10 minutes per credit is a great way of drawing in new players = more revenue so that's an accomplishment in it's own. This is IMHO a good thing.

How many arcade games can you think of that offered you a twenty-minute go on your first credit even if you had barely any experience in the genre? The Daifukkatsu experiment was grossly misjudged IMO - autobomb was a joke. It's basically seventeen lives or something.

I'm no great shakes at shmups, but I enjoy overall challenge rather than just score challenge. Levels of ease shouldn't go beyond Mushi original, Futari original or Espgaluda.
I was hoping Akai Katana was going to be a return to Progear difficulty.

[THE]

I was hoping Akai Katana was going to be a return to Progear difficulty.

Why should Cave scare away their new and good paying customer base?
Too much elitism is bad for the business.
Just look how Ketsui-X bombed on the x360...

The future of Cave can be seen in Death Smiles and Akai Katana and it's a prosperous future...

[moozooh]

Just look how Ketsui-X bombed on the x360...

For no good reason at all, if I may add! The main game is excellent, even if hard, the X-mode has a very lenient difficulty curve and is lots of fun, the interface is only second to M2's Futari port. I still can't believe how bad this port has been doing in Japan, of all places.

[emphatic]

I still can't believe how bad this port has been doing in Japan, of all places.

Probably since the Japanese has been able to find this in their local arcades since 2002, something us westerners hasn't really been spoiled with.

[austere]

Too much elitism is bad for the business.

Cave pretty much defines that which is elite in their specialisation. When you lower your standards, you will have to make do with not only the small customer base but also a shared one since the barrier to entry is much lower. Just look over to the Wii/Sony Move/Microsoft Kinect and observe the next few quarters to see the end conclusion of mediocrity rather than elitism. Sure, you can cannibalise future profits by watering your quality to appeal to the same people who dine at McDonalds, but eventually however novel you initially appeared to them, you will certainly fade into the crowd.

Why should Cave scare away their new and good paying customer base?

How they plan to attract new people, who are busy collecting anchovies on Xbox Live, to shooters while simultaneously avoiding the alienation of their existing (and loyal) customer base is beyond me. Remember, the good money is the one that comes in consistently. The bastardised iPhone ports are actually an excellent introduction, but bastardising the arcade games -- LOL.

Anyway, it's better to target a customer base rather than a consumer base, if you know what I mean.

The future of Cave can be seen in Death Smiles and Akai Katana and it's a prosperous future...

Before we condemn them to such a fate*, let us await the financial performance of upcoming ports. I for one, plan to buy every single one. Previously, I have only skipped Death Smiles II DX because I don't want to support a move in such a direction.

* To be entirely fair I'm just carrying your connotations foward here. Even though Death Smiles was pretty easy to complete (not so much to score), taking a total noob like me a single week of on and off play to straight 1CC it, it's a good game. Also, I haven't played Akai Katana, but you get my point.

[Mills]

Looks like a mixed bag of their Cave's previous titles. Guess we'll never see it here in the uk.

It'll be at R3PLAY for anyone attending, thanks to Mr SuperPang.

R3PLAY was is that some trade show event, or arcade and if so where is it? obviously not in london.