Shocky wrote:Great.. I buy the game, the expansion, and start playing. After four or was it five stages (easy 1cc on first try), the end credits roll already, and seems like I have to start collecting those stupid hidden keys just to unlock the other 5 stages?? Or am I missing something here?
Yeah you have to find few per stage to get into stage 7 I think. Once you find them you don't have to bother with them again though
And yep the game isn't very hard as long as you're not playing for score (keeping high rank)
Ok. I'm all for hidden bonus items, but NOT when they affect the game this way. Nothing to kill a good fighting spirit like the game forcibly ending halfway because I didn't find some secret key four stages ago. And are they even hidden in deductable spots? Both in this and Söldner-X: Himmelstürmer I just notice that they appear when I'm shooting at thin air. Feels like a pathetically desperate and artificial means of extending the total playing time.
Yeah it can be pretty annoying if you can't find them. I think I got all I needed on my 2nd run myself.
All the keys are in specific spots. More accurately in the first 5 stages certain enemies/asteroids drop them, stage 6 are inside rocks/icicles and in stage 7 in boxes. The last keys in most stages are only obtainable with B-Rank or higher with only exception of 5th stage where you get the key at 16th chain bonus I think. The enemies that drop items in general usually glow so it's easier to see which ones drop stuff.
The good thing about Söldner-X 2 is that you can start directly in the stage with the secret keys missing.
You don't need to play the whole game again if you miss one (like in the first Söldner-X).
Wow finally got around to buying this off PSN. Wish i had gotten it when it came out. What an improvement over the first one!
Visually its a tour de force. Great ear candy for music and more streamlined, frantic gameplay.
The only reason I didnt get it sooner was because i felt burned by the first one and its clunky upgrade system, sterile graphic style, and just general lack of fun factor. I gotta say all those issues have been improved almost as if the devs new exactly where they went wrong. There is still room for improvement but as of right now, this is my no.1 hori shooter.
So glad they switched it up. Will definitely buy the next one.
Darkseed wrote:Wow finally got around to buying this off PSN. Wish i had gotten it when it came out. What an improvement over the first one!
Visually its a tour de force. Great ear candy for music and more streamlined, frantic gameplay.
The only reason I didnt get it sooner was because i felt burned by the first one and its clunky upgrade system, sterile graphic style, and just general lack of fun factor. I gotta say all those issues have been improved almost as if the devs new exactly where they went wrong. There is still room for improvement but as of right now, this is my no.1 hori shooter.
So glad they switched it up. Will definitely buy the next one.
Haters gonna hate this one (talking about people who say it's too bland like Ruldra etc.). But you can't deny that this is the best shmup west has produced. Great music, fun gameplay, fun bosses and tons of replayability. Hidden keys aren't as bad as people make them be, if you can't find them. Look up the official 107M run on youtube.
Ok so after beating the game and the expansion, I can say this is the best western developed hori shmup Ive ever played. I own all the shmups that get talked about here and my favorite hori of all time is Gradius V and to me SX2 is the fix I was looking for in this modern age of videogames. Finally, someone stepped up to the plate and delivered a new gen shooter that actually moves the genre forward in terms of aesthetics and excitement. These guys definitely got their act together the second time around.
Im a more casual type. Even though Ive been playing shooters since the early 80's, I dont normally 1cc games or play for score so my opinion is obviously debateable when you factor that in.
What I look for is pesentation, FUN FACTOR, graphics, music. I dont care for these minor "game breaking" nitpicks that people always talk about seemingly with every game that gets released.
I really liked Deathsmiles but something about that game just feels hollow. Theres just no excitement while traversing the levels. SX2 had my adrenaline rushing throughout the entire game. To those complaining that the boss battles were too long, I think they are fantastic and a welcome change since each boss is like a level in itself.
The music MY GOD. Im a metalhead first but I enjoy any type of music that gets my blood pumping and this has to be one of the best shooter soundtracks ever.
Soldner x2 imo is the best representation of what a modern hori should be all about (so far).
