DC Bangai-O worth $50?

[al138]

I found a new sealed copy for $50. Most of the used copy auctions on EBay have gone for $35-$45 depending on the physical condition of the game. Any thoughts?

[drohne]

if you intend to play it, i don't see what additional value a sealed copy has. but it's a wonderful game, i prefer the dc version's streamlined game system, and the bizarre engrish script is HILARIOUS. even bangaioh's instruction booklet is fun. go for it.

[Elixir]

Obviously your gut instinct would tell you that it's worth it if you're going to keep it sealed. Otherwise, it's just another game.

[mannerbot]

$50? Wow, the eBay price has really skyrocketed.

[Bar81]

SWEET JESUS, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Neon]

It's not worth 5...and it seems to only be praised for its atmosphere even by its fans, and the fact that it's made by Treasure.

[DeBurgo]

It's not worth 5...and it seems to only be praised for its atmosphere even by its fans, and the fact that it's made by Treasure.

I'm a fan and I like its gameplay quite a bit

I honestly don't understand why this game gets a collective "eh" from most gamers actually, I liked it a lot. Of course, I played the game at a point where I was absolutely starved of good 2d games. I might not have such a high opinion of it nowadays.

I think there are worse purchases you could make.

[MrMonkeyMan]

It's not worth 5...and it seems to only be praised for its atmosphere even by its fans, and the fact that it's made by Treasure.

Yeah, right, I only played it because of the goofy atmosphere...

Hell, I still play this game all the time.

[Bar81]

It's not worth 5...and it seems to only be praised for its atmosphere even by its fans, and the fact that it's made by Treasure.

That's a pretty ignorant statement. I'm no treasure fan, in fact I think most of their stuff is highly overrated or just plain crap, but the gameplay is what it's about ultimately, and Bangai-O has it in spades. I have the JP version (for both N64 and DC. N64 version is better gamplay wise while DC is better audio/visual) and so don't even know what they're saying such that the "atmosphere" doesn't matter.

[professor ganson]

I don't consider Bangai-O a shmup, and it still hasn't really drawn me in, but $50 for a sealed copy is probably what you should expect to pay. I paid at least $30 or so a few years back for a used copy and I expect demand has only risen since.

[jp]

Bangai-O is an awesome game.

[Neon]

It's not worth 5...and it seems to only be praised for its atmosphere even by its fans, and the fact that it's made by Treasure.

That's a pretty ignorant statement. I'm no treasure fan, in fact I think most of their stuff is highly overrated or just plain crap, but the gameplay is what it's about ultimately, and Bangai-O has it in spades. I have the JP version (for both N64 and DC. N64 version is better gamplay wise while DC is better audio/visual) and so don't even know what they're saying such that the "atmosphere" doesn't matter.

Well, most of the praise I've heard of it is that there are a lot of explosions and a goofy storyline...something that can improve an already good game, but not much one like Bangai-o with boring gameplay.

[Elixir]

Stupid storyline, engrish, repetitive gameplay, and you can breeze through it without collecting anything.

Like I said, it's not worth $50. Who gives a fuck if it's a shmup or not, it still has what I've listed above.

[Nuke]

Well, if you don't like midless fun, you won't like Bangai-O.
I luuuuve it

[Pete]

Stupid storyline, engrish, repetitive gameplay, and you can breeze through it without collecting anything.

Like I said, it's not worth $50. Who gives a fuck if it's a shmup or not, it still has what I've listed above.

Actually, for a shooter, the gameplay is quite varied. And some of us enjoy Engrish. I wouldn't pay $50 for it, simply because you can find it much cheaper used, but you'll get a solid month of enjoyable play out of it. Great game.

[biocat]

I would say the controls are a bit hard to handle on the DC. It was definitely made with the N64 controller in mind, since that was what it was on originally. I don't know if it's worth $50. I bought mine for about $20 new, but that was a long time ago now. Good game, though!

[DeBurgo]

It's not worth 5...and it seems to only be praised for its atmosphere even by its fans, and the fact that it's made by Treasure.

That's a pretty ignorant statement. I'm no treasure fan, in fact I think most of their stuff is highly overrated or just plain crap, but the gameplay is what it's about ultimately, and Bangai-O has it in spades. I have the JP version (for both N64 and DC. N64 version is better gamplay wise while DC is better audio/visual) and so don't even know what they're saying such that the "atmosphere" doesn't matter.

Well, most of the praise I've heard of it is that there are a lot of explosions and a goofy storyline...something that can improve an already good game, but not much one like Bangai-o with boring gameplay.

But he just said he thought it had good gameplay That sounds like praise right there.

I feel similarly to him. The gameplay definately does have a lot of roots in old-school level progression and design, so it's not all just about the (admittedly simplistic) system you use to blow up the baddies. There's a fair amount of strategy and a whole lot of "how am I going to get past this area without getting completely mauled" moments in the game. Not to mention the boss fights...

I agree with the sentiment about the controls being rough on the DC, however. My thumbs hurt quite a bit after playing it .

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Most of the fun in this game(aside from the chaos) is score-attacking.

I'm sure everyone knows that beating a level without taking a hit gets you a huge point bonus(I mean obviously the detractors spent time attempting this right?). I'll sit down and spend quite awhile trying to get the best scores on each of the many stages. It helps that each stage is varying in it's goals yet still allows for some creative and entertaining gameplay.

The silly story and great soundtrack can only add to the fun.

Some of these people are a bit too serious and negative for these games. I mean really..knocking points off for having engrish and a stupid storyline? 1.8 billion 2D shooters have those in spades..not fair to crap on Treasure just because they want to have fun with it.

Treasure has certainly done better games..but not much better than Bangaioh.(Hell it's certainly easier to get into than say Radiant Silvergun or Ikaruga).

But don't listen to me..I like Light Crusader(And I do too..great Isometric Action-puzzle game).

[superhitachi4]

Sure, I'd say it's worth the cash if you're going to play it. Then again, if you're going to play it, there's probably not much need for a sealed copy. Anyway, it's a pretty interesting game. I still break it out every once in a while, and enjoy it when I'm not playing a traditional vert / horizontal scroller.

[alpha5099]

Preemptive self-plug: I'll be putting up a sales thread soon, tomorrow probably. It'll include an import copy of Bangaioh that's only been played a few times. Everyone check it out.

[Elixir]

Stupid storyline, engrish, repetitive gameplay, and you can breeze through it without collecting anything.

Like I said, it's not worth $50. Who gives a fuck if it's a shmup or not, it still has what I've listed above.

Actually, for a shooter, the gameplay is quite varied. And some of us enjoy Engrish.

Gameplay is quite varied.

Start a level.
Talk to some girl who charges you money for advice.
Run around like a headless chicken.
Fight a boss.

Four steps, repeat process indefinitely with different mazes. That's definitely enough to call a game "varied."

[al138]

Thank you all for your input and suggestions. As far as the sealed copy is concerned, when the used copies are going for such high prices (around $40-$45 after shipping), I almost think its worth the extra $5 to get a brand new copy. Absolutely no worries about the physical quality of the game at that point. Now, if I could find a used copy for around $25-$30--that would be ideal.

Thanks again all!

[Nuke]

Stupid storyline, engrish, repetitive gameplay, and you can breeze through it without collecting anything.

Like I said, it's not worth $50. Who gives a fuck if it's a shmup or not, it still has what I've listed above.

Actually, for a shooter, the gameplay is quite varied. And some of us enjoy Engrish.

Gameplay is quite varied.

Start a level.
Talk to some girl who charges you money for advice.
Run around like a headless chicken.
Fight a boss.

Four steps, repeat process indefinitely with different mazes. That's definitely enough to call a game "varied."

As opposed to: Shoot, dodge bullets, fight boss, repeat.

C'mon, you know it's more complicated than that. And no, no one is forcing you to like the game.

[Pete]

Stupid storyline, engrish, repetitive gameplay, and you can breeze through it without collecting anything.

Like I said, it's not worth $50. Who gives a fuck if it's a shmup or not, it still has what I've listed above.

Actually, for a shooter, the gameplay is quite varied. And some of us enjoy Engrish.

Gameplay is quite varied.

Start a level.
Talk to some girl who charges you money for advice.
Run around like a headless chicken.
Fight a boss.

Four steps, repeat process indefinitely with different mazes. That's definitely enough to call a game "varied."

Well, I guess you can take any game and make it sound like crap with your logic
Dodonpachi: Start level, shoot stuff, dodge stuff, shoot boss, repeat indefinitely.
Super Mario Bros 3: Move on map, Start level, jump on stuff, end level, repeat indefinitely.
etc, etc...
The level design makes the gamplay more varied in Bangaioh, and it also forces you to not "Run around like a headless chicken" in some levels, especially later on.

[Soldato J]

Bangaioh is kick-ass.

Don't hesitate.

[Elixir]

Dodonpachi: Start level, shoot stuff, dodge stuff, shoot boss, repeat indefinitely.

Yes, but there's pre-planned strategy needed for that. For example, take level 2 of dodonpachi. There's this giant whateverthefuck in the middle right of the screen, and as you kill it you gain points. Well, all you do is go up to it, let it die(the closer you are, the faster it emits laser), and dodge the bullets as you come down, down left, up left. Otherwise you have enemies in the direct center shooting at you trailing you along the wall.

C'mon, you know it's more complicated than that.

Here's a strategy: Don't bother using the girl for anything other than the most premeditated mazes because you have Engrishmon with his bullets finding enemies so you don't have to.

There's shmups out there that aren't repetitive at all. Ikaruga for example, isn't at all recycling old material. Obviously you dodge stuff, obviously there's a boss, because without this it wouldn't be a proper game.

Congratulations, welcome to a video game's structure. It isn't my fault that game designers port games to every possible console in it's due time to scrape together the extra cents.

I mean, what is the point of collecting fruit? You're on a timer and there's way too much of it floating around for you to catch all of it, and the engrish is a flaw.

It doesn't apply to "every single game" with my logic actually, but most games. Sonic, Mario, Crash Bandicoot appeal to your most basic-gamers who have the coherency to follow through with the complicated side-scrolling concept. But Sonic, Mario, and Crash Bandicoot aren't scraping the surface of "any game."

Bangai-O didn't really appeal to basic gamers, now, did it?

[Ataru]

It's not worth 5...and it seems to only be praised for its atmosphere even by its fans, and the fact that it's made by Treasure.

that's a straight up ridiculous assertion, Bangai-O! is one of the most enjoyable games I own. I spent many weekends on the couch playing the hell out of it, because the Gauntlet-meets-Robotron-meets-Treasure game mechanics were a joy to play.

The first time I got 999 on the explosion counter, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing, I had no idea it went so high.

It's a fantastic game and definitely worth $50 in terms of how much enjoyment one can get out of it, if not by market demand/scarcity. I own two copies, one I got for $30, the other $15 or so, as the DC market bombed out. I have no idea what it's collector worth is at the moment.

[DeBurgo]

stuff

I don't know what you're talking about, there's plenty of planning and strategy in Bangai-O. The strategy is in the movement and position relative to the level design, not just in which character you use. You're just focusing on battle system, again. There's a lot more to the game than its battle system.

[Acid King]

Well, most of the praise I've heard of it is that there are a lot of explosions and a goofy storyline...something that can improve an already good game, but not much one like Bangai-o with boring gameplay.

You hear about the explosions because they are a central gameplay element, especially in the dreamcast game. It's part of the fun, as someone else mentioned, rushing into a room filled with enemies, letting the screen fill with bullets and unleashinig a hellstorm of firepower that slows the game to a crawl is what it's all about. The N64 game is a bit more methodical because you ahve to collect fruit and the triggering of the super weapon is totally different.

[Zweihander]

Stupid storyline, engrish, repetitive gameplay, and you can breeze through it without collecting anything.

Like I said, it's not worth $50. Who gives a fuck if it's a shmup or not, it still has what I've listed above.

WINNER of the Most Ignorant Comment of the Day Award®!