Deathsmiles PAL release (DATED: Feb 18th)

[JDE]

Here are some of the depressing reviews that fall into the category of "missed the point"... Wonder how many more we can expect like these?

Well Eurogamer's review of Guwange was surprisingly clued up, so hopefully their Deathsmiles one will follow suit. At the very least, Spadgy and Skykid are obviously well informed and their reviews will reach a wide audience. But even if there are a lot of negative reviews, I think the game should do quite well simply because of the attractive price point and sheer volume of stuff you get.

[RNGmaster]

sheer volume of stuff

But these reviews show that most mainstream reviewers (and mainstream gamers, for that matter) credit-feed, and then say "It's short, so it sucks (tm)". I honestly don't think most people will recognize that there is a lot of content there.

[Skykid]

ULTIMATE FINAL SLOWDOWN VERDICT:

Nnnngh... difficult. I showed a vid to EOJ, who knows the most about slowdown across the two existing versions and he believes it looks the same as the Japanese original rather than the NA version. I'm inclined to agree.
I did several inconclusive tests yesterday, with videos and version swapping, and although some sections had me unsure, for the most part I believed they were producing the same slowdown (that's the JP and EU versions tested.)
EOJ suggested several sections to try, and most seemed to correlate with the original slowdown except one that really stumped me: MBL 1.1.
According to EOJ this was the one with a gulf of difference between the NA and JP, with the NA running 50% faster and the JP having lots of slowdown. However, the EU version of this mode featured hardly any slowdown I could see, which confused me. It didn't seem sped up at all, just no slowdown of note at any point, even on heavier boss patterns.

By law of averages though, there's more pointing at the EU version having returned the correct slowdown into the mix, so that's where I'm putting my bets until someone proves otherwise.
I'd just like to say I'm incredibly impressed that Rising Star would listen to fan feedback on this topic and work to reinstate slowdown. They deserve big applause for that.

[msm]

^ nice work on the slowdown investigation, great to hear it's more like the Japanese version.

not sure if the background is random but zavvi is totally deathsmiles branded for me:

http://www.zavvi.com/home.dept

anyone at the hut big shmup fans or something?

[DrTrouserPlank]

^ nice work on the slowdown investigation, great to hear it's more like the Japanese version.

not sure if the background is random but zavvi is totally deathsmiles branded for me:

http://www.zavvi.com/home.dept

anyone at the hut big shmup fans or something?

Similarly in the Xbox section of ShopTo

http://www.shopto.net/XBOX%20360/

Promotion like that will help raise awareness because it's not the sort of game that most people will have heard about, let alone go looking for.

[JDE]

Awesome news about the slowdown Skykid, RSG really do deserve a round of applause.
Also, Deathsmiles is currently one of the Top Xbox 360 Pre-orders on Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/eMKNQe

[BPzeBanshee]

I'm spitting chips now. I feel stupid because I cant find anywhere I can get Deathsmiles for even importing to Australia much less getting it here. I made a Twitter account just to pester GAME Australia about it since they have it on their website but with no details or anything. Hopefully I'll get a reply with some more info on whether they'll even bother. I'm worried Australia's going to get missed completely at this point.
Anyone from Australia preordered it from somewhere they trust? I might just do whatever you guys are doing at this point, though I feel like if I really have to resort to an online import I'm going to get screwed over in some way or another since all the websites are like "Paypal Credit Card or GTFO".

[cools]

I'm pretty sure one of the EU members here would be happy to middleman a copy for you if you asked nicely I'd offer but work is dominating my life at the moment.

Looking forward to playing MBL now I'm used to vanilla.

[BPzeBanshee]

I'm pretty sure one of the EU members here would be happy to middleman a copy for you if you asked nicely I'd offer but work is dominating my life at the moment.

Looking forward to playing MBL now I'm used to vanilla.

That's a brilliant idea, thanks for the suggestion. I'll ask around.

[spadgy]

Hats off to the Guardian. I don't think I could have found a less interesting screenshot of Deathsmiles if I tried.

Do you have to be so fucking negative about everything? All it tells me is that you're probably a depressed, miserable c**t in your own personal life.

Come on Paradigm. That was excessively antagonistic and frankly unnecessary. And if you're going to drop a c-bomb, save it for the real c-bombs. If we apply it to a guy like bcass, what are we going to call Japhei?

And bcass - I think it was a case of there not being many print quality public domain screens from the PAL version to choose from. I think The Observer/Guardian deserve lots of credit for being open minded enough to give the biggest space that week for games to what is a relatively obscure release over here.

(For non-UK readers, The Guardian and The Observer are the same publication - The Observer is the Sunday issue of The Guardian. And I freelance to them - I'm not employed by them).

Like Skykid, I feel meek about pimping my published work here (though I do force copies of Develop magazine on JDE!) and I'll rarely link to my Observer stuff here, but screw it - I'm going to here. Being frank I'm excited to have got a Cave review published, and I'd also be very interested in feedback from very knowledgeable Cave fans on how I covered Deathsmiles for a very consumer audience. Be as harsh as like if you care to...

EDIT: I guess I should put a link to the review in Here it is!

[bcass]

Don't worry spadgy, I wasn't having a go at you, it was just an off the cuff comment about the Guardian. Paradigm's brainless retort revealed far more about him than it did about me.

As far as this release is concerned, it probably doesn't have to sell that well does it really to prove the point that the Western market for these titles is larger than Cave's dwindling domestic market. It would appear that the US release has already outsold the JP release, so any additional sales from Europe will just help prove the point further.

[Drachenherz]

Hats off to the Guardian. I don't think I could have found a less interesting screenshot of Deathsmiles if I tried.

Do you have to be so fucking negative about everything? All it tells me is that you're probably a depressed, miserable c**t in your own personal life.

Come on Paradigm. That was excessively antagonistic and frankly unnecessary. And if you're going to drop a c-bomb, save it for the real c-bombs. If we apply it to a guy like bcass, what are we going to call Japhei?

And bcass - I think it was a case of there not being many print quality public domain screens from the PAL version to choose from. I think The Observer/Guardian deserve lots of credit for being open minded enough to give the biggest space that week for games to what is a relatively obscure release over here.

(For non-UK readers, The Guardian and The Observer are the same publication - The Observer is the Sunday issue of The Guardian. And I freelance to them - I'm not employed by them).

Like Skykid, I feel meek about pimping my published work here (though I do force copies of Develop magazine on JDE!) and I'll rarely link to my Observer stuff here, but screw it - I'm going to here. Being frank I'm excited to have got a Cave review published, and I'd also be very interested in feedback from very knowledgeable Cave fans on how I covered Deathsmiles for a very consumer audience. Be as harsh as like if you care to...

EDIT: I guess I should put a link to the review in Here it is!

This is not a reivew, but a Hymn of praise on cave.

Good to see this in mainstream media.

i like.

[Skykid]

EDIT: I guess I should put a link to the review in Here it is!

Lol, I love your blindness man, didn't you notice someone linked your review ages ago?

My coverage at Lovefilm is up. Please keep in mind I had to try to make a rounded review that had enough backstory to be interesting, but not too much of the hardcore shmup lexicon to make people wanna walk away.

Here it be.

[spadgy]

Don't worry spadgy, I wasn't having a go at you, it was just an off the cuff comment about the Guardian.

I didn't take it that way at all bcass. No worries!

Paradigm's brainless retort revealed far more about him than it did about me.

Yep!

This is not a reivew, but a Hymn of praise on cave.

While I have no problem with the fact the review is very positive (I absolutely adore the game) I hope it comes across as a reasoned review rather just fanboy gushing!

EDIT: You're right Skykid. I'd just plain forgotten Zeron's post. I could have got away with not coming across as so shamelessly self-promoting if I'd remembered that!

By the way - you did well with your wordcount! All that in 570wds! Good work!

[Drachenherz]

I was just playing with you spadgy.

Kudos to both of you, skykid and spadgy, your reviews show in short words how awesome a good shooting game is, especially the cave kind of stg... And I like how you stretch the fact that these games shouldn't be credit-fed to get the most of them.

Thank you both.

[Jockel]

A friend of mine is reviewing this game for gaming-universe.de, I'll make sure that it turns out decent enough
Just make the praise viral, this could be big.

[Smraedis]

Thumbs up to spadgy and Skykid for their reviews. I'm sure it'd take my interest if I wasn't even interested in the genre!

[spadgy]

Finally played the retail PAL version. Skykid - did you find that Score Attack scores didn't yet upload to the leaderboards? Im'm sure that's something that will change on release day (when I'm in Canada without my 360!).

I was hoping to swan into to a nice high position before release!

[kirby2096]

Another UK review is up: here
It got marks off for the slowdown.

[Skykid]

Finally played the retail PAL version. Skykid - did you find that Score Attack scores didn't yet upload to the leaderboards? Im'm sure that's something that will change on release day (when I'm in Canada without my 360!).

I was hoping to swan into to a nice high position before release!

Yes, same. They craftily shafted us on that one.

Another UK review is up: here
It got marks off for the slowdown.

Interesting review, not altogether bad but a shame people still misunderstand the concepts of slowdown and single credit play, and then profess it to others.
Most interesting was the 'distastefulness' of the sexy maids. I was wondering how non Loli initiated parties would take to DS girls in the west - I guess that's it.

Can't really blame them for that one though.

[dan76]

Another review - he gives it 8/10

http://www.gamereactor.eu/reviews/6481/Death+Smiles/

[DrTrouserPlank]

Here's another 8/10.

It's being featured on the HotUKDeals blogs link section.

http://www.dealspwn.com/deathsmiles-del ... on-review/

[StarCreator]

Definitely agree on the point of infinite continues - if the game shipped with the continues needing to be unlocked, the game would be taken a lot more seriously.

[gum_drops]

Definitely agree on the point of infinite continues - if the game shipped with the continues needing to be unlocked, the game would be taken a lot more seriously.

I agree it would force some people who usually don't replay games to focus on improving their skills instead of just credit feeding to the end and saying, "thats it?"

[NzzpNzzp]

Interesting review, not altogether bad but a shame people still misunderstand the concepts of slowdown and single credit play, and then profess it to others.

Y'know, he might understand that the slowdown is intentional and necessary but still not like it. It's possible to do so.

[Skykid]

Interesting review, not altogether bad but a shame people still misunderstand the concepts of slowdown and single credit play, and then profess it to others.

Y'know, he might understand that the slowdown is intentional and necessary but still not like it. It's possible to do so.

Okay...?

[Skykid]

Dudes, keep the thread free of preorder stuff please, there's a long running history on this forum of people getting very irritated when preorder business and arrival dates clutter up topic threads.

Emphatic created a lovely thread primarily to keep discussion clean so please use that one.

[msm]

anyone seen any all rank 1 replays on youtube or anything like that? i'm trying to get some people to try it but it seems hard to convince anyone that it really does have good adjustable difficulty, people just think it looks too hard I have tried youtube but everything i've seen seems to be rank 3.

[Drachenherz]

Btw, which one is the normal, standard rank?

[Skykid]

Btw, which one is the normal, standard rank?

I would say probably Rank 2. Rank 1 is considered very easy and Rank 3 reasonably tough.