Bullet Soul - (STG/5pb/Xbox360)

[dcharlie]

TATE CONFIRMED so we can put that rumor to bed now.

i was going to say - even the damned FLIER in shops around TK is TATE!!

[BIL]

I'm still undecided about this game, but it's very cool of the devs that the TATE issue has apparently been resolved pre-release.

[DragonInstall]

this is coming out in just 2 days.. I really like the music and overall presentation this game gives. But still.. its from a company that doesn't make shmups to begin with.

Can't decide whether to pick this game up or not. Why can't their be a demo.

[Annoyboy]

There will be a demo, but the fact that they're delaying putting it online is worrying.

[drunkninja24]

Yeah, I'm just kinda waiting around for the demo as well. Partly because I want to see if the game is worth purchasing, and partly because I can't really be spending a lot of money right now (damn taxes!) and want to play it in some form at least.

[Special World]

I'm in the same boat. There's been an absolute deluge of scrolling shooters lately, and I really can't justify buying it unless I play a solid demo. It does look like a damn fine game, though.

[dcharlie]

i have it on pre-order but i think i'm just stuck in X360 shmup collectionitis now.

[StarCreator]

i have it on pre-order but i think i'm just stuck in X360 shmup collectionitis now.

We should totally start a support group for that.

[apple arcade]

I think I might get the cheaper asian version. (same thing with phantom breaker)

I want both of these games and even though I dont usually like asian versions, the price difference really makes an impact.

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-a12 ... -46tw.html

(affiliate link 25$ cheaper than JP version)

[njiska]

i have it on pre-order but i think i'm just stuck in X360 shmup collectionitis now.

We should totally start a support group for that.

Agreed. At this rate I'm going to have to start whoring just to keep up.

[apple arcade]

i have it on pre-order but i think i'm just stuck in X360 shmup collectionitis now.

We should totally start a support group for that.

Agreed. At this rate I'm going to have to start whoring just to keep up.

Don't worry, after May it's catch up for the rest of the year!

[everlust]

i have it on pre-order but i think i'm just stuck in X360 shmup collectionitis now.

Yeah. =/ I definitely am. Buying everything even though i barely touched any recent releases.
When i do have time, i then can't really decide what to play, so i don't do anything lol.

No demo yet, and it releases soon enough. I'm just gonna blind buy this, and get it shipped together with Eschatos.

[8 1/2]

I forgot to cancel my pre-order for this, and now it's on the way. Reeeeally bad time to spend $90 I didn't mean to spend. I'll post impressions as soon as it arrives.

[Special World]

Just broke down and pre-ordered, because it does look like a really fun game. If it has some sort of system in place other than proximity scoring and special destruction bonuses, then this will easily be worth the pre-order for me. People have been saying that you do get some points for picking up souls, but I watched a video very closely and I'm 95% certain this isn't the case. It was after a boss battle (that's the only time there's not anything else onscreen to shoot, really) and the player's points didn't rise as he went through the dead boss's bullets. That could just be a "no more points after boss defeat" kinda thing, but I dunno. I think it'll be a great shooter either way, but giving you points for canceling or collecting bullets would really put it over the top for me. I already have Futari BL for my proximity scoring needs, and it would seem like a huge waste to not actually do anything with the souls.

[honorless]

it would seem like a huge waste to not actually do anything with the souls.

Who knows if they're right, but NCS had this to say about the matter:

By collecting the ghost bullets, the player's Soul Gauge fills up and the score multiplier is ramped up for mega scoring opportunities.

They also mention the game has a boss rush mode, which I'm guessing is the "Leader Mode" mentioned in the achievements.

[Special World]

Yeah I know, but they also state that Bullet Soul is like Super Star Soldier because it's "a vertical shooter where the enemies swoop in and unleash a barrage of buckshot."

Sounds like SSS to me. And Futari. And Battle Bakraid. And Big Bang Mini Challenge mode...

[drunkninja24]

I think I might get the cheaper asian version. (same thing with phantom breaker)

I want both of these games and even though I dont usually like asian versions, the price difference really makes an impact.

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-a12 ... -46tw.html

(affiliate link 25$ cheaper than JP version)

Wow, this actually makes this game WAAAAAAY more tempting. I have a J360, but I'd like to know of the Asian disc is region-free as well, so I could play it on a friend's 360 if needed.

[Zeron]

I really like the soundtrack

[Annoyboy]

Gameplay footage of the first two stages with the girl. Not that we haven't seen them in the official trailers already. At least we get to see the menus and stuff.

Edit: Here's someone playing stage 2 with the eyepatch guy, apparently this is currently the top score.

[evil_ash_xero]

Looks like it has an overabundance of bullet cancelling.

[TodayIsForgotten]

Looks like a moving comic book. It does seem like way too much bullet cancelling. For $80 I would hope there are other game modes that don't utlize this. Roll on Eschatos.

[whoozwah]

the difference in the quality of play between the person using the girl and the person using the eyepatch guy is pretty startling. Was I imagining things when I was watching eyepatch guy's multiplier go up dramatically faster that the girls mainly because he was playing it like a close proximity game?

[Special World]

the difference in the quality of play between the person using the girl and the person using the eyepatch guy is pretty startling. Was I imagining things when I was watching eyepatch guy's multiplier go up dramatically faster that the girls mainly because he was playing it like a close proximity game?

The game has been confirmed to have proximity scoring. People seem to hate that kind of thing, so I'm hoping for 5pb's sake that there's something else in place as well.

ED: Also, what the hell does 5pb's slogan mean? "The five powered and Games"? What the hell is that?

[whoozwah]

I kinda like proximity scoring. Ketsui being what turned me onto it. It's a different kind of game though. I'm not a top level player or anything so I usually stay at the bottom of the screen but playing those kinda games puts me on edge and forces me to get better at dodging.

[Special World]

I kinda like proximity scoring. Ketsui being what turned me onto it. It's a different kind of game though. I'm not a top level player or anything so I usually stay at the bottom of the screen but playing those kinda games puts me on edge and forces me to get better at dodging.

I'm perfectly fine with proximity scoring. It's just that games like Futari and Ketsui have extra systems in place over the proximity. In Ketsui you have the lock-on maintaining your 5 chips. In Futari you have enemies bleeding gems which then grow in value once you hit 9999, giving extra incentive to play really aggressive. Bullet Soul seems like it only has a flat amount you get for killing an enemy at close range, whereas it would benefit from an extra system, such as constant gauge filling as you shoot+kill enemies at close range, or a system where canceling more bullets raises your gauge higher, significantly adding to the risk/reward. I could be completely wrong about how the gauge works since I'm just speculating from videos, but I like speculating since I'm just sitting here waiting for my copy to arrive. Damn the weekend, making me wait till Monday.

[moozooh]

Bullet Soul also has a wide assortment of bonuses which add up quite nicely. What does the multiplier actually multiply, btw? Is it just enemies' value or the canceled bullets' "souls" value (more likely)?

[BIL]

Also, what the hell does 5pb's slogan mean? "The five powered and Games"? What the hell is that?

Probably something similar to an Insanity Naked Hunter. ^_~

[honorless]

Site updated with (among other things) information on the second loop. I'm working off machine translation here, but it looks like you have to earn at least seven stars across the five stages. Stars correspond to the medals awarded at the end of each stage: silver = 1 star, gold = 2 stars, platinum = 3 stars.

If you didn't click the link or notice, there's a big fat DLC banner on the front page now as well. No real information, but the text describing what they've got planned is in English unlike virtually everything else on the site...so it seems to me like 5pb will try to make it available worldwide, Futari BL style. Since a new mode is mentioned, maybe it'll be something new and substantial instead of unlock key bullshit.

While I'm here: somebody on nicovideo put up a full run. Stages 3, 4 and 5. They end with no lives and no bombs, heh.

[emphatic]

While I'm here: somebody on nicovideo put up a full run. Stages 3, 4 and 5. They end with no lives and no bombs, heh.

Wow, that stage 3 mid-boss is so badass it pushes a smaller mid-boss to the side to get to kick your ass. This game really looks amazing btw, I can't wait.

[DragonInstall]

levels are long in this game.

Hopefully this game is good.

Really like the music as well and the bullet patterns look quite refreshing.