Kaneda has written an article on DDP II which can be found here. (Pimpin ain't easy and all that.)
Now I haven't played the game yet, even though I am a big DDP fan, because apparently it hasn't been emulated and I am not into the PCB-buying scene. At least not yet.
Have any of you played this game? If so, what do you make of the article in question and the game in general?
DoDonPachi II revisited
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SAM
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DDP II is written by a Taiwan Compnay TLS. It is not a Cave production.
This TLS, did some out sourcing jobs for Cave, and they are still doing this recently.
It was said that they got lancened to write a DDP game and they even got the source code of DDP to work on the new game. But they are not Cave, and DDP II don't play like DDP at all.
The ships' weaponary are pointless, they all plays the same. The bullets partern is awaken, they look like Cave's partern but once you would found it borning in dodaging them. It simply not feeling right.
This TLS, did some out sourcing jobs for Cave, and they are still doing this recently.
It was said that they got lancened to write a DDP game and they even got the source code of DDP to work on the new game. But they are not Cave, and DDP II don't play like DDP at all.
The ships' weaponary are pointless, they all plays the same. The bullets partern is awaken, they look like Cave's partern but once you would found it borning in dodaging them. It simply not feeling right.
*Meow* I am as serious as a cat could possible be. *Meow*
I really like it, although there is a lot wrong with it. There aren't too many "popcorn" enemies, which is something I really like about DDP & DOJ. The combo meter is far more forgiving, so instead of breaking the chain it goes down slowly. The rehashed graphics are a bit dissapointing too.
I REALLY like the bullet buzzing aspect though, and I enjoyed it more here than I did in Psyvariar 2. I love any game where you can reap huge scores as well. Oh and the soundtrack in Bee Storm is fantastic.
So yeah, it's more DDP remix than a full on sequel, but I was pleasently surprised, and it's quite cheap.
I REALLY like the bullet buzzing aspect though, and I enjoyed it more here than I did in Psyvariar 2. I love any game where you can reap huge scores as well. Oh and the soundtrack in Bee Storm is fantastic.
So yeah, it's more DDP remix than a full on sequel, but I was pleasently surprised, and it's quite cheap.
Ikaruga review now up in PLASMA BLOSSOM
Some of those images appear fake and unrealistic. They need to make a sequel where you can actually curve yourselves into learning bullet patterns, not forcing you to die regardless.
I haven't actively browsed/used this forum in many years and it's no longer an accurate representation of me.
I have retired from genre-specific content creation after 13 years, but I'll always love this little genre in my own personal way.
I have retired from genre-specific content creation after 13 years, but I'll always love this little genre in my own personal way.
I've got it, and pretty much agree with Kaneda's review. My expectations were low, and knew it was not going to be "cave like" in play. Its definately manic, and quite difficult at times when enemy placement and patterns are not logical like cave games. 
Grazing bullets and figuring out tricks for high scoring is also quite fun.
Grazing bullets and figuring out tricks for high scoring is also quite fun.-
Grinning Cat
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*cough* www.click-stick.comicycalm wrote:Does Kaneda even post here? Do you guys know him?
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Grinning Cat
- Posts: 198
- Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:51 pm
Re: DoDonPachi II revisited
I found a rom of it for MAME a little while ago, but it was unplayable. The enemies didn't shoot, and either the screen would get messed up (be covered up by fuzzy-colored things) or the ship would disappear.icycalm wrote:Now I haven't played the game yet, even though I am a big DDP fan, because apparently it hasn't been emulated and I am not into the PCB-buying scene. At least not yet.
I was so happy when I found it, because I wanted to try it, but alas, the emulation was no good.
People don't bash it because it's a bad game, they bash it because it's not true to the series. Even though it's "cannon" i (and most other DDP players!) don't feel it's a true DDP game.
They simply cahnged to much of the gameplay to really consider it a sequel. If they had made it a different game, with original graphics, t would have come across as a game mildly inspired by DDP with a chunk of Raizing style bomb exploitation thrown it, with a fresh (optional!) buzz mechanic.
They simply cahnged to much of the gameplay to really consider it a sequel. If they had made it a different game, with original graphics, t would have come across as a game mildly inspired by DDP with a chunk of Raizing style bomb exploitation thrown it, with a fresh (optional!) buzz mechanic.
So people judge the game not based on its actual merits, but on how much of a DDP retread it is? And when it turned out that it actually played differently, people hated it?
Am I reading this right?
Talk about picking nits. If the game is good, it's good. Why complain that it doesn't play exactly like DDP? DDP already existed.
Am I reading this right?
Talk about picking nits. If the game is good, it's good. Why complain that it doesn't play exactly like DDP? DDP already existed.
Well they have an exscuse for Super mario 64. they shifted the game from 2d to 3d when they did it. SUper Mario Bros was nothing liek Mario Bros either. First it jumped form single screen to scrolling screen with a big change in gameplay (let's just forget SMB2, which was rallyanother game rethemed). then there was the shift from 2d to 3d, and the addiion of the multi-objective idea.
But other attempts to do the same thing faltered badly, like the n64 Castlevania games.
And DDP2 didn't change the genre ANY. it's still a manic vertical shooter, so they have no excse t totally change many of the gameplay mechanics. And it wasn't even made by Cave themselves. If the company had any goood DDP players around them oto advise them, the game would have turned out very different. as near as I can el, they were told rudimentart Pachi gameplay, and told to go make a sequel. And they reycled most of the gfx from the original when they did it.
When a game is a sequel to a good game, it is NEVER judged on it's own merits. that' sjust how the world is. Because it had the Pachi name on it, certain gameplay things that have been kept beween the first two are expeced to be carrried through the series.
Judged on it's own merits, it's a good challenging game, but not a great one. Judged in comparision to the greatness that is DDP and DDP3, it falls flat on it's ass.
But other attempts to do the same thing faltered badly, like the n64 Castlevania games.
And DDP2 didn't change the genre ANY. it's still a manic vertical shooter, so they have no excse t totally change many of the gameplay mechanics. And it wasn't even made by Cave themselves. If the company had any goood DDP players around them oto advise them, the game would have turned out very different. as near as I can el, they were told rudimentart Pachi gameplay, and told to go make a sequel. And they reycled most of the gfx from the original when they did it.
When a game is a sequel to a good game, it is NEVER judged on it's own merits. that' sjust how the world is. Because it had the Pachi name on it, certain gameplay things that have been kept beween the first two are expeced to be carrried through the series.
Judged on it's own merits, it's a good challenging game, but not a great one. Judged in comparision to the greatness that is DDP and DDP3, it falls flat on it's ass.