Xbox 360: Akai Katana Shin (May 2011)

[fagin]

Looks amazing on the cab.....

If you turn the wide option off then it will expand to fullscreen but none of your screen adjustments will work (they work fine when its in widescreen). Luckily on a cab it isnt an issue:

This is only in ARCADE mode though.... the other two modes don't allow full screen zoom on a 4:3 screen. The other two modes are 16:9 biased regardless of the options used.

[ratsflif]

Yeah, the other 2 are 16x9 only so you wouldnt want to zoom fullscreen, you would miss have the action. You can zoom and get rid of the borders though:

[fagin]

I think we are at crossed purposes here.

What I meant to say is that in the other two modes (not ARCADE) you can't get a fullscreen play area on a 4:3 screen. Regardless of whether you use any options or your chassis adjustment. You can't get rid of the borders on the other two modes whilst using a 4:3 screen by any means. Thus... this is not fullscreeen.

[ratsflif]

I think we are at crossed purposes here.

What I meant to say is that in the other two modes (not ARCADE) you can't get a fullscreen play area on a 4:3 screen. Regardless of whether you use any options or your chassis adjustment. You can't get rid of the borders on the other two modes whilst using a 4:3 screen by any means. Thus... this is not fullscreeen.

Im talking about the border that was around the screen in the demo

[Skykid]

Looks amazing on the cab.....

If you turn the wide option off then it will expand to fullscreen but none of your screen adjustments will work (they work fine when its in widescreen). Luckily on a cab it isnt an issue

Sweet, thanks for this. Can't wait for it now, although it'll probably be a while before my Obsessed Loser Edition turns up. I'll be patient.

[chempop]

Obsessed Loser Edition

LOL

Oh, and to you guys running this on cabs....
sorry,I'm just angry I missed a chance to score a NAC this week, maybe I'll settle for a mvs-u4.

[dan76]

If you're lucky enough to be playing this in a cab then proper full screen shouldn't be a problem with manual adjustments. Still a pain though. Looks much better with the smoothing OFF on a crt.

[Rupert H]

Can't wait for it now, although it'll probably be a while before my Obsessed Loser Edition turns up. I'll be patient.

I'm waiting for that one too.

[cools]

Looks fine on a cab.

[fagin]

Looks fine on a cab.

It never crossed my mind to try it in my Lindy...... however if I did that I would need to show my PS3 daylight again and we can't have that can we! My Lindy is for PS3 beat'em ups.

[cools]

You should, it's awesome. Scaling the screen up to remove the borders works beautifully

Verdict on port (arcade version): it's very nearly spot on - the slowdown isn't quite as extreme as the PCB but it's close, in all the right places and with no nasty jump out of crawl. More than acceptable for score comparisons.

[cools]

Zatsu/Arcade seems just like arcade mode except maybe a bit harder and in 16:9.

Man, this mode is absolutely awesome. Not used to Shin yet but can't fault this.

[emphatic]

Zatsu/Arcade seems just like arcade mode except maybe a bit harder and in 16:9.

Man, this mode is absolutely awesome. Not used to Shin yet but can't fault this.

Welcome to the awesome but dirty world of console in a cab.

[cools]

I don't have a HD TV - I'm pretending it's an LCD + arcade stick

Zetsu mode would suck on a CRT

Anyway, elitism aside - fantastic game.

[TonK]

@Dave_K, I was wondering what was up with not being able to put my initials in myself, then I remember MMP/PS not letting me either. I keep thinking that maybe I'm missing something since the text is all Japanese.

@Tonk, what's wrong with ncsx, ups will get it to you from them in a few days tops. Sounds crazy to order from Play-Asia when there are piles of copies in NY.

I'll just wait it out.

Called JVG - by the time I order from NCS, my copy will be here.

Can't wait to play it though.

[Kiken]

Verdict on port (arcade version): it's very nearly spot on - the slowdown isn't quite as extreme as the PCB but it's close, in all the right places and with no nasty jump out of crawl. More than acceptable for score comparisons.

Yeah, I noticed that the port didn't violently chug like the PCB does here and there. Also, the chain counter glitch is still in.

[DragonInstall]

What would happen if i tried to dl the first print dlc with my american account?

[MachineAres 1CC]

What would happen if i tried to dl the first print dlc with my american account?

An error message, like every other piece of Japanese DLC. I can't believe people still ask this question about 75 times every time a new game comes out and still get the same answers.

[DragonInstall]

Thanks for the info. I'll keep that in mind about japanese DLC codes.

[Skykid]

Can't wait for it now, although it'll probably be a while before my Obsessed Loser Edition turns up. I'll be patient.

I'm waiting for that one too.

I think you'll probably get yours before I get mine.

Looks fine on a cab.

cools you rockin' a Lindy now?

That's quite the collection you have going there.

[cools]

Yes.

[8 1/2]

Ok, I'm an idiot, but how do you select between modes?

[ex.machina]

Ok, I'm an idiot, but how do you select between modes?

Use left/right on the title screen where you start a game to switch between three different modes.

Edit: You will notice the background is changing.

[Never_Scurred]

Looks fine on a cab.

It never crossed my mind to try it in my Lindy...... however if I did that I would need to show my PS3 daylight again and we can't have that can we! My Lindy is for PS3 beat'em ups.

Quoted for sexiness.

[DragonInstall]

So I recorded all 3 endings and wondering if someone who knows Japanese can tell me whats going on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkj96JPkMoc

I do have a pretty good guess, but not entirely sure.

[SuperPang]

Anyone else getting stuttering audio with Dolby Digital turned on? It goes away when I change to PCM stereo in the dash.
Which email address to I use to inform Keibu?

[BulletMagnet]

Had a bit of time with this one, my thoughts so far...

- My once-thought-dormant "I don't need to bomb, hurrrrrr" handicap is back with a vengeance again...when I've got "person mode" in my arsenal I always seem to forget that I also have smart bombs to help me out, and that using them isn't nearly as detrimental to my score as in a lot of other Cave games either. I've yet to die without bombs in stock (well, expect for when they're all spent on a last-ditch autobomb, which I think is a nice "compromise" to implement)...not the game's fault, but it does make each death even more frustrating. Gonna hafta retrain myself again...

- In most shooters I can mess around comfortably with different types of selectable fighters, but in Progear I quickly abandoned the "slow, wide shot" guy in favor of the "quick, narrow shot" guy, and have done the exact same thing here: I have no idea why, but in these two side-scrollers (not so much an issue in Deathsmiles, funnily enough) I feel much better-equipped when I sacrifice coverage for raw speed. I also like being able to lock the option in place, which you apparently can't do with the "middle-of-the-road" fighter...

- Speaking of Deathsmiles...c'mon Cave, you had no problem putting in "warning" markers for enemies approaching from odd angles there, why are you suddenly throwing us to the insta-death wolves again? And yes, all of you "dying from out of nowhere makes you MANLY HARDCORE" chest-thumpers can plant your superior lips squarely on my blasphemous kiester. Bullet visibility is also occasionally suspect - the first boss's slim pink bullets, for instance, turn a red that blends in with the background when it crosses your "option".

- All in all, though, I like the way things work here a bit better than in Progear, since timely enemy-based bullet-cancels don't seem as essential for pure survival, and can gradually be worked into scoring as you get better...still getting the hang of both that and building up energy most efficiently, though. "Shin" mode is fun too, though in that case I need to learn to control the "gotta build EVERYTHING up to maximum before spending any of it!" instinct that's cost me so dearly in Espgaluda...not to mention stop getting killed at "point-blank" range so freaking often.

- Aesthetically the game is fine, though not a standout IMO...the absence of a lower-res "arcade" mode for CRTs doesn't bother me too much (though it would have been nice), but I don't think the "antique war machines plus ninja mysticism" theme quite gels the way the designers hoped it would, especially when paired with the somewhat generic (though not bad) rock soundtrack. Maybe they need a sequel to really "nail" it, as they did with Galuda...

- There's a partial translation up on cave-stg's forums, but I'm still having trouble figuring out exactly what all the different menu options and such do...anyone planning on posting the whole thing in English to help us hapless white devils out?

That's all I can think to say for the moment...will play more later on.

[chempop]

After a few more sessions with this I'm getting the swing of things, Arcade/Zetsu mode are pretty laid back difficulty wise, a good change of pace if you've been pulling your hair out from Pink Sweets for the past couple months.

This ships are quite varied, I'm playing the best with type 3, but I'm scoring better with type 2, type 1 is my weakest on both fronts - BulletMagnet's favorite is my least I seems.

I'm really pissed about arcade zoom zoom issue, I've resorted to Zetsu but I like how is looks in 4:3 a while lot more, everything is huge and the action is much more intense in a narrower field. I'll try not to bring it up again, but it's such a disappointing oversight on Cave's behalf.

I've discovered something rather cool while watching my own replay, by pressing select button houngan start playing exactly where the replay is. Was this feature in other games? If so I never knew about it.

Came damn near beating the stage 6 boss in Zetsu mode, not sure if it has multiple forms, but I hope so because it was kinda lackluster. Maybe there are 7 stages though, I have no idea.

The menus aren't that troublesome like I thought they were going to be at first. Okay back to playing, hope everyone else gets their copies soon!

[JOW]

I'm really pissed about arcade zoom zoom issue, I've resorted to Zetsu but I like how is looks in 4:3 a while lot more, everything is huge and the action is much more intense in a narrower field. I'll try not to bring it up again, but it's such a disappointing oversight on Cave's behalf

I don't have the game yet but this one really does sound like a bug (in that the zoom appears to work in the config screen but is magically reverted when you enter the game). I hope so anyway as they are more likely to fix a bug than an 'oversight' (such as the fucking ridiculous inability to enter your tag in the high score table ).

I've discovered something rather cool while watching my own replay, by pressing select button houngan start playing exactly where the replay is. Was this feature in other games? If so I never knew about it.

Only Guwange as far as I know.

[dan76]

Anyone else getting stuttering audio with Dolby Digital turned on? It goes away when I change to PCM stereo in the dash.
Which email address to I use to inform Keibu?

I'm not sure if this is the right address but this was used for the region free pleading many moons ago: blog360@mail.cave.co.jp

Issues so far seem to be the 4:3 zoom function, sound stuttering with Dolby Digital and not being able to enter initials (which I guess is intentional).