DonPachi!

[Blackbird]

I just got this game, I'm really excited! Not only is this the first Cave game that I've played, but also the first "bullet hell" game (Touhou doesn't count).

After a test run, I can say it was a lot of fun! It felt a lot like Raiden - The Extreme Edition, lol. I was using the C-Type ship, so there were a lot of times where I got the "just a little too slow to run away from that bullet" effect, which is very Raiden-like. I really enjoy the controls. Using tap for rapid/spread shot and hold for focus/laser is really intuitive and fun. I can see why it became such a popular control scheme. The bomb effects also look awesome.

I noticed some distortion in the sound effects - some of the narrator's comments, specifically. Is this inherent to the Saturn port, or is this a problem specific to my setup? I don't think it's the disk, it looks pretty clean except for a few minor scratches.

Edit: Bloody hell. The first thing my brother does when he sees the game: "Hey man, what's the manual look like?" *traps the spine card in the hinge of the CD case, folding it* At least I was able to un-fold it with no apparent worse for the wear =/.

[Klatrymadon]

Your disc's fine, mate; some of the sound effects and voice samples are really scratchy and weird in the Saturn version.

[Blackbird]

Thanks for confirming that. I figured as much, since MegaMan X4 had been working flawlessly just an hour ago, but I wanted to rule out some kind of problem since it's new kit.

[hwl]

Gratz on your purchase. I came (back) to shmups through MAME, and the first game I played was DonPachi! It was also the first shmup I 1cc'ed ever (1st loop), and all I can say is I love it. Although the first 3 stages get boring quite fast, I still think it's the perfect introduction to bullet hell and one of the best games to introduce new players to the genre. I'd really love to see it get more attention, even if the praise for it's successor DoDonpachi is quite understandable, as it's difficulty/learning curve seems to be a bit flatter/more fair and more satisfying than DonPachi's. Well, it's the first Cave Game after all, and it's a very, very memorable shmup, even besides this fact, imo.

[antron]

"watch out rookie!"

[TransatlanticFoe]

The difficulty spike after stage 3 is pretty intense the first few times you encounter it. This wasn't my first bullet hell (that was Giga Wing on the DC) but it was my second. Can't get past the stage 4 boss on one credit thus far.

I can't stand the C ship though. Maybe it's better for later in the game, but I find it horrible to use.

As for sound distortion, I thought this might be an artefact of playing with a convertor cart. My first JP Saturn games were the Gundam Side Story trilogy and there's a tonne of echo on the speech. I just assumed the distortion on Donpachi was for a similar reason.

[Klatrymadon]

Could be, actually! I've only ever played this port with a dodgy Action Replay cart and a modified Saturn.

[Blackbird]

That's entirely possible. I'm using a cart to run JPN games on my US Saturn as well. I wonder if anyone here has a native JPN Saturn that could test it for comparison?

[BIL]

I'm pretty sure the Saturn DP port's sfx are just flawed - they're complained about everywhere. Even the original PCB itself is known to have low-quality music.

[Blackbird]

Guess we can just chalk it up to awkward port + Cave's inexperience with sound on their first effort. Even still, the gameplay is really fun, and compared to the PCB, I'm perfectly happy to accept some minor flaws in the name of affordability.

[R-Gray 1]

I played Donpachi few months ago....on Arcade...and was very nice! I liked this game....and is a 90s game
I would like play this game on Mame, I just played Dodonpachi portable mame version, very good too.

[professor ganson]

Nice acquisition, Blackbird! Apart from Ibara, DonPachi is my favorite Cave game. I like how the difficulty ramps up only gradually, and the overall look of the game is just classic. Have you been playing the game in tate display?

[chempop]

Strangely enough, Donpachi is the only Cave port I haven't owned or ever played for that matter!
I've been on the lookout for a cheap Saturn copy, just haven't gotten around to finding one yet.

[Blackbird]

Nice acquisition, Blackbird! Apart from Ibara, DonPachi is my favorite Cave game. I like how the difficulty ramps up only gradually, and the overall look of the game is just classic. Have you been playing the game in tate display?

Nope. I've got an old, heavy projection TV, and I'm not sure if rotating it would make it explode or not. So I've avoided that for the moment. I am considering investing in a tate-friendly TV/monitor, though, if I could find the right one for the right price.

EDIT: By the way, I've noticed that this game has several difficulty settings, ranging from Easy to Ultra Hard. The default appears to be "Little Easy". How do these settings correspond to the Arcade version? Is it directly comparable, or would it be better to think of them as completely different games?