Strike Suit Zero

[Gespenst]

Perhaps this is as close as we can get to Omega Boost remake?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGwW_S0k6Pc

Although the fact that you must fill a certain bar first to transform into mecha mode is....a bit awkward.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Reminds me of SW: Rogue Squadron II and Freelancer.

[Drum]

They really, really need a better name for that meter. Or just ditch the meter concept altogether. I can see a lot of the people who would be most interested in a game like this would have a big issue with that.

[Daigohji]

Looks decent. I've never understood why the Colony Wars series was abandoned after PS1, so it's nice to see a new game in this vein showing up.

[ST Dragon]

Looks decent. I've never understood why the Colony Wars series was abandoned after PS1, so it's nice to see a new game in this vein showing up.

Did you actually like that series? I found part 1 way too repetitive after some levels, so at some point I ditched it and never actually completed it.
The graphics were great for its time though.

Omega Boost also felt boring as well as the 2 Macross / Robotech games on the PS-1 / PS-2.

Zone of the Enders 1 & 2 was ok, but the gameplay was heavily restricted and linear for being on rails and a tight story driven script from point A to point B, like modern day linear FPS.

So I've yet to play a decent Mecha 3D shooter game.

[Specineff]

ST Dragon, give Colony Wars 3 a whirl. It has a bit more variety than the other two, plus customization options.

IIRC, the creators of Colony Wars moved onto either Warthog or Digital Anvil to create StarLancer. Though I feel Studio Liverpool would be a great choice to make an update to the series. Co-op online FTW.

[null1024]

@ST Dragon:
I loved Omega Boost, although the earlier stages are definitely a bit boring [like, the first 2, then it gets a bit more interesting]. Haven't played the Macross games though.
And ZOE feels like a somewhat less intense, more story driven Omega Boost. Still great though. Haven't played ZOE2 though.


Regarding this game, it looks nice, it heavily reminds me of Omega Boost, and that bar thing is stupid.

[Daigohji]

Looks decent. I've never understood why the Colony Wars series was abandoned after PS1, so it's nice to see a new game in this vein showing up.

Did you actually like that series? I found part 1 way too repetitive after some levels, so at some point I ditched it and never actually completed it.
The graphics were great for its time though.

I never tried the first one, but I enjoyed Vengeance and Red Sun. I haven't play them since they first came out though, so I don't know how well they have aged.

[BIL]

Omega Boost also felt boring

It's a score attack game, with ranking based on speed and accuracy - you're meant to obliterate stages at breakneck speed, and that's the only way you'll get top rank. The moderate learning curve on the controls and mechanics will make you flounder at first, obscuring the pace, but get the basic boost-scan-fire-boost rhythm down and it'll throw stuff at you as fast as you can handle. Learning to kill that stuff efficiently is a further consideration, requiring smart use of the rifle and super attack as well as the classic "Itano Circus" lockons.

It's also got a ton of unlockable bonus missions to master, and looks and plays pretty spectacularly when you know what you're doing. One of the best and flashiest PS1 action games along with Silent Bomber.

[ST Dragon]

Omega Boost also felt boring

It's a score attack game, with ranking based on speed and accuracy - you're meant to obliterate stages at breakneck speed, and that's the only way you'll get top rank. The moderate learning curve on the controls and mechanics will make you flounder at first, obscuring the pace, but get the basic boost-scan-fire-boost rhythm down and it'll throw stuff at you as fast as you can handle. Learning to kill that stuff efficiently is a further consideration, requiring smart use of the rifle and super attack as well as the classic "Itano Circus" lockons.

It's also got a ton of unlockable bonus missions to master, and looks and plays pretty spectacularly when you know what you're doing. One of the best and flashiest PS1 action games along with Silent Bomber.

Hey! I just noticed that stage @2:36 and the the huge motor-cycle Boss, look identical to the 3rd stage of Thunder Force V Perfect System on the PS-1 and the similar motor-cycle mid-boss that you fight there @9:42!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N45rSySnb8

Any chance the same artists worked on both games?!

[BIL]

Not that I know of, but yeah, I instantly noticed the TFV monster-bike lookalike when I saw it in Omega Boost. It's a mid-boss just like in TFV, too.

[ST Dragon]

Not that I know of, but yeah, I instantly noticed the TFV monster-bike lookalike when I saw it in Omega Boost. It's a mid-boss just like in TFV, too.

Cool, thanks for noting that it was also a mid-boss!!
Well it seems that Omega Boost was released about 1 year after TFV, so I would say they most probably copied it from TFV!

[Gespenst]

Any chance the same artists worked on both games?!

IIRC Omega Boost's artist/mechanic designer was Shoji Kawamori of Macross fame.

[shmuppyLove]

Wow looks pretty amazing. I'd buy a flightstick just to play this, dual analog pads never felt right to me for space flight sims.

[Gespenst]

For those who got the 24-page artbooks by 'enlisting' on their Facebook page should know there are so many concept designs inspired by mecha games (especially Armored Core; even some missile weapons are blatantly named after legendary AC characters (Nine Ball, White Glint, etc)/anime and presumably shmups as well.

[Gespenst]

Apparently the developer have stated 'something' in their FB page:

Hi. It is our intention to create a Japanese version with a special script and some other unique changes. We also want to make that version available to all of the world.

Hmmm....

[Observer]

Apparently the developer have stated 'something' in their FB page:

Hi. It is our intention to create a Japanese version with a special script and some other unique changes. We also want to make that version available to all of the world.

Hmmm....

I read that as the following things:
1) "Serious" western version (dark, gritty, srsbsnss) and "animu" japanese version with big-eyes everywhere and squeaky voice acting from probably known seiyuu. Odds are the main pilot won't be an unnamed muscular space marine you'll never see, it's probably going to be some high-school adolescent brat. Mandatory moe and loli copilot/operator and all that.
2) Change in the soundtrack to feature some more japanese artists.

Something like that. I could be wrong of course but if they want to make it available everywhere I can assume the changes aren't going to be brutally enormous. Most probably could mean that the tale will be told from the perspective of a japanese pilot piloting a Strike Suit whereas the others will feature your usual anglo-saxonic knight in shiny armor.

[Jonathan Ingram]

Looks interesting. Although this being a Western game I`m not sure if it can match the sheer coolness of Omega Boost:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVRv3fMHUWk

[Observer]

So, guys, this has also gone the Kickstarter route:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/431 ... -suit-zero

I can only assume they blew up whatever funding they had up to this point. Being at those conventions they attended probably isn't cheap at all. And they are presenting themselves as a properly fledged company so I assume someone had to do the initial investment.

Either way, hope this gets finished!

Same as the previous post, while I'm sure it won't be Omega Boost 2, I could settle for a fusion of Omega Boost, Homeworld and Freespace 2. I would still prefer a Strike Suit with maybe less firepower but the ability to transform on demand. I'm not liking the Flux mechanic at all =/ If they want to keep it, they could make it increased firepower to both ship modes. A typical Hyper Mode.

[KBZ]

looks interesting. Nice to see some more space combat games. Unfortunately, Chris Robert's Star Citizen has all my money now.

[Gespenst]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/431 ... sts/333412

More reason to pledge!

[replayme]

I actually did an interview with the guys a while back...

You can read it here at http://prankster101.com/articles/interv ... suit-zero/

[Gespenst]

They finally did it!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/431 ... -suit-zero

Now go for the modding tool and Linux/Mac port stretch goals!

[Mischief Maker]

Just came out on GOG.

[Raytrace]

this has teh full Joystick support - Imma rock out my X-45 for this one - man it would be really cool if it had yoke support - could proper pretend I was Amuro

[Mischief Maker]

Initial Impressions:

While it has flak and beams, this is not Freespace 2. You're not part of a coordinated force in this game and don't expect your wingmen to accomplish crap. This is a more arcadey experience of just annihilating anything and everything you encounter, occasionally side tracked by orders to just shoot this specific thing for a while. I think the dogfights are timer-based because I never seem to run out of enemies to shoot down and then all of a sudden they all warp out. The game is very much about replaying missions to get high scores (based on # of kills) with optional objectives to give your ships stat boosts (and enable even more destruction).

Earlygame tip: remap the change missile and change gun buttons to something easier than the default setup, it's way more efficient to mow down their shields with machinegun fire THEN finish them off with the plasma cannons. The game is kind of slow dribbling out the tutorial hints and you can get screwed out of medals in the earlygame because of it.

This game's kill-centric philosophy really lends itself well to the Rage meter. Even during the talky parts of missions you can blow up wreckage to accumulate rage to fuel robot mode. Going robot is almost like launching a missile barrage in Bangai-O. Hold down shift and you auto-aim at the next closest enemy with your heavy guns, but range still applies so the best place to go robot is in the thick of a furball. Keep killing, keep the rage meter high.

So not much of a space sim, but a great arcade-y free roaming shooter.

I can't believe they didn't include the ability to invert Y with mouse controls, especially considering the robot mode controls so much better with Mouse WASD than with a flightstick (lots of doubletap dodging)

[mrsmiley381]

I'm tempted to grab this and Mischief Maker's initial impressions make it sound like something I'd enjoy. I do think the system requirements look a little ridiculous though, even if I do meet them. Glad to hear it's got a high-speed arcade feel though.

[null1024]

This is a more arcadey experience of just annihilating anything and everything you encounter, occasionally side tracked by orders to just shoot this specific thing for a while.

I approve.
Of course, I won't be able to play this for a while because I have no plans in the near future of getting a machine that can run it...

[Mischief Maker]

If there's one thing that makes this game shmup-like, it's all the reviews panning it for being "too easy" in some paragraphs and "too frustrating" in others.

Rock Paper Shotgun called it an MMORPG because it displays mission objectives.

Present "professional" reviewers with something they haven't played in years (if at all) and they get their butts handed to them, and you will FEEL THEIR CHEETO-STAINED WRATH!

[mrsmiley381]

Rock Paper Shotgun called it an MMORPG because it displays mission objectives.

I almost threw up when I read that.