Caladrius - Xbox 360 shmup from MOSS

[evil_ash_xero]

Are these actually lolis? They don't look exactly like lolis to me. I mean, like DeathSmiles lolis.

No they're not. People here have a tendency to call any female characters of asian complexion "lolis". Most STG characters other than Touhou and Deathsmiles generally aren't lolis.

I didn't think so either. They're too well developed, for one. The Japanese have a habit of drawing everyone to look young, even if they're not. Final Fantasy Tactics comes to mind. They all look 10, but they're adults.

I mean, the sexual stuff is pretty shameless, but I didn't think they were lolis. And I really dislike lolis.

[evil_ash_xero]

I don't want any weird erotic content in my shmup.

Then buy the ones that don't have it. Obviously some people like it or else it wouldn't exists.
I think it's time for haters to let bygones-be-bygones. This kinda shit has been around in shmups for a long time...
there are plenty of shmups without clothes getting torn off every which way.

I remember having an embarrassing discussion once at an Electronics Boutique over this particular game:

These girls look related to Strider.

[O. Van Bruce]

how many times has this discussion happened?

It's painful to show the game to some friends, but you have to take into account that this game is designed for a japanese audience and it seems that people are way more used to this kind of things there than in the west

[EmperorIng]

how many times has this discussion happened?

It's painful to show the game to some friends, but you have to take into account that this game is designed for a japanese audience and it seems that people are way more used to this kind of things there than in the west

If I may wager a guess, it's not that mainstream Japan is more 'used to it,' but rather it appeals to the single largest consistent consumer bloc in Japan, the otaku, who are still a minority (but wield great demographic power due to their conspicuous consumption). There's a difference. Just sayin'.

[Ed Oscuro]

Strider is badass, in a 1980's movie adaptation of a 1930's comic strip kind of way. I'm assuming those are actual pants and not spandex.

Strider looks more like this guy:

not


I don't know what the aerobics duo look like.

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

Strider is badass, in a 1980's movie adaptation of a 1930's comic strip kind of way.

Thank god your types aren't allowed near the video game industry anymore.

[Hagane]

I would not have so much of a problem with pandering and moe/lolis if companies picked people like Range Murata or Jun Tsukasa to do the designs and art. But instead they give the job to random uninspired Japanese artists such as this one and the SDOJ guy.

[Squire Grooktook]

Yup. I'm so fucking tired of same-face syndrome, and every other aspect being utterly generic. I could see myself like pandering characters, but there's nothing to like that hasn't been done better a thousand times before.

[Formless God]

Doesn't Range also somewhat suffer from sameface syndrome?
I think Yasuda still does a better job than 90% Japanese artists nowadays. He picks his colors well, the character poses are un...predictable, and the sameface is a lot more neutral than the "am I cute?" or "am I edgy?" type of sameface. It's just that the theme and fashion of this game happen to be garbage, which will not look good no matter which artist does it.

[Squire Grooktook]

There's nothing wrong with the fasion or theme imo. Put an interesting face and body in those costumes and they'll suddenly look fine imo.

[chempop]

There's nothing wrong with the fasion or theme imo. Put an interesting face and body in those costumes and they'll suddenly look fine imo.

Better?

[Squire Grooktook]

Much better. At least that's interesting.

[Skykid]

Yup. I'm so fucking tired of same-face syndrome, and every other aspect being utterly generic.

It's the same with all industries. They start creative, grow in diversity, and eventually give over to machine-like production once they've found a way to groom an audience to have the lowest possible taste and expectations. Anime is already there: same face, show some tits, panties, you're done. Who cares about spending time and money on diversity and creativity when you've found a way to sell low grade trash to the masses?

[Ed Oscuro]

Strider is badass, in a 1980's movie adaptation of a 1930's comic strip kind of way.

Thank god your types aren't allowed near the video game industry anymore.

ahahahahahaha oh man

[Squire Grooktook]

Yup. I'm so fucking tired of same-face syndrome, and every other aspect being utterly generic.

It's the same with all industries. They start creative, grow in diversity, and eventually give over to machine-like production once they've found a way to groom an audience to have the lowest possible taste and expectations. Anime is already there: same face, show some tits, panties, you're done. Who cares about spending time and money on diversity and creativity when you've found a way to sell low grade trash to the masses?

I think the key to moving past these sort of things, is when artists start looking to other cultures and groups for inspiration, evolving both styles in the process. Just as long as it doesn't boil down to "Americans making poorly drawn animu webcomics." or whatever the equivalent for Japanese artists aping someone elses style and doing it horribly would be.

[EmperorIng]

Yup. I'm so fucking tired of same-face syndrome, and every other aspect being utterly generic.

It's the same with all industries. They start creative, grow in diversity, and eventually give over to machine-like production once they've found a way to groom an audience to have the lowest possible taste and expectations. Anime is already there: same face, show some tits, panties, you're done. Who cares about spending time and money on diversity and creativity when you've found a way to sell low grade trash to the masses?

Again, I'd argue it's not the masses, it's the largest remaining consumer bloc in Japan. A good article I read about such things.

[Kollision]

A good article I read about such things.

thanks for sharing this

[Skykid]

A good article I read about such things.

thanks for sharing this

Seconded. Just came back to read it, and yes, without doubt 'Japan cool' peaked majorly in the 90's - that's when it had my full attention and held onto it for 15 solid years before I noticed a subtle decline in imagination that seemed to be affecting most of its industries.

Its increasing insularity is an odd thing, especially when you go from being revered for everything you do creatively to being marginalised by the competition. It always comes back to social conditions, and Japanese people seem to be their own worst enemy somehow.

It would be a bit much to say Japan isn't cool anymore, it's still got a fantastic energy and cultural flavour, but it's a shame it can't find ways to get interesting again, move past this vapid, stale moe/loli crap, and get on with something that might give Korea something to worry about.

Sadly I don't see its second wave approaching any time soon. Hopefully when it does come it will be of Hiroshige proportions, and not that of a doe eyed infant who's lost their underwear. Sigh.

[ZenErik]

The lack of lolis is disappointing. :'( HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PLAY THIS GAME?

[Formless God]

I find it disturbing that some of you are completely unable to look at anything but the negative side of the matter. As one of the most neutral persons on the shump farm and one who has seen both eras of Japanese popular culture, I regret to inform you that the ratio of garbage to gold of both eras are about the same. I also found that the homogenous, aping nature has not changed a single bit; only the coating of their productions did. The truth is, there will always be the good stuff amidst a sea of irrelevant bullshit regardless of which culture or medium it comes from.

Why are you not focusing on them like a decent person and a gentleman, instead of dipping your head in shit all day long and complaining about why shit stinks?

I'd love it if the next time I click on this page, I get a link to a gameplay video of Caladrius instead of more of the same tired discussion (at this point it's no longer a discussion, it's a recitation) about a country on the other side of the globe whose business in Powerpoint animation I could not give any less of a fuck about.

Not video games.

[ZenErik]

BTW, I haven't read the whole discussion. Any word on region locking?

Thinking about getting another J360 S (anyone have one up for grabs?) But if I don't. Region free would be lovely. Ginga Force looks pretty interesting too. Seems that is region free.

[Skykid]

As one of the most neutral persons on the shump farm and one who has seen both eras of Japanese popular culture, I regret to inform you that the ratio of garbage to gold of both eras are about the same.

Sorry, would have carried on reading but I had to vomit.

[Hagane]

He's somewhat right on that point, though. Nostalgic fellows here seem to forget about all the shounen fighting/sports, magical girl and moe/harem (Tenchi Muyo, Saber Marionette, Oh my goddess!) copycat garbage from that era.

Still, there's no reason why these companies can't go with similar themes but at least have good artists doing them.

[CptRansom]

BTW, I haven't read the whole discussion. Any word on region locking?

One of the Facebook shmups group members just got a response from Moss:

ご質問、ありがとうございます！　
申し訳ありません、今回発売する製品は日本向けなので、アメリカやヨーロッパのXbox360では動作いたしません。現在予定はありませんが、北米版を展開する際にはこちらのページにて告知させて頂きます。　
今後とも、よろしくお願いいたします。
Translated by google:
Questions, thank you! Sorry, this product to be released for the Japanese market, so we will not work with Xbox360 in the U.S. and Europe. There are no plans right now, and we will announce on this page in when you deploy the North American version. The future, thank you.

Well fuck you too, Moss.

[Skykid]

He's somewhat right on that point, though. Nostalgic fellows here seem to forget about all the shounen fighting/sports, magical girl and moe/harem (Tenchi Muyo, Saber Marionette, Oh my goddess!) copycat garbage from that era.

Those three examples are gold compared to the modern equivalent, both in artistry and content.

Besides, I assumed it was a general statement about Japanese media as a whole, videogames included.

[Hagane]

They are all about as bad to me. And manga generally has gotten much better in general since then.

On the gaming side yes, Japan has fallen really hard along with the decline of arcades. But thematically, fanservice has always been there. Even all-girl games are nothing new. There's no reason why games like this have to go along with lazy art, though.

[ZenErik]

I admit that I prefer all girls and/or lolis/cutesy shit over a bunch of jacked dudes for shmups. And even fighters to some extent. But any style is good as long as the game is good. It is not as if the characters/story matter in most shmups. You guys are lucky that we haven't gotten K-ON! character designs in shmups yet. At least not from larger companies. I'm sure it exists in the doujin world.

I'd also note that the art style in DeathSmiles isn't typical anime. SDOJ is a different story. That is typical anime/visual novel...

[trap15]

You guys are lucky that we haven't gotten K-ON! character designs in shmups yet.

Ketsui-ON!

Make it happen, CAVE

[O. Van Bruce]

The thing is, Japanese animation has gravitated from action manly macho crap (90's) to moe harem slice of life crap (00's).

As they had their teen years with the manly macho crap, they tend to idealize it in their nostalgia.

Of course, there were a lot of varied shows in both eras but the predominant themes were those.

[Squire Grooktook]

stuff

I agree that every generation has it's share of crap. Sturgeon's Law rules everything. The reason we're talking about this stuff though is no one really knows how this game is going to play, and there's not much else to talk about besides the art style or the region lock.