What's the best Strikers 1945 game?

[MrOldSchoolCool]

Psikyo's flagship series.

[DMC]

Strikers 1999 > 1945 Part II > 1945 Part I

They got more and more polished, better and better looking, and the chain bonus/technical bonus at the end made the finale game a bit more dynamic, intense, and interesting while stile reamining straightforward and accessible.

Perfectly short stages throughout the series, really good level design and easy to get in. Great series - get 'em all!

[Kiken]

Strikers 1945 Part II > Strikers 1999 > Strikers 1945 > Strikers 1945 +

I really don't care for the proximity bonus boss kill nonsense (hey, wait for the boss to show its clit then dive on in!) in 1999 (and let's not go into the X36 shenanigans). I find that part 2 has the best bosses and the better stage layout/design. Part 1 isn't a bad game, mind you, it just doesn't feel quite as dynamic, I suppose. + is just an odd mess of a game.

[louisg]

Strikers 1945+ feels like shareware. II, on the other hand, is excellent

Wish I had more of a chance to play III.

[alamone]

II has pancake nuff said.

But seriously, I think II is the most polished one, 1999 doesn't really feel like a Strikers game
and also not too enthused about the technical bonus

[Mortificator]

The technical bonus is just a discrete acknowledgement of point-blanking at the right time. You'll do that anyway in lots of shooting games.

I like Strikers 1945 II just a little more than Strikers 1999, but they're both great games.

[chempop]

Gunbird 2 of course

[Vyxx]

Gunbird 2 of course

But seriously my personal favourite is the original Strikers 1945.

[wiNteR]

Graphics: 3 > 2 > 1
Music: 3 > 2 > 1

If you use the easiest survival ships then purely for survival:
Difficulty: 1 > 2 > 3
But depending on if you are going for technical bonuses in 3, it might be considered the hardest.

Also plus isn't bad at all. Sure the re-cycled (and apparently stretched) graphics and stages are really lazy and don't look good. But, on the other hand, it seems to play great with an old school feeling to it (to some extent it's like Psikyo's version of Donpachi). Also, the ship variety seems to be really good.

If you are going for first loop clear only then any of the earlier games (sengoku ace/blade, gunbird, strikers1) are pretty good and fun. All the later games have memorization heavy first loops. Not sure if everyone would consider that fun.

Best first game (in general) to go for a two loop clear would be sengoku ace.

And also, don't forget auto-fire. Personally, I wouldn't play any Psikyo game at all, if it wasn't for auto-fire because of fingers getting tired.

[Never_Scurred]

Strikers 1945 II gets my vote.

[Herr Schatten]

Strikers 1999 shares many traits with Gunbird 2 and Dragon Blaze, the other two games from Psikyo's later years, but I find both of them superior to S99. That's not to say S99 is a bad game, though. It's really good, and I, for one, love the technical bonus boss kills.

It's quite the same with Strikers I. It's very similar to other early Psikyo games, and it's good in its own right, yet I'd choose playing Gunbird or Sengoku Blade over it any day.

Strikers II is Psikyo's only 'transitional' game between their early and late phases and, as such, it's peerless. It's also balanced almost perfectly. Shame it looks so ugly, though.


Strikers II > Strikers 1999 > Strikers I

[AeroCityMayor]

Strikers 1945 Part II > Strikers 1999 > Strikers 1945 > Strikers 1945 +

+1

Strikers 1945+ feels like shareware.

Funny. Sadly true

Cheers,

Ralph.

[chum]

Strikers 1945 II by far. It is just really enjoyable and has an easy first loop. Other two games (let's not acknowledge plus) are okay but a bit half assed in comparison.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Who's even played Plus other way than emulated? I recall it being laggy on MAME (or something else felt wrong; the point is, the emulation didn't seem great).

[Hagane]

1999 > 1945 >>> 1945 II

1999 has the more refined system. Medal chaining, techs and double techs, interesting patterns, improved charge shot system. Only downside is that ships in general are weakened compared to the other games so X-36 (which is really not overpowered, just not as weakened as the other ships) stands out. It's also a bit easier than other Psikyo games.

1945 was the first to introduce gold bars, a staple for the company. It also mixes Psikyo style proximity (the best and most distinctive Psikyo trait) with a more traditional style of play rather nicely. Most charge shots deal more damage when in close, so you have an incentive to not sit on the lower edge of the screen all the time.

1945 II is dry as hell. It brings absolutely nothing new other than making proximity/aggressiveness mostly irrelevant, and most of the difficulty comes from memorizing silly fast boss patterns. Ships are powerful, but the game is so boring. Looks ugly as hell, too. It has really nice music, though. Almost feels like it's not a Psikyo game to me.

I can't talk about 1945 plus because I haven't played it enough. The ugly graphics, slow bullets and the charge shot system instantly turned me off, but maybe the game has good aspects yo make up for that.

And also, don't forget auto-fire. Personally, I wouldn't play any Psikyo game at all, if it wasn't for auto-fire because of fingers getting tired.

Personally, I prefer tapping for most games as I find it better to control suicide bullets. Sengoku Ace really benefits from it though, with its mostly useless charge shots, no suicide bullets and nice proximity bonus.

[chum]

making proximity/aggressiveness mostly irrelevant, and most of the difficulty comes from memorizing silly fast boss patterns.

I don't understand how you come to the conclusion that 1945 II stands out from 1945 and 1999 in this regard. Play style depends on what ship you use, and having to memorize fast patterns is the case in all three games.

[Kiken]

Who's even played Plus other way than emulated? I recall it being laggy on MAME (or something else felt wrong; the point is, the emulation didn't seem great).

There are those of us who own the MVS cart. We do exist. You could easily ask this question of Strikers 1999... there's no home port so the options are either buy the PCB or play through emulation.

[Hagane]

I don't understand how you come to the conclusion that 1945 II stands out from 1945 and 1999 in this regard. Play style depends on what ship you use, and having to memorize fast patterns is the case in all three games.

In 1999, except for a few patterns, aimed bullets are fast and non-aimed/not directly aimed ones are slower. In 1945 II, the hardest patterns are all unreadable fast bullets (much easier when you memorize where you have to tap to/stand) so you get a lot of the kind of memorization most people complain about in Psikyo.

As for proximity, what kind of proximity/aggressive mechanic does S1945II have? Speed killing is not as useful (for scoring I'd say it's useless unless I'm missing something), and getting in close to enemies is not advisable most of the time (for example, charge shots in 1945 get more powerful in close). In 1999, with X-36 you are constantly speedkilling dangerous enemies with your charge shot. 1945 II's equivalent, the Pancake, uses the laser more for its penetrative properties than for its power, which kills stuff significantly slower than X-36. This way you end up having to dodge a lot more stuff in the stages, too. The Mosquito is the highest damage dealer and even that one can't kill stuff as fast as it should. Bosses in general are more resilient in 1945 II too.

And this compared to the rest of the Strikers games, which in general are a departure from Psikyo style melee based play. 1945 II goes one step beyond to remove most of what makes Psikyo games interesting and adds nothing new to make up for that. Play style depends on what the game encourages through its scoring system, and being aggressive is not what's encouraged in 1945 II.

[chum]

No, I insist that Strikers 1945 II is no different in this regard. All these games require a lot of memorization, period.

I'll try to address your views on proximity/aggressiveness in Psikyo games and in Strikers 1945 II... First of all, I won't talk about the first Strikers since I don't know it too well. But I still can't wrap my mind around why you think speedkilling is more important in S99 than in S45II.

X-36 is a very strong ship that can take out enemies fast with its charge attack. S45 II doesn't have a ship quite that powerful, basically X-36 is very much an upgraded version of the Pancake. That in itself doesn't mean that taking out dangerous enemies quickly is any less important in S45II. Just that it can be a more difficult task. Proximity is not even a factor to consider when you use the charge to speedkill as the X-36. You don't do less damage from afar, correct? If it is more important in S99 then that is solely due to the tech bonus. And since you seem to complain about having to dodge bullets more than usual in for Psikyo in S45II, consider that S99 requires you to wait and dodge a lot of bullets before the boss will show itscore. Really, I can't quite make sense of some of your complaints. Proximity is only especially important in a couple of Psikyo titles, anyhow. Dragon Blaze, Gunbird series, and Sengoku Blade, mainly, I believe. If you want a ship with a powerful melee-ish attack in S45II you could try try using the Mosquito. But in reality you need to approach the Strikers games with a slightly different mindset.

Aggression obviously plays a role in S45II but it varies depending on your ship. I use the Hayate who can both quickly take care of multiple smaller threats and single bigger threats. Learning to do both is key when using this ship. You constantly want to use the charge to take care of enemies as soon as they appear on the screen, no matter if they're ships coming from the top of the screen or turrets spawning on the ground.

Take care of threats fast to dodge less bullets is the case in all these games.

[Hagane]

Proximity is very important in most Psikyo STGs. Dragon Blaze, both Sengokus (something fun and easy to try in Sengoku Ace: pick Jane and "ride" any non-popcorn enemy, even bosses. Easier with autofire. You'll see what I mean), both Gunbirds (2 much less than 1 though), and I'd say even S1945, for the improved charge shots at close range. S1999 also tries to implement proximity heavy ships (see the Stealth for example), but since X-36 is much better than everyone else it doesn't show as much. In Zero Gunner 2 you need to be relatively close to grab energy drops easily.

S1945 II, on the other hand, has pretty much no proximity at all. What other Psikyo STGs are there left? Space Bomber, Pilot Kids, the first Zero Gunner? Psikyo went as far as to make a beat'em up - STG hybrid (Sol Divide), so the fixation with close ranged play should be obvious. Also, while the Mosquito has a powerful charge shot it's overall relatively weak because speedkilling is not so much of a factor in the game.

In S1999 you need to wait for the techs, but the patterns in general are much more readable and less based on memorizing taps and positioning, and after all techs still involve getting closer to end the battle before the harder patterns come out. The problem isn't so much having to dodge stuff; Psikyo games generally revolve around speedkilling the most threatening enemies, and if you fail to do so you are punished with hard fast patterns. In S1945 II, on the other hand, the fast patterns are the norm, and you usually can't bypass them because killing enemies as fast as in most Psikyo games isn't "harder", it's impossible. The damage you deal is overall lower across the board. You are supposed to speedkill less and dodge more. X-36 isn't really an upgraded Pancake; it just loses the piercing properties of its charge shot in exchange of more power. So it's more suited to speedkilling rather than popcorn milking like the Pancake, and hence plays closer to a Psikyo ship than anything in 1945 II.

And even though the X-36 doesn't get as much benefit from point blanking (doing charge shot from up close is very powerful though), the levels are pretty much entirely made of aimed stuff so getting in close helps to free space, whereas in 1945 II there are way too many static non-aimed patterns to base your strategy on that.

My play style with X-36 is not that different to the one I use in other Psikyo shooters. For 1945 II, though, I have to significantly change it to adjust to its more defensive, static style. It definitely doesn't play the same as most other Psikyo STGs, and strips away a lot of what makes them unique.

[Rob]

Insane arguments are pretty annoying. The bullet speed alone is enough to force players to the edge of the screen. If there is not an attack specifically for close range or a special circumstance (in the case of riding a few enemies/bosses in Sengoku Ace), there is no benefit to move in. You can play however you like, but it is not a key element across most or even half of their games.

In Zero Gunner 2 you need to be relatively close to grab energy drops easily.

No, you don't. Stop shooting and they are drawn in.

[chempop]

Quote:
In Zero Gunner 2 you need to be relatively close to grab energy drops easily.

No, you don't. Stop shooting and they are drawn in.

Probably the coolest part of the game is how your movement even effects the pick-ups, as if your chopper vacuums them in from the suction of the rotors.

[chum]

S1945 II, on the other hand, has pretty much no proximity at all.

It doesn't have less of it than S99, though.

In S1999 you need to wait for the techs, but the patterns in general are much more readable and less based on memorizing taps and positioning, and after all techs still involve getting closer to end the battle before the harder patterns come out.

Have you seen how crazy some of them get? You have to sit through the hardest patterns to get the tech bonus when you could've just killed the boss in a speedy fashion to avoid those patterns. You're contradicting yourself a bit.

Disagree about the patterns being more "readable". In general you don't want to read any of these patterns, what is needed is memorized movements. That is not just the case in S45II.

The problem isn't so much having to dodge stuff; Psikyo games generally revolve around speedkilling the most threatening enemies, and if you fail to do so you are punished with hard fast patterns. In S1945 II, on the other hand, the fast patterns are the norm, and you usually can't bypass them because killing enemies as fast as in most Psikyo games isn't "harder", it's impossible.

It is very possible to skip patterns in S45II by killing enemies quickly during stage portions, in fact it is eventually essential for survival.

I don't know why you think S45II has a lot of static patterns during its stages. Maybe you failed to kill certain enemies quickly enough? The S45II I played has almost only aimed bullets and patterns during its stages. Generally, just one tap left or right is enough to bypass them.

[Hagane]

Insane arguments are pretty annoying. The bullet speed alone is enough to force players to the edge of the screen. If there is not an attack specifically for close range or a special circumstance (in the case of riding a few enemies/bosses in Sengoku Ace), there is no benefit to move in.

I don't know if you are serious or not. Are you really trying to tell me that proximity is not a factor in Psikyo? Why would you limit your movement space so much by going to the edge of the screen in most of their games? You would just make things much harder for you that way.

You can play however you like, but it is not a key element across most or even half of their games.

Yeah, you can also play Dragon Blaze without Dragon Shot I guess. You would be going against the game's design and making things harder for you, though. And being aggressive is the way to go in most Psikyo games, and the highest scoring ships are usually the better prepared ones to do just that. There's a reason why Yuang Nang and Valnus are the best characters in Gunbird, why Jane is so good in Sengoku Ace (you can ride anything that's not a popcorn in that game BTW, and you'll manage to kill most enemies before they even get to shoot, even some bosses, making the game easier than waiting and dodging bullets), why Aine and Katana are the best characters in Sengoku Blade, why Quaid is the best in Dragon Blaze, X-36 in S1999, etc.

No, you don't. Stop shooting and they are drawn in.

Being close is less risky than to stop shooting and waiting from afar. I also don't know how you would manage to vacuum everything that way. You'll score better if you go grab them.

[Bananamatic]

pink sweets...

[Jibbajaba]

I'm disappointed to see that Strikers 1945+ is held in such low regard. I just got a CMVS and was hoping to pick that one up...

Chris

[Rob]

Yeah, you can also play Dragon Blaze without Dragon Shot I guess.

No one would do that. Close range game is obviously stamped all over Dragon Blaze. It's non-standard.

Being close is less risky than to stop shooting and waiting from afar. I also don't know how you would manage to vacuum everything that way. You'll score better if you go grab them.

Zero Gunner 2 is lazy with action and will never swamp you for taking a few seconds to collect items. It's sad but true. Another thing to mention for no need of/anti-close range play - the erratic return bullets. There's no reason to brush up against those.

[Hagane]

Yeah, Dragon Blaze spells it out for you because gold coins pop up when you kill things with your close range dragon shot. There are several other games such as the ones I mentioned, with specific top character examples, proving that it's a standard practice. Somewhat diminished in the Strikers games (1945 II in particular) but generally the optimal survival / scoring way of playing, encouraged by things like powerful close ranged shots, power downs instead of deaths with enemy collisions, power ups that travel to the opposite side of the screen they are spawned from, point blank/riding damage bonuses in some games, extra enemies for speedkills, etc.

Their games offer you more power at close range for a reason. If you want to handicap yourself by hugging the lower edge of the screen (something you are usually forced to do in S1945 II by design, but that is non-standard) to limit your dodging options, reduce your firepower and dodge stuff you should not be dodging you of course can, but that's not how Psikyo games are generally meant to be played.

As for ZG2, do suicide bullets behave much different from any other Psikyo game?

[KyoKusagani1999]

Which one of these three games has the "TECH BONUS"


If you know the answer, then you know what game I'm going to say.

[AeroCityMayor]

I'm disappointed to see that Strikers 1945+ is held in such low regard. I just got a CMVS and was hoping to pick that one up...

Chris

To be fair, it's not a bad MVS shooter in its own right. It just doesn't stand up very well next to the three Strikers games released before it.

If you like your MVS stuff - still get it.

HTH

Cheers,

Ralph.