Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

[Axelay]

Could anybody recommend the best helicopter in under defeat hd ?
I'm trying to figure each one out.
I like the special one you get with the limited edition but it seems overpowered cheers.

[CHI]

Been meaning to post this a while ago:

Darius Gaiden EX

I've noticed this game from my last trip to Tokyo at Hey! Akihabara back in December, you literately go through the stages from A-Z
I'm guessing this Darius Gaiden pcb has an EX rom (ie: like Batsugun with a special rom to play special version)...
Can anyone share some light into this

[CStarFlare]

This should shed a little light.

[Icarus]

This should shed a little light.

That's Extra, where it still has branching paths.
The version that CHI is referring to has a straight through route from A-Z, no selectable paths. I recall yog_shmups playing it a while back, but haven't found anything about it.

[CStarFlare]

Oh? Now that's interesting. I noticed that the Extra page mentioned an all stage mode, which I assumed was what he was talking about.

In that case, more info would be great!

[Icarus]

I noticed that the Extra page mentioned an all stage mode, which I assumed was what he was talking about.

That could be it, though when I was watching yog_shmups playing it, he was playing from the 1P side.
Though it's kind of weird that 2P start would be all-stage. What if you want to actually play two player? :3

[CHI]

Though it's kind of weird that 2P start would be all-stage.

Ah yes, i've seen this guy (twice) sitting on the left side and playing on the right side, i thought it was a bit weird but this could explain everything
I'm sure this guy is some superplayer, the two times i've seen him play, on stage Z Crab (final stage i believe) he just commits suicide all 7/9 lives in stock with a 21/24mil score

What if you want to actually play two player?

You start off with P2 side, then press P1 for 2 players

[Grumpius]

How big is the difference between Raycrisis on the G-Net and the PSX?
I hear it plays a whole lot nicer but nothing concrete on the specifics.
Any footage out there directly from the board to compare it to?
This is more curiosity than advice.

[604_degrees]

I've burned Shienryu ISO (japanese, I believe) to test it before buying. Great game, but there was one strange thing: when I choose "arcade mode" I've got "tated" video signal which I can send to my vertical CRT, but controls doesn't rotate cw, which makes this games unplayable in tate mode. It's a pity! I've heard that this issue could happen in some versions/regions of the game, but can google nothing. Don't you, guys, have any ideas?

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Anyone have any tips for playing Cave's ports on an iPhone? I imagine they'd play better on an iPad/iPad mini, but I'm mainly getting into them because I picked up a new phone. It's fun, but Bug Princess is a bit rough on Hell when my thumb flails and misses the bomb button, and I can't seem to find a case for the phone that's big enough that I can hold the phone and play comfortably. I'm wondering if there's some kind of custom case mod or something I can do to make it more holdable, or if I'm just playing it wrong (I usually play dual-thumbs, type A button layout)...

[D-KMR]

Anyone have any tips for playing Cave's ports on an iPhone? I imagine they'd play better on an iPad/iPad mini, but I'm mainly getting into them because I picked up a new phone. It's fun, but Bug Princess is a bit rough on Hell when my thumb flails and misses the bomb button, and I can't seem to find a case for the phone that's big enough that I can hold the phone and play comfortably. I'm wondering if there's some kind of custom case mod or something I can do to make it more holdable, or if I'm just playing it wrong (I usually play dual-thumbs, type A button layout)...

Yeah, the controls are pretty bullshit, don't get me started on DOJ and helplessly smearing my thumb aginst the screen to switch between shot and laser (I tend to use a thumb and index finger)
Afraid I can't help you but I'm also curious on what is the "right" way to handle the screen.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

<deleted because I don't read replies>

[EmperorIng]

How big is the difference between Raycrisis on the G-Net and the PSX?
I hear it plays a whole lot nicer but nothing concrete on the specifics.
Any footage out there directly from the board to compare it to?
This is more curiosity than advice.

There are no loading-screen intermissions between the levels, so things proceed more seamlessly. There are other minor graphical enhancements. Instead of choosing each individual map section before a round, you choose from a series of maps which contain the combination (the ps port contains a remnant of this, telling you which "map" you played at the score screen). As far as playing the game goes, I don't notice any discernible differences between the arcade and the port.

video of the GNET card in action

[blufang]

Hey shmups are something I enjoyed a lot when I was much younger. Just bought Ikaruga which I played over a decade ago cause I loved it. However I've noticed it seems most of the shmups recently are of the bullet hell variety and/or doujin/hentai/schoolgirl type. Aesthetically the latter is not my cup of tea, and gameplay wise the former isn't either (though I guess some consider Ikaruga bullet hell).

Here are some of my favorites: Asteroids, galaga 88, Gyruss, Dragon Spirit, Life Force, Gradius Gaiden, Ikaruga.

I like games that are somewhat freeflowing in that there are multiple ways to carve your way around enemies/obstacles, that may require some memorization but aren't all about memorizing the perfect path. I know many here have played a ton of shmups and are experts, would love suggestions.

Thx.

[trap15]

If you've not played them, I highly recommend Toaplan's older shooters, particularly Sky Shark (Hishouzame) and Twin Cobra (Kyuukyoku Tiger). Alcon (Slap Fight) and Tiger Heli are good too, but they may be a bit too slow for your tastes.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Yeah, the controls are pretty bullshit, don't get me started on DOJ and helplessly smearing my thumb aginst the screen to switch between shot and laser (I tend to use a thumb and index finger)

The double-tap option to switch shot/laser seems like a good idea for games where constant switching is not really necessary (Mushi mostly), but I prefer the onscreen button to quickly switch...

One way I found that works is holding the phone upside down, setting the controls to Type-B, and playing with it in your left hand. You can keep a good grip on it, and your thumb is on the top left of the phone quite comfortably... but it's super awkward to play the game with thumb + index flipped vertically when you're used to seeing it right side up. I think if the vertical games let you position the buttons at the top left/top right of the screen where your thumb is more likely to be it'd be easier to keep your thumb over the bomb button ready to use.

[blufang]

Thx trap15! There is a lot about those tooplan shooters on hardcore gaming, they sound interesting.

Anyone play Galaga legions dx? Don't think you can play it on the PC, but I'm curious, how is it?

[BareKnuckleRoo]

How do you fix the music bug in Mushi HD 1.5? No music plays whenever you are in 1.5 mode (you can use 1.5's soundtrack in Novice just fine). I know there was supposed to be a patch for this, but starting the game with a JP Live account (and on a Japanese Xbox) doesn't seem to prompt for the patch for 1.5 mode.

[Squire Grooktook]

Hey shmups are something I enjoyed a lot when I was much younger. Just bought Ikaruga which I played over a decade ago cause I loved it. However I've noticed it seems most of the shmups recently are of the bullet hell variety and/or doujin/hentai/schoolgirl type. Aesthetically the latter is not my cup of tea, and gameplay wise the former isn't either (though I guess some consider Ikaruga bullet hell).

Here are some of my favorites: Asteroids, galaga 88, Gyruss, Dragon Spirit, Life Force, Gradius Gaiden, Ikaruga.

I like games that are somewhat freeflowing in that there are multiple ways to carve your way around enemies/obstacles, that may require some memorization but aren't all about memorizing the perfect path. I know many here have played a ton of shmups and are experts, would love suggestions.

Thx.

Satazius is an excellent newer shmup that plays very old school. It's available on Steam and Desura.

Might not be your cup of tea because it's technically bullet hell but Cho Ren Sha 68k plays and feels very much like a traditional shooter despite having a pixel-ish sized hitbox. Same could be said of Eschatos which is even better.

[cave hermit]

Across all the Cave 360 ports, what's actually standardized in score attack mode? I'm assuming the difficulty, live/bomb stocks, and extends are locked to defaults (correct me if I'm wrong), but I've noticed a lot of stuff under the game configs still change things in score attack like muchi muchi pork/ pink sweets version select, replay upload for most ports, etc.

[Prototype_Cannon]

I've got a question regarding Gradius Collection on psp. I wanna get it off psn, but I want to know how it plays on the vita. I've heard that there is some slowdown on Gradius IV, but how significant is it? Does playing it on the vita take away any of the slowdown at all? I mean I already own Gradius III & IV on ps2, and while I will still keep those, I guess its nice having it on the go. I just want some input on it before I make the purchase, and some comparisons if possible.

[nasty_wolverine]

I've got a question regarding Gradius Collection on psp. I wanna get it off psn, but I want to know how it plays on the vita. I've heard that there is some slowdown on Gradius IV, but how significant is it? Does playing it on the vita take away any of the slowdown at all? I mean I already own Gradius III & IV on ps2, and while I will still keep those, I guess its nice having it on the go. I just want some input on it before I make the purchase, and some comparisons if possible.

get it just for gaiden, you wont regret it.

[cave hermit]

I just noticed that super star soldier and soldier blade are available on the PS vita: are either of them worth playing? Which one is generally considered better? How's the PC engine emulation on the vita?

[nasty_wolverine]

I just noticed that super star soldier and soldier blade are available on the PS vita: are either of them worth playing? Which one is generally considered better? How's the PC engine emulation on the vita?

no clue about the emulation bit, but both games are awesome, plus soundtrack kicks ass...

[604_degrees]

I've burned Shienryu ISO (japanese, I believe) to test it before buying. Great game, but there was one strange thing: when I choose "arcade mode" I've got "tated" video signal which I can send to my vertical CRT, but controls doesn't rotate cw, which makes this games unplayable in tate mode. It's a pity! I've heard that this issue could happen in some versions/regions of the game, but can google nothing. Don't you, guys, have any ideas?

Hah, they've hidden control rotation option: it will appear in the options menu after you'll choose "arcade mode".

[shmuppyLove]

No high score boards for the eXceed series?

Does that mean I have to make one myself ...

[CStarFlare]

Restart Syndrome has them

Does StellaVanity require AppLocale to run properly? I can't get it to start.

[M.Knight]

I have a few questions about Chaos Field : the version in my copy of Milestone Shooting Collection 2 seems to be unable to save, just like the Dreamcast version. I would like to play this game more seriously and try to clear it if possible but this save issue hampers my motivation, so I consider importing the US GC version, despite the controller's terrible D-Pad and analog shoulder buttons. (I often set the bomb button on triggers)

I am concerned about the compatibility with the PAL Memory Cards. Japanese GC games may format the memory card if there are NA or PAL saves on them but PAL and NA saves are supposed to be okay with each other. Is that also true for Chaos Field? Milestone's programmers seemingly don't know how to properly program saves so I have a few doubts.
Moreover, does this game (US version) have 480p support as stated by the not always reliable Wikipedia?

And by the way, does the Chaos Field version included in Japanese Milestone Shooting Collection 1 have the same save issues?

Thanks in advance.

[amdiggywhut]

Can somebody tell me if Hyper Duel saves playtime statistics (number of attempts, total hours played, etc.) similar to Blast Wind & Thunder Force V?

[BIL]

Can somebody tell me if Hyper Duel saves playtime statistics (number of attempts, total hours played, etc.) similar to Blast Wind & Thunder Force V?

Yep - in the options menu under "Information," exactly like them. <333 Tecno Soft's menus on those three games.