Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

[AllocMem]

I have a tendency to hop back and forth between fresh games and games I've been playing for years, so this'll be a long one. I'll start with the fresh.

I am trying out Mars Matrix. For context, my preferences are verts like Eschatos and Rayforce. Seamless transitions, no bombs (sometimes) and something to force the player to get up-close.

It's okay. The artwork and music are really good but my main problem with the game is that it really should be a 2-button game. What I mean by that is that the weapon cooldown on the spread shot gets in the way of your reflector shield (I have not read any manual so if these names are wrong, sorry) or your bomb. You can stop firing, try to bring out your shield to catch a massive stream of bullets and it won't come out as fast as it's supposed to, so you've just killed yourself. The shield and bomb should be on a button separate from your two weapons so it can come out immediately every time and I don't have to wait to see if it even works.

I have been playing Mars Matrix on MAME for New 3DS and not my usual setup at home so take that with a grain of salt, since I've had to frameskip the game down to 20 FPS, although I didn't notice a big enough increase in input lag so I consider it a problem with the game. Everything else feels smooth and I don't have a problem with the level designs or the concept.

By the way, no, Rayforce does not run on the New 3DS. One of my favorite games ever, so its a shame, but not surprising considering how nuts the F3 is. Raycrisis is more playable, I've been taking it with me everywhere so I can really practice because I think RC is fun as hell. I never really understood what Ray fans hated so much about it, the music is top notch and the game has everything I liked about Rayforce. I got the soundtrack on CD and ripped a copy to listen to, my favorite track is Vit-symty.

I tried getting into Crimzon Clover recently, but the game has a bug under Proton where it dies if you click out of the window with the game paused, so that has been incredibly annoying.

I did almost get my first clear in Radiant Silvergun some time ago (on the saturn version, not a 1CC to be clear - I am nowhere near that game's skill ceiling) but Treasure's level design and their habit of boxing you into places is a little much for me later on in the game, reminds me of why I don't play most horizontal shooters i.e. Gradius.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I have a tendency to hop back and forth between fresh games and games I've been playing for years, so this'll be a long one. I'll start with the fresh.

I am trying out Mars Matrix. For context, my preferences are verts like Eschatos and Rayforce. Seamless transitions, no bombs (sometimes) and something to force the player to get up-close.

It's okay. The artwork and music are really good but my main problem with the game is that it really should be a 2-button game. What I mean by that is that the weapon cooldown on the spread shot gets in the way of your reflector shield (I have not read any manual so if these names are wrong, sorry) or your bomb. You can stop firing, try to bring out your shield to catch a massive stream of bullets and it won't come out as fast as it's supposed to, so you've just killed yourself. The shield and bomb should be on a button separate from your two weapons so it can come out immediately every time and I don't have to wait to see if it even works.

I have been playing Mars Matrix on MAME for New 3DS and not my usual setup at home so take that with a grain of salt, since I've had to frameskip the game down to 20 FPS, although I didn't notice a big enough increase in input lag so I consider it a problem with the game. Everything else feels smooth and I don't have a problem with the level designs or the concept.

By the way, no, Rayforce does not run on the New 3DS. One of my favorite games ever, so its a shame, but not surprising considering how nuts the F3 is. Raycrisis is more playable, I've been taking it with me everywhere so I can really practice because I think RC is fun as hell. I never really understood what Ray fans hated so much about it, the music is top notch and the game has everything I liked about Rayforce. I got the soundtrack on CD and ripped a copy to listen to, my favorite track is Vit-symty.

I tried getting into Crimzon Clover recently, but the game has a bug under Proton where it dies if you click out of the window with the game paused, so that has been incredibly annoying.

I did almost get my first clear in Radiant Silvergun some time ago (on the saturn version, not a 1CC to be clear - I am nowhere near that game's skill ceiling) but Treasure's level design and their habit of boxing you into places is a little much for me later on in the game, reminds me of why I don't play most horizontal shooters i.e. Gradius.

The 2000 released Capcom/Takumi joint collaborative effort that did Mars Matrix running on the Capcom CPS2 A + B board arcade pcb setup originally used a single button for all four weapons whereas on the Sega Dreamcast GD-Rom disc release, you can play it with the OG single button layout or have access to the weapons individually mapped out to separate buttons (easier that way imo).

It's cool that Treasure included both the SS version with anime cutscenes or play the "leaner & meaner" Arcade version that was featured on the Sega Titan ST-V arcade motherboard setup as a dedicated ST-V game cartridge (without the anime cutscenes included).

Taito's RayCrisis was originally released on the Taito G-Net arcade jamma pcb setup as a Taito G-Card cartridge back in 1999 and was also released on the JPN region Sony PSX/PSOne console on 4/20/2000 -- it was shown earlier at the March 2000 Tokyo Game Show at Taito's gaming booth with four PSX demo kiosks setup for the TGS attendees to try out "free of charge." NCSX.com site had gotten their allotted PSX RayCrisis shipment in late April of 2000 and ordered a copy to try out on my mod-chipped upgraded PSX using a Gold Finger add-on for greater versatility.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[1000Eyes]

Just made it to Photon in Psyvariar Revision for the first time.



How do you dodge this guy on a stick

[Weak Boson]

Just made it to Photon in Psyvariar Revision for the first time.



How do you dodge this guy on a stick

Some attacks that you definitely don't want to dodge, whatever input method you use. You're intended to time level-ups to get through them. The most clear-cut one is the 2nd attack (see avatar) which you can chain level-ups from if you position/move close to the boss.

An attack like the 4th attack of the first phase is somewhat dodgeable but because it has random elements it's more consistent to use a level-up (if you can) to tank the hard part and misdirect it somewhat. The 5th and final attack of the first phase is one you can dodge but you don't have to since you can chain level-ups by grazing close to the boss.

In the second phase the attack I think is the most rough is the dense pink spray (the penultimate attack) because it's random. It is less dense at the sides and behind the boss.

Since you're not using the roll button what is the safest strategy might change - I'm used to dodging with the roll button which has slower than default movement. It also makes building buzz more risky.

Of course it depends how much you want to milk it. X-A could be the last stage in which case you can go all out with your bombs. Or it could be the third stage!

Honestly one of my favourite boss fights. So many of the game's dynamics come together

[1000Eyes]

Some attacks that you definitely don't want to dodge, whatever input method you use. You're intended to time level-ups to get through them. The most clear-cut one is the 2nd attack (see avatar) which you can chain level-ups from if you position/move close to the boss.

Man, this is one of those wake up call bosses, where the game stops messing around and forces you to understand the mechanics. I checked some plays over at Restart Syndrome and find it interesting how people approach it differently, from saving some xp from the stage to bombing to lead in. Im very bad at buzzing so far so I cant get the lead in to do the big level up chain just yet.

It is a really cool boss though I agree! The way it throws that undodgeable pattern at you, and it is likely the first boss a new player like me will meet once they settle into the game - I love it how X-A has a relatively low level requirement so it "ambushes" you - gives me that primordial confusion and fright that is very pleasurable in video games. It is a seemingly "impossible" wall that comes in the right time in the game.

I also like his design, which is not even a ship but an abstract collection of geometry, combined with being named after an elementary particle and Misako Tago's mysterious boss theme just sells Psyvariar's eerie vibe, which is less scary but more so thoroughly post (or pre?) human that it feels uncanny. I think the common line is that Psy 2 is prettier than Psy 1, and while the former looks more detailed I think the Psy 1 team made the best of their limitations to create a world that wasn't meant to be inhabited by us, whose clean geometry and simplified designs and their lack of human warmth is precisely what makes it feel so interesting. You feel like you are intruding never built for you, and you are adapting to it anyway.

Yeah, I like the game

[M.Knight]

I think the common line is that Psy 2 is prettier than Psy 1, and while the former looks more detailed I think the Psy 1 team made the best of their limitations to create a world that wasn't meant to be inhabited by us, whose clean geometry and simplified designs and their lack of human warmth is precisely what makes it feel so interesting.

Yeah Psy1 looks more minimalistic, and since it's pretty consistent with this aesthetic, it works. Psy2 looks cooler to me with the mech design, character portraits, more detailed backgrounds, and the boss setpieces, but the I.U. bosses from the original with their crystal shapes are very stylish in their own way. They have this TLB-core look

I have the Dreamcast port of Psyvariar 2, not sure how similar they are!

It should be very close to the arcade game since Psy2 was on NAOMI but feature-wise it's very barebones. No practice, no autoroll, no side stuff like missions or gallery. No visible boss HP bar either IIRC. (which is like in the arcade version to be fair)

[BareKnuckleRoo]

What I mean by that is that the weapon cooldown on the spread shot gets in the way of your reflector shield (I have not read any manual so if these names are wrong, sorry) or your bomb. You can stop firing, try to bring out your shield to catch a massive stream of bullets and it won't come out as fast as it's supposed to, so you've just killed yourself.

It comes out plenty fast though. It's the same with Giga Wing, yes, there's a slight delay between holding the button to deploy the Reflect, but it's intentional and the game's designed around it. Are you talking about the charge shot where letting go of shoot briefly and pressing it fires a big electric kind of laser thingy? The spread shot in my mind would be the rapid shot you get from tapping the shot button quickly, and you can go from that to suctioning very quickly (i.e. use that on bosses when you're going to have to suction).

You don't have a bomb in Mars Matrix; you have a thing that secretly acts as a suicide button if you use the entire meter for it, but calling it a bomb is very misleading as it's godawful and should generally never be used. This is my problem with Mars Matrix in general, even the suction thing should only be used in extremely short spurts for the invulnerability frames you get, the actual throwing back bullets at enemies thing is extremely underpowered and unsatisfying compared to the special attacks in Takumi's other games, Giga Wing and Night Raid.

[AllocMem]

It comes out plenty fast though. It's the same with Giga Wing, yes, there's a slight delay between holding the button to deploy the Reflect, but it's intentional and the game's designed around it.

Key words: "as it's supposed to". I don't know why but sometimes the delay feels very inconsistent. I'm paying attention to the visual feedback from the GHB meter (the reflector flashes around your ship for a second when it's ready) but even when the meter is full sometimes it just decides it doesn't want to come out.

but calling it a bomb is very misleading as it's godawful and should generally never be used.

I try not to, because it's weak and doesn't reward much weapon XP. That's the other problem I have with the different firing modes though, if you run out of GHB it will activate whether you want it to or not. Aside from the fact that it removes any skill in deciding when a bomb should be used for emergencies (which I think is cheap and leads to poor pattern design anyways), it is annoying and counter-productive when you actually want to reflect bullets. This affects everything else too, I can sit on the button too long by accident and the reflector will come out when I didn't mean for it to and waste GHB I should be saving for when I need it. It won't work if it isn't full so I'm a sitting duck for the next few seconds if I'm out of position, the game gives you a resource it expects you to manage and then unneccessarily complicates how you consume it. Controls should never be designed in a way where they conflict with eachother like this because it takes the fun out of the shooting when the controller becomes uncooperative.

[Starfighter]

Still playing Homura on and off, I'm up to practicing the second phase of the TLB and I'm having trouble with the purple leafy pattern (as shown in this short clip where I fail it the second time it comes up). Sometimes I dodge it, most times I don't.

[Starfighter]

For some reason, I don't have any patience when it comes to Giga Wing. It's something about people telling me it's an easy clear, that it's fantastic and good for beginners etc. I've had it for as long as I can remember, but never really gotten into it. So this week I started actually practicing, at least half an hour every day (up to a full hour some days). While I can clear all stages and bosses by themselves, stitching it all together is... I don't know what it is. Some mental block thing. I'm somehow provoked (!) by the fact that I haven't cleared it.

I don't like that I need to save all the bombs for the very end, even though I guess I don't need tons of them to clear the TLB I still hesitate to use them "just in case I lose my nerve towards the end". And I really don't like that there's no slowing down my ship - the dodging sometimes feels much scarier than it should. I've cleared Generations no problem though, is there no slow movements in that either? Can't remember... Anyway. Giga Wing. I don't enjoy it because of my own head somehow.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

For some reason, I don't have any patience when it comes to Giga Wing. It's something about people telling me it's an easy clear, that it's fantastic and good for beginners etc. I've had it for as long as I can remember, but never really gotten into it. So this week I started actually practicing, at least half an hour every day (up to a full hour some days). While I can clear all stages and bosses by themselves, stitching it all together is... I don't know what it is. Some mental block thing. I'm somehow provoked (!) by the fact that I haven't cleared it.

I don't like that I need to save all the bombs for the very end, even though I guess I don't need tons of them to clear the TLB I still hesitate to use them "just in case I lose my nerve towards the end". And I really don't like that there's no slowing down my ship - the dodging sometimes feels much scarier than it should. I've cleared Generations no problem though, is there no slow movements in that either? Can't remember... Anyway. Giga Wing. I don't enjoy it because of my own head somehow.

How about Capcom/Takumi's GigaWing 2 on the Dreamcast or Sega Naomi setups?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[1000Eyes]

For some reason, I don't have any patience when it comes to Giga Wing. It's something about people telling me it's an easy clear, that it's fantastic and good for beginners etc. I've had it for as long as I can remember, but never really gotten into it. So this week I started actually practicing, at least half an hour every day (up to a full hour some days). While I can clear all stages and bosses by themselves, stitching it all together is... I don't know what it is. Some mental block thing. I'm somehow provoked (!) by the fact that I haven't cleared it.

I don't like that I need to save all the bombs for the very end, even though I guess I don't need tons of them to clear the TLB I still hesitate to use them "just in case I lose my nerve towards the end". And I really don't like that there's no slowing down my ship - the dodging sometimes feels much scarier than it should. I've cleared Generations no problem though, is there no slow movements in that either? Can't remember... Anyway. Giga Wing. I don't enjoy it because of my own head somehow.

It's got a great scoring system and mechanics, but the actual survival design is pretty anemic. It only gets interesting from st5 onwards, so you are probably dying from boredom on the way there.

[Starfighter]

How about Capcom/Takumi's GigaWing 2 on the Dreamcast or Sega Naomi setups?

I have it on DC as well, I'll get to it eventually!

It's got a great scoring system and mechanics, but the actual survival design is pretty anemic. It only gets interesting from st5 onwards, so you are probably dying from boredom on the way there.

I have my plate full from the S3 boss (the lava boss, as I play with Ruby) and on, but it might have something to do with that. Not that I'll die from boredom (or perhaps inattention as a result of that), but arriving at the later stages with 15 minutes of not very challenging gameplay behind me might have an impact on my abilities. Sort of like "I don't want to replay that, I better do good now".

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I don't like that I need to save all the bombs for the very end, even though I guess I don't need tons of them to clear the TLB I still hesitate to use them "just in case I lose my nerve towards the end".

Need is a strong word in a game with such a small hitbox and such a powerful special ability. Ruby also happens to be the strongest character against the relatively small TLB because her shots are just wide enough to all connect on it, so if you're using her, the last attack can be blasted through without needing any bombs. Its first attack and second last pattern is the one that generally is going to benefit from bombing.

And I really don't like that there's no slowing down my ship - the dodging sometimes feels much scarier than it should.

You can still slow your movement but riding the bottom of the screen. Hold down and tap left/right which forces you to move at a diagonal along the bottom if need be. Ruby's fast but she's not unmanageably fast, she's a lot easier to handle than say Miyamoto in Battle Garegga I think.

You could also use a slower ship like Sinnosuke or Isha's but the tradeoff is they're weaker. Stuck is a bit slower and has a much better shot for stages, but has a fairly tricky TLB fight.

The early parts of the game are a lot more challenging if you're playing for score which requires you to keep enemies alive long enough to have stuff to reflect back at them!

[Starfighter]

Need is a strong word in a game with such a small hitbox and such a powerful special ability. Ruby also happens to be the strongest character against the relatively small TLB because her shots are just wide enough to all connect on it, so if you're using her, the last attack can be blasted through without needing any bombs. Its first attack and second last pattern is the one that generally is going to benefit from bombing.

Then I just need more practice, the last couple of attacks from the TLB gets me every time, I pretty much have to bomb/deflect/bomb/deflect constantly the last ten seconds or so. Meaning if I die just before the TLB (and lose the seven bombs I've amassed up until that point) I can just as well reset. I think I'll have to do what I did with Espgaluda - spend several days only playing the last boss over and over and over again until it's pretty much muscle memory.

The mid bosses are weird for me in that if I forget what they do and try to just wing (pun intended) it I get hit about a third of the time, and if I remember what they do they're pretty much not even a threat - it's one or two strategic placements and a deflect move and then it's over. Perhaps that also plays in to my struggle - in that the game sort of drags out a bit in the beginning (it's suspiciously easy until BAM three seconds of curve balls!!! and then back to smooth sailling/mind wandering again) and I relax and think of it as a reaction/intuition kind of game and then for brief bursts it really isn't. I wonder if playing a bit for score would make my mind focus better on it during all parts instead of just here and there.

[Starfighter]

Holy crap, I died seconds from taking the TLB down. Well that's... I guess I should say it's affirming, that means I can basically do it. But it's also gutting, because I don't want to play it anymore.

Sometimes I die on S3 boss for some reason, like once every fifth go, and this time I didn't want to risk it, so I used a bomb to just get it over with. If I'd saved it, I could've used it in the end and probably get the 1CC. Well, or saved any of the four (!) bombs I had to use during S5 because I got a brain fart and totally forgot my routing throughout. It was like playing it for the first time. Too much nerves and forgetting stuff = not enough practice. I think I'm going to take a couple of days off this game. I know it's good for the brain to take breaks, sleep and stuff, to be able to use what it has learned, but I'm talking perhaps two or three days. I need a reset so I can feel I want to play it again.

Edit: Waited two days, fired it up. Did two runs, one ended at the TLB, the other ended when I lost my first life at stage one (!) and just gave up. I don't like this game, I can't focus on it.

Edit 2: Gave it another go tonight, everything went really good for some reason, I arrived at stage 5 with 7 bombs and everything, which means I'd be fully stocked going in to the last boss and TLB (because I never miss on stage 5). A couple of bullets fly past the screen, and since there's nothing else going on I just navigate around them. Or so I thought. Instead of flying diagonally upwards, I fly straight upwards, into the bullets. I have no idea how that happened, if I held the stick ever so slightly in an angle or if I had a mini-stroke... But I just flew straight into the only five or so bullets on screen, while watching them. Out of spite I played better than I have in a while - cleared stage 5 and 6 with no miss no bombs used. Then I arrived at the TLB, and since I decided to try Stuck this evening (I have only tried him once of twice before) the encounter wasn't as I've been practicing (I wasn't fast enough so the boss had time to use patterns I've never seen before) and I died. I wonder if I would've cleared it if I got to keep all my bombs. Hm... Well, next time I'm using Ruby again, I know how to no miss no bomb the TLB with her at this point.

[Marc]

Being as cack-handed as I am, I decided it’s be a good idea to pick up Ketsui for PS4. It’s going as well as you’d expect.

In fairness, I’ve seen the third stage – once – though I’ve only played an hour or two as of yet.

Stunning game though. The audio/visual side of things is definitely one of Cave’s best, and the scoring system feels pretty natural for once. Yes, it’s hard, but what I’ve seen so far also seems fair, and some of the patterns are fantastic. Sometimes I simply can’t see what I’m supposed to do, here I can see it, but the execution isn’t there yet.

Conversely, I fired up the Deathinity mode with a couple of minutes remaining until I had to head out, and had to quite on the 43rd boss as I hadn’t dies up until that point – I take it it’s more of a score-attack type affair?

[Dazzymank]

Going thru abit of a rogue like Binding of Isaac Atmy of Ruin Soulstone Survivors Vsmpire Hunters and Survicors and there new card one in dungeon Ball X Pitt Brotato Entropy and then some true shmups Raiden fighters collection both ps5 and switch finally patched loved them on 360 Exo Calibre must at a few quid and the one blown me away Sektori

Enjoy Starfox on switch 2 as well and Rogue Flight all these new to me

played more Viper Phase 1 Wild Guns Reloaded Nebula Ray R Typr Delta not a shmup must mention if anyone missed but my first play must for any fighting fan Midnight Fight Express some Esp Rade Gradius Origins collection Akai Katana all on PS5 and on switch the goat Crimson Clover with some DDPDJ

Feel free to add me on psn as need some high score buddies Dazzy_man on psn everything else Dazzyman (I lost my og login detail)

Tatsujin Extreme on 30th too

[1000Eyes]

Practicing a DFK 1.5 Power style 1-ALL. Got to stage 5 and the dreaded laser wheels!

Yeah, I initially got stumped too, but there might some light at the end of the tunnel? My leading theory is to use hypers. When the wheels form, the main problem is that the lasers themselves also shoot regular bullets, in addition to the popcorn flood in. You can't just hold laser to past the wheels, since lasers are narrow and cant take all the popcorn at once, you'll be cornered in no time. The idea is to laser to past some parts of the wheel, and in that exact pocket of space before the wheel turns, pop a hyper and delete the bullets and enemies before the wheel reaches you. It's a pretty challenging rhythm to learn when to tap shot, pop hyper, and hold laser, but at least I have a strat now. All the mechanics of dfk are coming together now if this works!

In fact, I quite like how this level iterate on this mechanic so far:

Section 1: Horizontal lasers. Several invincible horizontal lasers appear. Enemies often spawn like this: one big tank that floods the screen, several tanks, then some sort of heavy medium firing squad. The idea is that you have to laser the tank, how good you do this determines your future position. Afterwards, you have to decide: do you sit back and clear popcorn? You will risk the lasers advancing to your position. If you cross the lasers too early, you risk eating a bunch of bullets. The whole idea is measured aggression: you will often have to cross early for the sake of deleting the popcorn before they shoot, but you must be careful not to run into stray bullets or the lasers themselves. You could hyper here but since hyper rank is a thing and the stage is long (it's roughly 30% of the game), it might not be worth it.

Section 2: Lasers wheels (Part 1?) Here's where you do the stuff i mentioned above

This is as far as i made it. Stage is longgg, but it's pretty cool. Wonder why CAVE stuff all the survival difficulty in the last like 30% of the game (ok, you are meant to score and there's a second loop, but still)... The bigger point is that here you can really see how DFK is unique, but you have to sit past 4 stages of tutorial-level stuff to get here. No matter, I think the lasers look and feel cool to face, if Taito and G.Rev taught us anything. Kinda like what CAVE was doing experimenting with terrain with stuff like this and Deathsmiles in 2008.