R-Type Final really sucks

[Squire Grooktook]

Sorry for another weird bump, but just was looking for what I missed a few pages ago and found this on page 5.

Pretty much the issue with this game is level design. There are some bright spots but it's mostly just bland, empty, and slow (and not in a smart methodical way, in a yawn inducing way). Stage 1, 3, and 4 are particularly sleep inducing imo. It's not kusoge eruoshmup bad (hell, you could buy worse western and jp doujin games on Steam), but it's definitely the worst of the series.

It has atmosphere in parts, I'll give it that, but the actual art and music kind of suck for the most part and are entirely forgettable (Baido Is and maybe the first boss theme are the only interesting bits in the ost to me). What gives it any kind of feeling is one or two very cool setpieces, and...

I've said it before, but I view Final as less of a "real" R-Type and more like a "revue" or "tribute" to the series, kind of like a fan disc - while the game itself isn't great, the loads of background info and references to the rest of the series (and some of the spin-offs) is the real selling point for fans. In any event, the thing can be had for ten bucks these days, so the fact remains that, despite its deficiencies, you could certainly do much worse.

Pretty much nails it. The enemy logs, the ship bios that range from cryptic to funny, the stage intro's, etc.. It does a nice job of fleshing out the world. A better job than the actual gameplay at least.

while the game itself isn't great, the loads of background info and references to the rest of the series

aka fucking it up with invented emo bullshit

Been a while, but what exactly is emo about it? The cliche of man's creation turning against them is as old as dirt, and shows up in tons of sci-fi/horror/fantasy works.

[Gamer707b]

Ill probably get lynched by the mob , but I like it quite a bit. I personally love the pace as it feels more tactical. Love the unlocking of ships too. Sorta gives it a rpg like feel with the depth of ships and how deep the story goes. One of the only shooters that has me interested in the story. Another example for me liking games that many others don't.

[metus]

Ill probably get lynched by the mob , but I like it quite a bit. I personally love the pace as it feels more tactical. Love the unlocking of ships too. Sorta gives it a rpg like feel with the depth of ships and how deep the story goes. One of the only shooters that has me interested in the story. Another example for me liking games that many others don't.

I doubt you will be lynched. Judged harshly...that's more probable, lol.

[JBC]

I wonder if playing it through HDLoader will have any effect on slowdown? I own a retail copy but have never devoted a lot of time to the game. I could install it sometime later & see.

R-Types are great but require so much patience. My two favorite experiences with the series are playing the incredible ZX Spectrum port & the DX version for GBC, which is really tops for a GameBoy game. I suppose I don't need all the flash & spectacle of high end graphics when it comes to this series.

I'm not a huge fan of Delta like some in this thread. It's visuals are good for PSX but so distracting. I can't tell what the heck is going on sometimes - what's a deadly background object & what is not.

[system11]

If Delta hadn't existed then Final wouldn't be judged quite as harshly, but Delta plays better, the levels are designed better, it sounds better and looks better despite PS1 era polygons, and it actually runs better too in areas that slow down.

That's the problem, the only interesting thing it brought to the table was a fleet of ship variations.

[Tregard]

If Delta hadn't existed then Final wouldn't be judged quite as harshly, but Delta plays better, the levels are designed better, it sounds better and looks better despite PS1 era polygons, and it actually runs better too in areas that slow down.

I think Delta even outdid Final for atmosphere. Final is often praised in that regard, and not without good reason, but Delta really nails both the mechanical and the biological sides of R-Type's world for me. It starts on a relatively bright note with the city attack, runs through a series of moody, dark tech levels, then ends with a few levels of all-out horror that resolve with some seriously trippy psychedelia. The game's colour palette makes heavy use of black, particularly in the backgrounds, making every level resemble some kind of nighted abyss in which lurks all manner of twisted bio-mechanical terror.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Delta is on the wrong side of ugly, though (and I mean it by the PSX 2.5D shmup standards).

[trap15]

You must be blind then, my condolences.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Oh I guess the Souky port is uglier still, but it's not saying much, is it?

[Squire Grooktook]

Delta's jagged poly's actually work in the games favor IMO. Works real well for the dimly let, gritty and grimy machines.

[system11]

It's criminal that Delta has no arcade port. I imagine the audio would be a big problem trying to port it to G-NET now.

[JBC]

I played a little bit using HDLoader tonight and didn't notice any terrible slowdown. Pretty fun game.

[trap15]

It's criminal that Delta has no arcade port. I imagine the audio would be a big problem trying to port it to G-NET now.

G-NET still has the PSX sound hardware, it should be fine. Maybe it'd be worth giving a shot heh...

[Obiwanshinobi]

It's criminal that Delta has no arcade port. I imagine the audio would be a big problem trying to port it to G-NET now.

It's a console shmup in the sense R-Type III or Einhänder are, i.e. making use of more buttons than coin-op shmups typically do (I doubt I'd enjoy playing it with a stick any more).

[Darkseed]

I liked it. I even enjoyed the giant ship stage with the funeral music. Very atmospheric and intimidating. Not sure why this game out of all the other stinkers deserves all the negative headlines with "Fucking" included. That's the Internet fo ya. Not talking about this thread title btw.

[qmish]

Final is awesomeness of surreality, both in kamasutra stage and enemies. That's enough to forgive it's failures.

[Doctor Butler]

The ship unlocking was way too "grindy"

[kid aphex]

Awesome game.
Amazing soundtrack and distinct visuals.
One of the strangest vibes of all STG.

...and I'd say it's just about as fun to play as any other R-Type.

That is to say that it's aesthetic and atmosphere are it's strengths.



The title screen music let's you know exactly what you're in for: https://youtu.be/aPaycMSzMZg

[o.pwuaioc]

You must be blind then, my condolences.

R-Type Delta is really ugly, but it's forgivable.

R-Type Final did absolutely nothing for me. First three PS2 shmups I got for the PS2 were the cheap-os: R-Type Final, Silpheed: Lost Planet, and Castle Shikigami 2. All three really made me consider selling the whole thing. Luckily, Raiden III and Gradius V came along soon afterward.

[Tregard]

R-Type Final did absolutely nothing for me. First three PS2 shmups I got for the PS2 were the cheap-os: R-Type Final, Silpheed: Lost Planet, and Castle Shikigami 2. All three really made me consider selling the whole thing. Luckily, Raiden III and Gradius V came along soon afterward.

Say whaaa? The PS2 regionalisation of that game might have been a disaster (story/dialogue scenes stripped out, OST replaced by a vastly inferior one), but the gameplay was left intact, and once upon a time that game was rocking it near the top of the All Time Top 25 list. I put many a happy hour into that port (until the soundtrack drove me to the brink and I jumped ship for the Japanese original). Oh well, to each his own and all that.

[o.pwuaioc]

R-Type Final did absolutely nothing for me. First three PS2 shmups I got for the PS2 were the cheap-os: R-Type Final, Silpheed: Lost Planet, and Castle Shikigami 2. All three really made me consider selling the whole thing. Luckily, Raiden III and Gradius V came along soon afterward.

Say whaaa? The PS2 regionalisation of that game might have been a disaster (story/dialogue scenes stripped out, OST replaced by a vastly inferior one), but the gameplay was left intact, and once upon a time that game was rocking it near the top of the All Time Top 25 list. I put many a happy hour into that port (until the soundtrack drove me to the brink and I jumped ship for the Japanese original). Oh well, to each his own and all that.

I'm sure it is, but I really did not like the gameplay to begin with. I didn't like "Mobile Light Force 2" either, which I had actually bought along with Shikigami 2. Not my style of shooter, I guess.

[Austin]

I think R-Type Final is a pretty good entry in the series. It's got the typically-mentioned stuff going against it (slowdown, some pacing issues, inconsistent/jarring framerate, etc). The "clean" look of the textures also doesn't really fit as well as the dark, muddy graphics of Delta, and as a result I don't feel it holds up as well as it could visually. Still, the action that is there is good and definitely worthy of the R-Type name, particularly in the later stages where the challenge rises to traditional R-Type levels. The sound design is also excellent as it's been mentioned already, and that goes a long ways for me. I may be in the minority here, but R-Type 3 is actually my least favorite entry in the series and I'd much rather play Final instead.

[Squire Grooktook]

Still, the action that is there is good and definitely worthy of the R-Type name, particularly in the later stages where the challenge rises to traditional R-Type levels.

This is a big problem though. The stage 4 and 5 bosses are fun, and Space Graveyard (stage 6) is a pretty intense stage, but good luck reaching them without falling asleep from the painfully glacial stage 1-4. In particular, stage 1's sheer emptiness and the slooooooow panning around the battleship in stage 3 were almost painful for me even when I had considerably less experience and lower standards for the genre.

Even in the later stages, there are issues. Stage 5 boss is super cool, but that icky graphical screw doesn't belong anywhere near a shmup. The boss of stage 6 mucks up some intense battles with a painfully slow bout of memorization based challenge (good luck beating Gommander till you've figured out the safe spot for his trash attack, and have to endure that slow spiral into him again and again). Stage 7 is fun but also has some purely throw away moments (the big spiral, etc.)

[Kiken]

R-Type Final did absolutely nothing for me. First three PS2 shmups I got for the PS2 were the cheap-os: R-Type Final, Silpheed: Lost Planet, and Castle Shikigami 2. All three really made me consider selling the whole thing. Luckily, Raiden III and Gradius V came along soon afterward.

Say whaaa? The PS2 regionalisation of that game might have been a disaster (story/dialogue scenes stripped out, OST replaced by a vastly inferior one), but the gameplay was left intact, and once upon a time that game was rocking it near the top of the All Time Top 25 list. I put many a happy hour into that port (until the soundtrack drove me to the brink and I jumped ship for the Japanese original). Oh well, to each his own and all that.

I don't recall any of the story sequences in the NTSC U/C release of Shiki 2 being stripped out. Everything was just hilariously translated and poorly acted. The only thing removed was the option of progressive scan. Shiki 1 (aka MLF2) on the other hand... that had loads of stuff cut.

[Tregard]

I don't recall any of the story sequences in the NTSC U/C release of Shiki 2 being stripped out. Everything was just hilariously translated and poorly acted. The only thing removed was the option of progressive scan. Shiki 1 (aka MLF2) on the other hand... that had loads of stuff cut.

It was the PAL version I had; they ripped the whole lot out, and the music was replaced with atrocities like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMzDHwMARQc

[neorocker]

It was the PAL version I had; they ripped the whole lot out, and the music was replaced with atrocities like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMzDHwMARQc

HOLY SHIT WHAT HAHAHAHAHHA

[eebrozgi]

It was the PAL version I had; they ripped the whole lot out, and the music was replaced with atrocities like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMzDHwMARQc

I own the PAL version and remember putting it off rather quickly, and the soundtrack played in no way a small part in that. It's pretty baffling to learn now that this highly unfitting waste of silence was a replacement for an original soundtrack. Does partially explain the unfittingness buttt wwhhyyyy

[slateman]

I unlocked all 101 (and wrote a guide/site on it) and it was ludicrous. The emptiness of level 1 is unforgivable.

But, I quite liked it. Five variants of level 2? Two of level 3? Three variants of levels 6 and final? Those elements were pretty cool. And it was a new R-Type....

In retrospect tho, http://slateman.net/rtype/rtypefinal/masterlist/ makes me wonder WTF I was doing with my life to have enough time to do all that shit...

[Kollision]

In retrospect tho, http://slateman.net/rtype/rtypefinal/masterlist/ makes me wonder WTF I was doing with my life to have enough time to do all that shit...

Holy shit, that's awesome, man
Thanks for putting up the link.

I'll bookmark the website at once!

[1983parrothead]

ThunderForce VI looks more interesting.