New Sonic Wings/Aero Fighters game by SUCCESS

[Buffi]

I have seen a full run on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2Al2UVrSPM

hahahahah, that last boss fight

[Jeneki]

If nothing else, I'm somehow pleased that "gird your loins" made it into the final game.

[To Far Away Times]

$53.99 on discount. Holy shit.

I feel like they should pay you to play this.

Edit: Watching a video right now. My God, this looks rough. The way the player comes to a complete and sudden stop when a boss shows up... Or the desert tank boss doesn't even have animation and is very clearly a stationary object on a sliding background. Why does nearly every stage have that water background? The last stage has maybe the ugliest background I've ever seen. Some bosses die instantly. This doesn't just look amateurish, this looks unfinished.

[Steven]

I think it would be appropriate for Zero Wing's infamous 「一体どうしたと言んだ！」, or perhaps "What happen ?", if you prefer the English version, to be applied to this game. Amazing and amusing that they managed to mess up the same line in both the original Japanese version and the English translation, but that's a different subject entirely.

Anyway, I'll probably go to Mikado tomorrow. For the past few days I have been playing SMT V until 0300 and only sleeping for a few hours, so I am not feeling in the mood to go to Mikado today. I'd probably still at least 1-ALL it even in this current sleep-deprived state and having never played it before, sadly. I don't even know if they have the game, but I'd be surprised if they don't. It would kind of suck and be a waste of both time and money if I go there and find that they don't have it. At least I'd be able to play Dariusburst AC or Metal Hawk or After Burner Climax or whatever to more than make up for it.

[lovecraft]

this looks unfinished.

This is incomprehensible from Success, a company that has accustomed us to highly polished games. They're releasing this game that is 50~60% complete and debugged... It's a guaranteed failure.
It was planned to be released simultaneously in arcades. I can't believe the game is coming to game centers in this state.

[Steven]

I still think it's funny (in a bad way) that Gradius and Tiger-Heli from literally 40 years ago have better graphics than this. Tiger-Heli has turning animations for its tanks. This game doesn't! How does that even happen? The mini boss thing on the bonus stage also snaps into place instantly when you damage its parts. How odd, and how odd-looking.

[Lemnear]

$53.99 on discount. Holy shit.

I feel like they should pay you to play this.

Edit: Watching a video right now. My God, this looks rough. The way the player comes to a complete and sudden stop when a boss shows up... Or the desert tank boss doesn't even have animation and is very clearly a stationary object on a sliding background. Why does nearly every stage have that water background? The last stage has maybe the ugliest background I've ever seen. Some bosses die instantly. This doesn't just look amateurish, this looks unfinished.

But...WHY does it cost so much? What is the reason for such a clearly disproportionate cost for the amount of content it contains? Is there some secret easter egg? Something we don't know about? It costs as much as a Darius Cozmic Console Collection or Chronicles Saviour!

[EmperorIng]

The Japanese price is apparently 6000yen, or about $35.00 USD, which leads me to think they didn't bother to do any currency conversions.
"Didn't bother to do x" seems to be a common theme within the game itself. Didn't bother to add or finish animations, didn't bother to brush up graphics, didn't bother to bugtest (using LmaoLmao's bomb while the final boss dies crashes the game on switch, lol).

Granted, I have not played this because LOL at the price (though it is already pirated and floating through the web), but I have watched some of the 2all videos floating around and feel like just about all my fears were confirmed. Slow-moving trainwreck and all that.

It's a real shame that this just seems to have been shat out as quickly as possible - I think there was less than a year between announcement and release? There was just clearly not nearly enough time put into it before being rushed out to grift physical collectors. There are only two programmers listed, and a "designer." The rest just seems farmed out to bargain-bin chinese devs. And the credits list V-system and Psikyo godfather Shin Nakamura as "Special Adviser" for an extra slap to the face, lol.

What was the point of a loketest if you weren't going to do anything to change the game or get feedback? Was it just a public demo to drum up excitement? Do you think anyone watching that bonus stage - with the teleporting plane that awkwardly jumps when a part is destroyed - is getting excited? Iconoclast said that he and chantake (a DOJ superplayer) were watching and laughing at the arcade. Yikes.

What's crazy is that the game has two loops, an "ammo system" sort of like the older games, and it's not a danmaku, which is all pretty unusual/unique for an arcade shmup in the 2020s (or shmup in general). But despite those nice nods it just seems like they could not figure out how to pull this off in the time they were given. The only thing I can hope for is that they patch the fuck out of this for a year and then it will be more acceptable, but I feel like that is a pipe-dream.

[Lemnear]

And the credits list V-system and Psikyo godfather Shin Nakamura as "Special Adviser" for an extra slap to the face, lol

I guess his contribution was something like:
SUCCESS: "We're making a new Sonic Wings!"
Shin Nakamura: "Ok"

and then he was never consulted again.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I was thinking it couldn't possibly be all that bad, but... yeah. What a shame.

Seeing River-n-White's mortar blasts have like 4 frames of animation that slowly animate every half second is pretty unfortunate.

[Furry Fox Jet Pilot]

I wonder if the new Strikers game will suffer the same fate of being unfinished slop like this game, if it ever materializes. Seems like attempts to bring classic franchises into the modern day are cursed.

[Hero of Legend]

Not sure if known, but it looks like Red Art's bringing it over, as the PAL release on Switch and PS5 just popped up at VGP for Oct 7th:



https://videogamesplus.ca/search?type=a ... nic*+wings*

Odd as this seemed like a shoe-in for ININ who've most often done Success' games I think (well, if they get physical releases, otherwise they do it themselves like with Shepherd's Crossing).

[Steven]

Are there any 2-ALL replays yet? There are some that show part of the second loop but I haven't seen a 2-ALL yet.

Unfinished-looking graphics aside, the second loop looks better, but it's hard to tell without seeing the second half of the second loop. If the game is updated, they should probably make what is currently loop 2 be loop 1 instead and then adjust the new loop 2 to be as difficult as a hypothetical loop 3 for what currently exists. The game currently looks so sleepy and dull. I'd forgive the graphics if the gameplay was even moderately appealing, and at least the gameplay is probably salvageable with some major modifications.

I have learned that Mikado does indeed have the arcade version. Unfortunately, there is a huge 2-day event for it that started yesterday and continues today. The composer is going to be streaming the game today (https://www.youtube.com/live/gICCq46Blw ... CA5wNFMP8F) and it's going to be at exactly the time that I'd get there after work today... ugh. Hosoi is a cool dude, but I kind of don't want to go now because I'd prefer to play it without the noise and the huge crowd that I'm sure will be there because it always is for events like this.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Are there any 2-ALL replays yet? There are some that show part of the second loop but I haven't seen a 2-ALL yet.

Unfinished-looking graphics aside, the second loop looks better, but it's hard to tell without seeing the second half of the second loop. If the game is updated, they should probably make what is currently loop 2 be loop 1 instead and then adjust the new loop 2 to be as difficult as a hypothetical loop 3 for what currently exists. The game currently looks so sleepy and dull. I'd forgive the graphics if the gameplay was even moderately appealing, and at least the gameplay is probably salvageable with some major modifications.

I have learned that Mikado does indeed have the arcade version. Unfortunately, there is a huge 2-day event for it that started yesterday and continues today. The composer is going to be streaming the game today (https://www.youtube.com/live/gICCq46Blw ... CA5wNFMP8F) and it's going to be at exactly the time that I'd get there after work today... ugh. Hosoi is a cool dude, but I kind of don't want to go now because I'd prefer to play it without the noise and the huge crowd that I'm sure will be there because it always is for events like this.

Would the arcade version of "Sonic Wings Reunion" be better than the console port in terms of graphics & gameplay?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[spmbx]

I couldn't really understand but are they actually installing an autofire device to play the game? At 13mins
https://www.youtube.com/live/B-9zbf60kIk

[Steven]

Okay, I played the arcade version and it is completely irredeemable shit. Unfortunately, it isn't just shit, it's shit with crazy input lag, like City Connection Cotton bad. I wish I was joking, but it's very laggy and it feels like you are playing underwater. It felt like I was fighting the controls just to move. It also has stuttering and poor performance at times, making it worse. Stutter isn't even strong enough a word; at two points the game completely stopped moving for a second or two and I thought the game had crashed.

Visibility is also horrible, mostly in the city stages, as the zako blend in with the background. It's like being shot at by invisible enemies, at least to me. Visibility is a thing that is different for each human, but I had times when I couldn't see what was going on. The game is super easy until stage 6, at which point it throws a bunch of stuff at you. Die once there and you'll probably chain death like I did unless you bomb a few times.

This game shouldn't have been released in this state. Do not play this game unless you can do it for free. 100 yen, the standard price for a credit in Japanese game centers, was too much. I wouldn't even illegally download the Switch version to run it in an emulator. It's not worth the effort.

Damage output is garbage. I played as White and died three times at the aircraft carrier because I got overwhelmed and couldn't kill anything after dying. Game over at the final boss, sadly. I will blame it on the lag and lack of sleep, as I only slept for about three or four hours again.

Are there any 2-ALL replays yet? There are some that show part of the second loop but I haven't seen a 2-ALL yet.

Unfinished-looking graphics aside, the second loop looks better, but it's hard to tell without seeing the second half of the second loop. If the game is updated, they should probably make what is currently loop 2 be loop 1 instead and then adjust the new loop 2 to be as difficult as a hypothetical loop 3 for what currently exists. The game currently looks so sleepy and dull. I'd forgive the graphics if the gameplay was even moderately appealing, and at least the gameplay is probably salvageable with some major modifications.

I have learned that Mikado does indeed have the arcade version. Unfortunately, there is a huge 2-day event for it that started yesterday and continues today. The composer is going to be streaming the game today (https://www.youtube.com/live/gICCq46Blw ... CA5wNFMP8F) and it's going to be at exactly the time that I'd get there after work today... ugh. Hosoi is a cool dude, but I kind of don't want to go now because I'd prefer to play it without the noise and the huge crowd that I'm sure will be there because it always is for events like this.

Would the arcade version of "Sonic Wings Reunion" be better than the console port in terms of graphics & gameplay?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

It's terrible, so probably not. At least I only paid 100 yen to play it.

[SavagePencil]

What was the response of other patrons at the arcade?

[DrTrouserPlank]

What was the response of other patrons at the arcade?

They were too busy laughing at the sucker who put 100 Yen in to play it.

[Steven]

What was the response of other patrons at the arcade?

When I got there the APM3s were full, so I played Tatsujin Ou for about half an hour to waste time until they were open. By the time I was done with Tatsujin Ou, everybody was too busy watching a Twinkle Star Sprites tournament to care about Sanic Wangs.

[ojijo]

Switch version has FPS drops all the way down to 15, so even if you're remotely considering getting it, probably not the best platform to get it.

[Austin]

Guys.. skip this and just play the original Sonic Wings games.

[jehu]

Guys.. skip this and just play the original Sonic Wings games.

Honestly, you can get ACA Sonic Wings 1, 2, and 3 plus Rabio Lepus and Turbo Force all for less than Reunion.

[lovecraft]

It's sad to have massacred such a franchise like this.
The true last Sonic Wings remains the Special/Limited released in arcades only (not to be confused with the Sonic Wings Special released on Saturn and PS1), and it's also the most accomplished imo. The PCB has become rare and expensive.

[spmbx]

Well hooray for mame This thread triggered me to get into special/limited actually, what's wrong with the psx/saturn version?

[AGermanArtist]

$60 for this dogshit lol

[DenimDemon]

Really in a mood for a new stg but guess this is not it.

[BulletMagnet]

This thread triggered me to get into special/limited actually, what's wrong with the psx/saturn version?

I couldn't go into detail off the top of my head but if memory serves there's nothing "wrong" with Special per se, it's just a different game entirely, not really a port of Limited.

[EmperorIng]

Yeah, and Special is kind of gimped/less exciting than the arcade game. The stages have a lot less going on versus the arcade version. The autofire rate is also borked in the ps1/saturn versions and you never feel like you are doing enough damage there. The arcade Limited, with 30hz auto in mame at least feels like a real shootan' game.

I believe (prior to this game) that Limited was the weakest shmup in the series, but there are some nice bits to it.

Also, I got a 1ALL with LmaoLmao, just to see what it's like without using the wingman bomb system (probably the neatest idea the game has), on my very legit copy of the game
Uh yeah.... it's not worth playing without the wingman unless you just wanna see the solo ending (like I did), but like everything else the writing in this game is very underbaked and half-assed.

[Steven]

This certainly turned into a disappointment, especially given the rarity of new arcade STGs now. I wasn't really expecting anything and was still disappointed. Success should have gotten the Cotton Rock 'n' Roll devs or the Cotton Reboot devs. Too late now. Who is making High Tension? I have no idea, or if they even announced who the devs are.

I do think this game could be salvaged with a lot of work, but I doubt that they will bother. They really do need to get that input lag down on the arcade version because it's unacceptable. Few people will probably play the arcade version after this week, most likely, except to confirm if it really is as bad as it looks/they've heard it is (it is), or to give it a test run before deciding not to buy one of the home versions. I hope the home versions have much lower lag than the arcade version.

Really in a mood for a new stg but guess this is not it.

You mean like new new or just something you've not played before?

[Frostyryker]

Who is making High Tension? I have no idea, or if they even announced who the devs are.

Same team as Reboot