Ketsui Death Label

[Frederik]

I dont know, but my eyes just cant focus in on the ds playing this game. Granted, I do not play much on the DS and with time would probably get use to it. Not sure if there was a transition period for others, but man is it frustrating. At times it seems like bullets are just blurry. Then i have the issue do i play 2 inches from the screen or 1 foot. If i could play this on a 20" and up screen/monitor it would be much much easier. I breezed through the hards but the 2nd form of doom the bullets might as well be invisible.

Did you turn the contrast options from the preset "DS lite" to "DS"? It helps a lot, even on the Lite on the highest brightness setting. If you play it on a fat DS it´s pretty much mandatory.

And yeah, being used to handheld screens weights in there, too. I play handhelds since the shitty peasoup blur-ass eyestrain-o-rama Gameboy, so I have no problems here. I don´t know if I´m stating the obvious here, but hold it close to the face. When I play I keep it at a distance that a pen would fit between my nose and the screen.

[PPA]

Experts will use Lock to drive up the multiplier, then switch to Shot to destroy each target. Tricky, but worth it if done correctly.

Also, you have to do that without dying in the process...that being the trickiest part

Sometimes I'm too early in changing shot and I end up dying stupidly cause I am doing too less damage and the pattern keeps going on to the point I cant avoid dying

[TodayIsForgotten]

Did you turn the contrast options from the preset "DS lite" to "DS"? It helps a lot, even on the Lite on the highest brightness setting. If you play it on a fat DS it´s pretty much mandatory.

And yeah, being used to handheld screens weights in there, too. I play handhelds since the shitty peasoup blur-ass eyestrain-o-rama Gameboy, so I have no problems here. I don´t know if I´m stating the obvious here, but hold it close to the face. When I play I keep it at a distance that a pen would fit between my nose and the screen.

turning the brightness helps a bit as now i can see my ship as i stare in the center of the screen. Thanks for that, should help out with some more goes.

[Frederik]

Sometimes I'm too early in changing shot and I end up dying stupidly cause I am doing too less damage and the pattern keeps going on to the point I cant avoid dying

I can relate to that

I´m getting a bit better at Extra now, I got to the very big ship that comes in from the left and spams the screen with bullets a couple of times. And then I died. But it´s actually more fun now, it´s just that Yokotate bullet hoarding is very unusual at first.

[Guardians Knight]

well just ordered a j 360 from yesasia so i hope they are as good as previously said, anyone advise me on the kind of step down transformer i'll need? will the one i use for my jap saturn do?


on topic:

ahh i could probs pinch my nephew's fat ds to try out the joypad, twould be cheaper than forking out lots for a dsi

[PPA]

Sometimes I'm too early in changing shot and I end up dying stupidly cause I am doing too less damage and the pattern keeps going on to the point I cant avoid dying

I can relate to that

I´m getting a bit better at Extra now, I got to the very big ship that comes in from the left and spams the screen with bullets a couple of times. And then I died. But it´s actually more fun now, it´s just that Yokotate bullet hoarding is very unusual at first.

Been training a lot on Cinderella Amber here.....I only die on the las rotating pattern atm, I cant really sync with the blue bullets that spread from the center...

[MrMonkeyMan]

Death Label clear, 2.7 billion points. (nicovideo)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

He plays pretty much exactly how I've been playing through Very Hard mode. There's some neat strategies in there too. The video quality is pretty crappy though.

[Icarus]

Woot, I've been boggled as to how you're scoring so much. Should be interesting to watch.
Thanks for the links.

EDIT: Not quite what I was expecting, and at the same time, exactly what I was expecting. At least I know why I'm only scoring just under 900mil with minimal mistakes, using similar techniques.

[TodayIsForgotten]

well just ordered a j 360 from yesasia so i hope they are as good as previously said, anyone advise me on the kind of step down transformer i'll need? will the one i use for my jap saturn do?


on topic:

ahh i could probs pinch my nephew's fat ds to try out the joypad, twould be cheaper than forking out lots for a dsi

You dont need a step down. Just use a sufficient power supply (is a transformer) from another 360 and you'll be fine. I own a japanese 360 and use a supply unit from my ntsc xbox i bought 2 years ago.

Sorry for continuing off topic.

[PPA]

Death Label clear, 2.7 billion points. (nicovideo)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

He plays pretty much exactly how I've been playing through Very Hard mode. There's some neat strategies in there too. The video quality is pretty crappy though.

Thankyo very interesting

[P_HAT]

Death Label clear, 2.7 billion points. (nicovideo)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

He plays pretty much exactly how I've been playing through Very Hard mode. There's some neat strategies in there too. The video quality is pretty crappy though.

wow, thanks!

[KindGrind]

Very impressive vids - really looking forward to playing this. So is the fat DS really the optimal way of playing the game? I originally thought the DSLite d-pad would be better, so I thought about trading in my fat DS, but what I read here seems encouraging. Does the clicky d-pad really get the job done? If so I may as well hold on to it...!

[nash87]

definately hold on to the fat ds. The dpad on the fatty has so much more percision than the lite.

[Frederik]

The d-pad quality isn´t that horrible on the Lite per se, however, it varies quite a bit between different production runs (or something). My first one wouldn´t do diagonals at all (only with excessive force), but the one after that has a pretty middle-of-the-road pad which is okay for this game. I still need some force to do diagnals, but overall it feels much easier to push. On my old model it sometimes didn´t seem to register lighter presses at all.

I also think the much better brightness and contrast on the Lite is a huge plus. I can´t stand playing a fat DS for that reason anymore. The DSi is supposed to have a "clicky" pad again, so at least there is a silver lining on the horizon I was fearing that Nintendo would just ignore the problem in favor of the touchscreen and all that...

[PPA]

What you mean by "clicky" ?

[Frederik]

Clicky as in the clicky feel the original DS d-pad had, as well as the GBA SP. At least that is what I associate with that term, I read that on DSFanboy.com or something. This type of d-pad is very light to push and you feel you pushed it by having this light "click" feel. (The Saturn pad has this "clicky" feel, too.)

Although the "mushy" type of d-pad is fine on the GBA Micro. I really don´t get how they managed to mess it up that badly on some of the Lite models...

[jpj]

so how do you upload and download replays onto/from the cartridge then?

[Frederik]

I don´t think there is any way, except for filming it with a camera. Quite a oversight - trading replays would have been much nicer than having to watch them all shaky and blurry...

[jpj]

i thought there was a download menu in the game itself...?
maybe i misunderstood my friend...

[Jockel]

yeah you can up/download replays, but only locally.
if you want to record the replay as a video file i'd recommend dumping the save from your retail card with a homebrewtool and use that savefile on no$gba to directly record the footage on your pc.

[jpj]

ah, nice one.
and no, not interested in making video files he just wants to find good replays without having to visit the forum

[LaserGun]

What actually happens in Ketsui's endings? Can someone give me a translation/synopsis? Just curious about it.

[Leroy]

This game rules so damn much. Boss Rush play is PERFECT for portable play.

Please Mihara, let's do Espgaluda Death Label next.

[Icarus]

Please Mihara, let's do Espgaluda Death Label next.

Futari v1.5, MMP or Ibara would be better choices.

[Frederik]

Please Mihara, let's do Espgaluda Death Label next.

That would be a great idea. Although I have to say I´d love to see a scaled-down Deathsmiles DS game the most, especially on the horizontal DS screen. For this reason alone it would be the easiest game to program stages for. Though a completely new game built with the limitations in mind would be a good idea, too.

As EOJ on Cave-STG mentioned this game sold remarkably well, more than twice as much as the Ibara PS2 port, so I wouldn´t be surprised if we get to see more Cave games or shmups in general on the DS.

I still like this game a lot, though it wears thin after a while, especially in Extra mode - the bullets are just too tiny and the stage is way too repetetive. I think Ketsui DS is a great first experiment on how bullet hell works on a portable platform. I´m really curious as what might happen next, but I´m pretty sure that these sales figures will raise an eyebrow or two over at Cave.

Please Mihara, let's do Espgaluda Death Label next.

Futari v1.5, MMP or Ibara would be better choices.

I agree on the first two. But Ibara? I think some of the dense needle-bullet-sprays would be absolute hell on the tiny DS. But if you talk about the Raizing-type boss milking, absolutely. That´s what makes Ketsui DS a bit thin on content: Typical Cave bosses always felt a bit...static to me. There are just so many ways you can play with Raizing bosses. And actually, the last few times I played Batrider it was always Boss Rush mode, and man, did I ever had a good time I like both companies, but I like bosses way better in Raizing(-styled) games. The ones in MMP are mindblowing

[Leroy]

Espgaluda is my personal favorite Cave game, but Death Smiles makes sense from the horizontal orientation standpoint. Either way, I think with Ketsui DL Cave has shown that they know how to make a good adaption based on what the hardware is capable of.

I have a scoring question. I've noticed that destroying the smaller ships or individual pieces of a boss takes away from your multiplier. So is the general idea to try to finish enemies with the regular shot or is there a benefit to finishing things off with the lock shot?

[Icarus]

I agree on the first two. But Ibara? I think some of the dense needle-bullet-sprays would be absolute hell on the tiny DS.

Make bullets pink, and a little bit bigger. Problem solved. The bullet patterns are usually scaled down a bit for the handheld, as well.
Or put the game on the PSP.

But if you talk about the Raizing-type boss milking, absolutely. That´s what makes Ketsui DS a bit thin on content: Typical Cave bosses always felt a bit...static to me.

Once you get all the techniques down, the Ketsui DS bossmodes stop being challenging - there's only a few ways you can deal with the bosses. I only ever play Doom and Extra now, with occasional Death Label and Very Hard to keep strategies fresh and experiment.

There are just so many ways you can play with Raizing bosses. And actually, the last few times I played Batrider it was always Boss Rush mode, and man, did I ever had a good time I like both companies, but I like bosses way better in Raizing(-styled) games.

One of the many things I like about Raizing bosses, the different attack patterns and the slight randomness which keeps you on your toes.

I'd kill for a Raizing Boss Collection Death Label. Imagine Black Heart2 or Envy Advanced...

The ones in MMP are mindblowing

Imagine them at maximum second-loop arcade rank with added DL flavor. ^_-

I have a scoring question. I've noticed that destroying the smaller ships or individual pieces of a boss takes away from your multiplier. So is the general idea to try to finish enemies with the regular shot or is there a benefit to finishing things off with the lock shot?

Finish everything off with your Shot to maintain your multiplier.
If you've got the balls, use Lock to weaken all destroyable parts of all bosses, then destroy them with Shot. takes longer to play this way, but you're guaranteed a much larger multiplier if you can last the distance.

[moozooh]

with Ketsui DL Cave has shown that they know how to make a good adaption based on what the hardware is capable of

Except they did pretty much nothing for this port; last I checked, Arika did all the porting job.

[Leroy]

with Ketsui DL Cave has shown that they know how to make a good adaption based on what the hardware is capable of

Except they did pretty much nothing for this port; last I checked, Arika did all the porting job.

I meant Arika, really I did.

[glitch]

i somehow unlocked Death Label mode without either completing Very Hard or having my lives in Very Hard increase to 20. i played Very Hard with about 13 lives and got destroyed by Doom when i had him down to near death (energy bar blinking). then i played a round of Hard A and beat it. then, Death Label mode got unlocked. i had about 3.5 hours total playtime with the game at that moment. did anyone else have this happen?

later on i managed to beat Very Hard, which unlocked nothing, iirc.

Death Label mode is making fun of me, by the way.