DoDonPachi Saidaioujou coming to Xbox 360 (REGION-FREE!)

[AntiFritz]

DFK's stage 3 has the worst background i've ever seen. Whats that low res city picture as a background seriously ??

That's probably the best looking stage in the game.

Agreed, either stage 2 or 4 are the worst. If only because I can never remember what those two even look like.

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

I concur with the DFK stage 3 background picture problem. It's not the whole stage, it's just that city background picture. It's completely prototypey and the worst thing they've ever done graphically other than mixing resolutions in ports.

[Drachenherz]

I concur with the DFK stage 3 background picture problem. It's not the whole stage, it's just that city background picture. It's completely prototypey and the worst thing they've ever done graphically other than mixing resolutions in ports.

Isn't it the same background as the final battle with the garra-bitch in Esp Ra.De.?

[Skykid]

I concur with the DFK stage 3 background picture problem. It's not the whole stage, it's just that city background picture. It's completely prototypey and the worst thing they've ever done graphically other than mixing resolutions in ports.

Isn't it the same background as the final battle with the garra-bitch in Esp Ra.De.?

It's similar. It's just something Cave do. The background to the Espgaluda stage 1 boss fight is the same kind of fuzzy.

[malchitos]

just got my copy last week, enjoy it so far.

Played a bit early this morning and left it running while I was starting lunch cooking. Usually newer games are missing Attract Modes so I wasn't expecting anything. Then I noticed the girls sorta parody the original Donpachi title screen voice acting(or do they do this in all the series and I never noticed?). I thought that was a nice touch. I already was hearing the infamous "bomb-ah" through out the game.

Also I noticed a lone ship on stage 2 run down the screen...then turn tail and run without ever taking a shot. I've noticed this theme/gag in a few shmups but can't remember if it was an earlier Donpachi game or not.

[Imhotep]

I like it a lot. All modes are fun, arcade hd maybe the least. Novice is great and not so novice.

I'm fine with the plasticky, effects-heavy visuals. I'd have preferred if they went 3d long ago (1998), but if it must be cheap prerender-2d, I like how it's done here.

[Skykid]

I'd have preferred if they went 3d long ago (1998)

I think it's time we make another call to your doctor.

[Imhotep]

I think it's time we make another call to your doctor.

good taste is not prescribed.

[malchitos]

I like it a lot. All modes are fun, arcade hd maybe the least. Novice is great and not so novice.

I'm fine with the plasticky, effects-heavy visuals. I'd have preferred if they went 3d long ago (1998), but if it must be cheap prerender-2d, I like how it's done here.

I don't know...I've always liked the 2d sprite based games better..I guess I realize how much work goes into drawing them(not to mention animating them). I wouldn't mind a Polygon based one since poly counts are pretty high now, I just don't want them to go all 3d mode crazy...please not another FPS!

[KAI]

Yesss, I'm finally playing this shit tomorrow.

[DrTrouserPlank]

Is there any way of clearing 5 novice consistently, or is all you can do get there with about 4 lives, dodge on the fly and hope? because that's pretty much what it looks like.

The design (or lack) of that level is pure shite. It looks like the level designer called in sick that day and they let the work-experience kids design it and they got too excited copy/pasting enemies in completely random clusters.

I don't see how you'd ever clear that consistently, especially with autobomb because it'll be luck whether you have the needed bomb to wipe some of the sequences where you can't escape no matter what you do. Some of the boss patterns can't be avoided with any consistency.

Shitty end to the game. I got 3.2B which is pretty good and I'll almost certainly never beat that and I can't see the point in practicing to get good enough when the last level is a coin-flip on whether you survive enough of the luck sequences to clear the game.

If beating it means having to know exactly where you will bomb and hyper in order to avoid stupid patterns then that's ridiculous and I'm certainly not interested in playing like that.

tl;dr final level is shit. Hire a new level designer.

[Zengeku3]

It's a memorizer level. Work out a path and follow it. If you don't want to memorize stages and just want to dodge bullet patterns, I'd suggest a Touhou game but those would probably be too hard for you.

[trap15]

There is absolutely nothing luck based pretty much anywhere in the game. lrn2play

[Udderdude]

The planktoning has almost come to an end.

Which is a good thing, because at this point he's starting to sound like a broken record belting out emo 80s tunes.

[ptoing]

The actual ship you are flying over looks cool, the city looks a bit arse tho. Also that city was already used in Espgaluda, last stage, or 5.1 or what it is called. But there it just looks like green mush.

[TheSoundofRed]

If beating it means having to know exactly where you will bomb and hyper in order to avoid stupid patterns then that's ridiculous and I'm certainly not interested in playing like that.

That is precisely what you need to know in order to clear any game, for score or otherwise. I'm failing to see what you would qualify as a good game, or one you would enjoy playing. Most all, if not all, STGs have a fairly large emphasis on understanding the stage layouts and enemy placement, as well as enemy attack patterns.

If all you care to do is fiddle with the joystick, slap the face buttons and clear the game with a high score, then I'm afraid you've invested in the wrong genre.

[DrTrouserPlank]

If beating it means having to know exactly where you will bomb and hyper in order to avoid stupid patterns then that's ridiculous and I'm certainly not interested in playing like that.

That is precisely what you need to know in order to clear any game, for score or otherwise. I'm failing to see what you would qualify as a good game, or one you would enjoy playing. Most all, if not all, STGs have a fairly large emphasis on understanding the stage layouts and enemy placement, as well as enemy attack patterns.

If all you care to do is fiddle with the joystick, slap the face buttons and clear the game with a high score, then I'm afraid you've invested in the wrong genre.

You should never have to bomb or hyper to avoid a pattern. That's bad design. Some of those patterns on stage 5 are probably clearable about 1 in 10 times meaning that if you are gonna clear the game consistently you have to bomb or hyper them.

As for understanding enemy placements on that level, it such a mess you can't even begin to try mapping out a consistent path.

I think the level design is shit, and by shit I mean a completely disordered mess.


*sigh* anyway, I think I'm pretty much done with this "game" now. Novice mode is ok, but the final level makes all the work to get there a waste of time and effort. Don't particularly like arrange modes; especially ones that have a "life bar". Arcade and 1.5 (the reason I bought this port) are a complete joke.

Overall it's a package that looks as though it has quite a bit of value game-play wise. Too bad at least half the content is completely unplayable. Bottom line is that it wasn't worth £60 because I didn't get too many hours out of it, and I couldn't play the modes I bought it for in the first place

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

I concur with the DFK stage 3 background picture problem. It's not the whole stage, it's just that city background picture. It's completely prototypey and the worst thing they've ever done graphically other than mixing resolutions in ports.

Isn't it the same background as the final battle with the garra-bitch in Esp Ra.De.?

It's similar but seemed to fit correctly there. They were supposed to be in the future Tokyo area in Esprade. It's not the blur that bothers me, it's that it just doesn't seem to fit in DFK. Are they even on earth? When I see it it feels like "wait a sec, wrong planet, where the hell am I supposed to be right now".

[-S.L-]

for me it's not even that problem to me, it's just ugly, blurry, wrong and lazy.

(i like your youtube channel BTW !)

[brokenhalo]

You should never have to bomb or hyper to avoid a pattern. That's bad design. Some of those patterns on stage 5 are probably clearable about 1 in 10 times meaning that if you are gonna clear the game consistently you have to bomb or hyper them.

As for understanding enemy placements on that level, it such a mess you can't even begin to try mapping out a consistent path.

I think the level design is shit, and by shit I mean a completely disordered mess.

*sigh* anyway, I think I'm pretty much done with this "game" now. Novice mode is ok, but the final level makes all the work to get there a waste of time and effort. Don't particularly like arrange modes; especially ones that have a "life bar". Arcade and 1.5 (the reason I bought this port) are a complete joke.

Overall it's a package that looks as though it has quite a bit of value game-play wise. Too bad at least half the content is completely unplayable. Bottom line is that it wasn't worth £60 because I didn't get too many hours out of it, and I couldn't play the modes I bought it for in the first place

It's futari all over again, and you're still totally wrong.

[Giest118]

You should never have to bomb or hyper to avoid a pattern.

It's a good thing you never HAVE to in SDOJ. :V

[-S.L-]

DrTrouserPlank, what Cave game (and in what mode) did you ever 1CC, just curious ?

That is not a critic here or trying to make fun of you, at all. I'm just trying to figure out your level in term of skills, considering that you think that novice mode of this game is difficult for you ?

[DrTrouserPlank]

DrTrouserPlank, what Cave game (and in what mode) did you ever 1CC, just curious ?

That is not a critic here or trying to make fun of you, at all. I'm just trying to figure out your level in term of skills, considering that you think that novice mode of this game is difficult for you ?

I've played novice mode in other cave games and I probably 1cc'd them. I don't know, it's not the sort of thing I'd ever have payed much attention to because most novice modes are trivially easy. This one evidently is not. It's not super hard, but when I look at what I'd have to start doing in order to clear it, the fun of playing the game quickly drains away. Which is pretty much why I'd been reasonably happy playing novice until today, until I started to work out what I'd need to do in order to clear it.

As for other cave games which I only ever play the arcade modes of, I haven't cleared any of them. In most cases there's usually a specific reason.

[brokenhalo]

I've played novice mode in other cave games and I probably 1cc'd them. I don't know, it's not the sort of thing I'd ever have payed much attention to because most novice modes are trivially easy.

ok. so if it's easy, you don't count it. but if it's hard, it's unfair and you hop on the shmups forum and complain. have you ever managed to find a game that was right in the middle?

[Imhotep]

I found 360-mode shot the easiest, cleared it the second try.
novice shot is definitely not far off, it took less than five credits for the clear.

arcade is a whole different story however, even in shot mode.

stage 5 novice shot is doable without memorization at all. Some enemies will clear the screen after destruction, that helps a lot. Also, hypering / bombing to bridge skill-gaps is important to learn a game.

[chempop]

I'm thinking of switching from C-L-ON to A-S-ON. For once A-S is a powerful ship, it almost seems like her rapid does as much damage to bosses as her laser. Her ability to macro dodge is rather useful, especially in stages 4&5.

What do you guys think?

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

I found A-S to be the easiest to clear the pcb with because it gives you good maneuverability, creates a tad extra slowdown sometimes and the shot works as a better guard than you might expect at first. Mostly the speed is super helpful, or rather the other ships being so sluggish are really not helpful at all in the maneuver area on stages 4 and 5.

[Drake]

I've played novice mode in other cave games and I probably 1cc'd them. I don't know, it's not the sort of thing I'd ever have payed much attention to because most novice modes are trivially easy.

ok. so if you can clear it, you don't count it. but if you can't, it's unfair and you hop on the shmups forum and complain. have you ever managed to find a game that was right in the middle?

Anyways yeah I'm finding A-S to be nice just because of the speed. All of the ships seem pretty slow but the larger-than-usual hitboxes seem to require it so you don't run into bullets every few seconds.

[Chaos Phoenixma]

I'll probably be using type B like usual when I get this. Of course, I will play the other types, i just like B the most.

I've never cared whether my shottype of choice was optimal or not.

[trap15]

TypeB in SDOJ is... useless :/ They sped up the rotation and now it's pretty pointless to use.