[X360] Mushihime-sama Futari Ver. 1.5 is region free

[Shelcoof]

Man, they should take Novice mode the fuck out of this game. Original is already hella easy.

I think it should be left in. Some players may not be as good as others.
If Novice mode can lure in newer players to the gender I don't see why it would be a bad thing.

Especially considering that they may even introduce the game outside the Japan

[CStarFlare]

If Novice mode can lure in newer players to the gender I don't see why it would be a bad thing.

I think there are deeper issues than novice mode when someone is "lured" into a new gender

[Shelcoof]

If Novice mode can lure in newer players to the gender I don't see why it would be a bad thing.

I think there are deeper issues than novice mode when someone is "lured" into a new gender

lol

[dmauro]

Yeah that happened to me when I was playing ESPGaluda.

[adversity1]

Man, they should take Novice mode the fuck out of this game. Original is already hella easy.

If Novice mode can lure in newer players to the gender I don't see why it would be a bad thing.

So that's why Deathsmiles has adjustable difficulty. Hmm.

Yeah but about novice mode, n00b confession here but Mushi Futari Black was the first shmup I ever really invested any time into. And it took me about a month and a half from sheer newbie status to 1CC it. I don't think it needs to be any easier, otherwise the actual appeal of these games, their "bite" is dulled. I would point to DOJBLEX's extra mode as an awful example of how a shmup can be diluted into insane simplicity and with achievements, pure repetitive grinding.

[8 1/2]

Man, they should take Novice mode the fuck out of this game. Original is already hella easy.

If Novice mode can lure in newer players to the gender I don't see why it would be a bad thing.

So that's why Deathsmiles has adjustable difficulty. Hmm.

Yeah but about novice mode, n00b confession here but Mushi Futari Black was the first shmup I ever really invested any time into. And it took me about a month and a half from sheer newbie status to 1CC it. I don't think it needs to be any easier, otherwise the actual appeal of these games, their "bite" is dulled. I would point to DOJBLEX's extra mode as an awful example of how a shmup can be diluted into insane simplicity and with achievements, pure repetitive grinding.

I dunno. I think as shmup players we forget how foreign the whole experience can be to the rest of the gaming public. Gamers are not used to practicing tiny sections over and over to reach success anymore. I brought Deathsmiles into work and put it up in our theater room. In a room full of game designers and programmers no one beside myself could get through even the second stage at the easiest setting without having to continue. I did a quick and dirty 1CC run with Rose at lunch and everyone was gawking at me like I was some sort of gaming god. I left the game on all day, and several people spent their breaks going back and forth to the game. At the day's end the highest score outside of my own plays was around 10 million in Arcade mode.

Yet, even with what seemed like utter defeat, many people asked me where they could get the game and if it was coming to the states any time in the future. So long as the core "real" modes are maintained I welcome any and all of these "noob" modes. It's the only way to hook mainstream gamers that feel isolated from these sort of experiences, who feel like they no longer have the skills they did "as a kid."

[icbluscrn]

i like novice settings. I love playing shmups but by no means want to sit there and memorize each tiny movement. I dont have the attention span nor the memory to do it plus just playing to many games to do it. I am more of a brute force player play it on novice /easy and when the level gets hard drop some bombs and sacrifice a life to get bye. If i do finish the game i go up a difficulty , with that being said i rarely finish games.
I do think however that deathsmiles is way easy in the easy setting dont know where i am now but got far by my standards.

[undamned]

Yeah that happened to me when I was playing ESPGaluda.

Perfect.
-ud

[Taylor]

If the easier mode doesn’t appeal to you, don’t play it. The people picking this mode don't want a game to have bite.
We're not waiting in line at the arcade, it's okay.

[Zero Gunner]

I dunno. I think as shmup players we forget how foreign the whole experience can be to the rest of the gaming public. Gamers are not used to practicing tiny sections over and over to reach success anymore. I brought Deathsmiles into work and put it up in our theater room. In a room full of game designers and programmers no one beside myself could get through even the second stage at the easiest setting without having to continue. I did a quick and dirty 1CC run with Rose at lunch and everyone was gawking at me like I was some sort of gaming god. I left the game on all day, and several people spent their breaks going back and forth to the game. At the day's end the highest score outside of my own plays was around 10 million in Arcade mode.

Yet, even with what seemed like utter defeat, many people asked me where they could get the game and if it was coming to the states any time in the future. So long as the core "real" modes are maintained I welcome any and all of these "noob" modes. It's the only way to hook mainstream gamers that feel isolated from these sort of experiences, who feel like they no longer have the skills they did "as a kid."

This is a great point. As a kid I wanted to be good at shmups but I didn't realize the dedication it takes, so I wasn't into the genre much during the 16-bit and earlier eras because they were just too hard for me. I got into them a bit during the PSX/Saturn era but it was mostly flashy games like Einhander, TF V, and Raystorm that held my interest, and with the DC I got a bit more into them. However it's really only been in the last year or so that I've gained a better appreciation for the genre, adding games like Soukyugurentai, Sengoku Blade, Cave titles and others to my library; games that I couldn't have even fathomed beating a few years ago. Likewise the first time I saw Dodonpachi was with the XBL marketplace trailers, which promptly made me think, "Holy crap, I can't do that, that's absurd!". A year later and I'm totally psyched for Mushihime, ESPGaluda 2, and the possibility of ESPrade and Guwange (or anything by Cave) on XBLA; and I just 1cc-ed a shooter for the first time a few nights ago (RF Jet). If anything having an uber-eliteness about shumps is hurting the genre more than any of the other factors that are typically used to blame for shmupping's even-increasingly-niche status. Easier difficulty modes will only help the genre gain reacceptance.

[Strider77]

I don't see why anyone wanting the game or who is mildly interested wouldn't buy it from the get go without an "easy" mode..... they can credit feed. It's not hard to "beat" these games. It's just hard to do a 1 credit..... most games are hard to beat with zero continues or nowadays no respawn.

Regardless if they put it in there I have no issues with it.

[orange]

i like novice settings. I love playing shmups but by no means want to sit there and memorize each tiny movement.

luckily there's a solution, it's called talent!

[gray117]

I think there's a good case to be made for making the game [or even genre] enjoyable to learn. Credit feeding can result in bad practices of bombing and frustrated short lived game sections.

I'd much rather see shmups trying to broaden their horizons with an easy mode than ignore a more casual market altogether.

Given that hardly anyone is likely to buy this game anyway (in the grand scheme of things) its nice to see that they are making the effort to reach out a little.

Plus - theme and style - I could see mushihimesama in particularly appealing to a wider (/female) audience who may be the very target of an easy mode ...

Ever wanted to introduce a girl friend to shmups? ... You'll probably find they lose interest when they die often, plus they're still not happy unless you can let them have the higher score at the end of the stage anyway... If this easy mode can make this experience better; then its great.

[Taylor]

Shmup creators are not idiots who have just realised that a hardcore-orientated game by itself won't sell. You can set the difficulty to easy in all ports I can bring to memory, and it's not too rare for an additional arrange/story mode that is easier than the regular game. They’re even making the games easier in the arcade releases, that's why we have Strong Mode in DFK, Level 1 in Deathsmiles, difficulty select in Otomedius and the stage order select in Mamoru-kun Has Been Cursed (I think, that thing is confusing). The spaceships being replaced with supposedly memorable characters isn't some happy coincidence either, it's also a step towards the bigger market.

[evil_ash_xero]

We must really be bored as a community to be arguing if an "easy" mode should be in a shmup.

9 times out of 10 there is one. They certainly aren't going to take it out. End of discussion.

[originalz]

Aye, there's a lot of people who are afraid to play shooters because they have a preconception about them being so difficult, especially the danmaku genre. Probably doesn't help that in any casual discussion about danmaku, someone is going to link the video of Mushihime Futari's TLB, haha.

One of my friends liked shooters, but had never played a danmaku before because he assumed they would be impossible, so I let him play a couple that I had. He played Deathsmiles, keeping to level 1, and made it pretty far, enjoying himself. I also had him play Daioujou 360's X-Mode, and he made some good progress in that as well. His reaction was something like "oh wow, it's not that bad!" Now he's starting to get more interested in the genre. I'm sure that if I had put him on normal DOJ or Level 3 DS, he would have died quickly and been turned off to the genre.

[evil_ash_xero]

The very first danmaku I bought/tried was DOJ. And well, that was about it for me. Luckily, I tried ESPGaluda after that, and it got me into trying the MAME stuff.

I think a lot of people underestimate how tough it is sometimes to get into these types of games at first. You're just not used to these bullet mazes. And I had played tons of shmups before that, but I was just totally confused.

[Jockel]

Aye, there's a lot of people who are afraid to play shooters because they have a preconception about them being so difficult, especially the danmaku genre. Probably doesn't help that in any casual discussion about danmaku, someone is going to link the video of Mushihime Futari's TLB, haha.

That isnt the TLB

[Elixir]

The very first danmaku I bought/tried was DOJ. And well, that was about it for me. Luckily, I tried ESPGaluda after that, and it got me into trying the MAME stuff.

I think a lot of people underestimate how tough it is sometimes to get into these types of games at first. You're just not used to these bullet mazes. And I had played tons of shmups before that, but I was just totally confused.

I feel the same way about fighters.

[agustusx]

finally got to put my preorder in for the LE at NCSX. quite the happy camper now. last i checked PA still not ready yet.

[TodayIsForgotten]

finally got to put my preorder in for the LE at NCSX. quite the happy camper now. last i checked PA still not ready yet.

Did you call them? I can't seem to find it on their page.

[agustusx]

http://www.shopncsx.com/mushihimesamafutari-1.aspx

I got a pm earlier asking about a link as well so here it is. Grab em while there hot

[Shelcoof]

pre-ordered mine as well

[originalz]

http://cave.shop-pro.jp/

Boy, Cave just keeps getting more generous with their online shop special edition. They're throwing in one of two telephone cards with the order now, you can choose which character you like more.

[Rai82]

From Cave's blog:

Preparing for the big day at TGS. There will be playable versions of Mushi Futari v1.5 by then. List of achievements are being checked and verified. Said something about secret achievements.

And last but not least, a screenshot showing Espgaluda II BL menu.
List of modes:
Black Label (360)
Black Label Novice Mode (360)
Espgaluda II (360・Arcade)
Espgaluda II Arrange (360)

[1up]

was it ever decided if they would leave out region lock this time? I remember reading an interview where cave stated that they were aware of the "outside" interest in their games. I think this was a respond to the event where you could mail them what game you would like to see.

also, will Futari 1.5 make it to euroland?

[agustusx]

just a warning to those who use NCSX. They have three sites, I've always known they had a marketing site ncsx.com, and a store ncsxshop.com. However when i wanted to confirm they registered my order a few hours later I could not log into ncsxshop.com. I sent them an email and the reply is that their preorder shop is shopncsx.com, and that is the one I had to log in to. Just fyi in case you have the same issues.

[Kollision]

pre-ordered mine as well [2]

[8 1/2]

I'm going with the regular edition this time.

I'm so full of shit. I saw the pre-order for the LE yesterday and jumped on it right away. I'm an absolute whore for Cave home releases, what can I say? I'll prop the sealed soundtrack up next to the Ketsui DS Superplay DVD and the figure from the PS2 Mushihimesama LE and sleep in quiet, sad comfort next to their glow.

[PsikyoPshumpPshooterP]

these LE are so bullcrap..30 bucks extra for a OST and special casing for it? cave know people wil buy anything that has a LE