Omega Five (XBLA)

Xheart on fireX · Post by **Xheart on fireX** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:48 pm

I think overall its a pretty enjoyable game, definitely worth $10. Not that it matters but 1up.com in their infinite wisdom gave this game a 4.0. Some memorable quotes: “its challenge is nearly insurmountable and definitely not for the mass market”, “too hardcore for its own good”. Wow…

Damocles · Post by **Damocles** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:08 pm

Wow...that is probably the worst review I've ever seen. Insurmountable challenge. Maybe in ++ mode. Normal mode is a cakewalk. As for the hitbox issue...jeezus...there were maybe a handful of times in the game where that becomes an issue. There are very few patterns, and very few times you need to weave through them. Mostly you dodge aimed bullets.

The only point he came close to nailing is bullet visibility. Many times they're hard to see. However, there's a lifebar which is pretty generous and health pickups on most levels.

Note: Average user review is double what they gave it.

nlen83 · Post by **nlen83** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:17 pm

ex.machina wrote:...but not my piece of cake. ...And then those so huge enemies and the poor half English voices.

Damn, that's one of my favorite parts of the game. How can you not enjoy, "Stage 1 ...The Gracial Fortwess". That'll never get old. I'm reminded of all the wonderful, engrossing times I had with the Castle Shikigami 2 story.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:18 pm

So, how does the ship rotation work? This game looks awesome, but it seems like everyone has to do the Robotron setup these days, and I'm skeptical as to how well that would work in a side-scroller.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:03 pm

Damn, that's one of my favorite parts of the game. How can you not enjoy, "Stage 1 ...The Gracial Fortwess". That'll never get old.

lol... agreed, it made me smile when i 1st heard it.

bcass · Post by **bcass** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:01 am

dave4shmups wrote:So, how does the ship rotation work? This game looks awesome, but it seems like everyone has to do the Robotron setup these days, and I'm skeptical as to how well that would work in a side-scroller.

It's not a problem at all. There are numerous faults with this game, but it's well-polished, and it's addictive. For $10 you really can't ask for more really. If you value shmups you owe it to yourself to buy this game. Show your support for the genre, and who knows - we might see more come our way.

sideshow · Post by **sideshow** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 4:58 am

Its one of the pertiest shmups out there.

Danny · Post by **Danny** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 7:00 pm

Omega Five has gotten the balance right when it comes to the difficulty. I mean it's not so bone brakingly hard that it kicks your ass straight away while on the later stages it does up the tempo a lot.

Saying that though if anything if you are used to playing shmups maybe this game is a little to easy!? I know a few people on my list who already have all the achievements on this game but the real test is trying to get the best score in the world as all veteran shmupers will tell you.[/i]

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:54 pm

Hmm, very nice stage visuals, in the league of R-Type Final. Combined with better than expected gameplay, this certainly seems to be worth the low asking price. A nice surprise.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:23 am

I went ahead and downloaded this tonight, and spent about an hour and a half playing it. I managed to get to level 3 once in that time using coninues (there are parts of level 2 that are a serious pain to try to get through if you don't have a powered up weapon) and I am not sure if I've really figured out the system yet. Even so, it's an enjoyable blastfest, and the graphics seem to remind me of Border Down for some reason. I suspect some people are going to criticise it because it's not exactly a textbook shmup, but I think the directional firing works pretty well. The main problem I have with it is that at least for Ruby, it seems to be a matter of picking one weapon (in my case, the B type) and sticking with it the whole time. There also seem to be places where there is nothing on screen to allow you to keep your chain going. I did manage to get the "30 seconds at max chain" achievement fairly easily though, and even managed to get a 15000x10 off the second big robot in stage 1. Has anyone managed the "hold on to an enemy with the anchor for ten seconds" achievement yet? I haven't found anything that lasts long enough yet.

For a $10 download, you'll definitely get your money's worth out of it though..

Sonic R · Post by **Sonic R** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:21 pm

I suck thanks

PepsimanVsJoe · Post by **PepsimanVsJoe** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:15 pm

Yeah O5 is pretty easy(already 1CCed it with everyone) but there looks to be plenty of potential for scoring.

I expect to see some pretty sick scores once everyone starts milking the bosses for 10x multipliers.

jp · Post by jp » Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:15 pm

Vexorg wrote:Has anyone managed the "hold on to an enemy with the anchor for ten seconds" achievement yet? I haven't found anything that lasts long enough yet.

I did. On accident. I somehow latched on to one of the mid-bosses in Stage 3 without knowing it, and it turned its back to me (so shooting it wouldn't do anything), and... during that time I got the achievement.

Damocles · Post by **Damocles** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:54 pm

For the anchor achievement, one of the mid-bosses in level 1 will work. Just don't fire at it and you'll be set.

Scarf · Post by **Scarf** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 11:00 pm

PepsimanVsJoe wrote:Yeah O5 is pretty easy(already 1CCed it with everyone) but there looks to be plenty of potential for scoring.

I expect to see some pretty sick scores once everyone starts milking the bosses for 10x multipliers.

You'll get a 30x multiplier when playing ++ modes.

I'm not too keen on to that milking, though. It takes five minutes to milk the first boss and there's no challenge whatsoever. Five bloody minutes.

jp · Post by jp » Mon Jan 14, 2008 3:45 am

I've 1cc'd it with three of the characters, and I don't think doing so with Sensei is going to be a problem (though he's a really lame character IMO).

All in all, I think its a great game. Not very challenging in the normal mode, but then again, thats ok. Though I do think scoring well is heavily weighed in favor of Rupei and R.A.D., which I do find kind of lame, but I'm sure somoene out there is a master with Tempest or, hell, even Sensei somehow.

Afterbirth · Post by **Afterbirth** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 6:03 pm

You can 10x the first Robomuffet with ease if you realise your initial weapons are really powerful and you learn how to control them.

I'm just about to start writing a review of this for another website.
My Final score will be about an 8. Sure, its scoring system has been used before but Natsume have really balanced it well.

I reckon with skill its possible to 10x the whole game.

Arcade ++ mode is really hardcore, but sadly features no leaderboard as yet. As such, having the 30x multipler is pointless really.

SuperGrafx · Post by **SuperGrafx** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:23 pm

Question...on the leaderboard I notice some users have replays posted with their scores (for challenge mode at least). Others don't, it's almost sporadic from what I'm seeing. I posted an ok score but no replay icon shows up next to my score.

What sort of criteria do you have to meet in order to be deemed worthy of having your replay made available?

msm · Post by **msm** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 8:13 pm

^ i got the option of uploading a replay (unclear why) but declined because i suck

Afterbirth wrote:Arcade ++ mode is really hardcore, but sadly features no leaderboard as yet. As such, having the 30x multipler is pointless really.

the arcade and arcade++ leaderbords are the same thing i think?

Scarf · Post by **Scarf** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 9:27 pm

msm wrote:^ i got the option of uploading a replay (unclear why) but declined because i suck

Afterbirth wrote:Arcade ++ mode is really hardcore, but sadly features no leaderboard as yet. As such, having the 30x multipler is pointless really.
the arcade and arcade++ leaderbords are the same thing i think?

Yep, and so are the challenge and challenge ++ leaderboards.

How to upload a replay? You need to be in the top100.

And Sensei is the best character at least for the first chapter. You can chain every single object possible. You need to use all the bombs for keeping the chain, though.

Afterbirth · Post by **Afterbirth** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:34 pm

Okay, well, heres my review....the website i did it for isn't prehaps designed for the hardcore market, so it'll sound a bit lame to some of you.

Name : Omega V
Genre : Horizontal 2D shooter
Developer : Natsume Nagoya
Publisher : Hudson
Players : 1-2 (Local co-op mode only)
Extra's : 2 other characters, Online Leadboard, Replay mode, challange stages, ++ mode.

A short History...
Its really nice...no, really its cool to see a Japansese publishers name on an XBLA arcade game. You kind of know from the off that the game is going to be of a certain charm, no matter how obscure or hardcore. You could say Natsume have been around the block a little. Well known for their Havest Moon farming series, and in 1992 they even released a title on the NES called S.C.A.T. (Special Cybernetic Attack Team - or Action in New York for its US release). The title was similar to Capcoms Forgotten Worlds in that your player flew with two orbs that could rotate and lock onto enemy AI. It has 4 stages, and a levek very similar to R-Types Stage 3 mothership. You were also quite a large target given the amount of sprites moving. Well some of these traits have made it over to Omega 5. It sounds shit, i know, plundering on some obscure shmup and bringing it onto live. But let me tell you something, despite its homage to SCAT, this game is anything but shit.

Shoot em ups for begineers 101....
Arcade shmups are often hard to describe without them having some god-awful storyline - but thats with good reason and one that must be understood if you are too enjoy the purity of most titles. So here we go then....
The basic game revolves around 4 characters who must fight through 4 horizontal stages of hardcore shooting action in order to reach the final boss. And thats it. "Ooh, that doesn't sound good" i hear you cry. Well, look, 2D shmups (sorry...Shoot em'up) are about as pure a videogame as you can get. Since Taito's 'Space Invaders' landed, they have drawn a hardcore crowd and a THE most prolific genre out there. Now i know i'm bubbling on but its important to understand the attraction. Japanese programmers know how to program a shmup. They've all done one at some time. They should feature simple gameplay elements, nice explosions, superb megaweapons that fill the screen. They make simple action satisfiying. The exact same reasons you probably play 3D games. They also feature one other important attraction thats enabled them to live for as long as they have. A risk/reward mechanic. That is - a method of having you exponently increase your score by taking risks. An well known example is the chaining' mechanic as seen in games like Puzzle Quest or Every Extrend Extreme. Destroying a certain object will cause others around it to explode. Its very satisfying to do.
But there are others and this game's core mechanic i shall explain now.

Score Multiplication :
Omega V is based around a chaining system. Everytime you either shoot an enemy or weapons pod, you increase a timed multipler between 1 and 10x. (that is, if its a 10x you get 10x the base score for an enemy, regardless of size or score).
If you don't shoot anything, it resets to 1x. If you do, it goes up. Simple eh? I mean, what possible strategies are available to you doing that? Well this is where our Japanese freinds pull away. You see, they design the levels explicitly to take advantage of this. The attack patterns, despite having be seen in countless other shmups, are so designed towards making you exploit this multiplier and therefore increase your score. Make no bones about it, this game has been designed to exploit this mechanic. So what risk/reward system do you have to employ? Well firstly you have to know your weapons.

Gameplay :
Initially you have 2 charactors, 'Boobie' (Sorry - Ruby), and 'Tempest' and each of them have 3 different weapons which can be powered up 3 times. Ruby is for beginners really - she looks hot and she is....she fires either rapid lasers, blue directional beams, or electricty. Tempest, despite being a man, is actually for the more hardcore player. He fires a Lava 'Jizz', Ice 'Jizz' or Ice globs. The player can fire 360 degreens on the right stick (which effectively replaces the spinner or paddle seen in similar games of old). Each of the 3 weapons also has 2 fire modes. Ruby can lock an Enemy (she has a grab claw) and once locked her weapons turn up the heat and powerfully direct themselves towards whatever it is you've locked onto. Tempest has alternating fire modes and a shield which absorbes bullets,turns them green, and slows them down.The charactors are rather big for a shumps and have a large hitbox (their entire body's). But Rubys claw can be used to block weapons and Tempest has that shield to grant you escape.

Graphically from the off you know that this game is Grade A material. This is a new breed - a Hi-Res 2d shmup and the detail is fanatasic. I'm talking up there with the top 5 best looking hori shmups. Theres weather effects and very busy background chaos. Some of the games enemies appear from the background as well, further engrossing you into whats effectively a 2D plane. But the enemy structures, spaceships, organics and robots are the cream of the crop. There is nothing plain. Everything has been lovingly deisgned and the artists deserve credit for the immense graphical intricacies of the enemy. The level deisgns have been plundered from games of old - RType, Gradius V, Salamander 2, yes, yes, yes, but it doesn't steal without giving something back. This is a respect of those deisgners, not a theft from. Robomuffets, Giant worms, Mechanical robots, organic brains. They're all in there in Hi Res detail. The weapons effects themselves are gorgeous and their garishness is in contrast with the colourful gameworlds. Theres only 4 levels, but they're fairly big and GOD they're lovingly crafted. Even the boss exploisions, are Homage to the forthcoming (and well known) Ikaruga. They've taken them and made them bigger, all why your player stands back to observe the destruction and the game overloads the graphics processors with overbright effects.

And so on to the sound. And again, its a homage. Its not hardcore banging techno, its Jazzy future music and its been done superbly. Level 3's soundtrack is, yet again, top 5 material on a par with Satoshi Murata - all big chords and superb leads.

And sadly i have to bring this review to an end. You cannot but help to notice this game has been lovingly crafted. Yes, its hardcore, yes the screen will fill with huge enemies giving you few places to hide whilst protecting your character from enemy bullets and yes it plunders many classic games. But this game has heart and it has purity. Like any great shmup.

If you like shumps, buy this and show your support. Its only 800 points which is VERY good value for this arcade classic.

Graphics 9
Sound 9
Gameplay 8
Overall 8.5

Sundance · Post by **Sundance** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:59 am

It's def not a game for the majority but i think it's a great game just the same and i'll continue to support the few shmups that com out on XBL. I wouldn't trust 1up on just about any of there reviews...anymore.

nem · Post by **nem** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:39 pm

I only picked this up now, and man, what a great game. Unlike 95% of the tat on XBLA, this is a proper arcade type game. Quick to learn, really fun and looks real pretty. Decent challenge to boot.

That 1UP is way, way off the mark. I can't believe they published that dross.

Daigohji · Post by **Daigohji** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:24 pm

After five hours of sporadic play over the last few days, I just got the 1cc with Ruby. It's a nicely balanced game that I can't fault in any area. Four stages doesn't sound like much, but they're all a good length and keep you on your toes with a mix of open areas, enclosed spaces, and moving background objects.

ItzDatDamnKorean · Post by **ItzDatDamnKorean** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:51 pm

Good Game

subcons · Post by **subcons** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 3:05 am

Snagged this up today. After downloading Undertow for free and being sorely disappointed with it, I figured what the hell. Glad I did. This is a great little shooter. Only one I've played in a while too as all my shooter stuff has been boxed up until I move again.

The graphics remind me of Gradius V; I guess it's just the way everything has a neon glow to it. And I have to admit, I'm generally not a fan of games with this type of control scheme, but it works pretty well in this case.

pablumatic · Post by **pablumatic** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 6:50 pm

I didn't read anything about bumping old topics, so I'll add my reply here.

New poster here. Got Omega Five recently and its very pretty for a shmup. Controls well and is very forgiving to players.

I'm not that good at shmups and am basically just a fan of sci-fi spaceship shooting action, but I have to say reviews on Omega Five being hard are way off. Under two hours of play time and I've already gone through the game with all four playable characters. With Sensei I got through the game without dying once. A first for me. I can't say the same for other shmups other than the Darius series and a few others.

TodayIsForgotten · Post by **TodayIsForgotten** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 8:15 pm

pablumatic wrote:I didn't read anything about bumping old topics, so I'll add my reply here.

New poster here. Got Omega Five recently and its very pretty for a shmup. Controls well and is very forgiving to players.

I'm not that good at shmups and am basically just a fan of sci-fi spaceship shooting action, but I have to say reviews on Omega Five being hard are way off. Under two hours of play time and I've already gone through the game with all four playable characters. With Sensei I got through the game without dying once. A first for me. I can't say the same for other shmups other than the Darius series and a few others.

did you use continues or did you play all the way through without continuing?

pablumatic · Post by **pablumatic** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:32 pm

TodayIsForgotten wrote: did you use continues or did you play all the way through without continuing?

I can only play all the way through without continuing with Sensei. Tempest is second-easiest since he has the bullet-shield, and Ruby and RAD are about the same.

I find I have the most difficulty with stage 2. Too many enemies, bullets, or something.

I do have a question about the game. Is it possible to destroy the big snake in stage 2? I've gotten it to where most if not all the insects on it are destroyed (using Sensei) and have constantly attacked the head, but it hasn't blown up on me yet.

TodayIsForgotten · Post by **TodayIsForgotten** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:19 am

pablumatic wrote:
TodayIsForgotten wrote: did you use continues or did you play all the way through without continuing?
I can only play all the way through without continuing with Sensei. Tempest is second-easiest since he has the bullet-shield, and Ruby and RAD are about the same.

I find I have the most difficulty with stage 2. Too many enemies, bullets, or something.

I do have a question about the game. Is it possible to destroy the big snake in stage 2? I've gotten it to where most if not all the insects on it are destroyed (using Sensei) and have constantly attacked the head, but it hasn't blown up on me yet.

oh, well then there you have it. These games were meant to be 1cc'd. They will always go by fast when credit feeding.

No. The snake doesnt technically blow up. He will "explode" and be left with just bones.