Milestone release 'Karous' - Arcade 2006 / Dreamcast 2007

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Fri May 18, 2007 12:32 am

I don't own a stick or converter for my Gamecube, and honestly don't know anyone that does. On that note, there's no way I would ever buy a game like this for the GC.

icepick · Post by **icepick** » Fri May 18, 2007 5:30 am

I think that anyone buying the DC ports of these games, unless they're new to importing, is probably going to know what they're doing and be alright with it (especially with Karous, having seen the release trend of the previous two games). Anyone that would rather chance waiting for a possible GCN or PS2 port with added features, or a US budget release of one of those ports, has probably done so (as seen by those that haven't played Radirgy but are awaiting the upcoming US release).

I'm also a fan of playing on as close to native hardware as possible, even if it technically doesn't matter. What's best can definitely be subjective, but with regard to the way the developers intended, I'd think that the arcade release sets a pretty decent bar. (I understand that Chaos Field on DC has an obscene amount of slowdown, so if someone would rather have the GCN port, then by all means.)

Are the GCN ports actually less expensive than the DC ports in Japan, or is that rule mainly for US localizations? For the USD 20.00 GCN Radio Allergy, given a good localization (including decent translation of E-mail), I'd definitely consider it to be a very nice package with decent value.

I'm very happy with Karous on DC. A supposedly crisp and clean port of the arcade version is all I could ask for, and I love it! Plus, ever since my Shikigami no Shiro II incident (yes, I know you all remember), I pull the memory card out before playing any of these games anyway. Given also that I often come here before even finishing entering my initials at the high score screen, the saving issue is even more of an afterthought for me. I'm also happy to support MileStone right off the line, if that's what this is.

I did set my dad up with my GameCube and Chaos Field last year, but I'm not sure if he would like Radirgy or Karous. I'll note that my first choice was to put together a DC package, but I had to go with the GCN idea for lack of funds. I'd say that it worked out well; I can help him get a DC or something else if he would actually play the thing.

BulletMagnet, maybe you could sell your DC ports off if you'd rather have the GCN versions? I understand what you mean about how the DC ports and their consumers might've deserved a bit more attention, but it also sounds like you enjoy the added features, reduced slowdown and affordability of the localized GCN versions. I'd say that you could probably recoup enough of your funds to have some left over, and you'd basically be able to have your cake and eat it too! (Support MileStone, play game immediately, support local publishing, enjoy localized version with bonuses and value price.)

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Fri May 18, 2007 2:52 pm

icepick wrote:BulletMagnet, maybe you could sell your DC ports off if you'd rather have the GCN versions?

Heh, well, I just got a GC recently, so up until then the Dc was my only option...as I said, I need a bit more time with the localized port to determine my preference for certain. I'm not as bitter as I might sound, as I generally like Milestone's stuff, but perhaps what frustrates me most is that they seem to be returning to seemingly long gone bad habits when it comes to their DC offerings...I thought they'd worked out the "issues" they had with Chaos Field by the time they did Radirgy (while it was a straight arcade port, it at least seemed to fix most of what bugged me about the CF port), but those same problems seem to have returned with Karous.

icepick · Post by **icepick** » Fri May 18, 2007 9:40 pm

I understand what you mean, it's pretty strange. If you perhaps subscribe to the idea of no more GD-ROM media, then the timing of the release of Karous on DC pretty much barely gets through the door. I know I've mentioned this somewhere before, but it seems to be a reasonable explanation for both the "straight port" nature of the release, and the lack of high score saving slipping through quality control.

In any case, certainly there must be a logical explanation for it. It would've been nice to have a technical problem-free release, but I'll give them two bugs in three releases. We've got a clean game port with a tate option and proper controller support, only four months after the arcade release. If it gets released on the GCN and that was my only way to play them, though, I'd probably be pretty happy to buy them and fashion a stick for the system (as well as a VGA cable, I suppose).

If it goes to the Wii specifically, though, then I suppose that'll be good for Wii owners. I wonder what O~3 has in mind.

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:59 pm

I didn't see this posted elsewhere... according to the Karous page on MileStone's website, the new header image states that the OST is finally coming out.

SuperGrafx · Post by **SuperGrafx** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 4:45 pm

Kiken wrote:I didn't see this posted elsewhere... according to the Karous page on MileStone's website, the new header image states that the OST is finally coming out.

Awesome, I'll be all over the OST.

qatmix · Post by **qatmix** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 5:12 pm

indeed

Any link to where I can buy it and the tracklist?

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 5:59 pm

This is the one gaping hole in my DC shooter collection. (I don't count Last Hope.) I'm just not convinced that this game has much to offer me when I have not yet gotten very excited about Radilgy. Still, I'll have to get it someday.

eretsua · Post by **eretsua** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 9:19 am

Kiken wrote:I didn't see this posted elsewhere... according to the Karous page on MileStone's website, the new header image states that the OST is finally coming out.

SWEET!

qatmix wrote:Any link to where I can buy it

haven't spotted it anywhere yet.

professor ganson wrote:I'm just not convinced that this game has much to offer me when I have not yet gotten very excited about Radilgy. Still, I'll have to get it someday.

i like karous a lot better than radilgy! though they are similar they are also independent games with their individual charms (mostly in karous, imo).

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 5:37 pm

qatmix wrote:indeed

Any link to where I can buy it and the tracklist?

I keep checking www.cocoebiz.com since they carry the Chaos Field and Radirgy OSTs.

The track listing will most likely be the following (based on the two prior MileStone track listings):

1. Intro
2. Options (although this is DC exclusive, they will most likely include it)
3. Difficulty Select
3. Tutorial
4. Stage 1
5. Stage 2
6. Stage 3
7. Boss
8. Stage 4
9. Stage 5
10. Stage 5 Boss
11. TLB
12. Ending
13. High Score

RyanDG · Post by **RyanDG** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:21 pm

Karous has been confirmed as coming stateside via O3 Entertainment at E3 under the name "Crow".

http://arcaderenaissance.blogspot.com/2 ... i-and.html

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:50 pm

I wonder if Nintendo will allow third parties to use the Classic Controller by then.

sfried · Post by **sfried** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:52 pm

Twiddle wrote:I wonder if Nintendo will allow third parties to use the Classic Controller by then.

What are you talking about? 3rd parties have been using the Classic Controller since...Mortal Kombat Armagedon?

RyanDG · Post by **RyanDG** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:55 pm

sfried wrote:
Twiddle wrote:I wonder if Nintendo will allow third parties to use the Classic Controller by then.
What are you talking about? 3rd parties have been using the Classic Controller since...Mortal Kombat Armagedon?

Since Dragon Ball Z on the system's launch.

The whole third party thing was a mix up on the part of SNK Playmore. They attempted to blame Nintendo for the mix up by saying that they were not given permission to use the controller for Metal Slug Anthology, however, it was more of a confusion on their part since Dragon Ball Z (which launched before MSA) used the Classic Controller and was a third party title by Atari.

MathU · Post by **MathU** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 3:42 am

Wait, wait, SNK Playmore didn't put in Classic support because of a MIX-UP! God that pisses me off. Metal Slug Anthology is still the best Wii game out right now, in my opinion, but it could have been so much better...

qatmix · Post by **qatmix** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 7:25 am

soundtrack details.. Looks great!

http://sweeprecord.shop-pro.jp/?pid=4557345

Anyone know where it can be bought?

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 6:31 pm

qatmix wrote:soundtrack details.. Looks great!

http://sweeprecord.shop-pro.jp/?pid=4557345

Anyone know where it can be bought?

Link is dead.

Also, the soundtrack doesn't come out until next month (granted, that's in a couple of days). Again, keep checking CocoEBiz.. Play-Asia will probably get it in as well.

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:20 pm

CocoEBiz's pre-order page for the OST:
http://www.vgmworld.com/catalog/index.p ... m_num=1252

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:23 pm

Do my eyes deceive me, or does it already say that it's sold out?

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:28 pm

Twiddle wrote:I wonder if Nintendo will allow third parties to use the Classic Controller by then.

I think they will; when IGN talked to SNK, they fell all over themselves saying that the Classic Controller would be available for SNK VC games. Of course, that's the VC, but I think Nintendo's learned their lesson on this.

At any rate, I'll believe this release when I actually see it; seeing as how O3 backed out of Radio Allergy.

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:35 pm

BulletMagnet wrote:Do my eyes deceive me, or does it already say that it's sold out?

You need to read down a bit further.

The actual orders for the game will be accepted on 8/1/07... so by default their system just posts "Sold Out" for an innactive/unavailable product.

qatmix · Post by **qatmix** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 1:41 pm

Geometry Wars Galaxies uses the classic controller.. I'm so getting this.

sfried · Post by **sfried** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 3:17 pm

dave4shmups wrote:
Twiddle wrote:I wonder if Nintendo will allow third parties to use the Classic Controller by then.
I think they will; when IGN talked to SNK, they fell all over themselves saying that the Classic Controller would be available for SNK VC games. Of course, that's the VC, but I think Nintendo's learned their lesson on this.

What? Are you saying it was Nintendo's fault for the mix-up that 3rd parties CAN use the Classic Controller right off the bat? Only SNK didn't get the message right. Others had Classic Controller support right out of the box.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 8:51 pm

Kiken wrote:You need to read down a bit further.

In case you're wondering, I've been smacking myself in the head continuously since I realized that.

Anyways, it's up for preordering now, (and is apparently not sold out, heh heh), but something else on that page did catch my eye...

(VGMWorld.com is the exclusive distributor of this item for overseas customers.)

Does this mean that P-A (and anyplace else, for that matter) won't be selling this?

JJG · Post by **JJG** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 7:10 pm

I just started playing Karous today and I've read through this entire topic about the whole not saving scores thing. I can live with it not saving scores but it doesn't even allow you to change the button config, this is rediculous. I'm playing on an HRAP 2 and this is starting to piss me off, is there any super secret special way this can be done?

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:50 am

JJG wrote:I just started playing Karous today and I've read through this entire topic about the whole not saving scores thing. I can live with it not saving scores but it doesn't even allow you to change the button config, this is rediculous. I'm playing on an HRAP 2 and this is starting to piss me off, is there any super secret special way this can be done?

Go into the Options menu, select Controller Config. Toggle the pad left or right until it displays the function you want on a specific button. Press up or down to cycle through the various buttons.

JJG · Post by **JJG** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 10:58 pm

Kiken wrote:Go into the Options menu, select Controller Config. Toggle the pad left or right until it displays the function you want on a specific button. Press up or down to cycle through the various buttons.

If you have it on autosave it will default button config right as you exit the button config screen. I turned autosave off and it kept the button config changed, but as soon as I tried to save or start the game the button config went back to default.

Could someone else test and confirm?

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:53 pm

JJG wrote:
Kiken wrote:Go into the Options menu, select Controller Config. Toggle the pad left or right until it displays the function you want on a specific button. Press up or down to cycle through the various buttons.
If you have it on autosave it will default button config right as you exit the button config screen. I turned autosave off and it kept the button config changed, but as soon as I tried to save or start the game the button config went back to default.

Could someone else test and confirm?

Try deleting the save file from the DC main menu screen (you're not going to lose anything). Then create a new one and leave it on manual save.

I have a standard DC joystick and it works perfectly with it.

JJG · Post by **JJG** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:22 pm

I'll try that out, thanks.

eretsua · Post by **eretsua** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 7:53 am

BulletMagnet wrote:
(VGMWorld.com is the exclusive distributor of this item for overseas customers.)

Does this mean that P-A (and anyplace else, for that matter) won't be selling this?

no, don't think so. VGM is also the exclusive distributor of Insanity Naked Hunter products but you can buy those from P-A as well among other places.