I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

[Kiken]

Got a quick and dirty all clear in the Switch release of THE, Arcade Mode Normal. I botched the stage 3 boss battle which lost me the second fight against Faintear meaning no TLB at the end of stage 5. As a result, I got the bad ending and the scaling shot of my character (CruelTear in this case) was censored (the image is super zoomed in on the face to start so it never manages to cut to the full body shot from the NAOMI/DC original). I'm pretty sure both the 360 and PS2 versions had the same alteration.

[locoBro1196]

I finally cleared Mushihimesama Futari original on X360 this morning, first day of the year...starting it with a bang.

Probably put around 20-25 hours into it, too bad X360 doesn't have a timer. Controller of choice was 8bitdo's Pro 2 through Brook Wingman's XB2 adapter. This is what I typically use for shmups across the board and what I used to beat Mushihimesama Original and 1.5 last year. Score ~183.000.000

I think I spent way too much time practising with Reco normal while getting too stuck on stage 3 and 5's bosses, specially the latter one...usually by the time I beat stage 3 my palms would be so sweaty and my heart rate so accelerated that I had to pause the game for a while before resuming. I found Palm abnormal would help cope with the bosses while only requiring a bit more dexterity to handle the enemy waves but I could be more generous with using bombs throughout the stages since bosses ended up being quite a breeze.

I may finally go for Dodonpachi or DDP DFK next..

[Angry Hina]

Had much problems back than with Palm abnormal in stage 3 because you dont get much slowdown. Thought, that Reco normal will be the easier choice for a first 1cc. But I like Palm abnormal way more

[To Far Away Times]

Got my 6th clear of Thunder Force III today, and upgraded it to a 1 Life Clear.

Killed every enemy, and short of grabbing a few powerups, I think I could hit the maximum score without too much effort.

[Gamer707b]

Got my 6th clear of Thunder Force III today, and upgraded it to a 1 Life Clear.

Killed every enemy, and short of grabbing a few powerups, I think I could hit the maximum score without too much effort.

Man do I love TF3. Can't decide if I like this or TF4. Akso, don't know if you've played gate Of Thunder, but after playing that game, I could definitely see a resemblance between TF 3 and GOT. Good job on the clear btw. You must really love the game to keep clearing it.

[Creamy Goodness]

Got my 6th clear of Thunder Force III today, and upgraded it to a 1 Life Clear.

Killed every enemy, and short of grabbing a few powerups, I think I could hit the maximum score without too much effort.

Man do I love TF3. Can't decide if I like this or TF4. Akso, don't know if you've played gate Of Thunder, but after playing that game, I could definitely see a resemblance between TF 3 and GOT. Good job on the clear btw. You must really love the game to keep clearing it.

They seem similar actually because one of the main designers of TF3 worked on GoT as well.

[Gamer707b]

Got my 6th clear of Thunder Force III today, and upgraded it to a 1 Life Clear.

Killed every enemy, and short of grabbing a few powerups, I think I could hit the maximum score without too much effort.

Man do I love TF3. Can't decide if I like this or TF4. Akso, don't know if you've played gate Of Thunder, but after playing that game, I could definitely see a resemblance between TF 3 and GOT. Good job on the clear btw. You must really love the game to keep clearing it.

They seem similar actually because one of the main designers of TF3 worked on GoT as well.

Yea, I read a couple things on that. It's no wonder TF3 and GOT look and feel way more similar than TF3 and TF4

[locoBro1196]

Got a 1cc clear on Batsugun (original) through NSW's port of a port. My first Toaplan 1cc.

Hours: ~30
Controller: 8bitdo SN Pro 2
Ship: Beltiana
Score: ~3.2m

Really frustrating at times, and I'm not really sure why this ranks lower (easier) than Mushihimesama or Mushi Futari in the Japan STG Wiki.
Maybe it's the lack of slowdown, the fact there's only 1 life extend or that the hitbox is relatively big, but I found it really tough, specially stage 4. But likely I just suck at it.

Having said that, once I cleared it for the first time, it suddenly became much easier. And I'm super looking forward to the upcoming arcade release on Steam.

[Nahar]

Got a 1cc clear on Batsugun (original) through NSW's port of a port. My first Toaplan 1cc.

Hours: ~30
Controller: 8bitdo SN Pro 2
Ship: Beltiana
Score: ~3.2m

Really frustrating at times, and I'm not really sure why this ranks lower (easier) than Mushihimesama or Mushi Futari in the Japan STG Wiki.
Maybe it's the lack of slowdown, the fact there's only 1 life extend or that the hitbox is relatively big, but I found it really tough, specially stage 4. But likely I just suck at it.

Having said that, once I cleared it for the first time, it suddenly became much easier. And I'm super looking forward to the upcoming arcade release on Steam.

About the Japanese list, bear in mind that it's not very well regarded, and with a reason. Sometimes it looks like a troll post.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Really frustrating at times, and I'm not really sure why this ranks lower (easier) than Mushihimesama or Mushi Futari in the Japan STG Wiki.

Congrats on the clear!

The list isn't meant to be infallible and I think was crafted based on a number of opinions polled? It's good as an indicator of relative difficulty, but when games rank closely to each other it's best to take their rankings with a grain of salt, and personal opinion will vary.

Batsugun in general is a slower paced game, and if you learn and plan out your bombs, it's not as dependent on executing against fast and dense patterns as Mushi or Futari are. They both have more extends and smaller hitboxes though, so if you find either of those easier than Batsugun there's nothing wrong with that.

[To Far Away Times]

I would say Batsugun is harder than Mushihimesama but easier than Mushihimesama Futari.

But I also think you can wing it in Mushihimesama Futari a little more than you can in Batsugun. The second to last stage in Batsugun is a nightmare if you don't have a plan.

[Sengoku Strider]

Got the 1CC for GG Aleste 3. I'd been coming back to it on & off since it came out, but I found the slowdown makes it a bit of a struggle in the last 2-3 stages. I finally just set up some save states and practiced until I had it down.

Anybody know if there a different ending if you no-miss the whole thing? An injured Luna staring grumpily at me as the last screen seems to suggest there's something I could have done differently. On this run I no-missed it up until a silly death on the Wave 6 boss, so I could probably do it with a bit more practice.

[Steven]

To get the good ending you have to clear on Special. For the slowdown, use the kaiteki mode. It makes the game more difficult, but it's better without the slowdown.

[Sengoku Strider]

To get the good ending you have to clear on Special. For the slowdown, use the kaiteki mode. It makes the game more difficult, but it's better without the slowdown.

Ah, got it, that makes sense. I was going to go after special mode eventually for the challenge mode score, so this gives me some motivation to do so.

[Steven]

Special + kaiteki is harder than I thought it would be and I haven't cleared it. Special without kaiteki is much easier, but while I haven't played it this way much yet, it's awkward to go back to having the slowdown after playing with kaiteki on.

[Gamer707b]

Got my first Cave normal, original 1cc a couple days ago. Mushihemsama on Switch. Now I'm not sure what to play next. I bought both the M2 Ketsui and DoDonPachi Doj.

[Sengoku Strider]

Got my first Cave normal, original 1cc a couple days ago. Mushihemsama on Switch. Now I'm not sure what to play next. I bought both the M2 Ketsui and DoDonPachi Doj.

Those are both excellent, but also at the difficult end of the Cave catalogue. You might want to keep the momentum rolling by going for something like Deathsmiles or DFK first, excellent games in their own right.

[Gamer707b]

Got my first Cave normal, original 1cc a couple days ago. Mushihemsama on Switch. Now I'm not sure what to play next. I bought both the M2 Ketsui and DoDonPachi Doj.

Those are both excellent, but also at the difficult end of the Cave catalogue. You might want to keep the momentum rolling by going for something like Deathsmiles or DFK first, excellent games in their own right.

Yea I was thinking of DFK since I have that and Espgaluda 2 also on Switch. Also did a clear for Crimson Clover on Novice a year or two ago, so I've always wanted to go back and do a proper clear on that. I dunno, something about DFK I just don't like. The art style for one. I hear Espgaluda 2 is also a bullet hell noob friendly game. Is that right? Decisions decisions.

[locoBro1196]

Really frustrating at times, and I'm not really sure why this ranks lower (easier) than Mushihimesama or Mushi Futari in the Japan STG Wiki.

Congrats on the clear!

The list isn't meant to be infallible and I think was crafted based on a number of opinions polled? It's good as an indicator of relative difficulty, but when games rank closely to each other it's best to take their rankings with a grain of salt, and personal opinion will vary.

Batsugun in general is a slower paced game, and if you learn and plan out your bombs, it's not as dependent on executing against fast and dense patterns as Mushi or Futari are. They both have more extends and smaller hitboxes though, so if you find either of those easier than Batsugun there's nothing wrong with that.

Thank you. Noted about the opinions on the Japanese STG Wiki, I'll use it for reference only, it's not a bad list in itself.

[locoBro1196]

Really frustrating at times, and I'm not really sure why this ranks lower (easier) than Mushihimesama or Mushi Futari in the Japan STG Wiki.

Congrats on the clear!

The list isn't meant to be infallible and I think was crafted based on a number of opinions polled? It's good as an indicator of relative difficulty, but when games rank closely to each other it's best to take their rankings with a grain of salt, and personal opinion will vary.

Batsugun in general is a slower paced game, and if you learn and plan out your bombs, it's not as dependent on executing against fast and dense patterns as Mushi or Futari are. They both have more extends and smaller hitboxes though, so if you find either of those easier than Batsugun there's nothing wrong with that.

Thank you. Noted about the opinions on the Japanese STG Wiki, I'll use it for reference only, it's not a bad list in itself and quite interesting.

Yeah after so many hours at them I figured out they are vastly different from each other even though I can see the influence Batsugun had particularly on those earlier Cave bullet hell shmups. Overall I still found Mushi or Futari far more entertaining though.

[locoBro1196]

I would say Batsugun is harder than Mushihimesama but easier than Mushihimesama Futari.

But I also think you can wing it in Mushihimesama Futari a little more than you can in Batsugun. The second to last stage in Batsugun is a nightmare if you don't have a plan.

Absolutely. Stage 4 in Batsugun is nuts. You are right it feels that even if stage 3 of Mushi or Futari there's more room for winging it. Batsugun is just pure routing.

[Angry Hina]

To get the good ending you have to clear on Special. For the slowdown, use the kaiteki mode. It makes the game more difficult, but it's better without the slowdown.

Dont know about that. Cleared the game at all combinations of slowdown and difficulty and of course, if you have cleared a game on a harder setting, all below that feels like there is something lacking but I felt like GGA3 on special without slowdown has some sections in which it forces you to play on a very specific way if you want to survive. I Think Special with slowdown is more fun because you can 'play' a little more with the game.

[Steven]

it forces you to play on a very specific way if you want to survive.

...so it's just like any other game that isn't made by Compile?

[To Far Away Times]

Here is a 1CC of Darius (old version). ABDHMRX route. It was important to bring shields into Stage H, since that stage is quite tough. This play through was going smooth until I picked up the red power up by mistake in stage 7. This game increases rank as you power up your shot, and upgrading your shot from missile to laser is not advised. The final boss has around 300 HP if you battle him with the Missile shot type, but over 900 HP if you fight him with Laser.

The opening stage is quite difficult since your ship is slow and under powered, and enemies swarm you from all angles. This is one of those games where when you power up it gets easier. It's almost like starting the game in a check point recovery. The Fatty Glutton boss is awful. Try to dodge in the middle of the spread and focus on hitting the small fish that it fires ASAP rather than hitting the boss. Hitting the small fish late means you're almost guaranteed to take damage. The other thing to keep in mind is to play offensively and play in the front of the screen as much as possible.

Despite a few difficulty bumps and some hard to avoid damage in spots, the shield system and frequent power ups are very player friendly, and I didn't find this one nearly as difficult to clear as it's reputation suggests.

[SchoBoogie]

Ripped the living snot out of Mushihime-sama....

Just went top 10 on this forum with a world class, Plasmo, Jaimers, iconoclast, Erppo type high score.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Fsc8auxDbdy8Gm2t8

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Congrats! Did you manage to get a replay too?

A friend lent me a copy of Ketsui and I had my best run ever this weekend, no-miss to the downward section in S5 with Type B, two deaths in the run. I was really happy. It almost feels like someday I might make entry into Omote route.

[Sengoku Strider]

A friend lent me a copy of Ketsui

Which version? Deathtiny is 100% worth splashing out on if you haven't given it a spin yet. It's about as much of a 10/10 port as there is out there for anything imo.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

The arcade version (PGM). Sadly I don't have the console to play Deathtiny yet, but I'm tempted to pick up either the PCB or the PGM version now, it's a lot of fun.

The same day we were hanging out another friend came over who is apparently a crazy savant when it comes to DaiOuJou and Ikaruga, and we got to see him get to 2-5 Hibachi in Black Label. Died within a few seconds, went in with no resources left whatsoever, but seeing someone get there live was still ridiculously impressive. The dodges in loop 2 were the stuff of legends.

[SchoBoogie]

Congrats! Did you manage to get a replay too?

A friend lent me a copy of Ketsui and I had my best run ever this weekend, no-miss to the downward section in S5 with Type B, two deaths in the run. I was really happy. It almost feels like someday I might make entry into Omote route.

Thanks. I didn't get a replay. I wasn't in the mode where you can upload to the Xbox 360 leaderboards and I don't think it even gave me the option.

Great job with Ketsui. I really need to spend some time with that game. I went Top 10 a while back on Ketsuipachi. Love that game.

[locoBro1196]

Got my 1cc on DDP DFK 1.5 in X360. My 4th Cave 1cc and first in Dodonpachi series.

Hours: Overall perhaps around ~15 hours.
Controller: 8bitdo SN Pro 2
Ship: B, Strong type.
Score: 2.153.157.816

Got a pitiful 1cc, on the last life, and with zero bombs left. I've been playing this game on and off for several years (14 or 15 years) and different platforms (X360, PC, NSW), mainly just runs and not real grinding until few days ago when I decided it's about time to get down to it. I feel a bit weird about DDP DFK, on the one hand for a very long time I considered it to be my absolute favourite shmup, the only one of which I own several different physical copies. But over recent years I've grown to like the Mushihimesama series more, and if I have to go back and try a 1cc all over again, it'd be on Mushi or Futari rather than DDP DFK.

For years, I kept getting stuck on the spinning ships in stage 5 and never really managed to progress any further than that. My strategy to overcome that has been to minimize losses on the mid-stage and end-stage bosses, as well as getting quite good at stage 4. I still keep getting slaughtered in stage 5 around the spinning ships area, but at least got enough lives and bombs left to consistently make it to the end of the stage.

Overall I thought it'd have taken me more than the last 2 days of grinding, but I'm pleased to finally put this one to rest and move on to the next one (maybe the original DDP).