Gunbird VS. Gunbird 2

LoneSage · Post by **LoneSage** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 6:54 pm

I had a play-through of Gunbird on my Saturn last night with Ash, and man I just love this game...everything about it is PERFECT: the music, the great characters (love those three bad guys), the gameplay...just awesome.

Now, the thing is, I've never had the chance to play Gunbird 2, and most of the time I hear it's better than the original.

So what's your favorite? If you like Gunbird 2 more than the original, how much more and why?

superhitachi4 · Post by **superhitachi4** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 7:17 pm

I don't know if I necessarily have a favorite, as I enjoy both games quite a bit, but I tend to play Gunbird 2 a little more than the first. Certainly one of my favorites, and a game you shouldn't be without if you enjoy shooters.

Ramus · Post by **Ramus** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 7:21 pm

Gunbird 2 is better because it's Gunbird with improvements. There is a close quarters attack along with the charge attack which is long range. The bullet patterns are more complex than Gunbird and more satisfying when you can pull it off. Of courese GB2 is much harder than GB1. It only took me a couple days to 1cc the first loop of GB1 with Valnus. GB2 is a pain to get past 1-6. They are both great games, but GB2 is harder and more rewarding to get further in. If you play GB1 too consistantly, it becomes boring because you can get to the boss in most stages with out any enemies getting a single shot off. The castle level in GB1 is a prime example; it's way too easy even if it's the last of the random levels.

Neon · Post by **Neon** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 7:32 pm

APascual63827 wrote:Gunbird 2 is better because it's Gunbird with improvements. There is a close quarters attack along with the charge attack which is long range. The bullet patterns are more complex than Gunbird and more satisfying when you can pull it off. Of courese GB2 is much harder than GB1. It only took me a couple days to 1cc the first loop of GB1 with Valnus. GB2 is a pain to get past 1-6. They are both great games, but GB2 is harder and more rewarding to get further in. If you play GB1 too consistantly, it becomes boring because you can get to the boss in most stages with out any enemies getting a single shot off. The castle level in GB1 is a prime example; it's way too easy even if it's the last of the random levels.

What he said. It also has a bit more scoring depth thanks to the coin chaining/values based on shine...gives you something to do once the first few levels become boring to survive through

You might have to bite the bullet and get a Dreamcast to play this, the PS2 one has some problems...

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 7:38 pm

Also, no auto power-downs and the charge bar is infinitely better than the wait 3 seconds and during the time you charged you probably could've done nearly the same damage by shooting! I really like the graphics and music of GB1, but other than that it's pretty flawed and hollow.

Ramus · Post by **Ramus** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 7:51 pm

Rob wrote:Also, no auto power-downs and the charge bar is infinitely better than the wait 3 seconds and during the time you charged you probably could've done nearly the same damage by shooting! I really like the graphics and music of GB1, but other than that it's pretty flawed and hollow.

Hollow is the perfect definition of GB1.

As seen in the Webster's New World Dictionary:

hol.low (hål'o) adj. 1 having an empty space, or only air, within it; having a cavity inside; not solid 2 depressed below the surrounding surface; shaped like a cup or bowl; not real or meaningful 3 Psikyo's Gunbird shmup; unfulfulling 4 empty or worthless...etc.

TVG · Post by **TVG** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 7:58 pm

Neon wrote: You might have to bite the bullet and get a Dreamcast to play this, the PS2 one has some problems...

what exactly are they?

my opinion of gb ps2 pack: http://forum.shmups.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3766
i owned the dc version for some time, tell me if i missed something.

CIT · Post by **CIT** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 8:10 pm

Gameplay is improved in GB2, but graphics and characters I find better in der 1st. Really, they're both great games, and if you like part 1 you'll like part 2 as well.

Re, GB2 problems on PS2: I thought only the PAL release was bad, Japanese Psikyo Collection has problems too?

TVG · Post by **TVG** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 8:54 pm

pal release has 60 hz, tate and everything, why is it bad?

strikers pack is bad and pal version is even worse (missing 60hz) but gunbird is not the same at all...
cept gunbird 1 is kinda bad, but gunbird 2 is what matters on the pack imo, the 1st is just okay.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 8:57 pm

Sound volume problems, loading times (yeah, they matter) and graphics glitches all spoiled it for me.

Neon · Post by **Neon** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 8:58 pm

on Dreamcast it's not in fake low res, no load times either. Has the extra character.

Not hugely important differences but it's better and cheaper.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:05 pm

Neon wrote:Not hugely important differences but it's better and cheaper.

Huh? A DC game cheaper than a £9.99 game released some months ago? Weird.

£9.99 for both = £ 5 for Gunbird 2

by the way... I think I'll side with what llabnip wrote several times, and say that I enjoy more earlier Psikyo works. Gunbird 2 I found it extremely hectic and way more difficult than Strikers II which was released just the previous year. I enjoyed Strikers II but this one really raises the bar a bit too much. I also don't think I like the close range attacks that much.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:05 pm

No, hugely important.

TVG · Post by **TVG** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:47 pm

im not a sony salesman, but

what graphic glitches? there's one graphic glitch that i know of and noticced yesterday, USA boss, 2nd form, his shadow looks kinda messy. there's no other graphical glitches that i know of, if you noticed something else, inform me but please no "yea its glitched and shit" without explaining why.

sound volume problems? hardly, im not saying its the exact same as on the DC nor do i care, but it sounds good.
GB1 has sound volume problems tho.

pal version is dirt cheap.

a loading time of half a second before boss speech is hardly important, it may have distrupted the action, but the cutscene itself already does that, thats just my opinion, if seeing marion twirl her bunny for half a second distrupts you, ok.

fake low res? isnt that what causes pixels to look distorted? there's none of that on gb2, and a little bit on GB1, or is fake low res something obscure that only shaolin monks with a MVS collection and RGB connected to a theatre projector are able to see?

if you can buy the slightly better DC version cheaper than 15€, do it, if not, get the pal ps2.
i wouldnt suggest buying GB1, but if you must, get the saturn one for cheap.
if you plan playing on yoko, horizontal mode, avoid the ps2 pack like the plague and get the DC, yoko mode is terrible, it makes me kinda sad since your average joe will see it and think the game looks like shit

superhitachi4 · Post by **superhitachi4** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:51 pm

Gunbird 2 on Dreamcast is the best version to have. DC doesn't get enough love.

TVG · Post by **TVG** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:54 pm

DC gets fetichism, tho.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:56 pm

The vagrant wrote:im not a sony salesman, but

what graphic glitches? there's one graphic glitch that i know of and noticced yesterday, USA boss, 2nd form, his shadow looks kinda messy. there's no other graphical glitches that i know of, if you noticed something else, inform me but please no "yea its glitched and shit" without explaining why.

GB1 has sound volume problems tho.

a loading time of half a second before boss speech is hardly important, it may have distrupted the action, but the cutscene itself already does that, thats just my opinion, if seeing marion twirl her bunny for half a second distrupts you, ok.

Is it really half a second? Any way, it's like taking something I've been through GB2 DC a thousand times and putting a speed bump in the middle of it. Very intrusive, and I especially hate that memory card icon-quality Marion in the corner. It's like a gob of spit right on the nice background graphics.

Graphics glitches - yeah, the only thing I can recall are the gray shadows. Minor, but there. Sound is a bigger problem. Not atrocious like GB1, but still bad. The sound effects sound both wrong and too loud, which ruins the sound entirely for me.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:57 pm

I'm no sony salesman either. My bottomline would be:

If you don't care too much for Psikyo, but you still want some shmuppy fun and a more than decent version, PS2 pack is fine.

But, if Gunbird 2 has a special place in your heart or you consider it one of the finest verts ever made, then definitely go for the best version available... Which would be the even only for Morrigan, regardless of the rest.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 10:00 pm

Rob wrote:Is it really half a second? Any way, it's like taking something I've been through GB2 DC a thousand times and putting a speed bump in the middle of it. Very intrusive, and I especially hate that memory card icon-quality Marion in the corner. It's like a gob of spit right on the nice background graphics.

Graphics glitches - yeah, the only thing I can recall are the gray shadows. Minor, but there. Sound is a bigger problem. Not atrocious like GB1, but still bad. The sound effects sound both wrong and too loud, which ruins the sound entirely for me.

You make me worried about the upcoming Sengoku Ace / Blade pack. Did you see the same problems in that one too.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 10:10 pm

I wouldn't worry much about the Sengoku pack. The Gunbird one was by Atlus, and that is by Taito. I've heard good things and experienced the last of the 3 (Dragon Blaze + Sol Divide), which was of satisfying quality for me, and I'm certainly a bit picky since I had been waiting years for Blaze.

llabnip · Post by **llabnip** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 10:35 pm

Gunbird 1 by a wide margin. I don't like the additional gameplay elemetns - they don't add to the overall experience for me. I especially dislike the close range attack. It's seems so non-shooter like... then again I love the sword in Radiant Silvergun so it must just be Psikyo's execution. GB1 has (IMO) better stage layouts, better music has a gentler hardness curve and just feels more... er... classic

I'm a huge Psikyo fan but feel their best games are thier early games - almost always preferring the originals to the sequels (though Strikers 1945 I is only marginally better than Strikers 1945 II and these are my #2 and #3 scrolling shooters of all-time). Gunbird I is in my top 10... Gunbird 2 is somewhere near 25-ish...

There was a time a couple years back (on the precursor(s) to this forum) where Gunbird I would have dominated GB2 in a vote... there was far less love then for GB2 as compared to the original. Opinions have certianly changed in favor of GB2 (or maybe older members have faded away to be replaced by new whipper-snappers and thier overly loud rock-n-roll music!) but I'm still firmly in the GB1 camp.

Neon · Post by **Neon** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 11:34 pm

The vagrant wrote:im not a sony salesman, but

what graphic glitches? there's one graphic glitch that i know of and noticced yesterday, USA boss, 2nd form, his shadow looks kinda messy. there's no other graphical glitches that i know of, if you noticed something else, inform me but please no "yea its glitched and shit" without explaining why.

sound volume problems? hardly, im not saying its the exact same as on the DC nor do i care, but it sounds good.
GB1 has sound volume problems tho.

pal version is dirt cheap.

a loading time of half a second before boss speech is hardly important, it may have distrupted the action, but the cutscene itself already does that, thats just my opinion, if seeing marion twirl her bunny for half a second distrupts you, ok.

fake low res? isnt that what causes pixels to look distorted? there's none of that on gb2, and a little bit on GB1, or is fake low res something obscure that only shaolin monks with a MVS collection and RGB connected to a theatre projector are able to see?

if you can buy the slightly better DC version cheaper than 15€, do it, if not, get the pal ps2.
i wouldnt suggest buying GB1, but if you must, get the saturn one for cheap.
if you plan playing on yoko, horizontal mode, avoid the ps2 pack like the plague and get the DC, yoko mode is terrible, it makes me kinda sad since your average joe will see it and think the game looks like shit

Huh? A DC game cheaper than a £9.99 game released some months ago? Weird.

£9.99 for both = £ 5 for Gunbird 2

I live in the USA, and have a Japanese PS2. So I can either:

Pay $20 for Dreamcast Gunbird 2
Pay $60-70+shipping from Hong Kong or wherever for the PS2 port.

I can assure you this isn't console fanboyism, I just want you to give me a rational explanation as to why I should pay significantly more for a shit port

Well, if I ever get back into Gunbird 2, I might get it since I never have the DC hooked up anymore.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:11 am

I like the earlier Psikyo games because they're less difficult for me. Really, if it weren't for how hard they get by the 3rd level, GB2 and DB would be among my favorite games. I can see how someone of Rob's skill would ultimately prefer GB2 and DB because they are so polished. But given my average skill, they're just a bit overwhelming.

The vagrant wrote: strikers pack is bad.

Is it? What, apart from not saving high scores, is bad about it? I was thinking of getting it now that it's been rereleased in the Taito's Best series, and so is about $30.

LoneSage · Post by **LoneSage** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:17 am

I went to vgmuseum and saw all the endings to both games...I've got to say I am a much larger fan of the art used in the first Gunbird. The endings in the second Gunbird weren't as good as the original's, either...too much gheyness endings with Aine! or whatever his name is.

Gots to say I more than enjoyed the Team Endings with Ash and Marion in the first and Alucard and Marion in the second game, lord help my soul.

Capt. Takehiko · Post by **Capt. Takehiko** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:55 am

I only have Gunbird on the Saturn so I voted that. I've played the second on the DC a couple of times but not really enough to make a decision.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 2:24 am

I'm not a huge Psikyo fan, but I do own both Gunbirds (seeing as I got each for cheap). IMO which you prefer kind of depends on your mood, or just your personal gameplay tastes; if you want a simple shmup where all you really need to do to score well is survive long enough, boot up GB1. If you want something a bit more complex, with more attacks at your disposal and several different ways to boost your score beyond just killing stuff, put in GB2. Neither is a personal favorite of mine, but I still play them both from time to time, depending on what I feel like.

IlMrm · Post by **IlMrm** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 7:00 am

Rob wrote:Also, no auto power-downs and the charge bar is infinitely better than the wait 3 seconds and during the time you charged you probably could've done nearly the same damage by shooting!

Auto power-downs are the worst.

At least Yuan-Nang has a fast charged shot.

When I use Marion I hardly ever use the charge shot, since it takes so damn long to come out.

So Gunbird 2.

Davey · Post by **Davey** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:01 pm

superhitachi4 wrote:DC doesn't get enough love.

You're obviously new here.

D · Post by D » Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:18 am

llabnip wrote:Gunbird 1 by a wide margin. I don't like the additional gameplay elemetns - they don't add to the overall experience for me. I especially dislike the close range attack. It's seems so non-shooter like... then again I love the sword in Radiant Silvergun so it must just be Psikyo's execution. GB1 has (IMO) better stage layouts, better music has a gentler hardness curve and just feels more... er... classic I'm a huge Psikyo fan but feel their best games are thier early games - almost always preferring the originals to the sequels (though Strikers 1945 I is only marginally better than Strikers 1945 II and these are my #2 and #3 scrolling shooters of all-time). Gunbird I is in my top 10... Gunbird 2 is somewhere near 25-ish...

There was a time a couple years back (on the precursor(s) to this forum) where Gunbird I would have dominated GB2 in a vote... there was far less love then for GB2 as compared to the original. Opinions have certianly changed in favor of GB2 (or maybe older members have faded away to be replaced by new whipper-snappers and thier overly loud rock-n-roll music!) but I'm still firmly in the GB1 camp.

I am in the GBone camp.
I said it one my site.
GB1 is better.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 7:04 pm

Gunbird2 by a few frickin miles. gunbird just seems barren in comparison. i want death waiting for me at every corner, and g2 delivers.

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