AIR RADE AIR IS OUT!!

Danny · Post by **Danny** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 7:29 pm

Air Rade Air now avilable at Himeya's shop... you know what to do!!

http://www.himeyashop.com/product_info. ... ts_id/2128

pixelcorps · Post by **pixelcorps** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 8:10 pm

it's probably the prettiest doujin shooter ever..

unbelievably professional...

Dewclaw · Post by **Dewclaw** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 8:10 pm

Alright, awesome. The demo to Airrade was what made me want to make my own shmup. Very inspirational

uwfan · Post by **uwfan** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 1:48 am

pixelcorps wrote:it's probably the prettiest doujin shooter ever..

unbelievably professional...

*cough*IMPERISHABLE NIGHT, PERFECT CHERRY BLOSSOM*cough*

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:13 am

There was a demo?! Link plz.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:54 am

SFKhoa wrote:There was a demo?! Link plz.

Diddo; I'd like to try this out as well.

Post by **Icarus** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 3:02 am

Unfortunately, the demo for AIRRADE Air has done a runner off the Siesta homepage. If you dig around online, you might be able to find it.

EDIT: Hoho! I dug around a bit, and found it here: http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/studio-s ... air_dl.htm

The demo for the first AIRRADE is here.

Contemplating making a high score thread for this (AIRRADE Air). Let me know if there's demand

pixelcorps · Post by **pixelcorps** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 4:17 am

uwfan wrote:
pixelcorps wrote:it's probably the prettiest doujin shooter ever..

unbelievably professional...
*cough*IMPERISHABLE NIGHT, PERFECT CHERRY BLOSSOM*cough*

zun's games pale into insignificance in comparison the the sheer gorgeousness of the presentation and art..

no incredibly average graphics, piffly little powerups, explosions that sound like a kitten sneezing and uninspiring midi here...

uwfan · Post by **uwfan** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 4:57 am

pixelcorps wrote:
uwfan wrote:
pixelcorps wrote:it's probably the prettiest doujin shooter ever..

unbelievably professional...
*cough*IMPERISHABLE NIGHT, PERFECT CHERRY BLOSSOM*cough*
zun's games pale into insignificance in comparison the the sheer gorgeousness of the presentation and art..

no incredibly average graphics, piffly little powerups, explosions that sound like a kitten sneezing and uninspiring midi here...

lets just say i disagree with you completely, and leave it at that. :p

LAshujin · Post by **LAshujin** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 5:05 am

pixelcorps wrote:zun's games pale into insignificance in comparison the the sheer gorgeousness of the presentation and art..

no incredibly average graphics, piffly little powerups, explosions that sound like a kitten sneezing and uninspiring midi here...

Quoted for truth, except that I like the Music, but HATE those lame ass explosion sound effects

Eltegantis · Post by **Eltegantis** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 5:11 am

Wow! Really pleased to see some discussion of Airrade for once! (And hoping it doesn't degenerate into an Airrade vs. Touhou flamewar now...) Great game, easily the best version of Airrade yet. It has the best implementation of bonus enemies I've seen yet, and the Shot Impact system adds a bit more depth to the scoring. Quite a bit harder, too... I could clear Summer (not to be confused with Summer Mode) pretty much every time with most characters, but I still haven't managed to beat this one except on easy. I always lose a life at Misuzu's last attack (the green juice), and it only goes downhill from there with hardly any opportunities to restore life.

Out of curiosity, what's everyone managed to unlock so far? I've got Haruko and Hijiri playable, and two new modes (they begin with 'S' and 'B', for those who want to be surprised), and I've done just about all the obvious stuff I can do without turning the difficulty up. The tracklist for the OST on Studio SiestA's site seems to hint at about 4 alternate/extra stages that I still haven't seen any sign of, there's room for at least 3 more modes on the menu, and then there's all those characters...

Post by **Icarus** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:13 pm

I haven't unlocked much, but I do know that the entire cast of Air is in there, including extras: Misuzu, Kano, Minagi, Michiru, Hijiri, Haruko, Keisuke, Sora, Uraha, Ryuuya, Kanna. The winged form of Misuzu is selectable, and there appears to be a few more characters I cannot identify yet.

GIANT SQUID · Post by **GIANT SQUID** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 3:28 pm

this isn't free ware right?

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 3:32 pm

No, but the demo is free to DL. And if you like it, it is a doujin game, so it should be at least relatively cheap to pick up the full version.

I've been meaning to try this thing, if I have time tonight maybe I'll grab the demo...

Post by **Icarus** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 3:43 pm

Support Siesta, try the demo, buy the full game, participate in the high score thread

Post by **system11** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 4:30 pm

pixelcorps wrote:
uwfan wrote:
pixelcorps wrote:it's probably the prettiest doujin shooter ever..

unbelievably professional...
*cough*IMPERISHABLE NIGHT, PERFECT CHERRY BLOSSOM*cough*
zun's games pale into insignificance in comparison the the sheer gorgeousness of the presentation and art..

no incredibly average graphics, piffly little powerups, explosions that sound like a kitten sneezing and uninspiring midi here...

You're really incredibly wrong here. Air Rade is certainly very pretty, but the gameplay is nothing special compared to the curtain fire shooters. I actually /like/ the quiet explosions too for not being a fucking irritation as they can be in many games. I'll be buying this anyway to put on my Touhou cab alongside Zuns games (why not, after all - there's plenty of disk space left), but it'll be an extra to the real deal.

Kaspal · Post by **Kaspal** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 4:58 pm

pixelcorps wrote:it's probably the prettiest doujin shooter ever..

unbelievably professional...

it seems like you dont play Doujin STGs often... do you?
ZUN's games are known for their beauty layout, and its intrincated bullet patterns ...

Murasame's games are pretty too ... maybe not so cute, but pretty good anyways.

maybe u havent tried CLANADA yet?... guess not...

or Maria with a red bloom (STG Maria)?... thats pretty cute, and uncommon shmup!...

and the list goes on and on and on... theres lots of good (n cute) Doujin STGs out there...

for teh record... i dont like (much) AirRADE games... somehow i cant stand them, but i recognize they are good games nevertheless...

pixelcorps · Post by **pixelcorps** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 5:58 pm

Kaspal wrote:
pixelcorps wrote:it's probably the prettiest doujin shooter ever..

unbelievably professional...
it seems like you dont play Doujin STGs often... do you?
ZUN's games are known for their beauty layout, and its intrincated bullet patterns ...

for teh record... i dont like (much) AirRADE games... somehow i cant stand them, but i recognize they are good games nevertheless...

zun's graphics are poor. period.

his backgrounds are usually 1 texture that doesnt even tile, the sprites are terrible, and the power ups look pathetic.

i didnt mention gameplay at all...

Kaspal · Post by **Kaspal** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 6:41 pm

pixelcorps wrote:
Kaspal wrote:
pixelcorps wrote:it's probably the prettiest doujin shooter ever..

unbelievably professional...
it seems like you dont play Doujin STGs often... do you?
ZUN's games are known for their beauty layout, and its intrincated bullet patterns ...

for teh record... i dont like (much) AirRADE games... somehow i cant stand them, but i recognize they are good games nevertheless...
zun's graphics are poor. period.

his backgrounds are usually 1 texture that doesnt even tile, the sprites are terrible, and the power ups look pathetic.

i didnt mention gameplay at all...

ok ... ZUN's graphics are poor... but, is it me, or this AirRADE games graphics are poor too?... or maybe i need a new PC?... cuz, i dont see them as cute as someone might say... but, well ... thats my POV.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:00 pm

I want this (Utte Yoshi):

A cat with a cardboard box with a railgun? That is right up my alley.

Seriously though, anyone have this game and how is it?

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:35 pm

pixelcorps wrote:zun's graphics are poor. period.

his backgrounds are usually 1 texture that doesnt even tile, the sprites are terrible, and the power ups look pathetic.

Oh come on, Zun's stuff isn't that bad visually. It's not Cave quality, but considering the relatively limited resources he's working with (IIRC he pretty much does everything except playtest all by himself) I think the games look good, and even on their own they have a unique appeal to them. Yes, the powerups are flat and plain, I'll admit, but since there are lots of 'em onscreen at a time you don't want them obscuring what's going on (a la GigaWing); as for the backgrounds and sprites, in Embodiment of Scarlet Devil they weren't very impressive, but once you get to Perfect Cherry Blossom and Imperishable Night the look improves a lot; some of the later stages in both, in particular, look quite nice, IMO. The overall look is on the abstract side, so it won't appeal to everyone, but if I had to make an analogy I'd say that while most shmups resemble something done in gouache (a thick paint), Zun's stuff is more like watercolor, more free-flowing and light, but still visually appealing in its own right.

To be fair, I haven't played the Air Rade games yet to compare them, but I do own Bike Banditz, which is REALLY impressive, and I still like Zun's look. If it's not to your personal preference then that's fine, but I don't think it's right to insist that they're awful just because of that.

Kaspal · Post by **Kaspal** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:48 pm

Dylan1CC wrote:I want this (Utte Yoshi):

A cat with a cardboard box with a railgun? That is right up my alley.

Seriously though, anyone have this game and how is it?

i have it, but havent played it, since my VGA its givin me headaches... so, i cant comment on the game much (i only ran it once, and didnt played it much then)

Kaspal · Post by **Kaspal** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:51 pm

BulletMagnet wrote:
pixelcorps wrote:zun's graphics are poor. period.

his backgrounds are usually 1 texture that doesnt even tile, the sprites are terrible, and the power ups look pathetic.
Oh come on, Zun's stuff isn't that bad visually. It's not Cave quality, but considering the relatively limited resources he's working with (IIRC he pretty much does everything except playtest all by himself) I think the games look good, and even on their own they have a unique appeal to them. Yes, the powerups are flat and plain, I'll admit, but since there are lots of 'em onscreen at a time you don't want them obscuring what's going on (a la GigaWing); as for the backgrounds and sprites, in Embodiment of Scarlet Devil they weren't very impressive, but once you get to Perfect Cherry Blossom and Imperishable Night the look improves a lot; some of the later stages in both, in particular, look quite nice, IMO. The overall look is on the abstract side, so it won't appeal to everyone, but if I had to make an analogy I'd say that while most shmups resemble something done in gouache (a thick paint), Zun's stuff is more like watercolor, more free-flowing and light, but still visually appealing in its own right.

To be fair, I haven't played the Air Rade games yet to compare them, but I do own Bike Banditz, which is REALLY impressive, and I still like Zun's look. If it's not to your personal preference then that's fine, but I don't think it's right to insist that they're awful just because of that.

AMEN brotha.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:58 pm

Kaspal wrote:
Dylan1CC wrote:I want this (Utte Yoshi):

A cat with a cardboard box with a railgun? That is right up my alley.

Seriously though, anyone have this game and how is it?
i have it, but havent played it, since my VGA its givin me headaches... so, i cant comment on the game much (i only ran it once, and didnt played it much then)

Cool, please lemme know what you think whenever you get to play it more.

pixelcorps · Post by **pixelcorps** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 8:40 pm

Kaspal wrote:
BulletMagnet wrote:
pixelcorps wrote:zun's graphics are poor. period.

his backgrounds are usually 1 texture that doesnt even tile, the sprites are terrible, and the power ups look pathetic.
Oh come on, Zun's stuff isn't that bad visually. It's not Cave quality, but considering the relatively limited resources he's working with (IIRC he pretty much does everything except playtest all by himself) I think the games look good, and even on their own they have a unique appeal to them. Yes, the powerups are flat and plain, I'll admit, but since there are lots of 'em onscreen at a time you don't want them obscuring what's going on (a la GigaWing); as for the backgrounds and sprites, in Embodiment of Scarlet Devil they weren't very impressive, but once you get to Perfect Cherry Blossom and Imperishable Night the look improves a lot; some of the later stages in both, in particular, look quite nice, IMO. The overall look is on the abstract side, so it won't appeal to everyone, but if I had to make an analogy I'd say that while most shmups resemble something done in gouache (a thick paint), Zun's stuff is more like watercolor, more free-flowing and light, but still visually appealing in its own right.

To be fair, I haven't played the Air Rade games yet to compare them, but I do own Bike Banditz, which is REALLY impressive, and I still like Zun's look. If it's not to your personal preference then that's fine, but I don't think it's right to insist that they're awful just because of that.
AMEN brotha.

airrade AIR's graphics are the only ones to write home about the other RADE graphics are clean, but not as sexy.., but I just see zun's work as unprofessional and nowhere, NOWHERE near as polished and professional as studio siesta's.. regardless, I'm a senior artist at a video game developer and I sure as hell wouldn't hire him.

as for you who haven't seen airrade AIR, maybe some of you should actually play it and see how slick it is graphically.. if you still think zun's anywhere near tsuji's (artist and designer on A.R.A) skills after that it's obvious that any graphic artist actually spending time to create something pretty and seamless is wasting his time on your eyes.

Post by **system11** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 10:06 pm

pixelcorps wrote: airrade AIR's graphics are the only ones to write home about the other RADE graphics are clean, but not as sexy.., but I just see zun's work as unprofessional and nowhere, NOWHERE near as polished and professional as studio siesta's.. regardless, I'm a senior artist at a video game developer and I sure as hell wouldn't hire him.

as for you who haven't seen airrade AIR, maybe some of you should actually play it and see how slick it is graphically.. if you still think zun's anywhere near tsuji's (artist and designer on A.R.A) skills after that it's obvious that any graphic artist actually spending time to create something pretty and seamless is wasting his time on your eyes.

Let's be clear - they created some nice looking but extremely low detail enemies, and some decent backgrounds precisely one screen long that keep wrapping.

And now:

A lot of very nice swirling multi layer patterns for the background (prior to this attack, it's 3d bamboo trees and a hand drawn moon slowly moving around (not many people notice it moving). While in terms of individually hand drawn sections of work, ARA beats this hands down - but in the overall effect and use of colour, the decision is far from clear.

Post by **Icarus** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 11:25 pm

While I appreciate all the Touhou shooters and the AIRRADE series by Siesta, I have to give preference to AIRRADE, not because of the way it looks - and Air is a massive step up from AIRRADE and the Summer expansion - but because of the way it plays.

One thing I've noticed is that with most bullet curtain games, you're pretty much made to sit near the bottom of the screen the majority of the time, looking for ways through the patterns. While this can be fun in itself, I personally prefer a faster, more active type of game, and that is why I'll always take AIRRADE Air over a Touhou game. With AIRRADE, you're flitting between enemy formations and bullets, dashing all around the screen, looking to use a very risky and very rewarding close ranged attack to create massive scoring opportunities. I prefer to take risks to gain my rewards, and AIRRADE Air gives me ample chances to do so.

I could say that I like AIRRADE because it features cute versions of Key & Visual Arts' characters from Air - and I love Air just as much as I love Clannad and Kanon - but underneath the pretty exterior beats a very tough, very addictive, fast-paced and vicious horizontal scroller.

It's your personal preference if you like Touhou over Siesta, and I'm not really in the mood to ignite a potential flamewar over it. But if you like your shooters, then at least give AIRRADE Air a chance.

The game fucking rocks.

pixelcorps · Post by **pixelcorps** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 11:37 pm

bloodflowers wrote:
pixelcorps wrote: A lot of very nice swirling multi layer patterns for the background (prior to this attack, it's 3d bamboo trees and a hand drawn moon slowly moving around (not many people notice it moving). While in terms of individually hand drawn sections of work, ARA beats this hands down - but in the overall effect and use of colour, the decision is far from clear.

yes, that screenshot looks nice.. but its the bullets that do it... ZUN's backgrounds don't even tile.. most of the time the backgrounds are lazy, barren and very dreary, and as a pixel artist myself I think his sprites are really tacky.

all I'm saying is personally , that ART and PRESENTATION wise, air rade is easily on a par with any commercial 2D shooter stuff available. I feel zun's art content is much weaker in style, art direction, colour theory and composition, if he got another (pixel specialist) artist on his projects they'd look a lot better....

anyways i'll shut up now and leave this thread to get back on track..

i'll end by just saying that studio siesta deserve support and you should buy AIR RADE AIR !!!!

Icarus! hook me up with some replays!!

Kaspal · Post by **Kaspal** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 4:16 am

its all a matter of prefferences...
in touhou games, u DONT NEED to sit in the bottom of the screen, actually, if you REALLY wanna survive, u have to play in the middle or the 3/4 of the screen, or ull be dead pretty soon (unless u're really skilled at dodgin bullets) .... and there are MANY enemy formations to fight to...

i havent seen any bullet patterns as ellaborated in AR-saga as i've seen in touhou games (trust me, i've played the original AR and its xpansion... and i played full version of ARA ... but, since its not my kinda shmup, i just left it aside).

graphic wise, its true that ARA has better sprites n shit ... but, lets make this clear... Studio Siesta, its a TEAM (somethin like 5 folks there), Shanghai Alice its a LONE WOLF (ZUN's da man!) so, its true that maybe JUST MAYBE if ZUN's got another person to do the art job, the game should look better (OH MY GOSH!) ... but to tell you the truth, im happy the way the games looks right now (but i wouldnt complain if they look any better!), since i've already passed the period of being a graphic whore, and tend to enjoy more the gameplay and stuff, than the mere graphics (i dont even pay attention to the tunes ... but i cant play the games w/o them!).

so, yeah ... lets leave the discussion as it is, and continue with the original topic. but, for me, ZUN's games are WAY better (gameplay wise ... cuz, graphic wise, its simply DIFFERENT... actually, both games are different in almost everything) than ARA.

now, one thing, pixelcorps ... maybe you wouldnt hire ZUN at your co. but, i wonder why Taito DID hire him?... heheh. cuz, as far as i remember, he makes the Touhou games in HIS SPARE TIME, unlike, say, Murasame, who worx FULL TIME (or so i've heard) on his games (thats why he releases 2-3 games a year, while ZUN releases one) ... and you can already check the quality of their stuff.

laters.

angrycoder · Post by **angrycoder** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 3:52 pm

So anyone want to do some pimping for this game rather than have a pissing match about graphics?

I played the demo and enjoyed it. What does the full version have to offer? How many levels are there? Do all the extra characters you unlock play differently? Does this game have legs for long term play?