Resogun

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
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JaySevenZero
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Resogun

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can leave your thoughts regarding Resogun for possible inclusion in the podcast when it's recorded.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: 334: Resogun

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Resogun is, quite simply, the best shoot 'em up I've ever had the pleasure of playing.

I've tried quite a few of the highly recommended games in the genre over the years, from Ikaruga all the way to Radiant Silvergun and Gradius V. They sound like my thing (on paper, at least) and while I respect them and completely understand the kind of cult following they enjoy, I regret to admit that I've never managed to stick with one long enough to learn its intricacies and become proficient at it. Their infamous difficulty was obviously a hurdle, but I also took umbrage with what I perceived to be readability issues and an over-reliance on strict pattern memorization. After a while, I just accepted that the genre was never going to be my thing despite what I had hoped for and moved onto greener pastures.

Resogun is the game that changed all this.

It was one of the first games I bought for my PS4 and it took me completely by surprise. The controls were delightfully responsive and the audiovisual presentation was nothing short of spectacular. The audio cues were crystal clear and for the first time, I never had any issue with telling enemies, bullets and the background apart. The pace was slow enough to ease me in at first, but quickly ramped up as the game progressed. I loved how much priority was given to proper positioning as opposed to precision aiming. The human saving mechanic was perfectly self-explanatory and the various bosses felt intimidating but fair. And the music... the music! At long last, I was hooked.

I'll admit to be a bit of a snob when it comes to western-developed action games in general. In my experience, they tend to pale in comparison to their japanese cousins. I believe that mechanical depth and polish should always be the top priorities when developing a true action game and I've seen too many of them try to cover up their inherent shallowness by way of a fancy presentation and narrative components. And so what a surprise it was to have this gem come out of nowhere other than Finland! Until I remembered that among linguists, Finnish is known as one of the closest relatives of Japanese, and so the world made sense once again. Isn't that nice? :lol:

This game has the rewarding long-term appeal of the other heavyweights in the genre, but combines it with its signature accessibility, an impeccable readability I don't think I've ever witnessed anywhere else, and wraps it all up inside a very distinct audiovisual identity. I can hardly think of a better example of a game which can cater to a casual audience at first glance without lowering its skill ceiling in the process. The fact that the game can have such an impressive variety of enemy types each with their own unique movement and bullet patterns that are nevertheless instantly recognizable and distinct from one another is a testament to the quality of its core design. It gently introduced me to a genre that for the longest time I thought was inaccessible to me, and now, years later, I still find myself booting it up time and time again in order to try and beat my Survival high score.


PS: Let's talk about the different weapon types real quick. Because for the quite frankly shameful amount of time I've sunk into this game, I could never get used to either the Nemesis or Ferox weapon systems. Phobos' on the other hand instantly clicked with me with its thrilling high-risk-high-reward destructive close quarters potential. Cozying up to a Day 6 Sentinel in Survival mode and seeing its life bar get deleted while enemy bullets slowly but surely home in on you never fails to send chills down my spine. I'd be very interested to hear about the team's preferences, though!



Three Words Review: "Revenge Bullets Activated" :shock:
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KSubzero1000
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Re: 334: Resogun

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Not so much a contribution, but I did find this very interesting article written by the lead programmer of the game himself, and since we don't have a dedicated Resogun thread, I thought I would share it here. Who knows, it might even come in handy as research for the show!

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/2405 ... mortem.php


Edit: Nevermind, I ended up finding an ancient thread... Guess it's too late now. :oops:
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stvnorman
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Re: 334: Resogun

Post by stvnorman »

I’ve played a lot of this since it first appeared as a PS4 freebie. It remains my PS4’s longest undeleted resident and I still play it regularly. But... strip away the incredible visual effects, the power-ups and play modes, and I still prefer the purity of gameplay found in its inspiration, Defender. I realise what an old fart I sound, but once you get deeper into Resogun there’s so much reliance on managing your multiplier that to my taste I’d rather just shoot stuff until me or all the humans have been done away with!
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