Shmups

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Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Shmups

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

Who would have guessed that with this generation of hardware we'd see so many formerly unreleased arcade shooters?

I don't think Vasara has ever been ported... if I'm wrong please correct me! It's certainly a better use of hardware than, say, realistic horse testicles in RDR2? I mean, I could be wrong, again, correct me if I am!
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Michiel K
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Re: Shmups

Post by Michiel K »

Depends on what your priorities are, but you have a case there! :D
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

ratsoalbion wrote: February 21st, 2019, 3:44 pm Happily, Guwange is available as a cheap download on the Xbox marketplace
Joshihatsumitsu wrote: February 21st, 2019, 9:14 pm Guwange is pretty damn fantastic!
I got some MS Points for the first time in more than five years and just bought myself some Gu.Wan.Ge. Boo.Yah.

I love buying shmups. :P
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Shmups

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

Thats the great thing about this, and previous, hardware generations: software wise, you're getting a one-to-one experience with the arcade counterparts. There's no making concessions (unless we're talking about the Taito ports of Ibara and Mushihimesama for the PS2, so there are some execeptions), and though some can be very pricey, they are still considerably cheaper than a PCB.

I mean, as much as I'd love to have a Guwange PCB (maybe once I marry a Trump... I can't imagine Don-Jr would have enough self-esteem to reject me? :? ), the price I paid for the XBox 360 version is a steal, and not even remotely a compromise. ;)
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

It's not my favourite but Guwange will have a special place for me as the first Cave game I ever bought (via backwards compatibility only about two years ago!). After playing DDP at Arcade Club and being blown away, I came home and scoured the digital stores to try to scratch the itch. Guwange kept me going until the floodgates opened.

Speaking of which, Rolling Gunner continues to impress me. It deserves to sell very well and is definitely in my top three shmups on the Switch (alongside Psyvariar and Ikaruga). Really getting the hang of controlling the, err, rolling gun and it gets very Deathsmiles with the enemies coming from different sides, but it probably takes it further, quicker. Very much enjoying it.
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shadowless_kick
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Re: Shmups

Post by shadowless_kick »

Joshihatsumitsu wrote: March 1st, 2019, 10:06 pm Guwange PCB
:shock: :shock: :shock:
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Rolling Gunner on Switch is officially 'the real deal'. I've had to tear myself away from it today to get some jobs done and I can't stop thinking about it.

It's a horizontal Cave-style shooter with a kind of drone module a la Progear only you can direct it more freely. As you move your ship, the drone rotates to the opposite side but you can hold charge shot to lock it into place at a fixed angle. It also has a hyper charge in the style of Dodonpachi DaiOuJou and a 'double hyper' overcharge in the style of Crimzon Clover. It also has enemies coming from multiple directions with warning signs in the style of Deathsmiles. They've certainly borrowed from the top drawer!

It's not the prettiest game but I like the shiny aesthetic, it's crystal clear and you can also turn down the brightness of the backgrounds if you find things a little too busy. It feels very saturated and dazzling, explosions and bullets are positively glowing and I think it's visually very clear and serves the gameplay completely. It starts fairly gently with enemies predominantly coming from the left or right but as you move through the game, you'll find yourself aiming and unlocking the drone much more and it becomes really frantic fun with enemies and bullets coming from all angles. I also got my first 1CC on it! (on *ahem* Novice Mode)

Here's the trailer:

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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Stanshall wrote: March 3rd, 2019, 5:26 pm Rolling Gunner on Switch is officially 'the real deal'.
On the waiting list it goes! :P
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Shmups

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

KSubzero1000 wrote: March 3rd, 2019, 5:41 pm
Stanshall wrote: March 3rd, 2019, 5:26 pm Rolling Gunner on Switch is officially 'the real deal'.
On the waiting list it goes! :P
You are more patient than me: finally set up my Japanese Switch account (considerably quick than setting up PSN accounts!), and Rolling Gunner is in the collection! I know there'll be a Western release but... I mean, one: I was a little impatient and the announcement of TBA 2019 is a little vague, and two: gave me an excuse to explore the Japanese eshop.

The irony being that because I spent all weekend working on the control panel for my next cabinet, I had little time to actually play much! :roll:
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Shmups

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

shadowless_kick wrote: March 3rd, 2019, 11:48 am
Joshihatsumitsu wrote: March 1st, 2019, 10:06 pm Guwange PCB
:shock: :shock: :shock:
The upside: the price means it'll probably remain in stock for a while. And, from experience, you're getting a genuine board, not a cheap knock-off conversion.

The downside: The price. The price. And that's not a full kit, so no artwork. :(
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shadowless_kick
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Re: Shmups

Post by shadowless_kick »

Joshihatsumitsu wrote: March 3rd, 2019, 11:18 pm The downside: The price. The price. And that's not a full kit, so no artwork. :(
back when I got the 2 boards I did, Guwange was about 50,000 yen or so. ugh...
hopefully it'll get the M2 ShotTriggers treatment one of these days.
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Shmups

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

shadowless_kick wrote: March 4th, 2019, 12:53 am
Joshihatsumitsu wrote: March 3rd, 2019, 11:18 pm The downside: The price. The price. And that's not a full kit, so no artwork. :(
back when I got the 2 boards I did, Guwange was about 50,000 yen or so. ugh...
hopefully it'll get the M2 ShotTriggers treatment one of these days.
Those PCB prices are creeping up over time, and I doubt they'll ever go southwards again. Fortunately there has been a trend generation for releasing previously unreleased shooters, so at least there are other options.
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Michiel K
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Re: Shmups

Post by Michiel K »

Rolling Gunner does look pretty legit. Who are the people behind it?
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Director and Designer is Daisuke Koizumi and I've only just realised he's ex-Cave, in fact! Worked on Akai Katana, DDP SDOJ and Deathsmiles 2 amongst others. It makes a lot of sense given how many Cave game mechanics it compiles. The game feel is simply excellent. The biggest praise I can give it is that I only very recently got the 360 and I've been absolutely loving playing Akai Katana, MMP, SDOJ and others for the first time - but I've played more of Rolling Gunner than anything else since it came out.

https://www.giantbomb.com/daisuke-koizumi/3040-101544/
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Shmups

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

Because I think I have more time than I actually have, I recently got an affordable copy of Homura (PS2) from Suruga-ya (via proxy shopping). Even with service fees, it was much cheaper than the inflated eBay prices.

If you've played the other forum favourite from Skonec, Psyvariar, then you'll have a pretty good idea of how this game feels. There is a standard shot, bomb, plus one key hook, which is "Battou ". This move needs to be triggered when you are right next to an enemy, and when done right results in your character zipping around the screen, killing all the enemies in one go, which also results in combos and driving up your score. It is absolutely satisfying!

Again, have more games than I do time, so would love to put more time into it. And Rolling Gunner. Maybe closer to the weekend...
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Raiden IV Overkill is currently down to 4€ on the EU PS3 store. I think I'll pick it up for that price. Seems silly not to, really.

...Does it pass the expert purity test? :P
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Michiel K
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Re: Shmups

Post by Michiel K »

Stanshall wrote: March 4th, 2019, 10:08 pm Director and Designer is Daisuke Koizumi and I've only just realised he's ex-Cave, in fact! Worked on Akai Katana, DDP SDOJ and Deathsmiles 2 amongst others. It makes a lot of sense given how many Cave game mechanics it compiles. The game feel is simply excellent. The biggest praise I can give it is that I only very recently got the 360 and I've been absolutely loving playing Akai Katana, MMP, SDOJ and others for the first time - but I've played more of Rolling Gunner than anything else since it came out.

https://www.giantbomb.com/daisuke-koizumi/3040-101544/
Fantastic, I already thought the bullet spreads looked very Deathsmiles and Akai Katana.
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Shmups

Post by ratsoalbion »

I thought it looked like an Akai Katana ‘clone’ - it’s actually a ‘spiritual succcessor it seems.
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Shmups

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

KSubzero1000 wrote: March 6th, 2019, 11:05 am Raiden IV Overkill is currently down to 4€ on the EU PS3 store. I think I'll pick it up for that price. Seems silly not to, really.

...Does it pass the expert purity test? :P
To pass the expect purity test:
First, ye must sacrifice thy third-born distant-cousin upon the alter of Ghor.
Second, wait for the waning moon on the fifth cycle.
Third, should ye be granted safe haven, under the blood-moon the ritual shall commence.

Failing that, I'd say grab it! I actually prefer IV to V - it's definitely not trying to cram 80 hours of voice acting and story into its run time like the fifth game does. And it's a damn find Raiden!
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Thanks, clippa, old bean. That's a very generous offer! I think I've got everything that's compatible with my PAL 360 now (even the likes of Shooting Love which is pretty awful) so I'm good to go but I do appreciate the offer. They'll likely be worth a few bob, too. From looking at eBay prices, you could probably fund a week at Sandals Jamaica with a drawer full of JPN 360 shmups. Also, thanks for the stick offer, that's too much really. I've actually been using a Hayabusa stick which came out for the Switch but I'm so used to years of pad that I hardly touch it. I should probably give stick another go really but as with my SF4 days, it was basically like learning again from scratch. That's my excuse for playing crap whenever I get on Dodonpachi at Arcade Club...
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