Shmups

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hazeredmist
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Re: Shmups

Post by hazeredmist »

Analogue? Don’t they know the stick market is where it’s at? Pfff.
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

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@haze

I'll take the L on V2X and hand you the crown. I can see the appeal but it just moves too fast for me to keep up with in both sections/directions! I definitely imagine it being really satisfying when you know the levels and you can just destroy them without even looking at what's coming next. Almost like a rhythm game. So congrats, you trampled me in the dirt.

On the Switch, testing out the Mayflash adapter, I've gone back to the deplorable Azure Reflections which is some hori Touhou shit with witch maids and monocles. It's pretty horrible in every respect but also strangely enjoyable collecting all the little powerups and dashing through bullets to smash the boss's armour. Weird mechanic but, yep, oddly satisfying. Cognitive dissonance. I've also gone back to Shikhondo, just to see if I'm any good at it after playing a shitload of Cave games and grazing shmups. It's actually still quite decent but having played about fifty better shmups since I first got it, now I can see how limited it is. For a grazing shmup, Danmaku Unlimited is much better and Psyvariar is almost a different medium, like a dot-to-dot next to Raphael's Ascension.

Still playing Futari and getting miraculously worse. NMNB the first two stages every time, completely mastered them, followed by several random careless deaths on Stage 3 despite having hardest enemies completely in my pocket, those giant spear beetle things, and being able to 1 bomb the boss every time I get there. Stage 4 is piss easy, just tap dodge left and right for ten minutes and stage 5 isn't much harder, just bomb the counter down to slow the bullets, but I keep messing up randomly. It's...frustrating...The 1CC is very close but very dependent on getting past Stage 3 with all lives intact. Couple of weeks ago when I was playing every day it was probably one in five attempts I'd get there. Since switching to stick and playing a wider variety of games, it's probably one in 20. Almost like if I pretend I'm not bothered, I'll somehow pull out the winning run one day. I'm getting further away and the game is starting to haunt me. Might need to just commit again and make a valiant push to get it done to the exclusion of all all enjoyment.
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hazeredmist
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Re: Shmups

Post by hazeredmist »

It sounds like I need Danmaku. It keeps getting mentioned. It will hopefully do me until Rolling Gunner comes out in the west... Couldn't summon the funds for that sale and now it's passed. The only thing with Danmaku I worry about is the tate and losing screen estate. My telly is wall mounted so it's not getting turned round that's for sure.

Any recommendations on PS4? Only one I have really is Astebreed on that which I'm saving. I've seen Jamestown mentioned, any good? Might fix up a little wish list for when the boat comes in.

*edit* I'm actually warming to "Fast Striker" which looks to be a weird Dreamcast / Neo Geo port, and for your £5.79 you get it on Vita too. Average reviews but looks decent in gameplay videos.
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Re: Shmups

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hazeredmist
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Re: Shmups

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Cheers Leon, I'll download that episode.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

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hazeredmist wrote: June 3rd, 2019, 10:31 pm Any recommendations on PS4? Only one I have really is Astebreed on that which I'm saving. I've seen Jamestown mentioned, any good?
Apologies if you already have any of those, I can't remember if you ever said so. My PS4 shmups folder includes the following that I would recommend:


Vertical:
  • Ikaruga
Amazing game through and through, but with a rather opaque set of mechanics and scoring system. Bit of a learning curve, but well worth the effort.

  • Ghost Blade
Decent, Cave-ish little game. Not terribly imaginative, but has a very nice Score Attack mode to test your skills with.

  • Shikhondo - Soul Eater
Character design can be a bit too pervy depending on your sensibilities, but the art style is otherwise gorgeous. It's a solid game that doesn't reinvent any wheels in terms of its mechanics or stage design.

  • Jamestown
It's okay. Good effort, a bit unpolished.


Horizontal:
  • Dariusburst Chronicles Saviours
One of the best hori packages on the market. Price can be a bit steep, but definitely to be grabbed at sale price.

  • Sine Mora EX
Not bad. Very ambitious game but can be unforgiving at times.

  • R-Type Dimensions EX
Classic title and includes a very accessible mode in this re-release.


I'm sure the M2 ShotTriggers games are amazing, but you'd have to import them or set up a japanese account, so those wouldn't be my first pick. Plenty of good games to be downloaded for a much more reasonable price at first.


And of course, Resogun and Nex Machina are of a slightly different style but well worth buying, too.
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hazeredmist
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Re: Shmups

Post by hazeredmist »

Awesome, thanks guys!

I've got Ghost Blade on my wishlist after seeing the banter between you two :D

Resogun is fantastic.
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hazeredmist
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Re: Shmups

Post by hazeredmist »

Good God. Clippa - you legend! It's here. IT'S HERE

It looks and feels very high quality, is in spot on condition, was packed extremely well... I now have no interest in being at work and want to go home and try it out!!! I am so grateful for this mate. Thank you

The Mayflash Magic NS adapter arrived too. Christmas is here in the Haze household :D
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

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Enjoy! Hope you have a great evening clicking away! I've barely picked up a pad in a fortnight.
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

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I'm all right thanks, man, and better for the phrase "morally flexible, limb audit challengers". :D

Been absolutely knackered of late with work and finding that shmups are exponentially harder the more tired you are, so I totally sympathise with being being ill and not feeling it. Glad you're on the up! I had something rough the other week, turned into splitting headaches and light sensitivity, thought I was having a stroke but in hindsight, that's what happens when you play five hours of Futari when you're meant to be off ill...Still, got another day off out of it.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

I have a bit on my plate at the moment and don't have much to add, but it's always great to read the enthusiasm here. I hope you like your new stick, Haze.

I might have something to "announce" at some point next week.
Spoiler: show
Depending on how slow the posting service decides to be this time around.
Stanshall wrote: June 4th, 2019, 6:32 pm Been absolutely knackered of late with work
Heeey, I didn't know you had been sick and/or that recently. Yes, do take care of yourself, man. :|

clippa wrote: June 4th, 2019, 7:26 pm Mecha Titz (Ha, I'm leaving that in)
Is that a... Freudian Clipp? :P
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hazeredmist
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Re: Shmups

Post by hazeredmist »

Stick gaming update:

Tested the durability of the Venom by leaving it on the TV unit thing, and my two year old boy unattended in the room for a second while I grabbed a drink. Shortly after I hear the wife saying “he’s playing with your game thing mind” - to my horror I see he’s literally hanging off the ball of the stick itself with his feet off the ground like he’s trying to abseil from it. Situation quickly addressed and after I discarded my son, I cradled the stick to make sure it was OK. Solid as a fucking rock this thing, zero harm done.

Next up was testing it on the PS4, with Skull Girls 2nd Encore. Not a shmup so I’ll be brief but man that game is stunningly beautiful and a lot of fun. Controls felt natural.

Then it was the Switch’s turn and the Mayflash Magic NS comes out. It doesn’t work. Shit. Fuck. Amazon return, goddamnit I just want to pla- oh the light is blue, is that right? Nah turns out it needs to be red and there’s a little black button to change it over. Seconds later it works like a dream, tested it with Neko Navy and honestly after a few goes it felt great, although not as natural but I expected that. Very fun indeed.

Exciting times ahead learning the ropes with this thing! Many thanks again clippa, you are a legend. No signs of the plague hitting me yet either.

Hope the ill folk in the thread get better quick! There is gaming to be had :D
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hazeredmist
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Re: Shmups

Post by hazeredmist »

Indeed. It's a heavy beast.

I managed a few stages on Neko Navy and I also tried Fast Striker, completing the first few stages on that too. I'm not that far behind my skill level with a pad already which is pleasing.

Also had another go on Sky Force Reloaded... You can literally repeat stages being as shit as you want to collect stars and earn upgrades to make it easier, it's so demanding and disrespectful of your time. I added the side cannons with a 400 star upgrade, and it fires at a ridiculously pathetic rate so the point where it feels redundant. But guess what? Earn (grind) more stars and you can upgrade it, again and again and again, until it's vaguely useful. It's such a shit model for a game, I'm baffled why they'd do this on a console. There is no skill - just repetition and grind. If you ARE skillful and finish levels first time, you will earn LESS stars than endlessly failing and grinding. That is kind of pathetic, right?

I want to delete the bastard, but I despaired to see when ending a level last night that my fucking brother is in the score charts as well as Suits, so I'm now obligated to play it more so he doesn't make fun of me.
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hazeredmist
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Re: Shmups

Post by hazeredmist »

Image

As promised here's a pic in it's new home. You might be able to make the game out in the reflection :D
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

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Glad you're enjoying the stick. It looks class. Clippa is absolutely spot on, you'll get used to it. I had a couple of sticks before and basically recoiled in horror at the motorik dissonance (yeah, that's what I'm calling it) but I've worked through that this time and I don't even think about it now. The first week or so I was thinking about the feel and the movement of my wrist and fingers and what my grip is like and this that and the other hyper awareness. I couldn't even tell you what my grip is now, it just happens based on what my brain wants to do, which means I can now only blame my defective brain and central nervous system.

On that note, Futari progress continues. I got to Stage 5 with full lives and using two bombs. I've also no bombed up to stage 4 a couple of times this evening. That's a massive step. Still absolutely fucked it when it came to the crunch, just random silly tired deaths on stage 5 - one while desperately (and vainly) lunging for the secret 1-Up when I had a full stock of bombs. What a twat. Got to Larsa with only three bombs and on my last life. Bombed the bugger, dodged a couple of patterns and got her to half health. If I had just one more life, I would have done her.

The game changer was actually a couple of hours on Maniac Mode and getting to stage 4 with a hell of a lot more madness and bullets and absurd cancels and dodging through walls. Made going back to Original Mode seem a lot slower and less intense. Anyway, the 1CC is not too far off now. Famous last words.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

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Stanshall wrote: June 5th, 2019, 9:06 pm The game changer was actually a couple of hours on Maniac Mode and getting to stage 4 with a hell of a lot more madness and bullets and absurd cancels and dodging through walls. Made going back to Original Mode seem a lot slower and less intense.
Are we talking 1.5 or Black Label here? Because afaIk there are Original and Maniac versions of each. Getting really confused with all these Cave-style mode differentiations.
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

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KSubzero1000 wrote: June 5th, 2019, 9:28 pm
Stanshall wrote: June 5th, 2019, 9:06 pm The game changer was actually a couple of hours on Maniac Mode and getting to stage 4 with a hell of a lot more madness and bullets and absurd cancels and dodging through walls. Made going back to Original Mode seem a lot slower and less intense.
Are we talking 1.5 or Black Label here? Because afaIk there are Original and Maniac versions of each. Getting really confused with all these Cave-style mode differentiations.
This is still on Black Label. It's considered easier than 1.5 (which is in turn easier than 1.01, which was released after 1.5 (naturally), though it's based on the original (and defunct) 1.0 arcade release). Ultimately, I find BL more fun in Original mode than 1.5. It's flashier, there are more bullet cancels, it feels beautifully balanced (for my skill level) and it just feels, I dunno, decadent. It has more enemies and more bullets but they're a bit slower so you get these thick swirling patterns which you cancel to spectacular effect, or just squeeze through in a seemingly improbable way. I love the sense of being overwhelmed by bullets and then bursting through for a moment's exhilaration and respite. In 1.5 while the patterns aren't so dense, they're faster and therefore you're more vulnerable to being sniped and trapped or having to dodge more quickly.

Maniac Mode is very similar in terms of patterns but with everything turned up to 11, or rather about 17. This means that the fundamental Original routes and approaches are still pretty reliable, there's just a lot more tighter dodging. The scoring system is very different, too, but I've barely scratched the surface there. God Mode is way way off my level. I normally die within about ten seconds. You really need to plan a very specific route and execute very consistently. I'd love to do stage one, though, some day. It looks spectacular.
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hazeredmist
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Re: Shmups

Post by hazeredmist »

Nice one Stan! Sounds like you’re getting close. I can’t even imagine going for 1cc games but it is exhilarating trying this stuff.

I made it to Day 6 in Neko, furthest I’ve got. Keep plodding away!
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Re: Shmups

Post by Chopper »

Came *this* close to beating BLACK BIRD just now. On Easy mode of course. The simplistic bullet hell finale just makes my brain freeze. Those damn feathers!
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

My Ketsui & Co. are still stuck in customs for some inscrutable reason, but I managed to grab myself a physical copy of Mushihimesama Futari in the meantime.

Now that is a video game. :o

Cute presentation, pumping soundtrack, intimidating bosses, and those patterns! Sublime. It's also surprisingly accessible on the easier difficulty setting despite being infamous for being one of the most challenging shmups out there on its highest. Plenty of variation, too. Between the two characters, two shot types, 1.5 & Black Label, this game is on the same level as DDPR as far as I'm concerned. I haven't spent that much time on it, but I suspect this is going to change over the weekend.

Very happy with my purchase.
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