Shmups

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
User avatar
Chopper
Member
Posts: 1405
Joined: April 16th, 2013, 6:35 pm
Location: Ireland

Re: Shmups

Post by Chopper »

KSubzero1000 wrote: May 25th, 2019, 1:32 pm By this time last year, I was minding my own business, playing my silly character action nonsense and arguing with folks about 15 year old RE games.
Has it been a year already? :lol:
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Yeah I saw the AAC+ update, but it didn't come out on PS4, which is where I played it and the game didn't leave such an impression that I would feel compelled to revisit it anyway. I think it has a very cute presentation but it doesn't really compete with the likes of Nex Machina for my money. It's also a bit unpolished and after grabbing the S ranks I was kinda done with it.

It's a very nice email you got there. :)


I love Resogun and I feel like the standard Arcade mode doesn't really show the game's true potential. Which might explain why barely anybody is still talking about it by now. Survival DLC is where the game truly shines if you like endurance modes. They removed the time-based multiplier that can be so unfair in Arcade due to the delayed spawning patterns and Survival also does some very interesting things with its scoring system. Well worth giving it a second chance if you have the means to do so.


Progression update: Crimzon Clover is legit. Still learning the ropes on Novice but I'm having loads of fun. The game just oozes quality.
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Looks neat! Thanks for the links.

I have bought plenty of shmups in the past few weeks though, so I think I'll stick to those for the time being. I prefer to focus on a minimal amount of different games at a time instead of dipping in and out of dozens of different titles and being hit by choice paralysis. My best experiences with video games tend to come with proper commitment and dedication.
User avatar
Stanshall
Member
Posts: 2370
Joined: January 31st, 2016, 6:45 am

Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

I gotta tell you, man. Ghost Blade and CC are very solid Cave rip-offs but once you get to the real deal, it'll be like going from Crash Team Racing to Mario Kart. Just posting this for posterity. I've been going ballistic on Ketsui recently and it's absolutely god tier. Hope yours turns up soon.
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Stanshall wrote: May 27th, 2019, 9:12 pm I've been going ballistic on Ketsui recently and it's absolutely god tier.
Ooh, nice! I seem to recall you not being a massive fan of either Ketsui or Battle Garegga in your gigantic post from a few months ago. I take it you've been steadily climbing the ladder towards the really, really hardcore stuff, then? :P

I just bought it on a whim, really. Thought to myself "Old-school Cave, how bad can it be? Even if I don't like it, I'm sure it'll find a loving home somehow." Good to know it gets your official seal of approval after all.
User avatar
Stanshall
Member
Posts: 2370
Joined: January 31st, 2016, 6:45 am

Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Never really played much Garegga but yeah, Ketsui is fantastic. It's quite different in aesthetics to the rest of the Cave games, very contemporary military, 80s action movie shtick, gun metal vibes. The music is very much in line with that, too. We're talking jungle/techno hybrid, rather than the catchy, burbling, synths of Mushihimesama or whatever. It's all rattling dakka dakka stuff. The game plays like that, too. Like the proximity stuff from Ghost Blade but imagine every enemy is spewing out these gigantic 5 blocks. Crimzon Clover borrowed the lock shot from it. Ketsui X Mode is even better, more chaotic and if you cancel the bullets, they also turn into bonus blocks. It's mayhem. I love it.
User avatar
Stanshall
Member
Posts: 2370
Joined: January 31st, 2016, 6:45 am

Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Yeah, I'd say Crimzon Clover is actually brilliant, bit of a low blow there. It's also dazzling and flashy in a very Cave fashion. Not quite as distinctive but for what it is, it's pretty spectacular. I really enjoyed it when my laptop were fit for purpose.

Ketsui is brutal, I've only got to stage four a few times. I usually cark it on the second stage boss, to be honest. Ketsui X is keeping me coming back when I fancy a change from Futari BL and DOJ, though. A real palate cleanser, like scraping your tongue with a rock.
User avatar
Stanshall
Member
Posts: 2370
Joined: January 31st, 2016, 6:45 am

Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA

You've got to love those tumbling 5s, though.
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Two new additions to my 360 collection in one day! Quick thoughts:

Deathsmiles didn't leave much of an impression at first. Character design is bleh, but environmental / enemy design is pretty good and the whole Castlevania-style setting is an interesting choice. Some bosses have some sweet patterns. I don't understand the controls, especially the "Turbo Shot" function that doesn't appear to be much different from the regular shot in either power nor movement speed? It only seems to modify the shot of the secondary character as far as I can tell. The game also has massive slowdowns despite looking like a late N64 title. I don't think I'll be spending massive amounts of time with this one considering I could be playing DDPR instead on the same console.

Akai Katana is much more my jam right off the bat. First and foremost, even though I might prefer vertical shmups in general, the native widescreen is nothing short of glorious. Presentation is excellent without any of DS's less savory elements. The menus alone are beautiful to look at. Controls are tight and intuitive, although I had to remap the buttons so I could have the fast mobile shot on A and the slower but more powerful version on RT. I don't understand the differences between the various gameplay modes or the intricacies of their scoring systems since the game itself doesn't seem interested in explaining anything. Phantom / Transformation mechanic is super cool. Yin-Yang submarine entrance sprites in Stage 4 are absolutely legendary. Ended up credit-feeding all the way to the end without any shame just to enjoy the spectacle. Really enjoying this one and I think I might even prefer it to DDP, to be honest. Genuinely surprised at how little I've heard about this game in enthusiast circles until now. Probably my favourite horizontal shmup overall (Resogun doesn't really count). For under €15 new and sealed in its original packaging, zero complaints here.
User avatar
Stanshall
Member
Posts: 2370
Joined: January 31st, 2016, 6:45 am

Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Not a massive fan of either, to be honest. I find it harder to process the patterns in horizontal shmups as a general rule and both of these are quite busy graphically. Maybe that's why I clicked with Rolling Gunner, the backgrounds are pretty basic so the bullets are more vivid or easier to read - for me, anyway. I have to say that I don't yet understand AK especially well and I haven't really given it a fair chance. It was one of the games which got particular focus in the Cave shmups issue (along with DDPR and Deathsmiles, funnily enough) and the team were pretty keen. I'd say they're all a couple of tiers below DDP DaiOuJou, Mushihimesama Futari and Ketsui, though, to my tastes.

Genuinely thinking about getting a rotating stand for my telly... Hnnnggghhh.
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Stanshall wrote: May 28th, 2019, 11:15 pm I have to say that I don't yet understand AK especially well and I haven't really given it a fair chance.
If I were to recommend, I'd say Akai Katana is well worth a second look, especially now that you're a Rolling Gunner fanatic. :)
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Wow, thanks a lot for the research and detailed explanations, clippa. Much appreciated.

I gotta be honest, though. Some of this stuff just flies over my head and considering my issues with some of the game's aesthetic choices plus so many other (imo) superior games competing for my time and attention (with more on the way!), I don't feel very motivated to invest any significant amount of time into Deathsmiles at the moment. I think your high score is safe for now.
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Shmups

Post by ratsoalbion »

Just tapping my partner up to get the Darius Switch collection for me birthday.
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

clippa wrote: May 29th, 2019, 11:32 am "Stanshall, I'll leaving you"
"can you spin the telly on your way out?"
Genuine belly laugh. :lol:
User avatar
Suits
Member
Posts: 3174
Joined: October 28th, 2015, 3:25 pm
Location: Chelmsford, UK

Re: Shmups

Post by Suits »

clippa wrote: May 29th, 2019, 11:42 am
I'll leaving you.
Aw, man. Fucked it, gonna commit harakiri in the garden.
Ha, I read about Seppuku the other day.
User avatar
Stanshall
Member
Posts: 2370
Joined: January 31st, 2016, 6:45 am

Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Great DS info, man. I'll keep that in mind and check back if/when I get back to it.

I think the thing for me is that I don't really get either DS or AK in terms of scoring and mechanics, and I find them hard to read compared to vertical bullet hell stuff. It's like I find myself staring at the ship/child rather than the enemies and bullets. I barely look at my ship when playing Dodonpachi or whatever, I just know where the hit box is. That's why I'm shit at them and that's why I don't particularly enjoy them yet.

As for the rotating stand, the One X and PS4 are basically dormant/comatose now. I try every so often but for all the stuff sitting on the hard drives, I can't summon any interest for what I've yet to finish. I play a lot of docked Switch but even that has plenty of stuff I'd love to try in tate. I'd definitely get use out of it because that telly is 100% for gaming. I sit about 1.5m-2m away so it's not necessary at all, but I'd love the full experience just for the sheer spectacle.

As it is, though, it looks like seven hundred quid or something for a stand that will rotate a 55" telly. That obviously isn't happening. I could get a rotating bracket for fifty quid but I don't want to drill into that wall because it's right above a fireplace, wouldn't even fit.

THE DREAM IS DEAD
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Stanshall wrote: May 29th, 2019, 9:17 pm As it is, though, it looks like seven hundred quid or something for a stand that will rotate a 55" telly. That obviously isn't happening. I could get a rotating bracket for fifty quid but I don't want to drill into that wall because it's right above a fireplace, wouldn't even fit.

THE DREAM IS DEAD
You can find business grade PC monitors with built-in rotating pivots, such as this one:

Image

You could always just put it on the table right in front of your arcade stick when playing and store it away afterwards. No drilling necessary.

The 1080p IPS 23-inch version is currently 63% off on your amazon for £120. That's the price of the next two AAA games you weren't gonna play anyway. :)

EDIT: The 1440p TN 27-inch version with "1 ms fast response time" goes for £222.

Meanwhile, the 1440p IPS 27-inch version is a whopping 69% off at £255.


If you're wondering about the differences between IPS and TN screens, IPS has a very wide viewing angle, whereas TN has an incredibly fast refresh rate and responsiveness. This video explains it pretty well:

User avatar
Stanshall
Member
Posts: 2370
Joined: January 31st, 2016, 6:45 am

Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Thanks, man. Good finds. To be honest, I'm really looking for something to make the most of my current panel, though. Not sure that there's an affordable monitor of the size I'm looking for, unfortunately. My current TV is already 27" in terms of vertical measurement so I wouldn't gain much from a monitor at this point.

I do really appreciate the research, though.

I basically need to screw it into the wall if I want an affordable option that uses my current screen, and I can't do that unless I remove the mantelpiece and destroy the brickwork. I think I'll just shuffle a few more inches closer...
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Stanshall wrote: May 29th, 2019, 10:29 pm To be honest, I'm really looking for something to make the most of my current panel, though.
Of course, that makes sense.

All I'm saying is that if I was super into shmups, had the space and could afford it, I would probably make myself a little dedicated shmup nest where I would sit closer to the screen and the size wouldn't matter so much (like in the bedroom or something), put up one of those fancy monitors, jam the JPN 360 and Switch under there and give it a good spin whenever it's time to go TATE.

You can't in good conscience tell me that doesn't sound fun! And it's certainly a better idea than, you know, destroying your house. :P
User avatar
Michiel K
Moderator
Posts: 1295
Joined: October 13th, 2015, 9:37 pm

Re: Shmups

Post by Michiel K »

KSubzero1000 wrote: May 29th, 2019, 6:45 am If I were to recommend, I'd say Akai Katana is well worth a second look, especially now that you're a Rolling Gunner fanatic. :)
I'd second that. Bloody brilliant game and one of my alltime favs in the genre, no matter the scrolling direction.

Here's an old video of me trying to explain Shin/Slash mode (my mode of choice) and failing spectacularly to show off any decent play whatsoever.

Post Reply