Shmups

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hazeredmist
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Re: Shmups

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clippa wrote: June 12th, 2019, 6:37 pm
hazeredmist wrote: June 12th, 2019, 8:30 amI have a query for shmup boffins... Can anyone identify the music in this podcast at 57:15 https://soundcloud.com/user-306325657/e ... mupception
You've spelt buffoons wrong there.
I've no idea, I'm gonna say "one of the donpachis" and not just because there are like 50 of them, it sounds a bit royal jelly, regal and buzzy. Should I message the host on reddit and ask? He's very friendly, I've talked to him before.
hazeredmist wrote: June 12th, 2019, 5:38 pm Ouch Ksub! You're right, that's just the kind of hassle I can't be arsed with when gaming... and I'm a techie! Last thing I want to be doing is fucking around with my PC when I've got rare leisure time.
That raspberry pi you've been playing mame on is a pc. I'd just sling it in the bin if I were you, not worth the hassle Image
Yes please ask him if you’re acquainted- I’d really like to know ta!

RE the Pi - true, but I have it set up as it it were a console! Turn the bastard on, pick a game, play it. Turn the bastard off. No task manager, no command line, no drivers, nowt. It’s all there but it’s hidden. The blue pill man. Remember? :D
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

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clippa wrote: June 12th, 2019, 8:02 pm Do the triggers work in other games?
Nope. And yet the controller works perfectly well on my 360. Like I said, I don't think it's the fault of the game. It's Windows screwing up.
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

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Chopper wrote: June 12th, 2019, 8:02 pm I have this new game I'm very enthusiastic about and I you should definitely try out:
Spoiler: show
Image
This sounds amazing. Can't wait to be in the nursing home with my VR on and playing Sailaway 2069 (yeah, I'm optimistic...) and having a nice cocktail before I go back to playing Futari.
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hazeredmist
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Re: Shmups

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Shit yeah Stanshall hope your Xbox is fighting fit again!
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

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Yeah, what's the latest on the Xbox situation?

And if it seems like the unit is completely busted and all hope is lost, don't rush to buy a new one just yet. There might be something we can do.
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Re: Shmups

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clippa wrote: June 12th, 2019, 8:41 pm Doesn't sound like it's worth the hassle to me Image
:lol:
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Re: Shmups

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More classics tonight. Blazing Star is great! Some slowdown on the busier sections but inventive bosses, particularly the final boss.
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Re: Shmups

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Got the answer:



Sweet 8-) What an excellent soundtrack. If I ever get on Sound of Play I'll peddle this!
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Re: Shmups

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Someone replied on Rllmuk, I asked there as there's a shmups thread there too. I figured casting a wide net may get me what I wanted. Gonna check the whole soundtrack out!
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

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Image

A new day, a new leaf.


1.
Yesterday, my parcel from PlayAsia finally arrived safe and sound except for one busted game case. In it were BATTLE GAREGGA Rev.2016 & Ketsui Deathtiny: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi, both for PS4.

The only issue is that on top of the three weeks delay, somebody decided to hold my property hostage until I fork out the spicy sum of 31,34€ in import fees. This is legalized robbery. Might as well skip the preliminaries and send some goon over to knock on my door and bark something about "protection money". Or a picture of the parcel being held at gunpoint by some fat bloke in a balaclava wielding a hunting rifle and a note saying "Pay up, or Fritz gives it both barrels". SCAM. At least now I know who's footing the bill for Steinmeier's next summer holiday. Bundesrepublik of the extortionists. :x


2.
Today, I became the proud owner of both Espgaluda II Black Label & DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou for Xbox 360. Don't ask.

The only issue with those is that they were in rancid condition on arrival. Some thick sediment of the most repulsive sort of grime, reeking of Death and molten plastic fumes, was bringing abject dishonor to the glorious oeuvre of the CAVEGODDDS. Accumulated over a decade of neglect and a life of sin, no doubt. Humans are repugnant creatures. I had to chuck one of the rotten cases in the bin and spend half an hour cleaning the other one until it was barely acceptable. I even felt that it was necessary to pull out the instruction manuals and covers and give them a proper swipe as well. Not so strongly as to rub the ink off of the paper, but firmly enough to hopefully make a difference. Fun! Serves me right for buying from a french individual, I suppose. *cough* Like my homie Fyodor said: "The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by examining its video game collections." Or something to that effect. At least the discs are sort of in one piece.


3.
Then to top it all off, I snatched the japanese indie freeware Blue Wish Resurrection Plus because I wanted to exact revenge upon the universe for refusing to let me play a nice low-budget PC shmup with "Blue" in the title yesterday.


Anyway. The games. Sweet baby marcassin, the games.


I didn't spend a lot of time with Battle Garegga, because I found it to be really obtuse at first. But I fully intend to investigate the matter further due to the praise it continuously receives.

Ketsui completely floored me, to be honest. It has all the super-tight Cave gameplay but with its own militaristic gunmetal (and, um... demure!) aesthetics. Played through it in one session. Love it, love it, love it. Proximity kills are dope. Soundtrack is gloriously barbaric. Pure, unapologetic, focused, early-mid 2000's distilled hardcore japanese game design. Right in my veins, please.

(On a side note, those two M2 ShotTriggers re-releases are obviously of very high quality, but the sheer number of different options makes them a bit hard to navigate for someone who doesn't speak neither Korean nor Japanese. It's a shame that they didn't include any basic english translations for the menus at least. Most of the world knows how to operate english software even in the absence of their native language support and considering the effort that has gone into the rest of these versions, it would have been nice of M2 to go the extra mile on that front. I also don't really understand why they're using inverted confirm / cancel buttons considering none of the Xbox 360 JP-only Cave games do.)

Espgaluda 2 really took me by surprise. How come it almost never gets mentioned in the same breath as the DDP games? This game is amazing! :o I really dig the medieval fantasy world aesthetics they went for. The Kakusei and Guard Barrier mechanics are also really interesting, not to mention very intuitive since I already had a grasp of their basics after barely one minute of playtime. Slowing the bullets down or accelerating them with Kakusei and its associated color-coding is super interesting. Guard Barrier being a invulnerability / bomb replacement of sorts with its own unique properties is also really cool. Add to that the two different gauges to keep track of during gameplay, and you have one really sweet metagame. More!

Now I'm far from a graphic fetishist, but man, seeing DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou in its native HD after playing so many arcade hardware-based games in a row is quite the experience. It's so crisp! So fluid! So readable! And those diabolical patterns, as precise as they are deceitful! And this soundtrack! It's probably my favourite shmup soundtrack together with Ikaruga. Just the pitch perfect dose of punchy, motivating, vigorous, persuasive electronic sounds. Don't tell me this does not make you want to dodge bullets right this second:



Blue Wish Resurrection Plus is actually more than decent considering it's free, but apparently I'm a capitalistic swine and the combination of free and digital makes me think less of it, even though it shouldn't. Especially when I have a pile of GOD TIER heavyweights to compare it to, begging for my time and attention. Sorry, Karl M.. No, the other one. :oops:


Couple more things worth mentioning: I've gotten into the habit of placing my weak mobile Auto shot on A / Cross, my slow powerful Focus shot on the right shoulder button and my bomb / panic function on the left shoulder button, because I find it more intuitive to operate on a controller (every finger deals with a specific functionality as opposed to fumbling around with multiple face buttons in the heat of battle when split-second decisions are necessary). I really appreciate the fact that, despite it never being the default control scheme, every single Cave game (and almost all shmups) that I have played has graciously allowed me to remap all the buttons at my discretion. Not to mention the built-in replay save function. In comparison, 99% of modern western developers still can't be asked to implement this sort of stuff.

It's really enjoyable to be able to dive into an entire gaming genre that I've ignored and/or felt intimidated by for so long and to have all these classics at my fingertips. Even though I always try my best to keep an open mind in general, I'm also becoming increasingly conscious of my relatively strict preferences in terms of genres and design philosophies, especially considering the current state of the industry. The fact that I can now count bullet hell shmups among all my other evergreen favorites is really nice. I wish I had known about them sooner! And honestly, I don't know which one of my Cave games (between Ketsui, Futari, Espgaluda 2, DDPR, DDPSDOJ & Akai Katana) is my favourite at this point. They're all so amazing, so similar in some ways but also completely different in others. All I know is that Deathsmiles and Guwange are dead last, that's for certain. :P

And it's an absolute shame DaiOuJou is region-locked on 360, I would have imported that without hesitation since PlayAsia is currently listing it NEW for a reasonable-ish price, all factors considered. :cry: Region-locking is anti-consumer garbage and seeing it slowly but surely disappear on home consoles is the best thing to have happened to gaming in recent times.

Anyway, sign me up for the prayer circle so that Cave can maybe find it in their heart (and their wallet) to develop a new DoDonPachi sequel for current platforms. Yeah, no turning back now. I'm all in. C A V E B O Y S 4 L Y F


Now then, what to play... :?:
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

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Virtually no time for anything at the mo but I had time to read that post and I clenched my fist in solidarity. Really excited for you and great to hear you're as crazy as I've become about these games. I'm conscious of not being a total C A V E B O Y but I actually am, no games ever gave me quite the same feelings as these do.
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Re: Shmups

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Stanshall wrote: June 13th, 2019, 9:18 pm Virtually no time for anything at the mo but I had time to read that post and I clenched my fist in solidarity.
Thanks! Go take care of business, mate. We'll be here when you get back and we'll geek out like a couple of dorks to our hearts' content. Here's a dog hugging an owl for good measure:

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Re: Shmups

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clippa wrote: June 13th, 2019, 11:17 pm
KSubzero1000 wrote: June 13th, 2019, 9:13 pmNow then, what to play... :?:
Spoiler: show
Blue Revolver!
You know, I think you referred to yourself as a Donkey the other day. Closest illustration I could find was this one:

Image

Keep talking trash, Dapple. :P

clippa wrote: June 13th, 2019, 11:17 pm So have you all stopped playing futari then? I can't bloody keep up with you lot.
Not at all, in fact that's probably the one game I've put the most time into over the past couple of weeks. I haven't been able to get anywhere near your score, though. Stage 3 is still the showstopper for me. To be continued!
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Re: Shmups

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So much passion here for this genre I fucking love it. I’m full of beer and have played through another classic in MAME, Guwange. It threw me a bit initially as the gunfire moves left and right on its own axis a bit (not sure how to explain it but you will know what I mean no doubt) when you move and hold it, but turbo on the stick makes life easier and it quickly makes sense. It’s so inventive, totally different style with a person actually running around on the floor and navigating round obstacles instead of flying. My Rom was fully Japanese (including the scoreboard) but I did see Cave at the end. I guess I’m a cave boy too?

It’s so clear why this genre picks from these classic games and doesn’t seem to really move on from them. I love being part of this, it’s taken over everything.

Going away for a bit tomorrow so will only have my switch, not sure how I will do without the stick and all these games. Still, a game on my watchlist was on sale so I’ve picked that up - Shikhondo Soul Eater. Looks fun.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

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hazeredmist wrote: June 14th, 2019, 12:07 am It’s so clear why this genre picks from these classic games and doesn’t seem to really move on from them. I love being part of this, it’s taken over everything.
If you ask me, one of the greatest misconceptions in gaming is that one can (or should) "move on" from quality design. Anyway, I love that you're part of this, too! Always nice to read about your arcade stick / MAME adventures and if anything, it's making me feel like slightly less of a weirdo for deciding to hitch my wagon to this incredibly specific little gaming niche, and at the eleventh hour no less.

hazeredmist wrote: June 14th, 2019, 12:07 am Still, a game on my watchlist was on sale so I’ve picked that up - Shikhondo Soul Eater. Looks fun.
It is fun. Word of advice if you're playing in public, though: Some of the bosses are slightly-NSFW.
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Re: Shmups

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KSub, can I suggest that you try DDP DOJ via emulation at some point? It's pretty easy to emulate very well and it's an absolute colossus of the genre. It's a shame that the 360 port is Japan-only, but it's one of the main reasons I modded my console. I'd rather miss out on Xbox Live features than DOJ Extra.

Anyway, that's for down the line. You've got more than enough to be getting on with for now.

On a separate note, I can't help but feel some perverse glee for some reason that a few weeks back you found Shikhondo an aesthetic concern - and now you're going full shmup with SDOJ! Some of the designs there are diabolical. Nevertheless, I can really recommend the 360 Arrange Mode, really interesting mechanics, totally different ship and two separate lasers. You also have a near constant stream of jabbering moe commentary. It's intense.

And on a personal note, can I just say that this thread is one of the best I've ever been involved in from nearly twenty years of forum antics.
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Re: Shmups

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Stanshall wrote: June 14th, 2019, 10:04 am On a separate note, I can't help but feel some perverse glee for some reason that a few weeks back you found Shikhondo an aesthetic concern - and now you're going full shmup with SDOJ! Some of the designs there are diabolical.
Honestly mate, I find Shikhondo much more problematic than SDOJ.

I haven't played through SDOJ, but I've started every mode and gotten a good look at the various menus, and I didn't see anything repulsive. I think there are a few sketchy wallpapers, but there are also more than enough neutral ones, which is what I've bought. Most characters appear to have at least one fairly normal costume, and even then, they only seem to be visible at the ship selection screen. The Xbox mode simply has a couple of anime talking heads on each side of the playing screen. None of this is a deal-breaker to me.

Shikhondo on the other hand makes sure to interrupt the gameplay by focusing on a pair of plumpy
Spoiler: show
Image
during its mid-boss fight animation.



Perhaps there's been a slight misunderstanding from the very beginning. I don't mind anime art styles, even involving pre-pubescent characters. Golden Sun or classic FE have plenty of those, but they're always done tastefully and without an ounce of sordid sexualization. I also don't necessarily mind sexual content involving adult characters in a more realistic art style, either when it serves the story (like in The Witcher 3), or if it's clearly tongue-in-cheek and the characters seems to be having the time of their lives (like in Bayonetta). It's the putrid combination of the two that can go straight in the bin.

KSub, can I suggest that you try DDP DOJ via emulation at some point?
I'll consider it if there's absolutely no way whatsoever of playing it properly. Right now, I'm still holding out hope for some M2 re-release later down the line.
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Re: Shmups

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Fair enough, a sincere reply to a slightly cheeky comment but I see where you're coming from now. To be honest, I'd never thought the designs in Shikhondo were dodgy in that moe way but that's what I find uncomfortable about SDOJ and Deathsmiles. The pyjamas and stuff. Brrrrr. I'm no prude but I wish I could reskin those two games. I can deal with incongruous demonic 'knockers' without any issue, so it just depends on one's particular boundaries.

If M2 come out and port DOJ, I will buy a very big cake and a party hat.
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Re: Shmups

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Thanks for the note on Shikhondo - I’ll make sure my toddler isn’t around when I get to the bosses :D

I fully agree, this thread is lovely.

Just a few of us cracking on, learning about and adoring a genre, telling each other our little tales, chronicling the journey. No BS, no aggro. You’re clearly all such good people. Long may it continue!

I already miss my Venom :cry: I did bring my Switch & PSP though. So the shmups will continue in handheld fashion when I get spare time.
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Re: Shmups

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