I've played once, I can't be arsed with it. I've always been pretty neutral towards it, and I wish I hadn't spent money on it now. I've already got it for the Dreamcast.
I'll be damned if I can get off that level where you're stuck in the middle of two rotating rings. I hate you all.
I had a really good (for me) run through Level 1 on Ikaruga the other day. I'm not at the bottom of my Friends Leaderboards! I had an even better run through, then fucked it at the boss.
Has anyone ever played wings of Wor for the megadrive?
I really love that one
I really love that one
I finished Thunder Force 4 yesterday. I AM KING.
I imported Salamander Portable for the PSP a little while ago and have to say it's not bad at all if you like your classic horizontals.
Finished G-Darius last night (on the "all down" route, yay)! 
Homura should be with me soon, but in the meantime I'm going to work on DDP DOJ and see if I can't make it to the fifth level.
Homura should be with me soon, but in the meantime I'm going to work on DDP DOJ and see if I can't make it to the fifth level.
Bangai-O Spirits gets a 10 from Eurogamer. Can't wait for this to come out over here, since I don't have the means to (blah blah, something about "importing" I think. Ed.)
On the one hand - another 10? On the other, I seem to remember all of their 10s being very good games. So... okay then.
And Bangai-O (on Dreamcast, at least) IS one of the most sheer fun games I've ever played, so woo!
And Bangai-O (on Dreamcast, at least) IS one of the most sheer fun games I've ever played, so woo!
Blimey, this thread died a death, huh?
Anyway, I bought a few more shmups recently - Gradius V and Silpheed for the PS2, and Castle Shikigami 3 for the Wii. I haven't played the first two all that much yet, but Shiki is, well, yet another Shikigami game, basically. I like the series, but all three games are pretty much indistinguishable from each other. Aksys have actually done a pretty sterling job on the translations & voice acting this time around though.
Next up on my shmup purchasing list will be Blast Works (getting excellent reviews) and The Monkey King (getting absolutely no reviews at all).
I'd love to see some of the recently announced/released Japanese shmups making it over to the west (Raiden IV, Raiden Fighters Aces, that Cave compilation, Otomedius Gorgeous, Ketsui DS, etc). Then again, for the sake of my bank balance maybe it's best they stay in Japan.
Anyway, I bought a few more shmups recently - Gradius V and Silpheed for the PS2, and Castle Shikigami 3 for the Wii. I haven't played the first two all that much yet, but Shiki is, well, yet another Shikigami game, basically. I like the series, but all three games are pretty much indistinguishable from each other. Aksys have actually done a pretty sterling job on the translations & voice acting this time around though.
Next up on my shmup purchasing list will be Blast Works (getting excellent reviews) and The Monkey King (getting absolutely no reviews at all).
I'd love to see some of the recently announced/released Japanese shmups making it over to the west (Raiden IV, Raiden Fighters Aces, that Cave compilation, Otomedius Gorgeous, Ketsui DS, etc). Then again, for the sake of my bank balance maybe it's best they stay in Japan.
Thanks to my current obsession with CoD4 I've lost all ability to think on a 2d plane. I had a quick blast on Geometry Wars the other night and was more than 700k off getting anwhere near my high score.
Shame really as the leaderboards on CoD4 reward grinding mainly compared to the skill required for the shooters.
I even tried to get near your Ikaruga score the other day and couldn't make it past the first 2 minutes without fucking my chain up which caused rage and a huffquit.
Shame really as the leaderboards on CoD4 reward grinding mainly compared to the skill required for the shooters.
I even tried to get near your Ikaruga score the other day and couldn't make it past the first 2 minutes without fucking my chain up which caused rage and a huffquit.
didn't know cast shikigami was coming for the wii..
how do you control it? if GC pad works, problably my xarcade as well
how do you control it? if GC pad works, problably my xarcade as well
romanista wrote:
didn't know cast shikigami was coming for the wii..
how do you control it? if GC pad works, problably my xarcade as well
how do you control it? if GC pad works, problably my xarcade as well
Yep, it's compatible with the GC pad, although so far I've just been using the Wiimote turned on its side (which might explain how crappy I'm playing). I dunno if a European company has actually picked up the publishing rights to Shiki 3 yet though...
Is that Project Slypheed any cop? Or Bullet Witch - I can get either for a tenner or so....
Project Sylpheed's good, but it isn't a shmup, mate. Closer to something like Rogue Leader, really...
Edit: er, this Bullet Witch doesn't look like one either.
Hehe, I'm clinging to the small possibility of some of them being region-free. It seems to be entirely up to the developers, and unfortunately most devs have been choosing to 'lock' their games anyway.
Get stuck into Gradius V, mate. It's one of the most accessible shooters ever made, contrary to what a lot of absolute pansy reviewers say, and it's easily the most 'refined' Gradius game from a technical standpoint. (Top tip, folks: the phrase "I've grown up now" in reviews roughly translates as "Jesus! I'm shit at this! Instead of putting in a couple of hours of practice and finding my feet, though, I'll tell as many people as I can not to bother buying it, because I'm a miserable cunt who's misplaced his soul. I'll also suggest that these design philosophies are somehow outdated and beneath us now, in case anybody thinks I'm whinging".)
Also, I hope The Monkey King isn't as bad as this fellow says. The genre could do with some good Wii representation...
Edit: er, this Bullet Witch doesn't look like one either.
Quote:
Then again, for the sake of my bank balance maybe it's best they stay in Japan.
Hehe, I'm clinging to the small possibility of some of them being region-free. It seems to be entirely up to the developers, and unfortunately most devs have been choosing to 'lock' their games anyway.
Get stuck into Gradius V, mate. It's one of the most accessible shooters ever made, contrary to what a lot of absolute pansy reviewers say, and it's easily the most 'refined' Gradius game from a technical standpoint. (Top tip, folks: the phrase "I've grown up now" in reviews roughly translates as "Jesus! I'm shit at this! Instead of putting in a couple of hours of practice and finding my feet, though, I'll tell as many people as I can not to bother buying it, because I'm a miserable cunt who's misplaced his soul. I'll also suggest that these design philosophies are somehow outdated and beneath us now, in case anybody thinks I'm whinging".)
Also, I hope The Monkey King isn't as bad as this fellow says. The genre could do with some good Wii representation...
Klatrymadon wrote:
Quote:
Then again, for the sake of my bank balance maybe it's best they stay in Japan.
Hehe, I'm clinging to the small possibility of some of them being region-free. It seems to be entirely up to the developers, and unfortunately most devs have been choosing to 'lock' their games anyway.
I know that RFA is definitely region locked, but it also apparently keeps locking up on some 360's, so maybe it's for the best that I can't play it. I doubt we'll see the Cave games over here, but I've got my fingers gently crossed for Raiden IV, although if it takes as long as Raiden III did to get to North America I might be drawing my pension by the time it's published.
Quote:
Get stuck into Gradius V, mate. It's one of the most accessible shooters ever made, contrary to what a lot of absolute pansy reviewers say, and it's easily the most 'refined' Gradius game from a technical standpoint. (Top tip, folks: the phrase "I've grown up now" in reviews roughly translates as "Jesus! I'm shit at this! Instead of putting in a couple of hours of practice and finding my feet, though, I'll tell as many people as I can not to bother buying it, because I'm a miserable cunt who's misplaced his soul. I'll also suggest that these design philosophies are somehow outdated and beneath us now, in case anybody thinks I'm whinging".)
Definitely will have to have a good crack at it. I've bought a huge stack of games recently and am only now starting to work my way through them. The main problem being that I seem completely incapable of laying off Mario Kart Wii.
Quote:
Also, I hope The Monkey King isn't as bad as this fellow says. The genre could do with some good Wii representation...
Yeah, from lurking on the Shmups.com forum I've heard nothing but bad things about it, but it's apparently only $20, so I'll definitely have to pick it up at some point. It may have to be an internet purchase though, as Thunder Bay isn't exactly a hub of hardcore gaming shops...
Incidentally, I never really noticed before, but I take it from your sig that you're the chap behind Shoot the Core, yes? Excellent site - been in my bookmarks for quite some time.
No, that's not me, mate! I just link to sites I like in my sig, sometimes. I think 'Postman' is American.
There was a period in which I was practically forcing people to read this one: http://metroid.homestead.com/
There was a period in which I was practically forcing people to read this one: http://metroid.homestead.com/
K, still hoping for the under defeat/nes DC cds 
Oof! Sorry, mate. I've been busy moving out lately, but I'm all settled now, so I'll send those out this week. Could you PM me your address again, please?
Also, I'm pretty sure somebody else wanted a copy of Under Defeat, too. Who was that?
Also, I'm pretty sure somebody else wanted a copy of Under Defeat, too. Who was that?
http://sazanami.net/nikki/200807/080709_002.jpg
Thunder Force VI is coming to PS2! It's being directed by Tez Okada, and although the rest of the team is mostly new, there are apparently some Treasure folks and ex-Technosoft fellas working on it.
This is BIG NEWS.
Thunder Force VI is coming to PS2! It's being directed by Tez Okada, and although the rest of the team is mostly new, there are apparently some Treasure folks and ex-Technosoft fellas working on it.
This is BIG NEWS.
YES.
Oh, that's really, really good news
Oh, that's really, really good news
Yep, it's excellent news. Fingers crossed for a Western release, though.
I don't know that a cowboys n' indians aesthetic would really suit the tight, fast schmup action, imho.
CUS wrote:
I don't know that a cowboys n' indians aesthetic would really suit the tight, fast schmup action, imho.
Y'know, it must be sleep deprivation because it took me fucking ages to get that. I even went back to the magazine scans looking for the western themed level. Doh.
Picked up Bangai-O Spirits last week. Blimey it's good. Once I managed to get over the impenetrable tutorial and the North Face of the Eiger difficulty level I found myself really having a blast. The fact that I can die within the first two seconds of a level and merely smile and restart instead of, say, heaving the DS across the room has got to be the mark of some good game design.
Definitely in my Game of the Year shortlist. Dunno if a UK release is scheduled, but I'd strongly recommend laying down the cash for an import copy if you can. Just prepare yourself for a bit of a, er, challenge.
Definitely in my Game of the Year shortlist. Dunno if a UK release is scheduled, but I'd strongly recommend laying down the cash for an import copy if you can. Just prepare yourself for a bit of a, er, challenge.
Malc74 wrote:
Dunno if a UK release is scheduled, but I'd strongly recommend laying down the cash for an import copy if you can. Just prepare yourself for a bit of a, er, challenge.
It's out now, in fact - saw a copy on sale today. I will get it eventually, but I've only just got around to buying Space Invaders Extreme (after playing an ("import" - Ed) copy for a while first) so it may be a while before I get Bangai-O Spirits. I did play a ("dow... erm, import" - Ed) copy but found it nigh-on impenetrable, so maybe it'll make more sense with English text.
Gradius Rebirth gameplay footage!
First impression is that it looks a bit homebrewy, but I don't want to make too many judgements about it just yet*; it seems to play really well, and that's the main thing. The decision to use a bunch of remixes as the soundtrack is actually a bit of a relief, as it'll retain that all-important focus on romantic, spacey melodies, hehe. So far most of the music seems be from Nemesis 2 and Nemesis 3 on the MSX, but the first stage's theme is "Heavy Blow" from the FC version of Gradius 2. Nice!
*Although when you consider that there are only five levels, it doesn't exactly scream "labour of love", eh?
First impression is that it looks a bit homebrewy, but I don't want to make too many judgements about it just yet*; it seems to play really well, and that's the main thing. The decision to use a bunch of remixes as the soundtrack is actually a bit of a relief, as it'll retain that all-important focus on romantic, spacey melodies, hehe. So far most of the music seems be from Nemesis 2 and Nemesis 3 on the MSX, but the first stage's theme is "Heavy Blow" from the FC version of Gradius 2. Nice!
*Although when you consider that there are only five levels, it doesn't exactly scream "labour of love", eh?
Raiden Fighters Aces!!!! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee *cough, hack, splutter* eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Erm, it's very, very good.
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Erm, it's very, very good.
Where did you get it from? I can't find it on-line - is it a PAL release?
I made my last post in September 2008. Gradius Rebirth was released in Japan and America shortly after. It is still not available here, despite the fact that absolutely no conversion or translation of any part of the game would be necessary.
I'd Homebrew Channel the fuck out of it, but I'm terrified that installing the WAD could 'brick' my Wii.
I'd Homebrew Channel the fuck out of it, but I'm terrified that installing the WAD could 'brick' my Wii.
Klatrymadon wrote:
I made my last post in September 2008. Gradius Rebirth was released in Japan and America shortly after. It is still not available here, despite the fact that absolutely no conversion or translation of any part of the game would be necessary.
I'd Homebrew Channel the fuck out of it, but I'm terrified that installing the WAD could 'brick' my Wii.
I'd Homebrew Channel the fuck out of it, but I'm terrified that installing the WAD could 'brick' my Wii.
there are ways to change the region of the wad's. I don't remember where i saw that, but i'm sure there are
The WAD I have has apparently been made region-free, mate. I'm just not sure how to get it onto my Wii without ruining anything. I was told the usual WAD installers don't work on the latest firmware. Any truth in that?
Klatrymadon wrote:
The WAD I have has apparently been made region-free, mate. I'm just not sure how to get it onto my Wii without ruining anything. I was told the usual WAD installers don't work on the latest firmware. Any truth in that?
i think yes, but there are ways to downgrade to 3.2. Just to be sure, my wii isn't online for a loooong time. Not that i need it anyway.
Trousers wrote:
Where did you get it from? I can't find it on-line - is it a PAL release?
NTSC only chaps (and region locked at that). Valcon (who are publishing it over here) are apparently trying to partner with a European publisher to get it out in PAL territories, but I wouldn't hold your breath to be honest.
Sorry, didn't mean to get you excited but... squeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! It's lovely!!!!!!
Sorry, didn't mean to get you excited but... squeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! It's lovely!!!!!!
pah, i've already downloaded and converted to region free. Have to try it when i get home.
So, i tried Gradius Rebirth. It looks great and also sounds good. This is how remakes should be done. I just don't happen to be a big fan of the game, it's too slow paced and suffers from the capital sin of stripping you of all your upgrades when you lose one life.
Klatrymadon wrote:
The WAD I have has apparently been made region-free, mate. I'm just not sure how to get it onto my Wii without ruining anything. I was told the usual WAD installers don't work on the latest firmware. Any truth in that?
i downgraded yesterday to 3.2 so i could install starfall, and it was a breeze. Now i have all my channels region free. And there's no health warning when i turn on my wii and no background music either.
This rar has everything you need and is very well explained.
http://www.filesavr.com/eocgammapack-anyfirmware
Thanks a lot, RuySan. I can't connect to the internet with the Wii until the weekend, so I might not be able to downgrade just yet, but I'll definitely give it a shot.
I'm not sure having the player lose their power-ups when they die is a 'sin', though! It takes a while to get used to recovering from your deaths, but - coupled with limiting yourself to a single credit - it makes a better player out of you in a shorter amount of time.
I'm not sure having the player lose their power-ups when they die is a 'sin', though! It takes a while to get used to recovering from your deaths, but - coupled with limiting yourself to a single credit - it makes a better player out of you in a shorter amount of time.
Klatrymadon wrote:
Thanks a lot, RuySan. I can't connect to the internet with the Wii until the weekend, so I might not be able to downgrade just yet, but I'll definitely give it a shot.
I'm not sure having the player lose their power-ups when they die is a 'sin', though! It takes a while to get used to recovering from your deaths, but - coupled with limiting yourself to a single credit - it makes a better player out of you in a shorter amount of time.
I'm not sure having the player lose their power-ups when they die is a 'sin', though! It takes a while to get used to recovering from your deaths, but - coupled with limiting yourself to a single credit - it makes a better player out of you in a shorter amount of time.
yesterday i wouldn't get past the 1st level boss because of my puny pew-pew. That's the thing i always hated about shmups. Remember Apydia? Lovely game, but, lose a life and you may as well start all over again. That's probably why i love Cave games so much.
Concerning the wii, do you have already the twilight hack and homebrew channel?
I've got the Homebrew Channel, aye. I installed it with a thing called Bannerbomb rather than the Twilight Hack, though. The latter doesn't work with 4.0.
None of the WAD managers I've tried will install Rebirth, either, so what we speculated earlier seems to be true.
None of the WAD managers I've tried will install Rebirth, either, so what we speculated earlier seems to be true.
http://kotaku.com/5368190/bullet-hell-s ... x-360-game
All Eggbox-owning readers must support this. Even if you think there's no chance you'll ever get into it. Strike a blow for 2D games.
All Eggbox-owning readers must support this. Even if you think there's no chance you'll ever get into it. Strike a blow for 2D games.
Ugh... 'shmups' is such an awful word.
That said, I recently fell in love with DoDonPachi.
That said, I recently fell in love with DoDonPachi.
Atomhex on the Xbox Indie games. All of you fuckers get it now. 80 MS Points for a brilliant "thinking man's" take on geometry wars.
Quote:
Ugh... 'shmups' is such an awful word.
I don't mind it, myself. It's almost as traditional a term as 'shooter', only without the possibility of your being mistaken for an FPS bore.
Edit: Malc! You're playing Raiden IV! Please tell me about it, you lucky sod.
So I take it that absolutely none of you have availed yourselves of the region free-ness of the last 2 Cave releases, Mushihimesama Futari and Espgaluda 2 Black Label?
Here is a piccy of Esp 2 for show-off porpoises.
@Klatrymadon - Sorry dude, I completely missed that post from, er, 6 months ago about Raiden IV. It's lovely stuff, and I need to get back into it now I have my SFIV joystick to play it with.
Here is a piccy of Esp 2 for show-off porpoises.
@Klatrymadon - Sorry dude, I completely missed that post from, er, 6 months ago about Raiden IV. It's lovely stuff, and I need to get back into it now I have my SFIV joystick to play it with.
Opinions please!
How are they? I heard Cave balls up some game they ported to 360, so I'm a little hesistant.
How are they? I heard Cave balls up some game they ported to 360, so I'm a little hesistant.
Malc74 wrote:
Mushihimesama Futari
I thought that said 'Futanari', which made me slightly worried for what the game would be like.
opinions indeed. heard they were coming, but now they are outr? and lovely?, my playasia screen is already opened
that futari, on non tate mode seems to havbe a very small screen
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-br- ... -3cq6.html
that futari, on non tate mode seems to havbe a very small screen
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-br- ... -3cq6.html
