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ESPGaluda II for iPhone 3GS (Ketsui out, Japan only)
dmauro
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Out for iPhone 3GS! (Soon to be compatible with iPhone Touch 3rd gen, or if you're lucky it might work anyways :? )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aGs_FoRViM
Impressions are good so far! Get it while it's only $5!
ESPGaluda II for the 360 is out and the standard edition of the game is region free! (Don't get the limited edition if you don't have a Japanese 360)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzfIMgrzfKo
And here's the original OP for Mushi Futari:
Normally a new Cave port wouldn't attract too much attention on these forums because they are generally region locked to Japan. But, for anyone that missed the announcements, the Mushihimesama Futari port for XBOX 360 will be REGION FREE.
For anyone not at all familiar with Mushihimesama Futari, it is the sequel to Mushihimesama which was ported to the PS2. It is a vertical danmaku shmup, meaning the screen is in a 3:4 orientation and there are lots of bullets on the screen at once. The 360 port features a hi-res version of the game with the original sprites redrawn to take advantage of the 360's capabilities, or you can play with the original sprites (the resolution of the original game is 240x320). There is also an arrange mode, and pre-orders of the game come with a DLC card to let you download the 1.01 version of the game (kind of a mix of the original 1.0 and 1.5 game modes).
Unfortunately this game isn't actually releasing anywhere else, it's only region free, so you'll have to import it from somewhere such as Play-Asia or NCSX.
And now some videos:
If you pre-ordered, your copy is probably shipping now. For everyone else, get on it! I'll post some pics of this running on my cab in hi-res once my copy arrives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aGs_FoRViM
Impressions are good so far! Get it while it's only $5!
ESPGaluda II for the 360 is out and the standard edition of the game is region free! (Don't get the limited edition if you don't have a Japanese 360)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzfIMgrzfKo
And here's the original OP for Mushi Futari:
Normally a new Cave port wouldn't attract too much attention on these forums because they are generally region locked to Japan. But, for anyone that missed the announcements, the Mushihimesama Futari port for XBOX 360 will be REGION FREE.
For anyone not at all familiar with Mushihimesama Futari, it is the sequel to Mushihimesama which was ported to the PS2. It is a vertical danmaku shmup, meaning the screen is in a 3:4 orientation and there are lots of bullets on the screen at once. The 360 port features a hi-res version of the game with the original sprites redrawn to take advantage of the 360's capabilities, or you can play with the original sprites (the resolution of the original game is 240x320). There is also an arrange mode, and pre-orders of the game come with a DLC card to let you download the 1.01 version of the game (kind of a mix of the original 1.0 and 1.5 game modes).
Unfortunately this game isn't actually releasing anywhere else, it's only region free, so you'll have to import it from somewhere such as Play-Asia or NCSX.
And now some videos:
If you pre-ordered, your copy is probably shipping now. For everyone else, get on it! I'll post some pics of this running on my cab in hi-res once my copy arrives.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
dmauro on
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Posts
A shame this will never make it to XBLA, as this would be a prime candidate for snapping up there.
PSN: LucidStar_BC
Check out this review:
Mushihimesama Futari 1.5 is a favorite of many people over at the shmups forums. Additionally, it's looking more and more like this is going to be a really great port (original or hi-res, scanlines, super replay viewing options, tate in both directions, etc etc). If you like bullet hell shmups, you don't really have an excuse not to get this.
Oh, that makes a ton of sense. It looks a lot like DoDon Pachi.
And can I assume you made this comment in the New SMB Wii thread?
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Top 25 Shmups of All Time
The vast majority of those are post-1994. The top 3 are post-2000.
Thanks for contributing though.
I'll save your heads from exploding by not telling you the kinds of prices enthusiasts pay for these PCBs.
To each their own. Personally, I think Geometry Wars 2 is the best shmup in existence at the moment & has far more depth than any vertical bullet hell shmup around, but that's just me.
Oh, I'm sure enthusiasts with a ton of disposable money spend a fortune on these things, but I can't justify spending so much on any one game, not with so many high quality cheaper alternatives.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Maybe it'll get a US release and be priced appropriately, but until then, not worth the price IMO.
But I guess I shouldn't have used the term "shmup" and should have just said "Cave shooter' so that people wouldn't think this is in the same class as 1942 Join Strike.
Futari means 'couple' or 'pair'.
Oh, so she just has balls.
But it's not full price. It's $75. If Uncharted 2 or MW2 were $75, I can assure you, you'd hear plenty of complaints about the price as well.
Not only that, but the shmup genre in the US is traditional sold at a cheaper price than most genres. Looking on Amazon, I found:
Ultimate Shooting Collection - $19.79
Raiden Fighters Aces - $18.56
Gradius Collection - $20.30
Raiden IV Limited Edition - $32.98
Castle of Shikigami 3 - $22.84
and some of these games can be found for even cheaper elsewhere (USC is $15 new and $10 used at Gamestop). Not only that, but on the various download services, you can find high quality shmups for $10 or less like Ikaruga & Geo Wars 2. And it's not like this is a new development either - back in the day, I remember Gradius V & R-Type Final were both selling for $30 or so.
So what makes Mushihimesama Futari 1.5 such a good game that it's worth such an inflated price compared to the competition?
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Its wayyyy too close to a word I was tricked into image searching... something that scarred my soul for life. I break into a cold sweat everytime I scroll past this thread.
Tempting. How does Shikigami 3 compare to #2?
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
2 is better overall, but 3 is really good, and without the terrible voice acting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A-BAsjRlTA
Also, Dramatic Change mode adds a ridiculous amount of replay value.
If you don't mind me shilling my own work, you can read up on the series here:
http://hardcoregaming101.net/shikigami/shikigami.htm
Well, part of that price comes from importing. I don't think its fair to compare like that. Still, even disregarding that, it is certainly true that one can get some great shmups cheaply, but there are also good and cheap action games, or games of any genre really. A good game is a good game no matter the price. I'd rather spend 100$ on an awesome game then 10$ on an average one. If I can get the awesome game for 10$, sure, I'll take it, but if I can't I'll pay a higher price.
edit: linkage
Now if it was a good sidescrolling shmup, I might be crazy enough to consider it. Like I was checking out some gameplay videos of Death Smiles and it looks like the kind of game I might want to import if I had more money & it wasn't region locked.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Imagine if someone told you they weren't going to buy MW2 because they thought the price was silly in light of Marathon being $10 on XBLA. That's what your comparison to Gradius Collection is like. Raiden IV is a good comparison, but also keep in mind that this game is held in much much higher regard. If this game were released here, it probably would get budget priced, but since that's not going to happen, for fans of shooters, it's worth the extra $30.
Yes, it is such a shame that Deathsmiles is region locked because it is my favorite Cave shmup at this point. I actually prefer vertical games with more bullets, but Deathsmiles is just so damn accessible and fun, it would do a great job of introducing people to Cave games. I essentially paid over $200 for the game ($120 for a Japanese XBOX360, $70 for the game, $20 for a controller converter) and it was totally worth it.
Cave are definitely the best shmup creators out there. There's not really any contest in my mind. The only other shooter I enjoy as much as Cave games is Mars Matrix, which wouldn't have ever come about if it weren't for the groundwork laid down by Cave. Their work is simply brilliant. They have a complete grasp of what makes a shmup a joy to play. Some of their games' scoring systems might not be as good as in other Cave games, but they're leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. I've played Dodonpachi, Dodonpachi DOJ, Mushihimesama, ESPGaluda, and Ibara, and they're all great games. I don't particularly care for Ibara because it's so damned weird, but I can recognize that it's a pretty good game regardless. The others are simply amazing. And all those games are older than Mushi Futari, so I have little doubt that the compant has evolved at least a little since then.
I've been hearing from people at shmups forums that Mushi Futari is quite simply the best game Cave ever made. And if there's any truth to that, then this game can't be less than a 10 in my book. I'd consider the first game better than R-Type, Raiden, Gradius, Gate of Thunder, Lords of Thunder, Shikigami 2, Star Soldier, Geo Wars, etc etc. The only shooters that I'd put in the same league as Mushi 1 are Ikaruga, Metal Slug 3, and Mars Matrix. And if this game is better than Mushi 1 and Dodonpachi DOJ, then I'd say it clearly eclipses all those games. The game is also said to have the single best port of any shmup ever, and seeing the options vid I'm led to believe that. Cave absolutely eclipses the stuff you're getting on XBLA, as good as those things may be.
You might think I'm some fanboy, but I'm really not. I hadn't ever played a Cave game until a few months ago. But they're simply fun as hell to play, and have the type of replay value that keeps you playing for hours after you should have stopped. I know they're great because my roommate who has no interest in shmups and hard games in general played DDP DOJ with me for hours, with the result of him failing his history test because he didn't study enough.
As for whether it's worth the price of importing it... I find it hard to believe that none of you have ever had a game that you just keep playing and playing and playing. I know for a fact that I'll be playing this game for a hundred hours or more. I think that's a much better value than buying a $60 game with an 8-10 hour campaign and never touching it again.
A lot of you are probably thinking "Okay I played R-Type and Raiden and X and Y and I beat it and never played it again. You gotta get in the right mindset. Thats liek saying "Well I unlocked all the modes in Geometry Wars 2, put it down, never played it again." With these games you have to challenge yourself. Don't continue after you get a game over. Play for score. It's addicting and fun as hell trying to beat your last score. And then factor in the fact that there's 1.1, 1.5, and Arrange modes, and that's a ton of content for a shmup. Then on top of that you add Novice, Original, Manic, and Ultra mode, and hot damn. Those aren't just difficulties like in normal games. Cave usually adds a good amount of differences between scoring and gameplay between their "difficulty" modes. Not to mention the eventual Black Label DLC, should you want it.
This year had a ton of great games for me. Blazblue, RE5, Demon's Souls, Uncharted 2... I was so pumped for NSMBWii that I couldn't sleep at all the night before. I'm getting Modern Warfare 2 for Christmas. But for me, this is my most anticipated game of the year. It's agony for me knowing that it won't arrive in the mail before I have to go to school for another week.
You might write me off as a huge nerd for this response. Whatever. We're on the Penny Arcade forums, I very probably am. I'm just a guy who wants people to buy this game and have a ton of fun with it, so maybe Cave will continue to not region lock their games, or maybe even localize them. And then maybe if we're really lucky Cave will put Ketsui, Guwange, etc etc on XBLA. Then you guys can get them for $10 if you want. But me, I'm more than willing to pay extra to play a game like this.
I just wish it would arrive sooner.
End fence.
Yup, the different difficulties score entirely differently just like in the original Mushi. It's great because after you beat the game on Original and move up to Maniac, you're getting a very different experience. Or you can simply play for survival and find the difficulty that you find the most fun (that's how I play Mushi).
To get an idea of how intricate the scoring system is, check out this strategy post.
Cave absolutely eclipses the stuff you're getting on XBLA? Two of the games you say are in the same league as your Mushi are on XBLA for $10. Plus, I'd say that Geometry Wars 2 is a far better game than Ikaruga and Metal Slug 3, good though those games are.
In any case, the best shmup in the existence of humanity is currently an exclusive on XBLA. I'm speaking, of course, of Pac-Man: Championship Edition. Although there's no actually shooting involved, once you start to master its nuances, it plays like the finest shmup ever crafted by man.
If you get 100+ hours of top quality entertainment out of Mushi Futari, then, sure $75 is a small price to pay. The problem is that most people would not get that much enjoyment out of it.
Personally, I feel that the shmup genre has grown too niche. Rather than trying to evolve the genre and create a product that many people could enjoy, developers focus on the ultra-hardcore player to the exclusion of all else. It would be nice if more game developers were concerned about more things than just how hard can we make the game and how complicated is our scoring system. Also, it would be nice if there were more shmups that were geared for the home consoles with things like gameplay that fills the entire screen and not just a third of it and more than half a dozen short levels.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Steam/PSN/XBL/Minecraft / LoL / - Benevicious | WoW - Duckwood - Rajhek
And as for difficulty, Futari has a novice mode which I'd imagine most people could easily beat in a few continues if not 1CC.
I'm not saying it's for everyone, but I am saying that if you've ever loved a shmup, you'd probably love this too. People are really caught up on "oh the game isn't very long" and they don't account for the great replayability that these games have. They've really advanced since R-Type etc and gotten a ton more fun, but a lot of people think "I'll blast through it with unlimited continues and never play it again." I think a lot more people would love these games if they understood exactly where the joy in playing them comes from.
Gamers these days are willing to shell out their hard earned money for a derivative 8-hour single player that they wont come back to, but not for an amazing multiplayer or an immensely replayable but short single player.
I think a lot of what gaming was all about has been lost. Nowadays it's more about plowing through the story than challenging yourself to one. more. game.
And I think that's kinda sad. I think people are missing out because these types of games a shot.
As it is, my post on this game is all hypothesis based on what I've heard. But I'm sure I'll be in here in a week posting how much I love it. And playing it well past the time where I stop frequently playing the other great games this year.
not to be contrary, but special world, I should point you to Modern Warfare 2, a game with incredible multiplayer replayability, and short but immensely replayable (co-op) mission, being like, the greatest selling first day ever in the history of digital media or something like that...