So, I ordered this ten days ago from the official website, and I still haven't gotten my copy. Anyone else in the same boat?
I'm not sure who to blame, because another package that was mailed from a friend took over a week to get here too. It could be the post office, but then again, it could be the official store. But it could also be any other number of reasons.
Captain K on
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SteevLWhat can I do for you?Registered Userregular
edited May 2007
Well, I ordered mine on the 9th and haven't received it yet either. I just got an email from them a while ago, and apparently they were surprised with the number of orders they received,
THE RED STAR VIDEOGAME SALES EXCEED EXPECTATIONS!
Dear Red Star supporters,
Thank you for ordering your copy of The Red Star directly from The Red Store!
As you may have read in gaming forums across the net, the reaction to this release has been exceptional,
and supplies have been short nationwide.
Volume of orders has exceeded everyone's expectations and we apologize for the temporary delay in delivery.
EXCLUSIVE GIFT WITH YOUR ORDER
In appreciation of your continued patience, we'll be sending you a free exclusive gift with your order only available from The Red Store.
CREDIT CARD CUSTOMERS:
We will not charge your account until we ship your order.
STAY TUNED
We are in contact with our distributors and will keep you informed with updates at www.theredstar.com
THANK YOU!
While this is beyond our control, we again apologize for the delay and
look forward to sending you your exclusive free gift and signed copy of The Red Star videogame.
Whee, free gift. I can wait, I have plenty of other games to play right now.
Well, I ordered mine on the 9th and haven't received it yet either. I just got an email from them a while ago, and apparently they were surprised with the number of orders they received,
THE RED STAR VIDEOGAME SALES EXCEED EXPECTATIONS!
Dear Red Star supporters,
Thank you for ordering your copy of The Red Star directly from The Red Store!
As you may have read in gaming forums across the net, the reaction to this release has been exceptional,
and supplies have been short nationwide.
Volume of orders has exceeded everyone's expectations and we apologize for the temporary delay in delivery.
EXCLUSIVE GIFT WITH YOUR ORDER
In appreciation of your continued patience, we'll be sending you a free exclusive gift with your order only available from The Red Store.
CREDIT CARD CUSTOMERS:
We will not charge your account until we ship your order.
STAY TUNED
We are in contact with our distributors and will keep you informed with updates at www.theredstar.com
THANK YOU!
While this is beyond our control, we again apologize for the delay and
look forward to sending you your exclusive free gift and signed copy of The Red Star videogame.
Whee, free gift. I can wait, I have plenty of other games to play right now.
I just got this email today, too. Looking forward to seeing what the gift is.
Also, nice to see that it's selling well enough that they're continuing to print.
Yay, got mine today! Some first impressions (I'm on Chapter 05, playing as the sickle-wielding speedylady):
Fun. It's been pretty easy going so far, and I seem to be getting consistent A and B rankings. I'm not "leet" by any standards, but I haven't had a hard time at all. The bullet pattern segments are particularly facile. I assume I'm playing through on an easy rating, though I don't remember coming across that option when I started the game. I'm really enjoying the brawler/shmup combo; I haven't really played a game quite like this before. The camera is pretty dynamic in a pre-scripted way: sometimes it's a side-scroller, sometimes isometric at an angle, and sometimes overhead. All-in-all, it adds up to a nice variety in experience.
Controls work well. There's a melee attack with a few combo moves and a projectile weapon that can be either auto-aimed, fired in a strafing mode, or fired by pivoting from a center point. Other moves include a shield which blocks against melee attacks, an evasive backflip (I never use it), and a power-up area attack that's charged by incurring melee damage. I'm assuming new moves will become available as the game progresses. I find myself really yearning for some kind of dodge/jump button. It just seems like the kind of game that should allow for more flipping around. The aforementioned backflip is kind of awkward, IMO, and though the dash attack can be used evasively it's not terribly reliable.
I have absolutely no idea what's going on plot-wise. There seem to be some future Russians or something, but I'm not sure if I'm playing as one of them or against them. I do know the bad guys are part of some kind of armed force, and I am tasked with beating them up and shooting them up, depending on whether they have shields or not. This is okay with me.
Obligatory grafix paragraph:
It's not the cutest girl at the sock hop, but The Red Star is passable. Nothing really strikes me as glaringly ugly, and it offers 480p and widescreen. Nothing much else to say here. Shrug.
So I'm having fun. It's certainly worth the $20 I paid. I'm hoping the bullet patterns get a little more challenging, because that's really why I came to the party. I'm going to go play some more.
Oh God, trust me, they get harder. I probably didn't die until the mid-teens, but after that I found myself struggling a bit. Everything is still manageable, and some of the weaves are easy, but there's one 3-part boss (as in 3 bullet spreads at the same time) that's annoying.
There actually is no 'real' difficulty setting. There is, however, a 'kind of' one. Unlock the Arenas, then beat them (I forget if you need all S rankings or if I was just being a perfectionist). It will eventually unlock an option to play in EX mode. The game isn't any harder, but everything is faster.
My only negative on the game is that there isn't any unlockable content such as backstory or cover art or something.
I have absolutely no idea what's going on plot-wise. There seem to be some future Russians or something, but I'm not sure if I'm playing as one of them or against them. I do know the bad guys are part of some kind of armed force, and I am tasked with beating them up and shooting them up, depending on whether they have shields or not. This is okay with me.
It's a parallel world kind of deal, with Russian-analogues in a war against Al'Istaan (Afghanistan analogue). Kyuzo and Maya deserted from the "Russian" side, and Makita is a Nokgorkan rebel, her country at war with the State -- kind of like Russia and Chechnya.
So, I ordered this ten days ago from the official website, and I still haven't gotten my copy. Anyone else in the same boat?
I'm not sure who to blame, because another package that was mailed from a friend took over a week to get here too. It could be the post office, but then again, it could be the official store. But it could also be any other number of reasons.
Well, if its a signed copy maybe his pen ran out of ink and he's trying to find a new one.
P.S. Yes this is a completely pointless post that does not contribute to the thread what so ever
LittleBoots on
Tofu wrote: Here be Littleboots, destroyer of threads and master of drunkposting.
I'm up to mission 11, and I'm actually surprised that I've died a few times, due to sucking. How hard does it get, there's only 18 missions right? I'm expecting to need to try the last few multiple times
Argh, I'm still stuck on mission 11. The boss fights in it just own me, with the teleporting box thing who just spits out tons of bullets, I get hit about 60% of the time. Any advice?
Argh, I'm still stuck on mission 11. The boss fights in it just own me, with the teleporting box thing who just spits out tons of bullets, I get hit about 60% of the time. Any advice?
During the battle, continue to move around. It will appear randomly and you don't want to get caught too close to it. When it begins to reappear, turn toward it, lock on, and press and hold the fire button. If you're far enough away, you should be able to find the 'gap' in the bullet pattern. Otherwise, use the shield to block. If you're Makita, do a backflip when the bullets get near.
This battle will take time to do and is extremely difficult to not take any damage. Move around, lock target, fire, and dodge. I find that it's easier for me to not look at it once I know where it will appear. That allows me to concentrate on the bullet pattern and dodge.
So, I ordered this ten days ago from the official website, and I still haven't gotten my copy. Anyone else in the same boat?
I'm not sure who to blame, because another package that was mailed from a friend took over a week to get here too. It could be the post office, but then again, it could be the official store. But it could also be any other number of reasons.
I ordered mine around Tuesday or so, so I'm hoping for arrival early this week.
I splurged to be honest, got the game, the hard cover of volume one and the 2006 comic that has background on the mythos.
The style is too striking for me to avoid, after I read it if the storytelling is on par with the look I'll be getting the hardcover volume two and the Makita annual ASAP.
Neo Rasa on
"You know how Batman hangs people over the edge of buildings and gets them to spill information. That's Neo Rasa's way of it, but instead of information, he just likes to see people suffer." ~Senor Fish
I'm stuck on chapter 16. I get killed by all the bullet spam every time. Do any of you gents have any tips?
How the hell did you get past the Boss in 15 (I think that's where I'm stuck)? The one which has the moving shield-if you shoot the shield even more bullets show up.
How the hell did you get past the Boss in 15 (I think that's where I'm stuck)? The one which has the moving shield-if you shoot the shield even more bullets show up.
Lock onto the center target and move left and right opposite of the moving shield.
I'm stuck on chapter 16. I get killed by all the bullet spam every time. Do any of you gents have any tips?
How the hell did you get past the Boss in 15 (I think that's where I'm stuck)? The one which has the moving shield-if you shoot the shield even more bullets show up.
That was actually where I was stuck. I beat it using a combination of skill and luck (mostly luck). Also, Makita's backflip is grossly overrated because 9 times out of 10 I would just backflip into another bullet.
So, I got the free gift in the mail today. It's a, umm, this:
I really don't know enough about comic books to know what this is. It is signed, however, so I assume that's good.
No game yet, though.
Thats a standalone issue of the Red Star, that basically deals with Makita's backstory. Its been a while since I read that issue, or much of the other Red Star books, so I can't tell you much more than that.
When they first brought up the game at ComicCon a few years ago, they were giving away autographed copies of that issue IF you could beat the demo without dying, and you only got one attempt. I guess not many people were able to do it on thier first run at the con. A friend and I played that in co-op and just barely won us a couple of autographed copies of that issue. It was a helluva rush playing Red Star in co-op at the con shouting commands and warnings at eachother amist the background noise. Goss even wrote in a little speach bubble from Makita on the cover of our copies saying "September!" since the full game was originally to be released in Sept of that year. Quite a few people were pissed when it didnt get released.
Haven't played Odin Sphere, but I can definitely say Red Star is as worthwhile a purchase for $20 as you're going to find. FYI, I ordered mine off the website and had it in about a week, signed copy and all, so whatever supply problems they had seem to have been worked out. Oddly enough, they claimed the shipping would be $8.90, but mine was only $5.95... not a huge deal, but enough to make me glad I didn't drive around to four different places looking for it.
Also, as someone who's read the comic, while I'm glad to see the USA Today coverage of the game, it was rather amusing that the article didn't even mention that the game was based on a seperate body of work. To be fair, I guess it draws a few visual motifs at most from the comic... though in honesty, a Red Star game that was true to the source material wouldn't be nearly as much fun as the game I'm playing now.
I finally beat this last night. My only beef with it is how you can really screw yourself over with upgrades, if you pick stupidly.
I was very pleased to beat level 18 with 4 life left. I overheated my guns when the boss was at 1% life and spend 10 seconds just trying to hold on for one more shot, barely made it Sadly Troika wasn't really that hard.
I'm really enjoying the unlockable chick, I'm going to mess around with her some and try to S-rank a bunch of stuff early so the game's easier.
The unlockable character is almost broken... using the icicle attack on melee-only enemies is so cheap that you can't help but abuse it the entire way through the game. :P
I still think Makita's the best character, though--her backflip will save your ass on a regular basis, and she strafes so fast while firing that it's hard to play with anyone else.
EDIT: As far as upgrades go, I think the most important thing is upgrading your default gun, which is always the most efficient against bosses, to level 3 as fast as you can. Armor and "lower heat consumption" are the next most valuable.
I never really used the backflip all that much. I did find her to be much better than the big guy though, just because it seemed easier to dodge around. The sorceress is really unique though, I'm liking that style a lot, especially her knockback attack.
Maybe I'm a bigger fan of the backflip after playing the Arenas mode a lot. Sometimes it's the only way to escape from the swarms of cannon fodder dudes they pair with SMG troops and tougher melee enemies.
I recommend not getting Makita's 3rd gun upgrades. It fires in a 3-way pattern, which sounds cool. But is significantly weaker than maxing out the 1st and 2nd. And since there is no way to go back you'd have to start all over to do it 'right'.
Also, make sure to complete all of the arenas. That's where you unlock the 'cheats' and the EX difficulty.
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I'm not sure who to blame, because another package that was mailed from a friend took over a week to get here too. It could be the post office, but then again, it could be the official store. But it could also be any other number of reasons.
Whee, free gift. I can wait, I have plenty of other games to play right now.
I just got this email today, too. Looking forward to seeing what the gift is.
Also, nice to see that it's selling well enough that they're continuing to print.
Fun. It's been pretty easy going so far, and I seem to be getting consistent A and B rankings. I'm not "leet" by any standards, but I haven't had a hard time at all. The bullet pattern segments are particularly facile. I assume I'm playing through on an easy rating, though I don't remember coming across that option when I started the game. I'm really enjoying the brawler/shmup combo; I haven't really played a game quite like this before. The camera is pretty dynamic in a pre-scripted way: sometimes it's a side-scroller, sometimes isometric at an angle, and sometimes overhead. All-in-all, it adds up to a nice variety in experience.
Controls work well. There's a melee attack with a few combo moves and a projectile weapon that can be either auto-aimed, fired in a strafing mode, or fired by pivoting from a center point. Other moves include a shield which blocks against melee attacks, an evasive backflip (I never use it), and a power-up area attack that's charged by incurring melee damage. I'm assuming new moves will become available as the game progresses. I find myself really yearning for some kind of dodge/jump button. It just seems like the kind of game that should allow for more flipping around. The aforementioned backflip is kind of awkward, IMO, and though the dash attack can be used evasively it's not terribly reliable.
I have absolutely no idea what's going on plot-wise. There seem to be some future Russians or something, but I'm not sure if I'm playing as one of them or against them. I do know the bad guys are part of some kind of armed force, and I am tasked with beating them up and shooting them up, depending on whether they have shields or not. This is okay with me.
Obligatory grafix paragraph:
It's not the cutest girl at the sock hop, but The Red Star is passable. Nothing really strikes me as glaringly ugly, and it offers 480p and widescreen. Nothing much else to say here. Shrug.
So I'm having fun. It's certainly worth the $20 I paid. I'm hoping the bullet patterns get a little more challenging, because that's really why I came to the party. I'm going to go play some more.
My only negative on the game is that there isn't any unlockable content such as backstory or cover art or something.
It's a parallel world kind of deal, with Russian-analogues in a war against Al'Istaan (Afghanistan analogue). Kyuzo and Maya deserted from the "Russian" side, and Makita is a Nokgorkan rebel, her country at war with the State -- kind of like Russia and Chechnya.
Lotsa story spoilers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Star
Well, if its a signed copy maybe his pen ran out of ink and he's trying to find a new one.
P.S. Yes this is a completely pointless post that does not contribute to the thread what so ever
Tofu wrote: Here be Littleboots, destroyer of threads and master of drunkposting.
This battle will take time to do and is extremely difficult to not take any damage. Move around, lock target, fire, and dodge. I find that it's easier for me to not look at it once I know where it will appear. That allows me to concentrate on the bullet pattern and dodge.
I ordered mine around Tuesday or so, so I'm hoping for arrival early this week.
I splurged to be honest, got the game, the hard cover of volume one and the 2006 comic that has background on the mythos.
The style is too striking for me to avoid, after I read it if the storytelling is on par with the look I'll be getting the hardcover volume two and the Makita annual ASAP.
I really don't know enough about comic books to know what this is. It is signed, however, so I assume that's good.
No game yet, though.
How the hell did you get past the Boss in 15 (I think that's where I'm stuck)? The one which has the moving shield-if you shoot the shield even more bullets show up.
However, it is not awesome that I don't have my copy of it yet.
Lock onto the center target and move left and right opposite of the moving shield.
Thats a standalone issue of the Red Star, that basically deals with Makita's backstory. Its been a while since I read that issue, or much of the other Red Star books, so I can't tell you much more than that.
When they first brought up the game at ComicCon a few years ago, they were giving away autographed copies of that issue IF you could beat the demo without dying, and you only got one attempt. I guess not many people were able to do it on thier first run at the con. A friend and I played that in co-op and just barely won us a couple of autographed copies of that issue. It was a helluva rush playing Red Star in co-op at the con shouting commands and warnings at eachother amist the background noise. Goss even wrote in a little speach bubble from Makita on the cover of our copies saying "September!" since the full game was originally to be released in Sept of that year. Quite a few people were pissed when it didnt get released.
Also, $20? Yes please. And to think, they said I was mad for getting a PS2 5 years after release!
It's fucking great. Anyone who's been on the fence about it should definitely invest the $20.
Am I basically just bumping this thread to tell you to buy the game? ...maybe.
I only have a certain amount of monies dammit
JUDGE FOR ME, TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS
JUDGE FOR ME, FORUM
JUDGE
The game is PS2 only, right?
Around 2.5x more, actually.
It also costs 2.5x more. Coincidence?
Seriously, Odin Sphere is a better game all around, but Red Star is $20. Just swing the extra $20 and get both.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Also, as someone who's read the comic, while I'm glad to see the USA Today coverage of the game, it was rather amusing that the article didn't even mention that the game was based on a seperate body of work. To be fair, I guess it draws a few visual motifs at most from the comic... though in honesty, a Red Star game that was true to the source material wouldn't be nearly as much fun as the game I'm playing now.
After you make it through the first few stages and really understand what everyone means by "beat em up plus shoot em up", you'll be hooked.
I was very pleased to beat level 18 with 4 life left. I overheated my guns when the boss was at 1% life and spend 10 seconds just trying to hold on for one more shot, barely made it
I'm really enjoying the unlockable chick, I'm going to mess around with her some and try to S-rank a bunch of stuff early so the game's easier.
I still think Makita's the best character, though--her backflip will save your ass on a regular basis, and she strafes so fast while firing that it's hard to play with anyone else.
EDIT: As far as upgrades go, I think the most important thing is upgrading your default gun, which is always the most efficient against bosses, to level 3 as fast as you can. Armor and "lower heat consumption" are the next most valuable.
Also, make sure to complete all of the arenas. That's where you unlock the 'cheats' and the EX difficulty.