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Bit.Trip Saga (3DS) and Complete (Wii) |OT| of T minus 1-Day and Zero Hype

OnPoint said:
Given the slowdown issue I can't believe people are even biting on SAGA when faced with a choice between it and COMPLETE.

As others said, for some people COMPLETE is not an option.

I even have a Wii but I don't play on consoles anymore (haven't played on it since Mario Galaxy 1)... So it's handheld or bust. Hence SAGA.
 
OnPoint said:
Given the slowdown issue I can't believe people are even biting on SAGA when faced with a choice between it and COMPLETE.
I have a US 3DS but not a US Wii (True I could play it on my PAL Wii due to Homebrew, but I'm not a huge fan of that).

I'll admit I was thinking of cancelling my order for Bit Trip Saga when I saw what people where saying about the game, but then I saw people saying its becoming hard to find so I thought I'd get it just to hold onto and maybe sell later. I'm really glad I did get it, having a blast playing Runner all over again (easily one of my top 5 games on the Wii) just the way the music and gameplay meld together soo magically. I have the 3d on about halfway and love the effect, any higher and its abit too much for me due to the speed the game moves at. I've honestly not noticed much in the way of slowdown or frame rate issues and I imagine as I get to the later levels in Runner there will be even less of that due to how much less there is going on in the background of world 3 in Runner.

As for the other Bit Trip games I'd only played Bit Trip Void and the demo of Beat before. I enjoyed Beat more on here then I did the Wii version but I'm still not as gaga about it as some others are. Core seems abit too much for me to wrap my head about but I'll try it later once I've played through some of the others. Void is just as I remember it. I liked Fate alot and I think thats due to the same reason I love Runner over the rest of the series, seems more like a "game" and not as abstract as the others. Need to play more of Flux as well seems interesting.

Sucks this seems to be missing out on a PAL release as its a great little pack and really would love to see more people play it if only for Runner.
 

DarkWish

Member
Finally managed to find Bit.Trip Saga! All of my local GameStop stores seemed to have it in stock when I checked online and sure enough, they had it when I went. Looking forward to playing this in a bit. I still haven't seen this at any other retail stores so it seems GameStop is your best bet for retail stores.
 

pvpness

Member
Wow. Saga was tough to find and I hardly ever say that about a game.

There's definitely some slowdown in Runner (which is a pity) but it's not that bad honestly. I've also noticed that the slowdown affects both 3D and non-3D modes. It hasn't once gotten me killed or anything though.

Love having these games on the go. Haven't even opened my copy of Complete yet simply because I can't stop rockin Saga.
 

Glix

Member
NEO0MJ said:
I bought it before those issues were known, and I can't return games over here. And even if I knew about the 2D slowdown it wouldn't change my decision as no place over here brought complete.

Yeah, wow. I just got to World 3 in runner and the slowdown is totally unacceptable, IMO. (Even in 2d)
 

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
Just wanted to give a heads up to all Bit Trip lovers who also own and iDevice that Bit Trip Beat Blitz has been chosen as the new iOS GAF's Weekly Challenge! :)

Don't let me write a whole new thing, so just excuse my crosspost below!
______
335146322.581975skuj.jpg


-

It's that time again!

Following the smashing successes of CANANBALT, MR. NINJA,  FLICK KICK FOOTBALL's and HARD LINES contests, here's the new
GAF's iOS WEEKLY CHALLENGE!

________________________________________

The game chosen is:
BIT.TRIP-BEAT-BLITZ.jpg

•Beat Trip Beat BLITZ (Universal app, FREE with full game unlock@ $0.99/€0.79/£0.69)
don't mix it up with the other two Beat Trip app!!! This is the universal app, it's different and called BLITZ!
#GAME MODE: Transition @Normal difficulty settings

The Official Thread is ONLINE right now and the challenge has just started!

As usual, we have some nifty prizes :)
 

Silkworm

Member
Finally opened my copy of Bit.Trip Complete. This was my first experience playing this collection of games and what an enjoyable experience (all on normal difficulty for now)! :) Also the inclusion of the CD with the game music was a really nice bonus.

I know that the rhythm of the game is music based but do people use the sound of the game in how they play? I see how the speed of things is influence by the rhythm of the sound but the placement of where you need to place your cursor isn't necessarily influenced by this. I try to not get to enthralled with the music because I fear it my distract my concentration but maybe I should be doing the opposite?

I tend to enjoy the two game variations that use the tilting of the Wii-remote (Beat and Flux) though at times I wish I had a paddle attachment a la Atari 2600 (e.g. Breakout). Anyway, I need a lot of practice since I can't even come close to completing any of the challenges for any of the 6 games, but hopefully in time my coordination will get better and I'll get in the "zone" and stay in it longer.

Also I'm not good at any of the games yet, but I truly suck at Bit.Trip Core... gah! :p
 

OnPoint

Member
Dash Kappei said:
Just wanted to give a heads up to all Bit Trip lovers who also own and iDevice that Bit Trip Beat Blitz has been chosen as the new iOS GAF's Weekly Challenge! :)

Don't let me write a whole new thing, so just excuse my crosspost below!
______
[im]http://www.abload.de/img/335146322.581975skuj.jpg[/img]

-

It's that time again!

Following the smashing successes of CANANBALT, MR. NINJA,  FLICK KICK FOOTBALL's and HARD LINES contests, here's the new
GAF's iOS WEEKLY CHALLENGE!

________________________________________

The game chosen is:
[ig]http://www.mondo-pixel.com/wp-content/uploads/BIT.TRIP-BEAT-BLITZ.jpg[/img]
•Beat Trip Beat BLITZ (Universal app, FREE with full game unlock@ $0.99/€0.79/£0.69)
don't mix it up with the other two Beat Trip app!!! This is the universal app, it's different and called BLITZ!
#GAME MODE: Transition @Normal difficulty settings

The Official Thread is ONLINE right now and the challenge has just started!

As usual, we have some nifty prizes :)

This is such a cool idea
 
Silkworm said:
Finally opened my copy of Bit.Trip Complete. This was my first experience playing this collection of games and what an enjoyable experience (all on normal difficulty for now)! :) Also the inclusion of the CD with the game music was a really nice bonus.

I know that the rhythm of the game is music based but do people use the sound of the game in how they play? I see how the speed of things is influence by the rhythm of the sound but the placement of where you need to place your cursor isn't necessarily influenced by this. I try to not get to enthralled with the music because I fear it my distract my concentration but maybe I should be doing the opposite?

I tend to enjoy the two game variations that use the tilting of the Wii-remote (Beat and Flux) though at times I wish I had a paddle attachment a la Atari 2600 (e.g. Breakout). Anyway, I need a lot of practice since I can't even come close to completing any of the challenges for any of the 6 games, but hopefully in time my coordination will get better and I'll get in the "zone" and stay in it longer.

Also I'm not good at any of the games yet, but I truly suck at Bit.Trip Core... gah! :p

You need to follow the rhythm in CORE (my absolutely favorite).

The other ones not so much.
 

Silkworm

Member
Fernando Rocker said:
You need to follow the rhythm in CORE (my absolutely favorite).

The other ones not so much.
Cool! Thanks for the tip. Right now it's a struggle, but hopefully by following your suggestion playing CORE will "click" for me.
 

OnPoint

Member
Fernando Rocker said:
You need to follow the rhythm in CORE (my absolutely favorite).

The other ones not so much.

You and I are kindred spirits. That's what I loved most about CORE. I feel like I'm performing the music when playing it properly.
 

Tyeforce

Member
My copy of SAGA just arrived last night, and I've been playing it quite a bit today. No problems with the 3D or slowdown here, I don't understand those complaints about SAGA. The frame rate is definitely lower with 3D on, but not so much that it hinders gameplay. I've mostly played with 3D off in the end, though, because all the moving dots and such kinda strain my eyes a bit in 3D. Which is odd, because I haven't had that problem with any other game. Still, the 3D looks just fine, it just moves a bit too fast for my eyes to handle apparently.

I've played a bit of all six games, but now I'm trying to finish them all in order. I can't beat DESCENT in CORE BEAT for the life of me, though. So hard... ._.

Also, I don't really understand FATE.

EDIT: Oops, I got CORE mixed up with BEAT, lol.
 
What games have you played? For me the slowdown in Runner absolutely affected gameplay, and all the others look like a clusterfuck with 3D on so I'd leave it off anyway regardless of slowdown.

They really did screw up with the 3D, in Runner the slowdown is awful and in the simpler games it seems like every other thing you see is at a different "level," it's confusing to look it in a series of games where you really need to be focused.

That said, Saga is the only place I've ever played Bit.Trip (save Beat on iOS) and I've totally fallen in love with the series. I'm really, really tempted to buy Complete. I don't have a Wii but some friends I hang out with a lot do. I super curious about the added content and I'd love to play Runner at full framerate (never had a problem with the other games but Runner actually has noticeable slowdown even in 2D mode, especially in later levels) but I can't really see how I'd use my friends' Wii in a situation outside of me sitting and playing and everyone else just watching.
 

Tyeforce

Member
dr3upmushroom said:
What games have you played? For me the slowdown in Runner absolutely affected gameplay, and all the others look like a clusterfuck with 3D on so I'd leave it off anyway regardless of slowdown.

They really did screw up with the 3D, in Runner the slowdown is awful and in the simpler games it seems like every other thing you see is at a different "level," it's confusing to look it in a series of games where you really need to be focused.
I've played a bit of them all. Up to 1-11 in RUNNER, and I've only really noticed any slowdown in the last two levels I played, and even then it wasn't enough to affect gameplay. Then again, I'm not one of those people who need to have 60 FPS for every game they play. Frame rate isn't that big of a deal to me, as long as the game is still playable. And in SAGA's case, it is very much playable.

As far as the 3D, it's just fine to me, though it gets a bit tiring after awhile because of all the fast moving things. No weird effects or anything, just normal 3D like most other 3DS games. Don't know how you're seeing it as a "clusterfuck".
 
dr3upmushroom said:
I can't really see how I'd use my friends' Wii in a situation outside of me sitting and playing and everyone else just watching.
I think at least Beat and Flux have up to 4player co-op mode on Wii, so there is that.

I STILL have not received my copy of SAGA *sigh* it's been held customs for 18 days, and counting. Gonna start raising hell about it next week.
 

Luigiv

Member
Naked Snake said:
I think at least Beat and Flux have up to 4player co-op mode on Wii, so there is that.

I STILL have not received my copy of SAGA *sigh* it's been held customs for 18 days, and counting. Gonna start raising hell about it next week.
Beat also has 4 player co-op and Core has 2 player co-op. Have no idea about Void or Runner though.
 

Tyeforce

Member
After giving up on BEAT, I've been playing RUNNER a bit more (finally beat Zone 1, god this game is hard), and I've found that keeping the 3D Slider on at the lowest it can go is the best way to play the game for me. The 3D doesn't tire my eyes at all at the lowest setting, and you still get that sense of depth, which is really nice in BIT.TRIP, especially RUNNER (helps you clearly see the difference between things in the foreground and things in the background, which can be a problem in 2D). But best of all the frame rate is actually constant in 3D. The frame rate may be higher in 2D, but at times it dips down for short periods. Again, nothing game breaking in the least, but it can be a slight distraction. 3D mode doesn't have any of that as far as I've seen, though. Nice, constant 30 FPS.
 
Finally received my copy of SAGA yesterday, been very busy so only got a chance to play a little in bed before I shut down for the night.

Played some BEAT, CORE, and RUNNER... first time playing Runner and I found it to be the most addictive. I know I'm going to have so much fun with this... The bonus levels are evil.

Tyeforce said:
I've found that keeping the 3D Slider on at the lowest it can go is the best way to play the game for me.

I remembered this advice and kept the 3D at the lowest whenever I turned it on, it definitely felt easier on the eyes.

My only complaints so far are that some moving objects looked blurry (which I felt got worse in 3D, not sure), and the d-pad felt too small in CORE.
 
I have been playing the fuck out of Runner. Got stuck on one of the last stages (The Gauntlet 3-9 I think), the alternating 3x orange and purple blocks that come in waves and you need to jump over and slide under at the very beginning of the level are kicking my ass. I only managed to get past them a couple of times (only to die later in the level of course), most of the time I can't get past the beginning part. So I've been going for all the gold in the previous levels and pretty much got a perfect on every level so far. Not the bonus levels though, never got a perfect on those.

Yeah one of the most fun games I've ever played.

Flux is orgasmic. I like to play it when I'm high, when isn't often.
 

NewFresh

Member
Naked Snake said:
I have been playing the fuck out of Runner. Got stuck on one of the last stages (The Gauntlet 3-9 I think), the alternating 3x orange and purple blocks that come in waves and you need to jump over and slide under at the very beginning of the level are kicking my ass. I only managed to get past them a couple of times (only to die later in the level of course), most of the time I can't get past the beginning part. So I've been going for all the gold in the previous levels and pretty much got a perfect on every level so far. Not the bonus levels though, never got a perfect on those.

Yeah one of the most fun games I've ever played.

Flux is orgasmic. I like to play it when I'm high, when isn't often.

You are stuck where I've been stuck since release....:(
 
EmmanuelMunoz said:
You are stuck where I've been stuck since release....:(

I finished it!!! :D

This might sound obvious, but the trick is to make the timing of your button presses consistent in that section and time it with the 3-beats that chime when you clear each wave of blocks. I think people who have difficulty with this mess up their timing by accelerating the button presses as they progress in the tunnel. Being worried/nervous doesn't help either. Better to approach it with a "like a boss" attitude.

Another tip that I felt really helps is to concentrate my gaze on Commander Video, so to the left of the screen, instead of focusing on the middle of the screen which I usually do when playing Bit.Trip Runner.

The level (The Gauntlet 3-9) turned out to be really fun and one of my favorites. I really like the frequent multiple paths which reminded me of Sonic 2 and 3.

Next challenge, getting all the gold on that level (I got 33/41).
 

PKrockin

Member
I just rented this and played Beat and Runner for a while.

Beat is OK but it seems like the game is intentionally trying to give you eye strain. You have to play Where's Waldo with these the tiny pixels flying with erratic patterns, while obscured by distracting backgrounds, special effects, pulsating score, that screen flip thing when you level up/down, and so on. I made it past the first boss at least.

Runner is pretty cool though. I like the way the music builds up as you level up and it's way easier on the eyes. Currently stuck on 1-11... wow is that level long.
 

totowhoa

Banned
Thanks man. I already own all but Core, so I was waiting on the first sale. Just picked it up; I can't wait. It'll be fun to check out the new features and play through some of the games I haven't played recently over the next few weeks.

I have a 3DS, but I still sprung for the Wii version thanks to the extras and the fact that I'm completely happy with the current controls.
 
RUNNER is much better on Wii. Silky smooth 60fps ftw.

I much prefer the stylus controls for BEAT and FLUX, and they look great in 3D. FLUX is drop dead gorgeous visually and aurally. Playing it while baked is quite an experience.
 
Wow, weird to see this thread bumped. I still need to go back and beat a couple of these.

I've actually been considering buying Complete to play over Christmas break since my parents have a Wii. These games ended up being some of my favorite from this generation of systems and I'd love to see the added content, the only thing stopping me is I feel dumb spending $30 for something I'll only be able to play for a month. Plus I'd rather play the new Zelda while I have access to a Wii anyway.

After playing a ton of Saga, the only game that ever bothered me performance-wise was Runner, and it gets really, really bad as you go on. Early on in the game even in 3D it runs pretty fine, but once you get to the 3rd set of levels the framerate really chugs. It's annoying in 2D mode and near unplayable for me in 3D.

I don't really play any of the games in 3D though, none of them seem like they were made for it. I mean, obviously they weren't, but the 3D adds nothing for me, and in a few games it just looks stupid, it seems like they just randomly threw the thing you're controlling and different HUD elements on random planes and it looks really thrown-together and messy to me.

Has anyone here beaten Void? That one is just insanely hard for me. Took me a couple hours to finally beat the first level, and I got my ass kicked pretty quick on the second and pretty much dropped it. It's a shame because it's pretty fun, the sound effect when you press A after collecting a lot of dots and the splashes of black pop around you is probably my favorite in the series.
 

totowhoa

Banned
RUNNER is much better on Wii. Silky smooth 60fps ftw.

I much prefer the stylus controls for BEAT and FLUX, and they look great in 3D. FLUX is drop dead gorgeous visually and aurally. Playing it while baked is quite an experience.

No doubt. If it weren't for the wishy-washy reviews of Saga, I would have picked that one up. I just got the game in today and I really don't care for the challenges (New levels, bland music that doesn't change... they're short but very hard, and you have to get a perfect to pass... not really fun). I haven't tried the new difficulties but if it's anything like Runner on Steam (missing gold = death), then I'll be disappointed again. I'll probably do a lot of it just for unlockables, though. It'll be fun to play through these games again.

I bet stylus controls are probably better for beat/flux. I've pretty well got the Wii version down just fine from playing 'em so much before now, but sometimes during those brief segments of downtime between different parts in a level I want to take a quick drink or scratch myself or something, and then I'm fumbling to get my second hand back on the controller when the next beat comes on... I hate that. :lol I need to learn to pause the damn game.

Flux is still my favorite when it comes to baked gaming, man. Music is SO damn good.

Also, I still fucking hate Core.
It sucks and
I'm no good at it :mad:
 

BiggNife

Member
CORE is the most musically based in the series. If you aren't playing to the beat you're going to stand very little chance of doing well.

It also has my favorite track in the whole series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUdu7Le9IBs&feature=related
YES. I completely agree, fantastic song. Here's the version from the OST:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CobUlRNSV3A

Also thanks for mentioning the Amazon sale, jgkspsx. It's actually at $20 now, which is cheap enough for me to bite.
 

totowhoa

Banned
CORE is the most musically based in the series. If you aren't playing to the beat you're going to stand very little chance of doing well.

It also has my favorite track in the whole series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUdu7Le9IBs&feature=related

It's really hard for my eyes and brain to soak in what's going on with the movement of the dots. When they start wavering (purple dots) or just when the screen starts to get full in general with more than one straight pattern... I just can't process it. It's really difficult for me. I plan to keep trying though.

I also mess up an awful lot with the Wii's tiny D-pad :/ That song is awesome.. so far I've only gotten about 3/4 through the first song. This is the only bit.trip game that's given me any problem at all.

edit: Oh yeah, random challenge mode with no slow lead-in so you know what the control-switch is going to be... just beats flying everywhere with jacked up aim :mad: Core is just so hard for me to get into.
 
I also find CORE to be bloody hard. Got to the boss of the first stage, but that's it.

I think this series deserves an award for Art Direction.
 

totowhoa

Banned
I also find CORE to be bloody hard. Got to the boss of the first stage, but that's it.

I think this series deserves an award for Art Direction.

No doubt.

I love Runner to death, and I think it's the best to play if you're going to be playing around friends. It used to be my favorite hands down.

I'm starting to lean to Void and Flux as my favorites for just vegging to the music and playing the game. Flux is currently in the lead.

Anybody have any opinions on MP? I had no idea these games even had it until like 2 months ago or something. I tried void out and thought it was OK but nothing great. Haven't tried any others
 
I'm curious about multiplayer too. I showed Saga to my nephew today and he seemed to enjoy Void, Flux, and Fate (and of course the godly Runner), which is a feat since he has become a very jaded gamer.

Might be worth getting them on Wii if multiplayer is fun.
 

totowhoa

Banned
Kind of wish i had it on 3DS now since I'll be seeing family for the holidays tomorrow :p I have a younger cousin about 15 or so, I've loved showing him games as he's gotten older. I know he'd at least dig runner. Either way I plan on having a few ambassador games for him tomorrow. I don't know that he ever played yoshi's island :D

More on topic, I'm really not caring for the half-hearted extras on Wii. I've tried them for every game now but Fate.
 

totowhoa

Banned
Tried Core again for the first time since I last bitched about it and finished level one on my first try. I hadn't played the last third or quarter of the level until then either. Damn. Of course I entered Nether like 8 times, but whatever. Maybe the game is slowly starting to click for me. Timing is still not hard... it's just processing what the heck is happening with all these beats coming form every which way.

Bit.Trip games are my favorite evening wind-down games. Great music, simple gameplay, and a lot of fun. Core is a bit too stressful for me to wind down to, but I'll probably top off with Flux stage 2.
 

jgkspsx

Member
Well, I'm much better with a stylus than a Wiimote, that's for sure.

The idea of most of these as portable games is farcical, though. The precision required for the first three and the length of the levels means that you'd better be sitting at home.

I'm really glad I picked this up. It might be too barebones for full price, but the stylus control is awesome and I've actually found the 3D helpful in understanding what's background and what's foreground.

Let's see... I've now spent $84 on the bit.trip series, not including the installments I got in PC indie bundles. Sheesh.
 

jgkspsx

Member
Yeah, double post. But despite how barebones the 3DS version is, I continue to be very impressed by it. I saw no slowdown in full 3D for bit.trip.Flux.Epiphany. I somehow never played Flux (well, because it looked very similar to Beat), and I'm enjoying it a lot.

Checkpoints make a world of difference. I'm sorry and a bit irritated that they didn't add checkpoints into the first two games in either Complete or Saga. I may beat them both someday, but probably not. Oh well, maybe the 2019 anniversary remaster will add them :p

p.s. God, the analog slider controls suck. Did anybody at gaijin even try to play the games with them? Sheesh.
 
I hated that they added checkpoints to Flux. These games are not meant to be completed on your first time playing them by spamming continues, they're meant to be played over and over until you develop enough skill to beat the levels in one shot.
 
I love the Checkpoints in Flux, have no hope of beating Beat.

Also 3D in Flux makes the game more orgasmic IMO.

Didn't bother trying slider controls.
 

Shiggy

Member
Bit Trip Complete will be available on February 17 for only 24.99€, whereas Bit Trip Saga costs 39.99€.
That makes the current WiiWare prices look ridiculous.
 

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
Delayed until March 23.

Dear Shiggy, sorry for the bump.
Is this date confirmed? I was really looking for this game (on 3DS), but as European consumer I'm really doubting about it's release over here...

PS: if there is some 3DS owner that bought the game, could offer us a summary of pro and cons of the 3DS version?

:)
 

mantidor

Member
Dear Shiggy, sorry for the bump.
Is this date confirmed? I was really looking for this game (on 3DS), but as European consumer I'm really doubting about it's release over here...

PS: if there is some 3DS owner that bought the game, could offer us a summary of pro and cons of the 3DS version?

:)

Its awesome, but the experience is better in consoles because the 3DS doesn't offer quality controls for these games, however portability is a big plus.

3D doesn't add much and is kind of cumbersome for some games to be honest, for Runner is terrible because the framerate is bad enough as it is without the 3D, but for Core or Flux 3D offers a nice visual experience.

Summary Cons:
* bad framerate (which I don't understand why, is not like the games are heavy on graphics)
* so-so controls

Pros:
*Is freaking Bit Trip in 3D and portable, that alone makes me say is worth it.
 

Shiggy

Member
Dear Shiggy, sorry for the bump.
Is this date confirmed? I was really looking for this game (on 3DS), but as European consumer I'm really doubting about it's release over here...

PS: if there is some 3DS owner that bought the game, could offer us a summary of pro and cons of the 3DS version?

:)

Sorry that I only see your reply now. The game saw a releasedate change once again. It's now scheduled for March 16:

http://www.risingstargames.com/games/bittrip-complete-wii.html
http://www.risingstargames.com/game.aspx?sku=bittrip-saga-3ds
 
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