Thanks for this. Despite owning every version of this game, I haven't played any of them long enough to pick up on those nuances. Your first point about element shot especially explains my lack of progress in the game. I've trained myself over the years to never use the bomb/special attack, only the peashooter. So I see how a game built around the special shots is beyond me. I guess it's time to start using that B button.
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Shoot the Core! - Gaf Shoot em Up (aka Shooter/SHMUP) Reference Thread
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Thanks for this. Despite owning every version of this game, I haven't played any of them long enough to pick up on those nuances. Your first point about element shot especially explains my lack of progress in the game. I've trained myself over the years to never use the bomb/special attack, only the peashooter. So I see how a game built around the special shots is beyond me. I guess it's time to start using that B button.
cj_iwakura
Member
Just came to comment on Caladrius being on GOG, heh. Guess I don't need that PS3 version then...
As an aside: what do you all think about story in shmups? I love a good plot, but the average reply in the Touhou localization thread seemed like 'shmup plots? lol'. (I did a fan translation of a story-driven game, call me biased.)
As an aside: what do you all think about story in shmups? I love a good plot, but the average reply in the Touhou localization thread seemed like 'shmup plots? lol'. (I did a fan translation of a story-driven game, call me biased.)
Remembrance
Member
The reason for "shmup plots lol" is because most shmup plots are a pair of character portraits expositioning endlessly about made-up jargon and things that happened off-screen. This is a terrible way to tell a story, but this is a genre where nobody wants actual cutscenes.
I mean, that's why Castle Shikigami's plot is incomprehensible even when you translate it properly.
The problem is this temptation to staple a bundle of backstory to games entirely about shooting down enemies, which just means that none of the story can actually happen during the levels. Look at Sine Mora for an example of how disconnected the story could get from the actual game. Star Fox 64 was maybe the one game that did it right, by keeping the story simple enough that the story could be told during gameplay.
Or look at Espgaluda 2, where Cave actually tried showing important plot moments during the levels and boss fights. Even without dialogue, you could understand the emotional weight of what you were doing.
Remembrance
Member
To clarify further:
The shots you should use the most are the element shots that are strong enough to kill enemies fast and don't fire the regular shot at the same time. These include Maria's X-button shot, Noah's Y-button shot, Lyris's X-button shot, and Sophia's X and Y-button shots (ideally upgraded). Sophia can earn upgrades faster more consistently due to having two element shots like this.
All of their B-button shots fire their regular shots, so use those just when you need to get through bullets.
Feel free to empty your element shots just before bosses, since everything gets recharged at the start of a boss.
On Evolution mode, take advantage of the Evolution attack to fill your ether gauge even faster using the powered-up element shots. Always try to get multiple Evolution attacks off against bosses, which are usually good for a whole upgrade chip. The exception is Sophia, who recharges too slowly after an Evolution attack.
cj_iwakura
Member
Well, in Shikigami, they do it so different routes tell you new information. For example, Miyoko and Hiroshi act like psychos in every route... but when you play as Tagami? "Heh, just kidding. Sup?" It's a fascinating storytelling method.
Remembrance
Member
I never really got what they were going for until I played Caladrius, which is really the true successor to Castle Shikigami. (As I mentioned further up the page, you even get to just control two characters at the same time to access all the two-player dialogue.)
In Caladrius, there's a specific dynamic between every character and every boss, more or less. There's nothing like in Shikigami where you just get filler dialogue to justify completely unrelated characters fighting.
But still, you have the usual shmup problem where half the story happens in the manual over a couple of pages of text. The average player just gets dumped into a game where you get a ship and take off to fight some unspecified evil because reasons.
Example: the story of every Castle Shikigami starts with a castle appearing in the sky, which freaks out a lot of people. Would it have killed the developers to show so much as a picture of this castle before you start the game to give you an idea of what has gotten all these people so worked up?
cj_iwakura
Member
^Looks great.
Well, you do it see it in the game... eventually. I find the opening more intriguing, myself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pJleL1dagw
And the text only scroll which no one's done a translated video of, lol. About the murders and the investigations.
Shikigami probably had zilch of a budget, so it's hard to get mad at them for cutting to the chase.
Well, you do it see it in the game... eventually. I find the opening more intriguing, myself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pJleL1dagw
And the text only scroll which no one's done a translated video of, lol. About the murders and the investigations.
Shikigami probably had zilch of a budget, so it's hard to get mad at them for cutting to the chase.
The Ketsui DLC for DARIUSBURST...
Stage 3... Go through all that crap then Crimson Nightmare? The Ketsui ship should have had a damn bomb attack or something. I'm so salty right now.
The Delta Sword is the most relaxing ship to use out of the CAVE ships. The 8ing DLC needs to hurry up. I need my Soukyu fix.
Stage 3... Go through all that crap then Crimson Nightmare? The Ketsui ship should have had a damn bomb attack or something. I'm so salty right now.
The Delta Sword is the most relaxing ship to use out of the CAVE ships. The 8ing DLC needs to hurry up. I need my Soukyu fix.
Long time lurker, thanks to this thread I now have finally taken the plunge and bought a dedicated Vewlix L 2-player cabinet, I have most of the decent PC shumps and am currently playing Mushimesama, great game and Ultra on Normal provides me with just the challenge I need, however ...
I seem to be suffering from unintended slow-down, specifically I appear to be able to slow the game down by holding down the (single)shot button, this sppears to invoke more slowdown, if I switch to the dedicated auto-fire button I get the same stream of bullets but the slowdown is less pronounced ? It almost feels like i'm cheating by holding the shot button down ? Does this make sense ? Is it intentional or do I have some wierd setup that is causing it ?
I seem to be suffering from unintended slow-down, specifically I appear to be able to slow the game down by holding down the (single)shot button, this sppears to invoke more slowdown, if I switch to the dedicated auto-fire button I get the same stream of bullets but the slowdown is less pronounced ? It almost feels like i'm cheating by holding the shot button down ? Does this make sense ? Is it intentional or do I have some wierd setup that is causing it ?
SOME-MIST
Member
likely intentional moreso than a hardware issue. the slowdown is built into the game to emulate the PCB slowdown and it's much more pronounced using laser (or focus shot) instead of regular shot. Even though it's a different game, it does the same thing on my mushihimesama futari black label pcb which is very useful for stage 3.
The thing you have to watch out for is when you clear the screen using your method, the slowdown can quickly disappear leading to some fast spreads that will catch you off guard.
davidwhangchoi
Member
hey shooterGAF just cross posting a retro shooter i picked up:
i haven't brought a game in 2 weeks bc of the switch and yakuza 0 coming out but picked this up getting dinner yesterday. it was so pristine the manual had a plastic wrap protecting it.
i haven't brought a game in 2 weeks bc of the switch and yakuza 0 coming out but picked this up getting dinner yesterday. it was so pristine the manual had a plastic wrap protecting it.
sixteen-bit
Member
remember when konami was good
Arcade/PS2 Gradius III is so damn brutal.
It'd be fine if it didn't break its own rules sometimes by having enemy bullets pass through walls your bullets can't pass through.
I have a vague sense I read an interview with the devs once that said they built the stages individually and didn't realize how difficult the game was until playing it straight through.
It's great, but a decade ago when a friend of mine and I played this PS2 port of it pretty religiously, we always died around the crystal stage even on a good run.
I still love it but I dunno if I'll ever beat it without save states.
It'd be fine if it didn't break its own rules sometimes by having enemy bullets pass through walls your bullets can't pass through.
I have a vague sense I read an interview with the devs once that said they built the stages individually and didn't realize how difficult the game was until playing it straight through.
It's great, but a decade ago when a friend of mine and I played this PS2 port of it pretty religiously, we always died around the crystal stage even on a good run.
I still love it but I dunno if I'll ever beat it without save states.
Super Bomberman R has hope of them coming back to their roots... but I still heavily doubt it will happen. I want them to give me a new Contra game in the vein of Shattered Soldier.
Powerful Pro is still really fun baseball
saddled with a lot of bad stuff
but really fun
i think it's like one of the last games they actually make
cj_iwakura
Member
Beatmania IIDX.
Their Bemani division in general still has it. Museca and Sound Voltex are really good.
That looks really kewl!
Tetsuo9999
Member
Whenever they decide to stop supporting the game, I hope they make it so the DLC ships are usable in CS mode. I think I've only been able to finish a single 3rd stage on any of the DLC packs so far. The conditions are too strict and I don't have fun grinding out attempts on this game when the levels are more than ten minutes long. Being able to use them in CS mode would make them more relaxing to use since you could power them up with spare points, but you'd still have to balance how much you spend. Not sure why they haven't done it yet, honestly. Seems odd to basically double the playable characters but lock them in a single mode, especially barring them from the new mode that would be easier to put them in.
nailbombxx
Member
Man, I almost 1CC'd Crimzon Clover (novice original but still) and dropped the ball on the final boss.
This may be my most favorite shmup of all time. Somehow I like it even more than even Dodonpachi itself. It is just so chaotic and eyemeltingly gorgeous.
This may be my most favorite shmup of all time. Somehow I like it even more than even Dodonpachi itself. It is just so chaotic and eyemeltingly gorgeous.
Was feeling really great about the Battle Garegga DLC on DBCS. Then... G.T.B. showed up and I was crushed my hopes and dreams. I played pretty careless getting up to him and had about 9 shield left. What a depressing encounters. It seems pretty doable. I got used to the blue tracking lasers, If I go in with 20 shield and 4 bombs I might be able to stomp him good.
Anyway. The game isn't a looker, but damn if they don't have some great modelers for some of the ships.
Makes me wish they had a higher budget so that they could give the game a good face lift from it's arcade counterpart.
Anyway. The game isn't a looker, but damn if they don't have some great modelers for some of the ships.
Makes me wish they had a higher budget so that they could give the game a good face lift from it's arcade counterpart.
nailbombxx
Member
Today I 1CC'd Vector Strain (Steam) on beginner.
While this vertical shmup very much adheres to KISS (keep it simple stupid!) I find there's much to like about its no-frills approach. It is just a solid shooter that controls quite well enough with a decent variety of ships and nice visuals. Most 3D shooters don't really appeal to me, but I find the aesthetic of this game quite charming. Especially the geometric designs in the bosses and backgrounds. While its not as colorful as other games there is a lot of contrast between the finely textured background, enemies and flickering bullets. Bonus points for having a TATE mode that really lets the visuals shine.
It is a bit rough around the edges in the sound department though. Sound effects are a bit dull and one explosion sound in particular is a bit off. The soundtrack isn't the most fitting to the game either.
Overall I think it's quite a solid shmup if any of you is looking for something a bit simpler.
While this vertical shmup very much adheres to KISS (keep it simple stupid!) I find there's much to like about its no-frills approach. It is just a solid shooter that controls quite well enough with a decent variety of ships and nice visuals. Most 3D shooters don't really appeal to me, but I find the aesthetic of this game quite charming. Especially the geometric designs in the bosses and backgrounds. While its not as colorful as other games there is a lot of contrast between the finely textured background, enemies and flickering bullets. Bonus points for having a TATE mode that really lets the visuals shine.
It is a bit rough around the edges in the sound department though. Sound effects are a bit dull and one explosion sound in particular is a bit off. The soundtrack isn't the most fitting to the game either.
Overall I think it's quite a solid shmup if any of you is looking for something a bit simpler.
Agree, absolutely awesome game
nailbombxx
Member
Something about Eschatos seems frustrating to me. Visually its fantastic and it controls well enough, but the bullets seem harder for me to keep track of than other shmups. A lot of them seem to appear out of the middle of the screen which is kind of frustrating.
HiddenWings
Member
I was able to 1CC Novice Boost before I could do Novice Original. If you haven't tried that, you may want to give it a shot.
wild wild rice
Member
Does anyone else have the Ultimate Shooting Collection for Wii? I have it sitting around and got the urge for a shmup. What's the best game in there? Karous, Radirgy and Chaos Field.
Oh boy, now here's s loaded question. If you're unfamiliar with Milestone's "unique" brand of output, I would recommend Radirgy. It seems like the simplest to pick up and play.
nailbombxx
Member
I actually 1CC'd Novice Original yesterday! The last stage up to the final boss was an absolute rush even on Novice.
And yeah, Boost does seem like it would be easier since you are in Break mode much of the time.
wild wild rice
Member
Haha...hmm. Fair enough. Totally not familiar. Can you elaborate?
It's all a matter of taste. I personally feel Milestone's games are all garbage, so the joke answer to your question would be to use the Shooting Collection disc as a coaster.
I find them to be overly complicated with item drops and scoring systems that make no sense, that's why I recommended Radirgy, since that's the one I felt I could get my head around the easiest. Out of the games on that disc, I would recommend Karous if you want more Milestone-ness. But their ultimate WTF? moment has got to be Illvelo. Also on Wii, it was supposed to get a Western release, but it never happened (I don't think).
The company is out of business now, and I believe the CEO is in jail for fraud, or selling bootleg gasoline or some shit. The least surprising thing about all this.
DANMAKU UNLIMITED 3 store page up!!!
http://store.steampowered.com//app/450950
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6xq6n9B5hk
http://store.steampowered.com//app/450950
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6xq6n9B5hk
Remembrance
Member
Of all the mechanics under the sun, they borrowed "ghost bullets" from Bullet Soul?
Interesting choice since it actually does something here, whereas in Bullet Soul it did nothing.
I don't know about ghost bullets. was it a bad thing in that game?
I think the game is only developed by 1 person with music by Blankfield.
Remembrance
Member
In Bullet Soul, destroying any enemy cancels its on-screen bullets into "bullet souls", which just meant they turned transparent and became harmless. You could "collect" them, but they had no purpose whatsoever (even though the game is named after them).
It looks like the exact same system is used in Danmaku Unlimited 3, except that it goes one step further by having the canceled bullets power up your ship.
Ghost Blade HD announced for Steam/XO/PS4/WiiU
http://ghostbladegame.com/
http://ghostbladegame.com/
TRAILER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diWykmWv38M
Nice!!!Ghost Blade HD announced for Steam/XO/PS4/WiiU
http://ghostbladegame.com/
TRAILER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diWykmWv38M
Dash Kappei
Not actually that important
Really hope GBHD WiiU gets a Portrait option (not only TATE otherwise the d-pad's inputs would be busted) when playing on a gamepad screen
davidwhangchoi
Member
Darius Burst CS Iron Fossil figma
August 2017
22,800yen
August 2017
22,800yen
On PC that's all there
Darius Burst CS Iron Fossil figma
August 2017
22,800yen
This looks EXPENSIVE.
Also:
Capcom DLC for DBCS!!!
That's 190EUR ... uguu ... but I really want one T__T
sixteen-bit
Member
Is the figma to scale with the shooting historica Silver Hawk?
would be neat to make a little diorama
would be neat to make a little diorama
davidwhangchoi
Member
i don't know the scale but here's a comparison pic with the fighter
DariusBurst really is becoming the insane Smash Bros. of Shmups, isn't it? Super Shmup Ships.
I like the look of this a lot.
gunstarhero
Member
Looks amazing - really hope it comes to consoles eventually.
Giving me Gaiares vibes - now I know what I'm playing tonight
Looks amazing - really hope it comes to consoles eventually.
Giving me Gaires vibes - now I know what I'm playing tonight
Eh it looks taken straight out of Last Resort more so than Gaiares tbh
Edit :
Ship seems to be a mix of R-Type and Project X
Town is your typical Stage 1 devastated city landscape full with broken bridges and giant robots