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Akai Katana new CAVE shoot em up

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All information from this link: http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=944

Release Date: August 19, 2010.

2D graphics.

My thoughts: This looks like a spiritual sequel to Progear. Hopefully it's more traditional like their classic bullet hell shooters (Ketsui, Dodonpachi, Mushihimesama Futari, etc.), not the ugly seizure inducing messes of Daifukkatsu or Deathsmiles II.

http://www.cave.co.jp/gameonline/akaikatana

Location test at HEY from July 23-26.

Location test videos!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-Y2dbEydD0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3xGgxWKo80
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReXMV4WWCvQ

Direct Feed video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu1n13Elvug
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm11809495
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm11808909

1cc playthrough on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX81ZCk2kBY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooje-3Q8I_M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQktz0_JKKQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbRyIOaZ9T0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95B0LutDzpA

-Danmaku type horizontal scrolling shooting game
-Hardcore military shooter
-Each ship has a pair of characters (pilot and gunner?) with specific attacks
-Each ship changes its attacks when you change "mode"
-The characters (enemies, allies, and others - all human) are quite diverse
-Ships are designed as hardcore, 1950s style retro mechas
-Game is designed around destructible objects and dodging bullets - the core elements of an enjoyable STG - rather than obstacles and topography. This gives it a refreshing feeling.
-It has been carefully developed for over 1 year.

In case you were wondering, it's being distributed on one of these:

Dddfk.PNG


Bonus news: Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu for iPhone/iPod Touch
http://www.cave-world.com/jp/games/dodonpachi-daifukkatsu.html
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
ChryZ said:
Those games should be on PSN or XBLA, gah >_<

:(

Anyway, I'll look into it. I love horishmups.
 

Mr Jared

Member
I love just about everything concerning Progear, I really enjoy Deathsmiles so I have high hopes for this ... but I sort of wish they'd go back to vertical shooters. Despite how awesome their horizontal shooters are, I still prefer vertical gameplay.

Still, all the info for Akai Katana looks and sounds awesome. Fingers crossed for an eventual, region-free Xbox 360 port.
 

C-Jo

Member
Cool looking art and the "hardcore military shooter" part sounds great. Looking forward to seeing/hearing more.
 

SmokyDave

Member
Oh god yeah. This looks right up my street.

I hate to add another voice to "PSN Please!" but there's no other way I'll get to play this. Sadly I know deep down it'll be J360 only :(
 

ChryZ

Member
Glass Soldier said:
How insightful, sheesh. The games are small, the dev is small, the disc base distro adds cost and pressure. It would be much easier and less risky via download. They would reach more people with a 15-20 buck self-published download than a 60 dollar retail release. I'd also rather have them on my HDD for a quick scorechase and easy access inbetween disc-based games.
 

danmaku

Member
ChryZ said:
How insightful, sheesh. The games are small, the dev is small, the disc base distro adds cost and pressure. It would be much easier and less risky via download. They would reach more people with a 15-20 buck self-published download than a 60 dollar retail release. I'd also rather have them on my HDD for a quick scorechase and easy access inbetween disc-based games.

It's not as easy as it seems. Their market is very small and composed mainly by otakus and ultra hardcore stg fans, that will gladly buy disc releases and even limited editions. To get the same money via DD they'd need to sell A LOT more copies, and there is no guarantee that it will happen. Mass market doesn't give a damn about 2D shooters. Actually, I think is safer for them to release their games on disc.

Anyway, Guwange is about to be released on XBLA, it'll be an interesting test case.

Goldrusher said:
So... what platform IS it coming to ?

Or arcade only ? There hasn't been an arcade around here in a decade.

Arcade only. There will probably be a port, but not in a short time (or it'll kill the arcade version).
 
ChryZ said:
How insightful, sheesh. The games are small, the dev is small, the disc base distro adds cost and pressure. It would be much easier and less risky via download. They would reach more people with a 15-20 buck self-published download than a 60 dollar retail release. I'd also rather have them on my HDD for a quick scorechase and easy access inbetween disc-based games.

Since when did over '1 year in development' equal 'small game'? These aren't games thrown together by two guys in a basement and put online for a quick buck. A lot of time and effort goes into the content and scoring system to allow highly skilled players the chance to distinguish themselves. See the shoot em up video links in this article.

And $20? lol. You'd wet yourself if you heard the launch price the PCB of this game will sell for.

If you can't appreciate Cave's games, go stick to shoot 1up or whatever other cheap stuff is available online.
 

danmaku

Member
mjemirzian said:
Since when did over '1 year in development' equal 'small game'? These aren't games thrown together by two guys in a basement and put online for a quick buck. A lot of time and effort goes into the content and scoring system to allow highly skilled players the chance to distinguish themselves.

And $20? lol. You'd wet yourself if you heard the launch price the PCB of this game will sell for.

If you can't appreciate Cave's games, go stick to shoot 1up or whatever other cheap stuff is available online.

PCBs are priced for arcade owners, not normal customers. Even if some people buy PCBs to play at home this doesn't mean they are in the same market as console games.
 
danmaku said:
PCBs are priced for arcade owners, not normal customers. Even if some people buy PCBs to play at home this doesn't mean they are in the same market as console games.

I know, just comparing the demands of $15 or bust with the sticker shock of an arcade pcb.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Personally, I prefer their older titles (Progear, ESPRade, Dangun Feveron) on Digital Distribution... :p
 

ChryZ

Member
JFC, this thread reeks of elitism. I miss the days when SHMUPS were widely available.

danmaku said:
It's not as easy as it seems. Their market is very small and composed mainly by otakus and ultra hardcore stg fans, that will gladly buy disc releases and even limited editions. To get the same money via DD they'd need to sell A LOT more copies, and there is no guarantee that it will happen. Mass market doesn't give a damn about 2D shooters. Actually, I think is safer for them to release their games on disc.

Anyway, Guwange is about to be released on XBLA, it'll be an interesting test case.

Arcade only. There will probably be a port, but not in a short time (or it'll kill the arcade version).
Releasing on disc in limited numbers (prints) will keep it niche for sure, but with DD you can bait people with easy access (availability, demos and sales) and the threshold for trying something new would be much lower. You also don't have to invest upfront in physical production of media and its distribution.

mjemirzian said:
Since when did over '1 year in development' equal 'small game'? These aren't games thrown together by two guys in a basement and put online for a quick buck. A lot of time and effort goes into the content and scoring system to allow highly skilled players the chance to distinguish themselves.

And $20? lol. You'd wet yourself if you heard the launch price the PCB of this game will sell for.
Small in regard of memory foot print. Isn't DeathSmiles like 1.2GB when installed to HDD on 360? Not really DVD or bluray worthy. I don't wet myself, because it's a PCB produced in very limited numbers, one of the extreme forms of "physical media". 15-20usd for download would be more than reasonable.
 

STG

Member
ChryZ said:
Small in regard of memory foot print. Isn't DeathSmiles like 1.2GB when installed to HDD on 360? Not really DVD or bluray worthy
mushihime sama futari 1.5 is only 815 MB and espgaluda 2 is even smaller with 657 MB
 
Awesome. All of the info so far sounds really good, especially how the game is designed around dodging bullets rather than topography. I would have preferred a vertical shooter, but I'll take what I can get. Nice art too.

And DFK gets an iPhone port first. :|
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Actually, I also support for them going DD (they're starting with the iPhone and Guwange XBLA so that's a good start). They're pretty niche and it will be kind of dangerous and costly going disc-based (actually, I am surprised they're still going disc-based). Of course fans are important but profitability is also important.

Besides, isn't their main market in the arcade?
 

Mandoric

Banned
ChryZ said:
How insightful, sheesh. The games are small, the dev is small, the disc base distro adds cost and pressure. It would be much easier and less risky via download. They would reach more people with a 15-20 buck self-published download than a 60 dollar retail release. I'd also rather have them on my HDD for a quick scorechase and easy access inbetween disc-based games.

The question isn't whether they'd make more sales with a $15 PSN/XBLA release, the question is whether they'd make 5x-6x more sales. (The answer is almost definitely no.)

The target market is also one that places a high level of value on physical merch. I don't think there's another dev that regularly sells out limited editions before the title gets a release date.
 

duckroll

Member
ChryZ said:
Small in regard of memory foot print. Isn't DeathSmiles like 1.2GB when installed to HDD on 360? Not really DVD or bluray worthy. I don't wet myself, because it's a PCB produced in very limited numbers, one of the extreme forms of "physical media". 15-20usd for download would be more than reasonable.

What is that supposed to mean? You feel that games which are a gig or less isn't worth putting out as a retail game or charging more than 20 bucks for? Capacity = value/worth? What a retarded opinion. I guess all DS and PSP games should be 15-20 bucks then, according to that logic.
 

Mandoric

Banned
duckroll said:
What is that supposed to mean? You feel that games which are a gig or less isn't worth putting out as a retail game or charging more than 20 bucks for? Capacity = value/worth? What a retarded opinion. I guess all DS and PSP games should be 15-20 bucks then, according to that logic.

X360 games: $50
Wii games: $60
PS3 games: ... welp maybe THAT'S why no one buys them :lol
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Mandoric said:
X360 games: $50
Wii games: $60
PS3 games: ... welp maybe THAT'S why no one buys them :lol

They're just the same price as X360 and Wii games...
 

ChryZ

Member
duckroll said:
What is that supposed to mean? You feel that games which are a gig or less isn't worth putting out as a retail game or charging more than 20 bucks for? Capacity = value/worth? What a retarded opinion. I guess all DS and PSP games should be 15-20 bucks then, according to that logic.
You put an awful lot of words in my mouth. I'm talking about distribution. If your product got a small memory foot print then why not take advantage of it? If you want to go there, please do explain why ESPGALUDAII on Apple's iDevices is 9 and not 60 bucks?
 

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
Eh, there are plenty of freeware shmups that are not drastically far-removed in fundamental content and quality from $60+ ones. I don't think it's illogical to extrapolate that the development costs of professional efforts are kinda overstated.
 

shuri

Banned
I can't believe CAVE is giving up on pedolicious designs. Today is a good day :lol and I WANT THAT PCB NOWWWWw
 

duckroll

Member
ChryZ said:
You put an awful lot of words in my mouth. I'm talking about distribution. If your product got a small memory foot print then why not take advantage of it? If you want to go there, please do explain why ESPGALUDAII on Apple's iDevices is 9 and not 60 bucks?

Because it's not in any way competing with their serious releases. The same game on the 360 is in fact 70 bucks in Japan. Can you plug an arcade stick into your ipod or ipad? Can you play multiplayer with a friend? Clearly you can see that it is not quite the same thing. If they put the game on XBLA for 20 bucks, they would certainly make less money than they are making now.

Shig said:
Eh, there are plenty of freeware shmups that are not drastically far-removed in fundamental content and quality from $60+ ones. I don't think it's illogical to extrapolate that the development costs of professional efforts are kinda overstated.

That isn't a very realistic way of looking at things. Freeware games are developed by people in their spare time, most of which are either students or working adults with day time jobs. To compare that with people who actually do it for a living is misleading. One person can take a year or two of his free time to make a game which is of good quality and distribute it for free online. That does not mean that a developer/publisher who employs 30 people, and makes a similar game in six months and spends another six months marketing it, should not have a right to charge full price for their game.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
ChryZ said:
Those games should be on PSN or XBLA, gah >_<

This is basically port begging, because it says "I have no interest in a game or allowing productive conversation about a game unless I can buy it". I do personally think that there's a good argument for home ports to be budget priced in the west (a place where there are no arcades and little appetite for full priced retail shoot-em-ups), but it's not made by a one-line mini-conniption in these threads.
 

LiK

Member
Stumpokapow said:
This is basically port begging, because it says "I have no interest in a game or allowing productive conversation about a game unless I can buy it". I do personally think that there's a good argument for home ports to be budget priced in the west (a place where there are no arcades and little appetite for full priced retail shoot-em-ups), but it's not made by a one-line mini-conniption in these threads.

Bah, stealth edit
 

SmokyDave

Member
Stumpokapow said:
This is basically port begging, because it says "I have no interest in a game or allowing productive conversation about a game unless I can buy it". I do personally think that there's a good argument for home ports to be budget priced in the west (a place where there are no arcades and little appetite for full priced retail shoot-em-ups), but it's not made by a one-line mini-conniption in these threads.
I think a lot of it comes from utter frustration at not being able to play these games. I don't care whether they're DD or Disc, £15 or £50, I just want to play them.

If it was a question of cross-console releases then I don't think there'd be so much whining but for many (most?) people, arcades simply do not exist anymore. That makes news of a new Cave shooter exceptionally bittersweet :(
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
LiK said:
Isn't that true for most of us? We can't even play this in our nonexistent arcades.

Oh, absolutely it's true that Japanese-only Arcade-based games aren't accessible to a lot of GAF, but I like to think that like a thread about the SuperGrafx or the FM Towns Marty or import copies of Xenoblade or any other game where most of the readers of the thread aren't going to (or going to be able to) play the game, people should still post constructively.

The subsequent discussion about the merits of something being on XBLA is pretty constructive, but the initial "gah i want a port" is pretty much the archetypal port beg post.
 

LiK

Member
Stumpokapow said:
Oh, absolutely it's true that Japanese-only Arcade-based games aren't accessible to a lot of GAF, but I like to think that like a thread about the SuperGrafx or the FM Towns Marty or import copies of Xenoblade or any other game where most of the readers of the thread aren't going to (or going to be able to) play the game, people should still post constructively.

The subsequent discussion about the merits of something being on XBLA is pretty constructive, but the initial "gah i want a port" is pretty much the archetypal port beg post.
Alright, You make a good point. But can we still beg? :p
 

duckroll

Member
There is no reason to believe that any new Cave game will not be brought to home consoles. Based on Cave's business model, there is also no reason at all to expect that any recent game of theirs will be released on PSN or XBLA for a budget price. They have expressed repeatedly that JP sales on the 360 are very satisfactory, so it makes no sense for them to suddenly treat their games like they're not worth 60 dollars.
 

LiK

Member
duckroll said:
There is no reason to believe that any new Cave game will not be brought to home consoles. Based on Cave's business model, there is also no reason at all to expect that any recent game of theirs will be released on PSN or XBLA for a budget price. They have expressed repeatedly that JP sales on the 360 are very satisfactory, so it makes no sense for them to suddenly treat their games like they're not worth 60 dollars.
Indeed, they're worth every penny. MOAR PWEASE!
 
I really hope this game is sprite-based too. Please Cave, stay far away from that ugly Dreamcast-quality 3D you used for Death Smiles 2.
 

STG

Member
iconoclast said:
I really hope this game is sprite-based too. Please Cave, stay far away from that ugly Dreamcast-quality 3D you used for Death Smiles 2.
1000 times this!
 

matmanx1

Member
Teaser trailer was suitably dramatic and awesome but I want some gameplay footage. CAVE is teh awesome and I'm busy converting a friend of mine at work who just bought Deathsmiles and loves it. I'm taking him my import copy of Mushihimesama today because I think he's ready for it.

I love the new name and artwork also. Cave produces some really beautiful games so I will certainly look forward to this one.
 

LiK

Member
shuri said:
I can't believe CAVE is giving up on pedolicious designs. Today is a good day :lol and I WANT THAT PCB NOWWWWw
But look at that skirt! Hope she's wearing panties. Thank you CAVE :lol
 

ChryZ

Member
duckroll said:
If they put the game on XBLA for 20 bucks, they would certainly make less money than they are making now.
Likely, but at the same time they prevent/limit any growth of their fan base. I'd rather see them thrive as much as possible.
 
The simple fact that those games do not come to US and Europe at all is an exemple of how niche this market is. No publisher will be insane enough to bring those games to US in a disc release form and loose money. Look at Deathsmiles. When the game came out in Japan it was like US$ 70 for the regular edition, and people were paying up to US$ 150 for the collector´s edition. An US publisher pick it up, throw a sound track and a faceplate in a nice special package and tried to sell it for U$ 50 and what happened? No sales (if I recall right it sold only 5.000 copies in the first week).

People in this niche pays whatever they need to in order to get the game, but the actual number of people buying the game is normally very small, so the prices must be high.

I agree that digital distribution may expand the market a little but it is difficult to determine how much now so the publishers are not taking chances with their new releases. The release of Guwange is really a test to see how things work. If you like the genre, you should buy it.
 

duckroll

Member
ChryZ said:
Likely, but at the same time they prevent/limit any growth of their fan base. I'd rather see them thrive as much as possible.

By admitting that they will make less money, you are also admitting that any perceived growth of their "fan base" isn't very significant. If so, what's the point? If by selling a game at 20 bucks they can expand the fan base by 10x, then sure they should most definitely do it. If we're talking about 15k buyers versus 8k buyers, it's not even worth discussing. That's not thriving, that's just being stupid.
 
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