• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Galak-Z: The Dimensional |OT| Macross the Universe

Santar

Member
The explosion after you hit an enemy with rockets seem a bit too similar to the explosion that occur when enemies die to me. Makes it kinda hard to tell if you've actually defeated an enemy or not.
Maybe the rocket explosion could have been a different color and or smaller?
 

MrS

Banned
Game looks awesome. No plat is disappointing but it looks like a lot of fun. Need an EU release date STAT.
 

Mikey Jr.

Member
The controls are definitely different. I keep saying to myself "Fuck, don't point that way!"

What advantages does this have over twin stick control?
 

danowat

Banned
The controls are definitely different. I keep saying to myself "Fuck, don't point that way!"

What advantages does this have over twin stick control?

Purely IMO........

a) It's harder, which could be a design decision.

b) You can only fire the way the ship is pointing, might prove a bit difficult to do that with a twin stick system?

Personally, although it's a learnable system, albeit with a steep learning curve, it feels, to me, deliberately obtuse and unwieldy, you have to contend with. ship direction, constant motion through inertia, seperate buttons for forward thrust, reverse thrust, boosting, firing guns, firing missles, juking, all at the same time as avoiding enemies and projectiles, just gets a bit overwhelming!

Maybe thrust and ship direction mapped to the left stick would have made things more (maybe a bit too?) manageable.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
Its pretty fluid once you adjust (and get the full compliment of moves, juke is essential and so is strafe)

the mech feels quite a bit different though
 

Donos

Member
Maybe they are in negotiations for next PS+ month in Europe? Although i think the last months had always the same games for NA and EU.
If there is no news soon, i'm going to get it over NA store.
 

hydruxo

Member
Watched a stream of this for a bit, and I have to say this game has a lot of style to it. Lots of little touches that give it personality. This game was never really on my radar but the mech stuff looks fun, might have to pick this up at some point.
 

baconcow

Member
The controls are definitely different. I keep saying to myself "Fuck, don't point that way!"

What advantages does this have over twin stick control?

A slight tad of realism, perhaps? Twin stick controls are joke easy for combat and that is obviously not the way they wanted everyone approaching each encounter. It makes you rely on actual skill or good tactics.
 

Sir TapTap

Member
The controls are weird at first, but as someone who absolutely hates Asteroids style movement, it works pretty well once you figure it all out and unblock all your movement options (buy the start of season 2 iirc


Maybe they are in negotiations for next PS+ month in Europe? Although i think the last months had always the same games for NA and EU.
If there is no news soon, i'm going to get it over NA store.
It's just scee and or ratings fucking things up, happens all the time
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
Juke needs an indicator for refresh maybe...

LOVE the shield mechanics for the mech

missile management is kind of a big deal

show no fucks when it comes to boosting all over place. change of direction = living

bugs are free. until they touch you. then its starship troopers shit and you're getting rekt quick

i actually like the chatter :/
 
Everything I've seen of this game makes me think it's trying too hard to be smart and interesting while the core controls and design suffer. I can't stand games like that, though it's a trap lots of indie games fall into.

I'm not surprised they didn't let anyone play it in their gameplay previews.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
Everything I've seen of this game makes me think it's trying too hard to be smart and interesting while the core controls and design suffer. I can't stand games like that, though it's a trap lots of indie games fall into.

I'm not surprised they didn't let anyone play it in their gameplay previews.

i think its a simple learning curve and ppl were expecting this game to be easy for whatever reason

they nail what they aim for imo. its not a twin stick shooter or typical shmup. it doesn't really try to be one of those either. just seems like a weird comment unless i'm misreading/misinterpreting.

if anything, the framerate randomly dropping at times is the biggest issue i've encountered so far. hasn't got me in trouble yet, but its definitely there.
 

rpg_poser

Member
Impressions:
It's an homage to 80's mech anime, with a westernized style.
I am 50 and my reflexes are not what they used to be, but I don't think the game is too hard. Practice movement, strategize your battles before enaging.
Control is a mix of console and arcade styles. Because of this, I had unlearn my tendency to rotate using the left stick (Solar Jetman, Asteroids - yeah I know there are no buttons) and POINT using it, then rotate the ship to track targets.
Procedural maps are a plus, don't really care if it's a roguelike lite or whatever. If I want to play a roguelike, I play Shiren for the SNES.
Looking forward to learning fine control and seeing what else this game has in store.

Thanks for finally releasing this!
 

CLEEK

Member
The controls, movement and combat are great. The non-stop, badly written chatter is awful.

Edit: just found the voice volume slider. Turn that down to zero and the game is so much better.
 
Everything I've seen of this game makes me think it's trying too hard to be smart and interesting while the core controls and design suffer. I can't stand games like that, though it's a trap lots of indie games fall into.

I'm not surprised they didn't let anyone play it in their gameplay previews.

What does this even mean
 

Sir TapTap

Member
I always forget to use juke, missiles and the robot's shield. Juke and to a lesser extent shield are legit useful but missiles feel fine as a boss-only weapon. I don't like managing consumables like that.

Everything I've seen of this game makes me think it's trying too hard to be smart and interesting while the core controls and design suffer. I can't stand games like that, though it's a trap lots of indie games fall into.

I'm not surprised they didn't let anyone play it in their gameplay previews.

Don't agree, if anything they didn't try to be smart enough and the writing suffers. There's a mix of pretty decent 80s cartoon/anime dialog and then some really pointless chatter. For instance they need to make the "got item" or "killed bug" chatter only trigger like 1/10th of the time, and it's lacking in some of the over dramatic presentation aside from certain intro/outro scenes. There's also some sound design bugs here and there, sounds cut out too soon or are choppy (the transformation sound in particular, and the end of level "swoosh" the ship makes sound wrong). I wish they'd given the writing a tune up and reconsidered some of the chatter. The enemy chatter is mostly great 80s cartoon stuff, but a tak talking to himself or dialog looping mid-mission is really annoying. Dialog cuts out early if you move too far or pause too.

The only thing I'd really say hurts the design is the proc gen, There are very few types of levels and the differences between them are minor. It could have used a lot more room/visual variety and more prebaked room components to make things interesting. They should have started by making a ton of rooms and made a proc gen that shuffles rooms about instead of making a proc gen that just carves pathways out of a few different types of area with different hazards.

The actual gameplay controls are pretty great. Backing up, with boost that launches you BACKWARDS is great and really compliments the fighting, strafe is neat but not really as useful as backing up + minor manual lateral adjustments, the Juke to dodge is great as is being able to shoot down enemy lasers, and all the stuff the robot can do is great. The actual gameplay is pretty great and it's pretty apparent, since it shines through despite the rather boring automatic level design.

Also the second boss is pretty intense. I didn't get to play the first boss, in the unpatched version it just insta-died. Worth going back to fight?
 

Rymuth

Member
Just finished the prologue and reached the Yamato..errr, Axelios!

Game looks, sounds and plays a-m-a-zi-n-g
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
I always forget to use juke, missiles and the robot's shield. Juke and to a lesser extent shield are legit useful but missiles feel fine as a boss-only weapon. I don't like managing consumables like that.



Don't agree, if anything they didn't try to be smart enough and the writing suffers. There's a mix of pretty decent 80s cartoon/anime dialog and then some really pointless chatter. For instance they need to make the "got item" or "killed bug" chatter only trigger like 1/10th of the time, and it's lacking in some of the over dramatic presentation aside from certain intro/outro scenes. There's also some sound design bugs here and there, sounds cut out too soon or are choppy (the transformation sound in particular, and the end of level "swoosh" the ship makes sound wrong). I wish they'd given the writing a tune up and reconsidered some of the chatter. The enemy chatter is mostly great 80s cartoon stuff, but a tak talking to himself or dialog looping mid-mission is really annoying. Dialog cuts out early if you move too far or pause too.

The only thing I'd really say hurts the design is the proc gen, There are very few types of levels and the differences between them are minor. It could have used a lot more room/visual variety and more prebaked room components to make things interesting. They should have started by making a ton of rooms and made a proc gen that shuffles rooms about instead of making a proc gen that just carves pathways out of a few different types of area with different hazards.

The actual gameplay controls are pretty great. Backing up, with boost that launches you BACKWARDS is great and really compliments the fighting, strafe is neat but not really as useful as backing up + minor manual lateral adjustments, the Juke to dodge is great as is being able to shoot down enemy lasers, and all the stuff the robot can do is great. The actual gameplay is pretty great and it's pretty apparent, since it shines through despite the rather boring automatic level design.

Also the second boss is pretty intense. I didn't get to play the first boss, in the unpatched version it just insta-died. Worth going back to fight?

All you're missing is a space centipede. He can fuck you up quick if you stand in front of it or forget to boost away after his intro.

I thought it was a fun missile display if nothing else.

Juke is dope because it gives you the ability to dodge the shot you need to in order to get in close and just pour on damage that can't be dodged. Love that the combat in general is so flexible though. Plenty of ways to approach situations. Environment allows for all kinds of stuff. Throwing ships into bugs or those plant things is money.
oh...whats the issue? Locked 30fps or 60fps with noticeable dips?

I'm interested in this game but I cannot stand an inconsistent framerate.

I'm not sure. Its been pretty random from what I've seen. Its not when the action gets crazy or anything... its just out of nowhere. At least from what I've dealt with. Its not particularly frequent though. Doesn't effect gameplay either. Just noticeable.

Its no Drakengaard 3 though lol
 

Sir TapTap

Member
Tips:

You can play it safe vs almost any enemy type simply by backing up towards empty space and firing at stuff, juking around single shots and moving out of the way of multiple shots. Use your boost thruster if you get in trouble

My preferred weapons so far are assault muzzle (fast, narrow shots), spread shape (buckshot basically), auto fire pattern (others are much too slow), fire and bounce element/type (only ones I've gotten). Extremely concentrated fire exactly where you want it. I have seen no reason to prefer other weapon types yet.

If you're not using explosive barrels to set traps, just blow them up before proceeding. Most of my damage is from explosive barrels or the second boss.

The robot is risky, but has a lot of ways to neutralize enemy fire. Shield bash and throwing items into ships/ships into walls will stun ships for a few seconds, sword swipes reflect lasers. Practice the robot in low-risk missions.

Buy crap from Crash immediately and look for his ships in levels. He refills somewhat rarely, so if you want multiple hull repairs/shield overcharges you have to check his shop a lot.
if anything, the framerate randomly dropping at times is the biggest issue i've encountered so far. hasn't got me in trouble yet, but its definitely there.

Yeah I've had this maybe once or twice per episode in more heavy action. I wonder if my preferred gun doesn't cause it because it results in a ton of particles, it usually happens in action. I nearly died to it once in the pre-patched version (this seems to be the only technical issue not patched, other than some sound issues)

The framerate is bumming me out

Are you sure you have the patch? The final release has rare hitching but the standard framerate is fine. If you mean the hitching, yes, needs another patch
 
Played through the tutorial section and first season last night.

The controls definitely take a little while to get the hang of, but I really love the emphasis on physics/zero-g (thrust one direction, you are going to move in that direction indefinitely until you hit something or thrust elsewhere). I started to find the “stop” control (R2+L2) pretty useful toward the end of my play time. I am still trying to get a hang of the reverse thruster. I can tell it will be invaluable as the game progresses, being able to move away from an opponent and simultaneously target/shoot them. The cave sections give me pretty heavy Blood Money vibes, though fortunately, this game is not as difficult.

Graphics are ace. Really love the style. I noticed a few framerate hiccups, but definitely nothing game breaking.

I wish this game could be played in 3D… even if it was just 720p. The depth to the 2D environment is very well done… it would be incredible in 3D. Especially when preforming maneuvers like the juke.
 

Sir TapTap

Member
I'm not sure 3D would work for this at all, the mobility of the ships would probably require auto-targeting, braindead enemies, hitscan weapons or fights would take 18 years. There's something very satisfying about tricking enemies into fire that I don't think would work in 3D. It'd be like having an infinite Juke button
 
I'm not sure 3D would work for this at all, the mobility of the ships would probably require auto-targeting, braindead enemies, hitscan weapons or fights would take 18 years. There's something very satisfying about tricking enemies into fire that I don't think would work in 3D. It'd be like having an infinite Juke button

He means like active/passive 3D, not 3D gameplay.
 
I'm not sure 3D would work for this at all, the mobility of the ships would probably require auto-targeting, braindead enemies, hitscan weapons or fights would take 18 years. There's something very satisfying about tricking enemies into fire that I don't think would work in 3D. It'd be like having an infinite Juke button

I'm talking about playing the game as-is, just on a 3D tv. My Panny's been shedding tears for years now. Uncharted 3 was the last game I played that made use of 3D (I know, I know, the tech is dead... but whatever, it would be awesome in this game).
 

Sir TapTap

Member
Oh, yeah that could be flashy I guess. I've only ever used the 3DS's 3D and my opinion of 3D isn't particularly high. I wanted to try Super Stardust in 3D but not enough to buy 3D glasses for it. I also forget which of my TVs even has 3D.
 

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
my age is kicking my ass in this game. I keep trying to control it like Asteroids which obviously fucks me.. need to spend some good time sitting down with this and getting used to the controls.

I mean I've been playing shooters forever, and have no problems with them in general... just this one plays so close to a fast asteroids... but the stick points instead of rotates.. which messes with me.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
my age is kicking my ass in this game. I keep trying to control it like Asteroids which obviously fucks me.. need to spend some good time sitting down with this and getting used to the controls.

Took me 3 solid runs in the prologue before I got it down lol
 

sora87

Member
What was the deal with pre-ordering one of these summer of digital games and getting another cheaper? Don't see any option for that on the UK store
 

Rymuth

Member
What was the deal with pre-ordering one of these summer of digital games and getting another cheaper? Don't see any option for that on the UK store
PLAY 2015.

Basically, pre-order this and one other game and you'll get a 10% discount code down the line.

EDIT: US only.
 

Sir TapTap

Member
What was the deal with pre-ordering one of these summer of digital games and getting another cheaper? Don't see any option for that on the UK store

I think that's a US deal--and also they don't do it quite like that anymore, if you preorder 2 or more you get a 10% off coupon for later or something. They should really do a better job to pull the US and EU stores to be 99% identical. They did it with PS+, finally. And SCEE still seems to be a pain in the ass for US indies. And Japan...woof

my age is kicking my ass in this game. I keep trying to control it like Asteroids which obviously fucks me.. need to spend some good time sitting down with this and getting used to the controls.

I mean I've been playing shooters forever, and have no problems with them in general... just this one plays so close to a fast asteroids... but the stick points instead of rotates.. which messes with me.

Takes some getting used to for sure. It's a mix of asteroids plus twin stick (but only one stick!) and a bit of it's own thing. Just play around with it, especially after you learn to strafe.
 

dEvAnGeL

Member
I played a little but this morning and it is a challenging game, one thing that strike me was the art style, this game looks beautiful, for the little i played I noticed the frame rate is unstable, that's a bummer
 
I tried to preorder this late last night, before midnight though, and I couldn't. The store kept giving me an error ;_; Guess that is what I get for being lazy, and not getting a chance to do it earlier in the day. Oh well....that four bucks coulda bought me some tacos or some jazz to eat while I play -_-

Game looks awesome though, really can't wait to try it out.
 

DirtyLarry

Member
Preordered it about a week ago, looking forward to checking it out tonight.
I too am an old timer and see some comments from fellow old-timers about how they need to break their bad habits. I am sure I will be in the same boat.

From what I am reading, it sounds like it may be a much more advanced take on the old Defender game? Is that safe to say for those who have played it and know Defender?
 

danowat

Banned
From what I am reading, it sounds like it may be a much more advanced take on the old Defender game? Is that safe to say for those who have played it and know Defender?

Hmmm........interesting, the comparison didn't spring to mind when playing it, but thinking about it..........possibly.

Control system is very Asteroids, so mash that up with a bit of Defender and Sinistar, a smattering of (insert name of Rogue-a-like), and a soupcon of bullet hell, and you're about there.
 
I will really never ever be able to understand what the genre "rogue like" encompasses..

All these games seem to be completely different from another..
 
Top Bottom