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[adversesolutions]

GRev 2011 Spring Release Heaven Celebration Thread!

TITLE: Strania - The Stellar Machine
GENRE: 16:9 Vertical Scrolling Shooter
PLATFORMS: XBLA
DEVELOPER: Grev
PUBLISHER: Microsoft
PLAYERS: 1 or 2
RATING: E10+
PRICE: 800 MSP

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RELEASE DATE: March 30th, 2011
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Demo and full game are available on Xbox LIVE. Demo features first two stages.
Download Strania on Xbox.com here.

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WHY SHOULD I CARE ETC
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Strania is the work of Grev, one of the best Japanese shooter devs, and one of the last still developing for the arcades. They are known for Dreamcast-era hits Border Down and Under Defeat. They have also developed the shooter-fighter hybrid Senko no Ronde series which has a small but loyal following.

Strania is their first original title for XBLA, and will also be appearing in arcades via the NESiCAxLive system. So far the feedback from people playing the game in this thread and on the shmups forum is very positive. Strania is built around a weapon-swapping scoring mechanic that encourages players to use the myriad of weapons found in the game as often as possible. Visually, the game is also very engaging and has a very cinematic sci-fi feel to it.

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SCREENSHOTS
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SCORING SYSTEM AND GAME MODES
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(Thanks to iconoclast for tips)

■ Weapon Level Up System ■
Scoring in Strania is tied to leveling up the variety of weapons that your character uses. The higher in level these weapons get, the bigger bonuses you acquire. You will also get the same bonus when you pick up that weapon.

In general, high scoring runs will involve trying to pick up as many weapon drops as possible while leveling up your weapons. Weapons level up according to the following rules:

10 kyu (&#32026 (Starting level)
|
|
1 kyu
Shodan
1 dan (段）
|
|
10 dan (Highest level)​

If you manage to clear the game, you will get major point bonuses for all the weapons you have leveled up according to their level. Note that in a scoring run, it's pointless to advance your weapon past 1-dan. 1-dan will give you a million point bonus at the end, and even if you get your weapon to 10-dan, it doesn't change how many points you get at the end. So it's best to ditch a weapon after getting it to 1-dan and use something new. If you do that, you'll be able to upgrade every weapon to 1-dan by the end of the game and get a fat 9 million point clear bonus.

■ Stage Grades and Time ■

At the end of every stage, you will be graded on your performance. You want to kill as many enemies as possible in the stage in order to get this grade up. Some enemies will not appear unless you kill enemies before them very quickly. For instance on stage 1, there are 3 jetpack men which will appear after the group of enemy that drops the "Side" weapon, but they only appear if you kill the previous enemies very quickly.

The timer which appears in boss fights is unrelated to the normal stage, and gives you a bonus for how fast you can take down the boss. Sometimes it is better to try to milk the boss and all the enemies it spits out to level up your weapons than getting the time bonus. Try it out on several levels and see which one gets you more points.

■ O/D Gauge ■

The O/D Gauge builds up as you attack enemies. It can be used like a "bomb" to give you a couple of seconds of invincibility. After triggering the O/D attack, the value of enemies killed will have a multiplier applied to it that progressively rises and caps out at 2.0. For scoring, the O/D Gauge should in general be used to finish off bosses.

■ Difficulty levels: ■

Normal

Baseline difficulty with 6 stages.

Hard

Similar to normal, bullets move faster and enemies that did nothing on Normal now shoot bullets. The game's true last boss is accessible on this difficulty level.

Expert

Enemies shoot suicide bullets when destroyed, and bosses are significantly more difficult. The game's true last boss is accessible on this difficulty level.​

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DLC
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SIDE VOWER

RELEASE DATE: TBA
PRICE: TBA

A tale does not become an epic without multiple twists and storylines, and the epic of Strania is not limited to the chapters detailing the Stranian forces’ attempt to defend the planet they call home. In the DLC package SIDE VOWER, gamers assume the role of the intergalactic travelers who have come to Strania with a mission – to recapture the land that they hold sacred.

Work your way into the heart of the planet as you fight through newly arranged stages each capped with a Stranian boss. New music tracks accompany you as you duel with the elite Stella Machina. Break through Stranian defenses and lead the Vower army to fulfill their destiny.

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ACHIEVEMENTS
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Perfect Conquest: EXPERT 10
Cleared the game on "EXPERT" without continuing.
Weapon Master 20
Earned 10-dan for all weapons.
Arrival at the End 10
Cleared the game on "HARD" or "EXPERT".
Perfect Conquest: NORMAL 10
Cleared the game on "NORMAL" without continuing.
Perfect Conquest: HARD 10
Cleared the game on "HARD" without continuing.
Mission Complete 20
Cleared the game after successfully completing all of the defense and assault missions.
Court Martial 20
Cleared the game after failing all of the defense and assault missions.

Secret Achievements

Cleaning Up Space Debris 20
Cleared Mission 4 without releasing the booster.
Straightism 20
Armed all weapon slots with lasers.
Fireworks Craftsman 20
Armed all weapon slots with Lv.2 rockets.
Why'd You Go? 20
Hit the cancel button within 5 seconds of the start of the credits.
Three Sword Style 20
Armed all weapon slots with swords.

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TITLE: Mamoru-kun Wa Norowarette Shimatta! (Little Mamoru got cursed!)
GENRE: 16:9 Vertical Scrolling Shooter
PLATFORMS: PS3
DEVELOPER: Grev
PUBLISHER: Cyberfront
PLAYERS: 1 or 2
RATING: B 12+
PRICE: 8925 Yen (LE)
6279 Yen (SE)
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RELEASE DATE: March 31st, 2011
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WHY SHOULD I CARE ETC
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Mamoru-kun was a quirky shooter released for Arcade and later Xbox 360. Players control one of six characters in this vertical-scrolling style shoot-em-up with a scoring system built around chaining together enemies. The Xbox360 release featured a Story Mode along with Arcade Mode.

The PS3 release reworks the game into full 16:9 and gives a wider playfield to maneuver in. It also adds a new mode, a new soundtrack and new downloadable costumes.

This game is the first packaged release for a shooter on the PS3, despite being several years into the system's life-cycle.

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SCREENSHOTS
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LIMITED EDITION BOX ART AND CONTENTS
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Details coming soon.

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PS3 VERSION COSTUMES
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All optional costumes from the Xbox360 version are available via a DLC card that comes with the game. This card is available for both the LE and SE, but the SE is first printing only.

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GAME MODES AND SCORING SYSTEMS
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THE BASICS

Move with the joystick and hit shot to shoot. Hold shot for autofire. Holding shot will also fix your character in one direction. Tap shot or do not press any buttons to change the direction you're shooting in.

Hit the curse button to curse an enemy. Hold down the button to charge up your shot into a ball of energy. You can charge up to three levels, and the strongest curse ball will blast through mid-sized enemies. Any levels below that will "catch" on mid-sized enemies and create a curse field around them. This slowly drains the enemy's life, but it also produces red "suicide bullets" which pour from the enemy. You can cancel these with your regular shot. Destroying an enemy under a curse field will transform all of their bullets into stars. Also, enemies that pass by an enemy that has been cursed will become cursed themselves and when destroyed will produce stars/their bullets will turn into stars.

You can also hit the curse button to toss a curse field onto the ground. Enemies that cross this will, as in the example above, get cursed and give stars when destroyed. You can also step into this field to curse yourself and massively power up your shot. This is key to destroying many bosses, so use it!

One other thing to note is that ANY curse you use will briefly destroy all bullets on screen.

IN-GAME ITEMS

Time-recovery items: put more time on the clock.

Stars: Give you points and are key to chaining.

Hearts: Refill a heart container.

GAME STRUCTURE

The game has the following stages:

・Tutorial/Prologue

STAGES

・Sakura Hometown (桜の古&#37111
・Entrance to the Other World (冥界入&#21475
・Flying Garden (空中庭&#22290
・Southern Temple (南国寺&#38498
・Karakuri Castle (からくり&#22478

MISSIONS

・There are five "missions" which are harder boss battles for each stage above. They are unlocked after beating each stage.

LAST BOSSES

・True Last Boss (最終決&#25126
・Giant God Crow (大神&#40201

You can skip the prologue if you want, but to beat the game and get the real ending, you're going to need to clear 4 of the stages above plus four missions. You may run out of time, so make sure to grab time recovery items on your way through the stages. You also may want to rush through a few stages once you get familiar with their layout in order to maximize the time you have left.

The Giant God Crow will appear after beating two stages and two missions. It will only get you the bad ending, and it's a pretty tough fight, so there's no need to select it.

HEART CONTAINERS

What's most important about each stages is finding the location of the heart containers. The game may seem tough at first, but there are heart containers on almost each stage, so if you get clipped a few times you can still recover. Heart locations will vary with the mode that you're playing: Arcade has different heart locations than Story Mode and Story Mode has different locations from Mission Mode.

ARCADE MODE

・Cherry Blossom Village
To the right after crossing the first long bridge.
To the right at the gate before the boss.

・Gate to the Spirit World
A little above where you start out, a box under the pole on the left.
Turn left at the first fork. Behind the second giant skull.
On the left right before the boss next to the red gate.

・Sky Garden
Take the fork right and you'll easily find two heart items.

・Southern Temple
Barrel at your left at start of the level.
Barrel next to the manta ray before boarding.

・Karakuri Castle
Right route on 3rd floor: (where the big balls roll at you), near the stairs at the end.
Left route on 3rd floor: (log room) Move right to find a treasure box.
Left route on 3rd floor: (log room) In front of the stairs to the boss on the left.

STORY MODE

In different locations than above, but not hard to find so just search around.

MISSION MODE

Mission mode has a 16:9 aspect ratio for the screen which allows for more space within the levels. This opens up another heart container on the Southern Temple level. Move right after starting the stage and destroying the centipede. There is a long path with several barrels on it. Destroy all the barrels here for a heart item.

LAST BOSS STRATEGY

The last boss in Mamoru-kun is pretty tough, but if you get down the strategy to take him out you should be able to kill him without losing more than two lives.

Here's one video that shows an easy strategy for beating the boss. Mine is slightly different.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzU1bfkGMI0

Spoiler

1st Stage:

The boss will attack you as a giant hand. Curse yourself to power up and blast him with your shot. You shouldn't have to do much dodging at all here.

2nd Stage:

You have to follow the girl in white (Rumie) around the stage here and curse her when you find her. Charge your curse shot up to level 3 and blast through the incoming energy balls. When you find Rumie, curse and shoot her while dodging. This stage gets easier as you eliminate the hands. It's probably the toughest part of the boss.

3rd Stage:

Move on the interior "lip" of the arena to avoid all the popcorn enemy spam and curse an open eye when you find one. This will open up another eye on the other side, so wind around to find it. Use your curse shot to help cancel through all the suicide bullets coming at you and shoot the eye. You'll have to do this 4 times.

The last boss can take some getting used to, so you might want to jack your lives up to 5 and give him a run. It'll help you unlock some achievements and you can get the patterns down in the meantime.

CHAINING

Scoring in Mamoru-kun is based on chaining. Your chain will stay alive as long as there are stars in the air somewhere on screen. So one way to keep the chain going is to destroy a cursed enemy and hold down shot (keeping the stars floating without sucking them in), then scroll the screen a bit until you get to the next enemy, curse that one and then pull in the stars.

Chaining is the key to getting huge scores in the game, so getting used to how to keep it going and learning the layouts of the stages will boost your score.

STORY MODE

In Story Mode you'll play through the Arcade Mode stages all in one sequence, like a typical shooting game. There are several trophies/achievements hidden in this mode and while they can be a bit of a pain in the ass to unlock, they're on your way to the platinum so you should learn them.

To see the true ending in Story Mode, you will need to destroy special gold enemies in the stages and defeat bosses with a certain character.

BOSS ORDER
1st Stage Beniko
2nd Stage Mayuno
3rd Stage Kinya
4th Stage Mamoru
5th Stage Fululu

For info on the gold enemies that you need to destroy in the stages, see this breakdown of the achievements:

http://d.hatena.ne.jp/elixir68k/19990112

There are pictures of the enemies you need to destroy here (in Japanese):

http://fujikko.at.webry.info/200906/article_29.html

MEIKAI GEKIJOU MODE

The Meikai Gekijou Mode is a PS3 exclusive and it breaks stages into "missions" which have to be completed. There are over 40 missions.

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DEMO
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■■■There is a free demo with two stages of the new Meikai Gekijou Mode available on JP PSN.■■■

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DLC
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Free theme!

Costume DLC is available and apparently is necessary to platinum the game.

Arrange costumes are below:

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TROPHIES
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Platinum キミも呪われてしまった！ Obtain all trophies
Bronze 六華撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "桜の古郷" stage
Bronze 天狐／空狐撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "冥界入口" stage
Bronze 舞蒼扇撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "空中庭園" stage
Bronze 婆娑婆娑撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "南国寺院" stage
Bronze 阿含陀羅撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "カラクリ城" stage
Bronze 大禍撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the final battle "真・最終決戦"
Bronze 大神鴉：戒撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "最終決戦" stage
Bronze 強化六華撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "桜の古郷ミッション" mission
Bronze 強化天狐／空狐撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "冥界入口ミッション" mission
Bronze 強化舞蒼扇撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "空中庭園ミッション" mission
Bronze 強化婆娑婆娑撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "南国寺院ミッション"
Bronze 強化阿含陀羅撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "カラクリ城ミッション"
Bronze 大神鴉撃破 Arcade Mode: Clear the "オリジナルミッション"
Bronze アーケードモードクリア（まもる） Clear Arcade Mode using Mamoru (1 Credit, Higher than 3 stars difficulty)
Bronze アーケードモードクリア（マユノ） Clear Arcade Mode using Mayuno (1 Credit, Higher than 3 stars difficulty)
Bronze アーケードモードクリア（キンヤ） Clear Arcade Mode using Kinya (1 Credit, Higher than 3 stars difficulty)
Bronze アーケードモードクリア（ベニ子） Clear Arcade Mode using Beniko (1 Credit, Higher than 3 stars difficulty)
Bronze アーケードモードクリア（ふるる） Clear Arcade Mode using Fururu (1 Credit, Higher than 3 stars difficulty)
Bronze アーケードモードクリア（ルキノ） Clear Arcade Mode using をルキノでクリア(1 Credit, Higher than 3 stars difficulty)
Bronze アーケードモードクリア（のわ） Arcade Modeをのわでクリア(1 Credit, Higher than 3 stars difficulty)
Silver 涅槃寂静 Clear Arcade Mode on the highest difficulty (1 Credit, Any Character)
Silver 免許皆伝 Clear Arcade Mode without dying, any character. (Higher than 3 stars difficulty)
Bronze 魂葬神出現 Get a "Time Up"
Silver 冥界へようこそ！ Open the Main Menu
Bronze ランクイン！ Enter your name in the rankings
Silver 一攫千金 Raise your combo above 1000
Silver 冥界百万石 Collect 1,000,000 star items
Silver 丑の刻参り Curse enemies more than 108 times
Silver 煩悩退散 Curse yourself more than 108 times
Silver ギャラリー完成 Unlock all illustrations in the gallery
Silver ワタシの名前は... Clear Story Mode
Bronze 振り出しに戻る？ Enter the second loop of Story Mode
Bronze 冥界入口、解放(1) Defeat the first Story Mode boss using Beniko
Bronze 冥界入口、解放(2) Defeat the golden enemies in the "冥界入口" level before they run away
Bronze 桜の古郷、解放(1) Defeat the "桜の古郷ボス" boss in Story Mode using Mayuno
Bronze 桜の古郷、解放(2) Defeat the golden toads in Story Mode before they run away
Bronze 南国寺院、解放(1) Defeat the "南国寺院" boss in Story Mode using Kinya
Bronze 南国寺院、解放(2) Defeat all of the purple batabatas in "南国寺院" before they run away
Bronze 空中庭園、解放(1) Defeat the "空中庭園" boss in Story Mode using Mamoru
Bronze 空中庭園、解放(2) Defeat all of the golden Yatas in Story Mode before they run away
Bronze カラクリ城、解放(1) Defeat the "カラクリ城" boss in Story Mode using Fururu
Bronze カラクリ城、解放(2) Defeat the golden Mizunosuke or golden cart in Story Mode
Silver おいでませ！冥界活劇！！ Start up Meikai Gekijou mode
Bronze 活劇初心者卒業！ Clear all the low difficulty courses
Bronze 活劇中級者卒業！ Clear all the medium difficulty courses
Bronze 活劇上級者！ Clear all the high difficulty courses
Bronze 活劇の覇王 Clear all the devilish difficulty courses
Bronze 冥界活劇の修羅 Clear all the ultra-devilish difficulty courses
Bronze 活劇初手の初手 Clear all the simple courses
Bronze まも呪活劇マスター Clear all basic exam and applied exam courses
Bronze 冥界活劇ツーリスト Clear all Meikai Vacation courses
Bronze 活劇無頼 Clear all of the "突破" (charge through) courses
Bronze 活劇逃亡完了 Clear all of the "呪" "curse" courses
Bronze 活劇陥落 Clear all "鬼" devil courses
Gold 冥界活劇完全制覇！ Clear all courses

 

[Tain]

Awesome thread, as always!

Getting Strania immediately when I get home from work. Totally wasn't paying attention to the date. Hoping they didn't let the platform affect the game all that much.

Does PS3 Mamoru have an original mode? Might have to get it if so.

and when is their next arcade game goddamn

 

[Princess Skittles]

I'm still bummed that Senko no Ronde 2 never came out here.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I love G.Rev, so I'm excited for both.

 

[Tain]

I'm still bummed that Senko no Ronde 2 never came out here.

You should be. It's an awesome game.

ahuahuahuahuahua

 

[kassatsu]

You have a Spacebucks price for Mamoru-kun.

 

[Quixzlizx]

How were the previous versions of Mamoru-kun? I want to buy it to support PS3 shmup releases (guaranteed region-free), but I also don't want to spend a ton for a mediocre game.

Strania will be bought.

 

[JustAnotherOtaku]

Fantastic OP, great job

Posting my Strania thoughts from the other thread:

* There's a nice variety to the stages and it's not just continuous shooting as there are different objectives in each.

* No infinite continues (at least not initially) and you continue at checkpoints and don't just respawn.

* Music is amazing! Really nice retro feel which keeps in line with the rest of the game.

* Mechs look fantastic and the brief little set pieces before boss fights are a nice touch.

* Graphically it is impressive and as above, the character/mech designs are the highlight.

Didn't pick up Mamoru-kun as I already own it on 360 but it too is a great game.

 

[JWong]

Not enough icecream-type screenshots.

 

[sixteen-bit]

You should be. It's an awesome game.

ahuahuahuahuahua

non-ivory tower gamers like me with no J-360

 

[adversesolutions]

Awesome thread, as always!

Getting Strania immediately when I get home from work. Totally wasn't paying attention to the date. Hoping they didn't let the platform affect the game all that much.

Does PS3 Mamoru have an original mode? Might have to get it if so.

and when is their next arcade game goddamn

Thanks for the props!

PS3 Mamoru does have an original mode, all I remember is that it was much more manic. I'll look into it tomorrow and post up information.

I'm still bummed that Senko no Ronde 2 never came out here.

Senko 2 was a really good game IMO, and the 360 version especially was full of charm. Long and interesting Story Mode where you battle other characters while you go through the story on paths that you choose. Good online mode, good achievements. Totally solid release.

That game was doomed to the J-360 netherworld however by the addition of all that text in the Story Mode. Shame, I think that in the hands of a company like Aksys, who has done fighters and shooters, the game actually would have had a chance. Maybe if they do a PS3 re-release...

You have a Spacebucks price for Mamoru-kun.

Thankee, fixed!

How were the previous versions of Mamoru-kun? I want to buy it to support PS3 shmup releases (guaranteed region-free), but I also don't want to spend a ton for a mediocre game.

Strania will be bought.

The scoring system in Mamoru-kun is its biggest downfall because there are places where enemies basically respawn infinitely leading to obscenely long chains. For me, the fun of the game was in the 1CC challenge for each character and the Story Mode.

I'll post up some videos when I wake up tomorrow.

Heading to bed now, enjoy dat Strania!

 

[Reluctant-Hero]

Downloaded Strania this morning, but I won't play it until tonight after work. And what the what, I had no idea that G.Rev was releasing another shooter on PS3!

Ugh... the amount of import, region free, shooters coming out right now is too much for me. Bulletsoul, Eshantos and Mamoru-Kun. My wallet cries. I think I may be able afford one of those three...

Oh, I also bought MMP & Pink Sweets last month and have yet to even play it!

 

[LiK]

Downloaded Strania this morning, but I won't play it until tonight after work. And what the what, I had no idea that G.Rev was releasing another shooter on PS3!

Ugh... the amount of import, region free, shooters coming out right now is too much for me. Bulletsoul, Eshantos and Mamoru-Kun. My wallet cries. I think I may be able afford one of those three...

Oh, I also bought MMP & Pink Sweets last month and have yet to even play it!

WTF are you doing with your life?!

 

[Quixzlizx]

The scoring system in Mamoru-kun is its biggest downfall because there are places where enemies basically respawn infinitely leading to obscenely long chains. For me, the fun of the game was in the 1CC challenge for each character and the Story Mode.

I guess I should mention that I'm not good enough at shmups to worry about the scoring/chaining system for the most part, haha.

 

[Windom Earle]

Is there a place I can still get that LE from? Looks godlike and I love G-Rev.

 

[Reluctant-Hero]

Is there a place I can still get that LE from? Looks godlike and I love G-Rev.

NCSX has it for $110.90

 

[hipgnosis]

Great thread Adverse!

Tried a couple of credits of Strania today and I gotta say I'm quite impressed. Presentation is great and I'm diggin the music. Haven't figured out the scoring system yet, but I'm having fun playing for survival. The game feels fresh. Feels very much like a Treasure game.

I also like the camera angles when you clear a stage and your enemies explode in the background, it is quite impressive stuff.

For 10$ you can't go wrong with this game and I'd say it is a must for any shmup fan out there.

 

[Shig]

So it seems like credits and hit points in Strania are basically the same thing, despite the menu before you start having them listed seperately (both set to 3 as default)? When you lose your hit points, there's no continue prompt, it's just game over.

I'm not complainin' really, it's just the way it's presented as seperate options is a bit misleading.

 

[Dambrosi]

Aw, isn't that sweet? PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 working together. It's just like Neptunia!

...hold on, wait.

Still, I'm glad I'm getting a 360 for games like this

Spoiler

since there's no chance of them coming for PS3 (grrrr)

.

 

[Shig]

Yeah, it does seem like that was the intent with those designs.

Thanks for giving me a visual aid for my preceding post, also.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I just remembered, I have yet to try the JPSN demo for Momoru-kun.

It's still up right?

 

[Dambrosi]

Yeah, it does seem like that was the intent with those designs.

It would help their cause if they ever released this for PSN. *mumble grumble*

 

[SAB CA]

Armor is the amount of hits you can take before you die... Credits are the number of continues you have, IF you enable continues, right? So it's more like... HP and Lives, in this case.

Bonus note: Yui and Soichirou both have different attacks when they get dual swords. She spins the swords around her in a circle, making a semi-shield that eats shots, and he slashes both swords forward, creating a shockwave (that probably also eats shots).

And speaking of Yui, she's so Hardcore, lol. According to the "how to play" character info, she's been killed 3 times in combat, and her body is 70% regenerated cells? :lol: She's the leader of their group, and Souichirou is the rookie, not experienced enough to call an Ace yet. Random little fun details.

Oh, and I've noticed you seem to be able to level up the Blue weps (side Strania) but not the Red Weps (side Vower). I believe the DLC preview already showed them with lvl 2 versions of their weps, so I'm guessing that'll be one gameplay difference between playing them. Sword doesn't seem to be able to level at all either, which isn't suprising, since it's the only one that gets a special attack for weilding 2.

 

[Wehrwolf]

Couldn't the thread have been titled "The Mega-GRev Shooter Post, because they're totally awesome and sweet "?

 

[Shig]

Armor is the amount of hits you can take before you die... Credits are the number of continues you have, IF you enable continues, right? So it's more like... HP and Lives, in this case.

Oh yeah, durr. I wasn't even paying attention to 'continue' being off.

Argh why is this thread dropping so fast. There is a new shmup for your Xbox by a well-reputed shmup developer for $10, people. Get on that shit!

(Maybe put "(XBLA)" after Strania in the thread title? It kind of reads like they're both PS3 retail games.)

 

[Tain]

This is pretty cool so far. Definitely doesn't seem as polished as Border Down or Under Defeat, but it's still gorgeous and has great music.

Need to play more to say much, but this seems like an arcade game through and through so far, and I'm happy about that.

Also, continues are off by default, <3

 

[SAB CA]

Oh yeah, durr. I wasn't even paying attention to 'continue' being off.

Argh why is this thread dropping so fast. There is a new shmup for your Xbox by a well-reputed shmup developer for $10, people. Get on that shit!

NP, I had to focuse on it too at first, haha.

And as far as thread dropping... heh, the Joystiq XBLA in brief had a "There's quite a few games on the service like this, but this ones nice, I guess..." along with comments of "Seems good, but a bit too generic for my taste!" I guess the masses don't find this game very exciting...

I rather like it myself, though! So efficient, loads up so fast, continues fast, stages feel like they have good gimmicks, and don't feel like lengthy chores... it's a great "arcade" game, with good pacing and shifts of gameplay. But not all the gamers of today appreciate these things...

 

[iconoclast]

I no missed to the stage 4 boss and still got wrecked with 6 lives in stock. God damn time to go to training mode.

 

[adversesolutions]

I no missed to the stage 4 boss and still got wrecked with 6 lives in stock. God damn time to go to training mode.

There are people on shmups claiming that boss is easy. Lol...I'm literally having trouble with it in Training mode. Pretty sure you have to use Swords to take it down, either that or another weapon I don't use, like the Rocket or something.

 

[iconoclast]

The Rocket is really good against bosses, that's what I've been using against him in training mode. I'm starting to get used to his patterns, you just have to dodge most of them preemptively (namely his melee attacks, his dives, and when he shoots his feet at you or whatever). I'm not sure how to dodge the giant laser without cornering yourself though. I just activate OD and use the invincibility to get through it.

Game's awesome though. Really enjoying it.

edit: Finally got past him. Stage 5 kicked my ass though, you really need to use Reflect or the Side shot on that stage. The st5 boss is fun and very doable too. Sword kicks his ass.

 

[iconoclast]

Bah, just died on the final boss. Made it to him with no lives left, no OD, and I didn't know what to expect so I got killed within seconds, lol. Gonna have to practice him later on, a 1cc shouldn't be too far off. At least I got #9 on the leaderboard with 3.4 mil.

I'm not sure how the first and second place guys got 7-8 million points though. I think once your weapon reaches max rank, you keep earning the 100,000 bonus for good. If you switch weapons, you lose your bonus. So I guess I'll be rocking the Vulcan/Rocket/Sword combo until stage 5, where I'll drop the Vulcan for the Side shot.

 

[adversesolutions]

Bah, just died on the final boss. Made it to him with no lives left, no OD, and I didn't know what to expect so I got killed within seconds, lol. Gonna have to practice him later on, a 1cc shouldn't be too far off. At least I got #9 on the leaderboard with 3.4 mil.

I'm not sure how the first and second place guys got 7-8 million points though. I think once your weapon reaches max rank, you keep earning the 100,000 bonus for good. If you switch weapons, you lose your bonus. So I guess I'll be rocking the Vulcan/Rocket/Sword combo until stage 5, where I'll drop the Vulcan for the Side shot.

Awesome man, good to see you ripping into this one.

I'm right behind you once I get off work, but I think it's going to take a sec to get past that Stage 4 boss. Anyone else loving how this game doesn't have replays? I hate spoiling the whole game for myself by watching replays. More fun to figure it out on your own.

----------------------------------------
OP Update: Achievements added!

 

[Tain]

Yeah, I'm pretty okay with not having replays. It's always too tempting to spoil things for myself with pretty much any arcade game out there.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

So how hard is this compared to G Rev's past shmups... particularly Under Defeat? Haven't had a chance to buy the game yet, but I think I wanna make it the next game I attempt to 1cc.

 

[Tain]

It doesn't seem as hard as BD to me. Probably not as hard as Under Defeat, either, though it's been a while since I've played that one.

This is only from the credits I got in today though.

 

[Reluctant-Hero]

Scrolling through the high scores list on normal, there are just under 1500 registered scores. I hope this release does well for G.Rev...

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Scrolling through the high scores list on normal, there are just under 1500 registered scores. I hope this release does well for G.Rev...

I doubt it will. There's no fanfare... far less than there would be for a Cave game like Guwange, and the title of the game is still in Japanese for fuck's sake. I doubt that a lot of people even in the shmup crowd are going to even know what this is.

I'll do my part, however.

 

[adversesolutions]

News Maruyama was promising yesterday is coming up now.

Custom Mamoru-kun theme is available now for free on PS3!

Mamoru-kun icons will be available April 21st for 20 yen.

One more news item left.

 

[iconoclast]

Just 1cc'd Normal mode. Got 11million and #1 on the leaderboard. Fuck yeah!

Awesome game. I can still improve my score by 1-2 million as well, but fuck it I'm satisfied.

 

[JustAnotherOtaku]

Just 1cc'd Normal mode. Got 11million and #1 on the leaderboard. Fuck yeah!

Nice one! Do the amount of credits increase the more you play or anything?

 

[iconoclast]

Yeah, you get more credits the more you play. First you'll get 5, and then a little while later you get 7. I haven't gotten any more than that, but I figure you'll get infinite credits eventually.

 

[JustAnotherOtaku]

Yeah, you get more credits the more you play. First you'll get 5, and then a little while later you get 7. I haven't gotten any more than that, but I figure you'll get infinite credits eventually.

Ah that's nice, thanks for the info. I only put an hour or so in yesterday so will definitely be spending more time with this over the next few days.

 

[sixteen-bit]

News Maruyama was promising yesterday is coming up now.

http://www.grev.co.jp/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/SCREENSHOT.jpg

Custom Mamoru-kun theme is available now for free on PS3!

Mamoru-kun icons will be available April 21st for 20 yen.

One more news item left.

Ooh, nice. I'll definitely pick up this theme.

 

[danmaku]

Totally forgot about Strania. Donwloading the demo...

 

[djtiesto]

Any chance in hell of a Mamoru-kun US release? Loved the game when I played it on J-360 a few years back, even if it's a bit lacking in the challenge department.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Any chance in hell of a Mamoru-kun US release? Loved the game when I played it on J-360 a few years back, even if it's a bit lacking in the challenge department.

Never say never, but at least it's region-free

 

[jetsetfluken]

Does this count as an OT for Mamoru-kun? I was going to make one, but now...

I will just say it needs more attention, it's one of the most refreshing shooters and most genuine fun I've had with a game in a long, long time. Played the demo for hours already, my Limited Edition should be here in a few days.
Is this really PS3's first retail shootem' up? I'm doubting it but I can't recall many. Still confused why 360 has been getting all of them while PS3 gets none, but this is a start.

If anyone remembers Pocky & Rocky on SNES, this is it's "spiritual successor" in a way. No idea if the original people are part of this, but the art style, music and lush graphics just remind me of it so much. Down to all the little traditional quirky Japanese elements.
The grassy stage for example (first screen in this post) reminds me so much of the Mt. Fuji/outside Oedo Town area in Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (N64), down to the lush pink spring trees and leaves floating around and color palette of the area in general. Just these little signature elements that really give a feel good nostalgia vibe.

What is this about LE DLC? Does it come in-box or is it a preorder thing? And how would you say the challenge of this game is in difficulty? I can get through the demo stages without dying, but no idea what difficulty setting those are on.

This thread needs some Mamoru-kun screens:

 

[Corto]

How easy is navigating the menus to a non-japanese speaking player?

 

[jetsetfluken]

How easy is navigating the menus to a non-japanese speaking player?

All menu's are in English.

 

[Slermy]

Does this count as an OT for Mamoru-kun? I was going to make one, but now...

STUFF

Thanks for that info. I'm still not sold on Mamoru-kun though, what makes it so awesome? I've seen a few videos and it just isn't grabbing me.

I did pick up and play a bit of Strania last night. (Gotta support G.Rev!) I'm really enjoying it; the weapon management reminds me of Einhander. It is too bad that Senko no Ronde 2 never came out here.