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Post by ECM on Jul 13, 2011 12:14:37 GMT -5
I don't even mind the hype. I mean, I'm the guy that was buying their PCBs for several years because there was, upon a time, little-to-no-hope (mostly no hope) that certain games would ever see the light of day on a console.
I'm just sick of the danmaku sub-genre (sadly, I realized this about 6 months *after* buying the import 360) and would like just a tiny bit of balance/variety in the shooterverse, where we got more TFVI's along w/ the Cave stuff. (And it's gotten to the point that even the doujin scene has gone completely bullet hell, which makes ECM a sad ace fighter pilot.)
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Post by ECM on Jul 13, 2011 12:40:14 GMT -5
That one is region-free, iirc, so it's actually playable by everyone.
And I wrote it off because it looked like a budget shooter which, I guess, is shame on me but, after well over a decade of being everyone's import guinea pig, I passed on it because I figured I'd end up w/ another game I'd play for 15 minutes and never touch again...*stares at, literally, dozens of imports (of all genres) that fit this description*
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Post by kog3100edw on Jul 13, 2011 15:08:22 GMT -5
Strania isn't a bullet hell shooter either.
And I really like it. It has more variety in enemy attack styles, boss attacks, and actual obstacle course levels. The fact that you can actually scrape walls a bit (like Border Down) just makes it that much better. It also has weapon switching, like ThunderForce, though the weapons themselves aren't similar.
The graphics aren't high-budget but they are a lot slicker than Eschatos. The one big complaint I've heard about it is that weapon drops occur so frequently that you often get a weapon you don't want, but this can be countered by swinging your sword when you pass over the drop.
Have you looked at Strania, ECM?
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Post by kog3100edw on Jul 13, 2011 15:11:37 GMT -5
I'm more forgiving of Bullet Soul than most hardcores are. I think its biggest sin is to just be boring for the first almost-two levels. But it is just another danmaku so I'm not recommending it as a cure for ECM's bullet-hell constipation.
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Post by ECM on Jul 13, 2011 16:15:13 GMT -5
Actually, I haven't, but I will take these recommendations under advisement (and, perhaps, dig my 360(s) out of cold storage, a.k.a. my garage).
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AllenSmithee
Stripling
Compulsive Pedant
dead men don't have dog days
Posts: 92
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Post by AllenSmithee on Jul 13, 2011 16:27:29 GMT -5
Strania is pretty much the best thing for a while.
I need to get a 360 again.
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Post by elchevalier on Jul 13, 2011 20:53:01 GMT -5
I'm done with bullet hell games, unless there is something out there that really really stands apart from the rest.
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Post by ECM on Jul 13, 2011 22:01:49 GMT -5
Yes, being a resident of Mexico I can see where you might be a wee bit tired of bullet hell.
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Post by kog3100edw on Jul 14, 2011 11:52:05 GMT -5
I think Akai Katana DOES stand out from the rest.
Horizontal orientation so HD visuals fill entire screen. Three modes with Shin being wildly different from the other two, Arcade and Zetsu. Shin is my favorite.
It isn't unbelievably difficult and it really encourages you to play for score because how the score mechanic manifests on the screen is super satisfying. It has bombs like all Cave games too, but Shin has another mechanic that provides an re-usable uber-weapon that is far cooler than the bombs. The scoring seems complicated, but once you get it, it is really REALLY hard to ignore it and play just for survival. Just too cathartic.
The levels vary in length, so while it has seven as opposed to the usual five, it feels only marginally longer than a typical Cave game. The novice modes are included but are not a huge step down from the normal settings.
So I guess it depends on what you're tiring of with danmaku games. Akai Katana has many of the hallmarks, but it is so frickin' spectacular and balanced. The screen is frequently filled with bullets and score items but it never seems unmanageable. Aesthetically my only complaint is how all the onscreen action frequently obscures the Metal Slug-like graphics.
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Post by kog3100edw on Jul 15, 2011 12:53:21 GMT -5
In anticipation of the big-budget third person combat and shooter game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine which releases at the beginning of September, XBLA (I dunno about PSN) has gotten a little twin-stick shooter called Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team.
It doesn't do anything really different than a lot of similar controlling games but boy is it fun. The controls are tight and responsive, and though it is fairly simple and low-money, they did a pretty good job of capturing the chunky, spiky look of the 40K world. In contrast to the later game's efforts in making Marines and Orks look 'real' the characters in this game look rather like they are in the scale of the models (28mm). So it's like playing a run'n'gun-style game with your toy soldiers... only the battlefield is a lot more elaborate and there are pyrotechnic effects instead of the 'pew-pew' and 'kaboosh' noises you'd have to make yourself.
Yes, I'm pretty sure 60% of my enthrallment is due to the dearth of action games based on GW properties, and my own involvement in the company. YMMV.
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Post by ECM on Jul 15, 2011 13:14:17 GMT -5
I'd really, really love to see an update on Space Hulk (the 3DO/SS version) and, though my knowledge of Warhammer in general is limited to the games, I do love the 40K mythos.
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Post by kog3100edw on Jul 15, 2011 14:36:10 GMT -5
Obviously various things have to be altered for playability's sake. the same way MvC has to take a lot of liberties with the superheroes. WH40K is about squads and armies, but if you're ever going to have a video game that is NOT strategy-based (like Dawn of War obviously) then you are going to have to put a lot more emphasis on individual characters than the tabletop games do. Fortunately the background, the mythos, allows this... but in novels and comics, you usually have to go to some loner characters like Inquisitors or Rogue Traders for your protagonist.
But nothing about 40K is as iconic as their Space Marines. In the mythos, Space Marines DON'T act alone. So if you want the most recognisable type of character as the player avatar, and yet make it an action single-hero style of game, something has to give. So in the case of Kill Team, they broke canon. They probably should've and could've made your avatar a squad leader who gets separated from his unit OR is a lone survivor, but the game has loads of different mission objectives and all that, so they've kinda gone with YOU alone is all that's needed.
Hopefully the upcoming Space Marine will do a little more work to make the player feel like they are part of a squad even if you are controlling only the one Marine. Dynasty Warriors hs managed it through a bazillion iterations.
Nonetheless, ECM, there are A LOT of similarities between the Space Hulk concept and this new Kill Team game. It isn't claustrophobic like Space Hulk, but it isn't as one-note as kill-the-Genestealers-only either. And I did spot a Tyranid Lictor (Genestealer relative) or something in the advert videos. The Marines immediately turn tail and run!
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Post by kog3100edw on Jul 15, 2011 14:39:20 GMT -5
Writeup for Akai Katana Shin is now on The Ramble.
Not the longest thing I've ever done, but you still might want to pack that overnight bag and some snacks.
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Post by kog3100edw on Jul 15, 2011 18:15:41 GMT -5
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Post by ECM on Jul 15, 2011 18:50:25 GMT -5
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