Incline Shoot'em up goodness (review and discuss)

[ArchAngel]

 

[Lyric Suite]

Got to the part about the level design and quit the video. Basically a nu-Doom clone.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Objectively I think DOJ might be Cave's very best game. I suck terribly at it but I love everything about it, the bosses, the patterns, and the music.

It has a great atmosphere. I only played it through MAME but i always imagined myself playing it in an arcade at night.

 

[Morenatsu.]

V-V is awesome and I like it and Outzone too let's listen to toaplan soundtracks all day

 

[Morenatsu.]

GUISE

ILLUMINATION LASER

my new favourite thing it's such art

 

[Doc Sportello]

I'm not an expert but ハームフル・パーク a.k.a. Harmful Park is hands down the best shmup I ever played (I didn't play that many tho, only a handful lmao):

That cover? Simply beautiful. And the music? Bro just listen to this...

 

[gabel]

I know we use MAME here, but might be worth it in a sale or so:


Has both versions, Special being one of the easiest 1CCs ever.
Great soundtrack as well.

 

[Morenatsu.]

I like Batsugun, but it's not really all that replayable to me. There isn't much to the scoring and even the survival is rather unexciting outside of a couple bosses. Donpachi is better for score, and Mushihimesama Original is a better 'experience', and other Toaplan games are just more interesting overall. Of course, the soundtrack and aesthetics are still amazing, but.

 

[gabel]

It has a special place in my heart because it was my second or third 1CC (first was DonPachi, the other Futari Black Label Original), so I didn't give a shit about scoring at the time, and, as you said, art style and soundtrack are fantastic.

 

[gabel]

Akai Katana (CAVE), perfectly emulatable, and always a bit too hard for me (I dislike horis in general.).
Maybe another sale candidate, graphics are nice, but imo it's one of the titles that started the downworth trend.

 

[Morenatsu.]

Guise im starting to think Dodonpachi is kind of shit and overrated. I like complaining about Futari but at least Black Label there is significantly more fun. After playing Donpachi more and taking the chaining much more seriously, DDP feels so lame and dumb in comparison. Crap soundtrack, chains don't feel like anything unless it's most of the level, point items are completely worthless, survival is gey and boaring for the first half, ship types feel kind of half redundant, and overall the design just feels kind of weak beyond lol chain go brrrr. So you can get hundred millions if you autismax all the stages. Wow great. In Donpachi I feel much cooler getting even little tiny baby loser chains.

Why would anyone simp for DDP when DOJ exists? And I usually prefer older games, too (well, I guess that's Donpachi in this case, so it's still true).

 

[HeatEXTEND]

DDP is perfect for filthy casuals like me, it hits the visual sweet spot between DP and later iterations, it looks the best out of the bunch; also the scoring is so strict it's ez to go "yeah fuck that" and just have fun casually.

 

[Morenatsu.]

Cave games are mostly about scoring, though. I don't know what it is, but I don't really like the patterns in DDP. They just make me want to bomb every time even though I can easily do them. Touhou often felt like that, too. Bullets too slow?

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Cave games are mostly about scoring, though.

Not for a filthy casual

 

[Morenatsu.]

i score casually

with ur mum

 

[Matador]

I´m back! Gonna try to 1CC something reasonable like Batsugun Special before trying to tackle again Dodonpachi (Last time a managed to arrive at level 5 boss with 1 credit).

 

[Matador]

Batsugun Special completed with one credit. My first 1CC ever!

I didn´t expect to do it so soon because I was just doing a casual run, I never played level 5 or the final boss and arrived to it with 2 lives and 4 bombs total. I did a very clutch performance and beat it with one extra bomb.

Hardest level is level 4 by far. You have to have planned your bombs because most of the mayor threats are ships spawning close and shoot you in the face with fast bullets. Also the jets spawning behind you are somewhat nasty.

Level 1,2,3 are easy, except level 2 boss. But just invested and is dead.

What should be next 1CC try? I'm doubting between Sorcer Striker, Mushimesama Futari Black label, Slap Fight or Darius Gaiden.

 

[Matador]

Update. I manage to arrive to Stage 8 in second loop, my final score:

 

[Matador]

1CC in Mushihimesama Futari Black Label.

Maybe I will try Dodonpachi next, although I think it will be a notable increase in difficulty.

 

[gabel]

Indeed it will.
Why not try DonPachi first?

 

[Matador]

Indeed it will.
Why not try DonPachi first?

I enjoy Dodonpachi a lot and I can get to level 5 boss in one credit. Still some work to do, but I think I can do the 1cc with practice reasonably soon.

 

[gabel]

Fair enough, glad you're enjoying the genre.
And great progress btw!

 

[Matador]

Fair enough, glad you're enjoying the genre.
And great progress btw!

It's great. Nowadays I don't have so much time to lose in stupid cinematics and gameplay downtime in modern games.

In shmups you boot the game and start having fun in seconds.

 

[Morenatsu.]

Fair enough, glad you're enjoying the genre.
And great progress btw!

It's great. Nowadays I don't have so much time to lose in stupid cinematics and gameplay downtime in modern games.

In shmups you boot the game and start having fun in seconds.

you even get better story too!

 

[Matador]

I made it. Dodonpachi 1-ALL witch C-L ship!
Scrub bomb clear, but I feel this as one of my greatest gaming achievements. Stage 5 and 6 are crazy.

The 1CC was decided when I managed to destroy stage 4 boss with the glitch and no bombs. I almost mess up the run dying with 4 bombs in stage 5 boss. But I manage to beat final boss with the last bomb.


Key for me is having learned stages 1-4 and first half of 5 (and boss) to not waste too many bombs. And just bomb the remaining of the game (2nd third of level 5 is retarded). I used 7 from Stage 1 to 4 (you shouldn´t go over 10) out of 35-37 that the game gives you in total, if you get 2 point extends and secret extend in stage 3.

Stage 6 didn´t seem as bad as 5, and had the intention to learn it if necessary, but it was not needed in the end. Final boss without at least 3 bombs (I used 8) seems nasty.

I´m thinking about tackling DOJ Black label next. Any advice? (ships,etc?)

Great Deceiver Dedicated to you . You helped me introducing to the genre with the free sync monitor and retroarch tips, and many more noob questions I made and you answered.