Author Topic: Cave shooters (Read 1783 times)

Rman · « **on:** August 08, 2010, 10:13:06 PM »

I've never really played Cave shooters despite their acclaim. They just seemed way too hardcore for me, at least based on the crazy 1cc Youtube videos, but out of curiosity I picked up the iPhone version of Espgaluda II. It was only 9 bucks, so I gave it a shot. Man, what a game. Definitely, one of the the better iPhone games. I played and beat easy modes, but it was still very fun. Some highlights:

-The game is challenging, but your hitbox is actually very small compared to your sprite, so the waves of bullets are actually avoidable.
-The game provides you with tools to avoid waves of bullets, so there's some strategy involved. It's also much more forgiving than Ikagura, a game that soured my on the genre.
-The music is fantastic.

So, I might look into getting proper console versions of these games. I know DeathSmiles just came out; I also know the Japanese 360 has gotten a bulk of the games. What other Cave shooters are available for a North American region 360?

iconoclast · « **Reply #1 on:** August 08, 2010, 10:23:23 PM »

Mushihime-sama Futari is region-free, so you can import that. It also has the Black Label DLC (1200 pts) up on the marketplace to download, so there is a whole lot of content in it. Definitely one of Cave's best games.

Espgaluda 2 Black Label is region free as well. Only the standard edition is though, the limited edition is region locked.

Guwange should be coming out on XBLA within the next couple months.

You should also check out some of their older games on MAME:

Donpachi
Dodonpachi (one of their best games)
Guwange
Dangun Feveron (very under-appreciated)
ESP Ra.De
Progear

Ketsui, Death Smiles 2X, and Dodonpachi Dai Ou Jou Black Label are also on the 360, but those are Japan-only for now. IMO, the only one that has a shot of coming out stateside is Death Smiles 2X.

Bebpo · « **Reply #2 on:** August 08, 2010, 10:45:43 PM »

Incredibly small hitbox is what makes Cave games feel different than other shmups imo and what makes them more fun. The bullet stuff is chaotic, but your hitbox is so tiny you stand a fair chance.

and yeah I'd get futari first.

Rman · « **Reply #3 on:** August 08, 2010, 11:01:16 PM »

Is the Ipad version a native app, or it just the blown up iPhone version?

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #4 on:** August 09, 2010, 12:18:12 PM »

blown up iphone version, but it still looks gorgeous nonetheless

iconoclast · « **Reply #5 on:** August 15, 2010, 09:23:56 PM »

I wish other STG developers would step up and start putting more games on the system. Cave's support alone has made the 360 the best console for shooters since the Saturn.

I'm so glad they're doing MMP + Pink Sweets combo. Been hoping for some combo packs of older/less popular games, but never thought they would actually do it.

Cave

Bebpo · « **Reply #6 on:** August 15, 2010, 10:30:38 PM »

Quote from: dcharlie on August 15, 2010, 09:00:54 PM

Cave festival was this weekend - announced :

Dodonpachi DFK 1.5 - X360
Muchi Muchi Pork + Pink Sweets double pack - X360
Dangun Feveron - unknown - was played with X360 controllers, either XBLA or -another- double pack?

DDP DOJ Patch due next month.

:O x :O = :O :O :O infinity

Yeah it's hot stuff coming your way

cool breeze · « **Reply #7 on:** August 15, 2010, 11:07:01 PM »

One day I need to try and get into these types of shooters. The types I like are from Compile (aleste games) and R-type like ones.

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #8 on:** August 15, 2010, 11:22:51 PM »

i want MOAR cave on iphone/ipad

iconoclast · « **Reply #9 on:** August 15, 2010, 11:32:21 PM »

Quote from: Van Cruncheon on August 15, 2010, 11:22:51 PM

i want MOAR cave on iphone/ipad

Mushi Futari is probably coming after DDP Daifukkatsu. At least, I remember seeing a Futari icon on their site under the iPhone section, even before they announced DDP DFK. As long as they don't betrayalton the 360, I'm all for more portable games.

Bebpo · « **Reply #10 on:** August 16, 2010, 12:43:42 AM »

Yeah, DDP DoJ was my first Cave shmup and turned me into a fan.

Linkzg, did you play Raider Fighters Aces? I think the best way to get into Cave is to go from stuff like Gradius -> RFA -> DDP; DDP is RFA aesthetic and fun mixed with Cave-isms.

iconoclast · « **Reply #11 on:** August 16, 2010, 01:13:12 AM »

Mushihime-sama Futari is also a great start if you prefer the fantastical theme, animu girl, and insects aesthetic over ships, robuts, and bees.

I don't think Dai Ou Jou is a great place to start however. That game is ball-to-the-wall hard. The original Dodonpachi (1st loop) and Mushi Futari do a pretty good job of easing you into Cave's games.

iconoclast · « **Reply #12 on:** August 16, 2010, 05:02:40 PM »

moar: http://www.andriasang.com/e/galleries/2010/08/16/dodonpachi_daifukkatsu_screens/
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/08/17/dodonpachi_x360_vs_arcade/
http://www.andriasang.com/e/galleries/2010/08/17/cafe_festival_gallery/

DFK 360 looks amazing

jiji · « **Reply #13 on:** August 16, 2010, 05:19:41 PM »

Muchi Muchi Pork and Feveron

Bebpo · « **Reply #14 on:** August 16, 2010, 07:31:16 PM »

Pink Sweets

I really liked Ibara. Hardcore military shooter with great character art full of sexy non-loli women.

cool breeze · « **Reply #15 on:** August 16, 2010, 10:28:53 PM »

Quote from: Bebpo on August 16, 2010, 12:43:42 AM

Yeah, DDP DoJ was my first Cave shmup and turned me into a fan.

Linkzg, did you play Raider Fighters Aces? I think the best way to get into Cave is to go from stuff like Gradius -> RFA -> DDP; DDP is RFA aesthetic and fun mixed with Cave-isms.

No, but I checked and saw it was on the 360. Might pick that up. I'll try that or Donpachi, since I have at least played the latter briefly.

Bebpo · « **Reply #16 on:** August 17, 2010, 01:34:52 AM »

RFA is the best deal on X360. It's <$20 and has three awesome games with amazing port quality (tons of options).

Quote from: dcharlie on August 16, 2010, 10:22:17 PM

hilariously, it's possible to snag the arcade PCB of Ibara for less than the PS2 version

Ibara gets a lot of flack, but I still think it's a good game. And PS2 version is superior because you can change the bullet colors and make them more visible. The arcade version has a lot of "wtf, what hit me!??!"

brob · « **Reply #17 on:** August 17, 2010, 10:17:28 AM »

Recently bought Ikaruga on 360 and got the shmup bug again. I haven't really played that many, but I used to play Dodonpachi a lot on MAME and liked that a fair bit. ikaruga is a bit complicated, I feel, lots of stuff to keep track of. Are there any games (cave or otherwise) that y'all could reccommend based on dodonpachi?

I'd like to avoid the uguu~ if possible, although it seems to have gotten a real strong footing in the genre as of late.

iconoclast · « **Reply #18 on:** August 17, 2010, 10:29:44 AM »

Raiden 4
Raiden Fighters Aces
Raystorm HD

Omega Five and R-Type Dimensions on XBLA are good too, but they are horizontal shooters. Aegis Wing is also free on XBLA, but the game is pretty bad without co-op.

For Cave, you can get:
(import) Mushihime-sama Futari 1/4*
(import) Espgaluda 2 **
Death Smiles ******

* = moe uguu warning level

iconoclast · « **Reply #19 on:** August 19, 2010, 06:59:06 AM »

So how bout we make this the Cave general/news thread?

There's finally some direct-feed footage of Akai Katana and it looks absolutely awesome:
[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

Great bullet patterns, great graphics, great art, great music. No doubt this will be another classic. I assume there's going to be a second loop with maybe a true final boss at the end. I always prefer multiple difficulties over a loop, but meh whatever. Fingers crossed for a 360 port in 2011.

Also, minor update about the DOJ patch:

Quote from: EOJ

New update today from Mihara about the patch, on his blog (I'd link to it, but he's banned all foreign IP addresses, so not much point anymore):

-He says this week they'll try the final test. All that remains is fixing the response time in the menus. He's fixed all of the bugs, and cleaned up all the messy areas of the port (loads, etc). He also says he has withdrawn from doing a "Complete" version he talked about earlier, after considering his schedule, Cave's upcoming lineup, and other factors.

So this patch is as good as it's going to get. Thankfully the port of Black Label ver is nearly 100% identical to the PCB (even without a patch), and is in fact one of the best Cave ports around.

I need to order my copy soon. Kinda worried about sending my J360 in for repair and getting an American unit in return after paying $120 though. Guess I will have to bite the bullet and give it a shot. $:-\$

ch1nchilla · « **Reply #20 on:** August 25, 2010, 12:15:15 PM »

Mushihimesama Futari is so fucking awesome but it kicks my ass so consistently. :'(

iconoclast · « **Reply #21 on:** August 25, 2010, 12:26:20 PM »

Yeah, I actually just started giving Maniac mode a real shot yesterday since I 1cc'd Original. Shit is difficult. Guess it's time to start watching some Maniac 1cc videos and see if I can pick up some strategies...

Bebpo · « **Reply #22 on:** August 25, 2010, 06:37:25 PM »

That's true. The Mushihime & Ibara ports are visually pretty poor. Ibara bothers me a lot less for whatever reason.

originalz · « **Reply #23 on:** August 26, 2010, 04:39:31 AM »

I've been playing a lot of Red Katana recently. It's a pretty easy game but pretty fun to play, doesn't seem to be a second loop from what I can see unless there are some unusual requirements to activate it. Art direction is solid!

iconoclast · « **Reply #24 on:** August 26, 2010, 05:24:43 AM »

I read that Akai Katana is easy to play for survival, but playing for score is much more difficult. Not sure how much I like that, but it works pretty well with Death Smiles so I won't complain. From the 1CC videos, it looks like it'd fit into the Cave difficulty rankings like so: Futari 1.5 Original > Akai Katana > Futari Black Label Original > Death Smiles (no Canyon). Does that seem accurate?

iconoclast · « **Reply #25 on:** September 03, 2010, 10:58:17 PM »

First Daifukkatsu 360 trailer:
[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

Looks amazing... but what the fuck is up with that song.

originalz · « **Reply #26 on:** September 04, 2010, 12:31:50 AM »

That song is a bonus track on the OST that was released for the game, good to see they're still getting use out of it!

iconoclast · « **Reply #27 on:** September 04, 2010, 06:20:50 AM »

Yeah, I guess that song's been around for a while, I've just never heard it before. Adding schoolgirls that transform into robots, lolis that transform into robots, maids that transform into robots, and robots that transform into robots is fine, but don't mess with the DDP music Cave. :'(

At least the rest of the DFK OST sounds good. Although I don't think it tops Dai Ou Jou and Ketsui as my favorite Cave OSTs.

News:

Author Topic: Cave shooters (Read 1783 times)