9 replies to this topic

[Austin]

(that is all I have to say)

[keilbaca]

I really don't know what the big deal about this game is. IMO its less fun than Ikaruga, and its more frustrating than fun. I know it has a cult following... I guess I just don't "get" the game, that others do.

[Rex Dart]

Less fun than Ikaruga? You are mistaken. Ikaruga is incredibly dull.

[keilbaca]

Rex Dart, on Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:26 PM, said:

Less fun than Ikaruga? You are mistaken. Ikaruga is incredibly dull.

I am more of a pattern guy, so I find it more fun...

[marcfrick2112]

I have both games, and I love both.. but for different reasons.

I will still say that Radiant Silvergun on the Saturn is just about my favorite shooter, EVER!
There are just so many strange and cool bosses, and extras, etc.

..And I love the semi-english 'advice' that appears just before a boss fight, such as this helpful bit before the first boss:

BE ATTITUDE FOR GAINS
---------------------

1. Simple Shoot tech
2. Simple Evasion tech
3. Tiny Valor

[Austin]

keilbaca, on Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:23 PM, said:

I really don't know what the big deal about this game is. IMO its less fun than Ikaruga, and its more frustrating than fun. I know it has a cult following... I guess I just don't "get" the game, that others do.

The question is, how much time have you clocked into it? I didn't like it much when I first played it back in '98. That changed drastically after a few hours of play and I figured out the game though. Even if you just learn how the weapons system works and play for survival, it's an amazing experience when you get familiar with it, by far one of the most creative shmups ever made.

Edited by Austin, Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:56 PM.

[keilbaca]

Austin, on Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:54 PM, said:

keilbaca, on Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:23 PM, said:

I really don't know what the big deal about this game is. IMO its less fun than Ikaruga, and its more frustrating than fun. I know it has a cult following... I guess I just don't "get" the game, that others do.

The question is, how much time have you clocked into it? I didn't like it much when I first played it back in '98. That changed drastically after a few hours of play and I figured out the game though. Even if you just learn how the weapons system works and play for survival, it's an amazing experience when you get familiar with it, by far one of the most creative shmups ever made.

I tried learning the weapon system... I just couldn't get into it. I know I didn't spend enough time on it... it just turned me off for some reason. Maybe I should fire up my Saturn and figure it out, but I just don't have the time... I don't even have the time to play all the games competitively in the mame high score club anymore.

[Austin]

keilbaca, on Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:57 PM, said:

I tried learning the weapon system... I just couldn't get into it. I know I didn't spend enough time on it... it just turned me off for some reason. Maybe I should fire up my Saturn and figure it out, but I just don't have the time... I don't even have the time to play all the games competitively in the mame high score club anymore.

Don't play it competitively, play it for enjoyment...

The weapons system isn't that complicated, really. You just have a lot of choices. You probably already know the basics (or more than I think), but I'll explain it in detail anyways because there may be some newcomers curious about the game that are reading this:

- Some weapons are better for certain situations than others. For instance, the backwards spread shot for enemies and bosses behind you, or the spread lock-on laser that can hit enemies over walls you can't get to. For the most part though you will be using your standard straight-ahead shot, which is the most powerful base weapon in the game.

- Swipe the distinct pink bullets with your sword (sword button if on the Saturn or 360). This builds a meter. When it's full, press the sword button again to use a huge version of it, which acts as a screen clearing bomb and makes you invincible. There are tons of opportunities to use this throughout the game, so take advantage of it if you are playing for enjoyment/survival.

- Weapons upgrade and become more powerful by scoring more with each of them. They also level up individually, so if you strictly use your basic orange straight shot for most of the game, it will be huge by the end of the game while the rest of your weapons will be small and weak.

That's basically it.. Here are some options for scoring faster though (meaning better firepower earlier in the game):

- You can get repeated 10,000 point bonus for attacking enemies with the same weapon without stopping. Some weapons get these bonuses quicker, like both lock-on laser options. You can milk the bosses for these bonuses much easier than you can with standard enemies.

- Using the circular tracking/lock-on laser weapon can also find hidden dog icons throughout the game. They give different bonuses depending, some large, some small. To test it out, you can find one on the very first level at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen immediately as the stage begins.

- Chaining system: Chains are performed by hitting an innumerable amount of red enemies, then hitting one blue enemy, then as many yellow enemies you can. In simple terms, the most basic chain you can perform is by shooting one red, then one blue, then one yellow. Doing this many times in a row without a break in the chain will give you mega-points.

You can still chain like you can in Ikaruga though--three of the same color. The points aren't nearly as much as they are with the RS-specific red-blue-yellow chain though. The trick is to chain several red, then shoot one blue, then several yellow afterwards.

I try not to chain seriously though because shooters begin to frustrate me more than not when I take them uber-seriously like that for scoring. I do chain a bit though regardless simply to upgrade my weapons faster.

[keilbaca]

That's pretty accurate... I just try too hard for points... lol.

I had no idea about the swiping of the pink bullets however.

[Austin]

keilbaca, on Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:40 PM, said:

That's pretty accurate... I just try too hard for points... lol.

Yeah, I've been the same way, even recently. I had to stop playing Deathsmiles and Mushihimesama Futari 1.5 because I was getting far more angry trying to score well than I was actually having fun. I haven't even busted out my newly-acquired copy of Espgaluda 2 yet, probably for that exact reason!

keilbaca, on Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:40 PM, said:

I had no idea about the swiping of the pink bullets however.

Haha! That should help you quite a bit then! That's a big part of the game, at least for me when it comes to survival (I'm sure some of the score-monger folks at the shmups forums will say otherwise for scoring reasons).

Edited by Austin, Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:46 PM.