CREDITS USED: 12
RATING: Costed me a Big Mac combo
Probably the most popular CAVE shooter known to shmup fans. This a great Shmup and I can see myself replaying this one. It's an excellent sequel to DonPachi which addresses the pacing issue I had with that game. There is no repetition of levels, it's a 6 level journey all with cool unique locations, enemies and bosses. Gameplay is generally the same as all CAVE shooters, but this one in particular is hard as hell. Not sure what to expect from the other CAVE shooters so I can't compare how hard it is to the others. I did get through on my first playthrough with only 12 credits as opposed to 32 credits for DonPachi so I feel like this one is a little more balanced.
Besides the pacing and balancing, the only other big improvements from DonPachi are the beautiful backgrounds, improved sprites and that fucking soundtrack. I was so surprised of how good of a soundtrack this game had. Just all around banger rock music.
Loved this one and will come back to it to try to beat it using less credits.
RATING: Costed me a Big Mac combo
Probably the most popular CAVE shooter known to shmup fans. This a great Shmup and I can see myself replaying this one. It's an excellent sequel to DonPachi which addresses the pacing issue I had with that game. There is no repetition of levels, it's a 6 level journey all with cool unique locations, enemies and bosses. Gameplay is generally the same as all CAVE shooters, but this one in particular is hard as hell. Not sure what to expect from the other CAVE shooters so I can't compare how hard it is to the others. I did get through on my first playthrough with only 12 credits as opposed to 32 credits for DonPachi so I feel like this one is a little more balanced.
Besides the pacing and balancing, the only other big improvements from DonPachi are the beautiful backgrounds, improved sprites and that fucking soundtrack. I was so surprised of how good of a soundtrack this game had. Just all around banger rock music.
Loved this one and will come back to it to try to beat it using less credits.
(Finished on Normal mode with Type A and 6 credits) Hmmmm, I don't think I enjoy this shooting game either. I can see improvements from DonPachi, but the difficulty still feels way too high for my liking, especially the bosses. I believe the Saturn & PS1 ports also run faster than the original arcade version, which is a shame. Also aesthetically and musically it didn't leave much of an impression. Rather disappointed to be honest, but hopefully the rest of Cave's offerings will be better.
I will get good at shmups
Divertidasso, me despertou interesse pra jogar outros "jogos de navinha"
Um salto ABSURDO de DonPachi, seja em relação ao seu estilo que melhora muito, dando uma variedade maior aos inimigos e cenários, além de tudo ser bem mais harmônico, não que já não fosse, mas tem uma melhora. E as músicas, meu Deus, que coisa mais linda, frenético e divertido, independente de eu ser ruim, consegui jogar inteiro com um sorriso no rosto.
A nice upgrade over the first. Better bosses and stages. Nice music too.
Malditas sejam as balas finas
Um clássico
Playing this on a Vita's screen is like controlling a molecule dodging pink atoms
As someone that doesn't like bullet hells, this is not the game that will make me into the genre.
This game is so much fun that when I’m not playing it I can’t stop thinking about it.
The best thing about this game is just the gameplay. Blowing up everything in sight and dodging bullets is extremely fun. Even dodging simple patterns makes you feel amazing.The two firing modes also make the game feel unique from other shmups.The graphics look amazing especially the explosions and other effects like that. Even though the game is really difficult it honestly only makes me want to come back more. The controls are very sharp and concise, and make every death feel like it’s your fault. My only main issues with this game is the music felt a little generic and on a few stages the bullets can get a little difficult to see. Besides that very minor flaw this game is extremely fun and I recommend you give it a shot.
The best thing about this game is just the gameplay. Blowing up everything in sight and dodging bullets is extremely fun. Even dodging simple patterns makes you feel amazing.The two firing modes also make the game feel unique from other shmups.The graphics look amazing especially the explosions and other effects like that. Even though the game is really difficult it honestly only makes me want to come back more. The controls are very sharp and concise, and make every death feel like it’s your fault. My only main issues with this game is the music felt a little generic and on a few stages the bullets can get a little difficult to see. Besides that very minor flaw this game is extremely fun and I recommend you give it a shot.
Just got a new work issued gigantic monitor, first thing to do once I plugged it in: go vertical and get some DoDonPachi.
Can I really count this? I only got the bad ending...
The reason I hesitate to declare DoDonPachi as a game I've beaten is because it probably represents the most a vertical SHMUP has intrigued me. I won't get into narrative spoilers, but the entire trajectory of what the series is completely pivots on that bad/good ending junction. And what makes the difference? Simple: clear the campaign on a single credit.
I always struggle to get into SHMUPs because there's effectively a binary at play: you can either continue, or you can't. If you're in Free Play, you can continue. If you have a stack of quarters, you can continue. If you aren't or don't, you can't continue. If you can continue, you will do so right where you left off. If you can't, you can piss off. Sure, there's variations, but they don't mean a hell of a lot to the SHMUP experience for me when they all reduce to that simple binary of design. If I can continue, I don't need to learn the game. If I can't continue, I don't want to learn the game.
It is DoDonPachi that seems to exist as a third option. You can't continue, but if you actually bother to get good enough that you don't need to, then you get the good ending. Which is to say: access to the second loop and the final boss! That's right, chief, if you get good at the video game, you get a full-game victory lap followed by friggin' vertical shooter final bosses. Don't worry, you don't have to stay single credit on the back half.
Is this a common design space in this genre? I've dipped my toes in it quite a bit, but I've never seen this as the device used to try and get players to get good. This is essentially one of the only arcade games I've ever seen that wants the player to spend as little money as possible, since that's what it would take to get the best ending. Yes, the game is hard, so it's a long process to actually get good at the video game. Maybe that's how they earn their money?
There's much I can say about the game itself - the GORGEOUS spritework, the good cadence to combat, all these things such that would make a player enjoy coming back, etc - but I think I'll leave it at this note for now. I can review the game proper when I get good enough to see the second loop. Because this feels like how you justify that lives system and encourage a player to learn the game. It's sure encouraging me.
The reason I hesitate to declare DoDonPachi as a game I've beaten is because it probably represents the most a vertical SHMUP has intrigued me. I won't get into narrative spoilers, but the entire trajectory of what the series is completely pivots on that bad/good ending junction. And what makes the difference? Simple: clear the campaign on a single credit.
I always struggle to get into SHMUPs because there's effectively a binary at play: you can either continue, or you can't. If you're in Free Play, you can continue. If you have a stack of quarters, you can continue. If you aren't or don't, you can't continue. If you can continue, you will do so right where you left off. If you can't, you can piss off. Sure, there's variations, but they don't mean a hell of a lot to the SHMUP experience for me when they all reduce to that simple binary of design. If I can continue, I don't need to learn the game. If I can't continue, I don't want to learn the game.
It is DoDonPachi that seems to exist as a third option. You can't continue, but if you actually bother to get good enough that you don't need to, then you get the good ending. Which is to say: access to the second loop and the final boss! That's right, chief, if you get good at the video game, you get a full-game victory lap followed by friggin' vertical shooter final bosses. Don't worry, you don't have to stay single credit on the back half.
Is this a common design space in this genre? I've dipped my toes in it quite a bit, but I've never seen this as the device used to try and get players to get good. This is essentially one of the only arcade games I've ever seen that wants the player to spend as little money as possible, since that's what it would take to get the best ending. Yes, the game is hard, so it's a long process to actually get good at the video game. Maybe that's how they earn their money?
There's much I can say about the game itself - the GORGEOUS spritework, the good cadence to combat, all these things such that would make a player enjoy coming back, etc - but I think I'll leave it at this note for now. I can review the game proper when I get good enough to see the second loop. Because this feels like how you justify that lives system and encourage a player to learn the game. It's sure encouraging me.
A great game for many things but not that amazing of an experience for just a noob 1-all. I feel like the tacked on final stage really shows and the game would have been better with 5 stages instead of 6, preferably removing the first one. A lot to like but not as good as people make it out to be. Clear took me 12 hours and almost 200 attempts so not overly insanely difficult if you have some experience but def. not beginner friendly.
Damn I love this game. This must be my favourite danmaku. The only thing I hate about this is the final boss Jesus Christ that's impossible to beat.