@JoJoestar I got the jist (gist?) of it actually! Definitely a lot of words I didn‘t know, but the context clues were there for a lot of it. What a nice article. I really enjoyed that. I’ve played Pocky and Rocky since I was just a boy, now I want to try this out.
This week’s Arcade Archives release is the brilliant Dragon Saber from Namco. Here is the old STG Weekly episode dedicated to the game, for good mesure.
@Karnovski What a nice article. I really enjoyed that.
Oh man, thank you so much for the nice words. And for taking your time for reading it twice! As a writer I’m still at that point where it surprises me that people actually enjoy or care about what I do, so this message is deeply appreciated <3
@LeFish Oh, man, thank you for the kind words Mumbo-fish! I’m so happy you took the time to check it out, and even happier that you liked it!
@JoJoestar I enjoyed your article quite a bit! Thank you for linking to it! I… thought my Spanish comprehension was better than it was, so while I attempted to read it, I had to very quickly fall back on google translate, lol.
Espgaluda II's getting a physical Switch release this Friday via LRG, buckle up.
@Karasu Damn I’m a bit overwhelmed by this response, on a review most of you guys had to translate to check out. Thanks for checking it out Karasu! ;_;
@JoJoestar It really was excellent, even through the Google Translate filter (which actually seems to do a decent job at least not making Spanish read like a robot, but still). Framing the whole thing as an exploration of the spaces between remakes and re-releases is very appropriate to Tengo Project‘s core output, too. And I don’t know if it‘s a remotely accurate translation, but “pregnant with creativity” is a good way to describe Reshrined. It’s a really special game and I’m glad your review welcomes curious readers to try it out
In other shmup news, Dragon Saber once again makes me wish there was some sort of Arcade Archives subscription option. It’s a silly daydream given licensing nightmares and potential profitability, but I daydream about it probably once a month. Bless Hamster, I’ll probably buy Dragon Saber anyways.
Last night, I finished Varth: Operation Thunderstorm after creating a save over one year ago. I have yet to encounter a lengthier STG, though I’m sure some must be out there. 30 dang levels! It being a solid little (not little) time aside, I actually began to enjoy its almost joyful trollishness, as the final boss proceeded to just straight up put itself back together after being exploded not once, but twice (I’m glad this technique didn’t catch on with other shmup bosses, it’s a real game-changer for bosses in general). If anyone decides to jump into this Melvillian STG, my tips are to choose the rotating satellite shields rather than the front-facing ones (because things WILL come at you offscreen forever) and to use the heck out of your bombs, much more than you’re probably used to – they’re a must for survival and the game gives them out like candy, accordingly
Yeah @JoJoestar that was great! Don't have much to add to what has been said by others, but definitely agree with them. This game made me think a lot about what a remake is/can be/should be and your review really brought a lot of things that were rattling around in my brain into focus.
@tokucowboy I pretty much end up buying every Arcade Archives STG that comes out. By far I end up having more fun playing ancient STG games than I o almost anything else these days. There are very few stinkers in the whole lot, and I‘ve run into quite a few that are unexpectedly fantastic (last week’s release, Rabio Lepus, is just one example)! So I will absolutely be picking up Dragon Saber.
Varth is a blast! I wish more STGs would be longer and more involved games, especially for newer console ones that aren’t constrained by 90’s arcade profitability limitations.
@tokucowboy “pregnant with creativity”
“Preñado” is a polysemic word in Spanish that can mean both “full of, stuffed, filled with” but also pregnant in a literal way, it’s closest correlate would be the sense in which you would use expressions like having a bun in the oven. If I had to translate it I guess I would have opted for something like maybe soaking or drenched in creativity, but pregnant is correct! (if only slightly too literal).
Credit fed through Rabio Lepus. Very fun game. Still can‘t quite believe it has an ||invincible fake final boss||. I can’t imagine how frustrating that would be to figure out if you were actually paying per credit.
@JoJoestar I enjoyed the article, and have discovered that Pocky & Rocky Reshrined is also for me.
(I used the built-in translation available within safari (does something with apple translate rather than google, I think) and it did a fine job)
Alright, ENOUGH.
I have decided. Next time I write something I promise you guys making the direct translation myself, to the heck with this machine translation BULLSHIT!!! I'm gonna put the time and it's your fault, hope you are all happy 😤
||Seriously though, thanks for all the praise and nice words ;_;||
@Karasu you gave me the lil nudge needed to jump into Dragon Saber with my full chest, and I‘m glad I did. Dragon Spirit holds a special place for me, not least of all because it’s one of the few physical HuCards I own (which I love despite how off the rails it gets at the end, compared to the arcade version) – Saber is just an absolutely joyful escalation of Spirit. I‘d only popped into it once or twice on MAME, but its pace, music, gnarburger bosses and overall aesthetics have me committed to clearing it. So far, I’m up to level 6, which is a struggle because it leans into the narrow corridor walls gimmick that has been the game‘s real difficulty for me thus far. I’m reminded that my one complaint regarding the gift that is ACA continues to be the Wii-era lack of save state options; it‘s a double downer here because those options can be essential for practicing an STG when it’s not an immediate-continue situation (at least for me, who sucks), and also lacking them seems contrary to the mission of making these games accessible, as without them, many will not be able to experience the works past the first few stages. That aside, Dragon Saber is compelling enough that it inspires practice. Every time I play my Switch, I pop into it for at least a few minutes. Just pecking away because it’s such good food.
In other news, Raging Blasters just popped up on the US Switch eShop and made its way onto my wishlist. Any takes on that one?
@tokucowboy It’s pretty inconvenient and only allows for a single file but there is a save state system on all ACA games. You can save your progress in the emulator’s options and, from that point, you will be able to return to that specific save point by going back to the game’s main menu and load your profile again. But I get that it’s much less convenient than the standard « 4 save slots » seen on Nintendo hardware lately.
@chazumaru yeah, that‘s what I meant by “Wii-era” – unfortunately, it’s barely a step up from an OG Virtual Console save state (i.e. more of a bookmark) and not really worth much in terms of accessibility
@tokucowboy In other news, Raging Blasters just popped up on the US Switch eShop and made its way onto my wishlist. Any takes on that one?
I saw it, and while it looks interesting, something about it made me think some of the art was practically lifted from one of the Aleste games. This is just my knee-jerk take on it! It’s not like I had the energy to do a comparison. I’ll be curious if anyone else around here knows anything about it! Oh, and glad to hear you went for Dragon Sabre, it’s a true great!
I was in a shitty mood last night and I drunk bought (well, tipsy bought, to be fair) a bunch of STGs that had been on my wish list for a bit: ACA Neogeo Zed Blade and Last Resort and Rolling Gunner, which I somehow hadn’t bought previously. And now that I have a PS5, I looked at Ketsui Deathtiny but my left hand slapped the credit card out of my right hand before I could buy it. I kid! But I imagine I’ll pick up it and Dangun Feveron before too much longer. Sure do wish that Sorcer Striker had gotten a North American release, because it’s still a pain to buy stuff from the JP store!
On the subject of games I hadn’t heard of until today, has anyone tried Risk System? It looks fun, if a little overproduced, and the very few reviews I’ve seen criticize it for… not being exactly like most other STGs?
@Karasu yeah Risk System is a very interesting and pretty game that feels like you‘re playing asteroids /an ice level. Just slip sliding around every which way. It’s a shame because there‘s a lot of cool bosses. Worth a play, it’s in a million itch bundles so you may already have it.