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[Zweihander]

Originally Posted by Michi

My friend brought over some games tonight, so I tried out Vanquish and DoDonPachi Resurrection. I kinda want both of them now, at least to play more. I am not a shmup person and have basically no experience with them, but I enjoyed the three bosses I cleared in DoDonPachi! I didn't realize it was only a couple more stages, or else I would have kept playing. Haha.

1. Your friend is awesome.
2. Welcome to the wonderful world of shmups. After you credit-feed once or twice to see what lies ahead, try seeing how far you can get on a single credit, and how high of a score you can churn out. That's where the real fun begins.
3. Obligatory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L2SNX7k4v8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToBdzV7w5Pc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSOzMtsDgJY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtpXcyqejmM

[Michi]

Originally Posted by Zweihander

1. Your friend is awesome.
2. Welcome to the wonderful world of shmups. After you credit-feed once or twice to see what lies ahead, try seeing how far you can get on a single credit, and how high of a score you can churn out. That's where the real fun begins.
3. Obligatory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L2SNX7k4v8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToBdzV7w5Pc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSOzMtsDgJY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtpXcyqejmM

He is a HUGE shmup fan. You would like him. I got him Mushihimesama Futari on one of my trips to Japan! I am looking at videos for Deathsmiles just now, actually. I was interested in it when it was came out, but now it seems more up my alley than I thought it would be.

[The Hag]

Originally Posted by Zweihander

Finally got out of Blighttown. Turns out it was really simple. Felt like an idiot afterward. Now I'm at Sen's Fortress, and all I can say is

SPOILER: (highlight to read)

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fuck Sen's Fortress.

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But at least it's fun in that "Indiana Jones" sort of way.

EDIT: Blighttown left such a bad taste in my mouth, I wrote a song about it. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEO8jHoTpk8

XD That's pretty hilarious. Honestly? I really like Sen's Fortress. It's basically a puzzle. I actually really like Anor Londo too. It's open and airy - I dislike creeping around in dark constricted spaces which is why I don't like Upper Blightown and Tomb of Giants. There are a few strong enemies rather than lots of weak ones - I'd rather fight a lengthy duel than get swarmed.

[Zweihander]

Originally Posted by Michi

He is a HUGE shmup fan. You would like him. I got him Mushihimesama Futari on one of my trips to Japan! I am looking at videos for Deathsmiles just now, actually. I was interested in it when it was came out, but now it seems more up my alley than I thought it would be.

I'd recommend that, and Akai Katana. Learning the gameplay mechanics and scoring system of the latter is like running into a brick wall with reckless abandon, but once you get it down, it all becomes second nature and very satisfying.

Originally Posted by The Hag

XD That's pretty hilarious. Honestly? I really like Sen's Fortress. It's basically a puzzle. I actually really like Anor Londo too. It's open and airy - I dislike creeping around in dark constricted spaces which is why I don't like Upper Blightown and Tomb of Giants. There are a few strong enemies rather than lots of weak ones - I'd rather fight a lengthy duel than get swarmed.

Thanks, glad you like the song. I wish I could write something as epic as Anor Londo: A Musical Tribute, though.

Yeah, Sen's Funhouse is growing in me. Actually can't wait to reach Anal Rondo, there's so much I want to do there. I already have STR/DEX at 24/24 for the Dragonslayer Spear, and I can finally finish maxing out my Black Knight Sword at the giant blacksmith. (it's currently at +3) Get my Eastern Armor and Gargoyle Helm up there with it, too. And fight Dickface McGee to get the Fire Keeper's soul back, even though I DIDN'T FREE HIM FROM THE UNDEAD PARISH THIS TIME, WHAT THE CHRIST.

[TheAnarCHris]

Originally Posted by The Hag

Co-oped through Anor Londo with The Saint tonight. Also playing Darksiders which is both ridiculous and fun. After Bastion and Papo&Yo I wanted something that required no emotional investment.

I got both Darksiders games as gift during the winter Steam sale, and I'm really looking forward to playing them soon. I heard 2 is a vast improvement over 1, even though 1 is supposed to be solid itself. I am excite.

Originally Posted by Michi

My friend brought over some games tonight, so I tried out Vanquish and DoDonPachi Resurrection. I kinda want both of them now, at least to play more. I am not a shmup person and have basically no experience with them, but I enjoyed the three bosses I cleared in DoDonPachi! I didn't realize it was only a couple more stages, or else I would have kept playing. Haha.

Also I got Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning so it was nice knowing you guys!

DoDonPachi is a Cave shump, which means it's super legit. I also suggest the Deathsmiles games for the 360, because they are great. Zwei will be here soon to tell you of his Cave feels.

Vanquish is also dope and I recommend you playing it ASAP.

On my end- Adventure Time for the 3DS which is Zelda 2, but good (thanks Wayforward!), Anarchy Reigns on the PS3, and I beat Mark of the Ninja which means it's time for Spec Ops: The line, which is super rad.

[The Hag]

Originally Posted by Zweihander

Yeah, Sen's Funhouse is growing in me. Actually can't wait to reach Anal Rondo, there's so much I want to do there. I already have STR/DEX at 24/24 for the Dragonslayer Spear, and

The Dragonslayer Bow also kicks ass. I used it recently for the first time (I usually don't have the STR stats) and was like "Where have you been all my life?! <3<3<3"

Originally Posted by Zweihander

And fight Dickface McGee to get the Fire Keeper's soul back, even though I DIDN'T FREE HIM FROM THE UNDEAD PARISH THIS TIME, WHAT THE CHRIST.

XD That happened to my husband once and he was all, "WTF?! How did he even get out!" He's a sneaky bastard for sure. On the up side, if you kill him in Anor Londo, then you get his armor which is pretty sweet.

Me and the Saint co-oped through The Painted World and part way into Dukes Archives this weekend. Now that we're playing together, I'm hoping that I can get him to finish the game with me. He always quits after Anor Londo, which, I don't really blame him. I like the first half of the game much better than the second. I don't find any of later bosses all that interesting. Well, except for Lost Izalith (unpopular opinion).

Originally Posted by TheAnarCHris

I got both Darksiders games as gift during the winter Steam sale, and I'm really looking forward to playing them soon. I heard 2 is a vast improvement over 1, even though 1 is supposed to be solid itself. I am excite.

I'm enjoying the first one. It's like Legend of Zelda: Roid Rage. The difficulty is a bit uneven. I've been sailing through on normal then got my ass handed to me repeatedly by the Chapter 1 boss. Finally made it through and the first part of the next chapter is super easy again. :/ But the exploring is fun and the guide character isn't too annoying. For, you know, a guide character. Also, I'm told that

SPOILER: (highlight to read)

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you get to kill him at the end

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. So I'm looking forward to that.

[Mesoian]

So...Anarchy Reigns.

Conceptionally, on a high level, that game is really cool. It's got a good story, though it's pretty ambigeous, the hyper sexualized comic book style for the characters works really well, the soundtrack is amazing and there's a ton of options for how to play the game.

It's a shame it's plagued by a gigantic amount of technical issues. The camera simply doesn't work well and will take every opportunity to get lodged within a wall. The lock-on system will cause you to lock on to absolutely nothing, the netcode is fairly terrible which often causes games being delayed by almost 10 minutes per match due to people perpetually loading in and the menus are complete garbage. I can't count how many matches I lost because I simply couldn't see what was going on. There's a reason why powerstone's camera is top down.

Bottomline: The moments where you're not playing Anarchy Reigns are terrible, but the methods used to build the backbone of the game cause you to not play for extended amounts of time. It's all stuff that could easily be fixed in Anarchy Reigns 2, but that's not gonna happen.

But I won 3rd in the Giantbomb tournament, so go me.

[Zweihander]

Originally Posted by TheAnarCHris

DoDonPachi is a Cave shump, which means it's super legit. I also suggest the Deathsmiles games for the 360, because they are great. Zwei will be here soon to tell you of his Cave feels.

Oddly enough, I was already here and recommended Deathsmiles and AKai Katana, but linked some superplay videos of non-Cave games. Which reminds me, I'm probably shit at Psyvariar 2 now, since I haven't played it in over a year, so maybe I should get back into it. IMO the best Dreamcast shmup out there. (PS2 port's a step up, oddly enough. It's usually the opposite case.)

Vanquish is also dope and I recommend you playing it ASAP.

This. It's a 4 or 5 hour game, but dat replay value. I want to do another run and focus on leveling my shotgun all the way up, since that thing packs a punch in close range at higher levels.

On my end- Adventure Time for the 3DS which is Zelda 2, but good (thanks Wayforward!), Anarchy Reigns on the PS3, and I beat Mark of the Ninja which means it's time for Spec Ops: The line, which is super rad.

My PSN ID is pills4louis, in case you want to do some Anarchy with me. Need a break from Sen's Funhouse every now and then, and I may as well further justify my $90 import of Max Anarchy by getting back into it, now that there's more people to play it with.

[Michi]

Is it Wednesday yet I want my 3DS nowwww

Originally Posted by TheAnarCHris

I got both Darksiders games as gift during the winter Steam sale, and I'm really looking forward to playing them soon. I heard 2 is a vast improvement over 1, even though 1 is supposed to be solid itself. I am excite.

My boyfriend was a huge fan of Darksiders 1, so I got him Darksiders 2 for Christmas, and he's been pretty happy. I definitely think the first one is worth playing, and I still intend to play through it myself despite watching him play a bunch of both!

Originally Posted by TheAnarCHris

Vanquish is also dope and I recommend you playing it ASAP.

Originally Posted by Zweihander

This. It's a 4 or 5 hour game, but dat replay value. I want to do another run and focus on leveling my shotgun all the way up, since that thing packs a punch in close range at higher levels.

I'm probably going to borrow it from work once I'm done with FFXIII-2. I got past the first boss when I played yesterday. What a bitch that was, ugh! I was getting used to the controls while my friends and I were all sitting around talking, and then suddenly I had to be a master at them. I persevered, however!

[Zweihander]

Originally Posted by Michi

I'm probably going to borrow it from work once I'm done with FFXIII-2. I got past the first boss when I played yesterday. What a bitch that was, ugh! I was getting used to the controls while my friends and I were all sitting around talking, and then suddenly I had to be a master at them. I persevered, however!

But wasn't it a satisfying experience when you brought the bastidge down? Gave me some seriously great feels, like the first time I beat Phantom in DMC1. Nice to know Mikami & crew have still got it.

[DarkFujin]

Originally Posted by Michi

He is a HUGE shmup fan. You would like him. I got him Mushihimesama Futari on one of my trips to Japan! I am looking at videos for Deathsmiles just now, actually. I was interested in it when it was came out, but now it seems more up my alley than I thought it would be.

Deathsmiles is amazing! I still need to get the second one though, but my friend and I played it all night at Fanime's gaming room a couple years back, and it seemed to have fixed the problem where you can get stuck on random scenery.

Originally Posted by The Hag

I'm enjoying the first one. It's like Legend of Zelda: Roid Rage

I still need to beat the first Darksiders, but this is exactly why I love it. It has God of War style action with Zelda like puzzles and exploration. It even has the thing where you get a special tool in each dungeon, but instead of cartoonish things like a boomerang, you get a spiky boomerang of death.

[Michi]

Oh god suddenly too many games

Originally Posted by Zweihander

But wasn't it a satisfying experience when you brought the bastidge down? Gave me some seriously great feels, like the first time I beat Phantom in DMC1. Nice to know Mikami & crew have still got it.

YES. It took a few deaths, and it was all the more tough because people were watching and talking to me at the same time. But once he went down I was like AW YEAH. Made me look forward to the rest of the game.

[Zweihander]

Originally Posted by Michi

YES. It took a few deaths, and it was all the more tough because people were watching and talking to me at the same time. But once he went down I was like AW YEAH. Made me look forward to the rest of the game.

The best kind of victory is where you escape with less than an inch of your health bar on the screen, yet you know for a fact that each and every time you got hit was entirely your own fault. See also: God Hand, the thinking man's beat-em-up, where scrubs like to button-mash and then cry about how "unfair" the game is.

Anywho, on the note of shmups, I'd highly recommend importing ESPGaluda II Black Label, since it's region-free, has a cheaper Platinum Hits reprint if you don't mind fugly packaging, and (in my opinion) its titular "Black Label" mode is one of Cave's finest games ever.

Also,

SPOILER: (highlight to read)

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go play Mars Matrix. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbts2qTrbAg

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[The Hag]

Originally Posted by DarkFujin

I still need to beat the first Darksiders, but this is exactly why I love it. It has God of War style action with Zelda like puzzles and exploration. It even has the thing where you get a special tool in each dungeon, but instead of cartoonish things like a boomerang, you get a spiky boomerang of death.

Exactly! I like the combat better than Zelda. I love the one enemy where after you smack it a few times you get to ride around on it crushing everyone else. I don't think that the dungeons are quite as complex though - they seem a bit too linear - but some of the puzzles are pretty tricky. And I find it hilarious how War never just opens anything - he has to smash every door and chest while grunting profusely. HRRRGGG! URRRRGGH!! XD I've also come to the conclusion that the hard parts aren't really hard - I just suck at aiming.

Originally Posted by Michi

I'm probably going to borrow it from work once I'm done with FFXIII-2. I got past the first boss when I played yesterday. What a bitch that was, ugh! I was getting used to the controls while my friends and I were all sitting around talking, and then suddenly I had to be a master at them. I persevered, however!

How are you liking FFXIII-2 compared to the first one?

[TheAnarCHris]

Originally Posted by Zweihander

My PSN ID is pills4louis, in case you want to do some Anarchy with me. Need a break from Sen's Funhouse every now and then, and I may as well further justify my $90 import of Max Anarchy by getting back into it, now that there's more people to play it with.

Mine is TheAnarCHris. I'll add you tonight or tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Michi

Is it Wednesday yet I want my 3DS nowwww

Make sure you toss up your friend's code once you get it!

Originally Posted by The Hag

How are you liking FFXIII-2 compared to the first one?

Incase you weren't aware, there is a demo avail for FFXIII-2. Personally, there were some improvements in XIII-2, but the plot was kinda beat.