Moot_Geeza wrote:

That's the first time a paragraph break has made me think of a torn frenulum.

I’ve done that

Dark Souls

You are a work of art, and i mean that in the truest sense. You are a work of art in the same way a great book, film, painting is. Yes, the gameplay is great and the challenge is steep and the graphics are cool and the games are fun, but there is something more. There is a real and very serious attempt at telling a story, imparting a vision, imparting wisdom and not just that, but doing so in a manner which is unique to games. It does not copy books or films, it tells the story in the items you as the player find, and take the time to read. From which, you can piece together your interpretation of the world in which you exist. You learn about the world the same way the character you control learns about the world. You die, you become reborn, it makes no sense, but you carry on, some will drives you through, you endlessly fight the monsters and in the end, you become the hollow, the husk, the beast, the monster, the dark. Yourself.

I didn't like you at first, i didn't get it. But i tried again. You fight, claw, scrape, beg, steal, force yourself through Undead Burg and after an epic journey, you emerge, right where you started. Daylight! Sanctuary! Respite! Because the game is so challenging, and intimiating, you feel the relief as your character would feel. That piece of level design is a triumph and should be studied. No game has blurred the line between my 'reality' and the characters 'reality' so unnervingly as Dark Souls. And then you keep going, and you get stronger, and you get better. You are never invicible but where you used to cower behind a shield you dance around skillfully and avoid being hit. You feel braver, and so does your character. And then, ha. It knocks you down again, it teaches you one of life's great lessons. Don't get cocky.

Picked up Portal 2 for 360 today.  Will probably sit on my pile of shame for a while but I will get around to it.

DoDonPachi series

I have never stopped loving 2D shooting games, but there was a time when I also dismissed the bullet hell game as a simple coin grabbing sub-genre that prompted players to just keep continuing to see everything. I knew that some players could clear them on 1 credit (1CC them) but I only believed that possible by the most dedicated savant.

It was only after I discovered Mushi Futari by Cave , after a recommendation from someone here in the STG thread, that I realised there was an awful lot more to these games than meets the eye. With Futari being a Cave game, I soon started to look around at the rest of their catalogue. At that time I already owned a copy of the Saturn port of DoDonPachi which I had got as part of a deal when I bought my first Japanese Saturn. I had played it a bit but after getting nowhere without continuing I had simply seen it as confirmation of what I thought of the genre (the game was also dog ugly).

So after Futari removed the scales, I went back to DDP on Saturn. I rotated my CRT and engaged TATE mode which transforms the Saturn port to a splendid looking game; if not entirely arcade accurate - some explosions and enemies are a bit more pixelated. The Saturn port is also not accurate to the hardcore as the timings of their muscle memory programmed kill chains don't work, but for the rest of us I'd posit that it's more than good enough.

After reading a bit more about it on the shmups forum and dedicating some time to it ,I discovered the game to be an extremely clever and entertaining game - especially for someone like me with high score chasing sentiments.

As with all better examples of the genre DDP can be played on several levels. One can just attack it as a challenge to reach the end without continuing, but even before you achieve that, you start playing earlier levels for score. DDP rewards players who keep the time between enemy kills below a set limit with escalating combo bonuses which can have an enormous impact on score. Of course attempting this can make the game more difficult, thus building in a delicious risk/reward balance that never ceases to entertain me.

The rules and design of these games are such that most dedicated skilled players will be able to play them as intended - without continuing  - and will at least be able to achieve "survival" 1CCs. The genre for me is a blend of action, risk management, and score rule manipulation - delivering a visceral yet intellectual challenge - one that I'd argue is unique in gaming.

My Saturn high-scores shown on my rotated CRT
http://www.davykelly.com/DDP_ArcadeMode.jpg 


There are other scoring bonuses for those who can max out the bomb meter, or can reveal and pickup chains of hidden bees while staying alive - which again increase the risk for those who chase them.

It has 3 different ships each with 2 variants making the game feel entirely different once you get the feel of levels and build up muscle memory thus extending the play value.

And for the savants, there is the 2nd loop to go for which can really only be beaten by the truly talented and dedicated. I have yet to achieve a first loop 1CC but I've come damn close and I'm pretty sure it's my lack of staying power that has prevented me from achieving it.

Cave then went on to further refine and expand this game. It was itself a sequel to DonPachi which is a very good game but not in the same league as its descendants. Cave got everything right with this sequel and set the template for the bullet hell sub-genre.

The sequels became progressively more manic with extra mechanics added in for cancelling enemy bullets (called hypers) over the next two entries. The series level design and enemy wave patterns are ingenious; requiring sequences of moves that by their very nature imbue a sense of pleasure once successfully implemented as there is a delightful rhythm to them. Some of the games got black label releases that have remixes of the enemy patterns and scoring rules tweaks that are usually more enjoyable than the original. Countless hours must have been spent in the design and implementation of the patterns of bullets and enemy flight paths - it boggles the mind how the devs and level designers go about implementing them.

The Xbox 360 got special attention from Cave and the ports have many extra features and new modes to try. They also have excellent training modes that allow focussed practice on selected levels and bosses for the dedicated 1CC chaser who may find their resolve melting in the face of playing the straight arcade mode. The ports have HD versions of the graphics in most cases and there is also the ability to record and playback games - both ones own and others' performances from the online leaderboards.

The final entry in the series - called DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou - strips the gameplay back and moves the focus from bullet cancelling back to bullet dodging. It's actually quite refreshing to go back to this type of game despite the crippling difficulty.

The DDP series has a constant presence on the shmups.com annual top 25 poll which is quite an achievement even allowing for the fact that the genre doesn't get many new releases any more.

It's a series of games that also has good support in MAME (at least the earlier entries) so is accessible to all. Most of the 360 ports are now either expensive and/or require a JPN 360. The Saturn port of DDP has also become pretty expensive and is hard to justify buying given that it works fine in MAME even on older PCs.

If one is thinking about getting into 2D shmups, I'd heartily recommend trying DoDonPachi as an entry level game. But be warned - this ain't your daddy's Space Invaders. 

footnote on the Saturn port of DDP
This has a Saturn mode that has a level 0 prequel level - no great shakes though. But the Saturn mode also lets you fight the true last boss (TLB) without beating the 2nd loop. Overall it feels a bit easier too. Saturn mode options lets you start on loop 2 and also lets you set the countdown timer that links combos. 

Saturn mode high scores
http://www.davykelly.com/DDP_SaturnMode.jpg


There's also a score attack mode that doesn't allow continues and displays a verification code with the final score on game over.

Cave ran a score competition with this as part of the promo activities. The 1st prize was a PCB of the game! But not the standard game - a tougher version called the Blue Label or Campaign version. It's extremely rare - only 2 or 3 copies are known to exist. So Cave must have been happy with the port to say the least.

The Oculus Quest

Almost three months since we met, and still can't avert my eyes.

Kind of surprised more badgers haven't been tempted by this marvel, especially as shorter/arcade/puzzle/experience games seem a better fit for our busy lives.

That said, I seem to find the time for it

Typical night would see slicing away three or four tracks of Beat Saber in the Kitchen, then crashing the lounge sofa to consume some web media. Kicking the ottoman to one side and I'm on my toes dodging bullets like the chosen one in Superhot. When I say 'in' that's precisely how immersed you are.



Whipping off the headset for some dinner and TV with Dom, it's not too long before the lure to chill with the 3D adventures of Moss comes calling. Thirty minutes later I offer to give my weary wife a neck massage before her bath, as she's having an early night. Now idle hands leave me no alternative but to strap on and visit some websites of er, distinguished taste...

Of course this is mostly fiction, but more to show how flexible the device is. It's been fired up in every room in our house, the garden, friend's homes, hotels, work, the car and even on a flight.

Portability is nothing if the games are pish. Coming from an Xbox, most of these titles are new to me but Vader Immortal and Red Matter show that it's not just the big three who can offer knockout software. Obviously there's not the graphical grunt of a tethered headset, but what devs have squeezed from a mobile processor is mightily impressive.  

Movies and TV boxes are ticked with Netflix and Amazon Prime apps allowing massive screen viewing wherever you are. 'Skybox' allows local or streamed files to be played IMAX size (3D included) even laying in bed.

But I've saved the clincher till last - virtual reality itself. How the headset instantly transports you to another space is astonishing. To do it wireless is truly a paradigm shift, and it's not hyperbole to say this: we're not playing games here, we are the game.

Your cheerleading has not been in vain.

It's all good. I've tried VR before, I know how it feels and how there you are. Seeing people, especially you, raving about the Quest has sold me.

You can play mine when you come to live in Aus Cinty.

I enjoy mine every time I play it, just need to play it more! It's always such a time sink because you kind of forget yourself.

One of the cool things with Quest is that you can stream the player view to any Google Chromecast device or your phone so it's easy to set it up so everyone can see what the person is doing. Makes it less solo especially for games like Beat Saber which is fun to watch

Naw, still in work / visa limbo. But...I dunno. It's getting there. Maybe.

The Quest is the closest I’ve come to being interested in VR. A self contained unit makes the most sense to me, even though in reality the games that appeal are ones where I’d be sitting down anyway.

It’s maybe just because I mostly see it in Fail Army videos of people putting their fist / head through their plasterboard / television, but whenever I see people playing in VR, they’re standing up. SUPERHOT in VR sounds great, but then I see that guy arching his back and think, “Nah.”

Moved to the Quest thread! x




Edited

A love letter to Power Stone, by Keith Stuart via the graun.

Man, that last paragraph sets my heart going plenty.

What a game.