Akai Katana Shin [JP X360 - 5/26/2011]

[emphatic]

Ah, cheers fellas. 

[EOJ]

The LE is currently #2 among ALL video games on amazon.co.jp, in regard to sales (preorders, in this case). Looks like this game is going to sell very well.

[MikeNeko]

Wow, that is quite surprising ! I didn't think the game had that much public exposure.

Good news for the shooting division of Cave... 

[SuperPang]

It's because nobody can find the arcade version

[moozooh]

Wait, the LE is just a limited edition of the Xbox 360 game, not a port of the arcade Akai Katana LE that was distributed in wooden boxes, right?

[HVL]

Wait, the LE is just a limited edition of the Xbox 360 game, not a port of the arcade Akai Katana LE that was distributed in wooden boxes, right?

Yes, limited edition of the X360 title Akai Katana Shin.

[Special World]

The LE is currently #2 among ALL video games on amazon.co.jp, in regard to sales (preorders, in this case). Looks like this game is going to sell very well.

Very interesting. I'm secretly hoping this the runaway success, while Instant Brain just does okay. I'm kind of surprised, really, given how nobody really seemed to care about the arcade version. Any idea why there's this sudden interest?

I'm sure Famitsu will give it a better score than usual at least, since it's uniformly high-def.

[brentsg]

It was primarily the arcade ops that shunned the game, due to the pattern of 1.5 and Black Label releases.  That's why the game sold poorly.

Then the top players were able to top out the scoring system too quickly. There wasn't enough headroom for them. 

Cave re-released the PCB arrange version and it went a long way to addressing the scoring, and it likely whetted demand since not everyone can drop that kind of cash.  Add to this the HD treatment and again expanded content.  I'm not surprised to see some excitement.

[Special World]

Ah, well, that would do it. The vids I've seen of arcade mode don't really do much for me, but Shin looks pretty cool. Is the arcade game as tame as it seems? It looks like there's a lot of DFK-type downtime while you turn bullets into gold (or something), and I hated the hypering in DFK.

Why don't shmup creators just add extra 0s on the front of the scoreboard in case things get out of hand? Is it really such a hard thing to program in a couple of extra digits, or does it just look sloppy?

[brentsg]

Why don't shmup creators just add extra 0s on the front of the scoreboard in case things get out of hand? Is it really such a hard thing to program in a couple of extra digits, or does it just look sloppy?

I didn't mean to indicate that the game had been counterstopped, just that the top players milked everything out of the game and were done with it.  Personally I think this is the first game where Cave was really up against the SH3 barrier to negative affect.  That circling gold thing looked awesome but contributed too much to slowdown, and was thus removed from the PCB LE.   

If anything that's the main reason to be excited about the Xbox release.  It frees them from the SH3's limitations.

[Special World]

Ah, okay. You didn't really indicate that, but I jumped to conclusions. Yeah, I'm always excited to see what crazy things Cave can pull out when they use the 360 hardware, but I've mostly been let down outside of Pink Sweets Arrange and DSIIX. Here's hoping Shin is as cool as it looks. I loved all the extra screen space in DSIIX, and the homing shots were novel, if nothing else. The circling gold did look cool, but unless I misunderstood what I saw, the entire scoring system seemed to facilitate stretches of low energy, no-dodge play. I hope I'm just completely wrong so I can enjoy the Arcade mode too, but it looked like more weak bullet canceling to me. Only bullet canceling I like is Mars Matrix and Futari style, it seems.

[EOJ]

Lots of updates coming next week, and it looks like there's a new game mode (Akai Katana Zetsu):

http://www.cave-stg.com/?p=1274

[Special World]

Awesome. I'm glad that they seem to be going all-out with Akai Katana Shin. I hope it rivals Espgaluda II BL in overall bang for your buck

Still unsure about Nin2 Jump, but if they manage to get solid platforming mechanics down then I'm 100% sold.

[EOJ]

Tutorial vids:

http://www.cave-stg.com/?p=1287

The last minute of the Shin video shows actual gameplay. The new large Gold items remind me of Muchi Muchi Pork. It looks really awesome.

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

If anyone translates the arcade gameplay one with English text pasted under the Japanese and reups it to YouTube I will love you forever.

[EOJ]

It just explains the basic scoring system and whatnot, which we already know. Nothing too exciting.

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

I think I missed a thread then. I will go searching.

[drunkninja]

New trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrweAa3NiOc

[insigniadeck]

i love the box art design

[EOJ]

For those curious, the "Zetsu" mode in the video is the original arcade version but in 16:9, and with the 256 hit limit removed so hits increase indefinitely.

[moozooh]

So it's going to be 4:3 AC, 16:9 Shin, and 16:9 Zetsu then?

[EOJ]

Yep. And all three have the hi res graphics.

[emphatic]

Three new videos has been added. My God it looks awesome! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxuIX1OROjQ

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

FWIW I actually like the slowdown in the PCB but on the final boss of the game it gets a little tedious at parts, it slows down more than any Cave game probably ever in a couple of parts. It's not easy to an average player overall and the bullet cancelling/reflecting is not like you just get put in Easyville like how the Bullet Soul videos look when you are at the bottom of the screen. You still have to concentrate on reflecting if you are using your powerful shot and release it and wiggle around when bullets are near your hit box which is usually constant. I think people are going to love the port but try not to judge it the first day or 2 you play it because it's really more of an acquired taste than any other Cave shooters. By the 3rd day you should be hooked though. My only gripes basically are that the first stage is way too short (by any stretch of the imagination, it's hardly even a stage, it's more like a warmup) and I think it would have been cool if when the energy is circling around your option thing, if it would have temporarily increased its shot power, and if right when you suck in a bunch of gold, if that would have temporarily increased your shot power that would have given a cool feel instead of all just for points.

[HVL]

256 hit limit removed so hits increase indefinitely.

Game breaking scoring in horizon.

I'm really digging the arranged music.

[KOMA]

Japanese Caveshop are selling Akai Katana special edition.If anyone have acces to order,pls PM me.
Thx.

[sh00g]

5 Minute gameplay vid. CAVE must be really proud of this one.

[GaijinPunch]

5 Minute gameplay vid. CAVE must be really proud of this one.

Anyone else find it ironic that their arguably worst selling arcade game has gotten the bet treatment? Ultra rare PCB (w/ some bizarre fixins) and a (seemingly) primo home release?

[Chempop]

It actually sorta makes sense to me - look at it from the standpoint that if they worked hard on something which initially didn't reach their sales expectations than they would want to find ways to entice people with added bonuses such as wooden boxes and art prints or LE PCB updates which fix complaints yadayada.

I was sold on the "teleporting airplanes out from thin air" aspect, but added bonuses are always welcome in my eyes.

[dan76]

It's a shame they didn't have the same attitude when porting the arcade version of Deathsmiles 2.

I'm really looking forward to the port, though I had hoped there would be the traditional chunky low res arcade version. As it is I'll have to endure high res - life's hard.