Mushihimesama Futari ver 1.5 [JP XBOX 360, 2009] REGION FREE W/ SCANLINES

[ragolslayer]

*crosses fingers that NCSX will come through and get enough copies*

[StarCreator]

My order for the LE at Play-Asia has been "Preparing order" status as of at least this morning.

No update from NCSX besides the brief mention on the blog's incoming releases table, though I noticed they did finally close preorders for the LE at some point.  Given I haven't been contacted about any potential shortages yet, it looks like I might actually get both copies.

[Monouchi]

Love that LE cover.

[gsl]

I'm not as big on the soundtrack and whatnot (it'd be nice, but I've got enough game soundtracks I don't often listen to), but that is indeed a sweet cover.  Not enough for me justify having sprung for the LE instead of the regular edition, but it's pretty slick nonetheless.

I'm interested in seeing how that faceplate decal looks for the lucky few who got the set from Cave.

Now to wait for Play-Asia to finish taking their sweet time preparing my order and actually make with the shipping...

[adverse]

Spent the evening playing this.  The game is really gorgeous in high-def. 

So far I've played mainly original in 360 and Arcade modes, and at first I thought there was something really off with the slowdown.  2nd phase of Boss 3, and last phase of Boss 4 all were much faster than I remember.  However I am used Black Label, and this game is very different.  I put in my 1.5 DVD to see what the slowdown was like and most of it was completely accurate.  I would take issue with the stage 5 slowdown which so far seems a little minimal, especially on the big dragons. 

Ultra in 360 mode seems to be nearly slowdown free...?  And some of the bullet patterns are changed?  Dunno what happened there.  Arcade mode seems fine, allthough it's Ultra so I got my dick kicked in.

Couldn't really render a verdict on Maniac since I really dislike 1.5 Maniac compared to Black Label but I'll probably play it after I 1CC Original.

I really like the menu system they've come up with this time, very user friendly. 

Arrange Ultra was...chaotic.  Not sure what to make of it just yet.

[bcass]

Definitely no scanlines option hidden in there then for Arcade mode?

[cstarflare]

Ultra in 360 mode seems to be nearly slowdown free...?  And some of the bullet patterns are changed?  Dunno what happened there.  Arcade mode seems fine, allthough it's Ultra so I got my dick kicked in.

What slowdown setting were you using? It'd be interesting to know if the PCB setting made a significant difference.

I'd love to give ultra a serious try, but if DS is any indication arcade mode is really hard to look at on my TV.

[StarCreator]

NCSX's latest update:

All preorders for the regular edition of X360 Mushihimesama Futari and roughly 5/8 of our preorders for the limited edition should ship out to customers tomorrow. The game was dispatched from Japanese distributors last night but one supplier whom we preordered the limited edition from did not receive their Futari LE allocation yet. They'll receive the game tonight.
We're targeting Friday for the arrival of the remainder but please note that there may be shortages of the limited edition from the upcoming Friday batch. We'll update accordingly once we receive the shipment proforma. If Cave actually fills our entire original order, we'll be very surprised.

[EPS21]

Spent the evening playing this.  The game is really gorgeous in high-def. 

So far I've played mainly original in 360 and Arcade modes, and at first I thought there was something really off with the slowdown.  2nd phase of Boss 3, and last phase of Boss 4 all were much faster than I remember.  However I am used Black Label, and this game is very different.  I put in my 1.5 DVD to see what the slowdown was like and most of it was completely accurate.  I would take issue with the stage 5 slowdown which so far seems a little minimal, especially on the big dragons. 

Ultra in 360 mode seems to be nearly slowdown free...?  And some of the bullet patterns are changed?  Dunno what happened there.  Arcade mode seems fine, allthough it's Ultra so I got my dick kicked in.

Couldn't really render a verdict on Maniac since I really dislike 1.5 Maniac compared to Black Label but I'll probably play it after I 1CC Original.

I really like the menu system they've come up with this time, very user friendly. 

Arrange Ultra was...chaotic.  Not sure what to make of it just yet.

So how many buttons overall are involved in the arrange mode? There's the one to switch between Palm and Reco, are there any more necessary for play? I'm making a custom stick for this game and wondering if a 4 button panel is enough. It seems like it probably is from EOJ's description, but just wanted to make sure.

Also, greetings western CAVE fans 

[EOJ]

Spent the evening playing this.  The game is really gorgeous in high-def.  

So far I've played mainly original in 360 and Arcade modes, and at first I thought there was something really off with the slowdown.  2nd phase of Boss 3, and last phase of Boss 4 all were much faster than I remember.  However I am used Black Label, and this game is very different.  I put in my 1.5 DVD to see what the slowdown was like and most of it was completely accurate.  I would take issue with the stage 5 slowdown which so far seems a little minimal, especially on the big dragons.  

BL has loads more slowdown than 1.5, so I'm not worried just yet. Also, the PCB doesn't have much slowdown on the big dragons in stage 5.

Ultra in 360 mode seems to be nearly slowdown free...?  And some of the bullet patterns are changed?  Dunno what happened there.  Arcade mode seems fine, allthough it's Ultra so I got my dick kicked in.

Ultra has little slowdown in the first couple stages especially. I'm worried about the changed bullet patterns though. Which ones are you referring to? Hopefully it's just in Ultra 360 mode.

I'll have my copy in about 24 hours, whereupon I'll commence detailed testing.

[adverse]

Shit there IS a scanline option!  Picture setting -> Preset #D

Rejoice scanline partisans!

EOJ, one pattern which IIRC being different in 360 ultra is the sort of V-shaped pattern which comes off of the big cliff/rocks in stage 1.  In Arcade Ultra it's doable, 360 mode it seems to have a ton more bullets.

[EOJ]

Yay! Scanlines! It's just in Arcade mode, right?

I can go through and remove the parts of this thread complaining about no scanlines. Thanks M2, I knew you guys weren't dumb enough to forget the scanlines!

Strange they changed patterns in Ultra 360...

[adverse]

Pretty sure all screen options available in every mode.

[EOJ]

Ah, okay. I would only use it in Arcade mode (doesn't make a lot of sense to use scanlines on HD graphics), but I'm really happy it's in there. It'll make arcade mode look 1000x better on an HDTV.

[EOJ]

Amazon Japan shipped my Hori Mushi X360 stick just now, so I'll get that tomorrow. They haven't shipped my Futari 1.5 yet, so if they wait until tomorrow (release day) to ship, I'll just head down to Sofmap in the morning to buy a copy. Bleh.

Will take and post pics of the stick soon after I get it!

Also, if for some strange reason you haven't ordered the game yet, Play-asia raised the price to $74.90. They do this with most games (their pre-order price is lower, then it raises on the day of release) though, so it's expected. Still not a bad price considering you can use an $8 off coupon from them and the yen is really strong (88 yen to 1 USD now).

[antares]

Shit there IS a scanline option!  Picture setting -> Preset #D

Rejoice scanline partisans!

Great news!

Now follow M2's lead and make a scanline patch for Deathsmiles Cave.

[EOJ]

I'm done with DS patches. Give me a full disc-based "Deathsmiles Kanzenban". With all the display options of Futari 1.5, as well as DSMBL, and DSMBL ver 1.1 on it.

More realistically, I'm hoping the Galuda 2 port has all the same display options, rather than Deathsmiles' comparatively weak selection.

[antares]

Cave said there is another patch coming when MBL 1.1 is released. They could include scanlines in that patch easily. But yeah, your're right I don't see it coming either.

I'd really love to begin playing DS Arcade mode for score and try to get 300+ mil but it's unplayable on my vga screen. Currently I have a horizontal vga screen, a vertical vga screen and a vertical sd screen in my gaming room and there's just no space left to put in another horizontal sd screen.

[fuse]

My copy is winging it's way from Play-Asia via UPS. If I have it for the weekend I'll be very happy camper.

[KOMA]

I've just watch an original replay on youtube and before the boss 3 you get two bomb ,don't remember if you get the same amount on the  PCB.It seems to me there is less enemies at the last phase of the stage 3.

[adverse]

So can I ask why people prefer 1.5 to Black Label?

1.5 seems to me to have

・More limited scoring in Original (no proximity system, right?)
・Fairer counter penalty for using a bomb
・Less flashy effects
・Fairer danmakus on stage 2 and 3 bosses, a bit harder stage 4 boss.
・Restrictive Maniac scoring
・Unfun Ultra mode

While Black Label has
・Much more scoring depth in Original thanks to proximity system, stage counter.
・Pretty brutal punishment for using a bomb or dying.
・Fucked up danmaku on stage 2 boss Maniac (first form)
・More fun in Maniac mode, due to more flexible gauge・
・Fun if not a little too random God mode.
・Flashy graphics.

Have to say I prefer Black Label on the whole.

[Plasmo]

Black Label has:

-completely messed up slowdown (probably the worst in any CAVE game)
-No Ultra mode, just some kind of girly Goddess mode (which tbh has a better scoring system)
-brutal punishment for dying / bombing

These are the main points why I prefer 1.5

[EOJ]

BL Maniac sucks compared to 1.5. Scoring in BLM is comparatively blah, boss patterns are sped up and messy, end bonus is frustrating (lives x bombs), difficulty is too dumbed down and easy. Learn to play 1.5 maniac and you'll see it has much more depth and better overall balance.

I still enjoy BL Maniac, but I think 1.5 Maniac is one of the best games ever made.

[Plasmo]

Totally forgot about that annoying endbonus in BL, suiciding on the last boss really sucks (after you have done the math if it's worth it while dodging hundreds of bullets of course, not a good idea imo)

[NR777]

Shipping has been confirmed as of this morning.  Can't wait to fire this badboy up!

[EOJ]

Wow, I had no idea ncsx.com were so clueless. Look at their product description for Futari:

"Mushihimesama Futari has the distinction of being the most difficult shooter in existence but it's mainly because the bullets from bosses rain down in sheets. Repeat: sheets. Literally, bullets upon bullets. Gamers can look forward to nonstop streaming shots, mesmerizing spiraling shots, and thick waves of rapid shots that afford 1cm of leeway. Even elite players who regularly conquer shmups of all stripes on one measly credit are confounded by Futari. We're of the opinion that Cave and arcade operators conspired to make sure that Futari cannot be completed on 1 credit. Top players will need at least 5-25 credits depending on individual skill level and hitbox alertness."

From: http://www.ncsx.com/2009/112309/mushihimesama_futari_le.htm

I hope they're just referring to Ultra mode, because Original is one of the easier Cave games ever made and Maniac is challenging, but far from impossible. Anyway, it's a pretty horrible and inaccurate description of the overall game difficulty.

[Megalixir]

From everyone (usually Americans) I've spoken with that have had some interest in the game, they've been turned away at the $75 dollar price. I can just imagine one hitting up NCSX, reading that, and being turned away. Are they even trying to sell the game here?

"This game is ludicrous and you're going to die hundreds of times, please buy it"

[adverse]

Wow that it is an epically awful description. 

95% of people buying this game will not even play Ultra seriously.

This is one thing I hate about the reputation danmaku shooters have gotten in the states and abroad...

[moozooh]

Then again you will see some people getting this game only to experience the famed Ultra bullshit.

But the way the game sells now we probably shouldn't worry too much, Futari by itself has enjoyed enough publicity to not provide any new knowledge via description written by casual gamers for casual gamers (which is exactly what it is). Everybody who wants to buy it already knows what it is, and the rest aren't going to be persuaded even by a well-written description seen in an internet shop, anyway.

[Schrodingers cat]

I've just watch an original replay on youtube and before the boss 3 you get two bomb ,don't remember if you get the same amount on the  PCB.It seems to me there is less enemies at the last phase of the stage 3.

It looks like you get 2 bombs instead of one whenever you get them in whatever novice mode you play, not just before boss 3.

From the Youtube vids, novice original looks like the easiest mode Cave has ever created in any of their games.  I mean there was like a 10 second portion in the stage 2 replay where enemies didn't even fire a single bullet.  But it looks like this game has something for everyone, and should make a nice gateway shooter for new people who want to get into these types of games.  I always thought it was dumb when people would spam that ultra stage 5 boss vid on forums everywhere and turn people off from ever playing the game.  It's like showing people videos of Ninja Gaiden 2 on Master Ninja difficulty and having them believe it's the only difficulty you could play in the game. 

Novice ultra looks pretty interesting.  I haven't played Futari yet, but it reminds me of original from Mushi 1 with much slower bullets.

Also, there's no right-analog stick option control in arrange mode like there was for DS 1.1, is there? I hope there isn't but I'm just wondering.