Ketsui DS (w/ superplay DVD)

[adverse]

Finishing point total for the super play is 512,010,888 just FYI.

[gsl]

If you want to sell the superplay seperately drop me a pm.

I'll see how I like it and let you know.  It may be incentive for me to save up for the board itself.

[innerpattern]

If you want to sell the superplay seperately drop me a pm. I don't want to buy a DS game just to watch a superplay which is like 40mill points better than the already exxisting one. (I'll probably buy the set anyway someday...)

That was my thinking but I finally CAVE'd in and bought it. Now I need a damn DS though.....
(horrible pun sry)

[adverse]

Oshiete IKD mode is pretty funny.  I need some of these pictures of him for avatars.  The brooding Gouki Satsu Hadou one is just too good.

[adverse]

My impressions of the game so far:

Fun!
The game has the standard Ketsui mechanic where the closer you get to an enemy, the higher the value of the multiplier chip you receive. So basically you want to be as close to bosses as possible to maximize the multiplier, which then is calculated against the point value of the boss and its parts.

One thing that is definitely new is that you will collect multiplier chips even when you bomb. The closer bullets are to you when you bomb, the higher your multiplier will climb. Since your three bombs refresh for each boss, it is critical to both use these and use them intelligently. If you no-miss a boss, your bomb count goes up to four meaning more chips.

There are four colors of chips:
Green chips you get from popcorn enemies.
Beige chips you get from bosses/laser enemies.
Red chips you get when bombing.
Blue chips you get when using shot.

The EVAC reports as described elsewhere are like achievements, and you get them for really random stuff like changing the sound settings but also important stuff like high scores, destroying all the parts on a boss etc. As they unlock, panels are taken away on pictures of the bosses. Each time you get a picture unlocked new features open up. And you can ask IKDsan more stuff. There are 113 panels with one big one on the last page, which could be the replay? Or something else. Hopefully the replay is relatively simple to get.

Playing through the courses themselves is fun, and there's no reason to get discouraged given that the game keeps increasing your life count so that you can get through them all. Good players however will not lose many lives, maximize their bomb usage and get quite high scores.

[SuperPang]

[MX7]

Lol, talk about rubbing it in 

[SuperPang]

[cannonball]

I was playing this all last night (incredibly fast shipping from play-asia for some reason).  Damn this is good fun.  I just wish I could read all the IKD unlocks.

[rtw]

If you want to see how the SuperPlay video in the DS will be displayed check ura...

rtw

[KOMA]

Mihara made a good ketsui's autobomb,if you have 1,2,3 or even fours bombs in stock,"if you autobomb",all your stock fall to zero.
It could have been a good feature for DDP DFK.

[EOJ]

Japanese wiki page for the game is up with tons of info:

http://wikiwiki.jp/ketui/?%A5%B1%A5%C4%A5%A4%A5%C7%A5%B9%A5%EC%A1%BC%A5%D9%A5%EB

My copy should be here in about an hour, and I'll fiddle around with it for a bit.

[EOJ]

I've played this for about an hour, and it's quite fun (once you get used to the controls). As a DS game, I'm very satisfied with it. The superplay DVD is top notch as well, and the whole package screams love and quality. I like the IKD-san Q&A bits, and the various difficulty levels. The multiplayer mode sounds fun, and I'd like to try that some time.

This is not something I'd play seriously (who would?), but as a fun shmup diversion on the go (or in bed before sleep), you can't get much better than this. Well worth the money.

[thamasha69]

but as a fun shmup diversion on the go (or in bed before sleep), you can't get much better than this. Well worth the money

Agreed.  I decided to give myself one go at very hard mode before sleep...and 2 hours later turned off the DS.  It's addicting!

[KOMA]

Very hard and death label are the best mode for having a great time with the game,same patterns as the arcade version at least for very hard,i can't tell for DL since i never get the second loop at ketsui but i presume they are the same too.

One thing i notice,you can unlock death label without clearing very hard mode.

[EOJ]

Just woke up this morning and cleared Death Label, to unlock Extra, which is basically a remixed stage 5. Looks like the lives are fixed at 2 as well. Pretty fun challenge!

It's also neat that you see the full Arcade ending and credit roll when you clear Death Label.

[gsl]

One thing i notice,you can unlock death label without clearing very hard mode.

I don't think I've unlocked any of the modes by actually clearing any of the others (with the exception of Extra; I've yet to get past Jamadhar).  It looks to be some sort of time, score, or other mysterious trigger.

I'm really liking the game so far.  It's the perfect portable shooter--you've got these little mini stages that take from 5-10 minutes to complete and are still self-contained arcade challenges that you can pick up, blast through, and then put down without getting completely involved in a longer gameplay session.

[innerpattern]

Playing emulated while I wait for my copy from GP. I noticed as well that you don't have to clear a stage to unlock another one. I'm 0/6 on very hard  It hasn't given me Death Label yet. I unlocked the awesome run of 2-1 from the superplay videos though.

My first time playing anything like a "new" cave game and I love it.  The patterns are insanely fun and so is the scoring system. Sure it's light on content but I'm having more fun with it then I ever had with a portable shooter. Very happy I just picked up the PCB and can't wait to play it...

[EOJ]

For those that don't know, the Ura loop replay movie with the B ship is viewable in the "ask IKD" section, numbers 36-40. I have not unlocked 40 yet (which is 2-5).
36 is 2-1, 37 is 2-2, 38 is 2-3, and 39 is 2-4. These are also the funniest Q&As to read, as they have Arika staff join in (including Mihara!). This alone is worth the price of admission for me.

The B-type replay is a WR score of 519 mil. It's a shame they made it a small vertical box in a yoko screen, instead of just making it tate (and holding the DS book-style). It would have been a lot easier to view.

[innerpattern]

These are also the funniest Q&As to read, as they have Arika staff join in (including Mihara!). This alone is worth the price of admission for me.

Thanks, I was wondering who all those guys are.

[FrederikJurk]

Nice to see you people enjoying this game as much as I do   I think for a less than average player like me this is actually a good rookie training for the full Ketsui - some of these patterns are still mindwarping despite being slowed-down. I think Arika did a fantastic job on putting this on the DS while still keeping a good core game feeling intact.

And even though I?ve been listening to the soundtrack for months now, I?m still surprised how much better it feels in-game, with all the lock-on beeping and the meaty gun sounds. I mean, the Amen break D?n`B loop is THE most overused drumloop sample ever, but it somehow still feels fresh here. It just adds to the frenetic atmosphere.

And yeah, going to bed and waking up with some tiny Ketsui goodness is brilliant! Here?s hoping that we?ll get more bite-sized versions of Cave games for the DS in the future.

[EOJ]

Here?s hoping that we?ll get more bite-sized versions of Cave games for the DS in the future.

Agreed. I'd love to have portable boss rush (or whatever) versions of any recent CAVE game. Particularly Mushi Futari. Here's hoping this game has good enough sales to make Mihara consider doing a similar treatment to other games.

I'm actually quite happy that Ketsui DS is just a boss rush/fan service game with some superplay videos. I wouldn't want to play a full game on the tiny DS screen w/ the tiny buttons. Extra mode with the remixed stage 5 is just right if you're craving some "stage" action.

I also have to LOL at the people complaining about how this is just a "boss rush demo", and it "isn't worth the money". Here's what you get for your $48 (that's the price I paid from Play-asia. Anyone can get it at that price after you find a $10 off coupon online. Just google it):

-Lovely box set with a full DS game and a superb superplay DVD that surpasses the score on the previous DVD set that now sells for over $150.
-7 boss rush courses ranging from 3 to 11 stages each.
-Doom mode (this is the perfect pick up and play challenge)
-Extra mode (full stage 5 from the arcade PCB with remixed enemy patterns, and a doom fight at the end).
-Multiplayer mode (play with 2-8 others in stage 5 with a competitive scoring element)
-Ask IKD-san mode - 40 or so comic book-ish exchanges with Ikeda from CAVE, the Ketsui characters, and a few Arika employees (including the guy who made this game, Mihara).
-Training mode
-Great stat tracking and score-tracking features (pretty much everything you could imagine, and then some).
-Replay save and exchange feature.
-A full Ura loop replay w/ the b-type ship (w/ a WR score) viewable on the DS cart.
-Over 110 challenges to complete to unlock various features and artwork.

Sounds like a great value for my money. I've already logged 4 hours and 29 minutes on my Ketsui DS, and I just got it yesterday afternoon. I was up last night playing it before bed, and played it about an hour this morning right after I woke up (which made my girlfriend laugh a worried laugh). It's seriously addictive, and any game that can do that is awesome in my book.

[innerpattern]

It's seriously addictive, and any game that can do that is awesome in my book.

I hear you EOJ. Call me jaded but there are fewer and fewer games these days that offer simple yet challenging and addictive gameplay. Cave and the STG genre in general are sometimes the only things keeping me gaming after 16+ years...and that makes me happy because I love games...worth the $? Yes.

[MX7]

As far as I'm concerned, a portable game must fulfill three criteria:

1: You must be able to play the game in bed
2: You must be able to play the game on a bus
3: You must be able to play the game on the toilet

From what I've played of Ketsui DL, it is perfectly suited to all of these situations. Therefore I consider it a successful handheld game. The boss rush formula works perfectly on this platform.

[adverse]

Totally agreed with EOJ's observations.

One thing that has disappointed me is the dearth of shops (even in Nipponbashi) which are carrying the game.  I got the only copy at one shop and the other shops don't even have it on display.  Sold out?  I know it sold out on Amazon, but on the street?  Unlikely.  Wonder what the deal is.

[FrederikJurk]

As far as I'm concerned, a portable game must fulfill three criteria:

1: You must be able to play the game in bed
2: You must be able to play the game on a bus
3: You must be able to play the game on the toilet

From what I've played of Ketsui DL, it is perfectly suited to all of these situations. Therefore I consider it a successful handheld game. The boss rush formula works perfectly on this platform.

Amen. Gaming on the toilet is golden.

I?m still surprised on how well this turned out, considering the hardware limitations - everything seems so fine-tuned to the platform, especially the controls.

[gsl]

I also have to LOL at the people complaining about how this is just a "boss rush demo", and it "isn't worth the money". Here's what you get for your $48 (that's the price I paid from Play-asia. Anyone can get it at that price after you find a $10 off coupon online. Just google it):

Christ, I'm getting so sick of that one obnoxious guy on shmups who can't get it through his head that A) we know it's not the full game and B) we like it anyways.

I agree with all the comments on this being a great portable version of the game, though.  As I said before, it's structured so that you're not investing a large amount of time into the levels--it's great for that 5-minute go on the toilet, before bed, before work, etc.  The unlocks are also pretty fun--not that you get anything terribly interesting in the EVAC Report section, but it's neat to see what you did on your last run that opened up the latest set of panels.  I've yet to unlock Extra mode and I'm not sure if I'll ever beat Doom Mode, but I don't mind, as there's always the challenge of getting just a LITTLE further.  If anything, this makes honing one's skills easier than in the arcade, as instead of replaying three levels to get to that boss you've yet to beat, you can go straight there either through the short level set or through training mode.

I don't consider this game a compromise in the least--what would have been a compromise was if they would have tried to fit the full game on the DS, which would have resulted in so many cut corners and nerd rage.  This is Ketsui distilled--not the full game, but more than enough to be fun on the go.

Can't wait until my copy actually gets here this coming week so I can toss this dodgy R4 and actually watch the DVD.  Speak of the superplay, that is my one disappointment with the game: the fact that the superplays on the game are presented in Super-Tinyvision.

[EOJ]

Speak of the superplay, that is my one disappointment with the game: the fact that the superplays on the game are presented in Super-Tinyvision.

Yeah, it makes them more or less worthless for me. Quite a shame really.

Another thing I don't like is the lives increasing and maxing to 20. I would have preferred they just started out at 7 or 8 and didn't increase. This would allow you to beat any of the modes, but would make very hard and death label more of a real challenge. It would also make playing for score easier.

[FrederikJurk]

Judging by how hard Death Label mode is and how many bosses it has, I think I?ll just keep suiciding until I max out on lives and THEN try to beat it (or should I say, bomb until I run out of bombs and then run out of lives) to unlock the Extra mode. Then I can practice Death Label mode when I feel like it  So in that case I?m actually thankful for the life increase.

By the way, how long is the Extra stage? Is is comparable to the PCB stage in length and enemy-wise? And I guess scoring in that mode will be more similar to the PCB version, right? I?m glad this mode has fixed lives so scoring actually makes sense there (same as in DOOM mode). And here having a regular shot will finally make sense as it can be safely ignored in the other modes, which is a bit sad.

And I agree on the ridiculously small in-game superplay. It?s way too tiny to actually make out details (quite important when you watch such a video, right?), but takes up a big chunk of the overall game cartridge, making it more expensive in production (I guess). I would have prefered a superplay of the actual game itself, which would have been a lot smaller in file size (preprogrammed replay data, so to say) and would actually give insights to the game at hand - especially in the harder modes and DOOM.

[EOJ]

Judging by how hard Death Label mode is and how many bosses it has, I think I?ll just keep suiciding until I max out on lives and THEN try to beat it (or should I say, bomb until I run out of bombs and then run out of lives) to unlock the Extra mode. Then I can practice Death Label mode when I feel like it  So in that case I?m actually thankful for the life increase.

Yeah, but I beat Death Label in a couple hours thanks to the increasing lives (I think I had 17 when I beat it). Not a very satisfying achievement. It would improve the longevity of the game if the challenge was a bit stiffer. Just about anyone can beat Death Label with the max 20 lives if you manage your bombs properly. But if the max lives were cut down to 1/2 or 1/3 of that, it would take much longer, and not everyone would be able to do it. This would pattern better with the difficulty of the Ketsui PCB.