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Cave Appreciation

Started by porkpye, August 11, 2008, 03:33:18 PM

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porkpye

Over the last year I have bought and sold the following cave games:

Ketsui
Esprade
Guwange
Espagluda 2
Progear
Dodonpachi

For some reason I couldn't really see what all the fuss was about although I enjoyed Dodonpachi and Esprade to a degree.  Recently I have started collecting again to see if I can get into them and have bought Dondonpachi DOJ, Espgaluda and Progear and I have to say I am really impressed.  I have spent a lot of time on Dodonpachi and love it but recently had some really good experiences with Espgaluda (got onto end of level 3 on one credit and the stage was amazing, really fast and exilerating).

So it is now I have deep regrets about selling the others especially with the price they are.  I read about people buying and selling Ketsui after not gelling with it but then apreciating it the second time and I imagine I will be the same.  Funds are limited at present but I have got around ?600 to buy a pcb or two. 

I really fancy deathsmiles but also wouldn't mind giving Ketsui a try again although would probably have to pay more than the ?400 I did before.  I have also seen good things about mushi futari.  What do people recommend I should spend my money on.  I could buy Dodonpachi, Esprade and Mushisama for the same price as Ketsui, Deathsmiles or Futari.  How does Mushisama compare with the second one.  Any advice would be apreciated.


jpj

tought question.  i'd probably recommend getting futari (version 1.5), as it has three different game modes, and Original (whilst not being easy per se) kinda eases you in a bit (the three different modes are still the same levels and bosses, but with different bullet patterns, difficulty, and scoring systems).

if you enjoy raizing games like battle garegga or armed police batrider, i'd recommend having a look at ibara - the cheapest of cave's newer boards.

and i'd also give a shout out to muchi muchi pork, which is very fun - but might put you off as the theme is very silly/cartoony

and welcome to the forum   :)

EOJ

Get Mushihimesama Futari 1.5. My favorite CAVE game hands down, very accessible & fun scoring systems, great level design, bullet patterns, graphics, and music, and 3 very different modes will keep you busy for quite some time. The first Mushihimesama is awesome as well, but the scoring system in Maniac/Ultra puts off many people (you have to do a lot of very fast tapping of different buttons - it can make your hands sore very quickly). Deathsmiles is also awesome and recommended (it's easily the best hori ever made), but is still a bit pricey. If you prefer horis, get that.

I owned Ketsui twice, sold it twice, and never really clicked with the game. I don't think it's worth the money it goes for (still $900+ for a bare PCB). I'm waiting for the X360 port to try it again.
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porkpye

Excellent thanks for the reply.  I am going to go with Deathsmiles for the aerotable and try and pick up mushisama futari 1.5 however cant afford a new kit how much do pcbs go for.  Also does Legend accept paypal.

EOJ

I think Legend accepts paypal. I don't think you'll be able to find a bare Deathsmiles PCB yet, most places just seem to have kits. Futari PCBs can be found at most shops, I think the cheapest is 105,000 yen at Fujita (www.fujitacommunications.com - they also accept paypal). Note it's currently a holiday week in japan, and Fujita and other Japanese shops are closed. So try contacting them next week. Legend is probably still open, since they operate out of China.
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SuperPang

Espgaluda is always the recommended starting point with Cave. Its very forgiving and the kakusei gives you that bullet dodging buzz right from the get-go. It will always hold special memories for me  :-*

I think you'll like Deathsmiles.  Its different yet familiar, looks amazing and is extremely accessable whilst still being a serious challenge if you want it. I can't fault it.

thegreathopper

Legend do take paypal but charge 4% the same as Excellent

porkpye

Well I have just had a mad spending urge and bought Deathsmiles and Mushime Sama futari 1.5 kits.  It will be  my last spending for some time as got another kid on the way very shortly and halving my hours at work.  Hopefully these will satisfy my gaming needs for a long while.

EOJ

Wow, congrats, porkpye. Both of those games have incredible longevity. And if you ever get sick of one, you can always sell it and get your money back. There's no shortage of buyers for either of those kits.

Be sure to have a look at my Deathsmiles and Futari 1.5 strategy guides in the strategy forum, to get a feel for how the games work.
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markedkiller78

Quote from: porkpye on August 11, 2008, 03:33:18 PM
Over the last year I have bought and sold the following cave games:

Ketsui
Esprade
Guwange
Espagluda 2
Progear
Dodonpachi

For some reason I couldn't really see what all the fuss was about although I enjoyed Dodonpachi and Esprade to a degree.  Recently I have started collecting again to see if I can get into them and have bought Dondonpachi DOJ, Espgaluda and Progear and I have to say I am really impressed.  I have spent a lot of time on Dodonpachi and love it but recently had some really good experiences with Espgaluda (got onto end of level 3 on one credit and the stage was amazing, really fast and exilerating).

So it is now I have deep regrets about selling the others especially with the price they are.  I read about people buying and selling Ketsui after not gelling with it but then apreciating it the second time and I imagine I will be the same.  Funds are limited at present but I have got around ?600 to buy a pcb or two. 

I really fancy deathsmiles but also wouldn't mind giving Ketsui a try again although would probably have to pay more than the ?400 I did before.  I have also seen good things about mushi futari.  What do people recommend I should spend my money on.  I could buy Dodonpachi, Esprade and Mushisama for the same price as Ketsui, Deathsmiles or Futari.  How does Mushisama compare with the second one.  Any advice would be apreciated.




Quote from: porkpye on August 13, 2008, 05:27:16 AM
Well I have just had a mad spending urge and bought Deathsmiles and Mushime Sama futari 1.5 kits.  It will be  my last spending for some time as got another kid on the way very shortly and halving my hours at work.  Hopefully these will satisfy my gaming needs for a long while.


Nice one Paul & congratulations on making another baby :)

I?ve been so curious about these 2 games since their release, what are your thoughts? I wasn?t that hyped about DS, but after reading some of the more in depth thoughts on it & the fact that you can really ramp the difficulty up I?ve been really tempted.


I?d say if you?re getting to Level 3 in Esp Galuda, then give Armed Police Batrider another go. For the money it?s the best value shmup around. It has incredible depth for scoring, plenty of play modes & it?s also fun. The Normal course is also relatively easy, so you should make progress. I like Ketsui, but it?s a painful experience, much like Ibara & Pink Sweets 

You obviously have plenty to occupy your time, but if you see one pop up for sale I?d jump on it.





porkpye

Thanks, with the baby on the way my spending days are numbered but the sacrifices will be worth.
it.

I will let you know what deathsmiles is like when it arrives.  I had apb but again sold it without giving it a chance, I may pick it up in the future.  .  In the past I had all my vertical games in the aerotable and for some reason didn't apreciate them as much as in the egret 2.  Now I have got the egret 2 dedicated for tate games.  With the egret 2 screen you seem to get a better scope than when looking down on the aerotable. 

Just managed to get Donpachi aswell so I have got plenty of games for now.  I bought a 6:1 switcher from jammaboards in order to put all the shooters in the egret 2 and switch them with the remote but although I get a picture there is no sound and I cant work out why.  The 6:1 works perfectly on my other cabs but I have all them horizontal.

markedkiller78

Quote from: porkpye on August 14, 2008, 06:47:04 AM
Thanks, with the baby on the way my spending days are numbered but the sacrifices will be worth.
it.

I?m sure they will & ? your hours will give you more time with your family & games :) It?s win win.

Quote from: porkpieWith the egret 2 screen you seem to get a better scope than when looking down on the aerotable. 

I think it?s a matter of taste. I?ve heard some people saying that it?s easier for the on the 26? screen because they can see the whole thing, whereas I?m in the camp that likes 29? screens as the bullets are bigger for intricate dodging.

Quote from: porkpieI bought a 6:1 switcher from jammaboards in order to put all the shooters in the egret 2 and switch them with the remote but although I get a picture there is no sound and I cant work out why.  The 6:1 works perfectly on my other cabs but I have all them horizontal.

No clue mate. At a guess I would say it has something to do with the sound/ground on the E2 jamma loom. I know that button 5 is wired to jamma on mine & that does weird things with the duel jamma board. Where as the Astros are only wired for 4 on the jamma loom. Ask Grant in the hardware section. You know that the 6-1 is working & that the boards are working, so the only variable for me is the loom, but I?m a bit pants on the tech side.

markedkiller78

I just had a look at the 6-1 (it?s sold out :( ). How do you mount your pcbs Paul?

I can?t think of a way that doesn?t have them all just floating there? Please excuse me if I?m being really thick

porkpye

You buy the jamma extender things what they sell although I had mine at one point laid flat with small pcbs like espgaluda etc plugged in vertically.

markedkiller78

Quote from: porkpye on August 14, 2008, 08:05:02 AM
You buy the jamma extender things what they sell although I had mine at one point laid flat with small pcbs like espgaluda etc plugged in vertically.

Cool. I stuck my name down to be notified when they are back in stock.

It sounds luke a nice solution for some of my older pcbs that have the same screen alingment. DDP, Esp Rade, Dangun, Guwange. Especially seeing as it shuts the power.

jaycm1

Quote from: porkpye on August 13, 2008, 05:27:16 AM
Well I have just had a mad spending urge and bought Deathsmiles and Mushime Sama futari 1.5 kits.  It will be  my last spending for some time as got another kid on the way very shortly and halving my hours at work.  Hopefully these will satisfy my gaming needs for a long while.
where did you did your kits from how much did you pay for mushi futari if you don't mind me asking  :righton:

porkpye

Problem is what machine will you be using it on.  Mine does not output sound on the Egret 2 but works perfectly on the Astro and Blast City. 

Regarding Musi futrai I paid 1025 usd from Legend.

thegreathopper

Currently playing Death Smiles and it is a great game, I am thinking of buying the original Mushi again as it is probably my favourite Cave game along with Ketsui. I never realy enjoyed Futari as much as the original, found the visuals to be a big step back from the first Mushihimesama.

markedkiller78

I know what I need to buy & sell next. Pink Sweets needs to go & MMP needs to come into the fold.

I played MMP at friends house and loved every minute of it. For me it feels like the natural evolution of APB. I?m a big fan of medaling and I don?t mind rank, providing you can manipulate it.

I picked up PS because the price dropped & it had that unknown element to it. There are a hell of a lot of things I like about the game, but I am no where near the level of skill required to enjoy this game. Levels 1-4 are fine, not that I?ve cleared 4, but I imagine that I could with some practice, but the rank, the RANK! Once it goes up, it stays up. Suicide, dropping medals, bombing, collecting roses does nothing other than increase the rank.

I think I will go for Death Smiles soon-ish. I?ve finally figured out that I like the more accessible, easier shmups out there. I like the 2 loop games that ease you into things, then offer a second loop if you really want to work at it.

Paul, I?ve got an Astro & Egret 2 vert, so I?d probably use this on the astro from what you?re saying.

innerpattern

sorry for OT: could someone post a link to Legend? Can't seem to find it on google :-\

jaycm1

Quote from: EOJ on August 11, 2008, 05:09:20 PM
I think Legend accepts paypal. I don't think you'll be able to find a bare Deathsmiles PCB yet, most places just seem to have kits. Futari PCBs can be found at most shops, I think the cheapest is 105,000 yen at Fujita (www.fujitacommunications.com - they also accept paypal). Note it's currently a holiday week in japan, and Fujita and other Japanese shops are closed. So try contacting them next week. Legend is probably still open, since they operate out of China.
does anyone know when fujita reopens getting no reply from yumi   :righton:

EOJ

They should be back in business on the 19th (tomorrow).
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