Port announced today at the Shooting Festa in Akihabara.
Details:
-7 stages total (2 more than the arcade version)
-2 new characters (Follett and Rosa)
-Updated graphics (16:9 mode)
-New bosses
-There will be a LE with a remixed soundtrack
-Release date: May 27th!
EDIT: Official site is up:
http://www.cave.co.jp/gameonline/Xbox360/deathsmiles2x/index.html
holy crap, May 27th???!!!
that's awesome!
Yeah, it's coming out in Japan before Deathsmiles is released in the USA! Hope you got your JP X360. ;)
exactly, it's reasons like that why I have NO regrets about getting a jpn 360.
New update:
First print will include a DLC card that lets you select the new remixed soundtrack in-game. Without this, you can only use the original Arcade music.
I'd avoid play-asia in preordering this one, since they tend to fuck up the whole "first print DLC" thing!
May is pretty close, I thought it wouldn't be until at least September.
Requesting a DeathSmiles 2 strategy thread. Any takers?
so
will the port be 5.0 and arrange 6.0?
I can't say I'm terribly surprised though a little disappointed (was hoping for a DFK port though I'm sure that'll come eventually). May 27th is exciting though and way sooner than I think any of us expected. I'm looking forward to giving this game a proper try as the few credits I played last month were pretty fun, much more so than I thought it'd be. I wonder if they'll offer all the revisions this game has gone through whether on the disc or through DLC?
Quote from: EOJ on February 26, 2010, 11:05:31 PM
Port announced today at the Shooting Festa in Akihabara.
Details:
-7 stages total (2 more than the arcade version)
-2 new characters (Follett and Rosa)
-Updated graphics (16:9 mode)
-New bosses
-There will be a LE with a remixed soundtrack
-Release date: May 27th!
They should be able to update the arcade release to keep up with the port.
Pics and info galore. We can see there will be at least an "Deathsmiles II X" mode and an "Arrange" mode. The widescreen looks a little weird, I hope they give us an "arcade mode" with the original 4:3! The updated graphics are definitely an improvement:
http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1232480_1124.html
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/PV85kqrmaP8FGmC6zwRl95l1yQLMGK1Z.jpg)
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/EI32O17U1UV59PHRePcGVuet5gsNl4Y2.jpg)
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/TD4wcQQ8eOctPkC4AbyU6w5SM2xJiEwg.jpg)
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/BM6Vbz2MHB5qR6bS6386RdIohqE6G514.jpg)
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/AgCM8xkUTd9m2nI7pDVucFpIpox7774k.jpg)
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/IP3lgpYf4G9E3gp4M2OfDU2FvvK1q25d.html)
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/WpY76w289sU522dq98GzGDbRHw7hQlW8.jpg)
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/PV89WA76si5u6I6d7JamCxTjaPapkT4F.jpg)
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/iV7dz38X4xum8JCNmp7QZZTZ5V433EnT.jpg)
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/JRyL918VU25vwUw637233328DZiZ6Txs.jpg)
New stages:
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/QhNzT8GYqZTEsVhtX7oEx375djMg48Pr.jpg)
(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/py252FZI3aE9hJI4L1lphN6KMsRIMWR7.jpg)
Wow, the official site is already up! :o
http://www.cave.co.jp/gameonline/Xbox360/deathsmiles2x/index.html
Guess it's called "Deathsmiles II X". There is a trailer movie there, download and watch it!
Also states they added ranks 1-3 for each stage, like Deathsmiles had.
Press release:
http://www.cave-shop.jp/site/d2x/p/20100227.pdf
Just watched the promo vid, and it looks awesome. I'm really excited for this now. The new stage looks great, and it's super cool to have Follett back in it.
But what's up with that song they play during the last minute of the vid? Some of the worst shit I've ever heard in my life.
This is awesome news. Can't believe how quickly they can push them out now! Anyone taking bets on DFK being out before the year's out? :laugh:
Video is taking a very long time to download but I can't wait to see it.
Quote from: fuse on February 27, 2010, 03:05:54 AM
This is awesome news. Can't believe how quickly they can push them out now! Anyone taking bets on DFK being out before the year's out? :laugh:
Yeah, I think DFK will be their big Fall 2010 release, just like Futari was their Fall 2009 release. Hopefully M2 will do the port!
Most awesome news!
WOooowww :)
Quote from: EOJ on February 26, 2010, 11:24:43 PM
New update:
First print will include a DLC card that lets you select the new remixed soundtrack in-game. Without this, you can only use the original Arcade music.
Wow, that really gets me excited as it is something I've wished for for a long time. If you play a shmup over several months even the most awesome soundtrack will get boring. Great to have a choice to switch to a remixed soundtrack :)
The trailer didn't really do anything for me. They didn't show off much of the game and I don't think the person playing was very skilled.
Also
Quote(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/AgCM8xkUTd9m2nI7pDVucFpIpox7774k.jpg)
DEATHSMAILS
Quote from: EOJ on February 27, 2010, 03:23:53 AM
Quote from: fuse on February 27, 2010, 03:05:54 AM
This is awesome news. Can't believe how quickly they can push them out now! Anyone taking bets on DFK being out before the year's out? :laugh:
Yeah, I think DFK will be their big Fall 2010 release, just like Futari was their Fall 2009 release. Hopefully M2 will do the port!
And like DS previously: first a BL in pcb then the port.
Quote from: Elixir on February 27, 2010, 05:08:19 AM
The trailer didn't really do anything for me. They didn't show off much of the game and I don't think the person playing was very skilled.
Also
Quote(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/AgCM8xkUTd9m2nI7pDVucFpIpox7774k.jpg)
DEATHSMAILS
Death himself sent you his mails.
I think this confirms no one on this forum will ever buy a DSII arcade kit, including me =D
Deathsmiles 2 trailer on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCR4dpfN8fg&feature=sub
this looks great, and I love the cover art...hope the LE one is nice too.
still cant believe how soon this is coming out...especially considering all the extras. I guess they weren't kidding when they said they cut down their development time.
A sure buy. :righton:
Follet! :-*
The video looks great!
does anyone know if this video is on xbox live yet? If it iis, I'd rather connect and download it to watch on my tv instead of my laptop :)
Although I would have prefered DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu, I am rejoiced by this announcement. I wasn't expecting it so soon! It's only 2 months and a half from now...
The good news is that we will probably get a 100% accurate port, since the hardware between a X360 and a PC is more or less equivalent. :D
And it gives them more time to work on the DFK port in the background...
predictable, but SO EXCITING, none-the-less!! =D
thanks for all the info, EOJ
Quote from: neomoe on February 27, 2010, 06:31:06 PM
does anyone know if this video is on xbox live yet? If it iis, I'd rather connect and download it to watch on my tv instead of my laptop :)
Yup, there's a 150mbish version on the Japanese marketplace.
The updated visuals really are an improvement. I almost like it as much as the pre rendered DS now :)
I'm going out on a limb saying this, but it if the US release of the original Deathsmiles does well for Aksys we may see this hit around the holidays for North America. Its a longshot, but it could happen.
Quote from: lam47 on February 28, 2010, 03:18:30 PM
The updated visuals really are an improvement. I almost like it as much as the pre rendered DS now :)
Should've gone to Specsavers Laurie =D
The video on XBL made my Pioneer Kuro cry.
For those of you in Japan, amazon japan has started preorders for both the SE and LE (http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=%E3%83%87%E3%82%B9%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BAII%20X%20%E9%AD%94%E7%95%8C%E3%81%AE%E3%83%A1%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9&tag=sazanami08-22&index=videogames&linkCode=ur2&camp=247&creative=1211). The LE is currently the #1 best seller among ALL games on amazon right now! :o
hehe, jumped on the LE preorder this morning :)
Wonder what will be included in the LE?
...Follet F-pillow! :P
Edit: ...omg...what if they included a Lei F-pillow... :oogle:
Quote from: EOJ on March 04, 2010, 02:12:40 PM
For those of you in Japan, amazon japan has started preorders for both the SE and LE (http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=%E3%83%87%E3%82%B9%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BAII%20X%20%E9%AD%94%E7%95%8C%E3%81%AE%E3%83%A1%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9&tag=sazanami08-22&index=videogames&linkCode=ur2&camp=247&creative=1211). The LE is currently the #1 best seller among ALL games on amazon right now! :o
I think maybe many people have misunderstood the "X" in the title. :laugh:
QuotePosted by: Monouchi
Insert Quote
Wonder what will be included in the LE?
...Follet F-pillow!
:-X
Pre-ordered at PA. :righton:
The LE is up too, said to have soundtrack.
Wonder if there will be some DLC card with the LE like it was with DS.
I want the DS voice card...
I don't like where P-A is going with their pricing. $74.90/129.90. :mad:
Well, I guess I'll preorder the LE because I kind of want it, and it's just money in the end.
Quote from: Monouchi on March 05, 2010, 08:04:21 AM
Pre-ordered at PA. :righton:
The LE is up too, said to have soundtrack.
Wonder if there will be some DLC card with the LE like it was with DS.
I want the DS voice card...
It was mentioned earlier that the first print would ship with a DLC card allowing remixed soundtrack in-game.
Quote from: HVL on March 05, 2010, 08:29:22 AM
I don't like where P-A is going with their pricing. $74.90/129.90. :mad:
Well, I guess I'll preorder the LE because I kind of want it, and it's just money in the end.
Well, these kinds of games are priced comparatively high anyway.
RRP = 7140 yen = ?53.20 (ish)
PA price = $74.90 = ?50.23
So yeah, not Play Asia's fault! Definitely pricey though.
Edit - Still, I fuzzily remember new Mega Drive games being sold for around ?50 around 18 years ago. Not sure how, since I was only 5, but when you factor in inflation, you've got to remember things are a lot better than they used to be at least :righton:
Quote from: emphatic on March 05, 2010, 08:33:31 AM
Quote from: Monouchi on March 05, 2010, 08:04:21 AM
Pre-ordered at PA. :righton:
The LE is up too, said to have soundtrack.
Wonder if there will be some DLC card with the LE like it was with DS.
I want the DS voice card...
It was mentioned earlier that the first print would ship with a DLC card allowing remixed soundtrack in-game.
Yeah, hope this is true for both the SE and LE.
Quote from: MX7 on March 05, 2010, 08:38:01 AM
Quote from: HVL on March 05, 2010, 08:29:22 AM
I don't like where P-A is going with their pricing. $74.90/129.90. :mad:
Well, I guess I'll preorder the LE because I kind of want it, and it's just money in the end.
Well, these kinds of games are priced comparatively high anyway.
RRP = 7140 yen = ?53.20 (ish)
PA price = $74.90 = ?50.23
So yeah, not Play Asia's fault! Definitely pricey though.
Edit - Still, I fuzzily remember new Mega Drive games being sold for around ?50 around 18 years ago. Not sure how, since I was only 5, but when you factor in inflation, you've got to remember things are a lot better than they used to be at least :righton:
The RRP of the LE is 9,240 yen, or less than 105 dollars. PA's price of $129.90 is a bit overpriced imo.
Anyway, preordered the LE with no regrets. :righton:
Thanks for the heads up regarding the PA preorders, Monouchi.
I just modified my long-standing order for Ketsui SE and turned it into a DS2 LE preorder. Kept the $5 coupon and nearly $16 in affiliate credit already on the order, and added another $5 affiliate credit on top of it, making it almost as cheap as if I were paying retail price for it!
... that's just a little sad, now that I think about it.
Waiting on VGI to open pre-orders for this. After they managed to get ESPGaluda II to me this Monday, they have won my favour. Not sure whether I'll bother with the LE, quite glad that I seem to have broken the habit for this given the ramped up release schedule.
hmm...that does seem a bit much. it's especially surprising given the fact that Espgaluda 2 was only 109...
I'm tempted to place the order, but I think I'll hold off and wait for ncsx....hopefully they will be cheaper. If not, I may just pass and get the SE since I really don't feel like paying +$130 for it.
this has been a great year for cave fans...but between LEs for Futari, Espgaluda 2, Ketsui and some artbooks from the matsuri (acquired from a mysterious stranger :cool:) and now possibly the DS2 LE...I spent way too much money on this shit lately :laugh:
well, regardless, looks like I will be passing on Senko no Ronde Duo and SSF4 for now :mad:
Amiami have the normal and LE up:
http://www.amiami.com/shop/?set=english&vgForm=ProductInfo&sku=TVG-X36-0554&template=default/product/e_display.html
http://www.amiami.com/shop/?set=english&vgForm=ProductInfo&sku=TVG-X36-0555&template=default/product/e_display.html
Actually below that of amazon.jp for once.
Quote from: fuse on March 05, 2010, 09:34:27 AM
Waiting on VGI to open pre-orders for this. After they managed to get ESPGaluda II to me this Monday, they have won my favour. Not sure whether I'll bother with the LE, quite glad that I seem to have broken the habit for this given the ramped up release schedule.
Amen to that. :righton: They've always met the preorder bonuses promised as well, and if you're living in the EU, no customs hassle. Let's just hope that that horrible vocal track from the trailer is missing from both game included and DLC soundtrack versions. :-X
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/03/post-3d89.html (http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/03/post-3d89.html)
I suppose this will be the LE cover, given the filename. 限定 means limited, right?
(http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/2010/03/07/gentei_ds2.jpg)
I like the wintery scenery (the preliminary picture on P-A's product page) more but on the other hand, this is nice because it has the whole cast of characters.
But yeah, the cover looks like it's from a pedo eroge, complete with a trap character. :laugh:
Wow this looks horrible.
:laugh:.
Ok, I get the bed of roses theme from the original DS LE, but even that was pushing it...but this bed scene in front of a nice warm fireplace... :rolleyes:
Plus, Folette and Rose are showing too much boob...my wife'll get weirded out by this.
I really wanted to get all of the LEs for these games for consistency in my collection...but i dunno, I seriously may pass on this one.
Haha, all characters on a bed, Follet and Rosa showing alot of skin and then casper and her "sneak peak" :laugh:
I have my games at work cos I play on the lunches...so, hm, no.. :P
That's not the final LE cover. Asada says in the blog post it's a preliminary picture. Some aspects will likely be changed, he says, but the general idea will stay the same (i.e. all girls on a bed in front of a fireplace).
I only buy SEs, so I don't care. I think all the LEs released thus far have less appealing cover art compared to the SEs.
Also in that blog post are some pics of a mode called "Tsukaima race". A mini racing/puzzle game.
Quote from: HVL on March 07, 2010, 12:58:44 PM
(http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/2010/03/07/gentei_ds2.jpg)
:laugh:
That's some fucked-up shit.
Quote from: emphatic on March 05, 2010, 11:39:09 AM
Quote from: fuse on March 05, 2010, 09:34:27 AM
Waiting on VGI to open pre-orders for this. After they managed to get ESPGaluda II to me this Monday, they have won my favour. Not sure whether I'll bother with the LE, quite glad that I seem to have broken the habit for this given the ramped up release schedule.
Amen to that. :righton: They've always met the preorder bonuses promised as well, and if you're living in the EU, no customs hassle. Let's just hope that that horrible vocal track from the trailer is missing from both game included and DLC soundtrack versions. :-X
VGI as in ....... ?
Videogameimports They have been in business here in the UK for years. If Chris is still in charge he is a top fella.
Doh, too slow.
Thanks guys.
Are M2 working on this? It's being released pretty early, and Cave's been busy with Galuda 2. I'm not sure what they've been doing since Futari.
They also mentioned some time back they've greatly increased their production speed on the 360 ports, and it helps this one is being ported from PC-based hardware - more similar to the 360's architecture than the hardware the other ports have come from.
Stick:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003BIELRQ/liveod3-22/ref=nosim/
New blog post, Google says news on arrange mode(s?) along with a snippet on Guwange. Will keep my eyes peeled for a proper translation here. =D
Quote from: Lunchbox on March 11, 2010, 01:27:54 PM
Stick:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003BIELRQ/liveod3-22/ref=nosim/
I can't believe this loli fest gets a stick and espgaluda2 didn't. I'd much rather jerk around a stick with some gender changing fairies than be a pedophile.
Well at least we can be sure that there will be a DFK stick along with the port. there's way to many loli's (and robo-loli's at that) to pass up making a perverted stick for...
High resolution will largely alleviate the "problem", though it won't fix the actual design decisions (which are indeed lame and rushed).
Good thing we don't care about design, right?
yeah, stage 4 boss looked legit.
but i did see some lame-ness.
LE is available for preorder on NCSX for $119.90...
like Play Asia, a little more than I was expecting :whyioughtta:
Quote from: moozooh on March 13, 2010, 12:38:43 PM
High resolution will largely alleviate the "problem", though it won't fix the actual design decisions (which are indeed lame and rushed).
Won't it just make it look worse?
Not really, because there seems to be no originally-2D content except fonts and bullet sprites (which can both be redrawn from vector originals until desired fidelity). In other words, with 3D content an increase in resolution always makes things go better: sharper and less aliased.
I believe it also saves them work with redrawing multilayer backgrounds, which is probably part of the reason they're already done with the port.
Quote from: moozooh on March 17, 2010, 09:00:41 AM
In other words, with 3D content an increase in resolution always makes things go better: sharper and less aliased.
That is simply not true. While they will look sharper, it doesn't mean the poly count is raised, and even if it is, the bitmaps were most likely created with 480p in mind. I've seen a few games get the "high res" treatment and while the antialiasing is night and day, the high resolution underscores some nasty shit. PSO being a prime example.
But? since when are bitmaps 3D content?
3D content is not initially raster graphics so you can scale it without quality loss and then rasterize. Even if a 3D model itself is unchanged (the polygon count remains the same), there is still less aliasing if resolution is upped, so it will look better either way.
Obviously this won't work with bitmaps. However it won't hurt textures on 3D models either because those are scaled and filtered regardless of resolution (powerful hardware like Xbox 360 can theoretically apply better filters than those used on the original PCB at nearly no performance cost ? for instance, 16x anisotropy ? in which case it will also look better, and the effect will be more noticeable on higher resolution).
I have no idea where bitmaps in DS2 are, though, except static images in cutscenes. Personally I couldn't care less about how those look.
It's a matter of taste. I imagine for something like this, I'll prefer it with a higher resolution, but old 3D (Saturn is a good example) looks better to me in the original resolution even if I have the option to run in a higher resolution through emulation.
According to the new cave's blog post the 360 version will include 4 mode:
-DS II X
-DS II X Arrange
-DS II Arcade
-DS II Omake Mode (Tsukaima race)
They also said that all modes are enclosed on physical support and won't require a dlc. :)
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/
Yeah, they showed a snippet of the Omake mode gameplay in the recent PV. Looks like an interesting little diversion from shmupping, haha.
Is there any information on the differences between the X and X Arcade modes? Is "just X" the expanded version with additional levels/characters and "X Arcade" a supposedly 1:1 port?
It's actually not "X" arcade mode. Asada lists it as "Deathsmiles II Arcade mode". So it should be a 1:1 port of ver 4.0 of the arcade game.
I was really hoping they'd put all 4 versions of the Arcade game in there, or at least version 2.0 in addition to 4.0. Maybe it'll make it to the final disc!
Quote from: EOJ on March 17, 2010, 03:18:32 PM
I was really hoping they'd put all 4 versions of the Arcade game in there, or at least version 2.0 in addition to 4.0. Maybe it'll make it to the final disc!
Or it'll be the 1200 MS point DLC mode that every CAVE-produced 360 port besides Espgaluda II has.
Asada says the DSIIX port won't have any DLC, just like Espgaluda II. Maybe they're done with the whole DLC thing.
Although it doesn't seem very effective from marketing standpoint, I as a consumer am very glad if they're really done with it.
I'm starting to get very impatient for this port. Just hope I don't HAVE to move the 360 from the CRT to the LCD...
Quote from: moozooh on March 17, 2010, 11:35:35 AM
Obviously this won't work with bitmaps. However it won't hurt textures on 3D models either because those are scaled and filtered regardless of resolution (powerful hardware like Xbox 360 can theoretically apply better filters than those used on the original PCB at nearly no performance cost ? for instance, 16x anisotropy ? in which case it will also look better, and the effect will be more noticeable on higher resolution).
I have no idea where bitmaps in DS2 are, though, except static images in cutscenes. Personally I couldn't care less about how those look.
I was referring to the textures of the polygons. Whether they will look worse or not is up in the air. I can't imagine them being created at a higher resolution than the PCB required (although it's possible they can be accomodated for HD). Obviously I'm not going to judge until I see it in action, but I'm a firm believer in "you can't polish a turd" and visually, DSII is a gigantic turd. That Reindeer in 1080p is not going to look good, no matter what they do (sans complete remake).
Quote from: GaijinPunch on March 18, 2010, 07:22:30 PMThat Reindeer in 1080p is not going to look good, no matter what they do (sans complete remake).
I find Satan Claus cringe-worthy on top of that sleigh. And not in a good way.
Looks like the SE art has been finalized, and it's different from what was previously given:
(http://ec3.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ET-i8fNOL._SS400_.jpg)
That's the art from the Arcade flier, with Rosa and Follett added in the background. 100x better than the previous SE art, and the LE art too, IMO.
I got this from amazon.co.jp's listing for the game (http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%87%E3%82%B9%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BAII-%E9%AD%94%E7%95%8C%E3%81%AE%E3%83%A1%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9-%E9%80%9A%E5%B8%B8%E7%89%88-%E7%89%B9%E5%85%B8-%E3%83%9F%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%83%91%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%86%E3%83%B3%E3%83%84%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89%E4%BB%98%E3%81%8D/dp/B003AQBANW/ref=pd_sim_vg_1), by the way.
Agreed. that SE art is fantastic. :righton:
Thanks for posting EOJ
That is indeed a huge improvement. There's a new blog post up, Google translation leads me to believe there'll by additional characters in the port?
At the end of the most recent @Insuta they revealed that Hikari "Scrub" Yamaguchi will do a Play X Play of Death Smiles II X next week. She and Rolling Uchizawa got some cool Cave swag: a signed character sketch and a DS2 mug.
New images of the games was published on Cave's Blog: http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/
The last images is the arrange mode
The said, don't worry if there are some lines or graphics problems on the published images, the program staff are currently in the middle of development.
Arrange has a couple new meters on the screen, the one on the bottom looks like a rank meter (Heaven <--> Hell). Based on this Yagawa is probably making the Arrange mode again. If so, that's pretty awesome.
The 3d's graphics looks good.Especially, the shadows of the enemies reflecting on the ground I think that they are very accurate, despite the programmers are still fixxing up the stage's graphic.
i like the birdcage art better.
can't wait to play this.
Quote from: bucklemyshoe on March 27, 2010, 01:11:17 AM
i like the birdcage art better.
That's for the first game tho.
He's probably referring to this:
Quote from: EOJ on February 27, 2010, 01:49:30 AM(http://www.famitsu.com/image/6883/PV85kqrmaP8FGmC6zwRl95l1yQLMGK1Z.jpg)
It is pretty good, but I like the final art too.
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/04/post-2df4.html (http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/04/post-2df4.html)
New video stuff available on the blog. Still downloading.
Just watched it. It shows the Ruins stage in X Mode at Rank 3. I'm not a fan of the widescreen look, but the gameplay looks pretty similar to Arcade ver 4.0. The boss patterns are definitely harder (different colored bullets too).
I don't care too much about X Mode though. I'm just buying this for the awesome Arcade ver 4.0.
Is there any place other than AmiAmi that sells this game at a reasonable price? I really wanted the Limited Ed for the first time, but it's so expensive everywhere else :/
Will the Arcade mode also come with updated graphics or are they only for X mode?
Should only be for X-Mode and Arrange mode.
That would be a shame as I love DS1 and your ongoing praise for DS2 made me really hot for this game but the arcade graphics in the videos look so ugly :(
I always thought it looked fine when I played it in the arcades. Better than Otomedius G, Raiden IV, or Mamoru-kun.
I felt the same way. I always thought it looked like ass from the videos and screens I'd seen but when I actually played it I thought it looked fine.
OK, I guess I'll see it myself soon enough. If it really looks better than Raiden IV I'll be happy :)
New Cave blog post:
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/
Asada says DSIIX's 'master up' will be finished next week. He also says he's thankful that this game has gotten 'many more preorders than Deathsmiles did'. Seems like this will be their biggest seller to date.
He says Guwange will follow soon after. He also says they'll announce their next title soon, and their release schedule "is looking a lot like last year". Sounds like we can look for this next release around November.
Quote from: EOJ on April 16, 2010, 05:40:52 AM
He also says he's thankful that this game has gotten 'many more preorders than Deathsmiles did'. Seems like this will be their biggest seller to date.
:whyioughtta:
Must admit I'm surprised it's selling more than the original. Anyway, if it gets to the end of the year and I have DSII, Guwange, and DFK, I will be a happy man.
The Master Ver is now complete. In addition, Asada posted some info about the Arrange mode, and gives a picture of it there:
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/
He says there's a "tension" meter (the 'heaven <-> hell' bar on the screen). It raises as you collect blue rings (needed to score), and lowers over time. It's a rank meter basically, the enemies get stronger and shoot out more bullets when the tension is high. Asada says high scores will require high tension play (big surprise!).
There is also a "magic charge" meter. It increases as you cancel bullets with your option, or destroy souls** with your shot.
There is a "defense barrier" that kicks in when you throw your option (apparently you can throw your option now!). It cancels all bullets that touch it.
**Souls are only in Arrange mode. When you destroy an enemy they release a soul that can be destroyed.
Arrange mode vid up!
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/
I watched the vid. That's the weirdest, most complicated arrange mode ever. There's like 87 totally different things going on at once.
Quote from: EOJ on April 23, 2010, 05:13:52 AMThat's the weirdest, most complicated arrange mode ever.
:laugh:
Youtube for people who don't want to wait forever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep6p77t6tpQ
Asada is posting a ton of videos up at the blog right now but I'm probably going to fall asleep before they're downloaded. zz
Holy shit. That made my head hurt.
Quote from: adverse on April 23, 2010, 01:18:34 PM
Youtube for people who don't want to wait forever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep6p77t6tpQ
Asada is posting a ton of videos up at the blog right now but I'm probably going to fall asleep before they're downloaded. zz
thanks for posting the YT vid, Adverse~
this was awesome to watch!!!!! :laugh:
Deathsmiles II X Mode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUcDDFzXGVg
Can't wait to have this at home.
Awesome videos! Really pumped up for the game. :righton:
Quote from: adverse on April 24, 2010, 06:23:07 AM
Deathsmiles II X Mode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUcDDFzXGVg
Can't wait to have this at home.
"MMEEEEEEE!!!!!!(rrrrry Christmas)"
That video actually whets my appetite for the game quite a bit. The lack of boss milking definitely helps. I'm still pretty put off by the super bland backgrounds though.
Why is she always being chased by sperm bullets? Do those tie into the story somehow? Santa is trying to impregnate the lolis?
I hope X mode has a 4:3 mode too.
Quote from: adverse on April 24, 2010, 06:23:07 AM
Deathsmiles II X Mode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUcDDFzXGVg
Can't wait to have this at home.
thanks!
I especially liked when the book shelves were shooting out magazines :laugh:
I can't wait to play this!
I guess there won't be much of a reason to own the "PCB" but I wonder if any boards with final code with start to surface with decent prices.
Or do they go back to Cave with that weird vendor arrangement they had on DS2?
Im prolly the only one that feels all "Meh" about DS2...
Im just gonna sit in my corner with Ketsui until DFK port arrives... :whyioughtta:
Quote from: Monouchi on April 24, 2010, 03:33:17 PM
Im prolly the only one that feels all "Meh" about DS2...
Not at all, but I'm also well aware how I was Meh on a lot of games that I love before I got to play them. I'll grab it and if I don't like it, I'll just go back to playing the five other cave games I've got for the 360.
The DSIIX vid looks neat, but still not as appealing to me as good ole' ver 4.0 Arcade. The second Arrange vid they put up (the one with Windia) makes me more excited for that mode - the boss milking looks fun. I'm going to guess Yagawa made this one.
And you silly people thinking of not buying this - don't be silly! Unless you hated Deathsmiles, you're going to love this game. It's one of my Cave faves.
Well, even if I dont like it I will still buy it. (Allready pre-ordered at PA.)
Im gonna buy every port CAVE puts out, have to show my support. :righton:
And my wife really liked DS so she can be the one playing DSII.
The only thing that's not appealing to me regarding this game is the monitor orientation. I never play DeathSmiles now because of that. I just play TATE games. :D I guess I'll have to hook my 360 up to my LCD monitor when this comes out.
Some details on the port in the latest Famitsu Xbox 360:
■Deathsmiles II X Mode
・The lock-shot now requires you to have "lock shot gauge"
・Added to the game system are "power up reaction bullets" which spawn while you destroy enemies in power-up mode. These are the blue bullets in the video posted earlier.
■Arrange mode
・In this mode, you throw your familiar like a disc into bullets.
・There is a "tension gauge" which causes enemy attacks to change, and a "magic power gauge" which gives you extra bombs. Tension gauge is the "heaven" or "hell" gauge, and it raises when you pick up blue rings. The magic power gauge raises when you destroy enemies with your thrown familiar or destroy souls with your shot. At max, you get an extra bomb.
・You will automatically enter "heat up" when your item counter reaches 1000 which causes lots of items to appear when killing enemies.
・Skulls spawn when killing enemies with the lock shot. They can be destroyed with regular shot.
So whats up with the release, is it really May 27th, neither play-asia nor NCSX has a pre-order page up that I can find yet. Seem weird considering the launch date is mere weeks away.
Both places have had preorders up for months, for both the LE and SE. Not sure why you can't find it, but if it takes me 3 seconds to find it off google, it shouldn't be too hard for you. And yes, the date is May 27th.
Oh my EOJ you are 100 percent right, for some reason on their internal site searches I was getting nothing. Don't I feel silly.
I think if you internally search those sites for "Deathsmiles" rather than "Death smiles", you'll get no results.
New cave blog post from Asada. He says DSIIX's master is complete, and has past the testing phase. All we have to do now is wait for the release day.
He also reveals they removed the slight input lag in the arcade version, making the X360 version better than the arcade version. Having played in the arcade I did notice sometimes I'd press a bomb button and it seemed like I got robbed (like it didn't activate as fast as it should have), but other than that I didn't notice lag. Anyway, I think it's really nice the gameplay will be as tight as possible now.
Cave shop version LE will be up for preorder on Monday:
http://cave-matsuri.shop-pro.jp/
http://cave-matsuri.shop-pro.jp/?pid=20541749
It comes with the following telephone card illustrated by Inoue.
(http://img13.shop-pro.jp/PA01071/058/product/20541749_o1.jpg)
Looks like the LE cover didn't get changed that much -- only the logo placement seems different from the preliminary picture that was posted a while ago.
Which is a pity, because this (http://www.shopncsx.com/images/products/detail/death_smiles_2reg.jpg) and this (http://www.shopncsx.com/images/products/detail/c20100227_death_01_cs1w1_491x700.jpg) covers are better than the LE cover. Since one is the RE cover, the other should be used for the LE.
I'm really surprised Junya didn't make a tereka of Lei considering that's his favourite character.
Matsuri version just sold out in like 15 minutes lol :laugh:
I'll never understand the phone card thing.
Is the telephone card a joke or fake? I can't even tell anymore, but this just looks too ridiculous...
New Cave blog post by Asada:
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/05/post-b716.html
He says they've received so many preorders, they're shipping ~30,000 copies of the game (SE & LE combined) by the release date, their biggest initial shipment yet.
Lolis + 3D seems the way to go for the future. :-\
I feel like lost in the past...
This game is the bee's knees. Just two more weeks until I can play it again. Can't wait! :)
If this gets a cheaper release I'll probably get it. I'm holding out for their next 2 arcade ports(I'm kind of low on cash). If the first DS does good do ya think that the 2nd could be successful here(in the states)?
New promo vid up on the official site:
http://www.cave.co.jp/gameonline/Xbox360/deathsmiles2x/
Once again no footage of Arcade mode, which is the only mode I care about!
Also, the final box art (logo placement is different (and better) than before):
http://www.cave.co.jp/gameonline/Xbox360/deathsmiles2x/product/
Pics from today's shooting game festival in Japan, where DSIIX was playable:
http://www.andriasang.com/e/galleries/2010/05/15/xbox360_spring_festival/
Famitsu : deathsmiles 2x 8877
apparently...
X-Mode tutorial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwy-P8OrKJQ&feature=player_embedded
Arrange mode tutorial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCSjwD-4OJw&feature=player_embedded
Also watchable on the official site:
http://www.cave.co.jp/gameonline/Xbox360/deathsmiles2x/index.html
Quote from: dcharlie on May 18, 2010, 10:22:02 PM
Famitsu : deathsmiles 2x 8877
apparently...
well, I'm satisfied with that score for a Bullet Hell shmup~
especially when you consider that Famitsu is kinda hard on Bullet Hells.
Quote from: emphatic on April 25, 2010, 04:44:19 AM
The only thing that's not appealing to me regarding this game is the monitor orientation. I never play DeathSmiles now because of that. I just play TATE games. :D I guess I'll have to hook my 360 up to my LCD monitor when this comes out.
That's my current dilemma Emphatic... The kids, every time they want to play a horizontal, I have been lazy to switch the Egret II's display and unskrew the ground/change up the plastic bezel and therefore just hook the xbox up to a lcd instead. But not having a stick, whereas the ls-32s are stationary in the cab...seems like I'm going to have to do this chore more often than not now with this release. What a chore. Anyways, I think this game looks great despite the 3d. I laughed so hard at the opening with the ojiisan lying there looking dead and the evil santa going "bye, bye!"
Quote from: supergrafx on May 19, 2010, 10:28:04 PM
Quote from: emphatic on April 25, 2010, 04:44:19 AM
The only thing that's not appealing to me regarding this game is the monitor orientation. I never play DeathSmiles now because of that. I just play TATE games. :D I guess I'll have to hook my 360 up to my LCD monitor when this comes out.
That's my current dilemma Emphatic... The kids, every time they want to play a horizontal, I have been lazy to switch the Egret II's display and unskrew the ground/change up the plastic bezel and therefore just hook the xbox up to a lcd instead. But not having a stick, whereas the ls-32s are stationary in the cab...seems like I'm going to have to do this chore more often than not now with this release. What a chore. Anyways, I think this game looks great despite the 3d. I laughed so hard at the opening with the ojiisan lying there looking dead and the evil santa going "bye, bye!"
Dude you have the luxury of a rotating mechanism!
Imagine how much it sucks to rotate my Astro City :P
Quote from: Jockel on May 20, 2010, 03:41:39 PM
Quote from: supergrafx on May 19, 2010, 10:28:04 PM
Quote from: emphatic on April 25, 2010, 04:44:19 AM
The only thing that's not appealing to me regarding this game is the monitor orientation. I never play DeathSmiles now because of that. I just play TATE games. :D I guess I'll have to hook my 360 up to my LCD monitor when this comes out.
That's my current dilemma Emphatic... The kids, every time they want to play a horizontal, I have been lazy to switch the Egret II's display and unskrew the ground/change up the plastic bezel and therefore just hook the xbox up to a lcd instead. But not having a stick, whereas the ls-32s are stationary in the cab...seems like I'm going to have to do this chore more often than not now with this release. What a chore. Anyways, I think this game looks great despite the 3d. I laughed so hard at the opening with the ojiisan lying there looking dead and the evil santa going "bye, bye!"
Dude you have the luxury of a rotating mechanism!
Imagine how much it sucks to rotate my Astro City :P
You have a point there. I guess I have no excuse on this one.
A final appeal from Junya Inoue for us all to buy DSIIX:
(http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/2010/05/21/hatubai.jpg)
Kau ga yoi ("Buying [it] is good").
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/05/post-d70b.html
This will be playable at Messe San'oo in Akiba this Sunday:
(http://aikotoba-wa-coo.sakura.ne.jp/sblo_files/seaside-tears/image/messe-079.JPG)
http://seaside-tears.sblo.jp/article/38255490.html
There is a nice hd video on xbox market place. Went up the other day.
Video of arrange mode from a Japanese guy who got the port early:
http://dic.nicovideo.jp/v/sm10835319
Video of the "Tsukaima race" mode in the port:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc_n7YbAE0k
This vid also shows there's a "Gallery mode", and Achievement tracking menu (unlike the previous ports done by Cave).
Quote from: Plasmo on May 13, 2010, 05:19:32 PM
Lolis + 3D seems the way to go for the future. :-\
I feel like lost in the past...
+1
Pics of the LE (Play-Asia is shipping the game out today):
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-br-49-en-70-3r7d.html
Looks like it comes in the same type of box as the Futari LE.
They also tested it and confirm it's region-locked to Japan, though we already knew that.
One of the secret achievements is "pause the game 2 times in a row during a stage". Talk about running out of ideas.
What I really want to know is if both versions come with the DLC card.
Yes, they do. That was stated here a long time ago. It was also confirmed by ncsx.com today:
http://www.ncsx.com/2010/052410/deathsmiles_iix_regular.htm
Full run of X-Mode w/ Rosa. All Rank 1, so the bullets are sparse and boring for the most part.
Part 1:
http://dic.nicovideo.jp/v/sm10857571
Part 2:
http://dic.nicovideo.jp/v/sm10857608
Part 3:
http://dic.nicovideo.jp/v/sm10857660
Part 4:
http://dic.nicovideo.jp/v/sm10857712
Pics of the X360 DSII stick (from a dude on 2Ch):
(http://www.dotup.org/uploda/www.dotup.org917637.jpg)
(http://www.dotup.org/uploda/www.dotup.org917634.jpg)
Sorry, no LS-32 stick, and the Sanwa is soldered on. Fail.
And how's this for going crazy on DSIIX's release!
(http://www.dotup.org/uploda/www.dotup.org917642.jpg)
Close up of the soundtrack disc case that comes in the LE:
http://imepita.jp/20100527/452320
But the stick has Seimitsu buttons. ???
Looks good.
It comes with the Hori buttons. The guy just put Seimitsu buttons in after he got it.
Ah, now I saw the small pic of the hori buttons.
Ahaha that bubbletop is perfect, like a fruity little snow-globe.
Anyone else remember thiiiiiiiiis (http://blog-imgs-18-origin.fc2.com/h/a/t/hatimaki/deathsmiles_otonagai.jpg)?
Quote from: Elixir on May 27, 2010, 03:28:59 AM
Anyone else remember thiiiiiiiiis (http://blog-imgs-18-origin.fc2.com/h/a/t/hatimaki/deathsmiles_otonagai.jpg)?
Sure do. I got 404 errors all the time.
Quote from: GaijinPunch on May 27, 2010, 04:08:41 AM
Quote from: Elixir on May 27, 2010, 03:28:59 AM
Anyone else remember thiiiiiiiiis (http://blog-imgs-18-origin.fc2.com/h/a/t/hatimaki/deathsmiles_otonagai.jpg)?
Sure do. I got 404 errors all the time.
http://blog-imgs-18-origin.fc2.com/h/a/t/hatimaki/deathsmiles_otonagai.jpg
Same person.
404.. :)
aw, i want that card with Casper on it :whyioughtta:
(http://a.yfrog.com/img683/5549/2lca.jpg)
July issue
As usual, the glitch reports are coming in. First, a particularly bad glitch on the new Bears boss in Arrange mode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpckNnUHtXw
The guy says he can move, but he does no damage and the boss stops. He does continue to leech point items, and increase his score though. Apparently this just continues on indefinitely, forcing a reset.
Next, the game can freeze when loading up X-mode, as shown in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lCr9lNgv88
Also, others are reporting game freezes when they exit the X-Mode menu.
I'm not liking the further impressions of this port I'm reading on 2Ch. You can't enter initials for your score? WTF Cave? :mad:
I'll have my copy in a few hours. Tests and detailed impressions will follow soon after.
In all seriousness, I initially read the post above as:
Quote from: EOJ on May 27, 2010, 05:11:43 PM
I'm not liking the further impressions of this port I'm reading on 2Ch. You can't enter initials for your score? WTF Cave? :mad:
I'll have my copy in a few hours. Tears and detailed impressions will follow soon after.
At least my sleep-deprived mind is trying to find me amusement...
Video of the new TLB added to the port, called "Pigeon Blood Jitterbug" (he appears around the 5 minute mark):
http://dic.nicovideo.jp/v/sm10868870
They guy gets him to appear in Arrange mode, not sure if you can fight him in the other modes. Not sure on the requirements yet either, seems all rank 3 is a must, though.
That vid also shows the credits. The programmers are listed as:
CHIEF PROGRAMMER:
TAKASHI ICHIMURA
PROGRAMMERS:
TSUNEKI IKEDA
YUJI INOUE
DAISUKE KOIZUMI
MASAHIRO SUZUMURA
TOSHIHIKO SERA
Yagawa played no role in this.
Quote from: EOJ on May 27, 2010, 08:55:25 PM
Video of the new TLB added to the port, called "Pigeon Blood Jitterbug" (he appears around the 5 minute mark):
http://dic.nicovideo.jp/v/sm10868870
color me impressed
Quote from: EOJ on May 27, 2010, 05:11:43 PM
I'm not liking the further impressions of this port I'm reading on 2Ch. You can't enter initials for your score? WTF Cave? :mad:
Yeah... this doesn't make any sense to me either. I kept wondering why the game would let me look at the score and then just exit. I kept wondering if I hadn't made the top 10 list or something. Also, vanilla DeathSmiles II wasn't asking if I wanted to save my replay.
So what's the deal, NO ONE else wants to post impressions?? I would but my game isn't here yet. Damn Fedex are waiting until the last minute of the delivery day, it seems. :whyioughtta:
I figure another day of waiting for most, if not more.
I know a few people here already have it. ;)
To those in the know, do I need to move my J360 to my HDTV to enjoy this? It's currently on a 20" CRT.
X-Mode and Arrange will be letterboxed on the SD TV, and for some dumb reason, according to a guy on 2Ch, Arcade mode will be both letterboxed and have wallpaper on the sides.
Quoteand for some dumb reason, according to a guy on 2Ch, Arcade mode will be both letterboxed and have wallpaper on the sides.
That is correct. I received my copy today, and to my disappointment, Arcade mode is in fact letterboxed with wallpaper. Actually, initially the play area is even shorter dimensionally in height compared to the area of the wallpaper (like a small screen pasted in the center of the wallpaper - wallpaper showing above and below the image in addition to the black bars), so you must stretch the image vertically [and horizontally to preserve the aspect ratio] to maximize the play area.
Just got my SE. =D
(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r283/blueskied/dsiix001.jpg)
(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r283/blueskied/dsiix002.jpg)
Also got the DLC card (thanks Play-Asia) - unlike Futari, it does not come inside the case. Off to play, eat dinner, play some more, and post impressions! :righton:
Okay, impressions.
GOOD THINGS
-X-Mode is quite impressive. Visually it's great, the scoring system is deep and easy to pick up, bullet patterns are excellent in Rank 3.
-Stupid boss cinemas can be skipped or turned off
-New Canyon-type stage is superb. The boss is one of the coolest Cave bosses ever.
-Loads aren't bad
-Follett and Rosa are fun (though Follett seems pretty over powered)
-Arcade mode slowdown & speed feels accurate overall. But, I need to test more. Some parts with Windia and Lei felt too fast, but maybe I just wasn't playing well (I'm a bit rusty). I did a full run with Casper, and it felt pretty accurate from start to finish, which pleased me.
-Good options for all modes - dip settings for Arcade, screen adjustment for Arcade, wallpaper select or you can turn off wallpaper in Arcade.
BAD THINGS
-Good God CAVE, do you not care about DSII Arcade mode at all? There are no replay saves/loads/recording. WTF?
There are no online leaderboards. WTF? Even the stupid Tsukaima race mode has online leaderboards.
There is no training mode. WTF??
It's like they coded some quickie Xbox emulator for the game and slapped the rom in. There is just no love in the port. They even stuff the Arcade mode explanation in the last two pages of the instruction booklet (after the xbox live info), almost as to hide it.
-You can't enter your initials for your score in ANY GAME MODE. WTF??. Due to this having a hi score competition in Arcade mode becomes quite difficult, as there are no online leaderboards with your gamertag by your score, and the offline leaderboards don't have initials! Even shitty ports from 10-15 years ago let you enter your initials. Unbelievable. No point in taking screen shots of scores, really.
-No demo/attract screen in Arcade mode. No title screen either. They also removed the hi score board from inside the game (which I really liked) - you access the scores in a generic menu. Once again, WTF?
-Tsukaima Race is pretty blah. Seems like some $2 indie game for PSN or Xbox live arcade. Sadly, it appears they spent more time on this than on the port of Arcade mode.
WEIRD, STUPID, POINTLESS THINGS
-The background of the map in Arcade mode is a blazing bright white now for some pointless reason. It's so white you can't see the background texture.
-There seem to be two very faint wire-frame boxes that hover around your character & familiar in Arcade mode. Never noticed this in the Arcade version, and it doesn't look good.
-The background in the part of the last stage just before the boss in Arcade Mode is way brighter than in the arcade version.
-Instead of blackbars above and below a stage's intro graphic in Arcade mode, they're now white. WHAT'S THIS FASCINATION WITH TURNING EVERYTHING WHITE IN THIS PORT, CAVE??
Haven't tried Arrange mode yet.
Gave Arrange a try. Tons of bullet cancelling, moves super slow, too many different bullet types (looks like some kids' breakfast cereal smeared on the screen half the time). Will watch some replays and see if I like it any more.
Further tests with Arcade mode have turned up quite favorable. I think it's a great port, the slowdown seems spot on. I AM happy about this. :righton:
Too bad they didn't add the bells and whistles they've added to every other port.
I'm not clicking with X-Mode's scoring system. I like Arcade mode's system way better, though X-mode has extra characters and extra stages. X-Mode feels too much like Espgaluda 2 Black Label too me, and I really don't like E2 BL. 1CC'd it on all rank 3 with the EX stage on my first try with Follett. :rolleyes: Way too easy.
Not had an e-mail from VGI yet but they've got the normal edition listed as in stock now so I'm guessing it's in the post and will be with me tomorrow. Fingers crossed, anyway :)
First day sales
360 Deathsmiles II X LE
9000 copies / 58 percent (of 360 sales)
360 Deathsmiles II X SE
2800 copies / 34 percent (of 360 sales)
...
Wii Super Mario Galaxy
143200 copies / 28% (of Wii sales)
WTF Cave and UPS...My copy has some shipment delay due to unknow reasons. NO vulcano's eruptions this week.
New post on Cave's blog about the game's problems. The title update will be released on middle of june
Thanks Cave
Yep, blog post says they're going to fix a couple bugs (Care Bears boss glitch, and some replays that don't work). They're also going to add some new options to the data reset.
Unfortunately, nothing will be added to Arcade mode. :'(
I also came across a glitch in Tsukaima race where my character got thrown to the top of the level (outside of it), Super Mario bros style. I could move around up there, but couldn't come back down.
I'd rank the modes from best to worst as Arcade>X-Mode>Arrange. Arcade mode is just fantastic (once you understand how the scoring works). It's so nice to have the arcade game at home, even though it's been slightly altered (aesthetically) in a few parts, and given no port extras.
Looks like the score saving doesn't work in Arcade mode. I got a few high scores yesterday, but when I booted up the game today, they were wiped (AUTO SAVE was turned on right when I got the game). I got a new score with Lei, and went to the options and selected "FILE SAVE" right after. I thought this might fix the problem. Then turned off the console, and turned it back on. The score was there, yay. But then I did a new run and beat my old score, and it replaced the other score on the top of the ranking, completely erasing it. They better fix this!
QuoteLooks like the score saving doesn't work in Arcade mode.
They're having a contest w/ 5pb to see who can get away w/ the most overlooked bugs.
Yeah, this is nearly on par with DOJBLEX in terms of bugs and crappy, unintuitive menus. I hate the fact that, in game, you have to press the BACK button to pause, then the START button to select something from the pause menu, then the A button to confirm that selection. What dumbfuck at Cave thought that was a good improvement from their previous ports??
It feels rather difficult to take your impressions seriously because you have, so far, followed a trend with unfavorable initial impressions over almost every port released. Port comes out, you hate on it, retreat back to PCBs, and eventually warm up to the port again. Has there ever been an instance where this is NOT the case? I'll be glad to merely even play the game.
I don't seem to remember unfavorable impressions for Futari/Galuda2/Ketsui
But you act as if one can actually "warm up" to lack of score saving/online scoreboards, lack of practice mode, inaccurate graphics, bad menus, etc etc...
Let M2 make DFK port. :)
Quote from: Elixir on May 29, 2010, 12:47:35 AM
It feels rather difficult to take your impressions seriously because you have, so far, followed a trend with unfavorable initial impressions over almost every port released. Port comes out, you hate on it, retreat back to PCBs, and eventually warm up to the port again. Has there ever been an instance where this is NOT the case? I'll be glad to merely even play the game.
Actually is difficult take seriously the guy that said:
Quote from: Elixir on April 25, 2010, 09:22:17 PM
They are porting an original shooting game, so it might be derived from some eroge or anim since they've already done a whole bunch of similar ports. Probably not Cave material though.
http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=879.msg16933#msg16933 (http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=879.msg16933#msg16933)
Quote from: necpmf on May 29, 2010, 01:00:23 AM
I don't seem to remember unfavorable impressions for Futari/Galuda2/Ketsui
But you act as if one can actually "warm up" to lack of score saving/online scoreboards, lack of practice mode, inaccurate graphics, bad menus, etc etc...
+1
As I stated earlier in this thread after I got the game, the DSII port is actually spot on in terms of gameplay, it's just riddled with bugs and is lacking all the options (training mode, online leaderboards, replays, etc) we've gotten in the other ports.
"Retreat back to PCBs" part made me laugh. I never rebought the PCBs of any of the Cave games released on the X360, after their ports were released.
It's like Cave never wants to stop working on Deathsmiles II so they just keep giving themselves reasons to revisit it.
I'll pick this one up when a patch is confirmed.
Quote from: cstarflare on May 29, 2010, 02:26:56 AM
I'll pick this one up when a patch is confirmed.
If one is confirmed, it doesn't mean it will come out.
Quote from: retre on May 29, 2010, 02:05:09 AM
Quote from: Elixir on May 29, 2010, 12:47:35 AM
It feels rather difficult to take your impressions seriously because you have, so far, followed a trend with unfavorable initial impressions over almost every port released. Port comes out, you hate on it, retreat back to PCBs, and eventually warm up to the port again. Has there ever been an instance where this is NOT the case? I'll be glad to merely even play the game.
Actually is difficult take seriously the guy that said:
Quote from: Elixir on April 25, 2010, 09:22:17 PM
They are porting an original shooting game, so it might be derived from some eroge or anim since they've already done a whole bunch of similar ports. Probably not Cave material though.
http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=879.msg16933#msg16933 (http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=879.msg16933#msg16933)
What on earth are you talking about? 5pb transition visual novels to the 360 all the time, therefore it's very likely their upcoming shooting game could be related to their other material. I can think of a few difficult things about your sentence, though.
Quote from: EOJ on May 29, 2010, 02:11:06 AM
As I stated earlier in this thread after I got the game, the DSII port is actually spot on in terms of gameplay, it's just riddled with bugs and is lacking all the options (training mode, online leaderboards, replays, etc) we've gotten in the other ports.
"Retreat back to PCBs" part made me laugh. I never rebought the PCBs of any of the Cave games released on the X360, after their ports were released.
Cough (http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=631.msg15511#msg15511). So you don't play DS MBL whatsoever, then?
Quote from: MonouchiLet M2 make DFK port. :)
They could very well be doing that right now. Nobody seems to know what M2's really up to.
Quote from: Elixir on May 29, 2010, 03:20:30 AM
Cough (http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=631.msg15511#msg15511).
GP was talking about how I bash the Arrange modes of ports when I first play them. I do have a tendency to do this. But I don't warm up to many of them. Most of them just suck.
The ports of the arcade games, however, are a different issue, and that is what you were addressing.
Quote
So you don't play DS MBL whatsoever, then?
I'd answer this if it were the least bit relevant to the discussion. Sorry.
I don't own a DSMBL PCB, in case that's what you were implying.
It is what I'm addressing, and most of the time your impressions of them seem unfavorable, having people uncertain about their copy which is still in transit. It's relevant because you'd need to go back to PCBs in order to enjoy DS MBL, because you've said multiple times that the port of MBL isn't up to scratch.
Clunky menu complaints for DS II X didn't stop you from praising DOJBLEX, claiming that the game's fine once you get into it. So what makes DS II X's menus so game breakingly different from BLEX?
Either you're a complete moron, or you're just trolling. Either way, I don't have time for this nonsense. Bye.
DSII slowdown accuracy report is up:
http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=914.0
Short and sweet. :righton:
I'm still excited to be getting this, it should be here next week. I don't think any of those bugs are as bad as the one the original deathsmiles shipped with when the disc still spun despite installation. I watched the Pigeon Blood Jitterbug video earlier though and wtf's going on at the end of it when the player doesn't seem to be able to move. Is that a replay or in-game bug?
Quote from: Elixir on May 29, 2010, 03:20:30 AM
Quote from: retre on May 29, 2010, 02:05:09 AM
Quote from: Elixir on May 29, 2010, 12:47:35 AM
It feels rather difficult to take your impressions seriously because you have, so far, followed a trend with unfavorable initial impressions over almost every port released. Port comes out, you hate on it, retreat back to PCBs, and eventually warm up to the port again. Has there ever been an instance where this is NOT the case? I'll be glad to merely even play the game.
Actually is difficult take seriously the guy that said:
Quote from: Elixir on April 25, 2010, 09:22:17 PM
They are porting an original shooting game, so it might be derived from some eroge or anim since they've already done a whole bunch of similar ports. Probably not Cave material though.
http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=879.msg16933#msg16933 (http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=879.msg16933#msg16933)
What on earth are you talking about? 5pb transition visual novels to the 360 all the time, therefore it's very likely their upcoming shooting game could be related to their other material. I can think of a few difficult things about your sentence, though.
"They are porting an original shooting game" So make your own conclusions...
Quote from: twoup on May 29, 2010, 05:19:34 AM
I'm still excited to be getting this, it should be here next week. I don't think any of those bugs are as bad as the one the original deathsmiles shipped with when the disc still spun despite installation. I watched the Pigeon Blood Jitterbug video earlier though and wtf's going on at the end of it when the player doesn't seem to be able to move. Is that a replay or in-game bug?
Yeah, I noticed that too. Not sure if it's a bug or the guy just stopped playing. He wasn't getting hit by any bullets for a rather long time, even though they seemed to go right through him.
You should be excited to get it, DSII is an awesome game! I wouldn't wait for a patch. The port is perfect in regard to slowdown & gameplay, I hope the patch next month at least fixes the current inability to save scores (scores do save properly in X-Mode, Arrange, and Tsukaima race, however).
To those who've never played it before: you may be underwhelmed when you first play Arcade mode, but
GIVE IT TIME. DSII's scoring system is very simple, but also very deep. It's just hard to learn at first and to really "get", but once you do, it becomes very addictive. Going into power up mode, scoring, and recharging back into power up mode over and over sucking up skulls is even more satisfying in DSII than in DS, IMO. It also has the perfect length of 5 stages, and the difficulty level is just right (not too easy, not too hard).
Also, I recommend starting with Casper when you first start out (Arcade mode).
Despite the shortages that have been mentioned, I'm still very excited to get this, and hopefully it will arrive on monday ;)
But not having the option to enter initials is just something i can't understand :-\
Hi there folks . im new to this forum ,but i love my cave shooters ., but i gotta say deathsmiles 2 is possibly the worst cave game ive played i was so disappointed by it . i loved deathsmiles but the follow up is very weak in every respect its bosses are pure junk its allmost like they made this game in their dinner break . is this a sign of things to come from cave ? i severly hope not or was this just a blip to get used to making a full polygonal game ? :(
I got my copy yesterday and have been enjoying it quite a bit. My only 2 gripes are of course no initials (baffling!) and on the final stage fighting the chess pieces...that's just a bit too silly for me :)
but other than that, i really like the game. I've actually been playing the 360 mode more than arcade (mainly because I wanted to see the extra stages). The carnival stage is great. Also, I like the music as well.
I honestly haven't put that much time into it yet, but overall definitely a worthy purchase and I think i already enjoy it more than Espgaluda 2 :)
Secret achievements:
http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=918
Normal ones to be added soon.
SIN got the port today. He is one of the top scorers on the arcade version. His thoughts on the port of DSII (my translation):
"In Arcade mode there are no replays or online rankings. Furthermore there is no training mode. All this made me cry. Anyway, I bought the DSIIX port.
Thinking at long last, I can play Ver 4.0 at home, I fired up Arcade mode. Eh...? Eh...?? What the heck is this port?
A gag from a new programmer? I was amazed at how horrible it is.
To me, this really doesn't faithfully reproduce the arcade game.
The OSD can disappear (never happens in the arcade ver).
Some sound effects in the ending are completely absent.
The slowdown reproduction [isn't totally accurate].
Furthermore, it looks strange on my TV. Just one play and I could tell the slowdown was off, and they just left it like this? What is this?? If you have the free time to make the Tsukaima race game, you should use that [time] to properly port [the arcade game]. If you're not going to treat the original game with care, then I don't need this new [way of making ports]."
From: http://sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/Entry/189/
He echoes many of my sentiments, but is harsher on it and on Cave in general. I think he needs to play it more, I don't agree with the slowdown being off (then again, he'd know better than me), at least not to the level of something like the Espgaluda 2 or DSMBL ports.
May I ask the people that do not like the 3D look of the game whether the gameplay, amount of bullets and patterns are enjoyable and distracting enough to overlook the (in my opinion) rather ropey 3D visuals?
Quote from: EOJ on May 27, 2010, 04:29:58 PM
As usual, the glitch reports are coming in. First, a particularly bad glitch on the new Bears boss in Arrange mode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpckNnUHtXw
The guy says he can move, but he does no damage and the boss stops. He does continue to leech point items, and increase his score though. Apparently this just continues on indefinitely, forcing a reset.
I experienced this glitch earlier today. I guess the guy didn't try running into the boss, because you can commit suicide and enter your score afterward.
Anyone able to save more than one score in Arcade mode? I can save one (it saves even after power down), but once I get a new score, it erases the previous score (doesn't matter which character - for example, my saved score can be with Lei, but then I do a run with Windia and her score saves but erases the Lei score!). I sent an email to Asada at Cave about this, but want to confirm it's not some problem on my hardware.
I've tried autosave ON and OFF. I've also tried the game installed to the hdd, or played from a disc. All possible combinations produce the same result.
Another bug I've encountered a few times, and confirmed by a few others on 2Ch: some times the shot buttons stop working. I press them and nothing comes out. After letting off the buttons and trying again, they eventually start working again.
Quote from: lam47 on May 29, 2010, 10:45:58 PM
May I ask the people that do not like the 3D look of the game whether the gameplay, amount of bullets and patterns are enjoyable and distracting enough to overlook the (in my opinion) rather ropey 3D visuals?
I like the game, but I can get into easier Cave games (Deathsmiles is near, if not at the top of my list), and this one definitely seems to be really easy although I don't know how to play yet. I do like the game itself so far though. The levels are very easy and then some of the bosses like the EX boss and Satan Claws get some really nice and hard patterns that had me dodging bullets by the seat of my pants. The sperms bullets are fun, but I feel like I'm doing something wrong because it's soooo easy to fully recharge your hyper meter with them. The only time I'm without hyper is when I fuck up, but I guess that's just how this game is played.
I wish I hadn't paid $80 for this since because I'm pretty upset about the options the game does not offer, but I'm glad I can play it at all.
Pros: Cool game, there IS an option to turn off those god awful boss intro movies (I almost nearly got killed by sperm bullets one time before I figured out to turn them off), Arrange mode is interesting, it's easy to skip between game modes, there are online leaderboards for X and Arrange modes, Extra mode is entirely avoidable if you aren't an achievement whore :)
Thanks dmauro :)
I am a big DS fan as I like a lot of crap on screen and was hoping that DSII had a similar feel.
Since I just got Ketsui I think I will wait and see if there are any plans to patch the bugs first.
Thanks again mate.
When you get this you should focus on mainly playing Arcade mode. For like a month, at least. X-Mode and Arrange are just bonus modes. They don't come close to the awesomeness of the original arcade version. Learn to play Arcade mode, you'll like it if you liked Deathsmiles. It's also much harder than either X-Mode or Arrange. I know I sound like a broken record here, but I see people talking about and judging "this game" and they're really not even mentioning Arcade mode (maybe they haven't even played it yet), they're just talking about X-Mode.
Cave really dropped the ball here. They could have offered the original scoring system in X-Mode, or had a mode called "360" that was widescreen with the new characters, but had the Arcade's scoring system. X-mode's system is really completely different from Arcade mode's. It's still good and fun, but Arcade's system is 10x better.
PS-Arrange mode is complete garbage. I didn't think they could do worse than Futari's arrange, but they proved me wrong. I have trouble even finishing a credit because it's so fucking boring and so fucking ugly with all the garbage on the screen all the time. It's basically a game of "wipe the crap off the screen over and over". When I want to do that I'll wash my car.
Can't believe I went and got this for myself as a birthday present. :laugh: I haven't gotten the game yet (probably in the mail tomorrow) but I was kinda planning on playing this in my cabinet and that doesn't sound promising, especially as I wanted to play arcade mode first and foremost. I guess Ketsui will stay until I get the 1CC of Arcade mode or something else worthwhile is released.
The X-Mode TLB Pigeon Blood Jitterbug is so easy to get to, and so easy to beat. I beat him without dying on my first try. Bleh.
Christ! If arrange is worse than Futari arrange then Cave have seriously got to start thinking about these extra modes. Futari arrange is so stupid I didn't think it could get worse!
Did the same thing Emphatic, birthday was today and ordered from NCSX. I live on Long Island NY where they are located, should have it by Wed. Anyway, despite all the negative feedback from people playing this i purchased this going byEOJ's impression of the game. I figure that if he still enjoys it despite its flaws it cant be half bad. BTW hope i get a DLC card with it. I assume they are still selling there first shipment.
Quote from: lawnspic on May 30, 2010, 07:12:38 PM
Did the same thing Emphatic, birthday was today and ordered from NCSX.
Congrats, man! Well, when I shop for gifts, it's things that the recipient wouldn't buy for him/herself in the first place but still enjoy because of the sentimental value. I guess DS2X falls well into that category. =D Even if I got it for myself.
Congrats to the two of you, I also did the same thing and bought as a birthday present, since mine was on the 29th.
It should hopefully arrive today, since I bought it last week =)
I'm also worried about all the impressions, but not too much about the game being easy since i can barely 1cc Deathsmiles =P
can i join the club? :)
i would have ordered it anyway but since it arrive at my birthday week it's a nice bonus present.
too bad no one was home today to sign for the package so i have to wait one more day.
can't wait to give arcade mode a try. :righton:
I will join the club too as DSII will arrive next week and thats my birthday week. :righton:
Have to start though with the tedious work to get a Xbox360 all wired up to an Egret II.
People are complaining about the aspect ratio as i assume it was geared more towards the HD format. Luckily i have a Sony 36 inch 4:3 HD TV with widescreen mode. This is definitely one of the best TV's for older games and newer. Only drawback is you sacrifice some screen size on a 4:3 HD Vs using a proprietary widescreen HD TV. I guess standard CRT users are out of luck unfortunately.
The 27th was my birthday so I picked thi up as a gift for myself as well. :)
I'll try playing some more arcade mode even though it's so tiny. I was referring to x mode in my last post.
I played this in my birthday suit this weekend, while listening to the arrange sountrack. :righton:
Update on the patch. Asada lists the following additional fixes:
-Clear bonus bug (this gave over 2billion in clear bonus)
-Secret achievement "get over 6 billion points in X-mode" not unlocking bug (it randomly unlocks now, they are researching as to why)
-The inability to attach a keyboard to the X360 while the game is running
-A bug in Co-op mode where Rosa's familiar would not shoot anything
-Glitch with the button config on the 2P side
-"Some other things"
All online leaderboards will be wiped when the patch arrives in mid-June.
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/05/post-6dde.html
They better fix the damn Arcade mode ranking that doesn't allow you to save more than one score.
Can we reopen the X mode thread? Clear bonus is borked, but non-clear scores still should be acceptable.
Nah, I don't see the point. There's also the infinite point bug on one of the bosses. There may be other things that are messing up non-clear scores as well. Just wait until the patch is released in a couple weeks. Too many problems right now - I'm reading of new bugs discovered every day.
In a couple weeks you shouldn't be getting non-clear scores anyway. :righton:
shmup forum cross post for CRT fullscreen arcade mode:
Quote from: dmauroQuote from: thamasha69QuoteOn my 29" PVM CRT, if I set Arcade Mode's screen size options to 150x150 and the overall game options to 130x100 (or maybe I mean 100x130), arcade mode is certainly playable, ad fills most of the screen
Thank you for this. I was unaware of the overall options resizing. Between that and my monitor's controls, I have full screen 4:3 (xbox 360 at 1280x720 vga). Sorry for the crap pic:
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/4631/securedownloadq.jpg
Great idea! The actual width you want is 134 (I turned the wallpaper on and increased until the wallpaper was completely gone). I actually make it a little thinner though just because for some reason this game puts out a wide signal and even with my hori size monitor knob turned all the way down, it still goes off screen a bit. :?
I've got arcade mode running full screen in my astro cab now. :D
SIN made a list of all the bugs and problems in Arcade mode. He also took the time to put up tons of screenshot comparisons between the PCB and X360 version. Amazingly, the X360 version is clearly a port, not an emulation. Some background elements are MISSING in the X360 version (like the fence in the beginning of stage 1). You can also see how "white" everything is in comparison to the PCB:
http://sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/Entry/190/
A few examples:
Missing fence in X360 version:
(http://file.sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/10_05_31_2.jpg)
Fucked up super "white" last part of last stage:
(http://file.sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/10_05_31_14.jpg)
Messed up super white credit roll:
(http://file.sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/10_05_31_21.jpg)
In that first in-game comparison shot (http://file.sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/10_05_31_1.jpg (http://file.sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/10_05_31_1.jpg)) the 360 screen looks like it has significantly more detail in it than the arcade screen. The houses have more features on them and there is a christmas tree missing from the bottom shot, yet in the next set of comparison shots, the details are present in both shots. Does this indicate that the arcade version suffers from some sort of pop-up?
The 360 version definitely looks better in this shot:
http://file.sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/10_05_31_16.jpg (http://file.sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/10_05_31_16.jpg)
Colors seem a lot more vibrant and saturated compared to the PCB. The 360 looks better IMO despite being a little brite. That can be fixed with a little contrast tweak.
SIN says the overly bright "whiteness" in the map screen and first chapter screen are a bug, they only show up in D4/HDMI connections. :whyioughtta: Through component, RGB, etc they look as in the Arcade. Hope they fix this.
Also, this is pretty horrible:
(http://file.sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/10_05_31_15.jpg)
The snake in the 360 version is 1/2 the size of it in the Arcade. Unbelievable. You can also see the stupid wire-frame box that circles your character & your option in the 360 version. It's not in the Arcade, and this also looks to be a bug (or just sloppy programming). It's pretty annoying when you're playing the game.
the wire frame is also present in the first DS as well, does that snake zoom in when it comes on screen? or is that really two different size snakes? i cant tell as i have not played either
I can't see it in the first DS (running through HDMI or RGB - haven't tried it with other input types).
Quote from: EOJ on June 01, 2010, 09:14:55 PM
I can't see it in the first DS (running through HDMI or RGB - haven't tried it with other input types).
yeah its hard to see but its there, i running it on HD 4:3 CRT via component input. I also watched several youtube clips of both the 360 and arcade versions and it was present. I had to confirm as i thought my xbox was malfunctioning and i just plain could not believe it being on next gen hardware
I have seen the wire frame in ds1, hdmi.
Hmm, I'll have a look again. It's definitely not in the Arcade PCB though.
The boxes spinning around your character and familiar are actually really annoying to me. I think it's because they're not aliased so they're all jaggy and distracting. :(
Another problem with scoring in X-Mode: if you put the boss movies ON, your fever mode counter stops counting down quite a bit before the boss appears. If you have the movies OFF, it doesn't stop going down until just before the boss appears (when it just pauses for a second). This creates higher scoring possibilities for those who play with the movies ON.
Wow, so many bugs and I havent even got the game yet.... :P
Quote from: Monouchi on June 02, 2010, 03:15:14 AM
Wow, so many bugs and I havent even got the game yet.... :P
my thoughts exactly :P
Finally got the game! Haven't been this excited to fire up a game in a while.
Quote from: EOJ on June 02, 2010, 02:58:17 AM
Another problem with scoring in X-Mode: if you put the boss movies ON, your fever mode counter stops counting down quite a bit before the boss appears. If you have the movies OFF, it doesn't stop going down until just before the boss appears (when it just pauses for a second). This creates higher scoring possibilities for those who play with the movies ON.
:laugh:
In case I wasn't already done with X mode for the time being.
I have gone ahead and ordered it. May not be the best of ports and seems to have its fair share of issues but I just can't resist that crazy Deathsmiles style.
Has anyone else used the $18 (?12) Fedex service? How long does it tend to take?
Oh and whats on the DLC card? Is it an arrange soundtrack? I hope I get one. I love an arrange soundtrack :)
DSIIX ranked #9 on the latest Famitsu weekly sales chart in Japan:
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/06/02/mario_galaxy_2_enterbrain_charts/
The Media Create sales list it at #10 with 16,000 sold in its first 4 days of availability:
http://www.andriasang.com/e/ranking/2010-05-24/
Arcade mode is really awesome. X-Mode is cool visually and has great patterns on lvl3 but the scoring system seems to be too dumbed down. Don't know what to make of Arrange yet, seemed alright although I ended my credit because I wanted to play more Arcade mode. :laugh:
Yep, you got it. X-Mode is pretty dumbed down in the scoring, which is why I'm already pretty much done with it. Such a shame.
Looking forward to seeing you in the Arcade mode scoring thread. :righton:
The game arrived today, only had a quick play through Arcade mode and found it a bit more fun then the first game was the first time around. I like that it doesn't take 45+ minutes to play through and the bad 3D has a certain dreamcast-like charm imo (with a couple of ps1 style arms and zombies thrown in). The game froze on me after exiting the Arcade mode screen :)
It's a shame the Arrange soundtrack can only be played in Arrange mode and even worse having to enter in that long code with a joystick but there's a remix from Yuji Takenouchi so that should be interesting. I'll find out later I suppose.
Quote from: EOJ on May 31, 2010, 03:15:39 PM
Update on the patch. Asada lists the following additional fixes:
-Clear bonus bug (this gave over 2billion in clear bonus)
-Secret achievement "get over 6 billion points in X-mode" not unlocking bug (it randomly unlocks now, they are researching as to why)
-The inability to attach a keyboard to the X360 while the game is running
-A bug in Co-op mode where Rosa's familiar would not shoot anything
-Glitch with the button config on the 2P side
-"Some other things"
All online leaderboards will be wiped when the patch arrives in mid-June.
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/05/post-6dde.html
They better fix the damn Arcade mode ranking that doesn't allow you to save more than one score.
I hope "Some other things" includes fixing the playback for the replays so that they show you the end game, and put back in name entry. Another odd thing I noticed about the replays is that if you have movies turned on, even if you skip them with Start during the game, it won't skip the boss intro movies during the replay, but will skip any of the character cinematics.
I had the OSD and even bullets disappearing for a split-second in the stage w/ the books. Does this happen on the PCB too?
No, it never happens on the PCB. That's something SIN mentioned on his blog post.
I'm pretty sure now that the controls in Arcade mode are broken. In most of my runs with Lei the rapid shot buttons randomly stop working a few times, particularly when there is a lot of stuff on the screen and a lot of slowdown occurring. Sometimes it shifts into laser instead of rapid shot as well. After 5 seconds or so, and slamming on random buttons, things go back to normal. This is breaking a lot of my runs and it's very frustrating. If Cave doesn't fix this, I won't be able to play this game for score. :-\
I think I mentioned this earlier, but I'm positive it's a problem with the software of the game now. I'm not the only person to report this problem with the game either.
ALSO, if you haven't watched this vid SIN made yet, you need to:
http://sinmoon.sakuraweb.com/movie/ds2x_100531_kamikakushi.mp4
It shows the on screen display disappearing in the port. It's so bad the BULLETS disappear. This is some glitchy shit.
I just got my copy today.
I would like to share my first impressions though I'm sure a lot of it will have been said. Would be interested in counter opinions.
Firstly I do love the soundtrack. For me its the best I have heard in a shooter. I love the over the top Gothic registration in a lot of the tracks.
I have the DLC card too. Is this worth the download?
The artwork in the new story parts I like. Its a very clean style and looks very pretty.
The game does for the most part look like shit. Although I think the girl character models are pretty good all of the enemies look awful. Its not so bad when the screen is full of rings and numbers but compared to the first game the character is just not there.
So far I have only had a couple of goes on each mode. I don't fully understand any of them but Arcade does indeed seem like the best.
Its a shame they didn't bother with the HD upgrade for Arcade. Surely it wouldn't take that much time.
X mode looks nice but feels pretty odd, reflecting the blue bullets and constant recharge is not a lot of fun.
I don't know where to start on Arrange. It seems like there is a lot happening but its really just cancelling everything like Futari Arrange which was also awful. Over all I am very disappointed with this game. Even Arcade does not save it for me. Perhaps with some bug fixes it will be fun to play for score but for now its not going to take much time away from Ketsui.
My copy just arrived today....I ve a problem with the Arcade mode display setting....I can't zoom the image all over my crt as in other game's port...The arrange and the DSII X-Mode works well, but I've to play in a stamp-size screen ans it's so frustated.... ^-^ I tried to change the main display options and all the single's mode display option but it did not work..In all ports there is a display setting-option (zoom) for fit the game's image on tv..I can find nothing like this on this port....HELP?
WTF, Auto save doesn't work
There was a thread in shmups with info for crts. Auto save is working ok for me. The squares around the characters are more pronounced than in videos. Looks rough as hell.
One other thing. The white in the last level looked normal on my system even though I'm using hdmi.
Can anyone explain what the hell is going on with the bear and rabbit's genital problems. It's freaking me out.
I think I'm on the same page as most here. Seems like a fun game so far, but really looks like shit in some places. The underground stage with the snakes is just bad, especially the lumps of turd (they look like Chet from Weird Science) that are hanging on the falling rock slabs. X-mode is only fun if you play it on level 3, and arrange mode is a giant mess. I was falling asleep playing it.
I think at this point I'll likely stick to Arcade mode as it seems like the biggest challenge.
Quote from: lam47 on June 07, 2010, 07:36:07 PM
One other thing. The white in the last level looked normal on my system even though I'm using hdmi.
Can anyone explain what the hell is going on with the bear and rabbit's genital problems. It's freaking me out.
It's only screwed up in Arcade mode - it renders fine in X and Arrange modes. I run my 360 into my monitor via an HDMI->DVI cable at 1680x1050 and the problem is definitely there.
Oh I see. I have not got that far in arcade.
Wtf, did it....Thanks lam47
Well done. I would have linked it had I been ok the pc rather than the phone.
I'm enjoying x mode now. more than arcade. with all the rings and suicide bullets on screen (which are 2d) it looks quite pretty.
can anyone help me out with the story? Lei in particular I find interesting.
New blog post by Asada:
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/06/post-e45e.html
He says the title update is completely finished and is on schedule to be available sometime between June 10-20th. The main fixes include everything mentioned before, plus they changed the way the button config works (you now just press the button to select it), and THEY FIXED ARCADE MODE!
DEAR GOD THANK YOU
Those are the "main" changes, smaller stuff was also fixed.
Quote from: EOJ on June 09, 2010, 04:50:21 AM
plus they changed the way the button config works (you now just press the button to select it)
Really appreciate this as it's annoying the way it is right now. Seeing that they turn their attention to low priority "bugs" like this one suggests that they got rid of all major issues :)
Speaking of patches: Really wished that DDPDOJBLEX's would rise from the pits of M$ approval ...
Quote from: EOJ on June 09, 2010, 04:50:21 AMTHEY FIXED ARCADE MODE!
Fantastic. I guess I'll have to pick this up after all.
Do you think it hasn't been beta tested at all?
Because seriously, the bugs are very easy to spot and some of them are game breaking
So, you can actually enter your initials now? :oogle: I'm kinda glad I haven't spent any time on this yet. Patched for joy.
Quote from: lawnspic on June 01, 2010, 09:19:51 PM
Quote from: EOJ on June 01, 2010, 09:14:55 PM
I can't see it in the first DS (running through HDMI or RGB - haven't tried it with other input types).
yeah its hard to see but its there, i running it on HD 4:3 CRT via component input. I also watched several youtube clips of both the 360 and arcade versions and it was present. I had to confirm as i thought my xbox was malfunctioning and i just plain could not believe it being on next gen hardware
I played DS again today: Arcade, 360, and 1.1. None of them had the wire frame box around the character via HDMI or RGB output. I looked pretty hard, but it's just not there. Not sure why you guys are seeing it. Maybe it's some glitch with component output.
In DSII Arcade mode, it's obvious right away to just about anyone.
Got it, played it, played the different modes.
Meh....
:)
The more I play X mode the more I like it. I was too quick to judge. Give it time.
The difficulty does go up if you play for score spawning yellow sperm bullets and all.
Looks pretty too.
The thing for me is the graphics, backgrounds look distant, enemies stiff and the animations are psx quality...
Also its less sfx than DS, makes it kinda quiet.
Not the CAVE game I am expecting in 2010.
Scoring and all is prolly funny when you give it more time....but Mushi,ketsui,Esp2 and DFK will keep me busy for years before I touch this.
I really hope CAVE hasnt abandoned 2D for all time. :'(
New post:
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/
The title update has complete the first step of certification and it's going through the second certification step right now.
Nev Asada post:
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/
he said that the title update has past the last certification test and it will be released next week. The leaderboards will be wipe out after the update released.
They fix:
-boss bug
-clear bonus bug
-the inability to attack the keyboard while the game is running
-the rosa's shooting bug in double player mode
-the 6billion achievement bug in Xmode
-change the way of button config and data save
-add on line score-attack on arcade mode
:righton:
Quote from: Ast-Kot on June 18, 2010, 03:34:07 AM
-add on line score-attack on arcade mode
:righton:
Best news ever. Thank you Cave.
I can attack my keyboard again!
I assume there will be replays for Arcade? I need some pointers.
update online!
looks like there is no replay & training option for arcade mode.
patch just came out ...
fixed the scoreboard in arcade mode but still no initials and no replays and no training mode
they also seem to fix the "white color" bug in arcade mode ... no problems with hdmi here
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/06/post-bed4.html
edit:
me was too late :'(
The 6 billion achievement is fixed. Shame there are no arcade replays.
Ugly black box around character has gone :)
shame about the replay mode but i miss the training mode most
The leaderboards in X Mode weren't reset.
X-mode leaderboards will be reset tomorrow night (Japan time), according to the latest Cave blog post:
http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/06/post-bed4.html
They apparently were too busy to deal with it today.
Just tried out Arcade mode after the patch. I can confirm they fixed the following, in addition to the stuff already mentioned (wire frame boxes removed, score saving fixed):
-HDMI "white" bug
-OSD disappearing when too much is going on
-Snake heads are back to their normal size in the end of Stage 5
-The fence at the start of stage 1 was added in
I think the input bug is also fixed (which would randomly stop some rapid fire buttons from working), but I'll need to test a bit more.
There are no replays, but the online score attack is enough for me. A training mode will be nice, but I can live without it in this game. Maybe they'll toss that in some time in the future.
Thanks Cave, this game feels pretty much the same as how I remember it in the Arcades now! :righton:
Seems that in order to get rid of the on-screen-display disappearing problem in Arcade mode, they altered the slowdown algorithm. Thus, it feels like there's less slowdown in Arcade mode after the patch. I didn't notice it as much with Casper, but I do notice it with Lei (particularly in the ruins stage (the one with all the snakes, vertical scrolling)). Not happy with this, but I guess it's as good as we're going to get.
I also noticed the loading times were eliminated when accessing the online leaderboards across all modes. This is nice!
Finally, you can now press START to pause the game instead of BACK. Glad they fixed this too.
All online leaderboards (Arcade, X-Mode, Arrange) have now been reset.
i am pretty pleased with the game after the patch ... still missing some features but its good enough for me
i will definately spend more time with the game now
Does anyone else find that the replays you download are often messed up? All will be going well and then they seem to just freak out and die.
They fixed the broken replays with the patch (any broken replays you downloaded before will still be broken, though).
Bad news - the patch fucked up the bullet pattern on the second loop of the second form of the boss Bigote in Arcade mode:
http://sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/Date/20100622/1/
Before the patch, it was as in the Arcade version (top pic). With the patch (bottom pic), as you can see, the bullet density is noticeably less. :rolleyes: You'll only see this difference if you milk the boss (which is really hard), and have his pattern set repeat more than once.
(http://file.sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/Img/1277226903/)
SIN says this screws up his pattern with Lei, as this is a lucrative milking spot with him.
I'm not sure Cave has any right to boast their porting speed (several days, or whatever it was that was claimed) if they can't get it right even after so much time. :\
I was considering this game for an eventual purchase, but lack of arcade mode replays and training mode made it a lot less appealing somehow. :\
It's still worth it. :) Arcade mode isn't perfect, but no Cave port is. The Mushihimesama port also had some altered bullet patterns on some bosses.
Quotebut no Cave port is.
Arika on the other hand...
Those aren't truly perfect either, according to Mihara.
Well, I don't expect a port to be perfect, and frankly I don't care about little differences noticeable only by people like Mihara. I just expect it to be without obvious fuckups that could've been spotted within a few hours (let alone a few weeks the game has been out for) of competent playtesting on different hardware setups. Do they always wait until players tell them about errors that one can see immediately? Can't believe it.
As such, PS2 DOJ, Galuda, Ketsui are all very much "perfect" to me. From what I've heard, both Futari and Galuda 2 are also excellent ports where the only notable imperfections are slowdown differences that I won't even be able to spot, let alone take advantage of. :)
Seems Asada didn't even want to put Arcade mode in DSIIX, but some other members of the porting staff really pushed for it. By the time Asada approved they only had a couple days to whip it together (maybe the source of the 2-3 days comment?).
Quote from: EOJ on June 22, 2010, 10:00:19 PM
Seems Asada didn't even want to put Arcade mode in DSIIX,
the fuck
better the imperfect DSXII arcade mode than no arcade mode ...
no wonder why i thought: wow i finaly managed to dodge this pattern on bigote more or less ... now i know why :-[
Patch downloaded.....but I can't find replay on Arcade's leaderboards :laugh:
sadly there is no replay mode in arcade mode :(
I don't understand how to properly leech blue rings from big enemies.
For example in the first stage where the bull with the axe comes into the screen these three things can happen:
I shoot on him with laser and get a ton of rings, filling up my counter to 10,000.
I shoot on him with laser and get noticable less rings, coming nowhere near the 10,000.
I shoot on him with laser and get less rings but after a few second he stops giving me rings. Now I can continue to laser him until he dies and don't get any more rings or I switch to normal shot and back to laser and he starts again giving me rings.
These three things can happen on every big enemy and I don't understand how I can take any influence on what will happen.
???
Your option leeches the blue rings, so try and hit the enemy with just the option (or mainly the option), rather than your shot. Also, the closer you are, the more rings you get (proximity effect).
You must use only your option's fire for leeching blue rings
Got it, thx :)
Tested Arcade mode some more - the rapid fire bug is still in there. It doesn't happen as often, but it still happens, particularly on the boss Tamecos.
The missing slowdown is making the game much harder when playing for score. I'd rather they just kept it as it was before the patch, in regard to slowdown. Even if it meant the OSD disappearance still occurred.
I guess I could always delete patch, and play it like that, but it's a real shame we have to choose from a buggy fucked up version with accurate slowdown & boss patterns, and a fixed version with fucked up slowdown & boss patterns. Lose-lose situation.
I've noticed something odd in Arcade mode - if I play repeatedly, exiting out of a bad run and starting fresh, after awhile (10 runs or so) the game has noticable slowdown in each stage transition, and has extra slowdown before most boss fights. Some problem with loading? I'm running everything off the hdd.
I also had the game (Arcade mode) freeze on a black screen right after I cleared it. I would have had well over 900mil w/ Lei, but thanks to the freeze I'll never know my exact score. This game is still not bug free!
Sorry to hear that.
So, at the end, is worth to download the patch?
I used to think that porting this game would be some kind of "cut and paste " :-\
Yes, the patch is still worth it, overall. I think the black screen freeze thing happened in the non-patched version too.
Quote from: EOJ on July 15, 2010, 11:07:54 PM
I also had the game (Arcade mode) freeze on a black screen right after I cleared it. I would have had well over 900mil w/ Lei, but thanks to the freeze I'll never know my exact score. This game is still not bug free!
I had this happen a few times... I reinstalled it onto my HDD, hasn't happened since.
Thanks for the tip. :righton:
Quote from: durango76 on July 16, 2010, 07:06:47 AM
Quote from: EOJ on July 15, 2010, 11:07:54 PM
I also had the game (Arcade mode) freeze on a black screen right after I cleared it. I would have had well over 900mil w/ Lei, but thanks to the freeze I'll never know my exact score. This game is still not bug free!
I had this happen a few times... I reinstalled it onto my HDD, hasn't happened since.
Happened twice to me, once before reinstalling, once after. In other words, it didn't work for me.
This game has sold poorly, and like Ketsui (another poor selling game), it's recently had its price drastically lowered on Amazon Japan. 3400 yen for the SE, 5100 yen for the LE (http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%B1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%96-%E3%83%87%E3%82%B9%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BAII-X-%E9%AD%94%E7%95%8C%E3%81%AE%E3%83%A1%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9-%E9%80%9A%E5%B8%B8%E7%89%88/dp/B003AQBANW/ref=sr_1_12?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1279925493&sr=1-12)
Quote from: EOJ on July 23, 2010, 06:54:03 PM
This game has sold poorly, and like Ketsui (another poor selling game), it's recently had its price drastically lowered on Amazon Japan. 3400 yen for the SE, 5100 yen for the LE (http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%B1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%96-%E3%83%87%E3%82%B9%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BAII-X-%E9%AD%94%E7%95%8C%E3%81%AE%E3%83%A1%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9-%E9%80%9A%E5%B8%B8%E7%89%88/dp/B003AQBANW/ref=sr_1_12?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1279925493&sr=1-12)
Jesus! It's a shame Amazon.jp don't do international shipping, or I'd be over it like a hot snot.
Anyone else noticed that the arcade mode doesn't have the "enemy" indicators, which tell when an enemy is coming and from which direction?
What the hell, CAVE.
Quote from: HVL on July 25, 2010, 08:46:45 AM
Anyone else noticed that the arcade mode doesn't have the "enemy" indicators, which tell when an enemy is coming and from which direction?
What the hell, CAVE.
Yeah, that caught me off guards too. Probably the number one cause of unintended damage for me.
Wow, I never noticed that. Guess I never paid attention to those indicators in the Arcade version. Still, what a weird omission.
Quote from: EOJ on July 23, 2010, 06:54:03 PM
This game has sold poorly, and like Ketsui (another poor selling game), it's recently had its price drastically lowered on Amazon
Didn't Asada post short before the release that they had 35,000 preorders? So I guess Cave still made good money from the port.
He said they had 30K preorders, yes. But those were just orders from shops (based on the success of Deathsmiles), and people aren't buying them as the shops hoped, hence the drastic price drops. From what I can gather it's sold about 20K.
So Cave likely made a nice profit on this, but on the downside, the shops probably won't order so many copies of their next release.
They should bring Jun back, go with sprites, and make a proper sequel. That would make them some cash.
Review is up on the front page:
http://www.cave-stg.com/?p=227
For the first time, I've included pictures. :righton:
Quote from: EOJ on November 17, 2010, 11:24:04 PM
Review is up on the front page:
http://www.cave-stg.com/?p=227
For the first time, I've included pictures. :righton:
Superb review. 100% agree
Quote from: EOJ on November 17, 2010, 11:24:04 PM
Review is up on the front page:
http://www.cave-stg.com/?p=227
For the first time, I've included pictures. :righton:
lovely review~
I can't wait to play this game
After reading that review, and with Christmas approaching I decided to give Arcade mode a whirl (my copy has been shelved for various reasons) and I bloody love it. When you get used to the fugly graphics, the slightly wooly feeling lock on and the bizarre omission of the warning arrows, it's a heap of fun. I'm going to have to move the arcade version up my priority list now. Damn you EOJ!
Damn right. People who bitch haven't played it, or have played for 2 credits without a clue.
Also, if you play well, I think the graphics are far from ugly. Rings everywhere!
Gaming beer goggles, I like it.
I wish they would patch arcade mode's screen options. I play it on a small CRT and have to stretch the heck out of everything for arcade mode.
That was a great point that EOJ made, when he said this is a Christmas game.
It really does give an ambiance and overall feeling of Christmas.
Quote from: Hive on November 20, 2010, 02:41:37 PM
That was a great point that EOJ made, when he said this is a Christmas game.
It really does give an ambiance and overall feeling of Christmas.
This year, I'm writing my letter to Satan Claus =D
In the end credits he's called Satan Crows. :laugh:
BTW glad you guys are finally discovering this game. :righton:
Quote from: Hive on November 20, 2010, 02:41:37 PM
That was a great point that EOJ made, when he said this is a Christmas game.
It really does give an ambiance and overall feeling of Christmas.
Yeah this is definitely my christmas morning wake up plan.
It's also makes a good game for Halloween. :lol:
I'm still rather bemused by the Christmas theme. As I recall neither the arcade or home release was anywhere near the festive season, whereas Deathsmiles released a fortnight before Halloween. Delays in development perhaps.
Anyway, I've decided that if I can sell some stuff I'm going to buy myself a v4.00 for Christmas. I'll post some hardware impressions if and when.
Where would you even source it?
G-front
Oh cool. I suppose you need a Japanese speaking proxy then? (for those that can't do that themselves)
What are they selling for? Did they drop below $2k?
I had thought the normal vendors weren't selling them due to that revenue sharing situation/failure.
105,000.
It was available for rental or purchase, most went with rental but the Tokyo shops seem to have a few. And yes I'll make sure it's v4.00 first. :laugh:
Thanks EOJ for bringing DSIIX back to my attention ? I was almost decided to sell my copy (which has been sitting in the shelve since right after release more or less).
Reading your review (please keep them coming, they are insightful reads) and about the hiscore competition made me pop it in once more ? shame on me for not doing this earlier! I had a lot fun yesterday evening and for sure: The graphics (backgrounds) may seem subpar at first, but this completely changes once the screen is filled by enormous amounts of bullets and rings.
I almost wished that DFK would take a little longer to arrive since it will surely divert some of my attention =D
SIN got 1.5+bil with Casper in the X360 port (Arcade mode/Ver 4.0) today:
(http://file.sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/Img/1297880640/)
http://sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/Entry/215/
He says that while there are still some points to be had, he's reached his limit, and will not try to increase this score. This score is higher than the WR on the arcade version of 4.0, which is 1,452,223,256 by WSM-MKZ.
The best news is he plans to upload the video to his site some day soon. :righton:
A translation of Famitsu X360's DSIIX review from last year:
http://www.cave-stg.com/?p=706
Quote from: EOJ on February 17, 2011, 04:58:07 PM
SIN got 1.5+bil with Casper in the X360 port (Arcade mode/Ver 4.0) today:
(http://file.sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/Img/1297880640/)
http://sinmoon.blog.shinobi.jp/Entry/215/
He says that while there are still some points to be had, he's reached his limit, and will not try to increase this score. This score is higher than the WR on the arcade version of 4.0, which is 1,452,223,256 by WSM-MKZ.
The best news is he plans to upload the video to his site some day soon. :righton:
Video is up on SIN's site:
http://sinmoon.sakuraweb.com/movie.html
It's the top link on the page, 664MB.
Just read your review EOJ. There was so much negativity when this game first came out, almost enough to stop me from buying it. But something about the colours and all the purple rings made me want to play it.
I was initially not happy with the rather chunky polygon graphics. After playing for a few days however I started to really love the game. Unlike ESPgaluda II - which to me feels like hard work - getting a load of point scoring, garish crap on the screen is fun and rewarding. The DLC soundtrack is also one of the very best.
I am going to have to play it again now. It's been a while.
Book; cover, etc.
Another man to see the light. :righton:
I was also converted by your review, tbh. Up until that point I had only heard people trashing the game, and I didn't really like Deathsmiles that much (this has since changed). The graphics are pretty bad, but the amount of stuff onscreen fills me with joy. The widescreen allows for so many tiny bullets it's unreal, and the amount of points items onscreen at once is totally awesome. I also really love the soundtrack; the carnival theme in particular is quite memorable and very cool. I also find it interesting that, though it's Christmas themed, DSIIX manages to be MUCH more creepy looking than the original. That gross bug boss, the grimy, rusted carnival with its sickly elephants, and the youngest girl's HORRIFYING familiar: even disregarding the 3D, these graphics are a whole new style for Cave.
I can see why people are down on the 3D, but I don't see how anyone in their right mind could hate the game. It really ramps up the somewhat slow pace of Deathsmiles, and I'm a big fan. I guess you can constantly be in fever in Deathsmiles once you know the game in and out, but I'm just not that cool.
Let's just hope they make a third one someday, as I'd love to see a return to graphical form merged with the ramped up speed. Here's rooting for a Valentine's Day theme, though I have no idea what enemies could possibly relate to that. I guess they didn't seem to care much when they had giant snakes and bugs for the Christmas theme, but ghost stories are apparently an old Christmas tradition so whatever.
Valentine's theme is an awesome idea! It would fit well with the colour palette.
Lot's of flowers and hearts flying about!
According to the ESRB, Cave are publishing this in the US (Reported by Siliconera)
Cave are? Not Aksys?
Nope, Cave themselves
Cool! Possible that it could be RF then.
Let's hope this means a patch for NTSC-J with added WIDE MODE at the least, and preferably also fixed replays for Arcade mode.
Nice, Cave's first US self published game right?
As for Deathsmiles 3, what if every stage was a different holiday...
Surprising, but great news! I am betting this will be an Xbox live download, at 2400MS points. Cave has no US office, so I don't see how they could do a retail release, or why they would want to bother with such a big investment of time and money. As an Xbox live download, they can do all the work from their Japan offices, like they did with Guwange and all their iOS stuff.
I'm so excited about this. I just can't wait. No word on a release date from what I've seen but if the ESRB's already rated it, I can hold on to the sliver of hope that we'll see it this year.
I was heartbroken when Aksys indicated that they had no (immediate) plans to bring over DS2, so this is just fantastic news for me.
Quote from: EOJ on April 24, 2011, 04:29:20 PM
Surprising, but great news! I am betting this will be an Xbox live download, at 2400MS points. Cave has no US office, so I don't see how they could do a retail release, or why they would want to bother with such a big investment of time and money. As an Xbox live download, they can do all the work from their Japan offices, like they did with Guwange and all their iOS stuff.
There's been speculation that it could be a download title because of Cave's self-published stuff all being on the Arcade so far, but 2400 points? Is there anything that's actually that high? Or would it be an On-Demand title with a fixed price in actual money?
You can go up to 2400MS points. Cave initially was going to make the Deathsmiles Mega Black Label add-on 2400MS points, which is why I chose that number. I thought it would be the perfect price point for them to make profit for this game, but not have it negatively affect Japanese sales of the game (as Japanese players can easily make a US Xbox Live account and download the digital version).
Publishers can charge whatever they want on the Games On Demand service. For example, Halo Reach is (incredibly) ?49.99 on the UK GoD. Cave haven't released any of their games on the GoD service yet, so it's possible they are preparing to start releasing older titles internationally via that route. There are already examples of this happening before (publishers releasing retail games on GoD in regions that they were not originally released in) so it's a definite possibility.
Quote from: Daverost on April 24, 2011, 04:31:18 PMThere's been speculation that it could be a download title because of Cave's self-published stuff all being on the Arcade so far, but 2400 points? Is there anything that's actually that high? Or would it be an On-Demand title with a fixed price in actual money?
You can pay for GoD titles with MSP or credit/debit card.
Well the game's not going to be dubbed, so I'd see little point in reverse importing unless it was way cheaper, and if it's going to be an Arcade title, it should be a global release, right? Makes more sense to me for it to be an On-Demand title, that way it won't compete with the Japanese disc version at all. Of course, I'm not really sure if Microsoft's policy allows you to do an On-Demand release for a game that didn't already have a disc version.
Just seems like Cave's going to be losing some money on this as an Arcade title no matter what unless IIX is completely out of production and they're not making profit on it anymore anyway (which it very well could be for all I know, but there are still copies available for sale online).
Quick edit while I was about to submit this:
Quote from: bcass on April 24, 2011, 04:42:19 PM
There are already examples of this happening before (publishers releasing retail games on GoD in regions that they were not originally released in) so it's a definite possibility
Oh, well there you go.
Ah, I wasn't aware some games have been released as GoD without having a disc release in that region. Maybe Cave will go that route.
Have there been any other live arcade titles to be released in the US but not in Europe? I only have UK and Japanese accounts.
I wonder if they will add a 4:3 resolution mode to fix the forced letter box that's been complained about since release. If they add that I may consider purchasing the US release (already own japanese release).
Hopefully they'll dick up the slowdown and give us something to talk about for a year.
Last week in the UK (here) Game were selling Deathsmiles for ?2. That's right just two pounds. Including all of the DLC and extras that the release has.
And what hurt the most was the official forums attitude: 'It's a crap game but you can trade it in at CEX for more'
It hurts you know, inside. After we all paid upwards of ?80 for the Japanese release. If the same thing happens with DSII in this country I may well cry.
I can't see the moronic general public seeing past the rather outdated 3d to the superb game that is underneath.
It's been bothering me is all.
Quote from: lam47 on April 24, 2011, 05:50:12 PM
Have there been any other live arcade titles to be released in the US but not in Europe? I only have UK and Japanese accounts.
As far as I'm aware (though I've been wrong before), only junk like advertisement games stay region-exclusive. Everything else is worldwide.
Quote from: SomeMist on April 24, 2011, 06:52:41 PM
I wonder if they will add a 4:3 resolution mode to fix the forced letter box that's been complained about since release. If they add that I may consider purchasing the US release (already own japanese release).
I really doubt we're going to see anything that doesn't already exist in the JP version.
Quote from: Daverost on April 25, 2011, 09:21:27 AMQuote from: SomeMist on April 24, 2011, 06:52:41 PM
I wonder if they will add a 4:3 resolution mode to fix the forced letter box that's been complained about since release. If they add that I may consider purchasing the US release (already own japanese release).
I really doubt we're going to see anything that doesn't already exist in the JP version.
Who knows, they've only just "invented" the Wide Mode for Guwange and MMP/PS, right? A small patch should be easy peasy.
I expect we'd hear news about a patch for the JP version before they'd bother incorporating it from scratch into the NA version.
USA version coming to Games on Demand May 17th. $29.99 price:
http://www.cave-stg.com/?p=1472
WOW sooner than I expected. I still want a physical release.
Oh sure. One of my most anticipated releases this year comes out when I'm out of town...
So they will release the game "as is" and download only. I don't mind, so as long as we get access to all the DLC contents and perks (if any) that are available in the Japan. :)
According to siliconera (http://www.siliconera.com/2011/05/12/deathsmiles-2x-dodges-retail-hits-games-on-demand-next-week/), you can't just use MS points to buy it, you have to throw up the $. Woulda been nice if I could use points but whatever, it's a day one buy.
Siliconera are wrong. You can buy all GoD titles using a Credit/Debit card or Microsoft Points.
happy for those who don't have a j360, but little reason for me to buy it. wish they fixed the 4:3 reso
Can you transfer GoD stuff to other systems, like you can do with XBLA games you've bought? Or is it permanently locked to the system you downloaded it on?
You can transfer them, just like any other downloaded content.
Ah, good.
Quote from: bcass on May 13, 2011, 12:21:40 PM
Siliconera are wrong. You can buy all GoD titles using a Credit/Debit card or Microsoft Points.
While I would not be surprised if Siliconera were wrong (they're often wrong about Cave stuff), they do say Cave told them this game can't be bought with MS Points. Perhaps that's part of the deal, with it being an import game? I've read some GoD titles rated "Mature" can only be purchased with a credit card too.
Pretty cool gesture on CAVE's part.
Quote from: EOJ on May 13, 2011, 04:15:46 PMWhile I would not be surprised if Siliconera were wrong (they're often wrong about Cave stuff), they do say Cave told them this game can't be bought with MS Points. Perhaps that's part of the deal, with it being an import game?
Possibly, but all the payments go via Microsoft anyway so I can't see the logic in it. Doesn't make sense that they'd want to lose any sales. Plenty of people don't like using, or are unable to use credit/debit cards on their consoles. That said, Microsoft are adding paypal as a new payment option for downloadable content in the upcoming NXE update, so it might not matter.
Joystiq asked Microsoft and confirms Siliconera is wrong - you can use MS points to buy this:
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/13/deathsmiles-2x-going-straight-to-games-on-demand-next-tuesday/
Been watching superplays to pump myself up for this release. It looks so fluid and fun. I'm glad Cave is looking into different distributing options to release there games in NA, although I know quite a few folks will be upset by the lack of physical copies if this becomes the norm. At that point though I'd expect they'd have jumped on the J360 bandwagon. Whoooo knows...
very excited for this game
It seems the Games on Demand version will work on a JP X360 as long as you download it in the USA with a USA account:
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=30346&start=724
A cheap alternative to the $80 disc release.
YAY! Finally playing! Support Cave and patronize their products. Give them more reason to export their games outside of Japan. Who knows, maybe they might make a patch to translate the game to english text if there enough support. :righton:
I'm not going to be able to dl this as I'm based in the uk, but I'm curious as to the 4:3 support. I don't own this disc version for my J360, but understand this does not run fullscreen on a standard CRT. Can anyone confirm whether this remains the case for the download version?
yes it's still doesn't have the 4:3 support. Like they said, it's an exact copy of the game w/o the DLC.
In DSIIX, for optimal scoring, do you have to simply wait until the trails behind suicide bullets turn red, or do you actually have to wait for the bullets to gain a red aura around them?
I've never been clear on this.
Red trails are all that matter for scoring. The red aura that forms on the blue bullets is just a warning that they're going to disappear soon.
Hmm... This is traditionally played with a 3 button joystick correct? I keep messing up lock shot by pressing left & right shot... wonder if my stick is broken.
Yep, same button layout as Deathsmiles, lock-shot always works fine for me. I believe you can map it to its own button too, if you prefer. I put rapid Left Shot (LS) and rapid RS on two buttons too, as they come in handy. Wish more Cave games had rapid fire button options.
Quote from: EOJ on May 17, 2011, 07:56:13 PM
Red trails are all that matter for scoring. The red aura that forms on the blue bullets is just a warning that they're going to disappear soon.
Awesome. That makes my life a million times easier.
Yea I was actually playing IIX mode and a gauge was running out because I was holding down Lock-shot. So far I really enjoy Arcade, but don't quite understand how to recharge the counter as I've seen in videos. I usually just get cyan blue skulls rather than skulls that refill the counter. Any tips?
Judging by comments on Cave's facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/CAVECoLtd) it seems this game isn't available in Canada or Mexico, just the USA. Asada said it would be a released in Hokubei ("North America"), though I'm not sure if Cave or Microsoft made the mistake of locking it to the USA marketplace. Perhaps this will be fixed soon if enough Canadians complain.
I figured out my problem with the counter refill trick with suicide bullets. It's pretty obvious but your multiplier has to be at 10,000 to have suicide bullets turn into skulls. I'm having quite the time trying to get a good score on Stage 1 with Windia.
By "counter refill trick" do you just mean canceling all suicide bullets into points when your fever is about to run out, in order to try and fill your gauge back up to 1000 and re-enter fever?
Quote from: Special World on May 18, 2011, 12:27:30 AM
By "counter refill trick" do you just mean canceling all suicide bullets into points when your fever is about to run out, in order to try and fill your gauge back up to 1000 and re-enter fever?
Yep. Until your multiplier is 10k, any suicide bullets you cancel turn into blue rings instead of skulls. You can only obtain skulls my destroying enemies with lock-shot outside of having a 10k multiplier. I wasn't aware of this since it doesn't explicitly mention that you HAVE to have a 10k multiplier to cancel suicide bullets into skulls in the DSII strategy thread.
Yep, you need the 10K to keep riding the 1K. ;) Protip: You can also burst up to 10K from power up mode when you're as low as 3K or 4K, if you have enough sperm trackers and time the blue rings properly at the end of power up mode.
This is all Arcade mode talk, of course.
Describing this game sounds more like prostitution than anything else.
Does the DLC work with this release?
Quote from: bcass on May 18, 2011, 02:50:12 AM
Does the DLC work with this release?
Yes, it does - everything is identical to the Japanese disc release, just without the disc and the region locking.
Great. Time to fire up the VPN.
Do you have a PAL 360? Would love to confirm this works on one - we only know it works on NTSC consoles so far.
Unfortunately not, I only have a J360.
Quote from: bcass on May 18, 2011, 12:19:06 PM
Time to fire up the VPN.
No need. A poster at NeoGAF downloaded it in Germany with a US account, US 360, no proxy/vpn. (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=27912214&postcount=277)
edit: As well as one in Japan. (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=27902948&postcount=261)
Really loving IIX mode. Got the hang of the IIX scoring and now just need to figure out how to pay attention to blue sperms and regular enemy bullets at the same time. Especially on the Ruins stage. DSII very well be my favorite Cave game :righton:
The scoring is very smooth; jewlery everywhere. I just need to remember that the counter resets every time I get out of power up (I'm spoiled too much by DSMBL).
I'm still in limbo in arrange. I've never had to weave through and cancel so many bullets since ESPgaluda2 Arrange
Wow. Deathsmiles 2 is much harder and more rewarding. I like it. And thats why 2 is better than 1 (Lol at the reference :righton:)
I give it a 9/10
I've still not been able to get a 100m+ score on the first stage with any character :-[
Is this correct.
Meanwhile, it seems possible to download this game from anywhere in the world as long as you have an NTSC-J or NTSC-U X360 and a US Xbox live account.
Because I'm in the UK and would quite like not having to use the disc.
Will just have to use some poor souls address to make an account is all.
Just took the time to read the few posts above mine.
Cool!
Available to Canada and Mexico the 24th. http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2011/05/deathsmiles-i-1.html (http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2011/05/deathsmiles-i-1.html)
This game really is alot of fun. It seems like th 1cc on level three dificulty is possible too. I died on the last boss last night (made some silly mistakes getting to him). I finished with a score of around 3.5billion. Its nowhere near the top scorers but I can see where the potential is. I wasn't really getting the timing of the refill until towards the last stage. Once i get the 1cc its time to attack the EX Stage, but honestly I am scared of that boss.
The last boss is deceptively easy. A lot of his bullets will just go right through you. I find the Carnival bosses to be harder, but I still don't think they're too terrible.
Question on Arrange mode: is there any reason (or reliable method) to keep the Heaven/Hell bar closer to Heaven? It seems like the bar will just always be max-Hell all the time.
Hmm...
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/990640-deathsmiles-ii-x/61425013
Anyone got any info on this?
Hmm, I'll check it out when I get off work later today.
Was there a title update on or near release? Maybe it's just that his cache has cleared and he needed to download that again?
Quote from: bcass on December 22, 2011, 04:49:20 AM
Maybe it's just that his cache has cleared and he needed to download that again?
It's this. I just checked, and there's no new patch to download. He just re-downloaded the first patch.
Well that was disappointing. I haven't been able to check on it myself. Oh well. Thanks.
I've been really getting into the arcade mode on this recently - didn't quite appreciate how good it was before! The scoring system is very, very cool =D
Anyway, I just saw on the Rising Star Games forum that the DeathSmiles II X thread under 'game suggestions' has been moved to 'other Rising Star Games' - an indication of a PAL release, perhaps?
http://www.risingstargames.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=19
I suppose there's only this and Mushi HD that Rising Star might give a disc release to after Akai Katana? I can't see them going for Ketsui or DOJBLEX...
I've been spending some time with Deathsmiles II myself. I really like the feature where it disables my left shot button when I'm fighting the mansion boss. And the part where I feel really awkward at Lei's ending.
But the other stuff they included is cool too. I really want to break 1 billion and clear, then move on to X Mode.
Quote from: cstarflare on April 09, 2012, 06:46:17 PM
I've been spending some time with Deathsmiles II myself. I really like the feature where it disables my left shot button when I'm fighting the mansion boss. And the part where I feel really awkward at Lei's ending.
But the other stuff they included is cool too. I really want to break 1 billion and clear, then move on to X Mode.
I really, really hate that bug. Sometimes your rapid shot button randomly stops working, or sometimes it'll even change to the laser (most common on the final boss). I wish the port wasn't so sloppy, because the game is so good.
Good luck on 1 billion. I've been meaning to put some time into X-mode as well.