Game advice/opinion

[jheiger]

I am pretty sure I am finally gonna pull the trigger and get a JP 360 (anyone can help hook me up??)

I have all the region free games and definately like DeathSmiles (NA) the best.  Then Pork, and then futari as my faves.  Espgaluda 2 and Pink sweets havent really clicked for me yet.

I would rate my skil at "Low". 

What JP games would you recomend I pick up first??

[hipgnosis]

I'd say pick up Deathsmiles IIX and DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu. They are great games for starters. I'd probably pick all of the Cave titles since they are all enjoyable, but you should start with those two.

[jheiger]

Do you prefer DFK over black label??

[emphatic]

Do you prefer DFK over black label??

I would rate my skil at "Low". 

It's easier (for survival). If you just prefer awesomeness, go with Black Label (Retail).

[Special World]

I personally think Deathsmiles IIX is your best bet, as it's a really fun game with selectable difficulty. It looks kinda wonky but once you get into the groove of it, you won't notice because there'll be so many point items onscreen. Also, the music is ace. I personally think that DFK is Cave's worst 360 game, and will be really punishing as a novice if you're going for score. I'm not terribly good at shooters, and DFK makes me rage like no other from broken chains. Hypering also makes the game pretty boring for the first few stages. Also, people who claim it's easy to clear are only talking about bomb and strong type, which yield little satisfaction for me as 1CCing basically amounts to "yes, you can beat it, but only because we gave you 100 lives." DFK Black Label is a bit more fun for me, but it's not particularly easy. Personally, I think Deathsmiles IIX -> Ketsui would be a better choice. Yes, Ketsui is quite hard, but even though I can't manage to reliably get past level 3, the first few levels are an absolute blast. It has some of the best early levels I've played in a shooter, and the bullet patterns are A+. Definitely the game that springs to mind when I justify buying my J360, with Deathsmiles IIX close behind.

Whatever you decide, have fun with that J360!

[EOJ]

Yeah, DFK 1.5 is pretty harsh with scoring, but the Novice mode is pretty fun for a 2-ALL, and the chaining is far more forgiving. I think it's Cave's best Novice mode.

DFK BL is definitely the better game overall, but much harder.

DSIIX is a no brainer. Awesome game with selectable difficulty levels. Can't go wrong.

Ketsui and DDPDOJBL are also must buys. DDPDOJBL's X-Mode is great fun and easy to pick up and play.

[Aliquantic]

I'd probably recommend DSIIX first for its two separate modes that play very differently (the Arcade version is very fast paced and tricky, X-Mode is more relaxed and a bit closer to the original Deathsmiles) and with a fair amount of variation in difficulty depending on your character.

DFK and DFKBL are pretty harsh in their respective ways, though they also have worthwhile Novice modes (Strong for BL at least, and Novice Power in 1.5 comes to mind). 1.5 is available for fairly cheap now and you could get the Black Label DLC if you aren't interested in the BL Arrange mode, but it's very hard to say if you'll like 1.5 (it's definitely not the first game I'd recommend myself, even if I rather like it).

If you'll keep your US Xbox, you may want to look into Raiden Fighter Aces and Raiden IV too, which should be available for $10 or so (the Japanese versions are a lot pricier and the US release won't run on a JP box).

[njiska]

Another vote for DSIIx. A nice game all-round and X-mode is actually quite fun. Easy, but fun.

If you're looking at DFK i'd say take BL. 1.5 is a good game, but BL is coolness.

[crackfox]

My skill level is also pretty low but Ketsui and DFK BL are a must 
They will punish you but the satisfaction you will get from these games will make it worth it 

[bitkid]

I picked up my J360 lately and I can't play the sucker enough. I picked up all the Cave ports and I have been logging the most time with DFK:BL, even though it woops my ass something fierce. Second most time is probably Futari BL followed by DFK 1.5. Waiting on my copy of Death Smiles 2 to come soon as I do enjoy DS1 quite a bit. Picking up a J360 was a no brainer for me since I can still play all the US games I want to play, in addition to playing all the Japan locked games.

[jheiger]

Thanks for all the advice guys ....