To me, this is one of the most beautiful shooters ever made. Right up there with In the Hunt. I read an interview with someone from Seibu Kaihatsu where they explained their emphasis on details. Enemy explosions cast shadows on the ground and launch debris into the air. Larger enemies move slowly due to their size, creating a sense of scale and you can see and hear their thrusters lifting them from the ground or away from a space port. They break apart slowly when taking damage and catch fire. All of the designs in the game appear believable from a science fiction perspective. So many developers fail to include this level of gritty detail, Cave being a prime example with some of their games.
In the Hunt is bonkers. The level of detail is extraordinary in that game. I'll definitely look for some of the details you mentioned for VP1 because that will only further my appreciation. Thanks so much for checking this out!
This is the type of retro shmup I want from Arcade Archives releases! A good shmup that I had no way of playing previously with really good 90's pixel art The games I want the most on AA are the Parodius games! Anyone know why these havn't been released?
The only reason that comes to mind is the immense pool of arcade games they have to choose from. I'm not sure what their process looks like or how long it takes, but since they port titles from other genres as well, it could take ages for certain shooters to make an appearance, if at all.
Considering Gradius and Gradius II both got ACA releases, I think it's music related. Parodius games have run into similar issues with ports and releases before, i think it was an arrangement of some song by KC and the Sunshine Gang. Here it is, I looked it up: " The PlayStation and Saturn version of the game was also made on the Sony PSP as a part of the compilation titled Parodius Portable in 2007. One notable change was the first stage's music, "I Remember That!", which was an instrumental remix of "That's the Way (I Like It)" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. The PSP game replaced the remix with "Brilliant2U" by Naoki Maeda from Dance Dance Revolution to avoid copyright infringement.[1]"
Also @dace did you see they released 2 physical volumes of Acas in Japan! They are mostly the neo geo acas, I’m going to order them shortly. Hopefully they do a volume that is all shmups at some point
I was initially drawn in by the pixel art and stayed for the gameplay. Great tips Dace. I didn’t know a couple of the tips you shared. Were you able to clear it on the hardest difficulty yet? You seem to breeze right through most shmups (which still blows my mind). I got to stage 3 on one credit so far. Playing the new version.
Yeah man, some of the background concepts are wild. Like the massive metal beams and lit up bay areas or the huge curved section of the platform that starts introducing the green energy field region. Congratulations on reaching stage 3. Do you have a preferred weapon? The laser definitely has the greatest damage output, but I can see the wide shot being an overall solid option considering the coverage and point-blank potential. Also, maximum bomb stock is 7, in case you need that information.
@ I don’t have a preferred weapon yet but I try to grab the laser before the 1st boss as it takes him out after he shoots just a few bullets. I like the Wide Shot for popcorn clearing and the Napalm seems to do good damage (the delayed explosions can be distracting). I more than doubled my stage 3 score using your tips video (I need to watch it again to figure out the 30,000 metal secret in Stage 1). I’ve been focusing on trying to use bombs more often as I usually have several in stock when I take a hit. Thanks for letting me know about the max number of bombs! I never did answer your original Arcade Archives question: I’ve played tons of them but the one that sticks out atm is the original Cotton game that recently released. I had never played the original but I have a few of the Switch sequels / remakes so it was nice to see how the game started out. It’s actually really fun too. I was surprised just how good it is. Have a stellar day man! 🙏
@@anotherkellydown Solid update. The crate for stage 1 is the one off to the left side just below those big, blue tanks that unfold before shooting. So just let the undamaged crate travel all the way up into the bay and come out again. Then you're good to destroy it and grab the 30,000 points. Yeah, I haven't done much with the Cotton games other than a first impressions style video some years back. I think it'd be neat to get into them more, but that'll need to wait for now!
@@anotherkellydownNo worries, the first cargo carrier ship that drops the weapon (old version anyway) is right before the crate. One thing I didn't mention in the vid is that the new version changes some enemy placement/time of entry.
Thanks man, I’m not familiar with this one nor did Ik this even dropped, but I love shmups so I’ll be grabbing this later tonight! It looks great. How about the new Indy bullet hell Idol Hell? I’ve been enjoying that one. I’ve also really been digging the new one Savant Ascent Remix, I can’t say I’m to fond of twin stick shooters but savant does it with class and I’ve been so addicted to it
I wouldn't mind checking out Savant Ascent at some point since the team behind the game is (as far as I know) the same team as Owlboy - which I love. Thanks for checking this out!
I wasn’t aware it was the same team as owl boy! No wonder Savant is so good, it’s a really unique shooter. There is a bit of a learning curve like I said with the controls. But once you master it it’s so much damn fun. I’ve 1ccd it on every difficulty. The longevity comes from survival and time attack trying to beat there scores/times…..I also got viper phase 1 last night and played it for a few hours. It’s pretty awesome but man is it tough at times even on easy difficulty. I just can’t determine where the hit box is, and I catch a lot of silly deaths. I can only reach stage 4 before I have to use a credit, it’s a tough one but pretty awesome. I was surprised it was 8 stages long. This will take a lot of practice and memorization to 1cc
@@mikeward5192 Are you playing the old or new version of VP1? It's a fun challenge. I'm easing into learning the old version at the moment and enjoy this game enough to want to do both eventually. I feel the two versions play differently from a special weapon standpoint because in the old version, special weapons serve as more of a temporary bonus that doesn't really factor into your overall playstyle whereas in the new version, weapon choice becomes a more permanent consideration for any given stage or player approach. It's interesting.
I'm not sure how I'd go about selecting the best AA title but I can easily mention that Gunnail is an all-time favorite Shmup from the retro pool of STGs. I did a video a couple years back called Gunnail - A Misunderstood Classic where I essentially talk about the game and share my passion.
If it's still unavailable, that's really strange. I wonder what's up. Also interesting to note is that normally we get the Hamster releases the day after Japan does due to the time difference but Super Dimension Fortress Macross (which just released the other day) still wasn't available on the NA eShop. I wonder if some of these are JP-only.
Just had to say thanks for those constant good uploads! I like the style for this one!
Always happy to provide, man! Thanks for jumping in. VP1 is stellar stuff.
To me, this is one of the most beautiful shooters ever made. Right up there with In the Hunt. I read an interview with someone from Seibu Kaihatsu where they explained their emphasis on details. Enemy explosions cast shadows on the ground and launch debris into the air. Larger enemies move slowly due to their size, creating a sense of scale and you can see and hear their thrusters lifting them from the ground or away from a space port. They break apart slowly when taking damage and catch fire. All of the designs in the game appear believable from a science fiction perspective. So many developers fail to include this level of gritty detail, Cave being a prime example with some of their games.
In the Hunt is bonkers. The level of detail is extraordinary in that game. I'll definitely look for some of the details you mentioned for VP1 because that will only further my appreciation. Thanks so much for checking this out!
I very appreciate talking to differences of the old and new roms
Thanks for watching!
Good job, TH-cam recommendations.
Super cool to hear that! Thanks for jumping in!
played this port last night, very happy with the result. good release.
Nice! Yeah, I'm loving this too!
Thanks for the video Dace. I absolutely love the way this game looks.
Always a pleasure, man! VP1 has serious polish.
This is the type of retro shmup I want from Arcade Archives releases! A good shmup that I had no way of playing previously with really good 90's pixel art
The games I want the most on AA are the Parodius games! Anyone know why these havn't been released?
The only reason that comes to mind is the immense pool of arcade games they have to choose from. I'm not sure what their process looks like or how long it takes, but since they port titles from other genres as well, it could take ages for certain shooters to make an appearance, if at all.
Considering Gradius and Gradius II both got ACA releases, I think it's music related. Parodius games have run into similar issues with ports and releases before, i think it was an arrangement of some song by KC and the Sunshine Gang. Here it is, I looked it up:
"
The PlayStation and Saturn version of the game was also made on the Sony PSP as a part of the compilation titled Parodius Portable in 2007. One notable change was the first stage's music, "I Remember That!", which was an instrumental remix of "That's the Way (I Like It)" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. The PSP game replaced the remix with "Brilliant2U" by Naoki Maeda from Dance Dance Revolution to avoid copyright infringement.[1]"
Also @dace did you see they released 2 physical volumes of Acas in Japan! They are mostly the neo geo acas, I’m going to order them shortly. Hopefully they do a volume that is all shmups at some point
@@mikeward5192 I didn't hear about those but that's awesome and high time they started rolling stuff like this out!
I was initially drawn in by the pixel art and stayed for the gameplay. Great tips Dace. I didn’t know a couple of the tips you shared. Were you able to clear it on the hardest difficulty yet? You seem to breeze right through most shmups (which still blows my mind). I got to stage 3 on one credit so far. Playing the new version.
Yeah man, some of the background concepts are wild. Like the massive metal beams and lit up bay areas or the huge curved section of the platform that starts introducing the green energy field region. Congratulations on reaching stage 3. Do you have a preferred weapon? The laser definitely has the greatest damage output, but I can see the wide shot being an overall solid option considering the coverage and point-blank potential. Also, maximum bomb stock is 7, in case you need that information.
@ I don’t have a preferred weapon yet but I try to grab the laser before the 1st boss as it takes him out after he shoots just a few bullets. I like the Wide Shot for popcorn clearing and the Napalm seems to do good damage (the delayed explosions can be distracting). I more than doubled my stage 3 score using your tips video (I need to watch it again to figure out the 30,000 metal secret in Stage 1). I’ve been focusing on trying to use bombs more often as I usually have several in stock when I take a hit. Thanks for letting me know about the max number of bombs!
I never did answer your original Arcade Archives question: I’ve played tons of them but the one that sticks out atm is the original Cotton game that recently released. I had never played the original but I have a few of the Switch sequels / remakes so it was nice to see how the game started out. It’s actually really fun too. I was surprised just how good it is.
Have a stellar day man! 🙏
@@anotherkellydown Solid update. The crate for stage 1 is the one off to the left side just below those big, blue tanks that unfold before shooting. So just let the undamaged crate travel all the way up into the bay and come out again. Then you're good to destroy it and grab the 30,000 points. Yeah, I haven't done much with the Cotton games other than a first impressions style video some years back. I think it'd be neat to get into them more, but that'll need to wait for now!
@@Shmuptopia Thanks for the crate bonus explanation! Problem is, I keep shooting it the second it appears 😁
@@anotherkellydownNo worries, the first cargo carrier ship that drops the weapon (old version anyway) is right before the crate. One thing I didn't mention in the vid is that the new version changes some enemy placement/time of entry.
Thanks man, I’m not familiar with this one nor did Ik this even dropped, but I love shmups so I’ll be grabbing this later tonight! It looks great. How about the new Indy bullet hell Idol Hell? I’ve been enjoying that one. I’ve also really been digging the new one Savant Ascent Remix, I can’t say I’m to fond of twin stick shooters but savant does it with class and I’ve been so addicted to it
I wouldn't mind checking out Savant Ascent at some point since the team behind the game is (as far as I know) the same team as Owlboy - which I love. Thanks for checking this out!
I wasn’t aware it was the same team as owl boy! No wonder Savant is so good, it’s a really unique shooter. There is a bit of a learning curve like I said with the controls. But once you master it it’s so much damn fun. I’ve 1ccd it on every difficulty. The longevity comes from survival and time attack trying to beat there scores/times…..I also got viper phase 1 last night and played it for a few hours. It’s pretty awesome but man is it tough at times even on easy difficulty. I just can’t determine where the hit box is, and I catch a lot of silly deaths. I can only reach stage 4 before I have to use a credit, it’s a tough one but pretty awesome. I was surprised it was 8 stages long. This will take a lot of practice and memorization to 1cc
@@mikeward5192 Are you playing the old or new version of VP1? It's a fun challenge. I'm easing into learning the old version at the moment and enjoy this game enough to want to do both eventually. I feel the two versions play differently from a special weapon standpoint because in the old version, special weapons serve as more of a temporary bonus that doesn't really factor into your overall playstyle whereas in the new version, weapon choice becomes a more permanent consideration for any given stage or player approach. It's interesting.
Does it play better than MAME? Do you know if Hamster basically use MAME?
I'm not sure, I haven't used Mame in ages though I often wonder how Hamster goes about porting these.
The game plays the same in MAME but the sound is imperfectly emulated.
@@JamesWilliams-je7tm Thanks for letting us know!
What do you think is the best Arcade Archives shmup?
Just for fun i'll tell you MY! personal opinion 😆 this is top 2/3 easely... u ain't getting better sound desing and pixel art.
Thanks for sharing! @@JinvorionSTG
I'm not sure how I'd go about selecting the best AA title but I can easily mention that Gunnail is an all-time favorite Shmup from the retro pool of STGs. I did a video a couple years back called Gunnail - A Misunderstood Classic where I essentially talk about the game and share my passion.
Thanks for the replies!
It's still not available yet in PlayStation store 😱
If it's still unavailable, that's really strange. I wonder what's up. Also interesting to note is that normally we get the Hamster releases the day after Japan does due to the time difference but Super Dimension Fortress Macross (which just released the other day) still wasn't available on the NA eShop. I wonder if some of these are JP-only.