Thanks for the review, I LOVE DoDonPachi series, this is undoubtedly the BEST Shump I've ever played in my life mainly for the art of the game and the music of excellent quality it was made in a way that it fits the gameplay. My favorite is without doubt is DoDonPachi dai ou jou (2002). I like that on Wii U. .. play in the game pad would be amazing! Greetings from Brazil... "I raised my hand" ^^
Anyway, to clarify (it did it AGAIN! sorry for multiple replies there), DOJ and Ketsui, specifically, of that group are the ones that require the special Mame version. And even then, they dont actually work quite right. They MOSTLY work, but... they'll be a bit glitchy in parts.
Bullets are brightly colored and always layered over your own shots so you can see them. Activating hyper mode also lets you cancel out enemy bullets with your own.
Also on Nintendo Switch. Amazing that these games will never die, when at the height of their first releases you had to go out of your way to get hold of them.
Its available both ways here in europe, you can either spend your money online for the virtual download or buy the retail disc. I'm playing Akai Katana, which is made by the same people and it got me back in the SHmup genre again.
I'd say one of the most novice-friendly shmups is Jamestown. It's quite forgiving on the lower difficulty levels, and you'll never get frustrated because there's a level selection screen. For the more experienced, the two harder difficulty levels can be quite challenging, and there's the Gauntlet mode in which all the levels have to be played in sequence (as in a traditional shmup).
It's worth pointing out though that those are the only 2 JP version Cave games that are actually region-free. Other stuff like Ketsui, MMP/Pink Sweets, or Mushihimesama (the first Bug Princess) will indeed only run on a JP unit.
Exactly. Don't accidentally buy other games that aren't known to support NTSC or you'll be stuck with an unplayable game. One other game that is localized into English by Rising Star Games as well is Akai Katana. Also by Cave. Don't forget that Cave has many of their games on Ipad in HD, and on iPhone. They are pricier than a regular $1 game, but the controls are great and they runs extremely well. You can get demos for each game they have on App Store before buying. Mark should review one.
Oh I am not suggesting it should be in any particular way. I am just observing. I should add that the imports, though may be expensive when out of print like Mochi Pork and Pink Sweets, is worth all the money. They are literally some of the best games of this genre.
Actually, this is almost never an issue in this genre. There's a reason why, in most bullet-hell games, the bullets tend to be, say, bright pink, or some similar color, to make them stand out against everything else. Many players will find they dont even NOTICE their own shots, let alone have things be obscured by them (the game will ALWAYS draw enemy bullets over anything else). And yes, you can cancel enemy bullets with your own, if you are in Hyper mode.
I've never really been a fan of shmups, but man do I love the 2389472987439823748 projectiles flying at the scream while you're firing your mega lazer four times the size of your space ship lol
like Pink Sweets and Mochi Pork, Espgaluda, and Nihishime something. I own last 2 they were about $50 to $60 and Pink Sweets is $80 to $120 used or new
a great entry level shmup for the Xbox one is Teslapunk, which is very similar to this, the novice is pretty easy, but even then if you want to beat it, you will probably need a continue or two.
So late commenting this video but man have I enjoyed CAVE's DoDonPachi on iPad. It's time to jump in the big league (read it as, in TV size) and get 360 version.
I also recommend you guys buy Japanese versions of the other Cave games because they work in NTSC USA. I own Expgaluda 2 which is universal, and Bug Princess 2 (don't remember the japanese name) its in Japanese but also works in USA. Very awesome games.
Glad to know that the PAL version will work on NTSC-U consoles. Like it wa already said, you can never have enough Cave shooters. I also read that some of the older Cave releases (before Muchi/Pink Sweets) weren't region locked either. It sucks that these great games have to be imported. I'd think that Atlus or Aksys would've been all over this. Apparently, Cave thinks that iPhone/iPad versions are good enough for us here in North America. :(
Ahh Dodonpachi. I've known the series for 10+ years now, own two of the games (this one and Daioujou for the PS2), and still completely suck at it. But somehow Dodonpachi is just irresistible and I keep coming back to it.
My all time favorite Shmup!!! This game gets an obscene amount of play in my MAME Arcade Cabinet. I love the Genre, but this game and ESP. Ra. De. are at the top for me... :)
The bosses are still gigantic battleships... They just happen to transform into gigantic robot girls. Check out the sequel, Dodonpachi Saidaioujou too. Same great gameplay, and bosses are once again non-voiced war machines. Though your operator and element doll now talk a lot more...
Hence my use of capitalisation. "The West" historically refers to Europe, North America, and Australasia. Mark used the term as if it referred to North America exclusively.
The SH3-era Cave games (Mushihimesama and up) were taken out due to a Cease and Desist letter from Cave themselves to the MAME developers - or so they say. If you can find Slowpoke MAME you'll be able to run the games pretty well but slowdown is nowhere near accurate and if you start getting performance issues you'll also get graphical glitches.
Not Cave goodness, but "Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta! Meikai Katsugeki Wide-Han is a pretty good vertical scrolling, yoko, twin-stick shooter. Kinda expensive though. And then there's RayStorm/Layer Section II HD on PSN.
But he didn't review anything. What's the scoring system? Is there a second loop? What's the difference between the ships? Does it have online co-op? Online scoreboards? How does it compare to previous games in the series/other games of the same genre on the system?
Is Novice Mode good for people who get headache every time they play shoot-em-ups or would Tyrian be the better pick for that? >_> And I was wondering if there are any similarities to this game compared to Dodonpachi Saidaioujou (The latest one?) . Is there a demo version of that game on US Xbox Live?
You should check out S.T.G for SNES, stupid easy shoot em up with the most overpowered weapon ever: The Megabeam Cannon! It one hit kills all bosses except the very last one. Very fun game in co-op too.
I'm aware that Dai Ou Jou had them because I played it, but it only appeared on the character selection screen and the pictures at the end of each stage. There were no obnoxious little girl cries and shrieks, or voices of any kind. Same with MUSHA. Hell, even some other classic shmups had girl pilots. The current infection came after the popularity that Touhou reached on the shmup market, where devs started to somehow believe that their games wouldn't sell without little girls in them.
I want my dodonpachi everywhere. So besides the 360 version I have the iPhone and the iPad version! One sidenote...I always thought Europe is where the western world begins ;)
My issue with all the babillion shots per once shooter games is it's hard to appreciate the design and graphics while playing because all I can focus on is avoiding the bullets, which if I take my eyes off of for a second, I die. It boils down to seeing just a ton of little blue and pink circles and lines.
And this is why this game is a popular choice. It has tons of mechanics to increase player’s room of errors. This is often well known as one of the easiest CAVE game since it has auto bomb meaning these bombs are extra lives stocks. Plus there is a hyper system that can be abused, what it does is your ship will turn into ship from Compile shooters where your basic shot can cancel enemy bullets easily, and your ship starts with max power through the whole time so the penalty of dying is just about scores, you are not losing your weapons and drones at all. It is strange to say but this is more of a casual shmup despite all the thing happening in screen. Of course other Dodonpachi games are tough as heck while this is just a rare exception.
Believe it or not, this is actually one of the easier games of this sort. And I dont mean the Novice mode; even the original arcade version is actually pretty easy.
Ohh? What I'd heard (about a million times) was that these (all of the more recent games) only worked with that one version, due to.... something, danged if I remember what. Though, for all I know it could be a Linux VS Windows thing. Interesting. I'll have to test some of these on that version myself, then.
Yeah but it won't rack up any points. For that, you need to fully exploit the game mode and ship type, choose your targets carefully and choose carefully when to activate super shot and bombs. Or you won't even get close to the scoreboards. Sure you could breeze through holding the fire button, but thats only fun for the first playthrough, which is hardly 30 minutes. Cave games always have tons of score strategies you don't see at first.
I don't actually, i don't dislike them, it's just never been a genre i really picked up. I suppose to somebody who plays these all the time the complaint may seem odd, but i can't help thinking that in practice, with some of those bullet power-ups literally taking up 3/4's of the screen estate, it would get truly hard to see who's bullets belong to who, and you would end up killing yourself more often then not. Unless there is something I'm missing, do your bullets destroy theirs?
Dai Ou Jou already had cute girls piloting the ships in 2002. I don't see what's different here other than the bosses' transformations, and those are giant killing robots. Everything else looks the same as always, and the story is still grim and convoluted. Even MUSHA had a cute pilot and that didn't hurt it any.
I've got this on iOS and caves other shooters are terrific. if you have an iOS device get caves other shooters amazing there's plenty of them on the app store
I think it would also have something to do with how Sony supposedly doesnt like publishers porting over arcade games for some reason and instead opts out for more 'original' or console-based games, even on PSN. Which, to be quite honest, is retaded of Sony, but understandable. Thank God for Rising Star for localizing some of Cave's games and for Cave (and 5pb, I suppose) for porting some of their shmups region-free. Now if only someone would localize Otomedius and Raiden to PAL regions ;_;
you cant see the game beneath your OWN bullets half the time, seems like that would be a big flaw in something as precision based as a bullet hell shmup, there's should really be some way to make your bullets smaller or something.
Thanks for the review, I LOVE DoDonPachi series, this is undoubtedly the BEST Shump I've ever played in my life mainly for the art of the game and the music of excellent quality it was made in a way that it fits the gameplay.
My favorite is without doubt is DoDonPachi dai ou jou (2002). I like that on Wii U. .. play in the game pad would be amazing!
Greetings from Brazil... "I raised my hand" ^^
Glad you finally got around to reviewing this game, the finest example of a shmup on a Western release this gen.
This game is love. This game is life.
If you get this game, the "Black Label" DLC is an absolute must have. The Black Label soundtrack is absolutely awesome.
These games would look so good in Full Screen. I hope they give that option for current generation schmups. Great review, thank you!
Anyway, to clarify (it did it AGAIN! sorry for multiple replies there), DOJ and Ketsui, specifically, of that group are the ones that require the special Mame version. And even then, they dont actually work quite right. They MOSTLY work, but... they'll be a bit glitchy in parts.
Bullets are brightly colored and always layered over your own shots so you can see them. Activating hyper mode also lets you cancel out enemy bullets with your own.
Thumbs up for the soon-to-be Steam release!
Also on Nintendo Switch. Amazing that these games will never die, when at the height of their first releases you had to go out of your way to get hold of them.
I have this game and I love it, Shmups For Life!!!
Its available both ways here in europe, you can either spend your money online for the virtual download or buy the retail disc.
I'm playing Akai Katana, which is made by the same people and it got me back in the SHmup genre again.
Damn Mark! youve gotten really badass at shmups since i first started watching years ago
I'd say one of the most novice-friendly shmups is Jamestown. It's quite forgiving on the lower difficulty levels, and you'll never get frustrated because there's a level selection screen.
For the more experienced, the two harder difficulty levels can be quite challenging, and there's the Gauntlet mode in which all the levels have to be played in sequence (as in a traditional shmup).
Wooo Ontario!
Just watched all your Donpachi reviews. Great stuff!
It's worth pointing out though that those are the only 2 JP version Cave games that are actually region-free. Other stuff like Ketsui, MMP/Pink Sweets, or Mushihimesama (the first Bug Princess) will indeed only run on a JP unit.
This game released while I was in London near the end of 2011 - picked it up at Game on release day, totally worth every penny. =)
The music is so soothing and relaxing
Exactly. Don't accidentally buy other games that aren't known to support NTSC or you'll be stuck with an unplayable game.
One other game that is localized into English by Rising Star Games as well is Akai Katana. Also by Cave.
Don't forget that Cave has many of their games on Ipad in HD, and on iPhone. They are pricier than a regular $1 game, but the controls are great and they runs extremely well. You can get demos for each game they have on App Store before buying. Mark should review one.
Oh I am not suggesting it should be in any particular way. I am just observing. I should add that the imports, though may be expensive when out of print like Mochi Pork and Pink Sweets, is worth all the money. They are literally some of the best games of this genre.
Please review Dodonpachi Saidaioujou, it is ridiculous fuckin hard!!
Yea, and on ipad Cave has HD versions which run really well. Controls are great as well.
Was going to download it so thanks for the heads up.
I love this game! I've spent hours and hours on this game!
Actually, this is almost never an issue in this genre. There's a reason why, in most bullet-hell games, the bullets tend to be, say, bright pink, or some similar color, to make them stand out against everything else. Many players will find they dont even NOTICE their own shots, let alone have things be obscured by them (the game will ALWAYS draw enemy bullets over anything else).
And yes, you can cancel enemy bullets with your own, if you are in Hyper mode.
I've never really been a fan of shmups, but man do I love the 2389472987439823748 projectiles flying at the scream while you're firing your mega lazer four times the size of your space ship lol
like Pink Sweets and Mochi Pork, Espgaluda, and Nihishime something. I own last 2 they were about $50 to $60 and Pink Sweets is $80 to $120 used or new
For entry-level SHMUPs, I recommend Söldner X-2. One of the more forgiving out there and with an awesome soundtrack to boot.
+Richard Savings What system is that game for?
Jonathan Davidson I have it for PS3 and Vita #CrossBuy
a great entry level shmup for the Xbox one is Teslapunk, which is very similar to this, the novice is pretty easy, but even then if you want to beat it, you will probably need a continue or two.
Not if you invest in a swivelling wall mount for the TV. Almost every shmup I own has the option to tilt the screen. No more wasted space.
Just got this in the mail myself. So good!
So late commenting this video but man have I enjoyed CAVE's DoDonPachi on iPad. It's time to jump in the big league (read it as, in TV size) and get 360 version.
This needs a 5-part review, Mark.
MARK!!!
THAT IS SOME INSANE BULLET HELL SKILLS!!!!
I wouldn't last a second.
I also recommend you guys buy Japanese versions of the other Cave games because they work in NTSC USA. I own Expgaluda 2 which is universal, and Bug Princess 2 (don't remember the japanese name) its in Japanese but also works in USA. Very awesome games.
never played this version
the original dodonpachi and terra diver are my two favorite shmups
Glad to know that the PAL version will work on NTSC-U consoles. Like it wa already said, you can never have enough Cave shooters. I also read that some of the older Cave releases (before Muchi/Pink Sweets) weren't region locked either. It sucks that these great games have to be imported. I'd think that Atlus or Aksys would've been all over this. Apparently, Cave thinks that iPhone/iPad versions are good enough for us here in North America. :(
Ahh Dodonpachi. I've known the series for 10+ years now, own two of the games (this one and Daioujou for the PS2), and still completely suck at it. But somehow Dodonpachi is just irresistible and I keep coming back to it.
I bought a PAL copy of this game from Canada and it works fine on my American 360
My all time favorite Shmup!!! This game gets an obscene amount of play in my MAME Arcade Cabinet. I love the Genre, but this game and ESP. Ra. De. are at the top for me... :)
Yeah, Mark's insanely good at these kinda games
You should play Jamestown on Steam. That game is incredible. Probably my favorite shmup.
I just got this game today. I found it in a bargain bin at the local mall.
The bosses are still gigantic battleships... They just happen to transform into gigantic robot girls. Check out the sequel, Dodonpachi Saidaioujou too. Same great gameplay, and bosses are once again non-voiced war machines. Though your operator and element doll now talk a lot more...
I just downloaded this from xbla,so it should be ready for me to play after watching this.Happy days,I love scrolling shooters.
I've always pondered as to where the ships keep all those missiles...
1) Hold down fire button
2) Dodge everything coming at you
3) Win!
I play this game on Xbox 360, its one of my favorites!
Hence my use of capitalisation. "The West" historically refers to Europe, North America, and Australasia. Mark used the term as if it referred to North America exclusively.
The SH3-era Cave games (Mushihimesama and up) were taken out due to a Cease and Desist letter from Cave themselves to the MAME developers - or so they say. If you can find Slowpoke MAME you'll be able to run the games pretty well but slowdown is nowhere near accurate and if you start getting performance issues you'll also get graphical glitches.
Not Cave goodness, but "Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta! Meikai Katsugeki Wide-Han is a pretty good vertical scrolling, yoko, twin-stick shooter. Kinda expensive though. And then there's RayStorm/Layer Section II HD on PSN.
But he didn't review anything. What's the scoring system? Is there a second loop? What's the difference between the ships? Does it have online co-op? Online scoreboards? How does it compare to previous games in the series/other games of the same genre on the system?
Some games are like that, like the PAL release of Metro 2033 works with ntsc consoles for some reason
Is Novice Mode good for people who get headache every time they play shoot-em-ups or would Tyrian be the better pick for that? >_>
And I was wondering if there are any similarities to this game compared to Dodonpachi Saidaioujou (The latest one?) . Is there a demo version of that game on US Xbox Live?
You should check out S.T.G for SNES, stupid easy shoot em up with the most overpowered weapon ever: The Megabeam Cannon! It one hit kills all bosses except the very last one. Very fun game in co-op too.
Mark, why don't you review any of the famous PC shmups, like Tyrian, Raptor: Call of Shadows or the touhou series?
I'm aware that Dai Ou Jou had them because I played it, but it only appeared on the character selection screen and the pictures at the end of each stage. There were no obnoxious little girl cries and shrieks, or voices of any kind. Same with MUSHA. Hell, even some other classic shmups had girl pilots. The current infection came after the popularity that Touhou reached on the shmup market, where devs started to somehow believe that their games wouldn't sell without little girls in them.
The horizontal scrolling ones still seem nicer with the widescreen tv's nowaday.
The Previous game in the series was "Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou (Blissful Death)"
I want my dodonpachi everywhere. So besides the 360 version I have the iPhone and the iPad version!
One sidenote...I always thought Europe is where the western world begins ;)
kickass review, kickass game, absolute must buy!!
YES its easy to find in europe, thanks mark for this amazing review :D
thanks dude, i didn´t know that i will try it
These games are such a hassle to get over here @_@ I'm so glad this game is at my local arcade. This game is just too good
Okay, I've seen this in stores but never picked it up! But ,I need to now!
At last I understood the story in this game. :)
awesome review
I wear shades while playing this game because it's so intense.
My issue with all the babillion shots per once shooter games is it's hard to appreciate the design and graphics while playing because all I can focus on is avoiding the bullets, which if I take my eyes off of for a second, I die. It boils down to seeing just a ton of little blue and pink circles and lines.
And this is why this game is a popular choice. It has tons of mechanics to increase player’s room of errors. This is often well known as one of the easiest CAVE game since it has auto bomb meaning these bombs are extra lives stocks. Plus there is a hyper system that can be abused, what it does is your ship will turn into ship from Compile shooters where your basic shot can cancel enemy bullets easily, and your ship starts with max power through the whole time so the penalty of dying is just about scores, you are not losing your weapons and drones at all. It is strange to say but this is more of a casual shmup despite all the thing happening in screen. Of course other Dodonpachi games are tough as heck while this is just a rare exception.
Aye, I'm kinda surprised that he hasnt done that yet.
Dodonpachi Resurrection for Google Play is really good!
Believe it or not, this is actually one of the easier games of this sort. And I dont mean the Novice mode; even the original arcade version is actually pretty easy.
Wait, you don't recommend Gigawing series for Dreamcats to introduce for the beginner? WHY?
Only if you have a very, VERY specific version of Mame, and Cave had most of those taken down.
Looks fun! Wish I didn't have to pay the extra 17 bucks or whatever it is to have it imported here though =/
If the US don't like Shmups why did Death Smile 2 get a digital release in America while us in Europe have not?
Mark, did I see right? Do you have a Pal Sega Saturn? Because I have several games that I would like to donate.
Ohh? What I'd heard (about a million times) was that these (all of the more recent games) only worked with that one version, due to.... something, danged if I remember what. Though, for all I know it could be a Linux VS Windows thing.
Interesting. I'll have to test some of these on that version myself, then.
As great as this game is, if you want an entry level shmup for 360 you are probably better getting Deathsmiles.
Classic Game Room is the reason for Ad Block.
Holyshit... you actually reviewed it...
Yeah but it won't rack up any points. For that, you need to fully exploit the game mode and ship type, choose your targets carefully and choose carefully when to activate super shot and bombs. Or you won't even get close to the scoreboards. Sure you could breeze through holding the fire button, but thats only fun for the first playthrough, which is hardly 30 minutes. Cave games always have tons of score strategies you don't see at first.
Mark's videos aren't necessarily reviews as much as they are, let me see...fucking entertaining.
0:35 space arcade? I thought it was under water base arcade :/
I have this on my iPhone, but i think a controller would work a lot better than touch controls.
R U kidding??? The modern wide screen TV's are awesome for shmups!!! Just put them vertically instead of usual horizontal panoramic setup ;-)
i too also love the sega saturn long live sega!
I don't actually, i don't dislike them, it's just never been a genre i really picked up.
I suppose to somebody who plays these all the time the complaint may seem odd, but i can't help thinking that in practice, with some of those bullet power-ups literally taking up 3/4's of the screen estate, it would get truly hard to see who's bullets belong to who, and you would end up killing yourself more often then not.
Unless there is something I'm missing, do your bullets destroy theirs?
Dai Ou Jou already had cute girls piloting the ships in 2002. I don't see what's different here other than the bosses' transformations, and those are giant killing robots. Everything else looks the same as always, and the story is still grim and convoluted. Even MUSHA had a cute pilot and that didn't hurt it any.
Is this a console port of Daioujou or Daifuukatsu?
This game should be on the dreamcast.
But you can flip it on the side?
is there an option to make it 16 9 or full screen with no background sides .... kinda kills it id rather see it stretched .. looks awesome ...
No. That is the standard orientation the game was made for. If you want to fill the screen you would have to TATE your monitor.
I've got this on iOS and caves other shooters are terrific. if you have an iOS device get caves other shooters amazing there's plenty of them on the app store
I think it would also have something to do with how Sony supposedly doesnt like publishers porting over arcade games for some reason and instead opts out for more 'original' or console-based games, even on PSN. Which, to be quite honest, is retaded of Sony, but understandable. Thank God for Rising Star for localizing some of Cave's games and for Cave (and 5pb, I suppose) for porting some of their shmups region-free.
Now if only someone would localize Otomedius and Raiden to PAL regions ;_;
you cant see the game beneath your OWN bullets half the time, seems like that would be a big flaw in something as precision based as a bullet hell shmup, there's should really be some way to make your bullets smaller or something.
Have you played any of the touhou games?
And Mushihimesama Futari for another
Keep using the old CGR theme!
So an European version of this will play in my US Xbox360?
Thumbs up if you raised your hand when Mark did :)
This is a DLC game(on the European 360 anyway).
When are the vita games coming on GGR?