Did you miss our episode of Electronic Gaming Monthly's Best-Reviewed Shoot 'Em Ups? Now is your chance to see how EGM ranked thirty-year's worth of classic shooters, including G-Darius. Watch the full episode here: th-cam.com/video/8Wcm03ZedOU/w-d-xo.html
You missed one of G Darius's MAJOR mechanics and why you though the capture feature felt like an after thought on the boss battles. When you capture an enemy you can covert it into an "Alpha beam" which is very useful for survival during the stages, BUT during the bosses when they shoot their "Beta beam" you can BEAM DUEL and do massive damage to the boss once your beam overtakes theirs and get a huge score increase. Makes the fights much shorter and adds another layer of strategy.
I gave this game a B+ and raved about it on so many levels. The fact that you think I purposely ignored a feature of the game because I'm secretly getting rich off of these reviews is hilarious. Chill out, my dude.
@@lukenluken I'm thinking they were replying to someone else who deleted their comment or something? I'm just happy more people are finally able to play this game again.
There is a lot of Darius games coming out. Wish more companies would re-release their older games. While pixel art style age much better, there is something cool with early 3D games, they have their charm as well. I mean Silent hill still looks awesome. QOTD;Sky force and Sine Mora are pretty good modern shooters.
I remember buying g darius on the ps1 at launch. I really wanted darius gaiden but didn't own a Saturn. G darius in my opinion is by far the best in the series. Easier to get into it even had a practice mode great graphics amazing soundtrack great replayability with the multiple branching paths and endings. Then the actual mechanics of capturing enemies to create shield bombs and the alpha beam. I know Darius burst included a beam special but the one in g Darius was better implemented. I loved the tug of war beam battles with the bosses. You could also unleash special attacks with certain captured enemies using street fighter commands. I don't know why taito abandoned several of the mechanics introduced here. This game feels timeless has aged better than most shmups and is without a doubt my favorite in the genre.
Preordered the physical release of this on PS4. More taito stuff? I'd want to see Rastan rebooted but not like how they rebooted golden axe. QOTD, Favorite modern shoot-em-up? Within the last 10-15 years maybe Super stardust HD. Was actually different from most shmups.
Looking forward to playing this new release of G-Darius. Probably my clear favorite in the series. QOTD, as usual I resist choosing a single definitive favorite - though one I keep coming back to is Super Hydorah. It incorporates elements from both the Gradius and Darius series, but also does a few things differently. In any event, it’s incredibly well-designed, challenging, and and fun. Highly, highly recommended for anyone who enjoys old-school horizontal shooters. Also would like to call out Jamestown+, not sure if it fits in the time window, but another outstanding game. Damn there are so many good ones.
G Darius for me is my favourite side scrolling shoo em up. Its got 3d panning in effects, massive bosses which really are still today are amoung the biggest in any side scrolling shoot em up. And the sound track, oh man the sound track on this game is just amazing. I love all the darius games, but for me this is the best of the franchise. I've always wondered if taito really made a up to date one pushing modern hardware with even full 3d sections then going back to side scrolling sections with 3d panning back drops to like this game. But also pushing the latest graphics engine. But I know we have darius burst which is great, but I do feel taito could really push the boundaries with a new darius game much much better. Now the downside for me is iam a pc owner, and no plans I've heard yet to even bring this to pc, so come on taito pull your finger out and port it to steam. 😊😉
A Darius game that is priced reasonably? Taito, can you do more of that please? Favorite would be Steredenn or it would be if it wasn't for a random glitch that can freeze your game whenever you transition to the next level.
I would say the The Cozmic collection Arcade is very reasonably priced for the amount of arcade perfect ports and features on it. That along with this one was done by M2 who are known for their high quality emulation and ports.
5:51 I think the idea is that you capture the ideal enemy to defeat the boss in the level leading up to them, adding extra tension to the level as you are trying to protect the enemy ship you captured and will go on to use against the boss. Some enemies are rare and may only appear once per level, which provides extra incentive to not just blast everything on-screen, as you may need the enemies firepower to aid you later on.
I hope the dual-screen arranged mode gets implemented properly. Imagine playing G-Darius on big projector, that sounds great to me. Ohh the game is also getting something where the slowdown is gone, I am just not sure what mode will get the "no slowdown" feature.
Love G darius. Just wanted to know if the switch version is the arcade version or playstation version. I prefer the PS1 version as that's nostalgic for me and love the boss mode
Well, the graphics are sure an upgrade, that's for sure, and nice to see can play old school too. More remakes and remasters should do that. As for the question, I've never really got into shooters, and this answer may just show it, as I was struggling to think of a modern day one I like, and closest I got was a 2004 game, Star Wars Battlefront. Yeah, I know, it's the best I could do, even thought about it for a few hours.
6:00 Well, somebody clearly didn't realize you can charge your captured enemy into a wave laser and with enough skill use it to counter and overpower the boss laser attack, Dragonball Z style. I remember it being easier here than in DariusBurst too.
As somebody who spends most of their time archiving classic video game reviews, I assure you that magazines from the 1980s and 1990s referred to the genre as both "shooters" and "shoot 'em ups."
I recall Gaiares also has this enemy-capture mechanic. I always struggled at that game, but still liked it. Like Jamie Bunker said in the ads, Gaiares is Number One!!!!1!1!
You're right, Gaiares did a similar thing, though G-Darius builds upon that idea in a lot of interesting ways. Jamie was close, because according to EGM's review scores, Gaiares was number 3. (It will always be number 1 in my heart.)
Yep - G-Darius has the alpha beam, and different formations with captured enemies. Funny, I looked up Jamie Bunker on LinkedIn recently. Appears to be a successful corporate type these days. So Gaiares was the #3 ranked shooter in EGM? What were the top two?
It's kinda odd how G Darius HD had more care put into it than Dariusburst ACEX+ QOTD: my current modern choice obsession would have to go to crimson clover world ignition If the question was Retro game, my answer would immediately Game Tengoku Crusin Mix
G Darius HD was done by M2 who are know for their high quality ports especially with shmups, infact this is the only arcade accurate port this game has ever had. They are even adding "version 2" later which is a redone version of the game.
Crimson Clover, outstanding pick. A couple I’ve been playing lately are two developed by Qute: Natsuki Chronicles and Ginga Force. But again, I generally resist choosing a single favorite. So many good ones.
How come nobody ever mentions the god awful slowdown?? almost the entirety of the game lags and plays at about half speed and in the queen fossil fight it slows down to a boring crawl
I've had similar issues with other shoot 'em ups in the past, and the hardcore shooter fans always push back by saying that it's supposed to be this way: "That's how it was in the arcade and the way we like it. The slow down is on purpose." I started getting those comments so frequently that I stopped bringing it up.
@@DefunctGames ohhhh okay. I have it on the PS1 and I was praying the slowdown would be fixed. it'd be nice to be able to toggle it on or off in the options menu so both parties can play like they want.
The Taito Legends 2 (PS2) version, based on the original coin-op had no slowdown. I believe the original arcade version of G-Darius, much like Tekken 3 was on souped-up PS1 hardware. Similarly, the home port suffered due to the inferior specs of the PS1.
Did you miss our episode of Electronic Gaming Monthly's Best-Reviewed Shoot 'Em Ups? Now is your chance to see how EGM ranked thirty-year's worth of classic shooters, including G-Darius. Watch the full episode here: th-cam.com/video/8Wcm03ZedOU/w-d-xo.html
You missed one of G Darius's MAJOR mechanics and why you though the capture feature felt like an after thought on the boss battles. When you capture an enemy you can covert it into an "Alpha beam" which is very useful for survival during the stages, BUT during the bosses when they shoot their "Beta beam" you can BEAM DUEL and do massive damage to the boss once your beam overtakes theirs and get a huge score increase. Makes the fights much shorter and adds another layer of strategy.
I gave this game a B+ and raved about it on so many levels. The fact that you think I purposely ignored a feature of the game because I'm secretly getting rich off of these reviews is hilarious. Chill out, my dude.
@@lukenluken I'm thinking they were replying to someone else who deleted their comment or something?
I'm just happy more people are finally able to play this game again.
@@morsalty same here. Deleted the comments, I didn't realize!
I didn't have the full game as a kid, just the demo. Can't wait, played it over and over
There is a lot of Darius games coming out. Wish more companies would re-release their older games. While pixel art style age much better, there is something cool with early 3D games, they have their charm as well. I mean Silent hill still looks awesome.
QOTD;Sky force and Sine Mora are pretty good modern shooters.
I remember buying g darius on the ps1 at launch. I really wanted darius gaiden but didn't own a Saturn. G darius in my opinion is by far the best in the series. Easier to get into it even had a practice mode great graphics amazing soundtrack great replayability with the multiple branching paths and endings. Then the actual mechanics of capturing enemies to create shield bombs and the alpha beam. I know Darius burst included a beam special but the one in g Darius was better implemented. I loved the tug of war beam battles with the bosses. You could also unleash special attacks with certain captured enemies using street fighter commands. I don't know why taito abandoned several of the mechanics introduced here. This game feels timeless has aged better than most shmups and is without a doubt my favorite in the genre.
Oooh didn't know about those street fighter commands. Do you know if the switch version is the PS version or arcade version
Preordered the physical release of this on PS4. More taito stuff? I'd want to see Rastan rebooted but not like how they rebooted golden axe.
QOTD, Favorite modern shoot-em-up? Within the last 10-15 years maybe Super stardust HD. Was actually different from most shmups.
Looking forward to playing this new release of G-Darius. Probably my clear favorite in the series. QOTD, as usual I resist choosing a single definitive favorite - though one I keep coming back to is Super Hydorah. It incorporates elements from both the Gradius and Darius series, but also does a few things differently. In any event, it’s incredibly well-designed, challenging, and and fun. Highly, highly recommended for anyone who enjoys old-school horizontal shooters. Also would like to call out Jamestown+, not sure if it fits in the time window, but another outstanding game. Damn there are so many good ones.
G Darius for me is my favourite side scrolling shoo em up. Its got 3d panning in effects, massive bosses which really are still today are amoung the biggest in any side scrolling shoot em up. And the sound track, oh man the sound track on this game is just amazing. I love all the darius games, but for me this is the best of the franchise. I've always wondered if taito really made a up to date one pushing modern hardware with even full 3d sections then going back to side scrolling sections with 3d panning back drops to like this game. But also pushing the latest graphics engine. But I know we have darius burst which is great, but I do feel taito could really push the boundaries with a new darius game much much better. Now the downside for me is iam a pc owner, and no plans I've heard yet to even bring this to pc, so come on taito pull your finger out and port it to steam. 😊😉
A Darius game that is priced reasonably? Taito, can you do more of that please?
Favorite would be Steredenn or it would be if it wasn't for a random glitch that can freeze your game whenever you transition to the next level.
I would say the The Cozmic collection Arcade is very reasonably priced for the amount of arcade perfect ports and features on it. That along with this one was done by M2 who are known for their high quality emulation and ports.
Fantastic review!!! 👍
5:51 I think the idea is that you capture the ideal enemy to defeat the boss in the level leading up to them, adding extra tension to the level as you are trying to protect the enemy ship you captured and will go on to use against the boss. Some enemies are rare and may only appear once per level, which provides extra incentive to not just blast everything on-screen, as you may need the enemies firepower to aid you later on.
My recent favourite is Ginga Force on Xbox 360! So cool and so much replayability.
I hope the dual-screen arranged mode gets implemented properly. Imagine playing G-Darius on big projector, that sounds great to me. Ohh the game is also getting something where the slowdown is gone, I am just not sure what mode will get the "no slowdown" feature.
Love G darius. Just wanted to know if the switch version is the arcade version or playstation version.
I prefer the PS1 version as that's nostalgic for me and love the boss mode
QOTD: I'd like to say Sine Mora, after all I have brought the game twice. However I haven't actually played it. 😅
Well, the graphics are sure an upgrade, that's for sure, and nice to see can play old school too. More remakes and remasters should do that. As for the question, I've never really got into shooters, and this answer may just show it, as I was struggling to think of a modern day one I like, and closest I got was a 2004 game, Star Wars Battlefront. Yeah, I know, it's the best I could do, even thought about it for a few hours.
Okay that's not a Shooter / Shmup.
Btw that word? (Shooter) was STOLEN from the community and converted to meaning FPS's.
It's bullshit!
QOTD, I’d have to go with Black Paradox. It’s a rogue SHMUP with awesome 80s synth music.
I'm usually not into shmups but this sounds awesome, thanks for introducing this to me I'll probably pick it up
Gaiares is a predictable pick? 🤔 I always figured it was pretty niche since I never hear anyone talk about it.
I'm not a shmup guy, but I always make time for Darius.
QOTD. I'll probably go for QP Shooting Dangerous
I played G-Darius to the point where the disc no longer worked in my ps1…… good times
6:00 Well, somebody clearly didn't realize you can charge your captured enemy into a wave laser and with enough skill use it to counter and overpower the boss laser attack, Dragonball Z style. I remember it being easier here than in DariusBurst too.
No one knows about it.... Or cares apparently.
Ordering my preorder rn off of Amazon physicals both for Nintendo switch and PS4 for $30 as we speak . Comes out October 15th 2021
QOTD
Well I'm more a twin stick shooter type of Guy. That said does resogun count?
Even better now that a physical release isn't too far away 😀
Thanks for the review, I just bought the game for 12 bucks based on it :)
They weren't called shoot'em ups back then. They were just called shooters.
As somebody who spends most of their time archiving classic video game reviews, I assure you that magazines from the 1980s and 1990s referred to the genre as both "shooters" and "shoot 'em ups."
You can also play this on the Taito Legends 2 compilation... much cheaper!
The catching enemies mechanic reminds me of Macross scrambled valkyrie for snes
I recall Gaiares also has this enemy-capture mechanic. I always struggled at that game, but still liked it. Like Jamie Bunker said in the ads, Gaiares is Number One!!!!1!1!
You're right, Gaiares did a similar thing, though G-Darius builds upon that idea in a lot of interesting ways. Jamie was close, because according to EGM's review scores, Gaiares was number 3. (It will always be number 1 in my heart.)
Yep - G-Darius has the alpha beam, and different formations with captured enemies. Funny, I looked up Jamie Bunker on LinkedIn recently. Appears to be a successful corporate type these days. So Gaiares was the #3 ranked shooter in EGM? What were the top two?
I hate to be that guy, but you should watch the video and find out: th-cam.com/video/8Wcm03ZedOU/w-d-xo.html
Fair enough Cy! Added to my list, will watch!
G-Darius is as if Galaga evolved 5 times
It's 14.99 usd on disc now.
It's kinda odd how G Darius HD had more care put into it than Dariusburst ACEX+
QOTD: my current modern choice obsession would have to go to crimson clover world ignition
If the question was Retro game, my answer would immediately Game Tengoku Crusin Mix
G Darius HD was done by M2 who are know for their high quality ports especially with shmups, infact this is the only arcade accurate port this game has ever had.
They are even adding "version 2" later which is a redone version of the game.
@@morsalty i knew that, thats why i was pointing out it was made with care
Crimson Clover, outstanding pick. A couple I’ve been playing lately are two developed by Qute: Natsuki Chronicles and Ginga Force. But again, I generally resist choosing a single favorite. So many good ones.
@@kitestar Sup Sergal? ^.=.^
@@AzrialAlaria oh, you know, stuff
So where is the Xbox One version..? 🥺
30 dollars for this? ehm...no way dude...thank god for emulators
How come nobody ever mentions the god awful slowdown?? almost the entirety of the game lags and plays at about half speed and in the queen fossil fight it slows down to a boring crawl
I've had similar issues with other shoot 'em ups in the past, and the hardcore shooter fans always push back by saying that it's supposed to be this way: "That's how it was in the arcade and the way we like it. The slow down is on purpose." I started getting those comments so frequently that I stopped bringing it up.
@@DefunctGames ohhhh okay. I have it on the PS1 and I was praying the slowdown would be fixed. it'd be nice to be able to toggle it on or off in the options menu so both parties can play like they want.
The Taito Legends 2 (PS2) version, based on the original coin-op had no slowdown. I believe the original arcade version of G-Darius, much like Tekken 3 was on souped-up PS1 hardware. Similarly, the home port suffered due to the inferior specs of the PS1.
How is it better than darius gaiden?
It's all in the way you power-up your ship by stealing the enemy's powers.