[Deets]

[Deets]

ps the demo is one of the worst I have ever seen. You have to pay for the full version in order to even see the tutorial!

[Loki Laufeyson]

multiplayer is completely pointless. it''s basically a slideshow (even when nothing is happening). and there's no local option >:O
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[end of the world]

http://marketplace.xbox.com/ja-JP/Product/%E8%B5%A4%E3%81%84%E5%88%80-%E7%9C%9F-%E4%BD%93%E9%A8%93%E7%89%88/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802435a87e2

[smartblue]

Strania's Side Vower dlc hit today for 400 MS points or 5 actual bucks. It is damn awesome and the MUSIC is GREAT (again).

When you buy it, you have to hit the triggers to "switch camps" and play the other campaign. Took me a second to figure it out.
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[BotageL]

Figure I'll post this here, too: Deathsmiles 2X on US XBL Games on Demand 5/17, $30
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[firenze]

[boojiboy7]

[Drem]

Did you see the part about how you can't buy the game using Microsoft Points? That's really weird, and dumb. But it's nice to see Microsoft starting to open up to smaller developers going this route.

[LandRoverAttack]

My 20GB HDD is already tapped out, argh. Wish getting a new one was as simple and cheap as the PS3.

I wasn't aware there was a way to pay for Games on Demand without moonbucks. Doesn't really bother me, though.
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[boojiboy7]

Yeah, GoD for some raosn jsut uses actual currency prices. It is strange, but fuck it, whatever. More Deathsmiles.

[Sniper Honeyviper]

fuck it

no way i'm giving my credit card to microsoft after the PSN fiasco

guess I'll have to sit this one out

[LandRoverAttack]

You could get a prepaid credit card!
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[Sniper Honeyviper]

don't know if that'd work out, it's tied to my parents' account. i'll look into it though

[colour_thief]

I wonder if they've got that right about not being able to use points. Other games on demand show prices in dollars, but let you can use points instead if you prefer.

[Sniper Honeyviper]

[notbov]

well, Microsoft is introducing PayPal onto the dashboard next week, so you could make a PayPal account, use it for that one purchase and then scrub the info.
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[Sniper Honeyviper]

PayPal doesn't accept my shitty card, so I'm still doomed if I can't use space bucks.

[kiken]

Joystiq are now reporting that you can use space bux to purchase DS2X.. seems MS just recently updated their stance.
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"Amidst utter chaos lies strict order."

[Sniper Honeyviper]

That's a relief. It would be pretty nonsensical to have different payment options for one game only.

[end of the world]

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/DeathSmiles2-X/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802435a07d9

[Sniper Honeyviper]

It's out, and I bought it with fun bux.

I was still kind of uncertain about it, considering the whole upscaled-Dreamcast 3D thing, but I can confidently say that it's very nearly as good as the original Deathsmiles. The danmaku are incredibly varied and imaginative even by Cave standards. The homing sperm bullets (when you're in powerup mode) create dynamic, player-adjustable patterns, and the giant zombie boss who kicks snakes of bullets from an angle is a real highlight.

It's far more intense than the original from the get-go: some early boss patterns almost rival those of DS1's Tyrannosatan. The greater presence of slowdown manages to balance this out, though. You also gain items much faster, allowing for more frequent powerup activations, which keeps the pacing pleasantly breakneck. Keep in mind I'm talking about X mode; I haven't played the arrange or arcade modes yet, but I've heard that arcade mode was really botched and isn't worth one's time.

As the only selection in Extra mode, you get Tsukaima Race, a neat little ball-rolling minigame that's kind of a remake of the PC98 game Ceramic Ball.

Really, if you enjoyed the first game (or any other Cave shooter) at all, this is a completely safe bet. Just make sure to get the patch, it fixes some serious graphics issues.

[Moogs]

So the only way to buy this via space bux is on the Xbox website? How odd.

[Sniper Honeyviper]

[Moogs]

Huh.

Didn't even notice that.

[boojiboy7]

I 1CCed it with Rosa in IIX mode just playing level 1 stages to get the sights and sounds. And yeah, it is pretty damn fun.

[Ronnoc]

I liked the first one better. And, man, I guess when it said it was only in Japanese, that didn't really sink in or something.

[EU03]

The scoring in IIX mode is amazingly smooth. I hated having to be forced into memorizing when to use lock-shot or whatever in the original Deathsmiles, on top of the whole letting crowns shatter or not, etc. But in IIX, you can control the pace of the points easily and it's all very flexible across all of the characters. It's almost relaxing.
That, and doing recharge is actually feasible and practical.

I'm using Casper at the moment, but she's pretty hard to score well with the bosses, since it appears that she can only generate rings when point-blanking really close.
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[Ronnoc]

First one had better music too.

[boojiboy7]

I do love that the boss intro music is a few notes of Joy to the World ("The boss has come").

[boojiboy7]

OK, so I am kinda in love with DSIIX.

I have started using Lei a lot, and getting some really nice scoring in with her even on Level 1 difficulty (I got my first life up by the end of stage 1!).

Also, the boss music for Satan Claws is great. Actually, most of the final stage music is great, aside from the room with the flying demon babies.

I really really like this game a lot, at least in IIX mode.

[kiken]

[boojiboy7]

Oh, Lei is male? Interesting. But is Lei trans, and as such should s/he be referred to with feminine pronouns?

No, this really doesn't matter for the game. Still my best scoring is with Lei, so I will stick with him/her.

[Sniper Honeyviper]

booji:

[boojiboy7]

Cool, Lei is a dude then. Alright.

It's kinda funny, Sniper, because I agree with your arguments as to him being an advanced character, but at the same time, I find scoring with him so much easier. The familiars only have the omni directional control during his rapid-shots, which I just kind of ignore but most often seem to ahve to to the right place anyways. The power shot (holding down button) locks them in place, which can be super useful for certain bosses (the boss of stage B, for example).

He can milk the shit out of some bosses though, which is nice as hell. The lack of power makes up for this if you can keep up the focus. The onyl downside of him for me is his fast speed even when power-shotting, because it can make dodging hard as hell.

Rosa is pretty overpowered, and I plowed through the game on my first try (at the game altogether) with her, only level 1-ing all the stages. I think she could be decent for scoring, but it would take a little work.

Never could really play well with Follet in the first or in this one. Supe isn't working well either.

Satan Claws goes into the background? I got him to get giant sized, but then I kill him pretty fast with little difficulty.

[Sniper Honeyviper]

I see it like this:

Scoring (technical ability) = "advanced"

Survival (attack strength, ease of use) = "standard"

Lei is really finicky, his familiars just end up doing their own thing a lot of the time, and as you said he's dangerously fast. If you're just looking to kill bosses, you've also got to withstand their attacks a lot longer. On the other hand Supe is straightforward and powerful: her speed is optimal for close-range dodging, and her familiar's rapier shot is a spread of huge spheres with piercing capabilities. But she doesn't kill stuff as fast as Follett or Rosa, so you'll still be able to get plenty of boss items.

Casper is as useless as she was in the first game, and Windia's guided shots amount to too much technical fuckery with no real payoff.

And yes, Claws goes into the background after his green blobs pattern. He gets really close to you while spewing stuff everywhere and you pretty much have to bomb.

Anyone try Arrange mode yet? I don't really know what's going on yet, but it's utterly insane. We're talking x3 the number of bullets on average, with you constantly canceling huge swaths of them.

[boojiboy7]

Ah, OK. I guess using Rosa kinda ruined just survival for me on my first playthrough. Though I should try to 1cc it with each character to see. Still have to try out Supe really, but scoring with Lei is just so much fun.

[Moogs]

I kinda warmed up to Trouble Witches Neo. I only just figured out that releasing the fire button allows you to absorb coins from defeated enemies, which erased my rage at trying to figure out how to collect money without being right on top of enemies while shooting them.

Still, I find this game hard to follow sometimes. I lose sight of my character all the time and I don't know why. I don't have this problem with Deathsmiles or any other shooter for that matter. Something about the colour palette I guess. Like there's no contrasts between my character and the background.

[boojiboy7]

Yeah, I keep meaning to actually DL Trouble Witches and give it a go, though DS2X is taking up my time so much right now.

I messed around with some other characters last night. Sniper, I see what you mean about Supe being easier to survive as, though I find I have now gotten so used to Lei that he works easier for me.

I've mostly just been playing X-mode, which I now have a 2.1 billion score in, which I am pretty happy with so far. Any other scores to compare to? or gamertags so we can get everyone on a board?

[EU03]

I'm on your list, booji. Just got 3.7 billion with Follet. She's disgustingly overpowered, in terms of both scoring and firepower, which makes me feel a little guilty for using her. I ditched Casper, even though she had high scoring potential for stages, her inability to produce rings at bosses proved her to be futile for getting a better score.

I'm still unable to 1cc the game because of my tendency to score before survival, no matter what I do to supress it.
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[Rud31]

god damn 129.99 refurbed Best Buy 360s are so tempting.

Will decide to get one or not in the next few weeks.
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