[Rita]

I'm alternating between Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga. I adore everything about both of them, but can't seem to derive much satisfaction from the latter. Ikaruga feels a bit empty and slow. I'm unmotivated to memorize chains because there is no real reward for them except a high score, which I have trouble seeing the appeal of (even though that's a lie and I always try to beat my previous times of boss destruction). I wonder what I'm going to decide to do next. This stage is quite a difficulty spike. This also reminds me of Sine Mora, with which I had a similar experience, but that game's STG system was hard to stomach, but whatever. Its world kept me going until I hit a similar type of wall, and set it free right then and there.

I also like the credit per hour system. I think it's one of the better solutions to my internal dilemma about the lack of concrete win conditions in arcade type games with a continue option. I don't get motivated to self-impose, because it's not in the ruleset, meaning I don't feel like I'm actually playing the game properly. If I were playing in an arcade though, I wouldn't feel very good about putting in a second credit, just walk away. One credit or die is a neat concept. But it would take a long time to clear a game, if that's important at all, I don't know if it is.

[Rita]

In Killer is Dead you get infinite health.

So NMH remains Suda's final game going by the quality of the work since and more objectively how he is credited there. I think the mediocre reaction to NMH made him crack because he really wanted it to be a success. Maybe angsty Travis who started taking everything to heart was a reflection of his own feelings. Which by the way is still very bizarre, why does that game exist.