Shmup of the Month Club 2012

[dunpeal2064]

For me its the 2nd one, where there are like 10 enemies to shoot.

That first one I usually end 9-15 seconds as well, although I did get 20 seconds once. Started Stage 2 with 85k!

[mjmjr25]

For me its the 2nd one, where there are like 10 enemies to shoot.

That first one I usually end 9-15 seconds as well, although I did get 20 seconds once. Started Stage 2 with 85k!

Oh, hold on, is this yours?

[mjmjr25]

Am I the only one not having a problem with the bonus stage at all? Yeah it's stupid, but I mean I get perfect pretty much every time by just mash A on everything. I think the random luck factor is part of the charm kind of. Every few runs I miss a few and it's like "d'awwww" but in an endearing way.

If stage one were challenging at all, I could see that.

But it's sorta like - ok, the game F'd me here - on those random runs where the last enemy (or first!) go off-screen. Do I restart and play that boring first stage again and lose 4 minutes of my life? Or do I continue...and then have "oh bullshit" regrets if you go on to a good run?

I've realized why I dislike this game so much and it is the first stage - it is just too easy and boring, no tricks, no bonus points, no powerups to carry-on to the next stage, so basically, we are all leaving the stage at 50-51K every run, to me, that is just so boring. I need to be able to make each level a challenge. Ya know? I mean, don't get me wrong, stage 2 took some work, for sure. Stage 3 is very tough for me so far, so I can def. appreciate both those stages, but the boredom of stage 1 is just killing it for me.

I'm personally gonna stick with it a bit after all. I do have some love for stage 3 for sure and am sorta excited to get past that boss finally.

[dunpeal2064]

Fuck I almost chocked on my drink that was so funny

Stage 3 definitely redeems the game a bit from its easy stage 1 and cheap stage 2 sections. The boss is excellent too!

That 85k run ended at like 160k... like always, I choke when I know 'm doin well.

[ExedExes]

Having a kickass time playing the worst port of Metal Black though. I think I figured out the issue with this port. In the normal game, when you bomb/beam at full power, it acts like a panic bomb... but if you continue to hold down the bomb/beam button, it forces it into the beam that you would normally get if you bomb/beamed without full power.

In the US ps2 port, though, I have a hard time getting that refocus to work.

That's what I had mentioned in my writeup for Metal Black on the OP. PS2 port of TL2 has had reported issues on that on various respected gaming forums.

Those bonus rounds just suck. I'm sure it was cool in '91, but it didn't age as well as the rest of the game.

Damn cool music during them though. Dancing Ho(r)ming for the win!

Am I the only one not having a problem with the bonus stage at all? Yeah it's stupid, but I mean I get perfect pretty much every time by just mash A on everything. I think the random luck factor is part of the charm kind of. Every few runs I miss a few and it's like "d'awwww" but in an endearing way.

I have to agree, and I feel like that for the game as a whole as well. It keeps me coming back to re-attempt a better score. It has that "one-more-time" quality to it.

Glad to see you sticking with it too MJ -- I may not own the best score and I definitely may have not seen the end of the Stage 3 let alone the vertically-scrolling section, but I am going to keep trying, and good to see you all getting back into it as much as me. We may have a hit on our hands after all!

[dunpeal2064]

The game may be cheap at times, but I am always left thinking, "I can do that".

Quite the opposite of Dimahoo, which usually goes more like, "... wut"

[noiseredux]

I see this thread staying active and it makes me want to join in as it's one of my favorite threads on the board. But I think Mike put his finger on it. I hate that first leve so much. As y'all know I recently picked up Deathsmiles, Akai Katana and Otomedius Excellent. Add to that my Summer Gaming list. It's kind of tough for me to want to pop this one in...

[o.pwuaioc]

I see this thread staying active and it makes me want to join in as it's one of my favorite threads on the board. But I think Mike put his finger on it. I hate that first leve so much. As y'all know I recently picked up Deathsmiles, Akai Katana and Otomedius Excellent. Add to that my Summer Gaming list. It's kind of tough for me to want to pop this one in...

That first level takes 2 minutes to beat...

[ExedExes]

I see this thread staying active and it makes me want to join in as it's one of my favorite threads on the board. But I think Mike put his finger on it. I hate that first leve so much. As y'all know I recently picked up Deathsmiles, Akai Katana and Otomedius Excellent. Add to that my Summer Gaming list. It's kind of tough for me to want to pop this one in...

I'm not playing MB every night, but I just pick up and re-attempt it, if I do well and get a new score, I post it here, if not, I don't and just join the conversation when others speak up. You don't *have* to play it, but I like seeing the participation and the chatter about the game just as much as playing it at this point

Plus, what o.pw said. 2 minutes, and you're on to cheap Stage 2 holding on to as many lives as you can to get past the vertical scroll part of Stage 3.

Or wait, that's my perspective

[mjmjr25]

I see this thread staying active and it makes me want to join in as it's one of my favorite threads on the board. But I think Mike put his finger on it. I hate that first leve so much. As y'all know I recently picked up Deathsmiles, Akai Katana and Otomedius Excellent. Add to that my Summer Gaming list. It's kind of tough for me to want to pop this one in...

That first level takes 2 minutes to beat...

I haven't timed it start to finish, but i'll take your word for it.

I personally get about 20-30 minutes to game a day, sometimes a bit longer, but not often.

That 2 minutes, factored out over 4-5 times (4-5 runs in a 20 minute gaming block) is 40% of my gaming time that i'm bored to death. So, my (personal) reasoning stands.

*Hey, hold still, i'm going to stick a needle in your arm, it'll only take a second*