Shmup of the Month Club 2013 (Giga Wing)

[ExedExes]

My first scores on the major platforms. I have ordered Namco Museum 50th Anniversary for Gamecube today so once that comes in I'll be playing there.

ExedExes - 67,450 - Area 3 - MAME



The arcade original was pretty crazy, and while I'm very happy we did something pretty old here, even my Classically Trained self had a bit of trouble with that Area 2 boss something fierce until I finally figured it out. Yes, the dragon's a bit large and that might throw some "hitbox" fans off, but that's what I LOVE about older shmups, you had to protect your entire pixelated self.

ExedExes - 80,910 - Area 3 - PCE

The PCE port is pretty close to the arcade. There was a small "intro/pre-stage" going into Area 1 as well, which would lead me to believe that they used the Old Version for porting. The Stage Select was also missing.

ExedExes - 168,310 - Area 7 - NES

Not bad for a real cartridge run there. The extra power ups help (especially Small). It may be easier than the original, but if you're not powered up, it's just as bad as the arcade. Could I possibly 1CC this? Only a couple of stages left.

[o.pwuaioc]

ExedExes - 168,310 - Area 7 - NES

Not bad for a real cartridge run there. The extra power ups help (especially Small). It may be easier than the original, but if you're not powered up, it's just as bad as the arcade. Could I possibly 1CC this? Only a couple of stages left.

You just had to show me up.

And yeah, I definitely feel as if this is easily 1cc'able.

[DocHauser]

I presume people are playing the NES version in 'Blue Dragon' mode?

I was wondering what the point of the prologue stage is, so I died deliberately and the game starts you in 'Gold Dragon' mode, which skips certain stages. I think the stage order is something like 1,3,5,7,9.

Anyway, I just cleared it - probably no point in posting a score for it, but since the game doesn't leave the end screen, I can't see my score anyway! (I think it was about 140,000.) I guess I should try the normal Blue Dragon mode now...

[o.pwuaioc]

I presume people are playing the NES version in 'Blue Dragon' mode?

I was wondering what the point of the prologue stage is, so I died deliberately and the game starts you in 'Gold Dragon' mode, which skips certain stages. I think the stage order is something like 1,3,5,7,9.

Anyway, I just cleared it - probably no point in posting a score for it, but since the game doesn't leave the end screen, I can't see my score anyway! (I think it was about 140,000.) I guess I should try the normal Blue Dragon mode now...

Yeah, it skips certain stages, and I think it's easier overall, too. I take it as just a practice round to get you up to speed on playing the game, assuming that many kids might not have been as into shmups as others.

[DocHauser]

Also, the PC Engine version isn't comparable to the arcade version - aside from the extra lifebar, stages 7 and 8 are different; in the arcade these are pretty tough, stage 7 is an underwater stage, while stage 8 is in the dark and you have a headlight (or whatever the dragon equivalent is) that only lets you see a small area in front of you. In the PC Engine version, stages 7 and 8 are castle stages that look more like stage 9.

[noiseredux]

I presume people are playing the NES version in 'Blue Dragon' mode?

I was wondering what the point of the prologue stage is, so I died deliberately and the game starts you in 'Gold Dragon' mode, which skips certain stages. I think the stage order is something like 1,3,5,7,9.

Anyway, I just cleared it - probably no point in posting a score for it, but since the game doesn't leave the end screen, I can't see my score anyway! (I think it was about 140,000.) I guess I should try the normal Blue Dragon mode now...

Yeah, it skips certain stages, and I think it's easier overall, too. I take it as just a practice round to get you up to speed on playing the game, assuming that many kids might not have been as into shmups as others.

That part confused me. I was in Blue Dragon Mode... so that just means you beat the 'practice level' then?

[o.pwuaioc]

I presume people are playing the NES version in 'Blue Dragon' mode?

I was wondering what the point of the prologue stage is, so I died deliberately and the game starts you in 'Gold Dragon' mode, which skips certain stages. I think the stage order is something like 1,3,5,7,9.

Anyway, I just cleared it - probably no point in posting a score for it, but since the game doesn't leave the end screen, I can't see my score anyway! (I think it was about 140,000.) I guess I should try the normal Blue Dragon mode now...

Yeah, it skips certain stages, and I think it's easier overall, too. I take it as just a practice round to get you up to speed on playing the game, assuming that many kids might not have been as into shmups as others.

That part confused me. I was in Blue Dragon Mode... so that just means you beat the 'practice level' then?

Yep, that's all it is. If you die on the practice level, you start as the Gold Dragon, skips a couple stages, and it's generally easier (I think, at least it seemed to me). If you don't die, you start normally.

It's a natural way to weed out beginners and more advanced players.

[ExedExes]

[You just had to show me up.

And yeah, I definitely feel as if this is easily 1cc'able.

With you as close to that score, I know it won't last long. If it weren't for the fact that I was at the Area 7 boss with my standard one-headed form, I was well on my way to 8. I have previous experience with the NES port, which also helped

Also on the NES port, after clearing each area, you may (or may not) get the "fairy" of that stage. Certain conditions need to be met, or else you just get their shadow. For example, on my run yesterday, I did not lose a life in Area 2, and I "revealed" the fairy of that level. That might not be the trigger, but you do get a bonus as a result, in this case, Area 2's fairy restored my life bar --

I presume people are playing the NES version in 'Blue Dragon' mode?

I was wondering what the point of the prologue stage is, so I died deliberately and the game starts you in 'Gold Dragon' mode, which skips certain stages. I think the stage order is something like 1,3,5,7,9.

Gold Dragon mode is a kind of beginner's game. You get an extra life bar, you play about half the game, and the ending is different.

[o.pwuaioc]

I *will* get past Area 7 soon...

o.pwuaioc -183,950 - Area 7 - NES

[hashiriya1]

New score. Area 8 can be a cheap mother.


hashiriya1 - 307,590 - Area 8 - PCE