Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Mushihimesama Futari ver 1.5 Review - Microsoft Xbox360

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  

  • Mushihimesama Futari ver 1.5 Review - Microsoft Xbox360

    The fact that the Xbox 360 has somehow bizarrely become the shmup connoisseurs' console of choice is well documented. Cave, Treasure and G.rev have taken to the console in a big way and have released a good number of retail games for the system after being rebuffed by Microsoft when trying to release them on XBLA. Unfortunately, though, these games have existed as the expensive purview of importers, not only requiring a Japanese console to play them on, but also carrying a higher than average price tag. Luckily, Cave (in a move that will hopefully become commonplace) has made Mushihime-sama Futari ver. 1.5 region free, meaning that while people will still have to cough up a fair amount, European and American gamers that like their screens filled with bullets can pick up a copy and find a use for their arcade sticks outside of beat ‘em ups.
    Click image for larger version

Name:	05.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	80.1 KB
ID:	2742816
    This is rather fortunate because Mushihime-sama is an excellent starting point for those new to shmups. The game thrives on how rewarding simply shooting enemies and dodging bullets is and, instead of being a game of memorisation, players can adapt fairly easily to each situation after a bit of practice. Newcomers will find the sometimes unfair enemy patterns and hazards that must be avoided in Shikigami No Shiro 3 frustrating and will probably find themselves hitting a brick wall in anger, but thankfully Mushihime-sama is gloriously balanced and fair – every time the player dies, it is their fault alone. Make no mistake: this is not a game to relax with. This is a game that requires full attention, as the smallest lapse in concentration could spell the loss of an oh-so precious life.
    Click image for larger version

Name:	02.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	74.4 KB
ID:	2742813
    For newcomers and casual shmup fans both the Ver. 1.5 and Arrange modes give the player infinite credits with Arrange even featuring a Novice mode for all difficulties that automatically triggers bombs if hit (saving a life) and allows players to switch characters on original difficulty. These modes allow players to see the full game fairly easily, with achievements rewarding a 1cc play through; more hardcore players will gravitate to the score-attack mode. This mode offers no continues and, while the mode may be hard, it is not unrewarding; the player will find great satisfaction in first making it through a stage and then chipping their way further through the five levels by working on passing a level perfectly to ensure they have the lives and bombs needed to make it through the rest of the game.
    Click image for larger version

Name:	03.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	75.8 KB
ID:	2742814
    At a basic level, the shooting of dinosaurs and lobsters is pretty easy to understand and enjoy. Each character has multiple weapon configurations which are selected before playing and then within those are separate fire-modes which the player will learn to use in different circumstances. The difference between a tight beam that slows the character down and a fast-moving spread-shot being obvious (with this being flipped between the two characters). The player is also equipped with a number of bombs which, rather helpfully, neutralise enemy bullets as well as dealing damage. This is a game which intends to overwhelm the player with bullets to dodge and the bombs start as a ‘get out of jail free card’ deployed in panic, but players soon learn to save them for specific occasions (often in boss fights) in order to get through the game.
    Click image for larger version

Name:	04.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	101.9 KB
ID:	2742815
    The game is a port of an arcade game, but with updated balancing and bug fixes (hence 'ver. 1.5') and, in the normal display mode, features fabulously chunky sprites that at once look both antiquated and beautiful. Seeing sprites like this in a game in 2009 is glorious eye-candy. For players that have become used to the intricately detailed and bombastic worlds of 3D games, the simple pleasure of seeing these distinctly Japanese sprites is a pure joy. The game also features an Xbox 360 version that has dramatically sharper visuals that still retain the art design and look of the game but clean up the rough edges of the sprites. The updated graphics are only part of this package, though. One worry with a port or update is that it could be a rush job, a simple conversion just stuck out cheaply and quickly. Nothing could be further from the truth here, though. The game features the most comprehensive display options that allow players to tweak the game to look as close to arcade as possible on their TV, and even change the frame delay to match the arcade or even simply change the background image around the edge of the screen. Cave knows its audience and has truly catered for them with a port of the highest quality.
    Click image for larger version

Name:	01.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	79.7 KB
ID:	2742812
    The scoring system of a game can make or break it, and Mushihime-sama’s is regarded as one of the best around. Each mode except Ultra (Original, Maniac, Arrange) has its own distinct scoring system that uses gems, shot types and multipliers to change up how the player earns points. In all modes the enemies drop gems when killed and the player needs to collect these for points. In Original mode the player will be switching between different shot-types to maximise the size of gems dropped. The score counter will be either green or blue, with the hundreds digit in the score being between 0-4 when it is green and 5-9 when it is blue. When the counter is green, the player needs to use the spreadshot and when it is blue they need to use the lasershot. Killing an enemy with the correct shot will cause them to drop large gems, which significantly increase the score counter.

    In Maniac mode the player will need to kill enemies and collect the gems to earn a stored multiplier. When the player has a large multiplier they must let it drain to zero and then kill something with a laser shot to cash in the multiplier and earn a larger score.

    On top of this is Arrange mode, in which the player controls both characters at once. The player can switch between them on the fly and the second character will either slow down bullets or reflect them back, depending on the shot currently being used. Using these will raise and lower a counter respectively and when both counters hit 9999 using a laser will unleash Fever mode, increasing the player’s power and causing large gems to be dropped from reflected shots.

    At first these systems are daunting and overwhelming but with time and practice the player can start digging into and exploring these systems, once the matter of just surviving has been mastered. Newcomers are helped by Arrange mode and Novice automatically deploying bombs should they be hit and expert players looking for increasingly granular tips and strategies can download saved replays from the leader board to see how the highest ranked players are working their magic.

    Importers and shmup fans will undoubtedly be flocking to the usual import stores to grab this, but players new to the genre and looking to dip their toe into the intimidating waters of bullet-hell shooters may not be so confident in their purchase. Certainly for a lot of players the cost to content ratio will seem off when compared to games they usually buy, but looking at it as a money to level ratio is to miss the point entirely. This game is not meant to be played through and be beaten straight away. It is something to master, something to chip away at, getting incrementally better with every credit used until eventually stages are being completed without losing a life and the game done on one credit. It would be hard to find a purer expression of this type of game on modern consoles and the absolute, heart-pounding tension and then thrill of making it through a particularly difficult bit of level is near unrivalled outside of this genre. Mushihime-sama Futari ver. 1.5 is a glorious game that is balanced enough for newcomers and challenging enough for veterans to enjoy and probably fall in love with.

    Score: 9/10


    A review by Oli Clarke Smith

    • speedlolita
      #1
      speedlolita commented
      Editing a comment
      I was going to get angry if this got anything less than a 9, so good job. :3
    Posting comments is disabled.

Categories

Collapse

Latest Articles

Collapse

  • Motion Gravure Review - Sony PS2
    by Archives
    In this image-obsessed industry, it's critical that a game projects a strong sense of identity. With an identity comes a target audience. Sony have arguably captured the 'twenty-something male' flag and, to consolidate this position, Sony Music Entertainment releases this: a game featuring nothing but scantily clad females. Oh, and some very nice scenery.
    ...
    21-08-2023, 12:13
  • Devil May Cry 3 Review - Sony PS2
    by Archives
    Family reunions tend to follow one of two distinct protocols: everyone meets up, reminisces and has a good old chat and a laugh; or everyone meets up, reminisces and remembers why it’s been so long since they last saw each other, the evening ending in a ferocious argument. Why is this relevant to this Devil May Cry 3 review?
    The latest meeting of the divinely comedic twin siblings of Dante and Vergil falls rather violently into the second category. Something about their murdered mother’s amule...
    06-09-2022, 08:30
  • Silent Hill 3 Review - Sony PS2
    by Archives
    Fear. It’s something that collective consciousness values as a desirable commodity, especially in the pop culture spin of everyday modern life - An element that mainstream entertainment likes to use in distilled form when it comes to getting a rise out of our adrenaline glands. Whether it be watching the latest slasher flick, experimenting with the next extreme sport or avidly reading the current best-selling horror fiction… On the whole, we take pleasure out of being scared. Read this Silent...
    11-07-2022, 13:50
  • Viewtiful Joe Review - Nintendo Gamecube
    by Archives
    Pink Lycra. There just isn't enough of it in video games. So Capcom have bravely stepped-up to the plate and given us a game, starring a Hot Pink hero, clad in a spandex jumpsuit, that isn't afraid to be laid back and humorous in style, whilst containing some rock-solid gameplay at its core. Like a piece of candy with a stone centre, Viewtiful Joe is sweet and tempting to the eye, but underneath is solid rock. Our hero is introduced in the opening cut-scene as a bubble-headed, California-accented Sk8r Boi, o...
    15-05-2022, 11:48
  • Castlevania: White Night Concerto Review - Nintendo GBA
    by Archives
    Castlevania: White Night Concerto is the latest instalment in Konamis Castlevania series. It is the second title for the GBA, but the first Castlevania game appeared on the NES back in 1987. It is ostensibly a platform game, like its predecessors. Certain things have remained constant throughout the series- in all but a couple of Castlevania outings, the main protagonist (in this case Juste Belmont) brandishes a whip. Secondary weapons are also available. Again these weapons are the same as tho...
    03-04-2022, 15:57
  • Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Mugen no Frontier EXCEED Review - Nintendo DS
    by Steven Walker
    For the uninitiated, Super Robot Wars Original Generation Saga: Mugen no Frontier (Endless Frontier) is an action-RPG spin-off from the popular Super Robot Wars series. The player has to use attacks to keep enemies in the air in order to do maximum damage, and string together as many attacks as they can. Timing and knowledge of characters' moves is the key to success. SRW OG Saga: Mugen no Frontier EXCEED is the sequel, and goes to show that a follow-up can be better than the original.
    T...
    04-01-2022, 15:20
Working...
X