Senko no Ronde DUO at Play-asia (ntsc-uk link)
Got this delivered yesterday. The first game was the reason why I bought a 360 in the first place, and one I really enjoyed, so grabbing DUO on release was a no-brainer. First things first, the Limited Edition package is a bit disappointing and probably not worth buying. The cardboard slipcase is quite nice but the 2 discs in the extra DVD case are both just "drama" CDs featuring the characters' voice actors. Plus, unlike the Rev.X Limited Edition, you don't even get exclusive boxart this time, just a normal copy of the game. Anyway, a few pics;
Also of note, is that DUO is not quite as import-friendly as it's predecessor. The menus etc are all in Japanese and there are lots of them, way more than the first game. They seem easy enough to work out but I could probably use some help to decipher some of them just to know exactly what I'm doing before I have a serious stab at the game. I'll take some grabs when I get a chance. EDIT: Menus are translated in one of the videos below.
So far, I've only played Arcade Mode a handful of times and messed around in the Practice mode. I've not played the first game for a long time, and I'm not really aware of everything that's been changed for this game, but immediately, I remembered why I liked the original so much when I started playing DUO. The combination of Shmup and VS. game elements work really well together and makes for a fast-paced game of considerable depth and also a fairly unique experience.
There are about twice as many characters this time, and you can choose one to act as a partner who can help you perform "Assist" attacks. They are a bit like the "Strikers" found in certain King Of Fighters games and usage of them is limited, just like entering B.O.S.S. mode. Speaking of which, when your opponent is in B.O.S.S. mode, you can now retaliate with your own if you have one in stock and do a kind of bomb attack.
EDIT: After further play, I can divulge a few more details.
The Arcade mode (plus Versus and Online battles) can be played in two different styles - Normal, which is just like the first game, or Commander Style, where the Rounder is piloted by the CPU with you restricted to the role of Support character, or passenger. A certain amount of influence can be exerted over your A.I. team-mate to shape their playstyle and tactics, plus you get to decide when to unleash the support attacks, and when to enter B.O.S.S. mode. Commander Style Video
Just like the first game, there's also a Story Mode and a Score-Attack mode. The story mode in DUO is actually quite substantial this time and not just the Arcade mode with some added cutscenes. It's a seperate entity and something of a sprawling epic with numerous sub-plots involving the various factions, multiple endings and a ton of battles to take part in, with some of them having certain victory conditions - eg: Win via a time-out. The story dialogue is entirely in Japanese, which is a shame as watching the cutscenes in ignorance just isn't the same, but quite interesting nonetheless. I would love to see a Western edition just to see what's going on.
Score-Attack is just your regular Arcade mode, but played on default (and unchangeable) settings, and also in Normal style, with your final score being uploaded to the Network rankings.
Just like a traditional fighting game, the gameplay really shines against a human opponent, either in local VS. mode, or in a Network Battle. Sadly, due to it being a rather niche and obscure import-only game, 95% of players are Japanese (as you might expect), and lag is a problem. If you're lucky though, you can run into American players or one of the handful of Europeans who bought the game and have a great experience.
To sum up, this is a great sequel and for my money, superior to the original, so anyone who liked that will no doubt enjoy this a great deal. For complete newbies, actions speak louder than words, and these official tutorial videos will probably explain the basics of the gameplay better than I can. They'll also let you hear some of the great music the game has.
Lots more vids can be found on GREVchannel
Got this delivered yesterday. The first game was the reason why I bought a 360 in the first place, and one I really enjoyed, so grabbing DUO on release was a no-brainer. First things first, the Limited Edition package is a bit disappointing and probably not worth buying. The cardboard slipcase is quite nice but the 2 discs in the extra DVD case are both just "drama" CDs featuring the characters' voice actors. Plus, unlike the Rev.X Limited Edition, you don't even get exclusive boxart this time, just a normal copy of the game. Anyway, a few pics;
Also of note, is that DUO is not quite as import-friendly as it's predecessor. The menus etc are all in Japanese and there are lots of them, way more than the first game. They seem easy enough to work out but I could probably use some help to decipher some of them just to know exactly what I'm doing before I have a serious stab at the game. I'll take some grabs when I get a chance. EDIT: Menus are translated in one of the videos below.
-
So far, I've only played Arcade Mode a handful of times and messed around in the Practice mode. I've not played the first game for a long time, and I'm not really aware of everything that's been changed for this game, but immediately, I remembered why I liked the original so much when I started playing DUO. The combination of Shmup and VS. game elements work really well together and makes for a fast-paced game of considerable depth and also a fairly unique experience.
There are about twice as many characters this time, and you can choose one to act as a partner who can help you perform "Assist" attacks. They are a bit like the "Strikers" found in certain King Of Fighters games and usage of them is limited, just like entering B.O.S.S. mode. Speaking of which, when your opponent is in B.O.S.S. mode, you can now retaliate with your own if you have one in stock and do a kind of bomb attack.
EDIT: After further play, I can divulge a few more details.
The Arcade mode (plus Versus and Online battles) can be played in two different styles - Normal, which is just like the first game, or Commander Style, where the Rounder is piloted by the CPU with you restricted to the role of Support character, or passenger. A certain amount of influence can be exerted over your A.I. team-mate to shape their playstyle and tactics, plus you get to decide when to unleash the support attacks, and when to enter B.O.S.S. mode. Commander Style Video
Just like the first game, there's also a Story Mode and a Score-Attack mode. The story mode in DUO is actually quite substantial this time and not just the Arcade mode with some added cutscenes. It's a seperate entity and something of a sprawling epic with numerous sub-plots involving the various factions, multiple endings and a ton of battles to take part in, with some of them having certain victory conditions - eg: Win via a time-out. The story dialogue is entirely in Japanese, which is a shame as watching the cutscenes in ignorance just isn't the same, but quite interesting nonetheless. I would love to see a Western edition just to see what's going on.
Score-Attack is just your regular Arcade mode, but played on default (and unchangeable) settings, and also in Normal style, with your final score being uploaded to the Network rankings.
Just like a traditional fighting game, the gameplay really shines against a human opponent, either in local VS. mode, or in a Network Battle. Sadly, due to it being a rather niche and obscure import-only game, 95% of players are Japanese (as you might expect), and lag is a problem. If you're lucky though, you can run into American players or one of the handful of Europeans who bought the game and have a great experience.
To sum up, this is a great sequel and for my money, superior to the original, so anyone who liked that will no doubt enjoy this a great deal. For complete newbies, actions speak louder than words, and these official tutorial videos will probably explain the basics of the gameplay better than I can. They'll also let you hear some of the great music the game has.
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Lots more vids can be found on GREVchannel