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A thought about Arcade games
13 years ago
General
Awoo ! Hi everyone ^.^ !
I don't like bullet-hell (or like i call them, bullSHIT-hell) games for many reasons, i remember when long ago the arcade games were used to be made for fun, not to be a stupidly hard soulless mass of "bullets everywhere lololol is batshit insane i like it".
Now Arcade shooters aren't callen like that anymore, they are callen "Bullet-hell", if you ask to somebody about "Gradius" or "R-Type" or "Sonic wings" ("Aero fighters" for westerns) people call them "Bullet hell" games... Please let's call those with theyr proper name: "ARCADE SHOOTERS"
Bullet-hell and arcade shooters may look like the same but they are two different kind of games for several reasons, which are also the reasons why i don't like the first but i do love the second:
1) Bullet-hell games don't have stages layouts, those are just plain screens with tons of enemyes and enemyes; Arcade shooters do have stages layouts, including obstacles and parts of the stage itself that could be dangerous for the player or can be even helpful to shield enemy fire (the "Speed" stage from the Gradius games is a perfect example of this "layout" concept i talk about), and i remember about some games having stages with "Variable" layout too, with the stage changing all of a suddent like an undirect "surprise" (buttsecs) attack.
2) In bullet-hell games the enemyes (as the stages) look all the same and have "no effort" on theyr design or in theyr structure, most of the times they are chibi anime girls shooting shit everywhere without a precise pattern, like the developers "needed to give some beliveable shape to the thing shooting" even the bosses are like that, just little chibi girls you have to shoot to death without any real strategy, it could been even a pokèmon and there wouldn't been any difference; Arcade shooters are and always had lot of work in every single aspect, from the background images to the enemyes and the player itself, Just look at games like R-type or the old dear "Neo-Geo" shooters, take a look at theyr detailed designs on the spacecrafts and monsters, then take any bullet-hell game in comparison, there is no match about designs, the older beat the newer... even the Arcade shooters bosses are better than the Bullet-hell ones, they aren't just put there for you to be shot while dodging theyr shit, most of the times in Arcade shooters you're supposed to defeat the boss in a precise way ("Destroy the core !"), which is not JUST shooting at it while dodging theyr shit.
3) In bullet hell games the player is most of the times "powerless", just a little thing shooting with a pattern the player decides, period; Arcade shooters give a better "fun" to the player with multiple options not just for "the direction they shoot", like the "Force Device" in R-type, the "armor parts" in "Alpha mission II", and the "Tenticles" in "Multiply X", so the player isn't just "a thing that shoots", it can do more than just shoot straight ahead and this also gives a more tactical approach to the game than just "dodge and shoot" (sometimes in R-type you're supposed to "shield" yourself from precise directions with the Force Device for example).
4) This is something common in most of the games nowdays but... Bullet-hell games reward you with ACHIEVEMENTS (*laughs* GOD i hate those) that give you nothing, they are like a popular quote from AVGN when he beaten "Ghostbusters" on NES: "Congratulations: you have just proven your nerdyness, now fuck you !"; Arcade shooters in theyr console and PC versions were used to give you "Bonuses" for completition (New ships, new weapons, new options) so there was a better reason to complete and play those in harder difficult than just the "e-peenis".
5) Bullet-hell games are made to be hard, seriousely just look at all the previous points and let's face it: bullet hells aren't made FOR FUN, are made TO BE HARD, like a personal satisfaction of the own ego of the game developers saying "Aha, my game is harder than yours, you're n00b"... maybe but you're idiot; Arcade shooters are made to be FUN, and that's what a game should be in first place, FUN, a game made just and only to be hard isn't fun (at least for me it isn't) is just plain stupid from the very beginning (just look at the effort bullet-hell developers put in theyr games for anything which is not the quantity of shit on the screen, there is none).
Let's think about it: why people remember the game series"Touhou" ? Because of it's insane difficult ! Then why people remember the game series "Gradius" ? Because it's an hard but FUN arcade shooter !.
Sayd this... i hope to haven't offended anybody, still, i miss the ARCADE SHOOTERS... i have to fix that *trows away
Mushihimesama Futari and picks Gradius Gaiden... feels much better*
Now Arcade shooters aren't callen like that anymore, they are callen "Bullet-hell", if you ask to somebody about "Gradius" or "R-Type" or "Sonic wings" ("Aero fighters" for westerns) people call them "Bullet hell" games... Please let's call those with theyr proper name: "ARCADE SHOOTERS"
Bullet-hell and arcade shooters may look like the same but they are two different kind of games for several reasons, which are also the reasons why i don't like the first but i do love the second:
1) Bullet-hell games don't have stages layouts, those are just plain screens with tons of enemyes and enemyes; Arcade shooters do have stages layouts, including obstacles and parts of the stage itself that could be dangerous for the player or can be even helpful to shield enemy fire (the "Speed" stage from the Gradius games is a perfect example of this "layout" concept i talk about), and i remember about some games having stages with "Variable" layout too, with the stage changing all of a suddent like an undirect "surprise" (buttsecs) attack.
2) In bullet-hell games the enemyes (as the stages) look all the same and have "no effort" on theyr design or in theyr structure, most of the times they are chibi anime girls shooting shit everywhere without a precise pattern, like the developers "needed to give some beliveable shape to the thing shooting" even the bosses are like that, just little chibi girls you have to shoot to death without any real strategy, it could been even a pokèmon and there wouldn't been any difference; Arcade shooters are and always had lot of work in every single aspect, from the background images to the enemyes and the player itself, Just look at games like R-type or the old dear "Neo-Geo" shooters, take a look at theyr detailed designs on the spacecrafts and monsters, then take any bullet-hell game in comparison, there is no match about designs, the older beat the newer... even the Arcade shooters bosses are better than the Bullet-hell ones, they aren't just put there for you to be shot while dodging theyr shit, most of the times in Arcade shooters you're supposed to defeat the boss in a precise way ("Destroy the core !"), which is not JUST shooting at it while dodging theyr shit.
3) In bullet hell games the player is most of the times "powerless", just a little thing shooting with a pattern the player decides, period; Arcade shooters give a better "fun" to the player with multiple options not just for "the direction they shoot", like the "Force Device" in R-type, the "armor parts" in "Alpha mission II", and the "Tenticles" in "Multiply X", so the player isn't just "a thing that shoots", it can do more than just shoot straight ahead and this also gives a more tactical approach to the game than just "dodge and shoot" (sometimes in R-type you're supposed to "shield" yourself from precise directions with the Force Device for example).
4) This is something common in most of the games nowdays but... Bullet-hell games reward you with ACHIEVEMENTS (*laughs* GOD i hate those) that give you nothing, they are like a popular quote from AVGN when he beaten "Ghostbusters" on NES: "Congratulations: you have just proven your nerdyness, now fuck you !"; Arcade shooters in theyr console and PC versions were used to give you "Bonuses" for completition (New ships, new weapons, new options) so there was a better reason to complete and play those in harder difficult than just the "e-peenis".
5) Bullet-hell games are made to be hard, seriousely just look at all the previous points and let's face it: bullet hells aren't made FOR FUN, are made TO BE HARD, like a personal satisfaction of the own ego of the game developers saying "Aha, my game is harder than yours, you're n00b"... maybe but you're idiot; Arcade shooters are made to be FUN, and that's what a game should be in first place, FUN, a game made just and only to be hard isn't fun (at least for me it isn't) is just plain stupid from the very beginning (just look at the effort bullet-hell developers put in theyr games for anything which is not the quantity of shit on the screen, there is none).
Let's think about it: why people remember the game series"Touhou" ? Because of it's insane difficult ! Then why people remember the game series "Gradius" ? Because it's an hard but FUN arcade shooter !.
Sayd this... i hope to haven't offended anybody, still, i miss the ARCADE SHOOTERS... i have to fix that *trows away
Mushihimesama Futari and picks Gradius Gaiden... feels much better*
BO BO BO BO BO BONUS !
Games like Gradius III, R-Type III, R-Type Delta, Gradius II, Gradius Gaiden, Darius Twin, Darius Gaiden, Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius...these are games that are much better while still retaining elements of 'bullet hells'. Power-ups actually mean something, you can see and feel yourself growing strong, more able to combat enemies, and the stages you fly through are much more interesting. You have to be aware of environmental hazards, dodge bullets, and other things while dodging/absorbing bullet fire, and often times not praying that you can avoid the massive bullet sprays or 'death rings' left behind by defeated enemies. Of course, these games may not be as difficult when compared to bullet hell shooters, but they are much more fair and more entertaining because of all the details put into them and for me...I can actually look at the boss and see the designs of it, which I rarely would on a bullet hell game. Einhander is another example of a SHMUP done well.
Funny enough - and it is by no means my favorite game - the best game I've seen that's a bit of a hybrid of them is Ikaruga. It's definitely a bullet hell at times, but it does well with the stages being varied (just wish it had more), and the polarity mechanic actually encourages bullet hell moments, but gives you a way to combat them and not have to worry about dodging everything. I also like that the 'bonus chaining' in the game is something you do not have to do, and you can finish the game without ever bothering to try and build massive chains. Or, you can try and do so, and suddenly you've made the game much, much harder without even changing the difficulty setting, but it's never required.
I think I'm showing my age nao.
Demonstar 2 is an old-style top-down arcade shooter. 2nd player optional. Great mix of power-ups... it's kept me entertained for a long time! Its good-old arcade fun with pleasing graphics. For extra insanity, set player 2 to the mouse, and try playing both players all by yourself! I didn't live long, but I was laughing all the way to my explosive demise!
And I totally agree, I don't play bullet hells. As a student of game design, Bullet Hells are terrible. No variety, no risk-reward at all. I don't even play them. Except for this one: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cy.....dows/rr_e.html It's called rRootage, whatever that means. It says "to hell with chibi girls shooting bullets, lets make this shit abstract, but functional." The graphics make it look like you're an antivirus fighting a computer virus or something of that sort. However, it has several different modes, like giving you the ability to reflect certain colored shots back at the boss, or being able to charge your shield by "grazing" oncoming bullets. Stuff that makes a tired formula more interesting. It's worth a look in my opinion. The techno beat in the background also helps.
now on one hand, there are actually two bullet-hells that aren't all that one-dimensional! Radiant Silvergun mixes great stage design with tons of bullets, plenty of weapons, great pacing and amazing music, and ikaruga takes said stage design, mixes it with an incredibly simple concept and a fantastic soundtrack.
also, a lot of bullet hells actually do have enemies firing at you in precise patterns; most of them are all memory based, and with enough time, you'll learn exactly where bullets will be, so you can be able to figure out where to be as you're seeing bullets thrown at you before you die. also, for the record, touhou's mainly popular for its characters, moreso than the fact that the games are difficult. if that were the case, we wouldn't see so many spin-offs of the series into different genres; it's even got its own fighting game series too!