Virtual Vox Pop: What’s the hardest 2D game you’ve ever played?
Virtual Vox Pop is a weekly open mic in which we ask you, the reader, to sound off on a particular topic. This week, it’s the hardest games ever.
Games just aren’t as hard as they used to be.
Don’t mistake this statement as one coming from a person looking to artificially give his gaming accomplishments more weight – - I see it as fact. Outside of a few throwback titles (Mega Man 9, Mega Man 10), few contemporary games achieve the level of hair-pulling insanity that ran rampant through the 8- and 16-bit eras.
The 2D-X team has decided to list our most frustrating 2D games and, as expected, they’re all pretty old. Agree? Disagree? Let your voice be heard, folks.
Capcom announces Color of Conflict Contest and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom 2D shmup
Today, Capcom spilled the beans on a couple of big things for fans of their games. First up, is allowing artists to decide the colors displayed on the Final Fight: Double Impact “box” via a contest run through their website. Also, when gamers pick up Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars this month, they’ll get a couple of cool new surprises. More deets after the jump.
Review: Strikers 1945 Plus (iPhone/iPod touch)
Strikers 1945 Plus, Psikyo’s classic World War II vertical shooter, is now available in the Apps Store, and I am smiling from ear to ear. The 2D shmup devoured huge chunks of my meager Funcoland paychecks when I was in my early to mid 20s, which is remarkably depressing in retrospect when you ponder the fact that I worked in a game store only to blow my very meager scraps on the dying arcade scene.
But now I’m all grownsed up, and boarding the nostalgia train coutresy of WindySoft. The seats are familiar and comfortable, but wonky controls prevent this iPhone/iPod touch port from equalizing the arcade’s joystick/button perfection.
Best 2D Shmup Of 2009: Raiden Fighter Aces
Priced at $20, Valcon Games’ Raiden Fighters Aces was one of the best bang for the buck packages to come along in a long, long time; in fact it may have been the best deal ever for vertical shooter die hards. The title collected the first three Raiden games into a stellar compilation that featured two-player co-o play, a boss rush mode, online leaderboards, the ability to record sessions, and a number of other space-goodies. Huge, crunchy explosions, gorgeous graphics, and pulse-pounding game play made this one of the the premier 2D games of 2009, and a must-own for shooter fans.
Strikers 1945 Plus Soars Onto The iPhone/iPod touch
The iPhone/iPod touch now has Strikers 1945 Plus. I am now similing.
Psikyo’s classic World War II vertical shooter devoured huge chunks of my meager Funcoland paychecks when I was in my early to mid 20s, which is sorta kinda sad when you ponder the fact that I worked in a game store only to blow my scraps on the dying arcade scene.
The shmup offers six fighter planes: the P-38 Lighting, Flying pan-cake, Spit fire, Zero fighter, Fiat, Ta152, and a hidden fighter, Ascender. Each plane has three methods of attack: basic ammo, an energy-charged attack, and bomb/support.
Besides the traditional old school twitch action, Strikers 1945 Plus features power ups that boost weapon strength and supporting fire during dogfights. In addition, each fighter will get different sub-weapons from each power-up.
All in all, it sounds like a very promising offering for mobile shooter fans. Check back soon for a full review.
LOLZ OMG: teh internetz-Attack of the Memes Annoys Its Ways To The iPhone and iPod touch
I don’t recall the precise date, but ’twas sometime in November 1998 that I first connected to this flustercuck that we know as the internet (or “internetz”). Back then, it was a hardcore carnival-meets-wild-wild-west in that you never knew what hilariously awful thing would pop up next.
Over the last 11 years, we’ve seen variety of internet fads come and go, from lolcatz to rickrolling to the “Chocolate Rain” dude. It never crossed the dank corners of my mind that someone would actually attempt to make a video game out of such insanity, but lo, Insurgent Games has stepped up to the challenge with teh internets – Attack of the Memes, a $2 shooter/shmup for the iPhone/iPod touch. Deets!
Interview: Bo deWindt, Project Lead, Cho Aniki Zero
Aksys Games garnered much attention last week for its rather kick ass Cho Aniki ZERO press release which highlighted all of the mantastic qualities of the upcoming PSP game. After reading it, I knew that I had to reach out to the publisher to wrangle up more details, so I present to you my brief Q & A with Bo deWindt, Project Lead, Aksys.
Is Cho Aniki ZERO a completely original series entry, or a remake/re-imagining of an earlier Cho Aniki title?
Cho Aniki ZERO is a completely original title. They just borrowed the past “Cho’s” concept.
The Cho Aniki franchise is nearly 20 years old and has survived the ever-evolving gaming landscape. Still, the shooter genre, which soared in popularity in the late ’80s to mid ’90s, has become an extremely niche genre regulated to the realm of the hardcore. Are you specifically targeting that demographic that grew up playing Gradius, Thunderforce, and the like, or are you hoping for a more mass market audience?
We usually try to target the mouth, face and sometimes the small of the back.
Aksys Games Brings Forth Cho Aniki Zero (aka The Greatest Press Release Ever)
As a member of the media, I wade through a near-insurmountable number of press releases per day, many of which attempt to hype a game by simply scattering the word “new” or, even worse, a “!!!” throughout the text. It’s pretty ho-hum stuff overall, but Aksys Games has restored my faith in the press release by crafting the single greatest one ever created. Read on for unbridled hilarity.
Behold! Drink Your Protein Shake And Witness The Birth Of The Manliest Shooter EVER!
Aksys Games, a publisher of interactive entertainment products, proudly brings you this announcement, in exaltation of all that is manly: in spring 2010, Cho Aniki Zero will be oiled up and ready to thrust its way onto your PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system! Sold exclusively as a digital download through the PlayStation®Store, Cho Aniki Zero gives players the chance to take part in an epic struggle alongside heroes Idaten and Benten as they blast through the muscle-bounded forces of Emperor Balzac II.
Cho Aniki Zero brings manliness back to the old-school shoot-em-up genre and, warps it to another dimension of sights and sounds. In Cho Aniki Zero, players will be introduced to brand-new characters and newly heightened experiences of rhythmic action, intertwined with the famous BGM of Kouji Hayama. Battle through five man-rageous levels of brotherly love and muscle-on-muscle madness!
Review: Raiden IV: Limited Edition (Xbox 360)
The Raiden series carries a legacy of remarkably solid, well-designed shooters that never fail to impress, yet the individual entries never seem to make it into shooter fans’ Top 10 lists. DonPachi is pure bullet hell; Ikaruga, with its polarity-shifting gameplay, draws much praise; Mars Matrix‘ mosquito system turns the enemies’ guns on back on them. Flash and unique play mechanics have often overshadowed this series, but those that love intense ol’ school shoot ‘em ups will dig Raiden IV: Limited Edition, a subtly beautiful space war romp. The Moss developed shmup features rich backgrounds, satisfying high-octane audio, lots of firepower, and a number of additions made for this Xbox 360 port, but UFO Interactive’s nickel and dime tactics mar an otherwise excellent package.
Review: Raiden Fighter Aces (Xbox 360)
When it’s not suffering horrible hardware maladies, the Xbox 360 can be a special thing sometimes. It has some decent exclusives, a robust online matchmaking service and the Xbox Live Arcade where one can download arcadey games of the past and present – Metal Slug 3, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game and Ikaruga to name a few.
Downloading and playing Ikaruga over again on the Live Arcade reignited my passion for shmups, or shoot-’em-ups, twitch-based shooters that require the reflexes of The Flash to play. Or at least, a lot of patience. As a tiny ship fighting against hundreds of other tiny ships, uncanny hand-eye coordination is essential to navigate between enemy fire and other obstacles. With many of these games designated “bullet hell” games, Ikaruga included, they’re, well, tough as hell, but they still have this allure that pulls me back every so often.
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