Some Observations

From the Shmups Board, Twiddle wrote an interesting response to someone wondering why hardcore players would give up shooters for MMORPGs like World of Warcraft:

"From what I see it's the result of taking score playing too seriously in which the only end result is to play games where millions actively pretend the true skill matters: time spent without using your brain."

This then led to some more responses:

"At least with shmups its 30 mins of fun (if your good) and then you can take a break.
with WOW your lucky to sit around for 3 hours and actually accomplish anything." (--Lordstar)

"I think taking scoreplay too seriously is extremely dangerous for all except the most masochistic. Just look at Danmakugata." (--Zebra Airforce)

"Just like everything else in life, you should do everything in moderation. Being too overly ambitious can burn you out pretty quickly. I´ve read about people doing speedruns for their favourite games and hating them afterwards. As much as some people mock the "I don´t play for score, I play for fun"-attitude, when you just keep on playing to make numbers go up while not really enjoying it anymore, gaming becomes pointless.

"I pretty much killed Batrider for me because I played it too hard (while only reaching pretty meager scores), and now I can´t stand playing it for score anymore. Still a good game, but that´s a lesson for me " (--FrederikJurk)

This then lead to me thinking about a line from Malc's quote from the Shmups! homepage:

"They (shooters) can literally last for decades - I'm still trying to complete Flying Shark today."

One of the things that really drew me to shooters were that they were like these everlasting gobstoppers you could pick up and play for a half hour, each lasting for many, many years. Now that was value! I remember first playing Gunbird 2 in college back in 1999, and I am still itching to play it infinitely on MAME. My overall enjoyment of it may have lessened since then, but I still find myself revisiting it in hopes I can survive to the very end using 1 Credit. Same goes for R-Type, Gradius, Raiden, Ikaruga, U.N. Squadron, and pretty much every other manic/hori/vert shooter out there I personally enjoy.

Then I began to realize that I was burning myself out on these games by trying very hard to complete them in an alloted time or by focusing on improving my skills with them. Whatever happened to having fun? That always seems to take a backseat when you're playing competitively. By that point, the idea of proving to the world you are this good at a particular game becomes the only source of fun. Screw everything else about the game. It's all about how high I can rank up there in the scoreboards, and the respect I can garner from it. Anyway, while it's always nice to play for score, moderation's a manly virtue. And shooters are manly games.

I've been taking another clean break from playing shooters lately as you can tell from my lack of updates. Believe it or not, nowadays I've been wanting to play literally anything except shooters. Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, isometric RPGs (like Fallout 1&2 and Planescape Torment), point-and-click adventures (like Gabriel Knight and The Secret of Monkey Island), and Starcraft have been what I've been into lately. Yeah, most of those games are old, but they're great games that have stood the test of time. Oh well, it's all fun and games in the end.

How to tighten your Sanwa JLF

Just like women, after repeated use, your Sanwa stick tends to feel loose after a while. Although, unlike women, the stick will not tighten on its own when left unused. You have to make the necessary adjustments yourself.

It's quite simple, really. All you have to do is stretch the spring beneath the joystick's shaft.

To do this, you'll have to get beneath your joystick and remove this C-shaped washer that rests in between the minus screw and this black, plastic cap that holds the spring in place.

Simply take those small precision screwdrivers (3.0-3.5 mm works best) and wedge it in the center and slide the washer away by leveraging it out. (Note: You don't have to remove the entire joystick in order to do this. I just removed it in the picture so I could have an easier time photographing.)

See that C-shaped washer resting on the table beside the stick? That's what it should look like after it is removed. After that, this black, plastic cap comes out from underneath the stick's shaft. It may either pop out from the force of the spring beneath it or you may pull it out yourself:

As you can see, the spring is visible from the shaft, and you'll notice the shaft literally gets all flimsy and begins to fall apart. The spring, the C-shaped washer, and that black, plastic cap is what holds it all together. Take note that the black, plastic cap goes back into the shaft the same way it is pictured. Big butt first.

After that, take out the spring and stretch it out. The more you stretch it, the more tighter the stick will be, but try not to overdo it to the point where the spring is more than twice as long as it originally was. The spring is malleable and liable to bend in weird directions. Anyway though, even if you do mess up the spring, they can be replaced for as low as .95 cents at Lizard Lick.

On a closing note, this doesn't alleviate the complaints most people (shooter players, mostly) have about Sanwa JLFs having longer throws, but it does give it the illusion of having a shorter throw, while making your movements feel tighter and virgin crisp. Fighting game players typically do this and probably know of this trick already, but I wanted to include this tutorial since I haven't found any online as of yet. This will work for any Sanwa JLF stick, whether it is on a HRAP or a cab.

Special thanks to Last Elixir for showing me how to do this.

Ketsui: 898, DirtyMonk: 0

Ketsui : #15 (Day #3 of personal goal)

Current High Score: 91.947.608 - 1-5 - Panzer Jager

That picture cracks me up. Anyway, I'm wondering...if I complete the first loop, would that count as 1 victory or would that technically only count as half a win since there are two loops? What about completing the Tsuujou Loop vs. the Ura Loop? Either way, I still have a lot of work cut out for me.

Again it's been over a month since I last touched Ketsui, and I'm even more rustier than before. Yet, it all comes back quick. I began playing again a few days ago (finally!). I managed to scratch in a 72 million score yesterday (after like, what, 15 credits?), and then I was never able to touch it again after that. Must continue on...while not continuing.

I'm so itching to play ESPGaluda II since it's been so long, and I want to show it to my roommate, since Ketsui and DOJ's been the only games he's seen on my cab. So I'm determined to finish the first loop of Ketsui before I do so. Wish me luck...once again.

Never give up. And never stop believing.

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place, and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth."

--Rocky Balboa

Growing up, I was never a big fan of Rocky, but I must say, that shit was inspiring.

I take hits from myself all of the time. Emotional hits, like I'm not good enough to do that, or that I shouldn't do this because it's a waste of my time, my talents, and whatnot. I don't think there has been anyone more relentlessly brutal to me than my own self. I'll read some smart asshole insulting this other person on the internet who I can relate a lot to, and some part of my mind takes what that asshole says and uses it to cripple me whenever I'm feeling most vulnerable.

To be honest, I've had thoughts about ending this blog and selling my games, while forever denouncing shooters as being this dead, archaic genre that nobody gives a shit about anymore. In some ways, a lot of this is true. People in general really don't give a shit about shooters, but that's what cynical people would want you to believe; and nobody likes depressing, cynical people. That's probably why they never get laid.

Despite the rather bleak outlook, there is always something there that keeps me coming back; something which makes me stubborn enough to stand so defiant before the face of harsh reality. It's that something which makes people think I'm a fool for pouring so much time and energy in. I shouldn't care. Whenever you do something you want to do, you know what that something is, and nobody can take that away from you. There is a reason why you keep coming back, and that reason alone should warrant all of the pain and the humility that comes along with it. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows, after all.

A friend of mine once said to me: "One of the things I hate the most is the word potential. I hate it when someone is told they are talented and smart enough to do anything, and then they end up squandering it by accomplishing nothing. Why? Because they get lazy, thinking they can always do more to live up to their potential, but they never put out the work required to get where they want to go. Fuck the little shit with potential, give me the underdog everybody is rooting against. The one person that nobody believes is going to make it. I want the dumb, ugly son of a bitch who is willing to work the shit out of him to get what he wants, even if it kills him."

He also added that I was "lazy as shit" and "my own worst enemy", but that's another story for another day.

Re-entering the Valley of Death

Ketsui : #14

Current High Score: 91.947.608 - 1-5 - Panzer Jager

After taking over a month off of Ketsui, I decided to sit my ass down before the Astro to plug away at it again. I forgot a lot about this game and could barely make it to the 3rd stage boss, but a lot of it came back quickly. Hopefully, what caused me to get burned out with Ketsui won't come back either, since that was what I was hoping to forget.

After hours of continual runs, I was able to score 60 million again, and then just yesterday, I managed to get back to 84 million. Before, while I was getting burned out with the game, I would get this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever I died in between the first and third stage, and then I would feel like giving up, cursing Ketsui in my head as though I were having a fight with an estranged girlfriend.

So nowadays, it's all about not giving a fuck. I'll bomb if I have to. If I die with a full bomb stock, oh well. Shit happens. I love hearing the lock-on sound, and I love it when I just know that after twenty or so runs, I can feel that I actually got better.

And then I look at the Shmups High Score Board for Ketsui and notice how MrMonkeyMan completed the first loop in...a few days, and I just get depressed. Why bother?

But then again, I love hearing that Lock-On sound.

Edit: I love hearing that Lock-On sound while realistic-looking tanks and EVAC Industry-owned enemy installations explode under my unstoppable helicopter equipped with fin-funnels of death.

DOJ-BL & Ketsui XBox360 Port (Update)

I didn't mean to come across as an Xbox360-hating bigot in the last post (even though I am, but that's mainly because the thought of spending $400 to import a system with the worry that it will break down without any warranty coverage is just fucking unbelievable for any shooting game player to go through). **EDIT: I just found out recently that this only applies to Europe. If you're in the US, then Microsoft will fix your imported 360!

I believe the best move Cave, 5PB, or whoever the hell is in charge can do is release those ports on XBox Live Arcade. How do I know? I don't. I just got it out of gleaming the boards for hours. It just sounds so much better that way in my opinion. And does my opinion matter? Maybe it does, maybe it does not. Most likely not.

All I know is, people need to stop hating and start playing instead. The best way is to make things more convenient and available to everyone in the most efficient manner. The community is so divided with the have-nots, the elites, and the collectors, that it is just depressing to watch. No wonder why I get this sinking feeling in my stomach that this genre is dying. When you're this divided, and it comes to the point where you have to spend thousands on a single game, how can you get more people interested?

Anyway, what the hell am I saying and what do I know. All I do is sit at home and play Ketsui, hoping there are more people out there who can share the same experience I can while helping one another improve and get better without all these seething emotions of jealousy and superiority running rampant across this hobby we like to do for fun.

All of the commotion on the boards are fun to read though.

**There are talks of getting a petition going around to make the port Region-free over at the cave-stg boards and Shmups. It is not set in stone yet, but if someone who can speak Japanese can organize it, then it'll happen a lot sooner. Check it out!

DOJ-BL & Ketsui to be Ported to the XBOX 360

So word is out on the boards (shmups and cave-stg) that Ketsui and Dodonpachi DAI-OU-JOU Black Label are going to be ported to the Xbox 360 (as discs, not through XBLA). This is great news for those looking for a chance to play Ketsui without having to pay through the nose for the PCB (like me). I love the idea that more people will have a chance to play these games. The bad news so far?

-It's only available in Japan. This means if you buy a Japanese XBox and you get those rings of death, the warranty will not cover your ass, and you'll have to buy a brand new one if that happens. **EDIT: I just found out recently that this only applies to Europe. If you're in the US, then Microsoft will fix your imported 360!

-No screen-tilting TATE mode is confirmed yet. Every quality shooter port MUST have this option. It's like having topless dancers at strip clubs.

-The company doing the porting is not Arika, who did the excellent DOJ port for the PS2. It's some weird obscure company called 5PB, which seems as though their only experience so far has been dating sims.

So far, it isn't looking very good. I fucking HATE the Xbox360 anyway. I hate it mainly because it is a shitty system that breaks down after a couple months of use. Also, its D-pad sucks, the damn thing is made by Microsoft, and it will force me to buy a new TV, therefore turning me into a fanatical HD graphics whore if I ever get one. As crappily-built the X360 is, I do think it has a lot of good games on it, even though 99% of them aren't really my cup of tea anymore.

Suppose the ports turn out to be great, and this then leads them to porting new Cave games like Futari and Deathsmiles--and in addition to that, somebody finds a way to play them on a domestic Xbox360, then GREAT, maybe I might even think of getting one. But even then, I'd have to consider the idea of getting an HDTV, which can never match the same feeling of playing it on a lo-res cab, while looking for another HRAP joystick for the x360...yeah. That sounds like a huge pain in the ass for me. And like hell would I turn my newly-acquired 50" plasma on its side to play it in TATE. Kind of a catch-22 there with TATE and HD's.

There are some people speculating that a panic selling of Ketsui PCBs are going to happen because of this, and it'll drive the price of the PCB down. What do I think about all of this? It seems unlikely, and plus, I don't care. No matter what happens, I'm holding on to my board. I have no regrets for spending that much on Ketsui so I could play it on a setup that it was meant to be played on. That, and the fact that I actually own it justified the price for me.

**Pictures above are scans EOJ posted from the cave-stg boards.

Ketsui : #13

Current High Score: 91.947.608 - Stage 5 - Panzer Jager

After about twenty credits (which included two credit-feeding clears), I managed to pull another 91 million score, but it was still not high enough to surpass my personal best. I'm hitting a wall with this game.

Again, I managed to make it to Stage 4 with one life--and to top that off, survived through most of that bullet-ridden stage without any bombs in stock. I even destroyed the first nightmare (pictured here) and managed to get 5-Chips off him. There are tanks that roll out on the bottom of the screen, and they can be used to set the 5-Chip counter right before he's about to die. His two angry brothers got revenge on me though, as one of them trapped me in the corner and killed me with that blue spread shot. I have no idea how to score against those particular nightmares, but someday I'll figure it out, or I'll check out the superplay for once.

From Stages 1-3, I was calm and precise enough to survive, but right before I died, I was beginning to fall apart. I was getting the shakes since I was feeling really excited and then my hands started to get cold. When this happens, I'll do stupid things like tap-dodge right into a bullet I was able to dodge a million times before. I lost two lives in between my first death and the 4th boss. Two stupid deaths. What a waste of life. But oh well, shit happens.

Ketsui : #12

Current High Score: 91.947.608 - Stage 5 - Panzer Jager

**Picture above is a beautiful screen shot sven666 took of Ketsui crashing during the first stage.

I made it to the last boss last night. I had one life left with 4 bombs, and I thought I could take him--but instead, I foolishly crashed into a bullet and died. I fell over and screamed obscenities to myself for a couple minutes.

I was kicking so much ass in the beginning. I 1-lifed towards the end of the fourth stage before choking hard with three stupid deaths. I then made it to the last stage with three lives left and missed the special extend too. My new roommate, who was just moving in that evening, came out to check out what I was screaming about. He was into rhythm games so he could relate to my experience.

For the past week, I have been taking a short break from shooters because I was starting to get tired of them and felt like playing something slower or just doing something else entirely. So I read through an unfinished book I once wrote in High School and started taking up the guitar (an old classical acoustic that was sitting in my garage).

So last night was the first time I played in a while. It took several pathetic runs before I suddenly managed to pull a good one. Even though I made it to the last boss, my score was still lower than my highest score (91--almost, though), which kind of sucks because I realized that even if I did beat the last boss, my score would probably be below 100 million, which sucks because everyone who has finished the 1st loop on the Ketsui High Score Thread (on the Shmups! Board) has scores over 100 million, so naturally, I'd expect my score to at least be higher than that.

Oh well. My Stage 4 and 5 scores are sloppy, being bomb and death-ridden as hell anyway, so that's where the problem is.

FIGHT LIKE A ROBOT

Ketsui #11

Current High Score: 91.947.608 - Stage 5 - Panzer Jager

The war against EVAC Industry continues. After plugging away at this game on a daily basis ever since I hit that last high score, I still haven't even come near it. I am starting to get a little burned out, but the game still remains fun whenever I come back after a period of time.

Whenever I'm on a roll, I feel almost invincible...until I get that first death. And then all of that energy is lost from that one single death. Dying early between the first and second stage is even worse. The emotions start to kick in, and I immediately feel like I want to restart whenever that happens.

That's when I have to start killing emotions and push through, because that's all I can do if I hope to gain anything more from that run. Can't let stupid deaths like that get in the way of my enjoyment. Self-defeating emotions like that have no role in shooting games. As that one game Berzerk once said: Fight like a robot.

Pictured above is my first high score I took a picture of back in November. 28 million on Stage 4 and 6.7 million on Stage 2! I'm glad I've come a long way since then. ; )

Dodonpachi DOJ: #2

New High Score: 54.810.500 - Stage 5 - Type A - Exy

This was a lucky run. I somehow managed to grow some balls and gave DOJ what it wanted and pulled off some high chains on the first level. I broke 10 million on the first stage, which is definitely a personal best, and I got the extend. Usually, I finish Stage 1 with just 5-6 million, and then I'd get the extend towards the end of Stage 2. I notice when you chain well right off the bat, it is then so much easier to score higher after that. I guess there is a "no shit" attached to that.

For Stage 3-4, it was a survival fest. I have no idea how I managed to get past Stage 4 and its boss, since I never practice Stage 4. I honestly believe that the fourth stage is much easier than the third, because I absolutely hate those propeller ships from Stage 3 that fill the screen with bullets, forcing me into a corner so I can disgrace myself with a panic bomb.

Dodonpachi DOJ: #1

New High Score: 31.484.490 - Stage 4 - Type A - Exy

Since I have both Ketsui and DOJ hooked up at the same time in my cab, I've been putting in a few runs in between sessions with Ketsui. What I do is credit-feed through Ketsui to practice the later stages until I "beat it", and as the credits role, I'll switch to DOJ and play one run. That way, I don't have to waste time sitting there waiting for Ketsui to be ready again since you can't skip the ending. Or, if I get tired of Ketsui, I'll play DOJ. And vice-versa.

So out of the blue one day, I manage to break 31 million, which is my highest score yet...and it isn't much at all, given a respectable Japanese score is over 1 billion points.

Scoring well in DOJ is so reliant on chaining, that merely surviving is not enough. You could pull the craziest dodging to keep yourself alive for two loops, yet you can never leave an impression on DOJ unless you can chain properly. It's like confidence and women. Sure, you can work hard to impress her with a nice car, a nice job, getting skilled and knowledgeable in everything women are into, but if you're either insecure or lack the confidence to take the initiative, you could be pulling rabbits out of hats or hoisting elephants on your shoulders, and she won't even give you a second glance.

Same goes for DOJ. If you can't chain worth shit, your score isn't going to get anywhere. That's basically where I am with this game. I've been playing on and off for a couple years, and while my dodging has improved tremendously over the years, I still cannot consistently chain the beginning of the first stage. It's like, "LOOK, DOJ! I can make it past two bullet-ridden stages without losing any lives AND I've used all my Hypers! I've even used them on the bosses. Plus, I got to Stage 4! Aren't you proud of me?!"

"Oh, that's nice. What's your highest chain?"

"Um, 503."

"No score for you!" (Throws its head back and laughs, walking away.)

It is frustrating, and I hate it. But somehow, I just keep crawling back to the game because I can't get enough of this punishment. I have such a masochistic relationship with this game, and yet, I love it, even when it kicks my ass 100% of the time.

Need some room to breathe...

Ketsui #10

New High Score: 91.947.608 - Stage 5 - Panzer Jager

I still have the shakes from this run, and as I am typing this, I'm taking deep breaths while listening to some trance so I can calm down. My god, I thought I was going to beat it tonight. So close. I was just a couple enemies away from reaching the last boss. I let those bombs fly, panic bombing whenever I got cornered or when it was clear I could not weave past a pattern. Can't let myself die until I use up all those bombs. I sometimes do better when I know I don't have any bombs left, though.

I didn't play yesterday, so the initial runs were crap. I know why. Whenever I try to make things perfect in the first two levels I ALWAYS die. ALWAYS. So I tried something different. Fuck trying to be perfect at scoring. Worry about that after you complete the first loop. It's okay to score in places where you're confident you won't die, but when it comes to the point where you're putting your life on the line for 500K points, forget it. Bomb. The game actually rewards no-missing a stage a lot in its end-of-stage bonus--a single death can costs millions, while having a lot of lives stacked will grant you a large enough bonus that it will make up for shitty scoring (at least for my standards). So fuck pride. Pride only hurts.

So with that in mind, I managed to 1-life up towards the middle of the fourth stage on two subsequent runs, grabbing every extend, and then making it to stage 5. On the 91 mill run, I finally managed to get that 1-up in stage 5 for the first time. Don't know how I managed that so abruptly, but I just made sure that Panzer Jager went down before I did, without using any bombs (I didn't have any when I took him on anyway).

I have to figure out a way to make it to the last boss with at least 3 bombs, and I can take him. Tomorrow will only tell.

Dodonpachi DAI-OU-JOU (Cave/AMI, 2002)

Death is a natural part of life. Just as there is birth, there is also death waiting at the very end of the bargain. Nothing lasts forever, and everything comes to an end. It is the way nature works. Why not accept the idea and embrace it? Because once we have accepted death as a natural part of life, then we have also made amends with another natural part of life as well: with living.

The subtitle of Cave's third sequel to their flagship DoDonPachi series reads "Dai-Ou-Jou", which translates to "die a natural death" or "peaceful death". I see it this way: DDP-DOJ is a game that is so hard, that you better get used to the idea of dying if you want to enjoy it. The rule can be applied to every other shooter, but DOJ embraces this idea with its title, along with its beautifully poetic poster art, which stands with me as one of the greatest videogame covers ever made.

Contrary to what I mentioned about its difficulty, the game itself isn't that impossibly hard; it is playing it the way it wants you to play it (for score), which makes it incredibly difficult, and that is through its chaining system while dealing with its rank. That, in addition to filling the entire screen with bullets the moment you enter Stage 1, a more difficult second loop, and a true last boss with bullet patterns that will wring out the acid from your stomach.

A lot of people point out that this game is evil for many reasons. One reason is the rank system. Whenever you're surviving and scoring well at the same time, it will "reward" you with a special power-up known as a "Hyper", which you can activate by pressing the bomb button.

Collecting and utilizing these Hypers will grant your ship some extreme firepower that could rival the power of the Sun, causing you to rip through enemies while blowing your chain counter through the roof. While using a Hyper during a boss, though, the bullets speed up, increasing your chances of death. So doing this while facing a boss can be an insane decision akin to suicide, but the rewards for scoring will be immense. Plus, it provides for an exhilarating experience for dodging bullets.

As though that weren't enough, each time you use a Hyper, the entire game gets incrementally harder, or ranks up, and bullets will travel faster, but it will all cancel out when you die or use a bomb, making the game manageable until you start kicking ass again.

But this is just the beginning. I haven't even gotten started on the chaining. Chaining is the root of its scoring system.

So even after you begin to make dramatic improvements at DOJ, it still feels as though the game remains a step ahead of you at all times, and you don't feel like you can handle the game until you've spent some serious time with it. Thinking about it this way, I could devote my entire life mastering DOJ. I've played it on and off for years since I got the PS2 port, and I still cannot chain the first section of Stage 1 consistently. Maybe my brain isn't wired to intuitively chain enemies or something, but all I know is, if I wanted to, I would have to spend a lot of time getting the hang of it before I got anywhere.

But that isn't why I play DOJ (yet, at least). I love playing it just to see how far I can make it or to see if I can finally nail a chain for a stage. It's not a game I'd like to exclusively devote to, but it is great to play in small doses especially after playing Ketsui, since it deals a lot of punishing frustration, but I always come back to it. I keep my expectations low when I approach DOJ, because I really do believe it takes a masochistic streak to come back to it everyday to get your ass handed to you (but then again, don't all shooters do that?). Despite that, I love the way the game feels. The Type-A ship (paired with Exy) is neither too fast nor too slow for me, and switching from rapid C shot to button A laser feels so satisfyingly responsive, that I can only blame myself if I break a chain or die that peaceful death.

Sometimes I wonder about how popular the DOJ PCB would have been if Arika never ported it to the PS2. Would it have surpassed the ludicrous price of a Ketsui kit or even the relatively insane price of a bare Guwange box (which went for hundreds a while back)? I own both the port and the PCB, so I can attest that I love the game, despite not being good at it at all, but I do wonder.

Ketsui : #9

New High Score: 82.872.280 - Stage 5 - Panzer Jager

I must be on fire or something. Right after breaking a new high yesterday, I sat down and broke another one today! This time I managed to survive past the part in Stage 5 where I died last time (those goddamn kamikaze planes with the suicide bullets).

I had more lives than I did before, so I had an advantage since there were more bombs to spare. I made it to the part where you're going underground and managed to dodge my way up to that moment before you fight the last boss where you start facing your own helicopters.

If I had one more life, I could have beat the last boss, given I had some luck with the dodging, since I could probably beat him if I had at least three bombs to use. I did miss the Stage 5 1-up since I bombed at the part where you're taking on the Tiger Schwerts before the mid-boss. I need to find a way to get that next time, since having one additional life could be the difference between clearing it or not.

Playing for survival is the way to go. I will try not to bomb in the first two stages, but when I begin to get cornered by bullets as I'm aggressively trying to get those 5-chips, I will bomb, since I'll usually die when I don't. I hate it when I have to dodge bullet spreads shot literally a ship distance away from me and then dying with a full bomb stock. Pride makes me do stupid things. After Stage 2, the gloves are off. It's all about dying without any bombs from that point on.

My Stage 4 score is ass though. I think my overall chip counter read 500 after I vanquished that super-tank boss. Why do I feel like I can't get any better at this game, yet I know for a fact that if I kept playing, I will? That's the glass ceiling shooters give us, this feeling that they are impossible, but they're really not. That glass ceiling does not exist.

There is no spoon.

Stayin' Alive

Ketsui: #8

New High Score: 77.072.835 - Stage 5 - Panzer Jager

Yes, now I remember what made Ketsui fun. : )

"Bombing like a wuss" isn't the correct term to describe it anymore. It's more like stayin' alive than anything else. Caring about your lives, putting stock in them, and then doing whatever you can to keep that bullet from your hitbox. It's almost like having self-respect, where you will not tolerate any abuse. It's like protecting those you love.

I was playing way too risky before, so it was then becoming normal for me to die out by Stage 2. I would throw away my lives for the score--and the sacrifice wasn't worth the lives and bombs I'd waste. All of those accumulated deaths were beginning to wear me down, as you can notice in the last couple posts.

I survived past the Stage 5 midboss this time, barely limping away as he exploded while I had no bombs in stock and only one life left. And then came those goddamn kamikaze planes, which forced me into the bottom-left corner. I somehow managed to toss the ship over piles of suicide bullets, thinking I made it, and then just before I knew it, I smashed into a lone suicide bullet and died a peaceful death. Good times.

Enjoying the Process

Ketsui: #7

Current High Score: 73.568.896 - Stage 5 - Panzer Jager

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

--Lao-tzu

The last couple of days were frustrating, with runs at 40 million being tough, while hitting the rare 50 million being the unexpected high. My stick was becoming loose, so I tightened it yesterday, making the movements feel less slippery. My scores for the first two levels are getting better, but I'll die earlier as a result because I'm taking more risks as regards to collecting those 5-chips.

I got the timing down for getting the extra 5-chips from those two bombers in stage 1. The trick is while holding C-Shot, press and hold down the A-Shot just as the plane begins spewing that pink bullet spread. Results may vary, since I use the Panzer Jager. This is also assuming you are about one-ship distance away from the plane and are spraying it with your C-Shot the moment it enters the screen.

Lately, I've been a huge bullet magnet, and I have to admit, it is pissing me off. Bullets somehow manage to find my hit box, and I will die in an instant. I'll just be cruising up to an enemy for a close shot, and the first bullet that comes out of him nails me, and then all sorts of negative thoughts fill my mind. I lose chips from my overall counter. My end of the level bonus is now lessened. I'll have one less ship now. I died with a full bomb stock. It is so demoralizing I'll just end up losing more lives from the shock of this first death. But then again...

FUCK THAT. Enough bitching. I've just realized that it was wrong of me to feel so frustrated over not being able to score higher than my previous high. If I can only have a good time whenever I beat my high score, then where's the fun after I accomplish that? The vicious cycle continues.

So after re-reading some Taoist texts (recommended= The Tao of Pooh), I've begun to remember again that it is the process which I should be enjoying, and not just the end result of getting that high score. It only takes one good run to get that high score--and that is accomplished after 20 or so minutes. That's 20 or so minutes of pure bliss. How much time is spent before that? It could be months spent practicing. If those months are pure misery and hard work, then where's the fun in that? Why the hell do I even bother then if it isn't good for me? Someone once told me that if you're going to stick to something, you better find ways to make it enjoyable, or else you're going to get burned out.

When was Ketsui most fun for me? I say I had the most fun when I was bombing more or before I began getting anal about scoring. Hell, I can't even finish the first loop, and I'm still getting stingy over using those bombs. So make sure I die without any bombs in stock, and don't pay so much attention to score? Yeah, that will be easy. Also, when I die early, I shouldn't give up either. Just keep it up and see where it goes.

Ketsui : #6

Current High Score: 73.568.896 - Stage 5 - Panzer Jager

Was able to get up to 65 million on Stage 4, so at least I know I'm making some kind of progress, since my average highest for the day is increasing. Some days my highest will be in the 50s, though, which is great because there was a time it was once around the 40s. I'm getting more consistent with getting 30 mill by the end of the second stage, and have hit 33 a few times. In terms of total score, though, I am still inconsistent as hell.

I remember how Progear would piss me off because I was so inconsistent at it. Well, Ketsui is much worse, I think, but for some reason, it doesn't piss me off so much. I think it's more because I was so impatient with Progear, thinking I'll 1CC it really soon, that I got frustrated when it didn't happen. I think I know why I was so impatient. It was because deep down, I really wanted to play Ketsui, but I was passing up on it even though I had the resources to obtain it at the time.

Ketsui : #5

Current High Score: 73.568.896 - Stage 5 - Panzer Jager

If today's session taught me anything, it is to appreciate what you've got. I managed 63 million twice today--which I would have felt great about if I hadn't set the bar so high with that last amazing run.

That's the thing with shooters. Once you break that personal high score of yours, you're not satisfied until you beat that score the next time you play, so there's this high and low effect. At least that's how it is with me. I'll be all excited and exuberant from doing so well one day, and then my expectations are higher for me the next time I play. The pressure's on. Then when I fail to break a new personal record, I'll start feeling a little discouraged or frustrated. It's like I can only have the most fun whenever I get a personal best. That's really demanding, since the better I get at it, the more I will have to outdo myself to get that "high" again.

I can only imagine what it's like for those that can loop this game--or hell, for those that want to spar with DOOM. For the uninitiated, in order to meet DOOM, you have to no-miss, no-bomb the first loop with a score higher than 120 million to unlock the Ura Loop--which is super-fucking hard compared to the first loop--and then you'll have to survive through that to get to the final boss, kick his ass, and then out comes DOOM, a true last boss so sinister, he will make you wet your pants. And then what happens after that? You're a legend that just took on a legendary boss. So far, it seems like only one western player has beat DOOM, and that is the obscenely skilled "MrMonkeyMan". His replays are on youtube. Insanity.

Ketsui : #4

New High Score: 73.568.896 - Stage 5 - Panzer Jager

My hands are still trembling from this run as I am typing this. I was so excited that I couldn't even enter in my initials right. What a great run. A 13 million point increase from my previous score!

I played like crap earlier though. Hours before this run, my highest score was like 46 million, and it felt like an unbreakable ceiling trying to pass that score--and my other scores hovered around 8 million. I even sucked badly when I credit-fed. It wasn't until I had some dinner and ended up watching that Jodie Foster movie "Little Man Tate" on TV that I came back and kicked some ass. I also had Letterman on TV behind me, so maybe that had something to do with it. I don't like Letterman, by the way. I never found him to be that funny--maybe his humor is too smart for me or something.

My first small goal was to get 30 million by the time I got to stage 3, since I always got around 27-29 million after the 2nd level tank boss. I guess I just had to get more efficient with collecting the 5 Chips. And then I managed to break 31 million, twice. The first time I did that was for the 58 mill run in the picture above, but I would end up dying in these stupid, back-to-back deaths, until I ruined a potentially good run. So I dusted myself off and tried again.

That next run, I decided to myself that if I were going to die, then I should die with no bombs in stock, so I remembered my experiences with Progear and bombed like a wuss. No Ura Loop for me (Try to bench 100 before you go for 350, buddy). So I ended up 1-lifing up to the fourth stage, which was a record for me. I remained calm throughout, until I survived into the 5th stage and then died at the mid-boss with 73 million.

Ketsui : #3

Current High Score: 60.392.273 - Stage 4 - Panzer Jager

That victory the other day ago against the Stage 4 boss meant a lot to me. To me it was one of those feats that made me realize what I was capable of. And this didn't just apply to Ketsui, but my decisions in life as a human being. There was an energy that was always there, but I either never paid attention to it, or I always thought it eluded me whenever I needed it most. But it was there. What is it, and how did it come about? I was a timid cat looking into a mirror. What stared back at me was a powerful lion.

Ketsui : #2

New High Score: 60.392.273 - Stage 4 - Panzer Jager

Actually, I obtained this score over a week ago. I remember playing for hours, like constantly credit feeding, and then trying full runs after I "beat" the game. I must have gone through about 80 credits that day, since I keep a bowel full of quarters ($10 worth) and it had run out (I have it set to 2 credits per coin). I felt like I was becoming autistic after that playing session, thinking in terms of visuals and whatnot. I bet playing this much is a normal, daily ritual for most hardcore players.

I played some more today, and managed to survive up to Stage 5, but my score was only 59 mill, so I couldn't count it. I just felt a whole bunch of aggression today, and I took it out on the game by dodging bullets. Once I got to the 4th boss and his final, clock-wise spraying pattern of death, I managed to survive without bombing, after repeating to myself that I could do this. And I did it. Man, that was a rush. I have to admit, that felt good. It was like landing a dream job or bagging a hottie at the mall or something.

Ketsui Kizuna Jigoku Tachi (Cave/AMI, 2002)

2054.

It was as though the Earth itself wanted to punish humanity for their destruction of the environment. For over a century of pollution, the effects of global warming are finally clear. Water levels rise, changing the Earth's borders while invading upon the countries of its continents. It is a complicated matter for an increasingly complicated world. Territorial disputes arise, and it is not long before war erupts, blanketing the neighboring countries of the world with all-out warfare.

War cannot exist without weapons, as weapons in this modern age cannot exist without profits and mass-production. There is no other company which understands this more than EVAC Industry, the illegal weapons distributor responsible for manufacturing and exporting these weapons to the warring nations for mass profits. Working behind the scenes, they are the bonds of Hell which have been unleashed upon the world.

After failed attempts at peaceful negotiations with EVAC Industry to "stop all forms of weapons import and export", the United Nations decide to take matters into their own hands. Their solution? A preemptive strike on their weapons base using two heavily armed gunships piloted by elite special forces. The objective calls for the complete destruction of EVAC Industry's weapons and all of its installations...which also includes everything related to the United Nations Military Intervention.

Whomever signing up for this mission is not expecting a trip home.

Compensating for this grave mission, the United Nations will grant one demand to those brave enough to rise to the challenge. It is essentially a granted wish the United Nations will take responsibility for. A way to free oneself from the world and its worries.

Four young men applied for this suicide mission. They know full well how much they are risking their lives taking on EVAC Industry, a military supplier so powerful that even the gunships they pilot are funded under their name, but the men's desires remain strong in their hearts as they embark on their mission.

For perhaps they themselves cannot even see, it is all in hopes of a bright future...

--------

Ketsui Kizuna Jigoku Tachi literally translates to: "Cutting the Bonds of Hell". Most people just call it Ketsui. Notice how the title is constructed in the picture above. The three katakana symbols in the red squares, which represent "Ke-tsu-i" (cutting), are reading downward, crossing over the more complex phrase "Kizuna Jigoku Tachi" (the Bonds of Hell) to symbolize the cutting and forming of a cross as though it were deterring the bonds of Hell itself. This is so characteristic of what happens in the story, as it is simply a straightforward battle against the evil corporate giant known as EVAC Industry, which symbolizes the Bond of Hell that must be severed from the rest of the world for a better tomorrow.

To me, what makes Ketsui so likeable is its rather laidback scoring system. All you have to do to score is destroy one enemy up close (like, at point-blank range) with the C Shot to get that 5 chip, and then hold down button A and sweep away enemies with your lock-on shot until the counter on top of the screen expires. Then rinse and repeat.

Knowledge of enemy placement is essential for scoring and eventually you'll develop your own route for effective scoring, so Ketsui does demand a specific way to play the better you get at it. Compared to the likes of DoDonPachi or Ikaruga, where one mistake can mess up a chain counter that is built up throughout an entire level, Ketsui is a game that allows for more improvisation. In Ketsui, since you're constantly killing enemies up close, you have to be really aggressive, and there is greater emphasis on dodging bullets as you're squeezing past them to get up close to an enemy, then hitting them with that C shot, and then wiping off enemies with that lock-on A shot. This makes for some of the most intense shooting game experiences, especially for stages 3-5, where you're up to your neck in bullets and the thought of trying to score on those levels becomes an idea of insanity. But you'll do it anyway to reap the rewards.

That, in addition to the futuristic military motif, two loops with a true last boss that goes by the name of "Doom"(most people never meet Doom, let alone survive him), makes Ketsui my favorite Cave game by far. And since Cave shooters are my favorite, this puts Ketsui up as possibly my most favorite game ever, since the whole intensity of it, and the fact that it is so hardcore is what keeps me coming back more than any other shooter. If there was one game I would choose, and it would be the one single game I could only play for the rest of my life, it would be Ketsui.

I was planning on writing some more, but I think I'll just stop, since I've spent a week trying to come up with the perfect write up for this game and ended up not playing it for a while because I wanted to post this before I'd post any new scores. So there, Ketsui rocks. I hope more people get to play this masterpiece.

Special thanks to Gaijinpunch for his translations.

HA-HA

I've been reading over some of my older posts and reveled in how serious I was in trying to get better at some shooters, and then ultimately failed in doing so because I ended up getting more games. That is so evident of how I've been for gaming these last couple years. While those mainstream console games I could beat after spending enough time with them, I could never beat those damn shooters (with NO CONTINUES!). I would try to play one in hopes to get good enough to beat it, and then just before some critical point in my skill with the game, I'd switch it for something else because I'd get bored. Hah.

I'd chalk that up to impatience. I've been a lot more laid back in terms of my progress in conquering these games, though. I used to be a lot more detailed when I was playing Progear, literally updating each day I played it and trying to study every single detail. That was pretty fun to do, but it got so tedious and after I realized that I could be spending more of that time actually playing the game, maybe I'd get over those frustrations.

Nowadays, if I do poorly, I'll just credit-feed and mindlessly just dodge bullets and survive, adding more credits until I reach the end. I can do this for hours, and what happens then is that I end up getting better naturally without shame. Because I've already shamed myself by dying hundreds of times, and now the feeling of dying is numbed, and it is easier to accept death as a path to living longer in the game. As much as I play this way, though, it still does not alleviate that paranoid feeling you get when you are doing extremely well with one run and are then afraid to die since you are kicking so much ass.

Oh yeah, in terms of the blog, I've been a lot more lenient with the posting too.

So whatever. It's all fun and games. What is my goal? I'll have fun. Maybe I'll attain a really good score, but it's all about the fun. But then again...what if fun in these games equate to scoring very well? There is fun in that as well. But it doesn't solely exist there either.

“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.”

--Michael Jordan

It's so nice to be able to get into a pleasantly drugged state with only one puff and a beer...

There really is no right or wrong way to play--or hell, to even live life...just as long as you are enjoying it. Be attitude for gains.

Ketsui Revisited

New High Score: 55.913.625 - Stage 4 - Panzer Jager

At Dave_K.'s latest meet, I managed a 55 mill run out of the blue after not having played the game for over a month. I did play a bunch of different games (including Futari) before getting this score as well, so that could have been it. My highest score preceding this one was 41 mill, so this is quite a gain concerning I've been playing nothing but Espgaluda II lately.

Hovering all around my score on the table is Zakk from HEY POOR PLAYER! fame, including that monstrous 133 mill score on the top of the picture. I was glad there was another Panzer Jager player around, since every time I played Ketsui at Dave's meets, I'd swear everyone used the Tiger Schwert, and I would think there was something wrong with me for preferring the faster ship. That's how I rolled. I was also glad that Zakk didn't play Ketsui too much after I broke my record, since he would have easily cleaned me off of the scoreboard. Thanks for the pic as well, Zakk.

I think it's about time I played some more Ketsui.

Perceptions of Situations

From the writings of Chuang-tse:

An archer competing for a clay vessel shoots effortlessly, his skill and concentration unimpeded. If the prize is changed to a brass ornament, his hands begin to shake. If it is changed to gold, he squints as if he were going blind. His abilities do not deteriorate, but his belief in them does, as he allows the supposed value of an external reward to cloud his vision.

(Excerpt gathered from The Te of Piglet)

Espgaluda II : #4

New High Score: 118.816.985 - Stage 4 - Ageha
Kakusei Overmode Survival: End of Stage 3 (past midboss)

So much potential with this run, since I was doing so well in the beginning. This is my highest stage 4 score, let alone being my highest score ever. I died at that "eeeh-hehehe" boss. I believe I was at one of his last patterns with no gems and bombs left.

I managed to break 18 mill at the end of the first stage, which is a record for me. It's just that I began to die in parts where I would normally slip by unscathed. What a pity. It's like a beautiful model who just wants to stay home in her trailer park for the rest of her life after she lost her second beauty pageant or something.

I was pretty loud playing today, cursing and screaming whenever I died. I mean, I died at the first boss for god's sake. I yawn at his patterns. Yet, I died because I was so excited for breaking 13 mill after triggering the Zesshikai and scoring high in the middle of the stage.

After days of comparatively meager scores, and some credit-feeding sessions (yes, I do continue, but it's only for practice.), I finally get somewhere new with this game. I want to switch this game out and play Ketsui & DOJ, but I know that I'm getting better at Galuda II the more I play. What a predicament.