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Post by Ex on Jun 6, 2021 23:53:25 GMT -5
The cover art amuses me for two reasons. One, it loosely depicts a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, which is a reconnaissance aircraft, not a bomber so it would never have been dropping bombs as shown. Secondly, in the game the player does not fly an SR-71, they fly a dual prop bomber which may be a red B-25 Mitchell. The cover art while inspired was clearly created by someone who knew nothing about actual aircraft or the game itself.
Title: Bomber RaidPlatform: SEGA Master System Region release played: USA Year of release: 1989 Developer: SIMS Publisher: Activision Graphics: 3/5 Audio: 2/5 Challenge: 3/5 Fun factor: 2/5 Quick Thoughts: Bomber Raid is a Master System exclusive vertical shmup, with mostly traditional gameplay. There is a unique wingman system, wherein the player can collect up to two offensive wingman to fly with. The player's special cluster bomb is affected by how many wingmen the player has flying with them. Outside the wingman aspect, the rest of the gameplay is dirt standard across five simple stages with five simple bosses. Bomber Raid is a curiosity piece for the Master System enthusiast, but it won't excite hardcore shmup hounds whatsoever. +The wingman system is mildly interesting. +Colorful graphics. +Large bosses. +Well defined difficulty curve. +Blowing up enemy naval ships never gets old.
-No auto-fire. -No two player mode. -Takes forever to power-up your main weapon. -Stages are too long with too little enemy variety. -The OST is crap.
Ex's time to beat: 35 minutes Ex's rating: 5/10
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Post by dunpeal2064 on Jun 7, 2021 20:04:51 GMT -5
I remember Bomber Raid, I bought it for my Power Base Converter, but its one of those games that requires a Master System controller specifically to work, so I bought a controller just for this game.
I thought it was okay for a clearly average shooter at the time, but having gone back to revisit it since, it is pretty lackluster even for its time.
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Post by Ex on Jun 7, 2021 20:56:30 GMT -5
it is pretty lackluster even for its time I agree. In its day Bomber Raid would have appealed to Master System diehards starved for fresh content, what with this game being a system exclusive. I was hoping this one may have been a hidden gem, but nay, tis wholly average (for 1989). The best shmups I've played on Master System are: There's a lot more than that on the system, but the majority are below average unfortunately.
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Post by toei on Jun 7, 2021 22:19:04 GMT -5
I gave Touhou 8 a few tries. Imperishable Night. I can't say it really clicked for me. I ended up spending all my time staring at my character and navigating between bullets. Dodging bullets didn't feel like an element of the game, it felt like the whole game. Of course, I could just be doing it wrong. Also, the game is like 60% bosses, which I've never liked much. I don't think this game is for me.
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Post by dunpeal2064 on Jun 7, 2021 23:42:07 GMT -5
I gave Touhou 8 a few tries. Imperishable Night. I can't say it really clicked for me. I ended up spending all my time staring at my character and navigating between bullets. Dodging bullets didn't feel like an element of the game, it felt like the whole game. Of course, I could just be doing it wrong. Also, the game is like 60% bosses, which I've never liked much. I don't think this game is for me. I wouldn't want to say "doing it wrong" per se, since that is how a lot of people initially approach bullet hells, and if the game is a bit more lenient, it can seem like whats intended. I'll at least share from my experience: Usually in a vertical bullet hell, I tend to look at the shot coming from my character, somewhere between the middle and top of the screen. If you are comfortable with your characters hitbox, you can dodge without looking right at your hitbox, knowing your character is centered directly underneath your shot. This also tends to increase the ability to kill enemies, and reduce the amount of bullets needing to be dodged. Imperishable Night on Normal will probably be survivable if you let the enemies shoot a ton and just focus on dodging, but in more difficult games like Ketsui, you'll be forced to actually track down and kill enemies quick. Touhou also rewards you for being near the top of the screen, as point items are worth much more, and if you cross the boundary near the top 3rd or so of the screen, you auto-collect everything on screen. This is optional but also adds more to the game than just dodging. Touhou does tend to focus on bosses more than stages, players tend to talk about the bosses and their "Spell Cards" (Typically every other attack, usually is unique and has flashy stuff). If you tend to like stages more than bosses, CAVE bullet hells may be more up your alley, as their stage design and focus is much, much higher than Touhou, and they tend to play more like classic shmups, but with way more bullets. While I love Touhou games because they are so honed in on bosses shooting cool patterns. I do think CAVE games are more well designed overall, and have excellent stage and enemy setpeices and variety. It is also possible, of course, that its just not a genre you like, but I would at least suggest trying one or two more out before deciding. Though I think its cool you tried out Imperishable Night in the first place, even if you ended up not digging it much.
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Post by toei on Jun 7, 2021 23:55:25 GMT -5
I'll probably try a CAVE shooter before too long. Like I've explained elsewhere, I've never had as little patience as I do now, so it might not be the right time for it, but I can at least get an idea of whether it's something I'll want to revisit at some point.
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Post by Ex on Jun 8, 2021 0:00:38 GMT -5
I'll probably try a CAVE shooter before too long. I'm not much of a bullet hell fan. But the only shmups utilizing that design, which I have enjoyed, have been by CAVE. Maybe that'll be your ticket.
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Post by EasyHard on Jun 8, 2021 6:36:37 GMT -5
Even among groups that love and are well versed in very similar types of bullet hells, some people don't prefer Touhou. I think you understand the gist about the focus on dodging and the emphasis on bosses, so it probably isn't worth dwelling on. I think I said this elsewhere, but when I got into the series it was when I watched a video where the player looked very impressive. This probably created a subconscious, competitive drive to motivate my play in a way that I didn't have for other games. I think it helped that I was basically new to shmups, and so I could see night and day differences in my own progress on very short timescales. Like, my memory might be *crystal clear* on how absolutely impossible this pattern was for me just a couple days ago, but right now it feels like it is a slam dunk. I found the whole thing amazing, especially because the genre brings forth a very conscious awareness of physical limits, like the various functions and speed of your eyes and brain, or the precision of your fingers. I still find it mysterious why I couldn't also fall in love with Cave-style and other Arcade-like bullet hells during this period. The obvious difference is that Touhou has its own unique aesthetics, but I also think about whether it uses different types of skill challenges that I find easier, or whether the trial and error humps have more structure to make them more enjoyable to unravel.
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Post by Sarge on Jun 12, 2021 13:32:11 GMT -5
I haven't played many Touhou games, and I'm not sure I've played any of the shooters. Embarrassing, I know. But those CAVE shooters, even if played on an infinite credit feed, are really fun to me.
One thing the shmup month I think improved for me was my ability to maneuver more precisely. Granted, I doubt I'm up to the most stringent bullet-hell shooters, but games like R-Type III or Gate of Thunder require some really deft flying to get around environmental obstacles. That's not usually my preference in these types of games (I much prefer full reign of the screen), but I think I've come to at least appreciate why folks enjoy these sorts of obstacles.
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Post by toei on Jun 15, 2021 2:07:21 GMT -5
I spent some time playing Blazing Lazers, and I grew from liking it to straight up hate. Man, did Compile not know when to end a game. The pacing is a problem throughout - every stage is too long, and there are often lulls where nothing really happens. 1+1=tighten the level design please. Level 2 in particular always bores me, and I systematically lose my focus at that point. The next few levels are better, especially the level with the floating brains and the organic horror theme, which I really like. It's really an outlier here, though, as most of it is just generic space stuff. I really thought the game would finish at Level 7, and I was quite annoyed when Level 8 started. That thing was one of the most tedious moment of my recent life. I'd legitimately rather work overtime without pay than play it again. It's just dodging and shooting at bubbles, and it goes on forever and a day. It just won't end. I don't know how many real-world minutes I spent in it, but my soul aged years. I'm more mature now than when I started it. I feel like reading in a rocking chair and smoking on a pipe. To add insult to injury, THERE'S ANOTHER FUCKING LEVEL AFTER THAT. Seems like it's mostly a boss rush. I won't bother finishing it, all my good will has run out.
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