Mushi Futari Maniac high score #1

I wanted to hit 100 mil before I posted, but I have a feeling this wil be my only high score on this for a while as I am still very into Ketsui and kinda back into ESPrade, which I still need to 1cc.

I just really started playing Futari Maniac for score today and it made a good gaming pursuit for the early part of the afternoon, with the sun shining through my windows and a cool breeze wafting through the living room.

I started to work the scoring mechanic for the first time and saw my scores skyrocket. Previously, I had maybe ten credits on it and had a high of something like 35 mil. With my final playthrough today I upped that to 75,653,648 with 25 mil in the first stage alone.

I really like the game, especially Maniac and I'm afraid that if I get too into it, I may leave Ketsui by the wayside and I feel like I am really making progress on it now, faster than I ever have.

Dave will be staying the night tonight and I think we'll end up playing a lot of shmups on the Astro City, including ESPrade, and maybe we'll get some time in on Kingdom Grandprix, just for a change of pace.

Ketsui: Inspiriation

I just reread the entire 15 page Ketsui high score thread over at shmups (http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=6382&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0) and it really got me stoked to work on my summer goal of a 100+ mil score and a first loop clear.

First of all, there are a number of 2nd loop scores on the board, so it makes you feel like there is a possibility of actually getting there when you read about so many people actually doing it.

Second, MMM, Mr. Monkey Man's progress is stellar. If there were a documentry about Ketsui players, this guy would have a starring role. He gets the game and two months later, completes the first loop, then works the second loop for insane points, ending with a 2-all of 373+ mil. All while playing on a 14" monitor and a joypad. Sick. Check the link in the 'Gaming Links' sidebar for his webpage and access to the 373 mil video.

The high score thread makes good reading, especially since it starts back in 2005 (it is the new thread after all) and you can see how some of the more recognized players on the shmups and Cave-STG boards have come along. It helps put things in perspective for players like myself who have only been playing modern shmups for less than a year. There a lot of encouraging words for the players from some of the best western players and lots of good hints, tips and techniques to work.

Ketsui high score #7

I went for a run this morning and felt so good afterward, that I didn't really want to play a shmup for fear of losing that good, positive vibe, but damn if Ketsui didn't start calling to me sitting in the corner, looking all inviting and friendly.

I relented and decided to play a few credits, credit-feeding through stage 4 and 5 to learn them better (hence the 1 continue score on the scoreboard). I had a whole bunch of crappy runs where I was trying new things to see if they would pay off and dying a lot in the process. I played a credit or two with a mix of my old patterns and some new ones and got to a new high score of 61,421,376 (dying right before the end boss of stage 4), less the a week after my last high score of 51+ mil.

My skill set is definitely growing and the accuracy with which I am bullet dodging and anticipating bullets is getting honed. In fact, on a lot of those throw away runs, I put myself in tight situations with some tricky bullet dodging and surprised myself with the results.

Ketsui high score #6

I have been playing ESPrade exclusively for a week straight and I ended up getting burned out on it. I decided to take a break to play Ketsui.

I recently got the 'The Second Apocalypse' INH superplay DVD from a guy on the shmups boards and watched it a few times last night, and I was just blown away at the runs. It's really amazing and I highly recommend tracking it down if you are a Ketsui fan or junkie.

I played about five credits or so and got to my new high score of 51,953,613 and almost made it to the end of the 4th stage. I have no really good patterns for the 4th stage, so I made it into a bit of a bomb fest, but you could probably tell that by my score.

PCB shelf, new Astro City panel

I've been playing ESPrade almost exclusively this week, working on the 1cc and I was hoping to make a post about how I finally did it over the weekend, but try as I might, no 1cc. But there ahve abeen a few changes to the Astro City and my little gaming area.

When I got my Astro City last year, it had a Blast City panel on it and I searched for the better part of 8 months to find a panel stateside as importing them can be very expensive due to their size. I found one for sale on shmups and picked it up for $65 shipped, a total steal if you ask me. It took a few tries to get the right plates for the joysticks, but each time I ordered, I got a few new things as well - buttons, plugs, etc. so it kinda worked out.



The panel is in great shape for being used and I'm really happy with it. I replaced all the buttons with Semitsu clear buttons from Lizard Lick as the baddass skeleton ones are out of print. They look pretty dope and keep the machine looking very simple and understated. Having never been a fan of the pink buttons for the 2-player side or the yellow p1 and 2 start buttons, it just makes the green stand out more in the artwork and header, which looks super nice.



I also sold off the Robotron cocktail I had to a gentleman in Iowa City and so with the extra space against the wall, I put up an IKEA book shelf to hold my PCB's, superplay DVD's and other arcade and Cave goodies. For a scant $50, I have a dedicated, classy shelf for my PCB's and a better place to store them than the top of a six-foot shelf where I already had my Mushihimesama PCB fall from once.

As for the actual games in the game room, I'll still be working for the 1cc in ESPrade this week. I can get to stage 5 pretty much everytime, but the massive tank on the left usually gets me. I also have been credit feeding through the final boss and have some of the forms down, but the second and the last form will take some time. Hella fun game, but I'm also looking forward to more time on my new Mushi Futari PCB as well which I got two weeks ago and have played maybe ten credits of. I also have the INH Ketsui superplay DVD on the way and have a feeling that it will find its way back into the cabinet once I get a chance to watch some of those runs and get stoked to put some more credits into it.

ESPrade high score #1

I have been playing this non-stop since I got it last Wednesday and I am totally into it. The game is fairly addictive, with simple, fast-paced action. Comboing requires a Ketsui-like aggressiveness that can really pay off and it is right up my alley.

I played a number of credits tonight before I got to my new high score of 7,166,730, finally dying at stage 5, about a quarter into it. I was only a bit away from the next extend and with the mass of enemies in stage 5 , though I was going to get it, but the large tank on the left side with the blue straight firing bullets caught me out.

New pcb: ESPrade - Joker Jun at his finest

Super stoked about his game. I've become somewhat of a Joker Jun nut and his design work for Cave is excellent and very unique, so this one is a hella good addition to my growing stack of pcb's.

This may be the cheapest Cave pcb I've ever seen and I was lucky enough to snag it. Here's the short of it...

I'm on the KLOV forums pretty often and I happened to see a sale post with a bunch of pcb's and right in the middle of the list was ESPrade - for $40 shipped. I couldn't believe it. It couldn't be an actual pcb, probably a cheap copy, but I went ahead and emailed the guy, set up payment and today the board arrived. It's original, all right and it's super fun.

The gameplay is a bit different from other, newer Cave tites and the scoring system is a bit strange, kind of along the lines of Progear, back when Cave was a bit more experiemental with their scoring systems. The art style is fantastic and really draws me into the game, especially some of the stage enemies, which have a Ketsui/DOJ feel, but placed inside a Japanese mall, which is surreal and refresingly original all at the same time, even for a 1998 game.

I have a few credits in and I will be switching back and forth between Futari and this this weekend, setting some scores up to post and better over the comming weeks.

Sometimes life is good.