What use is DLC if you can't MIC

(tags Bangai-o, Dual Screen, game)

I am glad that more bloggers and posters are picking up on Bangai-o. However I can't join them, because I really don't know how to fix my stage/play downloading problem. Perhaps my room really is noisy and I've become too accustomed to it. I'm about ready to buy another pair of headphones just to give the DLC stuff one more go.

My progress in the game is "almost done". There are only two levels where I can't get a stage clear, and they require a really good joystick (d-pad) hand. Argh. So I have been redoing the other levels. It's funny how I best my previous time by minutes, because I know the trick. Sadly the trick is always the same, keep the bullets blasting. In that way I feel that Bangai-o feels over for me.

Last stage != whole game: Bangai-O Spirits

(tags game, Dual Screen, Bangai-o)

Last time I said I was on stage 131, but I finished trying all of the stages today. So, let's say that this game gives about 8 hours of play.

I did beat the last stage, and it was horrendously frustrating. But now I know the trick and I play it again for fun. But there was no fanfare or congratulations screen. Now I have to go back and do the stages I skipped. Unlock unlock unlock something, come on. This is the era of Achievements and Bonus stuff.

This is rather bare-bones, huh?

Calmin' Napalmin': Bangai-o Spirits (video)

(tags video, game, Dual Screen, Bangai-O, replay-data, failure)

I didn't want to go out with a "Game Over", so here I am clearing the same stage with two 100 x 4 Reflect Missile bonuses: "Calmin' Napalmin'"

This time I used EX Weapon Bounce + Napalm. Dumb rockets get the job done. winner. :-p

I also wanted to share not the just the video, but the replay data for "Homing don't play that" and "Calmin' Napalmin'". Bangai-O DS's unique feature for sharing Edit Stage data and Replay Data is a great concept. However the execution is poor. Out of probably over a hundred tries, I was only able to reload my replay data ONCE. And that was when it was RAW. I am not yet able to load stuff when I convert it to MP3. The official page has a couple of new stages recorded in MP3, so it should work, right? I tried both my "phat" DS and "slim" DS. I also tried getting away from my noisy computer, but with no success. FAIL.

Homing don't play that: Bangai-o Spirits (video)

(tags video, game, Dual Screen, Bangai-o)

This is my video of Bangai-o Spirits. I call it: "Homing don't play that"

Sweet sweet slowdown. I love the big numbers.

This is game standard stage 95 called "フレ！フレ！フレ！" (lit. Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!), you know like cheerleader pom-poms. The EX weapon is Mix Homing + Bounce. I am trying to get a really high Reflect Missile score. The missile size (also the multiplier) depends on how dense and deep you are in the missile spray.

Do not try to pass this level with the homing weapon. :-p

One interesting bug shown in this video is that enemy missiles sometimes are blocked. Don't worry, though, it does not affect the regular game. :-p

Keep the walls close: Bangai-o Spirits

(tags game, Dual Screen, Bangai-o)

At first I was disappointed with Bangai-o Spirits (バンガイオー魂). The tutorial pounded me down until I got a feel for the weapons. After the tutorial ended, the credits rolled. That was unexpected. Obviously the game was just starting but perhaps the finale is a long way off? After I finished some stages the levels felt more like the same thing over and over again. I suppose it's like playing Lode Runner. I was expecting blow-my-mind puzzle action, but the difficulty is all over the map.

That was Wednesday. Today I spent probably five hours playing it, so I must not be that bored with it. It's pretty fun with the bouncing homing bullets, but they only home once they bounce off a wall. And that 100 missile actually feels a little underpowered. In other words, unleash it deftly.

I mainly skip the levels that have the timed falling blocks, though. And yes, this game has a rendition of Sokoban, ha haha. Now I'm on stage 131. I am not going fast forward the stage select to see how many there are.

Looking at the official site, there's already stuff to download. I'll give it a try. I need to get a mic or a sound cable to upload my excellent (yer right) play.