Yeah, I posted that screenshots the other day. Check here for the hdmi tv picture with the icade core. The ipad can be placed anywhere in the room cause it is bluetooth. I just put the icade core in my lap and play. It is perfect for lap play or on a desk. Questionable on the john though. Plus can't see my hdmi tv from there. http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=173262&page=19
If you're like me, and like Bullet Hell Shmups ok, but like "old fashioned" Shmups better, I can recommend iStriker 2: Air Assault. It's still a hard game, but it's less visually busy and it's much easier to fathom the scoring mechanics compared to 'most' Bullet Hell's. Another good one is Battle Squadron One, which is a port of an old fantastic Shmup originally released on the Amiga.
I actually never liked bullet hell until DU2, and i preferred a more traditional shmup. So yeah, instant GotW, instant favorite. DU2 took me like it was my wife 15 years ago when i first met her.
Istriker 2 plus cade core is great fun. Remindee of old arcade games in the arcade with the big sticks. Sometimes miss the good old days of going to the arcade, pockets full of quarters.
This game is so stunningly good. It has single-handedly rejuvenated my faith in the iOS shmup. Everything is pretty much perfect!
Thanks, that means a lot! We will be adding more to Phoenix HD before working on another shmup I share the sentiment that I don't enjoy the Cave games so much. I mean, they look great, but I notice I already booted up DU2 on more occasions, just to have another go. With the Cave games I hardly booted them after the honeymoon. I'm not sure if I prefer Classic or Burst mode, currently i am switching between the two up till the point that I can't tell which is which anymore
Can you please add button to sync offline score to gamecenter? Today I played on my iPod touch without wifi, I had great score but gamecenter shows only my old score.
I know what you mean El. I think the Cave games are great, but honestly, and this is not me blowing smoke up your ass, but between Phoenix HD and now Danmaku 2, you and Sunny have the two finest shooters in the App Store in my opinion, hands down. Phoenix HD is a masterpiece and Danmaku 2 is poised to be following in its footsteps. I am really starting to see how smart this game is the more I play it. It is devilishly frustrating, in that it reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Lisa hooked up electrodes to a cupcake and Bart couldn't stop touching it, even after getting shocked repeatedly The grazing is a delight with those intricate, crystal clear bullet patterns, especially on Extreme, where the overlapping becomes ridiculously complex. I do wish there were more tips included in the tutorial in terms of the scoring system. It is somewhat complex and vague, and will be doubly so for those who are unfamiliar with hardcore bullet hell such as this. However, once you start to piece it together, it does unfold nicely. I see so much potential for expansion with future updates. I just hope Sunny sticks with it and starts making the money he f-ing deserves.
Glad I'm not the only one who feels the same about Cave games. Anyways, glad I picked this up last night. I wasn't too into Storm Strikers (still a good quality game though, just not my taste)..but this game is awesome! And don't know what is it about this game..even after I die..I feel compelled to keep trying again and again. DU2 gives me the same great feeling as playing the first DU1 and getting interested in bullet hell games for the first time. Ahh..the nostelgia.. I think it was soon after our bullet hell group was created. I think this may become my favorite ios bullet hell game too. But boy am I rusty at this genre (and majorly tired cause of jet lag since I just came back from vacation over the weekend). I died so quickly the first few tries last night. I was able to complete the classic mode on easy this morning on the first try though. Now I can't wait till work is over so I can try to figure out the burst mode. I have a feeling we may have finally have a bullet hell competition again maybe..
WOOT! Just got my highest score in Classic Mode on stage 1... hit over 1 billion. Finally. =oP But once I started stage 2 - the game wouldn't register my touches to move the ship. I tried, and it looked like it was trying to switch my shot to laser. Right off the bat, I lost my grazing combo and a bomb. The movement controls worked after I paused the game and then resumed it, but it was kind of a bummer. Anyone else experience this?
Alrighty guys - we will be having a Danmaku Unlimited 2 scoring competition starting this coming Sunday in the Bullet Hell Fanatics Group here on TA. Anyone who's interested, just hop on over there, join up, and get ready... =oD http://forums.toucharcade.com/group.php?groupid=492
DU2 is wonderful. It's probably my second favorite iOS shooter behind DDP DFK, which is saying a lot! I just wanted to add a counterpoint about the stage 4-5 difficulty jump...I think it's great and normal for shmups to have a huge difficulty jump at the last stage. I definitely DO NOT WANT a new stage, I think DU2 is long enough as it is. Adding another stage will make the overall play-through time longer, which would be terrible. It's perfect as it is. As an aside, you guys who don't 'get' Cave games? You're all insane! Aside from the stellar gameplay, *amazing* stage design and crazy-deep scoring mechanics, Cave provides something that almost no other Shmup developers do, a real background story and characters (players and bosses) you end up caring about. I see a lot of other shmup developers refine some parts of a cave game, be it gameplay or scoring mechanics, but very very few are able to come close in other areas. DFK stage 5, inside the computer! Mushi stage 3! Espgaluda II 4th boss! As far as I'm concerned they are still unrivaled. Even their character animations when you move left or right are unique! Back on subject, DU2 is really great and the evolving bullet patterns are a nice signature that aren't seen used successfully in other shmups. I haven't played very much, but in other bullet-hell shooters I rarely actually watch my player character, I am usually watching the spot I want to move to next. I have to alter my technique somewhat in DU2 which is refreshing. In the original DU years ago I found it incredibly frustrating for the first couple playthroughs, but then it starts to flow and becomes fun.
Agreed on the difficulty jump, for any level, it just adds to the longevity of the gameplay and gives more satisfaction for beating it. I'm not sure if us don't 'get' Cave games, I for one simply don't enjoy them as much. That's a matter of taste, it's not a statement whether the games are badly constructed or whether their art style isn't marvellous (it is). Personally I don't enjoy them as much as I did in the past (as in, when they were released years ago on their original platforms). I don't like their implementation of all the on screen buttons and somehow I'm not motivated to go for high-scores. Just personal taste I like DU2's control scheme much better, but I've caught myself a couple of times now swiping in the wrong direction X)
Ok. I will say that the second finger swipe is a superior method to on screen buttons. No question. Yes the real question w/ respect to Cave is the port quality. I'm not sure how the original assets were created, but it seems much more difficult for them keep up with the iOS graphical changes at least. DDP Maximum is nice, finally graphics that look native, but it just left off so much of what makes Cave great. OTOH I do think the original ESPII way back port led the way for competently controlled iOS shmupping.
This... If Cave implemented a no button control scheme - in the same vein as DU2, I really think I'd play them more, and get more into them. Right now, the most difficult thing in Cave's games (IMO, of course) is the buttons, and having to constantly look down to see what button you're going to hit, or if you screw up and don't look, and hit the wrong button, having to correct that by looking down, pressing the button you just pressed, and then going back to pressing the button you wanted to press which, by then, it's far too late to take advantage of the scoring opportunity that you were going for in the first place. I'm not saying that they're bad, or poorly designed... and I actually prefer them on the TouchScreen - especially with the iPhone modes in both ESPGaluda II and DDPR. But with the way that DU2 was developed, with the no button control scheme in mind, it just shines on the touchscreen in a way that not very many iOS bullet hell titles do (in fact, right now, only Phoenix is popping into my head. Even Shogun, with it's 'no visible buttons' sort of control set-up makes you have to look to be sure what you're pressing when changing your shot, or god-forbid, upgrading your shot). But I do agree that an extra level would kind of throw the game off. As it is now, it's hard enough and takes quite a bit of time completing the game. With another level, we'd have to make sure we have another 5 minutes or so to sacrifice when going for a complete run through or score chasing drive... not to mention the difficulty increase in just having another level with the amount of lives and continues given in the game. Right now, I think DU2 is perfect. Especially in the amount of content. I think it'd be a lot better if Sunny put his time into bug fixing, and 'completing' DU2 in that regard and then started thinking of Storm Strikers 2 (I know there's a few of you that were really wanting that instead of DU2...), rather than spending more time on a game that (as much as I hate to say it) won't make nearly as much money as it should, and that he's already thrown months (if not a year or two?) of his life into. No matter how cool and great it would be to have another gameplay mode or something - he's only one man... and can only do so much. Even if an extra mode was done, and put into the game - even as an IAP only mode - you're taking a game within a niche genre and hoping that even half the people who legitimacy bought it would throw another couple bucks into the game... Just seems like we're asking way too much from a one man dev team with a game that we all know won't make much money, and took an incredible amount of time to make. Sorry for my rant... and if I offended anyone - it was not my intention. Just throwing my thoughts out there...
Tried the Lite version -- simply fantastic! I love the buttonless controls, the clear graphics, and the smooth 60fps framerate. Regardless of what the curmudgeons might say, iOS is truly a great platform for danmaku games.
I would rather play Cave games on a PC with MAME and an arcade stick. If you're making what's supposed to be a visually impressive game, it needs to be displayed correctly. Also, a few of them err too much on the side of SHMUP and not enough danmaku. I don't hate them, they just don't do enough right to suit my taste, and the asking price on iOS is high considering how good games like DU2 are at getting almost everything right.
Wow, too long to quote. You gotta buy an icade core SV, it's on sale right now for $25, and then you won't get as frustrated with controls. You will absolutely love it. Plus it works well with hdmi too. Give it a try. It will make you smile.
