Death Smiles PAL release

johnny_ultimate · 08-02-2011 1:32pm #1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPC6O7Bue-4

This beauty is finally getting a PAL release next Friday, pretty much two years after a Japanese release and a few months after the US finally got it. It's the first major PAL retail release by bullet hell masters Cave in quite some time. Been looking forward to a home release since I first played it in an arcade.

There are obviously a tonne of purple and pink bullets to dodge, but Death Smiles makes some effort towards being accessible (not just the gothic lolita style either), and is indeed extremely manageable at lower difficulty levels. Of course, this being Cave, there are a variety of uber-hard modes on the disc for the masochist in you.

It's a fantastic game, one of the best contemporary schmups, and it's only 20 euro online for a cool three disc package including the soundtrack. A fine purchase for anyone looking for something a little different

Now, Death Smiles II please Rising Star?

Retr0gamer · 08-02-2011 2:30pm

If it came out in any other month I'd be all over it but with my car costing me loads to for NCT and Ys 1 and 2, Radiant Historia and Tactics Ogre out as well I just can't afford it.

pdbhp · 08-02-2011 3:36pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

If it came out in any other month I'd be all over it but with my car costing me loads to for NCT and Ys 1 and 2, Radiant Historia and Tactics Ogre out as well I just can't afford it.

Pfffffft excuses!!:pac:

evad_lhorg · 08-02-2011 3:40pm

not out until the 18th

johnny_ultimate · 08-02-2011 6:55pm

pdbhp wrote: »

Pfffffft excuses!!:pac:

He's just scared us bullet hell masters will shame him on the leaderboards :P

pdbhp · 08-02-2011 7:10pm

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

He's just scared us bullet hell masters will shame him on the leaderboards :P

Exactly, us heroes of the shmup revolution will decimate his weak shooter skillz leaving only a puddle of anti Goldeneye goo on the floor:pac:

Retr0gamer · 08-02-2011 7:25pm

Well I'm not a big fan of bullet hell shooters but after seeing you guys play it in my place I'm willing to give it another chance. Anyway I don't see you guys anywhere near my Ikaruga top score

pdbhp · 08-02-2011 7:27pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Well I'm not a big fan of bullet hell shooters but after seeing you guys play it in my place I'm willing to give it another chance. Anyway I don't see you guys anywhere near my Ikaruga top score

Send me 800 MS points and I'll buy it and give it a bash.:D
I have the demo and can blast through the first level easily especially after watching how you did it at the beers

johnny_ultimate · 08-02-2011 7:34pm

There was a few nights when I dedicated a good few hours to learning the first few levels of Ikaruga. I can usually get through levels one and two without much bother, but when it gets to ol' spinny staying alive becomes more of a challenge.

The 360 Cave games tend to have excellent high score based modes which lower the challenge in favour of ludicrous high scores, hopefully one of the many modes in DS will have one of 'em. The extreme bullet hell modes are always good for a laugh, but the easier, more accessible modes are what I tend to keep coming back to. Standard difficulty on DS is far more manageable than most other Cave games, and has some really inventive bosses to boot too.

Retr0gamer · 08-02-2011 7:39pm

Hopefully when march comes around it will still be available so I can give it a bash. Kind of got sick of every shoot'em up being bullet hell and the bad ones put me off. I think I'll just stick to Cave games, they are the masters after all

ghostchant · 09-02-2011 5:05pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Radiant Historia

This is my top priority this month as well

johnny_ultimate · 20-02-2011 8:05pm

Anyone pick this up?

The bullet patterns are works of art in this one

Mr Trade In · 20-02-2011 8:09pm

This is €29.99 in HMV at the moment.

Mr E · 20-02-2011 9:39pm

€24.99 in Game. I was *this* close to picking it up.

johnny_ultimate · 20-02-2011 11:06pm

Mr E wrote: »

€24.99 in Game. I was *this* close to picking it up.

20 Euro on Amazon.

You know you want to.

Yreval · 21-02-2011 4:03am

Picked this up on Friday for £20. While I've mostly been playing MvC3 this weekend, I really like what I've played of this so far. Also, I just want to say that the song that plays during the endings is absolutely fantastic.

It's the first major PAL retail release by bullet hell masters Cave in quite some time.

As far as I know this is the first retail release of any Cave game outside Japan, ever.

Retr0gamer · 21-02-2011 1:48pm

Yreval wrote: »

As far as I know this is the first retail release of any Cave game outside Japan, ever.

I'm pretty sure a few of their games got released by some small publishers in PAL territory on the PS2. Can't think of any at the moment though!

pdbhp · 21-02-2011 3:07pm

Pow!!!! just got my copy of Death Smiles:D
Come on bullets!!!!!!!!

pdbhp · 21-02-2011 11:03pm

Yreval wrote: »

As far as I know this is the first retail release of any Cave game outside Japan, ever.

Hardcore gaming 101 say it is the first official retail release for a Cave shooter outside of Nippon

Retr0gamer · 21-02-2011 11:18pm

Hopefully not the last.

pdbhp · 22-02-2011 11:48am

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Hopefully not the last.

Well if people buy the game in enough quantities then they would see the potential market for thier amazing games in the PAL region.
The problem is that nobody outside us geeks would have heard of it, when I asked for it in the shop the guy looked at me like I had a scabby foot growing out of my eye socket, then he got me the game and told me they had got 5 copies of it and obviously I was the first to buy one also he told me it released with a price of €50:eek: then almost immediately dropped down to €25

blag · 22-02-2011 3:06pm

Terrific game, stopped me playing MvC3 at all this weekend.

Pity its somewhat marred with some very questionable imagery:eek:

Edit: Has anyone else had issues with score attack where a "disconnected from xbox live" message appears and returns you to the main menu. Strange because it happened a good few times but I was never actually disconnected from xbox live. It interrupted so many good score runs that I just started doing training mode instead.

johnny_ultimate · 22-02-2011 5:53pm

blag wrote: »

Pity its somewhat marred with some very questionable imagery:eek:

The whole 'gothic lolita' look of the game was very specific to aim to a larger Japanese audience than the typical Cave game. I don't think it's as explicit as it could have been, but there's excess cleavage in some of the menu backgrounds for sure (considering some of the characters are 11 years old!). It's no Muchi Muchi Pork though. (video slightly NSFW)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ckkng-FKEs

Also, anyone played Ice Castle on Mega Black Label? Holy ****. Boss in that is one hell of a bullet sponge.

ondafly · 25-02-2011 7:50pm

loving Death Smiles so far, even quite enjoyable in multi player ! although there are a couple of bosses I'd struggle to pass without using a continue .

pdbhp · 25-02-2011 7:53pm

ondafly wrote: »

loving Death Smiles so far, even quite enjoyable in multi player ! although there are a couple of bosses I'd struggle to pass without using a continue .

I've been playing it since Monday and the bosses seem the easiest part it's the levels themselves that I need all the continues I can get on.

johnny_ultimate · 25-02-2011 7:58pm

It's the difficulty spike in Hades' Castle that makes 1CCing it a tricky prospect IMO. I can get through the main levels fairly easy - not 1CC yet, but only a handful of creds, even on Level 3 - but when it comes to Hades' Castle **** gets rough!

The bonus levels - Gorge and Ice Castle - are the true challenges for the hardcore though.

pdbhp · 25-02-2011 8:01pm

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

The bonus levels - Gorge and Ice Castle - are the true challenges for the hardcore though.

Hard as hell! but thats the way I like it.

Friend of mine went into Game in the square yesterday (where I bought my copy) and asked for a copy of DS the bloke told him they didn't have nor had he heard of it even though they had 5 copies on monday, what a bunch of idiots. Bet if you asked about Call of Duty or some piece of garbage like that they'd give you a 20 minute spiel about how great it is

johnny_ultimate · 26-02-2011 3:33am

Gave this a whirl online earlier, and ended up with someone who a) didn't seem to understand there were more attacks than 'turbo fire' (missing the fact there was in-depth scoring system in the process) and b) would use bombs at the mere sight of pink. I think it was when I was swearing at the TV that said individual wasn't using homing shot on the floating islands or laser shot during the ballroom bit in the castle that I figured out I may have been taking it too seriously :pac:

Also, I take back my statement that the imagery wasn't that objectionable. Hadn't seen the 'Bath Time!' ending at that point :P

blag · 26-02-2011 12:19pm

Yeah, it was that achievement that prompted my comment in my previous post!

Managed to 1cc Xbox 360 mode, was a lot easier than any other Cave game but still Jitterbug and Tyrannosatan (best boss name ever!) are tricky, wish you could skip straight to bosses in training.

dmcdante · 26-02-2011 12:31pm

ordered this from zavvi for 20 euro can you tell me whats on the 3rd disc is really looking forward to playing it is it 2 player online only or can you play 2 player on the 1 tv

blag · 26-02-2011 1:00pm

dmcdante wrote: »

ordered this from zavvi for 20 euro can you tell me whats on the 3rd disc is really looking forward to playing it is it 2 player online only or can you play 2 player on the 1 tv

You can do both local and online co-op.

Death Smiles PAL release

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