Hey you three nerds in the back there! Help me with Psyvariar 2: Extend Edition

sasimirobot

Junior Member
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Havent heard much hoopla about this game around here. Also cant find any decent FAQs on this game. Its fun, very colorful, good music and not impossible like Gradius-V so why no love?

Anyways, if anyone can fill me in on how exactly the "shooting-type" and "buzz-type" systems work I would appreciate it.
 
from what i remember, you buzz by come close to bullets without having them hit you, which charges up your shot, depending on the color or something like that.
 
Well, I love the music, and the graphics... but the game is extremely short (15 minutes to beat), and has very sketchy hit detection (like one minute, things that SHOULD hit you, aren't...).
 
djtiesto said:
Well, I love the music, and the graphics... but the game is extremely short (15 minutes to beat), and has very sketchy hit detection (like one minute, things that SHOULD hit you, aren't...).

Yeah. That is what im interested in, the hit detection seems to depend on factors Im not aware of. The game is a little too easy, am I missing something?
 
Without me looking into past threads/boards, all I know is that the buzz system works the same way as the first one did in the arcade, in that you can only buzz (multiple times off of one bullet) if your ship is spinning... and to do that you have to basically wiggle the stick around or otherwise keep it in motion.

I think the shot-type just gets more powerful with more stuff blown up.

I'm sorta hoping the upcoming PS2 version will have the shoulder buttons set to rolling so that buzzing can take less effort (like the first one did).

It comes out Dec 9, right? I'll be able to answer any questions personally after the 12th or whenever I get it.
 
sasimirobot said:
Its fun, very colorful, good music and not impossible like Gradius-V so why no love?

manic shooters like psyvariar 2 are generally considered more "impossible" than horizontal slower-moving mainstream shooters like Gradius V.. especially with psyvariar's unpredictable hit detection.

and gradius 5 is far from impossible, even for beginners.
 
john2kx said:
manic shooters like psyvariar 2 are generally considered more "impossible" than horizontal slower-moving mainstream shooters like Gradius V.. especially with psyvariar's unpredictable hit detection.

and gradius 5 is far from impossible, even for beginners.

I had a HELLUVA lot less trouble with Psyvariar 2 than Gradius V... maybe cuz it's 1/5 as long??
 
djtiesto said:
but the game is extremely short (15 minutes to beat)
Shooters aren't designed to be "beaten" like that.

sasimirobot said:
The game is a little too easy, am I missing something?
Buzzing, I'd guess. It is a pain in the ass to do on a pad -- obviously designed for stick play -- and I too, like dog$, am hoping the PS2 version has a rolling button. But I don't see why it would when the DC version didn't.

Anyway, it's how you score and pretty much the only reason to play a Psyvariar game if you ask me.
 
Shooting type - Your shots are more powerful and you level up faster by shooting & killing things. The moment you level up, you are invincible for a short period of time.

Buzz-type - Your shots are weaker, but you level up faster by buzzing, getting close to bullets and objects as fast as you can. The moment you level up, your invincibility is for a longer duration than the Shooting type.

So basically Shooting type, you can play as a normal shooter. Buzz type, you'll want to buzz as much as possible. And in that moment of invincibility, ram your ship into as much carnage as you can in that half a second to achieve more experience so that you can level up again. Repeat until you get a bazillion points.

Oh, and I totally love the music to Psyvariar 2.

NTSC-UK has a good write up on the game.
 
the lack of an auto-roll feature has kept me from playing the dc version very much. i find the stick wiggling really irritating. i spent a fair amount of time with medium unit/revision on ps2, though. you really shouldn't play psyvariar as if it's a traditional shooter -- enemies often pose no threat if you immediately destroy them, and if your level is low, you'll only get to play the easiest stages. it can be misleading.
 
Psyvariar's colision detection was excellent, the hitbox of the craft was ridiculously small (for Revision, at least) and you could do suicidal maneveurs in the middle of a sea of bullets. THAT was the point of it all. I haven't played Psyvariar 2, but the focus of Psyvariar was buzzing, buzzing, and buzzing. More than killing enemies. The more you buzz the more points you get, and you're able to access zones you were not allowed when you achieve high scores. So the point is buzzing and not dying. For that you have to combine slow and normal modes (when slowing down you can control your ship much better and you're buzzing twice as when normal). You shouldn't kill enemies until they've fired some shots if possible. Memorization helps, and reflexes are vital. You'll notice that when levelling up your ship becomes undestructible, which you can use to actually sink your ship into those crazy bullet patterns and level up again (in a matter of a second) and maybe again and again. Chaining level-ups is the only way to beat some bosses without getting killed, unless you use some of your bombs in a very smart way.

All of the above applies to the Revision of the original, which is pure fun. As I said I have not played the sequel (yet), this advice may help or not. Anyway, Psyvariar is an incredible shooter and deserves all of your (our) love.
 
aero:

WOW. Thanks for all the info, this makes me want to go back and play some more. Anyone have a decent high score to post?
 
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