Anybody have any opinions on the Exceed collection or Ether Vapor Remaster? Thinking of picking these up but not sure...but I guess for the price...not much to lose.
I may not be the best to give you advise on this matter since I'm an absolute, hopeless STG fan (and there is something else, check my profile) but I played these games way before I was with Nyu Media.
Ether Vapor Remaster is a damn fine multi-perspective shmup. It supports the 360 pad alright, has pretty nice graphics for a doujin game and, certainly, it was a breath of fresh air due to how the camera takes part in the mechanics, featuring horizontal, vertical and even Panzer Dragoonesque sections. The game is heavily inspired by Thunder Force V and you can tell it by its weapon system. You have two main modes to choose from (Remaster and Story, the former playing the game in a seamless way without cutscenes) and then you can unlock some extra stuff.
Of the eXceed games, I love eXceed 3rd the most since it's the most polished, features one hell of a kickass metal OST and has a very nice scoring system focused on taking risks with grazing and mixing it with some mad up close and personal attacks. Easy mode IS easy and you even have an auto-bomb option (as well as several bomb pick ups and life extends through the game) so it's the most accessible of the lot.
eXceed 2nd features the polarity switching system popularized by Ikaruga so you can expect a lot of colour switching and crazy patterns. It's the longest of the lot and has dynamic difficulty (otherwise known as Rank) where you start on a certain rank and things get harder or easier depending on your performance. OR, you can also try to do "rank control" (by sacrificing a life) in order to get through rough spots. The game is also very generous with the special weapon and life extends.
eXceed Gun Bullet Children was the first and, obviously, most experimental of the lot. It's more inspired by Psyvariar 2 where you absolutely need to graze bullets in order to charge your special weapon as the bosses are ridiculously strong and hard. It's the most unforgiving of the lot, I'm not even kidding, Easy here is like eXceed rank on eXceed 2nd, jeez. STILL, may be worth a try due to the challenge. I managed to somehow clear this monster in one credit. On Easy of course, no shame. (Story can be read here:
http://exceedseries.com/)
All the games have cards btw
So, yeah, Ether Vapor Remaster gets a big yes from me. Did you guys even check the spiritual successor, Astebreed? That shit is sick, man. Mechatastic!