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[adversesolutions]

Yeah that is arcade black label: new stage, new character (Sakura) and a revised game system that is a bit more engaging. Black Label is a must for anyone picking up Deathsmiles.

I'm not sold on the LE. If it's just full-voice for the game it's hard to care...I heard something about an art book though and if that's true I'd pick it up.

Man, this game is going to be seriously good. Outrageous that only J region 360s are going to be able to play it for the moment. >: l

 

[Princess Skittles]

Mega Black Label is delicious, it sucks that it's DLC.

I'm going to wait on this one, if it's not announced for the US by year's end, I'm getting a J-360.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Yeah that is arcade black label: new stage, new character (Sakura) and a revised game system that is a bit more engaging. Black Label is a must for anyone picking up Deathsmiles.

I'm not sold on the LE. If it's just full-voice for the game it's hard to care...I heard something about an art book though and if that's true I'd pick it up.

Man, this game is going to be seriously good. Outrageous that only J region 360s are going to be able to play it for the moment. >: l

The content for the LE is just a remixed soundtrack cd (15 songs). Nothing more it seems. No art book :-(

The Voice Card DLC is being offered for the pre-order of both versions.

I think the chances of Death Smiles being released in North America are really small, specially considering the Lolita theme. Well, if Raiden Fighters Aces is being released in USA, we can hope (but RFA is more old-school and sexuality-free safe).

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Mega Black Label is delicious, it sucks that it's DLC.

I do not mind it. It is better (and cheaper) than another full-disc release. Considering that the development of the arcade version of Black Label was happening at the same time of the development of the 360 version, it is the best option.

No problem, just make a japanese account and grab a japanese point card from ebay (that is what I will do).

 

[Princess Skittles]

I think the chances of Death Smiles being released in North America are really small, specially considering the Lolita theme. Well, if Raiden Fighters Aces is being released in USA, we can hope (but RFA is more old-school and sexuality-free safe).

There's been a lot of rumors of it happening. Someone from 5pb said international releases for DDP and Ketsui were just waiting on some dotted lines being signed. I remember hearing Death Smiles rumors too but that's not 5bp so I'll have to find the source again.

 

[digita1alchemy]

There's been a lot of rumors of it happening. Someone from 5pb said international releases for DDP and Ketsui were just waiting on some dotted lines being signed. I remember hearing Death Smiles rumors too but that's not 5bp so I'll have to find the source again.

Oh man...

 

[Chiaroscuro]

There's been a lot of rumors of it happening. Someone from 5pb said international releases for DDP and Ketsui were just waiting on some dotted lines being signed. I remember hearing Death Smiles rumors too but that's not 5bp so I'll have to find the source again.

let's hope so, but DDP and Ketsui have more in common to RFA, while Death Smiles can be related to Otomedius, which will never be released in USA mainly due to the sexual theme.

I will only believes this deals when they are signed. Even so, I can only believe an USA release when I have the copy on my hands. So many things can happen in between, delays, etc. Remember that 5pb games were promised to "try" to be region free, which they end not being.

A Japanese 360 is not too much money to spend to be able to play those games. But the 3RLs thing worries me a bit. Plus the games are really expensive.

 

[Princess Skittles]

let's hope so, but DDP and Ketsui have more in common to RFA, while Death Smiles can be related to Otomedius, which will never be released in USA mainly due to the sexual theme.

I don't know about the Konami game but I can't remember anything in Death Smiles overtly sexual other than a couple of the images that flash by when you beat each stage. Of course, this is not being able to read the text but if that's where it is that can easily be excised to get the game out over here.

 

[Arpharmd B]

LE of Deathsmiles Preordered.

I have no Japanese 360 though lol.

 

[icecream]

The content for the LE is just a remixed soundtrack cd (15 songs). Nothing more it seems. No art book :-(

You forgot the special packaging.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

How Konami can release Rumble Roses XX in the US and then turn around on Otomedius smacks of hypocrisy. As far as I'm concerned they're a bunch of fun-hating lay-abouts and they can go climb a tree.

Besides none of the Cave shooters are out yet. Maybe we'll hear something from Atlus or Xseed sometime after they hit Japan.

Most of the images that flash by between stages are either nonsensical or are only creepy if you're an extreme otaku and find the idea of little girls looking out windows oddly arousing.

Besides the music sounds like it's out of a Castlevania game. How can anyone pass on that? Makes no sense.

 

[Yes Boss!]

You forgot the special packaging.

And the awesome and better cover art (though the original edition is no slouch either)!

 

[Hwang Seong-Gyeong]

What the hell is stopping the 180 from being region free? I'd import this shit in a heartbeat. Why is PS3 region free, and Sony are trash for not allowing games like this.

God dammit.

 

[phez]

And it seems that Ketsui is delayed to a vague Spring release:

http://www.famitsu.com/review/title/0000/0000/0003/3815/

anyone know if this game is getting any kind of improvement, or just a straight port?

 

[Chiaroscuro]

And the awesome and better cover art (though the original edition is no slouch either)!

I do prefer the original one than the special edition, but I am getting the special edition nevertheless.

Anyone has a solid info on the packaging? It could be like IdolM@aster LFY special edition, a slipcase over the normal regular edition.

And NCSX is reporting an art book for the SE, but I cannot find any info on any Japanese site (neither on the dev blog).

 

[adversesolutions]

I do prefer the original one than the special edition, but I am getting the special edition nevertheless.

Anyone has a solid info on the packaging? It could be like IdolM@aster LFY special edition, a slipcase over the normal regular edition.

And NCSX is reporting an art book for the SE, but I cannot find any info on any Japanese site (neither on the dev blog).

Not much info at all on the ground about what's coming with the game. I hear mixed things too. I have a shop that'll sell it to me two days early though, so hopefully I can take a pic then.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Another post on the dev blog:

http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/

Death Smiles a few days to gold status?

 

[discoalucard]

How Konami can release Rumble Roses XX in the US and then turn around on Otomedius smacks of hypocrisy. As far as I'm concerned they're a bunch of fun-hating lay-abouts and they can go climb a tree.

Wrestling games can potentially sell, but shooters? ehh..... (Of course it pains me to say that.)

I keep getting edgy about these 5pb ports. Weren't they announced like a year ago and they keep getting delayed? On the other hand, Cave seems much more on the ball with getting Death Smiles out.

I'm a bit more concerned about Pink Sweets, which I really like what I played of it. Much rather have it than Muchi Muchi Pork at least.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Any word on Cave's future console plans? They will handle all future projects in-house, right? 5pb has only Ketsui and DDP licensed.

I recall reading an interview that Cave may consider ports of older games, but that may be a problem because older games does not sell so well and maybe a compilation can be produced.

But what about not so old games? I would like ports of Mushihime-sama Futari and Pink Sweets.

 

[discoalucard]

Capcom did some arcade ports awhile ago...it would be awesome if they did a shooter compilation with Mars Matrix, Giga Wing, Dimahoo, and of course Progear. But those were mostly made for the NA/Euro market, so I somehow doubt they'd give those shooters a chance.

 

[danmaku]

It all depends on DS sales. With the arcade scene dead and buried in the west and shrinking in Japan, I think they would be more than glad to shift (at least partially) to the console market. Mushi Futari and Espgaluda 2 ports? hell yeah!!
But even if they focus only on their newest games (Daifukkatsu and DS2) it's still fine for me.

 

[Yes Boss!]

Ok, I'm in the process of ordering Espgaluda and Fantasy Zone Complete Collection for the Japanese PS2. I'm thinking about adding Do Don Pachi Daioujou PS2 to the order since it is still in print...would that be overkill if I've already got the new 360 version arriving?

 

[Yes Boss!]

Ketsui Extra has been dated for a 5/28 release according to the official website:

http://5pb.jp/games/div2/ketsuiex/

 

[GhostSeed]

Ketsui Extra has been dated for a 5/28 release according to the official website:

http://5pb.jp/games/div2/ketsuiex/

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

It better be a good port. I don't wanna regret selling my PCB!

 

[ghibli99]

Man, the talk on the shmups forums about 5pb's work seems worse than when the Taito port of Mushi came out. Damn. Is it *that* bad? I know they can be fanatical, but I'm not gonna bite if the ports are half-assed. Man, I miss the Arika days...

 

[Chiaroscuro]

CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!

Got this e-mail from Play-Asia today:

"This is an important e-mail update regarding your pending Death Smiles
[First Print Limited Edition] preorder (#13092339).

We regret to inform you that due to an unforeseen production cut,
insufficient quantities of this item will be made available to the market.

According to our suppliers there will be a big shortage on this item as
the publisher has decided to make only a very small print run of the first
print edition.

Despite our very best efforts to reserve as many limited editions
beforehand, our suppliers have informed us that only a very small
percentage of the preorder will be made available. We currently have to
expect that we might be unable to accommodate all pending preorders.

At present we are only able to confirm all orders with order numbers lower
than 13054500. Orders with higher order numbers unfortunately cannot be
confirmed at the moment.

If your order cannot be fulfilled, you will receive another e-mail update
from us.

In case that the supply situation changes your purchase intention, please
feel free to contact our customer service in reply to this e-mail with
your instructions or simply cancel the order in your customer account.

For your reference, the Death Smiles normal print is available, there is
no shortage expected for this item."

I have pre-ordered the this the very first time it became available, on November 4th last year. Now it seems that even my order did not make the cut. :-(

 

[Yes Boss!]

Man, the talk on the shmups forums about 5pb's work seems worse than when the Taito port of Mushi came out. Damn. Is it *that* bad? I know they can be fanatical, but I'm not gonna bite if the ports are half-assed. Man, I miss the Arika days...

I'm about to bid on a copy of Taito's Mushi on eBay. Is it really that bad or is it still worth it if I'm trying to complete my Cave collection. Fwiw, I had no problem whatsoever with 5pb's DDP.

Should I instead go for the more pricey Ibara?

CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!
I have pre-ordered the this the very first time it became available, on November 4th last year. Now it seems that even my order did not make the cut. :-(

NCSX mentioned this as well last month but chose to let preorders stand. They are still taking preorders for the limited box...don't know if that means they will get enough but it might be worth a shot locking it in there. The stick, unfortunately, is gone.

http://www.shopncsx.com/deathsmilesregularedition-1.aspx

 

[DeBurgo]

I'm about to bid on a copy of Taito's Mushi on eBay. Is it really that bad or is it still worth it if I'm trying to complete my Cave collection. Fwiw, I had no problem whatsoever with 5pb's DDP.

Should I instead go for the more pricey Ibara?

It should be fairly acceptable. There might be some obscure game balance issues but the main complaints I remember people having was the filtering, which is barely noticeable on a normal TV.

and Ibara has the same "problems" that mushi does, anyway.

(holy shit ibara is going for 180 dollars now? wtf. and 150 for mushi? jesus. I still have a fairly mint special edition of Mushihimesama, with the figure, I wonder how much that would go for)

looking at the prices now, though, if you're REALLY anal about the quality it looks like the PCB is only going for a few hundred dollars more. If you've the equipment to set that up, go for that.

 

[British Monsoon]

Ibara is an even worse port than Mushi, both are horribly blurry - but if you don't have access to the PCB then i'd say it's definetly worth picking them up, Mushi especially.

 

[adversesolutions]

I agree with the poster above me. Port-wise, they're both at a more or less acceptable level. Mushi has some problems with slowdown being removed, which were so bad that I couldn't get past stage 3 reliably. I can 1CC it in the arcade though.

If you haven't played other Raizing games, Ibara's system might intimidate you. It's pretty deep/complicated. Not really my favorite CAVE game tbh.

Ibara is definitely hard as hell to find though. I was lucky and stumbled across a copy at a used game store in Osaka.

 

[Yes Boss!]

Ok thanks!

I'm not expecting the Arika quality but I might as well spend the $300 to get them both sooner rather than later. Though I can only afford one now and Mushi is cheaper.

DeBurgo, you aren't by any chance looking to get rid of yours are you? No supergun so PCB is out of the question. Though, perhaps I should open that can of worms now. I haven't been able to find any good off-the-shelf superguns and a lot of the custom builders never respond to my emails. What are you guys using?

 

[FortNinety]

Remember that 5pb games were promised to "try" to be region free, which they end not being.

I'm sure it's been asked already, but why exactly did this "switch" happen in the first place? Were they forced to abandon with the region free plan or something?

 

[DeBurgo]

DeBurgo, you aren't by any chance looking to get rid of yours are you? No supergun so PCB is out of the question. Though, perhaps I should open that can of worms now. I haven't been able to find any good off-the-shelf superguns and a lot of the custom builders never respond to my emails. What are you guys using?

Do you mean my PS2 copy of Mushi/Ibara? Sorry, man, I still plan on holding onto them for the foreseeable future. Good luck though, I hope you find a good deal.

And yeah I'm curious about the whole supergun thing too. It's also been sort of my dream to set up a Jamma cabinet ever since I've seen people on various forums doing that, but overall getting into the imported PCB/Arcade cabinets thing looks like a ridiculously expensive hobby, and one where you need to be able to accept huge risks in your purchases and be willing to do your own soldering/circuit work.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

NCSX mentioned this as well last month but chose to let preorders stand. They are still taking preorders for the limited box...don't know if that means they will get enough but it might be worth a shot locking it in there. The stick, unfortunately, is gone.

http://www.shopncsx.com/deathsmilesregularedition-1.aspx

Thanks, but NCSX is not an option to me. Aside the higher price (US$ 108.90) their international shipping charges are absurd. I can only select UPS and for a game it shows a rate of US$ 103.61!!!!

Have to check other sites...

 

[Yes Boss!]

Thanks, but NCSX is not an option to me. Aside the higher price (US$ 108.90) their international shipping charges are absurd. I can only select UPS and for a game it shows a rate of US$ 103.61!!!!

Have to check other sites...

Damn, pricey shipping. That is too bad as NCSX is a gem to have in North America. They pretty much encourage UPS in the US too so it always adds a few bucks to my orders but quite often I choose them over play-asia.

Do you mean my PS2 copy of Mushi/Ibara? Sorry, man, I still plan on holding onto them for the foreseeable future. Good luck though, I hope you find a good deal.

And yeah I'm curious about the whole supergun thing too. It's also been sort of my dream to set up a Jamma cabinet ever since I've seen people on various forums doing that, but overall getting into the imported PCB/Arcade cabinets thing looks like a ridiculously expensive hobby, and one where you need to be able to accept huge risks in your purchases and be willing to do your own soldering/circuit work.

Yeah, wasn't expecting you wanting to get rid of it but it doesn't hurt to ask! Most of the online sales are used with no photos so it is tough to judge.

I'm just getting my feet re-wet with shooters and started last year after an absence of twenty years. Was going to go the PCB route but instead decided to start with all the Japanese 360 shooters and a Japanese PS2. It does sound pricey collecting PCBs but I'm not to adverse to expensive hobbies. I've only spent about $1500 so far one 360/PS2 and gotten quite a bit more mileage than I would have with PCBs. I'll likely build my own supergun since it doesn't seem outside of my skills.

I think my immediate next step is to buy a Japanese Saturn.

 

[Arpharmd B]

Motherfucker! I Got that email too.

Worst part:
can't fill orders past this number: 13054500

My number? 14 something.... damn.

 

[Yes Boss!]

Motherfucker! I Got that email too.

Worst part:
can't fill orders past this number: 13054500

My number? 14 something.... damn.

I don't think they are really getting any in as Chiaroscuro preordered way back when they initially listed and prior to play-asia taking it down then re-listing. I'm not expecting my limited edition from NCSX either but I've got it attached to the Death Smiles stick as one order so hopefully they will make an attempt to fill it.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Motherfucker! I Got that email too.

Worst part:
can't fill orders past this number: 13054500

My number? 14 something.... damn.

My number is 13092339...

Is there any order fulfilled/assured? To me it seems that PA is playing a game on us.

The cost of the game in my pre-order was US$ 90 already including shipping. The last time I saw the pre-order opened it was around US$ 105. But all the sites I have been visiting that still have the pre-order open start the price at US$ 130-150 minimum.

To me it seems that PA does not want to loose money by honouring the pre-orders since the limited run will probably cost a premium in their suppliers.

 

[Yes Boss!]

To me it seems that PA does not want to loose money by honouring the pre-orders since the limited run will probably cost a premium in their suppliers.

I'm not sure they are trying that. I ordered my Oto stick when it was $350 then they closed the preorders then reopened them at $390 and they still honored my initial price. Between this and the NCSX announcement I'm really thinking it might be hard for vendors outside of Japan to get a handle on how many they will be able to get.

That said, if I have to deal with the standard edition I'm still going to be happy. The SE doesn't really look that special and I only wanted to buy it to support Cave.

 

[adversesolutions]

Reposting some stuff I just put up on shmups. Could be big news from CAVE soon since they're talking about putting some of their shooters on LIVE arcade again. This would mean people in the west could finally get their hands on them (easier).

Picked up the 360 Famitsu, haven't read through it all yet but one thing that stood out was the review of Deathsmiles, which goes 8978, and the guy who gives it a 7 notes that the resolution in the Arcade mode is so low he found it hard to play. But he says the Xbox360 mode is much better to look at and easier to play.

There's an interview with Asada and Inoue which I've just skimmed. Probably more info in here but one thing that stood out was Asada mentioning that they do plan to put DSII on the 360. Then he mentions that he sees the appeal of both package and Live Arcade titles, and that they'll probably put out future games going between the two (!).

Couple more notes from the Asada/Joker Jun interview:

- Joker Jun mentions that Deathsmiles II is set one month after Deathsmiles because if it was any longer after that, the characters would have to age and 'we can't have that'.

He also tells the interviewer that Deathsmiles was originally named 'Death Lolitas' but that CAVE decided before releasing it that this name wouldn't do well with arcade operators so they canned it. lol

- Some of the achievements are going to be pretty odd/unique. There's an achievement for 1CCing the game. Asada says that probably anyone will be able to get up to 800.


--------------
So there's a feature on Ketsui EX in the latest Famitsu 360, and at the bottom it has a special message from Sakari Masaki.

First he apologizes for the problems with BLEX and promises an update to the game. He also promises that they are going to do something for offline users as well, so I think this confirms an updated game disc and swap-out. He says that he's putting a lot of attention into reducing the load times for Ketsui in particular.

 

[drohne]

good to know that 5pb have taken stock of the black label complaints and presumably intend to do better with ketsui -- i'll be really bummed if the port is subpar

 

[GhostSeed]

He also tells the interviewer that Deathsmiles was originally named 'Death Lolitas' but that CAVE decided before releasing it that this name wouldn't do well with arcade operators so they canned it. lol

LOL indeed.

 

[Wehrwolf]

This of course means that we're duty-bound to call it Death Lolitas from now on.

 

[MadmanUK]

Luckily i ordered my Death Smiles last October so have managed to scrape in with a 1st print. I just sold my 360 version of Black Label, gonna stick with the PS2 version.

 

[danmaku]

good to know that 5pb have taken stock of the black label complaints and presumably intend to do better with ketsui -- i'll be really bummed if the port is subpar

Actually, they stopped shipments of DOJ

http://kotaku.com/5187884/shipments-of-buggy-xbox-360-maniac-shooter-halted

What a trainwreck of a game.

 

[adversesolutions]

Luckily i ordered my Death Smiles last October so have managed to scrape in with a 1st print. I just sold my 360 version of Black Label, gonna stick with the PS2 version.

You made the right decision. I feel bad for the person who bought it though. :lol

 

[MadmanUK]

You made the right decision. I feel bad for the person who bought it though. :lol

It's OK he was Italian.

 

[GhostSeed]

Got this email today from NCSX.

Dear NCS Customer,

About a month ago, our primary distributor in Japan notified us after preorders for Death Smiles Limited Edition had closed that there would be a potential shortage of the game but asked us to wait for confirmation.

Last night, they confirmed that there will indeed be a major shortage of Death Smiles LE but asked us to wait until the week of release to determine how many they would be able to supply to our company. Based on the numbers that we're seeing from different vendors in Japan, it appears that the publisher will only be able to fill 5% of their preorders. We'll send another update once we get closer to the release date. NCS apologies for this problem but the admittedly odd supply situation is beyond our control.

Regards,
NCSX Inc

Mother Fucker

 

[Mamesj]

I wonder if they're going to patch or rerelease Dodonpachi for the 360....it's at a relatively low price right now and I could easily see myself picking up a Japanese 360 if I can find one cheap.