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@nacthenud

Wait what...Rogue Squadron???

@Guillaume It was just left-to-right. Ex-Patriot is more like a 2D sidescrolling Metal Gear game, at least based off the demo; it has little in common with the Rush 'n Attack series prior to its release.

@Guillaume
There aren't many games more basic than the original Rush'N'Attack. Doesn't that series have a funny Japanese name? (Wiki says Green Beret.) It's a very simple stage-based arcade game.

I remember that the girl at my bus stop sang that game's praises. I thought, "Wow, it's so good that even a girl likes it!" And then I bought it. True story.

@Anand

I don't believe you.

You caught me. I was lying again.

It's like breathing to me.

@Shadowlink
Whoah... how'd that happen. By "Rogue Squadron", I meant "Renegade Ops"... not sure how those two titles got switched around in my head. Sorry about that.

@nacthenud

I am disappoint


....Someone give me Rogue Squadron 3D dammit.

@Anand Sorry, I missed this post before.

Compared to something like Ninja Gaiden, whose combat felt more dynamic, it just felt kind of effortless to me in Strider; in a bad way. There didn't seem to be any real contact with enemies who you hit, from what I played. They were just there.

I played the NES Bionic Commando; I've never played the arcade game before. I didn't like Bionic Commando as a kid, but a few years ago I went back and played through the whole thing. I think it's good now; it's just not quite one of my favorite games ever.

Run Saber is supposed to be pretty much exactly like Strider, but for the Super NES (since that system never had an actual Strider game of its own). If you like Strider and want to play more of it, it's probably worth checking out.

Has anyone played Burn Zombie Burn on PSN? I'm not sure I get the game at all. It looks like a twin stick shooter, but it doesn't actually use dual analog. Instead, you shoot where you're heading, except holding L2 makes you strafe and L1 makes you lock on to the nearest enemy.

It's not intuitive for a second.

Then there's the burning mechanic, which also confuses me. It doesn't seem effective at all. The zombies must take, what, 10 seconds to burn? You have time to die a dozen times.

Maybe the game will grow on me as I play more, but heh. I got other fish to fry.

I only tried the game because it was free for PSN+ members.

Today is PixelJunk Sidescroller day.

But my internet will only be fixed tomorrow morning.

Totally buying it as soon as it's out. Time to top the leaderboards once again! Maybe... I think I'm still ranked #5 worldwide on the PJS2 one

@Guillaume
Burn Zombie Burn was one I got tired of REALLY quickly, but I appreciate the ideas behind the burning mechanic. Burning them isn't meant to be "effective", it's a risk/reward mechanic. Setting zombies on fire increases your score multiplier, but also increases the danger to you. IGN explained it well in their review:

"Burning zombies, in addition to explaining the title, are the core score multiplier. For every burning lump o' undead, you'll add another number to your combo counter. Since the fire spreads to nearby enemies, one need only run through a pack to start a chain reaction. Ah, but there's a catch: zombies on fire are, well, on fire. They're already going to die, so they have nothing to lose, which means they're faster, hit harder and make a bee line toward either Bruce or one of the few extra objectives that appear in some of the side modes.

"This risk/reward setup is absolutely key to BZB's appeal. You can't rack up serious points (which are tied to medals, and in turn unlock everything else in the game) without setting some guys on fire, but once you do, you've essentially exhausted your options for being able to run through them without getting singed. Bad news if you happen to back yourself into a corner in one of the game's six main levels. But, without setting some reanimated corpses alight, you can't get the points to unlock new levels, modes and bonuses.

"There's another bit of strategy to consider: killing zombies in either state drops different rewards. Zombies not yet set on fire cough up health packs (in the form of food-like donuts and hot dogs, naturally), TNT and ammo -- all important for staying in the fight. Burning zombies, though, release health packs for any targets you're escorting, plus power-ups that level-up your normal TNT attacks (first into a proximity mine and eventually into a remote-detonated bomb) and their range/damage. Because of this, you're constantly trying to balance out the danger of a flaming swarm of brain-munchers and their inherent point-bonuses with the need to, well, stay alive."

IGN Review

@Guillaume
Really? Today??? I'm so excited all of a sudden!

@nacthenud

It's up!

And I managed to download it and install it before my connection crapped out!

But I need to go to the gym before playing...

See you on the leaderboards, chumps!

@Guillaume

Oh it's on

I played it some and managed to beat the first 2 stages. I'm not sure if there's only 3 stages but if so, this is a MUCH shorter experience than the PixelJunk Shooter series. Each stage is composed of 4 levels so 1-1, 1-2, and so on. They're not terribly long either so you'll find yourself being done with them quite fast. Although they do play differently, I think Shooter felt better overall since you're given a bit more freedom and also there's a lot more exploration to be done if you want to go for 100%. Replay value seems to consist of high scores, obviously, as each level has a "challenge score" to beat which determines your medal at the end. There's also 3 hidden emblems per level which are found by nearing their location or shooting in their general direction (not 100% sure on this one though).

I know Dylan Cuthbert (on Twitter) said that they can't be compared directly as they're different genres but they still feel alike in a way. With PixelJunk Shooter 2 having a much lengthier single player, tons of replay value and even an online vs mode, that one is clearly the winner. So far anyway. My opinion may change later as I put more time in this one. Still, they're both a lot of fun!

EDIT: High score for 1-1 set! Beat that!

@VofEscaflowne

I did! Won't last though. Competition is fierce!

I'm waaaayyyy ahead of everyone else on 1-2 as of 10 minutes ago, though.

Won't last either. They will find me. And feast off my flesh.

Or something.

@VofEscaflowne

I played PJS2 a couple months ago and you were definitely in the top 10 still. I managed to get in the top 100 I believe before I stopped playing.

Anyway, I'm sure I will pick up Sidescroller eventually. My plan is to play after all of you guys have stopped and then beat all of your high scores. (It didn't work for PJS2, so maybe it's a dumb plan.)

Dammit! Back to the drawing board.

EDIT: Reclaimed my... #2 spot? Well I topped your score anyway!

I'm ranked #1 (Casual) on Sector 1-4! At least the last time I checked...

Casual? Ha! Play normal like us... normal people. And to think there's still hard...