Darklaga: Cannonball Symphony (Tchaikovsky Not Included)

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.int13.net/darklaga.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.int13.net/darklaga.htm</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Engage pirate raiders aboard your Georoid, vaporize their weapons using your shield technologies, steal their energy to unleash highly potent attacks of your own, cut them in half with ricocheting blades, fire homing napalm missiles and watch them burn, melt them with your laser beams, or turn off all your advanced weaponry and go in with your basic equipment to get the highest score out of it. "</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20041029_darklaga.jpg" /><br /><br />I'm pretty sure this is a fighting game of some kind, in that words like "engage, vaporize and melt" are used as descriptive terms, rather than "hug, pet and kitty". As you can see from the screenshot above, there are no hugs, no petting, and certainly no kitty (unless there's one in the secret level). If you want to see more, you can either <a href="http://240gp.ovh.net/~int/darklaga/darklaga.avi"> view the video,</a> <a href="http://www.handango.com/ampp/store/PlatformTrialDownload.jsp?siteId=311&amp;jid=X86EA2118XC379F2B2B3XD54914D6969&amp;productId=142633">download the trial,</a> or <a href="http://www.handango.com/ampp/store/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&amp;jid=X86EA2118XC379F2B2B3XD54914D6969&amp;platformId=2&amp;productType=2&amp;productId=142633&amp;sectionId=0&amp;catalog=30&amp;topSectionId=-1">purchase the whole "kit 'n caboodle"</a> for only $9.95. [Affiliate]

[Maced]

Man this game looks super-busy (too many things going on at once..) I'll have to try it out and then I'll give my opinion..

[x999x]

This genre of shooter is popular in japan, and it requires a degree of skill to master. The premise isn't just mashing the fire button, it's traversing a maze, or Symphony of bullets while still taking out critical targets.

:!:Galaga it is Not.

[Jorlin]

I have tried the demo on my Loox720.

The game looks awesome. Certainly the screen is a bit crowded but the effects are great and... well ... it comes with what it says: "engage, vaporize and melt" is exactly what you are doing.


Unfortunately it does only support QVGA :/

[sponge]

Unfortunately it does only support QVGA :/

I wouldn't mark games down due to that - it's what to expect when you quadruple the amount of pixels that need to be drawn, while having no improvment in the processor itself. i.e. a game that runs 60FPS could potentially run at 15 on a VGA device.

[Jorlin]

I have bought this game...

And I have played it a lot yesterday and today.
I will publish a review about this game on firstloox.org tomorrow.

My conclusion:

Save your bucks!

"The game offers great graphics which – and I have to say this in all honesty so that you do not make the mistake I did – fooled me… I wanted to believe that this game is great. But this was only the surface. You cannot tell from playing the demo because it is too short.
This game could have been great if the same efforts that were made to come up with the great graphics have gone into the gameplay as well.
Unfortunately these were 9.95$ wasted money… :("

[rave]

vaporize their weapons using your shield technologies
You do that in: Gigawing, Mars Matrix, Psyvariar

steal their energy to unleash highly potent attacks of your own
You do that in: Gigawing, Mars Matrix, Ikaruga

Also, take a look at one of the shots, where it says "GRAZE". You do that in Psyvariar and Shikigami no Shiro.

-----
Suffice to say, this game is heavily inspired, as it seems to borrow key concepts from all the mainstream Japanese arcade shooters. Though borrowing from the greats does not necessarily make a game great itself. Can't say for this game, though. I haven't tried it yet.

[ThunderZ]

Jorlin I thinks that DarkLaga is pur Doujin Game.

You will need to like big and hard shoot game.

It's just like Psyvariar or Ikaruga an Hard-Shoot game.

[Jorlin]

Jorlin I thinks that DarkLaga is pur Doujin Game.

You will need to like big and hard shoot game.

It's just like Psyvariar or Ikaruga an Hard-Shoot game.

Hmmm... that might be... but I review it as a normal user that expects a "beatable" game. If it does not come close to that I cannot say: "It is only me because I do not like the genre. So you should still get it..."

Most people who see this game expect something like Siberian Strike X or Strike Force... I did. But it does not come close it it. At least such game should remain "fair" for the player - Darklaga does not.

[sponge]

This is why PPC gaming is destined to never go anywhere: people just want a casual game that they've played millions of times, unlike games like this that require dexterity/skill.