More Shmups

Radirgy – I'm loving the visual style of this game. Imagine, if you will, a top-down rendering of Suburban Japan done in the style of Fantasy Zone, Sega Master System stylee, but in high res cel shaded 3D and without the jaggies. It's not a bad shmup either. A little on the easy side, but since I suck at shmups, that's maybe not such a bad thing. The game's failings are

1. It doesn't really do anything new
2. It's not always obvious what you're supposed to pick up and what you're supposed to avoid

The special attack, the ABSNET Barrier is similar to the vacuum bomb in Mars Matrix, and yields similar risk/reward trappings. A sword attack, which refills your ABSNET barrier quicker than shooting, similarly introduces an element of risk. The game is certainly competent, and one worth picking up, especially if you like the art style.

Hyperduel – I have to ask this game, "Where have you been all my life?" It of course replies, "Waiting for you to get decadent enough that you'll spend £160 on a Saturn game." There was a certain feel to 16-bit console shmups—games like Aero Blaster, W-Ring, Axelay and Eleiminate Down—that seemingly vanished at the dawn of the 32-bit era. It became simple to replicate the arcade feel, and the console style was forgotten. Hyperduel is there for people that miss that. Of course, it is in no way a throwback. Hyperduel is a true evolution of the 16-bit console shmup. Everything feels solid, the screen is always busy, but never overwhelming, and everything seems to fall into just the right place at the right time. One of the coolest things about the game are the allies who fight along side you. Not like the drones of Daisenpu or even Super Aleste, these are autonomous fighters who bring their own contribution to the battle. It's an element more reminiscent of Halo than anything else. I can see why this game sells for so much. I'm not going to say it's worth that sum, but it's damn good none the less.

Tonight's Experiment

Well, the last time I tried making duck with ginger and spring onions, the duck didn't really seem to take on any of the flavour from the other ingredients, so... This time, I'm marinating the duck breast overnight with sake, spring onions and grated ginger. I've also got me some pak choi to add to the finished product. Let's see how it goes.