Darius Burst (PSP)

There aren't many better ideas in the history of gaming than shooting giant alien robo-fish.

I love Darius. This is looking promising.

Darius Burst pre-orders have just shipped from NCSX, so this thread needed to get kicked. I guess mine should probably arrive around Monday. I think this just might beat Thunder Force VI as far as bringing back a long-ignored franchise.

I picked up a copy of the game not too long ago.

Load times from UMD are actually pretty long. I'd try to get the PSN version (or rip to memory stick if you know how).

Graphics are budget quality, but the art/design is stylish. If I really had to complain, it has the same sort of outer-space monotony that Gradius V suffered from. Music is Zuntata, and you already know what to expect from them.

3 difficulty modes: Easy, Normal (default), Hard. I'd rate the difficulty at medium. Not an easy game at all, but probably not incredibly challenging for experts, even in Hard mode.

You charge up your Burst meter by shooting down objects. Burst has two modes: One is the familiar laser from G.Darius. The other weapon (double-tap Burst) is a sword-like weapon, that absorbs shots as well as destroys objects. You can recharge your meter while using the Burst 'sword.'

Some of the zones share the same content and bosses from the zones in the same column. That's not exactly new for Darius, but there's a lot less variety between zones than past installments.

I've cleared the game a few times, and I unlocked an extra craft, cinema view modes, and short missions. There's a lot of content to unlock.

The main Arcade mode is brief. I prefer it that way, and I don't really feel short-changed by the game's length. I like playing for single-credit clears and scoring runs on shorter games. Still, it's not as long as past Darius games.

This is the best made-for-PSP shooter in the system's library (which isn't saying much, but I think it's a solid title.. for perspective, I was very disappointed by Thunder Force VI). I recommended buying it.

PS. I'm not the biggest Darius follower. I played Sagaia back in the day, and Darius Gaiden is one of my favorite hori shooters. I haven't invested a lot of time into G.Darius.

EDIT: These Youtube videos have been pulled apparently due to TOU violation. Sorry.

Here's a complete playthrough of the ABCEH route on youtube, complete with the Zone H ending and credits. This is also a review, so there will be some Japanese voiceovers talking about the game. Great play, though the player does end up continuing twice in the final zone.

IMO it's not bad, even if Gaiden is the best in the series. It's good enough to bring over to XBLA/PSN. The BGM is almost on par with G. Darius' soundtrack. OGR did just one of the boss themes, but the new Zuntata guys still don't disappoint.

The multiplier works generally like Sin & Punishment 2 - keep killing enemies and it rises. Taking a hit with your shield on will reduce it by 1. If you get killed, it resets completely to x1. It maxes at x16, and starts from x1 at the beginning of a stage.

DB does come out ahead of TF6 in terms of challenge - it's not as hard as other Darius games, but it isn't a relative cakewalk like TF6. Too bad you cannot play PSP games on PS3 - this would be great to play with the SFIV TE controller.

This is coming to Europe. Someone needs to get this out here or get it announced for XBLA stat!

Yay! Please be UMD.

I have the JP version and really dig this game. I do hope the US gets the tangible UMD. With these particular games, something strangely cheapens the experience if it's downloadable only.

I wish the ps3 could play psp games. I would buy so many more if I didn't have to use my psp to play them. My psp has an ooooold ass custom firmware installed, and I haven't played any new games in a couple years. My battery is pretty much dead I'm guessing replacing it for an older model with custom firmware is going to be a pain in the ass.