[img width=700 height=525]https://blogs-images.forbes.com/olliebarder/files/2017/08/rtype_boss.jpg[/img]
Get ready to blast off and attack the evil Bydo empire!
Hello shmup fans, and welcome to the RF Generation Shmup Club! This inaugural month of June 2018, we'll be playing through a major classic, and one of the seminal games that helped to define the genre in the modern era. That game is
R-Type, developed by Irem, and release in arcades in 1987. The game saw a release across many platforms in the years that followed. It arrived on the Sega Master System (Mark III) and TurboGrafx (PC Engine), the PC Engine CD in Japan, and even Nintendo's Game Boy, as well as a number of microcomputers, ranging from the ZX Spectrum to the Amiga. It was ported later to the Playstation, in the form of
R-Types, which compiled the first 2 games in the series into a single package. In 2009, it was released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 again via
R-Type Dimensions, which, like
R-Types, compiled the first two games, but also reformatted them for widescreen, and added new graphics and a redone soundtrack. However, this version allows you to, on the fly, switch between original graphics and sound, and the newly "remastered" versions.
R-Type was popular enough to warrant not one, but actually five sequels, as well as two spin-off strategy games, and
R-Type DX on the Game Boy Color, which mashed up levels from the first two games in a unique package.
[img width=700 height=393]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-QVmm_-PYwE/maxresdefault.jpg[/img]
R-Type Dimensions is purty!
For this first month, let's keep it casual. The original
R-Type is a difficult game, and is well known as being a "memorizer" - each level has a particular path to follow for success, so part of the challenge is learning that path, and in what order to take on the incoming enemies and obstacles. Feel free to share strategies, talk paths, share YouTube videos of play throughs or speed runs, etc. Also, let's compare scores! Tell everyone which version or port you're playing, and show off your high scores with pics or photos. If anyone manages to 1CC (1 credit clear) the game, feel free to show off, so we can all congratulate you on your victory!
A WORD ON THE GAME BOY PORT: The game defaults to the "HARD" difficulty. If you want to switch it to "EASY" difficulty, you'll need to hit the Select button at the title screen, where you can choose between the two settings. There is no "NORMAL" or "MEDIUM" difficulty setting. Also, there's no high score table in the Game Boy version, so the only way to capture your final score is to look at it on the screen as you die, before the screen changes to the "Game Over" message. Don't worry about grabbing a screenshot of your score, if you can't do so. Instead, just post what your score was when you died. This means we're all on the honor system, me included!
SPECIAL NOTE FOR R-TYPE DIMENSIONS: For those who may have difficulty with some levels, or aren't concerned with score as much,
R-Type Dimensions has "Infinity Mode" which gives you unlimited lives, but I believe the concession is that all checkpoints are eliminated, and you have to clear a stage in a single life to progress. However, in the standard "3 Lives" mode, the regular checkpoints return, but as you complete levels and progress to the next, you unlock the ability to jump right to a stage, so it gives you the ability to practice a stage specifically. This is a great way to lean the levels and gain some mastery of each, so that you can eventually string together a full play through, and possibly work toward the elusive 1CC, as well as maximize your score!
6-7-18 QUICK UPDATE: I totally forgot to include
R-Type DX on the Game Boy Color! DX has the original GB version packed in, as well as a colorized version that works on the new hardware, so that is also an acceptable port to play and discuss/score/etc. Sorry for the obvious exclusion!
PARTICIPANTS:MetalFRO
singlebanana
Pam
Duke.Togo
Addicted
slackur
Voodoo Monkey
Despatche
NefariousWes
Douglie007
davyK
mightyqdawg
Zagnorch
Square_Air
D-rock
HIGH SCORES PER PLATFORM!Game Boy:
Sega Master System: 367,200 by Square_Air
TurboGrafx/PCE: 608,500 by Square_Air
PlayStation: 246,200 by Addicted
PS3/360: 284,400 by MetalFRO
Game Boy Color:
Arcade/MAME: 1,088,300 by Square_Air
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