Sapphire

[nat]

..another game thread 

So I played Sapphire for the first time today. After all these years, I finally get to see what all the fuss was about.

First impressions are that it's going to be a pretty fun little shooter. The graphics are really nice, but I was expecting better in some places, to be honest. The game makes really nice use of the polygons-- those are really cool. But I guess it's the usage of color more than anything that gets me. Tons of games on the system sport better gradients and color use, IMO. Or maybe I was just expecting Playstation on the Turbo. Still, it's a technically impressive game to be sure.

Then again, I didn't make it very far (only somewhere in stage 2). Why is this game touted as being too easy? People are out of their minds! I got my ass handed to me immediately and I consider myself very good at shooters. Maybe it just takes some getting used to as far as using those side pods' powerup ability to annihilate the enemy.

And I really like the music, just as I do Lords of Thunder...

[Michael Helgeson]

I made it really far,didn't beat it however. I think its impressive,just doesn't live up to the extreme hype that it received.

[Tatsujin]

..another game thread 
Why is this game touted as being too easy?

because most of the foolish people run through it with using all 9 creds on easiest mode and judge it as "too easy", since you can continue the game where you lost your live/cred.

smart people who wants to have some long term fun with this game (and in generally), try to beat it with one cred > all at once not that easy anymore

[termis]

Well, it's a great shooter, but it's no Radiant Silvergun and it's certainly not worth $400+. 

I definitely thought that it was using the PCE's power to the max when I saw it though - I can't name off many, if any,  better looking games on the PCE.

:edited "can" to "can't"

[Black Tiger]

I'm more impressed by all the hand drawn art than the CGI in Sapphire. Luckily its got lots of both.

[nat]

I just played it again a little more. I am playing with the default 4 credits and on normal difficulty. I made it to the beginning of stage 3 this time. The giant CGI robot-thing sent me packing. Cheating/making games easier by altering the default settings makes games no fun.

The head-boss of level 2 is killer, though. Great looking polygon use there.

Neat game. Definitely wouldn't spend $400 on a "real" copy, though. Sorry, Hudson, go ahead and sue me. I'll stick to my "backup". Actually, I can't think of ANY game that I would spend $400 on.

[Black Tiger]

I just played it again a little more. I am playing with the default 4 credits and on normal difficulty. I made it to the beginning of stage 3 this time. The giant CGI robot-thing sent me packing. Cheating/making games easier by altering the default settings makes games no fun.

The head-boss of level 2 is killer, though. Great looking polygon use there.

Neat game. Definitely wouldn't spend $400 on a "real" copy, though. Sorry, Hudson, go ahead and sue me. I'll stick to my "backup". Actually, I can't think of ANY game that I would spend $400 on.

What about a dedicated cabinet of your favorite arcade game?

Saphire doesn't go for $400 anymore unless it's mint and absolutely complete(spine, mail away card, etc).

I bought mine for $250 while the value was still on the decline.

[nat]

Cabinets are a different story! I guess I should revise to say "any console game".

I might pay $400 for one of the motorized Space Harrier cabinets.

[Tatsujin]

first of all, hudson didn't decied the high price which it is selling nowadays. it's always given to its small quantity and high demand. it's a collectors item as well as a superb game in one. it's everobodys own decision if some one wants to spend the high price or not.
in my case, it always gives me more pleasure to play it as an original.

the game is the absolut madness in technical point of view. there is no other competitive game like this on the pce. it shows almost any technical abilites of the system (hard-and software wise) in one compact journey. zooming, scaling, rotating, pinching, rendering, pre-rendering, pixeling etc. anything is hsown up in this game, altought  a lot of those effects are pre-animations only, but things you never thought it will be possible on that little and old casket of hardware.

one disturbing point is, that the game sometimes seems to be unfinished (> intermission screen between levels) and a big mixure of different styles (of course due to the time travels )

 anyway i like it as hell, altough there are quite better shmups in gameplay point of view on the PCE just like GoT, WoT, Seirei senshi spriggan..

[runinruder]

Cheating/making games easier by altering the default settings makes games no fun.

Yeah, not to mention that a lot of clowns seem to abuse save states as well.  Such nonsense is the only way that these babies can get anywhere in the games.  Manly shooter players are about as rare as dodo birds and dinosaurs these days.

Tatsujin hit the nail on the head when he said that going for a one-credit finish on default is the way to go.  Once you get the hang of the game, this actually IS fairly easy if you use the fastest ship (for good players like us, not the babies).  I used the "blue girl" for the best mix of playability and challenge. 

I played the crud out of the game when I first bought it in '03, but it's been a while.  I always get a little nervous when I pull stuff like this and Madou Monogatari from off the shelf because of how costly it would be to replace.  Not that I ever drop games like some goofy bum, but I can't help but be a little paranoid when the games are so rare and expensive.

[nat]

Hey, I wasn't implying Hudson decided the high price.. Of course I know that's due to rarity. That's life!

I was only saying I could never justify buying an original copy at the price it's going for nowadays. And I'm with you 100% on owning original copies of everything, but this is one I'm going to have to pass on. Unless I can find a copy going for between $100-$150. $150 is kind of my upper limit when it comes to console games.

I always get a little nervous when I pull stuff like this and Madou Monogatari from off the shelf because of how costly it would be to replace.  Not that I ever drop games like some goofy bum, but I can't help but be a little paranoid when the games are so rare and expensive.

When not make a backup and play your backup? That's what I usually do with the expensive stuff.

[Joe Redifer]

Wasn't this game originally free and never "officially" released to stores?  I heard that it was given out to a bunch of a$$holes at some sort of show or some nonsense like that.

[Tatsujin]

no it was an official release in stores. due to the fact, that the pce wasn't that popular in 95 the amount of quantity was kept quite low. i heard about 5000 pcs only, but could be wrong. anybody knows it better?

[Keranu]

Once you get the hang of the game, this actually IS fairly easy if you use the fastest ship (for good players like us, not the babies).

I disagree. It would take far more talent to beat the game using the slow ass characters because I honestly don't think they're more powerful weapons make up for their slow ass speed. The fastest ship only moves at a normal ship speed found in shooters, so you should feel right at home using that ship. This is one minor touch up I would've liked in Sapphire, a better balanced variety in the characters, but it's not really a big deal since I always switch between the two fastest characters.

[GUTS]

I absolutely love this game, it's up there with Lords of Thunder in my book.