Absolutely fabulous looking vertical shooter which looks like we're finally returning to the true glory days of the Sega Saturn! This game is actually DOdonpachi 3 (DONpachi not being included in this), so is the sequel to the sequel of Dodonpachi which appeared on Saturn.
For a few great (and long) movies, click HERE (but beware, you'll want to buy it after you see it!)
INCLUDES BONUS ARIKA SUPER PLAY DVD!
Review:
The latest in the Donpachi series (and the first on a next-gen console). Dodonpachi Daioujou is a manic vertical shooter. If you have played the previous games you will know what to expect; if not then you are in for a treat! In this sequel you now only control one of two ships (unfortunately my favourite the helicopter has been taken out which is the only disappointing aspect of this game for me) and like Dondonpachi, when you choose you can decide whether you want your craft to be more bullet orientated, laser or the new balanced mode. Also, if you choose bullet then your laser will start off at a lower level and if you die it will restart at this level, but your bullet level will only be penalised by one level and in this mode if you use laser then your ship will be a lot slower in movement (and vice versa for choosing laser). Sounds complex, but makes it all pretty unique. Balanced is actually slightly harder as you are given less smart bombs. The first ship is faster and has a more concentrated bullet spray and the second is slower but has a massive fire arc. The actual in-game mechanics are the same; you progress from the start of the level to the end where you have a boss to fight and then move on over 5 levels. You have your standard smart bomb (you get a set amount depending on which weapon play mode you choose) and you have to tap your shot button for bullets or hold it down for laser. You can power up your weapons by collecting power-up icons in-game which will be dropped by certain craft when destroyed. There is also a combo strategy to this game where if you rack up consecutive kills it will cause a chain to start (which is actually shown on screen how many you have) then you fill a new bar up. Once this is full (you can also help to increase this by collecting the hidden bee icons) then a hyper icon will appear on screen; if you collect this then the next time you press your smart bomb button you will use this instead. What it does is unleash immense firepower for both your laser and bullets to wipe everything out on screen. You can actually increase this further as if you collect more than one hyper before using them then the firepower is increased further (you use them all at once). Now you may think that this will make the game easier, but you'd be wrong! The ingenious thing about this is that the game knows you have gone into hyper mode and it then decides to up the level so it spews loads of extra bullets out at you, especially when you meet a boss. The only way to counter the upping of the level is to use a smart bomb. Therefore you end up with a dilemma over whether you dare use it or not at certain parts of the level. The graphics in DoDonpachi Daijou are some of the best I've seen on a next gen shooter. OK they're not out of this world but they are much better than the likes of XII Stag and they compliment the game very well. They're also much better than previous Donpachi games (especially the blocky Dodonpachi on the Saturn). In TATE mode they come to life even more so I thoroughly recommend people to try this mode (turn your monitor/TV at your own risk though! A guide to do it safely can be found here http://turn.to/vertical). Loading between levels is also managed very well (almost instantly) so there’s no foot tapping waiting like Donpachi on the Saturn (only fault I have with that version). The music in DoDonpachi Daijou is beautiful to put it mildly (especially in arrange mode) and is a mixture of manic techno type tunes with some beautiful orchestra twangs thrown in and it actually makes you want to get to that certain section of that level so you can hear that part of that song again. Gameplay of DoDonpachi is practically the same as previous versions - manic.
There are a lot of bullets spraying out at you on the default difficulty (but at least you can shove this down if it's too hard for you) and there is so much going on around the screen that you are never going to get bored. The game is so playable though and the bullet sprays aren't impossible to dodge like some other shooters (ie use the smart bomb or die) so you do not feel cheated and there really are some great bullet patterns that you learn over numerous plays. The bosses have been upped in previous versions of complexity and look really good. The new hyper mode is a welcome addition, although I have a habit of being worried to use it as it seems to unleash holy hell, but the difficulty increase is a very novel feature to this and stops it from being too easy. The five levels are going to take you a very, very long time to complete on 1 default credit. If you manage to do so you are given an option to go thru it a second time, but yes there’s a catch: the difficulty goes up and the bullets come at you thicker than in a John Woo film! Overall this would get a 10/10 as Dodonpachi Daioujou is a classic (for me Battle Garegga, DonPachi and Soukyurentai are my all time fav vertical shooters) but on top of this you have so many extras over the arcade version. DoDonpachi Daiojou has a lot of extras over the arcade version. Firstly there is a load of different screen options to choose from: standard 4:3 with borders, 16:9 with borders, (with both of these there is another option to smooth the textures, a sort of blurring effect) and two different flip the TV on the side for full screen TATE modes. There is an original or arrange music track mode and you can change the difficulty levels and your controller setup. The arcade mode itself has another set of options; you can decide whether you want to save your replays to the save cart or even a no bullet mode where you can practise chaining without bullets spewing at you. You can change the difficulty level as well if you wish to make it easier or harder on yourself. Arcade (as with the other modes) lets you choose how many continues you want to use as usual in-game so if you want infinite then you just keep pressing start, but as always it is not designed for this; it's designed for 1 credit mayhem to keep your score at the end of your inevitable death to trade with others. Speaking of which there is a ranking mode in the main game screen so you can keep track of the highest scores to beat and the maximum amount of chains they have managed to get. On top of the arcade mode there are two extra modes, firstly there's the simulation mode. Basically this does what it says and gives you the opportunity to simulate going through the game as a ghost ship (so you cannot die) to learn patterns, (you can change this though so you can be killed). You can change in this mode how many lives/smart bombs you have and at what level you start with your lasers etc. powered up at and how much they increase to. As it is so customisable you can actually set it up to your liking and play it as the arcade mode from start to finish. Another feature of this is you can change what level you start at etc.. so you can learn them pesky parts you get stuck at. An excellent added feature to the simulation mode is that you can load up your saved replays (or the load what comes with the disc) and watch them over again, not bad till you realise that you can actually take over the control at any point for yourself! The other new mode is a hyped up Boss battle mode where you fight each boss in sequence. However, these bosses have awoken in a bad mood and will spew a lot more bullets at you than the default arcade versions. If you want a mental picture of how tough they are then you just have to look at what the mode is called, "Death Label"! Finally the game itself also includes a gallery mode of a selection of artworks to look at your leisure. On top of the actual game disc you are given a free DVD bonus disc which shows you how the game is supposed to be completed. It is a 50 odd minute film of a hand of god playing with one credit (which is actually helps a lot to watch to improve your own gameplay) and also showing you how hard the death label actually is. Overall Dodonpachi Daioujou is a absolute classic and what I would call the kiss of life to the vertical shooter family. We finally have a vertical shoot 'em up to do the next generation console justice and hopefully it will make other companies release them. It is a credit to the Donpachi family and a must purchase for anyone.
10/10
Review by Dazzyman/Darren Sweaton for VideoGameImports.
Overall very good condition but see pictures for full details. ACTUAL ITEM PICTURED. Note that we only ever crop our photos. We never enhance/retouch them!
For a few great (and long) movies, click HERE (but beware, you'll want to buy it after you see it!)
INCLUDES BONUS ARIKA SUPER PLAY DVD!
Review:
The latest in the Donpachi series (and the first on a next-gen console). Dodonpachi Daioujou is a manic vertical shooter. If you have played the previous games you will know what to expect; if not then you are in for a treat! In this sequel you now only control one of two ships (unfortunately my favourite the helicopter has been taken out which is the only disappointing aspect of this game for me) and like Dondonpachi, when you choose you can decide whether you want your craft to be more bullet orientated, laser or the new balanced mode. Also, if you choose bullet then your laser will start off at a lower level and if you die it will restart at this level, but your bullet level will only be penalised by one level and in this mode if you use laser then your ship will be a lot slower in movement (and vice versa for choosing laser). Sounds complex, but makes it all pretty unique. Balanced is actually slightly harder as you are given less smart bombs. The first ship is faster and has a more concentrated bullet spray and the second is slower but has a massive fire arc. The actual in-game mechanics are the same; you progress from the start of the level to the end where you have a boss to fight and then move on over 5 levels. You have your standard smart bomb (you get a set amount depending on which weapon play mode you choose) and you have to tap your shot button for bullets or hold it down for laser. You can power up your weapons by collecting power-up icons in-game which will be dropped by certain craft when destroyed. There is also a combo strategy to this game where if you rack up consecutive kills it will cause a chain to start (which is actually shown on screen how many you have) then you fill a new bar up. Once this is full (you can also help to increase this by collecting the hidden bee icons) then a hyper icon will appear on screen; if you collect this then the next time you press your smart bomb button you will use this instead. What it does is unleash immense firepower for both your laser and bullets to wipe everything out on screen. You can actually increase this further as if you collect more than one hyper before using them then the firepower is increased further (you use them all at once). Now you may think that this will make the game easier, but you'd be wrong! The ingenious thing about this is that the game knows you have gone into hyper mode and it then decides to up the level so it spews loads of extra bullets out at you, especially when you meet a boss. The only way to counter the upping of the level is to use a smart bomb. Therefore you end up with a dilemma over whether you dare use it or not at certain parts of the level. The graphics in DoDonpachi Daijou are some of the best I've seen on a next gen shooter. OK they're not out of this world but they are much better than the likes of XII Stag and they compliment the game very well. They're also much better than previous Donpachi games (especially the blocky Dodonpachi on the Saturn). In TATE mode they come to life even more so I thoroughly recommend people to try this mode (turn your monitor/TV at your own risk though! A guide to do it safely can be found here http://turn.to/vertical). Loading between levels is also managed very well (almost instantly) so there’s no foot tapping waiting like Donpachi on the Saturn (only fault I have with that version). The music in DoDonpachi Daijou is beautiful to put it mildly (especially in arrange mode) and is a mixture of manic techno type tunes with some beautiful orchestra twangs thrown in and it actually makes you want to get to that certain section of that level so you can hear that part of that song again. Gameplay of DoDonpachi is practically the same as previous versions - manic.
There are a lot of bullets spraying out at you on the default difficulty (but at least you can shove this down if it's too hard for you) and there is so much going on around the screen that you are never going to get bored. The game is so playable though and the bullet sprays aren't impossible to dodge like some other shooters (ie use the smart bomb or die) so you do not feel cheated and there really are some great bullet patterns that you learn over numerous plays. The bosses have been upped in previous versions of complexity and look really good. The new hyper mode is a welcome addition, although I have a habit of being worried to use it as it seems to unleash holy hell, but the difficulty increase is a very novel feature to this and stops it from being too easy. The five levels are going to take you a very, very long time to complete on 1 default credit. If you manage to do so you are given an option to go thru it a second time, but yes there’s a catch: the difficulty goes up and the bullets come at you thicker than in a John Woo film! Overall this would get a 10/10 as Dodonpachi Daioujou is a classic (for me Battle Garegga, DonPachi and Soukyurentai are my all time fav vertical shooters) but on top of this you have so many extras over the arcade version. DoDonpachi Daiojou has a lot of extras over the arcade version. Firstly there is a load of different screen options to choose from: standard 4:3 with borders, 16:9 with borders, (with both of these there is another option to smooth the textures, a sort of blurring effect) and two different flip the TV on the side for full screen TATE modes. There is an original or arrange music track mode and you can change the difficulty levels and your controller setup. The arcade mode itself has another set of options; you can decide whether you want to save your replays to the save cart or even a no bullet mode where you can practise chaining without bullets spewing at you. You can change the difficulty level as well if you wish to make it easier or harder on yourself. Arcade (as with the other modes) lets you choose how many continues you want to use as usual in-game so if you want infinite then you just keep pressing start, but as always it is not designed for this; it's designed for 1 credit mayhem to keep your score at the end of your inevitable death to trade with others. Speaking of which there is a ranking mode in the main game screen so you can keep track of the highest scores to beat and the maximum amount of chains they have managed to get. On top of the arcade mode there are two extra modes, firstly there's the simulation mode. Basically this does what it says and gives you the opportunity to simulate going through the game as a ghost ship (so you cannot die) to learn patterns, (you can change this though so you can be killed). You can change in this mode how many lives/smart bombs you have and at what level you start with your lasers etc. powered up at and how much they increase to. As it is so customisable you can actually set it up to your liking and play it as the arcade mode from start to finish. Another feature of this is you can change what level you start at etc.. so you can learn them pesky parts you get stuck at. An excellent added feature to the simulation mode is that you can load up your saved replays (or the load what comes with the disc) and watch them over again, not bad till you realise that you can actually take over the control at any point for yourself! The other new mode is a hyped up Boss battle mode where you fight each boss in sequence. However, these bosses have awoken in a bad mood and will spew a lot more bullets at you than the default arcade versions. If you want a mental picture of how tough they are then you just have to look at what the mode is called, "Death Label"! Finally the game itself also includes a gallery mode of a selection of artworks to look at your leisure. On top of the actual game disc you are given a free DVD bonus disc which shows you how the game is supposed to be completed. It is a 50 odd minute film of a hand of god playing with one credit (which is actually helps a lot to watch to improve your own gameplay) and also showing you how hard the death label actually is. Overall Dodonpachi Daioujou is a absolute classic and what I would call the kiss of life to the vertical shooter family. We finally have a vertical shoot 'em up to do the next generation console justice and hopefully it will make other companies release them. It is a credit to the Donpachi family and a must purchase for anyone.
10/10
Review by Dazzyman/Darren Sweaton for VideoGameImports.
Overall very good condition but see pictures for full details. ACTUAL ITEM PICTURED. Note that we only ever crop our photos. We never enhance/retouch them!
