One disclaimer: I had seen gameplay videos of the game and it remained Japan-only at that time until recently, there is a global release unexpectedly.
There are tons of differences this time when you compare this to Love Live School Idol Festival which is one of those games released outside Japan on mobile. The way you manage cards is different and especially the way you start the song at anytime. Not to mention that the game already has the card conversion stuff in case you have duplicates and Co-Op play similar to the Friendly Match events in the other game. Score Match on the other hand is closely comparable to the VS Multiplayer Mode in Groove Coaster 3 and later as well as other rhythm games that have online VS Multiplayer Mode in which Beatmania IIDX recently had one with Arena Mode. Having a Co-Op Live in this game makes a little sense for some reason when compared to Co-Op play in Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Guitar Freaks series when you play together like a band. It is something to do with the gameplay and the concept for a mobile game and really, you're not playing as one of the band members. Instead, it's like merging the card sets from various players for an overall contribution or something.
Next is the song list, in addition to songs from the franchise including the game's exclusive ones, there are licensed covers of the existing songs provided that they fit the games like this. In addition to cards leveling up from playing the songs, they can also be leveled up through various managements like the tickets and stuffs but to do card transformation/awakening is a different story. You're supposed to level up the card to the max and then you can do the awakening. I don't know if there's bonding feature like the other games have.
It's one bigger game than Love Live School Idol Festival if you ask me like you have to manage multiple bands by leveling up the band rank to unlock additional stories and there are also places you may have to unlock in the map perhaps for additional story, band or whatever else the game has to offer. Needless to say, the gameplay is NOT original and even the later update of Tokyo 7th Sisters uses the similar gameplay although seeing the SD-dancers in action is one opportunity in addition to FMVs which are less distracting. There's another rhythm game on mobile that has the similar gameplay as well. In fact, it can be a whole lot better to see the songs from this franchise playable in Guitarfreaks/Drummania if you want a proper rock-themed rhythm game. Besides, it's a fat chance for an arcade or console version of this mobile game to happen with guitar/drum controllers.
One last thing is regarding the Loot Box and Microtransaction features, as outnumbering this sub-genre is, it can be a huge money sucker if you're looking for a specific item which is a complicated objective. I guess that even gathering a set of Super/Ultra Rare cards is not an easy task either but it will help you to score even better. Oh, there are also gameplay videos of someone playing this on the Beatstream arcade cabinet whose monitor is hooked up to his Android device like it's a DIY arcade machine for rhythm gaming. For other games he played on that cabinet, well, you can look up his YouTube channel.
Friday, April 6, 2018
King of Fighters 97 Global Match
There's probably not much to say about King of Fighters 97 Global Match on Playstation 4, Vita and Steam as it's essentially a re-release with online match support. It may be the same for other classic SNK games released on modern gaming platforms with wallpapers and stuffs instead of the interface you know of from Hamster Arcade Archives.
I don't know who actually ported King of Fighters 97 to those platforms mentioned above but there is one particular fact I know of. The game is so much popular in China and we already know that SNK as you know it was acquired by the Chinese company so expect the King of Fighters franchise to grow even bigger than ever like it already did with comics, short-animations based on KOF Maximum Impact series as well as the 3D animation produced by a Chinese company which you can watch on SNK's official YouTube channel.
Also, don't expect something new for King of Fighters 97 Global Match like arranged music, redone graphics, etc. Although it has the new subtitle, it is not a remake like KOF 94 is remade on Playstation 2 as King of Fighters 94 Rebout. There may be a beat-em-up game on mobile named King of Fighters 97 OL but keep in mind that it is a spinoff, not a remake. It may be the same for King of Fighters 98UM OL but that's a tale for another time.
There may be Gallery Mode where you can view high resolution artworks as well as other game modes in addition to the Arcade Mode.
I don't know who actually ported King of Fighters 97 to those platforms mentioned above but there is one particular fact I know of. The game is so much popular in China and we already know that SNK as you know it was acquired by the Chinese company so expect the King of Fighters franchise to grow even bigger than ever like it already did with comics, short-animations based on KOF Maximum Impact series as well as the 3D animation produced by a Chinese company which you can watch on SNK's official YouTube channel.
Also, don't expect something new for King of Fighters 97 Global Match like arranged music, redone graphics, etc. Although it has the new subtitle, it is not a remake like KOF 94 is remade on Playstation 2 as King of Fighters 94 Rebout. There may be a beat-em-up game on mobile named King of Fighters 97 OL but keep in mind that it is a spinoff, not a remake. It may be the same for King of Fighters 98UM OL but that's a tale for another time.
There may be Gallery Mode where you can view high resolution artworks as well as other game modes in addition to the Arcade Mode.
Groove Coaster 4 Starlight Road
From what I had seen, some parts of the interface are still based on Groove Coaster 3 as if they look exactly the same or some sort. Like Groove Coaster 3, Groove Coaster 4 for the arcades will have the new nagivators, songs and even other stuffs to take a look at.
What's new in Groove Coaster 4 is the modification of the difficulty range similar to what other rhythm games do as well as the stage unlocking system and various online functions. Like Sound Voltex IV, you should be able to purchase/unlock items during the game using the in-game currency. To unlock additional songs will be to go to the game's player site provided that you have your Nesica account and that your account is linked to the Nesica card containing the play data for the game. The shop for unlocking songs is still there although there are changes to the song list. Needless to say, each song is quite expensive to unlock and it takes tons of runs to reach the sufficient amount of in-game currency known as Groove Coins. By taking tons of runs, you are consuming so much money for coins/quarters.
It was a great time regarding the crossover campaigns that happened in Groove Coaster 3 like those using songs from various Taito games or various shmup games which I already attempted in the arcades at that time. Lightning Strikes from Raiden III was one of the songs I attempted like I had a nostalgic memory of having played Raiden III in the arcades. One thing to note is that many of those shmup games involved in those events for Groove Coaster 3 already had the console ports although certain of them started off on the consoles, not the arcades, like Raiden V started off on Xbox One two years ago.
What's new in Groove Coaster 4 is the modification of the difficulty range similar to what other rhythm games do as well as the stage unlocking system and various online functions. Like Sound Voltex IV, you should be able to purchase/unlock items during the game using the in-game currency. To unlock additional songs will be to go to the game's player site provided that you have your Nesica account and that your account is linked to the Nesica card containing the play data for the game. The shop for unlocking songs is still there although there are changes to the song list. Needless to say, each song is quite expensive to unlock and it takes tons of runs to reach the sufficient amount of in-game currency known as Groove Coins. By taking tons of runs, you are consuming so much money for coins/quarters.
It was a great time regarding the crossover campaigns that happened in Groove Coaster 3 like those using songs from various Taito games or various shmup games which I already attempted in the arcades at that time. Lightning Strikes from Raiden III was one of the songs I attempted like I had a nostalgic memory of having played Raiden III in the arcades. One thing to note is that many of those shmup games involved in those events for Groove Coaster 3 already had the console ports although certain of them started off on the consoles, not the arcades, like Raiden V started off on Xbox One two years ago.
Cytus II
Well, I might have played the original Cytus before although I didn't have so much time to play the heck out of it although it had tons of songs to go through and the challenge is quite equal to the challenge level from the arcade rhythm games. The original had been updated with tons of chapters and needless to say, the story doesn't end there when the sequel had recently come out a few months ago. The story of the original Cytus is that some mutant virus or whatever has taken place and to find a safe place for humans' survival is a tough thing, not to mention that the human memories have to be archived or something. There lies an Android that needs tons of memories through music so I don't know what happens next in the sequel. I also know the story of Deemo as well and it's quite dramatic.
Before the sequel hit the final stage, it was available on IOS in beta stage. And at the time, Rayark is also working on the Playstation 4 version of Deemo which is a strange move to me as it may borrow the strange move from the Switch version of Voez in which you use the physical controls when compared to the touch screen controls. I don't know if that defeats the challenge but such games like Deemo, Cytus and Voez should stay on the devices that are touch-screen compatible. To port a mobile rhythm game to console with full control compatibility like Musync on consoles is a different story.
Prior to regular updates of the original Cytus, you have to pay for additional chapters but as the game became popular, it was updated for free with additional chapters unlocked without having to pay for them. Perhaps, it was to combat piracy or something but what about the mods and hacks that make the game unfair?
The song, Brain Power, is a famous one. It was originally on Sound Voltex II before the DJ/producer ended the contract with Konami to ensure that he had the full rights to the song. Eventually, it was available on other rhythm games as a third-party song including Cytus II. You can check out the story if you want but be warned of spoilers.
Before the sequel hit the final stage, it was available on IOS in beta stage. And at the time, Rayark is also working on the Playstation 4 version of Deemo which is a strange move to me as it may borrow the strange move from the Switch version of Voez in which you use the physical controls when compared to the touch screen controls. I don't know if that defeats the challenge but such games like Deemo, Cytus and Voez should stay on the devices that are touch-screen compatible. To port a mobile rhythm game to console with full control compatibility like Musync on consoles is a different story.
Prior to regular updates of the original Cytus, you have to pay for additional chapters but as the game became popular, it was updated for free with additional chapters unlocked without having to pay for them. Perhaps, it was to combat piracy or something but what about the mods and hacks that make the game unfair?
The song, Brain Power, is a famous one. It was originally on Sound Voltex II before the DJ/producer ended the contract with Konami to ensure that he had the full rights to the song. Eventually, it was available on other rhythm games as a third-party song including Cytus II. You can check out the story if you want but be warned of spoilers.
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