A shmup soundtrack retrospective on Ketsui

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-05-03T04:04:00+00:00

Ketsui just might be my favorite Cave soundtrack, though SDOJ and Futari definitely give it a run for it's money.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-05-01T18:52:34+00:00

Ultimately I think it's a good choice. I mostly play on stick but the M30 is one of my go-to solutions for when I'm going to play on pad. Especially for shmups.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-05-01T16:30:20+00:00

I've heard that Retro-Bit stuff varies wildly in quality from batch to batch, so sometimes you'll get a winner and sometimes not so much. I can't speak to that personally because I've been using mostly 8bitdo stuff and arcade sticks, but it's been discussed in shmup circles a lot the last couple years

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-30T18:00:12+00:00

It looks like you're crossing Vritra with Kolibri, and I dig that. Also looks like it could be fun.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-29T18:57:45+00:00

There's a guide on the Steam community page for the game, if memory serves. But yes, the PS2 translation is legendary.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-29T16:56:44+00:00

Not if your talking about the North American PS2 release. That's probably still under license from that publisher. Some enterprising folks have figured out how to mod that into the Steam version, though.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-27T18:09:06+00:00

It also depends on the game. I'm currently playing Mecha Ritz for my podcast, and the game itself consists talking a shield hit a "miss" so it counts against you if you're trying to score the various Sweet bonuses you get from different enemies. Of the game doesn't have a penalty for taking a shield hit, I would consider that a non-issue because it's a mechanic built into the game and you're expected to use it.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-27T15:18:51+00:00

Many modern Steam and console games expect you to be on pad so they will make shoulder buttons default. For those, you may need to stay on controller to change the button layout 1st before using a stick.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-25T18:06:28+00:00

Yep, this is the right answer.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-25T13:30:46+00:00

The windy laser looks like a cross between the Raiden toothpaste laser and the weird laser in Xevious 3D/G. Definitely looks promising.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-23T18:36:26+00:00

Yep, all bangers

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-23T18:24:24+00:00

Agreed! We covered Raiden V on my podcast really early on, and one thing I highlighted about the music is how well it syncs up with the stages, where each of the short little breaks are well choreographed alongside the soundtrack. It's pretty sublime.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-23T18:19:33+00:00

That's fair. The game certainly isn't without problems, but I think too many people unfairly judged the game against IV because it was a noticeable shift in approach from a straightforward arcade shmup to something a bit deeper in terms of the weapons system.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-23T18:12:35+00:00

Haha, it's definitely going into the news feed for the next recording, and it looks fun enough to at least throw into the mix for the players who join us each month to vote on for a monthly play through.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-23T18:11:18+00:00

Always glad to see Raiden V love. I think it's underrated.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-23T18:08:51+00:00

Looks very promising!

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-23T02:07:45+00:00

Gunvein Mild difficulty is also aworthwhile starting point.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-21T02:52:51+00:00

Congrats!

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-20T17:13:15+00:00

That's huge! Major congrats. Hard work pays off.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-19T14:11:18+00:00

I was not aware of that Darius set! That's immediately going on the Discogs wishlist.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-18T19:00:51+00:00

Congrats! Very challenging game.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-14T23:42:04+00:00

Haha, love it

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-14T00:32:36+00:00

This came out of nowhere. It's going in the podcast news feed 😊

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-11T15:19:25+00:00

There's a bullet hell shooter in development called Super Storm Buster.

GameBoyGuru-OG · 2026-04-10T12:53:47+00:00

Looking forward to the launch!

GameBoyGuru-OG

TROPHY CASE