Gekirindan

LoneSage

A Broken Man
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Almost midnight here, and for no reason I want to watch a longplay of this Taito unsung classic.

Unfortunately, this game is so unsung that there are no videos of this here.

So, let's talk about Gekirindan.


28008901.jpg
 

Kid Panda

The Chinese Kid
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It's not bad, Rayforce pisses all over it in every aspect. Cool music and graphic style though.
 

radiantsvgun

They call him Mr. Windy
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I dunno if its an unsung game, it got a Saturn port. The game has a lot of neat references to past Taito/Toaplan games but its a solid game, nothing super spectacular.
 

LoneSage

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That's the thing tho, gents. It isn't spectacular. It isn't great. It's a pretty ho-hum, mid-90s Taito shooter. And that's why I love it. Just wanted to see if there are other fans of it here.
 

mjmjr25

went home to be a family man
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It's probably been 6 years since I last played it. I guess I can't recall specifics, but as much as I wanted to like it, I recall I didn't. Played the F3 board. It felt sort of muted in all aspects.
 

andsuchisdeath

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For those who don't already know, playing the type C ship on the 2-player side keeps rank low and makes the game relatively easy.
 

LoneSage

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I dunno if its an unsung game, it got a Saturn port. The game has a lot of neat references to past Taito/Toaplan games but its a solid game, nothing super spectacular.

Also it was on Taito Legends 2.
 

oliverclaude

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Unfortunately, this game is so unsung that there are no videos of this here.

One of my favorite STGs. I studied this video to get a decent score myself:


This guy gets it and he's very disciplined about his style: strictly score oriented. I love it how he uses up his bombs early on to push points and smart stock, which, of course, puts his count even more so. He also discloses and delivers the sought after secret bonuses, the most difficult being probably the mid bosses' side-arms in Lv3. Hardest boss to milk is Lv4 & 5. The secret to success in Gekirindan is to understand that at the end: bomb stock > extends... and you always get three upon a new ship.
 

AirZonk

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I have this game for the Saturn. It has been many years since I played it, but I remember it being an average shooter, nothing special.
 

Ip Man

BBLLOOOO__HHAARRDDDDDD!!!!,
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i have it on the saturn. really enjoy it and love the visuals and presentation.
 

Professor Denim

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Always thought this was regarded as a pretty good shooter. I enjoy it quiet a lot.
Have it on Taito Legends 2 on ps2.
Cool port but no Tate option sucks big time.
 

suicidekiller

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+1 for a fan here. Plenty of Toaplan references, a Zuntata soundtrack, great visual presentation and good gameplay. What else do you wish for? Plus I love time travel themed games like Sengoku or Ninja Commando.
 

ForeverSublime

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Totally up my alley. One of a bunch that slipped by, though. Thanks for posting this, Sage, and thanks for the vid, Oliver.
 

oliverclaude

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Plus I love time travel themed games like Sengoku or Ninja Commando.

Yeah, me, too. And the list goes on... Sonic CD, Turtles in Time, Chrono Trigger, Exile.

...and thanks for the vid, Oliver.

You're most welcome. It's pretty new, all others before were just, more or less, amateur stuff, with some nice touches, though. Watch this one at 2:22 for a very nice move to avoid the first bosses' farewell volleys.

Spoiler:

Or if you're just after a quick and dirty one credit clear with Type-A.
 

Jeneki

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It's got explosions shaped like skulls and opens with an O'niell Cylinder. What's not to like?
 

ForeverSublime

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Yeah, me, too. And the list goes on... Sonic CD, Turtles in Time, Chrono Trigger, Exile.



You're most welcome. It's pretty new, all others before were just, more or less, amateur stuff, with some nice touches, though. Watch this one at 2:22 for a very nice move to avoid the first bosses' farewell volleys.

Spoiler:

Or if you're just after a quick and dirty one credit clear with Type-A.

Here's a fun video with 1.3million score. There are 2 others on this site with 1.8 million (search 逆鱗弾)

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm14286575

Watch how this player handles farewell shot from level 1 boss. (difficulty setting?)

You can see their love for the game. They tap their shot to the music more and more as the game goes on (sidebar: what an odd thing that would be in something like Radiant, where 6 shots had 6 different sounds). Whatever the subtitles say, I'm sure they're a nice touch.
 
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Splitt442

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I fucking love the music in this game. One of my favorite shooters for sure.
 

oliverclaude

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As compared to other shooters on the Saturn. The Saturn is loaded with many shooters and this one is in the middle of the pack. My favorites on the Saturn are TFV and RS.

Well, it's funny how tastes differ. The fact that the Saturn is loaded with STGs, makes Gekirindan so stand out to me. Every other shooter has some new ingredient that changes the genre's formula. Silvergun has its color scheme, TFV the 2.5D look, Souky and Rayforce their lock-ons, Garegga the intricate scoring, Kingdom Grand Prix racing elements, Batsugun pioneers with danmaku etc. etc.

Gekirindan may be the only game among them with no gimmicks at all, a reactionary homage to the past, put in a fitting non-sensical, romantic time-travel yarn. Just big, hand-drawn sprites, a couple of bullets to be accompanied with a one-movement synth piece. On a console where every shooter stands out, unobtrusiveness shines most. To me at least, but as I mentioned: funny how tastes differ.
 

Hasuki-san

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Imperial Wrath Bullet has also an amazing soundtrack. I am not pretty sure if I like the idea of revolving scores with slight differences during all the stages, but at least thats something special for this game. Ogura Hisayoshi did a good job there as a former member of Taito Corporation's "house band" Zuntata. I really like the soundtrack and the melodic scheme, but different sounds for the bosses would have made it outstanding
 

andsuchisdeath

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Well, it's funny how tastes differ. The fact that the Saturn is loaded with STGs, makes Gekirindan so stand out to me. Every other shooter has some new ingredient that changes the genre's formula. Silvergun has its color scheme, TFV the 2.5D look, Souky and Rayforce their lock-ons, Garegga the intricate scoring, Kingdom Grand Prix racing elements, Batsugun pioneers with danmaku etc. etc.

Gekirindan may be the only game among them with no gimmicks at all, a reactionary homage to the past, put in a fitting non-sensical, romantic time-travel yarn. Just big, hand-drawn sprites, a couple of bullets to be accompanied with a one-movement synth piece. On a console where every shooter stands out, unobtrusiveness shines most. To me at least, but as I mentioned: funny how tastes differ.

Brilliantly said
 

LoneSage

A Broken Man
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Thirded.

Ollie has a way with words, better than I do. And everything he said is exactly how I feel about this game - he nailed it, that it stands out by being so ho-hummingly average.

I'm actually really surprised there are other fans of this game. Feels good man.
 
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