Is this idiot for real?!? [youtube review of Galactic Attack - Saturn]

[c0ldb33r]

I've ordered Galactic Attack for my Saturn and I'm pretty excited to get it by mail. In my anticipation, I've been looking at Galactic Attack on youtube and I stumbled across this idiot.:

SEGA World: Galactic Attack (SEGA Saturn) by Sykorax.

His review kind of sucks, but what drives me nuts is when he discusses Saturn mode vs. Arcade mode. (Starting at 3:56)

Anyone with a brain would understand that Arcade mode allows you to turn a 4:3 television on its side to avoid letter boxing and give you the correct arcade aspect ratio. Saturn mode letter boxes the screen.

The asshole doesn't get it. HOWEVER, I'm not sure if this guy is just a very successful troll. What do you think?

[Kitsune Sniper]

Thirty seconds in?

He's an idiot.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

The guy is absolutely right, and for Chrissakes, what the fuck is a troll?



I own Ikaruga for the GC, and I think it has this mode- but I have a few questions. Does anyone do this? And is it bad for your TV to be positioned in this way?

[Tupin]

Once again, this video has proved to me that the next best thing to actually playing the game when you want to do research on it is watching run throughs of the game rather than ill-informed "reviews".

I can tell by looking at it it's the kind of game I would enjoy. Any more info on it?

[c0ldb33r]

I can tell by looking at it it's the kind of game I would enjoy. Any more info on it?

I used to play Galactic Attack like mad when I first had my Saturn years ago. I just reacquired it recently on ebay. I don't think it's rare, but it's not a title you see all the time.

It was also called Ray Force and Layer Section in Japan. It has two sequels - Ray Force and Ray Crisis (I think one of them is a prequel, as if that matters in a shooter).

[Porksta]

Why turn your television in its side when you can own one of these bad boys?



Saw it while I was in Korea.

[evil_genius]

Galactic Attack is good. And he said "One of those fly and shoot games like Galaga." They're called shmups and if you don't know that then, well, why are you reviewing one.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I own Ikaruga for the GC, and I think it has this mode- but I have a few questions. Does anyone do this? And is it bad for your TV to be positioned in this way?

I rock the with the Tate Mode. All Shmup fanatics will, given time and opportunity. I have a VGA box that my consoles and PC run through. Hooked up to the VGA box is a VGA switcher. The switcher is connected to a 21" CRT hori and a 19" CRT vert (set on it's side). It's only harmful, AFAIK, if your moving the same set from hori to vert. You could loose your grip and crash... broken tube, cathode what-have-you. I consider it a must for console shmups and MAME. What pisses me off is when a company leaves the mode out.

They make landscape/portrait orientation LCDs now. I been toying with the notion of switching to this set up. But, CRTs give a great picture.

Layer Section/Galactic Attack and Ray Crisis are great shmups. Ray Storm is good but it's my least favored in the series.

[Joe West]

a troll is a very short person

[otoko]

They make landscape/portrait orientation LCDs now. I been toying with the notion of switching to this set up. But, CRTs give a great picture.

Little known is the CRT that also does this... They're almost impossible to find though.. I've seen at least one of them go on eBay brand new a few years ago.

[shopkins]

That guy has a weird way of enunciating his words. Who the fuck says reeh-view? Maybe it's some accent I'm not familiar with.

Also, that sucked. I should have saw it coming when he admitted he didn't know what the heck he was doing and had done no planning about what he was going to say at the start. Why do so many people think we care so much about what they have to say about video games that need to post poorly done copycat Youtube reviews now? It's like a plague.

Unless he's a really good actor I think he was genuinely frustrated and confused by the arcade mode. You could hear it in his voice.

That said, that game looks great. I'm not even that big into "those fly and shoot games like Galaga," but I think I would play this one.

[c0ldb33r]

Wow, I'm surprised so many people aren't familiar with Galactic Attack.

If you want to play it without tracking down the Saturn original, it's contained on the PC and xbox versions of Taito Legends 2. The PS2 version has Raystorm or Ray Crisis, I can't remember which.

[Kid Ice]

I played the PSX version of Raiden with my TV on its side for months with no lasting effects.

Galactic Attack is very playable in MAME (I think it's called Rayforce). A few graphics glitches here and there.

How cool is that sound when the 3rd level boss appears? I can still hear that sound and I haven't played the game in years.

[roushimsx]

I own Ikaruga for the GC, and I think it has this mode- but I have a few questions. Does anyone do this? And is it bad for your TV to be positioned in this way?

You kiddin'? I replaced my 19" CRT with a 20.1in 4:3 LCD w/ 90degree rotate capability just for shmups (and other emulation related stuff). 16:10 / 16:9 / 5:4 is cool for like, other things, but when it comes to shmupin' and retrogaming, it's all about the 4:3 (or 3:4).

It's a damn shame they don't make these monitors anymore. I've never understood why 5:4 caught on as the established non-widescreen LCD aspect ratio standard and I sure as heck wouldn't want to try to distort the stuff to 10:16 or 9:16.

Galactic Attack is very playable in MAME (I think it's called Rayforce). A few graphics glitches here and there.

I thought that all of the glitches in it were fixed years ago. Once upon a time, Taito F3 emulation was a driving force behind a system upgrade I did. Looks like the only current documented glitches are in Hat Trick Hero 95 and Arabian Magic.

Depending on how you have your parent/clone setup, the game will probably be easier to find under "Gunlock". As far as similar games go, it's nice to see that Soukyugurentai is decently emulated and you can NEVER go wrong with Kamui

[walrusmonger]

just listen to the guy, yes he is for real- he is a total moron.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

You kiddin'? I replaced my 19" CRT with a 20.1in 4:3 LCD w/ 90degree rotate capability just for shmups (and other emulation related stuff). 16:10 / 16:9 / 5:4 is cool for like, other things, but when it comes to shmupin' and retrogaming, it's all about the 4:3 (or 3:4).

It's a damn shame they don't make these monitors anymore. I've never understood why 5:4 caught on as the established non-widescreen LCD aspect ratio standard and I sure as heck wouldn't want to try to distort the stuff to 10:16 or 9:16.

I'm a little retarded. In my mind I'm imagining someone setting a CRT set on it's side. For some reason I wasn't thinking about an LCD... so now it makes a lot more sense. I just happen to play all my classic systems on 2 CRT sets- 1 HD and the other SD. Anyway, I think I'm ready for bed.

Just out of curiosity, and for future posts- which somewhat modern shoot-em-ups have the option of being able to rotate the screen? Are there any online lists that can be linked?

[Gabriel]

Galactic Attack is good. And he said "One of those fly and shoot games like Galaga." They're called shmups and if you don't know that then, well, why are you reviewing one.

There's something to be said about people who aren't immersed in a genre playing and reviewing a game of that genre. At times it can be a very good thing. In this case, I'd definitely say it's one of those good things.

The guy reviews one of the best examples of the genre and gives it a very good recommendation. His complaint? He doesn't understand the purpose of "tate mode." Considering there are people out there against widescreen TVs because "the black bars at the sides cut off the picture" I'd say his complaint is pretty mild. In a world where most people don't care about or understand the viewing area difference between widescreen and 4:3, and many swear they don't see a difference between SD and HD, the number of people who give a rat's ass about or understand "tate modes" is absolutely infinitesimal. In other words, his mild confusion is something anyone not already in the know about the genre would have. And remember, it's a very minor part of the review.

He summarizes the salient elements of the game. His video provides a good example of the stuff he's talking about. If you didn't know anything about this game, his review would give you a decent idea. He's genuinely enthusiastic. Never at any point is he unrealistically optimistic or out to bash the game for no reason.

One of the better amateur youtube reviews I've seen. We need more like him.

[Gabriel]

Wow, I'm surprised so many people aren't familiar with Galactic Attack.

If you want to play it without tracking down the Saturn original, it's contained on the PC and xbox versions of Taito Legends 2. The PS2 version has Raystorm or Ray Crisis, I can't remember which.

The PS2 version has Raystorm. Which is an awesome game.

[Astrocade]

The reviewer is a typical dumbass that doesn't understand "modern" things like letterboxing. I remember when DVD's started becoming cheap enough to where the average yokel could buy one, everybody used to ZOOM the picture two or three times in order to cut off the black bars at the top. "I don't know why they do that- my TV must be bigger than the picture!"

[j_factor]

I used to play Galactic Attack like mad when I first had my Saturn years ago. I just reacquired it recently on ebay. I don't think it's rare, but it's not a title you see all the time.

It was also called Ray Force and Layer Section in Japan. It has two sequels - Ray Force and Ray Crisis (I think one of them is a prequel, as if that matters in a shooter).

This game actually has four names: Ray Force (original arcade), Layer Section (JP Saturn), Galactic Attack (US/EU Saturn), Gunlock (European arcade). The sequel is called both Ray Storm (arcade/psx) and Layer Section II (JP Saturn). The final release, which is the prequel, is only called Ray Crisis as far as I know.

All three are great shooters, but my favorite is the first.