Awesome stuff! Definitely excited for more Dreamcast action! The game kind of reminds me of Smash TV, which I loved... but totally sucked at. I don't think I ever got past level 2 or 3 in that game.
Side note on your Aliens comment: Am I the only person who thinks Alien Resurrection was better than 3? I recently re-watched the Quadrilogy boxset and Alien 3 was piss-poor compared to the others, not even Charles Dance could save it :/ I like the idea of it and how they are stuck on a planet/prison with no real weapons and a new breed of Aliens to deal with. But it just felt cheap compared to all the other movies, especially the visuals - those 'dog' aliens just looked terrible with their CGI.
Resurrection isn't my favourite by any means, but I enjoyed it far more after watching them all together (though most people seem to piss on it).
I actually quite like Alien 3. It's definitely the weakest of the original trilogy but I think Resurrection marked the point where the franchise started to go a bit off the rails. It's still a decent movie, but it just doesn't really feel like an Alien movie to me. And the latest ones are complete rubbish in my opinion!
This reminds me of Smash T.V. As for controlling with the Dreamcast Pad... Analog or D-Pad for movement. A=Fire Down B=Fire Right X=Fire Left Y=Fire Up Left Analog=Special Right Analog=Roll
Bangai-O isn't a twin stick shooter though, because you shoot in the direction you're facing rather than having movement and shooting controlled independently.
I think SLaVE and Xenocider also have Twin Stick support, so this would be the fourth game, and third indie. Good on the indie devs!
"Bangai-O isn't a twin stick shooter though, because you shoot in the direction you're facing rather than having movement and shooting controlled independently."
That's only the default control scheme for the Dreamcast version for some strange reason. But there is a "regular" control scheme available via options that uses the face buttons to shoot in the different directions similar to how the "Unknown" commenter above described. This is more like how the N64 version works...
I'm really impressed by how smooth this game looks. Looks like a great 'zone out and get into a rhythm' kind of shooter.
Friday, December 22, 2017
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We recently reported on the addition of a Dreamcast stretch goal for upcoming Mega Drive shooter Xeno Crisis. It seems that the wave of Dreamcast love shows no sign of stopping though, with a veritable tsunami of support deluging The Bitmap Bureau's latest offering on Kickstarter. The £35,000 funding goal has now been exceeded and as such a Dreamcast port is guaranteed.
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For those not familiar with Xeno Crisis, the game is a retro-inspired top down shooter that casts the player in the role of a hardened marine battling hoards of hostile aliens. What really appeals to me is the overtly Aliens feel to proceedings, with more than a few nods to HR Giger's aesthetic designs and the visual style and themes of James Cameron's 1986 movie sequel plain to see. And, as a massive fan of the first three films in the Aliens franchise (seriously, the rest of the franchise can go and die in a corner), this pleases me greatly. On top of these lovely, death soaked trappings, the promise of procedurally generated stages and some pretty intense firefights make Xeno Crisis a game I'm really looking forward to.
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The only real concerns I have at this stage are just how well a twin stick style shooter will control with a Dreamcast pad, but I'm sure the lads and lasses at The Bitmap Bureau have all that figured out. If I could make one tiny suggestion though, it would be for Twin Stick (as in HKT-7500 Twin Stick) compatibility for the dreamcast version. Seriously, if the Bitmap Bureau guys are reading, hit me up - you can borrow mine for the purpose of testing!
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Other new features added to the game include a two player co-op mode, and the the option to back Xeno Crisis for just £15 and receive a downloadable version of the game that can be burnt to a CD in the comfort of your own home. This is quite an interesting way of doing things and something we've previously discussed here at the Junkyard. Without the mass infrastructure of an online store for the Dreamcast, game producers offering downloadable disc images looks like a decent alternative, albeit one that brings its own set of issues surrounding file sharing and the like.
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Either way, I'm pretty excited about Xeno Crisis and this news just adds another reason to be cheerful as a Dreamcast fan in the modern era. Intrepid Izzy is coming soon, as is Xenocider and others. Now we can add Xeno Crisis to the list.
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Have you backed Xeno Crisis? Excited as I am for this release? Let us know in the comments or join the conversation in our Facebook group or on Twitter. You can find the Kickstarter campaign here.
Update:
Following a brief conversation with The Bitmap Bureau, it looks as though our offer of supplying a Twin Stick has been graciously accepted, and the team will investigate if Twin Stick support is viable for Xeno Crisis. If this comes off, then Xeno Crisis would be only the second Dreamcast game that 'officially' supports the Twin Stick, after Virtual On. The power of social media, eh?!
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"Xeno Crisis Dreamcast Port Confirmed, Twin Stick Support Considered"
7 Comments -
Awesome stuff! Definitely excited for more Dreamcast action! The game kind of reminds me of Smash TV, which I loved... but totally sucked at. I don't think I ever got past level 2 or 3 in that game.
Side note on your Aliens comment: Am I the only person who thinks Alien Resurrection was better than 3?
I recently re-watched the Quadrilogy boxset and Alien 3 was piss-poor compared to the others, not even Charles Dance could save it :/
I like the idea of it and how they are stuck on a planet/prison with no real weapons and a new breed of Aliens to deal with. But it just felt cheap compared to all the other movies, especially the visuals - those 'dog' aliens just looked terrible with their CGI.
Resurrection isn't my favourite by any means, but I enjoyed it far more after watching them all together (though most people seem to piss on it).
Errr anyway - great news about Xeno Crisis! :D
Thursday, December 21, 2017
I actually quite like Alien 3. It's definitely the weakest of the original trilogy but I think Resurrection marked the point where the franchise started to go a bit off the rails. It's still a decent movie, but it just doesn't really feel like an Alien movie to me. And the latest ones are complete rubbish in my opinion!
Thursday, December 21, 2017
This reminds me of Smash T.V.
As for controlling with the Dreamcast Pad... Analog or D-Pad for movement.
A=Fire Down
B=Fire Right
X=Fire Left
Y=Fire Up
Left Analog=Special
Right Analog=Roll
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Twin stick shooters control just fine with Dreamcast pad, ever heard of Bangai-O?
That said, I would love actual twin stick support... and an actual twin stick...
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Bangai-O isn't a twin stick shooter though, because you shoot in the direction you're facing rather than having movement and shooting controlled independently.
I think SLaVE and Xenocider also have Twin Stick support, so this would be the fourth game, and third indie. Good on the indie devs!
Thursday, December 21, 2017
"Bangai-O isn't a twin stick shooter though, because you shoot in the direction you're facing rather than having movement and shooting controlled independently."
That's only the default control scheme for the Dreamcast version for some strange reason. But there is a "regular" control scheme available via options that uses the face buttons to shoot in the different directions similar to how the "Unknown" commenter above described. This is more like how the N64 version works...
Thursday, December 21, 2017
I'm really impressed by how smooth this game looks. Looks like a great 'zone out and get into a rhythm' kind of shooter.
Friday, December 22, 2017