Ballistic SE Radiangames Welcome to Ballistic Special Edition, an intense and highly-polished arena-style twin-stick shooter. Blast your way thro… TouchArcade Rating: $2.99 Buy Now Watch Media DetailsWelcome to Ballistic Special Edition, an intense and highly-polished arena-style twin-stick shooter. Blast your way through an infinite number of Waves, or dive into 5 intense challenges. Now includes iOS 13 gamepad support and full-resolution on newer devices! Information Seller:Radiangames Genre:Action, Arcade Release:Apr 26, 2012 Updated:Dec 03, 2020 Version:1.2 Size:81.7 MB TouchArcade Rating: User Rating: (4) Your Rating:unrated Compatibility:HD Universal awp69 Well-Known Member Oct 30, 2009 8,249 0 36 Greenville, SC #2 awp69, May 15, 2012 Last edited: May 15, 2012 Seriously considering getting this as a fan of Fireball SE and Super Crossfire (which, by the way, both of those games are also on sale). But not really sure about this one. The lack of enemy variety and seemingly unoriginal gameplay makes me think I'd be disappointed by it after playing things like Infinity Field, PewPew 2 and Beat Hazard Ultra. DelBoy2181 Well-Known Member Mar 14, 2011 857 0 0 London, England #3 DelBoy2181, May 15, 2012 Is this better than Infinity Field and Beat Hazard Ultra (both of which are top dual stick shooters)? tops2 Well-Known Member Jan 21, 2011 2,067 44 48 #4 tops2, May 15, 2012 While the enemies look the same, they have different behavior. Some come right at you, some are stationary, some split up, some "charge" at you after it gets a lot on you, some can't be killed while not in ballistic mode...etc... The game is sort of like Fireball SE, but you can shoot. This game kinda plays like a "Cave" version of DSS as you play for high scores. You pick up multipliers to greatly increase your score. You can last a long time, but end up with a low score (cause of low multiplier)...or have a shorter game but ending up with a higher score. There's not as much variety compared to Infinity Field or PewPew 2. While there's 5 challenge modes, when you first start out playing, they feel pretty much the same. Personally my favorite space arena is still PewPew 1/2, but to me, Ballistic, Infinitly Field and Ultra Beat Hazard is pretty much tied for second. Ballistic for the insane, claustrophobic, high score chasing. Infinitly Field for the graphics and the different modes. Ultra Beat Hazard for playing with my own music, the boss fights, and when I want to burn my retinas out. If you're a fan of Radiangames, I'd say pick it up anyways. If your a fan of arena DSS, pick it up. If your really burned out by arena DSS..then it's a harder decision. Exact-Psience Well-Known Member Jan 12, 2012 22,664 2 38 The Work-At-Home Guy Philippines #5 Exact-Psience, May 15, 2012 I personally prefer BHU over Ballistic, but it doesnt mean Ballistic is bad. It is still a top notch dual stick shooter, but for me is a little behind BHU in quality. If you dont have Fireball SE yet, i'd recommend that one if you cant get both. syntheticvoid Well-Known Member Jun 20, 2010 14,504 124 63 Musician & factory worker. a[V-O-I-D] http://apparentsymmetry.bandcamp.com #6 syntheticvoid, May 15, 2012 ha... I personally prefer Ballistic over BHU... I don't know what it is... if it's the 2 minute challenge levels, or the INSANE Wave Mode... the different attributes of each of the enemy spheres... but Ballistic is easily one of the best DS Shooters I've ever played. Also, not saying that BHU or Infinity Field are bad... I've got both on both my iPhone and iPad... and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. But Ballistic has gotten WAY more gameplay outta me, which is saying quite a bit, especially considering how long BHU and Infinity Field have been out... Anyway... if you're a fan of DS Shooters, this one is a must get. Dazarath Well-Known Member Mar 21, 2010 1,745 0 36 #7 Dazarath, May 15, 2012 I personally enjoyed it more than Infinity Field, but that's just me. I don't own Beat Hazard Ultra, so I can't comment on that comparison. undeadcow Well-Known Member Dec 4, 2010 9,493 2 36 Houston, TX #8 undeadcow, May 15, 2012 I picked this up with the price drop but agree with earlier feedback from Gabrien about how you can survive for some time just sitting in the corner; that's a hilarious/absurd AI loophole. syntheticvoid Well-Known Member Jun 20, 2010 14,504 124 63 Musician & factory worker. a[V-O-I-D] http://apparentsymmetry.bandcamp.com #9 syntheticvoid, May 15, 2012 yeah, but how far can you make it? I tried it, and only got to wave 10... considering the game really picks up around wave 60-100... what's the point, especially if you're going for a highscore? tops2 Well-Known Member Jan 21, 2011 2,067 44 48 #10 tops2, May 15, 2012 Wanna echo syntheticvoid's comment. Try playing for high score..and at later waves. You can sit in the corner for lower stages..and your score will suffer. If you sit in the corner, you won't really get a chance to pick up as many multipliers as possible.. Royce Well-Known Member Mar 22, 2011 4,239 179 63 #11 Royce, May 15, 2012 Exactly. I find their criticism hilarious/absurd. If you don't care about your score, you can make it through the early part of the game using a cheap technique. However, if you actually want a decent score, and to play further into the game, you are forced to actually have fun awp69 Well-Known Member Oct 30, 2009 8,249 0 36 Greenville, SC #12 awp69, May 15, 2012 Well, decided to pick this up after all, being a huge fan of DSS games since the original Geometry Wars in the little arcade machine in Project Gotham Racing. It's pretty darn good so far. Definately in my top 5 DSS games on the iOS and I've played a ton of them...many of the disappointing, including the iOS version of GW. To me, each of my favorites has it's own merits. PewPew 2 for it's cool, largely non-arena based campaign. Infinity Field for it's cool, arena-based campaign with differing objectives. Beat Hazard Ultra for it's music-driven mayhem and blinding effects. And Alien Space Retro for a more strategic approach. (Those are the others in my top 5). This may seem more simplistic than the others, but it ramps up the challenge nicely. And controls are point-on. Dazarath Well-Known Member Mar 21, 2010 1,745 0 36 #13 Dazarath, May 15, 2012 Yeah, I agree with the above two posts. If you look at the most common goals of people playing Ballistic, it'd probably be something like getting a high score, getting to the highest wave, or earning achievements. AFKing for the first 10 waves doesn't help at all for the first two and only barely helps for a select few achievements. I guess if your goal is to clear those first waves as effortlessly as possible so that you can complain about it in the TA thread, then yes, it makes sense to take advantage of that particular tactic. While I agree it is a bit weird that one can do that in the first place, it's nowhere near game-breaking at all. awp69 Well-Known Member Oct 30, 2009 8,249 0 36 Greenville, SC #14 awp69, May 15, 2012 Wanted to add a footnote to my above post. I didn't buy this at first because I feared another generic DSS. And the enemies being all circles didn't help. But it's games like this that show it isn't always about impressive graphics. Violet Storm tried that route with lots of visual, bullet-hell, over-the-top flare. But it doesn't hold a candle to this in terms of gameplay, from what I've seen so far. Anyway, just thought I'd mention that if anyone's holding off because it looks too basic (admittedly, my first impression from screenshots myself). The different colored circles have plenty of personality on their own. Connector Well-Known Member May 6, 2012 15,512 1 0 In the Chatroom http://thechatroom.freeforums.net/ #15 Connector, May 16, 2012 Awp69, I see you are a dual stick fan, so that is cool, I agree with you about many in your top 5 list. The only one you didn't seem to mention is cs one, which is an old old game but has great gameplay with ipod music too. Ballistic though, I have some mixed feelings. The gameplay is solid, graphics are good, and I like the upgrades of weapons. But I don't like how all the enemies look the same except for color. Many times when a lot of enemies are on the screen, I can't really know what kind of enemy it is since some of the colors are close to being similar. I feel sorry for people that are kind of color blind because it must be hard on them to play. In fact, I would encourage the developer to add a colorblind mode, and make the enemies all different shapes like squares, diamonds, ovals, etc... I've seen other games with colorblind options, but this one would make this one a lot better in my opinion. The other two things are sometimes it just seems more like dodgeball with all the balls out there. It would be funner I feel if some of the balls shot and seemed more intelligent. Alot of times, it just seems like I die if there are too many balls out there, there doesn't seem to be as much strategy as some other shooters out there. I was wondering what other users were taking about when they said you could just sit in the corner and shoot, at first I thought they meant close to a corner, since that is how a lot of times I play Infinity Field, staying close to the corner. But I guess gabrien and others meant in the corner. I tried it, and yeah, it works in many of the levels. Then I wondered, can I do this in Infinity Field? So I tried it, but in that game, the enemies will spawn on you and kill you in the corner, so it can't be done, so maybe that is what should be done in this game I suppose. Also, I play Violet storm hd on my ipad, and while the first 2 levels are kind of boring, from level 3 and up, when the enemies shoot instead of just following you around, I think it gets to be a mad bullet hell and quite fun. I do wish they would change that glass breaking sound, and also change the ship shape though. So I like Ballistic, and I would recommend it for purchase, but it's still not in my top 5 dual stick lists. Maybe the developer could add a colorblind option with all different shapes, then I might change my mind! awp69 Well-Known Member Oct 30, 2009 8,249 0 36 Greenville, SC #16 awp69, May 16, 2012 ^^ I can agree with you on the enemy types -- especially if you're color blind. And, as I mentioned, it was one of the reasons I didn't get Ballistic at first. The balls do differentiate themselves pretty well though -- some take a lot more effort to kill, others swarm on you so fast that you have to really be quick. I actually feel the upgrades in the game for the ship's speed are almost completely necessary as you go through the waves. In fact, while the controls are great, your ship's slow movement is probably the thing I find to be the biggest fault in the game. Guess I like it because it gets so intense with the amount of enemies that it gets harder and harder to avoid them. Sure, the other games I mentioned are intense, but this one is so much so that it's what put it over the top in terms of being one of my favorite DSS titles so far. Sounds like I'll have to check out CS One. tops2 Well-Known Member Jan 21, 2011 2,067 44 48 #17 tops2, May 16, 2012 Lol..the upgrades is one of the great things about this game. And since you can't get them all, you're forced to pick ones that suit your style. I have a bad habit of moving too much when I shouldn't (I die in most DSS cause I run into things instead of from enemy fire)..so I actually don't put any into speed at all. But the flexibility of the upgrades lets you really try different "builds". For high score chasing..I pick the high score boosts, bomb blast radius boosts, rapidshot..then the rest depends on my mood and how I want to play. I do agree though the enemy shapes at least can be different.. I think visuals (mostly the color/contrast) are the main complaint I have with Radiangames' games.. Sometimes the colors blend in too much or is too dark. I while playing Ballistic on the ipod I get confused between the bombs and extra life. awp69 Well-Known Member Oct 30, 2009 8,249 0 36 Greenville, SC #18 awp69, May 16, 2012 Yeah, I do love the upgrade system as a whole. My problem is, since this game isn't really about things shooting you as much as it is about all the enemies flocking towards you, I guess that's why I usually pick speed. I die alot because they're catching up to me too quickly! I do need to do some more experimenting with different options though. Drexiel Well-Known Member Oct 27, 2011 1,702 0 0 Commercial Diver Ponce, PR #19 Drexiel, May 17, 2012 Typical Randiagames' game... Great art style, music(SPECIALLY the music ) and gameplay.... Definitely recommended for any DSS fan tops2 Well-Known Member Jan 21, 2011 2,067 44 48 #20 tops2, May 17, 2012 Lol..yeah.. For me, dropping mines compensates for most enemies that come up from behind so maybe you can experiment with that. For me, one point into mines is enough though. (You must log in or sign up to post here.) Show Ignored Content Share This Page Tweet Your name or email address: Do you already have an account? No, create an account now. Yes, my password is: Forgot your password? Stay logged in
Seriously considering getting this as a fan of Fireball SE and Super Crossfire (which, by the way, both of those games are also on sale). But not really sure about this one. The lack of enemy variety and seemingly unoriginal gameplay makes me think I'd be disappointed by it after playing things like Infinity Field, PewPew 2 and Beat Hazard Ultra.
Is this better than Infinity Field and Beat Hazard Ultra (both of which are top dual stick shooters)?
While the enemies look the same, they have different behavior. Some come right at you, some are stationary, some split up, some "charge" at you after it gets a lot on you, some can't be killed while not in ballistic mode...etc... The game is sort of like Fireball SE, but you can shoot. This game kinda plays like a "Cave" version of DSS as you play for high scores. You pick up multipliers to greatly increase your score. You can last a long time, but end up with a low score (cause of low multiplier)...or have a shorter game but ending up with a higher score. There's not as much variety compared to Infinity Field or PewPew 2. While there's 5 challenge modes, when you first start out playing, they feel pretty much the same. Personally my favorite space arena is still PewPew 1/2, but to me, Ballistic, Infinitly Field and Ultra Beat Hazard is pretty much tied for second. Ballistic for the insane, claustrophobic, high score chasing. Infinitly Field for the graphics and the different modes. Ultra Beat Hazard for playing with my own music, the boss fights, and when I want to burn my retinas out. If you're a fan of Radiangames, I'd say pick it up anyways. If your a fan of arena DSS, pick it up. If your really burned out by arena DSS..then it's a harder decision.
I personally prefer BHU over Ballistic, but it doesnt mean Ballistic is bad. It is still a top notch dual stick shooter, but for me is a little behind BHU in quality. If you dont have Fireball SE yet, i'd recommend that one if you cant get both.
ha... I personally prefer Ballistic over BHU... I don't know what it is... if it's the 2 minute challenge levels, or the INSANE Wave Mode... the different attributes of each of the enemy spheres... but Ballistic is easily one of the best DS Shooters I've ever played. Also, not saying that BHU or Infinity Field are bad... I've got both on both my iPhone and iPad... and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. But Ballistic has gotten WAY more gameplay outta me, which is saying quite a bit, especially considering how long BHU and Infinity Field have been out... Anyway... if you're a fan of DS Shooters, this one is a must get.
I personally enjoyed it more than Infinity Field, but that's just me. I don't own Beat Hazard Ultra, so I can't comment on that comparison.
I picked this up with the price drop but agree with earlier feedback from Gabrien about how you can survive for some time just sitting in the corner; that's a hilarious/absurd AI loophole.
yeah, but how far can you make it? I tried it, and only got to wave 10... considering the game really picks up around wave 60-100... what's the point, especially if you're going for a highscore?
Wanna echo syntheticvoid's comment. Try playing for high score..and at later waves. You can sit in the corner for lower stages..and your score will suffer. If you sit in the corner, you won't really get a chance to pick up as many multipliers as possible..
Exactly. I find their criticism hilarious/absurd. If you don't care about your score, you can make it through the early part of the game using a cheap technique. However, if you actually want a decent score, and to play further into the game, you are forced to actually have fun
Well, decided to pick this up after all, being a huge fan of DSS games since the original Geometry Wars in the little arcade machine in Project Gotham Racing. It's pretty darn good so far. Definately in my top 5 DSS games on the iOS and I've played a ton of them...many of the disappointing, including the iOS version of GW. To me, each of my favorites has it's own merits. PewPew 2 for it's cool, largely non-arena based campaign. Infinity Field for it's cool, arena-based campaign with differing objectives. Beat Hazard Ultra for it's music-driven mayhem and blinding effects. And Alien Space Retro for a more strategic approach. (Those are the others in my top 5). This may seem more simplistic than the others, but it ramps up the challenge nicely. And controls are point-on.
Yeah, I agree with the above two posts. If you look at the most common goals of people playing Ballistic, it'd probably be something like getting a high score, getting to the highest wave, or earning achievements. AFKing for the first 10 waves doesn't help at all for the first two and only barely helps for a select few achievements. I guess if your goal is to clear those first waves as effortlessly as possible so that you can complain about it in the TA thread, then yes, it makes sense to take advantage of that particular tactic. While I agree it is a bit weird that one can do that in the first place, it's nowhere near game-breaking at all.
Wanted to add a footnote to my above post. I didn't buy this at first because I feared another generic DSS. And the enemies being all circles didn't help. But it's games like this that show it isn't always about impressive graphics. Violet Storm tried that route with lots of visual, bullet-hell, over-the-top flare. But it doesn't hold a candle to this in terms of gameplay, from what I've seen so far. Anyway, just thought I'd mention that if anyone's holding off because it looks too basic (admittedly, my first impression from screenshots myself). The different colored circles have plenty of personality on their own.
Awp69, I see you are a dual stick fan, so that is cool, I agree with you about many in your top 5 list. The only one you didn't seem to mention is cs one, which is an old old game but has great gameplay with ipod music too. Ballistic though, I have some mixed feelings. The gameplay is solid, graphics are good, and I like the upgrades of weapons. But I don't like how all the enemies look the same except for color. Many times when a lot of enemies are on the screen, I can't really know what kind of enemy it is since some of the colors are close to being similar. I feel sorry for people that are kind of color blind because it must be hard on them to play. In fact, I would encourage the developer to add a colorblind mode, and make the enemies all different shapes like squares, diamonds, ovals, etc... I've seen other games with colorblind options, but this one would make this one a lot better in my opinion. The other two things are sometimes it just seems more like dodgeball with all the balls out there. It would be funner I feel if some of the balls shot and seemed more intelligent. Alot of times, it just seems like I die if there are too many balls out there, there doesn't seem to be as much strategy as some other shooters out there. I was wondering what other users were taking about when they said you could just sit in the corner and shoot, at first I thought they meant close to a corner, since that is how a lot of times I play Infinity Field, staying close to the corner. But I guess gabrien and others meant in the corner. I tried it, and yeah, it works in many of the levels. Then I wondered, can I do this in Infinity Field? So I tried it, but in that game, the enemies will spawn on you and kill you in the corner, so it can't be done, so maybe that is what should be done in this game I suppose. Also, I play Violet storm hd on my ipad, and while the first 2 levels are kind of boring, from level 3 and up, when the enemies shoot instead of just following you around, I think it gets to be a mad bullet hell and quite fun. I do wish they would change that glass breaking sound, and also change the ship shape though. So I like Ballistic, and I would recommend it for purchase, but it's still not in my top 5 dual stick lists. Maybe the developer could add a colorblind option with all different shapes, then I might change my mind!
^^ I can agree with you on the enemy types -- especially if you're color blind. And, as I mentioned, it was one of the reasons I didn't get Ballistic at first. The balls do differentiate themselves pretty well though -- some take a lot more effort to kill, others swarm on you so fast that you have to really be quick. I actually feel the upgrades in the game for the ship's speed are almost completely necessary as you go through the waves. In fact, while the controls are great, your ship's slow movement is probably the thing I find to be the biggest fault in the game. Guess I like it because it gets so intense with the amount of enemies that it gets harder and harder to avoid them. Sure, the other games I mentioned are intense, but this one is so much so that it's what put it over the top in terms of being one of my favorite DSS titles so far. Sounds like I'll have to check out CS One.
Lol..the upgrades is one of the great things about this game. And since you can't get them all, you're forced to pick ones that suit your style. I have a bad habit of moving too much when I shouldn't (I die in most DSS cause I run into things instead of from enemy fire)..so I actually don't put any into speed at all. But the flexibility of the upgrades lets you really try different "builds". For high score chasing..I pick the high score boosts, bomb blast radius boosts, rapidshot..then the rest depends on my mood and how I want to play. I do agree though the enemy shapes at least can be different.. I think visuals (mostly the color/contrast) are the main complaint I have with Radiangames' games.. Sometimes the colors blend in too much or is too dark. I while playing Ballistic on the ipod I get confused between the bombs and extra life.
Yeah, I do love the upgrade system as a whole. My problem is, since this game isn't really about things shooting you as much as it is about all the enemies flocking towards you, I guess that's why I usually pick speed. I die alot because they're catching up to me too quickly! I do need to do some more experimenting with different options though.
Typical Randiagames' game... Great art style, music(SPECIALLY the music ) and gameplay.... Definitely recommended for any DSS fan
Lol..yeah.. For me, dropping mines compensates for most enemies that come up from behind so maybe you can experiment with that. For me, one point into mines is enough though.