RayForce - Vertical Shmup by Taito - $11.99

[Vally]

Initial impressions - Started the game up, attempted Arcade mode and iPhone mode.

From what I can tell, this is not a full port. Playing the game in Arcade mode gives the impression that this is the arcade rom in a custom emulator, hence the comparatively low file size.

Touch controls in arcade mode are very weird - You're still limited to normal ship speed as in the arcade version. If you've ever tried to play Jamestown on PC with mouse controls, that's what this is like.

It's not too bad and given those limitations it's surprisingly controllable, but by no means precise.

iPhone mode is exactly the same from what I can tell, but with unrestricted ship speed so you can zip around the screen with ease - This is MUCH easier, and makes me wonder why they actually included arcade mode at all.

All stages are unlocked at the start I think - That's quite nice.

I DO like the fact that in Arcade mode, it rolls the original Rayforce attract sequence and waits for you to 'insert a coin'. Nice little bit of nostalgia there.

[geremy]

They included arcade mode so that scoring the arcade against the ios port wouldn't be such a cluster as it apparently is with other shmups.

[SuperWeird]

I bought this game, having never played the original. And so far I think the controls suck pretty bad. The ship is SO slow to respond, if I swipe my finger across the screen it takes 2-3 seconds for the ship to catch up - way too slow! It's impossible to quickly and precisely move around in a shmup like this. Also, this game does't even come close to the quality of CAVE's shooters. No way this game is worth $11.99, in fact I'll probably delete it.

[squarezero]

Originally Posted by headcaseGames

As for this game on iOS - I believe there are a few good reasons you don't see an overwhelming number of 2D shooters on the iDevices. Personally I dig the genre, but have never seen one which has truly felt "a great fit" on a touchscreen, although I'll argue just because it hasn't been done yet properly, does not mean it couldn't.. let's see what others have to say, in regards to Rayforce-

Funny, I would say exactly the opposite: CAVE shooters have consistently shown that touchscreens are almost ideally suited for 2D shooters of this type. Personally I found relational touch controls (when implemented well) to be more accurate and faster than joysticks in the arcade (really!). And the fact that iOS is one of the few platforms that comfortably supports a vertical orientation makes it even better suited for shmups.

The reason you don't see a lot of these kinds of games in the App Store (and I would argue that that's not really the case) is the same reason why you don't see a lot shmups in other platforms: the genre is simply not that popular these days.

[Vally]

Originally Posted by SuperWeird

I bought this game, having never played the original. And so far I think the controls suck pretty bad. The ship is SO slow to respond, if I swipe my finger across the screen it takes 2-3 seconds for the ship to catch up - way too slow! It's impossible to quickly and precisely move around in a shmup like this. Also, this game does't even come close to the quality of CAVE's shooters. No way this game is worth $11.99, in fact I'll probably delete it.

Try iPhone mode before you do. It's the same but unrestricted on the ship speed.

Arcade mode kept the ship movement to arcade speed.

This is definitely for the fans of the original game. If you've never played this game before today, you're going to wonder what all the fuss is about.

Just for reference - Rayforce originally came out in arcades in 1993. This is before Cave were even founded - They were still Toaplan. So before you start expecting Cave quality of game / visuals...

[SuperWeird]

Originally Posted by Vally

Try iPhone mode before you do. It's the same but unrestricted on the ship speed.

Arcade mode kept the ship movement to arcade speed.

This is definitely for the fans of the original game. If you've never played this game before today, you're going to wonder what all the fuss is about.

Just for reference - Rayforce originally came out in arcades in 1993. This is before Cave were even founded - They were still Toaplan. So before you start expecting Cave quality of game / visuals...

Thanks, I just tried this, I was only playing Arcade mode before. The ship moves much better in iPhone mode, but still lags a little, not nearly as responsive as CAVE apps or other top shmups on the app store, but at least it's playable now.

[Sanuku]

Low bandwidth Version | Pop Up


Is the current Version worth $11.99?

No, not at all if you expect something on the Quality Level of Cave. If you prefer a Retro/Old School Game you might give it a try if you have enough Money.

So is this an Old School Game that doesn`t haven`t got any Updates like Retina or even an Universal Build?

Yes sadly it is. While I had expected more of an Port similar to Sonic CD Game where an Old School Game was taken and changed to the better RayForce plays sadly as the Original Game. You might enjoy it if you like the old Arcade Games but if you are used to Games from Cave you won`t.

I prefer Games like Bug Princess or any other similar Game that runs with 60 FPS - Should i spent $11.99 for RayForce?

No. Wait for a Lite Version of the Game to give it a try before you buy it otherwise you might regret it.

[baartlebooth]

Rayforce may be one of my favorite shooter ever, people please don't fall into that 12 dollars trap :

it's a crappy emulation, no retina display, shitty controls, I don't know who is gonna fall for this.
Well actually it's one of the worst emulation I'v seen on ios market, and the price for it exceeds the most sophisticated and demanding present ios games, what kind of drugs those taito guys are taking ???

You can play the game for free on any mame version available with scanlines in any resolution it pleases you, please people don't support those infamous commercials operations.

[Vally]

After an extended play, I agree with that.

While £7.99 isn't that much (My lunch today cost me £12), it's still hard to justify in comparison to other high quality ports on iOS.

MAME will run this flawlessly and the iPhone version doesn't really offer much other than online leaderboards and achievements.

iPhone mode should be the standard - Arcade mode is pointless.

This isn't a very good port and I wouldn't recommend it.

[Robotwars]

If it really is that bad, that really sucks. And i say it sucks because we don't need even more negativity towards the higher pricing models. I'll gladly play that much for a quality game that doesn't come with a built in store.