Difference between revisions of "Darius Gaiden"

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*'''Sound Director:''' OGR (Zuntata), [[Katsuhisa Ishikawa]] (Zuntata)
 
*'''Sound Director:''' OGR (Zuntata), [[Katsuhisa Ishikawa]] (Zuntata)
 
*'''Bit Pattern:''' Makoto Fujita, Ucky Maeda, Toru Kawaishi, Miwa Kamiya
 
*'''Bit Pattern:''' Makoto Fujita, Ucky Maeda, Toru Kawaishi, Miwa Kamiya
−
*'''Special Thanks:''' Hisao Shimizu, Rie Amino, Takako Akitsu, Masahiro Tashiro, Nakayama Jotohei, Nobuyuki Hayashi, Ryoto Komai, Yasunobu Kosokabe, Saori Hiratsuka, Ryota Sasaki, Naoto Yagishita, Takao Yoshiba, Nobuaki Kuroki, Yuichi Onogi, Makoto Osaka, Yoshihiro Mori, Naomitsu Abe, Masatoshi Tsuneoka, Yosuke Tsuda, V.G. Tokyo All Staff, Papara Kaito, Yoshinari Mitani, I.G Tatsunoko, ...And Default Members
+
*'''Special Thanks:''' Hisao Shimizu, Rie Amino, Takako Akitsu, Masahiro Tashiro, Nakayama Jotohei, Nobuyuki Hayashi, Ryoto Komai, Yasunobu Kosokabe, Saori Hiratsuka, Ryota Sasaki, Naoto Yagishita, Takao Yoshiba, Nobuaki Kuroki, Yuichi Onogi, Makoto Osaka, Yoshihiro Mori, Naomitsu Abe, Masatoshi Tsuneoka, Yosuke Tsuda, V.G. Tokyo All Staff, Papara Kaito, Yoshinari Mitani, [[I.G Tatsunoko]], ...And Default Members
 
'''Presented by:''' [[Taito]]®<br>
 
'''Presented by:''' [[Taito]]®<br>
 
|source=In-game credits{{fileref|DariusGaiden_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf}}
 
|source=In-game credits{{fileref|DariusGaiden_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf}}

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DariusGaiden title.png

Darius Gaiden
System(s): Sega Saturn
Publisher: Acclaim, Taito (JP)
Developer:
Developer(s) of original games: Taito
Sound driver: SCSP/CD-DA (15 tracks)
Genre: Shoot-'em-Up

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Saturn
JP 		¥5,8005,800 T-1102G
Sega Saturn
US 		$59.9959.99[3] T-8123H
Sega Saturn
EU 		T-8123H-50

Darius Gaiden (ダライアス外伝) is the third main entry in Taito's Darius series of horizontal space shoot-'em-up games, first released in 1994 in arcades as a sequel to Darius II. During development it was known as Darius III. Why it was changed to a"gaiden" type of story (roughly meaning "side story"), is unknown. The game's soundtrack was composed by Taito's house band Zuntata.

Gaiden was ported to the Sega Saturn and released in late 1995, curiously arriving before the Saturn port of Darius II. It was the second of two Darius games to be brought to Sega systems - its arcade successor, G-Darius, which used polygonal graphics, skipped the Saturn in favour of the PlayStation in 1998.

Gameplay

Darius Gaiden closely follows the established formula seen in previous Darius entries, but dropped the eye-catching multiple screen setup in favour a simple one-screen solution. The difficulty of the game is considered to be lower than that of Darius II.

So called black hole bombs have been added, that damage enemies and neutralize projectiles, but also sucks in power ups. Not using any of these yeilds a special score bonus at the end of the game, but is tied to not using continues.

Stages are selectable in the usual branching path fashion after defeating a boss, with the "upper" routes typically being easier to clear. However, the upper routes also offer more scoring chances, which goes against the usual risk vs. reward design in arcade games, and as the high score table is not dictated by path, the only reason to use a different route is to see each of the different stages and endings.

Strangely autofire, a common feature in shooting game ports, is missing from options. It must be activated by a cheat code.

The game has a dynamic difficulty level, depending on power ups collected, survival time and so on.

Production credits

  • Producer: Hidehiro Fujihara
  • Game Design: Hisakazu Kato, Akira Kurabayashi, Masami Kikuchi, Hidetaka Harada, Naoto Omura, Rintaro Doi, Katsumi Kaneoka, Hisayoshi Ogura, Katsuhisa Ishikawa
    • Thanks: Kentaro Matsumura
  • Art Director: KAT, Masami Kikuchi, Baw-Baw
  • Programmer: Kurabar, Naoto Omura, Hidetaka Harada
  • Hardware Engineer: Katsumi Kaneoka
  • Decorator: Rintaro Doi
  • Sound Director: OGR (Zuntata), Katsuhisa Ishikawa (Zuntata)
  • Bit Pattern: Makoto Fujita, Ucky Maeda, Toru Kawaishi, Miwa Kamiya
  • Special Thanks: Hisao Shimizu, Rie Amino, Takako Akitsu, Masahiro Tashiro, Nakayama Jotohei, Nobuyuki Hayashi, Ryoto Komai, Yasunobu Kosokabe, Saori Hiratsuka, Ryota Sasaki, Naoto Yagishita, Takao Yoshiba, Nobuaki Kuroki, Yuichi Onogi, Makoto Osaka, Yoshihiro Mori, Naomitsu Abe, Masatoshi Tsuneoka, Yosuke Tsuda, V.G. Tokyo All Staff, Papara Kaito, Yoshinari Mitani, I.G Tatsunoko, ...And Default Members

Presented by: Taito®

Source:
In-game credits[4]

Track list

1. [data track] (02:14) 
2. VISIONNERZ: Genshibito (04:38) 
Japan VISIONNERZ～幻視人～
EN: VISIONNERZ ~Hallucinated People~
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
3. (Punctuation) (00:06) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
4. Burst Out (01:53) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
5. Induction (01:48) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
6. E.E.G. (04:16) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
7. Axon (02:20) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
8. TOUEI (04:11) 
Japan 投影
EN: Reflection
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
9. Fake (02:02) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
10. Singing In The Brain (01:46) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
11. Tranquilizers (02:58) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
12. SELF (04:12) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
13. Refrain (01:39) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
14. Name (00:56) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
15. End Titles (02:30) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
16. over (00:09) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
► Running time: 37:38

Magazine articles

Main article: Darius Gaiden/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

  • JP flyer

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
67 №15, p92/93[5]
88 №51, p98/99[6]
87 №172, p46/47[1]
60 №30, p70[7]
83 №366, p33
40
76
79 №42, p76/77[8]
69 №43, p88[9]
90 №62, p94[10]
35 №77, p52/53
80 №5, p72/73[2]
80 №1995-14, p200[11]
89 №, p9[12]
79 №16, p68/69
Sega Saturn
 73
Based on
15 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
CD Consoles (FR)
40
[5]
Consoles + (FR)
88
[6]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
87
[1]
Edge (UK)
60
[7]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
74
[13]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
83
[14]
Fun Generation (DE) PAL
40
[15]
GameFan (US)
94
[16]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
53
[17]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
78
[18]
GamePro (UK)
83
[19]
Game Informer (US) NTSC-U
44
[20]
Joypad (FR) NTSC-J
85
[21]
MAN!AC (DE) NTSC-J
76
[22]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
61
[23]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) NTSC-J
79
[8]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
69
[9]
Player One (FR) PAL
90
[10]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
81
[24]
Saturn+ (UK) PAL
84
[25]
Sega Magazin (DE) PAL
80
[26]
Sega Power (UK) NTSC-J
35
[27]
Sega Pro (UK) NTSC
69
[28]
Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) PAL
80
[2]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
80
[29]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
89
[12]
Total Saturn (UK) PAL
46
[30]
Ultimate Future Games (UK) NTSC-J
79
[31]
Última Generación (ES)
68
[32]
Video Games (DE) NTSC-U
60
[33]
VideoGames (US)
70
[34]
Sega Saturn
 71
Based on
31 reviews

Darius Gaiden

Saturn, US
DariusGaiden Saturn US Box Back.jpgDariusGaiden Saturn US Box Front.jpg
Cover
DariusGaidenSaturnUSDisc.jpg
Disc
Dariusgaiden sat us manual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, EU
DariusGaiden Saturn EU Box.jpg
Cover
DariusGaiden Saturn EU Disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, JP
DariusGaiden Saturn JP Box Back.jpgDariusGaiden Saturn JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
DariusGaiden Saturn JP Spinecard.jpg
Spinecard
DariusGaiden Saturn JP Disc.jpg
Disc
DariusGaidenSaturnJPManual.pdf
Manual

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 File:CVG UK 172.pdf, page 46 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:CVG UK 172.pdf_p46" defined multiple times with different content
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 File:SSM UK 05.pdf, page 72 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:SSM UK 05.pdf_p72" defined multiple times with different content
  3. ↑ File:GameGamePlayers US 0904.pdf, page 66
  4. ↑ File:DariusGaiden_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 File:CDConsoles FR 15.pdf, page 92 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:CDConsoles FR 15.pdf_p92" defined multiple times with different content
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 File:ConsolesPlus FR 051.pdf, page 98 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:ConsolesPlus FR 051.pdf_p98" defined multiple times with different content
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 File:Edge UK 030.pdf, page 70 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:Edge UK 030.pdf_p70" defined multiple times with different content
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 File:MeanMachinesSega42UK.pdf, page 76 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega42UK.pdf_p76" defined multiple times with different content
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 File:MeanMachinesSega43UK.pdf, page 88 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega43UK.pdf_p88" defined multiple times with different content
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 File:PlayerOne FR 062.pdf, page 94 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:PlayerOne FR 062.pdf_p94" defined multiple times with different content
  11. ↑ File:SSM_JP_19951222_1995-14.pdf, page 202
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Saturn no Game wa Sekai Ichi~i~i~i!: Satamaga Dokusha Race Zen Kiroku, SoftBank Publishing, page 11 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:SnGwSISDRZK Book JP.pdf_p11" defined multiple times with different content
  13. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 29
  14. ↑ Famitsu, "1995-12-22" (JP; 1995-12-08), page 1
  15. ↑ Fun Generation, "03/96" (DE; 1996-02-12), page 48
  16. ↑ GameFan, "Volume 4, Issue 2: February 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 18
  17. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 9 No. 4 April 1996" (US; 1996-03-19), page 66
  18. ↑ GamePro, "April 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 82
  19. ↑ GamePro, "May 1996" (UK; 1996-04-xx), page 38
  20. ↑ Game Informer, "April 1996" (US; 1996-0x-xx), page 59
  21. ↑ Joypad, "Février 1996 (Joypad International supplement)" (FR; 1996-0x-xx), page 24
  22. ↑ MAN!AC, "02/96" (DE; 1996-01-10), page 41
  23. ↑ Mega Fun, "03/96" (DE; 1996-02-20), page 80
  24. ↑ Saturn Fan, "1996 No. 4" (JP; 1996-02-02), page 62
  25. ↑ Saturn+, "Easter/April 1996" (UK; 1996-03-07), page 62
  26. ↑ Sega Magazin, "März 1996" (DE; 1996-02-14), page 68
  27. ↑ Sega Power, "April 1996" (UK; 1996-02-15), page 52
  28. ↑ Sega Pro, "March 1996" (UK; 1996-01-25), page 60
  29. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1995-14 (1995-12-22)" (JP; 1995-12-08), page 202
  30. ↑ Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Four" (UK; 1996-12-29), page 20
  31. ↑ Ultimate Future Games, "March 1996" (UK; 1996-0x-xx), page 68
  32. ↑ Última Generación, "Febrero 1996" (ES; 1996-0x-xx), page 90
  33. ↑ Video Games, "2/96" (DE; 1996-01-24), page 83
  34. ↑ VideoGames, "May 1996" (US; 1996-04-23), page 63
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