Archive for September, 2025

DoDonPachi: DaiOuJou DX Reco.Ver

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, DoDon Pachi, Games on September 24, 2025 by slateman

There is an awful lot to discuss about this exceedingly-rare mobile-only game. This modified version of DoDonPachi: DaiOuJou DX was released in 2007 and essentially forgotten by most until this autumn. While mobile versions were common in that era, we never had any specific information about DOJ DX. All of that changed when G-Mode ported the game to Steam in 2021, and later to the Nintendo Switch.

The game itself is a surprisingly-good translation that retains almost every part of the core DOJ experience: hidden bees, a full chaining system and well-animated bosses. Unsurprisingly, the game’s audio is the weakest part of the package, well, alongside original phone controls. On modern systems, the latter is a clear improvement, but audio is 2007-era music and effects.

All of this is standard, but even more obscure was G-Mode’s other release, a caravan-style alternative titled 弾幕検定死験-大往生編-. There’s very little information in English about this, so let’s break it all down. That name translates to Danmaku Kentei Shiken – DaiOuJou-Hen. Danmaku is the blanket term for the genre Bullet Hell. Now, the next two words are the same, in some ways. Kentei is a proficiency ‘test’ or ‘examination’. Shiken appears to be a play on words: both as a test itself but also containing the word ‘shi’, which means ‘death’. The Hen suffix just means ‘edition’, more or less. So, while translations exist out there, none of them really gave me any comprehension of what it precisely was. A bullet-hell test version of DOJ. It sounds much better in its native Japanese.

This rendition of the game was a boss-only gauntlet, pitting you against DOJ’s iconic bosses over and over with increasing difficulty. It’s quite repetitive and shallow, but let’s not forget it was a mobile game from nearly two decades ago. The game’s interest lies in the bullet patterns progressively increasing in difficulty and you can start at later levels on future runs.

OK, language and history aside, what exactly is the story behind DoDonPachi: DaiOuJou DX Reco.Ver?

This high-score variant of DOJ DX was curiously issued for one day only, back on the 30th of December, 2007. Why it was so limited is unknown, but it only features minor changes from the base game. In September of 2025, Yuuku! managed to preserve this 18-year-old mobile game and make it available for the world to enjoy via Keitai World Launcher. Considering fewer and fewer devices exist out there in the wild with this software installed, this preservation is even more remarkable.

The title itself is a double set of double entendres. While DoDonPachi’s name alone is a fun play on words, the Reco.ver suffix honors Cave’s other flagship shmup of the era: Mushihimesama. Its heroine, Reco (which I’ve always preferred to spell with a K), is the protagonist of this rendition of DOJ. The title’s full name, DoDonPachi: DaiOuJou Reco.ver pays homage to who is probably Cave’s most-identifiable character. Reco appears here with both her shot and laser and with her M, W and S modes representing green, red and blue. Each has the same laser, but the shots differ, and the latter of the two the only ones that can reveal bees, in laser form only.

The alterations found in this alternate take on DOJ are all relatively minor. The obvious difference is that Reco replaces DDP’s ships, using her sprites from Mushihimesama DX. There are several other visual changes: lives now are represented by Kiniro’s curled horn instead of ships and the GP meter is gone, moving the hyper meter upwards. Bombs have the explosions from Reco’s main game and both they and hypers have a great aquamarine hue. Level-ending screens now feature the long-haired heroine and her voice appears when appropriate, but the sound is otherwise untouched. In terms of gameplay, while the stages remain identical, combos, and thus scoring, differ greatly. The combo counter adds up much faster and is far-more forgiving. Failing to maintain the invisible GP meter results in a dwindling hit combo (à la Daifukkatsu) and dying just reduces your combo by about a third. Even after bombing, your combos continue, something the base DOJ DX allowed, unlike its arcade original. And while there was a level select in DX, one isn’t present here as this was a high-score competition.

In the end, though this alternate-reality DOJ DX may just be a ship-replacement substitute, and truly a mere novelty, its preservation is simply a miracle. It’s worth noting that Keitai World Launcher also has dumps of Guwange DX, three Mushihimesama games: the original under its own DX moniker, Futari and Gaiden, as well as demo renditions of ESP Galuda II and, curiously, the original DoDonPachi – though this last one isn’t DoDonPuchi Zero and is way better than it has any right to be. The fact that this exists at all inspires optimism about preservation and it simplifies and incentivizes others to dump titles locked to this archaic hardware. Personally, I’d love to see some of Capcom’s efforts, as a number of unique games were made in the early ’00s and effectively lost to the sands of time. Though DoDonPachi: DaiOuJou Reco.Ver is a curious bookmark in Cave’s catalogue of games, the ability to play it in 2025 is nothing short of remarkable.

Concert Review: Bruce Dickinson – Silver Spring, MD – 14 September, 2025

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Concert Reviews, Music, Personal, Photos on September 17, 2025 by slateman

After his landmark solo records of the late 1990s, I haven’t been quite as enamored with Bruce Dickinson’s last two albums. Each had its own highlights, but I’ll always go back to Accident and Chemical if given a choice.

Despite my less-enthusiastic take on these efforts, Bruce hasn’t done a US tour since I (saw him in 1998) and going tonight was a bit of a no-brainer. I got to the venue with time to spare, had a beverage and headed in, getting comfortably close, but not as near as I normally would like. The aging crowd didn’t move altogether too much, so where I landed is about where I stayed for the duration. During my half-hour wait, I gazed upon the crowd curiously; spying all the tropes of metal fandom.

With the instrumental intro beginning things, he kicked off into Accident Of Birth, a spectacular start. There are pockets of unfamiliarity in his catalogue, and though these selections were pretty good, it also meant diminished enthusiasm for sections. It didn’t help that things were generally quite slow. Even Laughing In The Hiding Bush, never my favorite, felt weak.

The air-conditioned venue was actually quite cold, never an issue for me, but Bruce was not fond and he commented on it several times, in addition to a few subdued political jabs. Nothing too forceful, but they garnered a smirk from many.

Chemical, Flash Of The Blade and the killer cover of Frankenstein were highlights from the middle of the evening. The first sounded beautiful and Bruce’s voice was as strong as ever. The sole Maiden cover would’ve been a great surprise had it not been spoiled – but the solo section in the middle was just spectacular as was Frankenstein. The band was having fun and I loved every minute of it.

Wrapping things up, we got three hits from my favorite two albums and this represented the best part of the evening. All were just awesome even if they were slower and packed less of a punch than most metal shows. Things were clear and all musicians were top notch.

Following a brief moment backstage, we were treated to the expected Tears Of The Dragon complete with an enthusiastic sing-along. I was unfamiliar with the next Balls To Picasso song, to my dismay, but this led into the finale. Bruce spoke about recording the next album and thanked the crowd before diving into The Tower, one of his best and a suitable closing to a wonderful evening. I zipped out swiftly and Google routed me on what seemed a long, out-of-the-way path home. I woke not feeling terrible the next day, can’t complain about that!!! Setlist and photos/videos to follow.

  1. Intro: Toltec 7 Arrival
  2. Accident Of Birth
  3. Abduction
  4. Laughing In The Hiding Bush
  5. Shadow Of The Gods
  6. Chemical Wedding
  7. Flash Of The Blade
  8. Resurrection Men
  9. Rain On The Graves
  10. Frankenstein
  11. The Alchemist
  12. Book Of Thel
  13. Road To Hell
  14. E: Tears Of The Dragon
  15. E: Gods Of War
  16. E: The Tower






Metal Gear Solid Δ: Does It Still Hold Up?

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Metal Gear Solid on September 2, 2025 by slateman

In selecting my favorite games ever, something that’s still not quite comprehensive, one thing was certain: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is top-five. My first playthrough in 2008 impressed; my second playthrough in 2016 solidified that fact. The announcement of a modern facelift was exciting, enough to dissuade me from picking up the latest collection of titles. MGSΔ came out this past week and I’ve spent my extended labor-day weekend devouring every part of it.

My experience began in an underwhelming state. Extended cut scenes and slow gameplay are never inspirational foundations. Finding collectibles became a chore and despite the QOL improvements, the source material is mired in decades-old advancements. What was once truly revolutionary is now baseline. Don’t get me wrong – the game looks utterly phenomenal and the environments are lush. They are small, but carefully planned, unlike so many procedurally-generated environs of nowadays.

Knowing my way around (generally) certainly helped and I resorted to guides when that memory faltered. As the hours continued, I became enamored, once again, by the twisted tale of double and triple crossing agents, defections and the most bad-ass roster of personalities ever. Kojima’s attention to details and if-then scenarios is one thing that hasn’t decayed with age. It’s a cinematic masterpiece whose gameplay, updated or not, is the weakest element in 2025. Its greatness only grew as bosses were felled and the Snake’s tale advanced. As we witnessed Ocelot’s hubris. Boss’ sacrifice. Ava’s ‘sincerity’. With a pair of prior playthroughs in tow, the big picture was enjoyed on an elevated level.

This experience has only deepened my appreciation to the game and franchise and now I yearn to revisit MGS4, Peace Walker and MGSV. (Master Collection Volume 2 announcement soon?!?!) If I have to rank my favorite games anew, Metal Gear Solid 3 doesn’t move in its position. While higher-placed games have a more-fun gameplay loop, none topples Kojima’s story and direction. I’m so glad I got to play a more-modernized rendition of this title. It’s as good as I remembered.