Move this to general gaming if necessary.
In case anyone's interested, I just got an Atomiswave Dolphin Blue kit and thought I'd post some impressions.
Yeah, I admit Sammy's AW software catalogue is looking a bit weak at the moment to say the least and this might not prove to be a great investment but I do love the hardware's high-res 2D roots and Sammy's "new MVS" ambitions. They just need some killer apps and I'm hoping input from SNKP and hopefully Capcom and Sega give us just that. Plus I've wanted to try Dolphin Blue for ages and a Dreamcast conversion never happened. I always thought the hardware was high-res only as well and assumed it wouldn't be a case of plug and play but it is, which is nice, so I got one.
First, a quick note on the hardware - it's really small, slightly smaller than a Saturn in fact and the carts are tiny, only a bit bigger than an N64 cart. Add a very cool red colour and a pretty logo badge and this is probably the sexiest thing you'll ever have hooked up to a Supergun. There's a service switch and a standard/high res switch for JAMMA RGB out or VGA out via a standard VGA lead plus the usual volume knob and other stuff. There's a fan too, it's a bit noisy but then this
is supposed to be in a cab so I can't complain.
Dolphin Blue then. Well, to be honest the first time I played it I was a little under whelmed. It looks like an average to low end DC title. Some bits do look better than others but it kinda lets itself down with poor textures on large objects and blocky smoke effects. One thing that I really like are the characters, who are anime style, mixed in with the 3D stuff. Backgrounds are often quite nice, with stuff going on you'd never notice when playing.
The game suffers from quite a bit of slowdown in hectic areas. Comparable to Metal Slug 2 I guess but at no point did it spoil things really. It's a fairly action packed game when you get past the first level or two, even more so with 2 players, which feels more balanced somehow.
The game is set in a sort of Water World scenario, which actually works well I think. It always sticks with that theme but it never seems to lack variety. Here's where the Dolphins come in; there are 3 types of action - you're either on land Metal Slug style, swimming with your Dolphin (Metal Slug 3 style) or riding on your Dolphin on the surface. For me, the on-dolphin bits are the best parts of the game as it ups the pace a lot. Whenever you're with your Dolphin, button 3 and a direction makes them do a charge or jump attack. On land it works as a sort of grenade or special attack for you character. You get unlimited use out of this but it charges up so the longer you leave it the bigger the attack. Using the directions makes it a tad inaccurate and awkward at first but it becomes bloody useful when your dolphin friend is around and really adds to the gameplay imo.
Dolphins aside though, what we basically have here is a Metal Slug clone. Even a lot of the sound effects will sound very familiar. The game does have a different feel to it, which is perhaps why I didn't get into it on my first go, but when you get used to the weapons and you get onto the more action-packed levels, it's a lot of fun. One thing I will mention about the weapons is that they don't seem to last long, although they are in plentiful supply when you know what you're looking for.
There are only about 4 or 5 levels in the game, but some are a good 10 minutes long which makes a change in shooters these days. I haven't seen the last level yet. Difficulty wise it's no MS3 but its about right I think and seems to throw some obstacles your way at the right time.
Music is good. It suits the game well whilst also having a Metal Slug feel to it.
Overall, I'm quite enjoying it
It's not the new Slug 3 but it's a very playable run n' gun when you get a feel for it and experience some of the later levels. The whole Dolphin idea is pretty unique too.
Linear Mode
