Dragon Spirit (Playstation 2)

Vertical
Checkpoints OFF / ON
3 difficulty levels
9 steps
Ship fixed speed
- - - - - - -
Developed by Namco
Published by Namco in 2005
Namco could shmup completely out of the limelight today, but there was a time when the company was in, much less established trends within the genre. Although the creator of the first vertical scrolling shooter in history, it is true, its catalog that have not paid much attention from the masses attracted 80 throughout the years. If you dig deeper, but there is a chance that you may find some interesting games and neglected, waiting to be appreciated. One of them is Dragon Spirit, performed one of the many evolutionary steps Xevious, and fortunately one of the titles from Namco.
The game is a fantasy-theme hotel vertical shooter, save where the hero into a dragon, a princess who was kidnapped by a villain is a classic pattern for a simple shmup. And 'possible to arcade conversions in the vicinity of Dragon Spirit game on the PS1, PS2, PSP, XBLA and PSN, with the other available ports on the PC Engine, NES, Atari ST, Commodore and Amiga. I decided to go available for the PS2 version in the compilation Namco Museum fiftieth anniversary, mainly because I thought it was one of the most accurate methods to the game are on a home test console. However, as I played the game and reach the last stages in a coherent way, I finally have my copy of Namco Museum 5 for the PS1, which also has Dragon Spirit. Suffice it to say, only to see the early stages I understand this is a case in which the game works better on slower PS1 - PS2 version partially filled, filling, cook with the graphics and controls that are a bit "dodgy.
But you know what? I am stubborn. I am proud of my goals. I began the journey on PS2 and I was coming to PS2!
What? A swimming dinosaur egg and a light blue?
You do not know about you, but I think there is something bold and attractive transform into a dragon and toasting half the world to rescue a beautiful girl. Dragon Spirit in this endeavor off nine levels increasingly harder, some of which are rather long and difficult. The first thing you see how the game starts and your transformation, which is followed by more campaigns dinosaurs populated valleys, lava flows and volcanoes, swamps with magical trees, deserts, caves moving glaciers, underwater passages, and a Pitch Black Room a final battle, a castle with gargoyles wall traitor and very narrow passage led. Each level has a unique and feels completely different than its predecessor, with a surprising degree of diversity, stretches nicely on the soundtrack, a beautiful collection of melodies and themes that are reminiscent of the legendary style of the game with uncanny efficiency. In this context, you can see the game as a precursor Phelios.
Just like Xevious, there are two types of attacks in Dragon Spirit. Normal fire the enemy will strike in the air, while the enemies of the earth with bombs being beaten to the ground. As the health bar shown, can you ever taken to die, with no possibility at all for the restoration of health. It is generally good advice to the size of the dragons from the go, because with every Blue Orb is collected, used to earn more in a leader. You can create up to three heads, that increase the range of firepower. Just like blue balls, orange balls can be collected by bomb attacks laid colored eggs on the ground. These orange balls add up to the power meter in the lower right, and collected for all three balls power will be strengthened to a new level. The final stage of the power of the dragon flame shoot powerful streams can pierce through walls, and enemy tanks. Although such an overview of the basics of the game, made extra symbols flash bang into enemies, which gives the game its special atmosphere.
In addition to the regular blue / orange balls can appear in random bullets taste extra shield of invincibility, homing shot (not as effective as it seems), earthquakes (kills all enemies of the country that comes on the screen), reduced Shrinker (Hitbox Dragon and left him with only one head), shot spread (revolutions White Dragon), the diamonds for extra points, 10,000 points (Orb yellow), one third of the 1UP (pink Orb have to slip to three of them, "an extra life ), the last flame power-up (Green Dragon), the expanded view (in step 8) and the dreaded Power-Down (Black Orb). Some of these balls are quite useful in some parts of the game, and should be treated accordingly . to spread the strike, for example, is ideal to remove a lot of enemies, but against bad bosses, because it is weaker than the flame. On the other hand, the flame of a Dead Zone right on the nose of the dragon, in those of the enemy at close range and killed the player is not injured by the contact. It is really annoying and very deadly in the last phase claustrophobic. narrowing of the Dragon is good, but leaves it with only one head, while others will increasingly be the return to its normal size. sends the player on a checkpoint, but will receive all current or orange ball icons remain hatching (Note: The PS2 version also hatching icons are kept for a new loan!).
Amul brave knight turns into a blue dragon for justice is great!
(Courtesy of YouTube user KollisionBR)
Dragon Spirit is a game that the players in full by its design and placement enemy be explored to success requires. Bullet can expect is simply overwhelming - it is quite tame to be honest - but weaving through some sections of a puzzle-like nature during times away. If there are points (are caves, glaciers) is almost certainly lean on the walls and trying to maneuver a couple of balls herd for better options. It also helps to have a controller with built-in car fire, as this feature is completely missing from the game. The score is very simple, so keep an eye out for the precious yellow balls worth 10,000 points. Evaluation based on two sections provided with 80,000 points and 180.000, but most of the extra life will be from eggs with pink balls hatching. If you're lucky, that is.
About happiness, I must report a strange bug in this game. Every time I reached the fourth boss (Dragon Bones) with three heads and full of energy, in 9 out of 10 would deceive me. The first thing would have happened without authority makes, then it is invincible until a few crazy fast homing bubbles overwhelmed me. When he died, felt, when I power-ups before the fight that he done it again. Remedy? Grow a head and get no more power to heat up. When the icon is a narrowing of the first boss to keep and to avoid growth of three heads. I call this a mistake because I think it is for pure PC fraud but do not know whether this is also really inherited from the original arcade game. Could someone help me?
Namco apparently published two versions of Dragon Spirit, known simply as old and new. I heard the main differences and changes in the design phase is that the newer version has a dragon and quickest scene detection has improved. The compilation PS2 Namco presents the game in the new version only, and compensates for the lack of continuous, so that the players choose to play at any time when a new game begins. That helps a lot with practice! The difficulty settings here are unique, like a normal, equal to 2 and 3 corresponds HARD EASY.
It is always nice to pay their involvement in a game that is to be punished shall deem to be, so I proudly present my current high score for this version. It is played on normal, with a turbo controller for the proper car fire (wrist injury gtfo!).
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