Cool article, but Silpheed is a genuinely awful game. Just warning if you are tempted to play it after this lol

knodi123 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

The DOS version has a special place in my heart. I memorized the opening text and thought it was an eerie and cool bit of original poetry, before learning much later that it was a quote from Shakespeare's _Julius Caesar_. I still remember my preferred weapon loadout.

Yeah, it doesn't hold up by today's standards, but it was stunning in its day.

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bluescrn 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Somewhat enjoyed the (less-visually-impressive) PC version way back in the day, there weren't many good shoot-em-ups on a 286 PC that could barely scroll the screen, but Silpheed played fairly well on it, and IIRC it was one of the few games that supported the non-standard sound card on my parents IBM PS/1. Actually think it might have been bundled with that PS/1

	▲	sillywalk 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> one of the few games that supported the non-standard sound card on my parents IBM PS/1. Actually think it might have been bundled with that PS/1 It was. https://pixelatedarcade.com/tech_attributes/overview/ibm-ps-...

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mitthrowaway2 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I've replayed it hundreds of times. It's pretty fun. I got to the final boss but didn't win.

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AdmiralAsshat 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Sounds like a great candidate to watch a LongPlay instead!

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toast0 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I mean, the gameplay isn't amazing. But I wouldn't call it awful. I've played games that are a lot worse... many of which are less fun while also being much less visually appealing. IIRC the sound design for silpheed is good too?

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jonhohle 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

The sound design is amazing! Having the squadron announcing incoming threats on comms in full CD quality was also a unique and fresh experience. I’m sure Wing Commander and others did it earlier on PC, but for a console game it was very immersive. Seeing gigantic lasers take out huge ships and hearing the panic from the other pilots is fun, even if it plays out the same way every time.

7 of the audio tracks are CDDA audio as well. I seem to recall playing those in my discman at the time.

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Eric_WVGG 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It’s a shmup, they can’t all be Ikaruga.

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ihgfhkihh 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> I’ve played games that are a lot worse…

These things aren’t mutually exclusive. This can be an awful game (which it is) and not be the worst game ever made. And as with anything, it has its strong points too, just that as a complete package, it can’t be called a good game.

	▲	toast0 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		If your scale has only good and awful, you miss nuance. I don't think the same adjective should be used to describe both both Trolls on Treasure Island and Silpheed. :P

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3lit3krew 8 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Agreed, the original is awful too.