Man, you know how to review a shmup. Chain systems, lag between versions, training mode, emulation quality… all a real player needs to know. I love your channel. Congrats!!!

What's kinda sad, is after radiant silvergun, it feels after that maxima-list era, Treasure later on would do more minimalist type designs, and other than maybe Bangaio, they'd never go full on choatic again.

We also have to mention that Treasure was made up from guys who worked on Axelay and Contra. I always saw Radiant Silvergun as a super souped up Axelay. The "you have these weapons but you can combine them to make new weapons" is a concept we also saw on Gustar Heroes. I'm not an expert at RS, as a matter of a fact I suck massively at it but always found it rather interesting. It came up to define Treasure in ways I think they didn't even expect. Great vid Mark.

Radiant Silvergun is an extremely well polished diamond. Absolutely everything in the game is brilliantly thought out, studied and well executed. It is a game to analyze in great depth because it contains elements of a thousand different things... it is overwhelmingly impressive in every way. And the different patterns of bosses... something unique. All types of STG have their pattern types more or less established (Danmaku, Compile style, Konami...), but Radiant Silvergun has them all together in a single game with a creativity never seen before... and I would say neither later. It is a unique and incomparable game. I keep my original copy for Sega Saturn as if it were a treasure , never better said :D And another digital one from Xbox 360 ^^ Treasure forever! ❤️❤️❤️

It's worth giving very hard mode a shot on this game. Unlike most shmups the difficulty dip switch changes bullet patterns pretty drastically. Do that on story/saturn mode with its additional bosses + stages + harder weapon leveling and you get a kind of ultimate mode.

Hitoshi Sakimoto's music during this era was insane. Final Fantasy Tactics, this and later on Gradius V as well.

To be honest, i really wish there are more shumps that have scores as EXP, i think it's very very cool idea when score is not just showing how good you are, it's also very important for survival as well. With this, i'm sure that it will encourage players to do more scores.

My biggest gripe with this otherwise brilliantly designed game was mostly my deficiency and not playing it correctly. You pretty much HAVE TO level up your weapons properly and quickly enough, and it punishes you severely late game if you played for survival favoring certain weapons or tactics. I get to a point where I just can't kill a boss due to lack of firepower and they time out and go away because I couldn't kill them in time lol. Needles to say that makes a very long game borderline intolerable, as you're just pounding away at endless bosses you can avoid but they refuse to die. You really do have to manage your weapon leveling properly like you said. And the better you do it early game the more fun and less punishing the late game is. I've only finished it legit once long ago when it came out on Saturn and not since, the only time I played it correctly due to simply replaying it a lot. Last time I just tried brute forcing it after not starting correctly and it made me suffer until I myself timed out well over an hour into the game fighting the giant turtle boss. It won that round haha.

What an enterataining review, very interesting takes and top notch editing! You enjoying RSG so much was a surprise, I really did not see that coming. What will be supremely interesting to me is how grinding RSG will (or will not) change your consideration of Ikaruga. In many ways the two Treasure's STG are different, but in many other ways you can see how much they are inter-connected and how much Iuchi-san worked on some RSG's ideas, both good and bad ones, while crafting Ika

I hadn't seen gameplay of it before and I didn't expect it to look this good. Good thing it won the Patreon poll, and good review.

Great review, Mark! Love your enthusiasm-always makes me want to fire up whatever it is you’re playing. Don’t think I’ve played RS since the early ‘00s, but this review makes me want to revisit it. Never had much want to try and chain the game, but a simple 1CC seems like it’d be goal to shoot for.

Saw the Switch port and immediately thought of this video. I'll have to give this one a shot now. Great review!

Man I need to play this game. I fired it up but those crazy button combinations made me shelve it immediately 🤣🤣 I'll get back to it when I have a LOT more time. Great review!

Always so cool to see you so happy with a game 👏

Great review dude! I don't think I've seen such a detailed break down of this game before. I've also been meaning to play it for years but it all seemed sort of opaque, so it was hard to really get into. But this video really helped me to understand the systems alot more, thanks!

Top notch review, I could really feel your excitement for the game. I like the parallels to ZR and how you broke it down, this game has always seemed to be a bit of a beast to me but this got me more excited to try it. I also really like the focus cam on tight moments in the gameplay. Even as a more experienced player when you aren't the one playing the game it can be hard to know where to look and zooming in like really brings the action front and center.

You have nicely summarized while I love the game so much. RSG is so deep and generous, unlike most other great shmups which excel in one specific aspect of the genre, it can be appreciated in so many different ways. If you like shmups casually, RSG is a cool spectacle with nice set pieces, good rhythm progression and many cool bosses. If you like the puzzling aspect of Ikaruga's level design, RSG lets you aim for the color chain. If you like old school shmups from Compile and their huge variety of weapons, RSG provides you with seven different weapons at any moment. If you want to be rewarded for your efforts (like Mars Matrix's unlock system), RSG's weapon level up does that. If you enjoyed stories and weirdly convoluted settings in PC Engine shmups like Spriggan, RSG was heavily impacted by Evangelion (as the video astutely pointed out). If you are into Psyvariar, RSG has grazing. If you are not too good, RSG is actually quite merciful in its easier difficulties. If you are a veteran that likes challenges, RSG's hardest mode is incredibly challenging... This game has everything. I recommend Ben Shinobi's old superplays, by the way.

I just watched this today, then I saw on steam that it had released! I don't know the technical aspects of it, but I'm enjoying the game a lot and bought it because of your video. Thank you!

Wow, I was really thinking you wouldn't click with it, for the reasons you referenced. Great video, really thorough. I actually have the Saturn version, just because I felt like it's the crown jewel of any good Saturn collection. But while I quite like it, I haven't been captivated by it yet. But I can tell it's one of those things I just have to approach in the right mood on the right day for it to really sink in.

I am soooooo glad that you liked this game!! Great review

An old favorite. I recommend the Saturn port as it has a progression of sorts. The more you play, the more powerful your weapons permanently become, even after turning the console off and coming back to it to start a new playthrough. This was created to be a maximal shooter, so tons of guns and ways to use them, and Ikaruga was made to be a minimal shooter. I still feel like RSG is the better game of the two though. I never really enjoyed Ikaruga all that much, the puzzle element zapped the fun for me.

Good job on the review I also expected more harsh criticism because of you Cave/DDP preferences but I'm glad you enjoy it, it seems like there's always something more to practice and learn in this game. By the way there are extra options too unlock on Saturn, you have to 1cc or play for 50 hours to unlock everything. As someone that has a 1CC on Normal Saturn Story mode (no save) you can get by if you just only focus on the main forward shot and get full destruction whenever you can, but getting those secret chains in the right places makes the game a lot more enjoyable while really boosting your firepower. 10 years later I'm still practicing Hard runs it took about a year to get a Very easy 1CC. Yeah that's something Ikaruga has in common too, complexity that shooter enthusiasts can really get into but can intimidate new or casual players. I think RS also has a bit of a stigma in the stg community and there's always players that either don't have the time to learn it and write it of as overrated (similar to Ikaruga) or assume it's only liked because of the presentation or music.

Really nice to get your full thoughts on this game. I really love it, my favorite shmup that I’ve tried. I was surprised you had it lumped in with Ikaruga at #9 on your GOAT shmup list. Would you rate it higher now? Please do Soukyugurentai next! another great game that Zeroranger calls back to.

There is a Stage Select on the Saturn version if you play 3 hours or beat Arcade mode. It's one of the bonus Options you unlock. Also I'd test it on other emulators. I've been playing it alright on SSF.

My main interest in RS was always the sword, because swords in SHMUPS is always cool lol. I personally don't really dig the RPG-like elements as much, but this game always draws me in with the fun enemy patterns and set pieces.

I enjoyed this review a ton! I cleared the game before but I needed all my accumulated credits to do so. I had no idea how its systems worked. Will there be more Treasure game reviews?

Great video 👍

Love this game and Treasure! Gunstar Heroes is one of my fav 16bit games of all time and what Treasure delivered here was pretty awesome!

Radiant Silvergun is incredible. Brilliant soundtrack. One of the best games ever. I bought an Xbox 360 partially so I could play this game and Guardian Heroes (also made by Treasure) about 10 years ago. There is a good 3D shmup called Strania on Steam and Xbox 360 + Xbox One by a company called G.rev. The director of Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga assisted partially in developing the game, allegedly, and people at G.rev assisted Treasure with Ikaruga and Gradius V.

It's funny, the second I started playing ZeroRanger, I immediately thought back to this game, and just felt like ZeroRanger did everything RS did, but just a little better, at least for me. I like how in ZR, you get introduced to all of the weapons slowly, one at a time. It always felt like RS had a big learning curve that I just couldn't put in enough time for

I have RSG on Saturn ODE but I haven't managed to get my head around it and die super quick, I really need to properly learn how the weapons work. There's some reminders of an earlier game called JP:Layer Section US:Galactic Attack (which is also on Saturn with tate mode and is the first instalment in Taito's "Ray" series) in RSG . Check that out if you haven't, one of my fave shmups and has the epic feel of RSG in spades, with the nice stage and music transitions etc (stage 1 boss even goes wire frame briefly). Plus you're gonna love it if you like RSG's chunky pixel look.

Hahaha not sure if showing the "final" boss of zero ranger after recommending it was the best decision, but awesome review nonetheless! Really want to try this game but I don't have a 360 :(

One of my favorites. RSG punishes the brute force player. It's approach is methodical. One of the greatest shmups ever in my opinion. Treasure has a catalog of great shooters. My favorites are : Radiant silvergun, Ikaruga, Gradius V, Sin and Punishment 2, Gun Star heroes and super heroes, mischief makers. They always nail the gameplay and music. I'm new to your channel so if you've covered any of the shmups above I'll definitely check your reviews.

cried when i completed this game and i don't even understand japanese lol

I love how fucking Ultraman shows up at the end of the game lmao

Came back to watch this again as the PC version just (finally!) released on Steam.

Great in depth review. I've got to say I prefer Ikaruga mode, it just mean you get to shoot more stuff! Btw, 'I've sent you a pm over on shmups forum, not sure how else to contact you.

I grabbed it on the Xbox one 🤣. We got brutalised in local co-op. Had no idea about targeting one colour enemies. Might have to give that another try. I really like the premise of this game. I like the system of weapons getting stronger without being like overly grindy or anything. Soon as I 1cc death smiles I think I will get back to this one.

2:01 i'm crying and shaking rn i can't believe mark is cheating on dodonpachi for radiant silvergun

I have not been able to connect with Ikaruga but this looks interesting

great review

Zeroranger got sword mechanic? I never knew that. Edit. Watching this makes me want to play Caladrius Blaze again.

i never gave it a chance but i loved the graphics. always told myself id check it out one day but now i dont have a saturn doh!

Absolutely love this game

Leak showing this game possibly being showcased at this year's Tokyo Game Show 2022 mid September!

That's strange, I remember the Saturn version letting you enable infinite credits on the options menu.

What I really loved about RSG is that it felt more like an action adventure game than a shmup Almost the same feeling I get when playing Guardian Heroes There's a story that is told and the presentation is very cinematic I love how creative the stages and boss fights are. Not your typical shmup and I can't think of another like it that I have played. Glad your enjoying it and looking forward to that 1CC Going to be a long 1CC as I found the game longer than most shmups I've played :p

RPG + shmups ? Mmmm I may have to try this out.

Finally you came to your senses.

Any plans to review the just-released Steam version? Unfortunately it does just seem identical to the Xbox 360 port, so there might not be much to say beyond what you've already mentioned here.

Does anyone know how many enemy's you can lock onto at once in this game?

What do you think the best way to play this game is? Arcade emulation? Saturn (not sure mine still works), Xbox?

Hey Mark, or anyone else, have you had any luck getting this to run on retroarch with runahead enabled? I can get it to run with Mednafen but I don't have enough cpu/gpu to get it to run with runahead. I heard that the Yabusa core is less cpu/gpu demanding but I couldn't get that core to work.

Yes, one of the alltime greats. Now, let us start to speculate what the heck has happened to Treasure

This game frustrates me...did you play with your shmup fightstick or a controller? Im interested in what button config is the most advantageous to you. Thanks for the in depth review.

Is it true that M2 are working on a re-release of the HD port?

Have you tried it in the X yet ? And is it laggy ? Thanks for your time

Probably worth mentioning that you can play this on real hardware relatively cheaply. There's a Darksoft ST-V cart and ST-V motherboards are easy to find.

How did you get RSG working in xenia? Even working with people on the official discord, none of us could get it to work properly. Also a shame we're probably never getting another Treasure port again with the state of the company being what it is

Treasure rule. Don't they? What a great title ...

Anyone know if the switch version is any good?

One of the greatest games of all time. Cheers.

Incorporating story to the game is one of the hardest things to do in an rpg. Most rpg I know just slaps visual novel or walk n talk cutscenes.

Nice, I was just playing this last week. It’s my favorite Treasure game, and I feel like it’s infinitely better than Ikaruga. I can’t stand that game. Another reason why the Saturn is the #1 shmup console.

I see where Neir takes some of it's ideas from

I don't know how to feel about the color system. It seems like a cool idea but it purposely makes you try to not shoot units on screen which kind of defeats the purpose of a shmup lol. Everything else seems amazing though.

One of the finest shmups ever made. 👌🏽

Is this still available on the new xbox consoles?

So what do you think do you think the Xbox 360 updated version is better than the Sega Saturn version🕹🎮😀👍🏾

Just about the greatest videogame tech demo ever made. But the difficulty is so far off the charts that I need new words for “impossible.” But maybe that’s just me.

it seems Treasure games have their aestethic that got my attention into their game. but sadly the level design seems like not for me. my hand already trumbling when im in the 3rd-4th boss. and the stages is even longer than that. even already credit feeding with 2 credits with easy mode and lower score extend. and. i hate Kotetsu since my first play

God I super wanna get this. The fact that it's held hostage on one of the most expensive systems to collect for at the best of times, with only one country's worth of copies to go round for the entire world, is criminal. M2 need to port this lickety split!

Yes exactly it is up to US - you and I - to "FIX" the buttons right !!!!!!!!

I'm sure you have seen them by now but the swordplay runs by VTF-INO will show you just how much grazing you can pull out of the stages kzfaq.info?search_query=vtf-ino

4 frames of lag! Heavens to Mergatroid!

Ask some friend to test the input lag in Xbox Series X!

gradius V

oh did you do some "reasearch" did you LOOK , UP , .. some BUTTONS?

This game is very much a love letter to classic mecha anime from Getter Robo to Space Runaway Ideon to Neon Genesis Evangelion and it's absolutely awesome.

I can get Ikaruga on my toaster, so why is the 360 remaster the last place Radiant Silvergun was released? Don't get me wrong, I love Ikaruga, but RS needs to be experienced by more possible new fans! Obviously anybody can play it on PC, but a PlayStation and Switch port could bring in a bunch of new players.

MED....... nah ......FEN.

To me, this game felt like it was trying to outdo Ideon with its story.

radiant is 👌. But i need a cheat screen with this game. I can't play shooters. Terrible at them.