Cuphead (Xbox One)

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eneuman96
Posts: 326
Joined: April 13th, 2015, 11:16 pm

Cuphead (Xbox One)

Postby eneuman96 » October 4th, 2017, 2:23 pm

As many of you are probably already aware, this is a run-and-gun game in the vein of Contra and Gunstar Heroes with a 1930's cartoon aesthetic, not to mention one that provides a stiff challenge.

I have yet to complete it yet, but what impresses me about Cuphead is that it perfectly nails the spirit of the cartoons it resembles while simultaneously also being a brilliantly designed action game. The good majority of your time will be spent fighting numerous deranged bosses, who each go through multiple phases. Intermittently, you will play through more traditional platforming stages with enemies that, although less memorable in design than the bosses, are still masterfully animated. These particular stages have coins akin to Super Mario World's Dragon Coins that can be used to buy several different powerups, and having a good set of weapons is key to defeating bosses efficiently.

Although I've died a great many times while playing Cuphead, I can't find anything genuinely wrong with it so far. If any game deserves to be described as an interactive cartoon, it's this one. Just don't expect it to go easy on you.

Voor
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Joined: April 14th, 2015, 8:08 pm

Re: Cuphead (Xbox One)

Postby Voor » October 6th, 2017, 6:45 pm

Surprised no replies. This game is all the rage everywhere else.

Robotrek
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Re: Cuphead (Xbox One)

Postby Robotrek » October 6th, 2017, 8:32 pm

Have it. Hate it. I hate to be "that guy" but I can't STAND this game. Sure, the art style is wonderful. But that is IT. That's ALL it has going for it is nice art. Otherwise, it's just an overly cheap (Not hard. Just cheap. Mega Man style trial and error bullcrap.) shooter that can't hold a candle to other games in the genre. Sure the controls are smooth, but who cares when the game is bland and BS? For the same price you could literally buy Metal Slug X and 3 on Steam. 2 of the best shooters ever vs. an art style gimmick? No contest.

eneuman96
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Joined: April 13th, 2015, 11:16 pm

Re: Cuphead (Xbox One)

Postby eneuman96 » October 7th, 2017, 2:16 am

Robotrek wrote:Have it. Hate it. I hate to be "that guy" but I can't STAND this game. Sure, the art style is wonderful. But that is IT. That's ALL it has going for it is nice art. Otherwise, it's just an overly cheap (Not hard. Just cheap. Mega Man style trial and error bullcrap.) shooter that can't hold a candle to other games in the genre. Sure the controls are smooth, but who cares when the game is bland and BS? For the same price you could literally buy Metal Slug X and 3 on Steam. 2 of the best shooters ever vs. an art style gimmick? No contest.


I respectfully completely disagree. I love Metal Slug, but I think Cuphead's (and by extension Mega Man's) difficulty is considerably fairer, not to mention the bosses would still be extremely creative even if the art style were different. There are plenty of games with "artificial difficulty" (a prime example being Ghosts n' Goblins) but so far, I've never felt like anything in Cuphead was genuinely unfair, and every challenge it's thrown my way feels genuinely satisfying to overcome. And doesn't every difficult game boil down to trial and error?

Voor
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Joined: April 14th, 2015, 8:08 pm

Re: Cuphead (Xbox One)

Postby Voor » October 7th, 2017, 7:07 am

I wouldn't compare it to mega man. I think it's closer to a shump/bullet hell game. And from that perspective, it's a good one.

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ActRaiser
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Joined: April 8th, 2015, 12:38 pm

Re: Cuphead (Xbox One)

Postby ActRaiser » October 7th, 2017, 8:30 am

I bought it last night.

Man, I was having a heck of time getting through the first level. After finally completing it I noticed on the second level an option to make it a bit easier.

I'm loving it now that I can experience it without getting completely frustrated due to me sucking. And the art style is amazing. Good stuff.

Going to edit my post a bit. I'm terrible at the run and gun levels. They are freaking hard. I can do the normal boss battles or flight ones without too much trouble (mostly).

Anyone have tips on the run and gun levels?

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velcrozombie
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Re: Cuphead (Xbox One)

Postby velcrozombie » June 21st, 2018, 11:23 pm

Just played it for about 90 minutes and it feels like at least a A- to me. Gunstar Heroes is probably the closest comparison. Just an absolute joy to play so far - you can feel the love and attention to detail that where poured into this game and there's a new surprise or discovery around every corner. Playing on Regular and the difficulty doesn't feel excessive or unfair to me personally - I mean, I died a lot but I always understood why and the short stages (often just a single multi-tiered boss fight) make death pretty painless anyway. Can't wait to see what the Critic thinks of this one.

ESauce
Posts: 449
Joined: April 8th, 2015, 12:20 pm

Re: Cuphead (Xbox One)

Postby ESauce » June 22nd, 2018, 2:37 am

I’m thrilled that there will be DLC next year. This is my favorite Xbox One game and one of my favorite games ever. Easily an A+ in my book.

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Retro STrife
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Re: Cuphead (Xbox One)

Postby Retro STrife » June 22nd, 2018, 1:41 pm

Got to play this for about an hour at a gaming convention last year. Love the art style, of course (impossible not to). I do wish the difficulty was more adjustable...it was fair enough early in the game, but I worry that it probably gets too impossible toward the end. I like the shmup stages, but was not impressed by the side-scrolling action levels. B-range game in my opinion... if not for the art style, I feel that the core game itself is just average or a little above.

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ActRaiser
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Re: Cuphead (Xbox One)

Postby ActRaiser » June 22nd, 2018, 5:01 pm

Retro STrife wrote:Got to play this for about an hour at a gaming convention last year. Love the art style, of course (impossible not to). I do wish the difficulty was more adjustable...it was fair enough early in the game, but I worry that it probably gets too impossible toward the end. I like the shmup stages, but was not impressed by the side-scrolling action levels. B-range game in my opinion... if not for the art style, I feel that the core game itself is just average or a little above.



Yeah, you and I had a similar experience. I loved the shmup stages but the run and gun were way too freaking hard for me to get past. I think I got stuck and couldn't unlock anything else after a bit.

Definitely worth the $20 I paid for it though for the experience of playing a 1920s cartoon.


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