Is R-Type Final 2 Worth Buying? - Full Review

[@ShmupJunkie]

Is R-Type Final 2 Worth Buying? - Find out in my Full Review! This has been one divisive game with opinions all over the map. This is my opinion and I'm sticking to it. What say you? ✅ Subscribe To My Channel ➡️ Support me on PATREON www.patreon.com/shmupjunkieslushfund Looking to buy the game? Below are my affiliate links. If you use them, a small portion goes to me and helps fund my channel and videos. Buy on Amazon Playstation 4: amzn.to/3tKLDBy Xbox One: amzn.to/3olF9rV Nintendo Switch: amzn.to/3uRee9v Buy Limited Edition from Play Asia Playstation 4: www.play-asia.com/r-type-final-2-limited-edition-english/13/70e4mr?tagid=1100485 Nintendo Switch: www.play-asia.com/r-type-final-2-limited-edition-english/13/70e4ml?tagid=1100485 CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Timmy demands a good review 01:14 - R-Type Final 2! Get hyped 02:30 - Uh oh 05:09 - Lackluster beginnings 07:37 - A Tale of Two games 10:07 - Now we're talking! 11:57 - A Brilliant Finale worthy of Delta 13:56 - An R-Type game for R-Type fans 15:33 - Enter the DLC 17:00 - Criticisms 20:17 - What about the Nintendo Switch port? 21:32 - How do I rate R-Type Final 2? 25:03 - If you love R-Type

[@zanychelly]

Putting my Timmy hat here: Would like to know what you think about Returnal.

[@martinevans1206]

Do you have a link to the Bullet Heaven channel?

[@deviancepurplehaze6045]

Look closely and you will see that Happy Day wave cannon aim at your enemies not your ship. It quite tear jerking for me when I realized that that Happy Day's pilot trying to help you even after being assimilated.

[@barrybubbles4639]

@@martinevans1206 studio mudprints

[@Blueflag04]

@@martinevans1206 just search it on youtube. Its so easy to find

[@canticledrawl]

Definitely the best rtf2 review video I've seen because you actually talk about the gameplay and design while taking past r-type games into perspective. My review of the review is 10/10

[@GoumesGames]

@@edy1361 My review of your review of this review of your review is 10/10

[@SPM_STG]

@@GoumesGames That doesn't make any sense XD

[@alainfig]

@@GoumesGames My review of your review, of his review, of original review is 10/10

[@BrunoFonsecaPT]

This is the best and fairest review of this game. That’s why I love your channel... you’re the real deal! Thanks for making these videos.

[@matthewb9955]

21:32

[@mrmonkeyman79]

Fun fact, the ship graveyard is comprised of my failed attempts at the 6:1 boss on my first run before I restarted and took a different path.

[@ShmupJunkie]

hahaha nice. Honestly, the hardest part for me was the recovery on 6.1, just getting through it without any power ups. It was one of the tougher areas that way. The boss wasn't bad once I figured him out, but it definitely took me several tries or more to get what it was doing. The 6.2 boss feels the same at first, but once I found the trick to stick to the bottom of the screen and use a ship that can still hit the eye, it wasn't so bad. I tried to show a lot of my gameplay without power ups, as that's how most people will be playing it the first time through while learning. All the crazy good longplays no death make it look easy, and it is if you can keep your stuff, but once you die on the harder settings it's a different ballgame.

[@r100curtaincall]

@@ShmupJunkie Agreed. It’s kind of a shame that a lot of the more interesting content is kind of backloaded, but at the same time it kind of feels appropriate here, as a reward for those people who persevere as well as to not overload or overwhelm a new player. It’s definitely a slow burn game at first, and really takes its time getting going.

[@darkridearts]

Same lol

[@siekensou77]

@@ShmupJunkie Morning Star, Albatross, and Sunday Strike are my goto ships currently. for 6.2 i used Albatross for the boss because the force is homing with rapidfire tripleshot. (as long as it cooperates i guess) it makes quick work of the boss and i can focus on evasion with my ship.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@siekensou77 Once I got the overpowered Leo II it kind of became my go to. It made quick work of most. I found a good strategy on the 6.2 boss was sticking to the bottom of the screen and firing backwards like you said with homing. The lasers can’t hit you and I just strafe left to right at the bottom dodging the blue shots. It made the fight much easier once I figured that out.

[@drewthompson1704]

Now that Final 2 seems to be fully fleshed out and all content added, I think it would be appropriate to give it a 2nd review because now I feel that it's a way better beast than it originally was!

[@kitestar]

…the game _still_ is evolving to this day…

[@deviancepurplehaze6045]

To anyone that still did not play this game in japanese dub and change the ending song to japanese version yet, play it again in japanese!

[@drivelikej9962]

Caught you early, Junkie, so I wanted to say how much you're killing it with your content. Your channel is my favorite discovery of the year and you've singlehandedly reignited my love for STGs. Your passion is infectious, too. (And it's a helluva expensive bug to catch... I've got a Supergrafx coming from Germany and the Aleste Collection coming in from Japan. You're gonna bankrupt me and I love it, haha)

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you that's awesome to hear. I've been having fun with my videos from the beginning, so although the editing isn't as fancy as my later vids as I learned, I think they all have the same vibe. And I had a ton of fun with some of them, so hope you enjoy exploring the ones that look interesting. Collecting for the PCE is insanely expensive so please keep it sane haha. I am personally just happy I have so many ways to play it perfectly now like using a Mister. If I had to give up my collection someday, I won't be crying too much over it, as long as I still have a way to play them somehow. The physical stuff is more for my nostalgia.

[@drivelikej9962]

@@ShmupJunkie Yeah, you're not kidding. It's enough to peek at Tatsujin prices on eBay to scare me off of hardcore collecting. I've got a SSDS3 in the closet, so I'll live. And yeah, I can confirm the vibe is great even on the videos without the baroque editing. Don't burn yourself out!

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@NB-1 I’m still due to make my Shmups on Mister video. It’s a daunting task!

[@DawnHibiki]

Your R-Type Final 2 is literally spot on! I have similar feelings as yours when it comes to stage designs. The first three stages are so underwhelming, particularly stage 3 where it feels unfinished, and you can especially tell by looking at the battleship that looks so plain and out-of-place. Thankfully, later stages have become much better, and I especially like stage 7.0 where it features a slug that's collecting dead ships, and it also features R-9WB Happy Days as a corrupted, trans-dimensional fighter. It has the best music in the game by far, and it is an incredible homage to the R-Type franchise. It's one of the reasons why I usually go for the 6.0-7.0 route. I'm also a fan of the DLC stages, which are so challenging to play!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yeah I remember we were chatting about stage 7.0 on the discord earlier. Such a bad ass level, this game needed more of that. All the final stages had some nice spectacle, and two out of the three 6 stages were also favorites. I thought the music overall, aside from a select few derivative tracks like stage 3, was quite good. It totally made me think of Above and Beyond on some levels and I love that group.

[@matsunaga3]

That’s how a review is done. Critical, yet accurate. Full of factual information from someone who actually put the time in.

[@queloide4803]

The game has issues but its addicting. And Fun

[@Arkar-pl9ku]

Slug boy is a good boy, and tbh I like to imagine that the “Happy Days” acting as it’s “head” still had some humanity left. You can see that whenever it charges up the split wave cannon, it was either to blast a bunch of debris at the front away or mass clear a bunch of Cancers sneaking up behind you.

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's a good point and a cool theory. Like the pilot is trying to save you and fighting the slug controlling it. I can think of it that way from now on.

[@darkace0able]

Happi Slug is goodest Boy. Especially at the last part of the stage where it cleared most of those enemies at the back.

[@eternalmaggot7246]

Have the Switch version. Can confirm. I have been driven mad, mostly from Stage 3... BUT... I have made it passed. I need to get better at the game, but I've been loving it. Edit: Also, I was one of those people who bought because I recognized the name, tried the demo, and enjoyed it. I'm not that good at the game, but it hit every mark. So much so that it got me to try other shmups, like Crimson Clover and Ikaruga. It kindled an interest in a genre I thought I would never have.

[@TexasHollowEarth]

Have you played Raiden IV, which just dropped in the U.S.? I think it's a Switch console exclusive, unlike Raiden V which also came out for PS4.

[@eternalmaggot7246]

@@TexasHollowEarth I thought about it, but I thought it best to simply keep it at 3 for now. Since these are my first, it's going to take some me some time before I'm good after all.

[@lock7852]

@@eternalmaggot7246 good luck with ikaruga,its a tough one

[@nunyabusiness9056]

Protip: Force yourself to get really comfortable managing your detached force as a devastation offensive weapon that can point blank concentrate massive fire on hard enemies and as a defensive tool that can lay down covering fire on you from behind. I got destroyed in this game till i really just forced myself to do that. NOw that i play with my force detached about 50% of the time i managed to 1cc it on normal.

[@awawawaawawawa2321]

use the albatross and its line of ships, the homing force really helps with clearing as you dont really need to put much thought into manually maneuvering the force, it also helps trivialize most bosses like the wrecking ball, the school of fish, and that stupid sandwich boss in sub space (simply hide in the bottom and focus on dodging the homing shots and let the homing force stick to the core), bosses absolutely melt against this force because it constantly deals contact damage on top of its shots, then use the leo2 when you finally unlock it and never look back unitl youve unlocked last dancer

[@Seafoamgaming]

I have absolutely loved this game on my Series X and can't wait for more DLC and bonuses. I mostly agree with your review in general, though one problem I notice is that Bit items just flat-out don't seem to exist? There's one in the first stage, but then afterward they just stop showing up, while powerups get showered on you like mad. It makes the bit feel kinda useless since it's not much of a benefit to begin with, so the fact it's uber rare in final 2 is kinda funny tbh. I do hope they add that to the upcoming patch.

[@ShmupJunkie]

They are actually pretty rare in many RType games, why I don't know. They are more a reward for surviving long without death. There is more on stage 4 I think, but yes not many at all.

[@DerivitivFilms]

I started the game on R-Typer right away with the original ship...Gloriously frustrating lol I guess it's meant to be played at lower difficulties first then the higher ones once better ships are unlocked. I got to the boss of level 2 after 4 hours of playing used up like 60 continues lol Good to know there's so much content.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Lol man that's certifiably nuts. Unfortunately I don't think the game is balanced well enough in that way, and the only way you can beat RTyper with a basic ship is with a no death and fully powered. Some points may be unrecoverable with it, or someone may eventually prove me wrong. But yeah, the enemies are too tanky and some bosses you can't kill fast enough with the basic R9.

[@wert556]

Omg i did that later found out the first boss is different. Ice melted and it changed my ways on how to survive 😅

[@DrJ3RK8]

I didn't realize there were three more DLCs for this since the last time I looked. I've been on an RTF2 binge for two weeks now. Plowed through all of the DLC levels, unlocked a ton more ships, and actually haven't been able to stop playing. If anyone finds my atrophied, toothless junkie body, please hook up a saline drip and strap me back into my R-9WZ Disaster Report!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Haha. It’s insane how much DLC has been released. And a lot of them have been fantastic and creative. The amount of content that exists for the game now is wild.

[@SolCresta3405]

I’m getting this because I’m settling the score with an old enemy.

[@paulwright5064]

Great review, I am a long time fan of the series so it was an definite purchase for me, I like the game overall, hopefully Granzella and Kujo will continue updating the game and make it even better!

[@whoeverest_the_whateverest]

That intro is even more funny that it is now known R-Type Final 3 is in production already

[@ShmupJunkie]

I still don’t know what 3 is supposed to even be. We were thinking it’s a huge compilation of everything including the DLC but I really don’t know.

[@a.rheser8181]

I didn’t back it (didn’t know about the campaign) but bought it ASAP and….I like it. I loved Final 1 when it came out. I understand that a lot people are disappointed and underwhelmed, but that’s the thing with a lot of crowdfunded games. Is it perfect? No. Is it the worst thing ever? No. It’s just good if you understand where it comes from and what it tries to do. I think after a lot of updates and with more DLC, this could be a great game. Still, I have some gripes. 1. Level Design 2. Resources 3. Length 4. Some aspects of the graphics and visual design. When they game is finished, it will be good.

[@ShmupJunkie]

The on aspect I am not getting some people having issue with is the length. It has 11 stages counting all 3 variant endings. There are 3 different stage 6 and 7s. Plus two DLC, so it's like 13 levels! That's a heck of a lot for an STG. And there are still 4 more DLC levels minimum coming. The two DLC levels were cool by the way I liked them. I'm glad you liked it though as I felt the same way. You have to give it a chance as it starts really slow and underwhelming but really gets going farther in, at least for me. I liked it less at first, and more the more I played it. It still doesn't have the kind of stage design of the originals, but I didn't expect it to, as neither did the first Final. I actually enjoyed it more than Final 1! As you'll see in the vid.

[@a.rheser8181]

@@ShmupJunkie yeah, I maybe unfairly comparing it to the length of modern games, that’s true. It’s also true that compared to classic era shooters, this isn’t a short game. G-Darius comes to my mind as another long game. Final 2 certainly has a lot of replay value and endgame content, (and fanservice) which I’m doing right now because I yet have to unlock the Cerberus and the Hades. Grinding for the resources right now. I agree that it seems incomplete and I look forward to more classic stages. It certainly is my type of game. I can see me enjoying this more than Final 1 simply because I seem to be doing better in this one. But the unlocking of ships is very grindy… Great video BTW and perfectly compliments your Final history of R-Type, which I Liked a lot. I hope that some day you will bless us with a history of Darius games, these and Last Hope and as I mentioned Metal Black are my favourites. Have a nice Sunday!

[@epicon6]

The PS2 Final looks amazingly smooth and beautiful when the internal resolution is increased 6x times to 4K or 8x times to 5K with emulation.

[@Kyrnyx]

11:50 I had to pause the video on Xbox to get out my phone to comment because the ship graveyard level was an absolute marvel for me. I'm only 24 so I grew up with RTF and I have to say I _really_ love when these games explore atmospheric, dark, and dreary concepts like stage 3.5 of RTF, and the small backstory of the Cerberus fighter from Delta. "Dark Forest's Watchdog" is still to this day one of my favorite video game OSTs. The ship graveyard hit the feels for me with both the atmosphere and OST. Makes me wish there was an expanded lore universe I could lose myself in.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Have you ever gotten a chance to go back to some older ones and play Delta? If you love atmosphere that one is amazing, especially the final stage. It blows just about anything away and is worth it just to see it through. Stage, music everything. It’s a hard game more so than either Final, but the last 3 stages and esp the end are masterpieces.

[@Kyrnyx]

@@ShmupJunkie Unfortunately not. I did extensively enjoy Dimensions on Xbox 360, and ended up scoring pretty high on both games' leaderboards. If there's some sort of way I could play it on PC I'd definitely get right on that, but we don't have our PS1 anymore and Sony doesn't do backwards compatibility as far as I'm aware.

[@bloocheez3]

That stage 3 battleship design is so strange compared to the stage 7 armada. Saying it looks like two different games is an understatement.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Some have theorized that the stage is themed around an experiment or lab, so it’s kind of a VR look and layout on purpose. It’ll likely remain a mystery just as how many licks it takes to reach the center of a tootsie pop. Actually never mind that was determined to be exactly 364 😅

[@HojoNorem]

Have to agree on the checkpoints... to a point. The ship graveyard is filled with all my losses at the triple wheel part of 6.0 and the 'meatwall' of 7.2.

[@ShmupJunkie]

LOL, that wall of ships on 7.2 was nasty the first time through. I found a really good way through 6.0 consistently, but not 7.2 when weak. Not unique to this game though, as even the original RType, recovering on Stage 7 is insanely hard and makes 7.2 here seem like easy mode. On the OG game if I screw up on 7, I'm done. I'll just start over or play again next time haha.

[@SandroSensei]

About mission 3, the name is Brake in: stolen AI factory. It has purple lines, and the mothership is purple. It feels like a VR level. Maby the developers went for this VR/AI style?

[@ShmupJunkie]

I was thinking something similar later and that it may have been on purpose. The lore in various areas is never really explained so you don’t know the background and can only guess but that’s very possible. Now if they could make that same level in VR for us I’d be stoked! Haha

[@raywing00]

R-Type, Darius and Thunder Force have been the best all-time shooter classics.

[@ShmupJunkie]

That and Gradius for sure. And Thunder Force is unique being a console exclusive never coming from arcades like the others. I definitely plan on doing a history for them one day.

[@PortableXombie]

Reviews for this game or all over the place in terms of info and quality. I have seen ten minute reviews with more info in them then half hour long reviews. But here comes Shmupjunkie taken his time and producing the best review of the game yet.

[@nunyabusiness9056]

Sadly this game has fallen victim to a lot of r-type noobs just rage posting against it after they got utterly destroyed. It really sucks to see. I think a lot of people checked it out cuz it's pretty and was a somewhat publicized kickstarter project but had no idea what they were getting themselves into with an arcade tough r-type game. Like 2 of the most critical reviews i've seen on youtube called the game boring and said the levels are sparse and the difficulty is "unfair"....yet all their captured footage was on practice difficulty, the difficulty where like half the enemies are removed and all of it was on the first 3 levels which they apparently never got past...and they still failed.

[@glennbriggs6490]

At this point, we just need a collection of them all in one package. Like a bundle, or all of them ported to one cartridge, one CD, one big digital download.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I have a feeling the upcoming RTYpe Final 3 announcement they will have is something along those lines. They've been teasing it for a while

[@mscottjohnson3424]

Damn, not the first comment :( This channel has gotten me giving shooters a real "shot". I, just now, finished playing some R-Type on the PC Engine. Played some CD, then switched over to Hu Card. (Does the CD version have unlimited continues?) I've tried to play R-Type dozens of times, but I kept dying right away. It's not like Blazing Lasers which gives you a few stages to settle in, no, it's sniping you from behind with the 3rd guy you meet. I had always just given up, it was too hard to be fun. But not tonight, I was going to at least get to the first boss. I died over and over and over and over again, but finally I got there (and the boss was easy to beat). Level 2, died some more. So I switched off the CD version and tried Hu Card. And know what? I got through the first level only dying once. I knew what was coming, what to do, where to be. That level that, I swear, for YEARS (I've probably tried R-Type 20 or 30 times over the past 20-25 years on different platforms) kicked my ass right away so I gave up, will always be easy for me now. And I got to the 2nd worm-in-heart boss before I used my 2 continues on the Hu card version. Given maybe 5-10 more tries, I'm sure I'd beat it. This game that has been too hard for me my whole life now suddenly feels reasonable. (I will add, it's just because I was never motivated to try. I've beaten Castlevania III and the original Japanese Mario 2 on hard mode, so it's not that I suck at games, I just never felt motivated to play shooters until recently).

[@ShmupJunkie]

R-Type is very much that way. You beat your head against the wall and it only gets harder. But once you figure out a stage you pretty much have it and you can reproduce it. It feels good when you can just do that and it becomes easy. That being said, later in the game stage 5-6 and after, you pretty much end up having to no death it. Recovering some spots is insanely tough. But once you figure out the levels and how to get through them without losing your power ups, they are just as manageable. If you manage to get to Stage 4 or 5 by the time you've had enough, consider it successful. It's a really tough game that one. We all played it endlessly back then.

[@mscottjohnson3424]

@@ShmupJunkie I have a Retro Freak clone console, so if it gets too tough I can use that to make a few save states, but only if everything before becomes so easy it's boring. I'm sure the experts make early stages look so easy because they've replayed them hundreds of times to get to the more challenging later stages.

[@BrunoFonsecaPT]

I can identify with this... that sums up my journey with R-TYPE nicely. I can now pass levels 1 and 2 without dying and most times level 3 as well (still struggling with the end), but never got past level 4. If you want to practice I recommend R-TYPE DImension EX as you can choose the level...great series!

[@geeem5460]

The only place I could never recover from in the first game was the middle checkpoint in level 7. It's easily the most brutal spot in the first two games. And then there are people on KZbin milking it for points. Just crazy.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@geeem5460 Yeah no Thx for me on that as well. I’ll just run it from stage 6 onward. If I die half way through 7 that’s the end of my run 😅

[@SandroSensei]

What I love are the customizable options. You can even customize your pilot, with outfits, helmets and poses. I love that stuff. You cant deny the love the deffs put in this game ❤️

[@ShmupJunkie]

One thing I wish they did is add the ability to upload your own images to add to the ship too. That would have been really cool and may have created a cool database of fan made ships. Maybe in a future update though I never saw that on a wish list.

[@BubblegumCrash332]

Found your channel last month. I'm not the biggest SMUP player but I just love your genuine... love for these games. Your PC engine history got me to buy a PC Engine mini. I can't wait to jump in and explore all those games. Keep up the great work

[@dislikebutton1799]

They should make R-Type Final Fight, with Haggar in space doing a spinning piledriver on the Bydo empire.

[@ChrisSmith-cd7uw]

Who got sent here by BitHead1000?!?!?!?! He was right; you are KILLING it! Don't you DARE go away because you are the real deal!!! Reporting for duty... I mean "Happy to be here!" You are the MAN! I've only been watching for the past couple days, but your love and dedication to this is apparent within the first minute or two of the handful of videos I've watched. I've only scratched the surface, but I can't wait to check out the rest of your content. I am right there with you on Ninja Gaiden! You are so spot-on with how you MUST approach the game to not only get the most out of it, but to even survive! This might not be the most appropriate place to mention it, so I apologize, but I just finished watching the "30 days" challenge, and I just can't hold back... Not much of a handheld guy either, but I happen to have a GameCube with the GBA adapter and may I just add, uhhh, "NINJA... COP (Ninja 5-0)?"... "Level 1 music?"... "C'mon, ANYBODY?!?"" Keep on truckin'- by the way, Ys is the bYs knYs!!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

You know the reason I even started my channel a year ago was just to make some pc engine mini reviews cause all the crap ones out there were pissing me off. So my first few were all pc engine related. Then it kind of took off so I kept with it. And now here we are, bithead is shouting me out in his video, freaking crazy. Only been about a year. I'm stoked you like it and even found my old NG video I did for fun way back. I had a blast making it though. Thanks for the heads up on Ninja Cop as I'd never even heard of it. Never owned a GBA back in the day and missed out on some good games. Just checked it out and it looks sweet, like Shinobi mixed with Bionic Commando and the music sounds great. I'm definitely going to play it one of these days now. Glad you're enjoying my stuff and definitely don't miss the pc engine history couple videos I did, they came out awesome even I'll admit it haha. Those, and the Compile Shooters history, RType history, and amazing shooters of the 80s and 90s are the most popular ones I did. But I honestly had stupid fun making most of them, so you can't go wrong.

[@ChrisSmith-cd7uw]

@@ShmupJunkie Well I'm definitely going to be checking out all the videos as I get the chance! The love child of Shinobi and Bionic commando is EXACTLY what Ninja Cop feels like! You NAILED it! It's funny because I never cared much about GameCube, but I bought one only to play F-Zero GX and Ikaruga, which are still the only two games that I own for it. Never much interested in the GBA until I heard about Ninja 5-0, only to find out it was quite expensive, saw that Ninja Cop was fairly cheap, then just happened to walk into a place that was selling the adapter for around $40, and pulled the trigger. It is the ONLY thing I own for GBA!!! Thanks for your great and thoughtful response, by the way!

[@tokyobassist]

You can actually see individual credits for each stage. Its not surprising the best levels ended up being Kujo's levels. He's designed some of levels in Delta and the game systems of that title.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Oh interesting! I didn’t know that. Is it all in the main credits you watch through or how would you see them individually? I’d like to see which ones he worked on. I figured as director he would’ve had input on all of them.

[@PenolAkushari]

you can view stage credits in the score attack menu, iirc, where you select and play stages individually with the stage edit one at the top. when selecting a stage to play it also gives an option apart from "play stage" to rename it or view credits for the stage.

[@ms.ilovecotton9778]

Played it a couple times so I can't fully say if I love it or not, but damn the game is definitely R Type hard as it should be, and I love how it stays true to the variety of ships like the first game had. learn the R Type formula and you'll get it. Sure it's "slower" since it's not a bullet hell but doesn't mean it's any less of a game

[@Animefanboy4life]

Honestly the reason Rtype is my favorite Shmup out of all of them is because its "Slow". Other shmups for me have fast moving backgrounds it would give me a headache.

[@thedanielstraight]

I really enjoyed this look at the game. I loved the first Final and I feel the same about this one. I'm looking forward to the upcoming ships and stages.

[@chasepalumbo2929]

Did you not listen to what he actually said? Lmao, he hates this game🤣 everyone in the comments is ignoring the actual review and just assuming the reviewer agrees.

[@OuroborosChoked]

Glad to see your review up. I was waiting for it! I think your take on the game is a lot more positive than mine. I've already unlocked all the ships available currently and am back to playing Final 1 until the next update. Meanwhile, I'm remembering all the things Final 1 got right. Remember the force and wave cannon previews from Final 1? Where are they in Final 2? I'm glad you can walk around the museum now, but now you can't tell what a ship's lasers will look like before you register it. Let's be honest, here: just as some of the ships are OP AF, some of them are real stinkers.... usable, but painful. It would be nice to be able to tell which is which before you get in the cockpit. Final 1 did it. What happened? Oh, and handy tip for 7.1: at that spot where you're going around the last battleship and all the R-9s do a flyby, if you hit your DOSE right as the ships are on the screen, you'll *also* take out the bridge and main guns of the battleship, so when you fly over it, you don't have to fire on anything. You can just put your ship in the top right corner and put your controller down for the rest of the stage. It's again one of those "what's in the background, what can I interact with" things...

[@ShmupJunkie]

I get the feeling they had more time with the original Final, and also because it was physical only and updates weren't a thing yet, you couldn't get away with releasing it and improving it later. That seems to be a common thing now, and given it's state you can tell there was a deadline or pressure. Hopefully within several months to a year, if they don't just focus on new content and also fix the old, a lot of this can be ironed out. I imagine it's a massive undertaking as was the first. So they don't get a pass, but hopefully what's clearly undone gets finished. Just having 100 ships alone is daunting enough. I'm surprised the final stages are in such a good and finished form, including the DLC, versus the actual early game which needed more time and polish. They either started with the coolest stuff and worked backwards, or they simply got better as the development of later stages progressed. I haven't played the game just enough to discover a lot of those little secrets, so I've made a note and will try it next time. I didn't mind that section but really... of things on the list to easily fix, the checkpoint can't be that far back just watching the cinema unfold again.

[@OuroborosChoked]

@@ShmupJunkie By the way, have you unlocked all the difficulties yet? I still can't get past the first R-Typer! 😭

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@OuroborosChoked Not all no. I’ve had to work on new games and videos so I had to stop playing for a while. But the new DLC looks dope so I’m going to get back in and play those now.

[@tireseas]

It's not the game I hoped it could be at launch, but overall I'm fine with it. A 7/10 R-Type even existing in this age is a huge win for me. If they polish it post release I could see this being just under Delta and III for me.

[@ShmupsBR]

Nice video, man! I see we complained about the same things! I am still considering getting back to it, but I spent 2 weeks playing it, so I am in the mood for something different. Maybe I'll try to unlock all the ships and play the DLC levels too. I just did two of the 4 branches too.

[@elreins]

You are the real deal indeed. The genre approves. Thank you for taking the time.

[@lock7852]

Been waiting on this,love the facehugger lol,the 2nd half looks awesome,ill use the link and pick this up,great review man,subs are growing nicely👍

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks man! Glad you enjoyed the views on it. I just hit over 9000 subs today so the obligatory meme post will be forthcoming haha. I was wondering when I'd get to use that facehugger I had again. 😅

[@glennbriggs6490]

I love how theses games aren't just fresh, but are also like love letters to the older versions of the games. How homage is paid, be it a returning boss, a redone stage, or just reminjders of things like your past ships, they're all present in these games 😀

[@listerofsmeg884]

The initial slog is made much easier if you use the third ship choice with the homing force. Especially that vertical stage.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I did notice that certain early ships definitely made it easier. There was one I found and started using on the first time through that definitely made it feel reasonable to finish off some bosses. Trying to use the Delta ship and having to hit that Stage 3 boss over several times with a fully charged beam was like, NOPE! lol

[@1Synner]

Found this video at random. I'm an Old semi-shmup fan that only had one R-Type game under his belt until then, which was Delta for the PS1 (I was more into Star Soldier and Galaga back then). When I learned that this game was being made through Kickstarter, I plonked money down to make sure I got a copy for the PS4 just because of how much I loved Delta. I won't lie, I was a little disappointed... that I was given a Japanese copy which required a Japanese account to gain access to DLC down the road. So, I ended up buying this game again for a second time and just combined the Inaugural Flight edition with the Kickstarter exclusive slip cover for the game and called it my complete edition (then sent my Japanese copy to a friend of mine). I gotta say, It's as hard as cast iron ball-bearings to play, as I'm not the most experienced R-typer or Shmup player, but I've had lots of fun, even despite the pineapple level giving me a few hours of frustration. It was everything I wanted to see and more, especially with how custom the game can get, and I'm so glad that the game gets extremely creative and interesting after the first quarter of stages. The R-Type Slug in the Garbage level was probably one of the strangest yet coolest level following boss I've seen in a game like this.

[@ashtralplane777]

I was in the 7th grade the first time I had ever heard of RTF. My friend had the game manual inside of his school binder and he showed me it raving about how cool it was. I was able to play it at my cousins house (my uncle was a huge SNK fan and collected arcade cabs so that was how he had heard of r-type) sometime later I got my own used copy thru gohastings. I was so crap at the game I used cheats on baby mode and used the 3.0 exploit to unlock all the ships. Now I'm 28 playing that same copy of RTF on my ps2 and RTF2 on my ps4. My interest in shooters has been revived and I'm loving this channel as well as others like it. I love the game but I wish it had more lore and cinematic cutscenes as well as unique updated gameplay. When I see cool Einhander levels on the PSX I wish RTF2 had some more of those action moments with crazy camera angles. It feels like there is loads of lore missing because I'm not even sure when this game is taking place in the story or even what its all about. I wished it had a bigger budget or more production time so we could have seen a more flushed out story with voice acting instead of just an opening demo that gets underwhelming after a while. The gameplay seems solid but the game is super stingy with certain upgrades like Bits and an unpredictable 3D hitbox. Some of the levels don't flow together as something cohesive, like going from a plant production area of a space colony to fighting a warship and back inside to another bydo infested area of a space colony then followed up by going underwater??? Its confusing but you can edit your own playlist after all. Some of the older ship effects and polishing up are missing, like ships no longer "grind" on the walls and floors of stages with a unique "sparking" animation. Also no final wave cannon for the final boss fight? It didnt seem like the epic finale of the first RTF. Just so many little things feel like they are missing. Either way Im still obsessed with the game.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I think I noticed a lot of detail and lore the farther you get into the game, but it's not ever really explained. It feels more like a mix of RType's hits, and each level is unique of itself without too much connecting them all together. So it feels a bit all over the place stage design wise, with some being really good and others not, but not necessarily a cohesive whole. Like you said, it's still fun in the end if you put in the time and see all the good stuff, I ultimately enjoyed it too. And I like the different stage endings and alternate realities. You just never really know the how or why, it's just kind of presented as a cool idea at times and left at that.

[@silentfanatic]

Seriously can't recall the last time I was blown away by the lighting in a shmup.

[@ShmupJunkie]

The lighting is definitely a highlight in this one, some graphical elements aren't the greatest, but the lighting was a strong point on most of the stages. Added a lot of atmosphere, especially the darker areas.

[@roninomega4135]

He hit that troll dude with a face hugger lol The salt and hate rofl !!! Good review, you hit every point I had thought of. The only one I feel you missed is one minor nit pick I had.... "How you gonna make new R-type game and no homage to original R-type theme song!" Devs fix this!!!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Believe it or not, the DLC stage for Leo is a remix of the original! And it's pretty cool too. But yeah not in the opening or main game. And yeah, Timmy had it coming hahaha

[@roninomega4135]

@@ShmupJunkie Stop by the fighting game community and give little Johnny and little Susie a face full of Face hugger! They must pay for their sins against high tier characters and the shotos. lol

[@neojeets]

Your previous R-Type video got me fully into completing all the past games and I’ve been having a charged-up blast playing them all. Thanks for your honest review of Final 2 which I know I’ll be picking up soon for PS4/5.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Really glad it was. Which of the older games did you end up connecting with most? I’m always curious to see which folks gravitate toward. Completing any of them is a real challenge.

[@neojeets]

@@ShmupJunkie The original coin op version is my favorite which I’m playing now via R-Type Dimensions on Switch (and via PC emulation to practice difficult sections - stage 6 in particular). After that, I would say Delta and R-Type III (SNES) are currently my favorites and am playing more to get better at.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@neojeets Those are pretty much my top three as well in that order. Delta gets better and better as you progress making it pretty memorable overall.

[@ronniepatterson2827]

Although RTF2 definitely could've used a few more months in the oven, I still knew you were gonna enjoy whats here. I really enjoyed your History of R-Type upload as well. I see Studio Mudprints is in good company with the likes of you, doing your thing right here lol. Shmup sites for battle tested, battle approved, & truly hardcore shmup fans? . . . Yes please : )

[@morrissimpson2347]

I’m glad you posted this. My brother and I are diehard r-type fans and something about r-type final 2 didn’t gel well with us. Ashamed to admit; but, I gave up after stage 3. Even though I had unlocked 10 ships. Glad to know it gets better in the late game. You’ve reignited my drive to continue to play this highly ambitious game👍🏾 Thanks.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Unlocking some better ships, even early ones like the delicatessen makes the early stages much easier to finish as well. And faster. There are not many people who fell in love with the early levels, but I was glad I made it through to see the better content. Stage 4 is the hump, it's better but also harder. If you can get through it you are home free to see the good stuff from stage 6 variants and after. One other thing that helps while you are learning is the dose. It remains collected even after you die and continue. So power it up and use it for the hardest section in a level. People forget to take advantage of that screen clearing bomb.

[@Steve-Fiction]

It was cool to see some of the later stages in the footage, because those actually do look awesome! I only saw footage of the first five stages before, and I wasn't too impressed.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yes that's a big problem with the game, you front load all your weakest and bland stages in a difficult game and you won't see most of them. The original RType was the opposite. The first 4-5 stages are by far the coolest and most creative. They are all brilliantly designed, but aesthetically, the first 3 stages and maybe 5 are the most interesting. So most players who never got past the stage 3 mothership at least ended up seeing some of the cooler levels of the game. You gotta really work to get to the better stuff in Final 2. They even hid the dobkeratops for only the RTyper difficulty.

[@thewingedavenger1007]

Great video! You say you don't consider yourself a reviewer, but you're one of the best videogame reviewers on the internet. Giving a game a mark at the end of the review is completely unnecessary, and in fact whether you like it or not doesn't really matter either. What makes you a great reviewer is that you give the viewers the necessary information to decide whether they would like the game or not if they bought it. Most "reviewers" don't do that. They usually show gameplay and say "I think this is awesome!" or "this sucks" and that's that. They don't say why they like or dislike the game, and that's because they don't know.

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's a good point. I guess I don't consider myself a traditional reviewer. I don't go out of my way to review as many games as I can, only talk about the ones I find interesting, and if I just dislike it, I won't make a video on it at all. I rather focus on getting more people into the genre and discovering the great games out there as well, doing nostalgia and just fun videos. So there is no consistency to my reviews from one video to another, which any good review site should have. Like you said, I just give a good take on the game and try to show every perspective and help others determine if it's a game they would like too or not. I was very mixed on this one, but in the end for whatever reason enjoyed it overall. We are all guilty of liking some bad games, they just speak to us, and other great games that don't click. I do like my format though and will stick with it, as I like the flexibility to be creative with a video and not feel the need to hit the same and specific points for each one. So I appreciate the feedback quite a bit knowing I'm doing it right.

[@thewingedavenger1007]

@@ShmupJunkie I wish other content creators would stick to covering games that they were actually interested in. The fact that they feel the need to cover and review every single game that comes out means that they inevitably make reviews on games that belong to genres that they don't like and therefore know very little about. Sticking to what you are interested in means that you stick to what you know, which leads to worthwhile reviews made by someone who knows what he's talking about.

[@BentoBoxBobbyTV]

The original r type had the best music, excellent use of color, memorable sound effects, excellent design that aged well for a legendary game.

[@rickym.5271]

So far I'm enjoying this game. Good soundtrack and micro lighting/details. The only complains I have so far is stage 3 design/graphics and lack of red power ups.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I guess I didn’t use red as often in this game but it’s definitely useful. The blue laser is so powerful on some of the later ships I started using it almost exclusively at some point.

[@rickym.5271]

@@ShmupJunkie Thats true. I haven't gotten that deep with the number of ships yet. I want to play the Leo ship sooooo bad.

[@darkridearts]

Very fair review. You echo a lot of my feelings as well. At the end of the day, I’m enjoying it and grateful it exists. Looking forward to how it grows over time

[@alexevaldez]

Yesss ive been waiting for this! If you like it or not no matter! Finally new shmup junkie :D

[@bca5251]

Man you are becoming my favorite KZbinr these days. I had to pre order this game just because R-Type is just so much history for me. This one feels like an overall improvement over Final to me but still not as good as the OG R-Type, III, Delta, or even Leo for me (am I the only one who puts Leo up with these other legends?). Great review as always. I don't regret the purchase but it's definitely a bit disappointing so far. That said, stage three is as far as I've gotten so far and I'm glad to see there is better content to look forward to.

[@ShmupJunkie]

If stage 3 is the farthest, you definitely have much better in store. Stage 4 is the hump, it's a better level, but also harder. Getting past that you'll blow through 5 and be onto the cool stage 6 variants to enjoy. I don't think I ever expected this one to live up to my old favorites either, but I got to play some new RType and actually had fun with it... eventually once I got far enough. For anyone who stops at stage 5 or before is pretty much seeing the least part of the game and missing the best. Which isn't a good thing, that's not great game design. But there is good content there to persevere for.

[@PixeledJay]

I might give it a quick buy after watching this. It just genuinely looked very slow to me but I’ll give it a chance. Great review my guy!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I think it being a mixed bag came across in my review. It has a lot of issues, it just happens to still be fun AFTER you put in the time to get to the good stuff AND if you liked the original Final. I said it before, it's so similar to that game, it's hard to fault in that sense. You either like it or you don't. For whatever reason, I ended up liking it more, the more I played it though the early game is never all that interesting.

[@PixeledJay]

@@ShmupJunkie I shall definitely give it a chance based on your review mate. IN SHMUPJUNKIE WE TRUST!!! :P

[@ThatGamingGuyfromthe70s]

@@PixeledJay stick with it, practice and learn the levels. Once you get a few good runs in it'll hook you. Not perfect but its well worth your time and its a nice change of pace from the bullet hells.

[@PixeledJay]

@@ThatGamingGuyfromthe70s Yeah i'm probably brainwashed by having too much on screen at the same time haha thanks for advice pal i'll give it a buy.

[@Arkar-pl9ku]

A good way to make it not feel slow is to amp the difficulty up. There’s a big difference between Normal, Bydo and R-Typer 1-3.

[@fydrautha]

Facehugger gag alone made this worth watching.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Hahaha, that facehugger gag almost got the poster to fall on me and break. I threw in an outtake at the end of the video with it. If I had an alien egg prop I would have totally had it just sitting there next to me during the intro, that would've made it even funnier.

[@Mooglepies]

Nice, balanced review that highlights both the good and not so good aspects. of the game. The Switch version is mostly serviceable, but it REALLY chugs on stage 7.1 and is almost intolerable, especially with that checkpoint placement. It feels a little harsh to point that out when you consider what the game is and that we can have it portable at all though. Ultimately, I think Final 2's level design and pacing of the action never really reach the heights of Delta, and in terms of tone it never really reaches the depths of melancholy that Final manages. But it sits somewhere nicely in the middle, and it has all of those ships with enough stages and difficulty settings that perhaps it doesn't matter so much, especially when there's more homage stages on the way. Personally, I'm just happy we got more R-type and hope that continues into the future. It's not dead anymore at least! I think you maybe sold Stage 2.0's level design a little short though - it does actually have some interesting elements running through it, in that it doesn't want you just holding down fire for the duration of the stage. The pineapple flowers only shoot pollen in response to your shots, and the glow bugs are attracted to the biggest light sources (including your Force, rapidfire, and wave cannon charge). So there's a delicate balance of using wave cannon to make the pineapples expose the weakspot, while not attracting too much attention from the glow bugs while your force is doing other things.These things are introduced separately before being combined and I think that's an interesting dynamic. It's maybe the only R-type level I can think of that tries to punish you for holding down fire (Super R-type's slowdown doesn't count!). The aesthetic and that boss fight really are bland though, you're not wrong.

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's a good point on Stage 2, I don't know if I noticed all that detail on the first go rounds. I did notice the bugs attracted to light and how the flowers don't fire if you don't attack them. I think as I play it more I will get to pick up on even more, as I do notice little details the more I play I didn't the first time around. Thanks for pointing this out as it's a pretty cool idea that will likely be lost on most. I feel like the Switch shouldn't have any problem running this game given it's not overly complex graphically and it's a pretty modern system. I will bet if they have time to optimize it more as they likely had to rush it out, it can get a whole lot better. It seems more a byproduct of the Switch being the weakest of the consoles and needing more optimization time they haven't had yet. It runs like butter on Steam so I had no complaints at all.

[@wert556]

I've haven't heard the name R Type since SNES. Super R Type was my first and then I found out just recently about R Type Dimensions on Switch. I finally get to know what the game is called so I searched the name and found R Type Final 2 was coming I was hyped. A trailer popped up and I was ready for a challenge. I got the game on switch and played for 55 hours more than Dimensions. I enjoyed it even of theres alot of criticism and problems on the switch.

[@GeneralSirDouglasMcA]

One thing I enjoyed is how various stages could either be fairly easy or next to impossible, depending on which ship you use for each stage. There are some stages I can complete on the Human difficulty with a certain ship, but can’t get past on the Baby difficulty (with slowdown) it’s another ship. And it isn’t due to one ship being over/under powered (even though some are more powerful than others), it’s simply the functionality of each ship. Unlike how in Final 1 where you could cheese the game after unlocking the Ragnorok 2 (being able to one-shot bosses with the 7 loop wave cannon).

[@dezm101]

great video, very thorough review and I appreciate all the fine details you covered. I havent picked it up yet, but I am definitely going to get the steam version when I get a chance to play it.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks man, without a doubt Steam is a great way to go if you don't have to do console. The compression kills a lot of the detail on the tube, but on my wide 4K monitor and running a nice setup with a 2080ti it runs smooth and looks extremely sharp. You see a lot of nice detail in what they did.

[@moefoe7222]

Bithead 1000 sent me here, and I’m thankful he did! Awesome content, keep up the good work 👊

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's awesome it was super cool of him for that shout out. A fan of his show myself and may not even be doing videos if it wasn't for enjoying his over the years.

[@elanwebster3647]

Nice one man, a measured, honest review, unlike the majority. What makes this game so important is that studios are going to be watching how well this does and decide whether or not to make their own revival, or a new IP. One dude said this looked and sounded like a euro shooter, I mean wtf!? Its gorgeous later in, plus the dlc is incoming... Anyway, thanks man, look froward to the next vid!

[@LordShmup]

do NOT play the 'drink for every "final" is said game'

[@midiriots3909]

10/10 for this quality review!!👍🏻

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks dude! Glad you enjoyed it! I saw your twitter post too, thank you.

[@serakthepreparer4805]

Your content is sooo good! Have you seen that glitch "colorboy" found with the Delta stage 1 in it? It's very interesting. Also, I second you doing best shmups on the switch. I'm down for you including arcade archives! Please keep making content, i eat it up!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I did yeah! The unfinished early stage, it was even getting updated. Not sure if they ever patched it out or not. I will definitely do a Switch video at some point soon. I was actually thinking of doing an Arcade Archives video in general which would include that too as there's tons of good games in there.

[@kykiske321]

What would be totally blowminded is that by the time it is updated to Final 3, all the maps are extended to double their duration and that the bosses we saw in each stage are actually "mid-bosses" and that a new boss is much better elaborated and more complicated appears at the end of each stage.

[@ShmupJunkie]

That would be insane but likely way too much work, so I doubt they would do it. But honestly, just an updated package with every single one of their massive DLC releases included would already be killer. There is so much DLC that it adds up to nearly two more games lol. And those stages have been really cool too, often times more inspired than the originals in the main game. I haven't been able to try them all yet.

[@zeroXshinobi]

Commenting before watching the whole video but keep up the awesome work as always!!!

[@nykraftlemagnifique]

Mouahahahaha LOVE the baby alien come on the face of the silly guy ! SO FUNNY !!!!! Thanks a lot for that ! I cry of laughing :-D

[@ShmupJunkie]

In the next episode the alien baby will be born 🤣 it’s a must

[@DjDizzy216]

This is the best R-Type Final 2 review out there. I've had the game for 2 weeks and run out of continues right before the branching path. D'oh! That stage eats me alive but I gotta keep at it!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I think eventually it gives you 99 continues, and then infinite after you finish the game. Keep at it, I actually thought stage 4 was harder than 5, which has a lot of safe spots you can find. I just hope you don't end up on 6.1 as your first time through, as that stage is possibly the most difficult to get through without power ups.

[@nunyabusiness9056]

Start getting really comfortable managing your detached force as both an offensive weapon that can put down devastating fire rapidly at point blank and also as a defensive tool that can lay down cover fire from behind. You literally have to get good at managing it and managing it fast in order to succeed at this game which was not a thing i ever felt i needed to learn in final 1. I just forced myself to practice that, and went in 2 weeks from not being able to pass level 3 to 1cc'ing it on normal.

[@DjDizzy216]

@@nunyabusiness9056 Thanks!

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@nunyabusiness9056 That’s a good point. There were some later hard spots in final difficult to recover from without the force, but overall you could turtle with it more often vs using it. The best part of RType games is dynamically using it and in the originals it was a requirement or else. So I did like seeing it here. Though once you get the very powerful ships it becomes less so that I noticed. But from recovery it’s a must.

[@DjDizzy216]

@@nunyabusiness9056 I detached my force through most of my run today and got further than I ever have. Still haven’t beat the game, but hey, any progress with this game is a win.

[@matthewfishgold4541]

That slug level makes me excited.

[@bananonymouslastname5693]

I like that your reviews are non-reviews. It reminds me of classic Nintendo Power a bit, where they showed you the game, gave you some tips and maybe a little perspective, and let you decide if it was for you. A numerical score is far less interesting and important than letting the game stand on its own and sharing your own experience.

[@ShmupJunkie]

You're right! I haven't read Nintendo Power in ages, but my very vague memory doesn't recall numerical reviews being too common. Maybe since it was supposed to help push Nintendo, they thought it was better for sales to show and detail games and let you decide what you think. I just like that approach to as it lets me be creative and not rigid in a formula. Not everyone interprets numerical ratings the same either. To me a 7/10 is a solid game I would still play if it's my kind of game, while for others, anything under 8 isn't worth their time. Even the system is subjective. I'm happy to keep doing them this way and just showing the games and letting you decide. That's the whole point anyway, to benefit the community at large... not like a large mag is paying me to do it for them.

[@wolfgangervin2582]

I just came over here after seeing that the deluxe edition is half off with PS+, and as someone who loved Final, I think I'll give it a shot (no pun intended).

[@nunyabusiness9056]

Man you should really do an update on this. There's literally 2 entire new full length campaigns now. The game has almost tripled in size. the devs are doing an amazing job of supporting it. ALmost all the ships from FInal 1 are in it now.

[@deviancepurplehaze6045]

Unlike Delta or Final1, this Final2 is very punishing if you die mid way because the power up is very very scarce! But it retain it core! I want to come back every time I die! The main reason I buy this game in full price is the japanese dub "Good Luck" at the starting sequence.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I thought the power ups were pretty generous, much nicer than the original RType haha. There was only 2-3 sections that felt super tough after dying. I had fun finding how to recover in each area. The one thing they do not give enough is the satellite/bit power ups. They're too rare!

[@deviancepurplehaze6045]

@@ShmupJunkie The check point is very well made like you said and it become more like puzzle game after dying (can't force my way through anymore). Like 2 different game in 1! This is definitely R-type!

[@deviancepurplehaze6045]

@@ShmupJunkie And 6.1 to 7.1 is my first run too. With only 3 starter ships it is like hell break loose.

[@wrathchild8920]

Lmaooooo I swear there's people who have a strong opinion on games they haven't actually played. Timmy represents them all 🤣 thanks for the review man. I was gonna skip out on this, but I think there's more than enough here to justify the purchase. Even if it isn't my favorite.

[@ShmupJunkie]

There are far too many or they're just trolling I dunno, but it was fun doing that bit in the beginning. It seemed like a good intro for this one. I only need to finish that storyline and what comes of ol' timmay in a future episode. I missed an opportunity for a fun chest bursting scene. I don't think this one will ever be my favorite, but it was fun enough with all the content and what's still upcoming that it was worth it for me.

[@foulplay99]

Fantastic review, thanks very much! I played R-Type on the Sega Master System when I was 14 and it was amazing. Nice to see this released.

[@ShmupJunkie]

The master system port was fantastic done by Compile! I didn’t get to play that one until just years ago. The Turbografx port was the first time I played it at home back then.

[@foulplay99]

@@ShmupJunkie If you fancy a real challenge try playing the Mater System version with the original Master System joystick. PAIN! all the PAIN! I used to get numb hands using that thing 😞

[@brianhenderson9124]

What keeps me coming back is unlocking all the ships. Some, like Tears Shower and Northern Lights, I wish I hadn't, while others, like the Wise Man series I'm glad I unlocked. It seems like the more resources you have to spend to unlock, the better the ship. What's this ship that unlocks from the R-11S2? I'm almost to the end of the R-11 line now. Sometimes, I register craft into my hangar for the LOLs. This is true of the Sweet Luna and the transforming fighters. And I've actually beaten certain stages with these seemingly meme-quality craft, especially the transforming ships. I can beat stage 3, for example, with the TL-series craft (Chiron/Iason/Asklepios) and have beaten stage 2 with the Sweet Luna. Now, however, my go-to fighters keep changing. Once I relied on Sunday Strike, Lady Love and Dinner Bell, now I usually reach for the Wave Master, Happy Days, Sweet Memories and Leo (and have beaten stage 5.0 on normal w/ the Sweet Memories). Still, I knew I was out of practice when I first began.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I still have many, many ships to play around with as I've barely scratched the surface. I'm not as big of an unlocker and willl only go so far, but it is fun. The Leo II is so powerful, it seems like afterward it's for the fun like you are doing, not simply for a better ship. Enjoy it while it lasts as I won't be surprised if they don't balance some things out over time and nerf some of the overpowered options like it. One of the early ships that was useful for me was the Warhead and later the Delicatessen. But once I unlocked the Leo II it kind of outclassed them all.

[@SleepingCocoon]

I still have to grab the full game but i was surprisingly taken by the demo. it really tapped into the moody atmosphere of final and felt like I was returning to a place I wasn't supposed to come back to. which is, in a sense, the perfect way to expand on final. excited to give the full thing a go soon.

[@wert556]

I commented on this video and I'll do it again. I played R Tupe Final 2 on switch. 110 hours of destroying bydo enemies and I gotta say it was a great time. I had no idea R Typer has the 2nd and 3rd difficulty which made me play more to get good at it. Im going to beat R Typer 3 with Arrowhead hopefully without dying AT ALL

[@ShmupJunkie]

110 hours holy crap. Now that’s some love for the game. And the fact you’re doing it on the Switch shows that despite all the belly aching on some performance issues it’s still perfectly fine and playable on any platform. Have you checked out the latest dlc 2 content with the delta stage? The high difficulties are gnarly using just the basic ship you’re a braver one than me. Once I got the Leo II and started the higher difficulties I didn’t go back. I’m not even sure you can kill some of the bosses before time runs out with it?

[@wert556]

@@ShmupJunkie I bought the full stage pass. It bring nostalgic in the air! R Type 1 and 2. Other X stages are challenging and amazing looking. Delta stage is one of my top stages

[@wert556]

@@ShmupJunkie Its possible to kill the bosses with Arrowhead. Stage 2 boss is where u HAVE to know their hitbox and maneuver around and under them alot

[@GloriousLight]

I've been playing this one a fair bit since my previous R-Type was Delta on PSX and that was a tall order since I absolutely loved Delta. (And I want it to get the remaster or re-release treatment on multiple platforms!) Anyway, from what I gathered from the story bits in game, you're not playing a "campaign" as in previous titles but collecting information and researching stuff for a war archive or something, which is why you can eventually alter the stage orders change their names and even rename the game title. A sort of "R-Type AGES" or "Best of" affair, which amplifies the sense of disjoint/confusion as you progress forward. I also noticed on the harder setting Stage 1 boss becomes a nice surprise and I do wonder if later stages also pull such radical changes on higher difficulties. Seems that there is far more than meets the eye... yet they chose the three blandest 3 stages to be the meat most people will see. Oof. It's a shame and I hope they can patch in a sort of Darius choose-your-stage thing or put those select items earlier, and maybe update Stage 3 so it doesn't look so unfinished and textureless. (In fact, seeing the far more detailed ships in that other fleet stage makes me wonder if they forgot to texture the whole thing or is indeed part of the "simulation"/research.)

[@clarku4]

Great review. You helped me decide whether to get it or not. I did and I'm looking forward to diving in. Thanks! That picture in the background is awesome by the way.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks and I hope you enjoy it. The picture is by Dan Mumford and not many were made. Soon as I saw it I knew I wanted one. Btw since this vid there are now 3 DLC releases for it, total 7 stages.

[@Thebluedud]

New to your channel and loving your style of review. This is actually my first R-Type (not counting the time I emulated 3) and I'm finding a lot to enjoy even on Switch. Your wrap-up of this review makes me think of a concept of sorts I came up with about different "types" of a score. A "good" 7 out of 10 vs a "bad" 7 out of 10 if you will. I genuinely believe that sometimes a good 7 out of 10 game can be more enjoyable than a bad 8 or 9 and Final 2 is a brilliant example of that in my eyes. I've beaten the main game and the DLC several times now in my journey to try and get good enough to beat it on R-Typer difficulty. Yes, I realize I just watched a review on a game I've already played, but as a game design major, I think it's important to watch reviews on games I've played to better understand the subjective elements of its design.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it and also found some value in my actual approach. I think I just approach it as my personal views on the game without any pretense of being objective or standardized. People want to know what I thought of it and that's what I give them. What I liked most, what I didn't. In the end , we are all guilty of also liking some very bad games haha. There is just something we found addicting. And that's my standard of measure. Did I have a good time with it or not, and was it worth my time and money. That's all it comes down to, despite graphics/sounds/etc and even if it's got issues. Sounds like you fall into the same category with this one as you're still enjoying it and wanting to play it more.

[@TornadoADV]

I think the larger issue of the first couple of stages is that they are baked around people playing on R-Typer 1/2/3 and when you play Bydo or lower, they are going to feel empty. Compare Stage 5 Normal to Stage 5 R-Typer 1 and see what I mean.

[@ShmupJunkie]

What’s interesting is I went and tried stage 5 on RTyper to see and it still felt kind of basic with the enemies. There were more of the bouncers but that’s the most I noticed. With a good ship I still coasted through it no trouble. If I screwed up it would’ve been more difficult for sure though.

[@TornadoADV]

@@ShmupJunkie Could it be a follow on issue of the move to 16:9 from 4:3? The lead developer/producer stated it was one of their primary reasons to "Bring R-Type to the modern age". You suddenly have so much more stage space to play with for enemy placement but still arrange them like it's a 4:3 CRT.

[@Sephyroth97]

Hopefully you'll also make a video at the end of the year looking at the "final" version with all the updates and dlc...perhaps even one about the Final 3 upgrade whenever it arrives? This video was fantastic.

[@ShmupJunkie]

If it’s a big deal and people are still excited for it I absolutely will. I’m loving the new set 2 of DLC as well. If their “final” release really upgrades a lot and there is much improved and to cover I’ll definitely enjoy looking at it again.

[@Elintasokas]

Great review! Really comprehensive stuff and well put together. Good pacing and structure.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it and if you didn’t own the game yet, hope it was helpful in deciding whether it’s for you or not.

[@Shanjaq]

I too was a little nervous by stage 3, and started looking for ways to create a mod that would at least upgrade the map textures and fix the skybox on that level, but it got way better after that especially after unlocking more ships. TX-T "Eclipse" and R-11S2 "No Chaser" are my go-to ships at the moment for Score Attacks. Having the Steam version, I thought it'd be funny to play in the SteamVR Theater Mode, it was pretty epic and some of the surface/effect shaders appear to actually have depth information that can produce stereoscopic projections, but the framerate was about halved so I couldn't get very far due to lag. Anyway, this is the best review I've seen so far, a continuation of the quality in The Final History of R-Type which is how I found your channel :)

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it but more importantly enjoying the game too after getting farther. I keep thinking an RType in VR would be pretty damn cool. Keep it slow and strategic, no idea if it would actually work, but the intro to this game made me think about it again. I gotta break out my Vive again one of these days

[@infn8loopmusic]

Thanks for this really helpful in depth review!!! It was awesome!

[@karlvorndran2996]

Great review! I think you nailed it with the observation that R-Type fans will appreciate it despite its flaws, and those who loved R-Type Final 1 will love this. While I wish the first 3 levels were better, especially the boss designs, I am enjoying it quite a bit.

[@ShmupJunkie]

RType fans are willing to forgive a lot. At least the later fans of Final and Delta. While there's no excuse for all the unfinished elements and issues, I get that they were under the gun and couldn't do it all before release. Hopefully they keep updating and iron a lot of things out. And like you said, despite those things, many are still having a good time with it, and you can count me as one of them.

[@reagandow850]

Another fantastic episode my friend. I have the physicals for both Switch and PS4. I imagine it will be a while before I get around to playing it on the Switch (after some optimization). The load times are infuriating beyond belief. ;)

[@ShmupJunkie]

After playing it on my PC with Steam it will be hard to go back. I'm used to how fast it all plays and well it performs. I didn't want to waste my Switch copy so I am giving it to a friend on a good deal so he can enjoy it. I want to keep progressing on my current game anyway and play the next DLC once it comes out.

[@ezeepeezy]

Really great review! Spot on with all of your thoughts, I can't wait to get to some of these later stages and unlock more powerful ships!

[@ReaVen443]

looking at it just now, I feel like some of the effects have changed for the better, also the DLC Stages are a god damn blast, its no Delta, but its hard to compete with "Perfection" of what the DNA of R-Type is

[@ShmupJunkie]

It’s come a very long way since I first reviewed it yeah. The DLC content has been off the charts. Quite pricey to buy a la carte but once included in a full package is a massive amount of content.

[@atomicskull6405]

They were obviously going for a "tron" look with Stage 3 probably to go along with the "AI lab" theme of the level. For good or bad I think it was a deliberate stylistic choice.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I was thinking that yesterday maybe it was on purpose and there was some kind of lore I was missing. So you could be right.

[@ynotwalk7391]

weird how that earlier battleship level looks like a prototype but man, the later designs are sweet

[@ShmupJunkie]

I almost think it was intentional, like they were going for a certain style or look. Has a bit of that Tron vibe. It doesn't look terrible per se if the whole game was that way with the same aesthetic, it was just kind of out of place with everything else. Maybe there is some lore behind it I didn't get.

[@darkace0able]

I was a bit sad that we didn't get a FINAL wave cannon sequence for any of the routes. I also have no idea why we became Bydo on the 6.1 route. Final did a few things better but I feel like Final 2 is an excellent successor and honestly More Rtype is always good.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@darkace0able I just assumed your ship got overtaken somehow. It wasn’t really explained at all.

[@darkace0able]

@@ShmupJunkie Yeah...like in Final 1 The Boss assimilated you as you passed through. Final 2 it just kind of happens.

[@TexasHollowEarth]

... been waiting for this one. Thank you Junkie for putting this together. All other reviews that I've watched came up short.... you nailed it. R-Type Final 2 needs more body horror stages. 'BYDO' is a anagram for 'body', after all.

[@Panthera91]

A nice and very detailed review, thank you very much!

[@CubamusPrime]

Stage 3 design I liked the colors. Feels like Tron like colors.

[@ShmupJunkie]

It does look like Tron actually, I agree with you there. It was very different from the rest of the game, so I am not sure if it was on purpose or just not finished yet.

[@adistantimage3928]

Do you plan to revisit this one in a new vid once all the DLC is out? I'm really loving it. Thinking about double dipping and getting the Switch version so I can play on the go.

[@ashtralplane777]

I think he should too

[@SouthernMenace]

Thanks for your analysis. I've bought the physical Special Edition for the Switch, and over time I've came to similar conclusions. The load time is definitely a bummer, and the game took its sweet time to make me like it. There are a number of smaller issues that got in the way of my enjoyment, but I'm an R-Type player through and through, so I knew (or at least hoped) that there would be rewards. The ship graveyard alone was worth the purchase, but I've decided to shelf it for a few months before investing more time into it. I hope for a better experience then. All in all, I want to support those devs, so no regrets. But this is not yet in my R-Type Top 3 yet. Thanks for the video =)

[@ShmupJunkie]

I don't think it will ever be in my Top 3, that's a pretty tough call with the other great games in the series. Didn't go in with unrealistic expectations and found the mixed bag like you said, but ultimately I had fun with it despite them. I'm not one to unlock every single ship and am more looking forward to the other special stages and possibly making improvements to what's there.