Anyway, the graphics are great and the background music is catchy as hell. There is a scoring system for achieving top score from on-going spaceship/enemy "hits," but I'll be damned if I know how it works. The game gives the player three options: Novice, Black Label, and Arrange Mode (each with its own way of scoring points and attacking enemies). In the options section, the player can choose to play a certain level or boss, including one of the "true bosses." Speaking of which, although the game allows for unlimited continues, once the last mecha daughter is defeated the game ends... without the benefit of fighting the true/last boss and getting the real ending.
This is the kind of game that'll keep gamers coming back for hours upon hours practicing each level and trying to memorise the attack patterns. Some are easier than others, but there are some parts which are overwhelming and have the screen literally covered in enemy ships and bullets. On the final level/stage 5, the enemy attacks become so unrelenting it may take days to learn how to dodge certain areas. This could be a good thing and a bad thing, depending on whether you want the instant gratification of learning a game quickly and beating it in a matter of days. These kinds of games do not work that way. They require a bit more skill in being able to quickly see patterns on screen and/or be able to memorise them from going through them many times before.
I consider myself to be a casual gamer (and not a very good one at that), but I consider this game as one of the best ones I've played within the last decade in spite of the difficulty; it's that good. Lastly, besides the region-locking issue, there is also the price. I got it new for about $57 from a game importer in Hong Kong. I think it's a fair price considering it cannot be ordered through Amazon.jp. So as a suggestion, I would not recommend paying more than 60 bucks for this game brand new.
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DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu Black Label is a newer version of DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu 1.5, which was released earlier for 360. The Black Label version is also available as DLC for the 1.5 disc, so you don't have to buy this disc if you want to play Black Label. Unique to this disc, however, is an arrange mode that mixes in game mechanics from Ketsui; this seems to be the main reason to buy the Black Label disc over downloading the DLC.This disc is region locked for Japan only; I use a Japanese 360 to play it.
The basic shooting mechanics are similar to Daifukkatsu 1.5, so if you've played that you'll feel right at home here. The are several scoring differences which you may or may not notice depending on whether you play for score or not. A big change is in Strong Mode, which now gives you the second loop bullet patterns right off the bat, useful for those who want an extreme challenge.
New to Black Label is the rank meter. You can hold down both shot and laser buttons to use both at the same time, increasing your firepower significantly. Using both weapons raises the rank meter and increases difficulty, so there is risk involved with using the extra firepower. Skilled players can use this to their advantage, by using hypers to absorb more bullets at maxed rank. The best way to score points seems to be to raise the hit counter, then max out the rank, then hyper and absorb bullets for huge gains.
The arrange mode found on the disc, also known as "Ketsupachi" because of it's similarity to Ketsui, is really awesome. This adds scoring cubes based on how close you are to the enemy, and a lock-shot that locks your fire on to tougher opponents. For fans of Ketsui, this really can't be missed.
The big question is obviously, "is the Black Label disc worth buying instead of 1.5 with the Black Label DLC?" I'd say it depends on how much you like Ketsui. It's a great mode, but the price attached to it may be a bit over the top when 1.5 comes with a bunch of arrange modes already.
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