- Dariusburst
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Dariusburst 
Developer(s) Pyramid Publisher(s) Taito Platform(s) PlayStation Portable Release date(s) - JP December 24, 2009
Genre(s) Horizontal scrolling shooter Mode(s) Single-player Media/distribution Universal Media Disc, PlayStation Network Dariusburst is a horizontal scrolling shooter for the PlayStation Portable released in Japan winter 2009.[1] It is the latest installment of the Darius series by Taito.
Like previous Darius games, Dariusburst is an offbeat sci-fi shooter set in outer space with aquatic-themed (typically fish-shaped) robotic enemies. In keeping with tradition, the game also features branching paths instead of the linear progression found in most video games. There are a total of 11 zones in the game, with 5 stages per run.
An update has been announced for the arcades titled Dariusburst Another Chronicle.[2]
Contents
Story
Dariusburst takes place a century after Darius II where the planet Darius is continually attacked by the Belser Army. The continuing battles show a possible end to the long wars on Darius, particularly with the development of the Burst System, a powerful new weapon equipped with the latest Silver Hawk fighters. Using this new weapon system are pilots Riga Pratica, test pilot of the Silver Hawk Burst series, and Ti2 a computer AI assuming the body of a young girl. Together, the pilots fight the Belser Army back against its fleets, factories and even its previously inhabited fortresses.
Gameplay
The game play and flow maintains the consistency of previous Darius games: players fight the Belser Army through several stages and can choose to fight in different zones along different paths, ultimately reaching a different final boss and ending. Players can upgrade the firepower of their Silver Hawk space fighter with power-ups that affect the ship's main firepower, secondary missiles and shield as well as additional power-ups that add to player's score, extends or destroys every enemy on screen. The main differences include ship selection, the Burst System and the effect of weapons on enemy fire.
Players have three types of main fire power to upgrade starting with Missile, Laser and ending in Wave Shot. As the ship receives further upgrades, the weapon placement will move up from Missile to Laser and Wave. However, many enemies throughout the game use similar shots and the player can destroy enemy shots depending on what they are. When using the Missile Shot, the Silver Hawk can destroy enemy missile shots and the same effect stands with Laser shots. The Wave shot however is consistent throughout the Darius series in its ability to fire through solid foreground objects.
The Burst System allows the player to unleash a powerful beam attack that can be positioned to fire in several directions. By tapping and holding the appropriate fire button, players can direct the Burst beam in any forward firing direction. The player can also fire their main shot while the Burst Beam is going, but doing so will keep the Beam in a fixed position. The Burst System is unique in that is recharged every time the Silver Hawk destroys something; whether it's an enemy ship, similar enemy shot or destructible object, the drained Burst meter will be replenished upon that object's destruction. However, the Belser Army has managed to reverse engineer the Burst System, allowing them access to this weapon for their larger battleships. Thus, much like the Beam Duels of G Darius and Metal Black, players can duel bosses armed with the Burst System.
The player can select one of three different Silver Hawk including the Silver Hawk Legend, Next and Origin. The Legend is a standard Silver Hawk model that is able to use the Burst System while the Next is physically redesigned and is equipped with homing missiles rather than air-to-ground bombs. The Origin on the other hand is based on original Silver Hawk models, thus lacks the Burst System.
Trivia
In this game the boss Dark Helios changes form and appears to be the metal dragon of the game Syvalion also by Taito.
References
- ^ Cantler, Topher (2009-08-26). "Leaked Famitsu Scan reveals Darius Burst for PSP". Destructoid. http://www.destructoid.com/leaked-famitsu-scan-reveals-darius-burst-for-psp-146168.phtml. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ http://kotaku.com/5605071/five-new-arcade-games-to-get-excited-about
External links
Darius video games Arcade games Console-exclusive games Related games 
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