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Score Rush Extended 撃点 (PS4)

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Score Rush Extended 撃点 (PS4)
80 Metacritic.  

PlayStation Announcement: North America, Europe (PlayStation.Blog)

Released Date: Score Rush Extended 撃点 has been officially released on PS4! Sony announced it on the PlayStation.Blog (North America, Europe). It is releasing on PS4 on May 31st, 2016 in North America and June 2nd, 2016 in Europe. A Japanese release is still under works.


Score Rush Extended 撃点 box art, v4.41.

Description: Score Rush Extended 撃点 is a 4 player overhead scrolling 2D shmup, now on PS4! It is the world's first widescreen bullet-hell shmup, with multidirectional dual-stick controls. Originally an experimental game released on Xbox LIVE Indie Games, it became #1 game in Japan. Locally cooperative, globally competitive. Play alone or with your friends -- as a team! -- to compete against scores from other single player and multiplayer teams.


Destroying the first boss.

Awards: Including all Xbox 360, HTML5, and PS4 versions (only the PS4 version is the Extended version): Powered by award-winning Duality Engine, Xbox LIVE Indie Game of the Week, #1 and #2 best seller in 3 countries, top 5 rating in Japan, 1 of 5 best indie games by Gamasutra, top pick in Famitsu the #1 gaming magazine in Japan, 11th best selling Xbox LIVE Indie Game worldwide, top 3 pick by Microsoft Japan, won a $50,000 Tizen contest, Bizzaro Games top 15 $1 Xbox LIVE Indie Games, Racketboy Best Beginner Shmups, made into a cake, Complex's #7 best XBLIG game, 4.74/5 globla player ratings, and more.


Score Rush Extended logo, with Kanji: 撃点.

Reviews: PS4 versions: 90% Masterpiece, 80, 81, 5/5, 80, 80%, 80%, 8/10, 4/5, 8/10, 4/5, 8/10, 8.9, 8.0, 4/5, 4.5/5, etc. Xbox 360 versions: 10/10, 9.5/10, 89%, 5/5 stars, 9.9, 97%, 8.7/10, etc.


Color-coded powerups seek even distribution .

Forums: Score Rush Extended (TIGSource). This is where you can chat with us and leave feedback. It is a DevLog, which means you also get to watch the development of the game, and potentially help evolve it! Please come and say hi!


Collect trailing options and coalesce them to form a powerful laser.

Goal: To make the most fundamental and philosophically pure shoot 'em up ever. To make a game that truly tests how good we are at dodging and shooting enemies. To properly represent and respect the shoot 'em up genre, which was the top video game genre before FPS. To attract mainstream gamers back into retro-style arcade action competitive score-running gameplay. I have a true love for shmups.


Main menu.


Boss explosion. Amazing.

Philosophy: Empower the player. Increased challenge comes from increased game difficulty, not player weakness. Allow domination. Never let the game be at fault for player death. Reward domination. No gimmicks. No hidden points or bonuses. To get the highest score, dominate the game (kill everything as fast as possible). Example, does saving your bombs help kill enemies faster? No, so saving bombs does not award extra points. Requires a scoring mechanic designed to measure the actual domination of game.


Enemies with power-ups within them.


There is a screenshot here. Look close.
4 players. 4 hitboxes. Never hidden.

Art Style: Gray-scale background and rainbow colored foreground. Aesthetically pleasing and strongly differentiates ground and sky layers, even when screen becomes crowded with enemies and bullets. Extreme intensity in player power up and enemy attacks. Massive satisfying explosions.


4 players. Colorful foreground, grayscale background.

Music: The hard-rocking OST is composed by Nick Dragonas of Dragon Music! Download the original Score Rush Extended OST here: dragonmusic1.bandcamp.com/album/score-rush-extended.


Fire spots on the ground.


Fire spots on the destoryed boss, which is falling to the ground.


Fire spots on the destroyed boss on the ground,
which matches the gray-scale background art style upon crashing.


Fire spots on a damanged, but living, boss.
Notice the ground is colored in Boss Rush mode.


Fire spots everywhere!

More Screenshots:


4 Player Dual Play - each player controlling 2 fighters.

 

PS4 Trophies:

Visit TrueTrophies for a trophy analysis of Score Rush Extended. Sign up for a trophy analysis of all your trophies.

Currently the trophies are listed from most difficult to easiest, as measured by TrueTrophies.

 

Testimonials:

"The $11.99 price tag makes it well worth the cost, if not for the instant gratification that it offers, then for the time machine trip back to the simpler days of gaming." -  Nerd Stash

"It provides an adrenaline-packed, pick up and play experience that satisfies our primal need to destroy hordes of space invaders." -  Nerd Stash

"...Score Rush Extended has a very clear focus and it succeeds in what it is trying to do." -  Nerd Stash

"The sound effects are also top notch. The sounds of collected power ups ringing from the speaker in my PS4 controller was particularly satisfying, and it evoked nostalgic memories of old school arcade gaming that made me wish my system had a quarter slot just for flavor." -  Nerd Stash

"Even those who aren’t fans of metal will find themselves unable to imagine Score Rush with any other soundtrack (even a musical theater-loving roommate of mine couldn’t help but tap her feet)." -  Nerd Stash

"I expected it to wear me down with its repetition, but it perfectly fits the pick up, play, then walk away nature of Score Rush Extended." -  Nerd Stash

"The gameplay is augmented well by the soundtrack which is pure face melting metal provided by Dragon Music." -  Nerd Stash

"There is no tutorial, just a screenshot of a PS4 controller and the four relevant buttons identified." -  Nerd Stash

"Score Rush Extended is what happens when you take Galaga, reskin it with modern graphics, inject it with pure adrenaline and teach it to play metal guitar." -  Nerd Stash

"...in every one of those scenarios, I hated turning the game off before my session was over." - PS Nation

"The soundtrack here is pretty slick, featuring rock tunes, à la electronic. It also takes advantage of the controller’s speaker for explosions and some upgraded sound effects that, once again, give the illusion of playing in an arcade house." - PS Nation

"There is so much going on on-screen that anything else would simply be distracting." - PS Nation

"And that’s it folks. Destroy or be destroyed. Collect as many upgrades as you can in order to paint the entire screen with your firepower and rack up that score." - PS Nation

"...the entire screen becomes ablaze with your stream of electronic death." - PS Nation

"...it really is the enemy that should fear your bullet hell, since you almost immediately become a geyser of colorful bullet onslaught." - PS Nation

"You are score hunting, pure and simple. Destroy or be destroyed." - PS Nation

"It's got a tail that shoots! That's fucking crazy." - Trevor Saulnier

"...when it comes to gameplay, Score Rush Extended is an undoubtedly triple-A experience." - Brash Games

"...few shooters manage to appeal to both a Western and Japanese audience while somehow delivering an experience that is as fun for the casual gamer as it is for the hardcore." - Brash Games

"Starting as a wimpy stream of bullets, your firepower soon expands into a devastating wave that makes you feel like a genuine match for the myriad of enemies eager to take you down." - Brash Games

"Your abilities never go beyond the standard blaster, but man, what a blaster." - Brash Games

"With bullets coming at you from all angles, it’s amazing what the ability to slow your ship has on your tactical approach to combat. Suddenly, making your way through a seeming unassailable wall of bullets is made a lot more manageable by the tiny adjustments that you can make once you slow your ship to a crawl." - Brash Games

"There are no complex combos here, no bonus points and no special weapons or unique mechanics. That might sound off putting to some, but in practice, this simplicity provides a sense of purity that makes for an incredibly addictive experience for both casual and hardcore fans of the genre." - Brash Games

"It might look initially imposing to those unfamiliar with the world of Japanese bullet hell shooters, but Score Rush Extended, despite having a somewhat high level of difficulty, is provided a sense of accessibility by the sheer simplicity of its mechanics and scoring systems." - Brash Games

"Essentially, what you have here is a pared back coming together of Japanese and more traditionally Western shooters, combining to create an experience that is simplistic and straightforward enough for genre newbies to enjoy while delivering more than enough in the way of challenge to keep the hardcore busy in the long run." - Brash Games

"...the stripped back, fast paced and outrageously addictive gameplay soon come to fore as any issues one might have had with the games’ visuals begin to fade into the background as you become engrossed in what has to be one of the finest scrolling shooters in recent memory." - Brash Games

"...Score Rush and Boss Rush can be played in the Solo or Dual modes. Three difficulty modes that ratchet up the difficulty even more are available if you are a glutton for punishment. Online leaderboards are supported for each variation of play." - PSNStores.com

"Score Rush Extended is a widescreen shooter, meaning you have more room to work with when moving laterally to avoid bullets." - PSNStores.com

"If you are a fan of old arcade shooters, bright colors and a rock soundtrack, Score Rush Extended may be the game for you." - PSNStores.com

"I love this game. It’s one of the best of the genre and an absolute must-play for fans of games like Geometry Wars, Ikaruga, and Raystorm." - The Geek Generation

"Duo Mode twists things a little bit as you’re controlling two ships instead of one, which of course leads to insane score totals that’ll have you begging for a breather in between sessions. If you get two players controlling four ships I’d strongly recommend an appointment with your optometrist afterwards." - The Geek Generation

"The music must also not be ignored as it does a more than adequate job of keeping your adrenaline high." - The Geek Generation

"...the game does not hold your hand..." - The Geek Generation

"Score Rush Extended is amazing, go out and buy it right now." - The Geek Generation

"I'm still blown away by how great Score Rush Extended is - it's one of my games of the year [...]. I even deleted the majority of my other shooters since I won't be needing them anymore! 😎" - Jason Rosner

"Standing strongly by its fundamentals, Score Rush Extended is quite uncompromising in its values. Nothing really gets in the way of the gameplay. No story, no complex weapon systems, no branching levels, no combo meters." - PlayStation Country

"You’d expect that you need to learn their patterns but Score Rush Extended doesn’t seem to be big on that. The pattern is always ‘argh! BULLETS!’ and your strategy will always be the same." - PlayStation Country

"The game is unashamedly a bullet hell shoot ‘em up. Colourful patterns fill the screen as the alien hordes vomit all their bullets at you, seemingly at once. It could be overwhelming but your controls are particularly smooth." - PlayStation Country

"Don’t expect any other elements or tactics. No colour-flipping cleverness like Ikaruga, no crazy weapon systems, no fancy scoring mechanics. Just expect to move and shoot." - PlayStation Country

"Score Rush Extended is the [shoot 'em up] genre distilled down to the basics. A love letter to the core elements that make people like me a fan of the genre." - PlayStation Country

"Score Rush Extended is a memorable game with a lot of heart. PlayStation owners shouldn’t miss this." - Stack-Up.org

"Score Rush Extended is a special offering in this year’s game lineup for completing two goals. The first is being an exciting spaceship shoot-em’ up game, with addictive gameplay, solid challenge, and a great feedback that keeps player playing. The second is the ability to bring an important message to a historical area in video game history,and that is the recognition and celebration of the shmup genre." - Stack-Up.org

"Score Rush Extended is a passionate project by Xona Games, and with their determination, demonstrated a much need cultural lesson to the gaming industry while also giving a fantastic gaming experience." - Stack-Up.org

"Coupled with the fantastic gameplay is an absolutely crazy soundtrack and visual graphics." - Stack-Up.org

"The end result is an absolutely fluid and energetic gaming experience unlike anything else. Score Rush Extended is pure and fun, simple and fresh. Players will feel the thrill of surviving bullet barrages and blowing up bosses in level-shattering explosions. Every weave through danger is a small victory. Every enemy down is another nice boost to your score. The longer you play, and the more you learn, the more rewarding the game becomes. Even when you die, there is that sensation for just one more game to play." - Stack-Up.org

"The game takes no breaks in bringing players straight into the action, giving you your first boss within moments." - Stack-Up.org

"Playing Score Rush Extended becomes an amazing experience, bursting with fiery, kinetic energy." - Stack-Up.org

"...the game is firm but fair, as developer Xona Games has placed the player, and their skill, as the focus." - Stack-Up.org

"By focusing on the basics, Score Rush Extended becomes an exhilarating rush of action and excitement, making it impossible to play without feeling your heart beat fast." - Stack-Up.org

"These wise words are the focus of the game, and what Score Rush Extended excels in. Score Rush extended has no story, no characters, or universe it is set in. There is the player, using a ship, facing a massive army of other ships, in a space. Your sole objective is to beat the bosses and get the highest possible score. There are no other deviations or surprises. The focus of Score Rush Extended is the gameplay and the action, which the game delivers a lot of. This focus doesn’t simply make Score Rush Extended a fantastic action game, but a game of importance and significance as it highlights the qualities of a historical genre." - Stack-Up.org

"Every so often, there comes a game that reminds us of the very core mechanics that make a game work, while being an amazing action experience. This is the experience that Xona Games presents with Score Rush Extended for the PlayStation 4." - Stack-Up.org

"You’ll never lose where you are either ... because you’re never completely obscured form view." - GameSpew

"Thanks to the dual-stick system, movement is constantly fluid and you can pull off some wonderful dodges using the slow-motion ability..." - GameSpew

"...you have the option to turn the music up to 200%." - GameSpew

"...not only is the game the closest you’ll ever get to a fireworks display, it’s so vibrant it lights up your face, the room and probably even the night sky." - GameSpew

"Going back to the “arcade style” described, Score Rush Extended is awash with an arcade stylisation, down to the “insert coin” flashing for multiplayers, the retro sound effects and the colour palette." - GameSpew

"...it just really reminded me of a great arcade game from back in the day. And this would have been quite a popular one." - Operation Rainfall

"...speaking of aesthetics, this game not only looks pretty, but it sounds amazing. The music is really cool and it is very hard rocking. The soundtrack is composed by Nick Dragonas over at Dragon Music." - Operation Rainfall

"...the sheer aesthetic pleasure of seeing 4 different colors of bullet showers decimating the enemy is truly a spectacle." - Operation Rainfall

"That is… that is just insane, but in the best of ways." - Operation Rainfall

"One nice aspect of the simple art design is that it is quite easy to tell where your small hit box is, which can be a problem in other bullet hell shooters." - Operation Rainfall

"In many shooters this would be your final shot power… this is actually you at your weakest." - Operation Rainfall

"This is a wonderful, 2D bullet-hell shmup that adheres to the time-tested blueprint with panache and precision. It's very much a love-letter to the old-school, coin-guzzling arcade shmup action games of yore. It was also a number one best-seller in Japan - this scrolling shmup is legit." - Digitally Downloaded

"It's a lovingly crafted throwback that exemplifies why shmups are just so damn addictive." - Digitally Downloaded

"It's fast, it's frantic and it's impeccably balanced." - Digitally Downloaded

"Shmups, when done right, are an elegant, beautiful approach to gameplay that respectfully acknowledges that the best elements of gameplay design are often those that have been left in the past, delicately dusted off and given a new lease of life. Score Rush Extended is an excellent example of this." - Digitally Downloaded

"...up to four local players can join in and make an absolute chaotic party experience and is super-fun." -  Broken Joysticks

"...the powerup system will increase the firing spread and strength of the player’s ship until it maxes out covering most of the screen." -  Broken Joysticks

"The overall game controls are very tight and responsive, which is absolutely vital in a shmup, and Score Rush Extended executes this perfectly." -  Broken Joysticks

"...the only real thing to worry about is avoiding bullets and shooting all the things!" -  Broken Joysticks

"...bullet hell shmups can get overtly complicated. Score Rush Extended does the opposite and keeps overall gameplay quite simple with gameplay, design, art style, and music." -  Broken Joysticks

"...it’s fun as heck to play." -  Broken Joysticks

"I'm aware that I'm probably missing the point." -  Spong (our worse review!)

"...I've noticed however that every time that I play I do seem to do a little bit better." - Millymazilla Games

"...at no point when I'm playing do I feel like it's cheap, or it's screwing me over with cheap tactics. The only thing that kills me is my own damn self." - Millymazilla Games

"...the music is fantastic. It’s by a group called Dragon Music..." - COGconnected

"An interesting feature is that Score Rush Extended’s action happens on a slightly wider than your TV screen plane..." - COGconnected

"...I definitely got the [...] want to crush my own score, and the score of everyone else who has ever played before you (which are tauntingly displayed before you start each run)." - COGconnected

"The controls are TIGHT!" - COGconnected

"...the width of your beam in this game is a sight to behold!" - COGconnected

"Score Rush Extended is a love letter to arcade shoot 'em ups." - COGconnected

"...what I feel that makes [Score Rush Extended] unique is there are not very many shoot 'em ups, especially of the bullet hell calibre, that cater to multiplayer in a local co-op sense. They were experimenting around with that years ago [2010] is a huge kudos for the game itself." - Fitarus' Kitchen

"Score Rush Extended is a great addition to the storied history of what is considered to be one of the last remaining “real” game genres." - Flickering Myth

"...getting everything turned up to 200% volume on a big TV is a treat for both the eyes and the ears." - Flickering Myth

"...almost anyone is able to pick the game up immediately, and a perfect party game." - Flickering Myth

"Another element that adheres to the “simplicity first” vibe of the game is its control scheme. Score Rush Extended only uses four buttons on the controller, two of which are the thumbsticks to move and fire, with R1 and R2 being to slow your ship down (precision is key in some of the tougher parts of the game) and trigger bombs, respectively." - Flickering Myth

"As far as a story or backstory is concerned, Score Rush Extended doesn’t have one at all. Trimming this from the game makes it feel streamlined, and ensures that your focus is solely on playing the game (which, considering the intense level of difficulty, is a huge plus)." - Flickering Myth

"A lesser used approach in shmup games is to go back to basics, which is arguably the riskiest move of all. That’s the method Score Rush Extended has gone with." - Flickering Myth

"Visually, the pure 60 frames per second chaos on screen will leave players drooling from sensory overload, you know, in the best possible way." - Bullet Heaven EX

"The control in Score Rush Extended is pretty much perfect." - Bullet Heaven EX

"Best pure shooter I've ever played." - Jason Rosner

"Shmups make the world a better place." - Derrick Hopkins

"A cooperative bullet hell on a console I own (and have two controllers for)? Yes please." - RougeMephilesClone

"If anything in Score Rush matches its intensity, then it has to be its sense of old-school purity. Forget all the plot waffle and character-building---just shoot and move. It really is that simple, and Score Rush Extended embraces it in such a way that it feeds off that nostalgia-soaked gameplay loop, making it both incredibly accessible, and maddeningly tough." - PlayStation Universe

"The pure intensity thrust upon you so quickly is amplified by the delightfully chugging metal soundtrack by Dragon Music that almost seems to be encouraging you to unleash your bullet-based fury upon." - PlayStation Universe

"Without even trying, Score Rush breaks you out into a sweat within minutes, as the screen begins to resemble a children’s ball pool, with all the colored globes of murder splashing around the place." - PlayStation Universe

"...you can eventually power up your main weapon to be a fountain of neon death that takes up half the screen." - Everything Action

"...[Score Rush Extended] also allows up to four player co-op, something I haven’t tried and I don’t think my brain would even be able to process it." - Everything Action

"If you’re a fan of bullet hell shmups, Score Rush Extended is one of the best I’ve played in a while..." - Everything Action

"It plays so well, and on the PS4 it's smooooooth. It feels good. It's challenging. It's addictive. And I told you this before... but I think playing Score Rush [Extended] will make you smarter. Which should be the tag line of a review." - MudMonger

"I think it's a perfect game." - MudMonger

"So it's classic, "Fuck you. Get Good." ... I like it." - SML Podcast

"...there was just so many fucking bullets." - SML Podcast

"[Score Rush Extended] is like Geometry Wars and a bullet hell had a fucked up mutant baby... that was tripping on acid." - SML Podcast

"[Xona Games] did the Decimation series too which is also excellent. These guys are really good at doing retro modernized. A bit like Housemarque. Maybe Sony should think about swooping them up before somebody else does. I think I remember some rumblings of MS being interested quite a while back." - WiIIyTheAntelope3

"Score Rush [Extended] is honestly one of the most fun twin stick shooters I've ever played." - WiIIyTheAntelope3

"Score Rush Extended [is] a solid, back-to-basics shooter that truly tests your arcade skills. Its bullet hell gameplay is nicely tuned to be highly challenging and addictive, and it's just plain fun to play. If you're a fan of hardcore shooters, definitely check it out." - US Gamer

"...what Score Rush Extended sets out to do, it does really well. Its polished, frenetic gameplay has been nicely tuned to make it an addictive title that should have high appeal to those who enjoy challenging, hardcore shooters." - US Gamer

"With its loud, thrash metal soundtrack and busy visuals, Score Rush Extended is an enjoyable, stripped-down shooter that's a great test of your arcade skills. Its controls feel good, and its difficulty curve ramps up quite evenly, with bosses becoming ever more complex over time. This helps make the game one that you tend to improve at incrementally, which gives it high one-more-go appeal. Its classic design also means it's a game that you'll come back to over time, whenever you fancy scratching that shoot 'em up itch, or want to see if you can improve your score on its online leaderboards." - US Gamer

"Score rush is one of the best games ever made. No joke." - Milo del mal

"...I consider myself a “gamer” and I really got psyched about the story of a local company producing world class games. I downloaded Score Rush the minute I noticed it was in the PS store. It’s every bit as good as advertised, challenging with high replay value. I [...] appreciate a good quality game at a very reasonable price. I’ll continue to buy any Xona Games product because you understand gamers and your first priority has been to deliver the maximum user experience. The gaming landscape would look a lot different (read:better) if every developer had the same priority." - Matt Clairmont

 

Dev Log:

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