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 Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:56 pm
東方 Project Manic curtain fire has never been so moe~ 1.] The Table
2.] The What?
3.] The Who?
4.] The Where?
5.] The Why?
6.] The How?
EX.] The Border of Win and Fail
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:57 pm
2.] The What? 東方 [Touhou] Project is a series of manic shooting games created entirely from the drunken delusions of a Japanese God of Beer, ZUN. This magnificent b*****d alone churns out some of the best PC vertical shooters this side of Ikaruga. Known for it's cast of entirely female characters, it's music, it's obscenely difficult bullet patterns, IOSYS flashes, Touhou Project is the best series no one's heard of. Why should you care? Well, you don't really, but then again you shouldn't be reading this thread if that was the case. If you like bullet hell games and get excited at the sound of dodging lasers, stars, cards, killer butterflies, sword slashes, poison clouds, wind, curses, and a whole buckload of various shiny lights, then you should take a moment and check some of the games out. Seriously now, try it. What, still not convinced? Okay, try this. It's a boss so hard, there had to add an extra extra level just to challenge her. This isn't even as hard as the games can get either. This is one of the easier games. Does that not blow your mind? Look at this. This is the first stage of the demo of the latest game. Madness? This is TOUHOU.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:58 pm
3.] The Who? Of all the various games, there are a number of various girls out to wreak havoc with impossible powers. Of them all, however, are only two that really matter:  Reimu Hakurei and Marisa KirisameThese two, a shrine maiden and an ordinary black magician, are the main characters of the series, having starred in nearly every game, whether official or fanmade. They're not the only playable characters in the entire series however, featuring one head to head split screen vertical shooter and two fighting games alongside the normal, several other characters are available to play, all or most of which are returning characters from past games. Each official game of the series features it's own unique cast of characters based off of legends and myths, pulled straight from Japanese youkai folklore, and with each new game the various interpersonal relationships of the cast changes as old friends are met, new rivals are obtained, and natural predators are uncovered. I can already imagine the wonderful relationship a ground spider youkai and a firefly youkai can have, or for that matter, a God symbolized as a snake, and another God symbolized as a frog. Yes, friendship sure is complicated in this mystical land, which brings us to our next post.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:00 pm
4.] The Where? Gensokyo. What? That's the name of the place the games occur in. Historically, Gensokyo was part of Japan, feared for the presence of the Youkai Mountain, where various beasts and foul creatures took up residence. This empty land was only lightly settled by humans, who acted as youkai hunters and exterminators for the sake of the others. Time pressed on, and science progressed at an alarming rate. Belief in the supernatural and faith in spiritual powers began to dwindle, and the youkai began to get agitated. Without faith and belief, a youkai can't exist, and will slowly lose their power and life. So, a powerful magical border was constructed, partially out of necessity, and largely with permission, seperating the weakening youkai and humans from the rest of the world, containing them in a pseudo-parallel dimension where their powers can flourish once more. Within this world of illusions exist things that are no longer believed to exist in the outside world. Demons, ghosts, vampires, magic, Gods, maids, all set in a picture perfect snapshot of Meiji Era Japan, when the world of Gensokyo was sealed off from reality. All sorts of creatures seek refuge in this world, where the power of belief overflows, and often times things begin to appear when there is no one left to believe in them. This isn't a perfect seperation however, as the border is very much real, if invisible. Occasionally, things from the Outside can get in, so if you ever lose your keys in Japan, they probably belong to a youkai now. It is nearly unheard of for something from Inside to get Out, not that anyone would try out of fear. That is, unless you're one of the unfortunate humans of the modern age and you find yourself waking up in a shrine in the mountains, then you're likely to want to get home A.S.A.P. before you get eaten.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:02 pm
5.] The Why? Each game is centered around specific events or incidents which pose a problem for all of Gensokyo. Whether it's a selfish vampire child flooding the skies with red mist to block out the sun, endless parties, or a sudden bloom of poisonous flowers that covers the land, if it's bizarre, it's a game. The main characters Reimu and Marisa are always involved as opposites. Reimu leaves her shrine to investigate the matter for the sake of balance, being the sole living Hakurei and the only one in charge of maintenance of the border, it's her duty by bloodline to resolve troubles. Marisa's involvement is mostly for the adrenaline, being a self proclaimed youkai hunter and magician, she'll take any excuse to fire off her variety of world ending lasers at full force. Other characters involvements vary from game to game, with the Scarlet Devil's maid Sakuya Izayoi joining the heroines to investigate the unseasonally long winter, or the large cast of characters that head out to restore the full moon. Each game's settings tend to be relatively unique, and the characters that appear usually follow along in the theme of the game's setting. The Scarlet Devil Remilia and her friends, family and staff of the Scarlet Devil Mansion as characters in Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, those who live their lives in the sky, outside the doors to Hakugyokuro, the Netherworld, and those within the gates in Perfect Cherry Blossom, the lunar exiles and their guardians living in Eientei, the house of eternity deep in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost in Imperishable Night, so on and so forth. Despite the rather straightforward themes the characters follow, by admission of the game's creator, level 1 and 2 bosses tend to be random characters he designs solely to be bosses and have no real part in the storyline other than to be in the way. Whatever the reasons for the character's actions however, there's always guaranteed to be a hail of bullets before anything gets resolved, so it's best to pack an extra life or two and keep your bombs handy, because things can get rather crazy out there when you're fighting a rabbit from the moon with the power to drive people insane, or a trio of musical poltergeist sisters whose chorus is as dangerous as it is beautiful.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:03 pm
6.] The How? Through a very secret process known only to the elite of the internet, you too could find yourself in possession of these games, either by legally buying a copy online somewhere, or by locating one of the many download sites and torrents that exist for the series. Being an upstanding citizen, I downloaded mine rather directly without sneaky link following, even though the elitists of the fandom would claim that you're not a real fan unless you buy a copy. The games require no special set up to be enjoyed, and there should be no need for any sort of localization tools or programs. There are also English patches and translations available for several of the games, making enjoying them much easier if you don't happen to speak Japanese. Several of the games featuring multiplayer options either have integrated netplay options, or have programs to facilitate the use of netplay. Challenge your friends to either a rousing game of 'dodge the beamspam', or beat them senseless with your favourite teenage-ish looking super powered girl. Fun for the whole family! Unless your family is a bunch of boring snobs, that is.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:04 pm
EX.] The Border of Win and Fail Something will go here at some point. Maybe. I don't know, shut up.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:06 pm
Maybe a Phantasm mode post here at some point. Keep an eye out for ridiculous barrages of bullets words.
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