StudioMDHR interview:
http://metro.co.uk/2017/08/23/cuphe...we-were-self-taught-through-the-game-6874267/
http://metro.co.uk/2017/08/23/cuphe...we-were-self-taught-through-the-game-6874267/
Cuphead
- Thread starter Smiley
- Start date
Ewww!!! Look at her ankles!Cuphead related:
How can she go out in public knowing how disgusting they are!!!
She has Britney Spears calves!
My peripheral vision is no longer good enough to see the tops of my shoulders . . .
The more I watch these videos, the more I think the game is easy.
Unless the game is being previewed on easy difficulty, I don't see what's so hard about these boss patterns.
Unless the game is being previewed on easy difficulty, I don't see what's so hard about these boss patterns.
Cuphead related:
Ha. With your obsession with Brie Olson's feet I bet you were up til 3 am scouring the net for her Instagram!
Cuphead related:
Like Rollins said, we need the story on how she got a job there. Maybe they called the game Cuphead for a reason. She bringing them coffee and a happy ending. What a doll.
I'm done watching anything about it.
I also just realized it's release date is the same day as the SNES Classic.
Really love this games style and also love that it is apparently pretty damn hard. Going to be a blast co-op with my son. Recent impressions seem very positive so think I'm a go on this.
Im going dark on any more videos. Seen enough to know I'm getting it. Hope the developers are successful.
Might as well close the thread until release. I think we're all in agreement, they got our money. They've had mine since day one.
Isn't that the guy who ripped the first Mass Effect for being too hard (Scored it way low because of the difficulty), then later admitted that he hadn't used any of his skill points from leveling up?
Holy crap! What gamer wouldn't immediately figure out you have to jump on the box then dash?! I haven't gotten to the end of the video yet.... Well time to see if he figures it out!
Edit: wow. Lol, if this is the caliber of play by reviewers, maybe it's not as hard as they say...
http://www.gamerevolution.com/preview/348811-cuphead-is-hard-but-not-a-hard-sell-preview
Cuphead is Hard, But Not a Hard Sell
Cuphead is not a demo-friendly game. It’s incredible difficulty requires your undivided attention and a complete understanding of its systems; something a thirty-minute preview can’t easily facilitate. But I don’t blame Cuphead for not being easy and immediately-accessible nor do I blame its previewers for not being ESL-level professionals at a difficult game they’ve been thrusted in the middle of. Cuphead’s vision keeps it from demo nirvana but, in turn, opens up in a satisfying way once you are allowed to put in the time to learn it.
However, Cuphead doesn’t ask you to learn its systems; it demands it. The levels are split between traditional Megaman-like, run-and-gun platforming and boss rushes and the punishing difficulty and lack of checkpoints in each ensures that you can’t fumble your way to victory. Pattern memorization and quick reactions are necessary and the controls feel responsive enough to bear the weight of the game’s difficulty. As Cuphead or, if you’re playing in co-op, Mugman, you can jump, shoot, parry, dodge, duck, and switch weapons.
Absorbing all of those mechanics in a hostile environment was hard to wrap my mind and fingers around at first, as I spent more time admiring the Game Over screen than the actual gameplay. Discouraged and frustrated, I was tired of dying over and over at the hands of Cuphead’s long, seemingly-tedious gauntlets and ready to move on.
But then, it clicked.
I realized that Cuphead wasn’t about speeding through worlds, but, rather, mastering individual levels and getting better with every death. In essence, the whole game is a marathon composed of other smaller marathons and sprinting to the end, like I was doing at first, is a foolish way to play.
The game started opening up to me as the mechanics, one by one, started opening up to me. First, I had to grasp shooting while jumping around. Since most of the levels are long boss fights, merely avoiding projectiles isn’t going to cut it; you’ve got to shoot your own too. Weaving in and out of bullet patterns and remembering to fire back is initially overwhelming and takes some getting used to. Homing shots alleviate having to aim but do less damage, which puts more pressure on your defensive skills and pushes you to learn how to multitask in order to do more damage. Balancing offense while playing defense is key and an essential first hurdle that Cupheadrequires that you jump over if you expect to go any further.
Also: Cuphead Reignites the “Game Journalists Should Be Good at Games” Debate
Dashing also helps players avoid hazards, which was the next mechanic that opened up to me. It’s exactly what it sounds like: you slide quickly in one direction to evade attacks. But it was hard to have the remaining brain power to utilize the dash well, given the hectic nature of the mentally exhaustive levels. Although once I began to link dashing and jumping, I felt like I had more control of the screen since I could move vertically and horizontally to avoid danger. This was especially helpful against my fight against a dragon named Grim Matchstick, as safe ground was at a premium and regular, upward jumps weren’t always the safest option.
Remember when I said that the homing shot was weak? Part of that was my fault for not switching to the other weapons as I focused all of my initial energy on jumping and shooting. Tapping the shoulder button instantly swaps to your other slotted weapon, which was, in my demo, a short-ranged, shotgun-like blast. Bosses fell much quicker as I began to use the homing shots for more chaotic situations and the spread blast for focused, offensive efforts. It was just another way I could play more efficiently and understand how to intelligently combine the tools at my disposal.
The hardest mechanic that I didn’t get to fully grasp was the parry system. Any pink projectile can be parried by leaping into it and double tapping the jump button at precisely the right time. Not only will doing so absolve you from damage and eliminate that projectile from the screen, but it’ll also charge up your Super Move more quickly. Super Moves are devastating attacks that act as a useful Get Out of Jail Free card when you get overwhelmed. Timing parries is difficult but a clever way to encourage skilled defensive play with a powerful, offensive reward.
While this all may seem like I’m leading up me saying to how I now see Cuphead how Neo sees the Matrix at the end of The Matrix; it’s not. The game still kicked my ass but that’s partly to do with my refusal to knock it down to the lower setting. The Simple difficulty is just what it sounds like: a shorter, simpler level with fewer attacks to avoid and boss stages to deal with. While I would hesitate to call this mode “easy” since you still need to beat the level in one go, it’s definitely easier than the Regular mode. Conquering levels on Regular mode gave me more trouble than Simple mode, but exponentially more satisfaction upon reaching the end. Yes, I mostly got D rankings but finishing any level on Regular mode was an accomplishment in and of itself and a cause for celebration.
The satisfaction of learning Cuphead’s systems and overcoming its obstacles was easily worth the early frustrations. Like an onion, the many layers of Cuphead need to be peeled back in order to enjoy it and, also like an onion, it might first require a bit of light crying to get to the deeper parts. But once its systems calcify in your brain and begin to feel more natural, it exhibits a sense of nuance and complexity that a short demo can’t possibly convey. Short demos can show off how gorgeous its 1930s cartoon-like art style is and how unforgiving it can be, but extended periods with the game can more accurately depict what it is. While we will have to wait until September 29th to truly see how it all unfolds, Cuphead looks to be a fulfilling, run-and-gun platformer that rewards skilled players who stick around long enough to learn it.
Cuphead is Hard, But Not a Hard Sell
Cuphead is not a demo-friendly game. It’s incredible difficulty requires your undivided attention and a complete understanding of its systems; something a thirty-minute preview can’t easily facilitate. But I don’t blame Cuphead for not being easy and immediately-accessible nor do I blame its previewers for not being ESL-level professionals at a difficult game they’ve been thrusted in the middle of. Cuphead’s vision keeps it from demo nirvana but, in turn, opens up in a satisfying way once you are allowed to put in the time to learn it.
However, Cuphead doesn’t ask you to learn its systems; it demands it. The levels are split between traditional Megaman-like, run-and-gun platforming and boss rushes and the punishing difficulty and lack of checkpoints in each ensures that you can’t fumble your way to victory. Pattern memorization and quick reactions are necessary and the controls feel responsive enough to bear the weight of the game’s difficulty. As Cuphead or, if you’re playing in co-op, Mugman, you can jump, shoot, parry, dodge, duck, and switch weapons.
Absorbing all of those mechanics in a hostile environment was hard to wrap my mind and fingers around at first, as I spent more time admiring the Game Over screen than the actual gameplay. Discouraged and frustrated, I was tired of dying over and over at the hands of Cuphead’s long, seemingly-tedious gauntlets and ready to move on.
But then, it clicked.
I realized that Cuphead wasn’t about speeding through worlds, but, rather, mastering individual levels and getting better with every death. In essence, the whole game is a marathon composed of other smaller marathons and sprinting to the end, like I was doing at first, is a foolish way to play.
The game started opening up to me as the mechanics, one by one, started opening up to me. First, I had to grasp shooting while jumping around. Since most of the levels are long boss fights, merely avoiding projectiles isn’t going to cut it; you’ve got to shoot your own too. Weaving in and out of bullet patterns and remembering to fire back is initially overwhelming and takes some getting used to. Homing shots alleviate having to aim but do less damage, which puts more pressure on your defensive skills and pushes you to learn how to multitask in order to do more damage. Balancing offense while playing defense is key and an essential first hurdle that Cupheadrequires that you jump over if you expect to go any further.
Also: Cuphead Reignites the “Game Journalists Should Be Good at Games” Debate
Dashing also helps players avoid hazards, which was the next mechanic that opened up to me. It’s exactly what it sounds like: you slide quickly in one direction to evade attacks. But it was hard to have the remaining brain power to utilize the dash well, given the hectic nature of the mentally exhaustive levels. Although once I began to link dashing and jumping, I felt like I had more control of the screen since I could move vertically and horizontally to avoid danger. This was especially helpful against my fight against a dragon named Grim Matchstick, as safe ground was at a premium and regular, upward jumps weren’t always the safest option.
Remember when I said that the homing shot was weak? Part of that was my fault for not switching to the other weapons as I focused all of my initial energy on jumping and shooting. Tapping the shoulder button instantly swaps to your other slotted weapon, which was, in my demo, a short-ranged, shotgun-like blast. Bosses fell much quicker as I began to use the homing shots for more chaotic situations and the spread blast for focused, offensive efforts. It was just another way I could play more efficiently and understand how to intelligently combine the tools at my disposal.
The hardest mechanic that I didn’t get to fully grasp was the parry system. Any pink projectile can be parried by leaping into it and double tapping the jump button at precisely the right time. Not only will doing so absolve you from damage and eliminate that projectile from the screen, but it’ll also charge up your Super Move more quickly. Super Moves are devastating attacks that act as a useful Get Out of Jail Free card when you get overwhelmed. Timing parries is difficult but a clever way to encourage skilled defensive play with a powerful, offensive reward.
While this all may seem like I’m leading up me saying to how I now see Cuphead how Neo sees the Matrix at the end of The Matrix; it’s not. The game still kicked my ass but that’s partly to do with my refusal to knock it down to the lower setting. The Simple difficulty is just what it sounds like: a shorter, simpler level with fewer attacks to avoid and boss stages to deal with. While I would hesitate to call this mode “easy” since you still need to beat the level in one go, it’s definitely easier than the Regular mode. Conquering levels on Regular mode gave me more trouble than Simple mode, but exponentially more satisfaction upon reaching the end. Yes, I mostly got D rankings but finishing any level on Regular mode was an accomplishment in and of itself and a cause for celebration.
The satisfaction of learning Cuphead’s systems and overcoming its obstacles was easily worth the early frustrations. Like an onion, the many layers of Cuphead need to be peeled back in order to enjoy it and, also like an onion, it might first require a bit of light crying to get to the deeper parts. But once its systems calcify in your brain and begin to feel more natural, it exhibits a sense of nuance and complexity that a short demo can’t possibly convey. Short demos can show off how gorgeous its 1930s cartoon-like art style is and how unforgiving it can be, but extended periods with the game can more accurately depict what it is. While we will have to wait until September 29th to truly see how it all unfolds, Cuphead looks to be a fulfilling, run-and-gun platformer that rewards skilled players who stick around long enough to learn it.
https://www.geek.com/games/hands-on-cuphead-is-retro-cartoons-meets-retro-games-1716076/?amp=1
Hands-On: Cuphead is Retro Cartoons Meets Retro Games
Games
Cuphead, if you couldn’t already tell, is an absolutely gorgeous video game. When we all saw the first few snippets of its stunning recreation of classic cartoon art styles during Microsoft’s 2014 E3 press conference, it immediately became one of the gaming community’s most anticipated indie titles.
After three long years of waiting, Cuphead is now only days away. I got to play what had to be a near-final version of the Xbox One/PC platformer at a recent Microsoft event and learned some more about the artistry behind it.
The goal was always for Cuphead to be a full-fledged adventure, according to artist and producer Maja Moldenhauer. But at first the team at Studio MDHR didn’t believe they could pull off that kind of scope with its initial resources. It’s like making a stop-motion short vs something like Kubo and the The Two Strings. The amount of meticulous extra work required would be exponentially increased.
That’s why originally Cuphead was just going to be a collection of boss battles, stunning boss battles, but just boss battles all the same. After launch, the team would then expand the game with more traditional levels you’d expect from the classic shooters Cuphead pays homage to like Contra and Gunstar Heroes. However, the game earned so much goodwill after its debut, as well as extra support from Microsoft, that the version launching later this September is much more complete out of the gate.
If the art is anything to go by, those extra months of work certainly haven’t been wasted. Moldenhaur explained how the number of hand-drawn and animated 2D frame went from 15,000 to 120,000. Furthermore, the game is nothing but original backgrounds, some made using rotoscoped real objects. And while the colors are digital, that decision was made after tests showed the end visual result would be no different from something analog.
Even if you don’t have an animation background, anyone who looks at Cupheadcan’t help but notice how much craft has been put into its aesthetic. Colorful characters chock full of personality constantly pour onto the screen to squash and stretch and shake their noodle limbs. Expressive faces shift from devious to shocked to ecstatic. Film grain and energetic jazz music transports you to the slightly naughty, feverish pre-Disney cartoon time period (hopefully without the racism).
I don’t think my writing is good enough to convey the visual splendor. Seeing the pretty stills is one thing but seeing the game in motion is transformative. Cuphead is so hypnotic to look at it’s almost distracting.
Distraction is fatal though since Cuphead is also brutally difficult. While its art style takes inspiration from old cartoons of the 30s, its gameplay is ripped straight out of old games of the 1980s. Along with the dancing drawings the screen is a nonstop Hell of bullets, either the ones coming from numerous enemies or the ones your twitching fingers are shooting right back at them. It’s relentless.
In these early stages, I could aim in any direction and fire either a stream of standard long-range shots or closer-ranged spread shots. I could shoot powerful charge shots or land enough hits to pull off an ultimate attack like turning into an adorable atom bomb. Other moves include an air dash out of a jump, a parry against certain projectiles, and situational moves like changing the size of your biplane in a flying sky battle against an evil cloud.
Cuphead plays well and looks unbelievable. All the pieces are there for a fantastic time. But for as bad as it feels to notice flaws in something with this much love and care clearly behind it, it doesn’t mean those flaws aren’t there. Cuphead wisely adopts some modern conveniences like infinite lives and saving, but I encountered some enemy groupings that were about as cheap as an arcade game trying to steal your quarters. Maybe playing with a friend would’ve softened things up.
Worse, the one boss battle I completed against a psychic carrot(!) went on so long and was so repetitive it was more of an endurance or patience test than a challenge of skill. I just ran in the same pattern to dodge his same attacks, land some hits, and hope the escalating music was cluing me in that the dragging fight was almost done since there was no health bar. It felt more tedious than triumphant by the time I was finished.
But it was hard to stay mad at any particular aspect of Cuphead because whenever you’re playing Cuphead you’ve also given yourself a chance to just look at Cuphead. I died numerous times just because I couldn’t take my eyes off a particular animation or character design. Even if you have no interest in the unforgiving run and gun gameplay, just watching a stream of this game may be the most transfixing entertainment you’ll find this year. Pull back the curtain on CupheadSeptember 29 on Xbox One and PC.
1.
Cuphead is an absolutely gorgeous 2D shooter-platformer for PC and Xbox One.
2.
Formerly just a series of boss battles, the game is now a full-fledged adventure.
3.
Over 120,000 hand-drawn animated frames recreate the look of classic cartoons.
4.
The game's brutal shooter gameplay pays homage to classics like Contra and Gunstar Heroes.
5.
Cuphead looks so good it's almost distracting.
Hands-On: Cuphead is Retro Cartoons Meets Retro Games
- By Jordan Minor
Games
Cuphead, if you couldn’t already tell, is an absolutely gorgeous video game. When we all saw the first few snippets of its stunning recreation of classic cartoon art styles during Microsoft’s 2014 E3 press conference, it immediately became one of the gaming community’s most anticipated indie titles.
After three long years of waiting, Cuphead is now only days away. I got to play what had to be a near-final version of the Xbox One/PC platformer at a recent Microsoft event and learned some more about the artistry behind it.
The goal was always for Cuphead to be a full-fledged adventure, according to artist and producer Maja Moldenhauer. But at first the team at Studio MDHR didn’t believe they could pull off that kind of scope with its initial resources. It’s like making a stop-motion short vs something like Kubo and the The Two Strings. The amount of meticulous extra work required would be exponentially increased.
That’s why originally Cuphead was just going to be a collection of boss battles, stunning boss battles, but just boss battles all the same. After launch, the team would then expand the game with more traditional levels you’d expect from the classic shooters Cuphead pays homage to like Contra and Gunstar Heroes. However, the game earned so much goodwill after its debut, as well as extra support from Microsoft, that the version launching later this September is much more complete out of the gate.
If the art is anything to go by, those extra months of work certainly haven’t been wasted. Moldenhaur explained how the number of hand-drawn and animated 2D frame went from 15,000 to 120,000. Furthermore, the game is nothing but original backgrounds, some made using rotoscoped real objects. And while the colors are digital, that decision was made after tests showed the end visual result would be no different from something analog.
Even if you don’t have an animation background, anyone who looks at Cupheadcan’t help but notice how much craft has been put into its aesthetic. Colorful characters chock full of personality constantly pour onto the screen to squash and stretch and shake their noodle limbs. Expressive faces shift from devious to shocked to ecstatic. Film grain and energetic jazz music transports you to the slightly naughty, feverish pre-Disney cartoon time period (hopefully without the racism).
I don’t think my writing is good enough to convey the visual splendor. Seeing the pretty stills is one thing but seeing the game in motion is transformative. Cuphead is so hypnotic to look at it’s almost distracting.
Distraction is fatal though since Cuphead is also brutally difficult. While its art style takes inspiration from old cartoons of the 30s, its gameplay is ripped straight out of old games of the 1980s. Along with the dancing drawings the screen is a nonstop Hell of bullets, either the ones coming from numerous enemies or the ones your twitching fingers are shooting right back at them. It’s relentless.
In these early stages, I could aim in any direction and fire either a stream of standard long-range shots or closer-ranged spread shots. I could shoot powerful charge shots or land enough hits to pull off an ultimate attack like turning into an adorable atom bomb. Other moves include an air dash out of a jump, a parry against certain projectiles, and situational moves like changing the size of your biplane in a flying sky battle against an evil cloud.
Cuphead plays well and looks unbelievable. All the pieces are there for a fantastic time. But for as bad as it feels to notice flaws in something with this much love and care clearly behind it, it doesn’t mean those flaws aren’t there. Cuphead wisely adopts some modern conveniences like infinite lives and saving, but I encountered some enemy groupings that were about as cheap as an arcade game trying to steal your quarters. Maybe playing with a friend would’ve softened things up.
Worse, the one boss battle I completed against a psychic carrot(!) went on so long and was so repetitive it was more of an endurance or patience test than a challenge of skill. I just ran in the same pattern to dodge his same attacks, land some hits, and hope the escalating music was cluing me in that the dragging fight was almost done since there was no health bar. It felt more tedious than triumphant by the time I was finished.
But it was hard to stay mad at any particular aspect of Cuphead because whenever you’re playing Cuphead you’ve also given yourself a chance to just look at Cuphead. I died numerous times just because I couldn’t take my eyes off a particular animation or character design. Even if you have no interest in the unforgiving run and gun gameplay, just watching a stream of this game may be the most transfixing entertainment you’ll find this year. Pull back the curtain on CupheadSeptember 29 on Xbox One and PC.
1.
Cuphead is an absolutely gorgeous 2D shooter-platformer for PC and Xbox One.
2.
Formerly just a series of boss battles, the game is now a full-fledged adventure.
3.
Over 120,000 hand-drawn animated frames recreate the look of classic cartoons.
4.
The game's brutal shooter gameplay pays homage to classics like Contra and Gunstar Heroes.
5.
Cuphead looks so good it's almost distracting.
Cuphead Gameplay preview, done well this time. Watch the whole thing.. 
edit: forgot the link, lol. don't mind me.
edit: forgot the link, lol. don't mind me.
Last edited:
Cuphead Gameplay preview, done well this time. Watch the whole thing..
edit: forgot the link, lol. don't mind me.
WTF? Is this tutorial how they decide who gets space in the bunkers once nuclear winter is upon us? Jump then dash guys.