Fun Fact: According to Inti themselves, the LAiX series is meant to be an entirely different series from the "Gunvolt" series, even beyond taking place in an alternate continuity. I can't find the interview where they talked about it, but you can tell just by looking at the Japanese titles for both iX games: iX1 is called "White Steel X: The Out of Gunvolt," while iX2 is just called "White Steel X2." The English version of iX2 kept the "Gunvolt Chronicles" subtitle for whatever reason, but Inti themselves have said that subtitle was only meant to introduce the series to existing Gunvolt fans. It's also visible in Cychronicle, where "Gunvolt" and "Luminous Avenger" are listed as separate series in the song filters (which is completely pointless because all the Lola songs are LAiX songs and vice versa so the existing character filter already does that). Missing a source on this as well (possibly the same interview), but apparently the iX games are meant to be pure 2D action games while the "Gunvolt" games are "2D action/light novel hybrids." Which explains why they cared so much less about the story in both iX games I guess.

Oh Mags, you silly goose, how could you have gotten this wrong? The blaster rifle doesn't belong to the protagonist of Blaster Master Zero, Jason Frudnick, it instead belongs to *some guy* called roddy that died *some unspecified time ago* in the dimensional area where the true ending of blaster master zero 2 happens, and Copen has it because he's a dlc in that game, and dlc in that series has some degree of canonicity as shown by *shantae* and copen being mentioned as inspiration for some of jason's gear. Simple stuff, really.

IX2 hard mode broke me Not in the broken sense, but in the sense that by the time I finally beat it, i was genuinely stockholmed. I LOVED the game afterwards and i was well aware it was because i was forced to to know the game in and out, and how to dodge every bosses attack (especially after the NIGHTMARE the final boss was, having to essentially no-hit it) by the end i also had the speedrun tactics to quickly deceat each boss INGRAINED into my mind. I will ALWAYS recommend to anyone who wants to do Hard Mode to do it in (assist mode) because locking the true ending behind a vastly harder difficulty is AWFUL Its what made me also appreciate the weapons (such as getting to know that the propeller weapon cancels out most actions, allowing you to do the 3 slash combo then cancel it out quickly which you then cancel out with an airdash for pure shmovement) But even so, after being mentally conditioned to enjoy the game unnaturally, i stil really dont like just how much the game just pulls from themes and level design/gimmicks from the Megaman X and Zero series. The jungle is Web Spiders aesthetics, theres the tilting platform gimmick from Zero, the dual boss is wholesale referencing the Anchus brothers from Zero 2. It makes the game feel not only hollow from how little the plot matters, but also how many cool elements just... aren't even original

@devilishjester7718

4 ай бұрын

Not to mention how the grave keepers parallel the mighty numbers from mighty no.9 Edit: Oh, and mother's second phase possibly having an airman reference with the wind attack.

OH BOY MORE DEEP DIVING. Time for me to strap in because this game fills me with so much mixed emotion after playing the broken movement that is Gunvolt 2 / LAiX 1

They should have just added blade

Have loved your videos on GV! Maybe someone else mentioned it, but I wanted to actually answer the question of why this game exists… According to interviews, iX1 and ESPECIALLY iX2 exist because for years GV3’s development team struggled with ideas for the gameplay, specifically in regards to a new playable character. So they birthed the iX games to hopefully tide fans over. iX1 I think still had its moments of feeling connected to the franchise, but you mostly covered the weird decisions that 2 decides on that makes it harder to ignore. As much as i think iX1 and iX2 can be enjoyable, i definitely don’t think you can shake off the feeling of how… clearly filler these releases are. Particularly in terms of story, which is what really got me interested in the series when it was first coming out. Honestly when iX2 first came out i did not really give it a fair shake, getting uninterested really quickly, so I need to get back to it and pursue X ranks for it.

I just wanted to point out that you failed to mention that reaching 1000 KUDOS makes Copen enters his Overdrive mode, which gives you back his original playstyle. Overall great video from a non score-hunting player perspective.

@MagsIsGaming

4 ай бұрын

this is true, I did know about it, but it wasn’t too important to me as someone who didn’t go all-in on score for this entry. I only found myself entering Overdrive a handful of times, but I probably should have at least mentioned it thank you for the kind words

I'm currently on my Gunvolt marathon and finally played and finished LAix2 for the first time the other day. It's been 2 years since the game's release, and I've had anough time to get mentally prepared to be faced with the changed gameplay and to come to the game with an open mind. And after playing it, I.. .don't hate it?.. I must say, I love that reaching 1000 cudos and going into overdrive now have actual significant effect on gameplay, beyond simply adding musical flavour. Unfortunatelly, as of the current iteration, it's not like you are getting buffed in overdrive, it's like you're getting crippled without overdrive. The main problem is, the two gameplay styles are totally separate from one another and don't interplay at all. It feels like you're pllaying one game for the (roughly) first half of the stage, and than you're suddenly switched to play a different game entirely. There is a rational seed in what this game is trying to do, so I hope, if Inti decide to create LAiX3, they'll manage to find the right balance, where overdrive gameplay would feel like a natural extention of base gameplay. And holey sheet, what are these new character skill screens. The old static ones were so cool, had so much implied motion and conveyed such a visceral power surge with strategic lighting effects. The new ones, along with the new art style, look so cheap and bootleg, like I'm playing a mobile game or something. Anyways, I've had my share of fun with this game, now it's time to see for myself if GV3 dropped the ball or not.

On the topic of Blaster Master Zero - it's a great trilogy and might be to your liking. Recently finished it myself and couldn't recommend it enough though since you go through games chronologically I do feel it's important to say that I enjoyed the first game the least. I still enjoyed it but later entries are better.

@GuyInBox5

4 ай бұрын

Oh and BMZ2 has Copen as a playable character. He's quite OP in large part due to his stronger knees (this is not a joke).

@MagsIsGaming

4 ай бұрын

thanks for recommendation! as it happens, blaster master zero is one of the inti series I wanna check out next, and I mayyy have already been playing the original blaster master for NES a bit

@GuyInBox5

4 ай бұрын

@@MagsIsGaming Nice. I just wanted to say there are changes both to story and some gameplay in NES Blaster Master between US and JP releases.

2 games to end Azure Striker Gunvolt... I am not crying, you are

iX 2 is harmless, unlike GV3

In fact, Inti decided to make the LAiX series just to buy time for ASG3, so its cost and time are far less than any ASG games. I can understand the game lack of testing and perfunctory story, and given that this game only took about one year to develop, I think they did their best. Also I like Copen's new gameplay even more than in the past , but I think they should keep the old gameplay as an option. I hope they will make iX3 to improve these issues.

yeah yeah. yep exactly. precisely how i feel about this yep. (has no idea what you're saying)

They were able to make the animations for the special attacks better for GV3 (in my opinion at least).

@MagsIsGaming

2 ай бұрын

I agree, I like them a LOT more

@splattygaming1615

2 ай бұрын

@@MagsIsGaming A little sad that GV's voice actor doesn't yell the name of the skill and just says "Oversurge, Azure Striker!" He already says it during the Story Mode+ dialogue, let him yell Luxcalibur!

How does an opinion sound so similar to mine yet so different Like the one thing i disagree with is Mother phase 2 i actually really like it (probably because of the feeling i got from beating it on hard mode idk) Hard mode was metal af and was what made me love iX 2. While i didnt dislike the movement changes i wasnt particularly fond of them, hard mode however just made me realize how the stages and bosses are, in fact, tailored around the moveset, and for that i am very much accepting of it iX 2 shouldve just been hard mode without the lives tbh tbh tbh

@MagsIsGaming

4 ай бұрын

honestly I totally understand that, I had the same experience in that hard mode made me appreciate that boss fight a lot more because of how fulfilling it was to beat it if inti made a game that was like ix 2 hard mode without the lives I’d eat that shit up

So yeah IX2, going into the game I thought a combination of Melee with Copen's dash mechanics and not what I expected going into it. That one was more of a least favorite in the Gunvolt games for me on changing up Copen's style which I liked it his old style more. The new style could have potential but honestly needed more time and IX2 felt more rushed compared to the other games. IX 1 I liked out of wondering if it was going to be something after GV2 or before til you learn what it is by the end which was ok even if later on wasn't all that great. With 2 it's kinda of a nothing story to wait on GV3 which that was the point of IX1 to wait on GV3. If any positives I did like the weapons of IX2 even if I wished they didn't keep anchor weapon from the last game with how Copen's playstyle changed doesn't do much. Oh and Hard mode, I hate how it was required for the true ending when none of the games put you in that situation especially with having the lives system in the game, made the process tedious for me and by the time I beat it they add Assist mode which would have helped me save time. The DLC could be interesting but they locked certain powers even your old dash mechanic in the fight to unlock and even if you did you couldn't use it in hard mode since it locks out your upgrades. Edit: With the weapons I do like more out of getting more use with the propeller that helped with avoiding some attacks for a slight double jump and the healing I would have rather they made that limited in assist mode instead of infinite cause that was an odd choice to have to the game.

Separate comment because the other one is a joke, but I'm kind of with you on the new SP skill screens. While the animations don't bother me, I feel like the little "haikus" in the previous games had much more of that "anime cool" vibe that the whole series is kind of centered around.

@MagsIsGaming

4 ай бұрын

that is a good point! those extra words on the other special skill screens were super cool

meta excuse ıs that these games are fıller to buy more tıme for gunvolt 3 however the games executıons are horrıble they should have explored the world ınstead of doıng thıs I heard The wrıter orıgınally wanted to have gunvolt be the vıllaın ın 2nd game beıng leader of sumeragı and ı thınk at thıs poınt ı thınk wrıter really dıslıkes gunvolt and how he had to keep hım around Gunvolt 3 feels lıke gunvolt turned ınto a bıtch ın fact ı fınd the new concepts ıntroduced ın gv3 stupıdest thıngs wrıtten ın the serıes by far we were shown how nutty gunvolt ıs compared to others consıderıng he doesnt even need a armour to be thıs tanky and powerful but ı wont explaın further untıl you cover that game now to IX2 god ı hated ıt so much that ı regretted pıratıng thıs one due to consıderıng ıt waste of tıme

Those 2d animations just look lazy. Someone just warped the image instead of actually animating. You're not the only one who hates them.