Under Defeat HD

 PlayStation 3
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 14
  3. Negative: 3 out of 14
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  1. TheOmegaMale
    Oct 8, 2016
    2
    Under Defeat is a Shoot Em Up or "SHMUP" that has gained a good reputation amongst the Dreamcast community as one of the best examples of it's genre. It is also hideously expensive to buy for the Dreamcast as it was released very late in that consoles life span and usually has to be imported from Japan. It has received a port to the PS3 some time ago and seemed like a great option forUnder Defeat is a Shoot Em Up or "SHMUP" that has gained a good reputation amongst the Dreamcast community as one of the best examples of it's genre. It is also hideously expensive to buy for the Dreamcast as it was released very late in that consoles life span and usually has to be imported from Japan. It has received a port to the PS3 some time ago and seemed like a great option for playing the game at a more reasonable price.

    I was super hyped to be able to pick up a digital download copy of this game in a recent Sony sale (about 10 pounds UK) and finally have the chance to play it. So imagine my disappointment when after jumping into the game I'm met with the most horrendous frame rate issues I've EVER seen in a PS3 game. The game literally ground to a halt when the screen got busy. I seriously haven't seen anything this bad in years (I'm talking NES / SNES era).

    While the game does have some great options for screen adjustment, for those that can rotate their monitor through 90 degrees for a more arcade experience, this doesn't hide the fact that more basic options are missing. An example of this is in the control method options. There really should be a way to rotate the angle of your helicopter buy using the controler shoulder buttons. It seems like such a basic omission. Arcade purists will scoff at this, but at least give players the choice!

    Of the different view modes on offer, the original arcade mode worked the best and interestingly seems to have the least slowdown. The "new order mode" which is a widescreen mode specifically for this port is the worst offender when it comes to the frame rate issues I mentioned earlier and was (in my opinion) all but unplayable.

    Sadly I can't recommend this game to anyone. Perhaps the only way to play this game as intended is on the Dreamcast. Which is crazy when you think how much more powerful the PS3 must be. I can only put this down to really sloppy porting. In which case the developer has massively let themselves down.

    It's very rarely that I find a game to be so frustratingly unplayable because of technical issues that I delete it from my console, but that's exactly what I did with this awful port of an otherwise great game. Just don't buy it. You'll only be setting yourself up for disapointment.    … Expand
  2. Dingytheman
    Jun 27, 2021
    2
    This game is supposed to have a reputation but tbh I did not like the weapon/powerup system, it was just boring to me, If you don't care much about power ups and this isn't enough to detract you, then good luck tolerating the absolutely TERRIBLE FRAMERATE! the game seems to hit 5fps when there's a lot of explosions on screen, totally unacceptable specially for a shooter.

Awards & Rankings

87
#87 Best PS3 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Jan 15, 2013
    70
    This game really should have been a digital only release for $10-$15 dollars at the most. If you played Under Defeat back on the Dreamcast or even in arcades and want to play it again in its full HD glory then go right ahead but personally for anyone else I would suggest waiting till the price comes down because its pretty expensive for what you are actually getting.
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  2. Gaming Age
    Dec 27, 2012
    100
    Under Defeat HD has that special charm that is either loved or hated by shmup fans. Its different controls and high difficulty may be too heavy for those new to the genre, but veterans will feel right at home here.
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  3. DarkStation
    Dec 20, 2012
    65
    Unless you are a die hard fan, consider other cheaper, and most of all, better alternatives.
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