Since Craig Gabrielsen has already extensively covered Espgaluda II for HG101, this article is going to focus mostly on differences between the iOS version and prior releases.

As previously in the arcades and on the Xbox 360, Espgaluda II (I'll omit the official capitalization of every single letter for the sake of sanity) has remained an eye-pleasing, deep shooter experience, that further benefits from a fantastic soundtrack. There are three characters each with individual stats to choose from, though all share the ability to enter kakusei mode, which slows down enemies and their bullets, allowing the player to increase a gold counter by destroying foes and thereby convert their shots. Inexperienced players and danmaku veterans alike can get a lot out of these mechanics, either focusing on mere survival or on striving for the perfect score and simply looking great in doing so.

As mentioned in Craig's article, Espgaluda II's difficulty generally is steeper than in the first game, so the three difficulty settings found in the iOS version come highly welcomed, offering a truly easy beginner's mode and a hard mode that deserves its name. Other than this, the control setup further allows for a customization of the difficulty. On the simplest setting only kakusei mode needs to be activated automatically, on the standard setting the shield/laser combo dubbed "guard barrier" adds another button to the setup, and the expert setting also allows for manually ceasing fire at any time and for changing between the standard fire and the more concentrated second fire mode.

Where these two fire modes would alter your character's movement speed in the arcade and 360 versions, it doesn't have such an effect in the iOS release, obviously, since you are controlling your Galuda directly by swiping across the screen (and the comfortable empty section at the bottom). So if you move your finger, say, an inch to the left, your Galuda also moves an inch to the left, and it does so immediately, fortunately, as a delay due to different movement speeds determined by the weapon mode would render this kind of controls entirely useless and imprecise, as can be seen in some other games in this article. However, this of course means that sticking to the more powerful, straight laser is a more viable option than ever before. Cave veterans still need not be afraid of the game thereby losing too much of its challenge, however, because of the (optional) four virtual buttons that are easier to miss than on a real pad or cabinet. The controls on idevices really are give and take, with some alterations making Espgaluda II more accessible and others less so. Overall, though, Cave has pretty much nailed the possibilities of shooter controls on the iPhone/iPod/iPad, with clever ideas such as the three different settings. If all iOS shooters would simply copy Espgaluda II's controls, the creation of this article would have had a considerably less negative impact on my appreciation for the whole genre.

While the standard arcade mode has been ported straight from the original release, the 360 exclusive Black Label mode and Arrange mode sadly remain just that: 360 exclusive. To make up for this, Cave has come up with an entirely new mode, though, which has cleverly been created with the idevices' characteristics in mind. Not only does Smartphone mode feature a new (great) soundtrack, it also employs the touchscreen in an interesting way, as entering kakusei mode deprives you of the ability to move, theoretically leaving you defenseless, but touching enemies now damages them directly, and touching bullets cancels them. Unless you only activated kakusei mode to get through a tough passage unscratched, wildly tapping on the screen and erasing as many bullets as possible isn't the way to go, though. You're better off staying in a safe position, only tapping on select shots that get in too close, and waiting for the screen to get littered in purple before leaving kakusei mode, as this converts all enemy bullets on-screen into precious gold. Smartphone mode arguably isn't as deep or captivating as any of the modes found in the 360 version, but it's still a neat idea that couldn't possibly be realized on a more traditional device.

Training is still available in the iOS version. Once a stage has been reached (not even beaten) in any mode with any character on any difficulty setting, it can be accessed directly at any setup. Support for both GameCenter and Open Feint provide additional motivation, giving you not only 28 achievements to hunt down, but also six leaderboards to climb, one for each character in smartphone mode or arcade mode, respectively.

Compared to the 360 version (and to the arcade board, d'oh), the iOS version of Espgaluda II can only be considered dead-cheap. When comparing it to other iOS games, though, it's up there with Square-Enix's output in the competition for the highest price. Those uncertain about the game's quality can try out the free lite version ending halfway into the first boss fight. In 2011, Cave has also released the Smartphone and Arcade mode separately, each for half the price of the full game. Also in 2011, Espgaluda II HD for the iPad 2 has seen the light of day, featuring high-res visuals specifically designed for the bigger screen of the tablet. Again, just like on the iPhone, there also are two additional releases of the HD version available, one for the Smartphone mode and one for the Arcade mode only.

After the newly-developed Bug Panic and the slightly underwhelming showing of Death Smiles on i-devices, in December 2011 Cave returned to porting one of their vertical shooters. While Mushihimesama (translated as Bug Princess, and only to be found on iIunes by this moniker) is possibly one of Cave's most revered titles and as such also a great choice for a port, the Tokyo-based developer has apparently put little effort into the transition.

It's still a great game overall, benefiting from atmospheric music, beautiful visuals and simple, yet refined gameplay. The 15-year old Reco "boards" her trusty bug-pal Kiniro, traversing five distinct environments such as a desert, a volcano-ridden valley and an icy cave, blasting bugs, scorpions, jellyfish and all other kinds of creepy-crawlies both small and large. When judging the graphics, you'd better not go by the screenshots here, though, as they don't do the game any justice. While the design isn't nearly as detailed or the general visuals as technically proficient as later Cave releases, it's still very nice on the eyes in motion, thanks to varied and imaginative design, insane amounts of bullets in Ultra mode, and the occasional highlight like the gigantic insect of stage three, spanning several screens, obviously taking a note from the typical 90s "huge battleship stage".

Gameplay is kept decidedly simple. Weapon powerups cycle through three different shot types, either spreading or focusing your bullets (or treading a middle path), bombs and autobombs cut through the bullet curtains, and scoring is as easy as picking up amber left behind by defeated foes. This tightly woven scoring corset rarely allows for any deviations from the norm, such as milking certain plants in the desert, by closing in on them while their shell is closed, effectively making them invincible. They'll continue to drop large amounts of amber and won't open up again as long as Reco doesn't stray away too far. The real treat in Mushihimesama would have to be the three not-so-different modes. You'll be fighting the same enemy groups in the same stages using the same rules, but depending on whether you choose Normal, Maniac or Ultra, the amount of bullets are drastically increased up to the point where the true final boss used to circulate on Youtube, dubbed "the hardest video game boss ever". In turn, enemy bullets become slower in Ultra, effectively giving you two (or 2.5) different games to tinker with.

The iOS port once again controls just perfectly with the empty space at the bottom allowing for precise movements without obscuring your view. Due to Mushihimesama's simple mechanics you'll also find less virtual buttons to deal with than in Espgaluda II and Dodonpachi Resurrection. Throwing bombs and (occasionally) changing your shot are all you'll have to worry about. The change in Reco's movement speed between the shot types also isn't present on i-devices. Unfortunately, this time around, Cave has been stingy in terms of new elements. There are no special modes, no new visuals, no new music or just about any new content to be found anywhere, and it should come as no surprise that the PS2 version's (boring) arrange mode is also missing.

And while Game Center and OpenFeint support return for score leaderboards and achievements, the number of achievements (34) has been reduced from previous games for the first time, besting only Espgaluda II (28). In the end, Bug Princess on the iPhone is a barebones, albeit well-executed port of a great game that manages to appeal both to danmaku fans (and veterans looking for a serious challenge) and fans of shooters a bit lighter on bullets (in Normal mode). Also, it appears to be lower-priced than most other Cave releases.

Soon after the release of Espgaluda II, Cave delivered their next iOS port with Dodonpachi Resurrection (also known as Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu), once again depriving an overall excellent game of modes previously seen on the Xbox 360 (and this time even in the arcades), while also beefing it up with an all-new mode, various online leaderboards on both Open Feint and GameCenter, achievements (a whoppin' 47), and an entirely new soundtrack for the Smartphone mode.

Arcade mode is a faithful rendition of the original game, pitting you against the "dolls" that used to be the playable characters in Dodonpachi Daioujou. Aside from this decision cranking up the moe-level during parts of the boss fights, as you battle larger-than-life idol girls, the game still stays true to the series's futuristic, militaristic style full of tanks, turrets and flying crafts of all sizes and shapes. Being one of Cave's more recently developed titles, it looks quite fantastic and the sound is also up to the company's standards, although the bosses certainly feel out of place. Fortunately, they litter the screen with so many bullets and lasers coming in from all directions, you'll rarely find the time to look at them too closely.

Bullets and lasers come in a cornucopia of colors, making for some impressive sights. Lasers actually play an important role. As usual, you can cycle between the standard spread shot and a laser of your own at any time, and only the laser allows for pushing thin enemy lasers back and thus move right through them. Since the (great) controls have been taken straight from Espgaluda II, your ship's speed is again determined entirely by your finger's speed, despite even the in-game descriptions of the three playable ships still mentioning a difference in their speed. So while the Arcade and 360 versions required clever switching back and forth between both fire modes in order to cope with all enemy lasers, the iOS version tones this down considerably.

Like its predecessors, Resurrection's scoring system relies mostly on keeping a combo alive by defeating foes quickly in succession or having your laser connect with an enemy. As your combo grows, you'll also see the hyper grow along, and once full, hyper mode can be triggered. During this time, your weapons not only grow bigger, meaner and...yellow, the spreader also cancels standard bullets, while the laser can now also hold back bigger enemy lasers. The hidden bees also make a return, being strewn throughout every stage, and only uncovered by a laser fired off close-by. Grab them with a high combo intact for a massive score boost, or opt for the second loops (yes, plural) by picking up all 45 bees, losing no more than one life and not using more than two bombs (for the hard Ura loop), or grabbing 35 bees without continuing (for an easier second loop).

Both second loops eventually take you to Hibachi, as should be expected, given he's the traditional "real" final boss of the series. In a less expected move, Cave also added five bosses from the original Dodonpachi as alternative mini-bosses. By meeting certain criteria such as quickly disposing off a couple of tanks, a rift in time opens up, taking you to a slightly different path through the current stage, complete with classic mini-bosses. It doesn't add that much replay value, but it's still a neat thing to have and proof of Cave not only being able to more and more cater to moe fans, but still remember their own (arguably more serious and atmospheric) past.

Smartphone mode this time doesn't make as much use of the device's touchscreen technology, while luckily offering overall more interesting mechanics than the one found in the Espgaluda II port. As before, using the game's "special attack" (the Hyper mode in Resurrection's case) leaves your craft immobile, but this time, turning a white handle attached to your ship lets you at least still aim. Spinning the handle counterclockwise activates the hyper laser, which can be powered up three times by quickly spinning the handle full-circle up to three times. Although it doesn't get in the way of the action, none of this feels either cleverly designed or like it would benefit from the touchscreen.

Fortunately, Smartphone mode also introduces S M mode (I'm not making up this abbreviation). Destroying enemies and staying out of the way of their shots shifts the S M gauge to the left (to "Slaughter"), while scraping bullets like in Psyvariar shifts it to the right (to "Menace"). The score multiplier here is only raised by being in Menace mode and scraping additional bullets, though it rises by the dozens with every bullet flying by, allowing any player to get it up to the maximum x1000 rather quickly. Even people usually not enjoying scraping mechanics all that much (such as myself) can thus get something out of it here. Staying in Menace mode, however, doesn't come recommended for two reasons: In Slaughter mode, enemies drop way more score-increasing items than in Menace mode, and your weapons become more powerful in Slaughter mode. The downside of Slaughter mode, meanwhile, is that it decreases your multiplier. The result of these clever give-and-take mechanics is that you'll constantly have to consider whether you need the extra fire power, want to raise the multiplier, or want to cash in with your current multiplier. Also, getting into Menace mode can obviously be risky at times, further requiring careful decision-making.

The iOS port of Resurrection is mostly based on version 1.5 of the original arcade game, thus missing the two arrange modes found in the 360 port, as well as the Black Label arrange mode of the second 360 port, and most of the gameplay changes that the Black Label revision brought with it. It does have one of those changes, however, as the three play styles (bomb, power and strong) aren't directly connected to any of the three ships, but selected individually. Bomb style lets you use bombs (easy enough), while power style omits bombs, giving you the ability to increase your firepower instead. Strong mode combines both. Although it would have been nice to see some more of the additions Black Label brought to the table, such as Red Mode, which allowed for more customization on the fly, the port is still very well playable and we can be thankful for it not to be based on the original 1.0 arcade release, at least.

Skilled players get to play as Hibachi in Smartphone mode after defeating him in either of the second loops. Not-quite-skilled players aren't left out in the cold, either, as there is an easy, alternative way of unlocking him. All you need to do is to go to the ship selection screen and tap on the ships in the following order: B A B C A B C B C A B C A C A B C A B. Voila.

Being no exception from the other Cave ports, Dodonpachi Resurrection is on the pricey side of things. Those not sure about the purchase can get a free lite version, including the first stage and parts of the first boss fight.