<s>
Players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
a	O
recruit	O
selected	O
to	O
take	O
part	O
on	O
a	O
secret	O
military	O
program	O
by	O
assaulting	O
enemy	O
strongholds	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
become	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
DonPachi	B-Application
Squadron	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DonPachi	B-Application
was	O
conceived	O
as	O
a	O
project	O
that	O
evoked	O
the	O
same	O
spirit	O
from	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
ups	O
created	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
,	O
a	O
request	O
Atlus	O
wanted	O
as	O
publisher	O
though	O
conflict	O
emerged	O
as	O
how	O
close	O
the	O
game	O
should	O
be	O
to	O
Toaplan	O
shooters	O
while	O
members	O
at	O
Cave	O
pointed	O
out	O
elements	O
uncharacteristic	O
from	O
Toaplan	O
during	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
first	O
launched	O
for	O
arcades	O
on	O
Cave	O
's	O
first-generation	O
hardware	O
,	O
the	O
title	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
each	O
one	O
featuring	O
several	O
changes	O
and	O
additions	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
has	O
since	O
been	O
re-released	O
through	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
download	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DonPachi	B-Application
proved	O
to	O
be	O
popular	O
among	O
Japanese	O
arcade	O
players	O
but	O
was	O
later	O
deemed	O
by	O
Cave	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
"	O
creative	O
failure	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
was	O
met	O
with	O
mixed	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
six	O
sequels	B-Language
:	O
DoDonPachi	B-Application
in	O
1997	B-Application
,	O
DoDonPachi	B-Application
II	I-Application
in	O
2001	B-Application
,	O
DoDonPachi	B-Application
DaiOuJou	I-Application
in	O
2002	B-Application
,	O
DoDonPachi	B-Application
Resurrection	I-Application
in	O
2008	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
DoDonPachi	B-Application
Maximum	O
and	O
DoDonPachi	B-Application
SaiDaiOuJou	I-Application
in	O
2012	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
DonPachi	B-Application
features	O
a	O
scoring	O
system	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Get	O
Point	O
System	O
"	O
(	O
GPS	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
premise	O
of	O
DonPachi	B-Application
differs	O
from	O
most	O
of	O
its	O
brethren	O
:	O
the	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
a	O
pilot	O
whose	O
mission	O
is	O
to	O
survive	O
an	O
eight-year-long	O
training	O
mission	O
,	O
where	O
he	O
proves	O
his	O
worth	O
as	O
a	O
fighter	O
and	O
gain	O
entry	O
to	O
the	O
future	O
elite	O
"	O
DonPachi	B-Application
Squadron	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
since	O
the	O
missions	O
are	O
aerial	O
attacks	O
,	O
many	O
soldiers	O
have	O
taken	O
battles	O
into	O
air	O
and	O
performed	O
sacrifices	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
many	O
lives	O
lost	O
in	O
the	O
process	O
turning	O
the	O
mission	O
into	O
a	O
success	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
DonPachi	B-Application
Squadron	O
"	O
is	O
formed	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DonPachi	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
project	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
by	O
Cave	O
,	O
a	O
Japanese	O
video	O
game	O
developer	O
founded	O
by	O
former	O
Toaplan	O
staff	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
multiple	O
projects	O
before	O
the	O
company	O
declared	O
bankruptcy	O
and	O
wanted	O
to	O
keep	O
creating	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
games	O
,	O
with	O
producer	O
Kenichi	O
Takano	O
helming	O
its	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ikeda	O
and	O
his	O
team	O
recounted	O
DonPachis	B-Application
development	O
process	O
and	O
history	O
through	O
various	O
publications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Ikeda	O
also	O
stated	O
he	O
only	O
worked	O
on	O
V・V	B-Application
and	O
Batsugun	B-Application
prior	O
to	O
DonPachi	B-Application
,	O
deeming	O
the	O
two	O
titles	O
as	O
"	O
very	O
un-Toaplan	O
games	O
"	O
and	O
claimed	O
he	O
may	O
not	O
have	O
understood	O
the	O
"	O
soul	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
programmer	O
claimed	O
the	O
title	O
"	O
DonPachi	B-Application
"	O
was	O
given	O
by	O
Ikeda	O
during	O
a	O
walk	O
from	O
Kagurazaka	O
to	O
Ichigaya	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DonPachi	B-Application
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
Japanese	O
arcades	O
by	O
Atlus	O
in	O
May	O
1995	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
CAVE	O
68000	O
board	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
26	O
April	O
1996	O
,	O
a	O
conversion	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
was	O
published	O
by	O
Atlus	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
18	O
October	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
SPS	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
was	O
re-released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
by	O
Hamster	O
Corporation	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
9	O
June	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
introduces	O
features	O
and	O
extras	O
not	O
seen	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
such	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Score	O
Attack	O
"	O
mode	O
that	O
acts	O
as	O
a	O
training	O
mode	O
,	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
Little	O
Easy	O
"	O
difficulty	O
level	O
that	O
plays	O
a	O
critical	O
role	O
during	O
gameplay	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
gameplay	O
and	O
display	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Saturn	B-Device
conversion	O
suffers	O
from	O
loading	O
times	O
between	O
stages	O
and	O
modes	O
,	O
slowdown	O
during	O
gameplay	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
certain	O
special	O
effects	O
being	O
altered	O
due	O
to	O
hardware	O
issues	O
with	O
transparency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
port	O
is	O
a	O
more	O
faithful	O
recreation	O
of	O
the	O
arcade	O
original	O
,	O
featuring	O
the	O
same	O
display	O
options	O
as	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
release	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
adjust	O
the	O
default	O
number	O
of	O
lives	O
and	O
faster	O
loading	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
DonPachi	B-Application
on	O
their	O
15	O
July	O
1995	O
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
twelfth	O
most-popular	O
arcade	O
game	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
version	O
was	O
met	O
with	O
mixed	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
fan	O
reception	O
of	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
port	O
was	O
positive	O
;	O
readers	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
Magazine	O
voted	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
port	O
a	O
7.1047	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
score	O
,	O
ranking	O
at	O
the	O
number	O
625	O
spot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MAN	O
!	O
ACs	O
Christian	O
Blendl	O
gave	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
release	O
a	O
mixed	O
outlook	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
neXt	O
Levels	O
K	O
.	O
Koch	O
compared	O
it	O
with	O
Gunbird	B-Application
,	O
another	O
shooter	O
for	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
.	O
</s>
