The State of Shmups

[jlued686]

I finally got Nanostray for the DS and I have to say...I really miss the Turbo/PC Engine.  This game is ok, but it doesn't really hold a candle to the great shooters of the NEC systems.  

It's sad that Ikaruga, R-Type Final, and Gradius V are the only really decent shooters to come out in the past few years...

That's all.  Just wanted to rant.

[Keranu]

I can't get enough of the classic shooters on the good ole TG16/PCE - they're my favorites. I don't like those 32-bit and above shooters.

[AlexKidd]

I'm liking nanostray and the other games you mentioned, especially Ikaruga. However, I do agree that the turbo/pc engine shooters are the best and I have a lot more fun with them than newer ones. The genesis had a nice selection of shmups as well. Either way it's still good to see games like nanostray come out. It's not the best game i've ever played but i'd rather see average shooters released than see the genre die completely.

Also I played some Ikaruga today after ignoring it for awhile and I feel that this game does stand up to most of the classic 16-bit shooters. It's a really good game. One of the best since the early 90's IMHO.

[jlued686]

Oh, don't get me wrong.  I love Ikaruga, R-Type Final, and Gradius V.  I was just saying that it's sad that only three great shooters have come out recently.

I find Nanostray to be incredibly mediocre.  Not to mention too easy.

I guess just being raised on a console like the Turbografx, that had a surplus of quality shooters makes it hard having to sit through month after month waiting for a shooter worth playing.

[TurboHuC6280]

I finally got Nanostray for the DS and I have to say...I really miss the Turbo/PC Engine.  This game is ok, but it doesn't really hold a candle to the great shooters of the NEC systems.  

It's sad that Ikaruga, R-Type Final, and Gradius V are the only really decent shooters to come out in the past few years...

That's all.  Just wanted to rant.

Dreamcast had a boatload of awesome shooters.  Many of them were only released in Japan though.  It was essentially the "SHMUP console" of recent years.  PSX had several nice games as well, but they are certainly a bit older.

Even though I love the PCE and its shooters, I'd have to say that there have been plenty of shooters that I've enjoyed just as well over the last few years on the newer consoles.

[TJ]

There's also Castle Shikigami 2 on PS2, if you can find it. I don't think they made very many of them for the US market.

There have been plenty of shmups for PS2 and especially Dreamcast in Japan in the last few years...ya got yer Border Down, Chaos Field, Psyvariar 2, Zero Gunner 2, XII Stag, Trizeal, DoDonPachi Black Label...but I do wish any of these would be released outside of Japan.

I'm a big fan of the shmup genre and have a pretty nice collection of them across all platforms. Years ago, when I was at the height of my shmup-mania, I could blaze through G.Darius on the very hardest difficulty setting, beat Sokyugurentai without continuing, and had my levels maxed out in Radiant Silvergun so that I could beat it on a whim -- those were the days! =) Sadly, my skills have deteriorated somewhat since then, but I would like to build them back up again someday.

If you wanna check out an older shmup that's really impressive, find a rom of a Famicom game called Recca -- it was made for a Summer Festival contest in Japan and it's extremely rare, so don't bother looking for the Famicom cart unless you want to drop several hundred bucks -- but it's insane, not only for the gameplay, but for the fact that that gameplay is coming out of a Famicom. It plays like a modern shooter with tons of fast enemies and loads of buckshot to avoid.

mmmm...shmups.

[TurboHuC6280]

There's also Castle Shikigami 2 on PS2, if you can find it. I don't think they made very many of them for the US market.

There have been plenty of shmups for PS2 and especially Dreamcast in Japan in the last few years...ya got yer Border Down, Chaos Field, Psyvariar 2, Zero Gunner 2, XII Stag, Trizeal, DoDonPachi Black Label...but I do wish any of these would be released outside of Japan.

I'm a big fan of the shmup genre and have a pretty nice collection of them across all platforms. Years ago, when I was at the height of my shmup-mania, I could blaze through G.Darius on the very hardest difficulty setting, beat Sokyugurentai without continuing, and had my levels maxed out in Radiant Silvergun so that I could beat it on a whim -- those were the days! =) Sadly, my skills have deteriorated somewhat since then, but I would like to build them back up again someday.

If you wanna check out an older shmup that's really impressive, find a rom of a Famicom game called Recca -- it was made for a Summer Festival contest in Japan and it's extremely rare, so don't bother looking for the Famicom cart unless you want to drop several hundred bucks -- but it's insane, not only for the gameplay, but for the fact that that gameplay is coming out of a Famicom. It plays like a modern shooter with tons of fast enemies and loads of buckshot to avoid.

mmmm...shmups.

Several of those are games that I'm trying to get for my Dreamcast.  Some are a bit pricey.

G. Darius is a great game.  One of my favorites for the PSX.  Never got the play the arcade version.

[PC Gaijin]

I can't get enough of the classic shooters on the good ole TG16/PCE - they're my favorites. I don't like those 32-bit and above shooters.

I have to agree with this sentiment. 16-bit shooters are my favorite. With 32-bit shooters started moving to the "bullet hell" style, which I do not find enjoyable at all.

[Ninja Spirit]

Guwange could've been a great Saturn/Dreamcast shooter.

[Paladin]

If you wanna check out an older shmup that's really impressive, find a rom of a Famicom game called Recca

I second this as a must try. Recca is an amazing shmup by any system's standards. Its not quite the bullet fest Ikaruga is but it is very intense. I've only gotten to Level 2 so I'm not sure how long it is, but regardless it is a blast. I think the most amazing thing about it though is the fact that there is little to no slowdown. This isn't your normal NES/Famicom shooter. This thing throws at least a few DOZEN things your way at once. I couldn't imagine what playing this thing back in the day would have felt like. I think I might have peed myself as a kid if I saw that many projectiles flying at my ship.

[Keranu]

I can't get enough of the classic shooters on the good ole TG16/PCE - they're my favorites. I don't like those 32-bit and above shooters.

I have to agree with this sentiment. 16-bit shooters are my favorite. With 32-bit shooters started moving to the "bullet hell" style, which I do not find enjoyable at all.

Yeah, I completely agree with you. I just don't enjoy those "bullet invasion" shooters with the bright, purple bullets flying all over the screen in which you have to constantly keep continuing because mastering takes too long. I'm a classy kind of man.  

[PCEngineFX]

I just got Star Soldier for my PSP........and it is also just OK.  Gfx are good, music is catchy, but you have to hold the PSP vertical to properly play and the powerup/weapon system sucks.  Blazing Lazers was even a better shooter gameplay wise compared to Star Soldier.  Hope this was just a warmup for Hudson Soft.....

[Nemo]

Yeah, I completely agree with you. I just don't enjoy those "bullet invasion" shooters with the bright, purple bullets flying all over the screen in which you have to constantly keep continuing because mastering takes too long. I'm a wimp.  

Fixed.  

[Keranu]

Haha, okay maybe I am a wimp. But when I sit down to play a shooter, I don't want to have to take the time to learn massive patterns, I just want something that I and other people could just play through and enjoy without taking the time to master those insane bullet patterns. I don't necessarily mind patterns or anything, but when they are to the point with bullets filling up like 80% of the screen, that's just no fun to learn for me. Classic shooters over new shooters any day.

[GUTS]

Keranu I used to think like that too until I figured out that your hitbox in these new shooters is so damn tiny that you actually have to TRY to get hit most of the time.  The bullets look intimidating, but when I actually sit down and play one seriously I can get decent enough at it to have fun.  I don't know if I could ever one credit the fuckers like Rob and Nemo, but they really grow on you after you realize those bullet swarms aren't as crazy as they look.

[Keranu]

Yesterday I was playing some shooters on MAME, around four Cave games and I even played through that damn Dragon Blaze game again, along with these bullet invasion shooters for PC that ST DRAGON sent to my email. Three of the Cave games I played were pretty fun actually (don't know the names off hand), but ESP Ra De was ultra shitty and of course Dragon Blaze wasn't any better really, especially considering the fact of how short the damn levels are (Psikyo sucks, I agree with Nemo about Cave now).

I'm surprised how well I did in them because I could usually make it to level 3 with using one credit. They're not really hard at all because the collision detection isn't nearly as strict as a person would assume because you can have like 5-10 pixels of a projectile touch you and you still won't get hurt.

Even though I do have a better appreciation for these "bullet fests", I still prefer the 16-bit and below shooters just because I generally find them more original still and have a greater classic-style fun factor that never gets old. Hell I think the older shooters are actually harder than the bullet fests because I found myself dying MORE in older shooters.

[akamichi]

Old school shooters are harder because the bullets are faster.  Gotta conserve sprites on the 8/16bit consoles!

[Keranu]

Hehe.

[Ninja Spirit]

Guwange was a good cave shooter.

http://shootthecore.moonpod.com/PClinks1.html

Just go y'all.