What's your favorite NES shmup?

[bob]

There are a lot of overlooked shmups on the NES and one that I have grown to love lately is the NES port of Gyruss. I never played this until recently and I've been a bit addicted.

Do you play any shmups on the NES?  If so, what do you like?  I'm hoping I can find a few recommendations in here.  So far, I have:
Gyruss
Gradius
Life force
Xevious
Xexyz (if this counts since its half platformer)
Section Z

[Tatsujin]

Gradius II
Crisis Force
Gunac
Recca

[soop]

I haven't played much NES shooties.. in fact I'm struggling to think if I actually own one.

[TR0N]

Zanac
Life Force:I need to get that one again
Recaa Summer Carnival 92
Gun-Nac
Crisis Force
Gyruss
Guardian Legend:it is part shoot'em up.

[roflmao]

Gun.Smoke
Stinger
Twin Cobra

[Opethian]

Pooyan

[soop]

Gun.Smoke

Nailed it!  Also, Ikari Warriors, not that I've played it yet.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Starship Hector, you retards!

[Opethian]

Hector '87 has the bad ass caravan song!!

[geise]

Zanac

[esteban]

I don't think I could pick only one NES shoot-em-up.

Too many great titles.

There are a lot of overlooked shmups on the NES and one that I have grown to love lately is the NES port of Gyruss. I never played this until recently and I've been a bit addicted.

Do you play any shmups on the NES?  If so, what do you like?  I'm hoping I can find a few recommendations in here.  So far, I have:
Gyruss
Gradius
Life force
Xevious
Xexyz (if this counts since its half platformer)
Section Z

I loved the NES port of Gyruss. I rented that and Ninja Gaiden at the same time (back in the day). It was so fun playing both of them (alternating between the genres).

I was surprised how often I have gone back to Gyruss over the years. It's a fun NES title.

Section Z, I remember mapping it out when I was in middle school, back in the day. I can't recall if I ever beat it, but I do remember getting frustrated with the mapping. I just wanted to beat the damn game!

[HercTNT]

Guardian legend by far
Gunsmoke
Gyruss
Crysis Force (extremely well done nes shooter)
Life Force

[bob]

Was crysis force a US release? I have never heard of it. By who?

[meka]

I like The Guardian Legend, it's a mix of action-adventure/shoot 'em up. It's unfortunate Compile went bust, they made some great games.

[Drakon]

Crisis force, followed by recca.

[roflmao]

I can't believe I forgot to add Guardian Legend to my list.  It's like Blazing Lazer's long lost adventure-hybrid cousin!  Excellent game.

[VenomMacbeth]

Gradius II
Summer Carnival '92 Recca
Crisis Force
Uchuu Keibitai SDF (extremely well done shooter by HAL)
Tetrastar: The Fighter
Over Horizon

Also check out the NES homebrew, Blade Buster.  It's a caravan shooter that plays a lot like the Soldier games on the PCE (and uses the music from level 1 of Super Star Soldier.)  Gun Nac is good, if you're a fan of paro-shmups.

[TR0N]

Was crisis force a US release? I have never heard of it. By who?

Crisis Force is by konami and it wasn't released in the u.s,but it's realy solid and it pushes the nes to it's limits.You would all most mistake it for a pce shoot'em up.

http://www.videogameden.com/fc.htm?crf

I'd recomend this import highly boxed or loose it's worth tracking down.

[TheClash603]

I remember really enjoying S.C.A.T. back in the day.  Though I admittedly haven't played an NES shmup in a long time.  If I want a shmup fix, I tend to go straight for the TG16/PCE.  If I am playing my NES, I likely have some sort of platformer in the system.

[HercTNT]

crisis force really pushes the nes to its limits. its a damn fine shooter to boot. The guardian legend as old as it is, still rules in my book. If we can just get a 3d print out of the main character i would be good to go.

[meka]

By good do you mean greasing the three-legged cow.

[futureman2000]

Life Force

[khog143]

Gun-Nac is my favorite NES shmup, followed by, if we are including run and guns, Jackal

[Arkhan Asylum]

How is Jackal a run n gun?

You're in a jeep.

It's a drive n' gun.

[Bardoly]

Life Force is my favorite NES space shooter.  (I'm not considering run 'n gun games like the Contra games.)

I really enjoyed The Guardian Legend as well, and I'd like to try Recca and Parodius Da! for the NES if I ever get the chance.

[HercTNT]

I have the pal version of parodius on cart. They really did a good job with it considering. Your better of getting the Pce version of it though as its superior in every way.

[KnightWarrior]

Gradius
Gradius II
Life force
Xevious
Super Xevious (Famicom)

[esteban]

No one has said it, so I'll do it:

The best NES shoot-em-up is Konami's frantic S.T.I.N.G.E.R. (Twin Bee).

I actually like the NES/Famicom Twin Bee's more than the later incarnations on PCE, SNES, etc.

There is something wonderfully raw about the NES/Famicom TwinBee's...the later incarnations are, in a way, too polished (too slick).

NOT THAT I DON'T APPRECIATE the 16-bit Twin Bee installments, of course.

S.T.I.N.G.E.R.

[TR0N]

I forgot one that no one has mention either.
Legendary Wings

Another solid title from capcom not to mention it out does the arcade original.

[TR0N]

,and I'd like to try Recca.

Recca Summer Carnival 92 can go for a lot but if you don't mind reproductions try here.
http://www.nesreproductions.com

[esteban]

I forgot one that no one has mention either.
Legendary Wings

Another solid title from capcom not to mention it out does the arcade original.

The problem with Legendary Wings is that it gets so damn repetitive. Honestly, it would have been so much better if--at minimum--there were at least a few different bosses!

I like Legendary Wings, but it had the potential to be soooooooo much better.

I agree that it is a "must-play" for any shoot-em-up fan.

[CrackTiger]

crisis force really pushes the nes to its limits. its a damn fine shooter to boot. The guardian legend as old as it is, still rules in my book. If we can just get a 3d print out of the main character i would be good to go.

I'm pretty sure that Crisis Force goes well beyond the NES's limits.

[PunkCryborg]

Yeah third vote for Hector 87
by hadoson!

[HercTNT]

Blacktiger what do you mean? crisis force is a nes game. Or am i missing something?

[NecroPhile]

Blacktiger what do you mean? crisis force is a nes game. Or am i missing something?

It uses a helper chip, right?  I suspect that's what he was getting at.

[HercTNT]

Good point, I'm almost certain it has a helper chip to improve audio, otherwise i have no idea.

[PunkCryborg]

Blacktiger what do you mean? crisis force is a nes game. Or am i missing something?

It  doesn't even fit inside of my NES

[HercTNT]

har har, i honestly had to read that three or four times before i got it! nice 

[liquitek]

I always liked Twin Eagle, Life Force and 1943.

[roflmao]

No one has said it, so I'll do it:

The best NES shoot-em-up is Konami's frantic S.T.I.N.G.E.R. (Twin Bee).

Check page 1 again.

[CrackTiger]

Blacktiger what do you mean? crisis force is a nes game. Or am i missing something?

Crisis Force uses the VRC4 chip for all the parallax and likely any other tile animation. Probably upgraded the audio too.

It may not add horsepower like the SVP and Super FX chips, but it was still a hardware upgrade that allowed the Famicom to do what it could not without it.

It's not like all those impressive SMS games that are loaded with 16-bit quality effects, where the hardware actually was being pushed beyond what was expected of it.

It would be cool to put together a list of the most impressive NES/Famicom games that didn't use any extra hardware.

[HercTNT]

gotcha, thanks for the info.

[Bernie]

Dragon Warrior

[roflmao]

Dragon Warrior

[esteban]

No one has said it, so I'll do it:

The best NES shoot-em-up is Konami's frantic S.T.I.N.G.E.R. (Twin Bee).

Check page 1 again.

Aha! I stand corrected.

Good taste, my friend .

[roflmao]

Aha! I stand corrected.

Good taste, my friend .

It's all good.    As far as NES shmups go, Stinger should be shouted from the rooftops!




...along with Gun.Smoke.

(Twin Cobra is good, but I haven't had it very long so it may be a passing fad - Kyukyuko Tiger for PCE is still way better.)

[Drakon]

I don't get why crisis force doesn't seem to be well known even in the nes community.  Maybe because it was famicom only?  Maybe because it's...a shmup and not a side scroller?

[Bernie]

My favorite has to be Abadox!  Very good game IMO.

[8bitForLife]

gun smoke  gorrila war and captain skyhawk O and life force

[CrackTiger]

I don't get why crisis force doesn't seem to be well known even in the nes community.  Maybe because it was famicom only?  Maybe because it's...a shmup and not a side scroller?

That is unusual since it's well known outside of the NES community.