• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Shoot the Core! - Gaf Shoot ‘em Up (aka Shooter/SHMUP) Reference Thread

fatty

Member
I’m a fan of the genre but by no means an expert. Trying to keep track of which games are available on what system, the names (Mushihimesa-meca-hiney-ho-what?) and what region they are available in has become quite a chore. There are a lot of questions that I had (and some I still have), and what about people who are new to the genre and are curious on where to start?

That’s what this thread is for.

This is in no way a complete list (yet) but hopefully it will prove useful as a reference and with others’ help a guide to steer others to the shooters they are most interested in.

Also, I refer to these games as shooters even though many might associate that word to a FPS game, but I just don’t like the word ‘SHMUP’.

Shoot ‘em Up Primer

What was the first shooter?
Many people cite Space Invaders as the very first shooter but Wikipedia points out that video game journalist Brian Ashcraft states that the honor belongs to Spacewar!, a very early computer game. Either way, we can probably credit Space Invaders for kick-starting the genre.

What are the different types of shooters?
This one is a little tricky for me to answer but I mainly put shooters into 3 different types of groups: Power-up focused, Bullet Hell and Run & Gun. Of course not every shooter will fall into one of these but these are just three different categories that I normally associate them with.

-Power-up focused
I would consider these to be where the player becomes more powerful by adding additional weapons and/or increasing the strength of your existing weapon. Games in this group that come to mind are Superstardust HD, the Gradius and Aleste series.

-Bullet Hell
Also referred to as manic shooters, these games consist of the player having to dodge an overwhelming amount of projectiles on the screen. The developer Cave is known for this sub-genre of shooters. Some examples of this group include Death Smiles, Mars Matrix and I believe Superstardust HD also overlaps into this category. While the introduction of Bullet Hell type games seemed to start a sort of renaissance of the genre to those who were already dedicated, I also think it intimidated newcomers due to its apparent difficulty.

-Run & Gun
These games feature protagonists on foot, rather than flying in space, and they sometimes have the ability to jump. Some people don’t like to group these in with the other types but I still consider them to be in that same vein and there are enough of them where I put them into a separate set. Contra, Ikari Warriors and Gunstar Heroes are a few examples.

There are other sub-genres that I left out, such as fixed-view and rail shooters, but most of the games that I come across fit in one of the above three categories.

What are the most popular shooter series?
These days, Cave shooters are the most popular, but I think for two reasons. One, they put out some quality games and the other being that since this is now such a niche genre a majority of the shooters released today are from them. Until recently these were only available as imports but Mushihimesama Futari Ver 1.5 was released in Japan as a Region Free title, and Death Smiles will be getting a release in the U.S so things are looking better. But as for popular series within Caves’ shooters? I will have to defer to someone with more knowledge on the subject since I only have a couple of import shooters. :(

The 80’s were a great time for shooters where we saw the birth of what would be many great series. Konami would come out with Gradius (my favorite series), Irem with R-Type, Raiden was released by Seibu Kaihatsu and Thunder Force by Technosoft. Raiden actually came out in 1990 but I figure it is close enough. Many games in these series are considered classics and some sequels are still being released to this day.

How should a shooter be played?
I may get some flack for this, but basically any way you want. I will say this though, many dedicated shooter fans have a goal to 1cc (1-credit-clear, basically beating the game without continuing) the game to show that they’ve truly mastered it. Some games will have infinite continues which lend themselves more toward the side of 1cc where others with limited continues, like Gradius V, I’m happy enough to get a feeling of accomplishment trying to get further on each play through. I’d say whatever way gives you more satisfaction in that particular game is how to approach playing it. There was a lot of bickering in this thread (Any PS3 SHMUPS) about this very question and to me it’s just not worth arguing about.

Where should I start?
This is where I hope to rely on the expertise of others, especially when it comes to imports, but I’ll just state some of my favorites. And since I’m budget minded, I’ll try to keep the barrier to entry pretty low.

While there aren’t as many retail releases for shooters these days, with the digital distribution services available to us we have quite a bit to look forward to (or in some cases revisit).

Gradius V (PS2) – This is the only one that I’ll mention that is not readily available at a cheap price, but I couldn’t finish this thread without a nod to my favorite shooter of all time. A beautiful looking game (this along with Ikaruga are my favorite looking shooters), fantastic boss battles, and it’s a joy to play by yourself or with a friend.

GradiusV.jpg


Ikaruga (XBLA) – Costing only $10, this is a steal. If you are starting off with this one, you may want to consider using the Easy difficulty so you don’t have to worry about the polarity aspect of the game (based on the colors black and white, depending on what color your ship is determines if you absorb or get killed by an enemy’s shot). But once you become a bit more comfortable with the system, don’t hesitate to bump it up to normal, the game becomes much more satisfying.

Ikaruga.jpg


SuperStarDust HD (PSN) – Also only $10, this is the first PSN game I purchased and I keep going back to it. It’s not the conventional type of shooter that is normally associated with the genre (think of it as a modern day Asteroids on steroids), but that doesn’t mean that it should be overlooked.

SuperStardustHD-1.jpg


Raiden Fighter Aces/ Raiden IV (360) – Both can be had for about $20 each (Raiden IV is currently at that price at Best Buy and Gamestop). Everything I’ve mentioned up to this point has co-op play so be sure to take advantage of this because these games are quite a bit of fun with a friend.

Raiden_Fighters_Aces.jpg


Raiden_IV.jpg


Axelay (Wii VC) – The Virtual Console on Wii has so many great shooters available so I have a hard time singling out just a few but Axelay would have to be one of them. This one plays both on horizontal and vertical scrolling stages and has a nice soundtrack as well.
Axelay.jpg


R-Type III: The Third Lightning (Wii VC) – Out of all of the different R-Types, this is the one I’ve put the most time into. I see many prefer R-Type Delta (also now available on PSN), but I thought it lost some of its charm in the move to 3D. R-Type III has nice variety from stage to stage and each of its three different weapon pod types has its own distinct feel, something many shooters suffer from. I’ve heard mixed things about R-Type Dimensions on XBLA, though.

R-TypeIII.jpg


Gunstar Heroes and Contra III: The Alien Wars (Wii VC) – I felt obligated to include a couple of run & gun type shooter classics. If you’re reading this thread though, you’ve probably already played them. If not, grab a friend and get to it!

Gunstar_Heroes.jpg


Contra_III.jpg


Other Resources:

http://www.shmups.com

http://shootthecore.moonpod.com/

http://www.racketboy.com/retro/sega/saturn/2008/10/sega-saturn-shmups-2d-shooters.html (great article about the shooters available on the Sega Saturn)

http://www.racketboy.com/retro/2009/01/phenominal-playstation-ps1-2d-shooters-shmups-library.html (article by the same author, but for the Playstation instead)

http://www.racketboy.com/retro/2006/02/shmups-sega-saturn-vs-sony-playstation.html (another article on racketboy comparing shooters on the PS and Saturn)

http://www.archive.org/details/retro-core-saturn-shooting-special (Saturn Shooter Compilation Video)

Neogaf threads:

ITT, we rave about shmups

The Mega-Cave Shooter Post, because they're totally awesome and sweet (excellent resource on Cave’s shooters)

Grev |OT| Shooting up the future! (great thread on G Revolution games)

What are some of your favorite shooters? (older thread but references a lot of classics on the older systems)

Are there any good PC shmups?

Lttp: SHMUPs

Best NES shmups (and other non-traditional reccomendations)?
 

fatty

Member
This is where I will have to rely on the help from others who are more knowledgeable on the subject than me. Below I will try to include the more well known shooters worth noting. As I have time I will try to bring attention to some of these titles a bit more. If anyone wants to highlight a specific title by showcasing some pictures and summarizing/reviewing a particular game, it would be greatly appreciated. I will also make sure that the game listed below also contains a link that redirects to your post.

If I have anything shown incorrectly or if I’m missing something, please let me know. Right now I’m more concerned with having names listed properly and under the correct system versus having a “complete” list, but if there is a game that deserves some attention please don’t hesitate to let me know. Eventually I’d like to have a complete list and expand it to classics on the older systems and PC as well.

Xbox 360:

US releases:
Akai Katana
Bullet Soul (JPN but region free)
Capcom Digital Collection (contains 1942: Joint Strike)
Death Smiles
Deathsmiles II X (JPN but available via Games on Demand)
Dodonpachi Resurrection: Deluxe Edition (PAL but region free)
Eschatos (JPN but region free)
Espgaluda II: Black Label Platinum Collection (JPN but region free)
Ginga Force (JPN but region free)
Otomedius Excellent
Muchi Muchi Pork & Pink Sweets (JPN but region free)
Mushihimesama Futari Ver 1.5 Platinum Collection (JPN but region free)
Raiden IV
Raiden Fighters Aces
Wartech: Senko no Ronde
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (contains Space Harrier, Super Thunder Blade and Zaxxon)

XBLA:
0 Day Attack On Earth
1942 Joint Strike
Aegis Wing
Assault Heroes
Assault Heroes 2
Asteroids
Bangai-O HD
Battlestar Galactica
Centipede/Millipede
Commandos 3: WOTB
Crystal Quest
Galaga
Galaga Legions
Geometry Wars
Geometry Wars 2
Guwange
Gyruss
Hard Corps: Uprising
Ikaruga
Jetpac Refuelled
King of Fighters: Sky Stage (coming soon?)
Missile Command
Mutant Storm Empire
Mutant Storm Reloaded
Radiant Silvergun
Omega Five
Raystorm HD
Robotron 2084
R-Type Dimensions
Scramble
Smash TV
Space Giraffe
Space Invaders Extreme
Space Invaders Infinity Gene
Strania
Time Pilot
Triggerheart Excelica
Trouble Witches Neo
Undertow

Xbox Live Indie games worthing noting:
Decimation X
Leave Home
Prismatic Solid
Revolver 360
Shoot1Up
Snops Attack
Retrofit Overload
Vampire Rage

Japan releases:
Bullet Soul (Region Free)
Cave Shooting Collection
Deathsmiles II X
DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu (Resurrection) Black Label
Dodonpachi Daioujou Black Label Extra
Eschatos (Region Free)
Espgaluda 2
Espgaluda II: Black Label Platinum Collection (Region Free)
Ginga Force (Region Free)
Ketsui
Mamoru-kun wa Norowareteshimatta
Milestone's Radirgy Noa Massive
Mushihimesama
Mushihimesama Futari Ver 1.5 (Region Free)
Muchi Muchi Pork & Pink Sweets (Region Free)
Otomedius G
Senko No Ronde 2 DUO
Shikigami no Shiro 3
Shooting Love 200X


PS3:
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (contains Space Harrier, Super Thunder Blade and Zaxxon)
Under Defeat

PSN:
1942 Joint Strike
Astro Tripper
Blast Factor
Everyday Shooter
Gundemonium Collection
GundeadLigne
Gravity Crash
Hitogata Happa
Novastrike
Nucleus
Pixeljunk Shooter
Raystorm HD (Japan only currently)
Sine Mora
Soldner X
Soldner X2
Superstardust HD

PS1 Store (US):
R-Type Delta
R-Types
Mobile Light Force (Gunbird)


PS1 Store (JPN) (Setting up a Japanese Account):
Aerowings Special
Darius
DonPachi
DoDonPachi
Einhander
Gaia Seed
Raycrisis
Raystorm
Shienryu
Zanac X Zanac


Wii:

US releases:
Arcade Shooter Illvelo (coming soon)
Blast Works: Build & Destroy
Castle of Shikigami III
Data East Arcade Classics (Super Real Darwin, also contains Ikari Warriors style Heavy Barrel and run & gun Caveman Ninja)
Ocean Commander
Saint
SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 (Last Resort, also contains run & gun games Metal Slug and Top Hunter)
The Monkey King: The Legend Begins
Ultimate Shooting Collection

Virtual Console (US):
Uridium (C64)

Galaga (NES)
Gradius (NES)
King's Knight (NES)
Life Force (NES)
Star Soldier (NES)
Xevious (NES)
Zanac (NES)

Axelay (SNES)
Gradius III (SNES)
R-Type III: The Third Lightning (SNES)
Space Invaders: The Original Game (SNES)
Super R-Type (SNES)

Fantasy Zone (SMS)
Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa (SMS)
R-Type (SMS)

Bio-Hazard Battle (GEN)
Forgotten Worlds (GEN)
Gleylancer (MD)
M.U.S.H.A. (GEN)
Super Fantasy Zone (MD)
Super Thunder Blade (GEN) (part shmup)
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair (MD) (part shmup)

Ironclad (Neo-Geo)
Ninja Commando (Neo-Geo)

Air Zonk (TG16)
Blazing Lazers (TG16)
Cho Aniki (PCECD)
Dead Moon (TG16)
Detana!! TwinBee (PCE)
Dragon Spirit (TG16)
Final Soldier (PCE)
Galaga ’90 (TG16)
Gate of Thunder (TGCD)
Gradius II (PCECD)
Lords of Thunder (TGCD)
Monster Lair (TGCD) (part shmup)
Ordyne (TG16)
Psychosis (TG16)
R-Type (TG16)
Star Parodier (PCECD)
Super Air Zonk (TGCD)
Super Star Soldier (TG16)

Gaplus (VC Arcade)
Star Force (VC Arcade)
Zaxxon (VC Arcade)

WiiWare (US)

Kyotoke
Star Soldier R
Gradius ReBirth
Diatomic

PS2:

US releases:
Activision Anthology
Atari Anthology
Capcom Classics Collection (contains 1942, 1943, 1943 Kai , Exed Exes, Forgotten Worlds, Gun Smoke, Legendary Wings, Section Z and Vulgus)
Capcom Classics Collection 2 (contains 1941: Counter Attack, Eco Fighters, Last Duel, Side Arms and Varth)
Castle of Shikigami 2
Gradius III + IV
Gradius V
Intellivision Lives!
Midway Arcade Treasures (contains Blaster, Defender, Defender II, Robotron 2084, Satan's Hollow, Sinistar and Super Smash TV)
Midway Arcade Treasures 2 (contains Kozmik Krooz'r, Total Carnage and NARC)
Mobile Light Force 2 (Castle Shikigami 1)
Namco Museum (contains Galaga, Galaga Arrangement (remake of Galaga) and Galaxian)
Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (contains Bosconian, Dragon Spirit, Galaga, Galaga '88,Galaxian, Sky Kid and Xevious)
Raiden III
R-Type Final
Sega Classics Collection (contains remakes of Fantasy Zone, and Space Harrier)
Sega Genesis Collection (contains Future Spy, Super Thunder Blade (rail/topdown shooter), Tac/Scan, Zaxxon and Zektor)
Silpheed: The Lost Planet
SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 (Last Resort, also contains run & gun games Metal Slug and Top Hunter)
Taito Legends 1 (contains Exzisus, Phoenix, Return of the Invaders, Space Gun, Space Invaders and Space Invaders Part II)
Taito Legends 2 (contains Balloon Bomber*,Darius Gaiden, Front Line, G-Darius*, Gekirindan, Grid Seeker: Operation Storm Hammer, Gun Frontier, Insector X, Kiki Kai Kai, Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV, Metal Black, Raystorm*, Space Invaders '95: The Attack of the Lunar Loopies, Space Invaders DX, Syvalion* and Wild Western) *PS2 Exclusive


Japan releases:
Castle Shikigami
Chaos field
Cho Aniki: Sei Naru Protein Densetsu
DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou
Dragon Blaze
Espgaluda (best game of the generation)
Gigawing Generations
Guerrilla Strike
Gunbird I & II
Homura
Ibara
Mushihime-sama
Ocean Commander
Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol 1: Strikers 1945 I & II (II!)
Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol 2: Sengoku Ace and Sengoku Blade (Blade being the one worthwhile)
Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol 3: Sol Divide and Dragon Blaze (Dragon Blaze!)
Psyvariar
Psyvariar 2
Rajirugi: Precious (radirgy)
Sengoku Blade
Shienryu Explosion
Sol divide
Space Raiders
Taito Memories Gekan
Taito Memories II Gekan
Taito Memories II Joukan
Taito Memories Joukan
Tecmo Hit Parade
Thunder Force VI
Thundercross
Trigger Heart Exelica
Trizeal
Twinkle Star Sprite
XII Stag
Xyanide Resurrection

Xbox:

US releases:
Activision Anthology
Atari Anthology
Capcom Classics Collection (contains 1942, 1943, 1943 Kai , Exed Exes, Forgotten Worlds, Gun Smoke, Legendary Wings, Section Z and Vulgus)
Capcom Classics Collection 2 (contains 1941: Counter Attack, Eco Fighters, Last Duel, Side Arms and Varth)
Intellivision Lives!
Midway Arcade Treasures (contains Blaster, Defender, Defender II, Robotron 2084, Satan's Hollow, Sinistar and Super Smash TV)
Midway Arcade Treasures 2 (contains Kozmik Krooz'r, Total Carnage and NARC)
Namco Museum (contains Galaga, Galaga Arrangement (remake of Galaga) and Galaxian)
Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (contains Bosconian, Dragon Spirit, Galaga, Galaga '88,Galaxian, Sky Kid and Xevious)
Taito Legends 1 (contains Exzisus, Phoenix, Return of the Invaders, Space Gun, Space Invaders and Space Invaders Part II)
Taito Legends 2 (contains Darius Gaiden, Front Line, Gekirindan, Grid Seeker: Operation Storm Hammer, Gun Frontier, Insector X, Kiki Kai Kai, Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV, Metal Black, Rayforce*, Space Invaders '95: The Attack of the Lunar Loopies, Space Invaders DX and Wild Western) *PC/Xbox Exclusive [This was only released in Europe, but it is region free]
Tecmo Classic Arcade (contains Pleiads, Star Force and Strato Fighter)
Xyanide

Japan releases:
Psyvariar 2 Extend Edition
Shikigami No Shiro 
Shikigami No Shiro 2
Shikigami No Shiro Evolution (red and blue editions)

Gamecube:

US releases:
Chaos Field
Ikaruga
Intellivision Lives!
Midway Arcade Treasures (contains Blaster, Defender, Defender II, Robotron 2084, Satan's Hollow, Sinistar and Super Smash TV)
Midway Arcade Treasures 2 (contains Kozmik Krooz'r, Total Carnage and NARC)
Namco Museum (contains Galaga, Galaga Arrangement (remake of Galaga) and Galaxian)
Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (contains Bosconian, Dragon Spirit, Galaga, Galaga '88,Galaxian, Sky Kid and Xevious)
Space Raiders

Japan releases:
Hudson Selection Vol. 2: Star Soldier
Radirgy GeneriC (aka Radio Allergy in the US Milestone Shooting Collection on Wii)
Shikigami no Shiro II

Dreamcast:

US releases:
Atari Anniversary Edition
Bangai-o
Giga Wing
Giga Wing 2
Gunbird 2
Mars Matrix
Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Volume 1 (contains Robotron, Sinistar and Defender)
Namco Museum (contains Galaga and Galaxian)


Japan releases:
Border Down
Chaos Field
DUX
Ikaruga
Karous
Last Hope
Psyvariar 2
Radilgy
Rainbow Cotton
Shikigami No Shiro 2
Triggerheart Exelica
Trizeal
Twinkle Star Sprites
Under Defeat
Zero Gunner 2

Saturn:

US releases:
Darius Gaiden
Galactic Attack (aka Layer Section and Rayforce)
In the Hunt
Midway Presents Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1 (contains Asteroids and Centipede)
Midway Presents Arcade's Greatest Hits (contains Sinistar, Robotron, Defender and Stargate)
Tempest 2000

Japan releases:
Arcade Gears: 3 Wonders
Arcade Gears: Gun Frontier
Arcade Gears: Image Fight and X-Multiply
Batsugun
Battle Garegga
Blast Wind
Bokan To Ippatsu Doronboo Kanpekiban
Capcom Generation 1: 194X
Capcom Generation 3
Cho Aniki Kyukyoku Otokonogyakushu
Cotton 2
Cotton Boomerang
Darius II
Detana! Twinbee - Yahho Deluxe Pack
Dezaemon 2
DonPachi
DoDonPachi
Fantasy Zone
Game Paradise
Gekirindan
Gokujyou Parodius Da! Deluxe Pack
Gradius Deluxe
Guardian Force
Gunbird
Hyper Duel
Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius
Kaitei Daisensou
Kingdom Grand Prix
Konami Antiques MSX Collection Ultra Pack
Kyukyoku Tiger 2 Plus
Layer Secton II (aka RayStorm)
Macross: Do You Remember Love?
Metal Black
Planet Joker
Radiant Silvergun
Sengoku Blade
Sexy Parodius
Shienryu
Skull Fang
Sol Divide
Sonic Wings Special
Soukyugerentai
Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus
Space Invaders
Steam Hearts
Strikers 1945
Strikers 1945 II
Super Dimensional Fortress Macross
Terra Cresta 3D
Thunder Force V
Thunderforce Gold Pack 1
Thunderforce Gold Pack 2
Twinkle Star Sprites

Nintendo 64

US releases:
Asteroids Hyper 64
Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Volume 1 (contains Robotron, Sinistar, Defender)
Namco Museum 64 - Galaga, Galaxian
Robotron 64
Space Invaders
Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth


Japan releases:
Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh
Dezaemon 3D (shmup creator with a few built-in games)



Playstation:

US releases:
A Collection of Activision Classic Games for the Atari 2600
Atari Anniversary Edition
Atari Anniversary Edition Redux
Einhander
G Darius
Geki-Oh Shooting King (port of Shienryu)
In the Hunt
Midway Presents Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1 (contains Asteroids and Centipede)
Midway Presents Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2 (contains Millipede)
Mobile Light Force (Gunbird)
Namco Museum Vol. 1 (contains Bosconian and Galaga)
Namco Museum Vol. 2 (contains Xevious and Gaplus)
Namco Museum Vol. 3 (contains Galaxian and Phozon)
Namco Museum Vol. 4 (contains Ordyne and Assault)
Namco Museum Vol. 5 (contains Ninja Spirit and BaRaDuke)
Philosoma
Raiden Project
Raycrisis
Raystorm
R-Type Delta
R-Types
Sol Divide
Strikers 1945 (US title, this is actually Strikers 1945 II)
Tempest X3
Thunder force V
Viewpoint
Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits (contains Defender, Robotron, Sinistar, Stargate)
Xevious 3D/G+

Japan releases:
3d Shooting Tsukuru
Air Grave
Arcade Gears: Image Fight/X-Multiply
Cho Aniki
Cotton 100%
Cotton Original
Darius Gaiden
Dezaemon Kids
Dezaemon Plus
DoDonPachi
DonPachi
Gaia Seed
Galaga: Destination Earth
Game Paradise 2
Gatchaman: The Shooting
Geppy-X
Gradius Deluxe Pack
Gradius Gaiden
Harmful Park
Image Fight/X-Multiply
Kaitei Daisensou
Kyuinn (aka Vacuum Kids)
Macross: Do You Remember Love
Meta-Ph-List Gamma X 2297
Night Raid
Parodius Deluxe Pack
Parodius: Forever With Me
Raiden (not DX)
Raiden DX
Salamander Deluxe Pack
Sexy Parodius
Sonic Wings Special
Soukyu-gurentai
Space Invaders Variations
Stahlfeder
Strikers 1945
Time Bokan: Bokan to Ippatsu
Time Bokan: Desu Yo
Toaplan Shooting Battle
Twinbee Deluxe Pack
Two-Tenkaku
X2: No Relief
Xevious 3D/G+
Zanac X Zanac

Playstation Portable:

US releases:
Capcom Classic Collection (contains 1942, 1943, 1943 Kai, Gunsmoke, Ultimate Ecology, Exed Ezes, Commando, Mercs)
Gradius Collection (contains Gradius, Gradius II, Gradius III, Gradius IV, Gradius Gaiden)
NeoGeo Heroes Ultimate Shooting
Space Invaders Extreme

Japan releases:
Darius Burst
Gunhound EX
Parodius Portable (contains Parodius, Parodius Da!, Gokujou Parodius, Sexy Parodius, Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius)
PC Engine Collection : Ginga Ojousama Densetsu Collection (contains Sapphire)
PC Engine Collection : Soldier Collection (contains Final Soldier, Super Star Soldier, Soldier Blade, Star Parodier)
Rei Chouaniki
Salamander Portable (contains Salamander, Salamander 2, Gradius 2, Xexex)
Sengoku Cannon : Sengoku Ace Episode 3
Star Soldier
Stikers 1945 Plus Portable
Twinbee Portable (contains Twinbee, Detana Twinbee, Pop'n Twinbee, Twinbee Yahoo!)
Xyanide Ressurection

Nintendo DS:

US releases:
Bangai-O Spirits
Danny Phantom - Urban Jungle
Geometry Wars Galaxies
Nanostray
Nanostray 2
Space Invaders Extreme (supports the PADDLE controller)
Space Invaders Extreme 2 (supports the PADDLE controller)

Japan releases:
Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi - Death Label

Nintendo DSi
Aa Mujyou Setsuna (Dsiware)

Gameboy Advance:

US releases:
Danny Phantom - Urban Jungle
Gradius Galaxies
Iridion II
NES Classics Star Soldier
NES Classics Xevious
Phalanx
R-Type III
Sigma Star Saga (RPG with shmup battles)

Japan releases:
Twiinbee - Famicom mini (series 2)

Notables in a subset genre of shooters that are recommended (this list is not complete, nor is it intended to be):

US releases:
Alien Hominid [Run & Gun] (XLBA, GCN, PS2)
Alien Soldier [Run & Gun] (GEN, VC)
Contra [Run & Gun] (XLBA, NES)
Contra Hard Corps [Run & Gun] (GEN)
Contra III: The Alien Wars [Run & Gun] (SNES, VC)
Contra: Shattered Soldier [Run & Gun] (PS2)
Gunstar Heroes [Run & Gun] (GEN, VC)
Metal Slug [Run & Gun] (NEOGEO, VC)
Metal Slug 2 [Run & Gun] (NEOGEO, VC)
Metal Slug 3 [Run & Gun] (Xbox)
Metal Slug 4 & 5 [Run & Gun] (PS2, Xbox)
Metal Slug Anthology [Run & Gun] (PS2, Wii, PSP)
Metal Slug X [Run & Gun] (PS1)
Panzer Dragoon [On Rails] (SAT)
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei [On Rails] (SAT)
Panzer Dragoon Orta [On Rails] (Xbox)
Rez [On Rails] (XLBA, PS2)
Sin & Punishment [On Rails] (VC)
Sin & Punishment 2 [On Rails] (Wii)
Space Harrier [On Rails] (Arcade, 32X, Saturn, VC)
Star Fox [On Rails] (SNES)
Star Fox 64 [On Rails] (N64)
Sunset Riders [Run & Gun] (SNES, GEN) Sega Genesis port is inferior to the SNES version
Super Contra [Run & Gun] (XLBA, NES, VC)
Wild Guns (SNES, VC)

Japan releases:
Gunners Heaven [Run & Gun] (PSN PS1 Store, PS1)
Metal Slug [Run & Gun] (SAT, PS1)
Metal Slug 3 [Run & Gun] (PS2)
Rez [On Rails] (Dreamcast)
Sin & Punishment [On Rails] (N64)

Special Thanks goes to Mr. Furious, A Black Falcon, woodypop, purg3, CaseyTappy, Serraxor, Moor-Angol and Brashnir. (If I missed you, please accept my apologies)
 

fatty

Member
PS1 Store (JPN) (Setting up a Japanese Account):
JPstorefront.jpg


Shooter Series Timelines:
Coming soon! (please PM me if you want to help out with this)

Basic format will be:
Shooter Title (Year released) (Shooter Title in US, if different) [Systems]

Example:
Salamander (1986) (aka Life Force in the US) [Arcade, Commodore 64, MSX, NES, PC Engine, X68000, Virtual Console, ZX Spectrum]

Developer History:

Although a bit dated (2006), here is a nice summary by dog$ of the most prominent shooter developers:

dog$ said:
Cave

A somewhat recent trend among most shooters is to have them be styled in one of two ways, usually designated as "old-school" and "bullet hell". After the early Donpachi, Cave has fundamentally initiated and established their company's existence upon such "bullet hell" shooters. Particularly with this generation, Cave has continuously produced quality shooters in rapid fashion; Dondonpachi Daiojou, Espgaluda, Mushihimesama, Ketsui, and Ibara are all shooters with unique twists but a common trend - to put more pixels of bullets on screen than anything else in the game. In a respect it can be said that Cave is the lone remaining shooter-only production house in Japan today. One footnote worth mentioning is that while arcade score competition remains heated among Japanese players, in Cave's case it became so contested that it caused major productions to be cancelled. A player named Clover-TAC was to compile a superplay for Ketsui and have it recorded for a DVD, and for this purpose, Arika (who was to publish the DVD) had Cave code a special version of the game specifically for score-attack purposes. However, Clover-TAC played this special version of the game and submitted the scores he earned to Arcadia Magazine, and the scores were published. This was a breach of agreement on Cave's part, resulting in the DVD movie being cancelled as well as a rumored home PS2 verison of the game. If anything, this episode shows how protective Cave is of their shooters.

Compile

Before resigning theirselves to whore out the Puyo Puyo franshise unto eternity and beyond, Compile was a respected developer of shooters that didn't focus as much on enemy congestion as it did a raw sense of speed in some or their games or perhaps just plain bizzare graphics in others. Zanac X Zanac remains a rather rare PS1 shooter and is the last of what could be considered their flasgship shooter series, but it's possible most American gamers most know Compile for their hybrid shooter/adventure game known as The Guardian Legend. Musha, Blazing Lazers, and Aleste are other popular Compile titles. Note: there is no relationship between Randar and Lolo.

Eighting/Raizing

Here is another company that has abandoned their shooter development and established franchises. 8ing has an impressive history of development, being responsible for titles such as Battle Garegga, Metal Black, Brave Blade, Layer Section, and Soukyugurentai (released elsewhere as Terra Diver). Unfortunately, their only videogame production as of this generation has been for the licenced Naruto fighters found on Gamecube and PS2.

G-Rev

A recent upstart in the Japanese videogame developer set is G-Rev. So far, they have focussed on making arcade oriented titles and their first two entries were well received shooters, both of which have home versions on the Sega Dreamcast; Border Down and Under Defeat. Under Defeat is the last non-dojinshi (fanmade) Sega Dreamcast game that will ever be made. I read somewhere that some of GRev's staff is formed from former Taito employees that helped make games for their Darius series, and there are certainly elements of Border Down that exhibit similar traits to Darius. Their latest game, Senko no Ronde, is more of a shooter-fighter hybrid that is only available on the XBox 360 at the moment. The impressions I've heard of this game are sparse and not entirely positive; here's hoping that whether their future titles are shooters or not, GRev continues to make positive and profitable titles.

Irem

Irem is a relatively moderate software developer that is responsible for many games beyond shooters, and their shooter catalog is no slouch either; they coded games like Moon Patrol, X-Multiply, Mr. Heli's Adventure / Battle Chopper, Image Fight, and Blade Master. However, the totality of their library is overshadowed by their flagship shooter franchise: R-Type. R-Type is one of the most renown shooters of the 80's, if not of all time, and remains a challenging play to this day. Most people consider the series to have reached its apex with the PS1 release of R-Type Delta; while I personally agree that overall, the game is in fact better than their last shooter, R-Type Final, I actually was not disappointed with RTF and rather enjoyed the game's design, music, as well as the sheer number of ships (and from these ships, further customization) that you could use.

Psikyo

It's probably most accurate to say that Psikyo is an arcade game development house - while their shooters have a distinct style, each series has a rather unique heritage and Psikyo relies just as much on mah-jongg games for income as they do their shooter franchies. Shooter fans are well familiar with their franchises, and among titles such as Sengoku Ace, Gunbird 2, Strikers 1945 II, or Zero Gunner 2, you can't go wrong with any of their offerings.

Takumi

After making their first shooter, Kyukyoku Tiger 2 (subsequently released on the Sega Saturn as Kyukyoku Tiger 2 Plus), Takumi exploded onto the scene by entering into a publishing agreement with Capcom. The result has left us with some of best shooters found on the Sega Dreamcast - unfortunately after this time period, Takumi seems to have fallen off of the map. Takumi combined bullet hell game mechanics with scoring algorithms that resulted in score competitions that are almost unequalled to the present day, and Giga Wing 2 remains as one of the very few 4-player shooters in existence. In the end, though, for Takumi's shooters it was all about the points - and let's face it; how is it not thrilling to play a shooter and earn 100 quadrillion points or more?

Tecnosoft

To say that Tecnosoft was a shooter company wouldn't be entirely accurate - while it is certainly true that, with the possible exception of Herzog Zwei, the Thunder Force series is Tecnosoft's most renown series, it was also their only shooter series. Tecnosoft's other works were RPGs and other games, so it is inaccurate to say that making shooters was their primary focus. Despite this, the Thunder Force series is a remarkable shooter franchise that has always provided great challenge and graphics, neat weapons, excellent music, and perhaps most surprisingly - a good storyline. There was going to be a Thunder Force VI for the Sega Dreamcast, but it was cancelled a few months before Tecnosoft folded and faded away. Fans of the series, such as myself, still strongly lament the cancellation and absence of Tecnosoft today.

SNK

Despite the fact that the last SNK shooter came with Blazing Star, which was released nearly a decade ago, the few contributions they have made to the genre are noteworthy. Their very first game, Ozma Wars, may well be the first videogame with a boss. Pulstar is a specific example of a game that has stunning graphics and a very rough challenge, and still stands as a great horizontal shooter today.

Success

This is a relatively small-time development and publishing house (for instance, they did in fact publish the Japanese verion of the PS1 brawler Wu-Tang: Enter the Wu) but they have had a few shooter series of merit, namely Psyvariar and Cotton. The first two Cotton games are charming horizontal shooters with rich graphics and neat gameplay tricks involving freezing enemies and tossing them around; the series all but faded to obscurity with the fumbled Cotton Boomerang for Dreamcast. The Psyvariar series possibly introduced the "buzz" gameplay concept in which letting the bullets graze your ship as closely as possible translates to bonuses.

Taito

Space Invaders remains an iconic entity of Taito, but until the end of the 32bit generation they were still producing shooters on a regular basis. Everyone in the world knows about Space Invaders, but the Darius series is probably their best shooter property. My personal favorite of all their shooters is G-Darius; I thought being able to 1CC the PS1 version was a nice accomplishment - that is, until I got to play the version on the recent Taito Memories 2 collection on PS2. Suffice to say, G-Darius running at the proper speed makes a world of difference (and the PS1 port obsolete). While they presently aren't producing any new shooters, they have published a few of Cave's PS2 ports of their arcade shooters.

Treasure

From Axelay to Gradius V, there are very many ardent fans of Treasure's shooters. While I personally find Radiant Silvergun to be overrated and boring, I will concede that it is a well-made game with good production values. (Personally, I did own RS at one time but I became so infuriated with it I ended up trading mine for a working Intellivision. Yes, an Intellivision.) Ikaruga continues to receieve accolades from various journalist pieces, and Gradius V is arguably the best new shooter for the PS2.

Many Others...

There are some companies that have numerous shooter franchises in their history or being further developed. However, the above list of such companies merely scratches the surface of the totality of shooters that are out there. Moss has recently released Raiden III, reviving Seibu Kaihatsu's venerable Raiden franchise; a US release is upcoming as well as Raiden IV in the arcades. Alfa System's lone franchise is the Shikigami no Shiro series; the third title in the series was released this year and continues to enjoy some popularity in Japan. Then there is Namco, a company that is not entirely known for its shooter franchises but has definite mainstays in the Galaga and Xevious franchises. Then there are other companies that are starting to develop shooter catalogs, such as Triangle Service (XII Stag, Trizeal) and Milestone (Chaos Field, Radilgy), as well as single-title titles from current and previous generations like Gaiares, Blaze On, Phalanx, Shienryu, Homura ... it's a challenge just to list them all.

Odds and Ends


PAL PS2 Shmups that support 60Hz
(thanks to Anso)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg0ZBHdz7wM&feature=player_embedded (1st level of Gradius in Little Big Planet)

http://lowrez.spreadshirt.com/us/US...e/Shoot-the-core-back--and-frontprint-3363631 (Shoot the Core T-shirt)
 
Is it ok to post as of now?

If it is I'd like to ask a shmup question as well. I know Ikaruga (gamecube) but as the only shmup proper available to me, I find that I don't have the "chops" for it. I always keep think back to R-type final as its the whole series in one shot to take my time and hone my skills. I'm aware that one is vertical shooter as opposed to being a horizontal bullet hell game.

To be quiet honest I get excited by the appeal of bullet hell games and screen filled madness but my mind and subsequently my motions aren't in tune for it.

edit:

forgot to mention I subscribed to this with great pleasure.
 

fatty

Member
What consoles do you own? If you're interested in Bullet Hell-lite, I'd recommend Raiden Fighter Aces on the 360. At times (like boss battles) things can get quite hectic but not overwhelming. Plus it is pretty cheap to boot.
 

Joule

Member
Urban Scholar said:
Is it ok to post as of now?

If it is I'd like to ask a shmup question as well. I know Ikaruga (gamecube) but as the only shmup proper available to me, I find that I don't have the "chops" for it. I always keep think back to R-type final as its the whole series in one shot to take my time and hone my skills. I'm aware that one is vertical shooter as opposed to being a horizontal bullet hell game.

To be quiet honest I get excited by the appeal of bullet hell games and screen filled madness but my mind and subsequently my motions aren't in tune for it.

I think you just have to get used to vertical if you're more familiar with horizontal. I'm the opposite, I'm a lot worse at horizontal shmups than vertical.

----

Great thread. Subscribed.
 
fatty said:
What consoles do you own? If you're interested in Bullet Hell-lite, I'd recommend Raiden Fighter Aces on the 360. At times (like boss battles) things can get quite hectic but not overwhelming. Plus it is pretty cheap to boot.

only console I don't have available/possession of is a 360. I see you mentioned a good PS3 shooter which I'm familiar with. Would Everyday Shooter be considered a shmup? Given the design by Jonathan Mak I would say so but its more of shmup survival thing(stay alive until guitar song is over)?

edit: I see Everyday Shooter is mentioned, apologies.
 

fatty

Member
Urban Scholar said:
only console I don't have available/possession of is a 360. I see you mentioned a good PS3 shooter which I'm familiar with. Would Everyday Shooter be considered a shmup? Given the design by Jonathan Mak I would say so but its more of shmup survival thing(stay alive until guitar song is over)?

I haven't yet played the game but after reading some more details of the game it seems it probably wouldn't fit in the category. Since you enjoyed R-Type Final, I'd also give R-Type Delta (or R-Type III) a shot. Super Stardust HD has been my favorite shooter of this generation, though. :)

Llyranor said:
(coming 'soon')

I think you mean Espgaluda 2. Coming out this month!

That's why I need to rely on you guys, the real experts. Thanks!
 

Acosta

Member
Awesome thread it´s awesome.

I really miss run&gun games, wish there were more (this weekened I will buy Metal Slug collection for my GO). And I frankly prefer horizontal shooters over vertical, I guess I'm in minority.

Super Contra III (Super Probotector for me) and Axelay take a good chunk of my good memories with the SNES.
 
I remember a shmup I did play and enjoy greatly; I may get some backlash here on gaf for it though. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through Star Soldier Vanishing Earth on Nintendo 64.
don't hurt me please
 

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
Urban Scholar said:
If it is I'd like to ask a shmup question as well. I know Ikaruga (gamecube) but as the only shmup proper available to me, I find that I don't have the "chops" for it. I always keep think back to R-type final as its the whole series in one shot to take my time and hone my skills. I'm aware that one is vertical shooter as opposed to being a horizontal bullet hell game.

To be quiet honest I get excited by the appeal of bullet hell games and screen filled madness but my mind and subsequently my motions aren't in tune for it.
One of the beauties of online coming into prevalence in gaming is leaderboards with viewable replays of the top runs, and no genre benefits from this more than shmups. Studying the strategies of the masters will definitely help your game, and jockeying to beat your friends' scores is a far better motivator to improve than the bunch of faceless initials you're competing with in older-gen games.

Ditch your GC copy of Ikaruga, buy the XBLA one (only $10!), and never look back.

For novices (tbh I'm not really far past this designation), I find Cho Ren Sha to be one of the 'fairest' and most streamlined shmups around, it's a more reasonable brand of bullet hell. And it's free!
 
fatty said:
Xbox 360:

US releases:
Death Smiles (TBA)
Raiden IV
Raiden Fighters Aces
Wartech (Senko No Ronde)

XBLA:
1943
Galaga Legions
Geometry Wars
Geometry Wars 2
Ikaruga
King of Fighters: Sky Stage (coming soon?)
Omega Five
Raystorm HD (coming soon?)
R-Type Dimensions
Triggerheart Excelica
Rez

Japan Releases:
Dodonpachi Daioujou Black Label Extra (OOP)
Ketsui (coming soon)
Mamoru-kun wa Norowareteshimatta
Mushihimesama Futari Ver 1.5 (Region Free)
Espgaluda 2
Otomedius G
Shikigami no Shiro 3
Shooting Love 200X
Senko No Ronde 2 DUO (coming soon)

PS3:

PSN:
1942 Joint Strike
Astro Tripper
Blast Factor
Everyday Shooter
Gravity Crash
Novastrike
Nucleus
Pixeljunk Shooter
Soldner X
Superstardust HD

PS1 Store (US):
R-Type Delta
R-Types
Mobile Light Force (Gunbird)

PS1 Store (JPN) (Setting up a Japanese Account):
Aerowings Special
Darius
Einhander
Gaia Seed
Gunners Heaven
Raycrisis
Raystorm
Shienryu

Wii:

US releases:
Castle of Shikigami III
Ultimate Shooting Collection
Saint
The Monkey King: The Legend Begins
Heavenly Guardian (Pocky&Rocky-like)
Arcade Shooter Illvelo (coming soonish)

Virtual Console (US):
Galaga (NES)
Gradius (NES)
Life Force (NES)
Super C (NES)
Xevious (NES)
Zanac (NES)

Axelay (SNES)
Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)
Gradius III (SNES)
R-Type III: The Third Lightning (SNES)
Super R-Type (SNES)

Fantasy Zone (SMS)
Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa (SMS)

Alien Soldier (GEN)
Bio-Hazard Battle (GEN)
Gunstar Heroes (GEN)
M.U.S.H.A. (GEN)
Super Fantasy Zone (GEN)
GLeylancer (MD)

Blazing Lazers (TG16)
Cho Aniki(TG16)
Detana!! TwinBee (TG16)
Final Soldier (TG16)
Galaga ’90 (TG16)
Gate of Thunder (TG16)
Gradius II (TG16)
Lords of Thunder (TG16)
R-Type (TG16)
Star Parodier (TG16)
Super Star Soldier (TG16)

Metal Slug (NEOGEO)
Metal Slug 2 (NEOGEO)

Star Force (VC Arcade)

PS2:

US releases:
Castle of Shikigami 2
Contra: Shattered Soldier
Gradius III + IV
Gradius V
Raiden III
R-Type Final
Taito Legends 2
Mobile Light Force 2
Silpheed: The Lost Planet

Japan Releases:
DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou
Espgaluda (best game of the generation)
Homura
Ibara
Mushihime-sama
Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol 1: Strikers 1945 I & II (II!)
Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol 2: Sengoku Ace and Sengoku Blade (Blade being the one worthwhile)
Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol 3: Sol Divide and Dragon Blaze (Dragon Blaze!)
Thunder Force VI
Assault Suit Valken (remake)
Cho Aniki: Sei Naru Protein Densetsu
Gigawing Generations
Gunbird I & II
Psyvariar
XII Stag

Playstation:

US releases:
Darius Gaiden (never game out in the U.S. except on Saturn)
Einhander
G Darius
Geki-Oh Shooting King (port of Shienryu)
In the Hunt
Mobile Light Force (Gunbird)
Philosoma
Raiden Project
Raycrisis
Raystorm
R-Type Delta
R-Types
Sol Divide
Strikers 1945 (is Strikers 1945 II in Japan)
Thunder force V
Viewpoint (remake using prerendered sprites)

Japan releases:
Cho Aniki
Cotton Original
Darius Gaiden
DoDonPachi
DonPachi
Gradius Gaiden
Harmful Park
Raiden DX
Strikers 1945 II
Gaia Seed
Game Paradise 2
Gatchaman: The Shooting
Geppy-X
Gradius Deluxe Pack
Arcade Gears: Image Fight/X-Multiply
Macross: Do You Remember Love
Night Raid
Parodius Deluxe Pack
Parodius: Forever With Me
Salamander Deluxe Pack
Sexy Parodius
Kyuinn (aka Vacuum Kids)
Twinbee Deluxe Pack
Time Bokan: Desu Yo
Time Bokan: Bokan to Ippatsu
X2: No Relief
Zanac X Zanac

I hope this helps :D
 

woodypop

Member
PS2:

US Releases:
Capcom Classics Collection:
1942
1943
1943 Kai
Exed Exes
Forgotten Worlds
Legendary Wings
Section Z
Vulgus

Capcom Classics Collection 2:
1941: Counter Attack
Eco Fighters
Last Duel
Side Arms
Varth
 
fantastic, fantastic thread.

Oh, and by the way, there's an impending American release of Millstone's (Chaos Field, Radirgy) shooter Ilvelo, its date has been pushed back a few times already, but that's typical for the publisher. I'm surprised its getting an American release at all, its as fruity, perhaps even more so then Deathsmiles fer crying out loud.

Ilvelo, American style, here.
 

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
Contra Hard Corps isn't on the Virtual Controle for Genesis/Megadrive?

Crime against humanity, Konami!
 

purg3

slept with Malkin
Where's the DC love? ;)

US Releases
Bangai-o
Giga Wing
Giga Wing 2
Gunbird 2
Mars Matrix

Japan Releases
Border Down
Chaos Field
DUX
Ikaruga
Last Hope
Psyvariar 2
Radilgy
Shikigami No Shiro 2
Under Defeat
Zero Gunner 2

probably missing some, but that's what I could think of off the top of my head.

Also, on PS2 wasn't Shikigami released as Mobile Light Force in the US, or am I thinking of something different?
 

Drkirby

Corporate Apologist
No Metal Slug? I mean, I was thinking "Ok, he isn't going to cover run 'n guns, understandable" but then you pull out Contra and Gunstar for the last one. Metal Slug is a much easier starting place then ether of those two.


I just got a Turbo Graphix 16, and copies of Blazing Lasers and Galiga '90, so I'll be giving those some play thoughs in a few weeks once things quiet down over here.

Oh, and it was 1942 Joint Strike for the 360 too. I wish I could get 1943 on it :/
 

fatty

Member
Thanks for the help, guys! I'll get the releases updated tomorrow.

I will say this though, maybe it's because I'm old, but shooters are still the best looking genre to me in terms of graphics. I remember long ago reading my 300 page EGMs and seeing the Sega Genesis ads (Genesis does it all/Genesis does what Nintendon't) and looking at all of those awesome screenshots. I would marvel at how nice those games looked, but there were two that stood out.

The Strider ad where Hiryu is sliding down that hill, and Thunder Force III. Those were the games that made me want to get a Genesis. And still to this day I love looking at screenshots of them. Something about these games that just give me that good ol' nostalgic feeling. And with shooters, everything (graphics, gameplay and even sound) still stands the test of time.
 

Brashnir

Member
Good thread. I'm not much into a lot of the newer bullet-hell shmups, but I am a fan of the genre to a degree.

I think your primer could use a little more in the way of shmup Categories. Single Screen/Scrolling, Twin-stick/unidirectional shooting/shoot-the-way-you-move (think Ikari Warriors - there's probably a better name for this out there, but I don't follow the genre enough to know it) and I'm sure there's some more.

Then people could list all applicable categories when they list a game, like so:

1942 - Vertical Scrolling * Power-up * Unidirectional shooting * Level-based (32 levels)
Galaga - Single-screen * Unidirectional shooting * Level-based
Geometry Wars RE - Single Screen (scrolls a tiny bit) * Twin-stick * Endless

Some of us are sort of picky in what types of shmups we enjoy, so having a quick reference index on games when browsing would be nice.
 

Joule

Member
usea said:
No mention of rRootage yet? It's awesome (and free).

Really all of Kenta Cho's works are pretty great. I was just playing Torus Trooper a little bit ago. Should we have a section for indie/fanwork/doujin shooters?
 

Tain

Member
Advice to people new to the genre:

1. Don't continue
Most of the shooters worth playing weren't made to be console games. Gradius is not an NES game, Ikaruga is not a Dreamcast game. They were made to be arcade games. And yes, believe it or not, every single Japanese arcade game I've seen is both completely clearable with a single credit and at its most enjoyable when played with a single credit. In fact, they often turn into noninteractive explosion clip shows if you use as many credits as you "need." Not to mention the countless games that wreck your score when continuing, the games that prevent you from playing them to their entirety when continuing, the games that introduced continues only later in the International releases and home ports, or the games that prevent you from continuing at all. Before you scoff at the thought of a game like Raiden being more than some vacuum that tries to unfairly kill you every two seconds to earn more cash while you continue into infinity, realize that...

2. These games aren't as hard as you think they are
Seriously. You can get halfway through Espgaluda, at least. I promise. If you follow rule 1 closely for a while, you'll realize that the fastest way to get anywhere at all when it comes to these games (or any other arcade games, for that matter) is to play without continuing. Getting wrecked in stage 2 means that you aren't good enough to beat stage 2 yet. It does not mean that you'll never be good enough to beat stage 2.

3. Playing for score isn't the only way to play these games
I have way more fun with a game when I play for survival. At least, when I'm new to it. And honestly, I can't see any other way making sense. What's the point in jumping into DoDonPachi and quitting whenever you break your chain in stage 2 when you can't even get halfway through the game? Start simply by surviving, first, then only get cocky and mess with scoring in areas that you eventually get comfortable in.

4. Don't assume that "bullet hell" means "hard"
I've seen friends new to arcade games have more trouble with the original Gradius than with Mushihimesama Futari 1.5. Hell, some of these people get bored of Touhou games at their normal difficulty now and have never even seen R-Type stage 4. This doesn't mean that all old games are hard and all new bullet-pumped games are easy. Just don't be stupid and take it on a case by case basis.

5. fuck treasure
Ikaruga is a great game, but insanely unorthodox. Everybody should play it, but nobody should let it mess with their opinion on the entire genre a whole lot. Radiant Silvergun really fucks with rule 3 by making you play for scoring. And Gradius V is cool, but man is it long, with just a little too many slow sections. They're clearly a talented bunch, but don't believe anybody who claims them to be the unquestionable best in the genre. I've seen people try to get into shooters by doing nothing but playing Radiant Silvergun for score, getting turned off, and walking away from the genre entirely. I just Do Not Get It.
 

oracrest

Member
my first nes game was Zanac.

It always felt a bit creepy.

zanac1.png


The sequel on PS1 is good too, but much, much easier :\


Metal Slug 3 is my favorite all-out shmup glorified extravaganza. It has run and gun, submarines, horizontal flying, vertical flying, jetpacks, airplanes, the works!

02-1.jpg
 

Treb

Member
Very nice! Looks like I've missed out on a lot of these shoot em ups. Hopefully I could play at least some of these titles in the future.
 

usea

Member
Joule said:
Really all of Kenta Cho's works are pretty great. I was just playing Torus Trooper a little bit ago. Should we have a section for indie/fanwork/doujin shooters?
Why the distinction? This is a shmup thread. No need to arbitrarily separate games that are given away instead of sold..

Another awesome shmup is garden of coloured lights. It gets pretty tough, and has a lot of options to pick from. Same guy made several other games which are pretty good too.
 

Brashnir

Member
fatty said:
XBLA:
1943
Galaga Legions
Geometry Wars
Ikaruga
King of Fighters: Sky Stage (coming soon?)
Omega Five
Raystorm HD (coming soon?)
R-Type Dimensions
Triggerheart Excelica

1943 is actually 1942 Joint Strike

Also, add the following:

Alien Hominid
Commandos 3: WOTB
Assault Heroes
Assault Heroes 2
Heavy Weapon
Mutant Storm Reloaded
Mutant Storm Empire
Undertow
Jetpac Refuelled
Battlestar Galactica
Crystal Quest
Contra
Super Contra
Space Giraffe
Aegis Wing
Missile Command
Asteroids
Centipede/Millipede
Gyruss
Scramble
Time Pilot
Robotron 2084
Smash TV
Galaga

Someone earlier mentioned GW2 and Rez, so I won't repeat them.
 
First, Blast Works: Build & Destroy for the Wii should be on the list. It's the enhanced remake of the PC freeware game Tumiki Fighters, and shouldn't be forgotten (even Mr_Furious failed to mention it).

Also, if you want a pretty complete list of traditional shmups (that is, not including rail shooters, lightgun shooters, run & gun games, etc), shmups.com has one...

http://www.shmups.com/xenocidefiles.html
Supplemented by this:
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=6571&highlight=xenocide

It doesn't list the shmups in game compilations, though... so here are some.

woodypop said:
PS2:

US Releases:
Capcom Classics Collection:
1942
1943
1943 Kai
Exed Exes
Forgotten Worlds
Legendary Wings
Section Z
Vulgus

Capcom Classics Collection 2:
1941: Counter Attack
Eco Fighters
Last Duel
Side Arms
Varth

Note that those two collections are PS2/Xbox.


Midway Arcade Treasures (GC/Xbox/PS2):
Sinistar
Robotron 2084
Super Smash TV
Satan's Hollow
Defender
Defender II
Might count depending on what you list: RoadBlasters (racing/shooting game), Blaster (rail shooter)

Midway Arcade Treasures 2:
Total Carnage
Kozmik Krooz'r
Might count: Xybots (third person shooting), NARC

Midway Arcade Treasures 3:
Nothing unless you're also listing rail shooters and count STUN Runner as one, instead of as a racing game which it is more of really.


Taito Legends 1 (PC/PS2/Xbox)
Phoenix
Space Invaders
Space Invaders Part II
Space Gun
Return of the Invaders
Exzisus
(also contains some lightgun-style games I won't list)

Taito Legends 2 (PC/PS2/Xbox) - mentioned already, but not with contents listed
Front Line (Commando/Ikari Warriors style)
Gekirindan
Grid Seeker: Operation Storm Hammer
Gun Frontier
Insector X
Kiki Kai Kai
Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV
Metal Black
Space Invaders DX
Space Invaders '95: The Attack of the Lunar Loopies
Wild Western
Darius Gaiden

PC/Xbox exclusive:
RayForce (aka Galactic Attack, Layer Section)

PS2 exclusive:
Balloon Bomber
G-Darius
RayStorm (aka Layer Section II)
Syvalion


Tecmo Classic Arcade (Xbox)
Star Force
Strato Fighter
Pleiads
Plus sort of "lightgun-ish" Senjyo

Namco Museum (PS2/Xbox/Gamecube version)
Galaxian
Galaga
Galaga Arrangement (new remake version of Galaga)

Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (PS2/Xbox/Gamecube)
Galaga
Galaxian
Xevious
Dragon Spirit
Bosconian
Galaga '88
Sky Kid

Atari Anthology (PS2/Xbox) and Activision Anthology (PC/PS2/Xbox) are also worth mentioning, for Atari 2600 games. Intellivision Lives! (GC/PC/PS2/Xbox) is similar but for Intellivision.

Sonic Adventure DX (GC/PC) and Sonic Gems Collection have Tails' Sky Patrol in them. Sonic Gems also has the two Vectorman games in it, though I would not count those here. (platform/action really)

Sega Classics Collection (PS2) has remakes of Alien Syndrome, Fantasy Zone, and Space Harrier in it.

Sega Genesis Collection (PS2) has Tac/Scan, the two Vectormans (again they shouldn't count), Super Thunder Blade (rail/topdown shooter), Zaxxon, Zektor, Future Spy

Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (PS3/X360): Alien Syndrome, Zaxxon, Space Harrier, Super Thunder Blade
 
Blue Wish Resurrection Plus is a great bullet hell shmup and its free. Not sure if I can link to the download though, but it should be easy to find. There's a lot of bullets on screen, but its slow enough that you don't need lightning fast reflexes to play this game. Very beginner friendly. It's one of my favorite shmups, homebrew or otherwise. Check it out.
 

fatty

Member
Whew, list has been updated with the suggestions above. In time I’ll try to flesh out some more titles for systems like Xbox and eventually add more consoles (Gamecube, NES, etc.) but it will definitely be a work in progress.

Now that we have a pretty large list, I’m hoping to start focusing on titles that should be highlighted, everyone’s personal favorites. That way we can give others an idea of not only what titles need to be played, but their reasoning behind it.

Brashnir said:
Good thread. I'm not much into a lot of the newer bullet-hell shmups, but I am a fan of the genre to a degree.

I think your primer could use a little more in the way of shmup Categories. Single Screen/Scrolling, Twin-stick/unidirectional shooting/shoot-the-way-you-move (think Ikari Warriors - there's probably a better name for this out there, but I don't follow the genre enough to know it) and I'm sure there's some more.

Then people could list all applicable categories when they list a game, like so:

1942 - Vertical Scrolling * Power-up * Unidirectional shooting * Level-based (32 levels)
Galaga - Single-screen * Unidirectional shooting * Level-based
Geometry Wars RE - Single Screen (scrolls a tiny bit) * Twin-stick * Endless

Some of us are sort of picky in what types of shmups we enjoy, so having a quick reference index on games when browsing would be nice.

I’m not opposed to the newer categories but there are two issues I see coming up. The first being is what types of categories should be added. Adding additional groups and trying to distinguish titles even more could throw some confusion into the equation and the list we have compiled already is pretty daunting as it is. The other is that it would require a tremendous amount of work, which is OK, but there would need to be commitment from others in completing the task.
 

Tiefooz

Member
Can we add The Red Star to the list? It's definitely more brawler than shooter, but incorporates shooter elements so goddamn well that I think it demands inclusion. Next to Gradius V, it's my favorite shooter(esque) on the PS2.
 
Top Bottom