Bydobasher wrote:If you find time to write down thoughts for your own list, I very much look forward to reading and discussing them!
I wasn't going to, but your request motivates me to give it a try. Here we go.
R-Type: I remember seeing the first screenshots appear in the gaming press of the time, and it struck me immediately, how advanced R-Type looked compared to its contemporaries. I vividly remember a two-page spread in a magazine that had a review of R-type opposite one of Taito's Exzisus. They looked like they were a generation apart. R-Type also manages to incorporate the Giger-influenced aesthetics so popular at the time into its own style rather than outright plagiarizing them. Cosmetics aside, the gameplay holds up equally well. I honestly can't think of a single thing I would change.
Apidya: The guys behind this were clearly influenced by japanese games of the time, as is evident not only in Apidya, but also in their other games, namely the puzzler Gem'X and its unreleased sequel Super Gem'Z. Fortunately, they didn't just mimic the visual style of the games that influenced them, but they also copied over the same attention to good game design and playability, something that's sorely absent in most of the other shooters on the Amiga. As a bonus, Chris Hülsbeck delivered one of his best soundtracks outside a Turrican game. If Apidya had been released on the Mega Drive or the PC-Engine, it would be regarded as a 16-bit classic today, and rightfully so.
GG Aleste 3: This is my shmup of the year 2020 for sure. At first I was just impressed by all the spectacular effects that really push the target hardware, but the more I played it the more I learned to appreciate how tightly designed the game is. Not only is the difficulty curve almost perfect, rising steadily without any major spikes, there's also an excellent balance to the course of each stage that intersperses very intense parts with others that offer a brief relieve and allow you to rebuild your strength, yet the latter never feel like a lull in the action and still keep you on you toes. The result is that the game forgives the occasional mistake, as there's always a chance to claw yourself back to power, but it punishes you hard if you're just flailing about and don't know what you're doing. It's not only the best 8-bit shmup I know, it's one of the best non-bullet-hell experiences period.
Mr. Heli No Daibouken: It's quirky, it's unique, and it plays like nothing else. There are few games as creative as this one. While the arcade version goes a bit overboard with the difficulty, the PCE version rectifies this and comes highly recommended as a result.
ZeroRanger: A love letter to the genre. Incredibly stylish and brimming with creativity. I also like that the game offers so many different ways of playing it, based on the weapons you pick after each stage. Another game I love for its uniqueness.
Biohazard Battle: Sega aren't particularly well-known for their shmups, but with Biohazard Battle they struck gold. The game is very solidly designed, and its unique atmosphere (see a pattern here?) and eerie music never fail to impress. It also nailed the prerendered look two years before Donkey Kong Country, yet it has actually aged more gracefully. The only thing I'd love to have in the game would be some way of locking the option in position, Last Resort style.
DonPachi: This was probably the first bullet hell shooter I have played. To this day I like to return to it if I'm looking for something not quite as manic as some of the more modern shooters, from Cave or otherwise. It's often overshadowed by its genre-defining sequel, but it has its own merits and is very much worth playing. Amusingly, when I first joined this forum, this game was often discussed using the abbreviation "DP", and when I first started playing it, I searched the internet looking for information on it using that very monicker. Boy, was I in for a surprise...
DoDonPachi: Just a timeless classic. There may not be many people whose absolute favourite this is, but it's a game almost every one
also likes. It's the mid-eighties Metallica of shmups, equally appreciated by thrashers and posers alike.
Infinos Gaiden: Just when I felt a bit burned-out by shooters in the more modern style, this game came along, encompassing everything I used to like in late-eighties/early-nineties sidescrollers. This could easily pass as an arcade release from this time. Well-made and a lot of fun to play.
Z-Out: Similar to Apidya, Z-Out was made by people who have obviously studied the best japanes shmups of the time, as is evident in the great playability. Sadly, it's the only game the team seems to have ever released. The visuals in the first four stages aren't all that great, but the last two easily make up for it. I just wish this had come out under its working title "Wargate" instead of being forcibly tied to the unrelated (and much worse) X-Out by the publisher.
Gradius Gaiden: This is the pinnacle of classic (read: pre-V) Gradius. Great set pieces, tightly constructed stages, a lot of options. If you don't like this, you don't like Gradius.
Gunbird 2: The late-era Psikyo shmup I have probably played the most. It's fun to experiment with the different characters, and the stages never feel overwhelming despite offering a huge challenge.
Hydorah: Another love letter to the genre. As good as you can rightfully expect from Locomalito, it's both a homage to the best and a great game in its own right.
Parodius Da!: Not quite as outlandish as later games in the series yet, I prefer Da! to those exactly because of that. Rank eating you alive a little later than stage 3 (Gokujou, I'm looking at you!) also helps.
Power Strike II (SMS): Before GG Aleste 3, this was the best 8-bit shmup I knew. Classic Compile, and incredible what they managed to squeeze out of the hardware. I very much like the nods to earlier games in the series that show in some of the "mass of turrets" (mid-)bosses.
Radirgy: My favourite Milestone game. If played well, you can get into a flow that carries you from one ABS shield to the next without interruption. It's a surge that's hard to resist. The unusual visuals and soundtrack might be a turnoff for some people, but I think they fit the game perfectly.
Shikigami no Shiro II: Unlike the first game, that's a little too rough around the edges for my taste, and the third, which introduces new gameplay elements that compromise its purity, Shiki II perfectly nails the unique "get close to bullets to increase strength" mechanic. Counterintuitive? Hell, yes, but it's so much fun.
Strikers 1945 II: The game that marks the transition between early and late Psikyo. It doesn't really fit in either camp, which makes it very unique. It's ugly as a really ugly thing, though.
Trizeal: Similar to Strikers II, I like this explicitely for sitting between old school and modern styles. There's nothing groundbreaking, but it's put together very well, and I always enjoy going back to it.
Beamrider: Fast paced proto-shmup, great for a few minutes of blasting action.
Mushihime-Sama: This is the game that made me buy a PS2 after I had a chance to play it at one of the London shmupmeets. I very much like its approach of offering something for everyone with its three different modes. Personally, I like the straightforward original mode best, but I also enjoy maniac mode occasionally if I need a change of pace. I couldn't care less about the wird scoring system in the latter, though.
Strikers 1999: I used to dismiss this because of the relatively boring theme, but when I played it during STGT, I learned to appreciate it. It's much less technical than Dragon Blaze and more straightforward than Gunbird 2, but still unmistakably modern.
Zanac (NES): Another Compile classic. I think it's a bit too long for its own good, but it#s fun nonetheless.
Sonic Wings Special: This acts as a stand-in for the early-era Psikyo style. I prefer it to most other Sonic Wings games due to the sheer variety on offer.
V-V: Yet another game that came out at a time when bullet hell was just becoming a thing, but wasn't quite as well-defined as a style as we know it today. I really like these transitional shmups, as you can easily glimpse from my list. It's another game I deiscovered through STGT.