What is the best Toaplan game?

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What is the best Toaplan game? Arcade releases only!!!

Tiger-Heli
1
1%
Slap Fight
0
No votes
Hishouzame
6
9%
Kyuukyoku Tiger/Twin Cobra
6
9%
Tatsujin
7
10%
Same! Same! Same!/Fire Shark
4
6%
Out Zone
19
28%
V-V/Grind Stormer
2
3%
Batsugun/Batsugun Special
19
28%
Other
4
6%
 
Total votes: 68

Steven
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What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Steven »

Curious as to what everyone thinks.

I don't mean which one you like the most, I mean which one you think is of the highest quality overall, and this is only for the arcade versions.

Can only have 10 poll options, so I went with the notable STGs, but I can't fit all of them or their regional variants on there, so if you think Knuckle Bash, Teki-Paki, Horror Story, Dash Yarou, Snow Bros., Zero Wing, or whatever else is the best, or if you choose a game with significant differences between its versions, like Kyuukyoku Tiger/Twin Cobra, Same! 1P/Same! 2P, V-V/Grind Stormer, write it in a post or something. I wonder how many people will choose Tiger-Heli...

Out Zone is my pick, I guess, with Hishouzame in an extremely close second place, and yes, Kyuukyoku Tiger is unquestionably better than Twin Cobra, and pretty much everything else aside from Out Zone, Hishouzame, and possibly my beloved Slap Fight. Same! 1P would absolutely be up there near the top as well if not for the ridiculous bullet speeds.

I have not played everything yet, as I am missing Performan, all three of the mahjong games (but it's not like I know how to play mahjong anyway), Horror Story, Whoopee!!, Knuckle Bash, and of course Enma Daiou, which is unplayable without the pulse-sensing controller that is both basically impossible to find and will almost certainly prevent the game from ever getting rereleased, but yeah, Out Zone.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by PerishedFraud ឵឵ »

Of course's it's Out Zone. Was there ever a doubt?

Hopefully TRUCK doesn't steal too many votes.
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Sumez
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Sumez »

Steven wrote: Out Zone is my pick, I guess, with Hishouzame in an extremely close second place
This. Both fantastic games.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Jonpachi »

I figured Batsugun would run away with this, but I'm also team Outzone. Even as I'm tying this, I'm hearing the soundtrack in my head and want to go fire it up.
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MOSQUITO FIGHTER
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by MOSQUITO FIGHTER »

Outzone seems to me to be very unique while having all the staple Toaplan stuff you expect. I know that there are games like Outzone but they don't push you along at that rapid pace. Artwork really is excellent too. Tough for me to pick. I really like Dogyuun also.
Last edited by MOSQUITO FIGHTER on Tue Dec 06, 2022 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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emphatic
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by emphatic »

Outzone.

Flying Shark was my first arcade love, so it will always have a special place in my heart. It was the first game from 1987 in my home town, and I could just stand around and stare at the amazing graphics in attract mode for hours because I'd run out of money to play.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by BEAMLORD »

Outzone exemplifies the correlation between shmups and run 'n guns like no other, and coalesces into arguably the perfect arcade classic
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Lander »

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OmegaFlareX
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by OmegaFlareX »

I voted OZ, but I also like Dogyuun and Tatsujin Oh (the latter only on international bios and easy dips).

I also think most of their nonshmups are really good. Wardner, Horror Story, Knuckle Bash, Rally Bike etc. I am not a fan of Performan or Teki Paki, though.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by To Far Away Times »

Batsugun has always been a favorite of mine. I love the colorful visuals, cool character art, and awesome music.

When you go too far back with Vert's I tend to find that a lot of them don't age well, but Batsugun feels pretty modern. It's been said that Batsugun was a stepping stone to DoDonPachi, but head to head, I might even prefer Batsugun over DDP.

I guess I should give Outzone another chance. I never played it much beyond a couple of casual credits.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Redfox »

Image

It's the best IMO. Best visuals, probably the last "Toaplanesque Shooting Game" they made (V_V was one foot in one foot out and Batsugun was nearly both feet out referencing the shift from shooting game to dodging game aka bullet hell)

And yeah fuck Outzone, goddam timers and crap :D I'd rather play Fixeight and that's no lie :P :P
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by PerishedFraud ឵឵ »

The timer is your reason for disliking Outzone? While I know that many people (who are boring :) ) would prefer other games, it's the first time I've heard someone diss OZ for this reason. Perhaps you'll be pleased to know that one of the powerups makes the timer negligible, then, lol.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Steven »

Redfox wrote:probably the last "Toaplanesque Shooting Game" they made
Uemura-san and Yuge-san made 1944 The Loop Master together. Definitely go try it because it bears more than a passing resemblance to the beautiful Hishouzame, and I consider it to be "the last Toaplan game" because of that.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by DMC »

Steven, any reference for Uemura and Yuge being the main figures behind 1944? I have always been curious what personell were responsible for it since it has been attributed to Raizing but it doesn't resemeble either Toyama och Yagawa style.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Steven »

Yeah, it's in this thing: https://booth.pm/ja/items/1637983

This released several years ago in Japan, so I am very surprised that the rest of the world doesn't know about it yet. I have been meaning to see about getting this doujin magazine to see for myself, so I'll probably do that soon enough.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Sumez »

PerishedFraud ឵឵ wrote:The timer is your reason for disliking Outzone? While I know that many people (who are boring :) ) would prefer other games, it's the first time I've heard someone diss OZ for this reason. Perhaps you'll be pleased to know that one of the powerups makes the timer negligible, then, lol.
The timer is the best part about Out Zone, and I wish it were more strict. A lot of sections leave way too much leeway for you to dally around and milk respawning enemies, which makes score runs kinda boring.
Redfox wrote: It's the best IMO. Best visuals, probably the last "Toaplanesque Shooting Game" they made
What is? You forgot to mention what game you are talking about :P
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by DMC »

Steven wrote:Yeah, it's in this thing: https://booth.pm/ja/items/1637983

This released several years ago in Japan, so I am very surprised that the rest of the world doesn't know about it yet. I have been meaning to see about getting this doujin magazine to see for myself, so I'll probably do that soon enough.
Please share the info here if you get it. I am super interested in any detail about the development of this game! Any production credits or trivia related to it would be interesting.
Last edited by DMC on Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by MJR »

While Truxton has always been my favourite, I tried the Out Zone for the first time year and half ago.

Out Zone is, without question, pinnacle of Toaplan
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by PerishedFraud ឵឵ »

Sumez wrote:The timer is the best part about Out Zone, and I wish it were more strict. A lot of sections leave way too much leeway for you to dally around and milk respawning enemies, which makes score runs kinda boring.
I'd like to argue that between loops and the counterstop, there's no real reason for you to milk anything. The game wants you to speedrun, timer or not. That's why I never really saw it as part of its identity. You could remove the timer and the game would still be about rushing through.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Steven »

DMC wrote:
Steven wrote:Yeah, it's in this thing: https://booth.pm/ja/items/1637983

This released several years ago in Japan, so I am very surprised that the rest of the world doesn't know about it yet. I have been meaning to see about getting this doujin magazine to see for myself, so I'll probably do that soon enough.
Please share the info here if you get it. I am super interested in any detail about the development of this game! Any production credits or trivia related to it would be interesting.
I'll see what I can do. I don't even know what all is in there, though; I found this magazine when I was doing some research on the game and I found this game music wiki

https://w.atwiki.jp/gamemusicbest100/pages/2859.html

and saw that this info was in there. I know Uemura-san said in an interview that I've posted here before somewhere that after Gazelle he did some stuff with Yuge-san: a shooting game and I think he mentioned a puzzle game. The shooter is of course Loop Master. I don't remember the details of what he said about the puzzle game, but apparently Yuge-san worked on Kuru Kuru Kururin at 8ing. He said in the interview that most of the stuff between Gazelle and his time in marketing at CAVE is a secret or something, but I saw another interview with Joker Jun that I found just 2 days ago that apparently the death of Gazelle was so bad that it is going to remain a secret. He of course worked on Akuu Gallet with Uemura-san, so one could argue that Akuu Gallet is something of a Toaplan game, although I know very little about it other than that it kicked my ass hard the one time I have played it and that a few people that worked on it were from Toaplan.

Anyway, on Out Zone: I don't rush. I take my time when I play this game. There is absolutely no reason to rush through the game, and rushing through almost always gets me killed, and the game isn't exactly as generous with extends as Kyuukyoku Tiger or Same! or anything else aside from Zero Wing's stingy ass. The timer is totally not an issue at all, either; just play it at your own pace and you'll do fine.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Tarma »

Out Zone for me. Although I nearly choose Flying Shark for nostalgia's sake... still loving having that on PS4!
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Sumez »

PerishedFraud ឵឵ wrote: I'd like to argue that between loops and the counterstop, there's no real reason for you to milk anything. The game wants you to speedrun, timer or not. That's why I never really saw it as part of its identity. You could remove the timer and the game would still be about rushing through.
Well that was my point kinda, the game is absolutely about rushing through, it's the most fun way to play and it should reward doing that, not the opposite :)
It's a minor complaint, the game is brilliant regardless.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Nugs »

Snow Bros for me.
It's the only Toaplan game I played growing up and I don't really like their shooters except for Batsugun.

It also helps that my 6 year old daughter likes playing it with me.

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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Lethe »

Dogyuun fans hate him! Discover the one weird trick this local cyborg used to beat the timer!

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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by OmegaFlareX »

^ lol, that's a TAS right?
Nugs wrote:Snow Bros for me.
It's the only Toaplan game I played growing up and I don't really like their shooters except for Batsugun.

It also helps that my 6 year old daughter likes playing it with me.
That's adorable. Hopefully her teacher isn't some old boomer who only expects board or playground game answers.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Flobeamer1922 »

Out of all the games on that list, I'd have to say Tatsujin.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Steven »

I am really surprised that people actually like Batsugun, considering it has the single most boring boss I've ever seen in any STG ever. Jupiter actively makes the game significantly worse than it otherwise would be just by existing.

Anyway, I got my Hishouzame PCB in the mail this morning and after having not really played it for a few months, I still can't believe how perfect the game really is. If not for that weird slowdown on stage 5, I'd seriously say it's quite literally perfect. I found that I was having some minor visibility problems with the bullets blending in with the trees on stage 1 playing it on PS4 and Switch, but it turns out that you can see everything perfectly when you play it on an Astro City. You don't need autofire to have a great time with this game, either, so it's a great no-autofire clear if you want to try playing without it. Namiki Manabu says that it's the single best vertical shooter ever made, and seeing as he's the only dude in the world who is badass enough to make Battle Garegga twice, he's probably right! Everyone needs to play it.

Fuck, now I want to go play this game more, so I will!
Nugs wrote:Snow Bros for me.
It's the only Toaplan game I played growing up and I don't really like their shooters except for Batsugun.

It also helps that my 6 year old daughter likes playing it with me.

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BTW this is the best post.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by DMC »

She nailed it with the "covering monsters in snow concept".

Steven, thanks for the additional info on Uemura and Yuge.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by PerishedFraud ឵឵ »

OmegaFlareX wrote:^ lol, that's a TAS right?
It's a very predictable corridor. You can pull that off with just a few attempts. They also have the shield so they may have gone balls deep, not to mention the best weapon for the place.

They are using autofire though.
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Re: What is the best Toaplan game?

Post by Lethe »

Would've been a better joke if it was TAS, but yeah, it's just streaming. Barely any harder with a human fire rate either.

It does feel like someone thought of this playstyle during development. With realistic item luck you can charge straight through almost the whole of loop 1; the only place you're forced to slow down on is a few of the stage 5 platforms. (At Least It's Not Fixeight: ALINOF)
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