Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

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Licorice
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Licorice »

I've been on a bit of Super Famicom kick, so naturally got to Axelay.

Just got a 2CC. I haven't had much practice with the last stage, so dropped my credit there, but really it wasn't stage 6 which was the issue but stage 5. Usually I make it through unscathed or with 1 life lost to the rock jelly fish midbossy things (suck it, I used cluster bombs this time!) but instead I lost 2 lives to those fire spurts (nasty things, they can get you from behind), 1 to a dragon I thought was already crumbling into pieces and 1 to the boss (who gives you 2 lives on KO, lol). It's a weird game in that it's hard to lose lives to bullets, as you can eat 4 of them before death, but collisions are insta-death.

Still it's very generous with lives, so the 1CC doesn't seem very far away at all. Given it's my 5th or 6th run through, I'd rate this a pretty easy 1CC.

I'll post more thoughts later, but right now it's probably my favorite of the 16-bit originals I've played all things considered. Not the best, if discussing some objective qualities, but my current subjective preference. It has very varied play, and I really enjoy the bosses and all the horizontal stages. As for the vertical stages, it took me a while to warm to them. Slightly more generous hitboxes here would have gone a long way. But now that I'm used to them they're actually really quite cool and I'm glad they're there, goes back to the variety of play thing.
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durias
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by durias »

Gradius.
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Digitalironmanx
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Digitalironmanx »

Varth, mostly on Switch but also on MAME. I'm addicted to the pain. :D
Currently playing: Varth: Operation Thunderstorm
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BareKnuckleRoo
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

Spent last night playing R-Type Leo, finally got the 1cc of the World version. I like that you don't lose your basic shot when firing the pods, and it plays better as a 2 button game. Also checkpoints suck, hahah, though I think I'm still gonna go for a clear of the JP version next!

My 1CC actually nomissed up to the hopper enemies in the last stage then I started dying repeatedly, beating the boss with no lives left, oof. Still, I'm very pleased with progress, I was beating the previous stage boss (the wall with the elevators that fires spreads and beams) far more consistently than I ever have.
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Redfox
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Redfox »

Was just playing Download 2. I think I prefer Download 1 more.
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nesrulz
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by nesrulz »

Gunbird 2 (S&C Ent.) for Android. Nice game/port.
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To Far Away Times
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by To Far Away Times »

Been playing Blue Wish Desire.

I'm not too far in but there are some design differences between Blue Wish Resurrection and Desire.

Blue Wish Resurrection had denser and slower patterns I think. Desire has patterns that are a bit harder and faster. Desire's patterns seem to be balanced out by having a hyper that grants temporary invincibility though (if you get hit the hyper goes away but you don't consume a bomb). Lots of fun. Need to beat it before I can really compare the two.

Ketsui's proximity cubes are a great scoring system which is shamelessly stolen here, and combined with the Raiden Fighters style hidden point fountains, this game seems pretty cool to play for score (at least so far).

BWR is one of the all time indie/homebrew shmup classics so don't sleep on this one.
Searchlike
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Searchlike »

Been playing Murasaki, fantastic puzzle-shmup that I discovered while looking at Zaarock's 100 favorite games list (great taste, man 8) ). I beat the main game and I'm currently trying to clear stage 6, it's quite tough.

I've been itching for a similar game, but since Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury has been delisted from the 360 store, I would be interested to hear which one of the remaining two games in the series do people like best.
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To Far Away Times
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by To Far Away Times »

Searchlike wrote:Been playing Murasaki, fantastic puzzle-shmup that I discovered while looking at Zaarock's 100 favorite games list (great taste, man 8) ). I beat the main game and I'm currently trying to clear stage 6, it's quite tough.

I've been itching for a similar game, but since Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury has been delisted from the 360 store, I would be interested to hear which one of the remaining two games in the series do people like best.
That game looks aggressively touhou, right down to looking like the same game engine and art assets, but it also looks pretty fun.
Searchlike
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Searchlike »

I know what you mean, I've got very little experience with ZUN's games, but I would definitely rank this one along with Double Spoiler as two of the best gimmicky shmups out there. If you love cancelling screen filling bullets and replaying puzzle games for score, such as Sutte Hakkun, I highly recommend it.

There's also a sequel which is said to refine a lot of the mechanics, but I haven't played it yet.
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BrianC
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by BrianC »

Been playing some Time Pilot 84 and various games here and there. Not sure where to put this, but viewing the eshop, I noticed there is a port of rRootage now available for $5.00 USD. Bought it and it seems to be a good port. Odd thing is there is a "smooth joystick" option. Game feels much more responsive with it off.
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durias
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by durias »

Gradius. NES. Old school.
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Sengoku Strider
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Sengoku Strider »

The recent Gley Lancer port got me to go back and give Thunder Force IV another shot. I'm playing the Sega AGES version on Switch Lite, and something about that little screen makes multi-line parallax look absolutely amazing, like actual 3 dimensional depth. Gley Lancer was the same thing. I think I'm on the right wavelength to engage with TF4 atm because it's clicking for me in a way it hadn't before. Of course I had recognized the technological gimmickry, but the pace and demands of the game weren't where I was at. And also, again, the smaller screen right in front of my nose makes the "Am I actually damaging this thing!?" bosses easier to visually parse.
To Far Away Times wrote:Well you inspired me to put on the Gradius III OST while I do some cleaning. Good stuff indeed.

Gradius III SNES is one of those games that sorta surprised me with how much I liked it. Best of the Gradius games, if you ask me.
That's quite a take. But oddly enough, it's also the only Gradius game I felt compelled to own. So does that mean I agree with it? (Gaiden would be my other candidate, still never gotten around to playing V).
Licorice wrote:I've been on a bit of Super Famicom kick, so naturally got to Axelay.

Just got a 2CC. I haven't had much practice with the last stage, so dropped my credit there, but really it wasn't stage 6 which was the issue but stage 5. Usually I make it through unscathed or with 1 life lost to the rock jelly fish midbossy things (suck it, I used cluster bombs this time!) but instead I lost 2 lives to those fire spurts (nasty things, they can get you from behind), 1 to a dragon I thought was already crumbling into pieces and 1 to the boss (who gives you 2 lives on KO, lol). It's a weird game in that it's hard to lose lives to bullets, as you can eat 4 of them before death, but collisions are insta-death.

Still it's very generous with lives, so the 1CC doesn't seem very far away at all. Given it's my 5th or 6th run through, I'd rate this a pretty easy 1CC.

I'll post more thoughts later, but right now it's probably my favorite of the 16-bit originals I've played all things considered. Not the best, if discussing some objective qualities, but my current subjective preference. It has very varied play, and I really enjoy the bosses and all the horizontal stages. As for the vertical stages, it took me a while to warm to them. Slightly more generous hitboxes here would have gone a long way. But now that I'm used to them they're actually really quite cool and I'm glad they're there, goes back to the variety of play thing.
Axelay was kind of the swan song for the AAA (had that been a term back then) shmup. I'm guessing from the dual perspective they wanted it to be a next gen Life Force, but unfortunately it didn't sell to expectations. It's a game that would be ripe for revisiting were it not trapped in the Konami mausoleum. It had some really memorable bosses, and one of the coolest ship designs going.
LordHypnos wrote:Been playing Dragon Blaze for Calice Cup. What a fun game! Managed to make it to 1-5, which was sort of a tentative goal. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to move onto the next game, or try to improve more. The upper end of the table is highly competitive, and I have a lot of scores that need more help.
That game is so well done, one day I'll have to sit down and really figure out the scoring system because it breaks from other Psikyo conventions.
nesrulz wrote:Gunbird 2...Nice game
Best game.
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To Far Away Times
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by To Far Away Times »

Played a random credit of X-Multiply and got all the way to stage 4 without dying.

Years ago I practiced this game up and reached the final stage a few times but gave up or got distracted with something else. I haven't played this game in ages though, so my memorization is not really all that great. But I made surprising progress. Maybe I'll sit down and actually push through and get the 1CC on this. This clear has been something of a white whale for me.
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jehu
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by jehu »

To Far Away Times wrote:Played a random credit of X-Multiply and got all the way to stage 4 without dying.

Years ago I practiced this game up and reached the final stage a few times but gave up or got distracted with something else. I haven't played this game in ages though, so my memorization is not really all that great. But I made surprising progress. Maybe I'll sit down and actually push through and get the 1CC on this. This clear has been something of a white whale for me.
Good on you for the no-miss through stage 4. I tried to get a scrubby credit-feeding clear last night for the game's Halloween vibes, but the last stage broke my spirit. The meaty pods with the indestructible orbs that follow you around FOREVER are pure hell.

Jaimers apparently had the Xmultiply fever recently, too, and released a 2-All with great commentary only yesterday. Check it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2q8ZoAHkbA
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Klatrymadon
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Klatrymadon »

jehu wrote:The meaty pods with the indestructible orbs that follow you around FOREVER are pure hell.
If you learn where they spawn from and destroy the things that produce them pre-emptively, you can render that level completely trivial - there'll be very little going on for most of it, heh.
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XoPachi
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by XoPachi »

G-Darius is so much more wildly insanely difficult than the rest of the series. I honestly have no clue what I'm even supposed to be doing after Queen Fossil. Think my color blindness is hurting me with this one also.
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jehu
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by jehu »

Klatrymadon wrote: If you learn where they spawn from and destroy the things that produce them pre-emptively, you can render that level completely trivial - there'll be very little going on for most of it, heh.
Haha, you make it look so easy. As long as this strat is doable on recovery, I'll have to try it out.
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To Far Away Times
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by To Far Away Times »

Played a bit more X-Multiply last night. I'm making it a goal to actually clear it this time.

In theory, I think I know what to do and how to route it. I think. But in IREM fashion if you make one mistake you are fucked. Have to play perfect for 20 minutes.

Gonna try to chain some levels together, maybe doing complete runs from the beginning of stage 6 onwards. If I can get that down consistently then I think I got it.

I figured out the descent in stage 6 I think, but a lot can still go wrong in that area. I'm far from consistent.
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ACSeraph
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by ACSeraph »

XoPachi wrote:G-Darius is so much more wildly insanely difficult than the rest of the series. I honestly have no clue what I'm even supposed to be doing after Queen Fossil. Think my color blindness is hurting me with this one also.
G is actually one of the stricter games in the series when it comes to routes (especially the boss fights). It's really hard until you have the routes memorized, but then weirdly easy once you do. I recommend watching some replays and sticking with the same set of stages until you get your first clear. Once you have it down it's extremely satisfying.

---

Been back into Triggerheart Exelica recently for some reason. I'd love to see a new port of this one at some point.
<STG.1cc> 死ぬがよい <ACT.1cc>
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velo
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by velo »

To Far Away Times wrote:Played a bit more X-Multiply last night. I'm making it a goal to actually clear it this time.

In theory, I think I know what to do and how to route it. I think. But in IREM fashion if you make one mistake you are fucked. Have to play perfect for 20 minutes.

Gonna try to chain some levels together, maybe doing complete runs from the beginning of stage 6 onwards. If I can get that down consistently then I think I got it.

I figured out the descent in stage 6 I think, but a lot can still go wrong in that area. I'm far from consistent.
I've blown every 1cc attempt but I can do all the checkpoint recoveries in X-Multiply (inconsistently). Dying in the last level of X-Multiply is not as bad as dying in the last 3-4 levels of R-Type 1.
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Leandro
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by Leandro »

I'm revisiting that Satazius game. Better than I remembered it
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XoPachi
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by XoPachi »

Leandro wrote:I'm revisiting that Satazius game. Better than I remembered it
I really liked that portal level. That was really interesting. There was a lot of good level design. The first boss scene was great and the fire level was really good pressure. Oddly enough it's a very easy game. I do wish it had better music though.
(It's the only game I've ever gotten a full run uploaded for)
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To Far Away Times
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by To Far Away Times »

Been grinding away on more x-multiply.

I can get to stage 6 pretty consistently now and I've worked out a lot of trouble spots, but this game is pretty challenging even with some decent planning.
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m.sniffles.esq
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by m.sniffles.esq »

Progear on Capcom Arcade (Switch)

As a Progear newb, I absolutely love it. Great art, great personality, I even love the goofy 'how much your co-pilot likes you' gauge. It's one of those titles I've heard about forever, but hadn't played due to the lack of port (and the 28 different roms current available for mame always put me off). So it had every reason not to live up to the hype, yet, it kind of surpassed it.

that said...

It is fucking BROOTAL. So much that I feel that the joy and excitement it brings is tied to some sort of masochism as it just beats the absolute shit out of me.
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BareKnuckleRoo
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

While it does have some considerably complex patterns (much like Ketsui does), a lot of the challenge in Progear can be mitigated considerably by learning to take advantage of the gem/bullet cancelling system. It takes a bit of practice, but emerald and diamond rank gems can cancel huge clouds of bullets if you know how to work it. I knew a number of people getting into Progear who were having difficulty understanding how the game worked so I tossed together a quick 'n dirty tutorial video a while ago that may hopefully be of some help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vHl0XRY0WQ

I'd recommend Bolt + Nail or Rivet. Bolt's not as high scoring as Ring's spreadshots are, but the concentrated stream of damage and faster speed are both much more useful for quickly killing things (Ring's spreadshot is far weaker at long range and isn't so useful in a game where you always have an automatic lock-on shot), and Nail and Rivet are the two fastest gunners (Chain is quite slow and isn't that much stronger, but is by no means useless either).
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m.sniffles.esq
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by m.sniffles.esq »

Yeah, I'm not sure if I completely have grasped the canceling just of yet (although, I'm very, very pleased when it happens). But, I've certainly learned to advantages of Bolt over Ring (and not just because Bolt is more dashing). Ring... kinda sucks until he gets REALLY powered up and his shot is taking up a third of the screen. Whereas Bolt gets rid of shit in a hurry (and he's more dashing)

Gunners I'm still very much experimenting. Like I literally use a different one every time.

But you are correct about bullet patterns. It LOVES to throw two interlocking patterns at you simultaneously, then add a third firing between the two. Also, it seems to love curtains that either expand or constrict (or both!) although that chestnut is pretty standard nowadays.

I do have this weird, personal thing where I won't allow myself to watch videos until I've 1cc'ed myself (or come really, really close). Progear may be an exception, as I don't think I'll ever 1cc it...
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BareKnuckleRoo
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

I mean, if you want to learn it by yourself, go for it, but it doesn't make you a worse player for watching other people or looking up instructions for the game. Remember that in the arcades where these games were released, watching other people play and chatting with fellow players is the norm, and arcades would even sometimes have communal notebooks to share game specific info or tricks.
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m.sniffles.esq
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by m.sniffles.esq »

Like I said, It's just a weird, personal thing... basically, I've found that discovery is more fun than mimicry. And it's not that I even feel that one way is more "legit" than the other, just more fun, which is ultimately why I'm playing in the first place. But it certainly has led to major forehead slapping

I may have decided that Rivet is my girl. Although, I still don't understand why enemies sometimes give green gems, I thought it was point-blanking for a second, but that doesn't seem to be it. If it starts to drive me nuts I'll look it up. (EDIT: Never mind, just watched your video. Thanks!)

Anyway, from a purely survival standpoint, I feel I'm doing alright. I'm regularly getting to the second boss on a single credit, sometimes not even losing a life on the first stage. So I'm happy.
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BareKnuckleRoo
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Re: Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

Note that the basics of the gem system are also explained on the instruction strip that came with the game (a fan recreated version's here) and a copy of the instruction strip with the info is on page 7 of the manual that came with the game.
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