Let's make a list of shmup gameplay innovations & firsts.

[Kaiser]

As first shmup featuring TLB, I think that would go to Varth. I mean you can't reach stage 30 (TLB) unless you 1cc the game. When you continue in the game, stage 29 gets replaced by a bonus stage, the true form of final boss never appears. What do you think guys?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExJwCubwUwI < seen on this video (by Ruldra)

[Obiwanshinobi]

The shmup stage in Viewtiful Joe (2003, Capcom) had an auto-dodge button. That's how the slo-mo button works - your dude automatically dodges the bullets. Not a great shmup stage, but an interesting idea nonetheless. It also had a speedup button, but that almost certainly was present in some earlier shmup (by emulation, if anything else).

[PC Engine Fan X!]

American Sammy's Daioh PCB (circa 1993) is the first & only arcade shmup title to sport a 6-button layout from the get-go. The original Athena produced Daioh PCB only had a 2-button setup at best. It's possible to play the USA region Daioh PCB in 2-button mode via a certain jumper.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[RNGmaster]

I wonder, what game invented medal chaining a la Battle Garegga?

[Obiwanshinobi]

I wonder, what game invented medal chaining a la Battle Garegga?

Pulstar? Not sure about that as I only played it with continues, but there seems to be something funky about the rank and power-ups.

[tinotormed]

As first shmup featuring TLB, I think that would go to Varth. I mean you can't reach stage 30 (TLB) unless you 1cc the game. When you continue in the game, stage 29 gets replaced by a bonus stage, the true form of final boss never appears. What do you think guys?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExJwCubwUwI < seen on this video (by Ruldra)

I may be a stinker in this game, but you could still reach the TLB even when you use continues.

[Voxbox]

Special Moves (I'm sure there was a shooter with SF style quarter circle specials, double tap dash moves etc., but I can't remember which)

Ai Chou Aniki plays with Street Fighter style special moves.

Critical points on bosses (Striker 1945 III and probably many earlier ones)

In Darius 2 there's bombs hovering around the bosses, destroying the bomb destroys the boss.

Players joining together? Blasteroids, Dogyuun?

Crisis Force on the NES.

[Hagane]

Suicide bullets: Bakuretsu Breaker?

Also, old Kaneko shooters are contenders for creators of the danmaku genre IMO.

[toaplan_shmupfan]

Possibly an earlier one than R-type.

Checkpoints after dying: Scramble (Konami/Stern).

[Sonic R]

Point-blanking, or points based on proximity: Sheriff (1979, Nintendo). You get more points if you kill the bandits after they've entered your little fortress. I, Robot (1983, Atari) further developed this by adding more variables - basically, the closer you are when you shoot them, the more points you get. I think there may be another early example but I can't remember!

One early example I can mention for point-blanking…

Centipede (1980, Atari)
when you kill the spider, the closer it is to your player, the more points you get… at the closest, you are awarded 900 points, at close but a bit of distance, you receive 600 points, and at any other distance awards the default 300 points.

[beatsgo]

What was the first shmup that used isometric perspective instead of the usual 2d or 3d design?

[Drum]

Bumping for a couple more I discovered recently:

First boss: Cosmo (1979) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSrGHsPN5FY (go to 2:58)
At a stretch (it's a crosshair shooting gallery type game): First co-op shooter: Star Hawk (1977) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXyRp3yVV5w

What was the first shmup that used isometric perspective instead of the usual 2d or 3d design?

Zaxxon.

[emphatic]

Here's another one.. bit of a novelty feature, destroyable HUD gfx. Thunder Dragon 2 does this, you even get a bonus for it :-p

How about Halley's Comet? You can erase the text at the start of each stage by flying across it. Sure, no points but the "DO NOT ERASE" text is pretty cool.

Isn't it the first shmup to have the background speed up as you pick up speedup items as well?

[Rex Cavalier]

Hellsinker innovated awesomeness

[Drum]

The concept hinges on providing alternative ways to destroy the bosses, not a single way (many games have bosses which are vulnerable in only one spot, less seem to provide strategic opportunities to kill the boss based on a weak point)

Bosconian and Space Dungeon have enemies you can take apart bit by bit or just kill via a single one-hit weak point, but I think that's a bit different?

Here's another one.. bit of a novelty feature, destroyable HUD gfx. Thunder Dragon 2 does this, you even get a bonus for it :-p

Sheriff .............. sorta. It says the current level on the buildings, which you can destroy bit by bit like the bunkers in Space Invaders.



Space Invaders is probably the first shmup with music, if the heartbeat counts as music ... but Sheriff is, I am pretty sure, the first with melodies and themes and stuff.

[straight]

Here's one I was just asking about in a post about an old doujin shmup, Creature Jungle.

In that game when you shoot an enemy with your secondary weapon, it explodes. Then any ship that runs into that explosion also explodes in an explosion that can catch other enemies. So with proper timing you can start a chain reaction that kills ships that weren't even on the screen when you fired the initial shot. There's other games that do this with just placing exploding bombs -- Every Extend, Boomshine, etc. -- but this is then only time I've seen it in a shmup.

Are there other, earlier, examples of this game mechanic in shmups?

[Drum]

Here's one I was just asking about in a post about an old doujin shmup, Creature Jungle.

In that game when you shoot an enemy with your secondary weapon, it explodes. Then any ship that runs into that explosion also explodes in an explosion that can catch other enemies. So with proper timing you can start a chain reaction that kills ships that weren't even on the screen when you fired the initial shot. There's other games that do this with just placing exploding bombs -- Every Extend, Boomshine, etc. -- but this is then only time I've seen it in a shmup.

Are there other, earlier, examples of this game mechanic in shmups?

Missile Command, Grobda and going even earlier - Blasto.

General Q: Is Borderline the first vert? Or Red Clash? Assuming scrolling star fields don't really count. Also, who made it? Wiki says Compile with Sega publishing, but I am pretty sure that's just the home version and the arcade version was a Sega joint, as Compile didn't exist in '81.

[Captain]

Explosion-bonuses


when an enemy explodes, the nearby bullets will turn into bonuses for you to collect!

(Crizmon clover, Unlimited mode)

[Ed Oscuro]

It's not a well-loved mechanic, but the ground attack / ground bomb: Xevious, I guess.

Namco sure loved those.

Point-blanking and weapons of increased power at shorter range (i.e., collecting the narrow beam powerup as opposed to the wide shot): Omega Fighter (and Special)

Killing enemies with thrusters (i.e., non-enemy kills): I know XII Stag does this, but what about earlier titles?

First shooter with voice (not a gameplay issue, of course): Sinistar or Stratovox (Sinistar's is more elegant, I've heard, and makes more sense in the gameplay context).

[Captain]

Acrobat Mission had thrusters which can damage enemies.

[BIL]

You can kill stuff in Image Fight (1988) with the jet blast produced by switching speeds, if that counts Ed.

[Eno]

3-player support - Turbo Force (1991)?
4-player support - Blast Works (2008)?

Since we're taking borderlines into account, what about Quartet(1986)? It's more like a platformer, but once you get the jetpack it plays essentially like a horizontal shmup, and it supports up to four players.

[Drum]

Eliminator (1981, Gremlin) has 4-player support.

[RNGmaster]

Explosion-bonuses


when an enemy explodes, the nearby bullets will turn into bonuses for you to collect!

(Crizmon clover, Unlimited mode)

Progear.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Who introduced the autobomb? Plus was Layer Section the first to do the lock on shot?

[mugicha]

I was thinking about reverse directional shooting, like Deathsmiles and Battle Mania, I like that one.

[emphatic]

Explosion-bonuses


when an enemy explodes, the nearby bullets will turn into bonuses for you to collect!

(Crizmon clover, Unlimited mode)

E.S.P. Ra.De..

^^fixed.

[Drum]

Who introduced the autobomb? Plus was Layer Section the first to do the lock on shot?

I think maybe Lock-on did the lock-on shot, back in '86. That's really more of a rail shooter though. I don't fully understand how its lock-on system works. You can target multiple enemies at a time, but you fire the missiles separately. Going waaaay back, Star Fire had a lock-on system in '78, but I don't think that's what you meant. Layer Section was for sure the first 2D shooter to do it, and did the multi-targeting homing laser thingy.

[Captain]

Who introduced the autobomb? Plus was Layer Section the first to do the lock on shot?

You mean Rayforce?

[Captain]

Who introduced the autobomb? Plus was Layer Section the first to do the lock on shot?

You mean Rayforce?

You mean Gunlock?