Top 10 Console Exclusive Shmups of All Time - Voting

[z0mbie90]

1. Soldier Blade
2. Nexzr
3. Super Star Soldier
4. Blade Buster
5. Zanac Neo / Zanac x Zanac
6. Harmful Park
7. Recca
8. Gradius Gaiden
9. M.U.S.H.A
10. R-type Delta

Double Fixed.

[MathU]

Fun fact! Space Invaders Extreme 2 exists.

Both Space Invaders Extreme games are awesome. They're some of my most played DS games. There's also all of Shin'en's 2D shooters if we're talking handhelds, Solar Striker on the Game Boy, and even Gradius Galaxies.

[nimitz]

Note to all: The games should be placed in order from the one you like the most to the one you like the least 1. being the one you like the most.



Also, please keep it to a rather strict definition of "shmup", games like Bangai-O, The Guardian Legend (not sure about this one), Geometry Wars, Kiki Kaikai, Solar Jetman wont be accepted.



Finally, louis, your list has only 9 games.

[mjclark]

So would Ketsui Death Label on DS qualify since it's not a port but an entirely different game using original Ketsui as a starting point and is truly awesome
Also why no arena shmups? Is the rule scrolling only cos Space Invaders Extreme is fixed and then there's the awesome PSx tube shooters like Internal Section and NO2 as well...

[DJ Incompetent]

ingsoc y u no like arena stg???
(you've never seen one in the top 25 from this site. Why discriminate now?)

The Guardian Legend has the TGL code which is the all ship stages mode, so that should totally stay.

And mjclark is right, now you gotta make a ruling on what strict means. Assuming horis, verts, and sliders?

[SunJammer]

1. Gradius Gaiden (PSX)
2. Einhander (PSX)
3. Harmful Park (PSX)
4. Gradius V (PS2)
5. Lords of Thunder (PCE)
6. Super Fantasy Zone (MD)
7. Gunhed (PCE)
8. Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius (PSX)
9. R-Type III (SNES)
10. Air Zonk (PCE)

[louisg]

Finally, louis, your list has only 9 games.

Fixed

[professor ganson]

Someone here told me that Sonic Wings Special had an arcade release. So is that false? I saw it on at least two lists above.

[nZero]

Someone here told me that Sonic Wings Special had an arcade release. So is that false? I saw it on at least two lists above.

Sonic Wings Limited is different from Sonic Wings Special

[professor ganson]

Good to know, thanks!

[kid aphex]

1. Gradius V
2. Rtype Final
3. Blazing Lazers
4. Gradius Gaiden
5. Rtype Delta
6. Einhander
7. Thunderforce IV
8. Axelay
9. Strania
10. Lords of Thunder

[nimitz]

edit: Sonic Wings Special is a though case, it's hard to say if it was developed specifically for console or if it was intended to be sold to arcade. I would appreciate any real info on the subject.

edit2: so I checked the release dates, and Sonic Wings Limited was released 6 months after the first release of Sonic wings Special, which means the decision of making it arcade was taken at a later time, so yes, Sonic Wings Special is ok.


As for strictness of the definition, it is just to avoid confusion and potential bias, if some people use a strict definition and others a loose one then some games will be underrepresented because they don't fit in everyone's definition. A quick way to know is just to ask yourself: "would anyone consider this game something other than a shmup", if the answer is yes then it probably doesn't fit a strict definition. Finally, yes, fixed screen shooters are indeed shmups. After all, adding a scrolling background doesn't change a game.

(And I actually quite like arena shooters)

[MommysBestGames]

Where are the Blast Wind votes

Well I guess I learn something new every day. Several things actually. Didn't know Blast Wind never make it to the arcades.

You realize that games like Phalanx, Granada and Sol Deace are computer ports, right?

And I didn't know that Granada was a port. I always thought it was made for the Genesis. Man I liked Wolf Team a lot. Their stuff was always odd, but interesting and fun. Gotta keep readin' to get me edu-ma-cated!

8. Space Megaforce, presented by toho

Nice one... made me smile.

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

I think it's fair to say that Sonic Wings Special is a port of Sonic Wings Limited, so no go.

Good christ man, a simple Google search would tell you that Sonic Wings Limited was released the year after Special, hence the "Limited" part of its title since it's a cut down version of the console game.

[trap15]

Code: Select all

1.  Slap Fight MD (MD)
2.  Recca (NES)
3.  Blade Buster (NES)
4.  Metal Torrent (NDSi)
5.  R-Type Delta (PSX)
6.  Star Soldier (NES)
7.  Super Star Soldier (PCE)
8.  Gunhed (PCE)
9.  AbadoX (NES)
10. Chou Aniki: Kyuukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyou Otoko (PSX)

[bVork]

1. Tempest 3000 (Nuon)
2. Summer Carnival 92: Recca (FC)
3. Gun-Nac (FC/NES)
4. Slap Fight MD (MD)
5. R-Type Delta (PSX)
6. Thunder Force IV (MD/Genesis)
7. Space Invaders: Infinity Gene (iOS/XBLA/PSN/Android)
8. Gradius Gaiden (PSX)
9. Nanostray 2 (DS)
10. River Raid (2600)

[BPzeBanshee]

All Gleylancer's Maniac mode really does is speed up the game to ridiculous levels.

It bumps up the bullet speeds, thus bumping up the difficulty. Duh.

Also, since The Guardian Legend is apparently a RPG only according to nimitz I changed one of my votes to Einhander.

[near_miss]

1. R-Type Delta (PSX)
2. Gradius V (PS2)
3. R-Type Final (PS2)
4. Bangai-O (DC)
5. Recca (NES)
6. Blade Buster (NES)
7. Star Solider R (WiiVC)
8. Gun Nac (NES)
9. Crisis Force (NES)
10. Soldier Blade (PCE)

And I agree with an earlier post, it's time we do a borderliner vote! Sin and Punishment 2 is my favourite game ever and needs to win that... and if there's something better somehow, I need to know about it!

[TransatlanticFoe]

1. Thunder Force IV [MD]
2. Super SWIV [SNES]
3. Super Aleste [SNES]
4. Gleylancer [MD]
5. Thunder Force III [MD]
6. Iridion II [GBA]
7. Eliminate Down [MD]
8. Power Strike II [SMS]
9. Thunder Force II [MD]
10. Line of Fire [SMS]

I have a couple of games I'd like to throw in but...

Is Power Strike/Aleste on SMS is considered the same game as the MSX version? I know it's missing the first level but otherwise don't know whether anything else (especially the rank) is different.

Sonic Wings Special - is there anything unique in here or would it qualify under "console exclusive arrange mode"?

[soupbones]

1. Thunderforce III (gen)
2. Musha (gen)
3. Lightning Force / Thunderforce IV (gen)
4. Bullet Soul (x360)
5. Eschatos (x360)
6. Gradius V (ps2)
7. Axelay (snes)
8. Gradius Gaiden (ps)
9. Gate of Thunder (t16)
10. Thunder Force 2 (gen)

[louisg]

Damn, more River Raid votes. OK that tears it-- I've replaced #10 on my list. We've gotta get a 2600 game on the list, and if River Raid is the way to do it, then so be it!

Besides, who doesn't enjoy putting that one on from time to time still? Pretty groundbreaking game.

[SFKhoa]

1. Eschatos
2. Judgement Silversword
3. Slap Fight (MD Special)
4. Soldier Blade
5. MUSHA Aleste
6. Thunder Force III
7. Thunder Force IV
8. Aldynes
9. Gley Lancer
10. Granada

[LSU]

1. Gradius Gaiden
2. Zanac Neo
3. Gradius V
4. Thunder Force V
5. Thunder Force IV
6. Einhander
7. Nexzr
8. Space Invaders Extreme 2
9. Revolver 360
10. Axelay

[soupbones]

The lack of Bullet Soul votes makes me sad.

[Wachenroder]

Good question.

Gradius V
Gradius Gaiden
Thunderforce IV
Thunderforce VI
Bangai-O
Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius
Thunderforce III
ThunderForce II
Darius Burst
Gradius Advance

[No_not_like_Quake]

It was hard compiling a list of just 10 games. I feel I must give honorable mentions to Aldynes. Had the Super Grafx had more original games of this quality, it might have took off... that's ancient, irrelevant shit now, I suppose.

[Battlesmurf]

This was actually on the tough side. I left my thought process in here just to kind of show some really close ones. I know I left some out.

1 Recca
2 Thunderforce 4
3 Einhander
4 RType Delta
5 Gradius Gaiden
6 Thunder Force 3
7 RType 3
8 Gleylancer
9 Nexzr
10 Gradius 5

NES:
Crisis Force
Abadox

PCE(including cd):
Winds of Thunder/Lord of Thunder
Gate of Thunder
Alzadick
Rayxanber 3

SNES:
R-type III
Axelay
Darius Twin
Darius Force

Saturn:
Thunderforce V

Other consoles:
Judgement Silversword
Eschatos

[Battlesmurf]

Also, please keep it to a rather strict definition of "shmup", games like Bangai-O, The Guardian Legend (not sure about this one), Geometry Wars, Kiki Kaikai, Solar Jetman wont be accepted.

Lol- I was about 2 minutes away from asking about Geo Wars when I saw this. <3 that game series.

[Nifty]

8. Hyper Duel

Hyper Duel was an arcade release

Also:

8. Gradius Gaiden
9. M.U.S.H.A
10. Graduis Gaiden

[Estebang]

Hyper Duel is an iffy one, because the Saturn version is substantially different from the arcade release.