Which shooter theme do you like best?

[Lord Satori]

Surreal isn't on there. (Akashicverse, Hellsinker, etc.)

[Special World]

I would say that's cyberpunk rather than surreal. Something like Cho Aniki is more classically surreal than Hellsinker imo.

[Squire Grooktook]

Hellsinker does get very surreal though.

Akashicverse is probably more then surreal. Maybe "abstract" is most accurate.

I wonder where something like Artesneit's games would fall, like Yakouga. Organic and hentai? Oh dear...

[Special World]

I wonder where something like Artesneit's games would fall, like Yakouga. Organic and hentai? Oh dear...

Is this game actually good? It looks pretty cool.

[Squire Grooktook]

I wonder where something like Artesneit's games would fall, like Yakouga. Organic and hentai? Oh dear...

Is this game actually good? It looks pretty cool.

I can't speak for the rest of the franchise, but Yakouga 4 is actually pretty solid. One of the few games where I enjoy grazing. Patterns force you to move unfocused a lot (which I like). And chaining explosions is a rad idea.

Just turn off the hentai scenes lol.

[Captain]

Imho nothing beats a good space shooter. 2nd place probably goes to surreal and wacky ones.

I wonder where something like Artesneit's games would fall, like Yakouga. Organic and hentai? Oh dear...

I'm not sure. Way I see it it's just Giger style with less dicks and more tits, which doesn't qualify as hentai, does it?

[Squire Grooktook]

Well the walls do tend to be made out of intestines...

*edit* oh sorry, misread your post. You obviously haven't seen some of the CG's. *shudder*.

[Stilghar]

"Space: the final frontier... to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before."

Sorry, I got carried away. Space all the way for me.

[Ikazu-san]

Someone should make a game that's literally all of these themes at once.

Mahou series? Despite being fantasy, it's a clusterfuck of a setting. You got space, dragons, magicians, pop idols, dragons made of steel, helicopters, drifting tanks made of wood, demonic worms, motherships... Does Daimahoo have womb level?

[Squire Grooktook]

Someone should make a game that's literally all of these themes at once.

Mahou series? Despite being fantasy, it's a clusterfuck of a setting. You got space, dragons, magicians, pop idols, dragons made of steel, helicopters, drifting tanks made of wood, demonic worms, motherships... Does Daimahoo have womb level?

No it doesn't unfortunately, but Shippu does have a very Lovecraftian boss fought atop a see of giant mushrooms.

[BIL]

Someone should make a game that's literally all of these themes at once.

Mahou series? Despite being fantasy, it's a clusterfuck of a setting. You got space, dragons, magicians, pop idols, dragons made of steel, helicopters, drifting tanks made of wood, demonic worms, motherships...

And ninjas!

[davyK]

Love games that don't take themselves seriously re looks. so wacky for me. Very fond of other themes too like sci-fi and military though.

[Lord Satori]

You also forgot pigs. Muchi Muchi Pork deserves it's own category.

[juonryu2nd]

For some reason all my favorite shmups have an apocalyptic theme, some lighter (Suguri) some darker (Alltynex)

[Eaglet]

Honestly, i think Raizing up until Bakraid had the best themes imaginable. Mahou series are just awesome with the many small details and how thought out the universe is. Seems inspired by everything from D&D to 80's anime. Soukyugurentai is easily the most atmospheric and stylish cyberpunk shooter there has ever been. Nothing really needs to be said about Garegga. Best steampunk done in a game (Arcanum is pretty cool too but that's not a shooter). APB looks like a combination of every awesome 80s sci-fi OVA imaginable.
The creative dept. at Raizing really were something special. CAVE games are absolute shit in comparison honestly. Guwange and DOJ are the only ones that come anywhere close.

[Doctor Butler]

I like wacky/abstract. Historical/mythological is cool too.

[Furry Fox Jet Pilot]

I like military and sci fi themes. Stuff like near-future but semi realistic military themes like Raiden and Air Gallet are the best. I don't mind WW2 era themes either, but I love how Strikers pulls it off by mixing it with crazy bosses and mechs. I also like dark themes like the Alltynex series and Ketsui. I'm not a fan of Garegga's steampunk theme, or loli stuff like Touhou and later Dodonpachi games. However, I do like Batrider's theme. Now that game is a perfect example of really fleshing out the theme in a good way; bright colors, comic book style characters, and the whole criminals being given a second chance to do good theme really feels like it could've been a movie back then.

[trap15]

Garegga is pretty not steampunk. It's heavy industrial.

[mamboFoxtrot]

Someone should make a game that's literally all of these themes at once.

Mahou series? Despite being fantasy, it's a clusterfuck of a setting. You got space, dragons, magicians, pop idols, dragons made of steel, helicopters, drifting tanks made of wood, demonic worms, motherships... Does Daimahoo have womb level?

No it doesn't unfortunately, but Shippu does have a very Lovecraftian boss fought atop a see of giant mushrooms.

Yeah, I was thinking of Mahou when I posted that. I'm not sure if it can actually tick off ALL the boxes, though.

And ninjas!

And a 50-foot-tall ninja at that! Who's got a feud with an equally-sized dragon who's also a samurai!

That series is fukkin dope.

[ReSe2k]

Voted for Steampunk but Organic would be a close second.

[Captain]

And ninjas!

And a 50-foot-tall ninja at that! Who's got a feud with an equally-sized dragon who's also a samurai!

That series is fukkin dope.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlQgISTM_Ko&t=22m13s

[Stevens]

While sci fi is easily the most common setting for the shooters I own my favorite theme is military (Under Defeat) or military with a hint of wacky shit (Zero Gunner 2/Raiden).

[plasticxo]

Easily voted for Fantasy as some of my favourite STGs are fantasy walkers (Elemental Master, Undead Line, Guwange) and the Raizing mixed settings are so great (Mahou series). As some said, the mix of D&D and futuristic elements from the 80's Anime is so Japanese.
I would vote for Sci-Fi as a second choice with a linking for dark elements (R-Type, Einhander), and the pleasure of watching detailed machinery (Toaplan's style).

[Kollision]

I lost the poll but I'd have voted on sci-fi, even though I play everything.

I also think there should be a category for "abstract shooters".

[copy-paster]

I also think there should be a category for "abstract shooters".

When I read this, my first thought was Metal Black

Personally I like cute 'em up / wacky more, too bad that the genre is dead due to "disapproval" or "too weird" from most western audience.

[o.pwuaioc]

So weird to see a 10 year old thread bumped 7 years after the last post.

I think my favorite setting is deep and dark space, more Gradius than Radiant Silvergun. In fact, I'll take dark and atmospheric as my favorite, so Abadox too (obviously) and Metal Black. Now that I type it out, I think I prefer that best for horis while vertis rock the military theme (Strikers, 1943), but where fast-action (so including Raiden, Sonic Wings, Soldier series) trumps atmosphere per se.

Didn't realize I had that preference til now.

[Obscura]

Whatever has the fewest lolis.

[MommysBestGames]

Same for me:

I guess I'm really odd. I like sci-fi shooters that have organic themes woven into select levels (R-Type, Gradius, Salamander, etc.)

More monsters, bigger, weirder baddies to shoot, and I'm happy.
Anything other than abstract shapes or vague, boring, boxy sorta-robot things <snore>...

[o.pwuaioc]

Whatever has the fewest lolis.

A thousand times this. I have a very low tolerance for this, not only in my shooters, but even fighters, RPGs, etc.

[Aisha]

I'll play anything, but I prefer organic the most -- not necessarily full-on Innerspace, but I also appreciate small organic touches to other themes like science fiction or fantasy.