Monthly Shmup Club - March 2023 - Gradius 2

[louisg]

Well, I love Demon Attack, so you finally got me!

[FRO]

Well, I love Demon Attack, so you finally got me!

Haha, yeah, I saw that you jumped in! Thanks for coming over and participating. I hope to see some good scores this month

[garrz32]

Spider Fighter, brings back some memories Super fast game

[Gamer707b]

Never did anything like this but Im liking the concept. Im much more of a console shmupper than arcade , so this is up my alley.

[FRO]

Spider Fighter, brings back some memories Super fast game

Is that your patch? I didn't know about the Activision patches until just a few years ago, but it was kind of a cool idea that, unfortunately, followed with the decline of the US gaming industry in 1983.

@Gamer707b - You're welcome to jump in and join us - plenty of December left

[garrz32]

Spider Fighter, brings back some memories Super fast game

Is that your patch? I didn't know about the Activision patches until just a few years ago, but it was kind of a cool idea that, unfortunately, followed with the decline of the US gaming industry in 1983.

@Gamer707b - You're welcome to jump in and join us - plenty of December left

Am afraid not ( shamelessly stolen from interweb ) Brilliant idea IMO, reward players who achieved 40K score in the game. I love stuff like this .

[FRO]

I do too! I actually thought about buying one of those last night, because I managed to almost hit 100K on the "expert" difficulty switch level, but those patches aren't cheap.

[garrz32]

I do too! I actually thought about buying one of those last night, because I managed to almost hit 100K on the "expert" difficulty switch level, but those patches aren't cheap.

Nostalgia don't come cheap! great score btw, you just need another 800k to freeze the scorecard

[FRO]

Thanks! I managed to squeeze out a little over 141K a couple days ago. I know it's possible to score a lot higher, but I'm pretty happy with that at the moment, given how quickly I progressed.

[FRO]

Bump to announce the January 2019 game - Lightening Force, aka Thunder Force IV! Yes, I finally get to gush about my favorite shooter of all time, and spend an entire month focusing on it, then podcast about it later

Sign-up/discussion thread:
http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index ... ic=18881.0

[FRO]

I totally forgot to update this thread, but the game of the month for February is Zanac! All versions are available, and we'll even be discussing Zanac NEO, so any fans should stop over and take a look!

http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index ... ic=18934.0

[garrz32]

I watched your stream on Zanac the other day, man that game is relentless.

[FRO]

I watched your stream on Zanac the other day, man that game is relentless.

Thanks for watching! Yes, it definitely has frenetic pacing for much of the game. One interesting thing is that it has a level of adaptive difficulty, to where your sub-weapon choice affects what enemies you'll encounter, to a certain degree. It can drastically change the way the game plays.

[garrz32]

Thanks for watching! Yes, it definitely has frenetic pacing for much of the game. One interesting thing is that it has a level of adaptive difficulty, to where your sub-weapon choice affects what enemies you'll encounter, to a certain degree. It can drastically change the way the game plays.

yes, I noticed that. it's almost like a strategy game where power ups can actually be your downfall .

Do you play these game on the original hardware ?

[M.Knight]

One interesting thing is that it has a level of adaptive difficulty, to where your sub-weapon choice affects what enemies you'll encounter, to a certain degree.

I remember the game getting super angry whenever I picked the frontal shield (which should be weapon 2).
However, Weapon 7 doesn't drastically boost the enemy agressiveness even though it can cancel bullets and it very useful overall.

Have you tried the SPECIAL mode in Zanac X Zanac, by the way? It is Zanac, but harder. if you haven't had your fill of the game after clearing its regular version, you may want to try this one!

Also, there's Zanac Neo which is a fantastic game, and definitely worth checking out. If you like the Compile style, you'll enjoy it. But what's really great is that you can have fun with it even if you don't actually like other Compile shmups.

[FRO]

Thanks for watching! Yes, it definitely has frenetic pacing for much of the game. One interesting thing is that it has a level of adaptive difficulty, to where your sub-weapon choice affects what enemies you'll encounter, to a certain degree. It can drastically change the way the game plays.

yes, I noticed that. it's almost like a strategy game where power ups can actually be your downfall .

Do you play these game on the original hardware ?

Yes, i'm playing Zanac on my original NES, and piping that through a RetroTINK 2X, so I can get it to my capture card, and into OBS Studio for streaming. And I'm using my NES Advantage, of course

One interesting thing is that it has a level of adaptive difficulty, to where your sub-weapon choice affects what enemies you'll encounter, to a certain degree.

I remember the game getting super angry whenever I picked the frontal shield (which should be weapon 2).
However, Weapon 7 doesn't drastically boost the enemy agressiveness even though it can cancel bullets and it very useful overall.

Have you tried the SPECIAL mode in Zanac X Zanac, by the way? It is Zanac, but harder. if you haven't had your fill of the game after clearing its regular version, you may want to try this one!

Also, there's Zanac Neo which is a fantastic game, and definitely worth checking out. If you like the Compile style, you'll enjoy it. But what's really great is that you can have fun with it even if you don't actually like other Compile shmups.

I will be exploring Zanac NEO this month as well, and probably streaming a little of that later in the month. I know that Zanac X Zanac also includes the FDS and MSX versions of the game, so I'll probably mess around with those a bit, to see if there are any drastic differences between them, so I can speak to those more directly on the resulting podcast as well. Also: Zanac but harder? Yikes.

[garrz32]

Yes, i'm playing Zanac on my original NES, and piping that through a RetroTINK 2X, so I can get it to my capture card, and into OBS Studio for streaming. And I'm using my NES Advantage, of course

That's pretty cool, nice set up.It's great to see these games in their original form

[FRO]

Get ready for insane bullet hell action, with the March selection for the RF Generation Shmup Club! We'll be taking a look at our very first "danmaku" game, otherwise known as the "bullet hell" variety of shoot-em-ups. Often considered to be the hardest segment of shooting games out there, danmaku shmups were initially kicked off with the final Toaplan title, Batsugun, and popularized by now-legendary Japanese developers, CAVE. With many indie developers having been influenced by Japan's masters of bullet hell style, it was only a matter of time before we began to see independent games take on the CAVE juggernaut with new takes on the formulas laid out by DoDonPachi, Ketsui, and Mushihimesama. Enter indie developer Yotsubane, and their highly lauded title, Crimzon Clover.

Initially released in 2011 on PC, the game later received a version for the NESiCAxLive arcade platform just 2 years later. The game saw a worldwide release on Steam and GOG toward the end of 2014, with the updated PC version having been re-titled Crimzon Clover: World Ignition. Taking a page from not only the CAVE school of design, but also calling upon earlier titles with lock-on mechanics, such as RayForce or Soukyugurentai Otokuyo, aka Terra Diver, the game employs a lock-on system, where you can create a field around your ship, and target enemies that come into proximity with you. This factors into the scoring multiplier system, and is a key mechanic in the game. The other key mechanic is the "Break" system. As you play the game, the Break gauge fills up. When activated via a bomb, your ship has temporary invincibility, your firepower is increased, and your score multiplier is higher. It also means your Break meter will fill back up faster, giving you the ability to stack up for a Double Break. It all adds up to an interesting scoring system, and game mechanics that give this vertical scrolling shooter a unique flair. Come join us in March, as we set the world ablaze!

To join in for the month, sign up here:
http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=18959.0

[FRO]

April 2019 brings a unique event for the RF Generation Shmup Club - the only shoot-em-up from developer and publisher Squaresoft! Known far more for their role-playing games, particularly the mammoth Final Fantasy series, Squaresoft ventured into a few new genres during the early-mid PlayStation era. In the fighting game genre, they released Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring, and they also published Brave Fencer Musashi, an action game. Despite still being an RPG, they also dipped their toe in the "survival horror" genre waters with the excellent Parasite Eve as well. However, one genre they hadn't explored up to that point was shooting games. They finally dove in, and ended up making one of the more highly lauded genre pieces on the system, the mighty Einhänder!

Strap into the cockpit of the Einhänder, an advanced spaceship, to take on the Earth regime, as you fight for the survival of the moon colony. After the events of the First Moon War, much of the Earth was left destroyed. Now, in the Second Moon War, you're sent to Earth in a single fighter craft to destroy as many defense resources as you can, so that residents of the Moon can get back to Earth to gather valuable resources. Do you have what it takes to fight off hordes of Earth drones and military fighters? Join the RF Generation Shmup Club in April, and test your mettle against Earth, in this horizontal scrolling, PlayStation shooting game classic.

Here's the thread where you can sign up to participate:
http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index ... ic=18974.0

[garrz32]

great game, sill looks lovely in today's time

[FRO]

great game, sill looks lovely in today's time

Yeah, I think it has aged reasonably well, compared to games that aimed for more realism, since facial modeling and texture mapping were so low-poly at that point. A game with smaller on-screen objects and faster movement/action doesn't seem to suffer as much by comparison.

[FRO]

We started the RF Generation Shmup Club in June of 2018, hoping to expand the site's appeal, and broaden the Community Playthrough section of the forum. We have seen new members join, a podcast develop, and a lot of enthusiasm as a result of this. We started with the classic R-Type, from Irem, because it's a well regarded, iconic shooter, that has stood the test of time, and is still loved today. We followed that up immediately in July of 2018 with a classic that partially served as an inspiration, the original Gradius, by Konami. Now, in the final month of the 1st full 12-month period of the Shmup Club, we bring it full circle.

For May, 2019, we'll be playing Gradius III. Not only will we be looking at the SNES and Super Famicom home conversions of the game, but we'll also be examining the arcade game. As of now, there are 2 solid, affordable ports of the arcade original. One is in the form of Gradius III & IV on the PlayStation 2, and the other is the solid inclusion of the game in the Gradius Collection for PSP. Regardless of which iteration you play, this shoot-em-up will challenge you, with its legendary difficulty. Do you think you're ready to jump in the Vic Viper, and take on the Bacterion Empire once again? Test your mettle with us, in May 2019, and join in for Gradius III!

Here's the thread for Gradius III, if you'd like to sign up to participate!
http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=18999.0

[FRO]

I completely spaced off posting here for the June Shmup Club selection, which was Ghost Blade, so I apologize for that. Hopefully, I can make it up by telling everyone about our July game:

During the 90's, when the shoot-em-up genre was transitioning from the old guard, of fast-paced, twitch dodging styled shooters, to give way to the danmaku, or bullet hell style, there was at least one Japanese developer that found a way to incorporate elements of both. Psikyo found a way to combine the speedy, targeted bullets of earlier shooting games, with the larger, more complex bullet patterns that would come to define the genre just a few years later. While their games tend to lean more toward the old school, they include unique elements that made each game a different experience every time you play. And the fast bullet patterns might not have the density of the bullet curtains seen in later games, but their fast speed and occasional frequency often substituted for that, leaving the player with a lot to contend with. Their propensity for random stage order also provided a lot of replay value.

Among the canon of Psikyo shmups, one of the more stand-out titles is Strikers 1945 II. Often considered as the best in the series, and lauded as one of the company's best shooters, Strikers 1945 II has all the hallmarks of classic Psikyo. The 1st 4 stages in the game are in a random order, and depending upon when you see each stage's end boss in that order, they get progressively harder. Improving upon the gameplay aspects of the original game, Strikers 1945 II sees you piloting 1 of 6 advanced fighter planes, including the mighty F-5U "Flying Pancake" craft, to take on the enemy forces of the F.G.R. faction, and stop their plot of world domination through mecha technology. Originally released in arcades in 1997, and available only in Japan for the Sega Saturn, a PlayStation version came to North America later, simply titled as Strikers 1945, via budget publisher Agetec, and even later in Europe, from Midas Games. The game saw a re-release on the PS2, in the Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 1 collection, along with its predecessor, and that saw a European release via publisher Play It. Since that time, the game has seen release on PSN, been ported to mobile platforms, and most recently, received a re-release on the Nintendo Switch, both in the eShop, as well as via the physical Psikyo Collection Vol. 2 pack, released in Japan and Asian regions, but region free, and with English language support. Come join the RF Generation Shmup Club in July 2019, to take on this Psikyo classic!

Sign up here to participate!
http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index ... ic=19059.0

[FRO]

1989 was an important year for the shoot-em-up genre. Not only did arcade technology continue to advance, but many important games were released that year. From Area 88 to Cotton, to sequels like Gradius III, Darius II, and R-Type II, lots of quality shooters released during that time. 1989 also marked the North American release of both the Sega Genesis, and TurgoGrafx-16 consoles. While the former eventually saw healthy success in the West, the latter, unfortunately, never quite took off. Despite its Japanese counterpart, known as the PC Engine, which experienced major popularity and sales in its home country, the Turbo line of consoles barely made a dent elsewhere.

However, there are a handful of TurboGrafx games that are held in high regard, and remembered fondly by enthusiasts, and by people who discovered the system posthumously through collecting, emulation, or services like the Wii Virtual Console. Among those is Blazing Lazers, known in Japan as GunHed. The original Japanese version was based on the film of the same name, though references to the film were removed for the North American version. Although not part of the TurboGrafx 16's August 1989 launch line-up, Blazing Lazers was out by November, and has since become one of the more recognized shmups in the TurboGrafx library. The game was co-developed by Hudson and Compile, and you can definitely see connections to both Hudson's Star Soldier series of games, as well as similarities with Compile's Zanac and Aleste series. Since its release, it has also seen a digital reissue on both the Wii Virtual Console and PSN systems, though both are now unavailable; however, it's still available on the Wii U Virtual Console.

Join the RF Generation Shmup Club in August 2019, and celebrate this classic shooter, 30 years after the launch of the TurboGrafx, and nearly 30 years after its North American release, as we play Blazing Lazers, and its Japanese counterpart, GunHed!

Here's the thread where you can sign up:
http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index ... ic=19090.0

Alternatively, you can follow my Twitter account, and tweet me there, or follow the Shoot the Core-cast account, and tweet @ us, and use #rgfshmupclub when posting discussion, or sharing your high score.

[FRO]

Bump to announce our September game:

Until 1982, most shooting games were of the 2D top-down, or side-view variety. Sure, there were things like Star Wars Arcade, which took a more first-person route, a handful of early console games that toyed with perspective a bit, and even the arcade hit Juno First, which had a sort of faux-3rd person, above and behind the ship sort of view. But nothing had taken the mechanics of a 2D shooting game and blended them with a 3D perspective, quite like what Sega accomplished with Zaxxon. Some argue that it's not really a shmup, because you move your ship on the Z-axis. However, given that you can only go up and down on the Z-axis, or left and right on the X-axis, with no movement forward or backward, it still retains movement on a 2D plane. Regardless of the semantics, it's hard to argue that Zaxxon wasn't a hugely influential game, in a number of respects.

Pilot your ship across a landscape dotted with communication satellites, turrets, bunkers, and fuel tanks. Fly over and between walls, avoid electrical grids, and watch out for incoming missiles! Keep an eye on your fuel gauge, as well; you don't want to be caught unawares, when you find yourself running on fumes. Shoot down those fuel tanks to replenish, and keep flying! If you're good enough, you can get through the second fortress, and face the mighty Zaxxon robot! Join the RF Generation Shmup Club in September 2019, as we take on this classic Sega arcade game! The original version is available as an unlockable bonus in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for PS3 and Xbox 360, as well as in the Sega Genesis Collection for PS2. Many ports of the game were released for home consoles and computers, including Atari 2600, Atari 5200, IntelliVision, ColecoVision and Sega SG-1000 ports, a solid conversion for the Commodore 64, along with many other computer ports, such as IBM PC, ZX Spectrum, Apple II, TRS-80, and Atari's 8-bit line of home computers. Pick your version, and see if you have what it takes to defeat the robot guardian in Zaxxon!

[Marc]

Out of curiosity, does anyone know if any of the home computer ports of R-Type are good? e.g. ZX Spectrum, C64, etc.

Unfortunately, I don't have experience with any of the microcomputer ports, so I can't say. I'd wager that the ZX Spectrum version might be lacking, but that's supposition, based on my time with the Game Boy version, which has hardware similarly diminutive in power, and certainly presents as a lesser port. Based on watching a couple minutes of the C64 port, it seems like that version made some significant concessions for the platform. The first boss doesn't shoot the targeted rings out, which makes it even easier, and some of the enemy patterns are either changed, or nonexistent. All the weapons are there, however, unlike the Game Boy version, and the Chris Hulsbeck interpretation of the original game's soundtrack is high energy, and sounds fantastic. It also seems as though there are some minor hitbox irregularities, that may give you an advantage here and there. Some of the design concessions made for the hardware are similar to that of the Game Boy version - namely, the toning down of the battleship fight in Stage 3, where the ship itself isn't really destructable, only the turrets and portions that have been added on. I would assume that's because the primary form of the ship itself is a background element, and only the attached portions are actual sprites. Someone more familiar with the way C64 games are typically programmed should feel free to correct me if I'm wrong

Just spotted this and had to jump in. The Spectrum version of R-Type is an absolute marvel bearing in mind the technology. It's incredibly close to the coin-op, and one of the very best games ever released on the machine.

The C64 version has a heck of a lot more changed/missing in comparison. Music is OK though.

[FRO]

R-Type was actually the first game we played for the club, and we do something different each month, so we're currently playing Blazing Lazers (and GunHed) for TurboGrafx/PC Engine. I'd be curious to hear more of your thoughts on the Spectrum version, though. Sounds like it was quite a feat, given the limitations of the hardware.

[FRO]

October 2019 marks the first month where we as a Shmup Club take on something that most people wouldn't consider a shmup. Let's call it, "shmup-adjacent" for now. However, it's a game that is rooted in concepts from some early progenitors of the genre, and carries those ideas forward to a more modern context. Not only that, but it takes the visuals to the next level, with psychedelic color kaleidoscopes, and a good use of light and shade, to help set the mood. Top it off with an intense 90's techno soundtrack, and you get a game that, while it might not fit the textbook definition of a shmup, certainly has a lot of ideas that it borrows from many shooting games over the years. It's n2o: Nitrous Oxide, a PlayStation exclusive!

Climb aboard your ship, and get ready to cruise through twisting tunnels, filled with all manner of giant, mutated space bugs, seemingly all bent on your destruction. Power up with special weapons, like flame walls and bouncing bombs, and rotate 360 degrees around the environment, to line up and target enemies. Don't forget to grab the coins when you see them! Find red mushrooms, and gather them to give your craft some shield protection. Join the RF Generation Shmup Club in October 2019, as we play n2o: Nitrous Oxide for the PlayStation!

Here's the thread where you can sign up to participate for October!
http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=19181.0

[m.sniffles.esq]

Huh? N2O is totally a shmup... Whoever said that it wasn't?
(full disclosure: I always found that game a stupid amount of fun, especially once I learned you can remove the game disc after it loads and not listen to rave music while playing)

[FRO]

Huh? N2O is totally a shmup... Whoever said that it wasn't?
(full disclosure: I always found that game a stupid amount of fun, especially once I learned you can remove the game disc after it loads and not listen to rave music while playing)

It doesn't fit the established formula of auto-scrolling, 2D, though it does fit into the larger "shooting game" moniker. I think it's close enough to count, because it's an evolution of the Tempest formula, but like Zaxxon last month, the shmup worthiness of a game like n2o has been debated. So rather than trying to do the "square peg, round hole" routine, we're just saying it's related to shmups, rather than calling it one in the strictest sense.