Stuck with so many shmups

[fireflame]

Do you find yourself stuck in a high number of shmups? I have been givig a try at gradius games on Arcade classic collection from Konami. All the games of this collection give me a very hard time.I am also struggling with super star soldier. While I coulld beat Final Soldier and Soldier Blade, as well as Gunhed, I find Super star soldier harder, for example I can beat the boss from stage 4, but i find his small minions very hard to dodge.

I am also opn Lords of Thunder, where I can clear about 4 stages, but in this game you have only one life and 3 credits(though you can buy some at the shop).

I have lost the habit of playing games where you must either win or start over from zero, and it is true most shmups work this way(unless youuse save states, which I try to avoid).

[floralcateyes]

Two suggestions from someone who has been in the same predicament multiple times:

1) Play the games enough to determine which you enjoy the most at the moment or which you want to clear the most. Then focus on it. It'll immediately solve your problem of being stuck at multiple shmups by making you stuck at only one shmup And obviously help you to actually clear the game. Take breaks to dip into the other games if you really want to, by try to have just a single game that you play regularly, or at least more so than the others.

2) Take your time. Genre's weird in that individual runs take less than an hour, less than half an hour, yet you can spend months or even years on a single game. Someone on the 1cc thread recently posted about clearing a game he first played twenty years ago. Someone else posted an absolute wonder of a DOJWL 2-ALL that took around two years (which still seems amazingly quick to me, given the game in question). The games aren't going anywhere, etc. And patience is really helpful in this genre.

Edit: a third suggestion: don't worry about it too much. I didn't really mind when I had the same problem because I wanted to find a game I really really loved before putting in the commitment needed to get a clear. Though this might change as I get better. But even then, if you've given the game a chance and just don't enjoy playing the game (at that period in time), then why persist? Etc.

[Rastan78]

Just by saying that you're stuck with so many shmups, the solution is almost self explanatory. You have to pick one and be disciplined enough to finish it.

If you have a habit of exiting out of a game as soon as you die or get frustrated and playing something else, try taking a short break. Then come back and try again instead of immediately hitting that home button. Modern consoles and emulator setups make it so easy to just exit out of a game and load up another. Imagine you're playing the game on a dedicated arcade cab if you have to. Let the game just sit on attract mode while you cool off from that good run turned bad.

If you're really addicted to game surfing, (is that a new phrase?) you might go so far as deleting some of the games you are not focused on so they don't distract you.

Don't underestimate how tough clearing an arcade shmup is on your first clear. It will take a lot of tries and a lot of patience. I know discipline sounds like the opposite of fun, but if you can get yourself to focus on one game, you might really gain a new appreciation for it, and getting that clear will feel great when it finally happens.

Also just for some perspective, something like Soldier Blade would be considered a very easy clear (not to diminish the achievement) relative to other games in the genre. Expect a big jump in difficulty going to an arcade game.

[heli]

I only struggle with games that have a 9 credit limit.

[Rastan78]

I only struggle with games that have a 9 credit limit.

I consider the elusive 9cc to be something of a holy grail.

[Strider77]

You gain more credits as your forum join date ages.

[Rastan78]

Pretty soon I can get that coveted 47cc No prisoners saved run on Metal Slug 3

[BIL]

2) Take your time. Genre's weird in that individual runs take less than an hour, less than half an hour, yet you can spend months or even years on a single game. Someone on the 1cc thread recently posted about clearing a game he first played twenty years ago. Someone else posted an absolute wonder of a DOJWL 2-ALL that took around two years (which still seems amazingly quick to me, given the game in question). The games aren't going anywhere, etc. And patience is really helpful in this genre.

Always relevant! Not meaning to rag on poor x93, but as fun as new releases are (eagerly awaiting M2's Toaplan project myself), there'll always be stacks upon stacks of STGs to re/discover.

Pretty soon I can get that coveted 47cc No prisoners saved run on Metal Slug 3

[isasotelo]

This happens to me alot. Probably because of frustration. Take today.

[copy-paster]

My advice is pick one shmup you think you enjoy most and stick with it. Play other games or rest if you feel tired of that game, or you could watch replay or listen the game's OST.

[heli]

I often think in these moments : are all japanese people that crazy ?