Easy vertical Saturn and Dreamcast shooter recommendations

[PeterWar]

Hello,

Could you please recommend some easy vertical Saturn and Dreamcast NTSC-J shmups for a newbie that don't break the bank? (low to mid price range). I love shumps but have really poor skills on these games.

Space themed shooters would be preferred.

Thank you very much for your time in advance.

[Rastan78]

You should check out Shikigami 2 on DC. I don't know if I'd call it super easy, but its not too hard and it's definitely fun and accessible. Totally worth owning on the DC. There are a lot of characters to try out which adds to the fun in the beginning.

I don't really know how this fits in with the pricing as I don't really follow that much. What is low to mid for a Saturn or DC shmup these days. Anything below 100? It's crazy now. Im glad I at least held onto Border Down.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Is anything cheap anymore?

Saturn

Kyukyoku Tiger II is low difficulty but I'm guessing it's ludicrously priced these days
Gekirindan is firmly in the doable category but I gather it's pricey now too and is an enthusiasts only level of shoddy port

DC

Trizeal is a balanced difficulty level and used to be affordable
Giga Wing got an all regions release so maybe it's not overpriced in at least one region? Reflect mechanic gives you an extra getout when played for survival

[Ddshot]

Batsugun on saturn is pretty doable [FISTED HAND SIGN]great game


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[Rastan78]

One of the all time greats that's affordable on Saturn is Layer Section. Doesn't meet the criteria of being easy, but its up there with any of the classic vertical shmups on the system. One of those games where the graphics, sound and gameplay flow together perfectly. It has super detailed and colorful artwork including seemless level transitions that give you the sense of being on one epic flight. Also tons of hardware scaling tricks etc. used to give a sense of great depth for a vertical game running on 2D hardware. The port quality itself on Saturn is very good. Add this to your collection even if you have to come back to it after getting an easier clear or two.

With the criteria of cheap, easy, vertical shmup and on DC or Saturn you might have to sacrifice a little on one of those categories.

[Sengoku Strider]

One point to make is that most every shmup has a difficulty setting. A lot of players are too proud to use it, but easy settings are there for this very reason - so players aren't shut out of great games. And going that route extends the life of the game, you're mastering one mode then you have another to move up to once you're ready.

That said, I've been playing Sōkyūgurentai and it's not so bad in terms of difficulty, that's probably the play here. I got it in good shape complete for ¥5300.

The only other Saturn shmups that show up in the mid-to-low price range are:

Macross
Darius Gaiden
Layer Section
Sonic Wings
Thunder Force Gold Pack 1&2
Gunbird
Gradius Deluxe Pack
Strikers 1945

Strikers 1945 is high quality, and while it’s not easy per se, it’s certainly on the more accessible end of Psikyo’s catalogue. The Thunder Force Gold Pack games are pretty manageable in terms of difficulty - though mostly side scrolling. Macross - Do you Remember Love is maybe the cheapest shmup on the system and isn't tough at all, though again, spends the majority of its time side-scrolling.

On Dreamcast most are arcade ports and fairly tough (I had moved on before the very late-life releases started showing up though, maybe some of them are easier) - but I'll throw Rez in as a very manageable must-own game in the 3D shmup™ category.

I can't remember if Bangai-O is hard or not, I didn't much get into it.

But anyway. Sokyugurentai & Strikers 1945 along with Layer Section are probably the best answer to your question.

[Koa Zo]

Blast Wind is my favorite easy vertical shoot 'em up on Saturn, find a free way to play it.

Detana Twinbee Deluxe Pack is another fun one that actually won't break the bank.

Trizeal, Zero Gunner 2, and Gunbird 2 are my favorites on Dreamcast ~ I'm sure costly to to own now though, but easy to play by other means.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I got Sonic Wings Special for Saturn pretty affordable, but I play it on hard/arcade (I really don't anymore, but the wish is still there, well, it used to be). It also ticks the "many characters/planes of qualities varying greatly" box neatly, Shiki2 way.

[StudioMudprints]

For Saturn, I'd go with Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus and Thunder Force V.

Triggerheart Exelica on DC isn't terribly expensive and definitely 1CCable. Bangaio is a ton of fun too, with a more casual approach to game completion, though some stages can be hard.