19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

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Steven
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by Steven »

Angry Hina wrote:
copy-paster wrote:
Sengoku Strider wrote:You consider Darius Gaiden a shmup with lower difficulty!?

Level with me. Are you Dolemite for real?
No shit there's actually a 4-5 year old boy cleared ABDHLQV on a real PCB. Forgot the tweet but I believe it's still there.

But yeah that and ABEINSY should be easily clearable as long as you bombing a lot.
Doesn't 小3 means he's in the 3rd class?
Elementary school 3rd year.
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system11
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by system11 »

I genuinely think Aka & Blue Type-R would make the list if more people were able to play it. I'd say "ask your local arcade to get it" but the reality for most people I guess now is that the local arcade is a 2 hour drive and all they have is a couple of bland driving games and a Time Crisis 4 with broken recoil if you're lucky.
System11's random blog, with things - and stuff!
http://blog.system11.org
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Nifty
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by Nifty »

*posting full results noises*

Code: Select all

###. Game Name                                          Total Score|Votes|HMs|SLs|Total Game Weight
     Top 25:

001. Battle Garegga                                      : 8.180147   42   1   1   2.162575
002. Ketsui                                              : 7.438107   34   2   1   2.080151
003. DoDonPachi Daioujou Black Label / White Label       : 6.283859   31   0   0   1.731984
004. Mushihimesama Futari / 1.5 / Black Label            : 5.982894   32   1   0   1.554108
005. DoDonPachi                                          : 5.726789   30   1   1   1.483092
006. Armed Police Batrider                               : 5.190410   30   3   0   1.243149
007. Ikaruga                                             : 4.678561   24   4   0   1.196681
008. Mushihimesama                                       : 4.505743   27   0   1   1.066280
009. Darius Gaiden / Extra                               : 4.389053   26   1   1   1.031711
010. Crimzon Clover / World Ignition / World EXplosion   : 4.233149   27   1   0   0.956330
011. Batsugun / Batsugun Special                         : 4.186203   25   0   1   0.991679
012. Radiant Silvergun                                   : 4.080168   21   1   0   1.080979
013. Gunbird 2                                           : 4.077301   22   1   0   1.047936
014. ESP Ra.De. / Psi                                    : 3.801112   20   0   2   0.960283
015. R-Type                                              : 3.548606   20   2   0   0.866971
016. ZeroRanger                                          : 3.511887   20   0   0   0.882893
017. Cho Ren Sha 68K                                     : 3.459532   18   1   1   0.884100
018. G-Darius                                            : 3.393340   21   1   0   0.783915
019. Dangun Feveron                                      : 3.245286   15   1   1   0.886843
020. Dragon Blaze                                        : 3.234366   19   2   0   0.762860
021. Gradius V                                           : 3.129140   17   2   0   0.780954
022. R-Type Delta                                        : 3.102372   16   3   0   0.785278
023. RayForce / Layer Section                            : 2.951704   18   4   0   0.640605
024. Gradius Gaiden                                      : 2.757040   13   2   0   0.747225
025. Deathsmiles / Mega Black Label                      : 2.750422   14   4   1   0.656906


     Honorable Mention:

026. Raiden Fighters Jet                                 : 2.717446   14   3   0   0.682396
027. DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu / 1.5 / Resurrection         : 2.708084   14   2   0   0.694248
028. Muchi Muchi Pork!                                   : 2.665931   15   0   0   0.676017
029. Thunder Dragon 2                                    : 2.656301   13   0   0   0.735457
030. Strikers 1945 II                                    : 2.604878   17   1   0   0.570104
031. Mars Matrix                                         : 2.591506   12   1   0   0.723333
032. ESPGaluda                                           : 2.570692   16   4   1   0.515565
033. Progear no Arashi                                   : 2.423085   13   0   0   0.634587
034. Eschatos                                            : 2.229652   13   1   1   0.511171
035. Giga Wing                                           : 2.130020   15   2   0   0.412425
036. DonPachi                                            : 2.016261   09   1   1   0.546087
037. Ibara                                               : 1.987571   12   0   0   0.478023
038. Tatsujin / Truxton                                  : 1.941951   11   1   1   0.450341
039. Battle Bakraid                                      : 1.899838   13   1   0   0.392374
040. ESPGaluda II                                        : 1.833476   11   0   0   0.443178
041. Soukyugurentai / Terra Diver                        : 1.830433   09   2   0   0.473664
042. Flying Shark / Hishouzame                           : 1.807727   10   0   1   0.439991
043. DoDonPachi Saidaioujou / Exa Label / & Knuckles     : 1.749173   10   3   0   0.390814
044. Mahou Daisakusen / Sorcer Striker                   : 1.728689   09   1   2   0.397856
045. Blazing Star                                        : 1.721498   10   2   0   0.394745
046. Thunder Force IV / Lightening Force                 : 1.617562   10   2   0   0.349791
047. Gradius / Nemesis                                   : 1.616874   09   0   1   0.389247
048. Fire Shark / Same! Same! Same!                      : 1.616746   10   1   0   0.365340
049. Gradius II                                          : 1.606678   09   3   0   0.360985
050. Under Defeat                                        : 1.598804   12   1   0   0.293975
051. Twinkle Star Sprites                                : 1.563289   08   4   0   0.358120
052. Blue Revolver                                       : 1.557322   07   4   1   0.363490
053. Guwange                                             : 1.537174   10   1   0   0.330924
054. Raiden DX                                           : 1.501215   10   0   0   0.331272
055. Blazing Lazers / Gunhed                             : 1.490424   10   0   0   0.326605
056. Twin Cobra / Kyukyoku Tiger                         : 1.490286   08   1   1   0.350397
057. Thunder Force III                                   : 1.465196   09   0   0   0.347496
058. Super Aleste / Space Megaforce                      : 1.453674   08   1   0   0.358414
059. GG Aleste 3                                         : 1.409547   08   1   1   0.315476
060. Judgement Silversword                               : 1.405980   09   2   0   0.290082


     The Rest:

061. Out Zone                                            : 1.349754   07   1   0   0.345269
062. Perfect Cherry Blossom [Touhou 7]                   : 1.346675   07   1   0   0.343938
063. Strikers 1945 III / Strikers 1999                   : 1.328250   08   1   0   0.304166
064. Gradius III (SNES)                                  : 1.297852   08   4   0   0.243315
065. Dimahoo / Great Mahou Daisakusen                    : 1.280392   08   2   0   0.267565
066. Raiden Fighters 2                                   : 1.264460   07   2   0   0.292478
067. Great Fairy Wars [Touhou 12.8]                      : 1.254831   06   0   0   0.351918
068. Super Spacefortress Macross II                      : 1.246043   09   2   0   0.220907
069. Strikers 1945                                       : 1.237599   08   1   0   0.264958
070. Sisters Royale                                      : 1.225813   05   0   1   0.347318
071. Imperishable Night [Touhou 8]                       : 1.219306   07   0   0   0.304750
072. Shikigami no Shiro II                               : 1.216319   07   0   0   0.303458
073. Akai Katana                                         : 1.192041   06   1   0   0.308859
074. Soldier Blade                                       : 1.187697   05   4   1   0.267227
075. Einhänder                                           : 1.186816   06   4   0   0.258895
076. Tatsujin Oh / Truxton II                            : 1.142353   06   0   1   0.279417
077. Sengoku Blade / Tengai                              : 1.069848   06   0   0   0.271910
078. Flame Zapper Kotsujin                               : 1.058027   06   0   1   0.242945
079. Darius Burst: AC / EX / Chronicle Saviours          : 1.057062   08   0   0   0.202775
080. Psyvariar Revision                                  : 1.050370   05   1   1   0.255535
081. Gun.Smoke                                           : 1.047989   08   1   0   0.182949
082. Border Down                                         : 1.023867   07   1   0   0.204318
083. Zanac Neo                                           : 1.008525   07   1   0   0.197683
084. Embodiment of Scarlet Devil [Touhou 6]              : 1.001851   05   1   1   0.234550
085. Hellsinker                                          : 0.910724   05   1   0   0.218988
086. DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu Black Label                  : 0.907182   05   0   0   0.233357
087. Xevious                                             : 0.900369   06   0   0   0.198608
088. Zero Gunner 2                                       : 0.895256   06   1   0   0.180495
089. R-Type Leo                                          : 0.873788   05   0   0   0.218913
090. Hydorah / Super Hydorah                             : 0.868796   05   3   0   0.169051
091. Recca [Summer Carnival '92]                         : 0.866524   05   4   1   0.128314
092. Radirgy                                             : 0.866251   02   0   1   0.287209
093. Gate of Thunder                                     : 0.863912   04   4   0   0.182839
094. V-V [V-Five] / Grind Stormer                        : 0.857648   06   1   0   0.164229
095. Neko Navy / Daydream Edition                        : 0.834128   04   1   1   0.193810
096. Salamander / Life Force (ARC/PCE)                   : 0.825464   05   3   0   0.150309
097. Galaga                                              : 0.813853   04   1   1   0.185040
098. Musha Aleste / M.U.S.H.A.                           : 0.804990   04   4   0   0.157355
099. Illvelo                                             : 0.794449   02   0   1   0.256154
100. Lords of Thunder / Winds of Thunder                 : 0.791058   04   0   0   0.214934
101. Cyvern: The Dragon Weapons                          : 0.775044   04   2   0   0.176205
102. Akai Katana Shin                                    : 0.770236   05   1   0   0.158224
103. Guardian Force                                      : 0.769733   05   0   0   0.173908
104. Rolling Gunner / OverPower                          : 0.760820   05   0   0   0.170053
105. Undefined Fantastic Object [Touhou 12]              : 0.758209   05   1   0   0.153023
106. Gun Frontier                                        : 0.741735   05   1   0   0.145897
107. 19XX: The War Against Destiny                       : 0.735162   05   2   0   0.127153
108. GunNail                                             : 0.724111   04   0   0   0.185978
109. Kamui                                               : 0.723042   04   2   0   0.153714
110. Vasara 2                                            : 0.707744   05   0   0   0.147097
111. Danmaku Unlimited 3                                 : 0.705087   04   1   0   0.161849
112. Ginga Force                                         : 0.695055   03   2   1   0.149560
113. Omega Fighter / Omega Fighter Special               : 0.681993   04   0   1   0.143910
114. Zanac (NES)                                         : 0.676240   03   3   0   0.149372
115. Karous                                              : 0.668539   03   0   1   0.169894
116. Natsuki Chronicles                                  : 0.666130   05   0   0   0.129098
117. Mecha Ritz / Steel Rondo                            : 0.662612   02   3   1   0.151429
118. Salamander 2                                        : 0.653475   04   0   0   0.155427
119. Kingdom Grandprix / Shippu Mahou Daisakusen         : 0.637059   05   0   0   0.116525
120. Raiden IV                                           : 0.623913   05   0   0   0.110839
121. Star Parodier                                       : 0.603705   03   0   0   0.165704
122. P-47 Aces                                           : 0.602196   02   1   0   0.180952
123. Sexy Parodius                                       : 0.594278   05   0   0   0.098021
124. Viper Phase 1                                       : 0.593905   03   0   0   0.161465
125. Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream [Touhou 3]             : 0.578756   03   0   0   0.154913
126. Super XYX                                           : 0.572974   04   0   0   0.120609
127. Daioh                                               : 0.571485   03   0   1   0.127916
128. Metal Black                                         : 0.569597   03   3   0   0.103248
129. Psyvariar 2                                         : 0.556720   05   0   0   0.081777
130. Thunder Force AC                                    : 0.554947   03   0   0   0.144615
131. Blue Wish Resurrection / Plus                       : 0.538362   03   1   1   0.097689
132. Mountain of Faith [Touhou 10]                       : 0.538336   02   0   1   0.145381
133. Double Spoiler [Touhou 12.5]                        : 0.535941   01   0   0   0.200000
134. Image Fight                                         : 0.528257   04   0   0   0.101269
135. Triggerheart Exelica                                : 0.525698   03   2   0   0.100162
136. Axelay                                              : 0.525295   02   4   0   0.099987
137. Thunder Force V                                     : 0.520426   03   3   0   0.081980
138. Deathsmiles II / IIX                                : 0.515501   03   1   0   0.111653
139. Parsec47                                            : 0.501065   01   1   0   0.169014
140. R-Type Final 2                                      : 0.495223   03   0   0   0.118784
141. Robotron: 2084                                      : 0.495122   02   2   0   0.118740
142. Shikigami no Shiro                                  : 0.491378   02   0   0   0.148923
143. Harmful Park                                        : 0.489383   03   1   0   0.100357
144. Pulstar                                             : 0.483382   04   0   0   0.081860
145. Shoot the Bullet [Touhou 9.5]                       : 0.480223   01   1   0   0.160000
146. Fantasy Zone                                        : 0.478990   03   1   0   0.095861
147. Raiden                                              : 0.470964   02   2   1   0.084439
148. Monolith                                            : 0.470697   03   3   0   0.060472
149. Twinkle Tale                                        : 0.469774   02   0   0   0.139579
150. Raiden II                                           : 0.466124   04   1   0   0.058494
151. Varth: Operation Thunderstorm                       : 0.460367   03   0   0   0.103708
152. X-Multiply                                          : 0.459213   04   0   0   0.071406
153. Trizeal                                             : 0.449897   03   0   0   0.099180
154. Raiden V                                            : 0.447132   03   1   0   0.082082
155. Infinos Gaiden / Exa                                : 0.440682   03   0   0   0.095194
156. Pink Sweets                                         : 0.439550   04   0   0   0.062901
157. R-Type II                                           : 0.433361   02   2   0   0.092028
158. Raiden Fighters                                     : 0.422788   02   1   0   0.103356
159. StellaVanity                                        : 0.419444   02   0   1   0.093959
160. DeltaZeal / G-Stream G2020                          : 0.409209   02   2   0   0.081581
161. Cambria Sword                                       : 0.406841   01   2   0   0.112360
162. Brave Blade                                         : 0.403742   02   1   0   0.095118
163. Aka to Blue / Type-R                                : 0.402418   02   1   0   0.094545
164. Detana!! TwinBee                                    : 0.400101   02   0   0   0.109444
165. Fast Striker                                        : 0.393836   03   0   0   0.074932
166. Shikigami no Shiro III                              : 0.389155   02   0   0   0.104710
167. Salamander / Life Force (NES)                       : 0.388266   02   3   0   0.056622
168. Nostradamus                                         : 0.386074   03   0   0   0.071575
169. Forgotten Worlds                                    : 0.381086   03   0   0   0.069418
170. Hitogata Happa                                      : 0.380585   01   0   1   0.108954
171. Phantasmagoria of Flower View [Touhou 9]            : 0.374708   02   0   0   0.098462
172. Ibara Kuro                                          : 0.370864   02   0   0   0.096799
173. Double Dealing Character [Touhou 14]                : 0.367286   01   0   1   0.103202
174. Cotton Rock 'n' Roll                                : 0.366412   01   1   1   0.086923
175. RayStorm                                            : 0.366300   02   0   0   0.094825
176. Galaxian                                            : 0.365653   02   0   0   0.094545
177. Undeadline (GEN)                                    : 0.363618   03   0   0   0.061862
178. Vimana                                              : 0.357155   01   0   1   0.098820
179. Battle Traverse                                     : 0.346252   02   0   0   0.086154
180. Dragon Breed                                        : 0.346153   02   1   0   0.070210
181. Darius / Darius Extra (ARC/GEN Mini)                : 0.341518   02   1   0   0.068205
182. Radirgy Swag                                        : 0.336762   01   0   1   0.090000
182. Dezatopia                                           : 0.336762   01   0   1   0.090000
184. Power Strike II (SMS)                               : 0.330425   02   0   1   0.055457
185. Galaga '88 / Galaga '90                             : 0.330187   02   0   1   0.055354
186. Rapid Hero                                          : 0.326104   02   1   0   0.061538
186. R-Type III: The Third Lightning                     : 0.326104   02   1   0   0.061538
188. Sky Adventure                                       : 0.317409   02   1   0   0.057778
189. Razion / Razion EX                                  : 0.317193   02   1   0   0.057684
190. Revolver360 Re:actor                                : 0.315810   01   1   0   0.088889
191. Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius                            : 0.315577   02   1   0   0.056985
192. Mr. Heli no Daibouken                               : 0.312982   02   0   0   0.071764
193. Apidya                                              : 0.307143   02   0   0   0.069239
194. rRootage                                            : 0.302858   02   1   0   0.051484
195. Last Resort                                         : 0.299079   02   1   0   0.049850
196. Parodius Da!                                        : 0.291196   02   1   0   0.046440
197. XII Stag / XIIZeal                                  : 0.290920   02   0   0   0.062222
198. Shienryu                                            : 0.290534   01   3   0   0.046154
199. TwinBee Yahho!                                      : 0.285008   02   0   0   0.059665
200. Akashicverse                                        : 0.284384   02   0   0   0.059395
201. Eliminate Down                                      : 0.275111   02   0   0   0.055385
202. Fantasy Zone II DX                                  : 0.270854   01   1   0   0.069444
203. noiz2sa                                             : 0.268915   01   0   0   0.084507
204. Pocky & Rocky / KiKi KaiKai: Nazo no Kuro Manto     : 0.267898   01   2   0   0.052265
205. Game Tengoku / Cruisin Mix                          : 0.263360   01   1   1   0.042351
206. Radirgy Noa                                         : 0.255597   02   0   0   0.046944
207. Caladrius / Caladrius Blaze                         : 0.255369   02   1   0   0.030944
208. Guxt                                                : 0.255350   02   0   0   0.046838
209. Jamestown / Jamestown+                              : 0.251865   02   0   0   0.045330
210. Power Strike / Aleste                               : 0.251380   01   0   0   0.076923
211. Cotton Reboot                                       : 0.248827   01   1   1   0.036066
212. Giga Wing 2                                         : 0.244266   01   0   0   0.073846
212. Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom [Touhou 15]               : 0.244266   01   0   0   0.073846
214. Crisis Wing                                         : 0.240937   00   0   1   0.080357
215. Eden's Aegis                                        : 0.239040   01   0   1   0.047734
216. Gundemonium Recollection                            : 0.237519   00   1   1   0.062977
217. Super Spacefortress Macross                         : 0.237195   02   0   0   0.038985
218. Xevious Arrangement                                 : 0.236350   01   0   0   0.070423
219. Graze Counter                                       : 0.234917   02   0   0   0.038000
220. Exed Exes                                           : 0.234089   01   0   0   0.069444
220. Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta!                  : 0.234089   01   0   0   0.069444
222. Elemental Master                                    : 0.228473   02   1   0   0.019312
223. Twin Eagle II: The Rescue Mission                   : 0.227667   01   0   0   0.066667
224. Gradius III (ARC)                                   : 0.224235   02   0   0   0.033380
225. Pink Sweets Arrange                                 : 0.222924   01   0   0   0.064615
225. Platypus                                            : 0.222924   01   0   0   0.064615
227. Gokujou Parodius                                    : 0.217005   01   1   0   0.046154
228. Satazius / Satazius Next                            : 0.215810   01   0   0   0.061538
229. Zed Blade / Operation Ragnarok                      : 0.213852   02   0   0   0.028889
230. Space Manbow                                        : 0.209549   01   1   0   0.042929
231. RefleX                                              : 0.208696   01   0   0   0.058462
231. Geometry Wars 2                                     : 0.208696   01   0   0   0.058462
233. Danmaku Unlimited 2                                 : 0.207987   01   1   0   0.042254
234. Illvelo Swamp                                       : 0.207515   00   1   1   0.050000
235. Steel Empire (3DS)                                  : 0.204546   01   0   0   0.056667
236. Exzisus                                             : 0.204218   02   0   0   0.024722
237. Space Invaders Extreme                              : 0.202776   01   1   0   0.040000
237. Bangai-O (DC)                                       : 0.202776   01   1   0   0.040000
239. Shining Shooting Star                               : 0.201274   00   0   1   0.063202
239. Concealed the Conclusion                            : 0.201274   00   0   1   0.063202
241. Juno First                                          : 0.199642   01   0   0   0.054545
242. Gleylancer                                          : 0.196857   02   0   0   0.021538
243. R-Type Final                                        : 0.195662   01   1   0   0.036923
244. Divine Sealing                                      : 0.194468   01   0   0   0.052308
244. RayCrisis                                           : 0.194468   01   0   0   0.052308
244. The Guardian Legend                                 : 0.194468   01   0   0   0.052308
247. Dogyuun                                             : 0.194369   01   0   0   0.052265
248. Xexex                                               : 0.194011   02   0   0   0.020308
249. Astebreed                                           : 0.193989   01   1   0   0.036199
250. Tumiki Fighters                                     : 0.190020   01   1   0   0.034483
251. Space Invaders Extreme 2                            : 0.189132   01   0   0   0.050000
251. Nex Machina                                         : 0.189132   01   0   0   0.050000
253. Space Bomber                                        : 0.188548   01   1   0   0.033846
254. Sturmwind                                           : 0.187354   01   0   0   0.049231
254. Kaikan                                              : 0.187354   01   0   0   0.049231
254. Strikers 1945 Plus                                  : 0.187354   01   0   0   0.049231
254. Subterranean Animism [Touhou 11]                    : 0.187354   01   0   0   0.049231
258. Gratia - Second Earth                               : 0.186563   01   0   0   0.048889
259. RagingBlasters                                      : 0.185483   01   1   0   0.032520
260. Air Gallet                                          : 0.183627   01   0   0   0.047619
261. Darius II (ARC)                                     : 0.181611   02   0   0   0.014944
262. Star Force                                          : 0.179783   02   0   0   0.014154
263. Ordyne                                              : 0.177343   02   0   0   0.013098
264. Cotton 2                                            : 0.173126   01   0   0   0.043077
264. Vastynex                                            : 0.173126   01   0   0   0.043077
266. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved                        : 0.171222   01   0   0   0.042254
266. Garden of Colored Lights                            : 0.171222   01   0   0   0.042254
266. Terra Cresta                                        : 0.171222   01   0   0   0.042254
269. Cotton Boomerang                                    : 0.170766   01   0   0   0.042056
270. Bio-Hazard Battle                                   : 0.170313   01   0   0   0.041860
270. Z-Out                                               : 0.170313   01   0   0   0.041860
272. 1943: The Battle of Midway (ARC)                    : 0.168872   01   0   0   0.041237
273. Vasara                                              : 0.166012   01   0   0   0.040000
273. Chaos Field                                         : 0.166012   01   0   0   0.040000
273. 1941: Counter Attack                                : 0.166012   01   0   0   0.040000
273. Space Invaders                                      : 0.166012   01   0   0   0.040000
273. Tempest                                             : 0.166012   01   0   0   0.040000
273. Tempest 2000                                        : 0.166012   01   0   0   0.040000
279. Seirei Senshi Spriggan                              : 0.164910   01   1   0   0.023622
280. DoDonPachi II: Bee Storm                            : 0.162603   01   1   0   0.022624
281. Thunder Cross                                       : 0.161107   01   0   0   0.037879
282. Twin Hawk / Daisenpuu                               : 0.160092   01   1   0   0.021538
283. Last Breakers                                       : 0.158898   01   0   0   0.036923
283. Gekirindan                                          : 0.158898   01   0   0   0.036923
285. TranscendPang                                       : 0.156103   01   0   0   0.035714
286. Gynoug                                              : 0.154173   01   2   0   0.003077
287. Alltynex Second                                     : 0.152978   01   1   0   0.018462
288. Task Force Kampas                                   : 0.151784   01   0   0   0.033846
289. Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury                           : 0.151464   01   0   0   0.033708
290. Beamrider                                           : 0.148806   01   0   0   0.032558
291. Explosive Breaker                                   : 0.145460   01   0   0   0.031111
291. E.D.F.: Earth Defense Force                         : 0.145460   01   0   0   0.031111
293. Gradius 2 / Nemesis 2 (MSX)                         : 0.145036   01   0   0   0.030928
293. Gyruss (NES)                                        : 0.145036   01   0   0   0.030928
293. Vulgus                                              : 0.145036   01   0   0   0.030928
296. Gradius Rebirth                                     : 0.144670   01   0   0   0.030769
297. Gorf                                                : 0.143592   01   0   0   0.030303
298. Vacant Ark                                          : 0.142891   01   0   0   0.030000
299. Gunbird                                             : 0.140716   01   1   0   0.013158
300. Super Star Soldier                                  : 0.138750   01   1   0   0.012308
301. Andro Dunos                                         : 0.135184   01   0   0   0.026667
302. Darius II (MD)                                      : 0.130442   01   0   0   0.024615
302. Viewpoint                                           : 0.130442   01   0   0   0.024615
304. Strania - The Stella Machina                        : 0.128791   01   1   0   0.008000
305. Super Fantasy Zone                                  : 0.128145   01   0   0   0.023622
306. Gigandes                                            : 0.126076   01   0   0   0.022727
307. Gemini Wing                                         : 0.125708   01   1   0   0.006667
308. Senjin Aleste                                       : 0.123328   01   0   0   0.021538
308. Sky Force Anniversary                               : 0.123328   01   0   0   0.021538
310. Sci-Fi Assault Mothership Beluga                    : 0.119771   01   0   0   0.020000
311. Gaplus                                              : 0.117077   00   0   1   0.026786
311. Bosconian                                           : 0.117077   00   0   1   0.026786
313. Cardinal Sins                                       : 0.116214   01   0   0   0.018462  
314. eXceed 3rd - Jade Penetrate Black Package           : 0.113809   01   0   0   0.017422
315. Section Z                                           : 0.113530   01   0   0   0.017301
316. Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire                       : 0.109100   01   0   0   0.015385
316. Nexzr                                               : 0.109100   01   0   0   0.015385
318. Ultimate Stage                                      : 0.106094   01   0   0   0.014085
318. Cyberd                                              : 0.106094   01   0   0   0.014085
318. Resogun                                             : 0.106094   01   0   0   0.014085
318. Xevious: Fardraut Saga                              : 0.106094   01   0   0   0.014085
322. Cybattler                                           : 0.101986   01   0   0   0.012308
323. Tyrian 2000                                         : 0.094871   01   0   0   0.009231
323. Raiden III                                          : 0.094871   01   0   0   0.009231
323. Samidare                                            : 0.094871   01   0   0   0.009231
323. Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth                       : 0.094871   01   0   0   0.009231
327. Star Soldier (GC)                                   : 0.092026   01   0   0   0.008000
327. Psyvariar Delta                                     : 0.092026   01   0   0   0.008000
327. Warning Forever                                     : 0.092026   01   0   0   0.008000
327. Xeno Crisis                                         : 0.092026   01   0   0   0.008000
331. Gundhara                                            : 0.091735   01   0   0   0.007874
332. Aero Fighters 2                                     : 0.089585   01   0   0   0.006944
332. Akkanvader / Space Invaders '95                     : 0.089585   01   0   0   0.006944
332. In The Hunt                                         : 0.089585   01   0   0   0.006944
332. Sky Kid                                             : 0.089585   01   0   0   0.006944
332. Phoenix                                             : 0.089585   01   0   0   0.006944
337. Sideline                                            : 0.087757   01   0   0   0.006154
338. Seaquest                                            : 0.081236   01   0   0   0.003333
339. Wing Force                                          : 0.080643   01   0   0   0.003077
339. Air Buster                                          : 0.080643   01   0   0   0.003077
339. Score Rush (MP)                                     : 0.080643   01   0   0   0.003077
339. Nano Assault Neo                                    : 0.080643   01   0   0   0.003077
339. GG Aleste                                           : 0.080643   01   0   0   0.003077
339. Tiger Heli (NES)                                    : 0.080643   01   0   0   0.003077
345. Choutetsu Brikin'ger / Ironclad                     : 0.073529   00   2   0   0.000000
345. Gradius IV                                          : 0.073529   00   2   0   0.000000
345. ring^-27                                            : 0.073529   00   2   0   0.000000
345. Black Bird                                          : 0.073529   00   2   0   0.000000
345. Carrier Air Wing / U.S. Navy                        : 0.073529   00   2   0   0.000000
350. RefRain: Prism Memories                             : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Shoot 1Up                                           : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Nova Drift                                          : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Klorets                                             : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Rangerdog                                           : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Gothic wa Mahou Otome                               : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Bullet Hell Monday Black                            : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Demonizer                                           : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. 1942                                                : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Strike Witches: Hakugin no Tsubasa                  : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Xaklogian                                           : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Flight of Pigarus                                   : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Sonic Wings Special                                 : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. IKUSAAAAAAAN!                                       : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Torus Trooper                                       : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Project S-11                                        : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Hyper Duel                                          : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Trouble Witches Neo!                                : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Overkill (DOS)                                      : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Self Destruct                                       : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Eden's Edge                                         : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Titanion                                            : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. U.N. Squadron / Area 88 (ARC)                       : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Twin Cobra II / Kyukyoku Tiger II                   : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Storm Blade                                         : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. CombatZeal                                          : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Shmups Skill Test                                   : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Zenohell                                            : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Jet Buster                                          : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Aero Chimera                                        : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. River Raid                                          : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Devil Engine                                        : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Gaia Seed: Project Seed Trap                        : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Terra Force                                         : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Prehistoric Isle 2                                  : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. U.N. Squadron / Area 88 (SNES)                      : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Final Soldier                                       : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Gaiares                                             : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Darius Twin                                         : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Asteroids                                           : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Star Hunter DX                                      : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
350. Zangeki Warp                                        : 0.036765   00   1   0   0.000000
Last edited by Nifty on Fri Feb 16, 2024 4:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by Nifty »

In protracted addendum, this time I've got a bit more for everyone to mull over. In recognition of ten years of statistical gatherings, I've put together a collection of combined results encompassing their full breadth. These have all been done by hand, and only using what I've personally had a hand in (anything older would require even more wrangling and become increasingly unrepresentative). Hopefully I haven't missed anything blindingly obvious while doing this, else most things I didn't comb over were either too obscure given what I have to work with or wouldn't have made much difference compared to either these results or the regular ones.

To kick off with the most obvious query: What are the top scoring games across the entire period? Rather than further overcomplicate the process, I opted to take the average of all ten entries for each game. This means I've also kept their scores as they were from before the calculation method was updated, as though these are slightly lower overall, reworking them would have shuffled around the old results (albeit marginally) and therefore not be truly indicative of their historical positions.


Top 25 Shmups (2012 through 2021)

Code: Select all

##. Game                                       Average Score     No. of Appearances
01. Battle Garegga                                 7.440                10
02. Ketsui                                         7.064                10
03. DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou / Black Label            6.653                10
04. Mushihimesama Futari / 1.5 / Black Label       6.649                10
05. DoDonPachi                                     5.659                10
06. Armed Police Batrider                          5.387                10
07. Crimzon Clover / World Ignition / etc.         4.436                 8
08. Ikaruga                                        4.435                10
09. Radiant Silvergun                              3.902                10
10. Mushihimesama / 1.5 / etc.                     3.815                10
11. Gradius V                                      3.782                 9
12. RayForce / Layer Section / etc.                3.639                 9
13. ZeroRanger*                                    3.293                 4
14. R-Type                                         3.279                10
15. Batsugun / Batsugun Special                    3.224                 9
16. ESPGaluda / Arrange                            3.136                 8
17. Gunbird 2                                      3.073                 8
18. Mars Matrix                                    3.046                 8
19. Darius Gaiden / Extra                          2.997                 6
20. Gradius Gaiden                                 2.882                 8
21. Dangun Feveron / Fever SOS                     2.840                 6
22. Raiden Fighers Jet                             2.812                 5
23. Strikers 1945 II                               2.748                 8
24. Deathsmiles / Mega Black Label                 2.687                 6
25. Dragon Blaze                                   2.611                 4
*I decided to count ZeroRanger seeing as it's already firmly established itself at the upper end ever since it was released, discounting the Final Boss demo. In total, these games account for 206 of the potential 250 T25 slots filled over the measurement period.


Nextly, I've organised a few major niche category average lists that don't have too much crossover with the one above. By coincidence, these sub-lists mostly ended up around the same size, usually with there being a clear gap past where I chose the cutoff point. Horizontal shoot-'em-ups are often regarded somewhat apart from their vertical neighbours, and as a result struggle to get as big results. How have they stacked up comparatively?

Top 16 Horizontal Shmups (2012 through 2021)

Code: Select all

##. Game                                       Average Score
01. Gradius V                                      3.782
02. R-Type                                         3.279
03. Darius Gaiden / Extra                          2.997
04. Gradius Gaiden                                 2.882
05. Deathsmiles / Mega Black Label                 2.687
06. Progear no Arashi                              2.366
07. R-Type Delta                                   2.251
08. G-Darius                                       1.973
09. Thunder Force IV / Lightening Force            1.953
10. Gradius II / Vulcan Venture                    1.802
11. Akai Katana*                                   1.562
12. Darius Burst: AC / EX / Chronicle Saviours     1.419
13. Border Down                                    1.333
14. Gradius / Nemesis                              1.266
15. Einhänder                                      1.229
16. Salamander 2                                   1.166
*Akai Katana was classified differently for the first two years, so these results were not included.


Following along, there is the increasingly archaic (but perhaps recovering??) quandary of the console original shmup. I've chosen to not parse out or note digital releases, and to keep separated category titles that I probably wouldn't really consider standalone titles if this were a pure event.

Top 15 Console Original Shmups (2012 through 2021)

Code: Select all

##. Game                                       Average Score
01. Gradius V                                      3.782
02. Gradius Gaiden                                 2.882
03. R-Type Delta                                   2.251
04. Eschatos                                       1.994
05. Thunder Force IV / Lightening Force            1.953
06. Einhänder                                      1.229
07. Super Aleste / Space Megaforce                 0.937
08. Musha Aleste / M.U.S.H.A.                      0.864
09. Soldier Blade                                  0.845
10. Thunder Force III                              0.841
11. Gradius III (SNES)                             0.820
12. Zanac Neo                                      0.793
13. Recca [Summer Carnival '92]                    0.733
14. Ginga Force*                                   0.720
15. Seisou Kouki Strania / The Stella Machina      0.656
*Was not released for the first year of average results. These segments proudly sponsored by Gradius.


The final evaluated group will be that most oft-overlooked of eligible games, the multi-directional shooter. While there's some questionability regarding what could and couldn't properly fit in here, any of that was rather sidestepped by there only being a bare few that reached an average rating of significance.

Top 5 Mult-Directional Shmups (2012 through 2021)

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##. Game                                       Average Score
01. Zero Gunner 2                                  0.968
02. Out Zone                                       0.787
03. Guardian Force                                 0.654
04. Monolith*                                      0.444
05. Robotron: 2084                                 0.436
*Only released for the last five years.


With that taken care of, it's time to move onto some slightly less-noticed results... or more specifically, the results of the less-noticed. Every award season, there are those few who come within only a vote or two of making it onto the front page, and even in these areas certain patterns can be observed. Having now tallied them up, I can say I've found more than enough to show off the Top Top 25 Near-Misses:

Top Shmups Finishing Within Pos. 26-30 (2012 through 2021)

Code: Select all

Game                                     No. of Appearances
Raiden DX                                      4
Dragon Blaze                                   4
Soukyugurentai / Terra Diver                   3
Darius Gaiden / Extra                          3
Battle Bakraid / Unlimited                     3
R-Type Delta                                   3
Guwange                                        3
ESP Ra.De. / Psi                               2
Deathsmiles / Mega Black Label                 2
Gunbird 2                                      2
Progear no Arashi                              2
Muchi Much Pork!                               2
DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu / 1.5 / Resurrection    2
Raiden Fighters Jet                            2

A little further down but no less tenacious are those vying to make it above half of the 25th place score rather than beat it. In addition to the ones that bounce on and off, there are a surprising number of games very consistently floating around in the almost-land between there and the top 100. Some have made it at least once, some haven't made it in a long time and some have yet to make it, but these are the ones that have been spotted orbiting in the vicinity lately:

Top Shmups Finishing Within 10 Places of the HMs (2012 through 2021)

Code: Select all

Game                                     No. of Appearances
Zero Gunner 2                                  4
DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu Black Label             4
Musha Aleste / M.U.S.H.A.                      3
Pink Sweets                                    3
Sexy Parodius                                  3
Imperishable Night [Touhou 8]                  3
Radirgy                                        3
Strikers 1945 III / Strikers 1999              3
Dimahoo / Great Mahou Daisakusen               3
Strikers 1945                                  3
Great Fairy Wars [Touhou 12.8]                 3
Flying Shark / Hishouzame                      2
Twin Cobra / Kyukyoku Tiger                    2
Akai Katana                                    2
Psyvariar Revision                             2
Battle Bakraid / Unlimited                     2
Twinkle Star Sprites                           2
Salamander / Life Force (ARC/PCE)              2
Border Down                                    2
Super Spacefortress Macross II                 2
Raiden Fighters 2                              2

One more proper table for now. Upon the lucky 13th running, I reintroduced the concept of an expanded ballot with the personal HMs section. Unlike pretty much every other result I could put here, these are not so bound by overall popularity and have turned out support in interesting places. Even if the option keeps catching on, there's no way to be certain that they'll go in any one way or not.

Top Shmups by No. of [0]'s Received (2015 through 2021)

Code: Select all

Game                                     No. of Appearances     Ave. Per T25
Gradius II / Vulcan Venture                    22                   3.14
Blazing Star                                   19                   2.71
ESPGaluda / Arrange                            19                   2.71
Armed Police Batrider                          18                   2.57
Einhänder                                      18                   2.57
Gate of Thunder                                17                   2.43
Recca [Summer Carnival '92]                    17                   2.43
Dragon Blaze                                   16                   2.29
Kamui                                          16                   2.29
Twinkle Star Sprites                           16                   2.29
Mecha Ritz / Steel Rondo                       16                   2.29
Soldier Blade                                  16                   2.29
Cyvern: The Dragon Weapons                     15                   2.14
Deathsmiles / Mega Black Label                 15                   2.14
Thunder Force V                                15                   2.14
This segment also sponsored by Gradius, apparently.


That's it for the numerical explorations. I've made a few general notes of trends that don't really warrant much analysis beyond the surface level but are still noticeable:
  • The total number of games voted for has remained consistently around the 350-400 mark, as it has for most of the T25's history, in spite of the number of votes levelling off at around 70 as forum activity waned somewhat.
  • There are generally more HMs than there used to be, but the number can still move around a fair bit. The average number over the last ten is 34.4, just shy of 60 games mentioned upfront each year.
  • The number of arcade titles in the breakdown varies too, though only by small amounts proportionally. They reliably take up around 75% of the total, while the next-biggest denomination, PC games, still have yet to make serious sustained inroads. Notably, in years with smaller HM totals, the concentration of arcade games generally increases.
  • Since the 10th running, the number of all-time T25 and HM games have increased from 53 and 43 to 64 and 66 respectively. The latter is naturally the only one that can shrink in size, and only by upgrading to the T25 one. With it becoming increasingly competitive as genre tastes broaden, this growth trend will likely continue as it has been.
  • These are not the only voting events I've run while I've been doing this - I've also organised ones for Top Doujins and Top Developers. Unfortunately, it has proven very difficult to get participation up for secondary installments, and any further plans I've considered have been placed in indefinite storage.
  • When converted to the equivalent value in a 25-to-1 list, the top game each year usually has a value around 20. The downward pressure this puts on the rest of the scores has remained mostly the same, but in more recent years it's become more common for more games to get higher scores (above 4 or so) again regardless.
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by m.sniffles.esq »

Wow! Thank you for doing all of this. Veeeery interesting...

One thing:
Is Zero Gunner 2 really considered a multi-directional? I always thought it was just a vert since that's the way it scrolls...
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by To Far Away Times »

Wow great work Nifty. This list has helped me discover so many games over the years. Truly an incredible resource.

Also, how was I the only person on the forum to vote for Sapphire? Three hundred sixteenth place... :( That game is incredible.
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by Lethe »

Here's an unofficial addendum: Games by weight-to-vote ratio. This list ranks the 131 Hall of Fame games by which are most likely to be highly valued by those voting for them, over all of the last 10 polls (2012-2021), via forgoing the score calculation. Games near the bottom are more likely to get low weights or [0]s, while games near the top are more likely to get high weights.

I couldn't be bothered to gather everybody's votes qualitatively, so I've used this simple formula:

Code: Select all

BScore = sum of (total game weight / number of votes) for each year / number of applicable years * 100
Also this doesn't respect the revisions to methodology at all (it's just using the raw full vote data). So it may be distorted in places.

The HoF limitation is to provide a cutoff line (and to ensure some sanity because this approach is too crude to deal with weird situations). Unfortunately, it does eliminate some games with passionate followers that would be suitable appearances but haven't been shortlisted yet, such as HM buzzer Psyvariar Revision, additional titles from NMK/Milestone/Alfa and such.

Code: Select all

Average BScore of Hall of Fame games (2012-2021):   3.57954746228001
Average BScore of all games (2012-2021):            3.13998718353375

###. Game Name                                            BScore|Votes|No. of years eligible
     Top 25:

001. Great Fairy Wars [Touhou 12.8]                      : 7.466   53    10
002. Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream [Touhou 3]             : 6.628   38    10
003. Phantasmagoria of Flower View [Touhou 9]            : 6.388   34    10
004. Thunder Dragon 2                                    : 6.220   87    10
005. Mushihimesama Futari / 1.5 / Black Label            : 5.904   378   10
006. Radirgy / Radio Allergy                             : 5.699   54    10
007. DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou Black Label / White Label     : 5.657   381   10
008. DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu Black Label                 : 5.417   75    10
009. Ginga Force                                         : 5.248   44    9
010. Gradius V                                           : 5.237   223   10
011. Ketsui                                              : 5.214   425   10
012. Battle Garegga                                      : 5.195   450   10
013. Gradius Gaiden                                      : 5.166   172   10
014. Ikaruga                                             : 5.057   266   10
015. Hellsinker                                          : 5.047   73    10
016. Ibara                                               : 4.884   156   10
017. Flying Shark / Hishouzame                           : 4.783   102   10
018. Radiant Silvergun                                   : 4.722   241   10
019. Perfect Cherry Blossom [Touhou 7]                   : 4.7041  110   10
020. Mars Matrix                                         : 4.7037  198   10
021. DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu 1.5                         : 4.697   156   10
022. Progear no Arashi                                   : 4.691   149   10
023. DoDonPachi                                          : 4.676   361   10
024. Muchi Muchi Pork!                                   : 4.364   169   10
025. Armed Police Batrider                               : 4.351   364   10

     Remaining top 50%:

026. Mushihimesama                                       : 4.348   253   10
027. R-Type Delta                                        : 4.303   146   10
028. Darius Burst: Another Chronicle / etc               : 4.301   93    10
029. Dangun Feveron                                      : 4.209   183   10
030. Out Zone                                            : 4.192   54    10
031. Crimzon Clover / World Ignition / World EXplosion   : 4.132   286   10
032. Salamander 2                                        : 4.107   78    10
033. Akai Katana                                         : 4.094   130   10
034. G-Darius                                            : 4.052   134   10
035. Sengoku Blade                                       : 4.023   57    10
036. ZeroRanger                                          : 4.011   76    4
037. Raiden Fighters Jet                                 : 3.969   203   10
038. Gunbird 2                                           : 3.960   216   10
039. DonPachi                                            : 3.957   124   10
040. RayForce                                            : 3.953   250   10
041. Eschatos                                            : 3.951   139   10
042. R-Type                                              : 3.939   227   10
043. Thunder Force III                                   : 3.924   63    10
044. Pink Sweets                                         : 3.911   91    10
045. Raiden DX                                           : 3.909   166   10
046. Super Aleste / Space Megaforce                      : 3.883   64    10
047. Giga Wing 2                                         : 3.854   52    10
048. Dogyuun                                             : 3.831   35    10
049. ESPGaluda II                                        : 3.813   178   10
050. Triggerheart Exelica                                : 3.803   51    10
051. DoDonPachi Saidaioujou / Exa Label / & Knuckles     : 3.783   141   10
052. Judgement Silversword                               : 3.765   82    10
053. ESPGaluda                                           : 3.743   232   10
054. Thunder Force IV / Lightening Force                 : 3.741   142   10
055. Soukyugurentai                                      : 3.702   155   10
056. Rolling Gunner                                      : 3.699   20    4
057. Galaga                                              : 3.693   43    10
058. Embodiment of Scarlet Devil [Touhou 6]              : 3.6483  56    10
059. Under Defeat                                        : 3.6482  154   10
060. Dragon Blaze                                        : 3.620   193   10
061. Twinkle Star Sprites                                : 3.616   93    10

	Others:
	
062. Tatsujin / Truxton                                  : 3.565   63    10
063. Strikers 1945 II                                    : 3.537   204   10
064. Battle Bakraid                                      : 3.525   164   10
065. Border Down                                         : 3.522   99    10
066. Strikers 1999 / Strikers 1945 III                   : 3.497   130   10
067. Darius Gaiden / Extra                               : 3.493   218   10
068. Dimahoo / Great Mahou Daisakusen                    : 3.492   113   10
069. Batsugun / Batsugun Special                         : 3.485   244   10
070. Fire Shark / Same! Same! Same!                      : 3.468   74    10
071. Imperishable Night [Touhou 8]                       : 3.433   106   10
072. Raiden Fighters 2                                   : 3.414   107   10
073. Lords of Thunder / Winds of Thunder                 : 3.373   43    10
074. Twin Cobra / Kyukyoku Tiger                         : 3.365   109   10
075. Tatsujin Oh / Truxton II                            : 3.364   45    10
076. Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou / Vulcan Venture         : 3.316   138   10
077. Parodius Da!                                        : 3.313   45    10
078. Gradius / Nemesis                                   : 3.301   95    10
079. Cho Ren Sha 68K                                     : 3.281   144   10
080. ESP Ra.De. / Psi                                    : 3.272   187   10
081. Raiden II                                           : 3.251   41    10
082. Guwange                                             : 3.214   155   10
083. Kamui                                               : 3.191   88    10
084. Cyvern: The Dragon Weapons                          : 3.184   82    10
085. Mahou Daisakusen / Sorcer Striker                   : 3.180   78    10
086. Deathsmiles / Mega Black Label                      : 3.143   211   10
087. Deathsmiles II / IIX                                : 3.108   41    10
088. Soldier Blade                                       : 3.102   69    10
089. Raiden                                              : 3.093   71    10
090. Gokujou Parodius                                    : 3.053   47    10
091. 19XX: The War Against Destiny                       : 3.043   62    10
092. Zanac Neo                                           : 3.021   66    10
093. Raiden IV                                           : 2.978   42    10
094. GG Aleste 3                                         : 2.913   16    2
095. Einhänder                                           : 2.911   96    10
096. Gunhed / Blazing Lazers                             : 2.894   42    10
097. Flame Zapper Kotsujin                               : 2.854   40    10
098. Zero Gunner 2                                       : 2.849   80    10
099. Mecha Ritz / Steel Rondo                            : 2.848   49    7
100. R-Type Final                                        : 2.809   32    10
101. Blue Revolver                                       : 2.783   51    6
102. Mountain of Faith [Touhou 10]                       : 2.776   63    10
103. Strikers 1945                                       : 2.775   70    10
104. Shikigami no Shiro II                               : 2.765   75    10
105. Undefined Fantastic Object [Touhou 12]              : 2.747   65    10
106. Shienryu                                            : 2.735   31    10
107. R-Type III                                          : 2.722   36    10
108. Pulstar                                             : 2.614   46    10
109. Gunbird                                             : 2.536   26    10
110. Metal Black                                         : 2.533   77    10
111. Giga Wing                                           : 2.529   164   10
112. Sexy Parodius                                       : 2.525   75    10
113. Gun.Smoke (ARC)                                     : 2.515   68    10
114. MUSHA Aleste                                        : 2.500   79    10
115. Salamander / Life Force (ARC)                       : 2.496   72    10
116. Psyvariar 2                                         : 2.477   39    10
117. Gradius III (SNES)                                  : 2.470   69    10
118. Zanac (NES)                                         : 2.436   46    10
119. Gate of Thunder                                     : 2.432   46    10
120. Hellfire                                            : 2.409   11    10
121. Blazing Star                                        : 2.202   90    10
122. Parsec47                                            : 2.032   9     10
123. Thunder Force V                                     : 1.901   54    10
124. Axelay                                              : 1.856   59    10
125. Blue Wish Resurrection / Plus                       : 1.730   45    10
126. Gaiares                                             : 1.671   13    10
127. Salamander / Life Force (NES)                       : 1.669   22    10
128. U.N. Squadron / Area 88 (SNES)                      : 1.658   16    10
129. Recca                                               : 1.638   78    10
130. Neko Navy                                           : 1.624   20    5
131. Stargate / Defender II                              : 0.062   1     10
Last edited by Lethe on Sun Mar 06, 2022 10:56 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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To Far Away Times
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by To Far Away Times »

Would not have expected those games in the Top 3, even within just the Touhou series. Interesting...
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Nifty
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by Nifty »

Code: Select all

GG Aleste 3                                         : 3.155   10    1
GGA3 was on there last year as well

This is an interesting breakdown, and a pretty good representation of what has and hasn't stuck around over time
Live to fly, fly to live, it's all very orthodox
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by blazinglazers69 »

You're a real gem, Nifty. Thanks for giving the comfy (albeit archaic) console shooters some love.
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buggle
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by buggle »

To Far Away Times wrote:Would not have expected those games in the Top 3, even within just the Touhou series. Interesting...
thats because its this forum and not to be mean, but this forum is very idiosyncratic compared to the shmup community at large, let alone the touhou community. like no, great fairy wars and the two multiplayer touhous are not the biggest hits of the series. but since this forum has, imo, a huge and ever-present blindspot regarding the doujin scene, the pretty universally beloved touhous like sa, ufo, pcb, etc are just "oh thats the cave game i played 20-25 years ago but worse" even though thats just a nonsense position to hold. compared to great fairy wars which is pretty unique and the multiplayer ones who can really only be easily compared to twinkle star sprites and this is what happens. i think its always worth keeping in mind the scale of community these polls are actually pulling, a fraction of a percent of the many people who play these games for all sorts of reasons. and also one with a very idiosyncratic viewpoint informed by a unique and particular history.
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Lethe
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by Lethe »

You're not wrong*, but in PCB's case, it gets more individual weighting than DDP does. Obviously the weighting list is still extremely biased, it just gives the biases of small blocs some representation while devaluing stolidly average picks like Deathsmiles. It's unfortunate that it's limited to the HoF, which intrinsically defeats the point of highlighting ~hidden gems~. I can't think of another (uncomplicated) way to approach it.

I could cherrypick more games, but at that point you're better off reading the ballots qualitatively and/or trying to wrestle information out of individuals as to why they rank their games the way they do. Or not paying attention at all.

* besides describing SA and UFO as "universally beloved" :lol:
chum
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by chum »

This is gonna be a bit long.
buggle wrote:thats because its this forum and not to be mean, but this forum is very idiosyncratic compared to the shmup community at large,
This forum's list seems pretty understandable and decently in tune with what shmup players elsewhere also think. It's not uncommon at all for shmup players to consider arcade shmups the best especially CAVE. Sure, there's different groups, for example those that grew up on Amiga, or commodore, or DOS, that would vote completely differently. People that grew up on consoles like Genesis, SNES, or PC Engine. Newer fans that primarily play shmups released for PCs (indie/doujin), maybe only use STEAM. These groups exist, but I wouldn't say it's fair to called the forum "very idiosyncratic" just for that. Or is there another reason? Personally I think those groups fall by the wayside a bit because they're just not really as passionate about shmups as arcade players are. That's just my impression.
Furthermore the shmup community at large has nothing to do with the barely voted for top 3 games on "weight-to-vote ratio". That's the whole reason those games are there. It's because a tiny number of people voted for those games, but regarded them highly. I voted for those 3 games every year. Remove me and maybe 1 or 2 more people and suddenly the "weight-to-vote ratio" list would look quite similar to the top 25.
There's clearly a pretty set canon on this website that barely changes from year to year, even if there's different people voting. The top 25 and some change has simply become established classics.
let alone the touhou community. like no, great fairy wars and the two multiplayer touhous are not the biggest hits of the series.
Again, "weight-to-vote ratio" has nothing to do with being a hit. It means they on average had a higher ranking on people's list. This happens because these votes have a small sample size. When you conduct votes like this with a small sample size, weird things happen. Those 3 games are not hits on this website as evidenced by the fact that very few people vote for them.

I also have some other problems with this statement (and your other ones about Touhou) which are personal opinions but I will still state them:
The Touhou community is pretty irrelevant for something like this. The Touhou community at large is not capable of interpreting quality in a shmup or even in its own series. See the Touhou popularity polls and their recency bias. The reason the Touhou Fandom fails is because they're not there to stay and to really get to know the series in depth. They are just riding on the hype, which is why the fandom always consists of 90% new fans that will get bored and find some other fandom later. One hardly needs to do research to find out that the Touhou community is ignorant and has poor taste. The fandom is basically a massive bandwagon that has been rapidly shrinking due to the series decline.
pretty universally beloved touhous like sa, ufo, pcb, etc
SA is beloved (within the fandom) for its cast. It's certainly not beloved outside of that fandom. People in the touhou fandom generally do not love things because of what they are, but rather what they associate with it. for most people, that's the characters.
UFO has always been divisive. It's one of those games where some people really love it, some people don't like it at all, and everything in between. UFO's gameplay gimmick is so intrusive on the player, that some people get downright offended by it.
The only games that are pretty universally liked by fans are PCB and IN and that's how it's always been.
One doesn't need to play IN for long to understand why, either. It's the most beginner friendly game in the series bar none in almost every possible way. It had a huge cast for its time. It has the most amount of content of all the main games - for hardcore shmup players, this might not seem like a big deal (quality matters more than quantity) but to videogamers at large, which is what Touhou fandom consists of, this is big plus.
Plus, IN's cast is not one of the more popular ones. Therefore, I think my interpretation of it is correct; the fandom's love for it has at least some amount to do with what they think of it as a game!
So then, it's hardly a coincidence that that is the case only for the game that is the easiest to get into, right? It can't be a coincidence surely that PCB has got to be #2 on the ease-of-getting-into department, either!
What I'm getting at is that the fandom is unable to interpret what they play beyond the very, very basic things. If even that.
Therefore what they think about things should not be relevant to players that have a fascination with the games. If you have a fascination, you will enjoy delving into the games for yourself, for your own amusement, and you will form your own opinions through research and experience. What does it matter what is "beloved" to a fandom with completely different priorities?
are just "oh thats the cave game i played 20-25 years ago but worse" even though thats just a nonsense position to hold. compared to great fairy wars which is pretty unique and the multiplayer ones who can really only be easily compared to twinkle star sprites and this is what happens.
Aren't you contradicting yourself?
PCB was an incredibly unique and groundbreaking game. EoSD and IN were also really unique in their own ways.
UFO, a game you considered to be universally beloved, is also really unique. Don't think anyone is gonna disagree on that.
So I don't see what makes Great Fairy Wars special there? It's unique too. At a glance it's like other touhou games except with a different bullet cancelling system, but it will appear to be unique to people who inform themselves.
Then the Phantasmagorias, if they are mainly compared to Twinkle Star Sprites (for good reason; PoDD is practically a TSS fangame! It follows the formula quite closely. Sure, it has many differences, but anyone who plays both can feel the similarities) doesn't that make them less unique? Meanwhile, something like PCB, there's just nothing, nothing even resembling that, other than traces of what that game is, from previous games in the same series. I dunno. Maybe you meant that the Phantasmagorias are "more unique" on average for being multiplayer games?
i think its always worth keeping in mind the scale of community these polls are actually pulling, a fraction of a percent of the many people who play these games for all sorts of reasons. and also one with a very idiosyncratic viewpoint informed by a unique and particular history.
Full agreement. This is really the only important thing to keep in mind when looking at or engaging with these votes. It's a small sample of people voting in these polls. A small sample of people for a niché genre of video games. It's completely irrelevant beyond "this is what this small group thinks" if anyone cares about that. Of course, people who know little about shmups, are going to stumble upon these lists, and take notes. That does happen, but because shmups are niché, and this forum is niché, that's probably not a super common occurence either. So it shouldn't be seen as anything important or set in stone, and let's all just enjoy the process. Especially when I was newer to shmups, I checked out quite a number of games because certain people voted for them (if I particularly respected that person's opinions, for one reason or another). There's much more value in this than looking at the finished top 25 imo. So the fact that a few games end up standing out on "weight-to-vote" has no special meaning. We could call it real-life RNG! It's just a natural consequence of the small sample pool. It could've been totally different games. Not worth reading into imo. Like, number 4 Thunder Dragon 2 stands out quite a bit too for other reasons.
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To Far Away Times
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by To Far Away Times »

I don't really have too much to add other than my three favorite games in the series are EoSD, PCB, and IN. Those were also the first three games in the series I played. I don't know if it was switching to a different game engine, or franchise fatigue, or Zun sobering up, but those three are by far my favorite in the series.
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Re: 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

Post by dmk1198 »

To Far Away Times wrote: Thu Mar 03, 2022 8:44 pm Wow great work Nifty. This list has helped me discover so many games over the years. Truly an incredible resource.

Also, how was I the only person on the forum to vote for Sapphire? Three hundred sixteenth place... :( That game is incredible.
I voted for it, big fan
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