the 10 pc engine shmups you simply must own.

[gameoverDude]

I'm surprised by how few times Namco's Dragon shooters were mentioned in this thread,
and I'm even more curious about why those who did mention Dragon Spirit put it above Dragon Saber, no, actually no one even listed that game...
Am I missing something that is disliked about that game on these forums? AFAIK we don't even have a HS thread for Saber.

I actually like these versions but I forgot about them, also having the complete PS1 Namco Museum series with the arcade perfect Spirit & Saber (and Ordyne also).
BTW, I'll give the nod to Nexzr as well.

Tatsujin is definitely hard- more so than its sequel Truxton 2 IMHO.

[e_tank]

-gradius 2 &
gradius &
salamander: all 3 of these are upgraded arcade conversions, each one is the best version available imo
-gunhed/blazing lazers: unless you're new to shooters you'll most likely want to change the difficulty (which requires a code to do) and play on something > normal but < god of game
-spriggan
-nexzr
-tatsujin: better music than the arcade, imo. even though some enemies/bosses don't fire as many bullets at you as they do in the arcade, i agree with Opethian that the game is a bit harder on the pce due to the reduced screen space. very much a memorization based shooter, a good game but still not worth the price it usually sells for. just like in the arcade the bullets are practically invisible on the last stage due to poor choice of color pallete on the background (which nearly every toaplan game seems to suffer from at some point, even batsugun) but by that point as long as you haven't slipped up and died you should have just enough bombs to bomb spam your way past the two tricky parts and the spiral shot of the last boss.
-rayxanber 2
-gate of thunder
-lords of thunder

Tatsujin is definitely hard- more so than its sequel Truxton 2 IMHO.

really!? wow, never thought i'd hear someone say that. difficulty is obviously subjective but man, i just can't see this. the 5th stage itself is just plain brutal..

[louisg]

Is Tatsujin better/harder on PCE than MD? The MD one puts me to sleep :/

[DazTM]

Great choices here guys. I already have quite a few on the wii, so I'm going to see if it has any of the others that have been mentioned

[ROBOTRON]

HIV of the brain

Wasn't that also a PC-Engine game? Not a shooter I don't think.

Deep Blue not a a shmup??? Thats the first i've heard of that. Looking at this video, how would you classify it...a super street fighter, maybe a grand theft automobile game? A BP oil spill hybrid game perhaps?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HctxTqxzwn0

[professor ganson]

For me the PCE is a reminder of how much better, on the whole, arcade shmups are than console ones. Some PCE ports are ok, especially the horis like R-Type or even verts that don't need the vertical orientation, e.g. Galaga 88/90. Some are pointless like Image Fight. Why play a chopped version on inferior hardware? Even if you don't like MAME, there are much better versions on PS1 and Saturn. But it's the console-exclusives that have disappointed me so far. I haven't played everything, but I have yet to find anything that compares favorably to Zanac.

Here's a quick list of five:

Magical Chase
Gunhed
Gradius II
Galaga 90
R-Type

I'd definitely like to find more. I did like Nexzr pretty well, but didn't give it a lot of time.

[Wenchang]

Super Star Soldier
Soldier Blade
Final Soldier
Nexzr
Override
Super Raiden CD
Blazing Lazers
Galaga 90
Aero Blasters
Lords of Thunder or Gate of Thunder

[ROBOTRON]

For me the PCE is a reminder of how much better, on the whole, arcade shmups are than console ones. Some PCE ports are ok, especially the horis like R-Type or even verts that don't need the vertical orientation, e.g. Galaga 88/90. Some are pointless like Image Fight. Why play a chopped version on inferior hardware? Even if you don't like MAME, there are much better versions on PS1 and Saturn. But it's the console-exclusives that have disappointed me so far. I haven't played everything, but I have yet to find anything that compares favorably to Zanac.

Here's a quick list of five:

Magical Chase
Gunhed
Gradius II
Galaga 90
R-Type

I'd definitely like to find more. I did like Nexzr pretty well, but didn't give it a lot of time.

Oh crap! Galaga 90 is one of the sweetest shmups on the TG16, its highly recommended. The graphics/sound quality of that game surpasses systems having more power.

Um, not many people here liked Dead Moon?

[BIL]

HIV of the brain

Wasn't that also a PC-Engine game? Not a shooter I don't think.

Deep Blue not a a shmup???

Ed's talking about Dead of the Brain.

Gradius VI: Operation HIV TO THE BRAIN

[ZOM]

I'm surprised by how few times Namco's Dragon shooters were mentioned in this thread,
and I'm even more curious about why those who did mention Dragon Spirit put it above Dragon Saber, no, actually no one even listed that game...
Am I missing something that is disliked about that game on these forums? AFAIK we don't even have a HS thread for Saber.

Saber has more variety in the powerup departement, which strangely makes it feel a lot more conventional than its predecessor. When playing Saber, I've always got the feeling that I'm playing a run-of-the-mill shooter dressed up in fantasy clothes. The game is nice enough, it just doesn't feel very special to me. Spirit, on the other hand, has embedded the whole 'Dragon' concept firmly into the gameplay itself. It's not just cosmetics, and the limited nature of the powerups makes the game feel focused and wonderfully claustrophobic. Additionally, the difficulty curve in Saber jumps all over the place, while in Spirit it rises more steadily. Saber's not a bad game by any means, but when I have to pick one of the two for a must-have list, it's definitely Dragon Spirit.

Yeah, very valid point. I have to admit that in Dragon Spirit there's more elements of strategy, especially considering that the three-headed has quite a big hitbox for some spots compared to the double headed dragon... or at least it let's you feel that way. In Dragon Saber you'll be always "piloting" the same dragon - the various power-ups, although very different in appearence and area of effect, don't let your dragon's "feel" change all too much, if at all. Still, I like Dragon Saber's OST and its levels a tad bit better.

[ROBOTRON]

HIV of the brain

Wasn't that also a PC-Engine game? Not a shooter I don't think.

Deep Blue not a a shmup???

Ed's talking about Dead of the Brain.

Gradius VI: Operation HIV TO THE BRAIN

wow...great trivia. I've never heard of that game until now.

*preorders Gradius VI: Operation HIV to the brain*

[ZOM]

I'd wait for "Gradius VI: HIV to the brain - positive edition" if I were you, there's some goodies coming with that one, like an OST and an action figure of a gay junkie piloting the Lord British.

[Mortificator]

The PCE one doesn't aim for arcade-perfection, if that's what you mean. There are quite a few sections it tidies up a bit, most notably the gun wall in stage 4 (just before Tetran), which it turns from an utterly hateful, capricious shitpile* into a meaningful obstacle which is challenging for the right reasons. It's just a much more enjoyable version of the original game, IMHOtep.

*You don't apply strategies so much as neutering techniques.

I can see why changing the stage 4 boss so wining doesn't rely on safe spots is appealing, but I'm at a loss how the people behind this port could think it was a good idea to switch Salamander from instant respawn to checkpoint-based.

[Koa Zo]

No Salamander, either! It's the best version of the game by some distance. The distance from here to Neptune.

I agree. Salamander on a PCEngine GT is a thing of complete awesomeness!

[nosorrow]

I'm dying to play Spriggan and Nexzr (and to a lesser extent Sylphia). Are they available on any downloadable service (Xbox live, PSN...)?

[Drachenherz]

Yeah, I think they are available via this amazing DL-service, hmm, let me think, what's it called... Something with a "G", it sounds something like "moogle" or "boogle", I just can't remember correctly. Just start looking for the parent-files, I think they are called something like "moms" or so...

[LordHypnos]

Yeah, I think they are available via this amazing DL-service, hmm, let me think, what's it called... Something with a "G", it sounds something like "moogle" or "boogle", I just can't remember correctly. Just start looking for the parent-files, I think they are called something like "moms" or so...

hahaha

Also, it's possible they're on Wii VC, there's some PCEngine stuff on there, I think.

[PurpleTheGuy]

My knowledge of the PC Engine is very limited, but I know one game that I most certainly would like to get and play someday, and it's the main reason how I know about the PC Engine (Well, okay, the other way I know about it was from a forum member here, whose name pops up rather often. I think he went by the name PC Engine Fan X!, if I'm not wrong. Seeing his username, I looked up the PC Engine, and it went from there, but anyhow...) and that game would be KiKi KaiKai!

Man, I sure would like to play that game, especially since that's the prequel to the other KiKi KaiKai games that later came out for the SNES (Otherwise known as Pocky & Rocky in the North American release. Man, I love those games! I played it a few times at a friends house when I was a little kid, and I always used to wish I owned it. I should go get them, if only I knew where my old SNES went... That, and I should also get the Pocky & Rocky w/ Becky GBA game)! That, and I've also heard that it's likely that ZUN may have drawn part of his inspiration from the KiKi KaiKai games, back when he was designing and coming up with the early Touhou games (1 - 5) for the PC-98, so that also was pretty neat to find out the possibility of this!

[SuperDeadite]

If you like caravan shooties, Cychorider is one of the best.

[nosorrow]

ok, so how does a stupid mofo like me plays Sylphia, Aldynes, Nexzr and Spriggan 1 in this day and age? I refuse to buy a PC Engine/Super GraFX... I downoalded many games on the Virtual Console though. Please, anyone, let me know what to do (links, etc... I have barely ever played rom games, so I nknow nothing about the scene...).

[Despatche]

i wish it was easy, but the developers of pc engine emulators make it really hard. magicengine requires a stupid key and ootake simply isn't as good of an emulator

i only have five right now:

-nexzr
-gate of thunder
-psycho chaser
-metamor jupiter
-metal stoker

considering rayxanber ii and one of the down loads

[bianchi5]

No one mentioned sapphire, it is because is so rare that most people never played or its because is not that good?

[Kollision]

I have used OOtake extensively and never found anything wrong with it.
It runs HuCard and CD games like a charm, always.

[SuperDeadite]

Sapphire is a love or hate kind of game. Graphics and animation are amazing. The music also is unbelievably good. Gameplay wise though, the game is a straight up memorizer, which your either love or hate.

[Koa Zo]

Sapphire is a must play to experience what could be done on the PC-Engine coupled with an Arcade Card, but it isn't that exciting of a shoot'em-up. However it is also notable for being one of the few to offer cooperative two player action. I consider it a must own, but not top 10 favorite.

Not mentioned yet in this thread but also noteworthy is Download 2. Again, not the best shmup, but the presentation is tops for that era of CD-ROM game.

[bianchi5]

Thanks for the info guys, Sapphire is a game I would love to try but I don't have a PC engine I decide to not invest in collecting consoles with Cd-ROM anymore, so I may try on a emulator, these ones you are talking works on Mac?

[nosorrow]

It's available on a Japanese PSP Collection. Not too pricey either, IIRC.

[ELabit]

Download
Coryoon
Gate of Thunder
Spriggan
Winds of Thunder
Soldier Blade
Rayxanber II
Pc Denjin
Nexzr
GUnhed

[GrantWindsor]

ok, so how does a stupid mofo like me plays Sylphia, Aldynes, Nexzr and Spriggan 1 in this day and age?

Sylphia and Nexzr...unless you pirate, you can only play them on the original system. Like Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire, Sylphia IMO is overrated and not worth the prices you'd pay for it nowadays. Seirei Senshi Spriggan is available on JP Wii VC. Unrelated to the PCE, but JP Wii VC also exclusively has digital ports of Pulstar and Blazing Star, so there is more variety than the US service. Aldynes is available on JP PSN, and it's really nice playing it with analog control after playing it for years with digital.

Anyway:
Cotton
Gate of Thunder
GunHed
Magical Chase
Override
PC Denjin
Seirei Senshi Spriggan
Star Parodier
Super Star Soldier
Winds of Thunder

[nosorrow]

Seirei Senshi Spriggan is available on JP Wii VC. Unrelated to the PCE, but JP Wii VC also exclusively has digital ports of Pulstar and Blazing Star, so there is more variety than the US service. Aldynes is available on JP PSN

I'd love to download this... Why wouldn't they release those in the West?

I've downloaded quite a few shooters on the Wii NA VC: Gate/Lords of Thunder (also have that one on Sega CD), Blazing Lazers (love it), Soldier Blade, Super Star Soldier, Final Soldier, Gley Lancer (MD, but still good)...

Sometimes I daydream of getting a PC Engine just for Nexzr and Spriggan, but I don't think I will. The hardware is somewhat unreliable from what I've read.