Best looking polygonal shmup?

drsmoo · Post by **drsmoo** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 10:32 pm

Though I've never played it, based on videos I'd say Gradius V. Though Under Defeat looks like it might be better

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:37 pm

R-type Delta looks and flows great!

gets my vote anyday...

Neo Rasa · Post by **Neo Rasa** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:46 pm

I love the look of Border Down.

CIT · Post by **CIT** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:50 pm

Gradius V and Ikaruga.

Also Einhänder still looks amazing, even though it is one of the first poly shmups.

Under Defeat has great graphics, but it's harder to make that kind of game look beautiful, since most of the time you just see the ground (as opposed to beautiful skylines, vistas, sunsets, and whatnot in horizontal shooters). The snow in stage four is fantastic though.

Nullsleep · Post by **Nullsleep** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:53 pm

Ikaruga and Gradius V are both absolutely beautiful.

Personal preference makes me lean towards Ikaruga's more dystopian style.

iatneH · Post by **iatneH** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:57 pm

Ikaruga and GradV, no doubt in my mind.

But I'll throw in another for Psyvariar 2. I could just stare at the bullet patterns, but the backgrounds and enemies are great too.

superhitachi4 · Post by **superhitachi4** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:23 am

Gradius V looks amazing. Psyvariar 2, and Ikaruga are excellent, especially in VGA mode.

Kron · Post by **Kron** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:27 am

Another deserved vote for Border Down, Stages 3 and 4 have some excellent variety.

Ramus · Post by **Ramus** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:37 am

Ikaruga.

drsmoo · Post by **drsmoo** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:38 am

I like how under defeat totally looks like a sprite based game, but with the advantages of a 3d game. Detailed weather effects, smoke, environment mapping, etc

MSZ · Post by **MSZ** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:43 am

Like others said, Gradius V and Ikaruga.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 3:55 am

Zero Gunner 2 is one great looking game too. I think it still holds up well after all this time, although it's certainly not as tight as an Ikaruga or Gradius V.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:24 am

Tie between Radiant Silvergun and R-TYPE Delta. Both have beautiful use of polygons.

roker · Post by **roker** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:41 am

R-Type Final looks shades better than Delta

we are talking graphics, right?

so I'll go with RT:final, Gradius V, Border Down, and Ikaruga

Post by **Shatterhand** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 5:09 am

Can I name an older shmup with older technlogy which IMO still looks gorgeous?

Raystorm.

bVork · Post by **bVork** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 6:32 am

Einhander. It has a fantastic 3D engine with a silky-smooth framerate and beautiful art design to match the technical prowess. Bright real-time lights and explosions mixed with stark, dark backgrounds makes it a visual treat.

D · Post by D » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:29 am

Indeed Zero Gunner 2 wins.
In the graphics department.
graphic artwork style & smoothness of polygon models in full 60 FPS, with NO slowdown!

Ord · Post by **Ord** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:12 am

I vote for Ikaruga. That game is just so beautiful.

fl0w · Post by **fl0w** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:30 pm

I'd say Ikaruga too, though it's sometimes hard to appreciate what's going on in the background ^^
Every screenshot I see gives me a thrill...

Gradius V is extremely beautiful too, more flashy, extremely smooth. You MUST whip baddies with those weird lasers at least once in your life !

And both are excellent games.

R-Type Final has its great moment (the liquid metal boss...) but I personnally find it too polygonized...

I love Psyvariar 2 but I wouldn't say its graphics are its main quality ^^

mice · Post by **mice** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:46 pm

I'm with shatterhand here, Raystorm looks amazing. Not as polished as Ikaruga, but way more variation in color scheme.

rib · Post by **rib** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:56 pm

yeah ikaruga is a masterpiece not only gameplaywise, it looks even better more styled trough than gradius v.

Ord · Post by **Ord** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:59 pm

Speaking of Ikaruga I have my first ever guest review up on Plasma Blossom!

Seriously though just discussing this has made me play this again, and it really is a stunning looking game.

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:59 pm

Gradius V. How polygon shooters should be done. Ikaruga is second - but not a very close 2nd.

SPACE HARRIER · Post by **SPACE HARRIER** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:59 pm

this is how it's done hand drawing pixels..yeahh!!!

roker · Post by **roker** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 11:55 pm

SPACE HARRIER wrote:this is how it's done hand drawing pixels..yeahh!!!

even if Pulstar is rendered?

iatneH · Post by **iatneH** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 12:10 am

And isn't Blazing Star also pre-rendered?

No_not_like_Quake · Post by **No_not_like_Quake** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 7:36 am

Yes, they're both pre-rendered.

Gradius V is the best looking polygonal shmup I've seen.

I can just imagine the shit load of polygonal ships... complete with normal mapping in the glaven... on screen in a 360 or PS3 shmup.

WarpZone · Post by **WarpZone** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 7:54 am

Ikaruga and Gradius V. I love the art direction to both, although I'd give Ikaruga the nod, even if GV is more technically accomplished.

Both games make great use of polygons. While level textures and enemy models have an intricate, stylized level of detail, they also have a very 'meaty', defined look around the edges, and the perspective is shot in such a way that there isn't a discrepency between the playing field and background.

Their use of color is also superb. Ikaruga by description should be very bland, yet the careful use of earthtone backdrops and illuminated fire give it an incredibly rich "fullness". I have to stop agape every time I see a screenshot of the second boss.

Gradius V's careful use of color ranges also give each level a distinct, fresh feel, even though the overall mechanical theme might suggest otherwise. In particular, I like the use of oranges and yellows throughout the asteroid field, and together with the exploding rocks and pulsating lasers, that stage gives me one of the strongest sensations of intensity and heat in a videogame. Yow!

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 2:46 am

iatneH wrote:Ikaruga and GradV, no doubt in my mind.

Those would be my top 2 picks too. As well as R-Type Final, and perhaps the upcoming Xyanide...

Psyvariar 2 certainly has standout moments also (Spider Boss has me in awe), and I also like the minimalist clean look of the original Psyvariar (Medium Unit & Revision) even though it was only running on older Taito G-Net hardware.

drsmoo wrote:I like how under defeat totally looks like a sprite based game, but with the advantages of a 3d game. Detailed weather effects, smoke, environment mapping, etc

It's really impressive the kind of details and effects the Naomi/DC hardware is capable of with Under Defeat. It reminds me of the finely detailed polygon objects which modern top-down dungeon crawlers like "Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance" have been using, that always game me the feeling of being an ideal rendering engine to use to make shmups.

The slick visuals in Under Defeat could make some Xbox 360 owners regret selling their Dreamcasts...

louisg · Post by **louisg** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 6:51 am

What? No Zero Gunner 2 / Psyvariar 2 love? I think those two look great! Ikaruga is nicely styled though..