If you could only play one shoot'em up for the rest of life

pokemon123 · Post by **pokemon123** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:33 am

what would it be? Thought this would be a fun question.

This is definitely hard for me. The first thing that comes to my mind is subterrenean animism although I know i'm not being honest lol.

ACSeraph · Post by **ACSeraph** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:35 am

Darius Extra Arcade Cabinet

Burst ACEX is tempting due to the almost limitless content though...

Shepardus · Post by **Shepardus** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:47 am

Battle Garegga. I keep coming back to it over and over again despite having already 1CC'd it and not actively trying to improve my score at the moment. Looks great, sounds great, beautifully paced, scoring system I actually like, frustrates me less than any other game of similar difficulty (probably because it gives so many lives that one mistake never feels like the end of the world), good variety of player characters to choose from... It's a game that evolves with the player, more subtly than a simple difficulty setting; you push the game, it pushes you back.

That said, there would be plenty of games I would really miss playing, like Cho Ren Sha 68k and Crimzon Clover: World Ignition.

Squire Grooktook · Post by **Squire Grooktook** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:00 am

I might take Cho Ren Sha 68k.

Fast dodging the rng purple suicide lasers on hard really never gets old. It's one of the few games I have that always feel fun right from the first stage.

Otherwise it would have to be something similarly random as fuck. A Touhou (UFO?) or Yagawa game would probably work.

trap15 · Post by **trap15** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:08 am

Really tough for me. It's either Battle Garegga, Thunder Dragon 2, or Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX.

Strikers1945guy · Post by **Strikers1945guy** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:10 am

Ibara. Garegga would be a close second. Ibara has the amazing ness of Yagawa design with cave looks. Every run is different, Raizing goodness flows through Ibara's veins. I would get bored so fast playing a traditional cave Game forever following a strict path.

KAI · Post by **KAI** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:16 am

Pinksweets, cause it's hard, long...and you need a lot of time to get used to it and start enjoying it...

iconoclast · Post by **iconoclast** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:39 am

The Xbox 360 port of Mushihimesama Futari:
* It's the best video game ever created.
* It would take a lifetime to get WR scores with every ship & shot type in every mode between versions 1.5 & Black Label.
* If you accomplish that before dying, you can still play version 1.01 and that shitty arrange mode.

pokemon123 · Post by **pokemon123** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:45 am

Ketsui sounds like a contender for me as well. Ibara as well. Mannnnn >_<

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:54 am

Such a depressing thought!

Right now I want to say Galaga but I'd probably change my mind later on. It's a fixed shooter anyway so not sure if it counts, & if it does then would super scalers also count? If so then I'd certainly choose Sin & Punishment 2 since it's the evolution of the genre.

I'd have to say Raiden II if we're talking just traditional shmups.

Furry Fox Jet Pilot · Post by **Furry Fox Jet Pilot** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:01 am

Raiden DX, hands down. I don't even have to think twice about it

pegboy · Post by **pegboy** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:33 am

Gradius V

chempop · Post by **chempop** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:50 am

I really want to say Dimahoo, it is my favorite. 8 interesting and very different ships, the counterstop is possible, but requires basically a perfectly played game which I am no where even close to 25% of capable of. The 108 items

But Batrider has even more for longevity with hundreds of possible team combinations and all the secret bosses. Hell, I even have fun playing it seeing how low of a score I can clear it with

I’d flip a coin between these two.

dink · Post by **dink** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 6:00 am

Cyvern

Jonst · Post by **Jonst** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 6:36 am

It's a tough one, and I'd miss playing tons of games but I'd choose ketsui or progear. Mainly to get into those second loops and get ridiculous scores plus they're both really fun.

Post by **Dave_K.** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 7:43 am

Armed Police Batrider - From multiple game modes, many ships/teams, and tons of secrets, this would keep me plenty satisfied for a long time.

Cagar · Post by **Cagar** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 7:51 am

iconoclast wrote:The Xbox 360 port of Mushihimesama Futari:
* It's the best video game ever created.
* It would take a lifetime to get WR scores with every ship & shot type in every mode between versions 1.5 & Black Label.
* If you accomplish that before dying, you can still play version 1.01 and that shitty arrange mode.

This
Another I'd consider would be DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu; it allows so many playstyles. Just think of the different ship-challenge possibilities

Captain · Post by **Captain** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 8:17 am

Spoiler

HELLSINKER

endoKarb · Post by **endoKarb** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 8:30 am

Cagar wrote:Another I'd consider would be DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu; it allows so many playstyles. Just think of the different ship-challenge possibilities

Galuda II blows that out of the water, you can't get much more content than that from a single game. That would probably be my pick.

emphatic · Post by **emphatic** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 9:11 am

At first I was thinking Ketsui, but now I'm leaning towards Garegga.

BIL · Post by **BIL** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 9:47 am

Gun.Smoke, I'd have to say. If we were talking a decade I'd probably choose a difficult scoring challenge with a high performance ceiling, something like Garegga, Dragon Blaze, Raiden DX, Ketsui, Border Down or Rayforce. All those outrank G.S on my top 25.

I were stuck with one shooter forever though, I'd want the opposite - something as primally, immediately gratifying as possible. G.S enemy AI radiates a vicious, backstabbing aggression that instantly engages me every time. Wrestling it under precarious control is "personal" in a way I've seldom seen in singleplayer gaming, and it's something I've found tirelessly entertaining over the last several years.

DEL · Post by **DEL** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 11:20 am

I'll agree with trap15's Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX.
In such a situation, you'd have to go with a many routes game.

davyK · Post by **davyK** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 12:56 pm

Asteroids, more specifically the Deluxe version. It would have to be the dedicated cabinet though.

I have played Asteroids in various guises now for close on 30 years and it still entertains and can also induce the slightly altered state of mind that great STGs do so well.

The Deluxe version adds just enough variety with the shield, smarter enemy ships and the deathstars to keep it fresh - the control and basic rock busting is still beautiful however and the main reason for playing.

Hot on its heels are Tempest, Defender/Stargate and Mushi Futari.

monouchi · Post by **monouchi** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 1:34 pm

Garegga.
I saw kamui live in Kawasaki and noticed that to reach his level in Garegga...I need the rest of my life.

Skykid · Post by **Skykid** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 1:48 pm

iconoclast wrote:The Xbox 360 port of Mushihimesama Futari:
* It's the best video game ever created.

Shoot me.

Squire Grooktook · Post by **Squire Grooktook** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 1:55 pm

Somewhere, a slow purple bullet is aimed at Skykid's current location. Let's hope he moves a few steps at some point during the next few days.

Ikazu-san · Post by **Ikazu-san** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:05 pm

Dang, I can't play same game for too long. Is arranges allowed?

LordHypnos · Post by **LordHypnos** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:55 pm

It'd have to be Mars Matrix. No other game is even close to as enjoyable. It's probably not quite as deep as something like Garegga that has a million different variables that you need to juggle at all times, but there's still untold amounts of optimization that could be done. If I get to choose a particular format, I'd choose the Dreamcast port, because they removed the counterstop, and I would also have Elite Mode A to master if I ever got tired of the arcade version.

Some-Mist · Post by **Some-Mist** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:05 pm

Progear no Arashi

Ever since I played the board at my first shmupsmeet, something clicked for me. great steampunk theme that isn't too common in the genre, fantastic bullet cancelling mechanic in the typical cave risk = reward fashion, very organic and pretty bullet spreads, two loops with a blisteringly difficult 2nd "trial mode" loop, easy to pick up and play/1-all, but incredibly hard to master.

my only complaint is that I think it could use some better music, but for me it's as near-perfect of a package that I can find.

Stevens · Post by **Stevens** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:48 pm

LordHypnos wrote:It'd have to be Mars Matrix. No other game is even close to as enjoyable. It's probably not quite as deep as something like Garegga that has a million different variables that you need to juggle at all times, but there's still untold amounts of optimization that could be done. If I get to choose a particular format, I'd choose the Dreamcast port, because they removed the counterstop, and I would also have Elite Mode A to master if I ever got tired of the arcade version.

This would probably be my answer as well. Under Defeat is my favorite no doubt, but if I am picking ONE game to play forever it is Mars Matrix.

Arcade mode + elite + score attack + elite score attack (pierce cannon generates tiny cubes) = a game that could last me forever.

I cleared it, but truthfully didn't even scratch the surface score/xp wise.

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