Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

[BulletMagnet]

The SNES has none, they're just too bright and Nintendo-fluffy.

BioMetal might qualify, especially if you play the Japanese version without the silly dance music added, heh.

[Kollision]

The SNES has none, they're just too bright and Nintendo-fluffy.

BioMetal might qualify, especially if you play the Japanese version without the silly dance music added, heh.

well, maybe.. hehehe
even though it has always stricken me as a bright game, probably because I remember the first half of it more vividly

[Marc]

Jamestown. Any good? Worth the fiver the PS4 port is on sale for now?

[Blinge]

yes

[Perikles]

Gynoug tends to get cited as the MD's darkest shooter [...] I would instead suggest Eliminate Down [...]

On the MD I'd cite Undeadline, and if that gorgeous 1st stage is excluded then Phelios as well.

Don't forget about Crying/Bio-Hazard Battle, that should be anyone's pick for the most unsettling MD shooter. The soundtrack ranges from exigent tunes to truly horrifying cacophonies, it really puts the nerves on edge. I've not played a second shooter that is able to constantly irritate the player in such a twisted psychological way - one is always expecting some grotesque creature to strike. Incredible atmosphere!

[BIL]

Crying definitely makes my shortlist, far ahead of Gynoug. Chiefly for the OST's emphasis on pulsing primal rhythm, sparsely shaded by a handful of creepily atonal leitmotifs. It's a sound encroaching, complex and distinctly without warmth - the perfect complement to the eco-horror theme. Sometimes it conjures a teeming hive, at others a lurking predator patiently, hungrily eying its prey.

LITERALLY CRYING:

Spoiler

It also has that rarefied pleasure, high-quality package-mounted Engrish. Very close to not being Engrish at all, but just offbeat enough to create the effect - exquisite. Can't believe the overseas version went with "AVARON," wtf?

We sail to save Avalon...

It takes a really strong MD OST to positively harness the sound chip's clangier side like it does. Most middling to lesser ones can barely keep the badness at bay. Eliminate Down manages a similar trick with its filthy garage metal (so unlike Tecno Soft's pristine sound), and sparing stunts like 5-1's nightmarishly dissonant, lurching "carrion mulcher" BGM, and the squall accompanying 6-1's Mr. Lovecraftian Potato Head.

On SFC, Axelay deserves honourable mention simply for that last stage - one of the genre's great lone wolf into the lions' den sequences.

[Shepardus]

Is there a way in MAMEplus to set up multiple autofire frequencies that you can assign to different buttons or toggle through, rather than just toggle between autofire and no autofire? If not, are there versions of MAME that support this? This would be useful for something like Battle Garegga.

GareMame might be able to do this.

That's a possibility, but since the interface is in Japanese I can't tell how to set it up if it's there. The config dialog looks similar to MAMEplus from what I can tell, though.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Are you playing with keyboard or joystick/pad? If keyboard, you could easily set up multiple keys with various rates or a toggle script using AutoHotkey.

JoyToKey would also work for giving autofire to multiple keys, but I don't know if it supports multiple autofire rates via a toggle.

[Squire Grooktook]

It takes a really strong MD OST to positively harness the sound chip's clangier side like it does. Most middling to lesser ones can barely keep the badness at bay. Eliminate Down manages a similar trick with its filthy garage metal (so unlike Tecno Soft's pristine sound), and sparing stunts like 5-1's nightmarishly dissonant, lurching "carrion mulcher" BGM, and the squall accompanying 6-1's Mr. Lovecraftian Potato Head.

I'd also like to throw in the stage 5-1 theme, one of my favorite tracks for its sheer maliciousness.

[pandoraXhunter]

Is there any differences between Japanese version and International version of DoDonPachi?

[Shepardus]

Besides the text, I don't think so.

[pokemon123]

how good is the PC port of raycrisis?

[Immryr]

Jamestown. Any good? Worth the fiver the PS4 port is on sale for now?

yep, it's great.

[copy-paster]

most best-selling shmup game ever?
anyone knows?

[Mero]

Probably some Famicom arcade port, maybe one of Konami's?

[Ghegs]

most best-selling shmup game ever?
anyone knows?

Do you mean best-selling game counting all releases or best-selling single release? For former, Xevious has been ported to a myriad of systems, so counting all the sales of those might easily give it the top spot.

For the latter...well, Xevious' Famicom release was a Really Big Thing, as I understand. FC Gradius was huge too.

[copy-paster]

I know that Xevious (all platforms) and FC Gradius (arcade version too?) are the huge gems at that time...
Any others? cause I've only know these two.

[BIL]

Twinbee was the other mega-selling Famicom STG along with Gradius and Xevious.

[copy-paster]

Never knew that the FC version became a best selling shmup because the power of cuteness.

[mamboFoxtrot]

Is Cotton 2's Saturn mode harder, easier, or just different from the regular Arcade mode?

[BulletMagnet]

I haven't honestly played enough of it to comment on the overall difficulty, but it's basically a "remix" mode with different enemy placements and background graphics IIRC.

[kaicooper]

whats the best shmup on Genesis and Snes ?

[BIL]

Having consulted my shelf and a team of forum experts consisting of blackman.txt, 4D Lizardman and RegalSin, I suggest trying all of the following: (personal favourites in bold)

Aero Blasters
Battle Mania Daiginjou
Crying
Darius II *
Elemental Master
Eliminate Down
Gley Lancer
Granada
Gynoug
Hellfire #
Koutetsu Teikoku
Kyuukyoku Tiger *#
Raiden Densetsu *
Same! Same! Same!
Senjou no Okami II (original mode is GOOD AS FUCK)
Slap Fight MD
Space Invaders 90
Super Fantasy Zone
Thunder Force III
Thunder Force IV
Twinkle Tale
Undead Line #

Axelay
Bio Metal
Cotton 100%
Darius Force
The Firemen @
Gradius III *
Kiki Kaikai: Nazo no Kuro Mantle
Kiki Kaikai: Tsukiyozoshi
Phalanx
Pop n' Twinbee
R-Type III
SDF Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie
Super Aleste (upper two difficulties only)#

*technically obsoleted arcade ports different enough to remain worth a look.
#BALLS-HARD ARCADE SATISFACTION
@ oh yeah, I went there bitches ;3 that's pure Granada seek/destroy right there!

Musha Aleste (MD) is cool as hell but I can't recommend it in shooting terms. Worth a go for towering neoclassical inferno of an OST and shaweet samurai mecha style but insanely overlong for what it is. Super Aleste Max Difficulty obliterates it. Area 88 (SFC)'s RPG trappings are interesting but again it's not something I'd suggest without caveats.

[Perikles]

I'd add the following games to BIL's excellent enumeration:

Phelios
Sol-Deace
Task Force Harrier EX
Vapor Trail
V-V
Whip Rush

Whip Rush in particular seems to get overshadowed by its flashier contemporaries even though it's a really solid console-exclusive title with a decided focus on aggression. The other games are all sturdy fellows without significant flaws bar V-V's partially obnoxious flickering (it's the only console adaption of the game, though). Forgotten Worlds is also a fine game, the PCE CD version is much better, however.

Kidou Soukou Dion
Parodius Da!
Super E.D.F.: Earth Defense Force
Uchuu no Kishi: Tekkaman Blade

Parodius Da! is a splendid port - I prefer it over the 32-bit conversions. Very little slowdowns, great audio-visual presentation and a masterfully crafted additional stage. Tekkaman Blade is the most enjoyable terrible shooter I've ever played, and it also contains the best atrocious fighting game on the system. The controls are so bad that even the AI-controlled enemies are unable to do anything worthwhile which enhances the severe sadism of slaughtering bumbling fools! If it weren't for some dull mid-bosses and a sleep-inducingly boring final boss it'd probably be the exemplary guilty pleasure. Adrenalising boss theme, too!

[Synnae]

I've been out of the shmup scene for a while, so...

What's the latest/recommended shmupmame? Last time I checked it was version 4.2, but I don't know what to get now.

[Shepardus]

Latest is still 4.2. Just get the latest version of MAMEplus.

[trap15]

Yeah, forget shmupmame, use latest mameplus always.

[EmperorIng]

Is there a simple set of instructions to get the mameplus UI working (like how other MAMEs have that GUI, like MAMEUIFX32)?

I can't seem to get it to recognize the directory folder where I have all my roms.

[Shepardus]

Can someone explain to me how rank works in Darius Gaiden? What increases/lowers it and what does it affect? I can't make much sense out of Randorama's guide other than that it's tied to your power level.

Also, why is the default autofire rate so damn slow? I don't like using autofire much but I feel like I have to if I don't want to be shooting at each boss for half an hour. Is the game well-balanced for 30Hz autofire or does it trivialize everything?

[copy-paster]

The rank increases if your ship are fully powered up, dying few times will lower it.

And you should do the fire button-mashing, it makes the fire rate much faster than default autofire.