"Shmup School": Co-op 1CCs with kids

[volcanolotus]

The TL;DR version of my question: if you were going to play co-op with somebody who's never played a shooter before with the idea of trying for 1CCs, what games would you start with and why?

More specifically:

I want to introduce my son (5) to the concept of 1CCing arcade games. (I have reasons for this, but don't want to make a long post longer.) He's been playing video games with me for about 2 years and is an OK player at modern games (e.g., can handle some boss fights solo in the Wii U Mario games). I thought that shmups would be a good choice, since they provide a good challenge, I like them and I suspect he would too - his favorite Mario levels are the bullet bill heavy ones, so he's probably ready for DoDonPachi, right?

I want to make sure that I don't start out with something that's too difficult and put him off the idea forever, but I don't know the games well enough to determine where to start, and finding good information about co-op difficulty is a challenge in itself.

I was thinking of starting with couples mode on Pop'n Twinbee, then regular mode, then something like Jamestown (because of the revives), and then moving on to something mid-level and then something hard. Is that a logical place to start? Where do I go from there?

As far as what I'm looking for, co-op is a must. I prefer sci-fi/cute-em-up/abstract games to more terrestrial fare; basically, the farther removed from reality, the better. He's still pretty young, so nothing where your targets are obviously humans, no significant blood/gore, no scantily clad women, no unskippable profanity, and I'd like to keep the H.R. Geigerish nightmare fuel to a minimum. (That last one is a softer requirement because you never know what is or isn't going to be scary to kids...)

Below are some of the games that looked like they might fit the bill, though I'm open to other suggestions as well. I'd appreciate any and all insight. Thanks!

Pop'n Twinbee
Detanta Twinbee
Jamestown
Giga Wing 2
Mars Matrix
G-Darius
Darius Burst
Ikaruga
Radiant Silvergun
Gradius Gaiden
Gradius V
R-Type Dimensions
R-Type Leo
Salamander/Life Force
Salamander 2
DoDonPachi
Score Rush
In The Hunt
Thunder Cross
Truxton 2
Aero Blasters
Gemini Wing
Last Duel
Strania: The Stella Machine
Brave Blade
Space Bomber

[davyK]

Pop n Twinbee is a great call to be honest. There's some nice mechanics for 2 players - you can grab and throw the other player around and turn them into a bouncing bomb. I think you can transfer some of your energy bar over to your partner too.

Oshaberi Parodius on the Saturn has an option that lets you set how much enemy attention each player gets. (at least I think that's what it is for - the default is 50/50 but you can tilt it in either player's favour). Also if you shoot the other player several times in quick succession you temporarily transform him/her into a death dealing fireball.

[amdiggywhut]

Just make sure he tries hard and don't allow any trouserplanking.

[jepjepjep]

I'd show him a few games and ask him which one he likes the best. I think he'd enjoy it more if the aesthetic makes a strong impression on him. My son (also 5) really likes Fantasy Zone, but that one's not coop.

Actually, I think Espgaluda is a great choice for a coop shooter since you can slow down the bullets in the hard sections.

[volcanolotus]

I'd show him a few games and ask him which one he likes the best. I think he'd enjoy it more if the aesthetic makes a strong impression on him.

That's a good idea.

Anything on the list that I shouldn't show him (at least at the outset) due to impossible co-op difficulty?

[Stevens]

Jamestown and Score Rush are great choices. Pick a game - but any Cave shooter with a novice mode perhaps?

Mind you this is my personal experience so your miles may vary, but you might want to hold off on Mars Matrix for a bit:D.

[emphatic]

Actually, I think Espgaluda is a great choice for a coop shooter since you can slow down the bullets in the hard sections.

Ever played ESPGALUDA in 2 player mode? I did the one time, worst 2 player game ever.

I can recommend:
Twin Hawk (enemies only fire at the highest scoring player = you)
Aero Fighters 2

[jepjepjep]

Ever played ESPGALUDA in 2 player mode? I did the one time, worst 2 player game ever.

Yes, it's great for playing with a much less-skilled player (aka wife) since you can hoard gems and use them to slow down the bullets during the hectic parts thus allowing them to survive longer and not get frustrated.

Now, Ketsui with two players...

[Zaarock]

Strania is a great choice I think. It's much easier in co-op than alone and you have a lot of combined firepower. You can pick weapons to complement eachothers weaknesses or say plan to save the right ones for a difficult section to make it much easier. It's fun to just mess around with different combinations to see how they work, and usually there's a simple way through any problem (in the base game at least)

[davyK]

If you have a Dreamcast, try Gunbird 2 with the difficulty turned way down. The different characters on offer will be fun too.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I can recommend Raiden III.

[thetricker24]

futari ultra on those kids

[Kino]

.

[Bananamatic]

futari ultra on those kids

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Ever played ESPGALUDA in 2 player mode? I did the one time, worst 2 player game ever.

ESP.Ra.De and Espgaluda are too hard to introduce a kid to I'd say. CoOp play can work, because you can protect each other with longer durations of the bomb (hold it down and use it to shield the other player), but it requires a fair bit of coordination.

My recommendations:

Crisis Force (FC/NES) - difficulty isn't unreasonable, you have a 1 hit shield when you're powered up (getting hit depowers you, you die if you're hit then), you have bombs, three different ship types to transform into at-will (teaches him about when to use different shot types and bombs), and the 2-player gimmick is the occasional merge transformation where you turn into a giant bird battleship thing. In 2 Player, player 1 controls the ship directly, whereas player 2 can fire a turret in 8 directions (which does a massive amount of damage compared to when you're playing single player). Let him be player 1 if you play this.

Giga Wing (Arcade) - with both of you alternating reflects, you could keep the screen pretty clear of bullets. There's also bombs, small hitbox, decent shot types, etc.

Batsugun Normal or Special (Arcade) - very powerful shot types, and not too difficult to learn. In the Normal version, if one player fires a bomb and then the second player launches a bomb while the first is onscreen, it'll fire off a full-screen bomb that's a lot stronger (same as in the Special version).

Mushi Futari Novice Maniac (Xbox 360) - The game has alternate dialogue in a few stages if you're playing 2P, and Maniac and God Mode can both be played cooperatively for massive scores, well over what's possible in single player, so I'm pretty sure this was partially intended for co-op. Novice Maniac is quite reasonable in difficulty, and you can do cooperative scoring like this (with one player collecting all the gems so the other player's multiplier never drops). See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CsUTl0HfbQ

Decimation X3 (Xbox 360 Indie) - a hardcore, modernized space invaders. Fun party game made by the same folks behind Score Rush: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF75EYYEm9o

Omega Fighter (Arcade) - has an old-school look to it, but the scoring is actually pretty neat, and the game plays really well. Nothing specific to coop I think, but fun nonetheless.

Rapid Hero (Arcade) - amazing visual style, lots of action on screen, while not being too difficult. You can bomb through a lot of things if you plan it out, and the bosses are quite predictable, so it's a good game for less experienced players

Life Force (NES) - music's good, and on the NES version you can revive using another player's lives, so as long as one player's alive you can bring the other back with an extra life.

Or, just see what he enjoys and likes and play it cooperatively. I would absolutely not recommend Akai Katana though - unless you know what you're doing, the transformation ability will constantly send enemy bullets directly to your partner.

[ACSeraph]

It won't be out on console until later this year, but my go to introductory shmup and coop game is Darius Burst ACEX. It's epic, carefully designed around coop play, features a huge amount of content ranging from total beginner to utterly insane, and the mecha sea life vibe is something I could definitely see kids appreciating.