Shmup Series: sequential play and play all the ports?

[MintyTheCat]

Hello all,

I have this thing whereby I play each game in the series in sequence of release. Any one else adopt this approach?

Also, I simply cannot resist any port of R-Type and Darius and I play as many as I can. Any of you chaps do this or is one version usually enough?

Cheers,

Minty.

[BIL]

Also, I simply cannot resist any port of R-Type and Darius and I play as many as I can. Any of you chaps do this or is one version usually enough?

I do find good contemporary home versions of arcade icons quite lovable - certain 8/16bit conversions of Gradius, Salamander and Raiden (FC/FC/MD respectively) come to mind. Efforts like Sega's Daimakaimura MD are simply heroic for their time, and still great fun from a console fan's perspective. Certainly mine... I can remember when arcade hardware was mythically powerful, so intrepid consolisations like this and this and this will always get my appreciation. This also goes for stuff like Rayforce's Saturn port that are passably close to the arcade, but not technically "perfect." I'll always like that port more than the PS2's Taito Memories emulation, even if the latter is more accurate.

Then there's stuff like Kyuukyoku Tiger MD that's compelling precisely because of inaccuracy, extensive and often improved reworkings like Contra FC, and killer exclusives like Senjou no Okami II MD's Original mode. I keep all the above on hand, despite also having more accurate later versions.

As always though, it has to be good to play. If it's a meh or crap port (see Ikari Warriors FC) I won't go near it. GUEVARA FC, now we're talking!

[Blinge]

I guess I have the light version of that um...compulsion. I like to think in terms of whole series and ideally I'd play them in sequence but not always in practice. I'd like to clear all the DDP series and the different versions for each game, but I've left the (S)DOJs till last so I'm nowhere near..

I've beat every main series Zelda and there's only 3 single player Final Fantasies out that I haven't finished. There's also vague dreams of clearing every darius and twinbee..

[broken harbour]

I tend to do this too, tho not so much with shmups.

I played all the Cave games that got home ports in the order of release (except DonPachi), it was pretty cool to see how their style evolved over time.

I also started doing this with Final Fantasy, and will start this with Star Ocean, Xenogears, and the Tales series in the coming years.

[To Far Away Times]

I do this occasionally.

Sometimes it's worth it to play multiple versions of a game.

[The Armchair General]

Yep, I did that with the Touhou and Dodonpachi series and I'm going to do that with the Raiden series.

[Kollision]

I have been doing this for a while now, and I find it particularly fascinating.

[CIT]

I do this too, but not chronologically.

My plan is to 1CC at least one iteration of every Gradius, R-Type and Darius game (although I don't think Gradius IV's gonna happen...)

Im furtherst into Darius, where I only have G Darius left.

[MintyTheCat]

I do this too, but not chronologically.

My plan is to 1CC at least one iteration of every Gradius, R-Type and Darius game (although I don't think Gradius IV's gonna happen...)

Im furtherst into Darius, where I only have G Darius left.

I never played Gradius as a kid and was very late getting into it. I have been trying to 1CC the Gradius PCE port for ages but have been very lazy in sticking to it. I can nearly complete it then I do not play it for months.

I like to see how each game evolves between releases too.

Some great comments - cheers, chaps.

[CIT]

I grew up with Gradius, Life Force on the NES was my first shooter (along with Tiger Heli on NES).

The first Gradius is the easiest in the series. As long as you do your best to control the rank (i.e. never laser, never max options), it should be very beatable.

The Konami PCE ports are all excellent btw. Especially Gradius II, which is amazingly close to the arcade.

[MintyTheCat]

I grew up with Gradius, Life Force on the NES was my first shooter (along with Tiger Heli on NES).

The first Gradius is the easiest in the series. As long as you do your best to control the rank (i.e. never laser, never max options), it should be very beatable.

The Konami PCE ports are all excellent btw. Especially Gradius II, which is amazingly close to the arcade.

I tend to play it maxed out

Yes, I have Gradius 2 on the PCE and it is a very decent port. Might get hold of the Saturn ports too one day.

[Kollision]

Gradius plays an interesting role in my shmupping habits.

It was with Gradius V that the shmupper in me came out of the closet. More specifically, the meteor stage.
I had never seen such intensity in a video game, and right there and then I pledged my devotion to the genre. After all, leaving fighters, platformers and racers aside just to play Gradius V over and over again had to mean something.

And then I climbed the ladder from the first Gradius, which I had never played before.

Next for me is Gradius IV, and if I can do it I'll finally be once again free to fly through those shiny meteors in Gradius V.

[MintyTheCat]

I own Gradius 5 but have no PS2. I played it once at a videogame exhibition in London around 2006 and it was not bad from what I saw.

I 'found out' that I was really a Shmupper when I went back to videogames after a break during the latter part of School. I was fairly good at them when I was younger and then when I got back into the swing of things at University it was really Shmups I was focusing on and since that time I developed my collection and got hold of a PC Engine and a Saturn. I never looked back after that.

Reminds me, I need to get a PS2 as I have a set of Shmups that I wish to play on that machine.

[pegboy]

Gradius plays an interesting role in my shmupping habits.

It was with Gradius V that the shmupper in me came out of the closet. More specifically, the meteor stage.
I had never seen such intensity in a video game, and right there and then I pledged my devotion to the genre. After all, leaving fighters, platformers and racers aside just to play Gradius V over and over again had to mean something.

And then I climbed the ladder from the first Gradius, which I had never played before.

Next for me is Gradius IV, and if I can do it I'll finally be once again free to fly through those shiny meteors in Gradius V.

Man you should really skip IV and go right to V. IV is a pain the ass and IMO is in contention for the low point of the series along with part III. V is the best in the series.