Longest SHMUP that doesn't suck?

straight · Post by **straight** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 4:53 pm

What's the longest shump? Long and fun, not long and tedious?

I'm not talking replay value or difficulty (not the game that takes the most practice to beat) or 2nd loops, I mean the shmup that has the most (or longest) levels, that takes the longest to play though even if you don't die.

drohne · Post by **drohne** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 5:09 pm

probably gradius v or radiant silvergun in saturn mode. though the early stages of gradius v can kind of drag when you're playing with one credit, and you have to keep going through them, and you can't really do much to improve your score. thunderforce iv is really long too.

DarkWolf7 · Post by **DarkWolf7** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 5:10 pm

Varth is a good candidate with its 30 stages. Unfortunately, I don't really have an estimate on the amount of time it would take to complete them all.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 5:13 pm

Many Compile shooters are very long and quite a bit of fun. I love the original Zanac! As for other long and fun games, I like Iridion II quite a bit too. Some Gradius games are a bit on the long side and I find them a blast to play too.

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 5:14 pm

I'd have to vote for Gradius V. It's pretty damned long for a shmup. Well over an hour for a loop.

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 5:22 pm

DarkWolf7 wrote:Varth is a good candidate with its 30 stages. Unfortunately, I don't really have an estimate on the amount of time it would take to complete them all.

I certainly dont think Varth sucked but I still think the game could have used a little trimming here and there. It got a little repetitious imo. RSG and Gradius 5 are good examples of longer shmups that stayed fresh through out. Battle Garregga is another vertical shmups that seemed pretty lenghty, at least compared to other manic shmups (Cave, I am looking in your direction.

)

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 5:26 pm

Damn I cant believe forget Nanac Neo for the PS1! This could be the perfect example of a nice long vertical shmup that remains very solid through out the entire game. Awesome shmup imo.

WarpZone · Post by **WarpZone** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 5:46 pm

Despite its length, Gradius V remains very succinct and focused- even bosses are usually defeated before their pattern repeats.

Subtle little ways to boost score as well as 4 weapon selections and edit also keep the first half of the game fresh after repeated playthroughs.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 5:54 pm

Yes, it seems that Treasure has a knack for length without tedium. RSG and Gradius V are the first titles to come to mind.

Sly Cherry Chunks · Post by **Sly Cherry Chunks** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 6:12 pm

Thunder Force 4 goes on for a while. 10 stages. I remember when I first got it and from stage 7 onwards I was thinking "yeah, this is the final boss" but it just kept carrying on.

Gradius V is long. Gradius 3 on the PS2 just seems to drag on forever.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 6:39 pm

ZanacXZanac is my first pick, but Star Soldier and Star Force aren't far behind.

These games are VERY long, but they keep you hooked all the way through, and don't, IMO, feel the least bit tedious.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 6:54 pm

Well, looking for a game that "doesn't suck" is pretty subjective, seeing as some people here think that any shmup which is too long for their tastes more or less automatically "sucks" to some degree...in any case, I'll throw in another vote for RSG, as well as one for Space megaforce (Super Aleste).

black mariah · Post by **black mariah** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 8:24 pm

Cho Ren Sha 68k.

shiftace · Post by **shiftace** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 9:27 pm

Zanac takes just about an hour without warps, IIRC.

sffan · Post by **sffan** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 9:40 pm

1944 loop masters is a good game that's long as hell.

It does get ridiculously hard to stay alive, but that's a good feature for a shmup IMO.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 10:01 pm

Raiden feels fairly long, IMHO.

TVG · Post by **TVG** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 10:38 pm

i cant say, since i hate long shmups (bohohooo)

straight · Post by **straight** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 11:10 pm

BulletMagnet wrote:Well, looking for a game that "doesn't suck" is pretty subjective, seeing as some people here think that any shmup which is too long for their tastes more or less automatically "sucks" to some degree...in any case, I'll throw in another vote for RSG, as well as one for Space megaforce (Super Aleste).

Yeah, but if I just asked, "What's the longest shmup?" then there would be a definitive answer and there'd be nothing to argue about.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 11:27 pm

Robo Aleste I guess. I could be mistaken but I recall it had over 20 stages, even if some of them were just boss battles.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 2:50 am

straight wrote:Yeah, but if I just asked, "What's the longest shmup?" then there would be a definitive answer and there'd be nothing to argue about.

Heh, even then it'd be tough to say for sure, as quite a few games loop several times, and most aren't sure exactly how long they'll go on for if you can survive long enough...apparently the winner of the US Gradius V score comp was at the game for several hours straight (not counting practice time, of course) to make his high score.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 3:02 am

Ganelon wrote:Robo Aleste I guess. I could be mistaken but I recall it had over 20 stages, even if some of them were just boss battles.

Who made Robo Aleste?

Out of curiousity, did Compile, under the Compile name, ever make any short shmups? Are the Aleste GG games long?

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 3:06 am

I just got Sega CD Silpheed, and it's fantastic, despite the fact that it's 11 stages.

Frogacuda · Post by **Frogacuda** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 5:20 am

sffan wrote:1944 loop masters is a good game that's long as hell.

1944 is an unmitigated disaster.

BrianC wrote:Who made Robo Aleste? Out of curiousity, did Compile, under the Compile name, ever make any short shmups? Are the Aleste GG games long?

Compile made Robo Aleste, along with every other Aleste, and a crapload of other shmups like Zanac, Guardian Legend, Gunnac, Blazing Lazers, MUSHA... all under the compile name. What are you talking about?

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 5:34 am

"1944 is an unmitigated disaster."

I'm afraid I would have to agree. Capcom did everything right in this game, EXCEPT for the fact that your plane's main and only weapon is totally inadequate to deal with the game's larger enemies, especially the bosses.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 5:44 am

IIRC Capcom only published it, I believe Raizing developed it...I could be wrong though, maybe programmers from both worked together on it or something like that. In any case I'm not particularly fond of the game either...though I hafta say I like the little parachuting guy who floats around during the continue counter.

TWITCHDOCTOR · Post by **TWITCHDOCTOR** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 6:02 am

I was having this discussion with Nate last night, and I came to the conclusion that this would be Einhander.
Its long, difficult, but it doesn't ever get boring. Its cool and all, but I hardly accept it as an "arcade shmup"...it seems more like a "console only",(epic shmup) which it is, but the fact that it takes so long will make it harder than most others to master it fully.

gameoverDude · Post by **gameoverDude** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 6:08 am

Zanac Neo has a length of around 1 hour, I think- especially if you do some milking on the last boss.

Frogacuda · Post by **Frogacuda** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 1:23 pm

dave4shmups wrote:"1944 is an unmitigated disaster."

I'm afraid I would have to agree. Capcom did everything right in this game, EXCEPT for the fact that your plane's main and only weapon is totally inadequate to deal with the game's larger enemies, especially the bosses.

Raizing made it, not Capom. I also found the level design sloppy and bland. 19XX was so much better.

Skyline · Post by **Skyline** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 1:32 pm

1944 is a nice game...EXTREMELY hard though.

Not just because of the stage length/number of stages. Or the bosses or manic latter stages...it's that your main shot is only adequately strong if you tap the fire button like a fucking madman.

Only got to the 6th stage once...slapping that damn fire button at around 8-12 presses a second for most of the game (frantically alternating between the index and midde fingers)...that kinda hurts after a while.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 2:19 pm

Frogacuda wrote:Compile made Robo Aleste, along with every other Aleste, and a crapload of other shmups like Zanac, Guardian Legend, Gunnac, Blazing Lazers, MUSHA... all under the compile name. What are you talking about?

Well, that similey was supposed to indicate that I knew Compile made it. It was a rethorical question. BTW, what I was trying to point out is that Compile has a habit of making long shmups. I was curious if they actually made any short games. I also asked about the length of the GG Aleste games becuase I was wondering if they were as long as other Compile shmups, but I didn't get a single reply. It's not off topic becuase these are fun games and they may fit into the category of long shmups. I was trying to have some fun with my post and I got taken literarily with my simple questions about the length of the GG Aleste games ignored.