Most aggravating shmuping moment?

[xxx1993]

Trying to reach Stage 6C in Border Down is a major one. And even though I haven't played this game yet, fighting the true final boss of Strania is another definite one.

[Jonst]

Right now, it's every fucking time I face the final pattern of the final boss on hyper duel.

[BIL]

Nastiest Tecno Soft final boss ever. Are you playing AC or Saturn mode? I never worked out if the former has rank, but the latter sure as hell does. Even Nightmare (st6 boss) is a handful if you've not died before reaching him.

[Jonst]

Playing arcade mode. It's so cheap, I've had him on the red loads of times. It's getting really frustrating now it's even worse if you die in the last stage or just before going in, with low power. I can breeze through the whole game, but then either throw it away at the end or just get fucked up by the final homing lasers.

[Perikles]

I would recommend sticking to the bottom of the screen so that the encompassing beam of the main cannon is nullified, just tap ever so slightly out of the way of the rays. I don't know whether it's completely safe, but from my cursory testing this seemed to be the best option. Managed to no-miss the game after about an hour in total, so I'm sure you're quickly prevail, Jonst.


As for the thread question: why, the entirety of Battlantis, of course. At first one might think those unrelenting deaths are mere happenstance, an initial dripping of blood, caused by the unusually ferocious nature of the game. Then you realize that every filament, cell, atom of this game exults and chuckles at its own cheap, appalling nature. There is not a single aspect in favour of the player, the enemy placement, their behaviour, the hitbox, the walking speed, the way the hapless barbarians fires with a stutter, the randomness of the power-ups, the battlements that serve as cover for the ever-pressing phalanges of enemies, the insanely cheap bosses... I have a savestate for every stage of the first loop and sometimes revel in haphazardly selecting a few of those, watching how many ways the game knows to tear the player limb from limb.

It is, in other words, the essential game for another STGT. What wouldn't I give to see Argus, Battlantis and Valtric all in one tournament. Oh, sweet delight!

[pegboy]

With the little time I did spend on Battlantis I'd have to agree that is one of the worst shmups I've ever played, and most certainly the most miserable.

[davyK]

Applicable to a lot of shmups - losing a life with a stock of bombs. But particularly annoying in DoDonPachi when you gave a PILE of 'em!!!

[KaizaCorp]

Bombing just a moment too late...

"I bombed!!"

[BIL]

^ play Fire Shark if you haven't already. Designed specifically for players to express the poetic agony of Dying With Bombs In Stock. Preferably while hollering Thunder Dragon 2 (GOD DAMMIT, I CAN STILL FIGHT YOU) or Dangun Feveron (NAWWWWWW!) lines.

[davyK]

I also really dislike auto-bombing. It's acceptable in Futari's novice mode , though an option to disable it would have provided a stepping stone from Novice to 1.5 since Novice makes things too easy.

Don't like it in DDP:Res - though I accept it is only one option out of many ways to play.

[Jeneki]

Had a funny one last month. Beat the last boss in Outzone, then walked off the edge. Yes that sends you back to the checkpoint.

[The Armchair General]

Dying in the first 5 seconds of DP max rank 2-3 and to the stage 5 boss in a DP NM1B run ;_;

[ardiel]

When my brain sees that bullet and is screaming to get out of the way but my body is glazed over and doesn't actually move and I fly right into it like a braindead idiot.