Best shmup that you DIDN'T like/enjoy

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:23 am

1944: The Loop Master
Gradius IV
M.U.S.H.A.
Xexex
Kingdom Grand Prix / Shippu Mahou Daisakusen

All good games that I just don't enjoy playing

drohne · Post by **drohne** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:06 am

i can't get into mars matrix or the psyvariar games at all. it's not that i mind the reflection and buzz mechanics -- i like gigawing 1 and the shikigami games. i think maybe it's the combination of unconventional mechanics and really technical play, which kind of kills their shumuppy spontaneity.

Herr Schatten · Post by **Herr Schatten** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:46 am

Radiant Silvergun
Ikaruga
Giga Wing

They all demand enourmous amounts of memorization, too much for me to find any enjoyment in it. That said, I am a huge fan of R-Type. Strange, innit?

Post by **Shatterhand** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 5:26 pm

I dunno, I think the R-Type kind of memorization is different of the Radiant Silvergun memorization.

In R-Type I feel like I am mastering a beast.. I still feel I can adlib some parts, I feel like I am really conquering the game.

With RSG, I feel more like doing a boring, demanding job .

Post by **Icarus** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 6:21 pm

With Raizing shmups, you always have a love-it or hate-it range of opinions. Not many people are neutral to any of the games Raizing has created. For me, I love nearly all of Raizing's catalogue of shmups, as I find them demanding to master and extremely complex in design and gameplay, and pretty fun. Raizing at least atempted to do something different with their approaches to weapons, rank systems and so on.

I really can't stand anything Psikyo has created. While I can appreciate the little nuances in each game, like the change to the charge shot system in Strikers 2, or the Technical Bonuses which reward you for understanding enemy fire patterns in Strikers 3 and Dragon Blaze, whenever I play any of them, it feels like I'm playing the same game packaged up in a different looking design. While familiarity is good, laziness with approach to game design isn't.

kemical · Post by **kemical** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 6:56 pm

Ikaruga.. mainly because of all the people with no knowledge of shooters I run into who talk about it as if it's the "indy, messiah, sacred savior gameplay game that is misunderstood but amazing, so underground, etc.... etc "
Then I finally tried it and didn't really get blown away by it. Probably the same reason I don't really like thunderforce 5 or any 3d shooters in that time frame...

also i dont really care for the strikers series. (same reasons warpzone said)

and raiden fighters didn't impress me much once I finally got the cart after thinking about getting the game for a couple years, they should have never named those games raiden fighters... (wasn't it supposed to be gun dogs?)

Blue Lander · Post by **Blue Lander** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:06 pm

Radiant Silvergun is to shmups as Final Fantasy 7 is to RPGs. "Outsiders" think they're the best of their respective genres, but neither are all that terribly exciting. And all that mainstream hype sours "hardcore" gamers to those games.

Personally, I've never enjoyed R-Type. Maybe I haven't played them enough, but I've never gotten into the series.

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 11:18 pm

When I was young, I used to love Raiden II a lot...

...but then when Raiden Fighters finally got emulated, I was quite disappointed when I played it, as it didn't have that feel that Raiden II had.

thesuperkillerxxx · Post by **thesuperkillerxxx** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 11:57 pm

Icarus wrote:I really can't stand anything Psikyo has created ... it feels like I'm playing the same game packaged up in a different looking design. While familiarity is good, laziness with approach to game design isn't.

My sentiments exactly....

I didn't care much for Souky, and someone got a great deal on it. Can't get into Bakraid either. And if I play thunderforce again it will be too soon.

Nuke · Post by **Nuke** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:54 am

The best way to get into all the Psiyko stuff is to play Gunbird 2 and lots of it.
I did'nt care much for 'em either, but after a few rounds on my Dreamcast, I finaly "got" it.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:18 am

Nuke wrote:The best way to get into all the Psiyko stuff is to play Gunbird 2 and lots of it.
I did'nt care much for 'em either, but after a few rounds on my Dreamcast, I finaly "got" it.

Or play Aero Fighters in arcades. They aren't Psyiko, but I think they did have some Psiyko staff.

tehkao · Post by **tehkao** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:31 am

I'm shocked that so many people here don't like Souky...why? It's one of the most playable shmups around...I can see why it would not be your top 5 but to say you can't "stand it" is inconceivable to me.

Darkcomet72 · Post by **Darkcomet72** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:34 am

SFKhoa wrote:When I was young, I used to love Raiden II a lot...

...but then when Raiden Fighters finally got emulated, I was quite disappointed when I played it, as it didn't have that feel that Raiden II had.

Well... Raiden fighters is a completely different series. It wasn't even named Raiden Fighters before... It was Gun Dogs, at first. They just slapped the name Raiden Fighters on to boost sales...

Also, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Disliking a shmup just because It's overrated or mainstream is very dumb... in my case. I hear some of you saying RSG because of the "slow and methodical chaining"(even though 65% of the game is bosses), and I understand that, But this elitist attitude I'm seeing on this board... People dislike sports games, but the only reason I hear is " The new 2006 game is just a rehash of the 2005 game, which is a rehash of the 2004 game, which is a rehash of the 2003 game, which is a rehash of the 2002 game, but with added features" I like sports games

and I have fun with my friends when we play them.+

Edit: Oh yeah, Souky, Aleste(hard) and Space Megaforce(Wild) are kicking rad.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:47 am

tehkao wrote:I'm shocked that so many people here don't like Souky...why? It's one of the most playable shmups around...I can see why it would not be your top 5 but to say you can't "stand it" is inconceivable to me.

I couldn't agree more. Could someone who doesn't like Souky please explain what they don't like about it? I'm just confused. I've always thought of it as capturing the essence of shmuphood.

BUHA · Post by **BUHA** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:12 pm

While it's not totally a shmup, I can't stand Rez. What a worthless pile. There's like zero gameplay involved.

sininenat · Post by **sininenat** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:26 pm

Thunderforce V.

I find the backgrounds to be much too 'noisy', obscuring the action in the foreground - the majority of my deaths are "what the fuck just hit me?" moments. Needless to say, this is not what I want when I'm playing a shoot-em-up.

It's strange, this kind of thing seems to be very subjective; for instance, I don't have this problem with Battle Garegga, unlike the creator of this topic.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:45 pm

Game Tengoku.

In terms of difficulty, I thought the level placement was waaay out of wack. That, plus the annoying soundtrack and voice-overs makes this the best shmup I don't like.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:44 am

I'd have to give this one to Batrider. I know most people here really love it, but I find it far too complex for its own good, and the fact that the bullet patterns become nearly undodgeable so quickly makes it my least favorite of the Raizing games.

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 6:34 am

Ikaruga all the way for me. I keep wanting to like it, but I just can't.

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:22 am

God, there are so many that seem to be regarded as good games that I just never got on with:

Game Tengoku - The graphics put me off to start with, but I just found the level design and pacing uninspiring.

Super Aleste - One word - BORING.

Salamander 1 & 2 - The overhead stages don't really seem to fit, or play as tightly as the horiz. Ruins the game for me.

R-Type III: The Third Lightening - Just doesn't 'feel' like an R-Type game. Bland, long periods where there's nothing really happening, poor SFX and music, just feels really soulless to me.

And sorry... Radiant Silvergun - Someone above made a comment about the game being a chore to play, and that's exactly how I felt. I can appreciate the genius behind it, but actually enjoying it seems way beyond me. At least with ikaruga you can throw that chaining out the window and just enjoy a straighforward frantic shmup. With RSG, you're fucked if you do that.

Psiyko games do seem pretty interchangeable, moreso even than Cave's stuff, but I couldn't honestly say I dislike them.

Christ, after previewing this post can I just point out that I'm not a completely miserable bast, honestly

gs68 · Post by **gs68** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 11:37 pm

Ikaruga. I don't want to spend 500 millenia learning to chain every nook and cranny of the game. But if I just plow right through the game without bothering to chain, I feel like I'm cheating.

I don't like R-Type games either. Too un-manic, and too focused on dying over and over in a particular section of the stage just to memorize it. The most fun I've had is R-Type 3's stage 1. Once I get past stage 1 of an R-Type game, I get bored and quit.

Gradius 3 SNES is kinda broken (Twin Laser is so powerful), has too much slowdown (this is why I don't like the SNES, it's just not designed to handle shmups), and the levels in G3 AC seem more interesting and more detailed.

Mars Matrix...meh. After Stage 2 the game just doesn't seem possible without dying a lot. There's WAY too many bullets and they go on too long for my reflector to help out.

Some people really like Super R-Type. I find no fun in it. Not only does it have slowdown, but there are no checkpoints in the game--dying always sends you back to start. What the f**k.

tehkao · Post by **tehkao** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 11:56 pm

Super Aleste - One word - BORING.

I'll second that.

PsikyoPshumpPshooterP · Mon Mar 14, 2005 12:12 am

i cant stand for these type of topics..somehow or another, a flame war begins..

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 12:38 pm

Well, this one's stayed pretty civil so far...

tehkao · Post by **tehkao** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 12:48 am

I gotta put in my vote for Shienryu/Gekioh Shooting King/whatever...never understood why this game gets so much attention...I mean there's a reason why it only costs $10.

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:11 am

Mars Matrix(mame)- I've only played this on an emulator, I'm glad I did, basically I dont like collecting too much in my shooters.The graphics are of really good quality,

Gigawing(Dreamcast) I picked this up last summer for £10, Same as Mars Matrix, I dont like collecting too much pick-ups, also I'm not to keen on those
story intermissions, and maybe this Is just me but..... I'd rather have afew lives rather than unlimited continues, kills the game for me, I know you can just say 5 credits and I'll stop, or 1CC etc but It's just not the same. anyone else irked by this or Is It just me?

Gradius- I love/Hate this game, for It's power-up system and the difficulty *for me anyway

*
R-Type-memorizing shooter, although I like R-Type 3 onthe Snes

Also any Psikyo or Atlas/Cave games *Waits for the Flames*

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:31 am

^ i doubt anyone will give you crap for not liking Psikyo or Cave games (fool

). i don't understand the complaint about infinite continues though. granted i don't have much arcade experience (yet) to really appreciate the sentiment, but i don't use continues in any shmupping i do (generally), and it is no problem to let the clock time out and just start again.

oh and welcome to the forums

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:36 am

Thanks for the welcome

maybe I'm just one of those people and the temptation to continue Is too great, and I end up onthe last level due to the infinite contines, While in an arcade setting fair enough as you pay to continue, but for a home conversion I just dont like It.
*I never use mame for my shooters for that very reason* unless It's an old game, that requires you to only have a set limit of lives.

I also haven't got much or any arcade experience, where I live (UK)there are no arcades left, only 3D mainstream titles, apart from my local town that has- Metal Slug,Snow Bros and afew others.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 2:39 am

Just do not continue. It's easy

I hate playing shmups with some friend because of that. I got really pissed off other day, when a friend of mine begun crediting feeding Salamander 2, and got past the my dying stage, and thus I saw more of the game by what I consider CHEATING. Then I just told him to stop continuing, or else he would ending up FINISHING the game, and have a weird feeling of acomplishing nothing. And then he quit ;D

That's why I like to play Sonic WIngs with them. I just put ZERO continues in the options screen as default...

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 2:52 am

Meh, no need to enforce your beliefs on others. IMO, credit feeders can feed as they wish; if it was really sacrilegious, the game wouldn't have such a feature. It's for people who do want to credit feed and all the more power to them if they find enjoyment doing so.