Twin stick recommendations

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
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it290
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Twin stick recommendations

Post by it290 »

A couple of years ago, I loved loved loved Nex Machina. Last year, I absolutely adored Xeno Crisis. I'm hankering for a new twin stick addiction, but there's so much chaff to separate from the wheat in this genre that I don't know where to start. Please recommend some games that don't suck (ideally playable on console, but PC is ok too)!
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BulletMagnet
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by BulletMagnet »

In case you haven't already tried Monolith (and don't mind some randomized elements), that should be your first stop. Note that the link on that page is for Steam, but it's also available DRM-free on GOG and Itch (no console release yet, unfortunately).
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orange808
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by orange808 »

I love the Geometry Wars games. Devader is cool.

If you have a Groovymame machine, you might check out Robotron 2084, Smash TV, and Total Carnage.

Robotron 2084 is also well represented on MiSTer.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by bigbadboaz »

It's controversial but I thought GeoWars 3 was a great continuation of the series. Goes on sale quite often.

Did you play the older Housemarque titles? Resogun may not strictly count but it's incredible and shares a very clear lineage with Machina. And Super Stardust Ultra still holds up.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by guigui »

I also loved Nex Machina a lot, best of twin stick for me. Second is Assault Android Cactus, a must buy too if you like some good Twin stick action where you have to destroy robots : very polished, rewarding, intense action, many characters, great firepower.
As read on a forum about the game 'it is not you among the robots, it is the robots among you".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu-dW4PIDas
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Obiwanshinobi »

Apocalypse (PSX), Shadowgrounds & Shadowgrounds: Survivor (at least in multiplayer modes, not sure if single-player can be controlled with a gamepad). The latter brings two other PC games to mind, whose default m&k controls serve this kind of gameplay so well I did not wish I could play them with a controller: Zax the Alien Hunter and Alien Swarm (the original UT2004 mod rather than its remake by Valve).
Gauntlet Dark Legacy, PS2 port in ROBOTRON mode (I read Xbox ang GameCube ports are in some ways inferior, but I haven't played either myself).
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it290
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by it290 »

Cactus looks great, I'll definitely have to check that one out along with Monolith. I should clarify that I've played pretty much all of the older/classic games in the genre & am mostly looking for newer thrills.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by opt2not »

Robotron is a must if you’re a fan of the genre. It’s what started twin stick shooters!

But if you’re looking for more modern entries, the aforementioned suggestions are good ones.

I’d like to add Mutant Storm, Mutant Storm Reloaded, and Mutant Storm Empire. This series was one of the early entries of the 3D twin stick shooters, and has a fun level progression style of gameplay with figuring out the optimal way of beating each level.

Bangai-o for the Dreamcast is also a good one. It a Treasure game, and plays great if you hook it up to twin sticks, but can also be played with a controller. It’s a mech style side-scrolling arena game but your shoot in all directions. Fantastic game.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by guigui »

Never played the Dreamcast version, but Bangoi-O Spirits is on the Nintendo DS. Very fun too, but not really what I'd call a twin stick.

Cactus is the best, I remember that final cutscene started on the whiny side, but then ended up being cut like some of the best Hollywood movies.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Davey »

I know doujins aren't everybody's cup of tea, but I liked Gunroar quite a bit.

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/windows/gr_e.html

The greed mechanic was pretty cool, too. His games always made me wonder what could been had he made commercial games instead of just hobby projects. Something would certainly be lost by going from a one-man passion project to a professional team production, but with the additional polish and balancing that comes with that, they could have been really something I think.

Also, this made me think, wow, I haven't played this game in years. I wonder if anybody posted any scores recently?

Turns out:
1. I own the score thread. Huh.
2. No, they haven't.
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it290
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by it290 »

Oh man, haven't played Kenta Cho's stuff in ages. Looks like he's still active on Twitter, at least?
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Austin »

Yeah, Gunroar is a lot of fun. Traditional scrolling shmup action with twin stick style controls. Nice mix of shooting sub-genres. Hard to beat the price of "free".

The classic Smash T.V. holds up very well. Still one of my favorites to go back to today. SNES version is probably the most manageable for mere mortals (while still being very difficult). Arcade version's where it's at though, of course.

Definitely have to "+1" the Geometry Wars games, including Part 3.

Omega V on Xbox 360 (backwards compatible on the One) is a traditional scrolling shmup with twin stick controls as well. Excellent game. Not too difficult, but it still looks and sounds good and is a ton of fun. People seem to forget about it these days, but it's great.

Robotron 64 is a fun update to the classic 2084. I don't recommend the "X" version on PS1 due to performance problems (much lower framerate overall), but the N64 version is solid.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by BrianC »

As far as ports go, Atari 7800 is definitely one of the better home versions of Robotron 2084 and even supports using two joysticks. Many of the earlier emulations of Robotron run too fast.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Austin »

BrianC wrote:As far as ports go, Atari 7800 is definitely one of the better home versions of Robotron 2084 and even supports using two joysticks. Many of the earlier emulations of Robotron run too fast.
The PS1 port of Robotron is excellent (available on the first Arcade's Greatest Hits: Midway Collection 1).
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Specineff »

Would Omega V count?
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Austin
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Austin »

Specineff wrote:Would Omega V count?
If it doesn't, then neither would Gunroar. Same concept--traditional scrolling shooter, i.e., screen scrolls in one direction, with twin stick controls (in Gunroar, it's vertical scrolling; in Omega V, it's horizontal). Both games use one stick (or d-pad) to move, while using the other stick (or mouse, with Gunroar) to shoot. They are still technically twin-stick shooters, just not of the "you're stuck in a box and enemies are coming at you from all sides" variety.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Sumez »

Might still fit OP's agenda though? :)

I recall Omega V getting a really bad reception when it came out, so I never gave it much of a chance. But it's worth noting that it was the first (I think?) game made by Tengo Project, ie. the team formed by the core devs behind Natsume's most prolific SNES action titles, who in more recent years got notable for their own remakes of Wild Guns and TNWA.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Austin »

It may have gotten a bad rep in hardcore circles, but I wasn't poking around there much at the time and among my friends and I, we all enjoyed it quite a bit. I spent time with it for multiple sessions again last year and was like, "Man, I forgot how fun this game was." Scoring is straight forward, there's a lot going on right from the beginning, game progresses quickly and doesn't take long to go through, not to mention it still looks and sounds pretty good. Unlockable characters, score attack replays available, etc., etc. Definitely worth it.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Marc »

I enjoyed Tesla vs Lovecraft, it's a bit one-note (collect parts for mech suit ASAP, kill as much as possible, rinse and repeat), but its smooth and frantic.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by jandrogo »

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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by opt2not »

Helldivers is a lot of fun too. Has a funny Starship Troopers theme going for it too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SUdC4r82WM
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Jeneki »

If you like the style of Geometry Wars, try Waves. I played Waves enough to counterstop it (after which the dev added an achievement for doing so).
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Mischief Maker »

A more obscure title you may want to consider is Starward Rogue by the AI War people.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by kitten »

you might dig daniel remar's hyper princess pitch, an obvious smash tv homage.

i'd like to recommend furi and rock boshers dx (two of my favorite games!), as well as the weirdly oft-maligned omega v (which i quite like), but they're all genre-benders if we're to consider the genre "games in the vein of robotron 2084," which is i think what the op is looking for. tikipod, who did rock boshers, also did iron crypticle, however. i don't enjoy it as much as rock boshers, but it's closer to a purity of shoting. kind of like... a mixture of the binding of isaac, smash tv, and gauntlet.

something else popped into my mind and then quickly disappeared :[ was right on the tip of my tongue... i'll update if i can figure out what on earth it was.

edit: ah, i remember! ultratron, by puppy games. it's an 'update' of sorts to robotron's design by adding in an upgrade system and boss fights. maybe a bit more casual than what is being looked for, but it's got a bit of an arcade bite to it and is a decent wind-down game.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Austin »

Not sure why I forgot to mention it, but there's Everyday Shooter. One of my favorites to go back to. Different scoring mechanics on each stage, unique visual style and soundtrack, lots of unlockables, etc. PC, PS3, PSP.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by silvergunner »

Score Rush Extended PS4, a twin-stick-bullet hell-shooter :wink:
and it`s pretty good!
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Austin »

silvergunner wrote:Score Rush Extended PS4, a twin-stick-bullet hell-shooter :wink:
and it`s pretty good!
I remember the original Score Rush on 360. Really fun game. I had no idea there was an updated PS4 version, so thanks for the tip. Will definitely be checking that out!
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Marc »

kitten wrote:i'd like to recommend furi and rock boshers dx (two of my favorite games!), as well as the weirdly oft-maligned omega v (which i quite like), but they're all genre-benders if we're to consider the genre "games in the vein of robotron 2084," which is i think what the op is looking for. tikipod, who did rock boshers, also did iron crypticle, however. i don't enjoy it as much as rock boshers, but it's closer to a purity of shoting. kind of like... a mixture of the binding of isaac, smash tv, and gauntlet.
Damn, how did I forget iron Crypticle? Amazing game, highly recommend. One of the few games I've double-dipped on the Switch version, after buying on PS4.
I enjoyed Rock Boshers up until one screen that got me totally stuck, it was far back enough that I can't remember the details. I'll fire it up again tonight and have a nosy, as I was really having fun with it up until then.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by Mischief Maker »

Thanks for the Assault Android Cactus recommend! I got it last night and have been playing it nonstop the whole evening.

I daresay I kinda like it better than Nex Machina because these people are able to implement a basic crosshairs sprite for mouse/WASD controls.

You can get it DRM-free from the Humble Store, if that's an issue for you.
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Re: Twin stick recommendations

Post by kitten »

Marc wrote:
kitten wrote:i'd like to recommend furi and rock boshers dx (two of my favorite games!), as well as the weirdly oft-maligned omega v (which i quite like), but they're all genre-benders if we're to consider the genre "games in the vein of robotron 2084," which is i think what the op is looking for. tikipod, who did rock boshers, also did iron crypticle, however. i don't enjoy it as much as rock boshers, but it's closer to a purity of shoting. kind of like... a mixture of the binding of isaac, smash tv, and gauntlet.
Damn, how did I forget iron Crypticle? Amazing game, highly recommend. One of the few games I've double-dipped on the Switch version, after buying on PS4.
I enjoyed Rock Boshers up until one screen that got me totally stuck, it was far back enough that I can't remember the details. I'll fire it up again tonight and have a nosy, as I was really having fun with it up until then.
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