Favorite stages

freddiebamboo · Post by **freddiebamboo** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:00 pm

Stage 4 of DDP

Stage 2 of Mushihimesama

Stage 2 of Ikaruga

Stage 4.1 of Shiki 2

MSZ · Post by **MSZ** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:18 pm

Nei First wrote:Gradius Gaiden stage 7 Formidable guardians stage

I believe thats stage 8.

Edge · Post by **Edge** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 10:06 pm

Gradius V - Stage 6:
I like most stages of Gradius V. But my favorite is the sixth. I really like the ideas in this stage. Those green water-like things are really exciting. And at the end of the stage the screen scrolls backwards.

DoDonPachi - Stage 5:
I really like how everywhere are shots are fired at you and you have to try to stay in the middle. Lot of pressure in this stage but a lot of fun also.

R-Type Delta - Stage 4:
That space station that scrolls upwards. You have to change the position of your orb pretty fast in the upper chaos. Pretty fast paced stage, and the music is really pushing everything.

...hmmm.... there are many others great stages, they just don't come into my mind right now.

PFG 9000 · Post by **PFG 9000** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:19 am

I'm surprised at all the listings here for Gradius V. Not that the stages are bad or anything, I just didn't think they would rank that highly on so many lists.

My favorites are:
Gradius Gaiden: Stage 1, Beyond the White Storm. One of my favorite first levels in any game, not just shooters. There's no bigger insult than getting killed by falling snow!

Gradius IV: Stage 4, the Magma stage. On my first time through it, when the magma started getting all wavy and crazy it was all I could do to dodge out of the way of the floating rock chunks and random bullets. Good times!

G Darius: Beta Zone, the Giant Plant stage. Because flying along next to gliding pteradactyls is just classic. And for their time, they're gorgeously rendered. And distracting, dammit.

Sol Deace: Stage 1, the generic space stage. Shooting away floating garbage is quite fun, strangely enough. And the jazzy music is among my favorites.

R-Type Final: Stage FA. Screenshots of this stage are hard to come by (no pun intended) so this is the best I could do. The stage is just so completely messed up, how could anybody not love it?

slateman · Post by **slateman** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:22 am

icycalm wrote:It occured to me that I really really like Stage 4 in Mushihime-sama.

When I saw the header on this thread I instantly thought of level 4 in Mushihimesama. The BGM is the best in the game, the serene madness of what's going on...those big snakes...

I've always been a big DDP fan which is usually just mayhem. But there's something about level 4 in Mushihimesama.

Countless others to mention, but I'll stick w/ this one as one of my favorites.

icycalm · Post by **icycalm** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:35 am

slateman wrote:the serene madness

Nice choice of words. I am going to have to steal that for my review of the game.

ED-057 · Post by **ED-057** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:20 am

I find it amusing to blow away all the colorful blocks on stage 3 of Blazing Lazers and on various stages of Space Megaforce. Arriving with a low-level weapon which can't get the job done and having most of the blocks escape unmolested is quite a dissapointment.

SuperGrafx · Post by **SuperGrafx** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:30 am

I honestly have way too many to list here. I've been playing these games since the very beginning and to list a top five or whatever list is just impossible.

Shocky · Post by **Shocky** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:19 am

I (also) immediately thought of R-Type Final, stage FA. Apart from the fact that it has a sex scene, it also brings back something nostalgic from the days of earliest video games with the abstract and simplified enemy designs.. in those days you had to save memory by replicating huge amounts of same kind of enemies. Later on developers kept making bigger and flashier enemies in shmups, and the roots were mostly forgotten. The enemy patterns in stage FA are very inventive. The music is also something very unconventional in a shmup. I was highly impressed by this stage.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:01 pm

is stage FA in R-Type Final part of the normal course or is it a special stage? i've been hearing about it since the game came out and the hype is starting to invade my brain...

Regulus · Post by **Regulus** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:35 pm

It's the standard stage 7... there are two other final stage variants (FB and FC), but you can't visit either until you've cleared FA.

I'll mention my favorite stages later. I'm posting with my PSP, so it would take me forever (just this is taking forever...

unbekannt · Post by **unbekannt** » Mon May 22, 2006 7:33 am

The subway stage in Esprade. One of the best train themes there is. Great idea to change the music within the stage. And hell, the second track is exactly what I need in a shooting game.

Arznei · Post by **Arznei** » Mon May 22, 2006 7:41 am

I thought I posted on this?

Stage 2 in Ikaruga, stage 4 of Mushihime, stage 4 of Imperishable Night, stage 2 of Dodonpachi, and stage 3 of Shikigami.

And my favorite is.. Stage 4 of Imperishable Night.

Post by **system11** » Mon May 22, 2006 8:59 am

Hm, couple of people actually pulled some interesting suggestions out of the hat, so here's a few from me:

R-Type Delta, level 3. Yeah, the big stomping thing. The snow effects, the plodding tune, the great big stompy enemy, it just works as a whole.

Radiant Silvergun, unknown level. You reach a boss who is more like a turret that shoots a constant laser beam. Around him are two sets of circles of blocks that spin in different directions, it's a lot of fun timing the block dodging and hiding behind them from the laser. This is the level that made me realise Silvergun really is an exceptional game. Similar idea seen in Gradius V by the way, descent chased by 4 legged enemy, stage 3 I think.

Darius 2 / Sagaia, boss Driosawm. On the full 2 screen arcade machine, this battle is epic. You've got a rather strange samba soundtrack going on, sinewaved backgrounds, and a GREAT BIG snake that likes to curl around and zoom from side to side. Awesome. Effect is totally lost on the home versions.

Mushihimesama, level 3. Another of those 'working as a whole' levels. Absolutely fantastic combinations of visuals, audio (best I've heard in years), and a torrent of destruction.

Airbuster/Aeroblasters, level 2(?). Was this the first level with a high speed scrolling tunnel section? Subsequently ripped off by a legion of other games. This also had a very interesting boss battle due to the background scrolling.

Raiden Fighters 2, level 3. The train. Yet another whole that adds up to more than the sum of it's parts. This really needs to be played on a cab with the sound turned way up. Train noises, explosions (everywhere), and I hate techno/etc, but the BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM soundtrack really works in this one.

Gaplus, stage 5 or 6 IIRC. Gaplus suddenly gets spooky and scrolls the screen backwards, playing a forbodeing tune. It just seems wrong and evil somehow.

LSU · Post by **LSU** » Mon May 22, 2006 5:12 pm

bloodflowers wrote:Radiant Silvergun, unknown level. You reach a boss who is more like a turret that shoots a constant laser beam. Around him are two sets of circles of blocks that spin in different directions, it's a lot of fun timing the block dodging and hiding behind them from the laser. This is the level that made me realise Silvergun really is an exceptional game. Similar idea seen in Gradius V by the way, descent chased by 4 legged enemy, stage 3 I think.

That boss is called UNDO. It's also one of my absolute favourite moments from any game, nice choice...

Another of my favourites from RS and a few other shmups:

Radiant Silvergun - XIGA - Seeing this enormous guy run and jump around your tiny little ship and having the whole landscape flip all around you is a real sight to behold.

Soukyugurentai - Stage 3 - Starting off in the clouds and then the entire level has you gradually descending down to ground level, the moment where the clouds completely clear and you can see all the ground forces down below - jeeps etc - is just spectacular.

Game Paradise - Stage 5 - "CPU captured by 8bit CPU". The first time I played this I was just bowled over by all the cool ideas and amazing pariodies of old classic games, and there are so many of them too, this is just sheer brilliance.

Gradius V - Stage 5 - Asteroids. Asteroid levels are all too common in shmups but this has to be one of the best and also maybe the craziest, the boss battle at the end is where I always bite the dust.

Gradius Series - Maoi Heads. Surreal, inspired graphic design, pure class.

Rez - Stage 5 - Finally I'd also list the last main stage from REZ, if we're allowed to include rail shooters. The whole evolution thing that builds up, the little intermissions, the light stage background, the larger enemies near the end that have wings that unfold like eagles or angels or whatever - and of course the Adam Freeland music - it all just comes together so well.

Varuna · Post by **Varuna** » Mon May 22, 2006 5:46 pm

I love stage 3 (endless train) in Ibara. The three trains side by side along with the chaos and destruction is intense.

Stage two of Under Defeat is another good one. It's so satisfying when a rocket connects with a giant group of turrets.

Plasmo · Post by **Plasmo** » Mon May 22, 2006 6:25 pm

its endRess train

DC906270 · Post by **DC906270** » Mon May 22, 2006 6:38 pm

stage 3 ibara - its called "Valley", no? the tune is endress train.

jpolz · Post by **jpolz** » Mon May 22, 2006 6:50 pm

Super R-Type: Stage 3 "The Water Stage" - Awesome music and the visuals are nice.

DoDonPachi: Stage 1 - Just a killer openeing stage w/ lots of explosions and a killer soundtrack.

Star Fox: Space Armada Stage - I just love the overall atmosphere of the the game and this stage really is breathtaking in scope, especially when you fly through the larger ships.

Fenrir · Post by **Fenrir** » Mon May 22, 2006 7:02 pm

Edge wrote:Gradius V - Stage 6:
I like most stages of Gradius V. But my favorite is the sixth. I really like the ideas in this stage. Those green water-like things are really exciting. And at the end of the stage the screen scrolls backwards.

I agree, it's one of the freakin' best shmup stages ever. When the whole stage starts bobbing and ducking around it's really thrilling, and the last part is great as well.
Gradius V is full of great ideas.

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Mon May 22, 2006 10:52 pm

PFG 9000 wrote: R-Type Final: Stage FA. Screenshots of this stage are hard to come by (no pun intended) so this is the best I could do. The stage is just so completely messed up, how could anybody not love it?

Are you serious?? Can somebody make a quick movie of this? I can't get myself to go all the way through R-Type Final (bores me to tears).

The bubble stage of Blazing Lasers (PCE). It doesn't hold up as well now, but at the time, it is the whole reason I wanted the game (same thing with the bubble stage of Gradius III *SNES*.

Airship stage of Strikers 1945 II - I love the music and the turret barrage righit before the boss.

Another vote for Gradius Gaiden - Formidable Guardians. Great bosses, great music.

I really enjoy the Moai stage of Gradius Gaiden as well, up until they start shooting lasers. Then I regard the level as cheap since you never know which way the heads are going to fall and sweep the laser across the screen.

PFG 9000 · Post by **PFG 9000** » Mon May 22, 2006 11:07 pm

landshark wrote:Are you serious?? Can somebody make a quick movie of this? I can't get myself to go all the way through R-Type Final (bores me to tears).

I'm serious, yes, though that was meant to be a slightly comical mock-up of the stage. I actually was able to find a screenshot, but I thought it would be funnier to make my own. This is what the stage looks like before the couple takes to the floor:

I have no way to take video, unfortunately.

Post by **Icarus** » Tue May 23, 2006 12:41 am

She has her hand in a naughty place there. ^_-

R-Type Final's stages aren't much to talk about though (even though the hyperspace stage is kind of trippy). I love R-Type Delta's stages though, especially the fifth (Bydo underwater nest with the return of R-Type bosses) and final stage (Bydo dimension, with all those weird buildings and stuff in the background). Delta has great personality and style, best R-Type made next to the first one.

Garegga's fifth stage (Cloud) ranks about my personal favourite. The first of the 'epic' stages, brilliantly paced, awesome music, fighting the bosses again, then the giant green carrier, then Black Heart, just makes me feel like I am in the middle of a dangerous mission, and there are more of these machines of death out there somewhere.
And stage7 (Airport) as well... the huge red carrier, then Black Heart2 (best boss fight ever), then Glow Squid, caps off an amazing game.

Ibara's stage3 (Valley) with the trains comes a good third place. Love the pace, the urgency, the absolute carnage of this stage. Stuff just explodes everywhere into a beautiful ballet of bullets and shrapnel.

And any Parodius game. The stages are brilliant, and the music is hilarious.

Varuna · Post by **Varuna** » Tue May 23, 2006 1:41 am

DC906270 wrote:stage 3 ibara - its called "Valley", no? the tune is endress train.

Yeah...you're right

oops

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Favorite stages

Re: Favorite stages

Re: Favorite stages