Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

[XoPachi]

Raiden III (pc) and a bit of Radiant Silvergun on the 360. I kind of get RSG now, I absolutely hated it when I first played it and thought it was overrated bilge but it's growing on me.

I can't get into this one to this day. I just find it annoying to play consistently. Just waaay too much to worry about for me. Reminds me of why I could never get into Alien Soldier. Too many actions for what I expect to control simply. I just always have this encumbered feeling when I play.

[sunnshine]

Raiden III (pc) and a bit of Radiant Silvergun on the 360. I kind of get RSG now, I absolutely hated it when I first played it and thought it was overrated bilge but it's growing on me.

I can't get into this one to this day. I just find it annoying to play consistently. Just waaay too much to worry about for me. Reminds me of why I could never get into Alien Soldier. Too many actions for what I expect to control simply. I just always have this encumbered feeling when I play.

I know what you mean. I see Raiden III and IV as very effective antidotes to RSG and Ikaruga fury. I'll dip in and out of them (RSG and Ikky) and occasionally rage-delete them from the hard drive only to come crawling back a few weeks later to 'give them another go'...

[NuclearPotato]

Once again, I find myself in a Darius-shaped hole. Currently routing for a G-Darius top route clear; thanks to copious replay watching I've already managed to route a decent path up to Lightning Coronatus, though my general slop on stages and that damned banana laser attack on Duel Horn means I'm still a ways off from getting the clear. I also decided to play Darius Twin on a lark; I'm not sure why. After a couple of warmup credits, I managed to slam my way past my previous best of Zone D all the way into Zone G. I could probably get the 1cc clear on it pretty quickly, if I actually cared to put the effort in on it. But I'm committed to clearing a good game first before my gimmie 1cc's lol.

[MidnightWolf]

Air Gallet - I love the medal collecting in this game. It's a tricky bugger to time them just right, but far less annoying than medal chaining in Strikers 1945 III.

Cyvern - Because dragons. Dragons with zappy lasers and electric charge shots are the best!

[sunnshine]

Cyvern - Because dragons. Dragons with zappy lasers and electric charge shots are the best!

I've sacked RSG off (again...) and I'm enjoying Shikigami No Shiro III (xb360) instead, much less rage-inducing

[Gamer707b]

Raiden III (pc) and a bit of Radiant Silvergun on the 360. I kind of get RSG now, I absolutely hated it when I first played it and thought it was overrated bilge but it's growing on me.

I can't get into this one to this day. I just find it annoying to play consistently. Just waaay too much to worry about for me. Reminds me of why I could never get into Alien Soldier. Too many actions for what I expect to control simply. I just always have this encumbered feeling when I play.

I can see others thinking RSG can be overkill with it's mechanic and style, but I think the game is amazing. They did something original with the concept of shoot em ups.
As far as Alien Soldier goes, I wasn't sure how I'd like it. Always heard it was hard. I always wanted to play it being a huge Treasure fan. Finally did on Switch last year and ended up really digging the game. Now it's one of my top Treasure games. Yea, these 2 games are games you either like of don't.

[m.sniffles.esq]

Going into the age of Aries:

Progear - Switch
(Due to the controversy with the US version, I set the difficulty to 'Easy', but at some point it set itself back to 'Medium'. Does this mean it's fixed? Who knows? Anyway, LOVE this game. Pulls off the very, very, very difficult magic trick of being balls hard but still a ton of fun (usually games this hard would make me want to throw my controller/bite it in half/both)

Tempest 4K - Switch
(Speaking of fun. I thought I'd have issue with the 'faux-spinner'' but I actually really enjoy it and use it more than the d-pad which is 'spinner-free'. Works really well portably, with headphones enhancing things)

G Darius - Switch
(25 years later and it still crazes me out with it's non-stop innovation)

Border Down - Dreamcast
(Darius' hipster bastard nephew)

I guess the age of Aries has me going all hori all the time...

[G3n3raL86]

Rolling Gunner on PS4 from yesterday... 30€ extremely well spent.

[MidnightWolf]

Battle Bakraid

Very late to the party with this one, but played it for the first time this morning. I'm sticking to "Training mode" and not moving on until I can actually get through it without losing a life, which may take some time even with the auto-bomb, as the bosses on that last mission have some crazy-fast bullet patterns that always wreck me.

Blade Owl and Solid Ray are my favourite ships so far. Sabre Tiger has a wonderful shot but just a touch slow for dodging bullets. Think I'll be playing Bakraid for a good while now, as it's a lot of fun.

[XoPachi]

I've been trying to learn Viper Phase 1 but this game is kind of...annoying. Surprisingly actually.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

VP1 is a gorgeous game with great art assets and music. The green weapon also looks really cool. The problem is despite the futuristic look it's... pretty archaic in how it plays. The hitbox is gigantic compared to a modern shmup, and the coolest looking weapon in the game, the green one, is effectively a gimmick weapon. You'll do a lot better with the red spreadshot weapon or the yellow missile one. It's still a good game, but you might struggle to get used to it if you're used to more modern shmups. Approach it as though you're playing a tweaked and reskinned older Raiden game and plan accordingly.

Raiden Fighters basically showcases the Judge Spear in a much better light by giving it a very impressive movement speed, allowing it to actually make use of its thin weapon more effectively. The bomb also deploys much more quickly in the Raiden Fighters games, making it a popular ship for an easy 1CC (probably one of the most commonly used ships that's not a Slave ship?).

[MidnightWolf]

VP1 is a gorgeous game with great art assets and music. The green weapon also looks really cool.

Oooooh yeah, VP1 is a super-cool game!
The green napalm explosions have a habit of obscuring enemy bullets when fully powered-up, but that could be my fault for being stupid and trying to point-blank enemy ships with it, so can't blame the game.

In Raiden Fighters 2 & Jet, i main the Griffin, but there's no really bad ship in the bunch from what i've seen.

Still haven't managed a no miss on Battle Bakraid training mode yet, so that's my weekend task.

[Valtele]

I wanted just to choose 1 game from CAVE and get good at it without credit-feeding, so I was choosing from several titles that look the most interesting to me - Espgaluda (such an amazing concept and music), Akai Katana (probably the most appealing horizontal shooter for me), and IBARA. so I decided on IBARA. has some insane bullet patterns that is impossible to predict, but I dig it a lot.

[know_naim]

I picked up Deathsmiles I & II for Switch recently. Am I crazy in thinking that Deathsmiles II is vastly more enjoyable than I? Never played II before and am loving it.

[XoPachi]

I picked up GMD again. I think if I had to pick, this has to be my 2nd favorite Raizing game behind BatRider. But it's such a CLOSE second for me. I remember this being one of the games that pushed me to make little ship concepts and mock-up mechanics years ago.
Wish I had the aptitude to just understand how to -play- a Raizing game. I play them and like them for what they are, but they're overwhelmingly complicated and kinda cryptic. Although GMD always felt less so to me.

The magic charge system and the treasure collecting is very addicting. I almost wish there was more directly related to this specific entry. Like an OVA, manga, or some adventure game with these cool characters. I think between this, Grand Prix, and Sorcer Striker, this is just the most thematically and visually interesting entry. Such a cool refinement of their fantasy setting.

I wanted just to choose 1 game from CAVE and get good at it without credit-feeding, so I was choosing from several titles that look the most interesting to me - Espgaluda (such an amazing concept and music), Akai Katana (probably the most appealing horizontal shooter for me), and IBARA. so I decided on IBARA. has some insane bullet patterns that is impossible to predict, but I dig it a lot.

I love how you picked the hardest motherfucker of those 3. Just jumping right in there into the deep end.

[XoPachi]

I'm getting so good at GMD!!!
And then I get to stage 3!!! D:

[Sengoku Strider]

I've gotta say, the caravan mode in Game Paradise Cruisin' Mix is really fun. I hadn't touched it until now - actually selected it by accident (or Yuki chose it for me when I wasn't looking) and ended up sticking with it for a good long while. The differences in how all the various ships power up present a number of strategies to approach it with.

[m.sniffles.esq]

The age of Taurus (da bull):

Yurukill (demo): VN/Point and Click stuff is okay, mostly well done. STG stuff is slick and fun (more in-depth thoughts in it's thread). Definitely looking forward to the full version.

...speaking of which

Strania: Picked up a Xbox S on sale at the mom and pop place near work and revisited the two shooters available. Weirdly, Sol Cresta actually brought to light this game's biggest problem (other than the super-fiddly weapon pick-up), it's paced wrong. Sol Cresta gives you breathers between waves to screw around with your weapon configuration, whereas Strania is relentless. Thus, it feels like you're constantly fumbling around.

Cotton Rock and Roll: Definitely enjoyable, but I still think Reboot is ultimately a better (not to mention cheaper) game

Somewhere there's a copy of Pocky and Rocky the making the journey to my apt...

[Sengoku Strider]

The age of Taurus (da bull):

Yurukill (demo): VN/Point and Click stuff is okay, mostly well done. STG stuff is slick and fun (more in-depth thoughts in it's thread). Definitely looking forward to the full version.

Wow, thanks for bringing this up. It wasn't on my radar, but looks like it could be an insta-purchase.

[MidnightWolf]

CrossFire / Super Airwolf on the Sega Mega Drive.

First time I've actually played it in nearly 30 years, found the boxed Japanese cartridge in a PDSA charity shop for £5 this afternoon so on a nostalgia trip. Sadly doesn't have the instruction manual but game works fine.

[Mykaizer]

Still going strong with Dogyuun.
That 1cc or atleast the first loop is getting closer and closer.

[m.sniffles.esq]

The age of Taurus (da bull):

Yurukill (demo): VN/Point and Click stuff is okay, mostly well done. STG stuff is slick and fun (more in-depth thoughts in it's thread). Definitely looking forward to the full version.

Wow, thanks for bringing this up. It wasn't on my radar, but looks like it could be an insta-purchase.

It's fun!
A lot of fun, actually. They did a really good job on it.

I'm probably just going to d/l the jp version at the end of the month even though I already have the eng physical pre-ordered for July (since I now know it's in english anyway).

From what I can tell, it isn't on a lot of radars. If you haven't been paying attention to the pr, you wouldn't know g.rev had anything to do with it since Izanagi didn't even give them a logo at the beginning or on any of the packaging (which is normal for their 'for hire' work, but still...)

[XoPachi]

Bouncing around Raizing games lately.

This song is so lovely. c:
https://youtu.be/0bscOJg7ul0

[Gamer707b]

Been playing some PS4 Esprade. I know this is not considered one of Cave's best, but I personally love it.

[NuclearPotato]

Finally started digging into Hishozame/Flying Shark recently through the M2 port, since I've been meaning to clear more verts, and wanted a stronger Toaplan clear than one loop of Batsugun Special on my "resume." I think of the two flagpole games in the M2 Toaplan collections thus far (sorry for throwing dirt on Fire Shark, Samex3 fans, but that game's a bit above my skill level right now outside of a scrubby Super Easy clear I did for giggles), I'm liking Kyukyoku Tiger a bit more (perhaps understandably, since it's building on the foundation Flying Shark layed down), but I'm having great fun with Flying Shark all the same, and already made it to Stage 3 on 1 credit so far.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I got back into grinding for a Donpachi 1cc (clearing both loops). My enjoyment of the game has improved tremendously since I've learned you can turn off the really low bitrate music in the game and leave just the sfx including Bob. In MAME, just go into Slider Controls and turn Oki1 L/R to 0. Seems you can do this too in Halley's Comet if you need a break from the good but repetitive music.

My current best is about halfway through 2-5. Because of the ridiculous nomiss rank in loop 2, where revenge bullets fire at about double the speed (!!), my plan is to deliberately suicide before the final boss if I haven't died yet (and an earlier accidental death in loop 1 can be completely ignored if it happens). It's just way too brutal to manage at no-miss rank, and because you only get 3 bombs restored on a death and get stuck at low shot power, it can lead to more deaths than you'd have if you take the suicide early and have time to replenish your bomb stock and power.

The TLB (Hibachi? no idea if that's the official name for Donpachi) is tough, but doable. It looks like if I get there with at least one extra life in stock a 1CC is possible. The best way of fighting it seems to be to use the rapid shot at all times, and if I need to bomb use the spread bomb and then pointblank with laser aura during it. Laser bombs are extremely weak against it and worthless, and using your rapid shot (especially as Type B) is very strong.

[pegboy]

That sounds a lot like what I was doing for DonPachi. You basically get a free life to lose in loop 1 or just suicide to 1-5 boss since you will then start loop 2 on low rank and with a full stock of bombs. It's certainly possible to play at no miss rank for the first few stages but IMO not worth attempting unless you are "god of game" and trying for some insane score.

The TLB in DonPachi is pretty much a pushover compared to future games and can be no-missed without too much trouble. Problem is those nerves are really on full blast and what seems trivial when playing from a save-state now seems like a life and death struggle in a live run lol.

Ideally you want 1 or 2 bombs for him I'd say. I find his hardest pattern by far is the "firing line" that sweeps back and forth. In my 2-all run I died to it since I was out of bombs but I'd definitely do a planned bomb at that part if I had them. The final pattern isn't too bad and I think you can also completely skip it if you do a perfectly timed shot-bomb and point blank laser until the kill. So those would be my 2 bombs on him if I had them in stock. To be honest I find the 2-5 turret boss to be far more annoying since it's got a lot more RNG involved.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

First time getting to the TLB today. Made it with only two bombs though, didn't have enough resources to safely clear. The run will hinge on getting through 2-4 with a decent number of resources, and then not making any serious errors on 2-5. I'm more comfortable with the final boss and TLB than I am 2-5 honestly I think?

[Gamer707b]

Just cleared the Arrange in Dangun Feveron. I'm so happy I didn't go with my first reaction when I saw this a while back. I thought it was one of those rythem games with the music and everything. Needless to say, it's not. It is very different from Cave's other games though. Almost like it wasn't made by them.

[m.sniffles.esq]

In the era of the Gemini:

Yurukill: The STG portions are a whole lot of fun and really well done. The point and click stuff is... okay. I mean, they're good enough to play while you're on the bus (as long as you pull the headphones off whenever Binko appears)

Progear: Now that I play the jp rom, I went from being terrible, to pretty good, overnight. A 1cc is looking not only possible, but probable (both were deemed IM possible and probable just a few weeks ago)

Sexy Parodius: So a Xbox Series S is a really, really good Saturn emulator?? Go figure...

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