Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

[CHI]

Hey Peeps,
It's been a while...
Can anyone send me / link me to the right direction for PCB repairs?
Long story short, I have accumulated some PCBs for a number of years, now I have some time to actually play them, have realized some PCBs has graphic glitch, sound issue, not booting-up, etc...
I live in North West London, I like to deal in person (not sending my boards by post), I can drive to you and drop-off the boards if you're not too far.
Please PM me.

Regards, CHI

[XoPachi]

What's the biggest high score ever? Like straight up across any game, what's the fattest number the genre's seen?

[Lethe]

What's the biggest high score ever? Like straight up across any game, what's the fattest number the genre's seen?

This game has a 2.3 sextillion score on RS, that's a start.

[Lemnear]

Something I have been wondering about for years: Raiden IV: what is the best missile? I know it's not R, so that leaves M and H.

I'm not a huge Raiden player but the impression I get is that for most of the series the strongest weapon combination is considered to be the wide shot and straight-ahead missile, thanks in large part to the sheer point-blank killing power the duo imparts. No idea if that applies to IV specifically, but I'd be inclined to guess it still holds there.

I ended up watching the replay that Jaimers posted and he used the homing missile for almost the entire first loop aside from a brief switch to the M missile on stage 2. He's also using the slower, more powerful Raiden II ship instead of the faster, weaker Raiden IV ship, so maybe he felt that the H missiles are better for that ship to make up for the slower speed. I don't like the Raiden II ship, though; too slow for my liking in a game with crazy fast enemy shots. Didn't check loop 2 yet since I'm still working on loop 1.

Unhacked, the best one is probably the Genesis Mini 2 or the European Mega Drive Mini 2. Japanese version might actually have the weaker set of games this time, especially because it's missing Herzog Zwei, which the overseas versions do have. It's the only mini system I have that doesn't have any discernible input lag, although the original Japanese Mega Drive Mini has Slap Fight MD, which automatically makes it the best of all of the mini consoles. I wouldn't even be here right now if that first MD Mini didn't exist with Slap Fight MD, so while it's a laggy piece of crap, I do have to acknowledge that it permanently changed my life in a positive way and as such I will never be able to hate it.

For the mini arcade things, the best set of games is on the Astro City Mini V (it has Out Zone, which automatically makes it the best library, but it also has Batrider, Bakraid, Same! Same! Same! 1P, Tatsujin Ou, Sonic Wings, V-V, Dogyuun!!, and some other stuff that I forgot), which is also the one that has the worst lag and sound emulation by far. I've heard the Egret II Mini is passable for a mini console, but I do know it's expensive to get all of the controllers and stuff, which is why I never bought it. It has Kyuukyoku Tiger and you can buy Slap Fight for it separately, which makes its game selection pretty good.

That said, if you have a hacked PS1 Mini, that's supposedly the best one anyway once it's hacked.

That said, you're better off using PC emulators than you are any of the mini consoles or mini arcade systems.

Too bad that the SEGA Astro Mini V has the most Input-Lag of all....its library is the smallest but it is monstrous:

Spoiler

Action Fighter
Armed Police Batrider
Battle Bakraid Unlimited Ver.
Batsugun
Cosmo Police Galivan
Desert Breaker
Dogyuun
Fire Shark
Grind Stormer
Gunbird
Kingdom Grandprix
Moon Cresta
Out Zone
Raiden
Samurai Aces
Sonic Wings
Strikers 1945
Super Zaxxon
Terra Cresta
Truxton
Truxton II
Wrestle War
Zaxxon

The SNK NeoGeo Mini (International) also has an excellent library:

Spoiler

3 Count Bout
Art of Fighting
Blazing Star
Blue’s Journey
Crossed Swords
Fatal Fury Special
Foot Ball Frenzy
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Ghost Pilots
King of the Monsters
King of the Monsters 2
Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle
Last Resort
Magician Lord
Metal Slug
Metal Slug 2
Metal Slug 3
Metal Slug 4
Metal Slug 5
Metal Slug X
Mutation Nation
Ninja Master’s: Haou Ninpou Chou
Puzzled
Real Bout: Fatal Fury
Robo Army
Samurai Shodown II
Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge
Samurai Shodown V Special
Sengoku 3
Shock Troopers
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad
Super Sidekicks
The King of Fighters ’95
The King of Fighters ’97
The King of Fighters ’98
The King of Fighters 2000
The King of Fighters 2002
The Last Blade 2
Top Player’s Golf
World Heroes Perfect

It's a shame, however, that they say that the quality of the HDMI (if connected to a TV) is not good, i don't understand how this can be possible.
Eeh i was thinking of getting one of these because i don't know how to set up or mod a new USB for the Playstation Mini or a Raspberry Pi4 (I didn't modify it by myself...)
and then on some games i have problems, like Battle Bakraid has no audio...others don't start at all (Raider Fighters Jet, EspGaluda etc.), or some work badly (GunForce I&II etc.)
I don't know how to put the covers correctly (the ones I put on myself sometimes don't work) and I don't know how to add the banners on the sides instead of the black bars.
On the other hand, I made the other controllers work
Furthermore, these mini consoles don't heat up, while the PS4/5 catches fire these days even with the air conditioning on... damn sea areas.

You can probably pick up a super cheap laptop and try that. I don't do emulation on PC, but I imagine that a $100~$150 USD PC should have no problems with emulators for most things aside from Saturn and PS2. Maybe also N64 and/or Dreamcast, but I don't know. Software emulation is CPU heavy, as the computer isn't running the game but running the emulator, which mostly uses the CPU, and the emulator is what runs the game, so I'd get something with a decent CPU if this is the route you choose.

For Neo Geo, ACA is the best option for emulation anyway. It has about 2/3 of the Neo Geo library and of what's missing the only one of note that I can remember is Andro Dunos, a fairly obscure and surprisingly difficult game with a weird and very harsh rank system. It's a cool game and its absence is disappointing, but that's how it is.

Saturn or PS2 emulation wouldn't be cool....or Atomiswave haha
I think that in the end this Mini Playstation works great, the problem is that i don't know how to configure a second one in the same way.
MiSTeR seems even more complex, i don't understand anything about components, clearly coming from the console world and only 1 year ago i discovered the world of arcade cabinets.
_______________


BTW who to give priority to:
Seventia Collection
Eschatos
Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX
???

all on sale on the PSN

QUTE catalog? everyone speaks highly of it.
Or go down hard on Raiden? (also because Raiden seems to feel great next to Darius for some reason...)
WTF alzo Ray'z is on sale!

question out of pure curiosity, for those who are Japanese or live in Japan.
What are the most popular SHMUPS/STGs there?

[dmk1198]

wanted to Tate my 55" oled but couldnt find any table top pivoting vesa stand..

Thought I might as well treat myself to rotating monitor as they seem easier to source
I did want built in speakers thou in the monitor and thats not so easy to find....

Had to compromise ABIT as 120hz would have been nice but it's mainly to Tate my switch & Xbox 360 shmups...

Settled on this dell 27" but if I've missed a 32" that would have done everything I want or a 27" that might be better please let me know as delivery not til Thursday, thnx in advance

£245 I paid
https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/dell/s2722qc

[ratatako]

A bit late to the party, I'm just now getting into shmups so maybe it's a dumb question.
I'm trying Batrider, but I'm a bit confused with that much characters, is there such a thing like a tier list or something? Any like straight bad characters I just shouldn't pick? Also do I miss something by picking a single character over a team?

[DMC]

Satis made a Batrider tier list based on both scoring and survival.



If you pick a single character you're gonna miss unlocking some extra bosses but that might make survival easier (scoring potential lower).

Pearl's video is worth a watch!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6F1gT-bol ... cGVhcmw%3D

[To Far Away Times]

Bornnam is my go to character in APB. He’s great in Sorcer Striker too.

Strawman is excellent as well.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I'm trying Batrider, but I'm a bit confused with that much characters, is there such a thing like a tier list or something?

Yeah, in any single player game where you have a huge roster with a variety of abilities, you're going to inevitably have some better than others at a given task, whether it's 1CC the game (beat the game in one credit) or play for score (a weak character might have scoring tricks others don't, or a strong character might be bad at scoring due to low movement speed).

Batrider's a fairly complex game and there's some outright bad characters that have both weak shots and ineffective bombs. Jyuji and Chitta come to mind. If you want strong characters and are simply aiming to clear the game, consider these:

• Maria: good shot, reasonably fast, best bomb in game?
• Car-Pet: extremely powerful piercing shot, long lasting bomb
• Shorty: very decent homing missiles and bomb
• Miyamoto: very good focused shot, fast, bomb isn't terrific but covers a lot of the screen
• Strawman: super wide shot with aimed cannons, very decent bomb

Seconding watching Pearl's videos, too. I've seen Pearl play it live and he's amazing, can effortlessly crank out 1ccs, he's extremely knowledgeable about Batrider.

[ratatako]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

Satis made a Batrider tier list based on both scoring and survival.

Exactly what I was looking for, thanks! Kind of a bummer to see Golden so low, I've been messing around with teams but I always pick him haha

If you pick a single character you're gonna miss unlocking some extra bosses but that might make survival easier (scoring potential lower)

Oh I think I'll stick to teams then, even if I die I think it's cooler finding out new bosses and stuff, thanks!

Bornnam is my go to character in APB. He’s great in Sorcer Striker too.

I really like Bornnam too, he's my go to in Garegga. I'm not really aiming to win rn, just messing around having fun with the game and figuring things out, but he's always on my teams too, I'm mostly looking for a 3rd pick.

If you want strong characters and are simply aiming to clear the game, consider these:

Not really my #1 goal, but thanks for the tips! I actually just wanted to be sure I'm not hampering myself by playing THE worst characters in the game. I want to stick to a team for some extra content but while I liked Golden and Jyuji (and Bornnam, but he seems nice), I think I'll drop at least Jyuji for something else.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

The worst characters in the game iirc are Chitta and Jyuji, and I think I remember Pearl telling me at a local meet that one of the Garegga ships is also awful? But most of the cast is decently playable. I was complaining to him about how weak I thought Golden was but apparently he didn't think Golden was that bad compared to Jyuji whose concentrated forward shot and slow bomb absolutely are not as damaging as you'd expect them to be.

Also note that you need to use the A/B/C/Start button to pick an appropriate version of each ship, boosting either the main guns (most people), the secondary guns (good for Strawman, Tag-T, Shorty), or both at the cost of a speed loss (good for Miyamoto), or reduced shot damage but faster speed (I can't find anyone who suggests is this useful for any of the characters, the strategy thread might go into detail on this that I've missed, I'm not particularly good at Batrider).

[Steven]

BTW who to give priority to:
Seventia Collection
Eschatos
Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX
???

all on sale on the PSN

QUTE catalog? everyone speaks highly of it.
Or go down hard on Raiden? (also because Raiden seems to feel great next to Darius for some reason...)
WTF alzo Ray'z is on sale!

Ray'z > Eschatos > Raiden III > Natsuki Chronicles > Ginga Force, unless you want something more experimental, in which case Ginga Force > Natsuki Chronicles. Ginga Force released before Natsuki Chronicles, so if you actually care about the story, play Ginga Force First. I actually like Ginga Force more than Natsuki because Ginga Force was creative and took a lot of cool risks with the stage design to do stuff you're not going to see in pretty much any other game in the genre while Natsuki felt significantly less creative and more bland, but Natsuki is also probably a better game because its overall design is a bit more safe.

I think console Eschatos also includes Judgement Silversword and Cardinal Sins, both of which are around Eschatos level, and possibly even better.

[Lemnear]

BTW who to give priority to:
Seventia Collection
Eschatos
Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX
???

all on sale on the PSN

QUTE catalog? everyone speaks highly of it.
Or go down hard on Raiden? (also because Raiden seems to feel great next to Darius for some reason...)
WTF alzo Ray'z is on sale!

Ray'z > Eschatos > Raiden III > Natsuki Chronicles > Ginga Force, unless you want something more experimental, in which case Ginga Force > Natsuki Chronicles. Ginga Force released before Natsuki Chronicles, so if you actually care about the story, play Ginga Force First. I actually like Ginga Force more than Natsuki because Ginga Force was creative and took a lot of cool risks with the stage design to do stuff you're not going to see in pretty much any other game in the genre while Natsuki felt significantly less creative and more bland, but Natsuki is also probably a better game because its overall design is a bit more safe.

I think console Eschatos also includes Judgement Silversword and Cardinal Sins, both of which are around Eschatos level, and possibly even better.

I thought Raiden was more "important", especially III and IV.
I don't like them too "fancy" honestly, i prefer to stay closer to the basic formula, the plot is optional.
Yes, the console version of Eschatos also includes Judgment Silversword and Cardinal Sins. Eschatos has a slightly ugly design for my tastes but everyone speaks so highly of it...in fact, too well!

Now that i think about it, it's not like i officially have a lot of "serious" games or games with lots of gadgets and modes, you know the kind of games you can get lost in, but which are "famous/important/well-done" enough to make you stay.
For some reason i still can't get passionate about something that is too niche except for very rare cases (P47, Thunder Dragon 2, for example), let's say that apart from Batsugun, G-Darius and Striker 1945 II (maybe even the other Darius because i feel dirty playing only 1), there aren't many games that i play over and over again (oh yes, Ketsui too).
Blazing Star is a strange love, i really like it, but i can't play many games in a row, after a while it gets boring, and it seems to have to be taken in small doses. But it's design (and character design) is too cool and every now and then i have the urge to open it again.
ProGear is also a strange love, i like how it begins but not how it ends...while for GigaWing that screen ratio really makes me strange...

It seems that many here have already found the game of their dreams, the one where they have spent 1000+ hours on it, and maybe even written the wikipedia themselves.
In fact i should try other Psikyo games, but the fact that the field is exactly as wide as the screen and there is no side scrolling...is a bit "choking" me.

I can't find the common thread of the "style" that i like best.

[Steven]

I thought Raiden was more "important", especially III and IV.

If you want games that are historically significant for the genre, here is a complete list of games that I know of that were influenced by Raiden III and IV:
Raiden V (probably. Still haven't played it lol)
Raiden Nova

That's about it.

Meanwhile, RayForce influenced probably everything released after it that used a variation of RayForce's lock-on laser, even though the idea of separate top plane and bottom plane attacks in a vertical game had been around since at least Xevious.

Yes, the console version of Eschatos also includes Judgment Silversword and Cardinal Sins. Eschatos has a slightly ugly design for my tastes but everyone speaks so highly of it...in fact, too well!

Eschatos is awesome, play it. Judgement Silversword is also very good, although it only has a handful of music tracks, one of which is recycled from Eschatos for the post-Wonderswan versions, so it actually has more music than the original, which BTW is very rare as they only made 500 copies and is quite expensive now. If you play it or Cardinal Sins on PC, they support the Wonderswan 75Hz refresh rate, too, which is really cool.

Something else that is cool about Ginga Force is that it has the best final boss dialog in anything ever.

For some reason i still can't get passionate about something that is too niche except for very rare cases

Play Kaitei Daisensou. It's really a weird game in the genre because you're a submarine and it's just as good as it is unique, which means it's an effortless top 5 or so best STGs ever created type of game. Fortunately it's on ACA, so it's super easy to get. It's Irem, which means it's very difficult, but if you're already playing Thunder Dragon 2 you should be okay, as I think Thunder Dragon 2 is the harder game.

[Lemnear]

I thought Raiden was more "important", especially III and IV.

If you want games that are historically significant for the genre, here is a complete list of games that I know of that were influenced by Raiden III and IV:
Raiden V (probably. Still haven't played it lol)
Raiden Nova

That's about it.

Meanwhile, RayForce influenced probably everything released after it that used a variation of RayForce's lock-on laser, even though the idea of separate top plane and bottom plane attacks in a vertical game had been around since at least Xevious.

Yes, the console version of Eschatos also includes Judgment Silversword and Cardinal Sins. Eschatos has a slightly ugly design for my tastes but everyone speaks so highly of it...in fact, too well!

Eschatos is awesome, play it. Judgement Silversword is also very good, although it only has a handful of music tracks, one of which is recycled from Eschatos for the post-Wonderswan versions, so it actually has more music than the original, which BTW is very rare as they only made 500 copies and is quite expensive now. If you play it or Cardinal Sins on PC, they support the Wonderswan 75Hz refresh rate, too, which is really cool.

Something else that is cool about Ginga Force is that it has the best final boss dialog in anything ever.

For some reason i still can't get passionate about something that is too niche except for very rare cases

Play Kaitei Daisensou. It's really a weird game in the genre because you're a submarine and it's just as good as it is unique, which means it's an effortless top 5 or so best STGs ever created type of game. Fortunately it's on ACA, so it's super easy to get. It's Irem, which means it's very difficult, but if you're already playing Thunder Dragon 2 you should be okay, as I think Thunder Dragon 2 is the harder game.

Oh you mean In The Hunt!
apart from the incredible graphics typical of Irem and that unmistakable style, sublime animations etc...i don't really like the game, it's very slow, even though it's one of the very few games where you feel like you're an existential threat to the enemies.
Thunder Dragon 2 isn't that difficult at least not right away, i ran out of lives on Stage 5 during my first playthrough, but what is easy for me is difficult for others, and vice versa... for example i will never understand how people manage to defeat the final boss in Battle Garegga...yes i think i have a problem with the Raizing style, which is a great shame because audio-visually they rock!
but what is so beautiful about Eschatos? XD
I said which games i like, if it's very different, i don't know if it's right for me, but if it's really "incredible" then ok...even if the design really sucks in some places...
3-in-1? mmh...
I've read Area 14...if it has 14 Stages or more, no...if there's one thing in common between the SHMUPS i play, it's that they're mostly short...with the exception of Darius!

[XoPachi]

How can I force StellaVanity to run on a monitor of my choice? It fullscreens to my tablet instead of my main monitor. WinKey + Shift + arrows didn't work. It doesn't have an in game option and I'm not sure about how I'd manage it in the config file if that's a solution. I tried running it in windowed mode and seeing if I can just bump the resolution but that doesn't seem to be an option.

[el_rika]

Hey friends,

Any Futari 1.0 pcb ultra superplay videos out there?

[Creamy Goodness]

Not really superplays, but there is a YouTube channel called Cave PCB with a bunch of 1cc's including Futari.

[Klatrymadon]

Any opinions on which Otomedius DLC (for both G and X) is worth grabbing? I'm thinking about buying the stages and additional characters, but I've no idea if they're any good, and I notice there is a lot of potentially very expensive music DLC too. Is any of this stuff interesting enough to warrant saving it from the dustbin o' history?

Thanks!

Edit: my copy of X still had a valid DLC slip for the T-301, so there's one crossed off! Also, I've just noticed there's already some chat about this in another thread...

[el_rika]

Not really superplays, but there is a YouTube channel called Cave PCB with a bunch of 1cc's including Futari.

That clasic channel is great bit I'm looking speciffically for 1.0 Ultra.

[Lemnear]

this is a tricky question but, what makes a SHMUP a Quality-SHMUP? and what not?
What changes from a perfect S.T.G. to an imperfect one?

[BulletMagnet]

What changes from a perfect S.T.G. to an imperfect one?

The player's personal tastes and opinions.

[samspot]

this is a tricky question but, what makes a SHMUP a Quality-SHMUP? and what not?
What changes from a perfect S.T.G. to an imperfect one?

I was thinking of making a thread. My guess is a rocking soundtrack, a non-trivial 1cc, and a fun way to play for score. I’d love to hear lots of opinions.

[Lemnear]

The other curiosity was... are there photographs of the studios? In-house studios of Toaplan, CAVE, Raizing, Taito, Kaneko, NMK, UPL, Yumekobo, Compile, Treasure, Psikyo ,Gazelle ,Takumi ,Irem, Jaleco, Data East etc.???
I have always been curious to see the working environment of these developers, especially those who programmed for arcades.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The other curiosity was... are there photographs of the studios? In-house studios of Toaplan, CAVE, Raizing, Taito, Kaneko, NMK, UPL, Yumekobo, Compile, Treasure, Psikyo ,Gazelle ,Takumi ,Irem, Jaleco, Data East etc.???
I have always been curious to see the working environment of these developers, especially those who programmed for arcades.

Don't forget to add these juggernaut arcade game powerhouses of Sega, Namco (with it's wacky Tenkomori Variety Shooting/Tenkomori Shooting arcade stg) and Konami (with it's Gradius stg series) as well (as all three were quite influential and innovative during the early 1980s and into the 1990s).

The smaller arcade developers such as Seta, Nichibutsu (Nihon Bussan), Funai (with it's Interstellar arcade stg laserdisc game from 1984 and it's unreleased Zangus arcade stg laserdisc sequel prototype), Universal before it became known as UPL, Mylstar (Gottlieb) with it's Us Vs. Them arcade stg laserdisc game from 1984, Atari's unreleased arcade stg of "Nightmare" prototype circa 1985, Technosoft (with it's Thunderforce AC arcade stg circa 1990) and some other "off the wall" arcade game devs as well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[NeoStrayCat]

Any opinions on which Otomedius DLC (for both G and X) is worth grabbing? I'm thinking about buying the stages and additional characters, but I've no idea if they're any good, and I notice there is a lot of potentially very expensive music DLC too. Is any of this stuff interesting enough to warrant saving it from the dustbin o' history?

Thanks!

Edit: my copy of X still had a valid DLC slip for the T-301, so there's one crossed off! Also, I've just noticed there's already some chat about this in another thread...

For me, the following that I thought was necessary.

Gorgeous: Additional characters Esmeralda and Poini, and the Easter Island stage.
Excellent: Additional characters Strarf and Kokoro, along with the 3 EX stages (St. Gradius Academy, Yebisuboshi, and Donburi Island), and with everyone's alternate costumes. (I too also got the T-301 Anoa DLC that was a Gamestop pre-order bonus.)

[Kino]

The other curiosity was... are there photographs of the studios? In-house studios of Toaplan, CAVE, Raizing, Taito, Kaneko, NMK, UPL, Yumekobo, Compile, Treasure, Psikyo ,Gazelle ,Takumi ,Irem, Jaleco, Data East etc.???
I have always been curious to see the working environment of these developers, especially those who programmed for arcades.

Some of those companies are too obscure to have any existing photos of their development office (Gazelle only existed for what, a cup of coffee or two? That's not long enough to snap a shot), but here's a few I could dig up.

Toaplan

Spoiler

Compile

Spoiler

Treasure

Spoiler

Irem

Spoiler

Jaleco

Spoiler

[Lemnear]

The other curiosity was... are there photographs of the studios? In-house studios of Toaplan, CAVE, Raizing, Taito, Kaneko, NMK, UPL, Yumekobo, Compile, Treasure, Psikyo ,Gazelle ,Takumi ,Irem, Jaleco, Data East etc.???
I have always been curious to see the working environment of these developers, especially those who programmed for arcades.

Don't forget to add these juggernaut arcade game powerhouses of Sega, Namco (with it's wacky Tenkomori Variety Shooting/Tenkomori Shooting arcade stg) and Konami (with it's Gradius stg series) as well (as all three were quite influential and innovative during the early 1980s and into the 1990s).

The smaller arcade developers such as Seta, Nichibutsu (Nihon Bussan), Funai (with it's Interstellar arcade stg laserdisc game from 1984 and it's unreleased Zangus arcade stg laserdisc sequel prototype), Universal before it became known as UPL, Mylstar (Gottlieb) with it's Us Vs. Them arcade stg laserdisc game from 1984, Atari's unreleased arcade stg of "Nightmare" prototype circa 1985, Technosoft (with it's Thunderforce AC arcade stg circa 1990) and some other "off the wall" arcade game devs as well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

some of these names i have never seen or heard even in this forum o_0
I didn't mention SEGA/CAPCOM/NAMCO/KONAMI because i think there are photos of the internal studios, even old ones... after all they were already giants at the time, while all these others were small teams compared to them.

Some of those companies are too obscure to have any existing photos of their development office (Gazelle only existed for what, a cup of coffee or two? That's not long enough to snap a shot), but here's a few I could dig up.

Toaplan

Spoiler

Compile

Spoiler

Treasure

Spoiler

Irem

Spoiler

Jaleco

Spoiler

WOW Thanks, it's a shame there aren't more... i love these offices full of things, CRT TVs and cables everywhere and the metal racks.
A real shame that there are no photos... who knows if they had an office or a garage it would have been cool!

[Steven]

I'll give massive bonus points if anyone besides me knows what those things that the arrows in the Toaplan office picture are pointing to and what they are used for. Judging by their presence, I believe this photo is probably from 1988 or later... might be wrong, though.

[Lemnear]

Ray'z > Eschatos > Raiden III > Natsuki Chronicles > Ginga Force, unless you want something more experimental, in which case Ginga Force > Natsuki Chronicles. Ginga Force released before Natsuki Chronicles, so if you actually care about the story, play Ginga Force First. I actually like Ginga Force more than Natsuki because Ginga Force was creative and took a lot of cool risks with the stage design to do stuff you're not going to see in pretty much any other game in the genre while Natsuki felt significantly less creative and more bland, but Natsuki is also probably a better game because its overall design is a bit more safe.

I think console Eschatos also includes Judgement Silversword and Cardinal Sins, both of which are around Eschatos level, and possibly even better.

I ended up getting the Ray'z and Raiden III.
I think i had RayStorm when i was little but i lost the disc...so it's a bit of nostalgia.
I tried them a bit...what can i say, the Ray'z Arcade Chronology is really impeccable, and the gadgets are really useful!!! Beautiful collection, M2 are on another planet. Then it was for completeness since i have the Darius Cozmic Arcade and G-Darius HD. I don't know if it makes sense to also get the Darius Console Collection at this point.
Raiden III on the other hand is my first Moss game that i've picked up... damn it's really inspiring! I like that there are unlockables! And the OSTs? OMG they are phenomenal *-*
I didn't think i would like it so much! . I'll even get the IV as soon as it's on sale, in fact let me know when it happens.
However, one thing (or rather two) bothered me. The first is the absence of gadgets, there's all that screen and they didn't put anything? Just the wallpapers? (very beautiful by the way). The other is that there are no instructions, what are the yellow "power-ups"? What's that "bzz" noise when bullets pass me? Is this some kind of shield that i don't know about? A score multiplier? What does that sound mean? and the fairy does something?
However it goes perfectly, both games (or rather all 4) run flawlessly !!!.

I think i have some PSN credit for another game, like 9€, i can get 1 Arcade Archives, or, now that they are on sale, 2 Psikyo games.
I already have the beautiful Strikers 1945 II (one of the few games i practice seriously), i don't know whether to get Samurai Aces, Striker 1999, Gunbird 2, Dragon Blaze or Zero Gunner 2.


PS: For those who play on Switch it might matter. https://www.gematsu.com/2024/07/mushihi ... -august-10