military based shmups?

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

Speaking of TEH DRAGON WEAPONS, that there is a textbook Future Military Fantasy shump!

Or perhaps not...? I forget how it treats the lore of its dragons; were they supernatural entities brought under man's control, or were they bio-engineered outright? The latter would be merely a futuristic military STG. More research is required!

I think is a pure military with a little fantasy stuff added (the sword-fighting guy from stage 3 boss) even though we do get outer space

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

But more specifically, I think it's even nearer to Tatsujin. The colourfully bulbous enemy spacecraft and "jam tart" sniper tanks are instantly familiar. I think Stage 4's BGM, there, sounds like an homage to Toaplan's feelgood Hammond-rockin' OST, too. Game design also takes more after Tatsujin than Raiden's blueprint, Kyuukyoku Tiger, with speedups, instant bombs, and a homing lightning weapon.

Boss design is likewise nearer crazier, manga-styled stuff like Gekirindan and Dogyuun. Even R1/2/DX's extra-terrestrial machines keep the grimly functional approach of Kyuukyoku Tiger. (the cute pipe-crawling crabs aside; but tbh, I always considered them industriously practical designs. how else do you defend that space refinery? :3)

Yeah Daioh starts out with some military twin cobra like game, when you going into space it turns out some OG Truxton like game

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

Wait a minute BIL, i think you've mistakenly understand Sengeki striker to Cyvern, i'm talking about Sengeki striker not Cyvern. I'll find out Cyvern today

[BIL]

Oh no, I know Sengeki. Just pointing out it shares hardware with Cyvern. (Kaneko Super Nova)

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

has anyone here find out how to fix the loop bug of Fire Hawk/Spectrum 2000 at the end ? i mean i could've try it but that bug is the reason i gave up on trying that game
edit: it turns out to be Afega's stagger 1 is a decent game for military lovers even though it also not that good, fire hawk aka spectrum 2000 is piece of trash despite the military theme ((

Just doing some research today, it seems like ESD Fire Hawk is a slightly improved game over Yona Tech Spectrum 2000 in terms of all bugs have been fixed. So for military fans you can try out Fire Hawk but for Spectrum 2000, AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS !!!!
Review here: viewtopic.php?t=66223

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

Wing force, a good military game that never released worldwide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yZIjvZ ... cmNhZGU%3D

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

And BIL what do you think about wing force compared to Same same same

[BIL]

I'd actually never seen Wing Force in action before, looks like a missing link between Raiden and Daioh.

Thunder Dragon 2 is nearer to SameSame, imo. Both have a certain hybrid of WW2 and near-futuristic machine designs, avoiding the Dieselpunk of Garegga or comic-surrealism of Strikers, with deliberately earthy settings eschewing any hint of space.

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

Thunder Dragon 2 is nearer to SameSame, imo. Both have a certain hybrid of WW2 and near-futuristic machine designs, avoiding the Dieselpunk of Garegga or comic-surrealism of Strikers, with deliberately earthy settings eschewing any hint of space.

I'm expecting this either, btw wing force might be another good military game on this list despite not too close to Fire Shark, maybe it has more of a Dieselpunk-ish since we did flew to outer space.

Or perhaps close to Trigon/Ajax i don't know

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

I'd actually never seen Wing Force in action before, looks like a missing link between Raiden and Daioh.

BIL if you get me wrong yell at me

[BIL]

I'm expecting this either, btw wing force might be another good military game on this list despite not too close to Fire Shark, maybe it has more of a Dieselpunk-ish since we did flew to outer space.

AFAIK, Dieselpunk tends to ground itself from the 1890s, up to the end of WW2; space is a near-untouched frontier, the great powers at the cusp of manned rocketry. Steel Empire is steeped in whimsical Steampunk and more brutal Dieselpunk alike, and does have a climactic trip to the moon, but it's presented in deliberately fabled terms - a biplane and a blimp in space, daww! Almost as much as the deliberately surrealistic Quarth.

There's no hard and fast rules, ofc. That'd be boring! Gun Frontier is perhaps the most diesel-chugging, flame-spewing STG this side of its direct legacy, Battle Garegga. Yet it takes place on a futuristic colony world; one that happens to resemble the Wild West, full of war machines modelled on period firearms. The key motif of an anachronistic past persists, despite a setting immensely beyond the zenith of 1950s tech.

Raiden, Daioh, and I'm guessing Wing Force are really futuristic space STGs ala Tatsujin, complete with alien enemies. Just with terrestrial early stages and machine designs that inevitably recall Hishouzame and Kyuukyoku Tiger. People calling Viper Phase 1 "Raiden in space" always jars me slightly for this reason; Raiden was in space from day 1.

Or perhaps close to Trigon/Ajax i don't know

Trigon's an interesting pick here. It's pretty much a Raiden that never leaves Earth, the aliens having burrowed in. (same year and Toaplanesque style as Raiden, too) I wouldn't call it a "space STG," since you never once see space, but it's inevitably coloured by the extra-terrestrial. As an aside, I was never quite sure if Gun Frontier's antagonists, the Wild Lizards, are aliens, or just human bandits... the presence of extra-terrestrial life immediately changes the tone of any work.

A-JAX is basically Raiden a couple years early. Earthy near-future army STG vs aliens, finale in space. Even has the "red crystal" motif. Super cool game; the Space Harrier stages might perturb, but they're short, easy, and rare. I like to headcanon it as the Air Campaign Of Super Contra.

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

Twin Eagle 2, a Twin Cobra with CAVE-ish graphics is my next choice. BIL, do you think the gameplay of this game is any similar to Under Defeat

[BIL]

I've not played that one (big fan of its OST though ), but the 80s heli STG I always see compared to Under Defeat is Gyrodine. IIRC it has the tilt shot mechanic.

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

I've not played that one (big fan of its OST though ), but the 80s heli STG I always see compared to Under Defeat is Gyrodine. IIRC it has the tilt shot mechanic.

So what do you think about a lot of Korean military titles (blue hawk, stagger i, spectrum 2000, etc,...)

[BIL]

Never played those either, being a lifelong port beggar. Although Dooyong is most definitely a name of some infamy around here. I always thought "THE LAST DAY" was a badass name.

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

Never played those either, being a lifelong port beggar. Although Dooyong is most definitely a name of some infamy around here. I always thought "THE LAST DAY" was a badass name.

Try booting up Stagger I and you’ll see a suprise on the attract sequence - IT’S A PLAGARISM

[BIL]

Never played those either, being a lifelong port beggar. Although Dooyong is most definitely a name of some infamy around here. I always thought "THE LAST DAY" was a badass name.

Try booting up Stagger I and you’ll see a suprise on the attract sequence - IT’S A PLAGARISM

Jesus, you weren't kidding. A polka arrangement of "Repeated Tragedy." (the real thing, to help forget )

edit: Speaking of plagiarising Seibu!

Yeah I never bothered with Dooyong. I have to say, now that I've seen videos, they don't seem hideously offensive or anything. Just very pedestrian. Sometimes that can be comfy, if it's an aesthetic I enjoy. Their looks reminds me a little of Strike Gunner STG, which I like a lot, even if Athena's later Daioh is a stronger game.

There's a hundred STGs I'd sooner see on ACA, but if Dooyong somehow popped up there, I'd at least give them a tryout in MAME.

AFEGA / Art Fiction Electronic Game is an alright moniker, haha. Like a goofy riff on IREM / Innovations in Recreational Electronic Media.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Never played those either, being a lifelong port beggar. Although Dooyong is most definitely a name of some infamy around here. I always thought "THE LAST DAY" was a badass name.

Try booting up Stagger I and you’ll see a suprise on the attract sequence - IT’S A PLAGARISM

Jesus, you weren't kidding. A polka arrangement of "Repeated Tragedy." (the real thing, to help forget )

edit: Speaking of plagiarising Seibu!

Yeah I never bothered with Dooyong. I have to say, now that I've seen videos, they don't seem hideously offensive or anything. Just very pedestrian. Sometimes that can be comfy, if it's an aesthetic I enjoy. Their looks reminds me a little of Strike Gunner STG, which I like a lot, even if Athena's later Daioh is a stronger game.

There's a hundred STGs I'd sooner see on ACA, but if Dooyong somehow popped up there, I'd at least give them a tryout in MAME.

AFEGA / Art Fiction Electronic Game is an alright moniker, haha. Like a goofy riff on IREM / Innovations in Recreational Electronic Media.

Dooyong's swansong arcade stg pcb is none other than "R-Shark." What's cool about this particular South Korean manufactured arcade stg is your fightercraft, if hit, you can still take some enemies down with you (it doesn't have to a "solo effort in going down," might as well take a few baddies down too while you're at it) -- "something different for a change of pace." How cool is that?

There's the riff/take with "Cave / Computer Arts Visual Entertainment" for the win also.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

I wanna ask BIL and everyone, is Armed Police Batrider any military themed? I mean on the Normal Course, not to mention the Advanced Course with some fantasy stuff inserted. If that so, let me try it out

[BIL]

Paramilitary dystopian cyberpunk, pretty much. Assortment of renegades vs sinister GIGANTECH CORP. Anyone who loves their tanks and helis will love APB, despite its lack of conventional battlefields! NYC 2019 is the new war zone. As Metal Slug 3's arcade flyer so memorably put it, WAR HAS NO LIMITS



As Koa_Zo pointed out, you could call it a Rough Justice STG along with Gun.Smoke

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

Military themed, non bullet hell, that's all i need :3

[blazinglazers69]

Daisenpu. Pure dad-maku, meat and potatoes, 2 buttons, classic fundamentals.

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

Does BIL and everyone think Sky smasher is the Hishouzame clone just like Mad Shark did to Raiden

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

come back in a while and just wanna ask some question: i just recently found a Toaplanesque games called Neo XYX and wanna ask BIL and everyone that if this game is a steampunk style military shmups (not mentioned wwii because i didn't see any wwii planes)

[BIL]

It's been years (and I never actually played it >_> ), but I remember that one combining the classic "Screaming Skull" Tatsujin bomb with a roaring Tiger. Seemed like an all-purpose Toaplan tribute.

There's a pretty fine line between some of Tiger's Earth 19XX machines, and Tatsujin's alien hard corps. Like KT's fourth boss (those weird square tanks) could work just as well in Tatsujin. Raiden's a good illustration of this. Its various tanks and aircraft look just as home on grassy fields and shattered asphalt as they do on an asteroid beachhead.

I wouldn't call any of these games steampunk though, nor really dieselpunk. The -punk suffix, in any medium, tends to imply a sense of DIY, and also a certain whimsy. See Steel Empire's trip to the moon - "Just strap a rocket to the biplane, it's all good!" - and Gun Frontier's monster tanks wielding gigantic six-shooters.

KT and Raiden are sheer industrial purpose. They're really just hard-edged near-futuristic army STGs, with a space element in Seibu's case. Tatsujin has some more stylised boss designs, but tends to be relatively straitlaced too, compared to the outright Super Robot-styled Dogyuun or Daioh.

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

It's been years (and I never actually played it >_> ), but I remember that one combining the classic "Screaming Skull" Tatsujin bomb with a roaring Tiger. Seemed like an all-purpose Toaplan tribute.

There's a pretty fine line between some of Tiger's Earth 19XX machines, and Tatsujin's alien hard corps. Like KT's fourth boss (those weird square tanks) could work just as well in Tatsujin. Raiden's a good illustration of this. Its various tanks and aircraft look just as home on grassy fields and shattered asphalt as they do on an asteroid beachhead.

I wouldn't call any of these games steampunk though, nor really dieselpunk. The -punk suffix, in any medium, tends to imply a sense of DIY, and also a certain whimsy. See Steel Empire's trip to the moon - "Just strap a rocket to the biplane, it's all good!" - and Gun Frontier's monster tanks wielding gigantic six-shooters.

KT and Raiden are sheer industrial purpose. They're really just hard-edged near-futuristic army STGs, with a space element in Seibu's case. Tatsujin has some more stylised boss designs, but tends to be relatively straitlaced too, compared to the outright Super Robot-styled Dogyuun or Daioh.

Much to my expectation, the gameplay itself just Gekirindan with a secret true last boss at the end

[Nguyen VinhLOC]

Found two games today called 1945kIII and Wivern Wings and wanna ask BIL and anyone are these really military-ish WWII themed ??

[BIL]

Sonic Wings and Strikers are basically [WW2 Stuff] or [WW3 Stuff] plus a stack of mecha/shoujo/gag manga. Those look like brazen ripoffs of.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Found two games today called 1945kIII and Wivern Wings and wanna ask BIL and anyone are these really military-ish WWII themed ??

Yes, South Korean arcade developer and publisher Semicom had released it's arcade jamma pcb conversion kits of "Wyvern Wings: Space Opera" arcade stg title back in 2001. The American based arcade game distributor, Game Vision, sold such brand new Wyvern Wings pcb kits complete with a full-sized and in full-color Wyvern marquee back in 2003-2004. Game Vision arcade distributor even had printed up a rare promotional arcade flyer for Wyvern Wings arcade pcb kits as well (which I have in my arcade pcb stash alrighty -- it isn't currently listed on the "Arcade Flyers.com" website though).

The arcade game seller, Sacramento Amusements, had new Wyvern Wings arcade pcb kits for sale at both the 2003 and 2004 California Extreme shows for a mere $375.00 usd. Eventually, brand new NOS pcb kits of Wyvern Wings were being sold on eBay for $75.00 to $100.00 from eBay seller, Bill Burger, back in the mid-2010s era. I bought a brand new Wyvern Wings arcade pcb kit from Bill Burger when he was selling them for a mere $70.00 usd back in the day -- quite a cheap-ass bargain indeed. It's basically a Strikers-1945 clone type of stg but with some novel differences -- still a cool arcade stg to own/play nevertheless. Wyvern Wings is playable in both Mame and Final Burn Neo emulators if you'd like to give it "a spin/test drive it." You can still buy a NOS Wyvern Wings arcade pcb kit on eBay nowadays but it's being offered for about $300.00 to $400.00 usd in 2025.

A typical Wyvern Wings pcb kit consists of the following: bubble-wrapped jamma pcb, a small bag with pcb feet to install, a blue colored sheet of paper with the usual dip switch settings and a small outer cardboard box that keeps everything nicely organized. No full-sized marquee or even an arcade flyer are included either.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[sumdumgoy]

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