The Self-Introduction Thread

[Randorama]

Dear Lady Bug,

Welcome on the board and please feel free to visit the Single screen games thread. I suspect that it might be very interesting to you

[stellar_light]

Hello! I've been playing shmups on and off since ~2018 but I've dedicated myself to them more in recent years I love CAVE games and bullet hell in general, I'm not as big of a fan of 80s/early 90s pre-bullet hell shmups but I do still quite like some of them such as most of Compile's catalog, and I'm even open to level design-focused hori shmups when executed well (R-Type Leo and Super Aleste are standout examples for me in that regard even though the latter isn't horizontal). I'm not a super god player by any means but I have been accruing a steady set of 1ccs over time which I'm proud of. My favorite arcade shmup is either Ketsui or DOJ--I go back and forth on which I prefer--and my favorite in general is Star of Providence.

[guyotine]

Hello

I'm from France

I'm an arcade emthusiast since 2010, I like shmups mostly.

I have a nice PCB collection of danmakus

[OSG86]

Heya fellow STG fanatics!

I just joined after being away from forums and things for decades despite gaming still and finally decided to join this board.
Some of my all-time favorite gaming Devs include(in no particular order)...Toaplan, Compile, Seibu Kaihatsu, Psikyo, Raizing, Cave, SNK, Taito, Treasure, NMK, Dooyong, Warashi, SEGA, Atlus, Technosoft, Takumi, Capcom, Namco and many many more!

I am a big fan of Arcade games especially from the Mid 80s-90s as well as the 00's. My favorite Genre's are STGs, Beat em' Ups, Run n' Gun, Racing games, but in general Arcade games PERIOD!
Personally I prefer Tate STGs over Hori.
I also really enjoy JRPGs & Action-JRPGs as well as Grid Based Tactic-JRPGs though I cant play them for long periods.

I personally "greatly dislike" the current gaming industry and how things are handled and have completely dropped out from caring about newer hardware and games as well. The last generation I gave any craps about was with the PS3+360+Vita&3DS. I do not currently own a 360 or Vita anymore but I may change that eventually.

I lost everything gaming related sans a few consoles and a portable+20ish total games last Aug and due to MANY factors I dont feel the need to list, am "rebuilding" in a VERY limiting/limited manner.
As I LOVE Arcade games especially STG's I got a Unico Nova Blast cabinet fully aware of and dealing with issues, and a ROG Ally X to get going and access to most all games I cant afford. I am new to PC Windows emulation as I havn't used it since around 1995-1997 when I last stopped using it and computers for games in any form. So for now mame is very difficult for me and RetroArch is super frustrating/confusing so I am mostly using FBN.
However, accuracy means a lot to me and I can tell many games I play re missing things like slowdown etc which im not thrilled with but im ok as its the only way I can play 95% of these fantastic games.
I do hope to get the consoles I really love back with Everdrives/ODE's as well as a MiSTer at some point. But aside from select STGs I am pretry much FINISHED buying games.
*Sorry if this bothers anyone but this is my intro/feelings*....
People act like every single console/game is some kind of friggin "collectable" when its not, they are made for USE/enjoyment and much to my dismay since the early 2010's(really began around 2011-2012) due in part to this, its killed my love for most everything especially buying/trading games & hardware with others honestly.

I am a newer member of Arcade-Projects, as well as some other forums that would allow me to join however I still do more lurking than anything.
I use discord quite a bit so if there is a Discord for this Forum please let me know!

Gaming items I currently own/use:

PC:
-ROG Ally X( I use this for multiple things but mainly as a portable arcade game machine and in place of a Raspberry Pi I connect it to my Nova Blast to play Arcade STG's on it currently through just FBNEO butnI plan to expand on this over time as I SLOWLY learn/understand and get more comfortable with emulation)

Arcade:
-Unico Nova Blast Candy Cabinet
-Unico/SNK Neo Geo MVSX(w/ Hylox)
-IGS PGM V.14 Motherboard(+ 3 CAVE Conversion carts)
-Egret II Mini


Consoles I currently have/use:
-JP SMT IV 3DS LL(hacked)
-Twin Famicom(w/ Everdrive)
-Super Famicom(w/ Everdrive)
-JP Sega Saturn modified w/ Transparent Neon Green Case, External PSU(w/Fenrir ODE+Psuedo Kai cart)
-JP Pearl White PS2
-US/NA 60 GB Launch B/C PS3(Jailbroken)
-US Nintendo Switch

I love both my Neo Geo MVSX and Nova Blast. I have future plans for both and hope to make them into a reality.
Once it FINALLY SHIPS OUT I have a goodie for my first STG PCB comming! Cant Wait!

[CoffeeMakerGames]

Hey. I'm Cliff and I make games and have been tinkering with modding and making games for over 30 years.

I'm getting out of doing software dev for consulting and and have taken up the challenge of chasing a career in game development - currently working on a frantic horizontal Shmup called Cosmic Destroyer that I just put up on Steam last week for Wishlists. Its heavily based on the classics, but with some twists and turns with the stages. I'll be posting more about it on here soon, finishing up the public demo now!

I really love shmups but probably am not as knowledgeable of all the names as others here - so much more influenced heavily by the games I've played over the years and discovered myself. I absolutely love Armed Police Batrider, I can get down on some DoDonPachi, Crimson and Radiant Silvergun. I grew up playing older stuff Zaxxon, Gunnac, Xenon but also really have enjoyed Rtype, Salamander, Gradius and Darius Series and Thunderforce games. I love a good flashy arcade cab and CRT setups.

[PiiTii]

Hi shmups forum,

thought it'd be fun to talk about some of the shmups I've been playing and share experiences, discuss opinions etc.. I'm not sure how involved I'll be here over the long run, but I want to introduce myself and see how it goes.
I've been playing video games pretty much all my life, which is over 30 years now and I love it.
I'm spending a lot of time discovering or rediscovering new genres and ways to play, no matter the platform.
At the beginning of the year I've bought an arcade stick to play some fighting games and try some arcade games, just casually for fun. Shortly after, while playing video pinball, which I'm also a big fan of, I found out, that my monitor's stand has a built in rotation function, which I didn't know about for 2 years.^^
That sparked the idea, that my copy of Ikaruga, which lay dormant on my PS4, is something I really wanna try with this setup. Played for half an hour and had a blast, which lead me to constantly spending time with all things shmup-related, pretty much daily since then. Watched a lot of youtube videos from Mark MSX, Shmupjunkie etc. and looked up best of lists for different platforms to find out, which games to play and how to learn them. This is how I came across this forum as well a while back.
The first stg I played was R-Type 1 on Sega Master System over 20 years ago. I borrowed it as a kid and enjoyed it, but didn't get past level 3 because it was frustratingly difficult and I didn't have it that long. Strikers 1945 was also a game I played quite a bit as a teenager, as well as some DDP, when I first discovered emulation. Also had a phase with Danmaku Unlimited 2 when it was released on steam and still think it's a good game.
This year I've collected tons of different shmups on PC and PS4 and spent the most time playing DOJ on PS4. Great game. Actually, honestly a little difficult I'd say. Tiny bit frustrating sometimes. Working on 1CCing... one of the last two bosses... of the first round... on rank 0... in Black Label, which is easier. Chaining is so tight I couldn't one chain stage one after hours of practice and trying to figure out a route. Mushi and Gunvein on Steam are my other two favorites at the moment. Crimzon Clover and Garegga haven't quite convinced me yet.
I want more Cave ports on PC or PS4. DDP, Espgaluda 1 + 2 and Futari. Please anyone, make it happen. Can't afford a Switch for that. If I could I would.

[StringM]

Hello everyone.

I'm a chilean player who started with Touhou, but my interest has sparked beyond, and I'm currently exploring other shmups. Already did my first 1cc with Mushihimesama (steam version). Loved every bit of it, and now I'm exploring what my next 1cc could be.

Thanks for having me!

[MagiClick]

Hi there,

I’m a new shmup player who got into them by playing Touhou and Gunbird.

I want to start playing Ibara and Pink Sweets but I can’t find them anywhere. (Also I believe there is a comic for both of them, but I haven’t found anything on it).

Hope to get more into shmups in this forum!

[WetWayne]

Hello everyone,

I'm a new shmup player here that stumbled across this forum by chance. This is also the first online forum I've posted a message to.

I've been playing video games since I was a little kid but never really touched shmup games until very recently; unless you count Galaga, Galaxian, or Space Invaders. And my dad has always liked these kinds of games, so I've been exposed to some of them (like the original Raiden and 1942) multiple times in my life. The first shmup I played that got me hooked was the Steam version of Raiden IV x MIKADO REMIX; but I've also played Touhou 6 (THCRAP), Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX (Steam), DoDonPachi Resurrection (Steam), Mushihimesama (Steam), and Devil Blade Reboot (Steam). The only one of those I've gotten a 1cc on so far is Devil Blade Reboot, on the Reboot Normal game mode / difficulty. I've put a significant amount of time into trying to get a 1cc on the Normal difficulty of Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX too, but the farthest I've gotten on that one with 1 credit is the boss on stage 5.

Aside from video games; I have interests in programming, Linux, and various kinds of electronic music (mostly Japanese music).

Thanks for reading my message!

[Jack Emerson]

Hello everyone,

I'm a new shmup player here that stumbled across this forum by chance. This is also the first online forum I've posted a message to.

I've been playing video games since I was a little kid but never really touched shmup games until very recently; unless you count Galaga, Galaxian, or Space Invaders. And my dad has always liked these kinds of games, so I've been exposed to some of them (like the original Raiden and 1942) multiple times in my life. The first shmup I played that got me hooked was the Steam version of Raiden IV x MIKADO REMIX; but I've also played Touhou 6 (THCRAP), Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX (Steam), DoDonPachi Resurrection (Steam), Mushihimesama (Steam), and Devil Blade Reboot (Steam). The only one of those I've gotten a 1cc on so far is Devil Blade Reboot, on the Reboot Normal game mode / difficulty. I've put a significant amount of time into trying to get a 1cc on the Normal difficulty of Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX too, but the farthest I've gotten on that one with 1 credit is the boss on stage 5.

Aside from video games; I have interests in programming, Linux, and various kinds of electronic music (mostly Japanese music).

Thanks for reading my message!

Welcome!! RAIDEN III is a pretty good game. Do you prefer 3 or 4? I have not played 4 yet.

[WetWayne]

Hello everyone,

I'm a new shmup player here that stumbled across this forum by chance. This is also the first online forum I've posted a message to.

I've been playing video games since I was a little kid but never really touched shmup games until very recently; unless you count Galaga, Galaxian, or Space Invaders. And my dad has always liked these kinds of games, so I've been exposed to some of them (like the original Raiden and 1942) multiple times in my life. The first shmup I played that got me hooked was the Steam version of Raiden IV x MIKADO REMIX; but I've also played Touhou 6 (THCRAP), Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX (Steam), DoDonPachi Resurrection (Steam), Mushihimesama (Steam), and Devil Blade Reboot (Steam). The only one of those I've gotten a 1cc on so far is Devil Blade Reboot, on the Reboot Normal game mode / difficulty. I've put a significant amount of time into trying to get a 1cc on the Normal difficulty of Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX too, but the farthest I've gotten on that one with 1 credit is the boss on stage 5.

Aside from video games; I have interests in programming, Linux, and various kinds of electronic music (mostly Japanese music).

Thanks for reading my message!

Welcome!! RAIDEN III is a pretty good game. Do you prefer 3 or 4? I have not played 4 yet.

As far as the MIKADO versions on Steam go, Raiden 4 is definitely more polished (runs better and seems to have fewer weird glitches / problems).

Raiden 4 also brings back the parallax background areas (play area shifts towards the left / right depending on how close you are to the sides) that Raiden 3 didn't have, whether or not that's a good thing is a matter of opinion. Some areas are still static and don't shift around when you move though, it's a mix of both throughout the game.
There's also an additional mode in Raiden 4 called Overkill (I don't think this mode was in the original arcade version), adds a fun twist for getting extra points. After an enemy dies you can still shoot them as they fall into the background and explode, and the more you shoot them after they die the more points you get. Haven't messed with this mode a lot yet, but I had fun the little I have played of it.

I haven't played Raiden 4 enough yet to form a solid opinion on it overall, but I think I will like it better than Raiden 3 once I spend more time with it (trying to get a 1cc on Raiden 3 first).

[Raubahn]

Hi all. I'm a new shmup player (dabbled in Touhou, TSS, and Vanguard) and a semi-recent left arm amputee. I've always been fascinated by the genre but never got into it. For some reason I've now decided to pull the trigger as a sort of personal challenge. I doubt I'll 1CC anything anytime soon but it'll be fun to try!

[gatchamix]

Hello all!

Im and on-and-off shmup player - mostly focused on the arcade stuff.

Got a handful of PCBs… but can’t say i’m all that good at them yet!

[StoneofTriumph]

My name is StoneofTriumph and I have a problem.

Anyway, I've been playing shmups on and off for the past 37 years or so, starting with in-arcade games like Galaga as well as the Apple II home ports of Galaxian and Xevious, then moving up to the original Raiden, R-Type, Twin Cobra, and more. When the arcade started carrying fewer and fewer shmups in favor of fighting games, it was home ports like Super R-Type, Gradius 3, and more through further generations like Rayforce, Thunder Force V, Einhander, Ikaruga, R-Type Final, and probably a few others I forgot.

Once emulators began to be able to handle things like sound I went back for games I missed like Axelay, most of Compile's library, the Thunder Forces, the Battle Mania games, Gleylancer, Soldier Blade, and more besides, and Mame gave me access to arcade shmups I missed, such as Cave games that I played for a bit as well as the 194X series which I loved but was never very good at. When I was away living at college the campus arcades had Zero Gunner and Raiden Fighters, so I played those when I had change to spare for the slot.

Oh, and Touhou happened somewhere in there.

Nowadays I wouldn't call myself a shmup fanatic but more of a shmup fancier in that I pick new games based more on whether or not they intrigue my sensibilities- Whether they offer a good soundtrack, visuals, good shooting mechanics, interesting level design, and cool boss fights with scoring and scoring mechanics being largely a tertiary concern. My preferred scoring system will always be shoot enemy = get point because that's all I needed back then and that's all I need now.

[Twon]

Hi All,

My name is Tony and I’m in Toronto canada.
Love shmups and have collected a bunch of pcb’s in the last couple of years. Slowly working my way through 1 cc’ing them.

Tony

[e8root]

Hello everyone

If game genre has references to shooting stuff in its name it must be golden.
I also like the technology behind schmups, especially 8/16 bit and anything that does with CRT (read: Clearer Than Reality) displays.

Not a competitive gamer by any means and I don't collect arcade cabinets/boards.
I have small homemade arcade cabinet with VGA CRT and Jamma connectors which I am in the process of converting from some cheap software based emulation board to proper MISTer FPGA setup. Big fan of FPGA gaming and FPGA in general. Enough to learn Verilog - at hobbyist "should have started with proper simulation... but now lets figure the bug with blinking LEDs" level. My long term plans do include softcoreless schmup. Nothing fancy but I just love the idea.

[_ptscl]

Greetings,

I go by the name of ヒーロー or hiiroo. I've been a fan of arcade-style games since childhood. I remember going to my local arcade to play games like Ocean Hunter and Time Crisis 3 (I preferred Ocean Hunter because I was too short to play Time Crisis properly). However, there was a point in my life (particularly my teenage years) where I leaned towards more mainstream games such as Halo, Call of Duty, Minecraft, Skyrim, Pokémon, etc. After playing these AAA/mainstream games for many years now, I started to feel indifferent towards them. For example, my experience with Skyrim at the start was positive, but after investing over 100 hours into the game, I started to realize how clunky and bug-ridden it was on PS3. I try to view all games in a positive light. However, Skyrim made me realize that some AAA games aren't always worth the praise they get.

I would say what got me into the niche side of gaming was my overall curiosity. A couple of years ago, I was randomly browsing through YouTube until I came across Replay Burners' video of Armed Police Batrider. When I saw that game, I thought it was the coolest game ever! The music was phenomenal, and the gameplay was crazy! That video reignited my interest in arcade games. Ever since, I've been expanding my knowledge of the genre.

My 2025-2026 goals regarding shmups/shmup-likes:

Playthrough, practice, and 1cc RayForce from Ray'z Arcade Chronology on Steam

Playthrough, practice, and 1cc Pocky & Rocky/Kiki Kaikai on SNES

Playthrough, practice, and 1cc Gunstar Heroes M2 port on 3DS

Develop a small-scale shmup game on Pico-8

[bbbhltz]

Hello all,

I've been slowly discovering the world of shmups over the past 2 years or so and decided to finally create an account here. This forum is a nice resource for news and reviews to go along with the occasional YouTube video.

Back in 2022 while visiting my mother I found my Game Boy and the cart in it was R-Type II. I played it during the flight home and decided I needed some shmups on my home console (I just have a Switch). I started tracking sales and finally got a copy of Raiden IV x Mikado remix. That scratched an itch that had been bothering me for years. I played that a bit (just credit feeding) and slowly added more sale items to my small digital collection.

While I think I could someday achieve a 1cc, I don't plan on making that a goal. I've enjoyed nearly every shmup I've tried for different reasons: the challenge, the graphics, the music. Some games, like Radiant Silvergun, blew my mind.

My goals over the next few months will be to discover some more classics (maybe get that Gradius collection and likely the Toaplan ones too), try some of the new releases like Earthion, and try out some styles I haven't yet (I don't have any cute 'em ups, so maybe try a Cotton game?).

Have a good one,

B.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Hello all,

I've been slowly discovering the world of shmups over the past 2 years or so and decided to finally create an account here. This forum is a nice resource for news and reviews to go along with the occasional YouTube video.

Back in 2022 while visiting my mother I found my Game Boy and the cart in it was R-Type II. I played it during the flight home and decided I needed some shmups on my home console (I just have a Switch). I started tracking sales and finally got a copy of Raiden IV x Mikado remix. That scratched an itch that had been bothering me for years. I played that a bit (just credit feeding) and slowly added more sale items to my small digital collection.

While I think I could someday achieve a 1cc, I don't plan on making that a goal. I've enjoyed nearly every shmup I've tried for different reasons: the challenge, the graphics, the music. Some games, like Radiant Silvergun, blew my mind.

My goals over the next few months will be to discover some more classics (maybe get that Gradius collection and likely the Toaplan ones too), try some of the new releases like Earthion, and try out some styles I haven't yet (I don't have any cute 'em ups, so maybe try a Cotton game?).

Have a good one,

B.

For bbbhltz,

Be sure to try out the Switch port of Dodonpachi Sai-Dai-Ou-Jou as it's quite something, especially on an upgraded Oled Switch setup. The Japanese Switch import of DoDonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou is another one worth getting/playing as well. The Switch port of DoDonpachi Dai-Fukkatsu (or better known as "DoDonpachi Resurrection" in the West) is another one to add to your digital Switch stg collection.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[bbbhltz]

Be sure to try out the Switch port of Dodonpachi Sai-Dai-Ou-Jou as it's quite something, especially on an upgraded Oled Switch setup. The Japanese Switch import of DoDonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou is another one worth getting/playing as well. The Switch port of DoDonpachi Dai-Fukkatsu (or better known as "DoDonpachi Resurrection" in the West) is another one to add to your digital Switch stg collection.

Thanks! They are already on the wishlist but I would need to get them through Amazon which I try to avoid.

[digiBeLow]

Hey everyone!

Just introducing myself and saying hi. Brand new to these forums so it's a bit overwhelming / intimidating tbh. Going to be having a gander over some threads the coming weeks to find me some recommended shmups to play to ease me into the genre!

I played barely any most of my life, dabbled in a few in my very early years, and more recently was playing Sky Force Anniversary (often with my son) on the PS5. But certainly haven't played any of the more hardcore shmups that most folks here seem to be amazing at! Very intimidating on-screen chaos from the outside looking in.

Anyway, good to be here! Happy shmupping.