Recommendations for someone new on PS5 / PC / Switch?

[digiBeLow]

I am extremely new to shmup's - the only real example I have played in recent years being Sky Force Anniversary on PS5 (which I had a lot of fun with tbf, even more so because I could play co-op with my son).

My son in particular loves shmups, he's been playing a few that we found on my mobile phone. So any recommendations for both he and I (either solo or co-op) that won't immediately turn us off by extreme difficulty?

We mostly play on PS5 and Switch 1 - but can play on PC too (but we tend not to).

Cheers!

[Steven]

Hishouzame

[bbbhltz]

Some games have flexible configs that might be worth looking into: Raiden IV x Mikado has a mode where enemies don't shoot as well as a mode where your shots cancel enemy shots. I play those with my 8-year-old, but he also likes Viper Phase 1 so perhaps it is the ships and the Go Sato music that make him like those.

[Lemnear]

I am extremely new to shmup's - the only real example I have played in recent years being Sky Force Anniversary on PS5 (which I had a lot of fun with tbf, even more so because I could play co-op with my son).

My son in particular loves shmups, he's been playing a few that we found on my mobile phone. So any recommendations for both he and I (either solo or co-op) that won't immediately turn us off by extreme difficulty?

We mostly play on PS5 and Switch 1 - but can play on PC too (but we tend not to).

Cheers!

Some good options would be Raiden IV x MIKADO, Under Defeat HD+, DariusBurst Chronicle: AC, Darius Cozmic Arcade Collection (not the "Console Collection" which contains the console ports). Of all these, DariusBurst is perhaps the most suitable (AC version, not ACEX+). It's so long, but the difficulty grows very slowly and this allows you to learn the more traditional fundamentals of a shmup. The alternative intro for a "bullet-hell" instead is to take ProGear for 1 or 2 € from Capcom Arcade Stadium 1 (and you can also find GigaWing which is another must-have but I wouldn't suggest it as the very first shmup).

Of course, after these first steps there are the mandatory M2 ShotTriggers, but you'll get to that later. The rest of the recommendations can be found in the topic of the biannual Top 25, roughly you can find all the must-plays there, even going down to the top 50-60 positions.

EDIT: Ghost Blade HD is also a great intro even if shorter than the 100+ stages of DariusBurst.

[sunnshiner]

Some games have flexible configs that might be worth looking into: Raiden IV x Mikado has a mode where enemies don't shoot as well as a mode where your shots cancel enemy shots. I play those with my 8-year-old, but he also likes Viper Phase 1 so perhaps it is the ships and the Go Sato music that make him like those.

Beat me to it! I was going to suggest Raiden III and IV for the same reasons.

OP- are you happy using emulators on your PC? There are a load of good shmups on older systems.

[R79]

Switch has the Toaplan Arcade Garage releases, if you like the older style games from 30+ years ago. It also has plenty of later 1990s games like Cotton and Batsugun which were expensive on Saturn, but no idea if they're any good on this format. Two Psikyo packs as well, but heard there's some input delay on those, so you will need to read/search on here and drill down into the detail. Inevitably some of these £35 average releases (physical) will start to soar in price a few years from now, unless they keep getting re-ported.

[R79]

if you live in America, you could pick up an old, hopefully still working Xbox 360, get the Raiden pack off eBay, perhaps hook it up to an old style TV, and have many fun hours with that. Akai Katana as well on that system, should still be a pretty reasonable disc to purchase. If you can't find an arcade stick for that console anymore, you can get Brooke convertors from Amazon for all kinds of controllers.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

if you live in America, you could pick up an old, hopefully still working Xbox 360, get the Raiden pack off eBay, perhaps hook it up to an old style TV, and have many fun hours with that. Akai Katana as well on that system, should still be a pretty reasonable disc to purchase. If you can't find an arcade stick for that console anymore, you can get Brooke convertors from Amazon for all kinds of controllers.

That'd be the Xbox 360 "Raiden Fighter Aces" compliation with the Seibu Kaihatsu stgs of Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2: Operation Hell Dive and lastly, Raiden Fighters Jet.

The Hori Real Arcade Pro VX-SE Kai variant release with all Japanese Seimitsu arcade parts factory-installed is an awesome Xbox 360-based arcade stick worth playing with indeed.

It'd be the Brook Wingman XB2 controller adapter for the Xbox 360 listed here: https://www.amazon.com/Brook-Wingman-XB ... 222&sr=8-3

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[AGermanArtist]

I would recommend some Arcade Archives considering you could pick up 2 for £12 - I'd suggest Lightning Fighters and Xexex.

[Jonpachi]

You just need to learn a few simple acronyms and you'll be on your way:

ACA - Arcade Archives series available on all platforms. A perfect history lesson in shmups (and all things arcade) at an affordable price and high quality bar.

M2 - The masters of arcade preservation. Think of them as the Criterion Collection for retro games. Look for their ShotTrigGers series. If they've taken the time to do a remaster in this series, you know it's an important game.

[digiBeLow]

OP- are you happy using emulators on your PC? There are a load of good shmups on older systems.

It's not something I've done before tbh but I reckon I could get setup to do so. I actually think part of me intentionally avoids even having games on my PC though as I use it for work and they are such a welcome and easy distraction

I only really game on the PS5 or Switch these days.

[digiBeLow]

Wasn't expecting so many replies, thanks everyone! Plenty for me and my son to explore for the near future

[Steven]

Oh yeah, forgot Twinkle Star Sprites. Definitely need that for multiplayer VS mode action.