21st Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Results

[Nifty]

Top 25 Shmups of All Time (through 2025)

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##. Game                                               Score  02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23
01. Battle Garegga (ARC/SAT/PS4/XB1)                    7.79   +  +  *  +  +  +  =  =  =  =  =  +  =  +  +  +  +  +  =  =
02. Mushihimesama (ARC/PS2/360/PC/SWI)                  6.53   .  .  *  +  +  +  +  +  *  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +
03. DoDonPachi (ARC/SAT/PSX)                            6.45   -  -  -  -  -  +  -  -  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +
04. Ketsui ~Kizuna Jigoku Tachi~ (ARC/360/PS3/PS4)      6.15   .  *  *  *  *  *  =  -  =  -  -  =  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
05. Mushihimesama Futari / 1.5 / Black Label (ARC/360)  6.12   .  .  .  .  *  *  +  ~  ~  -  -  -  -  -  =  -  -  -  -  -
06. DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou/Black Label/etc. (ARC/etc.)   5.35   *  +  +  +  +  -  -  ~  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
07. Armed Police Batrider (ARC)                         5.34   *  *  +  *  -  =  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  =  +  +  -  +
08. Batsugun / Batsugun Special (ARC/SAT/PC/etc.)       5.20   *  +  +  *  +  +  +  +  +  -  =  +  +  +  +  +  +  *  +  +
09. Darius Gaiden (ARC/SAT/PSX/PS2/etc.)                5.03   *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  +  *  *  +  +  +  *  *  +  +  =  -
10. RayForce / Layer Section / etc. (ARC/PS2/SAT/etc.)  4.73   *  -  =  +  +  +  +  *  *  *  +  -  -  -  -  +  +  +  +  -
11. Crimzon Clover / World Ignition / etc. (PC/etc.)    4.26   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  *  *  *  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  +
12. R-Type (ARC/PCE/PSX/etc.)                           4.22   =  -  -  -  *  +  +  -  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  -  +  +  +  +
13. ESP Ra.De. / Psi (ARC/PS4/SWI)                      3.89   -  -  +  +  +  +  +  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  +  +  +  -
14. DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu/1.5/Resurrection (ARC/etc.)  3.44   .  .  .  .  .  .  *  *  *  +  *  *  *  *  *  +  +  *  *  +
15. Progear no Arashi (ARC/SWI/PC/PS4/XB1)              3.32   *  *  *  *  *  -  -  *  *  *  *  *  *  =  +  *  *  *  *  +
16. Ikaruga (ARC/DC/GC/360/PC/SWI/PS4)                  3.31   -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  +  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
17. Radiant Silvergun (ARC/SAT/360/SWI/PC)              3.25   -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  *  -  -  -  =  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
18. Flying Shark / Hishouzame / Sky Shark (ARC/etc.)    3.03   *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  +
19. G-Darius (ARC/PS2/PSX/etc.)                         2.85   *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  +  -  -
20. Gunbird 2 (ARC/DC/SWI/PC/etc.)                      2.82   +  -  -  =  -  *  *  -  -  -  +  -  *  -  -  +  *  -  -  *
21. Dangun Feveron / Fever SOS (ARC/PS4/XB1)            2.74   *  *  *  *  *  *  -  -  *  *  *  *  *  -  -  -  -  -  -  +
22. Thunder Dragon 2 (ARC/PS4/SWI)                      2.739  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  +  -  +  *  *  *
23. Mahou Daisakusen / Sorcer Striker (ARC/X68/FMT/PS4) 2.738  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
24. Gradius Gaiden (PSX/PSP)                            2.72   =  -  -  -  -  -  *  -  *  +  *  *  =  -  -  -  -  -  =  *
25. Cho Ren Sha 68K (PC/X68)                            2.71   *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  -  -  -

• = denotes the game holds the same position now as the year indicated.
• + denotes the game holds an improved standing compared to the year indicated.
• - denotes the game holds a reduced standing compared to the year indicated.
• * denotes the game was not on the list for the year indicated.
• . denotes the game was not released or otherwise eligible for voting for the year indicated.
• ~ denotes the game vote was classified (significantly) differently for the year indicated.

Honourable Mention

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Game                                                    02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23
19XX: The War Against Destiny (ARC)                      +  +  =  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +
Akai Katana Shin (ARC/360/PC/etc.)                       .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +
Battle Bakraid (ARC)                                     +  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  -  =  -  =  =  =  +  =  =  =  =
Blazing Star (ARC/NG/etc.)                               =  +  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  =  =
Blue Revolver / Double Action (PC)                       .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  +  +  +  =  =  =  +
Darius Burst: AC / EX / Chronicle Saviours (PC/etc.)     .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  +  +  +  +  -  -  =  +  =  =  +  =
Deathsmiles / Mega Black Label (ARC/360/PC/etc.)         .  .  .  .  .  +  =  =  -  =  -  -  =  =  =  -  -  -  -  -
DoDonPachi Saidaioujou (ARC/360/SWI)                     .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  +  -  -  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =
DonPachi (ARC/SAT/PSX)                                   -  -  -  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  +  =  =  =  =  =
Dragon Blaze (ARC/PS2/SWI/PC/etc.)                       +  +  =  =  =  =  =  =  -  -  =  =  -  =  -  =  =  =  -  =
ESPGaluda (ARC/PS2)                                      .  +  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  =  -  -  -  -  =  -
ESPGaluda II (ARC/360/SWI)                               .  .  .  +  +  +  =  -  -  -  -  -  =  =  =  +  =  =  =  =
Fire Shark / Same! Same! Same! (ARC/GEN/etc.)            +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  =  +  +  +  +  +  +  =  +  =  =
GG Aleste 3 (GGM/PS4/SWI)                                .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  +  =  =
Giga Wing (ARC/DC/etc.)                                  +  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  =  =  =  =  =  +  =  =  =  =
Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou (ARC/SAT/NES/etc.)            +  =  =  =  +  =  +  +  =  =  +  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =
Gradius V (PS2)                                          .  .  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  =  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  =
Gradius / Nemesis (ARC/NES/PCE/etc.)                     =  =  =  +  +  +  +  =  =  +  =  =  +  +  =  =  +  =  =  +
Guwange (ARC/360)                                        -  -  =  -  =  -  -  -  -  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  +
Ibara (ARC/PS2)                                          .  .  .  =  =  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  =  =  =  =  =  =  =
Mars Matrix (ARC/DC)                                     -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  =  -  -  =  =
Muchi Muchi Pork! (ARC/360)                              .  .  .  .  .  +  +  +  -  -  -  =  -  =  -  =  =  =  =  =
Out Zone (ARC/PC)                                        +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  =  +  +  =
Radirgy (ARC/DC/GC/PS2)                                  .  .  .  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  =  +  +  +  +
Raiden DX (ARC/PSX)                                      +  +  -  -  -  =  -  =  -  =  -  =  =  -  =  =  =  =  =  =
Raiden Fighters Jet (ARC/360/PC)                         +  =  =  +  +  =  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  =  =  =  =  =  =
R-Type Delta (PSX/PC/etc.)                               =  =  -  -  -  =  +  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  -  =  =  -  =
Salamander / Life Force (ARC/PCE/PS4/SWI)                +  -  =  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +
Soukyugurentai / Terra Diver (SAT/ARC/PSX)               -  -  -  -  -  -  =  -  =  -  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =
Strikers 1945 II (ARC/SAT/PSX/PS2/SWI/etc.)              -  -  -  -  =  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  =  -  =  -
Thunder Force III (GEN/SAT/etc.)                         -  -  -  -  -  -  =  =  =  =  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  +  =  +
Thunder Force IV / Lightening Force (GEN/SAT/etc.)       -  -  -  -  -  -  =  +  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =
Twin Cobra / Kyukyoku Tiger (ARC/PCE/etc.)               +  =  +  +  =  =  +  +  +  =  +  =  +  =  +  =  =  =  =  =
Under Defeat (ARC/DC/360/PS3)                            .  .  .  +  -  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  -  -  -  =  =  =  =
ZeroRanger (PC)                                          .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  -  -  -  -  =

• = denotes the game was also on the HM list for the year indicated.
• + denotes the game was on neither the HM list nor the top 25 for the year indicated.
• - denotes the game was in the top 25 for the year indicated.
• . denotes the game was not released or otherwise eligible for voting for the year indicated.

What Dropped from 2023's Top 25:

• Deathsmiles / Mega Black Label (ARC/360/PC/etc.)
• ESPGaluda (ARC/PS2)
• Strikers 1945 II (ARC/SAT/PSX/PS2/SWI/etc.)
• Eschatos (360/PC/SWI/PS4)

What Dropped from 2023's Honourable Mentions:

• Akai Katana (ARC/360/PC/etc.)
• Cotton Rock 'n' Roll / Cotton Fantasy (ARC/SWI/PS4/PC)
• Imperishable Night [Touhou 8] (PC)
• Judgement Silversword (WSC/360/PC)
• Raiden Fighters 2: Operation Hell Dive (ARC/360/PC)
• Shikigami no Shiro II / Castle Shikigami 2 (ARC/etc.)

Breakdown by Developer

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                    Top 25         Hon.M.          Overall
Cave                   9              9              18
Raizing                3              2               5
Toaplan                2              3               5
Konami                 1              3               4
Taito                  3              -               3
Treasure               2              1               3
Psikyo                 1              2               3
Irem                   1              1               2
Technosoft             -              2               2
Seibu Kaihatsu         -              2               2
Takumi                 -              2               2
NMK                    1              -               1
Yotsubane              1              -               1
Famibe no Yosshin      1              -               1
System Erasure         -              1               1
Stellar Circle         -              1               1
Milestone              -              1               1
Yumekobo               -              1               1
G.rev                  -              1               1
Capcom                 -              1               1
M2                     -              1               1
Pyramid                -              1               1

Breakdown by Original Platform

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System              Top 25         Hon.M.          Overall
Arcade                22             28              50
PC/Windows             1              2               3
PlayStation            1              1               2
Mega Drive/Genesis     -              2               2
X68000                 1              -               1
PlayStation 2          -              1               1
Game Gear Micro        -              1               1

Most Personal Honourable Mentions (no. of [0])

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Game                                                No. of appearances
Guwange (ARC/360)                                         6
Musha Aleste / M.U.S.H.A. (GEN)                           4
Ikaruga (ARC/DC/GC/360/PC/SWI/PS4)                        4
ESP Ra.De. / Psi (ARC/PS4/SWI)                            4
Ketsui ~Kizuna Jigoku Tachi~ (ARC/360/PS3/PS4)            4

Miscellaneous Stats:

• Number of Counted Voters: 69
• Total Vote Weight: 68.5
• Number of Games Voted For: 426
• Number of Honourable Mentions: 35
• Proportion of Voters who chose to use a Shortlist: 0.03 (2/69)
• Proportion of Voters who chose to include Personal Honourable Mentions: 0.42 (29/69)
• Proportion of Personal Honourable Mentions included where eligible: 0.43 (29/67)
• Number of Games Receiving Only [0]'s: 59
• Games Supported by at least half of voters (≥34.25 combined): 2
• Games Supported by at least 1/4 of voters (≥17.1 combined): 22
• Top 25 Score Spread: 2.714 - 7.792
• Honourable Mention Score Spread: 1.373 - 2.712
• Total Score Spread: 0.036 - 7.792

Random Comments:

• First mention of note goes to Mahou Daisakusen, which has sneakishly continued its recent improvement run by rising up to the top 25 proper. One might also notice the original Mushihimesama crawling all the way up to take the silver, thereby locking in its status as most bestest and greatest Cave game of all time until further notice.
• One section leads to the other, where it's mainly business as usual bar a few names that don't get seen very often, such as the return of Salamander to a position it hasn't been at since the 3rd running. Could it mean anything???
• As a final comment, if there's something that's never really materialised while I've been organising this, it's a properly sustained influx of doujin/PC titles, in spite of the relevance of standalone consoles continuing to fade. If anything the midpoint has moved slightly further into the past, with little from (what is now) the last decade or so holding a presence, though I wouldn't have predicted the retro porting frenzy we've ended up having either.
• The discussion thread for this year's poll is here.
• The votes for this year's poll can be found here.
• The full results are now present in place here.

For those late to the party, I've made this the last time I'm personally running this event, at least as the main organiser. Its future is now seemingly up in the air until someone wants to try catching all the paperwork I'll be handing over.

[eksratu]

Thank you Nifty!!!

Mushihimesama at Number 2 though? Very cool. Surprised it's above its sequel.

[Steven]

Combat Gregory wins again, as expected... but WTF where did Mushihimesama and especially Mahou Daisakusen come from? Super ultra platinum awesome to see Mahou Daisakusen here though. Thought Dangun Feveron was going to die this time for sure too, but it didn't. Good to see that too cuz that's almost certainly the best CAVE game ever.

Also obligatory HISHOUZAME

[Some-Mist]

I’m also quite surprised by mushihimesama. I’ve gotten a couple 1CCs in the original mode but never felt obligated to go back, but maybe I’d feel differently on the higher difficulties. Stage 4 is a banger and I did/do enjoy the arrange mode, though I preferred the PS2 arrange more than the later versions. I greatly prefer Futari as well

I was hoping MMP would make the cut, but it didn’t get enough support. I really love how active you have to be switching between the buttons to score well, and it’s a bit more forgiving as far as yagawa scoring goes. I always feel like a boss playing it

Thanks again nifty.

[bobhasashotgun]

Alas, poor 19XX. The war against it's perpetual HM destiny is one it never can win.

Anyways, I'm really suprised about Mahou Daisakusen. It was a game I was always curious about but was unsure if I wanted to pay the import M2 premium for it. Maybe I finally get around to checking it out.

Finally, while I'm bummed that Gradius 2 didn't make it, I'm happy Gaiden did. The list always feels incomplete without at least one Gradius game.

[nogden]

Wow some big changes this time around. I’m glad we were able to get Batrider moved up, it deserves its spot for sure

[To Far Away Times]

Wow, a big showing for the original Mushimesama! A great game of course, with an iconic run of stage 3, 4 and 5; but the sequel is an even better game, I think. They were both near the top of my list though, so I can’t really complain.

A great placement for R-Type as well. Talk about a game ahead of its time.

Glad to see G-Darius make it as well, that’s always been a favorite of mine.

Also Cho Ren Sha 68K just barely made it, but it’s a damn good game with a GOAT level soundtrack. If you think about it, it’s pretty wild to a see a Japanese indie Sharp X68000 freeware game from before most people even had internet access crack the Top 25 of all time, but it’s well deserved, imo.

[neat_beans]

Some interesting shake-ups among the top 10 this time around. I fully agree that Mushi 1 > Futari (even though both are great games) so pleased to see that it's getting its recognition, though I realise that's probably because of the increased accessibility of Mushi 1 through the NSW port, while Futari is still locked on 360.

Also interesting that after getting the ShotTriggers deluxe treatment, DOJ drops to its lowest showing ever. Was this a "DDP fans excited to play game for first time" effect?

[Lemnear]

Some interesting shake-ups among the top 10 this time around. I fully agree that Mushi 1 > Futari (even though both are great games) so pleased to see that it's getting its recognition, though I realise that's probably because of the increased accessibility of Mushi 1 through the NSW port, while Futari is still locked on 360.

Also interesting that after getting the ShotTriggers deluxe treatment, DOJ drops to its lowest showing ever. Was this a "DDP fans excited to play game for first time" effect?

The impression is that there are many protest votes, as if to point out that more M2 ShotTriggers are neeeded.
However, I think that many people started from DOJ to end up on the original DDP at this point.
I don't know, I have the impression that in some cases the votes have been forced to see them appear up there, or that there is a certain "boredom" of the titles that have been excessively emblazoned over the years. I remain of the opinion however that ProGear is not the best horizontal shmups made by CAVE.

[Lethe]

The M.Knight tactical voting worked!!! Amazing. I guess we'll see how close it was later.

I'm intrigued by that suggestion to do an 80s games only/90s games only poll in the future. Or maybe instead of decades, finding an agreeable cutoff based on hardware or something. Wondering how much perceptions would change when games are stuck in the context of their own era.

The impression is that there are many protest votes, as if to point out that more M2 ShotTriggers are neeeded.
However, I think that many people started from DOJ to end up on the original DDP at this point.
I don't know, I have the impression that in some cases the votes have been forced to see them appear up there, or that there is a certain "boredom" of the titles that have been excessively emblazoned over the years. I remain of the opinion however that ProGear is not the best horizontal shmups made by CAVE.

I wouldn't think too hard about it. These polls are always dependent on who feels like bothering to vote that year, it can effectively just be random, or heavily swayed by a fad. You would have to do a meta-study of all the polls to get sensible conclusions about them.

[locoBro1196]

Thank you Nifty for running this again, it's always great fun to check out the results.

It's quite shocking to me that DDP > DDP DOJ and the latter has been sinking in the ranking over the years.

My first thoughts on that: Is DDP a more seminal and influencing title than DDP DOJ? Yes. Is DDP a better game overall than DDP DOJ (in any of its versions)? Absolutely not. However I think people keep coming back to DDP as it's a much more accessible and grounded game, easier to just pick up and play without worrying too much about all the noise (bees, hyper etc).

Same goes for the Mushis, I definitely think Futari is the better game but then again just like DDP, the first Mushihimesama stays on top. And it doesn't help that Futari is still locked on 360. Both titles are amazing though, IMHO the difference in quality between them is not as big as with both Dodonpachis.

[Some-Mist]

I'm happy to see progear where it is. After sinking a significant amount of time into it (following playing it for the first time on pcb at my first shmupsmeet in 2012), it's remained at the top of my list since the 11th annual vote in 2014. I can't stop going back to it. It's similar to akai katana in that once you learn the scoring system the game becomes a lot more fun and easier to clear

It's difficult for me to justify putting it in my list, but the DSIIX arrange mode is very damn addicting too

[To Far Away Times]

[Faith]

Spoiler

Haha!! Faith shall send condolences >.<!~

Was really looking forward see result!! After all that small community awareness effort!! Should really look into trying it some day but Faith so bad at hori STG x_x"...

So, theory for why Mushihimesama is suddenly so high: I think, big part, because of accessibility. By "accessibility" meaning: it is super convenient on Steam, Xbox, Nsw, PS2. So, good exposure! Especially the Steam part, it means that many people new to STG, likely to try it. And, will definitely say, past few years STG have small resurgence, and many MANY new players!~

The other "accessibility" part is: personally feel Mushihimesama is easiest Non-Novice Cave Arcade Original clear. For me, cleared it in 1 day after installing with no exposure to game before that. Very, very little routing needed. Means new players can focus on getting better at dodging, rather than trying to learn routing at same time which can make many player give up. Of course, for new player who still find Arcade Original too hard, the Novice Original is also there to give better introduction. And... everyone loves bugs @_@!~

Now, personally... Futari is much better. I think, even Cave think so: because Mushihimesama Ver 1.5 was released after Futari, and I feel like Original Max especially take ideas from Futari to make original Mushihimesama a much better game. Ver 1.5 is peak Mushihimesama (especially Original Max), but Futari is better!!

[Steven]

I have absolutely no idea why people who are not me seem to like Daioujou so much, and I don't really want to know because I hate that game, so don't tell me. I am sure I am missing something, but to me it seems like it's exactly the same game as DDP but with hyper and worse graphics.

At least Hishouzame and Mahou Daisakusen are on the list. That's good. They're both much lower than they should be, as is Thunder Dragon 2, but I'll accept it for now. Then again there might not be a next time, so...

[Faith]

I have absolutely no idea why people who are not me seem to like Daioujou so much

For me, actually... had always put Battle Garrega & Daioujou in exactly same category: super respect players who clear it, love watching it... but not for self to play lol. I know, it is stereotype to complain about Battle Garrega visibility... but... have always felt DOJ visibility was also not really super great either. Part of it is definitely strong personal preference for STG with super clear and obvious hitbox! Which both game do not have lol... really don't understand how anyone clear Hibachi in DOJ lol X_X!~

[Steven]

Having actually barely cleared Garegga on Super Ultra Baby Mode (AKA Premium) a single time (that I can remember, anyway), Garegga's visibility is completely fine, unless you play it on something like an arcade monitor with an aperture grille that can obscure shots. I know because I tried it at some arcade once after playing it on PS4 and I couldn't see anything. If I was to play it on my Trinitron with a supergun for the PCB or a DAC for the PS4, it would still be perfectly fine because my Trinitron doesn't have any visible "scanlines" or whatever you want to call them unless you are close enough to almost press your face against the screen.

Raiden DX is the one where I actually have real visibility problems because your shot, some of the shrapnel from destroyed enemies, and enemy shots are all very similar or nearly identical colors, and I tend to get killed by things that I never see in all bullet hell games, so I guess those too. I have a theory that Raiden DX might be significantly less terrible if I played it on a smaller monitor, but for now I'm playing it on PCB on my New Astro City's giant monitor and I can't see anything.

But yes, small unintuitive hurtboxes are my #2 biggest reason that I hate almost all bullet hell in general, and I have found that having the marked glowing thing like Crimzon Clover and Saidaioujou does not help at all.

[Spydar05]

13 of my current top 25 is in the top 25 . And only 5 of them aren't on either list:
Danmaku Unlimited 3, NeverAwake, Gunvein, Shikigami no Shiro II, & Rolling Gunner.

Giga Wing, Espgaluda II, & ZeroRanger are really low .

R-Type, Flying Shark, G-Darius, & Thunder Dragon 2 are the only ones in top 25 I didn't connect with.
I can see what puts R-Type & G-Darius up there. Flying Shark & Thunder Dragon 2 surprise me.

And while I love Mushihimesama (I need to play Futari), I want Ketsui above it.

Amazing honorable mentions list. Played and agree with many of those. Though, why Salamander I over III?

Anyway, thanks so much for putting this resource together for all this time!

[Faith]

Also Cho Ren Sha 68K just barely made it, but it’s a damn good game with a GOAT level soundtrack. If you think about it, it’s pretty wild to a see a Japanese indie Sharp X68000 freeware game from before most people even had internet access crack the Top 25 of all time, but it’s well deserved, imo.

CRS was #18 in previous voting >.<"... quite sad it got such a big demotion!!~

[Faith]

and I have found that having the marked glowing thing like Crimzon Clover and Saidaioujou does not help at all.

Haha! Well, obviously have to disagree... I find Crimzon Clover hitbox design absolute best! It is very different to SDOJ: because it is very, very precise. I do not like when the hitbox circle graphic is huge like DFK/SDOJ, but the actual hitbox is much, much smaller. For Crimzon Clover, the hitbox design have two parts. The very sharp tiny round solid circle in middle is the hitbox, but it also have a glow effect around it that rotates. So, that glow... allows to see it easier when not looking directly at it. But the super precise small dot in middle is very useful for some ultra dense patterns!~

[Whiskers]

As always, thank you for all your hard work, Nifty. We're going to miss your tireless effort to keep the tradition alive. The poll wouldn't be the same without you.

Now, about the poll result...

Both DOJ and Ketsui were dethroned by DDP? Never thought I'd see the day. Guess I've done enough plugging to get it to the top 3.

It's also a tad weird to see S1945 II managed to get a mention, but S1999 is nowhere to be seen. This is quite baffling as I find both games are equally good.

[Herr Schatten]

Thank you for running this one last time, Nifty.

I think it's a surprisingly well-rounded list, even more so if you consider the honorable mentions.

As usual, the lack of Shiki (2) is embarassing, but counter-intuitive bullet grazing is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and with three entries in the series (four if you count Sisters Royale) it probably suffers from having its fans' votes spread out over multiple games. Parodius is another series that comes to mind which never places as well as it should, because everyone has a different favourite entry.

It baffles me to see Darius Gaiden higher than Gradius Gaiden, even higher than R-Type. It's a decent game, and I like huge mechanical fish as much as the next guy, but come on.

I totally get the placement of Mushi over its sequel. Its accessibility is unmatched among Cave's output, abd with its three modes it really has something for everyone without making it confusing like Futari does with its four player types. Same goes for DDP over DOJ, it's just so much easier to just pick up and play.

[Steven]

I was going to write a bunch of shit that I am sure would be controversial, but I don't feel like doing that right now lol

Also Cho Ren Sha 68K just barely made it, but it’s a damn good game with a GOAT level soundtrack. If you think about it, it’s pretty wild to a see a Japanese indie Sharp X68000 freeware game from before most people even had internet access crack the Top 25 of all time, but it’s well deserved, imo.

CRS was #18 in previous voting >.<"... quite sad it got such a big demotion!!~

Aside from the complete lack of Xexex, this is the biggest disappointment, I think. This game deserves better.

and I have found that having the marked glowing thing like Crimzon Clover and Saidaioujou does not help at all.

Haha! Well, obviously have to disagree... I find Crimzon Clover hitbox design absolute best! It is very different to SDOJ: because it is very, very precise. I do not like when the hitbox circle graphic is huge like DFK/SDOJ, but the actual hitbox is much, much smaller. For Crimzon Clover, the hitbox design have two parts. The very sharp tiny round solid circle in middle is the hitbox, but it also have a glow effect around it that rotates. So, that glow... allows to see it easier when not looking directly at it. But the super precise small dot in middle is very useful for some ultra dense patterns!~

I have no idea which part of the Saidaioujou hurtbox graphic thing is the part that is actually the hurtbox. That's why I hate that one. I know a lot of people frequently and very incorrectly say that Saidaioujou has a massive hurtbox, but it's actually the same size as Daioujou's if you play with shot or laser, and it's even smaller than Daioujou's if you use the swimsuit. Or something like that. It might be smaller no matter what, but I don't remember. I am of course too lazy to check; someone else can do it for me if they care enough.

Crimzon Clover's just doesn't seem to help me at all. I stopped playing that game and have no desire to play it anymore, but I macro dodged around everything in that game because I was never anywhere close to being comfortable doing otherwise.

[1000Eyes]

Thanks for all the hard work, Nifty. Always fun to read. Maybe Ill feel qualified to vote next time, if someone still organizes it

Also first time I learned that Akai Katana and Shin are separate votes. Since the game is just called AK Shin on steam, are people voting the latter in for slash mode? Will make it easier for me to tell which version they actually like, considering that it is practically two different games.

counter-intuitive bullet grazing is certainly not everyone's cup of tea

What's counter intuitive about it? Seemed pretty easy to understand to me, but Ive only played it for an hour or so.

Xexex

It's a game I love thinking about more than playing tbh. The Flint is such a cool mechanic, closest thing to a shmup pet, and the game is very beautiful. I feel like it is dragged down by being too long (~40 min 1cc), and that the opening stages (1,2, & 4 specfically) are really boring and dont push your use of the flint enough. Stage 3 is cool though.

[Faith]

I have no idea which part of the Saidaioujou hurtbox graphic thing is the part that is actually the hurtbox. That's why I hate that one. I know a lot of people frequently and very incorrectly say that Saidaioujou has a massive hurtbox

You are not wrong to hate SDOJ hitbox, it is a bit broken >.<!~

SDOJ hitbox size depend on if playing Normal or Expert. Expert is smaller. Also, the hitbox size (and position) depend if ship stationary or moving... lol. So yes, I can see why you hate it!~



From SDOJ Shmup Wiki: "The ship's hitbox is 6x6 with Shot or Laser ship types, and 4x4 with Expert type. When moving horizontally, it shrinks to 4x4 with Shot or Laser types, and 2x2 with Expert type;[3] the shrunk hitbox is centered on the ship when moving right, but is shifted to the right when moving left due to a bug."

[BulletMagnet]

Thanks once again for all the hard work, Nifty. And to see DDP slowly making its way back to its rightful place.

[MAZ]

Thanks Nifty for the hard work!

Cave and Rizing dominance as expected, with the SIlver going to Mushi being quite a surprise to me regarding Cave games. And the DOJ drop too!

Personally, it is sad to see the massive Treasure snub: Ikaruga drops an astounding 8 positions from 8th to 16th, RS from 13th to 17th, Gradius V doesn't make the cut. Maybe next time (if it will ever happen) Treasure shmups will be more meta, maybe they will drop even more

Also, poor Blazing Star did not make the cut

At least, happy to see Darius Gaiden as the 1st non Cave/Raizing STG on the list, really like the game

[Herr Schatten]

counter-intuitive bullet grazing is certainly not everyone's cup of tea

What's counter intuitive about it? Seemed pretty easy to understand to me, but Ive only played it for an hour or so.

Counter-intuitive in the sense that you normally want to stay away from things that kill you, not hug them as closely as possible.

[Steven]

Xexex

It's a game I love thinking about more than playing tbh. The Flint is such a cool mechanic, closest thing to a shmup pet, and the game is very beautiful. I feel like it is dragged down by being too long (~40 min 1cc), and that the opening stages (1,2, & 4 specfically) are really boring and dont push your use of the flint enough. Stage 3 is cool though.

Now that is completely understandable, especially because I kind of have the same thing going on with the game. Still like it, though.

I have no idea which part of the Saidaioujou hurtbox graphic thing is the part that is actually the hurtbox. That's why I hate that one. I know a lot of people frequently and very incorrectly say that Saidaioujou has a massive hurtbox

You are not wrong to hate SDOJ hitbox, it is a bit broken >.<!~

Yeah, it's pretty messed up. I wonder how the thing with the hurtbox moving in the wrong direction got into the final release. You'd think they'd notice that during internal testing at least, but obviously they didn't. I guess lots of CAVE games are glitchy as hell, so maybe it's just normal for this dev. No idea if it's fixed in 1.5, but I don't think anyone cares about 1.5 anyway.

[lastemperorjubei]

Thanks for doing this. 14 games are also in my personal top 25. Happy about Sorcer Striker, it's one of the best Fantasy shmups. Regarding Mushi and Mushi Futari I prefer Mushi slightly. Batsugun as Toaplan's best (Steven won't agree). DDP sonned DOJ, didn't expect this.