GBA Shmups??

Kaspal · Post by **Kaspal** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:15 pm

hi there y'all guyz n gals ....

i was wondering if someone here can help me build a list of shmup games available for the Nintendo GBA???.... i own one, but since i dont know about shmups released there, i dont own one yet ...

can anybody help me with this?

thx in advance.

Super Laydock · Post by **Super Laydock** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:20 pm

In no way a complete list but just to get your list on it's way...

- Gradius Galaxies
- Steel Empire
- Phalanx
- Kaisertahl/Invader
- Iridion II
- Darius R
- R-type III

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 6:35 pm

Strike Force Hydra...

CL@$$!C · Post by **CL@$$!C** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 4:30 am

Which of those are actually worth buying?

I heard teh R-Type III port was terrible, phalanx isn't worth the time, and same can be said about Iridion.

Gradius Galaxies, Iridion II, and Steel Empire look most interesting to me.

subcons · Post by **subcons** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 5:05 am

If your a Gradius fan, Galaxies is excellent.

Steel Empire is an awesome remake of sorts. It's not so much a port. The sprites are much larger on the GBA screen and the color pallette is much brighter. Great looking game and tough as hell. Although, there's a gripe about the boss battles being chopped up or changed all together (more on that at the review over on GameFAQs).

People seem to like Iridion II. I found it to be a pretty game, but dreadfully boring in the gameplay department. Ship and enemy design left a lot to be desired as well. Just have to play it to find out I guess.

EDIT: While we're discussing the topic, how is Darius on the GBA? I've honestly never been much a fan of the series beyond how great they look graphicaly. Just curious how this on fares on the go. Figures that with the way the stages are structured, there might be quite a bit of replay to get out of it.

Nemo · Post by **Nemo** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 5:10 am

Macross Robotech Saga: Basically a poor man's Macross 2036 with a few lame overhead mech levels thrown in for who knows why. Decent enough game otherwise.

EDIT: While we're discussing the topic, how is Darius on the GBA? I've honestly never been much a fan of the series beyond how great they look graphicaly. Just curious how this on fares on the go. Figures that with the way the stages are structured, there might be quite a bit of replay to get out of it.

It's just Super Darius/Darius Plus with less levels. The only notable thing is some levels feature music from other Darius games. Only worth getting if you really love Super Darius and/or Darius Plus, but personally it aggravates me that keep porting the same dang game.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 5:46 am

Nemo wrote:Macross Robotech Saga: Basically a poor man's Macross 2036 with a few lame overhead mech levels thrown in for who knows why. Decent enough game otherwise.

More like a poor man's Macross DYRL with poor control and needless transformations.

ST Dragon · Post by **ST Dragon** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:51 am

There is also a full PD French shmup named "Uranus" it's better than some of mentioned above, but still very bad.

Kaspal · Post by **Kaspal** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 1:48 pm

aaight guys, thx for yor help.... just tried the Steel Empire one, and it looks cool ... i guess i have to play it some more, so i can give an accurate comment of it.

once again, thx.

StorminNorman · Post by **StorminNorman** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 2:19 pm

Invader is terrible. Avoid it.

Phalanx is okay. It was probably better on the SNES though.

R-Type III is damn-near unplayable.

I haven't played Gradius Galaxies yet. It's very hard to find in this part of the world.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 3:02 pm

R-Type iii for the GBA is the ONLY shmup I have not allowed to remain a part of my shmup collection-- I traded it away, good riddance.

If you like old-school shooters, there are GBA versions of various arcade classics in the latest Konami collection, and there is a new port of Xevious put out by Nintendo. I just recently acquired these, and the ports seem quite good so far.

Of coures, if you like these old shooters, then you may as well think about GB and GBC carts as well, since these will play on your GBA (though not on a DS). Nemesis and R-Type DX are classic, but there are many others worth considering.
See:
http://www.classicgaming.com/shmups/xen ... meboy.html

CL@$$!C · Post by **CL@$$!C** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 6:24 pm

Xevious is out? Under what title?

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 6:33 pm

CL@$$!C wrote:Xevious is out? Under what title?

http://www.gamespot.com/gba/action/clas ... index.html

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 6:36 pm

Oh, and Star Soldier too.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 6:38 pm

Thunder Force wrote:
CL@$$!C wrote:Xevious is out? Under what title?
http://www.gamespot.com/gba/action/clas ... index.html

That review is terrible, but the site does have screens. The reviewer keeps saying that it's a "classic arcade game, not a classic NES game" despite how the NES version is an extremely close port of the arcade game. The Pac-Man review is just as bad. IMO, the classic NES Pac-Man is a better port of the arcade game than the one in the Pac-Man collection (though it looks more like the arcade graphically and sounds more like the arcade, it actually has some missing frames, which actually affect gameplay).

Super Laydock · Post by **Super Laydock** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 10:32 pm

ST Dragon wrote:There is also a full PD French shmup named "Uranus" it's better than some of mentioned above, but still very bad.

Well, it certainly hasnt got it's name going for it!

Btw, if we're going down the Famicom Classics route: Twinbee is also available!

Oh and btw: Darius R sucks ass!

crithit5000 · Post by **crithit5000** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 10:42 pm

Can't vouch for the other games in the list, but Gradius Galaxies is pretty awesome. I've had it since Christmas, and it's a total blast.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 10:54 pm

I have the Twinbee Famicom Mini and I love it. It's a very good port of the arcade game.

subcons · Post by **subcons** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 11:19 pm

BrianC wrote:I have the Twinbee Famicom Mini and I love it. It's a very good port of the arcade game.

I actually considered picking this one up myself. I'll have to keep an eye out for a used copy. I'm patient.

And mental note... stay away from Darius for GBA.

CL@$$!C · Post by **CL@$$!C** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:01 am

Twinbee is a pretty cool shmup, but does a normal GBA play famicom games?

Also, is Steel Empire the exact same game as the one on the Genesis?

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:27 am

subcons wrote:
BrianC wrote:I have the Twinbee Famicom Mini and I love it. It's a very good port of the arcade game.
I actually considered picking this one up myself. I'll have to keep an eye out for a used copy. I'm patient.

And mental note... stay away from Darius for GBA.

hee hee or stay away from Darius in what ever format

I didn't mind Darius Gaiden though.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:28 am

CL@$$!C wrote: Also, is Steel Empire the exact same game as the one on the Genesis?

Nope, it's a remake that looks prettier and plays easier.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:32 am

SheSaidDutch wrote:
subcons wrote:
BrianC wrote:I have the Twinbee Famicom Mini and I love it. It's a very good port of the arcade game.
I actually considered picking this one up myself. I'll have to keep an eye out for a used copy. I'm patient.

And mental note... stay away from Darius for GBA.
hee hee or stay away from Darius in what ever format

I didn't mind Darius Gaiden though.

Hey! G Darius is the shiznit!

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:54 am

CMoon wrote:Hey! G Darius is the shiznit!

Just my opinion

I haven't tried G Darius though so there's still hope

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:59 am

Gradius Galaxies is rockin like dokken! But thats coming from an avid Gradius player so it might be better to get a casual fellow's opinion.

CL@$$!C · Post by **CL@$$!C** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 2:13 am

Ganelon wrote: Nope, it's a remake that looks prettier and plays easier.

That's good. The one on genesis isn't bad, but it isn't perfect. Not even close.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 2:57 am

Well, don't expect too much from the GBA version.

subcons · Post by **subcons** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 3:27 am

CL@$$!C wrote:
Ganelon wrote: Nope, it's a remake that looks prettier and plays easier.
That's good. The one on genesis isn't bad, but it isn't perfect. Not even close.

Just read this review. It pretty much sums the game up accurately.

The same gameplay mechanics are there as the MD original. Stands to reason if you didn't like the original, this one probably won't make you a fan. But hey, it's slim pickings for shooters on the go. I think it's a great, challenging little shooter for what it's worth.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 4:09 am

CL@$$!C wrote:Twinbee is a pretty cool shmup, but does a normal GBA play famicom games?

The Famicom Minis are emulated NES/Famicom games on a GBA cartridge. Twinbee is one of them. I know that there is an adapter for the GBA SP for playing Famicom games, but a GBA by itself can't play them.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 7:50 pm

Gradius Galaxies is a good time for something on the go. only problem is i can't get anywhere unless i (and the system) are still.