Anyone else had a hard time getting friends to play shmups

Pixel_Outlaw · Post by **Pixel_Outlaw** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:17 pm

I have to pull teeth and endure endless hours of Blackhawk Down to get my friends to even look at a shmup. I know I'm not the only one....

I try to bring over some games and casually slip raiden in there it gets played for about ten minutes. I want to hear your frusterations of trying to convert the unbelivers

bay · Post by **bay** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:35 pm

i get more annoyed at people that see cave games and go... it isn't 3d? what was this made in the 80s? get some new games!

magnum opus · Post by **magnum opus** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:42 pm

not really, back in highschool (3 years ago) in Drafting we played a lot of roms and shit on the computers, so me playing XOP, or Radio Zonde or some cave game or another was generally met with "Damn Axel that shit looks intense, can I try"
course, they mostly played racing games. As some of the posters here prove there seems to be a pretty easy transistion from fast paced reflex/skill based dodging of cars and corners and fast paced reflex/skill based dodging of ships and bullets.

Monk 0 Nuggets · Post by **Monk 0 Nuggets** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:50 pm

My friends won't play a shmup if I paid them. I don't understand it.

Never_Scurred · Post by **Never_Scurred** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:38 pm

Alot of my friends play 2d fighters so it wasn't too hard to get them to play. All it usually takes is slipping in a "I bet I can whoop your punk ass score on ____" and its on. I got one of my coworkers onto DDP and Battle Garegga simply because the FBA disc I made for him for Capcom fighting games had them on there.

Gorecki · Post by **Gorecki** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:38 pm

I managed to convert my best mate over to shmups, but just as quickly managed to put him off forever by filling his PS2 memory card with an entire table of Dragon Blaze scores he can't beat. Foolish pride has robbed me of an ally.

Everyone else I know sit somewhere between meh and abject horror, even for Gradius V.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:50 pm

I don't have time to have friends over very often, but whenever I do I can usually get them to play a few shooters, as long as I mix a few other game types in there...almost everyone I've challenged to Twinkle Star Sprites has had a ball with it.

99pence · Post by **99pence** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:12 pm

The most annoying thing about encouraging people to play 2D games/ shmups is when magazines saying they all look the same or it was easy cos it's got infinite continues and all the other shit. Get someone who plays shooters to review it or don't bother. Just like what would be the point of getting someone who mainly plays shmups to review the lastest MMORPG (or whatever it's called) armor downloads.

You can't/ shouldn't force people to like what you like but if mags put 2D games in a negative light new people are less likely to give them a go.

Why are new 2D games put in the retro section of a magazine?

On another note a couple of years ago I stayed at a friends and his housemate was up before us and went to bed after us and throughout the whole day all he did was play one of those online fantasy games (probably what you call a MMORPG). He didn't move. That was fucking unbelievable. Now that is HARDCORE gaming.

D · Post by D » Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:18 pm

This is getting old, but hell.....
Tate and they will come. They will laugh at you at first, but 3 hours later their eyes will still be glued to the screen, playing like madmen. Then you can kick back relax and be proud of your setup

Arvandor · Post by **Arvandor** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:20 am

Most of my friends are already into shmups, so I have to do nothing ^_^ There is ONE person in our group, who isn't a big fan of 'em, but we can trick him into playing by throwing in Twinkle Star Sprites or Phantasmagoria of Flower View and offering him the controller every once in a while -_^

I think he has fun with 'em, but he's one of those people who has a hard time enjoying it because he's so bad at them (especially compared to some of the rest of us in the group). He enjoys puzzle games because he stomps us all at them, and enjoys Smash Bros because he can stomp everyone but me, and he can compete pretty close with me, and enjoys RPG's, for the same reasons most who like them do, but shmups he's just no good at (no body is if they haven't played them much though). *shrugs* To each their own I suppose.

MX7 · Post by **MX7** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:33 am

My girlfriend is obsessed with shmups, 'specialy the slower one's like Gradius V, though she is getting better at Ikaruga. Apart from that no other friend's (a few thoigh), but we fucking rock at Gradius. We have a kind of bond, almost musical in its way. We know what the other person is about to do before we do it. Noice.

Dale · Post by **Dale** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:36 am

DJ Rectal Prolapse wrote:My girlfriend is obsessed with shmups, 'specialy the slower one's like Gradius V, though she is getting better at Ikaruga.

Your a very lucky man.

Most people I know arent really into them but have no qualms about playing Gig Wing or Shiki2 for a good hour.

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:06 am

Moved to Shmups Chat.

jp · Post by jp » Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:08 am

I can get my friends into Twinkle Star Sprites if I can get them to look past the name.

Other than that they just watch me play and say, "How the fuck do you do that!?"

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:53 am

Friends-- not a chance. But my older daughter (8 years old) is now more into games than I am, and she'll sometimes play shmups with her friends. They especially like playing Mushi and Harmful Park. Of course, usually she'd prefer to play Zelda Twilight Princess over a shmup, and I can't blame her at all.

DJ Incompetent · Post by **DJ Incompetent** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:07 am

DJ Rectal Prolapse wrote:My girlfriend is obsessed with shmups, 'specialy the slower one's like Gradius V, though she is getting better at Ikaruga.

-That...makes you the better DJ than I.

Awww shucks. I wanted to fight you to the death Highlander-style too.

Cyarc · Post by **Cyarc** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:39 am

My friend/roomate will play occasionally and another friend plays Twinkle Star Sprites with the both of us.

Krooze L-Roy · Post by **Krooze L-Roy** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:42 am

I once lent my friend Radiant Silvergun for over a year. Then, once I found out how valuable it was, I pried it away from him, never to lend it out again (what a dick, eh?). Now he practically begs to play it when he comes over. Weak as I am, I always give in.

But other than that, no, none of my friends are into it. Matter of fact, when I try to slip in even the most casual-friendly shmup, it usually ends the gaming session.

Aquas · Post by **Aquas** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:54 am

Couple 'o my buds don't outright reject them, as two of them specifically have watched me play Raiden Fighters Jet at the arcade for about 6 months, for whenever we go there. They are interested about it and ask me questions about the mechanics and stuff. Although, besides that, I haven't had a chance to show many of my buds my 'shmup layout' so to speak and to get a proper opinion on the games. Usually, they're just initially too hard for them, and that turns them off. One of my buddies was against them (for a dumb reason) but he eventually found one that looked interesting to him (He didn't like watching me play Mushihime-sama, or playing it himself, but he liked Gradius V and Homura, less purple?)

Currently, I have yet to convert a friend to shmup love. That may change as I am recieving my HRAP2 tomorrow. Wheeeeee.

futurebiblehero · Post by **futurebiblehero** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:05 am

I can get my girlfriend to play Harmful Park and Sexy Parodius on Co-op, but that's about it. Surprisingly though, she's pretty decent. Together we've mastered every goal in Sexy Parodius on a couple of credits.

I don't see too much hope for anything that's not a cute-em-up, though.

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:33 am

"Anyone else had a hard time getting friends to play shmups"

If their tastes lie in something that's 60 hours long with little actual content or something that requires minimal effort to perform "respectably" like Halo 2 multiplayer, don't bother.

tassian · Post by **tassian** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:14 am

At some point my wife started playing Ikaruga double play with me and she was actually pretty good. But then I started concentrating on Cave games which turned her off pretty badly because she didn't like the stress level of manic shmups. She's more of a "turn based strategy game" kind of girl which made me wonder why she liked Ikaruga in the first place... I'll try to lure her with some Gunbird or Parodius at some point, maybe it'll work. Regarding friends: I only have one friend who likes shmups, the others can't be bothered. Unfortunately, that particular friend is very busy writing his PhD so I'm currently out of shmups friends.

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:38 am

Most of my friends are pretty old school when it comes to games. We all keep up with the newest stuff but the classics is where our hearts will always lie. I've actually recently made a new friend at work who i convinced to pick up Gradius V and Raiden III. He's really excited about them and keeps watching the replays online ^__^

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:29 am

Pixel_Outlaw wrote:I have to pull teeth and endure endless hours of Blackhawk Down

They aren't really friends, but demons. I played the demo of that game and thought it was trash.

ROBOTRON · Post by **ROBOTRON** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:10 pm

NO...my friends will not play.

Ubersaurus and Boagman are the only exceptions.

I have weekly get-togethers (gaming parties) at my house and its like pulling teeth to even get them to watch a shmup being played. They like fighters and FPS only.

Dann · Post by **Dann** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:17 pm

several of the guys on my floor are pretty enthusiastic about shmups. i got the guys next door into them; one played parodius till he could beat it, and the other rocks shiki2 on his ps2. my tate mame attracts a few ppl, and i have had people come into my room to credit-feed guwange or ddp

genetik · Post by **genetik** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:42 pm

I’ve been working for the last 2-3 years for a game developer/publisher company. I probably know around 100-150 employee that are either testing or developing games and out of all those peoples, only about 5 or 6 of them are playing shmups.

And out of the 5 or 6 of them, I’m the only one who actually buys them on a regular basis. The other ones are playing them through MAME, download them or buy one every year or so.

In my circle of friends, there's only one of them that buy shmup and he plays them once in a while (mostly big game that comes out in North America, like Gradius and R-Type). I only know one guy around where I live that buy a lot of Japanese imports shmups like I do.

Sonic R · Post by **Sonic R** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:46 pm

My wife likes playing cute em ups. Her favorite was Cotton on NGPC but I sold it when cash was tight. She also enjoys playing Magical Chase, Gunbird 2, Shikigami No Shiro, and her other favorite is Shikigami No Shiro 2. Other games she plays are RPG's and she also likes to play Beatmania.

Me friends on the otherhand, break down like so.

I have a few friends whom post here, so they enjoy shooties.
I have a long time friend who moved to Floridia, and he enjoys shoot them ups.
The rest of my friends don't play them, don't seem to have interest in them

. They laugh when my television tate and don't "get it" why shoot them ups are my favorite games to play. I have one friend, however, who a couple weeks ago came by and said "lets play one of them games you like to play and we played Radiant Silvergun, Mushihimesama, and Ibara. He really liked the manic style games - liked it when there were many bullets on the screen and the game slowed down. His favorite game is Gran Turismo _.

MX7 · Post by **MX7** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:19 pm

DJ Incompetent wrote:
DJ Rectal Prolapse wrote:My girlfriend is obsessed with shmups, 'specialy the slower one's like Gradius V, though she is getting better at Ikaruga.
-That...makes you the better DJ than I.

Awww shucks. I wanted to fight you to the death Highlander-style too.

It could still be arranged

qatmix · Post by **qatmix** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:21 pm

Even though me and my frieds grew up playing arcade games they dont bother with shooters very much.

That changed with Under defeat, its still one of the most played games we have on a games night the guys love it, they also love gigawing 2 and trizeal! They will happily play real old classics like starforce / terra cresta etc on mame though. so they like the more classic shooters.

They wont touch cave stuff though

One of my mates is excellent at most games including shmups (he's a machine) He nearly 1cc'd mushi in just a couple of hours but he never returned to it as he thinks it is dross. Each to their own.

shmups.system11.org

Anyone else had a hard time getting friends to play shmups

Anyone else had a hard time getting friends to play shmups

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