Are these games shmups ?

[Klatrymadon]

So - does anyone think this is a particularly good or a particularly terrible idea? Overkill perhaps? Would it bring any value to you, the community?

Overkill, aye. It's pretty rare that someone new joins the forum who doesn't know a shmup from their elbow, and there aren't really enough 'borderline' titles to warrant the formation of a High Council.

It's really quite a non-issue, and it doesn't kill us to helpfully explain why we think a game is or isn't a shmup when a confused party wanders in (it doesn't kill us if they still disagree, either). It's the difference between good pedantry and overly stuffy, imperious pedantry, I guess! We're individuals using the internet; there would always be people disagreeing with the 'final word' anyway.

If people start voting for Metroid in the top 25 "because you run and shoot", then we might need mediators...

[j^aws]

So - does anyone think this is a particularly good or a particularly terrible idea? Overkill perhaps? Would it bring any value to you, the community?

The concept is sound, though it should only be used as a very last resort. Prevention is better than cure. Mechanisms can be used to empower the community before reaching such a stage...

As long as the decisions were made using science! then I have no problem with it.

Bad sarcasm or sincerity aside, you should be aware that Software Engineers/ Mathematicians/ Programmers/ Business Analysts/ Project Managers etc... do use decision making tools such as "Decision Trees"...

[system11]

As long as the decisions were made using science! then I have no problem with it.

Water divining rods. We put a copy of the game in a big box full of Barbie Horse Adventures for the PS2. If we find the game using the rods, it's a shmup.

No seriously, the point in it being a small, odd number of people with a clue was so they could vote on it.

[Klatrymadon]

A board-wide vote would probably yield the same results, mate. There are relatively few people here who don't know what they're talking about, to be fair.

[Ghegs]

A board-wide vote would probably yield the same results, mate. There are relatively few people here who don't know what they're talking about, to be fair.

A board-wide vote wouldn't work as well. There would never be a 100% vote rate and a board-wide vote would have to be open for at least a week, a small group of people can be done with the vote in less than a day.

Plus I just know there would be campaigning. "Vote for Game Y as a shmup!". There's already something similar going on in this year's Top 25 -vote. Groan.

And of course, the Shmup Procaimers (not going to be the official title, I hope...) would never vote on titles clearly established as shmups. Dodonpachi, Ikaruga, Gradius and such would never be questioned. Only the games that usually start these whole "Is this a shmup?"-arguments.

[Turrican]

It's an interesting idea, bloodflowers. Although I used to think to mods already as a sort of council of Shmup Procaimers. Yeah, and we just got three new shiny Klingons, err, I mean, mods. So why not just let them vote debate on this like the previous years?

[Klatrymadon]

Plus I just know there would be campaigning. "Vote for Game Y as a shmup!". There's already something similar going on in this year's Top 25 -vote. Groan.

Aye. Probably best to let people think whatever they want, then. Hell, half the world thinks "they don't make these games any more" anyway, and there isn't much we can do about that...