Are you all Shmup fanatics?

exquisite_torture · Post by **exquisite_torture** » Fri May 25, 2007 9:26 am

I can't do moderation. I play a particualr genre when I've completely sickened myself with another. I'll be playing Konami/Capcom hand-holders and then maybe a Ubisoft thing and vice versa, but there's always a shooter, a racing game or a 3d fighter on the go. Alternatives and variety ftw.
I wouldn't say I was a shmup fanatic. I'm 32, and have always played them.
Now playing
Gears of War 360
PGR3 360
DOA4 360
Dead Rising 360
Virtua Fighter 5 PS3
Ridge Racer 7 PS3
The Red Star PS2
God Hand PS2
Okami PS2
Gradius V PS2
Contra Shattered Soldier PS2
Neo Contra PS2
R-Type Final PS2
Zero Gunner 2 DC
Psyvariar 2 DC
Gigawing DC/MAME
Border Down DC
Radilgy DC
Triggerheart Excelica DC
Ikaruga GC
Viewtiful Joe 1 & 2 GC
Paper Mario GC
Wario World GC
Tiger Heli MAME
Slapfight MAME
Doom 3 On the PC at work.

roker · Post by **roker** » Fri May 25, 2007 9:45 am

exquisite_torture wrote:I can't do moderation. I play a particualr genre when I've completely sickened myself with another. I'll be playing Konami/Capcom hand-holders and then maybe a Ubisoft thing and vice versa, but there's always a shooter, a racing game or a 3d fighter on the go. Alterantives and variety ftw.
I wouldn't say I was a shmup fanatic. I'm 32, and have always played them.
Now playing
Gears of War 360
PGR3 360
DOA4 360
Dead Rising 360
Virtua Fighter 5 PS3
Ridge Racer 7 PS3
The Red Star PS2
God Hand PS2
Okami PS2
Gradius V PS2
Contra Shattered Soldier PS2
Neo Contra PS2
R-Type Final PS2
Zero Gunner 2 DC
Psyvariar 2 DC
Gigawing DC/MAME
Border Down DC
Radilgy DC
Triggerheart Excelica DC
Ikaruga GC
Viewtiful Joe 1 & 2 GC
Paper Mario GC
Wario World GC
Tiger Heli MAME
Slapfight MAME
Doom 3 On the PC at work.

Jesus Christ

try focusing on a few games at a time

I usually play 2 shmups at a time (which is hard enough because of rule changes, scoring, buttons, bombing, and other variables)

and I dibble dabble in other games here and there

but that's a long ass list

exquisite_torture · Post by **exquisite_torture** » Fri May 25, 2007 10:23 am

A game fanatic full stop.

segasonicfan · Post by **segasonicfan** » Fri May 25, 2007 10:27 am

Yep, I'm definitely one hardcore obsessed shmupper. Ironic since I'm such a big Sega and Sonic fan. Sonic games are some of the only non-shmups I play nowadays. I've dropped a solid $3k on shmups this year and I own nearly every Cotton game ever made and nearly every Genesis/MD shooter ever made. It's a sickness really

-Segasonicfan

PROMETHEUS · Post by **PROMETHEUS** » Fri May 25, 2007 11:02 am

I love shmups but I like RTS and FPS more because I believe they have deeper gameplay (at least the good ones do).
I love competition and skilled games, manic shmups are competitive and skilled but they also have a few major flaws compared to competitive RTS or FPS, which is that since you're always only playing versus a program that more or less always does the same thing, there is a little too much "learning by heart" and too little improvisation and creative play, those two things being what make RTS and FPS so delightful.

Klatrymadon · Post by **Klatrymadon** » Fri May 25, 2007 11:12 am

Hmm, I'm not sure that's entirely fair, mate. There's little improvisation on the part of the CPU, certainly, but in most shmups there's no end to what you can try out as a player...

I guess you do end up looking for the most expedient ways to do things, though, so it's true that there's no real impetus to be wildly inventive.

exquisite_torture · Post by **exquisite_torture** » Fri May 25, 2007 11:24 am

I think shmups is partly down to the buzz of defeating the impossible. Just when you think you're defeated, you close you eyes and swear. You open you eyes and somehow, you survived.
Then you die and replace controller.

Grant Windsor · Post by **Grant Windsor** » Fri May 25, 2007 1:04 pm

I suppose I am...only because the shooting genre has been my favorite for so long. And, yes, I do hate FPSs being called "shooters." And, yes, I do generally loathe FPSs. I guess that's the preferred American flavor, though...well, that and my other least-preferred genre, real-time strategy games. EGM said the two least-popular genres on earth were "text adventure" and "vertical space shooters." Go figure. I still get the "kid on Christmas morning" kind of excitement when I play a new shmup...RPGs and platformers don't really hold that same sort of magic. If I looked at my collection of games...and was really conservative about what I considered to be a shmup (whacking out "grey area" games like Twinkle Tale, Space Raiders, etc.), that would leave me with 419 shmups for various systems...which is roughly 23% (or a quarter or so) of my collection. That number would be a bit higher if I wasn't so much of an obsessive over completeness and condition...so I'm patient...eventually old stuff in the proper shape (and a decent price) does make it my way. I just finished off the Turbo/PCE shmup library...and it took me only 15 years to do so. I finished off the Saturn years ago. I'm working on the MD/Genesis and SFC/SNES right now...though I'm lacking only a few games or so on each. Not counted in that number above, though, are all of the games which I've bought for their shmup mini-games or levels...so, yes, if I'm buying some crappy platformer or adventure game (or a pathetic Gundam game) because it has a shooting level or levels, maybe that would make me a fanatic.

- Grant

Post by **Shatterhand** » Fri May 25, 2007 5:26 pm

szycag wrote:I think I'm becoming one... it's really bad when you have friends over and they look through your games and you have nothing they've ever heard of.

This nearly happens to me too, hehe

I do have some big names on my catalog

I don't think I am a fanatic though, as I play just every kind of game.. but shmups are by far my favourite genre... I just enjoy fast-action arcade games more than any other type of game, and shmups are just the epitome of this kind of gaming.

RotateMe · Post by **RotateMe** » Fri May 25, 2007 6:58 pm

Rob wrote:
Dave_K. wrote: BTW Rob, who is that in your avatar picture?
Gordon Ramsay

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! Where is Jack!?!?

UnscathedFlyingObject · Fri May 25, 2007 8:47 pm

I have to admit I haven't touched a shmup in months but I love them to bits. They completely changed my gaming taste (for the better.) I was getting fed up with games that take forever to finish (RPGs and the like) and that had lots of mediocre content to bump up the game time.

I like games short and sweet now. I applaud devs who cut the crap and deliver the goods.

-Slayer- · Post by **-Slayer-** » Sat May 26, 2007 2:31 am

I feel somewhat blessed that I was one generation behind systems up untill the gamecube - When the SNES was out, I had my cousins old NES, when the N64 was out, I had a SNES and so on. It built an appreciation for the old-school, and something that todays kids really lack- Watching someone try to figure out Super Mario on VC is sort of heart-breaking. Especially when they try to use the Wii Remote as a pointer.

But, the point is, this appreciation has developed into the great seeking of the old-school awesome style, one of which only Shooters still contain- The simplistic objective, but near impossible task.

I wouldn't say I'm a shooter fanatic, but the genre really hearkens to, what I consider, the good old days.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat May 26, 2007 3:12 am

RotateMe wrote: Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! Where is Jack!?!?

My avatar is now an up-to-date advertisement for television. Hell's Kitchen June 4th!!

Jack will return next season.

MA7 · Post by **MA7** » Sat May 26, 2007 10:31 am

Shmups are lovely. They're my favourite genre but I'm also partial to racing games, fighters, rpgs and sometimes the big releases like MGS or Resi Evil.

I've just completed God of War 2 which was an enjoyable game. It was also too easy and is getting traded in next time I'm down the shops. I have no inclination to play it again. I could knock it up to hardest dificulty, but there's a distinct difference between playing a 20 hour long story led adventure game, and playing a 30 min/hour long shmup. It's down to shmup's arcade heritage and what I expect from a game I suppose. A shmup gives me varying levels of challenge, from credit feeding and seeing the ending to nailing the highest of the high scores.

Another thing I like is different approaches the designers take. Shmups have the same simplistic rules of play (shoot baddies, collect power-ups, don't die) and yet the variation found through the shmup genre is quite remarkable.

stuminator · Post by **stuminator** » Sat May 26, 2007 7:53 pm

Shmups are pretty much all I play anymore, though I sometimes need a break and go through a weeklong binge of action/adventure/platform games. Most of my game collection is still action/adventure (I rarely sell my games), but the percentage of shmups is steadily increasing.

Gorecki · Post by **Gorecki** » Sat May 26, 2007 9:43 pm

I like shmups, but I couldn't eat a whole one.

Grant Windsor · Post by **Grant Windsor** » Sun May 27, 2007 7:31 am

One more note on shmup fanaticism. Did anyone here besides me actually go into a game store and buy Platypus for PSP? How exactly did you ask for it...and were you able to not feel like an idiot saying the name? I mean...seriously.

- Grant

Edge · Post by **Edge** » Sun May 27, 2007 12:43 pm

No fanatic here.
I like playing them. But so do I like fighting games, RPGs, racing games, puzzles, action adventures, strategy, jump'n runs... and most other genres.

Nakano · Post by **Nakano** » Sun May 27, 2007 1:35 pm

I'm more a game fanatic in general. I like anything thats good at the time, like now I'm really into Cave shooters (Although I'm shit at them) and before Street fighter 2 etc

Arvandor · Post by **Arvandor** » Sun May 27, 2007 2:35 pm

Shatterhand wrote:
szycag wrote:I think I'm becoming one... it's really bad when you have friends over and they look through your games and you have nothing they've ever heard of.
This nearly happens to me too, hehe I do have some big names on my catalog

I don't think I am a fanatic though, as I play just every kind of game.. but shmups are by far my favourite genre... I just enjoy fast-action arcade games more than any other type of game, and shmups are just the epitome of this kind of gaming.

This has never happened to me, as my friends are largely the reason why I'm into shooters.

I too, am not fanatic or obsessive, but it IS my favorite genre. Though, I haven't played any in a month or two, and with Odin Sphere here, it'll probably be another month before I fire up ESPgaluda again =P I MIGHT play some Zero Gunner 2 at work, but... Then again maybe not -_^ We'll see.

No_not_like_Quake · Post by **No_not_like_Quake** » Sun May 27, 2007 4:00 pm

No, because I don't play for score often

Neo Gold · Post by **Neo Gold** » Thu May 31, 2007 11:36 pm

Yes ..i grade myself a true shmup obsessive/fanatical High-score chasing addict!!..

...i try to get as much gaming time in as poss....there's so much to learn & fathom out with the later arcade releases...
The days of nemesis & R-type being so straight forward...

Medalling & suiciding & the taste for the highest scores a good habit!!
I hope i still have the same passion for shumps when i'm old..heh he.
Btw...much as i love all my old console shmups...i only prefer arcade pcb now.....all sold to fund the definative originals.
Play to learn....play to score.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Thu May 31, 2007 11:45 pm

I love shmups, but they come after: family, demanding job, and music interests. Most days I don't have anything left for shmups or games generally. This should change a bit as my girls get older and some parts of my job get easier, but perhaps not.

Sonic R · Post by **Sonic R** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:24 am

professor ganson wrote:I love shmups, but they come after: family, demanding job, and music interests. Most days I don't have anything left for shmups or games generally. This should change a bit as my girls get older and some parts of my job get easier, but perhaps not.

It is because of these obligations (family,job,home) why I think I am playing more shooties than other games.

I have always have passion for shoot them ups but I enjoy RPG's, the occasional action/adventure title, variety of NES titles, and Gran Turismo. I am have less time to delve deep in to RPG adventure (my backlog is grow by the day - three new games in past week Dawn of Mana, Odin Sphere, Atelier Iris III)

Shoot them ups offer fast, quickly, game playing for short period of time. Being family man there is less time for personal recreation - fewer minutes to play games.

Carmen · Post by **Carmen** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:31 am

Usually when I play games I'm playing for 'records', improving personal bests and the like. That doesn't mean its just shooting, but also speed running games and time trialing or whatever else (getting high scores in Digidrive

) Rarely do I play 'experience' games, by what I mean games that I'm playing in the same (more or less) mind as watching a picture. The last one was Metal Gear Solid 3 in February. And that usually lasts only the first time I play the game, if I play it again its usually with a specific goal to reach in addition to re-experiencing the work.

Shooter games are of course my favourite, even though they're only a minority of what I own (thought I guess they're the biggest 'genre' I have).

EDIT: Ok, I guess I was playing through Soundvoyager two months ago. Forgot about that...

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:38 am

Sonic R wrote: Shoot them ups offer fast, quickly, game playing for short period of time. Being family man there is less time for personal recreation - fewer minutes to play games.

Exactly! When I get older I'm going to play through Paper Mario and other RPGs I don't have time for. Probably some strategy games as well.

Monk 0 Nuggets · Post by **Monk 0 Nuggets** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 11:17 pm

This is a fun to read thread.

I've been playing shmups about 25% of the time I play video games since I really got into them last fall. I am definitely no fanatic, but I definitely love the genre. The only genres I don't really care for are fighting (minus Super Smash Bros) and sports (minus Fight Night Round 3). Since my summer schedule has started, I find myself with very little time to play anything, which is a bummer. So, when I do find time it is usually just a couple runs through Batrider. When I have a full day off, or something of the like, I tend to focus on larger scale story based games. Example, I've finished Gears of War and Rainbow Six: Vegas in the last month. I'm way off topic now.

I'm no fanatic, but I do have a dear love for shmups indeed.

Aquas · Post by **Aquas** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:06 am

Shmups are fun. My friends might think I'm fanatical because I am enthusiastic about them when I talk of them. But maybe because it's been a recent interest, or that I have realized their truer badassity.

I like other genres too, but I've been stuck on shmups for about 3 months now. With few non-shmup games thrown in. I'm about due for some RPG action... though.

MovingTarget · Post by **MovingTarget** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:51 pm

I'm sometimes fanatical about shmups, always fanatical about something. Never happy otherwise.

Monk 0 Nuggets · Post by **Monk 0 Nuggets** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 11:04 pm

MovingTarget wrote:I'm sometimes fanatical about shmups, always fanatical about something. Never happy otherwise.

Word.