Rob's 91-95 arcade countdown: hidden gem search.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:23 am

You made a mistake with this countdown thread, Rob. I'm usually a big fan of your lists, but this time not even the awesome Viewpoint drama was able to top the most interesting entry, which is Play Girls 2.

You gave us the indisputable best, right at the start. I doubt you'll be able to build a decent climax now.

Zebra Airforce · Post by **Zebra Airforce** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:26 am

Maybe best to worst would've been the way to go?

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:32 am

Gotta lure 'em in (to the world of instantly forgettable not-worth-porting early 90s shooters).

szycag · Post by **szycag** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:33 am

huh huh you said climax

Zebra Airforce · Post by **Zebra Airforce** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:40 am

Rob had his own special climax while trying out that one.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:42 am

One more so you can see the genre dying.

#34 F/A (Namco, 1992)

Here's a game that will outdance the US release of Bio Metal. Other than the jamming soundtrack it has a pleasing Strikers 1999 feel. No power ups, simple, hectic by stage six. If only the hitboxes on the ships were as small as the ships look. It seems like the widest edge of the ships are constantly being grazed by bullets.

CIT · Post by **CIT** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:10 am

You rank Fighter/Attacker 18 places above Nebulas Ray!?

Shooting HQ has ordered you to shoot yourself immediately!

ccovell · Post by **ccovell** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:07 pm

A nice list!

Re: Manabu Namiki, are there any other games out there with an awesome early-90s techno soundtrack like Zed Blade? Did Namiki make anything similar? Or did he go on to make burbly late-90s electronica like all the others?

thewestexit · Post by **thewestexit** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:02 pm

ccovell wrote:A nice list!

Re: Manabu Namiki, are there any other games out there with an awesome early-90s techno soundtrack like Zed Blade? Did Namiki make anything similar? Or did he go on to make burbly late-90s electronica like all the others?

Namiki did a lot of Raizing games and has done a lot of the later Cave games AFAIK, I'm too lazy to look anything up right now though. He's done lots of great stuff, he's a real master of the shmup music genre

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:39 pm

Macaw wrote:Gunnail is hilarious. The multiplier is higher for the less live you have. So if you want the highest score, then suicide all your lives except your last at the start of each stage.

THE ULTIMATE BALLS REQUIRING SCORE SYSTEM, NOT EVEN THE MANLIEST OF MEN CAN HANDLE IT.

Doesn't Under Defeat have something like that? Not to mention Border Down...

And I guess I'll nominate myself as the one loser who thinks Nostradamus deserves a bit more respect, heh heh.

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:57 pm

BulletMagnet wrote:And I guess I'll nominate myself as the one loser who thinks Nostradamus deserves a bit more respect, heh heh.

*defends Metal Black*

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:59 pm

BulletMagnet wrote:
Macaw wrote:Gunnail is hilarious. The multiplier is higher for the less live you have. So if you want the highest score, then suicide all your lives except your last at the start of each stage.

THE ULTIMATE BALLS REQUIRING SCORE SYSTEM, NOT EVEN THE MANLIEST OF MEN CAN HANDLE IT.
Doesn't Under Defeat have something like that? Not to mention Border Down...

Under Defeat certainly does. But UD's score shift for the double-suicide in stage 1 is a mere 40,000 pts difference per stage.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 7:51 pm

CIT wrote:You rank Fighter/Attacker 18 places above Nebulas Ray!?

Nebulas Ray is no good.

And wtf, I gave Nostradamus a positive mini-mini-review.

yojo! · Post by **yojo!** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 7:56 pm

Rob wrote:
CIT wrote:You rank Fighter/Attacker 18 places above Nebulas Ray!?
Nebulas Ray is no good.

And wtf, I gave Nostradamus a positive mini-mini-review.

FYI the MAME emulation is far from perfect. Missing special effects. Granted the gameplay remains identiqual it makes the experience much more enjoyable. I still find it more balanced and prettier than F/A.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 7:58 pm

yojo! wrote: FYI the MAME emulation is far from perfect. Missing special effects.

Just wait until I get to your second favorite Fire Barrel.

yojo! · Post by **yojo!** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:05 pm

Rob wrote:
yojo! wrote: FYI the MAME emulation is far from perfect. Missing special effects.
Just wait until I get to your second favorite Fire Barrel.

I'm glad air duel was released in 1990.You won't trash that one. Please be kind to mystic riders and leo.

Koa Zo · Post by **Koa Zo** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:25 pm

Rob wrote:#71 Twin Eagle II - The Rescue Mission (Seta, 1994)

(...) Occasionally you will be able to rotate with your target(s), choppier than the worst stop motion animation.

I'm about 10 pages too late, but you failed to mention that Twin Eagle II incorporates some SFII style controller combinations, such as the afore mentioned rotate/360 shot. And some of the stronger weapons required a double-tap, or half-circle motion on the joystick. AFAIK the only shmup with such an attempt at incorporating such control combinations.

Zebra Airforce · Post by **Zebra Airforce** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:27 pm

AFAIK the only shmup with such an attempt at incorporating such control combinations.

Tyrian, as well.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:29 pm

Cotton Boomerang?

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:30 pm

...and Cotton 2.

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:32 pm

Boomerang makes them actually important, though.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:34 pm

Sol Divide also has some simple fighter-like combo attacks. (Yeah, I'll post some games later.)

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:42 pm

Also I think you forgot to mention the tank point blanking in Fighter/Attacker.

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:57 pm

Twiddle wrote:Boomerang makes them actually important, though.

Saturn Cotton Boomerang thankfully maps all this shit to the other, regularly unused buttons (X, Y, Z, L and R).

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:10 pm

Rob wrote:And wtf, I gave Nostradamus a positive mini-mini-review.

That you did, which makes it rather odd that it's ranked relatively low on your list. I'm definitely not denying that it escaped the vast bulk of the Wrath of Rob, though, which is nothing to sniff at.

I'm most interested in seeing what you decide to rank above it...

And some of the stronger weapons required a double-tap, or half-circle motion on the joystick. AFAIK the only shmup with such an attempt at incorporating such control combinations.

Aside from the stuff already mentioned, I think the guy who made Warning Forever put out an incomplete game which used button combos not for special moves but to power up your ship.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:33 pm

#33 Galmedes (Visco, 1992)

Simple, generic, tough little space shooter with weapon switching. Third screen: supremely annoying without side shot.

#32 Vimana (Toaplan, 1991)

My dream game! Something I can endlessly loop on my first play. I'm only somewhat joking after playing games like Dogyuun and P-47 Aces. The game is that easy, but it is relaxing in a way. The graphics aren't yet to the quality of the next few Toaplan shooters, but they are still nice and the levels all string together like I imagine Truxton would if I did not die at the first sign of challenge.

+no checkpoints.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:42 pm

Rob wrote:My dream game!

Don't tell me you start to be soft at #32... I don't want three more pages of honeymoon. Be evil.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:55 pm

And the last Dooyong game, 41 places ahead of Viewpoint:

#31 Flying Tiger (Dooyong, 1992)

Best Dooyong game yet (ever)! Just look at these graphics! Worst color choices possible. Aside from that it takes the technically sound base of Pollux (except scores that never reset and all that) and ups the difficulty to an arcade level, with a slight increase in variety. Alf cameo. Note tiger icon in top left corner bears striking resemblance to Gulf Storm guy.

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:59 pm

I see they fixed the incongruent bullet-positioning-relative-to-background problem by making the game not scroll horizontally at all.

Also, don't do drugs.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:04 pm

Rob,

I'd like to hear your thoughts/opinions on the Dooyong produced "R-Shark" arcade shmup PCB (if you haven't reviewed it yet)... ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~