Old-School Shmups

ColecoVisionist · Post by **ColecoVisionist** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:18 pm

Any old school shmups fans around here? Games like Galaga, Asteroids, and Phoenix ring a bell?

Nuke · Post by **Nuke** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:27 pm

I'm a fan, but I just can't amuse myself by their primitive majesty like I was able to back in the day -_-
That said, a sequel/re thinking of Sinistar on xbox live or PSnetwork would rule! (And yes, I know about Unleashed)

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:27 pm

ColecoVisionist wrote:Any old school shmups fans around here? Games like Galaga, Asteroids, and Phoenix ring a bell?

I play more old school shooters than I do modern one's probably. Although I'm interested in the games of the late 80's more than some of the classics you're talking about (in fact, I run the Sky Kid high score board, check it out).

That being said, I fucking love Phoenix and play it pretty regularly, especially now that I got on the PSP Taito collection. I also dig Centipede and Spy Hunter pretty hard.

Fighter17 · Post by **Fighter17** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:30 pm

I like Gyuss and Galaga.

320x240 · Post by **320x240** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:41 pm

When you are used to more modern games it takes a while to get back into the older ones. If you invest enough time you will start to get a feel for the rythm of those games though. That's when you start having fun. Theres a lot of good, carefully thought out gameplay in older games, if you let them grow on you.

LSU · Post by **LSU** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:20 pm

Fighter17 wrote:I like Gyuss and Galaga.

Two of my favourites there too!

I also still really enjoy Xevious, Tempest, Space Invaders of course, and most of all Robotron 2084. I know it's an arena shooter not a real shmup, but for me Robotron is still the ultimate adrenaline fix. I really don't think there's been anything released since that quite gets my blood boiling that much. (Garegga, maybe, might be only newer game that gets me worked up to the same kind of level.)

I also really love the grid bug stage in the Tron arcade game, and going slightly off-topic here but Atari's I Robot coin-op had some shooting elements to it and that game remains a firm favourite of mine to this day as well.

I think it helps having grown up with these games, playing them in arcades when you were young. They are great games, genre-defining, important games, but the nostalgia factor is undoubtedly also a big part of it.

Pixel_Outlaw · Post by **Pixel_Outlaw** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:23 pm

I like the NES version of Gyruss best.

Post by **spadgy** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:45 pm

Spacewar from 1962 on the PDP-1 deserves an honorable mention, but because of the computer being so cool rather than the game, which is a bit off.

But nah, I'm more a fan of late eighties onwards, which rules out most of the era you're talking about. I love Phoenix though. And Tempest as that's been mentioned, even though it's a bit newer...

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:13 pm

I like older shmups quite a bit. I like shmups for 2600 and Intellivision like Demon Attack, Beamrider, Megamania, and Spider Fighter. I like Space Invaders, Galaga, Galaxian, Sky Kid, Gyruss, Time Pilot, Scramble, Xevious, Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Defender, Tempest, and other old school games too.

No_not_like_Quake · Post by **No_not_like_Quake** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:34 pm

I like early 80s shmups or w/e you want to call them. That's when I started playing games... though I only got good in the late 80s.

kitkit.com · Post by **kitkit.com** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:42 pm

I am a fan of Galaga & Space Invaders. Galaga and Galaga 88 are my favorites. Somehow I like Space Invaders's remakes than the original game.

neist · Post by **neist** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:45 pm

I'm pretty new to the whole shmup world, but classic shmups are definitely special in my heart.

Gunac
Xanac
Xevious

I can still play those games for hours.

ROBOTRON · Post by **ROBOTRON** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:41 pm

Oh hell yes...I enjoy it all the back to the Atari years.

TURMOIL
River Raid
Tempest
Asteroids
ROBOTRON 2084
Galaga 90
Gyruss
Scramble
Choplifter
Demon Attack
Atlantis
Cosmic Ark
Zanac
Defender
Vanguard
Space Invaders
Gorf
Phoenix
Pleades
Centipede
Millipede
Stratavox

How far back do you want to go?

Sonic R · Post by **Sonic R** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:42 pm

I came into video game in the later 1980s. I am of the Nintendo era.

So I have very high preference for games of the NES/SMS and 16-bit era. Shooting game from these days and times are my absolute favorite and I am play them today and forever.

The games of the Atari, Coleco, and Mattel are before my video game time

evil_ash_xero · Post by **evil_ash_xero** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:11 am

I've been playing video games since Atari, and shmups really didn't resonate with me 'til about...mmm..Thunderforce III and M.U.S.H.A.. When those two came out, I became very interested in shmups. I guess the older ones never really got my attention, although I did play Asteroids a bit as a kid. Oh, and River Raid.
Shmups truly kicked my ass during the 32 bit era. Little did I know that so many cool games didn't even make it to the consoles during this time. It was the golden age, I tell ya.

s/m

maxi · Post by **maxi** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am

River Raid is the best vertical Atari shoot'em up. The best horizontal is Laser Gates.

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 5:56 pm

Yeah, since I got the Activision Atari Hits collection for PSP a few months ago, I've clocked some time on River Raid. It's very excellent, and one of the most memorization instensive vertical shooters I've ever played.

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