Non-shmups that could be treated like shmups.

[Blade]

I recently got a Nintendo Gamecube and the Legend of Zelda collection, and I decided to play the original Legend of Zelda...

...That is....until I remembered how hard it was.

Needless to say the Octorocks pelted me and I dropped after 3 hearts. But then it dawned on me, Whenever Link attacks at full health, his sword fires a shot that spreads out after a while. And I thought to myself, "I wonder if anyone can get through this game without getting hit."

Basically a 1cc type thing...

Yeah, I must be smoking something you're thinking.

Sure it uses items, but they're more on a power-up or option/subweapon type dealie. And you're mostly dodging stuff anyway, bullets/fireballs of sorts as well.

...Yup, I must be smoking something....

Any other games that are shmup-like out there in their design?

[zinger]

I feel most older games are designed like that, especially arcade games.

[Turrican]

whatever is it, I wanna smoke it too!

[serge]

Any other games that are shmup-like out there in their design?

Whether you were smoking something or not, I think it's a good question!

Here is my take:
Shmups don't exist in a vacuum, some game design ideas are shared between genres, so for example it's possible to find certain similarities between Bujingai (or Gungrave) and DoDonPachi if you look closely.
Also some of those ideas were not necesarilly originated from shmups or video games at all (e.g. scoring systems existed before video games).

Similary, there are lots of non-shmup games (old and new) that require some decent skills from the player, if shmup-like skill level is what you're looking for.

Also there're too many different designs in the shmup genre itself to begin with.

Besides, finding similarities is somewhat subjective.
If you like to play shmups "just to blow stuff up" and you enjoy playing FPS games, then you most likely will find some similarities between the two (some people go as far as saying that FPSes are shmup-like enough to be a replacement for shmups).
If you're trying to make level-long chains in DOJ you will most likely play Gungrave:OD in the same way (finding similarities along the way).

Basically a 1cc type thing...

I remember somebody talking about "1CC'ing" DMC in the offtopic forum, a pretty good example I think.

[Shatterhand]

I always said I have 1cc Flashback in hard level, even though everytime I say that, I feel weird.

I've finished the game without using continues. I don't know if you can call that 1 "1 life completed", because I was hit a few times, losing some of my shield, then recharging it in another place. I think there's ONE section in the game that's just impossible to get past without getting hit at least once (Right after you are made prisioner, and your weapons are taken away... I never managed to get my weapon back without at least get one shot in the back)

And I guess Flashback is one of the least "twitch" games around

Is that kind of thing you're talking about?

[Ganelon]

Many of the boss attack patterns in Neo Contra resemble basic bullet patterns in shooters.

[iatneH]

You mean like one-lifing Super Mario Bros. and chaining all the enemies? :p
It kind of works.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

I modified my copy of Starfleet Command III to make it more shooty, made a buch of smallish ships that could only fire forwards. I even edited one of the planet models into an enemy - like a Death Star or something.

Hours of fun.

[FatCobra]

I'm suprised no-one has mentioned the Star Fox and Panzer Dragoon games......they almost shmuppy enough.

[CMoon]

Funny you started with Zelda. In the new Minish Cap, there are actually a number of shmup-esque patterns, and the same is true where if you are at full heatlth your sword fires a shot.

There were definitely some great shmup moments there.

[BrianC]

In Volfied the enemies fire shmup-esqe shots and some of the weapons you can use are very shmupish. Arkanoid is shmupish when you get the laser weapon. The enemies are somewhat shmupish too.