Best horizontal shmup on Saturn?

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:15 am

I've played vertical shooters on Saturn. Lots of them. But then I realized the only horizontal one I played was Hyper Duel. Got Sengoku Blade recently and can I enjoy it quite a bit. I don't really like TFV. Other than that, I have 0 experience with other horizontal shmups. Any suggestions?

jp · Post by jp » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:26 am

Hyper Duel is about the pinnacle there...

Metal Black is really good. Obviously, if you like Hyper Duel, Thunder Force Gold Pack 2 is a must (you can skip the first one).

Cotton 2 is fantastic, and if you wind up liking it then Cotton Boomerang is a must.

Konami put out the Parodius games, a Gradius collection, and a Salamander collection on the Saturn. Those are pretty neat.

Arcade Gears: 3 Wonders has a horizontal shmup in it. Its pretty cool.

X-Multiply is on the Image Fight/X-Multiply collection, and its pretty good if you like Irem.

Then there's Darius II and Darius Gaiden. Darius II is kinda lame on the Saturn, but Darius Gaiden is really good.

Then there is some Macross game that is OK. Probably a lot better if you like the anime.

In the Hunt is a horrible port and a fairly mediocre game, so I'd stay away from that one.

Annnnd... thats it I think. Really, to me Hyper Duel is the best hori on the Saturn easily. So, yeah.

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:45 am

Darius Gaiden is not only the end-all-be-all horizontal for Saturn, it's the end-all-be-all horizontal for everything else too. Metal Black is also pretty fun, but it plays like a primitive version of Darius Gaiden in terms of design. Before you go with anything else, go with Darius Gaiden. It's got huge (awesome) bosses, tons of different levels (and multiple paths), and great atmosphere and style. And, thankfully, it is very cheap.

lawnspic · Post by **lawnspic** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:05 am

Limbrooke · Post by **Limbrooke** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:11 am

Given the update Hyper Duel received on Saturn it is hard to argue about another better exclusive horizontal on the system. Cotton Boomerang is also good since it is the only port and the Saturn iteration of Thunder Force 5 is considered to be the preferred version.

Other notables: Metal Black, Darius Gaiden, Konami Deluxe packs (-TwinBee), and TFGP2.

ROBOTRON · Post by **ROBOTRON** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:18 am

Darius Gaiden.

Don't like TFV? Wow. Tecnosoft = win.

Metal Black comes highly recommended but I've never played it yet, but the majority of shmuppers here seem to like it...thats good enough for me.

Enhasa · Post by **Enhasa** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:38 am

My favorite is Darius Gaiden, I didn't know how many other people felt this way though. I like Metal Black a lot too, but I'm not going to defend it objectively when people start hating.

You should probably just listen to jp, but some of the other top choices that get thrown around are Hyper Duel, TF 5 or Gold Pack, and Sexy Parodius.

Sinneslöschen · Post by **Sinneslöschen** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:45 am

Try Parodius Deluxe! Contains two games (Parodius Da and Fantastic Journey) and is easy to get. There two more (Japan only) Parodius games to continue if you like it.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:53 am

Sinneslöschen wrote:Try Parodius Deluxe! Contains two games (Parodius Da and Fantastic Journey) and is easy to get. There two more (Japan only) Parodius games to continue if you like it.

The EU Parodius is censored, though. The eagles were turned into parrots.

Erinu · Post by **Erinu** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:05 am

I'm really fond of Sexy Parodius, personally. In fact, it's the only thing I use my Japanese Saturn for, otherwise I'd put it away for good.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:41 am

My gut would have me lean towards the gradius collection as the best horizontal offering. Gofer no Yabou is the shit, and my favorite standard Gradius out there (I consider the real contender Gradius 2 / Nemesis '90 Kai to be something of an offshoot, though they should still be played).

Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius however is fantastic, and is definitely worth the relatively affordable investment. If you have any interest in the classic Gradius gameplay, you will eat this up. Although, it would help to have the mind of a 14 year old girl, like me. "Ooh, pastels! Look at the cute penguins!" ^_~

Those two aside, I also have to concur with Senor JP. He has raved about Hyper Duel as long as I've been here (probably 2001 when I started actually posting) and I essentially ignored the raves (sorry

) because I've never been that keen on TechnoSoft. However, this one is a keeper. the action is a lot more intense than the Thunderforce series (not played TFV though). Cool as hell bosses, too.

The equation for the above game is:

More bullets + Steeper difficulty = Better, More Satisfying Experience

jp · Post by jp » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:00 am

captain ahar wrote: (not played TFV though).

You're not missing much. Thunder Force V is more a fan service than it is a competent game. Its design is well below that of TF III/AC/IV and, aside from a couple of levels towards the end, it really isn't all that interesting.

The most fun I had with it was spotting all the references to previous Tecno Soft titles (TFIV, Hyper Duel, and Blast Wind all get nods). But is it even in the same league as Hyper Duel and Thunder Force IV? No. This is probably because the people that made TFIII/TFIV/Hyper Duel left Tecno Soft shortly after making Hyper Duel (or maybe Blast Wind, I'm not sure, I have no idea when Blast Wind was actually being made) to go work for some other company (which wound up making Sapphire for the PC-Engine CD, go fig).

Also, when you gone show up on the other boards I told you about fool!

Sinneslöschen · Post by **Sinneslöschen** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:28 am

BrianC wrote: The EU Parodius is censored, though. The eagles were turned into parrots.

That is interesting! Now I have an excuse to get the Japanese version

Do you have a link with some screenshots?

Herr Schatten · Post by **Herr Schatten** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:41 am

Andi wrote:Darius Gaiden is not only the end-all-be-all horizontal for Saturn, it's the end-all-be-all horizontal for everything else too.

Are you on crack?

BrianC wrote:The EU Parodius is censored, though. The eagles were turned into parrots.

This is not true. My EU Parodius (SAT) is full of eagles, with no parrots in sight. You must think of a different version. Maybe the NES one? I know that that one has the dancer censored.

J-Manic · Post by **J-Manic** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:08 am

For me, Darius Gaiden is the best, not only for it's MEGA HIGH replay value, but it also looks, plays and sounds great too. Can't go wrong with it, especially for it's low price (for now).

Hyper Duel comes in second for the same reasons. Despite it having a not-so-big replay value as Darius Gaiden, the game still is awesome and loads of fun, in my opinion. The arranged soundtrack made for the Saturn version makes it worth buying alone. At least I think so.

Then there's Thunder Force V, which I would defintely recommend to anyone without hesitation. Another great soundtrack in this game. Crisp gameplay too. Better now wait too long, though. The price for this one is getting up there.

Might as well mention the TF Gold Packs while I'm at it. Both are really good.

ROBOTRON · Post by **ROBOTRON** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:03 am

jp wrote:
You're not missing much. Thunder Force V is more a fan service than it is a competent game. Its design is well below that of TF III/AC/IV and, aside from a couple of levels towards the end, it really isn't all that interesting.

I'd have to disagree with that...especially the latter stages which were well designed and had solid gameplay. The first few stages although great looking, were a little short...but the last few stages more than made up for it.

Fan service? Thats too harsh.

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:48 am

you'll notice hyper duel is a pretty poor game once you played it a bit (very nice presentation tho).. thunderforce 5 blows it the hell away imo, it gets my vote for best sat-hori.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:01 pm

Cotton Boomerang .I think most people who have played it will say it's an amazing game. The game isn't more well-regarded because it haven't been played for many people.

Herr Schatten wrote:
Andi wrote:Darius Gaiden is not only the end-all-be-all horizontal for Saturn, it's the end-all-be-all horizontal for everything else too.
Are you on crack?

Probably.

Ask who played the STGT07 what most people think about Darius Gaiden

maxi · Post by **maxi** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:28 pm

Shatterhand wrote:Cotton Boomerang .I think most people who have played it will say it's an amazing game. The game isn't more well-regarded because it haven't been played for many people.

Herr Schatten wrote:
Andi wrote:Darius Gaiden is not only the end-all-be-all horizontal for Saturn, it's the end-all-be-all horizontal for everything else too.
Are you on crack?
Probably.

Ask who played the STGT07 what most people think about Darius Gaiden

Play DG only for fun, not for score.

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:04 pm

Darius Gaiden, eh? Will look into it. I definitely want to get into Cotton (2 and Boomerang), but nobody would sell me their copies...

I have played Hyper Duel a lot, and gotta disagree with Sven (and agree with JP). It doesn't strike me as a badly designed game... and the presentation is, in fact, awesome.

jp · Post by jp » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:12 pm

The original Arcade version of Hyper Duel wasn't too great. It was good, but the washed out graphics, inability to lock the direction in which you're firing, and the muffled sound kept well below TFIII/AC/IV range. And I think a lot of times thats the version people tend to diss (though this may not be the case for sven, dunno) since its the only one available in MAME.

Though the Saturn Mode, which improved upon everything I mentioned above and includes rank, is phenomenal and in my opinion one of the best things Tecno Soft ever did. Kinda odd how just a few small changes made that game THAT much better.

evil_ash_xero · Post by **evil_ash_xero** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:15 pm

Hyper Duel isn't bad. Probably my favorite on there.
Cotton 2 is pretty good, and has really nice graphics.
Darius Gaiden isn't really up my alley, but is well done for a Darius game(if you like 'em).

Overall, the Saturn's side-scrollers aren't that impressive, so don't be looking for anything like a sidescrolling Radiant or Garegga.

s/m

henry dark · Post by **henry dark** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:36 pm

I hadn't played Gaiden in a while, and this thread inspired me to have another go.

Played a few credits and I can't say that I'm inspired enough to play any more.

Bland level design, cheap bullet spamming, weapons that have little weight or substance, even when powered up.

Bosses are kind of cool, so is the music- except you can barely hear it on the Saturn.

I'd say TF5 or Sengoku Blade.

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:08 pm

JP's spot on. I wasn't too impressed with the arcade version of Hyper Duel when I played it on Mame. I gave the Saturn version a shot, and was very impressed with the music and improved graphics. The gameplay remains the same (which is a great thing imo) but everything surrounding it has been beefed up. Great stuff.

I gave TFV another shot, and can't say I share the love for the game.

I played Sengoku Blade in the last few days and it grows on me. Quite interesting game, but I think the multiple characters is pretty much a gimmick. Some are way better than the others (the first two).

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:32 pm

Herr Schatten wrote: This is not true. My EU Parodius (SAT) is full of eagles, with no parrots in sight. You must think of a different version. Maybe the NES one? I know that that one has the dancer censored.

I'm not confused on this. I should have mentioned that the censorship is in Gokujo (Fantastic Journey?), though. I saw it in a youtube video, which clearly lists it as the Saturn version. I guess it's not really technically a parrot, just the eagle sprite colored green. If this isn't true, then the person on youtube labelled the video wrong. I have the JP Saturn Parodius Deluxe Pack and it certainly looks like it, only with the eagle recolored to green. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y769WKol0YA

qube · Post by **qube** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:07 pm

I would stay far away from Macross: Do You Remember Love. I'm a mild Macross fan, but outside of the cinematics, I found the game to be extremely boring and unexciting.

I gave it away to a friend for free, and feel I should have actually paid him to take it...

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:45 pm

maxi wrote:Play DG only for fun, not for score.

Better yet, just don't play it.

My vote offhand is for Cotton Boomerang - Cotton 2 is good, and also worth picking up, though Boomerang's my personal preference. Be advised, though, its weapon and scoring systems are pretty unconventional, and turn some people off, so if you're looking for a "traditional" shmup you'll have to look elsewhere.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:52 pm

Hyper Duel seems fairly okay on MAME, I'm interested to see what the Saturn version is like.

That corridor on the second stage seems like an ill omen for me - wrecks my chances at getting a second stage perfect bonus :P

MikeB · Post by **MikeB** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:07 pm

Hmm.

I do like TFV despite the negative comment others have I find it by far the most enjoyable of the series.

Hyper Duel - great fun but not a brilliant game imo.

Ditto Sengoku Blade.

Cotton 2/ Boomerang - in hindsight these have some of the most advanced play mechanics of any Saturn side-scroller so might well have the best replay value.

Sexy Parodius has a lot of depth too, for a Konami game

Also my guilty pleasure is Salamander 2

NB TBH the verties are probably much better on Saturn...

DC906270 · Post by **DC906270** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:08 pm

Darius Gaiden gets most playtime from me, more so than Hyper Duel even. Hyper Duel is apparently improved over the arcade/mame version, but i cant say its particularly worth paying $200 for. I would be happy with the MAME Hyper Duel, personally. But get Darius Gaiden, its really f@@king great and really cheap, too