I've been wondering this for a while. I have never seen a story heavy shmup. Even if the shmup does have a story it's usally in the form of diolog before and after boss battles. (or in a poem at the start of the level)
And by story heavy I'l talking about short diolog at the start of the stage, before and after boss fights, and cut scenes between stages.
EDIT: also I meant to say about character choices that will effect later stages and a good/evil element as well.
The idea of a story heavy Shmup
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Lynx Winters
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 5:42 pm
- Location: Southern MD
I'm not going to say it can't be done, or even that it shouldn't, but you'll probably get a lot of responses to the tune of "shmup plots are like fighting game plots."
RPGs and adventure games (the point-and-click variety) are genres where story is emphasized over all else, including actual gameplay. Action games can have a heavy focus on story, just look at Yakuza or Metal Gear Solid. Shmups don't need a plot. A lot of them just throw in a basic plot to justify the art direction.
A plot-heavy shmup could be done, but it can't sacrifice mechanics and stage/system design in the process. Look at Radiant Silvergun. Most people here will see that name and think of the scoring system, the stage designs, the boss fights, etc. However, RS has a much deeper plot than just about any other shmup out there. The biggest thing is that while the plot is interesting and ties the game together, the way the game plays still comes first.
RPGs and adventure games (the point-and-click variety) are genres where story is emphasized over all else, including actual gameplay. Action games can have a heavy focus on story, just look at Yakuza or Metal Gear Solid. Shmups don't need a plot. A lot of them just throw in a basic plot to justify the art direction.
A plot-heavy shmup could be done, but it can't sacrifice mechanics and stage/system design in the process. Look at Radiant Silvergun. Most people here will see that name and think of the scoring system, the stage designs, the boss fights, etc. However, RS has a much deeper plot than just about any other shmup out there. The biggest thing is that while the plot is interesting and ties the game together, the way the game plays still comes first.
Don't the Touhou games do what you describe? Also the Shikigami no Shiro games have dialogue before/after stages, although it's hilariously translated and never makes sense.
Personally I hate story in shmups beyond "destroy the alien invaders" or whatever, and if there is a story I don't want it to intrude on the gameplay by shoving cutscenes before boss fights. If I want a story I'll play an RPG/adventure game, or better yet I'll read a book, because in general I don't much like RPGs either. I guess I don't turn to games for stories, I play them for gameplay.
Personally I hate story in shmups beyond "destroy the alien invaders" or whatever, and if there is a story I don't want it to intrude on the gameplay by shoving cutscenes before boss fights. If I want a story I'll play an RPG/adventure game, or better yet I'll read a book, because in general I don't much like RPGs either. I guess I don't turn to games for stories, I play them for gameplay.
"I think Ikaruga is pretty tough. It is like a modern version of Galaga that some Japanese company made."
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SockPuppetHyren
- Posts: 331
- Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:27 pm
- Location: Chillin in Southtown
Pretty much this. The only shmups I know that give more emphasis on story elements are Tyrian and Sigma Star Saga, which is an RPG/SHMUP hybrid. Unfortunately, SSS's shooting sections aren't very good.Lynx Winters wrote:I'm not going to say it can't be done, or even that it shouldn't, but you'll probably get a lot of responses to the tune of "shmup plots are like fighting game plots."
RPGs and adventure games (the point-and-click variety) are genres where story is emphasized over all else, including actual gameplay. Action games can have a heavy focus on story, just look at Yakuza or Metal Gear Solid. Shmups don't need a plot. A lot of them just throw in a basic plot to justify the art direction.
A plot-heavy shmup could be done, but it can't sacrifice mechanics and stage/system design in the process. Look at Radiant Silvergun. Most people here will see that name and think of the scoring system, the stage designs, the boss fights, etc. However, RS has a much deeper plot than just about any other shmup out there. The biggest thing is that while the plot is interesting and ties the game together, the way the game plays still comes first.
Not only does the game succumb frequent random battles (which are always annoying), but each time you're beamed up, you get a random ship. Now, this wouldn't be so bad, if it wasn't for the fact that you could easily get stuck with a large, slow ship. This is murder on stages that require you to squeeze through tight passages. The weapons, even though they have a large customization index, are generally weak. Even the smaller ships are plagued with huge hitboxes, which ensure you're going to take A LOT of damage in shooting sections (unless you're that good, of course). The enemies are extremely bland and simplistic (which is a glaring contrast to the well rendered and animated RPG sections). I remember one of the bosses, which I think is supposed to be a giant drill of some sort, looking like a large ice cram cone of DOOM.
It's clear that there was a good amount of effort put into the game (As I would expect from the makers of Shantae), but the final product was weak. Very weak.
Last edited by SockPuppetHyren on Thu Oct 02, 2008 4:08 am, edited 2 times in total.
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No_not_like_Quake
- Posts: 772
- Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:22 pm
How about like Hellsinker, where you're forced to sit through and button-mash your way through lots of text when you just FINALLY 1CC the first 4 levels of the Behind section of the game?No_not_like_Quake wrote:If it must be done, then do it like Gaiares with its bloated, 8 minute long intro.
That game has really twisted storytelling, from what I've heard.
[ Wonder Force IV -sorry Frenetic :c- ]
Silpheed: The Lost Planet has like 30 minutes of CGI dedicated to the basic "Fight the alien invaders" -story.
No matter how good a game is, somebody will always hate it. No matter how bad a game is, somebody will always love it.
My videos
My videos
Figures somebody with that name would make this topic.
Seriously though, I cried during Nexzr's story sequences, and then I confessed about it to my mother.
"EVIL NAXAT! YOU WILL NOT MANIPULATE MY FEEEEEEEELLLLLINGS
WITH PRETTY DEAD ANIME GIRLS!!!
You should have seen me after Hellfire S.
A raging river of tears,
my hopes for the future find no shore purchase
Seriously though, I cried during Nexzr's story sequences, and then I confessed about it to my mother.
"EVIL NAXAT! YOU WILL NOT MANIPULATE MY FEEEEEEEELLLLLINGS
WITH PRETTY DEAD ANIME GIRLS!!!
You should have seen me after Hellfire S.
A raging river of tears,
my hopes for the future find no shore purchase
Tyrian's story is rather detailed and awesome, actually. Or at least, I was impressed by it when I was quite a bit younger, around the same time I thought Trigun was super deep. Then again, maybe Trigun is deep. I haven't watched it in a while, just like I haven't played Tyrian lately.
Speaking of which, I do have the full version, i.e. the later, harder episodes I haven't played before. And I always wondered what happened next, so...
I would love to see shmups with decent plots. I don't think the standard arcade game design would work, though, with 6 or so levels and predictable bosses, etc.. I think gameplay consistency (i.e that balance which arcade shmups are so intensely focussed on) tends to sacrifice the plot. For a good plot you need new and different challenges and ways for the player to interact with their environment.
I like the idea, if not the implementation, of RPG / Shmup hybrids. I've had an idea for some time now of a plot that I think would work well in a certain kind of shooter... a scrolling arena shooter.
One where you can wander and fire in all directions, and where enemies are generated randomly. Kinda of like a Zelda shmup, in fact. I don't want to reveal many details until a) I've fleshed it out, along with the gameplay mechanics; b) I've gotten well into OpenGL and made myself a relatively simple abstract arena shooter as an exercise / tech demo. But I think combining exploration with shmupping would allow me to experiment with things like:
-Missions / Quests
-Upgrades / XP & Levels
-Decision-making / Multiple Paths
-Friendly NPCs
Things I'd like to avoid are healthbars, interrupting gameplay, and endless replaying of areas/stages to level up indefinitely. I'd like to keep in mind the inclusion of an 'arcade mode' of sorts that keeps the player moving forward and doesn't have any interruptions like dialog, decision-making, or shopping and thus allows for score competition, to keep me on track focusing on gameplay and being sure the plot doesn't get in the way.
I think that plot in action games is generally only interesting if it affects gameplay. Give a reason for supplying the player with a free upgrade, or assign them a task slightly more complicated than "make it to the end and kill the boss". Different choices result in different areas being opened, better playing results in more rewards and happy NPCs. Wild tangents about emotions and morality are usually cringe-worthy in a shmup. But if an NPC is in a stage to help you out in some way then sure, they can have a bit of back-story. In a perfect world I would hire good voice actors to shout orders over the hail of bullets, but in a homebrew situation I'll probably have to resort to scrolling text and a paused screen, sorry. But if that scrolling text often references actual in-game events and important information about the gameplay, then that will give people a pragmatic reason to read it, and they'll absorb the rest of the plot in a slightly more engaged frame of mind.
When I do get around to posting details of my own designs I'll do so in the dev forum, but here I'm just spilling out my thoughts on what makes for good action game storytelling.
I don't think shmups are the best way to tell a story, but I'm willing to try. Just let me get some practice and find some time...
Speaking of which, I do have the full version, i.e. the later, harder episodes I haven't played before. And I always wondered what happened next, so...
I would love to see shmups with decent plots. I don't think the standard arcade game design would work, though, with 6 or so levels and predictable bosses, etc.. I think gameplay consistency (i.e that balance which arcade shmups are so intensely focussed on) tends to sacrifice the plot. For a good plot you need new and different challenges and ways for the player to interact with their environment.
I like the idea, if not the implementation, of RPG / Shmup hybrids. I've had an idea for some time now of a plot that I think would work well in a certain kind of shooter... a scrolling arena shooter.
One where you can wander and fire in all directions, and where enemies are generated randomly. Kinda of like a Zelda shmup, in fact. I don't want to reveal many details until a) I've fleshed it out, along with the gameplay mechanics; b) I've gotten well into OpenGL and made myself a relatively simple abstract arena shooter as an exercise / tech demo. But I think combining exploration with shmupping would allow me to experiment with things like:-Missions / Quests
-Upgrades / XP & Levels
-Decision-making / Multiple Paths
-Friendly NPCs
Things I'd like to avoid are healthbars, interrupting gameplay, and endless replaying of areas/stages to level up indefinitely. I'd like to keep in mind the inclusion of an 'arcade mode' of sorts that keeps the player moving forward and doesn't have any interruptions like dialog, decision-making, or shopping and thus allows for score competition, to keep me on track focusing on gameplay and being sure the plot doesn't get in the way.
I think that plot in action games is generally only interesting if it affects gameplay. Give a reason for supplying the player with a free upgrade, or assign them a task slightly more complicated than "make it to the end and kill the boss". Different choices result in different areas being opened, better playing results in more rewards and happy NPCs. Wild tangents about emotions and morality are usually cringe-worthy in a shmup. But if an NPC is in a stage to help you out in some way then sure, they can have a bit of back-story. In a perfect world I would hire good voice actors to shout orders over the hail of bullets, but in a homebrew situation I'll probably have to resort to scrolling text and a paused screen, sorry. But if that scrolling text often references actual in-game events and important information about the gameplay, then that will give people a pragmatic reason to read it, and they'll absorb the rest of the plot in a slightly more engaged frame of mind.
When I do get around to posting details of my own designs I'll do so in the dev forum, but here I'm just spilling out my thoughts on what makes for good action game storytelling.
I don't think shmups are the best way to tell a story, but I'm willing to try. Just let me get some practice and find some time...
I think that while a plot of reasonable size relative to the genre is a nice idea, really it only serves to break the action, and subsequently impact on the standard of your run. Just like when your playing your shooter of choice, and then the phone rings and you hit pause, only to return to the game and screw up.
A plot, however modest, that interrupts the flow of a shooter can rarely be a good thing.
I do, however, like the idea of a shooter with a plot, but I think the best the genre can do is to capture a sense of narrative through atmosphere, visual style and just the vibe the game gives off. People who know me won't be surprised that I sight Progear as a good example of this. I've no real idea of the plot when I play, but I still get a sense I'm involved in the adventure.
EDIT: Actually - I picked up Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? last night - as I understand that has plenty of cut scenes - I'll see how that strikes me...
A plot, however modest, that interrupts the flow of a shooter can rarely be a good thing.
I do, however, like the idea of a shooter with a plot, but I think the best the genre can do is to capture a sense of narrative through atmosphere, visual style and just the vibe the game gives off. People who know me won't be surprised that I sight Progear as a good example of this. I've no real idea of the plot when I play, but I still get a sense I'm involved in the adventure.
EDIT: Actually - I picked up Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? last night - as I understand that has plenty of cut scenes - I'll see how that strikes me...
I think more important than a story is the setting, something that gives you a certain feeling of purpose in the game other than the pure game mechanics themself. Music and art direction do that.
A counterexample would be something like rRootage - you´re just a geometric shape dodging other geometric shapes in order to shoot a large geometric shaped boss. That fine for a while, but recently I found myself wanting to have some more immersion. Radiant Silvergun, Border Down or Soukygurentai are the epitome of "epic" shmups, but also faster games like Ketsui or Ibara create an atmosphere that really pumps you up for your quest. I sure like dodging stuff and making numbers go up, but I also want some nice settings to that
A counterexample would be something like rRootage - you´re just a geometric shape dodging other geometric shapes in order to shoot a large geometric shaped boss. That fine for a while, but recently I found myself wanting to have some more immersion. Radiant Silvergun, Border Down or Soukygurentai are the epitome of "epic" shmups, but also faster games like Ketsui or Ibara create an atmosphere that really pumps you up for your quest. I sure like dodging stuff and making numbers go up, but I also want some nice settings to that
Last edited by Frederik on Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
And THIS sums up what I was trying to say very nicely:spadgy wrote:Exactly! A more succinct way of getting across what I was trying to say!Frederik wrote:I think more important than a story is the setting, something that gives you a certain feeling of purpose in the game other than the pure game mechanics themself. Music and art direction do that.
I love it when shmups feel as epic as a good RPG but instead of killing spiders with ten-foot swords for twenty hours you dodge stuff and blow shit up with rockets, lasers and BUMBAAH.spadgy wrote: I've no real idea of the plot when I play, but I still get a sense I'm involved in the adventure.
Re: The idea of a story heavy Shmup
Try "Invader" for GBA. It does just that. It's a vertical shmup with a good portion of "codec sequences". Needless to say, it's not that brilliant of an idea.GrimoreLibrarian wrote:I've been wondering this for a while. I have never seen a story heavy shmup. Even if the shmup does have a story it's usally in the form of diolog before and after boss battles. (or in a poem at the start of the level)
And by story heavy I'l talking about short diolog at the start of the stage, before and after boss fights, and cut scenes between stages.
I second HellSinker, the story is delivered through:
- Text dialogue at the beginning of segments (but only when playing as Deadliar as he seems to be the main character or the author got lazy and only made dialogue for him) and when certain enemies show up (ie: Old Rose, the final boss from Radio Zonde if I'm not wrong, or Saint Mouve.)
- "Snatches" or something like that: walls of text after you enter the later half of the game. They seem to get crazier and weirder after you destroy Segment 5 boss, The Perpetual Calendar of awesomeness and surrealism.
- Some short and crazy voice clips (ie: the Spirit Kernel from Scarlet Queen or the Kaname Stone will yell "You're going to die here" or something like that), there are several voice clips in the sound folder though it's not clear who they are assigned to. One even says something like "Awesome Prayer" (one of the best boss warning... KEEP YOUR DIGNITY)
- Vertical text for the bad ending, following the fact that Rex Cavalier also features vertical text during the battle unlike the other battles where text is presented horizontally.
- Flashing text during the fight against Garland System (and only if you can manage to beat it in time for the TLB)
After you beat the Extra Stages you gain access to the "Memoirs", which let you review all these 'snatches' (some of them are quite long) and additional pages of story like "The Fall of the Shrine" (of Farewell), which pretty much tries to explain why you go into that frantic and insane boss rush only to face another Stone-Like relative.
On the diametrically opposite side is DiadraEmpty, whose story is explained by using the Ikaruga way: three lines of text at the beginning of each chapter. It is about a little girl (errrm, the author actually has a sense of humor and features Pedo Bear as a special item you can get in game) searching for her elder sister and descending to the depths of earth with her almighty yet minuscule dragon against kilometre-sized bosses, yes, including The Stone-Like Mk.III.
However, in both cases, it's the gameplay what remains above.
Oh, last thing: for choices, well, in Psyvariar 2 you get different paths depending on your performance and eventually all these choices plus not continuing (I think that was a key condition, right?) affected whether you get to fight Gluon (that red mech of Stage 1) or not. Darius series lets you pick your stages (and you can get a barrage of cheesy endings!) and G-Darius lets you select paths as well.
- Text dialogue at the beginning of segments (but only when playing as Deadliar as he seems to be the main character or the author got lazy and only made dialogue for him) and when certain enemies show up (ie: Old Rose, the final boss from Radio Zonde if I'm not wrong, or Saint Mouve.)
- "Snatches" or something like that: walls of text after you enter the later half of the game. They seem to get crazier and weirder after you destroy Segment 5 boss, The Perpetual Calendar of awesomeness and surrealism.
- Some short and crazy voice clips (ie: the Spirit Kernel from Scarlet Queen or the Kaname Stone will yell "You're going to die here" or something like that), there are several voice clips in the sound folder though it's not clear who they are assigned to. One even says something like "Awesome Prayer" (one of the best boss warning... KEEP YOUR DIGNITY)
- Vertical text for the bad ending, following the fact that Rex Cavalier also features vertical text during the battle unlike the other battles where text is presented horizontally.
- Flashing text during the fight against Garland System (and only if you can manage to beat it in time for the TLB)
After you beat the Extra Stages you gain access to the "Memoirs", which let you review all these 'snatches' (some of them are quite long) and additional pages of story like "The Fall of the Shrine" (of Farewell), which pretty much tries to explain why you go into that frantic and insane boss rush only to face another Stone-Like relative.
On the diametrically opposite side is DiadraEmpty, whose story is explained by using the Ikaruga way: three lines of text at the beginning of each chapter. It is about a little girl (errrm, the author actually has a sense of humor and features Pedo Bear as a special item you can get in game) searching for her elder sister and descending to the depths of earth with her almighty yet minuscule dragon against kilometre-sized bosses, yes, including The Stone-Like Mk.III.
However, in both cases, it's the gameplay what remains above.
Oh, last thing: for choices, well, in Psyvariar 2 you get different paths depending on your performance and eventually all these choices plus not continuing (I think that was a key condition, right?) affected whether you get to fight Gluon (that red mech of Stage 1) or not. Darius series lets you pick your stages (and you can get a barrage of cheesy endings!) and G-Darius lets you select paths as well.
NOW REACHES THE FATAL ATTRACTION BE DESCRIBED AS "HELLSINKER". DECIDE DESTINATION.
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SockPuppetHyren
- Posts: 331
- Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:27 pm
- Location: Chillin in Southtown
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GrimoreLibrarian
- Posts: 144
- Joined: Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:32 pm
Well, yeah, the previous enemy was wtfantastic (the three-screen sized giant dragon of doom).GrimoreLibrarian wrote:I guess the Symbolic giant Crystal final boss is in.SockPuppetHyren wrote:Another one? What, did they add Newtype magic? A Super Saiyan mode? Seven force-like transformations? I like Stone-like as a villain, but someone needs to grow an imagination.Observer wrote:The Stone-Like Mk.III.
It does not have transformation but it does have over the top attacks, including summoning an entire army of enemies.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnd3b86xTuU
(high quality might make it look a bit bit better... not that it matters seeing it's Youtube)
The author is increasing the difficulty with an upcoming patch (1.20) so it just doesn't stay in the 'wow' and also becomes really hard. I think I'll re-read the texts when the last bosses show up.
edit:
This is the giant dragon I was talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVKTpVVpJok
NOW REACHES THE FATAL ATTRACTION BE DESCRIBED AS "HELLSINKER". DECIDE DESTINATION.
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PC Engine Fan X!
- Posts: 9239
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:32 pm
For spadgy,spadgy wrote:EDIT: Actually - I picked up Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? last night - as I understand that has plenty of cut scenes - I'll see how that strikes me...
The opening anime intro of SDF-Macross: DYRL was done by none other than Gonzo, fine purveyors of all-digital based anime nowdays. Awesome anime cutscenes spread throughout the entire game from beginning to the eventual end. The opening intro features some very cool and detailed scenes of the VF-1S mecha in all it's glory just before take-off procedures. Looks great when piped through JPN SCART with an XRGB-2. ^_~
Did you pick up the PSX or Sega Saturn version of Macross: DYRL game?
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
Last edited by PC Engine Fan X! on Thu Oct 02, 2008 4:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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SockPuppetHyren
- Posts: 331
- Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:27 pm
- Location: Chillin in Southtown
I see...and now I have another reason to upgrade my computer...Observer wrote:Well, yeah, the previous enemy was wtfantastic (the three-screen sized giant dragon of doom).GrimoreLibrarian wrote:I guess the Symbolic giant Crystal final boss is in.SockPuppetHyren wrote: Another one? What, did they add Newtype magic? A Super Saiyan mode? Seven force-like transformations? I like Stone-like as a villain, but someone needs to grow an imagination.
It does not have transformation but it does have over the top attacks, including summoning an entire army of enemies.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnd3b86xTuU
(high quality might make it look a bit bit better... not that it matters seeing it's Youtube)
The author is increasing the difficulty with an upcoming patch (1.20) so it just doesn't stay in the 'wow' and also becomes really hard. I think I'll re-read the texts when the last bosses show up.
edit:
This is the giant dragon I was talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVKTpVVpJok
You have to see Extra Stage Chapter 3 then. (I uploaded videos of all the chapters if you wanna check 'em, in that one you get attacked by three big, fast and mean bosses at the same time will the rest of the world still fires at your poor characters). The guy is coming up with a Chapter 4 for the extra stage (at least from the little I could get via Google Translate). I can only wonder what kind of exaggerations and screen filling bullet patterns he's preparing for that moment...SockPuppetHyren wrote:I see...and now I have another reason to upgrade my computer...Observer wrote:Well, yeah, the previous enemy was wtfantastic (the three-screen sized giant dragon of doom).GrimoreLibrarian wrote: I guess the Symbolic giant Crystal final boss is in.
It does not have transformation but it does have over the top attacks, including summoning an entire army of enemies.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnd3b86xTuU
(high quality might make it look a bit bit better... not that it matters seeing it's Youtube)
The author is increasing the difficulty with an upcoming patch (1.20) so it just doesn't stay in the 'wow' and also becomes really hard. I think I'll re-read the texts when the last bosses show up.
edit:
This is the giant dragon I was talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVKTpVVpJok
NOW REACHES THE FATAL ATTRACTION BE DESCRIBED AS "HELLSINKER". DECIDE DESTINATION.
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PC Engine Fan X!
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Yes, Einhander has some very deep mythos -- basically about a war between humanity on Earth against those wishing to withdrawl from them on the Moon. Such lavish Squaresoft production values as usual and even has a 100 high-res JPEG picture gallery to digress through and marvel at.moozooh wrote:Didn't Einhander have some deep story, too? I haven't played it, but I remember people talking about it. >_>
The sad thing is that Squaresoft and currently, Square/Enix, haven't got around to having such incredibly detailed Einhander mecha as officially merchandised plastic/resin model kits, die-cast metal toys, etc. I'm sure Bandai would love to make such beautiful and articulated die-cast metal Einhander mecha (even some end-stage bosses would be awesome) for it's "Soul of Chokogin" lineup. ^_~
Unfortunately, Squaresoft has said time and time again, that Einhander will never get a sequel as it is regarded as a complete story unto itself with a beginning and an end. So be it.
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
I'm surprised how many people here are saying "I don't want no damn story in my shmups," implying they are fine with them as long as they are in other genres. I'm equal opportunity. I hate story in all games. Who's with me?!
Edit: perfect story in a shmup = Rayforce
Edit: perfect story in a shmup = Rayforce
Last edited by Enhasa on Sat Oct 04, 2008 4:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
I think Radiant Silvergun got it right. The story is very deep and interesting, yet also relatively unobtrusive.
The problem with a story-heavy shmup, is that the whole point to a shmup is instant and non-stop action. Trying to throw in a story would only detract from that, without adding a whole lot (at least, in the eyes of your average shmup player).
It'd be like trying to add a memorization-based arcade-style twitchy shmup section to someone's RPG. Very VERY few RPG fans would be ok with that =P
The problem with a story-heavy shmup, is that the whole point to a shmup is instant and non-stop action. Trying to throw in a story would only detract from that, without adding a whole lot (at least, in the eyes of your average shmup player).
It'd be like trying to add a memorization-based arcade-style twitchy shmup section to someone's RPG. Very VERY few RPG fans would be ok with that =P
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spineshark
- Posts: 274
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Cutscenes (and the crappy dialogue that basically always comes with theim) can pretty much fall in a well and die and I wouldn't cry, but I have nothing against, you know, stuff happening, especially if it's shown well.Enhasa wrote:I'm surprised how many people here are saying "I don't want no damn story in my shmups," implying they are fine with them as long as they are in other genres. I'm equal opportunity. I hate story in all games. Who's with me?!
Setting ("story") done well = Axelay, I think.
Other = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRn4QgJJ58M :D
Other = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRn4QgJJ58M :D
The good way to have a story in a shmup is to have cool stuff going on in the background. stuff going on in the actual background graphics, radio chatter if it's that kind of game, that sort of idea. Cutscenes or dialogue can provide a well-deserved breather/introspection/meditation session, but they should certainly be skippable