The ultimate Best PC Shmup Ever thread

[TMR]

Parsec 47 is the best Kenta Cho shmup, even though it gets the least attention. The high speed and frentic item grabbing make for an exciting good time.

I've been creaming myself over this game for years, so of course I have to say I agree that it's Kenta Cho's best.

i'd say i preferred rRootage to Parsec 47 personally... but if i had to pick a favourite Kenta Cho shooter it'd probably be Val and Rick but i have no idea why! i'm not sure about what i'd call the best PC shooter, but Raptor wouldn't be on my list (in part because just about every element attributed to "EuroShmup" titles is in there and i still want that title changed to AmeriShmup because of it! =-) and it'd probably be... actually, i can't really decide - but like i said, s'not Raptor! =-)

[Davey]

I like Parsec47, but it doesn't play as well as some of his others [including Noiz2sa].

i'd say i preferred rRootage to Parsec 47 personally...

Admittedly I haven't played much of either rRootage or noiz2sa, but I didn't care for either one. noiz2sa has that weird "sometimes you die, sometimes you don't" hit detection and sort of choppy animation. rRootage's bullet patterns seem to only come in two varieties: mind-numbingly slow or ridiculously fast from multiple directions. Neither game seems to have a good risk/reward structure like Parsec47, either.

Overall, I think his games have become a lot more polished over time. His earlier stuff was a little rough, although still really impressive for a hobbyist giving away stuff for free.

[Battlesmurf]

I really enjoyed the Kamui trial.

BUT-

I'm really hoping that it can go fullscreen on a 4:3 monitor. I'd love to see it in a cab.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

With my limited experiance of shmups i would say 1st Blue Wish Revolution, 2nd Kamui and 3nd Rrootage (EDIT i ment parsec i always get em mixed up lol), but if i was to re-post in say 3-6 months i would proberly give a different answer.

[Dandy J]

Hellsinker is definitely the most impressive PC shmup I've ever played.

Major Stryker.

MAJOR STRYKER

Also, Guxt is pretty good, though I need to beat it already and see what the extra mode is all about.

If it's what I'm thinking, it's the same as normal, just with no extends.

[Dale]

I like Parsec47, but it doesn't play as well as some of his others [including Noiz2sa].

i'd say i preferred rRootage to Parsec 47 personally...

Admittedly I haven't played much of either rRootage or noiz2sa, but I didn't care for either one. noiz2sa has that weird "sometimes you die, sometimes you don't" hit detection

Their is actually a system to it. Every 1 and 3 seconds your invincible, when the green Bars cover the red box it makes the hitbox go away.

1.Nioz2a
2.Titanion
3.Parsec47
Yeah something like that

[Davey]

Their is actually a system to it. Every 1 and 3 seconds your invincible, when the green Bars cover the red box it makes the hitbox go away.

Somebody told me about that, but the cycling between vulnerable and invulnerable is pretty fast. It seems pretty improbable that anybody has good enough timing to use it reliably. Perhaps I underestimate people, I don't know. But to me, it seems like your chances of being invincible when you really need it are almost random, even though there's a visible, regular pattern. Because of that, it makes the game feel like it has bad hit detection IMHO, even though it technically doesn't.

Personally I'd rank his games like this:
1.) Parsec47
2.) Gunroar
3.) Titanion (great, but loses points for the uneven score system)
4.) Torus Trooper (great, but loses points for inconsistent score potential)

Anything other than those I either haven't played or only played briefly because I didn't like them. A7Xpg is the only one that I haven't played much but have been meaning to play more.

I should play Gunroar again. Aside from the fact that I haven't played it in years, it might be interesting to see how it fares in today's environment with all the dual stick shooters out there.

[lgb]

Raiden II.

[myname1z4xl]

Best PC shmup are of course the Raystorm, Kaumi, and Touhou. Especially Raystorm, its one of the best shmup ever made.

[tsuruki]

Touhou seem the best innovative shmup.
Supposing It have been released for console, Its sale might lead to the copy cat in identical shmup's style in both elsewhere and the same system.

[Mischief Maker]

Um... Touhou is an entire series of very different shmups of varying quality. Are you referring to specific games in the series, or are you just making a blanket assertion toward every single one of the PC games?

Here's my take:

Embodiment of Scarlet Devil:

Simple and enjoyable graze-based scoring system, ugly blurry graphics, irritating music, and without the boss indicators at the bottom of the screen that later became a staple of the series, the boss fights with their tiny hitboxes become annoying. Rendered obsolete by its superior sequels.

Perfect Cherry Blossom:

Toss up for the best game in the series. Most memorable music, great patterns, score system gets really complex under close scrutiny, but it's still mainly graze and collect.

Imperishable Night:

Toss up for the best game in the series. Best looking bullet patterns in the series. Character changing system is cool. The ability to collect items above the POC without having max weapon power is a great innovation. Scoring system has the highest learning curve, using pickups to quickly lurch your meter from one end to the other is a necessary and not-immediately-apparent technique. Easiest game in the series if you're just playing for survival.

Phantasmagoria of Flower View:

Great concept, but I lose patience with this game because it feels like the AI is deciding when to lose and nothing I'm doing on my side is making any difference in that decision. No one will play against me IRL.

Shoot the Bullet:

Nifty quick game that gives a sampler platter of all the best boss patterns from the series. I find the controls awkward though, you need to hold shift to aim the camera at the boss, but then need to release it to take a picture? Sounds less awkward on paper than it is while winding your way through a bullet storm. Also the least friendly game in the series to newcomers.

Mountain of Faith:

Real love/hate relationship with this game. Without a doubt the most beautiful game in the series that gets the most out of its autumn theme. Look at the river level! Unfortunately the scoring system sucks and there are massive bugs in the most basic areas of gameplay (Marissa B's level 3 laser) that ruin the game. Also, if you compare the boss patterns side-by-side, it's clear this game was built at the lunatic level, then he just cut out portions of the lunatic patterns for the easier levels.

Subterranean Animism:

This is the first Touhou game I actually hate, and the blame for this lies entirely on the 2nd level boss' shoulders. Bullets that just sit there and you have to wait several seconds for them to evaporate before you can start shooting at the boss again? Bullets that appear directly under your character and kill you? Plus the enemies seem really tough and the weapons feel underpowered, giving this game just a whiff of euroshmup.

Undefined Fantastic Object:

Nifty UFO scoring mechanic, but what I've seen of the graphics and bullet patterns is just... bland.

[LtC]

I always thought that the only actually new thing touhou brought to the genre was fanbase far more annoying than cave fanboys.