Getting into Shmups, need some advice.

[Galactik]

I currently own a 360, PS3 (backwards compatible version), as well as a launch PS2. All North American systems as I live in Canada.

I have recently purchased a Mad Catz Street Fighter SE and TE arcade sticks. I picked up a copy of Raiden Fighters Ace and completely fallen in love with the genre. So I purchased some Live Arcade titles, such as Triggerheart, Ikaruga and Omega Five. I have really enjoyed playing the games with the arcade sticks as well, it really makes them that much more enjoyable. I also just pre-ordered Raiden IV for the 360.

I am curious if there are any titles on the 360 or PS2 that I should be playing. Unfortunately I dont read Japanese, so I am not sure if importing would be my best choice. Should I be looking for an arcade stick for the PS2?

More or less, I am looking for some advice on how to get into the genre. Thank you.

[JJ9000]

for the ps2 you cant go wrong with

Raiden III
Castle of Shikigami II
Samurai Aces

as for the 360 wartech is a good game altho' its not technically a Shmup as its
more of a VS Figting game with crazy shmup-esque attacks

[Diebythesword]

Raiden Project, Raiden III, Strikers 1945, R-Type Final, Gradius 3/4 & 5, and Mobile Light Force 1 aka Gunbird

also Sanvein is super cheap and pretty cool, an arena type shooter

You have a PS3? You can buy a HK or JPN PSN card and get some badass shooters from there as well, only few in the US PSN

[ncp]

Most of the very limited selection of US releases have already been mentioned. IMO Gradius V is by far the best shmup you can get for a US region console.

Unfortunately I dont read Japanese, so I am not sure if importing would be my best choice.

How much reading do you do in a shmup?

Unfortunately most (Not all, but most) of the good games are japan-region only, for which you would need either a swap-disc or a japan-region system in the case of 360 games. But really, a good majority of the best games can be played on MAME, many of which don't have any console ports at all.

You'll notice rampant Cave fandom on the forum, being one of the most prolific shmup developers still active. The 3 most popular games on the forum (According to the yearly poll) are Battle Garegga (Raizing), Dodonpachi and Dodonpachi Daioujou (Cave). Dodonpachi is usually number 1, Garegga did some black magic this year or something. The first two are supported by mame, for Daioujou you'll probably need a PS2 and a way to play imports. If you're just getting into the genre, Garegga and Daioujou are probably not the best choices, since both are harder than dick, and Garegga has pretty complicated game mechanics. I would definitely suggest Dodonpachi however, since it is still pretty fun for beginners, with a huge range of difficulty; it starts out very easy and eventually becomes very, very hard especially when playing for score. It's a game you could love from the beginning and yet never clear after years of practice.

All of the games on the top 25 I linked are worth playing though, so anything on the list that you can get your hands on is great. Also, mame can be your best friend.

[Galactik]

Thanx for all the info.

For the MAME, I have just started to experiment with it today. I guess I can use the 360 arcade sticks on the PC since they use a USB connection.

Any recommendations where to find MAME shmups, or which ones I should be starting with?


For the PSN, I guess I will google how to get a JP account.

[Mortificator]

The big arcade shooter devs of the late '90s were Cave, Raizing and Psikyo. World of Arcades has info and screenshots of the games they made, so browse around and try out what looks interesting, though remember that the post-Progear Cave titles aren't emulated.

Takumi wasn't as prolific, but they made a couple of great games - I'd recommend you start with Giga Wing.

Also, some excellent PS1 shooters have been localized, such as R-Type Delta, G. Darius, and Einhänder.

[Diebythesword]

For the PSN, I guess I will google how to get a JP account.

And get Cho Aniki when you do :p

Not sure if were allowed to talk about places to dl but Guwange is one of my favorites

[Diebythesword]

For the PSN, I guess I will google how to get a JP account.

And get Cho Aniki when you do

Not sure if were allowed to talk about places to dl but Guwange is one of my favorites

[Diebythesword]

What the F is up with those posts

[Galactik]

Living in Canada, trying to track down some of the PS2 games it proving to be very difficult. Is Ebay the best place to purchase most of the recommended titles from?

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Ive just got into Shmups myself but i play PC titles, so if u dont mind playing on the pc there are some great Freeware shmups for improving ur game.

Nomltest FS, Parsec47, rRootage and Reincarnation. These game are imo great for practicing due to when u play em the rank increases slowly (more enimies onscreen/game speeds up), due to this they have great learning curves and before long u will be playing at a speed u never thought u could. And when u return to a normal shooter it will seem like playing in slowmo.

rRootage is expecially good if u want improve in bullet hell boss fights with different modes copied from 3 of the best shooters, the others just get more and more manic but they are all great for scoring. Btw does any1 know of any other shmups which have the same rank style gameplay? as im looking to replace reincarnation with a better title.

Oh btw Blue wish resurrection and Blue wish resurrection plus are great freeware shooters in the style of cave which many shmup noobs including meself play to improove our game (atm im getting my arse kicked trying to no miss/no bomb lv2 in BWR )

For more PC titles goto the shoot the core website, I would be happy if u told me what u think off the games (if u play em) and if they do indeed improove ur game compaired to a normal shooter (they sure do for me)

[TrevHead (TVR)]

I havnt bought shmups thru the internet but ive seen ppl post in this forum saying that many of the prices for shmups off ebay are overpriced so u could try other sources if possible b4 resorting to ebay. (dunno where tho )

[bucklemyshoe]

If you're new to the genre the most economical way to go about finding what you like is:

A) Mame or B) buy a ps2 and swap magic. This will let you play burned PS1 and PS2 games. You can find out which ones you really like and buy those specific titles.

I would avoid ebay unless you have tons of cash to spend.

For new or still in print games, Play-Asia (affiliate linked) is a very reliable and wonderful source. You may also check out ncsx.com which is located in america but prices are often significantly higher.

For out of print games, the trade section on this forum is pretty much your best bet. A few things can be picked up off amazon.com for fairly cheap.

[Galactik]

Managed to find a copy of Castle of Shikigami 2 on ebay last night for $15 canadian, so I guess I am taking the first step in tracking down some of the games you guys were nice enough to recommend. I guess I will just keep hunting ebay for the rest of the games and hope to find some on the cheap.

thank you again for all the responses, I greatly appreciate them and look forward to really digging deep into this amazing genre.

[bucklemyshoe]

Managed to find a copy of Castle of Shikigami 2 on ebay last night for $15 canadian, so I guess I am taking the first step in tracking down some of the games you guys were nice enough to recommend. I guess I will just keep hunting ebay for the rest of the games and hope to find some on the cheap.

thank you again for all the responses, I greatly appreciate them and look forward to really digging deep into this amazing genre.

try here http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... 988&sr=8-2

BTW you should really take the PS2 swap magic route. Missing out on the Cave shooters is pretty much missing out on some of the best the genre has to offer.