Best NES Shmups?

[captpain]

Abodox, even though it's nearly unplayable towards the end. I just love the atmosphere of the game.

Why is it unplayable towards the end?

[Kollision]

hehe
then I feel even better for clearing Abadox with only one life.

[captpain]

hehe
then I feel even better for clearing Abadox with only one life.

Yeah, I've come close to clearing it a few times just after very casual play. I wonder what he meant...

[Dragoforce]

Abodox, even though it's nearly unplayable towards the end. I just love the atmosphere of the game.

Why is it unplayable towards the end?

It scrolls the wrong way on the vertical stages, doesn't it? But that already starts at stage 2 I think.

[Cthulhu]

The Guardian Legend

Dear god, more people need to play this. *points at Avatar*

Also, I believe there's a Guardic Gaiden II out there somewhere.

TGL is amazing and is Compile's absolute masterpiece. But I don't really consider it a pure shooter.

Don't think there's a TGL2 though.

The Guardian Legend is actually kinda-sorta a sequel itself. The Japanese title for the game is Guardic Gaiden, and there was an MSX game called Guardic. It plays rather little like TGL though. There are some YouTube vids of it if you care:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR5icaCt ... re=related

(That's part 4 of the video series, some of the early parts didn't work for me for some reason.)

You'll recognize some of the music though!

[EricDaNerd]

SQOON!!!!!

I also dig on these:
Recca
Gradius 2
Gradius 1
Abadox
Sky Shark
Crisis Force

[Kollision]

Just taking advantage of this revamped thread, I'd like to ask the experts about a few presences in the NES Xenocide files.

There are two specific games in that list I'm very curious about:

1. Alpha Beta
2. Defender

Is this correct? Do these games exist for the Famicom/NES?
I never saw anything related or found anything about them anywhere...

[Sobek]

Big fan of Abadox and Life Force.


Thanks to the person who started the thread, because now I'm in the mood to play some Abadox!


Sqoon is also good (but weird).

[EricDaNerd]

Just taking advantage of this revamped thread, I'd like to ask the experts about a few presences in the NES Xenocide files.

There are two specific games in that list I'm very curious about:

1. Alpha Beta
2. Defender

Is this correct? Do these games exist for the Famicom/NES?
I never saw anything related or found anything about them anywhere...

Strange to see Defender on there because I always thought it didn't get a home console version back in the day. Would love to own it if it exist. But thanks for reminding me that I do have a copy of Star Gate(Defender II) .Really fun game that I haven't played in a good while. Think I'll fire up the old famicom and save some peeps.

[Koa Zo]

Strange to see Defender on there because I always thought it didn't get a home console version back in the day. Would love to own it if it exist. But thanks for reminding me that I do have a copy of Star Gate(Defender II) .Really fun game that I haven't played in a good while. Think I'll fire up the old famicom and save some peeps.

Defender had a really good port for the 5200.
I haven't played the NES version, but have seen that it exists.

[gs68]

Gradius 1 (ARC) -> Gradius 1 (FC/NES) is so jarring.
Gradius II (ARC) -> Gradius II (FC) on the other hand, is brilliant.

[KidQuaalude]

Its Defender II (aka Stargate) thats on NES. Pretty sure there isn't a version of Defender for NES/FC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCfNkVkCn9M

[`Throwdown]

Guardian Legend
Life Force
Tiger Heli <--- ftw

[BrianC]

The NES version of Stargate/Defender II is odd. It's missing features from the arcade version (no inviso and it may be missing the non-gate hyperspace, as well). The 2600 version is closer to the arcade (though requires two controllers for game play).

[ShmupSamurai]

Section Z

Gradius

Lifeforce

Recca

Legendary Wings

Guardian Legend

[indutrial]

Gradius 1 (ARC) -> Gradius 1 (FC/NES) is so jarring.
Gradius II (ARC) -> Gradius II (FC) on the other hand, is brilliant.

Being a huge fan of the series, I really wanted to like Gradius on the NES. Problem was I'd been playing the arcade version for years when I finally got the cartridge and everything just felt inferior. The lack of up-down scrolling in stages 2 and 3 makes the former stage really boring and the latter one way too constrictive.

I think the inverse was true for Life Force/Salamander. I grew up playing that game and the whole thing just flows nicer than its arcade counterparts (though I do like those). The latter scrolls like it's in a huge hurry to take your quarter and move you along. I also like the NES version's additions of the cave/temple stage, the skull boss, and the last boss battle (the arcade one was an innocuous Gradius last boss).

I've not played much of the Famicom Gradius II although it looks and sounds great for a 8-bit title. The unique music tracks on that version are just plain awesome. Do all the home versions let the player destroy the robot spider at the end, or is it just this one.

[antron]

Picked up Recca from nesreproductions.com and was blown away. I can't believe what they were able to do with the NES, simple tricks that come off so well. They didn't care how much it flickered, it just lets your eyes remember what is where.

[gs68]

I love how GII FC gives you a massive point bonus for killing the spider boss.

[Battlesmurf]

Well, Lifeforce is up there for sure. As for pure vertical- Recca is definitely one of the better ones- I really really love that game and wish more people would play it. They do some amazing stuff with the game.

Haha- I don't think we're really allowed to talk about reproductions and stuff though. It's tough sometimes.

[BrianC]

Uchuu Keibitai SDF is pretty damn impressive, too. And a bit tough and uncompromising too

Is this one even in the shmups database? I hardly hear it mentioned here. It looks interesting from what I have seen on youtube and it uses Nintendo's MMC5 chip.

I just got an AV Famicom recently and I plan to get some shmups for it. So far I only have Gradius II (I like it so far and it makes good use of Konami's VRC4 mapper). Is it worth getting the JP Dragon Spirit if I already have the US one? Videos of the two versions look pretty much the same, but the JP one uses a different mapper. I know that Salamander is better in subtle ways compared to the US version due to the different mapper (three options instead of two).

[PsychoGun]

Parodius Da is pretty impressive for a nes game, but it came out in europe and japan only.

[dpful]

Isn't there a code that let's guardian legend just be shmup levels?

[Ghegs]

Yes, yes there is.

Arcade Mode

All you have to do is enter the password TGL and then press END and you can play through the entire game skipping the walking portions. At the and of the round you are awarded power-ups to automatically advance to the next stage!