Recommend good shmups for Wii?

[MyGameCompany]

I just got a Wii for Christmas, and I'm looking for some good shmups. I didn't see any at my local store. Are there any shmups for the Wii?

[brentsg]

I just got a Wii for Christmas, and I'm looking for some good shmups. I didn't see any at my local store. Are there any shmups for the Wii?

There's an import Milestone collection that is ok.

Best to check for some virtual console games to download. Also best to get used to not seeing any interesting Wii software in the store.

[Xexyz]

That import Milestone collection is called Milestone Shooting Collection in North America. Castle of Shikigami was also localized. There's quite a few good shooters for the VC, but I don't know what to recommend if you own some of the games and their consoles.

[kengou]

Milestone Shooting Collection, Castle Shikigami III, and Blast Works are the only ones that come to mind. The VC has a ton more, though, and Wiiware also has Gradius Rebirth which is excellent, as well as the new Star Soldier, which I haven't tried but ought to be good.

And don't forget the back catalog of Gamecube shmups, most notably Ikaruga.

[Mad Mage]

I thought the "Milestone Shooting Collection" is called "Ultimate Shooting Collection" in North America.

Must be an ironic title.

[MyGameCompany]

Best to check for some virtual console games to download. Also best to get used to not seeing any interesting Wii software in the store.

That's discouraging to hear.

I'll check out those Wiiware games, thanks everyone.

Most of my gaming experience has been on Windows, Mac, and Linux. I'm not too familiar with consoles. So forgive me for my newbie question, but what are virtual console games, and how do I go about finding them and running them?

[Nico87]

Basically, you buy and download old games for old systems, on your Wii. All you need is internet access to your Wii and a Nintendo Classic Controller (which you need to buy seperately). Most games work fine with the Gamecube controller aswell, though, if you have one of those.

Anyway, I can recommend;

Dragon Spirit
Star Soldier
R-Type
Zanac
Axelay
Soldier Blade
Lords of Thunder
Gradius Rebirth
Star Soldier R

That's all I can think of at the top of my head.

Also, check out Ikaruga and Radilgy GeneriC for the Gamecube.

PS! There's a shitload of great Virtual Console games out there, not just shmups. Everything from Super Mario Bros for the NES to Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the N64. Check http://vc.nintendolife.com/games for a complete list of Virtual Console games available at the moment.

[MathU]

Uh, why not get Ultimate Shooting Collection if you're interested in Radirgy? You're missing manpuku mode (and the cool Gamecube remixes), but otherwise the Collection version is a better port.

[Nico87]

True, but I'm not a fan of compilations.

[Van_Artic]

Milestone also confirmed Radilgy Noa to be ported for wii in February

[MyGameCompany]

Thanks, Nico87! I didn't even know the Wii had such a thing! And thanks for the link, there was a page there that explained the VC pretty well. I'll have to read up on connecting my Wii to the Internet so I can check out these games.

And thanks for the recommendations everybody! As soon as I'm connected, I'll try a few of them.

[brentsg]

The biggest problem with the VC, and the reason I finally gave up.. The Wii's internal memory is too small and moving content on/off flash cards is like watching paint dry. I seriously have no idea how they got it to be so slow.

[Bikeage]

Transferring games to a SD card is simple and does not take long at all.

R-Type
MUSHA
Soldier Blade
Star Soldier R
Star Parodier
Gradius II
Gradius ReBirth

Are just a few of great shumps available.... along with a bunch of mediocre ones that are fun too.

[neojma]

The biggest problem with the VC, and the reason I finally gave up.. The Wii's internal memory is too small and moving content on/off flash cards is like watching paint dry. I seriously have no idea how they got it to be so slow.

You can store VC games directly on SD cards and play it right off the SC card. Only has a small load at the start of the game, nothing bad really. This was added in a Wii system update long ago (maybe 2008, no later than early 2009).

[cj iwakura]

As a bonus, Shiki 3 won't run more than $10 at any gamestop new, if you can find it.

[t0yrobo]

The biggest problem with the VC, and the reason I finally gave up.. The Wii's internal memory is too small and moving content on/off flash cards is like watching paint dry. I seriously have no idea how they got it to be so slow.

You can store VC games directly on SD cards and play it right off the SC card. Only has a small load at the start of the game, nothing bad really. This was added in a Wii system update long ago (maybe 2008, no later than early 2009).

This. My biggest problem will downloadable games on Wii is the lack of demos, but that's only a issue with WiiWare games. Of course they're pretty darn easy to get illicitly if you aren't bothered by that.

[FRO]

Yeah, the Milestone/Ultimate collection isn't bad. I picked that one up immediately, though I haven't played it much. I have yet to see a Shiki 3 game anywhere on the shelf...

[brentsg]

The biggest problem with the VC, and the reason I finally gave up.. The Wii's internal memory is too small and moving content on/off flash cards is like watching paint dry. I seriously have no idea how they got it to be so slow.

You can store VC games directly on SD cards and play it right off the SC card. Only has a small load at the start of the game, nothing bad really. This was added in a Wii system update long ago (maybe 2008, no later than early 2009).

Good to know, thanks.

I gave up before this came out.

[BrianC]

This. My biggest problem will downloadable games on Wii is the lack of demos, but that's only a issue with WiiWare games. Of course they're pretty darn easy to get illicitly if you aren't bothered by that.

They finally started putting up demos for some WiiWare games.

[MyGameCompany]

The biggest problem with the VC, and the reason I finally gave up.. The Wii's internal memory is too small and moving content on/off flash cards is like watching paint dry. I seriously have no idea how they got it to be so slow.

You can store VC games directly on SD cards and play it right off the SC card. Only has a small load at the start of the game, nothing bad really. This was added in a Wii system update long ago (maybe 2008, no later than early 2009).

Good to know, thanks.

I gave up before this came out.

Ditto! Thanks for posting this. I'm glad I saw it before I started trying to use the VC. It probably saved me a lot of frustration!

[PC Engine Fan X!]

If you can find a Hori produced "Wii Fighting Stick"...it is much better to play both arcade shmup-style games + fighting games (i.e. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus) rather than using the regular Wii Remote controller.

I've been told that the Wii FS arcade joystick controller is notoriously HTF nowdays since Hori USA didn't distribute very many of them Stateside.

If you look inside the bargin games bin at your local Best Buy store, you might get lucky to find a brand new and sealed copy of Wii Blast Works shmup title for a mere $14.99 USD. I just did recently about a week or so ago.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[chempop]

Whoa, I didn't know about Blast Works but after watching a video I'm definitely going to hunt a copy down. Looks really fantastic, thanks guys.

[guigui]

In the same position as yours, I first bought Ikaruga, definitely the best on the system.

You should also try those Sin & Punishment stuffs : first episode on the N64 virtual console, second episode as a regular wii game, a real blast !

[clp]

True, but I'm not a fan of compilations.

sorry i dont understand this? your not a fan of getting 3 games for the price of 1?

[guigui]

True, but I'm not a fan of compilations.

sorry i dont understand this? your not a fan of getting 3 games for the price of 1?

I'm not a fan either. Game each game in its own bow is cool too, kind of collector behavior though.

[ubersaurus]

If you can find a Hori produced "Wii Fighting Stick"...it is much better to play both arcade shmup-style games + fighting games (i.e. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus) rather than using the regular Wii Remote controller.

I've been told that the Wii FS arcade joystick controller is notoriously HTF nowdays since Hori USA didn't distribute very many of them Stateside.

If you look inside the bargin games bin at your local Best Buy store, you might get lucky to find a brand new and sealed copy of Wii Blast Works shmup title for a mere $14.99 USD. I just did recently about a week or so ago.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

You may also want to look into the upcoming MadCatz Tatsunoko vs. Capcom stick. I imagine if it is anything like the 360 and PS3 ones, you can just swap the parts out for Sanwa (or Seimitsu) ones pretty easy. The Hori stick will probably cost you less out of the box, though, and is still a pretty nice piece of equipment...if only it would work with Star Soldier R!

[MrPopo]

If you can find a Hori produced "Wii Fighting Stick"...it is much better to play both arcade shmup-style games + fighting games (i.e. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus) rather than using the regular Wii Remote controller.

I've been told that the Wii FS arcade joystick controller is notoriously HTF nowdays since Hori USA didn't distribute very many of them Stateside.

If you look inside the bargin games bin at your local Best Buy store, you might get lucky to find a brand new and sealed copy of Wii Blast Works shmup title for a mere $14.99 USD. I just did recently about a week or so ago.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

You may also want to look into the upcoming MadCatz Tatsunoko vs. Capcom stick. I imagine if it is anything like the 360 and PS3 ones, you can just swap the parts out for Sanwa (or Seimitsu) ones pretty easy. The Hori stick will probably cost you less out of the box, though, and is still a pretty nice piece of equipment...if only it would work with Star Soldier R!

It looks like the TvC stick will also feature the same left stick toggle that they have on the PS3 one, that lets you use the stick as an analog stick or the d-pad. I know certain games don't work with the Hori stick because they are controlled using one and the Hori maps to the other (I can't remember which it is at the moment).

[evil_ash_xero]

Castle Shikigami III isn't bad at all.

For the VC, there is

R-Type III
M.U.S.H.A.
Gate Of Thunder
Gleylancer
Gradius II
Soldier Blade

[MyGameCompany]

Thanks for all the suggestions! There are some great-looking games there. I'll just have to pick a couple and try them out.

I got a copy of Super Mario Bros Wii along with my console, and I've been trying to play it with the standard remote. It's not too bad, but I don't really like the way it feels in my hands. The main problem is the buttons aren't in the best locations. I imagine I will probably have similar struggles with shmups, so I think I'll take a trip to Best Buy today and see if I can find a decent controller. I think I remember seeing some kind of joystick or gamepad device in early December. That will probably work better.

[ubersaurus]

I've picked up my Tatsunoko vs. Capcom stick, and can give some impressions of the thing:

First off, it does indeed work on Star Soldier R, since you can flip the joystick input to either analog stick or the d-pad from a classic controller. I was doing pretty well with it, actually...way better than I ever have with a pad!

As far as the buttons and stick themselves go, they are extremely similar in feel to Sanwa parts. Word is that they use similar microswitches, but a different board or whatever for the stick? I've heard online that they are similarly easy to mod with Sanwa/Seimitsu parts as the SF4 sticks for 360 and PS3 are, if you want to go that route, but the default parts are good enough that I am personally in no rush.

Like the SF4 TE sticks, there is a built in turbo function that can be disabled by flipping a switch on the front - this also disables the home button. + and - are on the "rear" of the stick if you consider the front to be the side facing your torso. The stick also has some good weight to it, which keeps it from moving around, and has a nice matte finish for the art surface that is resistant to getting marked up.

In short, yeah, it's worth the 80 bucks. The Wii Hori is good, but this thing pretty much surpasses it entirely. Great for shooters, fighters, and 2d games in general.