Are there ANY retail shmups for the DS available stateside?

[Mischief Maker]

So putting aside Ketsui Death Label, which is unaffordable for me, are there ANY shmups for the DS? The closest I've been able to come is Bangai-O Spirits, but that's more of an arena shooter than a shmup.

[jonny5]

nanostray 1 and 2..

[brentsg]

Both are meh imo...

[jonny5]

Both are meh imo...

my opinion also....im thinking there are more too but nothing really any good....

[linko9]

Space Invaders Extreme 1 and 2. Not exactly traditional shmups, but they're very fun.

[BrightSuzaku]

Konami Classic Series: Arcade Hits has Gradius, Contra, and Time Pilot, among other things.

And that's all I can think of. :/

EDIT: the run n' gun game, Metal Slug 7 is available, too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Slug_7

Not quuuite a shmup. YES, I'm trolling Wikipedia's lists for DS shmups.

[kengou]

Big Bang Mini is U.S. local. That one's unique and very fun!

[BrightSuzaku]

AH! I forgot about Big Bang Mini!

It's Japan-only, and DSiware, but there's Aa Mujyou Setsuna: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/dsiware/k59j/index.html

I want it to come to America, personally. :3 Of course, that game isn't retail, nor is it stateside... XD

[ASK]

EDIT: the run n' gun game, Metal Slug 7 is available, too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Slug_7

Such a bastardized version of Metal Slug with its sprite scaling/rotating, it just looks like absolute garbage when you consider the legacy.



The sprites just look like someone used the MS Paint spray tool on them.

[MathU]

Good thing Metal Slug is all about awesome gameplay, then. Metal Slug 7 is the best one since 3. The screenshots make the graphics look pretty bad, but I found that I hardly noticed it after about 10 minutes of playing the actual game. They're not a problem.

[Mischief Maker]

Well let me hijack my own thread then.

World of Stuart says that Metal Slug 7 is the best of the series because of the "metagame" which I interpret as the scoring system. He posted all over Eurogamer that his review was the definitive MS7 review, but that it's only for paying subscribers. I tried subscribing and he refused to give me access because I hadn't made 20 posts to his forum or some such silliness.

Could someone here explain what's so freaking amazing about Metal Slug 7's "metagame" that makes it the best of the series?

[ASK]

Good thing Metal Slug is all about awesome gameplay, then.

Good thing then that they didn't go through all the effort of hand detailing all of their sprites and backgrounds, pushing an iconic art style that has been imitated countless times.

Zzzzzz.

[Enhasa]

World of Stuart says that Metal Slug 7 is the best of the series because of the "metagame" which I interpret as the scoring system. He posted all over Eurogamer that his review was the definitive MS7 review, but that it's only for paying subscribers. I tried subscribing and he refused to give me access because I hadn't made 20 posts to his forum or some such silliness.

Could someone here explain what's so freaking amazing about Metal Slug 7's "metagame" that makes it the best of the series?

Who would want to read, let alone pay, for a review by some asshat who doesn't even know what the word "metagame" means?

Oh I see, the metagame is trying to swindle as much money out of people as you can with a "professional games journalist" Metal Slug 7 review.

[MathU]

Could someone here explain what's so freaking amazing about Metal Slug 7's "metagame" that makes it the best of the series?

I don't know what that clown is trying to say, but I think 7 is fantastic because it took the refreshing new mechanics (character-specific attributes, weapon management, and a meaningful scoring system) of 6 and adds a lot more content and some truly excellent bosses. The scoring system may be slightly simplistic, but it really adds a lot more replayability to the game. Plus, it's portable. I'm not sure it's the best in the series (though I will admit that by now I've probably spent more time on it than any other entry in the series--and I've single-credit cleared several), but I think it's without a doubt the best since 3.

[neojma]

Speaking of MS7, there's a decent Metal Slug clone called Commando: Steel Disaster available in the US. MS7 is better, but if you're into the run and gun sidescroller genre, it's there. Really hard game, graphics are nice. There's Contra 4 too, in that genre.

Glory Days 2 has a lot of shooter elements, really borrowing heavily from Choplifter. Helicopters and planes in a 2D scrolling (not forced) level. The style is really cool too, but the game kind of becomes a confusing mess with its goofy second screen jumping all over the place to show you where the action is (your main screen remains your plane/chopper). Later levels also integrate some realtime strategy elements controlling ground troops, which I don't like at all.

Geometry Wars Galaxies is an arena-shooter through and through, but I've heard it's very well done.

Oh, and Retro Game Challenge contains some retro shooter clones (Cosmic Gate is a Galaga clone, Star Prince is a Star Soldier knockoff) among its half-dozen or so games.

[boagman]

I'm not sure it's the best in the series (though I will admit that by now I've probably spent more time on it than any other entry in the series--and I've single-credit cleared several), but I think it's without a doubt the best since 3.

True, but you have to admit: that's hardly saying anything at *all*. Every game since 3 has been pretty cursed-of-God awful, with none worse than the unmitigated *disaster* that is 4. What's really crazy is, back when X was brand new, I was absolutely positive that X would forever be viewed as the worst "game" in the series...never in my wildest dreams would it find its way to the middle of the pack as it has, but that's *only* because 4-6 were so gallingly terrible.

That being said, I really am enjoying 7, especially for the $5 I paid for it new. I like it better than Contra 4, but they really do play differently, even if they are similar in genre. 7's graphics are a bit washed out due to the resolution allowed by the DS, but I'm not really put off by it all that much. In fact, I think that with the release of XX on the PSP, it will only make it look that much better.

I guess I'm just a sucker for bringing the series back to where it never should have left in the first place. You want your fancy-schmancy scoring multiplying system? Have at it...I couldn't care less, really. If the gameplay's back to being spot-on in terms of control and what-not, and they're throwing out all the absolute BS that made 4-6 so unbelievably wretched, then I'm the first to praise SNK for being able to take their lumps and give the true player fan base what it's so desperately been craving for several years now.

I don't know that I can say that 7 is better than 1, 2, 3, or even X (the worst of those four), but they've made giant strides in getting back to basic, solid, fun gameplay, and that's what I'm all about.

[Mortificator]

I mostly agree with MathU, though I'd say Metal Slug 7 is the best since Metal Slug X. SNK threw a lot of crazy creative stuff in 3, but I don't think the game is actually much fun to play.

I'd probably like Contra 4 better than Metal Slug 7 if it got a Wiiware port or something and could be played without the screen gap.

[Enhasa]

boagman: Hmm, I thought most people considered X to be better than 2 (similar to Raiden 2 and DX I suppose). My favorites are X and 3, although 1 is right up there.

[boagman]

boagman: Hmm, I thought most people considered X to be better than 2 (similar to Raiden 2 and DX I suppose). My favorites are X and 3, although 1 is right up there.

There is no world, either this one or any in parallel to this one, where I'd consider X to be superior to 2. None. Two was masterful...X was a leech suckling off of 2's teat. Still, that being said, when compared to 4-6, X comes off smelling like a rose.

[Elixir]

Two was masterful...X was a leech suckling off of 2's teat.

X was a remake of 2.

1 > 3 > 6 > X > 2 > 5 > 4

I don't count 7, since it isn't on a real console yet. Still waiting for the XBLA port whenever that is,

[nem]

X was a remake of 2.

The only good thing they did to that game was reducing the slowdown. Apart from that, it's like the bastard step brother to 2.

[Enhasa]

I find the slowdown reduction to be absolutely critical.

Of course, you can overclock 2 in MAME. It's probably the game with the single most improvement this way.

[EricDaNerd]

Star Prince on the Retro Game Challenge cart for the DS is very very fun. It's a game I keep coming back to time and time again. I wish it was a stand alone cart. The japan sequel to RGC apparently has a score attack version. I pray it comes to the US but I don't see it happening.

[professor ganson]

Get Nanostray 2. Best shmup on the system, imho. Not as good as Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, but definitely worth every cent.

[lgb]

Space Invaders Extreme 1 and 2 are not exactly traditional shmups

I cannot comprehend this statement

[linko9]

Alright, I guess in one sense of the word traditional, they're more traditional than most stuff out there, but they're certainly quite different from most shmups released in the last ten years or so; I was just warning that if you're looking for a cave/raizing/psykyo/irem/seibu/etc. type of shmup, these two games won't fit into any of those categories.

[dieKatze88]

Alright, I guess in one sense of the word traditional, they're more traditional than most stuff out there, but they're certainly quite different from most shmups released in the last ten years or so; I was just warning that if you're looking for a cave/raizing/psykyo/irem/seibu/etc. type of shmup, these two games won't fit into any of those categories.

Considering the original Space Invaders, you know, invented the Genre, I would be willing to say that of any shmup on the DS right now, Space Invaders Extreme is as close to traditional as you can POSSIBLY get.

[linko9]

This is sort of a stupid discussion, I think we all know that space invaders was one of the first shmups, but it would be foolish to argue that it represents a prototypical shmup as the genre is defined today. That was the point of original post. Furthermore, the SEX (great acronym, no?) games are not structured like most shmups, with one "mission" broken up into stages; rather, the structure is more like a puzzle game's, with a greater number of short stages and various modes. But lest this fact gets lost in this discussion; the games are very fun, and if you like shmups, you'll almost certainly enjoy these ones. They're certainly my favorites on the system (though the only other ones I've played are Ketsui and Nanostray).

[iluvmonsterz]

i enjoyed both nanostrays for what they were(i have a total of ten dollars in both of my copies)...commando is a decent metal slug rip off(especially for 5 bucks). sadly i own MS7 but havent played it for more than 15 minutes sp my opinion on that is very limited. unfortunatly shmups are very few and far between on the ds. now if you like rpgs thats and entirely different story all together.