Looking for this 'copter shmup game

[Wayward]

Came across this 'copter shmup in a Singapore airport like in late 1998/early 1999 where one of the characters, a short cropped hair anime girl with, um, a bare backside. Anyone here know what game that is?

Or at least list down copter/chopper shmups that came out around the 1990's?

[ctk]

Only Zero Gunner comes to mind right now.

[Zweihander]

Only Zero Gunner comes to mind right now.

But Zero Gunner didn't have animu girls, I don't think?

[dpful]

Doesn't gunbird (or 2?) have a helicopter and a girl with short shorts showing off her bum?

[Zweihander]

OP, was this 2D or 3D? Guessing 2D, and Gunbird 2 sounds like the likely suspect, but any more info would help narrow it down. Did it have many characters to choose from? Was there a witch with a rabbit, perhaps?

[Rob]

Gekirindan. Your green-haired babe has arrived.

[spadgy]

Looks like that's your answer! How is Gekirindan? Is it underrated, or actually less than brilliant?

[BIL]

It's okay, but nothing brilliant. Taito's own Rayforce is far better.

[spadgy]

Actually - I have it On Taito Legends 2 - I'll check it out sometime soon...

[Zweihander]

Actually - I have it On Taito Legends 2 - I'll check it out sometime soon...

It's a fun little shmup. I went into it not really knowing what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. I recall it feeling longer than the usual shmup... but maybe because I died so much on the later stages.

[FIL]

I have a lot of time for Gekirindan, even if it isn't stellar. Loads of Toaplan references in it too.

[toaplan_shmupfan]

Even though Gekrinidan is a Taito shmup... here are some of the immediately obvious Toaplan references:

Choice A is a space ship having a blue shot that gets wider as it is powered up. After collecting the C (change) power up that changes to a lock-on homing laser very much like in Truxton (and then collecting another C power up changes back to the blue shot again). The bombs also have a large skull in the middle of the explosion.

Choice B is a helicopter with straight firing shots but also with fixed side pods that also fire straight shots. After collecting the C power up, the fixed side pods are no longer fixed to the sides of the helicopter and move based on how the helicopter is moved (and then collecting another C powerup makes the side pods fixed again). The bomb doesn't have anything else special that I can tell, it's just a large explosion but is supposed to resemble the helicopter bomb from games like Tiger-Heli or Twin Cobra.

Choice C is an airplane with a wide angled shot. Collecting the C powerup changes to a red fire shot that is slower and has a form very similar to the green weapon in Fire Shark. (Collecting another C powerup changes back to the wide angled shot). Again, the bomb doesn't have anything else special that I can determine, it's still just a large explosion but is supposed to resemble the airplane bomb from games like Sky Shark or Fire Shark.

Gekirindan is actually quite playable, but it's sort of a claustrophobic for a vertical shooter. What I mean is that several ground enemies such as tanks and turrets take lots of shots to destroy, so they will get within very close proximity to fire off a quick shot before they are finally destroyed. Some of the midbosses get very close too, so while their patterns are not all that difficult, they are firing their shot patterns very close with very little room to dodge shots. The game also uses immediate respawn rather than checkpoints--depending on where one got hit this can be an advantage or make things worse than if checkpoints were used. The game also supports two player simultaneous play.

At the present time, I can only get as far as Stage 3 on a single credit.

[spadgy]

Wow – there's a lot in there.

So – Wayward – was this the game you were thinking of?

[emphatic]

That "C" icon sounds a lot like Out Zone as well, another stellar Toaplan game.

[toaplan_shmupfan]

This game is really almost like a Toaplan tribute. The more I play it, the more I see.

* The "C" icon is indeed seen in OutZone for Change, they use "P" for Powerup, and "B" for Bomb.
* In addition to what I mentioned above, the Napalm powerup shoots out skulls that can take out both air and ground targets.
* Shooting the tanks causes the turrets only to get destroyed and it takes additional shots to destroy the rest of the tank that is still moving without the turret--very much like Sky Shark's tanks.
* Decided to credit feed to Stage 4 and there is a section where tiles drop out from the bottom before the level speeds up... very M.U.S.H.A like (wasn't Toaplan the original developer of M.U.S.H.A.)?

There's probably more too, but since Taito licensed/distributed many of Toaplan's games (either singly or in combination with another company such as Romstar), all of this makes sense but is also surprising in a good way to see it all done in the same game.

[ROBOTRON]

Choplifter

[gameoverDude]

Toaplan just published MUSHA in its Japanese release Musha Aleste - Fullmetal Fighter Ellinor. Compile was actually the developer.

This game is really almost like a Toaplan tribute. The more I play it, the more I see.

* Decided to credit feed to Stage 4 and there is a section where tiles drop out from the bottom before the level speeds up... very M.U.S.H.A like (wasn't Toaplan the original developer of M.U.S.H.A.)?

[Mortificator]

Geki's producer, Lee Ota, was an ex-Toaplan employee. Maybe the game's kind of a salute to his old workplace... or maybe he was just going with what he knows.

[lgb]

iirc gekirindan was supposed to be a parody on toaplan games in general

[Wayward]

I never thought you guys would reply.

Yes, it's 2D.

Gekirindan. Your green-haired babe has arrived.

Sorta like that. I do recall the vertical screen split intros two characters, one male, one female, side by side and the female wears pants.
Assless. Chap. Pants.

Not skirts.

Really. Bare Ass. Pants.

[BulletMagnet]

Sorta like that. I do recall the vertical screen split intros two characters, one male, one female, side by side and the female wears pants.
Assless. Chap. Pants.

Not skirts.

Really. Bare Ass. Pants.

That sounds more like Steam Hearts, though IIRC that didn't have helicopters, or an arcade release for that matter.

[BIL]

One of those "iya, dame, yamete" type girls, if you catch my drift. ("No, don't, please stop," etc.)

Oh, man. Just the pick for a quality HG101 shooter article.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Anyone?
(I know how old this thread is.) Maybe the shmup in discussion wasn't really a vertical scroller?

[lgb]

Wayward hasn't been here in months.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I am still curious, though.