Shmups With Split Control

[mjclark]

Are there any shmups that give the option of Players 1 and 2 both controlling the same single ship (so one player manouevres and the other fires)?
This is the opposite of the Raiden III dual control option where two ships are controlled by a single player and it could be fun,eh?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Are there any shmups that give the option of Players 1 and 2 both controlling the same single ship (so one player manouevres and the other fires)?
This is the opposite of the Raiden III dual control option where two ships are controlled by a single player and it could be fun,eh?

Every emulator worth its salt can be configured along those lines. Just map the movement onto a joypad/stick and the rest onto a keyboard (or another controller) and you're good to go. Actually a keyboard alone should be enough for two.
For instance, if you are introducing someone to shmups via co-op, you can let them use your bombs.

[Herr Schatten]

Katakis (C64) has something very similar. It has a mode where one player controls the main ship, the other one controls the force orb.
Apidya also has a 2P mode where the second player controls the little option bee.

Not exactly what you had in mind, but close.

[Shatterhand]

At least with Apidya the 2nd player does something besides pressing the fire button, and IIRC, it can't die.

It's a good way to introduce someone to shmups.


Playing like mjclark is suggesting gotta be extremely boring for the 2nd player... all you do is to press a button?

[CptRansom]

Robotron has one player moving while the other player fires when you play co-op over Xbox Live, IIRC.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

something like treasure's s&p2's 2 player mode (or anything that takes the dodging away just leaving them the shooting part) could be really good for the noobs if applyed to a 2d bullet hell, Atleast they will expeirence the game bwtter then dieing every 5 seconds. Plus itll help them get used to the bullets and their speed without feeling overwhelmed.

[BulletMagnet]

Both player ships can combine into one in Dogyuun, but if memory serves only the first player actually controls anything from there.

[Dave_K.]

Shmups where both P1 and P2 ships can "dock" to form one combined player:

Dogyuun
Lightning Fighters / Trigon
War of Aero

[spadgy]

Both player ships can combine into one in Dogyuun, but if memory serves only the first player actually controls anything from there.

I've had a good go at playing this in a double play context, but it doesn't work too well.

[yosai]

Slightly different type of game but Sin & Punishment has a 2P Co op mode. 1P controls movement and 2P controls the shooting.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Twin sticks shooters (such as Guroar in one of its modes, or Apocalypse starring Bruce Willis) should be playable in co-op if you tweak the controls somehow.
I still think that actually helpful way of comnig around it would be playing, say Raiden III in co-op (because, you know, it's a fun game in co-op), with the less experienced person triggering your bombs as well as theirs. This way your partner would have at least twice as much bombs handy and wouldn't need to pick up any of them.
(Raiden III on a PC, that is.)

[PC Engine Fan X!]

In the 1986 PCB release of Capcom's Hyper Dyne Sidearms, if you play a dual player session, it's possible to pick up the "Alpha Beta" icon and combine both mecha suits into one allowing player 1 to move while player 2 operates the secondary weaponry. There are two different combined mecha suits worth playing to see which suit to your tastes for certain portions of the game. Both SA and SA-Special on the PC Engine only featured just one combined mecha suit to play with (due to memory limitations console-wise).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[lewisit]

Strike Gunner S.T.G. has a "COMBINE" ATTACK


Either player can hit his "COMBINE" button.

Both ship will merge together.

"LEAD" ship has control of movement and special weapon.

Second ship will add extra fire power by using his "FIRE" button and joystick for aimming [360°].

[Koa Zo]

Not a traditional shmup, but Soul Star for MegaCD allows for co-op. iirc Player one flies and shoots, while player 2 controls the special weapon inventory and sheild/thruster energy.


Blasteroids has a neat co-op mechanic.
When one player is in largest ship form and the other is smallest ship, the two can dock.
Both players can still rotate and attack, while only the larger ship has thruster control. The smaller ship acts as a quick response mounted turret.

[Ixmucane2]

In the 1986 PCB release of Capcom's Hyper Dyne Sidearms, if you play a dual player session, it's possible to pick up the "Alpha Beta" icon and combine both mecha suits into one allowing player 1 to move while player 2 operates the secondary weaponry.

Tyrian has a two-player arcade mode that works like this, except that the ships combine by moving close to each other.

[Shocky]

The MSX version of Salamander has a special item called UNION appearing at certain points in two player simultaneous play. Getting the item allows the ships to merge into one bigger ship. One player becomes PILOT (control) and the other Co.PILOT (firing and selecting weapons). And it goes beyond that, certain special weapons can only be acquired in this mode (Twin and Triple shots, and something called the Arming Ball, which no-one apparently has ever been able to activate because the UNION item only lasts for a while and there aren't enough power ups around to reach the Arming Ball. Some people claim to have seen it somehow (with a cheat?) but no screen captures can be found.. that damn weapon is like a Holy Grail of shmups!)

Stop press: Found some image in a Korean site which apparently shows the Arming Ball in action, but no explanation of how they did it (probably a cheat or mem hack, because the item's slot should be disabled in the power-up bar, but is not..): http://pds6.egloos.com/pds/200807/28/70 ... 82d103.png