Why Shmups?

PFG 9000 · Post by **PFG 9000** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:39 pm

Alske wrote:Why walk a mile when you can run four?

Awesome quote!

I play shooters because, well, I'm addicted. But I started out because of the strange sort of "beauty" that I see in dodging insane amounts of bullets. It wasn't until I first got into that whole Zen-like state playing Gradius 3 SNES and Raiden Jaguar that I truly appreciated shooters as a genre.

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:45 pm

Basically, from everyone's responses here - you guys should all be playing DDR. It basically has everything that is being praised in this thread.

Minus "huge eplosions" of course.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:51 pm

Andi wrote:Basically, from everyone's responses here - you guys should all be playing DDR. It basically has everything that is being praised in this thread.

I play DDR.

I'm as bad as it as I am at shmups, but hey.

uwfan · Post by **uwfan** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 6:58 pm

gameplay.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:05 pm

These answers about gameplay might seem cryptic, but when you (original poster) say you can get gameplay elsewhere, I think you miss what everyone else is getting at.

Many types of games have 'gameplay' but you spend a lot of time doing oher things than being involved in the action. GTA is very obvious for this since you may spend a lot of time just holding down the analog stick in one direction. Even in more classic games (like platformers) you may not be engaged in action 100% of the time.

In shmups, you are more or less 100% of time engage in gameplay except between levels. It is pure visceral experience like doing some kind of obstical course at high speed. None of the 'getting to the obstical course' or leveling up so you'll do better at the obstical course next time. This is one of the last pure forms of gaming left, and I think that is why it still has so much appeal.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:22 pm

CMoon wrote:These answers about gameplay might seem cryptic, but when you (original poster) say you can get gameplay elsewhere, I think you miss what everyone else is getting at.

Many types of games have 'gameplay' but you spend a lot of time doing oher things than being involved in the action. GTA is very obvious for this since you may spend a lot of time just holding down the analog stick in one direction. Even in more classic games (like platformers) you may not be engaged in action 100% of the time.

In shmups, you are more or less 100% of time engage in gameplay except between levels. It is pure visceral experience like doing some kind of obstical course at high speed. None of the 'getting to the obstical course' or leveling up so you'll do better at the obstical course next time. This is one of the last pure forms of gaming left, and I think that is why it still has so much appeal.

You've put your finger on it. One of the main reasons I love shmups, and puzzle games too for that matter, is that the action is constant and high-throttle. I spend enough of my life driving a car, doing boring tasks--- when it's time to play I don't want to waste time; I just want to get to the action. For that reason lately I've been switching to Extreme in SnS II or just play practice of later levels. I can't be bothered by the slower, earlier levels.

Blade · Post by **Blade** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 2:57 am

My reason for liking Shmups...well

I like Potatoes. And chocolate milk.

No, wait, that's not it! I like it because it's one of the rare instances where skill and practice is a necessity to play the game.

Alske · Post by **Alske** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 3:07 am

I love DDR more than DOJ. I think that rythm games are very similar to shooters. They both require absolute concentration and a lot of practice. Both also bestow a great sense of accomplishment when you do something great. Beating the end guard of Gigawing 2 and passing MaxX Unlimited evoke similar a feeling of accomplishment in me.

Darkcomet72 · Post by **Darkcomet72** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 4:17 am

It's not because they're nostalgic, that I was brought up by them that I like them,

It's not because they're easy to get into because I don't have the patience to play another game,

It's not because it's the purest form of gameplay, because all actions seem perfect,

It's not even because they provide a greater challenge than other games, that I have to dedicate myself to them to get better,

It's because they're DAMN fun.

(Holy smokes.... I said the D word)

R9 · Post by R9 » Sun Jul 24, 2005 11:07 am

Cheers folks, what a response. I suppose i was just wondering what others thought about this forgotten genre. Just good to see that its still alive and still popular.

howmuchkeefe · Post by **howmuchkeefe** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 9:52 pm

...because who'd want to buy an unopened copy of a 1998 platform game for $4 when they could buy a well-used copy of Einhander for $40?

dai jou bu · Post by **dai jou bu** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:29 pm

They're pretty simple to make, and yet can be brutally difficult to play through. After the gameplay is done, you can then spend as much time as you want making it as pretty as possible.

I mean, look at Psyvariar 2 and Rayforce.

gs68 · Post by **gs68** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 8:52 am

GIANT SQUID wrote:in 10 years, no one will play GTA san andreas. no one will play god of war. no one will play world of warcraft. but they will still play r-type.

I'm pretty sure the same people who play GTA:SA and other new-school games will be cherishing them more in, say, 10 years, while they diss on "newfangled" games that are released in that era.

When the NES came out, I'm pretty sure there were some people who called it a gimmicky system, but now it's a classic system. When the N64 came out, people also saw it as a gimmick, but now it's reaching the status that 8-bit consoles have.