Poll, which STG sub genre is your favorite? PLEASE RE VOTE

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Im quite supprised this hasnt been asked before (atleast while ive been here)

For me personally, I prefer manics and bullet hell verts equally but i picked danmaku.

EDIT to clear any confusion up, Manics are saturn to modern era verts that share similarities with danmaku / bullet hells, except the number of bullet onscreen is lower. So Battle Garegga, Raiden 4, Rayforce are all manic imo (Just ignore Mars Matrix)

EDIT Other means any shooter sub genres that havnt a catagory ie tube and rail


20th JAN EDIT: Ive altered the poll here is the results from the old one, here is the results of the original poll:

Vert Manics, ie Raiden 3, Garegga (Forget about Mars Matrix) 13% [ 14 ] x
Vert Bullet Hell, ie Cave, Touhou 58% [ 61 ]
8/16 bit era Verts, ie Compile, Musha, Recca 3% [ 3 ]
Proto Shmups, ie Space Invaders, Galaga 1% [ 1 ]
Classic Horis, Gradius, ie R-type, Cotton 13% [ 14 ]
Bullet Hell Horizontals, ie Trouble Witches, Sora 2% [ 2 ]
Euro-Shmups, ie Soldner x2, Raptor, (XOP JK ) 1% [ 1 ]
Arena/ multi directionals, ie Geometry wars, Asteroids 2% [ 2 ]
Run and Gunners, ie Contra, MetalSlug 1% [ 1 ]
Other, ie tube and rail 7% [7]

PLEASE VOTE AGAIN I have removed Run and gunners (we only had 1 vote anyway) and replaced it with overhead multi directionals which usually dont have forced scrolling like Ikari Warriors and Twinkle Tail. Arena / multi directionals which (kinda) also covered Ikari Warriors just covers Arena or Twin Stick Shmups.

Also since the poll has been running for a couple of days we already have a good picture of this forums likes and dislikes thats why Ive altered from 1 vote to 2 so that way it should give us some intresting results, OFC bullet hell will have the most votes but this should allow other genres to get more. Im expecting to see vert manics and classic horis be high aswell.

[Sturmvogel Prime]

Well i selected "Other" since i like most STG genres.

BTW, Run N' Gun is a sub genre of the Action-Adventure Side-scrollers

[emphatic]

I voted Vert Bullet Hell because:
a) I prefer vertical shmups in General
b) the other poll options were weird*
c) it had CAVE in it

*Mars Matrix, a Vert Manic? Why not just create an option called Vertizontals with Aero Fighters 2, Mars Matrix and Fast Striker?

[Drachenherz]

I voted "CAVECAVECAVECAVECAVE", because since Espgaluda II for the iPad, I'm caves beeoatch... And it had "CAVE" in it.

On a serious note, I voted vertical Bullet Hell shmups, because I love the feeling that you got when you just dodged a bazilion bullets, all while getting close to those mofos before sending em to bullet heaven in order to get more points. And I love the psychedelic bullet patterns and - colours.

[Kollision]

It's unfair to choose just one.
It would be better to rank them, more or less like it's done in the annual Top 25 poll.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

*Mars Matrix, a Vert Manic? Why not just create an option called Vertizontals with Aero Fighters 2, Mars Matrix and Fast Striker?

Dunno if im correct (BM will know) but ive always thought of manics as been somewhere inbetween classic verts and danmaku, ie Rayforce, Battle Garega and Raiden 4 that were popular in the saturn and DC era just before bullet hells took off. Like bullet hells they have complex scoring systems, a small hitbox but tiny like bullet hell and compared to bullet hell / danmaku theres less bullets that usually move faster to make them hard to dodge. Personally I consider Mars matrix to be the limit in terms of bullets with anymore making it a bullet hell. Like Fast Striker isnt that a danmaku?

BTW the other catagory is ment to represent any other sub genre of shooters (exept FPS) like tube or rail.

Run and gunners could mean to some ppl side view like contra or overhead like mercs but I suppose arena and multidirectionals could be used for the same catagory or leave it for Other. I cant make anny more catagories anyway as 10 is the limit.

It's unfair to choose just one.
It would be better to rank them, more or less like it's done in the annual Top 25 poll.

Yea I was kinda thinking the same, but I personally cant be arsed running any poll I have to tally up myself. (Unless someone else wants to do it) However I could restart a new poll that gives voters 2 choices. I recon that would be a good compromise, if we run both in tandam itll give us a clearer picture.

[esreveR]

Run-n-gun, there's so much potential there but there's only three series that come to mind that take it in stride and all three of them are by Nazca (In different shapes or forms...). Specifically, Gunforce II, Metal Slug, and Dolphin Blue. Contra, on the other hand...ugh, I hate Contra. They advertise 'alien-blasting action' when you can have it ten times better in Metal Slug 6. Seriously, if Metal Slug 6 were actually widely known, Contra would be fucking dead already. Oh, and Gunstar Heroes was actually pretty decent, I'll put that down as a favorite too.

Vert manic is second. Vertical manic run-n-guns are pretty nice, but again, the only good few I can think of off the top of my head are Shock Troopers and OutZone/FixEight (And Outzone felt...better for some reason). Other vert manic shmups are some of my favorites too, like Seibu's shmups and Toaplan stuff.

Vertical bullet hell is third favorite, though I'm still a big fan of it. Contrary to popular belief, they're often not nearly as hard as they look and are a fun way to make people drop their jaws Also more genres should take the bullet hell standard IMO. Seriously, "Take everything up to eleven" is a perfect strategy for someone whose attention span is a third that of the average without medication (I'm an asspie you see). After all, that's why I always tweak my dipswitches...

Bullet hell horis is next. I haven't played very many of them, but Blazing Star is one of my favorite horizontal shmups (Besides run-n-gun of course). Much better than Aicom/Yumekobo's other games, which often begs the question to me, "How did they win for once?"

Classic horis tends to be a sort of hit-or-miss, most of them are crap (Obvious first example being Pulstar...just terrible in every way, god damn it), with one exception, and that is R-Type Leo. It's a complete shame no one seems to like Leo, since it's such an amazing game (And honestly, I think it's much more fun than the other R-Type games).

Euroshmups are also a sort of hit-or-miss. Most of it's crap, but I have to say Ace Combat Advance and Glory Days are both good ones in my opinion. Unfortunately I'm not particularly good at finding other fans of those games...do they even exist?

Anything I didn't mention is probably because I never really played it seriously.

Oh, and you forgot super scaler games. For me it would go between "Euroshmups" and "Stuff I don't even bother with", since the only one I ever seriously liked was Night Striker (Fuck your Sega crap).

Oh and isometric shmups...which are a great concept, but god damn it nothing interesting has been released in the genre.

in b4 raeg at my comments (which happens all too often)

EDIT: Oh oops that's what "Other" was. Never mind my comments about lacking things then.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Other means any shooter sub genres that havnt a catagory like tube and rail

[kernow]

oh my goddd surprised at the results!

[TVG]

I don't think these topics are good.

I disagree with the genres anyway.
"Manics" is a vague term and subject to as many interpretations as there is players.

It should be:

Gallery (space invaders, galaga), Tube, raiden like verts (toaplan, raiden, psikyo minus dragon blaze), hudson-compile (console style) verts, bullet hell (cave, raizing etc, there's too few horis to make it a genre of it's own). Horis (yes blazing star would be one of them, it's not bullet hell and it has lots of obstacles, just a speedier r-type).
But, my list is shit as is most likely anyone else's. These things are subjective and the differences are too few to count them as subgenres.

For example, what do you classify radiant silverguy as? I'd argue it has more in common with compile games than cave games. In the end you'd probably have almost as many subgenres as big name, influent developpers

[captpain]

oh my goddd surprised at the results!

shock of the CENTURY

[Mortificator]

"Manics" is a vague term and subject to as many interpretations as there is players.

Yeah, every time that word's been talked about, everyone had a different opinion on what it means... and a word without a common meaning is pointless to use in discussion.

I certainly don't see any commonality between the poll's examples of Raiden and Mars Matrix, other than them both being verts. The first is deliberately structured like classic Toa, while the second is absolutely a danmaku.

[sunburstbasser]

Based on the descriptions given, vert manics. Battle Garegga, Batrider, Souky, Bakraid, Ray Force, and the like are my favorite shmups. Maybe add Treasure's games.

[apple arcade]

I voted CAVE. I mean I voted Vertwhateveryouwrote

[Plasmo]

Vert Manics is the way to vote for Garegga? I did it right then.

Not calling Mars Matrix a bullet hell shmup feels simply wrong.

[CptRansom]

It's unfair to choose just one.
It would be better to rank them, more or less like it's done in the annual Top 25 poll.

This.

[dunpeal2064]

Mars Matrix has a small hitbox, complex scoring system, AND a shit ton of bullets. If Deathsmiles is a bullet hell, how could Mars Matrix possibly not be? Seems to me that "Bullet Hell" and "Cave" are starting to be the same thing?

Plus, why write "Compile, musha, recca"? where did Toaplan go? I know some people around here don't like Toaplan, but I'm pretty sure those people don't like Compile either

I guess I'll stop bitching, this just erked me

[Ruldra]

Classic Verts (Toaplan) is missing on the poll.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

classic Verts = 8/16bit verts

[Jeneki]

I've always wished for more Robotron-style games. I love the intensity of non-stop relentless attacks from all sides simultaneously (not to be confused with shmup "sniper attacks", which are unexpected and catch you off guard). While the success of Geometry Wars made them a bit of a fad a few years back, there haven't been many notable ones. But I'll vote for that anyway just for support.

[Zeron]

I am really confused with these two

Vert Manics, ie Raiden, Mars Matrix
Vert Bullet Hell, ie Cave, Touhou

I dont understand how half of CAVEs stuff can be considered bullet hell when Mars Matrix craps out way more bullets..

If by manic you mean faster bullets but less then in a bullet hell while having alot more bullets then the traditional shooter? Then the original Raiden is a terrible example imo Raiden Fighters is what you should have placed, Raiden IV is though obviously a bullet hell.


I really hate this manic/bullet hell crap, in comparison to the traditional shooters everything after 1996 is bullet hell/manic its a pretty obsolete phrase imo

[Treasurance]

Danmakufu scripts

[Despatche]

I really hate this manic/bullet hell crap, in comparison to the traditional shooters everything after 1996 is bullet hell/manic its a pretty obsolete phrase imo

He's doing it wrong. Not only that, the actual choices are completely nonsensical.

If you're going to differentiate between the two you have to realize that "manic" is nothing more than a modifier, not really a "subgenre" of its own. The only thing it could possibly refer to is faster bullets than usual, and oftentimes games will get there eventually (Gradius, R-Type) so the term is redundant.

Seriously, a Takumi (which Twin Cobra II is not) is just as manic as a CAVE.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Ignore Mars Matrix and the Takumi games since most ppl dissagree with me (The bulletcount may be abit on the high side but it just doesnt feel like a danmaku to me) just think of manic as rayforce, garegga and danmaku / bullet hell as touhou and cave

shmup genres arnt really as exact science as it has many grey areas just like music genres. Ask 100 ppl to define shmups and youll get 100 different answers

[Despatche]

Precisely, which is why such a topic is hard to discuss and such a poll is hard to answer correctly. I'm shocked that so few have bothered to mash Other.

[Rob]

Should've voted single screenies.

[Drum]

Vert Bullet Hell, ie Cave, Touhou 55% [ 45 ]

Ban everyone.

[neist]

Welp.

Look at my sig. Pretty obvious which way I voted.

[njiska]

I said vert bullet hell because that's what i play the most, but honestly it's a tie with vertical manics. I love me some Raiden and RF

[saucykobold]

I can't decide between vert manics and classic horis. My favorite shmup (Raiden DX) belongs to the former category, but the latter has plenty of great Irem and Konami titles. I am quite at a loss what to do.