The Self-Introduction Thread

[Matskat]

Hello, I'm new here and also quite new to the shmup genre. I was searching for some shmup info and came across this great forum.

I've started gaming on an Atari ST but really got into it with the NES. The first shmup I'd ever played was Super R-Type, and after that Axelay and Super Aleste. After those games I didn't play any shmups until Ikaruga hit the 360, I played that for a bit and never got back into it.

Then I got ESPGaluda on the iPhone and things started to click; now I just bought a ntsc-j 360 and I already got a few CAVE games for it. The games are really kicking my ass but they are so addicting, so now I'm looking forward to a future full of shumps I think I'm already becoming a CAVE fanboy

The welcome my haughty demon God to vision of the net which is seen boost of the confidence of shmupping is given, shmups11.org!

The information where bad Joey, where the shmup image of Cave is reset for the United Nations which are slow with the track/truck and being hot are clear it offers!

Permanently word of warning forever: Never, klutz of ebay of paypal your reliance does not have to be made. Even fortunately as for the dishonest pool stick player of ebay when the person of the import which in order on your side to obtain peak at your visa and master card by raising your skirt, the fact that you sell to shmups which can acquire value here, because of penny-pincher of Shmups11.org of dollar which is spent!

The scenario which how should be surprised?

In addition as for the stimulus characteristic friend shmuppers, your penis of Ajax which is now ready for rust removal and medicine which verifies the play of the game of the kind which has other things does not break off due to the fact that smell does on the poodle parlor!

The raw materials now are in the hands of bad Joey! Shmups of the play is now permitted!

Urinate vis-a-vis the fence!

I thought there was like a trick here, so I translated the above into Japanese, then back to English - using Google translate.

Japanese to English translation
net shmupping vision is seen to increase confidence, my haughty devil Welcome to God if given shmups11.org,!

The information here, the image of the cave shmup track / wrong Joey is hot reset of the United Nations that it provides a clear and slow track,!

Permanent words forever warning: Never, PayPal eBay Trust your clunker is not required to be made. Fortunately eBay is also a side order of your skirt when you make bad player pool stick, you can now get the funding to sell to shmups, Visa, MasterCard peak To get the importer, the dollar is being spent this Shmups11.org for a penny-pincher!

The scenario will surprise you like?

Friend irritant properties shmuppers well as now, the smell that others are not cut and medicine removing the rust is ready to validate the play of the game species due to the fact that Ajax your penis Poodle Parlor!

The raw materials are now in the hands of poor Joey! The game is currently allowed Shmups!

Subrogation fence facing piss!


It didn't work....

I thought i saw a pattern...

Ha!

[Naryoril]

ah, there is a self introduction thread? oh well

Just as Drachenherz 3 posts above i also live near Zürich in Switzerland.

Back when i was a kid i always liked to play shoot'em ups on arcades, although they were pretty rare around here, so i never played them seriously. I also never bought a shoot'em up for the consoles i own... up until recently.

In the forum of my favorite game shop in switzerland there was a thread called "Shoot'em Ups" and that was the beginning of the end. It sparked my urge to play a shoot'em up again, together with that famous Mushihimesama Futari TLB video on youtube. I found out that Futari is region free, but it cost quite a lot for something that i just wanted to test out, as i expected some heavy customs tax on top of the 75$ price tag. I also found the announcment of the platinum edition, so i checked play-asia every now and then if they knew if the platinum edition would be region code free too (35$ and below the customs limit, so no customs taxes), and when it was i instantly ordered it. In the meantime i also bought Guwange on Live and already liked it pretty much. And then Futari arrived and i was done for.

In that Shoot'em Up thread in the game shop forum Drachenherz (i guess most "serious" swiss gamers tread in there) posted a picture of a faceplate he made for his stick. That's when i got the idea that an arcade stick would be so much cooler with shoot'em ups that i asked in the thread for advice about arcade sticks. Drachenherz replied "I got a Hori stick i don't need anymore. You can have it for 30.- (a bit less than 30$ with the current exchange rate). I also replaced the stock buttons with Sanwa buttons". The same evening i visited him (only about 10 km as i noticed) to buy the stick.

Now i'm waiting for a HRAP EX-SE and a wall mount that allows me to turn my 42'' TV between landscape and portrait mode. Both should arrive next week. Espgaluda II should also arrive any day and So you see i'm really hooked up now and Drachenherz takes quite a big part of the blame :p

Although i have to admit that i spend more time with MMORPGs than shoot'em ups, i train Futari for 30 to 60 mins every day.

[ninn]

Hi!

Just wanted to introduce myself!

My name is Ninn, I am 29 years old and I am from Vienna / Austria.

I am collecting video games, mainly NES, Genesis, PS1 and PS2. But most of the time I dont have the time to actually play the games - 'cause hunting in the wild is what makes me happy. And when I am at home, in front of my collection, choosing which (new) game to play is a pain: I get Goosebumps from long cut scenes, tutorial areas and complicated controlls. Then, scenes of a good old, fast Shmup start flashing up in my brain - and thats what I do then: Putting a Shmup in my console, and leaving the freshly purchased game where it belongs: in the collection.


I like shmups 'cause they are easy to pick up, I don't have to worry about the storyline, the controls are stright forward and they are about reflexes. They are colorful, and I like spaceships and explosions anyway.

Recently I learned about bullet-hell-shmups. I was pretty impressed to see how you play them, and this is what I want to do too: Playing bullet-hell games like a pro.

I like Raiden 3 a lot, though I usually start dying at the 4th stage. In easy Mode. Yesterday I was playing Ikaruga in Tate Mode on my 27" TV. I liked the concept and the flair of the bgm. My girlfriend used to play REZ, which is just awesome. As a child I played R-Type (Gameboy and SNES) a lot, and from time to time I play Star Soldier and Gradius / Salamander on my NES.

Usualy I sign with NIN, but I guess NNN would be more appropriate.

Thanks for your forum.
I hope I will learn about good Shmups, get some steals in the trade section, and - if everything turns out great - I'd do my very own shooter for the AES.

Thanks for reading,
Ninn

[Funen1]

Hey all, I'm Funen1. Recently discovered this place, and felt that I should make an account here now that I'm branching out a bit more in the world of shooting games.

I've been playing Touhou games for over a year at this point, and have developed at least some skill at them. I only really care about scoring in two of them, though (SA and a bit of GFW). I'm currently awaiting a Crimzon Clover delivery, which will be my first "modern" attempt at a non-Touhou shooter.

[mrsmiley381]

We have an introduction thread? No kidding.

Anyway, I'm MrSmiley381, otherwise known as Anthony, otherwise known as Tony, otherwise known as Black Tony, and finally known as Dr. Papa Black Tony-Pony-Bot Gentile.

Naming conventions are weird at RIT, where I study game design and development. I've been playing shmups on and off for years, but you can all thank Gradius V for being my life-killer and Xoxak for making me want to get on this forum.

I'm always looking for coding projects and am contemplating tossing my own shmup together at some point.

[Udderdude]

I'm always looking for coding projects and am contemplating tossing my own shmup together at some point.

There's always the development forum for that sort of thing. I've been doing shmup development off and on for years now, myself.

[mrsmiley381]

I'm always looking for coding projects and am contemplating tossing my own shmup together at some point.

There's always the development forum for that sort of thing. I've been doing shmup development off and on for years now, myself.

I took a couple peeks in there and realized I've already learned quite a lot of the coding required. The trick is to build an engine I can use. It's amazing what you can do with a little bit of geometry.

[mouser]

Hello all, I've been lurking here for about a month or two, and will probably keep lurking because the people here scare me.

I got into SHMUPS because of Blazing Lazers on TG-16...some of my other favorites are Pulstar, Ikaruga, and Gradius V. I also got into Ibara lately, the shallow reason being I liked looking at the pretty character designs. Thanks to this forum, I found out about Pink Sweets being Region-free, and available for preorder, so I guess I'm registering here out of gratitude. Currently playing Deathsmiles for 1CC.

So...yah

[xris]

Well come on in! And, you should be scared.. Okay, not really.. Maybe, this is the internet, and it is serious business.
Glad to see that a few more people here have run their names through the self introduction identity generator. Have a look around, and get familiar with the board. The search engine is a great portal into the past, and all of the knowledge contained here. With practice, you too can know all there is about shmups, but remember there is a test in the fall. All that fail will be forced to play flash only versions of your favorite games from then on. But, it looks like you may have done your homework to some extent.
Really though, take a look through all of the sub sections, try your best to keep on topic, don't let Mr. Anonymous internet guy get under your skin, we all have opinions that we carry with high regards, it's fair to share them, but pointless to argue about them. Every body here knows something that they will be happy to share when presented with a proper question. Allot of confusion can be avoided by a quick read of the forum rules.
@mrsmiley381- Yo, I am also in Rochester, and have lived in Columbus at one point. If you haven't been there already, you might want to swing through the Strong Museum of Play. You have to pay an admission fee, and then still per game, but there is a classic arcade there that many would absolutely kill to play at. I haven't been there since they redid allot of the main exhibit, but it's still the largest gaming exhibit in the world, and it looks like they have kept the 30+ cabinets there. Last time I was there me and a friend played a ton of Space War against each other then i got 1st on the Xevious cab.
There's also a Deathsmiles cab at Hammer Girl in Henrietta. I've been thinking about setting up a shmup meet at my house in the spring, so we'll see about that.
The rest of you new guys: Be Attitude For Gains!

[MR_Soren]

Hello all, I've been lurking here for about a month or two, and will probably keep lurking because the people here scare me.

I got into SHMUPS because of Blazing Lazers on TG-16...some of my other favorites are Pulstar, Ikaruga, and Gradius V. I also got into Ibara lately, the shallow reason being I liked looking at the pretty character designs. Thanks to this forum, I found out about Pink Sweets being Region-free, and available for preorder, so I guess I'm registering here out of gratitude. Currently playing Deathsmiles for 1CC.

So...yah

Hello, come in and play!

The strategy and high score forums are pretty harmless if you're afraid of everybody. Shmups chat and off-topic can get pretty opinionated, but that's just how things are. Everybody's a character. Just like real life, but we actually speak our minds and are passionate about the topics here.

[BarfHappy]

Hi Shmupers and Shmupettes,

I thought, hey lazy, you could post once in a while instead of just reading the good stuff...
So... dada-

Looong time shmup fan, ever since baby boy (on Space Invaders), nowadays trying to satisfy my appetite with cave ports (the reason why i bought a japanese 360).

I love reverse-engineering in my spare time, and the counterpart, i enjoy low level but this is a doomed hobby. I am the kind who seldom finish what i start for pleasure, it all becomes a chore too fast (and there is no way i feel like i am at work in my spare time ahaha). The exceptions are games (shmups!) and illustration (i enjoy drawing).

Favourite shmup: sexy parodius ... pure dizziness
And that s about it.

ok not really... i am french, and the worst kind, a berrichon.
See you on the boards

[Shogun]

Hello all. I've been lurking on these boards for a few months now mainly just soaking up information. I had been here every now and again years ago but recently while reading about getting quality images from older consoles I ended up here more. Then at some point after becoming interested in console image quality I got a very severe itch for shmups. I don't know where it came from but it's here. I've being playing them on console and now mostly mame. I've played shmups periodically over the years but now that I'm in it good I figure I'd start getting to know older titles like the Gradius series and R-type and work my way up to the newer stuff eventually.

I recently had a friend pick up an NEC multisync monitor for me so I'll be messing with that next month when it comes in to get some tate mame action. So anyway I figured since I spend so much time here I should create an account finally.

[mrsmiley381]

@mrsmiley381- Yo, I am also in Rochester, and have lived in Columbus at one point. If you haven't been there already, you might want to swing through the Strong Museum of Play. You have to pay an admission fee, and then still per game, but there is a classic arcade there that many would absolutely kill to play at. I haven't been there since they redid allot of the main exhibit, but it's still the largest gaming exhibit in the world, and it looks like they have kept the 30+ cabinets there. Last time I was there me and a friend played a ton of Space War against each other then i got 1st on the Xevious cab.
There's also a Deathsmiles cab at Hammer Girl in Henrietta. I've been thinking about setting up a shmup meet at my house in the spring, so we'll see about that.

Hammer Girl moved locations not too recently, but I think they still have it. After I've mastered an all Level-3 and Bonus Stage 1cc on the 360 I want to go in and give it a try and see if I can impress some onlookers, assuming the cab is still there. I'm actually an RIT student, so technically I am in Henrietta, but I'd hate to miss a shmup meet. I might come if there's a sketchy van that says free candy.

Is there anywhere in the area with Dreamcast games aside from Game Craze? They don't have much and two-thirds of the time they get irritated when I ask to look at the stuff. Speaking of Dreamcast, I'd gladly bring mine and my ever-growing collection of shmups for the shmup meet.

[xris]

Hammergirl moved? Do you know the new location, it doesn't say anything about it on their website.
There's another Game Craze in Irondequoit, on the north side. That's probably it for DC games, and they will check their system if they have what you want at the other store. Yeah, they are hesitant to let you look at stuff, mostly just to keep it from being stolen. It's best to put together a short list of what you are looking for, but at this point it's been picked through. They will be more friendly over time. Still, one of the best game selections in the wild you will find nowadays. I have a couple of Dc shmups I might be willing to trade for other shmups. Shoot me a PM if interested. I'm prolly right down the street from you, in the south wedge, near all the bars.
Do you have your DS score up online? It's prolly better than mine, I haven't put too much effort into a full difficulty clear, just the occasional attempt at it.

[Treasurance]

oh hi, got bored enough to join

So yeah, I'm that guy who thinks Bangai-O Spirits is the best game ever, Ketsui Death Label is better than Ketsui and Siter Skain shmups are boring.

Oh, and I'm probably 15.

Top 5 shmups in NO PARTICULAR order:
Crimzon Clover
Ketsui Death Label
Radiant Silvergun
Hellsinker
Blue Wish Resurrection

[MSW]

I've been lurking here off and on for years, was more active here in the early Malc years. Serious old-timer here, I was a pre-teen playing Galaga and Phoenix when they came out in the arcade. Still remember that Galaga glitch that made the enemies stop fireing...And the arcade owner whom would shut the machine off when you tried exploiting it.

Musha, Side Arms, Bari Arm are more my thing; rather then Cave and Touhou style bullet hells. But I can enjoy those too. I really like Siter Skain games, but I'm old...so it prolly doesn't count.

Favorite game is Robotron. About as perfect as a video game can get IMHO.

[Captain Cat]

Hello

I've been lurking for over a year now. So thought it was about time I registered and joined the fun.

My shmup history goes something like this: used to play them a lot as a kid on my Spectrum and in arcades. Then when Mars Matrix came out I thought it would be fun to check out some newer shmups so I got that and Gunbird 2 for my DC. But I didn't get on with them. I actually found both of them pretty tedious and the whole notion of repeating the same level over and over again drove me insane. Which is kind of ironic considering how much time I spent on Bangai-O and Rez.

Anyway, I just think that I wasn't really in the right frame of mind at the time. Or that these two games just weren't right for me. I had previously discovered Treasure through Sin & Punishment and Bangai-O and these two games made me a huge fan at the time. I read about Radiant Silvergun and thought "oooohh" and when the Ikaruga port was announced I was like, I have GOT to get this! So I did. The first time I played Ikaruga was after a massive night out. I was wasted. And I instantly felt that this game was not for me. I was expecting something along the lines of the two other games... of course not the same, 'cause they are very different. But some Treasure magic that would have me hooked instantly.

But Ikaruga just fucked with me. It's the black/white thing that does it. I was the kind of kid who didn't get left/right until pretty late and would get confused about which was which. So trying to do the colour switching thing fucks with me. About once every 1-2 years the DC gets set up and I play it for 30 minutes or something. I really appreciate the beauty of it. But it drives me insane.

Anyway, so having tried three shooters in a relatively short period of time, and none of them really got me hooked I decided I had had enough. So I sold Mars Matrix and Gunbird 2. I remember reading about Espgaluda and Cave when the PS2 port came out. And thinking hmm, this bullet hell stuff sounds interesting. But I never got round to getting a JPN PS2 or my regular one chipped. So I kind of forgot about it and shmups in general. I still noticed when NCSX had preorders up for Under Defeat and some of the other "last" DC games. But it didn't interest me.

Oh shit, I forgot! I actually bought Gradius 5 when it came out. Treasure again and good reviews. It was OK. Again, it didn't get me hooked properly.

So what I'm getting to is that all this changed a year ago when I found out Futari was region free. I can't remember why but I felt ready to give the genre a shot again. So I bought it instantly, remembering Espgaluda and wanting to try that. And fuck me, what do you know? I love it! So the whole of 2010 has been spent lurking here and at Cave-STG. Reading loads of stuff all over the net. Watching videos. I bought Espgaluda II when it came out. Plus the iOS versions. And I got Psyvariar 2 for my DC. And the Parodius compilation for PSP. And Star Soldier PCE thingy also for PSP. Just trying shit out.

Plus agonising over whether or not I'm enough of a shmup nut to get a JPN Xbox. Well, finally I just said fuck and got one. Sold my old Xbox and some other crap to get some cash for it. And now I'm waiting for Deathsmiles in the post. I got Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu with the machine and have been playing that quite a bit.

I'm not sure what the hell has happened since I'm now loving these games. Maybe I was just unlucky and the games I tried just weren't for me. I regret getting rid of them now though. Would be fun to try them and see if I still think they (kind of) suck.

Sorry about the massive ramble, LOL. I just felt like writing. I'm not very good at shmups but I try to understand all the scoring systems and I practice and stuff. And most of all I just think it's great fun playing these games.

I feel kind of knowledgeable about shmups now, having read and read and read. But there's still loads of stuff to learn and discover. I tried MAME but the fucker wouldn't work so that's on hold at the moment. Sometime when I feel like doing more research I'll get it running. But bloody hell, a lot of the stuff I found about MAME is obtuse.

Generally, this genre requires a lot of work to get into. And the elitist attitude of SOME shmup fans isn't exactly helping either. Some of the shit that's been posted here has made me proper LOL. But I actually like that. A secret club not for everyone, ha ha.

So erm, I think that's about it. I'll keep lurking and if I feel I have something to sensible to say I'll join the conversation.

[Captain Cat]

Oi! I poured my heart out here. A "welcome" would be nice

[sylvestor]

welcome...

[Kollision]

A secret club not for everyone, ha ha.

Yeah, probably the most secret of non-secret clubs on the Internet.

Welcome!

[xris]

Oi! I poured my heart out here. A "welcome" would be nice.

umm.. Welcome to the internet?

So, a few more have been willing to step forth from the shadows.. Do you represent good, or evil? Time is short, and credits limited, so let's get to the good part. We've read your resume, and now you will be considered for internship. So work hard and take notes! The cheat sheet can be found under the cryptic label of 'glossary', we expect all of your work to be turned in at the end of the week in the 'high scores' file. Your dues will be collected in the 'sales' department. On break please keep all of the water cooler chat 'off topic'. The hardware area can be of use, but we would like pics if you have something awesome. The strong prepare with strategy, and the weak will fall victim to level 1 bosses. So, be nice and play well with others, everything you say will be held against you at some point.

[Drachenherz]

Oi! I poured my heart out here. A "welcome" would be nice

Welc... Wait. You forgot the first rule of the shmups-club, I can't welcome you.

[mrsmiley381]

Oi! I poured my heart out here. A "welcome" would be nice

I'm not seeing any hearts or other related organs being poured. You give me a heart and I'll think about a welcoming.

In the meantime, enjoy what we have here. I've been here a mere twenty days and I have yet to receive a death threat!

[Drachenherz]

Oi! I poured my heart out here. A "welcome" would be nice

I'm not seeing any hearts or other related organs being poured. You give me a heart and I'll think about a welcoming.

In the meantime, enjoy what we have here. I've been here a mere twenty days and I have yet to receive a death threat!

Die in a thousand fires while your enemies rape your household pets!




No need to thank me, I aim to please.

[MEDIEVAL_MIKU]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I got introduced to shmups properly through another forum and then I heard about this forum from there so I decided to check this place out and now I'm here. I hope you liked reading my story. Bye.

[spadgy]

Welcome all those of you new to this corner of the internet! It's a pretty friendly place, despite all the arguing we do!

[mrsmiley381]

Oi! I poured my heart out here. A "welcome" would be nice

I'm not seeing any hearts or other related organs being poured. You give me a heart and I'll think about a welcoming.

In the meantime, enjoy what we have here. I've been here a mere twenty days and I have yet to receive a death threat!

Die in a thousand fires while your enemies rape your household pets!




No need to thank me, I aim to please.

I appreciate the delight of the threat, but you should have stalked me via Facebook, found out I had no pets, and instead offered rape to my loved ones.

I also find it awesome that your registration date is my Birthday. Synchronicities abound!

Also, to all the first-time posters that are suddenly appearing, seriously, welcome to the forum and be sure to contribute.

[Captain Cat]

Thank you very much chaps. I think I'll fit in fine

[Drachenherz]

Thank you very much chaps. I think I'll fit in fine

And remember, it's not you who choses in what forums to post in, it's the forums that chose you.

I think that's something a chap called "Confusius" once said.

I think he was drunk when he said that.

[chempop]

Welcome to the guy who sold his two best games (gunbird 2 and mars matrix).