Why do new shmups get so much hype everytime its released?

[PsikyoPshumpPshooterP]

lets be real. a new shmup comes out and theres bount to be at least a 6 page thread about it when we all know its gonna be a shootinf fest..We love the idea shmups are still getting developed but when is it, will one game that will make us realize, that this shmup tops all shmups...lets use prime examples

Horror:Resident Evil Series
Racing:Gran Turismo Series
Action/Adventure: Zelda Series(debatable)
Sports:Football
Rpg:Final Fantasty Series
Puzzle:Tetris series

STG:???
Will there be any shmups released that will blow the genre out of its dusteR? i feel like Ikaruga has given the most public exposure thanks to the Gamecube..lets hear some intelligent thinking

[Elixir]

Because it's a shmup. These are shmup forums.

[Rob]

I'm kind of confused, but obviously Gradius V.

[sven666]

why shmups are hyped? : this is shmups.com we all get exited in the pants when our subgenre gets a boost.

why isnt there a "main series" ?: i think thats a good thing, i hate when developers use the same formula over and over again, and developers originating from another companys game trying to better it nearly always fails...
also it seems shmups are more of a personal taste than other genres, just look at how divided the forum members are when it comes to voting the "top 100" lists.

oh yeah ikaruga pfff, gradius 5 and rtype final were totally in the mainstream, final was actually voted one of that years top 10 games of all year here in sweden...

[Elixir]

I can pretty much break this down.

-This is a genre forum.
-We like shmups.
-The shoot 'em up genre is subtle compared to racing, fighting, etc.
-They're hard.

If Shikigami no Shiro II were advertized and tweaked correctly, it would be really nice. Who knows for popularity - the most "shmup business" I've seen recently is a Gunbird special for PS2.

It might be a good idea to add another forum, such as "Video Game Discussion" which isn't entirely Off-Topic but isn't entirely Shmups-only chat. There's bound to be some Zelda and Gran Turismo topics pop up there.

[mannerbot]

The "best" games of most genres is purely subjective. I mean, Radiant Silvergun is the perfect shooter and no other shmup can ever hope to match its greatness.

It's a pretty silly question you're asking though. There's even more hype for Madden year after year, right? If the real question is, Which shooter will put shmups back in the public eye, then I'd say that it's just a ridiculous thing to ask because the average consumer today is too far removed from such silly things as gameplay and can't be bothered to play through a game if it's remotely difficult or if they aren't going to be rewarded with a 30-minute FMV after each stage.

[dave4shmups]

The "best" games of most genres is purely subjective. I mean, Radiant Silvergun is the perfect shooter and no other shmup can ever hope to match its greatness.

It's a pretty silly question you're asking though. There's even more hype for Madden year after year, right? If the real question is, Which shooter will put shmups back in the public eye, then I'd say that it's just a ridiculous thing to ask because the average consumer today is too far removed from such silly things as gameplay and can't be bothered to play through a game if it's remotely difficult or if they aren't going to be rewarded with a 30-minute FMV after each stage.

Well said Mannerbot.

This question is pretty much moot, given the fact that shmups aren't even a mainstream genre of video game anymore.

[LAshujin]

You know what..............I don't like treasure shooters...........especially silvergun

[sethsez]

the average consumer today is too far removed from such silly things as gameplay and can't be bothered to play through a game if it's remotely difficult or if they aren't going to be rewarded with a 30-minute FMV after each stage.

And the average shmup fan can't talk about games without injecting a little self-aggradizing bullshit.

AHEM.

Anyway, if this "genre defining" game was going to come, it would have been here by now.

[D]

lets be real. a new shmup comes out and theres bount to be at least a.........................................................................................................................................



Question: What is your favorite shmup?

*fixed*

[Kron]

Because only 3 or 4 new ones are released each year.

[system11]

If I understand the question properly - I'd have to say the last genre buster in recent memory was Gradius V, pulling horizontal shooters back into the spotlight with style, and updating a classic series without totally ruining it.

And we make a fuss over every release anyway, because there are so few of them. The quality of some of the homebrew games though these days, is so high that I wonder if they're the long term future in terms of new blood and creativity. Example Perfect Cherry Blossom - if reworked as an arcade PCB in full vertical (would require moving the score displays around a bit, although the aspect was already correct) - that game could have been HUGE.

[highlandcattle]

If I understand the question properly - I'd have to say the last genre buster in recent memory was Gradius V, pulling horizontal shooters back into the spotlight with style, and updating a classic series without totally ruining it.

And we make a fuss over every release anyway, because there are so few of them. The quality of some of the homebrew games though these days, is so high that I wonder if they're the long term future in terms of new blood and creativity. Example Perfect Cherry Blossom - if reworked as an arcade PCB in full vertical (would require moving the score displays around a bit, although the aspect was already correct) - that game could have been HUGE.

Couldn't agree more ,I'm normally a mac user but know I'm saving up to buy myself a decent XP box so I can play all that doujin goodness

[BulletMagnet]

There'll never be a "definitive" shmup or shmup series...about the closest thing to that which I can think of is RSG, which a decent amount of people feel comfortable labeling the "best shmup ever," but even so, there are plenty of others who not only disagree with that, but just plain don't like the game, period. As far as series go, look at the differing opinions on R-Type, Gradius, Raiden, etc...there will simply never be a consensus, since people's tastes are different. Even in the examples you cited for racing, rpgs, sports, etc., there are plenty of fans of the genre who don't like those games either, even though they're technically the most popular.

As for shmups rejoining the mainstream, I don't think that's likely to happen, I foresee them staying a niche genre, at least for some time to come. Heck, there have been plenty of killer shmups released over time, including recently, and while some have been generally well-received, there's simply no chance of them rivaling or overtaking any of the constant strong sellers. I don't mind too much though...as long as a couple of developers are still willing to give us some quality stuff, I'll take it...I much prefer this situation to the overload of mediocre and subpar product with a few gems that bogged down the genre's appeal in the first place.

[PFG 9000]

when is it, will one game that will make us realize, that this shmup tops all shmups...lets use prime examples

Horror:Resident Evil Series
Racing:Gran Turismo Series
Action/Adventure: Zelda Series(debatable)
Sports:Football
Rpg:Final Fantasty Series
Puzzle:Tetris series

I think this part of your inquiry suffers from extreme simplification. If you look at fans of each of those genres, they're split just as much as fans at this board.

Resident Evil hardly wins by general consensus in the Survival Horror department. Silent Hill, Clocktower, Fatal Frame, and other big SH franchises have huge fan followings as well, but you'll never know it if you don't talk to fans of the genre in an environment similar to the one we have here.

The Racing fanbase is equally divided between fans of arcade racers (Burnout, Need for Speed) and those of racing sims (Gran Turismo, Project Gotham (I think)). There are also many fans who like both, and many fans of games that lie somewhere in between arcade racers and sims.

Final Fantasy may indeed have the largest fan following of RPGamers (and possibly the largest following of all games), but there are plenty of RPG fans that either don't care for FF's style or despise it outright. Now I'm not an RPG fan myself, so I can't name all the different popular series, but there are just so many different RPGs out there, and so many differing opinions on them, that FF being king is somewhat debatable.

I guess I see Shooters just the same way that I see all these other genres. The fan bases are so varied, and different series are so, well, different, that there really isn't any one king of a given genre out there. Rather, there are a handful of popular franchises, and many less popular ones.

[Brian]

Wait, I thought the genre busting AND defining shmups of all time was Ghost Pilots?

[mannerbot]

And the average shmup fan can't talk about games without injecting a little self-aggradizing bullshit.

You caught me.