Definitive 16-Bit Toaplan shooter?

[CMoon]

Kyuukyoku Tiger/Twin Cobra: Technically a nice port, but the difficulty is astounding.

Really, it isn't a very nice port. Unlike all the other megadrive ports, the screen gets so severly cropped that you really lose a big chunk of the game. Not that it isn't fun, but it definitely worth looking for other options.

Daisenpuu/Twin Hawk: This one looks like a keeper, but I think the PCE CD is probably the best version, no?

I think the megadrive port is pretty good. Like Grindstormer and Fireshark, you are still getting a cropped tate, but it is not so severe as toaplan.com indicates. I've been playing this one quite a bit lately and don't feel like there is anything at all wrong with it.

Same! Same! Same!/Fire Shark: Definitely a really fun game and very well balanced, although I didn't find the graphics and tunes as good as in Twin Hawk. I'd say this is a sum-is-greater-than-its-parts type game.

Well each to their own I guess. I think this has one of my favorite toaplan soundtracks (though truxton 2, batsugun and twin cobras are way up there too!) This game is fast and furious--everything you don't expect a late 80's shmup to be! I'm sure the graphics aren't quite up with the arcade (but I don't think we're getting toaplan shooting battle vol. 2 anytime soon), but for the genesis, and the speed and quantity of stuff flying at you, I think this port is top notch.

V-V/Grindstormer: I really like this one. Hard as hell, but great fun, and very modern in style and gameplay. Huge sprites and lots of bullets. Something tells me this really should have been a Saturn port. Does this have any slowdown or flicker on the real MD?

The genesis version definitely loses something (though again, for what the genny can do, it is a good port). Limited color pallet and horrible sound effects mar an otherwise incredible (and incredibly hard) game. That said, I think the gameplay is perfectly intact, so despite its ugliness, you should definitely pick it up.

And now for my news--FINALLY got toaplan shooting battle working (due to an import-friendly PSX sale) and WOW, what a beautiful set it is. Arcade perfect, tatable versions of Twin Cobras and Tiger Heli in all their ruthless glory! Tiger Heli gets on my nerve a bit since it loves to point blank you (this is true in the NES version as well), while Twin Cobras, despite being absolutely evil, actually refrains from this one thing, for the most part.

I found myself immediately doing better on this version than the MD version, despite the game actually throwing more bullets at me. Absolute toaplan bliss out for me and definitely worth the wait and the money. So yeah, I'm just going to be playing this, Twin Hawks and Fireshark for a bit...so lovely!

[zinger]

RE: Musha Aleste

Like all Aleste games this is a Compile develped game. Toaplan just published it.

Do you know exactly what went on here? At the bottom of the spine, where the publishers put their logo, it says both Compile and Toaplan (written in katakana, for some reason ). Co-publishing?

EDIT: I did put it in my compile section of my mega drive collection though, since compile's name is listed above toaplan's on the spine...

[SAM]

Same! Same! Same!/Fire Shark: Definitely a really fun game and very well balanced, although I didn't find the graphics and tunes as good as in Twin Hawk. I'd say this is a sum-is-greater-than-its-parts type game.

Well each to their own I guess. I think this has one of my favorite toaplan soundtracks (though truxton 2, batsugun and twin cobras are way up there too!) This game is fast and furious--everything you don't expect a late 80's shmup to be! I'm sure the graphics aren't quite up with the arcade (but I don't think we're getting toaplan shooting battle vol. 2 anytime soon), but for the genesis, and the speed and quantity of stuff flying at you, I think this port is top notch.

What a silly cat is me... I did not realized that my favourate Mage Drive shumps is "Fire Shark" until now. I had seen you guys talking about "Fire Shark" for quite some times, but only know it is "Same! Same! Same!" until now...

[tehkao]

Hellfire for Genesis is probably the most faithful 16-bit port of a Toaplan shmup that I've seen.

[Marc]

Mine would be Flying Shark, which never really got the port it deserved. Over here, anyways. Wonder why?

[gabrielesquaratti]

my opinion on toaplan mega drive shmups

truxton : AMAZING,i just love max red shot (with rotating shields)
twin hawk : very unique,i love the "bomb",it's so versatile
fire shark : very good one,fast action,lot on screen
v.v : don't like it at all,don't care about the graphics,i just don't like the gameplay
slap fight : very fun and unique old school shmup
hellfire : hard but fun hori
zero wing : solid release,i like it
twin cobra : the enemy ai is completely fucked up,mostly of them don't directly aim at you but instead they aim in only 8 directions and can shot at any time from any range,mostly point blank.it's the hardest of the bunch,i used to hate it but it's growing on me.i just can't pass that level 7 boss.period,i can't

[neorocker]

Holy moly, decade-old thread bump! Not that I mind thinking and reading about Mega Drive Toaplan games, of course.

[ptoing]

It says Compile/Toaplan on my box.

Afaik they only published it.

[Pretas]

Zero Wing on Megadrive is by far the most iconic and well-recognized 16-bit Toaplan port, for reasons that have nothing to do with the game itself. While the game isn't one of their best, it's actually an improvement on the arcade version, and not just another inferior port that's been obsoleted by MAME.

The PCE-CD version has several additional stages and bosses, as well as quite a few more story cutscenes that no one's ever heard of because they never received a butchered translation. That's technically an 8-bit port though.

[GSK]

I've probably spent more time with Snow Brows, to be honest.

[LordHypnos]

Fireshark has a good pacing for a 1980s game. 10 stages is long tho
I really like some of the background stuff like where your friend takes off in a different biplane and crashes immediately into a wall