new to the genre

[Acid_Rain]

Here is the outcome of my new to the genre thread sorted by mentions. Further down there are some useful links for beginners.


Good entrypoints

Code: Select all

Game                                  Mentions
01  dodonpachi                        6
02  mushihimesama futari              6
03  gunbird 2                         4
04  imperishable night                4
05  blue wish resurrection plus       3
06  death smiles                      3
07  espgaluda                         3
08  giga wing                         3
09  mushihimesama                     3
10  battle bakraid                    2
11  crimson clover                    2
12  eden's aegis                      2
13  giga wing 2                       2
14  jamestown                         2
15  mars matrix                       2
16  truxton 2                         2
17  aero fighters/sonic wings         1
18  armed police batrider             1
19  battle garagga                    1
20  batsugun                          1
21  cho ren sha 68k                   1
22  daioh                             1
23  dangun feveron                    1
24  darius gaiden                     1
25  dogyuun                           1
26  dragon blaze                      1
27  eschatos                          1
28  espgaluda 2                       1
29  esp ra de                         1
30  genetos                           1
31  gradius 3                         1
32  hellfire                          1
33  muchi muchi pork / pink sweets    1
34  perfect cherry blossom            1
35  raiden fighters                   1
36  score rush                        1
37  shippu mahou daisakusen           1
38  storm blade                       1
39  strikers 1945 2                   1
40  the embodiment of scarlet devil   1
41  thunder dragon 2                  1
42  truxton                           1
43  twinkle star sprites              1
44  twin cobra                        1

Useful links

top 25 list
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... 73&start=0

top 20 best doujin shmups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJEr4d7BsdQ

lik's top ten shmups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9hU_LUqIkk

tokyo shmups full-game downloads
http://www.sk8tokyo.com/shmup/

[AntiFritz]

Deathsmiles and mushihimesama futari (black label original mode) are both quite easy. Deathsmiles has been localised and is available for pal 360 consoles whereas mushihimesama futari is region free.


i bet everyones gonna suggest dodonpachi, even with its archaic chaining

[RNGmaster]

See the "Full Game" text? Download them all. Also get Crimzon Clover and consider Psikyo's games on MAME. Also try to find roms or physical copies of all the games in the top 25 list.

We really ought to sticky a topic for this.

[Acid_Rain]

I think I'll go with Mushihimesama Futari, because I enjoy vertical over horizontal shmups.
What about Pink Sweets and Muchi Muchi Pork! on the Xbox?

I found this list somewhere here on the forum before. I really like Cho Ren Sha 68k, xop Black, Patriot Dark and Blue Wish Resurrection.

I think my problem is more of a "where shall I start" kind

[mesh control]

Psikyo's games on MAME.

Gunbird 2 recieved a DC port in pal areas I believe.

[rancor]

Blue Wish Resurrection + was my 1st clear. It's really noob friendly with the auto-bomb on. You should be able to manage it with a few days (maybe hours?) practice. Once you clear it you get access to a new ship and the game is even easier, but you should be playing for score at this point. Quite an ego boost and fun to boot!

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

Play Gradius III
Play Truxton II
Play Daioh
Play Hellfire

All of the above are perfect entry points.

[mesh control]

Play Gradius III

LOL?

Gradius I or II, maybe.

[RNGmaster]

You don't need a stick to play well, OP. I've achieved a decent score on Dragon Blaze with a keyboard, and players like Prometheus and Sapz have pulled off some really impressive feats on keyboards too - same with MrMonkeyMan on a pad.

[Nasirosuchus]

Mushihime-sama Futari Black Label
Death Smiles
Perfect Cherry Blossom
Cho Ren Sha 68K
Blue Wish Resurrection Plus
Metal Slug
The Embodiment Of Scarlet Devil
Battle Bakraid

[BulletMagnet]

What about Pink Sweets and Muchi Muchi Pork! on the Xbox?

Both are fun, but neither are easy, heh.

[Rex Cavalier]

You don't need a stick to play well, OP.

This

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Grab Jamestown (itll probably be on sale atm) its a good noob shmup. Also grab Rockin Androids games while theyre cheap. Also http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=39170

If you like Kenta Cho's games check out Nomltest.

This vid is abit old but they are still good games http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJEr4d7BsdQ

Grab MAME and play some Dondonpachi.

360 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9hU_LUq ... re=related

Mushihmisama Futari and Espgaluda 2 are both regoin free buget games and cheap to import.
DeathSmiles is THE noob shmup for the 360
FYI ive heard the MuchiMuchi Pork & Pinksweets regoin free 360 bundle is getting a reprint so will be available to import from PlayAsia in the future

Blue Wish Resurrection + was my 1st clear. It's really noob friendly with the auto-bomb on. You should be able to manage it with a few days (maybe hours?) practice. Once you clear it you get access to a new ship and the game is even easier, but you should be playing for score at this point. Quite an ego boost and fun to boot!

It was the Standard BWR where I broke my shmup cherry, both are great, So is Eden's Aegis

[Acid_Rain]

thanks for all the quick answers…

[RNGmaster]

Try Psikyo. I only discovered them recently, but everyone ought to 1-ALL a Psikyo game. Most shmups don't test your reflexes, but Psikyo does. GB2 is a great title for building up raw skill and learning to dodge all sorts of patterns (as is Futari).

[Skykid]

I think I'll go with Mushihimesama Futari, because I enjoy vertical over horizontal shmups.

Forget starting with Futari, all the guys who discovered shmups and joined the board right after its release always tout it as a perfect entry level example when it isn't.

Mushihimesama, its predecessor, with its original mode score requirements being as base as they come and the difficulty being significantly softer than Futari, is far better to pop your cherry. It's also ravenously fun from the get go, and it's in Mame. I'd clear that first, then go for Futari (and play 1.5 original if you're only concerned with a clear rather than a score, Black Label won't challenge you enough in the survival dept.)

See you on the scoreboards.

[Korszca]

Mushihimesama, its predecessor, with its original mode score requirements being as base as they come and the difficulty being significantly softer than Futari, is far better to pop your cherry. It's also ravenously fun from the get go, and it's in Mame.

Mushi is only on MAME if you pick up a 143u7 - u9 build or the slowpoke build. Then of course YMMV. So while I agree that Mushi is a better starting game than Futari, I wouldn't necessarily suggest playing it on MAME.

[Kewne]

Forget starting with Futari, all the guys who discovered shmups and joined the board right after its release always tout it as a perfect entry level example when it isn't.

Mushihimesama, its predecessor, with its original mode score requirements being as base as they come and the difficulty being significantly softer than Futari, is far better to pop your cherry. It's also ravenously fun from the get go, and it's in Mame. I'd clear that first, then go for Futari (and play 1.5 original if you're only concerned with a clear rather than a score, Black Label won't challenge you enough in the survival dept.)

See you on the scoreboards.

The big problem with Mushihimesama is that the PS2 port is utter crap and that running it in MAME or PCSX2 takes a pretty decent computer and some setup. Futari has a 360 port that avoids this problem.

[Krimzon Kitzune]

Can't go wrong with anything Toaplan. My personal recommendations are Batsugun Special and Dogyuun. If you're feeling masochistic and hardcore enough, try your hand at Truxton II/Tatsujin Oh -- be sure to have a lot of time set aside for this one, it's pretty long and it's one of the most difficult (if not THE most difficult) of Toaplan shmups.

Although it's not a bullet-hell shmup, you should look into Zero Wing, too. Forget the AYB thing, the game ROCKS.

[finisherr]

Even though Futari Black Label Original mode is probably these easiest shmup to 1-ALL on a modern system that is actually super fun, I'd suggest downloading MAME and playing Dodonpachi. DDP is kind of a ball breaker for a beginner, but it teaches some basics about cave shmups. Futari has so much slowdown and bullet canceling that you might learn some bad habits.

[AntiFritz]

Even though Futari Black Label Original mode is probably these easiest shmup to 1-ALL on a modern system that is actually super fun, I'd suggest downloading MAME and playing Dodonpachi. DDP is kind of a ball breaker for a beginner, but it teaches some basics about cave shmups. Futari has so much slowdown and bullet canceling that you might learn some bad habits.

I reckon deathsmiles arcade is easier then futari black label original.

[beatsgo]

See the "Full Game" text? Download them all....

One definite game I would check out from that list is Genetos. IMO the theme is the meat of the game, shifting through different ages of shmups through levels and your ship. That way you get an idea how gameplay is different from each generation especially when the ship upgrades to the next level. And there's different weapons depending on how you play the game.

Seibu games might be a decent place to start. Maybe Takumi if you're willing to put forth your time and effort into understanding positioning, bullet herding and bullet reflecting.

[O. Van Bruce]

Go play some touhou... Touhou 8 Imperishable Night is one of the easiest shmups for beginners...

But... if you dislike manga and moe and all that stuff... well, play Dodonpachi. It's difficult for a beginner but it's very fun.

You should try both sides of the coins on this genre: Danmaku (Bullet Hell or Bullet Curtain, basically A LOT OF BULLETS) and Classic Shmups (few bullets but faster, aimed and with a lot of tricks).

Nowadays, most of the shmups are danmaku, so I hope you like both so you can enjoy fully the genre though I personally hate classic shmups

PD: Oh, and forget about all those people that keep talking about score. You better like this genre without taking the score into consideration (or as a small part of it) or you woud become crazy... most of the times, trying to get a good score makes the game 2 or 3 times more difficult...

[Gus]

FYI ive heard the MuchiMuchi Pork & Pinksweets regoin free 360 bundle is getting a reprint so will be available to import from PlayAsia in the future

If Amazon.co.jp is to be believed it is but it's going to be at the same base price and without the DLC card for what some call the best game in the bundle. So you wouldn't be any better off than just getting it now for the huge price it goes for.

[Zeron]

If you end up pirating the Dreamcast shooters be sure to get the Dreamcast PAL patcher and patch them so that they always boot in PAL60hz.

[xbl0x180]

ESCHATOS!

[Acid_Rain]

points to start so far:

see first post

[iconoclast]

Espgaluda II would be a terrible game for a novice, as it's both hard and complex. Espgaluda 1 on the other hand would be a great choice.

[Gus]

Espgaluda II would be a terrible game for a novice, as it's both hard and complex.

Lol, yeah. I'm still scared of it after how frustrated I got trying to figure out BL scoring.

[AntiFritz]

Espgaluda II would be a terrible game for a novice, as it's both hard and complex. Espgaluda 1 on the other hand would be a great choice.

Except maybe the final boss