Borderline shmups

[foxyg]

Do you consider the following game as shmups?
Balder Force Exe
Cannon Spike

Thinking getting those 2 for my collections but not sure if they count.

[Blackbird]

Why does it matter if they are shmups or not? If you think it looks like an interesting and fun game, get the game.

[kernow]

my collectionnns

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

Play Syvalion, it's the best borderliner out there.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Sin and punishment 1 & 2
Shock troopers 1&2
Wartech (senko no ronde 1/2)

[Estebang]

The ultimate borderline shmup is Border Down.

[Ed Oscuro]

The ultimate borderline shmup is Border Down.

Borderline is 100% borderliner.

Wow, S&P 1 & 2...might as well mention Devastators and GI Joe then. There's a number of great titles in that genre. Very different in some ways, but close enough in that you run side to side and dodge shit while expending absurd amounts of bullets (Devastators is slightly closer to a spaceship shooter in this, despite the lack of autoscrolling).

Wish I had something rulebreakingly awesome to put in here - I think a lot of the better games are now covered with their own thread and arbitrary distinctions between game types are not as strict as in the past (i.e., OutZone and FixEight are both in now).

[toaplan_shmupfan]

If it shoots, it's a shmup.

The so-called borderliners, proto-shmups, etc. are still subsets of the shmup genre, not exclusions from the shmup genre.

Out Zone, for example, is a run-and-gun shmup--some may just pan it as a run and gun but look at how many Toaplan shump elements exist in the game and look at the shmuplike fire power given to both the player and the enemies. It's one I still find to be excellent even though I already finished it because the real fun actually begins starting at the second time around (and I am also aware many have looped the game several times more). Is it the ultimate? Probably not because in the end the first time around is quite easy once learned. But it is very, very good and definitely a run and gun SHMUP.

(Unfortunately, when I tried playing it on MAME as a test--the game would bog down to half speed whenever four or more enemy elements were on screen at a time. This is not correct gameplay for Out Zone, two different Romstar release arcade machines did not ever do that so early in the game, but with MAME the slow down already occurred starting at the first round.)

[Estebang]

The ultimate borderline shmup is Border Down.

Borderline is 100% borderliner.

'Twas an obvious joke.

[foxyg]

Do you think Panzer Dragoon series a shmup?

[tommyb]

Do you think Panzer Dragoon series a shmup?

I consider them shmups, yes. Same with Sin & Punishment.

[Estebang]

They're 3D rail shooters.

[Ed Oscuro]

The ultimate borderline shmup is Border Down.

Borderline is 100% borderliner.

'Twas an obvious joke.

You aren't big on your early Sega video arcade history, huh?

If it shoots, it's a shmup.

That explains the difficulties some of our members approaching middle age are having.

[cj iwakura]

How about a shmup visual novel?

I'm serious.

[Ruldra]

If it shoots, it's a shmup.

[Jeneki]

How about a shmup visual novel?

Oddly enough, when trying the story mode in Mamoru-kun I couldn't help but think how well TATE is suited for visual novels.