Best Bang For Your Buck Shmups

[ThirdStrike]

I was thinking about what shmups give you the best BANG for your buck and came to the conclusion to set up a post about cheaper shmups.

Anyone add which titles they think qualify. Most of these console titles can be found for less then $30.Mostly every Genesis and SNES shmup qualifies.


Ps1:
Gekio Shooting Collection
Strikers 1945
G Darius
Raycrisis
Raystorm
Thunderforce V
Terra Diver/Soukyugurentai

Ps2:
Castle Of Shikigami 2
Rtype Final
Gradius V
Psyvariar 2
Psikyo Shooting Collections
Gigawing Generations
Shienryu Explosion

Saturn:
Darius Gaiden
Gunbird
Rayforce
Layer Section 2
Kingdom Grandprix
Kyuoko Tyger 2
Blast Wind
Thunderforce V
Thunderforce Gold Packs
Shienryu
Strikers 1945
Strikers 1945 part 2
Donpachi

Dreamcast:
Gunbird 2
Gigawing
Gigawing 2
Mars Matrix

Gamecube:
Ikaruga
Chaos Field

Xbox:
Shikigami No Shiro Evolution

SNES:
EVERY TITLE

GENESIS:
EVERY TITLE

This may help as a resource for a few shmuppers who are on a budget.

[PFG 9000]

I'd say Castle Shikigami II has the highest Bang:Buck ratio of all my purchases in the past few years. If I had to buy it all over again, I'd be willing to pay $50 easily. And it's fairly easy to find for $5 (used).

Not that the other titles you mentioned don't give bang for the buck.

[kidneythief]

I had trouble finding Mars Matrix for less than I paid for Ikaruga a lot of the USA dreamcast games (that are actually worth owning) are more expensive than the jap counterparts now -_-;

[ThirdStrike]

I had trouble finding Mars Matrix for less than I paid for Ikaruga a lot of the USA dreamcast games (that are actually worth owning) are more expensive than the jap counterparts now -_-;

That sux I paid $16 for Mars Matrix New on DC from work

Got to love that employee discount

[kidneythief]

Back when the DC was still alive, I was at Electronics Boutique every week, and never ever saw a copy. That was one of the few shooters they actually had in the arcade here. Eventually I got a copy for 30 bucks shipped off ebay, but it took a lotta lookin

[sjewkestheloon]

i'd definately say mars matrix has band for buck as i've played it for many many hours and still i seem to suck at it

the wealth of interesting unlockables also make playing impulsive rather than a chore.

other than that i seem to invest a lot of time into most psikyo games so any of those are good value

[CIT]

GENESIS:
EVERY TITLE

US-Genesis maybe, but not japanese Megadrive. That has it's fair share of really expensive games. Eliminate Down, Battlemania Daiginjo, Gleylancer, etc etc.

[professor ganson]

These are all excellent suggestions that you guys have made.

Shiki II
Giga Wing
Mars Matrix
Gunbird 2

These games all have the highest replay value imaginable, and only MM is going to cost over $30, if that. Not to mention: here in the states you can buy a DC for about $15. Gaming bliss on the cheap.

EDIT: What a friendly forum. Here we are, prepared to give advice, even when no one is asking for it.

[Marc]

Well, DC PAL Gunbord 2 cost me a fiver new & sealed, as did Giga Wing, can't complain about the cost/play ratio on those.

[superhitachi4]

You guys mentioned Castle Shikigami 2. This might be a little off topic, but I'm just wondering if someone could mention how that is compared to the DC version. I see the PS2 version floating around for 10 bucks here and there.

[zinger]

Funny that you mention Layer Section II, but not the first one.

[Klatrymadon]

Hearing that Shiki II on the PS2 is a actually good conversion comes as quite a blow. I got the GC version from Play Asia for £60 (about 110 dollars).

Stupid free cat.

[fullblownaidzz]

Funny that you mention Layer Section II, but not the first one.

He did. It's also called rayforce, which is right above layer section 2 on his list.

[GaijinPunch]

An almost identical thread here:
http://forum.shmups.com/forum/viewtopic ... ight=cheap

[CMoon]

No mention of the Raidens...even as an import, Project and DX are cheap.

Still, I wish I'd known about the gameshark tate code in project or I would have gone EVEN CHEAPER!

How much is Gradius V selling for these days? Free?

The genesis still totally blows my mind---you can have so much for so little...

[Ganelon]

How much is Gradius V selling for these days? Free?

Should be about $10 at your local TRU.

Anyway, on the list (which I'm assuming to be decent games that can be found under $30 if anybody looks hard enough or under $40 and in a package):

R-Types, R-Type Delta, Einhander, and Gradius Gaiden should all be on the PS1 list.

Gradius III & IV ought to be on the PS2 list.

Blast Wind is very rarely found for under $40 nowadays so I'm not sure why that's on there.

Star Soldier Vanishing Earth, the sole N64 shooter, belongs here.

[professor ganson]

Star Soldier Vanishing Earth, the sole N64 shooter, belongs here.

There is actually one other N64 shooter, and it might also be worth mentioning, as it is good cheap fun: that updated version of Space Invaders which, I believe, is also available for PS1.

[dave4shmups]

PS1 Sanvein, definately. Xevious 3D/G+ pack for PS1-four shooters in one VERY cheap package.

And any cheap PC Engine shmup!

[superhitachi4]

What about NES shmups? Guardian Legend, Gun Nac, Zanac, Gradius, Life Force, and so on.

[BrianC]

No mention of Dezaemon? I know it's more of a shmup creator, but considering how you can create some rather good shmups with it and later ones have tons of playable shmups with it, I would say it has plenty of bang for the buck.