Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
-
Fervent Fovea
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2013 10:16 pm
Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
So, it appears shmups is more prevalent in the 2-D shooter vernacular than I realized. I never seen the term actually used on a game before, however, like on the back of this Death Smiles case. I find that rather cool. Veterans on this site, may have seen the term shmups used before in a game, but for those who haven't, here is the link to the back of the case: http://www.mobygames.com/game/xbox360/d ... Id,191147/
Also this really sparks my curiousity on how the term shmup came to be. Does anyone know it's origins or anymore about it?
Also this really sparks my curiousity on how the term shmup came to be. Does anyone know it's origins or anymore about it?
-
Drachenherz
- Posts: 1555
- Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2010 5:03 pm
- Location: Zürich, Switzerland
- Contact:
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Say "shoot em up" quickly, as fast as you can, 15 times!


Truth - Compassion - Tolerance
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Fervent Fovea wrote;
I think the term shmup was coined by a UK video games magazine at the end of the 80s. I've never liked the term much and always use shoot'em up, 2D shoot'em up or even 2D shooter.Also this really sparks my curiousity on how the term shmup came to be. Does anyone know it's origins or anymore about it?
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
I only use it as a handy abbreviation in writing, but I never pronounce it like that as it sounds ridiculous to me. First time I heard someone actually pronounce the word as "shmup" I was disgusted and I still am.
-
SuperSoaker360
- Posts: 746
- Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:19 am
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
They also use the term 'lolis'Fervent Fovea wrote: I never seen the term actually used on a game before, however, like on the back of this Death Smiles case.

Taken from the Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread thread:Fervent Fovea wrote:Also this really sparks my curiousity on how the term shmup came to be. Does anyone know it's origins or anymore about it?
BulletMagnet wrote:If memory serves the first recorded use was in a bygone UK magazine, Zzap!64. Not sure how the writer came up with it, but that's the generally-accepted point of origin for the shorthand term.rCadeGaming wrote:Where did the term shmup come from?
1CC List | YouTube Channel | Twitter | RebKMG/KMG
RegalSin wrote:Wait a minute, everything else is better then an aerodactyle, with a man face on it.
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
supposedly here Zzap!64 issue 3 july 1985.Fervent Fovea wrote:So, it appears shmups is more prevalent in the 2-D shooter vernacular than I realized. I never seen the term actually used on a game before, however, like on the back of this Death Smiles case. I find that rather cool. Veterans on this site, may have seen the term shmups used before in a game, but for those who haven't, here is the link to the back of the case: http://www.mobygames.com/game/xbox360/d ... Id,191147/
Also this really sparks my curiousity on how the term shmup came to be. Does anyone know it's origins or anymore about it?
http://www.oldgames.sk/en/mag/zzap64-3/page/19/
it's in the upper caption area with the dude giving the thumbs up.
Waiting on the end!(Whether that's the world or a burrito in the microwave changes daily.)
-
shmuppyLove
- Posts: 3708
- Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2011 1:44 pm
- Location: Toronto
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
This surprised me way more.SuperSoaker360 wrote:They also use the term 'lolis'![]()
Aksys doesn't fuck around.
It says "GP" on his shirt ahahahaahhahmalchitos wrote:it's in the upper caption area with the dude giving the thumbs up.
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
That Zzap64 link takes me back
Julian Rignall also in the bottom left.

Julian Rignall also in the bottom left.
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
supposedly from what I read...it was the first game review magazine to use cartoon pictures of it's reviewers to express how they felt about the game. In the states I don't believe we ever got this magazine though later I use to see imported issues in our few amiga stores here.DEL wrote:That Zzap64 link takes me back![]()
Julian Rignall also in the bottom left.
Waiting on the end!(Whether that's the world or a burrito in the microwave changes daily.)
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Hah, nice. I knew the origins were in Zzap!64, but I didn't know the actual issue not to mention the very page. Cool to see it after all this time.malchitos wrote:supposedly here Zzap!64 issue 3 july 1985.Fervent Fovea wrote:So, it appears shmups is more prevalent in the 2-D shooter vernacular than I realized. I never seen the term actually used on a game before, however, like on the back of this Death Smiles case. I find that rather cool. Veterans on this site, may have seen the term shmups used before in a game, but for those who haven't, here is the link to the back of the case: http://www.mobygames.com/game/xbox360/d ... Id,191147/
Also this really sparks my curiousity on how the term shmup came to be. Does anyone know it's origins or anymore about it?
http://www.oldgames.sk/en/mag/zzap64-3/page/19/
it's in the upper caption area with the dude giving the thumbs up.
So if that page gave us the term that's still being used today, why didn't the other term used by this Julian Rignall person catch on? I hereby declare anybody playing shmups to not be known as a "shmupper" or variation of that, but a "megablaster"!
No matter how good a game is, somebody will always hate it. No matter how bad a game is, somebody will always love it.
My videos
My videos
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Nice find Malchitos.malchitos wrote: supposedly here Zzap!64 issue 3 july 1985.
http://www.oldgames.sk/en/mag/zzap64-3/page/19/
it's in the upper caption area with the dude giving the thumbs up.
Have you noted that this very first shmup actually has a "brilliant inertial effect" ?!
Bravo jolie Ln, tu as trouvé : l'armée de l'air c'est là où on peut te tenir par la main.
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
As I read the article I was thinking..."Oh they are gonna love that bit.."guigui wrote:Nice find Malchitos.malchitos wrote: supposedly here Zzap!64 issue 3 july 1985.
http://www.oldgames.sk/en/mag/zzap64-3/page/19/
it's in the upper caption area with the dude giving the thumbs up.
Have you noted that this very first shmup actually has a "brilliant inertial effect" ?!
then again it was a Euroshmup.
Waiting on the end!(Whether that's the world or a burrito in the microwave changes daily.)
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Gary Penn.shmuppyLove wrote:It says "GP" on his shirt ahahahaahhahmalchitos wrote:it's in the upper caption area with the dude giving the thumbs up.
-
shmuppyLove
- Posts: 3708
- Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2011 1:44 pm
- Location: Toronto
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
I was imagining it was our own GaijinPunch in a different lifetimeantime wrote:Gary Penn.shmuppyLove wrote:It says "GP" on his shirt ahahahaahhahmalchitos wrote:it's in the upper caption area with the dude giving the thumbs up.

Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Ed Oscuro wrote:Who shot JR?
wasn't it Kristin?

....or was it Maggie?
Waiting on the end!(Whether that's the world or a burrito in the microwave changes daily.)
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
I've still got that issue!malchitos wrote: supposedly here Zzap!64 issue 3 july 1985.
http://www.oldgames.sk/en/mag/zzap64-3/page/19/
it's in the upper caption area with the dude giving the thumbs up.
-
Herr Schatten
- Posts: 3286
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 12:14 pm
- Location: Germany
- Contact:
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Don't discredit Dropzone. It's actually quite awesome.malchitos wrote:then again it was a Euroshmup.
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
oh I don't...it's more of a good defender clone if I remember correctly....so the ever forum hated inertia would have worked for it.Herr Schatten wrote:Don't discredit Dropzone. It's actually quite awesome.malchitos wrote:then again it was a Euroshmup.
Waiting on the end!(Whether that's the world or a burrito in the microwave changes daily.)
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
The news page for q-games used "shmup" for PixelJunk Sidescroller.
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
That Zzap page is interesting, but I don't know if I believe that he just pulls a new phrase out of the hat like that without explaining it. That could point to the term already being in some currency before we see it there, but maybe it doesn't.
Megablaster is a term I already like because of Bomb the Bass ("it's a megablast!") and the fun (but quirky and a bit unadventurous) Taito shooter of the same name.
Megablaster is a term I already like because of Bomb the Bass ("it's a megablast!") and the fun (but quirky and a bit unadventurous) Taito shooter of the same name.
-
RoninBuddha
- Posts: 449
- Joined: Sat Apr 23, 2005 3:17 pm
- Location: Fender Telecaster
- Contact:
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
I only use the term "STG" because I am cool.
KY
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Also it sounds less dumb.RoninBuddha wrote:I only use the term "STG" because I am cool.

@trap0xf | daifukkat.su/blog | scores | FIRE LANCER
<S.Yagawa> I like the challenge of "doing the impossible" with older hardware, and pushing it as far as it can go.
<S.Yagawa> I like the challenge of "doing the impossible" with older hardware, and pushing it as far as it can go.
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
"shmup" does sound silly to me, just the sound of the word itself. I struggle over whether to use it or "STG" in my translations... STG is kind of unwieldly in a lot of circumstances though. There's a small touch of pretension to it as well, just in the whole "this is how the JAPANESE say it, nyah nyah."
-
DJ Incompetent
- Posts: 2377
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:28 pm
- Location: Murda Mitten, USA
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
STG is for the spoken word.
Shmup is best for google.
Shmup is best for google.
@shmups | superplaymixes Reworked Game Soundtracks | livestreamin'
______________________
-
Obiwanshinobi
- Posts: 7470
- Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 1:14 am
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Use the word EuroSTG and all pretension in the world will be remedied.
The rear gate is closed down
The way out is cut off

The way out is cut off

Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Herr Schatten wrote;
As for the STG term, I thought it was too general. Doesn't it signify 'any' shooter in Japan? Be it FPS, rail, 2D....
From a quick look, it seems that Julian Rignall has stayed in video games magazines. Appointed vice president of content at GamePro Media in 2011.
Yes it is.Don't discredit Dropzone. It's actually quite awesome.
As for the STG term, I thought it was too general. Doesn't it signify 'any' shooter in Japan? Be it FPS, rail, 2D....
From a quick look, it seems that Julian Rignall has stayed in video games magazines. Appointed vice president of content at GamePro Media in 2011.
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Now all we have to do is make CAVE a household name before they go out of business/axe their arcade division for good .. oops, too late :3
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
Hmm.
Shoot Em Up
SHEMUP! Or what about SHEMP?
Anyway, like many others here I think "shmup" sounds dumb and I never use it in coversation.
Why is it shoot 'em UP anyway? You don't say "shooting up stuff" (unless it's heroin). You blow up stuff. You shoot enemies.
I usually call them 2D shooting games or 2d shooters. That leaves little room for misunderstandings.
Shoot Em Up
SHEMUP! Or what about SHEMP?

Anyway, like many others here I think "shmup" sounds dumb and I never use it in coversation.
Why is it shoot 'em UP anyway? You don't say "shooting up stuff" (unless it's heroin). You blow up stuff. You shoot enemies.
I usually call them 2D shooting games or 2d shooters. That leaves little room for misunderstandings.
Re: Shmups is a more popular term now than I thought.
spaceship or airplane shooting games
FIRST PERSON WHO MENTIONS GALUDAS GETS KNIFED
train bosses are fine though, and BigCar.
FIRST PERSON WHO MENTIONS GALUDAS GETS KNIFED
train bosses are fine though, and BigCar.