Turrican wrote:
-Gynoug so low, while lackluster Phelios and FWorlds ports so high? Meh.
Finally, I must say I'm positively surprised by your cold about Toaplan. I would have thought a fan of challenging games would have rated them higher, especially Tatsujin.
And hey, any MD list without CATS is fine with me.
P.S. No Europe whatsoever on your tastes. No Super/ Mega SWIV, no Battle Squadron, No Xenon 2...
I think Forgotten Worlds is a solid game despite not being entirely accurate. I really like the arcade original and this about the best its got for a home release. Graphics and music basically retains the same atmosphere. Control-wise it took some compromises, but its adaptable. One or more levels were cut, but there's one extra (or split) and all of my favorites are present.
Gynoug could've been much better if they cut a lot out. Early levels are way too easy and repetitve. I like the general style and especially the soundtrack, but it takes too long to get action packed. Bosses pump out a surprising amount of bullets, it just takes 5-10 minutes to get to them.
Toaplan's games might be challenging (so is Gaiares and Undead Line), but not in a way I find appealing (enemies blindsiding). Their games are almost all so plain and repetitive. I also hate checkpoints, too many power-ups. Generally unplayable.
I admit I do have a bias against Western games, so I rarely look out for them, especially for shooters. I didn't like Super SWIV/Firepower 2000.
Pff, the same score as scummy Truxton? And here I was beginning to think you knew what the hell you were talking about Robert. I bet you left it on default (easy) without bumping it up to hard like a man. Besides, the music scares away my roommate, what's bad about that?
Yeah, you noticed I gave the Toaplan games all the same score except for Grindstormer, probably because I can't remember them too clearly. Defaults were used, and it was definitely easy. I remember scenery alternating between grass, dirt and runway strips. Were there bosses? I remember about 30 minutes of planes while I whack-a-mole'd fiercely with overpowered ship. I'll have to line up the Toaplan ports again sometime this summer when I'm really bored and try HARD.
Rob wrote:Yeah, you noticed I gave the Toaplan games all the same score except for Grindstormer, probably because I can't remember them too clearly. Defaults were used, and it was definitely easy. I remember scenery alternating between grass, dirt and runway strips. Were there bosses? I remember about 30 minutes of planes while I whack-a-mole'd fiercely with overpowered ship. I'll have to line up the Toaplan ports again sometime this summer when I'm really bored and try HARD.
I'm guessing you used the defaults for Gradius III too? That game is much harder on the hidden "Arcade" difficulty. If I remember correctly, you have to press the A button rapidly while the difficulty is highlighted. Of course, this does nothing to remedy the slowdown problem, but I do recommend trying it out. I agree with Neon on the difficulty of Fire Shark. That game definatly needs to difficulty bumped up to be fully enjoyed.
The Thunder Force games definatly deserve high ratings. They rock! I agree with TF4 rated higher than TF3, though TF3 is more of a nine for me. I also like Thunder Force V quite a bit.
No rating for Battlemania 1/Trouble Shooter? That game is pretty nifty IMO.
Last edited by BrianC on Wed May 04, 2005 5:48 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Rob wrote:I think Forgotten Worlds is a solid game despite not being entirely accurate. I really like the arcade original and this about the best its got for a home release. Graphics and music basically retains the same atmosphere. Control-wise it took some compromises, but its adaptable. One or more levels were cut, but there's one extra (or split) and all of my favorites are present.
Gynoug could've been much better if they cut a lot out. Early levels are way too easy and repetitve. I like the general style and especially the soundtrack, but it takes too long to get action packed. Bosses pump out a surprising amount of bullets, it just takes 5-10 minutes to get to them.
Fair enough, so I get being "born on the system" as opposed as "ported from something else" doesn't earn bonus points in your vision.
Isn't there a SFC based Dezaemon shmup game as well? And how many user created Dezaemon games can be saved to the SFC cart itself? I do recall of the N64 based Dezaemon game though.
overdrive wrote:I'm tempted to go through Bio Metal again and possibly re-work my review (by playing the Japanese version). American dance music notwithstanding,(...)
I'm gonna say it again: it's European dance music.
The rear gate is closed down
The way out is cut off
Since this thread was gently necroresurrected, could someone confirm me that Fuzzy Shooting never got a real release?
If so, I'll get it out of my to-find-and-try-to-buy list.
Rob wrote:I'll explain Bio Metal's excellence when the time is right. To get this part out of the way, the soundtrack is much better in the original Japanese version.
Cotton 100% and Pop N Twinbee are long, tedious, and easy. But the colors, right? Not too bad.
LoneSage wrote:And Super Earth Defense Force is higher than most of the other games?
Yeah, this is not a bad game. The power-up systems/weapons are above average, levels not bad, bosses pretty good. Decent, fair challenge. All in all a solid 5/10.
UN Squadron I recognize as the most harsh, but I really hate the game. The levels feel too basic, don't like having to shop for ships and parts.
Has anyone else played Fuzzy Shooting? The game seems pretty brutal. That's one I couldn't make any progress in. Does it have an ending? Is it a doujin game?
I personally think BioMetal is broken to hell. At least its not as broken as Super R-Type, that game was just half-assed horridness. Not a great game at all but not completely terrible. Also I'd say the best SNES shmup is either Axelay or Gradius 3
There are other games as well, but those games attract my attraction the most when I kick on the emulator for shmups.
Alot especially on runs through each stage where the logic of the game is flawed on unexplainable deaths. Frustrating madness that is absurd, then I realized theres better and more challenging games to play that are more balanced to a good degree.
There's nothing wrong with Biometal besides the bit-too-fast default speed that practically forces you to use the GAM shield whenever there's too many bullets around.
I love the 4th stage when played against the 2 Unlimited music.
I found alot of my deaths to be very unusual in that game amongst other SNES shmups and after I beat stage 2 I just put the game down and didn't care. I decided to settle for other games that seemed like a better waste of time.
Also shot patterns were kind of fucked up as well.
Okay, I understand this thread is almost a decade old, but I'd like to put my two cents in concerning the R-Type games on SNES because it's near-impossible to find anybody in real life that actually gives a shit about R-Type.
First, a brief introduction. I'm an extremely hardcore gamer to the point of being a masochist. Gameplay-wise, I almost exclusively enjoy games that are brutally difficult and punishing. However, I used to play mainly action platformers and brawlers. Only recently did I discover how great shmups are for punishment gluttons such as myself.
Anyway, here's my perspective as to why Super R-Type is the best SNES shmup:
Super R-Type is the shit because everything in that game is a dick or a pussy. Your ship, with its bulbous rounded head, is really a space-penis. If you tap the button it shoots out little squirts of skeet, but if you charge it up to maximum it sprays fucking everywhere. Also, the "bits" are literally balls on either side of your ship. Lastly, the detachable shield is called a "Force." When the "Force" makes contact with enemies, it damages them. Therefore, Super R-Type is a game in which you use "Force" to penetrate the enemy (i.e. you're raping them.)
Clerks, the "zako" enemy of this game, are really fallopian tubes. Ironclaws are little fetuses. Slimeys blatantly resemble huge dicks, and they're even flesh-colored. The Rollerskid factories at the end of level 2 are two huge veiny dicks pointed at one another. This sexual imagery comes to a "head" in level 3. The fish enemies you encounter at first are only vaguely dick-shaped. So are the centipede-like crawling enemies. But the Manglers you see later are blatantly a dickhead with crab appendages on either side. And they come out of huge, nasty vaginas in the floor and ceiling. Crawlgar, the mid-boss of this level, strongly resembles a woman's naked torso. The end boss is a pile of pussies which a huge dick-snake slithers in and out of. To kill the boss, you have to shoot it in its bright, bulbous clitoris. In level 4, the battleship shoots skeet projectiles at you. Levels 5 and 6 take a little break from the sexual imagery, and have little more than bosses with clits. The final level, on the other hand, is a complete bombardment of dicks. The Mangler dick-crab enemies are back, along with a much bigger dick-snake enemy. And the final boss of the game is a uterus that you have to use "Force" to penetrate and kill the fetuses inside. The official name of the boss is even "womb."
Something peculiar about Super R-Type is that with the exception of the first stage (in which you're metaphorically in the pube area) and the fourth stage, every level is indoors. Why is that? It's because the levels themselves are huge vaginas. Level 3 is even entitled "Wet as a Fish." Additionally, level 3 even has three hymen that you have to break. FINALLY, the background of level 3 is a woman laying on her back with her legs spread. So, Super R-Type is a game where you rape a pussy and kill the fetus at the end. Level 4 is outdoors, but it's because you're fighting a battleship, which is really a monstrous bulbous dick. Lastly, I should mention that "Bydo" is a shortened version of the word "libido," which means sex drive.
So, that's why Super R-Type is king. This was a game that was mainly played by kids (at least in the US), and it has by far the nastiest, most explicit sexual imagery I've seen outside of actual porno. Mommy and Daddy thought they were getting little Timmy an innocent space shooter, but really they were inadvertently exposing him to sexuality. I wholeheartedly believe that the Bydo are by far the most horrific and interesting enemy I've seen in any video game, regardless of system or genre.
Of course, Super R-Type is great for other reasons. The pixel art is top-notch, the color palettes strike a great balance between warm and cool colors, and the music is extremely triumphant and inspiring, making excellent use out of the SNES's superb trumpet instrument. "Force" usage is also quite unique, strategic, and fun. Also, for hardcore masochists such as myself, it presents a ridiculously unfair challenge that requires repeatedly banging away at a level until you finally memorize it AND focus your ass off in order to win. The last level took me three days of ONLY playing it on Hard (Super R-Type has unlimited continues, so if you leave the SNES on you can keep playing the same level over and over until you finally get it.) I'm addicted to anger, and no other game inspires so much fury in me.
R-Type III: The Third Lightning, on the other hand, was a huge disappointment for me. With the exception of the level 2 boss that shoots giant skeet at you (Japanese version only), very little in the game is actually sexually oriented. Although "The Forces" and "Outer Space" are both excellent, hard rockin' tracks, the rest of the game's music has notably inferior audio and compositional quality than Super R-Type. And some of the pixel art, especially the end boss's detached arms, is fairly shitty. Although R-Type III has three awesome weapon sets that are all unique, really fun, and visually astounding, it also has significantly decreased difficulty compared to Super R-Type (perhaps this is only the Japanese version, which is the only one I've played. It would be nice if somebody could confirm/deny that the two versions have equivalent difficulty.) So, for me, I honestly can't say that R-Type III has better gameplay, because when I play R-Type, I want to get completely shit on.
So, I would give Super R-Type a 10/10 and R-Type III an 8/10. I'm not giving these scores relative to all shmups; merely SNES ones. Also, they take into account when they were released (I think it's retarded not to do so.)
As a side note, U.N. Squadron is fucking awesome if only for its soundtrack. I honestly think it's the best thing Capcom ever composed, which is really saying a lot. Sure, it's way too easy and the levels aren't that great, but got-damn can that cartridge sing.
Jesus Rob, did you actually play all of these games through to completion on the hardest difficulty? If not, I can't respect any of your scores. If so, some of these numbers boggle my mind.
5/10 for Syvalion? Have you played that game? It has only five levels that look almost identical, barely any enemies, and the most half-ass bosses of any of the games on this list. Sure, Darius Twin and Super Nova are too easy and kinda boring, but 1 and 2 out of ten? What was your criteria for deciding on these scores, exactly? While I do approve of you using the entire ten point scale, there's no way that Syvalion is anywhere near "average." It's one of the most disappointing things I ever played. How could playing a golden dragon be so boring?
Hi Welcome Reykjavix - I see you double-posted before getting your debut post approved, but as they're quite different, I'll leave them both here. Only really posting to explain to other readers why there's two posts from you both with an intro as they're your first post in this here thread.
Based purely on the merits of gameplay, and considering cheapness/unfairness a negative trait, I'd say Rob's scores are fairly accurate, with the exceptions of Syvalion and the Darius games. I personally care very deeply about visuals and especially music (as a side note, the stage 1 music of Syvalion is better than great) and consider unfairness very positive, so I can see our disconnect on values now that I think about it more.
Also, I'd like to talk briefly about BlaZeon. I'd say it's worth playing for every shooter fan because it's a really interesting experiment. The main gameplay gimmick is that if you shoot bio-cyborgs with your tranquilander missile, they become frozen and when you touch them you take them over, granting both their firepower and some extra hit points. While this mechanic is somewhat unique, it's not what sets BlaZeon apart from all other shooters (for example, G-Darius has a similar enemy "capture" system.)
What really makes BlaZeon special is its inexplicably slow pacing and long, empty stretches. Every level has at least a couple of 15-45 second sections in which NOTHING HAPPENS. No enemies, no obstacles to dodge, nothing to collect -- you just watch the background scroll and listen to the music. While I was originally extremely confused (first I thought that I accidentally picked Easy, then I thought my cart was broken somehow), after playing it through I found that these sections do a tremendous job of contributing to the atmosphere. It's kinda like how most horror movies are long stretches of nothing punctuated by really intense, quick moments. Without the contrast of the long, boring sections, the intense sections aren't quite as effective. Additionally, I care about music more than any other element of a game, so I really like how the game gives you a chance to kick back and really appreciate the tunes (which I think are quite awesome, especially Alpha, Fighting Machine, and Emergency Avoidance.) The empty section in the middle of level 2 was a breathtaking, even spiritual experience for me (this coming from a hardcore atheist.) Your ship peacefully floats forward while a giant, screen-filling moon that's half illuminated slowly scrolls behind you and the excellent music complements this scene:
(I apologize for the poor picture quality, it's the only image I could find already online.)
So, if you're looking for something really different (and remarkably relaxing for a shooter) BlaZeon is an amazing title that has touched me far more deeply than much "better" games. On the other hand, if you're looking for balls-to-the-walls gameplay, rockin' tunes, and impressive graphical effects, BlaZeon will seem like a complete joke to you.
Rob wrote:Bio Metal (9/10)
Macross Scrambled Valkyrie (7/10)
Parodius Da! (7/10)
Space Megaforce (6/10)
Axelay (6/10)
Earth Defense Force (5/10)
Gradius 3 (5/10)
Syvalion (5/10)
Dropzone (5/10)
Spriggan Powered (5/10)
Pop N Twinbee (5/10)
Flying Hero (5/10)
Super R-Type (4/10)
Imperium (4/10)
Thunder Spirits (4/10)
Cotton 100% (4/10)
Acrobat Mission (4/10)
Tekkaman Blade (3/10)
Blazeon (3/10)
Firepower 2000 (3/10)
UN Squadron (3/10)
Cosmo Gang (3/10)
Phalanx (3/10)
Fuzzy Shooting (3/10)
Raiden Trad (2/10)
Sonic Wings (2/10)
SD Gundam (2/10)
Caravan Shooting (2/10)
Darius Twin (2/10)
Super Nova (1/10)
Hunt for Red October (1/10)
D-Force (1/10)
Strike Gunner STG (1/10)
Galaxy Wars (1/10)
So is this still the complete list of SNES/SFC Shmups? Anything missing? I take it Fuzzy Shooting is a Rom only, no cart release? Also which Gundam game on the SFC, there were like over a dozen games with Gundam in the titles. Which one(s) were actually shmups?
"That which does not kill us, makes us stranger." ~ Trevor Goodchild
Always looking for obscure Castlevania ports and related items.
