New To Shumps / Gradius

[starbelle]

yeah pink sweets is tough, fun tho hah

[starbelle]

Never thought i'd say this about a vert, but i LOVE Dragon Blaze. Love the whole dragon SHOT mechanic!


and


DRAGONS >>>>>>>>

[beatsgo]

I also recommend Mars Matrix. For being a hard game, I actually enjoyed it due to its Intuitive gameplay style that makes you want to play it more.
Also look into Gigawing series, similar gameplay.

[starbelle]

Nice I'll check it out.

oh i played exceed 3rd. WOW amazing music....love it! much better than touhou.


Although no ground targets at all ?!

[TrevHead (TVR)]

With Exceed 3rd Black Package you need to get close to the enemies to destroy them really quickly, it's that agressive style that I like about the game, another agressive shmup is Mars Matrix, the DC version is a tad easier than the arcade. MM does need practice to get used to timing your button presses since everything is mapped to a single button, but once you do it's very enjoyable to play for score.

Other doujins to try out is the siter skain collection Nyu Media has just localised, you should check out their other stgs too

[yotsubane's] Crimson Clover which is still in Japan only but worth playing as is Refrian Prism Memories & Samidare.

[starbelle]

Just wanna thank everyone who contributed to this thread. Totally expanded my knowledge on a genre/subculture that's been right under my nose! Haven't played skyrim properly since I started Vulcan Venture!

[Obscura]

Other doujins to try out is the siter skain collection Nyu Media has just localised, you should check out their other stgs too

At least try Kamui. The other two have some pretty major problems (I suspect that whoever does their level design took some massive blunt force trauma to the head after Kamui), but Kamui is excellent.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

If you are having trouble with Bullet Hells I suggest trying out Blue Wish Resurrection, BWR+ & Eden's Aegis, freeware games by the same developer (X.X Games) it has the autobomb system and the bullets move slow which is good for training your brain to make sense of bullet hell. A few ppl here including myself cut our teeth on BWR. The freeware XOP series have slow bullets too as does Demolition Gunner :ISAD.

The freeware Kento Cho games make good bullet hell training shmups imo as does Nomltest.

Kamiu is a good beginner STG aswell and has fun scoreplay.

It's good that your mostly sticking to one STG (Vulcan Venture) as your primary focus though as that way you'll progress better.

[parallaxscroll2]

Man, I wanted Gradius II so freakin' badly for the NES when Electronic Gaming Monthly showed U.S. gamers the Japanese Famicom version in mid 1989.

EGM #2
http://i.imgur.com/EEizF19.jpg

EGM #3
http://i.imgur.com/ul4PXV9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/j03YZmw.jpg

Konami never brought Gradius II stateside to the NES because the Famicom cart used an expensive custom Konami chip (the VRC4 I think) to produce graphics and sound far beyond what the
base hardware of the Famicom / NES could ever accomplish--Even beyond what most, if not all, of the MMC family of mapper chips could do.

So those of us in the U.S. had to be content with NES version of Life Force (Salamader in Japan with alterations between Famicom and Japanese/U.S. arcade Salamander/Life Force blah blah)
until the somewhat different SNES version of Gradius III came out.


As for recommendations, try Konami's Xexex (Orius in U.S.) arcade via emulation in MAME, or on PSP in Salamader Portable (Japan /Europe)

Also:
Sengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode II / Tengai - Arcade
Carrier Air Wing / US Navy - arcade-only follow-up to UN Squadron / Area 88
Thunder Force IV / Lightning Force - Mega Drive / Genesis
Thunder Force III - Mega Drive / Genesis
Thunder Force AC - Arcade and Saturn - A mix of, mostly TF III minus a few levels + 1 level of TF II + a new level or two. Don't bother with the SNES version called Thunder Spirits.
Thunder Force II - original 1988 version made for the obscure Japanese-only Sharp X68000 computer which was later brought to Sega Mega Drive / Genesis with fewer levels and weaker audiovisuals in 1989
X-Multiply - Arcade or Japanese Saturn & PS1 which also has Image Fight
1941 Counter Attack - Arcade, NEC SuperGrafx (not U.S. TurboGrafx-16 or even standard Japanese PC-Engine). PSP, PS2, Xbox)
Rezon - Arcade, if only to see the most shameless ripoff of R-Type, ever.
Darius Gaiden - Arcade or Saturn, forget the PS1 version.
Alpha Mission II / ASO II: Last Guardian - Neo Geo
Last Resort - Neo Geo
Pulstar - Neo Geo
Blazing Star - Neo Geo
R-Type Dimentions (amazing HD remake of R-Type and R-Type II on Xbox Live Arcade with the ability to swtich between HD remake and original arcade graphics on-the-fly. If it's still there on XBLA, maybe not since IREM is dead.

Last but not least, one of the very best shmups ever made: Taito's RayForce - Arcade (Windows PC in the late 90s) Taito Memories, Taito Legends 2, iOS, maybe others) .
Also known as Layer Section (on Saturn in Japan) and Galactic Attack (U.S. Saturn ) and Gunlock (in European arcades). So awesome. My favorite vertical scrolling shmup ever.
Play it anyway you can. I recommend doing that by emulating arcade RayForce/Gunlock or getting the Saturn version: Layer Section for Japan or more likely, Galactic Attack for U.S.

The sequel, RayStorm aka Layer Section II, in arcades, PS1, Saturn, PC and RayCrisis aka Layer Section III (arcade, PS1, PC) are good and not so great respectively IMO. Just play RayForce

[starbelle]

Gunlock..just WOW, really enjoying it. Love the way the levels flow into each other!

[Kiken]

R-Type Dimentions (amazing HD remake of R-Type and R-Type II on Xbox Live Arcade with the ability to swtich between HD remake and original arcade graphics on-the-fly. If it's still there on XBLA, maybe not since IREM is dead.

It's still available. The game was developed and distributed by Tozai Games, not Irem.

[parallaxscroll2]

R-Type Dimentions (amazing HD remake of R-Type and R-Type II on Xbox Live Arcade with the ability to swtich between HD remake and original arcade graphics on-the-fly. If it's still there on XBLA, maybe not since IREM is dead.

It's still available. The game was developed and distributed by Tozai Games, not Irem.

Yep, I know it was developed by Tozai Games, but I don't know anything about how things work with regard to IP rights and all that.

[ASilver76]

I thought I'd add my 2 cents in as a shmupper who prefers the casual and the ecclectic.

Here are some of my suggestions:

The Parodius Series (all four/five games, arcade, NES, SNES, and PSX): These are great games. They play just like Gradius, only with more ships, more ecclectic powerups, and a ton of interesting stages. Plus, you'll never look at the Moai quite the same way again after playing.

The early work from Kenta Cho/ABA Games: specificly rRootage, Torus Trooper, and TUMEKI fighter. Interesting and fun stuff, and incredibly well polished.

Cho Ren Sha 68K (pc): a classic SHMUP, hard as nails, but always a blast to play.

Fraxy (pc): if you like bullet hell, you'll love Fraxy. It's completely moddable game, from stages to bosses to weapons, and the community who supports the game love to make incredibly well-thought out - and tough - challenges. They also have created homages to almost every SHMUP boss known to exist.

Warning Forever (pc): all boss fights, all the time. The bosses themselves change and evolve differently depending on how you choose to defeat them. Great game for coffee breaks.

Harmful Park (psx): think of this as a horizonal take on Parodius. Different company, same gameplay sensibilities. Very fun.

Exception (pc): a strange doujin shooter out of Japan that has you fighting against...cubes. Lots and lots of cubes. Sounds boring, but it's actually not. The gameplay mechanics are both unique and sharp, and it definately meets all the requirements of "bullet hell" when it comes to objects on screen. The game is also available in a multiplayer variant call Exception Conflict.

Guwange (arcade, XBL): it's one of Cave's least-known games, and a personal favorite. And unlike most SHUMPS, it's not a space shooter. Instead, it carries are Japanese feudal-era theme. It looks great, it plays well, and sounds awesome. And it's also gory as hell - but for good reason.

I'll post some others as soon as they come to mind.

[BIL]

Gunlock..just WOW, really enjoying it. Love the way the levels flow into each other!

I'm a fan of that effect too. Hyper Duel and Ketsui are two more shooters with a great sense of seamless progression. The former's four-stage sequence of flying into a massive space colony, escaping mid-battle as it's torn apart by a hail of lasers, seeing it hit the earth in an apocalyptic explosion, then flying past its smouldering wreckage is quite rad (Icarus's Saturn version 1CC in vid - the AC version in MAME isn't as good, but still worth a go).

Then there's Ketsui's hop over EVAC Industry's fence at the end of stage 4, something that always makes me smile with the towering vertical climb up the cliff face preceding it.

HD is also a pretty good starter shooter. Relatively easy yet fast-paced and action-packed, with huge guns and a cool Macross-style transformer gimmick.

[starbelle]

Will check out HD...



Fraxy sounds amazing, im a big fan of modding, also Guwange setting sounds awesome


and B<OOD!

[starbelle]

WOW love Hyper Duel!!!


Any more shumps with mechs??? vert or horizontal doesn't matter!

[Zaarock]

Any more shumps with mechs??? vert or horizontal doesn't matter!

Here's some good ones that come to mind:

Cybattler (arcade)
Wolf Fang (arcade)
Strania (xbla)
Cloudphobia (pc)
Bangai-O series (arena shooters, dc/n64/ds/xbla)
MUSHA (genesis)
Side Arms (arcade)

Probably forgetting some, there's gotta be more than that.

[Ebbo]

Last Breakers (PC-98) and the original Alltynex (FM Towns Marty) both have ships that can transform into mechs.

[BIL]

There's also the incredibly cool PC score-attack doujin The Under Stellar 2, which definitely feels Hyper Duel-influenced. It's pretty obscure but worth tracking down one way or another.

Plus, despite being a licensed title, SDF Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie on the Super Famicom is really good.

At a stretch, also give Winds of Thunder aka Lords of Thunder (PCE-CD / Turbo Duo) a go (seconding Herr Schatten). Its mythological theme is about as far from Macross territory as it gets, and there's no transforming. But the sense of controlling an armoured warrior rather than a conventional ship is brilliantly conveyed - its engine could've easily supported a mecha-themed shooter, particularly the seamless running/flying and shooting/slashing controls. It's also an excellent shooter in its own right, and like Hyper Duel is both accessible and fast-paced.

[Spyke]

Einhander is mech-based.

Starbelle, you're really working through the shmup library now - it's a blast isn't it!
What hardware are you using? Consoles or emulation?

Ant

[Kiken]

On Mega-CD/Sega-CD; Dennin Aleste (aka Robo-Aleste) has you flying a mech while Bari-Arm (aka Android Assault) has you flying a jet that transforms into a mech at its highest power-up level (similar to Hyper Duel).

[ASilver76]

Here are a few more worthwhile SHMUPS that have come back to my mind:

Einhander (psx): I'm glad someone mentioned it. It's another one of the underrated greats. From Square no less!

Giga Wing/Giga Wing2 (arcade, Dreamcast): crazy, crazy scoring. We're talking 11/12+ digits easy. And plenty of variety to boot. I prefer GW2 over 1, but both are great light shooters.

Zero Gunner 2 (arcade, Dreamcast): Another "light" shnooter, it works for both the hardcore and casual player.

Under Defeat (Dreamcast, XBL): An interesting helicopter shooter with very pretty explosions and a nice challenging progression.

Pocky and Rocky (SNES): another shooter with a feudal japanese theme, only this time, cute instead of gory. It's especially good in 2-player simultaneous mode. A bit slower then most shmups, it also qualifies as a run and gun.

Bangai-O (N64, Dreamcast, NDS): it could only come from Japan. Very stange, but challenging.

U.N. Squadron (arcade, SNES): this one has been mentioned before, but I personally suggest the SNES version to start with. The flexibility is pilot, plane, weapon loadout and stage select makes this one very replayable.

Blazing Lazers (TG-16): Fantastic shooter with very clever powerups.

Air Zonk (TG-16): Become a crazy flying cyborg, and rock on!

Now to think of a few more. The great thing about SHMUPS is that you can look backwards and find plenty that still hold up well.

[Kiken]

Under Defeat (Dreamcast, XBL): An interesting helicopter shooter with very pretty explosions and a nice challenging progression.

NAOMI, DC, 360 and PS3. It was released as a physical packaged game on home consoles.

Pocky and Rocky (SNES): another shooter with a feudal japanese theme, only this time, cute instead of gory. It's especially good in 2-player simultaneous mode. A bit slower then most shmups, it also qualifies as a run and gun.

One of them also got released on the GBA. Although I guess that was a sequel of sorts. Original is also on PC-Engine.

Bangai-O (N64, Dreamcast, NDS): it could only come from Japan. Very stange, but challenging.

And XBL, but it should be noted that every version is different. The DC version is usually viewed as the best version.

[ASilver76]

Kikien,

Correct on all counts. Thanks for catching my errors and oversights. Anything that makes the info more accurate is a plus in my book.

One addendum: regarding Bangai-O, I stongly favor the Dreamcast version. I think it's more playable then the N64 version due to the tweaks to the gameplay that were incorporated. And the NDS version is something else entirely, really.

Also, there's one more game I can't believe I forgot to mention:

Recca/Recca Pure (NES): This is perhaps the hardest of hardcore shooters for the NES, and it's incredible what the programmers were able to do despite the hardware limitations. Recca Pure is actually the unlocked harder-then-hardcore version of Recca that's usually only unlocked after...something (I forget what). Fortunately, thanks to the hacking community, this mode can be accessed directly from the start screen (it's the blue version of the title screen, instead of the normal red), if you're feeling sadistic. It's also available as a pre-patched ROM image in verious places on the 'net.

[Ghegs]

Recca Pure is actually the unlocked harder-then-hardcore version of Recca that's usually only unlocked after...something (I forget what).

It's a button combination, as explained here. You might notice a few posts afterwards somebody creates a hack where you don't need to do all that. Recca Pure exists because of us.

[starbelle]

Einhander is mech-based.

Starbelle, you're really working through the shmup library now - it's a blast isn't it!
What hardware are you using? Consoles or emulation?

Ant

xbox, and mame for older stuff or anythi I can't buy.

thanks again guys! working my way through lots of stuff now!

[ASilver76]

"It's a button combination, as explained here. You might notice a few posts afterwards somebody creates a hack where you don't need to do all that. Recca Pure exists because of us. "

True, but I try to avoid tooting any horns. Especially our own. Gotta keep us humble...

[Obiwanshinobi]

Einhänder itself is more of a mechanical insect than mech. Other vehicles/robots in game aren't very human-shaped either (mechanical bird, mechanical spider come to mind).