The Self-Introduction Thread

[Van Slanzar de Fanel]

Hey everyone. My name's Chris and I've been playing shmups for years. I couldn't tell you which was the first one I played, but the first one I owned was Nemesis for the original Game Boy. I draw the line at bullet hells, though. I also play 3D shooters, some FPS, some RTS, and a lot of RPGs.

[Hitman]

Hello everybody! I have got Nevada Magic Cabinet and plenty of MVS games on it. Today I completed Panic Bomber without losing any life!

I have decided to sell some of my MVS games, maybe there is some interest of them..

I also collect other retro consoles and the Amiga 1200 is the newest one!

Hello everybody!!

[cave hermit]

Hey everybody; my name's Josh, and in the past year or so I've become a massive fan of Cave games, and this eventually extended to Shmups in general! I've been lurking here for awhile after accidentally coming across these forums, and I decided it's time to register; this is actually the first forum I've joined. I don't know too much about the library of shmups out there, and I have no clue how to find the latest news on shmups, but I guess being here should help I currently own Deathsmilees, Dodonpachi resurrection, Mushihimesama Futari, Akai Katana, Dodonpachi Saidaioujou, and Ikaruga, all on the 360 (these games are seriously the only reason I don't regret not getting a PS3 ). My copy of Muchi Muchi Pork and Pink Sweets should be here in about a month, and right now I'm looking at getting a prepaid card to download Recca on my 3DS. As for how good I am at these games, I can never get past the third stage on any of them, mostly because I absolutely refuse to ever use continues.

EDIT: I DON'T have a PS3, is what I meant to say.

[blackoak]

As for how good I am at these games, I can never get past the third stage on any of them, mostly because I absolutely refuse to ever use continues.

That might not be the most efficient way to get better, but until frustration overtakes you, its probably the best way to extend the fun and adrenaline rush of the game. I still play this way, although periods of intense savestate/boss practice are really helpful and make that eventual return to "no credit feeding" more fulfilling. One nice medium I found was the Yagawa boss rush modes (in Batrider and Bakraid) that allow you to mix up stage and boss practice, complimentarily reinforcing each other.

oh, and welcome!

[mosey]

New guy incoming, hope to add some relevant stuff eventually. Now experimenting with Dreamcast cabling and old CRTs. Nice to be here!

[BIL]

Cool avatar, I dig the pixels.

[VIS9000]

Hello everyone,

I've gotten intro retro gaming in a big way in the last year or so and have started playing shmups more so I thought it would be a good idea to join a shmups forum - I think I may like the soundtracks these games have more than the actual gameplay haha. Currently playing Darius Gaiden + Radiant Silvergun on my Saturn and I plan on playing some of the XBL shmups at some point. there's not enough time for all the stuff I want to play!

[antibolo]

Hello, my name is Simon. I'll admit I'm not particularly a fan of Shmups (I do like them though, my favorite is probably Ikaruga), my main interest in this board is the Hardware section which seems to be one of the main cornerstones of the Internet in terms of retro gaming. I have a humble collection of retro systems and am in the process of purchasing a Sony PVM so my current interest is getting in the pure RGB arena.

[necrocannibal]

Hi, I've been lurking here for sometime now and decided to join. I'm from the Netherlands and like a lot of people I love Cave games...I do suck at playing them or any other shmup to be honest.

[soprano1]

Hey everyone. I have been lurking for a while, and thought is was about time to register.
Big fan of Toaplan and Compile, as well as Konami and Hudson games.

[ZaKa-tokyobassist]

Been visiting for a long time but never signed up until a few months ago prior to Ketsui's PS3 release. Grew up playing Gradius III because my mom and dad played it a bunch on the SFC. I've recently started playing more danmakus (mainly because those are all that's being made atm) even though I prefer more traditional shmups.

Nice meeting everyone! I might come off as dickish at times but I mean well lol.

[criddo91]

Hi everyone I'm Chris, been reading stuff on here for a while but only just signed up. My first shmup would have been a game called Space Impact on a Nokia 3310. I grew up playing Ps1, N64 and Gameboy Color, and started a Gameboy collection about 3 years ago collecting all the gameboys and games I wanted as a kid. I then started collecting for the Genesis/Mega Drive after realising how many great games are on it and started a new interest in shmups with games like Musha, Thunder Force, Gley Lancer, etc. I now also have a collection of PC Engine games (mostly shmups) and also play a lot on MAME.

[Atra776]

Greetings everyone!
I've been reading and following things on this whole forum for a long time now, ever since high school a few years ago. Now I have finally joined to get in on the greatness here.
My first experience with gaming is with shmups when I was around 6, Raiden DX was my childhood then, followed by In the Hunt and DonPachi, even though I could barely play them properly. Years and years have past since then and I was getting bored with the more mainstream genres like RPGs and then decided to look back into the genre which started me out in gaming in 2009 when I was in year 10. Instantly I was blown away at the things I found like Raiden IV or DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu; never knew that the Raiden and DonPachi series had come this far. And from there till today, shmups are my main gaming interest, particularly danmaku shmups; CAVE games, Touhou, Crimzon Clover and Ikaruga (even though I've yet to have the opportunity or resources to play this one).

[heisenbergman]

Hi. New shmup convert here thanks to Jamestown. I started playing that game around a week ago and I've got shmups on the mind ever since.

After getting to the final level of Jamestown (which I have yet to beat), I went around looking for a few more shmups I can play on my laptop and found a couple which are just amazing:

- Blue Wish Resurrection
- Patriot Dark

and a couple that aren't all that:

- Warning Forever
- Sine Mora

I've also downloaded ALL of the free Cave game demos available for iOS as well as Danmaku Unlimited 2 Lite and Phoenix HD; and they've been awesome, so I've doing a lot of shmuping on my phone as well.

Looking to delve deeper into this genre soon

EDIT: Oh, and I also program, by the way. I program using Java and have been studying video game development using LibGDX for the past half year or so. I have a platform game that is currently indefinitely in hiatus (due to burnout -_-), but I'm looking forward to maybe try out and create a shmup. So I'm glad to see that you guys have a dev forum here

[AntiFritz]

Warning Forever is pretty good, but it's not a conventional shmup. It was one of the first shmups I played.

[heisenbergman]

Yeah, it's definitely the most different among the shmups I've tried. I think the term is "boss rush"? I just felt like I was shooting the same thing over and over again and stopped having fun after a handful of levels.

[ORDLJU]

Hi everyone!

I'm just a guy in his mid 30s who, three years ago, put an SNES emulator on his computer to play Super Mario Bros. 3 and Dragon Warrior. Then one day, I said to myself hey, what was that one system you only ever heard about as a kid but never got to play? That's right, Turbo Grafx 16! So I got Magic Engine and was instantly in love... It's like an NES running at Genesis speed! And there's so many Japanese games I've never heard of! Well, beside Bonk, what is there to play on this system? Shoot em ups you say? I was never any good at those though, they're too hard. What's this one? ParodiuOMG, where have you been all my life????? If you like Parodius you might likeIS THAT A PC ENGINE SHOOTING CDS!?!?!?!?!? Then I discovered Bullet Magnet's wonderful articles, and since then it's been the SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY meme!!!!.

I've found that shmups are an ideal way to spend my evenings, it's become my ideal of sorts, put on a good DJ set and spend four or five hours grinding this or that Cave game. Shout outs to Madcatz for choosing me as the lucky winner of a Madcatz Fightstick Pro... that's definitely a large part of the awesomeness.

That being said I'm still really, really bad. Currently working on my first 1cc in Mushihimesama HD normal, but if I'm not in training mode, I lose my nerves by the time I get to the bug with the 1UP before the level 3 boss. God I hate that thing.

[Sinful]

Might as well add something about me too... K, from the NES era, basically avoided genre entire time until... I notice way to many gaming sites listing STGs into their all time fave lists & other discussions about loving the genre & it's classics. I was like "how can anyone love this genre?" lol. Well, I finally decided it was time to do my homework on this genre once & for all & get to the bottom of this mystery, by more reading/researching + making shmup rom/ISO compilations for all consoles for easy & instant access (MAME included! YIKES!!). So slowly & bit by bit I started diving into playing these games until it clicked more and more. Wasn't that fast of a process, and it's still a work in progress (though I'm already hunting down physical copies for any STG. Crap or not. So no more turning back. I'm hooked).


Anywho, at one point I was about to on a forum start a topic "How can anyone love Gradius series? With the Gradius syndrome and all?" (PS I already been exposed to this series & other major ones like R-Type, Raiden, etc + had mags for all others & now reading game sites all the time. Thus a well informed gamer for it all) But I couldn't just bash a game without at least putting in some serious playtime. Stuff like that is what makes me hate like 99% of gaming reviews & gamers mentality in general. So here I go plugging away at this series, constantly switching between all the classic Gradius games, until... it finally clicked (it was at one point while playing Gaiden & trying one of the new ships, by the way). After that all the others clicked ASAP too. This series clicked with me so much that it's still easily my most played STGs & fave game by far. And since they got so many extra loops & difficulty settings. I'm very happy that replay of these games are there for as long as I need it to be... Still, I wish there were more (but we fans are lcuky we have so freakin many to begin with, thank goodness)...

Though I only no missed Gradius II NES & III SNES (the easiest ones, lol), and maybe 1cc'ed NES Salamander (if not, can be easily fixed, as game ain't hard). Gradius III AC I made it to cube rush finally last time I played.

Believe it or not after quite some playing, I noticed I prefer the Arcade games over the console ones (including over Gaiden too). They just are way better designed, more spontanious, with higher replay value in many categories, etc. I also think the Arcade games got better with each release, but Gradius III AC is easily my fave. This game's bashing is BS. At least put some time into it, lol. I'm a shiity skilled noob and made it pretty far (I find other STGs harder >_>;;). The difficulty is actually just right & greatly adds to the fun factor (and until you get into it, there is even "Very Easy" difficulty. So no excuses not to enjoy this game cause it's too hard). Graidus IV is also harder (try going for 1cc, or better yet, no miss. HA!!), as it should be, as sequals should get harder & harder. ... Graidus V? I still have yet to put some serious time with this one (it's takinng some time to get into Treasure games I'm noticing)...

That being said I'm still really, really bad. Currently working on my first 1cc in Mushihimesama HD normal, but if I'm not in training mode, I lose my nerves by the time I get to the bug with the 1UP before the level 3 boss. God I hate that thing.

I say just don't rush it... at least too much, anyways. Eventually your overall skill will rise more and more as time goes by. ie.I just took a small break from STGs (darn Skyrim & Mass Effect series robbed me of so much time >_<), and now coming back, I notice an improvement in skill in all the STGs I'm playing.

Parodius?! You know, it took some time for me to finally accept Parodius series (again, all it took was some more playing) because of it's cute 'em up style. But I knew me being a mad Gradius fan that I couldn't avoid it for too long until I started craving more Gradius action. And now I'm very happy that this series expanded my fave series ever with 5 more games... My fave is the first one, and after that I think they got worse and worse, sadly (Sexy has no extra loops!! What BS). Though I may change my preference over time as I play them more? (Which is something that happens to me a lot. Keeping an open mind is very important too).

Yeah, I'm discovering the PC-Engine too. And I'm freaking loving it. Such a unique console that captures a unique style & gaming era. For sure not to be passed over... I'm also discovering other, even rarer, gaming systems like the MSX, PC88/89, X68000, & so on... oh, love that freakin NEO GEO too... wish it had more Shmups & less fighting games, but the ones on it are all freaking great and look so early 90's Arcade style.

[royalfan84]

Hello everyone. I'm Justin, still fairly new to shmups. I've only been really interested in shmups the last 6-7months. I can thank Blazing Lazers back in the day for my exposure to the joy of the shooter. And I can thank mostly Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga for re-igniting and expanding my interest in the genre recently.

Of course I'm a noob, I've researched the subject quite extensively lately while also expanding the number of shmups I own from about 5 to 40 over the last half-year. I have completed a few but I am mostly in a "trial phase" of exploring which shmups I like best while giving moderate time to them but not mastering any. Admittedly so; playing for score is an addictingly fun time.

Where I live (midwestern US) there is little knowledge of or community of shooter fans. It's all GTA, Halo, and CoD. I am trying to change that; I've started having friends and fam over to try my shmups and play competively for score. I'm trying to jumpstart the unappreciated genre around here while also showcasing some of my favorites to them. It's quite rewarding to see others start to see what is so great about this genre.

So far my favorite vert shooters are:
1. Radiant Silvergun
2. Raiden Fighters Aces (Jet)
3. Ikaruga
4. Blazing Lazers
5. MUSHA
My favorite hori shooters:
1. Akai Katana
2. R-Type Final
3. Lords of Thunder
4. Sine Mora (I know I know, I like it.)
5. Gradius III and IV

I of course welcome all opinions and insight; starting right now with this question: I currently cannot decide which of these games I should purchase next
G-Darius
Sturmwind
Mars Matrix
DoDonPachi Res.
Einhander

Which one of those 5 would you suggest I take on next?
Thanks!

[royalfan84]

Hello everyone. My name is Justin and I've recently become enamored with the shmup genre. I can attribute my newfound love of these types of games to the choice to buy Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun about 7 months ago...since that moment my interest in shmups has only grown. I also must give credit to the turbo graffx game Blazing Lazers for bringing to my mind how fun these games can be; I played that game religiously in my youth and I still adore it today.
I've been reading through topics on this site for a few months now for various reasons and just decided to join the discussions this morning. I have an appreciation for shooters that most people in my life and area of the United States(sw missouri) do not relate to. I am trying to change that; I have started having friends and family over to my house to play shmups. I have them try the different ones I have out then we decide which few to play competively for score. I'm certainly a noob and am also in my "trial phase" of trying many shmups but not mastering them individually. I have cleared a few of them but cannot say I've taken the time to master any as of yet. As I said I am buying and trying more right now. Admittedly however; playing for score is a joy. No doubt. Bettering yourself in this regard is certainly rewarding.

With all that said; I welcome all criticism, insight, and opinions. In the last 6 months I've expanded my shmup library from 5 to 35 or so. I am sure glad I gave this genre some time; great decision. Thanks.

[imfort]

Hey all! I've been lurking the forum for a couple of years now. I have been playing shooting games on and off for a decade or so. I thought it'd be a good thing to join up properly now since I just started developing a game myself. I'm a big fan of CAVE but recently I've been drifting more towards Raizing!

[Koboldicus]

Guess I should sign in here. Fan of gradius, giga wing, cave and psikyo, though not really any good at any of them despite playing them for the last 10+ years lol

[ossi]

Hi everyone, registered a while back and thought I'd say hi. Been into STGs since Gradius for the NES and am still mostly into the old shooters although I do enjoy the new ones as well. This place is a great resource and I hope to contribute where I can.

cheers

[ShotOfSelf]

I registered to express my thanks as I have just gotten into shmups (2 months ago) starting with Gynoug/Wings of Wor for the Sega Genesis/Megadrive. I used to have to abuse save state to make any progress and after only a few weeks of short daily sessions I managed to 1cc both loops. My games in progress are Raiden, the Gradius series, Einhander and Batsugun. To any others starting out I feel that Gynoug is a great place to begin as it has a little bit of everything. Item management, varied bullet patterns, hard to see bullets(only 1 level), plenty of extends, awesome graphics, great powerup system etc. It has a strange flow to it as well which makes it a very surreal experience. I'm sticking to a survival aspect when it comes to shmups, just going for a 1cc before moving on to the next game since I have so many years worth to catch up on!

Anyways thank you all for making this forum the definitive place to be for any STG enthusiast. The strategy shit you guys write is so in-depth it's sickening. Hopefully I can meaningfully contribute to the forum in the future but for now here's a link to my muisc channel if anyone wants to check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ShotOfSelf

There's guitar instrumentals which kick ass, original videogame music(no shmups yet), acoustic stuff and a cover or two(Alice In Chains yo!).

[d0c_zaius]

hello everyone!

Just joined after lurking for a long time. I grew up on shmups and finally got a cab, so I'll be using the trading section for some jamma board action.

My fav is probably Radiant Silvergun.

[Neorebel]

Hey what's up everyone. I am excited to have finally registered here after lurking for years. I have recently had a strongly renewed love for STG games... particularly some old school ones for the Genesis, (Thunderforce Series, Truxton, Fire Shark) and I also finally bought a PC Engine and am loving Winds of Thunder. I've always had a casual interest in these types of games... I remember in college I played a lot - there was a Dimahoo machine in the student center arcade and I had a Dreamcast, home to a ton of great shooters, of course. I love games can be enjoyed in short sessions but take true skill to master. I'm a big vs. fighting game lover as well. I have a Neo-Geo MVS cab with Blazing Star that I love to play with friends. I'm into Danmaku games as well, but I have a long way to go before I can consider myself competent in them (currently playing Ketsui).

Anyway, these games are timeless and they fit my lifestyle more these days than ever. I look forward to chatting with everyone about them...

[beermat]

Hi,
I came here to find out more about the genre, I have played them for many years but only every now and then. Relative to most on this forum I expect I play badly but nevermind. Have stuck to the same games and now want to find something different.

[Bonus!]

Anyway, these games are timeless and they fit my lifestyle more these days than ever. I look forward to chatting with everyone about them...

I thought the same when I was starting out with STGs. However, I quickly learnt that they require a high level of focus, so you need to be in a rather alert state before you can even play them. Compare this to "modern" games that basically play themselves...

[horaceappleton]

Hi all! Long-time lurker finally registering. I came to really love shooters when I discovered Radiant Silvergun in college. My favorite developers are probably Treasure and Raizing, but for right now I'm mostly playing Ketsui (with the occasional break for MUSHA ) This place is great--it's rare to meet people who are really into shooters!

[spadgy]

Good to have you all here people. This forum is a great friendly place (most of the time!) so good to see such upbeat, positive introductions!

And always nice to see some lurkers crossing to the light side and getting involved!