New to bullet hells

[Blackbird]

Contrary to the majority of people here I find the first Mushi to be the superior game. I think Futari's slowdown exaggerates at times. The music is a rehash of the first one. It's not as much fun.

If for the sake of argument we assume that Mushi is a little better than Futari, I would still recommend the latter to a newcomer because the home port is much more accessible, not to mention significantly less expensive.

A quick scan on eBay shows that Mushi is 95 dollars or more, while Futari Platinum can be had as cheaply as 40 dollars (sometimes even lower if you luck out).

Futari is also region free and can be played on any X360. If I recall correctly, Mushi is region-locked and would necessitate importing a Japanese PS2 just to play it. That's a pretty heavy investment; if we think about value and accessibility, then I think Futari is much easier to recommend.

[Obscura]

If for the sake of argument we assume that Mushi is a little better than Futari, I would still recommend the latter to a newcomer because the home port is much more accessible, not to mention significantly less expensive.

A quick scan on eBay shows that Mushi is 95 dollars or more, while Futari Platinum can be had as cheaply as 40 dollars (sometimes even lower if you luck out).

Futari is also region free and can be played on any X360. If I recall correctly, Mushi is region-locked and would necessitate importing a Japanese PS2 just to play it. That's a pretty heavy investment; if we think about value and accessibility, then I think Futari is much easier to recommend.

Again, I've only got a PC; I don't own any console, or even a TV (one of my mom's friends stole my NES and SNES when I was 16), so if it's not either PC or emulatable, it's just as inaccessable as PCB only for me.

[Estebang]

The one advantage the original Mushi has over Futari is that of a more cohesive aesthetic. It remains committed to ripping off Nausicaa's Toxic Forest and Ohms all the way through--there's no inexplicable T-rexes or jellyfish, just insects. Plus, there's the amazing R-Type battleship homage in Stage 3, which is like nothing seen elsewhere in a Cave game.

Of course, Futari is still the better game.

[OBSCVRA]

I have a Y chromosome, and therefore like spaceships that shoot lasers and blow shit up!

Damn, there goes any hope of you being a hot chick version of me...

Sorry for the name theft; it wasn't intentional (I use this name on gaming related forums). I took it from this album

No need to apologise if we both stole it from Gorguts

[Special World]

Gorguts slays.

Play Battle Garegga.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

If PC is your thing here try these PC shmups.

genetos (the only stg ive cleared first try and im shit)
bluewish resurrection / plus (autobomb, slow bullets, good entry stg for L2P, Its the shmup that quite a few of us cut our teeth on, me included)
edens aegis (bullet cancel well and you dont have dodge half the time)
samidare (not easy but its only 3 stages)
Xop / Xop black (visual style didnt gell with me, but the gameplay is spot on) (I originally spelt this with was Z but I can imagine Udderdude tutting as he reads it )
exceed 3rd black package (click on my sig for my review)
zen-ichi (ramps up in stages 4-5, but stage 3 is so much fun)
jamestown (if you have a shit pc dont bother, its quite hungry for sys reqs, That said if you can run it, get it as its made with noobs in mind)
touhou (been a retard & dressing as a loli is not mandetory)
demolition gunner: isad (easy and fun)
nomltest fs & kenta cho (good practice stgs)

If you are playing MAME stgs on a monitor, try TATE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jr_p25DzLM

[finisherr]

I think Futari Black Label Original and Dodonpachi are really great starters. DDP is a bit harder in my opinion, but they'll both teach you important lessons in vert shooter tactics.

[chum]

Not really sure what is up with this thread atm but here goes.

ring^-27 is a great little bullet hell with some pseudo-game boy aesthetics going on. I would try that one out.

Flame Zapper Kotsujin is another great little game, space shooter channeling the style of Truxton, and gameplay may be a bit reminiscent of Raiden (well, mainly the power-up system) but it is more enjoyable than either.

Don't dismiss Raizing games. Obscura and Garegga might go well together...? On second thought, no.

Try better Touhou Games (12, 9.5, 6, 12.

Don't play "newbie games" just for the sake of playing "newbie games". Dive straight into the good stuff imo.

[OBSCVRA]

Obscura and Garegga might go well together...?

of course they go well together

Obscura goes well with anything

[RNGmaster]

Don't play "newbie games" just for the sake of playing "newbie games". Dive straight into the good stuff imo.

Normally I'd say this exact same thing (and don't write off either Psikyo or Raizing) but, you know, when I first got Ketsui emulated I was absolutely horrible at it and got really pissed at the game for being so unreasonably difficult. Even though I practiced and tried to dive right in I actually couldn't with my small skillset. Ketsui is good stuff, yes, but it is not a good starter game.

[Ed Oscuro]

I have a Y chromosome, and therefore like spaceships that shoot lasers and blow shit up!

Damn, there goes any hope of you being a hot chick version of me...

How many of us are there?

It's like I just found out I'm a COBRA footsoldier or something, sheesh...

[chum]

Don't play "newbie games" just for the sake of playing "newbie games". Dive straight into the good stuff imo.

Normally I'd say this exact same thing (and don't write off either Psikyo or Raizing) but, you know, when I first got Ketsui emulated I was absolutely horrible at it and got really pissed at the game for being so unreasonably difficult. Even though I practiced and tried to dive right in I actually couldn't with my small skillset. Ketsui is good stuff, yes, but it is not a good starter game.

Doesn't hurt to give a hard game a shot and see if you can enjoy it despite your own shortcomings. If it doesn't work out he can just choose not to play it, rather than be a total masochist.

[Chaos Phoenixma]

Check out the Gundemonium Collection as all 3 games are worth playing. Exceed Collection will come out later this month.

For Touhous I'd recommend only EoSD, IN, MoF, and SA. 10D might be worth it too, but I never actually played the one, so I can't say.


Also, I'm surprised no one's mentioned it, so check out Judgment SilverSword which is easily one of the best STGs ever.

[BPzeBanshee]

I recommend anything with 'Raiden' in the same, the Raizing/Eighting titles (forget Dimahoo for the time being till later), ESPRade and Deathsmiles. Most of these are either emulatable in MAME (note that the Fighters have borked sound and Raiden II won't work at all) or purchasable on the 360 in the case of Deathsmiles which now has disc releases in all of the common world regions (PAL, NTSC-U, NTSC-J).

[Special World]

Raiden Fighters Jet is super awesome. I didn't get the big deal at first, but I kept playing it and it clicked. It's extremely progressive. Almost blows my mind.

[Deca]

BTW what do you guys think to Radient silvergun as a recommendation?

I'd say it's terrible as a starter game if your goal is to move on to other games. RSG is completely memorization and won't really do a very good job of teaching you directly transferable skills like DDP or Futari will. However, if you really like RSG and have designs on clearing it someday there's no reason you couldn't jump right into it.

This is the main reason I don't like RSG and Ikaruga, they only really teach you how to play themselves. I feel like time spent learning them is time wasted when my basic skills still could use improving.

[Eaglet]

Thirding (fourthing?) Garegga.
It's a great game if you want to learn how to apply quick strategical thinking while playing. Also makes you get used to some trickier patterns, (usually) faster bullets and a bigger hitbox than in CAVE games.
Also keeps you on your toes with bullets sometimes hiding under explosions and shrapnel.

[Obscura]

Metal Slug

I wouldn't call it a shmup, but it is definitely one of my all-time favorites.

Anyways, I spend most of my gaming time last night playing the Crimzon Clover demo (about 2 hours total), and is it just me, or is vertical movement slower than horizontal movement? It kinda feels that way, and there's something about the game that makes me totally fail at dodging. Also, I'm really terrible at it; I have yet to get past the stage 2 midboss, and I frequently fail to even clear stage 1, heh.

Also, based on this thread, Blue Wish Resurrection Plus and Battle Garegga are now at the top of my to-play list.

[jepjepjep]

Thirding (fourthing?) Garegga.

Seriously, good advice.

Download Mame, then try anything by Raizing, Psykio, or Cave. If you're beginning, then don't worry about the 1cc. Try to find a game that clicks with you and you can have fun with .

[Special World]

Crimzon Clover is a pretty terrible beginner game, imo. Balls hard.

[Formless God]

PC: Simple/Easy on Crimzon Clover, eXceed 3rd and Kamui (although if you've already 1-ALL'd IN on Normal you might as well go for Normal). Additionally, google.co.jp a program called YGS2000 and practice erry day.
MAME: Dodonpachi, DDP Dai Ou Jou, Galuda 1, Progear, Goowang, ESP. Ra. De, basically any CAVE game you can get your hands on. I would not recommend Ketsui, Galuda 2 and either Mushi games at the meantime though.

If you're planning to delve deeper into 2who, do yourself a favor and follow this objectively correct post

better Touhou Games (12, 9.5, 6, 12.8 )

[Deca]

DOJ is not friendly to new players. When I was still starting out I tried it for a bit and grew to hate it because it was just too difficult for me to enjoy at the time, only came to enjoy it fairly recently.

[richter3456]

If you like bullet hell, then I highly recommend you try the Raiden series. If you're looking for something easier and more retro, then suggest you look at the PC-Engine library of shmups. Truxton, Super Star Soldier, Nexzr, Rayxanber II are all worth trying. Another one of my top favorites on the PC-Engine is Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire.

[Special World]

Now that I think about it:

Check out Gate of Thunder for the Turbografx-16. Amazing game.

Then check out Star Parodier and Lords of Thunder.

[Deca]

If you like bullet hell, then I highly recommend you try the Raiden

Raiden isn't bullet hell at all, it's pretty much the quintessential manic shooter.

[BPzeBanshee]

If you like bullet hell, then I highly recommend you try the Raiden

Raiden isn't bullet hell at all, it's pretty much the quintessential manic shooter.

The definition of 'bullet hell' seems to be quite loose here. We once had a thread where a long-standing member defined bullet hells as high density slow paced bullets with 'manics' (Raiden) being low density fast-paced bullets, with everything else (Garegga) being somewhere in between. I agree with this view and it makes perfect logical sense to me but not everyone thinks the same way. Raiden Fighters JET has a very high bullet density in some spots when it wants to on top of the high speeds.

Raiden Fighters Jet is super awesome. I didn't get the big deal at first, but I kept playing it and it clicked. It's extremely progressive. Almost blows my mind.

Glad you feel the same way. That is precisely why I recommend it despite its difficulty (JET is considered the hardest in the series) as unlike Cave games I find that you can instantly notice any improvement you make in score and or/progression when playing it, and it's a 'transferrable skill' unlike Radiant Silvergun and such as Deca already mentioned. The only shame is that the poor documentation available for the hardware on the Seibu SPI boards mean that MAME emulates the music and some sounds for it very poorly - but if you get the Raiden Fighters Aces port on the 360 (assuming you live in US, Japan or have time travelled from the future where the PAL release came out) you need not look further for your manic needs.

[Special World]

From what I've played, Raiden Jet isn't really super tough, but I honestly have no idea how many stages are after the simulation missions. At the least, it really eases you in and gives you a good amount of playtime that's not terribly challenging.

I also love that the stages randomize somehow, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that the bosses get totally taken out by bombs. I absolutely hate bosses in a lot of games (most notable offender is Akai Katana) and it's just a complete relief that the game lets me total these warships in a matter of seconds. This has the benefit of also making you feel like your ship is totally badass, and the boss patterns are rough enough that you don't feel like you're cheesing your way through.

I haven't gotten to a "real mission" boss yet though, so maybe I'm speaking too soon.

At any rate, it really is the real deal. A ton of ships, a really sensible scoring system that manages to provide the first stage with some amount of unique interest, and the freedom to drop a lot of bombs.

[NzzpNzzp]

There are only two real battle stages.
The second one is harder than the entire rest of the game though.

[tommyb]

Definitely recommend Raiden Fighters Jet, as well. I love that game, its possibly one of my favorite shmups of all time, next to Futari, which I see has been recommended as well.

[richter3456]

If you like bullet hell, then I highly recommend you try the Raiden

Raiden isn't bullet hell at all, it's pretty much the quintessential manic shooter.

I never called Raiden bullet hell. What I meant to say was that if he likes bullet hell, then I suggest he try Raiden which is similar to bullet hell shooters for the fact that at some points the bullets tend to fill the screen.