13th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Discussion Thread

[EmperorIng]

I admit I am still a little confused how honorable mention lists get weighed, if at all. I'd like to keep things focused on a 25 ballot, but I might include maybe 10 HMs just because.

[Icarus]

Minor change to my list: started playing Space Invaders Extreme 2 again, and it's still just as good as I remember it to be, so it has a good high placement in my list (knocking Shippu Mahou Daisakusen off the bottom). Otherwise the list is the same order as it was when it was posted initially.

EDIT: Second change, adding the seminal Llamasoft classic Tempest 2000 to my list, as I've revisited it and can see me playing it a lot more now that I have it working with analog control in DOSBox. That, and I'm a huge fan of spinoff games Space Giraffe and TxK, which are strongly influenced by it.

[Aleksei]

There were other games that I could have added onto my list that are arguably better than some of what is on my list but the problem is that didn't play as many games this year as years before. IRL, you know.

I did add a relatively obscure mobile game, Soul Rage, that I enjoyed in places where I had to wait for service, i.e. DMV.

[ProjectAKo]

Scoring in Sonic Wings 3 is hilarious. Get to the line-of-tanks bonus stage, hang out at the top of the screen and LOL at what your score was before this part.

It's even worse if you want a truly world class score, because you have to do this garbage on both loops and suicide all lives and bombs each time: https://youtu.be/1aHd4P__Q84?t=250 (TAS video of bonus stage)

Also I'll say, the music in SW3 is way better than SW2's mostly militaristic and drab soundtrack.

[HardcoreOtaku]

Respect to forum users

evil_ash_xero

kane

louisg

for voting for Winds/Lords of Thunder!!! great taste.

[EmperorIng]

Only a few days left. Cast your votes! I'll probably try to suss out mine tonight after work. This has been a year of lots of 1CCs and a lot more games played, which is probably going to shake up what I vote for.

Space Invaders Extreme 2

This might make my HM list. The game is very "Las Vegas" if that makes sense.

[Nifty]

One week to go now to post or edit ballots before voting closes.

[Bydobasher]

Edit: posted my vote in the wrong thread!

[Immryr]

the voting seems very weird this year. looks like it's going to be a very different list to the previous ones.

[Cagar]

Still not gonna use my votes for the un-finished, but easily the best STG I've played, Final Boss.

...aand that's also why my votes are exactly the same as last year.

Also even though I don't play Ketsui much, I still admire it. It has this "threatening" hardcore feel to it which I find really amazing. It's almost like the 3rd strike of shmups (unsurprisingly it also released around the same era). Not the only reason why it's my 2nd pick, but it's still a huge factor

[chempop]

Cagar I think your list needs a revision, but I could be wrong.
If #1 game has 25 points, your total needs to be no less than 125. Is that how it works?

I didn't vote for Futari, Ketsui, or DOJ. Going for more variety than just cave and Raizing.
Shouldn't matter anyway, so few voted this year. It's kinda sad (unless Dimahoo makes the top 25!!!)

[Cagar]

Thanks, fixed.

[Nifty]

Shouldn't matter anyway, so few voted this year. It's kinda sad

I might extend the voting period if I have to, I'd like there to be at least 70+ votes. A decent number usually filter in during the final week though so we'll see.

[Strikers1945guy]

Shouldn't matter anyway, so few voted this year. It's kinda sad

I might extend the voting period if I have to, I'd like there to be at least 70+ votes. A decent number usually filter in during the final week though so we'll see.

Thanks for doing this though. My list tends to stay pretty close to the same but small tweaks here and there, some new gems discovered, put in a lot of time with a game and finally "got" it so I rank it higher than others. Always nice to see the results. I've discovered over the years through the voting process I slowly transitioned from huge cave fan, to huge raizing fanboy, to now basically All things Yagawa fan & Psiyko fan. I feel this will be the final stop.

In years past I would have had 10 cave games on my list. Now theres... 4? I don't consider ibara or PS even cave games I consider them Yagawa games basically. Surprisingly everything Psikyo is stuff that has held onto my interest and gained my love over the years while most non Yagawa cave stuff has done the opposite.

Getting into the hobby now you see CAVE CAVE CAVE everywhere and you jump in and it's pretty awesome. Then you finally try out the classics and everything in between and finally find what you prefer. Not that I just got into this hobby or anything but I did buy a Ketsui PCB as my first PCB -years- ago, way before the ports, or even emulation as it was the "have to have it" cave game. Still a great game, but in all honesty these days I'd take Gunbird 2 or Dimahoo over Ketsui any day of the damn week. Personal preference I guess. It's nice knowing that I adore Psikyo games so much and all the strikers 1945 games are still so cheap and everywhere so when and if all mine die finding replacements will be a breeze. Sucks as a Raizing fan though.

[chempop]

Certainly not against an extension if it means more votes. Even though it's all a bit arbitrary with the personalized weighing, it's a nice tradition that I always look forward to.
Simple mind, simple pleasures, as they say.

Dimahoo over Ketsui any day of the damn week.

Amen

[charlie chong]

taste changes over time. i might have had espgaluda 2 in my top 25 years ago whereas now i doubt i will ever take the game out of the box again.crap artstyle(level 4 tank boss was ok i gueess),shitty music and a fiddly scoring system do not make a good game for me.
still a lot of the lists seem more console orientated than when i've voted before.

[copy-paster]

Until today from what I see, most members here was voted Ketsui. Cool game indeed

[EmperorIng]

It does feel like a lot of votes are bit more esoteric than usual; it might be a lessening of long-time voters (I don't know why it took me so long to do it) and a lot of fresh voters. It would be a pleasant surprise to see more than 1 horizontal on the top 25, for starters.

There are a few games that have still made the list each and every time since the beginning, right? R-Type, Mars Matrix, Battle Garegga, and Ikaruga (still!). If any of those have a possibility to drop off, my bet is on Mars Matrix

It will be likewise interesting to see what these Honorable Mention votes amount to, other than more work for Nifty!

[professor ganson]

BIL's list is interesting as I expected. Makes me want to check out Kamui.

There are several PC Engine games I'd love to check out before next year's vote, including OverRide, Coryoon, and Sapphire. I doubt I'll spring for Sapphire, though. Coryoon maybe, and OverRide definitely. There's also Sylphia. So many games, so little time.

[EmperorIng]

What's interesting/shocking is no Metal Black in sight! Σ(゜ロ゜;)

[Squire Grooktook]

I thought Gun.Smoke was his favorite stg lol.

GUESS YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW A PERSON AFTER ALL

BIL's list is interesting as I expected. Makes me want to check out Kamui.

Kamui is damn good, yes.

[d0s]

Surprised to see the love for Sonic Wings 2 but none at all for SW3.

For me it was because SW2 is one of the first STGs I got really into in the "arcade", and by arcade I mean a Fuddruckers with a Neo 4-slot with SW2, Neo Driftout, Puzzle Bobble, and KOF 95 or 96. It caused me to rent the SNES port of SW1 a bunch too, and considering what that goes for now I'm kicking myself for not stealing the rental copy somehow (though I did just sell a US copy of Hagane I got for something like $15 back in the day for eight hundred dollars so I can't complain too much)

Now I own both 2 and 3 for the NGCD, Special for the Saturn and the JP release for the SFC but nostalgia is powerful and SW2 will always be the game I think of when it comes to that series so it ended up in my list.

e:

BIL's list is interesting as I expected. Makes me want to check out Kamui.

There are several PC Engine games I'd love to check out before next year's vote, including OverRide, Coryoon, and Sapphire. I doubt I'll spring for Sapphire, though. Coryoon maybe, and OverRide definitely. There's also Sylphia. So many games, so little time.

I really like Override and Sting's other PCE shooter, Psycho Chaser. They're not the most polished games out there but I find myself popping them in all the time

[copy-paster]

I thought Gun.Smoke was his favorite stg lol.

Metal Black does not on the list.

[harveybirdman]

Personally, I don't feel like I'm good enough at these games nor have I played enough of the modern PC and Console titles to have a valid vote...

I do know what I like though, and I'm shocked that Battle Garegga has been universally agreed on as the best in past. Interested to see how this year's vote shakes out.

[BIL]

What's interesting/shocking is no Metal Black in sight! Σ(゜ロ゜;)

I always treat this as a "desert island discs" affair, with a bias towards the HS forum. Love MB, but I know Border Down, Sexy Paro and R-Type Delta would give me more to work with in the long run. It does enjoy residence where it really matters, on my shelf! ;3

That said, I've been relatively detached from arcade-oriented STGs the last couple years. Not for any loss of affection... they remain the hard, stable core of my hobby. I was just focusing a bit less exclusively on the niche my list reflects. Found several new STG favourites on 16-bit, games that bridge arcade rigour and console leisure in a way I'd not appreciated before. Bio Metal, Eliminate Down, Nexzr, Slap Fight MD, Gate of Thunder, Elemental Master, SFC Kiki Kaikai, Twinkle Tale and Granada all come to mind. I didn't feel like altering my list just yet, but it might become slightly more inclusive of such games in the future.

I thought Gun.Smoke was his favorite stg lol.

GUESS YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW A PERSON AFTER ALL

In a world without numbers Gun.Smoke would be top of the list for sure. It's like a rabid chimp in a can. Pop it out every couple years, yup it's still trying to tear my face off, I didn't dream the whole thing up. I might go finish that ST now.

BIL's list is interesting as I expected. Makes me want to check out Kamui.

Kamui is damn good, yes.

Seconding! Arcade-quality Taito+Raizing love letter from Jirurun.

I really like Override and Sting's other PCE shooter, Psycho Chaser. They're not the most polished games out there but I find myself popping them in all the time

Same, I snapped up both of these right away when I got into the PCE. Override's quite lovable, like someone put a Compile game through an Irem training regimen for tighter stage+weapon design without losing the quintessential joyride effect. Colorful chunky war-machines to obliterate with zero slowdown, reminds me of Soldier Blade in that regard. Super easy unless you self-impose "respawn = credit used" rules, but fun regardless. I still need to try out the second loop (I think the PCE version has a loop?)

Psycho Chaser's anything but lovable, it's stoned-facedly brutal and almost the Elemental Master: Evil Dick Ver I'd toyed with in the Dream Game Hacks thread. I still recommend checking it out, these things can be unpredictable and ground-based verts are cool! Shares Override's knack for big chunky destruction despite the diametrically differing nightmare robofuture aesthetic.

[Perikles]

I didn't feel like altering my list just yet, but it might become slightly more inclusive of such games in the future.

Undeadline or bust, BIL!

I still need to try out the second loop (I think the PCE version has a loop?)

Yes, it loops indefinitely, even, but the difficulty maxes out at the second loop. Not all that interesting, unfortunately, since it merely boosts bosses HP, making the battles longer instead of more demanding. Suicide bullets would've worked splendidly with the game, given that the eponymous override shot neutralizes all projectiles on-screen. Oh well.

[BIL]

Oh damn, yeah, Undeadline's definitely another of those. Knew I was forgetting something major from the last year or so.

Thanks for the confirmation on Override, ah well. In that case I really do recommend playing by Elemental Master (or more aesthetically congruous, Kamui) rules. Ship blows up, credit over!

[Bydobasher]

Though I am a big fan of PCE, I have somehow managed to go all these years without trying either Override or Psycho Chaser -- at least as far as I can recall.... I'll have to play them!

[monouchi]

I would prolly have to revise my list and put Gun Frontier on the top spot, been playing that one exclusively the last months and Im turning into a GF fanboy, even hunting the old Gamest magazines for the articles.

[EmperorIng]

I admit I actually love and hate Gun Frontier. Or rather, I hate the rank in Gun Frontier.

Even though there was ~70 votes, I think the final outcome is going to have a lot of the more popular titles stay where they usually are. I would be very surprised if Mars Matrix remained on the list this year. It got I think almost 20 votes, and many of those votes were on the lower end. That puts it at a disadvantage against games that consistently perform towards the top of peoples' lists (Mushi, DDP/DOJ, Battle Garegga). By contrast, RayForce, whose fanclub I am happy to be in, got 24 votes, most being mid-to-high, which puts it at a much safer spot. One interesting thing I note sifting through the votes: a hell of a lot of votes for the R-Type series. IREM continues to enjoy mad love around here.