Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

[Marc]

Not playing yet, but trying to decide whether to throw down the £100 or so MMP/Pink Sweets goes for. How different are they from Cave's usual?

[dunpeal2064]

Well worth it man!

Pink Sweets is uber Yagawa, super tough.

Pork feels like a YGW Cave fusion done perfectly.

Both arcade modes are accurate enough to compete with pcb players (aside the lives glitch in ps), and you get a console revamp that is not quite a novice mode, but more managable.

Ps arrange is killer, and if you can get the dlc, matsuri is bitchin.

Best 360 port imo

[chempop]

Seconding most of what Dunpeal said about MMP/PS. They are difficult games, but both have a slightly tamer 1.01 version which is nice (not a walkthrough like the novice modes on other ports). Not sure how PCB accurate they are, but if you like Garegga and the other Yagawa games and dont mind the colorful looks, you should enjoy PinkSweets a lot. Pork is pretty unique, I find the aesthetics bizarre, very hectic game with all the crap floating down the screen.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Still try to get that Futari Original 1CC. I can regulary beat stage 5 and larsa with losing just 1 or 2 lives in practice. Still unable to get past the mental bridge of tying it together in a full run. No missed stages 1-4 in my last run and completly fell to pieces in stage 5. I get too excited and lose my train of thought

I was using my ls-32 but ive gone back to my pad so I can dodge quicker in stages 4-5

[Obscura]

All of these recent threads about scoring convinced me to play Batsugun.

Damn, that game is awesome.

[Marc]

Picked up Fuatri BL again. Ran a few runs on last boss, got her down to three bombs for a safe clear. Just need to work on the latter half of St3 and 5, depending on whether I actually play again anytime soon the clear is in sight. Got Akai Katana to play yet though. Damn.

[Captain]

Gwangedash

[dunpeal2064]

very hectic game with all the crap floating down the screen.

Ha ha, this describes so many of my favorite shooters.

[BarfHappy]

In The Hunt, because i missed it ... like with an old pal, you are really happy to have a little time together.

[RNGmaster]

Progear again. I got a 15m score and made it to the final boss and didn't save it because I wasn't content with it. Expect a bigger score in the coming week.

It's always fun to come back to games you used to suck at and watch as you blow away previously near-impossible sections with ease.

[shmuppyLove]

Esp.Ra.De.

Playing very agressively, but not using any tickling/milking techniques, I can usually get to about 2.5M by the second boss, but I'm getting hit way too much.

Probably doesn't help that I'm playing with a 360 controller ... with the analog stick. Makes tap dodging basically impossible.

I like to think of it as intentially handicapping myself, so when I play with a proper joystick, it will be much easier. Like practicing basketball with smaller hoops.

[hwl]

Still try to get that Futari Original 1CC. I can regulary beat stage 5 and larsa with losing just 1 or 2 lives in practice. Still unable to get past the mental bridge of tying it together in a full run. No missed stages 1-4 in my last run and completly fell to pieces in stage 5. I get too excited and lose my train of thought

Same here. I'm quite sure I'll manage that 1CC pretty soon though. Hopefully before Akai Katana arrives.

[Kiken]

Been playing Mushi Futari v1.5 Maniac again (I use Ab Parm). I'm having loads of poor runs though... no miss the first 2 stages and then die 3 times to completely stupid shit in the third level.. or no miss the first 3 levels and then die 4 times to completely stupid shit in the 4th stage. I know I've got a 500+ million pt run in me somewhere if I can just stop with the awful mistakes.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Alternating between working on a decent score in Futari 1.5 Original and playing Ikaruga. I'm not even sure if I like Ikaruga; having your chain break due to one stray shot is a bit disheartening, especially when you're trying to chain well. It probably doesn't help that I'm really not used to the game yet; best I've done is reach the Stage 4 boss on Easy. The switching mechanic also feels odd; is it me or do you not instantly switch polarity? I know the shield takes a second to activate, but I always expect it to give me the bullet resistance immediately, not used to learning to switch early...

[TrevHead (TVR)]

(Futari Original) After overcoming the mental wall of losing 1 or 2 lives before or after the 1up I nearlly had it. Last life 3 bombs stock where larsa starts throwing out that bullet pattern that gets ever quicker. Thinks to myself "oh Ive got enough bombs to finish this i'll just dodge this easy third pattern" Miss, Game Over RAGE!

[trap15]

DonPachi! STG of the month baby

[null1024]

Sanvein [PS1].
It's amazing how well this works as a portable game [using my Xperia Play].
It gives you that quick rush of action that you can just fire up, play for a bit, and then just get out of when you have to go do what is demanded by Real Life(TM).

Sure, it has inertia and all that junk, but it is pretty slick in style and tons of fun.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Mushi Arrange, reach Aki with like 3 lives to spare, I start to utterly mess it up, get destroyed by even the easy stuff. Bah!

[R-Gray 1]

I played a shmup since a longgg time

and was for first time Gradius Gaiden
very nice that crystal stage and the classic ones..like eastern heads, vagina stage, jungle space stage
i lost in that forest :p...i got tired and i decided to lose easily ...and the game told me some no nice words to me when i lost all my lives ( something like get out of here hahahaha next time i will choice female voice)

[null1024]

Soukyugurentai [PS1].

Should have probably restarted after 2 impossibly stupid deaths on the first boss [one was me misjudging my hitbox size, the other... well, I should have restarted right then and there], then made it midway through stage 2 and completely forgot about those enemies with the big lasers.

Then I gave up for the day.

[mesh control]

Mushihimesama iOS

[BarfHappy]

Mushihimesama Futari Barf Label xD
There are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many sprites spawns in a given level, this is effing difficult to populate properly.
No wonder they reuse the same engine, balancing the game flow is hell.

And i play some mushi HD in between to relax (and exerion). Monday will be donpachi day.

[Ibl]

Hydorah, and I'm considering plugging in my SNES to play some Pop'n TwinBee or Super R-Type. I haven't really played any shmups for the last two years... I'm really itching to get back into it.
(Also, I need to buy more shmups.)

[Aquas]

I started getting back at Guwange a bit more.
My chains for the first 3 stages are looking fairly consistent now. The more I play the more the game grows on me. It's quite a treat, and now I'm finally understanding some of the kooky boss patterns, figuring when to use the spirit to delay bullets and such. It's interesting.

Gonna give Trouble Witches Neo a decent go soon, haven't played it much since I bought it in a XBL sale a while back.
I ran a credit of Twinbee1 and scored 2 million points. Not very easy to lose the edge in this game. Hadn't played in months.

[man9child]

Radiant Silvergun. I need a Cave-break. Had been playing nothing but Ketsui and Daioujou.

[MOSQUITO FIGHTER]

Espgaluda II. I'm not really paying much attention to the scoring system. The game has some really tight bullet patterns. It kind of gives me the same rush as Daioujou.

[malchitos]

Lots of Akai Katana.... I really love slash mode. Also hitting Geometry Wars Evolved alot...bugging my friends on XBL that my score is better than their scores to get them back into Shmups.

I noticed all the radiangames are on sale for a dollar each on XBLIG...so I may grab them up and play a bit of them too. Really enjoyed JoyJoy for some odd reason.

Oh and I need to get in some more donpachi time...it is the STG of the month after all. :>

[jepjepjep]

After getting smoked by some old Toaplan goodness, first Fire Shark and then Tatsujin Oh, I played some Dodonpachi and 1cc'd it for the first time.

[Captain]

Gave up on Ketsui and started DaiOuJou

[Marc]

Picked up RayStorm HD yesterday... It's OK I guess but I've never been able to get properly enthusiastic about it.