Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

[trap15]

Twin Cobra 2 is by Takumi.

[EmperorIng]

As I understand it, it was started by Toaplan and finished by Takumi. Again, from what i understand, it was the last game the company was working on before folding, and one of Toaplan's offshoots, Takumi, finished it.

[Zaarock]

Akai Katana.

Starting to get the hang of things in Shin with type-1, managing the katanas properly feels awesome

[Kavera85]

Crimzon Clover, I am very much addicted.

[EmperorIng]

Played a bit of Gradius III on the PS2.

So, are you supposed to make any sort of progress on this game on a difficulty higher than Very Easy?

On Very Easy, I can get to the Stage 2 boss without dying.
On Easy, one rank higher, I can't even make it to that point without getting a game over.

I already hate playing on easy (because it offends my childhood sensibilities that you never play on easy!), but this game is just too hardcore for me man.

Also played Thunder Force V on the Saturn.
Man, fuck this final level. All these stupid cheap-deaths from geometric shapes - it's seriously grinding my gears. Especially those green-vector octohedron crystal thingies towards the latter part of the stage that rush you when you shoot them. I lost 2 of my continues at that point right there, and never got past it.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Messing around on Progear, would like to nail the 1CC but I'm finding I'm too shy about bombing because I also would like to work up to the second loop. I'm pretty inconsistent with the stage 3 boss it seems, but I can still make it to stage 5 (low on resources, ick). Is is better to keep the score rank low and make up for it in the second loop? ._.;

[Marc]

Messing with some Triggerheart Excelica. It's far better than the demo suggested. The grab mechanic came across a little gimmicky at first but it's all flowing pretty well now. Making the third boss after a few credits. Harder than I first thought as well.

[CoolgyFurlough]

Even though I'm new, I decided to take on the large task of trying to get a 1CC in DoDonPachi by playing for score. I'm using ProMeTheus's guide to do it as well, and I am getting quite proficient at chaining the first stage. I have a stage one high score of around 2.9 mil and I think I'm almost ready to take on stage 2.

[Illyrian]

Even though I'm new, I decided to take on the large task of trying to get a 1CC in DoDonPachi by playing for score. I'm using ProMeTheus's guide to do it as well, and I am getting quite proficient at chaining the first stage. I have a stage one high score of around 2.9 mil and I think I'm almost ready to take on stage 2.

Hey bro, trying to start with Dodonpachi, that way lies madness probably. I'll trot out the same list of games I always do in this situation:

1. Touhou on easy
2. Blue Wish Resurrection
3. Eden's Aegis
4. Touhou on normal

IN THAT ORDER

Then whatever you want.

Just my suggestion anyway.

[Kollision]

Sine Mora arcade hard - perfected stage 6 yesterday, really looking forward to stage 7 tonight
Hyper Duel arcade mode in between

.....and because I'm almost burnout on Raystorm, just 1 credit every once in a while on this damn thing

[CoolgyFurlough]

...

...

I'm actually having a wonderful time with DoDonPachi, even though I am terrible at it. I absolutely love it as it is challenging but not impossible, and it has a great aesthetic and game-feel.

I have tried Touhou before and didn't really like it. Barely any scoring system and too boss-oriented. I'm not bashing it, but it isn't for me.

Also, damn you shmups forum for getting me to play for score instead of survival. You're all right, it is more fun...>.>

[Marc]

Just debating which of Shienryu, Sonic Wings Special or Gaia Seed to pick up from the Vita store. Never played Gaia Seed, any good?

[Op Intensify]

Gaia Seed is a very middle-of-the-road shmup, and the difficulty is rather low (thanks to the Halo regenerating shields mechanic), though it's worth playing through for the amazing (and often strange) graphics and music. It feels like a lost PC-Engine CD game. Darius was clearly the biggest inspiration, so it plays close to Metal Black + Gaiden.

Kyuiin is another import shmup on the US PSN store I can recommend, and it plays a bit better.

Shienryu and Sonic Wings are verts, and are less than ideal on a handheld horizontal screen. Get them for PS3 if you want them.

[Drachenherz]

Batsugun Special

[Erppo]

Barely any scoring system...

Err, you must have missed something. That said, DDP is as good starting point as any.

[Marc]

Gaia Seed is a very middle-of-the-road shmup, and the difficulty is rather low (thanks to the Halo regenerating shields mechanic), though it's worth playing through for the amazing (and often strange) graphics and music. It feels like a lost PC-Engine CD game. Darius was clearly the biggest inspiration, so it plays close to Metal Black + Gaiden.

Kyuiin is another import shmup on the US PSN store I can recommend, and it plays a bit better.

Shienryu and Sonic Wings are verts, and are less than ideal on a handheld horizontal screen. Get them for PS3 if you want them.

Had both on Saturn but it was years ago. I found Shienryu a tad boring, but I also remember something about Sonic Wings pissed me off no end but it won't come back to me exactly what. It's a best of all the Sonic game if I remember right? Anyway, kind of sad for Vita when I'm debating these two. You just saved me from bothering with GaiaSeed though, it's the only one I've never played so was somewhat curious, but doesnt sound my bag at all.

[MmSadda]

Busted out BRAVE BLADE, and not digging it presently... hoping to trade that for something else.


Just game off a bit of a Galuda 2 binge, hoping to get back on Pork and/or DonPachi.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Fired up Akai Katana again for the first time in a long while... I love the game but I got discouraged for months when I had a death during the stage 4 boss phase transition while there were literally no bullets/enemies around me that I can only conclude was a bug (the local guys I showed the replay had no idea what hit me either :/). Was a really nice run too, was hoping to no-miss...

Actually, it reminds me of the Shinki bug in Mystic Square. Pretty much exactly that, was in the bottom left area of the screen, a few seconds before the portal opened up during the start of the St4 boss's second phase above I just died in thin air for no reason.

[blackoak]

Haven't had a lot of time lately for shmupping, much less translating. But I've been putting a couple credits each day into Outzone (thanks bay!). I love this game... need to figure out what roms my board has though. Definitely the best Toaplan soundtrack.

[Marc]

Easing back into shooters after finally finishing up Dark Souls.

Played some Pink Sweets last night, is it just me or does it actively hate the player? Is there anything that doesn't increase rank? I like it but its bloody-minded.

Pork on the other hand... Wow. What a game. I'm still feeling my way around the scoring but it's ticking every box for me at the minute. I think if I knuckle down to one shooter to play extensively, this will be the one.

[EmperorIng]

It seems this forum doesn't have enough good things to say about Muchi Muchi Pork. If I had money i might even consider nabbing it.

I have been playing a lot of really old shooters on a lark.

Konami's Scramble is surprisingly a lot of fun. The weird garish colors add to the charm of the game. The castle level is brutal though. I lost all my lives there numerous times.

SNK's Vanguard is pretty darn easy, considering I 1CC'd it after two or three tries. It's really easy, but the four-direction shot gimmick is pretty cool, and it's cool hearing bastardized Star Trek music the whole way through.

The most I've been playing is Taito's submarine single-screen shooter, Polaris. The game is really primitive as all hell, but it is a whole mess of fun. Your hitbox is lol, the whole sub, and you have a huge tail, so to speak. After the first two levels, things get very hectic and manic as 10 planes are trying to bomb you, while gunboats whiz by trying to either ram you or set down depth charges, and submarines at the bottom release mines up at you.

If that wasn't enough, after a certain point of time, the game begins to limit how far up the screen you can travel, giving you less and less maneuvering space!

I can get about 10,00 points before dying. But Polaris is a fun single-screen shmup that's really action-packed in the later stages, so it definitely gets my recommendation.

Its marquee art is awesome, too.

[soupbones]

Been playing a lot of the Ibara board I picked up - can manage up till the 3rd boss... but I'm so sweaty by that point, I usually just slip off the chair and fall to the ground.

Also recently picked back up Sine Mora. I really didn't like it when I first got it, but for some reason it plays better to me using a control pad instead of stick. I still don't like it.

Last but not least, bought a new Saturn, and my Thunderforce Volume 2 collection is getting some good play time. T4 is so god damn good. The music makes me want to fly a jet through my house.

[ratikal]

Batsugun Special

Great game, let me know if you want any advice. I know that game like the back of my hand.

Right now, I'm playing DOJBL on the port. The arrange soundtrack is pretty badass. I'm starting to get pretty consistent minus stupid mistakes. I made it to 2-2 yesterday and 1-ALL'd today after some horrible deaths in stage 2 and 3.

Seems like shmups are way more fun when you just pop in credits and never restart. Also seems like the best way to build consistency.

[NeoStrayCat]

Just a quickie flash shooter "Boss Slayer" on Kongregate, just finished it, and needed the power up rewards points, lol.

[Aquas]

Akai Katana (origin mode). This game is sick. BUY IT! It's $20 on amazon.

[null1024]

Last Resort [Neo Geo].
Need to memorize better, I die on things I expect where they are, but end up dying because I forget how they move/shoot, and they catch me unaware. I like the way your "force" pod moves around, it's much more flexible than in R-Type. Very neat graphics too.

[Ed Oscuro]

RF Jet medals mode: Not bad, fun to watch the super bling flying around. Just requires a tiny bit of care not to bump into it.
RF 2: A bit harder, slaves dying will set you back. Offset with a Miclus at the very start of the Airfield stage, and following the two tanks / medal rule and doing some other stuff will bump you to 100,000 point medals before you know what's happened. A few minutes (15 or so) of practice and you remember how to do it.
RF: WHAT THE FUCK

I did succeed in unlocking the 10,000-100,000 point medals in RF1 with practice, and it does feel rewarding when you get it down. But who thought doing it this way was a good idea? Not only do you have to dodge the slave icon, but if you get all the quickshots, then you have to dodge a fairy too. At the same time, you've got to hug the top of the screen (more or less) to get the medals; if you did everything right two 90 point medals will be unneeded before the house Miclus. And then you still have to do more shit, like saving your slaves from the awkwardly shaped plane and the popcorn that come at you, and time the plane destruction as it leaves the screen (surprisingly easy to let it get away). If everything goes well you get the 100,000 medals in the next stage, but in my case I managed to waste a Miclus, which sets me back a cool million. So it goes.

I like RF1's bosses and stages more though - they feel relatively unthreatening and lame in the early stages of RF2 (this last playthrough I was too aggressive in various places and caught bullets I shouldn't have, finishing off with flying right up to one of the last naval guns on the train as it was just entering the screen again).

[Ed Oscuro]

Hey, just got the chain going from stage 1 on my first try. Lost a bunch of lives very early so I didn't even break 5M but that feels like progress! If I've got that down then I can focus on the rest of the game more easily. I guess RF1's medal requirements aren't so bad after all!

[Master O]

SNK's Vanguard is pretty darn easy, considering I 1CC'd it after two or three tries. It's really easy, but the four-direction shot gimmick is pretty cool, and it's cool hearing bastardized Star Trek music the whole way through.

I was going to say, "Since this is SNK, does that mean there will be an impossible final boss fight?"

Then I remembered, this game came out loooooooooooong before Rugal Bernstein was even an idea in any of the SNK developer's eyes.

[Marc]

It seems this forum doesn't have enough good things to say about Muchi Muchi Pork. If I had money i might even consider nabbing it.

I have been playing a lot of really old shooters on a lark.

Konami's Scramble is surprisingly a lot of fun. The weird garish colors add to the charm of the game. The castle level is brutal though. I lost all my lives there numerous times.

SNK's Vanguard is pretty darn easy, considering I 1CC'd it after two or three tries. It's really easy, but the four-direction shot gimmick is pretty cool, and it's cool hearing bastardized Star Trek music the whole way through.

The most I've been playing is Taito's submarine single-screen shooter, Polaris. The game is really primitive as all hell, but it is a whole mess of fun. Your hitbox is lol, the whole sub, and you have a huge tail, so to speak. After the first two levels, things get very hectic and manic as 10 planes are trying to bomb you, while gunboats whiz by trying to either ram you or set down depth charges, and submarines at the bottom release mines up at you.

If that wasn't enough, after a certain point of time, the game begins to limit how far up the screen you can travel, giving you less and less maneuvering space!

I can get about 10,00 points before dying. But Polaris is a fun single-screen shmup that's really action-packed in the later stages, so it definitely gets my recommendation.

Its marquee art is awesome, too.

You played Super Cobra? Scramble's sequel, one of my all-time faves.