Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

[LordHypnos]

Man, I was playing Recca not long ago, and it was utterly unforgiving, and kind of annoying in certain ways. I just couldn't stop though! IDK Why!

[finisherr]

Everything about this is just right. Perfect glass for the beer. Perfect game for the cab.

[trap15]

Showing off a bit now...

[ACSeraph]

Must have killed your wallet...

[trap15]

Yeah, sure did... Check the "cool stuff you just bought" thread in Off-Topic for the damage >_>; ramen for me this month.

[Acid King]

I had a few minutes earlier while some rice finished cooking and since I already had my cab on I figured I'd get in a quick game of Battle Bakraid and practice Axebeak. I buzz through the Stage Select screen thinking "Ehhh I'll just do Axbeak..." I started up my credit and just killed it, got nearly 11 million off him. Next comes Railroad and I fuck up the first suicide and end up picking up the 5th extend for points because I had 4 ships in stock. I get to Cyclops and pull the bomb-suicide milking trick off as well as I've ever done it and pulled 6 million from him. As he's going down I glance up at the top of the screen and think to myself "If I can pull a decent chain on Seaside I'll crush my old score!"... The next stage loads and it's.... Cloud? CLOUD?!? A wave of horror washed over me as I let out a Batrider-esque "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" when I remembered what I had done at Stage Select.

[trap15]

Oh damn, that's such a shame

[LordHypnos]

rRootage. mostly the random modes. Kind of warming up to the way the game controls with a gamepad / probably learning to microtap better with a gamepad.

[LordHypnos]

Holy shit. just got to 132B points in Mars Matrix and made it to the "last" phase of the 4th stage boss (it's not really the last, but it can be) also over 500,000 experience. shaking like a cat that got stuck in the refrigerator for an hour. That's the best I've ever done by score or survival standards. Also managed to no miss 1-3.

[Stevens]

Excellent work LH!

[50Hz]

Showing off a bit now...

Wasn't there another M-KAI wonderwitch game that you could also be teasing us with?

[trap15]

Yes, I should go download Self-Produce and show that off heh. That's one that you literally can't play without a WonderWitch

[Stevens]

Jamestown and Danmaku 2 till Sunday.

[endoKarb]

Dragon Blaze till my fingers bleed.

[LordHypnos]

Mars Matrix probably for the rest of my life.

incedentally, I found out that CPS2 games run at pretty good speed (not too much frameskipping necessary, it seems) in shmupmame on my PC, so I tried playing Mars Matrix and Gunbird 2 (yep, I own the DC versions of both games). Mars Matrix is much harder without autofire on the piercing cannon. Gunbird 2 plays basically identically, but no morrigan. haven't managed to make it past the 3rd boss without morrigan's awesome melee attack. Otherwise, Marion might actually be easier though. her meter recharges faster.

[EmperorIng]

Alucard's melee attack is pretty darn good as well. I usually switch between him and Marion.

[Kiken]

Still chiseling away at Blazing Star... still trying to remember my patterns for the midpoint of level 6 as well as the correct pattern for the stupidly long boss battle.

My copy of Gee-sen Love + Pengo finally arrived so I was bouncing back and forth between all the different shooting mini-games.

[LordHypnos]

Alucard's melee attack is pretty darn good as well. I usually switch between him and Marion.

I don't think it's quite Morrigan (her spread means that I can take out most of the first phase of the boss in one attack), but I am kinda interested in playing with Alucard more. His shot seems really good, which is nice. Also I did figure out a way to deal with the first phase pretty well with Marion, now, but I played overly risky (is there such thing in a Psikyo game?), and tried to do something that I saw someone do in a Marion 2-ALL on youtube, and failed. Also proceeded to forget the enemy placement in Stage 4 which meant I was swiftly picked off (Not that I've ever gotten that far in Stage 4).


Also, my thumb was getting sore from tapping the A button, and I know shmupmame supports autofire, so does anyone know how to map A and A autofire seperately in shmupmame?

[LordHypnos]

Just tried a demo of Hellsinker. have no idea what was going on.

Music was pretty awesome though.

[nasty_wolverine]

Just tried a demo of Hellsinker. have no idea what was going on.

Music was pretty awesome though.

trust me it gets better... its an acid trip simulator with bullets and shooting.

[eatdogs]

Strike Gunner S.T.G. (snes. Mediocre, but the controls and options are cool plus it has a good looking intro cinema. Stages are poor and long)

Gunforce (Kind of a robot/Contra type game. Found it for about ten bucks. It's made by Irem. It's an snes game. There's a sequel, but it was arcade only, and I think possibly the last game made by Irem. They have other good obscure games like the beat em' up Undercover Cops and then good shmups like Armored Police Unit Gallop and Air Duel. Irem was a cool company. I love how a lot of their games have a post-apocalyptic look and feel to them. Gritty graphics and colors. In the Hunt is a cool shmup I like besides all the awesome R-Type games. I can see how the programmers moved on and worked with SNK making the Metal Slug games.)

[Crafty+Mech]

Parodius Da!

I'll never look at Penguins the same again.

[LordHypnos]

Just tried a demo of Hellsinker. have no idea what was going on.

Music was pretty awesome though.

trust me it gets better... its an acid trip simulator with bullets and shooting.

Sounds like my kind of game!
I really ought to like read a tutorial or some shit about what each of the attacks do, though, because I really was pretty confused. Not to mention the options that you have to select before a playthrough.

[KAI]

Kaikan. I lovehate it.

[Zaarock]

Just tried a demo of Hellsinker. have no idea what was going on.

Music was pretty awesome though.

trust me it gets better... its an acid trip simulator with bullets and shooting.

Sounds like my kind of game!
I really ought to like read a tutorial or some shit about what each of the attacks do, though, because I really was pretty confused. Not to mention the options that you have to select before a playthrough.

The translated manual that comes with the english translation patch is worth looking at. It explains the game system and story in a lot of detail. Doesn't go deep into secrets or scoring but that's what the strategy thread is for.

I really wish there'd be a more polished sequel to hellsinker, it has a lot of potential but the level design is inconsistent. There are parts of the game that are heavily designed for score play like stages 3L, 4, Extra 1 and for bosses stage 4 and 5. But then many sections of other stages are slow or just get boring/trivial with little practice for both survival and scoring. Not that it's a bad game overall, it's just disappointing seeing how good the best parts are.

[LordHypnos]

The translated manual that comes with the english translation patch is worth looking at. It explains the game system and story in a lot of detail. Doesn't go deep into secrets or scoring but that's what the strategy thread is for.

I really wish there'd be a more polished sequel to hellsinker, it has a lot of potential but the level design is inconsistent. There are parts of the game that are heavily designed for score play like stages 3L, 4, Extra 1 and for bosses stage 4 and 5. But then many sections of other stages are slow or just get boring/trivial with little practice for both survival and scoring. Not that it's a bad game overall, it's just disappointing seeing how good the best parts are.

Thanks for the tip!

[LordHypnos]

Just played a credit of Gunbird 2 and 2 of Mars Matrix. I'm realizing that I've basically forgotten how to get through Gunbird 2 stage 3 now, with Morrigan. Also died once on 2, annoyingly. I might want to relearn 2 and 3 (Italy and Japan) sometime soon, so that I can keep a bit more regular. In MAME, managed to make it to stage 4 once, with Marion, recently, but stage 3 is feeling a lot harder than I remember it, and I think the boss is harder with Marion than with Morrigan. Might also try Marion in the DC version, not that it's any different.

Mars Matrix, on the other hand, I did fine on (especially considering it was only 2 credits). Got over 500,000 exp both times, and almost made it to the stage 4 boss the second time. Still is posing a pretty substantial impossibility actually making it past stage 4, though, not that GB2 is easier. Pretty sure it's harder. Also pretty sure that I got over 120,000,000,000 points the second time (Under 100,000,000,000 the first).

[Mero]

Now that I've got my J-PS2 back after about 6 months and I've got a copy of Taito Memories Gekan I've been playing Akkanvader for the past coupole of days.
It's not that hard in theory but there's always something that can go wrong, getting point blanked by an enemy near the bottom of the screen or getting invaded or killed while your movement is restricted are the two most common ways for me to get killed. But yeah, none of the screens on their own is really very hard (at least not before round 4) but I always get caught out somewhere, there's no extends either.
I'm keeping it simple and working on no missing up to round 4 for now, I haven't been past the screen where the ghost UFO throws all those tables and chairs at you yet.

[Kiken]

So close to the SCC in Blazing Star! Managed to get all the way up to Brawshella's final form on a single credit. I still need to clean up my routes on the stage 6 boss some (lost two lives there) and try to figure out an effective method for getting rid of both of the final boss's 'arms' during the final form.

[ACSeraph]

I bought the digital version of Eschatos since it was only 2000 yen. My god I am so in love with it. The pacing and campy "what if Space Invaders was a AAA game" feel is just incredible. I love how you just keep rolling with no breaks between stages, from earth to space and beyond. Really feels like an epic ride. I don't know how I ever lived without this game for so long, it's quickly becoming my favorite 360 shmup.