Hardest Shmups?

[Zetzumarshen]

ITT: everyone just sort of names games they can't beat.

Ketsui.

[Chirpy13]

.

[Giest118]

Trigonometry Wars 4 and My Little Pegasus: Kizuna DoPonyPachi.

[MSZ]

people play gradius games on settings besides Very Easy?

Yes, few games in the series like GII and Gaiden aren't that hard in default setting. Give'em a try.

[BPzeBanshee]

Same! Same! Same! (1P version) is pretty balls-hard. The 2P one and 'Fire Shark' are far easier IMHO. They both feel like they have a controller-chucking-rage level higher than Raiden though.

[MX7]

ITT: everyone just sort of names games they can't beat.

Yeah, I get that impression :p

Actual hardest games: Pink Sweets extended, Image Fight both loops.

[Hagane]

Gunbird 2, Dragon Blaze, Futari Ultra, Image Fight, Great Mahou Daisakusen, UFO Lunatic.

[TenshiP]

SDOJ and Yagawa games.

[shmuppyLove]

Ibara.

FUCK that game.

[Friendly]

Tatsujin (not the Mega Drive version). Tatsujin Ou.

[gs68]

people play gradius games on settings besides Very Easy?

Yes, few games in the series like GII and Gaiden aren't that hard in default setting. Give'em a try.

and then death on GII stage 3 or 4

Stage 3 requires plenty of firepower, and recovery in stage 4 is extremely difficult. Stage 5 isn't too bad unless you're not using autofire.

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

Actual hardest games: Pink Sweets extended, Image Fight both loops.

If you can pass the 2nd penalty area of Image Fight without dying you can retire that game or STGs in general without any regrets.

[MSZ]

people play gradius games on settings besides Very Easy?

Yes, few games in the series like GII and Gaiden aren't that hard in default setting. Give'em a try.

and then death on GII stage 3 or 4

Stage 3 requires plenty of firepower, and recovery in stage 4 is extremely difficult. Stage 5 isn't too bad unless you're not using autofire.

The recovery points in GII are tough, but definitely doable with practices, unlike GIII and GIV where those recovery points are total anals.

[BIL]

So what are the most brutal, likely-to-kill-me-in-the-first-stage shmups out there? I'm particularly interested in the NES/Famicom, because my friend showed me Recca the other day, and that completely blew my mind.

Try out Gun.Smoke. Arcade version*, not the weak FC adaptation. Its enemies are remarkably persistent, aggressive and dangerous, constantly adapting to your position. You have to outplay each and every one to survive, or you'll be reduced to a whining wreck like this guy! <-- NB that you don't need to press two buttons to shoot forward, that enemies' bullets are also limited in range creating an awesome zoning element, and that AI ruthlessly attempting to bypass the player's striking range for a backstab is brilliant high-tension STG action. As is evading and killing those would-be backstabbers with a deft move of your own.

It's not the most difficult shooter out there (I've cleared it, at least), but it's one of the most palpably bloodthirsty to keep at bay. I went back to it recently for a casual credit and couldn't understand why I was being massacred by the first stage. Watched an old 1CC .inp and remembered just how sharp your strafing must be to avoid a bullet in the face.

R-Type III has perhaps the worst opening stage of any shooter, ever. This is what I holler at the cart when I play it. It does have some neat level designs later on, though. Not talking about that stupid lava maze, but the ones after that.

*Capcom Generation 4 (NTSCJ PS1) has a perfect port; not sure about the Saturn one, or the various Capcom Classics Collection versions.

[chum]

Yeah Gun.Smoke is very hard. Haven't made it past the stage 5 boss, and from the videos I've seen, the stages just keep getting harder. Great game though that everyone should try out at least once.

[ProcoTaito]

Darius Gaiden WITHOUT the rapid fire.
Hard stuff man!

[MathU]

Darius Gaiden WITHOUT the rapid fire.
Hard stuff man!

I'd put it at around medium difficulty. Taito's made some much tougher shooters.

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

I'd say Gaiden is the easiest Darius 1cc, right after Burst. G-Darius (omicron route) is definitely the hardest, if only for the fact Absolute Defender exists.

[Volteccer_Jack]

Tatsujin Oh's first boss is rad. Good thing, because it keeps killing me. The weapons are cool, too.

The recovery points in GII are tough, but definitely doable with practices, unlike GIII and GIV where those recovery points are total anals.

The checkpoints in GII seem to exist just to be annoying. Case in point, the checkpoint at the end of the ice crystal stage that I've seen way too many times, where the game's like, "here's some power-ups...if you have autofire!" Luckily it doesn't matter, because for some completely insane reason, that stage's boss is a much easier clone of the previous stage's boss, so I don't need upgrades. Whereas I can appreciate GIII's checkpoints. I just put on my best "Challenge Accepted" face...and then die 9 times out of 10.

Gun.Smoke

Wow, this game is intense. You're perpetually on the brink of being overwhelmed. Made it as far as the third boss after some attempts.

[gs68]

darius gaiden protip: don't die

protip 2: if you die, F3