I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

[Randorama]

Roo:

I need to go back to work (currently "in the homeland"), to use a rotating screen that doesn't droop (35", even, so it's actually very pleasant to use only for gaming). Shmupmame...seems to crash after 30 seconds of apparently checking game. Or, at least, close spontaneously and prevent me from doing anything. The mame version I am using is the basic build, version 0.184. I might simply download a newer version, at this point. Still, my plan is to just squeeze a few more "not so stressful" 1-CC's until I get a new machine (and start playing modern games in Steam, I guess...). However...

Hopefully it works for you! If you want to be truly hardcore

It's clear that you genuinely hate me with all your guts, then, and keep me hammering with words harsh as kryptonite (not that I am Superman, though...). It's just because I am a "shmups historian" and "hi-scores archivist", and you are envious of my degree earned via hard studies at Google University via Discord lectures with Wiki fandom textbooks, I guess.

[eksratu]

Wrapped up a 1cc of Ketsui Deathtiny Mode this morning with the Panzer. Felt great! I think Ketsui is growing on me, especially with the Matsumoto Arrange music.

Futari 1.5 Original and DOJ Black Label 1-All still feel so hopelessly tough, even after chipping away at them for literal months. They’re both a lucky dodge or three away.

[Randorama]

Congrats! Just be sure how to turn lucky dodges into safe strategies. Winners take chances after all.

[CIT]

Haven't been able to 1CC anything in the last year because I had a kid, and being sleep deprived does not help when playing shmups, lol.

But in the past few days I've been playing Shienryu (on Sega Saturn) and yesterday I finally nailed the clear.

I think I bought the game almost 25 years ago, and always thought it super hard, because I simply ignored the rank, thinking it works like a Raiden game. Well, turns out it's pretty manageable if you mostly skip all power ups.

[Randorama]

Congratulations!

Once you start aggressively pursuing decades-old grudges, only victory awaits. Not necessarily just after a few attempts, of course, but I am sure that by retirement time we will all get all the 1-CC's that were eluding us through the decades

[BIL]

Haven't been able to 1CC anything in the last year because I had a kid, and being sleep deprived does not help when playing shmups, lol.

But in the past few days I've been playing Shienryu (on Sega Saturn) and yesterday I finally nailed the clear.

Congrats, and Congrats!

I think I bought the game almost 25 years ago, and always thought it super hard, because I simply ignored the rank, thinking it works like a Raiden game. Well, turns out it's pretty manageable if you mostly skip all power ups.

Incidentally, have you played its predecessor Daioh? I always wished it'd gotten a Saturn port, too. I put some time on its 2023 ACA release, which is particularly illuminating. Besides an optional Stage 6 exploit fix, they added a Rank meter for its Oyaji System, by OG staff request.

Notes from livestreamed Oyaji Seminar

(all credit to EZ_Takayoshi!)

I dunno how feasible low-latency STV emulation is, but if they could nail that, I'd love to see similar in a potential ACA Shienryu. (Hamster acquired the rights to Warashi's catalogue a while back)

tbh though, with Shienryu's trusty Saturn port around, it's Daioh's fellow decades-overdue JJ Squawkers I'm most hyped for. :3

[bobrocks95]

Got a teeny little Normal 1cc yesterday on the G-Mode Archives+ version of DDP DOJ on Steam that only took around 2-3 hours, which is exactly what I was looking for. I still have PTSD from Ikaruga but it was nice to pull the arcade stick out for a bit

Would have been absolutely wild to have it on a flip phone in 2005.

[CIT]

Congratulations!

Once you start aggressively pursuing decades-old grudges, only victory awaits. Not necessarily just after a few attempts, of course, but I am sure that by retirement time we will all get all the 1-CC's that were eluding us through the decades

Thanks! I hope to tackle Gunbird next. Another game I bought around the same time as Shieryu.

One factor that really helps is that as time passes, more and more in-depth information about a game's mechanics, inner workings, optimal strats, etc. has become readily available. 20 years ago nobody talked about Shienryu's rank system or how to quick-kill the bosses in Gunbird, now all this info is on YouTube.

Congrats, and Congrats!

Cheers mate!

Incidentally, have you played its predecessor Daioh? I always wished it'd gotten a Saturn port, too. I put some time on its 2023 ACA release, which is particularly illuminating. Besides an optional Stage 6 exploit fix, they added a Rank meter for its Oyaji System, by OG staff request.

Yes, I've dabbled a bit in the Ake-Aka release. The beginning of the game really feels like the demo-tape that would end up becoming the studio produced album with Shienryu. Rough around the edges, but still a neat game in it's own right.

The rank breakdown info is awesome! Perfect for an oyaji like me.

I dunno how feasible low-latency STV emulation is, but if they could nail that, I'd love to see similar in a potential ACA Shienryu. (Hamster acquired the rights to Warashi's catalogue a while back)

tbh though, with Shienryu's trusty Saturn port around, it's Daioh's fellow decades-overdue JJ Squawkers I'm most hyped for. :3

JJ Squawkers would be hype af! Personally, I'd really like to explore Sengeki Striker. I think this game has some really crazy and interesting mechanics going on, like killing aerial enemies so that they crash onto ground enemies for massive points.

[Randorama]

Thanks! I hope to tackle Gunbird next. Another game I bought around the same time as Shieryu.

One factor that really helps is that as time passes, more and more in-depth information about a game's mechanics, inner workings, optimal strats, etc. has become readily available. 20 years ago nobody talked about Shienryu's rank system or how to quick-kill the bosses in Gunbird, now all this info is on YouTube.

Well, Gunbird is now 30 years old, so if you can get a 1-ALL, it would be a lovely celebration of the anniversary. The Saturn port should be from 1995, so you may time the result for next year. Or, maybe, get a 1-ALL this year and a 2-ALL next year (really hard: no revenge bullets in the loop, but enemies have way more hit points and all patterns are extremely fast). In my view, Gunbird has Psikyo's finest design/world setting, as it perfectly captures the cheerful, colourful and tongue-in-cheek atmosphere of early 1990s' anime and manga. Paternal duties come first, of course, but maybe the young one may utter either "Guhn-bahdo!" or "powah-uppah!" as the first word

Re: in-depth information. Yes, I am tempted to wear my Captain Obvious costume and claim that "there is no knowledge that is not power", et similia. My memories about "the scene" from 20 years ago are about people invoking "the videogame gene" and spending lengthy threads arguing against the possibility to learn how to play videogames (with the corollary: "practice is futile"). Let's just say that some progress occurred, and that I am all set for today's compilation of trivialities

[lpslucasps]

I just 1CC'd Darius (Arcade). I went through the upper route, until Great Thing-Z. I did use the fast auto-fire switch, but that still counts, right?

Video: https://youtu.be/-mcekhB7-g0?si=nFSVvqv7Ftqqzc4Q

I though it was relatively easy. The patterns are simple enough, the level design easy to navigate and your shield can take a bunch of hits. But if you die midway through, you may as well just reset the game and try again - you have to get a lot of power ups to get decent damage and shields again, and recovering from death is quite hard on later stages, and nigh-impossible on bosses. I almost screwed up my attempt by dying on the beginning of the last stage (Z), but fortunately I was able to get some decent damage before reaching the final boss. It was quite exhilarating. It's because of experiences like that that I love shmups!

[Randorama]

Congratulations! The fast auto-fire should be the default option. The main Darius thread contains relevant discussion on the topic, but you can just not worry about this.

The game is not particularly difficult: the difficulty Wiki posts it at 15/50. You now know which pitfalls to avoid, so you can evaluate if it is a fair score or not, in your opinion. If you want to keep playing it, you may consider 1-CC'ing each of the final stages and, if you are in the mood for a marathon challenge, you can 1-CC every possible route leading to every final stage. I counted 64 of them when I decided to go for this marathon, last year

Darius Extra could instead be your new target. It is generally harder for a lot of interesting reasons (e.g. harder boss battles, enemy placement, only one golden globe per stage, etc.). If you want to explore the series, you can try out Darius Gaiden (easier than Darius, with auto-fire), then Darius II (harder, *gorgeous* game) and G-Darius (harder, gorgeous, great score system, epic boss battles, now with HD remake...just superb). I am not discussing console titles and the 21st titles because I am very biased towards the arcade tetralogy, but they are all more or less great

1-CC's are a great feeling. It's something of a trivial and small achievement, perhaps, but all small achievements contribute to a good, fulfilling day (e.g. making the making the bed in the morning). See you next 1-CC, and please don't forget to visit the Other games' 1-CC thread for non-shmup 1-CC's

[lpslucasps]

Congratulations! The fast auto-fire should be the default option. The main Darius thread contains relevant discussion on the topic, but you can just not worry about this.

I shall not worry about it, then.

The game is not particularly difficult: the difficulty Wiki posts it at 15/50. You now know which pitfalls to use, so you can evaluate if it is a fair score or not, in your opinion. If you want to keep playing it, you may consider 1-CC'ing each of the final stages and, if you are in the mood for a marathon challenge, you can 1-CC every possible route leading to every final stage. I counted 64 of them when I decided to go for this marathon, last year

Yeah, I don't think I have the stamina for such a marathon. I may free-play the other routes, though.

]Darius Extra could instead be your new target. It is generally harder for a lot of interesting reasons (e.g. harder boss battles, enemy placement, only golden globe, etc.). If you want to explore the series, you can try out Darius Gaiden (easier than Darius, with auto-fire), then Darius II (harder, *gorgeous* game) and G-Darius (harder, gorgeous, great score system, epic boss battles, now with HD remake...just superb). I am not discussing console titles and the 21st titles because I am very biased towards the arcade tetralogy, but they are all more or less great

Darius Extra is, indeed, my next target. As for the other games, I actually played all other Darius games, but it's my first time 1CC'ing then. Well, except for G-Darius, which I 1CC'd not that long ago.

1-CC's are a great feeling. It's something of a trivial and small achievement, perhaps, but all small achievements contribute to a good, fulfilling day (e.g. making the making the bed in the morning). See you next 1-CC, and please don't forget to visit the Other games' 1-CC thread for non-shmup 1-CC's

Cool, I didn't know about that thread. I have to post my Metal Slug X 1CC there!

[CIT]

In my view, Gunbird has Psikyo's finest design/world setting, as it perfectly captures the cheerful, colourful and tongue-in-cheek atmosphere of early 1990s' anime and manga.

Have to agree with you there (although Sengoku Blade is also a strong contender). Gunbird's "The Trump" (here's a name that hasn't aged well...) give me serious Grandis Granva vibes for sure and makes me very nostalgic as Fushigi No Umi No Nadia was my favorite anime growing up.



(The Grandis Gang themselves being a knockoff of the Doronbo Gang, of course. ^^)

Incidentally, I met Seiki Sato, one of Gunbird's programmers who also worked on Nintendo's Kaeru no tame ni Kane wa Naru and is now a professor, at a symposium at Leipzig University a few years back. He demoed how to program the bullet patterns from Psikyo shmups, which is what he uses to teach his comp sci majors how to program.

[Randorama]

Ah, going from videogame programmer to Uni professor (in a different country, of course) seems like an intriguing career path. I actually would consider Sengoku Blade more or less at the same level of "Zeitgeist-ness" (what an awful word...), considering also that Range Murata worked on it (yes, I know about the Taisen Hot Gimmick series). It is just that both Sengoku games try to be a tad more serious than the Gunbird games, even if they are definitely flippant (I mean, the Aine and Tengai endings are staggeringly silly).

If you decide to go on a "Saturn grudge tour", then Sengoku Blade would be an obvious choice. Considering the Saturn's library of shmups, a 1-CC could be a veritable long-term project: "I will be done before my child will complete a BA, for sure!"

[NuclearPotato]

Got a new CAVE clear down, in Akai Katana. Had it since the last days of the 360 as a relevant console, so I've always had a very strong respect for it, Shin/Slash mode especially, but the past couple days have been the first time I've actually tried to put the time in to try and clear the arcade original. Honestly, it's kinda funny seeing how quickly the game's difficulty folds once you know what you're doing with Type-C; I had more trouble with the Deathsmiles games in terms of getting the first clear down (mind you, I did end up spending every single resource I had at my disposal to get this clear so soon lol).

[locoBro1196]

Got a new CAVE clear down, in Akai Katana. Had it since the last days of the 360 as a relevant console, so I've always had a very strong respect for it, Shin/Slash mode especially, but the past couple days have been the first time I've actually tried to put the time in to try and clear the arcade original. Honestly, it's kinda funny seeing how quickly the game's difficulty folds once you know what you're doing with Type-C; I had more trouble with the Deathsmiles games in terms of getting the first clear down (mind you, I did end up spending every single resource I had at my disposal to get this clear so soon lol).

Congrats on that 1cc on the Original version! I really like that one and I dare say I prefer it over the Shin/Slash iterations, though that's a rather unpopular opinion. I've only managed the 1cc once and though I've tried countless times to achieve that feat I've failed miserably.

[NuclearPotato]

I'd still like to clear Shin/Slash at some point; it's what really helped me to fall in love with CAVE games (even if I was nowhere near ready to fully understand the depths of its system). Decided while I was still hot to go relearn Deathsmiles II and finished getting that clear finally (started learning it in December, but ended up settling on the IIX mode clear as the month went on without a clear). Once I remembered the trick to that game, it was relatively trivial to go deathless to Satan Claus and kick his ass for good this time. That just leaves Progear as the last CAVE hori I haven't cleared; uh, that one won't be going down as easily as the past two lmao

[The_Fix]

I got my wife to, no shit, clear the boss rush of Danmaku Unlimited 2 without continues. Good girl.

Beat Noita, lost my life to Noita.

But on the front of 1ccs for me? Sadly, none.

Could someone make a sexy danmaku for me to beat please? It's been a little dry lately.

[CIT]

Well, Gunbird is now 30 years old, so if you can get a 1-ALL, it would be a lovely celebration of the anniversary.

Put in a run before my first meeting at work today and got the clear, having practiced for a few days.



Played with Marion cuz I like cute witches on broomsticks and because of her point-blanking tactics. Not a huge fan of the Psikyo shmup design philosophy, and that's not gonna change, but I really like the steampunk style and fun characters here, so I'm happy to have settled the score with Gunbird. Previously I've only cleared Sengoku Ace (and a couple of the Sonic Wings games) and would say Gunbird is a tad bit more difficult, but still pretty manageable overall. Got totally smoked by the 2-1 boss though, lol.

[Randorama]

The_Fix:

Congratulations to your wife...but please try hard for the 1-CC, we cannot make discounts

CIT:...1-CC at work? A bit on the sly (off working hours, I guess?), but congrats anyway

Psikyo shmups have "that style" and I suspect you and I do not enjoy such style too much, but personally I was able to get a 1-ALL on a few more titles: Sengoku Blade, Strikers II and Strikers 1999, and Gunbird 2 (on DC, with Morrigan).

First and last ones attracted me for the design so I could endure the difficulty and "that Psikyo style", but the two Strikers are not so hard if you have a good bomb and charge shot plan. Getting a 1-all is usually not a challenging task. The first Strikers 1945 is though, full stop. I believe that their later games attempted to innovate a bit, but the basic template remains the same (7/8 short stages, fast patterns inviting memorization and point-blanking, much harder loop, etc.).

You may also want to try Cannon Spike if you have a DC: I obtained a 2-ALL with Mega Man/Rock Man, who is the guest/extra (broken) character. It's a fun "arena shooter" and co-production with Capcom using several guest stars from Capcom titles.

Regarding "Cute Witches on Broomsticks" (TM)...should I even mention the Cotton games?

[CIT]

Congrats on those Psikyo clears. Sengoku Blade is one I would definitely like to tackle at some point. The style and vibe are just beautiful, imo.

I have Cannon Spike and Zero Gunner 2 on DC. Cool games for sure! Somehow the Saturn always takes my attention away from the Dreamcast tho, lol.

So yeah, maybe it's time for a Cotton 2 or Boomerang clear on Saturn next (or Rock 'n Roll, which I have yet to play). Already cleared the other Cotton games, even no-missed the first one. Did I mention I like cutesy witches on broomsticks? ^^

[Randorama]

Thank you; it was many years ago (decades, even?). Sengoku Blade has the Range Murata vibe that makes the game visually gorgeous, but its game system is "Psikyo style, horizontal screen". I remember it being rather frustrating, honestly. There are 2-3 interesting OST pieces that mix traditional music with modern instruments, like in the first title.

If you are OK with using Steam, you can also try Gunbarich, a 2001 title in which you can use Marion to play a hybrid shmup-breakout-pinball game (!). Zero Gunner 2 is also great and it was quite innovative for the time: both this and Cannon Spike are warmly suggested. Once you can get away from the Saturn unscathed, of course I believe that Psikyo started innovating their approach to games too late, as they actually had great ideas outside the usual model. Well, all those small 1990s shmups companies suffered from a general "sequelitis" problem, but I guess that a full discussion would be worth its own thread.

[To Far Away Times]

I gave Sengoku Blade an honest attempt. I really like the visuals and it’s got some of the best music in a Psikyo game. Practiced it quite a bit, but god damn is it difficult.

[CIT]

Yeah, I feel like a big part of mastering any Psikyo boss comes down to memorizing where to position yourself and then basically dodging the nasty patterns "blindly". For example in Gunbird there're a couple of safe-spots where it's like "if I place myself right in front of this crack in the floor tile the barrage will miss me" type of thing. This kind of stuff seems particularly hard to do in Sengoku Blade, as there're less "landmarks" in the background graphics to help with orienting yourself.

[Randorama]

Well Sengoku Blade exacerbates the problem of "Psikyo design" (rote learning, basically) by turning the style 90 degrees to the right, with not much optimization.

I warmly suggest checking videos, because I remember that I just copied a video to go beyond 1-5 (and even so, it was a tight call). There are a quite a few situations in which point-blanking the charge shot is necessary, even if fairly hard to deliver without extensive practice. The loop struck me as a memorization fest, and possibly the most extreme among Psikyo titles.

All in the name of oppai of course (...OK, the Taisen Hot Gimmick series are better in this regard ).

[Daytime Waitress]

Yeah, I feel like a big part of mastering any Psikyo boss comes down to memorizing where to position yourself and then basically dodging the nasty patterns "blindly".

I'm pretty inexperienced with shmups, but have enjoyed Psikyo stuff for a long while; so it's very heartening to hear that seasoned players also get the yips when those lightning-bolt spreads come out

Still plugging away at the Sonic Wings 1cc with easy modo Keith - more dedication needed here (｡•́︿•̀｡)

I believe that Psikyo started innovating their approach to games too late, as they actually had great ideas outside the usual model. Well, all those small 1990s shmups companies suffered from a general "sequelitis" problem, but I guess that a full discussion would be worth its own thread.

Funny, I reread Niitani's shitcanning of that approach just the other day and was wondering about its worth as a discussion starter from both an epochal perspective and a broader one.

[CIT]

I'm pretty inexperienced with shmups, but have enjoyed Psikyo stuff for a long while; so it's very heartening to hear that seasoned players also get the yips when those lightning-bolt spreads come out

Still plugging away at the Sonic Wings 1cc with easy modo Keith - more dedication needed here (｡•́︿•̀｡)

Yeah man, some of those Psikyo patterns can get real scary.

Good luck with the Sonic Wings clear! I have yet to finish that one myself. The PCB is usually quite cheap, so hopefully I can pick one up at some point. Did manage to clear Sonic Wings Special and Sonic Wings 3, and liked them quite a bit. Sonic Wings 2 seemed drastically harder to me though.

[Randorama]

Funny, I reread Niitani's shitcanning of that approach just the other day and was wondering about its worth as a discussion starter from both an epochal perspective and a broader one.

I admit that I am not sure if I follow you here. Shitcanning the "sequelitis" approach? Re-reading the interview myself, it seems that Niitani was defending the making of sequels while also innovating via them (e.g. the quote "No matter how many times we remake Gradius, it will never generate the kind of buzz and popularity it had in the past", from a 1993 interview!). To be honest, the "shmups as a niche genre" thread makes me believe that it may tricky to discuss the matter. Nothing personal against anyone - but my impression is that getting the discussion "right" may require quite a bit of framing and less of a whiny attitude from (some) posters ("omg I don't get the topic but I want to complain about the casuals not loving us!!1!"). I am all for the proper framing though - something we need some time to figure out what we want to ask before we can get answers, don't we?

re: Psikyo. I think that our seasoned players have top scores ("World Records" on some titles). Myself, I always struggled with their formula except for a few titles. For Gunbird, I was able to endure their general approach (short stages, fast memory-based patterns, etc.) because I found the Steampunk and the OST adorable. Otherwise, handling fast patterns via slow ships by means of memorization is one of my weak spots. I also struggle(d) with Seibu Kaihatsu shmups, case in point (the RFJ series has "cheat" characters, so I was able to eke out 1-CC's on those).

As my long ramblings in the difficulty wiki thread *might* suggest, I think that "difficulty" is a nuanced notion, and that all kinds of players have their own shmup kryptonite, so to speak. Or: don't worry too much

[locoBro1196]

Managed a no-miss 1cc at Vapor Trail on the Megadrive ("Hard" mode, which should be equivalent to the original Arcade), after chipping away at it for a few days. Used the 3rd ship, Seylen, with Special weapon all the way.

I had never played this title until a few days ago I was looking for a nice co-op shmup to play with a friend and we came across this one. The gameplay got me hooked and the rest is history.

Big shout out to the amazing ONE track the title uses for every single stage. You know a track really needs to be exceptional if it's used throughout the whole game and doesn't tire you out a single bit. Pure 80s stuff.

Gameplay-wise I had significant trouble in stages 3 (with all those trains) and the first half of stage 5. The rest of the game is not too cutthroat in terms of requirements for memorization and routing. The stages' bosses are very manageable after a few tries and they do not put up much resistance.

Had a great time with this one, wholeheartedly recommended!

[Daytime Waitress]

Funny, I reread Niitani's shitcanning of that approach just the other day and was wondering about its worth as a discussion starter from both an epochal perspective and a broader one.

I admit that I am not sure if I follow you here. Shitcanning the "sequelitis" approach? Re-reading the interview myself, it seems that Niitani was defending the making of sequels while also innovating via them.

You're completely right: in that post I'd stupidly conflated his devotion to producing sequels that innovate and his insistence that other devs were just shitting out stuff for the sake of it.
(Don't post after spending the whole day out in the damn sun, kids ( ͡⎚ ω ͡⎚)

As my long ramblings in the difficulty wiki thread *might* suggest, I think that "difficulty" is a nuanced notion, and that all kinds of players have their own shmup kryptonite, so to speak. Or: don't worry too much

Much appreciated