Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

[Squire Grooktook]

play me and others on fightcade, pls.

Still the most successful shmup/fighter hybrid (also puzzle).

[Stevens]

Hadn't touched Progear on months until this weekend.



I no missed to Kraken, died once and then died immediately again cause I went to bomb and hit the wrong button.

Got to Volvox with two ships to spare and then as you see from the photo just fell short.

The 2nd (stupid) death on Kraken cost me the clear.

[Barba]

Helped a friend unclutter the attic at his mom's house. We found an old Amiga 500. After a couple of necessary fixes (the uncluttering was forgotten at this point) we ran..
Silkworm. The one game that brought me to shooting games. A quite accurate arcade port, some say the most accurate arcade port to ever appear on amigas. And, as a personal memory, the first game I ever 1CCed, back in the late 80s (89 I think).

Needless to say that I performed worse than in my youth and would need to relearn it. Still, quite a nice trip down memory lane.

[BurlyHeart]

Whoa Silkworm. That takes me back. Played it and UN Squadron endlessly on my Amstrad.

[Kiken]

After the past several weeks with Last Resort, I decided to work on another Neo Geo entry: Operation Ragnarok/Zed Blade. I'm maining the medium speed craft with the T shot (1st slot), homing missiles (2nd slot) and V rear shot (3rd slot). This combination seems to cover a fair amount of the screen as enemies come from pretty much everywhere.

Also, I'm working on Raiden IV again.

[opt2not]

Galaga '88. Really charming older game!

[Gamer707b]

I was on a shoot em up hiatus. The first one I get back in is Thunder Force 3. Love its clean, smooth, simplicity.

[ReleaseTheLazer]

Ikaruga until I 1CC it in normal.

Discovering Battle Garegga and having a blast.

Will play DoDonpachi and Armed Police Batrider

[EmperorIng]

I am trying to figure out DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu 1.5. It's hard to tell what exactly the difference between the PC port's 8 different modes (outside of some obvious ones - like it seems as if the secret bosses are default on 1.51? Or am I imagining things?). That being said, I'll try to get a 1ALL of the original 1.5 mode.

Anyone have any survival tips? I'm not going for the high score, just a clear (1ALL; I doubt I can muster up the skill for a 2ALL in a late-era CAVE game). I can usually get to stage 1-5 before I lose my last life. Right now, the biggest sore spots come from the stage 5 midboss... and those damn laser wheels! What the hell are you supposed to do? It doesn't even feel like they noticed the entire screen becomes filled with indestructible terrain (the wheels) spinning into one another.

[Barba]

Aka to blue, currently working on the stage 4 boss.

[pegboy]

I am trying to figure out DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu 1.5. It's hard to tell what exactly the difference between the PC port's 8 different modes (outside of some obvious ones - like it seems as if the secret bosses are default on 1.51? Or am I imagining things?). That being said, I'll try to get a 1ALL of the original 1.5 mode.

Anyone have any survival tips? I'm not going for the high score, just a clear (1ALL; I doubt I can muster up the skill for a 2ALL in a late-era CAVE game). I can usually get to stage 1-5 before I lose my last life. Right now, the biggest sore spots come from the stage 5 midboss... and those damn laser wheels! What the hell are you supposed to do? It doesn't even feel like they noticed the entire screen becomes filled with indestructible terrain (the wheels) spinning into one another.

Are you getting the extend in stage 3? Getting that plus using Strong style helps out a lot. I also find that using the Type B/Green ship is the best of the bunch, as it has a nice speed and wide coverage. I know that if you use bombs they will last longer (and I think do more damage) than if you get an autobomb triggered, so try to use them and your hypers during the laser wheel part at least. I can't really add much other than that because I only played a few credits and am still terrible at the game. The only reason I cleared it at all was due to Strong style being so ridiculously overpowered and autobombs saving my ass left and right during most of stage 5.

[EmperorIng]

Are you getting the extend in stage 3? Getting that plus using Strong style helps out a lot.

Yes! I am impressed with my scrub self, actually consistently triggering that 1UP every time. I didn't even have to look up any info to find out about it (unlike the 2UP in Deathsmile's Jitterbug boss ). Or the 1UP in Mushihimesama's stage 3, either. I use Type-B as well, since the wide shot, combined with the moving spread, is pretty good at clearing popcorn enemies.

I'll have to get myself into the habit of bombing instead of autobombing. I mapped my buttons so that Hyper is my secondary button since I assumed you want to use that more than your bombs. I also just learned that your laser's aura refills hypers faster, so I might risk my current strategies by mixing in point-blank opportunities as well. But if it ain't broke...

[CloudyMusic]

I also just learned that your laser's aura refills hypers faster, so I might risk my current strategies by mixing in point-blank opportunities as well. But if it ain't broke...

One very strong strat is to abuse the hyper startup invincibility period by aura-ing things while you're invincible, especially bosses. You can practically generate another hyper by the time you're done. You'll see that a lot in replays.

[tizerist]

Just finished BioMetal for the first time

+ Weapons System is quite refreshing
+ Fast paced action, reminiscent of Thunder Force 3
+ Looks nice with modern graphics filters
+ Music (from 2Unlimited) suits the action (take note Darius producers!!)

- Backgrounds are bland
- Quite short at 5 levels
- Some parts are forgettable

All in all, a fun shmup, worth having for sure.

[Barba]

- Backgrounds are bland

Even though one might find me to be quite vocal about what I perceive as "mediocre art" sometimes.. honestly: when I'm totally focused on a game the artwork is only judged by its functionality. Are bullets/obstacles clearly visible? Blandness is acceptable, if everything else works

[Squire Grooktook]

Sorry to be snarky but..!

+ Music (from 2Unlimited) suits the action (take note Darius producers!!)

Nooooooooo

Play the original Japanese version of the game, with its actually fitting melancholic soundtrack. The original soundtrack was swapped out in localization.

Comparing the 2Unlimited shoehorned nonsense to Zuntata's masterpieces...I-I can't...

+ Looks nice with modern graphics filters

If I'm reading this right: no wonder the backgrounds looked "bland". You let a robot with no sense of aesthetics haphazardly redraw the careful work of an artist. Always a bad move.

Heaven forbid one should ever see a square pixel when sitting 5 inches away from their imax sized sceen...! I must make my sprite art look like it's been smeared with Vaseline instead!

-

Sorry for that, elitist snark over ^_^ No harm meant! Glad you enjoyed the game, it's one of my favorites.

[tizerist]

Lets agree to disagree then. On literally every point, haha

[WelshMegalodon]

Heaven forbid one should ever see a square pixel

Something something "pixels were not always square on analog displays"...

[Kollision]

+ Music (from 2Unlimited) suits the action (take note Darius producers!!)

WHATTT

[Xyga]

Sorry to be snarky but..!

+ Music (from 2Unlimited) suits the action (take note Darius producers!!)

Nooooooooo

No, no. No no no, no there's no limiiit.

[Square_Air]

+ Music (from 2Unlimited) suits the action (take note Darius producers!!)

W-wait. Hold on a second. Let me get this straight. You prefer Subject A, which needs no introduction, to Subject B, some of Zuntata's best work.

Yes, I see it now.

God has forsaken us.

[tizerist]

Yes, absolutely.
How you can put vocals in a horizontal shooter is beyond me. Does. Not. Work.
I'm no 2Unlimited fan by any stretch of the imagination, but the track has energy, which suits this fast-paced genre!

[Kollision]

I too am part of the minority who dig the 2unlimited OST for US Biometal.
The take note Darius producers was too much of a stretch though.

[Stevens]

Just finished BioMetal for the first time
+ Looks nice with modern graphics filters

Congrats on the clear! However we may have to fight to the death on the bolded

[Goompaolo9500]

Hadn't touched Progear on months until this weekend.



I no missed to Kraken, died once and then died immediately again cause I went to bomb and hit the wrong button.

Got to Volvox with two ships to spare and then as you see from the photo just fell short.

The 2nd (stupid) death on Kraken cost me the clear.

Keep it up!

[Stevens]

Thanks for the wishes. I actually got it the next day:D

[Inspektor]

I'm currently tackling Blue Wish Ressurection 1.02, the first shooting game where I'm actually going for a 1cc.
Only played casually so to speak but I hope that I'll get to post a somewhat decent score at the highscore thread in the not so distant future.

Time to read the "How to practice Shooting Games" thread

[CBM]

Currently playing the original Zenodyne by Kaiser and his merry band. (Not Zenodyne R, but the original free one). Even though it has many things that feel super rough, that very roughness is also charming. A great first release back then, before they rose to fame.

[Perikles]

I'm currently somewhat short on time - and, truthfully, vim and vigor -, hence I dabbled with a few undemanding PS1 shmups after finally sitting down and contriving how to get some backup copies in the last weeks. Can't say I'm too impressed so far, there's a good reason noone ever speaks about the console-exclusive games save for the obvious choices which are among the very best within this category. However, they were fortunately genuinely harmless for the most parts and also granted me the boon of 500 1CCs total.

- The most baffling aspect by far is the lack of autofire in several of them. This sort of behaviour was inacceptable during the 16-bit era already, but I cannot even fathom what affected developers to still cling onto this during the 32-bit days. It's particularly striking with arcade ports (those primordial Konami games like Scramble, Super Cobra and Gyruss don't have it while all the Konami Deluxe Packs of course offer it), but I've also stumbled upon quite a few console games where this is the case. It didn't even matter whatsoever, but why would you deny autofire in a game like Gatchaman - The Shooting? Why do you have a button called "Rapid" in Two-Tenkaku, yet all it does is produce a short volley of shots, still forcing the player to continuously tap the button?

- There're a lot of wasted opportunities. The aforementioned Gatchaman for example was developed by the same guys who also made Shienryu (which is evident just by looking at the graphics, e.g. the large boats are directly lifted from Shienryu) and certainly could've been above average; you're playing every (sub-)stage with a different character or ship who/which all have different weaponry, some of them are rather creative, even. However, four of the nine stages are almost identical, there is no real level design to speak of, and the difficulty is virtually non-existent. Stahlfeder is supremely boring by dint of having excessively long stages with nothing happening in them. Two-Tenkaku has some of the cheapest bosses I've ever seen in the genre which would've been a major hassle if not for the fact you can easily bomb them into oblivion thanks to a generous supply of replenishments. At least it has some style and interesting set-pieces going for it (the track for the third stage reminds me a lot of the Western soundtrack of X-Kaliber 2097/Sword Maniac, the first half of the stage even bears an appropriate mien) where the former two titles feel entirely inchoate. Zanac Neo fares a bit better than these yet is even more diluted than your typical late-era Compile game, visibility can be shockingly poor, too. Hearing the classic Zanac music was a great redress, admittedly.

- I will concede that Harmful Park on the other hand is superb merriment. Likewise absurdly easy on Normal (which is not even the default setting), endearing and lovely nonetheless. I'll make sure to try higher difficulties and/or scoring at some point, even from the one credit I needed to clear I saw quite a bit of potential here.

- Have to say that my biggest disappointment (albeit of a different kind) was Night Raid. All I knew of this game prior was the fact that it is described as the second-easiest game on the Japanese wiki for as long as you stay in the upper left corner. Needless to say that I had to try that for myself! Well, this trick does guide you through 80% of the game, the bosses will quickly wipe you out, however. These will bombard you with extremely fast and dense patterns, no idea how this game ended up on the bottom of the list, this is most assuredly not another case of Asuka & Asuka. That's a good sign as far as the game is concerned, I'm nonetheless miffed I got scammed by conniving Japanese players concocting inaccurate lists, dammit!

[LichbannMejolaro]

After getting my first 1CC (Touhou PCB), I took some time off shmups but this week I started playing Donpachi.

I don't know if this was the best choice for my second 1cc. Touhou on Normal looks extremely easy compared to the default difficulty of Donpachi. To be fair, Touhou stages are pretty much non-existent, and the bosses are extremely well designed, while in Donpachi the stages (mainly 4 and 5) are EXTREMELY tough, while the bosses can be easily cheesed with some bombs.

Another thing is that Touhou throw many lives at you (if I remember correctly, you can have 11 misses and still 1CC on PCB), while Donpachi is harsh again in this sense.

But anyway, I'm pretty determined to do it. I already have my savestates set and practice is all I'm going to do for the next couple of days. I hope I can do it, is the motivation I need to try to get better at the genre (and maybe try some horizontal shmups next, since I haven't played any yet).