Why shmups are such a niche genre

[Danbo]

i wonder if they think ikaruga is a hella namedrop and worthy of praise + recognition among the Masochistic Shmup Wierdos

[Matsunaga]

When they reviewed Ikaruga they name-dropped Gradius and R-Type. Who knows which shmup will raise to the level of name-droppedness next?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Ikaruga Stands Out™. That is all.
Even if you dislike the game, there's no denying that it tends to caught people's attention, just the way an arcade game should do.
I don't hang out on mainstream sites enough to get sick of people mentioning Ikaruga, but hanging out on these forums made me sick of people banging on about Cave. See? I just mentioned Cave again instead of getting over the fact that I can't quite get into their most acclaimed games.

[captpain]

Ikaruga's for nubs, y'all.

[indutrial]

Besides being on XBLA, I can't imagine any good reasons why Ikaruga has the notoriety it has. I know that I saw it on more than a few top-whatever lists about the first decade of the 2000s or the best releases for the Gamecube and that its boss-battle theme was incorporated in that retro-gaming garbage I Wanna Be the Guy. It's probably a hipster namedrop because of (a.) the polarity mechanic that sounds artsy when it's described in the context of modern gaming's oppressive maximalism, and (b.) because its name does roll off the tongue in an interesting way (like "Shin Megami Tensei").

The only shooter that modern gaming bullshitters seem to mention as much is Geometry Wars, but that one makes more sense because it falls off the retro/twee tree and hits every branch on the way down...and it's on XBLA.

This site hasn't made me sick of Cave yet, likely because I haven't really tried to get into their games nor have I ever had the chance to follow modern arcade gaming enough to have a strong context. Thankfully, this forum caters to all echelons and eras of shmup interest, which is a hell-of-a-lot more than can be found on other forums.

Every other forum I check out is just going nuts about Starcraft right now, since that's the multiplayer fad for this month. I have no hatred for that title or any similarly-trendy title that happens to be a good game (I'm sure we've got a Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 fad coming soon), but so many modern gamers seem like they're most concerned with being hip to every single big-selling title and every gaming trend to the point where everything seems a mile wide and an inch deep and feels entirely socially-motivated in some pithy way. Maybe they're just wanna-be game critics who hate their day jobs...just like game critics are wanna-be gamers whose job security keeps them from enjoying games the way they did while they were growing up.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Every other forum I check out is just going nuts about Starcraft right now, since that's the multiplayer fad for this month. I have no hatred for that title or any similarly-trendy title that happens to be a good game (I'm sure we've got a Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 fad coming soon), but so many modern gamers seem like they're most concerned with being hip to every single big-selling title and every gaming trend to the point where everything seems a mile wide and an inch deep and feels entirely socially-motivated in some pithy way.

StarCraft has been a huge online phenomenon since the days before World of Warcraft and Xbox Live. People's eager anticipation of StarCraft II and Diablo III is deeply rooted in the ancient times of PC gaming being grand.

Besides being on XBLA, I can't imagine any good reasons why Ikaruga has the notoriety it has. I know that I saw it on more than a few top-whatever lists about the first decade of the 2000s or the best releases for the Gamecube and that its boss-battle theme was incorporated in that retro-gaming garbage I Wanna Be the Guy. It's probably a hipster namedrop because of (a.) the polarity mechanic that sounds artsy when it's described in the context of modern gaming's oppressive maximalism, and (b.) because its name does roll off the tongue in an interesting way (like "Shin Megami Tensei").

Being pretty doesn't hurt Ikaruga's reputation too, especially in this day and age when the room is crowded with graphical big elephants.

[Kollision]

I never heard of Starcraft until one week ago.
Am I normal?

[RNGmaster]

There's something all of you have missed, and it's apparent to even a noob like me. YOU ARE HUGE FUCKING ELITISTS.
Ohh yeah I used the F word I must be real serious
The way you condescend against anyone who does not play your games, in itself, is a way to dissuade new people from coming into the fold. You speak as though you are innately superior to certain people due to the games you play. Here's some news for you. Anyone can become a shmupper. I started my gaming career on cheap Zelda ripoffs and Final Fantasy, then moved to Touhou for about a year. But I'm a rare case, and not because I'm more motivated or skilled than the mythical "mouth-breathing CoD-playing masses" out there. It's because I saw a shmup video that wasn't on Lunatic or a TLB on Maniac. You guys really like getting off on the fact that you're better than someone at something. So you sit here and brag and insult people and complain about "unfair" reviews, rather than getting off your asses and uploading Youtube videos that do justice to the genre and following through on the good ideas you've brought up. And you know, this is grassroots and it's tiny, but maybe if we do the best to change our image as a bunch of arrogant bullies, we'll see fewer reviews like the DeathSmiles one. And your game design friends? They can help, too. Tutorials, explanations of how shmups work, yes. Making them flashy and bland to cater to a mainstream audience? AW HELL NAW

You know, just assume a Call of Duty fan was reading this - and they might be; they're more openminded than you think. Tone down the elitism and insular attitude.

And that is all.

/thread

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Holy shit this thread.

[Kollision]

maybe if we do the best to change our image as a bunch of arrogant bullies, we'll see fewer reviews like the DeathSmiles one.

Hmm....
I don't see any relation between one and the other....

[xris]

Since when is being elite a bad thing? Everybody here is super cool about the genre, and very helpfull.
If you had participated, maybe you could feel like you are a part of it.

[CptRansom]

YOU ARE HUGE FUCKING ELITISTS.

Shit, he's on to us.

[TMR]

YOU ARE HUGE FUCKING ELITISTS.

Shit, he's on to us.

i'm Elite-ist, it means i'm a wireframe and hum the Blue Danube Waltz when i go through doorways.

[dannnnn]

Some of you I'm sure will have read this before since it's old, but I found it to be an interesting read and somewhat related to this topic.

RNGmaster: there are already vids on Youtube (and other sites) that do justice to shoot-em-ups. Personally, I don't think the shmups community as a whole projects an image of elitism or arrogance, but even if it does, that certainly isn't what's keeping the mainstream disinterested in the genre.

As the article I've linked above alludes to, people simply don't understand the appeal of arcade games anymore. They aren't even slightly interested in trying to 1CC a game, all they want is a game to tell them how amazing they are for ten hours or so before they shelve it and move onto the next one.

Your post came off as a massive whine with no real content. This board is exclusively devoted to the shoot-em-up genre and there are plenty of very knowledgeable players here. These forums are actually useful since you can learn a lot just from lurking (I know I did), I wouldn't have a clue about scoring in some games if it weren't for the Strategy section. If you want something more 'noob-friendly' then try the Gamespot forums, just don't mistake expertise for elitism.

[NR777]

A whole bunch of nothing before declaring /thread

...and a great way to make a community more helpful is to jump in slagging it off with your first post. The god of golf claps is clearly on your side.

[Kollision]

Holy shit, that article seems to be awesome!
Gonna read it later tonight, thanks for posting!

[RNGmaster]

Hmm....
I don't see any relation between one and the other....

The idea is the fewer people will think "weird thing from Japan blech i'll just give it a 7.0" because fewer people will be scared off by the image that we project, which is the image of a bunch of exclusionist assholes. Honestly, I don't need to prove this point. I could find some quotes on this thread about your disdain for mainstream gaming, but I think the anti-"mainstream Halo and COD player" ones speak for themselves. Yeah, it's a silly stereotype, but it's still a sterotype and we shouldn't have infighting between genres because we have enough people hating us already blah blah blah

But this is kind of a moot point. I'm fine playing shmups on my own or with a friend, and the fact that only us two in all of Seattle have ever played Mushihimesama doesn't lessen my enjoyment at all. But if you want to bring new people in, you're doing it wrong. You're like kids with a "NO GIRLS" sign on your treehouse who complain that you don't have anyone new to play with.

Yeah, I can counter-analogy, bitches.

Great article BTW. The guy is a gigantic elitist though (can you tell my favorite word?)

[AraraSPAMWitch]

Holy shit this thread.

maybe
if I spam
hard
enough
this thread
will
be
locked

for shits and giggles

Anyway, RNG, most of the hate in this thread is directed at reviewers who are paid to talk about things they know nothing about and the fact that, despite this seemingly obvious shortcoming, their words are still respected. If this confuses you as well than congrats bro, you're well on your way to becoming a mediocre gamer like myself.

And if you're talking about "snobbish" comments leveled at popular games or whatever, please go to Kotaku and look in the comments section, you'll find way more hate for everything ever there. If anything, shitting on things other people like is what gamers on the internet do. Since this is a specialized community, I actually think the levels of obnoxious douchebaggery are more bearable than on general gaming sites. The gaming community as a whole is a bunch of whiny assholes, I think STG fans are an actually more tolerable bunch.

[Obiwanshinobi]

People here honestly (?) praising that, um, "essay" made me call my sanity into question. It was more weird than someone not having heard about StarCraft until very recently.

[RNGmaster]

The gaming community as a whole is a bunch of whiny assholes, I think STG fans are an actually more tolerable bunch.

We can't exactly avoid whining, but for shmup fans it's inefficient to complain in most cases, because the cheap death or whatever is likely the player's fault. Through conditioning, we're a pretty resilient bunch.

And I am aware of internet trolling and the fact that people are willing to shit on every game that anyone has ever played. I've been on 4chan. If anything, Kotaku is tame in comparison to /v/.

[indutrial]

Since when is being elite a bad thing? Everybody here is super cool about the genre, and very helpfull.
If you had participated, maybe you could feel like you are a part of it.

Agreed. I'm a complete novice when it comes to shmups, but nobody here has run me out on a rail (well, at least not yet ) for my lack of expertise. True, some of the opinions might come across as somewhat venomous or arrogant, but that's a small price to pay for a gaming community that actually keeps the gaming on an even keel with the community. A lot of the other gaming forums I've checked out are steeped in indie/hipster bullshit and the members are more interested in hollowing out a social/editorial existence in the geek subculture than they are interested in talking about games, etc...

[Kollision]

People here honestly (?) praising that, um, "essay" made me call my sanity into question. It was more weird than someone not having heard about StarCraft until very recently.

um, well, I did mention the "essay" seemed to be awesome, because then I could not read it completely. It did strike me as beeing well written and worth reading.
And I'm being honest. Believe it or not, I never heard of Starcraft until last week.

[PepsimanVsJoe]

for shits and giggles

Posting a link to anything by Icycalm may as well be a link to goatse. Thanks a freaking lot.

[AraraSPAMWitch]

Posting a link to anything by Icycalm may as well be a link to goatse. Thanks a freaking lot.

np bro, always ready to provide the uncouth, uneducated retards with some guidance

[iluvmonsterz]

god i love when shit like this goes down....anything that requires an inordinant amount of knowledge will always be considered an elitist topic/genre/activity...some folks feel overwhelmed when they come here but few people here are hostile or abrasive so if you stick around long enough you will be rewarded. oh shit this place is like a video game....

[Dragoforce]

I've been on 4chan. If anything, Kotaku is tame in comparison to /v/.

Wow, let me see your scars!

[Octopod]

Posting a link to anything by Icycalm may as well be a link to goatse. Thanks a freaking lot.

np bro, always ready to provide the uncouth, uneducated retards with some guidance

Does Icy pay you to be a lapdog or is this something you actually want to do?

[DJ Incompetent]

Why shmups are such a niche genre

In the US, all you need are multiple believable high profile celebrity endorsements. I thought my generation wised up to this shit, but they didn't. That's all it needs to make these games popular...that and a walkthrough on how to play these things from the frikkin' morning show.

Here I'll start:

John Travolta's Dangun Feveron
Hillary Duff Mushihimesama
Milla Jovovich is The Guardian Legend

[DJ Incompetent]

...
...
...
ok this is kinda fun. I think I'll do more

Sam Worthington in Gradius
Space Bomber featuring Christopher Walken as the President of the United States
Jay-Z Armed Police Batrider
Strikers 2011: Dale Earnhardt Jr. vs. David Hasselhoff
Twilight: DoDonPachi featuring Robert Pattinson
Lady Gaga Ibara
Otomedius featuring the Girls of the Playboy Mansion
Will Farrell's Muchi Muchi Pork
Micheal Cera is D-FORCE
George Clooney: Ketsui Kizuna Jigoku Tachi
Guwange: a Presentation by Tom Cruise
Pixar Presents: Finding Nemo Darius
Battle Chamillionaire
Dora the Explorer in DeathSmiles

[Thjodbjorn]

Posting a link to anything by Icycalm may as well be a link to goatse. Thanks a freaking lot.

np bro, always ready to provide the uncouth, uneducated retards with some guidance

This is my first post here after lurking for a while, but did someone really use the term "fag" in an essay, as well as using "limp-wristed" just a few paragraphs after? Seems like an awful lot of homophobia for an essay not about glory holes.