Racketboy "Shmups for Beginners" Article

[BulletMagnet]

EDIT: Review draft is now up here!

[Observer]

Kind of a horribly shameless plug but Satazius Easy mode not only is easy, the entire game will teach you to love the old-school type of shmups while actually being generous with the power ups and being fun overall despite having a checkpoint-based system. Moreover, it's on Steam, something any newcomer to the genre will probably appreciate. From there you can eventually try to play it on Insane, the way Astro Port intended it It also has a replay function to learn from mistakes and such.

I think Jamestown (also on Steam), with its vertizontal approach, shield-system ala Gigawing and an extensive training mode also fits the bill. The difficulty modes and achievements force you to take things slowly and upgrade difficulty as you clear the different modes. It's obscenely brutal on Judgement difficulty but certainly doable in most of the other modes.

There, one hori and one hybrid.

I can't remember which mode of Mushihimesama Futari was the easiest but that could fit the bill too, right?

[BulletMagnet]

Kind of a horribly shameless plug but Satazius Easy mode not only is easy, the entire game will teach you to love the old-school type of shmups while actually being generous with the power ups and being fun overall despite having a checkpoint-based system.

I haven't played this one myself...if memory serves it was originally freeware, right? If so I'll hafta give it a shot...

I think Jamestown (also on Steam), with its vertizontal approach, shield-system ala Gigawing and an extensive training mode also fits the bill.

Ah, good call, this one would also fit nicely into the "multiplayer" section.

I can't remember which mode of Mushihimesama Futari was the easiest but that could fit the bill too, right?

Black Label is already up there, so that one's more or less taken care of.

[Observer]

I haven't played this one myself...if memory serves it was originally freeware, right? If so I'll hafta give it a shot...

Oh, nope, nothing of Astro Port is freeware as far as I know. (This is the one common misconception that a lot of commercial doujins suffer due to the ridiculously heavy pirating.)

And, true! I forgot Jamestown has a very cool local 4 player mode. That alone makes it a very good candidate for the list.

[lewisit]

in my experience many newcomers to the genre are easily overwhelmed by "all this stuff going on at once" and keep losing track of their own ship

that's why I tend to introduce them to gallery-shooters first - this way they at least know (mostly) where they are and can also just concentrate on things directly above/in front instead of stuff happening besides or even behind them...

I found out that Majestic Twelve and Cosmo Gang The Video are great games in that respect (both also excellent 2-player-games for a newbie playing together with a vet)

[Herr Schatten]

Great idea for an article. I'm looking very forward to the finished text. I think you've already got the basics down.

Compile games may also serve as a very good introduction to the concept of rank (well, Zanac and Aleste at least). Rank effects are also immediately visible, so once the concept has been understood, it won't seem so alien anymore when encountering a game where it's implemented in a more subtle and less obvious way.

I'm not really sure about ESPGaluda fitting the bill of a starter's shmup. Juggling three buttons might be a little confusing for beginners.

Instead, I'd suggest good old DonPachi as an introduction to Cave's style. Beginners can ignore the chaining, and the game really does ease the player in. The first three levels are very doable, and once you hit the hard bits (level 4 and on), you're hokked. At least that's what happened to me. DonPachi was one of the games that really pulled me into the hobby, when I started.

May I also suggest adding Hydorah to the doujins section? IMO, it's perfect for beginners. While it's not an easy game per se, it lets you save your game along the way, has branching paths (if you have problems with one stage, just pick a different one), and even some kind of storyline which might be a selling point for people who feel that shmups tend to be too technical.

Oh, and another one: Astro Warrior for the Sega Master System. It's short, fairly good, and there's never too much going on at the same time.

[Drum]

I think Genetos is about as good as you could possibly ask for (in the doujin section). Not only is it pretty easy (with variable difficulty settings), it's like a crash course in the history of the genre. This is a mandatory entry, I think.

[scrilla4rella]

Ibara
Gradius 3 (arcade ver.)

[Jelloman581]

Every time I try to install Satazius on my computer through steam, my Sophos antivirus says it is infected. Go figure!

I like the commercial recommendations, a basic primer into the scoring systems would definitely help, as sometimes the strat guides I read get a little technical and in the heat of battle, it kind of goes out the window. I have a lot to learn still, but at least shmups are easier to get into than fighting games. I talked to Frenetic of STG weekly about maybe doing side episodes in terms of breaking down scoring mechanics for us n00bs; as fun as the show is, that show gets pretty hectic at times with so many cooks in the kitchen. Being able to slow down, zoom in and highlight a specific skill or tactic would help a lot. More of a classroom-style thing.

I remember when I first started getting into this seriously (damn you Futari!), I just focused on survival at first, learning my hitbox, and with Prometheus' "Full Extent of the Jam" guide, about leading the bullets and other techniques. Now I want to learn about scoring and combo systems. Your Shmups 101 article did a great job at describing all the different mechanics, as well as an awesome history of the genre. I think this article is a great next step into detailing specifics on some of the more popular games in the genre.

Something else that may be worth talking about are controllers. I know you touched on this in the Shmups 101 "Equip Yourself Well" section, so expanding on it may be a good idea, or even a separate article. Different people have feelings about Suzo-Happ/Sanwa/Seimitsu/etc and their buttons. Different feels for different people, and not all arcade sticks are made alike. Those that stick with default pads may be hurting themselves, and the extra investment in a good stick is well worth the payback if you want to get into shmups. I remember when I first played my Suzo Inductive, wow what a difference over a loose Sanwa or the venerable Seimitsu LS-32s or -58s.

I look forward to this article as well; I have enjoyed your other RB articles as it has helped me look for other games I may have missed on those older consoles. Sorry for the rambling, just kind of throwing my thoughts out. Good luck!

[BulletMagnet]

that's why I tend to introduce them to gallery-shooters first - this way they at least know (mostly) where they are and can also just concentrate on things directly above/in front instead of stuff happening besides or even behind them...

That's a good thought, and I do have Space Invaders Extreme up there...don't think that one' two-player though, so maybe I oughta tack one of your suggestions up there someplace too (though my heart's always with Akkanvader within this particular sub-genre, heh).

Compile games may also serve as a very good introduction to the concept of rank (well, Zanac and Aleste at least).

That'd be another good thing to mention. I only wish more shooters implemented some sort of "rank-o-meter"...offhand I can't think of many apart from DFKBL, SDOJ, and a handful of Cave's home ports, most of which aren't exactly ideal beginner material.

I'm not really sure about ESPGaluda fitting the bill of a starter's shmup. Juggling three buttons might be a little confusing for beginners.

This is true. Perhaps Galuda would fit a bit better into a "followup" category - ah, while I'm at it, I was thinking of listing one or two "followup" games alongside each of my "main" recommendations, which would be decent choices to play next if you click with the first game (i.e. if you like Bakraid you could try Batrider, etc.). What do you think?

Instead, I'd suggest good old DonPachi as an introduction to Cave's style.

I thought about listing the DonPachi series here (DDP was the one that hooked me personally) since it provides plenty of entertainment even if you ignore the scoring system (which you can ease yourself into as you get more comfortable), but I'd need a bit more feedback before going forward on this one...not to mention that those "surprise!" enemies in stage 4 of DP always annoyed the living daylights out of me, heh.

May I also suggest adding Hydorah to the doujins section?

THAT'S the game I was thinking of when I thought Satazius was freeware earlier. Will look into it!

Oh, and another one: Astro Warrior for the Sega Master System.

Well, you weren't kidding about the short length, since the YouTube "longplay" was eight minutes long, heh. That said, this does seem like a nice choice, as it serves as a good primer for various enemy and obstacle types (direct assault, lined up, splitters, sneak-in-from-the-sides, etc.), and might also be a good one to demonstrate how "loops" work (do you know offhand if they get more difficult as you clear them?). Thanks for the suggestions.

I think Genetos is about as good as you could possibly ask for (in the doujin section). Not only is it pretty easy (with variable difficulty settings), it's like a crash course in the history of the genre.

This seems really obvious now that I see it here. Will add!

Ibara
Gradius 3 (arcade ver.)

I was wondering who'd be the first wise-acre to pop in here.

I like the commercial recommendations, a basic primer into the scoring systems would definitely help, as sometimes the strat guides I read get a little technical and in the heat of battle, it kind of goes out the window.

Yeah, I'll definitely include at least some manner of scoring explanation when it applies.

Prometheus' "Full Extent of the Jam" guide

That'd probably be another good piece to link, I'll hafta track down Prometheus and see if he'll grant me permission.

Something else that may be worth talking about are controllers. I know you touched on this in the Shmups 101 "Equip Yourself Well" section, so expanding on it may be a good idea, or even a separate article.

I'd probably need some outside help with this, as I'm not much of an expert on various types of arcade hardware and whatnot, unfortunately.

Good stuff so far everyone, keep it coming!

[emphatic]

Twin Cobra - blue shot. Bombs never hurt the score, only dying does. Great game for beginners me thinks.

[Obscura]

I'd recommend Batrider over Bakraid. Batrider scoring is a lot easier to understand than Bakraid chaining (where I still only partially understand WTF is going on), and it's not that much harder to 1cc the Normal course of.

Also, maybe Crimzon Clover in the doujin reccomendations? Lots of bullet clears, lots of lives.

[Edmond Dantes]

I'd recommend two on the basis of how easy they are:

Gradius: The Interstellar Assault for the Gameboy (sometimes called Gradius II or Nemesis II, in Europe there's a Gameboy Color edition), which even a novice will be able to 1cc after about a week of practice, and the NES/Famicom version of Dragon Spirit.

[Kiken]

NES Life Force/FC Salamander

Good for teaching the basics of meter management as well as being a fairly forgiving game.

[soupbones]

What about Viper Phase 1 (U.S.A. / New Version)? I've been playing this pretty frequently and it seems fairly manageable.

Boss patterns are not overly complicated, difficulty ramps up smoothly, and the aesthetic isn't loaded with so much detail that you could lose your ship - compared to something like Ibara.

Stage 3 get's a little tricky - but it sort of teaches you to start using a little memorization.

[PAPER/ARTILLERY]

Something else that may be worth talking about are controllers. I know you touched on this in the Shmups 101 "Equip Yourself Well" section, so expanding on it may be a good idea, or even a separate article

Seconded, as a relative newcomer who's interested in buying a stick but has no idea what to buy this would really help.

[Terramax]

I would recommend Under Defeat for those first penetrating the shmup scene.

It's a very unorthadox game. Only 3 types of weapons (but enough to create a good amount of strategy), the bullets are easy to see, because they're almost exclusively yellow, and the production values are fantastic!

Parodius Da! for the Saturn or Playstation is often the game I get people to play first, as it doesn't take itself seriously, is a great laugh with it's music, visuals and humour, and has a good variety of levels. There's also some decent teamwork to be had 2-player wise.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

DariusBurst SP (my answer for everything) and DDP Maximum. Perfect jumping on point even for non gamers. Is there some reason no ones mentioned any phone shmups yet? Both games are optimized for ultra casual play, with room to be played at a much higher skill level. And they're both awesome.

[Cuilan]

I'd definitely recommend Trouble Witches Neo to beginners. The arcade version didn't seem quite as beginner-friendly as Neo, from what I played at least. No comment on the original PC version.

[Jelloman581]

DariusBurst SP (my answer for everything) and DDP Maximum. Perfect jumping on point even for non gamers. Is there some reason no ones mentioned any phone shmups yet? Both games are optimized for ultra casual play, with room to be played at a much higher skill level. And they're both awesome.

Yes, tons of iOS shmups available, and opinions may differ on using a touchscreen for movement instead of a stick, there's something to be said about practicing some tricks on the go. I only wish more could be iCade compatible (jalibroken iOS device + Blutrol helps for those games with an onscreen d-pad and buttons, but not most of them that are sliders, like all of Cave's ports).

I think with so many shmups out there, it's nice to actually have options now!

[TransatlanticFoe]

+1 for Under Defeat, especially as it's had a modern re-release and so is accessible commercially.

Throw some more Toaplan in with Batsugun Special? Zero Wing is pretty straightforward and nice, Flying Shark and Twin Cobra are both accessible too. The Mega Drive port of Fire Shark is also pretty easy.

[Weak Boson]

For multiplayer: Score Rush

It's notable for being (cleverly) designed with multiplayer in mind and you can play it online for free here or own it on XBLIG for a pittance. Newcomers should find the lowest difficulty fair even in solo mode, but there's lot of fun to be had tackling successive difficulties with other players. It's a twin-stick shmup so a 360 controller or equivalent is recommended when playing on the PC.

Seconding Satazius also. I don't know how easy a beginner would actually find Easy mode but they should be able to make progress at a decent rate.

The thing I like about Deathsmiles is that it really lets you ease yourself into the scoring system and lets you bit by bit increase the challenge as you try to get more out of it. It's great, but I think some awareness of the scoring system and the intention to pursue the 1CC and then score is needed - given that I think it could teach new players a lot.

The one piece of advise I try to give when recommending shmups to newcomers is that you have to play the long game, in a sense. The experience of someone familiar with the genre isn't what you'll get the first time you try it. It's not that the games aren't fun until you've got however many 1CCs under your belt, it's that you shouldn't be discouraged if you don't recognize everything that you're told makes the games so amazing right away. The journey you go on, to increase your skills, tackle new challenge and reach new milestones is something that will increase your appreciation of the games you go through - the first one you dare to tackle more than any.

[Zaarock]

Seconding Genetos. Easy and makes you learn many shmup mechanics in chronological order. Ikaruga recommended for learning multiplayer sounds pretty funny because people will mostly end up killing eachother

[BulletMagnet]

Whew, lots more stuff to tackle:

Twin Cobra - blue shot. Bombs never hurt the score, only dying does. Great game for beginners me thinks.

I'm not overly familiar with this one, but from what I've seen of it it looks fairly manageable...at least if you can keep your weapon powered up, heh. According to HG101 the Japanese and US versions of the game are slightly different (the latter offers 2-player, instant respawn and faster movement, but the former's fire rate is faster)...anyone else more versed in Toaplan lore than myself want to weigh in on this one?

I'd recommend Batrider over Bakraid. Batrider scoring is a lot easier to understand than Bakraid chaining (where I still only partially understand WTF is going on), and it's not that much harder to 1cc the Normal course of.

Both games will probably appear on the list someplace, though I'd personally still give Bakraid the "beginner-friendly" edge if only for the easier-to-see bullets (though I am aware you can change their colors in both games).

Also, maybe Crimzon Clover in the doujin reccomendations? Lots of bullet clears, lots of lives.

Embarrassingly enough I have yet to play Crimzon Clover, though I definitely want to. Anyone want to second this one?

Gradius: The Interstellar Assault for the Gameboy

That one seems like a possibility, though my instinct tends to be to recommend Gaiden as a good "intro to Gradius" type of game (III on the SNES might work too, but that's kinda cheating, heh), due to the wider selection of ships and the power-up edit. Though I could probably work more than one in there if I have to.

the NES/Famicom version of Dragon Spirit.

Hmm...think this one might be a good intro to "Xevious-ish" games with two planes to attack? How would you compare it to Twinbee, mentioned above?

What about Viper Phase 1 (U.S.A. / New Version)?

Hmm once again...this isn't one that I would have thought of offhand, I'll need some more feedback from the community.

Seconded, as a relative newcomer who's interested in buying a stick but has no idea what to buy this would really help.

Guess I'll hafta start recruiting someone with some hardware knowledge to help me flesh this out, heh.

I would recommend Under Defeat for those first penetrating the shmup scene.

If nothing else the bomb explosions can keep one's attention, heh. One caveat I might have with this one is that it requires players to learn when shots from ground-based enemies reach your level and can no longer be flown over safely, which might be a bit much for some newbies to handle...someone else did second your suggestion though, so I'll keep it in mind.

Parodius Da! for the Saturn or Playstation is often the game I get people to play first, as it doesn't take itself seriously, is a great laugh with it's music, visuals and humour, and has a good variety of levels.

Gokujo Parodius was the first one I played and will always hold a special place in my heart as a result - my non-shmupping friends got a kick out of it when I showed it to them, too. Challenge-wise they tend to be pretty close to Gradius-level though...Jikkyo is the easiest but also not as memorable in terms of humor, imo. Maybe it'd make a better "followup" game...

DariusBurst SP (my answer for everything) and DDP Maximum. Perfect jumping on point even for non gamers. Is there some reason no ones mentioned any phone shmups yet?

I'm not familiar with either of these, though Darius isn't a series that jumps out at me for beginner-friendliness (unless you count Gaiden with uber-autofire, perhaps). Mobile stuff I have absolutely no clue on, so I'll need some enlightenment on that front.

I'd definitely recommend Trouble Witches Neo to beginners.

Neo is definitely easier than the original, if only for the increased screen space, and not TOO hard overall. I'd still lean towards a "followup" recommendation for this one though...

Special? Zero Wing is pretty straightforward and nice, Flying Shark and Twin Cobra are both accessible too. The Mega Drive port of Fire Shark is also pretty easy.

ZW definitely has the name (or cutscene, anyways) recognition, and I've heard Fire Shark spoken of positively around here...will have to look further into the Toaplan lineup.

For multiplayer: Score Rush

Hmm, getting a little bit into "borderliner" territory with this one...not that I'm ruling out including one or two, but I'm more interested in "pure-ish" shooters, at least at this stage of the game. I'll keep it off to the side, though!

Ikaruga recommended for learning multiplayer sounds pretty funny because people will mostly end up killing eachother

This is true, heh. Perhaps another "followup" candidate.

Thanks again everyone, keep the conversation going!

[Obscura]

Maybe I'm weird, but I actually think Batrider's bullets are easier to see.

Bakraid's best ship is by far Flame Viper C, and the orange bullets are easy to lose against Flame Viper's rear gun flamethrowers.

I don't recommend Under Defeat. The 3/4ths viewpoint makes bullets look like they're doing really weird curvy things, and the hitbox seems to grow and shrink as you move around.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Twin Cobra - blue shot. Bombs never hurt the score, only dying does. Great game for beginners me thinks.

I'm not overly familiar with this one, but from what I've seen of it it looks fairly manageable...at least if you can keep your weapon powered up, heh. According to HG101 the Japanese and US versions of the game are slightly different (the latter offers 2-player, instant respawn and faster movement, but the former's fire rate is faster)...anyone else more versed in Toaplan lore than myself want to weigh in on this one?

Kyukyoku Tiger has checkpoints but more shots can be on screen at once. It's also one player only whereas Twin Cobra has a 2p option. The Genesis port of Twin Cobra is actually based on Kyukyoku Tiger. The arcade Twin Cobra probably makes for a more accessible game due to the instant respawn - there are some checkpoints in Kyukyoku Tiger that are virtually impossible to recover from.

[emphatic]

Twin Cobra - blue shot. Bombs never hurt the score, only dying does. Great game for beginners me thinks.

I'm not overly familiar with this one, but from what I've seen of it it looks fairly manageable...at least if you can keep your weapon powered up, heh. According to HG101 the Japanese and US versions of the game are slightly different (the latter offers 2-player, instant respawn and faster movement, but the former's fire rate is faster)...anyone else more versed in Toaplan lore than myself want to weigh in on this one?

Kyukyoku Tiger has checkpoints but more shots can be on screen at once. It's also one player only whereas Twin Cobra has a 2p option. The Genesis port of Twin Cobra is actually based on Kyukyoku Tiger. The arcade Twin Cobra probably makes for a more accessible game due to the instant respawn - there are some checkpoints in Kyukyoku Tiger that are virtually impossible to recover from.

^^Exactly. But it's also a very well constructed game - the enemy placement is superb, meaning a budding shmup player can learn lots about the genre because it has so much going on:

* Laser type weapon that is advantageous for offence on bosses, but really bad for defence in the stage
* 4-way weapon to be avoided at all cost - after the item cycles from the preferred (blue) weapon type
* Circling power ups that can lure you into enemy bullets or helicopters
* Ground type as well as air-to-air enemies
* Play area that extends beyond the screen - you control the horizontal scrolling - great for learning about snipers
* etc

[BulletMagnet]

Maybe I'm weird, but I actually think Batrider's bullets are easier to see.

Bakraid's best ship is by far Flame Viper C, and the orange bullets are easy to lose against Flame Viper's rear gun flamethrowers.

What you say about the Viper makes sense for the most part, but I'm still a bit hesitant to recommend Batrider over it, despite the latter's appealing truckload o' secrets and abundance of personality (especially in comparison to Bakraid)...maybe it's just me.

I don't recommend Under Defeat. The 3/4ths viewpoint makes bullets look like they're doing really weird curvy things, and the hitbox seems to grow and shrink as you move around.

Seems there's a bit of a split opinion on this one, heh. Perhaps yet another one best-suited for "followup" status...

The arcade Twin Cobra probably makes for a more accessible game due to the instant respawn - there are some checkpoints in Kyukyoku Tiger that are virtually impossible to recover from.

^^Exactly. But it's also a very well constructed game - the enemy placement is superb, meaning a budding shmup player can learn lots about the genre because it has so much going on:

Hmm...sounds like this could be a strong contender for a "joint" entry, based on this conversation in particular. I'm almost tempted to throw Twin Cobra II in there as well, since the US version's default difficulty is quite low (not so much for the JP equivalent though, heh).

[Ed Oscuro]

The mysterious beginner in his native habitat - what games does he pick up and why

all this "play this game first" stuff, I don't mean to be rude, but it's looking at it the wrong way. I don't know many people really do scrupulously follow these recommendations unless they already like things, in which case this isn't for beginners but for intermediate players, and I don't think many people prefer to have a bunch of somebody else's preferences dropped on their nose when starting with any genre - just find out what appeals to people and then look for good options based on that. There are plenty of people who will like shooters based on just looks, and there's room for them too. Their tastes might start to change later on. You need a bit of experience to really even appreciate why somebody would rate a certain game above another based on some features they aren't familiar with yet.

I mean, put Batrider next to Bakraid in an arcade, and ask people which one they want to play - for all of Bakraid's niceties, Batrider will win every time. We know this, too. No reason to do a hard sell on "I didn't tell you about this game you would like to begin with because I wanted to sell you on some complex game mechanics that may or may not appeal to you in the end," in my opinion. The funny thing is it's not even a hard sell by that point. I wouldn't mind if it was like "lots of people like X, but you should also consider Y, don't be put off by Axebreak score milking tricks etc."

[Eaglet]

Everyone should of course be playing YGW-Raizing, but you can't go wrong with Batrider as an introduction.
Seeing as it has varying levels of survival difficulty.
Add to that just how naturally awesome the game is in every aspect and you've got yourself a winner.