what are the best ps2 shmups?

[CellProcessor]

I am trying to expand my knowledge base with shmups. If any of you could help me out that would be nice, thanks (:

[BulletMagnet]

Ask ten different people here and you'll get ten different answers (maybe more), but I might suggest starting here for a mostly-complete system genre overview compiled with the help of this forum a little ways back.

[shmuppyLove]

News lad

[Vyxx]

Ibara

[hermit crab]

Gradius V is a great PS2 exclusive. Lots of good arcade ports. That racketboy article pretty much has the system covered.

[KAI]

Ibara

Radirgy has terrible slowdowns, but it's good.

[Kollision]

I heard Scramble is pretty ace

[Koa Zo]

I heard Scramble is pretty ace

It is. The only tate-able version besides Vectrex.
Also, Terra Cresta and Time Pilot are excellent.

Fantasy Zone Complete Collection
and Thunder Force VI are tons of fun.

[EmperorIng]

At the risk of contributing to the 10-different-answers, if you really want something fun, flashy, and exciting, you should go with Hermit Crab's suggestion and pick up Gradius V. It's fairly cheap as well, so it's well worth the money, being one of the better side-scrolling shooters I've played.

I can partially recommend the ultra-cheap PS2 pack Gradius III&IV. "Partially" not because of the games' quality (they are excellent games) but because they are so difficult that they can be off-putting. Gradius V is easier to get good at, Gradius IV a little less so, and Gradius III is a cruel mistress.

[broken harbour]

R-Type Final if you like memorization shmups....

[professor ganson]

First, most of the good ones require a Jp (or Jp-compatible) system. Second, unlike the PS1, the PS2 doesn't have that many quality exclusives. That said, I think it's a great system for shmup-fans. Personal favorites include:

Terra Cresta
Fantasy Zone Collection
Dragon Blaze
Gunbird 1 & 2
Espgaluda
Sengoku Ace

[EmperorIng]

I don't think the OP necessarily conflated "expand my knowledge of shmups" with "spend hundreds of dollars to play [semi-]obscure titles," no matter how good Dragon Blaze is. That goes for you Ibara fanatics as well.

[hermit crab]

Ibara [Japan Import] by Taito Video Games

$428.03 PlayStation 2
Only 10 left in stock - order soon.

Order soon!

[professor ganson]

I don't think the OP necessarily conflated "expand my knowledge of shmups" with "spend hundreds of dollars to play [semi-]obscure titles," no matter how good Dragon Blaze is. That goes for you Ibara fanatics as well.

So is Dragon Blaze expensive now? I don't think of it as a rare exclusive or anything. Ibara is a different story because it did include an exclusive mode iirc.

[BIL]

I don't think the OP necessarily conflated "expand my knowledge of shmups" with "spend hundreds of dollars to play [semi-]obscure titles," no matter how good Dragon Blaze is. That goes for you Ibara fanatics as well.

I don't see a mention of pricing anywhere in his post to begin with. He could be emulating ISOs for all it says. And semi-obscure shooters are obviously more likely to be ones he's not aware of.

Especially as he didn't say whether he was in Europe or not, DB's stand-alone PAL version is cheap, common and has 60hz support. It's not a notably extreme shooter to get ahold of and running even outside of PAL region, if you can play imports.

So is Dragon Blaze expensive now?

Not especially. But the Big Tymer JP Ver* is way more expensive than the ghetto PAL version. I think it was hovering around $70-80 USD when I got a new copy several years back.

*and by that, I mean "includes Sol Divide" :[

[professor ganson]

Sol Divide *might* be worth an extra dollar or two, just so you can experience both the highs and lows of Psikyo in one package.

[BIL]

That's an excellent point, I may start acknowledging that there is a second game on the disc now.

[cj iwakura]

-Castle Shikigami 2
-Project Sylpheed
-R-Type Final
-The Red Star(uh, sorta...)
-Taito Legends 2(must. own.)

[professor ganson]

-Castle Shikigami 2

One of my favorites, but the PS2 port is probably the worst option graphics-wise. It's not a bad port, though, and the price is right.

[PedroMD]

-Project Sylpheed

Project Sylpheed is a 3D space shooter on the 360, the one on the PS2 is actually Silpheed: The Lost Planet. From what I read around the internet, the opinion on this one is mostly that it's eye candy without substance, but for some reason I really liked it and would strongly recommend.

I also second The Red Star, it's a fun game mixing shoot and beat 'em ups, that somehow works.
Everything else was already covered.

[Jonst]

Ibara [Japan Import] by Taito Video Games

$428.03 PlayStation 2
Only 10 left in stock - order soon.

Order soon!

Only 10 left? Better act fast!!

[cj iwakura]

-Castle Shikigami 2

One of my favorites, but the PS2 port is probably the worst option graphics-wise. It's not a bad port, though, and the price is right.

You can also get it on the PS3(shockingly), it was put on the US PSN. Also you get the best dub of all time!


And yeah, I meant Silpheed: The Lost Planet, my bad. Had the 360 game on the mind, which I've always meant to play.

[professor ganson]

[
You can also get it on the PS3(shockingly), it was put on the US PSN. Also you get the best dub of all time!

Very interesting. I would be tempted to get this, but I guess it really wouldn't be an upgrade over just playing the PS2 version on a backward compatible PS3, right?

[cj iwakura]

[
You can also get it on the PS3(shockingly), it was put on the US PSN. Also you get the best dub of all time!

Very interesting. I would be tempted to get this, but I guess it really wouldn't be an upgrade over just playing the PS2 version on a backward compatible PS3, right?

Having played PS1 games on mine, I bet it's exactly the same. They don't upgrade any assets, you just get to play the game in HD.

[professor ganson]

Yeah, that's got to be right.

[Acid King]

Homura.

[IseeThings]

[
You can also get it on the PS3(shockingly), it was put on the US PSN. Also you get the best dub of all time!

Very interesting. I would be tempted to get this, but I guess it really wouldn't be an upgrade over just playing the PS2 version on a backward compatible PS3, right?

Having played PS1 games on mine, I bet it's exactly the same. They don't upgrade any assets, you just get to play the game in HD.

With an extra frame of lag (or more) due to it being emulation

[Mortificator]

Gradius V gets the glory, but the Gradius III & IV collection is also a lot of fun.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Shienryu as a part of the Japanese Shienryu Explosion collection is an excellent port. More amazing than RayForce on Taito Memories dare I say, thanks to genuine, unfiltered 240p. Although the latter is, gameplay-wise, the most faithful RayForce port known to me.

[Aleksei]

Guys, don't forget Twinkle Star Sprites 2