Interactive top 300 shmups of all time (a novel approach)

[nimitz]

The classic yearly top 25 shmups of all time lists are a nice way to get an idea of which shmups the forum users think are best at a given time, but what if you've played the majority of the top25 shmups and would like to have an idea of what else is around and worth playing. I feel a top 300 is at a good point between a list that includes shmups not worth talking about and a list that's too small to have an idea of what else is around. (I'm still pondering if it should be top 250 or top 300)

Another big difference is that the list is continuously updated by anyone who wishes to do so and the process of updating the list is in the form of 1vs1 comparison which happens to be quite enjoyable.

How:
Just come to #shumpvs (not a typo) on efnet (that's IRC, you can use http://webchat.xs4all.nl/ if you do not have an IRC client) and type !shmupvs, you will be prompted to choose between two games, if you feel you know them both well enough, you pick the best one and repeat the process, the top 300 list is updated as you do so.


I would post a link to the current list, but the list is still in the process of being "somewhat sorted" so it's not quite a good example at this moment, i'll update this post with the list in a few weeks/months

[Crafty+Mech]

I'm guessing the top 300 is open to all platforms (arcade & console) ?

I'm still trying to wrap my head around about 50 titles that I've played, nice to know there are still a ton of Shmups out there that I have not tried!

[DJ Incompetent]

Neat.

What is your scope of what namedrops are allowed to be added by users?
Commercial stuff only? Allowing doujins and indies?
Traditional Verts and Horis? Allowing arenas, 3D-STGs, Isometric, Tube, etc?

[nimitz]

Anything is allowed as long as it fits that definition of a shmup:

A two dimensional shoot and dodge game in which you can strafe while shooting with no absolute aiming direction control


If there's enough people on the channel so that many games might get added i'll just add a interactive list of games to be added and i'll add the new games weekly. For now, i'm just adding games manually when people ask for them, takes a few seconds.

[Captain]

no absolute aiming direction control

this part gets toyed with quite often.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Anything is allowed as long as it fits that definition of a shmup:

A two dimensional shoot and dodge game in which you can strafe while shooting with no absolute aiming direction control

By your definition Score Rush isn't a shmup because you can aim in any direction. Also, Guwange isn't a shmup, because you can control your Shikigami's shot position wherever you like, particularly in boss battles. Deathsmiles 360 Arrange isn't a shmup either because you can control the absolute direction of your familiar with the right stick.

Nope, sorry, your criteria doesn't make sense. Those three are all clearly shmups, simply ones with more controlled aiming.

[Ed Oscuro]

OutZone

[nimitz]

Anything is allowed as long as it fits that definition of a shmup:

A two dimensional shoot and dodge game in which you can strafe while shooting with no absolute aiming direction control

By your definition Score Rush isn't a shmup because you can aim in any direction. Also, Guwange isn't a shmup, because you can control your Shikigami's shot position wherever you like, particularly in boss battles. Deathsmiles 360 Arrange isn't a shmup either because you can control the absolute direction of your familiar with the right stick.

Nope, sorry, your criteria doesn't make sense. Those three are all clearly shmups, simply ones with more controlled aiming.

All the games you mentioned could totally be played with conventional shmup controls, they just happen to have either an odd control scheme (score rush) or an extra non-typical mechanic (guwange and deathsmiles arrange).

Obviously any rigid definition can be "abused", you can have a shmup with odd mechanics that go against the core elements that define the genre yet the game would still be part of said genre for the most part; Every Extend is a good example of this.

I'm all for improving that definition though. What would you say is the core difference between a game like Robotron 2084 and Zero Gunner 2?

[BareKnuckleRoo]

The main difference I'd say would be that Zero Gunner 2 is an autoscrolling shmup where enemies appear in predetermined formations as you progress through the level, whereas Robotron, Smash TV, etc, are fixed, overhead arena shmups/shooters. Functionally similar, though Robotron/Llamatron tend to have more random enemy appearances, with the focus less on bullet dodging and more on not colliding with the enemies that try and run into you. Outzone's also a good example, it's not autoscrolling, but it scrolls as you move forward and otherwise it's about moving, shooting and dodging on a 2D plane.

I'd also say a rail shooter like Astrosmash or Space Invaders also qualifies as a sub-genre of shmups, especially some of the more recent Space Invaders game like the one that came out for XBLA. Maybe just put an addendum to the definition to include autoscrolling perspective/rail shooter/arena shooter. Whether or not your aiming is fixed forward or can be controlled easily or not has much less of a difference to the feel of the game compared to whether or not it autoscrolls through the level, but that's just me.

i'm anal retentive, i know

[nZero]

Are you going to come to the channel and try out the voting? You could get a better idea of what's on the list, and have the opportunity to argue shmup theory in real time.

[BPzeBanshee]

http://webchat.xs4all.nl/ is not available, I recommend Mibbit instead. It's possible to make a direct URL to the appropriate server and chatroom with Mibbit as well.

[heisenbergman]

Can't seem to get in. Might be because my internet provider uses a proxy setup.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Just go to efnet.org, they have a web-based login directly on their page, I use it all the time.

[heisenbergman]

^ Thanks I got in!

But I typed !shmupvs and got nothing.

[Ruldra]

Pretty cool approach, will contribute whenever I can.

[AntiFritz]

^ Thanks I got in!

But I typed !shmupvs and got nothing.

Do /join #shumpvs instead

[heisenbergman]

Ah there got it! Sorry I have no idea how to ircs

Nice approach. Would be interesting to see the actual numbers along with the full list.

How are the pairings chosen? Is it completely random?

[nimitz]

The first game of the pairing is chosen randomly then the second game is chosen based on proximity from the first (the "better" a game is according to the list the closer the pairing will be)

[heisenbergman]

Bumping this to ask if the ranking is still going on and active.

Would check myself but blocked at work. Will check for myself later, but would appreciate it if someone could post the current rankings.

Thanks!