20th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time - Discussion Thread

[Whisker]

Good list

Spoiler

Listed DDP as the numero uno and likened it to Mega Man 2? I can now die a blissful death.

[To Far Away Times]

I've always been surprised at not seeing Soukyugurentai higher up in the lists.
It was a big Saturn import, and was known as one of it's top shmups.

Same with Einhander.

I remember getting a demo disc with my PS1 that had a demo for Einhander on it. I played that demo a shit ton. Eventually bought the full game and put some time into it, but as I got further into the game I realized that what was drawing me to the game was the production values, but I didn't really like playing it all that much. I think it is very much an acquired taste game, though I can see why people like it. I kinda view it in the same way as Border Down, another game with great production values but it deviates from genre norms in ways that I don't neccisarily think were for the best.

[Sengoku Strider]

Soukyuugurentai is arguably the only one that is actually "correct".

Sōkyūgurentai. Real Gs use macrons.

[Steven]

Soukyuugurentai is arguably the only one that is actually "correct".

Sōkyūgurentai. Real Gs use macrons.

Except for when we are lazy as shit. On a technicality it's essentially the same thing anyway, so...

[Sengoku Strider]

Soukyuugurentai is arguably the only one that is actually "correct".

Sōkyūgurentai. Real Gs use macrons.

Except for when we are lazy as shit. On a technicality it's essentially the same thing anyway, so...

ONLY 蒼穹紅蓮隊 IS CORRECT

[Fingolfin]

No enthusiasms curbed whatsoever in the making of my list.

Thank you very much for all of your hard work Nifty!

Regarding my inclusion of Daifukkatsu BL, I will admit I don’t yet entirely get all of that game’s mechanics’ ins and outs…but then there’s the “lovely, dark and deep” enigma that is Hellsinker…(”And miles to go before I sleep”).


Question:
Would Taito’s Space Dungeon qualify?

Recognizing no one’s ever voted for it as far as I can tell, it is a combination of maze shooter and (multidirectional) field shooter — essentially Berzerk meets Robotron 2084.

Thanks much for reading and considering!

[dmk1198]

Nifty doesn't seem like to many voting
When was best year for voters out of curiosity?

[Nifty]

pardon

The highest participation happened more or less from the 4th through to the 11th, the slowing down since then is mainly a result of arcades continuing to drop off and online community focus shifting in general. Currently we're on track to reach the same sort of vote total as the previous several runnings.

On said note, there's now just over a week remaining before the voting period ends, and it's looking very much like it'll be another two years before the next one so I'd advise against glossing over it

[Fingolfin]

Although I feel very good about my votes and selections for this years Top 25 Shmups of All Time, as a first time voter gotta share the love for autre STGs not in top 25 or in 10 honorable mentions, for OCD sake, “for posterity” and for clear conscience…

1941: Counter Attack
1944: The Loop Master
19xx: The War Against Destiny
After Burner
After Burner Climax
Akai Katana Shin
Akka Arrh (Jeff Minter 2023)
Aero Fighters Special
Air Duel
Alpha Mission
Alpha Mission II
Andro Dunos
Andro Dunos 2
Armed Police Batrider
Astro Blaster
Bakuretsu Breaker
Batsugun Special
Battle Chopper
Bio-Ship Paladin
Blaster
Blazing Star
Border Down
Cal. 50
Centipede
Chaos Field
Chuka Taisen
Cosmic Cop (hopeful to get thru Aca)
Cotton Reboot
Cotton Rock ‘n Roll
Crimzon Clover for NESICAxLive
Crimzon Clover: World Ignition
Crimzon Clover World EXplosion
Daioh
Dangun Feveron
Daisenpu
Darwin 4078
Deathsmiles
Dimahoo
Donpachi
Dodonpachi
ESP Ra.De.
Espgaluda
Exed Eyes
Fantasy Zone
Fantasy Zone II The Tears of Opa-Opa
Final Star Force
Fire Barrel
Galaga
Galaxian
Gekirindan
Gigawing
Gorf
Gridrunner
Gunbird
Gunbird 2
Guwange
Hellfire
Hyper Duel
Ibara BL
Ikari Warriors
Ikaruga
Illvelo
Karous
Last Resort
Legion Spinner 87 (hopeful to get thru Aca)
Metal Black
Millipede
Moose Life
Mushihimesama
Missile Command
Omega Fighter
Out Zone
Progear no Arashi
Psyvariar 2
Pulstar
R-Type
R-Type II
R-Type Leo
Parodious DA!
Radirgy
Radirgy Noa
Rapid Hero
RayCrisis
RayForce
RayStorm
Razion Ex
Rolling Gunner
Saint Dragon
Search and Rescue
Sengoku Ace
Slap Fight
SophStar
Space Firebird
Space Harrier
Space Invaders II
Space Invaders Invincible Collection *all games therein
Space Giraffe
Star Wars (Atari 1983)
Strikers 1945
Strikers 1945 II
Super Real Darwin
Super Spacefortress Macross
Super Spacefortress Macross II
Task Force Harrier
Tatsujin
Tatsujin Oh
Tempest 2000
Tengai
Terra Cresta
Terra Force
Thunder Cross
Thunder Cross II
Thunder Dragon 2
Thunder Force AC
TNK III
Total Carnage
Trizeal
Twin Bee Yahoo!
Twinkle Star Sprites
UFO Robo Dangar (hopeful to get thru Aca)
Varth
Vasara
Vasara 2
Vimana
Victory Road
Wizard of Wor
Xexex
Zaxxon
Zed Blade
Zero Gunner
Zero Gunner 2
Zero Wing

Not all the STGs I play but rather all the STGs I play regularly (for most part every couple of weeks or less); essentially “the best of the rest.”

As stated numerous times elsewhere I suffer from LOFT — lack of fucking talent — when it comes to STGs and video games in general but I “grew up in an arcade” and have loved video games since turning 9 in 1978. Sadly the only STGs to date I’ve 1CC’d are Blackbird and Cotton Reboot.

Lots here needless to say but had to share the Nichibutsus especially as only Armed F got a vote for this years tally.

[M.Knight]

As years go by, I find it harder and harder to fit all the games I think are really good in this voting list. Even the HM aren't enough to contain everything anymore! Stuff like Macross 2, Sonic Wings 3, R-Type Leo, Shikigami 2, Radirgy DGJL and possibly others I can't fit there. But it's a good problem to have, and a good reminder that there's tons of great shmups to enjoy.

[Whisker]

and it's looking very much like it'll be another two years before the next one

¿Qué? I thought this was an annual thing?

[Some-Mist]

it takes a lot of effort and it's been 2 years since the last one
if someone wants to pick up the reigns and organize it, it could probably become an annual thing again. nifty has been putting the offer out there for the last few voting rounds

[Sam250]

I barely have 25 games I know well enough to comment on, so I won't vote this time. Hopefully in 2026!

However, I've been paying attention to the thread, and it has made me look at my list of shmups cleared and ask which ones I enjoyed the most and am most excited to play again. This is without any evaluation of historical impact on the genre, just bests to me.

As of today, the top five might be something like this:

1. Touhou Subterranean Animism
2. Mahō Daisakusen
3. Raiden IV
4. Touhou Imperishible Night
5. Rayforce

Looking forward to the results. And I dearly hope we will see shmups released in the next two years that are good enough to make it into people's votes next time!

[Whisker]

it takes a lot of effort and it's been 2 years since the last one
if someone wants to pick up the reigns and organize it, it could probably become an annual thing again. nifty has been putting the offer out there for the last few voting rounds

Right, I just edited my ranking. Bumped up Giga Wing to 10 as I said I would do, then swapped Parodius Da! and S1945 Plus with Metal Black and Sonic Wings 2, respectively.

I should note that I always appreciate Nifty's hard work, and I really do enjoy these polls.

[copy-paster]

I think there's still too few voters even with bi-yearly format, which is sad. Maybe make an extra weeks or 1 month extension?

[SPM]

[22] [Psyvariar Delta/Revision]
[18] [Raiden DX/II]

I put Delta/Revision and DX/II together since I think they should count as one (I guess Medium Unit should be there as well... I just don't know much about that version) but I can edit those if you're not OK with it Nifty, your poll your rules. (but then we probably should split some Cave "Labels" as well?).

[DMC]

I think there's still too few voters even with bi-yearly format, which is sad. Maybe make an extra weeks or 1 month extension?

Agreed. Two or four weeks extension would be good. There were 70 votes last time and about 50 now, so maybe it can get closer with some extra voting time.

Added Hishouzame to my list. Old news, but such a well designed game overall.

• The stages have extremely memorable maps, which makes learning the game so satisfying. I also like that the number of stages is relatively small.

• Sniper tanks are ruthless but fair.

• Green and blue enemy planes have distinct movement patterns that are fun to dodge.

• Red power up formations vary from simple to elusive. Yellow and white formations add a little variety.

• The weapon is fun to use, and works okay even at level-1, and there's no shit weapon to avoid like in some other Toaplan games.

• Bombing is encouraged since the stock is restored after each stage, which prompts some interesting decision making particularly during check point recovery (e.g, sacrificing a bomb for a power up).

• Stage 4 track is top tier.

• My only issue is the infinite loop system, which is a bit primitive and anticlimatic. It deserved a greater finale although the stage 5 boss is pretty massive compared to everything else in the game. Some rewarding bonus area at the end of stage 5 could've been added. Like a military camp with a lot of trucks and buildings to destroy and surplus bombs to collect for some juicy end-of-stage-5 bonus.

[ryu]

I've probably played enough STGs to chime in with a short list. But many of those I've only played briefly so it's hard for me to rank them except for a few favorites. I'd also have to include R-Type Final, which I'd only consider a honorable mention otherwise.

[SPM]

My only issue is the infinite loop system, which is a bit primitive and anticlimatic

Agreed, thankfully the M2 port lets us play a 1 loop version of the game in Custom mode (in addition to Supereasy mode, which also ends after 1 loop). Give it a try

The downside: the slowest autofire rate on that port is too fast for Hishouzame. I still prefer MAME.

---

On another note, I just swapped Razion EX for Like Dreamer. The former's scoring loop gets too samey once you go for 1bil+ scores and the latter has the best Speedrun mode I've seen in a shmup. That deserves an HM ^^

[m.sniffles.esq]

Agreed. Two or four weeks extension would be good. There were 70 votes last time and about 50 now, so maybe it can get closer with some extra voting time.

Remember that last time, it was to be the final poll for the foreseeable future/'speak now or forever hold your peace' type of thing, which probably gave incentive to some people to submit a list even though they normally wouldn't.

[Nifty]

Yeah if the late vote drop doesn't materialise I'll have to consider it, even if it's been a fair while since I've had to and I don't really enjoy doing it

[Lethe]

I put Delta/Revision and DX/II together since I think they should count as one (I guess Medium Unit should be there as well... I just don't know much about that version) but I can edit those if you're not OK with it Nifty, your poll your rules. (but then we probably should split some Cave "Labels" as well?).

Delta and Revision already count as one. Not much reason to vote for MU since Delta contains it and allows mixing the stages/mechanics of all versions.
IMO despite the reused assets, DX contains enough of a critical mass of differences from Raiden II that they should be separate.

Remember that last time, it was to be the final poll for the foreseeable future/'speak now or forever hold your peace' type of thing, which probably gave incentive to some people to submit a list even though they normally wouldn't.

I don't think that made a difference:
19th poll (last time) - 69 voters, no extension; 18th poll - 67 voters, no extension; 17th poll - 69 voters, extension; 16th poll - 62 voters, extension
This one's doing proportionately much better than both the 16th and 17th so far.

[Meriscan]

Yeah if the late vote drop doesn't materialise I'll have to consider it, even if it's been a fair while since I've had to and I don't really enjoy doing it

Personally, I think it's fine to just close the vote after the deadline. Like Lethe said we're barely behind the amount of votes we gad 4-5 years ago. And even then people have had a month to vote which I think is plenty.

[Mero]

One new entry on my list, Tatsujin which I was playing recently. The bulk of my list was compiled years ago, it could do with a major overhaul but I haven't really got time now, maybe in 2026.

[Nifty]

I don't believe I can close this now in good conscience, I consider 60 votes to be the absolute minimum to have a proper result and we aren't even at that yet. Given the extra year gap an extra extra week of extension doesn't sound wholly unreasonable either, and it'd also give me a chance to take it a bit more easy on the organisational side rather than only really having a few more days which I could do with. In fact seeing the part of the month we're in I'll even tack one more day on there so it can end on the lucky 29th

[trap15]

My list's pretty much the same as last time, just swapped Varth and Same!*3 which were already right next to each other. Shark games too good...

[Sengoku Strider]

I voted for a bunch of EASY CONSOLE GAMES so make a list and vote now or your favourite SUPER HARD ARCADE GAMES will LOSE!!!

[Steven]

Spoiler

[25] [Action 52 (NES)]
[24] [Sonic Frontiers Final Boss]
[23] [Steel Diver]
[22] [Deep Blue]
[21] [Action 52 (Genesis)]
[20] [R-Gear]
[19] [Sonic Superstars Frozen Base Act 2]
[18] [The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Genesis)]
[17] [Solar Striker]
[16] [Sonic Adventure Sky Chase Act 2]
[15] [Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus]
[14] [Force Gear]
[13] [Sonic Adventure Sky Chase Act 1]
[12] [Herzog Zwei]
[11] [that one part in Dead Space where you shoot asteroids]
[10] [Sine Mora]
[9] [Trevor McFur]
[8] [Metroid Fusion]
[7] [Link's Crossbow Training]
[6] [the Space Harrier part in Bayonetta]
[5] [Steel Diver Sub Wars]
[4] [Tyrian 2000]
[3] [Jurassic Park (Game Boy)]
[2] [Jurassic Park (Super Nintendo)]
[1] [DoDonPachi Campaign Version]

Am I doing it right?

[Sengoku Strider]

I was about to say you left out the Action 52 for the Genesis but nope, it's right there in the top 5 where it belongs.

[eksratu]

Spoiler

[25] [Action 52 (NES)]
[24] [Sonic Frontiers Final Boss]
[23] [Steel Diver]
[22] [Deep Blue]
[21] [Action 52 (Genesis)]
[20] [R-Gear]
[19] [Sonic Superstars Frozen Base Act 2]
[18] [The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Genesis)]
[17] [Solar Striker]
[16] [Sonic Adventure Sky Chase Act 2]
[15] [Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus]
[14] [Force Gear]
[13] [Sonic Adventure Sky Chase Act 1]
[12] [Herzog Zwei]
[11] [that one part in Dead Space where you shoot asteroids]
[10] [Sine Mora]
[9] [Trevor McFur]
[8] [Metroid Fusion]
[7] [Link's Crossbow Training]
[6] [the Space Harrier part in Bayonetta]
[5] [Steel Diver Sub Wars]
[4] [Tyrian 2000]
[3] [Jurassic Park (Game Boy)]
[2] [Jurassic Park (Super Nintendo)]
[1] [DoDonPachi Campaign Version]

Am I doing it right?

I read this shit in the middle of a Zoom meeting and barely managed to mute myself before bursting out laughing. Thanks, I think?