For anyone interested, I've taken to looking at things chronologically again...
Breakdown by Year
Code:
YEAR TOP25 HON.M OVERALL TITLES
1981 0 1 1 Galaga
1982 0 0 0
1983 0 0 0
1984 0 0 0
1985 0 0 0
1986 0 0 0
1987 1 1 2 R-Type, Sala(FC)
1988 0 1 1 Gradius 2
1989 0 1 1 Blazing Lazers
1990 1 3 4 TF3, Raiden, MUSHA, Gaiares
1991 0 0 0
1992 1 4 5 TF4, Axelay, GoT, S.Blade, S.Aleste
1993 1 3 4 RayForce, Batsugun, LoT, Raiden2
1994 1 1 2 RaidenDX, DariusGaiden
1995 0 2 2 DonPachi, S1945
1996 2 0 2 Garegga, Soukyugurentai
1997 4 2 6 DDP, S1945II, G.Gaiden, Einhander, TF5, Batrider
1998 4 3 7 Silvergun, GB2, ESP, RTDelta, GDarius, Feveron, BlazingStar
1999 2 1 3 GigaWing, Guwange, Bakraid
2000 1 2 3 MarsMatrix, Dimahoo, DragonBlaze
2001 0 4 4 ZanacNeo, ZG2, Progear, GigaWing2
2002 2 0 2 Ikaruga, DDPDOJ
2003 3 1 4 BorderDown, ESP2, SnS2, RTFinal
2004 2 0 2 GradiusV, Mushi
2005 0 1 1 Ibara
Note that in the "Titles" column, Top25 games are listed before honourable mentions. For example, the 1994 row features one Top25 and one Hon.M; RaidenDX belongs to the former and DariusGaiden to the latter.
Other notes and comments:
1. We seem to slowly but surely be in the process of leaving the '80s behind. Last year there were 8 games from that period, whereas this year we are down to 5, having lost Gradius, Salamander, and ZanacEX. Still, R-Type remains a solid Top25 as it has always been, and Galaga lives!
2. On the topic of Salamander, I may be reading things wrong but it looks to me as though even if we compiled the votes for ARC/PCE/NES/MSX versions, it still woudn't be Top25 material -- it would only merit an honourable mention. I find this surprising. Similarly, if we compile the results for Gradius 3 (both ARC and SNES), it looks like it wouldn't even make an honourable mention. I find this even more surprising. In addition, the ARC version received more points than the SNES version for the first time.
3. Thunder Force 3 appears to be undergoing a slow but steady decline. Still, it displays remarkably consistent staying power as compared to other console shmups of that era which have fallen off the list (e.g. Axelay, MUSHA, Gradius 3 SNES, Gate of Thunder, Lords of Thunder, Soldier Blade, Blazing Lazers). Thunder Force 4 also manages to hang on to the bottom portion of the Top25 year after year.
4. Some love for the Raidens this year! Both Raiden and Raiden 2 are Hon.M., and of course DX is Top25 again.
5. Regarding the Top25 list itself, there are 17 verts and 8 horis, which is precisely the ratio we had last year, and is roughly the same ratio we've had since we started doing this poll in 2003.
6. DDP rules all.
professor ganson wrote:
Though I hate to see Gunbird 2 and Raiden dx so low down.
I don't think you should pay so much attention to the actual ranking, which would almost certainly be different if we did the poll again today. Simply, the fact that those games are on the Top25 is more signifcant I think.
Ganelon wrote:
Heh, Ketsui didn't even make it in HM?
Well, it
was an honourable mention last year, but the voter pool was expanded by a factor of two so that may have had something to do with it. And it
almost made Hon.M. anyway.
Alpolio wrote:
Several sites, like KLOV, has put [Guwange] in the same scrolling fighter/run-n-gun class as Metal Slug. (link) And I was kind of afraid that it would slip into the dreaded border line limbo here too.
Don't worry, that has not -- and will not -- ever happen here. I think everyone is in agreement that it's a true-blue shmup.
Ceph wrote:
BUT - not even an honorable mention for Nexzr?!!!
Now there's a game that not a lot of people have played. I will be very surprised if Nexzr ever makes Honourable Mention.
Shatterhand wrote:
Well , it seems like there's no more love for Toaplan....
I still find curious how Soldier Blade scored so highly in the 1st poll, then it never showed in the top 25 again.
We haven't had love for Toaplan in some time. Batsugun is Hon.M. this year as it was last year, but that's it. I don't have the 2003 and 2004 honourable mentions on hand, and I don't remember if other Toaplan titles (Twin Cobra? Flying Shark? Truxton 1 or 2?) made the cut at that time.
As for Soldier Blade, it's been Hon.M. both this year and last, so it's not as though it's been forgotten. As PCE stuff goes, Gate of Thunder, Lords of Thunder, and Blazing Lazers were all Top25 that first year as well, and though they have since been displaced from that list, they remain Hon.M.
Fenrir wrote:
Too bad western shooters still can't make it... and I had high expectations on Apidya
It
almost made it. I think it did well for itself.
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Then again, Guwange made it back too, so all those Untold Legions of Evil Unthinking Rabid Intolerant Cave Fanboys have apparently unleashed their unbridled fury as well. 
but i can agree that all shooters in the top 25 except Mushihimesama deserve to be there, so I guess I'm not to worried, even though my personal list would have looked a bit diferent. 
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