The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.

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Dig Dug
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PostThe Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by Dig Dug » Sat Jan 16, 2021 1:37 pm

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About a year ago I decided that I wanted to start playing arcade-style shooting games again and started slowly building a cheap collection using steam sales and nintendo e-shop.
Today I am almost obsessed with the genre and have my libraries loaded with various shoot'em ups old and new, classic and obscure.

One thing I have become quickly aware of is how unpopular the genre is nowadays. Even with a recent resurgence of new titles being released the coverage, sales, interest and fanfare for this genre seems to be close to rock bottom in terms of numbers.

There are reasons for this: the community has a reputation for elitism and the games are considered by many to be either too derivative, difficult, short or shallow.
Value for money is something this genre has an image problem with. Most people only want to play through a game once and if that one play through lasts an hour then it can be easy to see why many are put-off (see also: the rise of fighting games, the rise of 3D, the rise of the FPS etc).

The genre certainly has a handful of barriers to entry. Much like fighting games many potential players are scared away by the misconception that you have to be good at these games to fully enjoy them. It is true that these games gain a certain something with skill, and that you'll come to enjoy it more and more as you improve but there are still plenty of titles out there can still give you a good experience without expert level ability.

To me, shoot'em ups represent one of the purest forms of video games. They are mechanically driven; the screen scrolls on its own, narrative moments are often designed into the gameplay, the rules are simple and the title lives and dies by the quality of its design. I could write an entire thesis on how these games are designed but I'm not here to bore you.

I've decided to start this thread to see if I can inspire any GRcadian's to give shoot'em ups a try but also because Shmup fans are like Jojo fans, we love it and won't shut the hell up about it.

Shoot'em ups are a genre can be simutaneously modern and old-school at the same time. You can play a title released in the 80s and find it still holds up to the same level of good design and polish as an accomplished indie game made today. Age isn't a huge factor in deciding what game you choose to play, some design trends come in and out of fashion but generally you can find a mixture of game types in almost any era.

So what games should you play? Let's break it down by the companies who made the games. Each studio tends to have its own signature style that allows you to tell their games apaert at a glance.

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It may not be a very popular studio today but once upon a time Konami were the pioneer for the traditionalist shoot'em up as their games were built on the essental core foundations of good game design. Their games were challenging but also accessible enough that anyone who pick up and play them.
The Gradius Series:
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Key titles:
Gradius / Nemisis (Arcade, 1985)
Salamander / Life Force (Arcade, 1986)
Gradius II / Vulcan Venture (Arcade, 1988)
Gradius III (Arcade, 1989)
Parodius Da! / parodius (Arcade, 1990)
Gradius Gaiden (JPN: PS1, 1997) (World: PSP, 2006 as part of Gradius Collection)

The mother of all shoot'em ups Konami took japan by storm when they released Gradius in 1985. With its smooth scrolling, challenging level design and intuitive power up system Gradius is a title everyone should play when getting into the genre. If you can find joy in the Gradius titles then there will always be a shmup out there for you.
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The influence of Gradius cannot be understated, many Japanese game designers have spoken of their love for the game. Hideki Kamiya of Bayonetta & Okami fame loves Gradius so much that is a permanent fixture at his home arcade.

The gradius series expands further into spin-off's such as the Salamander and Parodius games.
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The series status is such that Konami have also made over 40 Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards that are based on the Gradius series.
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In later years Konami would shift their in-house development to bigger projects while leaving the likes of Gradius to smaller studios such as Treasure and M2 would would go on to make the likes of Gradius V (PS2, 2004) and Gradius Rebirth (WiiWare, 2008).

If you are looking to try these games out but are restricted to modern platforms then you'll be happy to know that Gradius I & II along with Salamander are included in the Konami Arcade Classics Collection (PS4, Switch, PC), Gradius III was recently released on Switch and PS4 as part of the Arcade Archives series. The impressive NES port of Gradius is also included in NES Online for Switch.


The TwinBee Series:
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Key titles:
TwinBee (Arcade, 1985)
Detana!! TwinBee / Bells & Whistles (Arcade, 1991)
Pop'n TwinBee (SNES, 1993)
TwinBee Yahho! (Arcade, 1995)

Well not very well known outside of Japan TwinBee was a massively successful, not so much for the games but for its world, characters and art design. Much like with Touhou today, the popularity of TwinBee eventually caused the games to become eclipsed by its spin-offs and other media.
The games are slower paced but still fun and colourful shooters with a unique power up system revolving around shooting collectable bells to change their colour.
The difficulty of the SNES exclusive Pop'n TwinBee makes it the most accessible of the games, with the player having a lifebar over the traditioal one-hit kill system of other games.
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TwinBee is included in the Konami Arcade Classics Collection, Detana!! TwinBee is avalible in the Arcade Archives series and Pop'n TwinBee is include in SNES online for Switch.


Other key Konami titles:
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Axelay (SNES, 1992) - This SNES classic is often cited as being one of the best titles on the system. Designed specifically for the SNES with its multiude of perspectives the game was a fine display of what Mode 7 could bring to the table. Fingers crossed that it is added to SNES Online for Switch in the future, otherwise you'll have to settle for the Wii U e-shop release.


Scramble (Arcade, 1981) - An early shooting game this classic from the golden era may look antiquated now but it has its place in history, especially with the unique gimmick where your ship can run out of fuel. Included in the Konami Arcade Classics collection.

A-Jax (Arcade 1987) - This shooter swaps spaceships for a helicopter. Not as well known as Konami's other titles but it still found its way into the Konami Arcade Classics Collection.

Thunder Cross (Arcade, 1988) - Not a Gradius spin-off but it does feel loosely connected to that series. It was successful enough to get a sequel and its ship has been imortalised as a Yu-Gi-Oh! card. Included in the Konami Arcade Classics Collection.

Xexex (Arcade, 1991) - This game is a real looker but unfortunately besides an inclusion in the Japan only PSP Salamander collection this game has never seen an official port. A future Arcade Archieves release perhaps?

Crisis Force (Famicom, 1991) - Released late into the life of the Famicom this game never made it to the west and that's a shame because it is among the most impressive shooters of the 8-bit era thanks to the custom chipset that was developed for it. The technical accomplishments alone makes it worth admiring.


Konami may no longer have a keen interest in the video game industry but their mark on the medium will always make them worthy of praise in my book.


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It's easily forgotten now but Sega were a giant 30 years ago, not only in the console market with the Mega Drive but in the arcades with their line up of cutting edge blockbuster titles.
Sega have shared their load over the years as both a publisher and developer but they still found the time to contribute to the shoot'em up genre back when it was the golden goose of the arcades.
Titles of Note:
Zaxxon (Arcade, 1981)
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This early arcade title stood out by employing an isometric perspective at a time where the majority of arcade shooters were happy to sitck with 2D perspectives. This design choice would pay off for Sega as the game would be a hit with arcade goers. In an age where we take 3D perspectives for granted Zaxxon may seem a little antiquated but if nothing else it was a sign that Sega's ambitions lied beyond 2D games.

Space Harrier (Arcade, 1985)
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With the parallax scrolling technology used in Hang On! Sega had found the technology to match their 3D ambitions (by 1980s standards anyway) and they put it to work as Suzuki and his team would use it to create Space Harrier. Some today would classify Space harrier as a rail shooter due to its perspective but back in 1985 no distinction existed, Space Harrier was a shoot'em up through and through and showed us the potential the genre had in the 3D space. It is still perfectly playable today and I reccommend the excellent Sega Ages port by M2 on the Nintendo Switch.

Fantasy Zone (Arcade, 1986)
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If we were to disqualify every other game in this selection for not fitting the typical characteristics of what we consider a "shmup" to be then Sega would still get featured off the strength of this game alone.
Fantasy Zone was a very cutsy take on the 1981 Williams classic Defender but much like Konami's Gradius before it the game has gone on to be fondly rememebred by many high profile names across the Japanese video game industry. Fantasy Zone is an excellent blend of accessiblity, challenge and entertainment and has seen many, many ports including M2's Sega Ages release on the Switch.

After Burner II(Arcade, 1987)
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Whereas Space Harrier is unarguably a shmup thanks to its focus on dodging bullets and manually aiming After Burner is where the line between shoot'em up and rail shooter becomes blurred. After Burner is far more focused on locking-on missiles and leading the enemies missiles away from you. The foundations of the shoot'em up are still on show and After Burner II is still fun today but it and the many games that would follow (Thunder Blade, Galaxy Force, G-Loc) would splinter off to become its own sub-genre.

Panzer Dragoon (Saturn, 1995), Panzer Dragoon II Zwei (Saturn, 1996), Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox, 2002)
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To finish off Sega's shoot'em up development legacy we have the Panzer Dragoon series. When Sega launched their ill-fated Saturn console in the mid-90s they needed an original system-exlusive game to act as a 3D showcase for their console. Panzer Dragoon would be that game as it combined the best aspects of Space Harrier and After Burner as both manual and lock-on firing would be equally viable. The series would help set the standard for 3D shoot'em ups going forward and is still good to play today. Panzer Dragoon Orta is backwards compatible with the Xbox Seires (looks wonderful on it) and the original game has been remade for the Nintendo Switch. Zwei and the RPG spin-off Saga are both stuck on the Sega Saturn and are also worth a look.

So that's Sega's contributions as a developer, they didn't do a lot in terms of traditional shoot'em ups but as a publisher and arcade platform provider they have been a god-send to the likes of Treasure (Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga), G.Rev (Border Down, Under Defeat), and Milestone (Chaos Field, Radirgy). Sega aren't a giant of the genre, but they certainly have their place in it.


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One of the premier game studious for the Sega Mega Drive Techno Soft started life in the 1980's making games for Japanese micro computers. These early titles included shoot'em ups like Thunder Force & Herzog. In 1989 the studio would rlease Thunder Force II on both the Sharp X68000 and Sega Mega Drive likely due to both systems utilizing similar specs such as the Motorola 68000 CPU.
It would be love at first sight with the Mega Drive and Technosoft would spend the next 3 years being one of the consoles greatest third party studios.
So how did their games fare? Let's start with the shoot'em ups.

Elemental Master (Mega Drive, 1990)
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Technosoft's third Mega Drive title would be a departure from the typical shmup as the player was neither a piloting a machine or flying. The game took place entirely on foot with a protagonist who could fire magic either forwards or backwards. The player had the option of tackling the first 4 stages in any order (something that would become a staple of Techno Soft games) and would gain a new spell for each boss they defeated. While not on the level of their later efforts it is still well regarded as a game worth seeking out.

Thunder Force III (Mega Drive, 1990) / Thunder Force AC (Arcade, 1990) / Thunder Spirits (SNES, 1991)
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The thrid title in the Thunder Force series would drop the overhead freeroaming sections from the previous two games and go all in on 2D side scrolling action. Thunder Force III set the foundations for what we now consider to be series staples such as a wide weapon selection which can be changed at will and the ability to alter the ships speed at will. The game was popular and would see ports for the Arcade and SNES. The arcade port differs greatly from the other two versions by removing the stage select feature and redesigning two stages entirely.
Thunder Force AC was ported to the Nintendo Switch lasy year as part of the Sega Ages collection by M2. Good game but the best was still to come.

Thunder Force IV (Mega Drive, 1992)
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This game is a masterpiece. Arguably the best shoot'em up on Mega Drive, definately the best game Techno Soft ever made. Thunder Force IV takes everything from its predecessor and completely super charges all of it. Better ship design, better weapons, more levels, expansive level design, thougher bosses; it has excellent challenge, pacing and replayability. I just spent my free time over the last week getting the one credit clear on it and I'm still not done with the game. If you are going to play this then I suggest getting the Sega Ages port by M2 on the Switch, not only does it give you options such as turing slwodown on/off it also lets you play as the ship from Thunder Force III as a bonus. The European Mega Drive version is on the of the few games on the system that was optimised for 50hz, meaning it plays at the same speed as the 60hz Japanese and US versions.
I could throw praise on this game all day and I haven't even gone into how you can quick kill bosses with the almighty Thunder Sword.
If I had a criticism for the game it is that you can't always tell if your attacks are actually damaging enemies and bosses, you just have to know they are.

Hyper Duel (Arcade, 1993 / Saturn, 1996)
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Hyper Duel would see Techno Soft leave the Mega Drive behind as they attempted to transition into the arcades wherte the big boys of the genre played. This titles main gimmick would be the ability to shift your ship into a mech at will. The mechs had greater firepower which they could angle up and down at the cost of being slower, bulkier targets. Mastering this game means knowing when to make the switch. The game has held a cult staus for many years but has some under scrtiny in more recent times thanks in part to the games asking price. A copy of the Sega Saturn port will set you back around £400 and when a game costs that must it needs to be able to back it up. Unfortunately Hyper Duel doesn't warrent its asking price, it's by all means a good game but it lacks that wow factor Thunder Force IV had going for it on the Mega Drive.
Due to its asking price alone the game could do with a port to a modern system but don't expect that any time soon when the fanfare for this game mostly comes from the few people who happen to own it.

Thunder Force V (Saturn, 1997)
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The final game that Techno Soft would put out for the Thunder Force series was released exclusively in Japan for the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation. While Techno Soft still had it in them to make high quality games the ship for shoot'em ups had sailed by the time of its release as the genre was dying a painful death. With the game being exclusive to one region very few have had the change to play it. It is said to still be very good, much better than Sega own attempts when they would release Thunder Force VI for the PlayStation 2 a decade later.

So that's the best of Techno Soft's shoot'em up output summed up but are you aware of the non-shmup titles they also wroked on?
Herzog Zwei (Mega Drive, 1989)
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This real-time strategy game would gain a cult status so strong that it would be spoken of in the song Proto Culture by rapper Del the Funky Homosapien.
I still need to get around to playing it myself. Thankfully it has been released on the Nintendo Switch as what would be the final game in M2's Sega Ages collection.

Dragons Fury (Mega Drive, 1991)
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This game was a conversion of the PC Engine game Devil's Crush by Compile (now there's another studio we need to talk about).
This Pinball Title is excellent, the table design, sound and physics are all on point. This games legacy lives on today in indie title Demon's Tilt such is the memory of its excellence.


I'm also going to take a moment to highlight some youtube content worth a look:
Channels:
Shmup Junkie - Dedicated shmup channel contianing numerous shoot'em up game reviews, features and mini-documentaries.
The Electric Underground - Ethusiast channel containing mostly features, podcasts, marathon restreams, debats and replays of shmup content.
Studio Mudprints - A channel dedicated specfically to reviewing shmups, as good a buyers guide as any.
Bonus: Games Done Quick now that they are accepting Shmup super plays at their events.






There is a lot to cover with this genre so I'll be adding new posts and editing them into the OP as I go along.
Stay turned for features on the likes of Capcom, Cave, Toaplan, Namco, Hudson Soft, M2, Psikyo, Treasure, SNK, Irem, Compile and more!

Last edited by Dig Dug on Tue Jan 26, 2021 10:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Zilnad
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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by Zilnad » Sat Jan 16, 2021 1:41 pm

I'm absolutely loving Cuphead at the moment. Every boss seems impossible at first but my wife and I are making a good team and it's really satisfying to work through it together. Looks gorgeous too.

I think I remember it getting middling reviews but I think it's fantastic.

I haven't played a vast array of these games but Raptor has always been a classic in my eyes.

Sine Mora is currently on sale via PSN. Worth a look?

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by more heat than light » Sat Jan 16, 2021 2:06 pm

Zilnad wrote:Sine Mora is currently on sale via PSN. Worth a look?


I love Sine Mora but it is pretty hardcore.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by Dangerblade » Sat Jan 16, 2021 3:17 pm

Crimzon Clover is my favourite in recent years. Often heavily discounted on Steam and I think it got a recent port to Switch. Very accessible if you've never played a bullet hell before

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by kerr9000 » Sat Jan 16, 2021 4:12 pm

For me the move from Truxton, Thunder Force, R-type etc to bullet hell stuff was the point I went off them a bit I will still play Truxton and stuff like that though.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by more heat than light » Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:36 pm

It depends what you mean by Bullet Hell. Some of the obscure Japanese stuff where the only gimmick is 'its really hard' - fair enough. But that could also include quality stuff like Deathsmiles, Raiden, Gradius etc. Even Ikaruga, which as far as I'm concerned is the best game in the genre.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by Ironhide » Sat Jan 16, 2021 6:27 pm

Used to really like the genre but haven't played a shmup in years as I no longer have the manual dexterity required to even hold a controller.

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Dig Dug
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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by Dig Dug » Sat Jan 16, 2021 6:29 pm

Zilnad wrote:I'm absolutely loving Cuphead at the moment. Every boss seems impossible at first but my wife and I are making a good team and it's really satisfying to work through it together. Looks gorgeous too.

I think I remember it getting middling reviews but I think it's fantastic.

I haven't played a vast array of these games but Raptor has always been a classic in my eyes.

Sine Mora is currently on sale via PSN. Worth a look?

Cuphead I've not played but it looks like it has some shooter sections as well as being mainly a run and gun game. Run and guns such as Metal Slug and Contra aren't shoot'em ups, but they are a sister genre so they come under the same umbrella for good reason. They're basically shmups on foot.

I've not played Sine Mora (got it on steam) but the impression I get based on what I've seen is it is not a game very well liked by shmup fans. I think Suda51 games in general can be guilty of being like that, such as how his hack & slash games aren't going to please the kind of people who play Devil May Cry 3, Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising.
absolutely not, stop asking this wrote:Crimzon Clover is my favourite in recent years. Often heavily discounted on Steam and I think it got a recent port to Switch. Very accessible if you've never played a bullet hell before

Crimson Clover is very much made in the vein of DoDonPachi and other cave games, which is appropriate as the guy who made it goes by the online alius "Cave Lover". I've not played it in depth but I've often seen it included in the top 5 best shoot'em ups ever made. The switch version isn't just a port, it expands the game with all new modes.
kerr9000 wrote:For me the move from Truxton, Thunder Force, R-type etc to bullet hell stuff was the point I went off them a bit I will still play Truxton and stuff like that though.

I was actually playing Sega Ages Thunder Force AC and Thunder Force IV last night. I often see people talk about how they like traditional shooters but not bullet hell games, often because of difficulty. The irony isn't lost on me when I see bullet hell players say they don't like the traditional games for being too difficult.
As someone who switches between both types Thunder Force can be incredibly frustrating until you get used to the pacing and overall design. Switching to Thunder Force after a bullet hell will make it feel like the cheapest game in the world; things come at you fast, you sometimes can't see what killed you and there's a bunch of beginners traps that you have to be aware of going in. Once I begin to push on and keep playing however I get used to the style and Thunder Force becomes the classic that it is known to be as I go on to no death 3 levels in a row.

R-Type is what it is. Going in blind is the real challenge. Once you know, you know.
I need to get on Truxton some time, I don't have much experience with Toaplan titles.
more heat than light wrote:It depends what you mean by Bullet Hell. Some of the obscure Japanese stuff where the only gimmick is 'its really hard' - fair enough. But that could also include quality stuff like Deathsmiles, Raiden, Gradius etc. Even Ikaruga, which as far as I'm concerned is the best game in the genre.

I think a better word for the likes of Deathsmiles, DoDonpachi and Crimson Clover is the Japanese term Danmaku which still means bullet hell but is used strictly games like those associated with Cave. Gradius can be super bullet heavy at times but it is as traditional as shooters get, definately not a bullet hell. Danmaku bullets go for quantity and being showy over killing efficientcy. They are big, slow moving, normally set to a pattern and coloured in a way that makes them easy to see. In a game like Aero Fighters 2 or Thunder Force IV the bullets will just come at you and not give a damn about looking impressive.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by dmin » Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:12 pm

Ikaruga is fantastic, still have the Gamecube version. Also still have Gradius Advance for the Gameboy. The SNES had some classic shooters; i always regretted not getting Super Aleste. Does Cybernator qualify? It was one of my faves.

Haven't played a proper shooter in quite a while! Danmaku was in the switch sale recently too.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by Dig Dug » Sun Jan 17, 2021 2:37 am

Decided to address my lack of familiarity with Toaplan. Batsugun is a crazy good game, pretty much invented bullet hells. Going to give Truxton 1 & 2 a go soon.

Ironhide wrote:Used to really like the genre but haven't played a shmup in years as I no longer have the manual dexterity required to even hold a controller.

Yeah it's one of the genre's big downfalls, it's very ableist by default even thought most shmups just consist of 2 buttons and a joystick.
There are Shmups being made with touch screens in mind now for mobile platforms, swipe based movement with autofire is a step in the right direction on that end. Hopefully we'll see more developements towards making the genre more accessible as accessibility is a hot topic for games as a whole these days.

dmin wrote:Ikaruga is fantastic, still have the Gamecube version. Also still have Gradius Advance for the Gameboy. The SNES had some classic shooters; i always regretted not getting Super Aleste. Does Cybernator qualify? It was one of my faves.

Haven't played a proper shooter in quite a while! Danmaku was in the switch sale recently too.

Cybernator best fits the run & gun label, not strictly a shoot'em. Run & Guns are basically a sibling genre of shmups alongside 3D rail shooters (Panzer Dragoon, Star Fox).
Danmaku goes on sale quite often and it's definately a good gateway game. At times it feels like a training tool for people who want to go and explore bullet hells in greater depth.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by more heat than light » Sun Jan 17, 2021 9:23 am

Dig Dug wrote:There are Shmups being made with touch screens in mind now for mobile platforms, swipe based movement with autofire is a step in the right direction on that end.


I had a DoDonPachi game for Windows Phone (!) back in the day with a similar setup. It worked really well, though the game had massive slowdown issues. It's definitely something developers should be looking at.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by jawa2 » Sun Jan 17, 2021 9:50 am

Great thread, Dig Dug! The shoot 'em up is certainly a genre that seems to have gotten a lot quieter in recent years but, as you say, it has lots of excellent titles to experience.

I played lots of shooters back in the computer (8 and 16 bit) days but far fewer in subsequent years. Some of my favourites across all formats in those earlier years include:

VIC-20

Metagalactic Llamas Battle at the Edge of Time - Control a llama as it spits acid at rafts of spiders inching down the screen! Your llama fires at an angle and you bounce shots off the sides of the screen. Simple, classic action from the legendary Jeff Minter at Llamasoft.

Omega Race - A great port of the Bally-Midway arcade game to the Vic. Thrust and bounce your spaceship around the screen as you work to clear all of the enemies. Frantic shooting action with atmospheric sound.

Commodore 64

P.O.D (Proof of Destruction) - An update of Atari's Centipede-idea with faster and smoother action. Clear enemies from the grid as quickly as possible. The C64 version has an impressive but possibly distracting colour-wave effect in the background; try the Commodore 16 version instead if it doesn't suit your tastes.

Commodore 16

Bandits at Zero - Based on Defender, your aircraft patrols a horizontally scrolling zone in which you shoot down enemies to clear each stage. You can re-fuel with another craft between stages. Fast and fun!

Amiga

Galaga Deluxe - An unofficial public domain game based - unsurprisingly! - on the arcade original... and it is excellent. Smooth and fast, it offers plenty of the action from the original with some new twists. Great fun!


As we then moved into the console years, I particularly enjoyed these ones:

SNES

Super Smash TV - Fun, over-the-top styling slickly presented in this famous twin-stick shooter. Other games may imitate but, for me, this remains one of the best. Very good in co-op mode, too!

Nintendo 64

Robotron 64 - This port is *so* 90s it's incredible. It takes the 80s classic shooter and drags it into three dimensions whilst playing rave-style music over the top. It sounds messy but it works; it starts off simple and gets more and more intense. Definitely worth a look and I prefer this version to the PS1 release.

PlayStation

R-Type Delta - This game takes the famous original into 2.5D, using polygons rather than sprites to refresh the experience. It looks smart and plays well; it was pretty unfashionable at release but remains a great shooter.

Xbox 360

Deathsmiles - Classic Cave-devised horizontal action clothed in gothic dressing; it's odd, frantic and fun; totally over-the-top and wild! There are various skill levels and even I could get through it on easy :-).


I haven't played shoot 'em ups for a while and this thread has made me want to dig a few out again. Long live bullets!

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by OrangeRKN » Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:15 am

I really enjoyed Jamestown in co-op and pretty sure I've played some of Crimzon Clover. The last shmup I played was Rival Megagun which is a really cool competitive twist on the genre. Other than those though my exposure is basically just classic arcade forerunners (space invaders/galaxian/galaga/xevious and the like).

They are fun but I'm never going to be in to them like shmup fans! I actually think my favourite kind of shmup is the unexpected genre shift shmup that appears in a strangely large number of games. The final boss of Fairune, or the final boss of Tingle's Freshly Picked Rosy Rupeeland, or iirc there were shmup levels in Shadows of the Damned for example.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by Kezzer » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:04 pm

One of our very own posters made Blue Revolver


This post is exempt from the No Context Thread.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by <]:^D » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:29 pm

who made it?!

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by Dig Dug » Sun Jan 17, 2021 1:31 pm

Kezzer wrote:One of our very own posters made Blue Revolver


That's fascinating to hear. I've not played Blue Revolver yet but it is on my steam watchlist.
Danbo did an extended interview during the Shmup Slam 3 marathon earlier this year.



jawa2 wrote:Great thread, Dig Dug! The shoot 'em up is certainly a genre that seems to have gotten a lot quieter in recent years but, as you say, it has lots of excellent titles to experience.

I played lots of shooters back in the computer (8 and 16 bit) days but far fewer in subsequent years. Some of my favourites across all formats in those earlier years include:

I don't know much about shooters on the micros, as far as modern coverage goes but I know there are a handful that get a lot of love from the likes of retro gamer. I bought hyper sentinel because Retro gamer would never stop throwing praise on Uridium.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by OrangeRKN » Sun Jan 17, 2021 1:48 pm

Dig Dug wrote:I bought hyper sentinel because Retro gamer would never stop throwing praise on Uridium.


Another game from a GRcade poster!

I didn't think of it before because it's not the classical kind of shmup I think of for the genre, but I have it on Switch and like it

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by Dig Dug » Sun Jan 17, 2021 1:57 pm

OrangeRKN wrote:
Dig Dug wrote:I bought hyper sentinel because Retro gamer would never stop throwing praise on Uridium.


Another game from a GRcade poster!

I didn't think of it before because it's not the classical kind of shmup I think of for the genre, but I have it on Switch and like it

I keep forgetting that a handful of people on here have been involved in games development. I'd love to create something of my own but I've come to find that I'm pretty bad on the technical side. I'm more comfortable learning Japanese than learning programming language :slol:
Someone needs to put together a list of all known games that a GRcade member has worked on or made.

Anway the character in Blue Revolver looks like a Splatoon Inkling and I can't unsee it.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by That » Sun Jan 17, 2021 2:15 pm

Kezzer wrote:One of our very own posters made Blue Revolver


I knew Danbo was really into shmups but I never knew he made one! Really cool.

Does he still lurk? He hasn't posted in quite a few years, but I do spot him on Mumble occasionally.

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PostRe: The Shoot'em Up/STG/Shmup Mega Thread.
by Kezzer » Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:15 pm

Karl_ wrote:
Kezzer wrote:One of our very own posters made Blue Revolver


I knew Danbo was really into shmups but I never knew he made one! Really cool.

Does he still lurk? He hasn't posted in quite a few years, but I do spot him on Mumble occasionally.


Not sure if he does tbh, I am sure he'd get a kick out of this thread though.

Yeah he comes on mumble for time to time along with a few other lost souls :wub:

This post is exempt from the No Context Thread.

Tomous wrote:Tell him to take his fake reality out of your virtual reality and strawberry float off


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