Best shmups ever?

Marty

Somehow, I managed to miss this genre entirely up until now. I downloaded Jets n Guns gold on a whim one day a while ago when it was being offered for free (some game giveaway site) and I just started playing it a week ago. I finished it last night, and damn it was fun! So now I'm looking for more games in the same genre. I particularly liked the weapon upgrading, but I hear that not many shmups offer this. So, what's the best that history has to offer?

Khavall

Ikaruga

YodaTuna

Khavall wrote: »

Ikaruga

Bam. Thread over.

Although 1942 and it's sequels are very special to me

FreddyD

Zero Gunner 2 was pretty awesome. I also enjoyed Raiden 2, Gradius 3, Mars Matrix, Under Defeat, and Bangai-O.

Faffel

Psyvariar 2 is the best.

Frem

The stuff by ABA Games is always enjoyable. Specifically Titanion; I always liked Galaga, and it feels decently close. Nothing has topped Geometry Wars for me, though.

mastrius

YodaTuna wrote: »

Khavall wrote: »

Ikaruga

Bam. Thread over.

Although 1942 and it's sequels are very special to me

Agreed on Ikaruga. That shit is challenging, damn fun, AND has co-op. Undeniable there.

WIckedkarma

mars matrix is fantastic

cj iwakura

Castle Shikigami 2(PS2). 3(Wii) is a close second, but 2's my favorite. Mostly for the gameplay; 3's story is the best.

Gunbird 2 for the Dreamcast is also fun, as is M.U.S.H.A. for the Genesis.

MUSHA and Gunbird 2 both have weapon upgrading going for it. Shikigami's mostly about survival and strategy, but there's still fun to be had(especially for the hilarious voice acting).

Djiem

I've got both Castle Shikigami 2 and 3 but played very little of either. I should get busy.

From the games I have played a lot of, Gradius 5 and Ikaruga are pretty damn fantastic.

If you're into older shmups, Life Force represents a lot of my videogaming time as a kid.

DaveTheWave

DoDonPachi

Zombiemambo

Pfft, Ikaruga. It's good, but Treasure has made better shoot em ups. Giga Wing is incredible, and probably one of my favorite shooters. DoDonPachi, the Thunder Force series, the Raiden series and the R-Type series are also really solid choices.

cj iwakura

Djiem wrote: »

I've got both Castle Shikigami 2 and 3 but played very little of either. I should get busy.

2 has easier stages, but difficult bosses. 3's bosses are easier, but the stages can get borderline impossible. Neither are really easy at all, but 3's probably easier overall. The final boss has an easier pattern than 2's(and it pretty much is the final level by itself).

Ah_Pook

Zombiemambo wrote: »

Pfft, Ikaruga. It's good, but Treasure has made better shoot em ups.

they made one better shmup anyway, and its Gradius V.

Buchwald

Touhou Project. Bullet Hell will come for you.

Sorenson

WIckedkarma wrote: »

mars matrix is fantastic

Hmm, is that the Reflect Shield type of game that gives you like a million and one points just for looking at an enemy dude cross-eyed? I remember playing that, good stuff if not ridiculous in its score inflation.

EDIT: And to contribute to the thread, I always liked Air Gallet a heck of a lot, though I think it's more that you had actual radio chatter and banter between the player fighter and dispatch throughout the stages than anything else.

EDIT: OH GOD AND TYRIAN, YES. Best shooter on the PC, PERIOD. There's also Raptor: Call of the Shadows, though it's much more traditional than Tyrian.

Khavall

Oh god how could I forget all the Touhou shit




God I love that shit.

Viscountalpha

There are different catagories for awesome shmups.

I would say for a Vs arcade shmup- Change air blade

For hard ass balls but still doesn't discorage me shmup? Ikaruga

Funny and silly shmup with upgradable weapons for pc? Tyrian

cj iwakura

I started playing my first Touhou game not long ago.

I never thought I'd think the Shikigami games were easy.

-SPI-

Virtually anything made by cave. DoDonpachi, ESPrade, Guwange and even the discotactular Dangun Feveron.

I also have a soft spot for Aero Fighters and Parodius (and it's sequels)

mrots

R-Type Final is my (admittedly pretty weird) pick. It's just sort of an evocative game, especially considering it's a shmup.

Also: U.N. Squadron? U.N. Squadron. That game was the only reason I ever went to my local arcade, and it was a free play.

Ah_Pook

r-type final was horrible. im still mad about it after all this time.

Viscountalpha

mrots wrote: »

R-Type Final is my (admittedly pretty weird) pick. It's just sort of an evocative game, especially considering it's a shmup.

Also: U.N. Squadron? U.N. Squadron. That game was the only reason I ever went to my local arcade, and it was a free play.

Oh yes, thats a fun one. I've played that all the way through. Its a shame some of the sound effects are kinda shitty. (weapon shot, explosion) The music is fantastic for a shmup though.

piL

Zombiemambo wrote: »

DoDonPachi, the Thunder Force series, the Raiden series and the R-Type series are also really solid choices.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only guy in the world that liked R-Type. I always thought Phalanx was hard (not counting funny mode), until I realized if you don't shoot things, it gets easier.

Viscountalpha

Raiden Fighter series is really pretty awesome. I still need to pick that up for my japanese 360.

Also, Fuck you japan. I hate how you don't bring us these wonderful shmups

earthwormadam

I'm not huge into the whole shmup thing, but chalk up another vote for Ikaruga. Partly because it's incredible, but mostly cause it's the only game that rewards me for flipping my television.

Sorenson

piL wrote: »

Zombiemambo wrote: »

DoDonPachi, the Thunder Force series, the Raiden series and the R-Type series are also really solid choices.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only guy in the world that liked R-Type. I always thought Phalanx was hard (not counting funny mode), until I realized if you don't shoot things, it gets easier.

Franchise or Final? Because I loved the shit out of III on the SNES as a kid.

Also, wierd-ass entry that probably only one other person on the board has played, but Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie. Not really innovative or noteworthy, but it's just strangely compelling and I love the music for some reason.

piL

Oh actually, I forgot something. The best Shump might just be Twinkle Star Sprites, but only if you have really competitive friends.

Free on Gametap right now.

Edit: Franchise. Super R-Type put hair on my chest, then immediately singed it off when I was 8 or so.

Djiem

If you make a list of great shmups, of course it's going to be big.
For me, it'd contain at least:

DoDonpachi
Life Force
Gradius V
Ikargua
R-Type Final
U.N. Squadron
1942 (I've only played the XBLA demo, but it looked very good)
Castle Shikigami (from what I've played)
The Touhou series

And also (how could I forget it in my previous post), Dimahoo:
Dimahoo


But since he wanted the "best shmups ever", I had to trim.

Viscountalpha

earthwormadam wrote: »

I'm not huge into the whole shmup thing, but chalk up another vote for Ikaruga. Partly because it's incredible, but mostly cause it's the only game that rewards me for flipping my television.

Actually there is one other title on x-box live that supports screen rotation. Triggerheart excelica. Thats a pretty neat one but ikaruga is superior. I still enjoy triggerheart. I just need an arcade stick for my 360 to really get good at that one.

cj iwakura

Another for R-Type Final. Hardcore and then some.


Also, Silpheed for PS2. Remake of a great Sega CD shmup.

It also got remade again for the 360 as a flight sim game of some kind.

Zombiemambo

Sorenson wrote: »

piL wrote: »

Zombiemambo wrote: »

DoDonPachi, the Thunder Force series, the Raiden series and the R-Type series are also really solid choices.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only guy in the world that liked R-Type. I always thought Phalanx was hard (not counting funny mode), until I realized if you don't shoot things, it gets easier.

Franchise or Final? Because I loved the shit out of III on the SNES as a kid.

Also, wierd-ass entry that probably only one other person on the board has played, but Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie. Not really innovative or noteworthy, but it's just strangely compelling and I love the music for some reason.

Holy shit, I spent ages as a kid looking for Macross. My friend had it, I played it maybe twice, and I just had to own it for myself.

piL

Just to explain what Twinkle Star Sprites is, it's a shump where you face off against another shump player. Each player has their own shump screen where enemys come from the top towards the player. In a puzzle-fighter fashion, linking combos of kills will launch attacks at your enemy. Attacking the bullets they send at you will send special counters. There's a bar you can charge to unleash a 'boss attack' across the screen at your enemy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omczIBZiE0M

Drez

Xenon 2

Battle Squadron

Dartboy

I've unlocked all 101 ships in R-Type Final. It's kind of weird how mixed the effort put into that game was. Tons and tons of ships, but only a handful of stages to use them in. Good music, crappy sound effects. All in all though, I really liked it. It's just a shame that the series ended right when they put in a bunch of stuff to really flesh out the world behind it. Yeah there was R-Type Command, but that's a prequel and didn't even use a fraction of all the new ships they made.

tetsuoZshima

while I grant that it may be slightly over rated, and definitely over priced...and I only skimmed the thread..but no radiant silvergun? really? wtf.

anyway, ikaruga for me.

the bottom line though, is that if the box (or board) says cave or treasure on it, you're good to go.

Cokomon

Galaga?

Sixfortyfive

Radiant Silvergun makes a good first impression but falls apart if you try to play it seriously. The scoring/leveling system is retarded. At least the final boss is worth the price of admission by himself.

tetsuoZshima

Sixfortyfive wrote: »

Radiant Silvergun makes a good first impression but falls apart if you try to play it seriously. The scoring/leveling system is retarded. At least the final boss is worth the price of admission by himself.

wah... huh? what do you even mean by this? it's a puzzle game the way ikaruga is... only higher scores = better weapons.. each their own, of course, but I certainly wouldn't call it retarded

Cantido

I love me some motherfucking Touhou Project.

august

Bangai-O, if it counts.