Why every gamer should give SHMUPs a try: Bullet hell hath no fury

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Why every gamer should give SHMUPs a try: Bullet hell hath no fury

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EightFlyingCars: Jun 30, 2008

Ramie posted:

I wish Mars Matrix was on the Switch too, that soundtrack is killer.

this gamer knows the score

what else is good on the arcade stadium collections? i've heard vaguely good things about 19xx and eco fighters. i've played forgotten worlds before and i don't especially have a lot of desire to go back to it. really tempted to grab three wonders though

# ? Oct 13, 2023 23:24

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# ? Jun 11, 2024 17:41

The Voice of Labor: Apr 8, 2020

if you haven't played forgotten worlds on a modern console, give it a shot. it plays really well with dual analog stick controllers

# ? Oct 13, 2023 23:27

beer gas canister: Oct 30, 2007; shmups are da best come play some shmups they're cheap and good and you like them; Plaster Town Cop

EightFlyingCars posted:

this gamer knows the score

what else is good on the arcade stadium collections? i've heard vaguely good things about 19xx and eco fighters. i've played forgotten worlds before and i don't especially have a lot of desire to go back to it. really tempted to grab three wonders though

I got a bunch of others and just keep coming back to Progear tbh, it's a GOAT thru and thru. 19xx is my favorite among the others. Lots of folks enioy Varth as well

This week I started playing CHO REN SHA 68K on a little emulator handheld and it's loving sick. This RGB30 has a 1:1 screen, which happens to be the native aspect ratio of CRS

It also runs muthafuckin ZeroRanger as a port, no emulation required

beer gas canister fucked around with this message at 07:17 on Oct 14, 2023

# ? Oct 13, 2023 23:54

nrook: Jun 25, 2009; Just let yourself become a worthless person!

zeroranger looks sick and I want to give it a real attempt, but I�d like to finish void stranger first and that game is hard as balls!

# ? Oct 13, 2023 23:55

Wrex Ruckus: Aug 24, 2015

Shine posted:

Might be worth trying other titles with different stores, too.

Drainus is a fun-yet-forgiving SHMUP that has stage select, continuing from checkpoints, an extremely powerful defensive shield, and ship progression that persists between stages. It's great for people who aren't into the bullet hell thing and want more of a "classic" SHMUP experience, like Gradius.

Speaking of, I get that it's a nod to Darius and Gradius, but holy hell "Drainus" is an unfortunate name.

Anyway, here's a random gameplay video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5nEQXGYbRs

I really enjoyed this one. It's not hard on default settings, but I had a lot of fun with it. Also the stage 5 boss is a fun reference to an infamous boss from Gradius 3 (arc)

# ? Oct 14, 2023 00:52

Shine: Feb 26, 2007; No Muscles For The Majority

Ramie posted:

Giga Wing has, honestly, the worst character selection theme I have ever heard

Oh my god this reminds me of the Boobah Zone

# ? Oct 14, 2023 00:55

ToxicFrog: Apr 26, 2008

Shine posted:

Might be worth trying other titles with different styles, too.

Drainus is a fun-yet-forgiving SHMUP that has stage select, continuing from checkpoints, an extremely powerful defensive shield, and ship progression that persists between stages. It's great for people who aren't into the bullet hell thing and want more of a "classic" SHMUP experience, like Gradius.

Speaking of, I get that it's a nod to Darius and Gradius, but holy hell "Drainus" is an unfortunate name.

Anyway, here's a random gameplay video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5nEQXGYbRs

drat, I don't think this is likely to supplant Void as my #1 but it does look pretty sick, I should check it out sometime.

# ? Oct 14, 2023 02:41

beer gas canister: Oct 30, 2007; shmups are da best come play some shmups they're cheap and good and you like them; Plaster Town Cop

Drainus is really cool. I'm currently stuck on the 2nd loop in a tricky spot where I'm powered down due to multiple deaths, but there's barely enough power ups to beat the next boss. Bit of a Gradius syndrome at certain points

# ? Oct 14, 2023 02:48

B33rChiller: Aug 18, 2011

Ramie posted:

^that sale made a convert out of me!!

I'm seriously getting into shmups for the first time now and I'm having so much fun y'all.

Been sticking to Radiant Silvergun, Progear and Giga Wing. I wish Mars Matrix was on the Switch too, that soundtrack is killer.

What has suprised me the most is how straight-up beautiful they are. RS is so moody top to bottom, to the point that the (very, very good) gameplay feels almost secondary to the moment-to-moment being in it, the end of the world.

And I love the little audiovisual flourishes from the post-boss screen in Progear. The quick rotation through various locations that settles on your next one, the weird little stat bars of dubious meaning at the bottom... the craft on display in even the smallest of things has won my heart.

Giga Wing has, honestly, the worst character selection theme I have ever heard, but I enjoy the overall amount of attention lavished on the characters, fighting game style. I suspect that I will hold it's approach to character differentiation/personality as my gold standard going forward, it's certainly better than it was in any of the shmups I played growing up. It's also my personal favorite at the moment, gameplay-wise.

When I can 1CC all three maybe I'll treat myself to Ikaruga...

This is great!
Don't miss playing Gunbird2
It's one of my favorites from a way back.

# ? Oct 14, 2023 03:23

After The War: Apr 12, 2005; to all of my Architects
let me be traitor

Some day I'll stop getting Giga Wing and Gunbird confused.

That day is not today.

# ? Oct 14, 2023 05:45

Saoshyant: Oct 26, 2010

After The War posted:

Some day I'll stop getting Giga Wing and Gunbird confused.

That day is not today.

Gunbird has a blonde witch front and center in both games. Giga Wing doesn't, it's all spaceships. HTH.

Speaking of, I hadn't realized both Gunbird games are on Steam now! How are those ports?

# ? Oct 14, 2023 19:35

The Voice of Labor: Apr 8, 2020

what's the best recommendation for someone who wants to get into shmups?

get a dreamcast!

# ? Oct 14, 2023 20:03

After The War: Apr 12, 2005; to all of my Architects
let me be traitor

With the general improvement in CDI quality and, as I mentioned before, the number of new fansubs appearing, that's pretty true for a certain era, especially if, like I did, you use one of the new Retro Access cables and a TINK 5X. If you're going the vintage hardware + :yarr:

route, though, I think the Genesis/Mega Drive is the best bang for the buck. Consoles are still fairly cheap, they have native RGB output at 240p (so you don't need to deal with the inherent price jump that comes with scalers that deinterlace), you can download the entire game library from Archive.org without a hassle and fit it onto a small SD card, and if you splurge for a good flashcart, you can get the entire Master System and Sega CD libraries as well.

It's been a total blast for me, but my ideal SHMUP era seems to be 16-bit with cool, chewy pixel art and rocking chiptunes. I haven't really been able to gel with the smooth pastels and high bullet counts that defined the next era, even if that's ultimate SHMUP to a some folks. I have been getting into some of the cell-shaded stuff by Milestone on Dreamcast, though.

# ? Oct 14, 2023 21:19

Dabir: Nov 10, 2012

I'm of the opinion that peak shmup is Gradius Gaiden. I think that carries on the spirit of the 16 bit era, just better, and much less janky feeling than Gradius 3.

# ? Oct 14, 2023 22:08

EightFlyingCars: Jun 30, 2008

Dabir posted:

I'm of the opinion that peak shmup is Gradius Gaiden. I think that carries on the spirit of the 16 bit era, just better, and much less janky feeling than Gradius 3.

gradius is just a good rear end series in general. i'm really glad we kept our ps3 with gradius v on it. what a game.

progear update: after an afternoon of noncommittal and lazy practice i can reliably no-miss through stage 2 and complete stage 3. stage 4 still whips my rear end to shreds though. i think the highest score i've recorded on the leaderboards is uh. 5.5m? ugh

# ? Oct 14, 2023 22:51

Discendo Vox: Mar 21, 2013; This does not make sense when, again, aggregate indicia also indicate improvements. The belief that things are worse is false. It remains false.

I'm still waiting for the resolution of that teaser at the end of Recca.

# ? Oct 14, 2023 23:19

Shine: Feb 26, 2007; No Muscles For The Majority

Ramie posted:

Giga Wing has, honestly, the worst character selection theme I have ever heard

I've decided that this rules.

# ? Oct 16, 2023 06:52

Tokubetsu: Dec 18, 2007; Love Is Not Enough

Whatever happened to that radiant silvergun steam port? I thought that was supposed to be out in sept but the date seemed to have changed to coming soon and been like that since.

# ? Oct 16, 2023 17:16

beer gas canister: Oct 30, 2007; shmups are da best come play some shmups they're cheap and good and you like them; Plaster Town Cop

Live Wire has said nothing about it. It'll happen someday, they did show up at TGS to showcase new physical runs of previous ports so they haven't folded or anything

# ? Oct 16, 2023 17:28

McFlurry Fan #1: Dec 31, 2005; He can't kill me. I'm indestructible. Everybody knows that

Shine posted:

I've decided that this rules.

Yeah it absolutely rules, especially when it cuts abruptly into the first stage music which also rules

# ? Oct 16, 2023 19:05

beer gas canister: Oct 30, 2007; shmups are da best come play some shmups they're cheap and good and you like them; Plaster Town Cop

Lots of quality shmups on sale for Switch right now, including all of the Live Wire's Cave ports, and Radiant Silvergun

https://www.dekudeals.com/lists/h9wbjf?sort=recent_drop&view=grid

# ? Oct 20, 2023 02:56

uber_stoat: Jan 21, 2001; Pillbug

near the top of that list i see a personal favorite of mine, Black Bird, which is Fantasy Zone but instead of a colorful space ship shooter it's a sepia toned gothic nightmare starring a forsaken child who becomes a monstrous raven-like spirit of vengeance.

# ? Oct 20, 2023 03:08

B33rChiller: Aug 18, 2011

uber_stoat posted:

near the top of that list i see a personal favorite of mine, Black Bird, which is Fantasy Zone but instead of a colorful space ship shooter it's a sepia toned gothic nightmare starring a forsaken child who becomes a monstrous raven-like spirit of vengeance.

With bitchin operatic music!

# ? Oct 20, 2023 05:17

ToxicFrog: Apr 26, 2008

Void Rains 8.0 was supposed to release today, but the dev has COVID and has had to delay the release :negative:

# ? Oct 31, 2023 22:01

beer gas canister: Oct 30, 2007; shmups are da best come play some shmups they're cheap and good and you like them; Plaster Town Cop

Psyvariar Delta is on sale for Switch at the moment, for the first time in ages. Bit of a classic, with a bullet graze mechanic and three modes to try: https://www.dekudeals.com/items/psyvariar-delta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NquSXVKl2T8

# ? Nov 3, 2023 05:28

Shine: Feb 26, 2007; No Muscles For The Majority

beer gas canister posted:

Psyvariar Delta is on sale for Switch at the moment, for the first time in ages. Bit of a classic, with a bullet graze mechanic and three modes to try: https://www.dekudeals.com/items/psyvariar-delta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NquSXVKl2T8

The first time I played this, I thought it had a hitpoints system because the hitbox seems so tiny compared to the model. I was used to grazing mechanics and bullet hell hotboxes, but something about this game fooled me into thinking I was taking damage when really I was just, I dunno, seeing flashing lights and bullets "hitting" my bigass ship and assuming it meant I was grazing sloppily and taking damage. Then I remembered that anime barely acknowledges hitpoints as a concept (thanks, U.N. Squadron), noticed for the first time just how tiny the hitbox is, then I accidentally veered into a single stray bullet and died. It's a neat game!

# ? Nov 3, 2023 08:24

nrook: Jun 25, 2009; Just let yourself become a worthless person!

Some of the new Void Rains burdens (random penalty abilities) are really funny. Big fan of the one that makes focus (slow movement) just make you stationary and the one that gives you an option that follows you and blocks your own shots. There�s one that makes your own bullets invisible too, but half the time that�s a positive effect anyway.

# ? Nov 12, 2023 03:09

B33rChiller: Aug 18, 2011

Hey shmupthread. Xmastime saw the arrival of a newborn baby 8bitdo arcade stick, and on my first try, I had my best ever performance on the 19XX lvl2 boss. Having precise control really makes a big difference over using a thumbstick. Using joycons or the pro controller, I tend to have extreme difficulty flying straight left or right. With a real joystick, it's easy! Now I feel like I can actually play horizontal games with tight squeezes. I got excited about that prospect and decided to try to R-Type. LoL, owned immediately. Those games are merciless.
I would also throw out a recommendation for game tengoku cruisin' mix special. Totally absurd, colorful and vibrant cute em up.

Does anyone have suggestions for non shmup, non fighting games that might be good to play with an arcade stick? I don't enjoy fighting games, and am armpit deep in shmups, but looking for others.
Beat em ups are a pretty obvious one, yeah? Anybody play platformers with a stick? I guess puzzle games might benefit? Might even be good for turn based rugs.... just looking for ideas really.

Gonna play so much ninja turtles

Hey thanks, Beergas!

B33rChiller fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Jan 4, 2024

# ? Jan 4, 2024 18:53

beer gas canister: Oct 30, 2007; shmups are da best come play some shmups they're cheap and good and you like them; Plaster Town Cop

Streets of Rage 4, River City Girls, Fight 'n' Rage (hard!!!), Ninja Saviors, Gain Ground and other Sega Ages releases, Space Invaders Extreme, Tempest 4000, Arkanoid, Pac Man Championship Edition 2, Metal Slug 1, X, and 3, Elevator Action Returns

beer gas canister fucked around with this message at 19:59 on Jan 4, 2024

# ? Jan 4, 2024 19:22

nrook: Jun 25, 2009; Just let yourself become a worthless person!

I played Rogue Legacy on a stick and it definitely benefited. I would imagine the same is true for any game with Castlevania-like controls.

Puzzle games, too. It�s worth checking out the TGM series if you like Tetris.

# ? Jan 4, 2024 21:36

EightFlyingCars: Jun 30, 2008

nrook posted:

Puzzle games, too. It�s worth checking out the TGM series if you like Tetris.

you can finally buy them for modern consoles too! the first two anyway. hopefully that means tgm3 is around the corner.

# ? Jan 4, 2024 21:53

B33rChiller: Aug 18, 2011

No grand Master for me. More like tetris grand skill issue. That reminds me to fire up Dr. Mario though! That was the first game my brothers and I got along with our nes for Xmas. I was really disappointed it wasn't smb3, but over time I realized it was a great game.

# ? Jan 4, 2024 22:00