Ghengis Cohen
Banned
What is a good shooter for import? I have not been paying much attention to the genre in the past couple of years but Ikaruga and Gradius V have piqued my interest. So what is a good one?
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Shooter fans...
- Thread starter Ghengis Cohen
- Start date
For what system? ESPGaluda is perhaps my favorite shooter of all time, and Mushihime-sama is up there, too. Border Down gets a lot of praise if you have a DC... but I have yet to play it myself. The Psyvariar games have awesome awesome music and nice visuals but the unique gameplay didn't really click with me (instead of blasting your way through everything you need to "buzz" to increase score)
Ghengis Cohen
Banned
PS2djtiesto said:
Another vote for Espgaluda... I think it's one of the best "thinking man's" shooters, even though it still easily qualifies as a manic shooter in every sense of the word Cave. 
The gameplay system is such that it makes you really think about the best ways to maximize your score (which is very much like Cave's others), but at the same time, it can ease people into the game better than some of Cave's other more brutal shooters, due to the fact that you can slow things down for a limited time (or speed them up if you want). It all "gels" really nicely. I really like it, and the soundtrack (especially Level 2) is fantastic.
Yes, and what dog$ said about Psyvariar is quite true.
Cave's Ibara comes out next month, I believe, so keep an eye out for that one, too.
The gameplay system is such that it makes you really think about the best ways to maximize your score (which is very much like Cave's others), but at the same time, it can ease people into the game better than some of Cave's other more brutal shooters, due to the fact that you can slow things down for a limited time (or speed them up if you want). It all "gels" really nicely. I really like it, and the soundtrack (especially Level 2) is fantastic.Yes, and what dog$ said about Psyvariar is quite true.
Cave's Ibara comes out next month, I believe, so keep an eye out for that one, too.
Ghengis Cohen
Banned
Thanks. Looks like it will be Espgaluda.
HyperZone<3
Member
There's some decent domestic shooters to consider as well. Judging by your icon, you had to have played Contra: Shattered Soldier, right? Its awesome, but you'v played it already by now. I really, really dig Mobile Light Force 2 and Castle Shikigami 2, which are actually parts one and two in the same series. The former got the most half-hearted translation ever, and the latter got the least coherent-translation ever. The really good shumps beneath the window dressing is intact and can be cheaply aquired. R-Type Final has got a crapload of content, and aside from one stage out of the whole bunch, pretty good graphics and music. Its good stuff. And if you have a Dreamcast, well then, that would include a very lengthly list on top of this.
Ghengis Cohen
Banned
I played Shattered Soldier, of course (and Neo Contra, which was better than expected). I see Castle Shikigami everywhere and am always tempted to pick it up. I don't have a Dreamcast but I think it would worth it to pick one up.HyperZone<3 said:
DaCocoBrova
Finally bought a new PSP, but then pushed the demon onto someone else. Jesus.
Billy Rygar said:
Damn right it would.
DaCocoBrova
Finally bought a new PSP, but then pushed the demon onto someone else. Jesus.
This one still has like 2.5 months more to go before it comes out, but I'm looking forward to it, in any case. I love that the DC still has stuff coming out for it.DaCocoBrova said:
Slight derail, but was R-Type Final that good? I'm a big fan of the series (R-Type III on the SNES was sooo badass), but R-Type Final seemed really slow and boring to me. I lost interest after a short while. I'd love to hear more opinions on this one, since GAF was able to reinvigorate my interest in Gradius V.HyperZone<3 said:
I thought RType Final was OK, in that it was interesting to play around with the different ships and combinations - in terms of speed I guess it's pretty damned slow but I've considered all RTypes as having that style, so it didn't bother me as much as other people. Stage 3 slowdown is the worst. Love the soundtrack, though.
But the reason I'm bumping this is because I forgot to mention Raiden 3, which I got recently as a gift; it's pretty good and it feels decidedly old-school in terms of level layout and music. I'm sorta pissed that there isn't a crazy lock-on lazer like before, but everything moves quickly and never stutters so I'm having a pretty good time with playing it. I like how there's still a special shot when the two player's ships overlap.
You are mistaken. CF borrows one element from Radiant Silvergun, and it's not even done as well.bumpkin said:
But the reason I'm bumping this is because I forgot to mention Raiden 3, which I got recently as a gift; it's pretty good and it feels decidedly old-school in terms of level layout and music. I'm sorta pissed that there isn't a crazy lock-on lazer like before, but everything moves quickly and never stutters so I'm having a pretty good time with playing it. I like how there's still a special shot when the two player's ships overlap.
metropolis
Banned
ikaruga is the best one.
but gunbird 2 is super cool and i'm really digging raiden 3 right now.
and about r-type. the best r-type by far is r-type delta for ps1.
but gunbird 2 is super cool and i'm really digging raiden 3 right now.
and about r-type. the best r-type by far is r-type delta for ps1.
Mistaken... despite the polygonal looks, it's a very average bullet-hell shmup that really just doesn't hit the mark. It'll probably be highly sought after one day (the US GameCube release anyway), due to rarity not quality.bumpkin said:
I too give a vote for Espgaluda. On the domestic front, I'd also like to second Castle Shikigami 2. It's a good blend of thinking and bullet-hell styles and the production values are slick (mostly polys, some 2-D, nice manga style cutaways).
Mushihimesama has a great soundtrack that was made as a homage to '80 shmups soundtracks. It's a great game, but the pseudo 'hentai' atmosphere of the game is kind of a turnoff. I like my shmups with spaceships and missiles not half-naked 18 years old (?) riding an insect.
At least It's a pretty colorful game
At least It's a pretty colorful game
Ghengis Cohen
Banned
Sorry to bump an old thread but I just got finished playing through Espgaluda for the first time. Thanks for the reccomend, the game kicks ass. Watched the DVD as well, going to have to start going for scores now.
Billy Rygar said:
Glad you're enjoying the AWESOMENESS of Cave.
If you like this go pick up Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou as well. Same packaging with the super player dvd, same slick presentation, and an even better game (IMO). It's not as original as Espgaluda but the level design is AWESOME and the weapons are badass. It's my favorite shooter of all time.
Too bad Ibara looks like it's not getting the same 2 dvd + slick presentation treatment that Dodonpachi and ESP got, but rather the cheap port like Mushihime-sama. Hopefully the awesomeness of the game will make up for it though.
Ghengis Cohen
Banned
I see it on both Saturn and PS2. Which one is preferred?
â Narayan
Member
IBARA.
If you're a Raizing/Eighting fan, then I'm sure you'd like this.
The arrange mode in this is actually IBARA - BLACK LABEL. Pretty awesome.
If you're a Raizing/Eighting fan, then I'm sure you'd like this.
The arrange mode in this is actually IBARA - BLACK LABEL. Pretty awesome.
Moor-Angol
Banned
I loved Shikigami no Shiro II (played on GC but currently best version is for DC)
Ghengis Cohen
Banned
Also what is a good arcade stick to purchase for a PS2?
Yep, I have a Hori Real Arcade Pro (non-SE/SA), and couldn't be happier. The T5 stick is a great alternative if you're not too picky about the parts used, since it's a lot less expensive than importing.Miroku said:
Even the RAP isn't *truly* the real deal, though, but it's pretty close. I'm not an expert on arcade parts, but subjectively, I think it's a great stick for shooters, and it certainly helped me do better in games like this.
and if youre not, youll probably hate it. or at maybe just be really frustrated.
im not sure if ibara black label is any harder, its more of a tweaking of a bunch of stuff. like in the original arcade version, you couldnt select what ship you controlled, one ship was locked to p1, other to p2. little things like that...and at least one big thing, looks like it has a whole new scoring system/mechanic.
im not sure what doj black label did. ive heard you can get more hypers, and i think it might have the double true last boss seen in the ps2 version (in 'death label' iirc).
i heard the gc port was fine (as opposed to ikarugas many little problems), what makes the dc one the best? or are you talking about random extras and crap, cause i dont see how the gc post-it holding cat can be beat.
btw on the real arcade pro, i think a second revision came out a while ago. i dont remember if its all sanwa or anything, but it has the layout of the special edition/addition (basically identical to the arcade sega panel layout) if that matters to you. i think the t5 stick that came out in the us uses the older layout.
From the videos I've seen, the artillery barrage is pretty heavy from the opening stage. By many accounts, people say it's like Garegga with projectiles you can actually see :lol, a somewhat slow main ship firing rate (hmm), and power/pick-ups that blend into the background. Can't wait to try it, regardless!japtor said:
Good point, I equated Black Label with Death Label in my head.japtor said:
Yup, that would be the RAP.2.japtor said:
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Dodonpachi for Saturn is one of the greatest shooters ever created. I would recommend it to any shooter fan. Bebpo, if you liked the ps2 one, pick up the saturn one. It's AWESOME.
If Border Down is any indication of GRev's talent, then Under Defeat is going to be awesome. I played a little bit of Under Defeat in Japan, and enjoyed it. Didn't play enough to make an informed decision, but I'm looking forward to it.
Bojangles said:
If Border Down is any indication of GRev's talent, then Under Defeat is going to be awesome. I played a little bit of Under Defeat in Japan, and enjoyed it. Didn't play enough to make an informed decision, but I'm looking forward to it.
the ps1 port of dodonpachi is better than the saturn one -- the lasers and explosions are at full resolution, it slows down less, and the sound effects aren't as compressed. actually you can turn the slowdown off completely, but it's probably best to leave it at arcade levels. the ps1 port of donpachi is way the hell better than the janky saturn one, and it's actually still my favorite cave game (though i wouldn't call it their best).
ncs isn't shipping ibara today.
edit: re: the 'pachi ports, i'm assuming that you'd play them in tate mode...if you don't want to flip your tv, you'd be better off with an emulator than the console ports.
ncs isn't shipping ibara today.
edit: re: the 'pachi ports, i'm assuming that you'd play them in tate mode...if you don't want to flip your tv, you'd be better off with an emulator than the console ports.
bob_arctor
Tough_Smooth
Bebpo said:Ok, I'll look for it. I don't pay over retail for shmups though ^^; So if it's rare and expensive at this point I'll just hope for a Dodonpachi collection on PS3
Might pick up Under Defeat.
You can probably scoop it off Ebay for a fair price, but it has to be the "Greatest Hits" version or whatever it's called in Japan.
This version:
Not this version:
Border Down I can never find for some reason. Under Defeat I'll definitely get, no question.
drohne said:the ps1 port of dodonpachi is better than the saturn one -- the lasers and explosions are at full resolution, it slows down less, and the sound effects aren't as compressed. actually you can turn the slowdown off completely, but it's probably best to leave it at arcade levels. the ps1 port of donpachi is way the hell better than the janky saturn one, and it's actually still my favorite cave game (though i wouldn't call it their best).
ncs isn't shipping ibara today.
edit: re: the 'pachi ports, i'm assuming that you'd play them in tate mode...if you don't want to flip your tv, you'd be better off with an emulator than the console ports.
Yeah, people can make fun of me all they want, but my HDTV is 200 fucking pounds. I can't really turn it for shmups. So I just play in Yoko and honestly while it does look a bit worse than playing on an emu or something, I'm still able to really enjoy them on my TV screen which is way bigger than my monitor. Plus CRT >>>>> LCD.
One day when I save much mucho money up and get a place of my own I think I'll be staying at for many years I'll get a nice smaller tv I can put vertically and create my own shmup station with 2 joysticks and all.
For now I will keep loving the heck out of Cave PS2 games in Yoko on my TV. The only game that looks noticably bad in Mushihime-sama but I still live with it because the game is fun.
ps2 shmups and most dreamcast shmups are fine in yoko mode, but ps1 and saturn shmups aren't. they can't easily do the kind of scaling ps2 does, so they make all sorts of weird compromises. a few games -- layer section comes to mind -- have been rebalanced for yoko, but more often you'll see HIDEOS blocky scaling or "wobble modes" where the playfield shifts up and down as you move.
i use a separate small tv for my tate shmupping...it's pretty much a necessity if you're going to play 32-bit console ports.
i use a separate small tv for my tate shmupping...it's pretty much a necessity if you're going to play 32-bit console ports.
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I was lucky enough to pick up the LE of Border Down when it first came out. It's definitely a shooter you want to find. I'm not sure what NCSX's stock is like, but they're most likely to have any Border Down at all.
Bebpo said:Ok, I'll look for it. I don't pay over retail for shmups though ^^; So if it's rare and expensive at this point I'll just hope for a Dodonpachi collection on PS3
Might pick up Under Defeat.
Bebpo, arent you in Tokyo?
I got my Dodonpachi for PS1 at Superpotato in Akihabara. I think it was around 6,000 yen... or $60 us whatever that is, I forgot :lol
I'm with Bebpo... I don't have the luxury of being able to turn my TV on its side (40" Sony DV CRT), so it's Yoko only for my console shooters. In MAME and other emus, with the right settings, the IQ on my LCD is better than anything I've seen on a CRT... and by IQ, I mean sharp, pixelly goodness.drohne said:
TheTrin said:
Border Down is not readily available anymore. I went to Akihabara back in 04 and of all the stores there, I found a single copy of BD for 10,000 yen (roughly $90). As soon as I got back in the states, I ordered a copy from VGD for 65. NCS had the LE for 70. But shortly after that summer, BD sold out of all US retailers. I'm talking 2004, so it's been rare for a while now.
damn straight.drohne said:
go ketsui! (then again i havent played mushi, ibara, pink sweets, or galuda 2. though im doubting they can top it anyways)
bebpo-
have you tried out ddp in mame? if you cant find the ps or saturn version, then at least youll get to experience it at all. its even better than doj! well the music is at least. i pretty much like doj for the hypers and stage 5, the rest is good and all but just sorta missing something for me. hopefully theyll release ddp campaign version some day. its basically a modded version of ddp with hypers and other stuff from doj. only one board in the world or something though.
back to ibara, some people on shmups are saying its a bitch to play in yoko because the blur and massive amounts of debris. and my 150lb tv is tated, 50 more is nothing! id say get a cab, but then youd have to get a pcb, cause the ps2 ibara output would look fugly on it anyways.
For some reason, I have a really hard time playing shooters on a TV/monitor above 20-27" or so. On a big screen, I hate having to literally move my head and having to refocus on stuff coming at me. On a smaller/normal-sized set, I can get into that "shooter trance" more easily, only requiring my eyes to wander slightly. Conversely, though, if the screen is *too* small (like on a handheld), precision movement becomes a problem, and that's on top of the problem of having to use a d-pad.japtor said:
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
As Dodonpachi goes, buy PS1 version, not the saturn version. It's one of the rare cases where a 2D game turned better and closer to the arcade on PS1 than it did on Saturn. If you have the original arcade board in some dusty cupboard, and are thus free to get the ROM, you should also know that Dodonpachi is perfectly emulated in MAME...