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What is your favorite Schmup?

GymWolf

Gold Member
Not a fan of the genre but i liked g-darius and einhander on ps1, especially the first one, there was something on the art design of the enemies looking like fishes...
 
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Miles708

Member
Some solid recommendations here. Kudos to op for Thunderforce, that's apex horizontal shoot'em up, sorry everyone else.

I suggest you to play Under Defeat as soon as possible, it is a fantastic vertical shoot'em up from G.Rev, also had an HD remaster.

Other than that, I'd say Border Down,always from G.Rev
 

kurisu_1974

is on perm warning for being a low level troll
Not a fan of the genre but i liked g-darius and einhander on ps1, especially the first one, there was something on the art design of the enemies looking like fishes...

Darius has had fish enemies and underwater levels since 1987

Darius_arcade_flyer.jpg
 

Malachai

Member
My Switch is pretty much a shmup machine at this point, favourites being Crimson Clover, Eschatos, Rolling Gunner and Mushihimesama.
Was seriously tempted to get Esp.ra.de on import when it released in Japan but couldn't be bothered with the hassle so finger's crossed it gets a western release.
 

Hohenheim

Member
Hyper Echlon is definitly one of my favourite games this year, Drainus as well. Haven't played that enough yet, but it feels very, very good.
 

Ozzie666

Member
Thunder Force IV, or Lightening force as it was called in USA. Such a technical marvel.
Gates of Thunder on Pc Engine/Turbo.
Ikaruga
Quarter times: Galaxian, Phoenix
 
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BlackTron

Gold Member
I've been a rabid Ikaruga guy ever since first discovering it on Dreamcast but I really haven't played too many shmups. I'm seeing all the titles in this thread and it's really tempting to try them on my new CRT. I mean I've dabbled with a bunch but Ikaruga is the only one I've finished.

Don't say schmups, I come from a Jewish background and that shit gives my family a bad name lmao.
 
For some reason I could never get into horizontal scrolling shooters. However, I recently completed Gley Lancer on the Mega Drive and I'm now a convert. I think it's because it's pretty easy so it allowed me to get used to the style. Before that I'd always loved vertical scrolling games.

Gley Lancer



Eliminate Down



RayForce



Battle Garegga



Radiant Silvergun
 
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MudoSkills

Volcano High Alumnus (Cum Laude)
It's a good time to be a shmup fan - lots of older titles are getting ported to modern consoles and M2 are putting out great compilations in Japan.

Just to offer something different to the answers we've had already, Cotton Reboot is a good time, and an easier entry point than a lot of other recommendations.
 

Shwing

Member
Without having enough time to think about it, here are a few shmups / bullet hell games off the top of my head...

Retro: Galaxian
Crimzon Clover World Ignition / Explosion
Bullet Soul Infinite Burst
 

John Wick

Member
Just for the pure fun and character filled levels -
  • Rayman Legends/Origins mosquito levels
  • Cuphead airplane levels.


In a more traditional sense I always loved River Raid, R-type, Gradius. I don't have the skills/patience for the truly manic games in this genre.

River Raid on Atari VCS? One of my first experiences. That and Crystal Castles and Pitfall. Those were great times.
 

John Wick

Member
Vector Star Wars Arcade
Asteroids
Defender 2000
Star Fighter 3DO
Gyruss
Gorf
Blood Money
Xenon II
Llamatron
Blood Money and Xenon 2. Good old times on the Amiga. That Megablast soundtrack is my ringtone. Gorf I remember playing too. It was a cartridge but can't remember what system it was for lol.
 
How did I forget Gynoug/Wings of Wor.

Unique baroque/steampunk/horror theme aesthetic, got rereleased recently



The famous phallic boss

gy21.png
 
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Vindicator

Member
Some non-japanese Shmups (a few clones ofc):

Agony
Disposable Hero
Project-X
Battle Squadron
Z-Out
Lethal Xcess
The Oath
Katakis
Starrush
Uridium 2

e: another japanese one, Cho Aniki on PC-Engine, has some Gynoug vibes
 
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Mitsurux

Member
One of my all time favorites
Blazing Lazers tg-16
The power up system is simple, the difficulty slowly ramps up over the course of the game. Great music as well. Seems like it gets overshadowed by some of the other great shooters on the system
 

Jeeves

Member
Sin & Punishment (N64)

I replayed it dozens of times improving my score. Star Successor was fun, but I like the bite-size length of this game and definitely would not have replayed so many times if it was longer.
 
BE ATTITUDE FOR GAINS...

Radiant Silvergun but only because of the music, I'm not very good at the game.



Not overly familiar with actual names but I love the shmup genre, so much fun.
 
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Sorcerer

Member
I tried to go all in on Schumps a few years ago, but I feel these would probably work much better with an arcade stick. Not saying I would become a pro or anything, but I feel a thumbpad lacks the necessary grip you need for accuracy/fast movement.
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
I’ve come to love the genre these last years, what with AAA going more and more towards so many systems and subsystems and bloat. Shmups are simple to pick up, hard to master, fat-free, aka the best form of video game there is.

Ikaruga is the one I spent the most time on. I was obsessed with the game, for a while I was number one on the local official GameCube online ranking (but of course there were better players, it’s just they didn’t play on GC or didn’t bother to register their scores). The game is a masterpiece, every frame of it is carefully designed. The music, the bullets, every enemy wave is in synch to make up this perfect puzzle shooter. This is game design at its finest.

Mushihimesama is another masterpiece of a game. The very premise of a shooter set in the world of bugs is incredible, but the realization… wow. Everything in the game is insane - the sprites, the colors, the details, the setpieces.

Lords/Winds of Thunder is a criminally forgotten game. Very hard but not ludicrously so, very creative, absolutely relentless but always rewarding. The soundtrack is totally crazy, too.

Thunderforce is a great series altogether, but I have a soft spot for the first game. It’s available on the Switch and it’s fantastic. The best thing about it is probably that it’s perfectly balanced - I wish Konami could make their shooters like this. The absurd difficulty is why no Gradius game will make my list, even if they’re spectacular.

On the PC-Engine, Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire is another forgotten gem. The game does crazy things for the hardware it runs on, and it’s phenomenal.
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
BE ATTITUDE FOR GAINS...

Radiant Silvergun but only because of the music, I'm not very good at the game.



Not overly familiar with actual names but I love the shmup genre, so much fun.

Radiant Silvergun is outstanding, but to play it the right way too much dedication is needed. Leveling up the weapons is a game within the game. But the bosses and design are excellent - Xiga is possibly the craziest thing Treasure ever pulled off, and that’s saying something. Pity about the godawful animu characters.
 
Radiant Silvergun is outstanding, but to play it the right way too much dedication is needed. Leveling up the weapons is a game within the game. But the bosses and design are excellent - Xiga is possibly the craziest thing Treasure ever pulled off, and that’s saying something. Pity about the godawful animu characters.
Yea, I always play it with unlimited continues. I try my best, ha, but yea, it's tough.

The Saturn version is so damn impressive, so much stuff going on the screen and the pixel art on the 3D models is absolutely gorgeous. Programming wizardry.
 

TwiztidElf

Gold Member
Ah yeah, one of the posts above reminded me. Blazing Lazers / GunHed on the PC Engine. Absolutely glorious shmup.
 

Magic Carpet

Gold Member
One of my all time favorites
Blazing Lazers tg-16
The power up system is simple, the difficulty slowly ramps up over the course of the game. Great music as well. Seems like it gets overshadowed by some of the other great shooters on the system
I would like a modern cover/remake of the second level music.

 

midnightAI

Member
takes me back to a time when there were amusement arcades in the town I grew up in (one is still there but slot machines only)

Anyway, faves include:
Darius (original 3 screen wide)
R-Type
Zero Wing
Fighting Hawk
Dragon Breed
Prehistoric Isle
P47
Saint Dragon
Xexex
Hybris (Amiga)
Battle Squadron (Amiga)
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
It always forever be Deathsmiles and Deathsmiles IIX
 

Y0ssarian

Banned
I have a soft spot for Radiant Silvergun. I'm pretty basic though, I've only played that, Darius, Tyrion and Ikaruga. There was another really good one on Genesis I can't remember the name of.

Edit: the Genesis game was called Truxton
 
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cireza

Member
COMPILE Forever.

Favorite shmup is GG Aleste 2. Mind-blowing game for the Game Gear. First game is great as well. And the two Power Strike games on Master System.



M2 actually made GG Aleste 3 for Game Gear and released it a couple years ago. A masterpiece.

Of course anything COMPILE made is pure gold. I love Robo Aleste on SEGA-CD, and the PCE and MegaDrive games are awesome as well.
Gley Lancer is another favorite on MegaDrive. Bari Arm is pretty good on SEGA-CD. Lords of Thunder ! SEGA-CD/PCE.

Otherwise I really enjoyed Dreamcast shmups, especially Shikigami no Shiro 2 and Psyvariar 2. Soukyugurentai is a winner on Saturn. Also Psikyo games, such as Strikers 1945 and Sengoku Blade. Cannon Spike !
 
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SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
It's a good time to be a shmup fan - lots of older titles are getting ported to modern consoles and M2 are putting out great compilations in Japan.

Just to offer something different to the answers we've had already, Cotton Reboot is a good time, and an easier entry point than a lot of other recommendations.
M2 is also starting to put out some original stuff, like the Aleste games.

Probably most exciting, they have a pseudo-sequel to Ikaruga in the works, developed by the creator Ikaruga/Radiant Silvergun, Hiroshi Iuchi. It has been in development as a sort of side project but now it appears to be in full production and playable beginning to end.
 

AndrewRyan

Member
If we're including twin-stick shooters, Nex Machina is king. Lately my favorite shumps are:

Shoot 1Up DX
Bleed/Bleed 2
Jets N Guns 2
 
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