Top 25 Shmups of All Time (Shmups Forum)

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Stanshall
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Top 25 Shmups of All Time (Shmups Forum)

Post by Stanshall »

I hope it's OK to link to the shmups forum and their 17th annual poll:

https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=65854

I wonder if anyone else here would have a list? I'm not encouraging anyone to vote necessarily, but the idea is an interesting one to discuss. Here's mine:
Spoiler: show
[25] [Mushihimesama Futari]
[24] [Dodonpachi DaiOuJou]
[23] [Psyvariar Revision]
[22] [Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi]
[21] [ESP Ra.De. Psy]
[20] [Darius Gaiden]
[19] [Ikaruga]
[18] [Battle Garegga]
[17] [Mushihimesama]
[16] [Darius II]
[15] [ESPGaluda II]
[14] [Rolling Gunner]
[13] [Muchi Muchi Pork]
[12] [ESPGaluda]
[11] [Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu Black Label]
[10] [Crimzon Clover: World Ignition]
[9] [Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou]
[8] [Danmaku Unlimited 3]
[7] [Dodonpachi]
[6] [Darius]
[5] [Salamander]
[4] [Blazing Star]
[3] [Raiden Fighters Jet]
[2] [Dragon Blaze]
[1] [Armed Police Batrider]
25 is my top choice, and number one is 25th. It's a slightly weird system they have there but anyway. That's that. There are a few games I've played and think they're better than stuff in my list but I haven't played them enough to really make a solid judgement.

My tastes are predominantly Cave games but I have really started getting into some Darius, in particular, and dipped my toe into Gradius and the cream of the indie stuff. There are big blind spots in my experience, though, especially stuff from Toaplan and the vast majority from the SNES/MD, PS1/2 and Saturn/DC eras. Really excited that M2 are supposedly bringing the entire Toaplan back catalogue to modern systems in 2020.

My top games won't be a surprise to anyone who hovers in the Shmups thread. I've poured hours of play and a lot of thinking time into Futari and Daioujou and they're two of the greatest gaming experiences I've ever had. I genuinely regret that I wasted many years not having these in my life. As I approach 40, I have to accept that I may not have time left to play these to the level I could have achieved in my 20s. I know that sounds like a ridiculous regret but it's the depth of feeling and fascination I have for them. It's like I cherish every second with my beloved cats but there is always a little part of me that wishes I had them from the day they were born.

Beyond the Cave stuff, Darius Gaiden and Darius 2 gripped me pretty much straight away and I really hope and intend to learn them and clear them this 8,just so I can experience more of their amazing gameplay, visuals and especially the music. I suspect that DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours will be on my list this time next year, as I've now played DB:Another Chronicle several times on the full size ultra wide screen cab and, along with getting into the older games, it's given me a real taste for it. I'm really happy with a Gradius C&R this year but I will still keep my hopes up for a Darius issue in future.

In terms of surprises, I have played and really enjoyed all the Psikyo games but because they improved steadily in every respect, there's almost no reason to choose one of the earlier games, or even two in this list, so Gunbird 2 misses out for Dragon Blaze. Rolling Gunner was my GOTY 2018, and I think it's excellent, but then I got a 360 and while the core gameplay is superb, the music and visuals and mechanics are lacking a bit of personality next to its brawnier Cave cousins. Meanwhile, Battle Garegga and ESP Ra.De. Psy may be the beneficiaries of recency bias but as a snapshot of where my tastes are at this point in time, I have a lot of affection for both.

Anyone else got a list?
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Stanshall
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Re: Top 25 Shmups of All Time (Shmups Forum)

Post by Stanshall »

In fact, having just played half an hour of DariusBurst Another Chronicle 50cm from a 55" screen, it's got to be on this list. Amazing experience, even at home. Batrider is getting bumped.
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Re: Top 25 Shmups of All Time (Shmups Forum)

Post by Stanshall »

I've never played it and until ten seconds ago thought it was a doujin when I saw it mentioned (probably by yourself!). I'll give it a try when I unbugger my PS Classic and get Retroarch working again. I do wonder about my ability to enjoy a NES shmup, but I am prepared to open my narrow judgemental mind. I am now finally enjoying the Master System version of Sagaia on the Darius Consumer Collection so I am still capable of growth.
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Re: Top 25 Shmups of All Time (Shmups Forum)

Post by Magical_Isopod »

I don't feel that I've done a deep enough dive into SHMUPs to make a Top 25, but for sure, I prefer the old-school style (the ones before bullet hell).

Some of my favourites include:
- Einhander (easily my favourite SHMUP)
- Thunder Force 4
- every single Raiden game not called Raiden III or Raiden V
- Darius Gaiden
- Hellfire
- Air Buster
- Soldier Blade
- pretty much every R-Type game (especially III - not you, GBA version)

And for me personally, I feel rather dismayed that similar SHMUPs are either not being made anymore, or are so obscure I'm not aware of them. The bullet hell style with flying little girls seem to be the more popular ones. And to each their own, but I miss simply being a jetplane on a mission to stop evil aliens.
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Re: Top 25 Shmups of All Time (Shmups Forum)

Post by hazeredmist »

I think Stan’s theory based on recent exterior threads is that to get more people on board with shmups, we must kill the shmups thread.

It’s an interesting one! It’s working by the looks of it.

Anyway... what a weird system they have in the shmups forum. They make us look normal. Isopod, it’s great to see some new perspective, I think I need to play Einhander!

Rolling Gunner remains my favourite shmup, with Neko Navy moving into Number 2. I’ll sort a proper list at some point, I’ve played enough of them now probably.
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Re: Top 25 Shmups of All Time (Shmups Forum)

Post by Magical_Isopod »

Einhander is very good, but it's also very different. Its absolute most important element is the music - it's phenomenal. But more specifically, it's how the music is so perfectly cammed to the pace of the game - it cuts in and out at precisely the right moment, and there's one section in particular, where you're transitioning from Earth to space, that's like this minute-long sequence of audiovisual mastery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3iikqyyIK4

That's not to say it's not mechanically sound, because it absolutely is. But there really aren't many (if any) games like it, and in general, I'm really disappointed at how few non-rhythm games have really used the soundtrack to narrate events. There's dynamic score, but that's not quite the same thing. Einhander is more like taking a playlist and letting it dictate the pacing and emotional beats... Like a techno version of Fantasia. But also not quite like REZ either.
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Michiel K
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Re: Top 25 Shmups of All Time (Shmups Forum)

Post by Michiel K »

Always found these yearly Top 25s to be very useful to gather which games are the most well regarded by the most dedicated genre enthusiasts, but at this point the yearly fluctuations become arbitrary and devoid of meaning for me. I'm not even sure if I could put together a genre wide top 25 myself by this point. They'd naturally consist of the games I try to focus on becoming better at, but what's to say there aren't other games, even just in my collection, that I haven't played much of yet that might be better?
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Michiel K
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Re: Top 25 Shmups of All Time (Shmups Forum)

Post by Michiel K »

Fair enough, yeah. Maybe I'll give it a shot(!) one of these days!

Great list. :lol:
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