Shmups

[ThirdDrawing]

I picked up the Cotton Guardian Force Saturn Tribute. It's not bad. Would've been nice to have English, but it's fairly easy to get through it.

[ThirdDrawing]

Been picking up more shmups lately.

Darius Cozmic Collection, Vasara Collection and Illmatic Swamp + Radirgy Collection. All three are Japanese only but only the last one is a bit tough to figure out as it has specific challenges that I have to figure out on the fly. Quite like all three, though the Vasara Collection is especially good.

[ratsoalbion]

Just for info, Darius and Vasara aren't Japan only. ININ distributes Darius in the West (as of 2020) and
QUByte Interactive published Vasara in 2019.

Currently Illmatic Swamp + Radirgy Collection is still Japan only however!


Edit: I realise now that you may well have meant in-game language (on import copies).

[ThirdDrawing]

Just for info, Darius and Vasara aren't Japan only. ININ distributes Darius in the West (as of 2020) and
QUByte Interactive published Vasara in 2019.

Currently Illmatic Swamp + Radirgy Collection is still Japan only however!


Edit: I realise now that you may well have meant in-game language (on import copies).

Sorry, I forgot that Darius and Vasara had limited (I think?) releases in the West.

[Rhaegyr]

Not sure if it counts as a Shmup but is there any way of getting a hold of Bangai-O HD on XBLA?

I loved Spirits on the DS (and the original back on the DC) and I've got a real urge to play this again but unfortunately it's been delisted. I'm guessing that means I've got no chance of playing it now?

[ratsoalbion]

Hmmm, I still have it installed on my 360 (because it's not back compat), so I'm not sure.

It is based on the DS version though I believe, so you might have a way of playing that one if you can find a copy..?

[Rhaegyr]

I'm sure I still have it installed on my 360 but didn't want to get it out of the loft and hook it up to the TV.

Then again, I didn't know it wasn't backwards compatible either so this may be my only option - thanks for the heads up.

[ThirdDrawing]

A Rayforce collection was just announced for PS4/Switch for 2023. No word of a Western release yet.

https://www.gematsu.com/2022/06/shoot-e ... ps4-switch

[Magical_Isopod]

I've noticed a lot of 80s and 90s SHMUPs have theming with lots of alien gore and fleshy biomechanical masses... Is there any particular cultural touchstone in Japan that influenced this?

[Alex79]

I think there was a lot of anime and manga coming out with similar themes around that time too. The likes of Ghost In The Shell etc. Japan has always seemed to feature a lot of cyborg/mech stuff in pop culture, at least in my limited experience of it. It would be interesting to find out if there was any particular reason for this.

[Will Marley]

In 1989, the incomparable:



Obviously, H.R. Giger and specifically Alien(s) influenced a lot of biomechanical boss/level design. You also have the cancerous mechanical 'baby' at the end of Akira, released in 1988, but the manga started several years earlier. Parasyte was another manga which began in the mid-80s and which explored sci-fi body horror and grotesque transformation.

More broadly, (sci-fi) body horror as a genre went properly mainstream in the 80s. You've got everything from The Thing to The Fly and Videodrome through to the likes of Hellraiser, Re-Animator and Society. I'm not sure that it's possible to point to one single moment in media but there are probably plenty of essays about the cultural impact of AIDS and the rise of plastic surgery.

While I really enjoy some of the above films, it's generally not my bag. I don't like the aesthetic in games. I'd rather straight sci-fi or something less gory and more playful, like Mushihimesama.

[Magical_Isopod]

So I picked up Darius Burst Another Chronicle EX+ for $10 physical today. What's the difference between that and Chronicle Saviours? I can't find a clear answer online.

[ratsoalbion]

[Magical_Isopod]

It needs a whole video to explain it? Amazing. XD

[Magical_Isopod]

Funny enough, Sickly Limited Games just put out a handy chart.

https://twitter.com/RealStrictlyLTD/sta ... 5cXSw&s=19

[D_Of_Shoreham]

Really into Shmups on the Switch recently. Downloaded G Darius HD, Mushihimesama, Crimzon Clover.

Keep seeing the Aleste collection high up in ranking lists of shmups on Switch? Is it really that great and worth getting? Not wanting to sound like a snob but they are Game Gear games, and while there's nothing wrong with that but it is an expensive collection for a collection of Game Gear games.

[Will Marley]

Really into Shmups on the Switch recently. Downloaded G Darius HD, Mushihimesama, Crimzon Clover.

Keep seeing the Aleste collection high up in ranking lists of shmups on Switch? Is it really that great and worth getting? Not wanting to sound like a snob but they are Game Gear games, and while there's nothing wrong with that but it is an expensive collection for a collection of Game Gear games.

I never played them on the GG but given it's an M2 production, I assume they're perfectly accurate - for better and worse. The highlight of the collection is definitely GG Aleste 3 which is a brand new game by M2, using the GG Aleste engine, to give a shorthand explanation. It's the most exciting, best balanced and fun for me. I wouldn't say it's worth buying the collection for that, though.

Other recommendations from my perspective as a massive shmup and bullet hell fan would be:

Dodonpachi Resurrection - spectacular Cave vert, if you like Mushi, this will be familiar but more intense and there are several brilliant arrange modes including the legendary Ketsuipachi, probably the best shmup on the system in my opinion, until Dodonpachi Daioujou comes out later this year.

Psyvariar Delta - something quite different again, an updated version of a previous Psyvariar release from 2000, very addictive bullet grazing mechanic whereby you power up your ship by flying very close to bullets and the straight line patterns encourage this, great music, range of difficulty routes like Darius, underrated or just not given enough attention.

Rolling Gunner - a gateway bullet hell for me, absolutely loved it at the time, unusual shooting system which is so much fun when it clicks, ex-Cave dev at the helm, very slick gameplay but also feels quite indie with echoes of the PS2.

Here's some other stuff I think is worth checking out, some of my other favourites plus well-regarded entries.

More Cave stuff:

Deathsmiles - very popular bullet hell gateway drug, pretty accessible carnage, 'loli' aesthetic has never sat well with me
Akai Katana - probably a big influence on Rolling Gunner, some people love it but I find it harder to read, still spectacular entertainment
Espgaluda 2 - an amazing game that I've never given enough time to, feels like a B-side but that's not a criticism


More indie stuff:

Neko Navy - cute hori, gets really intense and fun on harder difficulties
Danmaku Unlimited 3 - Cave-style indie, very polished, nice graphics, very readable patterns and cool hyper mode, albeit much less intense than Crimzon Clover
Black Bird - unique audiovisual presentation, basically Fantasy Zone but very fun


Ports:

Darius Cozmic Collection - worth it for Darius Gaiden alone but Darius 2 is also great, albeit old-school
Gunbird 2/Strikers 1945 2/Dragon Blaze - the best of the Psikyo ports, they're a touch laggy but probably not an issue unless you're really familiar and playing at a high level (which I'm not!).
Blazing Star - maybe the best Neo Geo shmup, still looks and sounds great, really fun hori, quite slow, much more fun than R-Type to me.
Ikaruga/Radiant Silvergun - controversial to some because of the chaining 'puzzle' nature of the scoring system, you can skip all that and just enjoy two of the greatest ever shmups but caveat emptor, they're Marmite.

There are absolutely loads of shmups on Switch, many of them absolutely crap indie/mobile but all of these have been well worth my time and money.

[Michiel K]

It is based on the DS version though I believe, so you might have a way of playing that one if you can find a copy..?

It's yet another completely new game in the series. The original, Spirits and HD Missile Fury are all separate games. And even the differences between the N64 and the Dreamcast version of the original Bangai-O are a bit extensive.

[hazeredmist]

Really into Shmups on the Switch recently. Downloaded G Darius HD, Mushihimesama, Crimzon Clover.

Keep seeing the Aleste collection high up in ranking lists of shmups on Switch? Is it really that great and worth getting? Not wanting to sound like a snob but they are Game Gear games, and while there's nothing wrong with that but it is an expensive collection for a collection of Game Gear games.

I never played them on the GG but given it's an M2 production, I assume they're perfectly accurate - for better and worse. The highlight of the collection is definitely GG Aleste 3 which is a brand new game by M2, using the GG Aleste engine, to give a shorthand explanation. It's the most exciting, best balanced and fun for me. I wouldn't say it's worth buying the collection for that, though.

Other recommendations from my perspective as a massive shmup and bullet hell fan would be:

Dodonpachi Resurrection - spectacular Cave vert, if you like Mushi, this will be familiar but more intense and there are several brilliant arrange modes including the legendary Ketsuipachi, probably the best shmup on the system in my opinion, until Dodonpachi Daioujou comes out later this year.

Psyvariar Delta - something quite different again, an updated version of a previous Psyvariar release from 2000, very addictive bullet grazing mechanic whereby you power up your ship by flying very close to bullets and the straight line patterns encourage this, great music, range of difficulty routes like Darius, underrated or just not given enough attention.

Rolling Gunner - a gateway bullet hell for me, absolutely loved it at the time, unusual shooting system which is so much fun when it clicks, ex-Cave dev at the helm, very slick gameplay but also feels quite indie with echoes of the PS2.

Here's some other stuff I think is worth checking out, some of my other favourites plus well-regarded entries.

More Cave stuff:

Deathsmiles - very popular bullet hell gateway drug, pretty accessible carnage, 'loli' aesthetic has never sat well with me
Akai Katana - probably a big influence on Rolling Gunner, some people love it but I find it harder to read, still spectacular entertainment
Espgaluda 2 - an amazing game that I've never given enough time to, feels like a B-side but that's not a criticism


More indie stuff:

Neko Navy - cute hori, gets really intense and fun on harder difficulties
Danmaku Unlimited 3 - Cave-style indie, very polished, nice graphics, very readable patterns and cool hyper mode, albeit much less intense than Crimzon Clover
Black Bird - unique audiovisual presentation, basically Fantasy Zone but very fun


Ports:

Darius Cozmic Collection - worth it for Darius Gaiden alone but Darius 2 is also great, albeit old-school
Gunbird 2/Strikers 1945 2/Dragon Blaze - the best of the Psikyo ports, they're a touch laggy but probably not an issue unless you're really familiar and playing at a high level (which I'm not!).
Blazing Star - maybe the best Neo Geo shmup, still looks and sounds great, really fun hori, quite slow, much more fun than R-Type to me.
Ikaruga/Radiant Silvergun - controversial to some because of the chaining 'puzzle' nature of the scoring system, you can skip all that and just enjoy two of the greatest ever shmups but caveat emptor, they're Marmite.

There are absolutely loads of shmups on Switch, many of them absolutely crap indie/mobile but all of these have been well worth my time and money.

Ahh. Seeing these mentioned it's like old times. Listen to Marley - he is correct, entirely.

I'm hoping for a UK release of Akai Katana...

Also when Michiel pulls his finger out, Schildmaid MX will be an essential purchase on Switch!

[Michiel K]

Hehe

It's all set in motion. We just want to make the full 2.0 PC release and the console ports the best they can be!