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Trust me, I know lol. I just played both versions back to back about a week ago, but I still think Thunder Spirits is a solid game which can be found for pretty cheap.

Thunder Spirits is a notoriously weak port of Thunder Force AC, the remixed arcade port of Thunder Force III. Along with Gradius III, it's given a lot of people the impression that the SNES can't handle intense shooters at a decent speed. I don't know what makes Thunder Spirits so amazingly laggy, but Gradius III is slow because Konami used the wrong type of SNES cart in order to cut costs.

Thankfully, R-Type III proves the SNES is perfectly capable of running lightning-fast shooters without grinding to a halt. It's still not on par with Thunder Force IV, but neither are most other Genesis shooters.

o.pwuaioc wrote:There's also Super Aleste., UN Squadron, Aerofighters, and Super R Type. And while it doesn't have them ranked or anything, you can use this list if you're looking for completion: http://www.shmups.com/xenocidefiles/snes.html

Just thought I'd point out that in the States, the name of the game is Space MegaForce.

AznKhmerBoi wrote:not to bash or anything, but from my experience shmups on the genesis are way more superior and slows down less than their snes counterparts.

The reason behind this is BLAST PROCESSING err, I mean the Genesis' superior CPU.

flamepanther wrote:RIt's also very worth it to import Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie...

I have a cart of that up for trade.

Bradtemple87 wrote:UN Squadron is fantastic, but get a PC Engine or Turbografx. You will have a lot more fun down the line.

UN Squadron/Area88 is a game I love on so many levels. And hell yes, PCE/TG is a must-own system if you like shooters.

o.pwuaioc wrote:There's also Super Aleste, UN Squadron, Aerofighters, and Super R Type. And while it doesn't have them ranked or anything, you can use this list if you're looking for completion: http://www.shmups.com/xenocidefiles/snes.html

Super Aleste/Space Megaforce is another of my all-time favorite shooters.

Despite having two of my favorite shooters on the SNES/SFC, I don't have that many outside of them I truly enjoy. Axelay, Parodius series, and Macross are also good.
I'd still recommend Gradius 3 (SLOWDOWN ) and Desert Strike - not a traditional shooter but I had some good fun with it.

Because I don't see it mentioned, I should also point out that the SNES version of Phalanx is pretty good. I forgot about it because there are better versions--but none that are easily played (legitimately, at least) in the West. The original was for the Sharp X68000 computer, and the best port (the only one made by the original developer) is a Japan-only Wiiware game.



Some more honorable mentions:

Spriggan Powered (import)
Super Earth Defense Force
Cotton 100% (import)

...not the best incarnations of their respective brands, but great games in their own right.

My dream is to one day walk into a secondhand shop and find an Aero Fighters cart for like... $3-$5.

But in the meantime, I'll just enjoy it on my Mac and PSP.

Anybody ever play Firepower 2000? What are your thoughts on it?

Darius Twin is one that I enjoyed for the SNES

Anyone know how easy it is to emulate Sharp X68000 stuff? I'd love to play that version of Thunder Force II.