when have you beaten a shmup

[gennss]

i'll usually credit feed just to look through the game, but for a shmup, 1cc is beating it.

Unlockables and trophy's/accomplishments are other measures for modern games.

[BigTinz]

you haven't beaten a shooter until you've 1 credit cleared it.

NO CONTINUES.


Usually there's a special level or boss this way.

[the7k]

I disagree with some of the responses here. When it comes to beat'em ups, shmups and any other genre with roots in the arcade, you haven't truly beaten it until you can 1cc it. It's okay to say you've beaten a game to get across the idea that you've seen every level. I do that sometimes, but I'll usually add that I didn't 1cc it. Until you can do that, you haven't REALLY beaten it. If you can't 1cc a shmup or arcade style beat'em up than you haven't really played it. You've learned nothing of the game's true depth and you haven't really developed any genuine skill

I'm not knocking anyone who simply wants to credit feed through an arcade game and just see everything there is to see, but I think when one says they've beaten something, it should imply that they reached a reasonable level of skill at the game. Credit feeding through a game doesn't require skill

Perhaps this is splitting hairs, but I consider what you call 'beating' a game to be 'mastering' a game.

The way I look at it is this: As long as I experience all the content that was meant to normally be experienced (so, secret content doesn't count), then I've beaten the game. 1cc'ing a game is not normal - it's for the 1% of the really hardcore fans who want to test themselves (or maybe they just want bragging rights).

1cc'ing a game is just something that takes far too much practice to be reasonably reachable to the average player. Hell, I think I've only ever 1cc'ed Metal Slug 2, and that was just because I really, really loved that game (and wanted the bragging rights).

[Ivo]

What about games that have variable player stock? 1cc with player stock of 10 is around 3cc with player stock of 3... And what about weird stuff like Radiant Silvergun where in Saturn mode you can save "progress" and start pre-powered up?

Sorry for the hi-jacking with R.S. (I asked a similar question recently).

There may be default settings of course (by the way, what is the default player stock in Radiant Silvergun?).

Ivo.

[D.D.D.]

As far as completion, I would say when you can 1cc a shooter, that's when you completed it or mastered it.
As far as beating it, if you can beat the last boss, then you beat it, regardless of difficulty level. Then again, most games don't let you see the true last boss unless it's on normal (and many on hard or the true ending IIRC).
Score-wise, unless you're in the arcade or online leader boards, if you're only competing with yourself, it's no biggie to me. Finishing the game is more fun for me.

Then again, some people say you've only beaten it when it's on the hardest level but hey, I like easy or normal. Hard usually is a bit closer to punishment and that usually doesn't equal fun for me.

[dsheinem]

So have you only beaten platformers like Super Mario World when you use no continues? Have you only beaten an RPG or a survival horror game if you don't ever die along the way?

I know that people argue arcade games must be 1cc'd to be beaten, but most of these games were designed to take your quarters, not to necessarily give you a fair shot of 1cc'ing them. Something like Smash TV is nigh impossible to 1cc, as are some shmups, games like Ghosts N' Goblins, etc. I consider "beating" these games to be reaching the end, by whatever means necessary. I agree that "mastering" is a 1cc run, but the two are different.

That said, I personally try to limit credit feeding as it takes away the joy of actually beating a game. When I have credit-fed continuously through a game (e.g. the Metal Slug series), there's not a lot of accomplishment in reaching the finale. I usually try to give myself a dollar amount - e.g. $1 or $2 or something, and try to beat an arcade-style game in that may credits.

[Ivo]

So have you only beaten platformers like Super Mario World when you use no continues? Have you only beaten an RPG or a survival horror game if you don't ever die along the way?

I agree with many of your points and there are certainly similarities between survival horror, or "cinematic" games like Another World or even Half-Life to some extent, where it is very unlikely to make it without dying once by design (hence the save points and such), and arcade games where it is very unlikely to make it without dying once by design (hence the continues where you put in more money).

In both cases it is very unlikely to make it without dying once by design - although the end goals justifying that design are different.

I'd like to point out - although it is slightly off-topic - that I think it is a design flaw particular to some platformers that you can "farm" 1-ups easily on an earlier level, but there are a limited number of lives. Super Mario has this I think, and Rayman certainly has this. If players can easily acquire lots of lives just by putting in time doing something boring and repetitive, then go ahead and just give the player infinite lives.

Ivo.

[Gamerforlife]

To me, getting good enough to 1cc a shmup or get high scores is the whole "point" of these games, which isn't true of other genres(like platformers). The same is true of old school 2d beat'em ups and is always my goal when I play them

If you can't run through Contra in one life without using the infamous 99 lives code, you haven't beaten it. The same is true of any Metal Slug game, which is why I don't like Metal Slug 3, as that last level is brutal to try and one life. People often wonder why I don't like Alien Hominid. I've never seen anyone one life it. I don't think it's possible. Thus, I believe it is poorly designed

Course, I speak as someone who doesn't play a lot of shmups, as I don't have the dedication that I feel those games demand

[EllertMichael]

Like it or not, when it comes to shmups the 1cc is pretty much the standard for purists, and the only way you can claim you've truly "beaten" the game. There's really no room for debate.
Don't shoot me (pun intended)

[Gamerforlife]

Like it or not, when it comes to shmups the 1cc is pretty much the standard for purists, and the only way you can claim you've truly "beaten" the game. There's really no room for debate.
Don't shoot me (pun intended)

Completely agree

As I said before, it's why I rarely play them. I'm not that dedicated, but I view shmup "purists" as you put it, as the most hardcore gamers out there