Shmup Nation: Your Recruitment Challenge!

[NintendoLegend]

‘sup?

So I run a website where I’m on a quest to write a quality review for every NTSC-region NES game. Having a blast so far. Stepping up to such a task involves some inevitabilities; it is a unique sensation, to be able to go over my list and realize that, someday, I will need to play and review that game, and that game…

In fact, aside from all the fun, I do have one genuine concern.

See, I love video games, and am fond of many genres – but I simply never could get into shoot-‘em-ups. I appreciate the contributions that titles like Space Invaders and Galaga made to the gaming scene, and would fire up the occasional round of Alpha Mission or Sky Shark on my toaster, but I never understood the appeal of just mindlessly blasting toward a high score. I have always wanted more of a plotline progressive finality to my games.

… but, then, as I talk to retro gamers, as I read articles, as I generally survey the scene, I realize that, wow, there really is a shmup community out there who is genre-passionate.

I just wonder why.

I read the Shmup Guide on this site (invaluable!) and, amidst other resources, feel a bit more informed. However, I would love to hear from you, schmup fans, on a personal level: What is the appeal to you? Why play a shooter over, say, an RPG, FPS, or even a platformer? What is the intangible X-Factor behind shmups that I have never grasped?

Convince me of the timeless wonder of shmups. Evangelize to me. Let me hear your stories. I want to peek behind the curtain and give this genre its due diligence. Recruit me to your cause.

[Betamax001]

Well I like shmups because they are a bit different than say a platformer or RPG. Since pretty much all of the games originated in the arcade they play more like the classic golden age arcade games: fun to play, difficult to master (tagline of the board game Mastermind Obscure reference of the day) So perhaps after grinding away all afternoon in Final Fantasy or whatever, it is a nice break from the big heavier hitting console games. Also they are good if you want to play a game, but don't have too much time on your hands.

Perhaps on a personal level I like vertical scrolling shooters so much is because one of the first games I ever really got into on my PS2 was the 1995 Galaga Arrangement game. So some of the more modern bullet hell shmups like DoDonPachi to me feel like Galaga Xtreme, so that's a good part too

[dunpeal2064]

Because it is the greatest genre

I really like that they can be picked for 10 minutes and enjoyed, yet can take years to master.

I love the different levels of difficulty, and all the different scoring systems.

I love that the games are classicly designed, with gameplay, style, and music all being important.

I love that, even though there are so many shmups, so many of them are unique, and most are at least enjoyable on some level.

There are plenty of reasons for the shmup love, more than I could list.

[Nemoide]

I love how they're simple to play, but provide an intense challenge to master. I'm not particularly good at shmups, but I like practicing and improving. For me, the fact that they're nothing but fast-paced action is just FUN.

As for how shoot-em-ups compare to other genres:
RPGs are great, but tend to be slower paced. Sometimes I need ACTION. I'm not a fan of modern FPS games (I do have a soft spot for classics like Wolfenstein or Doom) because they tend to be a lot more complex. Crouching, jumping, aiming in three dimensions, finding cover, etc are just too much for me to be having fun. I just want to SHOOT! I have not problems with platformers, but shmups tend to be more of a short "pick up and play for 10 minutes," which is conducive to casual gaming sessions.

I appreciate story in games and like cutscenes, but I'm totally comfortable with a bare-bones "shoot all the bad guys" kind of thing. I might not be the most dedicated hardcore shmup-player, but I think they're tons of fun and that's what that counts for me!

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Well, a lot of SHMUPs have awesome music for one thing. Also, as has been said, sometimes you just want to blow lots of shit up. SHMUPS also tend to be challenging and some have very unique art direction. My favorite series is probably the Thunder Force series...

Two of my favorites would be:

Lightening Force (Thunder Force IV)


Darius Gaiden


^How many games are there where you get to fly around blowing up robotic space-fish?

[fvgazi]

I get a rush when I weave through a difficult bullet pattern. I like the fast paced gameplay and easy mechanics.

[dunpeal2064]

To be honest though, I don't really play many NES shmups. There are still good ones, but IMO these are the top consoles (in no order in particular)

Turbografx 16
Sega Genesis
Sega Saturn
Sega Dreamcast
Playstation 1/2
Xbox 360

Pretty much all of those consoles have their great libraries, although most of em are japanese games. The Saturn is my personal favorite.

[NintendoLegend]

Okay, cool. Some good thoughts so far. Thanks for sharing, all.

Just one more question (I think): What would you consider to be the common elements of shmups used to judge each other by as criteria? For instance, what comes to my mind for any video game is a criteria set such as:

Gameplay
Graphics
Sound
Originality

But what are some shmup-specific criteria? This is what I have in mind as a start:

Power-Ups
Enemy Patterns
Arcade-Style (high score) or Linear (has an ending)
Pacing

Any other elements I should be concerned with when comparing one shoot-'em-up to another?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Okay, cool. Some good thoughts so far. Thanks for sharing, all.

Just one more question (I think): What would you consider to be the common elements of shmups used to judge each other by as criteria? For instance, what comes to my mind for any video game is a criteria set such as:

Gameplay
Graphics
Sound
Originality

But what are some shmup-specific criteria? This is what I have in mind as a start:

Power-Ups
Enemy Patterns
Arcade-Style (high score) or Linear (has an ending)
Pacing

Any other elements I should be concerned with when comparing one shoot-'em-up to another?

Difficulty curve and balance. Yes most SHMUPS are hard, but you can definitely tell when one doesn't feel quite right.

Don't knock SHMUPS too hard on the originality part though, it's something genre doesn't have much of and doesn't really need. Though art is very important, as there are plenty of bland SHMUPS out there.

[NintendoLegend]

Difficulty curve and balance. Yes most SHMUPS are hard, but you can definitely tell when one doesn't feel quite right.

Got it. Difficulty due to sharp level-planning and scalability, as opposed to being too easy or unfair too early.

Don't knock SHMUPS too hard on the originality part though, it's something genre doesn't have much of and doesn't really need. Though art is very important, as there are plenty of bland SHMUPS out there.

Heh, fair enough. I am imagining, for the genre, rewarding certain early title with their innovative contributions to the genre specifically -- the rest will have distinctive settings, etc., I'm sure, and can hardly fairly be penalized for unoriginality unless blatantly stealing specific elements from another title. Appreciate your input on this, thanks.