Are there any "easier" shmups?

[peace4myheart]

There are to main types of shmups, manic and methodic. getting good at one will not make you good at the other. If you want to get good at the manic shmups the only real way to do it is practice. I play loads of manic shmups yet when playing something like r-type fail completely, party because of the view, partly because it's a different game. In a manic shmup the main aim is just dodging bullets and stuff. I'm good at that but would constantly get killed by the environment/ shrapnel in something like Zero Gunner.

Don't forget about vertical and horizontal. I find vertical much harder than horizontal shmups. Moving up and down is harder than moving side to side for me.

[retro_gammer79]

There are to main types of shmups, manic and methodic. getting good at one will not make you good at the other. If you want to get good at the manic shmups the only real way to do it is practice. I play loads of manic shmups yet when playing something like r-type fail completely, party because of the view, partly because it's a different game. In a manic shmup the main aim is just dodging bullets and stuff. I'm good at that but would constantly get killed by the environment/ shrapnel in something like Zero Gunner.

No clue what you are talking about here. Stop making up stuff. LMAO

[GSZX1337]

Sol-Feace for the Sega CD isn't that bad.

[ott0bot]

I would have to say that most shmups with unlimited continues are a good choice. It gives you a chance to get a hang of the play mechnics, level design and boss bullet patterns. Then you can turn it to a harder level or limit your lives and continues to see if you are making progress. I would agree that vetical shmups are usually easier to get the hang of but are not always easy. They usually have crazy bullet patterns and multiple weapons systems which can confuse alot of people. Now it they have bombs thats another story all together, they can really help out when the going gets tough. In general I think most horizonal shmups are a bit more difficult and the up and down motion is much harder on your thumb! And remember the key to most of these games is weapon power ups. Learn which enemies you need to take out to get them or where they are distibuted. Without powering up your weapon you won't last long.

Here is a list of good games to try out.....
Vertical:
Trigger Heart Excelia for Dreamcast. This is just sooo much fun. The teather system is a bit tricky to get the hang of but once you do you be tossing space ships around and blowing up tons of enemies. BOMBS!

Giga Wing for Dreamcast. Bullet hell maybe, but good ship choices and tons of weapon power ups! Especially fun with 2 players. BOMBS!

DoDonpachi for Saturn. This game looks hard at first but once you get the hang of it you'll have no problem. Its got a bullet absorb system which will save you many times. Unlimited continues and BOMBS make it really playable and a bit easier than some of the other bullet hell games out there.

Robo Aleste for Sega CD. This game just rules, and although it can get difficult the unlimited continues gives you chance to reach the end. Also and insane Fuedal Japanese mech themed story with bad voice acting and cool 16 bit cut scenes. If you like this one try out MUSHA for the genesis, it's a bit harder but it also has unlimited continues. Oh, and no bombs.

RayCrisis for PS1. The only thing hard about this game is seeing the enemy bullets sometimes. It's short and fun, with unlimited continues. Sequel to Galactic Attack and Ray Storm

Twinkle Star Sprites for Dreamcast, Saturn or NeoGeo. It's a puzzle shmup. Super fun and it give you a decent warm up before you they give you some tough opponents. And you can always keep trying until you take 'em out.

Hori:
Android Assault for Sega CD. I love the Sega CD because of games like this...16-bit graphics with a totally lame CD quality cheesy heavy metal soundtrack. It's really fun, you get alot of weapon power ups and again unlimited continues.

Super R-Type for SNES. This game has a good learning curve, and provides challenging gameplay without being so cheap you want to smash the controller into a thousand peices. Great boss battles.

Lightening Force for the genesis. Ok this game is insanely hard in places, but if you press A, B, C and then hit start you get an options menu. Let the lives to 0, and you have 99 lives. It will give you the chance to see what it's like to play a difficult shmup all the way to the end.

Blazing Star for Neo Geo. This game starts off tame but isn't easy, however you have many opportunities to build up your wepons and you can even choose a couple ships with sheilds. Plus the boss battles are awesome. If you emulate the arcade version you get unlimited continues.

Bio-hazard battle is a good choice too. But can be a bit on the cheap side.

I would avoid most of the Daruis and Gradius games until you get a bit more experience. Awesome games, but generaly really high on the difficulty scale.

Try to emulate a few titles and see what games are your style. Then you can feel good about buying it and at least be able to get past the first level. After that good luck, most shmups really pick up after level 2 or 3.

[marurun]

I really have to disagree with a lot of those suggestions, ott0. A lot of those really are harder shmups? Dodonpachi? Super R-Type? Gigawing? Definitely not beginner fare, IMO.

I'm going to have to think on this and try and compile a list based on my massive brain-sink of shmups. I love shmups but I suck at them, so I consider that solid experience. Stay alert. I'll have a detailed list in another day or so.

[racketboy]

Hmm.... maybe we should compile a list and post it on the blog.

Keep building off of each others comments -- I like where this is going!

[Doctor Fugue]

I have to politely disagree with ottObot about games with unlimited continues. It is a poor way to learn a game, even as an introduction, and your shooter instincts will not get much sharper. It is flat out cheating. The games, when designed properly, are made to be finished with one credit. Yes, it makes almost every shooter incredibly difficult, but that is the way they are. It's like playing Doom or something in "god" mode. I mean, what is the bloody point?

So, on topic, what you need to find out is what kind of game you want to play. As other people have said, there are many different types and usually a gamer will gravitate toward one kind. Pick your favourite system or era of games, and play as many as possible. Learn what sorts of things you want to get better at. Games with lots of bullets? Games with tons of memorization? Games with complex scoring methods? Games with fast or slow gameplay?

There really is never one shooter that will be perfect for every beginner. Play everything you can. Remember that every good shooter requires a very high level of skill to play. Most of these games are also extremely short, and so getting the most out of them will require an enormous amount of repetition.

I suppose I should ask, do you want to get good, or just have some fun? If you want to have fun, download something like Tumiki Fighters. If you want to get good...pick a few of the respected classics and play the first level over and over in each. Learn about the mechanics. Memorize the patterns. Watch super-plays by masters. If you are not having fun learning about the game, move on to the next.

As I said, start with games in the era you are most comfortable with. I wouldn't play Xevious if you prefer a more modern-looking game. I wouldn't play ThunderForce 5 if you don't like 3D graphics. Here are a few (SEGA) recommendations that are great games with enough unique-ness to make them special:

Genesis: M.U.S.H.A., Gaiares, Thunder Force III
Saturn (JP): Layer Section, Battle Garegga, Soukyugurentai
Dreamcast: Under Defeat, Mars Matrix, GigaWing 2

If you have a PC, try out the doujin (amateur-made) market. I, like many others, love the games created by ZUN. My two favourites are Imperishable Night and Perfect Cherry Blossom.

Here are a few of the absolute best games, in my opinion, and in no particular order. Perfectly balanced, any one of them contains years of replay value. If you want to start at the top, play these. They are arcade games, but also ported to various systems.

Treasure: Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun
Cave: DoDonPachi, Mushihimesama

Of course, you may not like any of my suggestions. Many people do not appreciate Treasure's chain system and many people do not appreciate Cave's manic thunder. Who knows, you may even like Last Hope or Tyrian. There are hundreds of STG, play them all.

[Adderall]

The easiest SHMUP is the one you play at during halftime of a Blades of Steel game for NES.

[peace4myheart]

doctorfugue

Dude, you recommended some hard as hell shmups. Gaiares is hard. I consider myself a pretty okay shmuppers, but I have problem reaching the 2nd stage of that game. As for the others, I can only go to the 3rd or 4th stage. Of course I am speaking of one credit here and not credit feed. I am half and half on playing for fun and getting good at the game.

[Ramatut4001]

Thanks for all your suggestions, guys! I guess I'm most interested in 16-bit horizontal shmups. I just got a TG16 so maybe I'll pursue that area. I do own most consoles so I could play most of these.