Archetypal shmup

[Spyke]

Hi.

If you could only have one shmup on the Saturn and one on tje Dreamcast... in fact maybe only one on every console - which would it be and why?

(my Dc and Sat are feeling neglected)

Ant

[ExedExes]

On the Dreamcast I am really glad I put down the $42 and got Mars Matrix. While Giga Wing was easier to find and cheaper, playing MM back in November as our TR Shmup Of The Month was a very enjoyable experience.

Although, I am sure there are many Japanese DC shmups I am totally unaware of.

[noiseredux]

lol, nice signature Exed.

I wasn't thrilled with Mars Matrix. I found it to be pretty confusing actually.

Although there's lots of shmups on DC that you might consider "better," I can't help but recommend Gunbird 2. It's not quite bullet-hell but not quite old school. But whatever it is, that tends to be one that I come back and revisit fairly often.

[Spyke]

Cool. I have Gunbird on Saturn and Gunbird 2 on DC. The only other Sat shmup I own is Strikers 1945, which I do enjoy, but not as much as 1945 II on PS1 (confusing...)

Only other DC shmup I have is Gigawing.

Ant

[Spyke]

For myself I would say:

PS1- Raiden 2 or Raiden DX
PS2- Gradius V
Xbox- 360 Mushihimesama Futari 1.5 (PAL)
Megadrive- Hellfire or Thunderforce IV

But there are an awful lot to choose from and opinions vary from month to month!

Ant

[Gunstar Green]

Atari 2600 - Vanguard for nostalgic purposes.

NES - Life Force for the fun two player action though Xanac comes close for its frantic and kind of unique gameplay.

TG16 - Gates of Thunder. There's too many great shmups to mention but I always had the most fun with this one.

Genesis - Thunderforce IV or MUSHA. It's really hard for me to decide. They're my favorite horizontal and vertical shmups on the console and very nearly of all time. Both sport great graphics, great music and fun gameplay.

SNES - I was going to say Axelay for its uniqueness and incredible quality but I've always had a soft spot for Macross Scrambled Valkyrie. I grew up with Robotech and this was probably the first game I ever emulated for the SNES. Some good memories there.

PS1 - Thunder Force V. I love the series and this installment is no different. The Saturn version is better but...

Saturn - Call me predictable but Radiant Silvergun is a wonderful game that I can never get enough of. I don't actually own it on the Saturn though unfortunately.

Dreamcast - Mars Matrix. I don't really go in for shooters that are too bullet-hell usually but with the shop system giving me something to work towards beyond surviving I really got into this game.

PS2 - Gradius V. My favorite game in the series by far. It's pretty and well designed and everything I'd expect from a Treasure developed title.

Gamecube - Ikaruga since I didn't pick this for Dreamcast and also because it was the first version of the game I played. Still as fun and interesting with its polarity gimmick as it was one I was introduced to it.

360 - Raiden Fighters Aces. I'm cheating since this is actually three games. They're a lot of fun and not too crazy. The balance between fun and manic is just about right for me (kind of how noise feels about Gunbird 2 which is another game I enjoy).

[o.pwuaioc]

Cool. I have Gunbird on Saturn and Gunbird 2 on DC. The only other Sat shmup I own is Strikers 1945, which I do enjoy, but not as much as 1945 II on PS1 (confusing...)

Strikers 1945 II is a fantastic shmup. I can't say it's my favorite Saturn shmup, because I haven't played them all yet, but it definitely ranks way up there.

2600 - Space Invaders.
7800 - Galaga.
NES - Abadox.
Gen - Thunderforce III.
SNES - Gradius III. Yeah, there's better, but this is definitely the archetypal one.
Sat - Strikers 1945 II.
PS1 - Thunderforce V.
DC - Gunbird 2.
PS2 - Gradius V.
GB - Solar Striker.
GBA - Gradius Galaxies.

I'm not a shmup expert or anything, so these picks are liable to change.

[dunpeal2064]

Hey, cool thread!

NES/Fami: Recca
Turbo/PCE: I haven't tried enough yet, but as of now it'd be Gates of Thunder
Genesis/MD: Eliminate Down
SNES/SFami: Axelay (Scrambled Valkyrie was a close 2nd)
Playstation: Raiden DX
Saturn: Battle Garegga
Dreamcast: Last Hope Pink Bullets
PS2: Giga Wing Generations (Homura could take this spot)
Gamecube: Ikaruga
XBOX360: Muchi Muchi Pork/Pink Sweets
Wii: Castle Shikigami III
Arcade: Armed Police Batrider

I'd be pretty content just playing this games for quite a long time.

[o.pwuaioc]

Dreamcast: Last Hope Pink Bullets

It's that good? I have the trilogy when I kickstarted Redux (which irksomely has been delayed until Fall (?) 2013), but I've yet to even open it.

[Ghegs]

NES - Abadox.

Interesting choice there. I've had the Famicom version of Abadox (very cool cover art on that) for years but haven't gotten around to properly playing it yet. I'd probably have to go with Recca as well, predictable though the answer might be. The game's caravan modes are just great fun and they managed to keep me interested for many, many hours.

For PS1 it's a tough battle between Harmful Park and Gradius Gaiden. The former is cute without being overly sugary, gets very tough when played on the harder difficulties and it also has a Score Attack mode. I just love those. And the latter is Gradius Gaiden, one of my favorite shmups ever. But then there's also R-Type Delta, another one of my Best Ever Shmups...

Yeah, I think I'll have to go with R-Type Delta after all.

For Neo Geo: Pulstar. Though that may change for Last Resort once I get around to playing it more.