Good shmups for beginner

[ExedExes]

I would suggest UN Squadron on the SNES and if you want a bit of exploration with your shmup, The Guardian Legend on NES. TGL really solidified a love of shmups to me early on.

[CavZee]

Best three for starting off:

1. Xevious
2. Axelay
3. Mars Matrix

Good luck!

I'll check em out thanks.

Definitely kidding! I forgot to make a rejoinder, though. :/

In all seriousness, I would argue for these three:

Dragon Spirit (NES) (alt. Adventures of Dino Riki (NES))

Great little shmup that isn't too easy, but is definitely beatable, even by a beginner.

Gradius III (SNES) (alt. Thunder Force III (Gen))

Notoriously difficult for beginners, but I think it's pretty fair for most of the way through. This was my first SNES shmup, actually, and the music, the atmosphere, and the art is definitely attractive. It also pushes you right into the meat, so you should quickly see an improvement with each playthrough.

Zanac Neo (PS1) (alt. Castle Shikigami II (DC, PS2)

A nice modern shmup, but still easy to get into, despite coming from Compile. It also sounds and looks nice enough as well.

Oh, I wouldn't have known you were joking lol.

I'll be sure to try out Gradius for sure though.

[Auron_Amarth]

Gradius III isn't that hard, the frequent slowdown makes it much easier. Axelay is a great first shmup to get started, not too difficult at all. Easily my favorite shmup on SNES.

[J T]

Most lifelong shmup fans likely first got into the genre because of games like Gradius, Life Force, R-Type, Raiden, Xevious, Defender, Space Invaders, or Galaga. Why not begin with those like many others have?

[jinx]

Galaga was my first shmup. I still rock my Galaga shirt. Simple gampelay, but can provide hours of enjoyment.

The Guardian Legend (shmup + Zelda in space) is what made me look for more.

R-type, Gradius, and Thunderforce is what kept me here. Games like Xevious and Dragon Spirit nearly drove me away, but after I got the hang of them I really started to enjoy the gameplay.

Most of these games I played in the arcade or on my Sega Genesis at home. I really enjoyed playing shmups on my friend's PCE, but I've never had the pleasure of actually owning one.

EDIT:
It should also be noted that I'm freaking TERRIBLE at these types of games. I have no idea why I torture myself. Masochist?

[CavZee]

Played through Thunder Force III the other night and had a lot of fun. It was a little rough at first but I got the hang of the levels and boss patterns pretty fast. How does Thunder Force IV compare? Figure I'll stick with some genesis shooters for now.

[brukner1129]

Possibly not the best starting point, but my first shmup was DonPachi. I didn't find it as hard as some of the later Cave shooters, and I thought it eased me into the genre nicely, but that's not to say it's not hard (in fact, the later stages are almost stupidly hard lol). I'd more recommend it as an entry to the bullet-hell subgenre than shmups as a whole.

As an entry to the genre in general, I'd add to the endorsement of Thunder Force V.

[Violent By Design]

What you guys think of R Type 3 for noobs? Once in a while I turn it on and play it some.

[CavZee]

What you guys think of R Type 3 for noobs? Once in a while I turn it on and play it some.

I remember having R-Type DX for the Gameboy years ago. 7 year old me could never get very far though. XD

[Metal Jesus]

If you have trouble with shmups with a standard controller, definitely check out some of the games on mobile devices, especially like the iPad. In my opinion, using your finger is way easier to fine control a ship than a thumbstick. Plus the games are often less than $5.

Raiden Legacy
Phoenix HD
Buster Red
Air Attack HD
Shogun HD
Bug Princess 2
Super Laser