SNES shmups - weird feel

[marurun]

So, I'm a shmup fan through and through, and for some reason I don't like many SNES shmups, even those in established series. I like U.N. Squadron, Super R-Type, and Super EDF, but I have no love for Axelay, Gradius III (the slowdown just kills it for me), Darius Twin, Super Nova, etc... Even Super Mega Force, which is kind of a spiritual sequel to Blazing Lazers/Gunhed, one of my favorite shooters, doesn't do anything for me.

I don't know if it is the bizarre SNES reverb/echo that taints so much of the audio, the fact that it took programmers a year at least to get their head around collision routines that didn't drag down the entire system, or the fact that despite how many sprites the system can put on a screen it still has a pretty low per-line limit.

I preferred the PCE Gradius titles to those on the SNES. I preferred the PCE Darius titles to those on the SNES (haven't played them on the Genny). I preferred Gunhed to Super Aleste. Why does the SNES fail for me at shooters? Seems I like SNES platformers and open world games best. Shooters? Worst of the 3 16-bit systems, IMO, and not for any good technical reasons as far as I can tell. OK, technical reasons play into it, but there are no technical reasons that can't be overcome.

Yeah, I know, this post is pretty down on the SNES. It's a system I have a very mixed relationship with. But shooters are a genre I put a premium on.

[AppleQueso]

I actually really enjoy Darius Twin and Gradius III, but I'm really not much of a shmup aficionado.

[brunoafh]

I feel the exact same way, marurun. I can't really put my finger on it, and I'm not so sure it's the SNES itself's fault, but the shooter library is pretty dismal. I've played most of the major players on the platform and the only one I like or would go back to is Super Aleste.

Comparing it to it's contemporaries makes it's deficient shmup library stand out even more, as the Genesis/MD and the PC Engine are some of the best shmup platforms ever.

[Gunstar Green]

I enjoy a few shmups on the SNES, specifically Axelay, Space Mega Force/Super Aleste and R-Type III. I also really like Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie.

For the most part though it's really not the strongest genre on the console. Part of the reason is because the SNES really isn't built for that kind of game and the bigger part of the reason is because by the time the SNES came out the genre was starting to fall into decline, especially in the west which makes sense when you realize a lot of the best Mega Drive and PC Engine shmups came out before the SNES was around.

[o.pwuaioc]

the bigger part of the reason is because by the time the SNES came out the genre was starting to fall into decline, especially in the west which makes sense when you realize a lot of the best Mega Drive and PC Engine shmups came out before the SNES was around.

This is pretty accurate. We should remember that the SNES came out two years after the Mega Drive and three after the PC Engine. SNES is superb when it comes to platformers and RPGs, which is why it killed the MD and PCE in the market.

[brunoafh]

by the time the SNES came out the genre was starting to fall into decline

I don't think that quite explains it, there are consoles that came out well after the SNES that have very impressive and large shmup libraries.

[o.pwuaioc]

by the time the SNES came out the genre was starting to fall into decline

I don't think that quite explains it, there are consoles that came out well after the SNES that have very impressive and large shmup libraries.

That were released in the US and EU?

[marurun]

by the time the SNES came out the genre was starting to fall into decline

I don't think that quite explains it, there are consoles that came out well after the SNES that have very impressive and large shmup libraries.

Well, I do agree that the shmup genre was in slow decline in the US and RPGs were on the rise, but even by the end of the SNES's life RPGs still weren't big sellers in the US like they were in Japan. Sports games and platformers were really the US meat and potatoes when it came to the consoles. Also, the rise of the fighter. RPG dominance genre dominance in the west didn't really occur until all the hype around Final Fantasy VII, and even then some of the popularity of that title has been attributed to misleading advertising (people thought the game would have more action in it based on the ads).

So yes, I think that decline did affect decisions to make shooters on the SNES, but I think design decisions and programming tool sets also influenced those decisions, not to mention the massive rise of games like Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat.

[ExedExes]

I don't like many SNES shmups, even those in established series. Worst of the 3 16-bit systems, IMO

the shooter library is pretty dismal

For the most part though it's really not the strongest genre on the console

Well that's just like, your opinions men
*calmly and rationally walks past this thread*

[marurun]

Well that's just like, your opinions men
*calmly and rationally walks past this thread*

heh heh... You'll get no argument with me on that point : )