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Joined: Jun 20 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 408

I'm quite obsessed with shmups and i thought i should list them and see how many I've got..it's 89. If anyone has any recommendations for quality ''shmups'' on either of these consoles, it'd be appreciated. Or just post your own collection. Oh, and I recommend every game you see here.

Arcade

1942
1941: Counter Attack
1944: The Loop Master
19XX: The War Against Destiny
Air Gallet
Armed Police Batrider
Change Airblade
Defender
Donpachi
DoDonpachi
ESP Ra.De.
Exzisus
Gemini Wing
Gunbird 2
Guwange
In The Hunt
Insector X
Macross Plus
Mars Matrix: Hyper Solid Shooting
Ordyne
R-Type LEO
Star Force
Tengai/Sengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode 2
Terra Force
Thunder Cross II
Salamander
Parodius
Gunlock
Darius
Mazinger Z

Atari ST

Xenon
Netherworld

GBA

Galaga
Galaxian

SNES

Gradius III
Darius Twin
Gokujou Parodius
Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius
Axelay
Pocky and Rocky
R-Type III
Super R-Type
Super Aleste
Firepower 2000

PC ENGINE

R-Type
Air Zonk
Final Soldier
Blazing Lazers
Soldier Blade
Galaga '88
Super Star Soldier

NES

1943
Zanac
Gradius
Guardian Legend
Gyruss
Legendary Wings
Lifeforce
S.C.A.T !! Laughing

Section Z
Silver Surfer
Abadox
Stinger
Adventures of Dino Riki

MEGADRIVE/GENESIS

Darius II
M.U.S.H.A
Thunder Force III
Thunder Force IV
Sub Terania

PSX

R-Types
Asteroids
Einhander
G-Darius
Harmful Park
The Raiden Project
R-Type Delta
Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus
Thunder Force V
Gekioh - Shooting King
Gradius Deluxe Pack
Gradius Gaiden
Raycrisis
Raystorm
Zanac X Zanac
Night Raid
Sexy Parodius
Mobile Light Force
Cotton

Posted: Mar 30 2010 09:55 am

NES:
Abadox
Zombie Nation

Sega Genesis:
Zero Wing

Atari 2600:
River Raid

Arcade:
Time Pilot '84
Strikers 1945 II
U.N. Defense Force: Earth Joker
Varia Metal
Gunbird

Also, Guardian Legend isn't a shmup.

Posted: Mar 30 2010 10:40 am

NES:
Zanac
Starship Hector
Xevious

Joined: Jun 20 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 408

Thx for correcting that. I'm such an eejit sometimes!

I suppose if i don't count sigma star saga, i can't count TGL.

Posted: Mar 30 2010 12:28 pm

Robotron could be considered Shmup, right?

Posted: Mar 30 2010 01:07 pm

Absolutely not. Games like Robotron and Berzerk are more like early run and gun games.

I'd be very hesitant to call Asteroids a shmup as well.

I was debating whether games like Galaga, and by extension, Space Invaders, could be considered shmups. Galaga, while not technically a vertical sidescroller, does have a vertically scrolling background and features - and possibly pioneered - some of the enemy movement patterns that would become commonplace in the shmup genre.

Joined: Jun 20 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 408

Andrew Man wrote:

Robotron could be considered Shmup, right?

I was thinking that, and also maybe smash tv but i think Syd's right. I'd definitely class galaga, asteroids and space invaders as shoot'em ups though, although I've heard them be referred to as gallery shooters.

Posted: Mar 30 2010 01:30 pm

Space Invaders I've heard referred to a "fixed shooter" which I assume is the same basic description as a gallery shooter. But it was a definite influence on the shmup genre. Shmups basically came to existence through the following design philosophy: "The kids love Space Invaders. How can we make Space Invaders more intense, more colorful, and something we can copyright?"

Asteroids is harder to justify as a shmup. Asteroids demonstrates, to a certain extent, the bullet hell concept that would come to dominate shmups in the mid-to-late 1990s. However, that is where the similarities end. The basic gameplay mechanices of early shmups were:

1. tight control of your ship/vehicle/avatar
2. single-direction shooting (unless you got some really cool power-up)

Asteroids is quite the opposite. You get 360 degree shooting and a ship that moves poorly. In a shmup, you are always dodging and shooting. In Asteroids, the goal is shoot, shoot, shoot, and dodge/move only when completely necessary.

Joined: Jun 20 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 408

^ I've never looked at them in that way, it's quite interesting. I just classed anything that involves a flying object that shoots stuff as a shoot'em up.

The ship in Asteroids reminds me of a shopping trolley full of food. Once it's on the move you really have to strain to stop the bastard thing!

Posted: Mar 30 2010 01:39 pm

I can't call any shooter that imposes momentum a shmup.

Joined: May 05 2007 Posts: 40

Well arcording to wiki Shoot 'em up is a umbrella term so yes all those games would fall in there own category of Shoot 'em up. Just as alot of music could be described as alternative.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoot_%27em_up#Types

Joined: Jun 20 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 408

This is an interesting one that i really enjoy playing

Posted: Mar 30 2010 02:10 pm

Great post, this is exactly what I've been looking for. I have also recently been on a Gradius, R-type, Darius binge so I could always use a little more shooters.

I have been looking everywhere for Gradius 5, but no luck yet. Any other recommendations for PS2 shooters?

Joined: Jun 20 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 408

TopShelf wrote:

Great post, this is exactly what I've been looking for. I have also recently been on a Gradius, R-type, Darius binge so I could always use a little more shooters.

I have been looking everywhere for Gradius 5, but no luck yet. Any other recommendations for PS2 shooters?

R- Type: Final
Gunbird: special edition
Tengai
Gradius III & IV -same disc

Posted: Mar 30 2010 02:54 pm

hobojoe44 wrote:

Well arcording to wiki Shoot 'em up is a umbrella term so yes all those games would fall in there own category of Shoot 'em up. Just as alot of music could be described as alternative.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoot_%27em_up#Types

Exactly, I was under the Impression that "Run and Gun" games could be considered Shmups. Contra would be there as well then (and about a million other games).

Posted: Mar 30 2010 02:56 pm

Run and Gun games are NOT shmups.

As many so-called "Alternative" artists will tell you, there's no such thing as Alternative.

Posted: Mar 30 2010 05:18 pm

With the "TGL" code Guardian Legend could be considered. Plus Mobile Light Force for PSX.

Joined: Mar 13 2009 Location: Arlington Posts: 467

Solaris for the Atari 2600? One of the only Atari games I can still go back and play.

Posted: Mar 30 2010 06:12 pm

Ikaruga

2011 SNES Champ Joined: Dec 04 2006 Posts: 1929

Touhou, if you can stand the weirdness.

Joined: Jun 20 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 408

Thx to everyone so far. Especially Douche for mentioning the TGL code of which i was unaware.

Posted: Mar 30 2010 08:06 pm

sidewaydriver wrote:

Ikaruga

Radiant Silvergun.

Posted: Mar 30 2010 08:12 pm

Dynamite Headdy.

Posted: Mar 30 2010 08:24 pm

Ba'al wrote:

Dynamite Headdy.

Dynamite Headdy is damn platformer! Having one or two shmup-style levels doesn't make the entire game a shmup!

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

Defender for Atari 2600 is one I definitely owned, I'm not positive if it qualifies as a Shmup or not. Also, the only other ones I cared about were Abadox on NES and Darius Twin and Super R-Type for the SNES.