Your favourite shmup

[XanderBoy]

I recently got back into Ikaruga for GC, which is probably my favourite shmup.

I really enjoy Ikaruga, and I want to try and increase exposure to some other shooters. There are a few of Dreamcast shmups which never saw ports to other consoles which look really interesting, particularly Bangai-O and Mars Matrix.  It may be time for me to replace my Dreamcast which lasted 6 or so months when I bought it brand new back in 2000.  In any case, I'm wondering what shmups you guys prefer the most, regardless of which system.

[satoshi_matrix]

Oh boy, I have so many...but I'd say the one I most recently like is Shikigami no Shiro 2. Its on Dreamcast, PS2 and Xbox, but since I like the Xbox the best, I play the Xbox version. The only version released stateside is the PS2 one, renamed Castle of Shikigami 2. Be warned though: the dubbing of it is atrocious.

[sheep2001]

There will always be a place in my heart for the arcade versions of Nemesis/Gradius/R-Type, but i think the home version i have played most is probably Thunderforce IV on megadrive - i was literally blown away by the graphics and speed when it first came out.  Not played it for a while now though.

[Grumbleduke]

Under Defeat on DC, Millipede (Live Arcade now but mostly 2600), Thunder Force 4 (same as sheep), Parodius and In the Hunt (Saturn), R-Type (all versions). But the most played ever i think would be Phoenix, lost fortunes in arcades playing it !!

[KaiserWAVE]

Thunder Force is great, I prefer Thunder Force III though. Gleylancer on Mega Drive is another great game. My favourite Shmup would be Space Megaforce on the SNES. I remember how I was absolutely blown away by the game and still play it from time to time.

Unfortunately I also tend to like the Shmups that are pretty hard. I love Viewpoint, Last Resort and Blazing Star on the Neo Geo and Saint Dragon on the PC Engine/Turbo Grafx 16 (I played the Amiga version though) but I wasn't able to beat any of them That skull boss in Viewpoint still makes me wake up at night and cry

[sheep2001]

Not heard of Space Megaforce - i'll have to put that on my shopping list 

Grum - with Phoenix, i put so much money in that and Gorf - awesome games!!!  Ah - the memories................

[KaiserWAVE]

Space Megaforce is known as Super Aleste in Europe. But it's pretty rare so your best bet would be to look for the US version which is a bit more common and cheaper.

[csvo2000]

Here are some of the ones that I enjoy playing. (not a complete list)

Genesis
Thunderforce II
Thunderforce III
Gaiares
M.U.S.H.A

Turbo Duo
Gate of Thunder

SNES
Axelay

PS1
Einhander

[satoshi_matrix]

Here are some of my favorites:

NES/Famicom:
Gun-Nac
Life Force
Summer Carnival '92: Recca
 

Genesis:
Thunder Force II
Zero Wing

SNES:
Earth Defense Force
R-Type III The Third Lightening
all three Parodius titles

TurboGrfx/PCE and CD
Gradius 1 (simply the best version)
Gradius II (CD and ditto)
Zero Wing (CD)


PS1/SAT:
Sexy Parodius

GC:
Ikaruga
Radio Allergy (unreleased but there are ways of getting it...)

PS2:
Gradius V
Thunder Force VI
R-Type Final

Xbox:
Shikigami no Shiro
Shikigami no Shiro II

Wii:
Shikigami no Shiro III



Blah, thats all I can think of right now. For the best, check out Gun Nac, any Parodius and the win that is Shikigami no Shiro.

[sheep2001]

can anyone tell me if Mobile Light Force is the same as Shikigami No Shiro?

[6521ordnut]

sheep:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Light_Force

Number two is, number one was not.

I have always loved shmups, but suck bad at them. Life Force was the one that got me hooked, so it will always be my number one favorite.

[sheep2001]

thanks - looks like they removed alot - i'll grab the JP versions.

[XanderBoy]

It's cool to see that a lot of people still enjoy this genre around here.  Thunderforce and Gradius seem to be the most liked.  I'll have to look into these.  It also looks like I really need to get a Dreamcast again.

[satoshi_matrix]

Yes, import both games. Keep in mind that Shikigami no Shiro 1 is a much shorter game than Shikigami no Shiro 2. I recommend picking up the japanese copies of course, but if you can find it do check out the American version of 2, "Castle of Shikigami 2" for PS2. Its subpar translation is great as a drinking game; everytime a character says something that MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE, take a sip. You'll be drunk by the second stage!

[XanderBoy]

Yes, import both games. Keep in mind that Shikigami no Shiro 1 is a much shorter game than Shikigami no Shiro 2. I recommend picking up the japanese copies of course, but if you can find it do check out the American version of 2, "Castle of Shikigami 2" for PS2. Its subpar translation is great as a drinking game; everytime a character says something that MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE, take a sip. You'll be drunk by the second stage!

haha, good thing plot doesn't matter in a shmup I guess.

Is the Wii Castle of Shikigami just as good as the others and can you use a GC controller?  I'm going to be getting a gamecube sanwa arcade stick, and it would be awesome to use.