Let's talk about shoot-em-ups.

I think that's probably also why there's such an obeyance of the "don't post the endings" request. Guy only makes one rule, and it's not even a restrictive one? Guy's gonna get that one rule obeyed. Kinda clever, since anyone who likes the plot more than the gameplay is forced to consider buying anyways—and yes, his creative vision is protected from people knowing the ending before getting there.

I kind of think shmups are becoming an outmoded genre, since they tend to be shorter and don't really have very deep gameplay. It's kind of a shame, I really like these games.

Please look at the likes of Stella Vanity, ANY CAVE shooter, and particularly Hellsinker, which has numerous mechanics that are not exactly easy to figure out (one of which is tied to The Shrine of Farewell)

Ooh. Also, replay value for the rote memorizers.

A shmup I liked for N64 was Star Soldier 64, if anyone played that.

edited 10th Jun '09 2:13:32 PM by Zephid

I'm probably the only shoot-em-up fan who thinks RayStorm is better than RayForce.

The only shmup I played for more than a few minutes was the more advanced version of Galaga in the Namco collection for the Gamecube.

If 'deep gameplay' means stuff like customization, dialog trees, open ended gameplay and multiple strategies for every situation then yes, shmups have shallow gameplay.

However, twitch gaming, memorization and technique whoring are still popular especially in Japan where the biggest shmup makers are. I'd say that if anything the genre will survive indefinitely in Japan even if it dies everywhere else.

If 'deep gameplay' means stuff like customization, dialog trees, open ended gameplay and multiple strategies for every situation then yes, shmups have shallow gameplay.

I never got the whole "Depth = Lot of useless crap" mentality. Sure, World of Warcraft may have hundred of weapons, clothes and such bell and whistles, but in the end, you're still clicking on a 3d model repeatedly until it dies.

Anyway, anyone here played Cho Ren Sha 68K? It was a vertical shmup released sometimes early in the life of the Sharp x68000 computer, one the guy behind it made it Freeware and developed a PC port which can be downloaded here, along with a rom of the x68000 original.

edited 10th Jun '09 4:46:00 PM by Someguy

That looks really fun and at just the right difficulty level for me.

@Some Guy: It's assimilation of 'Western RPG' elements, I guess. Western players want more things to do while Asian players tend to focus on how well they can do the same handful of things. A Western player wants 100 different bosses while an Asian player will want 100 ways to defeat the same boss. It's a different perception of what's 'fun'.

edited 10th Jun '09 4:57:48 PM by Recon5

I thought it was the reverse. Only reason I can think of for the obsessive levels of tournament play for fighting games over here.

@Some Guy: It's assimilation of 'Western RPG' elements, I guess. Western players want more things to do while Asian players tend to focus on how well they can do the same handful of things. A Western player wants 100 different bosses while an Asian player will want 100 ways to defeat the same boss. It's a different perception of what's 'fun'.

That reminds me of a quote on another forum I lurk on.

As I've said elsewhere (this applies mainly to the differences between JRP Gs and CRP Gs), consider playing a game to be a walk through a garden where you're the visitor and the developer is the caretaker. In a JP game, you're confined to one path (or a very few paths) but that path is adorned with many beautiful flowers that make your entire experience from entrance to exit a memorable one.

In a US game, you're given the whole garden to roam around and explore as you will, with many exits to choose from. Since you could be anywhere, the caretaker can't spend as many resources preparing any single path to look as wonderful as in a JP game. But the freedom of wandering around the garden at your own leisure and choice is an exhilarating experience. And that's why after playing some JRP Gs, I certainly find it refreshing to assume a more "role-playing" role in a CRPG.

It only talks about RPGS, but that can be applied to most video game genres, actually.

edited 10th Jun '09 5:11:05 PM by Someguy

@Charlatan: Competitive gaming just doesn't have as much of a profile in the West as it has in Asia. I won't make judgments about the skill level of the players or their dedication but I have to say that it's easier to make money off gaming (not game reviewing or game production) in Asia than it is in the West.

Especially in Korea, the Star Craft hub of the world. There's a reason why SC 2 was demonstrated there first.

Also, gold comes from China. 'nuff said.

edited 10th Jun '09 6:10:12 PM by Recon5

I still can't get over the proof that there really is a Darius boss called "My Home Daddy." XD

Seriously?

Wow.

My day has been MADE. Thanks, Ray. XD

I've seen the video, and I still don't know what to make of it.

Bah, as far as Darius go, "Fatty Gluton" is a better name.

double post, please delete.

edited 11th Jun '09 5:36:42 PM by Someguy

Speaking of Fatty Glutton, he can go die for depleting all of my lives.

He's hard, but there's a tactic to beat him. If you have managed to get the 2-way missiles, you can try to go under him and bombard him with missiles before he can shoot any of his clones.

After playing Strikers 1945 for a while, I've come to the conclusion that a better fitting name would be:

Strikers 1945: Yes, that WWII-era weapon is going to turn into a robot in the end.

Still listening to shmup music. Currently, Gradius Gaiden's stage 8 part 3 music.

Strikers 1945: Yes, that WWII-era weapon is going to turn into a robot in the end.

That's half the fun. I'd like to see a spinoff where you can set a zeppelin robot against a train robot.

I'd like to see a spinoff where you can set a zeppelin robot against a train robot.

Unfortunately, the company behind Strikers 1945 (Psykio) went bankrupt quite a long time ago.

I think Strikers 1945+ is the best game in the series.

edited 14th Jun '09 4:37:36 AM by Someguy

Anyone here play/enjoy Raptor:Call of The Shadows?

some of my fondest childhood memories consist of playing this game. Hell, I still like it since it doesn't take the single hitpoint approach. (Health bar + one life = way more tolerable than 1 hit + many lives, in my opinion)

by all means, it's not the #1 greatest, but for a decade-old game, it manages to hold up pretty well.

I'm going to hope my cousin, who has a lot of pirated shmups, has Thunder Force VI. I really wanna play it again.