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best consoles for shmups and must haves for those systems


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the only real connection Space Megaforce has to MUSHA is they were developed by Compile… Zanac, Power Strike, and Robo Aleste are some other shooters from Compile…

 

Also, despite some of their shmups being vastly different (for instance, MUSHA and Robo Aleste versus Power Strike or Super Aleste/Space Megaforce), certain elements tend to be consistent between titles, such as the power capsule canisters that you have to shoot in order to build up your stock weapon. Also, some music is reused as well (i.e., the title theme from the original Aleste is used in MUSHA).

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Space Megaforce, the best SNES game nobody played. :)

 

I played it back in the day! Not a lot, since it was a rental IIRC, but I remember being impressed.

 

Space Megaforce, Axelay, and Star Fox were the only SNES shooters/shmups I remember playing BITD. Kind of interesting that I didn't notice the shift at the time, since I'd played so many on NES, e.g. Life Force, Zanac, Gradius, Legendary Wings, Section Z, Abadox, Dragon Spirit, and so on.

 

...huh, actually, I just realized I've never actually beaten a shmup on SNES. Funny, that.

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I'm relatively new to shoot em ups. As a long time run and gun genre fan I thought moving to shoot em ups would be a nice transition.

I only have 4 consoles: NES, Genesis, SNES, and PS2. I'm liking the Genesis and the NES best and the SNES least. I only have Gradius III and Super R-Type on the SNES but the achilles heel that is the slow processor of the SNES really shows itself in those games.

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Yes, those two games (Gradius III and Super R-Type) have some of the worst slowdown I've ever seen on the SNES, and they're not very much fun besides! I almost wrote above that I felt sort of lucky that I didn't play those back in the day.

 

Space Megaforce is probably the best shmup I've played on the SNES, but another one I liked is Firepower 2000, also found on the Genesis as Mega SWIV (but it's region-locked to PAL). That one has a two-player simultaneous mode that's a lot of fun.

 

Still, fond though I am of the SNES, it's hard to deny that when it comes to shmups, the Genesis has it over the SNES bigtime.

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Space Megaforce, the best SNES game nobody played. :)

 

I played it back in the day! Not a lot, since it was a rental IIRC, but I remember being impressed.

 

Space Megaforce, Axelay, and Star Fox were the only SNES shooters/shmups I remember playing BITD. Kind of interesting that I didn't notice the shift at the time, since I'd played so many on NES, e.g. Life Force, Zanac, Gradius, Legendary Wings, Section Z, Abadox, Dragon Spirit, and so on.

 

...huh, actually, I just realized I've never actually beaten a shmup on SNES. Funny, that.

 

Yeah, I found it by accident at Blockbuster, took it home for a rental, not knowing what to expect. I was so impressed that it was even better than Axelay.

 

I was never a huge shooter person, but I did beat UN Squadron. (Beat Star Fox too, but that's not a 2D shooter, so I'm not counting it.)

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I'm relatively new to shoot em ups. As a long time run and gun genre fan I thought moving to shoot em ups would be a nice transition.

I only have 4 consoles: NES, Genesis, SNES, and PS2. I'm liking the Genesis and the NES best and the SNES least. I only have Gradius III and Super R-Type on the SNES but the achilles heel that is the slow processor of the SNES really shows itself in those games.

 

Yes, Gradius III and Super R-Type have a ton of slowdown, but they were still good games. And I found the slowdown in Gradius III most helpful! The trouble was they were launch titles and the programmers didn't know the system yet. Later titles like Axelay and Space Megaforce didn't have slowdown.

Edited by BillyHW
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Yes, Gradius III and Super R-Type have a ton of slowdown, but they were still good games. And I found the slowdown in Gradius III most helpful! The trouble was they were launch titles and the programmers didn't know the system yet. Later titles like Axelay and Space Megaforce didn't have slowdown.

 

You're right Super R-Type and Gradius III are good games but they aren't putting the SNES as the top of any "best console for shmups" lists. Later SNES games were also plagued with slow down too. Try NHL 97 on the SNES and then the Genesis. The SNES version is lacking frames of animation to keep up with the Genesis speed! Slow down and the SNES go together like bread and butter.

 

I'll look closer at Axelay and Space Megaforce. I've got Axelay on my list of games to buy but the Mode 7 is a big turn off for me. Also just glancing over eBay they seem to be fairly expensive. Especially Space Megaforge.

 

I still have to cite the Genesis or NES as better Shmup console.

Edited by genesisguy
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I don't really like Super R-Type and Gradius III at all. Actually, I liked the first parts of Gradius III despite the slowdown, but the game is practically ruined for me by what it does at the end of stage...4 or 5, I think? Fast, autoscrolling levels with forced dead ends that require memorization are a big pet peeve of mine.

 

Super R-Type, I just didn't think was very much fun at all. But in truth, I've never been that keen on the R-Type games; something about their mechanic seems geared to maximize frustration.

 

BTW, the game that's probably my favorite shmup on the Genesis isn't really a traditional one: Granada. Really fun game with great control and some interesting twists. I also like Wings of Wor, but Stage 5 (I think) has another one of my pet peeves: flashy backgrounds that get so distracting, they hurt my eyes and make it hard to track enemy shots.

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Radiant Silvergun on the Saturn (and now, XBOX Live Arcade). In my opinion anyway, of course. ;)

 

That's actually the game that got me back into playing SHMUPS and started my nearly uncontrollable obsession with them! I only bought it because I had heard so much good stuff about how it played and I had to try it for myself. I wasn't disappointed!

 

My latest addition is Eliminate Down for the Mega Drive. I'm very impressed with how well it plays, even if I still can't get very far.

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My latest addition is Eliminate Down for the Mega Drive. I'm very impressed with how well it plays, even if I still can't get very far.

 

That's one I've meant to put some real time into. I recall trying it via emulation and it was quite impressive. Time to pull it up on the EverDrive!..

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Yes, Gradius III and Super R-Type have a ton of slowdown, but they were still good games. And I found the slowdown in Gradius III most helpful! The trouble was they were launch titles and the programmers didn't know the system yet. Later titles like Axelay and Space Megaforce didn't have slowdown.

 

You're right Super R-Type and Gradius III are good games but they aren't putting the SNES as the top of any "best console for shmups" lists. Later SNES games were also plagued with slow down too. Try NHL 97 on the SNES and then the Genesis. The SNES version is lacking frames of animation to keep up with the Genesis speed! Slow down and the SNES go together like bread and butter.

 

I'll look closer at Axelay and Space Megaforce. I've got Axelay on my list of games to buy but the Mode 7 is a big turn off for me. Also just glancing over eBay they seem to be fairly expensive. Especially Space Megaforge.

 

I still have to cite the Genesis or NES as better Shmup console.

 

Now you're just being a hater. Mode 7 is awesome! Way better than Blast Processing. :P

 

EA always put their best people on the Sega sports games. Just like Capcom had their best people working on SNES. So games like NHL were always better on Genesis and, well, you know how SFII turned out. :)

 

NHL '94 on Genesis is the only hockey game anybody should be playing anyways.

 

SHMUPS? Does anyone remember when we just called them shooters?

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Now you're just being a hater. Mode 7 is awesome! Way better than Blast Processing. :P

 

EA always put their best people on the Sega sports games. Just like Capcom had their best people working on SNES. So games like NHL were always better on Genesis and, well, you know how SFII turned out. :)

 

NHL '94 on Genesis is the only hockey game anybody should be playing anyways.

 

SHMUPS? Does anyone remember when we just called them shooters?

 

I'm not a hater. I have a SNES too!

 

NHL '94 runs smoother on the Genesis. The character animations are missing frames in that year's SNES release as well. That had nothing to do with better programmers working on the specific title, but more to do with the limitations of the hardware.

 

Blast Processing was a marketing gimmick...a stupid one. Mode 7 was/is a real, now terribly dated looking graphical effect! Yuk! No thanks. :)

 

SFII SCE on the Genesis is essentially the same game as SFII Turbo. Arguably with the 6 Button Genesis controller you get a better gaming experience. How fun is SF2 with shoulder buttons and the SNES d-pad! :( I own both titles but usually grab the Genesis version just because I don't have to mess with that controller.

 

I remember when we called Contra style run and gun games "shooters" as well.

Edited by genesisguy
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SHMUPS? Does anyone remember when we just called them shooters?

 

I still, and will always refer to my favorite genre of video games as, shooters! all the better if it causes confusion to these modern games players who think a fps aka walk around and shoot sh*t is a 'shooter' :roll:

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Well, the Genesis *did* have a 32-bit CPU that ran twice as fast as the 16-bit CPU of the SNES. But with video hardware, arguably with sound hardware, the SNES crushed it. That said, with games, you really did have to have both to fully experience the era.

 

Woulda loved to see more games on both systems though, and I bet the Sonic games COULD work on SNES in theory.

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  • 9 years later...

As I huge fan and collector of Shmups my personal favorite console for shmups is the Sega Genesis. 

SEGA GENESIS 

M.U.S.H.A #1 

Gaiares #3 

Vapor Trail 

HellFire 

Truxton 

ThunderForce lll

Lightening Force (ThunderForce lV) #2 

Raiden Trad 


Turbo Grafx had a handful of solid shooters. The Super Nintendo had some okay ones. But they couldn’t compete with the Genesis when it came to Genesis. Super Nintendo was better at most everything else but Shmups was a specialty for the Genesis.  

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/27/2021 at 12:07 AM, Scuba said:

As I huge fan and collector of Shmups my personal favorite console for shmups is the Sega Genesis. 

SEGA GENESIS 

M.U.S.H.A #1 

Gaiares #3 

Vapor Trail 

HellFire 

Truxton 

ThunderForce lll

Lightening Force (ThunderForce lV) #2 

Raiden Trad 


Turbo Grafx had a handful of solid shooters. The Super Nintendo had some okay ones. But they couldn’t compete with the Genesis when it came to Genesis. Super Nintendo was better at most everything else but Shmups was a specialty for the Genesis.  

 

I'd say the Turbo definitely competes with the Genesis, though both are excellent.

 

Add to your list Bio Hazard Battle, Gleylancer, Eliminate Down, and not sure it should properly count but Twinkle Tale is a top 10 Genesis game for me.

 

For the Turbo, you got Dragon Spirit and Saber, Soldier Blade, Super Star Soldier, Gunhed, top notch home ports of Gradius 1 and 2, Gate of Thunder and Lords of Thunder, Super Raiden (> Raiden Trad by miles), Terraforming, Psycho Chaser, Galaga 88, and those are just the ones I can afford! There are a few others I never splurged on, but the system is definitely great for shooters.

 

I think I spent more time with Saturn's shooters, though. For me, the non-bullet hell Saturn shooters are the epitome of stg refinement, with great titles like Metal Black, Layer Section, Strikers 1945 II, Battle Garegga, Sonic Wings Special, and Soukyugurentai. If you're into bullet hells, a few more top notch titles open up.

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10 hours ago, Rhomaios said:

I'd say the Turbo definitely competes with the Genesis, though both are excellent.

 

Add to your list Bio Hazard Battle, Gleylancer, Eliminate Down, and not sure it should properly count but Twinkle Tale is a top 10 Genesis game for me.

 

For the Turbo, you got Dragon Spirit and Saber, Soldier Blade, Super Star Soldier, Gunhed, top notch home ports of Gradius 1 and 2, Gate of Thunder and Lords of Thunder, Super Raiden (> Raiden Trad by miles), Terraforming, Psycho Chaser, Galaga 88, and those are just the ones I can afford! There are a few others I never splurged on, but the system is definitely great for shooters.

 

I think I spent more time with Saturn's shooters, though. For me, the non-bullet hell Saturn shooters are the epitome of stg refinement, with great titles like Metal Black, Layer Section, Strikers 1945 II, Battle Garegga, Sonic Wings Special, and Soukyugurentai. If you're into bullet hells, a few more top notch titles open up.

Cyber Core is another good one on the PC Engine and cheap too...

I also really want Terra Cresta II on the same system but its stupidly expensive.

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