Bullet Hell

[tmc]

I'm just starting to discover Japanese bullet hell games and needed a bit of schooling!

Could someone recommend to me please the best bullet hell game that i could get to grips with on a how pc through emulation, homebrew or whatever?

Also, what is considered a) the hardest b) the best and c) the most hardcore bullet hell game of all time?

thanks.

[Diosoth]

Youtube would probably be the best source. Just search "bullet hell".

Alternately, if you want to "turn the tides", Czech developer Rake In Grass made Jets N Guns, (http://jng.rakeingrass.com/) which pretty much throws out the conventional SHMUP rules. You have a health meter and can buy all kinds of weapons. There's something to be said when YOU are the "bullet hell" ship and not the enemy. Right now I've bought 28 gatling guns(four seven-barreled monstrosities) and a four-beam laser emitter just for the front of the ship.

[Iron Draggon]

http://shootthecore.moonpod.com/

[Tupin]

One of my personal favorites is Recca, the only bullet hell on the NES/Famicom.

[klausien]

In terms of free, Kenta Cho on the PC simply wins. He is the man. Get Blast Works on Wii to get a nice smattering of his software for play in the living room.

In terms of older games, the Zanac/Aleste series in the 8-bit age was a joy. Anyone who craps on Compile for their easier, more accessible fare like Blazing Lazers & the MUSHA Aleste games, needs to go play Zanac again and get back to me. It's devious. The ultimate way to get a taste of these games is probably by tracking down the simply amazing, though sadly expensive, ZanacXZanac on the import PSOne. It has 3 different versions of the original Zanac & the absolutely incredible Zanac Neo. Zanac and Gun Nac on the NES are other alternatives (GunNac is quite possibly the the best vert on the system, though Recca is more impressive graphically). These aren't bullet hell in a modern sense, but the speed and amount of sprites makes them feel like precursors.

DoDonPachi is the best bullet hell shmup imho. It's quite old now, but it's perfect. It's prequel is also a blast. MAME and Final Burn XXX for PC & XBox run most of the great early Cave games pretty well. If you can play import PS2 games, DoDonPachi DaiOuJou is simply devastating, while I find the much maligned port of Mushihimesama to be an absolute joy to credit feed for a fix. Love the soundtrack on that one.

I also love Batsugun. It is the last Toaplan shmup made before some of their best and brightest left to form Cave. Your weapons level up as you play, which results in some gorgeous sprays of sprites. The Sega Saturn is really the only way to play it outside of a PCB, as I don't believe it has sound in MAME.

Takumi (the ACE Mars Matrix and polarizing GigaWing series), Psikyo (Gunbird, Strikers 1945 series, etc.), Raizing (Soukygurental on Saturn, Armed Police Batrider, Battle Bakraid, Battle Garegga) are the rest of the cream of the crop of the manic developers. Success has also continued to produce shmups, though I am not a huge fan of Shikigami or Psyvariar.

A favorite genre of mine (most obviously).

[CosmicMonkey]

Start with DonPachi and DoDonPachi. If you don't want to kill yourself/other people/break things after playing them, start to explore the rest of the series and Cave's other games.

Oh, and Batrider is indeed totally awesome.

[mrmark0673]

Start with DonPachi and DoDonPachi. If you don't want to kill yourself/other people/break things after playing them, start to explore the rest of the series and Cave's other games.

What he said. First game that came to mind was DoDonPachi, but you can't go wrong with anything Cave. If you're looking to go the PCB route though, you'd better have deep pockets as these boards aren't cheap.

Edit: If you have a Dreamcast, you could pick up Gunbird 2. My brother has been playing that to death lately, really fun shmup.

[Draven]

At the risk of sounding like an idiot (or at the very least, a major noob), what exactly is Bullet Hell? Sounds like something I'd be into. Especially considering your guys' enthusiasm for it. Is it just a foreign shoot 'em up? (I've never played an import).

[Ed Oscuro]

In terms of free, Kenta Cho on the PC simply wins.
I think you meant Cho Ren Sha 68K, didn't you?

Oh well.

Er, anyway, PSIKYO PSIKYO PSIKYO

Strikers 1945 series and
Mars Matrix (woops Takumi)
and
Gunbird 2 and Dragon Blaze!

The hours of excellent gaming are at hand!

In other news, I don't play these much. But if you like the waves of purple and pink, well, there ya go.

MAME on those.


At the risk of sounding like an idiot (or at the very least, a major noob), what exactly is Bullet Hell? Sounds like something I'd be into. Especially considering your guys' enthusiasm for it. Is it just a foreign shoot 'em up? (I've never played an import).
Look up "Itano Circus," and imagine that with little round dots instead of awesome missiles with trails. It's basically a type of new-fangle rhythm game testing your joystick waggling skills!

p.s. This is not bullet hell, although it tries to be. This is more like bullet comedy. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxTGXGuyA2Q&feature=related)

p.p.s. To answer the question finally, This is bullet hell. Some of you have seen this video before, since I linked this guy! It's bullet hell baybee! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRhFYV4-pBQ&feature=related)

[Xexyz]

Also, what is considered a) the hardest b) the best and c) the most hardcore bullet hell game of all time?

thanks.

The answer to this question usually comes down to a Cave title, and the answer is usually one shmup for all three categories. Cave fans seem to be split 50/50 on this issue, half siding with DoDonPachi: Daioujou, and the rest siding with Ketsui.

[Sonicwolf]

Im fuzzy on this whole Bullet Hell thing. Any personal elaboration without relying on google availiable? Is it a game in which its just one big blurred mess of bullet spam all the way through or what?

[Diosoth]

Im fuzzy on this whole Bullet Hell thing. Any personal elaboration without relying on google availiable? Is it a game in which its just one big blurred mess of bullet spam all the way through or what?

Basically, yes. Especially later boss battles which often require a degree of patience and attention to wiggle through.

An example from a Japanese SHMUP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q29LTTo5jLE

Jets N Guns. Not the BEST guns you can get but it shows an example of oyur ship laying out ammo from every angle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-8B-JalF_w

[Sonicwolf]

Looks fun yet frustratingly impossible.

[ryborg]

This video is still my favorite. You're going to want to turn up your speakers for this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nscP9QpXoFM