Best overhead shooter to date, classic shooters...

[cr0n0]

What overhead shooting game do you think is the best you have played to date? Also, which do you consider a classic? By this I mean what game brings back memories but isn't really consider the best by you.

My vote goes to Raiden 2. I still play it from time to time and the graphics blow my mind. The details that were put into it are great. I still haven't beat it!! ARRGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!


My classic vote would go to Zanac for the NES. That game WAS HARD!! The coolest part for me was the day I found out you can alternate ships and I wasn't stuck playing with the one the game starts you off with.

[Cauterize]

one of these, imo!

Armed Police Batrider (Arcade)
Aero Fighters 2 (Neo Geo)
Ikaruga

[bargora]

Answer? I don't know. But I do like a bunch of 'em. And here's a topic where we've chewed over the best of both horizontal and vertical shmups:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1714

EDIT: I really like Galactic Attack. It's not flashy or manic, but it gets my job done. Gunbird, also. Maybe I just like 'em because they don't try to intimidate you on the very first stinkin' level.

[max 330 mega]

my favorite ever is strikers 1945 II. i have played that game a million times and im still not tired of it.

[Jorpho]

Warning Forever? TUMIKI Fighters?

[EnemyZero]

im partial to Zero Gunner 2 on DC

[vintagegamecrazy]

19XX Arcade
Mars Matrix Dreamcast
Ikaruga Gamecube

[klausien]

My two personal favorites are DoDonPachi and Radiant Silvergun. Two games different enough to tie in my book.

[GobopopRevisited]

DoDonPachi for its non-stop combo racker-upper Point / Level system. Dimahoo for its style and theme. Ikaruga (GameCube) but I can't quiteput my finger on why I do...

[howdoin]

Axelay brings back the sweetest memories.

Followed by 1942.

As for the best... Ikaruga and Striker 1945 are on my top list.

[cr0n0]

Thanks for the heads up on that forum BARGORA, I found many games I was not even aware of. That list however tends to cover the whole shooter genre whereas I am trying to narrow it down a bit more. After reading that forum I suddenly feel the urge to play Radiant Silvergun...can anyone here spare 175+ bucks??? :D

[Ed Oscuro]

Just a chime-in here...while Armed Police Batrider is a GREAT game, and one of the best I'd ever played when I first tried it out, it's really nothing compared to a lot of other shooters (i.e. various entries in the 19-- series). Or so I recall. I'll have to try that one out again. And yeah, Axelay has to be one of these shooters, despite being a SNES title the Mode 7 does a lot for it that many arcade shooters never bothered with.

[Graham Mitchell]

Honestly, 1943 for the NES is one of my favorites. It has rather detailed graphics, REALLY good music, and you can power up the statistics of your plane (RPG-style) as the game progresses. A thinking man's shooter, I guess.

Also, the shooting sequences in the Guardian Legend on the NES are all incredible (a Compile game like Zanac), and are interspersed with Zelda-ish exploration.

I've also got a special love for any version of Legendary Wings.

[Avatard]

Super Smash TV is just mindless fun. And why hasn't anyone here mentioned Berserk for Atari? That was really cool.

I also enjoyed, umm, I think it was called Silent Death. It was an AOL featured online game back in the mid 90s. And overhead space shooter where you got credits and upgraded your ship, tons of fun. Does anyone know if it still exists around?

[Melf]

Radiant Silvergun and M.U.S.H.A.

[josekortez]

Slightly off-topic, I saw a Raiden DX arcade cab in my local laundromat yesterday. If I hadn't been so broke and ran out of quarters after drying my clothes, I would have given it a try. It looked pretty good, considering you don't find a lot of (a) coin-ops around here or (b) shmup coin-ops around here.

Oh, yeah, I forgot about the favorites:

Giga Wing DC
Mars Matrix DC

[rbudrick]

ChoAniki Great Brother LOL
-Rob

[ubersaurus]

Soukyugurentai is the best overhead I've ever played. Fantastic game.

Also of note are Zanac, Galactic Attack/Layer Section, and MUSHA.

[jslithy]

My classic vote would go to Zanac for the NES. That game WAS HARD!!

It's actually pretty easy if you get the right powerups (a fully powered 7 will cut through anything). Also, the game gives you way too many extra ships; I usually have a few dozen to spare when I get to the last three levels.

Anyway, my favorite shooters are:

Soukyugurentai
Zero Gunner
Zanac
Ikaruga
Radiant Silvergun
DoDonPachi

[Leo_A]

River Raid

[Ninja Blacksox]

The one and only "Satan's Hollow."

My absolute favorite.

-A Boy

[it290]

I prefer Donpachi to anything else. Yes, I like it more than Dodonpachi... I think it's because there's less emphasis on chaining and more on blowing stuff up.

[Psycho Mantis]

ikaruga.

[Negative FX]

I agree with a lot of people here...I think Ikaruga is one of the best shooters.

[ubersaurus]

I must be in the minority, since I didn't like Ikaruga. I don't know what it was about that game, but I felt it was really freakin boring, and after a few days since buying it, I've barely played it. It just seemed like less a shooter, and more of a puzzle game, like "ok, I should be black for this part, white here, etc. etc.", not very fun to me.

[it290]

Yeah, playing Ikaruga for score is pretty much just a matter of memorizing what you need to do and having the reflexes to pull it off. It's not very 'open', unless you just play for survival, in which case it does become more fun, IMHO.

[whoisKeel]

Ikaruga is very score based. There's just no such thing as a perfect play, you can ALWAYS increase your score...10 years from now people will be breaking old high scores...that's the appeal...and that's treasure for you.

I'm partial to Mars Matrix myself (see avatar). I find the chaining a bit more exciting as it is based on time.

But to answer your question, there is no BEST vert shooter to date, it is all about taste. Find one you love and play the hell out of it. I hate to endorse emulation, but it is a great way to find your game, as shmups are freaking expensive as all hell. Fire up mame32, sort by genre -> shooter.v When you've found the one you're looking for, shell out the cash for the real deal.

Here's some popular ones tho:
DoDonPachi
Strikers (series)
Radiant Silvergun (~$200)
Ikaruga
Mars Matrix
1940's (series)
Raiden (series)

You should try out Blazing Lazers for turbografx (or Gunhed for PCengine). a really fun older vert...and cheap too.

[Aussie2B]

ChoAniki Great Brother LOL
-Rob

Say what you will, but the Choaniki games are actually very fun shooters. ;) And aren't all of them horizontal anyway? o_O

My favorite vertical shooters are Pop'n TwinBee and Dragon Spirit. I guess I just dig shooters with two different layers of enemies so you have to worry about land enemies and flying enemies at the same time. I can't really pick a shooter that's most nostalgic to me since I never really played shooters until my late teens.

[cr0n0]

I keep reading Ikaruga for GCis awesome. I have the DC version, are there any significant differences between the two?? I have seen the GC one real cheap (12 dollars) on a nearby Gamestop so if it's worth it I might buy it.

[banski83]

Doesn't anybody remember Silkworm/SWIV? I had it on Amiga 500, me and my sister used to play 2 player on it, was a brilliant game, pretty good graphics, loads of cool explosion sounds, and I found it hard as hell, but with that one-more-go appeal I find so rare these days.

Used to prefer being the helicopter, rather than the jeep/speedboat vehicle!

Plus, Zero Gunner 2 is a good game too!

[it290]

I keep reading Ikaruga for GCis awesome. I have the DC version, are there any significant differences between the two?? I have seen the GC one real cheap (12 dollars) on a nearby Gamestop so if it's worth it I might buy it.


Well, for $12 you might as well get it. There are a couple of extra features, such as a new training mode. However, they cut out some storyline bits for the US release (which doesn't matter much to me, but some got upset about it). I hear the GC version has some weird glitches as well, although I haven't encountered any. The DC release is still the better of the two IMO, especially since you can play it on a VGA monitor in TATE more easily, but for $12 it couldn't hurt. The GC release is borderline common, but it'll most likely go up in value over time anyway.

[fishsandwich]

There are so many... the one that comes to mind of the ones 've played most recently has already been mentioned...

Zero Gunner 2 (for Dreamcast)


On a similar note, Chaos Field (also for Dreamcast) is very disappointing in my opinion.


Cheers

:D

[Richter Belmount]

Im just gonna say contra 3 just cause im a konami fanboy.

[bargora]

My favorite vertical shooters are Pop'n TwinBee and Dragon Spirit. I guess I just dig shooters with two different layers of enemies so you have to worry about land enemies and flying enemies at the same time.
Did you ever play Xevious, Xevious 3D/G, Galactic Attack (aka Rayforce), Raystorm, or Raycrisis? All of those have the dual layer style of play. Me likes also.

[Aussie2B]

Xevious has never really appealed to me for some reason, and Raycrisis is pretty poor, if ya ask me. I am trying to find me a copy of Raystorm, though. :)

[xaer0knight]

Ikaruga (DC)
Chaos Field (DC) - poor man RSG IMO
Star Solider Series (TG-16/PCE)
RefleX, Kamui, Crysom Blade, Galax (PC- all japanese)

Ya, im a shmup-aholic. Intrestingly enof there is a lot of great shooters for the PC, mostly Japanese. http://www.shootthecore.com/PClinks1.html