Best 90's Vertical Shooting Arcade Game

[Cmtz]

I can't seem to find any games that are better than 194X series on the internet. I know I've seen them at the arcade, but I can't remember their names. What are some of the best vertical shooting games for the arcades.

[Sotenga]

I'd say try anything from Cave. DonPachi, DoDonPachi, ESP Ra. De., Guwange, the like. Raizing makes some good ones too like Battle Garegga, Battle Bakraid (one of Joe's personal favorites ;) ), Armed Police Batrider, and... uhhhhhh... hmm, kinda coming up blank here. Radiant Silvergun, even though that's not fully emulatable yet... I guess Salamander might count, even though only half of the stages are vertical. Ooh, try Salamander 2 as well. Ikaruga technically counts as an arcade shmup too, even though I best know it for the Gamecube version.

And if I haven't helped much, behold the Xenofiles: http://www.classicgaming.com/shmups/xenocidefiles/arcade.html

You're more than likely bound to find one of the shmups you've played there. ;)

[Speedy_NES]

I only remember one good shooter from the arcades and that is Raiden. I even bought it for the PC back in the day as well. :)

-Speedy

[Ed Oscuro]

I like Gun and Frontier. Come on, great graphics is a part of the experience. :) You can't really beat 19XX, imo, though. Try Mars Matrix, some of the newer Capcom stuff, though.

[roushimsx]

Guwange, by Cave. For the longest time it was my favorite shooter period. Awesome graphics, music, and scoring mechanics. Not a terribly difficult game. It didn't take me very long to single credit clear it (the only other Cave game I've 1CC'd has been ESPGaluda) but I still enjoy going back to it every now and then to try to improve on my scoring techniques. Imagine my joy when I found out it was emulated in MAME :D

Raiden Fighters 2 is also really, really good. In 2003 a local arcade got it in and I dumped money into it every. single. day. Still can't 1CC it (maybe I'm just getting old), but I do like firing it up in MAME now and then.

I'll throw in Gunlock/Rayforce/Layer Section/Galactic Attack for a nice 3rd place, as it's the second best multi layer vertical shmup ever made (only Soukyugurentai bests it!). Raystorm and Raycrisis aren't bad or anything, but they just don't compare to the first game. Beautiful 2d visuals with some flippin' sweet scaling effects and some really beautiful, memorable music (on par with, if not better than, Darius Gaiden's music). Picked it up on Saturn on a whim years ago when TRU was dumping their Saturn titles and I just fell in love with it.

And for an unpopular vote, I say Shienryu. It's essentially a remake of Daioh, which itself is a blatant Raiden knockoff (it's not as bad as Mad Shark, but it's pretty derivative), but it's got everything in check. High quality, detailed 2d artwork, pumping music, crazy magnetic lightning beam weapon thing, interesting bullet patterns, etc. It got a budget release on Playstation in the US, but the port is loaded with slowdown (though it does have some extra modes that are kind of neat). I say get the budget Japanese PS2 release (Simple 2000 vol 37), as it's an arcade perfect port and includes the previously unreleased sequel (which feels sadly incomplete and is far inferior to Shienryu). In a pinch, you can also scrape up the Saturn version, though that could wind up being expensive.

[Ed Oscuro]

Aye, Rayforce seems nice.

For an actual early-90s shooter, Dangerous Seed is great, too.

[klausien]

It has already been said of course, but DoDonPachi is all you need.

[AlexKidd]

Raiden, Ikaruga,Galaga '88,Xevious, Phoenix

[GobopopRevisited]

It has already been said of course, but DoDonPachi is all you need.

[bargora]

I'm another Rayforce / Galactic Attack fan. And Shienryu / Gekioh is good, too. I'm afraid that I just haven't mustered up the skillz to really get into DDP yet, though. It's just like HOLY SHIT MILLIONS OF BULLETS O NOES!@

So I mostly play with the non-manics. Well, I take a whack a Giga Wing now and then (arcade release 1999). Yes, I like Giga Wing. Yes, I know you don't. Advance notice: Haters can suck it.

Say, did Shienryu (JP Saturn) have slowdown comparable to the Gekioh SK (US PlayStation) budget release?

[Haoie]

The Strikers series, which probably was a spinoff from the 194X series too.

[Flack]

Best overhead (vertical) shooter:
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49873

Best 2D Side-Scrolling Shoot'em Up (SHMUP)?
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41542

Best SHMUPS (vertical and horizontal)
http://www.digitpress.co...um/viewtopic.php?t=1714

best shmups ever
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=53157

Best Shooters
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=37441

I think we've about shot this one to death. Let's pump one of those back up with life!

Note: if this topic is significantly different than those, let me know and I'll reopen it.