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Thread: Best 2D Side-Scrolling Shoot'em Up (SHMUP)?

  1. #21
    Keeper of the Terror Mask
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    Amazing how many people are confusing platformers like G'NG and SMB, as well as run-n-guns like Contra and Metal Slug with shoot em ups, aka shmups, in this thread. Anyone remember the SHMUPFAQ? Malc described them as follows:

    "Tricky one this, and full of pitfalls if I don't answer right, with loads of anal-retentives ready to jump down my neck at a slip...

    The word SHMUP originated as a compressed form of the term SHOOTEMUP, a label applied to a certain type of game which involved you playing a character shooting things. As far as I can work out, SHMUP seems to be a UK term, and I'd love to know who made it up!

    But exactly what type of game is a shootemup then? I'd like to just say that when you know that you don't need to ask what a SHMUP is, then you know. But that's a pretentious load of bollocks, and I wouldn't get away with it.

    So how can I do it then? I'm must admit to having a wee break here, as I really don't know. Lets set some simple rules for a wannabe shmup game to be even allowed to know where the party's at:

    It must involve you controlling an object which you use to shoot other enemy objects with. (ie, you must shoot things.)

    But that would mean any old game like Duckshoot, Doom, Quake, Time Crisis and even Deerhunter could be called a shootemup, right?

    Technically yes, so we obviously need to refine it a little more. Remember the terms SHMUP and SHOOTEMUP were coined when there wasn't any 3D polygons and CD games, and the most a machine could manage was some sprites flying about the screen and some basic scrolling.

    To a veteran hard-boiled gamesplayer, this was the Golden Age. The subtitle on SHMUPS says something about CLASSIC shootemups - and we all know how hard 'classic' is to define as well!! We're talking the eighties and early nineties here, and what games typified a shooting game in the arcades?

    For me, they were: Xevious, one of the first vertical scrolling games ever, Nemesis, which pioneered in many ways with its level/boss structure and of course R-Type, all three of these created a template which is still being used to fashion shootemups today.

    So I'm going to define a shmup as this:

    A videogame in which you control a flying spaceship / character in a scrolling 2-dimensional environment in which you shoot waves of enemy ships /aliens / bosses and avoid their firepower.

    This is my interpretation, and it suits me fine. It's not a tight definition, and it might not be other people's idea of what a shmup is, but that's fine by me! You'll probably notice some games in here which don't exactly, or even nearly fit that definition, but they're here because they add variety and spice and they're damned good 'nearly-shmups'. Contra is one: it's a mix of action platform game and shmup. See if you can spot any others. But don't tell me about them because I probably know already."

    They don't get enough respect as it is, people, so let's not just start throwing any old game into the mix.

    Back to the original question: just about any game in the Gradius/Salamander/Parodius, ThunderForce, Darius or R-Type series are great. Sure, there are a few exceptions here and there, but for the most part they're all great. I also highly recommend Axelay, Einhander and Pulstar.

  2. #22
    drowning in medals Ed Oscuro's Avatar
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    You know, sometimes I care, but hey, we are discussing our favorite games, no? I know the terminology, but right now I honestly couldn't care less ;)

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    I hear you there ed, but mediamachine did specifically ask for everyone's favorite side scrolling shoot em up and cited a specific example of what he was talking about (in this case Gynoug, which is one great shmup). So why bring up games that aren't shmups, like G'NG for example?

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    SMS - R-Type
    NES - Abadox
    GEN - Gunstar Heroes
    Neo Geo - Metal Slug X/3

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dire 51
    I hear you there ed, but medimachine did specifically ask for everyone's favorite side scrolling shoot em up and cited a specific example of what he was talking about (in this case Gynoug, which is one great shmup). So why bring up games that aren't shmups, like G'NG for example?
    I was wondering myself when that was posted earlier...but hell, dont ruin something that is already good..but meh...oh well
    These cartridges are dirty as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!

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    Think about it... if you asked for say, 1-on-1 fighting game recommendations and people started chiming in recommending games like SMB and Contra, wouldn't you be just the slightest bit puzzled?

    Sorry to be such a damn stick-in-the-mud about this, though. Hail SHMUPS!

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    Bell (Level 8) whoisKeel's Avatar
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    ah, yes i like shmups too. Gate of Thunder was really fun. I have yet to try out lords of thunder, which i have heard is just as good.

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    Great Puma (Level 12) -hellvin-'s Avatar
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    I had to think about this one for a while but I picked three that are my favorites.

    Saturn - Sengoku Blade (my favorite import)
    TG16 - Air Zonk (weird and fun)
    Genesis - Thunderforce series/LF

  9. #29
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    All these votes for contra and not a single one for Super C? IMO, super c was far superior (even though both were ridiculously cool).

    --and life force was amazing

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    Space Megaforce (SNES), with R-Type III (SNES), Gekioh: Shooting King (PSX), and R-Type Final (PS2) close behind.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dire 51
    Think about it... if you asked for say, 1-on-1 fighting game recommendations and people started chiming in recommending games like SMB and Contra, wouldn't you be just the slightest bit puzzled?

    Sorry to be such a damn stick-in-the-mud about this, though. Hail SHMUPS!
    I agree with you on that...I don't know what went wrong heh
    These cartridges are dirty as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!

  12. #32
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    Beats me. It's the wild and wacky world of internet forums for you!

    Or something like that. Damn, but I'm tired.

    Another recommendation: Ordyne!

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    ServBot (Level 11) Iron Draggon's Avatar
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    Axelay is kinda cheating, since it only side scrolls half the time, but I'm glad it was mentioned. Now I say if you like Gynoug, you really should try Sol Divide. Not the crappy brutally molested PSX version, but the Saturn import original.
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    There's a whole topic dedicated to this very genre:

    http://www.digitpress.com/forum/view...ghlight=shmups

    I'll leave this one unlocked but please do enter your comments into that thread as well as it will continue to be the "official" SHMUP topic directed to from many areas on this site!

  15. #35
    Ryu Hayabusa (Level 16) rbudrick's Avatar
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    Hmm, Contra, Ghouls N Ghousts, Gunstrar Heroes, Metal Slug...those are more like side scrolling action games....they blur the line.

    Shooters are more like Gradius, Darius, R-type, Musha, Gaiares, Parodius, stuff like that.

    I definitley like all the series listed above. There are some shining jewels with no sequels out there, like Phalanx that were very good, but that was SNES Then again, Gaiares never had a sequel either....or Musha...I think...

    -Rob
    The moral is, don't **** with Uncle Tim when he's been drinking!

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    Silly me, I try to come off as being laid back but fail miserably :)

    Yes, Dire's right and I should've been quiet! Same old story here.

    I usually consider any game whose scrolling rate isn't wholly independent of your avatar's movement (i.e. the game doesn't scroll by itself) to not be a shmup - be it a mech game like Xardion, Front Mission: Gun Hazard, or the Assault Suits series games; or a character-based title where you chuck stuff. I'd consider those action games.

    On the other hand, where would you put Defender? Isn't that a (mostly) shooter? Then there's Atomic Runner (Chelnov), which only lets you stop running but otherwise moves you along at a fixed rate.

    For me, then, the definition is found by looking at the game's main focus, like Dire said. If it's dodging bullets and shooting stuff, it's likely a shmup. If it's platforming or moving a humanoid character who controls mostly like a shmup does (Forgotten Worlds comes to mind) then it's likely best termed an action game.

    On the old Mega Drive game boxes, it would be interesting to discover if Sega let companies choose whatever categories they thought fit best, did it themselves, or had a strict set of definitions (not so likely, I suppose).

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    Quote Originally Posted by rbudrick
    Hmm Then again, Gaiares never had a sequel either....or Musha...I think...
    Well, MUSHA is technically part of the Compile's massive Aleste series of shmups, which also includes several other games released in the US under other names like Power Strike and Space Megaforce.

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    Strawberry (Level 2) delafro's Avatar
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    I would have thought this topic would begin and end with R-Type, but apparently not!

    BTW, EDF is an inferior game, sorry. I'm not sure why it's even being mentioned in this post.

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    drowning in medals Ed Oscuro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by delafro
    BTW, EDF is an inferior game, sorry. I'm not sure why it's even being mentioned in this post.
    I mentioned it (the arcade version, that is) because I enjoyed playing it as a sort of R-Type wannabe. There you go.

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    Gradius is cool. R-Type pisses me off.
    Metal Slug is Great!

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