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

[Voodoo]

I still enjoy the shmupfest that is Gradius III (SNES).

Life Force (NES) is a very close 2nd. Excellent shmupage!

[Dire 51]

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.

Sorry Ed, I was just trying to stay true to the spirit of the original request.

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.

Ditto.

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.

I'd maybe term Defender a proto-shmup. Chelnov, though... I've only played it for a short time, so I'm not sure what to call it.

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.

That sounds good to me. I've always lumped Forgotten Worlds (as well as Section Z and Sidearms) into the shmup category, but perhaps action games fit them better.

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).

I've wondered that myself. Too bad we may never know.

[cracked8ball]

Gradius series or Life Force

[Iron Draggon]

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.

Robo Aleste on Sega CD rocks! Awesome game, and one of the best on the system. If this had been a launch title, they would've sold alot more systems.

I count both Defender & Stargate (Defender II) as shmups.

Atomic Runner (Chelnov) is a tossup. Kind of a borderline shmup, but since you control a man with a gun that can be aimed in more than one direction, and he has some other moves like duck and jump, I'd say that it's more of an action platformer, even if it does constantly scroll to force you along a path.

EDF is a pretty good game, and very challenging too. I'd say that it's more underrated than I'd say that it's inferior. Not bad for an early SNES release.

R-Type is extremely overrated. It's biggest claim to fame is that it was the first of it's kind, but beyond that the ship is ugly as sin and looks too weird. I've never played it though, so perhaps I'm completely wrong on this one.

Gradius is pretty good, but it doesn't seem to be very creative. The enemies seem too similar and too generic to me for some reason. What's with all the bubbles? I heard that it was really difficult, but I didn't find it very hard at all.

Phalanx, never played it yet because unfortunately I don't own it, but I've heard that it's hard as hell so I'd love to try it sometime. It's on my want list.

Imperium, I know it's not a sidescroller, but I've heard that it's pretty good. Not very long and not very difficult, but supposedly it gets pretty intense. Looks like it's supposed to be MUSHA on the SNES. It's on my want list too.

Blazeon, I've heard good things and bad things about this one. Looks like a cross between Gaiares and Hyper Duel. Unfortunately, I've never played Hyper Duel before, because I never found an importer who had it in stock or was able to get it for me when it was cheap. Now it's too expensive, but I still would love to own it someday, so I could finally try it out. I hear it rocks. Now Gaiares is everything they say it is and then some, but it's hard as hell! Anyway, Blazeon is on my want list too, if for no other reason than it's rarity.

Biometal & Biometal 2, don't own either one and never played them either, but they look cool as shit and I hear they're pretty good. I wish I owned them both. So another two shmups on my want list. It's a very long list.

D-Force, again not a side scroller, but very underrated. Not bad at all for an early SNES release. With two different modes (realistic & fantasy) and tons of levels, not to mention the excellent use of mode 7 as a play mechanic, I don't understand why this one isn't considered a classic by more shmup fans.

Thunder Spirits, this is Thunder Force on SNES, right? I hear that it's vastly inferior, but I'd still love to own it so I could play it anyway. On my want list.

Strike Gunner STG, I was always under the impression that this is just Vapor Trail on SNES, but is that true or is it a different game? It looks very similar. I never bought it for that reason, so I hope that I don't end up regretting it.

Raiden Trad, need I say more? Everybody loves Raiden Trad. Everybody. It's required shmupping. I have it on Genesis, PS, & Jaguar, but not on SNES yet.

I think that pretty much covers it for SNES shmups, as far as the ones that I have on my want list and the ones I can comment on because I've played them before, but alot of the best ones are top scrollers, not side scrollers.

Aero Fighters (Sonic Wings) is totally awesome on SNES, but once I got Sonic Wings Special for Saturn, it made it pretty much obsolete. For those who don't know, SWS is a remix of all 3 Aero Fighters games for NeoGeo.

BTW, while we're on the subject, anybody know where I can get any of the games on my want list besides ebay? I'd prefer sealed copies because I'm just real picky that way, but I may have to settle for mint complete by now.

My want list (short version for SNES only)

Biometal
Blazeon
Firepower 2000
Gradius III
Hyperzone
Imperium
Metal Morph
Phalanx
R-Type III
Raiden Trad
Strike Gunner STG
Super R-Type
Thunder Spirits

13 shmups on a dead man's SNES, yo-ho-ho & a barrel of fun! Woo-hoo-hoo!

P.S.: My all time favorite games for side scrollers and shmups in general are the Darius series and the Thunder Force series. I have all of those for every system they ever appeared on, except the PSX version of Thunder Force V. No point in owning that one, since I own the vastly superior Saturn version. Oh wait, I don't have the Saturn version of Darius II, or any of the TurboDuo versions either, but not counting those I'm pretty sure that I have them all.

[Jedi805]

Super R-Type
Raiden
Mobile Light Force
Ikaruga
Gekioh Shooting King
Shooter Space Shot

Those are some of my favorites

[Dire 51]

Strike Gunner STG, I was always under the impression that this is just Vapor Trail on SNES, but is that true or is it a different game? It looks very similar. I never bought it for that reason, so I hope that I don't end up regretting it.

It's a different game. Similar to Vapor Trail, yes, but it is different.

[SegaAges]

so does this mean, by the definition, that games like ikaruga count too?

if they do:
i also want to add Ikaruga (DC)
Vapor Trail (Genesis)

[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.

Well, I've never played the original arcade, but I imagine as an early 90's release that the arcade version is much improved.

[SMB]

Metal slug is better than contra so i am going to have to say Metal Slug 1,2,3,4,5,x are my faves

[Iron Draggon]

Strike Gunner STG, I was always under the impression that this is just Vapor Trail on SNES, but is that true or is it a different game? It looks very similar. I never bought it for that reason, so I hope that I don't end up regretting it.

It's a different game. Similar to Vapor Trail, yes, but it is different.

DAMN! I knew that I'd end up regretting it! Now I need that one real bad!

[Jasoco]

Ikaruga for the sheer genius and difficulty of it.

Pop 'n' Twinbee (All variations. Including Twinbee, Bells and Whistles, etc.) for the really cool music and kick-ass weird graphics and enemies.

Fantasy Zone just for the graphical coolness. Though, I can't get past the first level.

Still, I'd love a compilation of both the bottom two series' on a modern console. And an arcade cabinet of Bells and Whistles. I played it on MAME and damn, what a cool game.

[Neonsolid]

Gone.

[Cantaloup]

Forgive my ignorance, but how do you pronounce "SHMUP"? Is it like "schmuck" but with a "P" instead of a "CK" sound at the end? Sorry I couldn't think of a better word for comparison.

[Jasoco]

Forgive my ignorance, but how do you pronounce "SHMUP"? Is it like "schmuck" but with a "P" instead of a "CK" sound at the end? Sorry I couldn't think of a better word for comparison.

Yes.

It's as if you said "Shoot em up" really fast. It's a Shmup! Shmup!

[Cirrus]

Gunstar Heroes... is there any doubt?

[Cirrus]

metal slug series cant be beat imo and its my favorite of SNK's games

Oh, and that.

[carlsson]

Delta, at least if you come from the Commodore 64 side like me and never have tried R-Type etc. Delta has the smooth scrolling, the power-ups, the different attack waves, the great soundtrack etc. Nemesis was a rather poor port on that system (compared to e.g. the MSX) and while Salamander looks better, it never sold me.

[squidblatt]

Time Pilot and, my favorite, Lifeforce.

[DigitalSpace]

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

Added to my list of favorites:

Ikaruga (GC)
Super R-Type (SNES)
R-Type DX (GBC)
Gradius III (SNES)
Axelay (SNES)
Xevious (various systems, I own the GBA NES Classics version)

Also, I'd like to thank Sotenga, who recommend many of the games I listed here a while ago. You've helped a me get a little deeper into the genre!

And thanks to Kamino for urging me even more to get Ikaruga.

[Xexyz]

Off topic but does anyone find that Fire Mustang Japanese import only game a bit strange. You fight against German and Japanese forces as an American pilot. And it was only avaliable in Japan