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Post by dunpeal2064 on Apr 29, 2019 19:47:24 GMT -5
I'll throw out a few SNES/SFC shooters, in case you hadn't tried any of them yet.
Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie - One of the best 16-bit console shooters full-stop, easily the best SNES/SFC shooter imo. Bio-Metal - Lightning fast, near bullet-hell, but with a Giga Wing-esk shield. Worth nothing, its US ost was done by 2unlimited, the JP ost is much better imo. Gokujou Parodius - My favorite Parodius on the console. Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius needed a beefier system, and also has that dude talking non-stop.
I know you're already kinda checking out R-Type III, just wanted to vouch for it. It has slowdown, but its solid, much better than Super R-Type
I do think Super Aleste is pretty decent, mostly just for its insane difficulty options. Enemy placement and pacing are all pretty poor though, stages drag on and never feel like they pay off much. (I personally find this to be a Compile problem more than specifically a Super Aleste one though.)
Gradius III is obvious, but gets a nod for being the best version of the game imo. Arcade Gradius III sucks.
Axelay is well known too. it seems to get flak now for Mode 7 use, but I think its cool to have one good Mode 7 shmup out there. If you don't mind the Mode 7, everything else about Axelay is stellar. OST is slick, bosses are cool and do really unique things, and the Thunder-Force style weapon system is always fun.
I agree that Spriggan Powered is a bore. Couldn't stick with Dragon Saber either, its decent though. Psycho Chaser sounds familiar, but I'm actually not sure I've played it! Sounds appealing though, will have to check that one out!
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Post by Xeogred on Apr 29, 2019 20:24:08 GMT -5
I actually grew up with Super R-Type and have a soft spot for it. I guess it's kind of a remixed SNES version of R-Type II in some ways. R-Type III is just... utterly insane, the difficulty is extremely high. Gradius III is excellent. Maerchen Adventure Cotton 100% is very cute and fun. Thunder Spirits is a weird remixed version of Thunder Force 3/AC, with some removal of some levels and an addition of a few new ones. I think it's cool for what it is, but yeah.
The Genesis blows it out of the water compared to the SNES when it comes to shmups, for sure.
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Post by toei on May 5, 2019 21:46:54 GMT -5
Still playing Psycho Chaser. I wouldn't say it's the hardest game ever anymore, or anywhere near, since unlike Undeadline, I've been able to make steady progress, but it's certainly challenging. Stage 5, which is where I'm at currently, is completely insane. It's probably the final level in the game, though, or at worst the next-to-last, as you get to power-up your different weapons between stages and they're fully powered-up by then. Part of it is that the first level, while slower and a lot more sparse in terms of enemy placement, is really about as hard as Level 2 and 3, and I'm just getting kind of comfortable against its boss, while the second and third boss are actually much easier. I'd say that first level is the weakest point of the game, but I still enjoy the rest a lot. Definitely want to finish it. dunpeal2064 : I'm going to be checking out that Macross game and Bio-Metal. I also have a bunch of Parodius games lined up. I haven't completely dismissed R-Type 3, but it didn't grab me at all, either. I'll probably revisit it somewhere down the line, but way down. I see what you're saying about Compile. They definitely have a thing for very long levels, and Sylphia was clearly too easy, but I've enjoyed the Compile games I've finished so far. Most of the mainline Aleste games do nothing for me, though. I don't like the aesthetic, atmosphere, or weapon system much. Usually there's only one weapon I really like out of the nine, so it's just cumbersome. Really didn't like Axelay. It's one of the SNES games I'd decided not to name before, since I'm always ragging on SNES action games (I can't help it if they're rarely any good). The Mode 7 levels are overlong and play like a weird, off-brand Super Scaler shooter, and even during the horizontal levels, it just feels dull and sluggish.
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Post by dunpeal2064 on May 6, 2019 2:35:42 GMT -5
I've got Psycho Chaser installed and plan on checking it out soon, since you seem to be digging it.
Not surprised Axelay didn't click with you, but glad you at least gave it a shot. I think your opinion with it lines up with most folks who try it out, and its definitely a flawed and quirky game. R-Type III is much better, but also very clearly designed for those that have already played R-Type and R-Type II quite a bit. Despite being a console exclusive, its more in line with Gradius III Arcade's approach of making the game difficult for the people that have already mastered their previous games, thus making it somewhat unapproachable as a starting point for the R-Type series. That said, I think Gradius III Arcade stinks, and R-Type III is quite solid. Its still R-Type, in all its memorization-heavy, pod-abusing glory, but I dig it.
Definitely looking forward to seeing what you think about Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie and Bio-Metal. The former is top-notch stuff all around, and the latter is just fun. Bio-Metal isn't trying to be a timeless classic, its just an absurd, weird, fun little shooter. Parodius Da! and Gokujou Parodius are quite solid on the SFC as well, but Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius runs pretty damn poorly. If you want to play that one, I'd recommend the Saturn or PS1 ports, as those systems are much more up to the task. Also, if you find yourself on a Parodius kick, be sure to check out its final entry, Sexy Parodius! Easily my favorite Parodius game, enough so that I bought the arcade board for it.
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Post by Ex on May 6, 2019 9:21:53 GMT -5
I used to think Axelay was kinda bad, for many years. But back in 2016 I finally played through it all the way. These were my brief thoughts from three years ago:
"Here's a well known shmup released by Konami in 1992. It was created during Konami's golden years, so just about everything is solid. Nice graphics, great music, tight control... and kick you in the face difficulty. I'm not exactly a shmup god, granted, but man is Axelay brutal. For me the first stage is the toughest, if I make it past that, I can usually keep going. The thing Axelay is remembered most fondly for are its Mode 7 vertically scrolling stages. Konami pulled off some sweet eye candy with this one. But I prefer the side scrolling stages myself, as they just seem to play more intuitively. If by some chance you haven't played Axelay yet, and you enjoy shmups, it's worth your time. And you'll need plenty of that time to get good enough to beat it." 8/10
IIRC the Mode 7 styled stages gave me the hard time, the side scrolling stages not so much.
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Post by toei on May 10, 2019 23:45:14 GMT -5
Whoo, just beat Psycho Chaser. The final level wasn't as hard as Level 5 to me - it's a mix boss/level rush, by which I mean that it throws both old bosses and patterns from earlier levels at you, so since I was already familiar with all of them, it wasn't that hard to make it to the final boss. I died a lot against it, though, because it's very fast and aggressive and it can very easily kill you before you have any idea what's going on. What's worse is the final checkpoint includes not only a stretch of level but another boss fight as well. Either way, I was just telling myself that I'd probably have to do a fresh run tomorrow and make it there fully powered up to stand a chance when I finally beat it. It doesn't have a ton of HP; if you can survive its wildly aggressive pattern for just a bit while hosing it down all the while, you win. Then after the end credits the game loops into an even harder version. Didn't make far there, but I won't be trying to beat that, anyway. There are no options in that game, so I consider that second loop to be Hard Mode, basically.
Anyway, I'll probably write a review tomorrow or something in the Games Beaten thread. I have a good idea what my next few shooters will be, but I'll want to take a break with a SRPG first.
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Post by toei on May 13, 2019 17:09:51 GMT -5
As I mentioned in the Psycho Chaser review in the Games Beaten thread, Sting made 6 vertical shmups within their first few years, before abandoning the genre. Override (PC Engine) and Last Battalion (X68000) are almost lost Aleste games, except the weapon power-ups are color-coded rather than numbered, and there are fewer of them. You can also charge up a super powerful shot by releasing the action button for a few seconds. The two games have all the same mechanics, and even share at least one level, but otherwise Last Battalion seems to be the sequel (or at least re-imagining). Both bear the subtitle "Mission Code: Override" on the title screen. I'd say enemies seem a bit more sparse in Last Battalion, but there are more though ones, so its places more emphasis on the charged-up shot. The music also sounds more Genesis-y, which is a good thing. The score system also seems broken; you get an incredible amount of bonus score at the end of each level, so much so that it takes several minutes for it to be counted down and you get a ton of bonus lives. I wonder if it's native to the game or the rip that is floating around is hacked somehow? Both seem pretty fun.
God Panic (PCE-CD) is a wacky comedy shmup in the style of Parodius, with no particular theme. Highlights include a level where you slowly fly over a giant woman lying on a beach in a bikini. I'd say it's the worst of their shooters in terms of actual gameplay, though. It's still playable, but the weapons feels puny.
Finally, Flying Hero (Super Famicom) is a cute-'em-up full of forest animals and the like. It's pretty decent, actually, but I just don't like cute-'em-ups.
I said finally, because aside from these four and Psycho Chaser, their other shooter is a PCE port of Toaplan's Truxton.
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Post by 20thcenturygamer on May 13, 2019 18:21:03 GMT -5
Just popping in to be That Guy by pointing out that the Axelay horizon bending is accomplished with a line strolling effect and not Mode 7 (background layer scaling/rotation). Also, that you can (and should) turn off the narration in Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius.
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Post by Xeogred on May 13, 2019 21:56:15 GMT -5
Psycho Chaser definitely looks awesome.
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Post by Sarge on May 15, 2019 17:43:01 GMT -5
Just popping in to be That Guy by pointing out that the Axelay horizon bending is accomplished with a line strolling effect and not Mode 7 (background layer scaling/rotation). Also, that you can (and should) turn off the narration in Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius. Really? I thought it was Mode 7 for years. I do know that a lot of games used these sorts of effects without Mode 7, although as much as it looks like it, you'd think they would just use that. Reminds me of what they did with Super Castlevania IV. Do you have a link to that discussion? I'd love to know more on the technical details.
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