I think the best starter shmup is the shmup you think looks the coolest. Battle Garrega was my first, but the aesthetic of futuristic WW2 was right up my ally so I persevered, and then from there I branched out to everything else
As insane as Dodonpachi can get, it was the first SHMUP I played that hooked me and got me into the genre. I just wanted to boot it up and blow stuff up even just credit feeding unaware of the concept of a 1cc at the time. Even though it will kick a beginner’s ass for a long time, it still felt good to play all the time. Finding a game that you consider fun and sticking with it even if it might be considered difficult is the first step. That along with Imperishable Night and Blue Wish Resurrections were the games that really pushed me and showed me a world beyond credit feeding. Once there were a few games I found that clicked with me for whatever reason, it comes down to slow and steady improvements and learning from mistakes.
DDP is amazing and awesome, no doubt about it. It was my first shmup as well! I think that it's a great shmup to get into for people who are already familiar with emulation (console ports are not good, sadly), and are prepared for the grind to come. :-D Not everyone is that way, but for those who are DDP is a great place to begin.
I’ll throw a vote towards Blue Wish Resurrection. It wasn’t my first danmaku game, but I think it’s the first one where I didn’t immediately feel overwhelmed, the mechanics were digestible enough right away, to where I felt like I could actually accomplish a clear. I haven’t yet, but it gave me a greater sense of my own ability to adapt to the mechanics than previous games I had played.
I personally grown love for shumps with Jamestown on Steam. Game is a real hidden gem and quite forgiving for the begginers. Lots of people believe that it's almost stricly for multiplayer, but if you dedicate 1-2 hours a day, you'll sure beat it even with the very first ship, which are a lot of them in this game especially with the Jamestown+ edition. So yeah, very fun game with stunning pixel art and one of the greatest soundtracks ever, even beyond shmup genre
Jamestown was my first shmup too! It has many difficulty settings, so new players have room to grow and it's far more accessible and appealing to a western gaming audience than the typical Japanese shmup. Also, the fact that it's an indie shmup means that it can serve as a gateway drug for indie gamers to the genre.
In my shmup infancy, I liked Galaga but the game that really got me into the genre (and my first 1CC) was Steel Empire for the Genesis. It provided a solid foundation for the harder stuff that I got into later like Musha, Robo Aleste, Radiant Silvergun & Ikaruga,
Imperishable Night was the game that really got me into shmups, I used to play it every day in school when I had the chance. The practice mode was really helpful, it might not have some of the options that modern games tend to have but damn is it convenient for working on specific patterns. It's difficulty was also very fair and the bullet hitboxes were very forgiving (those giant orbs were waaay smaller than they seemed).
As an avid player, I started out with the classic Konami shooters, Zanac on NES, and then went intermediate with games like the Raiden and Thunderforce series, and other Megadrive/Genesis as well as NEC Turbografx 16 shmups.
Ill tell you guys what got me into the genre, like what got me hooked. Tyrain. It's an older game, but I had so much fun with it cause of the killer music and the customizable weapons. And a little later UN Squadron, which also has customizable weapons. I feel like those light RPG elements are really cool, and fans of rpgs may be into these games. Though recently, I have to say Blue Revolver with it's amazing aesthetic and presentation has re vitalized my love of the genre, and this channel as well. Though I think some Touhou games could also be good choices to get new people interest in the genre.
Hey everyone! Thanks so much for watching the video and leaving me all the great feedback! Because you guys brought up so many solid points, and because I sort of ran out of time to provide some further explanations in the video, I thought leaving this pinned comment will be very helpful. The first thing I want to talk about is the idea that Touhou does not play like CAVE games (for the most part), and there are skills that you are going to need in CAVE games (like precise routing or bullet manipulation) that Touhou games don't necessarily test in the same way. Like a few of you guys mentioned, Touhou patterns tend to be very clean and telegraphed compared to most CAVE bullet patterns. This is absolutely true. The same could be said about how the routing in Touhou typically works compared to CAVE, and that you will need to learn new routing skills when you transition into playing a CAVE game -- I also agree with this. However, the reason why I have chosen Touhou over CAVE, for beginners, is actually because of those reasons. I would consider careful routing and bullet manipulation to be intermediate skills, not beginner skills. For beginners, like your friend who you play fighting games with that is willing to give the genre a try, the biggest task they are going to want to focus on is the essential skill of tracking bullet movement with their eyes and then learning how to accurately move their character around screen and dodge the said bullets. This is what Touhou excels at teaching. Touhou patterns are typically very clearly telegraphed and easy to understand visually. There is not usually much ambiguity about what needs to be done, whereas CAVE games love mixing up how the bullets move and what the patterns want you to do (which is great! just not for beginners). With Touhou, though, beginners can focus completely on their fundamental skills of bullet tracking and precise character movement. No matter how arcade players may feel about Touhou, it cannot be denied (and there is a lot of evidence of this among the western superplayers) that the players who invest a lot of time and practice into Touhou games typically have outstanding bullet tracking and precise movement skills. So this is the main reason why I feel Touhou is a great place to get started. To move onto the second step and the step that many of you guys were more interested in, like routing and bullet manipulation, this is when the transition game is introduced, if the player wants to start playing CAVE. And I do want to say that, depending on the player's skill or determination coming into the genre, it is perfectly possible to skip right into a CAVE style shmup (this is what I did). However, when trying to create a universal recommendation, I don't like to recommend CAVE or similar style games as the starting point because CAVe games will also test the player's intermediate skills very quickly (like routing and bullet manipulation) and have oppressive level design (which is a beautiful thing! just a lot to handle for new player). However, if playing Touhou is distasteful for the player for one reason or another, then the player can feel free to play an alternative. Again, my Touhou recommendation is my universal pick, but everyone has differences and so it's not a one-size-fits-all situation. My picks for the best transition games are: Crimzon Clover World Iginition, Blue Revolver, Mushihimesama, Danmaku Unlimited 3, Dodonpachi Ressurection (DFK), ZeroRanger, and Refrain Prism Memories. Also, check out Lunarstrom's comment for a detailed breakdown of Touhou IN and why it's a strong place to start within the series.
Not seeing a comment from a Lunarstrom that you reference. That said, I recently ordered Ketsui Deathtiny, Battle Garegga, Super Hydorah, and Shikhindo for PS4 and Akai Katana for 360 because i got the bug and I’m trying to get back into Shmups 😃.
I've played shmups casually since I was a kid, back in the R-Type/Gradius days. What got me hooked on the genre and interested in playing for score though was Crimzon Clover. That game has my heart man ❤.
Definitely Jamestown+, 7 whole levels full of unique art, music and excellently designed bosses. Great difficulty curve as well, I just beat all the levels individually on legendary, and am working my way up until I feel ready to try a gauntlet (arcade mode) 1cc. And half the reason I want to beat it so badly is so I can play deathsmiles haha, such an addicting genre once it clicks. Great content too, I like your video about gameplay density.
Fantasy Zone and TwinBee got me hooked. Mainly FZ, though. I would recommend starting with any shooter that M2 has put some love into. There’s my two cents. Woohoo.
I've always liked shmups, but the one who hooked and made me understand how this games are played being really approachable but deep enough to progress and eventually 1CC, was Battle Bakraid. You just have to be sure you choose Flame Viper first, and watch a 5min video explaining its mechanics if you struggle.
As much as I prefer non bullet-hell shumps, easy mode Touhou really was a great help, as it taught me the basics of the genre, and provided me just enough challenge for a newbie like me to need to try and be actually able to win. Also, I'd say Gradius Galaxies on the GBA is a great introduction to horizontal shooters.
Imperishable Night was the game that got me into Touhou, and later into SHMUPs. I was 12 at the time (now I'm 28) and found it through a Let's Player called Vardoc1. He kept dying over and over again in the first few stages, which I found pretty funny. The thing that pushed me into actually downloading the game was the soundtrack. It is GODLIKE!!!
My first introduction to STGs was one I don't ever see mentioned these days: Triggerheart Exelica. It was extremely accessible, had interesting mechanics, and had a varying difficulty depending upon how well you were doing. As an early teen, I became obsessed with wanting to own the original version, so I bought it on Dreamcast, and explored it's library to find gems like Karous and Radirgy. This was also around the time that I found Touhou, trying to complete them in chronological order. (I got stomped because I was too stubborn to play anything lower than lunatic. From there, I got really into the genre. I bought every Cave game not region locked for the 360, sprinkling in Treasure games like Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun. To this day I have never 1CC'd a danmaku game. But I still love the genre none the less.
I have some reservations about Touhou being best. Difficulty curve, popularity and availability are certainly good, as is the possible difficulty selections covering large amounts skill levels. I think my issue is that Touhou structured quite differently from other shmups, how it designs the stages (enemies, their size, etc.) and fights are very structured heavily around spell cards - where there is heavy emphasis on dodging. This does not necessarily translate well to other shmups. Another thing I have issue with is the leniency of post-PCB games - particularly death-bombing. I think it is bit of crutch that helps player to survive early on and might come to bit later in games without such feature where you are assumed to bomb in response or planned ones. I have trouble naming other good contenders, though. I mostly got in through IN/DDP/ESPRade. As mentioned, CAVE's games have arcade difficulty curves, which make them difficult to approach for beginners. Other arcade shmups have availability issues. Crimzon Clover is probably good as well, although it might be bit confusing or visually excessive? Siter Skain trilogy is good, but might be dated visually. Ultimately though, I think the recommendation should probably mirror their tastes in way, do they want to get into heavy bullet hell shooting or something more maniac, aesthetic, etc. And if they are willing to dish out cash for the game in first place. There are good free shmups around. Blue Wish Resurrection, Cho Ren Sha 68k. Only ones I'd actively avoid recommending is high-difficulty games or some that have mechanics far-removed from most of shmups (Ikaruga). Although I have to note that I haven't played Touhou in ages, so I might be completely uninformed and lost my touch.
Love the Siter Skain trilogy, they definitely helped get me further into shooting games. Which entry do you think? I feel like Reflex is pretty tough, even with the reflect shield.
This is a really interesting perspective and not one that I necessarily disagree with, but I have some additional thoughts that I will put in a pinned comment here shortly that will talk about this subject and provide further clarification. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for all these vids dude, they are cool 😎 I’m gonna add my 2p worth here, I think the ‘Danmaku Unlimited’ games on mobile have a good claim to be the beginner’s choice. They have scalable difficulty levels (admittedly 1 less than normal and 2 more!) and you can figure out the solutions with 1:1 move speed. The patterns are amazing, a bit like Touhou, and they have different modes with online leaderboards. And are on Steam. And Switch....
Oh yes! I'm a huge Dan 3 fan (I'm actually playing it in shmup slam), so you won't hear any arguments here :-) The reason why I didn't choose Dan 3 is the big resource requirement on PC to run the game and the lack of strong training options and replays. However, it is absolutely one of the best games to get started with.
The Electric Underground yeah ok, I take your point there. I’ve played it on iOS and so take the resources for granted 🙈 Agreed that it doesn’t have great training or replays. Keep up the good work!!
Started with Raiden Project and In The Hunt on PS1 at 6 years old. You'd think starting that early would mean I'd be good at shmups, but I still can't play on anything higher than very easy and I still die often... But I do have to say the Xbox 360 era was a golden age. I was around 18 when all the shmups started coming out for 360 and I just imported all of them that were region free and grabbed an arcade stick as well. It totally rekindled my love for the genre.
I would say dodonpachi is the best to start with because within the first 10 seconds it just feels so smooth and the quality/fun immediately shines through...
Dodonpachi is how I got into shmups as well! I'm providing further explanation in a pinned comment, but DDP is a great alternative choice, based on the player's pre-existing knowledge of emulation and experience with the genre.
The best games to start with imo would be Elemental Master (Genesis), and Life Force (NES). Neither game is stupid hard, I'm not sure about Life Force, but I think Elemental Master is a little expensive. I would also recommend an Everdrive for NES, SNES, and Genesis, they are easy to use and that way you get access to a lot of Compile games which would be a good way to prep for Cave games. Again, this is just my opinion.
@@giorgiomacchi6428 I suppose so. Is it the first on a horizontal plane? It’s kind of rare in that it’s not scrolling. Only Fantasy Zone seems to follow that formula. Also, kind of, Jetpac.
Might I make a suggestion since this is a video that is targeted to new(er) or even returning shmup players that you either not use acronyms (too late for that now 😆 but in case you do another similar one) or at least provide a legend to them in your video description. Some of these turn up all sorts or mixed results in google.
Thunder Force 3 is a great pick! I focused more on new-school style shmups in this vid, but I know Gameboy Guru and Shmupmaster love Thunder 3 and the Thunderforce series. Thanks for watching!
I've turned a lot of friends onto shooters during tournaments I've hosted, and it wasn't Cave and Touhou that hooked them. I pick games for tournaments that no one there have played (or very few of them), and I always pick games that are fundamentally accessible, meaning pick up and play. You don't want convoluted scoring or insane bullet patterns for a beginner. Here are a few games that have hooked people right in front of me: Final Soldier (PC Engine) Salamander (PC Engine) Gate of Thunder (PC Engine) Galactic Attack (Saturn) Blazing Star (Neo Geo) Super Star Soldier (Turbografx) Blazing Lazers (Turbografx) There's a common thread among those games in that they start gently, and let players feel like they can handle it. In the cases of Gate of Thunder and Galactic Attack, there's also a very nostalgic arcade flavor to the visuals that appeal to older players as well. However, the biggest thing is that the games aren't punishingly difficult, even to someone who has never played a shooter. They leave you feeling like you did well, and that you want to do it again to see if you can do even better. The busy bullet patterns in Cave and Touhou games are often too much for a raw new player. They give an appearance of being overwhelming, and untrained eyes don't know where to look. Yeah, they're not so bad once you get a feel for things, but if a person isn't actively trying to get into these games, they csn be demoralizing. Get some PCE caravan shooters out and get some friends competing for high scores. They'll feel good, they'll talk trash, and it will stick witb them enough that next time, you can up the ante a little.
My first few shmups didnt hook me (Ikaruga, Darius Gaiden, Terra Diver), but it wasnt until dodonpachi where i was hooked. Fast paced, adrenaline pumping excellence. Cave fan for life after that.
Might be an odd choice, but I feel like Blue Revolver makes for quite a good starting point. It's certainly not exactly beginner friendly in its difficulty as such, but its challenge mode in particular really teaches the genre essentials quite effectively.
What worked for me was...The Guardian Legend on NES. Relaxed difficulty and it sort of "sneaks" the shooter elements into a format that players new to the genre are already familiar with: The overhead action-RPG.
IMHO, Mushihimesama (1) takes the spot of what i would recommend for someone new to shmups, selection of difficulty, nice shot type choices, the beautiful aesthetic of the game, satisfying explosion of enemies, bullet canceling enemies, a relatively simple scoring mechanic to learn per difficulty (imho), a truly challenging "endgame" in Ultra mode, an extra set of modes in 1.5 that can be played as sort of an in between step between difficulties in the main game, plus the MAX modes, one of the best arrange modes in a shmup imo, striking a nice in between of maniac and ultra, the music is in a tier of its own, much like futari, and last but certainly not least, not a lot of "gimmick" patterns. The #1 thing i think prevents me from immediately going to Touhou 7 or 8 (which would be my next 2 recommendations tbh) is that touhou patterns tend to have some gimmick or trick to them that may not be so readily apparent at a pretty high frequency imho, and i personally feel that the more direct approach of CAVE shmups builds upon the skills that are very transferable between shmups better than the Touhou series. Having said all that though lets just say i both agree and disagree with your recommendation haha. Great video btw. I appreciate what you are doing for the shmup community, as someone who only recently "joined" the community after getting into shmups in 2017, the lack of content/resources for shmups has always kinda bothered me. Unlike the fighting game community where there are tons of resources, i feel like what you are doing is a step towards that direction, and i thank you for that.
Mushi is a really solid choice and I think we can meet in the middle ha. I'm making a pinned comment that will provide some further clarification on why I picked Touhou, but I will also say that, among the people I've talked to who got into the genre via Touhou (Kiwi, KZ, Juju Kenobi), all of them made their transition into arcade shmups with Mushi. So Mushi, in my eyes, is sort of the linchpin between Touhou and Cave, which is important.
Nier Automata and Furi got me curious about the genre. I still haven't gotten too deep into shmups but I'm looking forward to getting stuck in. My first 1CC was Crimson Clover and the first dip into the genre for me.
It was Blazing Lazers for me. I had the unfortunate experience of having StarForce on the NES be my first shooter. Thought I HATED the genre after that. 25 years later gave Blazing Lazers a try. Then Ikaruga. Then Radiant Silvergun. Etc. If you have to go by developer then I say Compile. The speed and awesome weapon load-outs make you want to play just to explore what kind of ass-kicking options are at your disposal. It’s the same incentive-type feeling when you discover “spread” in Contra for the first time and start doling out punishment😀 Might be why I lean more toward Compile-style shooters over outright bullet hell, but there’s a few bullet hells that I think balance both effectively. I just don’t find slow, twitch movement gameplay navigating a screen that’s 98% bullets (and memorizing an “ideal” route) AS exciting as having massive firepower with adrenaline-inducing “reactionary” gameplay. But that’s just me😂
Solid video really enjoyed it. I'm haven't played shooter games sence the 80s and 90s so I'm excited how shooter games,like cave and Raiden,R type and the rest of the Japanese shump game. Great video really enjoy them,.keep up the Great videos👍
This may sound like a noob answer but I actually really like Sky Force Anniversary as a starter shmup. It's very accessible. Its inexpensive. You feel like you are making progress fairly easily and it gets you used to pattern recognition. I'm still a noob myself but love the genre. I also think Raiden IV and Raiden V are both good places to start.
I would actually say Raiden IV; just something about it more appealing to westerners (easier to handle; place on leaderbaords?), likewise if not counting Galaga; Raiden was originally what got me hooked in the 90s as a kid. But...my 8 and 10 yr olds FINALLY seemed to get into shmups via Mushi on Switch, if you got kids make them play lol.
My introduction to the genre was Recca at a young age, and I loved it. Then I got a Ketsui Death Label for DSi and spent many hours with it. I don't know why but to this day when I want to play Ketsui, mostly I play the DS version. :)
My choice for beginners is Gunbird 2 because it's easy on low difficulty to really get used to controls but has the addictive flashy visuals schmups started getting in the late 90s. Ikaruga is probably my favorite overall on DC.
Thanks for the recommendation of Danmaku Unlimited 3. I first discovered shooters through the Ikaruga Appreciate DVD and was blown away by the creativity of the game mechanics. I have it on PC, but after 20 hours it was still way too difficult for me as a beginner. Dankamu Unlimited 3 is far more suitable and I'm having a great time with it. Thanks!
I agree a ton. IN was my first shmup as well. I remember thinking I'm not good enough to git gud at all. And it took years before I started playing shmups on a regular basis(I would only play touhou on a rare occasion, I'd just pick a random game from the series and play until my credit is due and then leave). Then, at some point, I realised I'd regret if I didn't get at least a normal clear of a touhou game. It was difficult, because it required at least some discipline, but that clear finally made me realise what kind of a mindset shmup players have, and that I enjoyed playing shmups.
That's great! I'm glad my answer connected with you! That's cool you kept going with the game and the genre, that's always the hardest part with getting players hooked on the genre, the first big difficulty wall.
Oh wow my main game got picked. I generally agree with the points you made and my general thoughts on the matter is that we need games that are accessible and get people hooked. Arcade games do that, but generally do it best in, well, the arcade where the culture is different from playing at home. I think crimzon clover has an okay difficulty curve given its novice mode, and is just so satisfying to play that I think that's a good pick for new players if they're not into the whole touhou aesthetics. Movement is the number 1 important skill a new player needs to train. It's always something I look for to check a player's skills. At the moment I'm learning stick and just that change has turned me from a moderately good player to completely useless. IN in particular has a good amount of movement in the stages which can get you used to getting comfortable between changing between shot and laser to manage your movement speed. Another good part about IN is that it has a very distinct visual change between shot and laser, changing your entire character sprite and the way your shot works. The amount of playable characters also allows people to try various different types of shots, with magic team being 'traditional' shot and laser, netherworld being a reverse laser and shot, with a rolling gun as a part of its laser, a homing shot type characteristic of touhou and a unique shot type that I've rarely seen in any shmup. The shot variety is designed well with the stages as each shots unique properties allow you to tackle the stage enemies in different ways, which is a good introduction to routing imo. As a side note, since I've picked IN to death, if you ever want subsidiary information for this upcoming video series Mark such as how scoring works and how this changes how the IN stages are played, where to find the best replays or just other tidbits, I'm more than happy to provide.
Played my first Shooters on SNES and Mega Drive back in the 90s. I allways enjoyed them put never preffered any of them over other Genres. Ikaruga on Game Cube changed that. Loved the System, the amount of bullets ect. Since I was a huge Dreamcast Fan I had to have the real deal. Since then, I got allmost every Shooter on the System. Mushihime Sama Futari was my dooropener to Danmaku Games. Love this game to death!
I've introduced some friend through Touhou 15 mostly because its point device mechanic. Basically, they get a tough game that is forgiving enough to learn through replaying smaller chunks.
Mame was in its hay day in 2008 -2014ish after that most mame romsites have been taken down or are not accessible any longer due to pirate copiers selling mame as a "stand alone" video game alternative. Was ya after 2014 if your looking to use mame. Its not gonna be as fun as it was when it was first made available in 2008. I have all the arcade perfect pixel wells garner crt resolution and sound files of all name roms ever dumped online. And its better than going to arcades to play these things. I amassed this collection for over 10 yrs using mame. I even learned how to redump rom files from some of my actually PCB arcade boards and modded them with new music and gfx mods. Retro arcades will never die..😎😎😎😎
Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu because of the hyper system and the style select. The hyper was actually introduced in daioujou but it only destroys enemies and bosses but does not cancel bullets, but in Daifukkatsu, you cancel bullets like crazy (power style definitely is effective in recovery), and thanks to the auto bomb, the player can have an emergency guard in case of being hit and losing a life, it just fires a weak bomb, destroying the enemies and bullets. The best style for the 1CC is strong style because of the wide shot coverage and laser attack strengthened but the main problem is that the hyper gauge charges very slowly. However, it can be quickly charged by activating a hyper and point blanking it quickly before the invincibility wait delay wears off. For a 1 loop clear, it's best to use a hyper when needed, keep the hyper rank low as the higher the rank, the less efficient the hyper will be in cancelling bullets. Another is Deathsmiles (Xbox 360 or steam) because of the adjustable rank level selection allowing you to play any level on any chosen difficulty (in arcade mode, level 1 or 2 can only be chosen ONCE but in the Xbox 360/steam original ver., you can choose any rank difficulty (1 or 2) as many times as you want. Best character to use is either Rosa or Follett. It was technically my first shmup that got me into this genre! However, great summary on this!
My first shmup was Astro Warrior on SMS. Might be the reason I've always felt more comfortable on vertical shmups than hori. For getting started on the old style shmups my picks would be TF3, Steel Empire and Musha. There's a bunch more 16 bit options but those seem to be not as punishing. Steel empire is probably the easiest to pick up and make a ton of progress on. Now, I'm just getting my feet wet with bullet hell shmups, but the ones that I immediately clicked with upon playing the first couple stages were DDP DFK and Esp ra de psi. I didn't quite click as well with espgaluda 2, mushihimesama, ikaruga or deathsmiles 1, but I can tell that I'll dig into those at some point. I think I'm really going to hit off the Cave shmups versus the older ones with a little more frantic gameplay. I'm looking forward to picking up a few more (DDP DOJ, Ray's Arcade Chronology, newer raidens) to really get to experience the modern shmups. Even just the enhancements in bullet visibility make a huge difference IMO. 😁
My first experience with Touhou shmups were...interesting. I started with DDC and LoLK, which arent the best to start with (Even when DDC is my fav touhou game). The problem was, that I didnt know it has a focus/slowdown for like 2 month. The shmups I played before (like Platypus), didnt have a focus, so yeah... Was kinda rough for me.
@@TheElectricUnderground Yeah, I kinda started to get used to it, until I watched some gameplay on youtube and I noticed that they were using the focus. Took me a while to figure out which button it was (I played on keyboard at this time).
my first experience of shmup is playing gradius on a famiclone on bootleg gba multicart(which also famicom games),but most iconic experience for me is seeing msx port of gradius during retro hk2016 which encourages me to buy a msx with gradius and started to play more physical then emus......ahhhh so i am always to tell others play gradius if they wanted to start playing shmups/stgs -an opinion from a unusual 20 year old retro gamer who lives at hk when the same gen are playing shitty mobile games and lol very good content btw sir! i willing to hear more
I'm trying to get back into shmups and that's a pretty interesting rec to hear, i played IN and didn't grasp the human/youkai mechanic well and the cast of bosses didn't get me too invested so eventually i stopped playing it. I preferred the more straightforward EoSD and through sheer force of will and a lot of bombing i 1CC'd normal mode. I might try to 1CC 1Loop Progear to derust, it was a very accessible shmup for teen me since CPS2 emulation was so easy to set up, i didn't like the mechanics in Dimahoo(i didn't figure out that you didn't need to fully charge to change colors and the treasure gathering left me overwhelmed) and didn't like anything other than the gameplay of Mars Matrix, i liked Giga Wing too i beat it by force feeding the machine with credits.
Yes! CCWI is a great shmup to get started with. I'll have a pinned comment with further details about why I picked Touhou, but I think CCWI is a very strong alternate pick, it basically has everything.
The difficulty is good for a beginner to shmups if they play on Novice, since it is quite easy. Once they beat that though, there's not much else to do because Arcade mode is the single biggest difficulty leap I've seen not only in any shmup, but in any video game period. Supposedly the original Crimzon Clover didn't have this problem, but actually finding that version is difficult. It might've been arcade only.
Touhou and Imperishable Night in particular was my introduction to the genre so at the very least this assessment lines up with my own experiences. I'm pretty sure it's also the only one so far I've 1CC'd more than once (though the only other one I've 1CC'd at all is PCB haha..)
That's awesome! Yeah since doing this video I've been hearing how popular IN actually is among players, which I think makes it a great choice on top of the reasons I outline in the video.
@@TheElectricUnderground For it to be such a popular choice means there clearly is something to IN in particular even within the Touhou series that lends itself well to this. Lunarstorm's comment makes that pretty clear as well.
Touhou is okay, but a couple things that make it not my favorite even as a beginner shmup (as I'm kind of a beginner too, at least with danmakus). Firstly, tap-dodging is incredibly hard. I don't know what it is exactly, but even with my gaming keyboard it's incredibly hard to make very slight movements for bullet dodging somehow. The other thing that kind of bugs me about it is something I often dislike about some danmakus, where it just throws shapes at you. The thing that blows me away about the genius of Ketsui, where everything is so expertly placed with huge enemy variety and clever bullet-patterns, is that everything mostly feels like it's actually aimed at you to kill you more than just "here's a spiral" or another shape. My suggestion for a beginner danmaku would be eXceed 3rd (it has tracker shot option just like Ketsui, which I think is awesome too). Bullets are fairly slow-moving and very interesting, and it controls great, and yet enemies feel aggressive.
Interesting. I've never spent much time with Tohou though I've played a bit of Perfect Cherry Blossom. Looking at Tohou 8 - it reminds me slightly of the Castle Shikigami games - no.2 in particular.
Ketsui Deathtiny is a good starter because you can set difficulty from super easy to arcade in 10 different difficulty levels from 1 to 10. So you slowly climp to arcade level and you dont hit a wall. The mode is Arcade Challenge but no one mentions or uses it so they dont implemented it in der latest release Esp ra de (Super easy, easy,arcade) vs Ketsui Deathtiny 1easy-10arcade. its so much more programming to do 9 other difficulty levels in a game that has 2-ALL. Ever played or saw a Arcade Challenge 7 2_ALL video? Its so nice to play and you dont need to be a god at this game.
Destiny, you mean Deathtiny? I think Deathtiny is a great starting place too, though it's understandable if someone avoided recommending Cave games due to the stage 3 difficulty spike they are known for.
That's a great point! Arcade challenge is a cool mode that is perfect for getting into the genre. It's a great alternative for sure. One reason why I didn't pick Deathtiny overall, even though I love the game and would recommend it to all humans on earth is that it's a PS4 exclusive (which is a surprisingly high barrier to many players -- even dedicated Ketsui players) and because arcade challenge mode is a bit tricky to use for non-japanese readers at times. It is a killer mode though and I think playing arcade challenge is a great idea for people getting into shmups, especially CAVE games.
Maybe it doesn't count but I got into the genre as a kid thanks to...Life Force. I don't like horis these days but that one will forever be special to me. But yeah Unidentified Fantastic Object (I forget which one that is)...I liked that one. Maybe it's not the best(?) but that's the one I spent time with.
Thanks for watching! From what I understand UFO is a really great game, but the reason why I went with IN instead of UFO is that UFO has some more unique aspects to its game design. It is a very strong Touhou game though and I've heard a few people identify it as their favorite of the series :-D
Someone suggested Novice modes of ESPGaluda II and Mushihimesama futari. Especially with the language barrier the ESP mechanics are a bit of an extra challenge, but I really liked it as a Bullet Hell introduction.
I'm getting into the genre and started with Espgaluda 2 Novice mode because it appealed to me asthetically. I found it to be far too easy, but normal mode consistently demolishes me either by the end of stage 2 or the midboss of stage 3. Great game, just an absolute brick wall for a beginner and I do not feel like the novice mode prepares you well at all.
There are two kinds of shmups though. Old school and cave style. Old school is about shooting enemies. Cave is about dodging endless elaborate bullet patterns with a 1 pixel hit box then collecting giant gold stars or absorbing things for points. They are completely different kinds of game. I recommend Fire Shark or In the Hunt. Then when you are better, Thunderforce 4 and MUSHA. Then every R-Type game ever. I don’t care for bullet dodging. That’s no fun to me. I like shooting things in my shooting games.
You seem very focused one certain vertical generation of bullet hell shmups... eh.... thunder force AC? ... Blazing star, both cheap as hell on switch. Also spending 7 mins of this video talking about stgs you wound NOT reccomend (given the title of the video) makes for one boring video, sorry.
I got into Dodonpachi myself with Dai-Ou-Jou on the PS2 after I soft modded it with Free McBoot and a USB loader, the game runs on 240p pretty well. on TATE mode. And I know on an arcade PCB it's a lot viable option but as I live in Mexico they aren't well known genre to get into it, I have seen myself SEGA ASTRO city candy cabs but never seen a shmup in arcades in my life. I know that there's Battle Garegga and the first Dodonpachi's on the SEGA SATURN but I didn't get any access to run ISO games on my SATURN, and a SEGA SATURN it's a little expensive but I got mine 10 years ago with 5 games collecting over the decade, so probably Everdrives and other flashcarts aren't emulated though bcuz it plays exactly the same as a cartridge... So yeah I played a lot of shmups on the GENESIS using an Everdrive, may not be accessible bcuz it tend to cost +$100 USD for each system. So what do you think? :3
He mentioned touhou about ten minutes in the video, it's the game playing in the screen through the video (specifically Touhou 8 - Imperishable Night) I do recommend the touhou series as an entry for bullet hells as well! it has a ton of different sides that can get you interested quickly in the genre (personally I love some of the patterns that are made with the bullets in touhou, pretty nice geometry to look at and dodge), the soundtrack of touhou games is usually pretty well received as well, there are plenty of people in the community that can help you check a different perspective, so it's really a great intro for shmups overall! While the info he preceded telling also sounds random if you were just searching for the specific begginer game, he does mention a ton of other shmups justifications for maybe why these aren't the best starters, just something to later see again if you'd like to check intermediate level games (that some people used as starters)
Very late to the party. Jamestown is very accessible and has great difficulty options, with tonnes of replay value, lots of psikyo/cave style visuals and weapons to get people ready for the more committal and challenging titles. It also goes on sale fairly often on steam and is also on ps4 and maybe other platforms too. Just my 2 cents. Peas.
Legally, you have to import it. Search online for sellers e.g. J-list, Amazon. You then need to download updates from ZUN's website, and - if you want to - apply the THCRAP translation patch. A Steam release (and this applies to all Touhou shmups from UFO and earlier) is unlikely as ZUN has apparently lost the files for those games. The more convenient but illegal way is to download it from Moriya Shrine, which is pre-patched and comes with THCRAP.
Yes! I'll go over that in the first episode of the series :-) Basically there are two ways to get IN, the first is to order it on Amazon for $25, and the second is to pirate it from the shrine. I'll go over this in detail and my thoughts about the situation.
@@TheElectricUnderground Are there other doujin shmups (I think doujin is the correct term) always being released/worked on? Or have these indie releases slowed down?? Sorry not up on all the terminology
I understand how your thought process went when creating this video, but you spend more time telling people who aren't familiar with shmups which shmups they shouldn't play and why... I think this would have been a more effective video if you had picked like 3 best shmups to start with on each of the platforms you want to cover - let's say Switch, PC, PS4 - and then actually tell people about those shmups and the aspects that differentiate them to help people make a choice
I wanna get more shmups but I want the ones with barriers/shield mechanics like Caladrius and Jamestown. Or games similar to Suguri where you can phase through or destroy projectiles. Any recommendations?
Don’t necessarily agree.. It would be difficult for me to introduce someone to the shmup genre with a game with flying Japanese girls and fairly boring visuals.. Something like Dodonpachi, on the other hand, still looks good, the soundtrack is great, it’s not really all that hard, and it has spaceships and explosions. What else do you need.
Well, it seems to me a bad recommendation in the term sh em up (not bullet hell) based on my concept of easy in this genre: what is an easy shoot em up: when I imagine that, for example, a vertical comes to the verytex type mind in slow, with attractive visual + good music and beautiful power ups that cover the screen + enemies with few rays and laser on the screen (and in slow mode) and that progressively increases in the levels, thus being the last levels what it could be a level 4-5 of a gradius in easy mode that for me and the common mortal NO GAMER would be an easy, enjoyable and memorable space shooter at the first time, that is a wet dream, unfortunately for the common there is NOT ONE easy (in reference to the description) and I have played dozens of them '' categorized easy '' domestic (because if we talk about arcade shooters it is to jump out the window) I repeat I say it from a global point of view, a steel empire, a super star soldier, an axelay etc etc etc that are supposedly easy for anyone are difficult, let no one be fooled here.
An M2 port of Dodonpachi with Dodonpachi Campaign Version (the lost masterpiece), included! I'd like it to come out on all platforms too so that I can shill it far and wide ha. I'd be so excited because I want to play Campaign version very badly ha.
@@TheElectricUnderground Seems M2 doesn't care for PC... At least that's how I feel towards them, but don't they develop and port on PCs for other platforms? Maybe I'm ignorant thinking this...
How would people who are more experienced in the genre rank Terra Feminarum? It's a free bullet hell game available on Steam. I have been enjoying it, but I'm not savvy when it comes to this genre so I don't opinion alone doesn't mean much.
I think the best starter shmup is the shmup you think looks the coolest. Battle Garrega was my first, but the aesthetic of futuristic WW2 was right up my ally so I persevered, and then from there I branched out to everything else
Garegga is awesome!
As insane as Dodonpachi can get, it was the first SHMUP I played that hooked me and got me into the genre. I just wanted to boot it up and blow stuff up even just credit feeding unaware of the concept of a 1cc at the time. Even though it will kick a beginner’s ass for a long time, it still felt good to play all the time. Finding a game that you consider fun and sticking with it even if it might be considered difficult is the first step.
That along with Imperishable Night and Blue Wish Resurrections were the games that really pushed me and showed me a world beyond credit feeding. Once there were a few games I found that clicked with me for whatever reason, it comes down to slow and steady improvements and learning from mistakes.
DDP is amazing and awesome, no doubt about it. It was my first shmup as well! I think that it's a great shmup to get into for people who are already familiar with emulation (console ports are not good, sadly), and are prepared for the grind to come. :-D Not everyone is that way, but for those who are DDP is a great place to begin.
I’ll throw a vote towards Blue Wish Resurrection. It wasn’t my first danmaku game, but I think it’s the first one where I didn’t immediately feel overwhelmed, the mechanics were digestible enough right away, to where I felt like I could actually accomplish a clear. I haven’t yet, but it gave me a greater sense of my own ability to adapt to the mechanics than previous games I had played.
I personally grown love for shumps with Jamestown on Steam. Game is a real hidden gem and quite forgiving for the begginers. Lots of people believe that it's almost stricly for multiplayer, but if you dedicate 1-2 hours a day, you'll sure beat it even with the very first ship, which are a lot of them in this game especially with the Jamestown+ edition. So yeah, very fun game with stunning pixel art and one of the greatest soundtracks ever, even beyond shmup genre
Jamestown was my first shmup too! It has many difficulty settings, so new players have room to grow and it's far more accessible and appealing to a western gaming audience than the typical Japanese shmup. Also, the fact that it's an indie shmup means that it can serve as a gateway drug for indie gamers to the genre.
It's still one of my top shmups. It's so pretty and compelling I recommended it to non-shmup fans and they loved it.
In my shmup infancy, I liked Galaga but the game that really got me into the genre (and my first 1CC) was Steel Empire for the Genesis. It provided a solid foundation for the harder stuff that I got into later like Musha, Robo Aleste, Radiant Silvergun & Ikaruga,
I love Musha! The game is like a prototype of sorcerer striker and other raizing games :-)
Imperishable Night was the game that really got me into shmups, I used to play it every day in school when I had the chance. The practice mode was really helpful, it might not have some of the options that modern games tend to have but damn is it convenient for working on specific patterns. It's difficulty was also very fair and the bullet hitboxes were very forgiving (those giant orbs were waaay smaller than they seemed).
That's awesome! Yes, I think it is a fantastic place to begin! :-D Ha that's great you used to sneak some games in school.
As an avid player, I started out with the classic Konami shooters, Zanac on NES, and then went intermediate with games like the Raiden and Thunderforce series, and other Megadrive/Genesis as well as NEC Turbografx 16 shmups.
Ill tell you guys what got me into the genre, like what got me hooked. Tyrain. It's an older game, but I had so much fun with it cause of the killer music and the customizable weapons. And a little later UN Squadron, which also has customizable weapons. I feel like those light RPG elements are really cool, and fans of rpgs may be into these games.
Though recently, I have to say Blue Revolver with it's amazing aesthetic and presentation has re vitalized my love of the genre, and this channel as well. Though I think some Touhou games could also be good choices to get new people interest in the genre.
Hey everyone! Thanks so much for watching the video and leaving me all the great feedback! Because you guys brought up so many solid points, and because I sort of ran out of time to provide some further explanations in the video, I thought leaving this pinned comment will be very helpful. The first thing I want to talk about is the idea that Touhou does not play like CAVE games (for the most part), and there are skills that you are going to need in CAVE games (like precise routing or bullet manipulation) that Touhou games don't necessarily test in the same way. Like a few of you guys mentioned, Touhou patterns tend to be very clean and telegraphed compared to most CAVE bullet patterns. This is absolutely true. The same could be said about how the routing in Touhou typically works compared to CAVE, and that you will need to learn new routing skills when you transition into playing a CAVE game -- I also agree with this. However, the reason why I have chosen Touhou over CAVE, for beginners, is actually because of those reasons. I would consider careful routing and bullet manipulation to be intermediate skills, not beginner skills.
For beginners, like your friend who you play fighting games with that is willing to give the genre a try, the biggest task they are going to want to focus on is the essential skill of tracking bullet movement with their eyes and then learning how to accurately move their character around screen and dodge the said bullets. This is what Touhou excels at teaching. Touhou patterns are typically very clearly telegraphed and easy to understand visually. There is not usually much ambiguity about what needs to be done, whereas CAVE games love mixing up how the bullets move and what the patterns want you to do (which is great! just not for beginners). With Touhou, though, beginners can focus completely on their fundamental skills of bullet tracking and precise character movement. No matter how arcade players may feel about Touhou, it cannot be denied (and there is a lot of evidence of this among the western superplayers) that the players who invest a lot of time and practice into Touhou games typically have outstanding bullet tracking and precise movement skills. So this is the main reason why I feel Touhou is a great place to get started.
To move onto the second step and the step that many of you guys were more interested in, like routing and bullet manipulation, this is when the transition game is introduced, if the player wants to start playing CAVE. And I do want to say that, depending on the player's skill or determination coming into the genre, it is perfectly possible to skip right into a CAVE style shmup (this is what I did). However, when trying to create a universal recommendation, I don't like to recommend CAVE or similar style games as the starting point because CAVe games will also test the player's intermediate skills very quickly (like routing and bullet manipulation) and have oppressive level design (which is a beautiful thing! just a lot to handle for new player). However, if playing Touhou is distasteful for the player for one reason or another, then the player can feel free to play an alternative. Again, my Touhou recommendation is my universal pick, but everyone has differences and so it's not a one-size-fits-all situation. My picks for the best transition games are: Crimzon Clover World Iginition, Blue Revolver, Mushihimesama, Danmaku Unlimited 3, Dodonpachi Ressurection (DFK), ZeroRanger, and Refrain Prism Memories.
Also, check out Lunarstrom's comment for a detailed breakdown of Touhou IN and why it's a strong place to start within the series.
Not seeing a comment from a Lunarstrom that you reference. That said, I recently ordered Ketsui Deathtiny, Battle Garegga, Super Hydorah, and Shikhindo for PS4 and Akai Katana for 360 because i got the bug and I’m trying to get back into Shmups 😃.
Touhou Vs DoDonPachi When??
Where do i buy this game?
@@ZatohRondohoon3227Touhou beats Dodonpachi hands down in my book.
@@redmage8719 👑
My first shmup was Defender,but Truxton is where I really started playing them
Truxton is a fun one!
I've played shmups casually since I was a kid, back in the R-Type/Gradius days. What got me hooked on the genre and interested in playing for score though was Crimzon Clover. That game has my heart man ❤.
Ccwi is awesome!!
Definitely Jamestown+, 7 whole levels full of unique art, music and excellently designed bosses. Great difficulty curve as well, I just beat all the levels individually on legendary, and am working my way up until I feel ready to try a gauntlet (arcade mode) 1cc.
And half the reason I want to beat it so badly is so I can play deathsmiles haha, such an addicting genre once it clicks. Great content too, I like your video about gameplay density.
Fantasy Zone and TwinBee got me hooked. Mainly FZ, though.
I would recommend starting with any shooter that M2 has put some love into. There’s my two cents. Woohoo.
I've always liked shmups, but the one who hooked and made me understand how this games are played being really approachable but deep enough to progress and eventually 1CC, was Battle Bakraid. You just have to be sure you choose Flame Viper first, and watch a 5min video explaining its mechanics if you struggle.
As much as I prefer non bullet-hell shumps, easy mode Touhou really was a great help, as it taught me the basics of the genre, and provided me just enough challenge for a newbie like me to need to try and be actually able to win.
Also, I'd say Gradius Galaxies on the GBA is a great introduction to horizontal shooters.
Imperishable Night was the game that got me into Touhou, and later into SHMUPs.
I was 12 at the time (now I'm 28) and found it through a Let's Player called Vardoc1.
He kept dying over and over again in the first few stages, which I found pretty funny.
The thing that pushed me into actually downloading the game was the soundtrack. It is GODLIKE!!!
Strikers 1945 got me hooked. When I was a kid I liked aero fighters , raiden 2 and UN Squadron
My first introduction to STGs was one I don't ever see mentioned these days: Triggerheart Exelica. It was extremely accessible, had interesting mechanics, and had a varying difficulty depending upon how well you were doing.
As an early teen, I became obsessed with wanting to own the original version, so I bought it on Dreamcast, and explored it's library to find gems like Karous and Radirgy. This was also around the time that I found Touhou, trying to complete them in chronological order. (I got stomped because I was too stubborn to play anything lower than lunatic.
From there, I got really into the genre. I bought every Cave game not region locked for the 360, sprinkling in Treasure games like Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun. To this day I have never 1CC'd a danmaku game. But I still love the genre none the less.
I have some reservations about Touhou being best. Difficulty curve, popularity and availability are certainly good, as is the possible difficulty selections covering large amounts skill levels. I think my issue is that Touhou structured quite differently from other shmups, how it designs the stages (enemies, their size, etc.) and fights are very structured heavily around spell cards - where there is heavy emphasis on dodging. This does not necessarily translate well to other shmups.
Another thing I have issue with is the leniency of post-PCB games - particularly death-bombing. I think it is bit of crutch that helps player to survive early on and might come to bit later in games without such feature where you are assumed to bomb in response or planned ones.
I have trouble naming other good contenders, though. I mostly got in through IN/DDP/ESPRade. As mentioned, CAVE's games have arcade difficulty curves, which make them difficult to approach for beginners. Other arcade shmups have availability issues. Crimzon Clover is probably good as well, although it might be bit confusing or visually excessive? Siter Skain trilogy is good, but might be dated visually.
Ultimately though, I think the recommendation should probably mirror their tastes in way, do they want to get into heavy bullet hell shooting or something more maniac, aesthetic, etc. And if they are willing to dish out cash for the game in first place. There are good free shmups around. Blue Wish Resurrection, Cho Ren Sha 68k.
Only ones I'd actively avoid recommending is high-difficulty games or some that have mechanics far-removed from most of shmups (Ikaruga).
Although I have to note that I haven't played Touhou in ages, so I might be completely uninformed and lost my touch.
Love the Siter Skain trilogy, they definitely helped get me further into shooting games. Which entry do you think? I feel like Reflex is pretty tough, even with the reflect shield.
This is a really interesting perspective and not one that I necessarily disagree with, but I have some additional thoughts that I will put in a pinned comment here shortly that will talk about this subject and provide further clarification. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for all these vids dude, they are cool 😎
I’m gonna add my 2p worth here, I think the ‘Danmaku Unlimited’ games on mobile have a good claim to be the beginner’s choice. They have scalable difficulty levels (admittedly 1 less than normal and 2 more!) and you can figure out the solutions with 1:1 move speed. The patterns are amazing, a bit like Touhou, and they have different modes with online leaderboards.
And are on Steam.
And Switch....
Oh yes! I'm a huge Dan 3 fan (I'm actually playing it in shmup slam), so you won't hear any arguments here :-) The reason why I didn't choose Dan 3 is the big resource requirement on PC to run the game and the lack of strong training options and replays. However, it is absolutely one of the best games to get started with.
The Electric Underground yeah ok, I take your point there. I’ve played it on iOS and so take the resources for granted 🙈 Agreed that it doesn’t have great training or replays.
Keep up the good work!!
Started with Raiden Project and In The Hunt on PS1 at 6 years old. You'd think starting that early would mean I'd be good at shmups, but I still can't play on anything higher than very easy and I still die often...
But I do have to say the Xbox 360 era was a golden age. I was around 18 when all the shmups started coming out for 360 and I just imported all of them that were region free and grabbed an arcade stick as well. It totally rekindled my love for the genre.
Yes the 360 era was huge! I sometimes like to sit and imagine how much my channel could have grown if I was making content during that time ha
I would say dodonpachi is the best to start with because within the first 10 seconds it just feels so smooth and the quality/fun immediately shines through...
Dodonpachi is how I got into shmups as well! I'm providing further explanation in a pinned comment, but DDP is a great alternative choice, based on the player's pre-existing knowledge of emulation and experience with the genre.
Judgement Silversword on Steam. Awesome game that has the bonus of not being a bullet hell/puzzle. Shield mechanic is awesome.
Silverword is great! :-D
Reflected yeah an original wonder swan JS cartridge will run you 500 bucks.
@Reflected Oh I'm sure your correct. I stopped collecting a while ago.
I got in because ketsui
Awesome!!
The best games to start with imo would be Elemental Master (Genesis), and Life Force (NES). Neither game is stupid hard, I'm not sure about Life Force, but I think Elemental Master is a little expensive. I would also recommend an Everdrive for NES, SNES, and Genesis, they are easy to use and that way you get access to a lot of Compile games which would be a good way to prep for Cave games. Again, this is just my opinion.
best shmup to start with:
Space Invaders
The Beginning of it all! :-D Thanks for watching!
Then Galaga and Defender.
And then 1942
@Magnus Kingsley Please don't believe this. It's a bot.
@@giorgiomacchi6428 I suppose so. Is it the first on a horizontal plane? It’s kind of rare in that it’s not scrolling. Only Fantasy Zone seems to follow that formula. Also, kind of, Jetpac.
Might I make a suggestion since this is a video that is targeted to new(er) or even returning shmup players that you either not use acronyms (too late for that now 😆 but in case you do another similar one) or at least provide a legend to them in your video description. Some of these turn up all sorts or mixed results in google.
Thunder Force 3, because it's a pretty easy game overall, and if you don't own the console Genesis/ Megadrive emulation isn't hard.
Thunder Force 3 is a great pick! I focused more on new-school style shmups in this vid, but I know Gameboy Guru and Shmupmaster love Thunder 3 and the Thunderforce series. Thanks for watching!
My first shmup was *Interceptor* on arcades.
For NES, it was *Life Force* aka Salamander.
Decades later, I design and create my own Shmups. 😊
I've turned a lot of friends onto shooters during tournaments I've hosted, and it wasn't Cave and Touhou that hooked them. I pick games for tournaments that no one there have played (or very few of them), and I always pick games that are fundamentally accessible, meaning pick up and play. You don't want convoluted scoring or insane bullet patterns for a beginner. Here are a few games that have hooked people right in front of me:
Final Soldier (PC Engine)
Salamander (PC Engine)
Gate of Thunder (PC Engine)
Galactic Attack (Saturn)
Blazing Star (Neo Geo)
Super Star Soldier (Turbografx)
Blazing Lazers (Turbografx)
There's a common thread among those games in that they start gently, and let players feel like they can handle it. In the cases of Gate of Thunder and Galactic Attack, there's also a very nostalgic arcade flavor to the visuals that appeal to older players as well. However, the biggest thing is that the games aren't punishingly difficult, even to someone who has never played a shooter. They leave you feeling like you did well, and that you want to do it again to see if you can do even better.
The busy bullet patterns in Cave and Touhou games are often too much for a raw new player. They give an appearance of being overwhelming, and untrained eyes don't know where to look. Yeah, they're not so bad once you get a feel for things, but if a person isn't actively trying to get into these games, they csn be demoralizing.
Get some PCE caravan shooters out and get some friends competing for high scores. They'll feel good, they'll talk trash, and it will stick witb them enough that next time, you can up the ante a little.
Good choices!
My first few shmups didnt hook me (Ikaruga, Darius Gaiden, Terra Diver), but it wasnt until dodonpachi where i was hooked. Fast paced, adrenaline pumping excellence. Cave fan for life after that.
Yes same here!!! Cave has that effect :-D
Might be an odd choice, but I feel like Blue Revolver makes for quite a good starting point. It's certainly not exactly beginner friendly in its difficulty as such, but its challenge mode in particular really teaches the genre essentials quite effectively.
Yeah blue revolver is also a great starting point!
What worked for me was...The Guardian Legend on NES. Relaxed difficulty and it sort of "sneaks" the shooter elements into a format that players new to the genre are already familiar with: The overhead action-RPG.
Espgaluda(1) is a pretty good example of beginner friendly, yet very attractive and addictive shmup
IMHO, Mushihimesama (1) takes the spot of what i would recommend for someone new to shmups, selection of difficulty, nice shot type choices, the beautiful aesthetic of the game, satisfying explosion of enemies, bullet canceling enemies, a relatively simple scoring mechanic to learn per difficulty (imho), a truly challenging "endgame" in Ultra mode, an extra set of modes in 1.5 that can be played as sort of an in between step between difficulties in the main game, plus the MAX modes, one of the best arrange modes in a shmup imo, striking a nice in between of maniac and ultra, the music is in a tier of its own, much like futari, and last but certainly not least, not a lot of "gimmick" patterns. The #1 thing i think prevents me from immediately going to Touhou 7 or 8 (which would be my next 2 recommendations tbh) is that touhou patterns tend to have some gimmick or trick to them that may not be so readily apparent at a pretty high frequency imho, and i personally feel that the more direct approach of CAVE shmups builds upon the skills that are very transferable between shmups better than the Touhou series. Having said all that though lets just say i both agree and disagree with your recommendation haha. Great video btw. I appreciate what you are doing for the shmup community, as someone who only recently "joined" the community after getting into shmups in 2017, the lack of content/resources for shmups has always kinda bothered me. Unlike the fighting game community where there are tons of resources, i feel like what you are doing is a step towards that direction, and i thank you for that.
Mushi is a really solid choice and I think we can meet in the middle ha. I'm making a pinned comment that will provide some further clarification on why I picked Touhou, but I will also say that, among the people I've talked to who got into the genre via Touhou (Kiwi, KZ, Juju Kenobi), all of them made their transition into arcade shmups with Mushi. So Mushi, in my eyes, is sort of the linchpin between Touhou and Cave, which is important.
@@TheElectricUnderground Yeah i definitely agree, i also fall into that category as i started with Touhou as well.
Nier Automata and Furi got me curious about the genre.
I still haven't gotten too deep into shmups but I'm looking forward to getting stuck in.
My first 1CC was Crimson Clover and the first dip into the genre for me.
OH that's great to hear!! I really hope my channel can help get you hooked in!
My first 1ccwas Mushihimesama followed by Dodonpachi Resurrection soon after. These days I prefer Touhou and Deathsmiles.
It was Blazing Lazers for me. I had the unfortunate experience of having StarForce on the NES be my first shooter. Thought I HATED the genre after that. 25 years later gave Blazing Lazers a try. Then Ikaruga. Then Radiant Silvergun. Etc.
If you have to go by developer then I say Compile. The speed and awesome weapon load-outs make you want to play just to explore what kind of ass-kicking options are at your disposal. It’s the same incentive-type feeling when you discover “spread” in Contra for the first time and start doling out punishment😀
Might be why I lean more toward Compile-style shooters over outright bullet hell, but there’s a few bullet hells that I think balance both effectively. I just don’t find slow, twitch movement gameplay navigating a screen that’s 98% bullets (and memorizing an “ideal” route) AS exciting as having massive firepower with adrenaline-inducing “reactionary” gameplay.
But that’s just me😂
Yep zanac and zanac neo are super slept on
Taking your advice and I got the game Touhou 8! Thanks!
Glad to help!
Solid video really enjoyed it. I'm haven't played shooter games sence the 80s and 90s so I'm excited how shooter games,like cave and Raiden,R type and the rest of the Japanese shump game. Great video really enjoy them,.keep up the Great videos👍
Thanks!!!
This may sound like a noob answer but I actually really like Sky Force Anniversary as a starter shmup. It's very accessible. Its inexpensive. You feel like you are making progress fairly easily and it gets you used to pattern recognition.
I'm still a noob myself but love the genre. I also think Raiden IV and Raiden V are both good places to start.
This.
I would actually say Raiden IV; just something about it more appealing to westerners (easier to handle; place on leaderbaords?), likewise if not counting Galaga; Raiden was originally what got me hooked in the 90s as a kid. But...my 8 and 10 yr olds FINALLY seemed to get into shmups via Mushi on Switch, if you got kids make them play lol.
My introduction to the genre was Recca at a young age, and I loved it. Then I got a Ketsui Death Label for DSi and spent many hours with it. I don't know why but to this day when I want to play Ketsui, mostly I play the DS version. :)
I started with Ikaruga but didn't love shmups until I played Gunbird
My choice for beginners is Gunbird 2 because it's easy on low difficulty to really get used to controls but has the addictive flashy visuals schmups started getting in the late 90s.
Ikaruga is probably my favorite overall on DC.
Thanks for the recommendation of Danmaku Unlimited 3. I first discovered shooters through the Ikaruga Appreciate DVD and was blown away by the creativity of the game mechanics. I have it on PC, but after 20 hours it was still way too difficult for me as a beginner. Dankamu Unlimited 3 is far more suitable and I'm having a great time with it. Thanks!
I think Cho Ren Sha 68k is a good starting point. It's very simple, the difficulty climb is good, and it's free.
I agree a ton. IN was my first shmup as well. I remember thinking I'm not good enough to git gud at all. And it took years before I started playing shmups on a regular basis(I would only play touhou on a rare occasion, I'd just pick a random game from the series and play until my credit is due and then leave). Then, at some point, I realised I'd regret if I didn't get at least a normal clear of a touhou game. It was difficult, because it required at least some discipline, but that clear finally made me realise what kind of a mindset shmup players have, and that I enjoyed playing shmups.
That's great! I'm glad my answer connected with you! That's cool you kept going with the game and the genre, that's always the hardest part with getting players hooked on the genre, the first big difficulty wall.
Oh wow my main game got picked. I generally agree with the points you made and my general thoughts on the matter is that we need games that are accessible and get people hooked. Arcade games do that, but generally do it best in, well, the arcade where the culture is different from playing at home. I think crimzon clover has an okay difficulty curve given its novice mode, and is just so satisfying to play that I think that's a good pick for new players if they're not into the whole touhou aesthetics.
Movement is the number 1 important skill a new player needs to train. It's always something I look for to check a player's skills. At the moment I'm learning stick and just that change has turned me from a moderately good player to completely useless. IN in particular has a good amount of movement in the stages which can get you used to getting comfortable between changing between shot and laser to manage your movement speed.
Another good part about IN is that it has a very distinct visual change between shot and laser, changing your entire character sprite and the way your shot works. The amount of playable characters also allows people to try various different types of shots, with magic team being 'traditional' shot and laser, netherworld being a reverse laser and shot, with a rolling gun as a part of its laser, a homing shot type characteristic of touhou and a unique shot type that I've rarely seen in any shmup. The shot variety is designed well with the stages as each shots unique properties allow you to tackle the stage enemies in different ways, which is a good introduction to routing imo.
As a side note, since I've picked IN to death, if you ever want subsidiary information for this upcoming video series Mark such as how scoring works and how this changes how the IN stages are played, where to find the best replays or just other tidbits, I'm more than happy to provide.
Played my first Shooters on SNES and Mega Drive back in the 90s. I allways enjoyed them put never preffered any of them over other Genres. Ikaruga on Game Cube changed that. Loved the System, the amount of bullets ect. Since I was a huge Dreamcast Fan I had to have the real deal. Since then, I got allmost every Shooter on the System. Mushihime Sama Futari was my dooropener to Danmaku Games. Love this game to death!
GameCube is one of my favs too!!! So under rated!
I've introduced some friend through Touhou 15 mostly because its point device mechanic. Basically, they get a tough game that is forgiving enough to learn through replaying smaller chunks.
That's a great idea! Yes I think that mechanic is a great learning tool!! :-)
As soon as we finish our game, there will a new contender for this list
Ohh awesome! What game?!
@@TheElectricUnderground Broken Portal. There should be a demo ready in time for Christmas :)
The game that got me into shmups is Gradius 3 took me a year to 1cc it
Mame was in its hay day in 2008 -2014ish after that most mame romsites have been taken down or are not accessible any longer due to pirate copiers selling mame as a "stand alone" video game alternative. Was ya after 2014 if your looking to use mame. Its not gonna be as fun as it was when it was first made available in 2008. I have all the arcade perfect pixel wells garner crt resolution and sound files of all name roms ever dumped online. And its better than going to arcades to play these things. I amassed this collection for over 10 yrs using mame. I even learned how to redump rom files from some of my actually PCB arcade boards and modded them with new music and gfx mods. Retro arcades will never die..😎😎😎😎
Pretty interesting answer.
:-D I'll pin some additional comments above as well.
Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu because of the hyper system and the style select. The hyper was actually introduced in daioujou but it only destroys enemies and bosses but does not cancel bullets, but in Daifukkatsu, you cancel bullets like crazy (power style definitely is effective in recovery), and thanks to the auto bomb, the player can have an emergency guard in case of being hit and losing a life, it just fires a weak bomb, destroying the enemies and bullets.
The best style for the 1CC is strong style because of the wide shot coverage and laser attack strengthened but the main problem is that the hyper gauge charges very slowly. However, it can be quickly charged by activating a hyper and point blanking it quickly before the invincibility wait delay wears off. For a 1 loop clear, it's best to use a hyper when needed, keep the hyper rank low as the higher the rank, the less efficient the hyper will be in cancelling bullets.
Another is Deathsmiles (Xbox 360 or steam) because of the adjustable rank level selection allowing you to play any level on any chosen difficulty (in arcade mode, level 1 or 2 can only be chosen ONCE but in the Xbox 360/steam original ver., you can choose any rank difficulty (1 or 2) as many times as you want. Best character to use is either Rosa or Follett. It was technically my first shmup that got me into this genre!
However, great summary on this!
My first shmup was Astro Warrior on SMS. Might be the reason I've always felt more comfortable on vertical shmups than hori.
For getting started on the old style shmups my picks would be TF3, Steel Empire and Musha. There's a bunch more 16 bit options but those seem to be not as punishing. Steel empire is probably the easiest to pick up and make a ton of progress on.
Now, I'm just getting my feet wet with bullet hell shmups, but the ones that I immediately clicked with upon playing the first couple stages were DDP DFK and Esp ra de psi. I didn't quite click as well with espgaluda 2, mushihimesama, ikaruga or deathsmiles 1, but I can tell that I'll dig into those at some point. I think I'm really going to hit off the Cave shmups versus the older ones with a little more frantic gameplay. I'm looking forward to picking up a few more (DDP DOJ, Ray's Arcade Chronology, newer raidens) to really get to experience the modern shmups. Even just the enhancements in bullet visibility make a huge difference IMO. 😁
I swear level 3 of any cave shmup is like running into a brick wall :D
I remember thinking level 3 of DaiOuJou white label was impossible when I first played it.
My first experience with Touhou shmups were...interesting.
I started with DDC and LoLK, which arent the best to start with (Even when DDC is my fav touhou game).
The problem was, that I didnt know it has a focus/slowdown for like 2 month. The shmups I played before (like Platypus), didnt have a focus, so yeah...
Was kinda rough for me.
Oh wow, yeah that does sound rough! I bet the boss fights went on and on ha, props for sticking with it for two months even without focus ha.
@@TheElectricUnderground Yeah, I kinda started to get used to it, until I watched some gameplay on youtube and I noticed that they were using the focus. Took me a while to figure out which button it was (I played on keyboard at this time).
my first experience of shmup is playing gradius on a famiclone on bootleg gba multicart(which also famicom games),but most iconic experience for me is seeing msx port of gradius during retro hk2016 which encourages me to buy a msx with gradius and started to play more physical then emus......ahhhh so i am always to tell others play gradius if they wanted to start playing shmups/stgs
-an opinion from a unusual 20 year old retro gamer who lives at hk when the same gen are playing shitty mobile games and lol
very good content btw sir! i willing to hear more
Danmaku 3 was my first, but crimzon clover on steam was the game that really solidified my interest.
Ccwi is fantastic! Just got the arcade original 1cc :-)
@@TheElectricUnderground I saw, congrats dude!
I started playing shmup on mobile phones, especially the mobile ports of the Strikers 1945 series. And now, I can play Touhou!
Oh that's really cool!
I'm trying to get back into shmups and that's a pretty interesting rec to hear, i played IN and didn't grasp the human/youkai mechanic well and the cast of bosses didn't get me too invested so eventually i stopped playing it.
I preferred the more straightforward EoSD and through sheer force of will and a lot of bombing i 1CC'd normal mode.
I might try to 1CC 1Loop Progear to derust, it was a very accessible shmup for teen me since CPS2 emulation was so easy to set up, i didn't like the mechanics in Dimahoo(i didn't figure out that you didn't need to fully charge to change colors and the treasure gathering left me overwhelmed) and didn't like anything other than the gameplay of Mars Matrix, i liked Giga Wing too i beat it by force feeding the machine with credits.
For me good shmups for start is Crimzon Clover WORLD IGNITION. Look good, sound great, its cheap and difficulty is balanced.
Yes! CCWI is a great shmup to get started with. I'll have a pinned comment with further details about why I picked Touhou, but I think CCWI is a very strong alternate pick, it basically has everything.
The difficulty is good for a beginner to shmups if they play on Novice, since it is quite easy. Once they beat that though, there's not much else to do because Arcade mode is the single biggest difficulty leap I've seen not only in any shmup, but in any video game period.
Supposedly the original Crimzon Clover didn't have this problem, but actually finding that version is difficult. It might've been arcade only.
Blue revolver. It has elements from Raizing and Cave shmups without being as brutal and it's on steam
Yes, Blue Revolver is a great choice! It came very close to being my top pick, I think it's a great choice overall. Thanks for watching!
Yes!! couldn't have explained it better!!
:-D Thanks for watching my dude!
Yes relaxing touhou 8 game play touhou is great man
Touhou and Imperishable Night in particular was my introduction to the genre so at the very least this assessment lines up with my own experiences. I'm pretty sure it's also the only one so far I've 1CC'd more than once (though the only other one I've 1CC'd at all is PCB haha..)
That's awesome! Yeah since doing this video I've been hearing how popular IN actually is among players, which I think makes it a great choice on top of the reasons I outline in the video.
@@TheElectricUnderground For it to be such a popular choice means there clearly is something to IN in particular even within the Touhou series that lends itself well to this. Lunarstorm's comment makes that pretty clear as well.
Touhou is okay, but a couple things that make it not my favorite even as a beginner shmup (as I'm kind of a beginner too, at least with danmakus). Firstly, tap-dodging is incredibly hard. I don't know what it is exactly, but even with my gaming keyboard it's incredibly hard to make very slight movements for bullet dodging somehow. The other thing that kind of bugs me about it is something I often dislike about some danmakus, where it just throws shapes at you.
The thing that blows me away about the genius of Ketsui, where everything is so expertly placed with huge enemy variety and clever bullet-patterns, is that everything mostly feels like it's actually aimed at you to kill you more than just "here's a spiral" or another shape.
My suggestion for a beginner danmaku would be eXceed 3rd (it has tracker shot option just like Ketsui, which I think is awesome too). Bullets are fairly slow-moving and very interesting, and it controls great, and yet enemies feel aggressive.
LOVE FROM.GERMANY. MAN ITS UBIQUE TRUE KILLER CONTENT MAN.
Thanks my dude!!
A bullet hell for best start? WTF?
My suggestion (in this order):
1944
Aero Fighters series (Sonic Wings)
Raiden series
My recommendation are Raiden Fighters
Giga Wing
Galaga
Interesting. I've never spent much time with Tohou though I've played a bit of Perfect Cherry Blossom. Looking at Tohou 8 - it reminds me slightly of the Castle Shikigami games - no.2 in particular.
For sure! There is definitely a parallel between Touhou and Castle, it would be interesting to learn how much one may have influenced the other.
Raptor on pc and super fantasy zone on Sega changed my shmup-life
I love fantasy zone, I need to talk about it on the channel soon. My fav is when you fly on the ground and opa's cute little feet come out and run ha.
@@TheElectricUnderground haha yes, I was shocked seeing him walk the first time.
Sky force series is the best to start
I only played few Touhou games (7, 16, FDF series).. And now that you recommand 8.... Just ordered CD online. Lol
Ha that's great though because you can follow along with the upcoming tutorial series if you're so inclined :-D
Ketsui Deathtiny is a good starter because you can set difficulty from super easy to arcade in 10 different difficulty levels from 1 to 10. So you slowly climp to arcade level and you dont hit a wall. The mode is Arcade Challenge but no one
mentions or uses it so they dont implemented it in der latest release Esp ra de (Super easy, easy,arcade) vs Ketsui Deathtiny 1easy-10arcade. its so much more programming to do 9 other difficulty levels in a game that has 2-ALL. Ever played or saw a Arcade Challenge 7 2_ALL video? Its so nice to play and you dont need to be a god at this game.
Destiny, you mean Deathtiny? I think Deathtiny is a great starting place too, though it's understandable if someone avoided recommending Cave games due to the stage 3 difficulty spike they are known for.
That's a great point! Arcade challenge is a cool mode that is perfect for getting into the genre. It's a great alternative for sure. One reason why I didn't pick Deathtiny overall, even though I love the game and would recommend it to all humans on earth is that it's a PS4 exclusive (which is a surprisingly high barrier to many players -- even dedicated Ketsui players) and because arcade challenge mode is a bit tricky to use for non-japanese readers at times. It is a killer mode though and I think playing arcade challenge is a great idea for people getting into shmups, especially CAVE games.
Maybe it doesn't count but I got into the genre as a kid thanks to...Life Force. I don't like horis these days but that one will forever be special to me. But yeah Unidentified Fantastic Object (I forget which one that is)...I liked that one. Maybe it's not the best(?) but that's the one I spent time with.
ufo is 12
also ufo is my favorite game everyone should play it
...but definitely don't make it your first shmup
Thanks for watching! From what I understand UFO is a really great game, but the reason why I went with IN instead of UFO is that UFO has some more unique aspects to its game design. It is a very strong Touhou game though and I've heard a few people identify it as their favorite of the series :-D
Someone suggested Novice modes of ESPGaluda II and Mushihimesama futari. Especially with the language barrier the ESP mechanics are a bit of an extra challenge, but I really liked it as a Bullet Hell introduction.
I'm getting into the genre and started with Espgaluda 2 Novice mode because it appealed to me asthetically. I found it to be far too easy, but normal mode consistently demolishes me either by the end of stage 2 or the midboss of stage 3. Great game, just an absolute brick wall for a beginner and I do not feel like the novice mode prepares you well at all.
@@Raindrop_2401 I agree Novice mode is relatively easy, but at least the last stage needs some practice.
There are two kinds of shmups though. Old school and cave style. Old school is about shooting enemies. Cave is about dodging endless elaborate bullet patterns with a 1 pixel hit box then collecting giant gold stars or absorbing things for points. They are completely different kinds of game.
I recommend Fire Shark or In the Hunt. Then when you are better, Thunderforce 4 and MUSHA. Then every R-Type game ever.
I don’t care for bullet dodging. That’s no fun to me. I like shooting things in my shooting games.
10:00 Touhou 10:32 specifically, Touhou 8 Imperishable Night
Galactic Attack/Rayforce is a great beginner shmup. Unfortunately, there’s no recent port.
Oh rayforce is such a great game!! Gonna cover it on the channel in the future
@@TheElectricUnderground one of my all time favorites! I think i really deserves a modern, well done port.
You seem very focused one certain vertical generation of bullet hell shmups... eh.... thunder force AC? ... Blazing star, both cheap as hell on switch. Also spending 7 mins of this video talking about stgs you wound NOT reccomend (given the title of the video) makes for one boring video, sorry.
sky force anniversary, sky force reloaded and jets n guns 2
Wow! YES. Sub'ed!
I got into Dodonpachi myself with Dai-Ou-Jou on the PS2 after I soft modded it with Free McBoot and a USB loader, the game runs on 240p pretty well. on TATE mode. And I know on an arcade PCB it's a lot viable option but as I live in Mexico they aren't well known genre to get into it, I have seen myself SEGA ASTRO city candy cabs but never seen a shmup in arcades in my life.
I know that there's Battle Garegga and the first Dodonpachi's on the SEGA SATURN but I didn't get any access to run ISO games on my SATURN, and a SEGA SATURN it's a little expensive but I got mine 10 years ago with 5 games collecting over the decade, so probably Everdrives and other flashcarts aren't emulated though bcuz it plays exactly the same as a cartridge... So yeah I played a lot of shmups on the GENESIS using an Everdrive, may not be accessible bcuz it tend to cost +$100 USD for each system. So what do you think? :3
Does he give an answer? or does keep mentioning games he doesn't recommend and that as a beginner - I've never heard of.
He mentioned touhou about ten minutes in the video, it's the game playing in the screen through the video (specifically Touhou 8 - Imperishable Night)
I do recommend the touhou series as an entry for bullet hells as well! it has a ton of different sides that can get you interested quickly in the genre (personally I love some of the patterns that are made with the bullets in touhou, pretty nice geometry to look at and dodge), the soundtrack of touhou games is usually pretty well received as well, there are plenty of people in the community that can help you check a different perspective, so it's really a great intro for shmups overall!
While the info he preceded telling also sounds random if you were just searching for the specific begginer game, he does mention a ton of other shmups justifications for maybe why these aren't the best starters, just something to later see again if you'd like to check intermediate level games (that some people used as starters)
Sorry, I'm a beginner. What's Toho? I'm googling and getting confused.
Lol are you still confused
Very late to the party. Jamestown is very accessible and has great difficulty options, with tonnes of replay value, lots of psikyo/cave style visuals and weapons to get people ready for the more committal and challenging titles. It also goes on sale fairly often on steam and is also on ps4 and maybe other platforms too. Just my 2 cents. Peas.
Newb here. What game was on screen beside him?
Touhou 8: Imperishable Night
Zero Ranger?
My first was Astro Warrior on Sega Master System. Fuckin old school baby.
I look forward to that series. Is there a good way to get Imperishable Night?
Legally, you have to import it. Search online for sellers e.g. J-list, Amazon. You then need to download updates from ZUN's website, and - if you want to - apply the THCRAP translation patch. A Steam release (and this applies to all Touhou shmups from UFO and earlier) is unlikely as ZUN has apparently lost the files for those games.
The more convenient but illegal way is to download it from Moriya Shrine, which is pre-patched and comes with THCRAP.
Yes! I'll go over that in the first episode of the series :-) Basically there are two ways to get IN, the first is to order it on Amazon for $25, and the second is to pirate it from the shrine. I'll go over this in detail and my thoughts about the situation.
I got into shmups with Touhou as well
Was the Touhou games ONLY on PC? or were there other platforms?
@@neccros007 As far as I know, Touhou games are only on PC
:-D Yeah, Touhou does an amazing job at bringing people into the genre, it isn't perfect but I think is the strongest option right now.
@@TheElectricUnderground Are there other doujin shmups (I think doujin is the correct term) always being released/worked on? Or have these indie releases slowed down?? Sorry not up on all the terminology
I understand how your thought process went when creating this video, but you spend more time telling people who aren't familiar with shmups which shmups they shouldn't play and why...
I think this would have been a more effective video if you had picked like 3 best shmups to start with on each of the platforms you want to cover - let's say Switch, PC, PS4 - and then actually tell people about those shmups and the aspects that differentiate them to help people make a choice
How viable is to start playing shmups on keyboard? As a beginner.
Very! ua-cam.com/video/gWyMdK3813E/v-deo.html
I wanna get more shmups but I want the ones with barriers/shield mechanics like Caladrius and Jamestown. Or games similar to Suguri where you can phase through or destroy projectiles. Any recommendations?
Giga wing!!!
@@TheElectricUnderground Is it on steam?
@@TheElectricUnderground Any other game?
7:41 this is CAVE games in nutshell XD. im still get struggle on stage 3 XD
Don’t necessarily agree.. It would be difficult for me to introduce someone to the shmup genre with a game with flying Japanese girls and fairly boring visuals.. Something like Dodonpachi, on the other hand, still looks good, the soundtrack is great, it’s not really all that hard, and it has spaceships and explosions. What else do you need.
Does anyone have recommendations for a good shmup monitor for pc? Not looking for a CRT, just a good monitor for my desk that can turn vertical.
Well, it seems to me a bad recommendation in the term sh em up (not bullet hell) based on my concept of easy in this genre: what is an easy shoot em up: when I imagine that, for example, a vertical comes to the verytex type mind in slow, with attractive visual + good music and beautiful power ups that cover the screen + enemies with few rays and laser on the screen (and in slow mode) and that progressively increases in the levels, thus being the last levels what it could be a level 4-5 of a gradius in easy mode
that for me and the common mortal NO GAMER would be an easy, enjoyable and memorable space shooter at the first time, that is a wet dream, unfortunately for the common there is NOT ONE easy (in reference to the description)
and I have played dozens of them '' categorized easy '' domestic (because if we talk about arcade shooters it is to jump out the window) I repeat I say it from a global point of view, a steel empire, a super star soldier, an axelay etc etc etc that are supposedly easy for anyone are difficult, let no one be fooled here.
Little off topic, but what shmup, either on console, arcade or both, would you love to see released on PC? Past or present.
An M2 port of Dodonpachi with Dodonpachi Campaign Version (the lost masterpiece), included! I'd like it to come out on all platforms too so that I can shill it far and wide ha. I'd be so excited because I want to play Campaign version very badly ha.
@@TheElectricUnderground Seems M2 doesn't care for PC... At least that's how I feel towards them, but don't they develop and port on PCs for other platforms? Maybe I'm ignorant thinking this...
How would people who are more experienced in the genre rank Terra Feminarum? It's a free bullet hell game available on Steam. I have been enjoying it, but I'm not savvy when it comes to this genre so I don't opinion alone doesn't mean much.